skincare junkie – LiveLifeInTheFloralLane

GlamGlow Glowstarter Mega Illuminating Moisturizer – Review

Hey all you cool cats and kittens! (*in Carole Baskin voice*)

It’s been a while since I’ve posted, I guess I’ve had the quarantine blues and have been a super lazy piece of poop. I’m trying to get into a routine but that hasn’t really been happening. I reallllyyyy hope this ends soon, but idk man…

But with all this time spent at home, I’ve had all the time in the world to play with new skincare, and so here we are with another review.

This is the Mega Illuminating Moisturizer from GlamGlow. I received a sample of it with another Sephora purchase, and I immediately fell in love with it. For starters it smells like an orange creamsicle, which I personally love, and it makes you look SO GLOWY. It’s like a lit from within glow, so it’s not too overwhelming as if you were to put a liquid highlighter all over your face. It’s just the right amount pearl that it covers dullness and minimizes dark marks, without looking like a greasy disco ball.

The consistency of it is a light cream, as opposed to a gel or super thick cream. Because it’s on the lighter side it’s perfect for combo/oily skin like mine. I do have to blot with oil absorbing sheets throughout the day but that’s the case with literally any products I use (sigh).

Not only does it make your skin look good, but the ingredients in it are actually super beneficial for your skin health (it’s also vegan). These are the key ingredients highlighted on the Sephora website.

– Hyaluronic Acid: Provides hydration.
– Jojoba Oil, Shea Butter, and Ceramides: Help restore moisture balance.
– Green Tea: Helps energize skin.

I use this moisturizer on my no-makeup days because the glow helps hide minor marks and imperfections and makes my skin look super healthy without makeup. Some days for extra glow I will use the Smashbox ‘Blendable Lip and Cheek Color’ in the shade “Hollywood & Highlight” just on the top of my cheekbones for an extra pop.

That’s all I have for now!

xoxo

Sarah

Korres Pomegranate Moisturizing & Balancing Cream-Gel

Since my boyfriend and I share skincare, we go through it like crazy! So it’s already time for us to buy a new moisturizer. We just finished ‘The Ordinary – Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate 10% Hydrating Cream’ and truthfully it wasn’t my fave. It didn’t sink into the skin very easily and felt greasy to me. I wanted to try something that was more geared towards oily skin.

I came across this one from Korres called the ‘Pomegranate Moisturizing & Balancing Cream-Gel’. This is specifically geared towards those with oily skin. It is considered a ‘gel-cream’ which is great because I prefer gel moisturizers over thicker creams, and this is somewhere in between which will be good for the winters when my skin gets a little more dry.

The packaging is adorable (it’s pink so I was immediately drawn to it 😛 ) and you get 1.35 fluid oz for $42.00 CAD.

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Below is a pic of what the moisturizer actually looks like. It’s clearly thicker than other moisturizer’s I’ve tried (see my others posts here for more info: https://livelifeintheflorallane.com/2019/08/03/makeup-and-skincare-haul-reviews/

https://livelifeintheflorallane.com/2019/02/21/the-best-moisturizer-for-oily-skin/)

It takes a bit longer to sink in than a straight up gel moisturizer, but it doesn’t take too long and it eventually dries feeling smooth and soft. It smells really good which is always a plus, I don’t like when my products smell medicinal or chemically.

This is my first time ever trying a product from Korres even though I’ve always heard really great things. So I’m pretty excited about this and I’m definitely going to review more Korres products in the future!

That’s it for now!

xoxo

Sarah

The Body Shop Haul

Another day another haul LOL (idk why I’m laughing because my bank account is not… oh well hehe).

The Body Shop has really upped their game in terms of skincare recently so I really wanted to try a couple of things.

The first thing was the ‘Honey Bronze Shimmering Dry Oil’. I picked this up because I’ve always been interested in a shimmery body product like this and I’ve been looking at ones from Nars, Anastasia Beverly Hills, and Fenty Beauty, but this was by far the cheapest option. I’ve used it a few times and it’s not sticky nor does it transfer onto your clothing or sheets, so it’s a pretty good product in my eyes but I can’t compare it to the other brand’s formulas.

Next up is another body oil. I picked up the ‘Coconut Nourishing Dry Oil for Body and Hair’ and I’ve been using it after every shower to moisturize my skin. Just like the honey bronze, it sinks in to your skin almost right away and doesn’t leave any sticky feelings. I just love the smell of coconuts especially in the winter because it reminds me of the summer and helps with my winter time blues. I haven’t used it on my hair yet since I use other treatments, but I might give that a go sometime soon.

The Body Shop has come out with some newer face masks in the last little bit and two of them really caught my eye. The first is ‘Japanese Matcha Tea Pollution Clearing Mask’. I reaalllyy like this mask. It has a fluffy consistency almost like whipped cream, and it looks just like mint chocolate chip ice cream! I apply a really thin layer onto my face and leave it on for about 15-20 minutes. It tingles on the face and has a cooling sensations so it feels really refreshing. When you wash it off there are tiny beads in the mask that help exfoliate your face as you remove it. Afterwards my skin feels soft, clean and refreshed. This is definitely one of my new favourites!

The next mask I picked up was the ‘Nicaraguan Coffee Intense Awakening Mask’. This mask has a much thicker consistency than the Matcha one. I apply it with my fingers and let it sit for 20 minutes. It doesn’t completely dry on the face like a clay mask would. Similar to the Matcha mask, this one also has exfoliating beads (coffee grinds) in it that helps smooth out your skin as you wash it off. I do like this mask just not as much as the other one, but the smell of it is amazing!! Perfect to wake up to on a weekend morning.

And finally, since my order was above a certain amount of money (I forget I think it was if you spend over $45.00) I got a free hand soap! I picked up the Tahitian Tiare scent and it is honestly to die for! I didn’t think I was going to end up loving it so much since I just picked it up and random, but it is honestly one of my new favourite scents and I will forever buy this for my bathroom.

That’s it for now! I highly recommend that you try some of these items!

xoxo

Sarah

Trying The Ordinary Skincare

As if I seriously needed more skincare…but I did it anyways LOL! I couldn’t pass it up, The Ordinary is just so cheap and it’s finally available on Sephora online. I literally picked up every bottle that could benefit my skin type, which is oily and prone to breakouts and hyper-pigmentation. That left me with a whole 9 items in my cart! Like what am I supposed to do with all this! I’ve only been using 4 of them so far, and I don’t want to layer too many products on my skin at one time because then I’ll never know what product is actually helping my skin. So I guess I’m just going to alternate products on different weeks? Not sure I haven’t figured it out yet lol.

I’ll start with the products I got, then I’ll review a few that I’ve tried so far.

From left to right:

The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%
The Ordinary Alpha Arbutin 2% + HA
The Ordinary Salicylic Acid 2% Solution
The Ordinary Lactic Acid 10% + HA

The Ordinary Retinol 1% in Squalane
The Ordinary Ascorbic Acid 8% + Alpha Arbutin 2%
The Ordinary Mandelic Acid 10% + HA
The Ordinary Resveratrol 3% + Ferulic Acid 3%

The Ordinary Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate 10% Hydrating Cream

Now, I’ve only gotten a chance to try 4 of them. So far my routine has been the two blemish treatments both morning and night (these would be the Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%, and the Salicylic Acid 2% Solution). I then use the 1% Retinol in Squalene every night, which is supposed to increase cell turnover and help reduce the look of dark marks. Then I’ve been using the 10% lactic acid solution as a peeling treatment a few nights a week. Lactic acid is a strong chemical exfoliant so it gets rid of all the dead skin cells over night and you wake up with shiny new skin.

All of these products are geared towards blemished and scarred/uneven skin, and I’ve noticed a HUGE difference in my skin since I’ve started using these products. I barely get pimples anymore, just the odd one here and there. In addition, everyone has been saying that I look so glowy and poreless lately and I just couldn’t be happier with the way it’s been looking over the past few weeks. I genuinely think that The Ordinary products play a huge part in that.

With all these products, it can get a little confusing on how to layer them, so I found a really helpful guide online which I will link here:

How To Layer The Ordinary

I’ll be sure to keep you updated on the products I haven’t tried yet, but if they’re anything like what I’ve been using so far, I know I’ll love it.

Thanks for reading!!

Sarah

My Top Three Moisturizing Lotions for Acne Prone Skin – By Marisa Chiorello

Hello, hello beautiful souls!

If you’re like me, then you’ll agree that acne is such a pain! Although I’ve truly embraced my flaws, which includes my adult acne, it does get frustrating. From the face wash I use, to the prescription acne medication I put on my face at night, my face tends to get very dry. My dry skin can be extremely painful and embarrassing; especially because I can’t wear makeup. It makes my face and my dry skin look worse!

I used to be afraid to use moisturizer on my skin because it would cause me to breakout even more. But, thankfully, I’ve finally found a cure! If you want to moisturize your skin, while healing your acne, here are the three best moisturizers for acne prone skin. They’re also great if you’re on a budget!

CeraVe Moisturizing Cream, $11.19

This is the face lotion I am currently using. I love this lotion because it is lightweight, it doesn’t leave my skin feeling oily or sticky, and it is gentle which is perfect for when my dry skin is painful. This cream is also my go-to because it doesn’t irritate my skin or make my acne worse. There are some moisturizing creams that leave my skin pink, my face feels as if it is on fire, and the next day I have new acne clusters on my face. I don’t have to worry about this with CeraVe! This lotion is available at drugstores.

Cetaphil Moisturizing Lotion, $12

I used Cetaphil moisturizing lotion before I came across CeraVe. This lotion is great for acne! It helps heal breakouts while ensuring that your skin stays hydrated and moisturized all day long. I love that it is oil-free so it doesn’t clog your pores!

Eucerin Sensitive Skin Q10 Anti-Wrinkle Lotion, $10

Although this lotion is anti-wrinkle or anti-aging, I’ve used it a handful of times. This lotion is gentle enough for all skin types, especially skin that is very dry and sensitive. When I used this lotion, it didn’t affect my acne in any negative way. I didn’t get more acne, and it didn’t irritate the acne I already had. Instead, it left me with long lasting moisture. I also love that this lotion contains vitamins (like vitamin E) and antioxidants! My skin felt fresh and healed!

Perfect moisture, healed acne, and fresh skin! If this is what you desire, try one of my favourite affordable moisturizing lotions! Let me know which one is your favourite!

Until next time,

Marisa

*Featured image borrowed from blogger Safa Sunshine – check her out if you can!*

Ladies, How Do You Remove Your Facial Hair?

Normally this website is about giving beauty advice, but ya girl needs some help too! I’ve tried every possible way of removing my facial hair. This includes, shaving (with both a regular 5 blade razor and a single blade razor), waxing, sugar waxing, threading, and laser hair removal, and all roads almost always lead to a breakout or two. To be clear I am removing ALL OVER the face, meaning cheeks, upper lip, chin, and forehead. And the areas where I get the most broken out afterwards are the cheeks and chin, but that’s where most of my breakouts naturally occur anyways, so it makes sense.

Now I’ve noticed some methods are better at keeping breakouts at bay than others. Waxing and sugar waxing are most definitely the worst for breakouts. I always get a very big red inflamed one when I wax. Shaving with a 5 blade razor has the same outcome, however when I shave with a single blade razor/buzzer, the breakouts aren’t as bad, although I still do get a ton of clogged pores. Threading, although you would think it would be the same outcome as waxing because the hairs are being pulled out, surprisingly doesn’t lead to too many breakouts either. I’ve also lasered my face which led to horrible breakouts as well.

It’s like I can’t win! It’s a toss up between having a hairy face or a pimply face. There are things I do afterwards to help. I’m not exactly a skincare expert, but I think the reason people breakout when they remove hair is because the pores are more exposed and it’s easier for gunk and dirt to get into the pores. So after I remove my facial hair I immediately use some sort of aftershave and a salicylic acid treatment for razor bumps. After that I try to be really diligent about washing it twice a day with an exfoliator so that dirt doesn’t get trapped under dead skin cells and form a bump, and I also use a charcoal pore mask once daily for a week after hair removal to really keep all that gunk out of the pores.

While all this helps, I still breakout a little bit each time I remove my hair. So now I want to pass this on to you…what method of hair removal is your favourite and how to you keep your breakouts at bay, or do you even breakout at all? I’m really curious to hear about other girls’ experience with this and hopefully learn a couple tips as well!

I wanna hear from you!!

XOXO

Sarah

Super Foods For Summer Skin #healthiswealth – By Rasha

Happy June everyone!

If you’re like me, you’re accepting every invitation and chance to sit outside and enjoy the warm June sun. Patio brunches, tanning outside and morning runs are some of the many outdoor activities that I absolutely love during the Summer! It’s obvious we’re exposed to UVA and UVB rays now more than ever but there are a few superfoods you can incorporate in your diet to accelerate the healing process of sun damage and keep your skin hydrated!

These superfoods were introduced to me by my mom and sister who always stress the importance of prioritizing your health in order to enjoy success in other areas of your life! Hence the title hashtag.

Collagen

Your body naturally produces collagen to hold your bones and muscles together, protect your organs and to create skin elasticity. As you age, the rate of which collagen is produced decreases hence the aging skin. Collagen is the key ingredient for creating strength and elasticity for your skin!

Best collagen-sourced foods are bone broth, chicken, beef, egg whites and fish. A high-protein diet is obvious to increase collagen in your body however collagen powder supplements are a great option too!

My go-to methods:

I enjoy taking my time and eating my meals however when I’m on the go or at work I opt for collagen powder supplements. I came across Sproos Up Your Skin & Hair brand a few months ago and this collagen supplement is an easy, flavoured powder that can be added to your drink. This specific supplement has marine collagen, hyaluronic acid, and zinc just to name a few ingredients best for tackling aging skin and inflammation.

Vitamin C

You know the saying – an apple a day keeps the doctor away. Well for me, it’s more of an orange.

The skin is comprised of two important layers. The first is the epidermal outer layer and the second, inner dermal layer that is responsible for strength and elasticity. Normal skin has balanced levels of Vitamin C in both layers of skin that stimulate collagen development (more on this later) and protection against UV rays.

It only makes sense to keep skin synthesis optimal. An extra boost of Vitamin C – whether it’s in creams, serums or food choices – it’s beneficial to forming important proteins in skin, blood vessels and healing wounds and scar tissue.

The best high Vitamin C food options are:

Fruits like mango, berries, papaya, watermelon, and kiwi. For vegetables, consider green and red peppers, broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, tomatoes and leafy greens.

As a side note, steaming or microwaving some of these vegetables is a better option as it reduces the amount of nutrients lost

My go-to methods:

It’s summer, it’s hot, and easy to get sweaty. I’m not a fan of Vitamin C pill/powder supplements and would opt for these fruits as mid day snacks or throwing a few of these vegetables in my lunches. Keeping it simple for this one.

Vitamin E

As a young teen, my mom bought my skin care products and would hand them over only after explaining why she chose the Vitamin E-based products.

Vitamin E is an antioxidant – meaning it prevents cell damage by removing harmful cells and radicals. This ingredient is important for accelerating the healing process of sun damage. It also has calming, anti-inflammatory properties which is why it’s found in most eye creams.

Best nutritional sources of Vitamin E are nuts and seeds (peanuts, almonds, sunflower seeds), spinach, avocado, Aloe Vera juice, olive oil and shrimp.

My go-to-methods:

I love trail mix and aloe vera juice- nuts are an easy snack to carry around and aloe vera juice is a great alternative to sugary drinks. There is a variety of foods from which you can obtain Vitamin E from. Choose whichever works for you.

Strengthen and heal your skin from the inside out. Small changes in your diet will go a long way. Like me, feel free to adopt these vitamins in your diet if you haven’t already and let me know what you think!

– Rasha

Peter Thompson Roth Pumpkin Enzyme Mask – A Review

So I recently bought the Peter Thompson Roth Mask Frenzy, and I thought it would be too long of a post to review all 6 in one. So I decided to separate them and post each over time. The first one I’m starting with is the Pumpkin Enzyme Mask.

This is what the Sephora website claims it does:

“What it is:
A powerful, triple-action exfoliator that uses aluminum oxide crystals, pumpkin enzymes, and an alpha hydroxy acid to reveal smooth, radiant skin.

Solutions for:
– Dullness and uneven texture
– uneven skin tone
– Pores

If you want to know more…
This powerful, triple-action, manual, chemical, and enzymatic exfoliating treatment addresses a dull, aging, and congested complexion in three ways: it exfoliates with pumpkin enzyme, reveals with alpha hydroxy acid, and polishes with aluminum oxide crystals. It also helps even the appearance of skin tone, smooth the look of fine lines and wrinkles, and clarify to reveal skin that looks smoother, younger, radiant, and revitalized.”

And let me tell you, it does just that! When I first put it on my face felt like it was burning off just because it was sloughing away all the dead skin cells. But that feeling went away pretty quickly.

It’s a gritty consistency, like an exfoliator, so when you wash it off you get some good exfoliation in there. Plus it smells amazing, like fall in a mask LOL.

It goes on pretty thin, it’s not like it’s a clay mask where you can see a thick layer of stuff on your face. Here’s a shot of what it looks like on the face.

And when I washed it off, my skin was absolutely GLOWING (and super smooth). I think my skin looks radiant here. I love love love this mask! As for helping with hyperpigmentation and uneven skin, I can’t really comment on that because I haven’t used it enough times. But only time will tell! I’ll be sure to keep you all updated.

New Skincare Goodies – Sarah

In the spirit of Christmas, obviously I had to treat myself to a present. I’ve been super into skincare lately and Sephora has a lot of really good value skin sets, so I couldn’t resist LOL.

My first and most favourite think I got was the Peter Thompson Roth mask sampler. These masks are so expensive on their own, and here you get 6 for less than $100! It was too good to pass up.

And the next item was an impulse buy. I bought the infamous watermelon sleeping mask that everyone has been raving about for a while. I’m interested to see if it’s as good as everyone says it is!

Keep in mind this is just a haul, but I plan to do reviews on each of these in the future!