Shoppers Drug Mart Haul, New Skincare Items

June 2, 2020June 1, 2020 littlebeautyloves3 Comments

It has been a while that I’ve been online shopping and even longer than that I’ve been online looking for skincare and makeup. However, two weeks ago I was browsing on the Shoppers Drug Mart App and couldn’t help but want to pick up a few new items. Although I’ve cut down on my purchases of skincare and makeup a lot from a few years ago, it’s nice every once and while to see what’s new out there.

Here’s what I bought;

Indeed Laboratories Skincare

ShoppersHaulMay2020_LBL (3)

While looking online I noticed that Indeed Laboratories was having a sale. The prices are pretty affordable in the first place so I thought it was a good opportunity to try them out. Indeed is a Canadian Skincare company that is designed to bring results for every skin concern to people of all ages and with all different needs. I thought it could be fun to test these over the next few weeks and share a review of them on the blog.

Here are the items I grabbed from Indeed Laboratories

Exfoliator II Facial Powder Exfoliator
Indeed Nanoblur Instant Skin Perfector
Hydraluron Moisture Serum
Hydraluron Moisture Jelly (this was a free gift with purchase)
Retinol Reface Skin Resurfacer
Collagen Booster

Vichy Laboratories Mineral 89

ShoppersHaulMay2020_LBL (5)

I’ve always had samples of this product and really enjoyed it. This combines Vichy’s Mineralizing water, and natural origin hyaluronic acid to hydrate and plump the skin. I love using this under makeup as a hydrating primer or with moisturizer to add more hydration.

Wet N’Wild Megaglo Makeup Stick Contour in Oak’s on You

ShoppersHaulMay2020_LBL (6)

I usually use powder contour but I find it leaves my skin looking dry so I decided to try cream contour. Since it’s not something I usually wear all the time I figured I would get something that was more affordable.

Samples

ShoppersHaulMay2020_LBL (9)

I also received some deluxe and regular samples with my purchase. I got the Darphin Aromatic Care essential oil which helps soothe, protect and restore natural radiance to sensitive, redness-prone skin. Marc Jacobs Decadence Eau De Toilette, a nice fresh fragrance that I’ll throw into my bags. Clinique Moisture Surge Eye that helps the skin around the eye replenish moisture and plump fine lines.

So here are all the items from my recent haul. Look out for an Indeed Review on the blog soon! Let me know if you’ve been doing any online shopping or shopping in general!

Lots of Love,
Dal

Bye Bye Empties, March & April 2020

May 20, 2020May 19, 2020 littlebeautyloves5 Comments

When I went in Quarantine in March I didn’t think I would have many products in my empties. I wasn’t wearing makeup as frequently and simplified a lot of skincare routine so I didn’t expect to have many empties so I decided to combine March & April. Well, when I pulled out my empties bin, I realized I had used up (or thrown out) a lot more products than I thought!

Here’s what I used up!

Skincare

Consonant Come Clean Makeup Wipes. I’m working my way through disposable makeup removing wipes now that I’ve discovered the Makeup Eraser and ProCIV Makeup Remover Pad which are reusable. You can read my review here. These are really great wipes and I would definitely recommend them if you like makeup remover wipes.

JEJU Volcanic Lava Pore Mud Pack. I’ve had this clay mask for a few years and while I do love it for deep cleaning my pores it did end up drying up so I have to dispose of it. I currently have a few other clay masks that I have been using so I won’t be repurchasing this.

CoverFX Custom Infusion Drops A+ Jasmine Anti-Aging. These are great drops to add to your skincare or makeup routine. The serum helps to hydrate and is very easy to blend into the skin. I would add a few drops of this to my thicker moisturizer to help thin it out a bit. I tried to find this on the CoverFX website but I can’t find this exact formula I wonder if it might be discontinued. Anyways, since this first released there have been a lot of awesome serums and drops that are much more affordable and are easy to find. I have one from The Ordinary that I’ve been enjoying. I won’t be repurchasing the CoverFX one.

Murad Nutrient-Charged Water Gel. This is a deluxe sample that came in the set you could get through Sephora’s Rewards Bazar by exchanging points. I got four Murad sample items in this set and the first item I used up was the water gel. I enjoyed this product. It was light, hydrating and very smooth. I got about 4 uses which for me helps me see if the product will work for me and my skin type. While I really did like this product and would repurchase, I recently made a big skincare purchase that I’ll be sharing and testing on the blog soon!

Shiseido Benefiance Extra Creamy Cleansing Foam. I love gentle cleansers and this one is definitely up there with Fresh Soy Cleanser. What is a bit different about this product is that it has little smooth granules that have Bio-Hyaluronic Acid (developed by Shiseido) that melt as you wash your face to leave it really hydrated. Anytime this product goes on sale or is sold in a set with other products in the Benefiance range I always pick it up.

Makeup

Benefit Cosmetics BadGal Bang Mascara. I have quite a few sample size mascaras that I’ve been working my way through. I have a full review of this mascara on the blog that you can read here. I generally like the formula of the mascara and the design of the wand so I would repurchase this.

Lancome Monsieur Big Mascara. Here is another sample size mascara I had in my collection I was using up. This is one of my most favourite mascaras but bristles on this sample one stuck together so they didn’t apply the mascara, as well as the full-size one, did. I would repurchase the full-size version of this.

Clarins Supra Mascara. Yet another sample size mascara, I seem to have a lot of these in my collection! This is a good everyday mascara. I liked the formula and the brush style but I guess compared to the other two above it wasn’t as dramatic. I would not repurchase this.

NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in French Fries and Yogurt. I have a full review of these products which you can read here. While I do like these eye pencils I don’t know that I’m into eye pencil shadows like these the same as I was before. I have a set from NudeStix as well that I don’t use very much because they slide off my eyelids. I won’t repurchase these.

Physicians Formula Super BB Instaready Bronzer. After many project pans and mentions on the blog, I’ve finally used up my bronzer! I was really excited when I used this up and then I realized I didn’t have another bronzer like it to replace it so I’m going to repurchase this one, or at least try the butter bronzer.

Hair Care

Amika Reset Exfoliating Jelly Shampoo. This is another deluxe sample I received from a Sephora purchase I made a while back. I thought this could work as a great way to deep clean my scalp since I wash my hair only a few times a week. Strangely enough, I think it made my hair feel greasy more quickly. It might just be because my scalp isn’t used this type of formula but I think I’ll pass on repurchasing this.

Pantene Pro-V Ultimate BB Cream. This is a fantastic cream that I find myself repurchasing over and over. Back in the early days of my blog, I shared a review of this that you can read here. I really enjoy this product for when I heat style my hair and when I leave it natural but just want to tame the frizz or add some nutrients to my hair. I would repurchase this.

Caviar Anti-Aging Leave-in Conditioner. This is a very good product that I used quite a bit after washing my hair. It helps to keep my hair moisturized. This is a product that I would apply to the tips of my hair to help prevent split ends. I would repurchase this.

Other Items

Marvis Toothpaste in Cinnamon Mint. Another one of my toothpaste from Marvis is used up! I love cinnamon and this tastes like a cinnamon heart. This is the last of my Marvis toothpaste that is empty and I’ve since switched back to traditional toothpaste brands such as Colgate. BUT I think I would repurchase this sometime in the future.

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So there you have it! My empties from March & April. I am really impressed with what I’ve used up.

What was in your empties for March and April?

Lots of Love,
Dal

Huda Beauty Warm Brown Obsessions: Palette Collection Review Series

April 8, 2020April 7, 2020 littlebeautyloves1 Comment

I haven’t done one of these posts in a while and it’s because last year I went on a no-buy and didn’t purchase any new palettes. I did receive some from my birthday and through my subscription boxes but I haven’t truly tested any until recently. Being at home for the last few weeks I haven’t been doing my makeup but every once in a while I do apply something just to give me something to do. I’ve been playing with the Huda Beauty Obessessions Palette here and there so I figured why not share my thoughts on it!

What it is

A range of compact eyeshadow palettes, expertly curated by Huda herself, offering beauty lovers a complete day-to-night eye color wardrobe. (sephora.ca)

Price

$36.00 CAD (11.7g – $3.08/g) The size of the palette is pretty misleading because you get way more product in here than I would have thought, 11.7g is on pare with my Alamar Palette and that one looks like it has more product because the palette itself is larger. I bought this when it went on sale, I think it was $22.00 – $26.00 CAD at the time.

Packaging

I love the compact packaging of this product. It’s about 2.5″x2.5″ so you can easily throw it into your makeup case and it won’t take up space, yet you have 9 shades to work with within the palette. The packaging feels sturdy and well-built. It has a super clear mirror on the inside as well. The outside is smartly designed too. It has an image of all the shades so if you have more than one palette you can easily distinguish between them. It’s not super glitzy, or over the top in terms of the design but it is practical.

Colour

I have the warm brown version of this palette, but there 14 palettes in total from the obsessions line so there is something for everyone I think. I gravitate towards these types of shades so I find I’ll get really good use out of them. I like the selection of colours in here too, there is a beige shade that I can use all over my lid, shades I can put into my crease, berries and browns that I can see myself wearing everyday and a glittery, gold-copper shade to pop on the lid when I want a little something extra. The individual shades don’t have names so I’ve put stars* next to some of my faves.

Application & Wear

This is my first palette from Huda Beauty and I quite like it. The shadows are not super dusty but they have a small amount of kick-up, nothing to be too concerned with. They apply easily on the lids, and it’s very easy to build them up because they blend smoothly without sticking to any part of my lid. Having a deeper set crease I usually get into issues with shadow clumping on certain parts of my crease and I have to really blend that area but I didn’t have issues with this doing that. They apply lightly so you can build up the colour to the intensity you want without it feeling heavy.

I was able to put together a few looks with this palette and wear them all day and it looked really good! Now, with everyone staying home I wasn’t able to test it with a full day of work, or being outside and have the elements mess with my makeup so it’s not a usual wear-test for me but it did well when wearing it at home for 8-9 hours. I’m sure it would do alright

Using the matte shades in the palette

For this look I applied the gold shimmer shade over the lid

My Thoughts

I really like this eyeshadow palette enough that I would get it in other shades. This reminds my of the Smashbox Covershot Palettes that I love so dearly, but the formula of this might even be better than those ones. I would maybe wait for more of these to go on sale and collect them that way because it is pricey. It would be nice to eventually switch out some bulky palettes I have for these more compact ones.

Do you have this palette or any other of the Huda Beauty Obsessions Palette? What do you think of them? What do you think of my compact style palettes?

Lots of Love,
Dal

Sampling About, Using up my Sample Packets

March 16, 2020March 15, 2020 littlebeautyloves7 Comments

At the beginning of the year, I thought about doing another Project Pan, but after looking at my beauty items I thought the one thing that seems to add to the overflow is my collection of sample packets. Now, I loved collecting samples whenever I went shopping at any beauty related store because I always thought it was a great way to try out products or to carry something easy to dispose of while on vacation. After years of collecting, I just find that a LOT of this stuff isn’t being used up so I figured why not just pull them all out and focus on using them up over the next few months and just clear them from my collection.

Now, I’m currently working from home for the next few weeks due to the rising fear of COVID-19 so I figured I would put extra focus on these items. It’ll be a good way for me to focus on something fun during this time and maybe I can provide some updates along the way of what I use up.

On a serious note, my work decided to promote social distancing and asked those who can work from home do so. I just wanted to take this opportunity to ask you to stay safe and pay attention to your local government’s update. There is a lot of information out there on COVID-19 and I encourage you to read creditable sources on what to do in your area so that we can protect the most vulnerable in our communities.

On to my Samples! I’m going to divide these into a few categories so that it’s easier to follow. I’ll include how many I have of each so that as I use them up I can update the counter.

Makeup and Makeup Prep

Smashbox Original Primer x1
Elizabeth Arden Cleanser x1
YSL Primer x2

Benefit Concealer x1
Philosophy Cleanser x1
Glamglow Cleanser x1

Body Care

Josie Maran Body Butter x2
Nivea Care Cream x2

Nuxe Body Oil x1

Hair Care

John Frieda Hair Care set x1

dpHUE Scalp Scrub x1

Moisturizer

Teology Matcha Cream x1
Tatcha Moisturizer x1
No7 Skin Paste x1

Glamglow Moisturizer x1
Jowai Youth Concentration x2
Biotherm Gel x1

Serum and Other Creams

Neostrata Night Serum x1
Neostrata Eye Cream x1
Shiseido Ultimune x1
Shiseido Serum x1
Vichy Mineral 89 x1
Marcelle 2in1 serum x1
Elizabeth Arden Serum x2

Clarins Double Serum x5
Biotherm Elixir x2
Kose Sekkisei Gel x1
Kose Sekkisei Mask x1
Lancome Genifique x1
Filorga Serum x1

I can’t wait to use all these products up!

Lots of Love,
Dal

FabFitFun, Spring 2020 Edition

March 12, 2020March 12, 2020 littlebeautylovesLeave a comment

FabfitFun (“FFF”) is a seasonal subscription service with beauty, skincare, fitness, health, jewelry and other items. The box comes with a magazine that shares articles on life, health, beauty etc. as well as details on all the products in the box. The boxes are valued at over $200 US.

For prices and membership breakdown head over to my first FabFitFun post here

I am an annual member so I get to chose 5 out of the 8 items in the box and while I think I got some good items I wasn’t really excited with the selection this season overall. I’ll get more into that below. I’ll include a note if this was something I chose or if it was an item that the FabFitFun team chose for me.

On to what I got!

ReVive Light Therapy Glo Wrinkle and Anti-Ageing Light Device
MSRP: $68.00 USD
I chose this item

This multi-wave light helps to stimulate collagen and elastin. I was pretty intrigued by this product and wanted to give it a shot. Compared to the other options which included a tote bag and a sweater coat this one sounded the most interesting. I’ll have to try it out for 3-4 weeks and maybe give this a review on the blog since the device is new to me.

Murad Rapid Collagen Infusion
MSRP: $78.00 USD
I chose this item

This treatment minimizes the look of lines and wrinkles and is formulated with collagen. I never say no to skincare, especially if it can improve the look of my skin. I took a look across a few websites including Sephora, Ulta, and Murad and generally the reviews are pretty positive for this product. I hope it works well!

Cosmedix Pure C Vitamin C Mixing Crystals
MSRP: $54.00 USD
I chose this item

Now here’s where I started to get a bit unsatisfied with the selection of items I could choose from. There was a coin necklace, a weighted sleep mask, a mask set, body scrub and this item. I wasn’t really drawn to anything but ended up picking Cosmedix Pure C.

The Cosmedix Pure C is 100% L-Ascorbic Acid which you can add into your night time serum or moisturizer to boost their results. This is meant to brighten the skin and reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. I kinda did a process of elimination when choosing this item but after reading a bit more about it I’m happy that I picked this. I think it’s an interesting concept and will give it a try.

Aria Beauty Luxe Detangling Electroplated Brush
MSRP: $35.00 USD
I chose this item

From all the options I chose a brush. I didn’t care for the body oil, or tea towels (although now I wish I picked these instead) or a hair remedy. It looked very luxe in the photos and the price suggested it would be fancy. Having it with my now, it feels really lightweight and not very special. The bristles feel a bit flimsy too. I like paddle brushes so I’ll use this but it doesn’t feel as good as others I have. I got one from Winners that was $14.00 CAD (so like $10 US) that feels heftier than this. This is a meh type of product.

Lovescript Body Wash
MSRP: $28.00 USD
I chose this item

Again, another product that I chose because I didn’t really care for the other options (sensing a trend here?). I love body wash so I know I’m going to like this, but really, $28.00?! I have great body washes that cost me less than $10.00 so I don’t know what is so special about this product. It doesn’t claim to have any special ingredients or do anything, other than to lather up. Anyways, I’ll test it out and see how I like.

This Work’s Deep Sleep Body Cocoon
MSRP: $40.00 USD
FFF chose this item

Now, this was a product I wanted and was really excited I got. I love products that have some aromatherapy ingredients to help me relax at the end of the night. I love the Aveda Stress-Fix lotion and the Deep Sleep Body Cocoon sounds like it’s very similar. This has Shea Butter, Crambe, Camelia and Sativa oils that help to nourish the skin and Lavender, Chamomile and Vetivert to help you calm and relax before and while you sleep. I’ve very excited about this.

Chich & Tonic Silicone Straws
MSRP: $15.00 USD
FFF chose this item

I’m not really into silicone straws. The texture feels weird to me and I feel like I can taste silicone on my lips when I use them. I also find that little fuzzies like to cling to silicone. Basically, I don’t like them. I’d rather use metal straws. I will hold on to the brush cleaner since I can definitely use that and I’ll keep the straws for a picnic because the colours are so cute but they won’t be used daily.

Purlisse Watermelon Energizing Two Minute Polishing Peel
MSRP: $35.00 USD
FFF Chose this item

This face mask contains watermelon, antioxidant blackberry, cranberry and elderberry, for anti-ageing and natural radiance. It also has glycolic acid to smooth the skin. It has a physical exfoliant using pumice (a type of volcanic rock) as the scrubber to remove impurities. I don’t mind physical exfoliants but I know that not everyone does. Hopefully, this isn’t irritating but I’m pretty happy to get this in my box to try out.

My Thoughts

So there is my Spring FabFitFun Box, some items I’m really excited about while others are just so-so or downright blah! I guess next time I’ll try to choose more wisely so that I get items I know I’ll enjoy. My sister received the Spring Box and she opted for travel packing bags that I thought were really useful. Next time, I won’t opt for hair tools that I can easily buy somewhere else. The skincare items are good though!

Total Value: $353.00 USD ($482.00 CAD)

Do you subscribe to FabFitFun? What did you receive in your Spring 2020 Box?

Lots of Love,
Dal

Bye Bye Empties, February 2020

March 5, 2020March 4, 2020 littlebeautyloves12 Comments

February was a fun birthday month for me. I spent a week celebrating with family and friends. The weather was cold but not so much in comparison to the years before. We had a few snowstorms but it didn’t stick in the city. Towards the end of February, I went up to Blue Mountain Ski Resort with my company for their annual ski trip. That was a lot of fun. I don’t ski but I do enjoy hanging out with everyone from my office. It was very snowy and beautiful up there. Now it looks like spring is around the corner with rain and milder temperatures.

When I looked at my empties for this month I was surprised that I used up so little items but I thought I’d share regardless. On to what I used up for February!

Skincare

Vasanti BrightenUp! Glow Boosting Serum. I reviewed this on the blog back in July 2019 which you can read here. I used this to the last drop and enjoyed it so much! This has a very light texture that isn’t oily and absorbs quickly into the skin. It left me feeling hydrated and I feel like after some time of use it really kept my skin radiant. I would repurchase this.

Haircare

Marajo Anti Frizz Smoothing Serum Capsules. This is an item I received in my December 2018 Boxycharm, and like I said when I first received this the capsules had too much product for my short hair. I’d use only about half the capsule and the rest I would toss out because there wasn’t a way I could store the open capsule without the oil getting everywhere. I really wish they would put this into a pump or tube to make it easier to control how much oil you use. Plus it’s very pricey for only 10 uses ($18 US). Otherwise, this was a really good product. It smoothed out my hair without weighing it down. It did tame my frizz and worked exceptionally well when I styled my hair. I won’t be repurchasing this because of the waste in the product and because it is expensive for me.

Body Care

Dial Coconut Water Hydrating Body Wash. I can’t recall where I got this from but this body wash is amazing! I loved how it smelled, how it lathered, and how hydrating it is. I even used this as a bubble bath and it was perfect. Sometimes you don’t need a fancy body wash to do all the things you need. I would repurchase this.

Aveeno Positively Radiant Body Lotion. This is an item I reviewed back in April of 2018 which you can read here. Since I’m always rotating my beauty products around, this took a bit of time to use up. I really enjoyed this. Although the consistency is thick is absorbed quickly into my skin and left me feeling super hydrated. I especially loved this after shaving because it would gently moisturize my skin. I would repurchase this.

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There you have it! My little collection of empties for February. Looking at the items, a lot of them were full-sized products that usually do take me a few months to get through so I’m pretty happy with what I used up. I imagine March will have more empties because I have a lot of smaller sized items that I am using up this month.

What items did you use up in February?

Lots of Love,
Dal

Makeup Eraser & ProCIV Reusable Pad Review

February 13, 2020February 13, 2020 littlebeautyloves6 Comments

I received the Makeup Eraser in my Winter FabFitFun box. I had seen a lot of great reviews about this product so when I got it I was very excited to give it a try. Another item I had seen good reviews about that I wanted to share is the ProCIV Makeup Remover Pads from Amazon. I figured since they were both reusable cleansing products I would share my thoughts in one post.

Makeup Eraser

First, let’s talk about the Makeup Eraser (check it out here). I have only been using this for about a month and a half but it’s seriously become a staple product in my face cleansing routine. It has a long oval shape with soft fabric on both sides of the cloth. It’s large enough that I can use it 4-5 times before I need to wash it.

How I use this

I only need to use a small section of the cloth each time I use it so I mentally divide it into quarters and use each side on a different day. I might be able to use this a 5th or 6th time if I go back into the areas in between the quarters I did not use. I use this at the end of the day by dampening the cloth with warm water and gently rubbing it on my face. At first, I was worried I would tug at my skin too much but I’ve started to become comfortable with applying the right pressure to remove my makeup without tugging my face.

The cloth has different textures on each side. One side has short fibres for removing makeup and the other side has long ones for exfoliating.

I use the short fibre side to remove all my makeup and cleanse my face and then flip to the other side to help exfoliate my skin to ensure everything is deeply cleansed. What’s great is that I don’t need to use any other products with this it does a good job on its own and I don’t have to rinse my face afterwards either.

Washing it

I don’t wash this between uses but I make sure that I hang it to completely dry so that it doesn’t start to smell. At the end of the week, I’ll just throw it into my washing machine with my other clothes and wash them all in a normal cycle. I then hang it to dry, I don’t put this in my dryer. I’ve machine washed this about 4 times now and the fibres and cloth have held up pretty well! Any dark makeup stains are completely lifted and the cloth itself remains soft and sturdy.

My Thoughts

I’ve been using this at the end of the day because it’s so quick and convenient for removing makeup. With there being dual sides, I can flip between the two fibre textures to cleanse my face and exfoliate it in one step. I might still use some makeup remover around my eyes if I’ve got a lot of makeup on around there but for the most part, it takes off all my other makeup with ease. I really enjoy this and extremely happy I received it in my FabFitFun box. You can find it at Sephora or on the Makeup Eraser website and I would highly recommend picking one up.

ProCIV Makeup Remover Pads

Another reusable item that I’ve been enjoying lately is the ProCIV Makeup Remover Pads I ordered from Amazon (check them out here). This came as a set of 16 and while there is an option to get all white pads, I went for the set with blue/green pads only because I know that white clothes tend to stain quicker for me when I use them to remove dark makeup such as eyeliner or mascara. There are a bunch of different sellers of similar products on Amazon but this one had high reviews so I figured I would try it.

How I use this

These are made with bamboo fabric which is soft. It has a double layer of thin fabric that’s been sewn together on the edge. It’s gentle by not flimsy. I would soak an area of the pads with micellar water and use one side of the pad to remove eyeliner and mascara and the other side to remove makeup on my face. These pads are great for removing face mask residue too.

What I personally like about the ProCIV Makeup Remover Pads is that they are large, about 3 inches in diameter. The pads are really large that I could easily use it to remove makeup from all over my face. I’m happy I chose a set that came in multiple colours because I could designate each colour for something different, ie blue cloth for eyes, green for face, white for nail polish removal etc. Currently, I’m only using this for my face but I could see how these could easily do everything I use my current cotton pads do.

Washing it

I keep the clean pads in a glass jar. I use one pad each day to remove my eye makeup and lipsticks/glosses. The set came with a draw-string mesh bag that I use to collect all the dirty pads into and then at the end of the week I throw the bag and its contents into the washing machine. After the wash, I’ve put these into the dryer and they come out great. The pads hold together well and I don’t see any changes in the fabric itself. They’ve gone through the washing machine a few times now since I’ve purchased them and they are still the same.

My thoughts

I’ll be honest. I was a bit skeptical about these pads because you can’t always trust the quality of the items you purchase from Amazon. I was nervous they might not be soft or would fall apart after a wash or two but they’ve been amazing so far! As much as I love my thick cotton pads that I purchase from Shiseido and Muji, I really wanted to make an effort, especially for 2020, to reduce my use of disposable one-time use items and go for reusable ones. These have completely replaced those cotton pads with ease. I would highly recommend them!

So there you have it! A little review of the Makeup Eraser and the ProCIV makeup Pads. Have you tried either of these products or something similar from other brands? What other reusable beauty products do you use?

Lots of Love,
Dal

Bye Bye Empties, January 2020

February 7, 2020February 7, 2020 littlebeautyloves10 Comments

I took a break from my Instagram during January. It was great to take a small step back from social media and focus on myself. I feel like with the weather (which is really grey and snowy) and with the new year, I felt like I just wanted a refresh. After a large December empties and declutter, January had much less used up items.

Here’s what I used up!

Skincare

Nivea MicellAIR Skin Breathe Micellar Water. This was gentle and effective, removing my mascara and eyeliner with ease. As well as using micellar water to remove my makeup at the end of the day, I used it in the mornings to rinse my face before I applied makeup. This worked super well. I would repurchase this.

Caudalie Grape Water. This mist lasts forever!!!! I have had this bottle for a couple years and over that time I’ve been making an effort to use it every day. I’ve finally used it up! The mist is very fine and it disperses evenly on the skin. I would use this after washing my face, before applying serum or moisturizer. I also used it on top of makeup as a re-hydrating, finishing spray. Some people swear by this product and say that it helps hydrate their skin. I personally thought it was OK. It wasn’t super hydrating and I would have to follow-up with moisturizer if I was going to keep my skin from feeling extremely dry. It just left my skin feeling wet. I’ve used face mists that work a lot better than this and cost me a lot less too. I won’t be repurchasing this.

Body Care

Being by Sanctuary Spa Hibiscus & Coconut Water Shower Burst. I am obsessed with shower gels and soap bars. I think of all the bath items, these are things I get most excited about. I mean, if you got me a basket full of Bath & Body Works shower gels I would be the happiest person! I enjoyed that this was a foaming wash. The scent is really fruity which is not my favourite. I also like my shower gel to double as bubble bath and this, unfortunately, does not. I won’t be repurchasing this.

Hair Care

Head & Shoulders Shampoo Deep Moisture. Another Head & Shoulders shampoo in the empties bin! It’s my favourite shampoo and if you’ve been here before you know every few months I use one up! I already have one open and would repurchase.

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There you have it, my little collection of empties for January. I am happy that at least I used up items that were large bottle sizes. After December and my big empties and declutter post, there wasn’t much left to use up in January.

What items did you use up in January?

Lots of Love,
Dal

FabFitFun Box, Winter 2019 Edition

January 30, 2020January 30, 2020 littlebeautyloves7 Comments

I subscribed to FabFitFun because I wanted to try something different than the monthly makeup subscription boxes I had before.

Membership Breakdown

Annual Membership

When I signed up I chose the annual subscription option. If you sign up for the annual box you get select status. As part of select status, you can get early access to add-ons and the ability to customize some items in the box prior to shipping. You also get early shipping. The annual membership costs $179.99 USD plus shipping and taxes (shipping is $8 USD to Canada each quarter, you are billed for 4 quarters in advance). You save $20 by signing up for the annual subscription (which in my case covers some of my shipping costs). I prepaid for the boxes and shipping for 4 boxes in one invoice.

Seasonal Membership

For the seasonal membership, you pay $49.99 USD plus shipping. You purchase each box individually but this is a great way to just test out a box without committing to the annual subscription. Seasonal members don’t get access to select status.

For annual and seasonal members the contents of the boxes are valued at $200+ USD.

Annual Access Membership

If you don’t want the box but want access into the other perks of FabFitFun there is also an annual access membership for $79.99 USD. This membership gets access into FFF’s digital perks which include FFFTV, FFF Community, early access to member-only sales, and early shipping.

All FabFitFun members get access to FFF TV, FFF Shop and sales. Membership also includes access to the FabFitFun Community.

On to what was in my box! I’ll include a note if this was something I chose or if it was an item everyone received in the box.

ban.do Bluetooth Shower Speaker
MSRP: $35.00 USD

This is a water-resistant speaker with up to a 32-foot range. I like the floral pattern on this speaker. I put it into my shower and used it a few times now. It has a loud, clear sound even with my shower running. I like that I can skip songs, adjust the volume and answer calls while in the shower. It’s a really great device that I might not have purchased for myself but I like that I have it

I chose this item

Karuna Face For All Face & Eye Mask Set
MSRP: $42.00 USD

This included 6 face masks and 1 eye mask. I haven’t tried any of these masks just yet but I do like having them for when I have a pampering day or when I want to prep my skin before wearing a full face of makeup. I feel you can never go wrong with a face mask and I like that this has a variety of them including anti-ageing, purifying, hydrating, exfoliating, etc.

I chose this item

Vooray Sidekick Crossbody Bag
MSRP: $17.99 USD

This is a water-resistant small crossbody bag. I really enjoy bags like this in the summer because I can easily carry around my essentials. One thing about me is that I don’t like carrying around large bags. This has one large compartment that I can keep everything in. I chose this partly because I liked the bag and because I thought it would be fun to get something different than skincare or makeup.

I chose this item

Ahava Salt Bag
MSRP: $17.00 USD

Sea salt helps ease muscle tension and leaves you with soft skin. Again, another great item for pampering. For a bag of sea salt, this is pretty expensive but I decided to get this because I wasn’t really interested in the other items being offered.

I chose this item

Cuccio Somatology Calm + Clean Epsom Salt Hand and Body Wash
MSRP: $39.95 USD

I love me some new hand/body wash. This has a relaxing blend of lavender oil, pro-vitamin B5, and shea butter. I think this would make a great body wash because it has the added hydrating benefits which I love since I have dry skin.

I chose this item

Drybar Prep Rally Prime & Prep Detangler
MSRP: $23.00 USD

This lightweight detangler uses biotin, vitamins B and C, and seaberry oil to protect hair against heat (up to 450 F) and leave hair soft and conditioned. I heat style my hair so I like having a product that is meant to protect it. I like Drybar products so I’m really excited I get to try more from this brand.

Everyone received this item.

MakeUp Eraser
MSRP: $20.00 USD

This reusable makeup remover removes makeup using only water. I’ve been using this for the past few weeks since receiving it so I’ll share a review of it soon.

I’ve always wanted to try this item because it does get a lot of good reviews. One side has sort fibres to remove makeup and the other side has longer fibres to exfoliate the skin. You just wet it with water and use it to wash your face. I like that this is large so I can use it multiple times before I need to wash it. It’s machine washable.

Everyone received this item.

R+Co Television Perfect Hair Shampoo and Conditioner
MSRP: $64.00 USD (for both)

I love getting shampoo and conditioner sets because they are great to travel with or as a gift. I’m excited to try these and see if they actually give me TV hair, haha!

Everyone received this item.

My Thoughts

These are awesome items! I’m so happy with the variety of products I received. Some other customizable options for this box also included; a beanie and arm warmer set, a candle, blanket, slippers, lash serum, necklace, makeup palette and monthly planner.

What was great for me is that I was able to customize 5 of the 8 items in the box which meant that I got products I knew I would personally enjoy. That’s what really set this subscription apart from others for me. While I love a good surprise box, I also like being able to choose what I know I will want for the season.

Total Value: $258.94 USD ($342.27 CAD)

Do you subscribe to FabFitFun? What did you receive in your Winter 2019 Box?

Lots of Love,
Dal

FabFitFun Box, Starter Box

January 20, 2020January 20, 2020 littlebeautyloves8 Comments

I recently subscribed to FabFitFun. I always see advertisements for this and I’ve watched a few unboxings on YouTube that I thought I might as well sign up and try it for a year.

FabFitFun is a seasonal subscription service. The items in the box range from beauty, skincare, fitness, health, jewelry etc. I figured this would be a great way to get other items rather than just makeup like I was receiving in my other boxes.

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When I signed up there was a promotion to receive a second box of surprises worth $150US ($195CAD). I figured that was a better deal than just receiving $10 off the box (their usual promo). Unlike the Winter Box, I didn’t get to choose any of the items so I didn’t know what I was going to get in the box.

Today’s post I’ll focus on the Starter Box and then in my next post I’ll share what I got in the Winter Edition Box.

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What I really enjoy is that both the winter edition and this box included a magazine. This has a lot of great little articles as well as descriptions of what you received in the box. I enjoyed reading this!

On to what was in the box!

Grown Alchemist Hydra-Repair Day Cream ($60.00CAD)

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This is a facial moisturizer that hydrates the skin without leaving residual oil or shine on the skin. I had to go into the website to figure out what this was because the packaging didn’t have too much information. I enjoy moisturizers so I’m happy to receive one in this box.

Moroccan Gold Series Leave-in Mask ($50.95 CAD)

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This leave-in mask seals in moisture, protects against heat and UV damage, detangles hair and seals split ends. I have a lot of hair items so I ended up passing this along to someone else. I do think this would have been a good product to try because I do have dry hair and I’m always styling my hair but, again, I do have a lot of hair masks and serums so I thought it didn’t make sense to hold on to it.

Spongelle Black Orchid Body Wash Infused Buffer ($20.88CAD)

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This was a limited edition product made exclusively for FabFitFun. These buffers have a built-in body wash and are infused with extracts of yuzu, edelweiss and vetiver root. I like the idea of a body wash infused buffer. I can see this being very handy to travel with.

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I haven’t tried this yet but I hope that it lathers up well. I like that the sponge looks like a flower and feels like it could be very soft. I wasn’t able to smell it but looking at reviews a lot of people seem to enjoy it!

Yumi Kim Wunderlust Makeup Travel Case ($65.35CAD)

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I was most excited about this item in the starter box. It’s a travel makeup/toiletries bag that has three internal zippered sections to keep everything contained and a hook to hang on a doorknob or hook.

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I have a few different travel bags that I enjoy using but I really how this is all compact while still being able to carry a lot of items in one place. I like the compartments to keep everything organized. Two of the compartments are deeper so that I can put in bottles and larger items, and a smaller zipped compartment for little tools or items that would normally get lost in the large compartment. I can’t wait to use this for an overnight stay. I wonder if it will completely replace the 2-3 separate bags I carry now.

Thoughts

Overall, for a free box that came with the purchase of the Winter Box, there are a lot of good products in here that I’m happy to try out. What I love about this box is that it had a variety of different items that I will use.

Total Value: $197.18 CAD ($150.88 USD)

Are you subscribed to FabFitFun? What do you think of this subscription box and service?

Lots of Love,
Dal