Drugstore Discoveries: Gourmand Bath and Body Treats

In this episode, I not only show you some very nearly edible and inexpensive bath and body products, but also take you on a fascinating journey to my bathroom; well, it's more like you get a peek of the tub, really. But we have to start somewhere... because 'A journey is like a marriage. The certain way to be wrong is to think you control it.' (just when you were thinking I was going to go all Lao Tzu on you, you get John Steinbeck instead. I know).

Anyway, as much as I love my more luxurious (read: expensive) bath treats, I occasionally grow weary of shelling out big bucks for something that gets washed down the drain after a dozen minutes. Which is why I'm perpetually checking the drugstore for bath and body goodies that really perform, and I think this month I've found some things worth looking into.

One of the hardest bath things to find, I believe, is a nicely scented, non-drying, relatively inexpensive bubble bath. Something you might not know about me - I'm primarily a bath person, because I get quite cold and uncomfortable in the shower, so a good bubble bath is an absolute staple; and let's face it, while Lush Bubble Bars are a lot of fun, there's no way I could use them every night. Enter Deep Steep Bubble Bath in Brown Sugar Vanilla ($9.99-11.95 for 17.5 fl oz), a cruelty-free, vegan bubble magic formulated without parabens, sulfates, mineral oil, artificial fragrances or preservatives. I really don't know HOW they do it without all the drying SLS, but two squirts under running water result in mounds of fluffy, fragrant bubbles. The Brown Sugar Vanilla scent isn't overly gourmand, actually; it's more of a sweet, comforting floral. I ordered mine through drugstore.com, but they also have a website or can be purchased in-store at Ricky's in NY.

After I'm submerged in bubbles up to my neck, I can begin the actual washing-up process with the aid of Dove Nutrium Moisture Shea Butter Body Wash in Warm Vanilla & Brown Sugar ($8.99 for 24 fl oz). Fun fact: Dove was probably the most used body wash brand in my parental home, Poland. Now, this unfortunately does have SLS and a bunch of scary sounding chemicals; but it also has the aforementioned shea butter as well as soybean and sunflower oils. Even with the evil sulfates, it still manages to feel very creamy and moisturizing on the skin, lather nicely and smells... sweet and clean, not really like a bakery. I thought the scent might be too much for the manly part of the household, but no complaints there.

Lastly, something I'm sure everyone has used at least at some point in their lives - well, except for me. Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula Concentrated Cream with Vitamin E ($3.37-4.49 for 3.75 oz/ 100g) is the last word in the cupcake-scented world of bodycare; the fragrance is quite strong and slightly artificial vanillin at first, but settles down nicely into vanilla sugar with some cocoa mixed in for good measure. We use it as a hand cream and it works great for that purpose - sinks in quickly with little to none greasy feel and hydrates effectively. And... it's just so, so inexpensive!

Now, tell me - do you like to splurge on your bath & body products or do you go cheap and cheerful? Have you discovered anything amazing at the drugstore recently?

For the Love of Taupe: Clinique Chubby Stick Shadow Tint for Eyes in Lavish Lilac

Time to 'fess up: not only do I fall very easily for every shade of taupe in sight (well, you know that!), but I've also become obsessed with cream eye shadow crayons. Because it's versatile, it's quick, it's easy... and so, so pretty. So it comes as a no surprise that I've recently fallen in love with Clinique Chubby Stick Shadow Tint for Eyes in Lavish Lilac ($17 for 0.10 oz/3 g), and I have an unnecessarily detailed review and shade comparison to show for it.

There's not much to say about the packaging apart from the fact that I really like Clinique's etheral floral boxes, and that the cap has a very nifty feature that I've just noticed; there's a little sponge glued on the inside so that the tip of your Chubby Stick doesn't smush if you accidentally forget to wind it all the way down. Pretty handy, right?

Now, onto performance - I will say this is not as amazing as my beloved Laura Mercier Caviar Sticks, but still very, very nice. It has a thinner but smooooth consistency, and thus sheerer pigmentation that's easily buildable. The lasting power is above average (6 hours on my quite oily lids) but not as apocalypse-proof as the Caviar Sticks, which don't entirely surrender even when rubbed with soapy water. You can absolutely extend the wear of the Chubby Sticks by layering an eyeshadow primer underneath, and/or a powder eyeshadow on top.

 The shade Lavish Lilac isn't in fact very lilacy - it's a medium rosey brown laced with exquisitely fine lilac, pink and silver shimmer. The shimmer makes it appear a bit more cool, purple-toned than other similar shades in my collection. Next to Laura Mercier Caviar Stick in Grey Pearl, it's definitely less yellow and more mauvey, and when swatched next to a true lilac like Graftobian Luster Creme in Orchid Odyssey, you can see it's definitely a brown neutral shade as opposed to a violet. The arm swatch photo above was taken in natural daylight.

Compared to some purple taupe powder eyeshadows, swatched clockwise starting with the Clinique Chubby Stick in Lavish Lilac: Inglot Pearl no. 420 is more violet grey and less multidimensional, Wet'n'Wild eyelid shade from The Silent Treatment trio is similar, slightly cooler and again, a bit flatter, Barry M Dazzle Dust in Mushroom (pressed into this tiny pan by yours truly) is incrementally rosier and has a different, silver microglitter finish, and lastly Inglot Pearl no. 153 is slightly warmer and altogether different, strongly foiled/metallic texture. Swatched under a mix of cool daylight and warm studio lighting. For more taupe eyeshadow swatches from my collection, click here.

On my cool-toned skin, Clinique Chubby Stick Shadow Tint for Eyes in Lavish Lilac appears a lot more purpley; this is two layers of the shadow, finished off with some inner corner highlight and a thin line of Urban Decay 24/7 Glide On pencil in Rockstar, a warm brown aubergine. I'm wearing NARS Velvet Gloss Lip Pencil in New Lover (reviewed and swatched here), nail polish is Essie's No More Film from the previous post.

Overall, I enjoy playing with my new taupey Clinique acquisition and layering it under different powder eyeshadows to give them more dimension and lasting power. I've already got my cheeky mitts on another shade (shush!), this time on the complete other end of the color spectrum; but that's a subject for a different post altogether. Have you tried Clinique's Chubby Stick Shadow Tints for Eyes? What is your favorite taupe cream eyeshadow?

A Month in Nail Polish: September & October

... So, that would make it Two Months in Nail Polish, right? Liar liar, pants on fire. Here's the excuse: I was moving, and it's a widely known fact, moving ruins your nails; also, I was lazy. But, onwards and upwards - let's look at some fall-appropriate nail polish swatches!

 I started the fall season with a newer member of my nail polish collection, Zoya Jem. As you can see in the bottle close-up, it's a beautiful burgundy and gold duochrome shimmer - unfortunately, the duochrome is much less visible once on the nails. The formula was quite thin and would probably require three coats for full opacity; but again, laziness. The tip wear was significant on the second day already and the polish chipped off quickly - but I think my nails might have been to blame as the tips have been very peely lately. Overall, I shall revisit you at a later date, Jem.

Another week, another hard-to-capture duochrome: Revlon Perplex, a famous Chanel Paradoxale dupe. I'm not sure if I ever featured it on the blog before (probably not, as it tends to trick my camera pretty successfully) but it's a gorgeous smokey grey plum with violet microshimmer; think Essie Smokin' Hot but with more dimension. Great formula (two coats), good longevity. A fall staple.

I did wine, I did plum, so next it had to be a navy blue. Essie No More Film actually debuted in their Summer 2012 collection, but I think it's a fantastic shade for the cooler months and for me, a preferrable alternative to this season's After School Boy Blazer; the latter pretty much IS black and thus a smidge too gothic. The glitter for the accent nail is OPI's Polka.com; I like it much better over a dark shade versus the pink I tried earlier.

Lastly, a bit of a cheat - this is a very old swatch of Revlon Facets of Fuschia (presently, Scandalous) I had sitting in my photo folder for a really long time, and I wanted it out. Nevertheless, it's one of my favorite glitters for All Hallows' Eve; there's just something witchy to it that I can't quite put my finger on. I don't remember much about the formula or wear, but glitters tend to be tenacious.

So, these past two months have been all about vampy shades, duochromes and glitter. Have I already said that I love fall nail polish? What have you been wearing on your nails recently?

Is It The Only? bareMinerals READY Blush in The One

Please excuse the corny title of this post. Ekhm. A little throwback to the summer here, which is when I acquired this bareMinerals READY™ Blush in the shade The One ($22 for 0.21 oz); a bit of a tall order by means of the given name, isn't it? My motive for the purchase was finding a relatively less hyped-up but still pleasant formula that could deliver a neutral, go-with-almost-everything shade at a middle price point. So, does it deliver? Is it the one and only blush? Bear my ramblings for the next couple minutes to find out (or, you know, scroll to the bottom... quitter).

It is no secret that I love the bareMinerals READY eyeshadows (proof here and here), so I was more willing to take a chance on a less popular blush formula. The compact itself looks exactly the same as the brand's eyeshadow quads, which I quite enjoy - they're minimalist but pleasing to the eye, and rather sturdy. There's also a large mirror included inside, which proved immensely useful when moving house.

The texture of this blush is quite soft and smooth, but not at all powdery; it almost seems rather firmly pressed in the pan. The pigmentation is on the medium side and requires a denser, slightly stiffer blush brush to apply; otherwise the bristles won't pick up enough product. The blush goes on evenly and is easy to blend out, and stays all day for me; please note that the skin on my cheeks is neither oily or very dry, and most powder blushes stay put without trouble.

Clockwise, starting from the bareMinerals The One Blush: Stila Convertible Color in Lillium, Milani Baked Blush in Berry Amore, NARS Douceur, NYX Mauve, La Femme Mocha, Inglot Cream Blush no.88.

The shade The One is a somewhat dusty warm pink tinged with a good deal of apricot. As proved by the swatch comparison, it isn't terribly unique; in fact, my beloved NYX Powder Blush in Mauve (not a mauve, obviously!) is almost an exact dupe. Where bareMinerals The One differs from all the blushes in my neutral collection though is the finish; it has a beautiful, lit-from-within sheen that translates into a glowy satin on the cheeks - no shimmer, just extra dimension. Because of this beautiful property, the powder doesn't sit on the skin, but rather melds into it, giving a healthy, natural appearance and lifting the face.

L-R: bareMinerals The One, La Femme Mocha, NYX Mauve, NARS Douceur, Milani Berry Amore, Stila Lillium and Inglot no. 88

There's definitely something to the bareMinerals READY products that makes them sit so well on the skin (well, according to the company, it's their SeaNutritive Mineral™ Complex with antioxidants and cold-pressed camellia oil... and who doesn't love camellia oil, right TATCHA?). Even though the blush lacks the intense pigmentation of the majority of their eyeshadows, it is indeed buildable, as intended. In this look, I'm wearing the blush paired with YSL Teint Touche Eclat foundation in B20, theBalm Bahama Mama bronzer to contour, neutral eyeshadows from the bareMinerals core line and a Revlon Super Lustrous lipstick in Black Cherry, lightly dabbed on the lips.

I am very happy that I took a chance on this READY blush in The One; it may not be the one and only, since I like my blush too much, but it's a great formula and a staple shade that should suit a variety of skintones in the light to medium spectrum. Check these bareMinerals blushes out next time you're looking for something to add to your stash; maybe you'll find The One?

Warm Red Autumn: Avon Totally Kissable Lipstick in Make Out Red

"Designers want me to dress like Spring, in billowing things. I don't feel like Spring. I feel like a warm red Autumn." - Marylin Monroe

I know what you've been thinking: oh, this NYC business you babble on and on about is all perfectly well, but woman, show us some lipstick, dammit! And I'm happy to oblige today with this Avon Totally Kissable Lipstick in Make Out Red ($8 for 0.106 oz.), which I picked up at the beginning of September along with some more eye pretties. Again, I know what you're thinking (yes, I'm turning into a veritable mind-reader these days): Avon? But isn't it like... frumpy and old-fashioned? Well, maybe - but in my book, they're stepping up their game. The lipstick I have to show you is a far-cry from the gritty glittery bombs of my high-school years, and it's a perfect red for fall and winter.

First off, I think Avon is going in the right direction with their packaging: the Totally Kissable Lipstick tube is quite straightforward in all its silver glory, and feels light but sturdy in my hand. The bullet is secure in the case and has a simple inscription with the brand's logo. The lipstick itself smells faintly of vanilla custard (quite bizarre, but I like it) and has a smooth, creamy consistency that would be the most comparable to Revlon's Super Lustrous cream finish lipstick formula. For some reason, I expected this to be more on the sheer side (which is why I've swatched it next to a Chanel Rouge Coco Shine), but it is in fact a full-on, quite opaque formula with a moderately glossy (non shimmery!) cream finish.

The shade Make Out Red (far left in the swatch) isn't mind-blowingly unique but just a tiny bit different from the reds I already own and love: it's a raspberry red that leans pink, which suits my cool undertones. It's a bit lighter and has more of a white base than Revlon's Cherries in the Snow (middle left) or similar Milani Berry Rich (far right, swatched on the lips here). And umm, yeah, it's nothing like Chanel Rouge Coco Shine in Monte Carlo (middle right). Sorry for the confusion.

On the lips, the Totally Kissable formula is neither drying nor moisturizing, and has an average staying power - slightly worse than the Revlon Super Lustrous but probably on par with the Milani. It also looks great dabbed lightly on top of lip balm, or blotted off for a more matte finish. In the photo below, I'm wearing a couple swipes straight from the bullet paired with shimmery taupes from Fyrinnae on the eyes, some Gosh eyeliner in Black Ink, and a Stila Convertible Color in Lillium.

If you're looking for an inexpensive, no-fuss lipstick formula, I do recommend the Totally Kissable range (although caution should be exercised as some shades contain a lot of shimmer). It's nothing revolutionary, but with all the enticing Avon offers, it's a nice treat. Have you bought anything from Avon recently? What is your favorite red for fall?

Skincare Ritual of the Geisha: TATCHA Camellia Cleansing Oil & Rice Enzyme Powder Review

Which one of us wouldn't want to indulge in the skincare ritual of the geisha and take advantage of their wisdom to achieve baby-soft porcelain skin? I for sure was intrigued when I first learned about TATCHA, a luxury skincare brand inspired by a 200-years old Japanese beauty manuscript discovered by the founder on her travels to Kyoto. I was given a chance to try out their One Step Camellia Cleansing Oil and the Rice Enzyme Powder in the Classic version, and after roadtesting it for about three months, I'd like to share my geisha skincare experience with you.

Firstly, a couple words about the packaging: I don't think I have ever seen any skincare products packaged with such exquisite attention to detail. The outside of the cardboard boxes resembles the texture of dark polished wood, while the inside surprises with a bold violet & ultramarine pattern of bamboo leaves. The products nestled inside are wrapped in hand crafted paper, inscribed with the details about the formulation. The cleansing oil bottle and the rice powder jar are both made out of heavy plastic with a pearlized sheen, embossed with the company logo in gold and navy, and have a very secure closing system for travel. In short, they're beautiful and practical and definitely evoke a sense of luxury. And yes, I have still not thrown my boxes away.

The One Step Camellia Cleansing Oil ($48 for 150 ml/5.1 fl oz) is a light blend of rice bran and camellia oils that claims to remove even waterproof make-up without the need to double cleanse. All TATCHA products are formulated without mineral oil, synthetic colors and fragrances, sulfate detergents, parabens, PEGs, PPGs, urea, DEA, TEA or phthalates so should be suitable for many sensitive or allergy-prone skintypes. The texture of this oil isn't overly viscuous so it spreads nicely on dry skin, allowing for a bit of a facial massage. The product turns into a milk when water is added and rinses away easily, leaving no oily residue or a tight feeling - my face just feels soft and clean, like it should.

Compared to Dermalogica's Precleanse (click for a review), this seems lighter and rinses off better, so yes, you can absolutely use it as your single cleanser, unlike the Dermalogica one which needs to be followed by another skintype-specific cleanser. The TATCHA Cleansing Oil also seems to cloud my eyes a bit less than the Dermalogica, while remaining just as effective; I don't really wear a lot of waterproof make-up, but it removes lots of black mascara and eyeliner without effort. All in all, a big thumbs up from me.

The Classic Rice Enzyme Powder ($65 for 60 g/2.1 oz) is a powder to cream exfoliant formulated with rice bran, papaya and a proprietary HADASEI-3 Bioactive Complex (an anti-ageing blend of green tea, red algae and rice bran extracts). I use it by tipping about half a teaspoon of powder from the jar into damp hands and massaging onto a damp face. The powder turns into a slightly foamy, smooth cream with tiny exfoliating particles, and rinses away leaving my skin softer, smoother and my pores more refined, without causing any redness or irritation. The Classic version (there's also  Deep and Gentle formulations available) seems suitable for daily use on my combination/oily sensitive skin.

Again, compared to Dermalogica's equivalent product, the Daily Microfoliant, the TATCHA Rice Enzyme Powder seems a bit more refined and gentler. The particles in the Dermalogica (physical and chemical) powder exfoliant are larger and a bit rougher. As a result, the Microfoliant can sometimes sensitize my finicky skin and despite the name, I absolutely can't use it every day. Even though in general, I prefer to use strictly chemical exfoliants, I do enjoy reaching for my TATCHA powder for a nice change in my evening routine.

Overall, I definitely recommend you take a look at TATCHA's Cleansing Oil and Rice Enzyme Powder if you're looking for a simple, luxurious cleansing and exfoliating skincare routine. I don't think these products alone can necessarily address more complex skin issues like acne or excessive dryness (which I don't think is their aim anyway), but they would be well suited for normal skintypes, or great staples for the more demanding ones, to be complemented by more targeted treatments. TATCHA products are available online at tatcha.com, sephora.com and at qvc.com, where you can get the Cleansing Oil and Rice Enzyme Powder set for just under $85, as well as in store at Barneys.

Disclaimer: This post features products I received from TATCHA for review consideration free of charge. All opinions are 100% honest and unbiased, no matter if the products featured were purchased with my own monies or provided as a free press sample. Thank you for reading!

August-September 2013 Empties

Success, ladies: not only is my blogging laptop outfitted with a new screen and up and running, but I also have some overdue empties to show you today - woohoo! I was quite determined to use up as many products as possible before moving with the aim of having less beauty clutter in the new space... and, as it turns out, there's also definitely less space to clutter with beauty products now anyway. Will this mean more motivation to get rid of all the cosmetic excess? We'll see...

First up, body care items. I'd been trying to use up this massive 500ml L'Occitane Almond Shower Oil for a better part of the year, and it's just now been finished. I did like the delicate sweet floral scent of this shower oil and I found it left my skin soft and moisturized but I also think it's a bit of an overpriced treat; I might actually investigate drugstore shower oil options at some point in time. The Bath & Body Works Coconut Lime Breeze travel shower gel was ok - a bit drying and I found the scent bothersome after a couple uses, but I did like the cedarwood, patchouli & vetiver fragrance of the Elemis Spa @ Home Tranquil Touch Bath Elixir. For the price, I found the Pirouette Honey Jasmine bar soap pleasant but not outstanding; I had very high hopes for the fragrance but didn't find any discernible honey notes in it. I enjoyed using Yves Rocher Tiare Self-Tanner Moisturizing Lotion Face & Body but probably won't repurchase, and the Ahava Hand Cream (discontinued? I preferred the mineral one anyway) wasn't my favorite. The only product I will repurchase from this group is the CeraVe Moisturizing Lotion - it's amazingly hydrating and soothing for sensitive, eczema-prone skin on my hands, yet sinks in quickly without leaving a sticky residue. You may remember that I also enjoyed using their facial cream for PM; so far this brand gets a big thumbs up from me.

In the haircare department, two solid products I may repurchase at some point in the future: Enjoy Sulfate-Free Hydrating Shampoo is fantastic for slightly dry to normal color-treated hair, and the TIGI Rockaholic Dirty Secret Dry Shampoo is the best one I've tried so far (but I haven't tried that many): not too white, easily to work into hair, quite pleasant, grapefruity scent and it doesn't give a lot of product feel. The one product I wasn't super impressed with was Alterna Bamboo Style Boho Waves Tousled Texture Mist; I've tried a lot of different texturizing sprays over the past year (a separate post is in the works!) and this one was probably my least favorite.

 As usual, some more skincare samples: I've spoken about how much I like the DDF Amplifying Elixir in this post - I suspect that my skin enjoys niacinamine, a key ingredient in this product, very much indeed - I'm testing another serum that contains it at the moment and I'm loving the results. A product that featured another ingredient my skin adores right now, Murad Complete Reform serum with glycolic acid, helped to refine my pores as well as minimized breakouts, but most importantly, led me to purchase another product with AHAs that I believe is an absolute game changer - review soon to come. I didn't like Tsukika's Lotion (well, a moisturizing toner, really) and the YSL Forever Youth Liberator Eye Cream was nice; but I have so many eye cream samples to go through!

Some make-up: Clinique High Impact, Lancome Hypnose Star and Bobbi Brown Everything mascaras; my favorite of the bunch was definitely the latter. I also completely used up my mini of Fresh Sugar Rose lip balm and I MUST. REPURCHASE., maybe in a different shade. I also finally tossed L'Oreal HiP Cream Eyeliner in Midnight Blue (click here for a crazy look featuring this liner) as it was completely dried out, as well as The Body Shop lip & cheek stain - I think there are other brands out there that do very similar products in a better formulation, so I won't be buying those again.

 Lastly, the obligatory perfume samples: the Kate Walsh Boyfriend is a good introductory musk/incense scent with its notes of benzoin, myrrh, skin musk, amber and woods, but a bit too sweet and run-of-the-mill for me. The Paco Rabanne Lady Million, a slightly ambery floral with notes of neroli, jasmine and gardenia was also quite uninteresting - but maybe I'm not a fan of grand florals. Lastly, I found this half-forgotten sample of Annick Goutal Ninfeo Mio from Nordstrom - and I like the scent very much indeed because after trying it on the skin last year, I promptly purchased the full size and it's still one of my favorite perfumes (click here for my review).

Phew, that was a lot! I'm glad to finally see some progress in various beauty cupboards and drawers and it feels nice to let go of so many stockpiled back-ups. As for purchasing new products, I'm still (mostly) sticking to my rule of only two new products per month, and actually this month I really had an intense internal battle over buying a couple of pretties; on one hand, I love trying new things and reviewing them for you guys, on the other, it feels really good to be restrained and not buy any beauty products for a while. How do you juggle your love for make-up with the zen feeling of self-restraint?