Physician’s Formula Dewy Blush Elixir

Posted on September 9, 2020 by Henna

First of all, I want to know who is still doing a full beat on their face considering the fact that they might be wearing a mask at any time of the day?

I’m not, but if I’m going to someone’s backyard, I’m going to be wearing makeup, but I know that as winter approaches that is going to be less and less.

Let’s talk about Physician’s Formula for a second. I heard that it kind of disappeared from everywhere for a second and people couldn’t find the product and then they could all of a sudden. Did that happen to any of you guys?

One of their latest products is the Physician’s Formula Dewy Blush Elixir, which I heard good things about. That being said, I just couldn’t get it to work for me because it is not very pigmented. I pressed it in instead of rubbing, I tried my fingertips instead of a brush, and it still did not do much, so I’m going to pass on this one.

Check it out at Shoppers Drug Mart for about $13.

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Bite Beauty Outburst Lip Stain

Posted on September 8, 2020 by Henna

I know that lots of us are looking for a lip product that stays on even with a mask on and so maybe this new Bite Beauty Outburst Lip Stain will be for you.

If you’re not for the drying nature of liquid lipsticks, this one is NOT like that.  It’s not a liquid lipstick.  It’s more like a lip balm that stains your lips.

I have it in Strawberry Frozé.  It’s a hot pink, a magenta on me, and you can see in the swatch below that it has a balm-like texture when you first put it on.

A couple of coats give you almost full coverage.  Although if you have pigmented lips like I do, then you’ll want more than one coat.

Once the balm wears off, you’re left with a popsicle-like stain that lasts the whole day.

Right now, this lipstain is only available in only 3 colours – a hot pink, a red, and an orange.  If these ever come out in a more natural-pink then I’ll get another one.

$24 or get all three colours for $54 online.  Also at Sephora. Vegan, gluten-free, and cruelty-free.

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Fall 2020 from Make Up For Ever

Posted on September 8, 2020 by Henna

Make Up For Ever has launched some new products this fall, and reformulated some old ones!

First up is their new Matte Velvet Skin High Coverage Concealer ($36). This is indeed a full coverage concealer and it dries completely matte. It’s great for those times that you want a crease-less look for your under-eyes, but because it’s matte, remember that it will accentuate any dryness. So if you have dry skin under your eyes, then wear an eye cream underneath! It is long-lasting! I have the shade 3.5 which has red undertones, but I could probably also go with 3.6 which has golden undertones.

It also has a huge wand so that you can use the light shades to highlight your whole face, and a deeper shade to easily contour. The wand kind of reminds me of the Tarte Shape Tape and I know that lots of brands have copied that look and idea, but at least this is a concealer that you can actually buy in Canada.

Next: The Aqua Resist Smoky Shadow ($30).  If you’ve been using their waterproof eye pencils on your whole eye like I have been for years, this is a good alternative.  That being said, I’ve found this to be so creamy so I use an eye primer underneath.

There’s also the new Aqua Resist Eye Pencil ($29) which is just for lining.  Both of them have a creamy consistency that doesn’t tug at your eyelids.  They also have sharpeners at the end so that you can get a really fine line, but I find that I can’t sharpen the eye pencil without it breaking – it’s just so creamy.

You can find the whole collection at Sephora.

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Beautycounter Countersun Mineral Sunscreen Review

Posted on September 4, 2020 by Henna

Let me start by saying that this mineral sunscreen is almost clear and I would use it on myself again.

I had a video review about this sunscreen… and then deleted by mistake. Oops. But here you go: if you want a mineral sunscreen, this is a great option, although you can only get it online.

The main sunscreen ingredient is 19% Zinc Oxide which means that it’s got lots of zinc oxide in it. That’s great, but zinc oxide usually shows up super white on tan skins, and this one doesn’t do that. Sure, there’s a bit of a cast but not so much that it’s bothersome to look at.

It’s greasy so I don’t like using it on my face, but I love using it on my body because it works like a moisturizer too. It’s also water-resistant (probably because it’s so greasy), so I took it with me for a day at the beach with my kids. I slathered them and myself with the sunscreen, and honestly, I was using so much that it was a little white on our skins but our photos from the beach look pretty good.

But, it’s sticky.  Sand stuck to it non-stop and that was not fun.  It was hard to change our clothes after a day at the beach, and reapplying sticky sunscreen over top of sand and more sticky sunscreen was super annoying.  Just saying.  It would be great for a day on the patio, but maybe not for the beach.

Available online: $49.

More sunscreen reviews here.

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Neostrata Retinol 0.3% Overnight Peel Pads

Posted on September 4, 2020 by Henna

I think I’m due to write an overview of retinol things that I have tried recently, but lets focus on this new Neostrata Retinol 0.3% Overnight Peel Pads that came out this spring.

I love having retinol as part of my skincare.  It’s definitely not something that I use daily, but I can definitely reach for it a couple of times a week without my skin hating me too much.

There are a few things that I want to share about this Neostrata Retinol Peel – firstly, this is not a peel.  It’s not that intense – 0.3% is pretty low on the concentration of retinol that you can get at the drugstore or even at Sephora.  Also, they recommend that you use this just once a week, so you’re using a pretty low concentration just once a week which isn’t very much.

But!

If you use as directed, you should have little to no irritation because of the retinol and you will still reap the benefits!  The goal is to irritate your skin as little as possible with ingredients that really make a difference, and this is in that category.

Ok!

Next… the base is alcohol, and actually I did not like that. As you start rubbing the peel pad over your skin, you inhale pure alcohol and wow, is that ever off-putting.  Eventually, the alcohol evaporates, and the glycerine is left on your face and actually it’s ok.

So I like the dose of retinol but I wish this base wasn’t alcohol because if you’re only using these once a week, you might forget to hold your breath as you apply.

I usually love the Neostrata brand, and I feel like this is their first foray into the retinol arena, so maybe they will come out with a more elegantly formulated cream very soon.

$80 for 12 peel pads.

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50% At-Home Glycolic Peel

Posted on September 3, 2020 by Henna

The folks over at Perfect Image sent me this 50% Glycolic Peel, and wow, it was my first time trying something that is so strong.  Usually, in Canada, a 50% peel is only something that you can get in a skincare professional’s office, but you can get this one online from the Perfect Image website.

The directions for using this peel are pretty simple – apply via a cotton pad, let sit on skin for 1 minute and then wash off.  You can layer on more as your skin builds a tolerance, but I don’t know if that will ever happen, since 50% is quite strong.  My advice would be to do this more times a month, if your skin builds up tolerance, instead of applying more and for longer.

This seriously stung my skin when I applied it and I washed it off after 45 seconds.  I got close to the minute recommended but not quite.  That’s something I will work up to.  That was enough for me.  I don’t know if I can see the results yet, as it can take about a week to really see exfoliation on your skin, but my skin has been pretty dry this week so I’m guessing that’s what it is.

$29.95 online.

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How Can I Get Rid of a Tan?

Posted on September 3, 2020 by Henna

Now that summer’s almost over, many of you are surely wondering how you can get rid of your tan and make your body even-toned all over.

We suggest using an exfoliator every other day. You could get a salt or sugar scrub, and there are some truly luxurious ones out there. La Mer’s is fantastic, but once you run out of that and $118, you’re going to want something more affordable so you can use it every day.

I suggest going for a buffing cloth. Dermalogica’s Ultimate Buffing Cloth is awesome because it’s long enough to use on your back, and it’s antibacterial so you can use it all the time. Get yours where ever Dermalogica products are sold for about $24.

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The Best Hand Sanitizer

Posted on September 3, 2020 by Angee Johal

deep cleansing bath and body worksThe best way to beat colds, flus, and viruses is to wash your hands thoroughly with plain old soap and water, but that option isn’t always available. While constant hand-washing helps to ensure that you won’t get sick or contract viruses, it might also make your hands really dry, especially in the winter.

That’s where Bath and Body Works Anti-Bacterial Moisturizing Hand Lotion comes to the rescue. In a tube sized to last you all winter long, yet small enough to keep handy in your purse or gym bag, this lotion is great to have on hand at all times. The antibacterial lotion smells great, absorbs well, and isn’t greasy. It’s light and effective, and the anti-bacterial feature is an added bonus. I would recommend using it after washing your hands or using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.

Some hand sanitizers with alcohol in them end up smelling like alcohol or wasabi to me, which can be too strong and irritating, and discourages me from using them. Bath and Body Works Anti-Bacterial Waterless Hand Foam is a good alternative because it comes in the same scents and light formulas as the lotion. My favourite is Warm Vanilla Sugar.

You can get Bath and Body Works products from their stores or online at BathandBodyworks.com.

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Zero Skincare at Shoppers Drug Mart

Posted on September 3, 2020 by Henna

How much does sustainable skincare mean to you – what I mean is, do you care about whether your packaging is recyclable and where your ingredients are coming from?  Honestly, it’s something that I do think about from time to time.  I go through a lot of skincare and I hate to see packaging go into the garbage.  I compost and recycle as much as I can but there’s always other things to consider.

Now there’s Zero Skincare – and the whole concept is that it’s clean, green and recyclable.

That means that all the products in the image above, the boxes, the tubes, the lids, and the jars can go right into the recycling bin when you’re done with them and hopefully they don’t end up in a land fill.

I opened the hand cream ($19.99) right away and I’ve been keeping it near so that I can reapply as needed.  Now, my hands are pretty dry because of all the washing I’ve been doing, but this cream has been great at adding a dose of moisture.

I also really liked the ingredients in the formula – they include shea butter, glycerin, sweet almond oil, and coconut oil and yet the cream doesn’t feel overly greasy.

Here’s a texture shot of the night cream ($34.99) and you can see that it’s quite rich and thick.  It’s also got shea butter in it, and in fact that whole formula is 100% natural. In fact, I found both the day cream (also $34.99) and the night cream to be a little rich for my skin, but if you have dry skin you will love them.

My favourite product from the whole Zero line is the Zero Face Wash ($24.99).  It’s super slippery which makes it a treat to massage into your skin.  It foams a little bit but washes completely clean.

There’s also an eye cream and face scrub in the products – and they’re all botanical and vegan.

If you’re going to check the Zero skincare line up at Shoppers Drug Mart, make sure to try the hand cream and the face wash, and the night cream if you have dry skin.  They are winners.

Available online and in stores.

 

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The Best Base Coat and Top Coat

Posted on September 2, 2020 by Henna

If you are doing your own nails at home, you need a good base coat and top coat for your manicure. I’ve been doing my nails at home forever, because I hate taking the time out to go to a salon. What I love is sitting down, watching my show, and doing my nails late at night.

Over time, I’ve gotten the base coat and top coat thing down, and I know that if I use these, my nails will look good and my mani will last a long time.

The base coat I like is OPI Nail Envy in the colour Samoan Sand. Sometimes I just use 2 coats of it on its own, and then a top coat on top. Nail Envy really does help make your nails stronger so try to use it regularly.

The top coat is Essie. It’s from their Gel Couture line. It’s so shiny and dries completely hard so it works so well.

Those are the tips!

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