Skincare review: Dr. Barbara Sturm Darker Skintones Discovery Kit

Skincare review: Dr. Barbara Sturm Darker Skintones Discovery Kit

Full disclosure, before trying the Dr. Barbara Sturm Darker Skintones Discovery Kit ($150 CAD)  my skin was in good shape. This was merely curiosity on my part for trying these products. Here are a couple details that I want to share before beginning my review:

• Skin Type: Normal to Combination (Normal in the summer and dry forehead in the winter)

• Skin Issues: none at the moment but previously had hormonal acne on my chin and jaw

• Skin Tone: Dark (Makeup shades - Pat McGrath Foundation #31 and Fenty Beauty Foundation 430)  

The Darker Skintones discovery kit comes with a Foam Cleanser (50ml), Enzyme Cleanser (20g), Hyaluronic Serum (10ml), Face Cream (20ml), and Face Cream Rich (20ml). I used this kit for 6 weeks starting on July 5th, 2020. Out of this kit the best products in my opinion are the cleansers. The foam cleanser has a light fragrance of “fresh” and is gentle and soft on my face. The enzyme cleanser is a finely milled powder that you add drops of water to and creates a paste. This is a physical exfoliator which most people have moved away from in favour of chemical exfoliants. Personally I really liked this exfoliator, it didn't feel rough on the skin and my face didn’t feel stripped. For me, the hyaluronic serum was average on my skin. It did what it was supposed to do but my skin didn’t feel more hydrated than usual. I also found the face creams to be good but average.

My overall impression is that this is a solid skincare line if you don't have any specific skin issues, like hyperpigmentation or texture. The real downsides for me is the pricing and the lack of any difference in my skin. The discovery kit cost $150 CAD pre-tax, for the full sized foam cleanser (150ml) you’re paying $90 CAD and for the full sized hyaluronic serum (50ml) you’re $390 CAD, this is to illustrate that this is luxury skincare and unless you have the coins I don’t believe it is worth it. I didn’t experience any change in my skin since using these products. Which is great that I didn’t have a negative reaction but also disappointed, as I assumed that these luxury products would give me more glowing skin etc. 

Before starting the kit

Midway

Currently (as Aug 13)

I hope y’all found this review helpful and leave any comments below. 

Chau!

Beauty Review: PAT MCGRATH LABS Skin Fetish: Sublime Perfection Foundation

Since Pat McGrath starting dropping hints about her foundation, I was AMPED!  As a fan of her work and makeup I knew this foundation would be amazing. I am here to report that this foundation is gorgeous, it’s lightweight, and will give you an amazing glow.

I was able to try out this out at Sephora while in Vegas this past week. I had missed my makeup makeover appointment, but I was able to get a 15 minute skin-mini makeover. During this session my skin was prepped and I was colour matched. Luckily the brand representative was present and gave me some tips on how to match my colour and how to apply the foundation. For some context I have normal skin with a shiny T-zone. My foundation colour for Fenty Beauty is 430 and Cocoa in Huda Beauty.

Notes from brand rep:

Pre-foundation: when trying to find your colour put a bit on your forehead, cheek, and chest to find your best match. I’m colour Deep 31,  Deep 32 was too orangey-red and Deep 30 was giving a grey tinge.  

1. This is a water based foundation and you should not mix with non-water based products as it will cause the foundation to separate

2. If you use a water based moisturizer you can avoid the primer

3. Auntie Pat applies the foundation starting from the centre of the face moving outward

I took my sample back to the hotel room and applied it a bit later and OMG! It looks fabulous, see the pictures below:

Before the club: Other than the eye makeup I’m only wearing foundation - no powder, blush, bronzer or highlight.

After Travis Scott performed: Chillin by the pool

I applied the foundation with my fingers (I didn’t pack any foundation on this trip but that's another post). Las Vegas is HOT-hot (42 degrees celsius) and this foundation didn’t move. Rolled up to the Travis Scott show at Marquee, got sucked into the crowd and had to fight my way out, and finally chilled by the pool for another 2 hours by the pool and this foundation was locked in.

I would definitely recommend this foundation. The price tag is steeper than your average foundation, it’s listed on Sephora at $90.00CAD, the Primer is $80.00CAD and the setting powder is listed at $80.00CAD. In total if you buy the 3 products together in what Pat McGrath calls the Skin Fetish: Sublime Perfection The System you’re spending $250.00CAD. You can find some savings if you buy The System directly from Pat McGrath’s website for $205.00CAD and it’s free shipping and no duties to Canada. You pay $93.00CAD for just the foundation on her site so you save $3.00CAD if you only want to buy the foundation from Sephora. If you want the setting powder its $75.00CAD on Pat McGrath’s site so there is a $5.00 savings there. 

Have any of you tried this foundation yet? What do you think? Were you able to find your colour?

Hair Accessories: Hair pins and clips

Hair Pins by The Loved One

When Solange released the album art for A Seat At The Table with her wearing all of those roller hair pins it sparked a hair trend with everyone and their grandmother wearing tons of hair pins. Since then, we seen a revival of hair accessories across the Spectrum from velvet scrunchies to padded headbands.

Part of my dive into the hair accessories trend is - jewelled hair pins and clips. Hair Pins and clips are a great way to dress up a look, they are easy to apply and work well in multiple types of hair. With wedding season around the corner, I definitely consider them to be a great accessory. Personally I used gorgeous hair pins to style my short hair on my wedding day and they looked amazing.

The pins below are great for everyday looks and the pearl clip I think would be your go-to to add an elegant touch to a little black dress or jeans.

I have linked to the stores that I bought the pins from but you can also check out Urban Outfitters or Amazon!

Beauty Bonus 1: Costco has a skincare section you need to raid!

Discover & share this Tea GIF with everyone you know. GIPHY is how you search, share, discover, and create GIFs.

This week I stumbled upon something EXCITING! Costco is selling mid to high-end skincare for 15%-60% less than Sephora, Amazon, Shoppers Drug Mart, and Saks Fifth Ave. You can purchase these items on Costco.ca without a Costco membership.

Any of the items at Sephora that have a savings of 20% or more are a really good deal, as Sephora only has it’s 20% off sale twice a year. The items highlighted in green are an extra good deal and if you like the Sisley products listed they are a highway robbery if you buy them through Costco.

I’m not going elaborate on this to death, rather see the list of the available products and the savings below:

P.S. I think the skincare products that Costco.ca has in-stock change regularly, so a month or two from now some of these items may not be available. I will confirm in a couple of days!

Chau!

***Cover Photo credit: Photo by Audrey M Jackson on Unsplash

Beauty Experience: Bite Beauty Lip Lab

If you live in Toronto and hangout on Queen Street West, I’m sure you’ve walked by the Bite Beauty Lip Lab numerous times. I was always curious and this curiosity came to fruition this month.

As a lipstick lover who is friends’ with another lipstick lover, I was struggling to figure out what to get her for Christmas. We both spent too much at Sephora last year but what do you get for a makeup/beauty lover who already has everything they want at the moment (this is always a short moment). I figured an experience would be the best way to go and our shared love for lipstick lead me to Bite Beauty Lip Lab on January 6.

I chose the Bespoke service where you create 2 custom lip colours. The process is pretty straight forward, you sit with one of the Bite Beauty’s Colour Artists they ask you what colour you have in mind. Once you’ve decide on a colour the Colour Artist will mix the lip pigments, until you find your colour of choice. I created two different shades, a nude in the sheer finish and a raspberry-orange in a matte finish, it took about 3 or 4 pigment mixes to find each of these colours.

My 2 Bespoke Lipsticks

The colourful jars are the lipstick pigments that the Colour Artist mixes together to create your bespoke lipstick and the tiny jars with liquid in them are scents that you can choose to add to your lipstick as well.

Rating: 💄💄💄💄💄(for experience and product)

If you want to make your own lip colour I would highly suggest this service! Austen was our Colour Artist and he was great. Very knowledgable about what looks good on your skin tone but also narrowing down to the colour you desire. Further, I hadn’t used Bite Beauty lip products other than their agave lip balm. Can I say that the formulas are amazing! The matte was very moisturizing and not drying, while the sheer formula still have great colour payoff and is fairly long-wearing. Also have you ever chosen a scent for you lipstick? I had never noticed any of my other lipsticks have a obvious scent. For my raspberry-orange colour I chose the citrus scent because I plan to wear this colour out summer 2019. I believe I selected wild-berry for my nude colour scent.

How to have a perfect matte lip

I am a lover of lipstick especially a good matte formula. The key to having a perfect matte lip is 95% lip care and 5% product. 

A small investment in lip care = a perfect matte lip

The main issue is with dry lips is, if your lips are dry when you apply a lipstick or gloss it goes on patchy which ruins the look. There are two solutions to this dilemma - 1. drink more water and stay hydrated and 2. exfoliate.

I do both and here are my 3 favourite lip care products for exfoliation and moisture:

1. Island joy Cuban lemon lip scrub - Certified organic, this products smells delicious and tastes good (if you accidentally ingest it -wink wink). Its also made in Toronto! This scrub makes my lips baby soft and smells good enough to eat (but don’t eat it).

Island Joy Cuban Lemon lip scrub $20 CAD

2. Sephora Collection lip scrub - Do you find that your lips are in dire of exfoliation but you’ve already left the house on your way to work/travel/visit bae? This Sephora Collection lips scrub is packaged as your regular lip balm! You apply it like you would a lip balm and rub your lips together and VOILA! Smooth lips for your matte lippy, lipgloss, and kissing your bae.

Sephora Collection Honey lip Scrub $8 CAD

3. Vaseline jelly - Good old fashion Vaseline jelly, what I love about vaseline is that you can buy it anywhere. In a pinch you can use it to moisturize your whole body but I mainly use it a lip moisturizer when it gets cold. I slather this stuff all over my lips at night and I even have a jar at my desk. Its cheap and does the job what else can you ask for?

Vaseline Jelly $1.99 CAD

Bye-who? Byredo fragrances to die for..

La Selection Nomade 

As per my usual routine, I was mid-email listening to The Naked Beauty Podcast, when the host  Brooke Devard, mentioned this fragrance Witch Hazel by Byredo. I had never heard of the brand, it obviously sounded pretty bougie but the host described the scent and sounded delicious. Off to Saks I went later that week and I can say that while Witch Hazel is what brought me to the store I left with a different trio that is just heavenly. 

*Disclaimer - no matter who much I love a perfume, I always buy the travel size or rollerball if its available. I like being able to bring the scent with me but I like to change up my scents somewhat frequently. 

The trio includes the 3 fragrances at 12ml each for $110. I LOVE THIS TRIO! They smell delicious and each one has a unique scent. Bal D'Afrique smells like a wildflowers with a hint of musk, Blanche smells like fresh laundry, and Gypsy Water is a light floral smell.  I've listed out the breakdown for each fragrance below but I think my description is more succinct.

Bal D'Afrique, Top: African Marigold, Bergamot, Bucchu, Lemon, Neroli - Heart: Cyclamen, Jasmine Petals, Violet - Base: Black Amber, Moroccan Cedarwood, Musk, Vetiver  

Blanche, Top: Aldehyde, Pink Pepper, White Rose - Heart: Neroli Peony, Violet - Base: Woods, Musk, Sandalwood

Gypsy Water, Top: Bergamot, Juniper Barries, Lemon, Pepper - Heart: Incense, ORris, Pine Needle - Base: Amber, Sandlewood, Vanilla 

This definitely falls into the category of "Things I've bought from a Podcast".

My skin is thirsty

Toronto weather has really thrown us for a loop this year it felt like January for 3 months. Of course the weather change means that my body lotion/crème needs to be changed too. I'm currently using Aesop  Rejuvenate Intensive Body Balm as well as their Breathless Body Oil to keep me hydrated in this in-between weather situation (not hot but not cold enough to bust out the shea butter)...are they any body butters/lotions/crèmes that y’all are using?

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*key tip - when applying body oil or lotion make sure you do it right after the shower with your skin slightly wet, do not completely dry off. This way the product really locks in moisture and doesn't just sit on top of your skin.

DIY Body Oil for winter time

I am a huge fan of body oils in the summertime as they are lightweight and hydrating without you feeling oily. This summer and fall I used 3 types of body oil, plain Almond Oil , Mint Apothecary Shimmer + Glow Body oil (which gives you an amber shimmer) and Aesop Body Oil.  The idea of using an oil in the winter was a little perplexing. To make it worst I haven’t been able to find a body cream that hydrates me and doesn’t sit on top of my skin. 

While listening to one of my favourite beauty podcasts - The Naked Beauty Podcast the host Brooke Devard suggested using a DIY body oil for the winter as well as a cream if you’re still feeling dry. I decided to give it a try and it has been amazing!

My DIY body oil is:

●      ¼  Castor oil

●      ¼  Vegetable Glycerin

●      ½  Almond Oil

●      10 drops of grapefruit oil for scent

How I use my DIY Body Oil?

●      After showering do not towel dry!

●      I rub my DIY body oil all over my body and lightly towel off any excess water.

●      Then I use a body cream (I’m currently using the shea butter cream from The Body Shop) on my extra dry spots - elbows and feet.

Once I’m finished I throw on my robe and start on my face routine, makeup, hair, etc.By the time I’m ready to put on my clothes the body oil has been soaked into my skin and my body is ready to brave the winter :)

3 Great face lotions for the winter

So it’s -30 degrees celsius here in Toronto and if you’re panicking about how dry your skin is feeling here are three face creams at different price points that will get you through:

1. Pond’s Dry Skin Cream - Not only is this face cream affordable it is thick without being oily and keeps you hydrated. Sometimes you can get a double pack for $7. Pond’s has been around since 1846 so you know you’re getting the real deal in this face cream. Cost: $5.97 at 190mL
2.  Mario Badescu Buttermilk Moisturizer - This face cream is creamy but lightweight. This cream is great for someone who has combination skin. You’ll feel hydrated without feeling like you’re wearing yogurt on your face. Cost: $20 at 59mL
3. Sunday Riley C.E.O. C + E antiOXIDANT Protect + Repair Moisturizer - This is a thick ass cream that feels heavenly. I had a sample of this and felt like I just left the spa and it enabled me to use on less layer to my morning skincare routine.  If you’re feeling fancy I would buy this cream. Cost: $28 at 15mL

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This was originally posted on January 3, 2018