Keeping Skin Summer Fresh with MBeze!

Here in Denver, we have had one of the hottest, stickiest summers I can remember.  Keeping my skin hydrated and fresh-smelling without the heavy, waxy residue left over from most lotions has been tough... that is, until I found MBeze!
MBeze is a natural skin care and cosmetics company that has a great line-up of everything you could need to keep skin fresh and soft, like body and facial oils, fragrances, and deodorants.

Once Bitten Natural Body Oil

This natural body oil is incredibly lightweight and absorbs immediately - so no sticky residue!  It also smells amazing, with apple blossom, vanilla and a hint of lime, it smells really fresh and not overly sweet; perfect for summer!  On top of all that, it has Vitamins A, B, C, D, and E in a natural oil base to help soften and protect skin.  According to MBeze:

"Each hand-poured blend contains oils that are full of vitamins and known for their ability to break up scar tissue, reduce & prevent stretchmarks, regenerate skin cells, and moisturize to maintain a soft and healthy glow."

Wow!  That is one hard-working body oil!  I love applying this oil after showering; it leaves my skin soft and smooth all day with gorgeous scent that really lasts.  It also works great any time my skin needed a little pick-me-up or some additional glow.

Ife Natural Perfume

The Ife Natural Perfume smells sweet and is kind of... addictive.  This pthalate-free fragrance comes in a coconut and jojoba oil base, and it smells mainly like strawberry, with musk and sandalwood to make it a bit more grown up.  It layers really nicely and comes in a small roll-on, perfect for touching up throughout the day.  Berry scents don't normally smell good on me, but this perfume smelled really natural and made me feel like I'd been running through a field of strawberries!  Even as it wears down, it leaves the softest hint of strawberry on the skin.  So pretty!!

MBeze has several different fragrance options to choose from, and also offers a non-scented option in the body oil for those of us that prefer our own scent.  Check them out and tell me what you think!

Juara Skincare Review

Juara is a vegan skin care line based on historical Indonesian herbal and botanical treatments.  Using traditional Indonesian botanical remedies like healing teas, sandalwood, turmeric, tamarind and rice, combined with western science, these products have an east-meets-west attitude towards anti-aging and skin health.
Juara was kind enough to send me some samples of their daily skin care regimen of cleansing, toning and moisturizing.  Here's what I found:

Rice Facial Cleanser

This foaming, suflate-free cleanser leaves skin soft and hydrated, removing all traces of dirt, oil and makeup.  With rice starch as the active ingredient, known for its soothing and softening properties, as well as its ability to decrease moisture loss, this cleanser works great for all skin types.  

I found this cleanser to have an amazingly pleasant smell, almost like slipping into a tropical vacation - with sweet citrus and warm coconut scents, it's a great way to wake up the senses in the morning.

I especially liked using this cleanser with my Clarisonic - it left my skin feeling super clean and soft!  The only thing I didn't love is that it left my skin feeling a little too "squeaky clean," probably due to the foaming or fragrance ingredients, but after using the toner (reviewed next), my skin felt perfectly soft and supple.

Ingredients:
Water, Disodium Lauroamphodiacetate, Acrylates Copolymer, Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Rice (Oryza sativa) Starch, Peg-7 Glyceryl Cocoate, Glycol Stearate, Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Glycol, Glycerin, Glyceryl Caprylate, Phenypropanol, Fragrance.

Tamarind Tea Hydrating Toner

Juara describes this product as a "toner serum", and I completely get why.  This toner is super hydrating, just as the name implies, with a slightly thicker consistency than most toners.  It comes out of the bottle with a brownish tinge, which threw me off a bit, but it disappears perfectly into the skin, leaving it soft and glowing.  The oil-free liquid contains all kinds of skin-loving ingredients, like black, green and white teas for a super antioxidant boost, and tamarind extract to boost hydration and sooth skin.  It also contains rice bran extract to minimize irritation and de-stress skin, and hyaluronic acid to further hydrate and plump.
This product has the most impressive ingredient list of them all, with mostly actives in the list:


Water, Pentylene Glycol, Tamarind Seed (Tamarindus indica) Extract, White Tea, Green Tea, Black Tea (Camellia sinensis) Extract, Rice (Oryza sativa) Bran Extract, Honey Extract, Glycerin, Sodium Hyaluronate, Potassium Sorbate.

I swiped this over my face and neck after cleansing and loved the way my skin felt afterwards!  It left me with a great glow and smooth, softened skin.  It also relieved any tightness or "squeakiness" I felt after cleansing. It definitely feels a bit more conditioning than most toners, which is probably why it is dubbed a "toner serum".  Whatever you call it, it's good stuff!


Sweet Black Tea and Rice Facial Moisturizer
This lightweight moisturizer contains fermented black tea (aka Kombucha) to soften and brighten, and Rice Bran Oil to hydrate as its active ingredients.  Rice Brain Oil is an excellent source of natural fatty acids and Vitamin E, both of which are really important for softening, hydrating and protecting skin.
I found this moisturizer to have a great consistency that soaks right into the skin and leaves it with a hydrated glow.  My skin didn't feel oily or dry all day - it was comfortable and soft, which is a big feat because my skin is pretty bipolar when it comes to its dry and oily zones.
Ingredients:
Water/Eau, Candlenut (Aleurites moluccana) Oil, Emulsifying Wax NF, Avocado (Persea gratissima) Oil Unsaponifiables, Rice Bran (Oryza sativa) Oil, Cyclomethicone, Stearyl Alcohol, Illipe (Shorea stenoptera) Seed Butter, Glycerin, Dimethicone, Squalane, Saccharomyces/Xylinum Black Tea Ferment, Hydroxyethylacrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyltaurate Copolymer, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Polysorbate 60, Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Glycol, Glyceryl Caprylate, Phenypropanol, Fragrance/Parfum. 






Bottom Line: REALLY LIKE!  The products are really unique in their use of Indonesian botanicals and herbs to soften and hydrate skin.  While I don't love the addition of fragrance in the cleanser and moisturizer, and found the cleanser a bit too... cleansing, I did appreciate the texture and feel of all the products, especially the toner.  If you're looking for a good, hydrating line with strong natural antioxidants, this is a great line for you!

Photography Workshop Session

I had the incredible pleasure of working with two of my favorite photographers, Lola and Nasim Mansurov, of Mansurovs Photography this past weekend.  They were holding a photography workshop, and were teaching the art of photographing a model, taking into account lighting, color, shadows, etc.

Here are some of the gorgeous pictures they took:

I LOVE the colors in this shot.  They grey of the dress, yellow of the paintings, and red lips make such a statement!

This shot really allowed the contours of our beautiful model's face to show.  I enhanced them with makeup, and lighting did the rest.

 Beautiful colors again.

Working with a good photographer makes all the difference in the world.  It's also really important to develop a good relationship, as you want to work closely with them to ensure that the makeup is photographing as you intended.  The result will be breathtaking.

Easy Summer Makeup - Bright Lips

90 Degree summer days call for a less-is-more approach to makeup. One of the easiest and most sweat-resistant ways to get a made up look without a lot off product is by wearing a statement lip on an almost nude face - it gives your face a bright pop of fun summer color without the melt-off. Here are some perfect summer colors that promise to make your pout

Buxom Big & Healthy Lipstick Sydney

I've been obsessed with bright pink lips as the new red ever since seeing Jessica Biel in this perfect color:

This lipstick by Buxom is the perfect bright pink that looks great on all complexions. On top of that, the liner-like texture makes sure it wears all day and doesn't bleed.

Get it here.

Guerlain KissKiss Lipstick Exces de Rouge

This color by Guerlain is the perfect mix between red and berry. It creates a beautiful stain on the lip and comes in a beautiful gold case, so you'll feel luxe just pulling it out of your purse.

Get it here.

For the perfect summer look, just combine these bright lip colors with a clean, dewy complexion and a couple of swipes of mascara for a chic and sweat-proof look.

What are your favorite summer lip colors?

Devita Skin Care Review

Devita is a natural cosmeceutical skin care company based out of Arizona. They make all-natural, vegan, paraben-free and PETA certified products for face and body. From my experience, it's hard to find a natural line of skin care that is also effective. Devita, being a cosmeceutical brand, has found the perfect balance between efficacy and remaining natural! They use cutting edge peptide technology and combine it with well-researched vitamins, minerals and botanical extracts for powerful results.

The DeVita product line uses organic Aloe Vera as a natural and dynamic delivery system - allowing their active Vitamins, Botanicals and Peptides to penetrate and get to work within the skin. You'll find Aloe Vera as the first or second ingredient in almost every one of their products. What you won't find in any products are preservatives. I asked DeVita how this was possible, and here's what they said:

Blotting Papers - Summer Makeup Bag Must-Haves

During the warmer, more humid months of summer, it's inevitable that oil and shine will increase. While a dewy glow is pretty, looking like a grease slick is not! That's where blotting tissues come in - by absorbing excess oil and shine without disturbing makeup, they bring your skin back to matte. Blotting papers are also much better for acne-prone skin than caking on the powder to reduce shine. Adding powder to an oily face makes for an unattractive, cakey

breeding ground for sweat and bacteria - gross! Instead, try these picks for blotting papers:

Clean & Clear Oil Absorbing Sheets

These oil absorbing "sheets" from Clean and Clear are some of my favorites for a few reasons - affordability and effectiveness. At just under $6 for 50 sheets, they're a more affordable option than some others on the market that sell for up to $20! Yikes! These are also really effective - one sheet can take care of sheen on the whole face, completely absorbing oil and keeping makeup in place. The only thing I don't love about these is that they are not made of natural fibers, so aren't biodegradable. But you'll be using a lot less than with blotting papers, so there will be less waste in the end. These are also really easy to find - pick them up at any local drugstore or superstore, or at www.dermstore.com.

Palladio Rice Paper Blotting Tissues

These oil absorbing tissues are great two-in-one products - they combine oil absorbing rice paper and mattifying powder in one easy product. I always have these in my kit and my purse to keep my skin looking fresh. One side is just paper, and should be used first to absorb excess oil. The other side has translucent powder or colored powder (I prefer the translucent - it works on all skin colors) that helps to set and refresh makeup. These are also great because they are thick, strong rice paper, so they are very absorbent and sturdy.

They can be found at Sally's and Ulta locations, and online.

If you're in a pinch and don't have blotting papers on hand, you can use toilet seat covers or event toilet paper. Just press and roll off the skin to absorb excess oil.

What are you tricks for fresh summer skin?

My Favorite New Summer Fragrances

Summer always makes me want light, fresh, floral fragrances. I usually have trouble finding new scents or summer releases that I really love, but this year, these two scents had me at the first whiff:

Philosophy Summer Grace

I was at my local Nordstrom store, waiting for a sales specialist to grab a couple of products for me, when I saw this and decided to take a whiff. OMG, I fell in love immediately. I mean, I couldn't even put the bottle down. I had to have it right then and there. Normally when I'm fragrance shopping, I like to wear the scent around for a couple of hours before deciding if I love it or not. That was not the case here! I loved the scent so much that it was not an option for it not to smell good on me (thankfully, it smells great on my skin!).

Philosophy describes the fragrance as: "... a warm, bright floral fragrance that makes a woman feel lighthearted, happy and carefree as if she is wearing a beautifully light sundress on a sunny summer day." I couldn't agree more! This scent makes me want to turn into a cheesy fragrance commercial, frolicking around in a flower field in slow motion.

Marc Jacobs Daisy Eau So Fresh

I was already a fan of the original Daisy fragrance, so when I saw the bright summery packaging of the new Eau So Fresh scent, I had to go in for a sniff. And, again, it was immediate. I knew I loved this scent! It's much softer and more floral than the original Daisy, which I found to have a slightly "warmer" feel.

Described as having notes of natural raspberry, grapefruit, pear, wild violet, apple blossom, musks, cedarwood and plum, this scent is fresh, playful and bubbly. I like that it's got the musk and cedarwood to ground the otherwise-too-sweet floral and fruity blend.

Have you found any new summer fragrances that you absolutely love?