Beauty and wellness products we love!
By Carla Snuggs

Happy December, beauties! It's time for a roundup of some of the BEST beauty and wellness products tried by myself (or contributors) throughout the months of November.. I loved discovering new brands and new products from the beauty brands that I already love and am so happy to share them with you!

BEAUTY

Flora 1761 Nail Lacquer

Fall/Winter is here and like the leaves, our color palettes also change for fall. Sweet William is a new nail lacquer from Flora 1761’s Autumn 2018 collection and your new favorite shade.  A Victorian symbol for gallantry, Sweet William has been a beloved flower for ages and now Flora 1761 has brought this stunning bloom right to your fingertips! This beautiful rich deep berry shade is the perfect transitional shade to rock if you’re not quite ready to commit to a deeper hue just yet.  Flora 1761 is vegan, cruelty free, 8-Free and is made right here in the United States! All of their collections are available now on Flora1761.com.

WUNDER2 Cosmetics

WUNDER2 Cosmetics Last & Found(ation) and Perfect Selfie Bronzing Veil are all you need to achieve a flawless, airbrushed look that lasts through all your warm weather festivities. Created with innovative Tri-Plex Technology, Last & Found(ation) provides your face with a glowy, natural look that's waterproof, transfer-proof and smudge-proof for 24+ hours. The full coverage foundation remains flexible and comfortable on your skin. To finish your look, lock in that summer glow with the Perfect Selfie Bronzing Veil – a powder transforms your skin to become pore-less and beautifully sun-kissed. Made with High-Resolution Powder Technology, the finishing powder glides on skin smoothly for an elastic-like wear that sets your makeup and leaves skin looking even and glowing. Shop: Wunder2.com

 Purr-fect Edges Shining and Defining Gel

Best Guest Actress in a Comedy Series winner Tiffany Haddish looked stunning at the Emmys in a Prabal Gurung dress. Tiffany’s hair was styled by Precious Jackson using Diva by Cindy Purr-fect Edges Shining and Defining Gel and it looked absolutely amazing. Purr-fect Edges shines, it defines and gets your edges all the way together!

 Cici Glam Naturals

Cici Glam Naturals is a fairly new 100% natural beauty brand based in Baltimore, MD. I got the opportunity to try the "rose clay bundle". This included their 100% pure rose water. The rose water can be used as a toner, for makeup skin prep and a makeup setting spray. Their 100% pure Rhassoul clay powder has very high adsorbing properties and a molecular structure that gives it a unique ability to absorb excess dirt and oil, as well as extract impurities from the skin - making it so effective as a face wash or face mask. Both can be used in your skincare, hair care and makeup application routines. I love the The Rhassoul Clay powder and use it as a deeply nourishing hair mask. Especially effective for oily hair, it degreases the scalp yet does not disrupt the skin or hair shaft.  

Hair Mask Recipe: Mix 1 tablespoon Rhassoul clay into 1/4 cup of water to make a thin mixture that can be poured onto hair and massage in. For hair, it is important not to let the mixture dry as it can contribute to hair breakage if it hardens. It is preferable to massage into hair in the shower and leave for about 30 seconds before washing.

 Soon Skincare 

I love introducing my readers to new skincare brands and here is one you’ll love!. Kayla Bertagna and Lisa Ballstaedt, two SoCal beauties formerly from the worlds of finance and fashion recently launched Soon Skincare, an entirely new K-beauty collection that embraces the highest of South Korean beauty standards and is tailor-made for women everywhere. The launch includes three separate Biocellulose face masks, featuring an age-defying treatment to combat fine lines and wrinkles; another firming and yet another to brighten dull skin.  The new launch also includes two Micro-hole Hydrogel masks, one with collagen and another with hyaluronic acid and raspberry ketones to plump the skin. There are also two different types of hydrogel eye and lip patch masks infused with the delicious photo nutrients of strawberry, watermelon, blueberry and pomegranate benefits. I love that they’re both affordable and effective. If you’re a mask junkie, you will absolutely add Soon Skincare into your rotation once you try it.

The Organic Skin Co

Red lipstick is a classic for holiday galas. But did you know that your favorite red lipstick may contain ground-up insect parts? Yes. Really. If the lipstick says “carmine” on the label, it means that the brilliant red is the result of pulverized Cochineal, a tiny insect that’s been collected for its dye for centuries. Apart from the “ick” factor, the insects may have been exposed to agricultural chemicals (herbicides and pesticides), which then find their way into your lipstick. The Organic Skin Co. offers the world beauty and skincare products which are truly vegan and cruelty-free. This holiday season, lips are naturally supple and gorgeous with The Organic Skin Co. lipstick in Bare, Star Dust, Terra, Summer Sands and Arcadian. These 100% natural shades are BioGrow certified and free of parabens, nanos, bismuth oxychloride, gluten, talc -- common ingredients in many lipsticks. I tried the products Cheeky Lips, Nitty Gritty (an exfoliator) and Back Lash mascara. Clean beauty feels so good!

WELLNESS

 Aculief

Aculief Wearable Acupressure is a wearable acupressure product for relieving stress, headaches, and tension. Aculief is also great for promoting your body’s natural energy!  The brand focuses entirely on providing an all natural approach to improving your health at an affordable price, and after years of research and development, they have helped over 50k people find natural relief.

 VinThin

VinThin is a new, all-natural one-per-day herbal formula containing no caffeine and no stimulants. Tested in double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trials, participants using VinThin lost an average of 1.1 lbs. per week without following any particular diet or exercise program.  The biggest challenges in any weight loss program would be bad habits of eating too quickly or consuming large portions. VinThin uses a modern update of an ancient Greek-Arabic herbal formula to help the body combat the “set point” effect and helps a person “reset” body weight through multiple pathways. Some key VinThin ingredients are Lady’s Mantle leaf extract, Olive leaf extract,  Wild Mint leaf extract, Cumin Seed extract and Propol® TR to help stimulate metabolism, suppress appetite, ease and regulate digestion, and reduce cravings for sweets. Shop: Vinthin.com

 Panic Aide

Panic attacks are not fun to talk about, but they are a reality for 1 out of 4 people. Recently, panic attacks have become a popular topic in the news, although many of us have silently suffered for over 20 years. Panic Aide is a safe 2oz quick drink that will help STOP the panic attack in its tracks. It doesn’t PREDICT Panic Attacks or PREVENT them, but when you are having one it will help you get back to a place of peace within 15 minutes. It is travel safe and fits easily in your purse or jacket pocket for when you need it. Drink, breathe, relax. Get more info here: Panicaide.com 

Disclosure: Press samples were provided by the brand/PR for editorial consideration, product testing, photography and honest review.