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.