2nd Quarter 2010 BeautyFix Kit

Once again, BeautyFix does not disappoint. now that they let you pick your own products, you can optimize your choices to rack up a freaking CRAZY value worth of products for a mere $50. Once you sign up, you get a notification every season that your choices are ready. Then you get to pick from a few dozen items! Everything is picked out of all the items in the luxe market by a panel of skincare and beauty experts. Check out their panel and be impressed! My products added up to a $190 value, not including the makeup bag!

 I love the Pamela Ford Concealer/Foundation brush that I got. The handle is the perfect length and thickness for comfortable control, it doesn't shed one bit, and it's soft enough to get into tight places like around the nose. It gives excellent clean application and your foundation looks smooth and flawless. It really grabs your foundation too, so a tiny bit goes a long way- your liquids will last forever! ($36)

From RAW Minerals I got the Active Veil SPF18 Sunscreen. It's perfect to set your makeup, leaving you shine free. It has a tiny bit of mineral sparkle, so you don't have that matte mask, so it's perfect for use during the day- makes sense since it's a sunscreen veil, eh? I'm brilliant. I like to put it on my neck and chest as well, so I get extra protection without having to apply goop there. A little goes a long way and it's really long lasting.($25 normally, on sale at Dermstore for $12.50)

I got the PurMinerals De-Line Smoothing Lip pencil in crystal mauve, and sadly I'm not too crazy about it. I tried it first on a bare lip and it was so hard to get it to actually go onto my lips! I felt like I was pulling and tugging at the skin, making it impossible to get a perfect line. Then I tried it over a primer, thinking that would smooth out the surface making it a smoother application. (I used Philosophy Big Mouth Lip Primer) It went on a lot better, but that made an indistinguishable blur for a line. Sigh. Normally I really like Pur Minerals, but I think they need to go back to the lab on this one. ($17)

I have yet to meet an iQ Derma product that I didn't like. This time I got their Clear Remedy Purifying Cleanser, which is perfect for oily skin or summer use. You only need a tiny bit (about a  dime sized amount) and it leaves your skin clean without being stripped and feels really refreshing. It has a gently exfoliating effect, helping to decrease clogged pores, a particular concern of mine in the summertime. It's marketed towards those with acne, but I find it to be a marvelous general facial cleanser. I wouldn't recommend it for those with extremely dry skin, but on my combination skin I have nothing but raves. ($30)

Jonathan Flexible Control Hairspray ($30)
Is fantabulous. It has a very clean, even spray, so you  don't sop your hair or weigh it down. It comes out super fine and is really easy to work with. It's has really strong hold but isn't crunchy. It brushes out easily too, if you brush out your hair it leaves it thick and full but still soft. I like that even at the end of the day when my original 'do has fallen (I have VERY fine hair) my hair still looks vibrant and bouncy. It's great for putting together complex updos that need some sculpting time.

Jonathan Create Motion Gel Creme ($24)
Is a hair gel, make mo mistake. I read a lot of reviews from people who were expecting, well, I don't know what- but they were surprised that it was a gel. What makes it different from standard hair gel is that it stays soft and is really easy to work with. It doesn't harden into that weird stick hair thing that regular gels do. This is great for doing a slicked back style, and I like to use it for smoothness when doing a braided updo. Perfect for taming flyways without helmet head. 

Kronos K-Charge Discovery Kit ($55)
is a really PRICEY hair set, but a teeny bit goes a long way, and it actually WORKS!  I like that you can get a starter set like this to try it out before making a full-sized commitment, and often you can find this kit on sale. Believe it or not, you can genuinely see results from the first use. The overnight hair mask absorbs quickly and doesn't require you to lay down a towel over your pillow. In the morning your hair is rich and vibrant and bouncy.

The Liquid Theory is a spray that adds depth and shine to your hair without being greasy or weighing it down.

The volumizing shampoo & conditioner are easily some of the best volumizing hair products that I've used. I plan on keeping an eye open for the next discount coupon or code I get for Dermstore to get some more of this stuff!

The Cylinder Bag With Mirror are the perfect size for a weekend trips' essentials. Their makeup bags are always really well made and are more than a blow off extra to stick your kit items in (or in this case, around, since many of the products I got this quarter were HUGE) and I love the mirror in the pocket on the outside of the bag. it's easily accessible, the perfect size for touch ups, and because it's in a pocket on the outside of the bag, it doesn't get gunky from loose product.

Now remember, these were my choices from the dozens of options available. I wanted some new hair stuff, so that's a lot of what I picked, and I needed some new lip liner. I've gotten a full sized tube of $200.00 moisturizer from them before. That's what's so cool is that you get to customize your shipment. True, you no longer get the fun of the element of surprise, but what the hey, I get plenty of surprises in my life as it is :-)

All of the items reviewed above are available at Dermstore - $30 off $100 coupon for new Dermstore.com customers from November 15th - November 30th: NOV30OFF100DS