• December 2018 Product Empties

    December 31, 2018

    Hi Everyone!

    This is my last post of 2018! I wish everyone a safe and Happy New Year’s Eve!!

    I only finished a handful of products this month:

    Aussie Hair Insurance Heat Protecting Shine Spray – I don’t even know how long ago I bought this, but I finally finished it! I thought it smelled nice and it definitely made my hair shiny and not at all sticky or anything. One thing I didn’t like was that I thought the nozzle was weird because it was squirting out instead of misting. I transferred it into another spray bottle and it did the same thing. So, it must’ve been the product. I don’t know why though because it was liquid (looked milky, but it wasn’t thick). Instead of spraying it directly into my hair, I would spray it onto my hand and work it into my hair.

    Repurchase? Since it didn’t spray out nicely, I don’t think I would repurchase.

    Clinique Take the Day Off Cleansing Balm – I love this stuff! Although, I do want to try other cleansing balms to compare. This removes makeup easily and didn’t irritate my skin.

    Repurchase? I just started using another mini, but I would definitely purchase a full-size pot when I’m done.

    Tula Purifying Cleanser – This was a nice cleanser. I bought the Tula Discovery Kit and I started using this product first to ease into using the Tula skincare. While it cleansed well, I don’t know if it made a huge difference in my skin. I think once I started using the other products, that’s when I noticed my skin was improving.

    Repurchase? Probably not. I would rather use a cheaper drugstore cleanser and then splurge on serums, oils and other products that stay on my face for longer than a minute.

    The Face Shop Beauty Tools Multi 5 Layer Cotton Pads – I got these for free after spending a certain amount of money at The Face Shop. I like the peelable, multi-layer cotton pads. I use two (layers) a day for my skincare regimen and then to remove my makeup I can use up to 5 layers (1 cotton pad).

    Repurchase? Assuming they aren’t too expensive, I would buy them again.

    Saturday Skin Rub-A-Dub Refining Peel Gel (read my review) – This performed the same as other peeling gels I’ve tried, but I think I prefer other ones because they are cheaper (like the Soo’Ae Purifying Brightening Peeling Gel – it has more in the tube and it’s half the price).

    Repurchase? No.

    Saturday Skin Daily Dew Hydrating Essence Mist (read my review) – The sprayer on the small bottle was good. The mist would disperse the product onto my face very evenly.

    Repurchase? Undecided.

    I decided to give the Saturday Skin Wide Awake Brightening Eye Cream and the Featherweight Daily Moisturizing Cream to my sister because I wanted to try the Tula products and lately, the Tarte Maracuja Oil has been helping to keep my under eyes hydrated.

    Bio Oil Skincare Oil – I bought this to help with stretch marks on my hips, but when I was using it, I would breakout with bumps on my hips. I’ve used this on other areas like my thighs and knees and I didn’t break out there, but I don’t know if it made a huge difference. I think the only way for stretch marks to fade is with time. I’m not a huge fan of the smell of this oil.

    Repurchase? No.

    Etude House Eye & Lip Remover – I really liked this makeup remover; while I didn’t have waterproof mascara to test out how well it works, it removed regular eyeshadow and mascara well without leaving behind raccoon eyes.

    Repurchase? Probably.

    Love,

    jen

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  • First Impressions with Saturday Skin

    November 14, 2018

    Hi Everyone!

    Today, I am reviewing a few Saturday Skin products that I purchased during the Sephora sale. I got the No Bad Days kit ($48 CAD) that includes 4 travel-sized products:

    • Daily Dew Hydrating Essence Mist
    • Wide Awake Brightening Eye Cream
    • Featherweight Daily Moisturizing Cream
    • Rub-A-Dub Refining Peel Gel

    I’ve seen this brand on Instagram and I wanted to try it. I love the pink packaging that they use. Although, it can be quite tricky to photograph without washing out the pink or making the SATURDAY SKIN labels illegible.

    Daily Dew Hydrating Essence Mist

    Hit refresh. Concentrated extracts of kiwi and grape quench and nourish, drenching skin in a veil of moisture.

    RATING: 4/5

    It’s a 2-in-1 product – a toner and an essence. I like that it’s not scented. With the travel-sized bottle, it disperses the liquid so well that you could spray your whole face in one spritz. Originally, when I saw the price for the full-sized bottle, I thought it was expensive, but it’s almost the same as MAC Fix+ or the Pixi Hydrating Milky Mist. It even comes in a larger bottle than those two mists.

    Wide Awake Brightening Eye Cream

    Brighten up. Date Seed extract illuminates and refreshes the area around the eyes.

    RATING: 4/5

    I like the consistency of this eye cream and I like that it doesn’t smell like anything. It feels a little bit tacky after you’ve applied it, but it’s not as bad as another eye cream I tried once. My under eye area can get dry sometimes and this has helped to keep them smooth.

    Featherweight Daily Moisturizing Cream

    This lightweight formula still packs a punch. Avocado protein extract strengthens skin’s own moisture barrier, sealing in hydration to protect and soften skin.

    DERMATOLOGIST TESTED. NO PARABENS, SULFATES, SYNTHETIC FRAGRANCE OR SYNTHETIC COLOR.

    RATING: 3/5

    I like that it’s lightweight and doesn’t make my face feel greasy or tacky. I don’t like the smell of this cream; it’s not scented, but it has this plastic smell. I don’t know if it’s from the tub it comes in or if it’s the product itself. I’ve seen other reviews that mention the smell, so it’s not just me.

    Rub-A-Dub Refining Peel Gel

    Start over by gently rubbing dullness away. Natural cellulose lifts impurities from the skin and aloe extract soothes skin. Packed with papaya and bromelain (pineapple) to help remove impurities.

    RATING: 4/5

    This product made my face feel nice and smooth. While I did like it, there are similar products on the market that are cheaper. I prefer to spend more on skincare products that stay on my face. Since this product is a peel, I’d rather save some money.

    I’m glad I got this kit to try a handful of Saturday Skin products. Although if I had bought the individual items, I’d be able to return them easily. I’m not sure how it works with returning a kit…are you even allowed to return kits?

    Since this is a first impressions review, I will continue to use these products and update you on any changes. Based on my initial thoughts, I would repurchase 2 products from this kit: the Wide Awake Brightening Eye Cream and the Daily Dew Hydrating Essence Mist.

    Have you tried Saturday Skin products? What were your thoughts on them?

    Love,

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  • Haul | October 2018 Sephora VIB Rouge Sale

    November 2, 2018

    Hi Everyone!

    I went a little crazy during the Sephora Sale! This is the most I’ve spent at Sephora in one go. I always saw these massive Sephora Hauls and thought, “Wow! This person bought so much!” But, those people are smart because there are usually 3 or more sales each year. So, if you buy everything you’ll need/want during a sale, you’ll be good for the next six months until the next sale. Over the years, I’ve been buying things during the sales AND also buying things throughout the year at full price! WHAT A DUMMY! From now on, I am only going to make purchases during the sales. This will also help me cut down on impulse buying because if I have to wait for the next sale, I can properly test things out and research reviews.

    If you read my wishlist, you’ll know that I didn’t pick up some things and I bought some things that weren’t on the wishlist.

    I didn’t pick up the MAC Fix+, Clinique Even Better Eyes Dark Circle Corrector or the Urban Decay Eye Shadow Primer Potion, but I bought a Saturday Skin facial spray and eye cream, and I picked up the NARS Eyeshadow Base. I still have half a bottle of the Mac Fix+ and I’ve been using my Thayers Witch Hazel Toner as a spray as well, so I can probably replenish during the next Sephora sale.

    I didn’t get a chance to go in store to get a sample of the Waso Fresh Jelly Lotion, so I decided to pass on it this time. I still have my Clinique Acne Solutions Clinical Clearing Gel, so I didn’t get the Origins Super Spot Remover Blemish Treatment Gel. I think I will skip on getting those types of spot treatments from now on because they have alcohol in them and tea tree oil has been working so far. I still have a concealer and colour corrector for under eyes, so I skipped the Becca Under Eye Brightening Corrector. I have two brow pencils at the moment, so I didn’t get the Lancome Brow Pencil.

    All of my purchases were skincare, hair or makeup bases. I didn’t buy any eye, cheek or lip products because I’m trying to finish some of the products I already own before purchasing more. Everything is new to me; I haven’t previously purchased anything on the list. So, here’s what I purchased online during last week’s ROUGE sale.

    Saturday Skin No Bad Days Set

    • Daily Dew Hydrating Essence Mist
    • Rub-A-Dub Refining Peel Gel
    • Wide Awake Brightening Eye Cream
    • Featherweight Daily Moisturizing Cream

    I’ve heard of Saturday Skin, but never tried anything. The brand is only available online for Sephora Canada. Although, sometimes I see things that are ‘online only’ in store, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen Saturday Skin in store. If I end up liking the products, I will pick up the full size bottles in the next sale.

    Sephora Daily Brush Cleaner

    I bought this years ago and it worked well, so I thought I would get it again. Although, it smells different than it used to (it used to be more perfume-y).

    KOPARI Coconut Deodorant

    I want to start using deodorant that doesn’t have aluminum in it and I’ve see good reviews on this and it smells really good.

    Lancome Teint Idole Ultra Long Wear Foundation Stick SPF21 in 260 Bisque N

    I know a lot of people love the Hourglass stick, but I wanted to try this one and review it first. I will eventually get my hands on the Hourglass stick. I’m planning to test this one out and see if I like it enough to keep it.

    Lancome Teint Idole Ultra Wear Camouflage Concealer in 260 Bisque N

    I bought this concealer to match the foundation since they have the same shade names and I swatched them and it matches. Although, I think the foundation blends out a little better, so we’ll see if this is too dark for me.

    Amika Perk Up Dry Shampoo

    The larger size wasn’t available, so I went with the travel size one.

    NARS Pro-Prime Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base in Medium

    I’ve seen a lot of positive reviews on their old eyeshadow base and a lot of people commented saying it should be tinted and now they’ve come out with a tinted one. I wanted to get an eyeshadow base that’s not as thick as others I’ve tried.

    Sephora Favorites Party Hair Kit

    • IGK Beach Club Texture Spray
    • Living Proof Full Dry Volume Blast
    • Amika Un.Done Volume & Texture Spray
    • Drybar Triple Sec 3-in-1
    • Ouai Texturizing Hair Spray
    • Verb Sea Spray

    I wanted to try out some texturizing sprays, so I thought a Sephora Favorites Kit would be the best way to sample different brands since you get 6 travel-sized bottles.

    So, that’s all I bought online for this sale. Once I’ve properly tested out the products, I will review them on the blog and on Instagram.

    Spot any favourites from my haul? What did you purchase during the sale? If you wrote a post on your haul, link it down below!

    Love,

    jen

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