April/May Favourites

I can't believe we're at the end of May! It's been a whirlwind of a month, but definitely one of the best in 2012 by far :) After two weddings and a trip to Poland, I think my life is finally returning back to normal.

Since I haven't blogged for a month, I figured I'll put together a few of my April and May favourites into one posting. I realize that usually my posts are pretty detailed, but because I'm so anxious to write this - please leave me a comment if I've missed something.

1. Lancome's Flash Bronzer - Tinted Self Tanning Leg Gel

 
Because I was in one of the weddings in May, I really wanted to give my legs a bit of colour. Since I had sworn off tanning booths, I did some research in an attempt to find the best self tanning lotion.

After reading user reviews from Sephora's website, I decided to give Lancome's Flash Bronzer a try. I absolutely love it. If you follow the instructions, you won't experience any type of streaking or darkness around your knees and ankles. The colour doesn't come off orange at all, and honestly pretty much it's fool proof... except I might have put more on one leg than the other :/ 

I usually dread doing things like this, because I think it's time consuming. BUT to my pleasant surprise, it actually takes less than 5 minutes to give my legs two coats. I read in some of the reviews that it doesn't smell like most self-tanning lotions - well... it does, but it's a small price to pay and the smell isn't too strong. For $38, you get 125 ml of product. It is quite pricey, but you don't need a lot. I use about 2 quarter size amounts for 1 full leg and the colour pay off is good. You can definitely build up the colour by layering it on. If you want colour quickly and most importantly safely, I highly recommend this product.


2. Lush's Buffy Body Butter

I am absolutely in love with my Buffy bar - SO much that I've already re-purchased my second one. For those of you who've read my blog, you know I suffer from two things: dry skin and laziness. I like to save as much time as possible, and this does the trick. Not only does it leave my skin moisturized all day (no need to lotion up after), but it exfoliates as well, making your skin super soft and smooth. 

This bar comes in two sizes: Small (95 g) for $11.95 or Large (200 g) for $22.95. I've re-purchased the small size only because it fits perfectly in the body butter tin that I bought. The heat and steam of the shower can cause the body butter to melt. I highly recommend storing it in a tin to avoid wasting the product. 

As much as I love this, you do have to accept one thing - it leaves a mess in the shower :( The bar is made out of ground aduki beans and almonds. The remnants are large enough so that they don't quite disintegrate in the hot water when you rinse the product off. If your drain sucks, be prepared to give your tub a quick wipe. I am however willing to make the sacrifice because I love the feeling it leaves my skin. To compromise, I alternate between this and my...


3. Eucerin's Skin Calming Body Wash

I was first introduced to this product by my boyfriend's mom. She had asked me to pick it up for her when I went over to the States, and so I decided to try it  myself. 

This is an oil-based body wash made from all natural omega oils. I have to admit, it doesn't smell the best, but it really works to relieve my itchy dry spells. I looked everywhere for this in Canada, and recently found it in the special body care section in Walmart - where you find eczema creams and body washes. I can't remember the exact price, but on well.ca (where shipping is free anywhere in Canada), a 250 ml bottle costs $9.59. It's not the cheapest body wash, but if you suffer from dry skin, it's great. For a body wash that's an oil, it actually lathers quite nicely - even with just a little bit of product :)


4. Garnier's Skin Renew Anti-Dark Circle Eye Roller (Sheer Tint in Light)

I've had this for awhile, but recently started using it again. I wanted something light and natural to cover the slight darkness underneath my eyes. 

Generally, I struggle with under eye concealer sometimes, as I often find the formula too dry. Garnier's Skin Renew Eye Roller totes that it's a 2 in 1 product that hydrates and refreshes the look of tired eyes while using tinted mineral pigments to cover up dark circles. I'm going to have to agree! 

The product is definitely the most light weight I've put underneath my eyes - in fact, I can even touch up mid-day for a quick pick-me-upper and it won't look cakey. Although it's not toted as a concealer, I think it's a great every day concealer for me - especially in combination with my BB cream. I must say this: the product is quite sheer - I would not recommend this as a concealer if you have really dark circles. Fortunately this suffices as a concealer for me because the darkness around my eyes aren't too bad. This product comes in light and medium. If you don't want any colour, they do have a non-tinted formula of this product. The price ranges depending on where you buy it, but generally they're about $12 at Walmart.


5. May's Glymm Goodies

Of course, the month that I'm super busy, I didn't get the chance to blog about my May goodies from Glymm. I'm not going to go into details, but I was pleasantly... no, more like ecstatic to find that my Glymm Box had turned into a Glymm Bag this month! 

Not only can I find a million ways to use this bag (I absolutely adore the colour), it was also filled with an assortment of deluxe samples that included eye make-up, fragrances, eye/lip serum and hair conditioner.

I got an email from Glymm this month letting me know that they are raising the subscription price from $10 to $12 a month. However, they are honouring the $10 price for existing subscribers (yay!) Great job this month Glymm! Good for you for going green! :)

BB Creams (Pt. 1) - Skin79's Super+ Beblesh Balm

Huh? BB Creams?! 
 After watching several YouTube videos, and seeing Smashbox launch a line of their own BB creams, I had to find out what this product was all about. So to answer the question, BB creams stand for Blemish Balm (it's also been referred to as Beauty Balm or Beblesh Balm). Originally developed for laser skin surgery patients, this tinted cream was meant to hide post-laser scars, while also protecting, healing and soothing the skin for a quick recovery. It's one of those all in one products that tote multiple skincare claims - including:

• Anti-aging properties
• Whitening of scars and blemishes
• High SPF to protect the skin from the sun and UV rays
• Preventative measures and treatments for acne
• Evening out skin tone
• Moisturizer and priming the skin
• Minimizing pores

There are so many BB creams available in the market today, it was definitely hard to choose my first one. Although predominantly sold in Asia, it has quickly expanded into the North American market with brands like Smashbox, Clinique and MAC producing their own variation of BB creams.

After a lot of research, I finally decided to buy Skin79's Super+ Beblesh Balm with Triple Functions (picture above). It's formulation claims that it's whitening, anti-aging and UV protecting. I've been using it for 2 months now, and I have to say it's my go-to every day face product.

Why I love it:

• It does an amazing job at covering pores
• It gives a very natural finish
• You have the option of layering more product for better coverage on troubled spots without looking cakey
• It has sun protection built into the product already
• It has helped to even out my skin tone

Unfortunately, there is only one shade to this BB cream and it's meant for people with fair to medium skin tones. It comes out in a greyish cast, but oxides to match the colour of your skin after 15-20 minutes. The picture on the left shows the texture and colour of the BB cream.  As you can see, the formula is pretty thick, but after you work it in, it blends quite well into my skin. I'm not sure if you can see it in the picture, but the coverage is quite good. It manages to hide most of the red blood vessels and blotchy spots on the back of my hand.

If you live in Toronto and want to buy BB creams at store level, they are almost everywhere in Pacific Mall (not so much if you go to First Markham Place). Skin79 is a very popular brand and can be found in most stores within Pacific Mall that sell beauty products. I will suggest to shop around when you're there. I bought mine for $27, without realizing that some stores were selling it for as little as $22! If you're not  accessible to any Asian malls around your neighbourhood, you can buy BB creams online - most companies will ship anywhere in North America (www.skin79northamerica.com). It's even readily available on eBay! 

For someone who wants a bit more coverage than a tinted moisturizer, I highly recommend using BB creams. The finish is really natural, but I wouldn't say it's completely flawless. For a flawless face, I still depend on my favourite foundation by Guerlain (I'll save that post for another day). But for every day use, I think BB creams are great. My evened out skin tone makes my skin look so much better without make up on -  a big BIG bonus for sure! :)
 
For more information, check out FrmHeadtoToe's YouTube videos on some of the most popular BB cream brands available in the market today.