I’m not one that has experience with body scrubs because I have always regarded them as a needless expense and an unnecessary stage in the whole bath or shower routine that I did not want to take extra time doing – also there is the fact that my easily bothered skin, suffering from eczema, has a reactive tendency towards abrasive products has my much less temped to try any sort of products of this variety. Despite this hesitation, I picked up the Soap & Glory Flake Away Body Polish ($18/300 mL) when Shopper’s Drugmart was offering a 3/2 promotion months back and I’ve grown to really enjoy it even with all of the odds stacked against it.
The scrub is marketed towards flaky skin, particularly on the legs, and promises to smooth the skin, turning “scaly legs from reptilian to radiant”, which it does while being suitable for skin that’s sensitive, irritated and broken out in some mild to moderate eczema patches, smoothing out flaky patches of skin. Because it includes sea salt as the main exfoliating ingredient, the packaging warns against applying the scrub to irritated skin or abrasions, however, I find that it can be applied sparingly without problem to all skin except the most severe patches and abrasions, likely because there are no microbeads and it instead uses gentler salt, sugar and peach seed powder particles and is formulated with with rich butters and oils that lasts even after the product itself is removed. The residue is lovely, allowing for an easy smooth shave with the most minimal irritation and the smoothest legs afterwards, even on those of us with legs of the reptilian variety.
I also adore the lingering scent that Soap & Glory refers to as the ‘Original Pink’ fragrance; its an unoffensive warm scent that reminds me of Miss Dior with a bit of vanilla-esque sweetness, spice and calming sophistication.
The bottom line?The Soap & Glory Flake Away Body Polish has converted me to scrubs because of its ease of use even on irritated skin, actually actively helping a bit with eczema patches, leaving everything smooth and much less flaky, rather than being irritating. It hits the perfect midpoint between being effectively smoothing, sloughing off dead skin cells without being abrasive.
I was planning on putting up this post at the end of last week (er, on the weekend) but I was strangely busy and wasn’t exactly feeling all to great – hence the rationale for this post being postponed until today. Regardless, today I am reviewing a product that has perhaps impressed me the most in such a brief amount of time and my first real purchase from the brand, the Paula’s Choice Daily Smoothing Treatment 5% AHA ($30). I’ve been using the lotion texture daily chemical exfoliant every morning for a good eight weeks and even though I’ve consistently had AHAs and BHAs in my routine for ages, I was able to see a visible improvement in my skin – in terms of the texture, overall brightness and clarity of my complexion.
I figured I would get started with the product claims; it’s a daily chemical exfoliant containing 5% glycolic acid along with the 0.5% boost of pore-penetrating salicylic acid, in essence. The technically anti-aging exfoliating treatment “reveals youthfully radiant skin and counteracts sun damage – without redness or irritation” and renews skin texture, evens skin tone, smooths fine lines and stimulates healthy collagen production, all through exfoliation and the inclusion of a potent blend of antioxidants. Paula’s Choice markets this product as a silky treatment doubling as a lightweight moisturizer and here, like with the rest of the claims the brand (thankfully) does not make any ridiculous statements that research does not support, use known irritants and does not use marketing bullshit – in other words, the product does what it says, which I quite enjoy.
The glycolic treatment has an impressive formulation laden with active ingredients in solid concentrations, a good 5% of glycolic acid that is suitable for daily use – even in combination with other potent ingredients – and enough BHA to provide pore-penetrating and anti-inflammatory action, whilst still remaining easy for the skin to tolerate. The Daily Smoothing Treatment strikes me as the ideal balance of efficacy and gentleness, even for skin as temperamental and moody as mine; it also serves as both a daily exfoliant and a soothing serum with that thin absorbent texture with that slip to it, ideal for multitasking product for my dehydrated skin as it full of antioxidants and anti-irritants to boosts the skins response to the acid.
I adore that it serves as an AHA, yet still has that effective shot of BHA in the formula, so it sacrifices neither but does not aggravate the skin either – at least this is my experience on my drier skin that suffers from congestion, sensitivity and a general lack of radiance/clarity. In a nutshell, the Daily Smoothing Treatment is an excellent gentler daily exfoliant with both glycolic and a wee bit of salicylic acid that serves a myriad of purposes and provides a myriad of benefits (i.e. anti-aging along with the generally more even, bright, clear and more luminous skin). As I seem to with most potent acidic products, I did experience a slight tinge at first but this one was not unpleasant and stopped happening after a week or two – and I’m prone to this kind of adjustment period FYI. Priced at $30 US for 50 mLs or 1.7 ounces, the Daily Smoothing Treatment belongs to the brand’s pricier Resist range with more intensive formulas focused on reversing or lessening the skin’s signs of aging but it is worth the price increase in my opinion, even if you’re not concerned primarily with the aging process (as I’m not) because of the multitude of benefits it provides and its ability to serve as a product that multitasks. If you’re looking for a daily AHA product that isn’t too intensive and would enjoy a hydrating texture, I would wholeheartedly recommend trying this offering!
If you’ve been a regular reader in the last month or so, it’s likely that you’ve heard me declare my love for the NARS Audacious Lipstick in Brigitte ($37 CDN) and therefore my musings and general verdict should be anything but surprising. However, I’m going to provide my (relatively) unabridged thoughts regardless and let you know whether the lipstick appears to be worth the price tag.
The Audacious Lipsticks are definitely a luxury product – even compared to NARS’ other offerings – and fortunately, the looks, packaging and performance of the lipstick fits its luxury branding. The glossy black packaging thankfully repels dust and is sleek and luxe with its square shape, subtly monogrammed sides and full-on extravagant monogram into the bullet itself, along with the addictive magnetic packaging. The formula delivers on all of its promises; while its a more traditional style of lipstick than many on the market today with full-on pigmentation and a cream finish, it’s the best performing product that I’ve tried of its kind. It offers insane pigmentation in a single stroke, lasts for ages on the lips – without fading weirdly, I might add – and has that luxurious nourishing texture that makes your lips feel nicer with use rather than the opposite. I find the formula wears for a good 4-5 hours with moderate eating and drinking and stains nicely after that time period. The only thing that I have to watch when I’m wearing this lipstick and doing some heavy eating and/or drinking is that the formula can slip and slide a little bit because of its creamy texture. I love that the lipsticks are unscented for both cosmetic reasons and for the sake of my sensitive lips. Because they are unscented, they do not have irritating ingredients that many do, nor do they have a weird scent.
The shade range is huge, consisting of 40 shades – 10 of which can only be purchased online or in NARS boutiques, however – and does come with loads of interesting shades, but I went for Brigitte, one of the most neutral shade offerings. NARS describes the shade as a “nude rose”, which is sort of misleading because it’s notably darker and rosier than one would expect a nude offering to be, especially one presumably named after Brigitte Bardot’s signature pout; nevertheless, it is a gorgeous subtly-warm-leaning neutral rose with a hint of peachy-coral to it. It definitely fits into the my-lips-but-rosier category for me and is one of those staple neutral shades that doesn’t compete with other makeup but instantly adds life to the face. Brigitte also is easy to wear, even though I have tremendous difficulty wearing pink lipsticks.
While Brigitte is a relatively unique and non-generic shade offering, I’ve come to the conclusion that I have two lip products in my collection that are very similar in colour – but the formulas are different. As the name would suggest NARS Dolce Vita Velvet Matte Lip Pencil has more of a matte finish and texture, along with stronger brick undertones – but is extremely similar. The Bourjois Nude-Ist Rouge Edition Velvet also has a more matte finish along with the different liquid stain texture that dries down completely but has a little more brightness and true rusty rose lean to it, but really it gives a similar effect.
From top: NARS Brigitte | NARS Dolce Vita Velvet Matte Lip Pencil ($31) | Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet in Nude-Ist ($23)
I’ve gotten out of the practice of grading products as I review them, but I have to mention that this lipstick would be a solid ‘A’ rating, which is something that one does not come across to often. I adore both the shade and the formula, but given that the product is so expensive, I won’t be investing in shades all too often.
Have you tried any of the NARS Audacious Lipsticks?
Gradually over the last year, Bath & Body Works scented candles have infiltrated my life and eventually my blog posts, so its only fitting that I’m now going as far to dedicate an entire post to reviewing a candle. Bath & Body Works’ Brazilian Blue Waters is part of their Spring 2015 Hawaii collection and they describe it with the words “escape to Brazil’s shores with notes of ocean waves, sea foam and dappled sunlight”. I picked up the medium size, which is a single wick, containing 180 grams of product that should theoretically last 30-40 hours burning – this particular size retails for $12.50 or 2/$20. Brazilian Blue Waters is also available in a mini along with the 3-wick and while I wouldn’t necessarily wholeheartedly agree with the scent descriptor, I understand where they are coming from and enjoy the unique water-themed scent.
Brazilian Blue Watersis a unique scent that is subtle yet has an intense (but not overwhelming) intensity and throw and I find that I can burn it in my small room for hours without repercussions – and my room smells like it for ages after it has been burnt. While it’s definitely an aquatic scent, it’s nothing like your usual watery scents, as it doesn’t have any of those beach scents or citrus/musky hit that many other candles tend to have in this category. First and foremost, it smells like fresh running water but it has strong fresh-floral undertones along with some of that delicious clean-laundry scent. This is one of those scents that feel distinctly Spring-esque and appropriate at this time – even though here there is still snow on the ground here and it’s more of an aquatic scent. This scent strikes me as being both invigorating yet mellow and is conducive to productivity in my experience.
While I have to say that I do prefer my beloved Beach Dayfrom last year with it’s more authentic ocean-slash-beach scent, absence of floral notes and stronger citrusy musk element to it, I have quite enjoyed this candle. Even though it’s described in similar terms to the more summer-appropriate ocean scents, it definitely has a different feel that is seasonally appropriate and is a bit different in a lovely way. This is also a scent that I would hesitate to say that anyone would find offensive in the slightest. I just really do not get the sea foam note in the slightest and why floral notes were not in the descriptor. I can only imagine the 3-wick would have out of this world intensity and throw, considering the performance of the medium size.
Do you have a favourite scented candle at the moment?
I’m very aware of my recent absence around my favourite escape, my blog, but things have been just so crazy during this semester’s exam period and I have to say this exam period has been my worst – and it’s not ever yet, plus I’ve had pretty horrifying exam experiences in the last three years – but I’m back because I have a few days off to breathe before my final exam and paper and I’ve been missing this. Getting back to the point, I’ve been into putting some more styling effort into my hair and reading and watching curly/wavy hair content and have been inspired to get out more hair-related posts so I figured I would start out with a review. Phew. I had to.
On my very last trip to Target before it closed down, I picked up the Curls Unleashed Lavish in Lather Sulfate-Free Shampoo ($10 US/$15 CDN) and I have been using slash enjoying it since. It’s marketed towards textured hair as a gentle but effective cleanser that also helps to moisturize and detangle hair and I would have to agree that it meets those claims with a few other benefits. It’s not the most detangling or moisturizing but I have dry hair that tangles like nothing else so the fact that it was not overly tangled or dry after shampooing is a sign in its favour. I don’t tend to be someone who places tons of significance on the scent of the products I use, but I totally love the soap-come-herbal scent of the cleanser that reminds me of that Deva Curl smell, likely because of the hops, lemon and rosemary. What I love about this cleanser is just how suitable it is for those like me who have finer hair and tend to be product junkies but still have fragile and dry hair and are looking for a nourishing, lightweight yet slightly clarifying shampoo. It’s more clarifying than your typical sulfate-free shampoo, yet it doesn’t strip the hair at all or contain your harshest non sulfate cleansers, or irritate my sensitive scalp in the slightest. It’s definitely a great one to grab when your hair is starting to feel a bit limp or weighed down but you don’t want to lose definition as a result and dry your hair out – it straddles the line of being lightweight and effective, whilst being gentle – and it’s definitely one to grab when you have finer hair, especially when you have loads of it like me.
Ingredient-wise it’s impressive, formulated without silicones or sulfates while still performing in other respects. The cleansing agents are impressive ones, rather than the half-assed slightly-removed-from-sulfate-offerings that many rely on but it still manages to be concentrated and creates a delightful amount of lather.
You can pick this and the rest of the line up at Target if you’re in the US and I believe at Sally’s Beauty Supply almost everywhere. I know for certain that Sally’s stocks it online as do a myriad of other places. Obviously, I’d recommend it to those with finer hair textures looking for a gentle cleanser or really anyone looking for a bit of clarifying actions without any sort of problematic drying or stripping action.
I’m quite the fan of highlighters in general, but I’m sure this is not surprising considering that I’m a lover of all things glowy. More surprisingly, however, I don’t have a large number of highlighters in my collection but I do reach for them often without talking about them. The Benefit Girl Meets Pearl ($36/ 0.4 oz) was the second highlighter that I ever acquired and it remains one of my favourites. I say ‘acquired’ because I did not actually purchase or rather, pay for the “liquid pearl for face” – the full-sized product was part of the first 500 Point Perk that I redeemed from Sephora.
It’s not what I would think of as a traditional highlighter and was my first foray into the world of liquid highlighters that I’ve come to adore. Unlike most liquid highlighters, it doesn’t have an overly runny texture and is not nearly difficult to deal with as the typical liquid textures. The formula is slightly sheer in the nicest way possible – but this does make it impossible to photograph in its true glory – and is a relatively light pale pink-hued shade with a golden champagne sheen running throughout and no obvious shimmer. I love how it reads on the skin as natural luminosity rather than any sort of product and how it sits half way between pink and gold. It’s extremely blendable into the skin and I have to say that I enjoy that it blends seamlessly into my dry skin even when I’ve been naughty and have applied the cream product over powder.
It’s quite pricy but I might say that it’s worth the money as the product goes such a long way and it’s simply gorgeous on the skin. It doesn’t hurt how versatile it is, either, working underneath foundation to add a glow and even things out, used on top as a traditional highlighter and mixed in with foundation to sheer things out while adding some luminosity.
There 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.
I have to start this post with an odd to my lovely friend, Lauren, and I promise this ode is related at the very least tangentially to the content of this post. Even though I harass her just about every time that I see her, I love her dearly for reading my blog from the beginning with actual interest and letting me talk her ear off about all things beauty willingly. She’s my nail-polish obsessed friend – her stash might be more impressive than my collection of blushes – and she definitely inspired me to get into painting my nails and has gifted me a number of polishes that I adore dearly. Most of all, today on the snowy but wet Wednesday, she indulged me with a fanatical nail polish chat today with genuine enthusiasm that distracted me from just how blaaargh I was feeling. Last week, she jokingly (kind-of?) informed me that the blog was lacking on the nail polish front and here I am, beginning to remedy that to the best of my ability.
I’m not a glitter girl in the slightest, putting it into the hated pile as I associate it with ridiculously girly blingy and frou-frou-ness but I bloody love the Essie Nail Lacquer in On a Silver Platter ($9-10) and the effortlessly edgy vibe it has. It has a slightly sheer tarnished silver base with reflective gold shimmer running throughout and cobalt glitter chunks. I really enjoy the unique multidimensional reflectiveness and texture of this nail lacquer “effect”. Believe me, my description is making it sound much less exciting than it is but in truth, it’s a complicated colour so it’s not a breeze to describe. In two coats, the polish is semi-opaque with a pigmented enough base that no additional polish is required underneath. The formula dries extremely fast but unfortunately chips easily in chunks within a day regardless of my base coat and top coat attempts. Also, the chips tend to cover at least a third of the nail so its much more noticeable than your usual small chips around the tips of your nails.
I have two random tidbits to leave you with: it’s one of the six polishes from Essie’s ‘Encrusted’ collection and the polish has been on my nails for one day in the pictures. Oh and despite my irritation with how quickly this chips, I think its a good ‘un.
I’ve been declaring my borderline obsessive love for the Diorskin Star Studio Makeup since succumbing to the allure of the new and hyped-up foundation in October and have been promising a review for almost as long. I’ve raved about the “spectacularly brightening” foundation that’s infused with SPF 30 with the PA++ designation, supposedly providing “weightless perfection” countless times by now so its about time for a full-on review. But there’s no way of getting around my favorable opinion of this foundation – it’s among my top foundations of all time and I’m a foundation-obsessed kind of girl.
Dior describes this foundation as inspired by the professional illumination techniques in the studio, enhanced by the makeup artist and designed to re-create the “spectacular and perfecting light of Dior’s studios”. In a more particular way, its characterized as a brightening foundation with a weightless fluid texture, providing a more visibly even and bright complexion – with the aid of hollow silica beads and light-filter pigments – and supposedly “the complexion is purified and more dazzling” due to anti light-trap ingredients. I definitely see the skin-brightening, illuminating and to a certain degree, the perfecting properties of the foundation but I’m slightly skeptical of the light-filter pigments but that’s rather inconsequential; the latter claim about purifying and dazzling the complexion cracks me up with its audacity as there are not any ingredients that would do this inside the foundation and that its questionable that any ingredients in the formula could transform skin in some way, beyond appearances. What I love about this foundation is its lightweight fluid texture that is impressively formulated without drying and irritating alcohols, its medium to medium-full coverage that does not mask the skin but keeps everything luminous and brightened, the fact that it lasts a ridiculous amount of time and that it’s fantastic on my dry and uneven skin. The formula is hydrating in itself and it does not highlight dry patches in the slightest and beyond that is flattering on those areas, especially considering the coverage and longevity of the formula.
The foundation has an impressive shade range, suiting fair – but perhaps not porcelain-fair – to deep skin tones with the 20 shade offering that includes a good number of different undertones but in Sephora and Shopper’s Drugmart stores near me, the different shade variations in the first shade range (011, 012, 013) seem to be absent. The foundation contains the average 30 mLs or one fluid ounce and retails for $50 dollars in both the United States and Canada, coming housed in a luxe glass bottle with a pump. I’m wearing the shade 020 Light Beige, but it’s not an ideal match for me in depth at the moment, as I’m at my fairest in the dead of winter but it works when blended into my pale neck even now because the slightly golden-leaning beige undertones are spot on. 010 Ivory is a paler shade that I’ve found available nearly everywhere, but it runs a bit too pink for my skin but I suspect 011 Creme with yellow undertones or 013 Dune with peachy undertones would be my optimal match. In my shade at least, the foundation looks darker in the bottle than it applies and I would say it matches around an NC20/NW15 to maybe a NC25/NW20 ish, suiting skin tones that are slightly fair but nothing resembling porcelain.
before | after
The foundation both feels and appeals remarkably skin-like despite the coverage and longevity it has, camouflaging texture and discolouration remarkably well. Although it lasts well over 12 hours without any sort of fading, it develops some considerable shine even on my dry skin with a somewhat normal t-zone after a few hours without setting powder; it has considerable longevity but not astounding oil-control. I would suspect that the lack of oil-control and the serious glow it develops is a function of the seriously hydrating texture of the foundation and absence of oil-absorbing ingredients like drying alcohols, so I don’t think its necessarily a weakness of the formula. With that being said, anyone except the driest of the driest skin will have to set this foundation with powder and perhaps touch up with powder once during the day. I would say its suitable for combination skin seeking some hydration and glow – with a healthy dusting of powder on oilier places – and anyone on the dry skin spectrum. I’ve used this with good success with some moderate flaking on my forehead but I haven’t tested it with a seriously Sahara dry overall complexion – I’m pleased to report my skincare routine has saved me from this fate.
the full face featuring a touch of powder in the t-zone | the face untouched 12 hours later minus lipstick
Oh, and on the sunscreen note, its an Octinoxate and Titanium Dioxide blend, a mixture of both mineral and ‘chemical’ sunscreens and even on my chemical-SPF-sensitive skin, – and incredibly so at that – my skin does not feel or look irritated upon application. It’s broad-protection sunscreen by the way and it despite the higher SPF, there is definitely no flash photography issue. Again, I emphasize that it can appear a bit shiny without the aid of powdering and by shiny, I mean more pronounced than it is in real life.
The condition of my lips cannot be described as anything but slightly mangled and disastrous; regardless of care and all that jazz, my lips are extremely sensitive, chapped, dry and all kinds of uneven. While I have not found a miracle balm to cure all ills, I’m pleased to report that I’ll fallen in love with this balm that not only does not irritate my lips – you wouldn’t believe how irritated my lips get from the most seemingly benign formulas – but even more than that provides nice soothing moisture on the lips without feeling heavy or leaving any sort of cast or wonky texture. The Nuxe Rêve de Miel Lip Moisturising Stick Stick ($9) is all kinds of awesome, coming in an easy, practical and hygienic chapstick form and containing nourishing ingredients like shea butter, oils galore and honey and none of those aesthetically-pleasing ingredients like copious amounts of fragrance, alcohol, menthol and the like. It may not be ideal for some, but I appreciate that this lightweight but very hydrating balm is suitable for daily wear even under makeup but does not contain SPF – I really tend to have sensitivity issues with sunscreen found in lip products. Being in a stick form, it doesn’t contain the greatest amount of product, amounting to 4 grams.
I was tempted to leave this post at the previous paragraph which would be impressively concise slash short and sweet for someone as wordy as me but let me paint the picture of how this balm came into my life. It was the end of August, with my third year of university in the near future and I was at the mall with my friends. Frustrated with the condition of my lips, despite many attempts to cure them, I had decided that I wanted to try the traditional Nuxe Reve de Miel pot lip balm that so many bloggers that I adore tremendously had declared their love for and as luck would have it, I was without lip balm and my lips felt like they were going to fall off. I scampered into the larger Shopper’s Drugmart and headed into the section with the like French brands, ready to shell out $17 dollars and then I realized that the cult-favourite formula was sold out. How rude. I was disturbingly enraged until I spotted the less expensive more traditional stick formula and convinced myself that it was worth a try and would be easier to justify to myself as a purchase. As soon as it was paid for, I aggressively applied the balm and things were instantly better, both on the moisture and sensitivity front. Maybe 4-5 months later, I’ve still held onto that little guy and have been enjoying the results and believe it or not, I’ve made a major dent in the stick. Pointless ramble over.
beautylit& ramblings 