Bvlgari BLV Eau de Parfum & Bath and Body Works White Tea and Ginger

I'm not one to designate fragrances by seasons; however, some just cut through heat better than others. Bvlgari Blv (Bulgari Blu) and Bath & Body Works' White Tea and Ginger are two very similar scents that I've been liking this summer. 

Odds are if you like one of these, you'll like the other. I use them interchangeably based on how much lasting power I need. They both open with very bright ginger and citrus notes and dry down with a little bit of musk. The ginger is very refreshing and works well in the heat. I also think it's more interesting than a lot of strictly fruity summer go-to's. If you go for scents like Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue, I would recommend Bvlgari BLV, because it has that same "fizzy" quality, but it's a little more sophisticated. 

You can get both of these products relatively inexpensively. Bath and Body Works' Semi-Annual Sale is currently going on; there, you can find the White Tea and Ginger line ranging from $2.50 to $4.00. Bvlgari BLV (2.5 oz) retails for $85, but you can find it at perfumania.com and amazon.com for around $55 or less. 

Dr. Jart Melting Cream

This is a very unique product by Dr. Jart+ that is meant to soothe, brighten, and moisturize. Along with being generally intrigued by the formulation, I've found a lot of Dr. Jart+ products that have worked for me, so I knew I wanted to give this a try. I have normal-to-dry skin and used this product mainly as a night cream.

Obviously, the most unique aspect about this product is the texture. It's described as being sorbet-like, but it reminds me of the inside of a truffle.The jar comes with a little spatula to scoop out the product. It's suggested that you scoop out the product and warm it in your hands before applying it to your face. I don't think warming it in your hands is necessary; it's not hard like coconut oil. I just dot it around my face and smooth it out, so I don't waste any product, which brings me to me next point...

 The jar only has 0.88 oz of product. I'm typically disappointed when moisturizers are 1.0 oz rather than 1.7 oz, so this is a new level for me. It almost discouraged me from buying the product entirely; however, I've had this since late April and am a little over half way through. If you are using the product as intended, you shouldn't be running out unreasonably quickly. It doesn't have the consistency of a normal moisturizer, so it's not really comparable. But, like I said, I wouldn't warm it in my hands, because it is very quick to absorb, so you will lose product. I will also add, that I do not bring this down onto my neck at night  (I like to use something a little thicker) so I save a little product there.

 As far as the actual performance goes, I think it lives up to most of its claims. I've been using this mostly at night. It's definitely on the lighter side (for a night cream), which is great for summer, but I don't know if it'd be enough for me in the winter time. Since it is so fast absorbing, it doesn't really lock-in moisture; however, it is immediately soothing. I've found that this does work well under sleep masks, if you get occasional dry spots.           

One thing that initially put me off about this product is that it does have some subtle iridescent shimmers. They are barely noticeable in the jar and undetectable on the skin; however, I was weary that the brightening claim might only be cosmetic and not actually improve the appearance of my skin. I've noticed that some of my older hyperpigmentation marks have faded, but nothing dramatic, so I'm still not quite sure if I'm being tricked. When I think of this product as a day cream, the idea of a more radiant finish doesn't bother me. If this had SPF in it, I think it would work great in the daytime, because the additional glow combined with its smoothness and absorbability would make it great under makeup (mostly for dry or mature skin).

Overall, this is something I would consider repurchasing for the warmer months. For night creams, I tend to go for products that are simply soothing and moisturizing, and I leave treatments for serums and masks, so the fact that I didn't find this to be a potent brightener didn't bother me; however, it might be a deal-breaker for some. Again, if you're looking for something soothing and fast-absorbing, I would definitely recommend this. I think this would work great on sensitive skin if that's a concern for you. If you are on the fence because of the jar size, I would say go ahead and get it- it's more product than it seems.

You can find this product at sephora.com where it retails for $38.

MAC Margin Blush Review

 

Margin is a unique blush in MAC's permanent collection. It's a powder formula with a frost finish. It's described on MAC's site as being peach with a gold shimmer. Maybe that description is too reminiscent of Nars Orgasm, but I definitely see this as more of a clay color (maybe a burnt peach?) with subtle gold shimmer. Either way, it's one of my favorite go-to blushes.

I'm a self-tanner, and it's hard for me to find products that will work at all the stages of my tanning regime; this blush has kind of become a no-brainer for me. I think this mostly has to do with its red undertones. This gives you just enough warmth to make you look like you've got some sun. When I'm tan, I feel like this really makes my color look more natural. When I'm fair, I usually skip the bronzer and just use this to give me a natural flush that doesn't pull orange. The shimmer in this gives a nice sheen, it's not too much as long as you use a light hand. When I use this, particularly when I have a tan, I apply it a little higher on the cheek bones and slightly inward, where you normally get a little red from the sun, which I've seen GossMakeupArtist do in a few of his videos with reddish tones. Since it does have some shimmer, if you want to try that trick, I do recommend avoiding areas with large pores or finding a similar shade in a matte or cream blush if enhancing pores is a concern. 

Blended Swatch

Overall, I think this is a great product if you're looking for something natural and easy for everyday. I would definitely recommend it if you are a fellow self-tanner or are looking for something that's going to work for you year-round. You can find this a maccosmetics.com or at your local MAC counter for $21.

Kiehl's Deep Micro-Exfoliating Scalp Treatment

This product was one of my first experiences with Kiehl's. As it says, it's a micro-exfoliating scalp treatment, which is meant to alleviate build-up with apricot seed and argan shells and promote scalp health with additional vitamins and minerals. 

For reference- I have long, relatively thick hair and I tend to get a lot of buildup at the scalp. When I first applied this product I was very disappointed. The exfoliating bits are much more sparse than I was expecting them to be. In the picture below, you can see the pieces of apricot seeds; the argan shells are white and are present in about equal amounts. I find that the the argan shell pieces are slightly more delicate. 

Along with being surprised about the sparsity of the exfoliants, I felt like my long, thick hair made it difficult to apply. I was doing the best I could to massage it into my scalp, but I wasn't feeling like I was getting close enough for it to provide exfoliation. I guess I was expecting it to feel like I was using St. Ives on my scalp. This product contains ingredients like menthol and rosemary oil, which gives a nice cooling/tingling effect. It also contains vitreoscilla ferment, which has been shown to increase oxygen utilization in cells; however, studies have only been carried out in vitro (i.e. in a test tube), so it's not yet been proven to be beneficial to the skin. The product is meant to sit of up to 5 minutes (I go for 3-5) right before shampooing.

Though I wasn't expecting much, I did see results from this product. It definitely helped to clarify and balance my scalp. My roots felt softer and not as weighed down, so I was able to get more volume at the roots. I was definitely happy to see that this product wasn't a giant fail, because aside from the tingle, I couldn't feel it working. This is described as a potent treatment, but I found it to be very gentle...almost too gentle, but I guess you can't argue with results. Thinking more about it, a harsher exfoliant may be too damaging to the hair, especially for people with longer hair who have difficulties getting the product to the scalp (me!). If you are looking for a harsher scrub for volume, I would recommend Lush's Big Shampoo; however, it's not going to do great things for the health of your hair (though it's great for occasional use).

Overall, I would recommend this or a similar product to people who struggle with scalp buildup or dandruff. I would say not to be discouraged if you aren't feeling the exfoliants, just massage the product in as best you can, and you should see results. Again, it is clarifying and balancing and will give you some volume without damaging your hair. I think this is a pretty unique product; however, Ouidad has a scalp exfoliant with a similar price ($6 an oz compared to Kiehl's $5.88 an oz, but Ouidad's is double the size) that I might try before I repurchase this one; it's a little bit more accessible.

You can find this product at kiehls.com where it retails for $20.

 

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Prestige "My Blackest Lashes" Mascara Review

I've heard rave reviews about this mascara on YouTube, particularly from EleventhGorgeous, so I knew I wanted to give it a try. Then, I tried for months to get ahold of it, but my Ulta was always sold out. Needless to say- I was very excited when I got my hands on this. This is meant to be an intensely black volumizing mascara. 


As you can see, it has a medium-to-large standard bristle brush, and it is a very black formula. While I liked the intensity of the formula, I had a lot problems with its consistency at first. I tend to like drier mascaras, because I like to build my lashes up. In the beginning, I found that the formula was just too wet and sticky to be layered. Now that it's at the end of its life (dried up and pushing 3 months), I'm finding that it's really working for me. While the product is still kind of clumpy, it's much easier to control. Even though I found it difficult to work with, it all depends on what type of look your trying to achieve. I think if you like more natural lashes and stick to one coat, this could be a really great mascara for you. I definitely found that it was more thickening than volumizing, since it is so sticky. It adds thickness to your lashes, but doesn't make it appear like you have more. I would actually recommend going through with a lash comb or clean mascara wand to get more definition if you're doing the natural thing. Similarly, if you're layering it, you might want to try layering it with a dryer mascara for the first few weeks to keep all of your lashes from sticking together and forming one mono-lash.

Here are pictures showing what the mascara looks like after one and two applications. Again, these were taken after the mascara had dried out a decent amount.  

One Application

Two Applications

As far as the final verdict goes- I do think this will work for a lot of people, but be aware that layering it is really difficult for the first several weeks. Again, even though I do find it to be a very black formula, I don't find it volumizing at all, it's very thickening. Even though this product did give me some headaches in the beginning, it's a really great bargain, so it's something I might repurchase in the future. 

You can find this mascara at Ulta and drugstore.com for around $6.50.

Kérastase Cristalliste Bain Cristal Shampoo and Lumiere Liquide Review

These two products come from Kerastase's Cristalliste line, which is designed for long hair. The line claims to liven up dull hair, adding silkiness and shine, without weighing down roots. The products shown here are the Shampoo for thick hair and the serum. For reference, I have long, relatively thick, straight/wavy hair; I haven't colored it in a few years, but I do use heat on it most days. One of my main "hair problems" is finding products that are nourishing enough for my dry ends but light enough so my hair has volume. Based on the claims, I naturally gravitated towards these products. 

The shampoo I've used entirely, and I have to say it was really nice. A little goes a long way, it has a very pleasant scent (sweet-pea, maybe), and most importantly- it lived up to it's claims. After use, I found that my hair was more manageable and shiny. It also provided volume comparable to standard volumizing/clarifying shampoos, but it didn't feel stripped. The only disappointment I had was that I felt like my hair got used to it very quickly. Beauty myth or not, if I purchase this again, I will rotate it with other products more regularly. The steep price of this product has me looking at alternatives. I've had my eye on the Nexxus Hydra-Light Weightless Moisture and Redken Clear Moisture shampoos; they seem like they might be promising. 

The serum is meant to add shine, soften, and nourish brittle ends, and it's perfection. Honestly though, I have a huge love/hate relationship with this product. Don't let the pump fool you; the viscosity of the product is almost like water. It's SO thin, which makes it amazing, because it doesn't weigh down long hair; however, it also makes it really easy to go through. I've limited myself to using this for special occasions and when my hair really needs it. Kerastase makes a lot of their serums in 3.4 oz bottles- I don't know why this is only 1.7 oz! Anyways, it's great if you have the funds. It seals the hair's cuticle and makes your hair look so healthy. When I use this, I apply it to the lengths and ends of damp hair. Since it's so wet, I avoid putting it directly onto dry hair, because it can make it appear stringy and tends to ruin any prior styling. 

I can't say these are products I will always have in stock, soley based on their prices, but if you're really needing something that'll work and are willing to spend a little extra- I'd say go for it. Especially the serum. The line also has a shampoo for thin hair, a conditioner, and recently they've released a sculpting serum and hair mask (which I'm lusting over). 

The shampoo retails for $39 and the serum for $42. You can find these at kerastase.com (subscribe to their mailing list for coupons) and the birchbox shop.