Strivectin Full Screen Mineral Sunscreen Review
Holy grail mineral sunscreen.
This Strivectin Full Screen in the Vanishing Tint has a subtle warm golden hue that makes this sunscreen look natural on every skin tone instead of looking beige or blue or white. This is tinted sunscreen done right – it’s a bit more pricy than your usual mineral sunscreen but totally worth it.
I’ve been using it daily, sometimes twice a day, and it’s lasted me over a month.
$45 at Shoppers Drug Mart, or online.
Ben Gorham x Ikea Candle Collection
Perfumer Ben Gorham, who created the Byredo perfume company, has teamed up with Ikea to create a set of candles. The candles are strongly scented and you can smell them if you put them on your table or counter. Not all the scents were available when I went to order online – although I ordered these the first day that they launched, and these were the only ones that I could get my hands on.
I got Fig & Cypress, Tobacco & Honey, and Rose & Raspberries. Notice that they’re all a bit gourmand.
The packaging is nice, and I can see myself holding on to these tumblers even when the candles are done. Actually, Ikea has lots of nice candle holders so this is nothing new. The candles are paraffin wax. Paraffin is a byproduct of petroleum refinement and because it would be waste anyway, there’s nothing wrong with buying paraffin candles.
I ended up getting a 4-wick candle as well but the only scent that was available was the Tobacco Honey and the honey in this is so sweet, that it’s not my favourite scent. I’ve burned this candle only once and that was for a short time, because it is so strongly scented. This would be a great candle for a large space!
These candles were at Ikea, and you don’t have to go into the store to get them! You can order online, and even get curb-side pickup.
I normally don’t get candles from Ikea, but this collection sucked me in, and even though I didn’t see many people posting about these, the candles sold out so quickly that there are lots of people who have clued into this collection. Candles are something I always use around my house, so I was happy to add these to my collection, and I know that I’ll save the cup afterwards so I’ll remember the collection.
They’re not Byredo, but they’re nice candles!
ZO Skin Health by Zein Obagi
The newest skincare line on the horizon is by Dr. Zein Obagi, the same man who started the original Obagi Medical products. ZO Skin Health is a new line that is over the counter, and therefore you do not need a prescription to use the line. The most amazing product in the line is the Ossential Radical Night Repair which actually has a full 1% of Retinol. This is 5 times more the industry average, so it is the most retinol that you can get in a product. The retinol is photostable and in an anhydrous base, which means that it’s not going to lose its efficacy over time. The product is going to start working once you smooth it on the skin.The other great thing about the ingredients is that they pack a punch, but you’re not going to have major side effects because of it. That means that there shouldn’t be any redness.
After using the Ossential Radical Night Repair for over a month, I have to say that it’s pretty amazing.
The base is kind of a matte silicone so it’s perfect for oily skin. The whole point of using retinol is that it increases skin turnover, which means that one of the major side effects is that there’s skin peeling. I did have peeling the first few times that I used the product even though I was only using it once or twice a week. However, I have found that I can stop the peeling all together if I just don’t use any AHA or BHA containing products while I use the Radical Night Repair. If I use one of the products in the same week, then I’ve noticed that the peeling starts within the next few days and it’s a bit much, especially for work.
However, I’ve noticed that you can use the products in many ways and still see results. You can use it a few times a week, or you can use it just for spot treatments. The instructions also say that you can even apply a moisturizer after using it and it will still be effective. I have taken to doing that on days that are especially dry.
Because you want this to work without any interference, this is a product that is best used at night.
The price of the product is about $200 but because it’s so effective and completely unlike anything that’s on the market, I’d say that it’s worth it. It also lasts a long time, and I think that my one tube will last me at least 6 months, and I know I’ll save money because I won’t be purchasing any AHA or BHA products while I’m on this.
Once again, a dermatologist created product wins over the drugstore ones!
Have you tried any Obagi products? What do you think of them?
Lush Ro’s Argan Body Conditioner Review
This is the best thing to come along since moisturized body washes.
We all want to moisturize every day, but the problem is that sometimes it just takes too much time.
Lush’s Ro’s Argan Body Conditioner takes the time spent out of the equation.
This lovely thick rich cream contains a blend of different oils (including Argan oil) as well as shea butter and cocoa butter. You actually use the stuff in the shower and smooth it on to wet skin and then rinse off. The Body Conditioner leaves an almost waxy layer on the skin that just sticks. It won’t come off even after towel drying, and so it seals in moisture and prevents it from getting out.
The scent is the best part though – Ro’s Argan smells like lush roses and has an earthy kind of undertone. Not only will your skin be moisturized after using this, but you’ll also smell so nice for the rest of the day!
Slicking on this body moisturizer in the shower, and then washing it off is way easier than using the traditional body lotion or body butter, and so this is a product that I highly recommend for the winter.
Pick it up at your local Lush store for $52. A little goes a long way, and I suspect that a jar might last for over a month. I’ve been using mine for about 2 weeks and I’m not even halfway through the stuff!
OPI The Muppets Warm and Fozzie Swatch
This is definitely one of my favourite colours from the Muppets collection by OPI. The effect of Warm and Fozzie is kind of like a foil, and the colour is a brownish base with golden pink shimmer in it. As you can see from the swatch, the polish went on kind of unevenly even with two coats, so I think that the next time I would apply 3 coats instead. I am sure that would take care of the problem.
This colour is perfect for the holidays, because it’s different, the shimmer is so on trend, but unlike the usual glitter polishes, this won’t be chipped by the end of the night since it has the staying power of a regular nail polish.
What do you think of the colour? Check out the rest of the OPI inspired by the Muppets collection here.
Eau de Jane
Guys, my Internet friend @dalybeauty did a thing, and it’s pretty special! You’re looking at a sample of her fragrance, Eau de Jane, which launched last year. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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This fragrance is fresh and green, with notes of vetiver and moss. It’s a rain scent that reminds me of wet earth in the springtime. It’s cool and easy, and uplifting at the same time. I would love this as a summer scent because it’s not warm or gourmand at all. While it has a floral heart, it doesn’t feel old or powdery, just fresh fresh fresh. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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If you’re interested in it, you can purchase a sample from the Eau de Jane website. This is not an ad – I was genuinely curious about the scent and got the sample so that I could smell it for myself. If you’re looking for something totally different, check it out.
A sample of the scent is $20, and if you like the scent, you can redeem the sample for $20 towards the full-sized bottle which is $110. Free shipping on the full bottle. I think this would make a great present for anyone who loves perfume, and especially someone who gravitates towards the outdoors.
I’m definitely interested in a full-sized bottle but I want to finish something first, so that’s what I’m working on. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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By Kilian Incense Oud Perfume Review
If you’ve been reading this site for a while, you know that I have a thing for incense perfumes, a fascination that was started by the original Armani Prive line of scents. I’d always loved the smell of incense – the earthiness and smokiness of it – and I loved that now I could impart that smell.
That said, it’s no surprise that I like Kilian’s Incense Oud perfume, and I think that it’s a great incense scent, and one that’s up there with the Armani Prive. In fact, if there’s a downfall to this perfume, it has to be that it’s so reminiscent of the original Armani Prive scents that it doesn’t smell that original. Lovely, yes. Original, no.
Incense Oud is a mostly pine-like incense note, with a little bit of rose and pink pepper added to it. It’s slightly resinous without being sweet, and is smooth and well-rounded as a scent. I actually like to wear this layered over a rose-scented body cream, because I find that the two are complimentary. The earthiness of the rose just brings out the fruitiness in Incense Oud.
The scent has tons of wear and is very long lasting. It blends into the skin and starts smelling almost natural instead of being overly perfume-like. It will be smelled by those who want to smell it rather than by everyone in your vicinity.
By Kilian is sold only at Holt Renfrew and a bottle of this scent is over $300. I mentioned that it’s not that original, but the fact is that you can only find a good incense scent in the higher price range, so you’re looking to pay over $200 for something like this.
Lush Breath of God Perfume Review
I have tried 3 of the Gorilla Perfume scents now, and each one is well-constructed, smells unique, but also stays true to the Lush brand.
I have a thing of incense fragrances, so it’s no surprise that I really wanted to own this one. I was a huge fan of all the original Armani Prive’s that came out because they were quite smoky, and especially the Bois D’Encens that was part of that collection.
Breath of God does remind me of the Armani Prive scent but it has clean floral notes that are entirely Lush.
The official notes are:
Neroli, lemon, melon, jasmine, rose, vetivert, sandalwood, cedarwood, amber, musk.
Neroli and Lemon open this scent and give it its lovely freshness. The middles notes are more floral – a combo of jasmine and rose, and the drydown is intensely smoky and pure incense that lasts and lasts throughout the day.
After an hour of wear, this scent reminds me of burning wood in the fireplace, that’s how smoky it really is.
I had a hard time smelling any amber. The scent lacks the sweetness that is so characteristic of amber, and that was fine by me. It’s nice to wear a scent that isn’t sweet or overly feminine and this one almost smells kind of dirty because of the smokiness, but I kind of like that!
The story says that this is a combination of feminine and masculine scents, and I have to say that this combines to make a scent that is unisex. I adore wearing it but I have to admit that the opening notes are more feminine because they are floral, while the drydown is so deep that it is masculine. This, however, does not smell like any other masculine scents because the acidic lemon notes are missing and instead the scent is more serious.
Wear this when and if you want to smell different. Wear it if you’re confident enough in yourself to know that you are different. Wear it if you want nobody else to smell like you, because trust me, nobody will.
You can purchase this scent from the Lush website, or at any Lush store.
Christina Hendricks – Inspiration of The Day
We’re obsessed with Mad Men these days (seriously, why didn’t I get into this show when it first came out?), and our other obsession is black liquid liner.
So it’s no surprise that we found this ad for London Fog starring Christina Hendricks so inspiring. Love the almost glossy look that her liner has and it’s thick all the way around the eye.
This look inspired me and I hope that it inspires you too!
