December 2019 Product Empties

December 31, 2019

Hi Everyone!
Here are my last empties of the DECADE!
Smashbox Photo Finish Primer Oil – I started using this as a facial oil because I kept forgetting about using it to prime my face. It also started to smell funny and I had to declutter it.

Repurchase? Probably not.

Make Up For Ever Step 1 Equalizing Primer (Nourishing) – This was a nice primer that smells good, but it isn’t my favourite hydrating primer. I prefer the Smashbox Primerizer.

Repurchase? Probably not.

Garnier SkinActive All-in-1 Cleansing Water – I don’t use waterproof makeup, so the pink micellar water works well for me.

Repurchase? Absolutely.

Banila Co. Clean It Zero Original Cleansing Balm – This was a nice cleansing balm that removed my makeup well. I don’t use waterproof makeup, so I can’t say if it’s good for that. I didn’t love how scented it was though. I’d rather pay a bit more for an unscented one even though it’s only on my face for a short time.

Repurchase? Probably not.

COSRX Acne Pimple Master Patches (read my review) – These were the first acne patches I tried. They will always have a special place in my heart because of that, but I’ve started to prefer the Rael patches (read my comparison post).

Repurchase? I would definitely still buy them, but as long as I can get the Rael ones, I think I’d prefer those.

L:A Bruket Hand & Body Wash in Lemongrass* – I didn’t mind the hand/body wash itself, but I’m not the biggest fan of lemongrass scent. I would prefer one of their other scents.

Repurchase? Probably not.

Volition Beauty Strawberry-C Brightening Serum* (read my review) – Loved this serum! That’s all I have to say.

Repurchase? YES!

Good Molecules Ultra Hydrating Facial Oil* – I enjoyed this facial oil. For extra hydration, I would mix it with my Volition serum.

Repurchase? Yes.
Love,
Products marked with (*) were gifted to me.

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Nov/Dec 2019 Faves

December 26, 2019

Hi Everyone!
I haven’t tried many new products in the past two months, so I don’t have many favourites for you this time.
Volition Beauty Strawberry-C Brightening Serum* (read my review) – I really enjoyed this serum and will definitely be repurchasing in the future.

Ole Henriksen Banana Bright Eye Crème – This is a great eye cream. I don’t know if it brightened my under eyes that much, but I haven’t had any reactions to it. A lot of eye creams have caused milia or some type of reaction because they’re too thick for me. At first I didn’t love the smell of this, but I eventually got used to it. It keeps my under eyes feeling smooth and moisturized.
Good Molecules Ultra-Hydrating Facial Oil* – I really enjoyed this facial oil. Once it started to get colder, I would mix this with the Volition Serum to add some more hydration to my face.

What were your faves this month?
Love,
Products marked with (*) were sent to me.

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Review | Two Goats Apothecary 100% All-Natural Dry Shampoo

December 20, 2019

Hi Everyone!
I was sent some dry shampoo from a brand called Two Goats Apothecary. They sell 100% all-natural, vegan dry shampoo. They offer four different shades of dry shampoo (two for lighter hair and two for darker hair) and they all have different scents depending on what ingredients are used. Since I have black hair, I chose Ravn.
Ingredients: corn starch, baking soda (sodium bicarbonate), activated bamboo charcoal powder, organic coffee, fir needle (abies sibirica) and peppermint (mentha piperita) essential oil
Be careful when using a tinted dry shampoo because it can transfer. I only smell the coffee and maybe hints of peppermint at times. The scent doesn’t linger after you’ve put it on. The shampoo comes in a tin and you can buy a brush for applying it. I go to the bathroom so that if I spill any, it’s not all over my rug in my bedroom. The brush does pick up quite a bit, so I tap off the excess into the lid. I would love if it came with a net/sieve like translucent setting powders. It would be a little less messy. If you don’t want to purchase the brush, they said you could use your hands. If you have an extra makeup brush lying around, you can use one of those. Their brush is similar to a flat kabuki brush. I wouldn’t use one that’s too dense.
You can definitely see that it mattifies any oily-looking hair. I’ve asked my mom to do a smell test to see if it makes my hair smell nice. She doesn’t really smell anything other than hair and oils. I’m not sure if I haven’t put enough or if that’s just how it is. Aerosol dry shampoos I’ve tried have made my hair smell really nice. I think this is a really interesting product, and I love that it doesn’t come in an aerosol can. When I wash my hair after I’ve used the dry shampoo, it smells like coffee. Since it’s a tinted dry shampoo, the water can turn gray.
RATING: 3/5
Love,
*This product was gifted to me by Two Goats Apothecary.

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First Impressions with Skimono

December 18, 2019
Hi Everyone!
I tried out the Skimono glove mask from the Look Fantastic US November 2019 Hygge box and really enjoyed it!
A revitalising serum enriched with shea butter, Aloe Vera & hyaluronic acid in an innovative glove mask.
- Eradicates dryness
- Restores softness
- Refines skin texture
- Brightens and evens skin tone
Ingredients: Water (Aqua), Glycerin, Carthamus Tinctorius (Safflower) Seed Oil, Urea, Glyceryl Stearate, Butylene Glycol, Propylene Glycol, Cetearyl Alcohol, PEG-100 Stearate, 1,2-Hexanediol, Propanediol, Caprylyl Glycol, Illicium Verum (Anise) Fruit Extract, Phenoxyethanol, Dimethicone, Carbomer, Arginine, Hydrolyzed Collagen, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter, Persea Gratissima (Avocado) Oil, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Leontopodium Alpinum Extract, Fragrance (Parfum), Allantoin, Adenosine, Disodium EDTA, Sodium Hyaluronate, Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate.
It was my first time trying a glove mask. My fingers were really dry after taking off my nail polish, so I thought I’d try it out to see how well it worked. They’re plastic gloves with an inner lining (that’s like a face sheet mask) soaked in serum. The most saturated parts of the glove were probably the fingers. After 20 minutes, it does kind of feel like when you’re in a bath/swimming pool too long. Any longer than 30 minutes, and my fingers would definitely feel pruny/wrinkly. Since there was an inner lining, the outer part of the glove wasn’t wet at all and I was able use my phone with the gloves on (bonus!). It definitely made my hands feel softer and not as dry. It’s been a few days and my hands still feel pretty soft and smooth. It would definitely be nice to put these glove masks on while doing a face mask, then you can just sit back and relax. I would definitely consider buying this one. It’s definitely on the pricey side, but they have a 4 pack available where you can get 4 for the price of 3.

RATING: 5/5

On the Skimono website, they have other sheet masks for your face and they also sell foot masks. I’ve only tried a peeling foot mask, but their foot mask sounds like it would be very nice!

Have you tried hand/foot masks?
Love,
*The Look Fantastic US box was gifted to me, but all opinions are my own.
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Reviewing My 2019 Beauty Expenses

December 11, 2019

Hi Everyone!

As the new year approaches, I thought I would review my 2019 beauty expenses since I don’t plan to make any beauty purchases in the month of December.

Check out my previous beauty expenses posts:

My 2019 Beauty Budget

Category	Estimate	Actual
Skincare	$600	$700
Primers	120	100
Foundation/Powders/ Sprays	120	225
Concealers	100	150
Eyeliners	60	20
Brows	100	100
Mascara	100	50
Lips	0	90
Blush	0	40
Highlighter	0	75
Bronzer	0	50
Miscellaneous	600	350
TOTAL	$1800	1950

For my estimated costs for 2019, I didn’t include a section for lip products, blushes, bronzers, highlighters, eyeshadows, nail polish or hair because I already had a lot of things that I wanted to finish before buying new products in those categories. I ended up buying products in the blush/bronzer/lip/highlighter categories though…oops! The miscellaneous section includes hair products, makeup tools, makeup removers, etc.

As you can see, I went $150 over my proposed budget of $1800. I’m going to do my best to get the skincare category from $700 to $500.

My 6 most expensive beauty purchases of 2019:

Tula Illuminating Face Serum – $83.30 (15% off, bought on TULA Canada before they got rid of the Canadian website)
Dermalogica Special Cleansing Gel – $73.95 (15% off, bought during Sephora VIB Sale)
Giorgio Armani Fluid Sheer – $58.65 (15% off on Armani-Beauty.ca)
Clé de Peau Concealer – $55 (more than 40% off, bought at Shiseido Warehouse Sale)
Kiehls Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado – $51 (20% off sale at Kiehls.ca)
Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Finish Setting Powder – $49.30 (15% off, bought during Sephora VIB Sale)

Most of my purchases were from Sephora, the drugstore or a brand’s website (e.g. Kiehls.ca, Giorgio Armani Beauty, Smashbox). I only purchased a few items from Winners this year. I’ve tried to cut down on the makeup purchases from Winners because they’re usually discontinued items that I can’t review on Instagram or my blog.

Did you have a beauty budget this year? Did you stay under budget or go over like I did?

Love,

Review | Volition Beauty Strawberry-C Brightening Serum

December 4, 2019

Hi Everyone!
Today I’m reviewing the Volition Beauty Strawberry-C Brightening Serum. I received this product complimentary, but all opinions are my own.
A brightening serum powered by strawberry-derived vitamin C for noticeable radiance, hydration, and even-toned skin.

Strawberries contain 14% more Vitamin C than an orange and they’re packed with antioxidants! Strawberry seed extract brightens skin and helps even skin tone, and vitamin C helps boost your skin’s collagen production for plumper, firmer skin.

Ingredients: Water, Cucumis Sativus (Cucumber) Fruit Water, Glycerin, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Fragaria Ananassa (Strawberry) Seed Extract, Fragaria Vesca (Strawberry) Fruit Extract, Sea Water, Sodium Hyaluronate, Panthenol, 3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid, Terminalia Ferdinandiana Fruit Extract, Propanediol, Bentonite, Picea Abies Extract, Carbomer, Aminomethyl Propanol, Sodium Citrate, Sodium Phytate, Leuconostoc Ferment Filtrate, Citric Acid, Iron Oxides (CI 77491), Iron Oxides (CI 77499)
After using this daily for over a month, here are my thoughts. I love the texture of this serum. After applying it, my skin looks dewy and fresh. Since it’s winter, I add in a few drops of facial oil. It smells a bit more like radish than strawberries to me which isn’t a big deal because strawberries might be too sweet. The smell doesn’t linger which I love. So far I’m loving this!
RATING: 5/5

Before receiving this from Volition Beauty, I was planning to buy it. I would definitely purchase this once I finish this bottle. I prefer it over the Celery Green Cream (read my review).

Have you tried Volition Beauty?
Love,
*This was gifted to me by Volition Beauty.

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Check out my previous beauty expenses posts:

2017 | 2018

My 2019 Beauty Budget