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. 

---

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.

---

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. :)

Don't forget to follow me and like my Facebook page for more posts like this ♥

March 2012 Favourites

I haven't done a monthly favourite products in a while! I have been more into making myself up this month than I have been in a while so here are the products I enjoyed most in the process!

1 - Revlon PhotoReady foundation : I love the coverage and flawless skin it gives me. Plus the color Ivory matches me perfectly so I can apply it only where I need it for a super natural look.

2 - Stila In the Lights Palette : I haven't worn much eyeshadow besides this palette for a few weeks now.

3- Equate Facial Cleansing Towelettes : Not only are these ultra cheap, they have a lot of moisture, are quilted, remove all my makeup (even mascara and eyeliner) and are super soft. Love these! Also love the 60 pack so I don't have to repurchase as often :)

4 - N.Y.C. Sunny bronzer : It doesn't have any shimmer in it so it gives me a natural tan. Since spring is approaching, I'm kind of over the pasty white look!

5 - Garnier Ultra Lift Night Cream : this is super rich and creamy, but it absorbs quickly into my skin. Super moisturising and non greasy, it's perfect for my skin right now.

6- Maybelline the Falsies mascara : Love the curved brush, the volume it gives me and how black it is. Also love that is isn't too dry.

7 - Blistex Lip Medex lip balm : Not everyone might agree with this but I love the mediciney smell this product has. I also like that since it contains menthol it has a cooling effect. This month, my lips were so chapped, they burned. This product was a life saver!

8 - Flat face brush and small angled brush from the 22 piece Coastal Scents brush kit : Love the face brush for foundation, powder, blush and bronzer. It's extra soft and gives a flawless finish. Love the angled brush for lining my eyes. It's better for me than a larger angled brush since my eyes are super round. That way it's easier to follow the contours of my eyes.

9 - NYX Eyeliner Pencil in black : pretty black and applies without too much tugging. It's probably not the smoothest pencil liner out there, but it's the best I was able to find so far. Any suggestions on that?