Face

Gigi here! I began to sketch at the age of four using pencils and then colored pencils and graduated to paints--watercolor, acrylic, and oil.  Painting is not something I can handle well right now but am trusting that I will once again take up pigments and tools.  Seeing makeup displays whips me into a frenzy, makes my heart pound, and foam at the mouth.  I feel so sorry for men, as the poor things don't get to "play" as we do.  I would make a terrible man.

In first grade, I was using my crayons to draw women. I don't imitate the work of others but merely create what I see in life and in my head.  So the ladies I drew in art class at age six were very different from the other children's renderings--they had shadows where their busts would be and weren't stick figures.  I recall drawing one woman in a vivid red sweater, bosom and all, and being the object of wrath from our nun.  She bellowed, "Gigi Marie Sommers!  What is wrong with you?  Do you want to go to hell for this sinful work?  I thought you were a good girl.  Hurry up and try to erase those bumps before the priest comes.  And red, of all colors!  You shame me!"  I hurriedly did as she asked, as I didn't want to risk Eternity over artwork.

Sweetassgal here today with another fabuloso Green Chi Tuesdays!  Fabulous is a word that gets thrown around a LOT these days.  This wine is fabulous, the restaurant is fabulous, your bag is fabulous...and they may very well be but what sets the fabulous apart from the UBER-fabulous?  Well darlings...its all about the "oohhh" factor wrapped up in super shiny, superficial, and super HOT packaging!  I know, I know...it's what's on the INSIDE that counts but sometimes I just want to wallow in shallow!  Occasionally, don't we all?  How else to you explain the fact that the Kardashian's have their own TV show?  Shallow is the new talented.

K-clan aside there is nothing wrong with falling a little in love with just a package.  Get your mind out of the gutter...NOT that kind...the kind that appears before you all sparkly and shining, with the light gleaming off of every facet and your eyes dancing with delight!  The kind that is bejeweled and glittering and makes you squeal like a school girl.  I'm talking about the SUPER adorable silver and rhinestone packaging of the new Limited Edition Tarte 3 Carats Mini Cheek Stain!  The second I saw mine I was booty shakin' in my seat and ready to tackle anyone who would let me try it on them!  I loved it that much...and I don't even use cheek color.  Insert sad sigh of regret here.  No worries...sparkly lovin' mavens abound and so I started out on my quest to bejewel the apple cheeks of my friends and family.

Sweetassgal here getting ready to bring you plenty of love in my upcoming reviews thanks to the amazing women at Juice Beauty!  Meg has stocked me with plenty of JB to last for weeks of reviews and I'm happy to say I'm luxuriating in them ALL!  95% Organic, check, passionate women check check, not just some faceless corporate makeup machine...check all the way to the organic beauty aisle at Whole Foods.  But where to start?

Well ladies...doesn't all beauty begin with a clean canvas?  Why yes, it does!  So it's Juice Beauty's Cleansing Gel for combo/oily skin for us today.  I have high expectations for any cleansing product because I expect it to do a myriad of miraculous wonders for my skin.  I need a flawless palette upon which to ply my makeup wares and anything short of my expectations is going to end up in la garbaaage.  That's a tall order for any cleanser.  Throw in the hurdles of being based in organic principals and ingredients and you've not only got a hurdle...you've got the frickin' Golden Gate Bridge to clear.  

Gigi here! Okay, let’s be candid and have a “Dr. Phil moment" now.  I’ve cheated several times throughout the years.  It wasn’t always pretty and there were repercussions and damage control to do afterward.  I didn’t discuss my episodes with others but wondered how many others did what I did.  Some were brief dalliances, and then I had full-throttle love affairs whose pleasures nearly justified my deceit.  Before I go further, I’m talking about using different facial soaps and skin cleansers throughout my life, never staying loyal to just one—what were you thinking?  For shame!
 
In high school, Cuticura’s deep blue and Neutrogena’s golden bar soaps kept my skin clear.  Another wonder?  Ivory soap, pure and simple.  Before I am run out of this site by a group of wilding Megheads, please listen.  I’ve had more women with flawless complexions tell me that they have used only Ivory and that less is more.   My only question with the brand is why a bar that is 99 and 44/100% pure stings my eyes so viciously.  It must be something in the missing .56%.
 
A wise reader of this site, hao9703, e-mailed me and mentioned that she has run the gamut when it comes to cleansing, from Kinerase (can you say “mucho dinero down the draino?”) to Cetaphil® and asked if there is much difference between drugstore and department store formulas.  She is a wise steward of her resources.  Her message told me that she fully comprehended why I try to point out that women often—not always—pay mainly for name recognition and packaging and I did a dance of joy.  Without a dissection of formulas, more products than you know have the same key ingredients and only the names and places where they are purchased differentiate them.  Thank you for writing and allowing me to come clean, literally and figuratively.  My favorite all-time cleansers have included Cetaphil® for years now and I was ecstatic that you mentioned it.  I had meant to critique it a long time ago.  Their slogan is “Every Age.  Every Stage.  Every Day.”  Gee, I wish I had thought of that because it’s absolutely true.

Sweet Polly Purebred probably tried "Pure & True" products just based on their company name alone. Jeanasina here! I got to try the Glow Intensive C Rejuvenating Serum product by Pure & True because Meg loves me and sent it to me! YAY!!!

I have to quote the company because I was totally revved up as I read about them, listen to this: “We believe that true beauty is a sense of peace and well-being – indulging oneself while giving back and treading lightly on the Earth. As a company, we truly care about the way that we conduct business, the choices we make, and how these choices impact our health and environment. We are dedicated to creating luxurious organic products that make a difference for everyone.” Their words are “love pure” which is their commitment to pure ingredients!

As I mentioned, my product to try from this lovely company is called GLOW Intensive C Rejuvenating Serum. Doesn't that name itself sound nice? Anything that has the word 'rejuvenating' as part of it's name says to me that there is a possibility of major changes happening in the dastardly skin department! The formula comes in an clean looking white decanter with a silver top which looks quite impressive on your vanity. It stands out as a 'high end' product. Under the cap is a push dispenser which doles out the magic, rose hip, infused with vitamins C & E and several other natural ingredients, product. This serum is structured to revitalize your skin and promote collagen synthesis and lighten hyper pigmentation. All those things are things I have my hand raised up in the air for daily while I shout “Pick me! Pick me! I need those things! I need collagen for droopy skin" and I have hyper pigmentation big time which is another way to say “horrible, unsightly, stupid-for-sun-bathing-like-a-maniac-skin-damage!" Bring it! Slather me up – make it transform! GLOW was easy to use as it's intent is to be a one step treatment that combines the power of a serum and the hydration of a moisturizer. It can be used as an eye treatment and all over the face and neck. For best results you should use it on clean skin morning and night! This means don't put it on immediately after you get home from your mud-wrestling gig.