ShopEatSleep

Beauty and fashion blog Hello, Pretty! had a launch party, and I got one of the coveted VIP gift bags reserved just for bloggers (yes, I am special). There’s a ton of stuff in there, so I haven’t had a chance to try all of it out, but a couple of beauty products have produced satisfying effects so far.

Jan Marini’s Antioxidant Daily Face Protectant is a 30 SPF, waterproof sunscreen that Hello, Pretty!’s editor, Bren Lee Gomez, personally recommended after I complained about a different brand’s sunscreen clogging my pores and making me break out. As I have oily skin, finding any kind of sunscreen or moisturizer that won’t make me greasier is next to impossible — until now. Jan Marini’s face sunscreen is not greasy at all and gets as close to a matte feel as you can in a sunscreen. And it smells nice!

Another item from the bag that I’ve tried is Jaime Earl’s Balancing Foam Cleanser. The facial cleanser claims to balance out your skin’s oils, and since mine is oily, I thought I’d give it a try. I’ve been using it for a couple of weeks now, and it seems to be doing what it says it will. It doesn’t leave my skin overly dry, which is a problem with a lot of cleansers that say they’ll balance out your skin’s oils but end up being too harsh. Apparently it’s not sold in the United States yet, but you can order it from the company’s Web site.

There are all kinds of other goodies I have yet to go through. I have been rocking the Angel Eyewear sunglasses, though. I needed new sunglasses — thanks, Hello, Pretty!