Monthly Faves: April 2011

May is here, Happy Cinco De Mayo everyone! And today I am doing my favourites from last month. As you probably know, April was my no-buy makeup ban month, I did find except for the MAC Ever Hip lipstick that I couldn't resist near the end of the month.

Review: The Body Shop Vitamin C Skin Boost

Today's review is The Body Shop's Vitamin C Skin Boost. I want to start out by saying that they've reformulated and repackaged the entire Vitamin C line, so if you try to pick this up, it will look different and the product itself may be different too, I have not tried the new one. Here is a link to the new product. The Skin Boost is meant to "create instant smoothing radiance with a silky smooth finish. it's an ideal skin pick me up to enhance your glow." This product contains Amazonian camu camu berry (new version has this), which is konwn to have one of the highest contens of vitamin C in nature. Vitamin C is meant to brighten, encourage collagen production, improve elasticity, soften skin and protect from environmental aggressors.

I like this product a lot because it smells amazing and gives this perk up to your skin. If you like the smell of oranges you will like this, I know some people may find this too strong. It comes in a heavy container with a pump that can be sealed (I love products with pumps).

The consistency of this is a clear gel. It absorbs into your skin amazingly fast and leaves a matte finish. I just want to keep adding more and more of this because it feels so refreshing on. And it makes my your skin super smooth. I suppose it's marketed as a moisturizer, but I think of it more as a primer which has the added benefits of Vitamin C, which is good for your skin. If I use this alone, it isn't enough moisture for my face (I have dry skin). I have also read that this has broken some people out with small bumps, so beware if you have sensitive skin, although personally I have never had any issues with The Body Shop skincare.

When I run out of it, which won't be for a while, I will definitely try out the new, reformulated one, until then I will keep sniffing and loving this one.

Have you tried anything from The Body Shop's Vitamin C line?

Review: The Body Shop Vitamin C Daily Moisturizer SPF 15

I have just about everything in the Vitamin C line from The Body Shop. I love the cirtusy, orange smell and how it feels refreshing and light on your skin. However, recently they reformulated this line completely and did not include a facial moisturizer! omg! I was really saddened to see this because this is definitely one of my favourite products from The Body Shop and why would they pull the moisturizer, it's one of the basic items in the line? Everyone needs a moisturizer. Edit: Now that I look at The Body Shop website, they did include a new moisturizer, with a higher SPF too, now 20, so maybe my store just did not have it, in any case, the sales girl didn't think they included one. So.. sign of relief there.

This moisturizer is really nice, it has a light texture, non-greasy and has an SPF 15, which is great for everyday. The ingredients include Glycerin, Orange oil, Panthenol, and Vitamin C. I feel like the moisturization lasts all day too and it makes for a nice base for your makeup. The scent is really what gets me though, I love it, but it does dissipate throughout the day, so you won't sell like an orange all day long. The package is quite small, it's a 50m (l.69oz) bottle. It comes with a fliptop lid, so you can squeeze out as much as you need (see pic above). The texture of the product is white and creamy (pic above), but it absorbs nicely. The formulation is like between a lotion and a cream. It's especially nice in the mornings because the scent kind of wakes up and re-energizes you.

I did some research and found out that Vitamin C is an anti-oxidant that aids in fighting the signs of aging, and adds radiance to your skin. However, the Vitamin C content in this moisturizer is less than 1% and apparently for a product to work effectively it needs at least 10%. I spoke to a salesgirl at The Body Shop today, while I was looking at the new reformulated Vitamin C line and she told me that the new line uses natural camu camu, which "is a small red berry famous for being the fruit with the highest natural content of Vitamin C" (The Body Shop website). So maybe now the content will be higher? 

If can you still get this moisturizer, I definitely would recommend it. It can still be found at some Body Shop's in their clearance bins. I originally bought this years ago for regular price, which is about $20, and recently got two at like $6, and it has been reduced even further. I am going to scour The Body Shop's around me and see if they have any of these because I don't want to let it go yet.

Have you tried any of The Body Shop's Vitamin C line?

June Favourites

June went by too fast, or maybe it was just me. Here are my favourites for this month.

MAC Fix+: A nice refresher for the hot weather.

Stella Mccartney Sheer Perfume: This is quite soft and flowery, but I like it for everyday and have been reaching for it a lot this month. This was limited edition, I don't know if you can get it anymore. It's old, but I still love it.

Maybelline Lash Stiletto Voluptuous: Love this mascara and have a full review of it here. Most used mascara for this month.

Maybelline Double Perfector Concealer/Highlighter: Picked this up this month and really took to liking it, it's double ended and smooth to apply, alright coverage. Full review of this coming soon.

MAC Refined Golden: I have to include a bronzer every month, this month's most used was this one because it's very pigmented for my fair skin and gets the job done quick.

NYX Champagne and Caviar palette - I picked up this from Cherry Culture recently, it's a nude/browns palette and I have been using that top left gold colour for about half the month everyday, it's a good all over lid colour, as many of the colours in this palette are.

L'oreal Colour Juice in Pina Colada - Nice sheer your lips but a tad paler colour.

The Body Shop Vitamin C SPF daily moisturizer -  Love the smell of this and the kinda fresh, citrus feeling that it leaves on your skin.

Everyday Minerals Flat Top Kabuki - I think I've had this brush for like 3 years at least. It has never shed and is really dense and great for applying any kind of foundation, is very portable and does not smell rancid. Perfect brush ever.

The Body Shop Aloe Gentle Foam Face Wash - one cleanser that does not strip my skin of all the moisture it has, really gentle and fresh. I could see myself using this up quick.

What were your June favourites?

The Body Shop Haul 3 for $30

I love when The Body Shop has this sale, they have it from time to time where you can get ANY three items in store (excluding other sales and gift sets) for $30. Which is hella good cause some of their products can be $30ish. I take this opportunity to pick up some of the more expensive items. However, I was pretty stocked up on The Body Shop since the last time they had this sale, so I only got a few things. Also my bf and I picked up 9 of the Wise Woman day cream for his mom, she loooooves this stuff, I think I got her hooked on it after buying it for her on Mother's Day.

Also, check out your local The Body Shop because they are reformulating the Vitamin C line and the current stuff is really marked down (if they have stock remaining). I picked up the Vitamin C daily moisturizer for only $8, regularly $20.  I got both for only $1 something because it was my 4th point on my Love Your Body card (which I bought that day!). I was worried that they made off with the Vitamin C line, it's my favourite, but no, it's coming back and so are the products.

Here at the goodies that I picked up.

If you want reviews of any of these products, just let me know. ;)

Review: MAC Fix+ Rose

Fix+ is one of those products that you ignore thinking it's just glorified water in a spray, but once you get it, you wonder why you didn't earlier. I recently got this in the rose version from another lovely beauty blogger, eleventh0fparil. It was a limited edition product from MAC, released with the "A Rose Romance" collection. It retails for $21.50 CAD. The MAC website describes it (the original Fix+) as "an aqua-spritz of vitamin and minerals, infused with a calm-the-skin blend of green tea, chamomile, cucumber, topped off with the fresh, natural, energizing scent of Sugi. Adds radiance, finishes makeup. Spray it on. Skin drinks it up!"

I like spraying this on my face before applying foundation. I have dry skin so it calms that down a bit and gives my skin a pick me up. And it smells awesome! You can also spray it after foundation, over powder foundation it takes away that powdery look that you may get and gives your face a glow. I find it really similar to The Body Shop's Vitamin E face spritz, which is rose scented as well. I've read that girls use this to foil their eyeshadows as well.

It might be kind of strange to douche your face in water, but the spray is more of a mist. The pump on the Fix+ is more targeted or focused, instead of spraying out everywhere, if that makes sense, that's the part that I like most about this over other face mists. I have used the evian mist, aquafina and two of The Body Shop ones (vitamin E and vitamin C) (pictured above). I like the packaging on the Fix+ too, it has the locking option so you can put this in your purse or travel with it. The bottle is also quite large, 100ml, so it will last you a long time.

Having this now, makes me want to go out and buy the original. I wouldn't say this is a necessary item in your collection, but if you have dry skin, it can be quite the lifesaver. The smell of a MAC counter is this spray, that light, fresh, kinda cucumber smell, it's nice and would be great for summer to refresh your face when you are hot.

Thanks again for sending this to me Winnie, I really like it. :)

The Importance of Sunscreen

Warm weather calls for sunscreen, although it's not just summer when you should be wearing it, it's important to wear it year round to prevent early onsets of aging, skin damage and other bad stuff. I am guilty of not wearing sunscreen year-round I admit it. On the weekend, we went out to the beach for fireworks, it was Victoria Day for those in Canada, and I was out all day in the sun. Granted I had an spf 15 face moisturizer and spf 6 in my foundation, but I could still feel my face was a bit hot at the end of the day. What sunscreens do you use? which ones are your favourite? I want one a light feeling one, with no funky smell.

The ones I have currently are:

The Body Shop Vitamin E SPF 15 Moisture Lotion: "Moisturize and protect your skin from the sun and damaging environmental aggressors with a lightweight, easily-absorbed, SPF lotion." I find this too thick for summer, I should of bought the Vitamin C one (I have it somewhere, but lost it) as it's cooler feeling, or the Aloe one. However, I love the Vitamin E line and thought this would be good.

Coppertone Nutrishield SPF 70. I bought this last year, gotta check the expiry date to see if it's still good to use. However, I have the body one, instead of the visage and I find this too thick as well. This one is supposed to prevent premature aging waterproof and all that jazz.

 

Cetaphil Daily Facial Moisturizer SPF 15: This one is nice, I like the pump and it's not too thick. They have an spf 50 one too.

Aveeno Ultra-Calming Daily Moisturizer SPF 15: Nice pump on this one too, not crazy about the texture either. I want to try the Aveeno Continuous Protection Sunblock with SPF 30 for Face (pictured below). Or the Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch Sunblock.

I ♥ The Body Shop Body Butters (and Review)

The Body Shop has a nice deal on right now, the more you buy, the more you save. When you buy 1 item you get the 2nd for 50% off, buy 2 get 1 free, buy 3 get 2 free. This sale is on this weekend, but it has been on for some time I believe. My bf was looking for a present for his mom and so we went there, got her 3 items and got me 2 free! I love their body butters, so I picked up the Vitamin E one and a Vitamin E SPF 15 moisture lotion. I thought I would show you guys my body butters, I have racked up a small collection of them throughout the years. They are very moisturizing and smell terrific! They also come in many different scents, some are limited edition too. They retail for $20 CAD, but you get a large amount and The Body Shop has sales all the time. The only one I have re-purchased is the Mango one, which is one of my favourites. I have dry skin, so especially in the winter, these are fabulous. The large containers are 200ml, and the smaller ones are 50ml.

Top to Bottom: Cocoa Butter, Coconut, Strawberry, Mango, Vitamin E, Pomegranate, Rich Plum, Brazil Nut and Shea Butter.

Cocoa Body Butter: "An intensive, creamy all-over body moisturizer. It absorbs into the skin easily, helping to condition, soften and smooth the skin. Once you get over the indulgent tropical scent, slick this on and be transported all over again." The smell is nice, not too strong. Rich and kinda chocolate-y.

Coconut Body Butter: This is very tropical smelling to me, the best smelling one of my collection I think. Straight up coconut smell. I find this one is grittier than the rest, not as smooth, but still really nice. From the website "Drench your skin in a rich, intensive cream with a lush coconut scent that moisturizes for up to 24 hours and made with Community Trade pure organic cold-pressed virgin coconut oil." This one is for all skin types, normal to dry.

Strawberry Body Butter: "An intensive creamy all-over body moisturizer, with a sweet berry fragrance. It contains moisturizing strawberry seed oil and Community Trade shea and cocoa butter." The smell of this one doesn't really appeal to me, it reminds me of strawberry gum or something, but it dies down throughout the day.

Mango Body Butter: I have repurchased this one, it's my favourite of all of them. Apparently this one is the original body butter, according to TBS website. "Pamper your skin with a rich, deliciously mango-scented cream that softens and moisturizes for up to 24 hours," It's targeted to very dry skin. I find this one super moisturizing and I love the smell.

Vitamin E Body Butter: "For divinely soft skin. With nourishing Community Trade Cocoa Butter, this rich and creamy, all-over body moisturizer pampers your skin for up to 24 hours! Vitamin E smoothes skin and protects against environmental aggressors." This smells like soft rose petals, beautiful! I love the entire Vitamin E collection.

Pomegranate Body Butter: This one was limited edition, I bought it two Christmases ago, I don't think it's sold anymore. This smells soft and pretty, but more of a winter scent. 

Rich Plum Body Butter: Also discontinued, I got this last Christmas. The consistency is a lot thinner than the other butters that I have, which I like. And again, more of a winter scent.

Brazil Nut Body Butter: I have a mini of this to try it out. "An intensive, creamy all-over body moisturizer. It absorbs into the skin easily, helping to condition, soften and smooth the skin and prevent dryness. Contains moisturizing Community Trade brazil nut, shea and cocoa butter." This one is more on the thick and greasy side, good for winter. The scent reminds me of sugar coated nuts, and it's quite subtle.

Shea Body Butter: "Treat your skin to non-stop moisturization with a rich, intensive cream featuring the clean scent of shea." This one is targeted towards very dry skin. This one smells kinda sweet to me, not overly strong, just nice, this one is good for everyday use. If you aren't a fan of fruit smells, I would recommend getting this one.

I LOVE these butters because they are smooth, super moisturizing, but never sticky. They will last you forever. I have read that people say they dry up before they finish them, I don't see why that would happen. Keep the lid screwed on tight in a cool place and they will last. If you buy these, pay attention to the skin type it's recommended for, if you have normal skin, some of these may be too thick for you, but they work great for me.

The Body Shop: Tea Tree Oil Products Review and Pictures

The Body Shop's Tea Tree Oil product line is meant for those with oily and blemished skin. Tea Tree Oil has natural purifying antibacterial properties that is known to help soothe blemished skin. My skin is not oily in the least, it is quite the opposite, it is dry/normal I would say. It gets dry in some areas, ie on my forehead, nose, but I do get the odd breakout here and there (from that time of the month, stressing out too much etc). I am about prevention. I also find that some moisturizers, those intended for dry skin are too rich and thick for my skin. I got this starter kit from The Body Shop ages ago, I have been using some of the products regularly, others here and there and I thought I would do a review. I got this free with purchase, you can buy this separately for $30 CAD. It comes with 6 products, plus a cute green bag to hold all the products. They have changed the packaging and prices of the products since I bought it, so keep that in mind, the products performance may have changed too.

(L to R) Tea Tree Oil Mattifying Moisturizer - This was my favourite of the bunch. It claims to give "instant hydration, shine control, and shield to help protect against grime and pollution." This moisturizer is different than a lot of the others I have used. It has a gel texture, but like a very dry feel, it absorbs very quickly into the skin, and leaves no shine at all. It feels good on the skin. It claims that breakouts are minimized with regular use. I would rebuy this in the full size bottle once I run out of this because I really like it. My skin doesn't get a lot of shine, but this does mattify it and it doubles up as a primer underneath foundation as well.

Tea Tree Oil Facial Wash -  I only really use this in the summer when my skin gets oilier, I think it would be too stripping to use in the winter months. This left my skin a bit dry and uncomfortable. I would not repurchase this.

Tea Tree Oil Facial Toner - This is okay. It feels refreshing on my skin. Would I repurchase? Probably not.

Tea Tree Oil Blemish Stick - This is a spot treatment product. It is to be applied to problem areas (aka zits) and it helps to clear them up quicker. I think it does help, but I am not too crazy about applying the applicator tip to the zit and then putting it back in the tube and using it again, not very sanitary. So I would recommend applying this to the back of your hand or on a q-tip and then applying it to the area. It's also good for on the go, it's really small. I put this on at night, wait until it sort of dries up and in the morning, I find that the redness has gone down. It will not get rid of your zit, but after repeated use, it will help it heal. I may repurchase this again. Now that I think about it, I don't think this was included in the set, I think I bought it on it's own after hearing really good reviews of it.

Tea Tree Oil - This is a tiny bottle of tea tree oil. Problem is, it is only 15% tea tree oil, it looks like it's pure tea tree oil, it's not. You can buy 100% concentrated tea tree oil in drugstores. This product would pretty much work just as good as the rest in this line. This is used as a blemish treatment, it is to be applied directly to the skin, again the problem areas, I would pour it on my hand and tap it in. I would not repurchase this product again, the bottle will last me ages and I had a hard time getting much out of the bottle, I really had to really tap it out a lot.

Tea Tree Oil Facial Blotting Tissues - I had no use for these, I do not use oil blotting sheets. They are portable though, which is nice. I should give them away.

Some other Tea Tree Oil products that I bought on their own...

(L to R)

Tea Tree Oil Blemish Face Night Lotion - This is said to "improve the appearance of scars and blemish-damaged skin". I really liked this product, it works well as a light moisturizer, and I think it does help fade zits. I love the packaging, very sanitary, it has a pump. Although you gotta be careful to wipe it after use or else you get that residue that I have in the picture around the inside lid. This is a 30ml bottle and it was about $20ish CAD, so it is expensive for what you get, but I would advise not using it all the time, just to areas that need it when needed type basis. 

Tea Tree Oil Freshener - I can't tell you how long I've had this for, years and years. the bottle is huge and I rarely use it, but I like having it around. Is this a toner? cleanser? The directions describe it as moisturizing and soothing your skin. It has a "refreshing combination of witch hazel, allantoin and antibacterial tea tree oil." But it is to be used on a cotton pad and swept across your face after washing your face, so it IS a toner. Anyways, it feels nice on your skin, and I like having this in my collection. Would I repurchase? ya I think I would, but I think that has a long time coming still.

I want to end my review saying, this is just my opinion and how the products worked on me. I think also some people may be bothered with the smell of the tea tree oil. I like the smell, it is natural and grassy. Plus it leaves my skin feeling cleansed and refreshed. I would not use all these products together in a routine because for my skin, it would be too drying. I use these products when I need it only. I also really like the starter kits because if you were to buy all these products alone, it would be quite expensive and personally I like the small bottles, it gives me the chance to try out a lot at once, and I would totally recommend doing that, I have the vitamin e set as well, which is most suited to dry skin.