I don’t know why Juicy Couture perfumes always catch me by surprise. I always I assume they’re going to be overpowering florals or tummyache-inducing gourmands. This one is fresh and fruity with some subtle hints of spice. Like your parents always said, “Never judge a book by its cover!”
Top notes: Pink Kiwi and Mandarin
Middle Notes: Indian Sambac, Jasmine, and Water Lily
This foundation comes in 33 shades; the sample came with 8 of them:
Punjab (Medium 1)
Patagonia (Medium 1.2)
Vallauris (Medium 1.5)
Santa Fe (Medium 2)
Vanuatu (Medium 3.5)
Barcelona (Medium 4)
Valencia (Medium 5)
Aruba (Medium 6)
I’m leaning towards trying Punjab or Patagonia first, maybe Santa Fe. Vallauris has too much pink undertone for me. It claims to be fade-resistant, sweat-resistant, and transfer-resistant for 16 hours. I’ll have to put it to the test…
I have been obsessed with this serum since I first tried a sample of it maybe a year ago. It makes my skin look so healthy and feel so soft. I can’t think of another product that my skin has responded so quickly to before. As soon as I saw this on the calendar of 21 Days of Beauty deals, I was pumped. The Hyaluronic Acid, NIA-114™, and Ceramides hydrate your skin and then help it to retain moisture.
This was a beauty steal on September 15th. Since I got it for half price, I went ahead and bought 2. 🙂
Were there any products during 21 Days of Beauty you love so much that you bought more than 1?
Love,
Sarah xoxo
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I love skincare, and I’m game to try just about any serum at least once. This ones smells very citrusy and felt really rich on my skin.
Key Ingredients:
Peptides, Caviar Extract, Sea Water, Hydrolyzed Collagen, and algae–anti-aging properties that reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles while improving tone, texture, firmness, suppleness, and elasticity.
Hyaluronic Acid, Argan Oil, and Babassu Oil–moisturize and protect skin
Vitamins A, C, E, B1, B2, B3, B5, B7, B9 and CoQ10–nourish skin
I tried this out on my husband, and it smells sooooooo good! Definitely keeping this in mind for a future gift at some point. I’m a sucker for woody scents.
Top Notes: Mint Oil, Lemon, Green Apple
Middle Notes: Tonka Bean, Ambroxan, Geranium
Bottom Notes: Vanilla, Vetyver, Oak Moss, Cedarwood
I’m finally getting around to trying an eyebrow pencil (I know, I’m a little late to the party). This pencil has an oval shape that helps to mimic the look of natural brows, and the color is adaptable for all brow shades–you just have to adjust the pressure you use. It has several good-for-you ingredients: biotin, lecithin, saw palmetto, nettle, green tea, antioxidants, grape seed, and vitamins A, B5, C, and E. The spoolie on the other end is really convenient, too. It also held up really well all day, even through a sweaty workout. Will I make the conversion from powder to pencil, or will I end up using a combination of powder and pencil? We’ll see…
This was a beauty steal on September 14th, so I got it for half price.
I’ve realized that my anti-breakout tea tree oil moisturizers are drying out my skin, which just causes me to break out (kind of defeats the whole point). I was looking for something that would give my skin more of the moisture it seems to need. This cream is bouncy like marshmallow fluff without the stickiness. It’s recommended for helping skin heal after cosmetic procedures, so I would imagine it will make my skin happy on a daily basis, especially after dermaplaning. So far I’m absolutely loving this moisturizer. It feels so rich and hydrating, and it has a very fresh scent that doesn’t smell artificial.
Key Ingredients:
Sodium Hyaluronate–boosts hydration for an immediate plumping effect
Oat Extract–natural anti-irritant
Neuropeptide–helps relieve skin irritation and stimulate the release of endorphins
Hydrolyzed Rice Protein–helps preserve collagen
Bisabolol–anti-irritant derived from chamomile; helps calm and soothe skin
Aloe–moisturizes and heals skin.
Almond oil–full of Vitamins A, B and E; hydrates
Icelandic Complex–proprietary blend that contains pollution-free Icelandic Glacial Water, Arctic Cloudberry and Cranberry Seed Oils, and Pure Molecular Oxygen
This was a Beauty Steal on September 15th, so half price. I’m much more likely to try out a high end product when I don’t have to pay full price. Unfortunately, I’m afraid I might be falling in love with it. Whoops! 🙂
I’ve been wondering if my AHA/BHA Toner is contributing to drying out my skin, so I picked up this Glycolic Acid Toner to try out. It’s alcohol-free and is recommended for combination or dry skin types. The Glycolic Acid and Grapefruit Extract gently exfoliate and stimulate skin. This toner also claims to help with reducing discoloration from old acne scars (here’s hoping!), as well as build-up that causes dullness.
Did you pick up any of these products during 21 Days of Beauty? What did you think?
Hope your week is going well.
Love,
Sarah xoxo
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Instagram: sarah.elizabeth614 (You can also click the icon at the top of this page.)
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I’ve been really focused on skincare lately trying to figure out what my skin needs, and what better time than my birthday month to snag some new products? During your birthday month, Ulta gives you 2x the points on every purchase you make, so that’s a pretty nice perk, plus I’m a Platinum Member, so I get a $5 off coupon, as well. Let’s dive in!
I didn’t end up liking the Nooni Snowflake Jelly Cleansing Oil from Memebox very much, so once I finally used it up, I decided to try something new. I love Julep’s Love Your Bare Face but didn’t really feel like spending that much on cleansing oil this time, so I thought I’d try this one instead. I like Derma E because they are 100% cruelty-free and use natural ingredients.
Ingredients include:
Argan Oil: moisturizes skin, plus gives some lovely antioxidants
Jojoba Oil: moisturizes skin, plus promotes skin cell renewal to prevent signs of aging
Vitamin E: antioxidant that repairs and protects skin
I’ve been wanting a new eye cream because I haven’t been that impressed with the Beautiful Skin Dark Circle Corrector I got from No7 a few months ago, and I’m almost out of my Total Eye Care from Dermalogica.
Ingredients include:
CoQ10 + black tea: brighten eye area and reduce appearance of wrinkles
Green Tea Leaf: provides powerful antioxidants
Organic Sunflower Oil: moisturizes skin
Aloe Leaf Juice: rich in glycoproteins, soothes and moisturizes skin
Peptides: smooth appearance of fine lines
Avocado Oil: full of vitamins, lecithin, and fatty acids that nourish and hydrate skin
Evening Primrose Oil: source of fatty acids to condition the skin
Malic Acid from Apple Juice: rich in vitamins, potent malic alpha-hydroxy acids, phytonutrients, flavonoids, phenols–provides lots of antioxidants
Carrot Root Juice: source of Vitamin A and other vitamins to smooth skin
Cucumber Extract: hydrates skin
Note: The Green Apple Brightening product line isn’t recommended for sensitive skin due to the fruit acids.
I’ve been using the Green Apple Brightening Essence for awhile and really like the fresh citrusy smell, as well as how refreshed my skin feels afterwards.
With how much my skin has been breaking out, I wanted to see if a new spot treatment would help.
Ingredients include:
Organic Lemon & Apple Fruit Acids: excellent source of vitamins, lycopene, phytonutrients, flavonoids, and alpha-hydroxy citric acids–powerful antioxidants to help clarify and improve skin tone and texture.
Lemon Balm Leaf: clarifies and soothes skin
Organic Sage Leaf: provides antioxidants that help cleanse skin
CoQ10: smooths skin
Organic Green & White Tea: hydrate & soothe skin
Green Tea Leaf: provides powerful antioxidants
Malic Acid from Apple Juice: rich in vitamins, potent malic alpha-hydroxy acids, phytonutrients, flavonoids, phenols–provides lots of antioxidants
Aloe Leaf Juice: rich in glycoproteins, soothes and moisturizes skin
Reservatrol from Grape Juice: contains alpha-hydroxy acid and more vitamins and antioxidants to nourish your skin
Organic Raw Cane Sugar: contains glycolic alpha-hydroxy acids that help exfoliate
Willow Bark: contains natural Salicylic Acid, which helps exfoliate and clear skin
Organic Marigold Flower Extract: source of antioxidants to sooth and soften skin
Algae: contains minerals and antioxidants that soften and moisturize
Maybe someone else would have better luck, but this product didn’t end up helping my skin at all, so I returned it.
I love knowing that Juice Beauty is 100% cruelty-free. What really caught my attention about the brand, though, is the fact that all of their products that have SPF use 20% Zinc Oxide instead of chemical SPF. Zinc Oxide is great for your skin, and 20% is the highest concentration that you can buy on the open market.
Ingredients include:
Zinc Oxide 20%: sun protection
Organic Coconut & Jojoba Oils: hydration with a boost of antioxidants
Aloe Leaf Juice: rich in glycoproteins, soothes and moisturizes skin
Sunflower Oil: great source of Vitamin E to soothe and moisturize skin
Reservatrol from Grape Juice: contains alpha-hydroxy acid and more vitamins and antioxidants to nourish your skin
(Click on each of the products and scroll down to learn more about their respective ingredients.)
The eco-washcloth is made of bamboo, which is a sustainable material that can have naturally antibacterial properties and is not pesticide sprayed like cotton. It’s also super soft!
I used this nighttime moisturizer a few months ago, but I stopped using it because I felt like it wasn’t giving my skin enough moisture. In hindsight, I think the problem is that I was using the Tea Tree Oil Facewash, Toner, and Mattifying Lotion. Now with my current breakout issues, I’m giving this lotion another go. I really love Tea Tree Oil, and The Body Shop is cruelty-free. Win!
As I mentioned above, I’ve used this mattifying lotion before. Ulta was having a buy one, get one half off deal on The Body Shop products, so I went ahead and picked this up, too. I’m using higher quality skincare products than I was before, so I’m not so concerned about my skin drying out this time. Breakouts and excess oil be gone!
I’ve said before how much I love this primer, so I finally bought it, but I’ll admit I was a little conflicted. NARS doesn’t test on animals, but the fact that it’s sold in mainland China means it’s not a truly cruelty-free brand because Chinese law requires animal testing. Cruelty-Free Kitty is a great resource to check out a brand’s cruelty-free status. I decided to go ahead and buy it because NARS doesn’t test on animals. Some extra SPF never hurts!
If you’re an Ultamate Beauty Rewards member, you get a free birthday gift; the gift changes every quarter of the year. Here’s a great blog that outlines all the gifts for 2018. I must have been the only makeup lover in the world that didn’t own this classic blush. The peachy pink looks so natural, and the subtle gold shimmer is gorgeous. Now there’s a whole collection built around this iconic shade!
I’d seen this lip balm on IG and thought it was super cute. It starts out completely clear and then reacts to your skin’s pH to turn into the perfect shade of pink, similar to Lipstick Queen’s Frog Prince Blush. There’s a small chrysanthemum in each tube that makes it even prettier, and you can choose the color (I chose pink), but that doesn’t affect the color of the balm on your lips. I also love the coconut-y scent.
Not bad for a birthday month haul! How many of these products have you tried?
Love,
Sarah xoxo
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How are you? It’s been another busy week, and the weather here is getting hotter by the day. I may hail from Central Texas, but that doesn’t mean I’m a fan of the heat. Anyway, I wanted to give my skin a boost, and I was eager to try out a new mask today!
I had heard about bubble masks but had never tried one. I had also never tried anything from H20+ Beauty before, either. I picked this mask up on a whim during Ulta’s 21 Days of Beauty, and I thought I’d give it a whirl. According to the website, active ingredients and their benefits include:
Champagne Extract–promotes an even complexion
Oat Derived Active–reduces signs of irritation and leaves skin feeling soft
Yuzu Extract–rich in Flavonoids and Vitamin C = radiance
Probiotics–promote water and nutrient retention for improved suppleness
Apply to clean skin–the package says a thick layer, the website says a dime-sized amount…who knows how much? You do you. You massage the gel into your skin, and it starts foaming almost instantly. It had a nice fresh, somewhat floral, scent to it. Sit back and relax for 10-12 minutes (website says up to 15) while the bubbles fizz away. It was a fun sensation, even though it tickled my nose. I got my husband to do it with me, and he described it as “Pop Rocks for your face.” hahaha I personally think Pop Rocks are more intense than this; I would describe it as what it would be like to stick your face in a glass of champagne.
By the end, all of the bubbles are gone, and you’re just left with the gel texture. You massage the gel into your skin for 30 seconds before rinsing it off with warm water. My skin felt so soft and healthy afterwards; I absolutely loved it! Recommended use is 2-3 times per week. After 2 weeks of use, you should see reduced occurrences of blackheads. Judging by how much I have left, I think you could easily get 2 or 3 uses out of a single 1 oz. packet, possibly 4. I would definitely recommend this for when your skin needs a calming boost!
Have you tried a bubble mask before? What did you think? Let me know if there’s one you think I should try!
Have a great week!
Love,
Sarah xoxo
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Instagram: sarah.elizabeth614 (You can also click the icon at the top of this page.)
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April is here, and spring is in full swing! The theme for this month’s Glam Bag was “Social Butterfly.” I think the bag is really pretty; I love the rose gold accents. Now, onto what was inside!
Eyeshadow Blending Brush
from Ruby
I couldn’t find this brush on their website, so I don’t know how much it is, or really anything about it, other than the fact that it’s cruelty-free. I like the precision of this brush for blending my lower lid or the inner corner of my eye.
This eyeshadow is cruelty-free and packs some serious pigmentation. Loose eyeshadow isn’t my favorite because it gets messy, but this one didn’t have any fallout at all. I was super impressed! The color is absolutely gorgeous, and it stayed that way all day long, even after a heavy workout.
I only swatched this on the back of my hand, and I wasn’t impressed. The color was way too orange for my taste, but more importantly, it has no staying power. Yes, it dries matte, but it doesn’t dry down enough to stay put. Even after 20 minutes, I was able to rub it off with no problem. I’ll either list it on My Subscription Addiction’s Swap page or just give it to a friend, but I wasn’t a fan.
The shimmery glow of this highlighter is everything. It’s a gorgeous champagne color that’s not glittery. It really made my cheekbones pop, and it works well as an eyeshadow, too. It’s a little over-the-top for work wear, but I love it for weekends!
You can read my first impression of this mask here. I recommend it!
My Rating: 5/5
This month’s bag had an average rating of 3.8. Have you tried any of these products? What did you think?
Are you a member of any subscription services? What did you get that you absolutely love? Can’t wait for May!
Love,
Sarah xoxo
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I was so excited to get my first Yes, Oh Yas! package this month! I got 4 full-size items– check ’em out!
*Note: prices listed as photo captions are what I found on the respective product websites. Retail values listed below my descriptions are what was listed by Yes, Oh Yas!
I’ve never tried Crown Brushes before, but I’ve heard good things. The brushes are soooooo soft, and they’re super easy to clean. The set includes:
Brow-Lash Comb Brush
Lash Brush
Smudger Brush
Pointed Liner Brush
Lip Brush
Angled Liner Brush
Deluxe Fan
Concealer Brush
Shadow Brush
Angled Shadow Brush
Blush Brush
Powder Brush
They’re not as dense as some brushes I already own, so it’s nice to have a wider variety of options. The only real detractor for me was the carrying case. It felt really cheap, and some of the compartments were already starting to tear. I’ll be keeping the brushes, but I’m probably going to toss the case or give it away, which is a shame.
Retail Value: $29.99*
*I’m a little confused about this because the insert I got in my package listed the retail value of all the items, and it said this brush set retails for $29.99. When I looked it up on the Crown Brushes website, it said it’s normally $12, but at the time of this post, it’s on sale for $8.40. $29.99 and $12 is quite a difference…
The color of this bronzer is absolutely gorgeous, and it applies beautifully. It’s just too glittery for me to wear for an everyday look. I tend to gravitate more towards shimmer or matte bronzers. This would make a really lovely body bronzer on the weekends, especially with summer coming. Due to how glittery it is, I don’t think it’s something I’d repurchase, but that’s purely based on my personal preference.
Retail Value: $24.99*
*I assume this is because I received a 2g jar, while what’s listed on the Bella Terra website is a 9g jar.
I’ll be the first to tell you that I’m no mascara expert. I’m blessed with long thick lashes, so I don’t really need it for day-to-day life. I’ll wear a little of it when I wear my magnetic false lashes so that they have something to grip onto, but that’s really only for special occasions like weddings when I know there will be lots of photos. Otherwise, I find mascara tedious to apply and remove, and it’s my least favorite part of makeup.
I tried this mascara one day just to take it for a spin. I was concerned that it didn’t say “waterproof” anywhere on the packaging, but after a full day of work and getting a full sweat on with an aerial silks class, it didn’t flake, smudge, or run. I was pretty impressed. The hourglass applicator is interesting; it’s supposed to help you get every last lash without clumping. Not too shabby.
As I’ve said before, I’m a liquid or gel liner kind of girl. I tried this eyeliner anyway to see how I liked it. I tried it on my water line one day to see how it held up–not so much. I tried it on my lids another day; it went on smoothly and had a nice color, but it wasn’t as crisp or intense as I prefer. I ended up going over it with my Lorac Front of the Line PRO Liquid Eyeliner in “Charcoal.”
The fact that it’s angled is interesting and keeps the line uniform after multiple uses. It’s not that this isn’t a good product; it’s just not my thing.
Retail Value: $19.99
Total package value: $104.96*
*If you count the Crown Brushes based on the price listed on their website, the total comes out to $84.99. Considering the subscription is only $14.99/month + shipping, that’s still a really good bang for your buck!
I can’t wait to see what May has in store! Which of these items are you dying to get your hands on? Let me know in the comments!
Love,
Sarah xoxo
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Instagram: sarah.elizabeth614 (You can also click the icon at the top of this page.)
Twitter: @SarahLiz614(You can also click the icon at the top of this page.)
Yes, Oh Yas!: Get 3-7 full-size beauty products worth $65+ delivered to you each month for $14.99 + shipping. Use coupon code SARAH614 at checkout for 10% off your first box!
We’ve finally been getting some much-needed rain here in Orlando. Rainy days are perfect for curling up on the couch, getting some writing done, and being a little lazy. For this Spoil Me Sunday, I decided to use one of the items from my April ipsy Glam Bag!
This mask claims to tighten pores, reduce excess sebum, and deep cleanse. The pearl extract in it brightens and evens your complexion (I assume that’s what the black flecks were). I’m a June baby, so Pearl is one of my birthstones (the other is Alexandrite), so this was made for me! I only applied it to my T-Zone and the apples of my cheeks, where I have the most obvious pores. As it dried, it visibly tightened my skin to the point where it visibly pulled, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. I rinsed it off somewhat easily after 15 minutes, and my pores did in fact look smaller and my skin felt smoother. I’m curious to see what results I’ll get with regular use (they recommend 1-2 times a week). Considering how little I need to use at one time, this sample will last me a while. I would absolutely recommend this mask!
My full April 2018 ipsy Glam Bag review will be coming soon, so keep an eye out! What do you think of this mask? Would you try it?
Have a great week!
Love,
Sarah xoxo
If you’d like to be notified when new posts go up, please subscribe to Balanced Life Beauty.
Instagram: sarah.elizabeth614 (You can also click the icon at the top of this page.)
Twitter: @SarahLiz614(You can also click the icon at the top of this page.)
Yes, Oh Yas!: Get 3-7 full-size beauty products worth $65+ delivered to you each month for $14.99 + shipping. Use coupon code SARAH614 at checkout for 10% off your first box!
