ATAL Glacial Clay Gel Mask ~ Review

*pr sample*

Hi Love Bugs!

I love face masks. I love trying them and see what kinda wonders they do to my skin. 

Recently I got this awesome Glacial Gel Clay Mask by the brand ATAL. 

Today is a third time I used it and I feel like I can give you my thoughts on it. 

This mask is great at cleaning common facial issues such as pimples and blackheads. The primary ingredient is superfine colloidal clay collected from the run-off of mountains of British Columbia, Canada. Other ingredients include: aloe vera, green tea, licorice, vitamin B3 and E, marine extract form Pacific Ocean. Natural Skin Care formulation suitable for all skin types.  

Mask comes in a very pretty packaging. Good quality package is always important to me. Inside of the box you can find a "scoop" or "spoon, that helps with the mask application.  Once you open the cover you can see your greenish mask. Formula is a bit runny, kinda Jell-O consistency, so be careful or you might spill it. Hold container straight :)   Now another thing you might notice is smell. It is really strong, but I cant guess what is it?! Might be licorice? but I am not sure. After you apply mask the scent goes away or it's just not that noticeable. 

Glacial Clay Gel Mask :

* Purify and Detoxify ~ super fine particles maximize pore penetration in easy to apply clay gel. Draws moisture to the skin's surface.   

* Treats variety of skin conditions ~ used weekly, mask can produce visible results in improving acne, pimples, blackheads, dry and oily skin.        

* this nourishing gel clay mask contains 30 beneficial  minerals combined with micro nutrients form marine phytoplankton. 

* Contains natural and organic ingredients.

Benefits: 

* Moisturize and hydrates skin

* Deep Cleansing

* Tighten pores and makes them less visible

* Brightens complexion and makes skin looks more even

* Leaves skin feeling fresh. 

I really love this stuff! At first once you apply , you might notice a bit of burning. So don''t freak out like me and run to your bathroom to wash it off  LOL! Its supposed to be that way. As longest your skin don't get red you good to go. The burning part is the way the mask works. it opens up your pores to deep clean them. 

Like I mention it before the mask is jelly kinda consistency. Too apply it I used the attached "spoon" I scoop some mask on, transfer to my fingers and applied it all over my face. 

The burning sensation stopped after few minutes. You keep the mask on for about 15-20 min. Once it dries down you can wash it off with warm water. 

Now skin feels amazing! OMG soft, refreshes and clean! I also notice that it reduced the reddens. 

I will continue using it because I really like it! 

Definitely try it out!

You can purchase it form ATAL Website and Amazon.

Epic Bend Lip Balms

*PR Sample*

Hello Beauties!

Let's talk lip balms :) They all were send to me by the brand Epic Blend long time ago. I wanted to write the review in January but well life happens. 

Epic Blend is a Canadian based company. They were kind enough and send me few of their lip balms to try. 

Lip balms overall are my must haves. No matter if its winter or summer I use them quite often. 

My daughter and I we always carry one with us .. all the time and we do use them on a daily basis. 

In the winter time my daughter ips get dry so bad and they cracked. I always tell her to keep them moisturized. She loves lip balms she have few that she really likes and switch between them. 

Epic Blend have 3 categories of lip balms : Hemp, Vegan and Moisture.

They do have a bunch of flavors to choose from in each category. 

They not only smell and taste, yes taste good but  they actually work pretty well! Glide on smoothly and boy, they do feel moisturizing! They don't feel sticky. 

They are gluten free, paraben free, cruelty free, petroleum free. They are vegan and made with natural ingredients. 

The packaging is your basic lip balm tube. Nothing special. 

Now let's go into each category:

* HEMP Lip Balm ~ made with organic hemp seed oil, which is great antioxidant, nursing and quickly absorbs deep into skin cells.

form this line I have : Blueberry, Banana, Root Beer, Raspberry-Pomegranate. 

* VEGAN lip balm ~ 100% plant based and beeswax free. Made with all natural food grade Candelilla wax, which give lip balms smooth texture.
From this line I have : Chocolate and Peach.

* MORE MOISTURE lip balm ~ includes seven moisturizes, includes organic shea butter, which give extra kick of moisture and boost staying power.
From this line I have : Cherry and Grape.

Overall  I am impressed with them. Haven't try all yet, but the ones I did they are truly amazing. Keep my lips nice and moisturized. They did help me and my daughter's lips survive harsh winter.

If you are interested, you can purchase them form Epic Blend Website.
Price: $3.49 CAD.

Matcha Lip Scrub ~ Review

Matcha ~  green tea produced in Japan. I love Matcha tea. My Thai friend gave it to me once, and I got hooked right away! It so good! I also really want to try latte. One day I will  :) There is a few  places in NYC to get a good Matcha Latte :) But let talk about a lip scrub instead.

I received my form Matcha Skin a while back. I have never used a lip scrub before. I always wanted to try the famous bubble gum from Lush, but,.. yeah there is always 'but'. Anyways I was so happy to be send this little guy. I fell in love at first scrub :) I can say that right? :)
In my little box I got Matcha Lip Scrub, MAtcha Lip Balm and extra I got Pumpkin Lip Scrub, Pumpkin Lip Balm and two pumpkin soaps. 

 I only tried the Matcha Lip Scrub, balm and pumpkin soaps :) I don't want to have two lip scrubs open at the same time. I think it is a waste. Once I'm done with the matcha one, then I will dig into the Pumpkin one :) 

Matcha Skin care is a skin care brand that carries an entire line of handmade natural products using premium matcha tea as a main ingredient.
My lip scrub come in a small plastic jar. The plastic is really sturdy and heavy duty I say. You get 2oz of  product. As soonest you open it smells like heaven. Gosh so yummy! The scrub is made with premium ceremonial matcha tea, organic cane sugar, extra virgin coconut oil and extra virgin olive oil.

I apply small amount onto my lips, massage to exfoliate and remove all the dead cells of my lips. I actually got all messy with it . I go crazy scrubbing my lips. Also all the oils goes all around my lips and makes me look green and funny LOL :) But damn the difference I feel in my lips is out of this world! they feel so smooth. I swear I could scrub them every day, but anyways twice a week is enough. and now in winter you better take of your lips ladies and gents :)
Also I love to test all the new skin care on my neighbor Sylvia. She is always so excited to try whatever I tell her. When i used this scrub on her, all I heard is "OMg OMg OMg, I want this I need this , I have t get this for my mom' etc. I also notice that it did plump my lips! how great is that :)
This is in my top skin care routine and a huge MUST HAVE especially now. It also comes with a matching macha lip balm that moisturizes my lips. I only apply it night time. For the day time I use different  lip balm.
All I say get it! Its organic and it does it job :)The lip balm have a very soft consistency. Like compared to for example Nivea lip balm (the one in a small round metal container) this one is mushy, like you finger sinks in.The Nivea one is harder and more thicker.

Like I said this high on my skin care as of the moment. I try to exfoliate my lips at least 3 times a week.

Check their website for more info----> link here.

sorry, my pics are not so great :(

Skin Care I been using lately.

Buff Her ~ Foaming Food Facial scrub in Strawberry Lemon

Who doesn't like facial scrubs? Well I am a big fun of it :) And if you are too then keep on reading.

I actually want to talk to you about Foaming Food Facial Scrubs by Buff Her. 

Good exfoliation is a staple in a every skin care. Buff Her unique facial food scrubs are handcrafted form natural, organic fruits and veggies. Yes all the ingredients are organic and you can recognize them. Such as strawberries, blueberries, bananas, honey and even coffee. 

Out of three scrubs I have form them I will only focus on one for now. 

I been using Strawberry Lemon Foaming food scrub for a while now. Like I said I have 3 different ones but I only opened one for now. First off the packaging is really good. Glass jar that holds 3.25 oz (96g) of product is in. After you open the lid, it smells like a heaven gate to strawberry fields. I can even say how good it smells! Strawberry lemon cupcakes! Oh I know! Long time ago I bought a strawberry cake mix, I think form Duncan Hines. After baking cupcakes the whole house smelled like freshly baked strawberry goodies. This scrub actually smells even better! I think the combo of lemon and strawberries makes it so yummy! plus both ingredients are super for breakouts! Strawberries contains salicylic acid, that is main ingredient in any acne medication. 

I remember when I first used it, my face was so red! I went a bit overboard and scrub the heck out of my face. Imagine that! After I went over with my moisturizer and my skin felt so smooth and tight! After that I been using this scrub once a week and hell I love my skin! 

Each container get you at least 200 uses! That is a lot! Plus i t is super easy to use ;) scoop desire amount ( a little goes a long way) into your wet hands rub it together and then apply to your face in circular motion. You can use it either water or your favorite cleanser with it. 

Buff Her scrub is the best one I ever used! I really been loving. Some scrubs, face mask etc . breaks me out. But not with this one. This feels really good and smells so delicious! it makes me wanna bake! 

Later I will be doing review on Milk and Honey  and Vanilla Almond Scrubs. I didn't open them yet so they need to wait their turn. Hopefully they won't wait long ;)

Check Buff Her website. There is a plenty scrubs and flavors to choose from. Go with your skin type to get a perfect match ;)

XoXo ~ Monica

Review on Matcha Skin Lip Scrub coming soon :)

mixed with water

Winter Pamper Time

Noyah, natural Cosmetics ~ Lipsticks Review

I been meaning to write this review months ago. I did actually put it down on a paper , but hey! if you know me , I lost it. Story of my life....

Anyways .... Let me show you my pretties lipsticks ever!

Can you tell why???? Yes , the packaging! Look, just look how gorgeous it is!

Noyah, born in a heart of NYC, cruelty free natural cosmetics in dazzling bamboo packaging. 

All natural kosher lipsticks are formulated with Coconut oil, Shea Butter and skin protecting Vitamin E.
I own 3 shades; 

* Empire Red~ Semi Matte (perfect for glamorous red lip)

* Hazelnut Cream ~ Cream Finish (rose-hazelnut shade with a touch of frost).

* Desert Rose ~ Semi Matte dirty pink.

All I have to say is , they are stunning! Of course the matte finish lipsticks will be drying, but over all they do wear comfortable on the lips. They are pigmented. Empire Red is like I said your perfect red, and lucky for me is a blue undertones, with I think suites me better then warmer shades of red. The other two Hazelnut cream and Desert Rose are everyday lipsticks. The ones you carry with you in your makeup bag. 

Unfortunately someone ruined my Desert Rose lipstick. The lippie was smashes inside of the lid ! I cried when I saw that! I really hate when people touch my makeup with out asking me! I don't even know when it happen ;(

Anyways Noyah need to work a bit on the lipsticks lids. They are really hard to open. I am pretty sure, one of my hubby's cousin saw the pretty packaging displayed on my vanity and she tried to open it. Maybe she screwed lipstick  wrong way and it got stuck in the lid, so it was pulled out of the tube. Oh well ;( can't do nothing about it. Although packaging is beautiful , you need to be very careful while opening. 

I also have two lip glosses:

* Cherry Cardinal ~ bright cherry-red gloss, with some sparkles

* Summertime Peach ~ perfect nude gloss with some gold sparkles

I am not  big on glosses. I do like them but I prefer lipsticks.

Noyah lip glosses tare all natural with rich sheen and pop of color. They are made with Coconut Oil, Cocoa Butter and Vitamin E. They are great for a pop of color and to moisture lips as well. Like any gloss they can be use over a for example a matte lipstick.

I really been liking Cherry cardinal. Wore it a few times and I must say it is a gorgeous color. It lasted super long too! Some glosses tend to wear off with in an hour after applying , but not  this one. It don't feel think or heavy on the lips. Plus its not sticky ;)

Visit Noayh Website to see more colors and read more.

XoXo ~ Monica

ZAO Organic mattifying powder

ZAO Organic is a eco-luxury makeup brand. Their products are 100% organic, cruelty free, vegan, gluten and chemical free. Sounds great right?! There is more! Their products are available in re-usable bamboo packaging. That means once you buy something ether it is blush , powder or lipstick, later you only need refills :) Save your money and environment. Wonder if I could just get a blush refill and then just save them in a Z Palette? Coz I really want one of the blush they offer :) 

Anyways, today I want to talk to you about their mattifying powder. 

As you can see on the pictures, it comes in a bamboo packaging, which is re-usable. After you done with your powder simply pop old one out and insert the new one. With each product, there is an instruction on how you can remove and add products. My powder came in a cute cotton pouch. Powder itself is really good. Ever since I got it, I been using it daily in my makeup routine. It does have a orange color... But it don't show orange on my skin. It blends very nice and leaves a nice matte finish for a half day. Lets say I am done with my makeup around 7:30am and I can see a shine coming through around 2pm. Then I blot my face and apply it once again. Yes, I do carry it with me all the time. Even if I don't wear makeup (like weekends) I apply it and it gives me a nice light to medium coverage. It feels wight-less and it is lightly scented. I might be weird but I like when my makeup products smells nice. Let me say that the scent don't transfer to your skin, I only smell it once I swirl my brush in. 

Also I did notice small "bumps" on the surface of the powder. And I have no idea what that is. I ask my hubby's cousin, and she told me not to worry its nothing. I only use one powder (which is this one) and only one brush ( which I was once a week). 

Aside for that little '"bumps" I really been liking this powder. I must say , more then my Rimmel Stay Matte powder. 

See the bumps I was talking about.

ZAO Organic makeup is available in Europe more then it is in USA. SO ladies form Europe let me know what you recommend for me to try form their line :) Really want a blush and lipstick:) So that will be my future purchase :) 

NOTE: I spoke with ZAO rep. Jenny and she said “All our cooked powder products are made in the oven. And 

Since they are produced without water, when they are cooked, the product 
can get air bubbles trapped inside. If you continue using the product, 
you should find that the "bumps" will be hollow. It is quite normal for 

This type of product -- nothing to do with the quality. "  

  

Link to ZAO website 

Link to Mattifying powder

Lady In The Loop ~ Cate McNabb Cosmetics (Review and Swatches)

Hello my palette junkies! 

 I can't believe we are a month away form Holidays! And what is a Holiday time with out a perfect palette? A palette that have everything in for you to use. Well you are lucky , because I want to introduce you to a new brand I recently discovered. 

Cate McNabb Cosmetics is a certified cruelty free, paraben free luxury cosmetic line. 

Formulated without unnecessary chemicals, Cate McNabb provides less harmful option through bold hues and high preforming, natural products form bold eye-shadows to long lasting lipsticks.

Their newest release ~ Holiday palettes are a must have! They have 3 options :

1 North Shore Natural

2 Lady In the Loop

3 Magnificent Mistress 

All are so beautiful/ I am lucky to have  'Lady In the Loop' and I am obsessed with it! The quality is amazing and the products as well! 

'Lady in the Loop' Comes in a black , very sturdy, plastic packaging. On the outside there is a Cate McNabb logo. Inside you have a full size mirror and your beautiful products. My palette comes with a blush, highlight, two eye shadows, two lipsticks.  Lady In The loop focuses on a bold lip and softer eye look. 

Cotton Candy Blush~ Such a beautiful pink blush! Looks like there is a bit of shimmer in, but when I swatched on the back of my hand I didn't see any. Gives more of a satin finish. Blends very well and it look just gorgeous! Mineral based, long wearing blush. Perfect blush shade for Fall/Winter.

24k Illuminizer ~ bronzy-gold highlight. Really beautiful. Packed with glitter. Although it is too dark for my skin I used it as a highlight while I did my eye makeup. I apply it in my inner corner and on lower lash line. Goes perfectly with both shadows form the palette.

SoCal and Bark  Eye shadow ~ mineral based and pigmented. Holy Molly , they are really pigmented. "SoCal" eye shadow is gorgeous gold shade. Metallic, swatches like butter and applies like a dream. Love it! Pigmentation on this guy is amazing! Now the "Bark" eye shadow is a matte. Dark brown and when swatched looks less more pigmented, compared to "SoCal". Its the prefect crease shade. Not to dark and very blendable.

Guava and Red Line Lipsticks ~ Now I will tel you something. The only reason I got this palette is the RED LIPSTICK! Yes this color stood out the most and so gorgeous on. Red Line Lipsticks is a exclusive to this palette. Its a satin finish and for me looks like a strawberry red :) God its so pretty!
The other lipstick "Guava" is a darker matte shade. Rich , warm mauve. Didn't wear this one yet but I definitely will.

Overall this palette is really good. You can try 4 Cate McNabb products at once, with out spending tons of money. Also, right now you can find great deals on their website. Selected items are 50%off! I suggest to check them out :)

Lady in The Loop Palette --> click here. 
click here to check the Holiday palettes.
Click here to shop 

Coconut Vanilla Body Scrub by Flora Body Care

Lets talk body scrubs. 

I personally love any kind of body scrubs. And recently I been into all organic coffee scrubs. They are really good! But this sugar scrub stole my heart :)  I just want to eat it! Guys it smells so delicious

This scrub is like no other I ever tried. Its addicting. 

It is made by company Flora Body Care. They are based in Canada. All their products are made with natural ingredients, hand created and cruelty free. 

Sounds great huh? They do ship worldwide so I suggest get your sugar or coffee scrub :) 

They do offer two flavors to choose form :

Vanilla Coconut (sugar scrub)

Coffee Hazelnut (coffee scrub)

I haven't try their coffee scrub so I will tell you how I like, no excuse me ...Love this sugar vanilla scrub.

Like I said it is made with natural ingredients, and it smells so delicious that instead of scrubbing my body I wan to eat it!  Both scents are equally matched.  My mom used to make a raffaello cake and smells just like that! Reminds me of that cake or should I say the cream and the candy itself! and If you know me this is my favorite candy :) It also smells like Christmas .. don't laugh or roll your eyes on me. You know the Christmas cookies ... I think they called Sugar Cookies? Yes that's the smell right in this bag :) 

 No wonder I want to eat it.... I have send my husband to the store ...now... and he better get me box of Raffaello or sugar cookies :)

How to use it : Just rub a handful into wet skin and leave it for 5 min. After that rinse with water. And voila ! Yous skin is super smooth and soft. It really feels good and refreshed. I don't scrub often. Twice a week the most. 

Another thing, sugar scrubs can be harsh but this one is perfect for me :) 

Love the way it exfoliate my skin. 

I am pretty sure I be purchasing soon another one. Feels like Christmas on Tropical Island .. Literally.

Here is the website so you can CLICK and BUY one for your self. And Since Christmas is so close it can be a perfect gift or a stocking stuffer :)

Trust me I would be happy If you give me this scrubby for Xmas :)  

Flora Body Care ---->Click Here.

If I ever have to describe the smell ... That would be it ~ Raffaello :) The best candy in the world.