Anabel
Member Since: September 24, 2010Reviews
Pure+simple Purifying French Clay Mask
I first mentioned this product when I introduced you to my spa. I find that on the cusp of seasons I tend to go mask crazy. I think it has something to do with my need to purify and detoxify from one season to start fresh for the next. It really... +
I first mentioned this product when I introduced you to my spa.
I find that on the cusp of seasons I tend to go mask crazy. I think it has something to do with my need to purify and detoxify from one season to start fresh for the next. It really makes no logical sense, but in my mind, it works.
This mask is not only a great value, it works. I find that this mask balances my skin and dries out blemishes and sucks up excessive oil, without stressing my face. Plus it not only has soothing and softening properties, but can be used as a spot blemish treatment.
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Boscia Luminizing Black Mask
I was having a dreary Monday until I got home and tried this mask. It’s a peel-off mask that is supposed to instantly boost skin clarity and radiance. Peeling crap off your face is fun and oddly satisfying. As with all of its products, Boscia... +
I was having a dreary Monday until I got home and tried this mask. It’s a peel-off mask that is supposed to instantly boost skin clarity and radiance. Peeling crap off your face is fun and oddly satisfying.
As with all of its products, Boscia is preservative-free and rich in natural clays, minerals and extracts. I have not tried a peel off mask since my horrifying Biore incident*.
Since then, I still experience flashbacks and nightmares and other PTSD symptosm when I see Biore products or hear the word heat or mask. Of course I’m also wiser and more selective with products, and know that the test patch is my best friend.
Seeing as I was already familiar with this preservative-free skincare line, I decided to buy the mask. It's like shiny, silky black satin. So cool.
As instructed I put on a nice even layer. It dried in less than ten minutes. Sadly, it wasn’t easy to peel off. I was expecting a few swift motions but instead it was coming off bit by bit.
While it removed impurities and dead skin cells, the mask was more of a wash-off than a peel-off.
Skip it.
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Fresh Umbrian Clay Face Treatment
This is my first product from fresh. I like their scents, but wasn’t all that familiar with their skincare line. I noticed that they are big on SOY. Sounds yummy. The Umbrian mask was recommended to me as a detoxifying face mask to minimize... +
This is my first product from fresh. I like their scents, but wasn’t all that familiar with their skincare line. I noticed that they are big on SOY. Sounds yummy.
The Umbrian mask was recommended to me as a detoxifying face mask to minimize pores and prevent breakouts, even for sensitive skin. Umbrian clay has many purposes, including soothing irritations, reducing breakouts, and removing toxins - three things my body didn't need anyway.
But if any of this sounds familiar it's because I said Pure Simple has a French clay mask that does the same thing and...wait for it...it's half the price.
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Peter Thomas Roth Retinol Fusion PM
I can’t review this product without telling you a little bit about what retinol is, since that’s basically all it is (PTR’s serum is made of 1.5% retinol and Vitamins C and E). Retinol is the pure form of Vitamin A, which, in our world, is a... +
I can’t review this product without telling you a little bit about what retinol is, since that’s basically all it is (PTR’s serum is made of 1.5% retinol and Vitamins C and E).
Retinol is the pure form of Vitamin A, which, in our world, is a jack-of-all-trades. It helps with wrinkles, tightens skin and pores, improves texture and helps with acne. If you want the mechanics of that, retinol basically stimulates collagen production in our skin, and that my loves, is mother nature’s botox.
People with sensitive skin should use retinol containing products with caution. I recommend a test patch and gradual use because it can cause redness and dryness. I took my own advice and used it at bedtime once a week to start and now I'm up to every other day.
I can't honestly say it's helped when Mr. Pimple (Mister, because he's that big) shows up, but investing in a retinol product is a proactive move. If you have the money to spare, it's an inside-out product worth the money - i.e. it regenerates skin from beneath the surface. Yes, I dug deep (ignore the pun) to rationalize this purchase, but beauty brains everywhere agree that stimluating collagen production is vital to maintaining tone, texture and youthfulness.
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bareMinerals Liner Shadow
I’m really not all that big on eye liner, and I think too many woman take a heavy handed approach. Objectively speaking, I think my sister has the best eye lining skills, or it may be that I just like her feline eyes. This product lets me... +
I’m really not all that big on eye liner, and I think too many woman take a heavy handed approach. Objectively speaking, I think my sister has the best eye lining skills, or it may be that I just like her feline eyes.
This product lets me define my eyes, without fumbling with pencils or paint brushes. It’s foolproof.
You can use it dry or wet for natural or intense eye-definition, respectively. You get all the control, what you do with it is up to you. Best of all, it’s smudge-proof, water-resistant, and sensitivity-approved. Three yays.
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Majolica Majorca Lash Expander Frame Plus Mascara
Standard at $20: I am utterly, madly, and truly in love with this mascara. I haven’t fallen this hard since I was 12 and thought I’d marry Dylan McKay aka Luke Perry. Yes, I’m aware, WHAT was I thinking?!? Fellow-beauty brain Budgie... +
Standard at $20:
I am utterly, madly, and truly in love with this mascara. I haven’t fallen this hard since I was 12 and thought I’d marry Dylan McKay aka Luke Perry. Yes, I’m aware, WHAT was I thinking?!?
Fellow-beauty brain Budgie told me about this a while ago. I did a search and found that this funky-named mascara is umbrellaed under a familiar company by the name of Shiseido. I never got around to ordering it, but Budgie got me a tube while she was in Asia. I bet you all wish you knew Budgie. This is why I only surround myself with fabulous people. I’m such a lucky girl…
Majolica Majorca, or MJ for short, is only available in Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand. But fret not, I have good news, it’s all over ebay. So with a little patience, it can be yours. And trust me when I say, you want it.
What could possibly get my blood flowing this much? It’s real simple. This mascara does exactly what I want. And need I remind you, my naked lashes are most definitely in want. MJ even survived a torrential rain storm on Monday and while I looked like a disaster (yes I forgot my umbrella), my lashes stayed intact. Really…no smudge, no flakes. I was a hot mess but for my perfectly doe-eyed eyes.
The formula goes on, and lasts all day and night. The only sidenote would be that it’s harder to get off than most mascaras; just wash thoroughly and follow-up with kickass makeup remover.
MJ has become the gold standard for super long lashes that hold curl and stay up. I’m so on cloud 9.
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Bliss Clog Dissolving Cleansing Milk
blissfully clean :Pricey at $31: If happiness was a tangible element that could be bottled...it'd smell like Bliss. So, I should explain the anal way in which I wash my face. It's anal because at any given time I have three products... +
blissfully clean
:Pricey at $31:
If happiness was a tangible element that could be bottled...it'd smell like Bliss.
So, I should explain the anal way in which I wash my face. It's anal because at any given time I have three products that I cycle in a very specific way. The three are a premium brand, a drugstore favourite and my no-fail soap.
Over the summer the premium brand was my Ole. Now that fall's here, I like to change it up. Enter its replacement. It's a dual action product - wash on-off as a cleaner, or leave it be for 5 minutes as a mask.
It’s neither foamy nor soapy, just creamy. Alhtough it's supposed to be a gentle exfoliator, I think the enzymes are stronger than I find ideal. My skin was mildly irritated during its first week, but that has abated. It definitely rids your skin of all debris and makeup leaving it squeaky clean and soft.
I wouldn’t recommend people who have sensitive skin use this everyday. I decided to adapt, so my 3-step cycle has become a 4-product regimen has so I can squeeze in a quickie...quickie mask that is. Looks like I still need a new face wash...
Like it.
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RapidLash Eyelash Renewal Serum
Just slightly curious. After finding the mothers of all mascaras, I don't really care that much for growth serums anymore. Maybe as I get older, and therefore wiser, it doesn't make as much sense to put chemicals near my eyeballs... +
Just slightly curious. After finding the mothers of all mascaras, I don't really care that much for growth serums anymore. Maybe as I get older, and therefore wiser, it doesn't make as much sense to put chemicals near my eyeballs. Maybe.
I am still a fan of MultiplEye by tarte. And should I lose any lashes again, I'll pick up a tube. Otherwise, my heart is quite content with what I've got.
Then again, if it's "free", that's another story. I was redeeming my Optimum points at Shopper's in June and decided to get Rapid Lash. I won't go through the technical mumbojumbo since I'm neither equipped to, nor care to. But you can find it here.
I will share my eyeballs with you:
Do you see a difference? I don't see a difference. One last time, just to be sure:
Top - June 3
Bottom - July 4
I'm not angry. I'm over it. But do you know what $70 could have got me? It could have got me two tubes of Majolica and a tube of Benefit. That would have been money well spent. Rapid Lash? That was money wasted.
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Organix Shampoo and Conditioner
Last week I was doing what I love to do...reading magazines and I saw an ad for organix. Never heard of it, but it caught my interest for the following reasons: It uses organic active ingredients It's sulfate and paraben free The bottle's... +
Last week I was doing what I love to do...reading magazines and I saw an ad for organix. Never heard of it, but it caught my interest for the following reasons:
It uses organic active ingredients
It's sulfate and paraben free
The bottle's cute. Kinda chub. I like chub.
So many varieties in so many colours (see here):
brazilian keratin therapy
coconut milk
moroccan argan oil
cherry blossom ginseng
pomegranate green tea
vanilla silk
shea butter
acai berry avocado
teatree mint
cocoa butter
passionfruit guava
mandarin olive oil
grapefruit mango butter
cucumber yogurt
lavender soymilk
mocha espresso
Phew. That's a lot. I want to try them all, some more than others. The ones that least interested me are the only ones that seem to be in Canada. Why, why, why must we Canadians be punished? Woe is me.
Until the rest of them migrate to Toronto soils, I settled on brazilian keratin therapy shampoo ($8.99) and coconut milk conditioner ($7.99), only because I'm not on the moroccan oil bandwagon.
They smell like heaven in a bottle. Sexy. I kind of want to bathe in it. Oh wait, you sorta do.
How well does it do what it says it will do? The brazilian shampoo left my hair smooth and silky, the coconut didn't do anymore than any other conditioner.
Based on the cuteness of the bottle and the superfabulous smells, I'd buy organix again. And since you can buy it at Shoppers, you know it will go on sale. As drugstore hair products goes, it's pretty fabulous; compared to my favourite salon brands? Just okay.
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Benefit Cosmetics Chachatint Lip & Cheek Stain
I have been waiting for Benefit to release their new tint...for a long time. Sometimes I swear, I need to sleep in Canada but live in America. Especially because it's also only $29 USD. Grr. But it's only $20 at Holt Renfrew RIGHT... +
I have been waiting for Benefit to release their new tint...for a long time. Sometimes I swear, I need to sleep in Canada but live in America. Especially because it's also only $29 USD. Grr. But it's only $20 at Holt Renfrew RIGHT NOW!
When I awoke this morning, with a song in my head and a smile in my heart, I had two missions. The first, to pick up cha cha tint. Check.
Do the CHA, CHA, CHA .
My sister first told me about it about a month or so ago. I read up on it and can I say - people have WAY too much to say about products. They analyze it to death. You know, that girlfriend of your's that calls you to ask you 'what did he mean when he said?', 'why didn't he...?'. I want to punch those girls.
Here's what I think about the third Benefit tint: I love the name. I love the easy application (please, moisturize, dehydrated skin is kryptonite to liquid blush stains). I like the colour - "mango-tinted". Basically a neutered orangey-pink. I doubt this colour will fly for paler complexions, but it's summer, and I'm tanned.
My second mission was to buy a pair of the non-jean anti-tights. Check.
Damn...I am one productive...
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