As I mentioned in my last post, I planned on packing mostly sunscreens; I wound up only wearing makeup two nights of the entire trip. Here are the products I donned daily to protect against the sun during the day and rehydrate at night.
Monday, March 16, 2015
Sunny Destination Travel Essentials
I was fortunate to escape the cold for 7 days this month to scurry off to Samaná in Dominican Republic with my boyfriend. Pretty sure the cold snap ended as soon as we left, but the tropical weather in Samaná was a welcomed reprieve after the unfathomably cold winter we just endured in Toronto.
As I mentioned in my last post, I planned on packing mostly sunscreens; I wound up only wearing makeup two nights of the entire trip. Here are the products I donned daily to protect against the sun during the day and rehydrate at night.
I like sunscreen oils, which were barely a category up until a couple years ago. Traditionally, oil + sun = human roast, but that's not the case anymore. Last summer, I wrote about L'Oreal's Sublime Sun SPF Oil and how much I adored it, and I think I actually might like this Supergoop! version more. It's a bittersweet discovery though, because I don't even know if it's possible to get it in Canada without paying an arm/leg + duties. Fun fact: I did some digging and can confirm that Supergoop! is reformulating and repackaging to meet the stringent rules we have in Canada regarding sun protection, but will be relaunching in due time this year. On with the review: I find the Supergoop! version dries down much faster than the L'Oreal oil and it just feels like moisturizer, no sunscreen residue or even oily residue at all, since the formula absorbs quickly. The formula is full of antioxidants to fight off free radical damage that sun exposure causes, and meadowfoam hydrates skin beautifully. The 1 oz size was included in last spring's Sephora Sun Safety kit, so it was perfect to take along and try out last week. I'll definitely be stocking up on my next trip to the states. Semi-related sidebar rave-rant: I love Supergoop!'s SPF wipes and curse the day they were discontinued.
As I mentioned in my last post, I planned on packing mostly sunscreens; I wound up only wearing makeup two nights of the entire trip. Here are the products I donned daily to protect against the sun during the day and rehydrate at night.
Tuesday, February 3, 2015
Loving Lately - January 2015
Time-pressed, tired and back to the grind of work and school, so here are some bits that have delighted me over the past month!
Who actually likes putting on body lotion in the winter? Not me. If I'm damp from a shower and dying to get dressed, slathering on lotion is beyond a chore in such a vulnerable moment. I'm not as religious about body moisturizing as I ought to be, but this product helps substantially. I used to use the Olay in-shower body lotion many moons ago, but that formula made the shower/tub slick as ever, and I suspect it was pulled due to safety hazards galore, but I digress. This formula contains shea butter and only needs to be on skin a few seconds to work its magic. Towel-dry and get dressed because your skin is already hydrated. Blessed praise! P.S. There are three versions of this product for different severities of skin dryness, and the fragrance varies as well - I rec the Smooth Replenishing version, but they're all aces in my book.
Sunday, March 9, 2014
Travel Bits
I recently escaped the cold for a brief jaunt to sunny Arizona. Here are some products I used on the daily (if not multiple times a day) while traveling!
This product alternative title is apparently "24-hour Miracle Cream", and I'm thinking that's a substantial claim, but not one that I'm really going to argue with. I first started using this when I heard about it in a Pixiwoo video and then stumbled upon it at Ricky's NYC. I'm pretty into the texture and hydrating properties (shea butter, beeswax, aloe vera, soy protein), though I'm not wild about the packaging. The metal tube is pretty beat up, as it's my go-to travel moisturizer. I figured it'd be a great contender for any airplane dryness I'd face (boo HISS @ connecting flights), and it was.
It's a daily staple, not just a travel necessity, and frankly, sunscreen ought to be a daily staple for all y'all! This is an incredibly lightweight titanium dioxide/zinx oxide formula that absorbs quickly with no greasy residue at all. If you're at all averse to sunscreen greasiness of yesteryear, try this formula to have any and all of your sunscreen apprehension dramatically shift to complete and utter love. This one won't leave any whitish cast on your skin, so it's great for any and all skin tones. It's a needed product in your daily routine. Also: this sunscreen wears beautifully under makeup!
As I've mentioned, I have unusually pigmented lips, and time in the sun makes the edges of my mouth much darker. My go-to tinted balms that contain SPF usually melt in no time in heat (sorry, Fresh Sugar Lip Tint), so I avoided carrying them in my bag for touch-ups or taking them with me when traveling. For sunscreen protection without a tint, I packed this Nivea stick, which is comfortable to wear thanks to vitamin E and sunflower extracts.
A newcomer to the Benefit range and a totally welcomed addition to my warm weather face routine, this lightweight foundation formula adjusts to match your skintone (though there are multiple shades in the range to begin with), goes from a creamy liquid to a matte, powder-like finish and contains SPF 35. What's not to like about this?
Nabbed a mini of this perfectly summery EDP as a Sephora VIB Rouge deluxe sample and have thoroughly enjoyed both wearing it and admiring the adorable nature of the teensy bottle. The pink peony, rose and amber notes are unusually appealing to me, a not-so-floral fragrance lover. Reminder: I like mini beauty things.
I can't say I love decanting products too much for travel purposes. I seem to buy endless amounts of travel-size containers for this exact purpose and they all seem to collectively suck because they all end up being the containers that leak endless inside my Ziploc bag. No bueno. Every hand cream I had in my arsenal seemed to be 2+ ounces, so I was amped when this sample surfaced in a drawer. I've had a number of these over the years, and the smell now reminds me of air travel (in a good way - and yes, I do think that's a thing!), and it really does an excellent job of hydrating, softening and soothing hands. Well worth the full size purchase!
This product alternative title is apparently "24-hour Miracle Cream", and I'm thinking that's a substantial claim, but not one that I'm really going to argue with. I first started using this when I heard about it in a Pixiwoo video and then stumbled upon it at Ricky's NYC. I'm pretty into the texture and hydrating properties (shea butter, beeswax, aloe vera, soy protein), though I'm not wild about the packaging. The metal tube is pretty beat up, as it's my go-to travel moisturizer. I figured it'd be a great contender for any airplane dryness I'd face (boo HISS @ connecting flights), and it was.
It's a daily staple, not just a travel necessity, and frankly, sunscreen ought to be a daily staple for all y'all! This is an incredibly lightweight titanium dioxide/zinx oxide formula that absorbs quickly with no greasy residue at all. If you're at all averse to sunscreen greasiness of yesteryear, try this formula to have any and all of your sunscreen apprehension dramatically shift to complete and utter love. This one won't leave any whitish cast on your skin, so it's great for any and all skin tones. It's a needed product in your daily routine. Also: this sunscreen wears beautifully under makeup!
As I've mentioned, I have unusually pigmented lips, and time in the sun makes the edges of my mouth much darker. My go-to tinted balms that contain SPF usually melt in no time in heat (sorry, Fresh Sugar Lip Tint), so I avoided carrying them in my bag for touch-ups or taking them with me when traveling. For sunscreen protection without a tint, I packed this Nivea stick, which is comfortable to wear thanks to vitamin E and sunflower extracts.
A newcomer to the Benefit range and a totally welcomed addition to my warm weather face routine, this lightweight foundation formula adjusts to match your skintone (though there are multiple shades in the range to begin with), goes from a creamy liquid to a matte, powder-like finish and contains SPF 35. What's not to like about this?
Chloé Eau de Parfum (mini)
Nabbed a mini of this perfectly summery EDP as a Sephora VIB Rouge deluxe sample and have thoroughly enjoyed both wearing it and admiring the adorable nature of the teensy bottle. The pink peony, rose and amber notes are unusually appealing to me, a not-so-floral fragrance lover. Reminder: I like mini beauty things.
I can't say I love decanting products too much for travel purposes. I seem to buy endless amounts of travel-size containers for this exact purpose and they all seem to collectively suck because they all end up being the containers that leak endless inside my Ziploc bag. No bueno. Every hand cream I had in my arsenal seemed to be 2+ ounces, so I was amped when this sample surfaced in a drawer. I've had a number of these over the years, and the smell now reminds me of air travel (in a good way - and yes, I do think that's a thing!), and it really does an excellent job of hydrating, softening and soothing hands. Well worth the full size purchase!
Thursday, January 30, 2014
Favourite Drugstore Products
I did a guest-speaking spot at York University last week (shoutout to the social media marketing kids at Schulich!!), and some very pleasant and curious girls approached me after the class and asked me what my favourite drugstore products are. While there are a boatload to rave about, here are some that came to mind without me even thinking twice. Read on to find out what I gravitate towards every time I set foot in a Shoppers or Rexall (or what I click over to when perusing Well.ca or HealthSnap.ca).
I could ramble on about lip balms all day (or for a considerably long post right here), especially at the drugstore level, where there's quite the selection of sticks, pots and spheres to choose from. That being said, this stick of Live Clean lip balm held its own when I started using it this past summer. It's an all-organic formula, enriched with natural oils that are hyper-hydrating for lips. Equally important is what this formula doesn't contain, which is petroleum, mineral oil, parabens, phthalates, phosphates, preservatives, dyes and colours. None of that stuff! None of it! And it's a vegetarian-friendly formula and is cruelty-free. Not too shabby for $4!
At the Unilever 2014 preview last year, there was sort of a travel-sized free-for-all situation set up on a table in a corner of the event space. A travel set of Simple products was bestowed upon me and a lil tube of this rather understated face wash was included. I've used it any time I've traveled (mostly short jaunts to visit the folks) since then, and I'm actually rather chuffed to find an effective, soap-free cleanser at a drugstore price point ($10 for 150 mL -- not too shabby!) that doesn't dry out skin at all (thanks to it being soap-free -- it's not rocket science, y'all) yet still manages to remove a full face of makeup (and y'all know I'm not exactly light-handed when it comes to my face). Bonus: It contains panthenol to hydrate and soothe skin. What could be bad about that?!
I'm a sucker for a high-end lotion usually because I like a good scent just about any way I can get it, but I have a serious soft spot for drugstore lotions. Since I've finally established and committed to a routine of habitual body moisturization (though, frankly, in this weather, it's moisturize or cringe from your skin feeling too tight and itchy all bloody day), buying into a more expensive body moisturizer is quite illogical for this time of year. This particular lotion came to me in the fall after Nivea underwent a repackaging of their body range, and I'm rather thrilled it did! I worked my way through the smaller bottle I received and actually repurchased a bigger bottle [Note: A testament to the product: I felt the need to actually add yet another bottle to my bathroom counter because it performed that well]. The formula contains vitamin E, shea butter and ginkgo extract, making it quite hydrating. It absorbs quickly and has a fairly gender-neutral, subtle scent (i.e. my boyfriend doesn't object to using it at all). A big bottle is around $11 at drugstores and it will last you, so I urge you to slather on generously post-shower and please be comfortable in your skin.
Hand cream is a whole other post, quite frankly, because there are a slew of good ones out there, but y'all know they clock in at incredibly variable price points. This Neutrogena hand cream is honestly more salve-like in texture, brimming with glycerin, but that's what makes it so highly effective in rehabbing chapped hands to a much more hydrated and smooth state. This stuff seems like a bit of a rip when you think, "$7 for 50 mL? What am I paying for?" I assure you, this is a highly concentrated formula. Hell, the box even assures you that there are approximately 200 applications in a single tube, so don't fret if you're a frequent hand cream user, because this one will last you.
I've been using this pressed powder for probably 4 years now and it does a brilliant job of banishing oil and keeping makeup in place, and the price point is so incredibly fair. This is a product I've hit pan on and repurchased many times. I keep an eye on ASOS to see what the UK Rimmel product assortment is like. They have this powder in a lot more shades than we do (and really neat ones, too, like "Peach Glow" and "Pink Blossom"), though it is marginally pricier through ASOS, so just keep an eye on it because usually the whole brand goes on a 30% off offer every so often. One downside that I wish the brand would pay attention to when people review this product: the packaging is absolute garbage. I'm shocked my powder hasn't shattered, because the packaging is so flimsy. Just use caution when packing this in a makeup bag for travel, and definitely don't grab this if you're thinking it would be handy for touch-ups on the go. It's not. Aside from that, it's a wonderful product that delivers on its claim!
This is one of the most pigmented and smooth eyeliners I've had the joy of using, and it just happens to be a drugstore product. It's oil-based and is loaded with polymers to give the gel-like application, but it can be a bit tricky to remove, as it is in the Infallible range, meaning it's a long-wearing formula. No matter how much Bioderma I use, I always seem to have a bit of residue the next morning. This doesn't bother me too much, as I feel the pigmentation and how the liner wears when I tightline with it is phenomenal.
Disclosure: This post contains product(s) sent from the company or their PR team for editorial consideration. For more information, please click here.
I get excited over mascara. Y'all know I've tried plenty of them (exhibit A, exhibit B), and there are some fine formulations at the drugstore price point, but this brush has really flipped the script for me. In my experience (and as we know, everyone's mileage may vary with beauty products, mascara especially), this brush is great for volumizing lashes, lifting and winging them out, which conveniently mimics the visual effect of a feline flick liner, all for about $12 bucks. The past few months I've had this tube in my rotation, I've had more people stop and ask me which mascara I'm wearing when I've worn this formula over any other. It's (foot) traffic-stopping!! I've always found mascara, Voluminous formulas being no exception, to work much better when they've dried out. Make sure you let it dry out a little and give it a go.
Hand cream is a whole other post, quite frankly, because there are a slew of good ones out there, but y'all know they clock in at incredibly variable price points. This Neutrogena hand cream is honestly more salve-like in texture, brimming with glycerin, but that's what makes it so highly effective in rehabbing chapped hands to a much more hydrated and smooth state. This stuff seems like a bit of a rip when you think, "$7 for 50 mL? What am I paying for?" I assure you, this is a highly concentrated formula. Hell, the box even assures you that there are approximately 200 applications in a single tube, so don't fret if you're a frequent hand cream user, because this one will last you.
L'Oreal Infallible Silkissime Eyeliner
Disclosure: This post contains product(s) sent from the company or their PR team for editorial consideration. For more information, please click here.
Wednesday, January 8, 2014
Slather'em On: LIP BALMS
Let me push the banal envelope and whine about the arctic temperature for a moment: JESUS CHRIST, IT IS COLD OUT THERE. And to me, that basically means abandon all lip colours and focus on proper balms that protect lips instead of drain them of moisture *glares at matte lipsticks*. I was reading through the comments section of a lip balm free-for-all post on IntoTheGloss and thought I could throw my two cents down (I'm giggling because we no longer have the penny)....! The temperature has been somewhere around the -40C mark more than a few times in the past week, so I thought it may be handy to go over some lip balms and products that may be worth your while if you're trying to nurse them back from a cracked or peeling state. Let's get right into it!
Okay, I admit this one is more luxurious than anything else, and it won't do too much for you in harsh weather, but I first bought this in the early 2000s and have repurchased it several times since. I've never been one to care about flavours of lip products because I don't lick my lips (yes, I'm superior to you like that - let's be real, it never was a habit for me and it just further dehydrates your lips due to the acidic nature of saliva, so...), but this one tastes pleasant for others, so I like to be considerate in that way, and it's pretty much the smoothest lip balm ever when applied on freshly exfoliated lips. It's known for containing the famous La Mer broth that is in the other La Mer skincare products. Famous broth aside, La Mer Lip Balm is pretty pricey ($60, at Holt Renfrew), but if you're in the mood for a small indulgence, let it be this one.
[Note: I exfoliate my lips every single night with a slightly dampened face towel and then apply lip balm. I started this ritual in high school and have stuck with it since and it helps immensely with both eliminating flakey, dead skin and lip balm absorption]
Finally, a suitable and petroleum-free alternative to Vaseline, Aquaphor and the like! This thick, emollient balm is meant to be a leave-on "mask" for your lips, but really it's a balm that you can wear any time you jolly well please (I'm sorry, I just finished rewatching Seasons 1 through 3 of Downton)! It contains jojoba oil, lanolin, and the antioxidant that Bite Beauty is most known for, resveratrol (commonly found in red wine). This stuff is so soothing and comfortable, it's just what's needed for this heinous weather we've all been trudging through. The price point is rather fair. One downer: it's in one of those classic metal tubes so getting every bit out might be an absolute nightmare, but enough people have ranted about it that I anticipate a repackaging situation at some point... I hope. A solid bet for your money ($30, at Sephora), packaging aside.
I believe I grabbed one of these in a cutesie tube that had a cartoon drawing of the classic Elizabeth Arden Red Door on it at Duty Free in EWR on one of my various visits home a couple years ago and have been rather happy that I did. This lip balm ($23, at The Bay) is essentially a stick version of the heralded Elizabeth Arden 8 Hour Cream, known as such because it was alleged by a customer that the cream healed her son's scrapes in 8 hours. The formula contains petrolatum (wah!), vitamin E, salicylic acid and other emollients. The lip balm in particular also contains SPF, making it a fine option for any day there's a fresh snowfall (fun fact: snow reflects light like crazy SO WEAR SUNSCREEN EVERY DAY, even in the winter). If you know the smell of the 8 Hour Cream, then you can probably conclude what this balm smells like ... herbal, at best, but man, it does a damn good job of soothing irritated lips.
I have been a long-time user of Nivea lip products... probably more so when they were still Labello lip products and then bought out by Nivea, but whatever, I'm no stranger to the stick balms. You know, the light blue hydrating, the darker blue classic, all the wacky ones they've conjured up in the last couple years (chamomile? mint & minerals?)... I've tried them all! I've even gone as far as ordering weird fruity flavours from Asia via Amazon (it was one of those orders where I guess I kind of fell into an Amazon blackhole, but I'm pretty sure that's *all* Amazon orders, am I right?). When I saw a tin lip butter ($3.60, well.ca) was emerging from Nivea, I was rather enthused. Naturally, the Canadian market somehow got the shaft and only received two of the 4 SKUs that launched in US and UK markets. Typical! Either way, I went for the original and I'm quite pleased with it. While I'm admittedly skeptical of any balm with a whitish hue since I have pigmented lips and well, simple math: pigmented lips + whitish balm = gross greyish cast of colour, but that wasn't the case with this balm. This buttery stuff absorbed, and the formula is rich with almond oil and shea butter, so actual hydration is a thing that occurs here! Huzzah!
Disclosure: This post contains product(s) sent from the company or their PR team for editorial consideration. For more information, please click here.
Okay, I admit this one is more luxurious than anything else, and it won't do too much for you in harsh weather, but I first bought this in the early 2000s and have repurchased it several times since. I've never been one to care about flavours of lip products because I don't lick my lips (yes, I'm superior to you like that - let's be real, it never was a habit for me and it just further dehydrates your lips due to the acidic nature of saliva, so...), but this one tastes pleasant for others, so I like to be considerate in that way, and it's pretty much the smoothest lip balm ever when applied on freshly exfoliated lips. It's known for containing the famous La Mer broth that is in the other La Mer skincare products. Famous broth aside, La Mer Lip Balm is pretty pricey ($60, at Holt Renfrew), but if you're in the mood for a small indulgence, let it be this one.
[Note: I exfoliate my lips every single night with a slightly dampened face towel and then apply lip balm. I started this ritual in high school and have stuck with it since and it helps immensely with both eliminating flakey, dead skin and lip balm absorption]
Finally, a suitable and petroleum-free alternative to Vaseline, Aquaphor and the like! This thick, emollient balm is meant to be a leave-on "mask" for your lips, but really it's a balm that you can wear any time you jolly well please (I'm sorry, I just finished rewatching Seasons 1 through 3 of Downton)! It contains jojoba oil, lanolin, and the antioxidant that Bite Beauty is most known for, resveratrol (commonly found in red wine). This stuff is so soothing and comfortable, it's just what's needed for this heinous weather we've all been trudging through. The price point is rather fair. One downer: it's in one of those classic metal tubes so getting every bit out might be an absolute nightmare, but enough people have ranted about it that I anticipate a repackaging situation at some point... I hope. A solid bet for your money ($30, at Sephora), packaging aside.
Disclosure: This post contains product(s) sent from the company or their PR team for editorial consideration. For more information, please click here.
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