Etsy Earrings!

I love Etsy and could spend hours on it. I especially love finding jewellery on Etsy. Here are some of the lovely earrings I've recently found and the links to the shops I bought them from! 

Etco

Modern Trinkets

Modern Trinkets

Silver Minature Jewellery

C.

Kiehl's Photo-Age Deep-Action Exfoliating Cleanser Review

Kiehl's Photo-Age Corrector Deep-Action Exfoliating Cleanser is designed to break apart surface discolouration and stimulate cells to restore fresh, even-toned skin. It's a creamy, gentle exfoliator designed to reduce the look of discolouration in the skin and to refresh the skin's surface. 

A friend of mine bought a tube and offered it to me to try, so I did. I'm not yet at the point where my skin is showing much in the way of aging so I can't verify for the ability of this to reduce discolouration, but it does do an excellent job of deeply cleaning and exfoliating your skin. My face felt incredible afterwards.

At $22 CDN and roughly $30 CDN, it's on the pricier side when it comes to skin cleansers but if you use this every few days or even once a week as a deep-cleaning exfoliator, it'd make the price more reasonable. You don't need a lot of product either, it increases in volume when you add water.

I would definitely buy this for myself. 

C.

Clinique Bottom Lash Mascara Review

Clinique has introduced a Bottom Lash mascara - a tiny tube priced at $12 CDN and available wherever Clinique products are sold. I picked up a tube to try it.

My lower lashes are quite long and generous naturally. They're both a boon and a bother - when I want big doll's eyes or to play up a 60s effect, I use mascara on them but when I don't want them to be so obvious, well, there's not much I can do. I kind of always have Bambi eyes. Using a regular mascara wand on my lower lashes can be difficult. Clumps are difficult to avoid and the brushes are large so you get splotches of mascara on your skin. It's also tough to get to every little lash with a regular sized mascara wand.

Clinique's Bottom Lash Mascara comes in two colours - black and brown (I always wear black) and the tube and wand are both TINY. See what I mean?

Top: Benefit Bad Gal Lash
Middle: Maybelline Great Lash Mascara in Blackest Black
Bottom: Clinique Bottom Lash Mascara

Clinique Bottom Lash Mascara Wand close-up

Clinique's Bottom Lash Mascara Wand photographed next to Maybelline's  Great Lash Mascara Wand

The tiny brush gets me a little excited, I must admit. I've found one tiny mascara wand before and I actually kept it after the mascara was finished. I use it every once and awhile. No matter how many bristles regular sized wands have, they're not going to get at every tiny lash without making a pretty major mess. 

Here I am wearing Bad Gal mascara on my top lashes and on my right eye, Clinque Bottom Lash Mascara. On my left eye, I'm wearing no mascara on my lower lashes. See the difference?

Left: With Clinique Bottom Lash Mascara.
Right: Without mascara.

The wand isn't the only thing about Clinique Bottom Lash Mascara that makes it ideal for getting at those tiny lower lashes. The mascara formula is designed to resist smudging (a problem with wearing regular mascara on your lower lashes) - sweat, tears and humidity do not affect it. 

Close-up of eye without mascara on the lower lashes.

Close-up of eye with Clinique Lower Lash Mascara

I like that this mascara adds a bit of definition to my lower lashes and is nicely lengthening. It's quite natural looking. 

I've worn it a number of times and it's very easy to apply and wear. I haven't experienced any smudging whatsoever. The only negative comment I have is that it's difficult to remove. Clinique Bottom Lash Mascara is waterproof in cold water but I'd say it was almost water resistant in warm water with cleanser. I wash my face as usual and there's always a few lashes with mascara clinging to them after I rinse. Apparently, the solution is to take a cotton pad soaked in warm water and hold it against the lashes for a few moments. This will help to loosen it so it'll wash right away.

If you have delicate, wispy lashes on your top lids, I don't see why this wouldn't be a perfectly good mascara for you to use. The formula works well and the brush gets to every little lash - it may take a little longer to apply but I'm guessing this would work well for someone who finds regular mascara too heavy or too messy.

Have you tried Clinique's Bottom Lash Mascara? What do you think? Tell us!

C.

Estee Lauder Sale Haul

I was given tickets by Bobby (@gimmelsdad) to a sale Estee Lauder was holding in Markham, Ontario a little while ago. At the last minute, my plans to go fell through so I offered them up on Twitter. Christine (@lu_christine) was the first to respond and we met in person so I could give her the tickets. Christine was also kind and brave enough to shop the sale for me. I gave her a list and some cash and she brought back some sweet stuff for me! 

Take a look:

MAC's A Tartan Tale Glitter/Pigment set in Warm Thrillseekers

MAC's A Tartan Tale Beauties Play It Cool Eyeshadow Palette which Jill reviewed back in November.

MAC's Leopard Luxe eyeshadow palette from the Fabulous Feline's collection (also reviewed by Jill here).

MAC lashes - I've never tried these before.

In total this all came to just under $90 CDN! Check out what Christine picked up for herself on her blog: http://www.christinelu.ca/2011/03/mac-makeup-haul/.

C.

Quick Post: Essie Nailpolishes Trophy Wife and Aruba Blue

Essie nail lacquer in Trophy Wife and Aruba Blue

Essie Trophy Wife

Essie Aruba Blue

C.

Olay ProX Intensive Firming Treatment Review

Olay's ProX Intensive Firming Treatment is a set of five pre-packaged, intensive treatment masks and a skin tightening serum that you use consecutively for five days in order to give your skin intense moisture and firming. 

Here's what Olay has to say: 

Pro-X Intensive Firming Treatment is a highly effective way to hydrate skin and improve elasticity for skin that looks significantly younger in five days.

Each Intensive Treatment Mask contains as much moisturizer as a full-size bottle of product. The mask is made of a flexible material that stretches to fit the unique contours of your face. It delivers volume-boosting hydration to improve skin's elasticity. After five days, your skin looks significantly younger.

Skin Tightening Serum immediately tightens skin and reduces the look of expression lines. Then, this unique formula hydrates to help increase skin's natural fullness for firmer skin.

We each used the masks and serum and here are our impressions.


Jill: Generally, I liked this product. I live in an excessively dry, cold climate and I did find that the mask helped alleviate the dry, wind burned skin on my cheeks. I did find that there was a firming feeling,  upon using th serum, and especially after directly after removing the mask. However, I can't say whether that effect is in part due to the evaporation of the water from the product on the skin, or  the actual product itself. I don't really suffer from fine lines yet (keep your fingers crossed), so I don't think I'm the best judge for the firming aspect of this product.


I did find the mask very moisturizing. According to the information sent to us with the product, each individual mask contains the equivalent of a whole bottle of moisturizer! And while I did find this effective, I also feel that this is overkill. Simply put, your skin can only absorb so much product at one time, so I don't believe that this amount of product is necessary.


My biggest complaint about the system, and this says more about my schedule than anything else - is I find the timeline of the regimen unrealistic. I managed to follow it for three consecutive days, but as the week wore on and I got busier, I felt I just didn't have the time to devote to wearing the mask, especially when I only remembered at midnight. It didn't help that upon seeing me in the mask, my boyfriend exclaimed "Wow, that's INTENSE", intense meaning I looked like someone out of Silence of the Lambs. Was that fear I saw flash over his eyes?


Seriously though, this is a good product. Both the serum and the mask deliver on their promise of moisturizing and firming, although I can't say how dramatic the firming effects are given my skin type. I wish I had a another pack of it now, so I could use it to combat the endless winter I am experiencing out here in Edmonton.




Catherine: I applied the serum day and night and the masks nightly for four days. I found it all a bit too intensive for my skin. I began to break out so I stopped using the treatment. It could have been something else causing me to break out, so I also stopped using the moisturizer and cleanser I was using as well. I did go back and use the last mask about a week later, so I think this treatment doesn't necessarily have to be used as instructed - five days in a row. That can be difficult to schedule in on a busy schedule and may not be good for some skin types.


My skin felt very, very smooth and toned after each mask and the serum helped to extend that feeling. The next day, that feeling was diminished slightly but there was still a moisturized feeling that wouldn't have been there without the mask.


Wearing the masks was odd. Each one is pre-moistened and comes in foil pack. When the mask is taken out of the packet, it's cold and dripping with white goop. If you can get past that and get it on your face (shiver) then you leave it on for ten minutes or so. There are adjustable flaps to help it fit to your face, but the eye holes are TINY and considering you're supposed to avoid getting the goop into your eyes, that's difficult. I took a photo of myself in the mask, for your entertainment. I look like a serial killer. But you can also see how the mask doesn't go all the way up my forehead, has tiny eye holes, and large nose and mouth holes. I would've smiled, but the mask would've slipped if my face had moved at all. It was difficult to keep the chin flaps in place, as gravity kept causing them to slide off.

Anyway, if you've stopped laughing, here's me after removing the mask. See? My skin looked so nice I even took a photo of myself without a stitch of makeup on for you.

So there you have it, our review of the Olay ProX Intensive Firming Treatment. Have you tried this? What did you think? Tell us!

C&J

MAC Sheen Supreme Lipstick Preview

Gloss is good, but there’s nothing quite as wonderfully, worldly cinematic as a Lipstick – and they’re coming back! We’ve updated formulas to make it all plausible. Sheen Supreme is the combination of the strong, sensually saturated colour of, say, Tilda Swinton’s I Am Love Milanese Lipstick, leavened with the light feel and clear vibrancy, the see-through sheen of a modern New York City Girl Gloss. Imagine no muddy undertones, gliding in pearl or creme finish, moisturizing with no sticky/tacky feel. It’s a new medium, with M∙A∙C in the lead. This is retro/modern – and devastatingly chic

Part of the permanent collection as of March 3, 2011

MAC Sheen Supreme Lipstick in Bare Again ($17.50 CDN/$14.50 US)
Pinky neutral beige

MAC Sheen Supreme Lipstick in Behave Yourself ($17.50 CDN/$14.50 US)
Light blue pink

Sheen Supreme Lipstick in Can't Get Enough ($17.50 CDN/$14.50 US)
Beige neutral

Sheen Supreme Lipstick in Can't Resist ($17.50 CDN/$14.50 US)
Golden purplish red

Sheen Supreme Lipstick in Full Speed ($17.50 CDN/$14.50 US)
Bright clean yellow pink

MAC Sheen Supreme Lipstick in Good to Be Bad ($17.50 CDN/$14.50 US)
Deep burgundy

MAC Sheen Supreme Lipstick in Gotta Dash! ($17.50 CDN/$14.50 US)
Pale clean coral

MAC Sheen Supreme Lipstick in Impressive  ($17.50 CDN/$14.50 US)
Neutral gilded plum

MAC Sheen Supreme Lipstick in Insanely It ($17.50 CDN/$14.50 US)
Watermelon pink

MAC Sheen Supreme in Look At Her! ($17.50 US/$14.50 CDN)
Metallic copper

MAC Sheen Supreme Lipstick in New Temptation ($17.50 CDN/$14.50 US)
Vivid blue red

MAC Sheen Supreme Lipstick in Quite the Thing! ($17.50 CDN/$14.50 US)
Deep blue plum

MAC Sheen Supreme Lipstick in Supremely Confident ($17.50 CDN/$14.50 US)
Pale nude

MAC Sheen Supreme Lipstick in Ultra Darling ($17.50 CDN/$14.50 US)
Mid-tone yellow pink

I picked up the last one here, Ultra Darling, and I love it. The texture is smooth and it goes on lightly but packs a punch of colour. Check these out!

C.

MAC Cremeblend Blush Preview

For every contour control freak, for every persistent perfectionist comes this wondrous way to play with blush that gives you the most magnificent flexibility you’ve ever had…Starts creamy, stays creamy and proves once and for all that powder is NOT your only prerogative. You can get back to a new build for that retro “rouge” look – Old Hollywood Glamour made modern – or stop at subtle and natural; it’s all in your hands. In three aspects, two shades of each: One matched to skin, one for a brighter glow and one darker for cream contouring, it’s perfect for all skin colours, minus the silicone, particularly adept at preventing ashiness on darker complexions. Make powdery a thing of the past. 

Part of the permanent collection as of March 3, 2011.

MAC Cremeblend Blush in Brit Wit ($23.50 CDN/$19.50 US)
Dusty rosey mauve

MAC Cremeblend Blush in Ladyblush ($23.50 CDN/$19.50 US)
Warm neutral coral

MAC Cremeblend Blush in Posey ($23.50 CDN/$19.50 US)
Warm peach

MAC Cremeblend Blush in Something Special ($23.50 CDN/$19.50 US)
Light coral

MAC Cremeblend Blush in So Sweet, So Easy ($23.50 CDN/$19.50 US)
Bright yellow pink

MAC Cremeblend Blush in Tea Petal ($23.50 CDN/$19.50 US)
Mid-tone reddish brown

In stores now!

C.