New Products!

Hey everyone!!

It’s been a busy month, but I currently have extra time on my hands, so I am pretty much back! haha.

I went to Florida on a last minute deal at the beginning of the month – it was SO much fun, cheap and sporadic, I would go again in a heartbeat and I will be going to Washington D.C. to see the Toronto Maple Leafs play mid March, so I’ll probably do a combined post about that with pictures!

Now onto the post:

Over the last couple months for my skin I’ve been using the Michael Todd True organics skin care line and it worked pretty well. I liked it because it’s 97% organic, however I had a couple cons to go along with it- though it was no where near as bad as in the past, I would still breakout, I’d have to order it online, and the shipping time would vary – so it might come in a couple days one time, and 2 weeks the next. So after doing some research, I’ve decided to switch over to the Kate Somerville line.

Now for the exciting (to me) news!

Along with switching to Kate Somerville, I’ve decided to invest in some other skin care products I’ve never tried, but heard amazing things about!

 

 

 

The first one being Clarisonic! If you haven’t heard of it, it’s apparently AMAZING, especially if you have skin like mine (acne prone) or if you just want to make your skin glow. I’ve only used it twice so far, and have taken before pictures (so the review WILL come!) I’ll give it a couple weeks, because apparently skin goes through a purging faze, where it breaks out pretty badly for a couple weeks, so once it goes through that (I’ll take pictures as well) I’ll review it. So far, I like how my clean my skin feels after using it.

The second product (that I just ordered today, so I have NOT tried it yet) is the PMD (Personal Micro Derm System) I am SO excited to try it, as I have heard amazing things about it. As I mentioned before in my skin care post, I used to have reallllllly bad acne, which has left my skin with scarring as well as a very uneven skin texture (has sort of what I call, divots), which this device should help with. So I’m VERY excited to try that!

I’ve linked to the websites and pictures to the devices I personally purchased, I’d say I’ll probably have my review up by the end of march!

 

 

Hope you’ve enjoyed this post, if you’ve tried any of the products, please let me know you’re experience and if you liked them!

Everyday Makeup Tutorial!

Enjoy!

Some Makeup I’ve Done!

Hey guys!

Here are some makeup I’ve done, hope you enjoy!

HALLOWEEN/ SPECIAL FX

BEAUTY / EVERYDAY

Boyfriend Does My Makeup Tag

Hope you guys enjoy!

Have a safe weekend (Thanksgiving)

Style it!

If I were ever stranded on an island… 2 of the 3 items on the list would HAVE to be with me. Okay, they wouldn’t HAVE to be but if my hair dries naturally, it resembles a cross between a poodle and mop.

So my list of favourite hair tools are listed below! (I am confident, if you try them, you’ll love them!)
Don’t forget – Christmas is right around the corner ;)

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1. Hair Dryer:

T3 Featherweight 2

This dryer is so quiet and light weight. The day I switched over from my old dryer to this one, I got so many compliments on my hair; it was softer and shinier.

2. Straightener:

GHD Gold Professional 1 inch Styler

Gold ceramic plates – giving you a smooth sleek style. If you’re like me, the auto shut off comes in VERY handy!

Curling Wand:

AMIKA:  4P Interchangeable Barrel Curler Set

This curling iron makes curling my hair a breeze! This set comes with a glove along with a digital temperature adjustment, so you can make it as hot as you want! This curling iron is so great, the curls stay intact until the next day – without falling.

Whether you are looking for yourself or someone else, these 3 products should definitely be considered!

Tattoos!

Now a days, having a tattoo doesn’t mean you’ve probably just gotten out of jail, it’s a form of expression and art.

Personally, I love tattoos, I only have 2 myself ( partially because one of the ones I really want, I couldn’t get before bunion surgery).

This is located on my back, I got it for a couple reasons:

• I am clumsy – so I’ve learned to roll with it and not let it get me down
• I like birds and in this case, it represents freedom
• I got it on a road trip in NYC – it was an experience

Tattoo done by Betty Rose

This Is a rosary, with a motorcycle chain.

I’ve always wanted a rosary on my ankle, however I wanted it to be unique and wanted it to represent me. I decided on the motorcycle chain because it’s different and I love my ZX6.

This is my favourite one, for personal reasons

Tattoo done by Jay

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My next tattoo will probably be the “Don’t Stop Believing” on my foot, it’s a song that has been a staple in my friendship with one of my best friends – no matter where we are or what time it is, if it comes on we’ll call the other. Plus I love the song.

xo
♡

Life is: Lush

While looking into a new face wash a couple months ago, I stumbled into Lush. Not only did I find a new face wash, I found new shampoo, conditioner, face mask, moisturizer, toner and lip scrub! I love these handmade products so much, I will probably never go back to the drug store brand! Listed below you’ll see my favourites, hope you like them just as much as I do! ♡

The links are to the Canadian site, above, I included a link to choose your Country :)

Face:

Fresh Farmacy -This bar works well for all skin types! Calamine lotion based, this bar is great for sensitive and dry skin. My skin is oily and it works great on mine too, doesn’t dry it out and the tea tree oil fights acne!

Mask of Magnaminty – This is a face & back mask (for those who tend to get acne on their back). I love this mask for a couple of reasons; it smells minty/fresh, when you put it on, the mint causes your skin to gently tingle and it is even gentle enough to use a couple times a week. Whenever I use this mask, my skin feels refreshed, looks brighter and it seems to clear up any minor breakouts I may have. I will never allow myself to run out of this mask – I highly recommend you try it for yourself (or at least get yourself a sample ;) )

Tea Tree Water– This is a spray toner, you can either spray it directly on your face or onto a cotton pad to remove excess dirt. I personally like spraying it directly on my face before putting on my moisturizer – it makes your face feel extra clean and refreshed. This tea tree oil toner is cut with water, grapefruit and juniperberry, to keep blemishes at bay, while not drying out your skin!

Enzymion – This moisturizer is perfect for oily skin types, it includes a lot of astringent based citrus fruits that keep oily skin under control. I have noticed my skin has seriously improved and feels better throughout the day, even makeup goes over it nicely. This moisturizer smells great too!

Gorgeous – Now, I personally haven’t purchased this one, partly because it’s pretty pricey but also because I am happy with Enzymion. HOWEVER, I did ask for a sample (because online it has great reviews), I wanted to try it for myself. I have to say, it really is a great moisturizer! Gorgeous has a lot of organic oils, and smells a bit like a Creamsicle – it leaves your skin moisturized but it doesn’t make your skin oily. For those of you that don’t mind spending extra for a great facial moisturizer, this one is worth considering!

Mint Julips – with winter around the corner (at least where I live), this product will definitely come in handy! It is a lip scrub that smells fantastic, and when you’re done scrubbing, you just lick it off your lips! This is especially perfect to use right before you put on a lipstick that could show cracked lips – such as red ;)

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Hair:

Whenever I travel, I get anxiety that if my shampoo tips the wrong way, I’ll have the biggest mess to clean up, how is that relaxing? That’s why when I saw these solid shampoo and conditioner bars, I thought they would be perfect – I didn’t anticipate how much I would like them for everyday use!!

Seanik– Made with sea salt and seaweed, it adds volume and shine! This was the first solid shampoo I ever purchased and even with trying others (that are also great), this one is still my all time favourite. It lathers nicely and has a light fresh scent! Don’t let the little pieces of seaweed worry you though, they wash out, so you wont have little bits in your hair.

*My hair was literally squeaky clean after using this gem :)*

Ultimate Shine– Loaded with essential oils, and flecks of gold shimmer, this shampoo is softening and adds a nice amount of shine to dull locks! I really like this solid shampoo bar, although it doesn’t lather as well as the Seanik bar, it is still one of my favourite products!

Big Solid Conditioner – I l o v e , love, loveeee this product! In my opinion, it smells fantastic, it has such a light pretty scent – a bit like baby powder. This bar has virgin coconut oil (my favourite – from previous posts), sea salt – for volume, and is infused with “toothed wracked seaweed” to soften hair. It doesn’t have the typical “slimy soft feeling” in the shower as most liquid conditioners do but after your shower, you will have smooth, shiny hair.

There are a couple ways to use it:

The standard way (as they explain on their website) : we your hair and the bar and rub the bar along the hair shaft and ends (I stay away from my roots).

I discovered my way by accident when traveling: I kept mine in a travel soap container and some water snuck in but it made the bar softer. I scoop out a small amount and rub it into a paste in my hands and apply it just like any other conditioner. I let it sit in my hair for a couple minutes and then rinse out!

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If these products aren’t exactly what you’re looking for, I at least recommend looking around the site and/or going in and getting a sample if you want to try something. You’ll be glad you did!

My Skin Care Journey.

Hey Everyone!

So like many people, I have been on a roller coaster with acne prone skin. This is my journey, I’m not suggesting it’ll be the right path for you, these are just my experiences with it.

I’ve never had great skin – I started using Proactive in elementary school, it helped a bit, but the acne came back. In high school it wasn’t horrible, but it was still pretty bad; which is the reason my doctor decided to put me on Accutane. Accutane cleared up my skin incredibly. It has a lot of side effects, but the only ones I really experienced with it were: nose bleeds, dry lips and light sensitivity. All in all, Accutane in high school was a pretty good experience.

When I went away to college, I went on the pill; but after a couple of months on it, I decided I didn’t like the way it made me feel, so I stopped taking it. Going off the pill caused my skin to get BAD, it was so bad that washing my face would sometimes bring me to tears because it was so painful. My skin was riddled with cystic pimples and regular whiteheads – it was awful.

My makeup routine soon involved: tattoo covering makeup (I used it from my cosmetology kit I had for school), Makeup Forever HD foundation and then for added coverage – M.A.C. powder foundation. Granted, the makeup probably didn’t help the situation – as soon as I got home and on my days off, there was no makeup on my face.

This caused me to go back to my doctor, who put me on Accutane… again. This experience however was not as pleasant as my last one; I constantly felt awful and when my second month blood test came around, my liver levels were through the roof – my doctor said they were 12x the regular levels. I immediately stopped taking it, my skin was still pretty bad. *The way I got my liver levels down will be posted below*

After trying everything I could think of, including Proactive, things were looking bleak, until the day my Aunt called saying she might know someone who could help. My Aunt told me that her friend works at a laser clinic and that I should try something called “Pixel Therapy”. It removes the top layer of skin, stimulating the natural healing process, treating acne while improving acne scars. It isn’t a cheap treatment, but it has kept my skin fairly clear for the last 3 years and I definitely cannot complain!

*To get my liver levels back to normal, I did a lot of home remedies*

• Milk Thistle pills (I took “Liver Plus” pills)
• Drank a concoction of water, lemon juice & extra-virgin olive oil – pretty gross but might have helped
• Ate beets.

My doctor was so surprised how quickly my liver levels went back to normal (she laughed in the message she left me). 

Hope this helps with any questions you may have had, if you have any other questions I didn’t answer – just comment and I’ll reply!

 The Before picture is from July 2010, After is January 2013. I get the odd breakout, but my skin has stayed pretty clear :)

Evil Eye Ring

For about 3 years now, ever since I saw Florence and the Machine’s “Cosmic Love” music video, I’ve been looking EVERYWHERE for a similar evil eye ring!

By a stroke of luck, I was shopping on amazon, and thought I’d try again and I finally found one that is perfect!

If you like mine or to see any other styles, you can check them out here!

Coconut Oil Hair Mask

Let me just start by saying I LOVE organic, virgin, coconut oil!

I use it for EVERYTHING… cooking, skin care, hair care, and even healing! So of course, because I put my hair through the ringer, between colouring, bleaching, straightening… you get the picture, I needed some major help.

You can skip the honey, if that’s not your thing… but it definitely adds to this hair treatment.

I used about 2 tbs of organic honey (I purchased it from bulk barn)

and about a 1 tbs of organic virgin coconut oil (Costco.. but you can purchase from most grocery stores)

 I mixed it together, heated it quickly with a hairdryer (to make it a bit runny… not hot) and applied to my hair. Throw your hair in a bun and if you have it, a shower cap and read a magazine or relax for about 20-30 minutes (depending on the dryness and damage of your hair, you can leave it in longer). I left mine in overnight with a shower cap and towel on my pillow.

 If your hair is oily like mine, I don’t recommend putting it near your roots, especially if you have somewhere to go after. If you’re feeling adventurous, you can add in egg whites or avocado for added silkiness!

Shower and shampoo as normal…

Now you should have some shiny and smooth locks ;)