Mary Kay Botanical Effects Skin Care Review

Courtesy of Mary Kay Website

Ok, this last Saturday I went and did a "Free" makeover and of course, being a blogger, I ordered some Mary Kay products. My representative is Athena Cook from here in the valley. She was really knowledgeable and helped me out pretty well. Saturday I had gotten my skin care product line, Friday I will be getting the makeup products.

So far, to be honest, I am only liking the mask and the freshen spray, which is much like the Mario Bedescu Facial Spray with Aloe, Herbs and Rosewater. BUT, I don't like the hydrating lotion and the face wash. Within a couple of days, I started breaking out. So immediately, I stopped using the face wash and lotion. With a history of massive acne breakouts, I was not going to be chancing anything.

While the face was is really nice, it's for normal/sensitive skin. Not oily/combination skin. The only thing I didn't realize when I got them. I bought what was recommended to me. Lesson number one in buying Mary Kay. Make sure it's for your skin type.

The face lotion is nice too, but.....it's too oily for my skin. Wanna talk about pore clogging city, this is where this product is from. Something that is completely NOT for me. It would be great for those that are not acne prone and don't have oily/combo skin.

The mask, though, completely is the redemption of this line. I LOVE IT! You can use this 2-3 times a week and only for 10 minutes or less! I love it. When I take it off, my skin feels softer and so much tighter afterwards!  When I think of masks, I always think of those ones that you feel like you have to leave on for 30 minutes or so. With this, you don't have to. It's 10 minutes or less. With being a mom, time is of essence when you are trying to do skin care with all little feet running around.

The freshen spray is another redeeming factor. You spray a little bit on a cotton ball and gently wipe it all over your face. I use it twice a day, in the morning to wake me up and at night to help me relax before bed. Tell you what. I will continue to be using this spray. I really enjoy it.

So overall thoughts? While I do enjoy a couple of the products, there are other's that I wish I hadn't had gotten. But, I will pass them on to my foster daughter because it works for her skin. But, I will continue to use the mask and the freshen spray.

If you are interested in getting Mary Kay and you live in the Boise Valley, Idaho, you can contact Athena Cook at 208-409-1305. She is a wonderful representative that will help you get what you need and is a wealth of information. You can also check out her website at : www.marykay.com/athenacook1.

For business inquiries, please email: Beautylearningwithlaura@centurylink.net

Facebook: www.facebook.com/beautylearningwithlaura
Twitter: http://twitter.com/blearningwlaura
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLYxPamtWzCWaU6T3k-_Z98O3CGX35T0WB

Dollar Tree Haul

Who doesn't love looking at a haul? I know that I do. I tend to get tons of ideas of what I want to get for myself by reading and watching them. But, when you go to your local Dollar Tree (or two), you tend to find hidden gems. Brands like ELF, Milani, Physicians Formula and Maybelline.

I guess you can say that I went a little bit wild getting some of these wonderful gems. Who says you can't build up a makeup collection on the super cheap? Plus, if you have coupons, you can get some of these items just for the cost of sales tax!

I've already been playing with some of it, and I am so glad that I do have these items to add to my collection. Not that my collection is huge or anything. It's really not. By most people's standard, it is large, but by people who LOVE makeup? It's really small.

Now, I found a happy mixture of everything, and all of it, I will use. I'm not getting it to just have a large collection. I'm getting it because I know I will use it. I will have pictures so you can see what I got. If you are wanting reviews, please let me know. Will try to incorporate swatches too.

Polish Swatches

I'm lucky because I got 12 polishes that are beautiful. Some great for Spring, some for Summer and the rest for Fall/Winter!

My wonderful, fun polishes are in a great variety of colors and name brand no less!

 Two face washes, a foot scrub and a lotion from Whit Rain. Will be trying these soon.

 ELF, Maybelline, Almay, L'Oreal, Milani......and Physicians Formula! Even some NYC glosses! Not too bad for a mini haul at the Dollar Tree!

So go take a look at your local Dollar Tree and share what you have found!

Macy's Impulse Beauty Artistry Palette

Ah, Macy's. I love going there. Rarely do I ever buy anything. But, for once, I did. I got the Macy's Impulse Beauty Artistry Palette- a Macy's exclusive, of course. For $39.00, I got 77 assorted eye shadows in matte and shimmer, 3 eyeshadow trios, 8 blush/bronzers and 7 lip colors! The makeup lover in me is in LOVE! They are pigments, easily blendable and many colors to do just about any eye look that you are wanting. The hard case I love too. I love the quilted pattern on it and the shiny dark grey? Love it.

This in a way reminds me of the Smashbox Masterclass palette, but way more sleek. But, a lot bigger. But I like that I can open it up and see everything so easily and not have to lift a lid like in the Masterclass palette.





This would be something that anyone just learning makeup or just loves to do makeup on everyone else would love to have.

Random Eyeshadow Swatches

Random Blush Swatches

Lip gloss Swatches

The swatches are wonderful and just so buttery! I actually decided that I'm going to wear this palette tomorrow and surprise my husband who's coming home tomorrow!

Urban Decay Naked Palette VS. Crown Brush Unexposed Palette

Two palettes that are so similar in color, packaging and depending where you go, price. Urban Decay Naked palette is $54 at Sephora, Ulta and the Urban Decay website. Crown Brush Unexposed palette is around $22-$55 DEPENDING ON WHERE YOU BUY IT. I got mine for $16 with a discount code from www.crownbrush.us. I was comparing them side by side and even though it seems some of the colors are off, they actually match up in swatches extraordinarily well. While I haven't actually WORN the Unexposed palette yet, the shadows are soft and buttery like the UD Naked Palette.

I do like that there is a cheaper option for the Naked palette, but there are many dupes out there. More recently, the LA Palette by L'Oreal. But, that's another post. I do feel though, that the Unexposed palette from Crown Brush is by far the best dupe out there.

I did notice that the Unexposed palette tends to be more powdery than the Naked palette if you are not careful. But, with a light hand, it's a very workable palette. As you can see from swatches, the colors are so close that it's uncanny.






To the left are the swatches and if you are like me, you will be amazed at the closeness of each swatch.







I was in no way paid to do this review. I spent my own money to do this review.

Review: Healthy Now Nutritionals Colon Cleanse Detox

Ok, I'm a person that usually has no problem talking about anything, but when it comes to poop, it's a little different, but when I agreed to try the Colon Cleanse Detox, I was seriously at a loss. How do you talk about poop? Well, I guess we just plunge right in, right? Literally, plunge right in. LOL.

I got cleaned out, quickly, I might add. I was literally grabbing my butt rushing to the bathroom to go. I swear I had a 5lb. baby out of my butt. But, honestly? I feel better. I feel better than I have in years. How is this possible? Well, I will give credit to this colon cleanse. It better be squeaky clean.

Would I recommend this? YES. I feel everyone needs to detox once in a while and this is one way to do it. From what I've read most of the ingredients are all natural. So, for me, that's a huge plus. You can take up to 4 capsules a day, but I only needed 2. I think I would have a broken butt if I took more than that. I will definitely do another review when the hubby gets home so I can have him try it. I do recommend that if you are on any prescription medication to consult a doctor. You don't want it to interfere with your meds if there's a chance for a reaction.

You can buy it on Amazon for $19.97 and is Prime eligible. You can go straight to the product through this link:  http://bit.ly/healthynow_cclax .

You can always find me on:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/Laura.hutchins3
or www.facebook.com/Beautylearningwithlaura
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BLearningwLaura
Instagram: instagram.com/Beautylearningwithlaura
Business Only: Beautylearningwithlaura@centurylink.net

So go get a bottle and take a detox......just be sure to be by a bathroom. I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Milani Bella Eye Shadows

Milani. When I think about the brand, I see pretty gold packaging and not much else really. Well, then they came out with the Bella Eye Shadows. They have polishes too, but they don't have them here that I've found yet. I admit, I really like the ones that I bought. I only bought 4 of them, and I do plan on buying more.

When I heard that these were out, I stalked my Walgreens. I got 4 of them to just try out to see if I would like them. Oh, boy, do I! I got 4 neutral colors simply because I wanted to be sure that I would like them. I always figure go for the neutral colors before the racier colors to test. Well, I have to say, they are wonderful! They truly remind me a lot of Urban Decay or Lorac. More Lorac than Urban Decay though. True pigmitation and wonderful color payoff. I didn't see a single fall-out while using them!

New Milani Bella Eyeshadows

While I do love the packaging, I really wish that Milani would have just put these into palettes, cause singles can take up a lot of room. But, packaging isn't really my concern. It's the products inside that I'm most fascinated with. Ivory is a color I have been using the most with any eye shadow I have lately. I blends beautifully and a perfect compliment to any color.

Espresso is a rich dark brown that reminds me of the drink. A nice rich coffee to brighten your eyes. Pink was a bit harder to work. While it didn't go with the browns that well in my opinion, it worked well with Ivory and other pink shades. Champagne is such a beautiful bronze color that blended so well. You didn't need much of it to achieve a beautiful, amazing glow with it. Works wonders with green eyes.

Swatches

I will say these are some buttery shadows. They blend easily and are heavenly feeling. You don't want to miss out on these that's for sure! These are on sale I believe at Walgreens for $4.99. Not bad at all and if you have points, you can knock the price even lower!  This is a perfect product for those starting out in make-up to the most advanced in make-up. I do believe this is part of the permanent line, so they will be around, but prices may go up, so get them while you can!

So head to your nearest Walgreens, CVS, Rite Aid, anywhere that carries these and grab them. You won't be sorry!

Another MAC collection? A Novel Romance Collection

I'll be honest. I was not sent this collection, but I did get an email telling me all about it and I saw it on Facebook, of course. I MUST HAVE THIS COLLECTION. It's coming out next month, and I think I want it for my birthday, lol. Hint hint darling! But, seriously, I am in love with this collection. And yeah, I like some of the lipsticks and glasses, but it's the eyeliners and eye shadows that I want! Anyone ever feel like that? I normally don't get on the hypes from the MAC collections, but this one hits me and describes me perfectly. I love romance novels. I love to curl up on the couch and just read.

Well, for fall, I'm going to be my own romance novel. I'm going to get me this collection, cause it's calling my name! I may spend more money than it's worth, but it'll be worth it to me! I'm currently looking for pictures and swatches to add to this, but you may have to wait until I buy it, lol. Sorry. Mac didn't deem me special enough to send me the collection to try, lol. I wish they did though! It would be fun to try something before anyone else! Maybe next time!

As soon as I get pictures and such, I will post ASAP. I promise!!!!

Meanwhile, if you need to see the collection before I get it, go check this lovely lady out on her blog:
http://www.makeupandbeautyblog.com/mac-makeup/mac-a-novel-romance-collection-review/

Karen is a talented and lucky blogger who I heard about this collection from first!