CoverGirl Lash Blast

Here’s a picture of the wand that makes Cover Girl’s newest mascara: Lash Blast. It seems to use the same spiky bristles as the newest mascaras but the wand is huge! The small wand you see on the left is the one for Volume Exact. See how much smaller it is?

I usually don’t like mascaras with fat brushes. I find them to be unwieldy and Iinadvertently get mascara on my eyelid as I try to negotiate mascara on every part of my lashes. That said, this mascara is really good and it does give me long full lashes that are slightly curled as well. I would even say that this is one of the best mascaras of the year and if you’re looking for a mascara that delivers and you like the fat wand mascaras, then this is your best bet.

This mascara is already available in the U.S. but Canadian readers can expect it to be on shelves sometime in January or February.

Kiehl’s Rare Earth Pore Minimizing collection

This is a true story. The other day I saw a tiny man in a miner’s hat run across my nose and jump into a pore. Ok…that’s not true. But it could be! I swear, the older I get, the larger my pores seem to grow. Combine that with my oily skin and I feel like I’m fighting a losing battle.

And who comes in to save the day? Why, Kiehl’s of course! You know we have ahuge love for them already. But with the introduction of the Rare Earth Pore Minimizing collection my love has grown to epic depths!

These products were made for me, and all of you normal to oily skin people too. And if you’re like me, you love the feel of a product with mud or clay in it for it’s ability to absorb oil like a sponge. That’s exactly what you’ll find in this collection; Amazonian White Clay, and because it’s Kiehl’s, it’s fairly traded too. It’s from Marajo Island in South America. The clay is gathered at the mouth of the Amazon River at the beginning of the dry season, after months of being nourished by the leaves, fruits and seeds swept down the river from the rainforest.

This collection of four products works to remove dirt, toxins, excess oil and dead cells that can clog skin and result in enlarged pores. And apparently, enlarged and clogged pores aren’t just oily skin issues. Those with aging skin can often be affected (so I’m doomed on two fronts!)

If you can use all four products together, they work beautifully, like a well-oiled, oil-fighting machine. But the two that really stood out for me (the two products I went out and bought after my samples ran dry) were…

Deep Pore Daily Cleanser – Mild, yet foaming (Hooray, this girl needs bubbles) the Amazonian White Clay is combined with finely crushed Diatomaceous Earth toreally clean your skin. This feels like a clay masque, that rich mud feeling, only with lots of lather. LOVE this. My skin felt so amazingly clean after just one use.

And the…

Pore Minimizing Lotion – not so much a moisturizer as a mattifier, and an amazing one at that! You will not believe what this does to your skin. It literally makes oil disappear like magic. Added to the same two ingredients as the cleanser are Oat Kernel Flour (for further absorption) and Aloe (to soothe).

Big thumbs up for the other two in the collection as well:

Pore Cleansing Masque (everything you want in a masque) and Pore Refining Tonic (a toner in which you can feel the clay).

So, if you too want to send those tiny spelunkers packing, I highly recommend these products.

RGB nail color – review

RGB – Pre Fall 09 Collection – Steel, Toast and Haze

I discovered the joys of RSS feeds just about a year ago when I stumbled onto a nail design blog, and decided to subscribe to it’s feeds. I started clicking through blog rolls, and following links to nail polish websites and contests. After a few months, I wasn’t just a fan of women who were rabid over polishing and decorating their nails and discovering new brands. Soon, I became one of those women.

I didn’t start writing about my nail polish hauls or posting pics of my NOTD (nail of the day), but I did develop an immense joy in painting my toenails and fingernails. It became a hobby that I now share with my 2-year-old and 4-year-old daughters. (My oldest is asleep right now sporting a purple sparkly pedi. My toddler has toenails the color of fresh squeezed O.J.) Since no one wants to share a noxious chemical-laden hobby with their children, I was excited to try RGB Cosmetics – one of the only brands of formaldehyde, toluene, and DBP free nail polishes on the market.

I had the pleasure of trying the colors Haze and RGB10, two of the sixteen current shades in RGB’s fashionable collection. Nail polish lovers can choose shades fromTen, their mainstay collection of 10 carefully edited shades; they cover the gambit from your Goth girl friendly RGB Black (a deep dark black with just a hint of shimmer) to the ladies that lunch appropriate RGB Buff (for a natural clean look) or pick a limited edition shade from seasonal collections.

Haze (pictured – back right bottle) is from their Pre Fall ’09 collection, and it is described as a “smoky violet,” which is the perfect description. Until I checked their site, I was describing it as grey with a touch mauve. Haze graced my toes for nearly three weeks without chipping or losing its shine. (I don’t use base or topcoats.) Although the color wasn’t right for my skin tone, I couldn’t knock its longevity.

I also tested RGB 10, part of the original ten colors, a sheer blush. It took three strokes for me to get a look of color on my nails although I don’t suggest doing that. RGB 10 is designed to make your nails look natural but 100 times better. I just wanted to see if one could build color with this shade. Despite not using a topcoat nor doing a touch up, my manicure lasted 4 days without a chip even after doing a round of dish washing.

Members of our we heart this review team received the other colors from the Pre-Fall 09 collection for review, Steel (front bottle) an industrial grey and Toast (middle bottle) a modern taupe. Make sure to check the comments for their thoughts!

For now you can only purchase the polish for $14 on the RGB website, but soon it will be available in stores. It’s worth seeking out as in my nail obsessed opinion, this is definitely a five out of five star beauty product!

JUARA – a Green Monday product review

Welcome to another Green Monday! Today, we have a company that we are thrilled to be introducing to we heart this readers – the eco-conscious and simply luscious JUARA

. This Indonesian inspired line of natural beauty products has it all – fab packaging, luxurious formulas, subtle, sensuous scents and effective products. Did we mention this company has a heart of gold as well?

Not only did the wht review team receive a few JUARA staples for glowing skin; the good peeps at JUARA contributed to our Raffle for the Rescues as well! A lucky Raffle winner walked away with a basket brimming with JUARA’s most buzzed about products from the sumptuous Candlenut line. The generous folks at JUARA also donated a chicly packaged, 3 piece sampler set of hydrating skin products to our Raffle Gift Bags as well.

Naturally, a company willing to share their products for a cause so close to my heart has already earned some positive marks in my book. Happily, once I had a chance to check out a couple of their effective yet gentle products, I realized theirskin care is also worthy of rave reviews! As you probably suspected, this line of natural skin care is 100% vegetarian and contains no ingredients tested on animals. Additionally, all products are free of parabens, sulfates, and artificial colors.

JUARA (pronounced joo/ah/rah) is a distinctive blend of natural Indonesian skincare treatments (tracing back to ancient royalty) and modern science. Their formulas contain high concentrations of pure, powerful active botanicals to provide effective yet safe, gentle skincare. The JUARA philosophy focuses on maintaining healthy skin “while feeling luxurious, elegant, and sensual to the touch.” My verdict? Mission completed!

I tried a variety of skin pampering products neatly packaged in the Glow On The Go Kit

, the perfect starter collection to experience JUARA. This skin brightening kit contains five of their best selling products (a cleanser, mask, toner and face moisturizer, plus body crème) working together to “soften, brighten, strengthen and detoxify skin by utilizing the ancient beauty secrets of rice, tamarind, turmeric and sweet black tea.“ After conducting just one mini ritual in my bathroom (a four step mini facial with the music blaring and the phone turned off) my skin was truly radiant – which is almost impossible for my blotchy, oily skin. Yet, this 20 minute “me time” resulted in a complexion that was clearer and brighter while my skin was markedly softer to the touch.

Beyond these fantastic results, I found two products that really made an impression on me in this kit. First the Rice Facial Cleanser

 is fabulous. It’s creamy and luxurious to the touch and thoroughly cleans my skin. Best of all, the creamy cleanser stands up well to a full two-minute wash with my Clarisonic. My skin felt super clean and soft all at once – this one’s going on my To Buy List.

Secondly, I believe the Turmeric Antioxidant Facial Mask

 may be primarily responsible for my glow. When applied this creamy mask stays moist while its antioxidants work to brighten skin and smooth fine lines. I could feel a very subtle tingle while it worked its magic and then the mask washed clear away with a warm cloth. Best of all, a dab of moisture and my skin felt full and supple – no tightness and no itchiness.

Our review team will be along in the comments to give their thoughts on this exotic and elegant line of skincare. We’ll hear more about the Rice Facial Cleanser, theSweet Black Tea & Rice

 Facial Moisturizer and the Candlenut Body Creme

 . Additionally, we will hear about the Avocado Banana Moisture Mask

 , an intensive moisture mask for dry, sensitive and/or mature skin containing banana puree and avocado oil –yum! As well as the Sweet Black Tea 

  Eye Cream, made with Candlenut Oil and vitamins to rejuvenate the eye area and minimize fine lines.