Skin Care Reviews – Page 5 – Makeup Most Wanted

Category: Skin Care Reviews

14
Jun
2016

Most Wanted Summer Skin Care – Alyssa’s Picks

categories: Skin Care, Skin Care Reviews

My combination skin is pretty nuts and I have to change my products along with the seasons. Once summer hits, my skin gets oilier but the dry patches never fully go away, do I need to find products that are a little lighter that combat both issues. Add in the fact that I’m extremely pale and sunscreen gets it’s own post.
Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleansing Cloths
cetaphil-gentle-skin-cleansing-cloths-all-skin-types
My skin isn’t as sensitive as I expect when it comes to skin care, except in summer when allergies are added onto all my issues. These cleansing cloths are the most gentle and effective way I’ve found to take off my makeup. They’re soap and fragrance free and do a better job getting my makeup off than most cloths. I get zero irritation around my eyes and it doesn’t leave a chemical taste in my mouth when I’m taking off matte lipstick. You don’t have to rinse after these and my skin doesn’t feel dried out. Just clean.
L’Oreal Hydra-Total 5 Ultra-Soothing Micellar Water
L'Oreal Hydra-total 5 ultra-soothing micellar water
I didn’t have a great experience when I tried the Hydra-Total Ultra-Even collection and it’s clear that I should’ve been using the Ultra-Soothing routine because my skin likes it so much better. This micellar water does a great job cleansing my skin. I wish the bottle was a little easier to squeeze but you don’t need much of this one anyways. It’s a great makeup remover but I’ll use something else to take off stubborn mascara first. Follow it up with the matching toner and you’re good to go.
L’Occitane Pivoine Sublime Perfecting Toner
loccitane Pivoine Sublime Perfecting Toner
I love toners. I find them refreshing and they’re an important part of balancing my skin out but finding a good one that’s alcohol-free is a challenge. L’Occitane’s Pivoine Sublime Perfecting Toner is a great addition to my arsenal. It gets a lot of stuff that cleansers leave behind while leaving my skin balanced and refreshed but not dried out. I don’t love the peony scent but it’s light enough that I can ignore it.
Korres Wild Rose Vitamin C Active Brightening Oil

First off, I love anything rose. So a rose oil, with actual rose petals in it? Yes please! Luckily this oil actually does something other than look and smell pretty. The sun and heat really make my skin kind of dull and sunscreen build up makes it feel not so great sometimes. This oil really sinks into my skin and gives it a ton of hydration while brightening up my skin. It also doesn’t leave me great at all.
Philosophy Take A Deep Breath Oil-Free Oxygenating Gel Cream
Philosophy-Take-A-Deep-Breath Oil-free oxygenating gel cream
I usually switch to a gel cream moisturizer in the summer because they’re a lot more cooling and more suited to combination skin. Take A Deep Breath might be hitting my top five moisturizers ever. It absorbs almost instantly and leaves my skin really hydrated but feeling like there’s nothing on my face. My skin actually looks a lot better since I’ve been using it and this moisturizer smells amazing. I actually want to use it more often because I love the scent so much. I already have a travel size version of this one put away for my trip next month.

09
Jun
2016

Dermalogica Charcoal Rescue Masque

categories: Skin Care Reviews

dermalogica-charcoal-rescue-masque

Nothing beats a Dermalogica facial at the spa. You always leave with skin that feels amazing. This month, I learned that sometimes it’s best to leave the serious skin care products to the professionals.

I was really excited to try the Dermalogica Charcoal Rescue Masque. I love seriously deep cleaning masks and scrubs for my face. This one has volcanic ash. It doesn’t get much more serious than ingredients from a freaking volcano. It’s mean to clear up impurities and brighten dull skin.

When I applied this mask all over my face, I felt an instant tingling and tightening. All of the places on my face where I had little imperfections like acne tingle after just a few seconds of being cover by this black cream. I was glad that my skin was made of strong stuff because I feel like this wouldn’t be good if you have sensitive skin.

After rinsing the mask off, my skin was in need of a bit of moisture, like usual with masks. This time my face was quite red from the strength of the product.

It’s not often that I’m intimidated by a skin care product. This mask has made me think more carefully about products that I choose moving forward. I am usually pretty daring in the things I use on my face, but it’s also best to test out the strong stuff with the help of someone at the spa. I still would have tried this charcoal masque, but if I had sensitive skin this review could have gone a very different way.

07
Jun
2016

Travel Makeup Most Wanted

categories: Bath And Body, Fragrance, Hair Reviews, Skin Care, Skin Care Reviews

I am off on vacation. I will be spending a few weeks in Europe with all of the sun, rain and exciting adventures of England to look forward to. Here are some of the products that have made the cut into my suitcase for my trip:

Sephora Blotting Papers

Sephora Collection Blotting Papers – On my vacation there will be a lot walking, so I’m going to keep these little sheets in my purse to keep myself looking great no matter what happens with the temperature. They weigh practically nothing, so they don’t take any space in your bags. If you want to look great in all of your vacation photos, these things are crucial.

Caprina Fresh Goat’s Milk Soap

Caprina Fresh Goat’s Milk Soap – This gentle soap is naturally moisturizing, so when we are away there won’t be any worry of dry skin. I don’t really want to have to pack lots of extra body moisturizers, so this soap is hopefully going to be my saviour.

Mereadesso Face + Neck Cleanser

Mereadesso Face + Neck Cleanser – The packaging on this cleanser is great for travel. The packs are small and take up almost no space. The opening is even flat. These would be perfect for a backpacking trip where you have almost no space at all. It comes with an all-in-one moisturizer for added face care no matter where you are in the world!

cake-satin-sugar-hair-body-refreshing-powder-for-darkest-hues

Cake Satin Sugar Dry Shampoo – Nowadays, I never travel for more than two days without my dry shampoo. It really is a lifesaver. This year, I’m taking this powder one from Canada’s cake. I always feel weird about packing aerosol cans for some reason, so I like that this is a powder shaker. The sweet smell is also perfect as a body powder for an added bonus.

Demeter Pick-Me-Up Cologne Spray

Demeter Pick-Me-Up Cologne Spray – These tiny little fragrances from Demeter are amazing for travel. Put them on your key chain to take them wherever you want. I got little 3 mL sprays of Linen and Laundromat fragrance to freshen up no matter where I go. It’s small enough to even take in your carry on so you can smell great after a long flight.

03
Jun
2016

Clarisonic Mia3 (Aria) Sonic Cleansing Device

categories: Skin Care, Skin Care Reviews

Clarisonic Aria Box
I’ve used a ton of skin care devices over the years and Stephanie has used even more. But somehow, I’ve never used a Clarisonic. We received the Mia3 (Aria) for our travel essentials series and I loved it so much that I decided it needed it’s own post. The Aria is a sonic cleansing device and to be honest, I don’t fully grasp what that means other than it’s supposed to cleanse your skin 6x better than using your hands.
Clarisonic Aria
The Aria comes with quite a few things, so let’s run those down first. In the box you get:
– the device
– sensitive brush head
– drying stand
– USB enabled Universal Voltage pLink® Charger
– wall adapter
– sample size cleanser
Charging the device it so easy (it takes 24 hours the first time!) and there are so many options for how you do it. I plugged mine to the wall and let it sit for a day. Once it’s charged, it’s supposed to stay charged for a long time and so far I haven’t needed to recharge it.
Clarisonic Aria Brush
Using the Aria is simple. Wet your face, wet the brush head, apply cleanser to either and go to town. It gives off a buzz every so often to remind you to move to a different part of your face. Make sure you take off every last bit of your eye makeup first because the water will drip and you’ll end up with a clean face with raccoon eyes. That’s talking from experience.
Clarisonic Aria With Cover
My favourite features are actually the stand, which makes it super easy to dry and store and the little cover that will help me travel with it without ruining the brush head.

Now most people are going to want to know if it’s worth paying over $200 when they could probably just use a washcloth. But in the time I’ve been using the Aria it’s worked better than anything I’ve used before, whether it be my hands, other devices or a washcloth. My face feels cleaner, I’m using less moisturizer and my constantly looks like it’s glowing. That said, it’s not a miracle worker. It’s not going to instantly banish all your blackheads or dry patches, but over time, it’s minimized mine. When it comes time to replace my brush head, I might grab a couple different ones to see if I get different results but the chances of me ever being without a Clarisonic from now on is slim to none.

13
May
2016

Travel Sets Most Wanted

categories: Bath And Body, Makeup Most Wanted, Makeup Reviews, Skin Care, Skin Care Reviews

Hitting the road this summer? Heading off for a European vacation? No matter where you are going, try one of these convenient little sets that have everything you need!

Clean Rollerball Layering Collection

Clean Rollerball Layering Collection – It’s no secret that I’m a huge fan of the Clean scents. When I found out this little set existed, I was thrilled. These scents are perfect for travelling, because they are so… well, clean. You can mix and match the little rollerballs for a different scent every day. After keeping your clothes in a stuffy suitcase, the fresh scents are just what you need. They barely take up any space for endless possibilities. Added bonus, the White Woods scent is unisex and perfect for guys too!

Vita Liberata Tanning Travel Essentials

Vita Liberata Tanning Travel Essentials – Make the most of this set before your vacation. Get beach ready with this tanning set that includes a 2-3 week tan lotion, 4-7 day tan mousse and super fine skin polish. I love that there are two different length options, so that you can get a tan that will last for your entire vacation, no matter how long it is. I know these are travel sizes, but personally I don’t want to have to worry about tanning while I’m away. I will be perfecting that tan a few days before I go though, so that I am golden in all of my pictures.

Phyto Paris Deep-Down Repair Travel Set

Phyto Paris Deep-Down Repair Travel Set – Being on vacation doesn’t mean forgetting to care for your hair. This three product travel size set allows you to care for your locks on-the-go without feeling like you are bringing tons of products. There’s a shampoo, mask and leave-in thermal spray that repair and strengthen hair. It’s not going to take you a lot of extra time to use this set, which is great because I have places to be. My favourite thing is that the bottles are solid and strong. Unlike squeeze bottles, I don’t have to worry about these exploding with cream in my suitcase.

Quo Brow Kit – This little kit is great to pack in your suitcase to ensure that you have beautiful brows without a lot of stress. There are two brow powders in different shades of brown (so everyone can use this kit without the hassle of worrying about the right shade), a brow gel and a brush. It’s simple, foolproof and one less thing you don’t have to worry about.

Jack Black Jet Set Traveler

Jack Black Jet Set Traveler – Of course, I can’t forget about the guys too. If your house is anything like mine, I have to make sure that my husband has everything he needs to travel as well as managing my own toiletries. That’s why I like this set. It has a Daily Cleanser, Moisturizer and Shave Lather from a brand that I trust and he likes. Shaving cream is one of those things that is easy to forget, but important for him to stay vacation photo ready. Now I can check three things off of my list in one shot.

12
May
2016

Spring Cleaning Face Masks Most Wanted

categories: Skin Care, Skin Care Reviews

Spring cleaning isn’t just for your closet. Give your face a little TLC with these face masks that are just what you need.

lush-cup-o-coffee-face-and-body-mask

Lush Cup O’ Coffee Face And Body Mask

Bring your morning coffee into the shower with you courtesy of Lush. This new Face and Body Mask is amazing for revitalizing your skin. We already knew that coffee was great for increasing blood flow in the skin, so it’s no wonder that Lush would tap into this natural product. The main component is fresh coffee grounds, which is great for exfoliating. The addition of the agave syrup is sweet and moisturizing. It really makes my face feel and look amazing. It’s a huge added bonus that it smells like my morning cup of joe.

Acure_Facial_Mask

Acure Cell Stimulating Facial Mask

Freshen up that face the all-natural way with this great green mask from Acure. The main detoxifier in this little bottle is the green clay. It helps to pull out everything from your skin and leave it feeling full refreshed. This mask dries, but it doesn’t get so tight that it pulls or dries out your skin. Thanks to the addition of argan oil in the mask, my face feels moisturized after rinsed. My face feels oh so smooth. I didn’t even need to lather on moisturizer like I do after some masks. My face felt refreshed and looked perfect.

anti-wrinkle_oxygen_infusion_smoothing_mask

StriVectin Oxygen Infusion Smoothing Mask

Need a face mask that is undoubtedly different from anything you’ve ever used before? This Strivectin Oxygen Mask is so much fun to try. The foam goes on fairly smooth, but when it touches your skin the mask activates. The mask bubbles up against your skin and you can feel the little oxygen bubbles popping. It gives you a light exfoliation that leaves your face feeling very refreshed. There’s none of the drying out that you sometimes get with intensive masks. Just nice soft skin!

The Estee Edit Pink Peony Overnight Water Pack The Estée Edit by Estée Lauder Pink Peony Overnight Water Mask

If you love masks but hate waiting, an overnight mask might be a good idea. The Pink Peony Overnight Water Mask does everything you want a moisturizing mask to do. It soaks into your skin really quickly but instead of waiting ten minutes to take it off, you go to sleep and wake up with soft, hydrated glowing skin. It has pink peony to soothe your skin and a goji berry, blueberry, cranberry and hyaluronic acid combination gives your skin energy and a long lasting boost of moisture. It also smells as great as it works. Why do the work when you can get results from just sleeping?

13
Apr
2016

Most Wanted Dry Skin Relief

categories: Makeup Most Wanted, Skin Care, Skin Care Reviews

It’s almost the middle of April but in Toronto we still haven’t seen spring. Which means my skin is still a dry, itchy mess and hasn’t started it’s yearly transition into greasiness. I’ve come up with my five Most Wanted products that have made winter bearable for my skin.
Lotus Aroma Hand Soap in Pomelo Flower
Lotus Aroma Hand Soap Pomelo Flower
I wash my hands pretty constantly and while all anti-bacterial soaps are banned from my house, most regular soaps are still pretty drying. Lotus Aroma’s hand soap is almost gel like but lathers beautifully. It also cleans really well and doesn’t dry out my hands even a little bit. The Pomelo Flower scent is really light but still fruity and I really want to try the Jasmine and Grapefruit scent. There are so many good things in this soap, and all the bad has been taken out. But those lists are really long so if you’re interested, you can find out here.
Laura Mercier Flawless Skin Infusion De Rose Nourishing Creme

We use so many things on our faces that usually they’re not quite as dry as the rest of us. But if you’re like me and get patchy areas, you need a really good face cream. Laura Mercier’s Nourishing Creme has Mango and Shea butters added into the cream to really get your face hydrated. The gorgeous rose scent is an added bonus.
Lush Dream Cream

I had somehow never used Dream Cream until this winter and now I’m hooked on this lightweight cult fave lotion. I was relieved that it doesn’t just smell like lavender and while it does take a while to absorb, I use this on my more sensitive skin areas, like my legs. This is one of those year round products that you’ll be able to use for any skin sensitivity like dryness or sunburns.
StriVectin Overnight Replenishing Moisture Mask

I love a good overnight mask and this new one from StriVectin is probably my favourite. While it dries pretty quickly, I usually apply it half an hour before I go to bed and I wake up with really soft skin. It also leaves me looking pretty radiant and it smells amazing. I love that I can get results when I’m sleeping.
L’Occitane Shea Ultra Rich Body Cream

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While anyone can use this cream, this is my hero product for anyone with super dry, itchy skin. Literally nothing else has worked as well for me. I was already a fan of L’Occitane’s Shea line (I went through the 150ml Shea Butter Hand Cream this winter alone) but I’d never tried the body cream. It fixed everything I put it on. Dry, scaly legs? Fixed. Rough Elbows? No problem. Any issue I could find with my skin, I could fix with this cream. And while it’s really thick, you only need a tiny little bit and it sinks in almost instantly. I’m going to start making sure I always have some in the house.

Hopefully spring shows up soon and gives our skin a break, but in the meantime at least we have some relief.

01
Apr
2016

Parissa Brow Shaper Mini Wax Strips

categories: Skin Care Reviews

parissa brow wax

The idea of waxing my own eyebrows seemed ridiculous to me. I imagined all of the horror stories that you hear about accidentally waxing off too much of your eyebrows. I figured this was something better left to the pros. I liked having two full eyebrows.

Sometimes, you convince yourself to do crazy things in the name of beauty. Waxing my own eyebrows at home is one of those things I have convinced myself to do.

When I opened the box I felt instantly more relaxed. I feel like Parissa understands that this is a pretty stressful decision to make, so they have made it a bit less scary.

It all starts with the instructions. Since I was so nervous, I was sure to read it all! The instructions come full of great tips, picture guides and different shape options for your face. It made it all seem a little more achievable.

The next step was in the strips. The Parissa wax strips are very small. This means there is less chance for me to accidentally pull off half of my eyebrow. They are easy to cut apart and separate for use. The small size allows me to get it right beside my brow without getting too much. My outlook was better to take too little and have to use another strip than take off too much. I’m not going to lie and say it doesn’t hurt, because waxing doesn’t feel great. But it’s no different than going to the salon.

The final step is to apply the oil, which only take a minute and soothes your tender skin.

I was shocked at how quick and easy it was. I don’t need a lot of work on my brows. If I did, I might not think this was such a seamless process. Parissa might have made me a convert. I don’t need to go to get my eyebrows done all of the time when I can do it at home in just a few minutes!

31
Mar
2016

Biore Baking Soda Cleansers

categories: Skin Care, Skin Care Reviews

biore baking soda face wash

Biore seems to always be thinking ahead to some new and exciting skin care innovation. This time it’s your trusty household baking soda. They have infused a line of face washes with this pantry staple. It makes me wonder what else I have been missing in the cupboard. I tried the Biore Baking Soda Pore Cleanser and the Biore Baking Soda Cleansing Scrub.

The Pore Cleanser has become my new daily face wash. I am undeniably hooked. The addition of the baking soda to this gel cleanser helps turn it from a regular face wash to a gentle exfoliator. You can feel the little granules cleaning your pores. It’s soft enough that you can easily use it as your everyday face wash. I found that my skin was noticeably fresher looking after I added this facewash into my routine.

biore baking soda powder

If you are looking for something more unique, look no further than the scrub. This scrub comes in powder form. Every time I looked at the bottle I was picturing those volcano science experiments you did in school. I was hoping that when it touched water, there would be some sort of volcanic eruption! While the results aren’t something out of Pompei, this Biore scrub does activate with the help of a little water. Apply the powder to your wet face to create a deeper scrub. You can keep adding water for a softer clean on the skin. This is exactly the product you want on your side when you want a little more scrub to your rub-a-dub-dub.

I have to say that when I received these products from Influenster I was excited to begin with, but I never dreamed the outcome would actual live up the hype in my head. I am pleased to say that it did!

25
Mar
2016

Sweetease Waxing Kits

categories: Skin Care, Skin Care Reviews, Spa Reviews, Uncategorized

I am the worst at keeping regular salon appointments. It doesn’t matter if it’s a hair or waxing appointment. I am always a few weeks later than I should be. I save up my Sweetease Waxing Kits in case of emergency. Sweetease has developed these little easy to use waxing kits for your legs, face and bikini area at home.

Using a Sweetease Waxing Kit is as easy as it sounds. The first step is to warm a strip between your hands. Don’t skimp on the warming time. You want to be sure that it’s very warm so the wax sticks. I found it helpful to sit on the strips that I wasn’t using yet to start warming them up early.
Sweetease Leg Waxing Kit
Next peel apart the wax strips slowly. If they aren’t warm enough, you won’t be able to get them apart. You will smell the delicious vanilla scent when you peel them apart.

Now press on the strips in the direction of the hair growth.

Make sure that they are good and stuck! And rip them off quickly in the opposite direction quickly, just like they do in the spa. The success of how well they work depends on how long your hair growth is, how well you stuck it down, how well you ripped it off and your own hair texture.

Overall, it did a great job at getting the hair off. My only complaint is that to do my whole leg, it took quite a long time. I kept trying to find shortcuts to make it go quicker. Like I mentioned, I tried sitting on the strips to warm them. Because my hair is thin, I was also able to use some of the strips twice on the lighter areas.

I don’t think that I would ever use the Sweetease strips for my entire leg again, but they are perfect for touch ups when need be. You can use them on date night or vacation when you don’t have time for a full shave.