Gleam Body and Lip Radiance by Melanie Mills Review

I'm a little bummed because of the weather we've been having as of late.  I wish summer would get here soon!  If you're a little down because there's no sun here's a little something to pick you up!  I was sent some products from the Gleam Radiance collection by Makeup Artist Melanie Mills and they're definitely something worth checking out.  

If you've watched Dancing with the Stars you may have noticed how radiant and glowing the dancer's are.  That's because they're all wearing Melanie's Gleam Body Radiance!  The product was created specifically for the show by Melanie and to this day they all still wear it!  The product comes in a 30 mL/1 fl.oz tube.  The consistency feels very much like a lotion.  All you have to do is squeeze a little product out and slather on the parts of your body where you'd like to have nice healthy glow.  I like to use this especially on my legs if I wear a skirt.  I'm not a huge fan of my legs but with this on I don't mind so much showing them off a little. 

 

A little squirt out of the tube

This is the color "Rose Gold" suitable for light/medium skin tones like myself

 

Slightly blended

 

 Fully blended

I'm a sucker for anything nude!  Nude lip color that is!  So I chose the color "Naked" from the Lip Radiance collection.  Naked is a peachy nude which I think is great for my light to medium toned skin.  First off I love the smell of the gloss as it has a sweet vanilla like scent to it.  The feel of the lipgloss was surprisingly not sticky because when you first see it on the gloss wand it looks pretty thick.  The gloss applies nice and smoothly and doesn't settle deeply into the fine lines of my lips making them appear smooth and plump.  I would highly recommend this gloss especially if you like a nude lip! And did I mention that Lip Radiance is made with organic and botanical ingredients?  That's a bonus in my book!  So slather it on 'cause this stuff is actually good for your lips!  I think I may have to get a few more colors for my kit as well!

All in all I really like these products.  So if you girls are like me and can't wait for the summer.  Why not get a head start with GLEAM!

I should also mention that Melanie was recently featured in May's InStyle Magazine and just filmed a segment for Dr. OZ about how spray tans can make one look thinner for summer. The segment will air on April 25!! So stay tuned and check your local listings!

 

For more information on GLEAM and the Makeup Artist behind the brand please visit www.gleambymelaniemills.com

 

 

 

 

Bite Beauty Luminous Creme Lipstick and Lip Shine Review

"Bite Beauty is an alluring collection of lip products featuring super antioxidant resveratrol and superior color. Ranging from nude to plum, their highly pigmented, long-lasting shades were designed by industry-leading makeup artists for today's modern woman. In addition to featuring beauty's most sought-after antioxidant, the pro-performance formulas' all-natural ingredient list includes organic shea butter, superfoods, and food-grade colors, making them truly good enough to eat. It's beauty that's better for you." (excerpt from Sephora.com)

A few weeks ago I stepped into Sephora (Yorkdale) and a new display of lipsticks and glosses had caught my eye.  The brand was called Bite Beauty which I had never heard of before.  Being a lipstick junkie I knew I had to try them.  I picked up 2 Luminous Creme Lipsticks in shades Salut (nude) and Cava (light purple/mauve) and 2 Lip Shines in Prosecco (pale nude) and Vintage (mauve). 

Luminous Creme Lipsticks Pros:

- Glides on smoothly
- Very moisturizing on the lips (so you can skip the lip balm underneath your lipstick!)
- Great color payoff
- Nice smell

- Its loaded with healthy ingredients so it's ok to eat! (did you know that the average woman consumes 6 lbs of lipstick in her lifetime?  Yikes!)

Luminous Creme Lipsticks Cons:

- A little too slipery (I found that the lipstick easily smeared and settled into the fine lines of my lips which was very visible.  You could see the cracks and dry parts of my lips)

- The product had an almost buttery consistency so the lipstick would wear down very easily

- Seems a bit expensive for a lipstick ($28 CD)

TOP: CAVA

 BOTTOM: SALUT

SALUT

 CAVA

Lip Shine Pros:

- Moisturizing on the lips
- Not sticky
- Nice smell

Lip Shine Cons:
- Too sheer (I could barely see the color on my lips)
- Settles into lines on lips
- Expensive ($24 CD)

TOP: VINTAGE

BOTTOM: PROSECCO

All in all I do like the lipsticks.  I have very dry lips so it kept them moisturized and soft throughout the day.  I love the color range that they come in and I would probably purchase these again in other colours.  As for the lip shines I probably won't be purchasing them again.  They appear too sheer on my lips but they are great for layering on top of your favourite lipstick for added shine.  



T-Dot Beauty Bloggers Party it Up with BALMSHELL!

On Wednesday night I was able to attend the Balmshell Beauty Blogger Party located at their office in downtown Toronto.  After a long and tiring day at work I was almost hesitant in attending but thank goodness I went because I would have totally regretted it!  

 L-R: Fiona, Andrian, Jennifer, Karyn

I went down with none other than Fiona (aka: fionaman on YouTube).  Upon arriving I was totally wowed by how cute and very girly the office was.  It was decorated with red balloons and you could see Balmshell's signature colours black and hot pink all around the office. Bloggers were offered drinks by Girls Night Out Wines who was also a sponsor of the event.  We munched on yummy appetizers and food and indulged in delicious cupcakes made by Adjoa of Pretty Sweet Boutique. 

Cupcakes by Pretty Sweet Boutique

Also on display were the Balmshell Lip-Glosses.  We also had the opportunity to test some of the glosses out.  I tried 3 of them on but the one that won my heart was Confessions of a Call Girl a pretty orange/choral color which I thought would be great for the spring season.  I also tested out the cheek stains and ended up picking up Blackmail Betty which is a deep dark berry color. 

I had the privelage of meeting the founders and creators of Balmshell, Jennifer and Fiona Lees who are two of the nicest and sweetest twins you'll ever meet!  I also got to meet the lovely Adrian, who by the way was the only brunette at Balmshell and Balmshell hottie Karyn (aka: LoveBalmshell on Twitter).  I felt so tiny standing next to the Balmshell beauties and Karyn kept telling me how cute and tiny I was.  She even asked me to take a pic with her very tall boyfriend and bartender of the night.

 L-R: FIONA, JEN from Spiced Beauty, ARIANNE aka Glitter Geek

I had so much fun meeting all these lovely beauty bloggers.  It was so nice to finally meet everyone who I talk to on a daily on Twitter. 

A big thank you to Balmshell for hosting such an amazing get together!  I'm looking forward to future Balmshell products and expanding my collection.  Also looking forward to more awesome events like this one!  I think I did unleash my inner Balmshell that night!

For more pics check out my Fan Page on Facebook!

www.balmshell.com