Burt’s Bees new lipgloss tubes

I’ve had a couple of Burt’s Bees new lip glosses for maybe about a month now and really love them so time to do a review.

I first saw these at CVS near where I live around the beginning of January (I think) but some jerk had broken the seal on every single tube. So it wasn’t until I managed to head over to another CVS that I managed to buy my first tube.

My favorite natural lipgloss has been Gabrielle Cosmetics Zuzu Luxe and I find the Burt’s Bee’s new lipgloss tubes to be very comparing in consistency, quality and staying power. Zuzu Luxe is about $18 a pop at Wholefoods or online. Burt’s Bee’s is about $9 each which makes them very appealing particularly if you like variety.

Burt’s Bees lipgloss tube 251 “Evening Glow”

Back in November I bought Zuzu Luxe in “Tango” (I keep meaning to do my Zuzu Luxe haul post but haven’t yet.) Evening Glow is a dead ringer for this shade. My only problem with it … is I didn’t mean to buy a dup of something I already owned! And it’s a little darker than my daily wear.

click for a larger view

Burt’s Bees lipgloss tube 221 – “Sunny Day”

Sunny Day is a really nice perfect light pinky peachy color – it’s a very easy to wear color. A sort of “your lips but better” option and I’ve been using it a surprising amount. Before I used Zuzu Luxe “Crystal” which is a nice clear gloss but I like this just that little bit more for daily wear. This one is definitely a lot less pigmented.

Both colors have a certain amount of shimmer to them but neither of them is over the top or glittery on your lips. I don’t think any of the available shades don’t use mica which is what gives it that shimmer (no matte or cream gloss here.)

Overall I’m really pleased with these and I’ve got my eye on a couple of additional shades to try out. 🙂 https://www.burtsbees.com/natural-products/lips-lip-color/lip-gloss.html

Zuzu Luxe lip glosses:
http://www.gabrielcosmeticsinc.com/index.cfm/product/43_20/zuzu-luxe-lip-gloss.cfm

If you prefer lip gloss sticks, check out my posts on Burt’s Bees vs Wet N Wild Lip Shimmers.
http://clothingcult.com/2010/11/03/burts-bees-vs-wet-n-wild-natural-blend-lip-shimmers/

Side note about Burt’s Bees: Burt’s Bees company was purchased by Clorox in 2007 but Burt’s Bees still does NOT do product testing on animals. Some people dislike the parent company enough to not want to purchase products from them, and that is your right to make that choice. I however am reviewing based on healthy ingredients and quality instead of politics on this post. It can be hard to find good natural makeup resources and I personally don’t plan on disqualifying Burt’s Bees over their parent company alone.

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March 12, 2013

March 2013 Birchbox

Posted by By Hilary Baumann

Posted in Hair, Makeup / Cosmetics, Skin Care, Subscription boxes

Alima Pure Luminous Shimmer Blush in Freja – This is a brand I’ve been wanting to try for awhile. The ingredients ARE all natural. My only disappointment in this sample is that I don’t really wear blush AND even if I did this shade pretty much disappears on my cheeks because it’s too close a match to what my cheeks already are. I’ll probably use it on my eyes for when I want a light pinky eyeshadow. For me I wish I had received a sample of the “Melon” color. Or the satin matte bronzer in Seychelles. IF you are pale or looking for a nice light blush and you aren’t naturally rosy, Freja IS an excellent color. Quality is there those so I will probably try some other products from this brand.
– 4 out of 5 stars

Macadamia Natural Oil Healing Oil Treatment – dimethicone …

Macadamia Natural Oil Deep Repair Mask – dimethicone ..

Stella Cadent Miss Me Discrete Eau de Toilette – stop sending me perfume, particularly scents that aren’t natural please!!!

Whish Shave Crave Shaving Cream (Blueberry) – The ingredient list looks good my only complaint would be the “fragrance” since but I’m going to give it the benefit of the doubt since all of the other ingredients look good and this will be going on my legs. It also doesn’t make my nose itch. UPDATE – tested. The bottle seemed to have a giant air pocket in it so there was just enough to use on my legs for shaving. I get a better shave using my everyday hair conditioner than this so I’m going to mark it down another star, I was just not wowed by this. I use a Schick Hydro Silk in case anyone is curious.
– 2 out of 5 stars

Madewell for Birchbox nail file – it’s a cute design and functional nail file. I’ll use it but I will not be replacing it for their $5 price tag. Sure it ships free but I can get my nail files at Sally Beauty for a much more reasonable price. Ok … one caveat. IF for some reason I was putting together a nail gift bag for someone, the floral pattern on this would be that extra cute little touch I might spend the money on.
– 4 out of 5 stars

Side note – I went to leave a review of the nail file and one of the questions was: “Did you use the $25 off $75+ Madewell offer? (emailed week of 3/11) *” and one of the options is “I haven’t received this offer yet” which has me suspect they are batch emailing this week. I haven’t received this offer yet but I wanted to mention it in case it gets caught by spam filters. I WILL probably use this coupon since I’ve wanted to buy some pants from them for awhile now to try.

Bottom line – another month with just enough products I’ll use. Not canceling just yet.

Still not signed up for Birchbox?

http://birchbox.com?raf=3l3e7
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March 10, 2013

e.l.f. minerals haul – eyeshadow, lipstick, eyeliner
& an assortment of brushes

Posted by By Hilary Baumann

Posted in Beauty & Skin, Makeup / Cosmetics

What’s in my e.l.f. haul:

elf mineral eyeshadows: elegant, celebrity, socialite
elf mineral eye brightener (labeled as such on the box but “buff” on the jar)
elf mineral lipstick: nearly nude
elf mineral eyeliner: midnight
And an assortment of brushes and accessories: Dual Pencil Sharpener • Eye Shadow Brush • Eye Crease Brush • Eyelash & Brow Wand • Shine Eraser blotting paper

My video gives a general overview of each product followed by several swatch photos and some additional details below:

elf-elegant-celebrity-socialite-mineral-eyeshadow

March 10, 2013

Ipsy March 2013 Review

Posted by By Hilary Baumann

Posted in Makeup / Cosmetics, Skin Care, Subscription boxes

Ipsy subscription, my second month review for March 2013

Yaba eyeshadow minis – “so vein” and “sand dune” not thrilled with the ingredients of the eyeshows (dimethicone and parabens) and probably won’t use them BUT it is worth a quick mention that the site does have some other interesting things. It looks like a good resource for depotting eyeshadows since they sell pans ( empties ), magnets, pallets etc. http://www.yabycosmetics.com/

GlamRX – when I opened this I thought I had been shorted a blush or something. I actually had to look up what this was. It’s a magnetic palette that you can put various products in… like the yaba eyeshadows or your own products. If you have a lot of makeup that’s pan based then this would be a nice item to throw in your purse. Better than the version on their site that includes a second level with their own products. For me personally it’s kinda “meh” but I’m keeping it in case I have a need for it in the future. Biggest comment on this is that it should have been labeled so my gut reaction wasn’t super disappointment from thinking I had been shorted products.

Juice Beauty Hydrating Mist – ingredients are ok but my nose can’t handle anything that smells of roses which this does. So for me personally this is not a good one BUT otherwise it seems like a good product.

LA Fresh Travel-lite Makeup Remover Wipes – mineral oil and parabens and fragrance so not natural. I LOVE their nail polish remover wipes but I’m going to have to pass on these.

Nautical Anchor makeup bag – this is fairly cute.

Bottom line – if the juice beauty product hadn’t been rose scented I’d be pretty happy with this for $10. I had been interested in trying other LA Fresh products but I didn’t realize that not all of their products had the same level of natural ingredients. This feels a bit more like the Birchboxes have been for awhile for me so not as amazing as last month. I’m going to stick with Ipsy for awhile but at some point I’m wondering if I might instead just start buying $20 worth of makeup I pick out instead. There IS just something fun about a surprise bag though. ALSO seriously happy that there’s no perfume in the Ipsy selections.

March 4, 2013

Frenchi Furniutre Traditional Style Cheval Mirror Cherry Finish Review

Posted by By Hilary Baumann

Posted in Beauty & Skin

A few months ago I bought the “Frenchi Furniture Traditional Style Cheval Mirror Cherry Finish” from Amazon. I figured at about $40 + free shipping (due to Amazon Prime) as well as a number of positive reviews I couldn’t go wrong.

I was a little worried when it arrived because it IS a mirror and the box just seems small for a decent sized mirror HOWEVER they’ve done an excellent job of packing it and making good use of the space. It’s packed in formed foam so the pieces can’t move around or hit each other. The mirror did need a good vacuuming and cleaning once assembled to remove foam flecks (you can see these flecks in some of the photos.) And yes, some assembly required.

The proof is in the details so take a look for yourself:

(click on any image for a larger view)

Is this cheval mirror perfect? No.

There are a couple of little scuffs on the piece but they’re not noticeable from across the room. They’re no more than I might inflict on the piece moving it around over time myself.

Is it an excellent quality for the price? Yes.

It actually is comparable to some mirrors I’ve seen in the $125-$200 range at Hobby Lobby. It’s a good height – not too big, not too small once assembled. It’s sturdy and the angle is adjustable. The mirror is NOT warped (which was something I was worried about from such a cheap piece.) And it goes perfectly with my cherry armoire (which I don’t think is real cherry, but cherry stain instead.) This is SO much better than a mirror leaning on or attached to the wall.

If you’re on a budget and want to upgrade from a wall mirror or no full length mirror at all, I would highly recommend this mirror!

Direct Amazon link for purchasing:
Frenchi Furniutre Traditional Style Cheval Mirror Cherry Finish

ALL of my reviews are honest and my true opinion even though the above are affiliate links. I would love for you to use the link above and support this blog IF you are planning on making a purchase. However you can also choose to search for the product on Amazon and bypass the affiliate link, your choice.

March 3, 2013

Rayna James, Connie Britton’s Style – Nashville the TV Show

Posted by By Hilary Baumann

Posted in Dresses

One of the things I love about the show Nashville is seeing all of the fun outfits particularly for Rayna James played by Connie Britton. One stood out to me and although it’s not one of the most amazing outfits, it has been nagging at the back of my mind for some reason. There’s just something about the white dress she wore during Season 1 Episide 4 – I love the chiffon layers combined with that little hint of sequin sparkle layered underneath at the neckline. It’s glitzy but not too over the top.

I’m betting it costs a fortune but if anyone knows who made the dress and where it could be bought, I’m curious. Let me know in the comments if you do.

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