February 2015 Favourites

It's the end of the month, which means it's time to show you my favourites of the month. Side note: Can you believe it's already March tomorrow? This year is flying by! But, I digress. Onto the favourites!

I don't have as many favourites this month, but they have been well loved. I've really been enjoying the Bobbi Brown Hydrating Eye Cream. It's a good basic eye cream that really does hydrate and plump up the undereye area - crucial during this harsh winter. To continue with the eye products, I rediscovered my love for the Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Concealer. It's thin in consistency, but still gives decent coverage while being lightweight on the undereye area. Lastly, the Maybelline The Rocket Volume Express Mascara, the waterproof version, has been my mascara of choice. It gives just enough volume and length but still look natural. It also keeps the curl for the entire day. 

Throughout this month, I kept reaching for Dior Palais Royal. It's honestly the perfect nail polish shade right now. It's dark enough to suit the winter months, yet neutral enough to match anything and everything. And every time I've worn this, I've gotten compliments on it. Then there's the newly acquired Dior Addict Lip Glow. I've been loving my tinted lip balms and this moisturises while giving my lips a fresh rosy pink colour. 

Can you tell I really enjoyed my Maybelline and Dior products? 

What were some of your favourite products this month?

Samples Challenge Update #1

Earlier this month, I challenged myself to use up the samples I've been hoarding. At the end of each month, I'll make an update of how many samples I've used up during the month and whether I would purchase the full size.



Shiseido Ultimune Power Infusing Concentrate: This is a concentrate, but not a serum. You're supposed to use it after cleansing and before applying your serum and moisturiser. I like that it makes my skin feel so soft after using it, but I have yet to see what the longer-term effects are. I still have two more samples of this, so we'll see if I see and feel the effects it's supposed to have.
Purchase: Maybe - too early to tell.

Bliss High Intensity Hand Cream: I've previously used the Bliss hand creams and moisturisers and love the scent of them! This one's a sweet lemon scent. This is a thick and moisturising hand cream that's perfect for the cold seasons.
Purchase: Yes

Caudalie Vinosource Moisturizing Sorbet: I got this as part of a sampler set. It has a light texture and sinks into the skin pretty quickly. I really like the scent of this moisturiser, but I didn't find it was moisturising enough for me. I also prefer to use moisturisers that have SPF in them.
Purchase: No

Sephora Super Supreme Body Butter: For some reason, the scent of this body butter reminds me of Nivea Creme - the one in the blue pot. Scent aside, I expected this to be a lot more moisturising because of its name. I have other body butters that are more moisturising and in scents that I like more.
Purchase: No

Biotherm Aquasource Deep Hydration Replenishing Gel: I used this in combination with the sample of the Aquasource Deep Serum and I did find that it worked better when used together. I personally don't prefer gel moisturisers, so I found it was only ok. But it could just be that gels aren't moisturising enough during the winter months.
Purchase: No

Biotherm Aquasource Deep Serum: I did like how plump and soft this serum made my skin. I think this is supposed to be used during the daytime since it has shimmery particles in it. Unfortunately, I think this was breaking me out.
Purchase: No

First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream: So many people rave about this cream and I thought it was only ok. It did sink into my skin quickly without leaving it feeling greasy. However, like I said above, I have other body moisturisers that I like more and are less expensive.
Purchase: No

Kaia Naturals Juicy Bamboo Natural Bamboo Facial Cleansing Cloth: This is an all-natural cleansing cloth made from bamboo fibres. When I first open the packet, I was surprised at how small the cloth is! It's about half the size of usual cleansing cloths and the scent was not what I was expecting. It's not necessarily bad, but not entirely pleasant either. I didn't find it took off my makeup that well either.
Purchase: No


After the first month of this challenge, I've used up 8 samples. I've found that those little tubes take a lot longer to use than it looks! Hopefully I can keep using up samples at this rate or even quicker!

Favourite Tinted Lip Products

I'm a pretty low maintenance kind of girl when it comes to lip products. I prefer using products that don't require a mirror to apply and are easy to use on the go. So today, I'm showing you my favourite tinted lip products.

I love lip products that are moisturising any time of the year, but is especially important in this harsh winter weather. So, it's no surprise that most of my picks are tinted lip balms!

The Fresh Sugar Lip Treatments in Rose and Berry are old favourites. I actually quite prefer the original version of this lip balm (I've gone through 2 tubes of them!), but I like the flush of colour the Rose and Berry versions give. These two shades give exactly the kind of tint their shade names indicate.

The next two tinted lip balms are newer purchases, but they've quickly become a couple of my favourite lip products. First is the Dior Addict Lip Glow. It supposedly reacts with your body chemistry to create the perfect shade. For me, it's a bright pink rosy colour, which is a bit out of my comfort zone, but I do like how it looks on me. It's deeply moisturising and is pretty long-lasting for a lip balm. The second one is the Clarins Instant Light Natural Lip Balm Perfector in Rosewood. If you're already familiar with the lip gloss version, you'll like these! They're moisturising, have a sweet vanilla flavour and have a glossy finish with a sheer tint. Rosewood is a pinky brown colour - probably my favourite colour family for lip products.

Lastly, we have the Clarins Instant Light Natural Lip Perfector in Rose Shimmer. This is a recent discovery for me and I've fallen in love with it. It's a moisturising lip gloss that's not sticky at all. Rose Shimmer gives a very pretty light warm rosy pink sheer wash of colour on the lips. It sits comfortably on the lips and despite the name, you can't really see the shimmer after it's been applied.

What are some of your favourite tinted lip products?

Time Saving Tip: Using Cream Eyeshadows

With the winter season comes dark mornings, which makes it harder to wake up and get out of bed. To get some more sleep, I like to simplify the makeup I use. One of my favourite ways to get those extra minutes of sleep is to use cream eyeshadows.

Cream eyeshadows can be used as a base for other eyeshadows, or by itself. In the winter, I'm much too tired in the mornings to think about applying multiple shadows, then search for the brushes to blend out the harsh edges. With cream eyeshadows, I use my ring finger to apply on my lids, then blend out the edges with my middle finger. It looks like you put some effort into your eyeshadow, when you really didn't. Easy and it only takes a few seconds!

L-R: Rosewood, Coffee Buzz, Tough as Taupe

I only own three cream eyeshadows, but that's more than enough for me! Since they take a while to get through. The three shades that I have are great neutrals that will work with most skintones. Origins Ginzing Brightening Cream Eye Shadow in Coffee Buzz is the one I use the most. The formula is very creamy, easy to work with and blend extremely well. It looks quite warm in the pot, but it's more of a bronzey taupey shade with subtle silver shimmers.

My next favourite is the Clarins Ombre Matte Eyeshadow in Rosewood. This is a cream to powder eyeshadow, but it feels much like a velvety extremely pressed powder eyeshadow. It is a beautiful red-toned brown that lasts a long time on the lids.

Lastly, I have the Maybelline Colour Tattoo in Tough as Taupe. This shade is more of an opaque purple grey, than a taupe. Out of the three cream eyeshadows, this is the driest formula and can be a little tricky to work with. Once it's been warmed up by the fingers, it's easier to apply and blend out. I haven't worn this shadow for 24 hours, but it does last quite a long time on my lids.

What are your thoughts on cream eyeshadows?

Review: La Roche-Posay Thermal Spring Water

I'm a huge fan of La Roche-Posay products. Both the Effaclar Duo and Pigmentclar Serum are awesome products and have worked quite well on my skin. So, I thought, why not try out their version of water mist - the La Roche-Posay Thermal Spring Water. Having loved the Caudalie Beauty Elixir, I wanted to find out how good this spray would be, at a fraction of the price.

This water is targeted for people with sensitive skin and those who have skin that's irritated by external factors. La Roche-Posay claims that the inclusion of Selenium and other minerals help with soothing and softening the skin due to its antioxidant properties.

Thermal Spring Water can be used to tone and prepare the skin for treatments, as an anti-inflammatory following procedures such as chemical peels and microdermabrasion, or to refresh the skin. This is also recommended for people who suffer from rosacea or eczema. To use the spray, it's suggested to hold the can 8-12 inches away from the face, then leave it on for 2-3 minutes. You can wait until the water dries or pat off the excess.

So what do I think of this?

I use this as part of my evening skincare routine after I've cleansed my face. I spray a pretty liberal amount and I quite like the cooling and refreshing feeling of the water. I wait the 2-3 minutes for the water to dry. If there's excess, I try to pat the water away with my hands. One of the great things about this facial mist is that you can hold down the nozzle and have a continuous spray, instead of pressing down on the nozzle multiple times.

My skin feels plumper and smoother after all the water has dried off. Even though my face feels calmer and refreshed, I don't find it helps with the bit of redness I have in my cheeks.

After using this spray for the past couple of months, I can say I really like the results I get from this spray. Even though it is a can of water, somehow the combination of selenium and other minerals in the water has helped with keeping my skin hydrated, smooth and refreshed.

I would recommend this product if you're looking for a facial mist for that extra boost in hydration, however, I still love the Caudalie Beauty Elixir, since I want a facial mist that does more than just hydrate.

If you're interested in this product, you can find it at Shoppers Drug Mart and Rexall Pharma Plus.