Dee's October Favourites

Hey guys
I thought I would give videos a try and while the lighting isn't great yet, I am working on the settings. I hope you enjoy and if you want more videos in the future, please leave a comment and let us know.

 

 

Don't judge me lol, I'm new to editing so I couldn't make the screenshot look pretty. Awkward face it is haha. Well enjoy!

 

Until next time

 

Dee's Updated Skincare

Over the past few months I have been researching skincare and what products would be best for my skin type. I have to say, I went through Caroline Hirons's blog in a few days and she is amazing. She isn't a dermatologist but she is a registered facialist and gives great advice. I mentioned in my first skincare routine that I didn't have my skincare routine down but I was on the way there. While I still suffer from redness, I have been addressing my other skincare woes and I believe that I have a good routine so far. Today I will be going over the products I use and whether I use them at night or in the morning.  

 

 

The first thing I do is get rid of my makeup and cleanse my face. While a cleanser should be able to get your makeup off, if its doing that, it wont be able to actually cleanse your skin. So if I don't have a lot of makeup on or none of it is waterproof, I use the Bioderma solution on a cotton pad. If I have a fair amount of makeup on or I am wearing a mascara that is tough to remove, I use the Camomile cleansing oil from The Body Shop. Next is actually cleansing the skin, now if you don't have any makeup on or very minimal, you don't need to do the makeup removal step, you can go straight to cleansing. One thing that Caroline taught me and has made a huge difference in my skin is the fact that you should always cleanse your face twice. Your first cleanser can be something like the camomile cleansing oil or even the Bioderma but you want to follow it up with a good cleanser for your second cleanse. I like to combination of my Honey and Oat cleanser from Michael Todd first and my Number 1 Beautiful Skin Cleansing Balm as my second cleanse. The first cleanser lathers nicely while the cleansing balm is moisturizing and soothing on the skin.

 

 

After cleansing the face, you want to apply a mask if you wish. I am still in love with the Avocado and Mango mask by Michael Todd, it smells divine and is super moisturizing. Next comes toner and I am still using the Cranberry Antiox toner by Michael Todd. I then like to apply any spot treatment to the skin and allow that to work for a few minutes if I have any blemishes before going to the next step because I want it to be able to penetrate into the skin without other products blocking it. I then apply a pea sized amount of hydraluron by Indeed Laboratories all over my face but concentrating on any dry patches I have. This product is hyaluronic acid which holds up to 1000 times its weight of moisture so it will make your moisturizer more effective. I was advised that if you are using this product, you need to have a really good moisturizer, not a light one, because it is an acid. But if you have a good moisturizer it will benefit your skin.

 

 

Next you want to apply your eye cream. You might think that you should apply the eye cream after your moisturizer but no matter how careful you are, there will be product around your eyes which will prevent your eye cream from penetrating the skin and making it ineffective. If you find that you cannot find a good eye cream, make sure you are applying the product before your moisturizer because that may be part of the problem. At night I have been using a few samples of the Ole Henriksen  Ultimate Lift PM eye gel that I transferred to a small empty container, and in the morning I have been using both the Michael Todd moisturizing eye cream and a sample of the Origins Ginseng Under eye cream. So far, I have been liking the firming gel and will purchase full size once the sample is used up. I have not been using the Origins one for very long so I am still not sure if it is working.    

 

 

 

Next comes any serum you wish to apply to the skin, I am currently using up some samples of the Lancôme Genifique serum and I like it. Then it is time to apply your moisturizer. I have two, the Kate Somerville Goat Milk moisturizer and the Michael Todd Citrus Cream, depending on how my skin is acting and when I am doing my skincare routine determines which one I use. I also have a moisturizer facial mist, the Vitamine C facial mist by The Body Shop, that I use when I feel like I need an extra boost of moisture throughout the day.

 

 

So an overview of the products I use at night and morning:

 

Night:

Bioderma and/or Camomile cleansing oil

Honey and Oat Cleanser

Cleansing Balm

Avocado and Mango mask (twice a week)

Cranberry Antiox toner

Hydraluron

Ultimate Lift PM eye gel

Lancome serum

Citrus Cream

 

Morning:

Cleansing Balm

Cranberry Antiox toner

Hydraluron

Michael Todd eye cream (upper lid and corners of eyes)

Origins eye cream (under eyes)

Kate Somerville Goats Milk moisturizer

 

I hope you enjoyed this post

Until next time

 

 

Dee's Fragrance Collection

Everyone has their preferences for fragrances of any type but I thought it would be nice to show you my picks and when I wear each scent.

 

Tip:

For those with fair skin or acidic skin, try and find a fragrance that has citrus or other acidic fruits in the scent notes. I find that these kinds of scents wont clash with your body chemistry, which is when fragrances will smell great in the bottle or in the air but smell unpleasant in your skin. If you are uncertain whether you have more acidic skin check any white gold rings you wear often. If your skin is more acidic than normal, it will cause the band to slowly turn a slight yellow gold color fairly quickly. For example, my wedding ring and band will start changing color at the bottom of the band within 2 months. I am certain you could test this out with either a white gold necklace or bracelet as well. High acidity is often seen in fair skin tones but is not always the case, it really depends on the individual chemistry of your skin.    

 

 

This is Boss Femme by Hugo Boss and is my most worn scent. Bee actually introduced me to this fragrance and I was hooked ever since. Sadly they discontinued this fragrance but you can still find it on sites such as ebay and amazon. This scent to me is a balanced mix of sophistication and freshness and is my everyday scent and will last on your clothes all day. It doesn't last more than 5 hours on my skin but most fragrances don't.

Dot by Marc Jacobs is what I reach for in spring. Gorgeous packaging aside, it has a slightly floral scent mixed with berry and other fruit notes and is rounded off with a hint of vanilla and soft musk. It is a very well rounded fragrance with a little of everything that I cant seam to get enough of. It is versatile to be worn in any season but I find it is especially nice in late winter through spring.

This fragrance was featured in my fall haul and is currently my fall scent of this year. Killer Queen by Katy Perry is a scent that reminds me of fall. It has a warmth to the scent that is fresh because of the fruit notes but also has a kick of spice. For me, it is the perfect fall scent and has great lasting power.

Nina Ricci's L'Elixir is my favourite winter scent. It packs a lot of punch in such a beautiful bottle. One spray will definitely be enough but the scent is intoxicating. It mixes the sultriness of jasmine and musk with red fruit and lime. It is powerful but beautiful and is great for the colder months.

BCBG Max Azria perfume is a delicate and sweet fragrance that I often reach for if I want to wear something a little different. Funnily enough, my husband thinks I smell like skittles when I wear this. I think it is light and delicious smelling and would make for a great everyday fragrance, regardless of the time of year.

 

J-Lo Live is the first perfume I ever purchased and has been a staple in my collection ever since. This bottle has to be my 6th or 7th I've purchased so far so you can tell I love it. It is very fruity but has a warmth coming from vanilla and caramel. I don't think I would be able to live without this fragrance. It was my signature scent for many years.

The Clean brand of fragrances are amazing but the one that I purchase is Shower Clean (roller ball) and it smells just like the name describes. It is incredibly fresh smelling and I love it. I mostly wear it in the spring/summer but I also love it after a workout at the gym lol who doesn't want to smell fresh after that? The Simply Soap scent is one that I thought I would also love but doesn't smell nice on my skin. I actually love using it as a room spray, as a scent in my dresser drawers, and I sometimes use it in the linen closet. It has good versatility but I don't think it makes a great perfume.  

Fantasy by Brittany Spears. I think everyone bought this fragrance at one point when they were a teen. To me it smells of pure sugar in the form of cotton candy. While it doesn't smell bad, I find it is way to sweet for my tastes and so I don't reach for it often.

 

Beyoncé Heat Rush is my date night fragrance. There is something inherently sexy and sensual about this fragrance to me. It smells fruity at first but then notes of musk and amber come out and produces an intoxicating scent.

Daisy Eau So Fresh Sunshine from Marc Jacobs is by far the best scent I have ever found for spring and summer. It is a vibrant scent that is both floral and fruity, making it incredible for the warmer months. I was actually gifted this by a co-worker for helping out on a promotion and I almost cried because I couldn't find this perfume when I wanted to purchase it, it was sold out everywhere.

While in The Body Shop one day, visiting a friend that works there, I tested this scent out and instantly fell in love. It is called Indian Night Jasmine and it is what I would describe as a cozy scent. I have the Eau de Toilette and fragrance mist but I think I will soon invest in the perfume oil. I find that both these products don't have great staying power but I just cant get enough of the scent right now. I think this scent is great for any time of the year. My favourite way to wear it is when I have an evening shower, I will spray either product over my damp skin and go to bed. It is an incredibly comforting scent and helps me relax before bed.

I have three DKNY scents. The first one I purchased was the Be Delicious (green) a few years ago and while I don't reach for it often, I still do like it. I tend to reach for it more often in the last summer to early fall months. It is incredibly fresh and reminds me of the scents of picking fresh apples from an orchard when I was a child. I also have Red Delicious which is a perfume I actually regret buying. After an hour or so the scent changes on my skin and does not smell nice. I am currently using it as a room spray. The last one I purchased was a small bottle of the Golden Delicious scent. I like this fragrance because it smells a little more sophisticated than the other two and I have been really enjoying the fragrance so far.

 

 

If I could only pick 3 fragrances for the rest of my life I have to say I would choose Jlo Live, Boss Femme and Clean Shower Fresh.

 

But that is my fragrance collection so far and while there are a few more I would like to add, I am extremely happy with my selection right now. Now these are only my personal preferences and it would be awesome if you could leave a comment down below with your favourite perfume.

 

Until next time

Beauy buying tips

Hey guys,
We thought it would be a good idea to share with you our advice, tips, and tricks to make sure you are #1: investing in quality products, #2: not buying a product just because there is a lot of hype about it, and #3 not stuck with products that either don't work or actually cause damage. So here are our guidelines to getting the most out of your money and time when shopping for  beauty products.

#1 Do Your Research

The best thing you can do before purchasing a product you are interested in is doing research on it. This will help prevent you purchasing a product you hate or doesn't work for you. Often there will be reviews on any website the product is sold with ratings, comments, or both. Checking these out could give you a better idea of quality, formulation, and if it will work for your skin tone or type. A problem with reading reviews on websites is that a good portion of the time, those individuals that leave a review either love the product or hate it. Because of this, it is good to look to other sites for reference. And this leads into the next rule,

#2 Know Your Bloggers/Vloggers

If you aren't satisfied with the reviews you find, try going to trusted bloggers and/or youtube beauty gurus. A few blogs and youtube channels that you trust is crucial. If you don't already have a few select people that you trust with their opinions on products, try and find someone who has similar opinions to yourself on a few products, have a similar skin tone and/or type to you, and who gives in-depth, honest reviews of products not just whether they liked it or not. Even if you don't have a few channels you have subscribed to, you can often search for the product(s) you are interested in by just typing them into the youtube search and all the reviews of the product will come up.

#3: More Expensive Does Not Always Mean Better

In some cases, you get what you pay for but in others you get the same quality for a fraction of the price. Makeup is affordable at every budget with great brands such as wet-and-wild, NYX, and e.l.f. offering really affordable products that are of good quality. I believe in spending your money on a really good quality foundation and on your skincare but if you don't want to spend a lot of money on high-end blush/eyeshadow/bronzer/lipstick, then look to drugstore brands. Here are some examples of which drugstore brands make great products:
blush - NYX, wet-and-wild, e.l.f.
bronzer - NYC, e.l.f.
eyeshadows - wet-and-wild, NYX, Maybelline
lipstick - Revlon, Loreal
lipgloss - NYX

#4: Know Your Return Policies

If you purchase a product that you end up hating or you have a reaction to, make sure you know the return policy of each store you shop at. If you realize you bought a duplicate product or you already have a similar color, then most stores will give you a window of time where you can get a refund if the product isn't opened. If you have an allergic reaction to any cosmetic product, the store you bought it from legally has to return the product. If you hate a product, some stores will let you return it, especially if you are a return customer (more on that later). Other stores have amazing return policies where you can return products for the simple reason that you don't like it. A store like this is Sephora. They have am amazing return policy which makes us more confident buyers because if we don't like a product, we can exchange it for a different one or get our money back.

#5: Try It Before You Buy It

If you aren't sure about a product, you can always ask a beauty consultant to try it on you. Dee does this a lot with foundations because of her tricky skin and also because she is so fair. It really is a shame that some makeup brands just don't make fair-complexion shades :(. But almost any product you can try out in store. For those few that you can't or if your not sure if the lights don't show the true color on you, you can ask for a sample to try out at home. Now, there is a kind of etiquette when it comes to asking for samples. The main one is that you should make a purchase, even a small one, but it isn't a rule. We recently went into Sephora at West Edmonton Mall and a wonderful girl gave each of us three samples of skincare products without us purchasing anything. So if you make a purchase, don't be afraid to ask for samples, especially at Sephora because they can make you a sample of any liquid product. And using a sample at home with the rest of your daily products will give you a better idea of how you like it and will prevent you from wasting your money and time.

#6: Ask For Help

In every store that have skincare or makeup counters there will be specially trained individuals that are there to assist you in making the best purchases. Don't be afraid of asking for help, they know the products better than most and are able to answer most if not all questions or concerns you have. Some will be intimidated by sales staff because they can sometimes be pushy or seam like they just want a sale, but the trick is to find a consultant you like. Try different stores to see if you find any consultants you like or click with. Sephora is always a good choice because they are helpful and are usually really friendly and just want to help. The Beauty Boutique in Shoppers Drug Mart is also an excellent place to try if you live in Canada. The Bay also has some nice staff who are very helpful.

#7: The Benefits Of Being A Return Customer And Developing a Relationship With Your Favorite Beauty Expert.

There are some major benefits to being a return customer at stores and for specific beauty consultants. This is Bee's area of expertise, as well as biggest tip, as she sold cosmetics for years. Often, they can keep a log of the purchases you have made, making it easier to repurchase loved products. They will also get to know your preferences and are better able to recommend products that you will love as well as steering you away from products that just won't work for you. They will also be more accommodating when it comes to returns or exchanges as well as making samples for you or giving you gifts with purchase. They can also give you advanced notice on upcoming sales or exclusive events and will even put away products for you until you can come and purchase them. Overall, having a few key beauty consultants that you like and go to often to purchase your beauty needs will result in products that work best for you, and an overall great experience when purchasing.

#8: If They Have A Reward Program, Buy Your Products There

If you are going to spend the money on beauty or skincare products, and even fragrances, purchase them in stores with reward programs. Higher end products such as Dior, Benefit and Stila are almost always priced the same in all stores and so getting rewards makes them a better deal because you can use the rewards at a later date. Some great reward programs are the Beauty Insider card at Sephora which allows you to collect points on every purchase and when you reach certain thresholds you can use the points to get free deluxe samples or mini products to try out. Another amazing program is the optimum points card at Shoppers Drug Mart. This program allows you to collect points with purchase of almost anything in the store, not just beauty and skincare items, and when you reach certain amounts of point it is converted to a dollar amount that you can use against future purchases, possibly getting beauty or skincare products for free :D. And another great aspect to this program are point specials where you can get enough points for free product with one purchase and also redemption days where your points are worth more money. There are other programs such as The Bay's HBC points, but we are not familiar with this program. But the point is to purchase products at stores with reward programs to get more value for your money.

With these 8 tips, you can become a savvy shopper and get the most for your hard earned money.

Good Luck!!

Out With The Old, In With The New: Hair

Hey guys,
I have to say, I loved this idea when Bee made her post so I decided to do one of my own but for my hair straightener.

So lets start with the old. When I was 17, my mom bought me a Coriolis hair straightener for Christmas. I was so excited because this was the first hair straightener I had ever owned and it was red :D my favourite color. For the first 5-6 months I thought it worked really well, until the on/off switch started to malfunction. The on light would flicker on and off which meant there was a wiring problem. So back it went and my mom exchanged it for the gold one in the picture below. Now, this has lasted me almost 5 years which is great, but it was so expensive and I think it wasn't worth that much money. It doesn't smooth my hair very well and it took 6-7 passes on one small section to get it straight enough. It would also catch and rip pieces of hair out of my head if I didn't brush it 3 times before trying to use the straightener. It also really sucked at curling hair, even though it was marketed to be able to do this easily. And when I attempted to do this, it would catch half way through the piece of hair and cause my hair to be straight until the every end, where it would curl. I also found that the temperature it was supposed to reach each time got lower and lower as the years went by. So although it did last a long time, it had crappy performance, even in the beginning, and it took so long to do my hair that most days I wouldn't bother with using it. 

 

And here is the new. So over the last couple of years, I had been seeing Bee use her Chi digital control straightener and marveled at how quick she could do her hair. I even had the chance to test it out on my own hair now and again and it made my hair look beautiful. So one day, when shopping at West Edmonton Mall, Bee and I hopped into Rain, a hair supply store and hair salon. They had the original Chi on sale but I ended up getting the temperature control one that you see below on sale for 50% off (thanks Bee! she talked about how she got hers on sale so the manager lowered the price :D). So I have been using this product for the last few weeks and I am blown away. It glides over my hair like a dream and doesn't catch at all, which is a huge improvement in and of itself. It gives my hair the most gorgeous shine and instantly smooth any frizz. And best of all, with having bangs now, its super easy and quick to make my bangs behave in the morning. So a few more features that are helpful with this straightened: it takes no time to heat up and with the digital temperature read-out, you know when its at the right temperature. The fact that you can control the temperature also gives you the option to use less or more heat, depending on the style you want and your hair type, which helps to prevent unnecessary hair damage. I am loving this hair straightener and I actually enjoy doing my hair in the morning which is a nice change. I haven't tried to curl my hair with this tool yet so I can't tell you if its easy or not or how the curls turn out but if I do, I will leave a comment below to let you guys know.

 

I thought this would be a good time to share with you my favourite hair spray and it is the Sebastian Re-Shaper hair spray. I hate it when my hair gets crunchy or feels really un-natural and this stuff is great for giving good hold without that yucky crunchy feeling. Now, you cant go and spray a huge amount all over your hair or it will get crunchy, like almost all hairsprays, but spray a light mist over the parts you want to hold in place and your good. When I curl my hair, I tend to curl it then brush it out to give that soft wave effect and I love using this product for that. I spray a little on the curls once they cool and continue curling and once my whole head is done, I brush it through with a paddle brush and then lightly spray some more all over to keep it in place. This is also a great product for keeping those fly aways and baby hairs in place. I actually spray this lightly on a teasing brush and gently brush over the top of my hair and it works great, especially when my hair is already up. Overall it is a great staple to any hair product collection because it has great hold, is versatile and it smells good which is always a good thing :D.