The Ordinary Skincare Review

March 8, 2018April 14, 202111 Comments

Hello lemon-heads!

Today is an exciting day. A VERY exciting day.

Today marks the official first day of my adventures in a new skin care line! (not spons’d. i wish)

Never in MY LIFE have I been a one-brand girl. In fact, those of you out there who always buy the same exact soap, cereal, laundry detergent, etc., I ask you – WHY!? There is just too much variety out there for me to want to stick to THE SAME stupid brand each time. I prefer to mix it up and get a little crazy. Except when it comes to dry shampoo because YOU KNOW the best brand for that, obvs.

But when I caught wind that there was a skincare brand boasting powerful concentrations of quality ingredients with price points as low as $6, I was SHOOKETH.

Give me a bargain or give me death, I always say. And while you’re at it, make it work.

After I wrote about how I wrecked my skin just shy of a year ago, I had all kinds of folks giving me all kinds of advice. “Don’t try lasers!” they said. “Try this $200 set!”, they said. And I was intrigued. I DO want the spots to fade, the lines to disappear. But at what cost? In my book, $200 for a 90-day supply of product just isn’t worth it. I’d rather go to Paris, or buy us a nice dinner out or maybe the 6-foot Pusheen plush at Fuego. Doing a laser treatment is also not off my radar but I am pretty much going to need a 100% guarantee that it will work.

So in the meantime, I decided to give The Ordinary a shot. This brand is now available on Sephora.com but I placed my order on deciem.com.

Here are the products I purchased and the reasons I purchased them:

The Ordinary Granactive Retinoid 5% in Squalene

Should help fade my sun spots
Also helps fine lines and signs of ageing

I went with the Retinoid versus Retinol because I read that they are stronger. I decided on the highest percentage because my sun spots are pretty intense.

The Ordinary 100% Plant Derived Squalene

Helps with hydration
Also great for my damaged hair

I decided on this product after reading multiple articles about how great it is. Plus, I like the word squalene :).

The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2%

Amazing for hydration
Helps “plump” the skin

OF COURSE I got a hyaluronic acid. This ingredient is produced naturally but the production slows down over time. I have seen first-hand the amazing effects of hyaluronic acid and how glowy and plump it makes the skin appear.

The Ordinary Alpha Arbutin 2%

Also helps with hyperpigmentation and spots

I purchased this one because of the high concentration of the active ingredients at 2%. The standard is 1% and Mama needs all the help she can get.

The Ordinary Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA

Intense Hydrating lotion

I wanted to try at least one product that was not an oil-based serum from the line and this lotion is regarded very highly. Also, you get 100 mls for less than $8!

Over the past few days of using these pups I can attest to their keen absorption into the skin, the wonderful absence of scent and the ease of the packaging.

And since I am so very excited to see how the results pan out, I am doing before and afters! So here is my BEFORE in all her eye goop and age spots, morning glory.

Let me know if YOU have tried any products from The Ordinary! I hear they make a nice foundation too :).

Bath & Body Works Haul

February 5, 20184 Comments

Hello little dingo babies!

I don’t know about you, but I feel there are few greater things than a good sale. You see, I was raised in a household where we never even looked at regular priced items. The front of any store was basically off limits except for Goodwill. In adulthood I have realized that some things must be purchased at the regular price, but most things are attainable for less. Enter: BBW. One of my all-time favorites. Candles, triple-moisture body cream, wallflowers? I love them all. And a few times a year, they mark down all their sh*t. It is a lovely time of year known as the semi-annual sale.

The semi-annnual sale or SAS to any BBW aficionado is a great time indeed. We all race in, dig through giant bins of $3 hand soap, lotion and shower gel! Everything is coated in a thin layer of something that leaked at the bottom of the barrel but WE DON’T CARE. Give us that last, pumpkin cupcake room spray or GIVE US DEATH.

I digress.

Last year, my lovely betrothed gave me a $25 gift card to BBW for Christmas thinking I’d probably come home with a couple of candles, maybe a new fragrance set. HA. Little did he know just how far I can stretch a dollar at the SAS. FEAST YER EYES on this smorgesbord you guys. ALL purchased for just 30 bucks.

Proof:

I attribute a haul of this size and magnitude to sticking almost soley to items 75% off.

This made the wallflowers I bought just about $1.60 each. Aw yiss. In addition to the lovely spring scents below, I also got Marshmallow Fireside which is currently plugged in!

They also had wallflower plugs on sale for 75% off!

These came out to about $3 each and the bronzy one is also a nightlight!

Next – hand soaps. And BBW’s are the best. They smell good, they clean your hands and I also use them to clean my beauty sponges. I got a couple for the end of the year and a couple to enjoy now.

The fall/winter scents were 75% off, coming out to only $1.60 per bottle and the other two were $3 apiece.

I also found this cute honey handsoap which I’ll probably save for winter as well. It was in the $2 range :).

Next they had a wall of random small, one-wick candles for 75% off as well. They ended up coming out to being just a couple of dollars. Some of them were a little bit mucked up but I found three that smell amazing! Beach Cabana is one of my all-time favorite scents from BBW, I would have bought all them if they had more.

I also grabbed one of their wax melts to try in my Yankee warmer. This cost just cents.

I did walk out with a couple body care items for 75% off as well. I knew I was getting the marshmallow body wash because HELLO and when I saw this ROSE scented mousse-to-oil I was like aw yiss.

Using my $25 gift card meant that I left BBW only paying $5 out of pocket. Not bad for a lunchbreak’s work.

And check out the length of this receipt!

Nivea Skin Firming & Toning Serum and Lotion

April 28, 20176 Comments

Good day spring tulips!

As of late, I have been hyper aware of certain areas of m’bod. You know the ones…

zee gobbler…zee batwings. I’m not saying they’re huge problem areas for me, but like duh – they will be someday. And I decided it was time to ARMOR UP. After watching a few vids on the subject and doing a tiny bit of research, I decided on the Nivea Skin Firming and Smoothing Serum. It contains a couple of ingredients meant to help tighten, tone and smooth and the box boasts results in just a couple of weeks. Maybe tonight I’ll take some BEFORE pics. Omg you guys. Am I really a before/after person?

I decided to also get the gel-cream, as I figured I could apply that to larger areas (ahem, BUTTOCKS) to see if I noticed a difference. The ~~cellulite~~ struggle is real, girls. I found the serum at Rite Aid and the gel-cream at Targs, btw.

Leave me a comment below if you’d like a follow-up post in two weeks to see if the claims are legit because I am totally down.

SK-II Skincare Review

July 14, 2016July 13, 2016Leave a comment

Hello beauties!

A while back, Influenster (gotta love these folks!) sent me the SK-II Vox Box, containing two items from the line. The box contained both the Facial Treatment Essence, as well as the Facial Treatment Mask.

SO. This brand’s whole shtick is this stuff called Pitera, which according to Sephora is known as “holy water” or “miracle water” in the “East” because of it’s skin-renewing properties. What I know is this:

Any expensive skin-care line has to have a shtick. Some kind of story to tell. Whether it is a mud they scrape from the bottom of the dead sea, an elixir derived from sea kelp, or even creams made from baby foreskins (YES, this is really a thing) – brands have to attach a (generally bogus) story to illicit the outrageous price tags.

This brand is no different. I have no doubt that like so many other high-end brands, the ingredients in SK-II are great. All we can really ask for in good skin care these days are ingredients that have been proven to be good for our skin, to be nourishing, moisturizing and feel good. Good skin care is usually free of fillers, heavy perfumes and has fancy packaging – and pretty much, that’s it.

Facial Treatment Essence

This product came in a smaller size, but is definitely enough to try numerous times. I put it on after cleansing, but before any serums or moisturizers. The immediate effects are minimal. I saw zero instant results and after using it for a solid week, I still don’t see any change. That is NOT to say that this will not end up making a visible difference on my skin, it just hasn’t yet.

Facial Treatment Mask

I was SO excited to try this. I hadn’t ever done a sheet mask before and this one is super bougie, retailing for $17 a pop on the Sephora website. I decided to give it a shot on a Sunday while watching Game of Thrones with David. The mask was VERY saturated in product and is very thick. After reading about it, it is 100% cotton, which I guess is kinda cool. It felt great on my skin and was fun to use. But again like the essence, no immediate results came from it. My skin looked moisturized but it didn’t feel or look that much different than any other day.

Overall, this brand is SO expensive I will not purchase anything from them. It didn’t leave me super excited and hasn’t wowed me with any results . If the essence kicks in and starts making me look like Gigi Hadid, I’ll let ya know.

Sephora Gradual Self Tanning Face Water Review

June 3, 20161 Comment

Good morning friends!

There is no other way for me to kick off this post than by saying “GOOD MORNING FRIENDS!” I have been binge watching the Saccone-Jolys on YouTube and now it’s just my thing.

Today, I bring you my thoughts on the Sephora Gradual Self Tanning Face Waterephora Gradual Self Tanning Face WaI hauled back in March.

When I first started using this stuff, I thought I would quickly go through the 4.22 oz bottle in no time. And considering it costs $18, I was slightly disappointed because obviously I wouldn’t be spending almost $20 per month just to have a tanned face… or would I?

However, I have been using this around 4-5 times per week since March and I still have TONS left. So that’s peh geh.

FORMULA

What I love most about this product is the formula. It is literally exactly what it says it is – a water. It feels exactly like applying my Bioderma micellar water. There is zero stickiness, which I was very pleasantly surprised by as most tanning products tend to be tacky especially when freshly applied.

SMELL

In many of the reviews on Sephora and on Youtube, people either love or hate the “beachy” smell of this product, but I gotta be honest with you guys: I smell NOTHING. Maybe I got a got a random scentless bottle, or maybe all the fragrance is sitting on the bottom but yeah, I don’t smell anything. At all.

APPLICATION

I just use a little cotton round and apply this in the “3” motion, starting at my temple, sweeping below my cheekbone and then right under my jawline. I then take whatever is left on the pad and go over my whole face and neck. I find that I start seeing results from about 2-3 nights and mornings of application.

RESULTS

I looooooove the color I get from this product! It is perfection. No weird break outs, or little bumps either. I love how gradual it is and how you can keep putting it on night and morning until you get the color you want. There is something kinda gross to me about wearing tanning lotions on my face, so the fact that this stuff is a WATER is groundbreaking.

OVERALL

This product is easily worth the $18 and I will probs be a lifetime purchaser. It is SO easy to use, not messy, and gives the perfect amount of controllable color – what’s not to love!?

Weekending & T-Giving 2015

December 1, 20151 Comment

Hello mini-seahorses!

What wonderful weekends I’ve been having! A couple weeks ago, Nan, Megan and Mr.Tate decided to come for a visit and I was beyond excited to have this tiny human back in my life.

Girls weekends with Megan and Nan usually involve shopping from about 11 am to 9 pm, with lunch, wine and maybe some fro-yo sprinkled in. Us gals can go go go. We usually start out at a mall, throw in Nordstrom Rack, some consignment stores and then to appease Nan, we’ll hit up a Goodwill right before closing time so she can contemplate a book on CD entitled “The Jewels of Tessa Kent”. But now. Things are a bit different having a tiny gentlemen in tow. We decided the safest option was a straight-up shopping mall and what better place than stroller-ridden Washington Square?

First, we woke up and had play time:

Then we walked down to Jim and Pattie’s for brek:

Then we hit WA Square and Meg gave the Ergo Baby a whirl.

Tate was a champ for the first couple of hours, happily snoozing in the pram and periodically opening those eyes (lined with LONG eyelashes now!) to stare up at these crazies subjecting him to horrible techno at H&M. We went to all our faves, like Pottery Barn Kids and Nordstrom (places I can definitely afford).

Of course I did this.

I found one of those cheesy-ass signs that actually makes perfect sense:

Then, we stumbled upon what could very well be the CUTEST and most magical place in Portland, Lolli & Pop’s!

Look what the employees wear. OMG.

Aside from the fact that everything at Lolli & Pop’s costs $14,000, I am totally a fan.

We had lunch at the Nordstrom Cafe and then I grabbed a Candy Mountain Bubble Bar from Lush! We knew Tate wasn’t going to last much longer, so we all got in the car and made an attempt at Nordstrom Rack before quickly realizing Tater Tot was done. The weekend wrapped up with the three of us watching movies and trying to get Tate to smile (which I am SO good at).

And then of course, it was T-Giving! I drove home after work on Wednesday and spent 3 glorious days at my parents new digs.

The first night, I partook in the following activities:

Playing with Gare’s new label-maker:

teehee

2. Eating gingersnaps

3. Looking at the butter sculpture Nan bought:

4. Taking photo-booth pics of Nan while she was asleep on the couch eating butterscotch disks:

baahahahaaaaaaaaaa

The next day I watched the parade in my jammies and got mad that I missed the Hello Kitty balloon. Tate and Megan came over and I played with him and fell even more in love.

Then, we put hims in his OOTD:

Then I combed my hair and put some makeup on and a headband to go to my grandparent’s for T-Give:

Thanksgiving dinner was spent at my grandparents, which meant we were all sweating from the permanent 80 degree setting on their thermostat.

If that wasn’t enough, my grandma also got out her scarf collection and had me pick out a few for myself (I currently own about 40 of these already), but I was a sport and acted completed delighted to sport a thinly knitted bit of periwinkle! We stupidly only brought one bottle of wine over, so I was reduced to sipping from an old bottle of Disaronno I found behind my grandparents’ 2008 Mall Walkers participation plaque. At this point, I was lookin’ purty good:

Then Ben and Megan brought Tate over and ta-dah!!! Instant distractions and something to stare at for 2 hours! I did snap a few adorable pics though:

Four generations!

Reasons why this is the cutest ever: 1.) They are matching 2.) Tate’s smile 3.) My grandpa’s giant hand 4.) They are matching

And thennnnn we did the unthinkable. Nan, Megan, Tate and I went to Macy’s. This year, they opened their doors at 6 pm and I was really jonesing for the $25 Ariana Grande bubble bath. After grabbing a few deals, we mozied by BBW on our way out and I was terribly disspointed at their half-assed sale. Buy 3, Get 3 Free!?!? WTF. That is, like, NOT a good deal. Give me $8 dollar candles or 75% off of something! GHODddd.

Anyweeeez – the next day was spent hanging with Amy and Shannon, playing cards, drinking Svedka and 7’s and me having perpetual bed-head, which was making Megan actually mad at me. Excuse me if I don’t want to comb my hair for 24 hours.

I made it back to Portland safe and sound and immediately jumped (ok stepped) into my bathtub for a candy mountain soak. NOT A BAD END, my friends.

Influenster Dessange Box

March 14, 20152 Comments

Get ready for some serious PURPLE.

If you’re a blonde, than you are more than aware of the upkeep. Like an English garden, a blonde head’a’hair is not something to take lightly. It involves perseverance, sensitivity and of course, the right tools. These products from Influenster couldn’t have come at a better time for me, given the current state of m’brassy locks.

I tried all three of these products two days ago, so please keep in mind that this is more of a “first impression” rather than a full-on review.

For starters, neither the shampoo or the conditioner are purple, which is okay with me. I happen to think that too many purple-hued products can give off a gray tone. Anyway, the smell is definitely not my fave. The musky scent in the conditioner is kinda old-lady and the shampoo isn’t much better. I tend to favor more fresh, spa-like smellin’ hurr curr personally. The shampoo did give me a nice lather and the conditioner is a nice thick consistency. Neither left my hair feeling heavy, or weighted down which is something that often happens to me, given my fine hair.

Now let’s get on to the CC Crème. Holy PURPLE. This stuff is sooooo purple that it almost errs on the side of cobalt blue.

Like paint.

The directions for this products are also pretty strange, instructing you to do this big allergy test on your skin 48 hours prior to using it. YEAaaaaahhh… I aint got time for that. I just went ahead and used a medium amount from root to tip, as instructed. I left it on about 5 minutes and then rinsed. And rinsed. And rinsed some more. I rinsed my hair for literally 5 minutes. And purple water just kept swirling down the drain. My arms were getting so tired and I figured that I got it all out, so I dried it a little and went to bed.

The next morning while combing out my hair I noticed a couple patches of PURPLE scalp. So yeah, I didn’t get it all. Nor did I feel like it cancelled out any of my brassiness. Please keep in mind that I only used it once and that with continued use it might start to work better. However, with how much fuss is involved I probably will not be using it on the reg.

All in all, the products were just okay for me. I will definitely report back after I have used them a few more times and let you know if my opinions have changed.

Have any of you signed up for Infuenster or tried Dessange? If so, let me know what you think!