Sephora Favorites: Ultimate Skincare Vault

As you all probably know, I am obsessed with value sets especially the Sephora Favorites ones. The Sephora Favorities Ultimate Skincare Vault is an eight piece set focusing on skincare that is supposed to hydrate the skin for softer, smoother and healthy looking complexion.

This kit retails for 46 dollars Canadian and it does not include any full size products unfortunately!

Caudalie Beauty Elixir

I have tried this facial spray before and I did like it but I stopped buying because of the horrible spray nozzle, it always broke on me. Apparently, Caudalie has fixed this spray nozzle problem.  This spray is supposed to add radiance to the skin and tightens the appearance of pores. This facial spray can also be used to set makeup.



Dr. Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Universal Daily Peel

These facial peel pads are supposed to give the skin radiance and get rid of uneven skintone and texture, fine lines and wrinkles and large pores. I have personally tried the peel for sensitive skin and I did like it!


Fresh Rose Deep Hydration Face Cream

This hydration cream is supposed to give the skin 24 hour hydration. This face cream is infused with soothing rosewater and rose flower oil.





Fresh Soy Milk Cleanser

This cleanser removes makeup, dirt and impurities from the skin. This cleanser is a gel consistency and is safe enough to use on your eyes (it can remove mascara). I have tried this cleanser and I like it but not enough to purchase a full size (but I always like the travel size version)!

GlamGlow GravityMud Firming Mask

This is a mad based peel off mask that changes from white to a silver or chrome colour. This mask is supposed to tighten the skin.







Laneige Water Sleeping Mask

This is a gel mask that delivers hydration to the skin while you sleep. I have tried this product and I did like it! I also like to use sleeping masks during the day, I just leave it on for a few hours.

Ole Henriksen Truth Serum

This serum is packed with Vitamin C and collagen for brightening and all day hydration. This serum is also supposed to help brighten and firm the skin.






Origins GinZing Refreshing Eye Cream

This eye cream has brighteners in it to brighten the under eye. This eye cream also helps to reduce the look of under eye bags and dark circles. My mom is a huge lover of this eye cream so this little sample went to her.

Overall, this value set seems like as good buy if you want to try a bunch of skincare products that hydrate the skin. I am disappointed that there is no full size products or some larger sample sizes. I am also disappointed that there is two Fresh products, not because the products are terrible or I don't like them but I don't like seeing duplicate brands in these value sets.

Have you purchased this value set or another value set? Any posts or reviews you want to see? Let me know in the comments!

Stay Beautiful,
Sarah

Face Mask Haul

I recently placed an order for a few face mask on Sephora. I was trying to find face masks that were hydrating for my dry, eczema prone skin.

Dr. Jart Water Replenishment Mask

This sheet mask is ideal for dry skin with redness. This mask will replenish the skin's moisture barrier and contains ingredients to calm the skin as well. I have used this mask once before and I have to say it is amazing! It had a cooling affect which I enjoyed. I also found the redness in my skin disappear after I removed the mask and my skin did feel dehydrated.


Dr. Jart Soothing Hydra Solution

This sheet mask is designed to hydrate the skin. This mask is also supposed to help soothe and calm irritation of the skin. Aloe Vera is one of the ingredients that help soothe and calm the skin. Other ingredients in this mask are supposed to replenish the moisture in the skin.

Dr. Jart Vital Hydra Solution

This is a deep hydration sheet mask that is supposed to enhance the skin's moisture barrier and prevent hydration loss. Also, this sheet mask should hydrate and revitalizes dehydrated skin. This mask is packed with ingredients to help provide hydration, promote moisture and protect the moisture in the skin.

Since I had such a good experience with the Dr. Jart Water Replenishment Mask, it encouraged me to try the other two masks.


To make the minimum spend to use the promo code on Sephora's website I also purchased the
Sephora Collection Rose Lip Mask.

This lip mask is supposed to moisturize and soften the lips. I'm not sure how I feel about lip masks but I am super excited to try it!



That is all of the face masks I purchased. Have you tried any of the Dr. Jart face masks? Do you have a favourite face mask, either Dr. Jart or another brand? Let me know in the comments!

Stay Beautiful,
Sarah

Sephora Favorites Quench Your Skin Review

We all know value sets are my favourite thing to purchase, so when I saw this value set, I knew I had to have it.

The Quench Your Skin value set includes 10 sample size or travel sized skincare products from multiple brands. This value set focuses on hydrating the skin. I paid 56 dollars Canadian for this value set.

Dr. Jart Water Drop Moisturizer

This is a lightweight moisturizer. I have used this product and it literally feels like you are splashing water on your face. This product seems to melt with the heat of your skin and it makes it look like water droplets on your skin. I really enjoying this product and I like that it is lightweight because it soaks into the skin fast.



First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream Intense Hydration

This moisturizer provides long lasting hydration to even the driest skin, include those suffering with eczema! I really love this product! I used to use it religiously but then it seemed a bit too heavy for my face. However, I still use this product as a body moisturizer.



REN Evercalm Global Protection Day Cream

This cream is soothing and has antiaging ingredients. This product is supposed to hydrate even the most sensitive skin and protect from UV damage and antiaging.






Origins Drink Up Intensive Mask

This is an overnight mask that is supposed to provide hydration to the skin. This mask is also formulated to help stop the skin from becoming dehydrated. This mask is my current favourite hydration mask (read more about it in my updated skincare routine).


Sunday Riley Tidal Brightening Enzyme Water Cream

This moisturizer is delivers hydration using hyaluronic acid and tamarind extract. These two ingredients are supposed to help make the skin visibly hydrated and plump. This product is also supposed to brighten the skin.





Kate Somerville Goat Milk Moisturizing Cream

This product is supposed to provide hydration to give the skin a healthy glow. I have used this product and I really like it. I find it soaks into the skin quickly and it does make my skin look healthy. I also like the way it feels on the skin.


GlamGlow Glowstarter Mega Illuminating Moisturizer in Nude Glow

This product is supposed to create a dewy, healthy looking glow to the skin. This moisturizer comes in 3 colours, however, I'm not sure what kind of effect the colours are supposed to have.





Fresh Seaberry Moisturizing Face Oil

This oil has a lightweight formula so it quickly absorbs into the skin. Not only does this oil provide hydration but it supposedly helps keep a youthful appearance.




Drunk Elephant Lala Retro Whipped Cream

Drunk Elephant skincare is very popular in the beauty community. This cream is supposed to brighten the skin and improve the firmness of the skin without feeling heavy or greasy.






Josie Maran 100 percent Pure Argan Oil

This oil can be used to provide hydration to the skin, hair and nails. I personally like using argan oil with heavier face creams as it lightens the face cream and I get the benefits of the oil without feeling greasy.


That's everything in this value set! I personally think this value set is worth it as it includes some popular items and new items! I really hope Sephora comes out with a value set for the oily skin girls (and guys!) out there!

Did you purchase this value set or will your purchase this value set? If you purchased it, do you have any favourites? Let me know in the comments below!

Stay beautiful,
Sarah

Updated Skincare Routine

Throughout October and November I was dealing with a pretty bad skin infection on my face. After a round of antibiotics and two trips to the hospital, the infection finally healed. However, after seeing a dermatologist, I was diagnosed with eczema.

For those that don't know, eczema is a skin condition that causes the skin to go crusty and itchy. Eczema can happen because the skin is dehydrated but stress can also be a factor. Also, eczema can happen anywhere on the body.

This post is not going to be about curing eczema because I am not a doctor but I'll be sharing my routine as it helps keep my skin hydrated!

To remove my makeup, I first use a Quo Eye Makeup remover wipe, just because I always get cleanser in my eyes. I then remove my face makeup with the Boscia Makeup Breakup Cool Cleansing Oil which is my favourite cleansing oil. I have been removing the oil off of my face with these muslin cloths. These cloths are more gentle than regular washcloths, they dry quickly and you can get multiple uses out of them before you have to wash them again. You can purchase these types of cloths from baby stores or the baby section in stores and these cloths come in  some super cute patterns!

After washing all of my makeup off, I spray my face with the Evian Mineral Water. To be honest, I don't know what this water does. All I know is my skin doesn't feel tight or dry after using this product. I also use this Evian water spray anytime my skin feels tight and whenever I feel like my skin needs refreshing.

Once the Evian water has dried on my face, I follow up with a moisturizer. Now, I haven't found a moisturizer that I am in love with. Right now, I really enjoy the Dr. Jart Water Drop and the Kate Somerville Goat Milk Moisturizing Cream. I'm currently switching between the two.

If my skin is feeling particularly dry, I do use a facemask for some deep hydration. My current favourite for this is the Origins Drink up Overnight Intensive Mask. I personally don't use this mask over night, I typically leave it on for 30 + minutes and then rinse my face with cold water.

That's it! I don't wash my face in the morning as I find washing my face twice a day makes my skin feel tight and dry.

What products do you use in your skincare routine? Any hydration products you think I should try? Let me know in the comments.

Stay beautiful,
Sarah

*NOTE: The muslin washcloths were sent to me. All opinions expressed above are my own and are 100% honest. Please see my disclaimer for more information.*

Trash Talk: Skincare Empties

I just posted my makeup empties on Wednesday (read about them here). I said in that post that I was drowning in empties and that included a bunch of skincare empties! Let's jump into these products as this is going to be another long post.

Nivea Sensitive Skin Toner

This is my holy grail toner! I have very sensitive and dry skin and this product doesn't irritate it. This product doesn't make my skin feel tight and it doesn't dry it out. I always have one of these on the go and another as back up.

ROC Micellar Water

My mom received as a gift with purchase (I believe) and she gave it to me knowing I would use it. I didn't use this product to remove a whole face of make up but it did remove regular lipstick well. I particularly liked to use this product in the morning as a way to refresh my skin instead of washing it.




Boscia Makeup Breakup Cool Cleansing Oil

This is my holy grail cleansing product! This cleansing oil removes all of my face makeup. It also removes eye makeup (I'm not brave enough to use it on my eyes). This cleansing oil leaves my skin feeling clean and not tight or dry. I'm currently using a big container of this right now.


NeoStrata Moisture Infusing Cream

Since I have dry skin, I am always looking for a moisturizer that adds a boost of hydration. This moisturizer did just that! I also loved how light this cream was and it quickly soaked into my skin. I bought a big jar of this stuff because it worked so well





Caudalie Beauty Elixir

I used to love this spray! It made my skin feel less tight after cleansing and this spray gave my skin a bit of radiance. However, after I got two bottles were the spray nozzle barely worked, I stopped buying this spray because I was annoyed and I didn't think the benefits of this product outweighed this annoyance.

Clarins HydraQuench Cream

The name of this product is no joke! This add a ton of hydration to my skin! I really liked the way it made my skin feel after it had soaked in. But, this cream was so heavy and it took forever to soak into the skin.




GlamGlow Thirsty Mud

I think this is my favourite GlamGlow mask (out of the ones I have tried). This mask adds just enough hydration that my skin does feel tight from the dryness. I also love the smell of this mask. I have never personally bought the full size of this mask because I find it very expensive and it doesn't give my skin that much hydration to justify the cost. However, I love using this little samples!

Origins Gin Zing Moisturizer

This moisturizer is specifically formulated to be used during the day. I loved the scent of this product, it reminded me of citrus fruit! This moisturiser was very light and soaked into the skin fast. I really like these two qualities in a day time moisturizer! However, I didn't find that this product provided any hydration to my skin.





Ole Henriksen Pure Truth Melting Cleanser

This is a cleansing balm that turns into an oil when you add water. I really enjoyed the scent of this product, it had an orange scent. This cleansing balm removed my makeup well and it didn't leave my skin feeling tight. The only issue I had with this product was it seemed that I was using a lot of it to clean my whole face.


Ole Henriksen Sheer Transformation

This is a light weight moisturizer. This product has ingredients that are supposed to even out the skin tone and smooth the skin's texture. I personally didn't see this product meeting any of those claims with my skin. I also found that this did not give my skin any hydration.



Origins Night-A-Mins

I purchased this product because of the YouTuber KathleenLights. She also has dry skin so when she raved about this product, I knew I had to pick it up. I really liked this moisturizer. It was light enough that it soaked in pretty fast but it was also heavy which made it feel like it was actually hydrating my skin. I only used this product at night and it made my skin feel hydrated and smooth the next morning. I haven't repurchased this product yet as I am currently using another moisturizer.


Belif  The True Cream - Moisturizing Bomb

This moisturizer reminds me of a gel like consistence. It was very light weight and it gave my skin the moisture it needed. I will be considering purchasing the full size of this product because I did enjoy it but I am currently using other moisturizers that I need to finish first.



That is all my skincare empties! Next up in this trash talk series will be hair care empties! What products have you recently finished up?

Stay Beautiful,
Sarah

Skin Care Review

I tried a new skin care line and decided to share my thoughts about the line.

The skin care line is created by a woman named Jacynthe and is an all natural. It is a Canadian skin care line created in Quebec (that's why the labels are in all in French).

I tried the cleansing oil, rose water spray and the serum. These were the only three skin care products I used during the testing process.

I really enjoyed the cleansing oil. It removed my make up thoroughly and made my skin feel soft. The oil had a natural scent to it but it wasn't overpowering. This product can be used to remove eye makeup as well. I personally didn't try this product on my eyes because I always get products in my eyes (shampoo, cleanser, etc.)






The rose water spray is my absolute favourite! I love how this feels on my skin. It refreshes and hydrates the skin without drying the skin out. I really like the spray nozzle on this product as it has a consistent spray.  I also like that this doesn't have a super strong rose scent.


Next step was to use the serum. The instructions clearly outline that you need to apply the serum to the still damp face from the rose spray. This is a very important step because without your face already damp, I found that the serum didn't soak in fully.

I found the serum had a light "natural" scent to it but again it wasn't overpowering. I also found the serum was a tad different because it was orange and did make my skin look orange when I first applied it.

This skin care line did amazing as it made my skin less dry and it did take the redness out of my skin. I didn't find these products to do a lot as far as helping breakouts but it certainly didn't make them worse.

My only negative experience with this line is that all of the labels are in French and so are the how to videos. I speak a little French so I was able to understand bit and pieces of everything and I filled in the gaps with common sense but I do think it is a little discouraging for people who don't understand the language.

Overall, this is an amazing skin care line and I know I will be make a repurchase of this line soon. You can purchase these products together as a trio or separately here.

Stay beautiful
Sarah

*Note: This product was sent to me in exchange for a review. All opinions expressed above are my own and are 100% honest. Please see my disclaimer for more information.*

Empties - Skin Care Edition

I have accumulated so many empties it isn't even funny. So I've broken them down into categories to help make these posts a little shorter! First up skin care.


Sephora Sheet Masks - Pearl and Green Tea

I did a whole post dedicated to these masks (here). The pearl mask is supposed to perfect and brighten the skin and it really did make my dull skin brighter. The Green tea mask is mattifying and anti-blemish and it lives up to its claims. I also find the green tea one helps with redness as well.

Nivea Gentle Toner

This toner is formulated for dry and sensitive skin (they do have ones formulated for oily skin as well!) I find that this toner really hydrates and soothes my skin. I have found that this really helps to calm my skin down as well.





Origins High Potency Night-A-Mins

I received this in a 500 point perk from Sephora. First off, I was super happy with the size of this sample as it was 1 oz. - almost full size considering the full size is 1.7 oz. This moisturizer describes it self as a mineral rich renewal cream and I have to agree! it is super thick so a little goes a long way and it smells like citrus fruit! I found that this really helps to soothe my skin and get rid of any dry patches I have.

Clinique Custom Repair Serum

This is a completely new discover and I am super happy I found it. This serum responds to what your skin needs so anyone can use this. it is also 100% fragrance free. I have noticed that this product has completely changed my skin - it makes it feel softer, evens out my skin tone while also toning down the redness. A little goes a long way with this product, which is really good because this product is expensive!

First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream

When I saw this product, I was stoked to try it out as a face moisturizer hoping it would help my dry skin. I hated this on my face as it felt super heavy to me BUT using this as a body moisturizer is the best thing ever! This product is formulated as intense hydration for dry parched skin. I have repurchased the smaller size of this product as this tub was a little too much for me.

Garnier Makeup Removing Lotion Cleanser

I loved this product! This cleanser is made for sensitive skin (they do have ones for oily and combo skin!) This cleanser gently removes makeup while calming and comforting the skin. It also apparently removes waterproof mascara but I haven't tried this on my eyes. This cleanser is formulated to be applied to dry skin and then rinsed clean. I did repurchase this product in the gel cleanser form and I don't like it as much as the lotion version.

Caudalie Beauty Elixir

This product really helps to soothe my skin. I spray this product before my moisturizer at night and I also use it whenever my skin feels tight or uncomfortable under makeup. I will say this product has a really strong smell (it's not terrible but it is not great), I only smell it when I am spraying it on.

GlamGlow ThristyMud Hydrating Treatment

This was a little sample I got in a Sephora skin care pack. I LOVE this product. I typically use this product when my skin is feeling extra dry (aka Canadian winters) or if I wore a matte foundation. I apply a even layer and let it stay on my skin for awhile (usually 15-30 minutes). A Sephora employee told me you can also wear this mask overnight. This mask also smells like coconut to me. I don't think I'll ever purchase the full size because of how expensive it is, but I will purchase the travel sizes.



Garnier Eye Roller

I don't have much to  say about this product except for it felt really cooling on the eyes and that the ball worked great. I'm not sure it really de-puffed my under eyes like it claims to do.


First Aid Beauty Eye Duty

This product is supposed to brighten, depuff and smooth the under eyes. This product did brighten as the product is a salmon pink color. I don't think it de-puffed but the metal applicator did feel great and I'm not sure about smoothing. My biggest issues with this product is that it was very hard to control how much product you got. Where the product came out is right near the metal applicator so sometimes I would be smoothing the product out and accidentally squeeze more product out.

ELF Makeup Removing Cleansing Cloths

This makeup wipes are a great value and they do an incredible job. I didn't use these cloths on my eyes but they did remove face makeup wonderfully. These cloths also didn't dry my skin out which was great.


Boscia Makeup- Breakup Cool Cleansing Oil

This product has to be one of my favorite cleanser ever. This product is very gentle but it deep cleans literally dissolving makeup. I also love that this product doesn't leave an oily residue.




ELF Mineral Mist

When I ran out of the Caudalie Beauty Elixir, I decided to use this. This mist is supposed to replenish and revitalize skin.  This product did none of that. This mist actually made my skin drier and because of this I barely finished this product.

That is all my skincare empties! What product have you finished up recently?

Stay Beautiful,
Sarah