I’ve had such a backlog of skincare products to try out that I’ve actually had this set since August! However, this is one of the most interesting items I’ve seen in skincare recently: the KorresCastanea Arcadia is centered around utilizing Arcadian Chestnut tree extract!
Taken from the leaves of the chesnut tree, Lupeol is a powerful natural ingredient that contains incredible antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and skin-regenerative properties, but has never before been used as an active ingredient in cosmetics before. KORRES developed an innovative molecule known as HALupeol, which encases pure Lupeol in a hyaluronic acid shell. This new molecule creates a special system that allows the active to penetrate the skin, offerring targeted wrinkle repair. Over time, you’ll see enhanced skin elasticity, resilience and youthfulness.
Korres Castanea Arcadia Wrinkle Rewind Night Cream and Eye Cream
I’ve been trying out the Wrinkle Rewind Night Cream as well as the Eye Cream (but we already know how I feel about eye creams…) as the air gets dryer here in Toronto. I’ve been using these two products together at night to help boost up the moisture in my skin. While I can’t say I’ve noticed any wrinkle reduction (I don’t really have a ton to begin with), the very first I used this overnight, I woke up the next morning with skin feeling saturated with hydrating. My skin felt like it was plumped up instead of feeling thin and dry! I’ve continued to use this as repair cream overnight whenever my skin felt dry (particularly from foundation application) and I have loved how much skin has felt every morning after!
The product does smell enticing too – not like chesnuts, but lightly sweet, slightly potpourri. From what I noticed, the face cream does have more scent than the eye cream, but neither is overpowering. Anyway, all in all, I’m kind of enchanted by the fact this uses chestnuts in the formula – feels very seasonally appropriate right now!
Let me know if you’ve tried out Korres’Castanea Arcadia range and what you’ve thought of it!
The products featured in this review were sent to me for consideration.
Philosophy is a brand I’m only starting to delve into, although I’ve always found myself moderately obsessed with them from afar. Surely someone out there understands what I mean by that… I’ve tried a few samples over the years, always loved their packaging and really liked their holiday shower gel scents, etc., but I’ve never really just gone full in and tried the width and breadth of their products!
But I am now, and I’m enjoying myself! Let’s take a look at two products from their Take A Deep Breath range:
Philosophy Take A Deep Breath Eye
Okay. Let me start this review off with getting something out of the way:
I do not believe in eye creams.
There. I said it.
I don’t feel they do anything for you that your moisturizer can’t already execute on your skin. I feel like they’re just the exact same moisturizer as what you can get in the larger tube jar, just put in a far smaller container with a jacked up price. So, with that in mind, you’re obviously realizing by now that I’m never going to rate an eye cream as anything other than adequate (unless I actually see visible results… which has never actually happened).
So instead, let me tell you what the Take A Deep Breath Eye Cream was like:
It’s a lightweight gel eye cream that was slippery, smooth and easy to apply.
It felt nice on my skin and sank into my undereye area and lids very quickly (much appreciated).
It did not have a scent (unlike its full face counterpart below).
I like the nozzle tip because it keeps everything sanitary every single time you use it.
I like the compact packaging – it’s easily squeezable.
Philosophy Take A Deep Breath Oil-Free Oxygenating Gel Cream
My tolerance (or rather, lack thereof) for eye creams out of the way, let’s talk about the product that I *LOVED*! The PhilosophyTake A Deep Breath Oil-Free Oxygenating Gel Cream is… (oh god, I’m going to say it… and it’s going to be cheesy…) a breath of fresh air. (Stop laughing at me!) Philosophy‘s site tells me this is a a moisturizer for “all skin types that helps improve the visible signs of aging while restoring and refreshing skin”.
I was actually a bit skeptical about how well a gel cream would work on my drying out autumnal skin, so I was pleasantly surprised to find this was one of the more heavyweight gel creams I’ve ever tried. That’s not to say that it’s thick and oppressive on your skin – it’s definitely not – but it has some decided thickness to it that made me feel good about applying it to my face after a shower. I don’t think this will be thick enough for my dry skin in the dead of winter, but it’s definitely good for spring through autumn!
Unlike the eye cream, this moisturizer does have a scent. It’s a very clean, aquatic scent (my favourite!). If you’ve ever sniffed The Body Shop’s Fijian Water Lotus then you’ll already be acquainted with the scent because I found it to be identical!
So those are my two cents! I can take or leave the eye cream, but the Take A Deep Breath Gel Cream is absolutely wonderful! Let me know what your thoughts are on eye creams because clearly I’ve got a strong opinion on them! Also let me know what you’ve tried by Philosophy – I’m currently dabbling with their shower gels and I’m kind of head over heels!
You can pick up Philosophy‘s Take A Deep Breath range on sephora.ca or on sephora.com.
The products in this post were sent to me for consideration.
I’ve always been intrigued by self tanners – the idea of having a tan whenever the heck I wanted it without having to deal with the problems inherent in sunbathing is really, really appealing.
But there’s a lot of downsides I always thought about too: there’s a lot of self tanners out there – between tinted moisturizer, mousses, gradual tanners… how the heck are you supposed to figure out what works for you? And not to mention upkeep and potential clothing staining? And ON TOP of all that, you have to eternally be worried about looking a ripe shade of Donald Trump.
So let me walk you through the self tanners I’ve tried out recently!
St. Tropez Self Tan Classic Bronzing Mousse + Gradual Tan Tinted Body Lotion
Let’s start this out by saying that I figured out pretty quickly that a tinted gradual tan moisturizer was not the way to go for me. With the St. Tropez Gradual Tan Tinted Body Lotion just didn’t dry down fast enough for my liking. I waited thirty minutes or so, but I still felt like the product would transfer to any clothing I put on so I ended up wiping it all off with some tissue. I’m too on the go for this kind of product I think! (If you use self tanning moisturizers – tell me what you love about them in the comments!)
However, the one I ended up falling in love with is the St. Tropez Self Tan Classic Bronzing Mousse!
St. Tropez Self Tan Classic Bronzing Mousse
The Self Tan Classic Bronzing Mousse is what I would consider a “typical” self tanner (this is coming from someone who has never use self tanners before though!). It has a pump top so that you can place dollops of the mousse onto the tan applicator mitt in order to rub it on to your skin. It comes out very dark in tone which kind of terrified me at first, but rest assured that your skin will not end up that colour! That dark colour is a colour guard so you’ll know where you’re applying the product and what areas you’ve left blank.
My right leg (your visual left) covered with St. Tropez Self Tan Classic Bronzing Mousse, left leg has nothing on it
So here’s a comparison shot. The leg you see on the left has the Self Tan Classic Bronzing Mousse on it, the right leg (my actual left) has nothing on it. This was after developing overnight (roughly 10 hours). I think on me it adds a caramel tone without going orange. That’s my take on it however, my husband did say he thought it looked a touch orange.
Since I’ve only used the product a few times now, I’ve got some tips for the newbies out there:
Moisturize your feet (right up to the ankle), knees, elbows and any other rough patches of skin you have BEFORE you apply this. This will help the self tan not cling to the dry patches (it gets infinitely darker on dry, dead skin).
The product needs time to develop on your skin – this is how self tanners work – they contain dihydroxyacetone (DHA) which reacts with the dead cells on the skin’s surface to temporarily darken the skin and simulate a tan. So let this product develop for 8-10 hours if you want to see the best results. I always opted to apply this before I went to bed so I’d at least sleep through the developing stage and then could shower any remnant product off in the morning.
I opted not to apply this to my face as I wanted to use a darker foundation to match my body instead.
It dried to the touch within about 15 minutes, so I was safe to go lay down in bed after that.
DO NOT WORRY if you see stains on your bed sheets. I *freaked out* when this happened because I thought it was supposed to be transferproof. Thankfully, it washed out of my sheets even when I waited a week after I noticed staining.
No one noticed at work until I brought it up. I consider this a huge benefit since it means that it didn’t look completely out of place.
If you play sports where there’s a lot of sweaty rubbing action (like shin pads in soccer, etc.) you may notice fading happening sooner rather than later. I timed applying my self tanner after I’d played soccer for the day and I knew I wouldn’t be playing for another 7 days.
As the product fades, it’ll go a bit patchy. It was absolutely fine for 5-6 days, but it was around day 8 that I noticed significant patchiness on the insides of my elbows and around my ankles. If you exfoliate your body regularly, you’ll help the product fade off nicely instead of in patches.
In short, I was really pleased with this self tanner since it’s what I was looking for: easy to apply, zero streaks and it gave me a healthy looking tan. And what I’ve learned out of all of this is I like a mousse that dries on my skin fairly quickly, and I’m just not into the self tan lotions!
St. Tropez Self Tan Giveaway
Alright, let’s get into the giveaway! I’ve got extras of the St. TropezSelf Tan Classic Bronzing Mousse, the Gradual Tan Tinted Body Lotion, as well as a Tan Applicator Mitt, so I figured somebody else would like to try out this line too!
Giveaway Rules
This giveaway is open internationally!
This giveaway starts on November 12, 2016 and runs for one week.
Please be aware that all entries will be double checked to ensure fairness.
Once the winner has been contacted, they will have 48 hours to provide me with their mailing address. If the winner fails to respond within that time frame, I will pick another winner. (And so on.)
“Giveaway accounts” will not be considered for this prize. (If you want to know what I mean by that, please click here.)
Integral Dermo Correction (IDC) is one of those brands that you may have spotted at some point or another, but turned away because their selection is ENORMOUS. (Seriously, beautyboutique.ca shows 35 products in the IDC category when I searched for them!) I’ve recently tried out a handful of their product, and, as always, I’ve got some opinions! Hopefully this will give you some insight into what you may be interested in trying by the brand.
What you should know about IDC is that they’re a Canadian brand (huzzah!), “award-winning, innovative and driven by science”. They have a patented Regen-16 technology that targets the 16 causes of skin aging with the highest concentration of active ingredients. They also offer cleansing, correcting and hydrating products alongside the anti-aging effects.
IDC Pearl Ultra-Purifying Gentle Cleansing Gel ($29.50 CAD)
One of the first things I tried out was the Pearl Ultra-Purifying Gentle Cleansing Gel. It contains pearl, black radish and green tea extracts. The pearl is there to help with exfoliation (but honestly, it just feels like I gel, I didn’t notice any actual feeling of exfoliation). This also claims to remove makeup – I haven’t used it for that purpose since I prefer a separate oil-based remover, but people looking for a single step instead of two, may find this very helpful. It has a fairly medicinal smell which is doesn’t really affect me one way or another, but people sensitive to scents may want to give it a whiff before buying. In terms of cleansing, I felt it did the job just fine, and that’s all I can really ask for in a cleanser. (Honestly guys, I’ve never had a mindblowing experience when it comes to cleansers – I like a LOT of cleansers and as far as I’m concerned, if it works and I feel good afterwards, it’s a good one!)
IDC SPF 50 Facial Sun Protection Creme ($29.50 CAD)
One of these items I absolutely loved was the SPF 50 Facial Sun Protection Creme. It’s a sunscreen, so it does the usual “protects you from UVA and UVB rays” but they also say that it protects from lesser known infrared rays which (a quick Google search told me) is something we should be paying attention to in our sunscreens. What I love about this is that it actually works on my face when I’m playing soccer. I played a lot of hot freaking games during the summer and the best way I know to test sunscreen is on my face during games. Because I’m running and sweating all over the place, it gives me a chance to find out if a particular sunscreen will leak into my eyes and cause me immense pain. Thankfully, IDC‘s product does not! This stayed put and didn’t sweat off or into my eyes which is exactly what I wanted. Winner!
IDC Hydra Seal Healthy Glow ($49.95 CAD)
Sadly, not everything can work out. This Hydra-Seal Healthy Glow is a gradual bronzing moisturizer but I personally saw no difference on my skin after a week of use. It was hydrating enough for me to be happy using it as a moisturizer, but I really didn’t notice any bronzing effect. For those interested though – it is a white cream and it doesn’t contain any kind of colour guard, so it’s really easy to use on your face without worrying about leaving streaks behind.
IDC‘s Regen Express line is a “multi-benefit integral skin care for the face, eyes and neck, suitable for day and night use, corrects the signs of skin aging and moisturizes in a single step.” At first I was a bit confused by this product since it doesn’t actually state that it’s a moisturizer on the box, it says it’s an appearance corrector instead which would make me think I’d still need to moisturize my face. However, on use, I did feel like it provided enough moisturizing properties that I didn’t need the added moisturizing step. However, that’s the end of the good stuff for me. My mom and I both tried both products since I wanted to make sure it wasn’t just me that felt a certain way…. My mom found the product kind of tacky on her skin… like a little bit too sticky even after it had dried. For me, I just didn’t find myself especially “taken” with the normal Regen Express so I was like “meh”.
The one that I definitely had a strong opinion about was the Regen Express Perfection. It’s a tinted formula of the Regen Express, so I would expect it to work just like a tinted moisturizer. Sadly, this made me look exceptionally greasy throughout the day and I just couldn’t bring myself to try it more than the one time.
IDC Trilogy Mask ($59.50 CAD)
The very last product I tried, and the one that turned out to be my absolute favourite, was the Trilogy Mask. This is product is half mask, half exfoliator that can be used up to twice a week. You apply this to your dry face (it says one drop, but I found I needed a lot more than that!) and let it sit for about 10 minutes. Once the 10 minutes are up, you chuck some water on your face and then start massaging it in like an exfoliator. Rinse it all off, and you’re good to go with your usual serum, moisturizer, etc.. This was one of those products I just really enjoyed using – it smelled good, it was fun and relaxing to use it and I felt like it actually made a difference in the radiance of my skin by unclogging any junked up pores I may have.
So that was my introduction to IDC! Let me know if you’ve tried out this brand or if you’re interested in any of their products!
The products featured in this post were sent to me for consideration.
BVspa is a new to me brand that is available (recently I think?) at Shoppers Drug Mart in Canada for an extremely reasonable price point. “BV” in their name stands for Bon Vital and they were originally created in 1988 as a solution for massage therapist who felt that they didn’t have enough product selection. BVspa seems to only have three scent ranges and I opted for Pink Grapefruit since I’m a sucker for citrus scents. They also have a Pomegranate & Acai Berry range, as well as a Lavender and Rosemary one.
BVspa by Bon Vital – Pink Grapefruit Sugar and Salt Scrubs
The products I was most interested to try out were the Sugar and Salt Scrubs. Overall, I’m more familiar with Sugar Scrubs and this one performed like all the others I had tried in the past: great at exfoliating and gentle enough to be used consistently. The one I fell in love with though was the Salt Scrub – this one was AWESOME! Because the salt grains have sharper edges, you can really get into your skin to remove all the dead skin. And no, sharper edges doesn’t mean this’ll hurt you – it’s just better at doing its job when compared to the Sugar Scrub.
The only thing I noticed with both of these is that when I was rinsing it off my skin, it bled down my skin in rivulets that looked like milk. Didn’t affect the product at all, but I guess that means there’s some kind of white tint in the product?
BVspa Pink Grapefruit Body Lotion and Body Butter
Once you’ve scrubbed yourself down in the shower, it’s time to lather up with some moisturizer. In terms of body lotions, these are fairly standard. The Body Butter, of course, has a higher level of hydration, but I found it was a bit too thick for my liking and it definitely left me with white looking legs for a while until it completely soaked in. For me, the Body Lotion was the clear winner out of the two and I’ve been using it regularly as my full body moisturizer (which I apply before going to bed). It soaked in quickly and gave me the exact amount of hydration my skin needed (they label it as moderate, which I would agree with).
So, is BVspa as new to you as it is to me? Let me know if you’ve tried out this brand!
The products featured in this post were sent to me for consideration.
