Thursday, October 29, 2009

Clinique's Even Better Skin Tone Corrector: A Life Saver!

Hello Divas!

I hope everyone is having an awesome day!

If you have been reading my blog, you know that I have been experiencing extremely severe breakouts. Too much stress in my life! I am working on removing all negative elements in my life, so hopefully the breakouts will cease.

During my breakouts, my skin was scarring pretty bad from the acne. I know I needed a skin tone corrector or lightening cream to get rid of the scarring. While reading Shake Your Beauty, one of my favorite blogs, Ms. Tia raved about Clinique's Even Better Skin Tone Corrector with SPF 20. She too was experiencing breakouts and she said this cream evened her skin tone in 4 weeks! Nice!

I knew I had some Clinique samples in my beauty arsenal, so I searched and found the Even Better Skin Tone Corrector. Now this version does not include SPF 20, but I was eager to give it a try. I am happy to report that after 5 weeks of use, my dark marks are almost gone! This cream really really works. Now I am used to using Retinol cream which works within 14 days, but this cream does the job slowly but beautifully over time. Since I have been using this cream, I have not experienced any breakouts and my skin is so very smooth! Love it! My skin tone is brighter, my skin's texture has improved, and it is more even. What is there not to like?

Unfortunately, I just ran out of the sample, so I am running to the mall tomorrow to purchase an one ounce bottle of Even Better Skin Tone Corrector. It retails for $39.50. If you spend $25 or more at any Nordstrom's or Bloomingdales you will receive a free gift with purchase!

Toodles!

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Hot Drugstore Find of the Week: CVS Round Cotton Pads

Hello Divas!

I hope your Wednesday is fantabulous! It is sunny in the Atl today. Yeah! It is such a nice break from the constant rain.

Divas I am out of my favorite facial cotton pads. CVS Round Cotton Pads are the best cotton pads I have ever used. Why are they so good? First I love the price. You get 80 pads for $2.25. Plus sometimes they are on sale for much less with your CVS card. In addition, I only need to use one pad to completely remove all the excess oil, dirt, and makeup from my face. Previous brands I used would take 2 pads to completely clean my face, not the CVS brand. I firmly believe the pad' thickness and slightly large size contributes to why it works so well! These pads do a whole lot! A 80 pack will last me for at least 2 months. I am getting mucho bang for the buck! You can purchase CVS Round Cotton Pads online here or at any CVS. Divas make sure check to your CVS circular so you can catch them on sale!

Toodles!

Monday, October 26, 2009

YSL's Parisienne Eau de Parfum: My Review

Hello Divas!

I hope your Monday is wonderful. Remember life is what you make it so make it grand!

Recently I was given the opportunity to try Yves Saint Laurent's new fragrance, Parisienne. This fragrance is a floral scent with hints of Blackberry, Rose, and Sandlewood. This parfum comes in cute packaging and the ad with Kate Moss is insane! How does she look so good after all of these years?

But, I am not a fan. I traditionally like light florals with a hint of citrus or parfums with hints of musk or vanilla. Parisienne smells like a scent my grandmother would wear...... not my kind of scent. Also I felt the scent contained a bit too much alcohol to be a Eau de Parfum. Eau de Parfums usually contain less alcohol and more of the actual scent. Eau de Toilettes have more alcohol. However I digress. Most importantly, this scent did not work well with my body chemistry at all. After wearing it for a few days, I felt the scent was a bit overbearing. But if you are a Diva who loves strong floral scents or think this is a great scent for your Mom or Grandmother then Parisienne may be the perfect scent.

A 1.6 fluid ounce of YSL's Parisienne retails for $65.00 and you can purchase it here or at any Sephora.

Now this post has prompted me to ask you Divas a question. What parfum did you try that you absolutely did not like? Please share! One of your duds may be my favs! LOL!

Toodles!

Thursday, October 22, 2009

Kiehl's Creme de Corps Body Lotion

Hello Divas!

I hope your week is fantabulous and you are living the fabulous life!

Considering the size of my body lotion collection, I believe I have found the absolute perfect body lotion. Kiehl's Creme de Corps is, in my humble opinion, the best body lotion on the market. It is so rich and creamy. Believe me when I say this: a little goes a very long way. After one application, there is no need to re-apply. This lotion will keep your body soft, smooth and hydrated all day long. I have been using this lotion since I left NYC Fashion Week, and it has made a tremendous difference in my skin's texture. My skin is just smooth, smooth, smooth! This lotion is specially formulated for dry flaky skin. However, it is perfect for all skin types. It is especially great for the cold winter months! Some of the key ingredients in Creme de Corps are cocoa butter, sesame oil, and shea butter.

A 8.4 oz of Creme de Corps retails for $26. I know the price is a little steep for body lotion, but I still have 3/4 of the bottle remaining and I have been using it for over a month. It is worth every penny! You can purchase it online here or at any Kiehl's boutique.

Toodles!

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Perricone Cold Plasma Giveaway

Hello Divas!

I hope your weekend was a blast! It is officially cold in Atlanta....brrrrr! Time to break out the Uggs.

Dr. Perricone is known for his anti-aging skincare products. He has been a frequent guest on Oprah and women swear by his products. In fact, my friend funkidivagirl has flawless skin and she uses Dr. Perricone's PerriconeMD skincare line.

Recently, Dr. Perricone created a new revolutionary skincare product called Cold Plasma. Cold Plasma is a universal skin care product that claims to work with every skin type! As stated on Perricone MD's website "Cold Plasma works through a patented ionic suspension carrier system which allows for your skin to extract from Cold Plasma’s formula according to your individual, unique needs."

Also this cream is proven to improve your skin's firmness, elasticity, clarity, radiance, wrinkles, dryness and skin tone. It sounds like a winner to me! A 1 fluid ounce of this product retails for $150! Ouch! However, the kind people at PerrconeMD are giving away a full size sample of this product to one lucky Luxetips reader. Whoohoo!

Simply leave a comment on this post stating why you feel you will benefit from using Perricone's Cold Plasma. The Cold Plasma Contest starts today and will end next Friday, October 30 at Midnight!

Good luck and Toodles!

Friday, October 16, 2009

Fun Fridays!: New A.J. Wright Gift Card Winner and the Fashion Incubator

Hello Divas!

I hope your world is filled with love and joy! It raining cats and dogs in the Atlanta! Whoo! I need some serious sunshine!

Unfortunately I never heard from Carmen, so I had to pick a new winner of the A.J. Wright $50 gift card. The new winner is.....Jessica! Jessica contact me via email to claim your prize!

Also the Atlanta Fashion Incubator will host their Second International Conference of Fashion Incubators, November 12-14, in Atlanta at the W Buckhead Hotel. Seminars will include: “Fashion Tourism,” “Global Trends,” “Size Inclusivity,” “How to Start a Fashion Incubator,” and more. Also on November 13, the AFi will cosponsor the House of Diehl “Style Wars,” at Opera. The deadline for advance registration is October 31, 2009. If you are a fashion maven or you are interested in breaking into the fashion industry, this is a must attend conference! Click here to register online.


Toodles!

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Poule de Luxe Vanilla Fruit Sorbet Solid Parfum

Hello Divas!

Life is beautiful so lets enjoy it!

Recently I have become fascinated with solid parfums! They travel well, are compact, and so convenient to use. And because they are solid parfums, the scent is insanely intense. During Fashion Week, I attended a beauty blogger tweet-up and a representative from Crazylibellule and the Poppies Parfum Company put a cute tube of solid parfum around my neck. The packaging was crazy cute, but I did not think anything of it. Well once I returned home, I smelled the parfum and thought WOW this is nice! So I threw it in my purse for a "freshen up" moment. One day while at work, I whipped it out and rubbed some of the parfum on my wrist and my neck. Immediately, I was engulfed in this rich vanilla fruity scent! Yummy! Everyone in the office kept asking "what is that smell?!!" Seriously, people were flipping out over the scent. I promptly fell in love! The scent is Vanilla Fruit Sorbet and it contains rich notes of vanilla, raspberry, rose and musk. Delicious! Plus the parfum is paraben and sulfate free.

Crazylibellule and the Poppies Parfum Company sells several different scents in the same compact packaging. Although you only receive 1.7 oz of product, you only need to use a small amount to get a beautiful scent. I have been using mine for 5 weeks now and I still have plenty of product left. The parfums retail for $18 and you can purchase them at Sephora.

Toodles!

Monday, October 12, 2009

Winner! A.J. Wright $50 Gift Card!

Hello Divas!

I hope all is well! My day is going so so, but it will get better!

The Winner of the $50 A.J. Wright Gift card is: Carmen!

Carmen you have 24 hours to contact me via email at latoicha007@gmail.com. If I don't hear from you, the card will go to the runner up!

Carmen you are going to love this store! Woot!

Toodles!

Thursday, October 8, 2009

Q&A Thursdays! Pretty Peach and Bright Red Lipstick

Hello Divas!

I hope your world is just fabulous!

Today is Q&A Thursdays! One of my fav Luxetips! readers, Chamele, had a very good question regarding the best peach or bright red lipstick for skin with warm undertones. Here it is:

Question: Please help me find a pretty peach and bright red for my skin tone that won't make me look too 80's or clownish. Most pretty reds and bright peaches appear to be made for people with cool undertones, and I have warm undertones, thus I generally stick to darker colors.

Answer: Chamele during Fashion Week I discovered a bright red lipstick that looks fantastic on skin with warm undertones. Maybelline's Color Sensational Lip Color in Red Revival looks phenomenal on darker skin tones. I love it! It is the perfect red. Not too bright and not too dark. To create the perfect red color, I line my lips with my MAC lip pencil in Chesnut and then apply Red Revival over it. I then blend my lips together and the red is just smoking hot! I love it! Maybelline's Color Sensational Lip Color comes in 48 wonderful shades and they retail for $7.50. You can purchase it at CVS!

As far as a pretty preach lip color, I am current IN LOVE with Lancome's Color Fever Gloss in Hotness. It is actually a bronzy peach but it is my current go to lip gloss. The color is crazy insane! It looks fantastic on darker skin tones. I actually use it alone without lip liner. This gloss is super moisturizing and has tons of shine! Chamele you will absolutely love this color! It retails for $25 and you can purchase it from any department store.

Toodles!

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Hot Drugstore Find of the Week: Neutrogena® Oil-Free Acne Wash

Hello Divas!

I tell you! My life has been one big roller coaster ride for the past month. My plate is full and I need a mental break from everything! LOL! I hope your life is more peaceful and calm!

Divas, my skin is going through an ugly phase. I have been having the WORST ever breakouts for the past 2 months. I have been trying to alleviate the problem on my own, but I think I have to call in the professionals...a Dermatologist. I have an excellent one in Boca Raton, FL but a trip to Florida is not a possibility in the near future. In the interim, I have discovered Neutrogena® Oil-Free Acne Wash. I usually do not use facial washes with Salicylic Acid because they tend to dry out my skin. But desperate times call for desperate measures and I had to give it a try. What I love about this facial wash is that although it contains Salicylic Acid, it does not dry out or irritate your skin. It also leaves me skin feeling super clean and it controls the oil production. Since I have been using this wash, my acne has calmed down a wee bit, so I am pleased! A six ounce bottle of Neutrogena Oil-Free Acne Wash retails for $6.29 and you can purchase it at CVS.

Toodles!

Friday, October 2, 2009

Fun Fridays! A.J. Wright $50 Gift Card Giveaway!

Hello Divas!

You know what??? Life is simply beautiful! It can be difficult, but you have choose to be happy. No one can make you happy...it is all internal and God can only make you TRULY happy.

Now that I am done preaching...LOL! Remember when I did my post on A.J. Wright? I am in LOVE with that store. Well they are offering one Luxetips! Reader a $50 gift card! Woot! Simply leave a comment on this blog and I will pick a winner at random. A winner will be chosen on Friday, October 9. I tell you Divas, you will simply love this store. It has something for the whole family!

Toodles!