Pink Petals: 2015

This month I managed to finish quite a bit of product and am so proud of my slowly diminishing stash of beauty products. Hooray to a great way to end 2015!

This month's empties post has full size and sample size empties as well as tosses - onto the list!

Full Sized Items:

Garnier Fructis Style Curl Calm Down Anti Frizz Cream

I don't have curly hair, but my hair definitely does get frizzy. I love using this just as a leave in conditioner though and it leaves my hair smelling amazing and feeling smooth.

yes to tomatoes repairing acne lotion

I really liked this as a night moisturizer because it wasn't hydrating enough for me during the day. The smell could be weird at first but it was gentle on the skin despite it containing salicylic acid. I didn't use this everyday but at times when I noticed my skin was acting up. I'll probably pick up another bottle once I clear my moisturizer stash up a bit.

THEFACESHOP Hyaluronic Acid Baby Face Hydrogel Mask

I really like this mask because of it's jelly texture - it helps adhere the serum to the face and doesn't hold too much serum that it drips down your neck, which is something I often find with face sheet masks. The serum itself is hydrating and refreshing with a light clean scent.

My Beauty Diary Apple Polyphenol Mask

This mask smells like apples and is very hydrating. The mask pack has a tonne of serum and the mask itself is paper so it's quite a generous and messy application. Literally, there is enough serum for your body when you squeeze it out of the packet.

Samples:

Garnier Nutritioniste Skin Renew Daily Regenerating Serum

Tresemme Keratin Smooth Shampoo & Conditioner

Pantene Repair & Protect Miracle Repairing Shampoo & Conditioner

Garnier Fructis Full & Plush Shampoo, Conditioner & Voluptuous Blow Out

L'oreal After Colour Conditioner

Juicy Couture Viva La Juicy Gold Couture - Definitely want a full sized bottle of this, it smells AMAZING.

Hey Honey Good Morning Honey Silk Facial Serum

J.R Watkins Body Butter Lavender

Clinique Liquid Facial Soap, Clarifying Lotion & Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel

philosophy miracle worker overnight

Chanel Chance

Garnier Skin Naturals Miracle Skin Perfector

Tosses:

L'oreal TheOneSweep Sculpting Blush Duo

This does NOT work at all. I literally have dug my finger and brushes into this product and nothing comes out - the powder is just too hard and is not pigmented enough. After a couple months of trying to make it work, I'm saying goodbye!

Almay Smart Shade Smart Balance

I used to really like this tinted moisturizer, but lately it's become really streaky and pronounces my dry spots. The one bonus was the SPF 15, but that doesn't balance out the cons.

What was your latest empty or toss?

Let's be friends!

Bloglovin' | Instagram | Twitter

2 comments

No comments

Essence hosts a lot of social media giveaways and I recently won one via their Instagram!

Due to a very long delivery time (like 3 weeks), Essence sent me two prizes which include:

Metal Glam Eyeshadow - Chocolate Jewelery

All About Eyeshadow - Chocolates

Silky Touch Blush - Adorable

XXXL Shine Lipgloss - Just Georgeous

XXXL Nude Lipgloss - Just Nude

Long Lasting Eye Pencil - Hot Chocolate

Long Lasting Lipstick - It's Nude Time

Long Lasting Lipstick - All You Need is Red

I Love Trends Polish - Nude Sweet Nude

Onto the swatches!

Starting with the top right, is Metal Glam in Chocolate Jewelery. It's a beautiful chocolate brown with chunks of glitter on the top layer and a bit of shimmer in the powder itself. I would prefer it without the layer of chunky glitter on top though.

Below that are the swatches from the All About Chocolates palette - I swatched them in columns from top to bottom. The eyeshadows are pretty pigmented and have a silky finish with a slight shimmer which you can see better in the second photo in direct sunlight.

Starting from the top right is the Silky Touch Blush in Adorable which is a light rose pink. I LOVE their blushes because they are quite pigmented. I initially thought this blush would be too light for my skin tone but it provides a beautiful light flush to the cheeks.

Next up is the XXXL Nude Lipgloss and It's Nude Time Lipstick. I'm just going to mention that I really don't like nude lips. It looks great on other people, but I just look washed out and sick. The lipgloss and lipstick both have a pink tone and apply sheer. Still too light for my skin though! :(

The XXL Shine Lipgloss and All You Need is Red Lipstick on the other hand are amazing.

Lastly is the Long Lasting Eye Pencil in Hot Chocolate is a twist up eyeliner that is super creamy, pigmented and easy to use. I pretty much love any twist up eyeliner but this one is definitely a great one given it's quality and price.

Have you won any contests lately?

Let's be friends!

Bloglovin' | Instagram | Twitter

No comments

4 comments

2 comments

No comments

8 comments

2 comments

Avalai is a Canadian monthly subscription box made to help women with TOM (time of month). These boxes are $19.99 a month (with $3 shipping across Canada) and are packed with essentials as well as chocolate, tea, bath and body products and other treats. The best part is that these boxes are customizable to your preferences and any food allergies you may have.

Onto the box!

I'm a pads kind of girl, so that's what I picked for my preference.

The box contained a bag full of pads (I think these are Kotex?) - 24 in total with 12 regular with wings, 8 regular without wings and 4 overnight with wings. I think there's more than enough pads included to last a month.

As for the goodies, I received:

6 tea bags by Higgins & Burke, 2 each of Peppermint, Green Tea, and Chamomile/Peppermint/Lemongrass

1 Cadbury Premium Dark Chocolate Bar

1 bag of Twice Baked Pretzel Sticks in Garlic Herb by Pretzel Perfection

1 box of Jelly Belly's Cocktail Classics

1 Jasmine Rice Soap Bar by O'Canada Soapworks

1 Avalai Essentials Travel Bag

I'm really impressed with the contents of the bag, I think it addresses some issues that women have during their TOM. What I like the most is the travel bag included - it looks like a wallet and has individual slots for 3 tampons and a pad pocket that can hold up to 3 pads, which is folded and secured with a velcro flap.

I love the idea of this subscription box, I mean, it's something you need once a month and this just makes it super convenient. One less thing to worry about for the month! Plus, if you're anything like me, you totally forget about it until it comes at which point you pray and hope you still have some pads or tampons left.

Real story: This recently happened the week of TIFF and had to buy a pack of pads at Shoppers. The worst part was, I was totally expecting it but I just ran out of pads at home and was going to buy some after TIFF, but nature couldn't wait. Sorry, TMI, I know, I know.

If you are interested in trying out Avalai, use code JUSTFORYOU to receive 20% off your first box! (From now until November 8th)

Are you the type to forget about TOM until it comes around? *Hoping it's just not me!*

Let's be friends!

Bloglovin' | Instagram | Twitter

*Products were sent for review

No comments

I finally got a chance this month to test out Color Oops and Splat in Lusty Lavender! I'm familiar with Splat because I often pass by their product line in Shoppers Drug Mart, but this was my first time hearing of Color Oops.

Just a note: although this isn't recommended, I did this whole dye job on the same day, I just changed my shirt throughout the process.

Color Oops is a hair colour remover that honestly works wonders. I always thought that hair colour removers basically bleached the colour out of your hair, but this is the first hair colour remover that doesn't have bleach.

This is my hair before and after using Color Oops. My hair was previously bleached and a brown-ish purple colour, faded from Vidal Sassoon's London Lilac hair dye. As you can see, Color Oops did a great job in removing the colour - which was a permanent dye! My only complaint about Color Oops is the smell. It smells really bad and the formula is quite watery, so it dripped onto my shirt and my shirt still carries a bit of the smell.

Next step was to try out Splat, which comes with bleach, peroxide and the temporary hair colour. I'm no stranger to bleaching my hair, but this bleach was a bit different. It was a lot more liquid than regular bleach, which I thought was going to be an issue because I wanted to blend my bleached tips with a bit of highlighting. It turns out that it's a whole lot easier to do this, especially with the squeeze bottle provided.

After I finished bleaching my hair, I put the purple colour on my hair. A couple comments on my Instagram warned me about leaving the colour in too little and too long. Too little would result in a pink colour while too long would be closer to a black. I tried my best to time it correctly, but my hair ended up an orange-y fuchsia pink - which didn't look bad, but was not what I was aiming for.

Just a warning though, this stuff takes FOREVER to wash out. I think I was rinsing my hair in the shower for a good half hour. Oh and it also bleeds from washing, so no whites right after the shower.

When curled, my hair looked a lot better as it faded from black, brown, orange to pink - earning me the nickname "My Little Pony" for a short while.

True to it's name, the colour was only temporary. After a week, you can see the difference in colour pigmentation as it went from a fuchsia pink to a cotton candy pink. The week after, the colour was almost completely out, with just a hint of pink to my orange hair. I wish the colour stayed longer, but at the same time, I hate the slight chance of my hair bleeding into my clothes or my towel.

I think Color Oops and Splat are both great products - Color Oops for its amazing ability to remove hair colour without damaging your hair, and Splat for their super easy to use bleach. The best part is that they're super easy to find and are available at select Jean Coutu, London Drugs, Shoppers Drug Mart, Pharmasave, Walmart, IDA, Guardian, Familiprix, Lawtons Drugs, Save On, Value Drug Mart, Peoples Drug Mart and of course online at Farley Co.

Have you dyed your hair? What was the funkiest colour you had?

Let's be friends!

Bloglovin' | Instagram | Twitter

*Products were sent for review

2 comments

No comments

Oil pulling has been around for a very long time, but has now gained popularity. Oil pulling is basically when you swish coconut oil in your mouth, which traps things such as bacteria or tiny food particles stuck between your teeth and gums, and you just spit it out. It helps whiten and clean your teeth. Not only is it all natural, but it doesn't damage your teeth like mouthwash does, so it's a great alternative.

BUT, Coconut oil comes in a jar and melts at low temperatures, making it a bit messy to scoop some out to oil pull. Also, solid coconut oil is NOT fun to chew and melt, I've tried it and it's like chewing butter - blech!

PerlaCoco has reinvented oil pulling by making it super easy and convenient to do. PerlaCoco makes mint flavoured oil pulling packets to use daily. These tiny packets contain the perfect amount of coconut oil with a subtle mint flavour. I love these packets because they are super convenient - there's literally no excuse to not clean your teeth. Plus, if the oil does solidify, you can warm them up in your hands.

The recommended use for these oil pulling packets are once daily, for best results in the morning before brushing your teeth. Personally, I like to sleep in so I use these at night because you have to swish them in your mouth for 5 to 15 minutes, which gives me time to get my face ready and relax a little before bed.

Here is my before and after. Although the lighting wasn't the same, you can tell there is a difference in the colour of my teeth - and this was only after a week and a half of oil pulling! After trying PerlaCoco out, I really would recommend it for those who are looking for a more natural way to whiten their teeth - or if they're sensitive to mouthwash like I am (it burns!).

PerlaCoco offers three plans for purchase - 2 weeks ($24.75 USD), 4 weeks ($39.50 USD) and 6 weeks ($52 USD), and ships across North America.

How do you keep your teeth white?

Let's be friends!

Bloglovin' | Instagram | Twitter

*Product was provided for review