October 2016 - Pretty In Bronze

Saturday, October 22, 2016

MyChelle Skin Care ~ A Product and Brand Review
October 22, 20160 Comments
If you're Canadian, you've probably never heard of the brand MyChelle. Don't worry; I hadn't either. Someone in the Canadian Beauty Bloggers network let me know that MyChelle was looking for Canadian bloggers to try out their products, and I just so happened to be looking for skin care. I was really close to ordering from Sephora, but I thought "Hey, this brand has good reviews and the products seem nice." A lot of the girls were raving about it so I checked out their website and was very impressed.

MyChelle products are Vegetarian, Cruelty-free, and free of Phthalates, Parabens, Sulfates, Ureas, Artificial Fragrance and Colours, Petroleum, GMOs, and Gluten. So basically their ingredients are natural and good for you all without harming any animals! I was so impressed that I just had to send them an email, and they were awesome enough to send me a few things.

I was only expecting the Sugar Cleanser, but I received three other full sized products as well. Here's a picture of all of them side by side!


I thought it was really cool that the team included product information sheets. These give information on the products including the ingredients, how to use them, tips, and the prices. I found this useful because I don't have to struggle to write down ingredients while looking at the small font on the packaging. I will be using information from the sheets in the post to make it as helpful as possible for you! Anything that is directly from the sheet will have an asterisk (*) in front of it.

Speaking of packaging; it's really high quality. I'd go as far as saying that the moisturizers jar is quite luxurious. I'm used to cheap plastic packaging so this makes my routine a little bit more special. The packaging on everything else is really nice too. The serums both have pumps that can lock into place to keep the products from going bad. These pumps push down smoothly so nothing will shoot out across the room, and you can easily control the amount you get out. The sugar cleanser is in a squeeze bottle, but it's still quite nice considering I just keep this in my washroom cabinet.

Now onto the review of each product. I'll go into detail of what my routine with these products looks like after I give their individual reviews, but I want to explain what each product does, and how effective it's been on my skin.

Refining Sugar Cleanser - $25.00 USD



This is what I was most excited about (and I still think this is my favourite product out of the bunch). Several girls talked about how much they love this so I was already expecting it to be good, but man is it awesome! This stuff smells AMAZING. It smells like sugar, but it also smells like something else that I can't quite pin down. My favourite thing about the product is that you can customize it. I have pretty sensitive skin so I can't normally scrub my skin every day with a scrub like this. However, the more water you add the less intense it is. I can use this every night if I add a little bit more water. You only need a really small amount of product as it spreads quickly so that's another bonus. You just need to rub this into your skin until the sugar has dissolved and then you're done! Here's a picture of what the texture looks like.


I 100% think this is worth the price because it's not only amazing, but it's quite big! The bottle is 3.5 fl oz (104 mL) and in the full month of usage I've barely put a dent into the tube. I did accidentally press it way too hard one time and a bunch shot out, but I put it inside of a small travel container and gave it to my mom (who also loved it).

I estimate that this will last me at least six months. That might seem like nothing, but that's if I use it every single day. For those of you with super sensitive skin, you might only use it a few times a week. I also mentioned that you need a small amount, so it really does go a long way.

Tip*: Once the sugar has dissolved, leave the cleanser on your skin for 3-5 minutes for a gentle hydrating treatment. I don't do this everyday, but about once a week when I do use more, I let it sit for about 5 minutes and my skin feels extremely silky afterwards. It feels like it's going to take forever to wash it off, but then you realize that there's no product left over and your skin really does feel that soft.

Key Active Ingredients*: Crocus Chrysanthus Bulb Extract (DermCom), Palmitoyl Tripeptide-38 (Matrixyl synthe'6), and Sodium Hyaluronate (L) (Hyaluronate Acid). There are a bunch of other ingredients that are listed on the website as well if you'd like to check them out! This goes for all of the other products!

Perfect C Serum 17% - $44.00


This product contains vitamin C as well as many other great ingredients (that I will mention below) and is meant to be used in the morning after cleansing. I don't cleanse my skin in the morning, but I do go in with a toner before this. When my skin is ready I apply one pump of this all over my skin. I only wear this on the days that I'm not wearing any foundation (which is a lot more often than you would think).

This is probably my least loved product of the bunch that I received. I do love it when I'm not wearing makeup, but I don't recommend wearing makeup when using this because on me it starts to peel the moment that I put primer or foundation on. It pretty much flakes off, but because I wear moisturizer every single day, my skin feels soft and plump so it just sticks to it and makes a mess. In the summer I wear SPF under my foundation and primer so I'm not sure if that would make it flake off, but if you don't try to add any makeup to your face, this product is perfect.  

This product is quite pricey so I don't know that I'd say it's worth it. I really like it, but out of all of the products, this is the one that I'd say you can skip. However, if this didn't flake up underneath primers and foundations I would say that it's worth the price.

Tip*: Humans do not produce Vitamin C so it should be incorporated into everyone's diet and skin care regimen. This is why I love the product so much, but I'm not sure if I can get past the flaking when I wear makeup.

Key Active Ingredients*: Ascorbic Acid (L) 17%, Buddleja Davidii Stems G, and Astaxanthin (BioAstin). The rest of the ingredients can be found on the product page!

Size: 0.5 fl oz / 15 mL

Supreme Polypeptide Cream (Moisturizer) - $56.00


This stuff is awesome. My skin has never been as hydrated as it is now. I do still have a problem area around my chin, but I spoke to my doctor who said that it's from my hormonal breakouts. Everywhere else is super soft and I've noticed that my skin doesn't look as wrinkly as it did before (I'm 21 so it shouldn't be wrinkly at all, but I have a few noticeable ones). This doesn't surprise me because this specific moisturizer is an anti-aging moisturizer, but MyChelle does have other moisturizers targeted for different issues!

This works well under makeup, but I learned to wait at least 30 minutes before applying foundation. The moisturizer is really thick and rich and takes a while to absorb into my skin, so in the morning when I am planning on wearing makeup, I quickly tone my face and apply this right away. By the time that I'm finished eating breakfast and feeding my dog, I can start on makeup. My makeup goes on really nicely on top of this, which I'm really happy about.

At nighttime this is ideal for me. It's super thick and it gives my skin tons of time to repair itself. I never wake up with my skin flakey. This really helps with hydration and the overall appearance of my skin. I love that my acne cream and eye gel works on top of this product as well, though I only use those at night time, unless it's a stay at home day for me without any makeup. Here's a pic of the product itself.


I don't have anything negative to say about this, but my boyfriend does. He cannot stand the smell. He says that this smells like iron and dreads when I put this on (especially at night). I don't have an issue with the smell (my mom and best friend didn't either), but since Steven did, I do want to warn you that if you're super sensitive to smell, you might not like this. But if you aren't fussy about how skin care smells, then you'll probably love it if you want something super moisturizing that will help with fine lines!

This is the other product that I think is worth trying out. While the price is quite hefty, most good moisturizers are. When I was looking for moisturizers to purchase, most of them (with good reviews) were in the $50-$80 range. The highest recommended ones were over $100. This might be because I live in Canada (makeup and skin care tends to be more expensive here than in the U.S.... and yes, even when taking our minimum wage into account). At the sale price of #39.25 I definitely think you should try it out before it goes back to the regular price!

Tip*: Use with wrinkle spot treatment for the ultimate in age defense (I don't have this so I can't say much about that).

Key Active Ingredients*: Palmitoyl Tripeptide-38 (Matrixyl synthe'6), Pisum Sativum (Pea Peptide) Extract (Proteasyl TP), and Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5 (Syn-Coll) Peptide. The rest of the very lengthy ingredient list is on the website as well!

Size: 1.2 fl oz / 35 mL

Remarkable Retinal Serum - $47.50


I don't know if I'm crazy, but I think this actually works. I mentioned that my lines weren't as apparent, and I think it might be this. This is meant to be worn at night time since it contains Retinal. This feels almost like a moisturizer, but it's not. As soon as I cleanse my face with the sugar scrub, I pat it dry and apply 1-2 pumps of this and wait 30 minutes (as the directions say to do). Usually I do exactly 1.5 pumps. This doesn't really have a scent, but since it's meant to be worn under the moisturizer I guess it doesn't matter. 

Do I think this is worth the price tag? I think so, but I don't know for sure. I do feel like this has been improving my skin. My skin is way more even than it's been since before I hit puberty. My lines are less noticeable (I haven't changed my makeup technique so trust me on that) and my skin just feels nicer. You don't absolutely need to wear the MyChelle moisturizer if you already have one that you love, but this serum is great. Of course I've only been using these products for a bit more than a month, but I feel like it's enough time to get a good feel for everything.

Tip*: To enhance anti-aging results, add the Remarkable Retinal eye cream into your evening routine to target fine lines and wrinkles around the delicate eye area. I don't use an eye cream from this brand, but I do use one and the two products do work amazingly together!

Key Active Ingredients*: Retinal (Retinaldehyde), Citrustem Orange Plant Stem Cells, and Ceramide 3. The rest of the ingredients are once again on the website!

Size: 1 fl oz / 30 mL

My routine with these products:

Morning: I tone my face > sometimes use the Perfect C Serum 17% > I put on the Supreme Polypeptide Cream > I wait 30 minutes and apply my makeup and go.

Evening: I cleanse my face with the Refining Sugar Cleanser > I apply the Remarkable Retinal Serum > I wait 30 minutes and apply the Supreme Polypeptide Cream > I apply my under-eye gel and acne cream and then I'm done.

Overall:

My skin went through a mini purge when I first started using everything. About a week in I was breaking out all over, but this ALWAYS happens when I start to religiously use skin care products (especially a cleanser). The breakouts quickly disappeared and I haven't had an issue since. The biggest thing for me is that I'm not allergic to any of the ingredients. I'm super allergic to Tea Tree Oil so I need to steer clear of a lot of skin care (I'm looking at you Lush and The Body Shop). Most holy grail products that I see YouTubers raving about include tea tree oil, which helps with breakouts. None of these products contain anything that I'm allergic to, but they are mad up of very natural and amazing so that's a huge thumbs up for me.

Pros: 
  • Very effective
  • Lessens the appearance of fine lines
  • Skin feels tighter throughout the day with the vitamin c thing
  • Sugar scrub is my favourite thing ever
  • Really nice, high quality packaging
  • Sugar cleanser can be altered for more sensitive skin (like mine) by using more water
  • The products work with other skin care brands
  • Pretty affordable in comparison to other comparable skin care brands

Cons:
  • Moisturizer takes a while to soak in, which may not be ideal for makeup wearers who need to rush in the morning
  • Smells bad to Steven (and might to those with sensitivities to smell)
  • The vitamin c serum can't be work with primer or foundation

I'm extremely pleased with these products! I'll most definitely be repurchasing a few when they run out (by repurchasing I mean actually buying them on my own). I definitely do recommend the brand as a whole and would love to try out more products in the future :)

Right now the website has free shipping and free returns on domestic orders. I highly recommend checking it out right now while everything that I mentioned is on sale!

Thank you so much for reading this post! Don't forget to check out MyChelle's website for even more information on everything!

Amy


Saturday, October 15, 2016

Erin Condren 2017 Vertical Life Planner!
October 15, 20160 Comments
As some of you may know, I'm a planner girl. I rely on my Erin Condren planner to keep my life organized and not forget appointments, assignments, events, etc. Last week I saw that Erin Condren was having a 20% off sale so I decided to take the plunge and buy my 2017 planner. It ended up costing me about $80 Canadian, but I did have to pay $20 in duty (I hate duty), which is ok because it was still cheaper than my 2016 planner without that discount.

Here are a few pictures of my new planner. I went for the free cover option and went with the regular silver coils as it was the cheapest option available (I really only care about the planner itself). I also went for the colourful planner (there's now a neutral option!) because I tend to do more colour coordinated spreads instead of themed.


I chose this simple pink cover and was pleasantly surprised that the inside cover has lines to write with a dry erase / wet erase marker.





The non monthly or weekly pages are pretty similar with a few design changes. I won't show all of the pages because there are probably hundreds of other blog posts on this planner, but I will show a few.




Now the important part. The colours for the months have changed—some slightly and some drastically. I don't know if I like it yet or not, but it is going to force me to make quite a few changes to my stickers up on my etsy shop. While change is nice, it's a hassle and I do feel like a lot of people who make or use stickers will be upset at this, especially if they have a lot of colour coordinated stickers left over.














Besides the colour change, there are minor changes on the monthly layouts. The header is a bit taller, which once again will force several people to change their stickers (not me since I have yet to make this particular type of sticker) and the side bar looks a bit different, but nothing crazy.



Now onto the weekly spreads. The biggest change besides the colours being different is that there is no secondary colour. I actually really like this as it will make the sticker process easier and more customizable for me. The header now has a watercolour effect, which I love because mine always looked so bland when nothing was there. This header effect is also really cool because when months change, the colours transition instead of changing harshly.




Here is the colour fade at the header of the weekly layouts.



The stickers at the back of the planner are similar, but the colours are different again.  The biggest change is that now several stickers are cut out in a flag style instead of the regular rectangular shape (but those are included as well).



There is still a perpetual calendar included, but I won't be using it unless I lose my 2016 one considering all of the important dates won't change. This one does look a lot cuter as well as the little pouches.



The pouch is now removable! This is a huge feature for me because it always made my 2016 planner SO heavy! On a day to day when I'm using it at school, the pouch does not matter to me as I'm not putting down stickers. I only really do this at home, where the pouch is needed. Thankfully, inside of the pouch there is a 3m coil clip so I can still stick the pouch in my planner securely, but I can just as easily take it out. I also love that there's a little zipper slider thing (no idea what it's called) instead of requiring us to pry the pouch open manually (which caused mine to rip at one of the sides).



Now for the little extras. Just like last year, I received a few stickers, but this time instead of little event dots I got those plus a few really cool stickers (that make me sad that I didn't order a full sticker book... but as Kathleen Lights would say "das expensive." Other freebies include a big sticker, a few compliment cards and two 20% off coupon codes that I can share. I won't be sharing those in this post, but fear not! I have an affiliate link that will save you 10% off your first order with Erin Condren and it's right here:  https://www.erincondren.com/referral/invite/amysousa1012






Overall I'm really excited! I knew I wanted to completely redesign my colour-coordinated monthly spreads so I welcome the new colours (but hopefully I can find the colour codes somewhere really soon).  I definitely recommend this planner if you're like me and need to write absolutely everything down to remember it! It's also a really fun hobby, though it can get very pricy.

Please feel free to ask any questions and I will try my very best to answer them :)

See you soon!

Amy

Saturday, October 01, 2016

2 Year Anniversary Makeup Look (Minus Lipstick)
October 01, 20160 Comments
I have been awful at posting videos recently, but I promise I have a few in the works! I was supposed to post this last week, but life has been so hectic lately with school, writing, and life in general. I did take time to celebrate Steven and I's two year anniversary. We were so busy on the day of (the 24th) that I didn't have the time to set up my filming equipment before I did my makeup. Hopefully this post is enough to show what I did. I will try my best to explain what I used, but a few of the products are unknown due to the brand names rubbing off of the packaging.




For foundation, I used my Makeup Forever Ultra HD foundation in the colour 117, It has a yellow undertone, but is still a bit too light for me with my leftover summer tan. I mixed in my Lancome Teint something (old packaging) foundation in the colour "Bisque," which is way too dark for me.  

To set my face, I used the RCMA No Color Powder. I baked my under-eye area for about two minutes along with the centre of my forehead (where my two creases are) and my chin. I then used the Kat Von D Shade + Light Palette (the yellow colour (Lyric?)) to wipe off the bakage under my eyes, and then I used the lightest shade to wipe off the rest of the no colour powder.

For bronzer, I used my Too Faced Sweet Heart Bronzer in the shade "Sweet Tea" all over my face (including the sides of my nose) since I do have a warmer undertone. Using really cool powders makes my face look kind of grey, but I try to stick closer to the neutral side, which is why I love this bronzer. It's definitely not warm or cool, but perfect for me.



For blush I used my favourite: "Luminoso" by Milani. I used my Mary Lou-Manizer highlighter, which is also my favourite, to highlight the tops of my cheeks and the tip of my nose. I always highlight my nose because it looks really dry if I don't. It ends up rubbing off fairly quickly because I always touch my nose, but I do think it looks cute while it lasts.

Now for my eyes. I used all makeup geek eyeshadows (because I know I can rely on them). For my crease and lower lash line I used "Hipster," for my brow bone and inner corner I used "Shimma Shimma," and last but not least, I used "Flame Thrower," a foiled eyeshadow, for the lid. 

I used a pair of eyelashes that came in a pack of 5 off of eBay. I hope I can find what they are again because they're honestly really nice quality for the price, and they're the easiest lashes I've ever used. For eyeliner I used a black one from a brand that I don't now because it's about two centimetres long at this point so the name has been sharpened off. There's a chance that it's by Lancome, but all I know is that it's a high end one. For my wing I used my Kat Von D Tattoo Liner in Trooper because it's amazing and easy to use. I really didn't want to try something knew because I suck at it.

For lipstick I wore "Cosmo" by MAC, but it had worn off by the time that I took these pictures (When we got back home). Last but not least, for my eyebrows I used my Anastasia Dip Brow Pomade in "Blonde" and my Essence brow pencil in "Brown." I set my brows with the Benefit Gimme Brow Gel in the darker colour (it says 3 on the packaging).


If you like this look, let me know and I'll do it again, but I'll film it to make everything easier to understand. I have a few exciting posts coming soon! I'll give you an idea on what to expect for the next month:

  • A brand focused post
  • Halloween
  • Skin care reviews
  • TAG videos
Let me know about the look!

Amy


@beautybyamysousa