Sunday, August 21, 2011

August Favorites



If there's anyone that knows me, they know that Sephora is my one stop shop for all things beauty. I've tried other retailers here and there, and none of them compare to Sephora. I love the quality and variety of the products Sephora carries- but most of all, I love the perks that come with being a frequent shopper :) With that said, I recently purchased a few items that I absolutely love and need to rave about!!! I've only been using these products for about a week, but I am so pleased with the results! So without further adieu...

Goodbye Cellulite and Stretch Marks!!!

The fat girl slimulator by Bliss, is an amazing product. It is an in-shower stimulating tool that promotes circulation and helps eliminate cellulite, and in my case stretch marks, on the stomach and leg areas. It originally retailed for $22, but I got mine on clearance at the Sephora inside JC Penny for $4.37- which is an amazing savings value of $17. This thing is completely affordable and well worth it! It's made of plastic and rubber and is very easy to use. All you do is wash and rinse the area(s) you wish to use the slimulator on, once you've finished that step- you simply slip the tool over your hand and in a circular motion, sweep the rubber tips all around the troubled area(s). For best results I recommend using the tool daily. I use mine about every 2 days or so, but I still see results after each use. I was skeptical at first, but it really works. I didn't take any before photos, so it'd be pointless to show the results- but trust me, this is the real deal! The only downside to this product is that I believe it has been discontinued since it was put on clearance and I can no longer find it on Sephora.com. If there are any still available at your JC Penny Sephora locations, I recommend you get one, you won't be sorry!

Have Your Cake and Eat it Too

Earlier I mentioned perks for the frequent Sephora shopper. These perks come through the Beauty Insider Program, which essentially is a points based program. You get points for every dollar amount you spend and after so many points, they are redeemable for different products. Also, if you are a member of the program, every year on your birthday you get a free gift. And since my birthday was this month, I picked up my gift which was Philosophy's Happy Birthday Beautiful! shower gel and bubble bath in Vanilla Birthday Cake. This stuff is so yummy!!!!! The full size  bottle (16 oz.) retails for $16, which I think is pricey for body wash, but mine was free, so I can't complain. It has a really nice formula to it, you need just a pea sized amount to get a good lather and it smells amazing. I love this product because it really moisturizes my skin and leaves it feeling smooth. Happy Birthday to me!!

Mane and Tell

My last blog was about my obsession with hair care. I wish I would have gotten this next product sooner. For the record, I never combed or brushed my hair for the longest time. I would wash my hair, let it air dry and the next morning I'd style it. This brush I recently bought has changed all of this! I now love brushing my hair with the Sculpting Brush by the Sephora Collection. Originally retailing for $20, I found mine in the sale section for $7- and I couldn't be happier. This brush is the be all, end all; better than any brush I've ever used before, I promise! According to Sephora it is the next generation brush. It contains tourmaline, which is a mineral used in lots of hair tools, that helps to fight frizz, adds shine and leaves hair silky smooth and tangle free. I wasn't sure a $7 brush could do all of this, but it does! I also find that my hair dries faster when I brush it through with this and it has reduced the frizz tremendously. My hair is naturally straight, but in order to get it completely flat I use a flat iron/straightener. Now that I have this brush, I no longer have to rely on that! Thank you Lord!!!! Another amazing product that you should get your hands on before it is no longer available, which I'm not sure it still is.

Defining Moments

Anastasia's Brow Powder Duos work wonders! By no means was I blessed with full eyebrows, instead I have the complete opposite. But thanks to products such as these, I now have beautiful brows! 

The brow powders come in 4 shades, I use Brunette/Dark Brown, which is the second to darkest shade. The trick to making your brows look as real as possible is to use a powder that is one shade lighter than your true hair color. 

The good thing about this brow powder is that is has two shades for you to mix in order to get the desired results. It retails for $22. What I love about this product is that you don't have to use a lot to get good coverage. My previous brow routine was penciling them in and darkening with a brown eye-shadow and angled brush, but sometimes I'd have those off days where my brows wouldn't do what I wanted them to do, or they would wear off easily and leave me feeling embarrassed. But what I find with the brow powder is that my brows turn out the same every time and they don't wear off, even when I fall asleep with makeup on. $22 may seem expensive for a tiny compact with little product, but you only need a small amount at a time. I've tried another brow product by Anastasia but I wasn't pleased at all with it. In fact, I ended up returning it. But this one is a keeper. I recommend it to anyone who draws on their eyebrows or just simply fills them in, you won't be disappointed. *Side note: Sephora has one of the best return policies out there. If you don't like it, no matter how old or how used the product is, they will accept it. Having the receipt is always best, but even if you don't, the store will give you some kind of credit. Another reason to love this store!

I'm always pleased when I purchase something from this store, but these last couple of trips have left me feeling so happy with what I bought. It's what keeps me a beauty insider and makes me want to continue shopping there. I haven't redeemed my 500 points yet, but when I do, I'm sure it's something I'm going to love!! Check out a store if you haven't already, and if there isn't a store near you- there is always the store online. So go ahead and get beautiful. Till then, stay fabulous! XOXO



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