Showing posts with label canadin beauty bloggers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label canadin beauty bloggers. Show all posts

Saturday, October 22, 2016

Finally, Drugstore SkinCare Products that work !!


I tend to be OK with paying a lot more for higher end department store skincare treatments or products because I know I'm paying for better formulation of ingredients, higher quality ingredients and the science behind the product. Even though I adore my higher end skincare products, I still jumped at the chance to test out the L'Oréal Revitalift Bright Reveal™ treatments for 6 weeks when Influenster offered them to me. I thought to myself, can I truly find products that can deter the signs of aging, brighten, hydrate my skin and not break the bank? 

Read on to find out!



Influenster sent me the Bright Reveal™ scrub cleanser,daily lotion, dual overnight moisturizer, and daily peel pads (not pictured).

The timing of receiving this package was impeccable as I had just 
written a post on the importance of adding new products to your 
skincare routine at the turn of every season! As I truly wanted to provide a thorough review I dedicated 6 weeks to only using these products day and night. 




The Bright Reveal ™scrub cleanser provides gentle exfoliation to reveal new skin. This is done by the micro-pearls in the scrub that contain Glycolic acid. Glycolic acid is a powerful compound that penetrates deep into the skin to address any concerns such as blackheads and wrinkles. L'Oréal recommends you use the cleanser scrub once in the morning and once at the end of the night.
 I 'm usually not a fan of the micro-beads found in scrubs or exfoliators as I find they are too abrasive on my skin. I don't have sensitive skin, but my skin just doesn't react well to them.  Fortunately, I didn't experience any abrasions with this cleanser scrub. The micro-pearls are so fine that my skin wasn't irritated. Even though I found this cleanser scrub gentle enough to use everyday, I decided to use it three times a week in the morning.





The Bright Reveal ™ peel pads are pre-soaked with powerful amounts of gylcolic acid to help smooth out fine lines and wrinkles , brighten complexion, rejuvenate dull skin and exfoliate, at a higher concentration than the cleanser scrub, dead skin cells. I used the peel pads every night before applying the overnight moisturizer. I definitely saw a more even toned complexion in the morning after using it consistently for one week straight. After raving about this product for two weeks my sister snatched it from me before I could snap a photo of it for this post. I'm not mad at her though,  sharing really is caring :)




Bright Reveal™ Brightening daily lotion with SPF 30 can be used every morning after cleansing the skin with the scrub or pads. This lotion is very lightweight and definitely has become my favourite daytime lotion. Since it has SPF it's also become my only protection against the sun's harmful rays. The lotion is great under makeup and it doesn't give off a white cast due to SPF ingredients. I like to wear Estée Lauder double wear foundation during the day and this day lotion is the perfect base for it. Anytime I wear it I see my face has a glow to it regardless of what makeup I apply on top!




Bright Reveal ™ Dual Overnight Moisturizer can be used after the reveal pads or the cleanser scrub. This overnight moisturizer is a brightening + anti-wrinkle night treatment. This treatment contains a powerful combo of Glycolic acid + Vitamin C + Retinol to combat wrinkles and uneven skin tone while you sleep.I'm exceptionally surprised by the high level of Retinol contained in this overnight moisturizer. Usually drugstore products do not have high concentrations of retinol and therefore are not as effective on the skin. This is not the case with the this moisturizer! 

 Do I love these products?

 Yes, I sure do! I especially love the brightening peel pads and day lotion! I think they are the stars of the set! I am on my second bottle of day lotion already and I love how it feels on my skin and under my makeup. It gives my skin a surge of moisture and brightens up my complexion instantly. The brightening peel pads are doing wonders at shedding away dead skin. After using them every night I can see that they are more concentrated than the scrub but still gently enough to use everyday. The overnight moisturizer feels great when I apply it after cleansing my face. It's a light and silky lotion that doesn't have a fragrance. I have very small fine lines on my forehead and I wanted to see if after 6 weeks of continuous use they would be less visible , as per L'Oréal claims with this product. Unfortunately, I can't say the claims about reducing fine lines are true, at least for me they were not. I didn't notice any change with the fine lines. I may need to use the product longer, which I am doing anyway because I did notice that the little sun spot on my right cheek was diminishing slightly! Yeah no more sun spots, boo, still have fine forehead lines! 

I will continue to use the L'Oréal Revitalift Bright Reveal ™ products as a set for the the simple fact that I have seen a change in the overall tone of my skin. My sunspots are diminishing and hopefully with extended use they will disappear, but the #1 reason I will continue to use these products is because I have noticed that my skin is more radiant than ever before. 

As I am always open and honest on this blog (and life in general) I want to finish off this post by stating that if Influenster didn't send me these products to test out, I probably wouldn't have picked them up on my own. Why? Because I had the mind set that any product under $25 was not powerful and concentrated enough to make a difference on my skin. You see, I am that girl that spends atrocious amounts of money on makeup products so if I can find a drugstore dupe for some of the higher end makeup that I fancy then I go for it and buy the $8 mascara that will give me voluminous lashes like Lancome Hypnose can. I need to start applying the same way of thinking to drugstore skincare products as well. Just because it's sold at Walmart or Shoppers doesn't mean it's not as effective as the product sold at Nordstrom or The Bay. I'm not saying that all drugstore skincare products will do as they claim on the packaging but I won't dismiss them as quickly as I used too.

XO, MAHA 

Disclaimer: I was sent these products for review by Influenster, but I was not asked for a positive review on my blog. All the  opinions expressed are my own.

Sunday, January 31, 2016

MY MAKE UP FOR EVER ESSENTALS!

Make Up For Ever (MUFE)is a PRO makeup line aimed at attracting artists in fields such as cinema, cabaret, TV , fashion and dance, but you don't have to be a professional artist to use and appreciate this iconic brand. Trust me when I say that every make up artist, staring out or a veteran in the industry has a MUFE product in their kit. For my professional kit, I started off buying all MUFE products because I was told, if you wanted to be respected in the industry, you better start working with the right tools right away. Every artist I asked at that time recommended MUFE for their versatile  product options and wide colour ranges in foundations and concealers.I not only picked up a few items for my kit, but I also added many items to my everyday makeup bag. I call these products my essentials because they make makeup application so much easier for me. I've become dependant on them and even though some of the products have been around for a while I still ❤ them.

Can you tell I use these palettes a lot!I think I'm on my 2 palette of each.I use them on almost everyone.I have the dark complexion in my personal makeup bag as well as I am obsessed with the orange for correcting my under eyes.



The sculpting blush is a fave of mine! The pigmentation is so strong that you only need to lightly dab the tip of your brush in the compact to pick up a good amount of colour. I'm impressed by the colour range in these sculpting blushes. The colours are very soft almost pastel like and would flatter just about any skin tone.


//Sculpting Blush,Matte Raspberry Brown//

I've been using the Glossy Full Gloss since I was first introduced to it 2 years ago. I like the shine it gives off and it doesnt' feel sticky on. I don't say this about a lot of glosses, but this particular one is long wearing. I love to pair nude lipsticks on top of this gloss, it looks really good! Anytime I wear it I get asked "what's that gloss?". I don't know what the technology is behind this gloss, but it's a great product and a little goes a long way so you definitely get you monies worth.

The original HD foundation was a dream to use and very iconic in the beauty industry. When MUFE announced they were reformulating this product I really didn't believe it could get better than the original, but it did! This foundation comes in 40 shades, yes you read that correctly,40! You are bound to find your perfect match with such a wide range. I still like the fluidity of this product. I still blend it out with my damp beauty blender as I like the sheer look on me and I find the beauty blender is great in achieving this. I ONLY use 1 pump and that is enough product to cover your whole face. 2 pumps would be ideal if you want a full coverage look. This foundation dries to a satin finish and definitely feels and looks natural on the face. I use the HD foundation in my personal makeup bag and professional kit. I use it on clients with normal to slightly dry skin. I don't use this on oily or very dry skin as I find it further dries the skin.


The SENS' EYES cleanser is the ONLY product I use to remove waterproof makeup. I don't have to tug at my skin to remove the makeup as this works quickly and efficiently. I dab a bit of the liquid on to a cotton pad and with one swipe my eye and lip makeup is gone!. Again, like so many other MUFE products, a little goes a long way. The bottle I have is only 30ML and it's lasted me about 6 months.

The HD face Primer pictured is my favourite high end primer. I have so many of these tubes in my kit as I use it on everyone ! When I like a product, I LIKE a product :).This HD primer has a lightweight  yet silky texture, almost comparable to Benefits Porefessional face primer. This primer adds a nice glow to dull complexion and I feel on some people it corrects uneven skin tone. Sometimes I love wearing it alone, after moisturizing just because it adds a nice shine. MUFE doesn't produce this specific primer any longer as it's been replaced by STEP 1 SKIN EQUALIZER line. Stay tuned for a dedicated post on the STEP 1 line!

//Glossy Full Lip Gloss//
//Ultra HD Foundation//
//SENS Eyes Cleanser//
// HD MicroPerfecting Face Primer//


I have so many MUFE products on my list to buy and try out including the STEP 1 Primers , HD Face Sculpting kit,PRO Sculpting Duo,and the Ultra HD Concealer! Of course, you will be able to read my full review on these products soon :)




Sunday, January 24, 2016

REVIEW - M.A.C STUDIO WATERWEIGHT SPF 30 FOUNDATION







Last month I was searching for a light to medium coverage foundation that can be worn everyday. I don't usually wear foundation everyday but when I decide to its the MAC Pro LongWear. Lately I'm finding it too heavy and the effort it takes to properly blend this foundation out is too much work for a busy woman on the go,go,go,....you get the idea! I popped into a MAC store one afternoon and the MAC girl raved about the Studio Waterweight foundation.I had never heard of it before so I was curious to try it out and see for myself what the hype was about.I purchased it in the shades NC40 and NC42, just in case.I've been wearing it for 3 weeks (almost) everyday now and I've fallen in love with this foundation.

The foundation is encapsulated in a glass bottle with a dropper to easily dispense the right amount of product right onto my Sigma flat kabuki brush. Genius! It has an ultra-fluid, thin, serum-like consistency. Upon application it felt very silky on my face, not cakey at all. I noticed right away that it blurred out my "freckles" ( OK sunspots) on my temple. This impressed me as I was really considering getting these spots lasered off! The finish is neither matte nor dewy. After one application it has a very natural finish, almost satin/sheen like. At two applications it's a full medium coverage foundation. I've only been applying one even coat and I'm really happy with the amount of coverage I'm getting. As I've mentioned before, I have very dry skin in the winter and I felt this foundation didn't dry up my skin.I can't say it hydrated it either, but it does a good job of not drying it up further.I love the idea that the watertight foundation has SPF 30 in the formula. As well the MAC girl gushed over the fact that it's full of antioxidants(to help repair damaged skin). This can be used on all skin types including acne prone skin. It's water based and should not cause irritation to the skin. 

Overall, I'm giving the Studio Waterweight foundation a thumbs up. If you're in the market for a light - medium foundation, definitely try it out and let me know what you think :)









Tuesday, January 19, 2016

5 TOP REASONS WHY I'M HAPPY !



 
I was tagged on Instagram to write down the 5 top reasons why I'm happy in my life. I chuckled at first because I thought " only 5?"I have a few hundred reasons to be happy but if I can only list 5 then it would be these:


Family


I am happy because I have a very large and loving family. Being Lebanese you have no choice but to come from a big family and to have a big family of your own! I am happy to have my nurturing mother, caring father, 4 siblings that I can't live without, my loving husband, 3 incredible children that I love more than life itself, 11 beautiful nieces, 1 handsome nephew, 3 amazing brother and sister in laws, and a caring mother and father in law. I can't imagine my life without any of these people in it. Our dinners are noisy with screaming kids, our table full of delicious food and everyone is smiling. We are blessed.


Faith


I'm happy because I practise a faith that loves me for all my imperfections. I practise a faith that forbids the harming of a human life. A faith so pure that no matter the sin you commit, ask for sincere forgiveness and it is granted upon you. I'm happiest when I am reciting my prayers and devoting my time to thank Allah for all the blessings in my life.


Friends


I am happy when I'm surrounded by friends. My friends are few but great! I feel at peace with them. I can say anything and they understand why I said it without having to explain myself. My true friends support me in my countless endeavours in life and love me in return. We support each other as women, mothers, wives ands sisters. I am so very thankful for their commitment, love and support.


Fortune


"for·tune (fôr′chən) The chance happening of fortunate or adverse events; luck".


I am happy that so far in my life I've been really lucky. I've never won the lottery or a dream home, but at the same time I've never been diagnosed with a disease and my house has never burned down. I guess I owe it to luck!


Future


I am happy that my future is so bright that I need sunglasses to shield me from the glare. I am happy that all the hard work I've devoted to my family and career will be one hell of a success story. I am happy that my business, even though so small, is steadily growing. I am happy that I took a leap of faith and ventured into a new career that I'm so passionate about. I am at my happiest knowing I still have so much to learn and feeling excited to do so.


I tag Seema from http://www.glimpse3sixty.com  and Rania from http://the-wardrobe-stylist.com to participate in this tag! This is an easy one ladies :)


Leave me a comment below and tell me why you're happy in your life?







 
Template Design by Studio Mommy (© Copyright 2015)