The Process: My Morning Skin Care Routine

So a couple of weeks ago I had a request to share my skin care routine, I started off with my evening skin care routine which might seem a little odd but washing my face at the end of the day is one of my favourite things in life, I look forward to it as soon as I leave work. So today I thought I would bring you my morning routine!

The Process:

In the Shower...

Step 1: MAC's Lightful Cleanser I should seriously have stocks in this products or something for the amount I talk about it, but seriously this stuff is the bomb! Perfect for a nice refreshing morning cleanse and works wonderfully with my Clarisonic. You can read more about it here, here and here, told you I am kinda obsessed...

Step 1.5: Soap and Glory Smoothie Star Breakfast Scrub My boyfriend used to tease me that if you wanted to sell something to a Canadian all you had to do was make it smell/taste like Maple Syrup; clearly Soap and Glory caught on to this tactic because I AM HOOKED! I picked this up on offer at Boots back in January and while I've got a bazillion tubs/tubes/bottles/bars of shower stuff on the go this is one of my favourites. A nice thick scrub that smells just like maple syrup and leaves your skin soft and smooth.

Step 2: MAC's Lightful Softening Lotion Here's another old favourite you guys are probably used to hearing my rave on and on about. I love this particularly in the morning because when you splash some on a cotton pad and run it over your face it removes dry skin instantly making the texture of your skin softer and easier to apply make up to. You can read more about it on my blog here and here.

Step 3: Avène Thermal Spring Water Spray I absolutely adore using this spray before applying serums or moisturizers, I find it really opens up the pores and allows what you apply afterwards to really sink in. This is another one that has gotten quite a bit of publicity on my blog you may have seen it here, here and here. Clearly with that much love you might be surprised to hear that once I finish this can I am actually going to be trying a new spray, what blasphemy right?! I've finally given in and ordered the Omorovicza Queen of Hungary Mist that was on my Wishlist.

Step 4: Finally some new products you haven't heard me ramble on about yet!! In the palm of my hand I like to mix a little bit of the Kiehl's Powerful Strength Line- Reducing Serum (I've also added this into my evening skin care routine as well) with 2 drops of Fresh's Seaberry Moisturizing Face Oil and massage that into the face and neck, you want to let it sit for a couple minutes to really absorb before applying any moisturizer. 

Step 5: While my serum/oil concoction in sinking in I like to apply my eye cream, Caudalie's Vinosource S.O.S Morning Eye Rescue. I have super sensitive eyes; sensitive to eye creams, if I have a minor food allergy my eyes are the first thing to swell up, they're just a pain in the butt. Not only does this not irritate my eyes at all but it also helps bring down my puffy eyes after someone has fed me mushrooms when I told them I was allergic... but that's another story! This stuff is also hydrating without leaving a sticky residue that will interfere with eye make up.

Step 5.5: I like to prep my lips by applying a nice thick layer of NUXE Reve de Miel Baume Levres Ultra-Nourrissant Ultra-Nourishing Lip Balm so that they're soft and moisturized come time to apply lip products.

Step 6: While letting my face soak up all the good stuff I've just slathered it in I like to move onto moisturizing the rest of the skin on my body, right now I'm loving The Body Shop's Coconut Body Butter (It's on sale 50% in stores and online so now would be the perfect time to stock up on body butters!!) I've grown up using The Body Shop's Body Butters on and off since I was probably ten and I just keep coming back to them; amazing texture, wonderful fragrances and they really do hydrate all day long! I'm particularly obsessed with anything coconut right now because it reminds me of summer and well, I live in the land of endless winter, seriously - it's still snowing...

Step 7: I've usually got pretty good skin but around the same time every month a couple nasty little spots decide to creep up on my face, last week I went to Murale in search of an answer to my problems. Having dry, sensitive skin makes blemish spot treatments pretty tricky but she suggested Blemish Gel 5% by B.Kamins, this is the first thing I've tried from this Canadian skin care brand and I'm loving it! It dries up the blemish without drying out your skin and can even be worn under make up, every girl needs to have this on hand!

Step 8: This is usually the part of the morning where I would go stuff my face with delicious breakfast but for the sake of this post let's just skip on to the next bit. Moisturizers! I'm still using and still loving my Delarom Revitality Cream (I even dedicated a whole post to it here if you want to read about the vanishing forehead wrinkle) and considering I've been using it for three months now it makes the $107 price tag a little easier to swallow, but with the pile of creams I brought back from Paris I still have to work my way through it'll be a little while before I'm replacing this bad boy after it finally runs out.

Step 9: This is a more optional step but on the mornings I've got some extra time or I really feel like pampering myself I like to massage some Nuxe Huile de Prodigieuse into my appendages, it just feels so luxurious and smells fantastic. This is clearly another one of my favourites, you can read more about it on my blog here, here and here.

Not quite as extensive as my evening routine but pretty dang close! What are some of your guys' favourite products and is there something you think I would love? Let me know in the comments, clearly I love to try new things!

Cheat Sheet: Everything You've Ever Wanted to Know About Sheet Masks

Cheat Sheets: Sheet Masks 101

Sheet masks! One of my all time favourite beauty products and the skin care snowflake that turned into a full fledged avalanche. It all started when a friend posted a picture on her Instagram of some sheet masks she'd picked up at a local Asian supermarket, this led to questions which lead to googling which lead to heading down to the supermarket to get my hot little paws on the Dermal Collagen sheet masks which I've mentioned briefly here as one of my favourite budget friendly beauty products. I was going to start by giving you a run down of some common ingredients but I think my first mask set covers all the bases so let's get the ball rolling!

Etude House I Need You Alphabet Sheet Masks

This collection is wonderful because it contains a mask for every letter of the alphabet (and a wee little heart) each letter represents a key ingredient. I'll give you a quick list below of each ingredient and its benefit, this will prove helpful later on as you'll see certain ingredients are always popping up!

A - Aloe (soothing relief)

B- Bulgarian Rose (brightening)

C- Collagen (firming)

D - Dandelion (revitalizing)

E - Elder Flower (soothing & moisturizing)

F - Fig (purifying)

G - Green Tea (moisture & relief)

H - Hylaronic Acid (richly moisturizing)

I - Imortelle (energizing & nourishing)

J - Job's Tears (revitalizing & smoothing)

K- Korean Ginseng (revitalizing & nourishing)

L - Lemon (tone clarifying)

M - Mango (nourishing &firming)

N - Noni (revitalizing)

O - Olive (deep moisture)

P - Pomegranate (smooth elasticity)

Q - Q10 (tightening & firming)

R - Royal Jelly (smooth hydration)

S - Shea Butter (richly nourishing)

T - Tea Tree (trouble care)

U - Unpolished Rice (firming & nourishing)

V - Vitamin Complex (radiating skin)

W - White Pearl (bright complexion)

X - Xyitol Forest (clean moisture)

Y - Yogurt Strawberry (soft & moist)

Z - Zucchini (nourishing & moisturizing)

<3 - Heart - Five Berry Complex (antioxidant) 

So far I have tried the Olive, Q10, Heart and Yogurt masks and have really loved them all. The pouches have lots of collagen serum in them, you could almost make a second mask out of all the left over serum in the pouch...or scoop it out with your fingers and smear it all over your face like I do... The serum isn't sticky like some sheet mask serums I've encountered, it sinks in fairly quickly - I usually do these in the evening before bed so I don't know how long it usually takes but there's no residue on my pillow! - and my skin the next morning is always very soft and supple. 

Dermal Collagen Sheet Masks

These were the first brand of sheet mask I tried and really got me addicted to skin care; remember how I've said a million times I love instant gratification? These guys fill that need to se results NOW for me, especially the royal jelly one. If you want to read a bit more on these you can check out this post where I gush to my hearts content about these skin saving little beauties.

My Beauty Diary Sheet Masks

Apple Polyphenol Mask  

for oil control and pore constricting

I by no means have oily skin, I'm quite the opposite actually, but I do have some enlarged pores that like to laugh in my face as I apply my make up every morning. I use this mask probably once a week (twice if I can find the time) to help with my enlarged pores, and while it is also for oil control it is not at all drying. I find that if I work this into my normal nightly skin care routine after cleansing and before moisturizing not only do I see some shrinkage in my pores but I have super soft and smooth skin! 

Chocolate Truffle Mask

for moisturizing and softening

These were my second delve into sheet masks and for obvious reasons; chocolate and skin care in one?! Before we get into this let me just say - slather your body in cold press extra virgin coconut oil, pop one of these babies on and lay back and enjoy smelling like a macaroon cookie! These masks are phenomenal, now a word about usage: they say to leave the mask on for 20 minutes, I say to leave the mask on for a MINIMUM of 20 minutes. There is so much extra serumy goodness in the packet that these sheets are highly saturated with moisturizing and softening magic. The first time I used one I fell asleep on the couch watching a movie and it was probably on my face for a good four hour before I woke up, that's not something I would recommend doing as peeling a dry sheet off your face is kinda gross but dang did my skin look good!

2- Step Europe Clarifying Pack

Step 1: Black Rose Brightening Mask

Step 2: Rose Honey Refining Gel

for brightening and clarifying

A 2-step mask was a whole new ball game I stumbled into and one I'm not 100% sold on (but I am like 98% sold on it...) The idea is the mask helps brighten your complexion while the serum refines and clarifies. Let's start with step 1; this mask is intended for a minimum of 30 minutes use which is a little bit longer than all the other My Beauty Diary masks. I did it while enjoying a bubble bath so I could just lay back and enjoy my tea (pro-tip: use a straw to drink beverages while wearing a sheet mask or you'll get mask in your tea and tea in your mask!) without having to worry about faffing with a mask for 30 minutes. Like all other MBD sheet masks there is lots of serum in the packet which is always nice. After the 30 minutes were up I removed the mask and then dabbed the extra serum into my skin like usual. After step 1 I was in love my skin felt and looked great!

Step 2 is where I lose that 2% of love. Because there was so much extra serum in the mask your skin is already a little dewy and then you have to apply a thick gel over top. The gel is supposed to be left on to absorb, my issue was that two hours later after my bath the gel had still not absorbed into my skin. I was headed to bed and didn't mind the extra gel on my face as I was going to sleep but it did leave a bit of an oily residue on my pillow that I was not a fan of.

My final thoughts on this mask are I love that it is a gentle enough clarifying mask that I can use it on my dry sensitive skin without having any sort of reaction to it. I did wish that the gel absorbed more quickly instead of just sitting on the surface of my skin but I will most likely be using this mask again, now I just know to put old pillow cases on my pillows before going to bed after this 2-step mask!

Intensive Double Vitamin C Eye Mask

for brightening of the eye area

First a word of caution to anyone who like me may have super sensitive skin, especially around the eyes, these may not be for you! The first time I used these I followed the recommended 15 minutes of usage and because I have such sensitive skin I had a mild reaction aka super dry, itchy and flaky. Since then I have been able to use them twice a week for 5 minutes and have been fine and can see the difference in the brightening. That being said I gifted some to a girl friend who has skin of steel and she uses them every other day and has seen massive improvements in her dark under eye circles, so these little eye masks do pack quite a punch but be warned the concentrated vitamin c can be quite irritating if you're a delicate flower like myself!

Dark Circle Intensive Care Eye Mask

for lightening of under eye discolouration

I tried this formulation of eye mask after the Double Vitamin C above so I've only been using them at 5 minutes a piece right from the get go so there was no sensitivities to these ones but I would still heed my warning from above. I love the results I've gotten from these masks but would recommend investing in some good quality eye cream as these can be a little drying on the under eye skin. My two favourites, and two on the only ones my temperamental eye skin will let anywhere near them are the Caudalie Vinosource S.O.S Morning Eye Rescue and the L'Occitane En Provence Imortelle Precious Eye Balm.

Face Q Sheet Masks

 Red Pomegranate + CoQ10 Mask

After discovering that the reason the french are famous for their beautiful skin and amazing skin care is in part due to their understanding of prevention in place of trying to reverse damage I was all into preventing my skin from premature aging which lead me into an all engulfing google rampage into Coenzyme Q10 or CoQ10 for short, which helps combat cellular damage that causes wrinkles and aging of the skin. There's a nifty little article here that breaks down the science of it into easy to understand terms for those of us that don't enjoy trying to pick through all the science jargon.

Back to the masks! So when I was in the supermarket and saw that not only did one of my favourite sheet mask brands carry a mask containing CoQ10 but that it was on offer I had to scoop it up. While I'm still in my 20's and my skin hasn't started to deteriorate yet this mask is definitely a staple for me and as I grow older I will be investing in many more products containing CoQ10. For now this mask provides a nice punch of prevention and leaves my skin feeling and looking great!

If you have made it all the way to the end you must really be a sheet mask connoisseur as well and will be pleased to know that I will be including several of these mask in my giveaway box. We're only 11 likes away on Facebook before I host my first giveaway contest so if you're not already following the blog over there check it out, there will be a link below! 

Do you guys have some favourite sheet masks that I absolutely need to try, if so let me know in the comments below!

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Monthly Favourites: February 2014

February; what an eventful month you've been! My boyfriend has moved to the States, which while not as close as I would like at least we're on the same continent now! I got a wee little promotion at work which is why my schedule has become easier to stick to the two a week posting schedule and my sister hosted the most badass DIY Harry Potter Birthday party for my nephew that turned 8; I helped out and was referred to as Mrs. Professor Snape all afternoon which I wasn't too upset by. You can see pictures of my sisters handiwork below. And yes, that is me teaching a spells class to a room full of kids...

Now on to the beauty!!

Skincare

February was a month of discovering new favourites and falling in love with old ones all over again!

Delarom Revitality Cream: This little wonder was one of the items I stockpiled during my trip to Paris, I've been using it for about six weeks now and it's amazing, let's just say NO MORE FOREHEAD WRINKLE! If you'd like to know more about why I love this product so much you can read my recent review of it here.

Etude House Missing U Handcream in Peach Panda: Ok, let's be real here, I only bought this hand cream because of how adorable the packaging is, but can you blame me?! Look at how cute it is!!! The cream itself was alright, great scent and doesn't leave your hands with a greasy residue but not nearly moisturizing enough if you have scaly dry hands like me. So why then did I love it so much? Because of the way the packaging is designed you can easily refill the panda when you've used up all the cream, so once I was out of the hand cream from Etude House I cleaned it out and refilled it with the Body Shop's Vineyard Peach Body Butter.

Clarisonic: I've had my Clarisonic Mia for about a year now and I love it. I know some people that use them daily whenever they cleanse their skin but my sensitive little skin just can't take that. When it was oilier and more acne prone that's exactly what I used to do and it worked wonders for me, but when my skin made the massive switch from oily and acne prone to dry and sensitive using it that much caused me to break out like crazy, so I stopped using. This month I reintroduced it to my skin care regime, only using it 2-3 times a week, when my skin was feeling dull or I had a lot of make up on and I just wanted to feel like my skin could breath again and I'm really happy I kept it around instead of giving into the urge to toss it when my face started to freak out; some times less really is more!

Hair Care

Charles Worthington Moisture Seal Overnight Ultimate Hair Healer: Fleur had mentioned this product in one of her favourites videos so when I was in London I had to pick it up and give it a go; it is truly worthy of the name Ultimate Hair Healer! The last night before my weekly shampoo I coat my hair in this and then throw it up into a bun; first let me point out that there is no messy residue left on your pillow from this which is awesome and after shampooing and conditioning as usual in the morning my hair was so unbelievably soft and shiny. When this runs out I'm going to have to get one of my friends in the UK to hit up Boots for me!

Charles Worthington Strength and Repair Pro-Heat Repair Milk: I picked this up at the same time as the overnight mask above because Boots had them on offer and I love this stuff! It works as a heat protectant for blow drying and straightening so you don't need to use two products- it leaves your hair super shiny and soft and I found it also gave a little added volume to my limp locks. I haven't been able to find anywhere online where I can get the Charles Worthington Spa at Home collection so if you know let me know in the comments below!

Difiaba Luminessence Shine Mist in Hibiscus Formula:  I bought a whole bunch of stuff from this collection online (ie. eBay) about a year ago and absolutely loved everything except for this, to me it was a let down, I felt like it left my hair looking greasy instead of shiny. After watching a YouTube video, can't remember who, about dry shampoo and shine sprays I tried spraying it into my brush and then running the brush through my hair as opposed to spraying it directly into my hair and what a world of difference that makes! I absolutely adore this now, its a combination of aromatherapy and hair care in one. The smell is incredible but not so strong as to be offensive, everything else in the collection also has this wonderful scent and my hair always looks so shiny and healthy when I use it. It pairs great with dry shampoo to bring back some shine instead of the "I didn't wash my hair this morning, or yesterday morning and coated it in powder instead" dull hair look I was previously sporting.

Beauty

L'Oreal's Mega Volume Miss Manga Mascara:  I picked this up in Boots back in January because the mascara I'd been using was finished and this one was new and on offer; it boasts uncontrollable volume and it does not leave you disappointed. The wand has a 360 degree flexible cone brush that makes it super easy to apply to even the teensiest lower lashes.

Skin Food Good Afternoon BB Cream in Peach Green Tea: When BB Creams first became popular in North America I steered clear because I had super oily acne prone skin and was busy applying full coverage mattifying foundation with a spackle, the thought of a more natural looking finish with a built in moisturizer was blasphemy to me. So when I started ordering Asian cosmetics and received billions of little samples of different BB Creams I figured maybe it was time to give them a try. I tried 12, yes 12, different samples and this one was my favourite; now that I have dry skin the moisturizing properties of a BB cream aren't up to par with what my skin needs so this one is nice in that the green tea provides oil control so I can layer over my normal cream without looking shiny and it gives great natural coverage.

MAC's Mineralize Skin Finish in Perfect Topping: I'm obsessed. Some days I feel like bathing in this and get a little carried away and suddenly what started out as a highlight has moved onto my collar bones and shoulders because I just can't be shimmery enough! This is a gorgeous rose gold colour that came out with the Fantasy of Flowers collection, I swatched it in a previous post that you can see here.

Random Bits and Bobs

Nigel the Dachshund Necklace from Cat-a-Cake Creations: I stumbled into a cute little boutique shop in Brighton and immediately fell in love with this necklace. I've previously owned two little dachshund and they're probably one of my favourite breeds and will always have a soft spot in my heart so when I saw this necklace I knew I needed it in my life, plus the cute little description that reads " Nigel is one cute little sausage dog looking for a loving home! He has 3 beautiful stars engraved on his back. He loves walks on the beach and dislikes Justin Beiber."stole my heart. While I was paying for the necklace I got a change to meet Nigel the cute little sausage the necklace was modeled after and I heard the heart warming story of how he was given as a 30th birthday gift to cheer up the designer who was a little upset about turning 30. You can find Nigel and many other cute designs here. That adorable little Jammie Dodgers necklace is next on my list!

Tea of the Month:  I was going to give it to Wanderlust Green Tea by Yumchaa Tea but since I already mentioned it in my What's in My Bag post I thought that I would give it to Choconut Oolong by David's Tea because it's like dessert in a cup and I've been indulging all month long!

Blog of the Month: She's quickly become one of my favourite blogger/vloggers, could it be that it's because she's a Canadian living in England with fantastic taste in beauty and skin care.... most likely. That or because she's freaking adorable. Check out Essiebutton here and on YouTube here.

Let me know what you guys were loving this month in the comments below!

What's My Age Again? Delarom Revitality Cream Review

I've been told all my life I seem quite mature for my age and I've always taken it as a compliment, until a couple of months ago I spotted it; this silent evil lurking in the dark behind foundation and under my moisturizer. It appeared in the shadows of the night one evening and installed itself on my forehead: yes, my very first wrinkle!! Ok, so maybe I'm being a little over dramatic, I'm not about to rush out and get botox - if that's your jam groovy but it's just not for me - and almost everyone I've asked says they have no idea what I'm talking about but I think they're just too nice to tell me I've been frowning too much lately - I blame my Kia of Death for that! I always thought crows feet or laugh lines were cute because they show you've spent your life smiling, but a giant forehead wrinkle at 22 was not my idea of aging gracefully.

Fast forward two months later to my romantic Paris getaway with the man, he's now standing patiently outside the pharmacy while I point at my forehead in despair to the girl behind the counter. She must get this a lot because she calmly held my hand, sat me down and got down to business. I should state I've always be wary of these creams that claim to cure wrinkles so I was a little anxious to invest some of my hard earned money into something I didn't totally believe in, but hey, if she said whatever crazy french voodoo in this bottle would work I wanted to believe her. After some discussion about my skin, my lifestyle and the end result I wanted we settled on Delarom Revitality Cream. It was more than I'd ever invested in any skin care item before but that forehead wrinkle had me in a "no fucks given" mood, pardon my french.

You may have noticed the funky new background in this photo, I got kinda bored of taking pictures on a white background, especially when the packaging is also white. So the painting in the background is by a talented local artist by the name of Bradley Gobeil, I chose it because this moisturizer totally makes me feel like fist pumping to infinity and beyond. If you like this picture check out the rest of his work on Instagram.

I was trying to figure out the best way to dish on this cream with out spending all day screaming "look at my forehead" to a bunch of people who can't see through a computer screen and since I didn't really think it would work I have no "before" photo to compare the two images for you guys, so let me give you a good ol' fashioned pro's and con's list and then leave it up to you guys to decide whether or not you want to take the plunge!

Con's:

• It is definitely a little bit more on the pricey side; I can't remember what I paid for it in Paris but this website has it listed for $107 which seems to be the average after a quick google search.
• Not super hydrating; this would be great if you had normal to oily skin but for someone like myself with dry skin I had to do some tweaking to make it work aka mix a little bit of my regular moisturizer with it on drier days. But now that we're out of the death grips of -30 weather I have been wearing it just on it's own for the last couple of weeks and it's been great!
• Not immediate results; clearly with any real "fix" it takes time to work it's voodoo but I'm a results driven person so it took some effort not to give up on it after a week of no noticeable change but around the 4 week mark is where I noticed drastic improvement.

Pro's:

• NO MORE FREAKING FOREHEAD WRINKLE!!!! And I mean none, unless I make that horrid frowny face that I'm sure gave me the wrinkles in the first place, I am back to looking like the fresh faced 21 year old I was before I bought a cursed death trap for a vehicle.
• It has an amazing smell; I can't place it but it's super light almost "clean" scent.
• The texture is great; not too runny or too thick and goopy. Not at all greasy and my make up applies wonderfully over top of it.
• Aside from the wrinkle disappearing, my skin looks great; it's tight and radiant, my pores are small, I haven't had more than a single spot for a "break out"

This is the first and so far only product I have tried from Delarom but I can see a bright future for our relationship if their other products are this wonderful!

Have you tried any Delarom Products before? What are your favourite "anti- aging" tricks and products? I'd love to hear in the comments below.