smooth skin Archives - Curiously Carmen

Jealous Coffee and Coconut Body Scrub

March 18, 2015

Helloooo everyone!

I’ve always wanted to try out coffee scrubs, as I found out during my barista days that scrubbing coffee grinds all over your body has great benefits, including improved skin texture, better blood circulation, get rid of cellulite, plus much more!

Jealous Body Scrub is a new company based out of my beautiful hometown of Vancouver, Canada. For now, they only have one type of body scrub which is the coconut and coffee, but are working on coming out with other products. Their products are also all online based, and currently do not have any in-person stores.

Upon opening this, I was greeted with a strong smell of fresh coffee. Coffee is supposed to smell lovely, but after spending long shifts at a coffee shop and coming home smelling like stale coffee, you will slowly start to be numb to the “invigorating” smell of coffee and can find it quite “meh”. Let me know in the comments if you’ve been a barista before and if you understand what I’m talking about.

However, in this case, the coffee smelled really fresh so I didn’t mind the smell =)

Among coconut oil and ground premium coffee, Jealous body scrub also has vitamin e, raw brown sugar, sea salt, and minerals. As all of the ingredients are natural, it is recommended that customers finish this within six months to preserve freshness and quality.

Coffee grounds: Reduces the appearance of cellulite, eczema, stretch marks, age spots, varicose veins, psoriasis, and acne
Brown sugar & sea salt: Exfoliates and gets rid of dead skin cells
Cold pressed organic coconut oil: Moisturizes skin
Vitamin e: Protects and repairs skin

The steps of using this scrub is very easy!

1. Step into the shower
2. Rinse your body using soap, etc
3. Scoop a handful of Jealous and scrub it in a circular motion. (For a full body scrub, use 2-3 scoops!)
4. Wait 5-10 minutes for the miraculous effects to take place
5. Rinse!

Since this is made as an exfoliant, I have to warn you that the scrub is quite abrasive and harsh so be gentle when you are scrubbing this onto your body. Do not use it over injured skin or it will probably really hurt! For myself, I enjoyed the abrasiveness as I knew that meant my skin would be perfectly exfoliated and fresh when stepping out of the shower.

I’m giving you a warning now that this scrub will get very messy! While in the shower, I got some of it on the wall and on my shower curtain. Make sure you give the tub and walls a good rinse or spray or the next person using the tub will think you’re a disgusting, filthy creature who got “dirt” everywhere!

Now, the result?

AH-MAZING. Seriously, this stuff works wonders. My skin was exfoliated and felt rejuvenated afterwards. Due to the vitamin e and coconut oil, my skin was also very moisturized. Your skin feels like a newborn baby’s, it is that amazing.

Your skin also smells faintly of coffee afterwards. For me, that was odd since I’m used to constantly trying to get rid of the coffee smell after my barista shift.

There has been so much well-deserved hype for Jealous body scrub, I can’t wait to see what other products they will be launching! For once, getting jealous is a good thing. 😉 Check out their website here!

Thanks for reading!

-Carmen

Press product featured, all opinions are my own.

Cetaphil DermaControl Review & Giveaway (Ended)

January 18, 2015

Hi everyone!

I am so excited to be holding my first giveaway! My blog is turning one soon (January 30th, to be exact) and I wanted to do something here to celebrate it. Perfect timing to do this giveaway, so thanks to Canadian Beauty Bloggers & Cetaphil for the opportunity! Cetaphil will always hold a special place in my heart as it was the first face cleanser I’ve used, so there was a bit of nostalgia while writing this post.

Please keep in mind this is my first giveaway, I am welcome to suggestions on how I can improve it.

Keep reading on this product and how to win!

The Cetaphil DermaControl line is specifically formulated for oily, combination or blemish-prone skin… right up my alley (unfortunately? haha!). The special ingredient in this is zinc, which apparently absorbs oil really well and provides a shine-free, matte finish. Let’s see how it does!

I was a bit hesitant as to how effective it would be, but as I mentioned before, I used to be a big fan of Cetaphil in my puberty days and knew that their products were always great. For the sake of this review, I went back to basics and used only these two products for a week, before mixing these products in with my other skincare favourites!

First up, was the oil control foam wash. The scent was slightly medicinal, and had a light and airy feel to it. I agree that it was very gentle and would be suitable for those with sensitive skin!

My skin did not feel dry after using this product, and felt moisturized! I felt like this was a good everyday wash if you don’t wear heavy foundation. Otherwise, I don’t think it will be enough to take off heavy face makeup.

After using the cleanser, I followed up with the oil control moisturizer. I liked how the moisturizer was lightweight and non-greasy. Just like the cleanser, the moisturizer did not have any fragrance or perfume to it. It smelled a bit like sunscreen due to the SPF 30, but wasn’t as thick as sunscreen.

I used this every morning for a week while going to work to establish a regular routine. I chose to do this when I was back in the office as I noticed that my skin tends to get oily around 1pm. If my skin was not very oily in the afternoon while I was work, I knew that the cleanser and moisturizer had done its job!

Cetaphil foam wash back — Back of the Cetaphil Derma Control foam cleanser!

For the first day I used this, my skin was amazingly not oily by the time 1 pm rolled around! I was quite surprised, as I had gotten used to having to blot my face but I didn’t have to. For the rest of the day, my skin did not get oily or shiny! But I thought maybe this was beginners luck… nope!

For the next week using this product, I am happy to say that it these two products did an amazing job at combating my oily skin. I love how these two products are very gentle and mess free to use! I’m not sure how well this product works for non oily/blemish prone skin, but I can say without doubt that this product will do a great job at making you oil and shine free for hours and hours!

Cetaphil moisturizer back — Back of the Cetaphil Derma Control Moisturizer!

Oh Cetaphil, how much I’ve missed you. Sometimes it’s great to go back to basics and your beauty roots. I’m glad that I did too. Thank you Canadian Beauty Bloggers and Cetaphil for giving me this opportunity! Click on their names to read more =)

How to enter:

Comment on this post below and let me know:
- The first skincare brand used
- And how old you were!
Go on Instagram (@curiouslycarmen) and like my giveaway photo, and comment with the first skincare brand used and at what age
You don’t have to do both, but it will increase your chance of winning!
This information is not used for marketing purposes, I’m just curious and want a fun/personable way to host this giveaway, as Cetaphil was the first brand I personally tried!

Giveaway fine print:

Prizes: One travel sized Cetaphil DermaControl Oil Control Foam Wash & One travel sized Cetaphil DermaControl Oil Control Moisturizer SPF 30 (Same as the two products I just wrote on!)
Open to Canadian residents only
Must be of legal age in your province or territory of residence
Winner will be contacted by e-mail and announced on February 1, 2015 (So be sure to leave a valid email when commenting. If entered through Instagram, I will contact you via private message!)
If you are the winner (yay!), you will need to provide me with your mailing address and phone number as well
Questions: Leave a comment or email me at hello@curiouslycarmen.com / leave me a message on Instagram

Thanks for reading and best of luck!

-Carmen

An InLinkz Link-up

Bliss Fabulous Foaming Face Wash

January 11, 2015

Harroooo everyone! =)

About a month ago, I told you all about my Black Friday Sephora mini haul. One of the items I bought during the sale, which I briefly mentioned in that post, was the Bliss fabulous foaming face wash, a 2 in 1 cleanser and exfoliator.

It was one of those items where I wasn’t planning on buying it, but I saw that it was on sale for 50% off and had great reviews. I took too long deciding whether or not to buy it, and when I went to checkout, I found it was sold out along with all the other products I wanted =(

But when I went to Sephora in person the following day, I was happy to find that they had plenty in store, for the same sale price! I got it for $12 canadian, usually it is $24.

Because Sephora is always better at marketing a product than I am, here is what they say- “Bliss Fabulous Foaming Face Wash harnesses the power of botanical soothing technology and super soft exfoliating beads to deliver a simply sensational skincare solution. This bestselling, oil-free purifier instantly dissolves excess oil and makeup and lifts away dead cells, leaving skin clean, nourished, and fresh.”

Maybe because I read so many great reviews on this product, I was expecting more than it delivered. Some people claimed that this product instantly melted away their entire face makeup, so I was really excited to try it because having difficulty removing makeup when you just want to go sleep is a pain!

I tried this a few times when I had full coverage makeup on, it did not remove all my makeup easily. It also did not come off instantly, I had to scrub. It also said that it is an exfoliator, but I see this as a cleanser because it doesn’t do a great job in exfoliating.

I think this face wash would be good on a daily basis, but if you are wearing full coverage, I would recommend something else. My Lush Herbalism cleanser does an amazing job at taking off makeup, clearing breakouts, making my skin tone even, etc… it is truly a magical product. Actually, even my $3 St. Ives Apricot Scrub does a better job at exfoliating and taking off my makeup LOL!

I really liked the light scent it had, it was very refreshing. The gel formula also had a bit of a cooling sensation. This did not dry out my face at all, and felt really moisturized after usage.

For $24 regular price, I don’t think I would buy it again because it’s not worth the price to me. There are products out there that are definitely better at removing makeup, and for a better price as well. However, I am glad that I tried it and I’ll probably finish the bottle eventually because it’s not a bad product. I just had higher hopes for it! =)

What are your favourite face washes? Let me know in the comments down below!

-Carmen