Favorite Product Of The Month! January

Hello lovelies! So sorry that I haven't been putting out as much content as I used to. Things have been a bit hectic for the past couple of weeks but thankfully now I can breathe and I'm back to blogging.

This month I've had a TON of things to try out and review, from new makeup to skincare to a backpack even! (Reviews will be coming shortly). It's all been so exhausting but I love it. Thankfully, most of these products were very good and a few of them are even staples in my routine now. Overall though, there were two products this month that really stood out to me and they were, TheBalm's Balm Jovi Palette and Philosophy's Purity Made Simple 3-in-1 Facial Cleanser. The latter I will be talking about in this review!

You might have noticed that this product is labeled as being a 3-in-1, that's because in addition to being a cleanser this product also acts as a toner while it helps to dissolve makeup. According to Philosophy, it's supposed to lightly hydrate the skin as well. While I didn't notice any hydration per se, I did notice that it didn't strip my skin and leave it feeling "squeaky", uncomfortable or tight. This cleanser is great for removing oils because it leaves my skin looking matte but somehow does not strip my skin. How it does that I will never know! I really love the toning aspect because it leaves my skin looking bright, awake and refreshed so I've been using this mainly in the mornings. As someone with dark acne scarring on the sides of my face, I'm always looking for non-harsh products that will not only brighten my skin but, keep it from looking dull as well. This, along with my trusty DDF Brightening Cleanser are now staples in my routine. I'm especially impressed by this product because unlike usual toners, it doesn't dry out my skin or make my skin flaky which the DDF Brightening can do on occasion.

When using this cleanser, I start with a damp face and using only a dime size amount, I rub it into my skin for a few minutes before rinsing. If you are using this product to remove makeup, I would recommend doing this twice to make sure that everything was removed. You can also use this product on your eyes but, I personally haven't tried that yet.

Ultimately, I think this is a great product all around. It cleanses, tones and removes makeup in one step so for that alone you can't beat it. The prices are a bit expensive but, since only a dime size amount is needed it will last a long time and you no longer have to buy makeup remover and or toner separately so that in itself, helps to save a bit of money as well as, take extra steps out of your routine. If you are planning to purchase a full size version of this product, I would recommend buying a pump as well. The reason for this is because, the packaging is a very rigid bottle which quickly becomes an inconvenience as more and more product is used, it becomes almost impossible to get product out and not crush the bottle in the process.

*This product does contain sulfates* as well as: Water, Sodium Lauroamphoacetate, Sodium Trideceth Sulfate, Limnanthes Alba (Meadowfoam) Seed Oil, Coco-Glucoside, Coconut Alcohol, Peg-120 Methyl Glucose Dioleate, Aniba Rosaeodora (Rosewood) Wood Oil, Geranium Maculatum Oil, Guaiac (Guaiacum Officinale) Extract, Cymbopogon Martini Oil, Rosa Damascena Extract, Amyris Balsamifera Bark Oil, Santalum Album (Sandalwood) Oil, Salvia Officinalis (Sage) Oil, Cinnamomum Cassia Leaf Oil, Anthemis Nobilis Flower Oil, Daucus Carota Sativa (Carrot) Seed Oil, Piper Nigrum (Pepper) Seed Extract, Polysorbate 20, Glycerin, Carbomer, Triethanolamine, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, Imidazolidinyl Urea, Yellow 5 (Ci 19140)

Full sizes are $22 // 8oz, $33 // 16oz, $41 // 24oz, $50.50 // 32oz of product
Travel size is $10 // 3oz of product

You can purchase this product in it's various sizes here, here, and here

Much love xo

MAC Archie's Girls Is Here!!!!

MAC Archie's Girls is now released online! Head on over to MAC before it all sells out! And here's a little incentive for you, spend $75 and receive a cute Archie's Girls pin! There is a separate page for everything, the exclusives, including a brush kit, mirror, tote, coin purse and  makeup bag. And, both Betty and Veronica have their own separate pages, the lip products and nail lacquers are featured on these pages rather than the general collection page which only features the face products. Launches in stores Feb 7th!

Pick up the face products here

Check out Betty's Page

Check out Veronica's Page

Pick up the exclusives here

Also, did anyone love the cute intro as much as I did? Well done MAC!

Much love xo

Happy Birthday Dollface Beauty!! CLOSED

Wow, we're here lovelies! Dollface Beauty is now officially one year old! I can't even believe it. Last January here I was, I started a blog with pretty much absolutely nothing but a goal and now here it is, one year later and still going strong. I know that we'll only continue to go up from here!

In honor of Dollface Beauty's one year birthday, I will be doing a small giveaway for two of my awesome readers! The prize for each winner will be one slice of Aubrey Elizabeth's Vanilla & Chocolate Cake Soap!!!

The rules are simple:

• You must be a reader of Dollface Beauty either publicly or via email and you must have been following this blog before today 1/30/13
• This giveaway is open internationally
• This giveaway will be open for 5 days! I will announce and contact the winners first thing Feb 5th!

To enter this giveaway simply leave one comment below telling me how you think Dollface Beauty can improve! I want to hear your thoughts and suggestions!

Good luck lovelies!! 

Much love xo

Update: This giveaway is now closed. No entries. 

Aubrey Elizabeth Apothecary Custom Soaps- A Review

I looked up this seller on Etsy after a friend of mine gave me a couple of her soaps for Christmas. One of the soaps that I was given was a delicious cherry and licorice scented ZOMBIE soap (EXTREME horror fan here!) I was so intrigued by this product that I immediately looked up her shop and that, my friends, is where it all started.

This shop literally sells almost every shape and scent of soap that you can imagine, from waffles and sushi to cupcakes and guns, all deliciously fragrant. I spoke to Aubrey on how everything worked and I ended up placing a pretty decent order on almost everything that caught my eye. My favorites were the cinnamon buns, Hostess chocolate cupcake and the American Rocket.

Most of her products are in the $5.00-$10.00 range and they last awhile so it's pretty affordable. Vegan and goat milk options are also available! My only gripe is I would order products in small batches because for the lighter colored soaps, the longer that they sit around in the cellophane, they become a bit discolored. They still smell pretty good though. Just something to keep in mind.

Overall, I really love these soaps and I'm looking forward to trying the sushi set next. There's no better pleasure in life than smelling like a chocolate cupcake. If you're wondering, yes the scents do linger, especially the heavier scents like cherry and chocolate. Not only did my bathroom smell amazing, so did I for a few hours. There's nothing I hate more than having a wonderfully scented bath product and the smell dissipates five minutes after using it. As far as moisturizing, the glycerin that these soaps contain did lock in a bit of moisture but nothing that lasted too long, I would definitely follow up with a body butter or lotion afterwards.

To get the most out of your soaps, I've found that it's better to cut them in half or more depending on the size. The is because not only is it easier to handle but you aren't worrying about the heat or shower moisture evaporating the soap and you get to use every little bit! That is, if you can handle ruining the cute designs.

Her soaps sometimes contain fresh ingredients like cinnamon, so if you have an allergy PLEASE read her listings, she lists all the ingredients right on the page. Her soaps also contain: glycerin, coloring, phthalate-free fragrance, propylene glycol, sorbitol, water, sodium stearate, sodium laureth sulfate, sodium myristate, sodium cocoyl isethionate, triethanolamine, titanium dioxide, mica and oxide.

*These soaps DO contain sulfates*

You can check out the shop here

Her products tend to go by season so if you see something that you like, don't hesitate to get it!

Much love xo

Lush Almond & Coconut Shower Smoothie- A Review

Oh Lush, why must you be so expensive? We all know Lush, it's the guilty pleasure store where you love the products but you (almost) feel guilty after buying them because they are just so pricey. Believe me, I feel your pain. For the Christmas season, I decided to treat myself to a few products, one of which is this painfully wonderful shower smoothie. I had originally planned to pick up the banana scented "Gumback Express" but unfortunately I found out that it's only available online. (Gumback Express is considered a retro item) Anyhow, after spending about half an hour in store, I walked out with this and the Aqua Mirabilis Body Butter (A review for this will be up shortly).

First off let me just say that I absolutely ADORE the scent, it's so familiar yet unique at the same time. It smells of vanilla frosting so to anyone that cannot stand coconut scents, you'll probably like this because I really can't detect the coconut whatsoever. Is it just me or does this kind of smell like gum as well?

I used about two tablespoons of this during my shower, I let it sit on my skin for 2-3 minutes before I rinsed it off and I instantly felt the film/residue that it left. It was not a bad residue but you can definitely feel the moisture and oils that it left behind. I purposely didn't use any body butters or lotions afterwards just to see how long the hydration lasted, all in all about five hours. This is great in my book because it allows me to remove the extra step of applying body butter or lotion. My skin feels soft and silky enough after using this that I don't feel that I need anything else. My favorite thing about this product is the texture, it looks dense in the container but once used, it feels almost like whipped cream. I also love this smoothie because of the ingredients. It's made with five different oils including, almond oil. That coupled with glycerin makes it a great product for sealing moisture into the skin. Almond oil also contains vitamin e, which in itself is great for the body. Vitamin e contains antioxidants which is excellent for anti-aging. This vitamin also promotes circulation and helps the healing process especially with dry and cracked skin.

Overall, I think this smoothie is a really great product. It did exactly what the label explained and it made my skin feel soft and hydrated but, the price is what will keep me from having this in my shower at all times. For right now, this will be a "luxury" item for me.

This product is $21.95 // 8.8 oz of product
Purchase here

Much love xo

Birchbox January 2013

There comes a time, in Birchbox world that you finally get that one box that you were coveting. I'm happy to say that this happened to me this month. It's the first box of the new year and Birchbox couldn't have gotten off to a better start in my book, let's just hope it stays that way! Since it is the new year I am surprised that Birchbox didn't feature more festive related items. Even though I was lucky enough to receive the box that I did, a lot of others seemed to be quite underwhelming. There is one critique I have though and that is, Birchbox, PLEASE stop with all of the perfume samples. I absolutely LOVE perfume and even I'm tired of it. Hear us out and try to incorporate new and exciting things. Now, with that said, this month I received box 1:

• TheBalm "Put A Lid On It" Eye Primer
• Fresh Lotus Face Cream
• Harvey Prince Skinny Chic
• Ojon Damage Reverse Instant Restorative Hair Serum
• Alessandro Nail Polish "Blue Lagoon"

I'm not sure how I feel about the eye primer quite yet. While it is a wonderful primer and it did hold my shadows, I don't know if I like it more or less than my trusty Too Faced Shadow Insurance. The reason being, the texture throws me off a bit. It's not oily but it is sticky which I guess is a good thing because it holds my shadows beautifully. I will most likely purchase a full size when my shadow insurance runs out. Full size retails for $18//0.40 oz of product (Shadow Insurance has 0.35 oz)

I really, REALLY like the Lotus moisturizer. It was light, non-oily/greasy, it sank into my skin quickly and it has anti-aging properties. I honestly can't ask for more in a moisturizer. While it didn't make my face feel especially soft like my Ahava, it did moisturize quite well and it didn't leave any type of residue. The smell is also quite pleasant, it reminds me of cucumbers! Now, the card claims that this is supposed to provide moisture for 24 hours and while I definitely did not experience that, it is a good moisturizer nonetheless. Full size retails for $42//1.7 oz of product

I love the smell of the Skinny Chic perfume, I compared this to DKNY Be Delicious. This perfume is very light and fresh, more so than the DKNY but I'm sorry to say that I will not be purchasing this because I don't like the marketing for this product. For a company to market a perfume that boasts "skinny is chic" and  saying things like "to keep you feeling young, slim and beautiful" and "we empower women to feel young, happy, slim and beautiful". I cannot and will not support that. A company is not empowering anyone if they are marketing a perfume in relation to weight or size. If they had simply left out the slim and skinny nonsense then the message would be great. This perfume has notes of green apple, sweet mint and warm amber. Full sizes retail from $21-$55

I was so looking forward to the Ojon oil but it was without a doubt a big let down for me. If you've been following my blog for awhile then you know that my hair is extremely dry and I have to pretty much work overtime to keep it moisturized. Hair oils seem to be the only product that keep my hair nice and hydrated, Organix Extra Strength Argan oil being my favorite. I used the Ojon oil while my hair was still damp and let me say, this oil did absolutely NOTHING for my hair. It didn't moisturize, hydrate or even at the very least make my hair soft. If anything, my hair felt crunchy and dry after using this which absolutely boggles my mind.  I ended up having to use double the amount of Organix than I normally use just to reverse whatever this did to my hair. Full size retails for $25// 1.7 oz of product

This was my first time ever trying Alessandro polish and well, in my opinion the formula isn't anything special. According to Birchbox, this is supposed to be to be a super opaque polish and it just, isn't. The formula was extremely streaky and applied unevenly. The polish was also a bit sheer and I had to use two coats, almost three, it did dry pretty fast though. I'm not in love with the color but it does look better in person, I will continue to use this until it runs out but I wont be purchasing. Blue lagoon is a very muddy dark greyed blue. Full size retails for $12// 0.34 oz or product

Overall, I enjoyed this box. While a couple products were a definite no for me and all of the products were very tiny, I enjoyed trying them out nonetheless and that's really all that matters.

Much love xo

MAC Mineralize Charged Water Hydrating Spray- A Review

It seems that I've been posting A LOT of MAC stuff lately. Sorry about that! I've just been diving more and more into this brand and I've gone from owning one product to about ten. I received this Charged Water for the Christmas holiday and I have been really enjoying it. I previously used MAC's Fix + spray but I was excited to try this none the less.

Now you might be thinking, why on earth do I need two water sprays? Well in all honesty, I don't. They are almost the same thing (in my option) but they do have a couple of slight differences. The first that you would notice is the smell. Both Fix + and the charged water have pleasant smells but I much prefer the scent of the CW, it seems to have a fresher, more "perk me up" type of scent, does that make any sense whatsoever?

As far as performance, I still prefer the Charged Water because to me, it does the exact same thing as Fix + but with a few added bonuses, including the addition of diamond powder. Fix + is used mainly to reduce the look of cakeyness and powder on your face. Well, the CW does that also and the CW adds a bit of hydration and (supposed) radiance to your skin. I still like my Fix + but the one gripe I have with it is that it makes my skin feel a bit sticky after using it, the CW does not do this. Overall, I would most likely recommend the charged water for dry skin and the Fix + for oily skin but they are both good products and it really falls down to personal preference, I choose the charged water. I use this throughout the day, especially now that winter has started, it feels extremely refreshing and picks up my makeup just a little bit. Don't be afraid to use these sprays, they last a LONG time.

I won't sit here and say that I notice any added radiance to my skin because I do not but because this product does in fact make my skin feel hydrated and soft and it doesn't leave my skin feeling sticky or tacky, I will definitely be re-purchasing.

Now, diamond powder. What is it exactly and why is it in my makeup? To be honest, I couldn't find much information on diamond powder in cosmetics and what exactly it is supposed to do. I'm going to assume that this is supposed to be the radiance causing ingredient but to the naked eye, I can't tell any difference. So until I get more information on it's "benefits", diamond powder in my option seems to be the "new fad" ingredient that makes a product sound better and more intriguing.

This product retails for $22.00//3.4oz of product

This product can be purchased here

Much love xo

MAC Archie's Girls Collection Launching Soon!

This collection will be showcasing Betty and Veronica, I don't know much about it yet but I do know that Betty will feature lighter, more natural everyday makeup and Veronica will be featuring darker, more vixen-esque products. 

I'm really excited for this collection, especially the Veronica side. I know it may not be anything new but I would love to see a real pin-up take with this collection. I'm looking forward to a bright, true red lip and maybe some interesting nail lacquers. Here's hoping!

Head on over to MAC's website and use the sign up sheet to be one of the first to get the head's up when the collection officially launches! http://www.maccosmetics.com/index.tmpl

This collection is scheduled for Spring. Does anyone else think this would be so cute for Valentine's Day? We shall see.

I will be updating this post as I found out more information!

Updates: 

• This collection WILL have a red lipstick
• 6 lipsticks: Boyfriend Stealer, Daddy's Little Girl, Ronnie Red, Girl Next Door, Sweet Something Oh, Oh, Oh and Betty Bright 

Photo is courtesy of MAC Cosmetics

Much love xo

Butter LONDON "Blowing Raspberries"

Lately I've got it into my head that there is nothing better to do in the morning but take a nice long warm shower, put on a big fluffy robe and polish my nails while sipping coffee. The rest of the house is sleeping in and I just get to relax.

Perfection.

Getting better with clean-up!

Well..that's the way it goes in my head anyways. My mornings usually involve me running around like a bat out of hell, snatching on clothing and throwing charcoal and books into my backpack before I run out of the door to my classes. One can dream I suppose. On this day I finally got around to being able to change my polish. I picked up this polish awhile ago after coveting it ever since I saw someone on youtube wearing it. I hate to sound like a broken record when I say something is my favorite but this is absolutely one of my favorite polishes now. It is the perfect mix of pink and red and can look completely different depending on the lighting, I've seen it look almost cherry red and then a plumy maroon in the same day. I also fell in love with the name, it's so cute and somehow fits perfectly.

For those that are not familiar with the Butter London brand, they pride themselves on being a "3 free" lacquer company. This means that all of their polishes are formulated without DBP, Formaldehyde or Toluene. Which is great because it's better and healthier for both you and the environment.

This polish goes on very smoothly and is completely opaque with one coat, I didn't even bother with applying a second. This polish works best if you prep your nails first. When I used this without prepping my nails, the polish did not apply as smoothly and I noticed A LOT more tip wear and chipping. I wore this polish for almost an entire week before having to change it, one of the longest wearing of my entire collection. One gripe that I do have with this polish is that it can turn dull very quickly. If you don't apply a top coat, this polish will lose most of it's shine in a matter of hours. I know that isn't a deal breaker or anything because we're all pretty much going to use a top coat but, it's just something that I noticed. Also, if you're not used to handling polishes with a shorter handle, this might take a little bit of getting used to. The brush itself is pretty much the same length as other polishes, only the handle is much shorter.

Overall, I'm REALLY REALLY loving this polish but, I don't think it's outstanding or necessarily unique enough to carry the hefty $14 price tag. I do think that the polish is great and I love that the brand is 3 free but, Butter London as a whole is not a brand that I will buy if it's not on sale.

You can check out Butter London here and here

Full price is $14//0.4 oz of product

Much love xo

Happy New Year!!

Wow you guys! I can't believe that it's 2013 already. Time flies way too fast, in a couple of weeks it'll be the 1 year anniversary of Dollface Beauty and I honestly can't wrap my mind around it. I hope everyone is having an absolutely magical day with food and friends (and drinks..haha) and everything in between.

Let me know what you're looking forward to in the new year. What are you going to change? Personally, I'm looking forward to taking more chances. From places to visit to exciting new hairstyles, you only live once right? And if it fails, you'll probably have a good laugh about it. Whatever that idea is, go out and do it. Enjoy the little things while you can :)

So please everyone, let's make 2013 completely and ridiculously awesome, because all the fun things are in trying. Go bungee jumping, fall in love, shave your head, take that trip to Paris, quit that job that you hate, take up tango lessons and just completely and utterly rock the hell out because you deserve it. You deserve to be happy and you deserve to be fulfilled in life. That's what truly matters, don't let anything hold you back. Make 2013 your year, and the year after that, and the year after that.

Also, please remember that there is no excuse for driving under the influence. If you have no other options, call AAA. On New Year's Eve & Day, they will take you and your car home for free. Use number (800) AAA-HELP.

Photo is from Google Images

Much Love & Happy New Year My Lovelies! xo