Apparel For the Spirit

Hey guys, I know it has been forever! Between getting a new puppy, interviewing for full time jobs since I am graduating in the fall and finishing up my last term at school I haven't had very much free time whatsoever. I wanted to bring you something different today so I decided to a long overdue post for a clothing company I love. I'm usually not one to blog about fashion but this brand has a new line thats on pre order right now and I want to share it with you. This is not a sponsored post. I am not getting paid to say any of this and everything I'm writing is 100% honest.

Yeshua Apparel  is a clothing line that combines fashion with a spiritual and inspirational twist. Currently the new collection has tees for men and plenty of one of a kind gorgeous accessories for women. It's a Canadian clothing brand that I personally own clothing from and I wanted to share it with all of you. The clothing is all amazing quality. I have had mine for months, wearing them all the time and they still look as if they are in perfect condition/brand new. I highly recommend purchasing from this brand because I know first hand the quality and customer service that you will receive. As well, the Canadian in me is always looking to support local companies over huge corporations. I almost forgot to mention that they ship to Canada and the U.S for various prices (the max being $12) and internationally for a flat rate of $17 unless you go over $175. These are really great prices because shipping from Canada is extraordinarily expensive.

The prices of the tees are $65. They're great v necks and I think so many different men would like/want to wear them. The quality is spot on as mentioned before and I think this easily could become the favourite t shirt in the dresser.

For women's accessories Yeshua Apparel features 2 different brands:
T Squared by Tami Eshed 
Yeshua Apparel is the first online store to actually sell the products from this brand. They are all handmade, with a silver chain and depending on the type you get they will be gold or silver. Due to the high quality of all the materials prices range anywhere from $78+.
I have 2 favourites from this line:

 This is called Trapeze - the photos a bit dark but it's the best I could do for you guys.

These are the Geometric Earrings which are to die for. I love clean and straight shapes for my earrings and these are beautiful.


eF by Efrat Ezuz 
They  again are the first online story to sell the jewellery from this brand. The studio for the brand is located in Israel and therefore, not something you would be able to find elsewhere around here. They sell scarves as well as intricate jewellery that you don't see everyday here. I'll attach some photos of my favourites below.
Below is the necklace the Pixxie:

Definitely a very cool statement necklace that will have so many people commenting. I like how this line is really unique and different so if you're the person who hates having the same accessories as everyone else definitely check this collection out.

I hope you guys check out the brand to see if theres anything that catches your interest. I love the new collection so much I wanted to share it with you since the pre-order sale has been going on. For the quality you get and the uniqueness of products I believe the prices are extremely fair. If you check out the website let me know in the comments below on what you think of the brand and which is your personal favourite!

Garnier Fructis Damage Eraser Line Review

I'm part of the website called Influenster, and this month one of the Canadian boxes that was sent out was a mystery box of haircase from a L'oreal brand. They gave unnamed bottles of shampoo, conditioner and a split end serum. A week later after you checked in your box, you received the entire full sized collection of that brand line. It turned out to be Garnier Fructis Damage Eraser. I wanted to give this review to you after I tried it multiple different ways and consistently. So a little background on my hair: it is colour treated ( I do blonde highlights all over my entire head), thick, I have lots of split ends, it usually gets frizzy and lots of static this time of year, but my hair has the tendency to get really oily by the next day.  Right off the bat I can tell you I only liked 2/4 of these products. You can go here to learn about the line and what Garnier says it is supposed to do if you're interested.

I have a difficult time with shampoo and conditioner (currently only will use Kevin Murphy) and this line just did not do it for me.  My hair felt so dry after when using the shampoo and conditioner in combination together. It got so frizzy and it was a disaster. I tried it multiple different times and I still always got the same result. A shampoo meant for damage erasing should not be drying and so I'm not sure if it was just my hair type that didn't agree with it or others have experienced this as well. I've never had good luck with Garnier shampoos or conditioners and this was no exception. It didn't work for my hair type but it may work for yours because haircare is such a personal preference. I'm not sure about the actual price because I can't find it online but I'm estimating between $5-7 for each.

Next, I'll discuss the 2 products I really enjoyed. The mask I found a good consistency and it hydrated my hair without making it greasy. I didn't need that much product to coat my hair and I let it sit for about 5 minutes. It made the shampoo work a little better cause I replaced the conditioner with the mask. Although I do think it works better with my Kevin Murphy or Aveda shampoos because those work better for my hair. I highly recommend this mask which is called a strength reconstructing butter, so far it's the best lower priced hair mask I've tried. I also loved the Split end serum. As mentioned before my hair is seeing a ton of these and I have noticed a bit of a difference in the number of split ends I have. It makes my ends feel extremely soft and not greasy, as it is a really light weight serum. These both also smell great and I'm really glad I got to test these out because I probably would never have picked these up on my own.

Overall this collection was hit and miss but I found some really awesome affordable products to implement into my haircare routine! Have any of you tried out this collection and if you have what are your thoughts on the products?

Skincare Wish: Estee Lauder Idealist

I was browsing the Estee Lauder booth at The Bay with my mom over my school break and I saw this Idealist serum (check out the website for more reviews and some of the promises it makes). As you all know, I am so fair that all acne scarring is very noticeable and I get red in my cheeks. I use the Kiehl's dark spot serum for my scarring but this sounds interesting because it's meant for redness, acne scars, dark spots, sun spots and discolorations. It's more expensive than Kiehls ($72.50-135 CAD depending on the size of the bottle) but it promises to do more. My mom uses a lot of Lauder products and she loves them, as well I adore their Perfectly Clean exfoliating face wash and toner. It's an oil free serum (perfect for my oily skin), non-acnegenic, dermatologist tested and it's meant to make your skin brighter and more even over time. It sounds like my skin will love it. Don't you just hate when you find a product you really want to try but it costs more than you have to spend? I am always looking for a new product to even me out so that I don't feel like I have to always wear concealer to cover my dark spots and redness. Being so fair, any flaws on my face, small or big, look magnified. I've heard really amazing things about this serum and I'm planning on getting a sample when I go pick up my Double Wear Foundation. I always like to see how my skin reacts to a new product after a few uses because I am so sensitive and acne prone.

Have you tried this serum before? What did you think? What's your favourite serum for evening out skincare?

Blue Corn 3 in 1 Deep Cleansing Scrub Mask

I know I've been gone for a few days too many but I've had a busy and stressful time with my sick doggy. I've come back with a review for The Body Shop's blue corn mask that I mentioned I got earlier in a haul. I've used this before twice in a week to see if it was maybe too deep cleansing but I find with my oily skin it's perfect. It does not dry me out, if you have more normal to dry skin I would only suggest maybe maximum using this once a week. It's a chunky mask that goes on wet and dries hard in about 15 minutes. When you wash it off you can choose to either barely scrub the chunky bits in, or if you need some serious exfoliation you can rub harder. After I wash it off my skin feels so cleansed and soft, I always follow it with a toner, serum and moisturizer at night even though it says its a 3 in 1 and moisturizers too. My skin doesn't feel tight which it sometimes can after deep cleansing masks. I've recommended it to a few friends and have let some of them try it and I've heard really good feedback from people with different skin types than me. I think it could work for a ton of people, you just have to figure out the best way to use it for your skin.

Have any of you tried this mask? What are your favourite The Body Shop masks?

Formula 10.0.6 Wish List

I've only recently heard about this brand and have not been able to find it most places in Canada. I've seen maybe 3 products at random Rexall Pharmacies and on the website it says there are some at Pharma Plus'. You can go to the website here and it lets you pick a country. The shipping to Canada is ridiculous, $15 so I probably won't buy anything online. I'll just keep my eye out for the brand in select stores near me. There are less products available within Canada but the few that caught my eye were:

Down to the pore: 

Blackhead clearing strips, I'm not a fan of the biore ones but I've heard good things about these ones.

Plus anything with Tea Tree in it has me sold.

 

Overnight Success- Overnight Spot Minimizing Patches:

This sounds super interesting to me - I've never used patch format for a spot treatment

Deep Down Detox Mask:

I've heard good things about the detox mask, it smells like oranges, and every clay based mask I have the urge to try. I'm a mask junkie.

No Time to Shine Mud Mask:

I have oily skin and this looks promising. 

The prices online for these marks are $5.99 but with the price of shipping I'm a little unhappy. I think the prices at the pharmacies were around $8 for a mask. Should have picked up what I could when I had the chance.

Have you tried any products from this brand before? What did you think?

Girl Meets Pearl Highlighter

I got a deluxe sized sample of this highlighter from my Benefit Advent Calendar. It's a pink based highlighter and it's gorgeous. I've been testing it out in various ways and wanted to let you know the way I love wearing it. I tried it overtop of my foundation and blush but I found it didn't give me the glow I wanted. I love to use it overtop of my primer but under my foundation. Even when my foundation blends out overtop it, it doesn't fade away. Doing it this way makes it look like you're glowy from within almost (lame I know) and not shiny like a disco ball. It didn't accentuate my pores or make me look oily which is nice. It lasted all night with my primer and foundation so I'm wondering if that also helps it last because when put overtop of powder I found it to fade easily. This is a gorgeous highlighter and definitely my favourite one to use because it lasts long and doesn't make me look crazy shiny. The full size retails for $36 CAD and is in a twist up bottle. The packaging is adorable and so is the name. Highly recommend this product!!

Have you ever tried this highlighter before? What's your favourite way of applying cream highlights?

Clarisonic Update 1+ Month Later

I have now had my Clarisonic for over a month and I have to say I haven't seen my skin this clear in forever. I currently have no active breakouts anywhere on my face. It's all just previous cysts, acne spots healing over and being red/dry. I switched to using the Fresh Soy Cleanser on it which I think works really well and I find it doesn't make my skin feel tight after like other types do. Now that my skin is all cleared I'm cutting back on the amount of times a week I use the Clarisonic. I'm trying to do 1-2 times as a deep cleaning method rather than every night. I will probably always do a deep cleansing mask on the night I use my Clarisonic so that I know I'm getting the best results possibly when I do it. My skins overall appearance looks so great, I'm not as red anymore in my cheeks and my acne scarring is improving. The scarring improving is probably attributed to this exfoliation as well as consistent daily use of my Kiehl's dark spot correcting serum (awesome stuff). My makeup sits better now that I'm using this and I just feel like my skin doesn't feel as congested. I highly recommend everyone who has issues with blackheads and breakouts go spend the money on this... Better investment to spend on the tool than to spend even more money trying out various different acne regimens that don't end up even working.

Have you tried the Clarisonic? What are the best products you have ever used with it?

The Body Shop Haul

The Body Shop can be deadly sometimes because they always have deals going on. I did the buy 2 get 2 free deal, but they have it for 3 products as well. I wanted the tea tree mask but they were out so I was recommended the blue corn deep cleansing mask that's also exfoliating which cost $17. I bought a backup of my tea tree toner because I love it so much and that cost 11$ but it was one of the products I got free. I also wanted to try out the elderflower eye gel because I heard it's really nice and cooling for puffy eyes. I saved $21 because the eye gel was worth $10. I could not figure out what other product I wanted because I didn't want to go too much past the $11 I was spending on the toner so I decided to pick out the face wash for my boyfriend and it came out to $12.  I'm extremely excited to try the 2 new products I bought out and if you would like any reviews once I've tried them leave me a comment down below

Budge Proof Lipstick

I learned a new lipstick trick from a friend and I wanted to test it out with my Illamasqua lipstick to see if it could last a night of drinking beer and eating greasy fries. I love my Illamasqua lipstick, it lasted through eating a burger with only some fading in the past but I know with drinking, talking and eating consistently for hours it usually fades in the middle. I did one layer, blotted it off, powdered it with some translucent powder and a brush, and then put a new layer of lipstick. By the end of the night it was still there and looked like I had just put it on. The entire night I thought it had come off because of all the eating and drinking, my lips did not feel like lipstick was there.
I am planning on trying this trick out with some other lipstick formulas, drugstore and high end because lipstick fading whe you go out is definitely not cute. If you're in the market for a long wearing lipstick you don't need to do this with or use a lip liner and it will still last ages I highly recommend the Illamasqua line.

Have any of you tried this trick? What other tricks do you have for long wearing makeup?

John Frieda Sheer Blonde Shampoo

It's been almost a month since I've coloured my hair blonder and I've noticed that it's beginning to get pretty brassy. I wanted to pick up a purple shampoo from my hairdresser back in December but he was out and told me that most purple shampoos at the drugstore work similarly anyways. I decided after reading multiple views online that the John Frieda Sheer Blonde Color Renew Tone Correcting Shampoo looked promising and wasn't crazy expensive as compared to some others. I didn't buy it with the conditioner because I have so many various hair products in my shower I really don't need it. I've used it once so far because I do not wash my hair everyday and even though it says it takes a few uses I have noticed that my hair isn't AS brassy as before. It's not a miracle product that changes it in one use but I've noticed in my bangs that my hair looks a bit brighter overall. It says to use it three times a week but I'll probably use it a few times until it gets to the blondeness I want and then I'll switch back to using my Kevin Murphy or Aveda shampoo. It's a shampoo you can just add into your regimen when you notice brassiness and then stop when you get rid of that. I've never used a purple shampoo before so I can't really compare it to any other brands but I enjoy the product and for the price it's really good, especially because its not a product you have to consistently use so it will last a long time.

Have any of you tried a purple shampoo that you really enjoy?

Clarisonic Mia 2 Update - 2.5 weeks

I've now been using my Clarisonic nightly for 2.5 weeks. I wanted to update you on the current condition of my skin - keeping in mind that everyone's skin is different. I maintained the same skin routine with my Clarisonic which is: Kate Somerville DTX Cleanser, The Body Shop Tea Tree Toner, Kiehl's Dark Spot Corrector, Clinique acne spot treatment, and my Korres Pomegranate gel moisturizer. I also always do a weekly mask which is usually my Origins Charcoal one. I did not want to switch up my skincare until I got it under control with the Clarisonic just so I would get the most consistent results. I am going to be switching to the Kate Somerville oil free moisturizer once I run out of my Korres because I got a small size in my 500 pt perk from Sephora.I broke out pretty bad all over my chin over a week ago and it's all starting to heal now. I got 3 cystic acne spots and I haven't suffered from this since early Summer before I went on an oral acne prescription from my dermatologist for 3 months. I noticed that my cheeks looked way better - I am not as red and I can see my blackheads and whiteheads surfacing but my chin went crazy. It's probably the worst my chins been in a long time but I knew I had to just push through after reading many reviews of people suffering the first few weeks after starting to use the Clarisonic.I knew it was just bringing up all the dirt that was deep in my pores so it was purging.  I am happy to say that now 2.5 weeks later all my cystic acne spots surfaced and are now just tiny spots that are healing. I have not had any new spots surface in the past 3-4 days other than seeing more of my blackheads and whiteheads coming to the top. Once my skin gets under control completely I will start trying to decrease my use of the clarisonic to 1-2 times a week in order to prevent too much exfoliation even though it is gentle enough for everyday use, you can never be too careful with your skin. I have noticed a huge difference in my skin and I'm extremely happy. Plus with all the makeup my clarisonic gets off after I wash my makeup off is amazing and I can't believe all that was still deep in my pores. I'll put another update in maybe 1-2 weeks to let you know how my skin is handling it for a longer period!

Best Concealer on the Market

I don't even remember why I stopped using the MAC Pro Longwear Concealer. I loved it, it has fabulous coverage, lasts all day and doesn't cake up. Maybe I was trying to save money or experiment but I spent all of 2013 without it and was trying the Mineralize one by MAC instead. That was a good concealer, it worked better under my eyes than on any of my spots because it's not as good coverage wise as pro longwear and it definitely does not last as long. My boyfriend took me shopping one day and I picked up a few things including my MAC skinfinish natural powder in light plus (yes apparently I can wear the deeper one of the light shades). The second I put this concealer on my scarring, current spots and under my eyes I was questioning myself why I ever tried to find a better concealer because I really don't think there is. A tiny bit covers under my eyes and all over the spots on my face. It costs around $23 CAD but I swear it lasts me a year or longer depending on how much I wear makeup over the year. I found I went through the Mineralize one really fast - it's been 4 months and I'm practically out. I think that's because I need to use more to cover since the coverage isn't as great. My skintone is a NW15 so for concealer I just get that because since I am so pale I can't really highlight under my eyes using a lighter shade. I've been using up my light skinfinish natural under my eyes and the light plus on my face so I can do some highlighting but to be completely honest I'm so fair highlighting under my eyes doesn't work. I know a lot of people use this as an eye primer but as I've mentioned before in various posts, my eyelids are so oily even on days where I don't wear makeup I'll have oil buildup in my crease (I also have hooded eyes so that doesn't help....). I feel like my makeup application in 2014 is going to be so much better because I have this in my makeup bag now.

What's your holy grail concealer and have you been able to find really good drugstore full coverage non cakey concealers?

Cold Weather Cure for Dry Skin

So where I live has been hit by the worst weather and today it's supposed to feel like -38 degrees outside. Even though I have oily skin this weather is still causing me dry patches on the areas that I'm not as oily in. I found the best treatment at night to help my skin heal - The Body Shop Aloe Protective Restoring Mask.

The Website has this little blurb on what the product actually does:

BEST IF YOU WANT TO: Strengthen your skin’s natural barrier with an intensive, creamy leave-on mask that softens and instantly cools.

BEST FOR: sensitive skin

How it works:

• Use once a week to provide a soothing blanket of protection to sensitive skin.
• Community Trade sesame oil helps to soften skin and create a protective shield that prevents water loss and restores suppleness

So I can't say that this product actually strengthens my natural barrier but I think it's an awesome overnight leave on moisturizer when you're feeling dry or tight. It's for sensitive skin so it doesn't irritate me or break me out. It instantly hydrates and the morning  when I wake up I feel hydrated. I only used it as the leave on mask overnight so that I can wash my face in the morning to get rid of any excess oil it may have caused me to produce because I am very oily. Using it during the day would probably cause me to get shiny really fast but at night it's perfect to sleep in because your skin heals overnight. It comes in a jar so it's not the most sanitary mask ever but if you're hands are clean than you won't be spreading bacteria inside it. It comes with a lot of product and it costs $22 CAD but The Body Shop always has deals online or in store so most of my products I never pay full price.

I love all of the masks by The Body Shop  that I have tried. Have you tried any of them?

Lancome La Base Primer

I got a sample of this Sephora and I really wanted to love it. My skin looked flawless when I first put this on. I let it sink in for 10 minutes and used it with my MAC studio fix fluid. My skin looked so healthy and after using power I looked natural but matte. After about an hour I could feel my skin getting so greasy I was afraid to look in the mirror. I definitely do not think this primer  is made for us with oily skin. I think it'd be perfect on someone dry to normal, even maybe combo if you powder your t zone. It can really make your skin look photo perfect and so gorgeous but it does not hold up well against oily skin.

Have you tried this primer before? What do you think?

Beauty Gifts from Christmas 2013

I got a handful of really awesome Christmas gifts this year and I wanted to share the beauty related ones I got with you. If you want a full review on any of the products as I really start trying them out in the next few weeks let me know in the comments below.


First off, my big present was the Clarisonic Mia 2. It was a set from Sephora that came with the Fresh Soy Face Wash and the Lotus Youth Preserve Face Cream With Super 7 Complex - also the brush head is the sensitive one. Haven't put these face products to the test yet because I want to use my normal skincare as I implement the Clarisonic into my routine. I've been using it every night since I got it and I can really feel the difference in how clean my skin feels. I can tell I'm already heading into the breakout phase because it's very deep cleaning and it's been purging. I will do an update in a month and let you guys know how my acne/redness is doing. I'm attaching a picture of it from the Sephora webpage because I don't have my camera with me up north and as you can see it's not the same set as mine so maybe that was a limited edition set with Fresh. I also got the hot pink colour of it. 

Next I got the Naked 3! I'm so thrilled and I don't have any swatches for you but you can google it to find 100s of photos of this palette. It's everything I hoped for and more. All the shades show up really well on my fair skin and I think it can work for so many different people. I love using the shade Trick all over the lid, and then limit/nooner mixed together in the crease. If I'm going more dramatic with it I'll pull in some dark shades like Factory and use Blackheart as a liner. 

I got the Nars Guy Bourdain blush palette that I mentioned before previously in my wishlist. I don't want to post too much about it because it was limited edition and it is obviously sold out. It's perfect because it has 4 blushes, one highlighter and a bronzer - i love the formulation and the shades are gorgeous.

Lastly, I received the 500pt perk from Sephora that was the Kate Somerville package. It comes with the Oil Free Moisturizer (0.5 oz), ExfoliKate Intensive Exfoliating Treatment (0.25 oz), Detox Daily Cleanser (2.0 oz). I've always wanted to try out the products and these sizes are actually very big. So far I've only tested out the cleanser for a few mornings and I have no complaints. I'll be testing these out in the future and will let you know if I'd repurchase any of this. 

I hope all of you had a fabulous holidays and I'd love to know what beauty related items you got xxoo

Some Favourites From my Benefit Advent Calendar

Now that I only have one day left to open I wanted to go over some of the standout products in the advent calendar. Benefit is a brand that has a ton of really good products with amazing packaging, and I always want to try  more so this calendar was so worth the money. I'm going to be listing out a few of my favourites here but keep in mind over my exam period I haven't tested them ALL out. I don't have any photos to attach so I'm taking a few from Benefit's website.

The blushes are amazing so I'm always happy to get an extra sample size Coralista, you can read my review on the Benefit boxed blushes here. I found that the Hoola bronzer had the same soft texture that's easily blended and it actually works on my extremely fair skin. So glad I got to test this out.

I tested out the Bad Gal liner that's said to be waterproof and it did last on my eyes all day. I smudged it out on top and even brought it to the bottom lash line (always a disaster for smudging) and it actually lasted for the entire 8 hours I wore it at school. Definitely a good dark black pencil liner to get if you're looking for one. It's pretty dark, not as dark and creamy as others but I think it works really well if you want to smudge it out which is the way I typically wear liner because I'm so fair.  Mine did not come with a smudger end but the full size does which is awesome!

I just ran out of eye cream and was waiting for the Benefit It's Potent eye cream. I find it really good for the dryness I get and it feels really good. It hasn't dramatically fixed my dark circles or bags which are awful.. but not eye cream has been able to so I didn't expect that. I'm looking for mainly hydration right now and this did the trick.

As I mentioned here the Stay Don't Stray Primer is really good for me as a primer for my under eye concealer. It doesn't work well for my super oily eyelids but it's amazing under the concealer. But definitely check out my previous blog for more info.

I LOVE Benefit stains, as well as the highlighter high beam. I think these last so long and are so gorgeous. I love using the stains on my cheek because it always gives a gorgeous natural look and it's easily blended/built up. I'm not going to post pictures of all of them but I love them. If you're looking into a really unique multi purpose lip/cheek product you need these. Plus the smell of Benetint I'm obsessed with.

XOXO, I won't be posting until after Christmas so I hope all of you have an amazing holiday. Let me know what Benefit products you love and think I should check out. :)

Review of Benefit's Stay Don't Stray Primer

Now that I am DONE my final exams I promise I will be posting twice a week regularly again! I got a mini size of this primer in my Benefit Advent Calender and tried it out multiple times in different ways. I loved how this primer neutralized the colour on my eyelids but for me personally, I liked this way better as a primer for my under eye concealer than as a base for my eyeshadows. I have literally the oiliest eyelids ever, even on days I don't wear shadows I get oil buildup. I use UD primer potion but even with that sometimes I get creasing  even pro longwear paint pots crease on me without using a primer before- I think I need to try the NARS next. I noticed after only about 2-3 hours all my MAC eyeshadows I used had creased. If you have normal eyelids I think this would work great for you, especially because it is a neutral colour to blur out any redness. I found it worked well under my eyes with a concealer on top and then powdered. It made everything look pretty flawless and I was really happy with it. The full size of this sells for $30 CAD at Sephora which is more expensive than most brands of eye primer. You can use other primers like UD and Too Faced under concealer as well but I don't think the texture is as nice for that as this one, so I think if you're looking for a primer that can be used as an eyeshadow/concealer base and you don't have very oily eyelids you'll really enjoy this product!

The Body Shop Cleansing Oil Review

I've been wanting to try this product for a while and I got this for Christmas as a gift from my roommate when we did Secret Santa. I've tried the Sephora cleansing water which is really awesome but I wanted to try this one because I love the Camomile line from The Body Shop. It comes in the size of 200ml and it sells for $16 CAD but The Body Shop during Christmas always has amazing deals so definitely look into it.

This is what it says on the website:

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION

This silky-soft cleanser will effortlessly remove make-up from the whole face quickly and effectively, leaving skin feeling clean, refreshed and clear of impurities. It’s the ultimate time-saver.

The packaging is adorable and I love the scent of the product. I usually use 1-2 pumps on my hands and rub it onto my DRY face. It's very thick which it should be because it's called an oil and not a water like the Sephora brand. I typically rub it in for around a minute and even use it over my eyes just make sure you do not get any in your eye. If you're sensitive I might even suggest using eye makeup remover instead of the oil on your eye because it is thicker and it really hurts if you get it in your eye. After I feel like my skins coated in the oil I add water to let it foam off and then I rinse. It gets off I would say 80-90% of my makeup but I always wash with a cleanser afterwards so for me that's not a big deal. I wouldn't suggest using this product as you're only cleanser. I see it as more of a makeup remover for your face and then you cleanse to remove any leftover product. I always use a toner after as well which further removes any leftover product and balances out your skin. This hasn't broken me out and I have incredibly sensitive acne prone skin. I've been it for about 5 days every night and my skin always reacts right away, so since I haven't broken out I definitely won't. Overall, I really like this product as a makeup remover and I'm so glad I got this because I hated always buying makeup wipes and putting more garbage into the environment by using them. This is a really good alternative to cleansing makeup removing wipes!

Body Lotion for a Cause

I thought this would be a really nice gift for someone and it's limited edition! I wanted to post this as soon as I could in case it sells out in stores. The Creme de Corps Soy Milk and Honey Whipped Body Butter is a Kiehl's classic and you can purchase it year round but for Christmas they changed the lid to be a childrens picture. 100% of the net proceed from the body butter go to charity in Canada, I' m not sure if this is offered anywhere else. The charity is Canadian Association of Pediatric Oncology Camps (CAPOC), and my particular Kiehl's in Sherway Gardens Mall was donating to Camp Ooch which is a camp specifically for children with cancer. The price of the product is expensive, it's $45 CAD but as I mentioned before all the proceed go to charity and the product is really amazing. Christmas is the perfect time to donate to charity, and this way you get a really luxurious body butter out of it.

You can see it online here but it seems to be out of stock online. There was a handful left in my Kiehl's location so I'm sure there's more in store! They had a tester out as well so you could smell it and try it. I love whipped body butters, as they're not super heavy but very hydrating. It has Jojoba in it as well as shea butter and it leaves my dry winter skin feeling great. The smell lingers and it's not a perfumey scent, it's subtle but so nice. You have to smell it in person to actually understand. Also, Kiehl's is good with samples so if you go in to test out this product and buy one, they typically load you up with their little packs of product.

If you click the link I attached above you can see what the lid looks like for the limited edition one I'm talking about.  Definitely a good gift for a friend, family member or even yourself. It's a great body butter for a great cause.

If you don't live in Canada is your Kiehl's doing anything like this? Have you found any other products that are limited edition like this that donate the proceeds charity?

 

Favourite Eye Makeup Remover

December is a bit crazy with me since I have finals but I'm still trying to post at least once a week - definitely not on the typical days. I wanted to upload a quick post about what eye makeup remover I love to use. So here's a bit of background on me: I am a contact lens wearer, I have really sensitive eyes and do not wear waterproof eye makeup on a regular day basis. I hate eye makeup remover that feels super oily , most drugstore makeup brand ones I've tried have bothered my eyes like crazy because they feel so greasy when I use it. I need a really gentle makeup remover and I hate using scented eye makeup remover near my eyes because they're so sensitive. I finally found a really good one that you can also purchase in a formula that can be used for waterproof eye makeup as well.

The Body Shop Camomile Gentle Eye Makeup Remover. They've made the packaging prettier since I bought my last bottle. It lasts a really long time, I use one cotton round saturated with this and it removes all my eye makeup on both eyes. I hold it to my eye for about 2-5 seconds and then wipe, mostly everything comes with it but sometimes eyeliner and mascara needs to be rubbed a little more with it. This is seriously the most gentle eye makeup remover I have ever used and it's the only one that has not bothered my eyes. It doesn't have a harsh fragrance either. It retails for $16 CAD but The Body Shop always has really good sales and right now on the website it's 40% off and priced at $9.60. I highly recommend to all of you contact wearers with extremely sensitive eyes!