January Beauty Board

December brought some hefty expenses, so in January, I tried to "live off the land." Ha. If I ran out of a product, instead of purchasing a replacement, I cracked into the beauty closet and sought out alternatives.  I still continued to use my all time favorite Clarin's Multi-Active night cream - my favorite moisturizing AND firming night cream.  I also continued to use the Korres Rose Oil to help brighten and fade brown spots. I revisited an old favorite: Bobbi Brown Radiance Boost mask. Still an awesome product that helps to gently exfoliate skin.

My trusty Maybelline Matte and Poreless Foundation started to become harder and harder to dispense (bad packaging, no pump and glass bottle). To replace it, I opened the Estee Lauder Cushion Stick foundation. This is lighter coverage than I'm used to compared to the Fit Me but it offered an easily blendable and buildable alternative that gives a luminous finish. So far, so good.

I ran out of the Maybelline Age Rewind concealer and tried a Cover FX sample from Sephora. That didn't work out. It was cakey, very thick and a poor color match (X-Tra light is not my shade). I stopped using it and switched it out for Tarte's Marajuca Creaseless Concealer and that's been very good. Great coverage and blends easily.

Bobbi Brown has a few new products! For the woman who is always on-the-go, you can't beat the convenience of the Cheek Glow Palette. The compact contains a mirror, Bobbi's best selling cream blush (Pot Rouge), and the Cream Illuminator. Both products give a beautiful, creamy, dewy look to the skin. They apply best with fingers or a stippling brush.

The Kiesza for Mac Collection features two vampy, chocolately lip shades, evocative of 90's grunge. I've been wearing the matte lipstick in Dearly Beloved topped with Thunderkiss Vamplify gloss when I go out at night and love it. They launch now, in February.

{photo by @Pipsbeaut}

ReVive Light Therapy: this at-home, portable, FDA cleared device targets skin issues in a flash. No pun intended. Acne? The Repair system is for you. Wrinkles and discoloration? Then try the Renew system. Muscle and joint paint are addressed with the infrared technology in these products. I've been using the anti-aging system. I'll check back in in a few months when I have been using it more religiously so that I can give a proper review.

Tan-Luxe: When this tanning system arrived, I just loved the clean, simple lines of the containers and bottles. I like these products because they're natural self-tanners.  The products don't smell like chemicals. They contain Aloe, Vitamin C, E, and Raspberry seed oil. The face and body drops are really concentrated so you don't need to use a lot of product. They're very easy to apply, just add the drops to products you already use, like your favorite face serum or moisturizer. You'll see your tan start to develop within four hours of application.  They're also sold on HSN where everyone loves them. Read the reviews here.

All products mentioned above were sent to me by PR, except the Maybelline products mentioned and the Korres oil.