July Empties

I thought July wouldn't bring many empties but here I am! I tried to concentrate on finishing up some shower products specifically, to make more room on my shelves.

Redken Color Extend Shampoo - I love this shampoo. Too bad it's so expensive (for my cheap shampoo tastes!). I found it smelled amazing, was great at calming and clearing my scalp at the same time, and helped my red color stick around longer. No complaints about this baby except for the price which is why I think I'll wait to repurchase it.

Dove Nourishing Oil Care Conditioner - I bought this conditioner based on Vivannadoesmakeup's suggestion. Her hair seems similar to mine (AKA, very long and thick!) so I thought I'd give it a go. I actually quite liked it! It's very thick, smells great, and detangles beautifully. I didn't find it to be weighing my hair down but then again, my hair weights itself down as it is, so I'm not the best judge for this. I think I'd repurchase this again!

Nuxe Fondant Body Scrub - This is the only Nuxe product that has ever disappointed me. Don't get me wrong, it's not a horrible product, it's just not as good as other body scrubs I've tried. The scrub particles (walnut shells) are a bit too abrasive for my taste and I did not find the product moisturizing at all. It smells great though, as all Nuxe products do. I'm glad this was a sample sized product because I would've been very disappointed having bought the full size version (at $27!!). There are much better Nuxe products than this one on the market - save yer monay for those! :)

The Body Shop Coconut Body Scrub - Now body scrub, I can get behind. I've loved using this. It was moisturizing, smelled amazing and did wonders for my legs, specifically. I think of all the scrubs The Body Shop produces, this is my favorite.

Estée Lauder Day Wear BB Cream - We all know how much I love this BB Cream. I pretty much wore it every day since I purchase it in March (review here) with absolute delight. Seriously, this thing rocks. It's why it's empty and already repurchased!

So I don't have very exciting discoveries this month except maybe for the Redken shampoo. But such is the life of a blogger trying to downsize all the products she's hoarded! I'm on vacation for the week but I'll still be updating throughout the week! :)

March Favorites!

I'm a couple days late but I figured I'd post this anyway because there's a few things I loved this month and I want to rave about them!

First off, my Each Peach Massage bar. Girls, this is a great product. The smell of this makes me happy. It's lemony and creamy and just plain fresh. I've been using it on dry spots and especially freshly waxed or shaven legs. It does take a bit of time to sink in but it makes your skin feel very soft after it does. I definitely recommend this for dry skinned gals - I'm pretty sure this will be too heavy for my skin come summer.
 
Second, I have been loving my Goody Spin pins. They have been a lifesaver when my hair is all out of sorts (AKA, curly and frizzy) and I want a quick fix for them. I just twist my hair into a bun, then twist these little suckers in there. Tada - my hair is up for the rest of the day. I had to work for 14 hours straight at work the other day and this stayed on all day. No fussing! Since this is a bit hard to explain, here's a tutorial on how these work.

My Estee Lauder BB Cream has been used pretty much every day this month. This is a product I will absolutely keep repurchasing. To read the full review on this product, click here. My feelings are pretty clear on this one: it's LOVE.

My blush of choice in March has been Tarte's Amazonian Clay blush in Blissful. The warm weather we briefly had in March made me whip this thinking spring was coming (sadly, it wasn't). It's the perfect amount of coral without being too bright and gives you a nice healthy flush.

I purchased Clinique's Loose Powder in Invisible this month on a whim to see if I would find something (anything) better than what I was using (Rimmel's Stay Matte). I was pleasantly surprised. It's actually invisible, does not smell of anything, and does not leave you with a cakey look - just enough to set your foundation. I'm very pleased with this product. The only downfall? It's a loose powder if you're not careful when opening it, it gets everywhere.

I have professed my love for Annabelle Le Big Show mascara in the past. And I'm hanging on to this tube as long as possible. As soon as there is a sale on this mascara, I'm stocking up. This is an amazing mascara that is VERY thickening but also keeps your lashes separated. I don't know how you do it Annabelle but this has become my favorite mascara of all time!

Lastly, I have used my Clarisonic Mia every day this month. I don't want to say too much because there will be a review coming up on this. So far so good though! My skin feel much smoother this month!

These are my March favorites! What has stood out to you this month? Has spring influenced any of your choices?

Estee Lauder, I bow to your new BB Cream

In all honesty, I have never tried a BB Cream. But at the same time, in complete and brutal truth, I think I don't need to having discovered Estee Lauder's New Day Wear BB Cream.

My mom purchased the Day Wear Plus cream a while back and while I loved the look of it on her, the Day Wear Plus was just too dark and oily for my skin. I was disappointed because I loved the idea of a cream that embellishes your skin without being a "foundation". I honestly do not have a great skin type - I'm prone to blemishes, discolorations, enlarged pores and oily skin. But at the same time, I hate the feeling of foundation on my skin. Even worst - I hate the look of foundation once it starts wearing off. With my type of skin, foundation wears off after 7 hours, max. And that's generous.

Bare skin:

Blended, and then really blended:

This BB Cream is a miracle product for me. The product does not leave my skin feeling oily or sticky - it leaves it feeling like skin. I suppose it might be a weird thing to say but when can you honestly say your skin feels like skin after you've put on makeup? It absorbs super quickly into my skin and feels like a moisturizer but it also seems to even out my skin tone. I have a lot of redness in my skin and blemishes here and there. While I didn't expect the product to cover my blemishes (which it didn't) it did cancel out a lot of the redness in them and made it extremely easy to cover up with concealer. What I like best about this product is that when my oil does break through, it does not oxidize or leave oily pigments on my skin. My skin just looks like it does when it usually gets oily without makeup on. Furthermore, with a good powder, the product stays very well on my skin.

To sum up, I'm going to list some pros and cons of this product:

Pro
- smells amazing, like fresh/sweet cucumbers!
- has SPF 35!
- suitable for oily skin types
- lightweight
- blends in easily

Cons
- smell could potentially be too much/irritating for some
- color range is small - there is only two shades
- does not provide much coverage
- might be a bit yellow for some
- might be too thick for drier skins. I can't vouch for this however - I have oily skin
- seems to be using up quite fast - since it is a bit thick, you need a bit more than most foundations

While the Day Wear Plus "tints" your skin, the BB Cream does not. Both do however smell the same and feel the same while applying it.It does not require an huge amount of effort to blend into your skin (I use a flat or round top kabuki brush) but I suggest working relatively fast as it absorbs quickly.

I know that I will be repurchasing this product once the bottle is empty. I am a bit put off by the fact that in Canada, this BB Cream will set you off by $45, but to me, it is worth every cent. However, I haven't even explored cheaper options (I've got my eye on you Marcelle BB Cream) so I'm not opposed trying different things.

Have you found a BB Cream suitable for you? Have you tried this particular cream? What is your take on it?

Shopping Trip Results

I went shopping last weekend. Out of town shopping. That means new stores, new products.

I did some damage.

I got another Tarte Amazonian Clay blush, this time in Blissful (I already have exposed), MAC Pro Pan eyeshadow in All That Glitters, Estee Lauder Day Wear BB Cream in Light (so excited about this one!), MAC liner in Teddy, Butter London nail polish in Aston, and some Lush products! I'm already in LOVE with the Jumpin Juniper shampoo bar. I forgot to include my Clinique Almost Lipstick in Spicy Honey, which I've already worn a lot and now want all the other shades.

I got some clothing as well, including a skirt, a chunky knit cardigan/sweater, another cream cardigan and a tank. And these:

They are Pour La Victoire flats. And how much did I pay for them? Twelve effing bucks. I was so happy about this find! Hopefully they'll get loads of wear after the snow melts!

I meant to buy the Clarisonic on my shopping trip but found it at Sephora for more than a Canadian online retailer I'm familiar with. So I'm happy to announce that I finally have a Clarisonic coming my way. I ordered it from Spaboutique.ca where they do have a 10% coupon floating around, and free shipping. Woop! I shall update with a review soon, hopefully!