Clay Masks: Your Christmas Party Must-Have

Posted on December 14, 2018 by Henna

Ok, I feel like we’re kind of getting to a time when masks are getting a bad rap… the effects are temporary! They’re sometimes fragranced! You need to use them continually to get results!

Nevermind all that. When you have tons of Christmas parties to go to, or secret Santas, or pictures with Santa, sometimes you just need your skin to look polished IMMEDIATELY.

Guess what: this is not the time for peels no matter what your local medispa on Instagram is telling you. The last thing you want is for your skin to be peeling and flaky. You’ll just want to put more product on it and that’ll be no good for the pictures.

What you need is either a hydrating sheet mask or a mattifying clay mask. I find clay masks to be great at leaving just the right amount of oil absorption on your skin so that you really get your makeup to go on smooth and stay matte longer. It’ll mean that you use less primer and less powder and that you won’t be updating your makeup throughout the day or night.

I’m partial to the Strivectin Glycolic Skin Reset Mask: it has glycolic acid in it but it’s only on your skin for about 5 minutes which means that it’s going to brighten but not do a doozy on your skin. If your skin isn’t sensitive, then it won’t redden it either. The mask is kaolin-based, so it instantly mattifies and mattifies for a while.

Pick it up online for $80.

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Acqua di Parma Sandalo and a Very Nice Gift for Christmas

Posted on December 13, 2018 by Henna

I mean, this is a gift that you would want to get for someone very special in your life, but it’s also just so pretty that I totally want to keep it for myself. Acqua di Parma’s Colonia Sandalo Holiday Set ($273) is one of those, because of the beautifully illustrated hat box that it comes in. The set includes a 100ml Eau de Cologne Concentrée, Shower Gel and Candle, all of which smell completely like the rich woody fragrance. Truly, the gift set is a good deal – the bottle of perfume itself retails for $273, so if you’re going to get a scent anyway, you may as well get the gift set and get the candle and gel included, and the packaging is beautiful. The illustrations on the box are done by British artist Clym Evernden, which is kind of cool considering that Acqua di Parma is an Italian brand.

Now on to Colonia Sandalo…

I don’t normally like classifying scents as being for a gender, and a lot of high end perfume brands don’t either, but I do feel like Colonia Sandalo is quite masculine. Maybe it’s because it reminded me a lot of my dad, and also because the scent feels quite heavy to me.

There is a sandalwood note in this fragrance, but also heavy amber, and tonka which made it so round and gourmand. The opening notes of bergamot, lemon orange, and petit grain are quickly overwhelmed by the sandalwood and the bit of cardamom in the middles notes makes it even more of a gourmand scent. The perfume is at once dark and deep which makes it perfect for a winter’s day.

The Eau de Cologne Concentree lasts a really long time. I got a full day of wear with just one spray, and I could smell it on myself at bedtime – in fact, so could my kids which is telling. Of course, it’s the notes in this that make the difference too. Gourmand notes have a way of sticking to my skin like nothing else does, and that’s ok.

The candle is absolutely beautiful and can scent a whole room, and the shower gel is nice to use in your hair so you can layer the perfume.

Truly, this is a wonderful gift for the fragrance lover in your life.

Available at Holt Renfrew.

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Skincare Update

Posted on December 12, 2018 by Henna

What do you think and what can you spot?

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Friends-Mas and Live Clean’s new Holiday Soap

Posted on December 8, 2018 by Henna

I love the holidays.  I start listening to Christmas music right after Remembrance Day and shop for presents starting December 1st.  I love giving gifts, holiday baking, and people in my house. I also love Friends-mas which is basically holiday dinner with my friends.  It doesn’t represent Christmas dinner with my family but it does have its own place, and it’s super fun.  

I’m stocking my bathroom with holiday soap, and it’s always been Live Clean.  My kids love the Peppermint Vanilla, but this year there’s Gingerbread Latte which has the sweet and spicy scent of gingerbread.  These soaps smell good but they’re also super moisturizing with tons of lather.  And there’s tons in in the packaging so you’ll be set for the whole holiday season.  

Plus, all Live Clean products, are plant derived and free of SLS/Sulfates, Petroleum, DEA, Parabens, Silicone, Phthalates and Phosphates, so if there are ingredients that you’re sensitive to or are trying to avoid, you can check out these soaps.  These are also available in Holly Berry (which is a berry scent) and Peppermint Vanilla (which is still the favourite around here).

Available at drugstores and mass merchandisers. $4.99 to $5.99.

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Moisturizing Protective Cream for Really Dry Skin

Posted on December 6, 2018 by Henna
This is for all of you who email or text me asking for a cream that’s for dry skin and moisturizes in a real lasting way.  Kariderm is a Canadian brand, that makes products formulated with Shea Butter – organic shea butter in this case.  I’ve used their shampoo and conditioner before, and it was super moisturizing in a way that was untraditional – no silicones in sight, but still moisturized hair.

The Kariderm Moisturizing Protective Cream has shea butter in it but it doesn’t feel heavy on the skin.  Shea Butter is the fourth ingredient in this cream, but it absorbs into your skin easily and makes your skin feel soft and moisturized.

The best part is that it’s thick enough to last the whole day.

$29.95 at drugstores.


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Violet Shampoo at the Drugstore

Posted on December 5, 2018 by Henna
Violet shampoo is great for when you want to tone down any brassy or orange tones in your hair, so it’s not just great for silver or platinum hair, but even good for those of us with darker coloured hair that we want to keep in the ash-toned family rather than have it get too warm.  To help me do that, I use a violet shampoo on a weekly basis. It helps keep highlights looking blonde instead of orange, and if there’s any grey, it makes it look clear instead of yellowish.

Now, Finesse has launched the Silver Beauty Shampoo and Conditioner ($2.99 each) so that you can keep your colour bright with the help of violet pigments.

I love that not only are there violet pigments in the shampoo and conditioner, but they’re subtle enough to use daily.  A violet-pigmented shampoo from the salon is quite strongly pigmented. Often there’s a touch of blue on my hands after I use it, but that’s why you only need to use it once a week.  The pigments in this shampoo are light so you could use it daily if you wanted to. The shampoo is nice and moisturizing but not heavy, and the conditioner is smoothing. Use both of them together and your hair will be soft and smooth.

Available at drugstores and mass merchandisers.


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New CeraVe Skin Renewing Collection

Posted on December 4, 2018 by Henna
CeraVe’s new line of products promises to help you get rid of wrinkles.  The Day Cream with SPF 30, the Retinol Serum, and the Night Cream are made with retinol and ceramides to help exfoliate skin and moisturize. 

My favourite of the line is the Skin Renewing Day Cream with SPF 30.  I’m always on the hunt for a good SPF that doesn’t leave a white residue on my skin and this is almost it.  It isn’t completely clear, but it’s enough so that I don’t see it on my skin and I can put makeup on top of it easily.  The Day Cream has broad spectrum SPF protection which means that it protects against UVA and UVB rays.  I also love that this is packaged in an airless pump.  I feel like it means that I get every little bit out when I’m using it without compromising the quality of the product inside.

The day cream has 1% encapsulated Retinol, so it’s slow to release and apparently more gentle on your skin.  After using this for a couple of weeks, I didn’t notice my skin reacting to it the way it normally reacts to retinol.  There’s no dryness or crazy peeling so I think there’s some truth to the fact that encapsulated retinol is more gentle on your skin.  Still, they’re not replacing my usual retinol serum that I’m using at night, but I like that I can use them with  my serum on underneath, and the two won’t interfere with each other.

The entire collection is available at drugstores now – $23.99 to $24.99.

 


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Real Techniques Buffing Brush

Posted on December 3, 2018 by Henna
Just over here as a converted fan of the Real Techniques brushes.  Have you used them before? These synthetic brushes are available at Walmart and Well.ca and are created by makeup artists Sam and Nic of Pixiwoo on Youtube.

I’ve been using a few of their brushes for about a month and have washed these twice.  The brushes are absolutely great at putting on foundation without being streaky or messy.  I like the plush Expert Face Brush or this Buffing Brush for that. They are able to put on the foundation without absorbing much of it, and they’re also able to buff it out so that it looks more natural.

The buffing brush is also great at putting on bronzer or blush.  It diffuses the colour just right so that you don’t even have to do too much blending.  The bronzer you see here is the Vita Liberata Pressed Trystal powder – it works like a dream with this brush. 

PIck it up as part of a Flawless Base Set for $25.64 on the Real Techniques website.

I didn’t like the foundation brush that’s part of the set, but I’ve found use for all the other brushes that are a part of it, so I’d say that it’s totally worth it to purchase them all together instead of separately.  The contour brush and the buffing brush are two brushes that I’m using daily.

 


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Cleanser that Smells like Roses

Posted on December 1, 2018 by Henna
Oh, and it foams and gets all your makeup off too.

If that sounds like something you need for Christmas, then put Korres Wild Rose Cream Cleanser ($32) on the list.  It smells like roses, it’s creamy but it lathers, so it gets into your waterproof mascara, waterproof eyeliner, long-wearing foundation and just takes it all off.

These days, I’m using my Cerave cleanser as my first step, and that really does a good job at getting everything off too, and using this cleanser as a second step.

Yes, it smells wonderfully of roses, and I love that.  The scent lasts for a while after you’ve washed it off too.

You can find it at Shoppers Drug Mart Beauty Boutique.


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Beautycounter Velvet Eyeshadow Palette

Posted on November 30, 2018 by Henna
Alright, it’s time to get out your Christmas list and put down an eyeshadow palette on it – because although you might have a few kicking around in your makeup drawer, you might not have one that’s as buttery smooth and flake-free with intense colour-payoff, and blendability all in one palette.

My palette is in the color story Statement. It’s a mix of neutrals, brights, and smoky shades that offers lots of options for eye-catching looks.  The palette is also available in lighter and more neutral tones if that’s your thing. My favourite shade in the Statement palette is, of course, Crown, because of how much glitter there is in this colour.  Normally, I tap glitter shades on to my primed eyelid with my finger, but I found that I could use a brush with this shadow. It not only stuck to the brush, but then it even transferred from the brush on to my eyelid.  

Staying power for these shadows is pretty amazing.  Most shadows seem to crease on me even with primer. They might last through a work day but not normally the whole entire day, but these last and last with no issues, and I’m finding that each and every colour seems to work as well as the last.  

You can find Beautycounter online or through Beautycounter representatives.

$62.


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