Switching to All Natural Skincare with Pure + simple.

October 21, 2010 | 18 Responses

Let’s talk skincare! I know skincare is not as appealing as say, a beautiful lipstick or blush (or all things Chanel), but it’s important to take care of your skin especially if you are wearing a lot of products everyday.

I recently visited Pure + simple Spa, an all natural and organic spa with locations in Toronto and Oakville, a.k.a. the place for the best facials in Toronto. This time I opted for their Super Hydrating facial, particularly because my skin has been feeling tight and congested in addition to being oily. I absolutely love how my skin looked and felt immediately after my facial that I decided to bring home some of their products.

Before I begin, I must warn you that I’m kinda starting to build a mini Pure + simple store on my vanity. And also, that I paid for the facial and the products featured here.

Tried and Tested Since Summer 2010.

Pure + simple All Natural Sunscreen for Oily / Impure Skin SPF 30

$15.95 for 50ml / $25.95 for 100ml

Active Ingredients: Titanium Dioxide (6%), Zinc Oxide (6%). Inactive Ingredients: Deionized Water, Sunflower Oil, Lecithin, Coconut Oil, Glycerine, Xanthan Gum, Green Tea Extract, Jojoba Oil, Tocopheryl Acetate (Vitamin E), Shea Butter, Eucalyptus Oil, Sage Essential Oil.

I have been using this daily and liked it so much that it made my Top 10 Products of Summer 2010. What’s great about this sunscreen (besides the fact that it’s all natural) is that it goes on without being greasy, so I don’t have to worry about looking like a greasy frying pan while being protected from sun damage. For those who do not have very pale skin, you may want to wear either a tinted moisturizer or a powder over this, because it goes on geisha white.

Martina Gebhardt Black Mud Cream

$48.95 for 50ml

Ingredients: Water, Sweet Almond Oil*, Olive Oil*, Woolwax, Shea butter*, Cocoa butter*, Black Mud, Camellia Oil*, Beeswax*, Rose Blossom Hydrolate*. (* = certified organic)

This citrusy fresh cream is very greasy, so I use it strictly on evenings before bedtime. It is thick and a tad difficult to work into my skin, so I like layering it over a serum (more on this later!). I realize not everyone may enjoy this heaviness, especially those with oily skin but I will say this: the more I put on in the evening, the plumper and brighter my skin looks in the morning. It’s magical, I tell you!

Read on to find out what I just added to my daily skincare routine!

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So Underrated: Lancôme Color Design Blush.

June 27, 2010 | 10 Responses

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I am the newest member of the cream blush — specifically of Lancôme Color Design Blush — bandwagon. I have this in Prêt a Plum, and I am dying to get my hands on more colours from this line.

It was actually an unforeseen gem from some blushes I received from a fellow blogger (you know who you are!). Before I tried it, I had no intentions of ever buying cream blushes fearing that they will:

be sticky,
be difficult to blend, and
melt off my face.

Luckily for me, Lancôme Color Design Blush is none of the above.

Swatches of Prêt a Plum

Lancôme really hit the nail on the head on the cream blush texture. The blush is a deliciously smooth cream-to-powder formula that is idiot-proof. It has a very slight dewy finish, so it looks like your skin, only blushing. It has great staying power when worn on its own, but my favourite way to wear it is layered under a complementing powder blush. Even on my oily skin, the colour on my cheeks lasts all day. Can you imagine? A blush that lasts through the greasies and sweat, and does not rub off on my iPhone? Pretty impressive, no?

I decided to Google reviews of this product and it only returned a handful of results. I’m really surprised that this doesn’t get more love from beauty blogs, because it is the best cheek product I have come across. I have no complaints about this blush. Oh, actually I do have one: I don’t own all the colours. Love this. Rating: A+.

A message from Scherbatsky

I guess Scherbatsky wants to make her presence known on the blogosphere since she just jumped on my keyboard and typed this message for you:

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Anyone care to translate?

Pretty New Things: MAC Hipness Blush and Hush Cream Colour Base.

May 29, 2010 | 11 Responses

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Here are some swatches of the newest members in my makeup collection.

MAC Hipness Blush

This colour is so pretty that I couldn’t pass it up. It’s just really too bad that the packaging is incredibly ugly.

(click to enlarge)

MAC Hush Cream Colour Base

I bought this specifically to keep my powder blushes in place. I have very oily skin, especially now that it’s hot, and my powder blushes tend to slide around my cheeks as the day goes on. I’ll have to report back on how well it does the job.

Hush CCB / Hipness Blush / Hipness Blush over Hush CCB

(click to enlarge)

The swatch of Hush CCB above is very heavy. In real life it wouldn’t be that opaque, but instead just a sheer whisper of shimmer. The layered colour looks a little bit like the infamous Marine Life Highlight Powder, don’t you think? I guess I didn’t really need that one after all.

What’s New With You?

Is there something pretty you bought recently? Perhaps from MAC To The Beach? To my American readers, what’s the plan for the long weekend? Something else you feel like sharing?

My boyfriend will be moving into a new apartment on June 1, and my web server will move with him. We expect about ~~2-3 days~~ one day downtime for Glitter Geek, which is going to be sad. We’ve been buying tons of furniture for this first big move (I can feel my wallet ache), but mostly it is a very exciting time for us!