The Process: Night Time Skincare Routine

It should come as no shock to you by now that my evening skin care routine is more than just a simple two step cleanse and moisturize; it is a bit of a ritual for me. I love the process of thoroughly cleansing and hydrating my skin before bed and I'm not just talking about my face, I moisturize right down to my toes before climbing into bed. While the products I use are constantly changing here is a look at what I'm using right now, some products I've been using for months others I've just added into the routine in the last couple weeks.

The Process:

Step 1: Shu Uemura Anti-Oxi Skin Refining Anti-Dullness Cleansing Oil I've been using cleansing oils as a gentle way to remove my make up at night for several months now but I stumbled upon this particular one at Sephora a couple weeks ago and snagged a sample. I've been using it daily for about a week now and when my sample ran out last night I knew I'd have to splurge and buy one. I say splurge but it's only $44 so it's actually quite economically priced. With dry hands and a dry face take 3-4 pumps of the oil and gently smooth it over your face, wet face to emulsify oil and gently scrub away your make up and then rinse! This one is great because not only does it smell amazing but it contains Moringa and Green Tea extracts to remove environmental pollutants from your skin and promote a bright clear complexion. 

Step 2: Bioderma Micellar Solution I bought into all the hype of this product while I was over in the UK and I now understand why it's such a cult favourite because I've used it every single day for the last three months and can't imagine my life without it. A little too dramatic? Maybe, but this stuff is the bomb! I use it mainly as the second step of my evening routine to make sure that if I missed any make up the first time around it's gone now, but when I used to work at the bar and get home at 4am exhausted I really didn't feel like scrubbing my face so I'd splash some on a cotton pad and lay in bed and remove my make up as I was already on my way to sleep, not the greatest I know but at least it's better than nothing! I also love that they have a sensitive skin line because my dry skin freaks out with anything too abrasive.

Step 3: MAC's Lightful Marine Bright Cleanser Now that all that gunk is off my face I can properly cleanse it. I love this cleanser and have for a while now, I mentioned it in my January Favourite's post so I won't go too much into it here, but I'm still in love and you can click the link above to find out why!

Step 4: Avène Thermal Spring Water Spray I discovered this during my pre-Paris french skin care googling spree and managed to find it here at home and it's quickly become a staple; I have a large can on my vanity and small ones in my gym bag and purse. I took this with me when I flew and it was a great refresher during my 9 hour plane ride, I also keep one stashed in my gym bag to refresh my skin after a heavy lifting session. I use this morning and night during my skin care routine because somewhere along the lines I once heard someone say your creams absorb better when your skin is damp, whether or not that's true it feels great and my super dry skin loves it!

Step 5: Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate This is one of the newer additions to my nightly routine, I was looking for a serum and saw this particular one pop up in quite a few blogs. I went into the Kiehl's store to take a better look at it and the girls there were beyond helpful. Telling me all about this specific product, offered me a couple of samples to try it first (it should be noted as you only use 3 drops a night one sample pack will last you like two weeks!!) to make sure my sensitive skin didn't freak out. After the first night I woke up in the morning and I'd couldn't believe what a difference one night made; I mean seriously, there was bursts of light and a chorus of angels singing from my face, well not really but pretty damn close! 

Step 6: Kiehl's Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado When I was chatting with the girls at Kiehl's they recommended giving the Midnight Recovery Serum a couple minutes to sink in before applying your night time face cream so in the meantime I like to dot on my eye cream. I was using L'Occitane En Provence's Imortelle Precious Eye Balm and quite liked it as it didn't irritate my sensitive eye but it wasn't quite as hydrating as I'd like so when I finished my tub the other day I figured I'd try something new for my scaly eyelids (gross right?!). I've only got a little sample of this Avocado eye cream right now and this is night two of using it and I quite enjoy it so far, but a few tips from the girls at Kiehl's on application: 1. only use a very small amount. 2. Warm it up between two fingers before applying. 3. Lightly pat it onto your ocular bone, don't rub it it! I like this cream because it's a nice thick texture that absorbs well, I'll keep you posted on whether or not it fixes my crocodile eyes.

Step 7: Bath and Body Works Lavender Chamomile Sleep Aromatherapy Body Lotion After my face is taken care of I make sure to slather a decent amount of this on the rest of my body to keep it hydrated over night, I also find the scent quite relaxing which helps my restless mind calm down and get ready for bed.

Step 8:NUXE Reve De Miel Ultra Comfortable Face Cream (Night) So you've listened to me sing the praises of the Nuxe Reve De Miel lip balm for ages (totally not done singing them yet!) and I tried the day cream and loved it but was unable to find the night cream anywhere in Canada (until recently YAY BAY! Thanks for having my dry prairie girl's back this winter, see link above to order yours!) so I stocked up while in France and it's amazing! I'm having a hard time putting it away to try out some of the other night creams I bought. It is super moisturizing, not at all irritating and delivers a powerful punch of over night moisture.

Step 9:Reve De Miel Lip Balm Told you I wasn't done singing it's praises yet! Before bed I exfoliated with my DIY lip scrub that you can find the recipe to here and then apply a generous layer of lip balm. This stuff is seriously so good that when I wake up 8 hours later there's still some left keeping my lips soft!

Step 10: The Body Shop's Africa Honey and Beeswax Hand and Foot Butter and last but not least keeping my feet from becoming scaly monsters is Essie Button to the rescue with her recommendation of this amazing foot lotion. It's not pictured above because unfortunately I'm all out but will be running to the store to replenish my stocks soon!!!

Step 11: This one is a once a week treat for my dry skin. In place of step 8 I will apply a thin layer of Glam Glow's Thirsy Mud and leave it on overnight for some intense hydration. This stuff smells amazing, probably due to the fact it's packed full of raw honey, ginger root and coconut; it leaves my skin feeling super soft and looking great in the morning, I wish I could bathe in this stuff!

This may seem a bit excessive but I love my skin care and my skin has never looked so great in my life! I also love the ritual of it and find it a quite relaxing way to wind down before bed after a hectic day. What are some of your guys' favourite night time skin treats, let me know 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.

What's in My Bag?

Every kid loves trick or treating at Halloween, I was no exceptions, although I loved it for a completely different reason than most 7 year olds. I wasn't too bothered by the candy bars that I did or didn't get, I probably wouldn't have noticed if they were handing out moldy sandwiches, I was out there completely  because I had a strange fascination with getting to glimpse into people's homes over their candy bowls, yes I AM a creep, I fully acknowledge this. Well to me the "What's in My Bag" posts are like the grown up version of trick or treating for me; a brief glimpse into someone else's life. So here's my life in the form of my handbag!

First a quick note on the bag itself: I picked up this Betsey Johnson bag at the TK Maxx in Brighton about a week after what we will call the Great Purse Flood of 2014. My boyfriend and I were in Paris for the weekend and while trying to get over jet lag and a bit of a tummy bug I was drinking a lot of Emergen-c (a flavoured drink powder high in Vit C) and I had put a full bottle of it in my bag before a busy day of sightseeing. Whilst in Notre Dame I felt something wet on my leg and glanced down to see my bag dripping, when I opened it up the entire contents of my bag were bobbing around in the purple liquid that had come pouring out of it's bottle. I'm usually quite calm and it takes a bit to ruffle my feathers but I dashed out of the cathedral, with Pete making an effort to keep up, where I ripped everything out of my bag, flipped it inside out to pour all the water out and tried not to bawl on the steps of the Notre Dame cathedral on our first day in Paris... When we got back to our hotel at the end of the day my guy spent half an hour, bless him, trying to dry my bag with the horrid hotel hair dryer; I spent the rest of our trip stuffing his backpack with all my skin care. Once back to London we noticed that my bag was STILL damp and had developed a quite unpleasant odour and desperately needed replacing, but since I spent nearly my entire livelihood on french skin care it was off to TK Maxx for a new bag, enter this lovely not-so-little bag that could probably carry my entire life if need be, we celebrated my tossing the stinky old bag in the bin and I haven't look back since! Ok, maybe it wasn't such a quick note..

These are some of my all time favourite essentials, you can read a bit more about them here and a sample of the Josie Maran 100% Pure Argan Oil that I got at Sephora from the lovely lady that always plies me with samples, god I love that lady! Since my post about the Tangle Teezer last month I've bought 3 more; one for the bathroom, one for my bedroom and one for my niece who screams every time anyone goes near her hair with a brush. This pink one permanently resides in my hand bag now. 

My mittens from the 2010 winter olympics in Vancouver; it's been so cold lately that to dream of leaving my house without these bad boys would be insane. I have to say I'm amazed I still have these, most mittens don't make it a whole winter before they get lost but I've had this pair for four years now! I wasn't actually in Canada for the Winter Olympics in 2010 I was living abroad in Ireland so I had family post these to me so I could cheer on my hockey team from abroad. 

There's a little zipper pocket on the outside of my bag which apparently is where I hoard all my lip products, currently in that pocket is:

• Etude House Kissful Lip Care Lip scrub: I use this to prep my lips before putting on lipstick. I love that it comes in a little squeeze tube so I don't have to stick my finger in a little tub of gritty bits, it has a wonderful smell but don't get it in your mouth, ICK! It has a very chemically sweet taste that lingers.
•  Nuxe's Rêve de Miel Ultra-Nourishing Lip Balm: that shit's the balm. Get it! God I love puns.
• Etude House Dear My Lip Enamel in EPK001 (super shiny pink): I mentioned how much I love this lip gloss in my Beauty Bargains for $5 or Less post, it truly is a staple for me now.
• MAC's Dazzleglass Creme in If It's Pink: it's a limited addition colour that came out in July 2010 as part of the Alice + Olivia Collection. I am obsessed, the dazzleglass creme is the perfect combination of dazzleglass sparkle and cremesheen colour and shine. It is quite close to the Playful Petal Cremesheen that came out with Fantasy of Flowers, and Loud & Lovely Cremesheen is the closest thing they have as part of their permanent collection.
• MAC's Cremesheen in Nectarsweet:  you can see a swatch in my post here it is part of A Fantasy of Flowers so get it before it's gone!
• MAC's Fleur d'Coral: also part of the Fantasy of Flowers collection, a swatch can be found at the link above.
• MAC's Show Orchid Amplified Lipstick: This is a pro colour that can only be found in pro stores, I picked this one up in London at the Covent Garden counter. It's similar to Girl About Town but almost has a metallic sheen to it, it's an absolutely lovely bright pink lippie! 
• MAC's Lip Pencil in Magenta: Perfect liner for Show Orchid, Girl About Town or any other bold pink lip. I've also used it with Creme Cup to create an ombre lip!
• MAC's Prolongwear Lip Pencil in In Anticipation: I love the prolongwear lip pencils as not only are they long wearing but they're a creamier formula than the regular pencils which are much more comfortable if you have notoriously parched lips like myself. I love this colour as it's a nude with a pinky peach tone to it, great for a brighter nude lip! 

These are sort of random life bits and bobs. Some Ibuprofen and Motillium I picked up from the Boots in Heathrow Airport before my flight home, my ticket from Once that I saw in London, absolutely phenomenal show if you get the chance to see it it's an absolute must! The spare key to my Kia of Death so I can warm it up when it's minus a million, my wallet from who knows where - I had this exact same wallet five years ago until a pick pocket in Rome stole it, when I got home from Europe my mum had bought me the exact same to replace. My horridly filthy lint roller, I have to wear all black to work and own two dogs that shed like crazy; this is a must. And my double chocolate chunk Quest Bar; these things are amazing, the only protein bars I eat. They taste great, have a pretty good nutritional profile and always satisfy my sweet tooth without sacrificing my health goals to do so; I always have one on hand because when I get hungry, I get hangry.

And last but not least the things that keep me ticking: my daytimer that I use to keep track of work, social engagements, where I scribble down ideas for blogs, etc. This suffered quite a bit of damage during The Great Purse Flood of 2014 but I managed to salvage it. I always have a book on hand because I hate being late so I usually arrive early and just read, right now I'm reading A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy by William B. Irvine I like to switch it up between fiction and non-fiction, so here's some philosophy for the time being! I'm kind of a snob when it comes to tea and rarely drink tea bags so I always have my Tea Filters from David's Tea in my bag along with some tea. This month I've been obsessed with the Wanderlust Green Tea from Yumchaa that I picked up while in Camden, super pleased to see that I can buy it online because it superb! And of course my mints, I'm not a gum chewer but I'm always popping mints.

Well this was a bit more extensive than I thought it would be but by now you're all aware I tend to ramble, I hope you enjoyed your brief glimpse into the madhouse that is my handbag and I'd love to see what you guys all carry around with you! 

Frugal February: Beauty on a Budget - pt. 2 DIY Beauty Fixes

Two blog posts back to back?! What is going on here; is it an alternate universe where I have more free time on my hands? As promised here is part two of yesterdays Beauty on a Budget post, I hope you all enjoyed some of my beauty bargain finds and if you try any of them out let me know in the comments below, I'd love to hear what you think about them! On a side note it is indeed true that I have more time on my hands right now so I will be committing myself to two posts a week so watch for new content every Monday and Friday, I have some blog ideas scribbled down in my journal but if there is anything you guys would particularly like to see please let me know! 

Top 5 DIY Beauty Fixes

1. Macaroon Lip Scrub 

1tbsp Coconut Oil

1 tbsp Brown Sugar

1/2 tsp Cacao Powder (or just regular cocoa powder if that's all you have on hand)

Scoop some coconut oil into a microwave safe container and heat for approx. 15 seconds, stir until completely melted if there are any solid bits left. Mix in cacao powder until smooth. Now you want to make sure the coconut oil has cooled enough that the brown sugar won't melt when added but remember the coconut oil will solidify when it's completely cooled off so don't forget about it! And then I scooped this into some empty tester cups I had left from MAC kicking around because lord knows I love me some testers!

I've tried numerous DIY lip scrubs using olive oil, honey, etc. and I found that they either taste disgusting when you get them in your mouth, and you will get them in your mouth, or they're not moisturizing enough and this one covers both those bases so scrub away dearies and if you get some in your mouth fret not because it tastes pretty damn great too! One last note on this lip scrub concoction; the coconut oil will return to it's solid state so you will have to warm the scrub up with your finger before you can apply it, I also like to let the scrub sit on my lips for a couple minutes after scrubbing to let the coconut oil do it's moisturizing business before wiping it away with a damp cloth (or just licking it off...). 

2. Deep Cleansing Shampoo 

First, before you say anything, I realize that Snow Fairy by Lush is a shower gel but when I first started buying it years ago it was marketed as a shower gel and shampoo and I will always use it that way no matter what anyone says! On a completely unrelated note if you use snow fairy as shampoo with American Cream Conditioner also by Lush your hair smells like Strawberry Shortcake, just saying....

ANYWAYS! I touched on the fact that I wash my hair like a cave man aka almost never in my last post but when I do wash my hair there is a lot of grease, dry shampoo, hair spray, etc. build up that has to go so that my locks are soft and boucy again. Once a week I add baking soda to my shampoo, 1:2 ratio of baking soda to shampoo, give it a good scrub making sure I really massage it into my scalp to get all the gunk out, I usually leave it to sit while I go about scrubbing the rest of my body and then rinse it out. This is usually followed by a lovely hair mask like the Coconut Oil one I mentioned in yesterdays post.

3. Breakfast for Your Face Mask

I love oatmeal so why shouldn't my face? This is a simple to make face mask that's very moisturizing, calming and super easy to make.

1/4 ground oatmeal (just throw your oatmeal into your Magic Bullet or other food processing gadget and lightly pulse)

2 tsp Honey

1/4 cup warm water

Stir all ingredients up in a bowl adding water as needed until you get a nice thin paste and then smear all over a freshly cleansed face. Leave on for 15 minutes, approximately the time it will take you to make a bowl of oatmeal and devour it, and then rinse with warm water and pat to dry.

4. Aromatherapy Soak at Home 

Life is hectic and we all need to unwind some time other wise we get sick, grumpy and our relationships, health and overall life suffers. I'm an avid bath taker, we're talking at least 3-4 nights a week. Nothing beats sinking into the hot water and letting your worries melt away while you sit back and relax with a book and a cup of tea. 

As you fill your tub with hot water swirl a handful of epsom salts into the water, add 10 drops of lavender essential oil and 1/2 cup of baking soda. Hop into your tub and enjoy a spa like experience in the comfort of your own home with no spa price tag attached to your happiness!

The epsom salts and baking soda are supposed to draw impurities out of your body while the lavender soothes you both mentally and physically, whether or not there's any toxins departing my body I couldn't tell you but it's such a relaxing soak and leaves me feeling pampered and serene.

5. Rice Paper Sheet Mask

I love Michelle Phan's YouTube channel and when she posted this video I immediately tried it out and had great results. She uses green tea in her mask but you could also just use warm water with a couple drops of whatever essential oils you like! 

And if that wasn't enough to satiate your DIY beauty fix click here for 30 things you can make at home; happy DIY-ing!

MAC A Fantasy of Flowers - Spring 2014 Collection

Let me just start with saying very seldom do I get stupidly excited about a collection launch but this guy right here had me ALL kinds of excited; as soon as the colours were released I knew I'd be saying a teary farewell to a good chunk of change. The day it launched I had pretty much very single item in my little pile ready to go until I remembered it wasn't too long ago that I got home from Paris where I'd invested a decent amount of money into skin care, so after much contemplation and soul searching I narrowed my pile down to my top 4 products.

Now you can see the whole collection here but for the sake of today's blog post I'll try and keep my rambling primarily on these four products. A quick note on the collection; it's the perfect combination of soft pastely neutrals and bursts of fresh colours to help transition into spring with plenty of shimmer and class. 

Nectarsweet Cremesheen gloss is that perfect pinky nude color that looks perfect on it's own or worn over top of another colour, I personally love to layer it over the new Fleur d'Coral lustre lipstick that also came out with this collection. Fleur d'Coral is a wonderful coral nude color that is perfect for spring; simple and elegant yet fun and playful all at once. I am addicted to layering my lip products so my power trio that I'm loving right now is the MAC Pro Longwear Lip Pencil in In Anticipation with Fleur d' Coral and Nectarsweet piled on top for the ultimate girly lip combo.

Now the last two products you see swatched above are Perfect Topping Mineralize Skinfinish and Petal Power Mineralize Blush, it should be noted that up until about four month ago I had been wearing the same colour of blush every day for probably the last two years. I broke that streak and fell in love with some new blushes (Blushbaby and Warm Soul also by MAC) but Petal Power might have me wearing the same blush again every single day until I finish it and then I'll probably be trying to sell my organs on the black market for a new one. Now why you may ask is it so amazing that I'm willing to part with a kidney over it? Well let me list the ways I love thee! First of all it's a mineralize blush so it goes on pretty light but you can build the colour, that also means it's got a bit of shimmer to it. Second it's the perfect colour of pink for almost any body, and I do mean any body, I've seen it on so many different skin tones and it's looked rockin' on pretty much everyone. Third, the shimmer on your cheeks makes me feel like a fairy princess, need I say more?

Perfect Topping really is the best name for this new Mineralize Skinfinish, when my face is done and I'm about to head out the door I dust a little bit on to the tops of my cheekbones, the bridge of my nose and a wee smidge on my chin and it just adds this instant glow to my face; and remember what I said about shimmer - fairy princess! I was a little hesitant about this guy at first as I've picked up some of the limited skinfinishes in the past and been a little bit disappointed by them; I felt they were a little too metallic and not enough shimmer, they left my skin looking greasy instead of illuminated and enlarged the appearance of my pores which are generally quite well behaved and stay out of sight, but after one try of Perfect Topping it was love at first sight. 

Some other close runners up from the collection that are definitely worth a glance is the Lily White loose pigment and the Flare for Fantasy Cremesheen Gloss, this whole collection is just amazeballs and I foresee it selling out pretty quickly so I recommend running - not walking or jogging, I'm talking a full on sprint - to your nearest MAC location and getting your hot little hands on some of these glorious goodies, you can thank me later when you're all shimmery and wonderful like your own little fairy princess!

Just another quick note: you can now find us on bloglovin', so follow the link and show us some love. It's also a great way to keep up with all things Facepalm! And to continue with pimping myself out on social media check @facepalmbeautyblog on Instagram and head on over to Facebook. When our Facebook page reaches 50 followers I will be holding a giveaway and the more ways you follow Facepalm the more chances you have to win some of my favourite goodies. 

- <3

Brighton. Beauty. Bliss. - A Collection of Favourites from January 2014

Wow! January has been crazy for sure; I started this lovely little blog you're currently reading, worked my butt off, went on vacation and fell even further into my skin care addiction! I've always loved monthly favourites on other blogs because you just know you're going to find some treasures, so here is a small collection of my essentials, why I love them and why I just can't get enough of them!

Let's start with why most of you are here; skincare!

MAC's Lightful Marine Bright Cleanser and Softening Lotion

These two aren't just January favourites I've been using and loving on these guys for a while now; I tried the entire Lightful collection including the essence and the moisture creme and to be honest I really liked the entire line. With continued use I saw an increase in the overall clarity of my skin, old scars from blemishes have drastically lightened in colour, it's reduced the frequency of spots cropping up and left my skin glowing. I traded out the essence and moisturizer for other products but the cleanser and softening lotion have become a permanent fixture. The cleanser leaves your skin squeaky clean, I will say though that if you are normal to dry definitely make sure you're using a moisturizer as I do find my skin tends to feel a bit tight after cleansing. As for the softening lotion I use it religiously myself and put it on every client that sits down in my chair, it's a liquid moisturizer that softens the skin and removes dead surface cells giving you instant gratification! You can feel an improvement in texture after a single use!!

Rocky Mountain Soap Company Body Butter

Not only are the winters in Alberta murder on your skins moisture barrier but if you're like me you're constantly having to wash your hands, apply hand sanitizer and your hands wind up all dry, cracked and beyond painful. This body butter was my absolute SAVIOUR this winter. I got the unscented version as my hands were so bad they stung if you even looked at them the wrong way. The little twist up bars are super convenient for stashing in your hand bag, night stand, even the glove box of your car; I will say though I got more than one strange look while applying this in public as it does look like you're smearing deodorant all over your hands. I love the body butter for my elbows, the backs of my hands and any other super dry spots that creep up but I did find it left a little bit of an oily residue on my palms that I did not like.

Sanoflore Nourishing Honey Smooth Hand and Nail Cream

Now this is a more recent addiction; my lovely boyfriend took me to Paris for a weekend a couple weeks ago and waited patiently while I went skin care crazy in the pharmacies, I fell in love with the Sanoflore brand and I'm a complete sucker for anything with honey so when I saw this I had to give it a try! I swear this is the hand cream of the gods; it is so moisturizing, has an incredible scent that isn't overpowering but lingers on for hours. My co-workers have dubbed it "hand crack" because I use it non-stop and won't stop talking about how amazing it is, seriously, if you can get your little hands on some, DO IT, you'll thank me later. On another note; if you're in France, walk into a pharmacy and ask for help, the ladies that work there know their products inside and out and will help you find things you didn't even know you needed. I was trying to explain this to the customs officer in London when he saw €300 worth of skin care from a two day trip...

Now on to a quick note about what's been keeping my tresses happy this month...

While in London I was in Boots on one of many shopping trips and saw the Tangle Teezer I've heard so much about and decided to give it a go, let's just say this thing is a miracle worker. I am able to brush my damaged, fragile hair wet  without any breakage and it seems to just slide through the knots effortlessly which has made brushing my hair enjoyable as opposed to bracing myself for the battle of the scalp that I've come to associate brushing my hair with for the last two decades.

The other favourite is something you'll recognize from here which is the Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse which I'm sure you're sick of hearing me talk about by now so let me just say this - put a couple drops in your palms and run it through wet hair, or use it to finish styling your hair to tame fly aways and make dry crispy ends looks so much healthier. Give it a go and let me know what you think in the comments below!

And finally for a couple of my staple beauty picks as this is a beauty blog after all...

 Urban Decay Anti-Aging Eyeshadow Primer Potion

I've had the Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion for ages now and I don't know why I wasn't using it! I bought it at Sephora a life time ago and it's just been sitting in my make up bag collecting dust. Well, at the end of December I decided to give it another chance and I've never looked back. I get so many compliments on my eye make up, especially how smooth and flawless some of the chunkier, sparkly shadows appear when worn over this, and hey, anything with anti-aging benefits is a winner in my book!

 MAC's Double Happiness Cremesheen Glass

Let me just start with saying that the co-worker that brought this into my life has forever changed my life, this is the perfect lipgloss; I know that's a bold statement to make. It looks great over a wide variety of lipsticks and liners but looks amazing on it's on when you don't have the time or energy to perfectly sculpt your lips. Go here and get yourself one now. Heck while you're at it get one of every cremesheen glass, they all rock. It's like lipstick and lip gloss had a baby and it's not a huge sticky disaster!

And now for a few odds and ends that I just couldn't get enough of this month...

 Brighton, England 

Forget Disneyland, Brighton is the happiest place on Earth! From cute independent boutiques, to thrift shops and kitschy little tea rooms; this little seaside town is a must do if you're in England. It's under an hour from London by train and makes for an amazing afternoon of wandering in and out of the historic lanes, shopping and games in the arcade on the pier. With all the fun you'll be having you'll probably work up quite the appetite, in which case I highly recommend heading to the Black Lion Pub for some food, with an extensive menu and lots of vegetarian friendly options this place makes for the perfect end to a perfect afternoon before you grab the train back to London.

A Quick List of Bits and Bobs You Can't Live Without:

•  Coffe Cake Tea from David's Tea - served with Stevia and a splash of Almond Milk and you'll feel like you're having dessert before breakfast!
• Downton Abbey - a British period drama that when paired with the tea listed above makes for the perfect lazy afternoon
• Intellectulights - hands down some of the best candles I've ever owned

Blog of the Month: Fleur de Force whom I absolutely adore and you can find her super cute vlogs here 

Have you tried any of these things? What did you think? What are some of your must haves? Let me know in the comments below!

Skin Care for the Gods!

Clearly if you read this review or asked to borrow lip balm and I handed you this you've probably heard me sing the gospel of the french skin care brand Nuxe; if you haven't heard the Gospel of Nuxe then prepare yourself because this is another installment of "why is french skin care so damn amazing?!" Let me start with saying I recently had a "facepalm" moment with skin care; one of those moments where in retrospect you totally knew better buuut still did it anyways. Working in make up I have a lot of co-workers that are also skin care enthusiasts, some of which share my dry skin dilemmas, others that are facing a battle on the oily front. One day whilst musing about masks a couple of the girls were talking about how much they loved the REN Glycol Lactic Radiance Mask and how amazing it left their skin afterwards, and neglecting the fact that they both had either oily or dehydrated skin (not the same thing as oily - ladies and gentlemen, I'm looking at my Alberta peeps especially...) ALSO neglecting the fact that my skin is far too sensitive I decided to go ahead and try it anyways, cue the facepalm! The instructions say to leave it on for 10 minutes and you may feel a slight tingling sensation; 5 minutes in my face was burning and I had to rinse it off - I was left with dry, itchy welts that the next morning had turned into huge dry patches on the skin I've been working so hard on!!

The next day is the day I did my haul at the drug store, I was a little weary of trying a new moisturizer with my skin already so angry at me so I did a small patch test that night and in the morning my skin in that area felt so amazing I decided to be brave and use my new Rêve de Miel® Ultra-Comfortable Face Cream. I've been using it for about a week now and I'm so very in love with it and let me tell you why!

So first it has that unmistakable scent all the products from the Rêve de Miel line, it's sweet from the honey but also has a really soft herbal smell to it. It's a thick cream but almost has a whipped texture to it which makes it fantastic to apply - a little goes a long way here people! I also love that like most Nuxe products the vast majority of ingredients are naturally sourced, it's got a 6 month shelf life after you open it, which to me speaks volumes about the ingredients. It contains Sunflower oil derivatives, safflower ceramides and precious plant oils to repair the lipids in your skin, barley, aragan oil and shea butter to soothe and nourish your skin as well as honey to repair and vitamin E to protect. 

After just one week of using this I've noticed my skin seems much plumper and softer and it's even diminished the dry patches I was left with from the glycolactic mask mess, it has quickly replaced my previous day moisturizer and I'm excited to get my hot little hands on the night cream version while I'm in Paris because that does seem to be one of the items that hasn't made it over to Canada yet, but if you see it somewhere let me know in the comments below! 

I'm currently on vacation and may not be posting as much as I would like but you can follow me on Facebook I am also on instagram @facepalmbeautyblog I will most likely be posting pictures of my exploits into French and British skin care and cosmetics, so be sure to check those out for all the latest and greatest in the FacePalm world! 

Ambiguous Asian Bath Salts...

So I'm pretty much a permanent figure in TNT's beauty aisle; chances are if you can't find me and I'm not at work or the gym that's where I am. I've walked passed these I don't know how many times and the complete lack of English on the packaging and the picture of a girl sweating profusely has both engaged and terrified me every time I've passed them, I finally decided to take the plunge and give them a go, I went for the most pleasant looking package with yellow and gold on it as opposed to the more intimidating red and black of some of the others.

After some googling I discovered that these Bath Addictives (additives? I've seen them spelled both ways numerous times across the interwebs) are supposed to encourage profuse sweating in the bath tub (don't think about it too much or it's super gross) to help promote circulation and detoxification. I grabbed the Royal Honey Milk variety as it turns out; it contains rose hip essence, rose extract, hot-spring mineral, hyaluronic acid and collagen. Its a fine pink powder with some crystals in that sound like pop rocks when they mix with the water, once dissolved in the water the water will turn a sort of milky white colour. The water was insanely soft and moisturizing, it felt like I was sitting in a giant tub of milky lotion, which I kinda was... One of the only downsides to this product was the scent, it had a gorgeous, soft luxurious, subtly floral scent when you opened the package but when mixed with the water the scent was so soft I barely noticed it anymore.

And a final note on this glorious bath addictive (I'm sticking by this description because I've already placed an order on Sasa for a bunch of scent's TNT doesn't carry) in terms of the sweat producing effects I found this one fairly mild, some blogs I've read on other scents talked of profuse sweating during the ginger or chilli varieties but I think this guy was a good starter sweat bath. I was definitely sweating more than in a regular bath but nothing too crazy, I really only noticed it when my bath water had gone cold (I sit in the tub until I've shriveled up) and I was still sweating. As with anything that makes you sweat make sure to drink lots of water to stay hydrated or you may feel ill and have to forsake the tub before the full moisturizing benefits sink it! If you take nearly as many baths as I do these need to join your bubble bath/ bath bomb collection, I found them for $4 at my local TNT Supermarket, I have seen them on eBay but they're twice the price, if you can't find them at a local asian supermarket check out Sasa for a large selection for a decent price but I would recommend stocking up because shipping can be pretty pricy!   

Stay tuned - review on Nuxe's RÊVE DE MIEL®ULTRA COMFORTABLE FACE CREAM should be up on friday!

January Drug Store Skin Care Haul

I will be the first to admit I'm kind of a skin care snob and I've been that way for a while; I would turn my nose up at the thought of purchasing a cleanser or a moisturizer from somewhere that also sold cereal and postage stamps. Having been this way for ages I was probably the last to know that some of the drug stores have really stepped their game up and are now carrying high end brands and even foreign brands that are next to impossible to find even online.

After sending a copy of my Paris shopping list to a co-worker who is also interested in skin care and lamenting about how I couldn't even find any of it online she brought to my attention that she'd seen quite a bit of the Nuxe skin care line at Shopper's Drugmart. On my break I dashed over there and quickly spent $98 in 15 on so many goodies!

The only thing I've tried from this haul before was the Rêve de Miel® Ultra-Nourishing Lip Balm which is a life saver for someone with constant chapped lips like myself; if you live in Alberta you NEED this in your life! I've been battling super dry skin for a while and finally had it under control until I tried the Ren Glycolatic Face Mask I had mentioned in a previous post and had a horrible reaction to it that left my face super dry and flakey, so I figured I would also give the Rêve de Miel® Ultra-Comfortable Face Cream a try and see if it was able to restore my skin back to its soft supple past! I am also in the process of trying to grow out my hair that I've been dying for well over a decade and hearing amazing things about Klorane I decided to give their Desert Date Hair Mask a go! After seeing Avène Thermal Spring Water on so many beauty blogs and vlogs I had to find out what all the fuss is about and I'm super excited to see what kind of results it gives. I'm just as addicted to Soap and Glory products as the next girl, I have been since I used to live in Ireland so I was so excited to see Shoppers Drug Mart expanding what the collection they carry to include cosmetics and since I've been battling dark circles under my eyes I figured I'd give the Trick & Treatment Under Eye Concealer a whirl! The other two products I picked up at TNT Asian Supermarket, one you may recognize as the Mysterious Flesh Eating Booties I reviewed last week, I bought a pair of them for my mum to try as she's always complaining about her dry cracking feet, so we'll see how she likes them! And last but not least the strange package of powder with no English on it whatsoever that depicts a girl sweating in a bathtub, best guess is it's bath crystals of some sort, mildly nervous but kind of excited to try them!

I also picked this little dude up at the grocery store the other day, seriously if you see me in public don't let me anywhere the hair/skin care section, I HAVE A PROBLEM! This is just a single use deep conditioning hair mask that clearly states it's for people like me that use and abuse their poor hair, plus it's paraben free and I like that!

I will most likely be writing a review of some of these products within the next week, if there's any item specifically that you'd like to see a review of let me know in the comments below! Also, if there's any drug store "must haves" that I need to check out also leave those in the comments below.

Face Q Peeling Foot Mask

I picked these guys up from the asian supermarket at the recommendation of a girlfriend who had nothing but AMAZING things to say about them and having adored other products by the same brand I figured I'd give them a go!

First let me give you the instructions for use because the only thing in English on this packaging is the ingredients list. Put the enclosed booties on (from here on referred to as the Mysterious Flesh Eating Booties) and let your feet sit and stew in the booties for an hour. I would recommend putting a towel under your feet if you're going to put your feet up as they may drip! After the hour is up rinse any of the residue off your feet and apply one packet of the enclosed lotion to your feet, I recommend putting socks on to help it soak in and not get everywhere.

Over the next couple days socks are going to be your best friend for a couple reasons; A. Because it'll help the lotion soak in (I recommend doing it at bed time) and B. All the dead skin is going to start peeling off your feet and it's super gross so spare everyone around you the sight of your feet molting!

I've got mixed feelings on this product so let me tell you what I love and what I didn't love so much; first of all they were a little more expensive than I expected as all their face masks are like $1 each, I can't remember the exact price but it was around $25 for a box that contained one set of booties and five packets of lotion. Secondly, my feet are more dry than scaly and I was hoping they'd have a more moisturizing affect which sadly it was the exact opposite they were quite drying. If your feet are extremely scaly and rough I think this would be amazing for you, I would also recommend using extra lotion on your feet while doing this to prevent them from getting so dry - use the enclosed packets of lotion at bedtime and wear socks and in the morning before putting socks on slather on some extra moisturizing lotion. I do have to say that while they did leave my feet a bit dry they are quite soft and two days after finishing the lotion I still have dead skin peeling off and now that I'm loading them with lotion they feel super soft.

If you're somebody that needs to see immediate results these are not for you; a week after using the mysterious flesh eating booties I'm now just starting to see the results but I am happy with what I see. I will most likely purchase these again but they won't be a staple in my skin care collection thats for sure! If you can get your hands on a package try them out and let me know what you think!

Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse

After finding out the boyfriend had booked us a surprise trip to Paris in a couple weeks I fell into the black hole of googling French skin care; several items kept popping up on every blog I came across, ask anyone who knows me, I've been beyond excited to get my hot little hands on some of this liquid gold. Whilst counting down the days to Paris, and hording all the skincare trying to get my face ready for the streets of Paris, I was in Sephora picking up Ren's Glycol Lactic Radiance Renewal Mask(watch for a review in the next couple days!!) and whilst standing in line pursuing all the little goodies near the till my eyes fell onto a golden little bottle I've been dreaming of for weeks! Nuxe's Huile Prodigieuse was just sitting there calling my name!

As soon as I got into my car I cracked the seal, put a couple drops of heaven into my hand and ran my fingers through the ends of my parched hair! First I would like to mention the scent; its a really light aromatic smell with hints of floral without being overwhelming and obtrusive and yet has warm undertones, I can't quite place a finger on any specific familiar fragrances within it but the overall smell is a delicate inviting one. It has a light weight texture, not sticky and heavy like some other oils I've tried. Six hours after applying it to the ends of my hair I find my hair feels soft, still smells fantastic and is not at all greasy - although I would avoid applying it to the scalp as I feel it might get a bit greasy and unmanageable. So far I've put the oil in my hair, smoothed it all over my body after a bath and mixed it into my night cream. It absorbs into the skin quickly leaving your skin soft and dewy but not at all 
greasy. I found it instantly brightened my face and I'm excited to see what continued use has to offer.

Aside from how amazing this product smells and feels the ingredients are of 97.8% natural origin whish is definitely something to get excited about in the day and age when in comes to skin care with ingredients lists that barely fit on the packaging.

 I found my 50ml bottle at Sephora for $26, they also had the Huile Prodigieuse with shimmer dry oil that would look amazing in your hair and on your skin giving you that almost sun-kissed shimmer, I'll being going back for it shortly! If you haven't tried any french skin care yet this is an amazing introduction; it's simple, sophisticated and the results speak for themselves.