5 Bling Reviews, Beauty, Beauty Product Reviews, Body Care Reviews, Friday Find

Friday Find: Mama Mio Lucky Legs–Black Friday Shopping Relief!

November 29, 2013 / No Comments

As a makeup artist I know the pain of being on my feet for hours. Worse yet is that heavy feeling that sets in your legs after a long day of work. It’s pretty miserable. So, I can only imagine getting up before the crack of dawn to stand in line for some Black Friday deal, and then spending a day prowling the mall for all those Black Friday deals, that my legs would be begging for relief.

Well, thanks to Mama Mio, relief is in sight!

About Mama Mio Lucky Legs:

Lucky Legs cooling serumrapid relief for hard working legs and feet

This cooling serum boosts circulation to reduce discomfort in a flash. Packed with energising oils and refreshing spearmint to revive tired legs and de-puff swollen feet.• use post-workout for sore muscles – Tracy Anderson’s fave!
• a must for any mama-to-be
• cools down hot flushes!

I know from personal experience that Lucky Legs is a must-have after a long day on your feet. Or after a long flight and your legs are swollen. It takes down the swelling and feels great.

Bling Factor:

Pro: Lightweight formula, reduces swelling

Con: none

Price: $19.50

Buy Again: Yes

Packaging: 5 Blings — love the pump, doesn’t dispense too much product

Overall: 5 Blings

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

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Fight Dry Winter Skin With These Body Creams

The weather has turned frigid and it’s sucking the moisture out of our skin. Not just our faces and subject to dry skin, but so are our bodies. So, to fight dry winter skin, we need to moisturize with body creams, lotions, butters and serums. Look for ingredients like shea butter, cocoa butter, squalane, avacado and other oils in your body creams to deeply moisturize dry winter skin. Also, body creams have multiple categories. Some body creams can help sculpt and tone your body. Others can help smooth skin or add glow. Many body creams come from natural and organic derived ingredients. Additionally, body creams come in various price points for the budget conscious. And, we love body creams with awesome scents! Shop our our favorite body creams that include clean beauty, luxury beauty, Black-owned brands and female founded brands: Clean Beauty Body Creams: Weleda Skin Food Body Butter $19.99 Perfect for all-over hydration and nourishment. Weleda Skin Food Body Butter is rich in shea and cocoa seed butter, to leave skin feeling velvety soft. Best for indulging your senses and locking in moisture after a bath or shower. Kiss My Face De-Stress Body Butter – Lavender + Ylang Ylang $14.99 Pamper your body and mind with aromatic, calming moisture. Infused with soothing Rhodiola Rosea and Hemp Seed Oil and adaptogenic Ashwagandha and Marshmallow Root, this body butter delivers comforting nourishment while helping improve skin’s moisture retention. The fragrant scents of Lavender and Ylang Ylang Oils relax your senses for a restful sleep. hanahana beauty Shea Body Butter $32 Hanahana Beauty believes that skincare is self care and proudly sources its shea butter directly from the Katariga Cooperative in Ghana. This whipped + fast absorbing formula is made for dry, sensitive + of course, ashy skin. It’s the perfect add to your routine! Multitasking Body Creams: NYL HERE COMES THE CALM Correcting Body Balm $38 Our Tamanu & Amaranth powered correcting balm works overtime to soothe, moisturize and generally bring the zen to eczema, severely dry or chapped skin, and other trouble spots. No balm, no calm. Caudalie Vinosculpt Lift & Firm Body Cream $45 Visibly tighten skin in key areas with this moisturizing, whipped body cream. Delicately scented with orange blossom and powered by an effective blend of grape polyphenols and iris extract, it reduces the appearance of cellulite and stretch marks for a firmer, more lifted look. Biossance Squalane + Caffeine Toning Body Cream $30 This clean body moisturizer extends the benefits of the best skincare ingredients caffeine and niacinamide to the entire body, enhanced by vegan sugarcane-derived squalane to enhance penetration. The rich yet weightless formula absorbs instantly to nourish, and helps to restore elasticity and a sculpted, toned look. Budget Friendly Body Creams: Dove Silky Nourishment Body Cream $8.76 Helps to give you beautifully radiant soft skin. Contains unique DeepCare Complex with skin natural nutrients. Palmer’s Cocoa Butter Formula Daily Skin Therapy $8.16 Heals & Softens rough, dry skin with natural Cocoa Butter and Vitamin E for healthier-looking skin. 48 hour moisture.Vegan Friendly – no animal ingredients or testing. Nubian Heritage, Shea Butter, Infused with Patchouli & Buriti $11.99 Shea Butter, infused with Patchouli & Buriti, helps to soothe and hydrate skin. Nutrient rich Buriti Oil enhances and calms in this richly fragranced total body balm. Body Creams With Incredible Scents: Pooka Caliente Man Body Butter $16.99 For the Fellas Bold and tantalizing, this exclusive scent brings together the heady, musky notes of patchouli and the warm, spicy kick of black pepper.Infused with the goodness of ginger and turmeric essential oils, this butter delivers deep nourishment to your skin, leaving it hydrated and radiant. Shea butter and avocado oil moisturize and soften, while beeswax seals in hydration. ELEMIS Frangipani Monoi Body Cream $42 Escape to a tropical getaway with this deeply hydrating body cream. Infused with a conditioning combination of Macadamia, Sesame, Tahitian Monoi and Coprah oils, the decadent creamy formula provides long-lasting, skin-plumping moisture. Naturally fragranced with Frangipani Flowers, skin is left feeling beautifully soft, supple and delicately scented. Jo Malone London Lime Basil & Mandarin Body Crème $90 This rich Body Crème is formulated with conditioning oils of jojoba seed, cocoa seed, and sweet almond oils to help hydrate, nourish, and protect the skin, while the delicious fragrance leaves your body scented all over. In Jo Malone London’s signature fragrance, peppery basil and aromatic white thyme bring an unexpected twist to the scent of limes on a Caribbean breeze—a modern classic. CHANEL COCO MADEMOISELLE Fresh Body Cream $100 The ultimate pampering experience hydrates and softens for silky, touchable skin, lightly scented with COCO MADEMOSELLE. The deliciously creamy, non-greasy formula glides on smoothly and absorbs quickly.
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Skin Care Review: Arcona Cranberry Gommage Exfoliant

Lately, my typically clear skin has become unrecognizable. My low-maintenance facial routine couldn’t contend with my new facial issues: erupting pimples all over, stubborn dry patches on my cheeks, and oily areas on my forehead and nose. My face went completely haywire overnight it seemed, and the usual routine just wasn’t cutting it! Confession: I’ve been slacking on my sloughing-—big time. Life has been so hectic lately that I’ve pretty much abandoned my regular exfoliation routine, and it shows. When a close friend suggested I give Arcona Cranberry Gommage a try, I figured it couldn’t hurt. Little did I know, it would not only return my blemish-free visage, but give me a more even, smooth complexion over time! About Arcona Cranberry Gommage $47 Exfoliant containing cranberry extracts, volcanic minerals and essential fatty acids, to cleanse and renew all skin types. Smells berry delicious. Cleanses, tones and decongests enlarged pores, leaving skin clearer, smoother and more refined. Unclog and minimize pores with cranberry and raspberry enzymes. Exfoliate and purify skin with salicylic acid, volcanic minerals and sucrose that work deep within the follicular wall and provide antimicrobial, antibacterial benefits. Protect skin with the anti-aging properties of antioxidants that prevent free radical damage. My experience: Fresh out of the bottle, Arcona Cranberry Gommage is a deliciously grape-scented, lavender-hued scrub. Suggested use is twice weekly, but I reach for this exfoliant daily! more often because it’s such a treat. I can feel the difference immediately after applying Arcona Cranberry Gommage to my face and neck. I use a gentle circular scrubbing motion with the pads of my fingers. Rinsing clean, my skin feels so soft and smooth and moisturizer just glides on once I’m out of the shower.. It only took about a week of using Arcona Cranberry Gommage for me to see the results. I received a number of compliments ranging from “your skin looks so good,” and “what do you use,” to “you’re glowing!” Nothing else changed in my regimen, so I have to credit the Cranberry Gommage! While I found the scrub gentle enough for sensitive skin, it also has the right amount of grit to be effective. The polishing action instantly brightens, leaving you with fresh, glowing skin after regular use. For this reason, if you aren’t into a scrub that actually scrubs, what’s wrong with you? Arcona Cranberry Gommage might not be the product for you. Arcona Cranberry Gommage is specifically recommended for normal to oily skin, but my wacky winter combo skin got great results. Don’t be afraid to try it out if your skin tends toward the dry end of the spectrum. Bling Factor: Pro: Gentle exfoliant, smells and feels amazing! Cons: Could be too gritty for some, but i loved it. Price: $47 Buy Again: Probably, will need a new bottle soon! Packaging: 4 Blings—Typical flip-top squeeze bottle. Overall: 5 Blings Hero Ingredients: Cranberry and Raspberry enzymes Natural/Organic/Vegan: Organic Cruelty Free: Yes SHOP:
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Product Review—Skin Care: Tarte Pure Maracuja Oil—It’s a Keeper!

Winter weather can really put your skin under stress and if you’re in a cold part of the country like I am, it’s extremely important to keep your skin well moisturized. Lately, I’ve been into oils to help defend my skin against the harsh weather and was thrilled to try Tarte Pure Maracuja Oil that I’d been hearing rave reviews about. About Tarte Tarte Pure Maracuja Oil: What it is: A 100 percent pure organic maracuja oil. What it does: This undiluted organic and moisturizing maracuja oil quickly absorbs for firmer, brighter, smoother skin. Pure maracuja oil is rich in vitamin C, so skin appears instantly brighter and more radiant, as well as essential fatty acids (EFAs), a requirement for healthy skin cells that the body cannot produce on its own. EFA deficiency can result in the breakdown of essential skin cells which causes skin to appear dry and aged. By supplementing skin with pure maracuja oil, you are infusing life back into dull skin and replenishing EFAs to rapidly rebuild and repair. This potent antiaging elixir that has anti-inflammatory benefits promotes active skin recovery and delivers maximum hydration without any greasy or filmy feel. My Results: Since first using Tarte Pure Maracuja Oil I knew that my skin loved everything about the oil. Never leaving a greasy feeling, the oil has visibly improved my skin, leaving it more luminous and hydrated. After thoroughly cleansing the skin I apply the oil nightly before bed and in the morning my face looks and feels amazing. I’ve benefited so much from the Maracuja Oil that I will probably start using the oil throughout the year. Bling Factor: Pro: Non-greasy, Paraben free, Mineral Oil Free Con: N/A Price: $48 Buy Again: Yes Packaging: 5 Blings The oil arrives in a really cute case and beautiful purple and gold glass bottle. Overall: 5 Blings
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Make it Work Monday: Top 5 Cold Weather Makeup Tips

The winter chill takes its toll on more than our heating bill. Our skin and hair needs a dose of TLC during these frigid temperatures with a boost in hydration. One of the best ways to have healthy skin is to use beauty products that are creamy and have hydrating properties. Avoid over-powdering and dark colors so that you can look fresh and radiant. Here are 5 steps to healthy, moisturized radiant skin and makeup! 1. Use a rich moisturizer with healing properties Try: First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream $28 A thick, rich, emollient product that hydrates deep down with exceptional penetration. 2. Even complexion with a multi-tasking cream Try: IMAN Skin Tone Correcting BB Cream $20 Tinted moisturizer by Iman that visibly brightens complexion & minimizes appearance of imperfections, reducing signs of discoloration and promotes long-term skin tone evening. 3. Add healthy color to cheeks Try: Vapour Organic Beauty in Courtesan $34 Aura is made with 70% Certified Organic ingredients and 30% mineral pigments & vitamins is and moisturizing & calming. 4. Use a creamy eyeshadow Try: Mary Kay Cream Eye Color in Iced Cocoa $13 This soft, creamy, long-wearing formula glides on easily, lasts for 10 hours and can be applied in multiple layers to deliver more noticeable color while retaining a lightweight feel. 5. Colorful moisturized lips Try: Clinique Color Surge Butter Shine Lipstick Drenches lips in moist, lush color that glides on buttery-soft, feels luxuriously smooth. Shop! Make it Work Monday: Top 5 Cold Weather Makeup Tips Lipstick Face Blush
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Bad Beauty Habits: Terez Vows To Take Her Vitamins

The bad beauty habit I need to break in 2012 actually qualifies as a bad habit all around. As embarrassing as it is to admit, I am terrible about taking vitamins! I’m aware of all the benefits, yet I continue to neglect my health and (more importantly?) my beauty by skimping on my daily multi. I'm quite disciplined about other beauty habits, but for some reason I consistently forget my simple one-a-day. I know, I know- it’s terrible! And as a nursing mother, double shame on me. But I’m ditching my bad beauty habit once and for all this year. I plan to start a healthy new routine by setting myself up for success. As a busy working mom, the easiest way for me to remember my vitamins is to carry them with me. Ordinarily that would be a hassle, but this year I’ve upgraded to Sprayology Oral Vitamin Spray. Here's what you need to know about Sprayology: Sprayology® reinvents the vitamin as it invigorates a generation of time-deprived professionals. These pioneering nutritional supplements are sprayed into the mouth and under the tongue, where they are absorbed directly into the bloodstream. Unlike the traditional capsule form, oral sprays bypass the digestive system, which can degrade the restorative properties of nutrients, so more nourishment makes it into the bloodstream. Vitamins are vital nutrients that our bodies need for energy and to prevent disease. Our bodies cannot make vitamins, so we must take them as part of our diet through the foods we eat and through supplementation. The key to a supplement's effectiveness is its ability to transport an appropriate amount of the active ingredient into the bloodstream in a timely manner. Spraying the vitamin under the tongue allows absorption directly into the body. Additionally, the delivery of vitamins and minerals by a sublingual spray is convenient and tastes good. Proof that multivitamin-mineral supplements protect health continues to accumulate: Taking a multi-vitamin for 15 years or more may reduce the risk of colon cancer by 75% Daily doses of multivitamin supplements have been found to cut fetal deaths, low birth weight, and pre-term births by 40% Studies show that women with the highest intake of folate and vitamin B6 may cut their heart disease risk in 1/2 Men & women taking levels of Vitamin E higher than can be obtained from food have lower rates of heart disease Daily multivitamin supplements have been found to boost immune response by up to 60% in older people Viamin E supplementation has also been found to boost immune response in the elderly Researchers estimate that regular use of vitamin supplements could delay the onset of cataracts by at least ten years. It couldn’t be easier—just a few quick sprays and I’m on my way! No need to lug around a huge, heavy bottle, wash several tablets down with a gallon of liquid, or face my horse pill-swallowing phobia. Plus, Sprayology comes in a palm-sized mister that fits right in my purse. Vitamin capsules are SO 2011. Sprayology is super convenient, efficient, easy to use, and even tastes good. With a variety of homeopathic, vitamin, and mineral sprays to alleviate everything from PMS, dry skin, to jet lag, there's no better way to keep my 2012 beauty resolution! So now that I’ve spilled, what’s YOUR bad beauty habit?
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