Updates To My Beauty Counter

Hello my beauties! So back in December I shared with everyone all the beauty products that I own. Obviously, this has changed in the past 3 months, so I've made a short list of the products that stick out, so that I can share them with you!

1- Smashbox Halo Hydrating Perfecting Bronzer

On my quest to find a matte loose mineral powder bronzer (does it even exist??) I took my fabulous friend Dean with me to the fancy makeup store. We looked at the Bare Escentuals section, nothing matte, went to Cargo, no mineral powder... and then we stumbled upon this product. It wasn't exactly what I was looking for, but it came pretty close: It was matte, it was bronzer, and it was indeed powder. Not quite mineral, but no Talc so... SOLD!

It claims to have anti-aging, perfecting and hydrating properties, as well as imparting a "sun-kissing glow." Awesome, but how does it look on the skin? Well, not really being used to powder, it was a little weird at first, but I think I'm getting the hang of it. Not entirely sure if I would buy this again, so here's a list of the Pros and Cons to see how this baby fares.

CON= Doesn't spread that easily
PRO= Makes your skin look super soft and smooth
CON= $45
PRO= While not actually a mineral powder, it claims to have no Talc, which is awesome.

I guess it's about even!

2- Physicians Formula Organic Wear Mascara

Yes, I'm slowly turning into a hemp-wearing, incense burning hippy. As you can probably guess, I'm trying to make my beauty routine a little greener. I can't say exactly what this mascara is made out of, but Physician's Formula claims that this revolutionary mascara contains the "purest ingredients," and is made without Parabens, harsh chemicals, synthetic materials, and to top it all off the tube is 100% recyclable.

Now, I am not the kind of person to take everything at face value, so reading between the lines, my guess is that they've tried to use the least amount of chemicals, or have replaced the most infamous ones with others. They trick your eye into thinking that the tube is made with 100% recycled material, but they're just saying that you can toss it in the blue bin instead of the black one when you're done. Nevertheless, the brush is pretty good, evens out my lashes quite nicely, and doesn't clump. However, when I first opened up the tube, my first thought was that it had already been used by someone else. Gross. I may potentially purchase this again, not sure yet.

3- Burt's Bees Herbal Blemish Stick

You already know how much I love Burt's Bees products, and quite frankly, I can't get enough of them. I saw this product was half the price in Vermont that it is in Montreal, so I scooped it up as I was eager to try it. The verdict is still out whether it's a Fully-Fledged Blemish Fighter, but I can feel it sting when it is absorbed in the skin, so that to me, is a good sign. I have a feeling it works better on debutante pimples, but full-blown whiteheads seem to take longer to go down. I'm grossing myself out just writing this. However, reading the materials used for this product, I can imagine that it does work as the natural oils are all very well known for their anti-fungal, astringent, and healing properties.

4- Make Up For Ever 5 Camouflage Palette Cream No. 2

A few weekends ago I was asked to do makeup on a friend's photo shoot. I was really honoured and panicked at the same time. I had never seen the model before, and even though they told me that she had really light skin, I didn't want to end up getting the wrong shade and ruining the whole thing. So I opted for Make Up For Ever's 5-shade palette in No. 2. I picked this over No. 1, which had the green shade instead of the lavender, because for some reason I had it in my head that sallow was harder to cover up than red. Anyways, I'm glad I made the decision because the colours turned out to be perfect for her. From a product stand-point, I'm not that used to concealers as I don't use them on a regular basis, but I thought they were a little too oily. I found I had to wipe away the creases and smudges they made more than I thought was normal. But seeing as how the hot lights and the bustle of the day probably effected the model's skin, it might not be a bad product on a normal basis.

5- Hask Placenta Leave-In Instant Conditioning Treatment

And last but not least, the most controversial item on my list. My sister can't even say the word "placenta" without gagging... so it's a lot of fun to talk to her about my new conditioner. Last week I heard about how January Jones has had her placenta turned into nutritional supplement pills. THAT is weird. But! Knowing that there is some merit in what she is doing, as placentas are in fact jam packed with wonderful and healthy nutrients I decided to buy this leave-in conditioner. Perfect for me since I am so impatient in the shower, and I hate the time it takes to condition. This little gem validates my laziness. Not only that, it actually... works.

What I mean by works, is that normally you can tell if your hair has been normally conditioned, versus a leave-in conditioner or no conditioner at all. It actually feels like I've taken the time to condition my hair, and it leaves it feeling SUPER soft, and gives it a really healthy shine. I have one little reservation about this product. It doesn't actually say who has donated the placenta. And quite frankly, I don't really want to know.