Organic Change of Pace

I was killing time in a local Walgreen's recently & stumbled upon a pretty cool find, so I thought I should share........it was a sheer tinted moisturizer by Jane Cosmetics. Jane now offers a line of organic products (Jane Be Pure, I think is their organic line, but I am not referring to the mineral collection) & this one was called AGUA-Ceuticals. At any rate, it retails for a mere $6.99, which is a steal on any level, as I am sure you would agree, but certainly good for a paraben-free organic item!! It came in a couple of different shades, too --- something that many tinted moisturizers do not do. (I was a loyalist to Benefit's YOU REBEL for many years, but some find it rather orange in color, but in summer, it seems fine on tanned skin.) I am using the "medium" shade & it blends perfectly with my rather pale, winter skin, but I think it will be equally good in summer when I have a bit more color to my flesh. I tried to find this new Jane product online so I could include a link & oddly, I could not find anything. Perhaps it's just "that new"??? Hopefully, if it's something you are interested in, you can find it in your local Walgreen's or other such retailer. The You Rebel by Benefit that I mentioned earlier retails for close to $30, so you can see why I was so excited to find one in a better color, organic and cheap! :)

If you are looking for a tinted moisturizer that won't break the bank in these tough economic times, and one that is paraben-free, I highly recommend this little tube of good stuff by Jane. It goes on smooth, blends wonderfully, has no funky aromas & you don't need to feel bad about it since it has none of those nasty chemicals some of us are trying harder to avoid. I have been using it for about a week now & the best part is that it is NOT causing any break-outs, either. Yippeee!!! Check it out! I am sure places other than Walgreen's will carry it, but at least you have a place to start.

On a side note, a special thanks here to my dear friend, Stacie, for tipping me off to the potentially harmful aspects of things like parabens, because now I am trying to be more conscious of them as I shop for skin, hair & other hygiene products. Stacie is the closest thing to "living organic" that I am personally aquainted with & because of her, I am shopping with a greater awareness for products that are not so heavily laced with evil chemicals. Thank you, Stacie!!!

Happy Shopping!
Your face will thank you, as will your wallet!! *wink*

Estee Lauder & Nordstrom

It's "gift with purchase" time at Nordstrom for those that like Estee Lauder products! Spend just $37.50 & you get your choice of a really great gift that includes eye shadow, lip stick, lip gloss & skincare products in a zipper make-up bag. You get to choose the type of set that best suits your skincare needs (anti-wrinkle, firming, etc.). You can get the deal online or in stores so act fast while supplies last!

Future Perfect is probably one of my fave moisturizers they carry & I absolutely LOVE the Idealist Skin Refinisher because your face will feel smooth like a baby's bottom! I can't live without it now that I have started using it.

Happy Shopping!!!

Did someone say Make-Up??

My first trip to ULTA was last night.....a friend had been telling me about it for months now & I finally went in for a test-drive. My first reaction: WOW! Where do I begin? This place is huge & there is so much to look at!! I don't have near enough time or money to do what I wanna do in this place!

At any rate, my goal was simple, I wanted to investigate a mineral make-up called PUR so I needed to focus fast! Of course, my first stop inside the store was the cosmetics section under the Ulta label itself. Ooops! Much like Sephora, another fave store, Ulta carries its own line of cosmetics, including a line of mineral make-up -- just not my color.
: (
I did manage to grab a couple of eye-shadows that looked pretty at only $6.50 a pop! Then, I make my way over to the non-drugstore brand cosmetics section (the store is set up where one side is "drugstore" cosmetics & the other side is "department" store products, with hair products & salon in the rear). I found the PUR aisle & played with the various items....of course, MY shade of pressed mineral base was sold out, but I did find a cute little starter kit in my shade for about $35. It came with a nice chisel brush, the pressed mineral base (in Golden Medium) a mineral bronzer (for lack of better terms or its real name) and a marble mineral dusting powder of sorts for highlighting, etc.

Normally, I used the pressed mineral base by Jane Iredale & I LOVE it!!! It's pricey at about $52 (sold mostly at spas) although I can often find my colors on E-bay for less. I had heard about PUR and since it was around half the price, I thought I should give it a try. Besides, I am currently rather pale (it IS still Winter, technically) and my current Jane Iredale shade is too dark now. I needed a paler shade for the moment.

So far, really like PUR. The color is a good match & the true test will be when I work-out at the gym because my Jane Iredale stays on FOREVER! I love that --- no touch-ups during the day!!! I hope PUR does the same.

All of this aside, my main point for this post is to share that ULTA is a fun store with a GIANT selection that will not disappoint any cosmetic lover! And, I learned that new shipments arrive on Tuesdays, so if they are out of your color, at least you know when to check back, like myself!

I walked out of ULTA about $50 poorer & with my hands & wrists covered in all sorts of test colors, but it was a worthwhile trip! I joined the "frequent buyer's club", for free, so I can earn points for freebies after continued shopping there. I can't wait to go back!!

Happy Shopping!