All About Orange!

While Radiant Orchid is supposed to be the colour of the year; Spring 2014 seems to be all about the orange, and I'm totally ok with that. I remember the day orange make up was a terrifying prospect for me but Lady Danger lipstick by MAC was still red enough that it wasn't orange (who was I kidding, it's totally orange) and from there it was all down hill, so I for one am super excited to see more and more companies and designers embracing the orange trend this spring.

Top 5 Orange Picks:

MAC's Powder Blush in Modern Mandarin

theBalm's How 'Bout Them Apples? in Crisp

Zoya Nail Polish in Arizona

Mac's Lipstick in Vegas Volt

Butter London Nail Lacquer in Trout Pout

I also registered for my first ever Tough Mudder event that will be happening this September; aside from being a badass mental and physical challenge it is also a fundraiser for The Wounded Warrior Project which helps care for injured servicemen. Right now there is a big emphasis on treating PTSD, as someone with many friends in active service who have completed several tours I know what the face of PTSD looks like, it looks just like me and you, you can't see it and so often it goes untreated with deadly consequences. If you'd like to make a contribution THIS is my donation page for the event, and it will be linked at the bottom of all my posts as "Tough Mudder" until September. 

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MAC's Patent Polish Lip Pencils

Chubby sticks have been taking the make up world by storm lately; Clinque has the Chubby Stick Shadow Tint for Eyes and the Chubby Stick Intense Moisturizing Lip Colour Balm, Tarte has had the LipSurgence Lip Tint or some variation of it, for YEARS and the list just continues for brands launching their version of the chubby stick and now it's MAC's turn.

I've never been a huge lover of Chubby sticks, don't know why but I never really hopped on the chubby stick bandwagon so I didn't have too high of hopes when MAC announced it was releasing it's own version of the chubby stick, the Patentpolish Lip Pencil. The website describes them as "The colour and shine of a gloss, the precision of a lip pencil - now in one colour stick. M•A•C Patentpolish Lip Pencil instantly achieves a luscious shine with a single swipe. Effortless twist-up keeps application clean and simple, with no need to sharpen."which sounds pretty good to me but I've been let down by website claims before...

The line consists of twelve different shades that cover all the bases; soft and natural, bold 

and flirty, pretty corals for spring days and more sultry tones for the evenings.Now I was pleasantly surprised by these, Fearless was the first shade I got and I loved it because it was a nice bright pop of colour but still very wearable - I've since Picked up Go For Girlie (a bright coral pink), Revved Up (a peachy nude) and Teen Dream (a bright orange- not pictured since I left at work, boo!); these lip pencils did not dry my lips out like some of the lipsticks and delivered the shine of a gloss without being at all sticky. I found the wear time on them to be mediocre at best but because they're so easy to reapply (in other words I could do this walking without a mirror) I didn't mind that I needed to touch them up a little more often.

I really enjoy these pencils and have already made a shopping list of the next couple of colours I want to pick up; I'm glad MAC finally joined the chubby stick party even if they were a little late to get the invite because these are definitely worth the wait!

This is what Teen Dream looks like on!

You can find them online here for $24 and they just hit counters in North America on April 4th if you want to pick up a couple for yourself as well!

The winner of the March Giveaway was.... drum roll please! Kelsey Anderson, you should have received an e-mail with some questions to help me personalize your box of goodies, if you haven't seen it yet make sure to check your spam box! Everyone else, thank you for entering and supporting my passion and keep your eyes out, there is only more giveaways to come!

Food, Beautiful Food: Eating My Way to Health and Happiness + 5 Day Beauty ReBoot

Today's blog post is going to be a little be different and I hope you don't mind as it's a subject dear to my heart; food. For those of you who don't know me personally, and even most of you who do know me, probably don't know my story, let me explain to you how I became the strong, confident and happy woman I am today because I haven't always been this way, actually it's still pretty knew to me. 

I was a pretty happy little kid and quite an active one too; I've loved swimming for as long as I can remember and would throw a fuss when it was time to leave the beach or pool. I also played soccer for a number of years, but as I got older I began to gain weight...

In second grade is when the other kids started to notice that I was a "fat kid" and the teasing started; no one wanted me on their soccer team at recess because I couldn't keep up with the ball. I was always the first kid out during tag and dodgeball because I was slower than every body else and I dreaded gym class and would often fake ill to be excused; this is when I discovered my love for food. Food made me feel better because it tasted good and made me feel good while I was eating it, so I kept eating it. I was seven, I didn't know what "comfort eating" was or that food addiction was even a thing.

By the time I was eleven I weighed 170lbs, extremely depressed and the teasing had turned into vicious bullying. I had no friends at school and would spend recesses hiding in the library so I didn't have to face the school yard. Do you remember the good ol' pre-Facebook days when everyone had a Nexopia account? I do, they were some of the worst days of my adolescence. I checked my page daily, not to talk to friends like most adolescents but to delete the cruel comments that were constantly being posted on my page; I was embarrassed that these horrible things were everyone to see and no matter how often I deleted them they just kept posting more until I finally deleted my account. I would cry as I read every word.

My weight fluctuated all throughout junior high and high school as I tried one fad diet after another, when I graduated high school I had got my weight down to 160lbs and then I moved to Europe...

I spent the next year eating and drinking my way from Ireland across Europe. Yes, that is a drink in each hand, yes they are both mine, yes I did that AT LEAST five nights a week for a year. Between partying all the time, not sleeping enough and eating garbage food due to a tight budget my weight ballooned to the highest it has ever been...

By the time I got home from Europe I weighed 180lbs. I was extremely unhappy, unhealthy and hated everything about my body. I would look in the mirror with disgust or just completely avoid looking at the mirror altogether some days. I was never comfortable around people and my food addiction got worse. I didn't realize at the time that it was in fact a food addiction, it wasn't until my health took a turn for the worse that I really started paying attention to what I was eating and why I was eating it. I was eating foods full of unhealthy fats, simple carbohydrates and lots of sugar and I was eating them because I was bored and unhappy. 

Shortly after I returned home from Europe the headaches started. Pain so unbearable I would lay in the dark and cry myself to sleep, I saw my doctor every week and we tried every pain killer and anti-inflammatory and some times a cocktail of both -at one point I was taking 4 Oxycotin's a day and was still able to function the pain was that bad. This is when the headaches turned into migraines; I wound up in the ER more than once because the migraines were unrelenting and excruciating. I spent 6 months with a constant migraine where some days the pain was so bad I would vomit and black out. I was finally sent for an MRI and referred to a neurologist.

Three days before my 21st birthday I got some of the most terrifying news of my life; I had a brainstem glioma, or in non doctor jargon - I had a tumor located on my brainstem. My neurologist requested another MRI and referred me to a neurosurgeon, it took me four months to get another scan and an appointment. I spent the next four months sinking further into my food addiction taking all my fear and uncertainty out on food; I was terrified of what was inside my own head and what it might do to me. I became depressed and cried myself to sleep every night for the first while, all while smiling and trying to be brave for the ones around me who were also terrified of what my next appointment might bring.

The meeting with the neurosurgeon brought good news and bad news; the bad news was that due to the placement of my tumor it was completely inoperable because it was located in the midst of healthy tissue in a highly sensitive part of the brain, surgery would be highly risky as it may damage the surrounding tissue leaving me with no motor skills and radiation was too dangerous an option to explore as well. The good news was that in the four months since my last scan it hadn't seemed to change size or shape so it was in all hopes a non-malignant tumor. I was required to continue MRI's every six months with follow ups with my neurologist and neurosurgeon.

This is when the slew of medications increased, my energy levels decreased and I started to realize that maybe my relationship with food wasn't a healthy one. I had been seeing an acupuncturist for years for pain management and we discussed how ineffective all the pharmaceutical treatments had been and that maybe it was time I look for another solution. She lent me Hungry for Change, an amazing documentary on the worlds best medicine: food (It's now available on Netflix and I strongly recommend giving it a watch if you haven't seen it yet.) A future of prescription drugs and pain wasn't something I wanted so I asked my neurologist if I worked hard enough and changed my lifestyle he thought I might be able to come off my medications, he thought I might be able to lessen them but the prospect of being completely medication free was an unlikely one.

This is me in May of 2013; a couple days after my 22nd birthday, a year after being diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor, I was taking 16 pills a day and still in pain and I was fed up. I weighed 180lbs and had a body fat percentage of 36%, I was classified as overweight and on the verge of being obese. This is my "before" picture and the beginning of taking my life back.

I started a food journal, not just tracking what I was eating but when, what I was feeling while eating and why I was eating (was it because I was hungry, bored or upset?) I had tracked my food back in high school as well but in an extremely unhealthy manner; I would count calories (where did the magical number of 1,200 cal/day come from?!) and punish myself with endless cardio if I went over 1,200- I began to view food as the enemy and exercise as punishment. Believe it or not even while I viewed food as the enemy I was still addicted, I would deprive myself and then binge and cry. This time I was determined to change my life, my attitude, my energy levels and my happiness, not just my body. Instead of counting calories I count macronutrients (check out flex-i-ble dieting by Krissy Cagney here for more info on macronutrient counting and eating for life) to make sure that I was feeding my body what it needed to be strong and healthy instead of focusing on depriving it of calories to look a certain way. 

This is when my relationship with food changed; I realized I had a food addiction and how I had abused food for so many years. I started looking at food as fuel for my body and not as a means of cheering myself or giving me something to do. I overhauled my diet (from here on out diet refers to "the foods eaten, as by a particular person or group") so that 80% of what I was eating was whole nutrient dense foods that my body required and only 20% was for "enjoyment" purposes. Note that I LIMITED these enjoyment foods NOT ELIMINATED. Part of leading a happy healthy life is leading a balanced life.

I introduced fresh vegetable juices and smoothies to my diet and began lifting weights and using High Intensity Interval Training instead of endless cardio. I've fallen in love with food again but we now have a healthy balanced diet, I don't restrict myself from eating what I enjoy but I also eat what my body needs.

This is me today. I weigh 148lbs, I have a Body Fat percentage of 23% which is classified as athletic, I lift heavy weights because I love to, have a healthy relationship with food, I'm happier than I've ever been before in my life and have a new found confidence. As of today I have been 100% medication and pain free for three months.

Aside from today being my three month anniversary of being off medication I am also starting my 5 day "reboot" that I like to do every couple of months and that's actually what sparked this epically long post. My reboot consists of: Days 1-3 fresh fruit and vegetable juices and smoothies. Day 4: Reintegrating plant based, nutrient dense foods. Day 5: Reintegrating dairy, grains and other foods. Now before anyone gets all huffy about "detoxes" and "cleanses" let me just state that this is something I personally thoroughly enjoy doing when I'm feeling sluggish and lackluster, I continue to count my macros during this reboot to make sure I'm not depriving my body of the fuel it needs, and after day 5 I feel amazing. Do what works for you and listen to your body! During days 1-3 I drink 5 juices a day, three of which are blended with protein and fiber powders, I'll list my juice recipes below and if anyone wants to see the types of foods I eat on Day 4 let me know and I'll post them on my Instagram account for you guys to see!

1. Mean Green: Cucumber, Pear, Celery, Lemon, Wheatgrass, Spinach -blended with avocado (for a dose of healthy fats), protein and fiber powders.

2. Zinger: Carrot, Apple, Ginger (great for a boost of energy mid-morning/afternoon)

3. Alkaline Green: Zucchini, Apple, Fennel, Lemon, Broccoli, Spinach - blended with protein powder.

4. Vital Greens: Cucumber, apple, lime, spinach, watercress and flat parsley.

5. Coconutty Milk: almond - coconut milk, organic maple syrup, himalayin pink salt, organic peanut butter - blended with protein powder.

And as a special treat since you hung around this long and read this whole post, I present to you: Beauty Super Foods, why the ingredients in these juices aren't just good for your insides but your outsides as well! I italicized the ingredients below that are in my juice recipes but feel free to mix up ingredients and experiment with your own recipes!

Beauty Detox Foods

according to Kimberly Snyder 

(check out her book here)

for Beautiful Skin:

red bell peppers
coconut
avocados
spinach
watercress
figs
sweet potatoes
cucumbers
acai
pineapple
almonds
walnuts
flaxseed
pears
cabbage
turmeric
probiotic & enzyme salad (a recipe found in the book)
arugula
onions
raw apple cider vinegar
garlic
lemon
for Beautiful Hair:
pumpkin seeds
dulse
carrots
radishes
nutritional yeast
for Beautiful Eyes:
papaya
beets
blueberries
apples
celery
collard greens
asparagus
bananas
for Beautiful Body:
broccoli
brussels sprouts
sesame seeds
romaine lettuce
fresh cilantro and parsley
buckwheat and oat groats
kale
hemp seeds
quinoa
millet
chia seeds
for Inner Glow:
bee pollen
sunflower seeds
sprouts
spirulina and chlorella

Do you guys like fresh vegetable juices? What are some of your favourite combinations? Let me know in the comments!

Brand Focus: Etude House

Brand Focus: Etude House!

You've probably noticed me mention a brand by the name of Etude House in some of my previous posts, they're a Korean cosmetics and skin care company that I am absolutely in love with. After meeting the most adorable Korean girl at a work function last weekend and gushing about Korean cosmetics for a while I realized that this company is a bit of a hidden gem here in North America; they deliver quality products, adorable packaging and all for quite an inexpensive price tag. I figured it's high time I let you all in on the secret!

Lipsticks

Etoinette Crystal Shine Lipsticks in PPK002 and PPk003 - First of all; how freaking cute are the bullets they're in?! This was another purchase made strictly for the adorable packaging; the lipsticks themselves are a really nice creamy texture with medium colour pay off (I'll post swatches down below) but look quite vibrant when paired with a liner of similar tone, due to the creamy consistency they're not at all drying on my poor parched lippies.($5 + free S&H on eBay)

Dear My Blooming Lips Talk in PPk005 - I absolutely love the formulation of this one; lightweight and hydrating and it almost seems to flex with your lips so you don't get any feathering. I find it has medium to buildable colour pay off and is quite long wearing, not to mention this colour is amazing!! ($8 + free S&H on eBay)

Look at My Lips in #03 Celeb Pop Pink- This was a surprise favourite for me, I didn't think I'd love it as much as I do. It has a medium colour pay off, is super hydrating and feels like you're not wearing a thing! And this colour is amazing; kind of a coral pink colour! ($6.50 + free S&H on eBay)

Lipglosses

Dear My Enamel Gloss in EPK001 - This was the first lip product I purchased from Etude House and clearly you can tell by my collection it had a great impact on me! Similar in colour to MAC's Pink Nouveau, no sticky texture and a great strawberry scent, I'm in love with this! Click here to see why it's a staple in my bag and here to see what makes it such a beauty bargain! ($5 + free S&H on eBay)

Dear Darling Tints in Vampire Red and Real Red - The verdict is still out on how I feel about these, some days I love them and some days I'm not quite sold. What I love about these is they have an amazing cherry fragrance and great staying power with a bit of a stain effect to them, what I'm not sold on is the whole idea of lip tints in the first place. They're quite a thin texture which is what I'm not sure I like but they're not at all sticky or tacky which is nice. I find the Real Red shade to be a bit more wearable as the Vampire Red is quite a dark shade to be so sheer, might look great paired over top of a red lipstick to give it some extra staying power... ($4.50 +free S&H on eBay)

Color Lips-Fit in Magical Fit Pink - I wasn't quite sure what to expect when I ordered this but what I got was not at all what I wasn't expecting, am I making any sense yet? I thought this would be a gloss (you're probably asking why it's under the gloss category if it isn't in fact a gloss and the answer to that is: because I felt like it!) but it is more like a liquid lipstick. I was never really in love with the concept of liquid lipstick (I'd never tried them but hey, I fear change!) but this has sparked an interest. It has the same wonderfully shaped applicator that gives effortless application, it gives amazing colour pay off and my favourite part: it dries matte! It's a matte liquid lipstick that isn't drying on your lips and super comfortable to wear!!! Yes you read that right, such a thing exists and I'm sharing it with you my friends! ($8.50 + free S&H on eBay)

Purse Essentials

I featured both of these products in my What's in My Bag post so you can go check them out there but I will leave the prices for them down below!

Missing U Hand Cream in Peach Panda - $6 + free S&H on eBay; since my What's in My Bag post I've actually fallen in love with the lotion that it came with, initially it wasn't hydrating enough for my dry hands but now that we're out of the depths of winter it's great for an on the go refresher. I've also recently purchased the Pink Dolphin, Fairy Penguin and Harp Seal varieties of this because they're so stinking cute!

Kissful Lip Care Lip Scrub - $6.50 + free S&H on eBay

Sheet Masks

I Need U Alphabet Sheet Mask Set - I featured these on my Sheet Masks 101 post and since then have been gradually working my way through the alphabet and still very much in love with these! $42 + free S&H for the 27 piece set.

BB Cream

Precious Mineral BB Cream Cotton Fit in #2 Light Beige - This was the BB cream that got me into BB creams, I got a sample of it in one of my many Etude House purchases (now I totally get why they load you up with samples!!) and figured I'd give it a go and was hooked. I love that it comes in a squeeze tube so that nothing is wasted and it also has a pump to distribute the perfect amount to cover your whole face. Anti-Wrinkle, Brightening, SPF30, Whitening, and Anti-Darkening, this stuff made my skin glow like nothing else and felt like a thin veil of powder sitting lightly on my face as opposed to a thick cream, the only reason I switched brands was it was sold out when I ran out. $5.50 + free S&H on eBay.

Cleansers

This is a review on a couple of cleanser samples I got (they're big enough to get 3-4 uses out of each packet) and why I didn't buy full size versions of either of them.

Milky You One Step Cleansing Foam - This was a nice lightweight cleanser that worked into a great lather, was gentle on my sensitive skin and made for a great morning cleanse. Now why didn't I buy the full size version? I have quite dry skin and I found my face feeling tight right after cleansing, very tight, if you were normal to oily I think this would be a great choice for you but it was a little too astringent for my dry skin.

Baking Powder Deep Cleansing Foam - This cleanser is quite a bit heavier than the Milky You one, it goes on almost like a paste if your face isn't damp enough (rookie mistake) but lathers up quite nicely once you work a little water in. It has a bit of a gritty texture, I'm assuming that's the baking soda in it, that's a  great exfoliator as my skin was super soft and radiant after using it but is a bit too abrasive for every day use on my sensitive skin. It has a light citrus scent and it really feels like the baking soda opens your pores and scrubs them out (I had a mental image of the Scrubbing Bubbles television ad whilst washing my face). I received two samples of this and tried one a couple of weeks ago and really disliked it but after wearing a full face of make up all day I give it another try and was really pleased with the results. I may have to add this to my evening routine a couple nights a week on those make up heavy days, if you have oily skin this might make a great daily cleanser for you!

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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!!

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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