The Best $25 Present

the body shop mango festive picksOk, so the  Body Shop Advent Calendar is a big hit.  Perhaps the best $129 that you can spend at this time of year, because it has the potential to send happiness to so many people.  

But here’s another present that can provide a lot of happiness, and it’s only $25.  It’s The Body Shop’s Mango Festive Picks Gift set.  Included is:

  • Mango Shower Gel 250 ml
  • Mango Body Butter 50 ml
  • Mango Body Scrub 50 ml
  • Mango Soap 100g
  • Orange Mini Bath Lily

And the most amazing part is that the gift also sends a child to class!  The Body Shop has paired up with War-Child Canada to donate money to war-torn areas.  You can find out more about the program here, and about what other gifts you can purchase that help children in other countries.  It’s a genius idea, I think, because even if you weren’t thinking about giving anything extra, you already are by getting this gift.

The Mango Festive Picks gift set is great to gift because The Body Shop’s mango scent is pretty pleasant and not too strong.  The Body Shop also has a range of other gift sets that are more or less expensive, so you can find something that fits into your budget.  In my experience, even people that aren’t into products seem to love The Body Shop.  It’s kind of one of those family favourite companies that everyone has heard of and just loves.

Pick yours up online or in stores.

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Dior Nail Polish Reviews and Swatches

Dior Vernis Fall 2014A wee look at a couple of limited edition Dior nail polishes that I wrote about earlier.

Dior Diorette and Lili – one a deep red and the other a peachy-nude.  Both super pretty, super creamy, and perfect.

Diorette is a perfect fall colour:

Dior Diorette

Lili is a peachy nude, which is a nice change up from the usual fall fare.

Dior Lili

 

You can find them at the Dior counter.

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The Most Over-Rated Mascara

lancome grandiose mascaraLancome’s latest new mascara debuted with a lot of fanfare. The new Grandiose mascara promises to be amazing and make it easier to apply mascara.  It has an iconic curved swan-like wand that makes it easy to get to get to every single lash.  The way that Lancome presented the mascara, you’d have thought that either you were applying your regular mascara completely wrong, or you were missing a whole bunch of lashes when you applied your mascara, and it could be that neither was the case.

It turns out that this mascara is actually not all that – which is surprising, simply because Lancome owns the high-end mascara market.  I would say that they can do no wrong, and I can close my eyes and select blindly from their mascara case, knowing that whatever I pick will make my lashes look amazing and totally work for me.

But not this mascara.

It was difficult to use the wand – after a week of trying, I just gave up because it wasn’t working for me.  I feel like if you spend $35 on a mascara then it should be so easy to use that you don’t need any practice or to get used to it, but that just wasn’t the case.

Further to that, I feel like no matter what I did, I just couldn’t get my lashes to look amazing with this wand. It’s brush is made up of long and short bristles and either I got a lot of mascara on, or I didn’t get enough.

Needless to say, I’m just not a fan.  You can get perfectly great mascaras for a lot less – and if the price doesn’t bother you then you can just choose another one of Lancome’s mascara and know that it will do a great job too.

Has anyone tried this and loved it?  I would love to hear from you in the comments!

$35 at Lancome counters.

 

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Soft-touch Blow Dry Care from Kerastase

Kerastase Ciment ThermiqueI’m slowly but surely turning into a Kerastase girl.  It all started with a trip to Jerome Salon where I was due to get a treatment applied by Alanna Widgiz, Educator for Kerastase Canada and hairstylist at Jerome Salon.  She got me and she got my hair.  Having curly hair herself, she could see how dry my hair was even though I took care of it, and she also could see that I needed something that would hydrate my hair and wouldn’t weigh it down.

She pulled out Kerastase Ciment Thermique to apply before blow-drying my hair, and I said “Hey, I have that!”

“It’s the best,” she said.  “I even use it as an intense pre-conditioner and apply it before washing my hair. And you can’t use too much of this because it’s so light that it absorbs into your hair quickly.”

I was sold – a product that also doubled as a deep pre-conditioner?  She was speaking my language.  I’m a huge believer in pre-conditioning whether that means soaking your hair in oil, egg yolks, avocado, or whatever you have on hand, before washing it out – when I do it, it makes a diffference (although the problem is that I just don’t have time to do those kinds of things anymore).

So I’ve been using Ciment Thermique, and it’s as great as Alanna says it is.  It’s awesome to use before blow-drying your hair, but I like it just as much to use on hair that’s being air-dried because it just leaves curls soft and defined without being too frizzy.

It’s a light lotion that’s very easy to spread through the hair.  It smells refreshing, and absorbs almost instantly so you can then judge whether you need more in your hair or not.

I’m going to have to go see Alanna again when I need more product recommendations!  You can get Ciment Thermique at Jerome Salon, or any other salon that carries Kerastase products, or online.

I should point out that Ciment Thermique is not a new product, but is in new packaging.  The new tube for it is sleeker and taller.  $43.

 

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Neutrogena’s Serum + Moisturizer = Perfection

Last week, I told you about Neutrogena’s Rapid Tone Repair serum which is a skin illuminator, mattifier, and primer in addition to making your skin tone more even.

Well, the thing is that the serum is so matte that in extreme weather conditions it can be a little drying.

Neutrogena Rapid Tone Repair MoisturizerBut, I’ve figured out what works really well with this serum: just one pump of the Rapid Tone Repair Moisturizer applied on top of the serum.  You still get some of the mattifying of the serum, but you get lots of hydration from the moisturizer and more of the amazing tone repairing ingredients such as Retinol and Vitamin C.  I use the night cream, and skip it during the day, but if you’re interested they do have a daytime version with SPF 30 – so that if you’ve lightened some freckles and dark spots, you can prevent them from coming back.

About $30 at drugstores.  Don’t forget to apply it to your neck and back of your hands too.

Annnd, yes, I’ve reviewed this line before and have used both the night and day moisturizer in tandem and they work great – I just came back to the night moisturizer now and couldn’t be happier with it.  This line is  a real drugstore find.

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The Spa Treatment Your Feet Need this Holiday Season

Sante Spa ReceptionOk, I confess that I have not been Black Friday shopping… and I’m likely not going to be spending too much time at the mall holiday shopping either.  I am more of an online shopper, and I confess that I buy nearly everything (including clothing for me and the rest of my family) online.  It’s easier and I can really narrow down what I need without any impulse buying.

But I’m in the minority – my sister, colleagues, and friends all went Black Friday shopping and have a ton of holiday shopping to do so they’ll be running around a ton this winter season.

If you’re one of those people, or maybe like me, you hit the gym all the time and are sore from that, then you need to head out toSanté Spa at Hôtel Le Germain Calgary and get a Grounding Foot Massage.  The massage uses traditional palm movements and accupressure techniques to relieve stress and calm the muscles.

The massage starts with a foot soak and a scrub.  The scrub is then washed off, and a lotion mixed with an oil to give extra moisturizing benefits to the feet.

I was relaxed from the get-go.  I had to turn off my phone, soak my feet, and sit there smelling the refreshing oils in the treatment.  Then the scrub was massaged in, washed off, and I got to lie down while my feet and legs were massaged.  I would have fallen asleep during the treatment were it not for the accupressure, which wasn’t painful, but stimulating enough to keep me awake.

The treatment is 60 minutes and costs $130.  The best part is that Sante Spa takes Wayspa gift cards so you can treat yourself or a loved on this holiday season!

Call 403.930.5959 to book an appointment, and head to Wayspa.com to get gift certificates.

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New CoverGirl Full Lash Bloom Mascara Review

IMG_7279CoverGirl has a new mascara, and with Katy Perry as the cover woman, how could you not be enticed into trying it.  The mascara has a super spiky brush that’s long enough to coat almost every lash in one swipe.  As you layer it on, the mascara wand separates lashes, making your lashes look very full, your eyes almost doe-like.

The only problem?

It smeared on my lids before lunch.  🙁

Use it if you’re immune to that sort of thing.

 

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Neutrogena’s Perfect Under-Makeup Serum

neutrogena serumIt’s a serum that looks more like a light lotion, and is maybe the most under-rated product I’ve ever used.  Forget all those primers you’ve bought that promise to be skin-smoothing and perfecting.  This is the only thing you’ll ever need.

Neutrogena’s Rapid Tone Repair Serum is super light, lightly luminizing, and has Retinol in it to make your skin look amazing… especially in the long run. The more you use this serum, the better your skin is going to look. As you can see from my Instagram picture, I’ve gone through a bottle and I can’t get enough of this serum.

The retinol really helps to smooth skin out and lighten dark spots. It works quickly – I noticed a difference within a couple of weeks, and keeps working the longer you use this serum. Because it’s very light, it works best for those who have more oily skin, but if you have dry skin, you can apply this under your regular moisturizer, especially if you’re using one with SPF.

What I really love about it is the finish – it absorbs into your skin quickly and has a dry matte finish that sets after giving some moisture and relief to your skin. It works well before applying foundation and concealer, and really helps everything go on smoothly. The best part is that the finish lasts the whole day, keeping too much oil at bay.

Pick it up at the drugstore and go nuts with it, because it’s affordable and works better than most other overly-hyped primers I’ve tried!

$30.

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My New Favourite Winter Moisturizer

Yes, I’ve been a little MIA on the review bit, but here I am again with my new favourite moisturizer that smells so yummy that I can’t get enough of it.  And it’s light enough that you can put loads on but moisturizing enough that it lasts the whole entire day.  And the whipped consistency… O…M…G…
IMG_7254
Ok, so it’s Kiehl’s Creme de Corps Soy Milk & Honey Whipped Body Butter which is available in this adorable Craig and Karl graphic print out for the holidays.

craig and karl graphic

 

This luxury moisturizer has ingredients like glycerine and shea butter and goes on sooo smooth, literally melts into the skin, and doesn’t leave it greasy or oily.

This is available at Kiehl’s boutiques, or at Holt Renfrew, or online at Kiehls.ca.  $46.

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5 Favourite High End Beauty Products

Hey Everyone,

I made this video for those of you who want to know where they should spend money on high-end products!  I hope you like it.  I’d also love to know what your favourite high-end products are so leave me your suggestions in the comments.

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