My favorite beauty and lifestyle products for November 2015
By Carla Snuggs
November arrived and was over in a flash! It was a lovely month filled with so many new beauty products and new beauty brands to try. Here is the latest monthly roundup of the some of the BEST beauty products tried by myself (or contributors) throughout the month. Many of these items also make great holiday gifts. What were some of your faves? Leave your comments below!
Acorelle Fragrances
Everybody knows you can change your perfume according to your mood. With French perfume company Acorelle, you can change your mood by changing your perfume. Acorelle’s “extraits d’ emotions” are the result of a unique combination of traditional perfumery, modern, eco-friendly technology and the ancient wisdom of using plants and flowers for healing and comfort. Acorelle fragrances contain no synthetic scent compounds, artificial preservatives, parabens or phthalates - substances believed to cause endocrine damage. The fragrance I am most addicted to is calming Lotus Dream.
Exuviance Daily Acne Peel
From one of my favorite beauty brands, Exuviance, I tried the Daily Acne Peel. Hormonal breakouts are my thing, so ahead of my breakout, I tried it on my sometimes oily skin. It’s a daily one-step treatment that helps clear existing blemishes while preventing new breakouts, shrinking pores and controlling oil production for smoother, clearer skin. It’s also an anti-aging treatment that contains CitraFill® which targets collagen and skin matrix for firming and line smoothing antiaging benefits. I had no monthly breakouts for November thanks to Exuviance Daily Acne Peel.
St. Tropez Self Tan Luxe Oil and Body Polish
Yes, it’s almost winter, but you can still get that supermodel sheen with St. Tropez Prep & Maintain Body Polish and St. Tropez Self Tan Luxe Oil. Step 1: Prep for smooth skin with the St. Tropez Prep & Maintain Body Polish. Step 2: Using a St.Tropez Tan Applicator Mitt, generously apply the St. Tropez Self Tan Luxe Oil all over the body. Wait for three minutes and repeat with another coat. Step3: Dry naturally to achieve and all over-luminous glow.
philosophy “my philosophy” Fragrances
The new ‘my philosophy’ fragrance collection is the perfect combination to spice up your fragrance and personality this winter. Consisting of 6 unique scents, each was created to be worn individually or combined on the skin with other scents in the collection, allowing each woman to make their own personal statement by creating their own personal fragrance. My favorites: my philosophy: grateful Eau de Parfum (watery floral) and my philosophy: expressive Eau de Parfum (warm citrus).
Jennifer Bradley Flawless Photofinish Powder
Celebrity makeup artist and professional cosmetic creator, Jennifer Bradley Co., has been handcrafting state-of-the-art makeup and medical grade skin care products since 2003. I am so happy I discovered Jennifer Bradley’s Flawless PhotoFinish Powder. It’s a translucent powder that gives my shiny face, a beautiful matte-like finish and minimizes pores. At the same time, it has a very light, weightless finish that makes your face look amazing. I am in love with the gorgeous packaging, too. It is perfect for all skin tones and a great tool for flawless selfies and photoshoots. I am wearing it here. Purchase Jenniferbradley.com
Miracle Skin Transformer’s Triple Active Night Treatment
Wake up looking rested and ready for the day with Miracle Skin Transformer’s Triple Active Night Treatment. It replenishes, reverses and revitalizes your skin back to its youthful glow. This luxe night cream is a blend of three multi-functional night creams in one jar to simplify your nighttime skincare routine. It revitalizes your skin’s dryness with intensive moisture, combats signs of aging, reduces hyperpigmentation and smooths the skin’s appearance with ingredients like Sun Flower, Pea Extract, Glucosamine and Edelweiss Stem Cells. Purchase at Kohl’s stores and Miracleskintransformer.com
NO Worries Everyday Bronzer Oil-Free Moisturizing SPF 46
Now that it’s almost winter, you’ll want to keep that sun-kissed glow all year without exposure to harmful UVA rays. No worries Everyday Bronzer Oil-Free Moisturizing SPF 46 Cream is an amazing moisturizing skin cream with great sun protection. It gives the skin a satiny, flawless finish and lots of moisture from Hyaluronic Acid which also provides anti-aging benefits. It’s a concentrated, beautiful bronzer designed to be blended with moisturizer for custom color. It is quite pigmented - you use only the tiniest amount mixed with moisturizer or your own sunscreen for face or body, so it lasts and lasts. I love that it provides buildable coverage - you can go as light or dark as you want. Once it’s dry, it won’t streak or come off on clothing.
Livionex
I’m enjoying cleaner, whiter teeth with Livionex, a new dental gel that uses a different approach to destroy plaque in the mouth. In published studies, Livionex has been shown to clean the teeth two-times better than the leading toothpaste for plaque control. Instead of using detergents, abrasives, and antimicrobials (triclosan) and fluoride used in traditional toothpastes, the Livionex formulation uses a new technology (by activating a food-grade preservative) to break-up the bond between the bacterial biofilm and teeth. It interferes with the ability of the plaque to stick to teeth as well as hard to reach plaque in gum margins and between teeth. Purchase Livionexdental.com
jane iredale In the Blink of a Smoky Eye Kit
jane iredale’s 2015 Holiday Collection is amazing. The In the Blink of a Smoky Eye Smoky Eye Kit is one of my favorite holiday eyeshadow palettes. The highly pigmented shadows are simple to blend, sensitivity-tested and long-lasting for stay-put, gorgeous, crease-free color. Packaged in an artful travel box with a mirror and dual-ended application brush, the kit includes eight versatile shades for the perfect smokey eye, including my faves: Pure Gold(shimmery, bright gold) Rose Gold – shimmery rose gold, and Double Espresso – matte, dark, cool brown
Hum Nutrition Runway Ready
Hum Nutrition’s formulas in great on-the-go packs to give women shiny and fuller hair, stronger nails and glowing skin are some of my favorite supplements. I am loving Hum’s Runway Ready. Runway Ready contains black currant seed oil, sunflower seed oil and biotin which may help stimulate healthy skin and hair growth, neutralize free radicals that damage collagen and dry the skin, increase follicle circulation and moisture for fuller hair that is free split ends and strengthens the nail cuticle.
Oscar De La Renta Something Blue
While not every bride can wear a custom Oscar de la Renta gown, this winter, any bride can have a piece of the glamour with Mr. de la Renta’s Something Blue fragrance. This fragrance was created by Mr. de la Renta with the desire to make dreams come true, a good luck charm to make brides feel vibrant and full of life. Opening with a burst of mandarin and linden blossom, this romantic scent has a heart of stephanotis known as the “bridal veil”, lily of the valley and a kiss of lychee, then finishes with sultry notes of bourbon vanilla and white musk.
Humboldt Soap Company
What an honor to be able to discover and try skincare brand Humboldt Soap Company, a natural soap and skincare line created by a massage therapist. Humboldt Soap Company is known for their handcrafted bar soaps which contain a special blend of 8 skin nourishing oils and butters, including some of my favorites - coconut oil, cocoa butter, avocado oil, shea butter and mango butter. I tried their Cremeplexion Face Creme, Cremeplexion Eye Creme and Cleanseplexion Facial Cleansers. I am a huge fan of their Crèmeplexion Face Cream which is Fragrance free and made with Argan oil and goat’s milk. It’s super-moisturizing without a greasy feel and my skin loves it! Their Home Spa Facial Kit makes a great skincare gift as you get both of the Humboldt Soap Company Cleanseplexion Facial Cleansers (one is regular and one has exfoliating Jojoba beads) plus the eye cream, face cream and a free facial brush for your cleanser.
Tracy Reese for Sally Hansen Complete Manicure
So in love with the exclusive Tracy Reese for Sally Hansen collection color!. They include: Complete Salon Manicure in Yummy Yam, Complete Salon Manicure in Maasai Red and Complete Salon Manicure in Winter Sky. These three colors can be found in Sally Hansen’s award-winning Complete Salon Manicure collection that delivers seven salon manicure steps in one bottle. Chip resistant strength joins gel quality shine. Must-have color meets nourishing benefits. Plus, a built-in base and top coat, so it’s the ultimate in multitasking. These three colors are limited-edition colors.
Hair Warrior
Hair Warrior is a revolutionary body heat activated hair treatment that hydrates and protects your hair against sweat. Hair Warrior replenishes the salt that is lost when you sweat and prevents future damage by its patented “water lock-in” feature. Apply it to your dry hair before exercise · and it will seal in moisture, reduces frizziness, preserves color against fading and adds shine & body. With Hair warrior, you don’t have to plan your workouts or other activities around your “hair schedule”!
DHC’s Beauty Lift Eye Care Essence Roll-On
DHC’s Beauty Lift Eye Care Essence Roll-On is a soothing, massaging eye treatment with oat kernel extract that firms and smoothes. The three massaging beads cool and stimulate the delicate skin around the eye while delivering the firming power of mevalonolactone, ceramide 3, and pentapeptide-18 to hydrate and lift. The roll-on works with your skin to manage fine lines and dryness and it’s a great alternative when you don’t have time to use gel eye pads which take about 30 minutes to be effective. Purchase Dhccare.com
Disclosure: Press samples were provided by the brand/PR for editorial consideration, product testing, photography and honest review.
