Tuesday, November 10, 2020

Keep Your Hands Soft with eos Shea Butter Hand Cream

Gifted Products


The days are certainly quickly getting shorter, colder, and drier! Combined with all the frequent hand washing and hand sanitizer use we've been doing the past eight months, our hands have never needed tender loving care more than they do now. Thankfully, evolution of smooth (eos) came to the rescue with their Shea Butter Hand Creams!


I had shared awhile back in an empties post that I had used the eos hand lotions in the previous formula, and I was not happy with them. Even prior to the days of constant hand washing, they just couldn't keep up with what I needed for soft hands. After coming across my post, eos reached out to me and asked if they could send me their new formulation. I admit I was a little skeptical after my previous experience, but I don't like to write off brands completely after one not-so-great product. I have never come across a brand that doesn't have at least one product that is either horrible all around or just doesn't work for my body chemistry; needless to say, I was willing to try out the new eos Shea Butter Hand Creams and hoped they would work out where their predecessor left me wanting.



I was gifted the hand creams in Coconut and Eucalyptus. The ingredients list of these hand creams are almost identical, with top ingredients including cocoa seed butter, shea butter, shea oil, avocado oil, sunflower seed oil, soybean oil and marula oil. With this combination of butters and oils, I had much higher hopes for this formulation!


Whereas the previous lotion formulation was thin, these hand creams come out reasonably thick. Even though it is a thicker formula, I found that it is absorbed quickly into the skin. Once rubbed in, you are left with silky, smooth skin and none of the heavy oily sensation left by so many other lotions and hand creams. I appreciate being able to apply these hand creams quickly and going about my day! I don't have to worry about leaving greasy fingerprints on my computer or do I have to worry about residue getting on and ruining clothing.



While both these hand creams include added fragrance, they do include either coconut fruit or eucalyptus extract, respective to their labels. As expected, coconut smells bright and warm while eucalyptus clean, soothing, and slightly woody. My already acute sense of smell has been shockingly amplified post-COVID, and while the fragrance is definitely noticeable, I don't find it to be too strong when on my hands. If I kept my hands at my face all day long it likely would give me a headache, but for a "normal" day, the scent level is nice.

I am so glad that eos sent me these hand creams and that I gave them a shot! I've been using both of them and alternate fragrances based on whatever mood I happen to be in on any given day. If these scent choices aren't quite your jam, there are three other options to choose from. At only $2.99 each, it is so affordable to pick up all your favorite scents and keep them throughout the house and in your handbag for after your hand sanitizer applications!

Have you tried the eos Shea Butter Hand Creams? If so, what scent is your favorite? I'd love to hear from you!

Until next time, dear readers, have a wonderful day!
XO!




Thursday, November 5, 2020

Fall in Love with Bears and Shades from the Zoya Luscious Collection

 Greetings, dear readers! This has got to be the longest week of 2020, but it is slowly coming to a close. Until then, how about a little fall nail art? I'm having a little difficulty getting into the fall mood as it's going to be a whopping 97°F today, but thankfully we're expecting cooler weather starting this weekend.



Press Sample

I really enjoy brown and copper shades over the fall, and the shades Soleil and Tasha from the Zoya Luscious Collection are exactly what I gravitate to the most. The colours were so perfectly suited to coordinate with some old bear water decals I had on hand from H2Oh!.


How cute are these water decals! I've not used any in quite some time, but I do enjoy how quickly you can get nail art on to your nails.


The water decals themselves are quite sheer, so I started off with a coat of KBShimmer White Here White Now before applying the decals.


Soleil and Tasha by Zoya applied beautifully in two easy coats to reach full opacity.


What sort of nail art looks have you created so far this fall? I have a few ideas in mind so we'll see if they go as planned!

Until next time, dear readers, have a wonderful day!
XO



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Tuesday, November 3, 2020

The Most Fitting Post on Election Day: Doubledown Cosmetics x Medeaij And The Future Collection

Press Samples

 Greetings, dear readers, and happy election day! Like many of you, I have already long cast my vote for the current election, but today is *THE DAY* for those opting to go in person. I couldn't think of a more appropriate product set to post today than the newest collection from Doubledown Cosmetics. Designed in collaboration with IG dynamo Olusola (Medeaij) Jinadu, this is what Medeaij had to say about this collection:


I drew strength from our black power and our unwavering belief that the world can unify in strength for the sake of our children and the future we are building for them.


This collection is beautiful, and I am delighted to see some greens and blue join the Doubledown Cosmetics product lineup! Let's check it all out!


The Light - The Strength - The Belief - The Unity - The Future

The Future Collection consists of the following products:

The Light (Highlighter)

A beautifully buildable highlighter that goes from slightly alight to blindingly bright. Backed with green and gold undertones for an underwater, touched-with-turquoise, mermaid-inspired vibe that’s next-level stunning.

Medeaij named it ‘The Light’ because it symbolizes hope that we’ll continue down this path and that black people will keep rising up.

The Strength (Eyeshadow)

The Strength is a darker aqua blue eyeshadow and can be worn separate as a bold blue eyeshadow or as a gorgeous eyeliner on the bottom eyelid. In the stackable it is the middle shadow in this trio.


The Belief (Eyeshadow)

The Belief Eyeshadow is a gorgeous lime green eyeshadow that can be worn alone or within the trio of the stackable that includes The Strength and The Unity. It is the hero shade within this stackable trio.

This is the perfect green eyeshadow for creating a one shadow eye look or to build up that glam effect. 

The Unity (Eyeshadow)
The Unity Eyeshadow is a gorgeous neutral green shade that is perfect for using in your crease. You can build this up and or simply wear it as an eyeliner. 

The Future (Organic Tinted Lip Balm)
The Future is a buildable golden berry red, with warm overtones. You can use it as is, or build it to achieve that red carpet look.

 I have created a few looks for you using this collection; I hope you enjoy!



To create this look, I used the full The Future Collection. On my eyes I have a gradient of The Belief to The Unity to The Strength. I am wearing a light layer of The Light on the outer and upper part of my cheekbones and a light wash of The Future on my lips.


Most of The Future Collection went into this look I applied a wash of The Belief on my eyelids and winged out my eyes with The Strength after mixing it with a liquid medium. I also applied The Unity to my lower lashline and popped The Light on the inner corners of my eyes. I wanted a bold lip look to go with my eyes, so I applied Maybelline's Liquid Matte Lipstick in Thrill Seeker and then tapped DoubleDown Cosmetics The Belief onto the inner portion of my lips.


For this look, I created a halo eye by applying The Light in the center of my eyelids and surrounding it with The Unity. I am also wearing The Light on the upper and outer part of my cheekbones, which you can see best in the first photo of this series. I wanted a slightly more intense red lip than in the first set of photos, and I applied two layers of The Future Organic Tinted Lip balm, with a dusting of translucent powder in between to help build up cover and increase the longevity.

I have really enjoying playing with these products, and I look forward to a FUTURE of using them on repeat!

All items from The Doubledown Cosmetics x Medeaij Collection are available for purchase here on the Doubledown Cosmetics website. Every item can be purchased separately, or you can buy the full collection. Also, if you want to purchase all three eyeshadow shades, they are available as a stacked set.

Honestly I'm not sure what I'm most excited about with this collection: the shades themselves or the message behind it. Either way, you're going to want to dip your makeup brushes in these pronto!


















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