Malin Goetz Recovery Treatment Facial Oil

Malin Goetz Recovery Treatment Facial Oil ($82) at malingoetz.com* 

Malin Goetz Recovery Treatment Facial Oil is a luxurious blend of nine natural oils to protect the skin from free radical damage and improve skin health.  The ingredients list boasts evening primrose, argan and jojoba oils (to reinforce skin’s moisture barrier and soften the appearance of lines and wrinkles), grapeseed and rosehip oils that provide vitamin C and E (to prevent free radical damage, improve elasticity, and restore a healthy complexion), as well as geranium and borage oils help to reduce inflammation and balance skin by normalizing oil production.  I have oily-combination skin, so I generally stay away from heavier moisturizer and/or antiaging products, but my skin has been getting occasional dry patches, so I have been trying out adding facial oils to my skincare routine.  Scroll on for more.

YSL Baby Doll Kiss & Blush Duo Sticks - Swatches

YSL Baby Doll Kiss & Blush Duo Stick - $34 each at Nordstrom 

Another brand hopping on to the ombre lip trend this year is YSL with the new Baby Doll Kiss & Blush Duo Sticks.  These sticks, as the name suggests, can be used as cream blushes and/or as lip colors, and each comes with two colors.  The duo sticks feature a twist-up packaging and look and feel similar to lip balms but with a lot more pigment in them.  Scroll on for swatches.

Marc Jacobs Beauty Highliner Matte Gel Eye Crayon Eyeliner - Swatches

Marc Jacobs Beauty Highliner Matte Gel Eye Crayon Eyeliner ($25 each) at Sephora

Marc Jacobs Beauty has new versions of their popular Highliner Gel Eyeliners - this time in a long-wearing matte formula.  These eyeliner pencils are waterproof gel crayons that deliver bold matte color with a promise of up to 12 hours of wear.  The formula feels soft, glides on quite smoothly on the skin, and sets quickly - if you want to smudge these you need to be really quick - and once set, they are superlonglasting.  The pencils come with sharpeners at one end, so the eyeliners can be easily sharpened for a a precise application.  Scroll on for swatches.

Benefit They're Real! Double the Lip Lipstick & Liner In One

Benefit They're Real! Double the Lip Lipstick & Liner In One ($20 each) at Sephora 

The ombre lip trend seems to be a popular one this year, and Benefit has been quick to hop on with the newly launched Benefit They're Real! Double the Lip.  These are a touted as a lipstick and lipliner   in one product, with a tear-drop shaped tip that does all the work for you.  Each lipstick (or liner-lipstick hybrid) contains two colors - a darker shade that would work as the lipliner, adding definition around the edges and preventing feathering of the lip color, and a lighter shade that acts as a lipstick, filling in color and adding volume to the lips.  Scroll on for swatches.

Hourglass Girl Lip Stylo - Swatches

Hourglass GIRL Lip Stylo ($32 each) at Sephora

Hourglass Girl Lip Stylos are a newish launch featuring moisturzing lipsticks in a twist-up chubby pencil packaging.  The lightweight formula combines the intensity of a lipstick with a blend of hydrating ingredients like shea butter, jojoba, mimosa, and sunflower seed oils to deliver smooth, nourishing color.  As with all Hourglass products, the packaging design is beautiful.  The elegant twist-up bullets look and feel truly luxurious, and the precision tip allows for easy application.  The color range includes nude-neutrals as well as darker vampy shades and beautiful reds.  Scroll on for swatches.

Sally Hansen Color Therapy Nail Polish in Rosy Glow (250) & Berry Smooth (260)

Sally Hansen Color Therapy Nail Polish in Rosy Glow (250) and Berry Smooth (260)*

I have quite a few favorites among Sally Hansen nail care/color products, and these new Color Therapy nail polishes that I have been trying out are no exception.  The Sally Hansen Color Therapy range includes nail polishes, nail and cuticle oils, and a top coat - all with an argan oil enriched formula that provides intensive nourishment and instant moisture for healthier-looking nails.  The nail polish requires no base coat (so the oil complex gets in direct contact with bare nails), and the colors in this range come with a promise of radiant, shiny finish and up to 10 days of fade-proof, chip-resistant wear.  On my nails today, I have two of the nail colors from this range - Rosy Glow (250) and Berry Smooth (260).

Lavanila Vanilla Bean Creamy Body Scrub & Oil

Lavanila Vanilla Bean Creamy Body Oil ($39 at Sephora)*  | Lavanila Vanilla Bean Creamy Body Scrub ($40 at Sephora)*

I have been trying out quite a few Lavanila products recently, and the ones I am reviewing today are from the Lavanila skincare range - Lavanila Vanilla Bean Creamy Body Scrub and Oil.  As with other Lavanila products, the star ingredients in these are vanilla with added benefits of skin softening and moisturizing ingredients like cocoa butter, sesame seed oil, and coconut oil.  These sweet-smelling skincare goodies are filled with a long list of natural ingredients and essential oils - and just as important - are free of parabens, petrochemicals, phthalates, propylene glycol, mineral oils, silicone, synthetic dyes, synthetic fragrances, chemical sunscreens, sulfates or aluminum.  Scroll on for more.

Rimmel Oh My Gloss! Oil Tint - Modern Pink & Pop Poppy

Rimmel Oh My Gloss! Oil Tint - Modern Pink & Pop Poppy ($5.99 each)*

Rimmel Oh My Gloss! Oil Tints are lipglosses blended with 4 lip-friendly oils for a moisturizing, ultraglossy finish that feels amazing on the lips.  I got to try out two of the colors in this range - Modern Pink (300) and Pop Poppy (500).  These oil-tint lipglosses come in standard gloss packaging - tubes which match the colors inside and flocked applicators.  While the formula is a sheer gloss,  the colors do show up quite well even on my pigmented lips.  Scroll on for more.

Korres Greek Yoghurt and Wild Rose Advanced Sleeping Facials

Korres Greek Yoghurt and Wild Rose Advanced Sleeping Facials

Ease of use ranks quite high in my list of requirements for a skincare product, and if something involves a lot of steps I just keep putting off using it, eventually reaching the never-using-it stage.  Overnight sleeping masks/facial cream are perfect for me because in most cases the instructions read "apply and go to sleep." 😛  I have been trying out two overnight creams by Korres - Korres Wild Rose Advanced Brightening Sleeping Facial and the Korres Greek Yoghurt Advanced Nourishing Sleeping Facial.  Both of these are creamy masks and can be used just like a night cream.  Made with 95% natural ingredients, these are free of silicone, petrolatum, mineral oil, parabens, propylene glycol, ethanolamines and are not tested on animals.

Easy Silver and Blue Nails with Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Polish in Midnight Mod and Rock On

Silver and Blue Nails with Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Nail Polishes in Rock On and Midnight Mod

I love going through photos from fashion weeks and runways around the world, and while my wardrobe rarely strays from denims and comfy casual tops, what I truly love trying out are the nail trends that show up on the runways every year.  This year, one of the trends that I have been noticing a lot of is metallic grey nail color, and the color is really easy to incorporate whether it's with a simple taupe-gray manicure or fun metallic accents.  My simple blue and silver manicure is inspired by this trend, - I  have used Sally Hansen Miracle Gel nail polishes in Midnight Mod (a deep navy blue) and Rock On (silvery gray with black flecks scattered throughout).  Scroll on for more.

Lavanila Perfumes - Pure Vanilla and Vanilla Lavender

Lavanila Perfumes - Pure Vanilla and Vanilla Lavender ($58 each)
Available at lavanila.com | Sephora  (Product samples provided for review)

Lavanila creates luxurious fragrance and body care products with a blend of natural and organic ingredients and a focus on creating safe, effective, and nourishing products.  True to this philosophy, the Lavanila fragrances are labled as healthy fragrances and use naturally derived organic sugarcane alcohol and skin-friendly ingredients.  Each of their perfumes starts with a warm base of Madagascar vanilla which is then blended with pure essential oils to create unique perfumes.  I recently got the chance to try out two of these fragrances - Pure Vanilla and Vanilla-Lavender.

Urban Decay Vice Liquid Lipsticks - Swatches

Urban Decay Vice Liquid Lipsticks ($18 each) at Sephora

Liquid lipsticks have become quite popular over the last year, and there are quite a few brands catching up with it this year.  The latest to join in is Urban Decay with the Vice Liquid lipsticks collection.  These are waterproof lipsticks with intense color payoff and available in a range of shades  (from neutrals to bold bright colors) and in two finishes - comfort matte and metallized.  Scroll on for swatches.

MAC Colour Rocker Lipsticks - Swatches

MAC Color Rocker Lipsticks ($17 each) at Nordstrom

MAC Colour Rocker Collection is a brand new launch featuring 28 limited-edition shades of matte lipsticks in bold bright colors.  The shades range from lime green and yellow to bright orange and fuchsia with a lot of blue, lavender and green in between, with the formula delivering rich matte color in a single swipe.  Scroll on for swatches.

Aquis Waffle Luxe Hair Turban

Aquis Waffle Luxe Hair Turban ($40) at Sephora
Product sample provided for review

While I don't have a lot of or very long hair, my hair (or at least the individual strands) is thick, and it does take a long time for my hair to dry.  My usual method involves tying it up in a thick bath towel for about half an hour to get most of the moisture out and then air drying.  Balancing the thick heavy towel on my head is quite a nuisance, but thinner/lighter towels never work.  I have been curious about the Aquis hair turban for a while now, and I recently got one of these to try out - so here's my take on these.  For those unfamiliar with Aquis towels and turbans, they are made with a lightweight, absorbent aquitex fabric that absorbs a lot more moisture than regular towels.  They are available in two textures - Lisse Luxe for delicate hair and curls and the Waffle Luxe that's best for thick hair.  The Waffle Luxe is also the one recommended for Asian and/or African hair.   Aquis makes both towels as well as turbans, and the one I have been trying out is the Aquis Waffle Luxe turban.

Tarte Pack Your Bags 911 Undereye Rescue Patches

Tarte Pack Your Bags 911 Undereye Rescue Patches ($22 for a pack of 4) at Sephora

My mom is a huge fan of Tarte skincare - specifically, the Tarte Maracuja Oil - but I have never really tried anything from this range.  Somehow I never look beyond the makeup!  Anywho, I recently tried out the Tarte Pack Your Bags 911 Undereye Rescue Patches - let's just call them Tarte eye masks - and I have to admit, Tarte skincare isn't too bad.  These Tarte masks are similar to sheet masks except these are just for the undereye area 😁.   I got these as samples with a couple of Sephora orders, but the regular Tarte masks come as a pack containing 4 pairs of these.  Each pair is individually packed, with the gel-based patches floating in a clear lotion/essence.  The patches have a smooth contoured shape and are made of flexible, hypoallergenic gel infused with antioxidant-rich serum (gellified algae saturated with a coconut oil-infused serum) to quench skin upon contact.