ATTENTION ALL YOU 20somethings: Sneak Peek at Clarins

ATTENTION ALL YOU 20somethings!!: If you are anything like me; a girl in her 20's who has had her fair share of skin problems all through her youth and is now faced with the horrible reality that it all goes 'down hill' after 25 years old. Then please...keep reading. Of course having to deal with 'bad' skin when I was younger already put me on the 'skincare' bandwagon at an early age. However, at this time I have to say my skin is pretty good. Which, I wish at this point meant that I didn't have to keep up with skincare, but I know that a good, basic skincare regime early on will help achieve beautiful skin later on... so that being said, I was pleased to see one of my favourite skin care lines announce their launch of a line of products targeted at us 20somethings! Of course my excitement died a little when I found out it would not launch until March 2011 in Canada. However I can't wait to try it. 

It is called "Daily Energizer", from Clarins which offers five formulas which treat shine, unevenness, dry skin and small spots of fatigue. They developed the line for women who don't want anything oily but still want the effective ingredients combined with a luxurious texture. The line contains a gel cleanser which foams with water, a wake up booster(probably targeted for those late nights) which contains red currant, green coffee and white tea extracts to boost the skins tone and radiance, three moisturizers in a cream-gel/cream or lotion texture.

I definitely cannot wait for this line to launch so I can actually try them... what I hope for is that Clarins made the price range fair enough for us 20somethings who are just trying to figure life out....and our back accounts... haha..

Have you tried this line of products? What did you think? Would you want to try them?

source/source

ProduCt.ReViEw.- Clarins Extra Firming Foundation with SPF 15

Clarins Extra Firming Foundation with SPF 15

A creamy texture foundation that helps firm, smooth and even the complexion. SPF 15.

• - Offers skin soothing and firming benefits.
• - Helps minimize the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles and imperfections.
• - Triple protection against UV rays, free radicals and pollution.
• - Satin finish, medium coverage.
• - Dermatologist tested. Non-comedogenic. Comes in 9 Shades.

- Greater Plantain offers anti-aging benefits and helps minimize appearance of dark spots.
- Light Optimizing Complex offers a powerful illuminating effect on skin through microspheres that reflect light in all directions to optically erase imperfections.
- Oat Sugar extract contains natural skin tightening benefits by forming an invisible and flexible veil on skin.
- Plant-based micro-patch delivers time-released hydration, sealing in moisture, helping skin look toned and feel more comfortable.

 

Smoothes on nicely. Medium coverage. Smells great, like a soft powdery scent. I like the fact that it looks like natural skin. My boyfriend commented on how it pretty much looked like I didn't have any makeup on, while still  having flawless skin. Doesn't feel heavy at all on the skin. Love that it's in a glass bottle. 

 If someone is sensitive to scents, they may not like this one. Colour selection is not the best as it is in only 9 shades here in Canada, all seem quite pinky. 

I was quite iffy about this foundation as I really do not like liquid foundations, but I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised on how I actually really liked it. It's a pretty reasonable price for a foundation as well. The quality is great.

$42USD/30ml

4/5

Makeup tutorial: Icy blue and purple eyeshadow(VIDEO)

Morning you! How is your week so far? The week end is almost here! and..... it's HALLOWEEN!!! 

My week has been pretty awesome, can't wait for halloween! 

So yesterday I created this lovely icy blue and purple look....and what's awesome about it is that I made a video tutorial as well! So I hope you enjoy it and let me know what you think. and if you have a youtube account, don't forget to subscribe!

Care to know what I used?

>> Skin Care: Vichy Normaderm gel cleanser, Vichy Aqualia Antiox eye cream, Lancome Genefique eye cream, La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo face cream.

>> Face makeup: Smashbox Photofinish Primer in Light, Smashbox targeted line and pore primer, Smashbox High Definition Concealer in Medium, Cover fx Concealer in Medium, Smashbox Halo in Medium, Coverfx Powder FX in M80, Smashbox Blush in Aperature, Smashbox Halo Bronzer, GOSH Sun highlighter

>> Eyes: Coverfx eyeprep lid primer, Revlon cream eyeshadow palette in Black Magic(both whites used)

, 

Dior 5-Colour Eyeshadow - Blue Croisette 130(both light blues used) and in Night butterfly 173(deep purple used), NYX 3 Color eyeshadow in Dandy(white used), 88 palette(royal blue, hot pink and light purple used), Smashbox 'twilight' palette(black used), Lise Watier Metamorfix, Gosh Khol white liner, Annabelle Kohl eyeliner in Black, Maybelline Line Stiletto liner, Quo lashes in #806, Bourjois 2 in 1 mascara

>> Lips: Bourjois Sweet kiss lipstick in 42 Rose habille and Clarins lip perfector 

Collective Haul..a lot of everything...

Wow this is quite a massive haul I have here. It has kinda grown in one day... no I did not buy all these products. I received a lot of these products from my amazing work.

I haven't posted in a few days only because I have been sick as well as I worked over the holiday(Thanksgiving here in Canada). Plus that I cooked a 20lbs turkey for 10 people. 

Obviously with all these recent hauls, I do have a lot of swatches and reviews that need to be done. I will try to do that ASAP. Also I have been meaning to do a contest for a while now. I think I should do a mini one to make up for not doing one in a while.

What this haul includes:

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ.. Forever 21(XXI)

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ.. 2 sets of 2 hair flowers in different colours $2.60CAD each

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ.. Love and beauty nail polish in B21Silver100 $3.80CAD

Smashbox

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ.. Masquerade eyeshadow palette

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ.. Reign collection eyeshadow palette in Monarch

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ.. Cream eyeliner in Caviar

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ.. Cream eyeliner in Putty

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ.. 2 Softlights in tint

Dior

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ.. Diorshow Extase mascara

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ.. Diorshow Maximizer lash plumping serum

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ.. Dior Rouge lipstick in #644 Rouge Blossom

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ.. Poudre soleil bronzer in #003 Tan 

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ.. Glossy lip liner Pencil in #337 Glossy brown 

Guerlain

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ.. L'or Radiance concentrate with pure gold makeup base

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ.. Lingerie de peau invisible skin fusion foundation in #05 Beige Fonce, #24 Dore Moyen, and #25 Dore Fonce

Tanda

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ.. Light Optimized Cleanser

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ.. Carry Case

Chanel

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ.. Fragrance sample set with 9 samples with note pad and pen

Clarins

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ.. Extra Firming Foundation in #103 Ivory, 105 Nude, 107 Beige, and 112 Amber.

Fragrances

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ.. Harajuku Lovers 'Wicked Style' Collection and five sets of original 5 Harajuku lovers fragrances 

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ.. 3 Marc Jacobs 'Bang' for men samples

Lancome

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ.. Photogenic skin illuminating sheer pressed powder in Medium Bisque

Clairol

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ.. Shine Happy in 00 clear shine treatment for hair

Strivectin

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ.. Overnight facial resurfacing serum sample 

Have you tried any of these products? What did you think?!

ProduCt.ReViEw. -ClariNs.UV.pLus.Day.ScreeN.HigH.prOteCtion.

The Product: Clarins UV Plus Day Sunscreen SPF 40
Claim to fame: "A cutting-edge formula providing high protection against UV rays combined with protection against pollution and free radicals responsible for dark spots and skin ageing. The incredibly matte, featherlight texture forms an invisible film on the skin. Suitable for all skin types, even the most sensitive." Clarins
Ingredients: -Cyclopentasiloxane, aqua, titanium dioxide, aluminum starch octenylsuccinate, polyglyceryl-3 polydimethylsiloxyethyl dimethicone, alcohol denat., aluminum hydroxide, stearic acid, PEG-12 dimethicone, sodium chloride, PEG/PPG-18/18 dimethicone, phenoxyethanol, tocopheryl acetate, camellia sinensis, parfum, disodium EDTA, methylparaben, propylene glycol, butylparaben, ethylparaben, propylparaben, isobutylparaben, benzyl salicylate, geraniol, citronellol, benzyl benzoate, butylphenyl methylpropional, hydroxyisohexyl 3-cyclohexene carboxaldehyde, limonene, hexal cinnamal.
A 100% natural mineral screen: ensures complete and effective protection against UVA and UVB rays. 
-White Tea extract: protects the skin against pollution and free radicals.Pros: Oil free light texture. Silky feeling. Does not leave a white cast on the skin. Smells great.  Fluid like. 
Cons: Small bottle. 
The bottom line: Awesome for an oily skin. Yet moisturizing for a dry skin. Leaves the skin feeling like there is nothing on it. great for everyday sunscreen. but probably a sunblock is recommended for outdoor activities or beach.   
Price and Size: $42 CAD/30ml
Rating: 4/5

CraTeR.FacE..PiZzA.FaCe..oR.thE.LuNaR.SuRfaCe..

It can be embarrassing walking around with acne, as it affects up to 80% of us. Many sufferers of acne walk away with no permanent effect, but for those unlucky ones, like myself, are left with disfiguring acne scars. Usually topical skin care and medications can help with mild scarring, but serious cases need to be addressed with surgical procedures and skin resurfacing.
Scarring can be traumatizing to have, but do you know what it is and how it got there?
After the pimple has healed you may notice a red or darkened spot. Many mistake this as scarring but it however is not; it is a mark from inflammation caused by the pimple. After the pimple is healed, the skin must go through a healing process, which unfortunately can take between six to twelve months. If the area stays acne free, it can then heal properly. If after about a year you still notice a mark, colour change or skin defect, it is then considered a permanent defect or scar.
Honestly the best way to not get scars is to prevent them in the first place. To do this you must first understand what causes acne and use the right treatments according to which type of acne you have. See this article to learn what causes acne.

Once you unfortunately get a scar after acne you need to treat it if you want it to go away or fade at least. One thing to remember though is that scarring is damage to the skin, so it will be a lengthy process and there is no promise that the scarring will or can go away completely. During the healing process you can however help aid the lesion from getting worse. An important thing to remember is to wear a good broad spectrum sunscreen on the mark as any exposure to the sun will make more damage as well as delay healing. You can get tretinoin to help speed up the skin's remodelling process. Also using Alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs) or Beta hydroxy acids (BHAs) can also help exfoliate the area, removing pigmentation and smoothing the texture of the skin. One thing you should never do, in any stage, be it pimple, healing process or scarring, is to NEVER pick at the area as this can cause further damage and scarring.
There are many types of acne scarring; in July of 2001, the classification system was developed. This classification system is based on how the scar looks and can help determine an effective scar treatment procedure.

"Icepick" - This scar gets its name because it appears that the skin has been punctured with an icepick. It is usually narrower than 2mm and can go as deep as the dermis or subcutaneous layer. These scars unfortunately are too deep to fix with resurfacing treatments(dermabrasion/laser resurfacing). They are usually caused by an infection from a cyst or a deep inflamed blemish. The skin tissue is destroyed, leaving a long column like scar.

"Boxcar" - This scar is a round or oval depression that has sharp vertical edges. Shallow boxcar scars are 0.1-0.5mm in depth and can be treated with skin resurfacing techniques. Deeper boxcar scars are more than 0.5mm deep and require more serious treatments. These are caused when an inflammation breakout destroys collagen, therefore tissue is lost. The skin is left without support therefore a depression is made. 

"Rolling" - These scars look like a wavy texture on the skin, usually caused by severe acne. It is due to bumps and depressions in the skin that is a type of scarring left from the outbreaks and infection of acne. These cannot be helped with conventional skin resurfacing techniques and must be fixed by breaking up the subcutaneous fibrous bands.

"Hypertrophic or Keloid" - These scars are firm and raised. They are larger than the original wound. They are unlike icepick or boxcar scars, instead they are caused by an overproduction of collagen. To treat them you usually have to use steroid(cortisone) creams, tapes, injections.  (This is the kind I have on my right cheek caused by bismuth oxychloride in BareMinerals :( )


Removal of acne scars can be very difficult. I recommend going to see a dermatologist if you are concerned about your skin. They can recommend the best solution for your specific case. As I am not a dermatologist I will not recommend what to do but I can tell you what I did and am doing to treat my specific case.
I have suffered with acne for 10 years and counting. Recently I have been blessed to find a great skin care regime. However I do have pitted scarring and pigmented scarring on my face. I do regular peels and microdermabrasion treatments on myself at home. I use the Neostrata products. I also use my Tanda Clear light therapy treatment pretty much every day. My skin care regime includes the Vichy Normaderm gel cleanser, Clarins toner for oily/combination skin and the Biotherm Biopur SOS normalizer moisturizer.

Thanks for reading! Please FOLLOW/SUBSCRIBE and COMMENT!