Today's Beauty and Hair Product Mini Haul

I got a few beauty / hair products today and I wanted to share my mini haul. 

I will review all the products in the near future once I have used the products.

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L'oreal Paris Hair Expertise (Total Repair 5 Night Elixir) - $5.96
" Rinse-Free Night Elixir Total Repair 5 Night Elixir intensely nourishes your hair overnight without wearing it down"

I heard from a friend this stuff was amazing! So I definitely had to try it out ! The directions on the bottle say to apply 1-2 pumps at night and work through hair. Do not rinse. I got a $2 OFF coupon on the L'oreal website and I will post if the coupon still available (I can't locate it on the L'Oreal website right now).

TREsemme Heat Tamer Spray - $5.26
"This Product guards against heat and friction to keep your hair shiny and incredibly soft"

I read reviews about this product and was recommended by some beauty guru's on youtube. I have been looking this for a while now and  I finally found it. The instructions say to spray liberally 6-8 inches from mid-shaft to ends of hair. You can use this product for dry or damp hair to protect your hair from heat damage from curling or flat-ironing. I am currently using Joico K-PAK style Smoothing Balm and I don't really feel like I get the product evenly through my hair. I was drawn to the TREsemme heat tamer because it comes in a spray bottle that will help distribute the heat tamer through my hair evenly.


St. Ives -  Green Tea Scrub - $3.27
"This scrubs with smoothing green tea gently fights blemishes and allows skin to heal"

This is a new product by St. Ives and I wanted to try out. I have been using their other apricot scrubs to exfoliate my skin for many years. I normally exfoliate my skin1-2 times a week, alternating between a thick and thin exfoliating scrub. I love how smooth and clean my skin feels after using their scrubs. It is also an inexpensive product which is a big plus since it a must have in my skin care routine.


Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Xtreme Wear Nail Polish (200 Strobe Light) - $2.77
This nail polish caught my eye in the nail polish aisle. Lately I've been obsessed with glitter nail polishes. In general I find that Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Xtreme Wear Nail Polish line is go on smoothly, and doesn't chip very easily. I definitely would recommend this line for anyone that looking for an inexpensive nail polish to add to their collection.


Kiehls Lip Blam #1 SPF 4 (Mango) - $11
"Temporarily protects and helps relieve chapped or cracked lips. Helos protect lips from the drying effects of wing and wold weather. Apply liberally to lops and allow an excess of the balm to be asorbed"

In April Keihls was having a promotion where you could exchange an old cosmetic container for a $10 Keihls gift card. So I actually purchased this lip balm for $1.13 !! They had several scents available: mint, pear, cranberry, mango, vanilla...and that's all I remember. I picked the mango because it smelled the yummiest ! I have heard great reviews about this lip balm as well so I thought I would try it out since it would cost me next to nothing !

Queene Helene Mint Julep Mask vs Freeman Mint & Lemon Clay Mask

I have been using both Queene Helene Mint Julep Mask and  Freeman Mint & Lemon Clay Mask for a few months now and decided to review them. Both clay masks are useful to help tighten pores, rinse away black heads, dry up pimples, reduce oil production and draw out impurities.

I have oily skin in the summer so these products are a must have summer product for me ! I normally use clay masks once a week in the summer and in the winter1-2 times a month.

Queen Helene Mint Julep Mask ($6.95 @ TBBS)

This product is readily available in the states at CVS and Target (Etc). However, this is not the case for me. I could only find it at the Toronto Barber and Beauty Supply downtown Toronto). I like how it comes in a tube where you can control the amount you can squeeze out. However... the formula is thicker than the Freeman's so sometimes its difficult control the amount of product that comes out. I like the smell of the product, its nice and minty sort of like toothpaste (so the smell may not be for everyone).It goes on smooth and takes 10-15 minutes to dry. After rinsing it off I noticed that my pore look smaller, the amount of white and black heads are reduced, and I am not as oily the following days.

Pro's - product does everything it claims to do, smells nice, easy to apply
Con's - not readily accessible at retail stores
Overall Rating - 5/5
Would I repurchase again? - Yes


Freeman Mint & Lemon Clay Mask ($3 @ Walmart)
This product is readily available at Walmart and Loblaws (etc). Again, I like how the product is in a tube so it is easy to control the amount of product you want. The formula is "thinner" compared to the Queen Helene so you may need to use more product to achieve a thick overall coverage of your face.  The product smells minty with a hint of lemon scent. The product goes on smoothy and takes 10-15 minutes to dry. This product also achieves the same outcomes as the Queen Helene mask, my pore look smaller, the amount of white and black heads are reduced, and I am not as oily the following days. Sometimes I find this product irritates my forehead as it dries, I am not sure if this is due to the product it self or the process of the product drying.

Pro's -product does everything it claims to do, smells nice, easy to apply, readily available, great price
Con's - product does not apply on thick so you may have to use more product to achieve a thick mask
Overall Rating - 4.5 / 5
Would I repurchase again? - Yes

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I would likely keep repurchasing the Freeman Clay Mask because it is more readily available and the price is less than the Queen Helene Clay Mask. It achieves the same outcome as the Queen Helene Clay Mask and cost 1/2 the price, so I don't feel the need to spend the extra money (it not much difference but in the long run it adds up). I gave the Queen Helene a higher rating because I like how the formula is thicker than the Freeman Clay Mask so I didn't need to use as much product. Both products are great I would recommend both products to anyone you just need to see which formula works best for your skin.

Overdue Post - London March 2011

I just wanted to share some photos from my trip to London, England on my blog since people have been asking to see pictures. Yes I have been extremely lazy with this blog but I will definitely put more effort in uploading !!

Overall I had an amazing time in London, England. Shopping is very expensive but of course I did shop!! I didn't do a lot of splurging like I did when  I was in Paris. Of course I went to TOPSHOP !! I loved everything their especially there accessories !!  PRIMARK is also an awesome store, a lot of inexpensive clothes, purses, shoes and accessories.

I went to several museums but my favorite was the British Natural History Museum. I definitely recommend going to that museum if you are in London. Of course I did a lot of touristy things but luckily my friend took us to see more of the local places I don't think I would have found by myself ! Enough of my rambling now onto the photos !!

 The famous Clock Tower or better known as "Big Ben".

The streets of London at night (I forgot where the picture was taken will update)

 Regent Street is lined with boutiques and shops.

 

Tower Bridge

 The lobby of the British Natural History Museum. This place was HUGE, I would definitely go back again and take more time to look at everything.
 

 I am standing in front of the gates leading to Buckingham Palace.

There were beautiful parks near by Buckingham Palace where this picture was taken. It felt so magical being there because everything was so beautiful. I could have spent all day just admiring everything around me.

discontinued + limited quanities = instant purchase

I couldn't say no when the sales rep at Tiffany and Co. told me the 8mm bead bracelet was now discontinued and only had 3 left in the store. I thought it would be nice to treat myself to an early Christmas present ! I haven't worked up the courage to open the box (until now). I should have stuck with my original plan to get only the box wrapped. *sighs* Anyways... since it's the holiday season they had to option of the regular white ribbon or the red ribbon. Of course I had to get the red !

November 2010 Favourites and Regrets

At the start of every new month I will do a review regarding my favourite products and products I regret. These are just my opinions, these products may or may not work for you. I encourage everyone to do more research regarding the products if they are interested in them =]

November Product Favourites

ELF STUDIO 11 Piece Brush Set
 
I don't even know how to start to describe how much I love these brushes ! My favourite on is the flat top powder brush (#6) and the complexion brush (#2)! They are so soft, the dye doesn't bleed when you wash them and they don't shed ! On the ELF website it sells for $30, I actually found my set at Winners for $24.99 !!






 EOS Smooth Sphere Lip Balm (Summer Fruit)
The packaging is what made me want to buy this product ! (And I heard a lot of amazing reviews about it). I tend to have dry lips and this is more moisturizing than most lip balm I have used in the past. I do not need to reapply this as often as other drug store lip balms I have previously used. You can purchase this at select RW&CO (my friend picked mine up at Yorkdale) and select shoppers drug mart.

 



November Products I Regrets

My Beauty Diary Sheet Mask (Black Cherry Chocolate)
 
I love the My Beauty Diary sheet masks, however I do not really like the smell of the black cherry chocolate mask. The sheet mask does its job, made my skin less dull and my skin felt moisturized afterwards.What I regret is buying soo many  *sighs* !!! I was hoping it would have a cherry scent to it as well which it does not </3.

Introduction

I started this blog to share with others about things I am currently loving or hating, and reviews about new products I have purchased. Also to share with others my experience when I travel (Where to go, What to do, What and Where to eat etc). I hope you all enjoy reading my blog and I would love to hear feedback =]

<3 carmen