Did you know? Origins Free Sample! ***New Series***

Did you know that you can recycle ANY of your cosmetic empties at Origins and they give you a free sample in return?  I already love Origins, their philanthropy is unparalleled, they have amazing products and they give away free stuff for bringing them something that might otherwise end up as landfill waste!  Check out their website here to learn more about their philanthropy & their products. 

Thursday Thoughts **New Series**

Welcome to my new series "Thursday Thoughts"!  I am excited to announce that every Thursday I will share something to get you moving & thinking in the right direction!

For this Thursday I wanted to share a quote that I love from the beautyriot.com website...

"Excuses Don't Burn Calories"

How perfect it that?  I don't know about you but I am anxiously awaiting Summer and since it will be here before we know it I have been getting back in shape and right now beautyriot.com has "22 Quotes to Get You Off Your Butt and to the Gym".  Be sure to check out beautyriot.com for the other 21 quotes!

bareMinerals Matte Foundation-Review

bareMinerals Matte Foundation SPF 15

It seems like most of us use either liquid foundation or powder foundation, it's pretty rare that someone uses both on a regular basis.  I only use powder foundation and for me it can only be bareMinerals.  Once I made the switch from liquid foundation I never looked back.  I have been a dedicated fan of bareMinerals for at least 8 years, maybe even more.  If you could talk to all of my girlfriends they would tell you I have an obscene amount of bareMinerals products, from foundation, blush to eye shadows, you name it, I probably own it, I even have an assortment of their skin care products that I love as well.  I promise to show you my entire bareMinerals makeup & skin care collection but I will save that for a blog post at a later date!

Just so you know, I am 40(ish) and (unfortunately) I have oily skin.  My favorite foundation is the bareMinerals MATTE foundation SPF15 in the medium beige shade and it's perfect fit for my skin type, it gives flawless coverage in addition to a no-makeup look & feel and also helps keep my shine to a minimum.

If you are familiar with bareMinerals you know that their products can be a little pricey.  However, like any savvy shopper who loves a good deal I always take advantage of the sales & package deals and never, ever pay full price for products, otherwise my family, furbabies & I would be living under a bridge!  I also belong to the bareMinerals club so I can take advantage of special pricing and choose what products I want and how often I want to receive them.  Plus, they send you free gifts with each shipment!  Love that!!

Have you tried bareMinerals?  What is your favorite product?  Is there a certain product you have been wanting to try?  If there is a product that you've wanted to try the chances are that I have probably tried it/own myself and would love to give you a review of it so leave a comment below!  Did you see that they just released a liquid foundation?  You can check that out here and here, now this is one liquid foundation I just might have to try!

Little Black Bag Buy 1, Get 2 Free Handbag Sale!!

Little Black Bag is having a great sale on handbags, buy 1 get 2 free!  There is a minimum purchase of $39.95 and the sale ends 04/15/14 at 10pm PDT.  They have a great selection of handbags at already reduced prices so this is a deal that is too good to pass up!  Are you going to be getting some new handbags?

Little Black Bag also has some super deals on beauty, clothing, shoes & accessories so it's really worth checking out.

Check out Total Beauty for some great deals!

Have you had a chance to check out totalbeauty.com?  It's a great .com that includes info about beauty, health, style & also has some really great deals to be had!  Currently they have a Mother's Day Collection Box for just $29.00 when you use coupon code MOM or you can order 2 boxes for just $55.00 using coupon code MOM2, each box contains over $110.00 in beauty products!!

You can also purchase a Sampler Collection for just $15.00 or you can use TBFAVE12 to get it for $12.00 when you order 2 or more, one for you & one for Mom!!

In addition, you can save another 10% if you join totalbeauty.com  Yay!!  Who doesn't love saving more $!

They also have a few other great deals, are you going order something on totalbeauty.com?  I think I will order the Sampler Collection so I will be sure to do a review of the products once I receive my order!

***Super Goop Complimentary Shipping Today Only***

Have you tried Super Goop Sunscreen?  I use it just about every day and it is seriously great stuff!  They are having Free Shipping today only on the Super Goop website so it would be a great time to order some to try out.  "90% of the signs of age are caused by day to day UV exposure" so get some sunscreen on that face, neck & don't for get your decollete!

Skin Care Must Haves & On-Line Shopping Tips

For someone in my early 40's with oily skin that also has to deal with the effects of Melasma I wanted to share my skin care "must haves" that I depend on to help keep my skin clean, clear, wrinkle free & also keep my Melasma in check.

My first "must have" is the Clairsonic.  Unless you have been living under a rock you have all heard the rave reviews about the Clairsonic.  It's a little on the pricey side but well worth the investment and a staple in any skin care routine.  QVC almost always has the Clairsonic on Easy Pay which allows you to break it out into 2 or up to 5 payments, depending on which one you want.

I like to mix it up so in addition to my Clairsonic I also use Muslin face cloths.  You can use just about any brand but I prefer Pai Organic Muslin Face Cloth.  The Muslin cloths gently exfoliate your skin and leave it feeling clean & smooth.

Next up is cleanser.  I alternate my cleanser depending on how my skin is acting but lately I have been loving the DHC Deep Cleansing Oil.    DHC Deep Cleansing Oil works like a dream and removes excess oil, makeup, dirt and other pore-clogging impurities and its water-soluble.  I know, I know you are wondering why on earth would I use a oil on my oily skin but I have to say it is a fantastic product and my skin loves me for using it!

Every skin care routine would not be complete without a great exfoliator!  I have probably tried over 10 exfoliates and I always come back to Meaningful Beauty Superfine Exfoliant.  I use this at least twice a week and usually at night.  The exfoliant is formulated with a multi-crystal refining complex to gently exfoliate the layers of dead, dull surface skin cells to help reveal a fresh, radiant complexion which makes it another "must have" product.

Another exfoliator that I use is in liquid form and I use it in both my morning & night routines is the Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant and it is a gem of a product!  The BHA in this product stands for Beta Hydroxy Acid and it's a little miracle ingredient if you ask me.  BHA helps increase collagen production and helps smooth the surface of the skin.  I know you can purchase similar products with more than 2% but 2% is really all I need since I am using it along with other exfoliant products so the 2% is the most beneficial for my skin.

For my daytime moisturizer "must have" I use DDF Ultra Lite Oil-Free Moisturizing Dew.  This light weight moisturizer is perfect for my oily skin since it hydrates without causing blemishes or adding to my oiliness.

My last but certainly not least is Josie Maran Argan Oil.  I know, here we go again with adding more oil to my already oily face but trust me this stuff is amazing and does NOT contribute to any additional oiliness.  I only use Joise Maran Argan Oil at night as the last step in my nightly routine.  The oil absorbs into my skin fairly quickly and little goes a really long way.  Overnight the oil heals, repairs and conditions my skin.  Plus, as an added bonus you can use it for just about everything like hair, feet and nails.  Another little miracle product if you ask me!  I realize this might be a little pricey for some of you peeps but the 1.7 oz. bottle really does last a long time.  You can also look for it on the QVC website.  This is where I usually purchase it since they usually have it on Easy Pay AND the have special packages where they also include some of the other great products in the Joise Maran line.

So there you have it!  My "must haves" in my everyday skin care routines.  Have you tried any of these products?  I would love to hear your comments & any suggestions of products you are currently loving so be sure to post a comment below!!

Special On-line Shopping Tips: 
Tip #1:  Before you complete any on-line purchases ALWAYS do an on-line search for a "coupon code" for that product/website.  You can almost always find one for at least 10% or Free Shipping.  

Tip #2:  Also, before you make any on-line purchases check to see if they have the website on Ebates.  If you haven't already done so you must sign up for Ebates since it pays you to shop!  Yes that's right PAYS you!  For those of you not familiar with Ebates it is an on-line shopping hub with a million websites to shop from and they offer cash back just to shop through Ebates.  I know it sounds a little sketchy but I know first hand that it is the real deal.  Once set-up your account you can choose to have your cash-back payments sent to you via your Pay Pal account or have a check mailed to you.  I have my cash-back paid to my Pay Pal account and that way I can just transfer the money directly into my checking account.  Love it!