Archive for the ‘Jewelry’ Category


Yves Saint Laurent always brings glamour, uniqueness and luxurious feel to all their beauty products, and in particular, their lipsticks.
For this spring, they have yet another Volupte that you’re going to want! Yves Saint Laurent VOLUPTÉ SHEER CANDY Glossy Balm gives creamy, pigmented – yet sheer color in absolutely beautiful shades.
Two of my favorites in the collection are Succulent Pomegranate (shown above), which is a bright reddish-pink, and 02 Dewy Papaya
which is a medium toned peach.
Not only did I love applying the balm with it’s semi-glossy finish, but I loved smelling it! It smelled like a combination of mangoes and gummy bears – sweet and yummy. I loved the coverage, and it worked well on it’s own or over a neutral lipstick. The staying power was great, and it hydrated my lips for hours and hours. This is a fantastic impulse buy if there ever was one! – RLB
Go–>Yves Saint Laurent VOLUPTÉ SHEER CANDYGlossy Balm Crystal Color 04 Succulent Pomegranate
This guest post is courtesy of Thefind.com
If you’re a beauty-obsessed girl on a budget like me, you probably already know that it’s tough to find a balance between your desire for upscale spa treatments and your desperate need to keep your wallet from starving. Luckily, there is a happy medium between actually visiting the spa regularly (um hello — pricey!) and desperately whipping up a haphazard batch of avocado, egg yolks, and olive oil as your own makeshift treatment, and it’s as simple as the air we breathe.
Bliss’ At-Home Oxygen Blast Set brings their famous in-spa triple-oxygen mask treatment to those of us who can’t find the time or the budget to visit the pros on a regular basis yet still want to hydrate our skin right! The three-piece at-home spa skit helps oxygenate skin to help brighten a dull, sallow complexion and improve skin’s hydration with the help of vitamin C. The set contains full-sized versions of the brand’s Triple Oxygen Instant Energizing Mask, Triple Oxygen+C Energizing Cream, plus two energizing eye mask pads so you can get the full spa experience in the comfort of your own home!
- Alex Gambardella


I’ve been very impressed with many of the Palmer’s skin care products I’ve tried in the past. One of their newest is another winner for the body. Palmer’s Cocoa Butter Eventone Body Milk is a fantastic (and inexpensive!) body lotion which helps reduce the appearance of scars, dark spots and other discolorations. Of course, with their classic cocoa butter formula, it’s also extremely moisturizing as well.
I used the lotion 2x day and after about 2 weeks I noticed a fantastic evening in my skin tone on areas I used it, like my arms and legs. I loved the creamy silky feel and it absorbed quickly. The scent was faintly one of cocoa butter, but mainly a fresh, floral take on it.
The lotion also did a nice job of lightening my elbows and knees after another few weeks of use. It contains sunscreen, but I would recommend layering with a stronger one if your’re going to be spending a lot of time outdoors to maintain your results.
As always with skin tone evening products, continued use is required to keep an even skin tone, but since the lotion is so creamy and concentrated, a little goes a long way – you’ll get a few months out of a bottle. Get your skin in top form for this summer and pick up some today from your local drugstore. – RLB
Go–> Available at most CVS, Walgreen and other drugstores nationwide. About $ 6.
*This product was provided courtesy of Palmer’s PR for reviewing purposes.


I absolutely love the concept behind this skincare line, fresh from France, called Absolution. It’s the first certified organic unisex skincare line. In addition, it’s also one of the most uniquely and beautifully packaged ones too!
One of their star products is the LA SOLUTION + ECLAT
which gave me a beautiful bright, clear glow and soft smooth skin, with no irritation.
Just a few pumps of this lightweight serum after cleansing felt and smelled amazing. It absorbed quickly and left a nice trace of a slightly citrus, green scent on my skin for a few minutes after application.
I also loved using it as a quick reviving mask before going out in the evening. It’s versatile enough to also be mixed in with either your day cream (their own LA CREME DU JOUR is lovely by the way), or tinted moisturizer to give your skin an added glow and all day hydration.
Give yourself a wonderful, organic beauty treat with this Absolution line now that it’s no longer just a French skin care secret! – RLB
Go–>LA SOLUTION + ECLAT
*This product was provided courtesy of Absolution PR for reviewing purposes.

I started out using the Crest 3D 2 Hour Express Whitestrips Dental Whitening Kit
last year, and was very impressed with the whitening results and how quick and convenient they are.
Now I’ve fallen in love with a new product from the Crest 3D line, Crest 3D White Advanced Vivid FluorideToothpaste, Refreshing Mint.
This toothpaste will take your teeth to the next level of whiteness! While I wouldn’t say I have stained for very yellow teeth by any means, even my fairly white teeth became at least 3 or 4 shades whiter after just a few weeks of using this toothpaste 2x day. The taste is also fantastic, really fresh and minty and made my teeth feel extremely clean as well.
This toothpaste, combined with occasional use of the strips, is a amazing 1-2 combination for a beautiful smile – and at under $ 5 a lot cheaper than an in office whitening process! Make sure you pick up a few of these tubes to always keep your teeth in tip top shape. – RLB
*This product was provided courtesy of Crest PR for reviewing purposes.
Go–>Crest 3D White Advanced Vivid FluorideToothpaste, Refreshing Mint
Under $ 20 Gift Pick!
I’ve found a beautiful, chic gift that any Mother will love for herself (or her house guests)!
Claus Porto Guest Pastilles Soaps are a set of 15 lightly scented soaps (they wafer thin and about the circumference of a French Macaroon), in various scents. My favorite color combination is the blue set (shown above) with the following scents: Cerina (Brise Marine), Lilane (Lavender), Deco (Lime Basil), Aguia (Vetyver) and Condessa (Wild Pansy).
I love the Ombre effect of all the colors in the box, which is so pretty and glossy and comes with a nice color-coordinated ribbon, so it’s completely ready for gift giving.
Claus Porto is known not only for their beautiful soaps, but for their rich and luxurious scents. All the soaps smell so great they also serve as a bathroom fragrance.
The guest pastilles also come in three other color combinations, shown below: orange/yellow, beige/brown and lighter blue/beige well. – RLB
Go–>Claus Porto Guest Pastilles Soaps $ 19
This product was provided courtesy of Lafco PR for reviewing purposes.

Are you looking for fluttery, light lashes (but with some pumped up volume)?
Then the new Maybelline Volum’Express One By One Mascara is the one for you.
I was very impressed with the formula and the brush. With two coats, this mascara made my lashes fluttery, long and defined with absolutely no clumping. It’s such a pretty, feminine lash look!
Because of the shape of this brush, which is big, rubber with longer spikes in the center of the brush it was able to really grab on to the lashes nicely. It fanned out my lashes and really did define each one of them individually. The effect is not “VaVOOM”, it’s a bit more on the natural side, but definitely makes your natural lashes look more defined, and longer.
The formula itself is very lightweight, not too wet and didn’t flake or run during the day, and also worked well with an eyelash curler.
The performance and quality of this mascara make it a fantastic drugstore find! Try it soon… – RLB
Go–>Maybelline Volum’Express One By One Mascara
I recently met Josie Maran, of her namesake cosmetics and skincare line, and got a sneak preview of several new skincare and makeup products for spring and summer. One of the first I want to share with you is one that many of you will love to see. It’s Josie Maran Blemishes R Gone Argan Acne Clearing Pads 60 Pads.
Like all of her core products, the Acne Clearing Pads are infused with pure, Moroccan Argan Oil, the ingredient which is a skin care healer, toner and well as moisturizer. What’s great about these pads are they provide a gentle (non-stinging) solution for mild to moderate acne. The pads are damp and smell so nice! A bit of a apricot sweet scent which is unique for an acne product and very pleasant. The pads also contain natural salicylic acid, willow bark, and organic aloe vera and they felt very gentle.
After applying on a small area of blemishes for just two days (2x day), not only were they gone, but the entire area looked much more toned and glowing. There was no redness or irritation after usage, and it never dried out the area, creating flaking or dry patches. These pads are also a great skin care product for just sweeping over your t-zone to control oil during the day. One pad is big enough for your entire face if needed, and if you just have a few small blemishes, you can even cut it in half using one half for morning and one for night time.
This guest post is courtesy of Thefind
When you have high-maintenance hair like mine (you know, a frizzy, bushy mess in its natural state), the last thing you need is the weather to get in the way of your slaved-over perfected style. And even when you don’t have the pesky snow or the danger of a sudden downpour to get in your way of impeccably styled hair, there’s still the possibility of humidity, which is bound to take your smooth, sleek style back to its original frizzy state in mere minutes! Luckily, despite your inevitable discomfort (unless you’ve got an air-conditioned shelter to retreat to), your hair doesn’t have to suffer through the unbearable heat along with you! You can keep your fancy ‘do and not have to worry about the moisture sabotaging your style with humidity-fighting products! Swap your normal smoothing mousse for one that’ll block moisture while volumizing at your roots, or glossify while you humidity-proof your hair with a strategic styling serum. Or put your defenses up with a setting spray that seals your coif with frizz-fighting “shield” that’ll keep your style sleek all day long!
From left to right: KMS California Flatout Anti-Humidity Seal, Bed Head “Some Like It Hot” Heat & Humidity Resistant Serum, Garnier Fructis Sleek & Shine Anti-Humidity Hairspray, Frederic Fekkai Marine Summer Hair Zero Humidity Frizz Control, and Big Sexy Hair Root Pump Plus Humidity Resistant Spray Mousse.
- Alex Gambardella

If you’ve ever had trouble finding just the right shade of red, orange, yellow, olive/green or even blue/purple tones in your foundation for a perfect match – the answer is here!
IMAN Cosmetics has created a new Find Your Shade guide to IMAN Foundations and Powders. IMAN has taken all the guess work out of matching your exact shade. This selection guide is geared toward all women of color and features relateable, real women.
Now with the click of a button, you have your very own virtual beauty adviser. Simply select the skin tone closest to your complexion and find all the IMAN face products that compliment your unique skin tone.
No complexion is ever too hard to match within these three easy shade ranges: SAND if you are a light golden tone. CLAY if you are medium olive to light brown. EARTH if you are medium to deep brown.
I’m an EARTH 1 and it’s always a perfect match! P.S. IMAN Luxury Radiance Liquid Makeup is my go to foundation when doing my own makeup for photo shoots and television:) – RLB



















