I totally heart Badger Balm products. I have …many. The latest Badger lip products to join the crowd are the Lip Tint & Shimmers. These little gems rock! If you love tinted lip balm (and I do!), you will want to check these out.

The Lip Tint & Shimmer is two products in one: a tinted lip balm on one end and a shimmery lip balm on the other. Both are based on Badger’s always-popular Cocoa Butter Lip Balm formula (a personal favorite), with no added fragrance. The lip tint side is colored with mineral colorants, no dyes. Application is sheer, despite how dark they look in the tube, and easy – no mirror needed for goof-proof application.

There are four shades, and I have three. I have Garnet, Red Jasper, and Rose Tourmaline, and the fourth is Copper. Rose Tourmaline is the lightest, a pink color. Garnet and Red Jasper are very similar reddish shades – Garnet is more cool and Red Jasper is warmer. I don’t have Copper, but it looks like a brownish color. The Opal shimmer is essentially colorless, but adds a bit of sparkle.

These have pushed out other tinted lip balms to become my favorite. I love the cocoa butter formula, I love the subtle but flattering shades, and I like that they are two products in one. Another Badger Win!

I love it when Lush releases new products! There’s always SOMETHING I just have to have, and this new batch of products is no exception. Check it out!

First we have the Brimstone scrub, a new square-shaped solid scrub bar for use in the shower. Brimstone contains sulpher (to exfoliate and soften skin), as well as hemp oil and kaolin. It’s scented with jasmine and lemongrass, which sounds utterly fascinating. I’m intrigued…

The Glorious Mud scrub I suspect is going to be a MUST-HAVE because it has the same scent as my beloved Creme Anglaise. It also has aloe and sesame oil and rhassoul mud. Me want!

Lush’s newest shower gel is Grass, and I want some! Grass contains fresh wheatgrass juice to nourish the skin, and is scented with bergamot and sandalwood. I can’t wait to give it a sniff, since I’m sure I’ll love it.

Which new Lush product is on YOUR list?

I really like citrusy fragrances for summertime, and summer has definitely arrived in Oregon! After what seems like months of rain, we finally have weather in the 90’s and sunshine, so what’s more appropriate than a fresh, citrusy fragrance to cool off with? L’Occitane’s new Verbena Summer Secret Eau de Toilette perfume is fits the bill perfectly.

I have never been a particular fan of L’Occitane’s original Verbena  Eau de Toilette. It has a lot of geranium in it, and I don’t particularly like geranium. I am rather fond of the Citrus Verbena version, with all its grapefruity goodness, but I think this Summer Secret wins the prize as the best one so far.

It opens with a burst of apple and some watery green notes with anise. It’s not a jolly rancher type apple, but is rather more tangy and less sweet. Then the mint and basil and verbena settle in, and the base notes have cedar and musk. There is a definite fruitiness to the fragrance, but after that wears off it definitely takes on a more masculine herbalness that I like.

This is a perfect hot weather perfume. It’s super-refreshing and has great lasting power for a citrus scent. I love the mint and basil, it’s like they trick you into feeling cooler even if it’s hot outside.

The Summer Secret collection includes a shower gel, lotion, and candle, all of which I’m just dying to have! Two thumbs up for this lovely summer scent.

Avon continues to impress me with their anti-aging skincare. I gave the Anew Reversalist Day Renewal Cream SPF 25, Night Renewal Cream, and Illuminating Eye System a test drive and I’m pleased to report that I think they’re great!

The  Anew Reversalist Day Renewal Cream SPF 25 contains ingredients to lighten discolorations, firm the skin, and make it look smoother. It also has SPF 25 to protect your skin from further sun damage. The texture is light and not heavy or greasy at all, and works nicely under makeup. After several weeks of use, my skin definitely feels smoother!

The Night Renewal Cream is probably my favorite of the three. It contains ingredient that work with your skin’s natural repair processes to minimize fine lines and wrinkles. It also has glycolic acid in it, which exfoliates surface cells for smoother, softer skin. I love this stuff! With regular use I’ve noticed a reduction in blackheads and whiteheads (a near constant problem for me) and the wrinkle between my eyes is noticeably diminished.

The Illuminating Eye System consists of an eye cream and an sheer veil. The eye cream contains ingredients to reduce wrinkles and dark circles, and the sheer veil contains light-reflecting pigments that instantly brighten the eye area. I’m not sure my dark circles changed (nothing has worked, so far, they are genetic), but in general my eyes look younger and brighter when I use this. I love the sheer veil, it makes my concealer go on smoother.

Overall, I can confidently recommend Anew Reversalist products. I think with regular use (you have to be dedicated or you probably won’t see results, as with any skincare system) anyone will notice an improvement in their skin with these products. Good Job, Avon!

Last week I had the pleasure of being in Southern California for vacation, and stopped in to this beautiful shop in Pasadena called LATHER. What a great find!!!

LATHER is a woman-owned company specializing in skin and body care products using essential oils and other quality natural ingredients. The store in Pasadena (they also have stores in Atlanta GA and Scottsdale AZ) is amazingly beautiful and inviting, and the store manager was just as friendly and helpful as can be.

The store had testers of everything, as well as two sinks available for trying anything that involved washing/rinsing. It was fun to walk around sniffing and trying various products. I never felt rushed or pressured to buy anything – the service was the perfect mix of helpful suggestions and the right hands-off approach to let us explore the store.

I seriously wanted to buy one of everything, it is all so fabulous!! I bought four soaps (sandalwood rose, vetivert & grapefruit, seven seed lemon & rosemary, and honey almond). LATHER also has some excellent travel and gift sets that are the perfect way to try out a variety of products at once. I bought the four-product pamper pack, which contains AHA hand creme with evening primrose, lavender & eucalyptus foot creme, bamboo lemongrass foaming body scrub, and manuka body butter with grapefruit & juniper.

Other products I really, really want to try include the almond, milk & honey body butter (smells AMAZING!!), the yuzu sugar cane body buff, aha facial therapy w/copper & borage extract, and the licorice root eye treatment.

My sister bought the ultra light face lotion, which she says is just awesome. It’s the perfect light-weight facial lotion that is super-soothing – I think I might need to order some now!!

If you find yourself in Old Town Pasadena (or Scottsdale or Atlanta) you absolutely MUST check out LATHER in person, the store is just beautiful. Otherwise, order online or by phone and you won’t be disappointed by the products, I promise! I will definitely be ordering more in the future.

Shower gel isn’t the most exciting stuff in the world but it sure does make mornings more enjoyable. A good smelling shower is one of my favorite things ever, so here is a list of shower gels I like, to perk up YOUR next shower.

1. EO Chocolate & Mint Shower Gel is the perfect mix of chocolate and mint, never too sweet but also not too tingly. This is a great way to wake up in the morning.

2. Nivea Touch Of Bliss Moisturizing Body Wash has a great creamy-fruity scent and leave my skin baby-soft. Love it!

3. L’Occitane Revitalizing Shower Gel contains mint, pine, and rosemary essential oils for a vibrant shower pick-me-up. It’s very refreshing!

4. Bath & Body Works Need A Margarita? Citrus Body Wash lives up to its name. It’s perfect for summertime, and smells good enough to drink (but don’t!).

5. The Body Shop Total Energy Exhilarating Body Wash mixes ginger with bergamot and  other spices, and has some scrubby bits to liven up your skin.