True Pleasures Reviews

Review of Ma Mi Skincare Products

noreply@blogger.com (True Pleasures) — Sat, 19 Mar 2011 20:51:00 +0000

Ma Mi Skincare is a completely natural line of skincare products that have been clinically designed for the special needs and challenges that face women in early motherhood. Although I’m not pregnant, and never will be, I love this skincare set. No, I don’t stay up late with a crying baby, but I do stay up late working on reviews. That means dark circles and tired skin.

I was sent a small gift pack that included the Reawaken Cleanser, Radiant Exfoliator, Satiated Moisturizer, and Night Shift Eye Serum. This set lasted a couple weeks, using it sparingly. I’m very pleased with how it made my skin look and feel. I’ve never really had a skincare set like this before, so I felt pretty pampered.

Reawaken Cleanser

The Reawaken Cleanser has a nice smell to it. I’m not sure what it reminds me of, but it seems very familiar. It has a very flowery perfume smell to it.

The consistency is a little thinner than a normal gel cleanser, but it lathers well. It’s great at removing makeup, and doesn’t leave my skin feeling tight and dry like other cleansers I’ve tried.

Ingredients: Purified Water, Olive Oil Castile, Vegetable Glycerin, Rose Hip Seed Oil, Oil of Kumquat, Seaweed Extracts.

Radiant Exfoliator

You’ll need to be careful with the Radiant Exfoliator. It’s pretty much the consistency of water, which makes it a little difficult to apply without a cotton ball, which is suggested. I, however, didn’t want to use a cotton ball because I didn’t want it to soak up the Radiant Exfoliator and waste it. A cotton ball is fine when just using cheap rose water to tone my face, but this is different.

The Radiant Exfoliator definitely works well. With it’s help, I’ve been able to get rid of some blackheads that I’ve had for years. This is because the Radiant Exfoliator helps shed dead skin cells. I usually look a little flakey after using it, and gently buff my skin with a towel. This helps to remove the dead skin cells and blackheads that were loosened up.

It has a slight metallic smell to it. I’m not really sure why, but it’s nothing overpowering or bothersome.

Ingredients: Purified Water, Glycolic Acid.

Satiated Moisturizer

The Satiated Moisturizer is wonderful. It really doesn’t have any scent to it, but it’s very moisturizing. My skin soaks it right up. It’s very creamy and, I’ll admit, feels a little oily when first applying it to my skin. However, once it soaks in, my skin is soft and not one bit oily.

Ingredients: Purified Water, Jojoba Oil, Apricot Kernel Oil, Squalane, Hyaluronic Acid, Polyacrylamide, Laureth-7, C13-14 Isoparaffin, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin.

Night Shift Eye Serum

I love the Night Shift Eye Serum!

Being a girl of French heritage really stinks sometimes, mostly because of the dark circles under my eyes. My mother has that problem, too. Plus, me staying up late to write doesn’t really help the issue either.

The Night Shift Eye Serum is a wonderfully moisturizing gel that helps minimize the appearance of my dark circles. Mind you, I haven’t been able to get rid of them, but the Night Shift Eye Serum definitely helps.

I hadn’t told my mother I was using it, so when she asked if I had been getting more sleep or something, I knew it wasn’t just in my head that it was working. I let her know about it, and I think she’s going to look into getting some for herself.

This is one of the bottles in the gift set that still has a little left in it. You really don’t need much. One half a pea-sized squirt will take care of both eyes.

Ingredients: Seaweed Extract, Purified Water, Hyaluronic Acid, Oxido Reductases, Soy Peptide, Hydrolyzed Rice Bran Extract, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin

Rating:

Ma Mi Skincare has some great products. I’ll be saving up my dollars to buy myself a set soon! Many thanks to Ma Mi Skincare for letting me test out their products!

FTC Statement: I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commissions 16 CFR, Part 255 Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising. Tomoson Product review & giveaway Disclosure.

Strawberry Fields Forever – Review of the Vanilla Strawberry Soap from YesterYear Soap

noreply@blogger.com (True Pleasures) — Wed, 22 Dec 2010 03:18:00 +0000

I was recently given the opportunity to review some natural artisan soap from YesterYearSoap.com. All of their scented soaps contain the highest quality essential oils formulated specifically for soap. And let me tell you, those scents are potent (in a good way)!

YesterYear Soaps are good, old-fashioned artisan soaps. There’s nothing artificial in them and they’re all hand-crafted. Being a part-time artist, that’s something I really appreciate. It’s nice to see companies getting back to a time when they really cared about the products and patrons.

Ingredients:

olive oil, coconut oil, soybean oil

Whatever the bar says it is are what oils, herbs, or other bits are used in the bar. Since this one is grapefruit/mint, those are what oils and bits are in the bar. I can definitely see the dried mint bits speckled in it.

Scent:

I was given the vanilla strawberry soap to test out. It really does smell just like strawberry. The sweet, fruity aroma is enough to make me want to eat the bar! I’m not sure if there are strawberry bits in the soap, but there are some deep red bits that I’m assuming are dried strawberry pieces.

The vanilla, I think, is what really gives this soap it’s sweet scent. It’s almost like strawberries and cream. Actually, when I use it, it makes the bathroom smell like strawberry shortcake. This soap is perfect for anyone who has a sweet tooth.

Lather:

Sodium Lauryl Sulfates are usually what make soap lather so well. They’re also bad for your liver. Luckily, you have nothing to fear with this soap, and no lather to lose! Without the help of any harmful chemicals, it produces a wonderfully thick and creamy lather when I use my shower poof with it. Great if you’re too cheap to waste money on shaving gel for your legs like me.

Skin:

The oils in this soap are very nourishing. My skin has no complaints. This soap is rich in vitamins, antioxidants, and nutrients that pamper my skin. For those with skin sensitivities, you should be fine with this soap. There are no chemicals, dyes, or preservatives to irritate any allergies.

Packaging:

The packaging is very simple. A paper wrapper with the company name, logo ( a classic beauty admiring herself), ingredient list, and website is wrapped around the bar one way, while a strip of shrink wrap is wrapped around it the other way to seal it off.

The bars are rather large and square. I love the generous portion. It does seem like I get more with this soap compared to the usual bar of Dial that hubby gets.

I adore this soap, but I did have a question.

Q: Is it possible to order a specific soap, such as the grapefruit/mint that was sent to me? I can't figure out how to do that on the site.

A: Our soaps are hand made in small batches. Once the loaf is made and cut, it takes approx. 4 weeks to cure (unlike most soap crafters, we cure our soaps before we sell them)

Cold Process soap (the method we use) needs to age or "cure" before it is finally ready to use, and here is why: like firewood, as the soap cures, most of the water used in the recipe evaporates out of it. Cured soap is harder, milder, and more "finished." The primary reason to cure the soap is for the water to evaporate. A harder bar of soap will last longer, lather better and just be overall a better soap.

Most soap makers use less water in their recipe which can reduce the cure time. The less water you put in...the less time you have to wait for the water to evaporate.

Because of the time involved in our process (the curing) we would not be able to assure timely delivery of a specific ‘scent’. Most of our customers are new to handcrafted soaps and prefer to experiment with different scents. However, we often get emails from repeat customers and certainly honor any specific requests for certain blends.

In addition, a vast majority of our soap is given as gifts. This way we can provide immediate shipment, rather than delay delivery because of ‘curing’ time or send soap that is not ‘ready’.

Also, we offer ‘seasonal’ blends (we got this idea from craft beer makers). For example: Autumn with its cooler temperatures; essential oils like ginger, cardamom, cinnamon and clove are preferred blends. Summer; the warmer summertime months we like to use blends with light, energizing, herbaceous, floral, and cooling essential oils. Oils from the mint, citrus and floral families are our favorites of ours for summer months.

So, although I am disappointed that I can’t really order the same soap again and again, I do understand now. (I thought the answer that they provided was great and wanted to share it with everyone. After all, what kind of reviewer am I if I don’t share all the knowledge I gain while reviewing a product?) They will listen to your requests and have been a very friendly company to work with on this review.

Rating: 5/5 I would definitely recommend them! In fact, I’ll probably be sending this website, if not some of the soap, too, to my cousin. She’s also a natural beauty nut. Many thanks to YesterYear Soap for letting me review this!

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commissions 16 CFR, Part 255 Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising. Tomoson Product review & giveaway Disclosure.

Tis the Season! – Review of the Grapefruit/Mint Soap from YesterYear Soap

noreply@blogger.com (True Pleasures) — Sun, 19 Dec 2010 04:53:00 +0000

Ingredients:

olive oil, coconut oil, soybean oil

Scent:

I was given the grapefruit/mint soap to test out. I can definitely smell both, although the mint is stronger. The scent is strong enough to make my whole bathroom smell wonderful. This is just such a great scent for this time of year. Somehow grapefruit/mint is very festive to me.

You know those days when you just feel gross? This soap arrived around the last couple days of my period. When I’m having my period, I usually lay around in pain in the apartment. Staying in all day makes me feel so gross, not to mention that signature period smell. Blech! The grapefruit/mint soap is great to wash that feeling away. The mint has that cooling effect, while the grapefruit adds a fresh, clean feeling. It’s very refreshing and makes me feel like I smell so much better.

Lather:

Skin:

Packaging:

The bars are rather large and square. Mine didn’t fit in my shower caddy, so I sliced some of it off and let my mother try it. She loved it, too!

I adore this soap, but I did have a question.

Q: Is it possible to order a specific soap, such as the grapefruit/mint that was sent to me? I can't figure out how to do that on the site.

A: Our soaps are hand made in small batches. Once the loaf is made and cut, it takes approx. 4 weeks to cure (unlike most soap crafters, we cure our soaps before we sell them)

Cold Process soap (the method we use) needs to age or "cure" before it is finally ready to use, and here is why: like firewood, as the soap cures, most of the water used in the recipe evaporates out of it. Cured soap is harder, milder, and more "finished." The primary reason to cure the soap is for the water to evaporate. A harder bar of soap will last longer, lather better and just be overall a better soap.

Most soap makers use less water in their recipe which can reduce the cure time. The less water you put in...the less time you have to wait for the water to evaporate.

Because of the time involved in our process (the curing) we would not be able to assure timely delivery of a specific ‘scent’. Most of our customers are new to handcrafted soaps and prefer to experiment with different scents. However, we often get emails from repeat customers and certainly honor any specific requests for certain blends.

In addition, a vast majority of our soap is given as gifts. This way we can provide immediate shipment, rather than delay delivery because of ‘curing’ time or send soap that is not ‘ready’.

Also, we offer ‘seasonal’ blends (we got this idea from craft beer makers). For example: Autumn with its cooler temperatures; essential oils like ginger, cardamom, cinnamon and clove are preferred blends. Summer; the warmer summertime months we like to use blends with light, energizing, herbaceous, floral, and cooling essential oils. Oils from the mint, citrus and floral families are our favorites of ours for summer months.

In Pretzel Heaven - Auntie Anne’s Home Baking Kit

noreply@blogger.com (True Pleasures) — Fri, 10 Dec 2010 22:24:00 +0000

Through an opportunity at BlogFriendlyPR, I was able to review the Auntie Anne’s Home Baking Kit. You have no idea how much I’ve been craving Auntie Anne’s pretzels! Sadly, our local mall started losing stores like crazy and, eventually, Auntie Anne left, too. I think it’s probably been over a year now. I’m not sure. I couldn’t wait to try out this kit, though!

Now, I’ve tried making pretzels on my own with a recipe I found on the Internet. Those tasted… well… strange, to put it nicely. The Auntie Anne’s Home Baking Kit comes with everything you need. You’ve even got the choice between salted pretzels or cinnamon/sugar pretzels. I ended up doing 6 salted pretzels and 4 cinnamon/sugar pretzels. It’s just the way they got divided on the baking sheets.

Full instructions are included. If you need to download them for some reason, though, you can do so here. I’m not going to go into complete detail for the instructions, but I’ll walk you through the process.

First, you’ll need to get the yeast going. For fans of Alton Brown, that means it’s time to wake up the burping sock puppets. All they need is some little warm water and some time to perk up. You’ll start to see a froth on the top when they’re ready. If you don’t, your yeast is dead and your water was probably too hot or too cold.

Next, you’ll need to mix that in with big bag of dough mix. You can use a rubber spatula, but I prefer getting my hands dirty. You might as well. You’re going to get them dirty eventually anyway. Besides, hand-mixing seems to do a more thorough job.

Turn that out onto a floured surface, knead, form it into a ball and let it rest for 30 minutes in a warm spot. Make sure to cover it with plastic wrap. The instructions said to use non-stick spray, but we don’t use that stuff. Turned out fine anyway.

Your blob of dough should have risen and gotten larger in size. This is due to the yeast snacking on the sugars in the dough and producing gas (hence Alton Brown’s burping sock puppets). Divide this out into 10 even portions.

Roll each piece out into a long rope (like the worms you would make out of Play-Doh in Kindergarten. Make sure you make it even. It’s best to start out with a fat log and roll from the middle of the log out with long strokes. This will help keep the diameter of the finished rope even.

Fold

Don’t worry, there are better folding diagrams in the instructions.

Once you have all of them folded, you’ll need to dunk them in a baking soda/water solution and then let them drain. You can coat the baking sheet with non-stick spray, but I really don’t like the stuff. I just used parchment. After you get them on the baking sheet, you’ll need to decide if you wanted them salted or cinnamon/sugar.

Here are my pretzels after they came out of the oven:

Salted Cinnamon/Sugar

The whole process was really easy and turned out much better than the pretzels I made on my own. As soon as I got them out of the oven, they were quickly inhaled by my husband , and I got a few. I saved one of the cinnamon/sugar ones for breakfast the next day. That was a nice treat.

If you want to make something other than pretzels, the kit also mentions how to make pretzel dogs or pizza with the mix. Or, you can check out Auntie Anne’s recipe page.

Rating:

5/5 Although nothing beats a fresh Auntie Anne’s pretzel from the mall, the ones I made with the baking kit turned out nicely. They don’t taste exactly like the ones I’d get from the mall, but they’re still really good. I’m very happy with the Auntie Anne’s Home Baking Kit and will probably be getting more of them when I get the chance. The only thing hubby had to add is that he wishes the sour cream and onion powder would have been included, too. Otherwise, the instructions are easy to follow and the results are yummy!

FTC Statement: True Pleasures Reviews received the Auntie Anne’s Home Baking Kit for free through BlogFriendlyPR. No compensation has been received for this review. This has not affected the opinions within the review and complies with FTC standards.

Beautiful Bamboo - Review of Physicians Formula Bamboo Wear™ Bamboo Compact

noreply@blogger.com (True Pleasures) — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 19:08:00 +0000

I was excited to see the new line and compact looked nice. I definitely need something durable because the compact that my Organic Wear Face Powder came in did not survive. One of the covers eventually ripped off the paper hinge… I’m rough on my cosmetics. I’m always in a hurry in the morning, so everything just gets pitched around.

Thankfully, since I’m trying out the new Physicians Formula® Bamboo Wear™ line, I can use something more durable. The Bamboo Compact is designed to replace all the other throw-aways that just end up as waste in a landfill. Instead of buying a completely compact every time you use up all of your makeup, the Bamboo Wear™ line consists of the empty Bamboo Compact (Mirror and brush included. By empty, I mean that there’s no makeup in it.) and Face Powder or Bronzer refills. Much better for the environment and less in my waste basket.

Bamboo is a highly sustainable material and very durable. It grows like fire (up to eight feet per day) and won’t break during even the most fierce winds and storms. Perfect for me. Plus, it’s a beautiful material and has become popular for use in household flooring. The compact has bamboo silk-screened onto the front of it and enhances the eco-friendly vibes that it puts off. Aside from the compact being natural, the brush is also made of 100% natural hairs with a 100% bamboo handle.

The compact is composed of two compartments; one which is designed to hold the powder refill and another that has an attached mirror and space to hold a brush. There are six small magnets within the compact. Two are for holding the powder refill in place, while the other four are for keeping the sliding compartments of the compact secure.

Directions for Use

Swivel the lid to open the top compartment in order to access the mirror and brush. Swivel again to reveal the bottom compartment and insert your powder refill pan into this compartment. It will simply drop into place in the cavity and will be held securely by two magnets in the bottom of the cavity. Once your powder refill is spent, just use the finger notch to lift the empty pan up. Swivel in reverse to seal the compact back up.

One Thing Bothers Me

The brush has a bad tendency of losing hairs. It wouldn’t be bad if it would have just been a couple, but I’d say mine has lost around 20 hairs. It’s really annoying.

Rating:

The only reason I’m taking off half a point is because of the brush losing hairs. It wasn’t really a big deal after the loose hairs came out, but it was annoying. After the first couple, I washed the brush out thoroughly to make sure all of the loose hairs were out. I haven’t had anymore problems since. Otherwise, it seems very durable and I love that it swivels instead of flipping like normal compacts.

FTC Statement: The Bamboo Wear™ Bamboo Compact was provided by Physicians Formula®to True Pleasures Reviews for free in exchange for a review. This has not affected the opinions within the review.

Sustainable Beauty - Review of Physicians Formula Bamboo Wear™ Bamboo Silk Face Powder Refill (Creamy Natural)

noreply@blogger.com (True Pleasures) — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 18:24:00 +0000

Hypoallergenic. Fragrance Free. Paraben Free. Dermatologist Approved. Non-Comedogenic. Oil-Free.

For a while, I had been using Physicians Formula® Organic Wear Face Powder (Translucent), but I was running dangerously low. On one of our regular outings, my mother and I stopped at Target to check out some of the makeup for each of us. Turned out she was looking for some face powder, too. Since very few companies have safe products (IE No parabens, phthalates, petrochemicals, etc), my mom tends to get a bit flustered trying to find something safe.

I led her over to the section with Physicians Formula® cosmetics and promptly noticed the new Bamboo Wear™ line. Looking over the ingredient list, everything seemed fine. The package states that the product is, “free of harsh chemicals, synthetic preservatives, parabens, synthetic colors, synthetic fragrances”.

Coverage: Unfortunately, I have some stubborn blackheads that have been with me for quite a while; and I’ve been searching for something that will help cover them up until I can get rid of them. Thankfully, the Bamboo Silk Face Powder covers them really well. It does a fair job covering any pimples I may get, too (Darn those pms pimples… ).

Another thing, I pluck my eyebrows. Why? I have to. Thank you, grandpa, for giving me your eyebrows… Anyway, when those hair start to grow back in, that means little black dots. The Bamboo Silk Face Powder covers those pretty well, and I like to use the lighter part where the bamboo design is to highlight my brow bone. I love the fact that it covers those dots so well. If a face powder can’t do that for me, I’m returning it to the store.

Because the Bamboo Silk Face Powder is bi-colored, it helps to give my skin that nice, smooth look. The combination of two colors helps even out skin tone. If you have scars from pimples, chickenpox, or something else, this will help make your skin look more like it has one even tone of color.

How Long Does it Last?

My skin naturally tends to get oil towards the evening, but I haven’t had to re-apply the Bamboo Silk Face Powder. It really does seem to absorb the extra oil that my skin produces.

Appearance

I love the Bamboo Silk Face Powder. The first time I put it on, I did think my skin looked healthier. I wanted to make sure it wasn’t just in my head, though. Reading that a product can do something can trick your mind into thinking it really does even if it doesn’t. However, when I met my mom later that day, she asked me what I had been doing to my skin and that it looked better. My mom is not one to lie or to say something just to make me feel better. She’s blunt, just like me. Also, when we went out to lunch with my old boss from the Painted Daisy art gallery, she said I looked good, too. Between the three of us, I think the Bamboo Silk Face Powder gets some pretty good ratings.

How is it Sustainable?

The Bamboo Silk Face Powder Refill is simply that, a refill. It’s nothing more than powder cake in a metal pan which is meant to fit in the Bamboo Compact. Bamboo is very sustainable and grows like fire. It can actually grow up to eight feet in one day! Bamboo is very durable and makes a wonderful reusable compact. Whenever you need more Bamboo Silk Face Powder, you just buy a refill. No wasted cardboard or plastic compact to throw out when the powder is spent. You just keep using the same one.

INGREDIENTS: TALC, MICA, BAMBUSA ARUNDINACEA STEM POWDER, DIMETHICONE, ZINC STEARATE, DIISOSTEARYL MALATE, OCTYLDODECYL STEAROYL STEARATE, NYLON-12, GLYCERYL CAPRYLATE, LAUROYL LYSINE, CINNAMIC ACID, SORBITAN SESQUIOLEATE, TOCOPHERYL ACETATE, MAY CONTAIN: IRON OXIDES, TITANIUM DIOXIDE, ULTRAMARINES.

Wear Instructions: May be worn alone or over makeup. Lightly brush powder over face and neck to even out skin tone. For the most even application, be sure to tap excess powder from brush before applying. For best results on dry to very dry skin, apply moisturizer prior to using powder.

Available Shades: Translucent, Creamy Natural, and Beige

Rating:

Any powder that can cover my blackheads while being completely safe and sustainable is ok in my book.

FTC Statement: The Bamboo Wear™ Bamboo Silk Face Powder Refill was provided by Physicians Formula®to True Pleasures Reviews for free in exchange for an honest review. This has not affected the opinions within the review, and complies with FTC standards.

My Lip Stuff Could Be Your Lip Stuff! – Enter to Win a Random 6-Pack of Lip Balms from MyLipStuff.com!

noreply@blogger.com (True Pleasures) — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 16:07:00 +0000

Since my birthday, which is tomorrow (10/16) is coming up, I bring you a chance to win a random 6-pack of lip balms from My Lip Stuff! My Lip Stuff has hundreds of lip balms to choose from in addition to lip balms, they also have body butters, bath salts, linen sprays, and loads of other fun stuff. My Lip Stuff products are skin, earth, and animal friendly. That means they NEVER test their products on animals and use only the finest ingredients that are skin safe and environmentally friendly.

I’m in the process of reviewing a few of the lip balms and adore them! You can view the current reviews here.

How to Enter

Please leave separate comments for each entry! Comment blobs not accepted!

Mandatory Entry:

Go to My Lip Stuff and tell me in the comment box at least one flavor that you would love to try.

Extra Entries:

Follow my blog (comment to let me know)
Grab my button located in the right sidebar (comment to let me know)
Subscribe to my RSS feed (comment to let me know)
Follow me on Twitter (comment to let me know)
Follow me on Facebook (comment to let me know)
Follow My Lip Stuff on Twitter (comment to let me know)
Like My Lip Stuff on Facebook (comment to let me know)
Tweet about it once per day. Anything is fine, just make sure to include @True_Pleasures, the hash tag #mylipstuff, and a link to this post. (EX I entered to win a 6-pack of #mylipstuff all natural lip balms from @True_Pleasures! http://bit.ly/aN1nQZ Ends Nov 1!)

The winner will be announced via Twitter on November 1st at 11am CST. Please make sure you are following me on Twitter so I can contact you if you win. If you do not have a Twitter account, please make sure to leave your email address in the mandatory entry. Open to US residents only.

Craving Caramallow Creme Cake - Review of the Caramallow Creme Cake Lip Balm from My Lip Stuff

noreply@blogger.com (True Pleasures) — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 16:29:00 +0000

Scent/Taste: Tastes like a delicious cream filled cake topped with a caramel marshmallow icing! Can someone please make me a cake like this? Mmm… If there is a cake like this, the whole thing would be crammed in my face in a matter of minutes. The sweet scent of the cream is enough to drive me nuts, but throw in the caramel? *drools* The Caramallow Creme Cake Lip Balm makes me SO hungry for a sweet treat. Not recommended for those on a diet!

Seriously, this lip balm smells just like real food. Actually, all of the balms I’ve tried from My Lip Stuff smell like real food. It’s great! I mean, how many of you have tried those cheap balms in the stores that are supposed to taste like peanut butter cups or soda and have failed to deliver a real flavor?

Ingredients: sunflower oil, beeswax, cocoa butter, sweet almond oil, castor oil, jojoba oil, avocado oil, aloe vera, essential &/or flavor oil

Lips: Ok, this is not your average lip balm. Hubby hates when I put lip balm or lip gloss on because he says it’s gunky and calls it “lip goo”. This balm is really light, but very moisturizing. My lips feel soft, but I barely feel like I’m wearing anything. And my hair doesn’t stick to my lips when I use it! My hair always sticks to the lip gloss I have. (PS Just scraped the lip gloss out and recycled the packaging last night. I’m not using that old junk when I have nice new balms. Hubby used to wipe off my gooey kisses, but I have yet to see him do it with this balm.)

I only have to swipe it once over my top and bottom lip and I’m ready to go. It’s almost buttery. You know how soft and smooth your skin feels if you use a massage bar? That’s the closest thing I can compare it to. I guess some people could find it to be oily, but I like it. It doesn’t wear off as quickly as regular lip balms do and keeps my lips softer for a longer amount of time.

Rating:

I love My Lip Stuff’s Caramallow Creme Cake Lip Balm! It’s all natural, not tested on animals and yummy enough to make me crave a caramallow creme cake even though I’ve never had one. My Lip Stuff has hundreds of flavors to choose from. Trust me, I know. I’ve gone through the entire list. Of course, that means a few more lip balms have tempted me.

Others I would love to get:

My birthday is coming up (10/16) so if any of you feel compelled to buy me something…

FTC Statement: The Caramallow Creme Cake Lip Balm was provided to True Pleasures for free by My Lip Stuff in exchange for a review. This has not affected the opinions within the review.

Trick or Treat! - Review of the Candy Corn Lip Balm (Limited Halloween Edition) from My Lip Stuff

noreply@blogger.com (True Pleasures) — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 16:08:00 +0000

“Once a year, like the leaves, it comes. A magical night when bedtimes disappear and identities change; when the ghouls and goblins of our souls are set free to roam the night and scarf candy.”

-Older Pete Wrigley, The Adventures of Pete and Pete

The Halloween season just isn’t complete without candy corn ( or the “Halloweenie” episode of The Adventures of Pete and Pete ). Whether you like the traditional Brach’s candy corn or have been spoiled by Jelly Belly’s candy corn in their Fall Festival mix (highly recommended!), candy corn brings joy. And if you’re like me, it’s a comfort food. I was born in October, so Halloween candy has a firm grip on my heart.

Lucky for me, My Lip Stuff has a very yummy Candy Corn (Limited Edition) Lip Balm!

Scent/Taste: Mmmm…just like candy corn… <—I wish that was a real piece of candy corn instead of a graphic. This lip balm makes me crave candy corn…

I put it on in the car the other day and hubby said he could smell it right when I opened it. The scent is definitely strong. Creamy butter, sugar, caramel, & a hint of vanilla make this balm smell and taste like my favorite Halloween treat. Stevia sweetened.

Ingredients: sunflower oil, beeswax, cocoa butter, sweet almond oil, castor oil, jojoba oil, avocado oil, aloe vera, essential &/or flavor oil

Rating:

I love My Lip Stuff’s Candy Corn (Limited Edition) Lip Balm! It’s all natural, not tested on animals and yummy! You know how I said it was part of the limited edition Halloween collection?

Well, I looked through the list and saw a couple others I want:

My birthday is coming up (10/16) so if any of you feel compelled to buy me something…

FTC Statement: The Candy Corn (Limited Edition) Lip Balm was provided to True Pleasures for free by My Lip Stuff in exchange for a review. This has not affected the opinions within the review.

In The Land of Milk and Honey - Review of Milk and Honey iCing Body Frosting from iVi Scents

noreply@blogger.com (True Pleasures) — Fri, 24 Sep 2010 15:30:00 +0000

Travel to the land of milk and honey where all of your wants and needs are taken care of with this luxurious body frosting from iVi Scents! The sweet scent of almond cookies is enough to give me that warm and fuzzy feeling while the ingredients work wonders to smooth my skin to a silky finish!

The original expression, "a land flowing with milk and honey", is a Biblical reference to the agricultural abundance of the Land of Israel. The first reference appears in Exodus 3:8 during Moses's vision of the burning bush.

All ingredients are either naturally derived or safe synthetics. Because some scents aren’t found in nature (such as their Birthday Cake iSmell Soap) iVi Scents uses phthalate-free cosmetic grade fragrance oils that are specifically made for bath and body products.

Ingredients: Water, Isopropyl Myristate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Ceteareth 20, Caprylic/Capric Glycerides, Dimethicone, Stearyl Alcohol, Glycine Soja (Soybean) Oil, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter) Fruit, Helianthus Annus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Hydrolyzed Silk (Silk Amino Acids), Aloe Barbadensis (Aloe Vera), Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Fragrance, Disodium EDTA, Diazolidinyl Urea, Benzophenone 4, Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate.

Purple = Naturally Derived Ingredient| Black = Safe Synthetic Ingredient

Scent: The scent is very similar to almond oil and has a nice sweetness to it that reminds me of almond cookies. It’s a soft scent, and I catch gentle whiffs of it throughout the day. It’s a wonderfully girly scent that makes me feel rather delicate and sweet .

Consistency: Not too thick, not too thin. This body cream is just right. It looks and feels just like frosting! Mmm… What would be really cute is if a little spatula came with the jar so you really could feel like you’re frosting yourself!

Skin: iCing leaves my skin feeling soft and supple. It’s as moisturizing as a body butter without that greasy feeling of too much oil or shea butter. Smooth it on and rub it in to a powder soft finish. It’s the icing on the cake that is you! What kind of cake am I? I’m a little jasmine flavored tea cake with sweet almond icing!

The iCing works great on skin that’s parched. My legs thank me for treating them to it after shaving. I think it’s probably the smoothest they’ve been. And of course, that makes me feel better and less insecure when hubby wants to massage my feet and legs. I’m nice and soft so feel free to touch!

It’s infused with real silk amino acids. I think that this, along with the dimethicone, are what really work wonders on my skin. Why the dimethicone? Well, a couple times last winter when my hands were really chapped and I was in a pinch with no lotion to help them, I rubbed a little silicone-based personal lubricant on them and it really softened my hands and made them feel better. Weird, I know, but it worked.

Packaging: Right now, it comes in a clear 4oz jar with a black lid, but iVi Scents has been doing some redesign! Look for cute little zebra print jars soon!

Customer Service: Great! If you have any questions, you’ll get a response back in a day or less!

Shipping: Very fast. Of every order I’ve had with iVi Scents, most come within 3-4 days. Super-fast!

Rating:

Overall, I’m very happy with my purchases from iVi Scents. The Milk and Honey iCing Body Frosting is a great way to pamper my skin and myself in general. Knowing that it’s free of anything that can harm me is really comforting. And, trying to find a safe lotion that works well enough to smooth out my legs and smells great has been one heck of a search! I highly recommend iVi Scents for the baby-soft skin their iCing Body Frosting gives me!

Please let them know True Pleasures sent you!

iVi Scents is powered by: Psa 149:4 "For the LORD takes pleasure in His people; He will beautify the humble with salvation."

FTC Statement: The Milk and Honey iCing Body Frosting was purchased by True Pleasures from iVi Scents. This has not affected the opinions within the review.

Take Me Away - Review of Knight in Shining Armor ismell Soap From iVi Scents

noreply@blogger.com (True Pleasures) — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 14:44:00 +0000

Waiting for your knight in shining armor to rescue you from the perils of daily life? I suppose every girl wishes that at some point. When the demands of life get to be too much, we just want to get away from it all. A handsome man to complete the deal isn’t bad either. Well, this soap can’t whisk you away on a white horse to a palace where your prince will wait on you hand and foot, but it can lift your mood with it’s sweet scent and luxurious lather.

The Knight in Shining Armor iSmell Soap from iVi Scents is veggie based bar soap that’s full of a sweet, fresh scent and no toxic scuzzies like other soaps. All ingredients are either naturally derived or safe synthetics. Because some scents aren’t found in nature (such as their Birthday Cake iSmell Soap) iVi Scents uses phthalate-free cosmetic grade fragrance oils that are specifically made for bath and body products.

Knight in Shining Armor is made of:

Ingredients: Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil, Elaeis Guineesis (Palm) Oil, Carthamus Tinctorius (Safflower) Seed Oil, Glycerine, Purified Water, Sodium Hydroxide, Sorbitol, Sorbitan Oleate, Glycine Soja (Soy Bean) Protein, Fragrance, Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil. MAY CONTAIN: Titanium Dioxide, FD&C Blue 1, Yellow 5, Red 30.

Purple = Naturally Derived Ingredient | Black = Safe Synthetic Ingredient

Scent: A very light citrus scent with hints of strawberry, possibly raspberry, too. I smell the berries more than the citrus. The great thing is that it smells like real fruit! I hate how some fruit products can smell fake. It’s very sweet and almost candy-like. The scent is not over-bearing and fades shortly after my showers.

I will admit that I would’ve liked Knight in Shining Armor to smell like a man. Upon seeing the title, I assumed it would be a nice woodsy men’s cologne until I saw the scent description. Call me weird, but I don’t mind smelling like a man. My hubby used to be in the Navy, so when he was away, I’d use his shampoo so I’d smell like him every night. Now, that he’s out, I still enjoy masculine scents. Oil of Olay has a body wash that’s called Total Effects 7-in1 Advanced Anti-Aging and it has a slight masculine scent to it. Even though I love the scent of Knight in Shining Armor, I think maybe it should get a new name like “The Candyman” or “Sweetie Pie” or something candy/sweet related, and a more masculine scent to be assigned to it’s current name.

Lather: Oh..my..gosh! The lather with this soap is insane! It’s so thick and luxurious that I can write messages with my finger when my tummy is lathered up!

I had to write it upside-down, ok? That’s why the letters look kinda funky.

Skin: This is definitely a nice, moisturizing soap. If you’re one of the girls that uses soap to shave her legs instead of cream or gel (I know I can’t be the only one), then this is a great soap to do it with.

Packaging: Mine came in zebra print tissue paper, but iVi Scents is redesigning their packaging. Look for the iSmell Soap to start coming in zebra print boxes!

Customer Service: Great! If you have any questions, you’ll get a response back in a day or less!

Shipping: Very fast. Knight in Shining Armor was a surprise iSmell Soap included with my Mother’s Day iSmell Soap purchase. Of every order I’ve had with iVi Scents, most come within 3-4 days. Super-fast!

Rating:

Overall, I’m very happy with my purchases from iVi Scents. Even though I would have like Knight in Shining Armor to smell manly, the scent is very true to the description on the site. It lathers better than any soap I’ve ever had, is free of anything that can harm my body, and leaves my skin sweetly-scented and soft. I highly recommend iVi Scents

Please let them know True Pleasures sent you!

iviscents is powered by: Psa 149:4 "For the LORD takes pleasure in His people; He will beautify the humble with salvation."

FTC Statement: The Knight in Shining Armor iSmell Soap was included as a free mystery soap with the purchase of a special Mother’s Day iSmell Soap from iVi Scents. This has not affected the opinions within the review.

Just a bit of testing

noreply@blogger.com (True Pleasures) — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 13:07:00 +0000

I’m just testing things out with how they’ll work with Windows Live Writer, my cute little emoticons, etc. It looks like it’s screwed up on Windows Live Writer so far, but Windows Live Writer screws up a lot. I rarely get anything to work correctly on it.

Under Construction!

noreply@blogger.com (True Pleasures) — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 20:28:00 +0000

Please pardon my dust as I make way for a new review site for natural products and other fun things!