Blaq Vixen Beauty

The Beauty Closet: Caress Whipped BlackBerry Souffle Body Washes Review

BlaqVixenBeauty — Wed, 19 May 2010 19:44:21 -0500

I promptly bought some of the new Caress body washes after reading the tweets about the Caress Event hosted at Sweetiepie Restaurant on March 23rd. You see, I may buy a variety of body washes but I always come back to Caress. Overall, it is my favorite body wash brand to buy because they always come out with the most addictive scents and formulas. Case in point: the new Caress Whipped Souffle Body Cream Washes in Blackberry and White Peach.

I told myself that I would wait until I finished my Exchange Select Extra Moisturizing Body Wash with Shea Butter (which is a way better buy than Olay Ultra Moisture with Shea Butter Body Wash) to use one of my Caress body washes but I couldn't resist. I just had to know if these new products would be worth buying again. So I popped the lid on the Blackberry Cream - not sure if this is my favorite smell out of the two but it definitely smells delicious.

I am so glad that I didn't either -- these new body washes are such a delectable treat for the body, especially now that the weather is warmer. They leave the skin lightly fragrance and moisturized, thanks to the Silky Fragrance Infusion technology. You can expect these qualities from any of the Caress body washes.

Sometimes, I want to take one of my mom's crystal champagne glasses, fill it up with this body wash and stick a straw in the middle. The texture, color and smell is so convincing that if it were served in a goblet, you'd seriously think it was some type of outlandish dessert, like the second coming of the Golden Opulence Sundae.

Clearly that's an exaggeration but I'm just excited that I bought them as quickly as I did instead of waiting until I completely ran out of body wash to stock up. Walmart had these on sale for $4 along with my other Caress favorites -- Caress Evenly Gorgeous Exfoliating Body Wash, Caress Tahitian Renewal Silkening Body Wash and Caress Glowing Touch Silkening Body Wash.

Are you a Caress Skin fan too? If so, which ones are your favorites?

CoverGirl Queen Collection Liquid and Cream Foundation Swatches

BlaqVixenBeauty — Mon, 17 May 2010 20:31:57 -0500

I started swatching the bronzer and the powder foundation last night but they weren't showing up on camera. So I decided to take swatches outside while the sun was still up. This post features the liquid and cream foundation swatches I managed to take. Taking photos of swatches shouldn't be hard, right? Tell me why I was out there for almost two hours!! I swatched these before but I couldn't find those pictures so I just went outside and swatched them again.

From left: CoverGirl Queen Collection Natural Hue Compact Foundation in Q525 Golden Honey, Q505 Amber Glow and Q500 Rich Sand.

From left: CoverGirl Queen Collection Natural Hue Compact Foundation in Q525 Golden Honey, Q505 Amber Glow and Q500 Rich Sand.

From left: CoverGirl Queen Collection Oil-Free Moisturizing Makeup in Q720 Toffee, Q725 Golden Honey and Q715 Almond Glow.

Swatches of the bronzer and powder foundation coming up next!

The Beauty Closet: Perricone MD Cold Plasma Review

BlaqVixenBeauty — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 22:04:20 -0500

Editor's note: The product mentioned in this article was sent for editorial consideration.

Formulated to help correct the most visible signs of aging (wrinkles, loss of smoothness, enlarged pores, dryness, redness, loss of radiance, discoloration, uneven skin tone, impurities, and loss of firmness) it seems as if "plasma-ready skin" is truly a jar of Perricone MD Cold Plasma away.

Honestly, I am on the fence about this product. I received it back in February. I find it hard to use consistently because of the smell. You know that "sardines in a can" smell? It smells like that when you open the jar and apply it on the face. It has a liquid texture that sinks into the face. It does moisturizes and makes the skin feel soft but I haven't really seen any spectacular results in my skin that suggests that this product is a must have.

Read on!

The Beauty Closet: CoverGirl LashBlast Fusion Mascara Review

BlaqVixenBeauty — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 15:02:41 -0500

Editor's note: The product mentioned in this article was sent for editorial consideration.

I'm a fan of both the original LashBlast and LashBlast Length so I was eager to try CoverGirl LashBlast Fusion. Fusion has a "fiber-stretch lengthening formula" to provide length while the massive brush provides volume. Let's see how this mascara performed...

As you can see (hopefully), I'm wearing LashBlast Fusion in Black Brown. It was difficult for me to see the results but Fusion has provided my lashes some curl and a little bit of fanning action. I'm sure I'm not the only one but when I wear or buy mascara, "Very Black" or any variation of the darkest shade that a brand has is the only one I'm buying.

I did experience some clumping, particularly on my inner lashes and my middle lashes but if you experience the same, just comb them out. However, in these set of photos, you can see the curl and how dramatically thick my lashes appear. I attribute this to the lash plumping particles and fibers in the mascara.

Also, in these sets of photos, you can see how LashBlast Fusion separated my lashes and provided definition.

Around 8 hours later, I took these trio of photos to see how the mascara held up. Unfortunately, there's some flaking but not too bad, in my opinion. The curl hasn't wilted and I still have separation and definition. Wonderful!! I really wish I had received it in Very Black so that you clearly see how pronounced my lashes are in my "After" photos.

Overall, CoverGirl LashBlast Fusion is smudgeproof but if you rub your eyes, you might end up with flakes. The formula was buildable but if you apply multiple coats (more than 4+), clumping might occur. I have to admit that I wasn't too impressed with LashBlast Fusion at first but I'm glad that I gave it another try.

Have you tried LashBlast Fusion yet? If so, how did it measure up to you?

The Beauty Closet: Avon Advance Techniques Professional Hair Care Daily Results Anti-Frizz Capsules

BlaqVixenBeauty — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 12:00:59 -0500

Editor's note: The product mentioned in this article was sent for editorial consideration.

Last Friday morning, I decided to test out the Avon Advance Techniques Professional Hair Care Daily Results Anti-Frizz Capsules ($5 for 20). I smoothed two capsules throughout my damp hair, focusing on my ends. Then I proceeded to style my hair. I didn't apply this on my scalp just on the length of my hair. It has a pleasant, light fragrance. It is also lightweight as well.

I noticed that while my hair was shiny, felt silky and soft, the capsules didn't do such a great job controlling my frizz or flyaways. On the other hand, I do have a bit of split ends in the back of my hair. There's a chance that when I go get a trim, the capsules will control my frizz better.

Also, it was a bit windy that day as well. I remember when we standing in line, my hair was whipping all over the place! That's probably another reason why I still had frizz and flyaways. I was also thinking that this product may work better when you pair it with the Advance Techniques Moisture Sleek Smoothing Serum. I have to wash my hair later on today so I'll be sure to pair the capsules with the smoothing serum.

Still interested? Read on!