I love Essence mascaras because they are $4.99 at the drugstore and so you can afford to replace them regularly. They’re not all equal though and I thought I would try this one – normally I use the Lash Princess mascara, but this is just the Volume one.
http://www.instagram.com/tv/CD45t4Up5YP/
For years I’ve been using AHA’s and BHA’s as part of my beauty routine. They are the only ingredients that helped rid me of the occasional breakout and faded my acne scars. I was aided in the fact that products containing these ingredients were easy to find at the drugstore and didn’t cost much for the most part.
But I’d always read the ingredients of the newest and nicest (also the most expensive) lotions at the department stores, and hardly any of them would contain AHA’s or BHA’s. Sometimes they would be present, but only in the most minuscule amounts and amounting to no improvement on one’s skin.
And now there’s Revive, which not only contains glycolic acid, but also something that they call the Epidermal Growth Factor and recommends regular exfoliation on all levels. The Epidermal Growth factor is a peptide that helps your skin regenerate itself when you apply it. The doctor that created the Revive line, Dr. Gregory Bays Brown, was involved in researching what makes our organs heal themselves, and when he found the Growth Factor for the skin, he knew that it was something special. A plastic surgeon by profession, he wanted to create something that would renew the skin when it was getting dull and gray, and he wanted something that people could use at home instead of going out to get costly treatments.
Indeed, that is the whole concept behind Revive. The way to revive your skin is by helping it regenerate itself, and the way you can do that is by getting rid of the old skin cells which can be so bothersome and useless.
I tried the Revive trial kit which included the Exfoliating Cleanser, Toner, and Skin Renewal Moisturizer. The exfoliating cleanser starts off as a grainy cream that produces a rich foam on the skin and gets rid of dull skin cells. The toner is alcohol-free and freshly scented, and yes, the Skin Renewal Moisturizer is super moisturizing and creamy, but also has glycolic acid in it to exfoliate your skin while you’re using it! It’s a great system and one that I’ve really enjoyed using. The trial sizes are also pretty generous and a treat to use daily.
The system has been on department store counters for about 23 years, and it’s now available at Holt Renfrew here in Canada. The products actually work and have so much science that has gone into them. The great thing about the products is that there’s not a whole bunch of them to choose from at the counter. Each product is introduced to the public when it’s perfect and when it does something that no other product in the line can do. That’s why the Moisture Renewal Cream was introduced 23 years ago, and it’s still on the counter today, and it works!
Head to the Revive counter, and experience the products for yourself. They are top of the line and formulated to work.
I rarely share tidbits about my offline life here on the blog (except when it relates to my makeup routine) but I’ll share this: I recently moved and ended a few months of topsy turvy living. I had been packing as much as I could, and thus couldn’t use some things that I had just got.
I’m finally settles into my new pad, and am loving the new space. It features a room of my own where I can just get some work done and have only beauty-related things around.
I’m also getting to know my new kitchen, and finally had a chance to use a new cookbook, that had been packed somewhere and was finally released.
It’s Giada De Laurentiis’ new Giada at Home which came out in March this year. Predictably, the book features classic American-Italian recipes delivered with Giada’s laid-back California touch.
I’ve made 2 recipes from this book so far: a creamy mushroom pasta, and a chicken, fennel, and tomato dish. Both dishes were ridiculously easy to make and were super yummy! I wasn’t sure about the mushroom pasta dish because the creaminess came from mascarpone cheese, but it was so delicious and I served it to a couple of friends who really seemed to enjoy it. The chicken recipe was super fresh and unusual. By pure chance, I had fennel in my fridge already so it was a snap to pull together. I usually just use fennel in a salad, so it was nice to change it up and actually cook it!
There are still a few more recipes that I’m planning to make from this book and so it’s stored in my kitchen right now where I can get easy access to it. Most of the recipes seem super easy to make and can be prepared in under an hour.
There are also tons of pictures so that you know what you’re working towards. Available at bookstores for $43.
Another Soapbox product that I’ve been trying out: this is a scalp detox treatment meant to be used pre-washing to help remove build-up. It has tea-tree oil in it which is a natural antibacterial agent. I love taking care of my scalp but I’m a frequent hair washer so there’s not too much build up on my scalp. I also have a hard time using something pre-shampoo rather than post-washing. That being said, this would be great for that person with an itchy dry scalp.
I’ve been using this and I really think that it’s helping the condition of my hair and scalp. If you’ve found that your hair has suffered because of the stress of Covid (and you’re not alone) then give this a try.
$9.99 on their website.
Amplifying Shampoo
The Amplifying Shampoo does basically what it says it’s going to do, which is give you squeaky clean hair without stripping your hair or weighing it down.
I love that it lathers to a micro foam-like texture instead of the usual huge, fluffy bubbles, and how it rinsed clean with basically zero effort. However, I found that I needed an oreo size amount of shampoo to get it to lather properly, which I found to be a bit much.
Overall, it’s a nice product, and good for girls that have hair that does that limp, wet-cat thing because it’s super hydrating, and does not leave any sort of hair-weighing-down residue.
Amplifying Conditioner
This is easily my favourite conditioner, ever. It smells absolutely delicious, like a baby lying in a field of lilies under the sunshine. It also works terrifically, as an intensely hydrating conditioner that rinses clean easily and doesn’t leave a residue.
The conditioner pretty much absorbs on contact, which is nice if you’re in a hurry and don’t have time to hang out in the shower waiting for the conditioner to absorb.
Amplifying Treatment for fine hair
The Amplifying treatment works similarly to the conditioner, also with the same lovely scent.
I like to set aside time to use this treatment mask once a week or so, which is necessary because you have to let it sit for 10 minutes. It’s 100 percent worth the extra effort because it leaves your hair silky, but unhindered by heavy moisturizers.
More information on the Shu Uemura Muroto Volume line can be found here.
Check out this beautiful collection from Lise Watier! The packaging is beautiful and the texture of all the powders is super buttery.
I really love the lip gloss because it’s so beautiful and moisturizing but not sticky at all. It does have big chunks of glitter in it but I still love it.
Here is the eyeshadow palette. You can see that the middle shade has some glitz in it but it’s not chunky glitter. 
The lipstick shade was okay – it was a bit mature-looking for me, but maybe someone with a more formal event to wear it to.
These cheek and highlight colours are super buttery. The highlighters are quite blingy so a little goes a long way for me. They photograph so well.
You can watch my whole video with swatches and final thoughts on the collection.
https://www.instagram.com/tv/CIAAiTchavr/?igshid=1e38o9bo8jaz7
Available at Shoppers Drug Mart stores, The Bay, and online.
$55 for the eyeshadow palette, $49 for the cheek palette, but if you order from their website, you can pick up the set and the lipgloss for $95 which is a great deal. Limited edition. $28 for the lipstick, $25 for the lip gloss.
Anyone remember these? I used to have all of them, and then I gave them away when I moved. So sad. I would love to wear them now because they were so wearable.
In 2010 Marc Jacobs introduced Pomegranate, Biscotti, and Apple into its series of cologne perfumes, and like those from previous years, these are also sold in huge bottles so you can use them as you wish. The Splash series had been around since 2006 and features scents that evoke the seasons.
Clearly these are more gourmande than previous versions but their drydowns are more wearable than you might think!
Apple Splash has notes of apple, lemon, grapefruit, rosemary, jasmine, magnolia, coriander and cardamom.
Biscotti Splash definitely has a sweet base, and has notes of freesia, bergamot, orange blossom, pistachio blossom and vanilla.
Pomegranate Splash is my favourite and has notes of pomegranate, mandarin blossom, bergamot, rhubarb, violet, musk, vanilla and amber (can you see why I love it).
I’m all about product but not about using it all at once, so here was my super basic skincare this morning:
The Oh K! Serum Mist, and Neutrogena Hydro Boost Sunscreen in SPF 50.
Have you guys heard of Soapbox Soaps? They donate a bar of soap to someone in need for each of their products that have been purchased.
The bars of soap are made with local soap producers where possible or they’re made from recycled bars of soap from hotels. They’re shaved down, sanitized and reformed to make brand new bars. With the donated soap, they also provide sanitizing and hygiene lessons to reduce the spread of infections. I think we all underestimated the importance of hand washing pre-Covid, and it’s amazing how much of an impact that one action can make.
I’ve been using this Skinceuticals Retexturing Activator on and off for a year now, and honestly, for $95 I don’t think this is it. 
This is a serum, and as you can see in the image, it’s got PM written on it in sharpie because the place that sold it for me recommended it for the evening. I honestly really appreciated that they wrote that on there!
This serum is meant to exfoliate while replenishing your skin’s barrier. That’s pretty unusual for an exfoliating serum – if you’ve used any AHA like glycolic acid, you. know that it can be drying and you actually need to use something with it to protect your skin’s barrier. A compromised barrier will lead to dry, tight, overly sensitive skin, that sometimes looks bumpy, red, patchy, or even breaks out more. Stop everything you’re using if this happens to you!
Skinceuticals claims that the Retexturing Activator has the power of 20% glycolic acid. You can’t buy 20% glycolic over the counter, so this would be a peel that you would experience during a facial. It’s unclear whether cumulatively this has the effect of an acid peel, or with each treatment, but having had a peel and tried this for a month, I’m guessing that over time maybe this exfoliates as much as a peel would have. My skin definitely looked good when I continued to use this.
But I didn’t love using it. The texture is a little sticky and you definitely have to use moisturizer on top if you want to get rid of the stickiness. My skin also really loves the effects of glycolic acid. It’s oily and pretty touch so it can tolerate it well and it looks and feels so much smoother when I use the glycolic or any other acid. If you have dry skin, this would be for you, and if you’re looking for an alternative to glycolic acid, then you should see if this is for you.
