Monday Musings- Bio Oil Review and Giveaway

Hello Gorgeous!

I am happy to tell you that I am in Florida for the week as it is our March Break here in Ontario. I have a few great posts lined up while I am away and we are starting it off with a product that is near and dear to my heart. Bio-Oil is a miracle product, and if you have not used this product then here is your chance. Bio-Oil is a specialist skincare oil that helps improve the appearance of scars, stretch marks and uneven skin tone. It is also effective for aging and dehydrated skin. Bio-Oil contains PurCellin Oil which makes the product light, non-greasy and easy for the skin to absorb.

While I was pregnant, I used Bio-Oil throughout the nine months, and I can tell you I do not have any stretch marks due to pregnancy. I had to have an emergency c-section to deliver my son, and I used Bio-Oil afterwards on my scar and it was nearly invisible only six months after surgery. This is an incredible product and I can't recommend it enough. 

Bio-Oil is available in three sizes 60ml, 120ml, and 200ml, so you can easily decide which amount is going to be right for your needs.

To apply Bio-Oil place a small amount on your hand and place on the area of your skin that needs it. Apply using a circular motion. I did this for many months and it is so easy to do!

The product goes on the skin very easily, and leaves no greasy leftover feeling. It has no odour, and when I used it I noticed a difference in my skin in about a week.

Now the best part is, you can win a set of the three sizes of Bio-Oil. Use the Rafflecopter widget below, open to Canadian residents only, ends on March 31, 2015. Good Luck! a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tuesday Try This- Joe Scrub

Hello Gorgeous!

I have been wanted to try this Tuesday Try This for a long while now, and since I was sick my plans got de-railed. I had to wait until this weekend to try the amazing Joe Scrub. Joe Scrub is a coffee based body scrub that claims to exfoliate, tighten, and hydrate your skin. It can be used all over your body and there is a very generous portion included in the package. I admit I was skeptical about the benefits of using the coffee based Joe Scrub but I was blown away by my results.

When you open the package you can smell coffee (kind of like opening a tin of you favourite blend at home), and the scrub appears and feels exactly like coffee grinds. I wet my skin before putting the scrub on, and then I got to work scrubbing. I left the scrub on my face, and hands for 5 minutes before washing off. I was amazed at how refreshed my skin looked, the caffeine in the coffee I am sure helped my skin appear firmer and tighter.  My skin felt overly clean and then I used may favourite toner and moisturizer. When I woke up the next day my skin had an extra "I slept well" glow to it.

I am very excited to use this scrub again, as I used it a bit sparingly in hopes of having left overs. It is a great organic natural based product, and as I have learned it is hard to find a good one. I highly recommend the Joe Scrub. You can find it here for $16. Let me know if you will try this!

Tuesday's Try This (KISS Instawave Curler)

Hello Gorgeous!

Tuesday's 'Try This', is the Kiss Instawave curler. I was lucky enough to receive a curler to try at home and I wanted to let you all know that this is a great curler. My hair is on the thinner side, and it does not hold a curl very well so I was very excited to try this product. Before you read on you must know the KISS Instawave is a fully automatic tangle-free curler that instantly creates beautiful curls. The curler is easy for anyone to use from any angle and with either hand. The product features a curl dial with left and right curl directions. The KISS Instawave has two heat settings with low and high switch that reaches a maximum temperature of 420 degrees.  This post has been sponsored by KISS Instawave and BrandBacker.

I am a bit of a skeptic when it comes to curling irons because of the fact that my hair does not want to hold a curl. This product definitely changed my mind about curling irons. So, how do you use this curler? Take a look below at how I created beautiful curls. 

Step 1. 
Hold the KISS Instawave vertical and place a piece of hair next to the barrel. Please do not touch the curling wand. It gets very hot.

Step 2.
Choose the direction you want to curl you hair and press the grey right or left curl button. Your hair will begin to wind around the wand automatically.

Step 3.

Count to ten or wait ten seconds.

Step 4.

Let the hair out. I absolutely love the barrel/vintage curl effect that this curler does to my hair.

Step 5.

Start over again, with a different piece of hair.

When finished curling your hair, I always like to use hairspray to help keep my curls in place. This is the only curler I have found that keeps curl in my hair for the day. Below you can see the right and left direction button, as well as,  the heat control button. This product does heat up very fast (which is fantastic) and will show a blue light when ready.

The curling iron catches your hair using these brush like plastic pins placed around the circumference of the appliance. I was thrilled to receive this product and I hope that you love it as much as I do.

Tuesday Try This- Maybelline LASH-Sensational

Hello Gorgeous

If you've been reading the blog for a few months you will know that I often talk about, and have worked with the lovely Courtney from La Belle Sirene. Courtney is my makeup aficionado and I find myself purchasing some of the products that she writes about on her blog. This Tuesday Try This is inspired by La Belle Sirene as she posted about this product last week. Maybelline has just released their new LASH Sensational mascara and the packaging is rather stunning. The packaging is a lovely nude/lilac colour and the shape is very eye-pleasing.  

My favourite thing about this product and what I know sets it apart is the mascara brush. When Courtney posted about this, the first thing I asked her was, how is the brush? Courtney knows I do not like my mascara brush to be filled with too many bristles or to be (for lack of a better word) 'bushy'. Courtney told me it was thin and more wand-like, I was SOLD! I rushed to my local drugstore to get this Maybelline LASH Sensational product. I will tell you now, this mascara is FANTASTIC! It is the closest thing to the amazing Benefit They're Real mascara (yes They're Real is still the creme de la creme in mascara world),  but without the $30 pricetag.

You can see how nice and separated the mascara bristles are, this wand works magic on my eyelashes. It separates while giving volume and even gives a little curl to my lashes.

You have to try this Maybelline Lash Sensational, it's name suits it perfectly, it's sensational! You can find it at your local drugstore for around $11 ( a true steal in my mind). Have you tried this product? Let me know if you plan to and what you think.

Try This Tuesday- Bumble and Bumble

Hello Gorgeous!

Does your hair have a mind of it's own? Mine sure does! My hair is very fine but there is a lot of it, and I have found after having my son it hasn't quite been the same. It tends to be thinner, which is making it hard to add volume with just a hair dryer alone.  I have tried many products out there that claim to add more volume and give hair that extra 'lift'. Many of these have failed, but I always find that I come back to these two Bumble and Bumble products. 

The light blue tube is the Bumble and Bumble Grooming Creme. For my hair, this products works magic. This is a lightweight creme that you can use on your hair damp or dry. I tend to use it on my hair when it's damp. I only use a small quarter sized squeeze and spread it on my hair, at the roots, and then I spread it on my ends. After that I use the hair dryer to dry my bangs first, and then the rest of my hair trying to use the brush sparingly.

Once my hair is dried, there are normally a few or many, fly aways, you know those hairs that just have a mind of their own. For those hairs, I use the Bumble Hairdressing Oil, this is a lightweight oil formula that tames fly aways while adding extra shine to my hair. I have probably had this bottle for a year, I use it a few times a week, and I have barely made a dent in the total product. A little goes a long way with this oil.

These products can be found at your local Sephora, they are a bit of a budget buster, but considering these will last a long time, it makes it worth the investment. 

Hair Dressing Oil- here

Grooming Creme - here

You can see by my hair in the picture below these products groom wonderfully! I did add curl to my hair as these products will not curl.

How To Thursdays- Choose A Lipstick

Hello Gorgeous! 

It's time to talk about lipsticks, these are not my favourite makeup item to use since I have small lips so when I choose a lipstick it has to be good. Today, I will walk you through the steps when choosing a lipstick, with all the choices out there it can be really overwhelming. 

First things first, ask yourself these questions before purchasing a lipstick.

1. What colour are you planning to buy? If you are wanting an everyday/neutral colour it may be best to invest a bit more money into a luxury brand lipstick. 

2.  Do you prefer a matte or glossy/shimmery lipstick? I try to stick to matte colours, I find my lips look a little bigger with a matte lipstick.

3. Do certain lipstick smells bother you? If you are bothered by certain lipstick smells, you definitely need to sniff before buying.

Now that you have decided on your list of needs in a lipstick it's time to get shopping! Let's talk about the luxury brands first.

Below is the Sephora brand lipstick. The wonderful thing about Sephora is there is always a lovely staff member to ask for advice. I find the Sephora brand lipstick glides on very well, and has enough pigment in it that it will last longer than an average drugstore brand. You can see it here, and the colour choices are endless.

The luxury brand lipstick winner, is the Bite Beauty high pigment lip pencil. This is no regular lip pencil as it is a lipstick formula. This is by far my favourite lipstick on the market. The lip pencils are saturated with gorgeous colours that glide on so easily and feel great on the lips. I find the Bite Beauty lip pencils last far longer than others I have tried. You can find these at Sephora or click  here.

But, what if you want your lips to feel moisturized with just a hint of colour. This fresh chapstick/lipstick is amazing. The fresh line offers amazing lip products that give you the moisture you need, along with SPF 15. Find them here.

Let's move onto the more affordable lipsticks now, the ones you can pick up at any local drugstore. My personal fave is the Revlon Colorburst. I use the matte balm option but there is glossy available. I find this product is long lasting, although I need a hint of chapstick at times when using it. The colours are heavily pigmented, while still gliding on nicely.

My other drugstore lipstick favourite is also a Revlon product.The Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick, comes in so many shades I lost count. The lipstick has no smell, and glides on smooth and provides some moisture. This lipstick is not as long lasting as the Revlon Colorburst or the luxury brands above, but it is a great buy at around ten dollars.

The final two drugstore lipsticks are my go-to brands when I want a fun colour that am not using on a regular basis. The Rimmel Moisture Renew offers the right amount of colour pigment, and does provide some moisture. It does not last nearly as long as the above lipsticks but the colours are so fun, and the price point is great at around seven dollars, it's hard to resist.

The Maybelline Color Sensational Lipcolor lives up to it's name, The colours choices are right on trend, have great pigment and wear very well on my lips. Again, this product is not as long lasting, but if you looking for a fun colour to wear out at night this Maybelline product will be fantastic!

Let me know what lipsticks are your favourites. Is there a product you want to know more about? Let me know I'll investigate for you.

Tuesday Try This- Biore Deep Pore Charcoal Cleanser

Hello Gorgeous!

I have finally found an amazing inexpensive facial cleanser. I have looked many years for a product that does an amazing cleansing job without costing a lot. Let me introduce the Biore Deep Pore Charcoal Cleanser. This magical bottle is sold at any local drugstore for around ten dollars, yes you read right $10! The packaging looks similar to the other Biore products but when you look inside the bottle you will notice the cleanser appears to be a charcoal colour. 

The facial cleanser itself is a thick gel like substance that tingles almost immediately when it touches the skin. This tingling feeling always makes me think I am getting a great facial cleanse.

A little cleanser goes a long way with this product, so you only need a dime to a quarter sized amount of product.

I found that by leaving it on longer, my skin was getting a deeper clean. I am someone who has large pores, and generally oily skin, and when I washed the product off, my skin feels tighter, and refreshed.

Run down to your local drugstore today to pick this great product up!  My husband loves this cleanser as well, so this is a great gift idea for the special men in your life.

Tuesday Try This- MICRO Pedi

Hello Gorgeous!

I finally found the perfect stocking stuffer for the holiday season. This stocking stuffer is great for both men and women, and is a necessity in your bathroom. What is this fabulous product you ask? The MICRO Pedi by Emjoi, I know you are all asking why is this a necessity and what is it? The MICRO Pedi is a safe at home alternative to the salon pedicures we all love. This device is battery powered and works on all areas of your feet by removing rough and hard skin leaving your feet smooth and soft. Imagine that foot filer paddle looking item you use in the shower, and reinvent it so that it spins using battery power. If you hate filing your manually, (let's be honest who doesn't) you need the MICRO Pedi. 

The MICRO Pedi device has an on/off slide button, a circular filing device and is about the length of my hand. The handle on this device is wonderful as I can easily grasp it and it is comfortable to hold.

The blue filing roller spins quite fast when the device is turned on. The spinning action gently files cracked skin off of the foot.

On the side of the MICRO Pedi is a slide button that will release the blue roller so that it can be cleaned using the small white brush included in the package.

The roller slides out and snaps back into place easily. The MICRO Pedi does have two different roller options, the blue which is included and golden blue for that extra coarse skin (this can be purchased separately).

When using the MICRO Pedi find an area of your foot that has rough or cracked skin.  Turn it on and angle the MICRO Pedi towards the area. Touch the MICRO Pedi on the rough or cracked skin and move the device up and down or side to side. You will see your skin dusting off of your foot. Keep going until you feel the rough or cracked skin is gone.

When I got the MICRO Pedi my husband tried it (he loves to try new products) and the first thing he said was, "this is great". There is a MICRO Pedi Man device for all the special men in your life which would also make a great stocking stuffer.

I am sure you are now asking where you can buy the MICRO Pedi, head to your local Shoppers Drug Mart store,  or online at MICRO Pedi. Let me know what you think of this awesome time saving fabulous pedicure product!