pixelbunny's picks

Yes, this was long time coming. In this time frame, I had my second child and have forgotten what sleep is. It does come back eventually, right?! These were also the months that I managed to make a decent dent in the samples box.

Shiseido Benefiance Night Emulsion

Absorbs well and my skin felt amazingly soft afterwards.

Milk Intensive Hydrating Treatment

I confess, I used this so long ago I don’t remember it.

Fresh Lotus Youth Preserve Face Cream

It feels nice, and has a very strong lotus scent.

Philosophy Take a Deep Breath Oxygenating eye gel cream and gel cream

Both are of a gel texture, which would be wonderful in the hot summer months. The gel would feel nice and cool. No greasy feeling here.

Clinique Pep-Start Hydroblur moisturizer

This product confused me. It’s like a moisturizer and primer in one? I wasn’t a fan of this.

L’Occitane Precious Cream

Really nice cream. Really soft skin.

Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cream

Another really nice facial cream that’s easier on the wallet.

Shiseido Bio Performance Glow Revival Cream

A very nice facial cream. Would totally get this.

Philosophy Miracle Worker Multi-Rejuvenating Retinol+Superfood Oil pad

It was a single use pad that was pre-soaked. I’m not entirely sure I would buy this.

Kiehl’s Iris Extract Activating Treatment Essence

Absorbs well and smells pretty nice.

Lancôme Advanced Génifique Sensitive

Apparently this sample doesn’t contain the activating ingredients and instead, is purely for texture!! If I had known that, I wouldn’t have chosen this as a sample!

Shiseido Revitalizing Essence

Nice. Absorbs well. Light, pleasant fragrance.

Shiseido Bio-Performance Glow Revival Serum

Very nice serum. Would totally purchase this.

Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery Concentrate x2

I’m not a huge fan of “oil-type” facial products. It does absorb well, but there’s a residue that lingers.

Kiehl’s Hydro-Plumping Re-Texturizing Serum Concentrate

Can’t remember much about this except that the texture was like a fluffy cream.

Live Clean Glowing Daily Serum

I hated this. The smell was awful and it didn’t absorb well. I couldn’t bring myself to use this on my face so it went on my legs.

Shiseido Ultimune Power Infusing Concentrate

Have used this before and loved it. Am using a full size bottle now actually.

Ole Henriksen Truth Serum Collagen Booster

Very strong yet pleasant citrus smell. Another “oil-type” product that I’m not a fan of.

Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair

Finally got to try this out after reading so many rave reviews of it. Can’t comment too much about it since it was a sample packet. Maybe I’ll get around to getting a bottle one day.

Aveeno Daily Moisturizing Yogurt Body Wash – Apricot and Honey

I’m not usually one to use body washes, but this one wasn’t too bad. The fragrance is strong and sweet, but dissipates pretty quickly after the shower. There’s only a faint after smell.

Neutrogena Ultra Gentle Daily Cleanser – foaming formula

Another bottle I’ve lost track of how many I’ve gone through. Holy grail facial cleanser here!

Herbal Essences Bio:Renew Repair Argan Oil of Morocco shampoo and conditioner

I can’t remember much about these sample packets except that I wasn’t super impressed by it. Not likely going to purchase.

Shiseido Future Solution LX Extra Rich Cleansing Foam

This was extremely rich but made my skin feel so nice afterwards!

Philosophy Purity Made Simple  3-in-1 cleanser for face and eyes

A decent cleanser but felt very watery.

Shiseido White Lucent Brightening Balancing Softener

Great stuff! Currently on back up bottle.

Lancôme Advanced Génifique Youth Activating Concentrate

Love love love this stuff! Not a fan of how much the price has gone up over the years. Am currently debating repurchasing or trying something new.

Lancôme Tonique Radiance

Another favourite for summer. Will need to get a few before it gets too warm out.

ALPA Apiko

This is neat. My mom bought this for me when she was in Europe last year. I couldn’t find too much information about it online except that it’s a popular face cream that contains bee venom!

Shiseido Ibuki Eye Correcting Cream

A great daily eye cream. Didn’t repurchase (this was my second tube) as I wanted to try something new.

La Roche-Posay Anthelios Ultra-fluid Lotion

A really fantastic fluid sunscreen that goes on and absorbs fast, and doesn’t leave that greasy feeling I absolutely hate. It really does come out as a fluid, so apply and rub it in quick! You do pay more for such a small bottle, but if I’m more likely to wear it because of the properties it has, then I don’t mind paying for it.

St Ives Hydrate Cucumber Melon Body Lotion

I have lost count how many bottles of St Ive’s I’ve gone through. Definitely too many to count!

Aveeno Baby Daily Lotion

My elder kiddo uses this now that his eczema is under control. Sometimes I’ll use it too.

X3 Clean Germ Attack Hand Sanitizer

Love this stuff. Still have 2 more backup bottles for the good ol’ diaper bag.

Marcelle | Thyme Stretch Mark Triple Action Cream

I remember using Thyme’s Stretch Mark cream when I was pregnant with my first kid. I’m not entirely sure if there’s a new formulation now that it’s partnered up with Marcelle. The sample was pretty small so two applications on the belly and it was done. At least it was fragrance free.

La Roche-Posay Lipikar Baume AP+

The holy grail for baby’s eczema. I WILL NOT USE ANYTHING ELSE ON HIM!

Aveeno Daily Moisturizing Body Yogurt – Apricot and Honey Lotion

So-so. Hubby likes it and I wasn’t a huge fan of it. Fragrance is light. Absorbs fast but leaves a slight greasy feeling on me, but no such feeling on my hubby.

Kiehl’s Nurturing Baby Cream for Face & Body

Really nice cream that absorbs easily into the skin and doesn’t leave a greasy residue. May or may not get because of price point.

Cetaphil Baby Daily Lotion

The fragrance was so incredibly strong that I couldn’t even bring myself to use it, let alone use it on my baby. It became “leg lotion” (Any kind of cream or lotion I don’t like gets relegated to arms and legs. Thus it gets used and not entirely wasted!).

Trying to go through some sample packets

St. Ives Refresh & Revive Pear Nectar & Soy Body Lotion

If you’ve been keeping up with my empties, you’ll know that I’m a big fan of St. Ives body lotions. The Refresh & Revive line is what I’ve been using lately and it’s absolutely perfect during the summer months. It leaves my skin feeling so soft and smooth.

Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Oil-Free Lotion

This was a great little sample packet that lasted me two days – perfect for traveling! Slightly thicker than a lotion but lighter than a cream, this moisturized really well when my skin was feeling a bit dry and flaky.

Vichy Ideal Body Aqua Sorbet

A super hydrating body lotion that worked amazing on my skin!

Shiseido Ultimune Power Infusing Concentrate

Full review here.

Shiseido Ultimune Eye Power Infusing Eye Concentrate

A cool and refreshing eye concentrate with the same properties as Ultimune.

Shiseido Future Solution LX Extra Rich Cleansing Foam

I’m not normally a big fan of cleansing foams but this was very light and left me with a good feeling of clean. I think the Future Solution LX line is too rich for me so I’m glad for the chance to try it via sample packets.

Shiseido Future Solution LX Concetrated Balancing Softener

An amazing softener that feels even better than Ibuki! As above, the Future Solution LX line is too rich for me so I am happy with the Ibuki and White Lucent lines.

Sephora Express Cleansing & Exfoliating Wipes

Did not like these at all and struggled to finish the packs. The exfoliating side is too scratchy and actually hurts, even when using light pressure. I ended up using only the soft side to remove as much makeup as I could, and even the, it wasn’t super effective. I used this as a first pass, then used another facial cleanser to remove the rest.

Mostly skincare these last few months

La Roche-Posay Anthelios dermo-kids 50 SPF

I love this stuff for my toddler. We went through 2 bottles of it last summer and we’re on our second bottle of it this summer. I apply it generously in the morning before sending him off to daycare. His teachers do a second application with a different sunscreen prior to afternoon play time (the bottle gets kept at daycare). He’s tanned but not super tanned. This stuff is light and doesn’t feel overly greasy, which makes application really easy. I also like that after application, he’s not going to leave a ton of residue all over the car seats. Love this stuff and will continue to buy!

La Roche-Posay Anthelios Ultra-fluid lotion 60 SPF

I got this for myself because I wanted to find a sunscreen that was light and non-greasy. This was recommended to me by the beauty consultant at Shoppers Drug Mart. She told me a lot of golfers purchase this because it’s so light but the coverage is so great. I find it perfect for my face but also use it on my arms and legs too. A little pricey for such a small bottle, but since it is so light, I find myself reaching for it to apply more often than with other sunscreens.

Shiseido White Lucent Brightening Protective Emulsion W

Full review here.

Shiseido White Lucent Brightening Moisturizing Emulsion W

This one is like the protective emulsion, but a bit thicker and more moisturizing for night time use.

Lancôme Teint Miracle Lit-From-Within Makeup

Finally finished this bottle! I feel like I’ve hit a huge milestone finishing this one up (my 4th bottle!). I’m currently contemplating buying my 5th bottle vs trying a different foundation altogether. It’s been quite a number of years sticking with Lancôme Teint Miracle!

Peter Thomas Roth Mega-Rich Shampoo

I got these minis from the Hilton Hotel a few years ago and had stashed them away for “when I go traveling”. Well, as you know, the stash is a little too well hidden so when I finally found them, it’s high time I use them! The shampoo lathers quite rich and smells amazing. Hair is quite squeaky clean.

Peter Thomas Roth Mega-Rich Conditioner

The conditioner brings some moisture back into the hair after the conditioner. Together, they make for some beautiful lucious locks on my head.

Peter Thomas Roth Mega-Rich Body Lotion

I am loving this body lotion. Thick and rich, yet is easily absorbed into my skin. No greasy residue and skin is super soft. This is pretty good stuff for hotel toiletries!

First batch

St. Ives Refresh and Revive Pear Nectar & Soy Body Lotion

Another empties post and another St. Ives. I love this stuff and I keep going back for more.

La Roche-Posay Lipikar Baume AP

Full review here. Finished 2 of these as they’re both in my room and the little guy’s room. I rarely use it except for when my hands are super dry. It’s mostly for my little guy after his bath time. His skin was so sensitive when he was a baby that this was the only body lotion/cream that he didn’t react to. Now that he’s older, his skin is still sensitive (but not so much as before) and we’ve been able to find another less expensive lotion that his skin can handle, however this will forever be remembered as a life saver for me.

Neutrogena Ultra Gentle Daily Cleanser Foaming Formula

Full review here. This still remains my favourite facial cleanser. I think I still have 2 more in the backup stash.

Shiseido White Lucent Brightening Balancing Softener W

Full review here. Wonderful stuff and preps my skin for absorption of my serums and creams. You’ve probably noticed from my empties posts that I don’t stray very often from what I use. That’s because a) I tend to purchase multiples as backups when I find something I like, and b) I need to use up those backups before they expire or sit in my closet for too long.

Second batch

7th Heaven Glove Masques

Full review here. A great way to soften those hands in a jiffy!

Iope Plant Stem Cell Softener Skin Perfection

Received this as part of a sample pack when I bought my CC pact. Softens the skin great but it’s so thick it was difficult to get out of the bottle. Had to flip it upside down and carefully flick it out.

Iope Plant Stem Cell Emulsion Skin Perfection

This was also part of the sample pack along with the softener and cream. This was a lighter cream which was great for day time. Not as thick as a softener surprisingly, but gave ample moisturization.

Iope Plant Stem Cell Cream Skin Perfection

A very thick cream in which a little goes a long way. I’m not in love with it but I don’t hate it either. It was ok. I don’t think I’d purchase a full size of it.

Smashbox Camera BB Cream

I’ve had this forever and finally finished using it. It offers pretty decent coverage and stays on well during the day. The smell is a little off-putting (to me anyways) so I didn’t reach for it every single day. I think in the end, I prefer more sheer/light coverage foundations over medium/full coverage.

Shiseido Glow Enhancing Primer

Had a little sample of this and love the glow I get! I’m not sparkly like a vampire, but it does give me a slight healthy glow. Might be picking this up in the future when I finish my current primer!

Make Up For Ever HD High Definition Powder

I love using this as a setting powder and it really does help set the makeup all day!

Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil x2

Good-bye Sabbath and Perversion. You guys were fantastic eye pencils and I love how pigmented you are. Also, the staying power is amazing – you don’t budge! One of the very few waterproof eye pencils that I’ve used that doesn’t transfer to my upper eyelid.

Shiseido Facial Cotton

Love this stuff. Need I say more?

Disclaimer: I received this product free for review purposes and all opinions are 100% my own.

Simple and minimal packaging

The Real Techniques brand is created by two sisters, Sam and Nic Chapman. Makeup artists in their own right, they have built an empire with their Youtube channel, Pixiwoo, and a full line of cosmetic brushes and sponges.

The Packaging

I love how their packaging is simple and isn’t full of frilly details. It’s simply housed in a stiff plastic box with thick, sturdy cardboard to help retain the box’s shape. Open the top of the box and the brush just slides right out. The only concern is if there is heavy handling (ie. extreme shaking) of the box, you could potentially bend or misshape the bristles. However, given that the brush will likely be hanging on the wall at the store, the likelihood of this happening is pretty low.

The Product

Brand on barrel

The brush has a rubber base, an aluminum barrel, with soft, dense bristles. One one side of the barrel, you have the words “REAL TECHNIQUES by Sam & Nic.” The rubber base is wide and supposed to be flat so you can stand them up on their own, however, the brush I have has a slightly rounded base so it wobbles instead.

On the other side, the type of brush

The other side of the barrel has “expert face brush” printed on it.

Soft bristles

The bristles are made from synthetic taklon. They’re hand-cut and 100% cruelty-free. Packed in ultra dense, the brush is broad which makes it great for blending cream or liquid foundations. I generally use mine to blend out my liquid foundations after applying with my fingers.

The Verdict

Being near-sighted, I can’t see anything once my glasses comes off, so this makes makeup application tricky. I apply my liquid foundations with my fingers because it’s more tactile, however there’s always some areas where I haven’t blended well at all. This is where the Real Techniques Expert Face Brush comes in. I’ll buff around my nose so I can put my glasses on, then I can see where exactly I need to blend out uneven spots. A couple of swirls does the trick and I’m done! I love how fast and easy it is. It’s easily worked its way into my daily beauty routine.

Where to Buy – $12.99 CND

• Walmart
• Recall Pharma Plus
• London Drugs
• FarleyCo

Disclaimer: I won these in a giveaway on Beautezine last year. All opinions are 100% my own.

Blue one dissolves waterproof makeup, pink one is regular

I won this last year and finally got around to using it. There are two versions of the Micellar Water. One is regular, and the other specifies that it will remove waterproof makeup.

The Packaging

Back of bottles

They’re fairly large bottles containing 400ml each of product. The bottles are made of sturdy, clear plastic with coloured tops for easy identification.

Pop tops

The tops pop off and you can immediately dispense the product. There is no safety seal here so you’ll have to hope nothing’s happened to the bottle prior to you receiving it.

The Product

Regular version – only one liquid layer here. Takes off makeup really well except for waterproof makeup. Love the clean, refreshing feeling you have afterwards. Best part is, no sticky feeling!

Waterproof version – you can see the bottle’s contents are biphasic. There exists two layers. However, the top layer is significantly less than the bottom layer (if you look at Lancôme’s Bi-Facil, the two layers are equal). Removes waterproof makeup like a dream. This is a wonderful alternative to Bi-Facil if the price tag prevents you from buying it. You get so much more for your buck here.

The Verdict

Garnier’s Micellar waters are awesome!! I would prefer to go with the waterproof version since it does double duty. Would definitely repurchase this again.

Where to Buy

• Shoppers Drug Mart
• Walmart

The details are out!

When:

Saturday, May 27 from 9am to 5pm
Sunday, May 28 from 9am to 3pm

Where:

Shiseido Inc
303 Allstate Parkway
Markham, ON
L3R 5P9

As always, this sale is open to the public so no ticket is required. No stroller or children under age 12 are allowed to the sale ofr safety reasons (it gets REALLY crowded there). They will accept cash, credit, and debit.

Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I received this product free for review purposes. All opinions are 100% my own.

7th Heaven put out a Spa Range for you to enjoy a home spa treatment, without spending the big bucks! I received the Soften Glove Masques to try, which is perfect because work is constantly drying out my skin. Shea butter is one of the ingredients, which is a great moisturizer for dry, chapped skin. The way they work is that they seal moisture in, allowing the product to be absorbed faster and work its magic. I liken it to bathing in the stuff, but using much less and way less messy!

The Packaging

One for each hand

One package gets you two gloves, one for each hand. Which hand you want to use it on is up to you, however, for ease of using the tape tabs (which I’ll explain below), I chose to wear the gloves as above.

Dual layer

Each glove has a dual layer. The outside layer is a smooth, silky plastic, and the inner layer is like a very thin gauze. It is in this gauze layer that you’ll find the product.

Tape tab

These tape tabs are what you use to wrap around your wrist to help secure the gloves on your hands. This way, you’ll have less chance for the glove to slip off accidentally. I thought it was easier to remove the white backing before putting the glove on. Taking the white backing off after putting the glove on was quite a bit trickier.

The Product

Pretty large glove to fit a variety of hand sizes 

The product is scented with pressed rose petals, which gives off a very pleasant and light fragrance. It’s not heavy or imposing on the nose at all, and is a fragrance I quite enjoy. You can see in the photo above that the gloves are quite large so it will fit a variety of hand sizes.

Back of hand to show the tape tab

If you followed the way I put the gloves on, the tape tab will end up on the back of your wrist like above. Now that I had the gloves on, I had 15-20 minutes to kill. Imagine my pleasant surprise that I was still able to use all my touch-screen electronics! Since the product is inside of the gloves, I was still able to use my smart phone and touch track pad on the computer to help kill time more efficiently.

The Verdict

At the end of the 20 minutes, I took the gloves off, then rubbed my hands together to work in the rest of the product. It soaks into the skin and the light rose fragrance is just heavenly. And my hands? Gloriously soft and visibly softer than prior to using it. Skin that’s cracked won’t suddenly be healed – let’s be realistic – that is something takes time. As much as I love this and its outcome, there is a lot of plastic involved for a one time use product. If there was some way this could be reused, it would be fantastic. However, if plastic consumption is a concern of yours, you might want to skip this over. Otherwise, this is a rather pleasant spa treatment in the comfort of your own home!

Where to Buy

• Rexall PharmaPlus
• FarleyCo

A holy grail and must have!

I’ve used this for so long and have gone through so many bottles in my empties posts that it’s high time I finally wrote a proper review for it! Lancôme’s Bi-Facil is a holy grail amongst the beauty community and for good reason – it works SO well!

The Packaging

It’s in a pretty, clear, blue plastic bottle. The screw top lid is like a child-proof one, in that you need to press down before you twist to get it off. This is great security if you’re traveling and don’t want to risk it spilling all over your luggage.

Inner seal

As with all Lancôme products that I’ve tried, there’s an inner seal so you know it’s brand new and never been used!

Inner seal removed

Without the inner seal, it reveals a small hole to which you can dispense the product. Shake the bottle to mix up both liquids, then saturate a cotton pad.

The Product

Bi-Facil is biphasic, meaning there’s two types of liquids in the bottle, a lipid phase and a watery phase. The lipid phase is what gets all the make up off, including waterproof makeup! The watery phase will refresh and condition the skin, leaving you with a clean, non-greasy feeling.

The Verdict

It works. Seriously. It just works. Eye makeup? Gone. Waterproof eye makeup? Gone. At first, I thought it didn’t do so well with my Artliner, but found that if you saturate a cotton pad and hold it against the eye for a longer period of time, it comes off super easy. None of my makeup stands a chance against this beast. I’ve read that you can saturate a cotton tip for quick fixes, however, be wary when you do. Once you’ve taken off the “mistake,” it is difficult to get eyeshadow to adhere to the lid again.

Where to Buy

• Lancome
• Sephora
• Shoppers Drug Mart

Only a few things this time

Shiseido Facial Cotton

Am still loving these facial cottons. They are so incredibly soft and not prone to breaking apart when wet and in use. They also don’t leave stringy pieces on your face like some other cotton pads out there. What will I do when I run out of my backups??

Shiseido White Lucent Intensive Spot Targeting Serum+

Found this at by luck at my local Marshall’s and decided to try it out. I know it’s discontinued recently but I doubt it’s expired that quickly. I didn’t notice any dramatic lightening of my dark spots but some of my lighter spots seemed

Shiseido White Lucent Brightening Balancing Softener Enriched W

Shiseido’s softeners are so fantastic that I had bought a couple from the last Shiseido sale. I’m hoping for another sale soon so I can stock up!

Jelly Pong Pong Cosmetics Lychee Gel Softening Shower & Bath Gel

Got this in a Luxebox a long time ago. Finally getting around to using it now as part of my “shop my stash” initiative. Definitely smells sweet like lychees, and lathers really well. However, I didn’t find anything overly amazing about it.

Lancôme Bi-Facil Double-Action Eye Makeup Remover

I keep saying a review of this is coming and I swear that it is! All you need to know is that this stuff is amazing and no wonder it’s one of Lancôme’s top-sellers.

Maybelline Baby Lips

Alas, my last Baby Lips and I’m so sad! I love the ones that go on clear because they’re perfect for tossing into my pocket at work. I only saw the Neon ones at the last L’Oreal sale so didn’t stock up on any.

I’ve been using Lancôme’s Teint Miracle for over 5 years now, so I think it’s safe to say I can write a pretty decent review of it now. Touted as a “lit-from-within makeup,” this light-weight foundation offers light coverage while enhancing your skin’s natural light and giving off a natural looking finish. I personally prefer more natural finishes and when I first tried this, it was love at first application.

Ooo Teint Miracle, how I love you so!

I think I’m on my 4th bottle now. I love that it has such a lightweight formula and doesn’t clog my pores. It also contains SPF15, of which, for lazy people like me, is better than no sunscreen at all.

The Packaging

Tall, slim, glass bottle

You get 30ml of foundation in a tall, slim, glass bottle. I like how the Lancôme rose and “Teint Miracle” are printed in reflective text.

Clear lid with Lancôme rose on top

The lid is clear and made of plastic, with Lancôme’s rose on top.

Pump nozzle

The pump nozzle is also made of plastic. Play around with how much foundation you need. I found 1 to 1.5 pumps was enough for me.

The Product

From L->R: drop from bottle, smeared, blended

It’s light weight, it’s hydrating, it feels like it blends really well into my skin, and I don’t have this caked on feeling. Of course, the trade off is that it’s not as long-lasting as full coverage foundation. Despite that, I like that my skin is able to breathe with it on.

The Verdict

Like I said in the beginning, I absolutely love Teint Miracle. Already on my 4th bottle (I maybe have purchased too many backups haha), I use this mainly for when I go to work. I’ve strayed and tried some other foundations/BB/CC creams, but I pretty much default back to Teint Miracle. I’ve read recently that Lancôme reformulated the foundation but I haven’t tried the new formulation yet.

Where to Buy – $50 CAD

• Lancôme
• Sephora
• Hudson’s Bay
• Shoppers Drug Mart