HUGE Beauty Grab Bag!

Hey you! I am so excited the weekend is here! It seemed like this week has been dragging on forever! I think it's because I have my upcoming beach trip on the brain. I'll still have my regular daily posts while I'm gone, including lots of fun products like in today's Beauty Grab Bag! These were sent for consideration, and after months of testing/reviewing, I'm sharing them with you! I hope you find some new products to check out! Enjoy and have a great weekend!

Introducing “DIY DYE,” a comprehensive step-by-step guide to fun, temporary hair coloring!

Go wild with a fire-engine red accent streak. Be cool with forest-green tips. Or look bold with a whole head of purple locks! “DIY DYE” will teach you to create a personalized look with any color and style imaginable using coloring kits, chalks, henna, food coloring and even Kool-Aid packets. No salon necessary.With “DIY DYE,” you’ll get the 411 on every aspect of at-home coloring including picking the right dye, concocting original hues, adding highlights, getting an ombre in any color and much more!

While I was familiar with all of the techniques shown, I loved how easy this was to read and understand. And there are so many techniques and everything can be done at home! Perfect for the beginner. My younger sis loves this book! Really fun.

Umberto Beverly Hills 
Dry Clean Dry Shampoo-- $12.99, available at Target, did well at reviving hair and attacking oily roots with its rice starch.
Dry Texture Spray--$12.99, at Target, and I loved this for volume and being able to give hold and texture. Short hair will LOVE this!

Bodycology Cherish the Moment Lotion and Fragrance Mist--I have purchased several items from this brand, and was excited to try this scent. These smell just like cherry blossoms and are perfect for spring and summer. $3.99 at Walmart

Japonesque Performance Pro Lipstick Shade 1--This is a gorgeous, wearable nude lipstick. Love it! And how pretty is the packaging? Ulta, $20

Ayurveda Shanti Shower: with the sweet scents of Indian Rose and nourishing Sweet Almond Oil, this rich ultra-soft shower paste gently cleanses and soothes the skin, relaxing body and mind.

Price: $15 Availability: Barney’s and Barneys.com

I loved trying this because it is so unique--it's a shower paste! It comes out thick, but doesn't like skin sticky or anything. It just works, and smells AMAZING. Obsessed.

Sulwhasoo Snowise EX Brightening Mask

($130/box of 10 sheets; Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman, NeimanMarcus.com)

Formulated with traditional Korean herbs and Snowise Tri-White Complex™, instantly brightens the skin for a luminous complexion. Each patented mask is individually fermented in white ginseng for 2 weeks to bring about immediate brightening results and boosted circulation. The mask is created from plant pulp and is compressed by machine for efficiency of treatment.

My skin was instantly hydrated, and since I had a sample I can't vouch for the other claims, but this was one of the most unique masks I've ever tried. I saved this for a special occasion and EVERYONE noticed how great my skin looked.  

Sulwhasoo Brightening Trial Kit--This is a sampler of their best brightening products. While there are several steps, I can affirm that these products worked! I used this on my hands to brighten them (I didn't test on my face since I am self-tanning) and these really worked! Can be purchased online or at Neiman Marcus or Bergdorf Goodman.

I thought this was a really awesome website--Loxa Beauty, a swank, new e-commerce website that’s your one-stop shop for all things trendy in beauty.

Supported by major manufacturers like Paul Mitchell, Joico, CHI and others, Loxa offers more than 3,000 top salon products while providing a commission to salons and stylists every time a sale is made. Paul Mitchell Lemon Sage Energizing Body Lotion ($13.98) and Pevonia Timeless Radiant Skin Toner ($32.00) are what I got to try. I was already a fan of the lotion, as I have used that in one of my favorite hotel chains. The toner was fun to try and was a big hit on my recent travels. 

Amazon and big box stores can’t guarantee that what you’re getting in your bottle isn’t expired or mislabeled. When purchasing from Loxa, customers can trust that their products are authorized and authentic. I really, really liked that and liked seeing there is a site I can trust.

Mark Hill is a celeb hair stylist who's worked with Olivia Palmermo, amongst many others, and is introducing some new products to his Mark Hill Professional line.

• Mark Hill Love Big Hair Viva La Volume Volumising Blow Dry Mousse 250ml ($11.99) This light-weight non- sticky mousse adds body, fullness and shine to any style, leaving hair voluminous and bouncy. Fine hair will love this!
• Mark Hill Defrizz-ilicious Bedazzled Anti-Humidity Shine Spray 200ml ($11.99) Blocking out humidity and providing a styled finish, this ultra-light spray seals each strand of hair with an invisible jacket to protect your style while adding beautiful long lasting shine. This has been a must for me lately.
• Mark Hill Gorgeous! Work It Girl! Shine, Protect and Control Spray 200ml ($11.99)This combination spray protects hair from heated styling tools such as straighteners and tongs up to 455°F, all while adding amazing shine, and firm, flexible hold through the infusion of bamboo/fern extract. I like an all-in-one product!
• Mark Hill Gorgeous! Hot Glam Extreme Heat Protection Spray 200ml ($11.99)Crammed with heat-saving, moisture-rich ingredients, this light, non-greasy spray offers protection from heated appliances up to 455°F and leaves hair with a smooth, silky shine. I liked how my hair wasn't sticky and greasy from using this!

Lierac Body-Slim Night ($59; Lierac-usa.com) contains a high concentration of active caffeine combined with molecular micropatch technology (for the 1st time ever!), that is continuously released throughout the night. This unique technology is combined with the WTB system, patented by LIERAC, and red berry pulp to help intensify the release of already stored fat and reduce new fat storage.

 Lierac Body-Slim Oil ($50; Lierac-usa.com) is the 1st bi-phase oil dosed with 10% high-performance botanical extracts (baie rose, cranberry, red vine, butcherbroom, etc.) for double effectiveness against cellulite & excess water. Its comfortable moisturizing oil texture is ideal for a drainage-enhancing massage and offers a dry finish so that you can get dressed soon after application. A body-contouring oil free of essential oils and caffeine, safe for use by pregnant women.

TRUST ME when I say that these products WORKED. I'm serious and have recommended these to my family and will be purchasing more. TMI alert, but I have grade 2 and 3 cellulite. These made it grade 1 and completely gone in some areas as long as I used the products. I was really impressed.

Lierac Purifying Mask

($28; Lierac-usa.com)

This lightweight purifying foam cream mattifies the skin and helps tighten the appearance of pores in combination to oily skin:

• Clarifying green clay: known for its absorbent and purifying properties.
• Absorbent kaolin: instantly mattifies the skin.
• Star anise and lime extracts: selected for their clarifying, astringent, refreshing and purifying properties.

While I have dry skin, I was able to try this on oily parts of my skin, thanks to the hot weather lately. I liked it.

Milani makes some of my favorite blushes! And I'm obsessed with other products from this line. Here are two blushes that are perfect and pigmented for spring and summer.

 First up is Coralista, a shimmery peachy coral.

Probably one of my fave shades of all time is Luminoso, a gorgeous wearable peach. I can't count how many times I've purchased this for myself or others.

Which products caught your eye?

GIVEAWAYS:

• Win a pair of Reebok Skyscape shoes--pick the color!--ends SUNDAY, May 18
• All-Day Beauty Tools from NEUTROGENA--ends SUNDAY, May 18
• $100 Target Giftcard from Sonia Kashuk for Target--ends 6-30