Author: lauren

For Earth Day: 5 Green Beauty Brands I’m Loving Right Now

Published by lauren

I like to think of myself as an eco conscious person. Think of myself… but I know I have a long way to go. This is a subject I want to expand upon on my blog and social media, but I am still in the process of figuring it all out for myself. Less waste, fast fashion, and even skincare. All things I want to explore and challenge myself with. I’m not sure if I’ll ever be 100% green in my beauty buying  (I like my Korean Skincare….) but it’s been a strong theme for me the last few months. So in honor of Earth Day here are 5 green leaning brands I’ve been loving as of late. Uliv is a local California brand that I found out about at the Indie Beauty Expo this past January. They currently only offer one product, but it’s stellar. The Golden Chai Facial Souffle* is made up almost completely of natural ingredients, many organic and hand crafted. It smells fantastic, moisturizes really well and includes some of my favorite ingredients …

Get to Know CLE’s Inventive Products

Published by lauren

This minimalist brand is anything but boring… Over the last few months I’ve been testing out loads of new things. From eyeshadows to eye masks: I’ve been trying to sniff out the some of the next it thing’s. And let me tell you, CLE is it. This minimalistic California/Korean brand is a fun, streamed lined take on beauty. CLE (or Creative Lass Esthetic) really reminds me of Glossier, yet more refined. It’s hip, but laid back, it’s cool but timeless, it’s artsy, but fun. Just look at the brands Instagram… so chic!  Am I making any sense? Regardless, lets get on with what I’ve been trialling from them…. The Melting Lip Powders are a fun take on a matte lip and they give a great dose of beauty entertainment. They can be used for both lip and cheek, and I think they really shine as blushes. Especially the orange one, Ultra Summer, it’s been perfect for spring. The brown shade, Hot Coco, has been nice when I’m feeling a monochromatic sort of makeup day, using it on my lips and face. …

Credo Comes to LA

Published by lauren

Los Angeles’s busy West 3rd Street has landed it’s very own clean beauty emporium. Credo opened its first Los Angeles destination early February, joining the likes of Murad, Benefit, Aesop and Face Haus on the busy shopping stretch. Always on the hunt for the new thing, I stopped in at the new location a couple of weeks back to see the beautiful blue open air space for myself. It is a welcome shopping experience. Clean, crisp and well organized, it makes it easy to spot old favorites and find new discoveries. Skincare wise they carry classics like Indie Lee, Tata Harper and budget friendly Acure, along with up in comers like Susanne Kaufmann and Lilfox. And they have testers for everything! I booked a mini facial with the lovely Allison. She was refreshing, honest, had a passion for skincare and very soothing hands. The Mini Facials are a great opportunity to test out products you’ve had your eye on and discover new ones you might have never noticed. I really appreciated Allison’s candor when I was selecting products. …

Hello Rose by Pixi

Published by lauren

this new kit from Pixi arrives just in time for spring! Pixi was a brand that was a straight up mystery to me for years. I first took note of its elevated blush pink and pastel green packaging several years back when I was rushing through target tying to get in and out with only the essentials (as is the challenge with any target run). I finally got to exploring the brand via the Skincare range via the cult classic Glow Tonic (thanks to Caroline Hirons) and later falling for the Milky Mist (thanks to the Anna Edit). This little set, The Hello Rose, is my first time though testing out anything from their makeup line and I’m very happy with the results! The Glow Booster is a lovely sheer pearly peach pink. It’s a very hydrating cream formula, that gives a lovely lit from within finish to the skin. It layered well under several different foundation formulas I tested it with but also gives a lovely diffusion to the skin on my no-to-low makeup sort of …

The Lip Pencil by Bite Beauty

Published by lauren

the lip only brand has finally released it’s version of a liner.  I’ve got a feeling 2017 is gonna be a Lip Liner heavy year. Not that they were ever out of fashion, but with how things come and go in waves, I bet top dollar that they will have a sizable splash this year. Case and point, the new The Lip Pencils from Bite Beauty. I was excited to learn that Influenster and Bite Beauty were teaming up for The Lip Pencil launch. The Multisticks were one of my favorite discoveries of 2016 so I was eager to test out more from the Canadian brand. I received my free voxbox back in early February and have spent the last few weeks giving them a thorough testing. (also give my 1st impressions a watch!) I received one nude shade, 020, and a deep vampy one, 044 along with two Amuse Bouche mini lipsticks and a Sephora Collection Sharpener. The formula is indeed pigmented, and very very soft. So soft, that it’s nearly impossible to keep a sharp …

Refining My Face with Osea’s White Algea Mask

Published by lauren

Spoiler. It’s a new fav! I think masks are my most commonly purchased skincare items. I use them as a sort of introductory product when testing out a new line. Whether clay, hydrating or just a sheet mask it generally give me a good idea if I want to test out any more from a brand. Well, It’s easy to say that I am eager to test out more from Malibu based Osea, because the White Algea Mask is easily one of my top five favorite masks now. Formulated with Algae Extract’s, the White Algea Mask helps to refine texture, hydrate parched skin, and feed it with anti aging antioxidants. The mask has antioxidant rich White Tea, and White Wine to nourish the skin. Along with skin soothers Aloe Vera, Calendula and Jojoba Oils that really helps to hydrate and calm. It has a mousse like texture that dries down to a sort of almost light clay on the skin, but not uncomfortable or dehydrating like most clay masks can feel. I’ve used this mask a little …

What I Smell Like: My Current Go to Scents

Published by lauren

don’t worry, I shower…  Perfume and I have had a rocky relationship in the past. From dosing myself in some sort of cherry vanilla concoction way back in middle school, to going sans any scent except for whatever my current deodorant gave off… I find it pleasantly surprising (and smelling) that I’ve finally grown into a love for fragrance. Now my collection is pretty small, and mainly full of deluxe samples and one roller ball from Diptyque. But recently it’s been growing a bit with the acquisition of two full size fragrances. And I just can’t stop spritzing them on myself! I stumbled upon Alani from Melissa Flagg at Anthropologie back before Christmas. I was, of course, drawn in by the botanical design on the bottle (theme here folks!) but the happy yet refined scent of orange blossom and gardenia was what sold me on it. Each perfume in this range is supposed to evoke the essence of Hawaii… I do get a breathe of something tropical, but it’s not overly sweet and the lovely old-timey atomizer does adds a little extra …

The New Le Marc Liquid Lip Creme’s by Marc Jacobs

Published by lauren

AKA The Perfect Night Out (and in) Pout… I am a big fan of routines. You wouldn’t know it from my disorganized, chaotic, always behind on emails self. But when I actually have my wits about me to fall back on a schedule or routine, shit gets done! My makeup application falls into a similar state. Some days it’s a little all over the place (but fun! I swear…) and then other times I settle into a cohesive pattern that I go back to again and again. I’ve really liked the new Marc Jacobs Le Marc Liquid Lip Creme’s for both of those times: it’s sort of the perfect spur of the moment go to… if that make any sense. I was super lucky and qualified for one of the Marc Jacobs PR Box’s via Influenster a few weeks back. They sent me one of the new Le Marc Liquid Lip Cremes in Truth or Bare and a Poutliner Longwear Lip Liner in Primrose. I’ve been carting around both in my hand bag ever since. The Le Marc …

Let’s Have A Talk About Ouai Hair Care

Published by lauren

You know, that Kardashian brand you’ve seen EVERYWHERE. I have a nasty habit of hating on super hyped items. When I see it all over the place I just double down on my dubious attitude towards it. I for sure got that way about Ouai haircare: every youtuber, beauty editor and blogger was raving about it. I felt very shilled to. But after the initial launch loads of people were still talking about it, so my curiosity perk up. If people are still into something after the brands newness wears off then there’s gotta be something there… right? This was my thinking behind purchasing The Style Edit Kit around thanksgiving last year (crazy to call that last year). I’ve played with it for a few months now and can finally give an honest assessment- even if I’m still on the fence about a few things. (this particular set is currently out of stock, but here’s one similar.) Let’s talk the negative first, and probably the part you care less about it- The Hair Ties. They are a …

December Favorites

Published by lauren

I know a lot of us in the blog world forgo the December favorites in favor of a yearly round up post or video, but in November and December I tested out way more products than I normally do that I just couldn’t wait for my big 2016 beauty retrospective. I think face wise there is something in every category this go around from Foundation to Lips, there’s a bit of it all. I’ve got two new Holy Grail’s in there: the Heimish Artless Glow Base, and the Air Blush from Marc Jacobs (I fell for Flesh and Fantasy just like every one else, it really is the blush that goes with everything). I found it odd that I haven’t seen anyone else talking about the new Luminizing Drops from Algenist. They have an incredible glow, and Rose is such a unique but flattering lavender highlight. I also hit up a few sales to test out a some hyped up products that lucky weren’t duds, looking at you Artis Oval 6, you make my foundation look …