Thayer's Unscented Alcohol-Free Unscented Witch Hazel Toner

 

 

 

I have a weird experience with toners. One of the first toners I used was the Proactiv toner which I burned through in about three weeks. I was new to this mystical world of toners and my combination skin loved the moisture and the way it would reduce the oil on my face.

 

 My last experience was with a Clean and Clear toner for sensitive skin that burned my face so amazingly I stopped using toners all together.

 

Then I stumbled upon the Thayer's Rose Petal toner online and ordered it, but then I happened upon the Unscented variety at a local health food store and picked it up. I was looking for a gentle toner that would give my combination skin some hydration without stinging. The alcohol free Thayer's sounded like it would fit that bill.

 

Claims from the Thayer's website: You Won't Smell It, But You'll Surely Feel It.

THAYERS® Alcohol-Free Unscented Witch Hazel and Aloe Vera Formula Toner has all the replenishing, revitalizing magic of our scented varieties, but is undetectable by the nose.

 

I found this toner online for $14.79 at Well.ca but currently at the time of writing this post all of the toners and astringents are on sale for about two dollars less. I found this Unscented Toner at a local health food store for $11.39.

 

I love how much product comes in this bottle which makes it so cost effective. The label is nice and gives the bottle this lovely old fashioned apothecary feel. The nozzle that dispenses this product isn't very good and a lot of toner ends up splashing out. I fitted this bottle with a spray nozzle so I'm not too heart broken.

 

The product does have a smell (just the natural smell of the product because there's no added fragrance) but it's not incredibly offensive or very lasting. It smells exactly like Maybelline's Dream Fresh BB cream. Literally the exact same. So if you've got a bottle of that BB cream and you don't like that smell and find it intolerable, then you probably won't be able to deal with this. If I were to attempt to describe it I would say it's a sharp sort of warm, slightly tart scent.

 

The feel of the toner itself is very nice. It doesn't feel hydrating at first, it feels a lot like water but once it dries I noticed my skin didn't feel tight but comfortable. My skin had this beautiful, dewy glow to it and felt hydrated to the touch. My skin felt incredibly soft and slightly sticky. My pores were also less emphasized.

 

If I get the toner on the lines of my lips, my lips feel sort of tingly and numb so I try my hardest to avoid getting the product on my lips. That's along with the smell is one of the only downsides to this toner.

 

I use it as a spray and it's a very refreshing and hydrating mist. When left to dry on the skin, my skin is left with this soft hydration. With too much spritzing my skin looks rather shiny but that's after multiple sessions of all over my face.

 

Likes:

 

1. Hydrating, glowing effect it gives the skin

2. Doesn't sting

3. Large bottle

4. Affordable price

5. All natural, simple, small ingredient list

 

Neither like nor dislike:

 

1. Smell

 

Dislikes:

 

1. The tingly feeling it gives my lips

 

A-

Olay Complete All Day Moisturizer Combination/Oily

 

 

    I've wanted to incorporate sunscreen into my routine for years but I felt like I could never find sunscreen that fit my needs. I'm an NW45 woman of colour, I can't be walking around with physical sunscreens because they make my skin look white and ashen. Also I've never seen a day lotion with SPF catered to combo/oily skin so I was very excited for that.

    After using L'Oreal's Ideal Moisture Dry Skin day lotion with SPF 25 (major game changer, not only did it reshydrate my skin but it opened my eyes to the world of moisturizers with SPF), I've come to realize there are a wide variety of sunscreens that look invisible on my skin. This Olay sunscreen was one of them.

   Claims from the packaging: Helps prevents sunburn with Broad Spectrum 15 UVA/UVB sunscreen. Conditions skin surface with vitamins E & B3 to maintain healthy looking skin. Provides 48 hours of moisture for long lasting hydration. Result healthy-looking, beautiful skin.

    This cost me $8.97 at Wal-Mart because it was on sale. Regularly it retails for $9.97.

    So there's the bottle. It's looks so small and cute but it's got a fair sized amount of product in the bottle 120ml of product. It's got a squeeze bottle design which I like - compared to a pump bottle - because I can customize how much lotion I want to squeeze out at a time.

    
     The lotion is incredibly light feeling. It feels like a burst of hydration on my skin. It feels considerably less heavy then the L'Oreal Dry Skin day lotion which is a relief because that lotion was almost too thick for my skin in the winter, much less the summer.

     The lotion smells a lot like Proactiv's products. Every time I smooth the lotion onto my face I'm taken back to the days when I attempted to use Proactiv! It's definitely weird but I can't complain because the scent itself isn't unpleasant.

     The lotion feels very light on my skin and absorbs very easily, it doesn't take a lot of massaging to get all of the product to sink in. And it doesn't make my skin look greasy, it just looks hydrated.

    This product doesn't leave a white cast on my skin at all which just makes me so happy.

    There is a little bit of stinging when the lotion comes into contact with the sensitive skin around my nose but it goes away after about thirty seconds.

     This lotion doesn't make my combination skin any oilier then it is usually. This lotion doesn't claim to control oil, but at least it doesn't exacerbate it.

   Overall I'm very happy with this lotion and I love everything about it aside from the slight burning. This lotion is a great fit for my skin's needs and makes a great summer time moisturizer. I know I'm going to be repurchasing this lotion again and again because it's everything I've wanted in a daily moisturizer.

Likes:

1. The weightless feel on skin
2. The moderate hydration
3. Doesn't make my combo skin oily
4. Afforable price
5. Doesn't leave a white cast
6. Broad spectrum UVA/UVB protection

Dislikes:

1. Slight stinging

A-



Schick Intuiton Razor Advanced Moisture Razor Review

 

 

I am a super clumsy shaver and manage to knick myself all the time. There are a wealth of other ways to remove hair but I like shaving because it's quick and gives me satisfying results.

 I snagged this from Wal-Mart for $10. I really wanted the coconut milk shave bar but I wanted the pink handle so I ended up with this one! I mean I could always buy the refillable coconut milk shaving bar so it wasn't really a big deal. This shave bar is fortified with shea butter to help soften and moisturize the skin. It's supposed to replace shaving gel.

So the package comes with two refills and a mount so you can put the razor in your shower (I really appreciate that!).

Claims from Schick website: The Schick® Intuition® Advanced Moisture razor with shea butter moisturizes and softens skin. It’s the first and only razor system that lathers, shaves and moisturizes during shaving - in one easy step - so there’s no need to use shave gel. It also features a 4-blade pivoting head to glide smoothly along the contours of your legs and body.

Our Skin Conditioning Solid, with new moisturizing ribbons, moisturizes dry skin during shaving and will leave skin smooth – and you looking radiant. It simplifies your shave and cares for your skin.

The way the blade pivots is also very helpful and makes shaving curves a breeze.

I used this razor and I was rather apprehensive about applying a razor to my bare skin but the razor really just glided. It felt really nice on my skin and I didn't knick myself at all! Afterwards the skin felt so soft and moisturized.

I really like this razor because it actually shaves well, simplifies my shaving routine (by eliminating shaving gel) and makes things a breeze.

Likes:

1. The ease of combining lathering with shave gel
2. Keeps my body nick free!

Dislikes:

1. Catridges are fairly pricey

A

Freeman Feeling Beautiful Diamond Mineral Rinse Review

 

 

Freeman has been knocking it out of the park with their fantastic face masks. Totally curious I picked up the Diamond Mineral rinse to see how well it would work for my skin. And I had never experienced a mineral rinse so I was excited to see how that would go as well. The mask claimed it had diamonds in it and true enough diamond powder is listed in the ingredients!

Claims from the website: Dazzling skin is a girl’s best friend! Our delightfully indulgent mask with Sparkleberry Extract helps fight off environmental assaults to enhance skin’s look and feel over time. Dazzling Diamond Dust flecks glisten as you wear this clarifying clay mask…plus, they polish away dullness to reveal multi-faceted radiance! Unique mask rinses clean for a lasting, super-cool finish. Perfect for all skin types.

This mask trial size packet retails $1.99. You can squeeze two to four uses out of this mask if you store it well which makes it a good value. I've only used it once and I believe I have enough for one to two more uses.

This mask is a creamy white. It's a little softer then the usually stiff, paste like Freeman masks and has scrubbing granules in the mask. Going on the mask feels very cooling and minty. It pairs nicely with the scrubbing action. It's got a berry scent with a slightly artificial lean to it but it's not unpleasant.

When the mask was dry I could see the diamond dust specks glittering on my face. After rinsing I noticed that the mask had a good exfoliation, comparable to an actual mask. It's not too rough so it doesn't make my skin red, it just leaves me with soft skin. It's less abrasive then Freeman's charcoal and black sugar mask (which totally obliterated the clogged pores in my nose).

I wouldn't recommend using this mask before going anywhere, unless you like having random specks of diamond dust on your skin. It's not like I turn into a discoball, but when I turn my head the light will catch a piece of glitter and I'll get annoyed.

In short; I like this mask. I like the minty fresh tingle, the exfoliation, how soft it and fresh it leaves my skin feeling. I feel like this mask is the first successful two in one mask from Freeman. With the clay and pumice in this mask, it functions both as a mask and a scrub whereas with the other two in one mask was more suited to one function (In my opinion, the charcoal and black sugar mask was best suited for scrubbing). While this mask doesn't replace a scrub or a clay mask, it's a nice weekly treatment on it's own merits.

Likes:

1. How soft and fresh it leaves my skin
2. Moderate scrubbing action
3. Says it has diamonds in it and it really does
4. Combines the function of a scrub and a clay mask

Dislikes:

1. Diamond specks are difficult to remove

A

Maybelline Matte + Poreless Pressed Powder in Translucent Review

   My new daily makeup regimen involves translucent powder and after finishing an Essence one which didn't really leave me totally satisfied I decided to try a pressed powder from Maybelline.

Claims from the packaging: For normal to oily skin. Natural poreless-looking finish. Up to 12 hour wear. Long lasting shine control.

This powder retails for $7.96CDN at Wal-Mart and has 8.5g of product in the package. This powder says translucent put the powder in there has a slight yellow peachy tone to it and that got me scared. My old pressed powder was completely white in the compact but translucent on the skin.

The package feels very sturdy and not likely to break. Inside the compact, the powder lifts up to reveal a mirror and a sponge. I have an old Maybelline Fit Me powder (360 Mocha which I think has been discontinued up here in Canada) and that powder came with a powder puff, not a sponge. Both are totally useless at any rate.

The powder is finely milled and devoid of sparkle. It is more pigmented then other translucent powder I've tried. It has some pigmentation to it. Applying the powder with the sponge was a complete disaster. It caked the powder on and made me look like I was dusty in the most literal sense of the word. If you're very pale, applying with the sponge may do you some good as it will add some coverage along with this powder.

If you're not pale, don't use the sponge. I used a brush and I achieved a translucent dusting of powder without the pigment. It looked translucent in artificial light as well as sunlight, so I was covered on all bases.

The powder does completely mattify my skin upon application and leaves it looking soft and perfected. My pores didn't look as emphasized as it did before.

The texture of his powder is rather dry and thin. There's no creaminess to this powder.

Now I don't expect any powder to mattify my skin, I've been dissapointed too many times. The best powders can only keep my extremely shiny nose under control for an hour before succumbing to the oil. I've fared better with primers then powders, so I had really low expectations for this powder.

This powder keeps the rest of my face matte, but my nose continues to shine through after an hour or two of wear. So this powder has the same wear time as my old essence one but with added negatives; a steeper price and less translucence.

So all in all, I didn't really like Maybelline's matte + poreless translucent powder. It works well as a finishing powder but I bought it to keep me mattified throughout the day and it doesn't live up to that claim. It works well as a setting powder but it doesn't succeed at it's intended purpose which is being a mattifying powder.

Likes:

1. Sturdy packaging
2. Affordable price tag
3. Mattifies upon application
4. Works well to set makeup
5. Included mirror

Dislikes:

1. Doesn't mattify for 12 hours like the packaging claims
2. Texture is dry and thin
3. Has some pigmentation and is supposed to be translucent

C

Maybelline Baby Lips Gloss Lilac Lumi Review

 

 

   As soon as I heard Maybelline was going to release lip gloss counterparts to their baby lips glosses I was very excited. I love moisturizing lip glosses so trying out these glosses was a definite must.

Claims from the Maybelline.com website: Kiss off sticky gloss! Color + shine meets serious care. 0% sticky: a new no sticky to shine. 100% creamy shine: creamy comfort and Vitamin E. 4HR moisture; caring oils moisturize, smooth & soften for four hours so lips never feel dry.

I bought this gloss online at Well.ca for $5.99. I picked up the colour lilac lumi because I heard it was the most pigmented shade and from reading the reviews I heard that lilac lumi lasts the longest. At the time of writing this post, Well.ca only has three shades available one from each shade grouping; Pink-A-Boo from the creams, Lilac Lumi from the shimmers and Fab & Fuchsia from the jellies.

Lilac lumi is a sheer purple gloss with violet and blue shimmer. On my lips it gives my lips a soft hint of lilac. The shimmers aren't very evident on my lips. The colour barely shows up on my pigmented lips. I get just a slight hint of colour. Two dips of the wand yields this soft wash of purple on my lips. I don't really mind at all, as glosses are rarely incredibly pigmented and I do prefer sheer and semi-sheer products. In addition to that, I only bought this gloss to use on those days when I wanted something hydrating comfy on my lips and didn't want to reach for something very pigmented.

The feel of this gloss is really nice. I actually like the way this lip gloss feels much better then the baby lips lip balm! This gloss feels creamy and smooth whereas the baby lips balm can feel thin and greasy (Maybelline got that creamy comfort line right!). I can feel a bit of the shimmer - similar to the texture of the baby lips crystal lip balm - but it's barely recognizable over the creamy feel of the gloss.

The wand doesn't grab a lot of product and I find I have to double and triple dip to get enough product on my lips. The tip of the doe foot is rather small and only the tip gets a little dollop of gloss for every dip you do.

The smell of this lip balm is similar to the original Quenched baby lips. It's lemony and sweet and slightly artificial. For me it doesn't linger too long and I'm glad because it's a scent I don't like.

I find this gloss lasts for about three hours which is pretty close to Maybelline's claims. While this gloss is on it does feel hydrating. It feels tackier later on in the wear but I find that's standard with a lot of glosses.

In short; I like the texture of this gloss better then Maybelline's baby lips balm and I'm eagerly awaiting their local drugstore release so I can get another shade. I wouldn't get more then one from each grouping as these glosses are sheer so they probably all look the same once on my lips.

Likes:

1. Creamy feel
2. Nice hydration
3. Not sticky
4. Balmy shine

Dislikes:

1. Doe foot is small
2. Smell is very synthetic

B+

Freeman Bare Foot Vanilla + Jasmine Butter Cream Review

 

 

 

 

Confession time: my feet are often the most neglected part of my body. They get the bare minimum attention. So I decided to stop neglecting my poor soles and bought this tube of foot cream.

 

Claims from the packaging: This ultra nourishing, non-greasy, butter cream with Vanilla, Jasmine and Shea butter provides all-over skin conditioning. Sweep over rough, dry, skin and release the benefits of conditioning ingredients that soften and restore skin.

 

This retailed for $3.78 at my local Wal-Mart which is a fantastic price. It comes in three fragrances; Vanilla + Jasmine, Eucalyptus + Fig and Coconut + Lime. I picked the Vanilla + Jasmine flavour because I wanted to smell those delicate jasmine notes. Sadly I didn't smell a lot of jasmine, but it smells strongly of warm vanilla. It smells exactly like Bath and Body Work's Warm Vanilla Sugar body butter smelt way back in 2009. If it was a hand cream I'd find the smell intolerable but it's bearable and even pleasant on my feet.

 

 The tube is smaller then the other Bare Foot lotions, but this butter cream is thick compared to a runny lotion. You'll need less of this cream to get the same results you would get from a squeeze of lotion.

 

The butter cream comes in a squeeze tube. Because the cream is so thick I've got to apply a fair bit of pressure to get the product out. The butter cream has the texture of cold butter cream frosting. It's stiff but still soft and melts easily into my soles.

My feet looked immediately better after applying the cream. My feet feel soft and look so much more hydrated compared to before using the cream. And it really isn't greasy! You can apply it and then walk around bare foot (as I love to do) and you won't be slipping and sliding around the house. I find the hydration in this tube really great for my feet because it's more moisturizing then a lotion without being greasy or feeling heavy. That's a difficult line to balance on, but this foot cream toes that line effortlessly at an inexpensive price point.

My feet have visibly improved since I've started to use this cream. My feet look less dry, and continue to feel soft, even after the cream wears off.

Overall this butter cream is a fantastic buy and I love using it on my feet after a shower or a soak to keep my feet in good condition! I'm glad I decided to try stuff from Freeman's Bare Foot line.

Likes:

1. Creamy, buttery texture
2. Lasting hydration
3. How soft it makes my soles
4. The pleasant, non-cloying vanilla scent
5. Great price for the product value
6. Shea butter is high up in the ingredients list

Dislikes:

1. Scent is a little too warm

A