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Curiously Carmen

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

Stila Stay All Day Foundation (Re-Launch)

May 28, 2016

This summer, Stila has relaunched their Stay All Day foundation. The formula itself stayed the same, but they have repackaged the bottle into an easier center dispensing dish. The previous packaging featured a mini scoop, which Stila decided was a bit too messy.
Stila Stay All Day Foundation
Stila Stay All Day Foundation To use the foundation, you simply press lightly on the center plate. Product will come out afterwards in a neat circle, which makes it sanitary as well.

The foundation is a medium to full coverage. I was impressed at the coverage after one pump, but I decided to use another pump because I had this annoying zit on my face that did NOT want to be covered up! But it failed the battle, because this foundation was able to cover it up >=)
Stila Stay All Day Foundation Since the bottle is opaque and you’re unable to see the shade, there is a ‘window’ on the side of the bottle in which you can see the shade.
FoundationMy first impression of the foundation was that I really liked it. I loved the medium coverage and the slightly dewy and sheen finish as you can see in the photo above. Although, the description says it is a matte finish, it was on the dewy side for me. The foundation really smoothed out my skin tone and it still looks pretty natural.

However, after wearing it a few more times after, I’ve noticed that this foundation does not like to be used in conjunction with other facial products. When wearing this foundation with primer and setting powder as I always do, this foundation looked cakey, dry, and flakey, instead of the nice dewy finish I was used to.

When I wore this foundation again on its own again, I did not have a problem with it being flaky. So, I would only recommend using this product with moisturizer only and no other foundations. I’m glad that this foundation is long lasting even without primer. I really love this foundation and it will be using it as one of my regulars in the future!

I’m curious to see if others with combination skin like myself, or other skin types, found that this foundation didn’t mix well with primers and finishing powder foundations? Let me know!

yay-nay-or-meh

Yay!

Thanks for reading,
Carmen

Media samples featured. Opinions are own.


Filed Under: face, makeup Tagged: beauty, beauty blog, beauty blogger, beauty review, blogger, face, foundation, foundation review, makeup, makeup blog, makeup blogger, stila, vancouver

Schwarzkopf Color Ultime Hair Dye

May 20, 2016

Would you believe that I’ve never dyed my hair at home before? Yup, I never have… until now! When Schwarzkopf approached me about their new spring Colour Ultime hair collection, I decided to give at home hair dying a go and also lighten my hair up a bit for the summer!

The shade I chose was 3.8- velvet brown.
Schwarzkopf Color Ultime Hair DyeThe box and package of the hair dye was pretty standard, just like any other boxed hair dye. It also shows you how the hair colour would look on you depending on how dark/light your hair is.

My package also came with an accompaniment of shampoo and conditioner for coloured hair. I used to dye my hair quite often back in high school/early university years. Whenever my hair was dyed, I made sure to always use shampoo for coloured hair.

This makes a great difference in how the hair colour turns out, and how long the colour lasts. So, I definitely recommend getting a  shampoo for coloured hair if you plan on dying your hair!

Schwarzkopf Color Ultime Hair DyeThe Schwarzkopf Colour Ultime hair dye came with a clear and detailed instruction sheet, applicator bottle with developer lotion already inside, the squeeze bottle of the hair dye, gloves, and after care hair elixir.

Set up is really easy, you just squeeze the hair dye into the applicator bottle. Then, shake the bottle vigourously until the developer lotion and hair dye are mixed well.

Since it was my first time trying at home hair dye, I enlisted the help of my trusted and experienced friend to make sure the process went as smooth as possible! I definitely recommend having someone to help, as it would be a bit more difficult to evenly distribute the dye throughout your hair yourself.
Schwarzkopf Color Ultime Hair DyeI also recommend dying your hair in an old tshirt, just in case you accidentally get hair dye on it. Or, you could wear a garbage bag/plastic poncho thingy to protect your clothes as well. Since I had my friend helping me, it was a very clean and fast process!

I won’t go super detailed into the application process, but it was very smooth. We were both really surprised at how good the Schwarzkopf dye smelled, as were preparing for the familiar chemical smell of hair dye. There was a small hint of it, but definitely not as strong as at the salon, or with other at home hair dyes my friend had used in the past.
Schwarzkopf Color Ultime Hair DyeAfter evenly distributing the hair dye, your hair should look something like this! I then left it in my hair for 30 minutes, which was the recommended time.

Thirty minutes later, I washed my hair out with warm water (they recommended warm water) and used the shampoo and conditioner as well! Again, the shampoo and conditioner smelled very pleasant with a hint of coconut. As previously mentioned, the box comes with the after care elixir, which is a deep conditioning treatment. There is enough in the tube for 3-4 uses, depending on how long/thick your hair is.
Schwarzkopf Color Ultime Hair Dye
Ta-daaaa! Here is the final result! My hair is naturally pretty dark, so I wasn’t sure if the hair dye would show up or not. But, I’m glad it did! In the sunlight, it is more noticeable though.

I love the new lighter colour and it is definitely fitting as we get into summer! If you’re planning on dying your hair at home, I recommend giving Schwarzkopf a try!

yay-nay-or-meh

Yay!

Thanks for reading,

Carmen

Media samples featured. Opinions are own. 


Filed Under: hair Tagged: beauty blog, beauty blogger, hair, hair dye, schwarzkopf

BVSpa Product Review

May 8, 2016

Bon Vital is a company used primarily by massage therapists, professional spas and salons. However, Bon Vital has just launched their BVSpa by Bon Vital line, which includes spa quality products for consumers to use at home! I recently had the chance to test out a few of their products, and here is what I thought!
BV Spa Bon VitalThe BVSpa products I received were the sugar salt, salt scrub, body lotion, and body butter! I was quite excited to try these products out because they smelled great, even when I just opened the box! As well, pink is one of my favourite colours so that is always a plus. 😉

I will now be reviewing each product in further detail!
BV Spa Bon VitalThe first product I tried was the BVSpa salt scrub, in pomegranate and acai berry. The first thing I noticed was how sweet and fruity it smelled! It reminded me of a fruit candy.

The salt scrub is gentle enough to use everyday. After using this, I could definitely see myself using this daily as it is not too rough or harsh on your skin. I found that the exfoliating salt crystals would melt after cleaning, and would turn into more of a soap. My favourite part of the salt scrub was definitely the fun and fruity scent.
BV Spa Bon VitalWhen I first saw the two scrubs, I was pretty intrigued at what the difference would be as they seemed pretty similar as exfoliants. The sugar scrub came in pink grapefruit, which had a pleasant and strong scent to it!

Compared to the salt scrub, the sugar scrub was noticeably more coarser. I found that both did a great job in exfoliating my skin. My skin felt really smooth, and both left a nice scent on my skin afterwards.
BV Spa Bon VitalAfter using the salt scrub, I followed up with the body butter as they both have the same scent. I really liked the body butter as well! The texture was pretty thick, but fluffy if that makes sense? It reminds me of when we make Asian fluffy angel cake at home, and we have to mix the egg white mixture until it’s fluffy. Sorry, I’m not much of a baker so my description is really bad!

It wasn’t sticky at all and actually felt light on my skin. As well, I liked how fast the body butter absorbed into my skin, leaving no residue.
BV Spa Bon VitalMoving on to the final product! The body lotion came in a sturdy, dispensable pump and has the same grapefruit scent as the sugar scrub.

Again, I liked how light and fast absorbing the body lotion was. It wasn’t thick, which made it faster to apply than the body butter. This product would be great to use if you’re in a rush!
BV Spa Bon VitalHere is a photo of all four swatches, so you can get an idea of the texture. You can definitely see the difference in thickness between the body butter and the body lotion! As for the scrubs, the sugar scrub was coarser, which you can kind of tell in the photo.

Overall, I really enjoyed the BVSpa products. I love the fresh scents, how smooth the scrubs leave my skin, and how quick the lotion absorbs! You can find these BVSpa products at Shoppers Drug Mart for $11.99 each, which is really affordable!

yay-nay-or-meh

Yay!

Thanks for reading,
Carmen


Filed Under: body, makeup Tagged: beauty, beauty blog, beauty blogger, body butter, body care, body lotion, exfoliating, hygiene, lotion, salt scrub, sugar scrub

Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Oil-Free Cleanser

April 21, 2016

Kiehl’s is a company that has been around since 1851, but I feel as if it’s really gone under the radar this whole time. I don’t really see or hear people talking about Kiehl’s, even though it is a reputable company that offers great quality products!

I don’t normally walk around Kiehl’s, but the few times that I’ve been there have been pretty positive! The staff have always been really friendly and informative on their products, which is always a plus.

About a year ago, I  received the Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Oil-Free Cleanser as a gift from my friend. I can’t believe that I didn’t write a post about it until now, actually! But better late than never 😉
Kiehl's Ultra Facial Oil-Free CleanserAnyways, moving on! This cleanser is the oil-free version of their popular original cleanser. Kiehl’s packaging is very simple and minimal. They list everything on the front, while the back is the exact same except in French!

This product has been one of my go-to cleansers whenever I just want a simple, gentle clean. The formula is lightweight and has a pearly white finish to it. It lathers up really nicely and leaves your skin feeling really clean and moisturized.

My skin ALWAYS feels amazingly clean and soft after using this cleanser, no matter what condition it is in (dry in the winter, oily in the summer, combination, breaking out, etc).
Kiehl's Ultra Facial Oil-Free CleanserI definitely recommend this product to someone who would like a low maintenance skincare routine. It’s really simple, but it does such a great job in cleaning and making my skin feel fresh.

I’ve noticed recently that my skin doesn’t feel as soft, and has a slight dry/leathery feeling although it is a bit oily at the same time. I decided to stop and only stick with using only this cleanser and a day/night moisturizer for the time being until my skin gets better.

I suspect it’s from all the new cleansers and moisturizers I’ve been introducing, as well as having final papers and exams.

It’s only been two days and this cleanser has made my skin soft and supple again! When I finish this tube, I can definitely see myself repurchasing it. It’s done wonders for my skin and never fails!

This product is very reliable and no matter how many new products I try, this will always be a staple on my bathroom counter. After trying this, I definitely want to delve further into trying more Kiehl’s products!
yay-nay-or-meh

Yay!

Thanks for reading,

Carmen

 


Filed Under: face Tagged: beauty, beauty blog, beauty blogger, beauty review, combination skin, face wash, facial wash, kiehl's, normal skin, oily skin, skincare

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