Love's Sugar Kiss (aka, the poor man's Pink Sugar)

It is so rare that I find a new, interesting body spray at the drugstore these days. I don't know about you, but I'm so sick of seeing the same Calgon, Body Fantasies, Healing Garden and Essence of Beauty fragrances that I'm just not even excited to walk down those aisles anymore.

So when I saw the above products at Rite-Aid, I was giddy like a school girl!  For $4.99 you get a huge bottle of body mist and a huge bottle of body lotion (each bottle is 12 oz!), both in the scent of Love's Sugar Kiss.

I like to call Sugar Kiss "the poor man's Pink Sugar" because to my nose, it's a lighter, watered-down version of Pink Sugar by Aquolina. Obviously it's not as rich or complex as the real thing, but it's got the basic essence of Pink Sugar and, because it's so much lighter, it's not as syrupy and headache-inducing as Pink Sugar can be.  It's a subtle yet very sweet scent that is just plain fun to wear.

So for $4.99 this is quite a steal, and the nozzle on these bottles is in the shape of a heart! What a cute added bonus.

Do you own Love's Sugar Kiss? If so, do you agree with me that it's "Pink Sugar Lite"? 

Review: The New and Improved(?) L'Oreal Color Riche Lipcolour

I have recently started to re-appreciate (is that a word?) L'Oreal lipsticks. I use so many different brands of lipstick that L'Oreal Color Riche often gets lost in the shuffle. But lately I've gone back to L'Oreal because they seem to offer such a huge variety of shade options, and of course I'm always trying to break out of my pinky-brown lip color habit.

So the other day I spotted this display:

(click the image to read the fine print)

L'Oreal has reformulated their classic Color Riche line and added a new "Color-Clarity Technology" to make the colors more rich and true-to-life. In my experience, L'Oreal Color Riche Lipcolours tend to wear on the sheer side (with the exception of their reds and darker shades), and they also have a tendency to look different in the tube than on your lips. So I was very excited to try the new and improved Color Riche. Oh, I should add that my local Rite-Aid had these on clearance, so I was able to snatch one up for 4 bucks and some change. Bonus!

I picked up shade 512, "Magnificent Mauve" which, in the tube looks like a medium...um...pinky-brown. I guess I really can't stray too far now, can I?

I immediately took this to my Lipstick Fitting Room (aka, my car) and snapped a pic in full sunlight:

(Looks like a nice medium pinky-brown creme, right?)

And then I applied it (still in my car to take advantage of the bright sunlight:

(sorry for the shadow--it's the best I can do with my Blackberry)

Hello!! Where in the heck did this iridescent, shimmery, sheer pinky-peach color come from?? Seriously, scroll back up to the tube and compare it to the color on my lips!

I have to say that while this IS a very pretty color, and I actually do not regret the purchase (hey, I unknowingly broke out of my pinky-brown rut!), this is so NOT what I expected. At all.

I'm sitting here looking at the tube while I write this and, honestly, you have to actually swipe the color before you can even see the shimmer. The shimmer is absolutely undetectable on the untouched portion of the lipstick (unless maybe if you use a magnifying glass).

Final Analysis: While I have only tried one tube of the reformulated Color Riche lipcolor, I cannot vouch for the claim that the new formulation gives you true-to-life color. But even though it's still a guessing game with L'Oreal lipsticks, I kind of like the surprise when it works in my favor. I'm sure I'll purchase more in the future, but I will do it knowing that the color in the tube is probably not going to match the color on my lips.

Suave Tori Spelling Gift Bag Giveaway!

[NOTE: THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED. PLEASE DO NOT ATTEMPT TO ENTER. THANKS--RECESSIONISTA]

Since day one, I have been a devoted fan of the original Beverly Hills 90210 (I still watch it on Soapnet) and, naturally, a fan of Tori Spelling (I also watch Tori & Dean: Home Sweet Hollywood on Oxygen channel). So I truly cannot express to you how excited I am to bring you this amazing giveaway from Suave (as you know, one of my favorite brands, ever).

Tori Spelling and Dean McDermott were joined by over 100 guests to help celebrate daughter Stella’s first birthday. Guests included Melissa Joan Hart, Lisa Rinna, Harry Hamlin and Scott Baio. The lucky winner of this giveaway will receive an assortment of some of the very same gifts given to the guests at Stella's first birthday party!

The theme of Stella's first birthday was ladybugs (and I believe Stella's nickname, "Buggy", comes from this theme) so all of the gifts below incorporate the ladybug/garden party theme. Soooo cute!

Here's what the winner will receive:

Four bottles of Suave Kids 2 in 1 Shampoo Smoothers in Fairy Berry Strawberry (Retail: $2.20 each)

This gentle, creamy conditioning formula makes bath time tear-free, reducing tangles and split-ends and leaving hair feeling extra soft. Formulated to help eliminate tough tangles, it gently cleans and moisturizes for less than the more expensive brands.

One Pixie Bow (Retail: $6-$8 each):

[ NOTE: Images above are of various designs created for Stella's Birthday Party; winner will receive just one of these styles.]

A new twist and fresh new look to hair clips, Pixie Bows created custom Pixie Bows for Stella and Stella’s guests. The designers Sharon and Holly created flower felt clips and ladybug adorned felt clips for Stella and her guests.

One Cloud B Twilight Ladybug (Retail: $34)

From the Cloud B website:

Twilight Ladybug™ - Constellation Nightlight Transforms Any Room Into A Starry Night Sky
2008 Creative Child Magazine Top Choice of the Year, 2008 National Parenting Publications Honors Award

Float away in peaceful slumber under a beautiful star-filled sky. Twilight Ladybug makes bedtime fun and helps ease children’s fear of the dark by projecting a starry night sky onto bedroom ceiling and walls. Stars and Ladybug shell illuminate in three magical colors to help children sleep easier. The perfect sleep companion for children of all ages!

Twilight Ladybug Features:

• Full night sky projection on ceiling and walls
• Three color options: Sapphire Blue, Emerald Green & Ruby Red
• Shell illuminates for a calming nightlight effect
• Auto shut-off — 45 minute sleep timer
• Twilight Ladybug Star Guide to help identify constellations
• Includes Twilight Ladybug story and adoption certificate
• Three AAA batteries
• Dimensions: 14" long, 5.5" tall
• Ideal for ages 2 to adult

One pair of Robeez Shoes (Retail: $31.95)

[Note: You will receive one pair similar or possibly identical to this pair of "Butterfly" Mini Shoez. Winner cannot request specific size; size received will most likely be Size 4, 9-12 mos]

Barefoot is best, choose Robeez next. The best shoe mimics bare feet, by supporting - not constricting tiny growing feet. Robeez footwear flex and bend with every step. They promote good balance and unrestricted growth, while protecting little feet from the world. They stay on too, with elasticized ankles to ensure a perfectly snug fit. From crawling to cruising, walking to running, for indoors and out, Robeez makes different shoes for newborns to four-year-olds. Robeez provided a variety of styles for Stella’s guests' gift bag in line with the Garden Tea Party theme.

Here's how to enter:

Leave a comment on this post telling me what your favorite Suave product is and why.

That's it! That's all you have to do to be officially entered.

Now on to the (very important) fine print:

Contest ends Midnight Pacific on July 18th. I will select a winner via Random.org's List Randomizer. Winner will be notified by email (from me) on July 19th and will have 24 hours to respond or will forfeit prizes and another winner will be drawn.

1) You must be 18 or over to enter.

2) Contest open to US and Canada only.

3) If you leave more than one comment on this post, you will be disqualified.

4) If you do not leave a clear method of contact in your comment, you will be disqualified (email address must be in the comment or easily accessed via your profile)

5) Winner will have exactly 24 hours to respond to my email or will forfeit the prizes and another winner will be drawn.

Again, I am beyond excited to bring you this giveaway of adorable items for the beautiful baby in your life! Best of luck!

Honest Scrap Tag

In case you're not aware, there are "tags" that go around in the blogging community and sometimes they're really cute and fun. I've decided to take part in the Honest Scrap Tag because it came from a real sweetheart, Caramel Diva, and it also sounds like a fun thing to do on the 4th of July. :)

Because I've been tagged, I have to share with you, my dear readers, ten things that you may not know about me, but are 100% true (I guess no matter how embarrassing that may be!). Here we go:

1. I'm left-handed. This gives me pretty much only ONE advantage in life: I can use a drive-thru ATM without having to reach across my body.

2. I like tomatoes in a salad, but I hate them on a sandwich.

3. I've been told by many people throughout my life that I have a soothing voice and that I could be a radio DJ or do voice-over work. I would LOVE to do either one of those jobs, and I actually used to be a recurring guest on a local radio show many, many years ago. I was friends with the DJ of an evening show and I'd call in as the "ditsy young girl" character every so often on his show. lol.

4. My favorite color is pale pink (but it's got to be the exact right shade of pale pink).

5. In a perfect world, there would only be one brand of pen: Pilot Precise V5 Fine Point (not Very Fine Point). Don't waste your time trying to convince me that there is a better pen in existence. I'll win that debate every time. :)

6. In recent years, I've come to appreciate the beauty of a plain cheese pizza.

7. I was a child of the 80s and I maintain, to this day, that I was the first person in my entire elementary school to wear leg warmers. Also, I was the first person in my entire junior high school to rock an asymmetrical bob. I swear, I really was. The sad part is, now, I'm probably the least fashion-forward person of anyone I know. What the hell happened?

8. I am a super freaky, geeky, waaaay-too-into-it-for-my-own-good fan of the TV show Lost.

9. I'm also a news junkie and subcribe to just as many news and political blogs as I do beauty blogs. What's more important than knowing what's going on in the world around you, right?

10. It sort of irritates me when people say, "I have a new blog up!" Your site in general is called a "blog", which originates from the term "web-log". When you write a new article on your "blog", it's called a "post". You don't write new "blogs" for your "blog". :)

Congratulations!!!

A winner has been selected for the Nouveau Cheap Giveaway Extravaganza!

Congratulations to Amber, who has won the prize package containing some of my very favorite beauty products!!

Amber, I've sent you an email and all you need to do now is respond to the email before Midnight tomorrow (Pacific), July 5th with your shipping address. I've extended the deadline a little bit due to the holiday. :)

Thanks to EVERYONE who participated in this giveaway--it was an absolute joy to read each and every comment and I have taken your suggestions to heart and will be reviewing the products you've requested in future posts.

If you didn't win, don't be sad--I've got another AWESOME giveaway from Suave coming up in the next 24 hours, so please stay tuned!

Time is running out! Have you entered the Nouveau Cheap Giveaway Extravaganza yet?

At the stroke of midnight (Pacific), my Giveaway Extravaganza will end. Have you entered yet? If not, click here for details!

Good luck to everyone who has entered--I can't wait to announce my winner!

Super cool things to read this weekend

It's time again for my roundup of my favorite posts from the past week, from the lovely fellow beauty bloggers in my blog roll. Let's get started!

Guess which drugstore brand has a new "Blueberry Antioxidant" shower gel that totally passes the "smells like a high-end bath product" test? Click on over to Beauty Junkies Unite to find out!

And speaking of shower gels, BeautyjunkieLondon once again tempts us with a product that isn't yet available in the US: Palmolive Shower Gel. Yes, Palmolive!

Pink Sith shows us some fabulous nail color swatches from Diamond Cosmetics. Oh and their polishes are just $2 a bottle. Whoo!

Speaking of inexpensive nail color, The Cheapest Girl Around gives us the scoop on one of the new neon polishes from Sinful Colors. Guess how many coats of "Neon Melon" it took her to achieve an opaque look?

Who doesn't like live demos, especially when they're showing you the fabulousness of Prestige Total Intensity Eyeliner? Check out The Pink Train Case's live demo here.

Older Girl Beauty gives us a great review of the new "dual color" lip products: L'Oreal HiP Color Presso and Avon Specktra Color Lipstick. Hint: She has me really wanting to try one of them.

Lastly, I'd like to share one of my favorite stand-up comedy bits with you! It's about shopping at Ross so if you're a Ross shopper, you MUST click here. :)

Happy reading and Happy 4th of July if you're in the US!

Review: e.l.f. Bath & Body Products

In addition to fabulous, recessionista-friendly makeup and makeup tools, did you know that e.l.f. also makes bath and body products? I'm ashamed to say that I wasn't aware of this until recently, but once I found out, I knew I had to get my paws on them (in case you didn't know, I am a serious a bath and body product junkie). Thanks to the great staff at e.l.f. I was lucky enough to receive a shipment of the above "Peony Petal" Gift Set to try out. Yay!

This set includes the following items:

Bath Gel (14.2 oz)
Hand Cream (4 oz)
Body Lotion (7 oz)
Body Butter (7 oz)
Hand Soap (6.76 oz)
1 bath pouf

And it all comes shipped in a reusable wicker basket. Cute! The price for this set is $15 and, sold separately, each product is $4. The scents available include Peony Petal, Cucumber Melon, Lavendar Blossom, Pineapple Mango and Vanilla Coconut.

Now, being a long-time user of Bath & Body Works products, I've got to say that this line by e.l.f. definitely gives BBW a run for its money. At just a fraction of the cost of BBW products, I found each one of the items in this set to be comparable, if not slightly better, than its Bath and Body Works counterpart. Talk about a bargain!

The Bath Gel foams just as well as BBW's shower gel and contains some good-for-your-skin ingredients such as aloe vera gel, tea tree oil and yucca root infused with rosewater.

The Body Lotion, which comes in a tube, seriously rivals BBW's Body Cream. It's thick, it's rich and it contains some great ingredients such as ginko biloba leaf, Vitamin E infused with shea butter, babassu oil and rosewater.

The Hand Cream, which is close in texture to the Body Lotion, is a bit lighter than other hand creams I've used, but it's got a nice texture and it contains some good ingredients such as shea butter, aloe vera and hemp seed oil.

The Body Butter, which is the thickest product of them all, is a tad thicker than BBW's butter and is great for seriously dry skin. I've been using it on my feet at night and I've been waking up with smooth, hydrated feet every morning. Yay! It contains some skin-loving ingredients such as jojoba oil, sweet almond oil and cocoa butter infused with shea butter.

The Hand Soap comes in a sleek cylindrical bottle (I actually prefer this shape over BBW's hand soap bottles) and it contains those scrubby beads that we all love so much. I like this soap because my hands do not feel tight or too dry after I use it, yet my hands feel very clean. This also contains some good ingredients such as Vitamin B5 and E.

Oh and I can't forget to talk about the scent, "Peony Petals". At first whiff I thought this reminded me of BBW's "Sweet Pea". But after using these products for a while now, I realize that while it's indeed a floral scent, it's cleaner and softer than "Sweet Pea". I don't know about you, but "Sweet Pea" can get a bit cloying and heavy for me. "Peony Petals" is a clean, soft, sweet floral with a rose undertone and it's just lovely. I think it would be a great scent for any woman, regardless of age. I should also add that e.l.f. definitely doesn't skimp on scent--each product is highly fragranced in a manner that is comparable to BBW products.

All in all, I can say that if you love BBW, I think you will definitely enjoy the bath and body products from e.l.f. At a fraction of the price, they are certainly a great alternative and I cannot wait to try "Vanilla Coconut" and "Pineapple Mango" next. :)

A sample of this product was given to Nouveau Cheap for editorial purposes, either directly from the manufacturer or from the agency that works on behalf of the manufacturer. All reviews on NouveauCheap.blogspot.com are the honest opinion of its author and gratis samples do not, in any way, affect the outcome of product reviews.

Don't forget: Just two more days to enter the Nouveau Cheap Giveaway!

Don't forget! You've got just two days remaining to enter my Giveaway Extravaganza for your chance to win over $80 in beauty products, hand-picked by me, for you!

Click here for details.

Good luck! :)

The Wednesday Question

It's Wednesday so that means it's time again for me to ask a beauty-related question for you to answer!

What's your least favorite product in your makeup stash?

Do you have one product that always lets you down, yet you can't bear to toss it? What's taking up unnecessary room in your makeup bag? Tell me! Tell me! :)