Love At First Sight: 10 Products I’m Smitten With

It’s a rough job but someone’s gotta do it: test out the latest and greatest new beauty products, assess their efficacy and impact, test again and again, decide which ones to share and which ones are not worthy of telling my readers about. And occasionally, there are products that just ‘WOW’ me right from the start, they often reveal immediately noticeable results or impact and they tend shout: “Check me out, I am FAB-UNIQUE-DIFFERENT or unlike anything you have ever seen before” and these are the products that I become immediately obsessed with, can’t get enough of and can’t wait to tell the world how darn fabulous they are! Lately, there have been quite a few products that have wooed me right from the start, so I am excited to share my robust list of the 10 products that I am currently having a love affair with:

1)  Dr. Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Glow Pad for Body ($45 for 8 Applications)

Dr. Gross has done it again by creating this amazing swoon worthy Glow Pad for the body. This innovative textured pad is an exfoliating, anti-aging self-tanner with Active Vitamin D that firms, increases cell turnover, provides a natural glow, smooths bumpy skin and helps reduce hair growth. It contains, alpha hydroxy acid (AHAs) to tackle bumpy skin and deliver a smooth even application, the beta hydroxy acids (BHAs) address body breakouts, and the DHA and soy proteins deliver color deep into skin to prevent fading.

What do I LOVE about Alpha Beta Glow Pads for the Body? OMG, everything! This product is totally amazing! It is the fastest, easiest self tanning product that I have ever used. You don’t need to exfoliate before, it takes about 5 minutes, covers my entire curvy body, it’s mostly goof proof and delivers a gorgeous tan within hours! The trick is to immediately use a body moisturizer to blend the tan right after application. FAB!

2)  Hourglass No. 28 Primer Serum ($65)

Hourglass is an impressive collection of luxury cosmetics products and this new Primer Serum is a fabulous addition to the line. No. 28 Primer is a richly concentrated oil blend that nurtures your skin, hydrates your complexion, shields it against the elements and creates a smooth and supple canvas for makeup. The 28 in the name refers to number of amazing botanical ingredients used in the serum including 14 skin-softening essential oils, 10 lipid-rich plant oils and 4 vitamins.

What do I LOVE about No. 28 Primer Serum? This is a yummy, silky serum that my skin instantly drinks up and it immediately makes it smooth, supple and makeup ready. It has a pleasant light scent of lavender and rose geranium and I just love the way it makes my skin look and feel, it gives it a luminous hydrated glow. This inspired serum can also be used as a night time treatment or to seal your split ends. It’s a lovely, multi-purpose product and I am a fan!

3)  NUDE Skincare Cleansing  Facial Oil ($36)

Beauty editors have been raving about this miraculous facial cleansing oil for a while and I was excited to finally have the chance to try it out. This is a luxurious nutrient rich cleansing oil that gently and thoroughly removes makeup without stripping or irritating your skin. It contains Omega 3 and Vitamin E to nourish and protect your skin and an intoxicating combination of fresh jasmine and gardenia to stimulate your senses.

What do I LOVE about NUDE Cleansing Facial Oil? It smells divine and transforms into a lovely cleansing milk when you add water, which then effortlessly removes my makeup and leaves my skin soft, clean and vibrant. I can definitely see what all the fuss is about!

4)  Sakura Silk Mild Exfoliating Gel ($37.95)

This is one of those ‘wow’ products that I was recently introduced to at a professional beauty show and was immediately  impressed because they demonstrated the visible results right before my eyes. Sakura Silk contains an exclusive blend of natural botanical enzymes and active ingredients that adhere to and react with protein on your skin and remove the dead skin cells on contact. You can actually see the dead skin cells flake off instantly and it leaves your skin silky smooth.

What do I LOVE about Sakura Silk Mild Exfoliating Gel? You can immediately see and feel this product gently removing your dead cells (don’t worry it doesn’t hurt) right before your eyes and its pretty cool to watch. I love that you can see the transformation and truly know that the product is doing something wonderful for your skin. It gets rid of that unnecessary gunk on your skin and leaves it clean, smooth and ready to absorb your products. You will love this one!

5) Masque*ology Hydrate & Repair Facial Mask ($24 for 3 masks)

These single use facial masks are all the rage in Korea! Every time I visit one of my fav Korean Spa’s, women everywhere have their faces covered in these trendy masks while basking in a sauna. Well, Masque*ology has brought this trend to the US market with their collection of ten skin transforming masks that contain advanced nutrients and ingredients to give your skin exactly what it needs. The Hydrate & Repair Mask contains a multitude of vitamins, amino acids and most importantly, caviar extract, an antioxidant that nourishes, repairs skin damage, provides moisture and stimulates cell metabolism.

What do I LOVE about Masque*ology Masks? These masks give your skin a concentrated and potent dose of skin transforming ingredients and immediately after I use it, my skin is moist, supple and radiant! I recently used the Hydrate & Repair Mask before an event and everyone kept complimenting me on how good my skin looked! Now you know my secret 🙂

6)  Pevonia Botanica Lumafirm Repair Cream ($78)

Pevonia makes such gorgeous products and I have been a long time fan, but this new cream is category busting for the brand. Lumafirm is a powerhouse repair cream that works deeply and quickly, infusing your face, neck, and décolleté with anti-free radicals (the latest generation of repairing peptides) as well as lightening actives. Lift & Glow delivers immediate results, with noticeable lightening, smoothing and and brightening of your skin. 

What do I LOVE about Lumafirm? I adore the fresh scent, how this innovative cream instantly absorbs into my skin and my favorite part is how it immediately and noticeably lifts and perks up my skin. Over time, I have also noticed a lightening of my pigmentation and an overall brightness to my skin.

7)  bareMinerals Marvelous Moxie Lipgloss in Party Starter ($18)

I am just becoming reacquainted with the Bare Escentuals brand, and with this fabulous fiery coral gloss we are off to a glorious start! Marvelous Moxie is a luscious lipgloss that delivers a sheer, vivid color and a gorgeous shine. This wonderfully hydrating lip gloss contains a nourishing blend of shea, avocado, and murumuru butters and leaves your lips beautifully hydrated.

What do I LOVE about Marvelous Moxie Gloss in Party Starter? I LOVE the perfect hint of coral color that is totally on trend right now; I love the richer viscosity and texture of this gloss that makes it last and hold onto the color and shine and I adore how yummy and hydrating it feels on my lips. This is now my new go-to summer gloss!

8 )  Essie Bikini So Teeny Nail Polish ($8)

Essie’s 2012 Summer Collection is a swoon worthy array of fun, bright, show stopping colors and Bikini So Teeny is my fav in the bunch (Mojito Madness, a bright green, is a close second.) It is an attention grabbing cornflower/periwinkle blue with the slightest bit of shimmer and I have been getting compliments left and right since I put it on a few days ago.

What do I LOVE about Bikini So Teeny? This is a fun new nail polish shade that I haven’t seen on the landscape. It’s a cool, unusual spring/summer shade that flatters my skin tone and I am totally digging it right now. This attractive purple blue shade will look great with a summer tan and a gorgeous flowy maxi dress.

9)  Alterna Caviar Photo-Age Defense ($35)

This is a fabulous leave-in treatment that repairs, patches, and protects each strand of your hair from the photo damaging elements. Basically, it works like a shield block out damaging rays and resurface strands, fill in gaps and tears, and smooth your hair cuticle. The secret ingredient in the formula is the micro-emulsion beads that contain an innovative technology that locks in essential moisture and healing ingredients and keeps out damaging light sources.

What do I LOVE about Photo-Age Defense? It instantly transforms and protects my over processed hair. It makes my hair feel fuller, smoother and healthier looking. This is a keeper!

10)  J.R. Watkins Grapefruit Body Oil Mist ($8.99)

This is a hydrating and nourishing apricot kernel oil and vitamin E oil body mist with 100% natural grapefruit fragrance. It has a great quick-dry formula that absorbs into the skin while leaving it soft and nicely moisturized without being greasy.

What do I LOVE about Grapefruit Body Oil Mist? The AMAZING true, fresh, yummy almost edible grapefruit scent, it’s perfection! And I love the dry oil formula that instantly absorbs into your skin, yet it also beautifully hydrates, and it leaves a lovely sheen and a divine scent. Affordable luxury!

Disclosure: I was a sent a sample of each of the above products for editorial consideration, but my opinions and product obsessions are my very own.