HAUL: Sephora

I went into Sephora to repurchase a serum that helps to clear my skin and disaster struck.  I ended up getting many things all skin related likely because I have been self conscious of my ridiculous acne that started cropping up three months ago.  Anyways here is what I picked up:

 I repurchased the beauty blender because it works. I am no makeup artist by any stretch of the imagination and this magic egg sponge makes me look more flawless and less streaky.  These sponges are annoyingly expensive but I don't think you can put a price on having your face blend into your neck. Sadly, I am guilty of being "that girl" with a demarcation line on her jaw. 

This Peter Thomas Roth gel is a repurchase and surely will not be the last bottle I buy. This gel is 10% glycolic acid. I noticed a slight change in my lines and do believe this product is anti-aging. The real reason why I repurchased this gel is I noticed a difference in the clarity of my skin. It also was not drying which is important for where I live. Check it out here  

When I woke up this morning my cystic acne was particularly inflamed. I decided to stop using all products that contain silicones. In my mind I am certain it is silicone that is breaking my skin out. My roommate believes it is stress. It's probably both.  I have tried many different primers and all of them break me out with the exception of Laura Geller's Spackle. Since I am out of Spackle, I decided to try a small bottle of Sephora silicone free primer.  Hopefully it is kind to my skin. Click here for more info.

 I am very hopeful for this product. I really want to like it. I hope it is kind to my skin. All of my other foundations and BB creams have the dreaded "dimethicone"as an ingredient. At this point my "allergy" to this ingredient is just a hypothesis. I decided to try this Tarte foundation because it is also silicone free.  It had fairly good reviews so I am optimistic Click here for more info.

This a sample of the cleansing wipe the lady at the till popped in my bag. If you saw my skin you would understand why she selected it for me. Personally, I'm not a fan of wipes because they don't clean my skin deep enough. If I am going to use a wipe it needs to be gentle enough to use on my eyes.  I'm pretty sure that these wipes will turn my eyes bloodshot red with their clarifying ingredients! I'll test it out but I don't think these wipes are worth the cost. Clearly I'd rather buy more eyeshadow.

My downfall is that I am incredibly impatient and want my skin to be better NOW! I am trying to resist the urge to change all of my products at once so I can figure out which product helps or hinders my skin. I'll be sure to keep you in the loop with how my skin is progressing.

PERFUME PASSION: Kate Spade's Twirl

I am a bit of a sucker for beautiful packaging and floral scents.  I am trying to not get too attached to Kate Spade's "Twirl" because I just found out that it is discontinued. So typical. I am a sucker for all things discontinued! Anyways... according to Sephora:

"Twirl's fruity top notes sparkle with pink watermelon, blackberry, and red currant. Heart notes of fresh flowers take the next dance, including orange blossom, jasmine, and magnolia. The fragrance dries down to a base of luminous musks and a touch of a French macaroon-straight from the patisserie, of course. The flacon is round with gold dots, it's like a disco ball in a bottle filled with champagne.”

Please excuse my artistic liberties with this picture...

Now if that doesn’t sound like fun I don’t know what does.  The bottle displays Kate’s signature gold dots adding a touch of whismy.  It is a youthful scent with a more mature twist. What I’m trying to say is it isn’t a cotton candy in your face kind of scent, but a pretty, preppy scent.  I must confess that I do not like the scent enough to use it exclusively, but I do reach for it often in my rotation of fragrances.

I am a bit crushed that this scent has been discontinued.  A quick google search tells me that you can pick up this scent on ebay. I enjoy wearing it but not enough that I am going to run out and get a backup. At least there are a million other scents I’m dying to try. I think I’ll be just fine. 

November Favorites

Hi Friends! Calgary has been hit by a blizzard so I am hiding from the snow to write this blog.  At least blogging is more productive than a massive gossip girl marathon. I'm fairly certain that I have not matured past 15 years old.  I wanted to incorporate monthly favorites into this blog because it provides a snapshot of what people are loving.  I was hoping that my selections would echo the fall, but that didn't happen. I have an eclectic mix between drugstore and high end (Sephora... I'm not thaaat ballin'). Many of these products will get repurchased and I'm sure will make a re-occurance on the blog. Some of these products will not be repurchased in the interest of branching out and trying something new. 

Hard Candy Blush in Pin Up about $7 at Walmart

I didn't want to fall in love with this one but it happened. In a happy coincidence where I forgot my Lorac Spotlight in my gym bag in my car and had to resort to good olde' Pin Up to luminize my face.  Pin Up provides a rose gold type shimmer without glitter.  Also there is so much product here! A whopping 8g! I'm fairly certain I'll have this guy until I retire. Or not. That would be gross. 

MAC blush in Well Dressed $25 at  maccosmetics.com

I have longed for this blush FOREVER. I bought it in the summer but find it looks better when my skin is a bit paler.  Well Dressed is also perfect for people who are heavy handed like me. Most days end up looking like a circus clown. I don't find this blush very buildable... and for me that is a very good thing!

Rimmel London Stay Matte Powder in Creamy Natural $7.99 at Well.ca

This powder is really nice for a drugstore brand. I picked this up to have in my gym bag back when I went to the gym before work.  It does the job, smells like drug store powder, and is exactly what you would expect. The jury is out whether or not this powder if breaking me out. If that is the culprit then I will be sadly disappointed!

Revlon's Age Defying Concealer in Light... not sure how much I paid for this puppy

This concealer does not seem to crease! Kind of magic for a drugstore concealer. Also- apparently this concealer has anti-aging and moisturizing properties which is great because I am aging... by the minute and so are YOU! If it's on sale I suggest you pick it up.

Stila Kitten $23 at Sephora

Everyone raves about this shadow and with very good reason! Kitten is a bright peachy pink champagne shimmer shadow. I challenge you to say that three times fast! (Admit you totally just tried to do it). If used with a good shadow base it will last all day. Without a base it will flake off throughout the day. I use this shadow all over the eye and it is easy to work with. I am convinced that it could be used as a luminizer as well. Challenge accepted! I'll try it out tomorrow. Stay Tuned.

Bausch and Lomb Redness Eyedrops $4.65 at Well.ca

I live in Alberta, the land of evaporating moisture. I also have allergies in addition to working fairly hard and staying up late. This means that my eyes resemble either a new born vampire or pothead. As you can imagine it's not a good look on me. Therefore I have an elaborate routine that involves trying to  add moisture back to my eyes.  Part of my routine is using these drops to relieve the redness. These work really well!

Tarte Lights, Cameras, Splashes! $25 at Sephora

I bought this before my post-grad trip to Mexico in May. I wanted a water proof mascara that was not harsh on my eyes. This mascara is amazing the staying power is incredible. It literally lasts for days and is very difficult to remove.  Still, I have love for this mascara as it has not let me down through nights out, tears, swimming, and camping.

Maybelline Great Lash in Clear $7.49 at Well.ca

This mascara makes for a great brow gel. It keeps my brows in place all day. It is simple, inexpensive and effective.

Aveeno Clear Complexion $27.99 at Well.ca (Guaranteed I did not pay that much... seems a bit extreme)

I bought this when my skin first started breaking out. In the past I have been obsessed with another Aveno moisturizer, positively radiant. I prefer positively radiant because it is more moisturizing and gives my skin a healthy, dewy appearance. This product is moisturizing and contains Salicylic Acid an acne fighting ingredient that my skin responds to. It seems to be doing the trick and a reach for it everyday hence reaching favourite status. Also- do not pay $27.99 for this product. It goes on sale regularly sometimes as low as $19.99.

Rosebud Perfume Co. in Mocha Rose $7.50 at Sephora

Since my first tin of Rosebud salve I have been obsessed! I really love the tube form. It is genius because your fingers do not get all gooey from dipping into the jar and is way more hygienic.  Moka Rose is a mythical flavor that I never see at Sephora.  It is perfect to put on your lips while getting ready in the morning. The coffee flavor really helps to wake me up!

And there you have it! My November Favorites in all their glory! Comment below about your favorites of the moment. I'm always looking for new things to try :) Stay tuned for next month when I reveal my Favorites of 2013!

HAUL: Planet Organic

My skin has been freaking out lately. It has not been this bad since I was a teenager.  I have tried many different things to get my skin under control with no luck.  I have been thinking about using more natural products lately and a friend recommended that I go to Planet Organic to test out more natural products.  Hopefully some of these products clear up my skin.

This tea is a repurchase and will not be the last! It is a cleansing tea but it is very gentle and geared towards clearing the skin.  It also tastes good and is very refreshing!  At 6.95 for 20 tea bags I think it is a low cost and effective solution to my acne ridden skin.  I have some at home so I will likely bring this into the office to join the rest of my epic tea collection! Click here for more info!

This product was an impulse buy. It was on sale for $19.99 and is a night time "Recovery Cream".  It is supposed to clear my skin while I sleep and be hydrating.  I am hopeful but must admit that I was open to trying out this product because Planet Organic has a 14 day 100% money back return policy.  Must not loose the receipt though!

One of my best friends is a hair dresser and has spoiled me with salon hair products for years thus I have come to expect a certain kind of performance from my hair care routine. This was problematic when I decided I wanted to use more natural products as most of them make my hair a frizzy disaster! Until Giovanni entered my life. Everything I have tried has improved my hair. Sadly, Planet Organic has greatly reduced the Giovanni stock they carry in their Varsity store.  In the future I will be ordering from Well.ca. I am leerly of ordering products during the Winter because I am concerned about the product freezing in the mail and the quality being altered. This shampoo is supposed to be very hydrating which is perfect for the upcoming winter months in Calgary.