Drugstore Buy of the Week - Nivea Skin Firming & Smoothing Concentrated Serum

So, as it's product name indicates, Nivea Skin Firming + Smoothing Concentrated Serum
is a product to help with improvement with firmness and smoothness of trouble areas like tummy, thighs, buttocks, and lower legs. 

However, this is does NOT mean it will make your cellulite disappear! This is really important to point out, because I'm a big believer in sharing products with you that work - and telling you what you they can and cannot do and who they're best for.

I stumbled upon this serum after someone telling me about it recently, and thought it might be nice to road test before an upcoming beach vacation to the west coast recently. The product claims that with regular daily use, it can improve skin's firmness in about 10 days. It contains Coenzyme Q10, Natural Lotus extract, and L-Carnitine. 

The texture of the serum is slightly thick and a bit sticky out of the bottle, but smoothed onto my skin very easily. It abosorbed very quickly and left no residue or greasy/sticky feeling. It has a very prominent floral scent, which I happened to like, that dissipated after about a minute or so. (But I do think that an unscented version would be a nice addition to the line for those who don't want or can't have products with fragrance). 

I needed about approximately 1 pump per body area e.g. tummy, and found that this will last me about a month or so with continued daily use. The product hydrated and smoothed my body very nicely, but the proof would be the results after the first two weeks.... 

 What I noticed was very impressive. There was an improvement in the texture of the skin on my thighs/legs, but equally as impressive was the improvement in firmness as well. Any cellulite was "reduced" in appearance due to the smoothing effect, but I was still very pleased. Since the initial two weeks, I have continued to use Nivea Skin Firming + Smoothing Concentrated Serum to maintain the results. 

Bottom Line? Yes, you have to keep up a healthy diet and exercise to really continue the results, but for me, this is worthy of staying in my permanent body care collection - especially in the summer months! - RLB

Go-->Nivea Skin Firming & Smoothing Concentrated Serum, 2.5 fl oz

Body Care Find - MoroccanOil Intense Moisturizing Treatment

Even in the summer months, those will drier skin will many times still have to work through dry cracked heels on feet, elbows and lower legs.

MoroccanOil, (famous for their Moroccan Oil hair treatment), now has a line of body products which cater to those with dry skin.  One of my favorites is the MoroccanOil Intense Moisturizing Treatment.

This is a thick gel/oil texture that is also a tad sticky out of the tube and when spreading it on feet, for example.  But if you're willing to deal with a little stickiness for a second or two, you will be well rewarded.

My feet were baby soft and smooth after using the treatment (especially overnight) and ready for any kind of summer sandal or open toed shoe. The finish is a nice glowing sheen and it soothed my skin instantly.

This is also great for flaking skin on other parts of the foot, like the bottom, to rub on dry elbows and knees before heading outside this summer.  There's no sun protection in the product, but since it's really meant as a spot treatment, I didn't have any issues using a sunscreen over these areas when applying to my body.

This is one of the best products I've tried recently for cracked heels, persistently dry feet. flaking skin and dry elbows/legs. It's also my go-to product to maintain a weekly pedicure by applying it to feet/toes and cuticles. - RLB

Go-->MoroccanOil Intense Moisturizing Treatment 

*This product was provided courtesy of Moroccan Oil PR for reviewing purposes. 

Beauty Find - Tarte Colored Clay Tinted Brow Gel

When the temps are scorching, the last thing you want is for your perfectly arched and penciled/powdered eyebrows to start...MELTING before you've even completed your morning commute.

Tarte Colored Clay Tinted Brow Gel is ingenious little  product that allowed me to easily and quickly define and fill in my brows and have them stay in place all day long.

Since I have fairly dark brows, I used their darkest shade, Rich Brown.  It looked like it might have been too light when I first took the wand out of the bottle, but it ended up being a perfect match.  It has a extremely lightweight texture and feel, and looked completely natural against my brow hair.  I love how I was able to use it to lightly go over sparser areas like the ends of my brows, and to add some depth to my overall brow.  My brows didn't feel stiff, hard and the gel didn't cake or flake after application or throughout the day.

The is wand is very short and narrow and allows you to basically "paint" little individual hairs on to your brows (Tip: use short, upward strokes). And for those of you who need some grey coverage, Tarte Colored Clay Tinted Brow Gel will also camouflage these little hairs as well.
Since the Brow Gel doesn't migrate, the color will stay on until you wash it off at the end of the day.

Note: This is also going to work best for those of you who have a fair amount of eyebrow hair, as well as a good arch already.  If you really need to fill in/shape completely, or if you want a very dramatic "Kim Kardashian" - type of eyebrow, this gel will not have enough pigment/finish to give you that look.

But for nicely defined and filled-in brows that will look natural (perfect for any daytime/office look), this is the perfect little secret weapon! - RLB

  

Go-->Tarte Colored Clay Tinted Brow Gel Rich Brown 0.14 oz

*This product was provided courtesy of Tarte PR for reviewing purposes.