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Curiously Carmen

GIVEAWAY: Palmer’s Skin Therapy Oil

June 15, 2016

I am back with my second Palmer’s review! Last year, I talked about their new richly moisturizing cocoa butter line. You can read the review here if you missed it!

Today, I’ll be talking about Palmer’s cocoa butter skin therapy line AND giving away the products to THREE lucky readers! Keep reading for the giveaway details!

Palmer's Skin Therapy Oil
Palmer’s cocoa butter skin therapy line is a gentle, simple and affordable line suitable for a wide range of skin types. I have been really loving and incorporating oil cleansers a new moisturizers into my routine lately. I find that my skin gets dehydrated pretty fast, so using an oil cleanser is richer.

Palmer's Skin Therapy Oil

The cleansing oil is a very gentle cleanser. I found it did an okay job in removing an entire face of long lasting powerful makeup, as it didn’t completely clean everything off the first round.

However, I do find that most drugstore products either need to be used more than once when wearing an entire face of makeup (my primers are super powerful) OR they are over drying. So, for the price of the cleansing oil, it does a good job.

I also really liked the scent of the cleansing oil! It comes in a rose hip fragrance and I am a sucker for floral scents.

Palmer's Skin Therapy Oil

Moving on to the skin therapy oil, this is a moisturizer to be used after cleansing. As I’ve mentioned before, my skin has been pretty dry lately and I’ve found that many of the creams I’ve used are not doing the trick.

I found this oil to be moisturizing, but not as much as I needed it to be. Two months ago, this would have been great but it’s frustrating how my skin type is constantly changing. Since last May, my skin type has gone through the ENTIRE spectrum so certain products that I loved in the past do not work as well now. I’m hoping this is only temporary and I’ll go back to my ‘normal’ skin type which is oily! I am also taking many steps to make my skin less dry 🙂

All in all, I enjoyed using the two new Palmer’s products and think they are great for their super affordable price range.

Palmer's Skin Therapy Oil

Now for the giveaway! I am giving away THREE of these duo sets. This giveaway is open to those with a Canadian mailing address and will on June 27th at 11:59 pm PST.

TO ENTER:
–Subscribe to my blog by entering your email on the right hand side (1 entry)
–Comment below on this blog post why you want to try the product (1 entry)
–Follow me on Twitter (1 entry). If you’re already following, comment below and I’ll include your entry.
–Follow me on Instagram (1 entry).

–Comment on why you’d like to win on on Instagram (1 entry)

–Retweet on Twitter (1 entry)

Fine print:

-Must be legal age in your province 
-If winners do not respond in 1 week, the prize will be forfeited to another participant-Although very rare and highly unlikely, Curiously Carmen and Palmer’s are not responsible for any potential allergic reaction/harm you may encounter through the use of these products 

Additionally, you can find Palmers at Canadian Wal-Mart stores.

Good luck on the giveaway!

UPDATE JUNE 30, 2016: The giveaway is now closed! Congrats to the three winners: Robyn, Brandon, and Toby! Thank you for everyone who participated! 

yay-nay-or-meh

Yay!

 


Filed Under: face Tagged: beauty, beauty blogger, beauty giveaway, canada, canadian, cocoa butter, facial oil, free, freebie, giveaway, prize, prize draw, skincare, sweepstakes, win

Batiste Dry Shampoo Review: Original (Ella Henderson) and Dark Brown

June 12, 2016

I’ve never tried dry shampoo before, mostly due to the fact that I wash my hair everyday because I can’t stand the slightest oil or that ‘heaviness’ feeling on my scalp. I just feel so dirty! I know that washing your hair everyday is bad, but when you hate the heavy oily feeling as much as I do, AND you naturally have oily hair… you just gotta =P.

Anyways, I’ve heard really great things about Batiste from the blogosphere and with my friends as well. With the slightest twinge of doubt, I decided it was finally time I take the plunge and see if it could impress me, a girl with zero tolerance of oily hair!
Batiste Dry Shampoo ReviewDo you like the flowers in the background? Most of the time I use fake flowers as a backdrop, but these ones were actually fresh picked from the garden!

For this review, I tried out two of Batiste’s dry shampoos. The first one was the limited edition Ella Henderson. There isn’t much difference with the Ella Henderson line compared to the regular one, except for the scent and packaging – formula is the same. The second one was the Batiste dry shampoo for dark & brown hair.

I will be comparing both and let you know which one I preferred at the end!
Batiste Dry Shampoo ReviewFor a beginner like me, I was glad there were detailed instructions on the back. As well, I watched a quick video on Youtube to make sure I wouldn’t screw up.

There are also different hair styles you could try with Batiste. Nina Farruto, hair & makeup artist suggests the messy, windswept ponytail. Here are the steps:

  1. Use Batiste XXL Volume Dry Shampoo to prep the roots and work it in with your fingertips.
  2. Without brushing out the tousled texture and leaving the front in a centre or side part, split the hair in the back of your head vertically. Holding each side in your hands, take the two sections and tie them in a single low knot at the base of your neck.
  3. Repeat this step to tie a second knot in the hair, and secure the knots using bobby pins. The roots of the hair will feel thick with the product and help the pins hold this style in place.
  4. Once the knots are secure, you can pull down the lengths to adjust how the hair ends sit, work the knots with your fingers to pull them out and add some volume and texture to the nape of your neck.
  5. Once the knots and tails of the hair are sitting how you like them, scrunch and shake up the sides and top of your hair to loosen the texture, and pull out a few pieces around the front and along the hairline of your style for that undone, beachy finish.
    Batiste

Moving on to what you’re probably here to see: here is my uncombed, oily hair with no product. You can see the oil starting to build up. This is about as oily as I would let it get before having to wash it. I took this picture in the morning, which is when I would usually wash my hair these days.

Batiste1After! I was seriously IMPRESSED with how quickly the shampoo absorbed the oil. My hair instantly felt cleaner, although I didn’t wash it. As well, the dry shampoo has a nice scent to it so your hair smells nice and fresh as well. I was really mindblown – what kind of magic is this?! Where have you been my whole life?!

Throughout the day, I constantly kept touching my hair to see if it needed a refresh, but it lasted the whole day. The only strange thing was that my hair still felt that oily heavy feeling, but it didn’t feel dirty. I would compare it to when you get your hair curled, and you put in a lot of hairspray. You can definitely feel the hairspray there, but it doesn’t feel dirty – just that there is product in your hair.
Batiste2The dark & brown hair shampoo stained my fingers and comb, but it came off easily with soap and water. I also found that whenever I touched or lightly scratched my hair, under my nails would have brown gunk (Sorry, maybe TMI but I want to inform you all!)

The Ella Henderson shampoo did not stain my fingers or leave gunk under my nails, but I found I had to take more time to massage it into my hair because my hair is dark, and the white formula was a lot more visible than the dark formula.

Since both were equally amazing at refreshing my hair, it all comes to the small details. I prefer the dark brown shampoo more just because I don’t have to worry about possible white powder residue on my scalp. I am notorious for rushing my hair routine, but if you’re someone who takes the time to do your hair slowly and carefully, you won’t have a problem with having the powder unblended on your scalp.

I am LOVING the Batiste shampoo and will be purchasing more bottles once I run out. I can’t believe it took me so long to try it out! It is definitely worth the hype!

Have you tried Batiste dry shampoo before? What did you think?

yay-nay-or-meh

Yay!

Thanks for reading,

Carmen


Filed Under: hair

The Estée Edit Launch Event

June 8, 2016

The Estée Edit is a new line launched by Estée Lauder. I would describe the Estée Edit as the edgy, spunky younger sister, while the Estée Lauder line is known for more being more classic and modest. The new line definitely targets the younger and social media based audiences, with the two spokespersons being Instafamous celebrities Kendall Jenner and Irene Kim. (If you were like me and didn’t know who Irene was, she is a Korean-American model and beauty influencer.)

I was able to spend an afternoon previewing and learning about all the new products! This post will be more of a description of the products and my first impression. Reviews of some products will follow in future posts!
EEStarting off with their Mattified Lipstick line, there are definitely some very edgy and spunky colours in the line. I love the Estée Lauder lipsticks for their creaminess and high pigmentation, and I’m happy to say that the formula is consistent here as well. Although this is supposed to be a matte finish line, the ones that I sampled weren’t super matte, which I actually prefer because I find matte lipsticks less comfortable to wear.

My favourite product in the Estée Edit line would have to be the lip flips – pictured on the right. I can’t get enough of them! Apply either with your regular lipstick and it will turn either a darker shade (if you use black) or lighter (yellow). I just love the concept and can’t wait to experiment with the lipsticks I have at home.

It’s like buying tons of new lipstick when really, you are just adding two versatile shades in your collection!
EE1Moving on, pictured above are the super pigmented liners called the Edgiest Kohl Shadow Stick and Metallishadow eyeshadow pots. The liners also come with sharpeners at the opposite tip!

The right cup features the More Than Brows brow pencil, which you could also use as an eyeliner. At the end of the event, I received a free mini makeover and Meaghan lightly used the pencil over my eyelids. So, you can tell that it is very versatile!
EE2The Skin Glowing Balm Makeup is their light coverage foundation, which is infused with pink peony, shea butter, and seed butter. It is a very hydrating foundation with a dewy finish, and best applied using your fingers.

The Barest Blush collection look super great as well! It features a metallic overspray, which I was told is more for decoration. One of my summer makeup goals is to use blush more, as I feel it is one of my weaker areas.
EE3Remember the crazy and wild colours from the beginning? These are the Barest Lip colour collection. Again, the formula was very creamy and comfortable. But I found the nude shades to be really sheer and not that pigmented.
EE4The Flash Illuminator line looks similar to the Skin Glowing Balm Makeup line, but if you swatch the two, they are pretty different. The Flash Illuminator, as the name suggests, illuminates your skin and has a bit of sparkle to it. This line is meant for highlighting or strobing your face and would complement flash photography greatly.
EE5Here are a bunch of skincare products, including the Dissolve the Drama Makeup Remover, White Mud Scrub, Light Night Eraser Eye Balm, Chlorella Algae Cleansing Bar, Pink Peony Overnight Water pack, Rescue Balm, and more! I tested out the Dissolve the Drama makeup wipes and oil, and they were highly effective in removing makeup.EE6Last but not least, here are the Barest Bronzer products, which feature the same metallic decorative spray as the blush. The Cocobalm is a tinted liquid lip balm made from coconut oil. As such, it also smells really good! I’m not a big fan of the packaging as I can foresee it being difficult to squeeze out the product as you start to run out.

A photo posted by Curiously Carmen (@curiouslycarmen) on May 27, 2016 at 3:46pm PDT

To end the event, I was given a makeover by Meghan, who is a makeup artist for Estée Lauder! I wish I remembered to take a photo of my makeup, but sadly, I forgot to! Boo. Anyways, I had a great time, and expect to see some product reviews up this month! 🙂

What are your favourite products from the Estée Edit?

The Estée Edit is available exclusively at Sephora. (A heads up: their shelf is not located beside the Estee Lauder shelf so you will have to look elsewhere in the store for it.)

Show your Estée Edit looks using #TheEsteeEdit and/or #beautyattitudes!

Thanks for reading,
Carmen

Press event. Opinions are own.


Filed Under: body, events, eyes, face, lips, makeup

Ceramic Glaze Botanical Oasis Summer 2016 Collection & Swatches

June 5, 2016

Ceramic Glaze has launched a new limited edition line of beautiful, summer ready colours that I am absolutely loving! When I was doing these swatches, I kept thinking I found my ‘favourite’ shade but truth is, I can’t seem to pick a favourite because I love them all! I’ll let the swatches do most of the talking. All of the following swatches have two coats, with the exception of the blue, which is French Riveria.
Ceramic Glaze Botanical Oasis Summer 2016 CollectionImpulsive: Impulsive is a beautiful, rich purple shade with hints of subtle blue glitter. This dried matte so it was a bit harder to see the glitter, but most of us use a top coat which would for sure make the glitter pop!

French Riveria: French Riveria is another stunning, rich blue shade that would be suitable for any season.

Seize the Day: Seize the Day is a bright, hot pink that reminded me of Barbie! I am a sucker for all things pink so I loved this shade as well.
Ceramic Glaze Botanical Oasis Summer 2016 CollectionSurf’s Up: Surf’s Up is a natural, peachy nude shade. With most nude shades, I find that they go on pretty clear so I was glad that I was able to reach a opaque finish with just two coats.

Perfect Peony: Perfect peony is a coral shade which is PERFECT for summer. I remember two summers ago, I had a huge obsession with coral and it was the only polish shade I wore. I had coral shorts, coral tshirts, and various shades of coral polish and I would wear at least ONE piece of coral on most days!

Urbane: Urbane is a beautiful, bright aquamarine shade. I find this formula to be the most difficult to work with and different from the rest of the shades. It was runny, and I needed three coats for an opaque finish while the other shades only needed one or two! However, this is still a beautiful shade so it’s not going to stop me from wearing it.

Petal pusher: Last but not least, petal pusher is a stunning muted, pastel purple shade that I love as well.
Ceramic Glaze Botanical Oasis Summer 2016 CollectionWith the exception of Urbane, I found the polishes really easy to work with. I was very impressed with the beautiful, healthy and opaque finish that they all had as well.

This limited edition collection is now available at Shoppers Drug Mart!

Which one is your favourite?

yay-nay-or-meh

Yay!

Thanks for reading!

Carmen

Press samples featured. Opinions are own. 


Filed Under: nails Tagged: beauty, beauty blog, ceramic glaze, nail polish, nails

Vichy Normaderm Anti-Acne Treatment

June 2, 2016

Vichy is back with another new launch this past spring! This line is really targeted for those with acne prone and oily skin. All of these products contain salicylic acid + LHA. Back in high school when my skin broke out a lot more, I always looked for products with salicylic acid due to its efficiency. As always, Vichy’s products also contain soothing thermal water, paraben-free, and are hypoallergenic.

Vichy Normaderm Anti-Acne Treatment
The new Vichy Normaderm line comes in a sleek, green packaging with a plethora of information on the bottles. It includes an anti-acne treatment lotion, deep cleansing purifying gel, and pore tightening lotion, all of which I will be reviewing today!

I’ve loved all of the Vichy products I’ve tested this far, but unfortunately one of the products fell through. Keep reading to find out why!

Vichy Normaderm Anti-Acne TreatmentStarting off with the anti-acne treatment lotion, this is the star of the new line. It is clinically proven to help treat and prevent recurrent and occasional acne. The lotion contains a higher dose of salicylic acid, which is a super-power ingredient to kill and combat acne.

However, the downside of salicylic acid was that it tended to dry out my skin as it sucks out the oils that cause you to break out.I was relieved when my skin didn’t have that tightening feeling afterwards. It had a slight cooling effect which felt nice as well. The only thing I didn’t really like about this product was the scent. It reminded me of men’s cologne and I prefer my girly girl scents, haha!

Although I don’t really have reoccurring acne anymore (SO glad after dealing with it for so many years), I can see myself continuing to use the lotion. I like how lightweight it feels, yet does a great job in keeping my skin hydrated.

Vichy Normaderm Anti-Acne Treatment

Moving on to the gel cleanser! I really liked the packaging of the cleanser, it had that modern and sleek feel to it. After mixing the cleanser with water, it foams up lightly and provides a very gentle, but clean wash. My skin felt really fresh and I was happy to find that my skin did not over dry as it normally does with salicylic acid products.

Vichy Normaderm Anti-Acne TreatmentLast but not least, the purifying pore tightening lotion! It is definitely more of a toner than a lotion though. Unfortunately, this lotion did not work AT ALL with my skin. It felt very harsh on my skin and also stung, which is probably due to the alcohol inside the product. Immediately, I washed it off because I knew my skin would over-dry and feel leathery if I left it on. My skin was stinging for about 15 minutes after I removed it =(

Overall, I enjoyed the anti-acne treatment and the gel cleanser, but the lotion/toner was too harsh with my skin type. These days, my skin type isn’t as oily and acne prone as it used to be. I would recommend this line to those with oily and acne prone skin!

What is your skin type? Have you tried Vichy’s Normaderm line?

yay-nay-or-meh

Yay!

Thanks for reading!

Carmen

Media samples included. Opinions are own.


Filed Under: face, makeup Tagged: acne prone skin, beauty blogger, blogger, canada, cleanser, lotion, moisturizer, oily skin, salicylic acid, skin, skincare, toner, vancouver, vichy

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