Vapour Organic Beauty review

December 14th, 2009 in beauty & fashion, do-gooders, green monday, reviews by Melinda "Mel"

Art and alchemy have united in the new prestige organic line Vapour Organic Beauty. In a green market filled with thousands of products, Vapour stands alone in its delivery system – not a powder, liquid or cream, but a unique formulation that imparts a light-as-air texture while providing skin treatment benefits and rich mineral color.

The magic began when Eric Sakas, a top makeup professional who worked side by side with the famed Kevyn Aucoin, and later, helped Philosophy develop their color line, was looking for perfect beauty products. Products not only beautiful, but good for you and the earth. His frustrating search found natural products that lacked performance or performance products that contained toxic ingredients.

His exhaustive search finally led him to a remote New Mexico-based lab and a group of people who pushed the limits of green chemistry by pioneering healthy, non-toxic cosmetics that refused to compromise. Not only did he find a product with excellent performance and unique texture, but it was also made of certified organic ingredients and pure mineral pigments. With this company and Erik’s impressive 15-year career in the beauty industry, the perfect marriage of health and beauty was born.

Vapour has developed their incredible products to be 100 percent natural and chemical free with a minimum of 70 percent certified organic ingredients. From the raw materials to the final packaging (all but the gloss packaged in a handy stick form), each step in the process adheres to responsible practices, including utilizing wind power and sourcing recyclable and renewable packaging materials.

And the delivery system that sets them apart? The Vapour difference begins with its signature therapeutic treatment base of non-comedogenic plant oils. To that, botanical infusions are added that provide deep moisture and anti-oxidant protection. Pure mineral pigments are dispersed next, which create a breathable layer that moves with the skin instead of lying flat on top of it like liquid foundations and dry mineral powders tend to do. This movement allows for a play of light, which heightens the natural radiance of the skin. Thus, Vapour provides the next generation of mineral cosmetics.

Vapour sent our lucky review team four of their most popular items to test:

Aura Multi-Use Blush Stick for lips, cheeks, and eyes in Spark: This warm peach colored stick provides a quick and easy way to impart a healthy glow. Includes face-specific nourishing botanical blend of anti-inflammatory Frankincense, anti-oxidant Tulsi and moisturizing Lotus flowers.

Elixir Sheer Lip Gloss in Hush (pink) and Hypnotic (warm brown-plum): These luxurious glosses are petroleum-free and contain healing Lemon Balm, hydrating Myrrh, anti-oxidant Green Tea and anti-microbial Iceland Moss.

Mesmerize Eye Color in Trance: This dramatic brown-plum eye color is infused with nourishing, eye-specific anti-inflammatory Chrysanthemum and Eyebright, and circulation enhancing Horsetail.

Review team, what are your thoughts? Have science and art crossed the curriculum successfully with Vapour Organic Beauty?

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Disclosure: This review includes products that were provided by the manufacturer/PR firm for our consideration. For more info, or any questions, please see our disclosure policy.

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Holly Doss cosmetics - review

November 18th, 2009 in beauty & fashion, reviews by Melinda "Mel"

Have you ever been in this situation: you wake up, look in the mirror, and think to yourself, “I know there’s a gorgeous woman in there somewhere…if only I had a celebrity makeup artist to assist me, maybe I could look just as bright and fresh-faced as those Hollywood starlets!” Or this situation: you walk up to your favorite cosmetics counter and are blown away by all the gorgeous colors to choose from, but you have no idea where to start, because you don’t know what colors work perfectly for your unique face? Well, enter Holly Doss…

Holly is an L.A. based celebrity makeup artist who has worked closely with an elite clientele, including the makeup maven Trish McEvoy. Known in the industry as “the next Bobbi Brown”, Holly set out to start her own line after becoming frustrated with the lack of pigment available when she painted faces daily. Well that she did, and not only is her line vast and impressive, so is her website and customer service. Holly doesn’t leave you hanging on your own to navigate her huge selection of colors and products. If you can’t get the assistance you need from her site or how-to videos, you’ll certainly feel in capable hands when the incredibly approachable and sweet Holly personally emails you back! (I’m serious ~ I emailed Holly twice with questions, and within minutes both times, she emailed me right back!) I’ve truly never been so impressed with a website and business owner.

Check out her Custom Color Chart and select your hair shade, eye color and skin tone, and you’ll receive an extensive list of every product Holly has that coordinates with your coloring; from foundation to eyeshadow and lipgloss. You can even see the celebrities that have your same color combos ~ how fun is that?! Yeah, me and Catherine Zeta-Jones – we’re two peas in a pod!

Holly sent our very lucky review team and array of eye products to test, including:

Brow Looks in Blond, Brunette, and Auburn: Eyebrow kits customized by hair color, that includes Brow Match (mascara for brows that won’t flake or crack), White Light Pencil Highlighter (for highlighting directly under the brow bone), and the thicker Highlight #1 (for below the white light, to be blended with the tip of the ring finger for an instant, surgery-free lift!)

Eyeliner sets: eye definer in jet black Florido with Brush # 11. Line, define, and/or smudge around your eyes with this professional cake eyeliner. The brush is a synthetic, flat eyeliner brush that may be used wet or dry.

Eyeshadow sets: Ashton a light shimmering taupe eyeshadow and Brush #9, the ultimate squirrel ‘smudge’ brush for smokey eyes or correcting eyeliner mistakes.

So, let’s hear it review team: are your brows as brightened and eyes as lightened as mine? Do you have as much adoration as I do for Holly, her website, and her products?

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Beaba Babycook Baby Food Maker review

September 22nd, 2009 in pets & kids, reviews by Melinda "Mel"

When I received Stef’s email asking if I’d review the famed Beaba Babycook Baby Food Maker for my newborn Kellyanne, I had feelings that were mixed with elation and intimidation! You don’t just turn down the opportunity to receive this most coveted baby shower gift of all, yet, let’s be honest – I haven’t reached in the cupboard for a pan since the stick turned blue. My husband would laugh hysterically if he were reading this, because he’d say I barely used any pans well before that. My mom would tell you that I burn water. If my dog could talk, he’d tell you about how he runs under the bed when I turn the stove on (he gets scared from that silly old smoke alarm that is so overly sensitive). What this all “boils” down to is that this baby food maker had to be easy to use – really, really easy. Ladies, this thing is the best invention since the early pregnancy test!

I wish grown-ups ate pureed food, so I could use it exclusively all the time. It is probably the easiest cooking experience I’ve ever had – the only skill you need is chopping – and even that doesn’t have to be good because you’re just going to blend the food after it’s steamed. As the company says, Babycook has been “specifically designed to prepare healthy meals for your baby, simply and rapidly. Babycook cooks, reheats and defrosts food by steaming, which locks in the vitamins.”

Beaba was founded in 1989 by Jean-Louis Berchet, chairman of a leading French toy manufacturer. This groundbreaking PVC and BPA-free original baby food maker is a countertop appliance that functions as a steamer, blender, warmer and defroster. It steam cooks vegetables, fruits, even meats in less than 15 minutes, while preserving their vitamins and flavors. It then purees and blends the food to the desired consistency, and it couldn’t be easier.

For my first test of the Babycook, I just chopped up a Grannie Smith apple and threw it in the cooking bowl. The same bowl is used to measure the water to level 1, 2, or 3. You turn the switch to steam, and the Babycook knows how long to steam based on the amount of water you poured in. It also turns off on its own, so even I can’t screw it up!

Each meal makes about 4-5 servings, so you can separate and freeze portions saving lots of time. Oh, and the Beaba Multiportion accessory (sold separately) is the perfect, for-baby-food-only storage container, so that you can always find it in the depths of your freezer!

Now if you’re put off by the $150 price tag, know this: I’ve learned that those jars of baby food will run you at least $10 per week, and closer to $20 if you’re going organic. With the Babycook, you can just throw a small portion of whatever you’re cooking for dinner into the steamer, and baby eats what you eat. Oh and the Babycook includes 12 recipes from famous French nutritionist Agnes Mignonac, that offer a wide variety of flavors appropriate for children aged 5 months through 3 years old.

When you are done with your meal and ready to clean up… there is basically no clean up! Every part to be washed can go in the top rack of the dishwasher. The final straw that convinced me I’d be using this when Kellyanne goes on solids in 4 months was the taste test. We tasted the applesauce and the dinners and they were delicious. Best of all, we gave them to a friend’s one year old, who gobbled them up, as well. In fact, her mom went out the next day and purchased one herself!

Any other Beaba Babycook devotees out there? We’d love to hear your thoughts on this highly-acclaimed product!

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Wht contributor Mel is a brand new Mommy to the absolutely adorable Kellyanne. Beyond her new Mom duties, Mel is an avid makeup junkie and a junior high science teacher. Beauty, brains and the appreciation of a nice, cold beer – just what we want in a wht author!

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Noodle & Boo Maternity repair kit review

June 19th, 2009 in beauty & fashion, do-gooders, pets & kids, reviews by Melinda "Mel"

It was the morning of Memorial Day, 2009. Normally, I’d be marinating the steaks, icing down the beer, and counting my packs of cigarettes to ensure enough for me and all my social-smoker friends! What was I doing that Memorial Day? I was doing what they call “nesting.” Eight months ago I would have thought that term only applied to birds. Now I’ve learned it also describes the acts of humans in preparing for our new bundles of joy. You see, I am a 34-year-old career woman who happened to (whoops) get pregnant! So instead of smoking as many cigs as it took to get through my 3 cups of morning coffee and planning my cookout, I was drinking my protein drink, eating my fiber cereal, and finding the perfect drawer for my freshly washed newborn onesies. I certainly never thought this was the path my life would take, but when you see your unborn child actually smile on an ultrasound after her daddy coaxes her into moving around, your priorities kind of change!

Although I am finding myself giving up some selfish ways, one priority I wouldn’t want or try to change is my desire to have smooth and beautiful skin. Pregnancy can mess with that perfect skin condition in ways I could have never imagined – not everyone gets the famed “glow.” Some women get extreme acne, funky skin discolorations, and of course the pinnacle of imperfection: the dreaded stretch mark! To top it off, there is no quick and easy solution for any of these when you have to use extreme caution with any thing you put in or on your body, so as not to harm the developing baby. So, when a company comes along that that takes all the guesswork out of the equation, you are jumping for joy – well, as much jumping as you can do with a basketball in your belly and an extra 30+ pounds!

Noodle & Boo is just that company. Founded by Christine Burger, after finding the need for children’s products developed for ultra-sensitive skin, the company offers a wide range of luxurious products for all ages. Newborns, babies and children with eczema and sensitive skin, and adults are all equally cared for by these products, in which every formula is hypoallergenic and clinically-tested to minimize the risk of allergic reaction. Formulations are also dermatologist-tested and pediatrician-tested. The company fits into our do-gooder category as well, as they donate a significant portion of profit to charity, the packaging is 100% recyclable, and they do not test products on animals.

Being the resident prego on the review team I tested the Repair Kit from their Glowology Maternity line, which includes Afterglow Gel and Perfecting Crème. Afterglow Gel is for firming and slimming. According to the company, this product was developed to work as a cellulite corrector. It is a gel that brightens and tightens skin, prevents stretch marks, and stimulates collagen synthesis with algae extract, vitamin C, and oat and rice proteins. Fat storage is inhibited and eliminated, while cellulite is corrected. Perfecting Crème is for stretch mark control. This thick cream uses a sophisticated peptide compound to build back proteins while reducing the effects of enzymes that destroy proteins. Ultra-rich cocoa butter and avocado oil leave skin soft and smooth.

The results are in and they are impressive, ladies! It’s no wonder this line is used by the stars, or so I was told by the saleslady at the exclusive maternity store, Pea in the Pod, where the line is sold. See the comments for my review, and please let us know if you’ve had the pleasure of using any of these fine Noodle and Boo products.

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