Juice Beauty Green Apple Mousse Body Cleanser : My New Favorite Body Treat

Juice Beauty has always been a brand that interests me a lot because it is one of the few organic cosmetic brands that Sephora carries. Unfortunately, I noticed that some of its products have been discontinued in Sephora, including the product I will be reviewing today, Juice Beauty Green Apple Mousse Body Cleanser ($22). You can find many organic brands in various retailers such as Treader Joe and Whole Food. However, Juice Beauty is part of the selected group whose products are made with certified organic ingredients. The difference between this and regular organic products is that certified organic products are made with at least 95% organic ingredients. But, most regular organic brands are only made with at least 70% organic contents.

More about the product : This revitalizing body cleanser renews your skin’s tone and texture. The organic blend of potent fruit acids from certified organic, antioxidant-rich apple and lemon juices brightens and refines for healthy, brilliant skin from head to toe.

I was not fond of the scent at first. However, it did start to grow on me. I love the fact that it cleans well without drying my skin, and my body just feels really nice and smooth. The only downside to this cleanser is that the price is a bit expensive for a body wash because you do have to use a lot of product each time in order to be enough for the whole body. Using it twice everyday, one bottle lasted me just a little more than one month. Other than that, this is perfect and is definitely something that I will repurchase.

Pick It or Not ? 

• Quality: 50 (out of 50)  
• Packaging: 20 (out of 20)  
• Price: 15 (out of 20)   
• User Friendly: 5 (out of 5)   
• Availability: 4 (out of 5)

Angela's Ultimate Pick: A

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Sparkling Beauty Secret : Emergency Mask Is A Last Minute Hero

Today's beauty secret is something that I find extremely useful during busy times such as this holiday season. It would be a last minute savior if you want to look polished and ready for that party or that important date. This home made recipe is easy to make and will reboot your skin instantly.

Ingredients you will need : cotton pads, toner

1. Take a cotton pad (preferably the kind that you can peel into several layers) and soak it completely with toner (preferably just a basic hydrating one). I suggest using a cheap toner because the cotton pad will eat up a lot of product.
2. Peel out the various layers of the cotton pad and spread them over your face. Repeat this process if you need to cover more areas.
3. Wait for about 5 - 10 minutes and take the cotton pad layers off. There is no rinsing required, and you can just massage the residue product into your skin.

Now you are done. Your skin should be hydrated and smooth. You are ready for makeups.

Angela's Tip : If you want to make this even more affordable, you can replaced the toner with distilled water.

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Beaute From The Earth Volcanic Ash Masque Is Getting Some Raves From Me

I am very particular when it comes to skincare so I don't easily praise products. However, when I do, I promise you it is something worth trying out. I have always been a mask junkie, and I dedicated a giant drawer in my closet to various kinds of facial masks. I simply think that every girl should have the right to treat herself to some nice, and doing facials certainly make me happy.

I have been getting a few product review requests from various companies, but my busy schedule really didn't allow me to fully test these products out. Fortunately, with the holiday break kicking in, I want to bring to you one of my favorites lately, the Beaute From The Earth Volcanic Ash Masque ($12.97 ~ $49.98) from the cosmetic brand BEAUTESTARR created by makeup artist Debbie Starr.

More about the product : The volcanic ash is so fine that upon application, it penetrates the pores of your skin. The ash acts as a bacteria "cage" . This "cage" traps the bacteria. When the ash is exfoliated from your skin, the "cage" containing the bacteria is also removed. Therefore, the area that has been treated with Beaute From The Earth  (BFTE)masque is literally bacteria-free.

The unscented mask can be used all over the face and even on lips and under eye areas. It created an instant tightening effect on the lips and did not irritate my eyes. The cooling and refreshing sensation is also a big plus. But, the true test came when I washed the mask off. All I can say is that my skin looked beautiful and radiant. I noticed that my pores shrank a bit and my face looked hydrated and smooth. According to the product instruction, temporary redness may occur due to increased circulation, which did happen to me. But, it went away within 10 minutes.

I am impressed by this product. I don't really have any wrinkles yet so I can not comment on its effectiveness to fine lines. But, I can say that my skin just looks glowing after using it. My face doesn't just look nice; it looks healthy. The amount of product that was sent to me only allowed me for a one time use, so I can not guarantee that the result is long lasting. But for now, I am loving it.

Pick It or Not ? 

• Quality: 50 (out of 50)  
• Packaging: 10 (out of 20)  
• Price: 18 (out of 20)   
• User Friendly: 5 (out of 5)   
• Availability: 2 (out of 5)

Angela's Ultimate Pick: B

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Don't Worry About Makeup Residues With Clinique Take The Day Off Cleansing Balm

There has always been misconceptions that oil products should not be used on oily or acne prone skin. However, this is absolutely not true. Using an effective oil based product in the proper way should give you nothing but benefits to the skin. I have extremely oily skin but have always incorporated oil based skincare products in my maintenance routine. I have never had any problems with them. Recently, I picked up the Take The Day Off Cleansing Balm ($27) from one of my favorite cosmetic brands, Clinique. I decided to try this out because my regular cleansing oil tends to drip and make a mess.

More about the product : Lightweight cleansing balm quickly dissolves tenacious eye and face makeups, including those with sunscreen. Transforms from a solid balm to a silky, fluid oil upon application. Cleans thoroughly, rinses off completely. Non-greasy. Non-drying. For all skin types.

When I opened the jar, it literally looks like a giant lip balm. I usually wipe each of my hands once over the balm, and that should be enough for my whole face. The cleansing balm emulsifies extremely well, although still not as good as more premium brands such as the Shu Uemura Cleansing Oil Fresh ($28 ~ $62). As with other cleansing oil, the balm removes everything from my skin completely, and what I like about it more than regular cleansing oil is the fact that the solid texture is much more each to use and to control. However, the tub packaging is both unsanitary and hard to scope products out. Overall, I am very satisfies with this product as it is another winner from Clinique.

Pick It or Not ? 

• Quality: 50 (out of 50)  
• Packaging: 10 (out of 20)  
• Price: 20 (out of 20)   
• User Friendly: 5 (out of 5)   
• Availability: 5 (out of 5)

Angela's Ultimate Pick: A -

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New Year Blog Giveaway (Closed)

As I have promised to you all, here is another blog giveaway for all my readers. This New Year Blog Giveaway well be very easy, and hopefully one lucky winner will get some nice presents from me. For this giveaway, I specifically picked out prizes that are mostly from Asian cosmetic brands and are not widely available here in the U.S.

Giveaway prizes :

• CLUBBIN' LOVIN' Fever Gloss - VIP Pink 
• Watsons Collagen Hydrating Mask 
• Lifecella Orange Pre-Formed Gel Mask 
• Lifecella CoQ10 Eye Mask 
• Lifecella Ceramide & Trehalose Essence Eye Mask 
• Bio-essence Bio Energy Eye Bag Vanishing Mask 
• Youthful Wonder Spots Eliminating Mask 
• BSC Decolor Crystal Collagen Mask 
• Sewame Spots Removing Essence 
• KOSE Softymo Nose Peel 
• Etude House Moistfull Cream Travel Kit

Giveaway details : 

• All participants must either be a blog follower or subscriber. If you are an e-mail subscriber, please leave your register e-mail address in your comment.
• To enter the giveaway, comment once below this post with your e-mail address, linked to where you blogged about, tweeted, or facebooked this giveaway, and the answer to the question below :

Name a product or a brand that you really want to try but couldn't get your hands on.

• This giveaway opens to both U.S. and international readers.
• One winner will be picked through random.org website.
• The winner will have 48 hours to reply to the notification e-mail. If not then another winner will be picked through the same website.
• This giveaway ends on 1/15/2010 at 11:59PM PST. Any entry after the deadline will not be honored.

 
Extra entries : please leave a separate comment for each additional entry

• For 1 entry, follow or subscribe to my other blog, Free 4 Beauty.
• For up to 2 entries per day, tweet this giveaway and please comment with your twitter name.
• For 1 entry, fan me on Facebook.
• For 3 entries, promote this giveaway in a Youtube video.
• Earn extra 2 entries when you complete at least 2 of the above.

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Satina Mirrors Give Me Some Fun During The Morning Makeup Hurry

I really enjoyed the opportunity to try out and review some of the Brush Lab hair brushes. They are high quality hair tools with very friendly price tags. Recently, I was offer another chance to test run some other products offered on the BrushLove.com website. Ladies and gentlemen, let me introduce to you the Satina Spectra Hand Mirrors ($9.98 - $10.98), which are multi-purposes and come in a variety of fun colors. I just love the bright shades because they add a touch of flair to my room.

They are very useful for their magnifying and normal side. The mirrors come with a 3X side which is perfect for me. It allows me to focus but is not overwhelming. Other than used as handhold mirrors, these can also transform into table top mirrors, which is extremely convenient when I get tired from holding the mirrors up for a long time. However, with an easy flip, they can go back as handhold mirrors. I like to move around when I do my makeups because they are stored all over my room. The transformation ability of these mirrors allows me to easily move around without any hassle.

I really like these mirrors, although I do wish that the pink one and the blue mirror could be slightly bigger. But they are perfect for daily use and traveling. I am actually thinking of getting some for my mom and sister since they are the perfect gifts for this holiday season.

Pick It or Not ? 

• Quality: 45 (out of 50)  
• Packaging: 20 (out of 20)  
• Price: 20 (out of 20)   
• User Friendly: 5 (out of 5)   
• Availability: 5 (out of 5)

Angela's Ultimate Pick: A

 

Disclosure : This post contains products that were sent to Sparkle Midori by companies and PR agencies for blog consideration. Sparkle Midori does not receive money compensation and is not affiliated with any sponsors. Reviews are our honest opinions from personal experiences with the products and are not affected by any companies or PR agencies. For more information on this, please see our Review Policy.

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The Body Shop Oil Free Balancing Foundation Is A Makeup Disaster

The Body Shop used to be one of my favorite makeup brands back in high school. However, after I went to college, I just somehow stopped shopping there, and ever since college, I really never bought anything from the brand. I have noticed that the brand has been doing quite a few promotions and sales lately, so I decided to take advantage of the lowered prices and try out some makeup products. Although I had quite a bad customer service experience with the store that I went to, I took home the Oil Free Balancing Foundation SPF 15 ($23) in shade 03, which sounds very promising for oily skin girls like myself.
 

More about the product : Perfect and balance skin while minimizing pores with a lightweight, shine-free formula. Best for medium to full coverage, oily and combination skin. Special blend of minerals and high performance spherical powders work together to achieve all-day balanced coverage.

I had a really bad first impression with the foundation due to its cheap and fragile packaging. For a $23 foundation, the package definitely need some improvement. The bottle I bought had a piece clear tape over it. When I tried to rip it off, a piece of the silver coating on the bottle broke off.

Usually, I apply liquid foundation by first roughly spread them all over my face and then carefully blend everything out. By the time I applied this foundation to my face and were ready to spread it evenly, it had almost already dried up, which made it extremely difficult to blend and took me almost 20 minutes to make it at least look a bit wearable on me. Then I decided that may be I use toss my foundation brush and tried to use a wet sponge because it is the easiest to work with thick foundations. Well, guess what? Even a wet sponge did not make it better. The foundation literally felt like a thick paste on my face that was just patchy and nasty. Then the worse came when I stepped out of the house, I noticed the foundation had already caked on me. Overall, it was such a horrible experience that I had to go back and washed everything away. I think I am better off with my bare skin than using this product. A total expensive junk that I returned to the store.

Pick It or Not ? 

• Quality: 0 (out of 50)  
• Packaging: 15 (out of 20)  
• Price: 20 (out of 20)   
• User Friendly: 5 (out of 5)   
• Availability: 5 (out of 5)

Angela's Ultimate Pick: F

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