Bye Bye Empties, December 2019

January 4, 2020 littlebeautyloves4 Comments

December is always a fun month for me. Everyone is in the holiday spirit and I get to enjoy time off from work to spend with my family & friends.

I wanted to start the new year fresh so this month I not only used up a lot of products but I also went through what I have and did a declutter. Any opened item that I had not been using over the last year or smelled like it was getting old was tossed out. I no longer have the desire to build a huge makeup collection or hold on to items that aren’t doing anything for me. While I love trying new things if those items no longer bring me joy months afterwards what is the point of keeping them. By having a no buy this year I really felt like I was using up what I had and paying attention to every item I keep in my stash. Anyways, it’s so refreshing to start the new year with more space! I’m debating if I do a no-buy or low-buy for 2020.

On to what I used up!

Skincare and Makeup

Consonant Come Clean Makeup Wipes. These were really good makeup wipes. They do a great job of gently removing makeup around my eyes and face. The cloth is very sturdy and soft too. I’m reducing my use of makeup wipes and moving towards more re-useable options (makeup eraser and reusable cotton pads) but I still have a few packages of this left so I will use them. I like to keep makeup wipes on hand for extremely lazy days or travelling but I’m not going to be using them as often as I have been in the past so after I finish up the other packets I have I will refrain from repurchasing this unless I’m going somewhere.

Delectable Everything Balm. I used this whenever my hands or cuticles felt really dry, over my lips, on my face, on my hair. It really is a good balm for anywhere on the body. I enjoyed the cupcake scent that wasn’t too sweet or overpowering. I currently have a balm that is very similar to this from Dr. Lipp so I won’t be repurchasing this anytime soon.

Sunday Riley Good Genes Lactic Acid Treatment. I did not enjoy this at all. I have pretty resilient skin but this was very harsh and made it feel itchy. The moment I put it on I felt I strange sensation on my face. I’m not sure if maybe I might have some aversion to an ingredient but this, unfortunately, was a pass for me. Lucky it was only a sample size so I got to test it out but I won’t be purchasing this.

They’re Real Mascara (Sample Size). This will always be one of my favourite mascaras. Sample size or full, I use this up so easily. It separates and coats each lash with a deep black colour and helps fan out my lashes for a fuller look. I would definitely repurchase this. I actually have one as back up!

Haircare & Body Care

Batiste Dry Shampoo in Beautiful Brown. While I don’t use dry shampoo too often because my hair is dry naturally I still enjoy it every once in a while if I need to make my style last one or two more days. I enjoy the Batiste brand because I enjoy the scent and feel like it doesn’t weigh my hair down or make it feel extra greasy after a day. This particular one had a brown tint which I really didn’t care for. I actually just like the original so I won’t be repurchasing this particular one.

Hadaka Butterful Marula Butter Cream. I started using this towards the end of summer in rotation with other body creams I have and fell in love with it. It has a citrus scent which I enjoyed and the texture was very light and creamy. It absorbed into the skin so nicely. I would repurchase this.

Decluttered Items

I wanted to share in pictures some of the products I decluttered from my collection. I won’t go into each product in detail but a lot of these items are not empty, they just either smell old now or I know I haven’t been using over the past year.

A lot of these are are all mascaras, eyeliners and lipsticks. There are a few body care items here too.

All are items that shouldn’t have been in my stash for more than 3-6 months after being opened but a lot has been with me for 2-3 years!

It was about time to just toss them out. This was good because it was just taking up room in my makeup box and making it harder to find the stuff I actually do enjoy.

So these are my empties for December! Clearly, including the items I decluttered here makes me feel pretty good about what I’ve used up or tossed out. All in all, having a no-buy for 2019 really helped keep my stash manageable and helped ensure I focus on using what I have.

What items have you used up for December?

Lots of Love,
Dal

Dose Of Colors Bake Browns Eyeshadow: Palette Collection Review Series

November 25, 2019November 27, 2019 littlebeautyloves9 Comments

There are times when I appreciate a simple 5 pan palette especially when all the colours are meant to work together and it’s easy to just put together a couple of looks. That’s what I like about the Dose of Colors Baked Browns Eyeshadow palette. I find it convenient to just throw 2-3 shades together on my lids and be done with it. I don’t mull over the palette thinking about what would look good together and what I feel like wearing that day. Don’t get me wrong, I do enjoy coming up with fun looks but sometimes, especially when I’m heading to work, I just want something easy.

What It Is

A selection of warm-toned matte shadows, Baked Browns Eyeshadow Palette creates everything from neutral everyday eye looks to deep, dark smoky effects. (beautybay.com)

Price

$48.70 CAD (8.5g – $5.73/g) This is a pricey eyeshadow palette in terms of dollar per gram. I think it’s the second priciest I own after the Estee Lauder Color Envy Sculpting Eyeshadow, see it here.

I received this in my October Boxycharm where I paid $33.00 CAD for the whole box and received other items along with the palette. I wouldn’t purchase this on it’s own. I got the cost from Beautybay.com (which has Canadian pricing and ships to Canada for those who might be interested in getting this)

Packaging

I love the rose chrome colour of the palette itself. I like the sleek style of it too. It’s not very big being only 2″ X 5″ so I can easily store it away. The packaging feels like high-quality plastic. Even though I don’t use it too much I do like that it has a mirror. Inside the shades are laid out from lightest to darkest which is appealing to me.

This comes with a double sided brush. One end is a small blending brush and the other end is a pencil brush. I’ve used this brush quite a bit to apply colour to my lower lash line with the blending end and used the pencil side to apply a smoky line to my upper lash line. It adds value to this product for me.

Colour

I was really happy to receive the baked Browns in my Boxycharm because I knew I’d get good use out of it. These shades are ones that I have been using every day for my project pan. The colours all work together.

I love the warm tone of this palette and how it looks on my eyes. My favourite shades are Outdoorsy and Cherry Wood.

Now, if you like variety in your palettes, this one is definitely not for you. However, if you like a smooth, blendable formula and this 5 pan style, you will enjoy this. It does come in other shades including mauves, berries, etc.

Application & Wear

One thing I’ll address right away here is that these shades are very dusty. They create so much fall out in the pan. After using this for a month I’ve noticed that a lot of excess product is wasted out of the pans and it looks like I’ve used this more than I actually have.

Since it produces A LOT of fallout I have to be careful with how much product I put on my brush, especially if I’m doing my eyes after I apply foundation. I usually go for a simple look day-to-day but if I’m going for something deeper or smokier I need to apply this first and then foundation so I’m able to clean it up.

The upside of this is that they blend so effortlessly on the eyes. I can pull a look together very quickly because this is so easy to blend. I enjoy how easily I can put a look together with this.

My Looks

This first look is one that I wear most days for work. I applied Tealight all over the lid and then applied Deserted in my crease and deepened it just slightly with outdoorsy. For liner I used Rock Bottom. I used deserted in my lower lash line.

For this look above I put Deserted all over the lid and then used Cherry Wood in the crease. I then took some of Rock Bottom and blended it into the outer edge of my lash line. I used Rock Bottom in my lower lash line and blending it out with deserted.

The Breakdown

Pros

sturdy palette
easy to blend

Cons

not much colour variety
lots of fallout
price

My Thoughts

Overall, I really love this palette! The colours are ones I enjoy wearing and I like the formula and blend ability. I would recommend this palette except that the price is a bit high.

Have you tried this palette or any others from Dose of Colors?

Lots of Love,
Dal

Project Pan Monthly: October Roundup & November Items

November 11, 2019November 10, 2019 littlebeautyloves2 Comments

This month I wanted to get this post out earlier than I did last month so that I could share with you what I plan on focusing on in my makeup stash! Then I totally got lazy for a week and here we are… late again… haha!

Looking at the before and after of some of my liquid items from October it really feels like I didn’t make much progress although I used my items 28/31 days. While I usually don’t wear makeup on the weekend I did find myself out and about a lot more in October so I did wear some makeup and used my Project Pan items. Let’s jump into my progress!

But before we do that….

In case you didn’t know, this is my Project Pan objective;

Project Pan Monthly

Each month I choose 4 items to use, sharing reviews of those products if they aren’t already on the blog. At the end of the month, I’ll share an update of how well I did and then list the items for the next month. The products are chosen from these categories;

One Eyeshadow Palette
One Lip Item (lipstick, lip balm, gloss, etc.)
One Face Item (foundation, highlighter, blush, bronzer)
One Random Item (can be another item from the categories above, or be something else like mascara, liner, skincare, body care, fragrance, etc.)

October Round-Up

One thing I love about focusing on specific items in my collection is that I can judge how much I actually like them. When I bought my Smashbox Minimalist Cover Shot Palette I was sure I would use this a lot, however, I realize after having this in my Project Pan I realize I don’t love the colours in this palette. One side is neutral, the other is cool. I leaned towards using neutral brown tones because the grey tones were not appealing to me.

My Guerlain lip balm remained in my purse and I continued to use it frequently throughout the month. I like this lip balm and I think that I am going to go back and purchase more shades. It’s the only lip item I’ve enjoyed in this whole Project Pan series. Granted the before and after doesn’t show much has been used up believe me when I say that I used this quite a lot.

At the beginning of October, I used the Becca Backlight Primer pretty often but after about a week I stopped using it and then that was that. It was just another step in my morning routine that I was too lazy to do.

I used my Maybelline Concealer every time I wore makeup, however, you wouldn’t guess based on the photo above that it was ever used. I do want to just use this up so I am avoiding using my other concealers for now that I finish this up. Maybe it’ll make it onto an empties post in a few months!

My November Items

For this month I chose;

One Eyeshadow Palette – Dose of Colors Eyeshadow Palette in Baked Browns
One Lip Item – Urban Decay Lipstick In Sheer Liar
One Face Item – Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit – Volume 4 (reviewed here)
One Random Item – CoverFX Custom Enhancer Drops in Moonlight (reviewed here)

I love how I chose items will all chrome packaging! It’s so aesthetically pleasing.

I’m really excited about the items I’ve picked for this month. I’m enjoying the eyeshadow so far – lookout for a review coming soon! I’m also very much in love with the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit Palette so I’m excited to use it. Now is also the best time to try to use up the CoverFX drops. I’ve had this mini bottle for such a long time now and it was in last year’s Project Pan so I’m really hoping I use up more of it.

How is your progress been for Project Pan this month? What are you hoping to use up for November?

Lots of Love,
Dal

Project Pan Monthly: September Roundup & October Items

October 16, 2019October 15, 2019 littlebeautyloves2 Comments

So I totally wrote up this post last week and then just forgot to come back and actually post it! haha! Anyways…!!! We are on to a new month and another set of products for my Project Pan Monthly! I have been enjoying wearing a lighter foundation and keeping my makeup very minimal. By using products that were lighter coverage I used the items in my Project Pan for September 26/31 days! Since I’m not wearing a heavy foundation or a lot of eye shadow I was wearing a lot of my project pan items on the weekend as well. I’m excited about the items I chose for October. You can see them below!

In case you didn’t know, this is my Project Pan objective;

Project Pan Monthly

One Eyeshadow Palette
One Lip Item (lipstick, lip balm, gloss, etc.)
One Face Item (foundation, highlighter, blush, bronzer)
One Random Item (can be another item from the categories above, or be something else like mascara, liner, skincare, body care, fragrance, etc.)

September Round-Up

I enjoyed using my Too Faced Just Peachy Mattes palette! I created so many simple looks with it. I would put one of the lighter shades over my lids (peach meringue or peaches and cream) then take the mid-tone shades (just peachy or fresh-picked) and apply that into my crease. I then took any of the shades in the last column and applied them into my lash line to make a quick smoky liner. It was so easy but with these types of colours, it just makes the look a little more fun!

To ensure I got good use of my Guerlain Lip Balm I put it in my purse so I would apply it whenever my lips needed a little hydration. With the weather all over the place, my lips have started to feel dry. Having the lip balm with me all the time just meant that I never forgot to wear it and I was using it all the time. I absolutely love this balm!

I used my Garnier BB Cream so much in September. I love it because the texture is whipped which made applying this with my fingers super quick. For my everyday look, I would just dot some concealer under my eyes and in areas of my face I needed extra coverage and call it a day on my foundation routine. It was perfect for just apply and go!

I kept my Nest Cocoa Woods Perfume on my beauty counter so every morning when I got ready I would make sure I didn’t forget to apply this. I ended up using about 1/4 of the bottle which I think is pretty good. I’m impressed that it’s lasting so long and really loved the scent!

My October Items

For this month I chose;

One Eyeshadow Palette – Smashbox Cover Shot Minimalist Palette
One Lip Item – Guerlain Hydrating & Plumping Lip Balm
One Face Item – BECCA Backlight Priming Filter Face Primer
One Random Item – Maybelline Age Rewind Concealer

I was tempted to choose my Alyssa Edwards x Anastasia Beverly Hills Palette for the month of October but then I figured I would keep it for December when I might be more tempted to do fun eye shadow looks for holiday time. So instead I picked up my Smashbox Cover Shot Palette in minimalist since the colours are very everyday and well, minimalist. I don’t use this palette too much so I figured why not!

I also figured why not just transfer my Guerlain Lip Balm into October as well since it’s great for my lips and adds a bit of colour. I’m also enjoying this for every day and I think it’ll look great with the eye shadow palette I chose.

I figured that since I’m keeping my foundation simple I could add the BECCA primer for just a touch of glow. I also thought it was about time I used up my Maybelline concealer. I have a few concealers that are open at the same time so I wanted to focus on using up one of them in October.

This time around I figured I’d take a before shot so that I can actually see what a difference a month of use makes on these products. Here’s hoping we can actually see a difference when I take after shots.

How is your progress been for Project Pan this month? What are you hoping to use up for October?

Lots of Love,
Dal

Bye Bye Empties, September 2019

October 7, 2019October 6, 2019 littlebeautyloves4 Comments

I seriously don’t know where September went! It was a strange feeling to have it turn to October so quickly!

I am looking forward to October since it’ll be Canadian Thanksgiving and Halloween! The weather is getting cooler but I’m still holding on that we will have a nice long Fall season and some sunny and mild days!

On to what I used up in September!

*Note: I’m on a no-buy this year. If I mention repurchasing an item, it just means that I really liked it and would buy again, just not in 2019.

Skincare

Fresh Sugar Lip Polish. I have a review of this lip scrub on the blog that you can check out here. I have owned this particular tub for a while so I think it’s time I threw it out. I have a polish from Bite Beauty and one from Lush that I wanted to use so I won’t be repurchasing this for some time.

Garnier Ombrelle 60 SPF Tinted Lotion. This is maybe my third bottle of this sunscreen that I’ve used up. You can read my review of this product here. What I like about this is that it’s a mineral sunscreen so it doesn’t absorb into the skin but rather sits on top of the skin and reflects UVA/UVB rays. I like the light coverage which I have really been enjoying lately. I am going to repurchase this.

FAB Pure Skin Face Cleanser. It wasn’t too long ago that I was raving about this face cleanser on the blog which you can read here. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this cleanser. It’s gentle, creamy, and effective. It leaves my skin feeling clean and hydrated. It’s perfect at removing tough makeup and great as a daily cleanser. I have a few other face cleansers that I need to get through so I won’t be repurchasing this one just yet!

Quo Miceller Water Facial Wipes. I received these wipes at an event and thought they were OK. They might be fine for everyday but since I like to wear mascara and liner I need my facial wipes to remove that easily. Unfortunately, I felt this was a bit too harsh for me and while I was able to use up all the wipes in this pack I won’t be purchasing another one myself.

Body Care

Bath and Body Works Sheer Cotton & Lemonade Shower Gel. A tried and true body product. I love BBW shower gels and this was great! I really enjoy the scent and it lathered up nicely (I like a lot of suds in my shower gels). It also worked nicely for bubble bath. I would repurchase this.

~~~

SOOOOOO I didn’t use up too many items in September but there were a couple of makeup items that I could have added to this month’s empties but I decided to use them up as much as I could for October.

What items made it to your empties in September?

Lots of Love,
Dal

Bye Bye Empties, August 2019

September 9, 2019September 8, 2019 littlebeautyloves4 Comments

It feels like August flew by so quickly! There was so much that was going on that it really felt like all my days were filled with time spent with family and friends. At the beginning of the month I celebrated a friend’s engagement which was a lot of fun. I also had family visit from out of town so I spent a lot of time with them. I also went twice to the CNE! The Canadian National Exhibition (CNE) is put on the last two weeks of August. It’s a large fair with carnival rides, games and a lot of food! Since it’s close to my home I love going to walk around and take in all the sights.

The only sad part is that it means summer is coming to end and school is around the corner for a lot of students. So far September has been much cooler so it really feels like Autumn is not too far away which I’m not upset about because I love Autumn and I’m looking forward to bringing out my sweaters and boots!

On to what I used up in August!

*Note: I’m on a no-buy this year. If I mention repurchasing an item, it just means that I really liked it and would buy again, just not in 2019.

Skincare

The Face Shop Nutriganics Foaming Facial Wash. I absolutely love this face wash because it’s so gentle on the skin and effective at removing makeup and dirt from my face. If you want to see a full review of this, you can read it here. I have a lot of face washes that I need to get through but I would definitely repurchase this.

Yves Rocher Elixier. This serum is meant to help fight off the effects of environmental aggressors. I like this because it’s light and was great for my skin. I generally enjoy Yves Rocher skin care items and this is definitely one I would repurchase.

Body Care & Makeup Samples

Fresh Sugar Eau de Parfum. This is a sample I got from Sephora a while ago and I had used it after my shower. I enjoy this scent because it’s fresh and sweet. I don’t think I’d purchase a full size of this but I’m happy I got to try it.

Benefit Gimme Brow +. You know what’s funny? I have never purchased a full size of this product! I always seem to receive samples of this in monthly boxes or with purchases of Benefit products. I always use this when I want to quickly do my brows so I know I would purchase a full size if I ever needed to. I currently have another sample of this open so hopefully I won’t need to purchase one until the end of my no-buy

Lipsticks

The other day I went through my makeup collection and pulled out a bunch of lipsticks that I’ve opened and are more than two years old. Since they aren’t empty I didn’t think it was necessary to write down each one. A couple that I really enjoyed include Too Faced Sweet Peach gloss and the Estee Lauder Lipstick (in the center).

~~~

I didn’t use up very many items in August, however, I did clear out some old lipsticks. I feel like I need to go through my makeup collection more often and de-clutter a lot of the old stuff.

What items made it to your empties in August?

Lots of Love,
Dal

Unboxing BoxyCharm, August 2019

August 26, 2019August 26, 2019 littlebeautyloves10 Comments

Price: $21.00 USD (+$5.00 shipping to Canada)
Number of items: 4-5 full-size items

Boxycharm is a monthly subscription box of full-size makeup, skincare and beauty tools. The theme for this month is “totally”. It feels like a nod to the ’90s for me.

PRICES ARE IN USD, CONVERTED TO CAD AT THE END

Becca’s Hydra Mist & Refresher Powder
MSRP: $39.00 US

BoxyCharmAugust20195

This powder sets and refreshes makeup. It creates a mist-like sensation on the skin because it’s 50 percent water and glycerin. I’m actually really excited to try this powder because I’m really hoping it’ll work on my dry skin.

Wander Beauty Glow Ahead Illuminating Oil
MSRP: $42.00 US

BoxyCharmAugust20192

This is a beauty elixir that is formulated to deeply nourish and prime the skin before makeup and to refresh while on-the-go. It has age-defying oils helps to restore skin’s moisture barrier while you a youthful glow. I’m interested in this primer/oil type of product and look forward to testing it out!

Tarte Cosmetics Big Ego Mascara
MSRP: $23.00 US

BoxyCharmAugust20196

This is an ultra-black, vegan mascara that lifts your lashes and delivers a fully-loaded flutter for up to 16 hours. I’ve tried multiple mascaras from Tarte including the Tartiest Lash Paint Mascara and the Lights, Camera, Splashes Mascara that I absolutely love them. This had really good reviews on BoxyCharm website so I’ve got high hopes that it’ll give me a lot of volume.

Ace Beute Glimmer Shadow Duo in Cotton Candy and Iced Latte
MSRP: $25.00 US

BoxyCharmAugust20194

These are described as high pigmented shadows with a creamy texture. They provide bold colour in one swipe without fallout, creasing or fading. I think the shades are really pretty but I was turned off by the packaging because it just looks like makeup I would get at Claire’s. Either way, it’s the product that counts so I’ll see how they work!

Steve Laurant Lip Liner in Uptown
MSRP: $15.00 US

BoxyCharmAugust20193

This lip liner matches closely to the colour of my lips which will allow me to re-shape, re-size & re-define my pout like it’s described it will do and last up to 7 hours. I really like more natural lip liners so I’m happy to have one that isn’t a red or pink tone. I am actually really excited to give this a try!

My Thoughts

This month’s box has a lot of great items that I’m looking forward to trying especially since the face products are made for dry skin. I’m excited about the lip liner and the mascara as well since they are products I use quite a bit.

Total Value: $144.00 US ($191.86 CAD)

Did you get BoxyCharm this month? What did you enjoy from your box?

Lots of Love,
Dal

Project Pan Monthly: July Roundup & August Items

August 6, 2019August 5, 2019 littlebeautyloves2 Comments

I have been keeping my makeup extremely minimal in July since it was a pretty warm month. There were some items in my July Project Pan that I used so much and then there were some items that I hardly touched at all! I think it’s partly because I didn’t anticipate it being as warm so I was really not in the mood to wear a lot of makeup that would melt off. I’ll break it down more in my July Roundup below. All in all, I used my items about 24/31 days.

In case you didn’t know, this is my Project Pan objective;

Project Pan Monthly

One Eyeshadow Palette
One Lip Item (lipstick, lip balm, gloss, etc.)
One Face Item (foundation, highlighter, blush, bronzer)
One Random Item (can be another item from the categories above, or be something else like a mascara, liner, skin care, body care, fragrance, etc.)

July Roundup

Let’s start with the eye makeup items I chose for this month. It was so easy for me to use the three Nudestix products I have in the photo above because they were great as one and done shadows or applying two for a slightly more done up look. The bronze tones were prefect on my slightly tanned skin and went with a lot of my summer outfits.

When it came to the lip item, I used Pulse the most this month. I also used it quite a bit as a blush because it was a nice natural shade on me. As much as I wanted to use the dirty little secret lip liner it just wasn’t something that I was reaching for at all! I think it’s mostly because I was happy with Pulse on it’s own so I always forgot to add lip liner.

Now, as much as I thought the Clinique Powder was going to work perfectly for me in the summer, it just didn’t work on my dry skin. It actually made me feel really dry and itchy and I didn’t like that at all. Even though it was very warm my skin remained super dehydrated so this got immediately tossed to the side in my project pan. I’m tempted to toss this out only because having my skin feel itchy after applying it made me a little nervous about using it.

My August Items

This month I’ve chosen;

One Eyeshadow Palette – Smashbox CoverShot Palette in Ablaze (reviewed here)
One Lip Item – Laritzy Cosmetics Lip Stix in Wafer
One Face Item – Yves Rocher Flawless Skin Foundation
One Random Item – Sephora Blush in Apricot Sheen

I thought I’d stick with a warm palette for August as an ode to summer! I know warm toned orange/red/gold palettes like Ablaze are not as popular as they were two years ago but I still love these colours so I’m sure I’d get good use out of it. (If you want to see the inside of the palette, check out the link here since it seems I totally didn’t upload the photo of the open palette for this post). Same goes for the Sephora blush I’ve included for this month. I bought this blush on sale and I don’t think Sephora carries it anymore but it’s a gorgeous warm blush with little flecks of golden sparkle. It looks really pretty and dewy on and I think with the eye shadow palette it’ll look really good.

For this month’s lip item I decided to include the Laritzy Lip Stix I received in my Topbox. I enjoy the texture of this lip crayon. It’s very smooth and hydrating and the colour is a beautiful nude which will also work with a lot of the looks I want to create using the Ablaze palette. I’ve included my Yves Rocher Foundation since the colour is a bit darker which is working for my complexion now. I mostly use it around my eyes and the centre of my face for a very light amount of coverage.

Here’s hoping I get good use out of these items for August! I have already used these this 3 times since the start of the month so that’s really good so far!

How is your progress been for Project Pan this month? What are you hoping to use up for August?

Lots of Love,
Dal

Review, Vasanti Cosmetics Brighten Up! Exfoliator

July 10, 2019July 10, 2019 littlebeautylovesLeave a comment

A few weeks ago I shared a review of the First Aid Beauty cleanser that I have been enjoying as my gentle daily cleanser. You can read it here. I mentioned that every few days or so I also use an exfoliating cleanser for a deep cleanse and today I’m going to be sharing that review. Currently, I’ve been using Vasanti Cosmetics Brighten-Up Exfoliator.

Vasanti Cosmetics reached out to me back in April to try out their Vasanti Brighten-Up Trio and I was very excited to test them out. I had used other items from Vasanti before and I’m always happy to support Canadian brands. I’ve been using the product ever since receiving them two months ago.

What It Is

An exfoliator with micro-crystals. This papaya and aloe enriched exfoliator will remove dead skin, reveal a radiant complexion and fight common skin concerns like dull skin, dark spots, acne scars, wrinkles & more. (vasanticosmetics.com)

Price

$29.00 CAD (70g) I use a very small pea-sized amount of this product so I think it’ll last me a while.

Application

I took this on vacation with me to use with the moisturizer and serum booster (more on them in a little bit). I still used an everyday cleanser but every third evening or so I would use this to wash my face. I lathered a pea-sized amount between my hands and gently massaged this over my face. Since this has micro crystals I always ensured that I was gently applying this. I also found that the more water I used to dilute the product the better it worked on my skin. More water helped to loosen the formula and convert the dense cleanser into a soft and liquid cream which helped glide the crystals over my face.

The texture of the crystals is very fine and sand like but if you aren’t careful I can definitely imagine it irritating the skin because the crystals are very gritty. This is also why I used it every few days rather than every day. I have always loved physical exfoliators but if you don’t then this product is definitely not for you. I also don’t think it would be good for sensitive skin. I don’t have sensitive skin, but I was still very careful with how I applied this product. Since I mostly use physical exfoliating cleansers, it’s how I’ve always been with those types of products.

I mostly focused around my nose since that’s where I find my skin needs the most attention. I would then massage this over my forehead and chin and spread whatever remained over my cheeks. I find that starting from the middle of my face and moving outwards is the best cleansing method for me.

Since this is a physical exfoliant, I always made sure I thoroughly rinsed my skin. Nothing is worse than putting on moisturizer with leftover crystals (ouch!). After rinsing my skin I applied the Boosting Serum and then the Moisturizer.

After a couple weeks, I started to notice a difference in my skin. It wasn’t as dull and looked a lot more clear. My nose area especially was clear. I usually have a hard time reducing the appearance of blackheads on my nose, but this really helped to diminish their appearance. My skin felt really soft and I found that it was much smoother. I hardly break out in the first place but it just felt like my skin was looking a lot more vibrant.

Glow-Boosting Serum and Amplify Moisturizer

While using the Brighten-Up Exfoliator I also made sure that I was testing out the Glow-Boosting Serum and Amplify Moisturizer, all are part of the Brighten-Up line. I think that the combination of the three really made a difference on my skin so I wanted to talk about them as well as they are part of my skin care routine.

Glow-Boosting Serum

The serum is supposed to help give you glowy skin. After cleansing, I would shake the bottle to the oil and serum together and place one or two drops on my hands and massage it over my skin. It has Arbutin which has anti-oxidant and anti-ageing ingredients to help reduce dark spots and shadows. It also has Abyssinian oil to hydrate the skin and aloe vera to soothe the skin. For my dry skin, this serum is a dream because it’s pretty moisturizing. Sometimes I just wear this and it’s enough for me. Serums that I’ve used in the past can be more gel-like so they quickly dry onto my skin but I don’t feel like they do much. This guy, however, leaves me feeling moisturized all day. It’s a pretty thick serum.

Amplify Moisturizer

I really like this as an everyday moisturizer and I use it with both my everyday cleanser as well as the Vasanti Exfoliator. This is infused with aloe, vitamin C, and arbutin from bearberry leaves to keep your skin hydrated and protected. It’s very light-weight too which is why I enjoy this for every day. Even during the day if my skin is feeling extra dry I will apply this to re-hydrate it. Since it’s really thin I don’t feel like I’m wearing a lot of products if I then add my sunscreen over it. It works very well on top of the Glow-Boosting Serum, so I do enjoy wearing these two products together.

My Thoughts

Since I love physical exfoliators I know that I’m probably going to repurchase this product myself when the time comes. I feel like I see a difference in my skin and I like that this has been working really well for me.

Have you tried this product? Do you use physical exfoliators?

Lots of Love,
Dal

Project Pan Monthly: June Roundup & July Items

July 4, 2019July 1, 2019 littlebeautyloves3 Comments

Another month, another monthly project pan to discuss on the blog today! I feel like I was consistent with all my products in June not just with one or two of them as I find I have been the last few months. I even got good use out of my lip product which I’m so happy about. I break down my usage below, but I used my products about 27/30 days!

In case you didn’t know, this is my Project Pan objective;

Project Pan Monthly

One Eyeshadow Palette
One Lip Item (lipstick, lip balm, gloss, etc.)
One Face Item (foundation, highlighter, blush, bronzer)
One Random Item (can be another item from the categories above, or be something else like a mascara, liner, skin care, body care, fragrance, etc.)

June Round-Up

Starting with the eye products I chose for June. In the warmer months, I love keeping my makeup really simple and quick and the Lid Lingerie and Jumbo Eye Pencils from NYX were perfect for that. I would usually just pick one colour and sweep it over the lid, add a black or brown eyeliner, mascara and then be out the door. They lasted really long on me too which is great during a hot day. I rediscovered how much I love these products and got really good use out of them this month.

For June, I opted to use this IBY Contour and Highlight Palette because it had been a while since I used it. I did share this in one of the Favourites from the Boxes Post but since then I stored it in my makeup box and only used it once in a while so it felt really good to bring this palette back out and use it again. You can tell that the pans are still full which is just because this is pretty pigmented and I didn’t need a lot to highlight or contour my face. I also used these as eye shadow which was great for days I wanted a more matte look. I used this every single time I wore makeup in June which is pretty awesome.

You can’t really tell that any of this VS Body spray was used, but I have made it up to where it says “love me” on the packaging. I sprayed 3-4 sprits every morning during June and I think I brought the bottle down about 10-15 mL. Perfumes and body sprays do take a bit longer to use up, but I’ll continue to use this and hopefully re-introduce it another month in my Project Pan this year.

The biggest surprise to me is how often I ended up using the Sexy Mother Pucker Pillow Plump XXL Lip Plumping Gloss! I actually used this everyday, and sometimes a few times a day! You can’t tell because, but I think I got through 1/4 of the product! I had no idea I would enjoy plumping lip gloss as much as I did. I kept this in my purse and used it a lot! I really like it.

My July Items

This month I’ve chosen;

One Eyeshadow Palette – Nudestix Jetsetter Nude(Art)ist Box Eye Crayons (reviewed here)
One Lip Item – Jetsetter Nude(Art)ist Box Lip Crayons & Dirty Little Secret Lip Pencil
One Face Item – Clinique Perfectly Real Compact Makeup Powder
One Random Item – Using the Jetsetter Box as a highlight, eyeliner and blush

This month I wanted to do something a little different. Since my Jetsetter Palette is full of items that I can create a full-face with I figured I would focus on using it. I also wanted to continue my theme of cream makeup since I enjoy wearing that more in the summer months.

I’ve raved about Nudestix before, whether on my Instagram or here on the blog so I figured I would dedicate a month to using their products. Instead of an eyeshadow palette, I’m going to use the above eyesticks to create eye looks with. Plus, as part of my random item, I can use Gilt as a highlighter on my cheeks.

I’m going to attempt to incorporate three lip items this month into my Project Pan Monthly. I found myself using lip liner a lot the last time I included it in a project pan so I’ve got a new one for this month. I can also use the Lip crayons from Nudestix on my cheeks, I hope I can get more use out of them by doing that.

The last item I’m including in my Project Pan is this Powder from Clinique. I think they’ve since updated the packaging, so this is clearly in need of some good usage. Now, I usually keep my dry skin away from powders but with July generally hot and humid I think it’s the perfect time to use this on my face. I wore this the other day I really enjoyed how it looked on my face and how long it lasted.

How is your progress been for Project Pan this month? Have you noticed a difference in your products?

Lots of Love,
Dal

littlebeautyloves

I like Makeup and I blog about it!

Tag: Beauty Products

Bye Bye Empties, December 2019

Skincare and Makeup

Haircare & Body Care

Decluttered Items

Dose Of Colors Bake Browns Eyeshadow: Palette Collection Review Series

Project Pan Monthly: October Roundup & November Items

Project Pan Monthly

October Round-Up

My November Items

Project Pan Monthly: September Roundup & October Items

Project Pan Monthly

September Round-Up

My October Items

Bye Bye Empties, September 2019

Skincare

Body Care

Bye Bye Empties, August 2019

Skincare

Body Care & Makeup Samples

Lipsticks

Unboxing BoxyCharm, August 2019

PRICES ARE IN USD, CONVERTED TO CAD AT THE END

Project Pan Monthly: July Roundup & August Items

Project Pan Monthly

July Roundup

My August Items

Review, Vasanti Cosmetics Brighten Up! Exfoliator

Project Pan Monthly: June Roundup & July Items

Project Pan Monthly

June Round-Up

My July Items