CoverGirl Lash Blast

Posted on August 6, 2018 by Henna

Here’s a picture of the wand that makes Cover Girl’s mascara, Lash Blast, so intriguing. It seems to use the same spiky bristles as the newest mascaras but the wand is huge! The small wand you see on the left is the one for Volume Exact. See how much smaller it is?
I usually don’t like mascaras with fat brushes. I find them to be unwieldy and I inadvertently get mascara on my eyelid as I try to negotiate mascara on every part of my lashes. That said, this mascara is really good and it does give me long full lashes that are slightly curled as well. I would even say that this is one of the best mascaras of the year and if you’re looking for a mascara that delivers and you like the fat wand mascaras, then this is your best bet.
$7.49 at drugstores and mass merchandisers.
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New Make Up For Ever Artist Pencil

Posted on August 3, 2018 by Henna

Little known fact: cosmetics are regulated so that they’re safe for use on the part of your face they’re for.  The tightest regulations are for eye products – which means that anything deemed safe for use on the eye area, is safe for the rest of your face too.

I mention this because Make Up For Ever new Artist Pencils are for the eyes, lips and face.  That means you could choose your fave shade and do a monochromatic look, if that’s your style.  Or, if you’re like me, it’s nice to know that you can multi-task in a pinch.

No matter where you’re using these, they are smooth and creamy, and just glide on.  While it’s great that they’re not tugging or pulling, they’re a little too creamy to really last a long time on your eyes without a primer or some shadow to set it.

$23 at Sephora stores or Sephora.com.

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Graydon The Putty

Posted on August 2, 2018 by Henna

I know I have so many sunscreen reviews on here, but um, guess what?  I still got a sunburn this summer, and it was not pretty!  The worst part of the sunburn is the flaking itching skin that I just can’t seem to keep my hands off.

Thankfully, a friend gave me The Putty by Graydon.  The Putty is a skin-saver for dry irritated skins.  That typically isn’t me, but the sunburn had me reaching for this rich moisturizer, and it stopped the burning and itching on contact, allowing my skin to really heal!  This cream is the best.  I even put it on itchy spots of eczema and felt instantly relieved.

The Putty is a blend including Cocoa Seed Butter, Jojoba Oil, Shea Butter, and Aloe Water that all bring their healing properties to the blend.  In fact, there’s over 15 different different oils and moisturizers in this beautiful cream, so you’re getting a bit of everything. The best part is that it absorbs into your skin quickly (especially if it’s dry) and sets to a powdery non-greasy finish, so you can go about your day and forget about your irritated skin.

Graydon is a natural brand out of Ontario, Canada and each and every product is created by the founder Graydon Moffat and her team.  I’m also a huge fan of Graydon’s Matcha Mint Shampoo – you can read about that here.

You can find Graydon products at natural beauty stores and online. $38.

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Matrix Biolage Airdry Glotion

Posted on August 1, 2018 by Henna

Guys, this summer has been the year that haircare brands are jumping on the air dry bandwagon, and for those of us with curly frizzy hair that doesn’t like being straightened when there’s so much humidity in the air, it’s about time.  I mean, air drying your hair isn’t a new thing, but I love that companies are now making products specifically for those of us who air dry our hair.

The Biolage Aidry Glotion is a spray bottle of lotion and leave-in conditioner in one.  It’s meant to hydrate and add shine, not unlike a leave-in, and make it so that your hair looks nice without a blowdry. While this certainly added tons of shine and even hydrated my hair, it wasn’t enough for me to air dry my hair with it.  My hair is ultra-frizzy, curly, and has been coloured so there’s damage because of that.  I need something that’s heavier to tame the frizz, so I layer this with serum and a light-hold gel that keeps the frizz at bay and makes my hair stay the way I style it.

This is a great leave-in, the scent is light and pleasant, but if you’ve got frizz in your hair, then you might need something heavier.

$22.

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L’Occitane Verbena Icy Gel is Here for the Summer

Posted on July 31, 2018 by Henna

There are products you use in the winter, and then there are products that you use in the summer.  Thick body butters and lotions are done, and slippery fresh lotions and gels are in right now.  That made me reach for L’Occitane’s Verveine Icy Body Gel, which is made up of water and glycerin in a smooth quick-drying formula. 

There’s a little shimmer in this, but mostly it’s a light gel moisturizer that’s perfect for cooling down.  I like to use this at the end of the day when the day’s caught up with me, and it’s the perfect cooling treat on a hot day.  The gel is not sticky as long as you don’t apply too much, and it’s heavily scented but the Verveine scent is fresh.

Check out this and the rest of the Verveine line which includes a hair and body mist, and exfoliating sugars.

At L’Occitane Boutiques now.  $44.

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Stila Heaven’s Hue Highlighter

Posted on July 30, 2018 by Henna

As much as I love highlight when I see it on a Youtuber, in real life too much of it can come across as fake, or even worse, it can enhance pores in a way that leaves your skin looking less than cute.

The best highlighters are powdery, soft, but also natural-looking with a glow that you can build up.

That’s the case with Stila Heaven’s Hue Highlighter, shown in Brilliance.

 

The swatch is after two passes of the highlighter with my finger.  You can see how soft the pigmentation is, which is actually perfect for highlighter.  On your skin, it’s not a metallic glow, but a gentle brightening that occurs.  The highlighter is bouncy in the pan so that makes for it being a little harder to pick up lots of product with your fingers or brush, but I find that it’s actually the perfect amount of highlight on the first pass.

If you like your highlight more obvious, it’s easy enough to layer on more product until you get the results you want.

I’m wearing this all summer long – and since dewy skin will be in, I also like putting this under foundation to give it a little bit of dimension.

At Sephora and Shoppers Drug Mart Beauty Boutique, Murale, and beautyBOUTIQUE.ca.  $42.

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St. Tropez Pre-Shower Gradual Tan

Posted on July 30, 2018 by Henna

It’s been a minute since I used a self-tanner.  Actually over a year, and it’s been because I just thought that glow wasn’t for me.  And then a friend came in with a beautiful tan and I had to get it for myself.  Luckily there’s St. Tropez Gradual Tan One Minute which is a pre-shower product.

I’ll let that sink in for a minute.

Listen to this: this is a self-tanner that you apply before you shower.  It’s a foam that goes on smoothly like a lotion.  You rub it in, wait a minute (it goes by so quick), and then shower this off.  The tan works over the next 24 hours after you get out of the shower.  You’ll smell it working – the active ingredient has a smell to it, there’s no getting around that – and over the course of the day, you’ll notice the colour change. If you want a deeper tan, just leave it on for 2-5 minutes, instead of just one, or apply daily.

This actually does work – I was skeptical – how do you wash something off and still have it work?  How does it stick to your skin in just a minute?  Guess what, it does and it works.

Because this is so quick acting, it’s best not to apply it with your hands.  Use a tanning mitt or gloves to get a nice smooth application.  It’s also fairly easy to get an application that doesn’t streak because this is a gradual product.  Anywhere that you’ve applied too much product will likely even itself out when you let it fade, or blend out with subsequent applications of the self-tanner.

You can get this at Shoppers Drug Mart, beautyboutique.ca, London Drugs, londondrugs.ca, Murale & independent retailers. $28.

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Aveeno Protect + Hydrate Sunscreens

Posted on July 27, 2018 by Henna

I have to give a shoutout to Aveeno, because the Protect + Hydrate are some of my favourite sunscreens.  They’re moisturizing, they absorb quickly, and they’re easy to use.  The Protect + Hydrate sunscreens come in three versions – SPF 30, SPF 45, SPF 60 – and you can tell by looking at my picture that the SPF 30 is the one I liked the most.  

Although the lotions are wearable, light even, and pleasant on your skin, as expected the higher you go up in SPF, the thicker and heavier they get, and the more you need to work to rub them into your skin.  So, my advice is to stick to the SPF 30, since scientists do say that the higher SPF is a negligible return on protection.

Use a lotion that you really like, and the chances are that you’ll wear it regularly, and that was definitely the case with these sunscreens.  I used about a bottle a week on myself and my kids, and I sent them out for the day knowing that they were totally protected.

$12.99 at drugstores and mass merchandisers.

 

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Kerastase Aura Botanica Styling Creams

Posted on July 26, 2018 by Henna

Kerastase’s Aura Botanica line of products came out last summer, and it was the brand’s foray into more natural hair care.  The line had no silicones and sulfates, but they still work!

This summer, Kerastase has added styling creams to the line and they went to the front of my vanity for products I need to use, because part of my mission this summer is to try not to heat style my hair too often and figure out how to make it frizz-free and keep the curl.  These came out at just the right time.

The two styling creams are for different hair styles, and feel totally different.  The Lai de Soie is for blow-drying or straight styles.  It has more slip in it and dries soft.  There’s hardly any hold in it which is great if you want hair that’s touchable that you can run your fingers through.

The Creme de Boucles is for curly hair-styles.  It has lots of hold to it and a good amount of shine too.  It’s great for defining curly hair.  The best way to use this is to part your hair into even sections and then apply pump at a time, section by section, so that you can get even definition.  The Creme de Boucles is amazing at taming frizz and defining curly hair.  If you live in a humid climate, and straightening or blow-drying is not in the cards, then this is the best thing to use, because it keeps your hair nice and curly but locks out any excess moisture.

Both styling creams are good – and the fact that they’re sulfate-free means that there’s less chance of build-up on the hair and possibly less breakage.

Available in salons.

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New Coppertone ClearlySheer Whipped Sunscreen

Posted on July 25, 2018 by Henna

Ease of use, non-sticky, and clear are what I’m looking for in a good sunscreen, and in past years, I’ve added Coppertone to my sunscreen roundup.  Coppertone ClearlySheer sunscreen is one that’s been in my options since it came out a couple of years ago, and in fact, I’ve written about it here and here. 

Now, the sunscreen comes in a whipped format for the body and yes, it’s a great reminder that the best sunscreen is the one that you’re going to use, because this sunscreen is easy to keep applying and applying.

This SPF 50 sunscreen has a whipped mousse-like consistency that’s creamy, not foamy, when you mix it into your hands.  It rubs into your skin easily and isn’t sticky or greasy thanks to the addition of powders that make the usual greasy texture feel smooth and soft.

It also has UVA/UVB broad spectrum coverage, and it’s water resistant for up to 80 minutes.  I didn’t notice it run when I was in the water, but it’s good to know that this isn’t waterproof, so there should be some care taken when you’re in the water.

As always, no matter what the SPF, it’s best to reapply as often as every 30 minutes to ensure coverage.  Find a sunscreen you like and apply often!  This one went on so smoothly that reapplication was a breeze.

$9.97 and available at mass, drug, and grocery retailers across Canada.

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