A Review: Aveda Botanical Kinetics Exfoliant

My skin is combination (oily) and sensitive.

Cost will vary from spa to spa.

Claims: According to the bottle, this product removes dull surface cells and refines and clarifies skin. The Aveda website says that this product is no longer available.  However, I believe this to be incorrect. The bottle was recently redesigned from glass to plastic and I think they forgot to upload the new pictures to their website. I recently purchased a new bottle at my local spa and they said that it had not been discontinued.

Actual Experience: This product is a very gentle exfoliator. It has no granules because it is chemical exfoliant. It contains lavender extract, chamomile, balm mint, witch hazel, and salicylic acid along with a few other ingredients. I use it every other night on my entire face and in the mornings on my nose and chin. I have never had any type of allergic reaction to this product.

Buy or Avoid: Buy. I don't think that you can go wrong with this exfoliator. It should work for everyone from sensitive right through to super oily and resistant skin.

This product was bought with my own money

A Review: Clean and Clear Advantage Blackhead Eraser Scrub

Cost: $6.96 CAD at Walmart.

My skin is combination (oily) and sensitive.

Claims: According to their website with this product you will, "See fewer blackheads in just two days! CLEAN & CLEAR® BLACKHEAD EARSER™ Scrub has unique exfoliating multi-action beads that work to gently remove the trapped dirt, oil, and dead skin that can clog pores and lead to breakouts. Three sizes of multi-action beads allow surface exfoliation and a deep down clean. Salicylic Acid, an acne fighting medicine, clears blackheads and helps prevent new ones from forming."

Actual Experience: I bought this product because it was a lot less expensive than my normal exfoliater by Aveda, which I purchase from a local spa. Both products have salicylic acid, so I thought to myself, "How different can they really be?". Well, with the Clean and Clear Advantage Blackhead Eraser Scrub my entire chin area peeled and flaked! There is obviously something in it that does not agree with my skin. I have done some research and there are other beauty bloggers who have had the exact same thing happen to them. I am returning it to Walmart this week and have already gone to the spa and repurchased my Aveda, Botanical Kinetics Exfoliant (liquid with no granuales). I will be doing a review on the Aveda product shortly, so stay tuned.

Buy or Avoid: Avoid like the plague! If you do decide to try it, then make sure to buy it somewhere that will allow you to return it in case you experience peeling or flaking.


This product was bought with my own money

Most Used Hair Products

I have fine, wavy, flat, dry, medium length hair with a few face framing layers.

All Redken products are available at salons that carry Redken

Products (top to bottom, left to right): 1. TIGI Dumb Blonde Shampoo (available at salons that carry TIGI). 2. Ion Repair Solutions (available at Sally Beauty Supply), 3. Redken Color Extend Conditioner. 1. Proclaim Glossing Polish (available at Sally Beauty Supply), 2. L'oreal Studio Silk & Gloss "Hot Straight" (available at Walmart), 3. Redken Extreme "Anti-Snap", 4. L'oreal Studio Design Finishing Spray, Extra Strong Hold (available at Walmart).

"Procedure": I wash my hair every other day with TIGI Dumb Blonde Shampoo and condition with Redken Color Extend (through the lengths and ends). Once a week I use Ion Repair Solutions to deep condition. To style, I mix slightly less than a quarter size amount of L'oreal Studio Silk & Gloss with half a pea size amount of Proclaim Glossing Polish (run through lengths and ends). Every other time I style my hair I add Redken Extreme Anti Snap to the mix. The Studio Design Finishing Spray is only used when I curl my hair (I actually prefer the one in the blue bottle to the one pictured above). It has a slightly lighter hold. Sometimes I blow dry and flat iron or curl my hair, and other times I braid it and let it dry naturally.

If you would like advice for your specific hair type, comment below and I will get back to you.

These products were bought with my own money

A Review: MAC Eye Shadows

Fifteen Pan Palette (with insert removed fits 21) $17.00 CAD. Eye shadow in pan format $14.00 CAD each.

Claims: According to MAC Cosmetics website their eye shadow is, "Highly pigmented powder. Applies evenly, blends well."

Actual Experience: My overall experience with MAC Eye Shadows has been fairly good. They come in seven different finishes: Matte (no frost, no shimmer, flat), frost (frosty, shimmery, sheen finish), satin (between a matte and frost finish), veluxe pearl (shimmery but not as shimmery as a frost), lustre (glittery, chunky, not much colour pay off), velvet (wash of sheer colour with a hint of shimmer), and veluxe (similar to veluxe pearl but with less shimmer). I am not a huge fan of MAC's mattes or lustres. The mattes do not always have the best colour pay off and the lustres are chunky, hard to work with and have a lot of fall out. All of the other formulas are pigmented, apply easily, and last all day (especially over an eyelid primer).

Buy or Avoid: Buy any formula except for mattes or lustres. Urban Decay also makes excellent eye shadows, and all of their finishes, in my opinion, perform equally well. However, they are a bit pricier than MAC eye shadows when bought individually. They do have some nice palettes to choose from, such as the cult favorite Naked Palette. When bought in palette form they are an excellent bang for your buck!


This product was bought with my own money

A Review: Aero Minerale Makeup Mist

My colour: Bare, price $19.99 CAD at select Lawton's Drugs also available at: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=aero+minerale&x=0&y=0

Claims: According to the Aero Minerale website, "Everything you love about minerals plus the moisture that you want. For true aerobrush application mist directly onto skin. For classic coverage apply with brush, sponge or finger."

Actual Experience: This is the only foundation that I have found to date (and I've probably spent hundreds over the years trying different ones) that will stay on my oily t-zone for the entire day. The finish is skin like. The product is thin (almost watery in consistency) but has excellent coverage. There are ten different colours to chose from in the line. They come in both cool and warm undertones so pretty much everyone will find a match. The best method that I have found for application is to spray a little foundation onto the top of the cap and use a couple of fingers to gently press the product into the skin. I have also tried using a brush (product dries too fast, and you tend to put on too much), and spraying directly on the face (very messy and you also tend to put on too much). If you apply the product too heavily it will feel sticky. Tip: If you decide to try and use the spray on method, then make sure to use a shower cap or an old towel to wrap your hair. If you don't it will get stuck in your hairline and you will have to shampoo to get it out.

Buy or Avoid: Buy. Especially if you have combination oily or oily skin. It is still much cheaper than most department store foundations. For reference I am on my second one.


This product was bought with my own money

A Review: MAC Lipstick(s)

Colour: High Tea (lustre) and cost: $17.50 CAD

Claims: According to MAC's website their lipsticks provide, "Colour plus texture for the lips...".

Actual Experience: They certainly provide color and texture for lips with their EIGHT DIFFERENT FINISHES! Amplified (rich colour, what you see is what you get), amplified cream (rich colour, what you see is what you get but with a sheen finish), cremesheen (not quite as rich as an amplified creme, sheen finish), frost (color is somewhat pigmented, very shiny and I don't recommend for anyone), glaze (fairly sheer, can have chunky glittery finish), lustre (sheer-medium pigmentation, shimmery but not chunky), matte (completely matte, colour drenched), and satin (very pigmented, very slight sheen).

My colour that I wear every day is High Tea (lustre). It is the perfect nudish, peachy, neutral colour for daytime or anytime wear. Not harsh, and not overbearing (your lips but better).

Buy or Avoid: Buy (if you have the extra cash). I honestly don't think that even Sephora can top the amount of finishes that MAC provides. You may be able to find something similar at the drugstore but most likely it will not have the same finish and this can really make or break a lipstick.


This product was bought with my own money

A Review: MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural

Skin type/color: combination (oily) and sensitive, pink undertones, MAC NW 20

My color in this product is medium.

Claims: According to MAC's website, "A luxurious domed face powder with minerals, slowly baked to provide a dimensional yet natural-matte finish. Provides perfect low coverage. Use to set and fix foundation or as a touch-up throughout the day."

Actual Experience: I use this to set my liquid foundation but I have a friend that uses it as her actual foundation (she loves it so far). It provides the most natural finish of any powder that I have ever tried. It doesn't cake, doesn't clump, and doesn't look chalky. Tip, if you have a blemish use a little cream concealer on top of it, gently blend. Then use a small eye shadow brush to buff some of this gently over top. I have never been able to hide a blemish so naturally or completely as when I use this method (it only works for me with this specific powder mind you).

Buy or Avoid: Buy! This powder is a little pricey at $33CAD plus tax but this is the third time that I have bought it.  I got sick of throwing out the drugstore powders when they didn't work (big waste of $$). One of these used almost daily lasts me 6-8 months.


This product was bought with my own money

Skin Care Routine

I have combination (oily) and sensitive skin.

All products purchased at Wal Mart unless otherwise noted.

Products (right to left): 1. Exact Gentle Skin Cleanser (knock of version of Cetaphil from Superstore).  The ingredients are exactly the same and listed in the same order, which means they are in the same concentration.  2. Softlips (cucumber melon). The only lip balm that I have found that actually softens and helps to exfoliate any dry skin from the lips. Added bonus it has SPF 15. 3. Neutrogena Moisture (combination skin version).  Fragrance free, oil free, matte finish. Excellent under makeup. The one con is that it doesn't have any SPF, so you have to use a sunscreen underneath or a foundation with SPF over top). 4. Neutrogena Light Night Cream. Fragrance free, oil free, no SPF. 5. Aveda Botanical Kinetics (available at any Spa that carries Aveda).

Morning Routine: Apply cleanser to dry face. Massage in for about 60 seconds. Rinse well and dry. Apply Neutrogena Moisture (combination skin). Apply Neutrogena Light Night Cream under eyes, and on the nose, including the bridge. This gives an extra shot of moisture to the areas that I think I will get wrinkles first. Apply Softlips lip balm.

Nighttime Routine : Apply cleanser to dry face. Massage in for about 60 seconds. Rinse well and dry, then repeat.  Repeating gets any last traces of makeup off of your face. Every other night exfoliate using a cotton pad and Aveda Botanical Kinetics Exfoliant. Apply Neutrogena Moisture (combination skin). Apply Neurtrogena Light Night Cream under eyes, and on the nose, including the bridge. If I am experiencing a breakout I only moisturize under my eyes, my whole nose and cheeks. I usually wake up the next morning with pretty clear skin :) Apply Softlips lip balm.

If you would like advice for your specific skin type, comment below and I will get back to you.

These products were bought with my own money

A Review: Maybelline, The Falsies Black Drama

Claims: According to Maybelline's website, "False lash glam goes extra matte, extremely black"

Actual Experience: As mentioned in my MAC False Lashes review, I have short, thin, and sparse lashes on both the top and bottom. I curled my eyelashes and applied two coats to the top and one coat to the bottom. The results were pretty darn good. As to the claim of it being matte, I can't really say that I have ever noticed a mascara of any kind being shiny.  Same goes for this one.  It is however very true to its' claim of being extremely black.  It is the blackest mascara that I have ever used! It has little fibres in it to help add fullness and length to your lashes (it is contact lense safe).  This mascara takes a little more work than MAC's False Lashes but at $6.76 (Wal Mart) versus $22.50 for the MAC I am willing to spend the tiny bit more time with it. Now I don't have to feel guilty for the Lulu Lemon sports bra that I am buying this weekend.

Buy or Avoid: If you are looking to not spend mega cash on a mascara (which only lasts for three months anyway) then this in my opinion is the best drugstore one out there right now.


This product was bought with my own money