LuckyVitamin.com ----LOVE THEM!

I love ordering from LuckyVitamin.com. Not only did I get subsequent emails updating me on where in the process they were with my order, but I got it within a weeks time.

LuckyVitamin carries organic/all natural/healthy skincare, makeup, fitness supplies, vitamins, and cookies.

The pic above is just the skincare that I ordered. Not included in the pic is the Alernative Baking Company cookies----they are sooo delicious!, and my Accu-Measure Fitness 3000 Personal Body Fast Tester Caliper (which actually works).

I highly recommend that site fully. They also carries protein shakes, essential oils, and the like.

Oh, yes, and they accept Paypal, as well as, any credit card. (The paypal payment really won me over).

So, included in the pic is MYCHELLE sampler pack---so far I love what I've tried---Pumpkin Peel and Fruit Enzyme Cleanser, Devita Solar Body Block SPF 30+ - leaves NO WHITE CAST!, Desert Essence Facial Moisturizer with Jojoba Oil and Aloe Vera, Derma E Hyaluronic & Pyncogenol Eye Cream, Alba Un-petroleum, MYCHELLE Love my Lips Peach Mint, Earth Science Gentle Skin Peel, and Derma E Glycolic Facial Cleanser.

Another Plus- the prices on these items are cheaper than what you find in stores!

So, if you already use natural products or are looking to start, this site is a great place to begin!

Illamasqua Nail Varnish Polish

I love Illamasqua. They are a European brand that hit the US Sephoras late last year. They pride themselves on being the makeup you wear "for night." Dramatic long lasting colors- bright red blush, full coverage neon lipsticks (including black and gold), and a vast array of nail polishes that most companies don't even make!

I tried on 10 of the most interesting colors that Sephora carried and have included pics to help you decide which ones you want to buy.

I will say that the color that appears in the bottle is pretty much the color that appears on the nails. Each color on my finger has only one coat. So, you can see that you get full coverage, rich looking vibrancy right away.

from pinky to thumb:

(Hand without the ring)
Rampage--dark deep green
Lament--pink with a hint of coral
Fern--medium robin's egg blue with fine silver shimmer
Wayward--sun yellow
Alarm--red with orange undertones

(hand with the ring)
Rare--Neon yellow (with a slight hint of green)
Whack--Orange with a slight red undertone
Collide--Hot Pink
Milf--light mint green
Muse--Teal

My favorites are Alarm--This color definately has that seductress/femme fatal quality. I also love Fern. The microscopic shimmer in this is gorgeous and allows this color to not fall flat. This would be beautiful on the toes.

The quality of these colors are great too. They don't chip easily. You don't need to spend time applying multiple coats. Also, if you want, you can also apply your favorite base and top coat. Don't have a favorite? Well, Illamasqua has got that part covered as well.

So, if you're looking for unconventional colors to show off your personality or to match that outfit that no one else seems to carry, give Illamasqua a try!

Jane Iredale Lip Drink SPF 15 balm

This stuff is amazing. It comes in a sleek navy blue tube. The yummy lemony smell and flavor is enticing.

What's great about this is that it is all natural (Jane Iredale is a cosmetics company that prides itself on minerals and chemical free makeup). The SPF is made of Titanium Dioxide and Zinc Oxide (both physical sunscreens, which means that they don't get absorbed into the skin, but stay on top to bounce the harmful and damaging rays of the sun away from you).

This lipbalm reminds me a lot of Fresh's Sugar lip balm, except Lip Drink is more affordable ($12), and the SPF is UVA/UVB.

This is a great everyday lipbalm and is a fabulous find for the upcoming summer. Guys even love it due to the lemony scent and clear balm base(no white cast), plus the tube doesn't look extremely girly.

This works well under lipstick too! This is definately one of those products that you want to have with you wherever you go. In fact, buy 3-4 tubes and put then in various purses/places, so no matter where you go, your lips will always be full protected (lips are one of the first places that not only wrinkle, but that are more susceptible to skin cancer due to the fact that most women only apply lipstick or worse lipgloss--which is light reflecting, making the sun absorb!)

Lip Drink can be found online at the Jane Iredale site, or I've also seen it at Beauty Collection and various organic/natural beauty boutiques that carry the Jane Iredale line.

Desert Essence Daily Essential Facial Moisturizer

Do you have sensitive skin? Do you like to use more natural products? Are you looking to spend under $10 for a huge amount of moisturizer?

If you answer yes to any of these, then you are in luck. I recently ordered this as part of my LuckyVitamin.com order. It was under $5 for a huge whopping 4 fl oz. jar. It was 100% vegan, as well as, being all natural with included jojoba oil and aloe vera. For that, I was willing to give it a go.

This moisturizer is amazing. It is in a jar, but the texture isn't thick at all. It feels just like a slightly heavier lotion in a jar. The cream feels very lightweight. I can definately imagine using this even in the summertime (unless you are extremely oily, then all you would really need is a good stable SPF), without it feeling greasy or heavy.

I haven't experienced any breakouts from it, which is a huge plus, since my skin can be very reactive. I will update if something goes wrong.

Ingredients are: Purified water, Glyceryl stearate, safflower seed oil, cetyl palmitate,jojoba seed oil, glycerin, aloe barbadensis leaf, sesame seed oil, cetyl alcohol (veggie based), and then methylparaben (as a preservative so it doesn't spoil) and geranium essential oil for fragrance.

This company doesn't animal test, which is also a plus!
And, don't let the oils in this cream scare you. Not all oils are pore clogging, in fact, many are very beneficial to the skin. Until you know which oils you are sensitive to, I would give this a shot.

Like I said earlier, no animal ingredients, not chemical laden, huge size, and a very friendly price makes this a winner!

You can find this online or even in stores, such as Whole Foods.

Miss Nails Polish

I love Miss Nails. What's great about this polish is that it is more natural and more safe than other polishes on the market. Many health food stores, such as Whole Foods, carries this line (although only a small number compared to the vast amount found online). The colors I own are 385 Amethyst Amelia and 420 St. Cloud Slate.

Amethyst Amelia is a sheer lilac with a fine silver shimmer, while St. Cloud Slate is a light gunmetal grey with a fine silver shimmer.

The ingredients in this are N-Butyl Acetate, Nitrocellulose, Ethyl Acetate, Isopropyl Alcohol, and the then the follwing may vary by color: Mica, Titanium Dioxide, Dyes, Iron Oxides, Bismuth Oxychloride, and Mica based pigments.

Used with a good base coat and top coat (highly recommend Orly and Seche Vite), this polish lasts for weeks without chipping.

On the Miss Nails site, this polish is $6.99, but if you don't want to order because you want instant gratification, you can find it at Whole Foods for $7.99.

Sally's Beauty Supply Store

I love this store. I recently discovered this store on March 2 after horrendously destroying my hair color due to a breakup. On March 1, I went to get color correction to try to start getting my "healthy hair" back. So, I decided to go to Sally's to get some much needed hair products.

I've always driven by Sally's, not quite understanding how they differed from any other beauty store. After doing my research online on their products, I was armed with a list of products to check out.

To make a long story short, it's been two months, and due to Sally's, my hair is slowly getting back it's length and softness.

My highly recommended products to those of you who have damaged, color treated hair:

Miracle 7 for Heavenly Hair Leave in Mist
One N' Only Argan Oil
Aquelle Aqualust Lusterizer
Ion Silk Drops
Ion Effective Care Treatment
Aphogee Two Step Protein Treatment
Silk Elements Mega Cholesterol
Aura Cherry Almond Bark Conditioner

These seem like a lot of products of course....but it sure teaches me a lesson of what I have to do because I destroyed my hair (we're talking brittle, breaking at the one inch mark of growth).

Please look into my separate reviews of these products. These are the main ones I use, along with other "miracle" products I discovered, which I am also going to review (Philip Kingley Elasticizer--Savior, Schwwarzkopf Sealed Ends).

The great thing about Sally's is that they have a lot of knockoffs on expensive brands...like Aveda, Wen, Biolage, Bed Head, Aquage, MoraccanOil, etc. And, they have one of my favorite nail polish brands (after OPI), which is Fingerpaints.
I've actually found that their Orly corrective polishes are slightly cheaper in price than other beauty stores.

Oh, yes and one more thing, they carry personal bonnet driers for doing protein and moisturizing treatments.

Sally's does offer a card for $5, where you can get a slight discount and coupons for a whole year, so that is highly recommended if you are into making your hair healthy and beautiful.

I honestly never thought that I would be a "hair" person, but after what I did to my hair, and now discovering Sally's, I enjoy taking the time to pamper my hair and shop for the appropriate products.


****not all products in the pictures are carried at Sally's.

Bare Escentuals (BE) Bare Minerals foundation

I love this foundation. I am fortunate that this actually works really well with my skin. I first gave this brand a shot 4 years ago after seeing it advertised hugely in Sephora. At the time, my skin was so oily in the sense that NO foundation could last. The color I purchased was Light. I used the jar and never repurchased.

Now my skin is dry, but I still battle acne and acne scars. And because of that, I have turned back to BE in Light. This is one of the only foundations where it doesn't feel like I'm slathering my skin in makeup. This powder covers all my dark imperfection acne marks beautifully to the point where you can't even see them. It also makes my skin look even toned and gives me a healthy glow.

Bare Minerals also has a natural sunscreen included. If I'm going to be outside during the day, I will still apply my own UVA/UVB protection sunscreen underneath, just to be even more protected. But, if I'm going out more towards the evening, then BE is enough.

Some people have reported that BE has Bismuth, which irriates their skin. I have been lucky to have that not be the case with me.

I have tried to go back to liquid foundation, but for the time being, the liquid now feels heavy and pore clogging to me (crazy, I know).

What's great is that this line has recently introduced many more colors, so now you have a better chance to find a great match. For me, Light (light skin tones leaning toward yellow tone) is still the best match for me.

If you want to give this foundation a try, stores like Sephora or Ulta, can help match you. They also carry starter kits, which include brushes and bronzers, to complete your look.

If you've ever wanted to get into the "mineral craze," this is as good a time as any to start.

Weleda Everon Lip Balm

I'm always on the hunt for a good lip balm that is all natural, because hey, we are actually ingesting it! So, I finally found this lip balm at Whole Foods and have been using this for roughly a month.

The tube is a lipstick styled peach color. The bullet of the balm is clear. The scent is a pretty strong rose. I am not a fan of rose scented items since they tend to give me a headache. However, this balm works really well at moisturizing that I'm trying to adjust to the scent by breathing through my mouth more so. But for those of you who love and adore rose scented products, you will be pleased.

The texture is very smooth, not goopy or thick. I would imagine that this would make a good lipstick base if you have a lipstick that is too thick or dry.

I have only applied this balm at night and I am only 1/3 finished with this, so there is quite a good amount of product in this.

The price I paid at Whole Foods was $4.99.

Clinique All about Eyes Cream

I love this eye cream. Nothing plumps up my undereye dehydration lines like this. I really like both versions--the gel (original) and the Rich version (more creamy).

This eye is targeted to those who experience a little bit of puffiness and dark circles. It has caffiene in it, which helps to miminize the discolorations of the circles. This eye cream, however, will not assist in those who have hereditary dark circles.

I really like the gel version a lot, however, because my skin is pretty dry, when I use it, I do have to reapply a few times throughout the day. The moment I discovered my love for this was when I was living in my West Hollywood apartment 3 years ago, and in the middle of the night, I would wake up to use the restroom. Upon returning to my slumber, I would apply a little bit of the gel under my eyes. When I woke up, my lines would be lessoned due to adding moisture. So, my eyes would look younger. And let's face it, due to the eye cream market being strongly influenced by millions of women with anti-aging concerns, we all praise a product that gives us more youthful looking eyes.

Then, a few years ago, Clinique introduced the All about Eyes RICH. This is meant to due the same thing as the original except for the fact that the base is more creamy and more moisturizing. I do like this a lot. I feel as if my eyes are getting the hydration that they need.

However, the original inches just slightly ahead of the new version because the fact that it is a gel formula, the slight coolness it gives to the eyes is refreshing. This is also a great eye cream to store in the fridge and use whenever you have puffiness. The coolness will soften it, which is why the putting the cold spoon on the eyes is also effective.

I recommend this product whole heartedly. In my opinion, this will not make wrinkles completely go away, but it will help to soften them.

Sephora Rouge Cream Lipstick

These are seriously my favorite lipsticks right now. The Rouge Creams are moisturizing, creamy, and offer full coverage. Depending on what color you choose, they also leave a nice stain the lips which increases longevity.

The tube is also all black and very sleek looking compared to what Sephora lipsticks looked like in the past.

Colors I own right now and look amazing on me (light/medium golden skin tone, brown hair with highlights) are:

Valentine 09: Bright Pinky Red
Love Test 11: Bright Cool Toned Hot Pink
Sexy Game 12: Berry Brown
Decollete 15: Light Peachy Pink Nude

This line from Sephora offers over 20 lipsticks colors, and as a brand carried in Sephora, the price point of $12 is fantastic! I can't wait to try more colors. When I last went, color slots were empty, so hopefully Sephora is in the process of doing a restock.

Clinique 3-Step Skincare

Clinique 3-Step has always been sort of tricky for me. Having worked for the company for 4 years in the past, it was always a hit or miss for customers (as well as for myself). But, I'm going to explain to you how the sales associate decides what products in the 3-step to give you.

First of all, they will skin type you using the 3-step computer. I was always confused at first about this. I was like, where the heck is the computer, until I realized it was this little board with sliding tabs.

There are quite a few questions on that computer, but there are only 3 important ones related to what skincare they'll recommend. The questions are:

1.What happens to you skin if you went out in the sun without sunscreen?
2.Where is your skin oily and where is your skin dry?
3.How often do you break out?

The first question deals with the sensitivity of your skin. The answer to this question will determine what Clarifying Lotion you will use.
If you always burn: MILD or 1
If you get red and then it turns into a tan within a week or so, then 2.
If you get red and it turns into a tan within a few hours, then 3.
If you never get red and just tan easily, then 4.

The clarifying lotions are meant to exfoliate the skin. They get rid of all the dead skin cells on your face and neck. These are meant to be used with a cotton pad and gently swept across the face and neck (avoiding the eye area).

In time, your skin will usually get stronger, and therefore some people will be able to use a stronger number. However, when you use it, your skin shouldn't sting at all. With the clarifiying lotions (except Mild), there should be a slight tingling. If it hurts your skin or your face gets really red, then the number you are using is too strong.

The second question deals with which soap to use. Clinique carries the bar soap and now a brand new liquid. The liquid version is much better on the skin in my opinion. The purpose of the soap, in Clinique terms, is to deep clean the skin while loosening up the dead skin cells (so that the Clarifying Lotion can easily sweep them away). Here's how they determine which soap to give you:

Dry all over (no oily areas)- Extra Mild
Dry cheeks, slightly oily forehead - Mild Soap
Comfortable cheeks (don't notice any tightness), oily forehead - Oily Skin Soap
Oily all over - Oily Skin Soap

Deciding whether to use the bar or the liquid is solely up to you. But, the liquid versions are more up to par with other cleansers carried by other lines.

The final question of "how often do you break out?" may not make any precedence with the Sales associate since they may recommend the regular Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion (DDML) to you if you are more dry, while the newer Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel (DDMG) to those of you who are more oily.

I'll just say this, the DDML is slightly more emolient due to the product having mineral oil in it. It makes a great eye cream base (used first, eye creams, as well as, any other moisturizer, absorbs into the skin much more smoothly). And if you do have drier skin and can tolerate mineral oil, this stuff applies nicely.

For me, I like to avoid anything with mineral oil, so the gel is the version I like. It is oil-free and lightweight on the skin. Because of the gel base, it feels nice and cooling on the skin. If you are prone to a lot of breakouts or are sensitive to mineral oil, then the gel is a great inexpensive (for a department store brand) choice to use. It does have a few more antioxidants included than the lotion.

For those of you who find that these two moisturizers are not enough for your skin, under the Clinique system, they recommend applying another moisturizer over it (as I noted when discussing the DDML).

My overall thoughts on the 3-Step:
I love the Clarifying Lotion MILD version. Most sales associates will steer you away from it, albeit due to the fact that it only comes in the smaller size (less price). But, to me, the mild is the best version due to the face that it includes no alcohol (even though Clinique says it is cosmetic alcohol- which CAN still be drying). The mild version also includes aloe to soothe and calm the skin.

Soap wise, I do like the Mild Liquid Soap. This is a good, no frills, gel cleanser that doesn't seem to dry my skin out.

And with regards to the moisturizer, my skin is very complicated. If I wasn't a product hoarder, and had to commmit to this moisturizer, my skin (very dry, but extremely breakout prone) would use the DDML for under eyes and around my mouth, while using the gel everywhere else. AND THEN, I would probably have to apply another cream over that since I am so dry.

So, if you really want to give Clinique skincare a try, go to the Clinique counter, maybe have the Sales associate demo the items on you so that you can feel it on your skin. With so many skincare lines out there now, they should oblige.