Garnier Skin Renew Dark Spot Peel

 

 

 

Hello. Angry Baby Heather here, and I still have spotty sun spots.

 

Looking back at my old before photos I realize the spots have faded quite a bit after an IPL photofacial treatment, two microderm treatments and various at home treatments (PMD microderm, various serums, and lots of SPF). Makes me happier, but I still want them completely gone. Also, notice how often I change my hair color. Poor hair.

 

BzzAgent offered to send me Garnier Skin Renew Dark Spot Peel to test and review and of course I said yes. I will try just about anything that will even out my skin tone.

 

Here are my before photos:

 

 

 

Not bad. But not good enough, dammit.

 

So, let's talk about the serum.

 

Smell: Meh. Not good, not bad. I didn't really notice it.

 

Texture: Feels just like some expensive serums I have tried in the past. It is clear and semi gooey feeling, spreads easily and absorbs quickly. You may feel a slight tingling sensation, that's the acid dissolving your face. Just kidding. It is working it's magic, attacking dead skin cells.

 

What happens: I noticed about 20-30 minutes after applying the nightly peel that I could literally scrub off dead skin with my fingers, that's how well it works. At first I was slightly concerned that it was too strong to use every night, but I went for it and everything was fine. Dead skin always comes off, but my skin is never irritated. My skin felt more and more smooth by the day and I noticed it was brighter and healthier looking.

 

Thirty days later it was time for an after photo comparison:

St. Ives Review

I admit it, I'm a beauty product junkie. I love reading about, seeing, and trying new products as soon as they're available. Sometimes my lust for the latest and greatest makes me forget about tried and true classics, like St. Ives. The lovely people at St. Ives sent me some goodies to review, including the ultimate always and forever amazing Apricot Scrub.

I still remember seeing St. Ives Apricot Scrub among my mom's things and loving that is smelled just like my Apricot doll. (She was the only doll I ever liked and had white hair and always used big words, seriously, so much foreshadowing of what was to come...) I don't think the formula has changed a bit, and it still works wonders on skin. I treated myself to a little DIY pedicure before a Memorial Day BBQ, where my feet made their reappearance in a super cute pair of wedge sandals. Just work the scrub into wet skin and let those little granules do their magic. The apricot oil helps keep your skin hydrated and nourished out of the shower. This is one of those products that made me feel so grown up once I started using it, like I'd finally become part of the secret Lady's Beauty Club. It's still winning awards and smoothing out skin of ladies and gents all over the world. I hadn't used it in ages, but judging how quickly I emptied the tub St. Ives sent me, it seems safe to say that I'm back in the scrub club.

I also got two different face washes from St. Ives' olive line - Moisturizing Olive Scrub and the Moisturizing Olive Cleanser. The olive products are gentle and will keep skin moisturized, I normally wouldn't use a moisturizing product - my skin is oily-slash-combination, so I stick to products made for oily skin. But lately I've been seeing some annoying dry spots on my face, what better time than to try these two cleansers? Both have a wonderful, fresh olive scent I'm kind of crazy about. I keep the scrub in the shower and use it on my neck and décolletage, since those areas need a little TLC too. I use the cleanser with my Clarisonic Mia, and my skin feels soooooo soft and clean afterward.

I enjoyed my trip down memory lane with St. Ives, especially with the Apricot Scrub - which, if you haven't used it in a while (or ever), is worth a revisit. Grab yourself a tub of it from the drugstore and scrub away! Then show off that fresh clean skin at the next beach blanket BBQ, but don't you dare forget the sunscreen!

May Birchbox Review & Contest

I feel like I should be ringing bells or banging gongs right about now. I've been looking forward to the Gossip Girl themed Birchbox for weeks, and now it's here! The best part is..... It's contest time! Whoreders will be giving one lucky reader a 3 month subscription to Birchbox!

Here's what you need to do: leave a comment on this post telling us about your favorite beauty product. That's it! Easy as leave-in conditioner, my friends. Make sure to sign in when leaving your comment (either to Blogger, Google, etc.) so we can get in touch with you. The contest will be end at 11:59 pm (PST) on May 31st, and there is one entry per person (duplicates will be taken out of the drawing). The winner will be announced on June 1st in a blog post and on our Facebook page, so keep those lovely peepers peeled!

P.S. If you already have a Birchbox subscription, we'll give you a $30 gift certificate to use on anything your heart desires. This contest is brought to you by Whoreders, and is not sponsored by or affiliated with Birchbox.

Woo! Are you excited?! Let's dig into this Gossip Girl box and see what we've got!

Swanky Sweepin' Volume 32

Daily:

Beauty products  Daily winners, ends 5/31

Beach stuffs  300 winners, ends 6/10

Cute stuffs from Teen Vogue   (don't judge me, my inner teen says yes to some of these items), daily prizes, ends 5/31

April Birchbox

It's Birchbox time again! This month the theme is "Natural Wonders", is stocked with products inspired by nature. So there are skincare goodies made with natural ingredients, nail polish that uses healthier alternatives, and perfume with natural and earthly notes. Perfect timing for spring, when everyone gets the urge to clean up, throw out yuckiness and charge into the season renewed and refreshed.

Let's take a peek inside...

Beauty Bar's Sample Society

To celebrate Spa Week, we're gonna bring you a little extra beauty courtesy of Beauty Bar's Sample Society. You all know I'm obsessed with Birchbox, and I've become suspicious of copycats, but I think Sample Society is a winner. If you're familiar with Birchbox, you'll know how the basics of Sample Society work, but there are a few differences. First off, Sample Society is $15 per month. For those $15 you get 5 samples from high end brands, a code for $15 off a purchase of $50 or more that includes at least one item from your box (code is good for 60 days!), expert beauty advice that comes with each box, and a one-year subscription to Allure magazine.

For the time being, there are no personalized boxes, everyone gets the same one every month. You can cancel at any time, and there's an easy to use website dashboard where you can make changes to your account, review your boxes and browse other goodies available from Beauty Bar.

And now for the question of the (Spa) week, what's in the box....?

Gotta Have It: Zit Zappin Serum

It's happened to all of us, usually right before a big date or the night before you're going to take your new ID picture. Sometimes you can cover it up with makeup magic, side swept bangs, mourning veil or a band-aid (my favorite technique in junior high) - but if none of these tricks work, you might have to pull out the big guns. I'm talking about all those countless cleansers, serums, scrubs, balms and voodoo rituals we've all heard about and tried. Let's be honest, there's no one sure-fire pimple fix. What works for one person, might not do a thing for another, and your bff's favorite solution might turn your skin into dragon scales.

But before we all sink into a Debbie Downer moment, let's remember that the only way you'll find something that works is by keeping your eyes and ears open for new things to try. That's what I've got for you today, something that actually cleared up two spots on my face overnight, literally.

*cue choir of angels singing*

Say hello to Juice Beauty's Blemish Clearing Serum! I got it in a Birchbox a few months ago, and at the time I was lucky enough to be clear skinned and fresh faced, so I wasn't able to see its full power. But Aunt Flow brought me a special surprise and gave me, not one, but two(!) different kinds of pimples last week. One was a small white-tipped little devil on my cheek, and the other was a scarlet monster on the side of my nose. After I stopped crying hysterically, I remembered that I had a lil' tube of this stuff in my sample treasure box. I applied a little on each spot after washing my face, and hoped for the best.

Now, if I were a smart person, I probably would have taken a photo of the "before". But... I'm not, and I didn't. But I swear on a stack of Vogues that my skin cleared up overnight. The smaller one shrank to almost nothing, it disappeared completely after applying makeup. Big red vanished completely. Guys, I'm not joking, this thing looked like a mosquito bite on the side of my nose, and it was GONE the next morning.


I've gotten a couple of Juice Beauty products from Birchbox, and I've been totally impressed. The products are available online on their website, and from Birchbox. It's also sold at Whole Foods and other small boutiques/spas, click here to find a location near you. 


He-Man Picture from Cheezburgers

March Birchbox

There was a slight delay in my Birchbox this month, do you think they were just messing with me because it was my birthday? Well... the real reason may be that there were two box options to choose from this month, the regular March shipment or the special Teen Vogue box. I'm not exaggerating when I say that I spent about 20 minutes staring at my email, trying to decide which one I wanted. Because I faced turning another year older this month, I went with the Teen Vogue box to make myself feel younger. Let's see if it worked...

Product Review: Garnier Miracle Skin Perfector B.B. Cream

 

We Whoreders love BzzAgent, and are always excited when new campaigns come out and we get to take part. I was chomping at the bit for one campaign in particular, the Garnier Miracle Skin Perfector B.B. Cream. I am obsessed with B.B. Creams at the moment and have been using them regularly for the past few weeks. I was lucky enough to be chosen for the campaign and received a BzzKit from BzzAgent, which included a full size tube for me to try and give report back on. 

Before we dive in, let me explain what B.B. creams are to those who aren't familiar with it. It's short for "beauty balm" or "blemish balm", and in my own technical terms, a super-duper tinted moisturizer. It's an all-in-one product that's a serum, moisturizer, sunscreen, primer and sheer foundation all rolled into one. Can you see why I'm so amped to try it? One product can take the place of all those, meaning you're saving time and money, that's what Whoreders love best!

DIY Beauty: Body Scrub

Hello, Whoreders! For this edition of DIY Beauty we've brought in a very special guest Whoreder contributor, Kim. She's a good friend of ours and is known for her perfect poses (even when we're on a roller coaster) and her DIY beauty skills. She made us all an incredible scrub for Christmas, and we've all been raving about it ever since. I talked her into doing a guest post with us here, to share her knowledge and pass on the gift of soft, glowy skin to all of you. Take it away, Kim!

Heather's Top Ten Bargain Beauty Favs

We all have our favorite beauty buys that are reliable and cheap.

These are mine, ladies.

1. Organix Moroccan Argan Oil. This stuff smells great, lasts a long time, smooths out my hair and makes it feel healthy. $8.

2. Dove Beauty Bar. Gentle enough to use on my face, I always keep a bar in the shower.

Birchbox: February

Birchbox time is upon us again! This month my box was all about skincare and a cool new trend in eyeliner that I've been dying to try. In the last couple of months I've convinced a couple of friends to sign up for Birchbox, two of them got wait-listed for about a month. Birchbox is blowin' up! I think a lot of people were gifted subscriptions over the holidays and it caused a traffic jam of requests. But it all seems to be back to business as usual, so if you've been waiting to subscribe - Go! Go now! Okay, let's take a look at what's in my box this month...

Swanky Sweepin' Volume 21

Daily:

NY & Co. giftcard 15 winners a day, ends 3/15

Baking stuff from Cake Boss 20 winners a day, ends 2/29

Single:

Personal laser hair removal thingy 5 winners, ends 2/23. I waaannt ittt.

Meet Katy Perry in Glendale (no transportation), ends 2/21

Bare Minerals Blush and Bronzer 100 winners, ends 2/27

Trip to the Mob Museum in Vegas Ends 2/29

See Mary Poppins on Broadway Ends 2/27.. Herp Derp.

$100 Macys gift card 12 winners, ends 2/29

Trip to NYC Ends 3/4

Acai skincare 75 winners, ends 3/2

A year supply of Bumble and Bumble shampoo and conditioner, ends 3/2

Coachella tickets Ends 3/14

Vanessa's Top Ten Budget Beauty Buys

Normally, these top ten lists come at the end of the year, but we Whoreders were a little busy wrapping presents and mixing cocktails. Whoops. I get some flack from people (Heatherrr!) for my fancy product lustin', but I'm also a big believer in budget buys (I AM!). I put together a list of my top ten favorites, all found at your local drugstore for under $20.

Ready? Here they are, in no particular order...