Recent Arrivals: Oskia Renaissance Cleansing Gel

Those of you that follow me on Instagram may have seen my recent arrivals from Cult Beauty and how flippin' excited I was to try them all out; well, I've dabbled and there's one item in particular that's standing out from the crowd and that is the Oskia Renaissance Cleansing Gel.

I was first turned onto this product after watching Viviannadoesmakeup's Skincare Hall of Fame video and knew I just had to try it! It is everything I wanted the Omorovicza Thermal Cleansing Balm to be and if you don't know what I'm talking about, click here to get in the loop!

Photo courtesy of Cult Beauty

I've only been using this cleanser for about two weeks now so this is more a first impressions review than anything else, but so far I'm hooked! Let's just say it's replace my MAC Lightful Cleanser and you all know how much I loved that guy... So just why is this stuff so amazing you may ask? Let me break it down for you...

1. It's pink! Yup, that's actually a selling point for me.
2. It has an amazing rose and chamomile scent that is super calming, especially at the end of a hectic day.
3. It doesn't leave an oily residue like I've found certain other balm type cleansers do.
4. It has a pump! No more dipping my fingers into a tub every day, and the pump dispenses the perfect amount to cleanse the whole face without being wasteful.
5. My skin is looking more radiant than ever, even after only two weeks. And even the spots that tend to creep up at that time of the month have been held at bay.
6. It's chalk full of vitamin-y goodness and natural ingredients (Pumpkin Enzyme, Vitamin A Palmitate,Vitamins C and E,Omega 6, Magnesium and Vitamins B2 and C)
7. The price! It's £32.50 for a 150ml in comparison to £55.20 for 50 ml of the Omorovicza cleansing balm.

The only downside to this cleanser I have found so far is that you can't use it in the eye area so you've got to remove your eye make up another way, but that small inconvenience is SO worth it!

Have any of you lovelies tried this cleanser, what did you think?

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Ghosts of Beauty Products Past #2

It feels like I just wrote the original Ghosts of Beauty Products Past post, you'll probably see some repeat offenders that I just can't get enough of, I'll post them but won't go into too much detail so if you want to see what I really thought of them you can refer back to the original post!

Hair Care

It seems I've been finishing off a lot of products that have been on the go for a while now so I'm super stoked to share some of these gems with you guys! Everyone knows my love for Batiste dry shampoo so I won't go into that, BUT I've finally finished some of my favourites that I've been using for about a year now.

Difiaba Hydressence Conditioner:  I've been using this conditioner for over a year now and I adore it! It's super hydrating without leaving your hair feeling heavy, has the most amazing scent and is perfect for any heat junkie, styling addict or just general hair abuser that needs a little help getting those locks looking luscious again, this will definitely be a repurchase. You can find it here!

Difiaba Luminessence Hydrating Serum: This is an amazing treatment I use once a month, a combination of hair care and aromatherapy. I follow up my shampooing with a vial of the hibiscus scented hydrating serum, comb through and leave for five minutes before rinsing. For $36 here you get enough to last you a whole year! I've already placed an order for more.

Skin Care

MAC's Lightful Cleanser and Lightful Softening Lotion are staples in my skin care routine so clearly it's not a surprise to find them in another GofBPP post...

Delarom Revitality Cream: I used this cream for three months and when I first talked about it back in my What's My Age Again? post I thought I could never live without this cream but since finishing it off I'm not so sure I still feel so strongly about it. While I did notice a slight improvement in the fine lines on my forehead whilst using this product, I've found that since I've stopped using it my Keihl's Powerful Strength Line Reducing Treatment does just as good of a job at keeping the lines at bay, if not better and only for a fraction of the price! Needless to say I will not be repurchasing.

Omorovicza Thermal Cleansing Balm: This is a product I have yet to mention on the blog because I've been so on the fence about it and I still can't decide if I like it or not even after finishing the pot and here's why: the thermal mud is packed full of mineral rich goodness and because it's a cleansing balm it makes removing make up and cleansing the skin a piece of cake which is what everyone wants after a long day, is it not? So then you
may ask why aren't I head over heels in love? Well for starters it's £46.00 for a 50ml pot that barely lasts a month, which if it did amazing things for my skin would make it a little easier to justify but the fact is it just doesn't. I wanted to love this product, I've tried so hard to love this product, but in the end, I just can't. It's definitely worth a try (and if you're curious you can find it here) but it's not something I will be repurchasing. 

Body Care

Nuxe Huile de Prodigeuse: This is the third bottle of this glorious oil that I've finished off in the last six months and I've already cracked my fourth. For a full review of this product click here.

The Body Shop's Body Butter in Coconut and Chocomania: As far as I am concerned there is no other body butter in the world, or at least none that can compete with the Body Shops, I've already restocked my cupboards with four more of these bad boys!

Bath and Body Works Aromatherapy Body Lotion in Sleep:  I talked a little bit about this guy in my Night Routine post, and since finishing it I've realized two things about it; 1. It's not the most hydrating lotion and 2. The scent was way more relaxing than I had noticed, since finishing I've found my mind doesn't relax quite as quickly, hopefully my Aromatherapy Associates Relax Body and Massage Oil shows up soon so I can go back to sound sleeping!

Caudalie Divine Oil:  I first mentioned this in my recent post about beauty oils and when I wrote that I mentioned it was heavier than Nuxe's and almost sticky, but since switching it to an evening use only product, I've fallen in love. It hydrates scaly spots on my legs, tames parched hair and smells just heavenly. You can get your hands on a bottle of your own here.

Hand Care

Tokyo Milk's Tainted Love Hand Cream: While it smelled absolutely amazing it wasn't the most hydrating for my seriously dry hands, I think in the future I'll stick to the perfumes from Tokyo Milk because those never disappoint. 

Sanoflore Miel Nourricier Hand Cream:  I mentioned this in my January Favourites post after returning home from a romantic weekend in Paris with the boy. This was definitely a gem that I stumbled upon whilst ravaging the French pharmacies and am glad to have someone back in France to mail me some when it runs out because woah man is this stuff awesome! Smells amazing, super hydrating and calming if your hands are sensitive like mine and just all around amazing! There may be a tube of this sitting in my goodie box waiting for the next giveaway.... just sayin.

Holey Butt'r:  This product is designed for stretched earlobes, which is why I have it but it is good for so much more! It contains a blend of Karanji seed oil, Jojoba seed oil, Soy butter, soy wax, Candelila wax and Neem seed oil which are a potent blend of moisturisers and emollients to hydrate and heal dehydrated and stressed out skin. I like to put this on my elbows, knees, knuckles, heels and anywhere else feeling particularly crocodile like.

Make Up

L'Oreal Mega Volume Miss Manga Mascara:  I mentioned this in my February Favourites post as it was something I picked up from Boots on a whim whilst in Brighton back in January and I'm so sad I didn't pick up another because now that this one is done I can't seem to find it here back in Canada or anywhere online, we all know I'm queen of online shopping, and I'm struggling to replace it. There is a mascara shaped void in my life now...

MAC's Studio Fix Powder in NC15:  This has been a staple in my make up bag since I was about 13 but since my skin shifted more to the drier side I had been avoiding using it, now that I've got my skin back under control, a light dusting of Fix powder with a fluffy MAC 187 Duo Fibre Face Brush over top of my Jouer Matte Moisture Tint creates the perfect finish.

Bath and Shower

LUSH's Snow Fairy Shower Gel: I've ranted and raved about this stuff multiple times so if you want to see more about why I love it you can check that out here and here.

Soap and Glory's Sugar Crush Body Scrub: This stuff is amazeballs. Like seriously. I went into raptures here about my nostalgic love for this product and why I was so happy to see it back in Canada. If you're looking for a good scrub look no further!

Tokyo Milk's Tainted Love Shower Gel: This faired much better than it's hand cream partner I mentioned earlier in the post; it has that amazing combination of dark vanilla bean, orchid and sandalwood that lingers after the shower is over.

Pure Potent Wow Muscle Soak Bath Salts: If you lift heavy weights you're going to feel it the next day, and since I'm constantly lifting weights or running my muscles are always aching and sore and this stuff definitely helps me keep moving. I'm always trying out new bath salts so the chances of repurchasing this aren't very likely but if you're someone that enjoys a good bath on the regular these are a must try!

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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!

Top 10: Wishlist Items

I've had quite the busy weekend so today's post might be a little bit different from the norm; instead of reviewing products I've tried I'm going to share with you my top 10 items I would purchase if I had an unlimited budget, they shipped to Canada or other obstacles that keep them from within my reach didn't exist. This is totally a shopping list as well FYI as I will most likely cave and buy these things as funds become available.

1. Emma Hardie Amazing Face Cleansing Balm

I have seen so many bloggers talk about how amazing this stuff is and I've been dying to try it; you can get it here for $59.50 with free international shipping so it's not a budget breaker and it's definitely something I will be trying in the very near future but I've got to work my way through some of the cleansers I've already got in my skin care cupboard, there's just no more room for anything new! 

2. Molecule 01 by Escentric Molecules

With a price point of $121.50 here and no shipping to Canada this fragrance seems determined to elude me! I am a bit of a perfume hoarder, I'll admit it. I've loved perfume since my mum bought me my first bottle of Calvin Klein's Obsession for Her (found here for $75 +$10 S&H) when I was 14 -it's still one of my favourite fragrances - and my collection has grown uncontrollably since. So when I heard of a perfume that blended my love of fragrance with science (also a total science nerd) I kind of freaked out and do what I do best, googled the shit out of it! 

"Escentric Molecules' Molecule 01 is created solely from the aroma-chemical Iso E Super, traditionally a perfume basenote that adds allure to a scent, which works as more of an effect than a fragrance. The scent has a subtle, velvety, woody note which will meld with your natural pheromones, vanish, then re-surface after some time, making it totally individual and personalised to the wearer. You will rarely smell this fragrance on yourself, Molecule 01 perfume is more about the effect it has on others."

UGH!!! I need this in my life clearly. I could write a Top 10: Wishlist Items on just fragrances alone I'm sure so for this particular fragrance to make the cut clearly I'm willing to sell a kidney or something to get my hands on this stuff.

3. Omorovicza Queen of Hungary Mist

A mineral water mist inspired by the first recorded perfume original created for the Queen of Hungary during the 14th century?! You heard me; a facial mist inspired by the first known perfume, need I say more? With orange blossom, rose and sage water this stuff smells divine and is supposed to make your skin look phenomenal but with a price point of $86 here I'm having a hard time convincing my budget I need to replace my $10 Avene Thermal Water Spray that I still enjoy. I'm saving this one for when I've had a particularly rough day and need some skin care retail therapy, because a fancy mist can't make you feel anything but special.

4. Costes Scented Candle

Scented candles are right up there with things I love and go through like they're water and when one has a review describing it as "Sexy, mysterious, sensual, addictive, vintage class, unique." It definitely grabs your attention; with notes of Black Musk, Bitter Orange Skin, Rum, Mahogany and Paprika this isn't your run of the mill scented candle. It is the signature scent of the Costes Hotel in Paris, France; if you haven't heard of this hotel follow the link to see how elegeant and refined it is, this scent captures the image of the hotel without a doubt. It can be found here for $93 with free international shipping.

5. Astrid & Miyu Secret Box Subscription

                                      Photo courtesy of: brushupandmakeup.blogspot.ca/

So Ipsy Glam Bags and Birchbox Supscriptions are pretty cool but as a gal that has issues picking out jewelry that I'll actually wear I love the look of the Astrid & Miyu subscription boxes. It's  £39 + FREE UK & EU Delivery for a subscription and they send you out a box with three handpicked pieces of jewelry that were chosen for you based off a style survey you complete when you sign up and you get a box three times a year. They currently only ship to the UK and the EU but if you're lucky enough to live there you can find out more here.

6. Therapie Himalyan Detox Salts

"A blissful cocktail of therapeutic Himalayan mineral salts, powdered Amethyst & essential oils of Lemongrass, Juniper & Geranium; these pink crystals work to balance pH levels & positive/negative ions, to help the body establish equilibrium. The Amethyst has a high mineral content, to heal & clarify problematic skin whilst counteracting the electro-magnetic energy we absorb from modern day gizmos. Add to this blood purifying & anti-inflammatory properties & discover that heaven is a bath soak." Enough said. You can find them here for $69.

  7. Oskia Rose De Mai Massage Candle

We've already established I love scented candles and who doesn't love a massage? While $64 for a candle does seem pretty steep it's a wonderfully scented candle that turns into a nourishing hydrating body oil, seems pretty rad to me. Even if you don't have someone to give you a good old fashion back rub sometimes just massaging in a nice rich oil to your dry skin is enough to make you feel like a million bucks. This can be found here. 

8. Aromatherapy Associates Deep Relax Bath and Shower Oil

I have so many issues falling asleep at night there's not enough sheep in the world for me to count. I've seen numerous people talking about this and how they're nearly passing out in their bath tubs they're so relaxed, combine that with how luxurious a bath oil feels I need to give this a try! It can be found here for $73.

9. Cattier MASQUE ARGILE ROSE & MASQUE ARGILE JAUNE

I tried so hard to find these whilst in Paris (ask the boyfriend who I had trained to spot the green pharmacy crosses from a mile away) but could not find anywhere in store and can't seem to find anywhere online to order them. The pink clay mask is supposed to be amazing for sensitive skin and the yellow for dry, I have both of those and love clay masks only seems like a perfect fit! I now have someone in France willing to ship me anything I'm looking for so I may see if he can find these and I'll report back to you guys!

10. Jouer Luminizing Moisture Tint

I am all about avoiding foundation now that I've got my skin to a place that I'm happy with it I want to show that bad boy off! So when I heard this mentioned in a couple YouTube videos my interest was peaked so I hopped on CultBeauty to see what they had to say... "A light, water-resistant foundation to unify skintone, a luminiser that re-creates the dewiness of 18 year old skin, SPF 20, anti-ageing anti-oxidents and a fragrance-free moisturiser to keep your face looking and feeling great all day, that also works on hyper-sensitive skins. " So what you're saying is I pretty much need this to live?! You can find it for $55 here.

These are some of the things I've been lusting after for the last little while, let me know what's on your wishlist, chances are I'll feel the need to add it onto my forever growing list! If you've tried some of these items or know where I can find them online (that'll ship to Canada - I swear we're not a postal vortex!) let me know.

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