Living Libations – Opulent eye cream

Another positive beauty product review because I only write about what I like.

All Seeing Opulent Eye Cream is my favourite eye cream to date. I’ve been using it for several months now on the advice of a knowing friend with beautiful skin. What’s a girl to do? I’m almost running out and I’ll make sure to re-order. Thought you’d like to know. You’re welcome!

WHAT IS IT?

Taken from their website…

All Seeing Opulent Eye Crème is a thick, rich, luxurious crème that effortlessly sinks into skin and is specially formulated to nourish the tender skin around the eyes. Dry skin, fine lines, and wrinkles will enjoy an influx of moisture with this caring crème.

WHAT’S IN IT?

All Seeing Opulent Eye Crème is made by whipping herb-infused Jojoba, Tamanu, Shea, Borage, and Avocado oils with refreshing Rosewater and Aloe Vera. We then infuse this mixture with an entire palette of nourishing essences to soothe and infuse the delicate skin around the eyes. Dry skin, fine lines, and wrinkles will enjoy an influx of moisture with this caring crème, which is perfect to wear under make-up (and may also be graced upon the entire face).

Featuring…

Cape Chamomile – Eriocephalus punctulatus

Cape Chamomile has a high content of rare ester and azulene compounds that impart a teal blue hue to soothe all manner of skin imbalances. This rejuvenating essence balances sebum and softens the appearance of scars, and spots.

Blue Tansy – Tanacetum annuum

The beautiful, blue-hued color of our All Seeing Eye Crème is thanks to an infusion of Blue Tansy oil. The high azulene content of this oil makes it prime and sublime for skincare. Blue Tansy has a deliciously sweet herbaceous aroma and enhances relaxation while soothing the appearance red, dry, or cracking skin.

Website:

https://ca.livinglibations.com/products/all-seeing-eye-creme

LINEUP:

beauty

Clarins Lip Perfector

I promised to share my favourite hydrating lip colour which I’ll make sure to keep in my stockpile of makeup essentials.

Clarins Natural Lip Perfector

It’s in between a gloss and a lipstick.

I went into my local Shoppers Drug Mart early this winter looking for a lip product to help soothe my chapped lips while adding colour and a bit of shine. The beautician pointed me directly to this product. I’ve been thankful to her ever since.

In Vancouver they also sell it at London Drugs (about $22).

I’ve always loved the Clarins line for skincare (my mom used to use it) but the makeup is something new to me. It does not disappoint if you want…

4-hour hydration
Radiant shine
A long lasting + nourishing product
Melting, non-sticky cream-gel texture
Addictive vanilla scent
Comforting cushion applicator
Key Ingredients: Shea Butter and Wild Mango to moisturize and condition lips
Something to wear alone, or to top off another lipstick with some added shine.

That’s why it was such a game changer when the Duchess of Cambridge was spotted with a beauty product in hand at Wimbledon. I swear I just saw this online before posting this and way after I bought the product. However let’s face it…if it’s good enough for royalty...it’s good enough for me.

Karwai Tang/Getty Images – Glamour Magazine.

I bought No’s 17 + 18. My favourites would be #16 – #19 (swatches shown above).

Have you tried these?

beauty

No ordinary company

Here’s something refreshingly abnormal…

Photo: d. king

An umbrella of brands focused on advanced functional beauty.

Recently I’ve been introduced to an abnormal beauty company through a beautiful friend of mine. Someone who’s advice I trust and who, like myself, has tried a lot of different skincare + makeup products. She lives in LA and orders her products online because the company resides in Canada Whaaat??

The company is called Deciem (inspired by the Latin word decima, which means “tenth”) – a Canadian company originating from Toronto. Deciem’s tagline is “The Abnormal Beauty Company.” The brand of products she’s referring to are called “the ordinary.” But the best thing about the ordinary is not ordinary at all, especially in the overpriced, over marketed beauty industry of today: the line is marketed with effective products at very reasonable prices. You had me at effective and reasonable.

Photo: d. king Store Location: South Granville, Vancouver.

Since I do not like to waste what I have not yet finished, I only bought three of their products for now – a surface hydration formula called “Natural Moisturizing Factors+HA, Hyaluronic Acid 2%+B5 and Retinol in Squalene (starts at 2% plus). The hyaluronic acid & retinol are in dropper bottles.

Allure Magazine has this to say: the company is shaping up to be a serious player in the beauty biz. Deciem’s portfolio of products includes affordable skincare, makeup, supplements, and haircare items designed to appeal to a wide audience, including millennial skin-care geeks, people who dabble in injectables, and beauty editors like me alike.

In an industry that’s often called out for dubious behavior, like misleading ads, indecipherable ingredient lists, and questionable claims, a refreshingly transparent beauty brand like Deciem naturally stands out.

I’m already hooked.

Here’s an article on the founder himself taken from Allure Magazine:

https://www.allure.com/story/everything-you-wanted-to-know-about-deciem#:~:text=Its%20unconventional%20founder%2C%20Brandon%20Truaxe,doesn’t%20operate%20like%20a

About the Company:

https://deciem.com/

Have you tried any of their products?

beauty

Don’t forget to wear your mask at night too

No, no; don’t worry…I’m not talking about that mask. It’s enough that we have to wear those masks everywhere as is. I’m talking about an overnight face/lip mask that’s like a breath of fresh air. One where you’ll wake up with much softer skin. Who wouldn’t love that?

One from a Korean luxury beauty company called Laneige. You should know that the Koreans are taking over as a leader for innovative beauty products. They’ve been quietly doing this for quite some time. They’re pretty darn good at making other things too, like cars for instance (which maybe are not so beautiful as much as they’re practical – but that’s another story).

LANEIGE is extremely popular throughout Asia. Meaning “the snow” in French, Laneige pursues water science as its philosophy to help women achieve a radiant, dewy complexion.

I first found out about this company when I went to choose my VIP birthday gift from Sephora this month. There were three different popular and useful sets to choose from. I think it’s safe to say that almost everyone who’s shopped at Sephora at one time or another is considered a VIP. And once you start racking up points there’s no turning back. But It’s a nice incentive on your birthday month and a chance to try different products. Otherwise I wasn’t wanting for anything. I already had full size products of their two other gift sets (former beauty junkie that I am was). So I went for the overnight masks since my skin is drier in winter. And I’m loving them. Especially the lip mask. I’m really picky with everything lip products as my lips are very dry and this one is one of the best I’ve ever tried. I’ll tell you about my favorite hydrating lip color another time.

LANEIGE Water Sleeping Mask

Recharge dehydrated skin while you sleep with this quick absorbing, deeply hydrating mask. Formulated with highly concentrated Hydro Ionized Mineral Water to deliver high doses of moisture to stressed, parched skin. Calming Sleepscent™, infused with orange flower, rose, and sandalwood provides a relaxing and comforting scent while apricot and evening primrose extracts helps visibly brighten and purify fatigued skin.

LANEIGE Lip Sleeping Mask

What is it? A leave-on lip mask that soothes and moisturizes for smoother, more supple lips. Lip Sleeping Mask has a softening balm texture that closely adheres to lips for quick absorption. Enriched with vitamin C and antioxidants, its Berry Mix Complex offers a nutritiously sweet and fragrant blend of raspberry, strawberry, cranberry, and blueberry extracts to indulge the senses. Very much like a smoothie for your lips.

btw I’m guilty of using this daytime too.

For more info visit:

https://www.laneige.com/

beauty, Girl Who Would be King

Beauty: Blueberry Exfoliant

Blueberries and Acai berries

are normally reserved for my smoothies, not my face. But this was a nice alteration.

I’m usually a bit skeptical of “too good to be true” deals but recently on a shopping trip to Washington State I stopped in at Trader Joe’s and found this little beauty. T.J’s Blueberry & Acai facial scrub is surprisingly effective, smells great and the price is right.

Essentially, it’s an antioxidant rich gentle exfoliant that helps to slough off dead skin cells and leave you feeling smooth and pampered. It also contains alpha-hydroxy acids, which is supposed to treat acne and improve the appearance of scars. I quite like it.

What It Claims To Do
Here’s what it says on the Trader Joe’s website: “While this Scrub is exfoliating, save for a few stray blueberry seeds and its very slight general graininess, it’s not really its texture that does the exfoliating—it’s the alpha-hydroxy acids, or AHAs. We also include colloidal oatmeal, shea butter, meadowfoam seed oil, and various plant extracts to soothe and pamper that beautiful mug of yours.”

Beauty Bonus: the break-up

My powder blush broke into a million pieces. What do I do?

Gather all of the broken pieces of makeup into its original container, and crush the whole thing up (even the parts that may not have broken). 2. Add a few drops of rubbing alcohol to the compact, and let it soak in. Use your finger (pre-wash hands of course), the back of a spoon, or anything, really, to rub and smooth down the makeup. Leave it overnight for best results. Apply.

Your welcome!

beauty, Girl Who Would be King

Beauty: BioActive Externals

Youthful and Ageless

Two key words that jump out to grab our attention in the packaging of many skincare lines. After all, we all strive to be youthful and ageless for as long as we can.

If we’re being true to ourselves we should know that we cannot rely on one miracle topical product to turn back the clock. But we keep hoping. I think even with *good genes the key ingredients to staying youthful is remaining curious, being active, refrain from stress (as much as humanly possible), eating and sleeping well, hydration and the bioactive externals like good clean skincare. Basically looking after yourself as well as you can because you’re all you’ve got! Keeping this in mind, and aside from my own products, I’m always open to checking out new and improved skincare regimes. I also love the ritual of applying them morning and night.

After having met and listened to Suzanne Somers promote her Suzanne Organics skincare line which is exclusively at Clark’s Nutrition in Rancho Mirage, Ca., I felt obliged to try a few products. If only because Suzanne is her own best testament to the products and philosophy behind them.

I’ve been using her ageless serum which is loaded with sea algae followed by her Bioactive Moisturizer which among other active natural ingredients is loaded with CoQ10, Argan (last year my sis brought Argan oil back from the Atlas mountains of Morocco for me) oil and sea buckthorn berry which acts as a superfood for your skin. Of course you have to eat whole food for your skin to look its very best but let’s just agree that the ingredient listing is excellent. It feels great on my face too. The whole collection is Toxic Free. The coco-mango body butter is my absolute favourite. Find out more at: link below

*Having good genes doesn’t mean you’ll live longer, it just means you’ll look better doing it.

https://www.suzannesomers.com/

BENEFITS:

 Formula uses only pure, organic ingredients

 No animal testing

 No synthetic fragrances

 Beech Tree Bud Extract supports the skin cells. This organic extract moisturizes the skin and assists in the look of wrinkle reduction by supporting the skin

 Argan Oil is one of the rarest oils in the world, this desert plant restores moisture so skin can survive dry climates, such as air-conditioning or heating

 Just as this plant protects itself from the desert heat, the oil from the tree’s fruit helps our skin to be protected from the elements.

 Sea Buckthorn Berry is a rare plant that contains essential fatty acids, Omega 3,6,7 and 9! Our skin loves these essential fatty acids and to find all of these essential fatty acids in one plant is remarkable

AND MORE…

If you’ve been fortunate enough to try her line I’d like your comments.

beauty, Girl Who Would be King

Polished Beauty

Beauty with a Purpose – from Cult Favorite Skincare Label Tatcha

It’s something that was sent to me in the new Box of Style – second go around for Spring. I don’t have to go out looking for new product, it now comes to me and keeps on getting better. I’m happy that it’s an exfoliant with a history and a mission to empower women, as well as make them look well, more polished shall we say?

What it is: a non-abrasive, water-activated enzyme exfoliant with rice bran and licorice, so even those with dry skin can use it. Which helps to encourage cell turnover, lighten the appearance of dark spots, prevent breakouts or clogged pores, and prepare the skin for any treatments to follow.

Founder Victoria Tsai’s Mission Statement

“When I thought of geisha, I had always pictured them with their iconic white makeup. When I met them in person, I realized that underneath that makeup is baby-soft, smooth, luminous skin. Caring for their skin is part of their artistry, passed down and honed through generations. Their rituals and ingredients are timeless and beautiful—they view skin as a brilliant organ, able to care for itself with a little bit of gentle cleansing and nourishment. I fell in love with this approach and wanted to pay homage in creating Tatcha.”

Western Vs. Eastern

“Western skincare is a lot like Western medicine, using drugs to treat an issue after the fact. Eastern skincare is like Eastern medicine, focused on prevention and keeping the body in balance to avoid disease before it starts. Classical Japanese beauty rituals were born from the geisha’s rituals, which are natural, elegant and spare. Even with elaborate performance makeup, her ritual is no more than four steps: melt away her makeup, polish, plump and nourish skin. The ingredients follow the same philosophy, with streamlined formulas of active ingredients, minimally manipulated to their most efficacious form. Whether it’s oil from a camellia flower, steamed wild rose or brewed green tea, each ingredient serves a purpose.”

Why Choose Tatcha

“We develop every formula and our key active ingredients from scratch in-house with some of the most famous skincare scientists in the world, like a couture dress. The ingredients are pure and clean because of our classical Japanese heritage and because I was pregnant when we were beginning our R&D and needed a collection that is body-, animal- and earth-friendly. Finally, we believe that beauty begins in the heart and the mind. We have a 1:1 partnership with Room to Read: Every full-size skincare purchase funds a day of school for a girl in a developing country. Thanks to amazing clients and friends like Rachel Zoe, we have funded over 1 million days of school and counting.”

Have you tried it? What exfoliant are you using and/or recommend?

photos/story: Zoe Report