Review of Tinted Sunscreens: MDSolarSciences, Suntegrity, and eltaMD

Hi guys, and I think I had mentioned before my quest for the perfect tinted sunscreen for my skin.  As much as I love makeup with SPF, when we're in the thick of summer, like we are now, makeup is just not the most comfortable on the skin (and talk about melting down your greasy face--ugh).  So I started my search earlier in the year so that I'd have a viable option and out of these three that I've tried there's a clear winner for me.  

The first one I tried is this MDSolarScience Mineral Tinted Creme which I found kind of interesting.  The first thing I noticed right away was its texture of the cream which came out kind of fluffy (like whipped yogurt) but went on the face kind of greasy.  The smell was also kind of weird, but not overpowering and nothing that you really noticed (except maybe the first second you put it on).  It seemed like the formula would break me out but it didn't at all.  It did an ok job with sun protection but it did go on fairly thin.  And the tinted coverage was fairly light (you can't really hide too many imperfections with this one) and it only comes in one color.  But I did like that once on the face, it was fairly matte.  In the end though I went on to try another one because I was looking for something with a little more coverage to cover discoloration.  I use this one as a back-up in my gym bag for days I forget to bring my makeup bag along.  At least I can use this one in a pinch.  

So the next one I tried was the Suntegrity 5-in-1 Natural Moisturizing Face Sunscreen in the color Light.  Right away I liked that the coverage on this one was a bit thicker (so much so that I didn't really need to use much concealer).  It goes on a bit tacky so I use my fingers to dab it on.  And once I have my whole face covered, it looks a bit shiny from the tinted sunscreen so I pat down with one of these oil blotting sheets and it's just the right amount of shiny.  Since it does go on a bit thick I feel like it does a bit of a better job at keeping me from burning when compared to the MDSolarSciences Creme.  And best of all this tinted sunscreen doesn't break me out at all.  It's also free of parabens, pthalates, mineral oils, PABA, sulfates, and a whole bunch of other toxic ingredients.  This is the one that works best for me, and I'm almost done with my first tube of this stuff.  I've already re-purchased it in the same color.  I'm somewhere between the light and golden light color, with the golden light being a bit more darker and yellow in tint and thus great for tanned Asian skin.

I also purchased this eltaMD UV Physical broad spectrum tinted sunscreen around the same time.  The texture on this one is a bit more like the MDsolarSciences one and it's also a fairly light coverage.  But right away the coloring did not match mine at all.  It is definitely for people with a pink-ish skin tone, and it did not blend in with my skin at all.  So thank you to reader Dawn for taking it off my hands and making sure this product gets used!

Anyway this review was not sponsored and I purchased all items myself to try out.  If you guys have any questions about these three tinted sunscreens, just shoot me a comment below.  And what do you guys use for your summer makeup/sunscreen?

Beauty Discovery: Bella Cuore

Two months into my clothing (and accessories) shopping ban, I find that my shopping for skin care and makeup has gone up quite a bit.  It might be due to the fact that my skin has been really terrible lately (hello zits) or the fact that right now beauty is something I'm allowing myself to spend money on (and so all my time spent shopping for clothes has gone to shopping for makeup).  But on the bright side of this increased beauty shopping is that I've discovered more natural products and I've found this great new online shopping mecca for high-quality natural beauty products: Bella Cuore.  

I originally stumbled onto the site while looking for Vitner's Daughters Active Botanical Serum (I kept seeing it everywhere and when Lee from Style Bee swore on it's awesome-ness I finally decided I needed to check it out myself).  And this site doesn't charge tax (at least for California, so that's an almost 9% savings right there).  But that magical elixir is 185 buckaroos, and I wasn't sure I wanted to spend that much money on something I wasn't sure my skin can handle (as I've said before I have the most awful sensitive and acne-prone skin).  Enter Bella Cuore: they allow you to pick 5 samples of pretty much anything on their site (of course they have some rules to ensure no one abuses their sample system--no complete freebees here).  But it at least allows me to patch test it to make sure I either love it or if it's foundation if it matches my skin tone.  How great is that?  They also have a point system that allows discounts for future purchases (unlike Sephora rewards where you get more free samples of things you probably won't buy anyway).

So far I've only tried the Suntegrity tinted sunscreen (which has medium to light coverage, hardly any scent and most importantly doesn't break me out) and I think I'm going to order the full product.  I'll do another full report once I've tried everything and let you know what I thought of each product.  In the meantime check them out here and get your own sample kit!

ThirdLove Bra Review

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Let me just start off this review by saying this is a completely unsponsored post.  I purchased this bra from ThirdLove to try out (especially since I've been bombarded by their digital marketing).  But really I was in the market to buy a new bra (I've been using Wacoal bras but I've been finding that the bra straps always seem to be sliding down and I've had fit problems, especially as the bra gets old and stretched out).  So after reading a bunch about ThirdLove, I though I might as well give them a shot.  And I definietly did not want to buy a bra from Victoria's Secret (in general, I find their ads and 'fashion show' objectifying women to be more and more offensive these days.  We are all wonderful, miraculous women not mere sex symbols, ya know?).

When you get to the ThirdLove site, you can take a simple fit finder test.  It's not wholly scientific but hey at least it does the job.  The bra that they recommended to me, the 24/7, came in exactly a size that worked.  And I've been wearing it for several days now and I find it super comfortable and best of all, the straps don't fall down!  There's a bunch of small details that make this bra super comfortable: memory foam cups, those special straps that don't fall down nor dig in, and a clasp that's got a padded layer underneath so you can't even feel it).  They also have an iphone app that lets you take a picture of your boobs from the privacy of your own home and they'll size you (and don't worry the app doesn't store any images). I clicked on their "try before buy" option so that I paid $2.99 upfront for shipping, and if I didn't like it I could just return it within 30 days for a minimal upfront cost.  Now that I'm in love with these bras and plan to keep this one (not to mention buy several more), this first one will set me back $68 (not crazy expensive but not cheap either).  Well they do say invest in good bras, so for me this is totally worth it.  

Brooklinen Lux Core Sheet Set Review {Updated May 2018}

{May 2018 update: So I can no longer recommend Brooklinen.  I purchased sheets from them March 20th but then decided not to keep them since I wanted to try sheets from a more sustainable and ethical company like Coyuchi.  I returned the item without even opening the box and received no word from them that they received it.  It has taken repeated emails on my part and I still haven't received my refund (over 2 months later).  Their customer service has been lacking and so I can no longer recommend them on this blog.}

So I've been meaning to do this review for the longest time since I've been using Brooklinen's sheets for awhile now.  But I've finally decided I need to write a post about it because I'm really starting to appreciate how lovely my bed is (especially since we're traveling everyday, it's been nice to come back to my own bed-- ahh RV living).  Anyways I first heard of Brooklinen through my husband who heard good things about it from friends.  So we decided to try it out, especially since we've never really invested in good sheets before.  And guys, these sheets are wonderful!  You know those lovely smooth and crisp sheets at upscale hotels?  Yea these are those kind of sheets.  

So first of all, you know I like any company that tries to be more transparent about their production process.  Can you call Brooklinen the Everlane of bedding?  Kind of:

but again you just have to trust their word when they say other companies sell it for 3x more

I also love that their site really breaks down what makes high quality bedding (long staple cotton, the ply of the yarn, thread count, etc.).

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All I know is, these sheets feel super luxurious.  In the summers they felt cool the touch and in the winter they warm up and feel smooth and buttery soft.

At $129 for the Luxe Sheets (which is the one I got, I don't know what the classic feels like), it seems like a lot, but believe me it's worth every penny.  I love them so much that once our Airstream business gets off the ground, I want to purchase Brooklinen for all the Airstreams.  If you're interested in trying them out, they do have a 60 day return policy.  And for first time customers, here's a referral link to get $25 off your first purchase (I get $25 off too when you purchase through this link so thanks for supporting my dream of outfitting my Airstream fleet with brooklinen sheets!).

And for a more comprehensive review, check out this blog post from Sleepopolis.

P.S. I should add that Brooklinen tells you to wash it once but these sheets really start feeling good after the third or so wash (they still feel pretty stiff the first couple of uses).

My Favorite Phone Accessory

Since I'm a reviewer at heart, I would be remiss not to review one of my favorite phone accessories in recent memory.  So here it is, ta-daaaa:

What is that you ask?  Just an ugly black button on the back of my phone?  Well yes, but even better it pops out!  Lol, so I got this PopSocket after I saw it on my friend's phone, and what I love about it is that it allows me have a better hold on my phone (I no longer need to curl my fingers over the edges of the phone nor do I have to rest it on my pinky).  It doesn't seem like a big change, but trust me it's a much easier way to hold a phone (especially those 6+ iPhones).

Other Pros:

~ It can also be used as a stand to prop your phone up

~ Also can be used to wrap your earbuds around so no more tangled cords

~ Really easy grip for selfies especially

~ And it pops back in so when you're not using it, it's really quite unobtrusive (about 5mm).

~ Theoretically they're easy to remove and reattach (even though I haven't tried it yet).

~ And they have a bunch of different designs to choose from

~ Plus for a fidget-er like me, its addictively fun to keep popping the socket, lol

I was always thought the plus series of iPhones were way to big to hold comfortably so I I stuck with the regular sizes even though I would love a bigger screen and carry my phone around in my bag (as opposed to a pocket).  So a plus sized phone would be perfect for me, but especially now that I can use my popsocket.  Trust me, it's worth the $10.  And of course as usual this review is not sponsored, it's just something that I love and want to let people know about!

P.S. I've removed this popsocket numerous times now, and currently it's sticking directly onto my iphone sans an iphone cover but there's never a sticky residue left.  Also it's really easy to get it off and on, with the help of a butter knife (just wedge it underneath the socket to get some leverage and then use your fingers to gently unstick the rest).

Aesop's Fable: Aesop Beauty Products Review

Do you remember any of Aesop's fables?  I had a whole book of them and I used to love those stories (all with their self-righteous morals at the end of them).  The only ones I can really remember are the "Boy Who Cried Wolf" (the most famous one) and the "Fox and the Grapes" (a lesser known fable about a fox who try as he might can't reach the hanging grapes and so storms off saying he didn't want them anyway...or something like that).  Why I remember that latter fable is beyond me, but psychoanalyze that how you will.

Well the point is, Aesop of the renowned fables was good at telling stories, much like Aesop, the beauty brand does today.  Their stores are beyond gorgeous with a pleasing rustic look and uniformity to them all.  Those brown bottles are inexplicably appealing and even the linen shopping pouch they give with their products, though inconvenient to carry on its own, is adorable in its fake science-y way.  And like many people I was suckered in by their branding and marketing.  The look of the store draws you in, and if you're lucky and the store is empty, you might get a hand wash/massage with their products from a friendly sale associate who isn't creepy.  But take the products home and what do you get?  Some really overpriced so-so items in beautiful bottles.  

Beauty products are hard to rate, since they affect people differently.  So please take what I say with a grain of salt.  But to me, Aesop products are a total dud.  I bought the Chamomile Concentrate Anti-Blemish Masque, Control (another zit med), the Nurturing Shampoo, and the Classic Conditioner.  A quick rundown of the products:  Both anti-zit meds did nothing for my breakouts and in fact just irritated my skin (And a quick look at beautpedia, a good resource for skin products, tells me why.  There's irritants in them both and nothing that actually prevents or treats zits) .  The shampoo and conditioner just made my hair super flat (though very soft).  The hair products weren't bad but definitely not worth the $49 I paid for each (I know I'm crazy for buying them, but I blame it on vacation brain.  I bought them in Portland when we were on our airstream road trip).  Though the products seem natural (maybe its their aesthetic?) they're not at all.  Nor do they try to be.  Which is fine, but for a non-natural product Neutrogena works two times better at half the price.  So I suggest saving your money and resisting the well-marketed temptations of this store.  But hey at least the bottles photographed nicely (and would look beautiful in a fancy bathroom...if I had a fancy bathroom).