Caldrea Body Lotion

I have a confession to make.....I am a lotion junkie!  There!  I said it.  Lol.  I have incredibly dry skin.  This must just simply be something that I was born with.  I drink plenty of water and I use lotion like a madman or better said madwoman.  I use different levels of lotions for different parts of my body.  On my feet I prefer a heavy lotion such as Love Spell from Victoria's Secret, but on my hands and arms I prefer a lighter lotion.  I received a sample of the Caldrea Body Lotion and I fell in love with it.  It is nice and light with a pleasant scent.  I received the lotion in the Coconut Fig Leaf scent.

I don't detect either the scent of coconut or the fig leaf but it is very pleasant. Then again, I'm not sure what fig leaf is supposed to smell like.  With that said, I have really enjoyed this lotion.  It is very light and moisturizing.  When my samples run out I will be purchasing the full size from here.  The cost is $22.00 for 8 ounces.

Do you have a favorite lotion?  Let me know in the comments below.

I.C.O.N. India Hair Oil

I.C.O.N. India Hair Oil.

If you have issues with dry frizzy hair then I would recommend using a hair oil to tame the beast.

This stuff is amazing and a small amount goes a long way.

I have been using hair oils for quite some time and it is a daily regimen that I use on my hair. This oil left my hair feeling soft and lightweight.  It didn't weigh my hair down at all, the softness was incredible, and the shine was beautiful.  "A special blend of argan, moringa, and other oils repair and strengthen damaged hair, restoring its natural softness and shine."

My absolute favorite is the Chi Silk Infusion.

I always come back to the Chi.  But, with that said, I always enjoy trying other hair oils and I'm glad that I came across the I.C.O.N. India Oil.  I love the scent of this one.  It has a spicy scent, not like a chili spicy, but spicy like I just walked into a spice store.  Smells of clove, cinnamon, and other spices that I just can't put my finger on.  I always wash my hair at night before I go to bed and this left a very pleasant scent in my hair as well as on my pillow.


I will most definitely be keeping this one in regular rotation.

You can purchase the I.C.O.N. India Hair oil here for $40.00, 3.8 ounces.

Dr. Jart+ Ceramidin Cream vs. Kate Somerville Cytocell

First off, I would like to say that I have incredibly dry skin and I'm always looking for a face cream that helps with that issue and both of these products have caused dramatic differences in my dry skin and these two creams reminded me of each other except the Dr. Jart+ has a much more appealing price tag.

The Dr. Jart+ costs $48.00 for 50ml and can be purchased here, whereas the Kate Somerville has a $150.00 price tag for 1.7 ounces which can be purchased here, 50ml equals 1.6907 ounces or rounded up to 1.7 ounces.

I received both of these creams in a sample size and I was blown away at the difference that they made on my face.  What made me think that they were essentially the same was the scent and the consistency.  The scent reminds me of the smell of the 80's perms which led to this research.  The consistency is the same for both products.  I was seriously considering purchasing the Kate Somerville Cytocell until I tried the Dr. Jart+ Ceramidin.

I decided to do a bit of research on the ingredients.

The following are the ingredients for the Kate Somerville Cytocell:


Water, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter), Glycerin, Dimethicone, Ethylhexyl Isononanoate, C4-24 Alkyl Dimethicone/Divinyldimethicone Crosspolymer/Isodecyl Isononanoate, Isohexadecane, Tridecyl Trimellitate, Pentylene Glycol, Behenyl Alcohol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Linoleic Acid,Sodium Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Whey Protein, Cetearyl Glucoside, Linolenic Acid, 1, 2-Hexanediol, Caprylyl Glycol, Polysorbate 80, Disodium EDTA, o-Cymen-5-OL, Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Oil, Lavandula Hybrida Oil, Citrus Aurantium Bergamia (Bergamot) Fruit Oil, Pelargonium Graveolens Flower Oil, Pogostemon Cablin Oil, Polydiethyleneglycol Adipate/IPDI Copolymer, Tocopherol, Tropolone, Polypeptide-72, Citronellol, Limonene, Linalool.

The following ingredients are for the Dr. Jart+ Ceramidin Cream:

 Water/Aqua/Eau, Glycerin, Dipropylene Glycol, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Hydrogenated Poly(C6-14 Olefin), Hydrogenated Polydecene, Cetearyl Alcohol,1,2-Hexanediol, Dimethicone, Cyclomethicone, Vegetable Oil, Bifida Ferment Lysate, Glyceryl Stearate SE, Dimethiconol, Cyclopentasiloxane, Ulmus Davidiana Root Extract, Amaranthus Caudatus Seed Extract, Piper Methysticum Leaf/Root/Stem Extract, Beta Vulgaris (Beet) Root Extract, Algae Extract, Artemisia Vulgaris Extract, Portulaca Oleracea Extract, Pueraria Thunbergiana Root Extract, Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Extract, Paeonia Lactiflora Root Extract, Cnidium Officinale Root Extract, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Sodium Hyaluronate, Citrus Aurantium Bergamia (Bergamot) Fruit Oil, Soluble Collagen, Pelargonium Graveolens Flower Oil, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Salvia Officinalis (Sage) Oil, Pogostemon Cablin Oil, Cetearyl Glucoside, Cetearyl Olivate, Sorbitan Olivate, C12-16 Alcohols, Ceramide 3, Microcrystalline Cellulose, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate, Copolymer, Squalane, Glyceryl Stearate,Peg-100 Stearate, Hydrolyzed Corn Starch, Palmitic Acid, Coco-Caprylate/Caprate, Polysorbate 60, Caramel, Cellulose Gum, Propylene Glycol, Butylene Glycol, Disodium EDTA, Panthenol, Acacia Senegal Gum, Folic Acid, Acetic Acid, Cholesterol, Raffinose, Lactic Acid, Xanthan Gum, Tromethamine, Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-4.

Although they both have similar ingredients, I do believe that the Kate Somerville has more luxurious ingredients such as the lavender oil, etc., but due to the price tag of the Kate Somerville, I think that I'm going to go with the Dr. Jart+ full size for now.

I would love to know if anyone has tried or currently uses the Kate Somerville CytoCell.  What are your thoughts or opinions?

Beauty Protector | Leave in Conditioner

I have naturally wavy hair that leans more towards the naturally wavy slash frizzy hair.  Lovely.  It drives me crazy.  I was fortunate enough to receive a sample of this Beauty Protector, leave in conditioner in my May 2013 Birchbox.

For those of you who aren't familiar with Birchbox it is a monthly subscription service where you receive samples for $10 per month.  If you are interested in signing up you can go here.  I really enjoy receiving the samples each month because they are usually products that I would have never purchased otherwise.

Back to my frizzy, um I mean naturally wavy, hair.  I'm always on the lookout for a leave in conditioner that doesn't leave my hair with that greasy feeling that leave in conditioners tend to leave behind and this product fit the bill.  Another plus is that it left my hair feeling incredibly soft.  The scent is a scent that I have smelled before but I just can't put my finger on it.  It is very pleasant.  The directions say to spray directly onto hair but I put a couple of spritz on my hands and then ran them through my hair to disburse the product.

This product also has many other attractive selling points such as paraben and sulfate free.  It also claims to seal the cuticles of your hair.  This might be where the softness of my hair came from after using this product.  

I used this product in combination with a Moroccan Argan oil so I'm not sure if it was a combination of the two products or if this product is really just that fabulous.  I would like to use the whole sample before making the decision to purchase the full size for $21.95.  Time will tell and I will keep you posted.

I also want to mention in this post that my all time favorite hair oil is the Chi Hair Oil.  I absolutely love that stuff.  I always try out different oils but I always come back to the Chi Oil.  As I mentioned, I have been using the Moroccan Argan Oil and I'm just about out of it.  I will not be repurchasing the Moroccan Oil because, in my opinion, it doesn't even come close the the Chi Oil.

If you have a favorite hair product, I would love to hear about it.  Leave me a comment below.

Neutrogena Ultra Sheer SPF 55 Sunblock with Helioplex

Sunscreen is something that I have a love/hate relationship with.  I have incredibly sensitive skin and I need to be careful what I put on my face.  There are a lot of products out there that will cause my skin to break out, but this is not one of them.  This sunscreen is the only one, that I have found, that does not cause my skin to break out.

The bottle states that it is fast absorbing, leaves skin soft and smooth, and it's waterproof.  I use this on my face everyday underneath my Stila BB cream.

So, at this point you might be wondering what the what is Helioplex.  Me too!   This sunscreen is stabilized with Helioplex, it provides superior balanced broad-spectrum protection against skin-aging UVA and burning UVB rays, and combines it with Dry Touch technology for an ultra-light, non-shiny finish.  It is also oil free and PABA free.  I have no idea what PABA is but I do know that it isn't included in this product so that has to be a plus.  

The bottle isn't really clear as to what this Helioplex is so I turned to Wikipedia.  Internet research....  Hello Wikipedia.  You can also go to the website here.

Helioplex

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Helioplex is a formulation of broad-spectrum ultraviolet (UVA and UVB) skin protection containing avobenzone and oxybenzone made by Neutrogena.
Avobenzone-containing products have decreasing efficiency after a few hours of sun exposure, but the addition of oxybenzone reduces the amount of degradation that occurs.^[1]
Aveeno advertises its products using this formulation under a different name of "Active Photobarrier Complex."

Wikipedia isn't to be completely trusted because it can be edited by anyone, but this does seem like a reasonable explanation.  Essentially, the bottle does say what Helioplex is.  

Love & Beauty by Forever 21 Light Blue Nail Polish

Love & Beauty by Forever 21 Light Blue Nail Polish

Look at this little lovely gem that I found at Forever 21.

Please forgive my hangnails and the over painted technique.  Lol.  While I was waiting in line to pay for my purchases I came across this lovely color.  I have never used Forever 21's nail polishes and I don't know if they tend to get thick and clumpy, but for right now I'm in love.  The price just can't be beat either, $2.80.  There is no color name directly on the bottle but the adhesive tag that was put on the bottle with the price calls it Light Blue.  I am really enjoying the current color trends for summer nails.  I did a blog post on the Reign in Spain nail polish and you can view it here.

Benefit | They're Real Mascara

Benefit | They're Real mascara.

I received this mascara sample as a birthday gift from Sephora.  When you sign up to become a beauty insider they will send you an email on your birthday to come in and get your free gift.  It's free and you can go here to sign up. 

Not all mascaras are created equal.  It depends on the length and thickness of your lashes as to what formulas you will appreciate.  If you have long think lashes you will want to go for a less wet formula.  But, I have short and sparse eyelashes so I prefer a wet and thick blend and this mascara really owns up to that preference.  I'm not crazy about the plastic wand for application, but I still really liked it.  I prefer the older wands such as the one in the Diorshow Black Out mascara.

My all time favorite mascara is the Diorshow, but I believe that the Benefit They're Real compares really nicely.  The only problem is that the Benefit mascara is $23.00 and my favorite Diorshow is $25.00 at Sephora.  Although I really like the Benefit mascara, to me, it makes sense to just purchase my first love.  Both of these mascaras can be purchased at either Sephora or Ulta.

I know that there are some really great drugstore mascaras out there, but I just haven't found any that compares to the Diorshow.

Do you have a favorite mascara?  Let me know in the comments below.  I would love to hear about it.

SoCal and REN Glycol Lactic Radiance Renewal Mask

My trip to Southern California was refreshing.  It was a short six days that went by super fast.  I can't wait to move back.  Can you see the lovely rainbow just behind the mountains?  I had a layover in Reno, Nevada and this was taken just after takeoff.

During my visit my daughter and I went shopping at the mall for girly stuff and we happened by a Sephora.  I love Sephora.  While we were there I was looking for some make your face nice stuff and I happened to come across the REN Glycol Lactic Radiance Renewal Mask which I have heard rave reviews about.  This stuff is excellent for aging skin.  It claims to be a "potent bioactive complex that reduces fine lines and dramatically improves tone, firmness, and radiance."

This stuff is a bit pricey at $55.00 for 1.7 fluid ounces so I asked for a sample to give it try before committing and the ladies at Sephora were nice enough to give me one.

 

This sample will provide me with enough product to do two applications.  You are supposed to leave it on for 10 minutes and it was a very lovely 10 minutes.  I have already done one application and I just couldn't wait to review it.  Let me just say that I love this stuff.  While it was on my face it felt very cool and tingly.  I have incredibly dry skin and so along with that I get dry patches on my face that are horrible.  This stuff cleared up the dry patches which I noticed immediately after washing it off.  It has been a couple of days since I have used it and I have also noticed that it has cleared up a bit of acne that I had on my chin.  Some of the reviews complained about the smell but I find that the scent is very nice and it's not offensive at all.  It felt really good while it was on my face and didn't have that drying effect that most masks have.  

I will be purchasing the full size and I will continue to purchase this on a regular basis, I believe that it will be $55.00 well spent.

If you aren't sure about this product stop by your local Sephora and ask for a sample.  It's free, but if your interest in purchasing it you can go to the Sephora website here.  It's also free to go to their website and read the fabulous reviews from other users.  

While your at Sephora getting your free REN Glycol sample pick up a sample of some perfume that you have been eying.  I picked up some D&G Light Blue.  I have been wanting a sample of this for quite some time now.  I will do a complete review once I have worn it for a bit. 

If you do pick up a sample of the REN Glycol leave me a message and let me know what you think.  Will you be purchasing the full size as well?

MAC Cremesheen Glass | Fashion Scoop

I thought that I would start off the week with one of my first loves....Yes!  I love lipgloss.  The newest addition to my collection is this lovely MAC Cremesheen Glass in the color Fashion Scoop.

I purchased this Cremesheen Glass from the MAC store.  When I went online to view this product it shows up as a purple lipgloss and purple is not something that I wear on my lips.  In reality this lipgloss is a beautiful baby pink.  I'm glad that I viewed it in the store.  What I love most about the Cremesheen Glass is that they are not sticky like the Dazzleglass.  They go on really smooth and the scent is quite enjoyable.  If you have never smelled the MAC lipsticks or their lipgloss you really need to stop in and check them out.

 

I took the swatch picture while I was standing outside and I wasn't too sure the color would stand out so I globbed it on for you.  This really is a beautiful color and it is one of my current faves.   When it is applied to the lips it is a beautiful transparent pink.  This lipgloss can be purchased here for $20.00.  I'm tempted to put the original photograph from the MAC website but I'm not sure if there are copyright issues so I will just give you the link here.  If you go to the color swatches on their website you will see what I'm talking about.  On the color swatches it is on the second row, second color from the left.  Let me know what you think.

MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural

Here is the MAC Mineralize Skinfinish that I use with the Stila Beauty Balm.  This Skinfinish is excellent paired with the Stila Beauty Balm or simply by itself.  It leaves my face feeling silky smooth.  Mine is in the color Medium Plus.

I have been using this for years now.  I find that the MAC 150 brush is perfect for the application.  My MAC 150 brush has been in regular use for about 3 or 4 years now and it is an excellent powder brush.  If you take proper care of your brushes you will have them for years and years.  They are a bit spendy but they are worth every penny.  It sheds a hair here and there every now and then, but that is to be expected.  The brushes are made with the finest quality materials and they have definitely held up to the test of time.

 As you can see, my Skinfinish has been well loved.  

The combination of the Skinfinish and the Stila beauty balm are amazing and it's my go-to routine.  

You can purchase the MAC Mineralized Skinfinish Natural here for $30.00.  The large powder brush 150 can also be purchased for $42.00 here.  MAC has several different colors for you to choose from and I would recommend going to a MAC counter to get face matched to your perfect color.

Stila HD Beauty Balm

This beauty balm is perfect for summer or for anyone who enjoys a light coverage in the summer.  I was first introduced to the Stila Beauty Balm by my oldest daughter, Paige.  I noticed that her face looked flawless and i asked her what foundation she was wearing and she mentioned this beauty balm along with MAC Mineralized Skin Finish.

I immediately went out and purchased it and let me tell you it does not disappoint.  I have sensitive skin and this balm treats it with kindness.  I have read some reviews where people complain about breakouts after using this product but I have been using this for some time now and I have not had any problems.  The coverage is perfect for me.  I have blotches of redness in my face and this covers it beautifully.  Another perk of this is that it comes in one color that seems to match perfectly to its user.  This is great for summertime light coverage.  Love, love, love!

In all fairness to other beauty balms this is the only one that I have ever tried.  Why mess with a good thing?  Right!?  I have noticed that Stila has come out with a new beauty balm that contains SPF 30 that I'm interesting in trying out.  I will keep you all posted.

Stila Beauty Balm can be purchased for $38.00 here.  I got mine at Ulta but you can also pick it up at Sephora.

Aruba Coconut Fine Fragrance Mist

This stuff is amazing.  If you love the smell of Banana Boat suntan lotion you will love this body mist.  This body spray is part of their 2013 Escape Collection.  A couple of years ago they had come out with a coconut body spray that, in my opinion, was a complete miss.  I'm glad I decided to give their scents another try because this one is bang on!

I purchased these while I was in Portland visiting my lovely daughter Paige Marie.  Bath and Body Works was having a sale, buy 2 get 1 free.  I purchased the Aruba Coconut and the Malibu Heat body sprays along with the Aruba Coconut Body Wash.

 This one is by far my favorite.

 Although the Malibu Heat smells divine I find that I'm always picking up the Aruba Coconut.  So summery!

This can be purchased at the Bath & Body Works website here.  Great news!  Their body sprays are on sale right now for $7.00.  But, it's free to stop by Bath and Body Works to give this a quick sniff.

Reign in Spain

I received this nail polish in my Birchbox this month.  The moment I saw it I fell in love.  It was honestly love at first sight.  This will be my most go-to color this summer.  It also looks really nice on my toes.  There is just something about this color that really brings out the tanned tones in my skin.

The color is by Color Club, Professional Nail Lacquer, in the color Reign in Spain.  This color is absolutely amazing.  I have come across many orange nail polish colors and I have not been impressed but this color is spot on!

Have I stated how flattering this color is on the toes.  I will be using this all summer long!  It has been a really long time since a nail polish has received this type of response from me and I'm excited to be sharing it with you.

What stuns me the most is the color.  I am currently wearing three coats of this nail polish and this is my second manicure with it since I received it in the mail.  It looked beautiful for three days and then I noticed that on the fourth day it began to peel and chip.  I didn't use either a clear base or top coat so in my opinion that is pretty amazing.  On the average I re-do my nail polish every three days in order to keep my nails looking fresh and beautiful.

 

This nail polish is part of the "Wanderlust" collection that can be purchased from the Birchbox site for $8.00 for the whole set here.  You can bet that I will be purchasing this set.

Birchbox is a monthly subscription service that costs $10 per month with free shipping.  You can find out more here.  This is my current favorite beauty box to subscribe to.

Welcome

Welcome to “California in Blush”, my new beauty blog. My name is Rhonda but I am also known as Rhondie. As for the name, I am a California girl through and through.  I'm currently living in Washington State but I hope to return to my home state soon. I’m sure this blog will grow and change with time, but for now it will be mostly beauty based with a sprinkle of fashion, book reviews, and anything that I find worth sharing thrown in.


There is something really calming about starting off my day with a cup of coffee and catching up on my blog reading list, it has become an essential part of my routine. The more I fell in love with reading blogs, the more I realized that I wanted to be a part of that community. Written blogs give a completely different feel than watching a video on the same content, especially if it’s accompanied by pretty pictures. It is more concise, can be more artsy, and can be read “on the go” (although you can watch videos “on the go” as well, I find it more difficult). Plus, I have always loved writing, and ending my day by writing up a post about something I love, whether it be a beauty product or something else entirely, seems very satisfying to me.