current loves of spring 2013

i've purchased a handful of skincare/haircare/makeup items since my last current loves post, and wanted to share them here on the blog. below are some products i've been loving lately:

1. the "wet" brush - i first heard of this brush when i saw it reviewed by nouvea cheap a few weeks ago. basically the brush is supposed to do an amazing job of detangling your hair after a shower... hence the name. she did a great job with her review, but i still was a little skeptical of this brush. honestly, it looks like the hair brushes i've been using almost my whole life. when i found out that the wet brush was available at sally beauty, and that i had the option to return it if i didn't like it, i decided to pick it up. and i have to say, that it does an amazing job of detangling my hair after a shower. it has to be the flexible bristles, b/c that is the one main difference i noticed when comparing it to my other brushes. i've noticed that i don't need as much leave-in conditioning spray after a shower as i did before. if you have a sally beauty nearby, i would recommend picking up this brush. and if you don't like it, you can always return it :)

2. clear scalp & hair therapy for damage & color repair - i actually meant to include this on my last current loves post, but totally forgot about it :/ whoops. anyway, i heard about the new clear scalp & hair therapy from one of holly's videos. she raved about how soft her hair was after using the product, and since it was available at my target, i gave it a try. i purchased the color repair shampoo, and i really love how gentle it is on my hair. i also loved how my hair felt when i dried and styled it. i have yet to try the conditioner, but i'm planning on picking that up soon.

3. clarisonic mia 2 - so i finally bit the bullet and bought the clarisonic mia 2. and this was, by far, my biggest beauty purchase in at least a year, if not longer. this cleansing system will set you back anywhere from $120-$150 (yikes!), but almost every skin care post or youtube video i've seen says this is the secret to amazing skin. i have to say that i am liking the clarisonic so far. i only use it at night (instead of in the morning and at night), and my skin definitely feels smoother. the skin on my cheeks and nose has cleared up quite a bit, but i do still get occasional acne breakouts on my chin and in a few spots on my forehead. overall i have seen an improvement, though.

4. revlon just bitten kissable lip balm stain in honey - this is a really pretty pink, perfect for a daytime look. i was afraid that it wouldn't be as pigmented as the red shades in the line, but i was pleasantly surprised with its pigment. it's a really nice color for the approaching spring months.

5. l'oreal true match concealer crayon - i was on the lookout for a new concealer since bare minerals discontinued their powder version of "well-rested" concealer. i LOVED that concealer! i haven't found a new product that is as good as well-rested, but this l'oreal crayon comes pretty close. it's nice and thick, but very blendable. i use it under my eyes, around my nose, and on the occasional blemish. i do set it with a light powder, which helps keep everything in place.

6. NYX powder blush in rose garden - i picked this up at target on a whim, and i absolutely love it. the color is a really good match for my skin tone. when i apply it, it looks like a natural flush on my cheeks. it has the tiniest amount of shimmer to it, which i normally avoid, but it's pretty subtle.

i also wanted to include a few products that i feel "eh" about. i didn't dislike them enough to return them, but they didn't exactly meet my expectations.

1. olay fresh effects bb cream in light to medium - although it's marketed as a bb cream (which to me, i think "more coverage than a tinted moisturizer"), it also says it's a tinted moisturizer, all on the front of the tube. it definitely acts more like a tinted moisturizer than a bb cream. if you're looking for a bb cream with decent coverage, go ahead and skip on this one. i do like it for a moisturizer though, and plan on using it during the summer (under my mineral foundation) since it does have SPF 15.

2. revlon photo ready translucent finisher - i saw this reviewed in many youtube videos, so i wanted to give it a shot. i managed to snag it at ulta for 40% off too. i wanted a powder to use during the summer, so i went for the translucent version since i'm not quite sure how light or dark my skin will be. the coverage is pretty good, but for a translucent powder, it does apply as more like a fair/light powder. however, i just use less of it than i normally would, blending it with a bit of bare minerals foundation, and it looks fine for my skin tone currently. i have a feeling that it will be too light for the summer months, but right now it's working out okay.

3. maybelline color tattoo metal in barely branded - i really like the color tattoo cream shadows, especially "bad to the bronze", so i picked up a newer shade in the metal line called "barely branded". it has the same good coverage, but it's a little too light for my skin tone. i currently use it with a couple different shadows to darken it a bit. as a base, it works great, but i don't think i would wear it on its own. "bad to the bronze" is a much better color for my skin tone.

and there you have it. if you've been on the fence about any of these products, i hope this post helped you out. i hope you all have a great weekend!

xoxo, steph