Clean Warm Cotton Eau de Parfum

Clean Warm Cotton is a strange little perfume. It doesn't smell like a perfume but rather like a warm steamy laundromat on a cold day. Supposedly it has the following notes:

Notes:
Citrus, Watery Green Pear, Verbena, Floral Essences, Fruit Essences, Marine Essences, Jasmine, Orange Flower, Musk, Fougere, Amber

but to me it smells just like, well, clean warm cotton. I don't wear this when I want to have a perfumey smell, instead I find it PERFECT for wearing to work. Because it isn't a recognizable perfume it's not likely to offend sensitive coworkers (I love getting away with something!) It's insanely refreshing, especially on a sweaty day- a spritz really picks you up. But the main thing I like about it? Well between using using public transportation and working with an often disadvantaged clientele, sometimes I'm confronted with some, um, interesting smelling people. I can hold my wrist up to my nose and delicately give my sniffer some relief. Don't judge me! So yeah, I use this perfume in self defense, for the most part. Thank you Clean for defending my olfactory senses. 

February Discounts From the FANTASTIC DHC

About DHC

DHC, one of Japan's top beauty companies, carries skin-gentle products based on the naturally beneficial properties of virgin olive oil. With a legacy of over 30 years in Japan creating high-quality products, we use effective ingredients that are tested and true, without adding unnecessary coloring agents or irritating fragrances. Our line achieves an ideal balance to help bring harmony to any skin type.

If you haven't used their cleansing oil- do yourself a favor and check it out. It's one of the most mind blowing cleansers ever. I actually plan on writing a review of a broad spectrum of their product line soon. It's all faboo. These discounts make February a good time to check them out. 

Get $10 off orders $40+  |  New February Sales Starts 2/1, ends 2/28

• Exclusive Promo: Get $10 off orders $40 or more.

• Deep Cleansing Oil®: Our worldwide bestelling makeup remover completely dissolves all traces of dirt and cosmetics.
• 
• NEW Scalp Care Shampoo: daily purifying shampoo helps sweep away excess sebum with algae extract.
• NEW Scalp Care Conditioner: daily revitalizing conditioner supports a healthy moisture balance.
• NEW Aroma Balm Natural Balance: multipurpose balm can be used to moisturize cuticles and as relaxing aroma therapy.
• CoQ10 Lotion: age-defying toner features a high concentration of coenzyme Q10 for a firmer, younger-looking complexion.
• Q10 Cream: intensive moisturizer fights visible lines and wrinkles with our highest concentration of coenzyme Q10.
• CoQ10 Eye Cream: richly textured moisturizer helps diminish the look of crow's feet and sagging.
• Platinum Silver Nanocolloid Cream: intensive yet surprisingly light face moisturizer promotes hydration and soothes.
• Platinum Silver Nanocolloid Lotion: face toner uses nanotechnology to promote a suppler, more radiant complexion.
• Firming CoQ10 Set - Cream: includes Deep Cleansing Oil®, CoQ10 Lotion and Q10 Cream.

Free 5 Piece Mystery Bag ($100 value) From Pur Minerals

Snowed In? Get a FREE 5 - Piece Mystery Kit ($100 Value) NOW - 2/1/2015 with any $40 purchase on PurMinerals.com with Promo Code: BRRRR

H2O Face Oasis Hydrating Lotion SPF 30

FYI- Amazon has it for almost half price


What they say:

Broad-spectrum UVA/UVB sunscreens offer maximum protection from harmful rays

UV-active marine microspheres release a concentration of antioxidant vitamins C and E when exposed to sunlight

Marine botanicals deliver deep hydration for smooth, healthy-looking skin

Key Elements:

Broad Spectrum Sunscreen: Supplies maximum protection from damaging UVA/UVB rays while still feeling water-light on the skin.

UV-Active Technology: Microspheres created from marine molecules encircle antioxidant vitamins C and E. When these particles are exposed to sunlight, they burst open, releasing nourishing vitamins onto the skin.

Hydrating Marine Blend: A triple-powered synthesis of marine botanicals that optimizes skin's moisture balance while bolstering free radical resistance. 1) Wakame: Brown kelp energizes skin's natural functions and recharges tone. 2) Sea Lettuce: Dewy yellow-green leaves cultivated from the coast of Brittany, France; supports skin-firming collagen and elastin. 3) Fennel: Waxy green ribbons abundant along rocky English sea cliffs; empowers skin to resist aging environmental damage.

What I say:

Non greasy with a fantastic, pillowy texture. It absorbs immediately and is water light while still leaving your skin deeply hydrated. Within a few uses, your skin is incredibly soft and plump. It has a lovely but light scent. It doesn't have that heavy, greasy feeling that so many moisturizers with SPF have. The antioxidants work to repair daily damage and smooth and brighten the skin.  Works great under makeup- no slippage as the day wears on. 

An all around fantastic day moisturizer! Two thumbs up!

$30 off purchase at Jurlique

  has some of my favorite natural skincare products around. You'll see numerous rave reviews on my blog over the years. Right now you can get $30 off any $100 purchase with code SURPRISE. You also get two free samples with every purchase.

My fave Jurlique product is Rosewater Balancing Mist, a daily hydrating mist that refreshes makeup, moisturizes the skin and provides a cooling calming effect, I carry a bottle of this in my purse at all times. For realz, check my purse. It's there.

Spring Into Beauty - Blissmo Box Review- Neutrogena, Olie Biologique, Go! Towel, Lauren Brooke, Pangea Organics With Discount Code

This was roughly a $36.00 value Use the code BLISSMOKM to get $10 off a new subscription!


About Blissmo- 

Welcome! Discover exceptional organic, non-toxic & eco products that are safer, healthier and better than conventional alternatives with blissmo.

How it works: Each month blissmo delivers a curated blissmobox to your door packed with a selection of health conscious products. We also offer individual boxes as perfect gifts for friends & family. 

Why do we do this? We want to use products that are better & safer for our bodies, our families, our communities and our planet, but realized it difficult to know where to find these products or if they were truly safer. Basically, we'd go shopping and this was us:


We figured others had the same frustration so set out to help health-minded and earth-minded shoppers discover what's better.

Our roots: blissmo was started by social entrepreneurs with backgrounds at the following companies:

            

discover what's better

exceptional organic, non-toxic
& eco-friendly products

Blissmo box has introduced me to some absolutely fantastic products and I love getting a surprise box of products I can feel good about. Nothing ever gets tossed from one of these babies!

I'd love to try out their Breakbox, it's filled with healthy snacks and can be purchased in 4 different sizes depending on for how many people, from individual sized to enough to snack up a whole office.

This was the box that really clinched my Blissmo love - everything was awesome.

Neutrogena Naturals Multi-Vitamin Cream, 1.7 oz

I liked this so much that I kinda went a little craZY when I saw it on sale at my local Walgreens and bought like 3 jars of it (listed one of my extras on Ebay just a few days ago, actually)! I love this line, it's awesome that a big hitter hitter like Neutrogena put all that research and expertise into a natural line, more companies should take note. Because I have combination skin, some night creams can be a little too heavy feeling for me, but this one absorbs nicely and makes my skin feel nourished and plumped but not greasy. In the morning the skin has a radiant glow and over time the texture of my skin became crazy soft. I can't believe that something so effective could be so inexpensive! Just finished a jar, so it's time to pop open one of my extras!

Neutrogena Naturals - Multi vitamin nourishing night cream - $13.99 

• 97% Naturally Derived
• 100% Recycled Paper
• This product was not tested on animals
• Supports Clean Water
• Post Consumer Recycled Plastic
• Renewable Energy

Olie biologique Huile Moderne - $15

HOLY COW! This stuff is UHmazing. Thank you Blissmo for introducing me to this miracle oil! Pure luxury.
A blend of 6 oils that is a multitasking FOOL! Yes it seems pricey, but it lasts forever, you literally only need about 2 drops for your face. I used this during a horrific rosacea flare that had my face covered in a bright red bumpy rash that made me feel like The Elephant Woman. Everything I put on my face seemed to make it worse; so itchy and angry that I wanted to claw my face off. This not only felt cooling and soothing, but my skin cleared up after literally just 2 days. You couldn't even tell I'd had a flare at all! I've found myself really wishing that I had some more- I recently had surgery and I would love to have this for my scars. It's also great for jacked up cuticles and making your hair super shiny! A few drops on your body out of the shower and your skin will feel like velvet. It's the duct tape of the skincare arena!

Each ingredient was selected for its powerful hydrating and healing properties, and is all natural or organic whenever possible.

• 100% Organic Argan Oil – Hydrates and replenishes skin with antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and essential fatty acids
• Organic Rosehip Oil – Aids cell regeneration with high levels of Omega-3, Omega-6 and Vitamin C, and boosts elasticity by promoting collagen and elastin levels 
• Bergamot Oil – Protects skin and treats issues, like eczema, acne and psoriasis, with antiseptic and antibiotic properties
• Neroli Oil – Helps regenerate skin cells, repair broken capillaries and prevent scarring and stretch marks
• Frankincense Oil – Promotes cell regeneration for healthier skin and helps fade blemish marks, scars and stretch marks
• Natural Vitamin E – Fights signs of aging by neutralizing free radicals

All of our skincare oil blends are 100% natural with no parabens, synthetic colors or artificial fragrances, and no animal testing.

These things are SO cool! Super duper handy and easy to pop a couple in your bag for emergencies. They should hand these out to new parents like cigars. They're soft and absorbent and even better, reusable! You can wash them and use them over and over. I reuse them in my kitchen and it's crazy, i didn't realize just how many paper towels I used to go through.....

Go! Towel - Fiber Towel $1.49 
AN AMAZING POKER-CHIP SIZED, ECO-FRIENDLY 100% PURE BAMBOO FIBER "POP-UP" TOWEL. WEIGHING 2 GRAMS AND USING LESS THAN 3 TABLESPOONS OF WATER, IT UNFOLDS TO 12 X 20 INCHES, AS IF BY MAGIC.

Lauren Brooke Cosmetiques - Sweet Chai Lip Scrub $5.50 
I love Lauren Brooke Cosmetiques. I first was introduced to them by Eco Emi, but I had only used their cosmetics. But what's the use of good makeup without a good canvas? Lip scrub makes your lippies apply better, last longer and avoid feathering. Let's face it, peeling lips are gnarly. Using this on dehydrated winter lips is a godsend. The moisturizing properties of this are long lasting and make your lipstick last way longer and look much better. It made my lips so soft and velvety! Bonus- it smells incredible! I found myself having to apply balms and such much less often, they seemed to simply melt into my lips. Fantastic stuff with an equally fantastic price tag. 

Our Organic Sweet Chai Lip Scrub is an exfoliant and 

moisturizer in one! It's made with organic brown sugar, a delectable Sweet Chai organic flavor blend, plus our exclusive botanical lipid infusion to smooth and nourish dry, dehydrated lips.

Key Ingredients:

• Brown Sugar: Natural Alpha Hydroxy Acid. Gentle exfoliant.
• Shea Butter: High in fatty acids and triglycerides. Excellent emollient. Revitalizes & repairs skin.
• Grapeseed Oil: Antioxidant. Combats free radicals, supplies active bioflavonoids. Rejuvenating.

This is a luxurious creamy cleanser. It's non-foaming, which I realize some people find disconcerting, but what that really means is that you aren't stripping your skin with harsh detergents. If you have oily skin, this isn't the cleanser for you, but if you have normal to dry skin, this will leave your skin soft as a baby's butt and highly moisturized. It's antiinflammatory properties are great for sensitive skin and it's very gentle and soothing. I do recommend removing makeup first. Works great with a Clarisonic! 

Pangea Organics - facial cleanser with Egyptian calendula and blood orange (cost N/A) 

                          

Freebies From Too Faced!

Right now, Receive a Deluxe Melted + Deluxe Lip Insurance with your $60 Too FacedPurchase!

Get the staying power of a stain, the intense color of a liquid lipstick and the high shine of a gloss with Melted.






Prep your pout with a hydrating, quick-drying formula that pampers while it primes. Locks down lip color, ensuring it won't feather, fade or transfer, even through the most challenging, late-nights or make out sessions.


I ADORE the Lip Insurance- it's part of my daily routine!

Smacked on today's gob....... FRESH AND LANCOME (including a link to some super cheap Lancome steals!)

fresh Umbrian Clay Concealer

Thank you Amazon for having this now hard to find concealer! A little goes a loooooong way with this amazing cover-up. I've had the same tube for a couple of YEARS now and I'm just now about to use it up. I have very fair skin and have difficulty finding concealers that don't scream "hey, guess what horrid discoloration is hiding under me?" Why is it that every time I find a product that is perfect for me it goes away? It doesn't feel cakey or heavy yet somehow still manages to completely hide all your grossness. If applied with a concealer brush, it becomes absolutely invisible. Using this with some loose powder completely sidesteps foundation for a flawless yet natural look. Bonus- it actually contains ingredients that help to unclog pores!







Lancome Photogenic Loose Powder
is perfect over the concealer- the combo gives that 'magazine photo of a smiling girl in a park who's supposed to not be wearing makeup' makeup. SO OF COURSE it too got discontinued in lieu of heavier mineral based powders. Believe you me, there is a s***storm going on over at the Makeup Alley boards about it! This was a HG for decades for so many people then poof! It's perfect for combination skin, my t-zone doesn't get slimy but my dry cheeks don't get peely or chalky. It lasts all day long, it is a workhorse! Because it's so long lasting, a single jar WILL last you a year easy. It also gives a lovely natural glow, avoiding that overly made up, powdery look. Seriously, there are books by professional makeup artists who rave about it. You'll have to scour Ebay for this one, dangit.

At least Lancome Juicy Tubes still exist!  I'm pretty sure there'd be rioting in the streets if they quit making those babies. Raspberry Ice is possibly my favorite color, a hint of color with a ton of glee inducing sparkle.


If you don't like sparkle- steer clear of the Raspberry Ice! I love that I can wear it and not look gaudy but still have a little sly wink of my "me" poking out ;-) Rated a 4.5 out of 5 on Makeup Alley, this delicious fruity flavored gloss has tremendous staying power and leaves your lips feeling hydrated and soft. The sparkle makes your lips look Angelina full too! Right now, one of my favorite online shops, Brigette's Boutique has them on sale for $4.95 yo! (they actually have a crap ton of Lancome stuff, by the by....) 

Boots No7 Quick Thinking 4 in 1 Wipes

Boots No7 Quick Thinking 4 in 1 Wipes are rated fairly highly and for the life of me I don't understand why, but every bad review I've seen seemed to be for the same reasons I have. In my opinion, these are completely useless or dang near close. They claim to remove mascara but unless I pulled so hard that I ripped out half of my lashes, even non-waterproof mascara still clung to my lashes. They left my face feeling like it had a residue left behind, particularly if I was wearing makeup. For half the price I've gotten store brands that were much more effective. I wound up using the remainder of them for ho baths while I was camping. They DO make the feet feel cleaner, at least......

Hourglass Extreme Sheen Lipgloss - Extreme is an understatement!

If you're a lip gloss junkie, you owe it to yourself to try at least one tube of Hourglass Extreme Sheen Gloss. Yes, it's on the pricier side at roughly $28, but it's WORTH IT for this little dose of daily luxury. It's so shiny that your lips look like glass, giving even the nude shades a real eye catching va va va voom. It's not super sticky (it doesn't grab onto my hair like double stick tape!) and has a lovely light vanilla scent. Enriched with vitamin e, it actually feels like a nourishing lip treatment as opposed to just a gloss. Your lips don't feather and it makes a fantastic gloss enhancer over drier lippies. I especially love it in the drier winter months when fake heat makes my lips peel like crazypants. The shape of the tubes is another fantastic selling point, they've got a cool flattened tube making them convenient for pockets and evening bags or wristlets. I like the nude shade Truth and I especially like to wear it with a bold eye and a nude lip liner underneath it for extra staying power. So yeah- the one complaint is that like many glosses, you will need to reapply through out the day- don't leave your tube at home, especially if you want to maintain the glassy shine. If you're looking for really high pigments, you might want to look elsewhere;with a few exceptions, these are mostly pretty sheer colors. I'm also a huge fan of the handy dandy doefoot applicator.

Truth, a good neutral nude

Hourglass Extreme Sheen High Shine Lip Gloss Truth

As you can see, many of the nudes are quite similar in shade with slight variations of undertones to complement different skin tones.




Available at Sephora- and while you're there, check out 2015's color of the year!

Bath Salts - make your own for pennies!

Bath Salts are super easy to make, and doing them on your own allows you to customize them to your specific needs. Using real essential oils gives you fantastic aromatherapeutic benefits as well. A favorite of mine for perking myself up after a long day when I still have far to go (you know those Fridays when you have plans that night but worked your keister off all week?) is to do a blend of tangerine and mint essential oils. Tangerine Essential Oil is rich in the powerful antioxidant d-limonene. It also helps to release stress and occasional nervous irritability while peppermint oil can be both energizing and soothing. 

An Epsom salt bath soak is detoxifying, can alleviate stress and tension, and does wonders for the skin. Try using scents like lavender, jasmine, and cedar for a calming bath, or citrus scents like grapefruit, orange, tangerine, or lemon for clarity and joy.

• 3 cups Epsom salt
• 2 cups sea salt
• 2 tbsp essential oil
• 1/2 cup baking soda

Mix the salts together in a large bowl, then sprinkle in the essential oil. Mix with a whisk or a fork to break up any clumps that may form, then add baking soda and mix well. 

Et Voila! Your "me time" awaits! 

ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

Meadow Muffin Gardens "Beauty Is Only An Herb Away"

These all natural and organic products are made in small batches by a family that started out with herbal gardening and is now making these amazing products on a farm that is recognized by the National Wildlife Federation as a certified wildlife habitat! I highly recommend that you visit them at their website to find out more about this fantastic company. If you read my blog or watch my videos, you know how I feel about small batch, handmade products!


This picture from their website is one of the many gorgeous photos of their fantastic garden. Wouldn't you like to use products made from herbs grown like this? Well I certainly do, and highly recommend the ones I've tried.



Their Holiday Home Air Spray was a lifesaver for me this Christmas. My fiance had to work Christmas and I was stuck at home all alone. This blend of vanilla, frankincense and sweet orange gave the house a feeling of cozy warmth and took me back to holidays at home. I spritzed some of this, made a big mug of eggnog and cuddled up on the sofa with my dog to watch Santa Claus VS The Martians. Made with essential oils and a carefully distilled vanilla tincture, this spray not only cleared the stuffiness of artificial heat from the house but also cheered me up immensely! (Thanks, sweet orange for being such a happy smell!)

Another downfall of winter is the dreaded chapped lips. I keep a tube of balm in my purse, at my desk at work, by the bed, and downstairs in the living room for when I'm watching TV. I seriously have that many different tubes going at once, but I have to say that their Honey Bee lip balm is something special. No parabens or artificial gunk being swallowed into yer gullet every time you lick your lips or take a drink and a combination of honey, sunflower oil and lemon essential oil creates a moisture rich protective barrier that provides lasting relief.

Two thumbs up!

SMASHBOX High Definition Healthy FX Foundation

An oil-free, weightless, liquid foundation packed with antiaging, revitalizing, and firming ingredients.





I absolutely LOVE this foundation. I also love that it has an SPF. You can't rely on just the spf in a foundation to totally protect you but every little bit helps, especially when married with an spf moisturizer. It's a fuller coverage foundation but still goes on lightly without an overly made up, mask-like feel. It gives a dewy look and covers up my red areas (facial scarring from an accident) while still letting my freckles show through- personally I'm a fan of my freckles :-) It applies best when first warmed up on the back of the hand and applied with a foundation brush or sponge. It comes with vitamin c to brighten the skin and antioxidants to improve skin texture and fight free radicals. To get the best wear from it (which, with my long days, I need. I tend to get home roughly 12 hours after I leave the house) I recommend using blotting papers during the day instead of a powder which can make for a less natural, glowing look. It certainly photographs really well! This was after a full shift at work and only using a Boscia blotting sheet to touch up.

Sadly, I went to go buy some more, and OF COURSE with my luck, it's been replaced by their HALO foundation. I'd like to give that one a shot, but until then one of my favorite online stores still has it! Bless you, Brigette's Boutique! They have a ton of awesome brands at great prices, so I recommend you check them out and snatch some of this stuff while you can.