Categories
Blog Health + Beauty

Aveeno Clear Complexion vs. Maybelline Dream Fresh BB Cream

This post may contain affiliate links; all opinions are my own. See Disclosures here

Just a quick comparison of these two drugstore BB creams — the Aveeno Clear Complexion BB Cream and the Maybelline Dream Cream BB Cream.

muffinchanel bb cream comparison reviewBoth BB Creams have a Broad Spectrum SPF 30. The Aveeno BB Cream is around $15 at drugstores and the Maybelline BB Cream is less expensive at around $9.





I had started using the Maybelline Dream Fresh BB Cream and really liked it. Application is easy and it gives medium to light coverage. The finish is slightly greasy, so I set it with a translucent powder and it lasts all day.

muffinchanel bb cream comparison review swatchesWhen I ran out of the Maybelline, I decided to give the Aveeno Clear Complexion BB Cream a try. The formula is much thicker than the Maybelline and it seems more dense. I prefer the pump on the Aveeno bottle; seems more sanitary. But the first pump of product always pushed out a clump of product that had dried and hardened inside the tip of the spout; gross. I’d find myself squirting out a pump onto a tissue just to get rid of the clump and wasting all that product.




muffinchanel bb cream comparison review swatch compare Application of the Aveeno BB Cream was “smeary”. I’m not sure if it was my sunscreen underneath, or just the product itself, but it was always streaky on me. I’d set it with the translucent powder and it’d be fine, but only after blending/rubbing it off with my fingers. I’d find my skin looking shiny near the end of the day and my skin is never greasy.

So, I’ve switched back to my trusted Maybelline Dream Fresh BB Cream. It looks kind of scary-orange out of the bottle, but it blends into the skin quite nicely as an alternative to foundation.

Let me know what BB Creams you like. I’m interested in some high end ones as well.

Categories
Blog Health + Beauty

Miss Jessie’s Curly Pudding – First Impressions

This post may contain affiliate links; all opinions are my own. See Disclosures here

I picked up Miss Jessie’s Curly Pudding from Target; $38 for the 16oz size. I’d never heard of Miss Jessie’s products, but I was interested to try it because it promised “no frizz and no crunchy curls.”muffinchanel miss jessie curly pudding review

I told you I’ve been wearing my hair curly in my Summer Hair Don’t Care – 5 Tips to Protect Your Hair post. I had been using Catwalk Curlesque Defining Serum and the Catwalk Curlesque Curls Rock Amplifier by TIGI to help define my curls, but it can make my curls too crunchy if I use too much or make my hair frizzy if I use too little. So, I gave Miss Jessie’s Curly Pudding a chance.

First Impressions

The smell of this lavender colored pudding is not good; it reminds me of Nair hair remover cream. The texture of the Curly Pudding is just like pudding — like a whipped jello.

To use the pudding, you rub a tablespoon sized amount on your palms, and distribute to through a section of your wet hair, from roots to ends. Repeat for each section until the pudding is on every section. Then, let your hair air dry or dry it with a diffuser.

With the smell and the unusual texture of this styling product, I almost couldn’t put it in my hair. Make sure you apply it in a well-ventilated room. After I finally distributed the product through my wet hair, I gently combed it out with a wide-tooth comb. I let my hair air dry and I really liked the results the next morning.

My curls were defined and soft — no crunch or plastic curl feel. However, the smell of product in my hair was still faint even the next day. :/ Despite the smell and texture, I’ll definitely use Miss Jessie’s Curly Pudding again because the results were fantastic.

Categories
Blog Health + Beauty

Night Time Skin Care Routine

This post may contain affiliate links; all opinions are my own. See Disclosures here

The Clarisonic Mia is my favorite skincare tool! I love it. The Mia is perfect for travel and everyday use because of its size — it’s Clarisonic’s smallest skin cleansing system. The Mia runs for one minute on one setting. I’ll use it twice — once for my face and once for my neck & décolleté.

bluemiamed-new2I use my Clarisonic with Philosophy’s Purity Made Simple cleanser. This cleanser is so gentle, yet it is strong enough to remove all of my makeup. With purity and the Clarisonic, I know I am removing all of the impurities from my skin.

s407304-main-heroAfter my skin is clean, I’ll apply Lancome’s Advanced Génifique serum.  3605533117217_1-7oz_advancedgenifiqueI love this because it absorbs quickly into my face, neck and décolleté. My skin looks youthful and radiant after using this serum and I feel that it preps my face well for the final step to my night time skin care routine, Lancome’s Visionnaire 

screen-shot-2013-05-27-at-1-44-46-pmThis cream has a pleasant smell and is essentially, a skin corrector. It fixes visible pores, wrinkles, discoloration, and makes your skin feel soft and healthy.

See my UPDATED night time skin care routine here. 🙂

Categories
Blog Health + Beauty

Sweetie Pie Review – Lush Cosmetics

This post may contain affiliate links; all opinions are my own. See Disclosures heremuffinchanel lush cosmetics sweetie pie review

This Lush gift set is the perfect gift for anyone. With 6 awesome products, you are sure to walk away with a new favorite!

muffinchanel lush cosmetics sweetie pie reviewThis set comes with:

  • The Comforter
  • Bubble Gum Lip Scrub
  • Shimmy Shimmy Sparkle Bar
  • Sunny Side Bubble Bar
  • Rock Star Soap
  • Sweetie Pie Shower Jelly

I showed you this gift set in an earlier post, now it’s time for a review!

muffinchanel lush cosmetics sweetie pie review

  • The Comforter – My absolute favorite product from Lush. Hands down. The Comforter you get in this set is half the size of the stand-alone Comforter (3.5oz vs. 7oz). You can get at least two uses out of this size Comforter. To use: Just crumble up the bubble bar under your warm running bath water. I like to sweep my hand through the water to really agitate it & get the bubbles going. The Comforter makes your water a nice, bright pink color that is so smooth and silky. I love the smell; it’s kind of fruity, but cool.
  • Bubble Gum Lip Scrub – I am not a fan of Bubblegum as a smell (I prefer the Mint Julips version of this sugar scrub) , but this scrub is great for giving your lips a nice polish. A little bit will definitely go a long way! To use: I like to first put on a chapstick or lipbalm then apply a little bit of the sugar scrub with my finger. The lip balm will help the scrub to stick. Then gently rub the sugar all over your lips — don’t rub too hard! Then you can lick the scrub off or gently wipe it away with a damp cloth. Makes your lips super soft and smooth.
  • Shimmy Shimmy Sparkle Bar – This is almost like a lotion bar, but with glitter. It definitely gives a nice glow, but it didn’t absorb very well on me and I felt like I was leaving a glitter trail on my clothes and furniture. I’m not sure the best way to use this. :/
  • Sunny Side Bubble Bar – This is another bubble bar I like. In fact, if you’re trying Lush for the first time, I recommend trying a bubble bar — any kind, but definitely a Bubble Bar; they’re the best! Sunny Side makes your bath not only silky and bubbly, but glittery gold! And not like chunks of glitter sinking to the bottom of your bath — it’s like swirling liquid gold.
  • Rock Star Soap – :/ This soap smells weird to me. It’s like a chalky bubblegum smell? Thankfully, the smell doesn’t linger and it doesn’t leave my skin feeling dry.
  • Sweetie Pie Shower Jelly – This “jelly” is kind of cool. It’s like a more solid shower gel — think Jell-o consistency. The smell is pleasant and with glitter swirls in it, how could you go wrong? I take a small bit of the jelly and lather it up in my loofa. The jelly is a tad slippery, but once it’s lathered, you’re good to go. Leaves my skin feeling clean and soft.

The Sweetie Pie gift set is $46 at Lush.com and I would rate it 7.5/10.