Favorite moisturizers and cleansers

I have a handful of spa gift certificates to this local place, just sitting around my apartment waiting to be used. I’m just so scared and undecided what I should get done at the spa. Sometimes I think I want a facial, other times I want to get my hair dyed there. I’d get something simple like a mani/pedi but their prices are far too exuberant for my liking. Plus I love the lady I go to.

It all boils down to me being chicken but really wanting to get some sort of facial thing done. So, I’m slowly stepping into the realm of doing things myself before I waltz into a fancy spa and ask for a hydrating or peel-like facial. Is that backwards? I don’t know. To be honest, I don’t know much about skin care, other than moisturizing. I love to cleanse and moisturize the heck out of my skin. Perhaps that’s why people tell me I look like I’m 10 years younger than I actually am. That, or it’s the genes.

There’s just two must-have’s in my skin care regime. It’s my cleanser, and eye moisturizer believe it or not. Unfortunately they’re both pretty high end products but I wouldn’t have it any other way. It’s just what works.

Purity by Philosophy is the cleanser that I use. I bought the ginormasized bottle at Sephora, because it’s works out to be cheaper to get the larger sized, of course. It’s a very gentle cleanser, I can get it straight in my eyeball and it doesn’t sting. Nor does it make my skin feel tight, or dry afterwards. Bonus.

My face moisturizers vary from each time I go out and purchase one. I haven’t found anything that I love yet. But what I do really enjoy, is my Bobbi Brown Extra Eye Repair cream. It’s definitely a splurge for me and I can only find it at Holt Renfrew in Toronto. Sephora does carry Bobbi Brown products, just not that certain eye cream. It’s a very thick, luxurious eye cream and lasts about 6 months if you buy the full sized version.

I am mourning over my empty jar of Bobbi Brown extra eye repair cream that I just finished the last week of September. I remember buying it in February — see what I mean? Lasts a long time, all you need is just a dab. Applying too much moisturizer is a waste, only so much cream can soak into your face.

Not to worry, I went to Holt Renfrew last weekend and picked up a new extra eye repair cream :)

I’m always testing out and trying new products to add to my must-have collection. The next product I decided to try out was Philosophy’s micro exfoliating triple acid brightening peel pad. Wow, that’s a mouthful.

I exfoliate my skin pretty often because I self-tan a few times a month. Slothing off all that dead skin is a must, especially since I’m prone to spots of mild eczema and of course self-tanner coming off — you don’t want to have splotchy skin.

You’ll notice that each pad is individually wrapped which is great since it’s very sanitary. If it was just in one package, the pads stay much more fresh since they’re not getting exposed to the air.

The price point of these makes me want to cry, and I’m glad I ended up getting them to review here on my blog for you guys — otherwise I most definitely would’ve walked right past it at Sephora!

Don’t get caught off guard. The name of these are much scarier than the actual product. You think “peel” as in red, blotchy skin and your dead skin flakes off and you need to take a day off from work. No. These are so much more gentler than that, and it honestly just felt like a cold toner on your face.

The directions mentioned that you could use this pad, not only over your face but on the back of your hands, elbows and knees if desired. I didn’t do that, so instead just focused on my face. The first few things I immediately noticed about using the micro exfoliating triple-acid brightening peel

  • It was chilly and refreshing on my face.
  • My face wasn’t irritated! Yay!
  • My sensitive skin didn’t feel tight after applying it.

I didn’t notice any brightening the first time I used it, but are you really going to see a dramatic change the first time you use something? No. I did use 5 of the pads throughout the course of five weeks. So I’m following directions appropriately at once a week use. It claims that after two uses, skin is smoother and brighter. After 4 uses, fine lines and sun damage are visibly diminished. Thankfully I’m not at the age where I have sun spots or damage. My fine lines around my eyes are noticeable when I smile, and I’m pretty sure they’re non-reversable. But that’s besides the point. I did enjoy using them since it does help remove dead surface skin cells and promotes a faster rate of cell turnover. Which ultimately helps enhance your skins brightness. This is why you should exfoliate folks! You need to sloth off those dead cells in order for your skin to glow.

To be honest? Are they worth the hefty price tag at Sephora? Right now, I’m unsure due to the fact that I don’t have any other exfoliator to compare to.

Have you ever used an at-home facial treatment?

What is your favorite cleansers and  moisturizers?

Continue Reading

Fossil wrist stack creations

It only makes sense for me to show you my fossil arm parties over the last little while, seeing as I own 5 watches and 4 of them are from Fossil. I got this blog post idea from Leanne, when she did something similar.

The brown stella by Fossil, shown above is my go-to everyday wrist action for the past few months. It just goes together well, and looks pretty classy. I always get compliments on both the bracelets and the watch. Love that kind of feedback haha. I try.

Another version. The cotton rope bracelet replaced the buckle one, this day ;)

Oops how’d that get in there?

Meant to put this one. Yay McDonalds iced coffee with a pump of caramel!

This massive, noisy gold watch was purchased on eBay during the summer. At first I hesitated getting it re-sized because I didn’t know if the cheap metal could hold up long enough. The sales clerk laughed and said it’d be fine. I’m surprised at how many compliments I get on this watch, because I paid less than $20 for it in total. You can buy one here. A few admired it from afar, asking if it was a Michael Kors! I wish.

Not a stacked creation at all, but I loved my outfit with this watch when I first snapped shots of me wearing it. It’s a Fossil Heather.

Are you into stacking bracelets?

What is your favorite accessory to wear?

Continue Reading

Wishlist: Bobbi Brown everything

 

One of my all time favorite high end products to use on my face is Bobbi Brown cosmetics. I blogged about their Holiday 2012 collection a few months ago, and now I’ve created a wish list for myself, of Bobbi Brown cosmetics. Hey, it’s getting close to Christmas. No harm in creating a list now is there? :)

Bobbi Brown Extra Eye Repair Cream ($68 USD/ $75 CAD). Huge fan of this thick, luxurious eye cream and I don’t mind spending the money on it. My jar of it ran out a few weeks ago and I just haven’t gone to Holt Renfrew in Toronto to pick another one up. My jar ended up lasting me seven months. A good investment I say, at just $10/month for it! They sell other Bobbi Brown cosmetics inside Sephora stores, but not the eye repair cream. I may not even wait for Christmas to get this, because it’s such a great moisturizer. I used it twice a day under and around my eyes. It’s a great base underneath under eye concealer as well since it doesn’t get my makeup crepey or flaky. Available at Holt Renfrew, or Bobbi Brown.com.

Bobbi Brown 24k Shimmer Brick. This product is limited edition, but Bobbi Brown always comes out with some great shimmer bricks. I’m always swatching them when I’m inside Holt Renfrew. It’s a lust-after product by yours truly. I’m a huge fan of skin care over makeup, but when it comes to makeup I’m all about foundations, and making your skin look the best possible. Having this shimmer brick adds a little glow to the cheeks. It’s perfect for all year round. Glowy skin doesn’t have to be just for the summer time! You can buy it on Sephora’s website for a limited time.

Bobbi Brown Extra Soothing Balm. I love diverse products and would love to give this product a try. I hadn’t heard of it until recently when I was on Bobbi Brown’s website and scoped out the Extra Skincare line. Love that you can use it on your cuticles (mine are always so gross looking, unfortunately and I literally need to put cuticle oil on them a few times per week), your heels (!!!), and even on your cheeks for a glow. Sign me up… I wonder if it’s available in Canada?

This is not a sponsored post.. psh, I wish it was. It’s just a wish list of mine!

 

Continue Reading