Blog | Page 26 of 225 | Makeup By Kim Porter

Teadora Nourishing Body Polish: Rain forest at Dusk & Rainforest at Dawn Review

December 22, 2014 by Kim S. / Reviews, Skincare / 14 Comments

PR SAMPLEOne of the perks of being a beauty blogger is being able to try new brands and products, and then introduce them to our readers. Take for instance Teadora Beauty, which a natural and organic beauty line featuring body, skin, and hair products that are available in two scents: Rainforest at Dawn and Rainforest at Dusk. For the last month I’ve been incorporating the Teadora Nourishing Body Polish into my body care routine, alternating between their two scents.

Who is Teadora Beauty?

How sweet! “Teadora” in Portugese means adores you. Did you know that? I didn’t either! That goes to show that there’s always a lesson in beauty. Teadora Beauty uses both natural and organic ingredients found in the Amazon rainforest. According to Teadora’s website, they state, “Our products let you experience the bounty and magic of the Amazon – while helping to improve the lives of the communities where we live and do business.”

My Thoughts on the Teadora Nourishing Body Polish

Normally, I go for the more “scrubby” kinds of body scrubs, but, the Teadora Beauty Nourishing Body Polish, which uses Açaí Seeds, is not at all scrubby. Don’t get me wrong here, I don’t say that to discredit the effectiveness of the body polish because after using it, my skin is left soft, smooth, and all glowy. And usually after showering, I’d slather on lotion; however, after using the Teadora Nourishing Body Polish, I realized that I don’t have to. I’m giving credit to Teadora’s Hydration Elixir, which is a combination of five oils: Buriti, Babassu, Brazil Nut, Rose Hip Seed, and Maracujá oils, which leaves my skin super hydrated.

Buriti contains the highest concentration of natural vitamin A among fruits and vegetables. It is also rich in Vitamin E, Vitamin C and antioxidants and has been used for generations as natural protection against UV rays. Its amazing anti-inflammatory properties also help to promote skin healing. Maracuja Oil (Passion Fruit) is known for it’s skin brightening, moisturizing, and healing properties. Brazil Nut Oil, is a great moisturizer with healing properties for the skin, hair and face.

I already talked about the texture of the polish. It’s smooth, not too grainy/scrubby, which makes it perfect for people who are sensitive to more coarse scrubs. I also noticed that the Teadora Nourishing Body Polish lathers/foams just a tad, too. I wonder if anyone else noticed that?

You’re probably wondering about the scent?

Teadora Nourishing Body Polish Rainforest at Dusk

During the day, I use Rainforest at Dusk, which reminds me of a walk through the woods during spring when the all of the flowers are in bloom. It’s a nice light scent, and I like that whatever fragrance I’m wearing for the day doesn’t have to compete with it. The Teadora Nourishing Body Polish Rainforest at Dusk scent smells exceptional during the shower, but, the scent doesn’t linger long afterward, which could be a plus or negative aspect of it depending on who you ask, but I don’t mind that it doesn’t linger.

The Teadora Nourishing Body Polish Rainforest at Dawn scent is what I use at night. To me, this was a strong herbal scent. It seemed more like a masculine scent, which is what I usually prefer in most of my fragrances anyway. Using the Rainforest at Dawn body polish at night seemed to help me relax after a long day. I like how the scent of this one, although light, lingers on my skin for a good hour or so after using it. I go to bed smelling nice and yummy, and I’m also relaxed.

Overall, I’m impressed with the performance of the Teadora Nourishing Body Polish. For a fine-textured body scrub, it definitely does the work of other, more scrubby scrubs I’ve used, and with less product. Plus, the two scents that it comes available in are awesome if you’re into earthy and herbal fragrances.

Teadora Nourishing Body Polishes retail for $34.00/ 6 oz ($10/ 1.5 oz). It sounds like a lot of money, but, Teadora uses funds made from purchases to help stop rainforest deforestation. Your purchase also helps to fund a philanthropy exchange between the US and Brazil that promotes youth education, leadership development, and health, which Teadora calls, ‘EARTH FOR YOU. YOU FOR EARTH.’

Connect with Teadora: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest | YouTube

Have you tried the Teadora Nourishing Body Polish?

What do you think?

tarte Parisian-Inspired Holiday 2014 Collection: Away Oui Go Portable Palette & Collectors Set

December 18, 2014 by Kim S. / blog, Makeup Looks, Product Swatches, Reviews / 11 Comments

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tarte cosmetics has done it again with their holiday sets. This year, they released a limited edition Parisian-inspired Holiday 2014 Collection that featured beauty sets that aligned with what most people do during the holiday season – travel. The beauty sets featured in this holiday collection are not only travel-friendly, they also come ready for gifting due to their beautiful packaging. This means you’re spending less time wrapping and packaging gifts.

tarte provided me with one of the nine sets available in their holiday collection, the Away Oui Go Portable Palette & Collectors Set ($48). It was an Ulta exclusive set that included an array of beauty items perfect for creating multiple beauty looks on-the-go.

The tarte Away Oui Go Portable Palette & Collectors Set includes the following:

16 full size, French-inspired Amazonian Clay Eye Shadows (0.07 oz. each)
4 full size Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blushes: Irresistible (soft melon), Envisioned (sheer coral), Limitless (peach rose), Intrigue (rose petal) (0.158 oz. each)
3 deluxe Maracuja Lip Glosses: Paris (raspberry), Cannes (light pink), Nice (nude mauve) (0.06 fl. oz. each)
Deluxe Lights, Camera, Lashes 4-in-1 Mascara
Portable collector’s compact (0.14 oz.)

I like that the set includes one of my favorite mascaras, the Lights, Camera, Lashes 4-in-1 mascara. This one is portable, and small enough to fit in your purse without taking up too much room.

The three Maracuja Lipglosses are beautiful, too. The colors, Paris, Cannes, and Nice, are named after popular Parisian cities that I hope to one day visit. Int he meantime, I guess I’ll have to settle with these glosses. They’re beautiful neutral shades that compliment any skintone.

Although the set included four full-sized Amazonian Clay 12-hour blushes, only one was suitable for my complexion, which was ‘Intrigue’. The other shades included in the tarte Away Oui Go Portable Palette & Collectors Set , although pretty, were too light, and appeared chalky, at least against my complexion.

There were a few shadows in the set that also gave off a chalky appearance against my complexion, and had were patchy when applied, which you can see from the swatches. Most of the eyeshadows exhibiting this property were the lighter matte shades with a few of the darker matte shades following suit. My favorite shades, which I used to create the look you see in this post were: ‘Navigating the Metro’, ‘Midnight Stroll’, and ‘Liaison at the Louvre’. I love deep purple tones, and these looked great used together to create a smoky eye. I also liked ‘Marvel at the Mona Lisa’ for blending.

Let us not forget about the beautiful, quilted pattern, Tiffany Blue travel case with pearl-like accents. This is a cool feature since it allows you to pop in any one of the four palettes to tote along with you while you’re on the go. The compact also includes a mirror. Score! I don’t know about you, but, applying makeup on-the-go, unless it’s lip gloss is a ‘fail’ situation.

Even though there were some items in the tarte Away Oui Go Portable Palette & Collectors Set that didn’t quite work out well for me, I do think it was a pretty decent set for someone with a more fair complexion. Plus, for $48, it was a great value.

Although, this set is currently sold out at Ulta, you can stop by tartecosmetics.com to check out all of their other amazing products like their mascara, brow products, and other best-selling items.

Tell me, what do you think about the tarte Away Oui Go Portable Palette & Collectors Set? Is it something you would gift or would like to receive as a gift?

Disclosure: Product provided by PR for review consideration. All opinions are my own and are honest.

December 2014 POPSUGAR Must Have Box #MustHaveBox

December 16, 2014 by Kim S. / Miscellaneous, Reviews / 21 Comments

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You’ve seen subscription box services all around now. There’s box services that are strictly beauty, food, health, home/lifestyle, or even jewelry focused. And then there’s boxes like the POPSUGAR Must Have Box subscription that are well-rounded, and offer all of the above for only $39.99/month. Subscription box services are, in my opinion, the best way, to get introduced to new brands and products.

Let us get down to business, and talk about what comes in the December 2014 POPSUGAR Must Have Box.

SMASHBOX Cosmetics Be Legendary Lip Lacquer ($24)

This lip lacquer arrived in a winter-ready shade, ‘Bordeau’. If you’re into darker berry or wine tones for your lips, then this is for you. It’s dark, but not so dark that it is vampy. Even though it applies like a gloss, at the end of the night, you’re left with a stain. If you’re not a fan of this shade, it’s also available in 19 other shades.

December 2014 POPSUGAR Must Have Box Wiilliams Sonoma Vanilla Bean Cupcake Mix

Williams-Sonoma Vanilla Bean Cupcake Mix ($14.95)

Who doesn’t love cupcakes? My daughter was happy to see this in the box. She can’t wait for us to make them. Scratch that, she wants to make them with my sister. Williams-Sonoma has amazing food items, so I’m sure once we do get around to baking these, they will be amazing.

Sparkle Pop Sydney Necklace ($42)

This is a beautiful necklace with a long gold chain with a diamond-like pendant. As you can see from the photo, it has a lot of sparkle. It can be worn different ways – both short and long – by doubling the chain to adjust the length. It’s also a favorite of my three year old. She said, “Mommy, we can share this.”

Subtle Luxury Scarf ($62)

Love, love, love this scarf! It’s gold with gold flecks. I can’t wait to wear it! It’s lightweight so I wouldn’t suggest wearing it as a winter scarf, but, it makes for a beautiful scarf to wear to accessorize an outfit. It’s neutral enough to be worn with just about any outfit.

Canvas Home Hand Painted Bowl ($29)

This is a cute bowl to add to your decor. I can picture this on my vanity to house my little knickknacks. I can even use it as a candy dish. You see where this is going, right? This cute bowl can be used for pretty much anything, even if it means you just want it sitting pretty on a shelf somewhere.

Knot & Bow Gift Tags ($4)

This is the season for gifting. This year, we are doing DIY gifts, and these are perfect gift tags, to make our DIY gifts even more special.

The December 2015 POPSUGAR Must Have Box was a win for me. . It was a great mix of usable items for beauty lovers, those into fashion and luxury items, and home/lifestyle items. All of the items are things I will use, and can use with my family, especially the cupcake mix, which I will post about later on. The box contained $175.95 worth of items for just $39.99

If you like this POPSUGAR Must Have Box, from now until 1/2/2015 you can sign up at http://www.musthave.popsugar.com and receive $10 off a 3 month subscription using the following code: DEC14SELECT

What are your thoughts on this month’s POPSUGAR Must Have Box?

Disclosure: POPSUGAR provided me with a complimentary POPSUGAR Must Have box. The opinions I have shared about the box are my own and POPSUGAR did not tell me what to say or how to say it.

Holiday Lips featuring MUA Makeup Academy Lip Products

December 15, 2014 by Kim S. / blog, Makeup Looks, Reviews / 26 Comments

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Holiday season means tons of holiday parties, photo ops, and more. This means, your look must be on point (or “on fleek”). It’s one thing to have your outfit, and hair looking nice, but your makeup should also compliment your ensemble for the occasion. One way to easily spruce up your look is by adding a nice lip color. Thankfully, MUA Makeup Academy has some beautiful lip colors to help you achieve the perfect holiday lips.

A popular, yet timeless holiday lip most seen during the holidays that take place during the month of December, is a classic red lip. MUA Makeup Academy’s High Shine lipstick in ‘Poppy’ is a gorgeous red with a hint of shine. ‘Poppy’ can be turned up by pairing it with winged liner and falsies, or toned down by wearing it with a neutral face. Either way, you can’t ever go wrong with a red lip.

For those women who just can’t get into brighter lipsticks, and just want to add just a hint of glam to their look, using MUA Makeup Academy’s ‘Frosted Nude’, which, by the way, is the perfect nude for my skin tone, is the way to go. It pairs well with a neutral makeup look with a golden glow, or turn it up with a smoky eye. For added glam, you can take your holiday lips to the next step by adding ‘Frosted Nude’ to the center of your lip, and poppy on the perimeter. Thank me later for your gorgeous pout.

Holiday Lips MUA Makeup Academy Frosted Poppy

Lip stains are perfect for creating holiday lips. Why? Because the color doesn’t budge. If you’re attending a lot of holiday parties, gatherings, etc. you need something that doesn’t move throughout the night, especially if you’re planning on taking pics. Nice face, but nothing on the lips? No bueno! Your look will just look unfinished. This is why I like MUA Makeup Academy’s lip stain in ‘Wine’. It’s such a beautiful purple-toned lip color, and it’s brown girl-friendly.

Before creating your holiday lip, be sure to follow these tips:

1. Exfoliate with a combination of sugar, olive oil, and a hint of honey.

2. Moisturize

3. Line your lips to prevent the lip product from bleeding

4. Apply the lip color, blot, and then apply another coat.

Now you have kissable, smooth, holiday lips!

What’s your favorite lip color to use when you’re creating a holiday lip?

Disclosure: Product provided for review consideration.