Awakening Skincare recently introduced a new product to their lineup: Espresso Hands. It’s their great hand cream formula with a coffee & cream scent, and it is AMAZING!! If you like the scent of coffee, you will really love it.

Like the original, Espresso Hands isn’t greasy and a little goes a long way. It comes in a handy tube, so you just pop the lid off and squeeze a little out. All of Awakening’s formulas are rich in magnesium and potassium, which soothe and hydrate the skin. If your hands are dry, I’m confident this will really help.

Today only, Espresso Hands is 25% off at Awakening Skincare’s website. Check it out!

I picked up a few more things from Hard Candy recently, and they’re really fun! I wish the brand was carried at more stores than just Walmart, since it’s not convenient for me to shop there, but I’m willing to overlook this fact because of how cute the products are.

Most recently, I bought a Tinted Lip Balm in Julie, a coral shade. It’s a nice formula, without mineral oil or petrolatum, containing sunflower seed oil, mango butter, macadamia oil, and beeswax. As a lip balm goes, it’s moisturizing without being greasy, and while it isn’t the best thing ever for lasting power, it’s still pretty good. The color is quite sheer but pretty. I love the packaging! Also, the formula doesn’t get too soft and squishy in my pocket, a total win.

I also bought an Eye For An Eye Pencil in Sublime, a double-ended pencil in blue and silver. So far, I’ve used the blue end and it’s pretty good. It’s a little hard, but easy enough to soften if you warm it between your fingers. It’s a metallic blue, and has good lasting power. If it were a little softer, I’d give it two thumbs up, but it definitely gets a single thumb for the pretty color and long wear.

Have you tried any of the new Hard Candy?

I really love holiday fragrances and always look forward to the Philosophy sets, etc. This year, Victoria’s Secret introduced a holiday collection in their Secret Garden line, and the scents are really yummy! I’m particularly liking Gilded Ginger Crème and Merry Vanilla Twirl.

Gilded Ginger Crème combines the scents of gingerbread, whipped latte, and musk, and is the perfect blend of sweet and spicy. It’s not as foody as you might expect, at least not compared to other gingerbread-type fragrances available. There is a lotion, a sparkling lotion, a body spray, and a sparkly powder. Because VS was having a wicked sale, I bought the lotion, sparkling lotion, and body spray. The lotion is nice and very strongly scented, and I like that the sparkly lotion isn’t TOO sparkly. It’s really subtle, which I prefer. The body spray doesn’t have super lasting power, but is still fun for layering your scent. I wish there was a body wash!

Merry Vanilla Twirl is one of the better vanilla scents I’ve encountered recently. It’s a blend of creme brulee, vanilla, and starfruit, and is therefore sweet but just a smidgen fruity. It’s really just about a perfect vanilla, and I wish VS would make it in an Eau de Toilette concentration. Due to the aforementioned sale, I have the lotion, sparkly lotion, and body spray in this one too. Darned sales!

Get them on sale, and enjoy these fun fragrances while they last. They’re limited editions, so when they’re gone, they’re gone!

We’re getting into the Holiday Season, when retail workers everywhere find themselves running ragged trying to keep up with the increased volume of shoppers. In addition to all this fun, I’m also taking a Japanese class at Portland State University, which means a one-hour class at 8 am Monday through Friday, and homework. The blog has been neglected as a result… I also have less time for makeup in the morning if I happen to oversleep (as is common, the more tired I become). This is where Revolution Organics Freedom Glow Beauty Balm comes in: this multitasker can really save the day when you need to be presentable in a hurry.

Freedom Glow Beauty Balm is a tinted balm stick that can be used on your eyes, lips, cheeks, decollatage, and anywhere else you need some color. The shade Blushed is a rosy color, perfect for cheeks and lips, in my opinion, and my go-to product lately. When I only have time (or the energy) to curl my lashes and apply mascara, and slap something on my cheeks, this is what I slap on. It’s a snap to apply – either swipe your finger across the top and then smooth onto your skin, or just dab it directly onto your cheeks and blend. Do the same thing for your lips, and you’ll instantly look refreshed. Then toss it into your bag for touch-ups to your lips and you’re good to go.

Lasting power is pretty good for a cream blush. It’s not all day, but I’m okay with a mid-day touch-up. I like that it’s made with organic ingredients, and the emollient formula is nice on my lips. In short, two thumbs up!

I am such a sucker for perfume. I love trying new perfume, even if I don’t always like what I try. When I was browsing in The Body Shop the other day, I gave their new perfume Love Etc. a sniff and was favorably impressed! It also happened to be one of their special extra discount days for their club card holders, so it seemed like a good time to buy the new perfume!

Love Etc. is a floral oriental with hints of fruits. The notes are pear, neroli, bergamot, jasmine, heliotrope, lily of the valley, vanilla, sandalwood, and musk cream. Jasmine, vanilla, and sandalwood are the major players in the scent, although I definitely get the pear and bergamot in the opening. The perfume opens on a rush of pear and bergamot and shares a sharp note with fragrances claiming to have “pink pepper,” so I’d say it probably has that too. Luckily, that sharpness lifts pretty quickly, because I’m not a fan. I do like the pear a lot. The jasmine is sweet but not cloying, and blends well with the vanilla and sandalwood. It drys down to a mellow scent, with the vanilla, sandalwood, and musk lingering for a long time. It has great lasting power on skin!

I was pleasantly surprised at how much I like this new perfume. It’s been a while since The Body Shop introduced something I REALLY liked, and I think they did a really good job with Love Etc. It’s very wearable, is unlikely to offend anyone, and is nice for day or evening. Also, the price is very reasonable for a long-lasting eau de parfum.

Two Thumbs Up!

I love a really great scented body wash. Usually, I can be persuaded to pay over $10 a bottle for a really good scented body wash. Occasionally, though, I wish for something with an amazing scent without the higher price tag. Desert Essence Organics delivers both, with their line of body washes that run less than $9 a tube. Win!

I recently had the chance to try out the Green Apple & Ginger fragrance, and I’m in love. It’s tart and tangy and a little spicy from the ginger. If you like a true apple scent (no fake overly sweet apple scent here), do check it out! The other scents sound delectable too, especially Vanilla Chai and Red Raspberry.

The body wash lathers nicely and doesn’t leave my skin feeling dry. They contain a slew of certified organic ingredients, including alpha hydroxy acids to help gently exfoliate your skin. Overall, this is a good choice if you want a natural product that will leave you with softer skin. The scents are amazing while you are in the shower, but don’t particularly linger, something I like because I wear perfume and don’t want to clash.

Right now, Desert Essence has a bunch of deals on their website as well, you should check it out!

By now most of us have heard that mineral makeup is good for your skin. It makes sense than that minerals in your skincare would be good for your skin too, right? Correct! Awakening Skincare is a cool company that harnesses the power of minerals in their face and body care products to hydrate and soothe the skin.

All of the products contain Awakening’s “Mineral Hydration Factor,” a blend of potassium and magnesium sourced from the Dead Sea. Together with essential oils and natural exracts, these minerals work to keep the skin hydrated and healthy. You can read more about it here.

I had the opportunity to sample some of Awakening’s products and I really like everything I tried. Everything is named very simply – the hand cream is called HANDS, the foot cream FEET, and so on. If you are trying to introduce someone (like a guy) to the concept of skincare this is great. Men like things to be easy. Speaking of guys, these products would also make great gifts (think stocking stuffers here!) because they aren’t frou-frou at all. I could totally see giving these to my dad & brother, who both work with their hands.

First, FACE & NECK is the antioxidant rich face hydrator. The light texture and pretty scent make it a pleasure to use, and I enjoyed how soft my skin felt. It’s not greasy or heavy at all. This is an anti-aging product that contains a proprietary formula called “Phytoamine BiocomplexC-c,” which is supposed to “greatly reduce the effects of aging, tone and tighten loose skin, fight free radical damage, and protect your skin from future wrinkles.” It’s pricy, but has a great ingredient list and is comparably priced to other anti-aging products. Plus, a little goes a long way.

HANDS is my next favorite product. I don’t know about you, but I like my hand creams to be richly moisturizing but not too greasy. It’s hard to find this combination, let me tell you. HANDS does a good job at filling the bill. A little goes a long way and it sinks in fast, but like so many lighter lotions, it actually feels very hydrating to my skin. The spicy scent is lovely, but not girly at all. This is a great hand cream!

FEET works great too, as advertised. My feet get dry and tough, and this works to hydrate them back into softness. My favorite part? It’s not greasy at all, so I can use it in the morning before I put my socks on for extra hydration during the day.

Last, but not least, I tried BODY. I like BODY. I’m not a huge fan of the herbal scent, but it’s okay. Guys would like BODY, so keep it in mind if your man has dry skin and doesn’t want to use your floral-foody-fruity lotion. BODY seemed to help with this scaly patch of rash on my left leg, which makes sense since magnesium is supposed to be soothing for eczema.

Overall, I think this is a great lineup of products. I personally think Awakening Skincare would make great gifts for men, and any ladies that like to keep things simple, or like natural, fresh scents. Check out their website for ideas on who can benefit from the products, as well. They have lot of suggestions regarding various skin conditions that could benefit from their skincare.

Two Thumbs Up!