Kickin' it old school....

Seriously, I am having a LOVE affair with this "new" find!

Have you ever watched your grandmother (or even grandmother's on tv) smear cream all over their face at night, either to remove the makeup, or even sleep with heavy white cream on their faces? They are using Cold Cream to clean their face and I strongly believe it's why I see some grandmothers with better skin than 20 year olds these days.

I have wanted to use cold cream for a while now, but I kept chickening out, thinking it would make me break out. I didn't understand how using cream could remove make-up well without causing acne. Then I did a google search on cold cream and those blogs I found talking about it LOVED it.

What is cold cream?
It's a cream that is designed to remove make-up and cleanse skin. The name comes from the cool feeling on your skin after use.

The most widely recognized cold cream is Pond's (mine doesn't say cleanser - just cold cream). I bought it on sale for about 6$ the other week:

How do you use it?
You literally smear it all over your face and neck and then wipe off with a tissue or a warm wet facecloth. This stuff is so old school, but I LOVE it. Seriously, after using it I wondered why I was worried about breaking out. Normally, we wash all the natural oils out of our face with harsh cleansers, then reapply cream. Why not skip a step? My face is SO soft the next day and the way it removes makeup is unreal. I usually use a liquid based eye makeup remover and always look like a raccoon the next morning no matter how clean I thought my eyes were. This never happens with this cold cream now.

So, I hope I continue to love it so I can grow up and have skin as soft and youthful as my Nanny!

A different way to apply mascara

I saw an interesting tidbit of information yesterday on a different way to apply mascara. Most people will apply with their eyes wide open and swipe the wand straight up through the lashes to the tips.

The tip I heard, was to close your eyes and swipe the wand so you are angling it in, towards the centre of your face.

It gives a starburst appearance and opens up the eyes. I decided to give it a try today. It really does open up the eyes! It does give a slightly stranger appearance, as your eyelashes will now point toward your nose more, but it is a neat look. It did feel a bit weird as the mascara dried because my eyelashes don't normally point in that direction!

I tried to take a picture (blinding myself in the process) to show the results.

Dry shampoo - Love it or hate it?

I had heard of dry shampoo for a few years before it was finally made available to the public (by "available", I mean in Walmart for under 10$). I had searched for years in my normal drug stores to find it because the idea is brilliant: a foam you can rub in your hair on those days you don't have time to shower, to take the greasies away.

Since having children, I am admittedly lazy with my looks. Don't get me wrong, I go out daily with a full face of make-up and I don't wear track suits to work, but I have a LOT of hair. It is very long, thick and (thanks to having children) wavy. Until I had children I would spend an hour blow-drying my hair straight (takes so long because my hair is porous and takes ages to dry).

Now, however, my hair routine is literally to leave the house with mousse in my hair to guide the waves into a tamed head of hair. It looks ok, but not nearly as groomed as I used to be. I just don't have that kind of time. I wake at 5am as it is - I can't spend that time blow-drying!

In addition to the lack of time I take on my hair, I also can't be bothered to shampoo daily. I am lucky - I have hair that can go 2 or 3 days between washes, and often looks better the longer I go. There are days that I can't get to the hair washing and my hair is past that peak 3 day window. So dry shampoo seemed to be the answer!!!!

I have only tried one (I haven't gotten through this whole bottle, because I seem to forget I own it. However, I had to use it this week which made me realize I should review it)

Tresemme Fresh Start Waterless Foam Shampoo:

It claims: Give curls moisture and shine in-between washes with this unique foam shampoo. Reduces oil and odor without water, leaving hair feeling soft and clean.

My take:
How to use: It is a foam for curly hair that you distribute throughout the hair and then use a towel to "soak up" the excess oil (how oily do they think my hair is?!?!).

First, I will say that the smell is very pleasant and makes me feel like my hair really is clean. It is a witch hazel smell, which I quite enjoy. However, I hate how it works. It doesn't really seem to do anything for my hair. Since I have curly hair, after using the product, it still has no body and the curls are flat and lifeless.

This may make a difference, but since my hair is curly, I wear mousse or gel in it daily. So the dry shampoo isn't doing anything about the remaining gel/mousse in my hair! If I used no product, it may work a bit better.

I will keep the bottle in my bathroom for those lazy days, but to be honest I probably won't buy it again. I feel a bit let down because the concept is brilliant. Perhaps I need to shell out more money for a decent dry shampoo.

I would be interested to see how people with straight hair do with the spray made for straight hair. I feel straight hair would be a better test because it would show greasy hair more than curly hair.

My top 5 cosmetics

I am the Queen of Cosmetics. No one has more eyeshadow than I (well a drug store does, but that isn't a fair comparison).

I decided to share my top 5 cosmetic choices. These are my tried and true choices that I use daily - they never fail me! These aren't in any specific order - just my faves!

1. L'Oreal Voluminous Original Mascara - approximately 10$

• I will be the first to admit I have been blessed with long eyelashes (nothing as great as my brother's lashes though). So I don't need a lengthening (or even volumizing) formula, but I do believe in dark and full lashes. This is why I choose blackest black over clear or brown.
• Their claim: to build lashes to 5x their natural thickness for a full and dramatic lash look. It also claims to make them soft, not flakey, smudgey or clumpy.
• My take: First, don't rub your eyes during the day and you won't ever have flakey or smudgey lashes! But yes, they are soft still and only clump when I go too long before buying a new mascara. They are quite long with this formula and quite full. I swear by this mascara and have been using it for years and years.

2. L'Oreal Lineur Intense Eyeliner - approximately 8$

• I like dramatic eyes, even during the day so I tend to use black liquid liner (although I have switched to pencil lately for a softer look but it isn't as nice as liquid!). I started liquid liner back when I became obsessed with Emma Peel of the Avengers (a 1960's British adventure TV program). I started out using cake eyeliner and an eyeliner brush but have since found this liner, which is the closest thing to cake eyeliner.
• Their claim: all day wear (8-hours) and allows the user to create delicately thin or dramatically bold lines.
• My take: This is the best. It has a lovely felt tip that is long enough and sturdy enough to not break or make flimsy lines. I do like a thicker eyeliner line (as per Mrs. Peel), but I have done thin lines as well. It goes on smooth, thick (i.e. only need to go over your lid once), and dark (if you choose black like I do). Gorgeous for dramatic eyes!

3. MAC Studio Fix Fluid, SPF 15 - approximately 30$

• I really believe most women in the world don't wear the right colour foundation. I love MAC because they colour match you and the selection is so vast that there will be something for everyone. I have them do it twice a year - winter and summer.Your skin colour will change with the season, so you shouldn't be using the same colour year round! It also has SPF which is a must in foundation.
• Their claim: Comfortable and long-wearing (8 hours), goes on smooth for complete coverage. Oil free.
• My take: I have uneven skin tone, and I am difficult to colour match (my skin pulls too much yellow if I'm not careful). I have never had an orange jaw line with this product. It does last all day but let's be honest - in the summer, if you sweat, it will come off! Also, it does get on my white shirts and coat if I'm not careful. However, it is smooth and lovely on my skin. I have touchy skin, blemish-wise, and this is the best product thus far for me. I pay the money mostly for the colour matching though.

4. MAC Bronzer - about 25$

• Normally I use a loose powder to set my makeup, but this winter I realized that my skin has a boring and dull colour to it. I went to MAC and told them I wanted just a slight bronzer. They gave me the lightest colour for my face - and wouldn't you know, it isn't fake looking and just gave me a touch of colour to make me look healthier.
• Their claim: Lightly tinted power that gives sheer and natural colour.
• My take: While I do love this bronzer and use it daily (even in the summer since I don't like to sit in the sun), my biggest beef with any bronzer is the need to reapply it all day (same with regular powder). Bronzer is applied with a very big soft brush - but I can't carry that around with me all day! It takes up too much room. So if I can find a travel sized bronzer brush, this product would get 10/10

5. Almay Intense I-Colour Eyeshadow - about 10$

This isn't the actual colour I wear

• Anyone who knows me, knows that eyeshadow is my favourite cosmetic. I have so many shades and love to match them up. However, I don't have time to play around with matching colours now that I have to get out the door, get two kids to school and catch a train! So, I love colour sets that are matched for your eye colour.
• Their claim: Colour that intensifies your eye colour, blending smoothly and evenly for all day wear
• My take: Again, if you can keep hands off your eyeshadow, it will last all day, regardless of the type! What I love about this is the easy no-choice colour scheme. I tend to buy for green eyes, even though I have that typical Eastern European eye colour (not quite blue, grey or green). The colours are stunning and flatter the eye colour, even for those of us with in-between eye colours) 

At-home sugaring - not for the weak!

After hearing wonderful reviews of Parissa Body Sugar at-home kit (mainly that sugaring wasn't as painful as waxing), I decided this was the newest product I had to try...right that minute.

Once the kids were in bed I ran out to buy it, eager to get started. However, like any sugaring product you have to grow out the hair a fair bit - 1/4 inch! Since I normally shave my legs, I realized this was going to take a while to use. So, much to Keith's dismay, I had hairy legs for weeks (by the way, summer is not the best time to embark on growing out your leg hair).

I do realize that since I normally shave my legs, that waxing/body sugaring may not show optimal results the first few times because the hair is different lengths, more coarse, and not used to being yanked out by the root. I have had professional waxes in the past, but haven't really tried it at home before. I really hate the maintenance involved in shaving though - so I thought wax/body sugar may help me by stretching out my leg maintenance by a few more weeks (lazy, I know!)

A few weeks later, I deemed my legs hairy enough, so I heated up the sugar kit, plunked myself down in front of a movie and prepared to experience this product.

First, I won't lie - it takes a strong woman to not only get waxed/sugared - but to do it to yourself! After the first strip, I was reminded why I don't regularly wax. Every subsequent strip removed required many deep breaths and a fearful hand. I don't know why I really was swayed into thinking sugaring would hurt less than waxing - the end result is the same! You are still yanking hair out of your legs by the root! That will always hurt!

After I finished one leg, I was too chicken to do another. Keith suggested I shave the other to use as a comparison for how the hair grew out.

Here is my overall review of the product:

Pro's:

• The kit strips are washable. So, as gross as I found it to wash off my leg hair clinging to the sugaring solution - they rinsed off easily and looked like new with minimal effort (I contemplated just throwing them in the washing machine - but realized that may get the sticky solution all over the machine and instead opted to rinse them in the sink)
• The sugar solution is water soluble (which is better than wax, where if you chicken out partway through, you can't wash it off!)
• The results of my one waxed leg really did last a long time. It was at least a month until I needed to shave them and probably would have been about 6 weeks before the hair was long enough to repeat (as the product claims). Since it was only my first time, I suspect that had something to do with it. The hair was just as coarse as the shaved leg.
• The Azulene oil was delightful and really did soothe my legs after sugaring
• Extremely minimal ingrown hairs afterwards, which is a risk with waxing/sugaring. I think I had only one on the whole leg!

Con's:

• It hurt like hell. I have a pretty good threshold for pain - I mean, I birthed my kids (one of which was back labour without a working epidural!). Thus, it takes a lot of strength to pull your own hair out. I would prefer having a professional do it where you don't have time to think before they pull it off!
• I did ensure I was using proper technique (which I do recommend reading up on if you haven't done sugaring yourself), yet I still bruised on my shin bone and my leg felt very tender for a few days.
• It was a bit messy for a novice. In this case though, sugar kits are good because any spills clean up nicely
• I was a bit slow and the solution needed to be reheated mid-leg (but I am too lazy to go down to my microwave again!)

I won't say I hated the product, because that would be far from the truth. I really did like the results and the kit was easy to use and cleaned up nicely. The water soluble aspect alone was enough to sell me on sugaring over waxing. Now, a big issue of mine is saying I love/hate a product before I use it more than twice. I always find that a sample gives great results, but when you actually use the product a few more times, you realize how you really feel about it. While I kept the kit in my bathroom, I have to apologize because this is one product I am not sure I can try again. I will stick to the painless, but more tedious, shaving protocol!

World's best hand creme!

A few years ago, Noah got a stomach bug. Being paranoid about catching it myself, I washed my hands as any good nurse would. In the process, I severely damaged my hands. I am serious: my hands and arms were two different colours! It looked almost like I had worn a long-sleeved shirt and sat in the sun for hours so that my hands were deeply tanned. Not only were my hands a different shade, they were very dry, cracked and occassionally bleeding. They just couldn't heal because I wash my hands a lot and use hand sanitizer to the extreme.

That was two years ago and they still aren't healed! I have literally tried every.single.lotion available on store shelves. Of course, everyone has a suggestion for lotions to try, and I tried them all to no avail. I have tried aveeno, vaseline, Burts bees, neutrogena, nivea, dove, glysomed, etc etc etc. While all of these were perfectly lovely lotions, they are intended for less severe cases of dry hands. In fact, I even bought an "As seen on tv" lotion that was meant for chapped hands.

I would use the lotion in the morning and try to remember to use it during the day (but forgot most of the time). So I would end up just slathering it on at night and go to bed with little white gloves on my hands (which make me look like Mickey Mouse) or, if those were missing I would put Keith's sports socks on my hands.

I would usually find that for the first day or two I would be very impressed with various lotions, and then they would just seem to stop working or fail to totally heal my hands.

However, today I can report that my hands are healing!!!! I have found the lotion of all lotions! If you have hands that are as severely destroyed as mine were, give this a try!

It is Eucerin, Dry skin repair hand creme (10$ for 75ml). The bottle states it has 5% Urea (a compound that is used to soften thick, rough or dry skin). It states it 'smoothes rough and chapped hands". It is fragrance-free and contains no fragrance or colorants so it won't further irritate skin.

http://www.eucerin.ca/en/Products/Details/repair-hand-creme-5/

I only use it about 2x a day (morning and night) and honestly, my hands are becoming the same colour as my arms after only a week of use. I noticed a difference immediately! I only wish I thought to take before and after pictures!

I don't know that I would use this for my day-to-day lotion use once my hands are back to normal, but if you have seriously dry hands, I would pick this up. It is available at any drug store or pharmacy with the other hand lotions.

New Blog Site!

So I decided that I should have a seperate blog site dedicated to beauty!

Anyone who knows me knows that I love and adore all things related to beauty products. My sisters love to tell the story about moving me from my house with four huge boxes just of beauty products!

I have used some great (and some not so great) products so I figured I would share what I have learned! I suppose the posts may not be terribly frequent as I have to use up one product before trying another, but I am going to try to do my best!

Hope you enjoy!