Reviews and Other Stuff

Sol De Janeiro Brazilian Bum Bum Cream & Açai Body Power Cream Review

March 9, 2017 / FASHION & BEAUTY / 0 comments

Whether it’s winter or summer or in any season, I’m always on the lookout for a well-scented and well-performing body creams. I’m a big fan of creams that not only moisturizes the skin during cold dry months but also illuminates it during bright sunny days for that glowy and radiant look, not to mention having irresistible scents. But, there’s not a long of body creams or even lotions like that nowadays. I may have found one drugstore brand but I got bored with the scent and the shimmers were too much. So my quest for that ideal body cream went on, that is until I received a sample of Sol De Janeiro Brazilian Bum Bum Cream and Açai Body Power Cream.

I have read amazing reviews about these two creams and I was so excited to try them myself. The first thing I noticed is that these two creams both smell divine, delicious, refreshing and addicting. Their scents are very different from each other yet both are very pleasing to the senses and have very rich textures. They also have very fine shimmers (mica) and are very moisturizing and easily absorbed by the skin. Hmmm, might be the body cream I have been looking for.

Brazilian Bum Bum Cream: pronounced as “Boom Boom” in Brazil, this cheeky-named cream is not only ideal for the bum but also works great for the legs, arms, tummy and basically all over the body. It’s meant to tighten the skin and reduce or prevent cellulite with its active ingredients like; Guaraná (has fives times the caffeine and promotes natural circulation while smoothing skin), Cupuaçu Butter (locks in moisture), Açai (antioxidant) and Coconut Oil (softens and moisturizes the skin). You just have to massage this cream in a circular motion and enjoy the delicious pistachio caramel scent or should I say vanilla ice cream plus the added shimmer. Though the toning or skin tightening effect remains to be seen, this cream feels so good you just can’t resist it.

Açai Body Power Cream: with tiny flecks of peachy Mica for an all over body glow, this one of a kind super moisturizing body cream is loaded with antioxidants like Açai, moisture-locking Cupuaçu Butter and softening Coconut Oil. Almost the same ingredients found in the Brazilian Bum Bum Cream but without the Guaraná, yet this one contain the most potent form of Açai for a resilient and healthy-looking skin. The best thing about this cream is that it gets absorbed by the body easily and is also very lightweight like the Bum Bum Cream. But it doesn’t stop there, the scent is extremely refreshing, flowery-fruity and irresistible to the point that it’s so addicting you couldn’t stop sniffing it. At one point, I thought it smelled like Diptyque Baies Candle, and we all adore that scent, right? I think I may have found my ideal body cream, especially for winter.

Bottom line, even though these two creams don’t have SPF, I highly recommend these Brazilian Bum Bum Cream and Açai Body Power Cream by Sol De Janeiro. I think they’re truly great to have whether you’re frolicking near the beach (just be sure to add Spf), or just hibernating in the cold winter months. You may or may not notice the tightening effect or the cellulite reduction effect of the Bum Bum Cream but you will definitely love it for its super-yummy scent and hydration benefit. As of the Açai Body Power Cream, you know you’re getting the antioxidants for your skin with a breathtaking scent.

For more info, visit http://www.soldejaneiro.com

(Disclosure: Product samples provided by Sol De Janeiro. The reviews, photos, and opinions herein are solely mine)

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Giorgio Armani Beauty Lip Magnet Lipsticks Review

March 8, 2017 / FASHION & BEAUTY / 0 comments

Hi Guys! OMG!!! Be still my heart… This is gonna be a thrilling review. Finally, here’s my take on the Giorgio Armani Beauty Lip Magnet Lipsticks. Oh my, I could die right now, I literally have a defib in my other arm, but not yet, I have to do this review. So anyway, let’s get this thing going.

There isn’t any other lipsticks that’s in demand right now (specially in Sephora) other than the Giorgio Armani Lip Magnets. I mean, there could be others, but these stuff have always been out of stock, restocked, out of stock again, and then back in stock but not with all colors since the start of their release. I swear I wanted to buy them all at the beginning, but I can’t, and the colors I liked were already gone, so I had to wait for them to be available again, not to mention that they’re really pricey for $38 at 0.13 oz.

My first impressions with these Giorgio Armani Lip Magnets are; First, they don’t have a distinctive scent, in fact, I couldn’t almost smell anything, if there is, it’s just the very very light almost indistinctive fruity-floral scent, but I could hardly smell it all. I also thought it smelled a bit like an alcohol, but very very faintly to none. Second, the triangular wand applicator is just amazingly study and allows for a precise application, but it’s kinda short. Third, these are matte liquid lipsticks, but their textures and formulations are not like most matte lipsticks. They’re very fluid-like, extremely lightweight, have very good pigments, but it takes a while to dry down to a matte texture.

403 Vibrato – Rich Brick Red. This looks like a very dark blood-like red in the tube, but it’s dries down to a muted cherry red. There’s a lot of reds in this Giorgio Armani Lip Magnet line starting from the 400 shade, but this 403 color being the darkest is the one that suits my pigmented lips with a medium or warm undertone.

505 Second Skin – Vibrant Rose. A simple and light shade of pinkish coral that’s great as an everyday lip color. This color is not really my lip’s second skin shade as I find this to be a bit brighter than what I’d like it to be. I didn’t notice the rose shade though, but this color is definitely great for a more natural daytime look.

506 Fusion – Medium Pink Mauve. This shade is the 505 shade above but more muted since it has a very slight mauve undertone. Being an NC25 to 30, I think I prefer this shade a lot better than 505 for my everyday lip color.

507 Garconne – Mauve Berry. A lot of people love this shade, specially the ones whose lips have pigments like moi. Simply because these would look like our pigmented lips but better and with a hint of muted pink-berry tone. As for me, this color is like my second skin.

600 Front-Row – Rich Berry. I wasn’t feeling this shade when I first swatched it on my arm, because it seems a bit too dark or too brown. But I bought it anyway because I’m cray cray, and guess what? I was so surprised by how it looks on my lips. It’s not bad at all. In fact, this mauve and brown-berry shade looks really good on my medium skintone. I would say, this is like the 507 shade but darker and with a bit of brown. L.O.V.E I.T.

602 Night Viper – Deep Purple Berry. An extremely pigmented, dark purple and almost-violet-pink shade that is so hard to take off. I’ve already used different waterproof makeup removers to remove this lip magnet, but still, my lips were left with a sort of dark neon-pink shade as a stain. I haven’t seen such pigmented lip color like this particular shade. In fact, the one’s I swatched on my arm took about 2 days and probably a half more to completely fade away. Of all the shades of the Giorgio Armani Lip Magnets reviewed here, this 602 shade is the most pigmented of them all. Hmmm, I may have to soak my lips in waterproof makeup remover for days. Oh no!

In conclusion, I like the lightweight texture of these Giorgio Armani Lip Magnets a lot. Although I wouldn’t mind if these were a bit creamy because these would have helped make the lips look fuller by filling in the lip lines, specially for people with imbalanced lips. But the textures of these Lip Magnets may not allow that because it’s kinda watery thin. Also, some of the color’s textures might be a bit streaky at first application, but applying a second coat will solve the issue. I love the color payoff of these lippies very much, no arguing with that, but they take a while to dry down and it’s not true that once settled on your lips, they won’t budge. They can be easily moved and they definitely don’t last for 8 hours without reapplication. I suggest grabbing the dark colors because they tend to last the longest. Still, these are top of the line high quality matte lipsticks that won’t dry your lips unlike most matte liquid lipsticks nowadays.

Thanks for reading friends! Bye for now!

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Coola Rosilliance Organic BB Cream Spf 30 Review

March 6, 2017 / FASHION & BEAUTY / 0 comments

Spring will be here soon and Summer’s not that far away. It’s time to grab your sunscreens and sun protectors! It’s gonna be a hot and humid summer. Times like that call for a very effective sunscreen, but sometimes ordinary sunscreens may give a thin white film on the face that it just doesn’t look natural. On top of that, a lot of sunscreens feel sticky and it gets worse the moment you sweat. I haven’t found a lot of good sunscreens nowadays that won’t make you look too white and won’t feel very sticky.

So instead of sunscreens, I usually opt for BB creams. They not only give good coverage to blur the imperfections on the face, but they also feel lightweight, natural and has Spf. I’m a huge fan of BB Creams because they’re like this all-in-one product that you can use without a fuss. But not all BB creams are created equal, some may have very light coverage, while some may not have enough Spf. Yet there’s one BB Cream that I’ve fallen in love with. It’s the Coola Rosilliance Organic BB Cream with Spf 30. Coola not only have one of the best sunscreens but also their Rosilliance BB Cream is a very good multi-tasker.

It has a very good coverage for a BB Cream, and it’s made of natural ingredients. It has validated rose stem cells and botanical stem cell actives that are great for anti-aging, plus Spf 30. The Rosilliance Organic BB Cream is also water resistant for 80 minutes. On my personal test, this BB cream remained water resistant even beyond 80 minutes, especially if there’s less humidity in the area. Basically, this cream stays on your skin for quite a long time. Now that’s a BB Cream.

It’s so ideal if you’re a person on the go and doesn’t have a lot of time do a complete makeup on the face, even more so applying a foundation. Also, my face didn’t have any untoward reaction with this cream, since it’s au-naturel.

The best thing about this BB cream is that it’s ideal for any skin type, whether oily, dry, combination or sensitive. It gives a very natural and luminous tint on the face while keeping it hydrated. I love it a lot because it makes my skin look healthy and glowy, and it can easily replace my medium-coverage foundation while still looking like I’m using one. You may even have to go easy on the contouring because this cream has very very fine shimmers that will definitely highlight the angles of your face. The texture is very lightweight and the rosy-herb scent is very pleasing. The coverage is light to medium but can be buildable.

With 1.5 oz for $52, you’ll get a lot of product in an easy to dispense bottle. Speaking of the bottle, the container is made of heavy glass and a sturdy pump, which I really prefer in most beauty products because it prevents any spillage.

If you’re like me who likes wearing lighter and more natural foundations and creams on the face while preferring time-saving products, then this Rosilliance Organic BB Cream by Coola will be beneficial for you. I’ve owned a lot of BB Creams, but there’s not a lot of BB Creams that can give you skincare benefits, very good Spf, hydrating, good coverage, lightweight and makes you look dewy and refreshed at the same time.

I definitely can’t wait for summer!

(Disclosure: Product sample provided by Coola. The reviews, photos, and opinions herein are solely mine)

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