Bath and Body Works Haul Summer 2016

Hello Divas!
It sure has been a long time since I have posted and I hope you all did not  forget about me. As always it has been very hectic here with school so I have just been really busy.

I wanted to take a few minutes to bring you my Bath and Body Works haul for the Summer 2016 Semi Annual Sale.

I only got a few items because I do have a stash of things that I need to get through. My main reason for going to the sale was to get the Indigo Sky candle as I think it is either being retired (I hope not) or it was a seasonal scent and they are changing it out.


This is my favorite candle of all time from Bath and Body Works and I just love how it smells a little like a man's cologne, without being too manly or overpowering. As you can see I got four of those because they are no longer available online. There were only six in the store that went to and I wanted to get all six because I love them so much. I decided to get only four because I wanted to leave for other people and I also wanted to pick up some other things.

I also got the  Sundrenched Vineyard which really does smell like a full bodied, juicy wine.

I think this is a great summer burn for me because it just smells happy and bright. I do not follow the seasonal recommendations when burning my candles and I will just burn whatever makes me happy.

In fact, I frequently burn the 'Christmas' scents all year round because I love the smell of apples and cinnamon!

I picked up three shower gels and one foaming hand soap to add to my collection.
The first shower gel I got was the Be Joyful scent.


I had smelled this in the lotion since one of my coworkers had it on her desk in February. I fell in love but I waited until it went on sale to buy one. The soaps and lotions normally retail for $12.50 each but ranged from $3.13 to $3.75 during the sale.

The next shower gel I got was the Beautiful Day scent.

I originally smelled this in the lotion and did not like it. I later smelled the shower gel and fell in love. This is a fresh and light scent but still full of yummy goodness. I like very sweet and fruity scents in the shower as I feel they wake you up and get you ready for the day.

The final shower gel I got was the Country Apple scent which is one of their throwback scents.

I love apple scented items so this was a great buy for me and I cannot wait to use it. The throwback scents are from early on in the past and I think I remember getting this as a college freshman!

The hand soap that I got was the Sun Ripened Raspberry, which is another throwback scent to the earlier days.

I think this smells very juicy and is something that makes me enjoy washing my hands.The last time I got a hand soap it smelled like pineapples and it made handwashing seem like a fun event and not a chore to quickly get done. I wanted something that brought a similar feeling so this was a great fit for what I wanted.

Did you get anything in the semi annual sale? Let me know what your favorite scents and items are!!!

Dermal Collagen Korean Face Sheet Masks Product Review

Hello Divas!

I recently bought a new sheet mask set from the "Dermal Korea Collagen Full Face Facial Mask Sheet" brand. They are a sheet mask so it is a sheet of fabric that is soaked in the essence and it stays on your skin for about 15 minutes while it dries.


I used the Royal Jelly mask this time and I must say I am impressed with just the application. These masks have slits cut into the sides so that you can better adjust them to fit your face.

The nose section is folded up a little so that you can put the flap down over the edge of your nose...much like other sheet masks.

What stands out for me is that the eye area has a flap that you can fold UP to place under the eye to allow more product to get into that under eye area. I have not seen this on any other sheet mask I have used so this is a great feature.

You get 16 of these for $12 so that is a pretty good deal and they came really quickly, even for being an international shipment!

It felt moisturizing on the skin and it was cooling when I put it on.

I will definitely repurchase because I am so into sheet masks now and it works well.

Nalgene Water Bottle For Hydration

Hello Divas!!!

It is important to stay well hydrated to keep your skin looking moist and plump. I usually carry water bottles with me and fill them up at home and at work when I can.

I live in a place with hard water that is also not the best quality. Many people choose to buy bottled water but I invested in a water filter and prefer to carry my own water. I had a bottle that worked quite well for a few months. I would use it for about three days before washing it everything was fine.

Recently I noticed that it would smell odd after just one day of use no matter how well I washed it. I guess that means it is time to get a new bottle so I bought another one. This one a metal cover and it would smell funny after just one day as well.

I heard about these Nalgene bottles that supposedly solved the problem so I decided to try one. It holds 32 ounces which is about half the suggested water intake for the day. This means I will have to drink two of these to get the suggested hydration for my daily needs.

I hope these can last a couple of days before smelling bad like my first bottle did. In any case I will just get another one and use one per day and wash every night so it can be dry and ready for the next day.

Bottoms up!

21 Days Of Beauty Habits: Great Skin

Hello Divas!!

They say it takes 21 days of doing something for it to become a habit. I have decided that I will be starting a beauty ritual that I would like to become a habit and I will do it for the next 21 days straight until it becomes second nature to me.

I have a bad habit (and you know you do too) of sometimes skipping washing my face when I go to bed. Even if I take a shower at night I will just let the plain water run over my face and not even use a cleanser.

This is really bad for your skin because you know that even one swipe of make up remover does not remove all the makeup...so why would plain water do any good.

So for the next 21 days I will be following my routine of what I do when I actually do cleanse my face at night.

1. Wash my face.
I normally wash my face with these Aveeno cleansing pads because I think they are great at cleaning. They are gentle on the skin but also have a slightly rougher side that exfoliates as you clean.

The pads contain soy which is great for getting a more even skin tone when used and they smell great and do not cause irritation, even on my sensitive skin.

2. Tone my face.

I use Clean and Clear sensitive skin astringent to take off the last bit of dirt and grime and dead skin that the cleanser missed. You would be surprised at some of the stuff that comes off on a cotton pad when you use an astringent after washing.

3. Moisturize my face.
After the cleaning and toning the next step for me is to moisturize my face. I use Clean and Clear sensitive moisturizer with salicylic acid. I know this line is generally for teens and the younger generation but it has worked well for me now that I am over 30 and since my skin is so sensitive I tend to stick with what works.

In order to maximize the moisturizing effects I rinse my face off after I apply the astringent so that I can wash off the lingering alcohol. I also leave my face a little bit damp when I apply the moisturizer so that it can seal in some water.

Some people think that this dilutes the moisturizer and reduces the effectiveness but I prefer to do it that way. I just apply a slightly thicker layer of moisturizer than the instructions call for.

So anyway...the goal is to do this every night for the next 21 nights and hopefully it will become a habit so that I do not have to think about it. I always wake up with great skin the next day after doing this simple routine so it should be even better if I go at it for three weeks.

My Favorite Moisturizer: Olay Regenerist Serum

Hello Divas!!!

The winter weather has set in and with it comes some quirky dryness associated with the heaters and all the dry air around.

While many beauty bloggers will tell you to upgrade to a thicker moisturizer for your face I think you can simply use this very light serum to keep your skin moist and dewy.


I absolutely love this light serum that you can wear under your makeup, under moisturizer or even just alone with nothing else over it. It dries to a slightly powdery consistency in my mind..which means you are not left shiny or greasy, but you do not have a white powdery look to your skin.

A little bit goes a LONG way so why not give it a try today?

Pumpkin + Milk+ Honey = Great Skin

Hello Divas!!!

What can you do with all those leftover pumpkins and all that canned pumpkin? Well you may not know it but pumpkin is GREAT for your skin.

Mix the following:
1 tbs pumpkin (mashed)
1 tsp honey
0.5 tsp milk

mix well and apply to your clean face. Leave it on for 15 minutes and then rinse of with warm water. Honey is a great humectant and will plump and moisturize the skin.

The vitamins in the pumpkin will also help to exfoliate your skin in a gentle, non abrasive way and all around make your skin look even better.

3 Tips To Great Skin

Hello Divas!!

One of the ways to recognize a REAL Diva is by her skin. We don't need to spend TONS of money or even lots of hours....but doing a little bit every day will help you get and maintain the flawless skin that we are known for.

Shun the sun.
Yes it is great to have golden glow if you are lighter skinned but bear in mind that the sun can have some harmful rays. Too much exposure can lead to uneven skin and even worse...cancer.


Use a bronzer to get that beautiful color if you want it. If you are darker skinned PLEASE wear sunscreen.

Many of our darker skinned ladies believe they will not get sun damage but this is false. While the melatonin does give you more protection than the pale skins, it is NOT 100%

Exfoliate.
I cannot stress enough the importance of exfoliating. Your skin naturally sheds but you can help it out and reveal the younger looking skin below.


You do not have to strip your skin, just use a mild loofah in the shower and you will be well on your way.

Moisturize.
Dry, cracked skin is NOT cute. Your skin will be prepped to absorb the moisture after a session of exfoliating so go ahead and use that rich lotion and get your skin glowing!!!

Garnier Skin Renew Brush Gel Cleanser Is NICE

Hello Divas!

I just decided to try out something new on my face and I got the Garnier Skin Renew Gel Brush cleanser.
I must say that after only my very first use I think I am going to like this product even if it does not do everything it promised.



I found the gel brush easy to use and the thing that I liked the most about it was that the brush was so soft yet firm and it felt like it was applying the right amount of pressure to exfoliate but not irritate my skin.

The gel has a very nice scent which makes me WANT to use the product and I trust the Garnier brand so there are a few more points in their favor right there.

The directions say to dispense the gel and then wet the brush but that did not work for me as wetting the brush washed away some of the cleanser. I found it was better to wet my face and then begin using a circular motion with just the brush and cleanser.

I think the thing that I liked the most about the product is that I did not have any cleanser dripping down into my eyes because the product stayed where the brush was and foamed up nicely without becoming watery.

My Skin Care Routine: Morning Shower

Hello Divas!!

One of the most important parts of being a diva is having great skin. The easiest way to get it is to really take care of your skin by cleansing it and eating a healthy diet.

I am going to share part of my skin care routine with you just so you can see how easy it is.

Morning Shower
I take two showers a day, or one shower and a bath at night. My morning shower is shorter than my night shower as the only thing I have done (most times) is sleep.

In the morning I am usually in a rush to get out the door and since I slept through the night so I do not have a lot of sweat or toxins to clean off.

I use a bath pouf and some body wash to quickly wash my body off and probably spend about 5 minutes in the shower. I figure I only need a quick shower to get me started since I took a good shower before going to bed the night before.

I then pat myself dry and apply a deeply moisturizing lotion like Vaseline Sheer Infusion
or Olay Quench. I will also use my Olay facial lotion with SPF15 to moisturize and protect my face.

I apply my antiperspirant/deodorant and that takes care of my skin for the day.

What is your morning shower like?

Nivea Moisture (Product Review)

Hello Divas!

A true Diva ALWAYS has soft,supple, well hydrated lips as a basic part of her wardrobe. I love lip balms and lip glosses but I wanted to try out this Nivea Kiss Of Moisture lip hydrator to see if it would deliver.

The first thing I noticed is that it contains SPF 4 and have talked before about using SPF to protect your skin so this was interesting to me. I actually get a rash when I use any product that contains SPF except for Oil Of Olay so I was a bit worried.

I decided to apply it at night and that way if I got a rash I could just hide at home the next day. I noticed when I put on the product that it felt MUCH lighter than other lip balms and not as waxy.

It felt like it was really moisturizing my lips while still providing long lasting barriers against wind and other drying agents. I woke up the next day and did not have any rash or discomfort so I guess that while SPF 4 is very low it is better than having nothing on my lips at all.

The lip balm is clear so I would need to find some way to add in color if I wanted that. It is also unscented which is good most of the time but sometimes I like a little color and flavor and scent in just one product without needing to do multiple steps.

I also noticed that unlike some of the other thicker balms, this tended to wear off quickly when eating so constant reapplication is necessary.

The one thing I must say I do not like about this is the way the cap fits!!!!!! In most other lip balms the white part, which is the smaller part, would be the cap so you just pull of the little cap and there is your product. With Nivea Kiss of Moisture the BLUE part is the cap....so you pull the balm out of this LONG tube like a tube of lipstick and STILL have to twist to get at the product. I hate the long cap because it makes it a little more difficult to to cover the balm in a hurry.

In general it is a good lip balm for the price but a tinted version would be nice.

Get better Skin

Soft, smooth skin looks and feels so good. How can we all get better looking skin without spending tons of money and going through painful processes?

The answer just might lie with your bath.
You can take a nice bath with a soothing shower gel like this one and instantly soothe your skin. You will be clean and fresh, without stripping away essential oils from your skin. You do not have to spend 15 minutes in the shower to get clean because that just dehydrates your skin.

After you take your shower or bath it is a great idea to use a lotion to seal in the moisture. I love cocoa butter because it also helps keep marks like scars and stretch marks off your skin.

Simply apply a layer of moisturizing lotion or body butter to your moist skin and you will seal in moisture for the day. No more ashy elbows and knees.

I apply lotion all over my body, even under my feet. It sounds funny but you will see results. People are always telling me I have nice feet.....and it is because I put lotion UNDER my feet. So go ahead....do it in the privacy of your home and reap the benefits in the form of beautiful skin.