With beautiful fragrances, gorgeous colors and advanced botanical extracts, our products deliver the ultimate level of protection for super smart women who want to protect, renew and perfect their skin every day. Hissyfit products are proudly Australian made using the finest ingredients, including powerful botanical extracts. ...

Next up is the Saving Face Buffing Powder—a hit! I love a good finishing powder that keeps my skin more matte than shiny yet feels lightweight. This one totally did that. It kept my makeup looking good all day long and felt really good on my skin. Perhaps it’s due to all the bontanicals inside (aspen bark extract, green and white tea extracts, jojoba and aloe).

Last are the Clockpots, and here’s where I tell you I can’t really tell you much about them. The shades sent for review weren’t right for me, so I didn’t dare apply them. (I have a hard enough time trying to make my makeup look good!) And for me, the Clockpots were a bit overwhelming. I kept reading the directions so I’d know which shades were for which time of day, and I thought the compact a bit large. i couldn’t imagine packing that for travel OR throwing it in my handbag for makeup touch-up later in the day. Out of the three products sent, this was probably my least favorite, but perhaps someone with a bit more confidence in her makeup skills (and a much larger makeup bag) would do just fine!

Overall, I loved the creaminess and high SPF of the Saving Face Foundation (even if the color was wrong) and the effectiveness of the Saving Face Buffing Powder, but I’m still not convinced on the Hissyfit Clockpots. If any of you have tried them, let me know! I’d love to hear your take!—Emily

I was sent several of their beautiful eye shadows to try out, they all come in adorable 5g makeup pots ($3.99 per color in their shop). Now 5grams might not seem like very much to you, but with this beautiful eyeshadow you don’t need as much as typical makeup – a little goes a long way. I couldn’t believe how saturated the color was, you could make it as intense as you want or blend it out for a softer look for everyday.

Application of mineral makeup is so easy, I would recommend using some decent makeup brushes to have the ability to blend to your hearts content. However, if you’re in a rush you can even apply it with your finger tips. I love that this eyeshadow doesn’t get that “creasy” look after a few hours, it stays beautifully and has me convinced that mineral makeup is for me. Best of all, you really don’t feel any heaviness while wearing it – I love that aspect with the Providence & Grace shadows.

You can try out several colors and other makeup options in their Etsy store for such great pricing. I highly recommend snagging some pretty shadows to treat yourself with no guilt whatsoever. I’m already making my list of colors I want to try next including: Baby, Polished Silver, Wink and Moor. For gorgeous and affordable cosmetics try Providence and Grace, I couldn’t believe my eyes! – Daria

*** Giveaway! Providence And Grace is kindly giving away one $25 Gift Certificate to their shop!***

Here’s how to enter. You can do as many of these as you’d like. Each one is worth one entry into our giveaway; please leave a comment for each one you do:

• Visit Providence & Grace on Etsy and leave a comment telling us what product you’d most like to try.
• LIKE Providence & Grace on Facebook and leave a comment that Boutique Cafe sent you, they would Love to hear your fave eyeshadow color too!
• Tweet about this giveaway (use @BoutiqueCafe in your tweet) and leave a comment with the URL of your tweet.
• Update your status on Facebook with a link to this giveaway and leave a comment telling us you did.

Include a valid email address for our drawing. We’ll draw the winner from the comments and contact her via email. Deadline: March 1, 2011 (midnight). The winner will have 24 hours to claim her prize or a new winner will be chosen.

I only recently discovered ecoTOOLS and now that I’ve sampled their product line I’m anxious to learn more—and try more. The company sent me their new Green, Clean, Go travel sampler kit to review on the Daily Dish, which includes the Clean Skin, Cleaner World body wash, Blooming Planet body mist, Sustainable Softness body lotion, One Hand Helps the Other hand cream and a bamboo nail brush. How cool is that—even the product names are earth friendly!

Because the ecoTOOLS Green, Clean, Go travel kit arrived post cruise I didn’t try everything in the kit but I did give the hand cream and body mist a thorough testing (and everything else a thorough smelling). Every product had a different smell and every smell was fantastic. My favorite is the Blooming Planet body mist. I first spritzed some in the air just to make sure an eco-friendly mist was also scent friendly and my first thought was, “Wow! That smells simply fabulous!” I immediately spritzed it all over and found myself sniffing my arms throughout the day, the scent was that yummy. And since that first use I’ve been alternating it with my favorite perfume, which is saying a lot because I love my So Pink from GAP! Just thinking about the ecoTOOLS’ Blooming Planet body mist makes me want to run upstairs and spritz a bit more on my body—YUM!

I was also impressed with their One Hand Helps the Other hand cream because it absorbed quickly, wasn’t greasy and had a fresh, clean scent as well. It seemed to moisturize really well, as I didn’t find myself needing to reapply any time soon…even in this dry Utah weather. I kind of wish they also had shampoo and conditioner; my hair routine could use some greening up for sure.

Of course there are the aforementioned cosmetic brushes and accessories. My makeup brushes are far from green (and far from new) and it’s about time to recycle them with some new ones from ecoTOOLS along with a new foot file. My current one would have you running scared if you saw it! And the kits from ecoTOOLS would make great stocking stuffers or teacher gifts this holiday season. Along with the travel one they have All Four the Cause hand & foot care set and Be Green, Live Clean body care set. Green up your morning routine with ecoTOOLS’ new line of bath and body products!—Emily

*** Giveaway ecoTOOLS is giving away one of their fabulous Green, Clean, Go travel kits! Here’s how to enter. You can do as many of these as you’d like. Each one is worth one entry into our giveaway (please leave a separate comment for each):

• Visit ecoTOOLS online and leave a comment telling us your favorite product.


• Become a fan of ecoTOOLS on Facebook and leave a comment telling us you joined.


• Tweet about this giveaway and leave a comment with the URL of your tweet.


• Blog about this giveaway and leave a comment with the URL to your blog post.

Include a valid email address for our drawing. We’ll draw the winner from the comments and contact her via email. Deadline: October 27, 2009 (midnight). The winner will have 24 hours to claim her prize or a new winner will be chosen.

• Congratulations to Allison, the winner of the ecoTOOLS giveaway! Thank you to everyone who took the time to read the review and add a comment. Keep reading the Daily Dish for your chance to participate in more giveaways!

My enjoyment of all things gloss, and yes, the occasional lipstick, came in handy when Avon wanted to send me samples from their new Summer Lip Sensations. The new collection includes Ultra Color Rich Extra Plump Lipstick; SpectraColor Lipstick (I’d call this one a lip gloss); and Pro 3-in-1 Lip Wand (a combo liner, lipstick and gloss). I tested all three and I have to say my favorite was the Pro 3-in-1 Lip Wand, but let me tell you briefly about all three.

The Ultra Color Rich Extra Plump Lipstick instantly plumps and like most plumping glosses and lipsticks, makes your lips feel tingly all over. This lipstick promises not to feather and it has a center core “packed with plumping power & hydrating moisturizers.” The only reason this is at the bottom of the list is because I don’t use lipstick that often…and the color they sent was so not for me! Of course, I’m not holding that against Avon, but it is hard to see past a pink that makes me look paler than my skin in February!

The SpectraColor Gloss Lipstick actually lets you customize your color. It contains two coordinating colors, a light and dark version. At the bottom you’ll find a dial where you can go from light to dark with a simple turn-and-click action. You actually get seven lip colors and sheer-to-medium coverage in one lipstick. While I totally love the concept—I’m all about more bang for your buck—I didn’t love the texture of the gloss or its staying power. It didn’t last as long as other lip glosses and again, the color they sent was way too pink for my taste. It was reminiscent of sixth grade: the pinker the lipstick the better.

I am a girl who’s all about multitasking and that’s why I love the Pro 3-in-1 Lip Wand the best. You get your liner, lipstick and gloss in one shot! Avon has already put together ten Lip Wands with pre-coordinated shades, which helps take out some of the guesswork for those of you still using liner three shades darker than your lipstick. Avon didn’t know I was more of a Vamp than a Rose, so I had to look past the color, but overall this was my favorite of the three. It has gloss and it has multitasking skills…need I say more?—Emily

[PlantLove is] the only prestige color brand to carry the globally recognized ECOCERT™ natural designation for its comprehensive environmental commitment … From natural and organic ingredients, to its environmentally award-winning compostable packaging, Cargo PlantLove lets us go green glamorously.

CARGO sent me samples of PlantLove’s loose powder foundation, blush, lipstick and lip gloss. I have yet to figure out the whole loose-powder foundation thing and the color was a bit off, so I didn’t really test that product thoroughly, but I did give the blush a good run for its money and found it went on smoothly and evenly and blended nicely with my skin tone. It also wore really well and had more of a natural look than your typical store-bought blush. The lipstick was a great product too, and apparently many celebrities have designed their own colors for the line. (You can view the celebs and colors here.) Plus because the lipstick’s case is made from corn it’s compostable: “This revolutionary bio-plastic is not only made from a renewable resource, it’s also greenhouse-gas-neutral, which helps us fight global warming.”

I didn’t love the lip gloss, but I’m sort of a lip gloss junkie and prefer the less “natural” brands. PlantLove’s gloss didn’t go on as smoothly as I would’ve liked, nor did it have the coverage and staying power of my favorite glosses. Overall I am impressed that an eco-friendly, all natural, organic line of makeup has such an impressive collection of products and colors and wears as well as it does. I’m not sure I would restock my entire makeup bag with PlantLove as the prices are more along the lines of M.A.C. makeup, which is a treat for me rather than a necessity. But if you’re looking to go green when it comes to cosmetics, PlantLove is definitely worth a try! You can find PlantLove online at Sephora.com.—Emily

Pin Up Lip Balm’s moisturizing formula is made from 100% natural ingredients including avocado oil (UV protectant), beeswax (natural emollient), apricot kernel oil (hydration) and Vitamin E (natural antioxidant). All these nourishing ingredients come packaged in a cute retro slide-top tins, each with its very own old-fashioned pin-up girl. Totally tasteful yet totally sexy, these pin-up girls are what makes Pin Up Lip Balm the talk of the town. Okay, the all-natural ingredients help too.

I received a few mini Pin Up Lip Balms to review. I do love the packaging—the slide-top tin is reminiscent of elementary school when I went through a few strawberry and watermelon lip glosses packaged in just such a tin. (Anyone else remember those?) And the lip balm did help moisturize, but it didn’t seem to last very long. Perhaps I’m used to my favorite glosses from Bath & Body Works and Revlon, which seem to have more staying power, but they definitely don’t have all the natural ingredients that Pin Up Lip Balm does. Whatever the reason, I found myself applying it a lot more frequently than I would have liked.

But even so, Pin Up Lip Balm is a really fun and very affordable product. It is definitely a great girlfriend gift for the holidays and a great stocking stuffer for any female. And with over 40 flavors you’re sure to find a few tempting tins!—Emily

The benefits of Beauty Benefits include a lotus marine mineral complex, which offers powerful anti-aging properties with antioxidants two times stronger than green tea. This complex brightens the complexion, increases hydration by 25% and gives powerful age prevention. Beauty Benefits makeup also includes golden seaweed, which protects DNA against UV-induced damage, marine fennel, which improves skin’s radiance and restores its hydrolipidic barrier, and minerals, which provide smooth, flawless coverage and contain natural, mineral sunscreens. All those benefits are contained in sleek, black packaging.

I’ve been testing a few items from the Beauty Benefits line: Beauty Brilliance Illuminating Powder and Bronzing Powder, Sheer Luster Lip Gloss and Beyond Nourishing Mascara. I am definitely hooked on the lip gloss for its shimmery, beautiful non-sticky color and its surprising staying power, and I love how the illuminating powder highlights my cheeks (I have yet to try it on my eyes and decollete) while the bronzing powder makes it look like I returned from Kauai yesterday rather than a month ago (has it really been that long?). I’m not a big fan of the mascara as it just didn’t thicken and volumize like I would’ve liked. Plus it started to flake by the end of the day.

With holiday parties around the corner it will be easy to put your best face forward with wet n wild’s Beauty Benefits. Plus you’ll get powerful, skin healthy benefits without a powerful, budget-breaking price—great news for the holidays!—Emily

Dr.Hauschka’s all-natural Decorative Cosmetics are made from pure mineral pigments and select nurturing botanicals. For example, their eyeshadow contains silk and talc powder to help it glide on smoothly and evenly and extracts of anthyllis and black tea to nurture delicate, sensitive skin. I don’t think I can even pronounce half of the ingredients on the back of my drugstore (and even Nordstrom-counter) eyeshadows and I’m pretty sure they don’t nurture the delicate skin around my eye.

Though I’m not a big fan of loose powder, the translucent face powder did an amazing job of keeping my makeup looking fresh all day with minimal shine, and even that little bit of shine seemed a healthier shine (I may have even looked radiant!) than what I usually see at the end of the day! I didn’t give the lipstick a thorough test as I’m not a big lipstick fan but the quick run I gave it tempted me to switch from gloss to lipstick. Perhaps it was the shea butter and carrot extract or rose and jojoba waxes, or maybe it was simply the colors taken straight from nature.

Loved the eyeshadow, face powder, concealer, lipstick and liner but to be honest I didn’t love the lip gloss or mascara, and that’s probably because I’m addicted to my L’Oreal Voluminous mascara and Bath & Body Works mentha lip shine. They’re definitely not as healthy for my eyelashes and lips but like I said, it’s an addiction and a hard habit to break! That being said I loved how Dr.Hauschka’s Decorative Cosmetics made my skin feel and the natural glow they gave me even after 8+ hours.

Dr.Hauschka’s hair care line is 100% certified natural and “provides deep cleansing and nurturing care using nothing but pure, eco-friendly, plant-based ingredients.” I can vouch for the deep cleansing part. As much as I prefer to use all-natural ingredients on my hair I felt the Apricot and Sea Buckthorn shampoo would almost work best as a clarifying shampoo. Perhaps I’m just not used to shampooing with something non-chemical but I felt like it cleansed almost too well! The Jojoba and Marsh Mallow conditioner helped add moisture back to my hair, but I’ve gone from using the duo every few shampoos rather than daily. I guess my hair couldn’t take holistic shock.

I haven’t had a chance to test out the Neem Hair Lotion (I rarely set aside 20 minutes for a towel-wrapped head) but I’m pretty excited about this one. I need my healthy sheen restored and my hair more manageable. Now if I could just use it on my kids…

If you’re looking to enhance the beauty of your skin (all the better to help that inner beauty shine through) then look no further than Dr.Hauschka. Your skin and hair will have all natural and all beautiful written all over it.—Emily

In my feature on MRHH I share:
-my favorite beauty tip
-What my Mother taught me about beauty and fashion
-my time saving beauty tips
and MUCH more!

Check it out and be sure to bookmark them.

Read and comment on my feature here>>

Read and comment on my feature here>>