A great question came my way recently:

Hi Jen, I’m searching for a natural/organic SPF face day lotion. Is the Alison Raffaele primer moisturizing enough for a daytime use?  I don’t have dry skin; I’m oily T zone, acne prone on cheeks, and can have sun spots pop up if I’m not extra-over-zealous with my SPF in summer.

Also, I’m trying a new natural/organic skin care regimen by Sophyto and they recommended a more natural SPF lotion to go with. So here I am.

Recommend something for me MBB!
Jami aka Bionic Beauty

Gotcha Jami.  You need an SPF day lotion that blocks the suns rays without causing your skin to shine and makeup to slide off.  You would also prefer an organic sunscreen lotion. (more…)

In embracing my natural curl, I have dramatically changed my methods of taking care and styling my hair.

If you are not familiar with the No-Poo, water-soluble silicone, air drying, no brushing, deep conditioning, cool final rinse, finger scrunching, hair plopping, and hair clipping terms associated with the “Curly Girl” Method, I have some good reading for you.

“Curly Girl,” by Lorraine Massey: A great introduction to the entire concept and theory behind the correct way to manage your fabulous curls. Massey is the Queen when it comes to the curly girl method. (more…)

Hi friends!  Since it is Friday I wanted to take a break from the daily review post and share some of the most popular posts statistically at Mythbuster Beauty.   I also wanted to call attention to Mythbuster’s Link Love page!   Recently we have added some newly found favorite beauty sites (Aging Fabulous , The Makeup Divas  and We Heart This) and hope you will take some time to discover them for yourself.  Great beauty advice knows no boundaries. 

• Deep Conditioning: How to Feed your Hair
• Bare Escentuals VS. Drug Store brand Mineral Makeup
• Drug Store Mineral Makeup: Maybe Not So Good
• Wonderful Facial mask recipes: Kitchen Cupboard Beauty
• Unwanted Facial Hair: What’s a gal to do?
• Mythbuster Beauty Reviews Baby Quasar and Baby Blue
• Week 3 of Naturally Curly Hair: No Blow Frying
• Does your makeup make you look older?
• All About Retinoids: Considering Retin-A
• My personal favorite post:  Season Finale: The 3 Week Naturally Curly Challenge

And totally not relevant to beauty blogs, if you love Craig Ferguson, head on over to Nenette’s post at LifeCandy, I luuuuuuuuv Craig Ferguson — and so do you… and laugh yourself silly!

Have a wonderful weekend and big hugs all around.  Jen   

One of the biggest perks of reviewing beauty products is that you receive many products from wonderful companies (I know… any beauty obsessed girl’s dream!).  Although, I often find myself saying, “Too many skincare products and not enough face to try them all.”  This is especially true when we review skincare because I like to test a line for at least a month before writing up my review.   Luckily I have acquired some trusted, smart beauty review partners!   I am very pleased to introduce you to this particular new beauty reviewer.  She is one of my closest personal friends, my sister Monique.

The Somme Institute promotes “the biggest industry breakthrough” since the introduction of Alpha Hydroxy Acids in the advancement of skin rejuvenation. Somme Institute developed a new technology in skin care called MDT5 (Molecular Dispersion Technology). This formula boasts free radical fighting anti-oxidants, allowing 5 highly engineered essential vitamins (A, B3/B5, C and E) to penetrate the inner skin layers with high concentrations of polypeptides that target specific skin cell receptors.  (more…)

So many new and wonderful beauty products are being released currently, and tarte cosmetics has announced some exciting additions to their line!

For the rest of February, we are very pleased to be giving away one of tarte’s complexion sets!  This set includes: 

ReCreate ($37) – anti-aging foundation with Wrinkle Rewind(TM) Technology, SPF 15 UVA/UVB Broad Spectrum

After discovering tarte’s smooth operator foundation (to read my review click here), I am beyond enthusiastic to hear of tarte’s newest clinically proven anti-aging foundation!

clean slate natural primer ($27)

This natural primer helps makeup stay in place longer while preventing creasing in fine lines and wrinkles. Unlike other primers, clean slateâ„¢ contains natural fruit and plant derived extracts to treat, protect, sooth and hydrate the skin.

the eraser ($19) – 4 in 1 natural concealer

Unlike other concealers that just cover the problem, the eraser contains skinvigoratingâ„¢ ingredients that help treat and soothe irritated skin and blemishes. The eraser also doubles as an eyeshadow and lipstick base, creating a barrier that prevents against fading and creasing

Rules:  To enter this giveaway enter your name, email address in the contest machine box below.  One entry per person and the deadline is at midnight (EST) Sunday, March 1st, 2009.  One winner will be chosen and will be announced on Mythbuster Beauty, PRIZEY.Fetch, and contacted via email.  MBB will not share your email address with anyone, and only uses your email address to contact you if you are a winner.  This giveaway is open to residents of the USA and Canada only.  The winner will receive one tarte complexion set (eraser, clean slate, recreate), this complexion set has the retail value of $83.

Urban Decay has been nominated in 5 categories of the Golden Compact Awards:

• Brow Box
• 24/7 Concealer Pencil
• Lipstick
• Big Buddha Brush
• Book of Shadows
   

If you love any of the above listed Urban Decay products, they would appreciate your vote!   There are several other awesome nominated products in several different beauty categories.   Let your opinion be known! 
 
click here for more info on the golden compact awards:
http://www.goldencompactawards.com/
 
click here to vote:
http://www.goldencompactawards.com/2008/10/vote.html

To enter, jump over to the giveaway post:   Jessicurl’s “How to Beat the Winter Blues” Giveaway!

And just for fun, Jess’ favorite band Michael Franti and Spearhead are on tour currently and performing in SLC this week, so very stoked to go see them.  I big heart Jessicurl!

What would be the most fantastic way to beat the winter blues? 
How about an all-expenses paid seven day trip for two to Bali!?

Unfortunately, I cannot offer you this trip.  But I can let you enter Jessicurl’s “How to Beat the Winter Blues” Giveaway! 

One very lucky winner will receive a Jessicurl Hair Care Collection, which includes six Jessicurl haircare products in the formula and fragrance of your choice.

If you have dry, thick and coarse hair, you would probably choose Jessicurl’s Rich Hair Care collection:

Get all the products you need to create soft, well defined curls. This collection features 6 products that are best for thicker, drier hair that needs more moisture. It contains 8 fl. oz of Confident Coils, Rockin’ Ringlets, Awe Inspiraling Spray, Hair Cleansing Cream, Too Shea! and Weekly Deep Conditioning Treatment ($65 retail value). (more…)

When asked to create a list of favorite beauty products for 2008, both DecoDiva and Mo mentioned their love of Indelible Gel Eyeliners.  When such extraordinary makeup mavens heart such a find, one needs to pay attention!

If you are a fan of liquid eyeliners, and particularly MAC’s Fluidline, the Indelible “Gel” Eyeliner will most likely appeal to you.  Mo reviewed this eyeliner in Black Cherry from LooseLipsNY , and DecoDiva found the indelible gel eyeliner at Aromaleigh’s website.  DD noticed that Aromaleigh carried this product by customer request and that it was made by a third party (private label) company that supplies it to any company that wants to carry it, in the same colors and same formula. (more…)

I was fairly content with my foundation choice this year (Prescriptives Flawless Skin with SPF 15), however, after reading several five star reviews about Make Up For Ever’s HD Foundation, I had to try this one for myself.

HD Invisible Cover Foundation ($40): An oil-free medium-to-full-coverage liquid foundation that covers skin imperfections flawlessly while remaining invisible on-screen and in real life. This Sephora-exclusive foundation comes in 25 different shades to suit all skin tones.

You will particularly love this foundation if you have oily or combination type skin, this is an oil-free formula that absorbs into the skin easily and blends beautifully. No breakouts or irritation while using this foundation! Because of the large selection of shades, you will also be sure to find your exact skin color match. The light diffusers are very subtle and give your skin a natural glow. The build-able coverage is very impressive, and a little bit goes a long way. The $40 price tag may scare you, but if you are looking for a lovely foundation, HD Invisible Cover Foundation is a must try. This foundation has become one of my top beauty finds for 2008.

One perfect way to apply this foundation is by using the BeautyBlender. Mo reviewed this amazingly versatile and wondeful sponge applicator, and we cannot say enough great things about it! Seriously, it is like these two items were custom made for each other.