Philosophy Hope in a Jar Night Review

Hope in a Jar NightPhilophy’s Hope in a Jar cream is legendary. It promises and delivers glowy skin (trust me, I know). The moisturizer exfoliates but is also intensely moisturizing so it gives you really nice and smooth skin without any of the peeling that AHA (Alpha Hydroxy Acids) usually cause.

Now, there’s Hope in a Jar Night. It has the same AHA’s as the regular Hope in a Jar and is also super moisturizing. You can apply it at night and wake up to better skin – and then use some SPF for your morning moisturizer so that you don’t lose the effects of the AHA moisturizers.

Pick it up at a Philosophy counter near you for $48.

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‘Diorskin Nude’ BB Creme Review

Dior BB CreamBefore there was the Diorskin Snow BB Cream, but we are so happy that Dior has now brought out a BB Cream for the masses, and it is fantastic.

The ‘Diorskin Nude’ BB Creme Broad Spectrum SPF 10 is the perfect marriage of skincare and makeup.

First up, the obvious: it’s got SPF… not a whole lot, but if you’re not wearing anything else atleast you can rest easy that this BB cream can provide some sun protection for you. The low SPF means that there’s no whitish cast and that this BB cream can function well as makeup.

The finish of the BB cream is like velvet. It’s smooth and glowy and lasts the whole day, even on skin that’s oily.

The BB cream is also enriched with antioxidants (really, shouldn’t everything be these days?) and lets skin show through while still perfecting it and making it look polished. The BB cream is infused with Jisten to moisturize the skin, as well as mauve, hibiscus, and green, red, and white tea extracts.

Clearly, this wouldn’t be suitable for someone who wants a full coverage foundation, but the cream is good enough that those who like tinted moisturizers might want to switch over.

The BB Cream is available in light (001), fair (002), and medium (003) and some may find that the colours veer to the pink side. That’s because the formula is supposed to have a “pink light” effect to illuminate the skin. It might not work on deeper skin tones, but if this matches your skin, you’re going to love it.

Stay tuned for the summer, because Dior is coming out with this BB cream in tan versions and SPF 15.

Available at Dior counters now for $44.

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Aria Beauty Mini Hair Dryer

Friends, it’s products like this one that makes me happy to be a beauty blogger because sometimes I find the most amazing things and get to share them with you.

In this case, it’s a hair dryer. Truly, this is the tiniest hair dryer that I have ever come across and so I was wary of even using it. I mean, would it break in my hands, and would it give me the hot heat that my hair needed?  I mean, check out the picture of the hair dryer below.  Compare the size to the regular-sized straightener.  See how much smaller it is?

Aria Ultimate Style Set

Well, I’m happy to say that although this hair dryer is tiny, it packs a punch in the drying department. It has two settings for speed (slow and fast), and provides lots of heat and power to dry your hair. What makes it extra special is that because it’s so small, it’s also very light, which means that your arms don’t get tired while using it and you can really focus on drying your hair properly.

The only thing this dryer is missing is a cool air button (especially helpful if, like me, you sometimes break out into a sweat after all the work and need to cool yourself off), but the dryer is good enough to keep using. Also, if you like using a diffuser, it is on the small side like the dryer and it will take longer to divide your hair into sections and diffuse it properly.

All that said, I’m torn between whether to save this hair dryer for vacations or use it daily. I love it enough to use daily but I don’t want to wreck it before vacation time comes!

This tiny hair dryer is part of the Aria Beauty Ultimate Style Set, the entirety of which costs $299.

It includes a 100% ceramic 1″ straightener, a 19mm ceramic/tourmaline styling wand, the 1600 watt mini blowdrier, a mini diffuser, 2 professional strength clips, and a tail comb. It comes with a heat resistant glove for use with the styling wand, plus directions and warranty info in 4 languages.  All tools are dual voltage for use anywhere in the world and come with lifetime warranties

You can purchase Aria Beauty products at the Fairmont Willowstream Spa, as well as these Vancouver retailers:

Pink Lime Salon

Manifesto Aveda Concept Salon

Sebastian One Salon

Willowstream Spa at the Empress

Lure Salon

Farfalla Whistler

More retailers across Canada are coming soon.

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New: Kiehl’s Skin Rescuer Stress-Minimizing Daily Hydrator

kiehls skin rescuerI love Kiehl’s products because they’re made with natural ingredients that really seem to work. The new Skin Rescuer Stress-Minimizing Daily Hydrator is made to improve skin’s barrier and thus minimize the appearance of stress signals.

This is a rich daily moisturizer made with Shea butter to provide intense hydration, squalene to repair and replenish skin, and rose gallica extract which can minimize inflammatory response and break the stress cycle.

Those with sensitive skins will be happy to know that the moisturizer is pretty much fragrance-free and super gentle on skin.

Because of all the hydrating ingredients this moisturizer is best for normal to dry skins.

$38 at Kiehls.ca.

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L’Oreal Everstrong Thickening Shampoo, Conditioner, and Thickening Tonic

L'Oreal EverstrongWe’re all about thickening products these days, and when we found out that there was a drugstore option for thicker hair, we had to try it.

L’Oreal Everstrong is a new line for thicker hair and it’s perfect for those of us who need some TLC for the hair. The system is sulfate-free which means that it’s going to be able to care for your hair and your scalp. It’s also fortified with keratin which adds a layer to your hair so that it looks and feels thicker and more strong.

We’ve been using the system for a few weeks now, and the difference was apparent after the very first time we used it. Because we were already using Nioxin, we can’t tell whether the system stopped our hair fall, but just the shampoo and conditioner helped make our hair look thicker.

Pick up the entire line at drugstores – the shampoo and conditioner are $9.99 each, and the tonic is $11.99.

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Play Truth or Dare with Schick

trimstyleThere’s nothing like a game of Truth or Dare to keep things interesting, and Schick is stirring the pot with a virtual game of Truth or Dare.   Until May 29th Schick Quattro for Women is daring Canadians on their Twitter account, @SchickQ4W!

Over the course of the contest, @SchickQ4W will pose daily Truths and weekly Dares for participants to answer. Each daily response is an entry to win a variety of fantastic prizes including Visa gift cards.

If you’re interested in participating, don’t forget to use the hashtage #Q4Wtruthordare when tweeting.

 

 

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Cara Delvigne at the MET Ball

We’re still going through all the amazing looks at the MET ball, and can’t get over this one.  Burberry makeup did the look on Cara Delvigne, and the major smoky eye is beyond.  We would use a primer and smudge a waterproof eye pencil all over to get a similar effect (surprisingly simple to do, actually).

Cara Met Ball

Here’s her entire look.

Cara Delvigne at MET Ball

Posted in Spring 2013 | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Marc Jacobs Oh Lola! Sunsheer

Special edition fragrances can be hit or miss.  If you already own a scent, how likely are you to get their limited edition version vs. a new scent that you don’t already have?

What special edition scents are good at is capturing the essence of the season.

Marc Jacobs oh Lola Sunsheer

Marc Jacobs’ Oh Lola! Sunsheer edition is this year’s answer to your perfume boredom.

Lola is a Fifi award winner, and a scent that I love.

The Sunsheer’s notes are: raspberry, wild strawberry, pear , peony, magnolia, cyclamen,  vanilla, sandalwood and tonka bean.

Available at The Bay, Sears, Holt Renfrew, Shoppers Drug Mart, Murale, Sephora, Jean Coutu and London Drugs. Beginning in March 2013 for a limited time only.

$79 for 50ml.

Posted in Perfumes | Tagged | 2 Comments

Revlon BB Cream Review

Revlon Photoready BB CreamLet’s get a slow clap for this BB Cream because it’s the first one I’ve found that does pigment absolutely right.

Revlon’s Photoready BB Cream is absolutely “Photo Ready” because it comes in skin-true shades.  Medium and Deep toned girls, this product is going to be your holy grail if you’re looking for a BB Cream.  The medium and deep tints are neither pink or overly red, and are just yellow enough to look good on a large variety of skin tones.

I love that this BB cream also has SPF 30 in it because it means that all I need on my skin during the day is this and nothing else.

Aside from the lovely colours, the cream goes on super smooth and is very blendable.  It almost feels the way a primer does going on.  The finish is satiny and the coverage is light, just the way it should be for a BB cream.  The cream is also lightly hydrating.

Photoready BB Cream comes in Light, Medium/Light, and Medium.

$15.99 at drugstores.

 

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J’Adore Voile de Parfum

Dior Jadore Voile de ParfumDior’s latest reinvention is a variation of their iconic J’Adore perfume. The Voile de Parfum is supposed to be like a second skin and a veil on the skin. It’s supposed to be delicate – perhaps more noticeable to the wearer and those that dare come in close.

The thing is that J’Adore is just such a strong scent in its nature that a light version of it doesn’t really work. I found this version of the scent to be just as strong as other versions, and it wore like quite a heavy veil (maybe a shawl, actually) on my skin. I could smell it and nothing else.

The debate about its intenseness aside, the scent is a very pretty floral. It has notes of iris, musk, and rose. As I mentioned, the scent is pretty strong. It’s intense and really becomes the wearer. I like it, but it’s definitely not for those times that I’m feeling low-key.

J’Adore Voile de Parfum is exclusive to The Bay. $85 for 50ml and $112 for 100ml.

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