Search Results for: first aid beauty

Current Night Routine | Winter Edition

February 22, 2016

Ever since Winter came along, my skin has been pretty dry. I’ve been finding myself wearing more moisturizer and using less abrasive skin products. I thought I would talk about my current night routine, as I don’t think I have before and I always like to see what products other people use before bed!

This routine will probably change once Spring comes – can’t wait for the sun to hang around longer each day! This getting dark at 4 pm business is no bueno…

Also, this is my full face routine that I’ll do after wearing a full makeup look. When I’m just wearing eyeliner or no makeup at all, I often won’t do all these steps.

NightRoutine 1) Lancome bi-facil eye makeup remover: I’ve tried many makeup removers, but the Lancome one is the best I’ve used for getting ready to bed. This easily removes ALL your eye makeup, even when you have primer and waterproof product on!

2) First Aid Beauty cleanser: I wrote a review about the First Aid Beauty cleanser last month, and it has currently been my go-to. It effortlessly removes all foundation and leaves your skin feeling moisturized without overdrying.

3) Vichy Idealia Skin Sleep: I only recently started introducing this into my skin regime, but I love it so far! I use this for days when I feel that I need only light moisturizer. The lotion is also a nice, soft pink colour and smells wonderful! It reminds me of a garden.

4) Estee Lauder nutritious vitality8 night cream/mask: I’ve been using this for awhile now! My skin is normally pretty oily so I don’t need heavy moisturizer. However, this has been a saviour in the winter because it is so intensely rich and moisturizing. My skin feels nice and plump when I wake up in the morning, no matter how cold/dry it is!

Thanks for reading!

Carmen

Introduction to Thursday Plantation

July 18, 2019

I have used essential oils with my diffuser on/off for the past 2 years or so. But over the past few months, I have developed a strong interest in essential oils and have been regularly using my diffuser for relaxation and as a sleep aid!

I have tried a few different brands, experimented with which oils I like, including argan oil shampoo, and which oils blend well together! I would consider myself to be pretty knowledgable about essential oils now.

Thursday Plantation is a line from Australia that produces high quality essential oils, and essential oil-based products. They recently sent me a few things to try out, and I was more than happy to considering my new found interest in essential oils.

I tried 3 of the most common essential oils – tea tree, peppermint, and lavender. They are great beginner oils and some of the first ones I’ve used a couple years ago.

Compared to other essential oils I’ve used, the Thursday Plantation ones are very potent. One drop is probably all you need in a diffuser.

On my first try with these, I used 4 peppermint drops and 2 lavender drops. That’s pretty standard for the cheap oils I purchase off Amazon. But that was WAY too strong for these bad boys! I got a bit dizzy and ended up pouring half of the water out and adding fresh water to dilute. Lesson learned, only 1-2 drops needed!

The essential oils are about $15-20 CAD each, which I would say is mid range pricing for essential oils. I’ve purchased a kit of 8 oils for $30 CAD, and also more expensive ones that were $40 CAD each.

I also tried Thursday Plantation’s face wipes. They contain tea tree oil, copaiba oil, and aloe vera.

My experience with tea tree oil face products in the past is that it has been very drying. I was a bit hesitant to try the wipes because I thought it would dry my skin out, but it didn’t at all. The wipe was moisturizing and made my skin feel plump, hydrated, and refreshed.

Other products that they carry include soaps, pure tea tree oil antiseptic for skin (different than essential oils, NEVER put essential oils on your skin without a carrier base), face wash, shampoo, conditioner, lice treatment, and more.

My first experience with Thursday Plantation was positive and I would recommend giving them a try. Thursday Plantation is also suitable for vegans and do not do any animal testing.

Products are available at Safeway, Real Canadian Superstore, Save on Foods, Rexall, GNC, and online!

Press product featured. Opinions are own.

Hard Candy Metal Eyes Chrome Eyeshadow Kit

October 30, 2017

It seems as if metal and chrome looks are trending right now, with the amount of chrome products on the shelves. I am definitely on board with this trend and love me some chrome! Perhaps I should try out chrome nails soon?

Anyways, Hard Candy has released its Metal Eyes Chrome Eyeshadow Kit, which I will be reviewing today!
What it says (Taken from website):
The Hard Candy Metal Eyes Chrome Eyeshadow Kit is an innovative shadow kit that allows you to achieve the hot runway trend of metallic eyes.

This kit includes 4 highly pigmented metallic pearl eyeshadows, mixing liquid, a mixing well, a professional dual-ended eyeshadow brush, and a mini black eyeliner.

Choose your own intensity by mixing the eyeshadow and mixing liquid together for your desired look. These shadows can also be used dry for a less intense metallic effect.
The kit comes with four shades: gold, silver, brown, and champagne. It also comes with a small eyeliner, mixing liquid, and a small lid to mix.

Application: The application is a bit different if you are wanting to use the mixing liquid. After some trial and error, I found that the best method for the most intense metallic effect is if you dab your brush into the mixing liquid and then press into the eyeshadow. Then, gently dab/press the shadow onto your eyelid rather than one sweeping motion.

Wear: I was really impressed with the colour for the first three hours. The mixing liquid gave it a very metallic and pigmented look. In fact, I would argue that it was even more pigmented than the Naked palettes. The colour was very bright and vivid and I was in love!

However, around the four hour mark, it started to crease and fade. By the six hour mark, most of the eyeshadow was gone. It decided to leave the party early after shining for so long, and go home for some Netflix. After seven hours, the only thing remaining was oily eyelids and eyeliner that had smudged to my lower lash line. Not cute!
Although you can use this without the mixing liquid, I would recommend using it because there is a huge difference. Without the mixing liquid, it is not as pigmented.

With that said, I have mixed feelings about this. In the first three hours, the color payoff is AMAZING and so beautiful. These pictures don’t do it justice at all. I’m just disappointed that it only lasts half a day!

I really love the pigment and for under $10, you just can’t beat it. Perhaps using a primer and setting spray would allow these colours to last longer. This product has a lot of potential!

Amazing, beautiful, intense metallic pigment
Very affordable at $9.35 – even comes with a brush!

Eyeshadow only lasts for 4 hours before it starts to crease, fade and disappear

Yay!

Press product featured. Opinions are own.

Laser Hair Removal: My Experience

July 18, 2017

Last summer, I decided to finally invest in laser hair removal for my legs. Laser hair removal has always been something that has been at the back of my mind, but I never did it… mostly because I never thought of it enough to commit fully, thought it was expensive, and painful.

After completing all 6 sessions of my laser hair removal, it is finally time that I write about my experiences here on the blog!

DISCLAIMER: Before we get started, it is very important to do research for yourself. You came across this post somehow, which is great – you’re doing your research! Laser hair removal is not for everyone. Please do extensive research into the facility you choose, after care, etc etc.

What is laser hair removal?

Laser hair removal is a form of permanent hair reduction on your body. To keep this as concise as possible, the colour black absorbs light easily, hence why when we wear black clothing, we feel warmer. Laser works the same way. The intense laser beam shoots light at the dark hair follicles, which kills them.

Where did I go?

I went to Beauty Light Laser in downtown Vancouver. There was a Groupon so I was able to save lots! I decided to go with a Groupon because I trusted my friend who went here before me, and the reviews online were great. The picture below is the treatment room and laser machine that Natalya uses.

Photo credit: Natalya, Beauty Light Laser

How many sessions did I do?

Usually, packages start at 6 sessions. You can purchase sessions by itself, but to see the full benefits of laser, it is better to purchase the full package. I did 6 sessions over the course of 10 months. Once my sessions ended, Natalya said that I could purchase more individual sessions in the future, if I felt like I needed or wanted to.

Photo credit: Lutronic (http://www.usa.lutronic.com/hair_removal_patient)

How long does a session take?

For my lower legs, each session was really quick. The zapping session for both lower legs was done in under 5 minutes. It really is just a quick touch up and down your legs! I imagine that other areas such as your underarms, bikini line, face, and arms would take even faster since there’s less surface area.

Does it hurt?

Beauty is pain… but it doesn’t always have to be! I was a bit nervous about the pain, but I was really glad that it wasn’t extremely painful! Like on a scale of 1-10… it was probably a 2 at most for my legs. The front of my legs were probably like a 1, and the back were a 2.

I wouldn’t even consider doing my legs painful… it was more of a slightly uncomfortable feeling.

If you’ve ever done waxing before, laser is wayyy less painful than waxing! Compared to waxing my legs, I rather laser ANY DAY. If you can bear waxing, laser will be a breeze for you. With waxing, the area stings for a couple seconds or more after the wax strip is pulled off, which is the most painful part to me. However with laser, there is no lasting stinging. It is a quick, annoying little prick or rubber band snap.

Some areas are more sensitive than others though… such as the bikini area. That is definitely more painful!

Is it effective?

I was told I wouldn’t see results until a 2-3 sessions later, which was correct! I started to REALLY see a difference after 3 sessions. After shaving for years, my leg hairs have become thicker and they also grew faster. But after laser, the hairs that grow now are thin and it grows slower.

I would say that 80% of my leg hair has stopped growing, which is soo much better.

Do I have any regrets?

Definitely not! In the past, one of the things I dreaded most about summer was that I constantly had to shave my legs. This is something some girls are okay with, but to me it was such a drag and so annoying. Then, my legs would become itchy growing back, stubbly, and I would get those annoying bumps and dots despite exfoliating. Idk, my legs just really hated razors and I could never wait long enough to wax.

The only regret I have was not doing it sooner! It has made my routine so much easier and I don’t have to be self conscious about my legs with dots anymore.

Important things to note?

-Don’t do anything except shave between sessions! This includes waxing, tweezing, depilatory creams, etc!!! Each session targets the hairs at different growth stages in order to kill it. So when you wax/pluck/etc you are interfering with the hair growth cycle.

-Make sure you do a consultation first. If you go to a place where they say consultations aren’t necessary, RUN. RUN!!!! And write a bad Yelp review haha. Like I mentioned earlier, laser hair removal is not for everyone. In particular, it is harder to laser light blonde hairs or dark skin tones… so your technician needs to look at your particular hair and see if it works for you. I’ve seen horror pictures of laser hair removal burns and that just sounds horrible!

-Be patient and not lazy. For LHR to work, you need to be patient with the results because it’ll be worth it! For myself, I didn’t see results until 3-4 months afterwards. Since appointments are made 1-2 months in advance, make sure you keep it in your calendar. Beauty Light Laser was not a convenient location for me to get to but I liked it there.

-Don’t expect your hair to be 100% gone! I still have some leg hair, but the hair grows back slower and thinner.

Yay!

Disclaimer: Laser hair removal package bought on Groupon by myself. Opinions are own.

The Workshop Vegetarian Cafe

April 12, 2017

Once in awhile, I discover new places that I completely fall in love with. Although I have many restaurant drafts ready to be posted, I am too excited to share The Workshop and had to post it first!

I stumbled on this place from fellow beauty blogger, Cosmetic Proof. When I saw it, I knew Avocado and I had to go for our vegan adventures. The cafe hours and location weren’t exactly convenient for us (Daytime only Mon-Sat) but we managed to squeeze a visit one afternoon!

The Workshop Vegetarian Cafe is a Japanese-style cafe. Think of pastries that you would get at Basho (which has since been replaced by Yama), but with vegan ramen and other noodle dishes instead. It is cute, Instagrammable, and so tasty.

It is in a very random and unique location, away from any foodie hotspots. The Workshop is tucked inside North Vancouver, along a stretch of quiet road that is mostly outdated car repair shops. I’m not too familiar with North Van transit other than the Seabus and Phibbs Exchange, so not sure how transit-friendly this place is.

The upside to being in this industrial and quiet area was that parking was free. But, we did walk pass some weird looking store with a creepy mannequin holding a broken sign that scared us because she looked like a real person from farther away.

But walking in, everything was dramatically different! I would describe the decor as hipster chic with a hint of modern flair. Aka perfect for those people who want the perfect Instagram-worthy photo.

There was a small nook on the side of the cafe where you can buy healthy and vegan to-go treats.

The small table also has a wooden dollhouse connected to it for kids. I loved the little details that they thought of!

Organic spicy tan tan ramen, $12.95: The first ramen dish that Avocado and I shared was the spicy tan tan ramen. It was made with a butternut sesame broth. It was very creamy and well executed. There was a nice, round balance of flavour and the sesame oil added that extra touch.

At first, I was worried that the broth would be too thick and fatty for my sensitive stomach, but I actually had no problems. Probably because it was just made with butternut and not fatty meat.

It was very delicious and we didn’t find it to be that spicy or oily, even though it looks oily in the picture. The ramen noodles were cooked perfectly and had a nice bounce to it. You can really taste the quality!

Organic nama shoyu ramen, $12.99: I am a big fan of truffle oil so naturally, I was curious to see if this would deliver. And boyyyy, did it deliver.

The truffle oil made the ramen so incredibly aromatic and gave the already delicious mushroom broth an added level of flavour.

The only thing I would have changed about this was to have cooked mushrooms and veggies instead of raw. The toppings felt like it belonged more to a salad, rather than a comforting bowl of ramen noodles. But I ended up just mixing the veggies and mushrooms to the bottom of the bowl to soak the broth.

Since both pictures above didn’t include their bouncy noodles, here is a picture of them! I believe you might be able to change your noodles to either rice noodles or udon if you wanted. I overheard another customer saying that.

Avocado and I wanted to sit and chat more, but the place was getting busier and a line was forming so we each just got a pastry to go.

Matcha mochi, $2.95: Avocado thought that it was a bit expensive for one mochi, but she really wanted to try it so she got it anyways. I didn’t try it, but she said it was really good!

Sweet matcha and adzuki swirl: The matcha was very earthy tasting, which means that they probably used pure matcha powder instead of the Western way of drowning matcha powder with sugar (I’m looking at you, Starbucks). The loaf had a dense and chewy texture to it. The adzuki bean swirl was sweet, which balanced the earthy taste of matcha perfectly.

I saved half for the boyfriend, and he really enjoyed it. I didn’t tell him it was vegan until after he ate it, because he tends to have a bias that vegan food will never be as good as non-vegan food. Muahahaha, yet he enjoyed it. That is saying something because he is the biggest dairy lover out there.

A million times yay!

Come check out this place before it becomes hugely popular and impossible to get a spot! Because I have a feeling it will blow up all over Instagram this summer 😉