ProductWhores

Return To Your Youth

You guys, it has been a crazy few weeks.  A lot going on in every area of my life and I have the lack of sleep, poor eating choices and few gym visits to show for it.  I think things are settling down now (thank God) but I am very, very happy that during it all, I was using Bliss' The Youth As We Know It Anti-Aging Night Cream, along with their The Youth As We Know It Serum and The Youth As We Know It Eye Cream.  (Basically, I'm on a full Youth As We Know It skin care regime!)  I've been using the three products together since the third week in December and I am SO happy that I did it then (before I knew the wave of work that was coming my way) because somehow, even though I'm totally exhausted, I don't look like it.  (As a matter of fact, someone told me that I was "glowy" the other day. Glowy!  I was like, that must be the FOUR HOURS of sleep and breakfast burrito I'm running on).  At night, I cleanse with my normal Dermalogia/Clarisonic routine, then I put on the serum, the night cream and the eye cream and I'm good to go.  And seriously - my skin looks great, especially for how much stress I'm under right now.  I also love that they're chock full of anti-aging ingredients so I know I'm putting great things on my face that'll make it look good in the future, not just now. (The only drawback to it is every single time I look at the jars, I think, "Dammit, I really want a facial and massage at Bliss this weekend."  It's like instant yearning).  If you're like me and aren't exactly 25 anymore (cough cough) I definitely recommend checking this line out.  Your youth will thank you!

Note:  Samples of these products were sent to me by a PR representative working with Bliss

Firm, Baby, Firm

 

It's 1000 degrees in Los Angeles right now (and that's a conservative estimate) so I'm all about moisturizing right now because it's the only thing stopping my skin from literally peeling off.  (It's like hell here right now, people!  I'm not even exaggerating this time!)  My new discovery is Bliss' Firm, Baby, Firm moisturizing gel cream.  It's the first gel cream I've ever used and I really like the texture of it - it's not oily or greasy, but it's super moisturizing and it has what they call 5-patent technology - it firms, lifts, volumizes and moisturizes so it basically does it all.  I like that it has aloe vera in it because its soothing properties mean that the formula doesn't irritate my sensitive skin, and it also has glycolic acid in it to exfoliate so you'll wind up with smoother (and softer) skin.  Genius.  I'm really loving the way this one feels on my skin - it's perfect for the summer season, but definitely could be used during the winter too.  Like most Bliss products, this doesn't come super cheap, but at $62 for a 1/7 ounce jar, you'll be using it for awhile so it's not as pricey as it might seem.  Time to get yourself to the store so you can Firm, Baby, Firm!    

Note:  A sample of this product was sent to me by a PR representative working with Bliss 

Blissed Out

 

If I could get facials every month, I totally would (along with a massage every week because... why not?)  Facials just make everything better.  But alas, my budget does not allow for me to swing by Burke Williams every time the mood strikes me, so I have to make due with products most of the time.  Enter Bliss' new Micro Magic Spa-Powered Microdermabrasion Treatment.  Love this stuff! It's meant to be used twice a week and with ingredients like volcanic pumice, vitamin E, aloe, allantoin and jojoba oils, and peppermint extract, it's like, the perfect microdermabrasion treatment (especially for sensitive skin). It exfoliates without irritating, which is a huge requirement for me, and the oils help to keep the redness away.  And it's super easy. You just put a quarter-sized amount on your face, massage it in for a minute or two, then rinse it off. It's the lazy person's holy grail! Afterwards, my skin feels so clean and soft and any flaky dead skin cells are a thing of the past.  At $48, it's a little bit of a splurge, but once you factor in how many uses you'll get out of one tube, it's actually a bargain. (Just don't be like me and over-squeeze. Why do I always do that? I know what a quarter looks like! And yet... I squeeze too much all the time.  Don't do that!) Overall, this one will take its place of honor in my bathroom with all the rest of their fabulous products.  Well done, Bliss.  Well done, indeed!             

Note:  A sample of this product was sent to me by a PR representative working with Bliss 

You Butter Watch Out!

You guys, I love everything about Bliss' body lotions, so this set was tailor made for me.  For only $39, the You "Butter" Watch Out set has three 6.7 ounce body butters in their most popular scents - Lemon+Sage, Blood Orange+White Pepper and Grapefruit+Aloe.  I recently bought two Grapefruit+Aloe shower gels at Sephora's Black Friday sale because they were only $10 apiece for the day (woo hoo!) and I adore its fruity scent.  It's a little more subtle than my previous favorite, Blood Orange+White Pepper, which I still love an insane amount, but since my shower has plenty of room for both, it's good to have choices.  I love the consistency and moisturizing ability of all of these and the way the scents linger all day.  So worth the purchase, especially since every time I say the name of the set, I giggle.  Kudos on whoever came up with that one, Bliss.  Give them a raise! 

New Bliss

New Bliss!  New Bliss!  I LOVE Bliss products, but I feel like they haven't released a new body lotion in forever.  Which I didn't realize until I just saw this new one online and now I want it so, so badly.  It sounds like it smells amazing - citrusy scents are some of my favorite bath products and combining that with the fabulousness of Bliss... Sign me up!  Grapefruit + Aloe Body Butter Maximum Moisture Cream has their same rich, hydrating formula that all the rest of their lotions share and it smells like fresh aloe and sun-kissed pink grapefruit. Must.  Have.  This.  Immediately.  I wish it was a little cheaper because $29 is a little steep for me to add yet another lotion to my stash, but it does last a long time, so that helps. Now they just need to add a shower gel in the same scent so I can layer them together and I'll be all set.  Your move, Bliss...

Rubberize Your Skin

I love to use face masks, but even I have to admit, they do get a little boring sometimes.  So anytime I can try one that doesn't have your run of the mill apply, sit for 15 minutes, rinse off process, I'm excited.  Bliss' Fabulous Skin Reviving Rubberizing Mask definitely fits that bill.  To use it, you empty one of the packets in the box into a mixing bowl, then add a scoop of water and mix it into a thick paste.  Then you apply the paste to your face and hang out for 20 minutes while it rubberizes before you peel it off.  

First of all, rubberizes is such a weird word that I was totally curious what it would look like.  It really does form some sort of thick, rubbery consistency on your face, but it's not painful or stingy at all.  It's just kind of... cool, for lack of a better word.  Definitely different than any mask I've ever used before.  The one thing that I would be careful of though is to keep it away from your hairline and your eyebrows.  I wasn't really thinking about that when I applied it and once the stuff rubberizes, it's a nightmare to get out of hair.  At one point, I was really worried that my eyebrows would come off with it, but I was able to finally get it all out without becoming eyebrow-less.  But still, you can easily avoid that torture if you  take your time, so just be careful.  It's also really fun to peel off - it's totally satisfying to do it, plus it doesn't come off in tiny pieces, so it won't take you three hours to get it all off.  (There's nothing more annoying than a mask that has great results, but requires you to spend an entire "Scandal" episode to take off).  It basically peeled off my face in about five big pieces, then there were only a few places where I had other small pieces to peel seperately.  Totally easy and kind of fun!  

You're supposed to use it once a week and I've only tried it once so far, so I can't really talk about long term results, but my skin did look really clean and glowy after I took it off, plus it felt all smooth and hydrated.  I'll definitely use the other packets in the box to get Blissed-out!

Note:  A sample was sent to me by a PR representative working with Bliss   

Firm, Baby, Firm

So for the past year or so, I've been all about the serums.  I think I read some article about how important they are, so even though I used them before, now I use one every morning and night.  I'm good like that.  Lately, my serum of choice has been Bliss' Firm, Baby, Firm Dual Action Lifting + Volumizing Serum.  I've been using it for 2-3 weeks now, so I'm not sure how much I can speak to the long-term results, but on a daily basis, my skin feels less tight and it seems to be making my sensitive skin less... reactive.  I also really love its scent - I can't even totally place it - it's something fresh and spa-like, which makes sense since the 99% active, water-free formula is what they use in every Firm, Baby, Firm facial at their spas.  All I know is, when I smooth it on, the scent makes me really happy, which is a definite plus over some of the other medicine-like serums I've used.  (It might be lavender mixed with something else, since the serum has an aloe base with lavender in it).  It's also supposed to correct and prevent the appearance of fine wrinkles with long term use, which is a definite plus (I'll keep you guys posted if it seems to be working on me although luckily, I don't really seem to have any wrinkles yet.  Thanks, sunscreen!)  I'm kind of obsessed with Bliss products at the moment (pretty much all of them, from the shower gels to the entire skin care line) so this one fits into my new routine nicely.  Bring on the firming! 

A sample of this product was sent to me by a PR representative working with Bliss

A Blissful Feeling

 

I have a Bliss problem.  I'm so addicted to the Bliss Spas - every single one I've ever visited has been awesome - and sadly, I can't afford to go as often as I'd like, so I just cheer myself up by using all their fabulous products in between visits.  Their newest achivement is The Youth As We Know It Anti-Aging Night Cream.  A Sephora exclusive, the cream has a total of 10 aging benefits.  It promises to:

1. Visibly reduce wrinkles with 2x the power of Bliss' Youth As We Know It Moisture Cream
2. Intensely replenishes and soothes
3. Retexturizes skin
4. Promotes collagen and elasticity
5. Visibly fills fine lines
6. Boosts oxygen circulation
7. Evens skin tone
8. Hydrates and plumps
9. Brightens and clarifies
10. Improves skin's firmness

I've only been using it for about two weeks now, so I can't attest to any wrinkle fighting ability yet (also, luckily my total insistence on always wearing a high SPF has kept me wrinkle-free so far, thank God) but I really like it as a nighttime moisturizer.  It has a delightful clean, fresh scent and it's not greasy or oily at all, just light and moisturizing (obviously!)  It's also used in the new The Youth As We Know It Night Time Facial Treatment at Bliss Spas, so that should tell you something.  The cream is kinda pricey at $79, but the jar has a decent amount of product in it at 1.7 ounces and you don't need to use a lot each night, so it should last you a fairly long time.  (Seriously don't use a lot.  I am terrible at taking this advice and every single time I use too much serum or moisturizer, I always get annoyed at how much money I'm wasting).  And just writing about a Bliss product is making me realize that I'm due for another visit to the spa near me sometime soon.  The Double Chocolate Pedicure is calling my name!         

Note: A sample of this product was sent to me by a PR representative working with Bliss

Gift Sets To Go Gaga Over

This is the time of year when all the stores are awash in gift sets.  Makeup gift sets, skin care gift sets, body care gift sets...  Sometimes the deals are so good, it's actually cheaper to buy the set and get a couple products than it is to buy a single one of them on its own.  (I call this the "doesn't even need justification, just throw it in my basket as fast as I can" purchase).  Since I'm sure at least some of you are like me and still have the majority of your gifts to buy, here are a few of the sets I'm either buying for myself or handing out to others this year.

Bliss' "Glow"-Ho-Ho Radiance-Revving Triple Oxygen Trio is a limited-edition set with three products - a1.7 ounce Triple Oxygen+C Energizing Cream, a 3.4 ounce Triple Oxygen Energizing Mask, and a pair of Triple Oxygen Instant Energizing Eye Masks.  Before I got the set, I'd only tried the mask before, which I love, but now that I've tried the cream too, I like to pair them up for full effectiveness.  It's a great value too since Bliss can be a little pricey and you're getting a lot for your money here.  (And if you like Bliss, make sure you check out all of their holiday gift sets because there are a bunch of them and they're all fantastic values.  I sort of want them all).  This set's a great way to get introduced to their skin care line if you've never tried it before and it's easy to pick up at Sephora at one of your many holiday shopping trips to the mall.

I've been totally obsessed with Ahava's products all year because they're great on my sensitive skin, so I'll take any excuse to pick some more up.  Shoshanna for AHAVA is another limited-edition set that comes packaged in a bright travel bag perfect for a weekend away.  Inside you'll find a 3.4 ounce Mineral Hand Cream, a 3.4 ounce Mineral Body Lotion, and a .85 ounce Dermud Intensive Foot Cream.  I love their Mineral Body Lotion so much that I use it almost every day, so I'm really psyched to have stumbled across this set before I have to pack for my trip to the east coast next week.  More room for another five lipsticks!

Origins is one of those brands that I sometimes forget I love as much as I do and then I'll use one of their products and get all excited about how great it is and want to buy every single thing they make.  Since that's (sadly) out of the question, this season I'm turning to their gift sets as a way to get the best bang for my buck.  I know their ginger products are uber popular, but I hadn't tried them until now and I can finally see why everyone raves about them so much.  I always thought I didn't like the smell of ginger, but apparently I was confusing it with like, the scent of exhaust of something because it's SO nice.  It's all rich and warm and a little spicy and just delicious.  The Ginger To Go and Stay set is great because you get both travel-size and regular-sized products in it, so you can use them both at home and on vacation if you want.  (And I definitely do.  The smaller sizes will also be making the cross country journey with me next week.  They'll be perfect to use in the apparently frigid NJ weather that I'll be flying into).  You get a full array of body products in the set too - Body Wash, Body Scrub, Body Cream...  You'll be able to layer the scent as much as you want, which always makes me very happy.  Now I kind of think that I need the Ginger Essence to spritz on top as a final layer.  It seems very winter appropriate, doesn't it?  It'll be the perfect scent to wear to cheer me up when I'm shivering in my sixteen layers as I trudge through the snow, wondering how I ever managed to spend four years of college in upstate New York with its ten foot high snow drifts.  Los Angeles has made me soft!

Note: Samples of these items were sent to me by PR representatives working with Bliss, AHAVA and Origins

Get Fabulips

If I could only visit one spa for the rest of my life, it would be Bliss.  I just love all their services (and products) so much that a few hours at one of their locations is my idea of total, well, bliss!  Their new Fabulips collection is a great way to ease into the brand if you're not familiar with a lot of their products.  It's a collection of four different products that will whip even the most chapped or unappealing lips into shape.  Here are the four steps in the process:

• Refresh - The Fabulips Foaming Lip Cleanser will take everything from food to makeup off.
• Retexturize - The Fabulips Sugar Lip Scrub smells like a Creamsicle and will exfoliate away dry patches and flakes.
• Rejuvenate - The Fabulips Instant Lip Plumper is mint-flavored and plumps without stinging.
• Replenish - The Fabulips Softening Lip Balm is full of moisturizers to keep your lips as soft as possible.

I'm super obsessed with this kit at the moment.  It's the perfect, quick facelift if your lips are starting to get too rough or chapped, and I love the Instant Lip Plumper so much.  Mint is my favorite lip product flavor and this one works really well on top of the delicious scent.  Buying all the products together saves you a lot of money too - the set is $45, but all the products separately would be $74, so you're saving almost $30 by grabbing them all at once.  After all, a girl can never be too rich, too thin, or have too many lip balms!

Note:  A sample of this product was sent to me by a PR representative working with Bliss