2 Awesome Cleansers For All Skin Types

Posted on March 14, 2020 by Henna

Cleansers abound, but it’s all about finding those ones that remove all your makeup and don’t leave any residue. Here are 2 of the very best for all skin types and budgets.

1. Nars Aqua-Infused Makeup Removing Water ($37). This is totally oil-free, soap-free, and alcohol-free, and works as if it was the greasiest item on the market. Light and fresh, this cleansing water removes all traces of makeup in a swipe and leaves skin fresh and hydrated. I use it on my eyelids, mascara, and of course, foundation and it takes it all off.

2. Weleda Gentle Cleansing Milk (22.99). This lovely herbal smelling milk is perfect for even the most sensitive skin because it’s essentially like using a liquid cold cream to take off your makeup. Organic jojoba seed oil makes sure that you get hydration in one go too. Oily skin types may want to follow up with something soapy, but they’ll appreciate that everything comes off with just one product.

 

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
Posted in Cleansers | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Clean Your Brushes!

Posted on March 13, 2020 by Henna

Just a reminder that while you might be wiping your door handles and spraying down your tables, you also want to wash your brushes as they could come in contact with any germs on your face and harbor the growth of bacteria.  Make sure you are washing your brushes regularly, and that you’re using soap on them.  I use whichever shampoo I have lying around or a brush cleaner.  I really like the BeautyBlender brush cleaner because it really gets all the foundation out!

Have you guys seen these brush cleaner mats on Instagram or Facebook?

Well I have one now and it’s amazing.  You basically put your soap right on the pad and swirl your wet brush on it dislodging any makeup.  You rinse your brush clean and you’re good to go!

I’ve been using this for the past couple of weeks and I love it.  It’s so easy to use – the large textured areas are for larger brushes and the smaller textured areas are for smaller brushes.  The lines are more for rinsing instead of getting all the gunk out, but I prefer to rinse clean with my fingertips just so I can make sure that my brush is really clean.

Short story: I love it and use it and it’s not a total pain to store either because I just throw it into my drawer when it’s dry.  And it dries pretty quick because it’s silicone.

Get one – your brushes will thank you.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
Posted in Accessories | Tagged , | 4 Comments

DIY Hair Treatment

Posted on March 13, 2020 by Henna

My sister and I have a bit of an obsession with hair masks and treatments.  We love trying the latest and greatest oils and after a lot of research, we found that the best DIY hair treatment for dry and damaged hair is castor oil, which you can easily buy at Amazon.

Then I found this Natural Growth oil, which has caster oil, emu oil, and some invigorating mint that helps rush the blood to your scalp. You put this in before you wash your hair, leave it on for as long as you can, and then wash it out.  It washes out clean but leaves your hair nice and moisturized.

$55 on Amazon.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
Posted in Hair | Tagged | 2 Comments

YSL Y Eau de Toilette

Posted on March 12, 2020 by Henna


A gorgeous heavy bottle, for a beautiful light scent for men. YSL Y Eau de Toilette is a fresh blend of citrus and woods. The opening has a pretty standard astringent bergamot that seems to happen with many men’s scents.

The dry down is sage and cedarwood that are pretty dry.

Because this is an eau de toilette, it’s light and fresh, and doesn’t smell heavy.

$125 for 100mL.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
Posted in Perfumes | Tagged | Leave a comment

Clinique Redness Solutions Powder Review

Posted on March 11, 2020 by Henna

Clinique has a new product out that promises to reduce and take care of redness. They call it Clinique Redness Solutions Instant Relief Mineral Pressed Powder.  It’s a great product if you don’t expect too much of it.  The powder is a pale yellow, and yellow’s a colour minimizes redness on your skin.  The powder makes claims of soothing skin and almost healing it, but it won’t do anything like that.

What it’s great for is anyone who has unwanted redness on their skin (rosacea) and it will cover that up slightly without covering too much.  What that means is that you’ll be able to look like you’re wearing no makeup and the redness will still be gone.

It’s a great to have on hand for those days that your skin isn’t behaving the way you want.  You can find this everywhere Clinique products are sold.

$46.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
Posted in Make-Up | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

L’Oréal Beauty Tubes Mascara

Posted on March 11, 2020 by Henna

L’Oréal Double Extension Beauty Tubes Mascarahas been out for a while and it has really surprised me. I find most of these two-step mascaras to be generally the same, but not this one. It actually does what it claims to! This mascara does work just like any other two-step mascara except the results are much more dramatic. I don’t know about having the power of salon-caliber lash extensions though, but either way you get a great dramatic lash.

The “tubes” that it is supposed to produce are really just a thicker application of the product which does have the effect of extending the length of your lashes. However, as described at length (pardon the pun) they only need water to just slide off of the lashes to remove, and do not dissolve off like most mascaras which require a remover. Yet it still has the staying-power of a water-proof mascara. This was one of the most impressive aspects for me, because it meant that there really is a conditioning layer (the first step in application) that is coating the lash before putting on the black, which is actually forming tube-like coats around the hairs.

Every time I use this mascara I feel like I discover something new about it and I just get better at using it. It’s really awesome and different and worth a try.

$11.96 at Walmart and other mass merchandisers.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
Posted in Search for the Perfect Mascara | Tagged , | 3 Comments

The Foundation Brush You Must Try

Posted on March 11, 2020 by Henna

So, it’s pretty difficult to improve on something that does the job well enough.  But I guess well enough is not good enough for Sephora, and they went and improved the foundation brush.  You must try the Sephora Collection PRO Air Brush #55.  It is perhaps the best foundation brush I’ve ever had and despite what you might think, it is super easy to use and applies foundation in a perfectly streak-free finish.

How to use a foundation brush so fluffy?  Put some foundation on the center and dot all over your face.  Then smooth it all out with the brush until all the foundation is blended in!  The nylon fibers won’t absorb any of the foundation (so it won’t go waste) and the multitude of fibers won’t cling together meaning that you won’t get any streaking.

$45 at Sephora stores and online.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
Posted in More Than Beauty | Tagged , | 3 Comments

Strivectin Peptight

Posted on March 11, 2020 by Henna

You may or may not have heard that peptides are good for your skin. If you’ve over the age of 30, then you definitely want to incorporate something with peptides into your skincare routine. After the age of 30, your skin can start to stop producing as much collagen which can make your face look not as bouncy as before. Peptides are ingredients that can send messages to your cells that they should start producing more collagen, so they can be an important part of any anti-aging routine.

That’s why I’m so excited about Strivectin Peptight serum. It’s a light moisturizing serum that has peptides in it to help your skin regain its brightness and elasticity. I have incorporated this serum into my night time routine and I use if after I apply my retinol on my skin. The Peptight is moisturizing but also adds ingredients that my incredibly basic retinol doesn’t have. It also smells beautiful – like roses – and is the most luxurious serum to use. You could also use this in the morning before your moisturizer or sunscreen.

I do find that it’s a little bit silicone-heavy so it has a soft and smooth finish, but it doesn’t feel good if you apply too much of it, but the right amount feels great under makeup.

You can find this online or at Shoppers Drug Mart. $109.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
Posted in Moisturizers | Tagged | Leave a comment

Goop Glow For Less

Posted on March 10, 2020 by Henna

Went on to Sephora today and saw that they have Goop Glow 5% Glycolic Acid Peels – $175 for a package of 12.  Goop says to use these once a week for a gentle peel.  If you’re used to glycolic acid (and I am) I can use these daily, so $175 for 12 days supply seems like a lot.

Luckily, Pixi Glycolic pads – which are also 5% – are just $24 for 60 pads.  A 2 month supply, if you use them daily, and the active ingredient is the same.

I like some of the Goop products, but a 5% Glycolic Acid Peel is pretty basic, and it’s so gentle that it’s not really even worth it to call it a peel.  Save your money, try the drugstore stuff and see if it even works for your skin.  I personally am using the Pixi pads right now and I love them.  They actually do make my skin more glowy and fresh and even 5% glycolic acid is enough to even out my skintone.

Because glycolic acid helps exfoliate your skin, make sure that you’re wearing sunscreen daily if you use this.

You can get Pixi at Shoppers Drug Mart.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
Posted in Peels | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Which Bumble and Bumble Finishing Spray is Right For You?

Posted on March 10, 2020 by Henna

Honestly, I’m going to come out and say that my favourite Bumble and Bumble Finishing Spray is their Hairdresser’s Invisible Oil Dry Oil Finishing Spray ($45) which is all the way on the left.  It’s got no hold, but it just seems to laminate your hair and make it shiny, and if you’ve straightened or curled your hair, this seems to make it last.  But it’s not a hairspray.  It’s not crunchy at all, and just makes your hair look better.

The Dryspun Texture Spray ($41) is my next favourite and is great if you want to add some grit to your style.  It adds airyness without hold, and is dry without being a dry shampoo.  It’s a really cool spray, and when you put it into your hair, the effect of it lasts and lasts. which is great.

The Soft Texture Finishing Spray ($42) is kind of in between the first two.  It adds a bit of texture but not much grit.  It doesn’t mess up your style but just kinds of blows it apart gently.  It doesn’t coat or laminate your hair like the Dry Oil Finishing Spray does, but it does have some oils in it and it has the same great Hairdresser’s Invisible Oil vanilla/amber scent.  It also has a tiny bit of hold and soft powders that add the texture to your hair.

All of them are microfine, so you can use a little or a lot and they won’t weigh your hair down.  Honestly, I thought I wasn’t using enough, and then I saw how much my stylist used on me, and she used a lot, and so that’s when I started spraying spraying spraying until I was really happy with the final look that I got.  All of them are amazing texture sprays that don’t make your hair crunchy but can help you get a tousled beachy look.

Available at Sephora, salons, and Nordstrom.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
Posted in Styling Products | Tagged | Leave a comment