Breaking Bad (Habits)

I have a confession to make: I take absolutely terrible care of my skin. 

Or, at least, I have been taking terrible care of my skin. I'm trying really hard to better myself, but there are some habits that are just so hard to break. With summer now far behind me (according to the temperatures, anyway), the days of lounging in the sun and sweating in the humid air have been replaced with dark mornings and cold, dry winds. My skin started to feel the difference before I had really clued in, and with my new, heavy moisturizer comes the turning of a new leaf. It's time to take better care of my skin. In just over two weeks since completely overhauling the way I treat my skin, I see a huge difference.

First up on my list of things to do was quit tanning. Quit. Gone. Bye-bye. After years of chasing a golden glow, I've decided that the only glow I'm getting has to come from a bottle. My pale, freckle-covered skin was beginning to show my bad habit a little too much, with clusters of freckles that looked like dark spots and a few more laugh lines than I wanted cropping up. Defense is the best offence here, people, and I don't want the skin of a 40-year-old before I hit 30. I quit tanning 3 weeks ago. I'm now looking pale and loving it.

Yes, I consider this "tanned".

Next, I had to stop going to sleep with makeup on. This was going to be harder. Although my initial thought was to rush out and grab some make-up removing wipes, I had not one, not two but three full-sized bottles of Neutragena face cleansers that needed some attention, so I've been using those instead. In practice, my new night-time regime takes all of 5 minutes. Twice a week I use a gentle scrub to remove all the dead skin. Stay tuned for a review on my Neutragena Pore-Minimizing products - they're ahhh-mazing.

Pale is the new tan.

Then after reading oodles of reviews and speaking directly to a dermatologist, I decided to start using a Retinol cream, beginning with twice a week, in conjunction with a heavy nighttime moisturizer and eye cream. I'm not quite ready to move on to a third time per week, but I've noticed my skin has become much brighter and smoother already. I'll be reviewing my Neostrata Anti-Wrinkle Night Complex soon!

One of my worst skin-care habits is picking at blemishes. I can't. stop. touching. them. AHH! As soon as a pimple begins, I'm on it with tweezers or fingers. One of the bonuses of tanning was that my acne completely disappeared, but I picked up a Tanda Zap and I'm having really great results so far. I'm sorry to say you'll have to wait for that review, too!

Between now and December, I'll be reviewing a beauty product a week! I'll also take some additional photos to show you the progress in my skin, from the blemishes to the fading of my tan and "dark spots". I don't know what kind of damage my skin has already suffered, but I know that I'm going to be more aware and more conscientious in the future... and will look 30 forever. 

... Or something like that.

Undressed Tresses? BB Texture hair (un)dressing creme Review

Like most – if not all – women, I have a bit of a love-hate relationship with my hair at the best of times. I often lament that it needs to be longer or shorter, occasionally asking the universe why it couldn’t be a slightly different variation of blonde or curly or straight or just something other than you know, what it is. For this reason (and because I am a beauty product junkie and possibly a shopaholic) I own a shit ton of hair stuff – though admittedly less than I once did, as I have learned through trial and error what works with the mop on my top.

2-oz size. (photo: Sephora.com)

Because my hair has a natural wave and I have a natural tendency to want to sleep (read: I am lazy), I decided to stop fighting the wave in my hair a while ago and invested in a few products to make it work. While I will probably never give up my coconut oil post=shower routine to de-tangle and protect it, I’ve gotta say I’ve found a new favourite product by Bumble and Bumble: BB Texture hair (un)dressing crème.

Seriously, friends, I am obsessed.

I bought a sample-sized bottle because I end up getting bored by even my favourite products and jumping ship, and there is nothing that drives anyone crazier than sifting through 200 half-empty bottles of hair product under the sink to find a box of tampons. It’s a fact. I got it home and placed it next to my makeup bag on the sink last week in anticipation of using it when I washed my hair the next morning.

From Sephora.com - screen shot description of BB Texture hair (un)dressing creme. 

What I learned very quickly is this is a product where a little truly goes a long way. 

Learn from my mistake, and use sparingly. If you think you need more, you’re wrong. Trust me. Because I have a lot of hair, I used a generous amount of the crème and suddenly I couldn’t get my fingers through my hair and I had a bird's nest that could house a family of ospreys. Not cute.

Too much of the product leaves your hair heavy, sticky and unmanageable and nobody needs to start from scratch. My tip? Start small and add more if you feel it's necessary – you’ll be surprised to learn how little you do need.

To use the BB Texture hair (un)dressing creme, wash and condition your hair as you would and towel dry. Use a small amount (less than the size of a dime) and add more if you need it. Fine straight hair may require a little more than my naturally wavy-ish hair – you’ll know what you need. 

Work through your hair, beginning at the length (not the ends) and work up to the roots for volume at the crown. I keep it out of my ends as much as possible to keep them frizz-free and reduce tangles. 

Scrunch hair and dry with a diffuser for undone waves and curls, let dry naturally if you have time, or blow dry on low-heat, medium blast to avoid tangles and give your hair some extra oomph without adding curls/waves.

Once your hair is dry, brush it out and add shine serum or coconut oil if you want. Your hair will feel a bit thicker and hold texture well all day. Since it actually makes your hair grittier, you might find you can skip a wash (or two if you’re me!) before your hair begins to turn a bit oily. Yay!

My only issue with this particular product is that it dulls the shine of your hair – making it look, well, gritty or dirty – so I tend to spritz a shine serum or scrunch a teensy bit of coconut oil into the ends of my hair. The best part of using that little bit of coconut oil on the ends (and occasionally on the length) of my hair is that it keeps it manageable and I can easy switch styles from wavy to braided and keep it looking a little sleeker for my Monday-Friday hairdos. I also dislike the stickiness on my hands, but a little soap and water takes care of this. These issues are totally erased by the fact that I effing love this product but I know it might not work for everyone!

The scent isn’t offensive, but rather a bit forgettable. I used the product this morning, and followed with a bit of coconut oil and after taking a quick break to sniff my hair I can confirm that I smell coconut oil and a hint of my shampoo.

Because I don’t wash my hair daily, I usually have to restyle my hair the next day if I use the crème or wear it up because it doesn’t *quite* stay pretty after sleeping on it. There have been mornings I couldn’t get my brush through my hair at all, and I had to condition, shampoo, condition to loosen the tangles. Not pretty. If you want to sleep on your hair after using the crème, it’s not a bad idea to braid it before bed. This was especially an issue when I used waaaaay too much.

A full-size bottle (5 oz) retails at Sephora for $28, which is a little steep for my budget. A 2 oz bottle rings in for half that at $14, and used sparingly I’d say the sample-size will keep you going for months of beautiful, texturized hair.  

I'd recommend this product if you have soft or fine hair that is super straight or has a bit of a wave, just to give it some extra oomph. If you have really thick, coarse hair this product is absolutely not for you. 

Now, get out and enjoy your long weekend!

Lippier than Usual - Clinique Chubby Stick Review

First of all, I want to high-five Clinique for putting "chubby" and "beauty" in the same sentence. Thanks for that. 

ANYWAY.

It's Friday (yay!) and it's also the day Red comes home after 26 days of being all heroic and sexy in his military uniform (double yay!). I've pretty much been planning my outfit for when I go to pick him up all week, right down to the nail polish on my toes, which brought me to a critical crossroads: lip colour. 

The Chubby stick.

Being all make-up obsessed and vain - and because I'm beginning to bore of light pink or nude lips all the time - I decided that this week would be lipstick shopping week. I also had to wait 40 minutes at the pharmacy which just so happens to have a cosmetics boutique and I was tired and it was so pretty that I kind of couldn't help myself. And that, my friends, is how I came to be the proud owner of my secondClinique Chubby Stick  Intense moisturizing lip colour balm. 

Even it's name is lippy (and you may find you need to stop for a break part way through!).


I've been using my original Clinique chubby stick in curviest caramel for about six months, and it's barely even worn down. It's a great nude because it's not too nude, and it's dark enough that I can wear it when I'm tanned while being light enough to wear it in all my pasty glory. I chose the shade because I like to wear lipstick daily, and I went with the Chubby Stick because it moisturizes the hell out of your lips and it's also massive. It's practically impossible for me to lose it (though I may have forgotten where I put it a few times).


My new Chubby Stick caught my eye the exact friggin' second I glanced at the Clinique wall, after staring at other brands such as Smashbox and Benefit (my faves! ye gods!) for about 15 minutes. My first thought? It's a punchy colour - bright pink, almost raspberry but a little bit watermelon-y. I wasn't surprised to see that it was called plushest punch and I decided it was love at first sight. So, I carried it around for another 10 or 15 minutes before sauntering over to the counter with another product I don't need and joyfully used my Shoppers Optimum points to cover the full cost of it all! Yay, free stuff!!!!

My two fave lip products - look how big the chubby stick is!

I've been rocking the fun, gorgeous colour all week and I love it as much as I loved my previous Chubby Stick. I even wore it leaving the hospital yesterday - colour that bright makes anyone look more alive! The colour is not too opaque, but opaque enough that it gives the look of rich colour, and its shine factor is fantastic - I hate glosses. One of my biggest woes (as if it could really be a woe...) is that lipstick always dries out my lips, but since Clinique's Chubby Stick is loaded with mango and shea butters, it hydrates my lips while giving them a pop of colour. Who doesn't love that?

While the price tag might make you cringe a little ($19 a pop), keep in mind that it's a lot of colour. My last one is still going strong, after six months of almost everyday use. Plus, it's scent-free and allergy tested. 

I'm not a regular Clinique shopper, but my new love for the Chubby Sticks may sway me otherwise...

Pain is Beauty: Tria Beauty Review

Pain is beauty, right?

I've always been a believer in the "no pain, no gain" attitude, so I don't hesitate to push myself when I'm running to go just a little faster or a little further, and I'm not afraid to spend some time in front of the mirror torturing myself plucking my eyebrows from time to time. I wear high heels that occasionally result in blistered feet, soak my nails in acetone that eats away at my cuticles when my gel nail polish needs a change, and I've been known to wiggle into movement-restricting Spanx for the sake of a smoother silhouette.

I'm not alone.

I've spent stupid amounts of money on makeup and hair products, body lotions and everything in between. But I'm lazy. I like to sleep in a few extra minutes, so I forsake my perfect hair or nice eye makeup pretty regularly. Sometimes, even on a hot day, I'll wear long dresses to avoid shaving my legs.

I'm not a particularly tall person, but I've got long legs and shaving them can be time consuming so I decided to wax them. That was a bust - spreading hot wax across my hairy legs and then tearing it off was messy and hurt more than I seem to recall labour and childbirth, so I gave that up. Did I mention that there was a lot of hair still hanging around? Then I contemplated a No-No, but the idea of burning my hair off didn't sound very pleasant at all.

So I bought an at-home laser remover by Tria Beauty.

Let me say, the results are fantastic. But holy-effing-Christmas-trees-and-honey it hurts.

It too is a bit time consuming, and I've realized that I made a fatal (not actually) mistake in my using it in the spring/summer. I'm a little too tanned to continue. I also need to cut out a section of time every two weeks to use it, and no way do I have time for that nonsense during the summer! There's sun to soak up and BBQ's to attend, so I've packed it away for a couple of months... knowingly sacrificing all the progress I've made.

If you're thinking about using the Tria, I strongly recommend it. An Advil or two about 30 minutes before your treatment helps with the pain, and the results truly are fantastic. The price tag is worth it too, and the newer models treat a larger area with each time. I'll definitely resume my treatments in the Fall when I have a bit more time.

What's the craziest beauty product you've ever tried? What about a favourite? I'd love to know!