Canadian Beauty

New: Clarins’ Double Serum

Posted on February 7, 2013 by Henna

This serum will change your life – it will change what you think of serums and of anti-aging products.

Why?

Because its unique formulation means that this is a serum that works like no other.

Clarins’ Double Serum is aptly named. The bottle houses two chambers: one that contains oil-based ingredients, and the other contains water-based ingredients. Instead of using emulsifiers to combine the two types of ingredients, the scientists at Clarins just decided to house them separately. When you pump the serum into your hand, both sides release serum and you mix the oil and water ingredients yourself and apply them on your face. There’s nothing extra in the serum; but there’s also nothing missing. The serum has everything it needs to have to provide your skin with hydration and effective anti-aging ingredients.

And now to its effects.

Immediately upon applying the serum, you’ll see more radiant, glowing, and even-toned skin. Fine lines will seem to virtually disappear. Even if you thought you didn’t need an anti-aging serum, you’ll be surprised at what a difference this one makes.

If you have oily skin, chances are that the lipids in the serum will give you enough moisture, but if not, you can apply face cream on top. Even makeup goes on smoothly and evenly after applying the serum, and the effects are long-lasting.

Like all high-end serums, this one smells great: roses are definitely in the fragrance, and the lasting scent is fresh and feminine.

Posted in Skin Care | Tagged Clarins, Serum | 3 Comments

Drugstore Find: Nivea Lip Butter Review

Posted on February 6, 2013 by Henna

If you’re looking for an intense lip balm this winter, look no further than your local drugstore!

My latest find (and obsession) is Nivea’s Lip Butter. It’s a tiny tin that will fit into almost any pocket or purse, and is a creamy emollient balm that goes on smooth and lasts a really long time. It leaves lips glossy and kind of greasy but they’re so moisturized and feel so comfortable.

At $3.19 per tin, there’s no excuse for dry lips anymore.

Posted in Skin Care | Tagged Lip Balm, Nivea | 4 Comments

IT Cosmetics 02 Ultra-Repair Liquid Oxygen Foundation Review

Posted on February 5, 2013 by Henna

I’ve come to the conclusion that if it says “Oxygen” on the bottle, I want it. First there was Benefit Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow Foundation and now there’s IT Cosmetics 02 Ultra-Repair Liquid Oxygen Foundation.

What makes both these oxygen foundations great is that they give your skin a dewy look that’s not too heavy or makeup-like. When you wear an oxygen foundation, people will come up to you and tell you how awesome your skin looks, and only you will know that it’s really the foundation and not your skin at all.

The foundation isn’t overly moisturizing all skin types will find it comfortable to wear. It lasts the entire day and has light/medium coverage.

Pick it up on TheShoppingChannel.com for $38.

Posted in Spring 2013 | Tagged Foundation, It Cosmetics | Leave a comment

Lancome Spring 2013: in Love…

Posted on February 4, 2013 by Henna

Though there seems to be tons of press around the fact that emerald green is the colour of the season, we’ve got our eye on orange too. The Golden Globes had tons of orange (instead of red) and it’s a nice departure for those who want a bold look.

Luckily, Lancome’s new collection “in Love” delivers…

The Blush in Love ($52), features 2 colours that blend together or can be used separately… the come in 2 colours:

10 Pêche Joue-Joue
20 Pommettes d’Amour

I did, however, find that they wear on the slightly pastel side which means that they might not be great for darker skin tones.

My favourite product from this collection is the Baume in Love ($30) glosses in this collection. The Baume in Love is a sheer gloss that just looks like your lips but better, no matter what colour you end up getting. The jelly texture of the balm means that it glides on slick and moisturizes while adding a hint of colour to your lips.

There’s also an awesome collection of pencil liners… seriously, these are the most pigmented pencils I have ever tried! Proof? Here’s a swatch of Jade Crush, which is perfect for the summer.

Also, a swatch of Vernis in Love in Peach Melodie which is a coral-orange. I topped it with a glitter polish to give it some oomph.

The entire collection is a lot of colour… but gives you lots of options for getting out of a winter rut… Me, I’m not there yet, but maybe in a few weeks I’ll be ready for more colour.

Available this February.

Posted in Spring 2013 | Tagged Lancome, Swatch | Leave a comment

MAC PREP + PRIME BB BEAUTY BALM COMPACT SPF 30 Review

Posted on January 10, 2013 by Henna

It’s here… MAC’s entry into the BB world!

You can now get MAC BB Beauty Balm, either in a compact or as a cream, and it’s been worth the wait, because there’s finally a true BB Cream option!

I tried the BB Beauty Balm in the compact, and I have to say that I was impressed.

The cream has a smooth matte finish that provides natural-looking coverage, plus SPF. It’s not foundation though… the finish is more of a powdery cover-up that conceals just a bit. If you want more coverage you can follow up with an actual foundation or concealer just where you need it.

Coverage is long-lasting, stands up to oily skin pretty well, and is meant for every skin tone. Because of the powdery nature of the finish, you’ll probably want to hydrate well before using this if your skin is prone to dry parts.

The only catch?

The Pre + Prime BB Beauty Balm comes in only 3 colours, all of which are light. The colours available are Extra-Light, Light, and Light Plus. If you are darker than NC 30 there isn’t an option for you, unfortunately.

My hope is that the BB does so well that they introduce more shades, and if they do, I’ll be in line to pick up the one that’s more suited for me.

Pick it up for $36.50.

Posted in Spring 2013 | Tagged MAC | Leave a comment

L’Occitane Shea Butter and Honey

Posted on January 3, 2013 by Henna

This month, L’Occitane comes out with their new Shea Butter and Honey collection. I’m usually not one for sweet scents, and you may already know, but because I love L’Occitane’s super moisturizing products, I gave this line a try and I’m glad I did.

Though I have to admit that the scent kind of grows on you, once you realize that it’s not just honey, but honey and some florals, it’s hard not to kind of get addicted to the pretty scent.

Also a winner? Their new Shea Honey Whipped Body Cream ($28) which I had never seen before. The amazing thing is that even though this cream has a souffle texture (seriously you can see the bubbles), it’s still got 10% Shea Butter in it which means crazy moisturizing.

Check this out at Shea Butter boutiques – you have to see it for yourself to know how nice the texture is. And like all good things, it’s limited edition so don’t dawdle.

Posted in For the Body | Tagged l'Occitane | 2 Comments

Choosing the Best Facial Cream

Posted on January 2, 2013 by Henna

With so many products to choose from, picking a facial cream can seem like a daunting task. You’ll want to use different creams for different situations, including the time of day you are using the product and for what purpose.

In the morning

Start your morning off right by applying a morning moisturizer. Your morning facial cream serves two purposes:
1. Protecting skin from the sun
2. Moisturizing skin throughout the day
Choose a facial cream with an SPF of at least 15. This will help prevent age spots and sun wrinkles. You can also choose a tinted cream that is mixed with foundation to even out your skin tone and hide blemishes. Depending on your skin type, you’ll want to choose a facial cream geared towards your specific situation. Skin types include dry, oily, combination, normal or sensitive. If you have normal skin, you can generally choose any type of facial cream. Other types should buy products geared specifically to their needs. If you suffer from acne, choose one with alpha hydroxyl acids.

At night

The main job of your overnight cream is skin rejuvenation – you want your skin to be repaired, hydrated, soothed and smoothed. During the day, your skin is busy fighting off irritants such as the sun. But at night, your skin comes alive creating new cells and repairing or shedding damaged ones. Your overnight facial cream should encourage this process. Again, pick an overnight cream that is geared towards your skin type – dry, oily, combination, normal or sensitive. Fatty acids are a must for dry skin, while antioxidants help coddle sensitive skin. Those with oily skin should avoid products with, you guessed it, oil. Instead, look for hyaluronic acid, glycerin, dimethicone or alpha hydroxyl acids. You may have to experiment and try a few products before you find the perfect cream for skin rejuvenation.

After a procedure

If you’re having any kind of work done on your face – Botox, laser skin treatment, face lift – you’ll want to pay extra attention to your facial cream selection. First, if the doctor gives you any special ointments or prescriptions, be sure to use those. Depending on your treatment, you may be able to continue your normal moisturizing and cleansing routine as soon as the day of the procedure.

Put your best face forward

Research shows that starting an anti-aging program as soon as possible is the key to success. Your main goals should be to protect skin during the day and provide the moisture it needs 24/7. You also want to focus on helping your skin to repair itself overnight to achieve ultimate skin brightening results. Finally, if you opt for additional facial procedures, be careful to follow the instructions of your doctor on when you can return to your normal skin care routine.

Sponsored content was created and provided by Tria Beauty.

Posted in Skin Care | Tagged facial cream, laser skin treatment, skin brightening, skin rejuvenation | Leave a comment

Lancome Blanc Expert Derm-Crystal

Posted on December 28, 2012 by Henna

…Crystal Brightness Activating Essence review.

So, usually, I’m not into anything that has “whitening” or in this case “blanc” in the title, but when a bottle of Lancome Blanc Expert Derm-Crystal ended up on my desk I hung on to it, just in case. It got its street cred by being made in Japan instead of France, and also thanks to a tiny bit of fine print that said “tested on Asian skin”. Well then! It was probably good enough for me.

Well, thank goodness I did hang on to it, because I’m in need of some serious skincare TLC, and wanted something that would brighten. I figured this would do the trick.

The serum is clear, almost watery in consistency, and super light, which makes me think that it would work on any and every skin type without causing much of a breakout. One dropper-full is enough to coat my face and neck and before I know it, the serum has sunk in and is doing its thing.

Now, after a couple of weeks of use, I have to say that my skin isn’t whiter but thanks to the serum it definitely has a super pretty glowy luminescent quality to it. I actually love using it so much that I’ve taken to applying it to the back of my hands, because you know, what’s good for the goose is good for the gander, right? And I think it’s making a difference. My hands are definitely clearer… and not whiter, which in the end, is a good thing, because that would be weird.

$130 at Lancome counters.

Posted in Skin Care | Tagged Lancome, serums | Leave a comment

Smith Farms Natural Skincare

Posted on December 24, 2012 by Henna

Considering that I’m the type of person who’s really into beauty products, maybe I’m a little backwards sometimes. I mean, I’m really mindful about what I eat – what I put into my body – no soda, try to cut out the salt and sugar, eat healthy as much as possible, but when it comes to skincare, I will use anything and everything in the hopes of finding something that really works and works well. I’m always on to the next, and trying to find the next best thing.

I will say, however, that over the last year, I’ve become more inclined to use natural-based lotions because I’ve found that they really do moisturize better. Fresh, Philosophy and L’Occitane are among my favourites, and now I’ve discovered Smith Farms. The products are all natural and have a high percentage of organic ingredients which is kind of major.

You need to try their Vitamin Rich Hand Cream ($18): 74% organic and all natural ingredients including sunflower oil means that this cream packs a punch for dry winter skin. Add Aloe Vera to the mix and you’ve got a hand cream that’s as soothing as it is moisturizing. The cream has a light, almost gel-like consistency that sinks into hands and leaves them really moisturized.

What I love the most is how luxurious the products feel – we’re a sucker for clean simple packaging that lets you focus on the product.

Check out their website for their full range of amazingly natural and moisturizing collection.

Posted in Hand Cream | Tagged Natural Skincare, Smith Farms | Leave a comment

Worth the Hype? Maybelline Baby Lips

Posted on December 21, 2012 by Henna

So for the past little while, all we’ve been hearing about is Maybelline’s Baby Lips. We think it’s supposed to be the best lip balm ever, but since we’re more lip gloss than balm, we never really considered trying it out for ourselves.

Until a trio of tubes appeared in the mail, and then we thought that was like, a sign.

So for the past little while, we’ve been smearing these bad boys on our lips to see what all the fuss is about. I mean all those tweets about it can’t be wrong, right?

Well…

Ok, they’re not wrong, but we have to admit that this is one over-hyped lip balm.

Baby Lips has a standard slightly greasy lip balm texture. It comes in lots of flavours (Coral Crush is what we’ve been trying out) and is mildly scented. It doesn’t have a taste (yes, we checked). The colour payoff is sheer, but if you really wanted to make a splash with these you could choose a brighter shade or a much lighter one for more of a tint.

The copy says that the balm provides 8 hour hydration, but really we don’t see how that could be true, unless you’re not eating or drinking anything in those 8 hours (i.e. you’re sleeping?). The balm does provide major hydration and absolutely does relieve very dry lips. It also provides protection from environmental dryness such as wind and cold, but you will need to reapply just like other balms.

Apparently, if used for 4 weeks this balm hydrates so much that it visibly renews lips, but we haven’t used it long enough to be able to tell whether that’s true. Though we’ve said that Baby Lips isn’t anything special, it’s good enough to have earned a place in our already overcrowded lip balm stash.

Pick it up at drugstores.

Posted in Skin Care | Tagged Maybelline | Leave a comment