If you’d like to feel like you’ve just had a luxurious spa manicure without spending the time or the money to go to a spa, then look no further. The answer is right inside this little jar.

Truebath and Body Works Blue Spa "Just a Minute"

When BigSis came to visit me last month, she brought me the nicest little gift and I finally took a minute to try this Truebath and Body Works Blue Spa Just a Minute 60-second Manicure Hand Scrub.

This sugar-based exfoliating scrub really does works like magic! You simply massage the scrub into wet hands for a full minute, paying special attention to nail beds and any rough areas, then rinse, and voila! You can say goodbye to dull, dry skin and dry cuticles forever! My hands haven’t felt this soft in a long time and my cuticles are noticeably in better shape. The scrub also has a very light orange-citrus scent which happens to be a real favorite of mine.

The 5 ounce jar retails for $12.00, which I think is a great bargain considering the jar will probably last for months. And, since BigSis just mentioned the big Beagle Rescue and the fact that there are still major companies performing animal testing on their products, I went to caringconsumer.com to verify that Bath and Body Works is on the list of companies that DO NOT test on animals.

So, for just a little bit of money, you can pamper your hands AND know that no animals had to suffer to bring you that product!  Score!

~LilSis

If you were as disappointed as I was after hearing that these beautiful palettes were already sold out, then you’re going to love this news!

Urban Decay Naked Palette

We just received an email from Sephora announcing that the Urban Decay Naked Palette is now available online at Sephora even though the palette won’t be in the stores until July 29th.

And, don’t forget, the set comes with an adorable, travel size Urban Decay Primer Potion and a double ended 24/7 glide on eye pencil!

So…

If you want to get your hands on one of these gorgeous Urban Decay Naked Palette sets, you will probably want to get on the Sephora site ASAP!

~LilSis

The exterior of this Urban Decay Naked Palette would be even more beautiful without the cat hair embellishment! Just wait til you see the inside though...

The next morning, I saw a tweet from Urban Decay confirming my intuition…the Naked Palette sold out in a matter of hours, and as of today, it’s still out of stock.  The good news?  It isn’t a limited edition palette to the extent that the Alice one was, so it IS expected back in stock.  My recommendation?  Sign up for the email on UrbanDecay.com to be notified when it’s back, and then make a bee-line to get yourself one!

Why am I getting all-Lady-Gaga about this palette? Just look at it:

12 gorgeous colors AND 2 eyeliners AND a primer!

Can you believe these colors?  You get a whole wardrobe of eyeshadows in one slim package: neutrals for work, shimmer for evening (maybe shimmer for work if your workday is more sparkly than mine), and some deeps for smoky eyes.  You also get a double-ended 24/7 eyeliner pencil with Zero (black) and Whiskey (a brand new beautiful brown), and a travel-size Primer Potion.

I’ve kept my little mitts off this palette until I got a photo of it, so I haven’t tried any of the colors yet.  LilSis and I are both in love with our Summer of Love palettes though, so I know the quality of Urban Decay shadows is fabulous and I can’t wait to play with these.  I think these are incredible colors for blue eyes like LilSis and I have, but I can also see them being equally gorgeous on brown eyes, green eyes, hazel eyes, and black eyes.

I’m going to show you some swatches of these colors later on – with and without our favorite Primer Potion eyeshadow primers – so you can get an idea of what they look like.  Meanwhile though, sign up for that email and if you get the chance, buy one of these palettes! I promise I paid full price for my palette (a steal of a deal at $44) and I’m not making a dime if you buy one.  I just don’t want you to be disappointed when your friends get one, and you kick yourself for not listening to me!

~BigSis

Unfortunately, for me, it’s more often than not.

Whether it’s from too much sodium, staying up too late, or a bad case of insomnia, most mornings I’m greeted in the mirror by tired, puffy eyes.

What’s a girl to do?

Believe me, I’ve tried a ton of products to try to solve this problem and I’ve had some okay results with most of the products I’ve used but I’ve never been completely satisfied with any of them until now.

BigSis first mentioned the Olay Regenerist Anti-Aging Eye Roller a few months ago after she had been using it for a couple of weeks. When I heard that she had found a product that really worked as it’s advertised, I knew that I had to try it. I had been using the Garnier Nutritioniste anti-puff eye roller and I did like it but I couldn’t say without a doubt that it worked as well as it should.

I’ve been using the Olay Regenerist Anti-Aging Eye Roller for over six weeks now and I must tell you that I love it!

Olay Regenerist Anti-Aging Eye Roller

Olay Regenerist Advanced Anti-Aging Eye Anti-Aging Roller, 0.2-Ounce

I keep my eye roller in the fridge and the first thing I do every single morning is take about 20-30 seconds to roll a little bit of the product under my eyes. (It’s quite refreshing when this is applied cold.) This product goes on more creamy than other anti-puffy products that I’ve used in the past but it soaks in quickly and you can actually see results within a very short period of time. I’d say that within 30 minutes, my eyes are noticeably less puffy!

We sisters take the “puffy eye” problem seriously and we don’t recommend a product unless we have tried and tested it and are 100% happy with the results. So, ladies, if you have this problem, do yourself a favor and try this Olay Regenerist Anti-Aging Eye Roller. I don’t think you’ll regret it.

~LilSis

I’m back from Vay Cay in Californie (we had a wonderful time, thanks for asking), and now it’s almost July 4th already.  So, I’d say it’s WAY past time to talk about our top 15, must-have, can’t-do-without, essential summer beauty products.  These are the products that we go back to summer after summer, and we can’t recommend each one of them highly enough.  Let’s jump right in!

• Leave-in hair conditioner: Fredric Fekkai Marine Summer Hair Beachcomber Leave-In Conditioner

• Hair Mask: Neutrogena Triple Moisture Deep Recovery Hair Mask

• Hair remover for body (arms): Sally Hansen Sensitive Skin Spray-On Shower-Off Hair Hair Remover

• Hair remover for face: Sally Hansen Creme Hair Remover

• Shave gel: Aveeno Positively Smooth Shave Gel

• Shaver: Schick Quattro for Women

• Sunscreen for Body: Neutrogena Fresh Cooling Body Mist Sunblock SPF 45

• Sunscreen for Face: Skinceuticals Ultimate UV Defense SPF 30

• Sunscreen for a Super-Active/Water Sports Face & Lips: Vertra Face Stick SPF 50 and Hawaiian Tropic Ozone Sport Sunblock

• Moisturizer for Body: L’Occitane Almond Supple Skin Oil

• Exfoliator for Body: Origins Ginger Body Scrub

• Deodorant: Donna Karan Cashmere Mist

• Eye Shadow: Urban Decay Summer of Love Palette

• Eye Shadow Primer: Urban Decay Primer Potion

There you have it! Our Top 15 list of can’t-do-without products for summer.  Now, how about yours?  Is there a summer essential beauty product that we’ve missed?

Flickr Photo credit: Zellaby

~BigSis

I may go bare or ultra sheer on my fingernails, but not on my toes!  I get bored really quickly with the same colors on my toes so I’m always trying something new; from blues, greens, yellows, bright oranges to very dark purples.

I also couldn’t find the Essie Resort Collection at my local Ulta and I was in a funk on Friday and really wanted something to cheer me up.  I popped into my neighborhood nail salon and asked her what she had that was new and blue.

OPI Ogre-The-Top Blue

I absolutely fell in love with the OPI Ogre-The-Top Blue shade from the minute I saw it and I knew that I wanted to try it.

I was even happier when I got home to discover that it matches my new swimsuit perfectly!

Funny… I couldn’t have even done that if I had tried.

I really liked the color with the pink strappy sandals that I wore to my Girl’s Night Out on Friday night.

But I love the color even more worn with my white Franco Sarto bejeweled sandals.

Is it just me or doesn’t a good pedicure just cheer you up a little bit?

~LilSis

I did find another fun collection though, and surprise surprise…it’s my favorite color: pink.  OPI Pink!

This collection includes 4 pale pink colors that are all different.  Here are the colors and OPI’s description of the shades:

Isn’t That Precious:  A precociously pretty light pink.

Pink A Doodle:  Oodles of shimmery pale pink.

I Think In Pink:  And I think I love this pop of pink!

It’s A Girl:  And she adores this baby pink!

I’m wearing 3 coats of all 4 colors in order, starting with Isn’t It Precious on my index finger and ending with It’s A Girl on my pinky.  Please forgive my sloppy polish application; I was clearly in a big hurry! 

I use mostly Essie polishes, but I was pleased with these OPI polishes.  They dried quickly, with great shine (without a top coat) and no bubbles.

I liked most of the colors, but Pink A Doodle was pretty streaky and I didn’t see much of the advertised shimmer.  I Think In Pink was a little more pink than the other shades; even a bit too much pink for me when it comes to fingers (toes are another story!).  If I had to choose a favorite, it would probably be It’s A Girl, since it was still a bit sheer and pretty neutral without being too pinky.

If you can’t find this kit of 4 mini polishes, look for the colors individually in regular size bottles.  So tell us, have you found any fun new polish colors for this summer?

~BigSis

Well, I’ve found this product, and it’s Borba Age Defying Concentrate/Acai Elastin Fiber Treatment Serum.  And yes, it does work!  I haven’t had great luck lately with new mascara and eye cream, but I hit the jackpot with this Concentrate.

I recently made a quick trip to Dillards to replenish my supply of the Borba Firming Diamond Shimmer Contour/Guanabana Spandex Fiber Body Moisturizer that I use for cellulite treatment.  The salesperson mentioned to me that she loved the Borba line, especially the Age Defying Concentrate.  Lucky for me, the Contour cream came with a sample of the Concentrate, so I gave it a try and was shocked to find that it worked!  I saw some results immediately!  So you know I ran (fast) right right back to Dillards and bought myself a tube ($45 for 1.7 oz).  It’s a pretty big tube for a decent price, I think.

The Concentrate has the consistency of a gel, and it goes on very smoothly and soaks in quickly.  I use one small drop morning and evening, and haven’t had any breakouts or other adverse reactions to the product.

I’ve been using the Concentrate for a couple of weeks now, and I have definitely noticed that my “jowls” are a bit tighter.  I also have a saggy little pooch between the corners of my mouth and my chin, and it’s a little firmer now.  It’s still there for sure, but it isn’t as droopy.

So far, I’ve used 4 Borba products – 3 for the body and 1 for the face – and I’ve loved every one of them.  What else can you do for me, Borba?  I’m sure I have some other trouble zones that you could work on!

~BigSis

What to try next?  Aha!  I found a package of Loreal’s Revitalift Eye Lifting Repair Duo with big half-ounce samples attached of Revitalift Anti-Wrinkle Concentrate (for day) and Deep-Set Wrinkle Repair Night Cream.  I paid less than $20, and got 4 new products to try!  How fun is that?

I’ve been using all 4 products now for almost 2 months, and have some good news to share.

• None of these products caused a break-out!  That’s pretty big for my grumpy skin.  90% of the moisturizers and treatments I try will immediately cause clogged pores and/or zits, even if they’re dermatologist-tested/approved and theoretically non-comedogenic.

• All of the products seemed to do a pretty good job of moisturizing.  Even so, the day cream didn’t cause shine to bleed through my foundation in the morning, which some products can do.  Using the night cream with my Tazorac every evening helped to lessen the drying effect that the retinol product can have on my skin.

• The daytime eye cream worked fine in conjunction with the anti-aging roller, and didn’t get goopy or cakey with my concealer.  The night eye cream was richer than the day version, and seemed fine.  Neither eye products caused any burning or irritation.

Now for the bad news.  I hate that there IS bad news, since the price point on these products is great and there was a fair amount of good news. But Loreal’s Revitalift line is about advanced anti-aging action and wrinkle repair.  Did I see any lessening of wrinkles?  I don’t think I did, I’m sorry to say.  If there was any improvement, it’s so slight that I haven’t really noticed.

I’ll probably keep using these products occasionally until they’re gone, but I don’t think I’ll repurchase.  I’m still on a mission for the best eye cream.  Any ideas of what I should try next?  Be sure to come back for this week’s Fabulous Friday when I’ll share my review of an anti-aging skin serum that actually does work! 

~BigSis

Frederic Fekkai Beachcomber Leave In Conditioner

Woo Hoo! It’s Friday; my favorite day of the week and time for another Fabulous Friday. Today, I’ve got another fabulous product to share with you.

This Frederic Fekkai Beachcomber Leave In Conditioner is the best leave-in conditioner that I’ve ever used.

I first discovered the Fekkai Marine Summer Collection last summer while visiting BigSis in Texas. We actually had a day to lay by the pool so we popped into a nearby Ulta to buy something to protect our hair while out in the sun.

We both tried this product and loved it! If you happen to have curly hair, then you know what it’s like to lay by a pool on a hot, humid day and try to keep your hair from frizzing. I had almost forgotten how much I love this product until I used it again a couple of weeks ago while out by the pool in 100 degree weather out in the desert.

This product not only works great to protect your hair while in the sun, but I’ve started using it again, as it’s intended to be used, as a leave-in conditioner. It’s lightweight, has a wonderful scent and doesn’t leave your hair feeling greasy or droopy.

When I first bought this last year, we were told that it was a limited edition product and I’m not sure if Ulta still carries it, but I found it on Amazon for $21.95. If you’ve have trouble finding a great leave-in conditioner, you may want to give this a try!

I hope everyone has a fabulous Friday and a fabulous weekend!

~LilSis