Republic of Tea - Red Velvet Chocolate Tea - Review

**All products mentioned were purchased by me. I'm not affiliated with any companies mentioned.**

I recently was given a new tea for my birthday and it has quickly taken over my tea rotation. It's the Red Velvet Chocolate Tea from Republic of Tea. This tea is a caffiene-free blend of Rooibos, beet root bits, sweet blackberry leaves and natural chocolate and vanilla flavoring.

I was a bit hesitant of this tea at first. I've done a review of David's Tea's Red Velvet Cake Tea. That one is a black tea blend and I love it a lot. So naturally, I was skeptical that this would hold up to that one. This tea is different in that it's a Rooibos blend whereas David's Tea is a black tea blend. So, I wasn't sure how this one was going to translate and whether it would taste as good when paired with milk.

However, all hesitation left after my first sip. Now, the flavor on this one is not as strong as the flavor on David's Tea. It's a bit more subtle but that doesn't make me like it any less. You can taste the combination of chocolate and vanilla and it really does taste like Red Velvet cake. I think the red tea really works with this blend and keeps it from getting bitter. I steep this using water at full boil, brew for 3 or 4 minutes and then add a bit of milk. No sweetener added.

Also, worth noting, these come in bags. Even though I'm a loose tea lover, there are times it's just not as convenient as bags. Others that were intrigued by the David's Tea blend but aren't into loose tea may want to give this one a try. This blend is caffeine free too which makes it good for late night sipping. It also may be more accessible for some since Republic of Tea blends are generally sold in most grocery stores.

Have you tried this tea or any other of the Republic of Tea Chocolate Teas? Let me know your thoughts in the comments.

Maybelline The Buffs Color Sensational Nude Lipsticks - Spring 2014 - Photos and Swatches

**All products mentioned were purchased by me. I'm not affiliated with any companies mentioned.**

Maybelline has recently launched a new range of nude lipsticks at the drugstore. When I heard about them, I was on the lookout and was fortunate to catch them right when they launched. I picked up six of the colors. I believe there are about 9 shades in total.

The colors I purchased are above and below from left to right: 920 Nude Lust, 930 Truffle Tease, 935 Sin a Mon, 940 Touchable Taupe, 945 Stormy Sahara, 950 Untainted Spice. There were two lighter colors and 1 darker color that I did not purchase. 

From left to right: 920 Nude Lust, 930 Truffle Tease, 935 Sin a Mon, 940 Touchable Taupe, 945 Stormy Sahara, 950 Untainted Spice

I'm a huge fan of nude lipsticks. They are my go-to lip color and what I normally gravitate towards. I've been trying to traverse the line into more bold lips, but it's been hard to break my love and instinct to gravitate toward nudes. I think it's just because I've always been more into playing up my eyes which nude lips tend to work better with. Also, once I've done my makeup, I'm more of a low maintenance makeup wearer for the rest of the day. I don't want to have to keep touching up my lips. I drink a lot of tea during the day so with brighter lips I'd be constantly touching up. 

Anyways, on to the swatches:

Top Row (Left to Right): 920 Nude Lust, 930 Truffle Tease, 935 Sin a Mon
Bottom Row (Left to Right): 940 Touchable Taupe, 945 Stormy Sahara, 950 Untainted Spice

              

These lipsticks are really nice. I own some of the Vivids that released last year as well as one or two shades from the regular Color Sensational range. These lipsticks have just as great pigmentation as the Vivids. They are also really comfortable to wear and I don't feel that they dry out my lips at all. They have a slightly fruity scent, but nothing overpowering in my opinion. The shades I picked up are all creams which I prefer. I don't believe any of the others were frosty or shimmery as far as I can remember. These have a really nice creamy finish on the lips to where I feel that topping with a gloss is optional.

One more note, I don't believe these are limited edition. I think they are going to be a part of Maybelline's permanent line up from what I've heard. So hopefully if you haven't been able to find them or have only found picked over displays, there is still hope that these will pop up as part of the normal Maybelline display. 

Have you spotted these at your drugstore? Let me know if you've picked any of these up or plan to.

Current Winter Skincare Favorites - January 2014

**All products mentioned were purchased by me. I'm not affiliated with any companies mentioned.**

Lately I've been taking my skincare routine a bit more serious. About a month or two ago, I had noticed that my skin was feeling particularly rough and looking a bit dull. I had really been slacking on a skin care routine and I'm at the age now where skin care needs to be taken seriously. About 2 days ago, I noticed my skin was so smooth. It hasn't felt this way in a while, so I figured it would be a good idea to share what I'm using.

First off, I have combo skin. It leans more oily in the summer and tends to get a bit dry in the winter. Depending on your skin type, you might not experience the same results that I'm noticing. If you have much drier skin, your moisturization needs will be different than mine.

Cleanser - I haven't really switched up cleansers. My favorite cleanser to use to remove makeup is Philosophy's Purity Made Simple. I've used both the original and the newer gel formula. I think I prefer the original as I think it does a better job removing makeup and I don't really care for the tube that the gel one comes in (it's hard to squeeze out the product sometimes). In the mornings or at times when I don't have makeup to remove, I'll use Clean and Clear Morning Burst or Kiehl's Rare Earth Deep Pore Daily Cleanser. The Clean and Clear one really smells great (like oranges but better) and the Kiehl's one is a bit textured so it might be providing some slight exfoliation.

Exfoliation - Now let's get serious about exfoliation. To attack the rough patches and dull skin, I've been using Philosophy's Microdelivery Mini Peel Pads. I use these about 2 times per week. They smell great and the pads are really saturated. After I've cleaned my face and dried it off, I take a peel pad and smooth if all over my face (avoiding the eye area). I even use the pad on my neck and the backs of my hands. I don't rinse it off and I don't put on anything else over it. I use these at night since they can leave my skin feeling slightly tacky. In the morning, I rinse it off. These contain lactic acid which provide a gentler exfoliation than some of the other acids peels out there. However, they do a great job at exfoliating. I don't think that I would try to use these more than twice a week or my skin might become irritated.

LOL - It looks like I have the hands of a giant in this photo

Serum - I heard about the Caudalie Vinosource S.O.S Thirst Quenching Serum on Nicki Roth's Youtube Channel. She did a video regarding prepping the skin for foundation and she mentioned this serum. I never would have thought something like this would be appropriate for my skin type based on the name. I was thinking it would be rather heavy, but based on her description I was intrigued. So, I picked this up and this serum is not heavy at all. I use one pump on my whole face and my skin just drinks it up. Sometimes I can use this alone as a moisturizer and my face is satisfied. Other times I need to add something additional on top which leads to our next topic.

Moisturizer - At night, I've been gravitating towards Origins A Perfect World Antioxidant Moisturizer. This is a bit of a heavier cream, but since it's winter my skin has been grateful for it. A little bit goes a long way. It sinks in nicely and smells like a spa due to the white tea. It's really lovely and leaves my skin feeling incredibly soft. For daytime, I've been using Philosophy's Take a Deep Breath Oil-Free Oxygen Moisturizer since it has SPF 30. Since I'm using the Microdelivery Peel pads it's very important to use a sunscreen during the day. This moisturizer is just okay. I do feel like it gives more moisture than the typical oil-free moisturizers that are out there and leaves my skin hydrated. The downside to it though is that I feel the SPF in it leaves my shiny. I also do not like the design of the tube that it comes in. I always end up squeezing way too much of it out of the container. So I'm on the hunt for what I'm going to use after it's gone.

Left to Right - Honeymania (LOVE this), Almond, and Shea Body Butters

Body Moisturizing - The same dry patches translate from my face to my body during the winter and after a nice warm/hot shower, I've been finding it absolutely necessary to make sure I moisturize. Especially knees, elbows, and hands. I've been loving The Body Shop Body Butters lately. I'm obsessed. They had a good sale after christmas and I stocked up on a few different types. It's important to note that the different scents provide varying levels of moisture in the skin. For example, the Shea Butter is made for very dry skin so it has a thicker denser feel to it and takes a bit longer to sink in to the skin, whereas the Holiday ones like the Ginger Sparkle and Cranberry Joy are made for all skin types so they are not as thick. So pay attention to that when picking your product. I could probably do a whole post on these alone so I won't go into incredible detail here, but the scents are very natural. They are much simpler than the Bath and Body Works fragrances and I'm liking that a lot about them.

So, how about you? Are you feeling the drier winter weather? Have you had to alter your skincare routine as a result? Let me know what you've been loving in the comments.