Skincare Blitz!

You know how it is: sometimes you forget to review certain products, or they leave you underwhelmed and you're unsure as to whether or not you should even write a review. Then at times, the product is just so, unbelievably wrong for you that you find yourself never using it after a handful of tries.

Well, I have found myself at a point where I've amassed a small amount of skincare products that I have yet to write about and I thought, "why not do a short review of all of them in a single post?" And so, the Skincare Blitz was born.

1. Nude Skincare - Cleansing Facial Wash

At first, I found this cleanser to be a tad drying. But now, I find it to be perfect for my skin. It removes the last traces of makeup and leaves my skin feeling fresh after cleansing. That said, it costs £14 per 100mL bottle, plus shipping to Canada and I just don't think this product is good enough that I would repurchase it.

2. The Body Shop - Vitamin C Microdermabrasion 

This stuff works well enough, but I find it to be much too abrasive for the more sensitive areas of my face (i.e. my cheeks and my forehead). But I quite like using it around my nose, around my mouth and on my chin - the areas I find require more frequent exfoliating. 

3. The Face Shop - Brightening Rice Water Cleansing Foam

I actually quite like this cleanser but it's too much for my skin, which has decided it will be combination rather than dry at the moment. You only need a small, pea-sized amount and it's more than enough to give you enough lather for your entire face. It has a light but pleasant scent that won't irritate anybody's sensitive senses. If my skin were drier, I would definitely be using this every day. It's lovely!

4. Pure+simple - Cellular Renewal Face Cream

"On Paper," this product sounds absolutely amazing and, dare I say it, life-changing. 

I love the idea of cellular renewal and although I'm not quite at the age where this is necessary, it's always good to get a head start on anti-aging, no? 

That said, I can't, in good conscience, give this product a thorough review because I honestly only used it for a few days. Why? Because it smells absolutely awful! >.<

Granted, I do have a sensitive sense of smell, but this stuff is something else. I can't even bring myself to open the jar up and give it a sniff so I could describe how bad it smells. 

5. Marcelle Essentials - Oil Free Eye Makeup Remover Lotion

Much like Marcelle's amazing Soothing Cleansing Water, The Eye Makeup Remover Lotion is also very effective. Unfortunately, it doesn't quite remove product all from my lower lash line well; But everything else, including mascara, is removed really well.

6. The Face Shop - Oil Specialist Enriched Cleansing Oil

Mother of pearl, this stuff is thiiiick! I kind of assumed that it would work like the Shu Uemura or MAC  cleansing oils, but this product does not emulsify at all. So it's just, oil. Oil on your skin. Oil that doesn't really come off.  >.<

I'm thinking of using this in my baths, actually...

What skincare products have you been loving lately?

Call It Beauty's Best Of 2011

Another year gone by... It's amazing how quickly time actually passes by when you start thinking about what has happened throughout the year and how much you've done (or in some cases, how much you didn't do). 

I always get a rush of emotions whenever the year ends... This year, what I feel the most is gratitude. I'm so thankful for all the friendships forged through blogging (Lipstick Bandits, I'm talking bout you :p), for general health/well-being, for a job that can sustain the blog :p... We have so much to be thankful for. Sometimes we forget when we are so caught up with the every day things. But we are all honest with ourselves, it's true. We have a lot to be grateful for.

Anyway, all of that aside, let's get to what I really came here to do, which is share with you my top picks for 2011. I feel like I probably picked too many things, but I can't help loving them all! The following products are the best that I've tried and my absolute favourite items to use in the year 2011.

Here we go...

FACE

The Face Shop Power Perfection BB Cream

Tarte Smooth Operator Amazonian Clay Concealer
Revlon PhotoReady Concealer

Maybelline Dream Matte Powder

CHEEK

Cargo Cosmetics Blush in Mendocino
MAC Mineralize Blush in Feeling Flush

Lancôme Star Bronzer in Èclat Bronze

EYES

Urban Decay Naked Palette

Prestige Cosmetics Brow Perfection Revitalizing Clear Brow Gel

Clinique Brush-On Cream Liner

Eyeko Graffiti Eyeliner Pen

LIPS

Korres Lip Butter in Jasmine

MAC Sheen Supreme Lipstick in Bare Again

Maybelline Color Sensational Lipstick in Plum Jewel

Maybelline Shine Sensational Pop Stick in Fruit Punch

SKINCARE

Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser

L'oréal Skin Genesis Wet Cleansing Towelettes

Marcelle Essentials Soothing Cleansing Water *not pictured*
Liz Earle Instant Boost Skin Tonic *not pictured*

NAILS

Revlon - Plum Seduction

Sinful Colors - Cream Pink

Revlon - Facets of Fuchsia

OPI - Steady As She Rose

Revlon - Tangerine

BATH & BODY

Lush - The Olive Branch

Lush - It's Raining Men

The Body Shop - Mango Whip Body Lotion

HAIR

Lush R&B Hair Moisturizer

Macadamia Natural Oil Healing Oil Spray

TOOLS

Z Palettes

EcoTools Retractable Kabuki

And there you have it... My "best of the best" for 2011. 

I do hope you all have a wonderful New Year's Eve! Have fun and stay safe! And I wish you all a fabulous 2012. I can't wait to see what 2012 has in store for me and I hope that the upcoming year has nothing but the best for all of you, because you all deserve it!

HAPPY  NEW YEAR!!!
from Call It Beauty

  

Monthly Favourites - November 2011

It's DECEMBER! Now I can go nuts about Christmas without people looking at me funny!

How's everyone's Christmas shopping going? I've actually finished mine; all I have to do now is bake cookies. Do any of you give treats on Christmas? If so, give me some of your recipes! I'd love to broaden my baking horizons :p.

Anyway, without further ado, here are my favourites from the wonderful month of November (and it's mostly wonderful because December comes after it):

1. Batiste Dry Shampoo - Blush

Before I had even heard of Batiste, I tried Tresemmé's dry shampoo. It was kind of useless. 

So I tried Batiste out, subconsciously expecting for it to be ineffective, but boy was I ever wrong! It actually de-greases (that sounds gross) and volumizes my roots. It does leave your hair looking white, but it goes away completely after I brush my hair through with my fingers. If you don't want to go through that trouble, Batiste also make dry shampoo that comes with a "hint of colour" with shades that correspond to whatever colour your hair is. Unfortunately, Shoppers Drug Mart doesn't carry those. 

It also has a lovely floral scent which I appreciate a lot because my hair tends to pick up scents really well and I don't fancy having my hair smell like "ulam" (if you're Filipino, you know what this means :p). I've been trying not to wash my hair every day, especially now that I use warm-hot water for my showers. Now that I have something to refresh my hair every other day, I can actually fulfill that goal. 

2. The Body Shop Perfume Oil - Vanilla

This perfume has been a staple in my fragrance stash for many years now and I still absolutely love it. Vanilla is probably my favourite scent, so this perfume oil gets a lot of love from me.

First of all, you don't need a lot (I've had this one for a while now, it doesn't even come in a bottle like this anymore) so you'll be able to use it for a long time. Secondly, it's $16; enough said, I should think.

3. Maybelline Clear Smooth Blush - Fresh Berry

I was first drawn to this blush because of the super bright shade, but I've really grown to love it because it blends beautifully on the skin (applied with a light hand, of course :p) and sticks around for my entire work day. 

It's such a lovely shade and I've been loving wearing it this month because it makes these dark and dreary days a little bit better :).

4. Spa Resource Brushes - Powder Brush & Stippling Brush

I spotted these babies at Walmart and truthfully, I wasn't intrigued... That is, until I felt the bristles. Softness galore! I'd say they are about on par with EcoTools in terms of softness and both retail for under $11 CAD. Not bad, no?

The only thing I don't like is the stippling brush's propensity to shed - I had a lot of bristles on my face! Although, the shedding did stop after a second wash. I definitely prefer this stippling brush to Sigma's; it feels much softer on the skin.

You can find these brushes in Walmart or purchase them online at Spa Resource.

5. Macadamia Natural Oil - Healing Oil Spray

My hairstylist would always spritz my hair with this after a cut & style and I remember thinking I absolutely had to have it because it smells divine! 

This stuff is uh-may-zing! It makes my hair look shiny and hydrated, removes frizz, but doesn't weigh my hair down at all. And did I mention it smells divine? I did? Well, it smells diviiine!

I thought I would have to say goodbye to my little bottle, because the nozzle started spritzing in a straight line (instead of a mist) but a few minutes under HOT water did the trick. I can now use it again! 

I'm not sure where you can purchase this product because they don't have an online store and not all salons carry them. But if you have wavy/curly hair, you should start looking for this baby because you need this in your life!

For those in the US, you can purchase Macadamia Natural Oil at Ulta.

6. Lush - Sympathy For The Skin

This lotion was one of my "Best in 2010" picks and it still delivers. The scent (vanilla, of course) is absolutely delicious and it keeps my skin so wonderfully moisturized, soft and smooooth (operatoooor, smooooth operatoooor). 

It retails for $25.95, which does sound pretty steep; but it lasts for such a long time, I don't find myself needing to purchase it often. If you do try this lotion out, be sure to remember the expiry date. Because Lush uses a lot of fresh ingredients, their products do go bad. Conveniently, they have a sticker on the outside of their packaging with a best before date, as well as a lovely photo of whoever made that particular batch. How cool is that?

7. The Face Shop - Power Perfection BB Cream

A skincare product that has good coverage. No, it's not a Tinted Moisturizer, it's better than that: it's a BB Cream! I love this stuff because it gives me such natural coverage. I still need to do some concealing, but for the most part, it leaves my skin looking much better (My Skin But Better :p). It has a nice consistency, thicker than some Tinted Moisturizers I've tried and easily blends onto the skin. 

It's not perfect - my face does get a bit oily at the end of the day, which I would rather it didn't, but it's nothing a quick blot couldn't fix. All in all, I am so pleased with this BB Cream; it's a pleasure to use and leaves my skin looking really healthy.

8. Maybelline Color Sensational Lipstick - Plum Jewel

Such a pretty colour! I love the formula and how the product just grabs onto your lips and doesn't shift around. It's creamy and applies smoothly, albeit with a slight bit of tugging (due to the thickish texture?) on the lips and with an average wear time of about 4 hours.

9. Bite Beauty Luminous Crème Lipstick - Mulberry

My chosen Lipstick Bandit lippie for the Fall. It contains a "super antioxidant" called reservatrol and is formulated without synthetics, polybutenes and petroleum byproducts. This lipstick glides on easily, feels really nice on the lips and is also one drop-dead gorgeous shade; absolutely perfect for fall!

What are your favourites for November?

My Introduction To BB Creams - The Face Shop's Power Perfection Bb Cream

While in the Philippines, I decided that I wasn't going to spend any money on beauty products. Don't ask me why, it doesn't even make any sense to me now :p. But, on the third week, I thought: "why not check out the beauty products they have here?" So I stepped into The Face Shop (a Korean skincare and cosmetics company) and it was decided that it was my new favourite store.

I've heard of BB Creams before, but until recently, there were no North American brands that offered them in their roster. So of course, I jumped at the chance to try these coveted products. To reduce this to its simplest definition, it is basically a hybrid of skincare and makeup. Think of a tinted moisturizer but with loads of extra skincare benefits.

Power Perfection is The Face Shop's "top of the line" BB Cream, the best they have to offer. So of course, I had to have it :p. Now, I think it's important to state that my skin doesn't suffer from too many problems. I get hormonal breakouts, I get some dry spots on occasion and my skin tone isn't even (darker pigmentation around the chin and around the jaw area). That said, I wouldn't be able to tell you if Power Perfection has any miraculous, anti-aging properties because my skin is simply not there yet...

However, I have to say that I absolutely love this product! It definitely takes the the concept of a tinted moisturizer even further. It certainly feels like a moisturizer, it glides onto the skin smoothly and effortlessly; but has better pigmentation and coverage than any other tinted moisturizer I've tried (which, admittedly, is not that much).

As you can see, I still need concealing (I definitely need it around the mouth/chin and under the eyes); but considering it's not a foundation, I'm still quite pleased with the coverage. I find that it certainly performs better than Laura Mercier's tinted moisturizer. Granted, I only tried it out once, but that's enough to figure out whether or not it's enough coverage for you, I think.

Unfortunately, this isn't exactly the right shade for my skin. BB Creams typically come in two shades and I chose the darker of the two, which is Natural Beige. However, the undertone is too pink for my warm/yellow toned skin (in the Philippines, it's all about having "pinkish-white skin"). Thankfully, because the coverage isn't too thick, I can still make it work for me; I just make sure to blend a bit of it on my neck.

I guess you can call this a "my skin, but better" type of product :p. No, it doesn't make my skin look flawless; I don't think that look is appropriate for every day, anyway. But it does make my skin look fresh, slightly dewy and healthier. I do notice some shine and oiliness on my face after a few hours, but honestly, now that we're heading into Winter, I'm more forgiving of some shine on my face. Especially since I find that whatever coverage it gives still sticks around until the end of my work day. That said, if you have oily skin, I don't think this product is for you.

...Assuming you would even be able to get it, coz um... It's not available in Canada. I'm sorry! >.<

But! They have stores in the US, Australia and various other countries in Asia so take a look at their Store Locator; you may be in luck and have a store near you. Check it out, yo! Coz this product is absolutely lurvely!

Have you tried a BB Cream before?