Café Giveaway: Beau Bain Luxurious Bathbombs

Hermanas!!!!


You know I am all about enjoying a looooong bath with delicious products and well, some luvz... So I was quite happy when, a couple of weeks ago, the bubbly Kimberly at Beau Bain asked me to try and test and dish about the latest in Beau Bain's bath bomb collections.



These bombs are, well, the bomb!!! They come in nice semi-transparent boxes; with a label saying exactly what the scent is. Delightful ---- some days I do not want to smell like peach, and I do forget which bomb is which; so this was great. Obviously, they make perfect gifts without having to freak out and wrap a thing. They are also wrapped within the little box in tight plastic; which is amazing since it preserves the bomb in great condition and does not let any of the scent escape!!


The subtitle of the bombs is "Luxurious Moisturizing", and yes... they are. I am not kidding you hermanas, the feeling of softy creaminess in my skin after the bath was delish and -Rojo says- quite alluring **blush**. Loved it. The bombs make nice enough mini-bubbles and the scents are delicate and oh-so-nice. How can this get ANY better???? well... the ladies at Beau Bain are giving not only one, but TWO complete sets for you, my readers / lectoras from the Café Beautique.

• Behind door number 1, we have the Lavender Collection. Really subtle and relaxing blends of lavender -duh- with other equally yummy ingredients like vanilla, rosemary and (my fave) Black Amber.

• Behind door number 2, the luscious Spa Collection. Hermanas, I do not believe in the afterlife, but something tells me that if it does exist; it has this combo in it. Lemongrass, coconut, peach.... oh dear!!!! These are purrrfect for preparing for a long night out! Rejuvenate and wake up!
  

So there!!! IF -and only if- you would like to spend hours in your bathtub pampering your skin (fine, you can invite the hombre to join you!), here is how to participate in this giveaway, which is open to hermanas in the US and Canada!!!

Leave me a comment telling me which collection would you like to win (Lavender or Spa Collection. Please leave me your email! Giveaway open until for a whole week -- closing Sunday, March 8th at midnight PT chicas, so go for it!

Siempre, Bella.

p.s. Bath tip: when you take one of these long lovely baths, do not towel dry - airdry your bod hermanas!!! Hey! You indulged ina long bath, so now go lay down like the diva you are; letting the scents and moisturizers in the bombs get into your skin. You deserve it.

Café Review: Spa Nourish Shampoo + Conditioner

Hermanas!!!

Those who know me are pretty aware of how crazy I am about Trader Joe's. I usually walk there during my lunch hour and get goodies for the house. That is where I get our coffee (French Roast for Rojo and Colombian Supremo for Bella), and our salad fixings (and no A.J., it is not arugula), our hummus, etc.

But one thing I love even more about Trader Joe's is their line of haircare; with the notable exception of the Tea Tree Tingle that, honoring its name, tingles a bit too much; and no one wants to feel you have ants biting your scalp, right?

We have been using their Spa Nourish shampoo and conditioner for some time and luvz it. A lot. Some hermanas say it does not make enough foam, as if that had anything to do with how good a shampoo is!!! Actually, the more foam a shampoo makes, the more harsh chemicals it has, more foam = more soap.

Spa Nourish does not have laureth sulfates or any of the other public enemies for your mane. It doesn't smell like anything; and it is -oh si chicas- cheap as cheap comes. For an organic shampoo you might end up forking over more than 5 or 6 dollars. Not with SPA nourish. This duo costs $6.00 for both shampoo and conditioner. Surprised? I was too.

I have found that with having such long hair like mine, I need a cleaning routine that is not harsh and does not leave residue. This Spa Nourish is just what I need. Now, remember that it is a good idea to alternate between hair products. I usually switch between Spa Nourish, Aussie Sydney Smooth, and other brands.

I am reading a book called The Green BeautyGuide by Julie Gabriel; and I am educating myself on the kinds of things I most definitely do not want in my hair. I will keep you posted. You should drop by her site and see what's new with her. The lady knows her stuff!!!



Siempre, Bella.

Exfoliating: where, how, and how often?

Hermanas!!!!

If we took basic anatomy, biology and chemistry in high school; we are pretty aware that our skin, like that of snakes (insert snarky smile here) sheds. Yup. the skin you have today is not the same skin you had 2 weeks ago. The body has its way of getting rid of dead skin cells; and we most certainly should help it out.

Here's where exfoliation comes in. When I exfoliate, I focus on several parts of my body: face, hands, body, lips. If you can afford it, by all means go crazy and indulge in buying brand scrubs. I do use a different concoction for each part.

FACE

For my cara, I personally favor LUSH's Angels on Bare Skin; being all natural and lovely. The appearance of this one for sure has put more than one sistah off; but get over yourselves and try it!!!


I also like some of the Clean and Clear collection . Their website helps you find the best match for your needs. I just go with the Detoxifying or the Morning Burst Scrub.

I exfoliate my face about every other day. Always with love and never like I was sanding down a piece of wood. Hyper-exfoliation is not good for your skin -- and makes you more exposed to the sun, and we all know that is a bad, bad thing.

BODY

For my body, I actually cheat. A lot. If I happen to have some LUSH's Rub Rub Rub or Ocean Salt scrub, I will of course use it. But my trick here is not to spend tons of money on body scrubs, and instead use soaps that have granules that exfoliate.

OR, use my fave body wash with a net bath sponge. OR make good use of LUSH soaps like I Should Coco, Porridge and some of my all time super faves Pre de Provence herbal treatment soaps: since they also have exfoliating beads and smell heavenly!

LIPS

When it comes to exfoliating and hydrating my lips, I simply L.O.V.E. Tarte's fRxtion. Goodness in a case. Not only does it come in the cutest packaging you will ever see; but it has athe dual purpose of exfoliation and moisturizing.

TARTE is well known for their green-beauty approach. The fRxtion goes for $11.00 and I do believe it is worth it.

AT HOME $$$ SAVERS

Now now... we are all on a budget, I know. Dinero is important, a broke hermana is not a happy hermana. My serious take is that you do not need to cash out half your paycheck in beauty products. And in your pantry I am sure you have the basic ingredients for coming up with your very own and personalized scrub and exfoliator.

Magic ingredients: brown sugar, honey, olive oil. Voila. Some hermanas use oatmeal at home, but I find it too raspy and irritating. But if you mix sugar with oil, or honey with sugar and rub rub rub; you are exfoliating AND giving your skin much needed moisture.

See? No need to break the bank. Exfoliating also leaves you feeling immediately refreshed. Just remember to treat your skin with love chicas, no need to get nasty and scrub so much that you bleed or break capillaries, ok?????

Which are your fave scrubs? Any homemade ideas you care to share with us? Do tell!!! I want to know.

Siempre, Bella.

Cleanliness is next to Fabulousness

Hermanas!!!

So yesterday, after ranting about the need for brushes; one of my fave hermanas asked me "well, how the blip do I clean them?" and it got me thinking about a post on cleaning brushes. Then, it elevated into cleaning makeup toold; then transformed into a cleaning makeup area. So here it goes.

Think of your makeup area as our Beautique Sanctuary. It is your space, even if it is one drawer next to your partner's sock drawer. When I walk into my bathroom in the morning, I hate hate hate seeing the remnants of yesterday's beauty routine. You know what that looks like: Brushes all over, cotton balls and cotton rounds here and there, jojoba oil bottle open, baby wipes with makeup residue.... Yucks. Make up is a messy enterprise indeed.

So how to go about converting the chaos zone into a Beautique Sanctuary? Good, good question. Some hermanas like my mother in law are clean by nature. I am not kidding -- this woman cleans as an Olympic sport and has the loveliest house ever. Other hermanas are, well, like me. I am messy. Muy messy. But somehow I have achieved nirvana when it comes to my Sanctuary. The rest of my house, well... we will ask Rojo once he emerges from the clutter.

Here's what I do. Quite easy, really.

Morning.

I use 4+ brushes every day. After finishing with each one, I dab the excess makeup on a baby wipe (baby wipes are your friends, check this post), then rub a bit on a hand towel (this hand towel I turn over to use all sides, and I wash with the laundry about twice a week) and put back on the cup where I have the brushes.

Since I use MAX FACTOR pancake; the Foundation brush needs a bit more attention. I keep the tap open and damp it; then get rid of excess in the hand towel and reshape.

Once my makeup is done and I look like a goddess; I grab all the cotton balls, baby wipes, etc; curl them up and toss them away. I also clean the sink and counter with another baby wipe; and clean the mirror (keep window cleaner + paper towels at hand).


Evening.

This one is hard to keep. When I am good and take my makeup off (I know, I am terrible); I again collect all the cotton rounds and toss them away.

I brush my hair and dab coconut oil or the jojoba oil through it to always wake to a shiny mane. This is when I get rid of the hair that falls -- again, toss. Then I empty the little garbage basket and voila, ready it goes.


Weekly.

Once a week -usually on Sundays- I deep clean the whole area. This is when I wash all my brushes; and I use MAC's brush cleaner. This thing is amazing; and it does the trick flawlessly.
I fill in half a tiny cup with it and let my brushes rest in it while I clean other things. Then I take them out one by one, rub them into my palm until they maker tiny bubbles and no color comes out. After that, just reshape them with your hands and set them to dry flat.



While the brushes are soaking in the magic solution; I go over the rest of the collection. Clean the containers, check for outdated makeup, and get rid of accumulated stuff. Now, if the MAC solution is a bit steep for those of us on budget (it is a bout $11.00), here's an easy one: use your shampoo, diluted in some water. Works just as fine and it is a fraction of the price. Just remember to rinse properly - you do not want your brushes (or your mane, for that matter) to have yucky build up.

The point is, and I've said it before: MAKEUP IS NOT A CHORE. Remember that and use your daily makeup minutes as a moment to rejoice in womanhood, plan your day, and realize how gorgeous you are. Beauty is an inside job hermanas.

If you have amazing tips for cleaning your makeup area; do tell!!! I want to know!

Siempre, Bella.

Soapie soapie

Hermanas...

OK. I am assuming we all shower at least once a day... please say it is so, or you will break my heart and increase the evil eye looks of folks riding the bus with you.

I begin my day with a nice hot shower. I have tried this and that and the other soaps and body gels, etc.; and must say I am still a sucker for soap bars. Must be the voice of mi madre in my head.

Right now, I am on a Pre de Provence spree since they were on sale for 4.99 at a nearby shop. Usually they are a bit spendier.

So far, I have tried the Verbena (lovely and subtle scent, with a bit of exfoliating granules), Rose Petal (never again, unless you want to smell like my aunt E. or a cheap hotel toiletry set), Honey Almond (stay away from this one unless you have a thing for painful scrubbing; or if you are patient enough like Rojo who uses it with the net bath sponge and loves it).

Wait, it is not all bad hermanas. My total fave? Lemongrass. Citrussy, sexy, wake me up kind of feeling. Nice, very nice. Lavender is good when I have had a loooong day and I want to sleep deeply and perfumy. It's like love in a soap bar.

Others who deserve special mention here are of course the rustic cuts from LUSH. Those LUSH ladies are always sweethearts and make you feel like the goddess you are any time you walk in. Problem is, LUSH is going a bit too corporate for my taste. I loved shopping there years ago when I lived in Canada and LUSH was almost a kitchen biz. Although, I still have a weakness for some of their stuff:

Mudflats is Rojo's favorite soap. He lavished on it like it was never ending source of enlightenment. That was until he discovered how much it was *gulp*. It has a nice melty feeling to it, chocolaty almost. Mud, lavender, rosemary = sexy in a bar.

Honey I Washed the Kids is the best "simple" LUSH bar. When they say it is for all the family, they mean it. And it does not smell overwhelmingly "honey-ee" like their Flying Fox gel. Likey, but not too much.

What is YOUR favorite soap? Or maybe gel? Do tell.

Bella