L'Occitane Au Brésil – Jenipapo Collection

I feel like there's truly no better time to introduce a few delightfully-smelling sun protection products from L'Occitane. Coming from a football-crazed (no, we do not call it soccer) country, it's almost odd to be met with absolute ambivalence toward the sport from some of my American friends. Fortunately, I work for a multi-national company, so taking two hours off at 12pm to watch the Germany/Portugal game is not so much a privilege but a necessity.

To celebrate the World Cup, L'Occitane created a couple of special collections, one of them being the Jenipapo line. The Jenipapo tree can be found in Brazil, and is the source of the floral-fruity fragrance infused in the Jenipapo range of products. Again, forgive my horrible scent associations, but when I use these products, I think of tropical flowers and having punch by the beach.

Out of the three products above, my favorite is the Jenipapo Lip Balm SPF 25, mostly because I realized that I neglect my lips when it comes to sun protection (who wants to eat sunscreen?). My boyfriend, who never fails to surprise me, has taken possession of the Jenipapo Face Veil SPF 30 and insists on bringing it along when we have to spend time under the sun. In his own words, the sunscreen smells good and spreads easily, and the bottle is small enough for travel. We'll make a blogger out of him yet.

While fragrant, I am hesitant to recommend the Jenipapo Oil SPF 15 as a sun protection product. For body, I usually use a minimum of SPF 30 (just because having to reapply every 2 hours is hassle enough) and since having a bad case of tan after using spray sunscreen, I no longer trust sun products that I cannot see. However, the oil has its uses – it's the easiest way to rehydrate skin (and make it sexy shiny!) at the beach, especially when your skin is already overladen with sunscreen. Trust me, you'll be glad you have it after a few hours under the sun.

The L'Occitane Jenipapo Collection ($12-30) can be found on usa.loccitane.com.

Full disclosure: This entry contains sample products sent by PR or the manufacturer for editorial consideration. This entry also contains affiliate links.

Made Up Thoughts

Originally, I took pictures of myself sans makeup (except drawn-on eyebrows) to write about the new skincare I've been using. See, I thought I had pretty good skin. And then I saw the pictures I took later with a full face of makeup applied, and started having doubts. There's discoloration on my cheeks and shadows under my eyes, and a scar (where did that even come from?!) on my chin, and enlarged pores on my nose. Can I tout how amazing the skincare I've been using when my skin is, while relatively unblemished, not extraordinary?

And then I paused. Wait, what? It's disturbing, this automatic train of thought. I wasn't even comparing myself to the impossibles (that are heavily photo manipulated) in the glossies. I was just looking at myself with some foundation on. What has the act of wearing makeup done to my own self image?

For me, the meaning of makeup has transformed from something I desperately needed to master to satisfy someone else's definition of "pretty" (age 19), to a consumerist obsession (age 21), to occasional artistic expression (age 22-present, when I create looks to post on Messy Wands). In "real life," I am very aware of what makeup does for me. I know that without fail, if I put on my eyebrows, redden my cheeks and lips, and paint on some lashes, I will receive more and better attention from the strangers I interact with, and I use this knowledge to my advantage. Is it sad that this is just how it is?

Sans makeup (with drawn-on eyebrows)

With foundation (which will be reviewed. For the curious, it's by Le Metiér de Beauté)

I'm not really sure what I'm trying to get at. I guess I was hit by the fact that I thought I had a firm grasp on how I look and how I perceive myself, and was a little shaken by my knee-jerk reaction to censor my thoughts because my natural looks didn't reach a certain (impossible) standard. The longer I stare at the unmade-up picture, the more I think I was overthinking it. I'll have to work on that skincare post.

*PS: After reading some of the comments, I feel like I should clarify that I'm actually very happy with my skin. This is why I was surprised that I had the instinctive reaction above even while being pleased, and just wanted to observe how that happened.

Beauty PSA: Diorblush Cannage available at saks.com!

If you were one of those who missed out on getting these when they first launched at Saks, IT'S BACK!

Never have I meant this cliched marketing speak so fervently: Get it before it's gone! How refreshing to know that it can sometimes be true.

Diorblush Cannage Edition retails for $60 on saks.com.

Portable Razor FTW

I don't know how many of you are HIMYM fans (let's talk about that ending! Or maybe you'd rather not?), but when I saw the Venus Snap with Embrace Razor, I immediately thought about the episode where Robin had a date with "Doctor Awesome" and how she would have appreciated having this in her purse. Nothing like a little portable razor to ensure dating shenanigans go according to plan. Wink wink.

So it's really rather a pity Robin didn't have this, because who knows how the show might have ended otherwise! /sarcasm. But more importantly, it's kind of amazing to have razors with shorter handles, like how I secretly want toothbrushes to have shorter handles because they'll travel better and are, you know, cute.

The Venus Snap with Embrace Razor, as it turns out, is meant for use on the go. When wet, the blue part portion of the blade creates the equivalent of a lather so you can get a smooth, easy shave. I am fortunate to have thin and barely visible hair on my arms and legs, but for the sake of journalistic integrity (guffaw) I tested it on the area down under. Um, basically the blade took everything off.

The nifty container that comes with the razor has small holes on the bottom, which allows your blade to dry effectively after use. While I don't see myself popping it into my handbag for regular use, I can picture this coming in handy during a long beach vacation.

Venus Snap with Embrace Razor is available to purchase here. Feel free to also take the Gillette Venus Razor Finder Quiz, to help women find their Perfect Match.

Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Venus through their partnership with POPSUGAR. While I was compensated by POPSUGAR to write a post about Venus, all opinions are my own.

Give Mom The Best

We interrupt your daily blog reading with a regularly scheduled Messy Wands/Tatcha PSA! Long story short, this is the best skincare brand ever so get thee some goodies and see your skin glow.

Okay, joking aside (though nothing I said above was a joke), if you're stumped on what to get mom for Mother's Day, Tatcha has a nifty little kit – complete with a heartfelt note – ready for you.

The Okasan Mother's Day Gift Set contains a Luminous Deep Hydration Lifting Mask, the Gold Camellia Beauty Oil and Nourishing Lip Balm (I'm on my second bottle/jar for both), and just to sweeten the whole experience, a little box of sweets imported from Kyoto.

Needless to say, I think any mother will appreciate a (skin)care package like this. Other great gifts are the Ritual Kiri Gift Box, or the Indigo Collection body and hand creams. The box above is en route to my mother back home, who instilled in me the importance of taking care of my skin. It is through watching her that I developed a love for the fifteen minutes I get to spend on myself every night.

Tatcha Okasan Mother's Day Gift Set retails for $135 and is available at tatcha.com.

As you probably know by now, I have blogged about almost every Tatcha product I've ever had the pleasure to lay my hands on, so if you are curious about any product, feel free to browse through the Tatcha category. For your convenience, links to my past reviews below:

• Tatcha Beauty Ritual
  
• Tatcha Dewy Skin Mist (I think I'm on my fifth bottle)
  
• Tatcha Deep Hydration Lifting Mask
  
• Tatcha Revitalizing Eye Cream (I've been applying almost everyday and am still finishing up the same pot from this post)
  
• Tatcha Camellia Nourishing Lip Balm and Camellia Beauty Oil (Best in class)
  
• Tatcha Soothing Silk Body Butter and Hand Cream

Full disclosure: This entry contains sample products sent by PR or the manufacturer for editorial consideration. This entry also contains affiliate links.

Shiseido Sheer Eye Zone Corrector – A Touche Éclat Substitute

In my humble opinion, that is.

Amongst the spring offerings by Shiseido (see my coverage here, here, and here), the one that I've most constantly used is the Sheer Eye Zone Corrector. When I attended the event, the brand representative told me that this is basically their version of YSL's famed Touche Éclat. I have an aversion toward most YSL products due to the brand's penchant for heavy fragrance (I mean, even their mascara is overwhelmingly scented), so while I have been intrigued by Touche Éclat, I could never bear to wear it beyond the testing counter.

True to its name, the Sheer Eye Zone Corrector is not meant for heavy concealing. In the picture below, I applied the Sheer Eye Zone Corrector around the usual culprit areas – under eyes, sides of nose, around the mouth – and it tones down the gray and red, but doesn't completely mask it.

In fact, I tried concealing the pimple on the bridge of my nose with it and was met with failure. Instead, I had to top that area off with my HG Le Metiér de Beauté Peau Vierge Correcteur Concealer (a quick search tells me I've never reviewed it on the blog, but have done a guest post on Makeup And Beauty Blog).

That said, the Sheer Eye Zone Corrector has steadily become my on-the-go concealer. I am lucky to not need much concealing for my skin, so barring bad pimply days, the little stick usually provides enough coverage for me.

I'm also starting to seriously reconsider my stance on the Dior Fluid Sticks (now available everywhere else but most importantly Nordstrom). I just can't get over that finish.

Shiseido Sheer Eye Zone Corrector retails for $30. I use shade #103 Natural.

Products Used:
Shu Uemura Retractable Eyebrow Pencil in Seal Brown
Suqqu Balancing Eyebrow Palette 01 Moss Green
Suqqu Frame Fix Cream Foundation N 102
Le Metiér de Beauté Peau Vierge Correcteur Concealer Shade 1
Shiseido Sheer Eye Zone Corrector
Clé de Peau Beauté Luminizing Face Enhancer in Delicate Pink
NARS Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base
THREE Flash Performance Eyeliner Pencil 08
Burberry Sheer Eyeshadow in Pale Barley and Midnight Brown
Annabelle Le Big Show Mascara
Addiction Cheek Polish in Fresh
Chanel Joues Contraste Fleur de Lotus
Dior Addict Fluid Stick in 639 Artifice

Full disclosure: This entry contains sample products sent by PR or the manufacturer for editorial consideration. This entry also contains affiliate links.

#TBT: Burberry Earthy Blush

Is it too late for a #tbt? Look at the pan action on this Burberry Earthy Blush. Considering that I've had this for over two years (see this post, two lighting setups ago!) I guess it's not much, but it's a lot more than all my other blushes! Seriously, how do beauty bloggers hit pan, ever?

There's nothing new I can say about it. In my opinion, Burberry blushes have some of the best textures in the market – finely milled, uber pigmented, lightly scented, housed in a beautiful compact with a great, usable (!) brush. My only wish is that they would come out with more cool-toned shades. Earthy is what I call my cheekbone shade.

Burberry Earthy Blush is mercifully part of the permanent edition line, retailing for $42 at Nordstrom.

Products Used:
Shu Uemura Retractable Eyebrow Pencil in Seal Brown
Suqqu Balancing Eyebrow Palette 01 Moss Green
Suqqu Frame Fix Cream Foundation N 102
Le Metiér de Beauté Peau Vierge Correcteur Concealer Shade 1
Clé de Peau Beauté Luminizing Face Enhancer in Delicate Pink
Guerlain Crazy Paris Meteorites Radiance Powder Compact (Holiday 2013)
THREE Flash Performance Eyeliner Pencil 08
Le Metiér de Beauté Nouvelle Vague Kaleidoscope
Annabelle Le Big Show Mascara
Burberry Earthy Blush
Shiseido Lacquer Rouge VI324
Shiseido Lacquer Gloss RS306