Most Wanted February 2014

February is one of my favorite months for beauty product shopping, the spring collections are quickly dropping and I am ready to start grabbing all the new releases.  I am ready for some new fragrances and makeup products and my Most Wanted List is full of both types of products, I was a bit surprised that I wasn't craving any new skincare products this month but I have a pretty solid routine right now and I am not really looking to change things until the weather starts to warm up.

I am probably the most excited for the new MAC releases that are coming, the newest collection is called A Fantasy of Flowers and has my name written all over it.  I am so excited to add more pink lip shades to my collection and I have a very good idea of what my shopping over the next few months will look like.

My Most Wanted for the month...

- Bobbi Brown Longwear Eye Base
- Chloe Roses de Chloe
- Elizabeth and James Nirvana White
- OPI Nail Lacquer in Amazon...Amazoff
- Victoria's Secret Body by Victoria
- MAC A Fantasy of Flowers Lipstick in Snapdragon
- MAC A Fantasy of Flowers Cremesheen Glass in Flare of Fantasy
- MAC A Fantasy of Flowers Cremesheen Glass in Playful Petal
- MAC A Fantasy of Flowers Fluidline in Sassy Moss

It appears I have a very large trip to the MAC counter in my future...

Fitness Friday - Walking Lunges

One of my goals for Winter Break was to expand my workouts and improve on my leg day moves.  I started with learning and perfecting traditional lunges and now I am moving on to learning Walking Lunges.  I have seen people doing this move all over my gym for the past few months and they have paired this move with weights to help grow upper body strength, I would love to be able to work some minimal lifting into my leg days and see how it improves my back and shoulders.

Walking Lunges are considered to be a "basic lunge with a boost", as stated by the Pop Sugar Fitness website.  They also state that this move works your glutes, hamstrings, and quads plus it helps to stretch your hip flexors.  I tried this move a few times before at the gym and I really need to work on my balance before doing Walking Lunges when there is more than five people present during my workout...

Pop Sugar Fitness also provides a step by step How To for this move...

- Stand upright, feet together, and take a controlled step forward with your right leg, lowering your hips toward the floor by bending both knees to 90-degree angles.  The back knee should point toward but not touch the ground, and your front knee should be directly over the ankle.

- Press your right heel into the ground, and push off with your left foot to bring your left leg forward, stepping with control into a lunge on the other side.  This completes two reps.

- Do three sets of 20 reps each.

This move helps to slim down the legs and build lean muscle, it also helps to increase mobility and overall hip function.  The article states that you can add light weights to increase the difficulty of the moves and I will need to improve my balance before I can try to add weights.

Walking Lunges are my newest workout challenge and I will be adding these into my upcoming leg days!

photo courtesy of Pop Sugar Fitness

MAC Viva Glam Rihanna

Last year was the year of Rihanna for MAC, there were several sell out collections that featured her and the colors that she loves to wear.  I loved the Ruby Woo shade that was given a makeover just for her and now I see that this year will be another year of MAC and Rihanna.  MAC has just released the latest in their acclaimed Viva Glam collection.  Viva Glam is one of their most consistent best sellers and one that often sells out within hours of the initial release.  My favorites in the past have included the Lady Gaga and Fergie collections and I see that this year we will have Rihanna as our spokesperson for this great cause.

This small collection is now available on the MAC and Nordstrom websites and I am sure that several more department stores will pick this collection up within the next week or two.  "Rihanna launches our new M∙A∙C VIVA GLAM with two strikingly bold shades of red frosted Lipstick and Lipglass, perfectly capturing her fearless, confident style. Every cent of the selling price of VIVA GLAM Rihanna goes toward helping women, men and children living with and affected by HIV/AIDS. Limited-edition, soft-touch red packaging features RiRi's signature."  I see that Rihanna has released yet another red shade with her name on it...

I love red lipsticks and especially MAC red lipsticks so I am all about this collection even though I have not been a huge fan of the previous Rihanna and MAC collaborations.  This collection introduces the new shade in both the Lipstick and the Lipglass and I bet that I will want both of them if I like the shade.

Viva Glam Rihanna...

Viva Glam Rihanna Lipstick - Rihanna's blue-red with frost finish. Every cent of the selling price of VIVA GLAM goes toward helping women, men and children living with and affected by HIV/AIDS. Limited-edition, soft-touch red packaging features RiRi's signature. Pro discount is not applicable.
- Viva Glam Rihanna - frosty blue red

Viva Glam Rihanna Tinted Lipglass - Rihanna's frost blue-red in M∙A∙C's much loved Lipglass formula. Wear it alone or with a Lipstick. Every cent of the selling price of VIVA GLAM goes toward helping women, men and children living with and affected by HIV/AIDS. Limited-edition, soft-touch red packaging features RiRi's signature. Pro discount is not applicable.
- Viva Glam Rihanna - frosty blue red

I do need to see how frosty these shades really are, they could be great new red shades for me or be way too shimmery for my taste. I am interested in a frosty red from MAC as I have several Mattes and Satins from this line already and this would be a big change for my red lipstick/lip gloss collection.  I am thinking that I would be able to pull off this Lipglass even if I don't like the Lipstick when I try it out.

I wonder how many more collaborations we will have with Rihanna for the next few months...

photo courtesy of MAC

LUSH Honey I Washed The Kids Bar Soap

Late winter is the time of the years when my skin is the driest and I have found that I benefit from swapping out my Bath and Body Works Shower Gels for more gentle bar soap formulas.  This always means that I need to have a decent-sized LUSH order made well before the end of December.  This usually presents no problems as I order from them in late fall once their Christmas collection releases and then I often order again right after Christmas so that I can grab up some last items from their big sale.  This time around, I decided to order a combination of holiday products and a few of the best sellers that I haven't tried yet.  One of the best sellers that I ordered is the best-selling Honey I Washed The Kids Bar Soap and I am regretting that I only ordered one bar of it...

Honey I Washed The Kids has been a cult LUSH product that I remember ever since I started shopping the brand in 2008.  This caramel-scented product is perfect the fall and winter and I can easily see why this is one of the best sellers of the brand.

"This is one of our best-selling soaps and it's no wonder why: it's simply irresistible!  One sniff and you'll need this sweet caramel fragrance in your life.  But get ready to share, because it's so gentle, buttery, and scrumptious that you'll have a hard time keeping it to yourself.  We use real honey and beeswax in every batch to soothe skin, while honey water and aloe help soften and moisturize, leaving the whole family clean and smelling bee-autiful.", states the LUSH website.

The star ingredient in this product is Honey, a natural humectant and hydrator.  I have used honey in my winter skincare for years now and this ingredient (plus the smell!) are what made my try this Bar Soap over some of the other ones that they offer.  Honey will attract moisture from the atmosphere and pull it into the skin and the thicker texture of this ingredient will also help keep moisture locked into the skin.  This is exactly what I need at this time of the year and I will be using this product until it runs out.

I have tried using this product applied directly to wet skin and applied to a washcloth.  I tend to prefer my bar soaps applied directly to wet skin, they will usually lather less and help my skin stay hydrated for longer periods.  I still liked it when applied with a washcloth but I would prefer to use it right on wet skin in the shower.  I have also found that applying the product directly to my skin makes the soap lasts longer and I should be able to use the same bar until the beginning of March.

The caramel fragrance is light and wonderful, this is pretty fragrance for fall and winter but will be too heavy in the warm weather months.  The scent remains lightly on my skin but fills the whole bathroom with fragrance, this is typical of most LUSH bar soaps and is one of the major reasons that I keep purchasing them over and over.

I can't say that Honey I Washed The Kids is any more or less hydrating than any of the other LUSH Bar Soaps that I have used in the past.  All of their Bar Soaps hydrate my skin nicely and I will continue to order these every year.  I will order another bar of this product once the cooler weather starts to roll around again!

photo courtesy of LUSH

Lancome Bi-Facil Double-Action Eye Makeup Remover

I feel like I haven't tested out or reviewed a new eye makeup remover in the past few months, I have been using the same formula from the Clinique and have been quite happy with it.  I originally bought that product a few years ago and I have been repurchasing it ever since.  I am a person that likes to switch up my skincare and try new products and this was one area that I wasn't really reviewing many items from.  It seemed like fate when Sephora was offering a small bottle of the award-winning eye makeup remover from Lancôme as a 100 Point Perk when I was ordering some of the Bobbi Brown products that I spotlighted this month.  I decided to stop hoarding my points to grab this sample and try it out.

I have put my half-empty bottle of the Clinique to the side for the past two weeks and I have been trying out the Lancôme formula every night.  The Bi-Facil Double-Action Eye Makeup Remover is a product that consistently has won the Allure Best of Beauty Awards and has been listed as a best seller as Sephora for as long as I can remember.  This is one of the more expensive eye makeup removers that I have seen and I do believe that the price was the main reason that I have not tried it before but I have decided that it is worth every penny...

The Sephora website provides the following description of this best-selling eye makeup remover, "An award-winning, gentle, liquid eye makeup remover.  This formula activates when shaken to gently whisk away even waterproof eye makeup while conditioning and refreshing the skin.  Ideal for sensitive and contact lenses, it leaves eyes feeling cool and relaxed without an oily residue."

This product contains a liquid layer and an oily layer and the formula needs be shaken before use and the two layers need to be completely mixed.  The oily layer is designed to break down stubborn eye makeup or waterproof products.  I tend to have the hardest issues getting mascara off without leaving traces under my eyes but this product does get the job done (when used correctly).  I have been using it to remove the Bobbi Brown Smokey Mascara formula, this isn't the hardest formula to remove and I will need to continue to test this product as I try more mascara formulas.  I have been using the Urban Decay Primer Potion under all of my eye shadows and this formula is able to remove all traces of these products.

I saturate a cotton pad with this formula and then press it up against my eye for 30 seconds before wiping it away.  This gives the product time to break the makeup down and helps it to wipe cleanly away.

My 100 Point Perk size will not last much longer and I will then finish up my current bottle of Clinique remover.  I have already decided that my next purchase will be of this product and I will continue to use and test this product out to see if there are any formulas that it cannot remove.  I don't know that there is too much more to say about this product, it does what it is supposed to and doesn't bother my sensitive eyes.  I would probably go back and forth in between purchasing this product and the Clinique formula, it is nice to have two products that I know will work well.

photo courtesy of Sephora

Brand Spotlight 2014 - Bobbi Brown Beach

We are starting off this year with the last product that is to be featured in this month's Brand Spotlight series, I have been enjoying collecting all kinds of items from a specific brand and I hope you all have been enjoying this series too.  I have found a few new gems from Bobbi Brown and I am really excited to keep ordering and trying more products from this brand, I have a feeling that this series is going to try into a very expensive habit...

We are going to wrap up this month's Brand Spotlight with a review of the iconic Bobbi Brown Beach fragrance, I ordered a bottle of this fragrance at the very beginning of the month and I have been eagerly awaiting the summer months so that I can wear this fragrance as much as possible.  I first smelled this fragrance late last summer and quickly fell in love with it but I forced myself to put off purchasing it until I started to collect products for the warmer weather.  This fragrance smells exactly like the beach and it makes me so excited for the summer!

The Bobbi Brown website provides the following fragrance description, "An eau de parfum inspired by the beach, this best-selling fragrance captures the atmosphere and essence of summer.  Designed with a lightly intoxicating blend of sand jasmine, sea spray, and mandarin; this fragrance is wearable anytime, anywhere."

I cannot put into words how much I love this perfume, it smells exactly like stepping on the beach and it makes me crave summer (even more than usual).  The main note is sand jasmine, this is the "beachy" note in this fragrance and in most of the "beachy" fragrances on the market.  I first smelled this note in the Suntan candle from Bath and Body Works a few summers ago and I have been obsessed with it ever since.  This perfume is exactly like that candle and somehow combines the smells of the sand jasmine with those of suntan lotion and ocean air and turns it into a fragrance I could wear every single day.

Beach is not a fragrance that I would wear for the office but it is perfect for casual summer weekends and warm date nights, it is a light beachy floral perfume and would pair perfectly with a sundress.  I think that this will become one of my new summer perfume staples!

My biggest issue with this fragrance is that it doesn't seem to last any longer than two or three hours when applied to my skin, this could be an issue with my skin chemistry however I have read several reviews that complain about the lack of lasting power.  I have resigned myself to using the EDP in the morning and then carrying the matching Rollerball in my bag with me.  I started by owning just the EDP but I quickly realized that I needed to purchase the Rollerball and I would need to be able to touch this fragrance up throughout the day.  This fragrance is also available in a lotion but I would love to see it in more body products and home fragrance products.  I do believe that I did see limited edition products in this fragrance last summer and I will be looking for more this summer.

My first Brand Spotlight is in the books and we will be switching gears for next month's brand.  This month we focused on one of the top brands in the makeup industry and I will be featuring a primarily skincare-based brand next month.  Any guesses?!

photo courtesy of Nordstrom

OPI Spring 2014 Collection - Brazil Collection

We have already seen the spring nail polish collection from Essie and I have been eagerly awaiting more releases from my favorite nail polish companies, this is one of the times of the year where I purchase the most amount of polish shades and I am excited to keep adding some new shades to my collection.  We have yet to see a collection from China Glaze or Butter London however the new OPI collection is now up on the company's website and I am going to check these shades out today.  OPI usually has one of largest range of shades in their seasonal collections and I always know that I will like quite a few from every collection.

The collection for this spring is inspired by Brazil and contains twelve brand new shades, I have complained in the past about how this company seems to bring out the same shades over and over again and this collection does not contain anything revolutionary.  OPI has a huge shade range and many of their limited edition shades are close to ones already available, I find this to be a good thing as I don't have to be upset if a limited edition shade sells out and I can't find it anymore.

The shades contained in the OPI Brazil collection are as follows...

- Kiss Me I'm Brazilian - bubblegum pink cream

- Live.Love.Carnaval - medium warm coral cream

- Red Hot Rio - medium warm red cream

- Next Stop...The Bikini Zone - pale lavender with a subtle gold duochrome shift
- Don't Bossa Nova Me Around - nude cream
- Taupe-less Beach - pale taupe cream
- I Sao Paulo Over There - medium taupe cream
- OPI Scores A Goal! - deep warm red-brown cream
- Amazon...Amazoff - deep teal cream
- I Just Can't Cope-Acabana - medium banana yellow cream
- Where Did Suzi's Man-go? - medium orange cream
- Toucan Do It If You Try - deep orange cream

The shades in this collection are designed to remind one of the jungles and beaches of Brazil, I have never been to this country so I cannot comment on how accurate the shades and names are.  When I think of Brazil, I think of jungles and numerous Botany classes about the Amazon jungle.  Some of the shades fit this theme very well and others seem a bit out of place.  The bright hues fit perfectly with the season and the theme however I am not sure why two shades of taupe were included with the Brazil collection.  The most unique shade is the only duochrome in the bunch, many of the cream shades are similar to those in the permanent line up or have been featured in previous seasonal collections.

My favorite shade is Amazon...Amazoff, this bright deep teal reminds me very much of Butter London's Slapper shade.  That is my current favorite nail polish shade and I used it like crazy last spring and summer.  I will purchasing Amazon...Amazoff to replace my bottle of Slapper once it runs out.  Next Stop...The Bikini Zone is the only other shade that I find unique enough to purchase from this collection and I will also be grabbing of bottle of this one once it is available at Ulta.  I really like Taupe-less Beach and Don't Bossa Nova Me Around but neither of these shades are unique enough for me to track down, I would buy them if I found them but I can find shades like this from other companies very easily.

I don't like any of the oranges or yellows in this collection, shades like this never flatter my skintone and I would be skipping over all of these.  I also don't need any other pink or red shades right now and this pretty much rules out the rest of the collection for me.

OPI is not my favorite polish formula and one that I will deal with when I really love the shades.  The application of this polish is very easy and the wide brush makes the polish quick to apply.  My problem with this formula is not the application but the wear of the product.  I cannot seem to get more than one day from this formula before it starts chipping off like crazy, there is something about the combination of my nails and this formula that just does not work.  I am the only person that I know with this issue, all of my friends who use this formula absolutely love it and get at least three or four days of wear time without anything more than minor chipping.  I wish I didn't have these issues but this formula just doesn't work well for me and will never been a formula that I highly recommend.

I have a few shades to add to my shopping list but I think that I will have even more shades to add once I see the new collections from China Glaze and Butter London.

photo courtesy of Google