Dessert for the Hands: Concentrated Oak Milk, Shea Butter and Marshmallow Root Extract

This product advertises that it’s “totally-to-die-for,” so I had to check it out to see if it was worth the hype. I don’t usually use hand cream, just because I can’t stand when my hands are oily when I’m trying to do something, but I brought CAKE’s MILK MADE VELVETEEN HANDCREAM to work with me one day to use after the not-so-great smelling soap in the bathroom.

I really liked this product. It’s silky, makes my hands smooth, doesn’t leave them too oily and smells delicious! Enriched with concentrated oak milk, shea butter and marshmallow root extract, Milk Made is vegan and paraben, phthalate and GMO free. $5.99 for 60ml. I don’t love very sweet smelling things so it wasn’t my favorite scent in the world, but I liked it for what it was.

I give it 4 kisses, just because I wasn’t in love with the scent, but everything else about it was great!

-Carolyne

Healthy Help from Hemp: Harness its Hydrating Restorative Power for Your Lips

I constantly have dry lips. Though, instead of trying to do the normal thing like drink more water and stay hydrated, I choose to deal with it by consistently buying lip-glosses and ChapSticks.

I always determine how much I like a lip-gloss by how long I can go without reapplying it. HEMPZ MOISTURIZING HERBAL LIPBALM stood the test. It lasted for hours, kept my lips hydrated, and smelled delicious!

Hempz’s formula of shea butter, avocado oil and 100% pure natural hemp seed oil is gluten free, THC free and 100% vegan. Sweet citrus flavor.

Five kisses for sure.

-Carolyne

BANG: Take Your Eye Lashes From Skimpy and Sparse to Bigger and Bolder in Just Two Swipes

I tend to stick by the old saying, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”

This is how I feel about mascara, as I’ve been using Covergirl’s Clump Crusher mascara since I started wearing makeup. However, BAD GIRL’s BANG VOLUMIZING MASCARA is a total gamechanger for me.

Just two easy swipes of it is enough to make my lashes look long and dark, and not clumpy at all. It’s perfect for my everyday makeup I wear to work, and takes zero time to apply. The smudge-proof formula contains space-age “aero particles” with ProVitamin B5 (known to fuel lash thickness and strength) to add maximum volume without weight.

Pro tip: I used it in conjunction with my Covergirl mascara, and let me tell you, I found the holy grail. I put on the Covergirl mascara first to make my lashes thick, and then the Bad Gal mascara to lengthen them out. It was perfection.

I give this mascara five kisses!

-Carolyne

Don’t Be Fooled By the Cutesy Name (or a little pain before beauty), This Mask is a T-Zone Treasure

Let me preface this by saying if you use this product, do not have a white towel in sight!

I was so excited to try this mask out because my t-zone is the most problematic area on my face – especially in the summer when I’m constantly sweating and reapplying sunscreen. The shimmery, glittery black goo contains volcanic ash, charcoal and “saphire powder” to cleanse pores, absorb/ control sebum and impurities, and exfoliate dull skin.

Here’s what I loved about I DEW CARE’s SPACE KITTEN T-ZONE CLEARING GALACTIC BLACK PEEL-OFF MASK:

 • It smelled like fresh flowers

 • It came off relatively easy

 • Bonus points: it was glittery

However, it had a few drawbacks that kept me from wanting to give it 5 kisses:

 • Hard to put on with your hands and gets stuck in your nails (easier with an applicator?)

 • It hurt to peel off my cheeks, but was fine everywhere else

 • Did not come off as clean as I was hoping

I give this mask four kisses because my pores did end up looking cleaner and my face was softer, but it was too much of a hassle to take on and off to make the experience relaxing.

-Carolyne

Here’s a Face Mask Experience Worth Skipping an Evening Out For

I love face masks, maybe even an unhealthy amount, but I firmly believe that the true test of a good mask is one that you will cancel plans for. And let me tell you, GLAMGLOW’s GRAVITYMUD FIRMING TREATMENT MASK was way worth not squeezing into my jeans and spending $50 on dinner and drinks. With my Turbie towel on and Gilmore Girls queued, I tried the facemask that would redefine what I looked for in face masks. 

Here’s why I loved this product: 

 • Went on very smooth and easy to apply with my hands 

 • Sleek silver color • Peeled off easy – I have never had a mask that actually peels off easy 

 • Left my skin feeling soft and bright 

My only tip is to definitely avoid your hairline and eyebrows. Fatal mistake when taking it off. 

I give it five kisses, though, and would definitely miss another night out for it. 

                                                                                            -Carolyne

Thinning, Unshaped Eyebrows? Here’s the Best Fix on the Market

In the beginning of my modeling career, I had a famous makeup artist do my makeup for me in New York. He taught me that the two most important things on your face are your eyebrows and your lips. Now, if I had to pick between the two, it would be my eyebrows to make sure they’re always shaped and groomed. Of course, back then I had beautiful, thick eyebrows. Now for some reason I don’t – but that’s ok because I can fix it with MAYBELLINE’s TATTOOSTUDIO WATERPROOF EYEBROW GEL (Deep Brown)! 

I spend a lot of time on my brows each day: I’ll use a pencil to shape them and a brow gel to fill them. For this specific product, I suggest starting out with a tiny bit because it dries really quickly, and then spreading it out with a Q-tip and shaping it with the brush. If you mess up, you can always correct it by using a Q-tip and rubbing it off. This stuff stays on all day long! I swear you could even swim in it. 10 smudge-proof shades. $12.99 

I give it five kisses for sure. 

-Carol

Instant Glow Inspired by the Nordic Phenomena Known as the Midnight Sun

Here’s the deal: I don’t use frosted highlighter very often because I can’t stand the way it looks on “older” eyelids. But NOMAD’s STOCKHOLM MIDNIGHT SUN HIGHLIGHTER changes the game. 

I only use it at night when I’m going out with a full face of makeup – and even then I only put a tiny dot in the inner corner of my eye. That being said, this product will probably last a lifetime because I use it so seldom. 

This smooth, blendable powder is free of parabens, phthalates, mineral oil, talc and gluten – and Nomad infuses it with blackcurrent extract for a light-gold, “champagne” glow. $17. 

It did a fantastic job, so I give it five kisses.

-Carol

                                          

Get A Daily Stretch and Enjoy an Easier Way to Exfoliate Your Back

If there’s anything I’ve learned over time, it’s that you’ve got to exfoliate your skin – at least once a week, head to toe. I especially love exfoliating in the summer to get all of the sunscreen off that I wear daily. When I found a cloth that claimed to make it easier to clean your back, I had to get one. DAILY CONCEPTS DAILY STRETCH WASH CLOTH, $14.

Here’s what I like about it:
 • It’s rough enough to feel you getting clean, but soft enough to not irritate your skin
 • It has two loops on either side to make it easier to clean your back
 • Cotton base with nylon exfoliating loops – clinically, allergy and dermatologist tested
 • Fading label indicator alerts you when it’s time to replace

The only thing I don’t like about it is that when you stretch it out, it gets too narrow. But it does the job and gets my sunscreen off well, so I give it four kisses.

-Carol

The Best Eye Dark Circle Concealer at a Bargain Price

I am constantly on the hunt for the best concealer on the planet. I’ve had dark circles under my eyes my whole life and of course, I’ve tried all the expensive ones – but this one wins. And it’s only $10 (or less) – go figure. I’ve been using MAYBELLINE INSTANT AGE REWIND DARK CIRCLE ERASER (color: Honey Miel) for almost two years now and I swear it’s just as good as anything expensive out on the market. 

Here’s what I love about it: 

 • The foam applicator makes it go on very smoothly 

 • It’s very light and dries quickly 

 • 18 shades for every skin tone 

A piece of advice I give older women is to always put an eye cream underneath their concealer! 

I give this five kisses.

-Carol

                                                                  

Stay Out of the Sun and Get a Golden Tan That Doesn't Look Fake

Oooh, I love this stuff!

I had this trip planned for the beach and didn’t want to blend in with the sand. The girl at Sephora swore by TAN-LUXE ILLUMINATING SELF-TAN DROPS and me, being the sucker that I am, bought it for $59 (50ml). Crazy, I know, but I wanted to look good at the beach, so price didn’t matter at that moment.

Here’s what you do: mix it with your favorite body lotion – the more drops you use, the darker you become. If you apply it for the first time in the morning, you will see the tan start to come in the afternoon. Reapply it for the next three days and you’ll get a golden tan that doesn’t look fake. Of course, you have to wipe off your knees, elbows and inside of your arms to avoid the fake tan look. After about 3 days you probably only need to reapply it every other day, or even every 3rd day. I also suggest exfoliating at least once a week. Available in drops for the body and drops for the face with options for light/medium or medium/dark skin tones. pH 45 to minimize typical self-tanner smell.

I give this five kisses. For what I wanted, it totally did the job!

                                         -Carol

My Dermatologist Recommended This to Combat Chronic Dry Skin

I recently had my annual skin cancer checkup. If there’s any advice I could give to someone young, it’s to stay out of the sun. I wish I had taken that advice when I was younger, but here we are. One of my biggest problems I told my dermatologist about is chronic dry skin. 

She recommended ISDIN HYDRATION URADIN LOTION 10 from a company in Spain. It was $30 for 13.5 oz at her office, which seemed crazy at the time. I thought “I’m not going to buy it there; I’m going to go home and get it on Amazon.” Well, it was $100 on Amazon. So, I realized that $30 wasn’t so bad. 

Here’s what I like about it:

• It’s hydrating (but I have to reapply if I’m going out at night)

• It has a really clean smell

• It has a lock on it which is easy to do and undo, which is nice for traveling 

I give it four kisses, only because I don’t like how it feels tacky on your skin for a while after applying

-Carol