Review: Treat Beauty

Treat Beauty has been on my radar for a long time. This brand is known for their delicious and all-natural jumbo lip balms, as well as other items such as lip scrubs, body creams, and many other skincare and hair products. As a long time follower of Kandee Johnson (who is a die-hard fan of this brand), I have been DYING to try out some of these products for myself! The founder of Treat Beauty was kind enough to send me a few goodies to test out for this review. So let's get started!

First, let me start off with the jumbo lip balms.
When I say jumbo, I mean JUMBO. These babies are GIANT!

I tried out the lip balms in Peaches & Cream and Sugar Cookie. (YUM)

One thing I love about these balms are the ingredients:
Coconut Oil, Shea Butter, Beeswax, Flavor, Vitamin E and Stevia Extract.
All products are Certified Organic and made in the USA.

These jumbo lip balms are hydrating, soothing and delicious. The Peaches & Cream flavor is a little more prominent than the Sugar Cookie. If you love peaches like I do, you will LOVE this. The Sugar Cookie balm has a light, sweet vanilla scent that is not overpowering in any way. I find myself reaching for this throughout the day for a little bit of a sweet, hydrating "treat" for my lips. They leave your lips feeling plump and hydrated, and I have found that with daily use my lips appear younger and fuller. I have also been applying these balms daily before I apply my makeup, and it makes all the difference. It adds that much needed moisture and shine that you need before applying your lip products.

Ok, now on to the next product: A lip scrub...in a tube...that smells and tastes like MARSHMALLOW CREAM. You heard me right.

I have never used a lip scrub in a tube before, so this was interesting to try out. I typically use the lip scrubs from Lush, which come in a little container. I was actually a bit disappointed in the last scrub I purchased from them because it dried out only after a couple of uses. Needless to say, I was in the market for a new lip scrub. This one does not disappoint.

First of all, the convenience. Since it comes in a tube, you don't have to worry about dipping your finger into a container over and over to get the product out, and it is really easy to take on the go.  It is also SUPER hydrating. Much to my surprise, I found that after removing the scrub from my lips, it almost felt like I had put a balm on. I didn't even feel the need to apply a balm after exfoliating, which never happens!

The ingredients are also pretty impressive:
Fair Trade Organic Sugar, Shea Butter, Vanilla Flavor, Beeswax, Coconut Oil, Marshmallow Flavor, Castor Seed Oil, Vitamin E.

Alright, now time for the last product! Treat Beauty recently launched a new hair texturizing spray that is supposed to give you that "beachy" look. Check it out:

This is a texturizing sugar spray made with organic sugar, aloe, and other natural oils. It really does what it says it does, it makes your hair look like you came straight from the beach. It's easy to use and gets the job done. It has the "soft candy" scent, which some of the other products from this line have as well. To me, this spray doesn't smell as sweet as the other products I have tried, but it does a great job on the hair.

All in all, I am a huge fan of Treat Beauty! The products are organic and delicious, you get a lot of bang for your buck, and there are so many products to choose from! Check out their site and see for yourself: www.treatbeauty.com.

How to Cover Redness

In the past few years I have struggled with facial redness and blotchiness. I'm not sure what triggered it, but it is very annoying to deal with! I envy the people who can leave the house with no makeup on, or "minimal" or "natural" makeup and look great. I have tried that a couple of times, but I will get asked if I have a sunburn or if I am not feeling well....not something I like to hear.

I spent a lot of time trying to find a "quick fix" to cover the redness in the mornings because I was tired of applying layer after layer of makeup. It took up so much time and I would end up looking "cakey" and too made up.

In the past year I have discovered a few products that have literally changed my life! One in particular is so quick and easy that it literally takes seconds.

It Cosmetics has a product called "Celebration Foundation Illumination". It is a FULL COVERAGE powder foundation that illuminates and hydrates all day long. This powder is SO pigmented, that I don't need to use ANYTHING ELSE with it. No green tinted primer, concealer...anything. It hides dark under eye circles along with any discoloration on your face. It leaves a flawless, luminous finish and it literally takes seconds to apply and get a full coverage look.

This has saved me so much time in the mornings! I am not kidding when I say that this is all I need to use. I use my favorite face buffing brush to apply this and it literally takes no time or effort to make it look like you have perfect skin. This foundation also works well with other face products. If you feel like you want a more matte finish, you can apply a powder on top and it will not get cakey at all. This powder works GREAT for dry skin. This is one of the only products I have found where I do not get dry patches throughout the day. It is super hydrating. I would suggest using a setting spray on top to achieve a long lasting finish.

There are other products I like to use on days when I am not in a huge rush to get out the door:

• Amazing Cosmetics: Amazing Concealer - This concealer is great because you literally only need a tiny drop for your entire face. The tube will last forever because of the high pigment. It does not cake up throughout the day and leaves a flawless, airbrushed finish. This is my favorite concealer at the moment!
• It Cosmetics: Bye Bye Redness - This is a really unique product to use for facial redness. It is a red neutralizing and color correcting cream that completely cancels out any redness on your face. Like the concealer, you only need a tiny bit. For me, it acts as a foundation and I like to finish it off with my Amazing Concealer for added coverage and highlighting with a powder on top. 
• Kat Von D: Lock-It Powder Foundation - I like to use this powder foundation, or MAC Studio Fix powder foundation to set my face for complete coverage. This can be used alone or on top of other products for maximum coverage. I personally use this on top of the Bye Bye Redness and Amazing Concealer for a flawless, full coverage, matte look.

I just want to add that I have never had any issues with any of these products caking up or clinging to dry spots, which is something I normally always have issues with, no matter what products I use! 

After years of trial and error with makeup primers, green moisturizers, full coverage foundations, powders, concealers, these products have worked the best for me at covering redness. 

I really hope that these recommendations help you if you are struggling with facial redness. Let me know if you end up trying any of these items and how they work for you!

Fortune Cookie Soap "Straight on Till Morning" 2015 Summer Soap Box

I have heard of Fortune Cookie Soap over the years, and I was aware of their quarterly soap boxes, but I had never tried any of their products. I've seen videos on YouTube, read reviews online, and finally I decided to give it a try. What really pulled the trigger for me was when I saw that the theme for this box was Peter Pan. If you know me, I am a HUGE Disney fan, and I especially love Peter Pan...so this was a no-brainer for me.

I'm not typically a "summery scents" kinda girl, I'm more of a fall/winter scents type of person. However, let me just say...this box smells SO GOOD. The minute I opened it up, the magical aroma hit me in the face. I love every single product in this box. I can already see myself going back and ordering full sizes of these products once I use them up! I love them that much.

Here's a shot of everything that came in the box!

If this doesn't look like a box full of happiness, I don't know what does. Heck, they even threw in Peter Pan's red feather. At this point I am already sold.

Here's a list and description of the items in the box:

• Second Star to the Right - Fortune Cookie Soap: Crushed berries and mint leaves with a splash of sparkling pomelo, served over iced sugarcane
• Tink - OCD Hand Sanitizer: Fresh cherries in cream, sprinkled with toasted coconut and a fairy dusting of powdered sugar
• Lost Boys - Whipped Cream: Golden apricot muddled with fresh white peaches
• Mermaid Lagoon - Two Phase Perfume Oil: (no scent description on the card, but it smells like sweet/fruity/amazing goodness)
• Kiss - Lip Balm: Exotic watermelon, juicy pineapple and coconut water, bursting with fresh juices
• The Boy Who Never Grew Up - Salt Scrub: Tropical margarita served with a salted rim
• Wendy Bird - Veggie Protein Deodorant: Bright, green apple with a balmy, tropical twist
• The Captain - Steam Me Up Scotty!: Dewy magnolias and wild berries drenched with fresh cream

As if the scent descriptions aren't tempting enough...wait until you actually SMELL them. 

Alright, so let's go through the unboxing together:

When you get the box, it has a cute little spoiler on the outside.

Look at the card! And the smell....ahhhhh....

And the feather guys...the FEATHER. Look at this presentation. I'm sold.

It comes with a full description of all the products, which I love.

Look at this whipped perfection....(and the smell...oh my)

Perfection.

And this green bottle of sweet and juicy goodness....

Look at this scrubby green goodness.

I love the actual fortune cookie soap with the galaxy theme! The soap is what I think made the box smell so good. I want to take it with me everywhere and never use it...

So basically, this box turned me into a giddy 13 year old, and I have no shame. It is a quarterly box that comes out each season, and the cost is $19.99 per box. I cannot wait for the fall box. Oh! I forgot to mention...every box that you get comes with a $10 off coupon code to use in their online store! Go check out their website and look at all the products and themes! I love it.

Do you subscribe to Fortune Cookie Soap Box? Have you tried any of their products? I would love to hear what you think! 

Birchbox: April 2015

I have been a Birchbox subscriber off and on for the past few years. I've tried out several other subscription services, and I've decided that the Birchbox points system is just too good to pass up.

If you don't know what Birchbox is, it is a beauty subscription service that sends you a box of at least 5 deluxe beauty samples a month. Sometimes they throw in extras, and sometimes they include a full size product! For $10 a month, it is a really great deal. When you enroll, you fill out a beauty profile, and your boxes are personalized to you.

I especially love it because I am on a tight budget, and it is affordable enough for me to get a little treat each month. It's a lot of fun getting a box every month in the mail! Another reason I love it is because I live in a small town, and there are not many places to go out and shop for many of the brands they include in the boxes. 

As I mentioned earlier, the points system is what sets Birchbox apart from other beauty subscription services. For every sample they include in your box, you have the opportunity to review it on their site. For every review you complete, they reward you with 10 points. 100 points = $10 in the Birchbox shop! They carry TONS of products and you can end up getting many of your wish list items for free! This is another great perk for someone like me, who is on a tight budget.

Here's what I got in this month's box:

As you can see, they include a product card with every box. It gives you a full description of each item in your box, as well as a price for the full size item. I also save these boxes to use for organizers in drawers around the house!

Like what you see? Well, I have some good news! I am having a GIVEAWAY so you can win this exact box! Go check out The Peppermint Heart here on Facebook to enter! Good luck! 

Also, if you want to subscribe to Birchbox, you can do it here.

Here's a peek at what I got last month:

The Cargo blush and the Fekkai hair mask made me jump for joy. Haha.

Have a great Tuesday!

Too Faced Cocoa Contour Palette: Review

Too Faced is one of my favorite makeup brands. Want to know why? Well, for one, I am a sucker for their packaging. Another reason: COCOA INFUSED MAKEUP. You heard me right. Smells. Like. Chocolate.

The quality of their products are on point, and they have created several favorites of mine that I use on a daily basis and I cannot live without.

Right now I am loving one of their newer eyeshadow palettes - the Semi Sweet Chocolate Bar. I received this as a Christmas gift, and I have been using it every day since. I love it that much.

When I saw that they were releasing a contour palette...ahem...a COCOA contour palette, I was sold.
I have become a big fan of contouring in the past couple years, and it seems like everyone is coming out with their own contouring kits and palettes. However, I HAD to try this one because I am such of big fan of their cocoa infused products. I purchased mine at Sephora for $40.

Here are my thoughts:

• Packaging: A+

Like I said before, I love their packaging. It is well-made and fun to look at.

• Brush: B

They include a small angled kabuki brush made with their famous "Teddy Bear Hair" bristles. It is really soft and easy to use. The handle is a bit short, but it does a great job once you get the hang of it.

• Light Cocoa (upper left): B+

This is a great highlight shade. I was hoping that it would be matte, but there is a slight sheen to it. It swatches a bit powdery, but it works great on the face.

• Medium Cocoa (upper right): A+

This is the PERFECT cool toned, matte contour shade. It creates a flawless, natural looking shadow where you need it. It blends out really well and does not come off patchy at all.

• Dark Cocoa (lower left): A

This is a warm, matte bronzer that can be used all over the face. It works well with Medium Cocoa, just use a light hand because it is very warm! It has the same flawless consistency as Medium Cocoa.

• Pop of Light (lower right): C-

As you can can see on the swatch (you can barely see it), this shade is pretty much just glitter. I used it once as a highlight, and it accentuated my pores and made me sparkly...as opposed to giving me that highlight effect. However, this can be used on the eyes, chest, etc. for some added sparkle and it looks great. I think if you are a fan of sparkle, you will like to use this...for purposes other than highlighting. 

Overall, I like this palette. There are a couple of changes that I would have made, but I am happy with it. The powders blend well, they smell great, and they leave a nice finish.

Welcome!

Welcome to my blog!

This will be a place where I share all things beauty, how I score FREEBIES (a highly requested topic!), testing and reviewing products, how I use my essential oils, delicious food, music I am loving...and some rambling thrown in!

Hope to see you around! Feel free to say hi!