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The Clarisonic Mia was sent to me to test and review on my blog. I had already done quite a bit of research on this product and was very excited to give it a try.

I purchased the delicate brush head for my personal use since I have such extremely reactive skin. For clients I used the sensitive brush head which comes standard with most Clarisonic devices. I gave this new beauty gadget a month in my daily regimen, using it morning and night. Unfortunately my skin is not meant to have this much exfoliation/disruption to it’s surface. I was more broken out then when I was a teenager and kept thinking maybe my skin is actually this congested and the Clarisonic was helping bring it all out. My dear girlfriend Jai (www.refashionedbyjai.com) who is a licensed Esthetician suggested I stop using the device all together because my skin type wasn’t meant to handle the roughness! I took her advice and quit using the Clarisonic and in 24 hours all the smaller irritation and bumps were gone. I couldn’t believe it!.

To give you a more rounded opinion I had my girlfriend use the Clarisonic for a month and she loved it. She didn’t have any of the irritation I did and used the sensitive brush head vs, the delicate. I may give this device a few more opportunities to work with my skin, i.e. Using it only once a week as a type of treatment regimen, or once a month if once a week doesn’t bode well, however I feel if it is still that upsetting to my face I’ll probably give it up all together,

I’m not going to say the Clarisonic isn’t a good beauty product. I loved the invigorated feeling it gave my skin it was just unfortunate i had such a bad reaction. As with all beauty gadgets and major purchases make sure there is a return policy if you want to give this product a try.

The Clarisonic can be used with any cleansers and the Mia model is the perfect model for travel. I want to thank Clarisonic for giving me the opportunity to try their product and hope you will find this review helpful in making your decision to invest in this great beauty product!

I am definitely a fan of this cream! As everyone knows, I’m sensitive and lately have started to get a real grasp on my skin and face care. During The Makeup Show in Chicago I walked by the Naked booth and met a rep who was pretty excited about their new cream. I’m never excited about new skin creams but after reading the jar felt it would be okay to try. I was surprised at how quickly the cream absorbed into the back of my hand. After two minutes of no itching I went ahead and covered my entire arm. The cream absorbed quickly and didn’t leave a sticky or slick residue.

There’s a very light fragrance from the natural ingredients and the consistency is great, unlike a lot of runny or clogging pump style creams on the market. I purchased a large cream for my own use and the additional two sample sized jars were perfect for my makeup kit! How many times do we give away product if a client loves it? These are perfect for such moments and always makes you a favorite among your peers! Needless to say, for the rest of The Makeup Show my girlfriends and I would loudly announce we needed to go “get Naked” and enjoy the glares and stares. This is one “Naked” people shouldn’t be so stuffy about!

Two weeks have gone by and I’m not nearly as dry or itchy and some of the nicks and scrapes on my legs/arms are healing up too (probably because I’m not constantly scratching).The cream has active Manuca Honey which aids in healing! I’ve yet to actually put the product on my face but have a friend who has and she’s loving it.

Naked’s Advanced Skin Cream as described on their website:
A result of extensive research into the very most effective ingredients in skin care, including several newly discovered. Designed for both face & body this is a complete solution in skin care and cellular regeneration.
This formula is highly organic, and contains Aloe Vera, Amino Acids, Vitamins and minerals, Shea Butter and some incredible natural oils the skin needs. We also use a special grade of Algae which
contains almost every organic mineral in trace amounts, which is what the skin needs to heal.
We have also included in Naked Advanced Skin Cream Active Manuca Honey from New Zealand. This was recently approved by the FDA as a healing device.

You can purchase this fabulous product at:
www.milazzobeauty.com

I recently shocked myself by trying a new skin care line and wanted to share with you how it’s been going. If you know me at all, you’ve already heard me talk about my excitement with the Kate Somerville products and are aware of my annoyingly sensitive skin. This has been a huge deal for me!

Having sensitive skin, it’s such a trial trying something new. Susan Roth is the heaven sent sales rep at Neiman’s on Michigan Ave in Chicago who came over to me and asked if she could talk to me for a few minutes about my skin. It was in bad shape that day after two full days of hair styling products wreaking havoc on my skin. Susan saw the problem and shared with me her desire to help me get my skin under control. She gave me enough samples to last two weeks. I started the regimen that night and found I wasn’t nearly as oily the next morning. Surprised, I kept using the products. My skin was SO confused but seemed to show a balanced improvement each morning. After two weeks I was SO happy to see my skin the clearest and smoothest it’s been in probably ten years. Yea, pretty amazing!

I booked an appointment with Susan and purchased everything! I couldn’t be happier with how things are going. Granted, I have what Susan calls “reactionary” skin so I will never stop having problems or breakouts due to hairspray, free radicals, etc. but at least I now feel I have a better system in place to treat, heal and promote better protection through the ups and downs.

The products I use from Kate Somerville’s line are:

Gentle Daily Wash

ExfoliKate Gentle

Goat Milk Cream

Quench Serum

Deep Tissue Repair

Clinic To Go Pads

I love EVERYTHING I’ve listed above and recommend the ExfoliKate (Gentle or Normal) to everyone. The Clinic To Go Pads are an absolute blessing as I am now able to resurface my skin without it giving me hell for trying! If you have a Neiman Marcus near you, head on over and get samples to try for your skin type. For those of you living in the Chicagoland/Milwaukee area make an appointment with Susan Roth (info below)!

Neiman Marcus (On Michigan Avenue in Chicago)
Susan Roth – Product Specialist w/ Kate Somerville
312-642-5900 Ext 2016
Let Susan know you found her through my blog! She does this great treatment on your skin with a purchase. I’ve never looked younger!! I seriously looked like I was 20 and it was free with the purchase of products!

I’m continuing to love this line and recently had the chance to use the ExfoliKate Body Scrub!! It heats up a little bit in the shower and gives you a revived feeling and smells divine!

If you have any questions or live in a different area and want to hook up with a sales rep, let me know!

Best wishes everyone and HAPPY SKIN!!!

I am IN LOVE with this line of brushes! I recently purchased several of the Maestro and Studio Line brushes at the American Beauty Show in Chicago. The weight of the handles and sturdiness of the bristles impressed me immediately! Unfortunately after about 30 uses with several of the Duet Fiber brushes from the Studio Line, the black bristles were shedding everywhere. I shared my disappointment onTwitter that I once again had shedding bristles from synthetic/natural fiber duos and within 30 minutes Daniel from Bdellium Tools contacted me! I discovered that Daniel and Edward definitely care about the integrity of their brand and the satisfaction of the artists who purchase them. After a few emails sharing my concerns and frustration, Daniel had me return the troubled brushes and exchanged them for me. He also sent several brushes from the Green Bambu line to see if the fully synthetic bristles would work better for the type of use I was demanding from my brushes.

Here are the brushes from the Studio Line (787, 965, 958)

I originally chose these brushes over the Green Bambu because I like long handles and though they are as bright as a No.2 Pencil the weight of the brush and length of the handle impressed me along with the density and softness of the bristles. Unfortunately the replacements are still shedding even though I now only use them for powders and absolutely no creams which has reduced the amount of breakage. My assumption is the natural fiber hairs (the black bristles) can’t handles the constant bending and movement of the synthetic fiber hairs( the white bristles) so the black bristles start to break off.

Here are the brushes from the Green Bambu (959, 964,787)

I started using these brushes the day they arrived from Bdellium Tools as an option to the Duet Fiber Brushes. They have been AMAZING! I am not getting the breakage on faces and they are just as hefty in the handle and hair density as the Studio Line. The smaller handles haven’t been the problem I thought they would be which makes them even more fabulous! The green tone of the bristles and handles weren’t my favorite but boy are they the biggest conversation starter!! These three brushes have quickly become my go to brushes for blushes, highlights and contouring with cream AND powders. Every model I’ve used them on has commented on the softness. This is pretty impressive to me because I only have two brushes in my kit that get that kind of love, the Japonesque Pro Powder Brush (Squirrel Blend) & the Cover FX #160 Cream Foundation Brush (Goat Hair). Both of these brushes use natural hairs so to have three synthetic fiber brushes getting notice is pretty awesome!

Thank you again Bdellium Tools and especially to Daniel who took the time to investigate the situation, replace my sad brushes and send me some amazing optionals. Much love to Bdellium Tools and I highly recommend the purchase of the Green Bambu Brushes!!

Bdellium Tools
http://bdelliumtools.com/
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