Whiskey, Ink and Lace Herbal Eye Cream Review and Photos

The skin under your eyes is thinner than anywhere else on your body, and it moves around a lot, as we smile, frown and laugh. Because of this, it develops wrinkles more readily than other areas of the face. I didn't used to wear eye cream, but as the years have passed I've gotten smarter about doing it. Not only does it help to reduce the appearance of existing wrinkles, it'll help to slow the development of new ones, it helps with makeup application, and keeps the skin looking soft and smooth when I'm not wearing makeup too. Believe me, it's a good thing. 

But finding the right eye cream can be challenging. They all promise to hydrate the skin and reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, and some will promise to tighten the skin or reduce the appearance of dark circles, reduce puffiness and a range of other things. 

For day I like to use an eye cream that smoothes and hydrates my skin but that isn't heavy. I wear undereye concealer as I have dark circles and if an eye cream is heavy, the undereye concealer will melt away over time. For night, I like a heavier eye cream, because at night, your skin is healing and recharging itself. It's the best time for treatment skincare, or for healing skincare like a moisturizer. 

I was recently wandering around one of my favourite shops, Scout on Roncesvalles Avenue. Scout is a wonderful little gift-focused shops, but who says gifts need to be for other people? I almost always go in to buy something for someone else and end up with a treat for myself.

Case in point, I went in for a 2nd birthday gift for my niece and came out with a set of farmer's market themed alphabet cards (she's learning her ABCs), a candle and a jar of eye cream. The latter two were not for my 2 year old niece, they're for me. In case you hadn't guessed.

The eye cream is from a new-to-me line of bath and body goods out of Seattle that use organic and sustainable ingredients. They're known for their beard oils (ahem men, and those who love them) but also make bath products, skin care and candles. 

Whiskey, Ink and Lace have products such as Coffee & Stout Lotion, hair pomade in 10 varieties including The Viking, The Adventurer, The Gent and The Pirate, Coconut & Lime Salt Scrub, shaving oils and soaps, Long Lashes Serum, Cinnamon Lip Plumper and nine different candles including Emerald City Essence, Back Patio Cigars and Leather and Smoke.

Scout currently carries a few of their products and honestly, I couldn't ignore the name. Whiskey, Ink and Lace. Whiskey? Yup. Ink? Oh yes. Lace? Mmhmmm. I was in need of a new nighttime eye cream, and everything about their Herbal Eye Cream appealed to me. Including how much you get for the price. 

Let's talk size. Here's the jar of Whiskey, Ink and Lace Herbal Eye Cream. It's 62g or 0.85 fl oz and cost me $15 CDN. Most eye creams that I've come across over the years are less than 0.85 fl oz and cost at least twice as much as this one. For example, the Body Shop Vitamin E Eyes Cube that I currently use as my day eye cream is 4 g and 0.14 oz. It costs $15 CDN, the same amount at the Whiskey, Ink and Lace Herbal Eye Cream, but for much less product. 

Below are three eye products that are currently in my medicine cabinet and the Whiskey, Ink and Lace Herbal Eye Cream to show you a size comparison. The Body Shop Vitamin E Eyes Cube is on the left, the SkinLab Lift & Firm Collagen & Elastin eye gel is 0.7 fl oz and cost me $30 CDN, and the Vichy ProEVEN Daily Eye Corrector Dark Circles and Spots is 0.5 fl oz and costs around $50 CDN. The Whiskey, Ink & Lace Herbal Eye Cream beats all three in both the amount of product you get and the price point. 

Ingredients-wise, there's nothing overly terrifying in the eye cream. Aloe, coconut oil, jojoba oil, glycerin, vitamin E oil and carrot seed oil plus a preservative. That's it. 

Here's the product description on the label. 

And here's what the Whiskey, Ink & Lace website has to say about the Herbal Eye Cream.

What this eye cream will do for you:
– Softens skin
– Anti-aging
– Reduces wrinkles
– Improves skin elasticity
– Reduces puffiness
– Gets rid of dark circles
– Relieves stress with therapeutic essential oils
– And so much more!
Your eyes work hard every day. Give them a break overnight with this relaxing eye cream. This cream will help smooth wrinkles, decrease puffiness, and lighten dark circles.
Anti-aging ingredients in the cream will help your eyes look young again. Carrot seed essential oil is the magical ingredient in the cream. This essential oil works by stimulating red blood cells which improves appearances by adding elasticity and tone to skin. It is well known as an anti-aging oil for preventing wrinkles. The cream also contains neroli essential oil, which has a rich, soothing scent and is known for helping reduce signs of aging.
The base of the cream is a mixture of coconut oil and jojoba oil. Both have fantastic skin rejuvenating properties, helping to reduce fine lines and wrinkles and make your eyes look younger.
Brighten your eyes while you’re sleeping so that they’ll be ready to face the next day.
I think these days, with all of the shady ingredients in everything you consume and use on your body, it’s best to be extra careful in choosing the products you stock in your kitchen and bathroom. This cream is all natural, so that you can be sure nothing dangerous goes anywhere near your delicate eyes.
You can apply the cream moderately to moisturize your skin around your eyes overnight, to make them bright, beautiful, and looking younger in the morning!

There's a relatively strong scent of lavender that wafts up from the eye cream when you take the lid off. It's the one minor detractor to this eye cream, actually. The fragrance of the lavender, while beneficial to the skin, is a wee bit irritating to my eyes when I've first applied it. 

Texture-wise, the cream is similar to the consistency of coconut oil, which I use occasionally in the winter around my eyes. It melts with the warmth of my finger when I tip into the jar. Another minor detractor is that you need to stick your finger (or a utensil of some sort) into the product to get some to apply. Bacteria can be spread this way, so using clean hands, or a clean utensil can help reduce this danger. It would also reduce the melting effect your warm fingers can have, as I demonstrate in the below photo. I attempted to scoop up some product on my finger for this photo and this is all I was able to get. That it's so melty isn't a bad thing though. It easily applies to the undereye area and has excellent slip. It doesn't absorb too quickly so there's time to gently massage it into the skin, and enough lingers on the surface that I'm assured that the skin has sucked up as much as it needs.

Oh, another word about the amount of product you get for the price. The amount on my finger in the above photo is about half what I would use on one eye. Yup. This jar will last me a long time. Granted that it's summer here right now, so my skin doesn't need as much hydration as in the winter, so I'll be using more in the colder months. But still. I'll be surprised if I use it all before the end of 2015.

I've been using the Herbal Eye Cream for a few weeks now and I am loving it. It effectively hydrates the skin under my eyes, leaving it refreshed and smooth for when I wake up. Apart from the slighty uncomfortable lavender fragrance, it is easily my favourite eye cream.

Grade: B+

The Body Shop Vitamin E Eyes Cube Review, Photos and Swatches

I don't typically shop at The Body Shop, but I recently was in a mall and in need of some new skincare, so I popped in to see what was new and happening. Naturally, I left with a new facial moisturizer, an eye cream, and a new facial cleanser, as well as a free tub of body butter. 

This post is about the eye cream that I picked up, the Vitamin E Eyes Cube. It's a new product from The Body Shop, and a stout, pink, twist-up tube emblazoned with the Union Jack. To be honest, that's partly why I bought it. I'm a sucker for the Union Jack. But enough about the packaging, what's inside?

Inside the little tube is a solid, unscented product that twists up like a deodorant or lip balm. It's light pink in colour, creamy to the touch and has a few light sparkles in it. You apply it directly to your under eye area from the tube.

Ingredients

The active ingredient is wheatgerm oil, a source of vitamin E. The full ingredient list is as follows: Aqua/Water/Eau (Solvent), Bis-PEG-18 Methyl Ether Dimethyl Silane (Skin Conditioning Agent - Humectant), Sodium Stearate (Surfactant), Butylene Glycol (Humectant), Propanediol (Viscosity Modifier), Methoxy PEG-10 (Humectant), PEG-150 (Humectant), Glycerin (Humectant), Synthetic Fluorphlogopite (Viscosity Increasing Agent), Phenoxyethanol (Preservative), Caprylyl Glycol (Skin Conditioning Agent), Tocopheryl Acetate (Antioxidant), Myristamidopropyl PG-Dimonium Chloride Phosphate (Skin Conditioning Agent), PEG-12 Dimethicone (Skin Conditioning Agent), Citric Acid (pH Adjuster), Polysorbate 60 (Surfactant), Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane (Ultraviolet Light Absorber), Triticum Vulgare Germ Oil/Triticum Vulgare (Wheat) Germ Oil (Emollient), Glycine Soja Oil/Glycine Soja (Soybean) Oil (Emollient/Skin Conditioner), Mica (Opacifying Agent), CI 77891/Titanium Dioxide (Colorant), CI 77491/Iron Oxides (Colorant).

The Body Shop's instructions for application are to slide the Eyes Cube along your under eye, from the inner corner to the outer corner and then dabbing the product into the skin with your ring finger. The warmth of your skin helps to soften the product so that it adheres. Dabbing it helps it to absorb, which doesn't take long at all, even if you've applied more than one swipe worth. 

I prefer to use this in the morning, as it's not too heavy and works well under makeup. It's a little too light for my tastes for use overnight, even in the summer when I go lighter with my moisturizer. The sparkles visible in the product are hardly noticeable once it's on my skin so even if you don't wear anything on top of it, don't fret about the glitter. I'm not sure why it's even been included though. 

It's easy to apply, and very portable. I like the tiny size.

I can see this working well on other parts of the body, say the cuticles, though you should never use the same product on both your eye area and another body part at the same time. Keep them separate!

The Body Shop Vitamin E Eyes Cube costs $15 CDN, which for an eye treatment is not very expensive at all. 

In summary, it's small, it's easy to use, it's effective and it's not expensive.

You can find it online at thebodyshop.ca or in Body Shop stores.

Grade: A

Beauty Squared Round Up for March 1, 2015

Hello! It's Sunday and that means it's round-up time. Here's what we have for you this week!

• Lipstick that changes colour depending on your body temperature? 
• MAKE Cosmetics are now available to buy at JCrew.com. 
• Uh, Pizza Hut nail polish?
• One of the most talked about things from the Oscar red carpet this year was Margot Robbie's lip colour. Here's what MUA Tyron Machausen used on her face, including that gorgeous lip colour. 
• Is lip balm addiction a real thing? 
• Remember that video of Max Factor applying makeup on a extra's face that was featured in the Round Up two weeks ago? Well here's more on how Max Factor made up on silent film actors and revolutionized makeup. 
• Major sparkle for the eyelids was all over the runways recently with models sporting glued-on crystals and sequins on their eyelids. Look for this to trickle down to more wearable looks for non-model types who want the look. 
• How to banish winter hat head. You know you need this post. 
• And how to give fine, flat hair body. 
• How to pronounce commonly mispronounced fashion and beauty words. 
• The 10 Commandments of Clear Skin. 
• Indie beauty brands you haven't tried but should. 
• A woman undergoing formal gender transition talks about her ongoing relationship with beauty and gender. 

Beauty Squared Round-Up - December 15, 2013

Happy Sunday! We hope you're staying warm and sane during the always-crazy holiday season. If you're stressed out or snowed in, or having a lie-in, here are some beauty-related links for you click on and enjoy.

• Counterfeit cosmetics: why you should be wary of what and where you buy online. 
• Karen from the Makeup and Beauty Blog shows us how to use eyeshadow to fill in our eyebrows. 
• OPI and Gwen Stefani are teaming up with a nail collection!
• Here's a 5-minute, no-makeup, makeup look.
• If your eyes aren't always watering like mine, you can do this very cool inner and outer eyeliner look.
• Are you an Instagram fan? Here is a list of some of the coolest makeup Instagrammers you should be following! (No, Beauty Squared isn't on Instagram, yet)
• MAC MUA Caitlin Callahan talks to Beauty Editor about her favourite products, her work and what she feels is the true meaning of makeup.
• Buzzfeed has a list of 14 things you're doing wrong to your skin. 
• Have you seen Beyonce's new video for the song "Pretty Hurts"? In it she appears as a beauty pageant contestant and criticizes beauty myths and the idea of perfection. Great idea, but is it really effective considering how flawlessly gorgeous Beyonce looks throughout the video and always?
• Finally, check out some photos from this nude photo series by artist Gracie Hagen. In it she has men and women pose nude, first in a conventionally sexy manner and then in "unflattering" poses that we don't typically see in magazines. The link here is NSFW.

Philosophy Hope In A Jar Night: Review and Photos

Beauty Squared was recently sent some of Philosophy's new Hope in a Jar Night for review. It's an intense retexturizing moisturizer that features an innovative qusome delivery system that enhances efficacy, while limiting the potential for irritation. According to Philosophy, skin is noticeably smoother, lines are visibly softened, a rosy glow is restored and results continue to improve with nightly use. 

$48/2 oz

Some photos...

Instruction booklet

Ingredients

Jill:

This cream has a very thick, almost sticky consistency and a noticeable, but pleasant lavender based scent. On the skin it absorbs fairly quickly and leaves your skin feeling cushioned and protected.

For the first few days of testing this, I used it without my usual night time treatment (Differin 3X Gel), because exfoliating and resurfacing creams can interact with Differin (an exfoliant) and potentially cause peeling. Used alone I found that this cream did improve the texture and brightness of my skin. My one complaint was this product did not leave my skin feeling well moisturized in the morning. Compared to the night cream I was using before I began testing Hope in a Jar Night, my skin was noticeably drier and tighter feeling upon waking. When used on top of Differin 3X Gel, my skin did peel slightly at the corner of my mouth and high on my temples. This indicates to me that this cream does in fact exfoliate as it claims.

All in all I liked this cream - I liked the thick, somewhat sticky texture, the scent and the way it made my skin look fresher and brighter in the morning. The only flaw for me is that it did not hydrate my skin as much as I would like.

Grade: A-


Catherine:

I've been a fan of Philosophy products for a few years. Their products are very good, although on the pricier side. If you can afford them, I recommend them.

Hope in a Jar Night has a thick consistency, almost paste-like (but much more pleasant). It's pleasant to massage into the skin, because it really feels like it's getting in to my pores. Despite it being a night cream, this does not sit on my skin. It really absorbs quickly and my skin feels soft and supple shortly after applying it.

My skin feels the same way in the morning, soft and supple. The product is still there and I can feel it come off when I wash my face. I notice a definite change in my skin after using this product for a few nights. It's smoother and more even-toned. I don't feel like I need to exfoliate as much. It has brought forward a few small pimples, which can be expected to happen with anything that renews the skin such as this type of moisturizer. 

It should be noted (and the packaging does) that this is a night cream only. The ingredients make skin more sensitive to sun damage and so, this should not be worn as a day cream. Everyone should wear a sunscreen during the day but especially if you're using this cream or any resurfacing, retexturizing cream.

I have no complaints about this product. It does what it claims to - gives you smoother, softer, renewed skin. It's not heavy, overly fragranced or greasy.

Grade: A

Pari Beauty Ever Youthful Anti-Aging, Mineral Perfection, Precious Glow and Colour Cubes Review and Photos

I was sent some Pari products recently to try out. Pari is a mineral beauty line available in Sears stores. The following is taken from their Facebook page:

Introducing Pari Beauty, a comprehensive line of prestige quality color cosmetics and advanced skin care products. Pari Beauty cosmetics are performance formulas covering a full range of basic and trend shades across all beauty categories: eyes, face and lips. We believe that beauty starts with healthy skin and have specifically formulated and designed our skin care line to serve as the perfect co

mplement to achieving beautiful makeup. Our skin care products have been developed with our scientific knowledge and understanding that has resulted in technologically advanced formulas and unique combinations of active ingredients to deliver performance and results. Our skin care line works from a preventative and maintenance standpoint to delay the onset of wrinkles and premature aging while keeping skin healthy and radiant.

In addition to superior formulas, we are committed to offering our products at an irresistible value. Pari Beauty offers the quality and performance of prestige beauty brands but at pricing that is truly exceptional and accessible to makeup students, makeup professionals, and consumers.

It is through our dedication to the education and craftsmanship of the professional makeup artist, unique discussions with makeup artist schools and with our own experience in the beauty industry that we have learned the “tricks of the trade” and the “essential product tools” needed to create a beautiful face. Pari Beauty is proud to bring these unique, behind the scenes beauty tips and key products to the consumer.

Pari refers to a heavenly beautiful woman. Pari Beauty represents the heavenly beauty that exists in all women of all cultures and backgrounds. The seasoned founders of Pari Beauty bring over 30 years of related experience in makeup artistry, beauty retailing, consumer products, and product manufacturing.

Pari Beauty proudly does not test on animals. In addition, we try to use 100% recyclable packaging and the finest quality ingredients available.

I was sent a bottle of their Ever Youthful Anti-Aging Moisturizer, some of their Mineral Perfection Cream To Powder Foundation, some of their Precious Glow highlighter and a stack of pigment colours.

Pari Beauty Ever Youthful Anti-Aging Moisturizer: A protective, luxurious moisturizer that delays the onset of premature aging while keeping skin soft, supple, nourished and young-looking. It contains oat beta-glucan which tightens and lifts the skin, promotes wrinkle reduction and increases hydration. Hydrolyzed potato protein reduces the loss of structure and elasticity of skin tissue, inhibits collagen degradation and inhibits elastase activity. Zea Mays extract firms the skin's extra-cellular matrix and reducing the appearance of crow's feet, stimulates the synthesis of fibroblast fibronectin and reorganizes the extracellular matrix to increase the thickness of the skin. Sodium hyaluronate enables the skin to retain moisture.

$39 for 50 mL/1.7 fl. oz.

Review: A rich, but not heavy cream, the Ever Youthful moisturizer goes on very smoothly and absorbs readily. The texture is of medium-thickness and I need 1/2 - 3/4 of a teaspoon to cover my entire face and throat. I wore this overnight for a week at the time of writing this review and found my skin to feel quite supple in the morning. This would work nicely during the day, in fact, even more so as it's cold weather in Toronto right now so the heat is turned up and the cold air are making my skin thirstier than ever. 

Mineral Perfection in MP 51 Ivory: Delivers all day coverage with a unique cream to powder formulation which instantly softens the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines with a natural finish. Talc and paraben-free. Mineral Perfection contains Dermaxyl, which smoothes wrinkles and stimulates anti-aging peptides. Collagen Tripeptide improves the appearance of wrinkles and stimulates synthesis of fibroblast fibronectin. Comes in a mirrored compact with a sponge. 

$26

Wearing Mineral Perfection

Review: This is a medium coverage foundation that goes on smoothly. It applies well with a foundation brush as well as with the sponge it comes with. It covered well, with a creamy finish. It claims to have a powder finish but I didn't notice much of this. It did set after a little while but I had to set it with a loose powder, just as I would any cream or liquid foundation. I applied it over the areas of my face that tend to be quite pink - my nose, the areas around my nose, my chin, my forehead and the blotchy patch on my lower right cheek. Wear-wise, this didn't last all day. My skin is oily and even with a primer underneath, this got very patchy on my nose and between my eyebrows by midday. You could literally see the product melting off my face and my chin looked all but bare. I would recommend this for skin that is less oily as mine. 

Precious Glow: A liquid shimmer lotion has a quick-setting formula making it ideal as an eye primer or for mixing with eyeshadow for a more intense look. It can be mixed with lotion or foundation for a sun-kissed bronzed look or as an illuminating highlighter.

Contains titanium dioxide which delivers brightness and refractive properties and provides natural UV protection. Mica provides a silky and luxurious feel, a smooth, even finish and delivers a healthy glow which deflects light away from fine lines and wrinkles.

$15 for 10 mL/0.33 fl. oz.

Review: This is a very sheer liquid highlighter that can be blended with a liquid foundation, worn as an eye primer or worn as a highlighter. As you can see in the photos above, when blended out it's very subtle, more of a natural highlight. As an eye primer, it doesn't work very well with my oily skin, but for eyelids that are dryer, it would. It provide enough sheen that it could be worn on its own on the eyes for a soft shimmer. I wore it as a highlighter on the tops of my cheekbones and on my browbone and found it not so different from the natural sheen of my skin. 

8 Stack Colour Cubes in Punky Brewster: Specially designed Stardust towers provide a combination of intense, pearlescent, loose powder colours designed to inspire the ultimate creativity and design. These natural mineral powders are formulated to provide both a rich and luxurious feel with light diffusing properties. 

5 stack for $30/8 stack for $35

From L-R: First, third and fifth swatches are dry.
Second, fourth and sixth swatches are wet.

From L-R: First, third and fifth swatches are dry.
Second, fourth and sixth swatches are wet.

From L-R: First and third swatches are dry.
Second and fourth swatches are wet.

Review: The Colour Cubes are loose powder pigments with lots of sparkle. They can be used wet or dry and I've swatched them both ways in the photos below. They all have a tonne of colour and are more intense wet than dry. The red shades, when combined with water, will stain the skin slightly. These are fun sparkly colours than can be worn on their own or with other eyeshadow products.