Bronze Bombshell

It's raining today, but it has been quite spring-like in Bombshell-land and I'm getting a bit spring feverish.

The remedy? Start to cultivate a hint of a sun-kissed glow. I love, love, love a perfect porcelain complexion, but the California Girl in me yearns for a tan in the summer. I am not willing to subject my skin to frying, so I only go the fake route. I've done the Mystic Tan spray booth (kind of expensive, but worth it for, say, a summer trip to Vegas), self-tanning lotions, sprays, mousses, etc. Everything but the booth is a little too much work for me. The upkeep anyway...and the mess in the bathroom, and on my white, high thread count sheets, and the stink...

So last night I tried something new. There are tons of brands of body lotion with the "gradual tanning" thing going on. I've tried some in the past. Last night I tried L'Oreal Sublime Glow. It smelled pretty good, just a hint of the tell-tale self-tanner smell after about an hour or so. But the best thing was how soft it made my skin- like silk or butter, or silky-butter! And, I woke up with a, well, Sublime Glow! Just the hintiest of hints of a tan. I put lotion on every night after my evening bath, so I can put this on just as easily. We'll see how long my desire for a tan lasts, but I think I can safely say that I'll be glowing sublimely until mid October...

Making the right Choice

Paula's Choice is a line of skin care and cosmetics by Paula Begoun, the self proclaimed "Cosmetics Cop". I first became familiar with Paula when my dear late friend Adrienne A. introduced me to Paula's book- Don't Go to the Cosmetics Counter Without Me. Paula has personally tested thousands upon thousands of cosmetics and written concise, informative, and useful reviews of all of them.

She then created her own line of products that do the job without skin irritants and without breaking the bank.

I have been using a couple of her products for a few weeks now and was so impressed that I recently placed another order on her website. I plan to continue replacing my existing products as I run out with her fabulousness!

Product # 1- Final Touch Toner for normal to dry skin. As I've mentioned before- I don't generally use toner daily, but this sometime usage is a thing of the past. Since this is formulated for dryer skin types it feels great and NEVER makes my face feel tight after use. I just feel like I've prepped my skin for the next step. I use it TWICE a day now- morning and night!

Product #2- Remarkable Skin Lightening Lotion for all skin types. This contains 2% hydroquinone- the highest legal percentage. I've not been using this long enough to see any actual 'lightening' effects- I have a few hyper-pigmented spots around my eyes- but it's also filled with anti-oxidants and other 'good-for-your-skin' stuff so my face looks more 'glow-y' (what I'm always after) and feels really soft.

You are also able to purchase sample sizes of most of the products for 50-80 cents each. With my first order I got the 8% alpha hydroxy acid solution, essential moisturizing sunscreen spf 15, one step cleanser, essential moisturizer, and some other stuff. I fell in love with it all- so I placed another order for the full sizes of the AHA and the sunscreen. Reviews to come...

How Cheeky!

I am a blush fanatic. I once made a list of all the blushes I own and it was ridiculous. But I actually use them all, depending on my mood and what I'm doing. Cream for most days, gel for out of doors-y days, powder when I'm in a hurry, or for staying power over the creams, etc.

However, the blushes in my train case might start worrying about their status...I have found something fabulous that I have worn daily since I received it in my most recent Sephora order...drum roll please...

Stila Convertible Color in Lillium. It is quite peachy and I was a little leery at first because I tend towards the berry shades. After the first swipe of this creamy, dreamy product I was hooked. It gives a dewey, fresh look. I have constantly been receiving compliments on how "glowy" I look since I started using it. It blends easily, and a little dab will do ya.

Peach blush, the fountain of youth?