This week I'm obsessed with... The Face Shop Rice Ceramide Collection!

The Face Shop is helping you fight the ravages of cold weather on your skin with moisturizing skin care containing eco-friendly mineral-enriched, gently exfoliating rice extract and rice bran, from pristine Yeoju in South Korea, and ceramide to help skin retain moisture. 

 

Available in the collection:

Rice & Ceramide Moisturizing Toner - 150ml - $12 - gently balances and moisturizes dry skin with a toner that feels like an essence and provides superb moisture to the face. 

 

Rice & Ceramide Moisturizing Emulsion - 150ml - $12 - a water-based lotion with a milky, non-sticky texture and a semi-liquid consistency that replenishes moisture instantly and gets even more moisturizing as the time passes. 

 

Rice & Ceramide Moisturizing Cream - 50ml - $13 - helps give skin a visibly translucent and healthy glow while gently moisturizing dry skin.

 

The products are all non-irritating and contain the key ingredients of rice extract and rice bran oil - to help moisturize and nourish skin while gently exfoliating; and nano ceramide water –- to help naturally accelerate the absorption of moisture and strengthen the moisture barrier to prevent moisture loss - and are free from 4 potentially harmful additives: paraben, tar, mineral oil and talc.

 

Mix and match them in whatever way works for your skin - extra dry skin will love the cream layered of the emulsion for an extra boost of moisture!

 

Available at The Face Shop stores across Canada and online at avon.ca.

 

- Lisamarie -

This week I'm obsessed with... Fenty Beauty The Navy Collection 5-Piece Lip, Eye + Accessories Set

Looking for something to help beat that post-holiday letdown and winter blues - let Rihanna cheer you up with:

 

Fenty Beauty The Navy Collection 5-Piece Lip, Eye + Accessories Set - $74

A limited-edition set of Navy Crew essentials featuring: 

 

Wish You Wood Longwear Pencil Eyeliner in a set-exclusive shade - My Navy - with an intense pigment, high-performance longwear formula that lasts all day and features an airtight cap to keep the waterproof formula fresh and a sharpenable tip for precise application that is sweat-, fade-, smudge- and transfer-resistant;

 

Take it all to go in a never-before-seen makeup bag and mirror designed by LA Artist, Obi Arisukwu;

and my fave items from the set: Fenty Icon The Fill: Semi-Matte Refillable Lipstick in bestselling shade, The MVP - with a creamy, semi-matte finish and high pigment with a lightweight feel. Packed with moisture-plumping hyaluronic acid and conditioning vitamins C & E along with lip-loving amino acid technology for a plush texture and is completed with the Fenty Icon The Case in a set-exclusive colour - The Navy Edition - and it looks totally amazing with the lipstick which is the perfect red!

Available now while it lasts at fentybeauty.com and sephora.ca. 

- Lisamarie -

Fragrant Friday - Korres Black Sugar

Looking for something sweet to start off your New Year's with? How about...

 

Korres Black Sugar - 50ml EDT - $65 - an amber vanilla scent with top notes of Oriental lily, caramel and heliotrope; heart notes of rose, black sugar and Brazilian rosewood; and base notes: amber, vanilla bean and tonka bean and musk.

I believe overall the Korres scents are meant to be unisex but this is a very feminine fragrance and not something I would want to be smelling on my husband - but if you like your man to smell sweet then go for it! I love a vanilla scent personally and this is one of the better ones that I've smelled in a long time - nothing cloying about it thanks to a musky undertone that saves it from girly-sweet into something sexy - and it has some great staying power!

There is also a matching body wash and butter if you like to layer.

 

Available online at korres.ca.

 

- Lisamarie -

Fragrant Friday - easy ways to choose a fragrance from Shoppers Drug Mart and Wikiparfum!

Whether you are still doing some last minute shopping or looking for a New Year's fragrance for yourself, you can't go wrong with:

 

Shoppers Beauty Women's Luxe Fragrance Discovery Collection - $115 - includes deluxe samples of 7 sensational fragrances and once you try them all and pick the one you like best you can use the certificate inside to get a full-size bottle! 

 

Choices include: Marc Jacobs Perfect 5ml, Chloe Signature 5ml, Gucci Bloom 5ml, Versace Bright Crystal 5ml, Lancôme La Vie Est Belle 4.5ml, Ariana Grande Cloud 2.0 Intense 7.5ml and Juicy Couture Oui 5ml.

 

Available at Shoppers Drug Mart stores across Canada - I've still seen them in store but they are sold out on the website so I don't imagine there will be any left in the stores for long! And there is also a men's version just in case you need to re-smell the man in your life!

Or if you want to skip the set but need some fragrance help? Then you are going to love yourself some Wikiparfum - an encyclopedia for perfume lovers created with the aim of helping you find your perfect scent! You can use it to search for thousands of perfumes by brand or name and immerse yourself into the world of scent with expert content by professional perfumers and scientists. You can also create a scent profile with the notes that you love the most and it will recommend fragrances containing them - helping take some of the guess work out of standing in front of the daunting fragrance wall trying to figure out which scent you might like!

Discover, learn and become an expert at wikiparfum.com.

- Lisamarie -

Great Gifting - Alterna Haircare Hair Care Holiday Gift Sets

Alterna Haircare, known for their transformative formulas based on the science of skincare is offering up 5 limited-edition hair care sets containing a luxurious cleaning and conditioning system paired with a complimentary styling gift - and in such a pretty box, no additional gift wrapping needed! The perfect gift for the hair lover in your life or to revive your own holiday tired locks:

 

My newest fave: CAVIAR Anti-Aging - Restructuring Bond Repair Holiday Set - $94.00 -  Featuring a new formula with sustainably sourced Maracuja Oil, clinically proven to reduce breakage & split ends by up to 99% with exclusive Caviar Bond Enforcing Technology that helps mend damaged strands to restore hair to its healthiest look & feel. Best for weak/damaged hair. Includes a free gift of Caviar Professional Styling Rapid Blowout Balm.

 

You won't believe how soft and smooth your hair will feel after just a week or two of using - split ends? what the heck are those?!

 

My Hair. My Canvas. Holiday Set - $86.00 - a gentle vegan moisturizing shampoo & conditioner that enhances shine, adds smoothness and improves manageability. For most hair types. Includes a free gift of Any Way Texture Spray - a vegan texturizing spray for effortless natural waves, frizz-fighting & humidity protection for up to 24 hours. 

 

CAVIAR Anti-Aging - Smoothing Anti-Frizz Holiday Set - $94.00 - effortlessly control the level of humidity affecting your hair with a blend of Caviar extract and nourishing oils. Best for medium to thick hair. Includes a free gift of Caviar Professional Styling Rapid Blowout Balm.

CAVIAR Anti-Aging - Multiplying Volume Holiday Set - $94.00 - create instant volume and thickness with the help of the unique Marine Plumping Complex. Best for fine, thin hair. Includes a free gift of  Caviar Professional Styling Rapid Blowout Balm.

 

CAVIAR Anti-Aging - Replenishing Moisture Holiday Set - $94.00 - infuse your moisture-starved strands with outstanding manageability, shine and texture to achieve youthful and healthy locks. Best for dry and brittle hair. Includes a free gift of Caviar Professional Styling Rapid Blowout Balm.

 

Available at Sephora stores across Canada and online at sephora.ca.

 

- Lisamarie -

Fragrant Friday - Carolina Herrera Good Girl and Bad Boy: Gold Fantasy

For the holidays, Carolina Herrera has taken the Good Girl and Bad Boy fragrances we love so much and dipped them in gold to offer up a gilded collector's edition bottle.

 

For this limited release, the emblematic Good Girl high-heeled shoe and Bad Boy lightning bolt bottles are both entirely doused in perfectly polished gold. With the stiletto getting an added layer of glistening paillettes on the toe to really make it sparkle!

The perfect holiday gift for that golden girl or boy in your life (which also might of course be you)!

Good Girl 80ml EDP Natural Spray - $165

Bad Boy EDT Natural Spray - $132

Available while they last at Hudson's Bay, Shopper Drug Mart, Jean Coutu stores across Canada and online at Sephora.ca.

- Lisamarie -

All the best in Vitamin C serums that won't break the bank from Marcelle, Stratia and Skin Republic!

Vitamin C is a powerhouse skin care ingredients that you really need more of in your life. Not only does it do all the wonderful things that you would want - hydrate, brighten, promote collagen production, help fade hyperpigmentation, protect against sun damage - it is also totally compatible with other skin care actives, so you can add it to your routine without having to take anything away that you might already love. Of course the downside to vitamin C products is that the ones that work best can also often be expensive - totally worth it, but not in everyone's budget - so here are a few of my faves that won't break the bank:

 

Marcelle 10% Vitamin C + Probiotic Serum - 30ml - $39.99 - with a unique clean formula that combines the antioxidant power of vitamin C with the soothing benefits of probiotics to improve the skin's natural glow, even skin tone and help reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.

 

The formula contains 10% stabilized Vitamin C which helps to smooth the skin and revive its radiance along with probiotics to strengthen the skin's microbiome and protect the skin barrier, restore the skin's instinctive defense and enhance the resilience of sensitive skin for a complexion that is radiant and bright.

 

I especially like the dropper format that it comes in which makes it very easy to control the amount of product used and absolutely no weird vitamin C smells!

Available at drug and mass retailers across Canada.

Stratia C+C Serum - 30ml - $25 - a silky smooth, water-free formula that brightens, smooths and firms skin with a daily antioxidant boost featuring 15% vitamin C to brighten; ascorbic acid to help prevent premature aging by neutralizing free radicals caused by UV damage and pollution; ascorbyl tetraisopalmitate, an oil-soluble vitamin C derivative that fights free radicals and brightens skin tone; and CoQ10 to promote healthy, youthful skin.

 

Available online at https://www.stratiaskin.com/products/cc-serum

Skin Republic Vitamin C 6% + Alpha Arbutine Brightening Serum - 30ml - $20 - helps visibly even pigmentation and reduce the visible appearance of dark spots, leaving skin with a bright and luminous complexion. 

 

Available at Shoppers Drug Mart stores across Canada and online at beauty.shoppersdrugmart.ca and theskinrepublic.ca.

- Lisamarie -

This week I'm obsessed with... Olay Regenerist Hyaluronic + Peptide 24 Hydrating Gel!

The cold weather is back (boo!) and my skin sure is feeling it so this is the time of year that I switch my summer/fall serum up for a full-on moisturizer. My skin is picky of course and wants moisture that isn't too much moisture - so I find a hydrating gel is usually the way to go - and this one doesn't disappoint!

 

Olay Regenerist Hyaluronic + Peptide 24 Hydrating Gel - 50ml - $44.99 - with a fragrance-free, hydrating and clean gel formula that feels smooth and absorbs quickly, penetrating up to 10 surface layers of the skin, with no sticky or tacky feeling so it can be worn seamlessly under makeup.

 

The formula is chock-full of hyaluronic acid along with niacinamide and peptides for instant hydration that lasts 24 hours, visibly healthier-looking skin after 2 weeks and supple and radiant skin that glows after a month! 

 

Also available in the collection is a Serum ($44.99), Eye Cream ($44.99) and Cleanser ($15.99)

 

And if you are looking to try it out or to gift it to a bestie whose skin needs a good drink there is a great gift set at Shoppers Drug Mart that includes the cleanser and moisturizer for $55.99!

Available now at drugstores across Canada.

- Lisamarie -