Lavanila Vanilla Coconut

To my mind, there is nothing more summery than the wonderful scent of coconut. Add that scent to pure, creamy vanilla and I am transported to heaven in the form of a tropical beach vacation. However, no tropical beach vacation will be occuring this summer for myself so I have to make do with smelling the fragrances that transport my mind to my island oasis. Enter Lavanila's Vanilla Coconut fragrance.

Lavanila is a company that prides themselves on using 100% natural ingredients and considers their product to be "healthy fragrances". Sephora describes the scent of this fragrance as "sweet paradise found". I think this is exactly what I have had in mind during the slew of rainy days that we are having here in the Northeast.

Sephora states that, "Escape with Vanilla Coconut filled with an indulgent blend of young coconut, hints of Monoi Tiare (a Tahitian white flower), and a warm sensual base of Madagascar vanilla bean. You'll instantly be transported to an island of healthy delights. LAVANILA carefully infuses pure essential oils with 100 precent active botanicals for natural fragrances that are fresh, clean, and nurturing. With each spray, proprietary natural technology wraps the skin with super anti-oxidants goji berry and kadaku plum, soothing willowherb, and hydrating olive leaf for a healthy dose of 30 essential vitamins and minerals and 19 amino acids. Imagine, a fragrance that not only smells good but is good for you!" The notes are coconut, tiare flower, heliotrope, sandalwood, and Madagascar vanilla.

My only complaint with this product is that the lasting power is not fantastic but I guess that is to be expected of a fragrance that is considered to be based on natural ingredients and not artifical chemicals. This fragrance comes in two sizes of EDT sprays, a shower gel, a body butter, and a deodorant. At one point, I thought that I had seen candles from this line at Sephora but they aren't listed up on the website so I guess they were a limited edition product.

My only wish...that this product would be made in a bath milk. Lavanila, are you listening?!

photo courtesy of Sephora

Freeze 24/7 Ice Shield Facial Cleanser

Freeze 24/7 is a company that is most known for it's anti-aging skin creams and the instant gratification that they are able to provide. Their skin creams are among the best selling products at Bendels and Saks and have attracted a near ravenous cult-like following. However, this company didn't really have many porducts designed to prevent signs of aging, their technology was targeted to products that only have treat the current signs of aging. But, given the time, this company has managed to release a cleanser that is the first of its kind, just as their skin creams were several years ago. This product is called Ice Shield Facial Cleanser with SPF 15 and happens to be a favorite of mine. I first tried this product out two summers ago and haven't looked back since.

This product is the first-ever face wash to contain an added SPF and has been recommended by The Skin Cancer Foundation as an effective form of sun protection. One major reason that this product is effective is that it is very easy to use in the morning and is not an extra step that could be forgotten or passed over when hurrying. And we all know that the easier a product is to use, the more likely that it is will be used consistently and correctly.

Freeze 24/7 describes the product as follows, "A world's first in preventative anti-aging skincare. By simply washing your face, Ice Shield provides protection against harmful UVA/UVB rays, one of the leading causes of skin aging. This super-charged SPF cleanser protects, hydrates, and clarifies your complexion while infusing skin with essential anti-oxidants. Easy to apply, rinses off like an ordinary cleanser, and doesn't leave a greasy residue like a traditional sunscreen. What better way to feel protected from everyday incidental sun exposure. Skin is clean, refreshed, and always protected...all day, every day, winter, spring, summer, and fall".

A couple key ingredients...

Aquea SPF Technology - shields away impurities and hamrful effects of UVA/UVB rays.

Avobenzone - a key sunscreen active ingredient and recognized by the FDA as an effective UVA filter.

White Willow Extract - natural source of salicylic acid for gentle skin clarification.

White Tea Extract - natural source of anti-oxidant for added UV protection.

Coconut Extract - natural source of emollient for superior skin hydration.

Panthenol - nourishes and smoothes the skin.

Silk Amino Acids - conditions the skin.

Tocopheryl Acetate - helps to fight against free radicals.

This product is very creamy and still manages to rinse cleanly. It has a light, unoffensive fragrance that is uni-sex and shouldn't bother even those who are most affected by fragrances.

The key to this product is that the SPF stays on the skin based on charged ions that attract the SPF ingredients but do not attract the rest of the ingredients in the cleanser. This is a fantastic idea and a great product however as stated by the company, this product is meant for incidental sun exposure. Like walking to the subway. Or sitting in an office with a window in it. It is not recommended for prolonged time spent in the sun (like at a beach for the whole day). If that is the scenerio, than a much higher SPF is recommended.

photo courtesy of Freeze 24/7

Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Matte Bronzer

Too Faced has recently released a new bronzer for the summer of 2009. This bronzer has a matte finish unlike many of the bronzers that I have seen with more of a shimmery finish. So far this summer, I have become totally sick of bronzers and tanners but I am still intrigued by this one. Why? This one has a matte finish and therefore might look a bit more natural than that shimmer spiked ones that I keep running into at Sephora. Also this bronzer contains real cocoa powder so I am in the hopes that it will smell the best out of any of the products that are currently available.

This product is considered to be a "delectable matte bronzer". Here is the description of the product from the Sephora website, "Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Matte Bronzer makes getting glam-and-tan downright delicious. Too Faced combines the natural, therapeutic effects of real cocoa powder with their signature bronzing pigments, creating a unique matte bronzer that neutralizes red and evens out and enhances all skintones. The complexion is left with a flawless finish, a gorgeous radiance, and a subtly sweet scent".

This product looks awfully dark and slightly scary in the packaging but when appiled with a light hand, produces a very nice tan shade for pale skin. I would imagine that a woman with a deeper skintone could use a much heavier had with this but for us pale girls, a little bit goes a long way. Swirling a bronzer brush around just the edges fo the product helps to ensure that only the right amount of product is picked up. I read over a bunch of the reviews on the Sephora website and what most people are the happiest about is that it has a matte finish and therefore is more wearable in the daytime. And now with this product, my whole face can smell like candy!

photo courtesy of Sephora

Jo Malone Red Roses

Red Roses by Jo Malone has been one of my favorite fragrances for the spring and summer since I picked it up at Saks over a year ago. It is my opinion that the British perfume houses do rose fragrances the best since the rose features so heavily in their culture. This fragrance is unique in that it is considered to be a green floral because the green notes in the scent balance out the florals.

This fragrance is composed of seven different types of roses to make up the heart of the fragrance along with the crushed violet leaves. The fragrance starts off with the citrus and green notes than the florals erupt and soften the whole fragrance. The citrus top note is lemon and the green note is spearmint. With the multitude of notes in this fragrance, the company recommends it to be layered with rose fragrances or with citrus fragrances depending on which notes the wearer wants to feature the most prominently. I layer it with rosy products since I always want the roses to be center stage.

However even if someone is not a rose lover like myself, this fragrance can be appreciated for the others notes and the uniqueness of the greens in it. This fragrance is on the lighter side, since it does not contain much a base note (like the amber in Stella) so wear time isn't quite as long as I would like to it be. However, the lightness of the fragrance makes it great for warmer weather and casual days. This fragrance comes in colonge form and the 3.4 oz bottle that I own has lasted me this long and will continue to last for at least another year. This fragrance is also available in body products (which I have yet to collect all of) and I wish that it would come out in home fragrance forms since Jo Malone candles are amazing.

This is another fragrance that will continue to feed my addiction for roses as long as it is being sold (and that sold be for quite a long time since it is often out of stock at Bergdorf Goodman).

photo courtesy of Jo Malone

MAC Euristocrats 2

Pardon me while I do a dance for joy...

Ok, I'm back. And what was that dance for you might ask? MAC has just released a new collection of Dazzleglasses. Dazzleglasses have officially become one of my new obsessions and I can't visit the MAC counter without adding one to my shopping bag. Actually I can barely walk by MAC without buying something but we will save that problem for another day. I just love to look at the shimmer and sparkle that this line of glosses produce.

This collection is called Euristocrats 2 and here is the description from MAC, "Six hot new Dazzleglass shades to add the sheen, the sparkle, and the ohh-la-la that never fails to entertain. They're the "something extra" that we've added to the Lipstick and Dazzleglass collection Euristocrats can't get enough of. More, more, more!" Well I can't get enough of them either so I guess that makes me a trendy European!

Here is the collection...

Lipstick - Colour plus texture for the lips. Stands out on the runway. Simmers on the street! What made MAC famous.

- Patisserie - sheer creamy neutral pink (Lustre)

- Costa Chic - frosty light coral (Frost)

- Saint Germain - clean pastel pink (Amplified)

- Milan Mode - sheer deep pink with multidimensional pearl (Lustre)

- Naked Paris - sheer pink brown with multidimensional pearl (Lustre)

- London Life - sheer deep berry with multidimensional pearl (Lustre)

- Cockney - sheer yellow red with mutlidimensional pearl (Lustre)

Dazzleglass - Lipcolour that dazzles with light and shine to bring an exciting dimensional pop to your lips. Large particle pearls reflect and refract light to mimic the brillance of quartz and opal crystal. Privides exceptional shine with a crystalline iridescense. Non-sticky, non-tacky, lightweight, and moisturizing. Glides on. Wear slone or layer over Lipstick or Lipglass for a dramatic effect. Features our signature MAC vanilla aroma.

- Rue d' Rouge - light red with pink pearl

- Via Veneto - light violet with blue pearl

- Local Colour - neutral yellow pink with gold pearl

- Euro Beat - peach coral with gold pearl

- Internationalist - yellow pink with blue pearl

- Roman Holiday - medium brown coral with pink pearl

- Date Night - soft blue purple with pearl

Lip Pencil - A pencil designed for shaping, lining, or filling in the lip. Lip Pencils have a smooth, creamy texture that is perfect for lining the lips or filling them in. the are long-lasting and available in a wide selection of colours that each work well with many different lipstick shades. The colour of Lip Pencils is protected by Vitamin E, which acts as an anti-oxidant, and they contain emollients that moisturize the lips. Lip Pencils can be worn alone, with Lipstick, or Lipglass.

- Subculture - underground pink

- Whirl - dirty rose

- Cherry - vivid bright bluish-red

- Magenta - vivid pinkish-purple

Well, I just saw my Visa cringe. Here is what I from each product line. From the new lipstick shades, I want: Patisserie, Saint Germain, Milan Mode, Naked Paris, and Cockney. Of the Dazzleglasses, I want: Via Veneto and Internationalist. I have never found any allure in lip pencils so I will be passing on those.

More Dazzleglasses and more reasons to buy lipsticks! Euro flair here I come!

photo courtesy of MAC

Benefit Coralista Blush

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C.O. Bigelow Lemon Pomegranate Body Care

I still remember when C.O. Bigelow products were first released at Bath and Body Works. I was still in my Tutti Dolci love phase and wasn't really all that excited for products that didn't smell like Sugar Wafer. However, Bath and Body Works was seriously pumped about this release and gave the associates tons of products to try out and take home to use. A new love is born...

I have used the Lemon body product line forever and a day. This is one fo the few body products that I actually finish up and then go out and buy more (usually I finish up one scent of products and try out a new one). Lemon Cream, Lemon Lotion, Lemon Lip Cream...I love them all!

Bigelow has released a new cousin to the Lemon family of products, a line of Lemon Pomegranate products. These products remind me of a tart berry lemonade and smell fantastic when applied. There are four products in this line: a lip gloss, a body cream, a body wash, and (my favorite) a body scrub.

The lip gloss has a creamy, hydrating texture and gives minimal shine. The Bath and Body Works website states that, "This super-emollient formula is packed with anti-oxidant rich pomegranate to defend lips against skin-damaging free radicals". If this product had a SPF, i would be in heaven but since it lacks one...I use this product more as a hydrator at night than during the day.

The body cream has a light, easy-to-rub-in texture while still managing to have superior hydration benefits for the skin. The Bath and Body Works website says that, "This protective body cream combines the skin-brightening benefits of lemon with a twist of antioxidant-packed pomegranate to protect and nourish skin while helping to provide long-lasting moisture and defend against free radical damage". And it smells amazing!!

The body wash is a great choice for warmer weather becuase it rinses clean and doesn't leave any residue on the skin. From the website, "This antioxidant-packed, super lathering formula combines skin-brightening lelon and protective pomegranate to nourish skin while cleansing, leaving it feeling renewed, soft, and healthy". Another winner from this collection.

My favorite product from the collection is the body scrub. Its texture reminds of a long-discontinued Bigelow Fruit Scrub that contained quince extract. It has a creamy texture while still maintaining top-notch scrubbing benefits. When i use this scrub in the shower, I found that foams up and this allows it be clean rinsing. I love clean rinsing scrubs...feeling like Crisco was rubbed all over me in the shower is not what I go for. Here is the product information from the website, "This skin-refining, antioxidant-rich scrub is formulated to revitalize and brighten skin with a powerful combination of skin-brightening lemon and free-radical fighting pomegranate. the nutrient-packed formula leaves skin looking radiant, smooth, and healthy".

As I stated several entries ago, berry scents that have some type of musk or spice in them are not my cup of tea. This scent is a great example of a crisp, clean berry that has not been muddied up with vanillas and spices. This product line helps to get over the disappointment that I felt when I realized that all the Murad pomegrante body products were not going to be made in full sizes. However, knowing Bath and Body Works, I bet this is limited time product and will not be available to feed my fix much after this summer.

FYI - They are in the final days of their sale...go find this product line - you won't regret it!

photo courtesy of Bath and Body Works