Bliss Fabulous Everyday Eye Cream

By Min

Recently, Megan and I went shopping at Sephora. Although I needed a few products, I prefer to buy them at a pharmacy so that I can get Airmiles or some form of points. So I browsed a bit with no intention of buying. A friend of Megan’s sent me some samples for Arbonne and although I had a bad experience (all my fault), I wanted to try the eye cream because I had a ugly bump on my rosacea star (that people have confused for a zit.) I was really surprised that it worked, the bump went away.  This made me want an eye cream even though I have always thought that I was still too young to use one. From looking at recent pictures, I've learned that I have to stop living in the past...by which I mean I am not as young as I used to be. So whilst in Sephora, I took a gander at some eye creams but I was astounded by the price. It’s such a small tube...no points...not sure of efficacy. Then, as Megan was piling up her basket, I came across a brand that I did not recognize.  Bliss. It sounded divine and the packaging was clean and simple. I picked up a tube of Fabulous Everyday Eye Cream 15ml for $36. It is supposed to help keep the skin around our eyes hydrated and brighten the look of dark circles.  I actually think that nothing can help with the dark circles until the kids are off to boarding school but I was interested in the promise that moisture would be locked-in. At first there was very little going on. I don’t believe in miracles so I didn't expect too much but maybe a bit of improvement on the bump situation. Then after a week I noticed that the veins of the rosacea star were diminishing. And after two weeks, the bump was growing smaller as well.  Well, colour me surprised! I thought that a laser treatment at the dermatologist’s office was the only cure for my rosacea but this blissful little eye cream has really been working wonders. I might even try some more products from this spa brand. When trying new brands and products, there is always a possibility that you are wasting your money, so I’m super happy to report that this time it was worth the risk! 

Jergens vs St. Ives

By Min

When I was 11 years old, I used to put deodorant on my legs because I thought they looked dry and I didn't have any money. I thought it was more ridiculous to ask my mum to buy me body lotion so I got creative, or maybe just silly. Who cares what your legs look like at 11?!  But for some reason having soft skin was really important for me (probably from reading Seventeen magazines), so I have always used lotion after my shower and I do have soft skin probably owing to the fact that I don't have a lot of body hair and I use a little bit of lotion everyday. Since the deodorant on the leg phase, I have altered my methods and use real lotion. But nothing fancy for regular use. For awhile it was Vaseline but then I switched to Jergens when I saw they had a Naturals line.  It smells awesome! Love it! It quenches the thirsty skin from the dry winters and leaves me super hydrated while not making my skin sticky in the humid summers. It is also really affordable at about $5-$7 for a big bottle. Then suddenly, Jergens only had one lotion in their Naturals line. Weird. So when my pharmacy had no Jergens Naturals, I bought St. Ives.  Megs had previously bought St. Ives after running into the same problem with Jergens.  She wasn’t impressed, and said that it smelled like rabbit poop or something like that. That is weird too.  I thought she was probably just being picky like she tends to be sometimes so I went ahead and bought a bottle. The smell is okay.  I don’t hate it. It’s not bad but it’s very very thick and it almost like rubbing lard on your body, but the kind that doesn’t melt (not that I’ve ever done that).  It does absorb quickly but I prefer a cream that goes on smoother.  But at $4 a bottle, it doesn’t get any cheaper and in a pinch, I’d buy it again. (After writing this blog post, I bought the last 2 Jergens remaining at the store. I should be good for awhile.)

Mascara to Avoid!

By Min

What not to buy!

Asian eyelashes are often short, straight and not good friends with just any old mascara.

I have tried my fair share over the ages and my fave is still Shiseido Perfect Mascara Defining  Volume (which I reviewed in a previous blog post). It is made by a Japanese company so obviously a good match for Asian eyelashes. This review is dedicated to some brands that are not Asian-eyelash friendly. My first pick is Physician’s Formula Organic Wear Natural Origin Mascara, $15.  It made my eyelashes go flat and it smudged and had no discernible benefits. If this mascara had added volume or length to my eyelashes, it could be forgivable but it did nothing at all.  


Next, was Benefit’s Beyond Mascara They’re Real! $29.  The box looked so appealing with a before and after picture and some consumer panel results. I admit that it did create an appealing amount of length, however there was absolutely no volume.  It claims that 90% of users saw a base-to-tip curl, but it made my lashes go flatter than they were before (is that possible?) Therefore, there was no visible lift that 94% of consumers supposedly obtained. I guess I'm part of the unique 6%. I was really disappointed.  

And finally, Dior Show, $31.  It promised  build-able volume. I give it that much but it did not keep the original curl I'd created with my eyelash curler. So while my lashes did not go completely flat, they were definitely not something to write home about.  If you have Asian eyelashes, I definitely recommend Shiseido Perfect Mascara Defining Volume (not Full Definition). If you don't have Asian eyelashes, I still recommend  Shiseido Perfect Mascara and also the DiorShow.  Happy mascara-ing! 

Makeup on Celebrities

 Lauren Alaina here won something important at an awards show the other night. The poor thing's face does not match the rest of her body!

Her dress is pretty. Too bad about the mismatched skin. Maybe it was the lighting on the red carpet because she looked better in another shot I found:

You can tell the lighting is totally different because her dress looks like a more buttery yellow in this inside shot, whereas in the red carpet shot it's a brighter yellow.

Next time I hope her makeup artist bronzes her face more!

Avocado Oil

by Megs

Move over, Argan Oil, there is a new oil in town! And by "move over," I mean "make room because I love you both the same."

Argan Oil is my serum and night cream in one. But I did a little research on avocado oil and it is also extremely beneficial for your skin. It supports skin's natural elasticity. Awesome! My skin is not droopy, or saggy, or wrinkly. But I look at my 3 and a half year old's skin and think "Yep, this is what every beauty fiend is trying to achieve the look of! That is why the "beauty industry" is a mult-billion dollar one." My skin is never going to look like my toddler's skin. It just isn't, but if I take care of it, it can stay fresh and youthful looking for much longer...I hope!

Like Argan Oil, avocado oil (why is one capitalised and the other isn't? I don't know! It annoys me!) is not full of difficult to pronounce ingredients. It has just one ingredient - avocado oil. At night, after I smooth on my Argan Oil and let it absorb for a bit, I smooth on my avocado oil and let it absorb for a bit.

It is not only good for skin! It is also good for your hair! I oiled my hair last weekend. I have to admit, I was skeptical. I mean, I wash my hair to keep it from being oily. Isn't oiling it counterproductive? Not necessarily!  I mean, as long as you wash out the oil you'll get the moisturising benefits of it without the greasy look. I have extremely fine, delicate hair. It breaks off very easily, particularly in a dry, northern BC winter. After putting avocado oil in my hair and leaving it for about 15 minutes, then washing it out, then drying it (half air-drying, half blow-drying) my super-fine, breakable hair was flexible! It felt moisturised and my rampant flyaways were noticeably (to me) reduced. This is a new treatment I plan to add to my weekly beauty routine. I hope the more I do it, the more flexible my hair becomes and the less it breaks.

I bought Now Foods Avocado Oil from well.ca (because I love well.ca!) and unlike so many beauty products, you get a lot for a little! $7.49 for 118 mL. You use so little, it will last and last.

Full disclosure: I really don't like taking photos for this blog because I'm not very good at it. But I feel like finding photos online instead of taking them myself is kinda cheating. I kinda cheated this time because my own bottle of avocado oil is all oily & not as pretty as the one pictured.

Live Clean Daily Moisturiser

 by Min

I was so excited when I heard that Live Clean (which I usually accidentally pronounce as "live" as in "man alive") was coming out with a skin care line.  They are such an affordable and safe brand and I love their paraben and phthalate free shampoos and conditioners that smell just wonderful. The first product from their skincare line I bought was the Soothing Daily Moisturizer.  My sensitive skin was immediately tempted by the word "soothing" and it was a steal at $19 for 150ml.  That’s a whole lot of moisturiser! So I bought one for myself and one for an exchange that I was going to do. I was immediately disappointed because the texture is so thin.

Then I noticed a funny smell.  It was the smell of old, wet cloths. You know, that smell of humidity when your clothes have been sitting damp in the dryer for a week? (Not that I do that!) I thought that it must have been my towel.  The next day, I changed the towel (that didn't smell bad) and tried it again. That smell! I double checked my towel and it smelled fine.  A terrible, sinking feeling came over me as I re-opened the bottle and took a whiff. Yep, it was the moisturiser. I was so disappointed.  I am so disappointed.  I was looking forward to using this Canadian brand that I have enjoyed so far. Also, I had sent one for the exchange that I was doing and I hope that she didn't get the same problem.

I would not normally do anything but I feel that I have been robbed, not only of my money but of my Live Clean joy.  I called the company and I’m hoping that it’s just a bad batch. I’m still waiting to hear what they have to say. What about other Live Clean products? What are your experiences?

Korres Provitamin B5 and Rice Bran Mascara

By Megs

Doesn't it just sound like an awesome product? It has provitamin B5 and rice bran! It's not just any old mascara! It's healthy mascara! I was led to it by one of my fave beauty blogs, clumpsofmascara.com. Brittany reviewed another Korres mascara called Korres Volcanic Minerals Volumizing Mascara. That review made me want to try Korres mascara. When I hit up the Sephora site, the Provitamin B5 and Rice Bran one was a little duo pack. Fun! So I bought it. I still love the name. I still love the idea of the vitamins and the rice bran! Do I love the mascara? Wellllllll, I wanted to. It is resoundingly OK. I have decent lashes - they're not the longest or the fullest or the...lashiest. But they're decent, and I'm happy with them. This Korres mascara is just fine on them. If I felt like my lashes needed all the length and volume that advertisers beat us over the head with, I would be really disappointed in this mascara. It coats my lashes. It doesn't add length for miles, or oodles of volume. It just coats them, makes them a bit blacker. I don't love this mascara, but I don't hate it either. I'll use it until it is gone, or expires (who am I kidding? I'll use it way past expiration!) and then I'll try something else. Maybe the Volcanic Minerals mascara...I probably should have just gone with that one in the first place!