Clarins Lotus Oil

I've been trying different oils the last few months. I've tried Rosehip, Tamanu, Sweet Almond, and one that was a blend of different oils. I've also tried cleansing oils, such as Shu Uemura. So, far everything has made my overly acne prone skin break out. I got a sample of Clarin's Lotus Oil after reading a ton of positive reviews and have been using it for the past 2 weeks. I don't use it every day because I'm a bit scared that too much will have negative effects. So far, so good. It doesn't feel too greasy and the scent isn't horrible like other oils. This is especially for combination/oily skin which is great because that's exactly what I have. I don't put on any moisturizer on top of this..I don't think it's necessary. My face felt smoother and moisturizer went on much more smoothly after I started using this. You don't need a lot, a couple drops is good enough for the whole face. It's not exactly cheap, but will last awhile.

"Naturally astringent for Oily or Combination Skin. 100% pure plant extracts with no preservatives. Clarins’ exclusive blend of Rosewood, Geranium and Lotus extracts purifies, tightens pores and refines the skin texture. Hazelnut Oil softens, soothes and seals in moisture to prevent fine lines". (Clarins Website)

I still have a few more uses from my sample and will probably buy the full size when the sample's finished. From previous experience I know that oils might seem wonderful for the first couple of weeks, but then my skin reacts horribly and I'm left with small bumps and pimples all over.

On another note, today I was looking at a different ingredients in skincare products online and whether they are comedogenic or not and turns A LOT of what is most skincare products is. That does not mean everyone will break out from these products, but those who are more acne prone will have a tendency to do so. This is horrible! From my anti-acne cleanser to masks to moisturizers to primers....all have ingredients that will aggravate acne. Is it even possible to make a skincare product without any pore clogging ingredients?!

MAC Brilliantly Cool Crushed Metallic Pigments in Guilty Passions

I bought this a few weeks ago...it was an impulse buy..absolutely loved the colors when I saw them. There are 4 colors in box: She's Got Class, Moss Garden, Spruced, and I've Got A Crush On You.

My favorite from the bunch is Spruced, which is a gorgeous green. There is some fall out, but nothing major. When I patted the shadow on there was much less fall out.



From right to left: She's Got Class, I've Got A Crush On You, Spruced, Moss Garden

What I love about these shades are the different pigments in each shade. For example, I've Got A Crush On You has green and brown. These are definitely "going out shades". The price was reasonable...£25 for the set. The box the pigments come in is adorable...even has a plastic bow on top. I've never been disappointed with any MAC eyeshadows and this a beautiful set of colors.




And the winner is...YSL Touch Éclat

My and my friend just went to Barcelona (which was amazing!) and we hunted down for the best under eye concealer for her. She has dark circles and a bit of dryness. She lives in India at the moment and doesn't easily get a lot of brands. We ended up at my favourite store Sephora. Tried on a concealer from MUFE, which covered dark circles a bit but was cakey. Bare Minerals was even cakier. Benefit's Erase Paste was alright...creased after awhile. YSL Touché Éclat covered pretty well and was the least cakey. Didn't end up getting anything then. I think the people who work at Sephora wanted to kill us!
After a few days we were off to London and to the wonderful land of Harrods. There came Bobbi Brown, which was horribly cakey (probably because it was the worst possible blending I've seen). Laura Mercier stung the eye area. Then it was back to YSL. After trying on about shades 3, 2, 1, 2.5, and 1.5 ...settled on 3. What a looong hunt! I can't believe how many bad concealers there are for people who really have dark under eye cycles. I ended up trying on the Armani Maestro Fusion Concealer and actually liked it. It blended really nicely. Didn't buy it but it's definitely on my list of things to get in the next few months.

Ben Nye Banana Luxury Powder

After reading many good reviews about the Ben Nye Banana Powder, I bought this online. Now, the ingredients probably aren't the best for all skins. It contains talc and other things that don't sound good. This would be a product that you wouldn't wear on a daily basis, or at least I wouldn't. I put this on over my mineral foundation and my skin looked airbrushed. I loved the finish on this. It makes the skin look amazing. No pores, brightens the skin up. One negative about this is that I have to sift this onto a tissue paper and then use my brush. I've been using a kabuki brush with this.

I would definitely recommend this for occasional use, or if your skin can take it, you can obviously use it every day. I've just bought the Ben Nye Media Pro Creme Contour..hope it's as good!

Aspirin mask

So, today I went and bought aspirin (non-coated), witch hazel, sweet almond oil, tea tree oil, and lavender oil. Figured I would get a bunch of things and try them on different days and see what works.

Today I decided to do an Aspirin mask. I've read many, many reviews about them and thought I would try it out. I took 5 aspirin and used water to dissolve and make a paste. Once they were all dissolved I added a bit of sweet almond oil and some honey and mixed it all. I covered my face with the mixture. I realized that I probably should have used a couple more aspirin. Anyways, I left the mask on for about 20 or so minutes. When I washed it off, the sweet almond oil definitely made it harder to wash off. It left a layer of oil..not sure if that was good or bad. Next time I might try witch hazel or just water instead of the almond oil. I'm really hoping the mask is going to unclog all the little bumps I have all over.

I'll try the mask again in a few days and see if there's a difference.

**UPDATE
After using the mask, a lot of clogged pores ended up becoming whiteheads, and with a combination of Paula's Choice 1% BHA exfoliant, tea tree oil, and origins spot remover (not as frequently) my skin is looking much better. My face is definitely much smoother. I haven't had the chance to try the aspirin mask again though. I just had laser hair removal on my face yesterday, so I  want to give it at least a week before I put anything stronger on my skin.

Paula's Choice

Recently I tried Paula's Choice...I've heard of it before but never thought to try it out. My skin has not been reacting well to anything I use lately...tried Tamanu Oil, Embryolisse, Avene. The Tamanu Oil was working at first and definitely fading dark spots I had from acne but after a few weeks my skin broke out into a ton of pimples. I don't know for sure if it was the Tamanu Oil but I don't think I want to find out at the moment. Embryolisse was good for dry spots but I don't want to be using a product everyday that has Mineral Oil in it. Avene Cold Cream Cleansing Gel didn't dry out my skin but I don't think it did anything else for it either.

1% BHA Gel Exfoliant

Toner

So I decided, after reading all the good reviews about Paula's Choice, that I would take a shot using it, so I got a bunch of samples. I tried the Skin Balancing Oil-Reducing Cleanser, which doesn't seem to be doing anything for my skin. It's not a bad cleanser but really not doing anything to decrease my breakouts. The Skin Balancing Oil- Reducing Toner is actually one of the best toner's I've used. It didn't dry out my skin and was good at getting all the left over makeup off. The Skin Perfecting 1% BHA Gel Exfoliant I love! It doesn't dry out my skin...it is a bit sticky but that goes away quickly and I put on moisturizer a few minutes after anyways. It really has made my skin less dry and I don't feel like I'm putting anything harsh on. I've ordered the 2% BHA to see if it that works as well. The Resist Weekly Resurfacing Treatment with 10% Alpha Hydroxy Acid was just not for me. My skin felt tingly right away and didnt stop burning until I washed it off after about 20 minutes. Some of the acne I already had looked more inflamed. It was just way too strong for me. I generally have not had good results with anything with AHA's, and this was no exception. The Skin Balancing Super Antioxidant Serum went on very smoothly, but I didn't like the consistency of it. This just felt like it sat on top of my skin. It is good if you want a very matte finish, however. The Skin Balancing Invisible Finish Moisture Gel didn't provide much moisture for my skin. This is good for people with oiler skin. The last product that I used was the Skin Balancing Carbon Mask, and this was surprisingly non-drying. I really thought this would dry out my skin, but instead, my skin was very soft after using this. Definitely a keeper!

So, the products from Paula's choice that I really liked/loved are the Skin Balancing Oil-Reducing Toner, Skin Perfecting 1% BHA Gel Exfoliant (love!), and Skin Balancing Carbon Mask. All in all, a good brand and I think I'm going to stick to it.

My new treats

Been a busy couple of weeks..getting back into work mode..getting up early, sleeping early...oh how I miss summer (I'm a teacher). Well since being back in England, my skin has declared war on me. I've been forced to try new skin care products that have surprisingly been working (I think).

Organic Tamanu oil: I've been really wanting to try oils on my face because of the hype they have, so I researched which ones have been effective for other people with similar skin to mine. Jojoba oil is one that got good reviews, but is also said to cause breakouts. Tamanu oil is said to be "a soft, smooth oil that has the capacity to promote the formation of new tissue, thereby accelerating wound healing and the growth if healthy skin." It contains the following fatty acids:  Linoleic, Oleic, Stearic, and Palmitic. It has anti-inflammatory, anti-neuralgic, antibiotic antioxidant properties. Used to treat many things, including acne. At first I put it all over my face in the night, but then realized I should really only put it where necessary. It's dried out and decreased pimples I have overnight without making the surrounding area dry. Not all my pimples have decreased overnight but it's definitely working. Great stuff!

Embryolisse Lait Creme Concentre: I've been using this as a night cream and it really moisturizes without feeling greasy. I put on the tamanu oil in certain spots and put this cream over on my entire face. I think this is a good moisturizer that does its job without irritating the skin or causing any breakouts (so far!). I would recommend this to anyone who wants a basic moisturizer that actually moisturizes. I had a few dry spots on my cheeks and since using this the dryness has gone down considerably and I've only been using this for the last week. It's not a miracle product but it definitely works much better than many things I've used.                                       

MAC Prep+Prime Face Protect SPF 50: I hadn't bought a primer in a very long time. The last one was years ago by Lorac. I would get tons of samples from Sephora and just end up using them. I like the silky feel this gives the skin and it blends over the skin very nicely. I do need to make sure my skin is moisturized like crazy, because this primer does nothing for any dry spots. I noticed a difference when using this primer compared to not using anything. My mineral foundation definitely lasts all day when I have this on. I've used tons of primers and this is one of the good ones. The worst was probably Benefit Porefessional Primer...my skin ended up drier and flakier after putting that on. Thankfully, it was just a free sample. 

Avene Cold Cream Ultra Rich Cleansing Gel: Because my skin was getting drier but can also be acne prone and sensitive I thought I would use a gentler cleanser in the morning and my Kiehl's Blue Herbal Gel in the night. I found this at Boots and I figured since it's for dry skin it would work for me. I've been using it for the last 2 or so weeks and so far it's worked well. Because I only use it in the morning, I'm not worried about it having to take off makeup. I'm just looking for a good, gentle cleanse and this does the job. The best thing about this is that it isn't pricey...it's a big bottle and I'm sure it will last for a looong time.

Products Not Worth Buying

It's been almost 2 weeks since I've written anything...I'm back in England and it's been hard to adjust back to life here. Still trying to adjust my timings back to normal..uhh not worked out so far...that's why I'm awake at 3:30am. I did get to take a trip to Selfridges on the weekend...the one good thing about this place, but Sephora still rules! So today, I'm going to list the products that are just not worth buying..either they don't work or the'yre just too pricey for what they are. I have combination skin which tends to get very dry in the cheek area, and breaks out from time to time. I usually have a pimple or two (very small ones) at any given time.

1. Yes to Blueberries Age Refresh Smoothing Smoothing Daily Cleanser: I was soo excited when I bought. I'd been wanting to switch my morning cleanser to something with more natural ingrenients and more gentle for the skin. HORRIBLE HORRIBLE!! I broke out after using this. It leaves a greasy film on the skin no matter how much you wash your face. Stay clear of this!

2. Kiehl Line Reducing Eye-Brightening Concentrate: I've been using this for over 2 months and haven't noticed any positive change. I bought it because it was supposed to be eye-brightening and so far, my under eye area has not brightened. Maybe this is one of those products that takes months and months to work. It's too pricey and not worth it. It doesn't moisturize, so you do need to put another moisturizer on top. I'll finish the tube I have, but will not be purchasing another one. I would recommend, however, Kiehls Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado..I just bought it over the weekend and love it already. My underye area feels so much more moisturized...this is going to be my eye cream from now on!

3. Chanel- Soleil Tan de Chanel Bronzing Powder: There's nothing wrong with this, but it just isn't worth the price. There's sooo many good bronzers out there for cheaper...Estee Lauder, MAC, Tarte, etc. I've used Bare Escentuals All Over Face Colour in Warmth for years now and I find to give the best bronzer colour for my skin...amazing stuff and you only need a tiny bit.

4. Philosophy's On A Clear Day Retinol Clarifying Lotion: I've been using this for over 2 months now..thought it would be a good lotion to use in the night. It states on the back of the tube that it "refines the appearances of pores and overall skin texture". Well I'm still waiting for that to happen. I was not impressed by this product. For the price I paid, I expected better. I used Philosophy Help Me about a year and half ago and found it to work much better. My skin was less irritated with that one compared to On A Clear Day.

5. Max FactorSmokey Eye Effect Eyeshadow: I never used anything from Max Factor until I bought this. Well, the first time I used it one of the eyeshadows (Onyx Smoke) broke off. The colours themselves were okay, nothing special. There are brands that are about the same price that work much better, but are not eyeshadow sticks. After that experience, I've stayed away from any stick eyeshadows.

6. Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate: I got this as a sample and absolutely loved it. I used it about once a week until it ran out. Then I bought the full size bottle..bad idea. It was okay using it once a week but not more than that. It's not very moisturizing and just seems to sit on top of the skin. I hate putting moisturizer on top because it starts to feel too heavy.It didn't break me out though. I think there's products out there that work much better, and are actual serums. Or you could try using oils, which are so much more reasonably priced.

7. Lush products: I know many people love products by lush, but I have not had a positive experience with a single product, and I've used quite a few. Their masks/exfoliants didn't do a thing except give me small bumps on my face. Their shampoos either make hair oilier or dry. The products are a bit too pricey for what they are, and not worth it.

These were the products that I could think of right now...I'm sure there's tons of stuff I've used that hasn't lived up to my expectations! One more important point I wanted to make is don't use more than one new product at a time. I've done this recently and when my skin reacted negatively I couldn't figure out exactly why. So if's a new cleanser you're using, and you also bought a new bronzer or foundation don't use them in the same week.

Mineral Powder

The first time I used a mineral powder, I wasn't impressed. It was one by Amazing Cosmetics, and it was a pressed powder. It didn't do anything for my skin. And then 4 years ago I saw a friend of mine whose skin looked amazing...she just started using bareMinerals. So, off I went to get the starter kit. The only thing in that kit I didn't like was the Primer...it was horrible for my skin. About a year and half ago, my skin wasn't looking the way it used to, so I after some research, I decided to get mineral powder by Laura Mercier (Rich Vanilla). I found it to be lighter than bareMinerals, and after I started using that my skin (I think) started to look better. This summer I went back to bareMinerals because the Laura Mercier powder wasn't giving me the coverage I wanted in Toronto's humidity. Maybe I'm overanalyzing my skin, but lately even that hadn't been looking so good. So last week I bought MAC's Loose Mineralize Foundation (Medium- I'm around a NC30). In the store I thought it looked much better than bareMinerals, and felt like I didn't have anything on. Not sure if I'm just not putting enough on or I should finally retire my bareMinerals brush (just bought a Sephora mineral powder brush but haven't used it), but I'm not getting the coverage I want. However, I did use a primer at the store when I was trying it on, so that could be the case. Loved the primer by the way! It was the MAC Prep+Prime Face Protect SPF 50...amazing stuff!!Today I decided to see how they really compare. So, I put the MAC on one side of my face and the bareMinerals on the other. bareMinerals does provide more coverage, but can also look a bit cakey. MAC feels lighter but doesn't provide as much coverage. I really do like the MAC one and will use it for days when my skin if looking good. When it comes to actual jar, MAC is the worst of the bunch...much messier. The best is the Laura Mercier one..it has a twister that can cover the holes out of which you take the powder out.

MAC Mineralize Foundation

I would recommend bareMinerals to anyone who is looking for more coverage, and MAC to anyone who isn't worried about coverage and wants a very natural looking finish. Laura Mercier is also one that has worked very well for me, and does provide more coverage than MAC. I would love to know what worked for others...!

Inside beauty

Today's blog isn't about anything specific..I've been thinking about how we age and how I and people I know react to it. I have to be honest, I'm scared to get old....grey hair, wrinkles, gravity doing its work, etc. I look at myself and my friends and there's no one that "looks" their age. But, then again, what does that mean? How do you differentiate a 24 year old from a 29 year old? I don't think I would want to be 22 again...I've lived way too much since then to want to go back. I look at my table and in my bathroom and its scattered with skin products...do I need all of them? I'm not sure. Every time I read a magazine or go on to beauty sites, there's talk of different ingredients having different benefits. Retinol, hyaluronic acid, peptides, antioxidants (Vitamin C, green tea, CoffeeBerry, etc), ceramides, sirtuins, niacinamide, alpha hydroxy acids....and more. How can anyone keep up?! And how many products can one use?! I've used products with retinol, hyaluronic acid, antioxidants, and alpha hydroxy acids. Not sure how different my skin would have been if I hadn't...but I'm a bit hesitant to find out. I figure I'll reap the benefits later in my life. I have friends who have probably never used any skin care products for anti-aging and they look great...soo is it worth it? With science advancing and new ingredients and products always coming out, will it be possible to age gracefully and not look like your skin's been stretched out across your face or frozen with injections?

Urban Decay Smoked Eyeshadow Palette

 

I've been doing A LOT of make up shopping in the last week or so...absolutely love my new Urban Decay Smoked Eyeshadow Palette (also comes with an eye pencil and primer). The colours are gorgeous...very rich and long lasting. There are 4 matte shades and 6 metallic. I'm in love with Backdoor and Mushroom. The rest of the colours are great as well. This is wonderful for someone who likes dramatic looks and using colour. The eye pencil that came with it is Perversion, which is a very black...perfect for night time. I haven't had a chance to use the purple, blue, and green yet...maybe this weekend! I would definitely recommend this kit to anyone who loves to do smokey eyes...one of the best I've come across. Many others have the typical few shades but this really lets you experiment.

Concealers

Most days I can't go without concealer because of the redness I get on my cheeks and some minor blemishes. Years ago I used to use Lise Watier Portfolio Professional Correctors. It has 5 different colours of concealers that are used to disguise different imperfections. I think it's a great product if the beige and ivory match your skin tone. I went through tons of different concealers...Benefit, MAC, Clinique, Bare Minerals, etc. before I found the one I loved. Make Up For Ever (MUFE) Full Cover  Extreme Camouflage Cream is the concealor that I have been using for over 4 years. It covers well, doesn't feel heavy, and lasts. The colour that I have (10) matches my skin perfectly. I bought Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage about a year and half ago to try out something new, and this also a really good concealor. The good thing about this one is it has two colours so you can customize your colour. In the winter (when everyone is generally paler), use more of the lighter shade, and in the summer use more of the darker shade. This feels lighter than the MUFE concealor, so days when your skin is looking better this might be the better choice. I generally use a bit of concealer and then use mineral powder...looks natural and I don't feel like I have much on. I recently bought Yves Saint Laurent Touche Eclat (1 Luminous Radiance) for the eye area because everything else I use was making the eye area too dry (even after putting on eye cream before concealer). I find that it works pretty well, has good coverage, and is less drying. I'm sure there are other concealers that are a bit less pricey though. I'm still on the hunt!

I recently went makeup shopping with a friend and she ended up getting foundation and concealor from MAC. I love MAC for its eyeshadows and lipsticks, but that's it. Years ago I did get the Studio Finish Concealer and Powder Foundation, but found them both too heavy for my skin. My friend ended up getting Studio Fix Fluid (NC35) and Select Cover-up concealer, and it looked much better on her than the Bare Minerals Powder she was previously using. It had a nice finish and didn't make her skin look oily after a couple hours. So, yes, MAC is good for certain skin. I would recommend their concealers (and foundation) to those who need   
                                                        heavier coverage.

Dry Shampoo

So, dry shampoo has been around for a few years (as far as I know). I've bought a few different brands since then...Oscar Blandi, T3 Orlando Pita, Tresemme, Klorane, and Batiste are just a few of them. I found Oscar Blandi's Pronto Dry Shampoo Spray to leave a chalky residue...I'd rather spend the time to wash my hair! I used T3 Orlando Pita's Refresh Volumizing Dry Shampoo Dark Tone and found it to leave a dark chalky residue that I had to rub in like crazy. Tresemme's Dry Shampoo was cheap but didn't do anything. Klorane was a good one but it finished very quickly, and I've heard people complain about the cans and how the compressed air would slowly seep out and not be able to be used anymore. I started using Batiste earlier this year and have found it to be best of the bunch. It's very reasonably priced, and best of all, works! The one I have liked the best is the cool and crisp fresh and Original. The one I wouldn't recommend from Batiste is the XXL Volume...it made my hair very dry and tangly. It was much heavier than the other ones. My hair is usually on the drier side because its wavy/curly, so the XXL was not the one for me.

L'Oreal Eyeshadows



Goldmine



Reckless


I absolutely love eyeshadows...from neutrals to darks to brights. A lot of eyeshadows have been from Sephora (Too Faced, Stila, Benefit, Urban Decay, Sephora brand, etc.) and ofcourse, MAC. I have gotten the cheaper brands, like Covergirl and wasn't happy with the quality. L'Oreal's eyeshadows caught my attention, however, because of their deep colours and the variety. My first purchase was the L'Oreal HiP High Intensity Pigments in Reckless (514). This consists of two shades of purple (my favourite colour!) , and I love this duo.The powder eyeshadows go on smoothly and the lasts a long time (make sure to put on primer first though). I have Magnetic (206), Rascal (936), and Showy (224). I love how many different colours and combinations there are. Last year I came across the L'Oreal Color Infaillable Eyeshadows. The colours are incredible pigmented, but also tend to fall on the face when putting them on. I have All Night Blue (006) and Goldmine (027), which I recently bought a few weeks ago. I wet the brush slightly first and the eyeshadow didn't fall at all (yay!). The only negative thing I can say is that it took slightly longer to put the eyeshadow on because it was with a wet brush, but it came out looking great. I'm looking to buy a few more now that I know the best way to put it on is wet. I would recommend the L'Oreal eyeshadows to anyone who loves playing around with colour and doesn't want to spend a lot. My only concern with the Infaillable eyeshadows was when a friend of mine tried one. She's allergic to certain eyeshadows and this was one of them. She's still on the search to find a brand that doesn't cause a reaction....

Agera Microderma System

I bought the Agera Microderma System about two months ago right after I got an Agera Vitamin C Peel  at a skin clinic (like I said, I'm easy to sell to).  It consists of a mask and an activator. You put the mask on first. It looks nothing like the way I would typically think of a mask though; it contains Vitamin C crystals that you massage onto the face for a minute. The AHA (containing Lactic Acid) activator is then massaged onto the mask for about 2 minutes, which activates and dissolves the crystals.  So far I have used it twice. The first time I didn't notice anything special, but at that time by skin was very dry, probably because of having the heat on for soo many months because of the chilly weather in England. I'm in Canada right now (home!) and my skin has been in fairly good condition since being here, even with the extreme heat. I have a few dry patches on my cheeks and on one side of my nose that wouldnt go away, even with using my Dermalogica mask and trying not to use salicylic acid spot treatments. My skin has definitely changed over the years, and even in just one year. So I decided to give the Agera Microderma System another shot. When I used to mask I didn't feel anything, but the activator made my skin sting, especially my cheeks. My skin also started to feel like warm when I put the activator on, but that was alright...I guess that means it's hard at work! I wasn't sure what to expect because of the pain. After I washed my face there was a bit of redness, and I could feel my cheeks were still stinging a bit. After a few minutes the stinging subsided. My moisturizer went out more smoothly. The next day my dry patches were pretty much gone. I would recommend this product to anyone who doesn't have acne, because I think it would aggravate the acne way too much. Anyone who has dry skin would probably benefit from this. On the box it says to use this 1-3 times a week, but I think that's a bit much. I think once in two weeks is good enough.

Kiehl's Blue Herbal Gel Cleanser

From the time I was 14 to 24 I used Clean and Clear- Deep Action Cream Cleanser, and it was great. I never had any major breakouts until I turned 24. The I noticed my skin breaking out into small pimples and they wouldn't go away. It was time to retire good old Clean and Clear. I started using Clinique's Liquid Facial Soap, and for some reason, my combination skin just didn't react to it the way I wanted. So, I tried that for a few months and didn't like the way my skin was still. I've always read about Philosophy's Purity Made Simple, but had never tried it. Well, this was the one I ended up using for over 2 years... after I started using it my skin cleared up and was back to normal (with the occasional pimples).

I moved to England 2 years ago and me, along with my skin, had to adjust to the new place. I started breaking out soon after I moved there, and I just couldn't figure out why. I had little red pimples along my cheeks and even after using benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid (not at the same time) nothing happened. I decided to give Clinique another chance, so I started using their Acne Solutions Clear Skin System that included a cleaning foam, clarifying lotion, and clearing moisturizer. After a few days of starting to use my new products, my skin started breaking out even more. When I went to a Clinique counter, I was told that that was normal and my skin would start to clear up in a few weeks. I walked away a bit skeptical...and with Clinique's 7 day scrub cream (yes, I am very easy to sell skin care products to). My skin did start clearing up, but it was so horribly dry. I stopped using the moisturizer every day, and the dryness went away slightly but I still had very dry skin. So I searched online for cleansers for acne prone skin that hopefully wouldn't dry it out. I've never tried anything from Kiehl's before, but I figured why not. I bought Kiehl's Blue Herbal Gel Cleanser and I've been using it for the last year and a half. My skin gradually cleared up after using it. I usually use a salicylic acid spot treatment or benzoyl perozide if I have any small breakouts and then put moisturizer on. This cleanser has not dried out my skin, and in the morning I use very little so I don't overwash my skin. In the night I use a few more drops so all my makeup is washed off. I would recommend this to anyone who has acne prone skin. Clinique's Acne System is good anyone with very oily skin. I wish I could go back to using Clean and Clear...it was soo cheap!!

Nail polish

Stance by Illamasqua

Nail polish is probably the one thing I buy the least of. However, this summer I've had my nails looking very 'summery'. I've tried a few brands in the last couple of months...ranging from a few dollars to about $20. One of my cheaper ones was Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Xtreme Wear in Red Carpet. It had a really nice shine to it and was glittery but in a more understated way. I had to go to a wedding, and ended up getting my outfit only the day before, and needed a nail polish that would look good with it. Xtreme Wear turned out to be better than I thought, especially for the price I paid. My only complaint was when I wanted to take it off...lets's just say there's a reason why it's called Xtreme Wear! So, yes, it will definitely last. One of my favourite burgundy's is Illamasqua Scarab. It goes on great, and is my go to colour for the fall. In the summer I prefer brighter colours, like purple, pink, blue, orange. This summer my ultimate colour has been Stance (a fuchsia violet) by Illamasqua...as well as many other colours by that brand!

I had Shellac done in June and it ended up lasting for awhile..I got tired of it after 3 weeks and wanted to remove it...well, no easy feat there. Went to a nail salon, and even they had trouble taking it off. Well, at least I know it really does stay on! Ultimately, after quite a few attempts, my nails were naked. A few people have complained that Shellac really damages the nails. Thankfully, my nails have been perfectly fine. I would probably suggest Shellac to those who have stronger nails.

Kerastase Nutritive Oleo-Curl

I've tried sooo many products for my wave/curly hair that tends to be frizzy all the time. From sprays to mousse to creams..it's been a long struggle. I used Tigi Catwalk Curlesque Strong Mousse for a couple of years and it was definitely the best out of the bunch. It made my curls stay the whole day and gave me volume on good days...BUT...it also made hair stiff, which was kinda expected. The last time I went for a haircut, my hair stylist used something else (Kerastase Nutritive Oleo-Curl) and I was surprised at how big and amazing my hair looked. Well, ofcourse, it's hard to recreate any look you get at a salon. But, even then, my hair felt soft and I couldn't feel there was any product in it. I've used a Kerastase conditioner before and didn't like it too much, but loved the Oleo-Curl definition cream. I usually never blow dry my hair (prefer to air dry) so those who use a diffuser are going to get a lot of nice curls and volume with this. Only a tiny amount is needed, and I feel that if I need a bit more I add it after. It is pricey, but because only a small amount is needed, it'll last for ages!