the cure to dark circles? | tatcha's the pearl

Okay, so I’m a liiiitle late to the game. Tatcha's tinted eye treament, The Pearl has been out for quite a few months now, but it was only recently I got my hands on this beautiful pearl shaped eye cream. I’m nearing the end of my Origin's ginzing refreshing eye cream and was in the market to try a new brightening eye cream that would keep my under eyes hydrated. Then the Sephora appreciation sale happened. I love Tatcha products and couldn’t resist picking up the pearl tinted eye illuminating treatment when I was meandering the aisles of Sephora with my swatched hand-to-elbow arms!

Best gift idea's for Mom | Mother's Day

Although you shouldn't ever need a day to celebrate your mom, it's nice to have a dedicated day for all moms to share in the celebration of being, well, a mom. The older I get, the more I appreciate what my parent's sacrificed and understand the depth of love they have provided and continue to provide my brother and I with. As Mother's Day is coming up on May 13th, I have dedicated this post to my mom and the (mostly) beauty gifts I think she would love to receive.

24k gold mask | worth its weight in gold?

If you visit my Instagram page each Sunday, you’ll know it’s when I have my weekly “spa day” at home. This past weekend, I used the 24K Gold Mask by Peter Thomas Roth for the first time and decided to write a quick review on my initial thoughts!

I have been using Peter Thomas Roth products for the past 6 months. I absolutely love the Water Drench Hyaluronic Cloud Cream – I always see a noticeable difference in my skin when I use this product. The Pumpkin Enzyme Mask is another absolute favourite from this brand as well. Naturally, I had super high hopes for the 24k Gold Mask based on the other products I have been using from this brand. Let's get into the review!

Why Salicylic acid is good for your skin | The Ordinary Salicylic Acid 2% Solution

A recent love of mine has been the Salicylic acid 2% solution from The Ordinary (read more about this brand here). I will admit that I was a bit nervous to use this as any product with the word “acid” in it kind of freaks me out. However, after researching Salicylic acid, I realized that if used correctly, it would become an ally for my skin. I also realized that it’s not just for acne. My pores need some Salicylic loving too!

the body shop face masks review

The Body Shop has been around for a long time and is a major advocate for ethical beauty. Their products are sourced world-wide and they take the extra care to ensure their ingredients come from a sustainable source. There are a few products from TBS that I’m a huge fan of, one being their face masks (the other, their body scrubs).

origins ginzing brightening eye cream | how to restore tired eyes

Today I wanted to quickly chat about one of my favourite morning under-eye products. I hesitate to call this an under-eye cream as I found it works better as a mildly-moisturizing brightener than a full-on hydrating eye cream. I was introduced to the GinZing Refreshing Eye Cream to Brighten and Depuff (15ml, $39 CDN) by a sales associate at Sephora and was so happy with the sample, I decided to pick up the full size and give this pink shimmery cream a go.

the ordinary high-adherence silicone primer | DECIEM

The Ordinary is an affordable skincare brand under the umbrella of DECIEM. The Ordinary has been one of the most talked about skincare brands in recent months; and if you’ve managed to snag one or two items on the Sephora site (they do not offer this brand in stores; only online), then you’re one of the lucky few! A major selling point for The Ordinary is their price point which starts at an affordable cost of $4.90 and climbs to $17.80 CDN. With all the luxe brands Sephora has to offer, it was a nice change to see a brand offering a multitude of products at prices drugstore brands would struggle to compete with!

Although I have several primers already, I decided to order the High-Adherence Silicone Primer as the price point was too good to pass up for something that may be the answer to my skincare prayer – t-zone oil control without drying the rest of my face up. Two days later, I had this 30ml plastic tube of silicone primer in hand, waiting to be applied after moisturizer and before foundation.  

--> The High-Adherence Silicone Primer ($4.90 CDN, 30ml) is a blurring surface smoother and primer with advanced adaptive silicones aimed to reduce pores, mattify, hydrate and blur the skin while keeping makeup looking HD and long lasting. The product is vegan, nut, gluten, alcohol and cruelty-free. 

Packaging

The primer comes in a sturdy, travel friendly, squeeze styled plastic tube that looks clean, sleek and simple. I don’t feel like I have to worry about the product exploding if I’m not gentle enough. Although the plastic tube is simple, it doesn’t have a “cheapy” feel to it, which was surprising due to the affordability of this item.

Product

The silicone primer comes out as an unscented, white gel-like consistency, unlike other silicone based primers that usually come out as transparent. When applied to the skin, it feels more like a tacky feeling moisturizer as opposed to the velvety feel of other silicone primers like YSL and Giorgio Armani. However, the gel dries down quickly and provides a blurred effect, noticeable around larger pores. It feels more like a moisturizer when applied than a silicone primer. 

I use this product every morning, after skincare and before makeup. My skin never feels overly greasy or dry when this primer is applied. It's just a happy balance of moisture. I found that my foundation does last long and that my t-zone is much less greasy throughout the day. Instead of blotting every few hours, I feel like my face is okay without touchups. However, when using blotting papers, I did notice more foundation transfer than usual, but nothing so noticeable that it deferred me away from using this product.

Verdict

As an “on the whim” purchase, I would say this is my favourite one yet! This primer rivals those of luxe brands at a fraction of the price. In fact, I feel this primer is extremely similar to the YSL Touche Eclat Blur Primer. The YSL is a bit silkier on the skin but I prefer the feeling of a fast-drying primer that applies more like a moisturizer than silicone.

The lasting power of my foundation isn’t anything extraordinary, but I do like that this primer reduces the oil buildup on my t-zone throughout the day without causing excessive dryness everywhere else.

This product works with all skin types; however, I feel that oily skin would get the most out of this product as it does help mattify. It’s also a great product for anyone that wants the blurred effect of a silicone primer but doesn’t like that slippery feeling on their face. Oh and coming in under the cost of one latte from Starbucks, you can’t beat the price!

Repurchase?

--> Absolutely. A little product goes a long way, so I don't anticipate running out anytime soon though!

fresh rose face mask review

Sundays have always been a “me” day. A day to relax and prepare for another work week ahead. Naturally, this relaxing day always includes at least one face mask! As a sheet mask girl for a couple years now, I’ve never tried the cult favorite Fresh Rose Face Mask until a few months back. Have I been missing out? Let’s get into the review!

The Fresh Rose Face Mask (30ml, $30 cdn; 100ml, $75 cdn) is a gel based cooling mask infused with real rose petals that claims to hydrate dull and tired skin. The fresh rose petals helps to restore radiance and suppleness to all skin types.

Packaging

The mask comes in standard Fresh packaging. A glass container with a twist off cap with clean, simple text. It’s sturdy, doesn’t leak and gets the job done in an elegant way. As mentioned in a previous Fresh lip treatment review, I personally love the minimalistic packaging of Fresh products.

Product

I am not a fan of overpowering scents (especially rose and vanilla), however, this rose mask was surprisingly subtle and wasn’t offensive like other rose products can be. The gel is very cooling and does not have a tingling sensation once applied. This product glides on with ease and dries quickly (5-10minutes) without feeling tight.

Over the past few months, I have been using this product at least once a week (sometimes more if my skin needs extra moisture). I usually do a clay mask before applying a generous dollop of the rose mask as it adds an extra bit of hydration that the clay masks remove. For a quick pick me up during the week, I will apply a layer of only this rose mask.

Verdict

I’ve always liked sheet masks as they provide hydration to my skin when needed but the cleanup is quick and easy. Clay masks can get messy and I thought a gel based mask would be even worse. I was pleasantly surprised and have been loving my Fresh mask experience! My skin hasn’t had a dry patch yet and as weird as this may sound, I feel I get an “instant” result. My skin just feels better after using this mask and the clean-up is quick! Once dried, I wash the product off with lukewarm water and I’m good to go!

If you’re looking for an “instant” boost of hydration and suppleness for your skin, I would recommend trying out this mask.

Repurchase?

I’ve definitely been missing out and actually repurchased another container of this a few weekends back during the Sephora VIB Rouge sale!  

Check out my instagram page to see the mask on me! @covetedbeautyblog