GLAMGLOW mask

Recently I was sent a sample of the luxurious celebrity cult face mask, GLAMGLOW.

GLAMGLOW was founded in 2010 exclusively for the entertainment and fashion industries. It became a celebrity favourite and only recently has been made available to the public. That being said, it is a very high-end mask and retails for 69$ USD, or you can purchase samples for 11.95$.

It was designed as a 10-minutes facial in a jar for immediate camera-ready skin. The mud base originates from the France Mediterranean Sea, and the moisturizing collagen synthesis is for men and women. Recommended for use a couple of times a week, or just whenever you need "GLAM-tastic skin".

Some of the impressive ingredients in the mask

Upon the initial application the mask went on very dark and muddy, as anticipated. It was very easy to apply and there was no discomfort whatsoever. 

It was fun to watch it slowly dry, as you can see by the dots - my roommate joked that I looked like a cow! hahah.

Overall, I really liked this mask. You could feel the luxury of it and my peers noticed my glowing skin the next day, and I recieved plenty of compliments! As it is a bit pricey as face masks go, I would definitely recommend purchasing the sample first, then the tub for a nice treat for your skin! For me, it was definitely worth the hefty price tag. 

GLAMGLOW retails at Sephora, SpaceNK, Neiman Marcus, Nordstrum, Selfridges and Harrods.

xLB

Soap & Glory - The Fab Pore Facial Peel

I've heard wondrous things on this product, so I figured I'd give it a go! This facial peel is meant to be used every few days or so, and for 5 or 15 minutes, depending on the outcome you'd like.

The super cute packaging; always catches my eye on S&G products. Great branding!

I absolutely adore Soap & Glory's packaging.. I can always spot the products from a mile away and the cheeky titles always catch my attention and give a giggle!

The product/bottle..

As you'll notice, the product does have little green beads to it. The goal when applying the peel is to use a grape sized dollop, and as you're massaging it on your skin, to be conscious of the green beads and make sure they're all blended in as this is what makes the product be the product!

And the interior! Notice the little green beads in the mask? Those are your friends :~)

I've read plenty reviews on this, and a lot of them essentially said how after one use they noticed their pores shrinking in size. To be honest, I think that's total bullocks.  I don't believe you can expect immediate gratification from a product, to see a difference you need to try it a few times. One use isn't going to make a difference, or let you properly know if you like a product, these things need time.

That being said, I didn't immediately notice a difference, but my pores felt refreshed, so if anything I feel as if this did a deep cleaning on my skin. A lot of the time I just use this in my T-zone as I hate washing face masks off from my forehead.. with my hair it becomes a total mess.

After using this several times, I'd say my pores looked cleaner. Not smaller, but cleaner. I don't believe a drugstore product can shrink your pores. That to me is just a total myth. But that's not to say products like these are ineffective, because they definitely can be effective.

Hope that made sense.. long story short, great product, I had much cleaner pores after around 3-5 uses and I can tell this product will last a long time (plenty of applications) so who knows if I'll even need to buy it again!

xLB

Makeup Haul -- DEC12/JAN13

These were from two recent trips to both Sephora and Mac, I wanted to wait a bit before uploading so that I could test them out in my daily routine before reporting back to you lovely lot :~)

* I actually had some technical difficulties which resulted in this entire post being deleted after quite some time, so I apologize if it isn't as detailed as anticipated, out of sheer frustration :~( let me know if you want anything in more detail and I'll hop right on it! x

My lovely purchases from the first shopping trip :~) I did have quite a few gift cards to spend heheheheh

Here we have my much coveted MAC Mineralize Skin Finish (MSF) in Lightscapade; I'm obsessed with this! It's aimed primarily as a highlighter, It's a champagne colour with a pearl flex and blue veins, so pretty!

Nars Blush in Orgasm (32$); I don't know how I've never owned this blush seeing as it's one of the products/shades Nars is notorious for, but nevertheless, it's now mine! It's a peachy-pink with gold flex.. definitely a reoccurring colour in my collection. It's very pigmented and goes on rather well, although I only like a subtle amount of blush so this one requires quite a bit of blending for me, personally. Other than that, I loooove the colour!

Make Up For Ever Camouflage Cream Palette in No1 (43$); Another product I've been dying for for quite some time. The first three are used for concealer, depending on your skin colour you can blend them and the like, the fourth is aimed at under eye circles and the last one is green to combat redness. I love the consistency of these, I do find the product ends up with a bit of oily residue on it after using it (in the packaging, not on your face if that makes sense..) aside from that, great product. 

Stila Convertible Color in Peony (33$); I've eyeing this one for quite some time, but I'm not too skilled in the cream blush department.. but after swatching one day in Sephora I decided to take the plunge, and I'm glad I did! It can be used for cheeks and lips. (This shade at least) it doesn't have a strong colour change on lips, just kind of one of those 'your lips but better' shades, then on the cheeks it gives off a nice dewy glow. 

Benefit Coral My World (15$); This was one of those purchases that I picked up while in the queue at Sephora. I've been lusting after Benefit's blushes for the longest time, but not quite enough to shell out the 36$, so luckily this came along! Included is the Coralista blush (~1/3 of the full size) and a mini sun beam highlighter. I actually have a set of three benefit tint/highlighters of the same size also picked up while in queue at sephora, and they've lasted me for over a year, so all thought it looks small, a little goes a long way. The blush is a coral/peachy-pink with gold flex, just how I like it ;~) and the highlighter is gold,  which is quite nice as it's different from the usual pearl shades I go to. Perfect for the summer, I love sets like these as they let you try some products and incorporate them into your collection for cheap!

 Clinique Chubby Stick in 15-Pudgy Peony (19$); I'd recently fallen in love with Clinique lip products, so I decided to try this; the fact that it was a super pigmented balm in a bright colour really caught my attention. I love this because it gives you the colour of lipstick, but with the moisture of a balm. It's not an excessively pigmented lip colour, however they do have an 'intense' range if you're looking for more pigment. This satisfies my pigment needs. I'd definitely recommend this, I'm in love. And of course, the colour I fell in love is coincidentally called 'peony' .. can you say meant to be? Or obsession ;~)

First here is the Nails Inc Special Effects Holographic Polish (12$); I've been dying to try a holographic polish for the longest time, so when I saw this I finally took the plunge and purchased. I've yet to try it, but I'm sure you'll see it in a NOTD post in the future :~)

Next is the fresh Soy Face Cleanser* (17.50$); I've been dying to try this cleanser for the longest time, so I was beyond thrilled when I received a sample of it!! I'm OBSESSED with the fresh brand, it's one of my favourites. I've yet to use this, but will be using it tonight for sure! SOOOO excited, eeee!

Here we have the fresh Lotus Youth Preserve Face Cream with Super 7 Complex* (48$); This is another sample I received and will definitely be trying tonight as well with my soy cleanser. As stated above, I LOOOOOVE FRESH :~)

 

Finally, MAC Matte Lipstick in Russian Red (18$); Finally I've bought my very first matte finish from MAC, which is quite surprising as I really dislike glossy finishes.. I've been meaning to buy a red from MAC for the longest time so I was quite satisfied with this one! Deeper reds tend to look better with my skin tone, so it was hard to find one I liked but I'm in love with this one! YAY!

I know this was quite lengthy, but a haul is a haul, thanks for reading! Hope you're all having the happiest of happy new years! Cheers

xLB

Review: Kate Somerville EradiKate

The product I'm going to review in this post has received plenty of mixed reviews, from my research. So basically I bought this product on a limb. Sephora has the most incredible return policy ever, so I figured (since they were sold out of my beloved Origins, waaa) I would give it a go! Normally I wouldn't be one to spend 27$ on a product I've never gotten to test, but like I said, Sephora has their incredible return policy so I figured I would try it out!

Kate Somerville - EradiKate (27$ CAD)

First thing to be known about this product is that despite what it may look like you are NOT to shake it. Basically the product is separated into two (noticeable) parts. The top part is just a clear liquid, and the bottom part is a pink liquid, the good stuff. The top part is only there to keep the bottom part (the sulphur treatment) solidified. So whatever you do, do not shake this! It's meant to look that way.

To use this product, first I wash my face like normal, apply toner then apply moisturizer. Then what you do is grab a clean cotton swab and dip it straight into the product, all the way down so it touches the pink. Then you lightly dab at any blemishes you have. Since the sulphur treatment is no longer with the water it will dry up once in contact with your skin, thus drying out the blemish. This is recommended as a PM treatment seeing as you are to have pink dots on your face for hours on end. So, apply the treatment, go to sleep, wake up and voila! ..well, not quite.

On the blemishes I tried the product on, they seemed to be gone completely after three applications. No scaring, nothing. I was told you would notice results after one use. I however, did not. This kind of turned me off of the product, but I decided to continue since I had nothing to lose. I'm glad I did! After two more applications (two more nights) the blemishes were gone completely with no marks behind. It was like magic!

That being said, I think you need to have patience in order to use this product. But if you have the money to spend, or a great return policy, I'd definitely give it a shot. It doesn't work for everyone, but if it works, it really works.

xLB