HOT DRUGSTORE FIND OF THE WEEK: Eucerin Daily Skin Balance Hand Creme

Hello Divas!

I am a living testimony that if you have faith, God will supply all of your needs.  Faith really makes life simple.

Well when I was trying to figure out what I was going to blog about for the "Hot Drugstore Find of the Week," I had my Eucerin Daily Skin Balance hand creme out.  I had just applied it to relieve my cracked, dry hands.  This Winter weather has been brutal on them!  But I am so glad I have my Eucerin hand creme to get me through the day.

My family has used Eucerin for years.  As a child, my Aunt would give us samples of Eucerin lotion from the hospital.  My little luxe son has a mild case of Eczema and I use Eucerin on his skin to keep it hydrated and blemish free.  I never used their hand creme until I attended Blogher 2010.  Eucerin was a vendor in the Expo Hall and they were giving out samples.  Of course, I grabbed one.  I had not used the hand creme until this Winter and since I have been using it, I am in love with it.  I use it so much, I am running out to CVS today to purchase some more.

This hand creme is beyond awesome! It is super super hydrating.  It instantly gets rids of dry skin.  My hands are smooth and soft all day long.  I really do not need to constantly re-apply the lotion unless I wash my hands.  I also use it on the luxe kids in the a.m.  I put it on their little arms and hands before sending them off to school.

In addition, Eucerin's Daily Skin Balance hand creme has a patent-pending formula that contains provitamin B5, glycerin and a pH5 buffer.

Eucerin Daily Skin Balance Hand Creme retails for $5.59, a steal, and you can purchase it online here or at any CVS.

Toodles!

Hot Drugstore Find of the Week: Covergirl Smoky Shadow Blast

Hello Divas!

Are you having an awesome week?  I pray that you are!

When I attended Blogalicious 2010, the beautiful ladies of Style Mom and Afrobella hosted a swanky party and all attendees received gift bag full of beauty goodies.  One of the items in my gift bag was this Covergirl Smoky Shadow Blast.  I thought the colors were pretty cool, but did not really use it until December of last year.

I love this eye duo.  It comes in two bold shades and it is specifically designed to create a bold smokey eye.  One end of the pencil has a rounded tip and the other end has a tapered tip.  Step 1 includes using the rounded tip from lash line to brow bone and using the color on the lower lash line as well.  Step 2 includes using the tapered more subdued color in the crease of your upper lid and your lash line.  Blend both colors together and Presto!,  you have the perfect smokey eye.

I have used the the SmokyShadowBlast to create a smokey eye and I have used them separately as an eyeliner or as a sweep of color on my eye lid.  The color are so bold and beautiful, just a little gives my face a small pop of color that is sexy while also being understated.  The best thing about Covergirl's SmokyShadowBlast is the pencil's texture.  It is creamy dreamy!  Seriously it glides on so smooth, it just caresses your eye.  I am a sucker for soft and smooth eye pencils.

Covergirl's SmokyShadowBlast come in six beautiful color combinations and it retails for $7.99  You can purchase it at any CVS or Ulta.   In addition, this product was a CEW Beauty Award 2010 Winner!  It is the best!

Toodles!

Introducing CVS/pharmacy Beauty Club

the week is halfway over-- hope it's treating you well! i have some fun news that i think many of you CVS fans (like me) will enjoy...

it's the CVS/pharmacy Beauty Club!

the Beauty Club, was has been created as an extension of the popular ExtraCare program, and is the first ever loyalty program in the drug, food and mass retailer arena, providing members with special beauty benefits in-store and online.

if you watched People's Choice 2011, you may have heard Queen Latifa announce it during the show.

Beauty Club membership includes:

*10% off beauty shopping pass upon enrollment.
*$5 in ExtraBucks rewards with every $50 beauty purchase.
*$3 in ExtraBucks rewards on the member’s birthday as well as special beauty offers throughout the year.

so beauties, sign up and be sure to "like" the Beauty Club on Facebook and follow on Twitter for access to additional special offers and exclusive content all year long.

click here to join!

xo

Hot Drugstore Find of the Week: Clean & Clear Continuous Control Acne Cleanser

Hello Divas!

I hope you are having a beautiful day!  Life is a blessing!

The last quarter of the year I begin to experience a lot of acne breakouts on my face.  I knew it was stress, but I was kind of frustrated and at lost on how to get rid of it.  I had not had any acne breakouts in quite some time, so I really did not have anything in my beauty arsenal to combat it.

Well I found Clean & Clear Continuous Control Acne cleanser and it has been a life saver.  I have used it for a month.  After about two weeks of use, I stopped having breakouts. Woot!  This cleanser contains 10% benzoyl peroxide.  It has a creamy texture and I use it with my Clarisonic.  But be careful.  If it gets in your eyes or mouth, it burns and irritates like crazy.  I learned the hard way.  However, it does not dry out my skin like other benzoyl peroxide cleansers have the tendency to do.

This cleanser gets rid of pimples in a short period of time, is moisturizing and non irritating to my skin. That is why it is my Hot Drugstore Find of The Week!  Clean & Clear Continuous Control Acne cleanser retails for $6.49 and you can purchase it at CVS.

Toodles!

Hot Drugstore Find of the Week: CVS Brand Acne Spot Treatment

Hello Divas!


I woke up this morning expecting nothing but God's grace and blessings. So just expect nothing but the best everyday!

Two weeks ago, I had these two huge pimples on my face and I was frantic.  I am very religious about washing my face day and night and using sensitive skin products, so I figure the acne breakouts can only be related to stress.  So I ran to CVS to find some type of acne treatment to get rid of those pimples. 

While browsing the health and beauty aisle, I initially zeroed in on Clean & Clear's Advantage Acne Spot  Treatment.  I heard Clean & Clear's Acne Spot Treatment was amazing.  It is a a gel "with a unique breakthrough technology that dissolves surface oils on the skin allowing acne fighting medication to penetrate into pores and clear pimples fast, without over-drying your skin."  Clean & Clear's Advantage Acne Spot Treatment retails for $6.99. Not a bad price. But I looked over and saw that CVS had its own version of the Acne Spot Treatment for $2 less.  Of course, I checked the ingredients and they were identical.   So I purchased the CVS version.

Results?  I used the spot treatment twice a day and within 24 hours the pimples were nearly gone.  The directions state the gel can be used 1-3 times a day and I have discovered if used 2-3 times a day,  you can bet the pimple will be gone by morning.  I have been really impressed with this gel and I am more pleased that I only paid $5 bucks for it.

CVS Acne Spot Treatment has been a life saver and will always be in my beauty stash when I need it.  You can purchase it as CVS and it retails for $4.99.

Have you used either CVS Acne Spot Treatment or Clean & Clear's Advantage Acne Spot Treatment?  If so, what did you think?

Toodles!

Hot Drugstore Find of the Week: Cover Girl Eye Enhancers 1 Kit Eyeshadows

Hello Divas!

I hope you are enjoying life and having an awesome day!

I have been using CoverGirl eyeshadows since I was in college.  Why do I love CoverGirl eye shadows?  Well they are affordable, of good quality, and come in a wide range of fabulous colors.  One of my favorite things to do is to roam the CoverGirl section at CVS looking for new eye shadows to try.  CoverGirl now calls them Eye Enhancers because the new formula lasts for hours "bring out the natural beauty of your eyes."   I can attest the shadows do stay put until you clean your face at night.

One of my favorite Eye Enhancers is the color Golden Sunrise.  It is a bronzy peach-orange color and it works perfectly with my skin tone.  This color is usually my eye shadow of choice when I want my eyes to pop!

CoverGirl Eye Enhancers come in mattes, pearls, and sparkly shades.  They glide on smoothly and blend well.  And for only $3.49, you just can't go wrong.  You can purchase CoverG irl Eye Enhancers 1 Kit eye shadows here or at any CVS.

Toodles!

Hot Drugstore Find of the Week: Trim Callus Remover

Hello Divas!

I hope you are loving and enjoying your Summer.  I know I am!

I have been wearing flip flops so much and my feet have suffered. Yes, wearing flip flops and walking on concrete apparently do not mix.  I am only getting pedicures about once a month and it is not enough to avoid calluses from forming.  So I had to find a callus remover solution in between pedicures.

Of course, CVS never disappoints.  I found the perfect product and it works like a charm.  Trim's callus remover has two surfaces.  One surface is ridged and abrasive and it removes hard calluses like a dream.  The other side feels like a nail file and it smooths out your feet after removing calluses with the ridged side.  I AM IN LOVE WITH THIS CALLUS REMOVER.  I can simply take a shower and immediately use this product to smooth out any rough areas.  My feet are instantly smooth and callus free.  Plus it only takes about 5 minutes of scrubbing to achieve optimal results.  I apply lotion and my feet are pretty once again.  This is all important during the Summer months!

Trim's callus remover retails for $4.99 and you can purchase it at any CVS.

Toodles!

Winner of Dove Body Wash and Hot Drugstore Find of the Week: Mega Profectiv Growth Lotion

Hello Divas!

I hope your Wednesday is as fabulous as ever!


The Winner of the Dove Body Wash contest is 3gees4me.  Yeah!  Contact me via email to claim your body wash.  I use it every morning and I LOVE IT!

Also for the past 2-3 months I have been using Mega Profectiv Growth Lotion on my hair as a heat protectant.  Strength of Nature sent the product out for me to test and so far so good.  The product contains wheat protein, oat protein, soy protein and horsetail extract.  These ingredients claim to strengthen and grow your hair.  It also contains olive oil, flax seed oil, jojoba oil for moisture and shine.  Lastly silk amino acids, avocado oil, coconut oil and grape seed oil are included for shine and heat protection.

This product is super oily so you only need a teeny tiny amount to distribute through your hair.  I originally started using it because it is a heat protectant and sometimes I use tons of heat on my hair.  I think it is doing a good job in protecting my hair form excessive breakage.  My stylist has not complained of any breakage in a month!  I am not sure if it is making any difference as far as growth is concerned.  But I love how it makes my hair super shiny and I feel like my hair is being nourished by all of those fab ingredients!

You can purchase Mega Profectiv Growth Lotion at any CVS and it retails for $4.99.

Toodles!

Hot Drugstore Find of the Week: Maybelline ColorSensation Barely There Nude Lipstick!

Hello Divas!

It is a gorgeous day in Atlanta!  I love it!  I hope you guys are having the best day ever!

You guys know how much I have raved about Maybelline's ColorSenational line of lip glosses and lipsticks! I love them!  Recently, I have been rocking the perfect nude lipstick, Nearly There, and it is just wonderful.  My skin tone is medium dark and sometimes it is hard for me to find the right nude to match my skin tone.  Some are too beige and some are just too dark.  Well Maybelline got it right with this nude.  It is a beige pink nude and it works!  The pink is slightly darker and mixes well with the beige.  It provides the right coverage for women with dark skin tones.  I have been wearing it with my trusty MAC Chesnut lip pencil and I get tons of compliments! And of course, the $5.99 price tag does not hurt either.

Here is a pic!  Trying to work with my I-Phone until I get a new camera. LOL!  Maybelline ColorSensational lipsticks are under $6 and you can purchase them online here at CVS.


Toodles!

Hot Drugstore Find of the Week: Maybelline's ColorSensational Lipgloss in Born With It

Hello Divas!

I hope you are having a beautiful week!  It snowed ...again in Atlanta.  I don't know how I feel about that, but the luxe kids love it!

If you read my Monday post, you will remember I was able to pick up a lip gloss and lipstick from Maybelline's ColorSensational Line for only $5 each.  Well I AM IN LOVE with the ColorSensational lip gloss.  I chose a pretty pink color called Born With It and it is simply gorgeous on my lips.  Check it out!

This lip gloss is shiny but not sticky.  It has a very creamy texture to it.  It also has a wonderful bubble gum scent!  More importantly, this pink color is great for brown skin.  However, this color is so versatile, it will look Amazing on any skin tone. Fabulous!

Maybelline's ColorSensational Lip glosses come in a beautiful range of colors and they are super affordable. Gotta love it!   You can purchase them at CVS or Wal-Mart. 

Toodles!

Hot Drugstore Find of the Week: Neosporin Lip Health Daily Hydration Therapy

Hello Divas!

How is life treating you?  I hope beautifully!

As I have stated before, my lips become extremely dry during Winter months.  I mean if I do not keep my lips hydrated, they become cracked and peeling. Ugh! So when Neosporin contacted me to try their new Lip Health Daily Hydration Lip Therapy, I eagerly agreed to give it a try.

This product is cream based as opposed to ointment based.  I found this quite surprising because of course I associate Neosporin with ointment.  However, the cream works well on dry cracked lips.  The product immediately absorbed into my lips and they immediately felt soothed and moisturized. Yes, I would definitely say this product is more like a "moisturizer" for your lips. Love it!  What I really like about this product is that I did not have to keep re-applying the cream to keep my lips moisturized.  After one application, my lips stayed smoothed and hydrated throughout the day.  I was very impressed.  And this product contains SPF 20! Yes SPF 20! You Divas know how much I love SPF in my skincare products.  The best moisturizers and eye creams I love contain SPF 15 or higher. Too much exposure to sun causes aging and I want to slow down the aging process as much as possible.

Neosporin Lip Health, Daily Hydration Therapy is a must try.  It retails for $4.99 and you can purchase it here or at any CVS.


Toodles!

Hot Drugstore Find of the Week: Revlon Tweezers!

Hello Divas!

I hope life is superb! Remember to love and respect yourself. If you don't no one else will.

Divas I lost my favorite La Vaque Tweezers.  I so need to contact them so they can send me a replacement pair.  So I have had to find a suitable replacement in the meantime.  I purchased a pair of Revlon Point Tip Tweezers from CVS and I am extremely pleased with their performance.

I like that the Tweezers allow a firm grip.  They don't slide out of my hands.  They are just the right size.  They are not too big and not too small.  But, what I love most about the Tweezers is how well they remove unwanted hairs.  The point firmly grips hairs and pull them out firmly but gently.  You don't have to worry about grabbing a piece of hair and it breaks mid-shaft and not from the root. I love that!  I have used so many Tweezers in the past that simply break off hairs without removing them completely. Ugh!

Revlon Tweezers retail for $2.99 and you purchase them at CVS or online here.

Toodles!

Hot Drugstore Find of the Week: Neutrogena Deep Clean Gentle Scrub

Hello Divas!

I hope your day is filled with happiness and peace!

Divas I have sad news.  The absolute best drugstore face exfoliating wash is no longer being sold in the U.S. Yes it is true.  Lumene's Artic Touch Clarifying Mineral Scrub is no longer offered in the U.S.  It has been my go to product when I need to get rid of guck and reveal clean and healthy beautiful skin.  So I have been desperately searching for an alternative and picked up Neutrogena's Deep Clean Gentle Scrub.  This scrub contains microbeads that gently exfoliate and Beta Hydroxy to deep clean pores.

The cleanser is definitely not Lumene, but it does a pretty decent job.  The microbeads are small enough to not cause skin irritation and large enough to exfoliate pretty nicely.  It does not give a deep cleaning exfoliation, but it is enough to remove some dead skin.  The cleanser also cleans pretty well and my skin feels very clean but not dry.  It actually feels pretty smooth and soft.  What I really love about this cleanser is that it does not cause my skin to break out.  I have to be so careful when using products on my face.  One wrong move and my face will break out something fierce.

Neutrogena's Deep Clean Gentle Scrub retails for $6.49 and you can purchase it online here or at any CVS.

Toodles!

Hot Drugstore Find of the Week: Milani Glitzy Glamour Gloss in Lady Like

Hello Divas!

Remember Life is Beautiful! Live it to the fullest!

I have always heard great things about Milani Cosmetics.  Milani is a drugstore cosmetics line that features deep pigmented colors that works for all skin tones.  What I have noticed about the line is that the colors seem to work fantastic on women of color.  I had never tried any of their products until a friend of mine purchased a tube of the Glitzy Glamour Gloss.  I was intrigued by the tube's shape and color of the gloss.  So while in CVS this weekend, I decided to finally give it a try.  I chose the Lady Like shade because it is a bronze gloss with a hint of peach.  Love it!

The first thing I noticed about the gloss is it has a rich caramel smell.  I love lip products that smell good! Yummy!  The color is very pigmented and is very true when applied to your lips.  The gloss glides on smoothly, but I didn't particularly like the thickness of the gloss.  The color is beautiful, but the shine is very subdued almost matte.

But I received tons of compliments on the color.  It is pretty and looks gorgeous on my skin tone. 

Milani Glitzy Glamour gloss comes in 10 shades so there is a color that will look good on ANY skin tone.  The gloss retails for $6.49 and you can purchase it any CVS.

Have you tried Milani Cosmetics?  If so, what are your favs?

Toodles!

12 Days of Luxetips Before Christmas! Day Two: Holiday Hair!

Hello Divas!

How was your day today? I hope wonderful!

Day Two of 12 Days of Luxetips Before Christmas includes hot Holiday hair. I have a ritual I have been following for years that includes a fresh mani/pedi, eyebrow wax, and fresh hair do before Christmas and before New Years! I have to bring in the New Year gorgeous! I like to wear my hair down, but up-dos are all the rage for this holiday season. Check out some creative up-dos created by Frederic Fekkai’s top celebrity stylist, Adir Abergel.


And speaking of up-dos, Lux The Salon in Grant Park, is having a FANTASTIC special for the holidays. Remember I did a review of this salon in September? Fab! Well they are offering 20 minute up-dos for only....$20! Wowza! This is a perfect way to have a super fresh hair-do before going to that holiday party! And because it is only 20 minutes, it is so easy to squeeze into your party preparation routine. Awesome! Lux, The Salon in Grant Park is located at: 318 Cherokee Avenue Suite 108, Atlanta, Ga 3031,(404)222.0244.

Toodles!

12 Days of Luxetips Before Christmas! Day One: Radiant Skin!

Hello Divas!

I hope you had a fabulous weekend!

I love Christmas! I love decorating, baking cookies with my kids, and Christmas shopping! I love the holidays!

Many bloggers are doing 12 days of Christmas posts and many of my beauty blogging friends are doing 12 days of beauty. Well I thought it would be fun to do 12 days of Luxetips (before Christmas) posts! My theme? Get luxe and fab for Christmas Day!

On Day 1, I recommend achieving radiant and beautiful skin so you can glow, glow, glow on the big day! Here are my luxetips for radiant skin:


1. Give yourself a mini-facial starting this week and next week. My girl, Mischo Beauty, hipped me to weekly mini-facials last summer. I mostly use Lumene products for my weekly mini-facials. My routine is as follows: I use a mild cleanser, toner, Lumene's ARCTIC TOUCH Clarifying Mineral Peeling (makes my skin as smooth as a baby's!), and Lumene's ARCTIC TOUCH Deep Cleansing Peat Mask.

2. I also recommend using a nightly intensive skin cream to reverse aging, clear blemishes, and achieve radiant skin. I have been hearing rave reviews about Avon's ANEW ULTIMATE Night Gold Emulsion cream. Women swear that after only 2 weeks of using this product, their skin is plumper, blemish free, and radiant. I have a jar and I am going to start using it tonight! I can't wait to share the results!

So Divas work on radiant skin for Christmas! We all need to look gorgeous in those Christmas pics!

Toodles!

Hot Drugstore Find of the Week: Burt Bee's Radiance Facial Cleanser

Hello Divas!

Happy Happy Hump Day!

By now, you Divas know how much I love a good facial wash. I especially love a facial wash that has natural or organic ingredients. I have super sensitive skin, so I have to be very careful about what I use on my face.

I have been using Burt's Bees Radiance Facial Cleanser for the past couple of weeks and I love it! This cleanser is 99% all natural and contains safflower, jojoba oil, bilberry, orange and lemon extract, and royal jelly. Yes royal jelly. Apparently royal jelly enhances your skin’s natural radiance. Royal Jelly is made from nectar, pollen, flower parts, vitamins, minerals, and bee hormones. Nice. All I know is that this product feels so soothing on my skin. It is creamy yet very light. It thoroughly cleans my face, but leaves it very soft and moisturized. Also it smells fantastic!

Burt Bee's Radiance Facial Cleanser retails for $10 and you can purchase it online here or at any CVS.

Toodles!

Borghese Nail Lacquer Carnevale Grape: Like Chanel's Vendetta But Less Expensive

Hello Divas!

I hope your life is wonderful! How is the weather in your area? The other night it was 25 degrees in Atlanta. Wow!

I have been lusting after Chanel's Vendetta nail polish for a few weeks. It is a rich dark purple that looks either black or like a deep wine depending on how the light hits it. Gorgeous! Recently I was browsing the aisle of my favorite CVS, and discovered Borghese Carnevale Grape nail polish. Divas it is a direct dupe of Chanel's Vendetta! It is the same deep dark purple with an insane shine! Believe me Divas the shine and color is insane. It is so intense. Love it! In addition all Borghese nail polishes contain Acqua di Vita Complex which helps restore essential moisture balance to your nails. But the best thing about this nail polish is that it is only $7.99! Chanel's Vendetta retails for $23! Woot!

Chanel Vendetta

Borghese Carnevale Grape


You can purchase Borghese Carnevale Grape nail polish online here or at any CVS.

Toodles!

Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Fast Dry Nail Color: It Works!

Hello Divas!

I hope you ladies had the best week ever! Unfortunately, I was rear ended and my beautiful Acura MDX has been damaged. She is going into the shop indefinitely. Ugh. But I am thankful to God I am okay and unharmed. God is good!

Today is a beautiful Saturday morning and I am blogging, writing proposals, and pampering myself. I decided to give myself a brief manicure and tested out Sally Hansen's Insta-Dri Fast Dry Nail Color. Divas have raved about how fast this nail color dries and I had to give it a whirl. I am happy to report that this nail color dries in 5 minutes flat! Do you hear me? 5 minutes flat! I was floored. This nail color is perfect if you are in a rush and only have 5 minutes to apply nail color and you only have 5 minutes for it to dry. Now the product advertised that it dries in 60 seconds. It did not for me, but 5 minutes is better than 15-20 minutes. I am in love! I am always in a rush, so this is perfect for me.

Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Fast Dry Nail Color retails for $4.99 and comes in a variety of cute colors. You can purchase it online here or at any CVS.

Toodles!

Hot Drugstore Find of the Week: CVS Round Cotton Pads

Hello Divas!

I hope your Wednesday is fantabulous! It is sunny in the Atl today. Yeah! It is such a nice break from the constant rain.

Divas I am out of my favorite facial cotton pads. CVS Round Cotton Pads are the best cotton pads I have ever used. Why are they so good? First I love the price. You get 80 pads for $2.25. Plus sometimes they are on sale for much less with your CVS card. In addition, I only need to use one pad to completely remove all the excess oil, dirt, and makeup from my face. Previous brands I used would take 2 pads to completely clean my face, not the CVS brand. I firmly believe the pad' thickness and slightly large size contributes to why it works so well! These pads do a whole lot! A 80 pack will last me for at least 2 months. I am getting mucho bang for the buck! You can purchase CVS Round Cotton Pads online here or at any CVS. Divas make sure check to your CVS circular so you can catch them on sale!

Toodles!