Trader Joe's All-In-One Cleanser

UGH I love this cleanser. Like, a lot. I haven't been to Lush in awhile, and I wasn't planning on getting out there until a little closer to Christmas so I'd actually buy things for other people, instead of spending $500 on myself, as usual. However, not going to Lush meant I was out of cleanser...and moisturizer...and everything that matters in life. To sum it up,  world war 3 was taking place on my face, and I was losing BADLY. I have somewhat sensitive skin with an oily/ breakout prone t-zone. My forehead was looking terrible, so terrible that even my best Tarte and Benefit concealers couldn't hide the disaster happening beneath them. Enter Trader Joe's/ the gorgeous Beauty Bloggers that raved about the All-In-One cleanser. I had nothing to lose so I picked it up...for $4.99!

What It Does:

Cleanses skin from makeup, dirt, and oil.

How To Use It:

Put two or three pumps of the product into your hand and lather it onto your face. Massage from a couple minutes then rinse and dry with a clean towel.

Tips & Tricks:

I like to apply this to dry skin after I've removed my makeup with coconut oil. The bottle says you can apply to dry or wet skin, but I prefer to work it into dry skin at first, then add small amounts of water slowly to increase the lather. This lathers up really nice as you'll see in the picture below, and my skin feels very refreshed after use. Lately my skin has been breaking out a lot, and this product really helps. It completely stopped my face from breaking out more than it already had, and reduced redness and size of the current blemishes on my face. I really love it and highly recommend it!

All Pictures in this post are my personal photos/ some are from my Instagram account. Ig name: @_jessakay

Smith's Rosebud Salve Review

So I'd honestly never heard of this stuff until I was reading a "steal vs. splurge" entry on a well-known beauty and fashion blog. Even after I read it I wasn't really planning on buying it, but I was at Sephora today and I saw it in the "grab and go section" so I grabbed it. So glad I did! My lips look glossy and hydrated with a pink tint, but they aren't sticky at all. This products looks like a gloss but wears like a chapstick, the consistency is comparable to vaseline and the scent is awesome. This product is made with petrolatum, cotton seed oil, and a rose perfume- as always with my product choices its cruelty free. Its formulated by a physician, and was created in 1892! I'm in love, and for $7 I'll definitely be re-purchasing again and again.

What It Does:

Hydrates and soothes chapped, dry lips while giving them a pretty pink tint and glossy shine.

How To Use It:

Twist open the pot and apply with your finger.

Tips & Tricks:

I don't really have any, only that I sally avoid lip products that involve a finger for application because the pot inevitably gets gross. I recommend using sanitizer on your hands before dipping your finger into the pot. I really love this stuff, I had to take some pictures of how pretty it made my lips look!

     

All Pictures in this post are my personal photos/ some are from my Instagram account. Ig name: @_jessakay

Trader Joe's Pomegranate Body Butter Review

If you read my last post you know I've finally come to know the wonder world of TJ's, and had to pick up a few of their skincare/hair products to review after reading so many blogger's posts raving about them. My first review is on the Pomegranate Body Butter I picked up for only $3.99! Usually when I buy any beauty product for this price, especially body butter, I expect it to be a few baby steps above awful. So is the Pom Body Butter awful? Hellllll no.

This body butter is made with Argan Oil, Jojoba Oil, Pomegranate Seed Oil, Shea butter, and Palm Butter. Yes, I said Argan oil- and yes, it's really $3.99 (in my area at least). These days anything with Argan Oil has the price outrageously jacked up, but not at TJ's! The Pom Oil is so potent, I could smell it before I even opened the pot! Also, when I buy a body butter I want it to be the consistency of soft butter, duh. Usually I'm disappointed with how thin the body butters I purchase are, but this stuff really delivers. It's thick, exactly how a body butter should be.

What It Does:

Smooths and soothes dry skin, leaving you moisturized and soft.

How To Use It:

Open it up & rub it on!

Tips & Tricks:

The only tip I have is that a little goes a long way, and it smells so great I've been skipping using my body spray because you can literally smell this stuff through my clothes. It obviously doesn't have the  scent longevity of perfume, but when I'm just going to work or running errands this stuff does the trick for me.  Lastly, and unfortunately- This is a SEASONAL product (BOO!), so if you try it and love it- stock up! Go buy a dozen of them, after all- they cost less than a freaking Starbucks latte!

All Pictures in this post are my personal photos/ some are from my Instagram account. Ig name: @_jessakay

Trader Joe's Mini Haul

Trader Joe's is the almighty mecca that so many people are completely obsessed with/ rave about. I however, have never stepped foot inside of one-until yesterday. I'm not sure how it happened, but I stumbled upon a beauty product review site with some excellent reviews on TJ's beauty products. I honestly couldn't believe the prices, and I'm kind of a product snob going on the notion that "the more expensive it is, the better the quality". That being said,  I've spent crazy amounts of money on various high-end products from labels everyone is familiar with, some have been good and some have completely sucked. After reading the reviews on the following products, I had to seek out the ONLY Trader Joe's in my area and see what they had to offer.  I'm going to do separate reviews for each product, but in this post I'll just list what I bought, the prices, and my personal rating (so far)- either Average, Good, or Great.

(In order left to right, top to bottom)

1. Nourish Oil-Free Antioxidant Facial Moisturizer $4.99  - Great

2. Nourish Antioxidant Facial Serum $9.99 - Average

3. Nourish All-In-One Facial Cleanser $4.99 - Great

4. Nourish Spa Balanced Moisturizing Conditioner $2.99 -Great

5. Nourish Spa Balanced Moisturizing Shampoo $2.99 - Good

5. Pomegranate Body Butter $3.99 -Great

As you can see, the prices are RIDICULOUS, in a very good way. So not only are they cheap, they're packed with ingredients you would find in higher end skincare. For details on each product check my posts on each! If you don't have time for all of that I'll just suffice it to say Trader Joe's is definitely worth checking out, and if you end up purchasing then hating any of these products for whatever reason, at least you didn't waste a lot of money giving them a try!

Lush Shine So Bright Review

I picked up Shine So Bright a LONG time ago, it's been in my makeup bag since then and I literally just realized I never did a review on it. It comes in a cute little tin which makes it super easy to just throw in your purse for on-the-go use. Shine So Bright is a hair balm used for the purpose of mending split ends. I've always had a problem with split ends and breakage, so when I saw this I immediately wanted to give it a try. What also caught my attention was the ingredients- olive oil, coconut oil, shea butter and free range eggs, all notorious hair and skin healers. I'm a huge believer in coconut oil for just about anything, so the presence of coconut oil totally sold me. Aside from the main ingredients the product also contains rosewood, grapefruit, neroli, and orange flower to produce a pleasant smell. The consistency is comparable to Lush's solid perfumes. The tin is small, but I've literally had this stuff forEVER, so it has some longevity if you're concerned about the price in conjunction with how many uses you'll get.

What It Does:
Conditions dry hair & mends split ends

How To Use It:
Rub your index finger in the tin until the of the solid oil warms and liquifies on your finger, then rub your index finger and thumb together. Once your finger and your thumb have some oil on them, place the damaged hair in between & rub on!

Tips & Tricks:
This product is more for your ends, I don't even want to imagine the greasy mess you'd have for roots if you tried to use it up top. If I'm planning on using this on a lot of my ends I'll usually open the tin and hold it under a heat source ( blow dryer, electric heater, etc) for a few seconds- it liquifies quick but if you're using a lot relying on your fingers to warm it feels like it takes forever. This may go without saying, but just incase- if you're using a heat source please don't liquify the whole pot. I like to use this in the winter months, or when I've been using my flat iron (abusing my hair) more than usual. LASTLY, after you put this on your ends brush them- preferably with a boar bristle/ nylon bristle combo brush (Mason Pearson, anyone?), your hair will look shiny & healthy :) I wasnt really into this stuff at first, and I wouldn't consider it a "holy grail" hair item, but lately I've kinda been falling in love with it.

All Pictures in this post are my personal photos / some are from my Instagram account. Ig name: @_jessakay