If you’re a fan of Live Clean (like so many people in my family are) you’ll be happy to know that there’s a new line of Live Clean haircare that’s just for those of us with curly hair. The Super Fruit Waters Quenching Curls Shampoo and Conditioner is made up of light-weight hydrating ingredients to leave curls fresh and bouncy.
If you have frizz-prone hair, this might be your first step in taking care of that.
Available in drugstores and mass merchandisers now.
$7.49 – $7.99.
Never has a scent intrigued me as much as Scent Intense by Costume National. I had only heard of the design house fleetingly and certainly didn’t know that they made a perfume. I don’t even know what compelled me to pick up the fairly nondescript black bottle, take a sniff, and then spray some on myself.
This is a scent unlike any other.
First things first: it’s unisex, and not unisex in a Calvin Klein kind of way where all you smell is a cologne. It’s unisex in the way that it’s mostly made for men and women who don’t mind smelling like men. I found it in the women’s scent department.
Basenotes says that the base of this scent is Amber but I smell so much more than that in this. I smell a very distinct woodiness in the dry down and it’s very powdery. At the end of the day, this scent is very smoky and dry. It’s comforting and even in the heat of the summer, it has the ability to transport one out of the city and into a place where wood fires are burning a dark and mysterious fire.
If you’re looking for something different, you should check this scent out. It’s a fairly linear scent and lasts a long time on the skin. Strong and unusual, it’s not for those who like to blend in.
Available online: $165 for 100ml.
If you’re in hot and humid weather and you have curly hair, straightening it is pretty much useless, so the next best thing is to wear it curly and for this, I love a good serum. It minimizes the frizz and leaves your hair soft and defined. Lots of serums have dimethicone or some other form of silicone in them, but the Bumble and Bumble Hairdresser’s Invisible Oil also has a blend of different oils that help condition your hair. The result is frizz-free defined curls and healthier hair.
Available at salons. $53.
Vitamin C is a great option for adding an antioxidant into your skincare routine. Antioxidants get rid of environmental stress and it can even help skincare products like sunscreen work better. Because I use vitamin C on a regular basis, I don’t always notice a huge difference when I change products. That being said, I do sometimes have dry skin and I love that the Dermae Vitamin C serum also has hyaluronic acid in it as its base.
Dermae also has a Vitamin C Instant Radiance Citrus Facial Peel which actually has ground of orange peel in it. I think the orange peel is a bit excessive, and probably didn’t do anything for my skin, but this peel did have glycolic acid and vitamin C in it and I experienced some mild tingling when I put it on my skin.
You can find Dermae products on their website.
I reviewed this sunscreen when I first got it, and it’s still going strong. Take a look at me applying it on the back of my hand – it actually is sheer! The ingredients are mineral and chemical sunscreens , so if you’re looking for something that’s just mineral, this isn’t it. But it’s still a great option for sun protection. Texture and finish is powdery which makes it great for using under makeup.
Watch the whole video below:
http://www.instagram.com/tv/B0OxwX5Bg2w/
Do you guys use a beautyblender to apply makeup? Personally, I don’t. I like using my fingers, or a brush, but I am interested in this thing that all the gurus call “baking”.
I’m kidding. I’m not into baking my makeup. If it’s creasing it’s not for me, so I just don’t even bother.
But I do like using a beautyblender to bounce foundation over my face and I’m liking this new colour called “Joy”. The bright yellow shows pigment better which is awesome.
Available at Sephora, Holt Renfrew and other makeup stores. $26.
Come for the Salicylic Acid and stay for the kaolin and charcoal. Leave it to Deciem The Ordinary to launch the perfect mask for the summer. On days when the weather is hot and sticky and your skin is sweaty and oily, wash it and then put this on. Let it sit for 10 minutes, essentially it dries and sucks up all the excess oil from inside your pores.
To wash it off, I find that the best thing to do is jump into the shower. Let it get a bit wet and then rub it off and as you do, massage the charcoal and let it give your skin a super fine super gentle scrub.
This mask is 2% salicylic acid, which I find isn’t enough for me. I’d like a mask to be higher in acid so that it really exfoliates my skin. 2% Salicylic Acid is what they use in anti-acne products and it really works best if it’s left on your skin all night or during the day because it breaks through the oil in your pores and exfoliates your skin from the inside out. The ingredient needs longer than 10 minutes to work, but it’s great if you’re trying to get your skin used to Salicylic Acid.
Get it online. $12.50.
You know it’s a good one when you’ve finished it! Loved this Elizabeth Arden Plush Up Lip Gelato – the colour I have is Bare Kiss. This was slightly minty but super moisturizing so I kept it in my purse as a lip balm/lipstick and now it’s done. These come in tons of colours.
Available at the Elizabeth Arden counter. $33.
Today I’m wearing Fou d’Absinthe by L’Artisan Parfumeur. It’s a male scent, but it suits me wonderfully well. Usually, L’Artisan says that its scents are unisex, but they do say that this one in particular is more masculine. Either way, it smells good and that’s coming from someone who prefers florals on the whole.
The company says that this is supposed to smell like icy-cold alcohol and absinthe but I don’t know what that means. The one note that I can really identify in this is anise, and later on the earthy patchouli notes come through. Though this scent is supposed to be cool, I found it to be a fresh warm. It’s definitely very earthy which I love.
I asked my friends and family to sniff at my wrist while I was wearing this and without exception the comments were: “I love this, it smells so good!” And then when I mentioned that it was actually for men, people’s faces changed a little and they weren’t so enthusiastic about it anymore.
This mascara came out in 2011, and Benefit doesn’t come out with a lot of new products so you kind of expect the best when they do. This mascara is seriously long-wearing, and has a rich glossy finish. But, it smudged on me within the hour. I’m in a hot and humid climate, and already have really oily skin, so my face really puts mascaras to the test. 
The mascara is $33 at Sephora, and given the price, I’d say that it’s not really worth it. Drugstore mascaras for the win. I would love to hear about your favourite mascaras, especially if you have oily skin like I do. So far, I’m loving the CoverGirl mascaras the most.
