SANTE America's natural skincare line

With the new year and winter season, I wanted to switch up my routine and find a cleanser and moisturizer that will help give my combination skin the moisture it needs. My previous skincare routine involved a cleansing gel which is great for the summer but I needed something that didn't dry out my skin afterward. Ever since I have tried SANTE's natural cosmetics (loving these!), I have been psyched to try their other products. They have a wide variety, actually, including Hair Care, Bath & Body, and Facial Care. I was able to test out their Cleansing Milk 3 in 1 (Olive & Lime scent) and Moisture Fluid (White Tea & Lotus). These organic and natural products have left my skin feeling balanced and smooth since the beginning of the year! :)

The Cleansing Milk 3 in 1 Olive & Lime scent is a milky formula that leaves my skin feeling smooth. It reminds me of the way Cetaphil looks, but my skin feels a lot cleaner and toned after usage. The 3 in 1 means that it is a cleanser, toner and moisturizer all in one product. It definitely cleans and tones nicely and when washed with lukewarm water, my skin does not feel tight at all. Tip: If you're looking to exfoliate your skin too, mix some sugar and a nickel sized amount of the Cleansing Milk in your palm and gently exfoliate your face. You still need to slough away dead skin cells in the winter!

The SANTE Moisture Fluid or their Moisturizer is also a milky white formula that my skin absorbs instantly. It's meant for daily use which I religiously apply on every morning to prevent any windburn. I love that it contains organic argan oil, which I already love to use by itself, but doesn't leave my face as shiny as a natural oil would. The Pros of both products is that they all use organic, natural ingredients so your skin doesn't absorb nasty chemicals. A con though is their scent. I'm not saying it is bad but if you're very sensitive to smell and don't particular like these various scents, I wouldn't recommend. If you're fine with anything, then after a while, you'll get used to it.

(Disclaimer: I received this product from this company's PR agency to test, try and share my thoughts with my readers.)

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SANTE Cosmetics come to America!

Natural cosmetics are the rage right now, at least in my beauty world. :) Consumers are more conscience and aware of what ingredients are in their products they're using and some actively seek out products that don't contain harmful ingredients. I was sent several SANTE Natural Cosmetics and was so excited to try them. SANTE is the top selling European brand and with the launch of SANTE AMERICA, these products are now available in North America. (Read more reviews here.)

Here's the 411 on these products:

	Foundation- Soft Cream Foundation. This is one of the best mineral-based foundations I have seen. It goes on smoothly and one pump is all I need to cover my face. Since wearing mineral foundations, I have actually been using less and less and focusing more on getting better skin. This really helps my skin to look "flawless" and moisturized as well! Perfect for the cold and winter season. Tip: One pump is all you need for face for minimal, natural coverage. ($17, USD)
	Eyeshadows- Their Eyeshadow Trio: rose wood 03 This trio will help you achieve the perfect everyday neutral look! The colors are incredibly silky and blendable so I was really impressed. I'm not a huge fan of their tiny applicator, so I would recommend using your own brushes. It is okay for on the go with a nice mirror on top. If you're packing light and can only carry a few items, this would make the cut. Looove the neutrals here! ($16, USD)
Nails- The nail polish packaging is quite unusual- it looks like a lip gloss' packaging right?! The colour I tried is French Pearl 03, a soft, pale pink natural shade perfect for a French manicure. I've worn two coats for the past several days and so far so good. The tips are getting a bit faded though, but overall, I love the sheen and colour! It costs $15 each, which is a bit pricey but keep in mind, the formula doesn't contain any formaldehyde and toluene- toxins in other nail polishes.
	Lips- I tried their Soleil Lipstick Balm SPF 15 in Magenta. It's a nice red/berry color to brighten your look. It's got natural jojoba oils and mineral pigments to get the perfect color. This winter, instead of looking so blah, get this winter berry color on your lips.. stay tuned for pics! ($7, USD)
	Eyeliner- Called Dipliner, I tried Sante's eyeliner in Sparkling Grey. The color is a darkish grey with minimal sparkles, so don't expect it to be super-glittery. The color was good and I really like that the brush is very precise so you can get the perfect "winged" look. It does driy rather quickly so it's important to use it quickly.. I wouldn't recommend this for newbies. (Available for $12)

Check out www.santeamerica.comto shop!

(Disclaimer: I received this product from this company's PR agency to test, try and share my thoughts with my readers.)

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Tammy Fender Lip Guardian

Depending on where you are, winter's upon us and for some, it's really warm. Wherever you are, everyone needs moisturized lips and why not nourish and protect your lips from the heat or wind with the Tammy Fender Lip Guardian? It's formulated with lavender cacao with organic rose hip seed oil. (Have you tried the Tammy Fender Lavender Body Oil?)

It's packaged in a regular lip balm tube like the original chapstick, but instead of the balm being clear, it's a dark brownish green. The main ingredient is olive oil, so it's no wonder! When I first tried it, the application was not smooth (maybe it was my chapped lips?) but after a while it got better. (I guess I'm used to a gloss that applies easily.) However, the results? Moisturized lips without any flakes! I felt like the formula sank in and worked its magic, rather than sitting on my lips and doing pretty nothings, if you know what I mean.

If you're looking for a luxe lip product that works, then you should try this! Why luxe? B/c it costs $16.50 per tube!


(Disclaimer: I received this product from this company's PR agency to test, try and share my thoughts with my readers.)

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Exercise in Happiness: Spirit Beauty Lounge Sample Packages

Another site you MUST check out for a sweet variety of sample packages at a ridiculously low price is Spirit Beauty Lounge! If you're a reader of ftlob, you know I adore this store and for so many reasons! They are committed to organic and green beauty brands and offer really the finest there is in skincare, fragrance, cosmetics, haircare and other beauty products. Their customer service is second to none!

Spirit and her team will cater a sample package specifically to your liking and it will come prettily packaged with love and goodness directly to you. I've found so many wonderful brands and products through her sample packages I'd never have probably tried otherwise.

You can choose to include a sample from just about any item in the store: fragrance, makeup, haircare, skincare ... they'll do you up a nice little deluxe trial.  Or, you can allow the team to create a sample box specific to your heart's desire, needs, wants and/or concerns.  Most of the sample packages are offered at $10, which is almost ridiculously low considering the variety of products you'll receive, the quality and the amount.

Do something good for yourself and check it out! Consider it an exercise in happiness. xo

California Baby supports Breast Cancer Awareness Month

If you're a mother, know of any expecting mothers, then you should recommend California Baby to them! They have personal care products geared towards babies, kids and sensitive adults. Their natural skincare products are not only made of organic ingredients that are safe and gentle for your skin- they also feel good on your skin. My California Baby favorite is their Everyday Lotion!

October is coming soon and if you didn't already know, it's also Breast cancer Awareness month. California Baby is supporting this cause by donating a portion of its proceeds from their "I Love You" line to the California Breast Cancer Research Program. The "I Love You" skincare line is all-natural & organic like the rest of their products, and is especially aromatherapeutic. It's meant for mothers and anyone else who wants to relieve stress/tension, when they use the Bubble Bath, Massage Oil and Spritzer.

I Love You Bubble Bath review...
I was sent the I Love You Bubble Bath to try and so far I am liking this scent! I don't really take baths so I use this more as a body wash. A quarter sized amount dallop on a sponge is more than enough to create a good lather. It's very calming and I recommend this after a long day of work. :) It contains ylang ylang and sweet orange to give you the zen you need to relax and have a good night's rest. Since it is all natural, the bubble bath does not over-dry your skin with synthetic fragrances/ingredients.

Right now- you can save 10% off the entire line of I Love You products on californiababy.com/i-love-you.html with the code: SUPPORTTHEFIGHT2010
P.S. The Bunny Tote is SO CUTE.. check it out!

(Disclaimer: I received this product from this company's PR agency to test, try and share my thoughts with my readers.)

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Fun Fridays! Do you use Organic Skincare Products?

Hello Divas!

Are you ready for the three day weekend?  The only thing I will do is rest and I am so ready!

Organic skin care products are really popular right now.  My girl, Kitiya of Mischo Beauty, loves Juice Beauty, an organic skin care line found at Whole Foods.  I was discussing the products via Twitter with a Twitter friend and she was raving about the products! She said they were really making a difference in skin.

Well of course this proclamation caused me to start researching the benefits of using certified organic skin care products.  I buy some organic foods for my kids, but I never thought about using organic products for my skin.  Well some of the benefits are:

1. Most organic skin care products contain essential plant oils that contain natural active ingredients that nourish the skin.  Some plant oils are Argan, Avocado, Hemp, Jojoba, etc.

2. The products are paraben, aluminum, silicon, synthetic fragrances or colourants free.

3. The products are biodegradable and involves no polluting transformation processes and no tests on animals.

So when using Organic beauty products you are being good to your skin and the environment. Nice!

Also, a lot of the organic beauty skin care lines feature floral waters.  Floral Waters are a combination of water and distilled fresh or dried plants.  I love floral waters.  They are to be used after you cleanse your face and they give your skin hydration, healing properties, and provide instant soothing.  But what I really love about floral waters is that they just smell good!

So do any of you Divas use organic skin care products?  If so, what is your favorite brand?  I need some recommendations.

Toodles!


Disclaimer:  This is a sponsored post.

Juice Beauty Organics To Go Kit

I bought the Juice Beauty Organics To Go kit because I was looking for a new moisturizer to try and I had really liked other Juice Beauty products. I had tried their blemish serum and the This kit, available at Sephora, contains: - 2 oz Cleansing Milk - 0.25 oz Green Apple Peel, Sensitive - 0.17 Antioxidant Serum - 1 oz Hydrating Mist - 1 oz Nutrient Moisturizer - Eco-bamboo Washcloth

Now that I think about it, in my opinion $29 for mostly sample size products is a bit pricey. Luckily I only use products sparingly so even samples last longer than it should. (This explains why I take forever to finish things too!)

Overall, it is a good kit to try a sampling of Juice Beauty Nutrient products if you have never tried before. This is an organic skincare line with antioxidant ingredients that are supposed to be beneficial to your skin. I have seen my skin feel smoother and I actually have not seen little bumps that I used to see in my cheeks. I stopped wearing face makeup for the last month, which may explain why as well. I will start again and let you know if the cause is my mineral face makeup...

Anyway, the Nutrient Moisturizer was just so-so for me. I had tried the Yes to Tomatoes balancing facial moisturizer and this one just doesn't compare. It doesn't absorb as well as it should and it felt like I had a residue on my face. Ick.

The Hydrating Mist, is like most facial sprays- keeps your skin moisturized and fresh throughout the day. I definitely liked this!

The Antioxidant Serum is SO TINY. Except for its really small portion, the serum was good and made my skin smooth after each application.

The Green Apple Peel was interesting. It smelled strong (all of these products smell like Apple) and had to take this off after 3-4 minutes. My face started to sting a bit. I didn't see anything change in my face, so not sure if it improved my skin or not.

The only product I have not tried is the Cleansing Milk- and since I didn't use it, there was no point in using the face cloth too. (Saving the cloth till my current one gets dirty.)



(Disclaimer: This post contains an affiliate link.)
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Yes to Carrots Facial Starter Kits

In a recent newsletter by Yes to Carrots, they introduced their Facial Starter Kits. Having had the trouble of finding these products available in the past, I am super excited to see these value kits available with trio products in each set. They're only $20 and considering each product can cost about $10-15 each, this is a bargain!

These make great gifts and you can definitely try all three or share with a friend. Having a combo/oily skin, I will, of course, reach out and look for the Yes to Tomatoes kit. This particular kit will contain full-sizes of Facial Wash, Hydrating Lotion, and Facial Mask. I am a fan of their Hydrating Lotion, now that I have added moisturizer to my daily skin care routine to reduce acne scars.

I haven't seen these at a local drugstore yet and I realized why. They are only available at select Meijer, Target, Walgreens and Drugstore.com!

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Yes to Carrots Summer House Parties

This summer, Yes to Carrots, had another round of "House Parties" for their customers. I signed up to participate to introduce the wonderful products Yes to Carrots had to offer. Some of the items I have tried include:
* Yes to Carrots Lip Glosses and Lip Tints
* Yes to Cucumbers Soothing Eye Gel
* Yes to Carrots Night Moisturizing Cream.



In preparation for these house parties, I learned how to crochet amigurumi carrot dolls for decoration and favors. Thanks to the pattern I found at Joann.com, I was able to make these in a cinch! (I made about ~20 carrots, each varying in size and shape.. haha) For more details, check out my Crafty and All That blog.


The Party- To keep my guests' tummies happy and healthy, I served baby carrots and celery sticks with home-made hummus and Trader Joe's Salsa, as well as tortilla chips and Snack Mix. We also watched Kung-Fu Panda while chatting, catching up and sharing beauty tips.


At-home manicure spa- Yes to Carrots gave us a Feel the C Pampering Spa Manicure jar, C through the Dry Spell Body Butter, Eye and Face Makeup Remover, and C the Difference Mud Masks to try. The manicure spa was a hit! We each had a teaspoon of the product, which we massaged into our hands and cuticles. After we were done, our hands felt softer than ever! Everyone also enjoyed the creamy Body Butter afterwards.

To check out the goodie bags,




Sample Goodie Bags- Yes to Carrots was generous to give each of my guests party favors as well. Each bag had samples of favorites include Yes to Tomatoes Facial Wash, Yes to Cucumbers Hand Cream, and Yes to Carrots Body Butter and Night Moisturizing Cream. There was a Lip Butter, my favorite YTC product, and a headband to keep your hair out of your face while you put on the Exfoliating Mud Mask.





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Yummy Earth Organic Lollipops and Candy

Have you heard of organic candy? Better yet, have you ever tried one? I bought my first bag of YummyEarth lollipops and they are so delicious! I hardly eat candy nowadays except for dark chocolate so I wanted to try these out. What is great about this company is that they use only organic, all natural ingredients. So why would you rather than eat candy with artificial colors, flavors made from chemicals when you can have all natural candy that tastes even better?

Check out this video to learn more about the company and the process of making of the Yummy Earth organic lollipops and candy. They are simply to die for!






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Lancome's Juicy Tubes Pure: Gorgeous and Green

Hello Divas!

I hope you had a fantastic weekend! The weather was perfect in Atlanta!

As you Divas know, I love Lancome's Juicy Tubes. Read my previous review here. Recently, I was given the opportunity to try their new line of Juicy Tubes, Juicy Tubes Pure. Juicy Tubes Pure is Lancome's new Organic version of their Juicy Tubes lip glosses. What is so wonderful about this lip gloss? First it is 95% all natural. The gloss contains shea butter, natural oils, and is paraben free. In addition, the flavor of the lip gloss is 100% natural! I love it! I have the Wild Berry color/flavor and the color is a beautiful wine and it tastes like berries. So yummy! And Lancome created this organic product without sacrificing the quality of the original Juicy Tubes glosses. The shine is amazing. The formula is not sticky. And the color is very intense and gorgeous! Plus Juicy Tubes Pure comes in a host of beautiful shades. Divas if you love organic beauty products, Juicy Tubes Pure is a must try! Juicy Tubes Pure retails for $18 and you can purchase Juicy Tubes Pure at any Sephora or online here.

Toodles!

JANE Be Pure® Aguaceuticals® cosmetics

I made a trip to a nearby Rite-Aid this morning and I was happy to see many drugstore brand cosmetics on sale. They were either buy one get one free, or buy one get half off. This deal included L'oreal HIP blushes and shadows, Jane cosmetics, and Maybelline cosmetics.

They always have a section with the new items which are distinctively placed on its own display. I am always looking to see what new products are out and I couldn't help but notice today- Jane's Be Pure® Aguaceuticals® line.


Source: jane cosmetics article http://www.prnewswire.com/mnr/janecosmetics/35357/

They didn't have everything here, only eyeshadows, tinted moisturizers, and the cheek blushes. It was clearly labeled that these products were organic, free of parabens, and all-natural.

I couldn't find ANY information on the website: www.janecosmetics.com, which is disappointing because this line reached stores in December 2008.

To see pictures of the other products..

Doesn't this mascara look so good for you?


Source: http://www.prnewswire.com/mnr/janecosmetics/35357/">

I got the gorgeous Aguashimmer eyeshadow palette in 03 Reef for only $6. What a deal for 4 gorgeous eyeshadow colors!



If only there were more information on the official website.. I could find out more details. Stay tuned as I check out other stores to see if they have the Jane Aquaceuticals cosmetics in stock.

Update 5/09:I have found more Jane Aguaceuticals cosmetics in stores, including cheek colors and tinted moisturizers but have not found the mascara and lip tints. The eye liners or shadow pots are really shimmery and look a bit weird. I have seen some where half the pot is missing (I think the water evaporated) or some where the color is melted to one side of the pot. I won't be getting those.. I'm still using the eyeshadow palette that I got, which is WONDERFUL, by the way.

Has anyone been able to find the mascara? I really want to try one made with olive oil! However, the next best alternative is the Physicians Formula Organic wear Mascara, read here to get one for free!

Update 6/09: Here are some more pictures from the same Rite-Aid store, but 6 months later. :) Thanks Rite-Aid!! As you can see these are the BlushStix and Bronzer palettes, and the eyeshadows in pots. They did have one mascara left, but I didn't purchase it because I could not anywhere in the packaging which country it was made in. Also, the cardboard packaging seemed a bit flimsy and not attractive at all.