OPI Always Bare For You Has Summer’s Best Nail Polish Colours

Posted on May 6, 2019 by Henna

If you like sheer nail polish, then this is the collection for you.  OPI’s Always Bare For You has the nicest sheer polishes that I’ve ever come across.  Not only does 2 coats of each shade give just a wash of colour, but the formula is out of this world.  It is creamy and streak-free, just a dream to apply. 

The picture above also has the Infinite Shine base coat and top coat – those are the ones that I use with every polish I wear and they are amazing.  I can definitely get at least 5 days out of a manicure with them, and then just get minor chips, so I’m quite happy with them.

Here are swatches.  Please – I know I have hangnails – I’m a real person, so… ignore them.

The lightest pink is Bare My Soul.  This went on lighter than I thought it would.  It is a sheer pastel pink.

Then there is Ring Bare-er.  This is a sheer blue.  It was my least favourite shade.  I feel like it made me look sick…

Engage-meant to be is one of my favourites: it’s a sheer purple. 

Also, pictures I take in the car just turn out the best!

Here is Baby Take a Vow.  I thought it would be my favourite because it’s the perfect medium pink that just blurs out any imperfections on your nail, but it’s definitely between this one and Bare My Soul.

Finally, Throw Me a Kiss, which is one of 2 shimmer shades.  This is a sheer with duochorome pink/purple shimmer.  It was very pretty and it almost made me love shimmer in a nail polish.  Almost.

Chiffon’d of You is the other shimmer colour – it is a pale white.

 

There you have it!

These are available in salons now: nail polish for $10.50 ($13.30 CAN) each, and Infinite Shine colors will retail for $13.00 ($16.40 CAN) each and $6.50 ($8.20 CAN) each at Professional Salons.

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New Empty: Klorane Mango Butter Mask

Posted on May 3, 2019 by Henna

This used to be filled with a luscious orange hair mask that smelled exactly like fresh and ripe mangoes.  And now it’s done. It was super hydrating and smelled so good, that I wanted to use it all the time.  I kept it in my hair conditioner rotation – yes, I have a rotation – and it was awesome.

You can check out my review of the Klorane Mango Collection here.

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My Favourite Spring Products

Posted on May 1, 2019 by Henna

Check it out: some of my spring favourites!

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

Stuff I liked:

CeraVe SA Collection

Avene Sunscreen

Stila Eyeliner

Nars Night Series Eyeliner

CoverFX Pressed Mineral Foundation

The Ordinary serums.

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Favourite Peel: Beautycounter Overnight Resurfacing Peel

Posted on April 26, 2019 by Henna

I made a video on IGTV a while ago talking about some of the peels that I had tried, and the Beautycounter Overnight Resurfacing Peel was one of them.  My beef with the peel was that Beautycounter wouldn’t list the percentage of active ingredients in the peel. There are lots of peels out there that do this: Neostrata peels, Biologique Recherche, etc. all say how much active ingredients are in the peel.  This is helpful because if you’re just adding acids into your skincare routine, you want to go low and go slow. Low percentage of active ingredients to begin with otherwise suffer a crazy burning sensation when you use the peel because your skin won’t be used to it.  Neostrata actually does it best, because they offer toners in 8%, 10%, and then peels with a much higher percentage with the idea being that you wash off the peel after the recommended time left on your skin.

Anyway, that’s a rather long intro about the Beautycounter peel that I actually want to talk about because it’s my favourite.  The instructions on the peel are to leave it on your skin overnight – this is different from most other peels – and use it just 2-3 times a week.  The formula is unspecified amounts of lactic and glycolic acid. Both are great for exfoliating the skin, but lactic acid is more moisturizing so it feels a little more gentle and so that’s what I’m loving about this peel.  The texture is non-sticky and feels like a lotion, so when I put this on at night, it feels comfortable and useable.

I love that this peel is in a pump bottle too.  It makes it easy to get just enough – I need just one pump.

Avaiable online for $79.

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Avene XeraCalm A.D.

Posted on April 25, 2019 by Henna

Are you a lotion user?  A daily moisturizer?  I know I am.  Between myself and my kids, I go through a lot of lotion, and so I like getting it in as big of a bottle as possible, which why it’s awesome news that Avene is making their XeraCalm Lipid-Replenishing Cream and their XeraCalm Lipid-Replenishing Balm in larger 400ml pump bottles.  The smaller 200ml bottles have a pump too, so that the product inside stays sterile.

The XeraCalm line is made for sensitive skins.  Fragrance-free and made of glycerine and mineral oil, this line not only invites moisture into skin but it also seals it in.  The formulas are also preservative, paraben, and alcohol free.  It absorbs quickly and then leaves skin super soft, touchable, and moisturized for the whole day.  I’m loving using it and I love that it’s gentle enough to use on my kids.  It’s a basic basic moisturizer, but it’s so well formulated.  The pump bottle means that no air or bacteria can get in so it’ll stay clean.  The unique design of the pump (it has a cap) means that you can pack it to go with you – I put it in our swimming bag so that there’s tons of lotion for after swimming.

You can find the line in drugstores.  The 400mL bottle is $36.

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Probiotics in Skincare and Strivectin’s Blue Rescue Clay Renewal Mask

Posted on April 25, 2019 by Henna

Guys!  I had the chance to interview some skincare experts a few months ago (more on that later) and they said that the latest trend in skincare is probiotics in our skincare.  Is it a hype or is it useful?  I’m going to go with useful, and here’s the link to an article by the people over at Paula’s Choice about why adding probiotics to skincare might be a good idea.

Probiotics are basically essential to the health of our gut, and have been linked to not just to a healthier digestive system but also to a healthier immune system and a healthier brain!  Now there’s all kinds of research about how we might want to take care and balance the bacteria on our skin too so that we can prevent breakouts, but also have better collagen production and skin hydration which will help the overall look of our skin.

My first probiotic addition to my skincare routine is Strivectin’s Blue Rescue Clay Renewal Mask.  It’s a clay mask which I love for my oily skin.  Kaolin clay is great for absorbing oil, and once that excess oil is absorbed out of your pores, the rest of your skincare can be better absorbed. The little blue dots you see in the creamy white mask are blue algae and pigments which are released once you start rubbing the mask into your skin.  The mask turns from white to blue as you do this, and then you leave the mask on your skin for ten minutes.  The mask also has glycerin in it which helps moisturize and prevents skin from feeling dry and tight after the mask is washed off. The mask also contains a probiotic ferment which helps balance the skin.

I find it hard to find the time to do masks, but I’m so happy when I do add them to my regimen.  This one makes my skin feel so refreshed that I’m using it on the regular.

$49 at Shoppers Drug Mart.

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Jo Malone Wild Fig and Cassis Cologne

Posted on April 18, 2019 by Henna

I love Jo Malone London scents.  For the most part, they are fresh and clean and I love the almost simplicity of them.  The names are simple but the scents are so thoughtful that they are anything but basic.

Wild Fig and Cassis has been in my collection for almost 10 years – I got it in 2010, and recently I’ve been pulling it out more and more.  It deserves to be worn because it’s the perfect springtime scent.  It was limited edition, but it is still available in a home candle format.  Am I worried that I will wear it so much that I won’t love it anymore?  Nope.  Am I worried that I’ll finish it and then miss it so much that I won’t be able to get it anywhere?  Not at all.  I actually think that if you love something, you should use it more so that you get maximum enjoyment out of it.  I tell my kids: play with your favourite toys until they break.  Then you get new toys!  I wear my favourite clothes all the time, and wear new clothes immediately.  Things are meant to be enjoyed, life is meant to be enjoyed.  Life is short.

Wild Fig and Cassis is a perfect March/April scent.  It is green and fresh, with real fig notes but not ripe fig notes.  Have you had a fresh fig?  I have.  The ones in this perfume are not ripe and that’s ok.  They smell fruity but they’re still on the tree. The fig is blended with a juicy cassis and cherry note with drydown notes of pine and cedarwood, which I love.

My only problem with this scent is that the longevity is brutally bad.  I can spray 10 spritzes and come back for more hours later.  No bueno, so I won’t say that this is proving long-lasting pleasure but very temporary change of scent.

Enjoy it while it lasts.

Available online at various (non-authorized) retailers, but more readily available in candle format, which might have more of a longer burn time.

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Live Clean’s New Deodorant

Posted on April 17, 2019 by Henna

Live Clean has a brand new deodorant and it’s perfect if you’re trying to get away from aluminum salts and putting unknown ingredients on your skin.  Their deodorant is made of corn starch and baking soda, so it not only leaves you feeling fresh, but it also neutralizes odors.

Available in the traditional baby powder, citrus, and “Cool and Fresh” scents, this deodorant also comes in an unscented version.

Available at drugstores now for $7.99.

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Summer Sunglasses

Posted on April 16, 2019 by Henna

Sunglasses fatigue doesn’t have to cost you. I got a new pair of sunnies from SmartBuyGlasses.ca and I’m totally loving them.

They didn’t cost and arm and a leg, and I like that the site had a different selection than what my local Sunglass Hut usually has.

The frame I got is super trendy – I like how they look in pictures and they’re a representative of the times!

 

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Perfume: Clean Reserve Blonde Rose

Posted on April 16, 2019 by Henna

This is a rose perfume that doesn’t quite smell like roses.  Do I like it?  Sometimes.

Clean Reserve is Clean’s high end line of perfumes and is available at Sephora.  This line came out in 2016, which isn’t that long ago, and I’ve had this perfume since then!  Clean is the brand that came out with cotton candy and laundry detergent scents back in the day and those were super popular.  This is their answer to those of us who want something more complicated.

Blonde Rose lists Aldehyde Water, Rose, and Sandalwood as its notes, but to me it just smells so much like water and… detergent?  soap?  It must be the aldehyde notes, but this is neither your grandma’s rose nor a rose bouquet.  It’s just something that reminds you of clean scents.

It works for me when I’m in the mood for it, but most times I like something a little spicier.

$134 at Sephora.

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