Ponds Luminous Finish BB+ Cream!

Pond's Luminous Finish BB+ Cream is in stores now and new for the US market in July 2013!

I have been trying it out the past few weeks and have absolutely been loving it! I was sent the Pond's Luminous Finish BB+ Cream by Influenster to do a product test of it before it released in the United States and also post a product review of it, if I felt the product was worthy.

I've enjoyed using the BB+ Cream, and I have to say the timing was absolutely perfect - as I had been leaning towards wearing BB creams for the majority of the summer. I was happy to try another option, and the Luminous Finish BB+ Cream didn't disappoint!

It claims to improve your skin texture over a period of two weeks and also decrease dark spots on your skin as well, I do believe I've seen an improvement in my skin and I know my skin feels better... so that is an important part as well.

Also, it gives great coverage and I can "build" it in areas where I would like a little bit more coverage - but it doesn't cake up or look like I'm wearing a ton of makeup. BB creams are great to let your natural skin shine through, and this BB+ cream is no exception, in that it gives my skin a nice healthy glow when I'm wearing it.

The BB+ cream also works great as a moisturizer, so i'm looking forward to wearing this during the winter months when my skin tends to get a bit dry - and if I can put faith in any company to know its moisturizers, it would be Pond's. A company known for its moisturizer world wide for decades.

This item is currently available on mass retailer store shelves now, and retail price is approximately $9.99.

See the full review and explanation of the Pond's contest below:

See my 2 minute entry in the Pond's Facebook competition for who best displayed and represented the product in under 2 minutes!

Vote NOW on the Pond's Facebook page for the best representatives of the BB+ Cream! Voting goes through August 12, 2013.

** Items in this review were sent complimentary for purposes of completing a review. This is not a paid review. All opinions are my own.

Sephora VIB Sale - 20% off

It's confirmed!

Sephora sale for VIBs starts November 8, 2012 through November 12, 2012 - use your email with barcode in your store for your 20% off or use code 'CELEBRATE' online during the VIB event.

There will also be a VIB in-store party on Thursday November 8, 2012 in the evening. Check your email for your invite!

What's in my purse makeup bag?

My purse makeup essentials!

- Sephora Mineral Makeup compact
- Too Faced Pink Leopard mini compact
- Too Faced Flat Kabuki Brush
- Dior Addict Gloss in Draped Lilac (Nordstrom LE)
- Too Faced Lipstick Lip of Luxury in Free Love
- Too Faced Glamour Gloss in Peek-a-Boo
- Tory Burch sunglasses fabric case
- Sephora hairband

Tarte Carried Away Collector's Set Review!

I've enjoyed this collector's set from Tarte so much, that I had to review it and share my favorite parts of this set!

All around, it is just an incredibly great value - 24 shadows and 8 deluxe sample size glosses would be well worth the $54 retail price... but with the additional deluxe sample size blush, full sized face brush, deluxe sample mascara, deluxe sample finishing powder, & great travel bag that is included... It makes me feel fortunate that I paid as little for the set as I did!

There are a number of stand out shadows in the palette...

- From the purple quad: Boston Brick, Spanish sangria, & Napa grapes - beautiful and unique purple tones that blend nicely together

- From the top right quad: Pearl River - a gorgeous base color that looks great all over the lid and up to the brow; Seychelles Sand - a matte gray with a hint of taupe that is great for layering

- From the top left quad: snowfall in Paris - lovely cream with a hint of gold shimmer that is great as a base or highlight; pyramid gold - subtle gold tone tan that looks lovely on the lid

- From the bottom left quad: Iceland Air, Mystic Seaport, & concrete jungle - combine for a stunning blue tone look

The shadows have above average staying power - especially when combined with my NARS Pro Prime eyeshadow primer - and I'm happy with the pigmentation in all of my favorite shadows. There are one or two shadows that I feel aren't as wearable or maybe don't have much pigmentation - but honestly, for 20 out of the 24 shadows to be winners is an overall win in my book!

And in my opinion, all of the glosses are great... not too sticky, great consistency, and moderate staying power. My favorites are the colors with a bit of shimmer to them - but all of the colors have been winners to me. I especially like them over the Dior Addict lipstick, Pink Cherie.

Also with this set, you get three deluxe sample sized products: Smooth Operator finishing powder; Lights, Camera, Lashes Mascara; and Adventurous Blush (shimmering rose).

The Tarte face brush included is a full size and decent quality - I've especially liked using it to apply the  blush from the set. The Adventurer bag that the set is housed in is pretty good quality and is laid out well for travel. It has a large mirror on the inside so that you could put everything you need to do your makeup in the bag and finish it while on the go!

I think this set would make a great gift for anyone that loves makeup and is perfect if you're wanting to try out multiple items from the Tarte brand. My final verdict: It is worth the money and a great value for all of the items that are included in the set! This will be one of my favorite beauty items for Fall & Winter!

September Favorites!

My favorites from the month of September!

Pre-Fall Fav Look #3!

I've dubbed this one the "Dior look"....

Makeup products used:
- Bare Escentuals Foundation & Mineral Veil
- Bare Escentuals Foundation & Full Face Brushes
- Dior Awakening Blush
- Too Faced Pink Leopard bronzer
- Too Faced Candlelight highlighter
- Dior Golden Savannah eyeshadow palette
- Urban Decay Sin eyeshadow
- Dior Wild lipstick
- Dior Addict Gloss #157
- Diorshow Mascara
- Fairy Drops Scandal Queen mascara
- Ulta Charcoal eyeliner

Favorite MAC eyeshadow look!

Here's the look done with my favorite MAC Cosmetics eyeshadows: Vanilla, Naked Lunch, Era, & Satin Taupe.

One of my favorite everyday eyeshadow looks! 

Must have MAC eyeshadows!

These are my four favorite MAC Cosmetics eyeshadows and what I would consider "must haves", if you're only going to own four shadows from MAC... then these would be my recommendations!

My four favorite MAC eyeshadows:

- Vanilla

- Naked Lunch

- Era

- Satin Taupe

Beauty Blender vs. Sigma F80 Foundation Brush

I've been enjoying using my Beauty Blender (pink sponge) and Sigma F80 to apply foundations lately. I've found that I prefer applying liquid foundations with the Beauty Blender sponge, and cream foundations with the Sigma F80 Brush.

The Beauty Blender does a great job of applying the right amount of product to give a flawless and natural daytime look, while I find that the Sigma brush gives a heavier application with liquid foundation (so good if you're wanting a full coverage look) - I like that the F80 makes cream blush look equally as light and flawless for daytime as the Beauty Blender is with liquid foundation.

In my review comparing the two, I use the Make Up For Ever HD Foundation to show the difference in the application of a liquid foundation.

$20 Makeup Challenge!

This was a fun one! What would YOUR makeup look like with only $20 to spend on products AND tools?

Products Used:
- Garnier BB Cream
- (2) ELF Eyeshadows
- ELF Blush & Bronzer Duo
- ELF Blush Brush
- ELF Eyeshadow Brush
- ELF mascara
- L'Oreal Lip Gloss

Disappointing Beauty Products!

These are products from beauty categories: hair, makeup, mascara, and nail polish that I was disappointed in and would not repurchase again! Some products I disliked so much that I will not even continue using them!

I try to do a fair bit of research when I'm buying cosmetics and rarely buy things on impulse - most of the time especially with more expensive items I'm pleased with them and the items perform how they are supposed to... but sometimes even when I've done research on items they just don't work out for me. Since I share my favorites fairly each month, I thought I would share some products that haven't worked out...

Hair: Garnier Fructis Sleek & Shine Shampoo and Garnier Fructis Flat Iron spray - both items left horrible build up on my hair and left it feeling icky!

Face: Revlon Colorstay foundation made my sensitive skin break out horribly and Revlon foundation primer worked okay, but had an over-powering floral smell that I didn't like at all.

Mascara: The wands on both Bare Minerals Flawless Definition and Benefit's They're Real mascara were disappointing and actually made my lashes clump together MORE... Benefit's They're Real and Maybelline Falsies left me with horrible smudging and smearing...

Nails: Revlon's Quick Dry polish top coat was anything but quick - and two Essie polishes that I tried were difficult to work with, had a thinner consistency than I was used to (compared to Zoya & OPI - which I LOVE), and were just generally streaky when applied. I'm going to give the Essie polishes more tries, but the first impression was overall just not good.

Giveaway: You Tube Beauty Favorites from Drugstore brands!

I'm excited to be hosting my first You Tube giveaway! The past few giveaways I've hosted were here on my blog and I thought it was time to say "thank you" to my You Tube subscribers by hosting a comment giveaway on my Bags4Bubbles channel there.

I'm giving away some of my favorite budget friendly beauty favorites, from Target and Ulta! You can enter to win by completing two simple steps! Subscribe to Bags4Bubbles You Tube Channel (if you're already subscribed, this step is done!) and then leave me a comment on the giveaway video below of a few of your favorite beauty items! And that's it, you are entered to win! Good luck everyone!

The giveaway closes on May 25, 2012 at 8:00pm CST. Giveaway is sponsored by Bags4Bubbles and is not affiliated with any of the companies aforementioned.

What's in my travel makeup bag?

So we recently just got back from our trip, and I wanted to share what I packed in my travel makeup bag! These are my go-to items and things that I feel like I can really count on when I'm traveling, to give me a consistent makeup look that I know what to expect and can count on it not taking me forever to get ready!

Product Review: Sibu Beauty Sea Buckthorn Balancing Facial Cleanser

I was given the opportunity by Sibu Beauty to review their Sea Buckthorn Balancing Facial Cleanser. It is supposed to leave your skin looking and feeling radiant and refreshed; remove excess oil and impurities; gently exfoliate; and work for all skin types.

It is all natural, paraben-free, cruelty-free, and sulfate-free.

After using it for over a week, I feel like it leaves my face feeling more moisturized and refreshed. The consistency is a nice, lightweight cleanser that has small exfoiliating beads that provide a gentle exfoiliation. I love the unique smell, to me it has a light scent of clementine and berry... which I believe is the sea buckthorn berry.

I've been using this product in the shower, but I think it would also be a great cleanser to use at night to remove makeup. The consistency is great and the product is gentle enough to be used daily.

My verdict: The Sea Buckthorn Balancing Facial Cleanser is a great all natural choice to use for facial cleansing. I thought it did a great job at leaving my skin feeling clean and refreshed, and it wasn't too heavy. I also like the gently exfoliation beads, that helped to renew my skin. The smell was also great, a very unique scent - that wasn't overpowering, and very pleasant. A light scent of berry and citrus.

I'm planning on continuing to use this product and I would recommend it if you've been thinking of trying it!

Watch my video review here:

To try a FREE Sea Buckthorn Balancing Facial Cleanser from Sibu Beauty - enter by filling out the form at the link below. Sibu Beauty will be mailing one lucky reader a FREE Sea Buckthorn Balancing Facial Cleanser to try for themselves!

Enter by May 1, 2012. Product will be sent directly from Sibu Beauty. Please be over the age of 18 and a resident of the US.

*~ Enter the giveaway for a free facial cleanser 

from Sibu Beauty, HERE~*

* Please note the products in this review were sent to the reviewer by the company to perform an independent review. I've given my honest opinions on the products mentioned. 

Good job, Bella!

Cupcake (aka. Bella...) is this phase where she has started repeating "Good job, Bella!" back to us, when ever she gets praise for something I thought it was adorable and finally got her doing it on video the other day. She usually will sit next to me or play in her play room while I'm getting ready... but she's decided lately that she MUST sit on my lap and do her makeup along with me.

I thought it was adorable.

Lots of love and cupcakes to you! Hope you're having a great weekend!

February Favorites!

I'm on a video kick right now (and neglecting blogging... whoopsie!) - and wanted to share my February Favorites!

Products in video:
- Philsophy 'Full of Fortune Cookie' 3 in 1 Shower Gel (Sephora)
- Amazing Cosmetics Concealer (Sephora)
- EOS Lip Balm in Mint (Target)
- Sonia Kashuk Blush in Flamingo (Target)
- Boots No. 7 Lash 360 degree mascara (Target)
- Rimmel Lipstick in Airy Fairy (Target)
- Rimmel Lip gloss in My Eternity (Target)

I've already come across a few favorites for March, so I'm going to be excited to share those with you after the month is over!