Updated Skin Care Routine!

Day

Neostrata Oil Free Gel Cleanser

This cleanser refreshes combination, oily and acne prone skin. It contains 4% glycolic acid to slightly exfoliate the skin, removing dead skin cells and built up sebum. It helps with dilated pores and blackheads too! I really love this cleanser because it keeps my skin in check, it's very gentle and I love the way it really lathers and removes all impurities from my skin.

Vichy Normaderm Micellar Solution

This gentle toner is perfect to balance PH levels on the skin. It is formulated without alcohol for sensitive, imperfection prone skin. It cleanses all traces of makeup and doesn't strip the skin of its natural moisture. I love it because it's so gentle!

Neostrata Oil Free Moisture Infusion Lotion

This moisturizer is perfect for dehydrated acne prone or oily skin. It has a light texture, gel-cream consistency. It mattifies the skin instantly and leaves your skin feeling supple and hydrated all day long. It also comes in a convenient pump which is easy to travel with and very sanitary!

Neostrata Eye Contour Firming Cream

This eye cream is light in texture and super easy to apply. It absorbs quickly into skin and a little goes a very long way! I've noticed more hydration and fine lines disappearing (these fine lines are caused by dehydration) love this stuff!

Night

My night skin care regimen stays very similar to my day time one except for I add a makeup removing cleanser and switch moisturizers.

Clinique Rinse-Off Foaming Cleanser

At night all I do is add this makeup removing cleanser to my routine. This is the best makeup remover I've ever used by a long shot! It removes even stubborn waterproof makeup, like concealer and mascara. A pea sized amount lathers up enough to cleans my entire face, neck and decollate. It leaves my skin feeling smooth and hydrated without leaving any makeup residue. I follow this cleanser with my Neostrata cleanser and Vichy toner.

Vichy Aqualia Thermal Riche

I replace my Neostrata Oil Free Moisture Infusion Lotion with this cream for night time. This cream delivers instant hydration in a rich formula. My skin feelings instantly supple and even though it is a super rich formula, it does not break out my sensitive skin. After moisturizing I then apply my Neostrata eye cream.

Weekly Treatments

Clinique Mens Face Scrub

Yes, I know. It's developed for men. But it works for me! It contains man made exfoliator spheres to slough off dead skin. Salicylic acid helps treat breakouts and there is a very minty cool scent and feeling my skin is left with. I use this once a week.

Clinique Acne Solutions Oil-Control Cleansing Mask

This mask is a clay based mask with anti acne benefits. I apply this when I feel that I am very oily and breaking out. I only apply this mask to my forehead, nose and chin. And I also spot treat blemishes with this mask. It can be very drying so I only use this about 1 time a week, or once ever 2 weeks for 5 minutes as needed.

Aveda Intensive Hydrating Masque

This oil free, gel like mask is amazing! It's very cooling, calming and hydrating. It contains natural humectants which draw in and retain moisture in the skin. I use this 1-2 times a week for 5-10 minutes when I'm feeling dehydrated and need a pick-me-up!

Everyday Must Have!

Clarisonic

My Clarisonic never gets put on the back burner when I'm cleansing my skin. I use this tool twice a day, day and night. It is the best investment I've ever made with my skin! My acne scarring has reduced, as well as my break outs. The quality of my skin is better than ever and cleansing with my clarisonic and cleanser it enables all of my products to properly penetrate my skin and do their job. It costs a pretty penny but is worth every cent! It gets your skin 6 TIMES cleanser vs. hand washing. So I can rest assured that every spec of dirt, oil and makeup is cleansed off my skin to perfectly prep my face for skincare, and makeup. A definite must have!

Breaking out? Break these bad beauty habits!

Keep those dirty hands off your face!

Touching your face can lead to an increase of acne for some people, this is because you are transferring dirt and oil from your hands onto your face. Touching your face can cause irritation of pre existing acne and blemishes, which can cause the spread of these blemishes to new places. With irritation, comes redness, swelling, bleeding, flaking...need I say more? The best way to combat touching your face is well...not touching your face! But if you need to remember to wash your hands thoroughly before putting on skincare, makeup or scratching an itch.

Wash your face!

It is very important to wash your face to remove makeup, oil, dirt and other residue off your face before you hit the hay. Cleansing your skin at night will reduce sebum on the skin and the ability for acne-causing bacteria to thrive inside your pores. This means less break outs! Create a clean palette to prepare your skin for your night time skin care regiment. Your skin repairs itself at night, so with a clean face your night time products can achieve their job! Don't have time to wash your makeup off at night before bed? Keep some facial 3in1 wipes by your night table to quickly remove everything. It's better than nothing!

Hair first, face last!

What's your shower routine? Before bed? In the morning? Doesn't matter! Just make sure that the last step in your shower routine is to wash your face. Many shower products contain oils in them, such as your shampoo and/or conditioner. If you condition your hair after you have washed your face you will have residue from the conditioner seeping down the skin, which will most likely be absorbed, and clog pores. It's important to remove that residue with your facial cleanser as the last step in the shower so that you will not breakout from the chemicals and oils that are not meant for the face!

Harsh Exfoliants are a NO-NO!

Think that by using an exfoliator that you're scrubbing away all of your problems? Think again! Stay away from facial scrubs that contain "natural" exfoliating ingredients such as ground up nut shells, fruit pits (ex. St. Ives apricot scrub) as these are too harsh on the skin, and create micro lacerations (cuts) to the skin causing irritation, sensitivity and sometimes infections (and the spread of ance!). Instead of using natural exfoliant particles , use man-made ones such as silicone beads. Silicone beads are sphere shaped and have no rigid edges like nut shells and fruit pits. These beads will not cause lacerations on the skin, but will still slough off old dead skin cell buildup. Do not over exfoliate either! Exfoliating removes dead skin cells, but it also removes the sebum from the skin. Exfoliate skin once or twice a week maximum. Over exfoliating can lead to dryness, and then the over production of sebum, causing oilier acne prone skin. There are also other ways of exfoliating your skin other than with scrub exfoliants. Chemical exfoliants work by dissolving the dead skin cells, sweat and and sebum that have accumulated on the upper layers of the epidermis. These chemical exfoliants contain either AHA's (alpha hydroxy acids) and BHA's (beta hydroxy acids) like glycolic acid, phenol, salicylic acid, lactic acid etc. But be careful! People with sensitive skin may not be able to use these products, and may cause burning. Another form of exfoliants are natural enzymes! These come from some fruits, which digest the skin cells on the surface of the skin. Papaya and pineapple are great sources of these enzymes and have been used for thousands of years as beauty treatments. They are great for people with very sensitive skin, or looking for a natural alternative to exfoliating.

Throw away that old cotton pillowcase!

Switch your pillowcases to satin or silk! Not only is it more luxurious but it's a lot better for your skin....and hair! A traditional pillow case is made from cotton, which absorbs moisture. The moisture comes from your skin and hair! It can leave your skin feeling dehydrated (which can cause over production of sebum) and will absorb the oil from your face and hair onto the pillow, and if you don't wash your pillow sheet regularly can cause re-occuring breakouts. Satin and silk are cool in temperature which will calm skin that is irritated, sensitive and dry. They also help with aging (who would have known!?) because silk and satin have a smooth and almost slippery feel, which will not tug on the skin like cotton will. This will prevent premature aging of the skin, breakage and tangling of the hair! And did you know that Satin is recommended to patients that are receiving chemotherapy because it creates less pull on the delicate hair strands! Now sleep on that!

My Mac Palettes

These palettes come with me to every gig, no matter if it's bridal, a shoot...anything!

I love to have them to mix colours or add a pop of colour to a neutral look.

Here's a look at all of my palettes and how I organize them!

Mary-Lou Manizer Review

Mary-Lou Manizer by The Balm is a luminizing face and body powder. It can be used as a highlight, shadow or an all over body shimmer. It's champagne coloured pigments reflect light create a luminous glow to the skin. It's paraben and talc free! It looks amazing on the cheek bones and down the bridge of the nose. Perfect for the glowing complexion that everyone loves. Just don't apply too much or else you will look powdery and over shimmering! I love this product, it isn't glittery, it's the perfect amount of shimmer! 

NEW SIGMA CLEANSING & POLISHING TOOL

Say goodbye to dull and uneven skin! With the new Sigma Beauty Cleansing and Polishing Tool you can polish your skin to be perfectly smooth and flawless before and after your makeup application. POLISH IT! 1. Add a small amount of your favorite facial cleaner directly to the brush head prior to application. Use the medium or firm brush head once a week to exfoliate dead skin cells and expose a fresh healthy layer of skin. If you have sensitive skin, use the softest brush head at all times. Keep your entire exfoliation process under one minute. 2. Use the soft brush head for daily polishing. This should be a quick process kept under one minute to lightly remove dead skin cells prior to makeup application. 3. Once your skin is exfoliated and polished, proceed with the application of your favorite moisturizer and makeup. You will notice that the polishing process will help your moisturizer deeply penetrate your skin, which will create the perfect base for flawless makeup application! 4. Adjust this routine as needed. Once you get started, you can customize the intervals between exfoliation and polishing to fit your needs and your skin type. Moderation is key! CLEANSE IT! Now is the time to get back to natural skin by efficiently removing all makeup residues from your skin! 1. Always use the softest brush head during the cleansing process. 2. Remove excess makeup prior to cleansing with facial wipes containing makeup remover. 3. Add a small amount of your favorite facial cleanser to the softest brush head and gently work it onto your skin using the Sigma Beauty Cleansing and Polishing Tool. Keep your cleansing process under one minute. 4. Apply your favorite moisturizer and you're ready for your beauty sleep! Get yours today! http://www.sigmabeauty.com/?Click=4066

May Favourites!

Clinique Redness Solutions Daily Relief Cream- This moisturizer is a rich, but oil free cream that helps with uneven skin tone, redness, blotchiness, and it soothes irritated skin. My skin is very sensitive and I love this on days where I feel dry sensitive and red. I've been using this product for a few weeks now and have noticed the redness in my skin slowly fading away! Love this!

 Paul Mitchell Volumizing Spray- Best volumizing spray I've ever used! This spray works wonderful when you blow dry your hair, or even when you air dry for a more subtle oomf! Blow dry upside down for super volumized hair! This product does not weigh down hair at all! Just be careful how much you spray onto your roots if you plan on having second day hair as well!

 Bourjois Volumizer Mascara- This new mascara is pure genius, many people know about the "haute & naughty" mascara from MAC. This is that mascara, but better. The formula is a black, water resistant and flexible formula that will coat lashes and nourish them without feeling heavy, or chunky. There are many ways to apply this mascara using the two steps.

Step 1: Use step one to coat lashes creating long, defined lashes. Or use after Step 2 to clean up and lengthen lashes.

Step 2: Use after step 1 to volumize lashes and create lush thick lashes. Or use on its own for false looking lashes. To define lashes use step 1 to clean up and add more length!

Smashbox O-Gloss- This is the coolest lip gloss you'll ever use! This product goes on clear and reacts with your own pigments in your skin and transforms into a custom shade of pink to best suit your skin tone. It has Goji Berry in it, along with ginko biloba, pomegranate antioxidants, marine botanicals and moisturizing avacodo oils. This gloss is a winner in Allure Magazine, Best of Sephora, Nominee for best lip gloss and best beauty innovation. This gloss is not sticky, but silky and long wearing. Even when the gloss starts to wear off the ingredients slightly stain lips for a long wearing colour perfect for summer!

Sigma Tapered Highlighter- F35- This is by far my favourite brush for spring and summer! You can apply that perfect glow with your favourite shimmering highlighter with this brush. It's small and persice so you can apply it perfectly to your cheekbones, temples, down the bridge of your now and cupids bow. Its dense bristles are perfect for applying a light, or heavy application of your product depending how much you want! Gotta have it! Get it at: 

http://www.sigmabeauty.com/?Click=4066

April Favourites!

This month I feel as though I have a lot of new products that I've been absolutely loving! I'm definitely into bright colours this spring! Who isn't?

OH CABANNA BOY- ORLY. This has been my favourite nail polish for the last couple of weeks for my toes and fingernails! It's a neon pink with a hint of blue in it which gives the polish a lot more dimension. It's long wearing and you only need about 2 coats! I'm thoroughly impressed with the colour and the wear of this product!

GIRL ABOUT TOWN- MAC. This has been my most worn lip colour this month (when I'm even wearing a lip colour at all)! The pigmentation of this lipstick is absolutely phenomenal. I love how it slightly stains your lips so you don't have to worry about reapplying it all the time. I can go a day without having to touch up at all! Love this colour!

TRESEMME- HEAT TAMER PROTECTIVE SPRAY. Recently I've been avid about protecting my hair to the heat, products I used before were heavy and weighed my hair down, so i decided to try something new. I absolutely fell in love! The smell is delicious and fruity, it's incredibly lightweight and doesn't make your hair sticky, heavy, stiff or anything! Just shiny and beautiful. Definitely a must have to those who style their hair with heat!

YES TO CARROTS- MOISTURIZING EYE CREAM. I've never really been into eye cream, but lately I've been suffering from dry eyelids! So i decided to pick this one up because it's super inexpensive and appealed to me. It's paraben free, 98% natural and they don't test on animals! yay! This product is made with dead sea minerals, organic carrots, pomegranates, and Shea butter to deliver moisture, minerals and many vitamins to the skin! This product is awesome, and not to mention the size of this container is huge! Most eye creams are about a quarter of this size! But make sure to use sparingly!

SMASHBOX- SOFT LIGHTS. This multi-use powdered product is amazing for highlighting, dusting over the face to give that youthful glow, used as eyeshadow to highlight your eyes, or all over your body for that shimmery look. I use this product everyday over my cheekbones from a "glow-from-within" look!

CHANCE- CHANEL. This is my ultimate favourite fragrance! I'm scared to use it up! It's a refreshing floral scent. Waves of freshness merge with sensual, sweet and spicy elements. The top notes are Hyacinth, White Musk and Pink Pepper. Middle notes are Fresh Vetiver and Iris and the base notes are Amber and Patchouli. Chance perfume is a romantic fragrance. I've received many compliments with this fragrance, it's fun, flirty yet very romantic and beautiful.

Hope you all liked my April favourites! Talk to you next time!



Mothers Day! Oh No!

Mother’s Day is just around the corner, and what better way to honor your mother than by giving her the gift of beauty! Mother’s Day is the perfect time to show your mom how much you care! Send her some love along with beautiful brushes, mirror compacts, makeup bags and more! She'll appreciate it!

March Favourites

Biolage by Matrix colour care shampoo and conditioner. I seem to find myself always coming back to this shampoo and conditioner! I cannot get enough of the AMAZING smell. I've noticed a huge difference in the way my colour holds when I use this line, and when I do not. And this professional line is very affordable!

Make Up For Ever Flash Pallet. I love this thing! It's a cream colour pallet and the colours are intense! I use these as a base for my eyeshadow, or a pop of colour for my lips or cheeks. The money spent on this pallet is well worth it! But make sure you set these on your eyes with eyeshadow or else they will crease! <3

Kid Eyeshadow by Mac. I've had this colour for a couple of years now and I've never been a huge fan of it until lately. It's a perfect shade for in the crease for a natural look, or to tone down a dramatic look! It's a matte shade and it's absolutely beautiful on fair skin tones!

Viva Glam Gaga 2 by Mac. I missed out on the first Viva Glam Gaga, so I decided I needed to get the second one. I'm so glad I did, it's amazing on fair skin tones but may be hard to wear for medium or dark skin tones, it may wash you out. It's quite brown, but beautiful with smokey dramatic eyes. I bought both the gloss and lipstick, and paired together is just heaven!

Camouflage Concealer by Cover FX. If you've got problem skin you NEED to own this concealer. It's a

oil, fragrance, paraben free concealer. It's pigmented enough to cover tattoos but it is not at all heavy or cakey. It's awesome for covering pimples, acne scarring, under eye circles, hyper pigmentation, etc. Love this stuff!

And of course! My Sigma brushes! They are just amazing, I've had them for over a year and I cannot say anything negative about them! Get them here: http://www.sigmabeauty.com/?Click=4066



$10 off!

Getting Married, or Know Someone Who is?

Sigma Beauty offers a wide variety of products that would make perfect bridesmaids presents. Imagine presenting your stylish bridesmaids with a hot pink Premium Travel Kit or a glamorous Heart Shaped Mirror. Not only are these products practical, they are also unique and exciting!

Sigma Beauty also offers many products that are perfect for the Bride-to-Be. The MAXBag is the perfect makeup bag to carry your wedding day necessities, and its spacious interior allows plenty of room to hold your cosmetics while on your honeymoon!

Visit the Sigma Beauty page now!

Sigma Brush Review

I was recently sent the Flat Top Synthetic Kabuki - F80 from SIGMA for reviewing purposes. I was startled at the feel of this brush when I recieved it in the mail. It is synthetic, I guess I haven't used many synthetic brushes for foundation before. This brush is my new holy grail item in my makeup bag, the way it blends foundation into your skin seamlessly is amazing! I've tried both buffing the foundation product into my skin, and stippling it. Buffing creates more of a natural look, while stippling gives an airbrushed look without looking too made up. This brush can be used with any type of foundation, I currently use it with cream foundation, and if I want slight coverage, a powder foundation. For both it works absolutely wonderful, and I would reccomend this brush to anyone. This brush is super inexpensive for both the quality and the efficiancy, for $16. I plan on buying a few more for my professional kit as now I consider it a MUST HAVE!

Flat Top Synthetic Kabuki - F80 

FTC: Sigma provided this brush to me for reviewing purposes. Sigma is not paying me for any mentions in this review, and all opinions are my own.



January Favourites

SMASHBOX LIMITLESS LIQUID LINER PEN

I love this liner! I used to use a revlon colourstay liquid liner but now I found my favourite liquid liner ever! It's super easy to apply and the liquid doesn't run into fine lines. It's very very black and stays put throughout the day until you wash it off, gotta have it!

DOLCE AND GABBANA LIGHT BLUE

I recently received this fragrance and I cannot stop wearing it! The base notes include citron wood, amber and musk. The heart notes are bamboo, jasmine and white rose. The top notes include Sicilian cedar, apple and bluebell. It's a very fresh fragrance, and I've received tonnes of compliments when I wear it!

MAC MINERALISE SKIN FINISH NATURAL 

I love this powder foundation, I usually pair it with a tinted moisturizer for a sheer coverage. Or with a liquid foundation for a heavier coverage. I love the way it sets my makeup but doesn't make me look cakey. It gives me a glow without looking oily. My skin looks fresh and dewy, young and radiant. I definitely love this stuff!

AVENE COLD CREAM LIP CREAM

This lip cream is the mother of all lip conditioners. It will cure your dry flaky lips over night. I first exfoliated my lips with a LUSH lip exfoliant and then put this on afterwards and woke up with the smoothest lips I've ever had! It is a bit pricey but well worth it!

SIGMA EYE SHADING BRUSH E55

This month I've been loving this brush! It's perfect for packing on colour to your lid and is the perfect size. Everyone needs a brush like this! Get yours in the link below! 

 SIGMA EYESHADING BRUSH E55