Billie Eilish Eilish Eau de Parfum is the best celebrity fragrance I’ve tried in a really long time. You absolutely need this. Don’t walk, run to ulta.com and get it! This is a gem, a keeper, a must have for gourmand fans.

Billie Eilish Eilish Eau de Parfum launched late last year and I immediately heard rumblings about how wonderful it was. It sold out twice on the brand’s website and I missed out purchasing it those two times. I dunno if it actually sold out that fast or if they were using the great marketing trick of convincing the world it was selling that fast which in turn created a frenzy. Whatever was going on I know I couldn’t get my hands on it. I finally was able to score it at Ulta a few months ago and I immediately fell in love with it first sniff. I didn’t even have to spray it on! Just sniffing from the bottle I knew it was going to quickly become a favorite fragrance of mine.

I think Billie is amazingly talented but I sort of associate with her with tomboy-like image. This is not a bad thing by any things but I don’t see her as a girlie girl misting herself with perfume or even creating a perfume. When I heard she was doing a fragrance I immediately shot her into the stereotypical celebrity fragrance group. You know the ones that do a quick fragrance release for a money grab. I admit I was disappointed. This was Billie Eilish! She was edgy, she had that screw you attitude, why is she doing a celeb fragrance release? Worst she goes and bottles it up in a bosom bottle that reminds me of Kim K Body!

How wrong I was.

This is an amazing and beautifully crafted fragrance. Billie, accept my apologies for doubting you. Never again. Now, I really need to know what your next fragrance will be. I NEED more!

Ok, so, it took me some time to get over the bottle but now I actually like it. This fragrance comes housed in a bronze torso-shaped bottle. And initially I was groaning about how tacky it was and now I’m like, hmmm it has some charm and elegance to it.

But forgot the packaging! Let’s talk about the juice.

When I tried recently tried and fell madly in love with TPH Anything Glows Body Oil I felt like I had smelled it somewhere before. I just couldn’t put my finger on where I had smelled it. I realize now it had some of the same DNA as Eilish! Not a dupe by any means but the two scents are very similar and I couldn’t be happier about this as all the gorgeous TPH vanilla and tuberose products pair up so wonderfully with this perfume! TPH doesn’t have fragrance mists or perfumes in the collection! It’s body care only which made me so sad as I’d have loved a mist of some sort to go along with it. I realized now that Eilish is THE PERFECT companion to TPH bodycare! Again, these are a dupe for each other but the scents compliment each other beautifully well! My next adventure is trying to combine this with Victoria’s Secret Bare! It feels like the two would smell amazing layered together!

Eilish Perfume has notes of Sugar, Red Berries and Mandarin Orange at the start with middle notes of Vanilla, Cacao, Spicy Notes, and Rose and base notes of Tonka Bean, Amber, Musk, and Woody Notes.

I can’t say I get the berries in this fragrance but do get a hint of orange that’s quickly mixed with warm ambery vanilla and chocolate on a bed of exotic, sultry woods. The scent engulfs me in a cloud of warm, cozy gourmand notes. It’s sugary but not too sweet, it’s warm and sexy, very sultry, and smells like an exotic chocolate desert. The chocolate isn’t overwhelming at all and has a beautiful warmth to it thanks to the touches of woods and amber. It’s perfection. Sheer perfection. I wish monitors were scratch and sniff so you can smell how delicious this is. It’s perfection. This is surprisingly strong as well! The scent bubble it creates lasts for several hours and lingers on my skin beautifully well!

Eilish is exactly what one would want from a darker gourmand! If you want a sexy, sultry, warm scent for Fall I can’t recommend this enough! This is a perfect example of why you shouldn’t judge celeb fragrances too quickly the way I do. This was an amazing first offer from Miss Eilish! I’ll be looking out eagerly for her next release.

Have you smelled it?

Do share your thoughts?

Where to buy

Ulta

The post The BEST Celebrity Fragrance I’ve Tried In a Long Time That You Absolutely Need appeared first on Musings of a Muse.

So, last week I blogged about the joys of the creamy vanilla cuppycake awesomeness that is EOS Vanilla Shea Better 24HR Moisture Body Lotion!

Seriously, you freaking need it! It smells amazing. Much to my delight I noticed that ulta.com is now selling it! So, doing a 21 Days of Beauty order now is a good time to snag it.

Enjoy!

Where to buy

Ulta

The post EOS Vanilla Cashmere Shea Better 24HR Moisture Body Lotion Is Now at Ulta appeared first on Musings of a Muse.

E.L.F. Ride or Die Lip Balm ($5) are a fairly new, permanent lip balm infused with Jojoba Oil that promise a sheer wash of color but come at you with plenty of pigment! I know I’m pretty late with this review but I’ve been using this since their released and at this point I can honestly say YOU NEED them. These are not only super affordable and cheap as day old chips but they pack such a great punch of color and shine.

I swear E.L.F. Ride or Die Lip Balm are what I wanted from Colourpop So Juicy Plumping Gloss!

Absolutely love them and I think you will too!

E.L.F. Ride or Die Lip Balm are available in seven shades and flavors and come housed in a squeeze tube that holds 0.42 oz of lip balm for $5. They kinda remind of the old MAC Paints packaging but on a larger scale. Sadly, they don’t come with a brush for application nor a slanted applicator or even a sponge. These are a squeeze and apply with your finger type of deal which doesn’t make them particularly travel-friendly.

I think I have all except one of the shades but I just brought out two of my favorite colors for this review those being Tough Cookie which is a dusky nude caramel and PSL which is a pretty bright burnt orange. I love how they label all these “sheer”! Stop! These are anything but sheer! They provide full color on lips and are extremely pigmented! Not only that but they are highly moisturizing, wear for three to four hours, aren’t sticky nor tacky, and they provide excellent shine.

The formula is a little weird and inconsistent across shades but that’s not a bad thing. Like PSL is a very thick formula where as Tough Cookie seems thinner and creamier. I found the same holds true with other shades. The formula just isn’t really consistent. That being said the color, moisture, and shine they provide all match up. One thing I did notice is color does separate in some shades which means these might not have a long shelf life. E.L.F. says 12 months upon opening but I feel like I’ve already noticed that some shades squeeze out clear or separated after only a few months of having them. Not a major deal as once you squeeze enough out the color does mix but it’s something that does deserve mentioning.

E.L.F. Ride or Die Lip Balm Swatches (PSL and Tough Cookie)

E.L.F. Ride or Die Lip Balm Swatches (PSL and Tough Cookie)

I absolutely loved them. I have drier lips so this is a dream formula for me. I love color and I love shine and this formula delivers both! It’s thick, heavy, and cream-like with a balmy texture that breaks down as it hits the heat of your lips and goes thinner and lighter in consistency. It feels very moisturizing on lips and has a very smooth finish with plenty of shine! All the shades have different flavors. Tough Cookie has a brown sugar-y vanilla flavor and fragrance where as PSL sort of has a snickerdoodle-like flavor and fragrance (even though it’s supposed to taste and smell like a Pumpkin Spice Latte).

E.L.F. PSL Ride or Die Lip Balm

E.L.F. Tough Cookie Ride or Die Lip Balm

E.L.F. Ride or Die Lip Balm are literally a ride or die lip balm! Truly a great formula for fans of thicker, super glossy, moisturizing lip products!

Where to buy

ELF Ulta

The post E.L.F. Ride or Die Lip Balm A Late Review That’s Worth Reading appeared first on Musings of a Muse.

I picked up some The Body Shop Apricot & Agave Hair & Body Mist when I did my last Ulta haul and can I just say this stuff is amazing! I was looking forward to Holiday sales because I’m stocking up on these but now I don’t have to because they are on sale at Ulta for $8! The Body Shop recently introduced their Hair & Body Mist in five different fragrances and I stupidly picked up one. It was actually a really spontaneous purchase just to tip me into the free shipping zone because Ulta had sent me a coupon to try the new Clinique Concealer and I needed to add a few items to my cart to reach the free shipping zone and this was one of those items. So glad, I dove in because I loves it.

The Body Shop Apricot & Agave Hair & Body Mist is 5 oz in size and will set you back $8.40 on sale at Ulta but they retail typically for $15 each! They are available in five fragrance as I stated above and the formula can be used on your hair or your body. I really like some of the Body Shop’s perfumes and mists but none of it really lasts on me. Their stuff is either really weak or my body chemistry just doesn’t like their formulas.

That being said I thought the The Body Shop Apricot & Agave Hair & Body Mist was quite strong with an excellent throw and linger in both my hair and on my body. The scent is quite unique too! It’s not a sweet, fruity scent as you’d expect from apricot. I actually don’t even know what it is I’m smelling when I mist this. I don’t get the apricot or the agave but it’s this twisted up scent with a nice twang to it. It’s quite fun and fresh smelling!

I typically mist this on my damp hair and proceed to style as usual. The scent wafts around me all day even with my hair up! On my body, it has a really nice staying power which surprised me as I expected it to be weak.

All in all, an excellent purchase!

I’d recommend checking these out.

If you have already do share your thoughts on the formula!

Where to buy

Ulta The Body Shop

The post My Hair Smells Awesome Thanks to this Hair Mist and I’m Pretty Sure You Need It appeared first on Musings of a Muse.

Ok, say what you want but Le Mer Eye Cream is actually pretty good but Heimish Marine Care Eye Cream is better and cheaper. Let’s get some back story in here before we continue. I have purchased expensive eye cream a plenty. Some of those purchases I regret, others I don’t. One item I do indulge in that I use quite often and make no apology about is Creme de la Mer The Eye Concentrate. It’s ridiculous expensive, the ingredients aren’t amazing, but here I am dropping cash on it. I was ever so thankful when La Mer popped at Sephora because at least I can get my fix at 20% off during the Holiday Event. The good news is I have not purchased a single pot of La Mer since I started using Heimish Marine Care Eye Cream which happens to be $25 at the most. Hello bargain!

It is, without doubt, one of my favorite eye creams and also, and it enters the realm of HG status (holy grail). I not saying it is a dupe for La Mer as the formulas are different however, I am saying that my eyes react the same when I am using Heimish versus La Mer plus Heimish’s formula is a bit more moisturizing. I won’t get into details why I love La Mer’s formula but I will say if you use it you be happy to switch over to Heimish as it is just as good if not better.

Heimish Marine Care Eye Cream arrives in a 1 oz pot that includes a double-sided cooling eye roller ball on one side and a spatula on the other. I love, love the cooling eye roller ball simply because it is amazing convenient that it has a small spatula on one side that I can scoop the eye cream out with! It’s a nifty little tool and it shows how much attention goes into details when it comes to Korean skincare.

This is a thicker eye cream that has a subtle sea kelp fragrance. Don’t be nervous as I know thicker eye creams can be a chore at times but I promise it absorbs super easily. The miracle here is the fact that such a tiny amount can do so many wonderful things for my eyes. The formula is meant to brighten, prevent wrinkles, tighten, and hydrate. I don’t put a lot of pressure on my eye creams when it comes to eliminating darkness or softening lines, etc…! I simply don’t think there’s any miracle eye cream out there that’s going to make me look ten years younger. I’ve tried plenty both cheap and expensive and none have eliminated all my woes like finer lines, puffiness, and sometimes darkness. It’s just not possible in my opinion with surgery. That being said if you are aging chances are you are experiencing dryness under your eyes and dryness is the number one problem with looking older. Ease the dryness and I can guarantee you’ll look well-rested and younger. That, is in fact, where Heimish Marine Care Eye Cream performs its little miracle. This is a super hydrating eye cream. Very rich, very moisturizing! I apply a tiny dab and instantly my finer lines look softer, and the skin under my eyes looks more supple, plumped, and smoothed. It truly is a little miracle. One thing that bothers me about it is the fact that it doesn’t always play nice with my concealer. I typically apply a very tiny amount under my eyes and I use the roller to gently roll around my eyes. After I pat it all into place under my eyes! It’s an eye cream that definitely sinks in but also, it creates a barrier of moisture under your eyes and that does something interfere with certain concealers and makes them apply streaky and less than smooth. If you have a matte concealer around that may have been drying before I urge you to use it with this eye cream as it works best with a more mattifying formula. Or just reserve this as your night eye cream!

What’s inside? Some of the key ingredients it contains are kelp extract, algae extract which counteracts darkness and can make dark circles look brighter (it also happens to be very high on the ingredients list), seaweed and brown seaweed both of which are highly moisturizing. There are a lot of other fantastic ingredients which are lower on the list like niacinamide, glycerin, hyaluronic acid, shea butter, and macadamia nut oil. It’s really a powerhouse of good stuff!

I absolutely love it is something I’ll purchase again and again!

If you have drier eyes it’s worth a purchase. Don’t miss out.

Where to buy

iHerb

The post I’ll Be the One To Say It! Heimish Marine Care Eye Cream Is Better Than La Mer appeared first on Musings of a Muse.

Hard Candy Just Glow Silk Blush in Gush Blush is my new favorite shimmer blush of the moment! I went to Wally World about two weeks ago because I’m a freak that’s addicted to all those Pioneer Woman dodads and of course, I hit up the Hard Candy display because it feels like ages since we talked. Some small part of me wanted to see the Marilyn Monroe Collection in person and it’s as uneventful as I thought it would be but Just Glow Shimmer Blush? That’s SO not disappointing.

You know my obsession with glow-y peachy blushes right? This fits the bill perfect and I’d say it even looks a lot my beloved and long gone MAC Sweet Vision Magic Dust Powder but a bit lighter in color!

Hard Candy Just Glow Shimmer Blush arrives in a plastic compact with a clear lid and a pale pink base. It’s $5.97 and holds 0.25 oz blush. The packaging is basic, simple, and small enough to store easily. I wouldn’t say it’s the cutest packaging in the world but I’ve learned sometimes we don’t always need pretty packaging so long as the quality is awesome. And in this case, Hard Candy comes through with the formula.

This is a light, thin blush with a powdery formula so tapping excess off your brush is a necessary evil and does feel a little wasteful at times. Although powdery that doe not translate as chalky or dry. The texture is thin, silky, and blends easily and seamlessly onto my cheeks leaving excellent color that’s very pigmented and a gorgeous glow. At a glance you can see very fine specks of gold shimmer in the pan but I don’t see that shimmer on my face at all! I get a beautiful luminosity from the blush but I don’t look like I was hit by a glitter bomb. I love how it looks like I applied my blush and followed up with a highlighter. The product just seamlessly give you that glowing look without the additional step of applying a highlighter. For me, this is awesome because I’m a bit heavy-handed with both blush and highlighters so having one product that performs both functions is amazing.

The color, Gush Blush, is a gorgeous pink peachy that looks a lot like NARS Orgasm! I’d go so far as to say they are dupes of each other however, Hard Candy lacks the glittery look of NARS Orgasm and applies considerably more smoothly with a glow sans shimmer. The golden peachy pink sheen it leaves on cheeks looks amazing and wears for a solid 10 hours! I do lose some of the sheen but the color does remain true. I applied the blush 7:30AM yesterday and here I am at the end of the night (CLICK HERE to see the pic) in my Instagram photo still with plenty of color even though the glow has diminished.

All in all, a cheap and wonderful little budget friendly blush that has the performance of a mid-range brand. I’ll happily buy a backup of these gorgeous shade! Sadly, there are no other shades I know of that are available! It appears they only launched a single shade in this formula. There is however, a matte version of the same formula in a single shade as well! They should do more as I’d totally buy them!

This one gets a Muse Approval.

You need it!

The post Hard Candy Just Glow Silk Blush Review & Swatches appeared first on Musings of a Muse.

When I was a kid I was obsessed with Hello Kitty and Sanrio. Ok, let me correct that a little bit. As a child and as an adult I’m a tiny bit obsessed with Sanrio. Aren’t we all? But when I think back on my childhood I have a lot of good memories I associate with Sanrio. I remember the mall had a stationary store and they had everything and anything Sanrio related. Stickers, gum, pens, pencils, pencil boxes, and most importantly erasers. I remember I had a pink Hello Kitty eraser that had a triangle pointed top and a square body which fit into a pink case which slid the eraser up and down. It’s odd how the mind works sometimes and how I can vividly remember a silly little eraser like that. Most importantly I remember how amazing it smelled. It smelled just like Lush the Comforter! It was this slightly sweet scent…! I can’t even begin to describe it to be honest but I just remember it smelled amazing and when I smelled Lush the Comforter for the first time all the memories of that tiny eraser came flooding back!

The Comforter is now available in a Body Spray from Lush and is part of their permanent collection however, if you’d like something strong there’s a The Comforter Perfume available from Lush UK as well which is exclusive to their website. The Comforter Perfume isn’t actually new it’s something that’s come and gone a few times from Lush during forum fragrance rounds. I’m glad to see it seems to be a permanent fixture lately on Lush UK. If you’d like it they do ship to the USA.

The Comforter has been available in a shower gel, body lotion, and of course, the legendary bubble bar!

As for the scent…!

It’s been said initially this smells like cat pee but I don’t get that at all and the idea revolts me haha! I just get a tart blackcurrant scent that goes sweeter as it dries down and settles into skin. It has a certain little twang that prevents it being overly sweet! If you had a Sanrio eraser this is basically spot on what it smells like. Childhood, good memories, Hello Kitty…!

Yum!

Are you a fan of the Comforter?

Have you smelled the perfume?

Do share!

The post So, You Wanna Smell like a Sanrio Eraser? appeared first on Musings of a Muse.

My boyfriend hates Cracker Barrel with a passion. The country music, the food, the long wait time, there isn’t a single thing he likes about it. We are obviously polar opposites because if someone says, “Want to go to Cracker Barrel?” I’m all like, “Get in the car! I’ll drive!”

Ok, so yeah, no offense to anyone that loves it but the country music does get on my nerves too but I like sitting on the “front porch” playing checkers as we wait for them to blare our name on the intercom telling us our table is ready and I like the high cholesterol, salty food. I mean it’s not something great to eat daily but every once and a while is yum!

I know, I know! I know what you’re thinking! You’re thinking, “But you missed the most important part!” I was getting to that. Patience!

The country store!

That’s the very best part. There are so many fun things to buy! Old time candy, home decor, and of course, bath, body and beauty goodies. I can spend hours browsing the store.

I’m a complete child and he’s a complete adult in the relationship so I do beg to go and he always humors me but no longer! NOW I can get my favorite hand cream crack and stay healthy by not eating Cracker Barrel food!

Here’s how you can snag it too. P.S. It smells like Fall so you NEED IT.

Dionis is now sold at Ulta! I used to snag all their seasonal hand creams at Cracker Barrel whenever we went but now Ulta is carrying much of the line including my beloved favorite, Caramel Pumpkin Spice Hand Cream! It’s so rich and so lovely and it smells good enough to eat and it lingers on your hands so beautifully! Buy cases of it my friends! It’s $9 bucks for a 1 oz tube and it even comes with a Pumpkin Latte Lip Balm (I haven’t tried this yet!).

I already have some of the hand cream from last year and still have a full bottle of the hand wash but I decided to order this set as I was curious about the lip balm.

No more trips to Cracker Barrel! Well, I’ll probably still beg to go ;-D

Anyone else love Dionis?

P.S. They do an amazing Peppermint Hand Cream around the Holidays! Hopefully Ulta gets that too!

Where to buy

Ulta

The post I Can Stop Begging to Go To Cracker Barrel To Buy Hand Cream Crack Now…. appeared first on Musings of a Muse.

I’ll start my review of the new Huda Beauty Makeup Remover Balm by saying it’s too small, too limited edition, and too damn wonderful. This stuff is magic! Why is available for a limited time and why is it so damn small though?

Huda Beauty Makeup Remover Balm is a new cleansing balm that launched this past weekend for $12 in a mini 0.71 oz size. Ok, let’s break this down for a second into drugstore cleansing balm sizes and prices!

The recently released Pond’s Cleansing Balm is $9.99 cents (sometimes cheaper in some drugstores) and is 3.38 oz. Another recent release to the drugstore world is Physicians Formula The Perfect Matcha 3-in-1 Melting Cleansing Balm which is smaller than Pond’s and more expensive at 1.4 oz for $12.99. Also priced at the $12 range is Ulta Cleansing Balm which is 3 oz in size. I’m just throwing out there some fairly decent formulas that can be purchased at the drugstore which are bigger and priced along the same line.

The price is pretty high for such a small amount. Even taking it into the mid-range world the price is higher as if Huda should be some chance introduce in a larger size I’d say she’d go with around 3 to 3.8 oz size which seems to be the norm for many major brands. Say if she did do a 3 oz size would should use the $12 as a starting cost per oz or would it be under an oz at 0.71 oz? If it was under we’d be paying close to $48 for under 3 oz of cleansing balm. Compared to brands like Clinique Take The Day Off Cleansing Balm which is $30 for 3.8 oz and It Cosmetics Bye Bye Makeup Cleansing Balm at the same price for 2.82 oz things could become quite expensive quite quickly. I popped a single eyeshadow on top of the jar below just for size reference.

I’m just speculating the price point at a larger size because at this point we have no idea if Huda Beauty Makeup Remover Balm will ever be available at a full-size. We can only hope it will be. I do wonder why they launched it as a limited edition product and at such a small size. It’s actually really sad they did this because I love it. It’s fabulous! And it’s grossly overpriced and I won’t be able to get it after it’s gone according to the brand.

Are they testing the market to see if they want to introduce it as a permanent product in Huda’s permanent collection? Who knows! I just know right now I’m sad it’s so damn small.

Huda Beauty Makeup Remover Balm is made in Japan and comes housed in a travel size plastic jar. It’s easy to travel with which is great as it’s solid and you can carry it on board a plane. The outside labeled reads OMG. I have no idea what that is referencing but I’d like to think it’s a jab at the great formula. OMG THIS STUFF IS AMAZING!

Because it really is.

Like all cleansing balms it is solid with a soft consistency that resembles melted wax. I’d say it’s in the middle of Take the Day Off Cleansing Balm and Farmacy Green Clean Makeup Meltaway Cleansing Balm. Not as soft as Farmacy but not as firm as Clinique just right in the middle of being firm yet soft like you just blew a candle out and the wax is just starting the process of hardening.

There are two things I love about this formula. First off it melts so easily once it hits my skin! It just turns into a gorgeous oil as soon as any heat is applied! I love how easily it glides across my face. The second thing I adore it how crazy easy it rinses off. It takes absolutely no effort to remove this from my skin! It emulsifies and disappears with a quick splash of water! It didn’t dry my skin out, didn’t leave it tight, and it removed makeup in a snap! I normally remove my eye makeup before I cleanse my skin but I tested this with my eye makeup on and was blown away at how easily it melted off my mascara and eyeshadow without leaving a trace of it behind.

And big yay for the fact it doesn’t contain scent! I wouldn’t mind if it did but I know my sensitive users will love that it smells like absolutely nothing.

Would I recommend it?

It’s expensive as hell and tiny and limited edition but it’s wonderful. So yes, I’d totally recommend it and I’m even slapping a Muse Approval on it.

Huda Beauty Makeup Remover Balm too small, too limited edition, and just too damn wonderful not to try.

You need it.

Huda Beauty Makeup Remover Balm is available now.

Go buy lots of it.

Where to buy

Sephora

The post Huda Beauty Makeup Remover Balm Too Small, Too Limited Edition, Too Wonderful appeared first on Musings of a Muse.

I’ve had the Finishing Touch Flawless Hair Remover in my review pile most of the Summer. This is a small, discreet, travel-friendly epilator to remove facial hair painlessly. Did you raise a brow at painlessly? I know I did. That’s mostly why it ended up in my “to be reviewed” pile. I’ve tried epilators before and they aren’t exactly pain-free. They kind of feel like I’m giving myself a rug burn!

I haven’t used one in years and I wasn’t planning on giving the Finishing Touch Flawless Hair Remover a chance. It just sounds like a gimmick.

But guess what?

It isn’t.

YOU NEED it!

I’m not shy about saying I’m hairy. Sadly, it’s a fact and I can’t hide it so I might as well own up to it. The media, advertising, and society makes it somehow feel we should be ashamed because we have hair that grows on our bodies. But hey, it is what it is. Nature and all that.

I know I’m not going to pull a Amanda Palmer anytime soon and go out in public with hairy pits on display. Praise you Amanda for being so brave. Which is why I’m glad we have endless options to remove it!

Some folks wax, others thread, and some splurge on laser treatments. And there are a many out there that just shave it off. Personally, I’m still under the disillusion that shaving your face will result in harsher, coarser hair which is completely not true. I tend to favor wax for my upper lip and brows because I’m half Italian and half Portuguese so, you know I have coarse, dark hair going on. Occasionally, I’ll go the threading route but I find wax is easiest. Of course, the major downfall of facial hair is waiting for it to grow back before waxing it again. I typically wait about two weeks before I get my upper lip and brows waxed. At this point things can get a little messy because you’ll have stray hairs growing in and you don’t want anyone to get to close a view of what’s happening on your upper lip or between your eyes during that regrowth process.

Using an epilator on my face wasn’t really an option because I find them painful. But I was somehow brave enough or just curious enough to try the Finishing Touch Flawless Hair Remover. I’m so freaking glad I did! This thing is brilliant.

I’m currently in the regrowth hair phase. It’s been 10 days since my last wax appointment which means I have a few strays hairs between my brows as well as some on my upper lip. I decided this was a good a time as any to put the Finishing Touch Flawless Hair Remover to the test.

The unit comes in a larger barrel with a simple on and off switch and a cap to keep the razor safely tucked away when not in use. It’ll store away without taking much space and will travel easily as well should you want to tuck it into your makeup bag. It has a rotating gold plate razor head that replacements can be purchased for (a two pack of blades is $12.99 or a 4 pack is $19.99). I did cringe when I saw the razor head as it has that wired design which epilators are known for. That design is typically pretty painful as it kind of plucks hairs out which results in a cruel sting.

But I was brave and I went to work on my upper lip. I was so freaking surprised this didn’t hurt at all. No sting, no pinch, nothing. It just gently buzzes over your skin and that’s it. Best part? It whisks away hair super quick! Even really short hair! The key to making it work is to gently circle it around the area of hair you’re removing. Using a close up mirror is extra helpful as it’ll help you to spot all those finer hairs you want to remove. I ended up using it at the arch of my brows and also between them as that’s where hair is starting to grow back in for me. It did a nice job removing hair in both areas but obviously you want to be a little careful anywhere near your brows as you can mistakenly remove a larger chunk of hair. I also used it on my upper lip and it remove stray hair easily. This works best for hair on your lip or if you get hair on your chin or near the sides of your face etc…..

I was quite happy with the results. It left my skin smooth without redness, pain, or pinching and it also didn’t produce ingrown hair. I sound like an infomercial here with all the raving but it truly shocked me at how well it worked.

Best part?

It’s $20 bucks and ulta.com has it in stock right now which means if you haven’t used your 20% off yet you can do so and get it for $16! You can also get at amazon.com.

Try it out, I think you’ll love it as much as I do.

I’m slapping a Muse Approval on this!

Tried it already?

Please share your thoughts!

The post Finishing Touch Flawless Hair Remover Review and Muse Approval appeared first on Musings of a Muse.

Aveda Tulasara Radiant Awakening Ritual ($89) is a two step skincare routine that includes Aveda Tulasara Radiant Oleation Oil as well as the Aveda Tulasara Radiant Facial Dry Brush which can be used to gently exfoliate skin as well as hydrate it.

I purchased this set back in August when it originally released and I can visibly see and feel the difference in my skin. If you have drier skin, I’d highly recommend it.

Here’s my review and thoughts on the Aveda Tulasara Radiant Awakening Ritual!

I’m an instant gratification kind of girl but let’s face it, most skincare doesn’t work right away. Visible results aren’t always apparent right away with skincare and it takes time, continued use, and patience to see results when using new skincare. Aveda Tulasara Radiant Awakening Ritual is an instant result skincare product. You’ll be able to see the results almost immediately and you’ll continue to see them over time.

Aveda Tulasara Radiant Awakening Ritual was created to use in the morning and also meant to be washed off. I contacted Aveda’s customer service to ask them if it also can be used in the evening and if the oil could be remain on my face versus washed off and they readily agreed that was fine. I’ll speak a little bit more about how I feel about washing the oil off later in this review but first I want to explain the exfoliating and application technique.

The first item in this set is the Aveda Tulasara Radiant Facial Dry Brush. It can actually be purchased individually should you like and used with a facial oil of your choice in my opinion if the Aveda Tulasara Radiant Oleation Oil is not to your liking. I purchased the set because I wanted to try both items. The small oval handheld brush has short, dense bristles with swirling peaks that we’re created to gently massage skin and sweep away dead skin cells. It’s the perfect size for working around my face and fits my hand and the contours of my face very nicely. You’ll gently stroke it over a dry, freshly cleansed face and sweep upwards and outwards to remove flaky, dead skin. You can work it across your forehead, both cheeks, chin, and down your neck and chest for one minute. I set a timer on my Iphone to tell me when the time is up. I wouldn’t say the bristles are terribly soft but they aren’t unpleasantly scratchy either! They are however, very dense. I’ve used a towel to exfoliate my face in the past and this technique is no different and works just as well to remove dead skin very easily. I think the most impressive thing about the brush is the fact that it doesn’t dry your skin out the way a facial scrub would. The irony of having dry skin is that you only make it even more dry when you use a grainier facial scrub to remove dryness. At best I exfoliate once a week with a facial scrub because anything more makes me feel drier and tighter. This brush I can easily use daily without over stripping or drying my skin out. Although, I wouldn’t recommend daily use. Why? Because it really does remove a good layer of dead skin and overdoing it might make the experience painful versus beneficial. I noticed when I used it three times nights in a row that my skin actually developed some redness and sensitivity. I started using it once every other night and that helped. Also, you don’t want to follow up with an AHA after using this. You’ll want to skip any AHA treatments when using this because it is removing a good deal of dead skin and applying a AHA on freshly buffed skin will make it tingle or even burn. Skip the AHA the nights you use this. I thought it was a gimmick in all honesty but it really works to remove flaky skin. It refines and polishes my complexion and preps it well for skincare as my moisturizer and other nightly skincare absorbs a lot more easier after a dry brushing.

Tulasara Radiant Oleation Oil is the second step in this routine and like the brush can be purchased by itself or along with the brush in the Aveda Tulasara Radiant Awakening Ritual Set. I can’t express enough how much I like that the items are sold both together and separate. I don’t have sensitives to this oil but if you do and just want to try the brush it is a nice option that it is available as an individual purchase. Tulasara Radiant Oleation Oil contains a host of wonderful oils but this does have a strong herbal scent that might be off putting to sensitive users. It contains sesame, sunflower, rose hip, apricot kernel, and sweet almond oils just to name a few. After your dry brushing take about four pumps of the oil and give yourself a massage with it for about one minute. Be firm but use a gentle hand to gently massage the oil all over your face, neck, and upper chest area. After your massage leave the oil on for four minutes. If you’re using this in the morning I would highly recommend following up the cleansing your face step that Aveda recommends. The oil is quite thick and will make your skin shiny and greasy and won’t wear well under makeup. Rinse it off with a cleanser and pat dry. Do not dry to wash it off with water only as it does not emulsify and water will simply bead off it. Use a cleanser to completely remove it from your skin. Personally, I have no time in the morning to dry brush my face and leave oil on for four minutes so, I use the set as a nightly routine and I leave the oil on my skin versus rinsing it off. If you’re prone to clogged pores you might not wish to do this. It works out fine for me and I wake up with bright, soft, super smooth skin.

One of the things that’s almost instantly visible when you’re using this set is how smooth and soft your skin is. The next day you’ll find your skin is brighter and your makeup will look much, much smoother and more even. Sometimes my foundation and my blush can cling to my drier cheeks giving it a cakey appearance. Since I started using this set I instantly noticed how much more smoother everything looked. I suffer from duller skin and I love how much brighter my skin appears thanks to fact this removes so much dead skin and also the amount of moisture it provides which is why my skin looks so much more happier and less tired.

I pegged the Aveda Tulasara Radiant Awakening Ritual as a gimmick but I was terribly wrong. This set has make my dry skin very, very happy! I’ll happily buy it again. If you have dry, dull skin you’ll adore how much brighter and smoother your complexion looks after using this! I truly think it the long run it’ll keep my skin looking youthful and beautiful. I’ll happily repurchase it again.

Love this and can’t recommend it enough!

Aveda Tulasara Radiant Awakening Ritual is available now at nordstrom.com and at aveda.com.

Very Muse Approved!

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So, you totally need Gillette Venus Olay Vanilla Cashmere! OMG! How am I just knowing about this now? Recently, I was at the evil empire (Walmart) and I came across this on the shelf. And obviously, there were at least twenty cans that someone opened squirted. To me this is the equivalent going into a public restroom and finding pee on the seat of the toilet. People, seriously, this is why we can’t have nice things. Why are you peeing on the toilet seat and opening cans of shaving cream and just randomly squirting them. This also happens to be an issue with gel deodorants. People, check your deo before you leave the store because chances are someone mucked with it.

Sigh.

Anyway, the squirted cans worked out in my favor in some odd way because I ended up getting some Gillette Venus Olay Vanilla Cashmere on my hands and fell in LOVE!

I typically feel like every single can of fruity shaving cream smells just like the next. There’s nothing unique about the fragrances and most of ’em all smell identical to the last. So, I don’t pay a lot of attention when picking one. I happened to grab a can of the Vanilla Cashmere and got some on my hands and loved it. OMG! This is so pretty. It’s a soft vanilla cashmere scent that reminds me of Donna Karen Cashmere Mist! It’s such a delightful change from the normal fruity shaving gels I purchase.

If you haven’t already, I highly suggest grabbing up Gillette Venus Olay Vanilla Cashmere!

Love this!

Anyone try it?

You need it!

Grab it at your drugstore or amazon.com, soap.com, or walmart.com.

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The Makeup Revolution Precision Contour Set ($30) is set to blown your mind. This three piece oval makeup brush set is absolutely, positively incredible and did I mention it’s incredibly inexpensive too?

As you know, I’m a fond fan of finding budget friendly replacements for my Artis Makeup Brushes. Don’t get me wrong, I love them to death but something inexpensive is always a plus. I’ve successful find some fine replacements like the Etude House My Beauty Tool Secret Brush 121 Skin and Missha Professional Oval Makeup Brush. But these are a lot smaller than my Artis Oval 8. That’s where the Makeup Revolution Precision Contour Set excels.

This three piece brush set contains three super soft, synthetic hair brushes that range in size from large to small and allow easy, airbrushed application of foundation, contouring products, concealers, and even blush. This set includes the Pro Precision Brush Oval Face, Pro Precision Brush Oval Cheek and the Pro Precision Brush Oval Shape.

I fell instantly in love with this set. It’s just as good as more expensive oval brushes and the set is only $30 which means you’re paying $10 bucks a brush. That’s such an incredible value.

If you do a lot of contouring work these brushes will help you get clean, seamless lines. I don’t really do much contouring but I love how easily my foundation applies using the largePro Precision Brush Oval Cheek. It blends my foundation to a picture perfect finish. I use the larger Pro Precision Brush Oval Face with face powder or blush. I can apply most any powders on my drier skin with this brush and get a smooth, seamless, clean finish without the powder adhering to drier areas. The bristles are short, dense but soft which allows the powder to break down and buff into my skin without adhering on top of the dryness. The finish is airbrushed and beautiful. I also use it with blush as I’m heavy handed with blush and this brush allows me to apply just the right amount and buffs in to a natural finish.

The Pro Precision Brush Oval Shape is the perfect shape or under eyes. Again, this breaks down concealers and gives them a smooth, seamless finish. What this does in conjunction with Tarte Shape Tape Contour Concealer is mind blowing!

Seriously, this set blew my mind. Totally a value! The super soft yet dense bristles will help you apply make perfectly each and every time. Best part? They aren’t $80 plus dollars!

The Makeup Revolution Precision Contour Set is available at www.tambeauty.com and www.makeuprevolutionusa.com. Hopefully Ulta.com gets this soon as well!

Big Muse Approval. You NEED this set.

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There have been so many disappointing picks from Tarte Holiday 2016 but the Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush Palette Color Wheel is not one. I highly urge you to grab the Amazonian Clay Blush Palette Color Wheel now because I have a funny little feeling it’ll sell out during the Sephora Sale.

This one earns a you need this status as well as a Muse Approval.

I didn’t review the Tarte Big Blush Book 2 because I couldn’t muster an ounce of enthusiasm for it. It wasn’t good at all! I disliked the packaging and the blushes inside weren’t good at all. I did fear the Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush Palette Color Wheel would be just as bad but it surprised me.

I think one of the most interesting and thrilling parts about this palette is the compact size. I expected this to be as massive as the Big Blush Book 2 but it’s actually much smaller. This circular compact is pretty much the standard for some of Tarte’s past and newer releases like the Tarte Aqualillies for Tarte Amazonian Clay Waterproof Eye And Cheek Palette, Tarte Rainforest After Dark Colored Clay Eye & Cheek Palette, and just to name a few. It’s a smidge smaller than a music CD and will travel quite easily which is great because that means you can tote around 10 blushes in a super small space! Each blush is 0.084 in size which is a total of around 0.20 oz total so, it’s almost like you’re getting 4 full-size Tarte Blushes for a mere $44 which isn’t even the cost of two full-size blushes. It’s quite a nice value for the price plus you get a good deal of variety too. The Big Blush Palette 2 was $60 and included eight full-size blushes but the quality simply wasn’t there in my opinion. This palette is the better option in my opinion. One thing to not is the blushes are not removable so if you plan on depotting that isn’t an option.

Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush Palette Color Wheel Swatches (Ionic, Crafty, Montage)

Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush Palette Color Wheel Swatches (Culture, Surreal, Concept)

Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush Palette Color Wheel Swatches (Idol, Mod, Deco)

Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush Palette Color Wheel Swatches (Icon)

The palette isn’t only made up of blushes as you do get a highlighter shade as well called Crafty. Idol is also a highlighter shade of sorts and applies sheer with a luminous finish. Don’t kill me but I could have totally done without these shades. This is about the only rant I have about this palette! I’d have liked two more blush shades rather than these.

Since this is a Holiday Palette I have to say can we get a little more shimmer? I wish Tarte’s Amazonian Clay Blush Collection included more shades like Glisten. This palette has a beautiful shade called Culture which I’m wearing below. I really wish all the shades were as shimmery as this one! It has a delightful golden shimmer that adds a pretty glow to my cheeks. But don’t worry the rest of the shades as just as nice.

The blushes all performed well and had a dense texture but an airbrushed finish on cheeks with an easy to blend formula that applied perfectly on my cheeks with excellent wear of about eight hours per shade. I thought Idol was the only exception here as the formula was a little dusky and accentuated the dryness on my cheeks. All the other shades performed very well! They were a little more dense than the typical individual Amazonian Blushes but still had a good formula with excellent color pay off. I don’t think there any exact dupes here but many of the shades are variations of shades we’ve seen from past Holiday and individual permanent releases.

Wearing Culture

All in all, the Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush Palette Color Wheel was one of the few Tarte Holiday offerings that I liked. The performance of the blushes is right on par with the permanent collection. The packaging is super friendly to store and travel with as well as you get ten quite nicely sized blushes that fit into lightweight palette.

I don’t see this one sticking around for the Sephora sale so you might want to grab it up now!

Get it at Sephora.com.

Own it already?

Do share your experience with it!

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Lush Bubbly Shower Gel arrives for a limited time with the Lush Christmas/Holiday 2016 Collection and you best stock up if you love Champagne Snow Showers. Over the years, the Champagne Snow Showers fragrance has appeared in many different Lush products. There’s been Celebrate Body Lotion and First Snow Dusting Powder as well as Christmas Party Bomb, Celebrate Lip Tint, not to mention Celebrate Solid and Liquid Perfume and of course, at one point there was a rather leaky, milky, cottage-cheese like Champagne Snow Showers.

No matter what form it arrives in, I’m always quick to purchase it. It’s a effervescent, uplifting fragrance that I’ve always adored. This year, Lush took the alcohol out of Champagne Snow Showers and gifted us with something new yet very familiar.

For me, Lush Bubbly Shower Gel is Champagne Snow Showers without the alcohol!

And it’s a must! You need it.

I’m one of the people that orders Champagne Snow Showers when the UK produced limited edition forum bottles. When I got it I was oh so happy about the smell but devastated at the formula which had an odd milky, cottage-cheese like texture.

Praise the bath gods for releasing Bubbly as you’ll experiencing none of those issues with this gel. Bubbly is very much a Champagne Snow Showers scent! It’s created with grapes an vine leafs as well as lemon and lime oils. Champagne Snow Showers at cognac in the formula and this added a boozy element to the blend. Bubbly doesn’t have that booziness and it’s actually a little less strong when compared to Champagne Snow Showers. When you open the bottle and take a sniff you’ll get the fizzy effervescent but it doesn’t quite tickle your nose the way Champagne Snow Showers did. None the less, it is still very, very beautiful and much like the beloved Champagne Snow Showers/Celebrate fragrance. It’s fresh, clean, and quite invigorating when used in a morning shower! I’m thankful I still have First Snow Dusting Powder to pair it with after my shower but I has such a sad I don’t have anymore of the body lotion. I swear that Lush likes to torture us with their giveth and taketh away mentality.

Needless to say Lush Bubbly Shower Gel is a must. You need it. It’s a beautiful shower gel well worth stocking up on!

Muse Approved.

Available now at lush.com or at Lush stores.

Own it?

Love it?

Share!

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