Shopper's Drug Mart Redemption

This past weekend I participated in Shoppers Drug Mart's mega redemption. It was $200 for 95,000 points. I needed a few personal items and picked up some Easter stuff, but I won't bore you with that. :)

My goods from this redemption are Clarins Liquid Bronze Self Tanning for Face and Decollete, Guerlain Terracotta Bronzing Powder and Guerlain Rose Aux Joues Duo de Blush in Pink Punk. I also received some Vichy ProEven Daily Dark Spot Corrector samples, 2 Elizabeth Arden Green Tea Honeysuckle EDT samples, and a sample of Guerlain Cils d'Enfer Maxi Lash Mascara.

With spring just around the corner, I am totally stoked for the summer! Like many people, I like to be darker in the summer but try to avoid the sun. This means, I'm always trying out different self tanners. Admittedly, it's not something I usually splurge on because my entire household will use it. I wanted something for my face that doesn't cause breakouts or smell bad. I've only done a patch test of this Clarins self tanner on my arm, but there was no bad smell upon application. I actually forgot I applied this, and while showering the next morning I noticed a round bronze spot on my arm. It works!  That was two days ago, and the patch is still there with no fading. It's quite subtle, and I think it'll be perfect for early summer. I'll have to do a full review on this later, but I think I'm going to love this.

Guerlain Terracotta as you probably know has a cult like status, and so it's something I had been dying to try. I picked up shade 03. Compared to Nars Laguna and Benefit Hoola, the Terracotta looks slightly orange and scary in pan. When applied however, this truly is a beautiful bronzer. It is soft and finely milled and has a scent, but I don't find the scent as strong as some of Guerlain's other products. I think I'll be posting a full review of this bronzer later, maybe with comparisons to Nars Laguna and Benefit Hoola.

Lastly, I got Guerlain Rose aux Joues, Duo de Blush in Pink Punk. I had been eyeing this for a couple months. I think the top shade is soo lovely! It is a matte, bold coral-pink, and I think this would look beautiful for spring or paired with a bronzer in the summer. The bottom shade is nice as well. It's a lovely, matte plum shade. I feel like I'm moving away from plums now, but I'll definitely be wearing it next fall. The duo comes in the most beautiful compact which is unfortunately already covered in fingerprints. It includes a large mirror and a small brush. I find the scent of this blush very strong, much like the Meteorites Compact and Meteorites Balls. I'm not a huge fan of this scent, though it seems like most everyone else is. Thankfully, I can't smell it once it's on my face. :)

And here's swatches of the blush duo and the bronzer:

 

Now I'm all out of Optimum points and have to start building them back up. hehe

Thanks for reading! :) xo

Clarins Gentle Foaming Cleanser for Combination or Oily Skin Review

Hi beauty lovers!I recently decided it was time to revamp my skincare routine, so I've been using Clarins Gentle Foaming Cleanser with Tamarind and Purifying Micro-Pearls for Combination or Oily Skin for about a week now. I am absolutely loving this cleanser! Previously, I was using Avene Cleanance Soapless Gel Cleanser in the morning and Bioderma Micellar Water at night. Now I am using Clarins Gentle Foaming Cleanser both morning, and after removing makeup with Bioderma at night. My favourite thing about this cleanser so far is that it really seems to cut back on my oilies. My skin is so oily that I often wake up a greasy mess. Yuck! Since cleansing with this, I wake up with soft, yet matte skin. This cleanser also seems to be clearing up a couple stubborn clogged pores on my chin that had been bothering me for months. So far, my skin is clear!

I just use a pea sized amount of this cleanser, and I find it really lathers up nicely. Despite the greenish bottle, this cleanser is white. It has a strong scent to it which reminds me of Zest soap. You might not like this, but it takes me back to childhood. :)  After cleansing, my skin feels quite tight so following up with a moisturizer is a must!

Here's what the back of the box says:

Leaves your skin perfectly clean and refined thanks to a refreshing mousse that rinses easily with cool water. Gentle Foaming Cleanser is rich in purifying Micro-Pearls that provide essential cleansing care for a pure, matte complexion.

Pure Cleansing:

-Ensures perfectly clean skin by eliminating impurities, excess oil and dead skin cells that block pores.
-Neutralizes the drying effects of hard water
-Refines surface skin texture and tightens pores

Gentle Plant Extracts:

-Gypsophila helps to create a fine, lightweight cleansing mousse
-Polymnia and Cottonseed maintain a balanced, comfortable skin
-Tamarind encourages the elimination of dead skin cells

Dermatologist Tested

I would say this cleanser certainly lives up to all of it's claims! I would highly recommend this product to anyone with oily skin. It is a bit pricey, but I foresee the 125ml tube lasting a while. Like I said, only a pea sized amount is needed for the whole face.

You can get this for $34 CAD at Shoppers Drug Mart.

Thanks so much for reading! :)

My March Topbox

Hi beauty lovers! :) My March topbox came today, and despite getting the shipping notification, I wasn't overly excited to hit my mailbox. I chose the non-prive box this month, and it seems as though most ladies were very disappointed with what they received.

Here's what I got:

-MaskerAide Hydrating Facial Sheet Mask in Weather Warrior
-Clinique All About Eyes Serum
-Aveda Caribbean Therapy Body Creme
-See By Chloe Eau de Parfum

 

 

I actually expected worse than what I received, so I'm not feeling too badly about this box. Not overly happy with it either.

The MaskerAide looks nice, but I don't think I'll be using it. My skin is quite oily, and this is a hydrating mask designed for drier skin. It also says it contains Argan oil, and I know this breaks me out sometimes. Too bad. The packaging is completely adorable. :)

I already own the Clinique All About Eyes cream and haven't used it much. The All About Eyes Serum De-Puffing Eye Massage is one of those roll-on undereye products, much like Garnier's Skin Renew. I'll definitely give this a try and hope it does something for my undereye bags.

The Aveda cream has a menthol scent to it which reminds me so much of something that I can't recall! It feels slightly tingly upon application. I've read a lot of people hate the smell of this. I must be weird because it really doesn't bother me. :) It simply smells herbal. But not even as much as something like Nuxe lotions. I actually find the smell slightly comforting...I guess because it reminds me of something. And because I'm weird. :P I applied it on my hand, and it left it slightly greasy, but was completely absorbed after 10 minutes.

Lastly I got See By Chloe perfume. This has been in quite a few magazines over the last couple months, and I thought it smelled nice, so I was happy to receive this. I'm wearing it right now and find it very meh. Nothing special. Nothing I would ever reach for. It's a fruity floral, and I can mostly smell the apple in it. I read it contains musk and vanilla, two of my faves! All I smell is fruit. Not for me.

Overall, I thought my Topbox was okay. I won't be using everything but will have no problem passing them on. What were your overall impressions of this month's Topbox?

Weekly SDM Haul

Hello, beauty lovers! It's been a while since my last blog post! I had some computer problems this week, but I'm back for now. :)

I just wanted to share some Shoppers Drug Mart haulage from this past week. There were a couple bonus points promotions this week at SDM, and I always love to take advantage of these when I can.

 

From top left to right is Estee Lauder Sensuous Nude perfume, Clarins Beauty Flash Balm, Urban Decay De-Slick Makeup Setting Spray and Clarins Gentle Foaming Cleanser with Taramind and Purifying Micro Pearls for Combination/Oily Skin.  The bottom row is just a few samples: Clarins Skin Perfecting BB cream, Gosh Extreme Length Coloured Mascara, Elie Saab Le Parfum sample and Narcisco Rodriguez For Her EDT sample. And deodorant. :P

 

 

 

 

I fell in the love with the Estee Lauder Sensuous nude around Christmas this year. I picked up several of SDM's fragrance sampler sets, and this was one of my faves! Regretfully, I didn't choose to redeem for this one, and my sample just ran out this past week. I had to have more! The top notes are quite strong and sharp, but they die down into the softest most luscious smell. If you like vanilla/musk scents then you'll love this! I can not stop sniffing my wrists when I wear this. Mmm...

 

Clarins Beauty Flash Balm was something I really liked the sounds of. Women claim they like using this under their makeup as a primer as well as using it as a tightening mask. Sounds perfect for me! I did wear it out Saturday night, and while I didn't check my face in a mirror once that night to see the effects, I can report no breakouts! Yay! I will be trying this as a mask asap and I can't wait to review it. :)

 

Here it is on my hand:

 

Urban Decay De-Slick is a product I had been dying to try. As an oily faced chick, I'm always looking for something to get me through long days/nights without having to touch up constantly. I haven't tried this yet, but I'll also be reviewing this once I have! My skin is acting super crazy lately and I've been avoiding wearing or using anything but Bioderma until it settles down. But I'll be trying this asap! Maybe by this weekend!

I was getting bored of my Avene Cleanser (which honestly has lasted me forever now), and I read great things about this Clarins Gentle Foaming Cleanser. I haven't any problems with Clarins products yet! I particularly love their Hydra-Quench Cream-Gel, so I'm hoping this cleanser gives me no problems! Review coming soon. :)

Here's a write up from Clarins, "Every day’s a spa day with this refreshing, skin de-stressing cleansing foam. Gentle Tamarind Fruit Acids free pores of trapped make-up, excess oil, pollutants and dull-making dead cells for a refined, matte complexion. Silky lather rinses easily with cool water. Protects skin from the drying effects of hard water."

Here is a blob of the cleanser on my hand. You can see a little bead in the middle:

 

 

I was happy they had some samples of the Clarins BB Cream as I'd been really wanting to test this out! I received two samples of the lightest shade, 01 Light and I was pretty surprised at how dark it is. My skin is between NC20-25ish and this looked too dark for me! I'm also not huge on the smell. And I've had mostly bad luck with BB creams in the past, but I'll still give this a try and write a review.

 

Blended out:

 

Anyway, that concludes my weekly haul! Not overly exciting, but I'm sorta stoked to switch up my skincare routine. :)

 

Thanks so much for reading! xo Steph