NeoStrata Anti-Wrinkle Complex (night) Review

After a lot of research, I decided to start using a retinol cream.

The initial response I received from people older than I am sounded something like "You're much too young for that!", but the experts disagree. In fact, every dermatologist I spoke to recommended introducing an over-the-counter Retinol creaming meaning I didn't even need to walk into their offices OR pay for a consultation. Why? Most twentysomethings have experienced some level of sun damage and using a cream containing retinol can reverse that.

I did a bit of research and decided that I wanted to go with NeoStrata's Anti-Wrinkle Complex for night based on the fact that I have never used a NeoStrata product that I wasn't totally head-over-heels for. A great bonus was that it was hella on sale, and girlfriend loves a sale. Combined with my heavy-duty new cleansing routine and an equally heavy-duty nighttime moisturizer, this product has found itself a new home in my skincare routine.

photo: NeoStrata.com

I started using the product on a Wednesday night - the night before my CTV News promo shoot actually - and didn't use it again until Saturday night. I now use it 5 nights a week and will soon make the switch to every night. The key to retinol creams is to allow your skin to adjust. For those of you who don't know, Retinol is a derivative of Vitamin A which has the unique ability to get deep into your skin and provide antioxidants. It causes increased cellular growth in the outer layers of skin - this is what causes dryness and peeling - so that fresh, new skin can be exposed. Adding a moisturizer on top of your retinol cream can help with this. If your skin is really dry, try to get it in better shape before you introduce a retinol cream - you'll be glad you did.

Because Retinol makes your skin incredibly susceptible to sunburns, it's important to use sunscreen daily. I now use SPF 45 on my hands, neck and face each morning. I also put a little bit of NeoStrata Anti-Wrinkle Complex on the backs of my hands at night time before covering them with a heavy hand cream. Other than my face, my hands probably see the most sunlight as they are always exposed.

My thoughts?

My skin feels much smoother and is a lot clearer since I started using the night complex. It takes about 12 weeks to see true results from any new regime, from exercise to diet to skincare, so I'll be anxious to see what the next few months bring! In the meantime, I'm enjoying the fact that my freckles have actually lightened and my skin is really bright and fresh looking! The most important part of my regime is making sure that my practices and products are complementing each other, and not working against one another.

Tune in next week when I review my Neutragena "Pore Minimizing" trio - two cleansers and one exfoliating scrub, compliments of Klout!

Tanda Zap (review)

I can honestly count on one hand the number of breakouts I had as a teenager.

Seriously. I was blessed with clear skin that rarely broke out throughout junior high and high school, with one "real" breakout in grade 10 which I remember vividly because I was terrified that it was going to last. Figuring I was just lucky, I delved into the world of my 20's without so much as a thought that I might have more than the occasional pimple once a month. 

Then I had F.

I've had more acne in the past two years than I've had in my entire life. I spend most of my time with a series of little blemishes just to the right of my chin between my jawline and the corner of my mouth. I tried the oil cleansing method. I cut pop out of my diet. I even reduced my caffeine intake. I switched moisturizers, multiple times. I changed cleansers. I bought OTC acne products, and I spent a lot of time looking up natural methods of clearing up breakouts. Fact: cinnamon and honey does work, but it's a bitch to get out of your pillowcase if you consider doing the whole overnight treatment mask thing. 

One of the benefits of tanning is that it clears up my acne in about three sessions. The downside is that my acne decides to come back about a week or two after I stop soaking up the UV rays. The truth is a little cluster of blemishes is a pretty tiny deal in comparison to, you know, skin cancer and advanced photoaging of my skin. But the blemishes bother me nevertheless, and while I can photoshop the heck out them in portraits I can't always do the same in real life. When my mom mentioned seeing a blue light machine at Shopper's Drug Mart, I expected it to be outrageously overpriced but I went in to check it out anyway.

Spoiler alert: The Tanda Zap is totally reasonable! Yay!

At $49 CAD plus taxes, the Tanda Zap is cheaper than visiting a dermatologist and considerably cheaper than purchasing an acne treatment collection such as Pro-Activ (which I have never used, so I can't speak to its effectiveness). Most reviewers say that they had to replace their Tanda about once a year - which seems more than reasonable to me. Supposing I had to replace it twice a year, it would still cost me less than ten dollars a month to use. 

But the real question remained: will it work?

After purchasing the Zap, I realized (while laying in the bathtub reading the instructional pamphlet) that I had no AAA batteries. Dang. So I stole some from F's toys. They didn't have *quite* enough juice, so I had to wait one whole day to test it out. Horrors. Once I had the batteries in, I followed the extremely simple directions and pressed the round head to my blemishes and pressed the little triangle "on" button.

Then you just hold it to your face and wait. Easy, right? I know.

The whole process takes around 2 minutes. The light is super bright (it does come with a warning not to look into it. I did. I don't recommend this.) and I really appreciate that it's not a hot light, because my skin would be way too sensitive. You can feel a gentle vibration against your skin and if you're a mom and able to do almost everything with only one-hand anyway, it's really not much of an inconvenience. In case you're wondering, I'm impatient and the thought of not doing something I want to do for 2 whole minutes is pretty much my idea of torture. The pamphlet indicated that you should treat the affected area(s) three times a day, in conjunction with proper cleansing and skincare. By day two of using the product, I could see a huge difference in my skin.

I'm now over a week into the Tanda Zap regime and while my skin hasn't totally cleared up, it has improved enough that just a dusting of makeup completely covers my blemishes. When I feel anything stirring up, I treat it immediately and in two cases, it stopped the blemish before it was visible. Who doesn't love that?

I will admit that I've also drastically changed my skincare regime in the past two weeks to also include Retinoid creams and a more ahem, diligent cleansing routine so this could also have a profound effect on my skin. Bottom line? My skin looks good and that's what I was going for. I love the Tanda and would highly recommend it.

I also noticed that you can purchase another Tanda machine which comes with some anti-aging heads also. While I wasn't really in the market for a nearly $200 product on that particular shopping trip, I would likely consider it in the future. The Tanda Zap comes in a few colours (mine is white), and batteries are sold separately. You can read more about the Tanda Zap on their website.

This post is in no way sponsored or endorsed by Tanda or any other company. My opinions are just that: mine. 

Bathina by Benefit Review

I haven't been doing well keeping up with my weekly series the last couple of weeks, which I will shamelessly attribute to being under more stress than I can even explain. Thankfully, my stress level is dropping and I'll be sharing the news behind that soon.
 
Back in July, I was wandering around Shoppers Drug Mart waiting for a prescription to be finished and I decided to do a little shopping. It was actually the same night I picked up my Clinique Chubby Stick, and that other product I didn't need: Bathina by Benefit. What the hell is that? you may be wondering, so lemme fill y'all in. Batthina is a luminous, silky body balm that smells amazing and gives your skin a dewy, golden-pink sheen. It comes with a velvet puff to apply it with (how cute!) in a precious tin and because it's a balm you never have to worry about leakage.
 
The woman at the cosmetics counter filled me in on why I needed it by throwing around information about how it gives your skin a rather flawless look, makes you look slimmer and that the Sex and the City reportedly used it on set to give their legs the perfect look you'd get from a good pair of flesh-toned 'hose. When I rubbed a bit on my skin, I pretty much fell head over heels so I joyfully cashed in my optimum points and went home with my fantastic chubby stick and balm feeling rather like a princess.


I'm going to keep the tin!


The tagline - "Take a picture it lasts longer..." - is cute and cheeky, and I happen to think the tin is absolutely adorable, too.

At $36 for the tin, I don't use it regularly but rather save it for special occasions like dates or work events - times that I want to look really good, especially if my legs are going to be bare. I like putting a bit on my collarbone too, and I have used it on my arms once or twice. The puff is exquisite and I love, love, love the way Bathina makes my skin feel. Benefit wasn't kidding when they described it as "pure body luxury".


When you apply the balm, be sure to really highlight the front of your legs all the way down to your toes to elongate and slim them, and gently "buff" your skin in circular motions with the velvet applicator. Freshly shaved legs will be as smooth as butter, I promise. I'm a huge fan of Benefit, and Bathina is no exception. I've used a fair bit of the balm already, and I'll definitely get another tin when it's all gone - though I'd wager to say I likely won't be too concerned about having glow-y legs this winter (they glow in the dark without a tan, anyway!).



Look at that sheen - gorgeous!

My other favourite Benefit products?

SunBeam liquid bronzer, They're Real mascara and Erase Paste corrector.

OPI GelShine Review

I'm hard on my nails.

On my hands, nail polish might last a day or two before it's too chipped for me to stand it any longer. Because I really like having my nails painted at least most of the time, this meant I was painting my nails two or three times a week. That's just too many times, especially with a toddler. Way back in January, I started researching gel polishes, and finally settled on the OPI GelShine kit from Sephora.

My first instinct was to run quickly in the other direction. The Gel Nails at-home kit retails for 189.00 plus taxes. After thinking about it, I realized that I could pay $200 and change to do manis at home whenever I want, or I could use that money to have four - maybe five - shellac manis at the salon. It's a big investment right off the hop, though. The cost includes your base and top coats, gloves, removal pads, acetone, a cuticle oil, cuticle pusher, "finishing spray" (aka alcohol), the UV light and your choice a colour.

I chose I'm Wired - a pinky coral shade.

Curing between coats.

My first manicure took about an hour to complete. Now it takes about half that time. The key is to use thin layers of the polish, curing between coats. While it's not *quite* as hardy as a professional gel colour set, I can usually get at least a week to ten days out of my colour. Not bad, considering the time investment and the abuse my poor hands undergo daily.

Unlike regular polish, if I do get a single rogue chip I can't simply patch it up with a drop of colour. This is a bit of a drag, but not a deal breaker. Chips do still happen, just not as easily or as regularly. For this reason, I actually prefer not to use a gel mani when I'm going away for a few days and need my nails to look nice, unless bringing the full kit with me is an option. It's pretty awkward to travel with though.



4 days of wear - no chips. Colour, I'm Wired!

If you don't cure your nails, the colour will never dry and you will regret ever having heard of GelShine. Seriously. Make sure you don't forget to cure well and finish with a spritz and a rub of the finishing spray for shine and to remove the tacky feeling.

I used the GelShine kit religiously for about 2-3 months after initially purchasing it before I slowly moved back to using regular polish. The gel is hard on your nails, and the removal is less than fun. I don't have time to sit with acetone on my nails for 15-20 minutes every week. It's just not feasible. Looking back, I might not have purchased it, but I do still pop it out occasionally for a mani (I did one this week!) when the mood is right. It's great for pedicures, because the colour stays on FOREVER.

I'm largely disappointed by the selection (or lack thereof) of GelShine colours. They don't even have black! UGH. I purchased four additional colours: It's All About Me (a punchy pink), Already Famous (a shimmery, champagney taupe), Bare to Be Different (a sheer, warm ecru) and Caffeine Fix (a dark plum). At $21 a pop, the price is pretty steep so it's been a while since I purchased any and I likely won't again for a long time to come. I've found that, if you use a good polish (OPI, China Glaze or even Essie) you can get away with regular polish covered with a gel top coat but the removal is messy!

I imagine you could use other brands of Gel polishes but I haven't tried... yet.


I wouldn't be quick to recommend the OPI GelShine kit. It's my understanding that Sally Hansen has a much more affordable option, and unless you absolutely need to be wearing the same colour polish for 7-10 days the whole gel polish thing is a bit overrated. That said, I do love my kit. It gives a great manicure that lasts and once you get the hang of it, it's no more difficult than painting your nails AND you don't have an hour of drying time.

Next week, I'm reviewing a product I don't like. Stay tuned!

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...

Be Envious: OPI Nail Envy Review

Hello, my name is Ashley and I am addicted to nail polish.

Yes, it's a thing. I can't pinpoint when my addiction to having colourful nails first began, probably when I was in my first year of university. Today, my nail polish collection is actually pretty impressive. I have a shoe box filled - actually, it's overflowing - with a variety of colours, as well as a handful (read: 5-10) thrown into the bedside table in my room. There are times when walking from bed to the bathroom to get a nail polish colour is too much work.

My pretty nails obsession has taken a real toll on the state of my natural nails. Last summer, I went on a "UV Gel Nail" bender, having three sets put on over the course of 4 months. My nails grow so fast, they were grown out to the point that they didn't look good by the third week. When there wasn't French tips on, I got Shellac manicures. The end result: thin, peel-y nails that wouldn't grow.

After a few months of keeping them super short and brightly coloured, they began to slowly come back to life. There's probably only been about 8 weeks since this time last year that my nails have not been covered in one form of pretty or another. In January I bought the OPI Gelshine Kit (a review on this is coming!), but in June I made the fatal mistake to have another set of UV gels on. Then, after peeling those suckers off and damaging my nails, I decided to put a professional Shellac mani on my digits. My nails are once again thin, peel-y and breaking when I breathe on them. Not cute, you guys.

So, after hearing rave reviews on the product, I caved and bought myself a bottle of Nail Envy by OPI. I got it on sale at Chatters Hair Salon in Bayers Lake, Halifax - in a package with an OPI quick-drying top coat. I've been using Nail Envy for about a month, and I LOVE IT. I followed the instructions to a T the first couple of times I used it. Now I follow my own set, either using it alone (it stays nice and shiny, like a top coat) or as a base coat for colour.


First, let me just say this stuff dries crazy fast. Your first hand is dry by the time that you finish painting your second hand, which is especially handy if you're doing a second coat or covering it with a coloured polish. Ain't nobody got time for slow-drying polishes, you guys. NOBODY.

Second, you can see a difference in the state of your nails almost immediately. They're less bendy, and you can see their strength as they get a nice curve to them instead of the flatness you see in a thin nail. 

Finally, as already mentioned, I love that Nail Envy keeps a shiny finish without putting a top coat on. It's great for a week or two of natural nails, and if you're diligent about using Nail Envy you will see a monumental difference within a week or two, depending on the state of your nails.

I haven't experienced a change in the speed of nail growth, but that's a good thing for me. My nails grow stupidly fast, but they are chipping and peeling significantly less. Since I put my hands through absolute Hell from day-to-day (cleaning, typing, baths, washing dishes), I can honestly say that this nail fortifier is the one you want if you're hard on your nails.

How to Use Nail Envy:

File nails to desired shape, buffing to remove any ridges. Wash hands and dry thoroughly. Apply two coats of Nail Envy to clean, dry nails. 

Every other day, apply a single coat of Nail Envy to nails for a week. At the end of the week, remove all lacquer and start the process over. 

If you'd prefer to use Nail Envy as a base coat, apply one coat before painting on your desired polish.

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!