The Beauty Bargain

The Thoughts |The Ordinary’s Vitamin C Derivative Offerings

There are few products that made such a difference in my skin with short-term use as using the Paula’s Choice Resist C15 Super Booster – a water-based preparation of 15% ascorbic acid. Unfortunately, I can find it irritating on my reactive skin when used twice a day along with the other actives in my routine and that I struggle to use up the product before it oxidizes.  As a result, it’s expensive with the low value of the Canadian dollar, when it can only remain stable for three or so months. I’d describe my skin as reactive and quite dry on the cheeks and chin, and prone to dullness and uneven tone. Also, I’m prone to under the skin bumps and the occasional pimple in my cheeks and chin that take forever to go away. I struggle with my skin taking forever to heal from these occasional blemishes. The Paula’s Choice offering really helped with the healing time for post inflammatory hyperpigmentation and truly evened out and brightened my skin. I found myself trying a few different products from The Ordinary to potentially use in its place after seeing their prices and hearing the company’s boasts about their products stability.

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The Ordinary Ascorbic Tetraisopalmitate Solution 20% in Vitamin F ($17.80 CDN)

I was so excited to try out this brightening vitamin c derivative because it’s formulated along with essential fatty acids that are incredibly helpful in the maintenance and repair of the skin barrier. On the positive side, this product was not irritating in the least but I also did not see much in terms of notable results. It was nothing even comparable of the effect of the Paula’s Choice and I’d say that this is because vitamin c derivatives require the skin to perform an extra step to convert the ingredient to ascorbic acid so even if it fully converts, the concentration of vitamin c would be lower than the 20% advertised. It performs as a regular antioxidant in my routine and unfortunately for me, I did not enjoy the coconut alkane base; I found it made my dry skin feel almost greasy  and felt kind of almost gritty, without ever truly absorbing into the skin. I didn’t find myself wanting to use the formula even at night because it didn’t feel great on the skin. And I note that this is as someone with dry skin who does not typically mind oilier formulas. There’s definitely research that indicates that ascorbyl tetraisopalmitate has deeper penetration than other derivatives, has excellent skin brightening ability and has good stability. We just don’t have the research that it stimulates collagen in the way that ascorbic acid does and helps to prevent and reverse skin damage when used along with sunscreen.

Ingredients: Coconut Alkanes, Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate, Ethyl Linoleate, Coco-Caprylate/Caprate, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Solanum Lycopersicum (Tomato) Fruit Extract, Squalane.

The Ordinary Ethylated Ascorbic Acid 15% Solution ($18 CDN)

Much like the former product, I enjoyed the product’s gentle formula but wished there was more in terms of notable results. I think that I saw a slightly more pronounced brightening effect with this one and less of a gritty texture but I had the same issue with its stable water-free formulation – it felt oily on the skin and never quite absorbed. As someone who loves oils, I was shocked to learn that the oily texture was so unappealing and even impacted foundation wear on my normal areas of my drier skin. I like to use vitamin c during the daytime for extra antioxidant protection and the texture of this product made daytime wear incredibly unappealing. It’s a more stable derivative, or more precisely, an ester of ascorbic acid, that has some research that suggests that it may produce more similar effects to pure ascorbic acid with increased stability but we aren’t there yet at knowing for sure. It does have notable brightening ability, seems to help with collagen synthesis, inhibits the formation of melanocytes and has significant ability to repair the skin from sun damage. The body metabolizes ethylated ascorbic acid as l-ascorbic acid but there is first a conversion that occurs and its unclear how much l-ascorbic acid this formula converts to. The formula is incredibly simple and only contains two ingredients, so this may be a good option for skin types that are often irritated and avoid long ingredient lists. It’s merely ethyl ascorbic acid and a hydrating penetration enhancer. My complaint is merely that I don’t find it to be cosmetically elegant and appealing for daytime wear.

Ingredients: Propanediol, Ethyl Ascorbic Acid
What’s your favourite vitamin c?
Maggie, x.

 

The Beauty Bargain| L’Oreal Revitalift Cicacream

The L’Oreal Revitalift Cicacream Skin Repair + Anti-Aging Cream ($29.99 CDN) is one of those strange products that is available in a myriad of countries, yet has at least three different formulas. There’s one formula sold in the US that seems to be the most economical – but with the least impressive ingredient list – and there are two more similar ingredient lists (but still different) in Europe and Canada. I have the Canadian version. At almost thirty dollars at most drugstores here for 50 mLs, this product doesn’t seem to be the most affordable. However, the formula is impressive enough for me to highly recommend it.

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Ingredients: Aqua, Glycerin, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Sesamum Indicum Seed Oil, Glyceryl Stearate, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, PEG-100 Sterate, Theobroma Cacao Seed Butter, BHT, Caprylyl Glycol, Carbomer, Centella Asiatica Extract, Ceteareth-20, Cetearyl Alcohol, Chlorphensin, Citric Acid, Dimethicone, Dimethiconol, Disodium EDTA, Ethylhexylglycerin, Faex Extract, Madecassoside, Methyldihydrojasmonate, Myristic Acid, Palmitic Acid, Pentaerythrityl-tetra-di-t-butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate, Phenoxyethanol, Polysorbate 20, Retinyl Palmitate, Sodium Hydroxide, Stearic Acid, Tocopheryl Acetate, Xanthum Gum

This product is recognized for skin health by the Canadian Dermatology Association for its value on sensitized skin, or skin that is just plain sensitive in nature. It’s fragrance free and doesn’t contain any irritating plant extracts or drying alcohols either. Also it’s paraben and dye free if those are concerns of yours. This version has an impressive amount of centella asiatica extract, which is a potent antioxidant known to accelerate wound healing, combat inflammation and restore an impaired skin barrier. It’s anti-aging in the sense that it prevents further skin damage from occurring via antioxidant activity and decreases inflammation, strengthening the skin barrier. The base of the product is glycerin, your standard emollients, sesame oil, shea and cocoa seed butter and fatty alcohols. Further down on the ingredient list, this product also features yeast, another antioxidant. Unfortunately, the formula only contains a minuscule amount of retinyl palmitate and will not likely have an impact on the skin.

My experience with this moisturizer on my dry and easily irritated skin is that my skin is left calmed, soothed, hydrated and comforted and I happily find myself reaching for it, even when my skin is quite dry and irritated. The formula reminds me a lot of the Kiehl’s Skin Rescuer – which is also in the L’Oreal family and contains shea butter and centella asiatica – with a higher price tag.

Have you tried this product?
Maggie, x.

The Beauty Bargain | The Ordinary Lactic Acid 10%+ HA

After experiencing that beginning of winter skin freakout, I’ve been on a real skincare kick. After getting the dryness and irritation under control, I’ve really enjoyed layering different products that I have and the whole ritual of morning and evening skincare application – it’s been more than simply going through the motions for me. Recently, I’ve discovered a few products in my arsenal that I haven’t reviewed as of yet but want to share my thoughts on. The Ordinary Lactic Acid 10% + HA 2% ($6.70 CDN/ 30 mLs) is one of these products.


For the sake of this post not being a few thousand words, i won’t get into the controversy over Deciem’s ownership and their ex-CEO – The Ordinary is one of the many brands under the Deciem umbrella. This product is a simple chemical exfoliant formula with some hydrating and soothing properties. It contains 10% of the alpha hydroxy acid, lactic acid to gently exfoliate the surface of the skin, help to unclog pores, smooth and hydrate the skin’s surface and decrease the look of imperfections and discolourations over time. I will emphasize that this won’t exfoliate the pore to the same degree as salicylic acid does so if clogged pores are your primary concern, I’d be more tempted to try salicylic as your chemical exfoliant of choice. It did do all of these things mentioned above in a gentle fashion because it’s formulated at the correct pH and does not contain irritants such as drying alcohols, or irritating plant extracts and essential oils. It performed well as a gentle alpha hydroxy acid exfoliant for me but I will note that I didn’t notice a real wow impact of using it compared to other products in the category upon first use. However, I may be biased because I continuously use acids in my regimen. It definitely helped to even out the texture of my skin and to keep my skin clear but I found this lactic-acid based exfoliant shined at drawing moisture back into my dehydrated skin. The formula does include 2% hyaluronic acid which is incredibly helpful as a humectant, especially in combination with lactic acid and glycerin. Another novel ingredient of note in the formula is the Tasmanian pepper berry that has research indicating that it has excellent anti-inflammatory activity and can function as an antioxidant. I believe that the addition of these soothing and hydrating ingredients play a part in how gentle the formula is whilst being effective.

Ingredients: Aqua (Water), Lactic Acid, Glycerin, Pentylene Glycol, Propanediol, Sodium Hydroxide, Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer, Tasmannia Lanceolata Fruit/Leaf Extract, Acacia Senegal Gum, Xanthan Gum, Isoceteth-20, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Ethylhexylglycerin, 1,2-Hexanediol, Caprylyl Glycol.

The acid is housed in a frosted glass bottle container with a dropper, which works well to dispense the gel-serum texture of the exfoliant. I suppose it’s slightly sticky in texture but most skin types will need to apply something over the top in order to seal the moisture into the skin (as it contains humectants) and consequently, the tackiness should not be an issue. The dropper works well for the fluid texture of the product and I don’t believe that this product contains anything that could be compromised by this packaging style. It feels lightweight and hydrating on the skin, quickly sinking in. If you’re interested in trying a water-binding acid exfoliant, I’d highly recommend trying this one. It’s not complicated and is effective and gentle at a very affordable price tag. I do find that I go through the bottle a little more quickly than some other acid exfoliants but it’s so affordable that I don’t care. It’s free of animal testing, I believe. I will note, however, that the formula isn’t as robust as some of the much more expensive exfoliants I also enjoy from Paula’s Choice.

Any thoughts?
Maggie, x

 

The Beauty Bargain #12| L.A. Girl Glazed Lip Paint in Elude

It’s definitely been a while since I’ve done one of these Beauty Bargain posts; I suppose it’s because my focus has not been on drugstore beauty and more particularly, I’ve been trying to avoid drugstore overspending – and just spending in general – so although I have a good number of unreviewed drugstore products in my collection, I have not been focused on reviewing them. However, today this is going to change. The L.A. Girl Glazed Lip Paint in GLG788 Elude ($4 US/ $6 CDN) was one of the many products that I purchased months and months ago as part of that lip buying binge on sale and despite multiple promises to review the purchases in entirety, they have been left in my acrylic drawer untalked about.

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DSC_0680It was undeserving of this neglect, along with many of the other products also purchased. The neutral nudey-pink has a nice opaque and comfortable, non-sticky balmy gloss formulation and it impresses me, even with the high standards and general hatred of gloss that I have. Impressively, the formula is actually lightweight but moisturizing on the lips.It says something that the only complaints that I can type are that the subtle peppermint oil used to fragrance the gloss could potentially be unnecessarily irritating and that the comfortable formula is not as long lasting as it claims.

This product is both among the most affordable at the drugstore and easily available, here at most Lawton’s Drugs in Canada and goes on sale frequently – the reason I picked it up in the first place – and comes in a wide assortment of colours. As with my other favourite lip product, this glides over dry and flaky patches like a champ. On an ending note, please excuse how weirdly yellow my undereyes and chin look below – they certainly did not look like that in real life…

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Any thoughts on this product?
Maggie, x.

 

 

Another Six Drugstore Favourites

I’ve done sporadic posts detailing my favourite or essential drugstore products for a while now, however, it has been a good number of months since I’ve done one of these. I also acknowledge that I’ve been featuring slightly higher end products as of late, so I’m making he first steps in remedying the lack of drugstore content around these parts. I am definitely about the budget beauty after all…

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  • L‘Oreal Sublime Sun Quick Dry SPF 50 Sheer Finish Spray ($17.99): Spray sunscreen, while nothing new can be a complete lifesaver, being an easy option to use sun protection without requiring much in the way of effort and without the thicker greasy texture. However, I find that many spray sunscreens irritate my skin, being filled with alcohol and only seem to last for a few weeks but this sunscreen is an exception. It’s moisturizing while still being the lightest weight texture, meshes well with my skin and doesn’t seem to evaporate on the skin.
  • Maybelline Brow Drama Sculpting Brow Mascara in Soft Brunette ($11.99): I adore this thickening tinted brow mascara, even with the round brush and all, because it really works to tame my unruly brows and add some much-needed definition that matches my ashy toned eyebrows perfectly. It lasts for days in my brows in a way that nears being slightly annoying. I’m thinking that I might prefer this to MAC’s waterproof brow gel too but it does not add as much of a tint.
  • L’Oreal Lineur Intense Brush Tip in Carbon Black ($9-10): While the brush tip is not the easiest to wield, particularly in terms of holding a smooth and steady line, it’s affordable yet allows me to create the most precise wing out of all of the liners that I have tried.
  • Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet in 07 Nude-Ist ($24): Bourjois is a drugstore brand (even in Canada) but it’s not exactly the most affordable, or in the pricepoint that we would associate typically associate with drugstore brands. Regardless, I love this comfortable liquid lipstick staining product because it feels velvety on the lips, lasts for ages, is not drying but is comfortable on the lips. This shade is a gorgeous slightly brightened warm rose shade that I love for an everyday lip and even better, you don’t have to worry about it smudging on coffee cups or anywhere else.
  • L’Oreal Magic Lumi Concealer in Fair ($10-12): This highlighting pen runs among the fairest that I’ve ever tried and has that brightening pink tone so it works nicely on paler skin to brighten areas such as underneath the eye. However, I find that this pen works best when paired with another heavier duty concealer concentrated in the inner corners when my horrific dark circles are in sight – after all, a pale light-reflective concealer cannot cover such darkness.
  • NYX Butter Lipstick ($8.99): Ever since I’ve spotted these comfortable hydrating lipsticks around drugstores here in Canada at the very end of last year, I’ve been gradually trying a small selection of them and have fallen in love with the easy flattering, pigmented formula. The most pigmented shades are the brighter and darker shades – among which I own the coral-y Fireball and the deep burgundy-berry Licorice – but the more neutral shades are nice too, including the pictured warm-toned nude, Sugar Wafer (especially when paired with some liner).
What are your current drugstore favourites?
Maggie, x.

The Beauty Bargain | Neutrogena Extra Gentle Cleanser

IMG_8849There might not be much heard about the Neutrogena Extra Gentle Cleanser ($9-10 CDN) but it’s been out for years and years and despite its rather boring appearance and general absence of hype, it’s kind of a lifesaver and one of those unsung heroes of the budget beauty department. It’s a gentle, soothing cleanser that I’m tempted to compare to Cetaphil but in my estimation, it has a much creamier texture and blows Cetaphil out of the water. In other words, it’s not a particularly exciting product but I’m not of the belief that cleansers should be – it’s good to look for cleansers that have the gentlest formulas and work effectively without stripping the skin or irritating it in the slightest, especially when you have irritation prone skin as I do.

While the emollients and the general soap-free cleansing agents in the formula will remove makeup to some extent, particularly when light makeup is involved, I tend to stick to using it as a morning cleanser or as a second cleanse after using my main makeup remover at nighttime. This might have something to do with the fact that I find that makeup clings to my face like glue and I seem to need to use heavy duty oil removers for the more benign formulas, though, so I wouldn’t necessarily be dissuaded by its limited makeup removal abilities – it just isn’t the best makeup remover in existence.

Now that I’m working on my second bottle of this lotion cleanser, I definitely do stand by my original assessment that this soap and fragrance free formula is the gentlest that I’ve ever tried, and the only formula that does not make my skin tingle, burn and redden when it’s at its most fragile state. Not only is the cleanser gentle, it also moisturizes the skin after removal with its lotion formula and inclusion of anti-irritants, chamomile and vitamin e. Even on my skin that has a tendency to get rather dry and irritated, this cleanser leaves a comfortable feeling after being rinsed away.

This cleanser is quite simply the best for irritated and drier skin and I would recommend it to anyone unless you’re very oily or relish the uber-cleansed feelings that more lightweight gel cleansers leave behind. It’s amazing and one of my few skincare repurchases.

Ingredients: Purified Water, Glycerin, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Cetyl Ricinoleate, Isohexadecane, Tea-Cocoyl Glutamate, Methylglucose Sesquistearate, Stearyl Alcohol, Cetyl Alcohol, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, PEG-20 Methyl Glucose Sesquistearate, Bisabolol, Chamomile Extract, Tocopheryl Acetate, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Stearyl Glycyrrhetinate, Tetrasodium EDTA, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Triethanolamine, BHT, Geranium, Dipropylene Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, Propylparaben, Methylparaben

Any beauty bargains to share?
Maggie, x.

The Beauty Bargain |Annabelle A-14 Angle Brush

DSC_1378DSC_1377I don’t know about you, but for me there are few makeup products that are as unenticing to invest in as makeup brushes, despite how much of a difference they can make to makeup application. I might not always admit it, but brushes can make such a difference to how your makeup looks and the ease of application and it’s very exciting when you find comparable brushes on an actually affordable budget. And before you assume otherwise, I am actually talking about a brush not made by Real Techniques and it’s a bit more affordable too!

A few months ago, I was perusing the aisles of Shoppers Drugmart and somehow I ended up at the cash register with the Annabelle A-14 Angle Brush ($7-8 CDN) and while I may have felt a bit of buyers remorse then, I don’t have any sort of regret now. I bought it because of my intense love for my pricy MAC 266 Small Angle Brush – a lovely offering from MAC that does unfortunately set you back $24 dollars – and desire for a second one because of its versatility in my daily makeup routine. Brushes in this format are my staples for filling in my eyebrows with power but I also adore them for either gel or using eyeshadow as liner and I was getting frustrated about having to clean the brush after each use so I’m pleased to admit that while I wouldn’t call this more affordable offering a complete dupe, it’s extremely comparable in both shape and quality, working effectively to fill in eyebrows with powder – and it’s nice with the Anastasia Dipbrow Pomade that I’m currently testing out – and line the eyes like its more expensive counterpart. The only difference between the two brushes is that the head on the Annabelle A-14 is a hair larger and not quite as dramatically angled… see for yourself below, if you’re interested, though:

DSC_1381 I’m disappointed to say that while the Canadian brand has a website that ships both here and to the US affordably with their products — they’re only available locally here in Canada — they’ve conveniently left their brushes off their website. I am not pleased in the slightest with this news, I’ll have you know. Nevertheless, if you have access to Annabelle, I would definitely recommend checking out their brush line with this one in particular.

What’s your current favourite beauty bargain?
Maggie, x.

The Beauty Bargain | L’Oreal Collection Exclusive Lipstick in Doutzen’s Pure Red

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I’m free and I’m hella excited about this recent change in status that came about as a result of finishing exams and final papers yesterday right before noon. You wouldn’t believe how excited I am to get back into blogging as I’ve been wanting to and to actually sleep like a somewhat functional human being.

Around a month ago, I began to spot the new red range from the L’Oreal Collection Exclusive Lipstick Range popping up on UK beauty blogs and I’ve been counting the days till I could spot these on Canadian shores. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that I only had to wait a month, spotting the range on a late night perusal of Shopper’s Drugmart. The full-on name of the product and shade is rather long but I’ll include it for the sake of specificity and whatnot – it’s the L’Oreal Collection Exclusive Lipstick in Doutzen’s Pure Red ($11-12 CDN). The formula of this lipstick is equally as great as the ones from the nude range, if not even better, creamy in texture and pigmented with a cream finish. It lasts on the lips without highlighting any sort of dryness or contributing to any sort of dry lip situation and has that comfort I adore. More than this, I’ve fallen in love with the shade and I have to say that I find the bright tomato red shade flattering on my fair but warm-toned skin.

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L'Oreal Collection Exclusive Doutzen's Pure Red Lipstick
L’Oreal Collection Exclusive Doutzen’s Pure Red Lipstick

I’ve worn this a good few times since picking the lipstick up and I plan on wearing it loads more especially because its ideal for that festive but laid-back bold lip vibe that I’ve been enjoying as of late – particularly with a cozy sweater and that whole situation. The only negatives that I can think of is that its not the longest-lasting formula in the world, it’s about as expensive as drugstore makeup can go and that L’Oreal artificial floral scent that we’ve all come to experience at least at one time in our lives.

Have you tried any of the L’Oreal Collection Exclusive/Privee Lipsticks?
Maggie, x.

 

The Best Detangling Implement Ever

DSC_1235DSC_1239I never thought that I would ever write a post dedicated to a hair detangling implement, but at the same time if there’s someone who is going to wax poetically on about a detangling device, having quite possibly the world’s most tangly hair, I would make a likely candidate. I’m talking about the seemingly basic and surprisingly affordable Conair Shower Comb ($3-5), everyone.

As I’ve said numerous times before, I have hair that’s on the curlier end of the spectrum and I’m definitely not someone who can brush through their hair daily and wear it afterwards and I wash my hair maybe twice a week, so I’m expecting a lot from my brush. Even after being careful, my mass of hair is always left with severe knots that must be dealt with and this is no easy feat to accomplish – however, this comb does the best job with the least effort.

I will admit that this comb is not the best for smoothing through the entire head a few times daily/quickly but it’s definitely the best brush or comb for dealing with severe knots efficiently. I would describe this ‘shower comb’ as essentially your regular wide tooth comb with bristly bits ended at the bottom of the teeth for added intensity. Although its particularly convenient for use in the shower with its hooked shape, I find this also ideal for use on dry hair before I shower and whatnot. It’s particularly amazing in the shower, though.

Do you have any tangly hair recommendations to share?
Maggie, x.

The Beauty Bargain |Garnier Deconstructed Texture Tease Dry Finishing Spray

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Being someone who has finer textured strands but a huge heavy mass of lengthy hair, the roots of my hair in the front really tend to fall flat and limp and in consequence I’ve become quite interested in these volumizing and texturizing sprays as of late. However I’m fairly new to the game, only previously having tried the Dove Refresh + Care Invigorating Dry Shampoo and a smaller size of the pricy Bumble & Bumble Thickening Dryspun Finish, that I loved but went through far too quickly for my taste. After this experience, I decided that I would give the Garnier Deconstructed Texture Tease Dry Finishing Spray as it was a much more affordable offering that claimed to do the same thing that the Thickening Dryspun Finish did (in the short time that I had it). While I wouldn’t say that it’s an exactly exchangeable alternative or ‘duplicate’ product, it’s a product that offers similar results but with a little bit more hold and less of that airy refreshed finish. The Garnier seems to be a mixture between the Bumble and Bumble Thickening Dryspun Finish and the Cityswept Finish, although I admit that I have not tried the latter and am merely going off of what I’ve heard from others about it; it offers that bit added hold and control of the Cityswept but with more of that dramatic lightweight but buoyant mussing and texturizing effect that the Thickening delivers. However, I must acknowledge that I’m not as much of a fan of the scent of the $7 dollar offering — although it is a nice but strong fruity scent — and that it doesn’t operate as a freshening dry shampoo-like product in the same way, although I’m loving this stuff and am finding it to be a great alternative — but I don’t have hair that needs much refreshing action. And I should add that if you’re planning on spraying this liberally onto the roots from little distance away, you’ll see some amazingly huge voluminous hair but there may be some stickiness and crunchiness that you have to deal with.

TLDR? In short, I love this as a volumizing and texturizing spray, especially for the much-easier-to-stomach price, despite its extra hold and less airy hair refreshing ability.

 Have you tried any of these dry finishing sprays?

Maggie, x.