Have You Tried Bare Escentuals Makeup?

Posted on April 29, 2020 by Henna

I get asked a lot about Bare Escentuals.  I think it’s because this San Francisco-based company has been around for a while and there’s a lot of marketing around it.

I myself have not had great experience with it.  You have to blend the foundation to make your own colour and that’s a process that I find kind of tedious.  When I tried to match a colour to my skin, I couldn’t get anything perfect and I thought that was a shame considering that there are tons of lines out there that make foundation my colour and I don’t see myself as hard to match (and regular readers should know – I’ve reviewed and tried tons of foundations and the only way that I can really try them is if I can wear them for atleast a week and for me to do that, I have to find a foundation in my colour).

I do like the Bare Escentuals blotting powder.  It works and it’s pretty sheer.

If you can find a Bare Escentuals foundation in your colour, then great, try it out, but don’t look to me – I can’t endorse it.

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Ralph Lauren Romance Always Yours is a New Classic

Posted on April 29, 2020 by Henna

Love it when a new fragrance actually references an original. Romance Always Yours by Ralph Lauren does exactly that and smells amazing. While the original Romance was light and slightly fruity, 10 years later, Truly Yours is more mature because it starts with fruity notes and adds a musky base which you can smell all the way throughout the fragrance.

This fragrance came out in 2009 and I still like it because it smells nostalgic to me.

You can find many iterations of the Ralph Lauren Romance perfume online.

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Do You Like Chemical or Mineral Sunscreen

Posted on April 29, 2020 by Henna

Had this little poll up on my Insta last week, and the answers were interesting: do people like chemical or mineral sunscreen?  I thought for sure everyone would choose mineral… there seems to be a push from brands to release a mineral sunscreen, but who is really using them.

Some brands I have tried are a little whitish… some need to mixed with foundation or concealer, and some are best worn under makeup instead of on their own. So it’s actually no surprise that people are into whatever sunscreen looks and feels good on their skin, mineral or otherwise.

Care to weigh in?

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Dior Capture Youth Matte Maximizer

Posted on April 29, 2020 by Henna

I’m going to start by saying that the packaging on this serum had Lactic Acid written on it in really big letters, but no mention of what percentage of lactic acid was in the bottle, which is not as transparent as I would like.  Furthermore, Lactic Acid is lower down on the ingredient list and the first 3 ingredients are water, propylene glycol, and glycerin, which means that this serum is going to be hydrating more than anything else.

Anyway.  All that aside, I’ve added it to my skincare routine with the idea that I actually do need a hydrating serum for the morning.

And, you guys.  I don’t hate this one.  I actually love it.  I don’t know if the lactic acid is enough to actually make my skin brighter, but it’s hydrating and it’s making my skin not so oily during the day.  I’m layering it with the Diorskin Nude Air serum foundation, and the results are incredible, especially for the first 8 hours of the day.

$120 at Dior counters.

 

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Biossance Squalane + Phyto-Retinol Serum Review

Posted on April 28, 2020 by Henna

OMG, so the name of this serum bugs me.  Phyto-Retinol?  It’s just so misleading.  There is no retinol in this serum, and the main active ingredient is Bakuchiol in a squalane formula that’s ultra-moisturizing.  Now, Bakuchiol has been studied a bit and the evidence suggests that 1% of a bakuchiol formula can have the same effect as retinol for reducing wrinkles if used twice a day.

That’s great news for people who find that retinol is too harsh for their skin because Bakuchiol is more gentle and it’s a vegan product.  The problem is that bakuchiol doesn’t have the same effects as retinol on acne and skin tone, and so to use the name Phyto-Retinol in the name of a product that doesn’t have retinol in it is so misleading.  It’s capitalizing on the popularity of retinol without actually including that ingredient in the formula.

They should just change the name because this is actually a nice serum, and I loved using it. I love squalane even on my oily skin because it prevents it from getting dry.  I also love bakuchiol because it makes my skin so bouncy.  I put this serum on at night and then woke up to brighter bouncy skin every single day that I used it.  It worked great and I would recommend it for every skin type.

Available at Sephora, $95.

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Real Techniques Cleansing Palette and Brush Cleanser

Posted on April 27, 2020 by Henna

If sometimes you want to scrub your brushes clean but don’t know how to, then a brush palette can be a real help.  It’s a silicone pad and you put soap in it and then swirl your brushes around.  The little knobs really get into your brush and help get the dirt out.  A packet of the palette comes with a brush cleanser sample!

The palette is made out of silicone, so it doesn’t retain any colour and washes totally clean.  I let it dry on the counter before I put it away.

The Brush Cleansing Gel is nice and light, and washes everything out of your brushes.  I love using it and I just had to use it in my brushes once.

The Brush Cleansing Palette is available for $26.99 and the Brush Cleansing Gel is $9.

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Dior Lip Balm

Posted on April 26, 2020 by Henna

I am currently addicted to this lip balm in a big way.  I don’t think I’ve liked a gloss or balm like this one in a really long time, and I love this so much that I’ve been using it non-stop recently!

What am I talking about? Dior Addict Lip Glow which first launched in 2009 and is now a mainstay in their product line up.  People really love the lip glows, so much so that Dior also has a lip oil that’s out now too.

It’s one of those products that changes colours adjusting to your own lips, and it gives my lips a super healthy pink colour that looks like my own lips after eating a raspberry popsicle.  The balm gives shine to your lips but that eventually wears away just leaving a stain-like pink behind.  It’s really quite enchanting.

Word to the wise though – the more of the balm you apply, the deeper the pink gets until it’s almost reddish pink and that might not be the colour that you want to wear.

You can find the Lip Glow everywhere Dior’s products are sold.  It also has SPF 10 and retails for $42.

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Scentuals Skin Repair Balm

Posted on April 24, 2020 by Henna

A stick moisturizer has so many benefits: less messy and less waste of product for starts.  If you’re using Scentuals skin Repair Balm, then you’re also getting the benefit of shea butter, cocoa butter, and whatever’s scenting these beautiful body bars.

The bars melt as you rub them on your skin, and they’re a little greasy but they really protect your skin from dryness.  They’re perfect for the frequent hand-washing that we’re doing right now!

The Rosemary Mint scent is my favourite, but these also come in Lavender, and Vanilla Tangerine.

Available on the Scentuals website. $13.95 each.

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Avene Eau Thermale Mineral Fluid and Tinted Mineral Fluid

Posted on April 23, 2020 by Henna

I’m into tinted sunscreens at the moment, and Avene’s Tinted Mineral Fluid has the tint that closest to my skin tone at the moment.!  The SPF 50 formula is made up of zinc oxide which is finely milled but I found that the tinted version wasn’t dark enough for me, and I stuck to the untinted version and mixed my concealer into it.  The tint is a beige colour that’s not warm enough for me.

The formula for both is slightly greasy so I like to apply powder on top, but it’s also moisturizing and natural-looking so I do like to use it and find it comfortable to wear.

Available at drugstores for $36.

For those that are interested, I swatched both these sunscreens in my Spring Favourites video, so I’ve reposted it below.

http://www.instagram.com/tv/Bw3SsZAhE6W/

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Nars Brow Perfector

Posted on April 23, 2020 by Henna

Are you growing in your eyebrows yet?  Because the pencil thin brows or brows that blend into your skin just aren’t in anymore. What you need is brows that really make a statement or at least an appearance on your face.

If you need help filling in some spots, you could try the Nars Brow Perfector ($22).

 

nars brow perfector

The Nars Brow Perfector is a super slim eyebrow pencil that is just right for filling in the brows.  It is long-lasting and quite natural looking because the line, although coloured, is not super dark so you can use small strokes and make it look like hair.  You can also use an eyebrow brush and blend it into the skin so that it looks completely natural.  The Brow Perfector comes in four colours: Salzbourg (blonde), Kalamata (Light Brown), Caucase (Brown), and Suriname (Black).  I have the Suriname, and I actually find it to be a little too dark unless I use it sparingly.  I think it would be great for someone with black brows that are very slim, but used on brows that already have a full shape, Suriname can give a look that’s a little too dramatic.  That said, it’s a very easy pencil to use for the eyebrows.

If you’re wondering whether you really need a brow product, let me throw this into the mix: if you’ve ever spent a lot of time doing your makeup, looked back at pictures and wondering what was missing – it’s probably that you didn’t spend any time on your brows.  A nicely groomed brow is the real difference between a professional makeup job and an amateur one.  Many times, unless you fill in your brows they don’t even show up properly in pictures, so filled in brows can make you look more photogenic!  Ever since I saw the difference in my own pictures, I use some sort of brow product daily and it has really become a part of my routine now – and my pictures look better!

Available at NarsCosmetics.ca.

 

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