Announcement to My Loyal 5 Readers

PSA: I will be switching blogs from "Coffee, Candles, and Cosmetics" to "Beauty Marks" found at http://juliasbeautymarks.blogspot.com/

This will be the same domain but hopefully a new start...and maybe a way to light a fire under my ass and blog more. Hope you enjoy!

Buttery Goodness: The Body Shop Shea Body Butter

Before I begin this post, I would like to apologize for being completely missing in action these past 2 weeks or so. I came down with a nasty stomach virus that lasted about a week and then it was back to graduate school so my time to write was limited. I am going to try and get a schedule down because I really would love to see this blog grow. I do have a post coming up about sick day pamper essentials. So be sure to subscribe!

Now, onto the topic of today's post: The Body Shop Shea Body Butter. I'm finding it difficult to relay how much I have loved this product but I think how fast I used it speaks for me. I received this product as a gift from my aunt in New York City who I can always count on for new Body Shop goodies (she was the one who sent me my beloved Almond Hand Cream). This year's Christmas gift was this delicious smelling as well as a few other bits and bobs that I adored as well. But, since this post is essentially an ode to this lotion, you can tell which gift stood out. While the others are still waiting to be tested, this one lasted less than a month! A personal record that one.

Since I am crap at moisturizing my body in the mornings, I slather a thick layer of this all over before bed. The feel and the smell is so comforting that it sends me off to dreamland in a matter of minutes. Sleep aid aside, it definitely creates a noticeable difference in my skin upon waking and the ingredients are Fair Trade, which is a major bonus.

The Body Shop USA website is currently offering their full-size body butters for $12.00 as opposed to the normal $20 so be sure to check that out!

What is your favorite body cream?

L'Oreal Visible Lift CC Eye Concealer

I was cruising around my local Walgreens - as I do on the rare occasion that I'm bored - when I found this gem among the new makeup displays. I was in the market for a new under-eye concealer (my Nars Creamy Concealer is too cakey under the eyes and we won't even begin to discuss the creasing of M.A.C.'s studio fix concealer) so I picked up this bad boy for $9.99. I had the L'Oreal Visible Lift CC Cream for some evening out on better skin days, so this purchase wasn't much of a risk.

The cooling metal rollar ball applicator feels absolutely fantastic on my perpetually tired, puffy eyes and the coverage is very natural and brightening. It is slightly pink-toned, perfect for canceling out those nasty dark circles. I picked up the shade 'Light', but the product also comes in 'Fair' and 'Medium'. The coverage is perfect for my dark circles but I don't know how someone with extremely dark under-eye pigmentation would fair with this product. I will say, however, that the product is buildable without looking cakey. So, if you're in the market for a nice drugstore under-eye concealer and your skin is on the lighter side (come on L'Oreal, this is not a realistic color range), then give it a shot!

Glowing, Glowing, Gone!

When Topshop Beauty came to Nordstrom, I was overjoyed. Finally, I would be able to try some of the products that my favorite beauty bloggers are raving about! My first purchase was 'Glow' a cream-based luminizer in the shade 'Polished' and it is stunning! When applied with fingers to the top of the cheekbones, it gives such a lovely, natural "glow" that will have people commenting on how wonderful you look...or have them asking if your liver is okay (which is what my mom does when my skin is looking especially glowy).

But there's a catch...it does the one thing cream-based products are not supposed to do: remove the foundation that you already oh so carefully buffed into your skin. Now, as someone who isn't a huge fan of foundation, I do wear it on the odd day when my skin is especially angry with me. But after the surprise I felt after seeing my foundation smeared off my face when using 'Glow', I decided to reserve the product for good skin days when a tinted moisturizer will do the trick. Because this product is so natural (your face will not resemble a disco-ball, I promise), it is very easy to get away with using it on minimal makeup days. Just keep it far away from your foundation!

Face of the Day - Going out!

Today is my lovely cousin's 21st birthday and as the older, more seasoned cousin, it is my obligation (and pleasure) to take her out and show her a good time. But with all the errands I have to do before the shindig, getting ready will have to take little to no time at all. When faced with these situations as I often am (between work and grad school, having time for a social life is a miracle in itself so getting ready can't take too long), I reach for my fail-safe products.
Dior's Diorskin Nude BB Creme is perfect for evening out my splotchy and tired complexion. For someone who has had such issues with foundations, this is the perfect combination of foundation-like coverage without wanting to tear my face off. It glides over all those nasty dry patches, blurs my many fading acne scars and with SPF 10, I find that there isn't much flash-back.

Now as I have no cheekbone definition (especially not after the holiday season I had), Kevyn Aucoin's sculpting powder in medium is a lifesaver. Applied with a Real Techniques duo-fiber contour brush and all of a sudden, I'm Keira Knightley. Finally to finish off the face (apart from the application of some M.A.C. Studio finish concealer), I do a light dusting of my Jouer bronzer in suntan. As someone who is half-irish decent, I fall victim to an extremely red complexion after only one glass of pinot grigio. Consequently, I stay FAR away from blush on nights out and this bronzer adds just enough color without making me look like an worker in Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory.

Face done, onto eyes. Now as I have very little time at this point, having spent most of my time making my skin look fantastic, I reach for the easiest smokey eye combo in the book: Laura Mercier Caviar Stick in Amethyst and a M.A.C. 217 brush. Slap it on, blend it out, done! Just lashings of Diorshow Mascara and a swipe of M.A.C. Shy girl and I'm out the door!

The Body Shop Almond Hand & Nail Cream

Coming from someone who used to sport neon band-aids on my bleeding, dry knuckles in third grade, it takes a lot for a hand lotion to impress me. It can't be greasy - trying to open doors with greasy fingers is nightmare enough so let's not begin to discuss make-up application. It can't smell funky and it must, above all, actually work!

This one ticks all the boxes. Gorgeous scent, once rubbed in it's not greasy ( so opening doors is no longer a challenge) and it WORKS! It has replaced my holy grail hand cream (Soap & Glory's Hand Food). An extremely difficult feat. Well done Body Shop!

What is your favorite hand cream?