Loccitane Original Hand Cream Review

Claims: Enriched with 20% Shea Butter, this super-creamy balm penetrates quickly to protect, nourish and moisturize hands. Honey, almond extracts and coconut oil are blended with Shea Butter to create this extremely effective formula. The rich texture leaves hands soft and smooth with no oily traces, and can be applied as often as needed.

Opinion: This Loccitane Original hand cream is a decent find. I got my hands on a travel size when they were offering them for free at Loccitane. The first thing you notice when applying this lotion would be the strong baby powder smell which dissipates after a few minutes. The application is on the greasy side but is hydrating for those really dry hands. All in all a decent cream and a nice addition to ones travel bag.

Rating: 3.5/5

Price: $10 (10 ml)

Carols Daughter: Ecstasy Shea Soufflé

Claim: Lightweight and non-greasy, each emollient-rich soufflé leaves dry to extra-dry skin feeling soft, supple and smelling delightfully divine. Moisturizing never felt so good! 

Opinion: I received Carols Daughter: Ecstasy Shea Soufflé in my Glossy Box a few months back and have been using it on and off for a two months or so. The lotion is true to it's claims! It is the only body lotion that I find non-greasy on my body and is the best remedy for my extra dry skin after a long hot shower. After using the lotion, even my hands are left with a soft moisturized feeling. The scent of this product is amazing hence the name ecstasy I am guessing... it smells of strawberries and cream mostly with a bit of other tropical scents mixed in. 

Rating: 5/5

Price: $13.50 (4 oz.)

Stila: Stay All Day Waterproof Volumizing Mascara

Claim: A water-resistant mascara that delivers exceptional volume and stays in place until you say when. 

Stay All Day Waterproof Volumizing Mascara is an innovative, long-wearing mascara that contains a special polymer with an extremely high resistance to water. The rich formula pumps up the volume of lashes, is buildable, and unlike other waterproof mascaras, leaves lashes soft, supple, and shiny without smudging or flaking. The unique 3-D triangular brush utilizes three wells to dramatically load a generous coat of mascara onto lashes for extreme volume and three rows of combing bristles to lift, lengthen, and define each and every lash for eye-popping results.

Opinion: This mascara was very volumizing and will leave your lashes feeling natural and smooth which I prefer. My curl stays put for the whole time and no sign of drooping. The waterproof part did not work out for my oily lids resulting in the dreadful panda eyes. The mascara does last for a good 3-4 hours before things start slipping. Product is a bit on the pricey side but there is always samples you can try out before purchasing. 

Waterproof? No
Keeps curl? Yes
Natural looking? Yes

Rating: 3/5

Price: $22

Pangea Organics Facial Scrub - Egyptian Geranium with Adzuki Bean & Cranberry

Claims: for all skin types

This dual-action scrub polishes the skin's surface without disrupting its delicate balance. Never harsh, drying or stripping, this Scrub is gentle enough for daily use.

Enzymatic exfoliants work to dissolve expired skin cells while mechanical exfoliants gently free them up to be rinsed away. Raw, ground-up adzuki bean has been used in skin preparations for centuries in Japan. It provides gentle, manual exfoliation while its astringent properties help clarify and tighten pores. Both cranberry seed and geranium oil offer skin-brightening attributes, which assist with reducing hyper-pigmentation (dark spots due to sun exposure and past acne breakouts). The ingredients in this Scrub nourish the skin with antioxidants that scavenge free-radicals and optimize cellular function, resulting in more radiant skin and increased cell turnover.

Opinion: This scrub definitely does what they say it is suppose to do. I use this scrub every other day in the shower and it leaves my skin smooth, free from flakiness and dryness, without it being stripped from all the oil or moisture. The scent is definitely a fruity cranberry which leaves me feeling hungry some of the time. The texture is a grainy feeling, not the beaded scrubs which some people may or may not prefer. I love the fact that this product is mostly natural which cuts down on the chemicals I am putting on myself. Last but not least, this is one of the only products that I have finished. Thumbs up to using everything up! This scrub will last you about half a year using it 2-3 times a week.

Rating: 4/5

Price: $32

Steve Madden Purple Bluuna Crossbody Bag

Nice and sturdy bags are really hard to come by at a very affordable price but I have found the perfect bag on sale at Nordstrom Rack for $30 (Original $78). The Steve Madden Bluuna Crossbody bag was too good to pass up with a 62% off. This bag was a gorgeous dark purple color that adds color to a dull outfit which I tend to need most of the time with my very bland outfits of black, white, and gray.

The size is a bit on the small side which makes it hard to put many things in it but it will fit a decent amount of items. The bag can fit a long wallet which may take up all the space but it has a large added front pocket for your phone or small item for easy access.

The bag measures around 9-1/4" W x 6" H x 6" D but when folded in depth, it tends to crease or wrinkle around the fold. This is minor detail and can be disregarded when the bag is filled with things. 

Rating: 4/5

Price: $30 (Original $78)

MAC Paint Pot (Painterly)

I'm pretty sure most of you are already well informed about MAC paint pot in Painterly. I have been meaning to try this product to see if it actually lives up to all the hype that has been out there. The verdict is half and half. This cream shadow makes a very good base for your eyeshadows and I have noticed very minimal creasing on my eyelids.

Very hard to see the color because it matches skin tone

The color is a matte pinky beige but it will not cover the color of my actual lid even with two layers but there is enough texture to bring out the vibrancy of the eyeshadow you will be using on top of it. Eyeshadows will last up to 6-7 hours for oily lids compared to the 2-3 hours before colors start to shift around.

Rating: 4/5

Price: $18.50

Loreal Infallible Eye Shadows: Bronzed Taupe and Amber Rush

I tend to hoard eye shadows because I like the different colors that it comes in but I tend to waste it by not using it too often. The Loreal Infallible Eye Shadows were hard to resist and these are my two favorite colors of the bunch and the most natural looking.

left to right: Bronzed Taupe & Amber Rush
(no flash)

(flash)

The color is really intense when dipped with the finger or swiped on the hand but the color is lessened when it actually applied to the eyelid maybe due to the pigmentation of my lids. Bronzed taupe is a purply brown color which is great for the crease and amber rush is a rosy gold pink color best used all over the lid as pop of color.

Swatches in yellow light
(no flash)

(with flash)

After swatching these on my hand, I tested their staying power by cleaning it with a wet wipe which was a difficult job. The eyeshadows stained my hand a little, especially the taupe color. The colors tend to move a little on my eyelid and will transfer into the folds of my lids but this can be solved with a primer or a base.

Rating: 4/5

Price: $7.99

(Ulta deals can be used to get them for ~$4 each)