Bikini Kitty -Product Review-

I have always had more hair on my body than I would like. Some of this comes from my PCOS, some of this comes from societal expectations.  I also have always had extremely sensitive skin.  This means that even shaving my underarms gives me trouble.  I try to avoid shaving anywhere more delicate.  I always break out and have a horrible time of it.  However, I wanted to be bikini ready year round.  

I was contacted by Bikini Kitty and offered to review the new gluten free line that they are offering.  One of the issues with a lot of these products is that use wheat and/or gluten in some format in the products.  Bikini Kitty has changed this.  They offer entirely gluten and wheat free products for those like me that have really delicate skin as well as an allergy to gluten. 

I tried the products for three weeks to see how my skin reacted.  I was able to try the travel kit of Bikini Kitty as well as the Every night Magic makeup remover.  I found some interesting results.  While my skin reacted to shaving much less than it previously had, I was still not bump free, this however, is no fault of the products.  I have yet to find something that works perfectly.  Never the less, using these products did make the ingrown hairs less of an issue than they have been in the past.  Not only that, but the ingrown hair healed faster and was less annoying.  This is a huge bonus to me.  So while I didn't get the perfectly smooth look I was hoping for, I was able to manage the situation.  

I was able to test the Everyday magic which is an enzymatic Exfoliator. The GF Razor Oil which keeps the Razor from burning your skin.  The GF Shave Gel while protects and moisturizes the skin while you shave, and the Every night Magic which is used to remove makeup.  Not only did I receive the products, they had a small pamphlet that taught me how to use them all properly and for the best results.  It was a great help to me to know how and when 

I loved the Everynight and the Everyday Magic; they did as they were supposed to.  Not only that, but the Everynight magic takes off even my heavy makeup with very little water.  This would be great to travel with.  No matter where I am or what I am doing, I can get my makeup off.  

The GF Shave Gel and Razor oil worked exactly the way they should have.  They protected and moisturized the skin.  

With continued use, I am sure that I will receive better effects than I have.  I will have to keep trying until I get the results I want.  

If shaving isn't for you, they also offer many other products.  Not so many in the gluten free line yet.  However, I am sure that they are coming.  They have Hair products as well as skin products.  

Please feel free to check them out at Bikini Kitty

Hidden Gluten in Beauty Products: Words to watch for

Gluten is hidden in just about everything and that means beauty products.  However, most of the time they do not come out and say "wheat" They use other terms to hide the gluten.  Please remember that almost all oats are processed with wheat and therefore are not safe.

Goody Ouchless Ribbon Elastics -Review-

I was recently able to review Goody Ouchless hair ties in my Sunkissed Voxbox.  The claims were interesting they say that they

Product Feature: (as stated by Goody)
• Unique knot style hair tie
• Soft, stretchy ribbon material
• Looks beautiful on the wrist or in the hair!
• Assorted colors
• From America's #1 elastics brand, Goody® Ouchless®

Oil of Olay Fresh effects BB Cream

BB Cream has been all the rage recently and many cosmetic companies have a version.  I was able to test the Oil of Olay Fresh Effects BB cream.  One of the first things that I noticed is that it did not contain any gluten ingredients.  I cannot say much for how it is processed.  The second thing that I noticed was the smell.  It has a light and fresh smell that wasn't chemical based.  This tube is a good size compared to some of the other BB cream brands.  I felt like it was more worth the money for the product.  I personally have an issue with spending over $10.00 for small tubes of anything. 

Got2b Powder'ful- Review

 I have flat fine hair my biggest issue is keeping my hair clean looking with some bounce in it.  When Bzz Agent offered me the chance to review Got2b powder'ful I was excited.  I had Karaoke night and used this product to give my hair a little more volume.  While I did get more volume that stayed almost all night long it was not the picture on the box results.

Common Makeup Mistakes

I have often noticed that many women are making the same makeup mistakes.  I am not talking about forgetting to check if a foundation is gluten free I am talking about using the wrong shades, or making themselves look older. Here are the common mistakes I am seeing as well as some suggested fixes.  

Gluten Free Cosmetics list

Sorry this took so long to get out.  This type of list requires a lot of research.  While many products have one or two gluten free items, I was trying to focus on brands that are gluten free.  Since I am the only author of this blog it takes a while for me to get all the research done.  Here is the list of gluten free beauty brands! A few of these brands may contain corn products in the form of xanthan gum.  The X is what that brand makes.  Have fun, and remember to keep yourself looking great in a gluten free way!  Please contact me if you know of any brands that I have missed.  I would love to add them to the list.

Why you Need Gluten Free Beauty Products

Recently I was pitched (offered to review something) by a company making beauty products.  This was great except nothing they made was gluten free.  When I turned down the offer on the grounds that I have Celiac and couldn't use the product, I was given the reply "There has been no proven reaction to absorbed gluten and you don't eat your makeup."  This got me thinking.

Spring Cleaning for Your Beauty Routine!

The clock has changed and so has the season.  This means more than changing the batteries in your smoke detector.  This means that it is time to switch your beauty routine again.

La Isha Skincare -Review-

Always on the lookout for a gluten free beauty product I was more than happy to be able to review the La Isha line.  What makes this line so attractive on paper?  How about

• Made without synthetic preservatives, artificial colors or fragrances
• Free of all-known potential cancer-causing agents including parabens, phthalates, sulfates and petroleum derivatives
• Made with organic, cold-pressed therapeutic grade oils of maximum potency
• Never tested on animals
• Gluten-free
• Earth-friendly: packaged in recyclable containers
• Made fresh to order, one small batch at a time

5:01 Cosmetics Eyeshadow Review

When 5:01 Cosmetics was looking for reviewers I was more than willing to give the products a try.  However, First I had to find out what if anything they had to offer that was gluten free.  The only gluten free products that they make are the eye shadows.

Schick Hydro Razor - Review

 

I am a Bzz agent and this comes with some great perks.  Some of those perks include trying products for free.  Recently I was allowed to try the Schick Hydro Razor.  I replaced my Schick Quarto with the Hydro and a few weeks to see what I thought.

The First Month of your Gluten Free Diet

The first two weeks to a month of your new gluten free diet are critical. This is the time when your body is just starting to heal and you are just starting to drop your addiction to gluten and gluten containing products.  It is also the time where a lot of people screw up.  You may not know that you are still eating gluten.  Check this post to find out what can sneak gluten in Sneaky gluten containing foods.

Nail Polish: Nail Scribbles

Ever doodle in class and just make a mess out of lines.  Even though you made a complete mess it looks kind of neat.  Did you know that you can do with your nails? This look is based on the coffee designs.  If it works for coffee why wouldn’t it work for nails? 

Eyeshadow Trend: Emerald

With Emerald being the Color of 2013 that means that other bright colors are going to be showing up.  It also means things like green eye shadow, nail polish, eye liner, clothing and accessories.Of course Every Product you use will be gluten free it is only healthy.  Green can look great as almost anything.   The eye shadow and eye liner are going to be where the biggest mistakes are made using this color.

A Cheaper Way to Apply Hair Chalk!

A perfect color pallet, and only around $8.00 for all the colors.

Want to join in the new way to add temporary color to your hair; don’t want to pay the stupid prices for hair chalk?  You can get the same look using pastel chalk (NOT the oils). Most of these products are Gluten free.  They are simply made that way!

What you will need:

New Year's Nail Idea

Around Halloween I was lamenting in the fact that I couldn't find a silver or gold crackle top.  While I was doing the last of my Christmas shopping I found both gold and silver crackles.  This is what gave me the idea for amazing New Year nails. 

Start with a sheer or neutral nail polish.  I had a little iridescence to mine because I like the look. 

Allow that to dry completely.

Without a tip guide put the crackle just on the ends.  Use only one layer and put it on slightly thick. 

Again allow that to dry.

Then put on a thick clear coat to add some fantastic shine and make the polish look wet.  

End result is that your nails look like they were dipped in silver or gold. The lack of a guide makes it looked more like it really is dipped.

I did a gold accent nail just to show the colors.

Last Second Gluten free gifts

So you have an extra guest coming tomorrow for christmas that you didn't plan on and you don't have a gift for them.  This is not an issue, I have some quick homemade ideas that will mkae them feel special. 

For her:

Facial Scrubs

4 tsp. of honey
2 tsp. of sugar
4 tsp coffee grounds
I add a few drops of lemon for a fresh scent but you can use small drops of essential oils for scent.

Put into a cute cup and wrap however you choose.

Facial Mask

2 cups natural yogurt (plain)
1 cup oatmeal(plain)

mix together and add the directions to leave on the face for 10-15 minutes and to keep refrigerated.

Foot Scrub

4 tsp. of honey
2 tsp. of sugar
2 tsp baking soda
4 tsp coffee grounds
Essential oil or aloe

Mix together and package nicely.

Lip Gloss

Mix together any broken or unused eyeshadow that fits the person personality and tones of the guest (assuming you have met them) with patrolium jelly in a small pot and close tightly.

 

For Him:

Try food like cookies or candies (depending)
Or a beer and cheese gift (gluten free of course)
Popcorn and penuts

Depending on the man some of the above may be a good suggestion.  

You are never out of gift ideas as long as you have a well stocked kitchen.  Don't panic just take a few minutes to throw something together that makes them feel special. 

This way no one comes or leaves empty handed. 

What is your best last minute gift ideas?

Manicure Monday

Back to my kick for magnetic nail polish I was able to pick up a bottle of LA girl magnetic for around $3.00 at Five and Below.  While baking, I ruined my last manicure so it was time to switch.  I love this color since it looks deep kind of like some of the new car paints.  That mixed with a clear magnetic pattern it made it an easy choice. 

Baring my poor abilities which are getting better each time I have to apply a new coat, the polish worked really well.  Not it has to be shaken a lot since it tends to settle. 

I used a clear coat to seal it and hope it lasts longer than my very time consuming French tips that decided they hated me. 

Note the pictures are before the clean up and touch up!

Question of the day!

What is your favorite polish brand?

A Christmas Nail idea!

I decided that it was a perfect time to get my nails ready to decorate my tree on Saturday!  This had me thinking about what would be the perfect design.  I am not really great at doing nails; I have no artistic ability so I decided to do something easy.  A colored French manicure.  The next issue presents its self.  I can't find my tip guides.  What I ended up doing was using masking tape.  As you can see it turned out really well, and masking tape is much cheaper than nail tip guides.  It doesn't create the perfect shape; however, it is close enough.

 First coat of green (it photographed grey, but it is a deep green) Allow to dry completely! Don't worry if you make a mistake, nail polish can be cleaned up easily from skin so don't be afraid to get a little bit outside of the lines. 

 The second coat should completely coat the nails evenly!  Allow to dry, wrap the nails in the masking tape (or tip guides) showing the amount of tip you want.  Apply the tip in a thick coat, and then allow drying time.

Once the tip is on and dry, remove the tape or guides.  And start cleaning up the edges; I use an ear swab and regular strength nail polish remover to clean the edges.

Once the edges are clean it is time to apply a clear coat.  Since the edges are uneven you will need a thick coat of clear (or top) coat.  This is to even out the nail to a flatter surface.

Once the clear coat is dry, you are good to go! This style should last at least a week if you used good nail polish. If you missed a little polish in the clean up (like I did) don't worry it will come off in the shower!  I used Glittering forest and red slippers as my colors.  Feel free to play with all sorts of Christmas themed colors.  Remember that nail polish is not permanent so I enjoy playing with colors and styles.

Question of the day!

What type of colors are you going to use for the holiday season? What type of design if any?