• 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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  • Where Were Your Beauty Products Made?

    February 5, 2018

    Hi Everyone!

    A few years back, my mom mentioned to me that it’s better to buy products that are made in North America or Europe instead of China, Taiwan, etc. because you never know what they’re putting into the products. Ever since then, I’ve always been a bit conscious about checking where a product is made before purchasing, but sometimes I do slip up and accidentally buy something Made in China.

    Do you check the back of cosmetic and skincare products to see where they are made before you purchase them?

    There are so many different brands out there that have products that are made in North America or Europe. So, why buy products that are made in China when you don’t know what kind of rules and regulations they have? Especially when it comes to makeup that absorbs through your skin and that you could accidentally ingest from putting on your lips. Even drugstore brands are made in Canada or Germany, so it’s not like you have to splurge on high end products.

    For powder products like highlighter or blush, it’s not as bad because I don’t use the same products every day. Same with eyeshadows because the ones I have from China are more vibrant colours that I wouldn’t wear on a day-to-day basis.

    For liquid products like foundation and concealer, I am very careful to check that it’s made in North America or Europe because your skin absorbs the product and these are the products that cover the largest area of your face. Same goes for mascara, eyeliner, lipstick and lip gloss. Eye products can easily get into your eyes when you rub them or when you’re removing makeup and lip products are easily ingested.

    I went through my makeup stash to see where everything was from and I’ve mapped it out in purple. Most of my products were from the usual countries like the US, Canada, Belgium, France, Germany, and then there were a few Made in China. Some products surprised me- I had eye products made in Czech Republic and Mexico.

    SPEW4aAD

    • North/South America– Canada, USA, Mexico
    • Europe– UK, England, France, Italy, Germany, Belgium, Switzerland, Denmark, Luxembourg, Poland, Czech Republic
    • Asia– China (also listed as PRC- People’s Republic of China), Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Indonesia

    where

    • Mexico
      • Maybelline EyeStudio Brow Precise Shaping Pencil in Deep Brown
    • Czech Republic
      • L’Oreal Voluminous Smoldering Eyeliner in Grey
      • Annabelle Kohl Eyeliner in White
    • Poland
      • Essence I Love Stage Eyeshadow Base
    • Indonesia
      • Benefit Cosmetics Prima Donna Fake Lashes

    Although I do my best not to buy products from China, I have purchased a few here and there. The following are Made in China:

    • Coastal Scents products
      • Winterberry palette
      • Eclipse palette
      • Shadow pots
      • Revealed 3 palette and Lipstick don’t say where they’re made and I no longer have the boxes they came in, but I’m assuming China because the lipstick is less than $5 and the Revealed 3 palette goes for $20 (and goes on sale for less).
    • Wet N Wild MegaGlo Highlighting Powder
    • NYX Matte Setting Spray

    I went through my makeup collection to see if I had any other products Made in China/PRC and I was shocked to find some Tarte products had been made in China. Here are the products I have:

    Capturewhere

    • Essence Light Up Your Face Luminizer
      • Most of the other Essence products are Made in Europe, i.e. Germany or Luxembourg
    • Eyeko Fat Eye Stick (Made in PRC)
    • Smashbox Blush Soft Lights Duo
      • other Smashbox products I have are made in US or Belgium
    • Tarte products- it really surprised me that my Tarte products are Made in China, however; the Tarteist Lip Paint from the Sephora Birthday Gift is Made in US
      • Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush in Paarty (deluxe sample)
      • Tarte Amazonian Clay Matte Waterproof Bronzer in Park Ave Princess (deluxe sample)
      • Tarte Smooth Operator Amazonian Clay Finishing Powder
    • Wet N Wild Mega Protein Mascara

    My friend has multiple full-sized Tarte products and she let me know where they were made and I also went to Sephora to take a look at the full-sizes of the blush and bronzer:

    Capturewf

    • Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blushes (full-size)- USA
    • Amazonian Clay Matte Waterproof Bronzer in Park Ave Princess- China
    • Tartelette Tease Palette- USA
    • Shape Tape- Korea
    • Amazonian Clay 12-Hr Full Coverage Foundation- USA
    • Maracuja Cheek Tint- Formulated in Japan, Made in China

    Other things I found when going through my products:

    cap

    • Milani’s Retouch + Erase Lightlifting Concealer (Made in US with US & Non-US components)
    • Milani Conceal + Perfect 2-in-1 Foundation (Made in US with US & Non-US components)
    • Wet N Wild Photofocus Foundation (Foundation Made in USA, Filled in China)
    • Tarte Lights, Camera Lashes 4-in-1 Mascara (Manufactured in Italy, Assembled in Taiwan)
    • Tarte Gifted Mascara (Manufactured in Italy, Assembled in Taiwan)

    Although the concealer and foundation from Milani both say Made in US with US & Non-US components, I think that’s just for the liquid products. The Color Statement Lipstick was Made in USA, and the XL All Over Glow Bronzer and Baked Blush were both Made in Italy.

    I remember I had a Bella Pierre Mineral Foundation and Mineral Blush that I bought from a mall kiosk and they were made in the US. But, I have seen kits at Winners for $14.99 that have smaller sizes of the foundation, bronzer, illuminator and concealer. I checked the back of one and it was made in PRC, but there was another kit with other products and it was made in the US. So, make sure you check where kits are made. Even if full-sized products are made in the US, the smaller, trial-sized ones could be made elsewhere.

    Do you avoid buying products depending on where they’re made? Are you more cautious with certain types of products?

    Love,

    jen

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  • Make Up For Ever Artisan Brush 106S vs. Arbonne Liquid Foundation Brush vs. Sephora Liquid Foundation Brush

    This or That | Make Up For Ever Artisan Brush 106S vs. Arbonne Liquid Foundation Brush vs. Sephora Liquid Foundation Brush

    January 2, 2018

    Hi Everyone!

    Today I’m doing a 3-way This or That because I had three different brands of foundation brushes. Each of the brushes I bought as part of a set:

    • Sephora- to be honest, I can’t remember what this brush came with and it’s not in my order history. I think it was a travel brush kit. This brush from the PRO collection looks the most similar out of the brushes they currently offer.
    • Make Up For Ever Ultra HD Foundation + Smoothing Skin Equalizer Customizable Set | $83 CAD
      • Step 1 Skin Equalizer smoothing primer
      • Ultra HD Invisible Cover Foundation (your choice)
      • Artisan Brush 106S (the brush is a short version of the 106)
    • Arbonne Cosmetics Brush Set #7098 (6-piece brush set) | $47 CAD

    The only reason I have a MUFE foundation brush is because it came in the set. I prefer applying my liquid foundation with sponges, so I probably wouldn’t buy a liquid foundation brush on its own.

    sephora brush.PNGSephora liquid foundation brush

    I do have another Sephora foundation brush, but it’s a little worse for wear. It is softer than this travel-sized brush, but performs about the same.

    arbonneArbonne

    100% vegan and cruelty-free

    Liquid Foundation / Flat Brush: Great for liquid foundations
    and concealer for proper blending; features a rounded head to match the natural contours of the face such as the corners under the eyes.

    mufeMake Up For Ever Artisan Brush

    This is a larger variation of a foundation brush for applying and blending ultra fast for an even result with fuller coverage. It can be used with all types of foundations and features straight fibers.

    brushes

    I used the Make Up For Ever Ultra HD Invisible Foundation for the swatches (the swatches are aligned with the picture of the brushes- top swatch is Sephora, middle is Arbonne and bottom is MUFE). I pumped once directly onto the brush just to see how much product it absorbed. The swatches are after two swipes of the brush. As you can see, the Sephora swatch on the top is shiny which means the foundation was still wet. When I did the second swipe, I did my best to go directly on top of the previous swatches. The Sephora brush fanned out a bit when it touched my skin. The Arbonne brush is denser/thicker (the other two are flatter). The Make Up For Ever brush is the widest and the swatch above shows that. The Sephora brush’s bristles aren’t as soft as the other two. Out of the three, the MUFE one is the softest, but it absorbs the most product.liquid foundation brushes.PNG

    I wanted to do swatches on a flat surface that wouldn’t absorb product, so I used a foundation palette. I pumped three equal-sized dots of Maybelline’s Fit Me Dewy + Smooth Foundation and I swiped the brushes twice to see how much product absorbs into the brush. Again, the swatches are in the same order: Sephora (top), Arbonne and MUFE. The Sephora one is the darkest and MUFE is the lightest swatch because the Sephora brush barely absorbs any foundation and the MUFE one absorbs the most. The Sephora brush has the stiffest bristles which reminds me of a paintbrush. The Arbonne brush is okay, but it’s not as wide as the other two, but it’s denser which means a lot of product gets lost in the brush. The MUFE brush is wide and flat and the bristles are soft. That’s why I have to give the win to the MUFE brush.

    WINNER: Make Up For Ever Artisan Brush

    Do you prefer sponges or brushes to apply liquid foundation? What’s your favourite brand for brushes/sponges?

    Love,

    jen

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  • flawless finishing touch hair remover

    Review | As Seen On TV Finishing Touch Flawless Facial Hair Remover

    October 24, 2017

    Hi Everyone!

    Are you ever skeptical when you see a product on TV that claims to work really well? I know when I see products on TV, I am interested in trying them, but don’t necessarily want to shell out the money to buy it…especially if it’s not guaranteed that it will work. There’s a store called Showcase that has As Seen On TV products and I decided to make an account because they sell Morphe products which I want to try. I got an email that advertised the Finishing Touch Flawless Facial Hair Remover and was interested by the claims that it gets rid of facial hair without pain, nicks, redness or irritation. I also received a bonus called the Satin Finish. It’s supposed to gently exfoliate and buff away unwanted hair. It’s like a very fine sandpaper, I tried it and it didn’t really work to remove any hair, but it did exfoliate and made my skin feel smoother.

    Capturecc.PNG

    media-201710243434

    The new gold standard in facial hair removal from Finishing Touch. From the world’s #1 facial hair remover for women comes Flawless – a revolutionary new device that erases facial hair instantly and painlessly. Recommended by dermatologists, the 18K gold-plated head is hypoallergenic and gentle on all skin types with a built-in light so you never miss a hair! No nicks, redness, or irritation.

    The ways I usually get rid of facial hair is tweezing or waxing. Just last year, I got those portable razors from Muji and I started using them to get rid of the peach fuzz. They are amazing, my skin is super smooth after using it and I don’t get any redness like I do after tweezing or waxing. The only thing I don’t like about using the portable razor is that it’s kind of dangerous if you don’t do it at the right angle, I accidentally nicked myself once. Also, I’m always worried that someone will scare me and I’ll jump and cut myself. If you plan to buy the razors, the best way is to do it dry and use your other hand to keep your skin taut.

    It’s hard to take a close up picture to show you how well it removed the peach fuzz on my face, but I took before and after pictures of some hairs on my hand. Even though the hairs on my hand are coarser than the peach fuzz, you can see how well the Flawless Hair Remover works.

    778

    I like that the Flawless Hair Remover has no sharp edges and that I could easily get the hairs near my eyes without having to pluck them. It reminds me of a sweater defuzzer because it has a razor that cuts the hair, but it’s safe to touch the head without cutting your finger. The light that comes with it is quite useful, it’s easier to see the hairs you’ve missed. It uses a single AA battery so you don’t have to go out and buy AAA or some specialized batteries for it. The head twists off and you clean the inside with the brush that comes with it. The company says it’s like a fancy lipstick, but it’s a bit bigger than a lipstick.

    They also have a rechargeable model available in black

    RATING: 4/5

    I give it a 4/5 because it works well and removes the hair without pain or irritation like it claims. I docked a point because it’s quite expensive and then you have to buy replacement heads after a few months.

    Thoughts: I think the portable razor does a better job of making my face feel smoother and it’s a lot cheaper than the Flawless Hair Remover. The Flawless is TSA-friendly whereas a razor would be considered a weapon, so it’s good for travel.

    Have you bought As Seen On TV products? What are ones that actually work?

    Love,

    jen

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  • First Impressions with Laneige Hydration Trial Kit

    January 20, 2017

    Hi Everyone!

    Last month, I decided to get into the Korean skincare game, so I started my research into which brands and products to try. Since everyone’s skin is different and it’s hard to go by what other people like and dislike, I decided to just look at some of the products on Sephora and buy a trial kit from the best sellers list. I didn’t want to pay $50 for a bottle of serum that I may not like, so I thought a trial kit with travel size bottles was the best option. I decided to go with the Laneige Hydration Kit that comes with six different products (pictured below- taken from google). It was $38 CAD ($75 value according to Sephora) for:

    – 1 oz Multi Cleanser
    – 1.6 oz Power Essential Skin Toner
    – 1.6 oz Balancing Emulsion for Normal to Dry Skin
    – 1 oz Water Bank Serum
    – 0.6 oz Water Bank Moisture Cream
    – 0.6 oz Water Sleeping Mask

    My nose is very sensitive to smell, a strong smelling moisturizer can give me a headache or make me feel sick. The Laneige products in this kit have a very light scent, and it’s one of the few moisturizers I actually like the smell. Some ones I’ve tried have been too floral or too strong.

    I’ve been using these products for about a month now and I have to say that my face does look brighter and feel more hydrated. It definitely takes longer to do my nightly skincare routine now, I was previously only using cleanser and putting on moisturizer. Adding the extra steps has definitely helped my skin feel softer and hydrated.

    I like the Multi Cleanser, it has a light scent like the other products. There are micro-cellular beads that gently exfoliate, it makes your skin feel clean. I know that the beads are very gentle, but I only use it once a week so that it’s not too abrasive on my skin. My skin is very sensitive, so I don’t want to use an exfoliating cleanser with beads too often, especially not on my face.

    The skin toner smells great and doesn’t feel sticky after applying (like some other ones I’ve tried).

    The balancing emulsion and water bank serum are my faves. The only thing I don’t love about the emulsion is that there’s no pump for the travel size bottle and it’s like getting ketchup out of a glass bottle (the full size version comes with a pump).

    The water bank moisture cream is a bit thicker than I’m used to, I think I will only use it on the areas of my face that tend to get dry.

    The water sleeping mask is meant to be used once or twice a week and washed off in the morning. I’ve only used it a few times, I don’t mind it, but I’m not sure I would buy the full sized-version.

    RATING: 4/5

    I give it a 4/5 because I didn’t like all the products in the kit, but liked the majority of them.

    Thoughts: Out of the six products, I would definitely buy the full-size versions of the toner, emulsion and serum. Since I already have other cleansers that I use and I think the emulsion and serum hydrate my face enough that I don’t need the moisture cream or the sleeping mask.

    What products are in your daily skincare routine?

    Love,

    jen

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