Beauty Empties n4 : Mini Product Reviews

Hey all! Today it's time for another beauty empties post! I have accumulated quite a few products to review for you all so let's get started! Enjoy :)

♥ My Little Pony Bubble Bath - Cute packaging, really yummy smell, it has all the components to be a good bubble bath! It doesn't have any sort of benefit for your skin though, this is purely for the enjoyment of having bubbles in your bath. Would repurchase

♥ Softlips Pure Lip Balm - All time favorite, review here. If I can find it, I Would repurchase

♥ Bonne Bell Lip Smackers Lip Balm in Pineapple - A bit thicker than what I usually go for, but I loved the scent (random trivia : pineapple is my favorite fruit). Would repurchase

♥ TRESemmé Keratin Smooth Shampoo - It's hard for me to review shampoo because I feel like they all sort of perform the same. This one is no exception. May repurchase

♥ Bath and Body Works Hand Soap in Winter Candy Apple - even though I think these hand soaps are drying, I really like the scents. This one is a particular favorite of mine. Would repurchase

♥ Equate Eye Makeup Remover - This is supposed to be a dupe for the Neutrogena Oil Free makeup remover. It's similar but it stings my eyes a little bit. Wouldn't repurchase

♥ Glysomed Hand Cream - reviewed here. Already repurchased

♥ Urban Decay All Nighter Makeup Spray - Loved this for setting my makeup and getting rid of the powdery look on my skin. However, I don't agree with the 15$ price tag. Wouldn't repurchase

♥ Batiste Dry Shampoo (travel-sized) - Reviewed here. Would repurchase

♥ Bath and Body Works Candles - I have Frosted Cranberry (one of my favorite winter scents), Mahogany Teakwook (surprinsingly I really loved it), Carribean Escape (nice scent, but the scent throw is a little weak), Cinnamon Nut Bread (used to love this kind of scent but I'm a bit over it at this point). Would repurchase

Lip Products

♥ Sally Hansen Vita-B Lip Moisturizer - Reviewed here. Already repurchased

♥ Blistex Lip Medex Medicated Lip Balm - Not finished, but expired so I'm throwing it out. Love the feel of this (it tingles), the scent (smells like old school Noxezma cream to me) and how moisturizing it is. Kind of like the fact that it's in a jar too even though it's not the most hygienic. Would repurchase

♥ Clinique Long Last Glosswear (sample) - Very sticky, not my favorite. It's not completely empty, but it's too old and it started smell odd so I'm throwing it out. Would not purchase
♥ Hard Candy Gloss in Uptown Girl - Also very sticky. Reviewed here. Wouldn't repurchase

Face Products

♥ Bioderma Hydrabio Serum (sample) - Nice and cooling on the skin, but it's a gel formula and it's not quite hydrating enough for my skin. Wouldn't purchase

♥ Clarins Gentle Refiner Exfoliating Cream (Sample) - I've had this for ages. I can't remember how I felt about it before. Seems like a nice exfoliator, but I can't be sure. Might purchase

♥ Bioderma Créaline H2O Eau Micellaire - Forever a favorite! Reviewed here. Already repurchased
♥ Garnier Ultra Lift Night Cream - Pros : it's thick and moisturizing. Also, I love the heavy jar packaging. Cons : it's scented and I have sensitive skin. Verdict? Might repurchase 
♥ Bioderma Sensibio AR Moisturizer (sample) - This cream has a medium thickness and applies smoothly. It's nice, but I'm not sure it does what it's supposed to. I'm on the fence about this.

Other

♥ Maybelline Mascaras :  One by One > Mega Plush >Turbo Boost (from favorite to least favorites).  Mega Plush was fine, but only at first, Turbo Boost was meh and I loved the brush and formula on the One by One. One by One is the only one I would repurchase
♥ Toothpaste : Sensodyne Pro-Enamel > Crest Complete with Scope > Colgate Total. Only one of those that I'm not that fond of is the Colgate total because it's not whitening enough for me.
♥ Bath and Body Works Hand Sanitizer - Can't remember the name of the scent, but it was bubble gum scented and I hated it Other than that it's a nice hand sanitizer. Would repurchase in different scent
♥ Britney Spears Radiance Perfume (sample) - It's not really my cup of tea. Wouldn't purchase

Wipes

♥ L'Oréal Revitalift > Garnier Fresh - I don't really use wipes anymore since I feel they are too abrasive for my skin. If I had to choose I'd rather purchase the L'Oréal wipes since they are softer.

Cotton Pads 

♥ Shiseido Facial Cotton > Prevail Cotton Pads > Swisspers Supreme Cotton Pads > Dollarama Brands Premium Cotton Pads - These range from the best thing that's ever happened to my skin to cheap scratchy cottons for Dollorama. I never knew there could be such a difference in cotton pad quality. I'm totally sold one the Shiseido and would repurchase them. 

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That's all for my fourth empties post. Check out my other beauty empties here, here and here if you're interested to check out more mini product reviews! Hope you enjoyed! Don't forget to follow me and like my Facebook page for more posts like this ♥

My Winter Skincare Routine

Hey all! Today I'm sharing my winter skincare routine with you. I'm always interested to know products people use on a daily basis to keep their skin healthy and radiant so in case you were curious about what I'm using, I decided that I would make a blog post about it!

During the winter time, it gets very cold here in Quebec City (It can get as cold as -30 degrees celsius or -22 degrees fahrenheit) which means that my face, lips and body become quite dry. Also, the fact we have the heat on constantly in the house makes my skin even more dry.  Because of that, I need heavier products to help me keep my skin and lips from chapping, which is why I have a different skin care routine during the winter.

• For my body, I like to use the Coconut Body Butter from The Body Shop during the winter months. It's very thick and hydrating which means it's perfect to keep my skin in good shape throughout the colder weather. I use this whenever I feel like my skin needs it.
• I also like to use Massage Bars by Lush at the end of some of my showers. Hot water can dehydrate the skin so by applying this oily product to the skin at the end of my shower, it forms a layer of protection on the skin which keep the moisture from the skin from evaporating once you get out of the shower. I like to use this at night because it does leave the skin with an oily residue.
• Last, I use the Glysomed Hand Cream several times a day. It's my absolute favorite hand cream because it leaves my hands very silky, but not oily. My hands are so soft and nourished after this, I've never seen anything like it.

My face is the most prone to getting dry during the winter. I get dry patches on my nose and forehead (the flaky noticeable kind, yuck) and my under eyes get very dry. Because of this, I use much heavier moisturisers during the day and night time.

• For the day, I like to use the Avène Eau Thermale Tolérance Extrême Cream. It's quite thick and it definitely gives much needed hydration to the skin. It's also great for my sensitive skin which has a tendency to be more prone to eczema during the winter time. This moisturizer is specifically designed with eczema prone skin in mind which makes it a perfect choice for me.
• For the night, I use the Garnier Ultra-Lift Firming Night Cream. It's a nice thick cream which feels great on the skin. It does have a scent to it, which I'm not too fond of since my skin tends to be extra sensitive during the winter, but I'm almost done with this jar so I'll try something new next time.
• Eye cream is critical for me during the winter months because I sometimes get eczema around the eyes and dry patches on my lids. I like this Olay Eye Cream to help soften my eye area. It's a gel formula so it's not too oily for the delicate eye area.
• As far as my cleansing routine is concerned, it's the same year round. I do tend to exfoliate more often during the winter time because dry skin tends to make my skin look dull. I exfoliate about 2 to 3 times a week during the winter, while I may do it maybe only once a week during the summer. I've been using the St-Yves Apricot Scrub for years now and I like it.
• Last, I like to use the L'Oréal Go 360 Clean Facial Cleanser to wash my face at night. I like the scrub that it comes with and it feels fresh on the skin. I think it's a great cleanser for year round.

 Next, for my lips, I do pretty much the same thing year round because I get super chapped lips no matter how much water I drink and how often I apply lip balm. It's always been that way (and that's probably why I have an almost unhealthy obsession with lip balm, ahaha).

• In the morning and at night, before applying lip balm, I exfoliate my lips using the Popcorn Lip Scrub by Lush. It gets rid of any dead skin and helps smooth my chapped lips before I apply any lip product. It's definitely been my holy grail ever since I got it this past summer.
• Next, if it's morning, I will apply a light balm such as Maybelline Babylips or Softlips or something like that.
• At night, I prefer something heavier such as Blistex Lip Medex, Nivea Lip Butter or Vaseline Lip therapy.

Lastly, I thought I would mention the products that I use for makeup removal, which is, in my opinion, also a crucial step in any skin care routine. Efficient makeup removal is super important if you want healthy and clear skin.

• First, I remove my eye makeup using Equate Eye Makeup Remover. It's somewhat similar to the Neutrogena Oil Free Makeup remover, but I don't like it as much. The reason I use this one anyway is because I wanted to try it and now I have a full bottle of it which I'm trying to use up. Anyway, it does work to remove my makeup ok, so it does the job for now.
• Next I Remove the bulk of my face makeup using Equate Facial Cleansing Towelettes which I'm a very big fan of.
• Last, to make sure that all my makeup is removed and that there isn't any oily residue on my skin from the makeup remover, I use Bioderma on a cotton pad all over my face. This is a no-rinse face makeup remover that is very gentle on the skin. It sort of feels like putting water on your face, but you can see it remove all the rest of the makeup that all the other products couldn't get. If I'm going to wash my face soon, I may skip this step, but if I go let's say, a few hours before washing my face, I will always use Bioderma to end up my makeup removal routine.

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That's all I do to my skin on an everyday basis during the winter time to help keep it clear and healthy looking! I hope you find this helpful or interesting. :)

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February 2013 Beauty Favorites

Since February is almost over, it's time for monthly favorites!

Here's a view of all the products I've been loving this month! 

♥ Lip Products : Carmex lipbalm and Maybelline Babylips lipbam (the minty one). 

Both very smooth and healing. I hate the way the Carmex smells/tastes, but it does a wonderful job helping my poor chapped lips!

 ♥ Face Products :  Rimmel Stay Matte Powder, Maybelline BB Cream and Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Foundation. 

The powder is great for helping my foundation stay on longer and it doesn't look cakey. As for the foundation, I love the dewy, silky finish it has. The coverage is pretty good too, without making it look like you're wearing a mask. The BB cream has light coverage and a pretty high SPF making it perfect for days I don't want to wear makeup, but still want to reduce the appearance of redness. I'm almost out of it (it's a super tiny container) and it's a bummer because it's not sold here in Quebec.

♥ Skincare : Bioderma makeup remover, Soap & Glory Hand Food and Clean & Clear Persa-Gel 10

All amazing products in my book. The Bioderma is expensive, but I love how it removes every bit of dirt from my skin without being harsh (my skin is quite sensitive). It doesn't leave a tight feeling behind which is great since my skin is dry. As far as Hand Food goes, I really like the smell and the packaging. It's not too oily and absorbs really quickly. It's not my favorite hand cream ever, but it's definitely a favorite. Finally Persa-Gel has been one of my favorite products for at least a year now. It's super effective at clearing any blemish I might have. This is a new tube I've got whilst in Vegas a few weeks ago. It's a stronger formula than what I can get here in Quebec (I think you need a prescription for that here).

♥ Nails : Sally Hansen Fiamond Strength Nail Color in Diamonds. 

Not much to say about this other than it's super pretty over everything.

♥ Brushes : All from Eco Tools; Blending brush, Large Shading brush and Kabuki brush. 

Eco Tools is still my favorite makeup brush brand so far (who knows it might change now that I got a bunch of brushes by Real Techniques). All of their brushes are incredibly soft and apply products wonderfully. The blending brush is my favorite that I own, and I love the shading brush for my browbone highlight. The kabuki is tiny and I love it for travel.

♥ Eye Products : Milani Liquif'Eye metallic eye liner pencil, Wet' n Wild Gel liner in black, Cover Girl the Clump Crusher Mascara, Wet' n Wild single eyeshadow in Nutty, The Balm Nude'Tude Palette and Stila In the Lights Palette

First off, the pencil is a repeat favorite. I've never had a liner so black and creamy. It applies without any pressure and it doesn't rub off easily. It's super affordable too! The gel liner is another purchase from Vegas. For some reason, this products isn't for sale here in Quebec. It's really cheap (4$ I think, compared to my Maybelline one which is at least 11$), super black and really creamy. Instant favorite!  The mascara is a product I'm kind of surprised to like. I was not a fan of the Lash Blast mascara and this is in the same collection. This mascara is amazing. It truly doesn't clump and the volume is very buildable. The curved brush is easy to use and I kind of love the packaging :)

Now for the eyeshadow : 

First off the Nude'tude palette which I adore. It pretty much has every color I need for everyday wear, plus a large mirror  which makes it perfect for travel! The shadows are ultra buttery and pigmented. Couldn't be happier with this palette. ♥

my favorites colors from the Nude'tude palette

my favorites colors from the Nude'tude palette

I've had this palette by Stila for a while now. I love every color in the palette, but I have a few clear favorites. The matte beige shade is my perfect browbone highlighter and the matte pale brown is a great transition color. I love the shimmery colors for all over the lid. Just like the The Balm palette, the colors are very pigmented and easy to work with.

my favorites colors from the In the Lights Palette :  bare, kitten , bliss, champagne

Wet'n Wild Nutty Eyeshadow

From left to right : nutty, bare, kitten , bliss, champagne,  stubborn, stand-offish, selfish, sultry, seductive

 Those are my favorites for the month of February. Have you tried any of these products? Did you enjoy them? Let me know you're favorites in the comments! I love discovering new products :)