Review: Primavera Calming Moisture Cream

**This product was provided to me by a representative of the company. I am reviewing without being asked. My review is not influenced in any way.**

You guys all know that I’m addicted to my generic face moisturizer. It’s soft and light and wonderful. But I have been having a bit of an issue with it lately. Namely is that it’s a little heavy for the warmer months. Light for the rest of the year, but it’s been sitting on top of my skin lately rather than soaking in.

So when a Primavera representative provided me with a sample of this moisturizer, I was excited to try it.

Apologies for the sideways picture. Blogger seems to think it needs to be that way. Artistic, apparently.

I applied it fresh out of the shower, right after toning with the calming toner from the same starter kit.

At first, it felt a little heavy. A little thick. Like it didn’t quite want to sink into my skin. It did, eventually, but it still felt a little on the heavy side. My skin felt soft and wonderful, but I could feel it on my face. Almost like I had this layer between my skin and the outside world. And despite the fact that I did, in fact, have that layer, I would prefer if I couldn’t feel it every time I scrunched my face or touched my skin.

The smell is great, and the moisturizing qualities can’t be denied. This product is marvelous. It fixed up all of my dry patches from a day spent indoors. But in the end, I think that this is going to be relegated to the world of night creams. It’s a little too heavy for daily use for me.

Thanks for reading!

A to Z: J is for Jojoba oil

This is, honestly, one of the most expensive products I own. That's why my bottle is still mostly full. But, hey, it's all I've got for the letter J. So let me tell you about the benefits of jojoba oil.

Jojoba oil was something that I originally bought to make solid perfume. You mix a little of this, a little melted beeswax, and a scented oil of your choice (I choice a lemon curd scented oil perfume). Pour into a chapstick container or locket, and voila! Solid perfume that is great for traveling. 

But after making several batches of solid perfume, I had...well...the rest of the bottle. And it's pretty expensive. This little bottle from Trader Joe's ran me about $8. 

So what did I do when I had a bottle of expensive oil and no idea how to use it? Why, I turned to the internet of course! 

Google told me all about its many uses. Removing makeup. Applying as a moisturizer, particularly under mineral makeup. Lip oil when mixed with natural citrus extracts. 

But my above and beyond favorite way to use this is as a spot treatment for severe dry skin. Unfortunately, the earthy scent isn't something I really enjoy, but when I'm going to be at home all night anyways, it's tolerable. I rub some into my heels, throw on a pair of old socks, and settle down to watch some television. 

When my cuticles are a disaster, I will use this or the cuticle oil I purchased when I first got into nail polish. This is a little more intense when it comes to moisturizing, though. 

When my lips are in so much pain because I never drink enough water, I mix a little of this with some of the lemon extract I always have on hand for baking to make a little sometime special. I just have to be careful not to lick my lips too much, because then the flavor of the jojoba really comes out and let me tell you...it's not pleasant. 

Overall, this is a pretty expensive but very useful oil to have on hand. The best news is that a little goes a very long way. I usually only need a couple of drops for my severest dry skin. 

Just be warned! This is oil is a little...well...oily. Plan to sit tight for a while after application. No touching your phone or keyboard. Trust me on this one. 

Thanks for reading!

A to Z: E is for Equate

And why generics can be awesome!

Now is the time you get to hear about the generic moisturizer that won me over for all moisturizers ever.

See, there was a time in my life (Ahem, college) where I didn't moisturize often, if at all, because I didn't think it was necessary. My skin wasn't that bad. How much could it really help?

But after a really bad bout of dried skin in the middle of summer, I decided to go shopping for some moisturizers. But I was on a really tight budget. And so, after trying several different types on my jawline. In the store. Around other people. I finally settled on this:

It's basically the knock-off version of Aveeno's Positively Radiant moisturizer. When I tested it, it seemed a tad heavy, but it sank in quickly. Didn't leave my skin oiler. And (thankfully) has built in SPF. As pale as I am, that's a HUGE plus.

And nowadays, this is the only stuff I'll use. It takes a little longer to soak in than some people are comfortable with, but I put it on right when I'm out of the shower and it immediately takes away the tight, dry feeling that starts to settle in. Not to mention this stuff is still cheap and it lasts FOREVER. 

See, that's why generics can (sometimes) be awesome. You don't have to buy the $8.99 bottle of moisturizer when the $3.99 bottle does just fine. 

There are some things I don't like to compromise on (like mascara), but in general, I will always go with generic if it looks/feels/smells/tastes the same or contains the same ingredient ratios. 

Like polish remover. I have never ever bought a bottle of fancy nail polish remover. Why? Cause the generic stuff that everyone sells works just fine. Now, I do step up and use the "nourishing" stuff cause it doesn't dry out my cuticles as bad. But I don't need expensive polish remover when I'm probably going to moisturize my hands after using it. 

So before you buy that crazy expensive brand of whatever, check out the generics. Read the labels and try to see if will fit your needs. Then, you can spend more money on the things you really want (like that Deborah Lippmann Gel Lab).

Thanks for reading!

Making Your Own Makeup

If you're at all into beauty, you know that one of the big deals right now is to have a tinted moisturizer or a tinted primer under all the other stuff.

But here's a big secret: I don't wear primer. Ever. I am lucky enough to have skin that holds onto makeup all day with little need for refreshing. For those of you who have oily skin or skin that just can't seem to like makeup, primer is a good choice.

The problem is that it can get a little pricey.

And for me, my moisturizer is pretty expensive as well. After all, I use an all natural moisturizer with no parabens or artificial chemicals. And the cost of natural is high.

So when I read about a brilliant way to stretch that moisturizing dollar, especially during the winter months when I have to slather it three or more times a day, I was so totally game.

And now, I'm going to share that tip with you guys.

The trick to make expensive moisturizers last longer without decreasing their effectiveness is this: make your own tinted moisturizer.

That's right. And you want to know what? It's really not that hard. In fact, I can make a small pot of mine every morning and it only adds about 30 seconds to my routine time. Which is always a plus when I'm in a hurry (which is every day).

Here are some tricks that I've picked up on since starting this.

First, use a healthy amount of moisturizer. Use a little less than what you would use on your face.

I found that this spare contact case that I had floating around was the perfect size to hold one or two days worth of my handmade tinted moisturizer. Making it that often keeps it fresh so you aren't using stale makeup on one of the most sensitive areas.

Next, add about the same amount of liquid foundation as you would use on any given day. Use more if you want more coverage, but generally, this amount is just right.

And last but not least, stir! Make sure that all of the moisturizer is mixed in with the foundation, and you don't have any spots where one is more concentrated than the other. That will cause streakiness and uneven placement of the makeup.

 Now, when you use this, not only are you making your foundation winter ready by adding moisturizing capabilities, but you're stretching out how much moisturizer you use in the morning by making your makeup do double duty.

Mixing in your moisturizer will make sure that your makeup stays longer by helping it soak into the skin. It looks sheerer and more natural, and using it this way makes it nearly impossible to get that icky cakey skin look.

When I first started getting into makeup, I was terrified of looking like I was wearing makeup. You know those people. The ones who look like they have a pound of makeup covering their skin, which only makes their flaws that much more noticeable.

My foundation wasn't really getting used until I started mixing it with my moisturizer because it felt so heavy. Even a good foundation can feel heavy for me. But this makes it light and comfortable. Sometimes, I'll have to get out of bed at night because I forgot that I was wearing makeup and so hadn't taken it off. Most people don't even know I'm wearing makeup. They just think I look airbrushed naturally. Which, hey, no complaints here!

Try out your own combinations and let me know how it works out for ya!

Thanks for reading!

Birchbox January 2013 - pūr~lisse pūr~moist

hydra-balance moisturizer

Alright, now this is something could be dangerous to my budget.

Upon opening, I immediately loved that it wasn’t really scented. Why, you ask? But Jessica, you love scented lotions! Yes. Yes, I do love scented lotions. But when I’m planning on wearing a face moisturizer to bed, I don’t want it perfumed. That’s bound to give me an instant headache and set me up for a long night of little sleep.

Instead, this smelled pleasant and clean and just like it should when all of its ingredients are super awesome natural powerhouses for hydration.

At first, I thought I had to use a lot of the moisturizer for it to soak into my skin well enough that I felt confident in the product. I later found out that I was supposed to apply a nickel sized amount (which is how much they say on Birchbox), rather than the dime sized amount I usually need with other formulas.

It soaked in really quickly, which was excellent, and didn’t make my skin feel greasy or slimy in any way. But when I woke up in the morning, my skin was so wonderfully soft. I really wish you guys could feel my face through the computer screen. I rarely feel my skin this nourished, especially during the winter.

I am absolutely going to be buying this for night time use, since I already have a day moisturizer that I adore.

Thanks for reading!