Hi all, sorry I haven’t had time to blog lately- it’s been hard to find time since I started working. I will try to aim for at least 3 posts a week! I usually talk about makeup on my blog, but today I want to talk about one necessary step in my skin care routine, is toner. [Read more…]
Five Favourite Body Shop Products that I’m Using!
I’ve always been a bit uncomfortable wearing shorts and tees sometime, because my skin isn’t naturally extremely smooth and glossy. 🙁 Luckily, some recent body shop purchases has helped me achieve that, along with some other regular skincare products I use. With the constant sales they have at Body Shop and my 10% off membership card, I do like to come here once in a while to stock up on products. This isn’t a sponsored post or anything, just sharing what I use and love! 🙂
1) Shea Body Scrub
My favourite line of the body products is definitely the Shea butter line. I have tried their lotions and body butters (however I ran out at the moment, and will restock after I finish using my other lotions.) I got this on sale for $8CAD, and have been using it for couple weeks now. I got immediate results with this product as my skin felt smoother already! The scent of this product is very shea buttery. I like to exfoliate my skin in conjunction with the Body Shop Exfoliating Bath Gloves.
2) Exfoliating Bath Gloves
Thanks to storybookapothecary who had a post on some of her favourite products, one which included the eco bath gloves, I was on the hunt for something similar. I found a pair of exfoliating bath gloves at body shop for $5. I got the colour coral, but there’s other colours to chose from, such as green or blue. This works extremely well! I also use shower gel for more gentler exfoliation, but I also use the shea butter scrub with these gloves. These are very gentle and now a must in my shower routine.
3) Spa Wisdom Polynesia Monoi Miracle Oil
This is my third bottle in a year, and this product is amazing, because my mom approves. Usually she doesn’t like anything I buy, but she uses this faster than I do, which makes me weep because of the hefty price tag. This costs $20CAD. I usually buy it during the Buy 1 get 1 50% off sale or Buy 2 get 1 free. My last purchase of this costed $4.90, because I had a $15 instore gift credit, since I achieved 4 points on my Body Shop Membership Card (1 point =$25 purchase; and thanks to my mom, I got 4 points easily.)
I use a couple drops of this on my skin, and it’s amazing! It lets my skin have a glowy look. I also sometimes mix it with regular lotion so I can spread it more. It has the scent of Tahitian gardenia flowers with coconut oil. Because I have no idea what those flowers actually smell like, I’ll describe it as a tropical, exotic, incensy floral smell. I normally dislike florals, but I love the scent of this.
This product contains sweet almond oil, brazil nut oil, coconut oil, and sesame oil. It can be multi-tasked as a hair product. Sometimes I rub 1-2 drops on the ends of my hair to remove the frizz and decrease the appearance of split ends. A little goes a long way for this product- too much oil can look greasy. This can be great as a pre-shampoo treatment, according to Body Shop.
4) Aloe Calming Toner
I got this product when I had a groupon- $20 for $4o worth of Body Shop items. This retails for $12CAD. This toner has helped immensely in cleansing the skin and removing any extra impurities, cleanser, and makeup traces. I have never broken out with this product, since this product is geared for those with sensitive skin. It doesn’t have a fragrance either. The ingredients list for this is very short : Water, Aloe Barbadensis Gel, Pentylene Glycol, Butylene Glycol, Sorbitol, Glycerin. No alcohol to dry the skin! This toner is very gentle, and I recommend it for all skin types, since I have dry skin, not sensitive.
5) Tea Tree Oil
A must have! A must have! I have a more in-depth review about this fantastic product here. This product pretty much prevents any incoming breakouts, and heals anything that has broken out. I have been using this product for around 7 years now, and will not stop! If you don’t mind a strong minty lemony smell, this product should be sitting on your counter- it’s a pimp/zit/acne 911 emergency product. If I have a skincare survival kit- this is going in!
These five products are stuff that I will continue to use in the future, because I have achieved the results I want! If you have tried any of these products, let me know your opinion! Or comment on what your favourite products are! 🙂
Beat those Breakouts with Tea Tree Oil!
Although I am fairly content with my skin, sometimes I get those days with breakouts- I feel that slight uneasiness…noticing the growing redness…and I feel my face and there’s the tiniest hint of a zit and it’s screaming “If you don’t fix me I’m going to grow bigger!” To destroy that little bugger, I take out my Tea Tree Oil products I bought from Body Shop.
These two products- Tea Tree oil ($9) and Tea Tree Blemish Night Fade Lotion ($18) has not failed me yet.
[If you are worried about the price, the Body Shop often has the sale Buy 1 get 1 50% off, Buy 2 get 1 Free, Buy 3 get 2 free- I’ve also seen Buy 3 get 3 free during some promotional periods. Furthermore, if you have a Body Shop membership card, you get 10% off purchases!]
I actually don’t go to Body Shop for skincare products, since I think their main selling attraction is, well, body products. But these two items from the Tea Tree line is an absolute necessity for my breakout problems. (These products work on me, but I can’t guarantee it works for everyone, I’m just sharing my opinion! :))
Tea Tree Oil:
“A medicine cabinet must. A pre-blended oil which can be used in many different ways to help soothe blemished skin. Dab directly onto skin at first sign of a blemish.”- The Body Shop site
This bottle of 10mL contains 15% Tea Tree Oil. It is on the semi-expensive side, because you can get pure tea tree oil for $10-$12 and dilute it yourself, but..I didn’t for lazy reasons. Also, I may dilute it wrong or add too much or add too little water- I’ll just stick to simplicity.
However, when I put this on overnight on problem areas, it has killed them immediately and my skin would look completely normal the next day. I have been repurchasing this little bottle for years- often buying 2-3 at a time when Body Shop has their sales.
Warning: It has a tingly feeling + a weird smell. I, personally, am fine with the smell, but others may find it stinging as it has a strong herbal smell. If you add some oil on bigger zits/pimples, it can hurt a bit.
Tea Tree Blemish Night Fade Lotion:
From The Body Shop site-
- Best if you want to: Improve the appearance of blemish-damaged skin, control oiliness and moisturize while you sleep with a light, moisturizing, non-oily lotion that sinks into the skin.
- How it works:
- Lemon tea tree and Community Trade tea tree oil from Kenya contain properties that help fight blemishes and prevent new ones from forming.
- Tamanu oil from Madagascar has a soothing effect and helps to calm irritation and redness.
In combination with the tea tree oil, I also use this lotion. I have been using the same lotion for more than a year now, since I only pump it out when I have problems, and do not use it nightly nor regularly. I’m not quite sure why it’s a night lotion, but I use it at night for my problem areas at night anyway.
I usually feel my zits growing at night time (thank goodness!) so this is my routine:
- Rinse face with cleanser
- Put toner on face
- Put moisturizer on parts of face, avoiding the problem areas
- Using a Q-tip, put a tiny amount (less than pea sized) of the night fade lotion on the areas that I feel a growing zit.
- Using the other end of the Q-tip, soak it with tea tree oil (2 drops approximately) and dab it on top of the zit.
- Go to bed- wake up and my zit is gone!
For bigger zits/problem spots, it might take two days to eradicate it, but there is a definite decrease of size and redness! Technically this product is for blemished skin, but it works effectively for me in solely targeting breakouts. It is efficient with breakouts here and there, but I’m not sure of its effectiveness with bigger breakouts or acne.
Hope you enjoyed my fighting-breakout routine!
Eyes and I: Eye cream/treatment review: Benefit, Dior, Body Shop, Sephora
Everyone has their own little insecurities, and mine are my eye bags/puffy eyes/somewhat dark circles. It’s the only thing that prevents me from wearing contacts, and if I wear contacts, I feel I have to load a bunch of chemicals under my eyes so I don’t look like a panda. Over the years, I’ve tried many different creams and concealers to make myself feel a tiny bit more confident. Even worse, sometimes the skin under eye isn’t hydrated enough, so concealers looks extremely fake and cakey under my eye.
I have used multiple different eye creams, and I want to give a general review on what I used. There’s so many in the market that claims to do so many things; and they all come with one thing: an overpriced label. Which eye cream should you invest in then?(This post is inspired by my friend who was asking me about eye creams 🙂 A little shout out to her- Basilla!)
Please note- everyone has different reactions to different products, so what works for me may not work for you! I’m here to voice my opinion; that is all. 🙂
Benefit’s ” It’s Potent! Eye Cream“
Where to Buy
Sephora ($36 CAD), Murale, Shoppers Drug Mart (that has a Benefit section), Holt Renfrew
What it is:
A brightening eye cream for fading dark circles.
What it does:
Your eyes can’t keep a secret—they’re the first to show signs of aging and stress. This powerful eye cream, containing a peptide complex known to help restore elasticity and firmness, fades dark circles and helps smooth fine lines for brighter, younger-looking eyes. Its blend of hydrating botanical extracts features apple extract, known to help boost collagen, and loquat extract, known to help protect the skin from free radical damage.
—
This is a brightening cream for dark circles. I kind of bought it because Benefit had a promotion last year and I grabbed since I was having a post-depression at Sephora shopping day. I admit, Benefit sucks me in with their cute and flamboyant packaging and their quirky names. The eye cream is in a cute little glass container that looks like a potions jar out of Harry Potter.
Because of my multiple eye cream stock, I like using this in the morning. It’s a bit sticky for a minute after application but this hydrates very well. However, I can’t notice any drastic difference for my under eye circles. It’s a bit cooling, so I feel like my puffiness decreases, just a bit, before I put on concealer. It doesn’t have a pungent smell, which I like.I wouldn’t repurchase this though.
Dior Hydra-Life Pro-Youth Sorbet Eye Cream
Where to Buy:
Sephora, Bay- $60 CAD for 15mL/0.5 oz
What it is:
A comfortable, light-textured formula designed to reduce puffiness and visibly lighten dark circles for a rested and radiant look.
What it is formulated to do:
This fast-absorbing essential reconciles freshness of a gel and the softness of a cream. It delivers powerful effects while respecting the fragile eye-contour area.
—
This is a more expensive eye cream, and luckily; last year I bought this in a package that came with a full sized eye cream, 15mL Hydra Life Sorbet Pro Youth Creme (moisturizer) and 10 mL Pro-Youth Hydrating Serum for $65 CAD, then I had $20 off $50+ purchase at Sephora; so I got those 3 items for $45! It was a happy day.
This is by the far the best. I actually didn’t put on eye cream for a week and I was like omg my face, so I put some on couple nights ago and I was relieved that my puffiness/dark circles has settled down. Settled down – not completely disappeared, but I was content enough. This cream is very light and refreshing, and cooling (colder than Benefit) as well. It’s hydrating, absorbs into the skin quickly, and not sticky/greasy. I’m not sure about its anti aging effects, since I’m kind of young!
Sephora Instant Depuffing roll-on gel
Where to Buy:
Sephora- $18
What it is:
A de-puffing eye gel that instantly leaves eyes looking fresher and brighter.
What it is formulated to do:
Delivered from a simple-to-use roll-on applicator, this remarkable multi-action gel creates a refreshed look in the eye area, instantly. Its updated formula includes HydroSenn+, a natural ingredient proven to deliver immediate and long-lasting hydration more effectively than hyaluronic acid. Made with light-reflecting pigments, a single application visibly diminishes the appearance of puffiness while an extract of red vine leaf works to diminish the appearance dark circles. The roll-on applicator tip with three agitator beads stimulates drainage and microcirculation to leave eyes looking fresher and brighter.
—
This is something that just satisfies me for the lazy days and when I’m in a hurry, or it’s 2 am and I’m studying and I look like a monster. It’s cooling, and I like the three rolly ball things because it “massages” the under eye. I have really really bad puffiness in the morning, like someone punched me, and this settles it down; but only for the short term. It’s very similar to Garnier’s depuff roller as well, which I used to have and lost it; and tried this Sephora one. It does make my feels feel more awake. Brighter? Hm, not really. For hydration, I prefer the Dior eye cream.
Where to Buy
Body Shop- $17CAD for 15mL
- An ophthalmologically tested gel-crème for the delicate skin around the eye. It is designed for skin that needs more gentle care.
- Fragrance, colour and alcohol-free
- No added preservatives
- Suitable for contact-lens wearers
—
This is a cheaper eye cream, but it doesn’t really address my issues. I got this couple years ago, and still have some left, so you can guess how often I use it. It doesn’t smell the greatest, since it’s fragrance free. It’s very moist. The only time I use it is if I take off makeup during the day and my eyes feel tired, I just put a bit. The pump is annoying, because one press gives you too much. I wouldn’t repurchase this.
************
All these eye creams do not require excess amount, a pea sized amount will do so they last for a long time. I doubt I can actually get rid of my circles/puffiness for good, only reduce them! All in all, I recommend the Dior one, but the price makes me squirm (thank God for the good deal I got!), I hope I can find one a tad bit cheaper after I’m done using this one.
I hope that you found this review useful and give you a bit more insight from a customer point of view! Also, if you use different eye creams, please share as I would like to know what else is good so I can add it to my future shopping list! 🙂