paulas choice omega complex moisturizer

More Summer Empties | Skincare & Makeup

It seems like I go through phases of not emptying anything and just letting it all accumulate up, followed by periods where the empties back seems to explode seemingly overnight. So before I even think about writing about anything else, I want this overflowing bag out of my life. Now, let’s get onto the good stuff:

An aside: How on earth have I used up to many skincare products??? I must have had a bunch of near empties…

Banila Co Clean It Zero Purifying Cleansing Balm ($32.64 CDN | 100 mL)

I really enjoyed using this cleansing balm and it lasted a while. It had a subtle spa scent that came from synthetic fragrance, which means it did not irritate my skin or sting my eyes — some of us have a tumultuous relationship with essential oils — and did a great job of melting down makeup and then emulsifying to a milk. It sometimes left a film in my eyes but these cleansers all tend to but it didn’t sting and worked on more tenacious makeup. In terms of extra ingredients, it contains antioxidant-rich plant oils and soothing extracts including centella, which made my skin always feel a bit calmer after. I’d purchase again and I have given it as a gift to several people.

Cerave Hydrating Cleanser ($21.99 CDN | 355 mL)

I can say with full confidence that I have never paid full price for this cleanser, and likely wouldn’t, as it’s always on sale somewhere; the issues occur in terms of it actually being in stock, as its gotten popular. I have enjoyed using this non-foaming lightweight lotion cleanser for years, although I will say it can sting if I’ve overdone it on the acids/active ingredients and it is not a intensive makeup remover. It’s a gentle staple for me that I often keep in the shower as a second nighttime cleanse, and it’s great for not drying your skin out while cleansing. I will say when I repurchase, it’ll either be on sale or be one of the house brand varieties chains are coming out with. It contains ceramides, barrier-reinforcing ingredients and hyaluronic acid, along with gentle cleansing agents.

Kate Somerville Goat Milk Moisturizing Cleanser ($60 CDN | 120 mL)

Despite lasting me up to or around six months, I seem to have accumulated two empties of this cream cleanser. It’s my favourite but it’s expensive so I try to stock up when I see it on sale. It’s a great treatment cleanser for dry sensitive skin, never burns and has lots of great quality plant oils to soothe and moisturize, lactic acid, honey and hydrating goat’s milk. It removes makeup well while being super gentle and has a rich cream texture that leaves my skin soothed and generally happy afterwards. It would take something spectacular or just generally more affordable to knock this out of its place. It does not leave my skin dry or tight after use, even with nothing applied after.

Fenty Skin Fat Water Hydrating Milky Toner Essence ($46 CDN | 150 mL)

This milky essence-come-toner is seriously moisturizing, soothing and loaded with beneficial ingredients including squalane, niacinamide, apple fruit extract, hyaluronic acid, natural moisturizing factors and plant oils. There’s something in it that can sometimes be slightly sensitizing but nothing major — it’s probably the amount of fragrance it contains and one of the plant extracts — but I still adore it; the other thing to note would be that it needs to be applied on pretty wet skin or it can start to pill products applied afterwards. I loved it in the drier cooler weather and I love it now, seeing as I repurchased it.

Dr Ceuracle Vegan Kombucha Tea Essence ($51.27 CDN | 150 mL)

I finished this essence/milky-toner hybrid late in spring and I missed it tremendously, but I did wait for myself to finish the other milky toners I was working on before repurchasing. It has a cool consistency that kind of emulsifies when shaken into something super creamy. It’s great for replenishing the skin barrier and adding hydration, moisture and replenishment after cleansing, especially on my dry sensitive skin that is eczema-prone. It contains multiple probiotic ingredients (kombucha and saccharomyces) that are both soothing and function as antioxidants, along with plant oils, sodium hyaluronate, xcentella and a replenishing ceramide. It’s fragrance free and super calming.

Paula’s Choice Resist Advanced Replenishing Toner ($26 US | 118 mL)

This is another favourite milky toner of mine, but with more hydrating and barrier-reinforcing ingredients and less plant oils. I’ve repurchased it many times over the years and it’s a good one, but it’s easy to go through quickly. It contains glycerin, fatty acids, sodium hyaluronate, numerous antioxidants and skin soothers. I’m sure I will pick it up the next time I make a Paulas Choice order. It’s great on sensitive or compromised skin as its fragrance and fairly irritant free. It’s very plumping and is a god-send for binding moisture to the skin.

Tarte Knockout Tingle Treatment Toner ($53 CDN | 150 mL)

This is not an acid toner for the faint of heart but I enjoyed it as a seasoned acid exfoliant user, even if I couldn’t tolerate using it as often as I could with gentler exfoliants. Its an approximately ten percent complex of lactic acid, citric acid, gluconolactone, malic acid, phytic acid and salicylic acid, formulated at what likely is a quite low pH (thanks to the vinegar and other ingredients) so it’s a bit zingy, but it gives good results, especially with the niacinamide so high in the ingredient list. I’m inclined to say that one of the plant extracts I find kind of irritating when used too often but otherwise it really helps with congestion and skin texture and leaves my skin bright and glowy.

Missha Time Revolution Night Repair Ampoule ($56.99 CDN | 50 mL)

I think this was my second empty bottle of this serum and I repurchased when it was on sale for a great price and I think I’d buy again. It’s a great non-active-lead serum that contains niacinamide to strengthen the skin barrier and not much else in that kind of concentration. It contains numerous fermented probiotic ingredients that tend to act as humectants but also help with the skin barrier, which is always a focus for me and my dry sensitive skin. It contains some antioxidant ingredients as well but the highlights are really the niacinamide and the probiotics. It contains some essential oil derived fragrance but it doesn’t seem to be an issue in terms of skin sensitivity for me and actually seems to make my skin feel stronger and generally happier.

Beekman 1802 Milk Drops Ceramide Serum ($45 US | 0.95 ounce)

I really enjoyed using this ceramide-infused and barrier-restoring humectant serum, but it’s kind of a pain to get ahold of regularly so I don’t think I’d make the effort to repurchase. I was lucky enough to find it at a discount from a FabFitFun sale and the ingredients intrigued me enough to try it. The goat milk derived ingredients are interesting and soothing/hydrating, the ceramide is promising, and I quite enjoyed the rest of the formula as well, made up of probiotic bifida ferment lysate, sodium hyaluronate, squalane and honey. It was a humectant serum that did more that I really enjoyed using, especially when my skin was visibly stressed and I had visibly overdone things.

Kate Somerville Squalane+Hyaluronic Hydrate + Plump Serum ($98 US | 30 mL)

This is a really sophisticated and well-formulated hyaluronic acid based humectant serum but it’s very expensive for something I tent to go through quick; it’s one of those skincare things I enjoy but only purchase on a good sale. It’s a super juicy hydrating serum in a milky vehicle, with squalane, glycerin, panthenol, adenosine and multiple forms of sodium hyaluronate. It’s a super gentle, non-stingy and non irritating formula and tends to give me hydrated plumped, juicy looking skin.

Drunk Elephant Protini Resurfacing Serum ($111 CDN | 30 mL)

This serum is expensive but might just be worth the money for me because of the results it gives me and the good six months (or more), it lasts with typical use. It’s 10% lactic acid that does double duty as a chemical exfoliant and a nice humectant serum. It features squalane, some lovely plant oils, numerous peptides and skin-identical ingredients to fortify the skin barrier. I love how it contains nothing irritating and easily fits into my routine a few times a week. It’s pricey but I’ll repurchase after I’m done playing with the current exfoliants I have on the go because I do miss it. It really helps with texture and keeps my skin looking generally plump and bright.

Cosrx Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence ($33.70 CDN | 100 mL)

This “essence” is my favourite humectant serum — honestly don’t know what makes it an essence compared to a serum but I won’t complain as you get a lot of product for your money –, mainly consisting of barrier-repairing and healing snail secretion filtrate, but has sodium hyaluronate and allantoin thrown in there too. It’s great for plumping up the skin and holding onto moisture and minimizing irritation and dryness. I even repurchased multiples last time I ordered this. It’s my go-to.

L’Oreal Revitalift Filler [+Hyaluronic Acid] Eye Cream for Face ($25.99 CDN | 30 mL)

I’m kind of shocked that I haven’t really seen any coverage on this value-sized eye cream, considering how delightful it is. It’s great for a sensitive eye area, as it’s fragrance-free and doesn’t really contain common irritants. The pump packaging is super efficient and lets you easily get all of the product out without compromising the stability with any of the antioxidants or other ingredients, and it lasted me ages. The fourth ingredient is a fermented extract, known for functioning as an antioxidant and skin-soother (fermented black tea and saccharomyces ferment), and it’s followed by shea butter, pro-xylane, a cell-communicating ingredient, caffeine, another notable cell-communicating ingredient, sodium hyaluronate and ascorbyl glucoside. My experience in using this eye cream were plump, bright and non-irritated under-eyes. I primarily used as an eye cream and I will repurchase after I finish what’s in my stash.

Cosrx Advanced Snail Peptide Eye Cream ($37.28 CDN | 25 mL)

I finished my second bottle of this snail secretion filtrate based eye cream and happily snagged another when I saw it on sale. Again, it’s a really well formulated eye cream, formulated without fragrance or any sketchy extracts. It contains the super repairing snail, along with brightening niacinamide, arganine, sodium hyaluronate and peptides that function at the very minimum as humectants. It never burns or stings and makeup wears nicely on top of it.

Anessa Perfect UV Sunscreen Mild Milk SPF 50+ ($40.47 CDN | 60 mL)

This is a great sunscreen in terms of both UVA/UVB protection, sweat/humidity resistance and is both easy to tolerate and cosmetically elegant. It’s both drying alcohol and fragrance free, while still being super lightweight and dries to this soft-focus velvety finish on its own. The matte finish isn’t my favourite on myself because it tends to cling to dry patches and just leaves me feeling more dry and heavy than I’d like — but I’m someone who prefers dewy formulations with drier skin to begin with as a preference. It’s a combination sunscreen with some of these newer generation potent filters that are available in Asia and it has a minor and manageable white cast. It never runs into the eyes or stings during workouts or heavy sweating, I will say. I finished it, using it for sweaty yoga practices on my chest neck and shoulders but i also enjoyed it for the occasions when I was sweating heavily and needed serious sun protection. I would be curious to try a different formulation from the brand.

Laneige Water Bank Blue Hyaluronic Cream Moisturizer ($30 CDN | 20 mL)

Looking at the ingredient list for this moisturizer, I was pretty meh, as it includes squalane super high on the ingredient list but not much else of note, other than hyaluronic acid, allantoin, beta glucan, a ceramide and lactobacillus ferment lysate, all at the bottom of the ingredient list. However, once I tried it, I couldn’t stop using it. It has a subtle spa scent that does not come from essential oils — so it agrees with my skin — and it has a really nice cushioning cream texture that soaks into the skin and leaves it hydrated and plump. I’ve already repurchased.

Summer Fridays Cloud Dew Gel Cream Moisturizer ($61 CDN | 50 mL)

This is a great water-cream moisturizer that I’ve heard fantastic things about and wasn’t too expensive, but it’s just not rich enough for my dry skin. I actually used it up on my chest and neck and loved it that way but won’t be repurchasing. It contains multiple forms of hyaluronic acid, glutamic acid, numerous amino acids, ascorbic acid and a ceramide but does not have that cushioning-feel and emollients/occlusives my eczema-prone skin craves. I will note that it’s fragrance-free and non irritating.

Kate Somerville DeliKate Recovery Cream ($103 CDN | 50 mL)

This moisturizer is as expensive as I am comfortable spending — and I always shop around and try to stock up when its on sale — but it’s been my go-to since early quarantine era. It has a great whipped balm texture that feels lightweight while adding comfort to dry tight skin and is fragrance free and is formulated without those plant extracts that can sometimes be an issue for me. It has shea butter, ceramides, peptides, honey, a few cell-communicating ingredients and some soothing plant extracts. It is concentrated enough that it lasts forever, is great under makeup and is great for healing a damaged skin barrier without any risk of stinging.

Paula’s Choice Omega+ Complex Moisturizer ($37 US | 50 mL)

This moisturizer has a texture that is similar to the Kate Somerville, which may explain why I love the two so much, but is even more whipped and cloud-like in airless pump packaging. It’s also about half the price. It too is fragrance free and formulated without anything that I’ve ever experienced irritation with and does not sting. It’s loaded with omega-rich plant oils, fatty acids, ceramides, squalane and a bunch of barrier-repairing ingredients. I never know when the product is empty until it is, which is my only complaint and I always repurchase when I place an order.

Ilia Super Serum Skin Tint SPF 40 in Tuluum ($65 CDN | 30 mL)

It’s so rare that I finish a foundation-class kind of product but I’ve been reaching for this sheer-to-light coverage tinted sunscreen for the last year or two as my go-to. It applies pretty well over dry patches, has a dewy finish, always makes me look a bit better and is sheer enough that I’m actually using enough to get sunscreen coverage. It’s fragrance and alcohol free and has shea butter, niacinamide, squalane and sodium hyaluronate for skin benefits. I’ve repurchased already, as it suits my everyday base needs, and it has such an impressive colour selection for a sheerer product.

L’Oreal Bambi Oversized Eye Volumizing Mascara in Intense Black ($15.99 CDN)

I typically love L’Oreal mascaras but this spin-off of the original Bambi mascara was not a favourite. As someone with sensitive eyes, looking volume, separation and a little bit of drama, this brush was a little too spiky and I didn’t enjoy the comb-like brush. The formula seemed quite wet and didn’t do anything special after it dried out any. I also have never used a lash curler so I obviously do not need to be chasing a lifting mascara. It did offer good length, definition and separation. I didn’t find it that volumizing, either.

L’Oreal Voluminous Lash Paradise Mascara in Mystic Black ($13.46 CDN)

This is the drugstore mascara that I measure all other drugstore (and non-drugstore) mascaras against. It’s a fairly dry formula — but even so, I prefer it once it starts to dry out — and the packaging tends to be a mess, smeared with old dried mascara but it gives great volume, some length and curl too with minimal product. It does not irritate my eyes or feel heavy on my lashes and gives some drama and the large natural bristle brush is great. It gives some volume, is conditioning and adds some drama that is definitely buildable. The only downside is it can be kind of difficult to remove, despite not being waterproof. I have used many tubes of this and given many tubes to friends as gifts.

L’Oreal Bambi Eye Mascara in Extra Noir ($15.99 CDN)

This is another drugstore mascara that I’ve repurchased and I really enjoy using. Like the others, it does not irritate my sensitive eyes and actually does feel pretty conditioning and lightweight. It’s a happy medium between a dry and wet formula, has a plastic brush that does not have that stabbing-your-eyeballs feel. It has a football-shaped brush with short bristles that really does give like a thickening wide-eyed effect while adding some length. It does not clump easily and is a great everyday mascara that removes easily and even works when I’m dealing with seasonal allergies. It’s buildable too but I don’t find it to be the most drama-inducing mascara in the world.

L’Oreal Brow Stylist Micro Ink Pen in Dark Brunette ($13.28 CDN)

Another thing L’Oreal does super well is brow products, as they come in great typically-ashy shades and have sophisticated formulas while remaining fairly inexpensive. I really have come to love using their brow pens as an everyday brow staple. They pull super natural and read as actual hairs for the most part and work to fill-in more sparse areas of the brows for a more uniform look, which suits my needs well as someone with a lot of brow hairs but definite sparse areas. They wouldn’t work as well for someone looking for a full-on defined brow or someone looking to dramatically alter their brow shape. I quite liked the darker shade for the outer half of my brows but I think I prefer the light brown shade overall, which is what I’ve repurchased.

What have you finished lately?

The Winter Favourites

There’s nothing I love reading, watching and writing more than a favourites post or video but doing them on a monthly basis has proven excessive for me. Happily, we’ve reached the point in my year to do my winter themed favourites. It was actually really difficult to edit myself down to this many and I can easily say these were the products I enjoyed using and relying on when I wasn’t at home, complaining of tiredness and overthinking.

The Inkey List Oat Cleansing Balm ($12.99 CDN | 150 mL)

I feel slightly ridiculous that I couldn’t narrow it down further than three cleansers, but when you have skin that hates surfactants and harsh cleansing like mine does, you really appreciate the good ones, as I have done. I’ve been loving this affordable fragrance-free cleansing balm. It removes makeup quite well (but requires more product than some makeup annihilating balms) and leaves the skin wonderfully hydrated and soothed. It uses sweet almond oil, oat kernel oil, candella wax and almond glycerides. I love how practical the tube packaging is — even though it can separate. I use it most nights to melt makeup and sunscreen happily and remove it after emulsifying with a microfibre cloth. It’s very gentle around my sensitive eye areas and is a gentle skin cleanser in its own right.

Kate Somerville Goat Milk Cleanser ($53 CDN | 120 mL)

This cleanser actually has enough delicious oil content to break down makeup and sunscreen without scrubbing or rubbing, but I actually enjoy it best as a treatment cleanser, or on the rare mornings I want to cleanse my face. It’s expensive but I honestly only use a little bit and would probably have never bitten the bullet if it wasn’t included in the Caroline Hirons Summer Kit. It contains fragrance but no essential oils and includes grapeseed oil, jojoba seed oil, avocado oil, coconut oil, goat milk, milk protein, lactic acid and honey as ingredient highlights. The texture is a nice cream that leaves my skin soothed, glowing and hydrated. I tolerate it well even on my eczema patches, although it can kind of burn under the eyes if used to remove makeup — but this is probably because I have eczema patches around my eyes. I’ve been using for months and months and I’m happily going strong. It helps with texture, dry patches, general dryness and sensitivity.

Cerave Hydrating Cream-to-Foam Cleanser ($17.99-$18.99 CDN | 355 mL)

I’ve been a long term devotee of Cerave’s traditional Hydrating Cleanser but I love this one even more. It has a creamier lotion texture that foams slightly — but in a non drying way — and features amino acids, salicylic acid and natural moisturizing factors along with their classic ceramides. Unlike the original cleanser (since its most recent reformulation), this never makes my uber-reactive skin sting and it leaves my skin moisturized and comfortable afterwards. It does contain a little bit of salicylic acid so I don’t tend to use it to remove eye makeup but it does remove makeup better than Cerave’s other cleansers. It’s a great cleanser especially for skin with an impaired barrier from using actives, mask wearing and the like. It’s soap-free of course and uses very gentle cleansing agents.

Cosrx Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence ($24.99 CDN | 100 mL)

This thicker gel texture more closely resembles a serum in my opinion, but I haven’t gone a day without applying it in months. It’s 96% snail mucin, along with betaine, sodium hyaluronate, panthenol, arginine and allantoin and serves as a fantastic humectant serum, with anti-inflammatory properties. It’s profoundly soothing on an impaired barrier, fights transepidermal water loss, plumps up the skin, aids in skin healing and helps to prevent and treat scarring. I find it helps fade pink marks left on my skin after a breakout or reaction in a more timely fashion while keeping my skin hydrated and soothed. The bottle is huge, too, so its excellent value for money. I know I included it in my last few favourites posts but I couldn’t help myself.

Neutrogena Bright Boost Gel Cream ($23.97-$34.99 CDN | 50 mL)

This is another repeat favourite of mine but I do love reaching for it as a mild daily chemical exfoliant in a lightweight cream vehicle. It acts as a humectant, formulated with mandelic acid, gluconolactone, acetyl glucosamine and squalane. It’s perfect for when my skin is feeling a bit too fragile for a heavy-duty acid toner but I still want the gentle resurfacing of an acid, along with the hydration of a humectant. It also has a pink sheen that’s nice and brightening, yet subtle.

Sunday Riley Juno Hydroactive Cellular Facial Oil ($95 CDN | 35 mL)

This winter, I got right back onto the facial oil bandwagon on a daily basis, applying this fragrance-free oil blend on my cheeks, around my chin and mouth and under my eyes, where I experience flaking and irritation, exacerbated by daily mask wearing. It has made a huge difference in the severity of my flaking, dry patches and radiance of my skin, when applied just before moisturizer. I’ve always found the combination of cold-pressed omega-rich oils anti-inflammatory and soothing. No matter how angry my skin has been, this oil doesn’t burn, sting, or have any sign of reaction.

Paula’s Choice Omega+ Complex Moisturizer ($35 US | 50 mL)

I’m onto my second container of this moisturizer this winter even though I’ve had plenty of others on rotation. It’s a lightweight whipped cloud cream that’s fragrance-free, kind of bland in the best way, and either super low on silicones or silicone-free and thus, never pills, even with the skincare layering I’ve been doing. It’s a beautiful comforting cream that works well as a barrier under a mask while sinking into the skin and leaving a demi-matte finish under makeup. It contains shea butter, omega-rich plant oils, fatty acids, amino acids, ceramides, an antioxidant or two and a bunch of skin-soothers. It’s great for an impaired skin barrier and generally angry skin.

REN Evercalm Ultra Comforting Rescue Mask ($63 CDN | 50 mL)

This mask is the only mask I’ve reached for with any sense of regularity, because it’s fantastic for skin that’s suffering with dermatitis, eczema, redness, soreness and any sort of irritation. It’s that one product that never stings — despite the fact that it contains fragrance including fragrance derived from essential oils — even during the throes of flaking painful skin that can barely even be touched with water without potent discomfort. Coincidentally, this is a favourite product to throw on after hours of mask wearing. It contains shea butter, a bunch of emollients, lactobacillus-derived probiotics, algae extract and an angel dusting of white mushroom extract. The product leaves a definite film to the skin but I don’t mind as I tend to rinse off or pat off excess or leave on when my skin is in need of dire help. After use, my skin is calmed, soothed, less reactive and definitely moisturized. I notice an immediate reduction in redness and inflammation when I use this and am able to follow with the regular steps of my skincare routine.

Cerave Itch Relief Cream ($27.99 CDN | 354g)

This winter, I had the delight of an experiencing a months long eczema flare. Applying creams like this one, loaded with shea butter, ceramides, hyaluronic acid, emollients such as petrolatum and dimethicone has helped keep my dry itchy legs and arms under control. What particularly helped about this formula is the 1% pramoxine hydrochloride, which relieves the unbearable itchiness that accompanies eczema with none of the side effects that ingredients like menthol have. This cream reminds me of the original cream formula but with an added richness and whipped texture from the addition of shea butter and the itch relief. When used with ointments on the individual patches of concern, this kept me from itching patches for long enough to let them heal.

Curlsmith Scalp Recipe Clarifying Scrub Shampoo ($37.99 CDN | 250 mL)

This shampoo not only is clarifying without ruining my waves and curls or turning my hair into a literal lion’s mane of tangles, but also has kept my scalp happy and not itchy, dry or flaky throughout the entire season. I tend to reach for this gentle exfoliating sulfate-free shampoo in between more standard shampoos. It uses perlite, a volcanic rock, for exfoliation rather than irritating beads, keeps my scalp soothed with probiotic ferments and clarifies without traditional sulfates. My scalp is super happy afterwards and all product build-up is removed, without that stripped feeling. It’s concentrated — so I still haven’t gone through the tube — and has a delicious subtly fruity spa scent. It also contains vinegar without smelling like vinegar.

Maybelline Superstay Ink Crayon in 20 Enjoy the View ($12.49 CDN)

While I’m certainly not wearing makeup everyday, I have been enjoying wearing it 2-3 times a week. When I have been actually reaching for a lip product, I’ve been playing with this warm kind of rusty rose colour. The formula is a comfortable semi-matte kind of finish that lasts well without being drying or clinging to dry patches. I’m not selling the colour either, but it’s incredibly flattering, adding colour to the face without actually being a bold lip. It also easily applies at full opacity and works nicely as a stain with lip balm on top for more of a subdued flush.

Anastasia Beverly Hills Sultry Eyeshadow Palette Vault ($86 CDN)

On the days I’ve been wearing makeup, I’ve enjoyed playing with eyeshadow. I think I’ve been reaching for this formerly limited edition palette the most. The formula is pigmented, buttery and a little bit powdery, and there’s a nice combination of spectacular metallic shades and practical matte shades of varying depths. Although this palette reads quite cool, I actually found it quite neutral on my warm undertones with a mixture of shades on both spectrums included in a neutral but not boring colour story. I love the mixture of different light-to-medium metallic shades to play with on the lid, of course I like the matte peach pop in the crease, and I love that the palette includes a matte black and matte chocolate brown with an impeccable formula. I like the shadows for an easy slap on kind of eye look but I love them for when I want a glitzier smoky eye. It’s kind of frustrating that the palette has to be bought in the vault form but I can’t complain, having missed out on it the first time around.

Christian Dior Miss Dior Le Parfum ($122 CDN | 40 mL)

I’m hesitant to include my staple scent over the colder months, as it — like all good things it seems — has been discontinued. It’s the warmer spicier big sister to Miss Dior in its standard version that captures some of the magic that previous iterations of the scent had for me. It’s not the kind of scent I would ordinarily expect to reach for in cooler months, spent mostly at home in casual attire but I learned that I love this heady scent applied lightly into clothing; it makes me feel cozy, sophisticated and put together. I get compliments when I wear it, especially when it has been applied to clothes days before — it has that kind of longevity. It’s a patchouli and rose scent with added warmth from amber and vanilla.

What were your winter staples?
Maggie, x.

2020 Favourites | Skincare

Well, 2020 has been a year. It has definitely been a year of skincare for me. All of the mask-wearing and hand-washing played a definite toll of my skin barrier and my eczema. Also, the ritual of doing my skincare routine likely helped to keep me sane in this quite frankly weird time. Here are my absolute picks for skincare products I used to keep myself sane and/or to keep my face and body from flaking off:

Purlisse Blue Lotus 4-in-1 Cleansing Milk ($36 US | 150 mL)

This non-foaming cleansing milk both works as a gentle morning cleanser, second cleanse in the evening or to remove a lighter face of makeup and sunscreen. It contains some essential oils low on the ingredient list but actually remains gentle enough to remove makeup from my sensitive eyes without stinging. It contains gentle surfactants and soothing ingredients including oat, green tea and liquorice root. It goes on as a light milk that rinses completely clean when water is added, but leaves moisture in the skin after removal. This is both a gentle cleanser that never stings and a nice treat. I will acknowledge that this cleanser is rather expensive, especially for a brand that I haven’t heard much about, but it is so concentrated I’ve had it on the go for maybe nine months… And when my face was raw and sore this was one of the only cleansers that didn’t burn or sting. Did I mention it doesn’t burn or sting?

Kate Somerville Goat Milk Moisturizing Cleanser ($50 CDN | 120 mL)

I didn’t actually realize this oil-rich cream cleanser was a favourite until I put this post together. It was included in the Caroline Hirons Summer Kit and wasn’t an instant favourite in the summer. It’s quite expensive but I do enjoy this ultra gentle cream cleanser. I could do without the fragrance, but fortunately it’s towards the end of the ingredient list and isn’t offensive. For a cream cleanser, this cleanser is both ridiculously gentle and rather good at removing makeup and sunscreen. It doesn’t burn my very sensitive eyes and actually does remove eye makeup well. This cleanser is formulated with super gentle cleansing agents, a number of plant oils, soothing milk proteins, honey and a teensy bit of lactic acid. This is a cleanser that I adore especially in the dry winter months alongside my prescription retinoid.

Pestle & Mortar NMF Lactic Acid Toner ($44 US | 200 mL)

This is the chemical exfoliant I have happily been reaching for most days in the latter half of the year. It contains lactic acid, gluconolactone, niacinamide and soothing black tea extract. It has been easy enough to tolerate in a routine with a prescription retinoid and leaves my skin radiant, even in tone and texture and with very few clogged pores. Using this toner, I find my skin looks resurfaced and bright.

Laneige Cream Skin Toner & Moisturizer ($43 CDN | 150 mL)

This year, I discovered a new milky toner or rather moisturizer in liquid form. It’s fragrance free,has a short and benign ingredient list and really helps to soothe, hydrate and calm the skin. It’s a godsend at any point but was particularly useful when my skin barrier was compromised and my skin was red, raw and sore. It contains glycerin, meadow foam oil and the antioxidants, white tea extract and vitamin e.

Cosrx Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence ($23.81 CDN | 100 mL)

Although it’s marketed as an essence, this was my favourite serum discovery of the year. It contains wound healing and reparative snail slime, sodium hyaluronate, soothing allantoin and barrier-repairing panthenol. It might feel a bit slimy but I enjoy the instant comfort it provides and the hefty dose of humectants it imparts into the skin. After using this, my skin was always plumped up, calmed and significantly more hydrated. This was a godsend, especially in a world where everyone was going overboard with the active ingredients. It resulted in generally less pissed off hydrated skin.

Neutrogena Bright Boost Gel Cream ($24.97 CDN | 50 mL)

To my chagrin, this gel-cream textured humectant — which I use as a kind of serum-moisturizer hybrid underneath my sunscreen during the day or underneath a heavier moisturizer at night — comes in a pot and is substantially cheaper on Amazon than anywhere else. It contains glycerin, mandelic acid, gluconolactone, acetyl glucosamine and squalane. The acids it contains are larger molecules and therefore are gentler on the skin and the polyhydroxy acid performs as a humectants while exfoliating. The acetyl glucosamine is an interesting skin brightening ingredient and squalane adds extra nourishment.

Paula’s Choice Omega+ Complex Moisturizer ($35 US | 50 mL)

This whipped comforting shea-butter-containing moisturizer really helped me to get through a really rough bout of flaky, red, sore and raw skin at the beginning of the year and I haven’t stopped buying since. Actually, I love this whipped cream so much that I was a bit panicked when my container was empty and the product was out of stock. It never burns or stings with it’s gentle fragrance-free formula and is soothing. It relies on shea butter, omega-rich plant oils, ceramides, fatty acids and replenishing ingredients including sodium hyaluronate.

Belif The True Cream Moisturizing Balm ($50 CDN |50 mL)

If I hadn’t tried this moisturizer in a sample, I don’t think I’d have ever tried it from the ingredients list alone. It’s packaged in a jar, contains a bunch of potentially irritating plant extracts, contains some fragrance and doesn’t contain many barrier reinforcing or reparative ingredients. It can sting a little on skin with a compromised barrier but I must say, I love the cushiony silicone-y feeling of this moisturizer that soothes the skin, immediately sinks in and imparts lasting hydration. It contains glycerin, silicones, macadamia oil, soothing fermented extracts, panthenol and oat kernel extract.

Paula’s Choice RESIST Super-Light Daily Wrinkle Defense SPF 30 ($33 US | 60 mL)

My favourite sunscreen discovery of the year was this tinted mineral sunscreen. The sunscreen, while marketed towards normal, oily and combination skin types, works well on my dry skin, especially throughout the hot and humid Summer we had. The finish of this sunscreen is semi matte and still flattering on drier skin but doesn’t lean shiny and the tint on it is a fairer subtler grey-beige. It doesn’t offer much for coverage but was enough for a base on its own for me a lot of the time, diffusing redness and evening out the skin. It’s a fragrance-free formula, enriched with a number of antioxidants and soothing ingredients and iron oxides for additional visible light protection. I love that it works for me on top of a serum or moisturizer and doesn’t cling to dry patches.

Avene Mineral Tinted Fluid SPF 50+ ($33 CDN | 40 mL)

This was another tinted mineral sunscreen that I happily discovered in 2020. It uses nano sized particles but still offers robust protection and includes even more iron oxides for added visible light protection. It has a beige tint and offers substantially more coverage, suiting light to medium skin tones best — I can get away with it, particularly when I have fake tanned or when I accidentally have gotten a bit of colour in the summer, on my fairer skin. It has a glowier, more moisturizing finish that can get kind of shiny, when sweating is involved. The formula contains numerous emollients and tocopherol and not much else. My favourite way to use this sunscreen was actually mixed with the aforementioned Paula’s Choice option to get my perfect colour and finish.

Paula’s Choice Defense Essential Glow Moisturizer SPF 30 ($29 US | 60 mL)

This mineral-sunscreen-moisturizer-hybrid was one of the products that got me through early lockdown, when my was red, raw, sore and flaky. It has a moisturizing lotion kind of vehicle and contains antioxidants, skin-soothing ingredients like liquorice root, a peptide, fatty acids and barrier repairing ingredients. From what I’ve read and experienced, the particles are nano sized but this allows for the soothing mineral sunscreen to not cling to dry patches and apply evenly, with basically no cast. On my fairer skin, I basically do not experience a cast; instead, it has a slight grey-beige cast that diffuses redness without depositing any kind of colour. I will note that the finish it leaves is dewy and it does have a glowy kind of sheen to it but it never angers my skin, even in the phase where everything was angering my skin. It’s also a fantastic sunscreen choice when you’ve overdone it with the acids or retinoids.

Eucerin Eczema Relief Cream ($15.47 CDN | 226g)

2020 has been a year of eczema outbreaks for me on body, unfortunately, but I have become better at dealing with it as a result. This cream is one that I’ve repurchased multiple times and have used twice daily to decrease itchiness and irritation and help to repair my quite frankly damaged skin barrier. This fragrance-free cream contains 1% colloidal oatmeal to soothe the skin and act as a skin protectant, mineral oil and castor seed oil, soothing liquorice root extract and a barrier-repairing ceramide. It feels comforting on the skin and doesn’t sting on super irritated patches.

Polysporin Cracked Skin Healing Balm ($16.47 CDN | 312g)

This thick and kind of greasy balm has helped me tremendously throughout the year, allowing for some painfully itchy and sore eczema patches to heal. Applying it regularly on these patches allows them to heal, and keeps the dryness and itchiness at bay to a certain extent. If I’m feeling very broken out, I’ll use it all over areas but I usually just use it on patches of dry irritated skin. It contains glycerin, fatty alcohols, dimethicone and oat to seal moisture in and repair the skin. The formula is very bare bones and fragrance free but it works incredibly well to seal moisture in super dry and irritated areas.

Eucerin Aquaphor Healing Ointment ($8.54 CDN | 50g)

I originally fell in love with this petrolatum and mineral oil based ointment as a lip balm for my chronically dry, flaky and chapped lips. However, I came to rely on it to keep moisture in chapped patches of skin from mask wearing or random causes around my mouth, eyes and nose. It also contained panthenol, glycerin and bisbolol so it’s healing in the sense beyond being just a pure occlusive agent. It does contain lanolin as well, which can be an issue with some people prone to eczema.

What products got you through 2020?
Maggie, x.

The Favourites | Late Spring

There are times when beauty products and your self care ritual really matter; these lasts few months have been one of those times. In hindsight, it probably was not a great idea to reintroduce a prescription retinoid into my routine at the same time that the weather was changing, I was dealing from irritation from wearing a mask during the pandemic and was dealing with a bit of a seasonal transition skin freakout. The act of self-care was something I really got back into when dealing with this quite frankly super weird and anxiety-inducing time. I discovered and rediscovered a bunch of essential products and here they are:

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Laneige Cream Skin Toner & Moisturizer ($43 CAD | 150 mL): This is a soothing milky toner with a minimal ingredients list that is incredibly sensitive or sensitized-skin friendly. It’s fragrance-free and has a short but substantial ingredient list featuring glycerin, meadow foam oil and green tea.  This is one of the products that helped me get through the period where I reacclimatized to using a prescription retinoid and was starting to deal with the irritation of wearing a mask. It’s incredibly soothing.

Avene Mineral Tinted Fluid SPF 50+ ($33 CAD | 40 mL): I realized that I had in previous months been slacking on the sun protection front, when I got better at applying it every single morning and my skin was looking so much better. I was enjoying using this tinted mineral sunscreen with iron oxides (that help protect further against visible light). The tint is actually a bit dark on me but I can make it work. It’s a golden kind of shade that would be ideal for light to medium skin tones. It has a super lightweight and thin vehicle that is hydrating and doesn’t include drying alcohols or anything of that sort. It was ideal for when I was using fake tan during the past few months, but can also get away with without. It was great on my sensitized skin and didn’t even highlight dry patches. Plus it offers enough coverage to actually cover redness and the like and I’ve been using it as my face product on more minimal makeup days.

Bioderma Photoderm SPF 50+ High Protection Milk ($25.90 CAD | 100 mL): Another sunscreen discovery was this one by Bioderma that I enjoy wearing (even on my face), despite being a chemical sunscreen. I’ve been happily using it daily on my neck, chest, shoulders and arms. It doesn’t contain any drying alcohol and has a comfortable lotion vehicle but most impressively, it features the less irritating filters Tinosorb S and Tinosorb M for far superior UVA protection and photostability. It leaves my skin feeling moisturized but not sticky or greasy.

Paula’s Choice Defense Essential Glow Moisturizer SPF 30 ($29 US | 60 mL): I’m on a SPF favourites roll, it appears. I didn’t realize how much I loved this moisturizer-sunscreen hybrid until I accidentally threw my tube out (an unfortunate accident) and instantly found myself repurchasing. It was a great daily pick on my sensitive flaking skin, with mineral actives but no real white cast on my fairer skin. The ingredients in this lightweight lotion gives a greyish beige cast to the product that adds some glow to the skin and diffuses redness slightly, without adding any sort of colour to the face. It was a gentle sunscreen option that was moisturizing without being greasy or thick. It contains soothing liquorice, kiwi extract, niacinamide and a vitamin c derivative.

Paula’s Choice Omega + Complex Moisturizer ($35 US | 50 mL): I’m a bit of a Paula’s Choice skincare fiend but it’s been years since I’ve loved one of her standard moisturizers — I’m a major fan of her sunscreen-containing moisturizers, however. In the last couple of months I bought this one and have loved it, especially during that stage when my face was flaking, burning and generally hurt. With its fragrance free, shea butter, plant oil, fatty acid and ceramide laden formula, I experienced minimal stinging and an immediate calming effect. It has a fluffy consistency that is rich without being overly heavy that I think anyone experiencing dryness would enjoy, especially if dealing with sensitivity.

Fenty Beauty Cheeks Out Freestyle Cream Bronzer in 02 Butta Biscuit ($42 CDN | 0.22 oz): There’s something just so easy about cream products and I often find myself reaching for them the most often, even when I’m not doing an elaborate whole face of makeup. This is an easy to use balmy cream bronzer that blends like a dream and offers buildable colour. I really like the warm caramel colour it offers without veering into orange territory and the natural glow it gives to my fairer skin.

L’Oreal Matte Signature Liquid Dip Eyeliner in 700 Black ($14.99 CDN): Even though I’ve been into a more minimal makeup look, black eyeliner is still always in the equation. I’ve been really liking this precise brush tip liner because of how black it is and how precise and thin of a line it allows you to draw. It wears well, only smudging slightly if I nap on my side right on the wing and removes easily. I will note it requires a steady hand, as its not a pen style liner.

L’Oreal Bambi Eye Mascara in Blackest Black ($14.49 CDN):I may have rolled my eyes at the marketing of this mascara when I saw it but it’s a good one and does achieve that wide eyed effect. It achieves loads of volume and separation, achieving drama without feeling heavy on the lashes. It has a large somewhat football-shaped synthetic wand that isn’t difficult to use. It doesn’t flake or anything on me and isn’t a hassle to remove. It’s a good one.

Chanel Coco Mademoiselle Eau de Parfum ($123 CDN | 50 mL): I invested in this spendier perfume around Christmastime and I’ve been loving wearing it, even just for myself, even moreso now that late Spring is in bloom. It’s a gorgeous warm orangey citrus with some rose and jasmine and some warm patchouli. It’s a warm floral that I love that’s surprisingly fresh and lingers. There’s a reason why everyone wears this one.

What have you been loving?
Maggie, x.

Skincare Sunday | Pamper Time

It’s a weird time to be alive and a time when skincare and the whole ritual that surrounds it has become extra important. With social distancing at the forefront of our consciousness (hopefully) towards the second month of the global pandemic, I think lots of us are experiencing traumatized skin — either from wearing masks, the change in weather or from the added stress of uncertainty. Participating in a bit of an extravagant skincare ritual helps to bring some normalcy for me and I thought I’d blog about it to be extra therapeutic. For reference, my skin is dehydrated, dry, a bit congested, dull and needs a bit of barrier TLC at the moment. I’ve been getting reacclimatized to using a prescription retinoid in my routine and may have gone a little overboard with it…

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Paula’s Choice The Unscrub ($29 US | 118 mL): Even though I have skin that is very sensitive and reactive to any sort of manual abrasion, I do enjoy gentle physical exfoliation maybe once or twice a week. As someone who is prone to dry patches of texture and is currently using acid exfoliants and a prescription retinoid, I appreciate an uber gentle product like this one. It uses jojoba esters for exfoliation rather than jagged beads, only uses gentle cleansing agents and features antioxidants and soothing ingredients. It never strips my skin and gently sloughs away at any little bits of flaking or textural irregularities.

L’Oreal Energizing & Brightening Pure Clay Mask ($14.99 CDN | 50 mL): Despite having a drier skin type, I do enjoy a gentle mud mask on occasion, particularly when I’m dealing with some congestion. The most important thing is that they have a gentle formulation like this one, which contains glycerin, a mixture of three types of clay and charcoal powder. This one is good because it’s gentle, doesn’t break the bank and can be removed easily (as long as you don’t let it dry excessively). I do find my skin is less dull after use, as well. I will note that I only apply the mask to the areas that I need it, which is essentially my t-zone where my skin can be more normal and less dry.
Olay Regenerist Luminous Overnight Mask Gel Moisturizer: I like applying a moisture mask in the areas that I skipped out on with the clay mask, which is primarily the cheeks, the area around my eyes and the area around my mouth. I wont dwell too much on the formula because it looks like this product has been replaced by the Olay Brightening Overnight Gel Mask, which is fairly similar. Both contain glycerin, niacinamide and the vitamin c derivative sodium ascorbyl phosphate.

Paula’s Choice Resist Advanced Replenishing Toner ($24 US | 118 mL): When I want to pamper my skin, there’s no way I’m patting anything into my skin after cleansing other than this milky toner. It’s loaded with fatty acids, barrier-repairing ingredients and antioxidants. It’s soothing and deeply hydrating.
Laneige Cream Skin Toner & Moisturizer ($43 CDN | 150 mL): This is totally unnecessary, with the milky toner in the rotation but when I’m feeling indulgent, I like to layer both. It’s a pretty simple formula but it’s soothing and very hydrating with glycerin, meadow foam seed oil and green tea.
Paula’s Choice Resist Advanced Soothing Treatment 10% AHA ($37 US | 30 mL): This isn’t my everyday acid exfoliant but I do love using this exfoliant-serum hybrid once or twice a week when I want an extra treat. It’s gentle and contains glycolic acid, lactic acid, malic acid, tartaric acid and salicylic acid. It also contains glycerin, peptides, ceramides, liquorice root extract, green tea, oat extract and a number of other soothing and antioxidant ingredients. It’s really gentle (but effective) and definitely binds water to the skin and contains a bunch of ingredients that repair the skin barrier and combat any sort of disruption to the barrier.
Laneige Bright Renew Original Serum ($59 CDN | 40 mL): This serum has a pleasant milky texture especially when pressed into the skin as an addition layer of hydration — can you tell I’m rather dehydrated at the moment? It contains squalane, niacinamide, milk thistle, green tea and liquorice root extract. It’s a nice option for an antioxidant serum that also helps with barrier function and luminosity. Also, it’s a good option for when you are using enough actives that a pure vitamin c serum would not be prudent.
Paula’s Choice Omega + Complex Moisturizer ($35 US | 50 mL): This is a fragrance-free, soothing moisturizer that has a rich yet lightweight fluffy texture. It’s hydrating and soothing with shea butter, glycerin, a myriad of antioxidant-rich plant oils, fatty acids and ceramides.
Eucerin Aquaphor Multipurpose Healing Ointment ($10.99 CDN | 50g): As someone with dry sensitive and flaky lips, it’s rare I find a lip balm that works without causing irritation. This old school ointment has been one that has actually made a difference and holds moisture in my lips, leaving them smooth for hours on end.
Paula’s Choice Defense Essential Glow Moisturizer SPF 30 ($29 US | 60 mL): I know traditional SPFs aren’t the most indulgent products but it’s important to wear one daily and this is one that I genuinely enjoy applying. It’s a mineral filter that contains ingredients that give it a slight sheer greyish beige tint, offsetting any sort of white cast it might otherwise have, on my skin at least. It has a lightweight lotion texture and leaves a nice luminosity without being heavy. It uses liquorice root and loads of antioxidants as well. It leaves my skin looking luminous and slightly evened out on makeup-free days.

What products are you reaching for?
Maggie, x.

Another Weekday Wishlist

Wishlist posts aren’t the most informative but sometimes materialism is exciting. Joking aside, sometimes there’s nothing like the euphoria of buying a new beauty product and have it work out for the better. Here are a few of the products on my radar:

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  1. L’Oreal Infallible 24H Fresh Wear Foundation ($20 CDN | drugstores): When I started to think about writing this blog post, this foundation that everyone seems to be raving about was a true wishlist item. However, after hearing that people with dry skin were loving this heavier coverage foundation, I had to give it a try and it’s good. Spoiler alert: I bought it. It has a satin finish, offers medium-high coverage and has a fantastic shade selection, with different undertone offerings, particularly for shades on the fairer spectrum.
  2. Dior Forever Skin Glow 24H Radiant Perfecting Skin-Caring Foundation ($64 CDN | Sephora): I really need another foundation like I need another hole in my head because it really looks like this foundation will be similar to the discontinued Diorskin Star foundation, which I loved and am hoarding what remains of my bottle of it. I’m excited that there is a much better shade selection on this one and I love a good Dior base, especially one that promises glow and medium-buildable coverage.
  3. Paula’s Choice Omega+ Complex Moisturizer ($35 US | paulaschoice.com ): I have a few moisturizers on the go at the moment but after a friend of mine described this moisturizer as a fluffy cloud on your face and rather soothing, I’m very intrigued. This moisturizer has an interesting formula, containing antioxidant-rich plant oils, shea butter and a myriad of barrier restoring ingredients. I’m interested.
  4. DevaCurl Devafuser ($68 CDN | Sephora): I’m a big fan of diffusing my hair because my waves and curls take forever to air dry and because it adds some bounce and volume to my long fine hair. However, my diffuser that I have is old and falling apart. I’m really interested in this one because it the hand shape allows you to easily dry the roots with lift. It is ridiculously expensive for a dryer attachment though…
  5. Shea Moisture Manuka Honey & Yogurt Hydrate + Repair Protein Power Treatment ($13.96 CDN | Walmart): Despite the fact that I thoroughly disagree with this product being sold as a protein treatment, I really enjoyed my packet of this thick masque. It’s not heavy in the slightest and adds nourishment to the hair. I’ll pick up a jar the next time I’m somewhat near to a Walmart, which doesn’t seem to be overly often.
Any thoughts?
Maggie, x.