Fitness Friday - Almonds

Today's Fitness Friday returns to healthy snacks and alternative sources of protein.  One of my least favorite aspects of the cooler weather is the lack of fresh fruit that I can easily buy.  I am making up for this by turning more to juices and trying to work seeds and nuts into my diet on a more regular basis.  Almonds have long been my favorite nut to snack on so we will tart with showcasing their benefits today and then I will start trying more out and featuring them in upcoming Fitness Fridays.

Many people tend to avoid almonds because they are very high in fat but many of the health benefits that they contain will overweigh the fat content.  Eating anything in moderation is the key and is the balance between the high fat content and the rest of the health benefits that are reaped from the nut.  I found an article about the nine health benefits that can be reaped from the regular consumption of almonds.  One of the best articles that I have found is from www.authoritynutrition.com and I am pulling the nine major points from the article.

Almonds deliver a massive amount of nutrients.  This nut contains a good amount of fiber, protein, and Vitamin E.  Protein is essential to my diet and I always need new ways to find plant-based proteins as I do not eat meat.  Fiber helps one to feel full and will reduce the amount of the nut that is needed to be eaten.  Vitamin E helps with skin and hair health.  All in all, there are some great health benefits to be reaped from this tasty nut.

Almonds are loaded with antioxidants.  Antioxidants help with cell health and work to stave off oxidative damage to the external and internal organs.

Almonds are high in Vitamin E which protects your cell membranes from damage.  Vitamin E also works to prevent and reduce the effect of oxidative damage for inner and outer cell membranes.

Almonds can assist with blood sugar control.  This food contains a high amount of Magnesium which helps to regular blood sugar control and reduce the probability of Type 2 Diabetes.

Magnesium also have benefits for blood pressure levels.  Lowering blood pressure reduces the probability of heart attack and other cardiovascular disorders.

Almonds can lower cholesterol level.  This food helps to lower levels of LDL in the blood, leading to a reduction in the risk of heart disease.

Almonds prevent harmful oxidation of LDL cholesterol.  Lack of oxidation of LDL will help to stave off heart diseases.

Eating almonds reduces hunger, lowering your overall calorie intake.  Foods with high fiber and protein contents help you feel full longer so you will eat less and take less calories in.  This helps with weight loss.

Almonds are incredibly effective for weight loss.  Even though they have a high fat content, the fiber and protein contents overshadow this aspect of the nut.

I am working a serving or two of almonds into my day routine and using them as an afternoon snack right now.  I tend to go right to school or the gym after work and need something that will keep me feeling full for longer than most foods so that I am not binging on junk food in the later hours of the night.  I will keep adding more nuts into my diet and deciding what ones I like the most.

photo courtesy of authoritynutrition.com

Beautyblender Pure Makeup Sponge

I have always wanted to order a Beautyblender makeup sponge but it is one of those items that I always seem to forget about each time I go to Sephora.  I have been swapping my foundation sponge out every time that I change my foundation shade or formula and cleaning it more often to try and preserve the product.  I have been using flat makeup sponges for most of my life and was always interested in a round product but it never seemed to be at the top of my mind when I was shopping. 

I was very happy to open my Glossybox from this month and see a Beautyblender sitting right on top of all of the products in it.  I barely remember what else was in the box because I was so excited to try this foundation sponge out.  I have used it a few mornings in a row now and I am ready to commit only to using this type of sponge for the rest of time and have thrown all of my other sponges out already.

"A colorless, edgeless, non-disposable, sponge made especially for sensitive skin and skin care application.  beautyblender® pure® is designed to ensure optimal application of the most advanced skin care products. Leave the old method of applying product with fingers behind and say goodbye to spotty coverage, less penetration of product in key areas (eyes, nose, etc.), and dirt traveling over freshly cleansed skin. Use it with complexion products, serums, eye treatments, moisturizers, makeup removers, and any other skin care product.  Beautyblender features an open cell structure that fills with small amounts of water when wet. This allows the sponge to be “full” so that the product sits on top of the sponge rather than being absorbed, allowing you to use less product every time. When wet, beautyblender doubles in size and becomes even softer, returning to its original size when it air dries. Handcrafted in the USA."

I didn't realize until a few moments ago that I am not using the original bright pink sponge and am using the white one designed for sensitive skin.  I am even happier that this is the product that was sent to me since my skin can react strangely with nearly any ingredient or new dye that I put on my face.  The size and shape of both products are exactly the same so I can easily review both products with only trying one of the them.

I have tried this product with a few drops of water added to it and also without.  I have found that it works equally well either way but that I need slightly less product when I use it with a bit of water on it.  I love the curved shape and it helps my foundation to blend easily in all curves of my face.  I find that it works especially well when applying foundation around my nose and eyes.  I am a big fan of this product and will continue to use it until I can no longer purchase it. 

I am now another one of the converts to Beautyblender and can see why it continues to be both a top rated and best selling product from Sephora.  This is a staple in my makeup collection now!

photo courtesy of Sephora

Stila Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick

I have been reading rave reviews about the new Stila Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick formula, I have never used this type of lipstick formula before but the manager of Sephora told me to try it out when I was lipstick shopping earlier in the summer.  I had the itch to buy more lipstick the other day and visited the MAC counter but nothing was jumping out at me so I decided that I would visit Sephora and see if that same manager happened to be working.  Luckily she was and she remembered my questions from the previous visit.  We had a second discussion on this product and she told me how the product was revamped and renamed from a previous Stila lipstick formula.  She encouraged me to try it again and I decided to pick up a few tubes of it. 

"A highly-pigmented, liquid lipstick that's weightless on the lips and delivers long-lasting coverage.  This creamy, full-coverage lip color provides intense hydration with bold, long-lasting pigment that stays put for up to six hours of continuous wear. Featuring an array of matte and shimmer shades, this lip formula imparts a comfortable texture that feels lightweight on lips, and its color-rich formula does not bleed or transfer. Enriched with vitamin E and avocado oil, Stay All Day® Liquid Lipstick hydrates and softens lips so they look and feel beautiful.", states the Sephora website.

The reviews on this product are all over the place but I do attribute some of this variance to the overall nature of a liquid lipstick.  Liquid lipstick is a great product to impart matte long lasting color with lots of pigment.  This type of finish is not for everyone and not for every occasion.  I love this type of formula when I want my lipstick to stay in place all day and when I want a matte lip.  I have not found any type of liquid lipstick that has the moist look of a traditional cream lipstick and doubt that I ever will. 

I purchased a pink and a red shade in this product and wore the red shade for the first time last Saturday night.  I applied it at 6:00 at night and expected wear until midnight.  There were some great aspects to the wear of this product and then some drawbacks.

The pros of this formula were that is lasted about five hours through sipping a drink and normal conversation.  It was very pigmented when applied and dried down to the same level of pigmentation, my lips looked great all night and I was loving this aspect of it.  The application was slightly off but I am putting this down to not being used to this type of formula.  The formula is on the heavier side and it felt almost "gummy" on my lips when it was drying and through the initial wear period.  It started to feel more comfortable on my lips once I had sipped my drink a few times and it seemed like a bit of excess product wore off.  I did need to bring a separate lip balm along with me for touch ups since any liquid lipstick formula is more drying than any other type of lipstick formula on the market.  My biggest disappointment with this product occurred when I had a midnight snack of a salad.  As soon as the liquid dressing hit my lips and mixed with the formula, the product melted all over my lips and it began to bleed onto my chin.  I was a bit surprised at how fast it melted since it held up wonderfully to the whole rest of the night.  I will need to remember this when I chose what occasions to use these shades for.

The Stila Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick is available in a range of pigmented hues. 

- Fiery - deep red
- Beso - true red
- Tesoro - orange red
- Carina - vibrant coral
- Bellisima - pale neutral pink
- Fiore - hot pink
- Patina - dusty rose
- Amalfi - coral pink
- Bella - bright pink
- Rosa - bubblegum pink

I purchased Beso and Bella to start with.  Both shades give full pigmentation and look exactly the same on my lips as they do in the tube.  I was very happy with the color payoff of the shades.  I would also like to purchase Patina once Sephora has it back in stock, I saw the tester and it is a lovely shade of neutral rose.  I would use that shade for work and could use it all the time. 

This product was a solid introduction to liquid lipstick formulas, I love the pigmentation and color payoff of this type of product.  I would use this formula for times when I wouldn't be eating very much and would only be sipping cocktails or coffee.  I will always need to carry a separate lip balm with me as these types of formulas tend to be drying.  I will keep an eye on Patina and will start to look for more companies that carry this type of lipstick formula.

photo courtesy of Sephora

Bath and Body Works Luxury Bubble Bath

With the change of their whole Signature Collection packaging line, Bath and Body Works has updated the formula of their bubble bath.  The Signature Collection Bubble Bath was always one of the best formulated products in their store and I am interested to see how the product was updated and improved.  It is now called Luxury Bubble Bath and I was hoping that it might be similar in formula to the Aromatherapy but I found that it wasn't very different from the old formula.  I visited the store last night and picked up a new bubble bath in Pink Chiffon.

I must admit that I was a bit surprised to see that the company decided to update the formula on the Bubble Bath.  Over the past few years, this product has come out less and less with new fragrances and seems to be only available in what are considered the best selling fragrances in the store.  I remember from working there in college that this type of product was always the first to go once the fragrance wasn't selling as well and it was a barometer as to what fragrances were going to be discontinued soon.  I still have memories of the Coconut Lime Verbena bubble bath and I used every last drop of that formula when I was on my last bottle of.  I haven't found a bubble bath that I have loved so much since then...

The new formula of the Luxury Bubble Bath is described as follows, "Rich, creamy foam envelops skin in long-lasting, luxe bubbles. Fortified with nutrient-rich ingredients like protective Vitamin E, Jojoba and Aloe, our ultra-soothing formula leaves skin beautifully scented with irresistible fragrance."  I remember that the old formula had honey in the ingredient list but the addition of Jojoba is new. 

I purchased the product in Pink Chiffon and used it for the first time last night.  I used about two capfuls of the new formula...the exact amount that I would have used from the old formula.  I got a bathtub full of bubble from that amount however this is no different than what I would have gotten from the old formula.  The biggest difference seems to be that the new formula has a stronger fragrance than the older version.  I like this aspect of it but this many appeal to anyone who doesn't love to be fully surrounded by fragrance in the bathtub.  I can't say that this formula NEEDED to be revamped but I do like the new formula.

The new bubble bath only seems to be available in a few fragrances.  I was hoping to see it in Coconut Lime Breeze but my wish wasn't granted.  This product can be purchased in: Japanese Cherry Blossom, Twilight Woods, Warm Vanilla Sugar, Sweet Pea, Moonlight Path, Paris Amour, Beautiful Day, and Pink Chiffon.  I was a bit surprised to see this limited availability since the company just put lots of money and efforts into repackaging this whole collection but maybe this means that the product will be available in more of the new and limited edition fragrances.

photo courtesy of Bath and Body Works

Too Faced Holiday 2013 Gift Collection

The holiday collections are starting to launch and I am eagerly awaiting the launch of the huge MAC colour collection.  Divine Night will be hitting the website in the next few days however we are going to start the holiday collections early.  Too Faced has always been one of the first companies to release any of their limited edition collections and we are starting with their new holiday gift collection.  I have always loved the Too Faced holiday collections since they release cute gifts of all sizes that give the recipient the chance to try all different products from their line up.  Too Faced is fast becoming one of my favorite companies to order gifts from and rivaled Urban Decay and MAC last year in my gift shopping.

This year's collection is another great gift collection and my early favorite from it is an eye makeup palette named "Joy To The Girls", this eye shadow gift set will be on my gift list plus on my shopping list for a few of my close friends.  I think I will be doing some early shopping from this collection to finish up my fall shopping and then starting to pick up some gifts next month.

Here is the first of many holiday collections!

Joy To The Girls - Joy to the Girls makes going holiday glam joyfully easy. These universally flattering shades, packaged in a pretty, carry-anywhere mega palette, can be worn alone or layered beautifully for endless possibilities. Reference the easy-to-follow illustrated tutorials inside the palette cover for inspirational “weekday,” “weekend,” and “party time” looks.  This palette features 15 limited edition eye shadows with a full size LashGasm Mascara.
- Cookie Dough - matte midtone neutral
- Cheers - matte pale neutral champagne
- Prancer - shimmering cool bronze
- Sugar Plum - shimmer cool blue violet
- Mulberry - matte neutral plum
- Snow Angel - matte white
- Powdered - matte champagne
- Too Too - shimmering pale pink
- Yule Log - shimmering deep brown
- Chestnut - shimmering medium brown
- Twinkle - matte neutral gold
- Joy - matte bright blue
- Spike the Punch - matte deep champagne
- Chimney - matte slate gray
- Coal - matte black

Jingle All The Way - Your phone should be as pretty and festive as your makeup, which is why Too Faced created this two-in-one Christmas gift. Start with the glamorous collection of touch up ready products, including 11 day-to-night shadows, a sexy bronzer, and a pretty pink blush. Pop out the palette and use the iPhone 5 case designed by celebrity decorator and TV personality Mary McDonald for a flash of style.  Shades of eye shadow include the following hues: shimmering deep navy, matte pale champagne, matte medium nude, matte taupe, matte pale pink, shimmering violet, satin gold, matte deep brown, matte slate blue, matte pink white, matte pale brown.  The blush shade is a matte bright pink hue.

All I Want For Christmas - Everything you need to create your signature Christmas look all wrapped up in this full face collection that features the best of Too Faced’s eyes, face and lips. Plus the set is housed in a party-ready chevron cosmetic zip bag designed by celebrity decorator and TV personality Mary McDonald.
- La Crème Lip Cream in Believe - deep rose red
- Shadow Insurance Eye Shadow Primer
- Perfect Eyes Eyeliner in Black
- Lash Injection Mascara in Perfect Black
- Exclusive Blush/Eye Shadow Trio - coral blush/matte pale champagne and shimmering deep brown eye shadows

These three gift sets are available now on the Too Faced website and there will also be a Sephora-exclusive gift set.  The Sephora exclusive gift set has been shown on their website but cannot be ordered yet.

A Few Of My Favorite Things - This Sephora exclusive features Jerrod’s iconic favorites for the eyes, face, cheeks, and lips and will make your holidays gorgeous. This collection is infused with classic colors that have a playful edge—shades that fit right in for a super swanky blowout or an intimate Christmas day brunch with the family. After hours, zip up your essentials in Too Faced’s signature chevron-print clutch, designed by celebrity decorator and TV personality Mary McDonald. 
- Snowflakes - matte champagne
- Whiskers on Kittens - satin medium champagne
- Chocolate Milk - matte pale brown
- Moon On Their Wings - shimmering medium brown
- Dark Chocolate - matte deep brown
- Cream Colored Ponies - matte white
- Honey Honey - satin medium brown
- Buche de Noel - matte medium brown
- Evergreen - matte deep green
- Blue Satin Sashes - shimmering deep blue green
- Coquet - satin medium pink brown
- Taffy - satin medium peach
- Crisp Apple Strudel - satin medium brown
- Woolen Mittens - satin chocolate brown
- Soiree - satin red plum
- Tinsel - shimmering platinum
- Bluff - matte slate blue
- Ohh La Orchid - satin bright purple
- Party Time - shimmering deep blue green
- Pure Glam - shimmer deep black
- Raindrops On Roses Blush - matte medium pink
- Melt Into Spring Blush - matte coral

I love and want all four of these gift sets and I am so excited to see what else will come out in the following weeks.  I will start with Joy To The Girls, I love this huge eye shadow palette and I can wear these shades now and then all the way into the holidays.  I love the lipstick that is exclusive to All I Want For Christmas and this set is next up on my shopping list.  I can skip over the palette that comes in the phone case since most of the shades that are contained in it will have dupes in Joy To The Girls and A Few Of My Favorite Things. 

A Few Of My Favorite Things is another contender for early favorite gift of the holiday season.  I have loved the movie The Sound of Music for years and I started singing the song that this palette was named after as soon as I saw it on the Sephora website.  I am glad that this palette has some amazing shades because I would have loved it just for the name alone and I know that I will get lots of use from this shade range too.

The first of the holiday gift collections has been released and I am sure that we will start seeing more in the upcoming days.  I fully expect Urban Decay to release next and then the holiday colour collections will start releasing too.  We still have a few more weeks of fall to love but it is never too early to start plotting out next season's makeup purchases!

photo courtesy of Too Faced

NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer SPF 30

My favorite Stila Tinted Moisturizer ran out the other week and I toyed with the idea of simply ordering a second tube of it or trying a new formula.  As usual, trying a new formula won out for me and I ordered the Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer SPF 30 from NARS.  I have loved NARS foundation formulas from the first day of use and I was excited to try more face products from this line.  NARS has been one of my favorite makeup lines for years and I love everything that I have ever used from this line.  My favorite product is their lipsticks and their Sheer Matte Foundation is my second favorite product they make.  I really wanted to see if the Tinted Moisturizer lived up to the performance of my beloved foundation.

I mostly use tinted moisturizer formulas from April to the middle of October, I know that I am at the end of my usage for this product however I wasn't going to wait until next spring to order a new product.  I still use a lighter product on my days off and will until my skin gets too dry to not use a traditional face cream.  I am not interested in whether or not my tinted moisturizer or foundation has SPF in it, I have read in multiple articles from dermatologists that the addition of this ingredient to makeup is relatively useless.  Foundation and tinted moisturizer are usually not applied heavily enough to reap the SPF benefits and I always use a separate sunscreen designed for the face.

"A lightweight tinted moisturizer that evens skintone and provides a translucent veil of protection.  Infused with lush, naturally-derived ingredients, this lightweight tinted moisturizer immediately helps thirsty skin feel hydrated. It has been proven to help reduce the appearance of discoloration and dark spots caused by hyperpigmentation for a clearer and brighter complexion in as little as four weeks. Oil-free and luxurious, it obscures the appearance of lines, wrinkles, pores, and other imperfections while broad spectrum SPF 30 protects skin."

"Natural polysaccharides from Moorea Island in French Polynesia hydrate, condition, and help support natural cell renewal. Mineral-rich seawater uniquely revitalizes and adds key minerals back into the skin. Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer Broad Spectrum SPF 30 helps improve skin’s overall condition. Soft and smooth to the touch, skin looks natural and glowing. This oil-free, dermatologist-tested product is free of synthetic fragrances and is noncomedogenic.", states the Sephora website. 

This product is available in a range of shades, I ordered Terra Neuve which is a pale porcelain with pink undertones.  This is a great shade for me and I picked it out by comparing it to the shade of NARS Foundation that works very well for me.  There are 12 shades in total for this product and they are pretty evenly distributed between light and deep shades.  The product hydrates as well as any other tinted moisturizer, I haven't found much of a difference between any of the formulas that I have tried in this aspect and I doubt that I ever will.

The NARS tinted moisturizer is a much lighter version of the foundation.  It covers nicely and evens out my skintone.  I always apply tinted moisturizer products with my hands and this one is no exception.  A light coating of this product helps to even out the redness in my skintone and makes blemishes and under eye circles easier to cover with concealer.  I still need to use a separate concealer with this product, I still need it under my eyes and on random blemishes. 

I have never really reaped all the long term benefits of the hydrating ingredients in any tinted moisturizer formula.  I only use this product once or twice a week and will not receive the effects from everyday use.  This product is very high rated for both coverage and hydrating benefits and I have really liked this formula so far.

I will use this product for a few more weeks and then put it aside for next spring.  I used to only use tinted moisturizers if I knew that I wouldn't be leaving my house at all but now I am starting to use them all the time on my lazy days off.  The coverage and natural finish have improved a lot over the years and these are fast becoming some of the best products in my traincase.

photo courtesy of Sephora

Fresh Sugar Face Polish

Today we are returning to what seems to be my never ending obsession with collecting new products from Fresh.  I used their lip products first and then tried a few of their face products, their Black Tea Face Mask got me hooked on this line and I have been picking new items from this company up each time that I visit Sephora.  The latest product that I have been playing around with the Sugar Face Polish, I first used the Sugar Lip Polish and loved it so much that I wanted to try the product designed for my whole face.  The lip scrub exfoliated well and tasted great and I have decided that I love the entire Sugar line from Fresh.  I think I will start checking out the body products in the upcoming months.

The weather is now beginning to cool off after a very hot and humid month of September and my skin is now beginning to need products that will adapt with it.  The past few weeks were interesting in that I had to go back to using summer products much later than normal.  I have a feeling that my skin is going to change really rapidly now and start getting dry.  My skin is typically touchy in fall because of the change of the seasons and I want to use a scrub on a regular basis to try and control the changes.  I haven't used a sugar scrub on my face before but I am very happy with the results of this product and will keep using it all through winter.

The Sephora website states the following for a product description, "An all-in-one refining exfoliator and nourishing mask made with pure brown sugar and real strawberries that creates the appearance of a softer, smoother, more radiant complexion.  This innovative formula is powered by pure brown sugar, a natural humectant that seals in moisture, to gently buff away dry, dull skin. Real wild strawberries packed with vitamin C help brighten and soothe, while hydrating plum seed oil and grapeseed oil leave the skin soft and supple. An invigorating aroma from a natural blend of citrus oils further enhances the experience."

The founders of Fresh always provide more information about why these choose certain ingredients and I love learning even more about what goes into making beauty products.  "Fresh Co-founders Lev Glazman and Alina Roytberg's grandmothers used sugar, a natural antiseptic, to heal their scrapes when they were children. Wanting to pass this ritual on to the world, they bottled their shared tradition, pioneering the use of sugar in the beauty industry."

The texture of this facial scrub is thick and creamy, I need about a nickel-sized amount to cover my whole face.  As with any other sugar-based products, I have to warm the product up by rubbing it in between my hands.  Sugar products work best when they are warmed up a bit and they will apply better and more evenly.  I rub the product all over my wet face and neck and then work it in evenly for about 60 seconds.  Warm water helps to dissolve the sugar easily and this scrub rinses easily and doesn't leave a residue on my skin.  I do like that it smells more like natural fruit than the chemical mix that some scrubs tend to smell like.

I have used this product twice so far and am starting with once a week use.  I might work up to twice a week use after seeing if it dries my skin out as the weather continues to cool down.  This product gets rid of dry areas and helps my skincare products to absorb better.  This scrub has not caused any adverse reaction to my skin and I have not had any issues with excess dryness or redness after use.  My skin always looks clearer and brighter after use of this scrub and I will continue to use this product for the rest of the season.

I can say that I love the Fresh brand more and more every single day and will keep picking up more products from it.  This is fast becoming a favorite skincare brand of mine!

photo courtesy of Sephora