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.

GLAM NYE LOOK

I can't believe 2015 is coming to an end! For all of you that live in Ottawa,don't you love all the snow that finally landed on our beautiful city! I know you won't let a little snow distract you from your New Years Eve plans. To ring in the NY I collaborated with Rania Abdullah from The Wardrobe Stylist, HairByNadine and our model Simar from Mini Me City to put together a Makeup + Hair + Styling tutorial on how to pull off an easy but GLAM NYE look!

Trust me when I say this is easy to do. 

It was our first go at it and I have to say we really enjoyed ourselves(a bit too much) and I believe we truly accomplished some work worth sharing. 

MAKEUP LOOK

The key to a great cut crease is patience, and a bit of practise!

1. Apply eye primer such as MAC PRO LONGWEAR PAINTPOT in soft ochre to the entire lid.
2. Apply a highlight like Gesso on the inner corner of the eye and brow bone.
3. Along the crease area, draw a line from the outer corner of the eye to the inner corner with a kohl pencil or eyeliner.
4. Use an eye shader brush like the Eco tools brush to blend the eyeliner out. Use small windshield wiper movements to blend the kohl or eyeliner.
5. Apply any eye shadow colour you like over the line ( I used Naked from the UD NAKED palette). You can go a bit above the line as well. Ensure you are blending the colour toward the inner corner of your eye.                                                                                             
6.  TIP: I wanted a dramatic cut crease so for the step above I thickened the eye shadow line with the NAKED shadow.
7. Apply shadow all over the lid to add colour to the look. I used Half Baked from the UD NAKED palette.
8. Create a winged look with any liquid/gel liner you have on hand. I used Revlon ColorStay Liquid Liner in Black.
9. For a more dramatic look add glitter on top of the Half Baked Shadow. I used Annabelle Glitterama in Solar Flare. 
10. For added drama, apply Naked from the UD NAKED Palette to the lower lashline and go over it with a bit of Darkhorse, also from the NAKED palette.
11. Line your inner lashline with kohl black pencil.
12. Finish the look off with falsies and a good coat of mascara. I used Maybelline Volume Express Colossal 

STYLING

To achieve an ultra GLAM look Rania, from The Wardrobe Stylist, suggests adding these accessories to your outfit of the night.

1. Aqua stone ring (this one has a silver frame though)

2. Cuff bracelet

3. Hair chains

4. Ankle bracelet

5. Kaftan paired with pants and ultra comfortable tank

6. Bangles

7. Slave bracelets

8. Cuffs

9. Arm band

10.Oversized rings in natural stones

11.Simpler rings such as the criss cross x ring

12.Head chains (These can be found on Etsy at great prices)

14.Ankle bracelet or ankle slave bracelets

You can read more about the Styling for this specific look over on The Wardrobe Stylist

HAIR

1. Blow out the hair before styling

2. Section by section curl hair with the curling iron or wand

3. Once all the hair is curled, loosely pin up each curl with a bobby pin

4. Let the hair set for 15-20 minutes

5. Take the pins out and brush each curl out seperatetly to create a wave look

6. Spray with light hold hairspray if desired

7. Clip the hair chains underneath the hair strands close to the ears to hide the attaching clips

8. Add the top head chain and align with the hair partition. 

Voila! You're all Glammed up for NYE!!!

What's In My EveryDay Makeup Bag ?

I tend to stick to the basics when it comes to my everyday makeup. If I know I'll be heading out to a function after work and not heading home first, then I'll include my Urban Decay naked 2 palette and Urban Decay all nighter setting spray in my bag to glam up my day look to a night look.I didn't include any liquid foundation and eyeshadow in this post as it would be deceiving to include them because 90% of the time in the Fall/Winter I don't wear liquid foundation and eyeshadow on a daily basis. I'll wear them on the weekend or if I'm going out to an event. I'll do an updated "What's in my makeup bag " post in the Spring as the items in my bag will change from season to season.

Tyler Dawson for Clinique

I love this makeup bag. It was a free gift with purchase from Clinique.I love the pattern and it's a really good size and fits all my makeup.

1.Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion +

2. Oil free City Block Face Protector 

( not shown but I use this sunscreen before apply moisturizer)

1.MAC Studio Fix, shade NC35

2.NYX Butter Lipstick, shade Pops Explosiv

3.Smashbox Photofinish Primer

4.Maybelline Pumped Up! Colossal Mascara, shade Blackest Black

5.NARS Creamy Concealer, shade Ginger

6.NYX Blush, shade Mauve

7.Body Shop, White Musk (old packaging)

8.MAC 168 Large Angled Contour Brush

9.MAC 129SH Brush

Before I forget,I wanted to include a picture of my handbag. As you know, I was on the hunt for an everyday handbag for months. I finally found something practical, stylish and reasonably priced. Funny story about this particular handbag; I found the brand Tutilo online and I really liked the style, practicality and affordability of their handbags but of course never found the time to actually purchase the bag online. A few weeks later I walk into Marshall's and what do you know...the bag is staring me in the face. I was so excited! Marshall's and Winners now carry a few of the Tutilo product line. I absolutely love the bag and highly recommend it. It's faux pebbled leather,includes a take-away clutch,very roomy, and super stylish. I have received so many compliments on this bag. My next purchase will be this Tutilo handbag. 

P.S. To my readers who look forward to my monthly favourites, I'm sorry but I skipped it for October. I didn't do a lot of purchasing this month and the items I did buy I didn't feel were really that great to write about, so I'll be combining my October and November favourites. I already started working on this post so you know it' gonna be good!!!

Maha :)

//Please Note that this is not sponsored posts//

AUGUST FAVOURITES

I can't believe August is over! Where did the Summer go? The only great thing about August coming to an end is that I can finally reveal my monthly favourites! I'm so excited about these products. I've purchased all these items and just love them so, obviously, I have to share with you all. There is one "Lust" item that made the list! Get ready cause I've been loving a lot of things this month!




EOS Ultra Moisturizing Shave Cream

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This non - foaming, 24 hr moisturizing shaving cream is my new holy grail! I'm very prone to red bumps after shaving or waxing and I didn't experience the bumps with this product. It's probably because it's loaded with natural conditioning oils and Shea butter! It left my legs feeling so moisturized that I could have done without applying any lotion, it's that hydrating!You can use this product wet or dry. The best part is this shaving cream is made from recycled plastic so it won't leave a rust ring in your shower. You can choose from Vanilla Bliss ( my fave), Pomegranate or Lavender Jasmine. 

LORAC - 3D Liquid Lustre Top Coat

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I'm always looking for new products that add Oomph! to the eyes. I have a lot of glitters and pigments, but I wanted something different. I read in Allure magazine that this product was the new "Must Have "for the Summer/Fall so of course I had to have it :). These 3D lustre top coat add intensity, shine and sparkle to any eyeshadow look. They can be applied as a top coat for your eyeshadow but also can be worn alone. I like to wear a nude eyeshadow look and add the top coat over it to get a more dramatic day time look without looking overdone. I just love it. I know I'll get further use out of them come holiday party season. The only downside with Lorac products is that they only ship within the U.S and Sephora no longer carries their products in Canada. I was fortunate and had a U.S. address which I used to get these babies. 

Korres Lip Butter

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I'm a huge fan of lip balms and have them scattered everywhere in my home and office space.  I bought this lip butter from Sephora, where it's exclusively sold. I wasn't expecting to like it as much as I did. The staying power of this product is on average to any other tinted balm I've tried, so about an hour, but what I really LOVED about this product was that my lips really felt moisturized and stayed hydrated for a couple of hours even after the tint wore off. This to me is worth the $12 price tag. This product has a thicker consistency so I like to apply it with a lip brush but you can use your fingers of course. I like to layer my application so I wear a neutral lip color like M.A.C blankety or creme cup and add the Korres lip butter on top. I love the shine it gives off. The only drawback about this product is the packaging. It's a bit flimsy and I would have preferred the product in a tube as it's more sanitary. I initially picked up pomegranate but now have all 4 colors. 

Vaseline Total Moisture Cocoa Radian Lotion

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I've been using the Vaseline Cocoa Radiant lotion for a few years now. The packaging has changed, but it still has the same great formula. This lotion is super creamy, super hydrating, thick and non- sticky. It's everything you need in a drugstore moisturizing body lotion. If you're not using it, your  missing out! Your skin will thank you. Yeah... it smells like Cocoa and it smells DEVINE!

L.A. Girl USA HD Pro Concealer

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If you watch Youtube makeup tutorials, you'll notice a lot of beauty gurus use these HD PRO Conceal tubes for highlighting and contouring. I was really intrigued so I ordered them to try them out first hand. I ordered creamy natural, beige, and bronze. I was somewhat impressed...let me explain. The formula is good, but doesn't compare to my NARS or Benefit concealers when it comes to concealing dark circles. If you use them to conceal imperfections or dark circles, I recommend using a corrector first before applying this concealer. If you use these conceal tubes for the sole purpose of highlighting and contouring ( H&C) then you have a definite winner! They are very compact and obviously portable making them so convenient to throw in your makeup bag or in my case, my kit. I used them on almost everyone I worked on this summer to give a light highlight and contour and the result was flawless. I still used my Anastasia of Beverly Hills contour powder palette over the PRO Conceal to ensure the H&C didn't budge. I'm so happy I ordered them. I definitely will be ordering other shades. If your new to the whole highlighting and contouring game definitely give this product a try. At $5.00 US  you can't go wrong.

Morphe M438 Pointed Contour Brush

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I ordered this Morphe contour brush without any expectations. I just wanted to know what all the hype was about. Let's just say my only regret is not ordering more brushes at the same time! This contour brush is AMAZING. It's super soft and versatile as it can be used for contouring but also for applying setting powder under your eyes, blush on cheekbones and bronzer all over. It's angled so it's very precise at applying product exactly where it needs to go. I paid $10.00 US. I would compare the quality of the quality of this brush to my Sigma F25. I love this brush as well but I paid over $30 US for it. I definitely will be ordering a few more Morphe brushes.

e.l.f Studio Stipple Brush

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I paid $1.99 for this synthetic brush from Winners. It was on clearance. It's my go to foundation brush in my own personal makeup bag. I love it. You can buy it online for $3.00. You will use it over and over again as it's super light and the bristles will not scratch your face like other cheaper priced brushes. The bristles are very soft and it evenly distributes my foundation on my skin. I'm not naive, I know this brush will shed at some point but my Chanel brush also shed for the first time last week. No biggie because at $1.99 or $3.00 I can buy another one and not feel guilty

www.papyrusonline.com

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I have a slight obsession with stationary! I own a few boxes of unused greeting cards and more than normal amounts of unused notebooks. I have no intent in mailing these cards out or writing in these notebooks. They're so pretty so I collect them. Papyrus is a beautiful site and I shop from this site often. Papyrus.com offers a broad range of contemporary greeting cards, stationary , gifts and gift wrapping materials. They offer you the option to personalise any item. The notebooks are my favourite, especially the Kate Spade collection. I love how elegant they look on my home office desk. Just love it!!! 

The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini

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This is my 2nd time reading this book and I, most likely, will read it a 3rd time. I spent a good portion of my "glamping" trip this summer reading it. What a beautiful story about friendship, exile , separation and an everlasting love for ones home country. It's a beautifully written novel that is cherished by many. I highly recommend this book as you will forever feel changed after reading it.

NIKE SportWatch  + GPS GOLD LIMITED EDITION

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I know this isn't makeup or beauty related, but this gadget is a must for anyone wanting to set fitness goals this fall. This baby right here is at the top of my birthday list! Not only is it functional (tracks calories burnt, goals, pace and has GPS) but it looks really cool on and almost futuristic. Yes, I''m a gadget junkie and this baby here is coming home with me soon.


Talk soon,
Maha

**STAY TUNED FOR MY NYX PRODUCT REVIEW **

DIY After Sun Care Body Butter

Hi Beauties,

I hope you're all enjoying the last few weeks of summer! I know technically the last day of summer is the 23rd of September, but my kids go back to school in 2 weeks so for us summer ends then!
So far we've had a kick ass summer. Lots of outdoor activities, water parks, and picnics :) We've been outside so much that I actually developed my first sunburn in years. Ouch! My olive skin usually tans but this year I burnt!




So, of course, I headed straight to the kitchen to create a very simple and refreshing concoction to sooth my burnt skin. I found this recipe online a few years back and I've used it on myself and my family whenever we've had too much sun and our skin needed some TLC. This recipe is loaded with powerhouse ingredients such as Aloe Vera, Coconut Oil, and Vitamin E. These all carry a high dosage of antioxidant properties. This body butter will not only treat your sunburn but also help with other skin ailments you may be experiencing ( dry, acne prone, aging). Aloe Vera is highly moisturizing and is used to soothe burnt skin instantly. Coconut oil is the holy grail of skin care repair! It's loaded with antioxidants so I slather CO on my face, body and hair before bed every night! Its moisturizing and seeps into your skin follicles quickly so you reap the benefits of CO faster. Vitamin E oil is used in many skin care lines to block free radicals from the body (bonus!) but here we are using it mostly for its anti-inflammatory benefits which help to calm and hydrate sensitive skin. You can also add essential oils to this recipe and it's your preference on what scent you would like to add. I personally love to use citrus oils. I just love smelling like a citrus fruit :). Go ahead and try this recipe and tell me what you think in the comments below :)

Ingredients

• 3 Tbsp Shea Butter
• 2 Tbsp Coconut oil
• 1 tsp Vitamin E Oil
• 3 Tbsp Aloe Vera
• 1 Tbsp Avocado Oil (OR Olive, Jajoba or Almond Oil)
• 10-15 Drops of Essential oils of choice (optional)

Instructions

1. Melt coconut oil and shea butter in a double boiler. You can create this by putting the ingredients in a small, glass jar and then placing the jar in a pan of simmering water.
2. Remove from heat once melted and let the mixture cool until it's opaque (to speed this is you can put it in the fridge, but don't let it become solid.)
3. Next, add the remaining ingredients and the coconut/shea mix to a stand mixer bowl, and whip until ingredients are well combined, and the mixture is light and fluffy (about 5-10 minutes.) It's finished when the body butter can stick to a spoon when held upsidedown.
4. Transfer to an a small container or jar and store in a cool place.

( p.s. I dont' recall the source from which I found the recipe)

talk soon,
Maha