Monday, June 27, 2011

The Besties!

The Besties!

Hey guys! These are my favourite beauty products ATM. These are just a list of products that I find work for me based on my skin type, coloring, all that stuff. So here we go!

*I have provided links for as much as I can so you can get a better idea of what the product I'm talking about looks like, the price and all that fun stuff!

Foundation: The foundation I am currently using, and have used for awhile is L’Oreal Paris True Match Foundation in N1 Soft Ivory. It is not the longest lasting product I have ever used but it goes on smoothly, has pretty decent coverage and comes in a great variety of colors. Maybelline’s 24-Hour Super Stay foundation is awesome at lasting a long time but the lightest color is too beige for me, but it’s a really good foundation itself. EDIT: I recently purchased Sephora Collection foundation and was so disappointed by it! It slides off the oilier areas of my face and builds up in the dry areas, and it is kind of a weird color. I thought I liked it when I tried it on in the store but the day after I purchased it I put it on and didn’t. The girls on the Sephora message board have suggested Makeup Forever Mat Velvet and Mattifying Foundation and Clinique Superbalanced Makeup so I may try one of those next time I go to Sephora.

http://www.lorealparis.ca/cosmetics/face/true-match-super-blendable/soft-ivory-n1.aspx - website for L'Oreal Paris True Match foundation

Bronzer: Hands down, Bonne Bell Blend and Glow. Such a great product. It has four different shades of bronzer, one which is more of a highliter. I mix them all together when I apply them. This is a great powder bronzer. What else do you guys think is a good bronzer because I am definitely open to trying new ones!

http://www.bonnebell.com/products.php?id=23

Lip Gloss: Always on the hunt for the perfect lip gloss. My favourite right now is actually called My Favorite Lip Balm by C.O. Bigelow at Bath and Body Works. It is basically a hybrid between a balm and a gloss and it does not have a strong scent at all which is a plus. I used to use Victoria’s Secret Beauty Rush lip glosses (from La Senza) for a long time but they are pretty sticky which sucks when you are outside and your hair gets stuck in them – they do have cute colors though.

http://www.bathandbodyworks.com/product/index.jsp?productId=4004124

Mascara: CoverGirl Lash Blast – leaps and bounds above the others I have tried! Lash Blast Fusion is my favourite – it is a great thickening mascara. I always pick the darkest black shade it comes in, and I always buy a waterproof version. Great mascara. It makes your lashes look great and full – it’s a drugstore mascara so you can usually get it for a really decent price. And you don’t have to pile on a ton for it to look good. My vote for worst mascara – Maybelline Falsies – ugh.... turned my lashes into a clumpy mess! The first mascara I have ever thrown right into the trash shortly after I bought it. I try different mascaras sometimes though because I replace mine every 3 months so I am open to trying new products.

http://www.covergirl.com/lashblast-fusion-water-resistant-mascara

Blow Dry Product: John Frieda Daily Nourishment Leave-In Conditioning Spray. This product is amazing – it is a detangler, a UV spray, a moisturizer, and a heat protector. I use this when I get out of the shower and I have towel dried my hair so I can brush through it and so that it’s prepared for heat styling. If I could only use one hair product it would be this one.

http://www.johnfrieda.ca/en-CA/ProductDetail/Hair-Care/Frizz-Ease/Daily-Nourishment-Leave-In-Conditioning-Spray

Shampoo and Conditioner: John Frieda Root Awakening – as you can tell, I love John Frieda hair products. I initially picked out this shampoo because it was designed to hydrate your scalp, and I have a really dry scalp so I felt this would help. It has a tingly feeling when you wash your hair and it smells like the shampoo they use at the hair dressers. It is a bit expensive for a drugstore shampoo but Shoppers Drug Mart often has it on sale for half price so I try to stock up then. John Frieda’s Brilliant Brunette and John Frieda’s Luxurious Volume are great too. I also recently bought The Body Shop’s Banana Conditioner and it smells delicious. I alternate each shower between using John Frieda and The Body Shop conditioners and once a week I swap in my deep conditioner from the last hair dye I used.

http://www.johnfrieda.ca/en-CA/ProductDetail/Hair-Care/Root-Awakening/Strength-Restoring-Shampoo

http://www.thebodyshop.ca/en/hair-care-products/natural-conditioner/banana-conditioner.aspx

Straightening Product: John Frieda 3-Day Straight. This is a spray you can spray on your hair before blowdrying and flat-ironing it to keep it straight for longer. My hair gets greasy so I wash it every day, but I do like using this spray when I straighten my hair to make sure it gets as straight as it can. Another product for getting straight silky hair that is amazing is John Frieda Frizz-Ease Serum – nothing else even compares to this! Put it on when your hair is wet and your hair will feel really silky and smooth after.

http://www.johnfrieda.ca/en-CA/ProductDetail/Hair-Care/Frizz-Ease/3-Day-Straight-Semi-Permanent-Styling-Spray

http://www.johnfrieda.ca/en-CA/ProductDetail/Hair-Care/Frizz-Ease/Hair-Serum-Extra-Strength-Formula

Hairspray: I’m not too picky about hairsprays – I am using Herbal Essences right now, and I also use Got 2 B Sometimes. I don’t use hairspray that much unless I am going out for the night and need to make sure my style stays through the night. I’m pretty open to using whatever.

Face Scrub: Clean and Clear Morning Burst Facial Scrub – has a great smell, makes your face super soft, and gets rid of any dead skin cells – I was using this every morning but I’ve cut down on it just so my skin doesn’t get too irritated. I use it in the shower with a scrublet from Sephora. There are a lot of other really good drugstore face scrubs out there as well so don’t feel you have to splurge for a really expensive one.

http://www.cleanandclear.ca/en/prod_details.asp?productid=54

Face Wash: Clean and Clear Morning Burst Facial Wash – this one has lemon and caffeine in it, smells soooo good and is great for waking you up in the morning – I use it morning and night for washing away excess oil and removing makeup, works great for my skin type J In the morning I use it in the shower with my Sephora scrublet, making sure to spend extra time rubbing it into my t-zone.

http://www.cleanandclear.ca/en/prod_details.asp?productid=29

http://www.sephora.com/browse/product.jhtml?id=P262041&categoryId=S3000&shouldPaginate=true

Moisturizer: Clean and Clear Finishes Pore Perfecting Moisturizer – at first I was hesitant to use a moisturizer at all during the day because I have combination skin but this one doesn’t make my skin all oily, it stops the tightness you get after washing your face, and helps your makeup go on really smoothly. I use a more intense moisturizer for night.

*Can't find a link for this one so not sure if they even still make this - which is sad because it is a great moisturizer!

Lotion: I have so many really good smelling lotions that I love right now! At the moment it’s Bath and Body Work’s Signature Coconut, which was a discontinued scent that they brought back just for the semi-annual sale. Kinda bums me out because I know I’ll get attached to it and then never be able to buy it again! It is an amazing summer scent – just super tropically. Bath and Body Works Coconut Pineapple, Carried Away and Dark Kiss, and Victoria’s Secret Wild and Breezy and Fresh and Clean are my other favourites right now. They are all really good at moisturizing and they all smell so good I have trouble deciding which one to wear in the morning!

http://www.cheapcoconutbodybutterlowprice.co.cc/shopping-Bath_Body_Works_Signature_Collection-B00420MWL4 - this is a link to the discontinued product I was mentioning

http://www.bathandbodyworks.com/family/index.jsp?categoryId=4191845&cp=4090259.4090258.4090270.4418550&cm_sp=IM-_-Lotions+%26+Creams-_-Body+Lotions - link to Bath and Body Works lotions (I notice there are two new ones on there I have yet to smell! so excited!!)

http://www.victoriassecret.com/pink/beauty Victoria's Secret Pink lotions and perfumes

Self-Tanner: Still on the search for the perfect one! I like Jergens and Banana Boat though (noticed on BB's website that they don't make the one I use anymore :(

Perfume/Body Mist: Britney Spears Fantasy is my signature scent. I have worn it for years, and it will probably always be my favourite. I do sometimes just spray a body mist instead, such as Bath and Body Works Hawaii Coconut or Carried Away depending on what I’m doing and how heavy of a scent I want that day.

http://www.britneyspearsbeauty.com/

http://www.bathandbodyworks.com/product/index.jsp?productId=10752341&cp=4090259.4090258.4090280.4430465.4191851

http://www.bathandbodyworks.com/product/index.jsp?productId=10752335&cp=4090259.4090258.4090280.4430465.4191851

Body Wash: The Body Shop Mango shower gel is amazing smelling, and so moisturizing! When you use a loofah with it, it lathers up like crazy... another thing I may use is a shower gel of a scent I have in a lotion from Bath and Body Works such as Carried Away or Dark Kiss, to try to layer my scents.

http://www.thebodyshop.ca/en/bath-products/shower-gel/bath-mango-shower-gel.aspx

Nail Polish: Sally Hansen Insta-Dry and Sally Hansen Hard as Nails are products I have tons of – I recently counted and I have 45 nail polishes. I have tried Essie, China Glaze and OPI but I still feel Sally Hansen polishes are superior – they last way longer without chipping and dry super fast when you put them on, lessening the chance that you will smudge them as they dry. They had a massive sale on them at Wal-Mart not too long ago and were super duper cheap – like $2 something for the x-treme wear and $4 something for the Insta-dri ones.

http://www.sallyhansen.com/products/nails/nail-color/insta-dri%E2%84%A2-fast-dry-nail-color

Friday, June 17, 2011

Bath and Body Works Product Review

Hey guys!

These are some products I have used from Bath and Body Works and what I thought of them!

ü Coconut Pineapple Shower Gel – Just bought this product, I find all their shower gels to basically be around the same quality, but this is one of my favourite scents so I like having it in a shower gel as well

ü Carried Away Shower Gel – I use this one pretty regularly, Carried Away smells like raspberry, jasmine and vanilla, an amazing scent, lathers up really well

ü Dark Kiss Shower Gel – basically same as the ones above, smells really good and works really well!

ü Carried Away Fragrance Mist – about a compromise between an all-over body mist and a full-on perfume, this is a scent I use pretty regularly

ü Hawaii Coconut Fragrance Mist – a nice tropically fragrance, I love the scent of coconut, but this one isn’t super strong, I like the new coconut line a bit better

ü Victoria’s Secret Pink All-Over Body Mist Fresh and Clean – I didn’t actually get this from Bath and Body Works but this product is on their website so they must sell it at some BBW. For a long time I was obsessed with this scent! It smells like apples and lily and it is basically what it says it is – a simple, fresh, clean scent that smells amazing, and it is light enough that you can use it all over!

ü Victoria’s Secret Pink All-Over Body Mist Wild and Breezy – I have been using this post-shower all over on a daily basis, it is a tropical scent, I think something like flowers and guava off the top of my head, a fairly new scent they have gotten, they got 3 tropical scents and this one was my favorite

ü Bali Mango Creamy Body Scrub – a pretty good scrub, I love mango shower products, a pretty gritty exfoliant, actually like this a lot better than The Body Shop’s Mango Body Scrub

ü Carried Away Bubble Bath – LOVE THIS!! Doesn’t bubble up like crazy but it has an amazing scent, so relaxing!

ü Mango Margarita Deep Cleansing Hand Soap – just a basic hand soap that smells great, definitely nice to pick up when they are on sale or if you need extra products to reach a certain amount (i.e. to get $10 off $30).

ü Vanilla Pistachio Deep Cleansing Hand Soap – same as above

ü Pink Loofah – really awesome, I like to stock up on these as they are only like $3, actually saves you money as you need to use less body wash, because it will lather up more

ü Coconut Pineapple Body Lotion – my addiction right now! Smells EXACTLY like pina colada – I keep this in my purse and reapply throughout the day when my hands get dry or when I want a fresh scent

ü Coconut Mango Body Lotion – great new scent that’s out at the moment, didn’t love it at first as I thought they were kind of weird together, but it’s definitely growing on me and I’m starting to really like it

ü Coconut Passionfruit Body Lotion – fantastic scent! Smells so good, one I wear most days

ü Bali Mango Body Lotion – one that’s been discontinued recently, I was more into this before the coconut scents came out, not a bad scent though

ü Dark Kiss Body Lotion – love love love, this is a scent I enjoy wearing on nights out as it smells fancier and more sophisticated than the coconut and tropical scents, I would recommend going to the store and smelling it as it is hard to describe the scent

ü C.O. Bigelow Mentha Cinnamint Lip Shine – not a bad lip gloss, but I overdid it and got really sick of the minty taste, definitely needed to take a break!

ü C.O. Bigelow My Favorite Lip Balm – this one totally is! I have mentioned it in previous posts so I won’t go on too much about it!

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

The Body Shop Haul


A couple of weeks ago I went to the grand opening of the Body Shop at Conestoga Mall. I was super excited as it is one of my favourite stores and they had amazing discounts (not sure if they still do, but the deals were unbelievable when I was there). When I walked in, I was greeted by an employee who told me that they had a buy 2 get one free, buy three get two free... deal, and they had a special deal that if you bought a reusable bag for $5 you would get 30% off everything in the bag.

The Body Shop is one of my favourite places to shop for beauty products because they are great quality products, great smelling scents, and are very consistent. I like Bath and Body Works as well, but they rotate their scents a lot so sometimes you find a favourite and it gets discontinued. The Body Shop has classic body butter scents like Strawberry, Coconut and Mango, which will probably still be around 15 years from now.

The first product I picked up was strawberry body polish. This works as both a body wash and body scrub. I have been using it as a scrub with an exfoliating cloth from The Body Shop as well. If you like the strawberry body butter, you will probably like this product as well. It is a good scrub because it is not too gritty but still does a great job at exfoliating. This was $18 for 200 ml.



I had been looking for a good highlighter for a while and I found one there that is called Radiant Highlighter – it comes in one shade a light frosty pink and it looks awesome to use on your brow bone, under your eyes and anywhere else you want to highlight. It’s a big size compared to other highlighters I have been looking at such as Benefit’s High Beam, and was only $14, which is not too bad – a lot better than $30+, which is how much high beam costs.



The next thing I found was banana conditioner. I had to pick this up because it smells AMAZING! It actually smells exactly like the banana penicillin medicine they give out for strep throat. I love products that make my hair smell good. I am a lot fussier with shampoo but I decided to try the conditioner and I am very glad that I did. It ended up being free because I paid for the other two products.


They also had a deal on that you could get their store discount card, regularly $10 for free – I think this card saves you 10% off all your purchases for a year. I also got with it a sample kit that would have been $10. It had a Buriti baby body butter, which I gave to my sister for my eight-month-old niece. It also came with a men’s maca root energetic face protector, which I gave to my boyfriend to use. Next, there was a Tea Tree Skin Exfoliating wash, which my sister had been contemplating buying so I gave her that one. There was a Vitamin E face cream that I have yet to use, a white musk eau de toilette that I have not tried yet either, a coupon for $5 off my next $25 purchase, and a free makeover where you can get a free eye makeup remover too! I spent $5 on the bag, which I have used several times since then, so I saved $9.60, and with my 10% off card, I saved an extra $2.74. I ended up spending $27.87 and SAVING over $38! I cannot even remember a time before saving much more than I spent somewhere. The girls working there were nice, helped me pick things out, and helped me to get the best deal possible.

My favourite Body Shop products

· Mango and Strawberry body butters, shower gels and body scrubs/polishes

· Peppermint foot products