Valentia Fresh Mist Calming Toner Review

I'm back with a review on another Valentia product! This is the Fresh Mist Calming Toner.

Valentia describes this product as a "skin-soothing elixir that rehydrates and refreshes, while balancing natural PH and shrinking pores." This product claims to seal in moisture, banish impurities and refresh your stressed skin.
Let's take a look at some of the key ingredients:
ALA+AHA: A powerful enzyme duo that provides anti-inflammatory effects that supports skin cell renewal, and calms facial redness.
Nano Structured Water: This water enriched by magnesium helps balance skin's PH level and clears away impurities.
Tea Tree Oil: A natural essential oil that helps clear skin of blemishes.
Vitamin C: An antioxidant that refreshes stressed skin.
Witch Hazel: A gentle astringent that lifts away excess oil and bacteria, without overdrying the skin.
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I use this product during the evening, just after cleansing and right before moisturizing. I'm currently under the care of a dermatologist, and have been very careful with new additions to my skincare routine. I'm happy to report that this product has not made me break out, and has actually calmed down some of the redness I have from my breakouts. This product has a light natural scent, and is not overbearing. I really love how fine the mist is when sprayed. I suspect this would be a nice product to use right before applying makeup, because it is very hydrating. This toner is also alcohol, paraben free and cruelty free!
Stay tuned for review on Valentia's Pure Glow Brightening Moisturizer!
*I received this product for free in exchange for an honest review.*

TOMOSON TIMES: Killer Pursuit (An Allison McNeil Thriller) by Jeff Gunhus

Killer Pursuit is an excellent read! It is packed with action and I had no trouble following the story, despite not having read the first in the series. You can tell that Jeff Gunhus definitely did his research for this novel. It felt very realistic to me, but it was not dry as other novels I have read in this genre.
Killer Pursuit has the twists that we all crave in a thriller without going over the top. The point of view bounces between characters during each chapter, which is great because it allows us to help piece the mystery together. At the beginning, I felt a little disjointed by this only because I was not used to that style of narration. But for this genre, it really works!
Allison McNeil is a wonderful and strong female character. She's no pushover, and is incredibly intelligent. Allison is naturally the most well-developed character in this book, which I don't mind, because she is the heroine and the one we root for. The story itself is steadily paced with some nice surprising plot twists thrown in. I was very intrigued by the mystery, as well as impressed by the descriptive details and imagery of the crimes.

Overall, this was a great read and I recommend it if you enjoy thrillers!

*I received an advanced arc for free from the author in exchange for an honest review*

TOMOSON TIMES: The Torment of Rachel Ames Review

Through the site Tomoson, I was able to receive an advanced reader copy of The Torment of Rachel Ames for free from its author, Jeff Gunhus.
Here's the official summary from its Goodreads page:
"Suffering from writer’s block, novelist Rachel Ames escapes to a lake cabin to calm her mind and regain a sense of herself. The location is perfect. Isolated. Beautiful. Inspiring. It even comes with a good-looking landlord who shows an interest in her. But she can’t shake the sense that something terrible has followed her to the lake, something just beyond her consciousness, something out on the edge where the sounds of a raging fire and sirens linger whenever she slows down to listen. Determined to make the cabin work, she tries to settle in and give her new life a chance. But when strange things begin to happen around her, she wonders if she’s made a terrible mistake. As the darkness that’s followed her manifests itself in inexplicable ways, her concept of reality is stretched thin and she realizes nothing at the lake is what it seems. As she fights to survive with her sanity intact, she understands too late that the location she’s chosen for herself is far from perfect."

This novella definitely packs a bit of a punch by its end. The twist is something you don't really see coming. In fact, the end is what makes me want to go back and comb through the story for hints that I missed or disregarded. Halfway through reading this book, I was just so bewildered by all the strange events that were happening. Was Rachel Ames in a perpetual state of drunken delusion? Was she going crazy? Or were these insane things actually happening to her?! As Rachel's unease increased over the course of the story, I began to feel just as anxious. Gunhus definitely has a knack for the creepy, especially because there is real emotional depth layered along side the madness.

I would definitely recommend this book, especially if you're looking for something short and creepy. Best of all, if you're an Amazon Prime member, you can borrow this book for free!

The Lip Bar Lipsticks Review (Purple Rain and Kiss Me)

Okay. Teensy story time. In my May Boxycharm I received a Lip Bar Lipstick in Purple Rain, and was absolutely fascinated (and a little bit scared) of the color. When I tried on the lipstick, I noticed it was very wobbly in the tube, and I alerted Boxycharm customer service about it. (Side Note: The Boxycharm customer service has been absolutely amazing to me multiple times.) They offered to replace it, but couldn't guarantee the same color, which I was totally fine with. I ended up receiving a replacement lipstick in the shade Kiss Me, and boy, is it bright!

The shade Kiss Me is much more a cross between an hot pink and coral!

The Lip Bar lipsticks are natural, vegan lipsticks that are dedicated to delivering a bold lip color while still being good for your lips. They are made up of shea butter, avocado oil, coconut oil and vitamin E, which help keep the moisture in your lips even after hours of wear. I noticed that these lipsticks remained very comfortable throughout the day. The formula is creamy, but they do not transfer to my teeth or travel drastically outside of my lip line. The lipsticks are super bright and pigmented. Both of these colors leave a pink stain as the color begins to fade (5 hours+) or when they are wiped off. 

These lipsticks retail for $20 each, which is pretty "average" in the realm of vegan makeup. I am not a vegan, so I'm not too concerned with the ingredients in each and every lip product I use (unless of course, it is something harmful to my health!). These lipsticks are super pigmented and moisturizing, the packaging is adorable and the founder of this company is a woman of color which YAY!! If you are a vegan, prefer makeup with natural ingredients or are someone in search of a super bold lip, I would say The Lip Bar lipsticks are worth trying out.