I first posted my review of @BeautyCounterHQ’s Overnight Resurfacing Peel here, and since then, I’ve kept using it, so here’s a picture of my #empty. 
This peel is mostly lactic acid, in an unknown percentage, but it really works to moisturize and exfoliate your skin at the same time. You can order it online for $79.
Had to pull out this old perfume – it’s more than 10 years old and you can find it on Amazon or other niche retailers.
I know that Estee Lauder Pleasures was a favourite for many women – I always meet women who say that they have purchased and then repurchased this scent since it’s release, and so it makes so much sense for Estee Lauder to introduce limited editions of Pleasures. There’s been Pleasures Exotic (which was more tropical), Pleasures Intense (a strong floral), and Pleasures Delight.
The original was fruity and floral and this new version is more gourmand. Sure, the opening notes are sweet fruits that will literally make your mouth water, but once they die down (rather quickly actually), you’ll see that the closing notes are much sweeter. Vanilla and caramel are the base notes of this perfume and they’re very warm. This is definitely a scent that will make your mouth water, and if you look for that in a fragrance, sniff this the next time you’re at an Estee Lauder counter.
Guys, it’s amazing how many people love drugstore mascaras. I think it’s because mascara is something you have to replace every 3 months, so it’s nice to not spend too much money and still get some bang for your buck. Here’s my review of @CoverGirl’s Total Tease mascara. Spoiler: I LOVE this mascara and it really works to define lashes. You can apply a lot without it smudging throughout the day so that’s a bonus. Watch the video to check out the wand and see how it wears throughout the day.
http://www.instagram.com/tv/BzIrVl-BV5e/
It’s bizarre to me that I haven’t reviewed this @NeutrogenaCanada sunscreen before, because it is one of my favourites. Now, I know that everyone is on the Mineral sunscreen bandwagon right now, but honestly, if a sunscreen is going to make me look like a ghost, then I don’t want it. 
Neutrogena’s Hydro Boost sunscreen is SPF 50 and absorbs quickly. It moisturizes and calms skin too.
Available at drugstores for $13.
Really, the “word concentrate” in this blow-dry serum says it all: it’s thicker and heavier than your usual Moroccanoil hair treatment, but it’s slippery and great for frizzy hair whether you’re blow-drying it or not. 
I love using this so much but especially in the summer when the weather is hot and humid. My very curly hair needs all the help it can get to stay smooth and shiny, and I find that this treatment really does it for me, which must be how I’ve gone through an entire bottle of this.
You can use this on wet/damp hair before you heat-style it but you can also use it on dry hair to make it a bit more shiny. If you use it on dry hair, a little bit goes a long way. Too much and you’ll end up with very greasy hair. On wet hair, this works much better, defining curls and making hair stay smooth. It also seems to lock in all moisture which is key for styling hair and essential for curly hair.
I’ve been using this daily after I wash my hair, and I actually think that my hair looks healthier than ever, so I’m very pleased with it.
Available at salons and where good haircare is found. About $38.
I’ve been using Jergens Natural Glow Daily Moisturizer.
This is a moisturizer that adds a gradual tan, and the advantage of using a product like this is that it’s harder to make mistakes and easier to correct them. You build colour up slowly, and if you just use this product instead of your regular moisturizer. Let me tell you that the best part of this moisturizer is that it smells like cookies – and not in an overly sweet way either.
The smell of cookies lasted for about an hour before the scent of the self-tanner started to come out. I’ve heard people complain about this scent, but the fact of the matter is that if you want to get a tan and avoid the sun, then you’re going to have to put up with this. My tip for getting around it? Apply the lotion before you go to bed. You’ll fall asleep before the tanner smell ever kicks in and will hardly be able to smell it in the morning. Plus you wake up with a golden glow – what could be better?
Also, the lotion is shimmery but not so much that it’s overly obvious.
As for colour development, I didn’t see much on the first day of using this moisturizer, but in about three days I had a noticeable tan, and after over a week of using this product, I think that I’ve reached full potential – very dark but that’s fine, I used the darkest shade. I have a very natural looking tan and I’m not orange at all. What’s nice as well is that this product is very moisturizing. The bottle dispenses a smooth thick lotion that I can use in place of my regular moisturizer.
As with all self tanners, you have to wait for this product to dry on your skin, but it doesn’t have any colour on it so don’t worry about staining your clothes. Mess free application, nice scent, and a product that works! Here’s to a longer summer!
One of the things that usually lies on my desk is Burt’s Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Creme.
It smells just like Neocitron. To me, Neocitron doesn’t taste like lemons which is a taste I think I would like. Instead, it tastes like what I imagine a lemon peel would taste like and that’s just what this cuticle creme smells like too. But I kept using the creme anyway because it worked and slowly I got used to the scent and didn’t mind it as much.
The Cuticle Creme really does help you keep your cuticles moisturized but it also has an added bonus: I found that if I rub this into my nails when I don’t have any nail polish on, it really helps keep my nails looking very clean. The tips of my nails are whiter and brighter, and I suspect it’s because the lemon oil has a bleaching effect on the nail. That, and the fact that this really is a great salve, makes this product a keeper.
Available at drugstores and mass merchandisers. $8.99.
Anyone remember Entourage??? And this scene?
Ari: What’s that smell?
Lloyd: It’s Issey Miyake, her favourite scent. I’m wearing it as a subtle, subliminal show of our support.
The “her” in Lloyd’s sentence is referring to Mary J. Blige. I don’t know whether that really is her favourite scent or whether it’s just what fit for Lloyd, but in any case, I went to hunt down this perfume. It turns out that there are many Issey Miyake perfumes, and it turns out that there’s more than one kind of Issey Miyake, but I’m guessing that they’re talking about L’Eau D’Issey since that is the one that’s still in production. You can find it at many department stores and the bottle is hard to miss.
This scent comes in many different forms – a body lotion, a body cream, an eau de parfum, and of course an eau de toilette, among others. The scent is fresh and linear with no base notes or top notes that stand out a great deal. The perfume is mostly floral, with notes of tuberose and rose, but it does have some citrusy notes in it as well.
Lloyd’s lucky that Mary J.’s fav scent is so unoffensive.
$125 for 100ml.
I’ve had a few experiences with Vitamin C: most recently it was the Inkey List’s Vitamin C which is 30% and I’ve also tried The Ordinary’s Vitamin C which is 23%. Both of them irritated my my skin so much – I didn’t have any redness or peeling but I did experience an itchy and burning sensation on my skin so I didn’t ever want to use them.
Instead, I’m using The Ordinary Ascorbic Acid 8% and Alpha Arbutin 2% formula, and it’s much more gentle on my skin, with no irritation at all. The vitamin C brightens skin and the alpha arbutin targets dark spots and helps minimize them. Studies have show this to be as effective as hydroquinone without the associated risks of it.
The formula is slightly oily because the ingredients need to be in a waterless formula to stay stable. So this goes on like a oil but then absorbs into your skin. You could use vitamin C in the morning so take advantage of its antioxidant properties, but I use it at night time because I like to use Niacinamide during the day.
Pick it up for $10 online.
Maybelline Define-A-Lash mascara has a wand that resembles that of the some CoverGirl and Chanel offerings – it has flexible rubber spikes rather than a comb or bristly brush.
The mascara claims to give length without the clumps and it delivers. The formulation is one that’s thinner than other mascaras and that means that it does take a bit longer to dry, but the result is worth the wait. Remember that the bendy wand means that you apply with a light touch to get the best results, and the inky black colour means that you don’t have to layer it too much.
$10.99 at drugstores and mass merchandisers.
