Empties: Aveeno, KeratinWorks, Differin,

Posted on February 26, 2022 by Henna

TextThings I finished! Didn’t go through much this week, and I definitely forgot to do a mask even though I’m trying to use them all up. I started Tret and I’m done my last tube of Differin.

They’re both retinoids but work differently, and the Tretinoin is immediately stronger. Both are prescription only in Canada. Finished my bottle of KeratinWorks BB cream and I have a backup. I LOVE this because it makes my hair so smooth and shiny but doesn’t weigh it down. 10/10 for me.

Aveeno Restorative Skin Therapy body wash. Adore this stuff too. It was very gentle. Made it another week if this panini. Hope everyone else is doing ok too!

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Byredo Gypsy Water

Posted on February 25, 2022 by Henna

Time for a scent I like but I’m not going to buy: Byredo Gypsy Water.

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A sandalwood, vanilla, amber cloud. A friend of mine hugged me, told me I smelled amazing, and was surprised when I pulled out this little sample that I’ve been holding on to for over a year. I love it’s staying power and sillage but I hate the name. Gypsy Water? Meaning what, exactly? The word “gypsy” is a racial slur used by people who are not Romani. Byredo remains curiously uncaring really, so this is not full bottle worthy.

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Murad Retinol Youth Renewal Night Cream

Posted on February 24, 2022 by Henna

Non-prescription retinols do have something going for them: the formulas are often cocktails which pair the retinoids with other skin-benefitting ingredients like peptides and antioxidants. If you use your basic prescription retinol you’d have to add these on top via a moisturizer.

TextThis Murad retinol night cream has three gentle types or retinol plus Niacinamide in the formula, so if that’s something you’d normally want in your skincare routine, now you don’t have to add it separately. At $107, does this potentially do the work of 2 skincare products? Maybe. I like that it has both ingredients but obviously, if you’re not a fan of Niacinamide, then this ain’t for you. Personally, I found that I had way fewer breakouts when I added Niacinamide into my routine so it’s staying in. It also seems to keep my skin more matte. No review for the eye serum and eye cream in this image. I have them but I’m terrible at using eye cream. I use my skincare all over my face and then I’m done.

Available online.

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Empties: Aveeno, Bliss, Cerave

Posted on February 23, 2022 by Henna

Things I finished that I LOVED. And peep that Bliss Niacinamide toner than a few people have asked me about.

TextCerave Cream to Foam Cleanser. Loved it. It’s more gentle than the regular foaming cleanser but still does a nice clean.

Aveeno Calm and Restore Nourishing Cleanser. This one is so underrated. It’s so gentle and slippery, and I love using it every night to take my makeup off. It’s great for a morning cleanse too.

Bliss Skincare Niacinamide Pore Vanishing Toner. Love the huge size of this and I used it every night and every morning. Once it absorbs into your skin, it really leaves your skin nice and matte and so so soft. Worth picking up from Shoppers Drug Mart which is where it’s available in Canada.

Have you tried any of these? Tell me what you think!

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Balmyard Beauty Siren Luster Hair Oil

Posted on February 22, 2022 by Henna

Why yes, I do want my hair smelling of tropical florals in the middle of winter. I’ve been using this hair oil all week, and I love it.

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The scent is faint and warm, slightly sweet and it’s like wearing a golden halo of light. I used it just on the ends of my hair and not more than a few drops.

Wearing Bulgari Jasmine Noir on the body.

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Charlotte Tilbury Superstar Lips Lipstick – the Most Underrated Lipstick Ever

Posted on February 21, 2022 by Henna

Love this lipstick. It’s the Charlotte Tilbury Superstar Lips. More of a lipgloss than a lipstick, it’s the perfect colour and formula. Completely non-sticky and very moisturizing. I read a review on Sephora that said that this is the most underrated lipgloss and nobody seems to be talking about it and I couldn’t agree more.

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Antipodes Vitamin C Glow Ritual Vitamin C Serum

Posted on February 18, 2022 by Henna

I’m done my bottle of Antipodes Glow Ritual Vitamin C serum, so I think it’s time to review it.

TextI like vitamin C serums to be light and quickly absorbed into my skin so that I can move on to the next part of my skincare routine. This serum does deliver in having a water-like texture thanks to the hyaluronic acid-containing base. Hyaluronic acid is in so many skincare products (serums, moisturizers, etc.) that I often feel that it’s a waste to have a serum that’s just that. I like that this Antipodes serum will give me both vitamin C and the HA so that I can add a dose of moisture-loving ingredients before sealing them in with a moisturizer. It also has some bakuchiol in it. During the day, I top this with sunscreen and I’m finding that it’s the best to have a nice and short routine. What kind of vitamin C is in here? Well, it’s actually kakadu plum extract, which is supposed to be antioxidant-rich. This seems to be a hot ingredient in Australia and New Zealand, and you’re going to be seeing it more and more.

I did show this serum on reels a little while ago – it’s golden in colour which is nice but it gets covered up anyway. Yes, I love the little dose of glow – it makes my skin look light-reflective and healthy. But I would like this serum without it too.

Antipodes is a brand from New Zealand, and is also vegan!

 

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Favourite Retinols

Posted on February 17, 2022 by Henna

I posted a picture of my prescription retinol last week, and I don’t use that everyday because it’s pretty potent. On other nights, I use one of these – some of them are press samples. Some I’ve paid for, and actually there’s one I couldn’t find in time for this picture, but it resurfaced later.

There’s no debate about retinol working in any form – in fact a low concentration can be effective because it’ll be gentle enough to not have many side effects, and will encourage regular use which is the key to seeing a difference.

TextAll of these work and the drugstore retinols are more gentle and are moisturizing. Many of them also have antioxidants or other nice ingredients in them. The A313 is from Europe and I find it to be the most irritating but it’s fine once my skin gets used to it.

What do you think? Do you have a favourite?

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Empties: Murad, Kerastase, Urban Decay, Vichy

Posted on February 16, 2022 by Henna

TextA few things I finished and which ones I loved:

Murad Daily Clarifying Peel. There is no peeling occurring with this toner/serum but it has a tiny dose of AHA, BHA and retinoid. I used it every morning and every night just to wipe excess residue, make up, cleanser off my skin. It was great for that and I really enjoyed how it smelled. It smells kind of herbal and really pleasant.

Kerastase Elixir Ultime. Don’t come at me, I know that this is a more expensive version of a L’Oreal oil, however I’ve had this bottle for years and I actually bought it before L’Oreal had come out with their version (L’Oreal and Kerastase are both under the same parent company bracket). Anyway… Your L team is really great for detangling hair and it makes your hair really soft so I did enjoy using it. I seem to go through a lot of hair products.

Urban Decay All-Nighter Setting Spray. I finished a full size bottle of the setting spray before but it’s been a few years since I used it. This little mini size came with a Sephora order and I used it all week and I found it really helped keep it up then even under a mask. Of course if you’re wearing a mask all day and talking and basically living through it lots of your skin care, sunscreen, make up is going to end up on the mask but at the end of the day I did find that a lot of it was more intact than it would’ve been otherwise. I really liked this. I have a couple of bottles of different setting sprays that I want to use up but if I was getting one, this would be it.

Vichy Dercos Energizing Shampoo and Conditioner. Loved both of these for the bit of minty tingle they gave my scalp.

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Keratinworks Smoothing System

Posted on February 15, 2022 by Henna

Completely impressed.

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If you have hair that is prone to frizz and you’d like to calm it down a bit, then take a look at the

Keratinworks Smoothing System because I noticed a different on my hair since the first time I used it. The system is actually created to be used in conjunction with keratin straightened hair, which is an in-salon treatment, but it works on all hair types anyway. I’ve been using the shampoo (which is violet), conditioner, serum and smoothing cream and I’ve found that my hair likes the little bit of keratin these products add. It just dries down less frizzy and looks so shiny. It’s also super soft to the touch which is great. I haven’t been heat-styling my hair at all and I feel like it feels so healthy when I use this system.

The shampoo is sulfate-free which is important for hair that has been treated with a smoothing system, and I found it to be so gentle on my hair.

You can order these products on their website.  As of writing this, I’m not sure where you can get the Keratinworks smoothing treatment, but reach out to them via their website.

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