New Year's Detox & Pamper

After the holidays (and New Year's Eve!) it is the perfect time to start fresh, have a good detox and a nice long pamper session. My night in on New Year's Day is sure looking to be a nice relaxing one! Read on to see my picks!

*PR Sample, Affiliate Links

DETOX
When I think detox, I look straight to Osmia Organics Detox Exfoliating Mask* and Chantecaille Detox Clay Mask with Rosemary & Honey. Mix the Osmia powder with water and slather on for 15-20 minutes. Filled with 3 kinds of purifying clay, bamboo charcoal, and raw cacao, this mask leaves my skin feeling clean and clear. When I'm feeling a bit sensitive or dry, I depend on my Chantecaille Detox. I love the blue-charcoal color and this stuff just leaves my skin looking even, soothed, and not at all red!

PAMPER
My first thoughts after a busy holiday season are to lay down and have a good massage. For this, I love Lush massage bars - Magic Wiccy Muscles is a recent favorite, but Therapy is the one I've selected here. Honestly, I haven't found one I don't like! The key here is to pick the scent that is most comforting to you! Then for my face, I'll be sure to slather on Rodial Dragon's Blood Hyaluronic Mask, a must have for me when my skin needs a little more hydration. 

How was your holiday season? Are you looking for a little detox & pamper today? I'd love to know what your picks for this are! :)

Best of Beauty 2013

It is so hard to pick favorites, but this year I managed to pick my Top 13 Products of 2013. I mean, I did show a few shades/variations of a few things, but I really did narrow it down to 13 products that I couldn't be without this year. The majority of these products were ones I acquired in 2013 and then promptly fell in love with, but there are a few old favorites and rediscoveries in there as well. 

Watch the video below and do let me know what topped your list this year! :) 

It was hard to pick, but here's my top 13 products for 2013! What were your favorite products this year? I'd love to know! Happy New Year! Gummy's Blog - gummyvision.com BLOG - bronzerbunny.com TWITTER - twitter.com/bronzerbunny INSTAGRAM - instagram.com/bronzerbunny DISCLAIMER: Products marked with an * were provided for review.

Happy New Year everyone! Thanks for the great year and I can't wait to have another great year with all of you!

December Favorites

I plan to do a "Best of Beauty 2013" post before the year ends, but at the same time I didn't want to forget about all of the products I've been loving this month. These products won't make it into my Top 13 of 2013 purely because I don't feel as if I've used them long enough, but I know they will be much loved for quite some time! 

*PR Samples, Affiliate Links

Tatcha Polished: Gentle Rice Enzyme Powder* 
I wish I remembered to use this more often (before now that is) and I just love mixing this fine powder with water for a gentle exfoliating cleanser. I just love the way it makes my skin feel. :) I'm curious to mix it with honey or even cleansing oil to see how my skin likes that! 

Lush Celebrate Hand & Body Lotion* 
Winter always calls for a luxurious body cream and this light and airy pick from Lush is a fast favorite. I reviewed it here, but I just have to say that it has given my long time favorite, First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream a run for its money. This is limited edition, so run to a Lush shop soon if you want it. Plus all of the Lush holiday collection items are currently Buy 1 Get 1 on their website if you want to snag this and my other favorite, Santa's Lip Scrub!

Chantecaille Future Skin Foundation in Cream
This foundation is pricey, but it looks and feels GOOD. I wouldn't have bought it at $73, but I got it during Chantecaille's 30% off sale on Cyber Monday (Nordstrom price matches, did you know that??) and was happy to see that the shade I picked was a decent match. It has light to medium coverage and a really natural finish. I love the texture too - light and airy, yet feels almost moisturizing or protective on my skin. Perfect for winter in my book!

Sephora Formula X Nail Polish in Gray Matter
This is a nice new formulation from Sephora and I love this medium gray shade with purple undertones. It is opaque in one coat, and I really love the non-streaky easy to use formula. I definitely plan to grab more shades... besides the massive kit I bought LOL! 

BareMinerals Round the Clock Eyeliner in Midnight
Some of you might know that I've been on the hunt for a black liner that is creamy to apply, budgeproof and doesn't irritate my eyes. I think this might be the one - it seriously doesn't move on my monolids all day, and no itchy or watery eyes. Woohoo! 

What products made your December favorites list? Have you tried any of these products? I'd love to know!

Products That Didn't Work For Me, #6

At the end of last month, I posted about a few products that I had bought and returned because they didn't work for me. This month, I have a few more - it is almost a relief after all that shopping in November and December that I can return a few of these. 

I don't think any of these items this time around are bad products, but there are a few that aren't the shades for me. 

Rouge Bunny Rouge Long Lasting Eye Pencil in Salome
I love the dark blue based black of this liner, and I love how creamy and soft it is to apply. However, this one irritates my eyes like many other liners have been lately, and it also smudges on my monolid area after a few hours. Sad! 

BareMinerals Round the Clock Eyeliner in 5PM
I actually LOVE this formula - it is so long wearing even on my monolid and it doesn't irritate my eyes. However, this purple shade makes my eyes look TIRED and I've already exchanged for the black one. :) 

Illamasqua Cream Pigment in Hollow
I was really excited to try this, but unfortunately this shade doesn't show up on me at all. The formula seems decent, though not as creamy as something like Stila Convertible Color. I can't speak to how it wears over time either, but I do want to try Illamasqua's cream blushes eventually!

Dolce & Gabbana Nail Polish in Dahlia
This seems like a nice formula and I'm curious to try more shades, but this particular shade is more brown based that I was hoping for. I'm looking for a deep red that is almost black - any recommendations? EDIT: The color did look more up my alley later in better lighting, so I'm keeping this one and giving it a proper go. :) 

Givenchy Le Rouge in 206 Rose d'Exception
I love the packaging on this but the color is way too cool toned on my lips. It just looks like a bad 90's pink lipstick on me haha. The formula does seem creamy and nice, so I will definitely look at other shades of this eventually! 

Stila Artful Eye Volume II 
This looked like a nice little palette that Sephora offered for $10 on Black Friday, but the texture just isn't all that smooth and I'm not finding the colors terribly pigmented. Considering I'd probably never end up using it, I'd rather have my $10!

First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Instant Oatmeal Mask
I got this in a kit last winter and while I love the Ultra Repair Cream, I just don't find myself getting excited about this one. It smells a bit like oatmeal cookies, which is fun, but it almost feels like cookie dough in texture too? All of that is ok, but it isn't terribly hydrating on my dehydrated skin. Darn!

All in all, I'm happy I can return most of these and get my money back. :) Have you tried any of these products? How did they work for you?