Currently Obsessed: Nivea’s Creme Care Facial Cleansing Wipes

I don’t think I will ever not be obsessed with makeup wipes. They’re convenient and easy to use. Although I have so many makeup-removing methods to choose from melting cleansers to soaked cotton squares…nothing does the trick like wipes.

Must haves: Easy Makeup Removal

Everyone has their preferred beauty removal method. I've tried them all from foams, cleansing oils and liquid removers. They're all good but nothing can never compare to makeup wipes.

If you're like me and wears up to 4x coats of mascara, it's a good idea to use a wipe to get everything off before you wash your face.

Yes it's an extra step.. but its worth it.

Since I only wear mascara/liner daily, I rip the wipes in half so I don't waste them.

Check out the four.. Yes four wipes that I can't get enough of!

Simple Kind To Skin Cleansing Facial Wipes ($6.99 to $9.99 CAN)
Super soft
Works on sensitive skin
Little to no scent
Vitamins in the formula
Removes waterproof mascara

Olay Fresh Effects {As Fresh As New} Exfoliating Wet Cloths ($9.99 CAN)

Two sides- soft/exfoliating
Light scent
Honeysuckle and white tea essence
Dermatologist-tested and won't clog your pores 

Kosmea Australia Facial cleansing wipes ($14.99 CAN)
Super soft
Biodegradable
Rose hip, olive oil and soothing aloe vera

Olay Fresh Effects (S'Wipe Out!) Refreshing Makeup Removal Cloths ($9.99 CAN)

Super soft

Little to no scent

Olay moisture and vitamin e 

Removes waterproof mascara

Do you have a favourite brand of makeup wipes?

Guest Post: ECOTOOLS Polishing Cleansing Cloths

I cannot emphasize enough how important it is to thoroughly cleanse your face every night whether you are a heavy makeup wearer or not. I typically double cleanse. First, I remove my makeup with a makeup wipes followed by a cleansing balm/oil and then a regular cleanser using just my hands.

Regular thorough cleansing:

• Is essential to keeping your skin looking radiant and healthy.
• Helps your treatments (serums, oils, etc) to work properly
• Helps maintain proper pore size
• Encourages proper skin hydration and prevents the production of excess oils

While makeup wipes have been my tried and true tool for removing that first layer oil makeup, oil, dirt of the day, cost wise they can add up and they can be wasteful for the environment - especially when you are using more than one wipe every night (like I do) to get the job done.

Enter my discovery of ECOTOOLS Polishing Cleansing Cloths.

New Spiced Beauty Contributor: Alyssa

I love switching it up and giving other beauty lovers a platform to share what they love. I approached Alyssa a while back to contribute to Spiced Beauty. She's a young- future MUA who definitely knows her stuff. Check out what she has to say about beauty!

Why did you want to contribute to Spiced Beauty?
About a year ago I was on twitter and I was searching for makeup artists in the Toronto area. I came across @JennMUA also known as the founder of spicedbeauty.com and started reading her blog often. I loved her positive reviews and the products she shared with her readers.
Months later, we started messaging each other and I told her I want to be a makeup artist and in the business field. She then offered me to be a guest contributor to her blog. I was honoured, and of course I had to take the offer. I knew this was a great opportunity for me to take, and I was praying for something like this to happen for a very long time. I definitely look forward to working with Spiced Beauty and providing her readers with reviews and swatches.

Favourite Canadian Beauty Brand?
I’d have to say Lise Watier and Annabelle.

Liquid, pencil or gel eye liners?
Liquid eyeliners for sure. No doubt about it.

Tip to get the perfect eyeliner?
Looking down into a mirror and resting your elbow on a flat surface can help keep your hand from shaking. You can also do the tape trick; just make sure to put the tape on the front of your hand so that it removes the majority of the stickiness because the skin around the eye is very sensitive.

Lipsticks or Gloss?
Lipsticks for sure. They last a lot longer, have more pigmentation and are not as sticky.

My ideal mascara is...
I like something that gives me volume and length, preferably in waterproof. My current favourite is the Maybelline The Rocket Volum’ Mascara. For days when I want longer, eye-widening lashes; I use Lancome’s Hypnose Doll Lashes Mascara.


My favourite make up remover ...
I use both solutions and wipes to remove my makeup. For days when I’m wearing a full face makeup, I like to use the MAC Cleanse Off Oil. It makes it a lot easier to break up mascara on my lashes. To my oily ladies out there; don’t be afraid of this product! The particles in oil are too big to clog your pores.
When I only have makeup on my eyes and lips, I use Neutrogena’s Hydrating Towelettes. It works great with my dry skin and it can even handle waterproof mascara! Both removers are tough on my makeup, but gentle on the skin and do not leave my face feeling oily or soapy.

My skin care routine ...
I have finally found a skin care routine that actually works for my dry skin. In the morning, I splash my face with cold water and cleanse my face with Purity by Philosophy. Then I apply a very small amount of my favourite product ever; coconut oil. It’s popular in the West Indian culture and my whole family uses it every day. It nourishes the skin, hydrates, and fades away dark spots. It’s amazing. I don’t like having that oily feeling to my skin when I put on my foundation, so I apply my favourite moisturizer which is currently the Cetaphil Ultra Hydrating Lotion.
In the nighttime I do the same routine, but I first remove my makeup with the same Neutrogena wipes I mentioned before, and I don’t put on the Cetaphil lotion. Once a week I use my St. Ives Apricot scrub to exfoliate my skin at night.

Curly or straight hair?
I prefer straight hair; however curly hair is really nice for those days when you want to feel more dolled up.

How many lip products do you have in your purse/makeup bag?
I have 4 in my makeup bag and I just found 1 more at the bottom of my purse. So 5 in total. They are: Vaseline Lip Therapy, Revlon lip butter in Pink Truffle, MAC Spirit lipstick & Whirl lipliner and a Buxom lipgloss in Mwah.

Neutrogena Skin Care Talk- Why is it important to remove your makeup at night

I love trying new makeup brands. When Neutrogena reached out to me, I thought it would be a great opportunity to speak about skincare. Especially when the brand is #1 Dermatologist recommended. Toronto dermatologist, Dr. Paul Cohen answered a few of my questions regarding the importance of a night time makeup removal regime. 

1. Why is it important to remove your makeup at night?
When you go to bed with makeup, you are setting yourself up for clogged pores and in turn, a breakout. Why? Because your skin doesn’t have a chance to breathe and recover. Your skin is covered in pores, and those pores not only allow us to sweat, but pores also allow us to secrete sebum. Sebum is a waxy lubricant that helps moisturize and protect skin, and it also helps remove dead skin cells and other irritants from pores in the process. By leaving makeup on, it clogs pores and prevents sebum from doing its job -- instead, the sebum builds up, which can cause acne. My recommendation, if you know you are going out and will come home too tired to go through your normal routine, keep makeup removing wipes by your bed. I recommend Neutrogena All-in-One Makeup Removing Cleansing Wipes.

2. Should I use a different remover for eyes, face and lips?
You don’t necessarily have to use different make-up removers for eyes, face and lips – you can use the same one. The eyes can be more sensitive than the rest of your face, so you may want to use a different remover.

3. What is a good night time regime? (cleanser..toner..etc)
My recommendation is wash, medicate, moisturize! Cleanser, toner, exfoliant, treatment, moisturizer would be my suggested regimen.

Shop the post here:

Double Cleansing: Do you need Micellar water?

I wasn’t always a micellar water fan. Back in the day I’d use it but hated how I still felt a light waxy film on my face from it. Or how much it burned my eyes!! 

Well several formulations later...It’s a important part of my double cleanse routine. 

My routine has changed but a lot of the products I wear now are long-lasting and smudge-proof. Cleanser and water doesn’t always get it all off in one shot.

Even when I’m exhausted... I don’t skip steps because at this age I can’t risk pimples. 

Here are some Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water products -
I was recently gifted to take my make up removal techniques to the next level.

Vichy Normaderm Hyaluspot

When you go on vacation you can only bring a selected amount of items in your suitcase. I only had 45 pound allowance. One thing I left out was most of my skin care. I made sure to bring makeup wipes, cleanser plus a high spf moisturizer. Although I was only gone for seven days when I came back one side of my face was a mess. It was the perfect time to use my Vichy Normaderm Hyaluspot treatment ($21.00 CDN).

Its advanced formula with hyaluronic acid creates an invisible "bandage effect" on the surface to protect against external agents. Salicylic acid and LHA, recognised dermatological ingredients, act at the source of the imperfections.

The consistency is a gel. I have been using it consistently on and off for two weeks and I really like the quick results. It's non-comedogenic and it does not irritate my sensitive skin.
When my blemishes dries up there is no dark marks after.

Apply directly on the imperfections in the morning and at night on cleansed skin or on top of your moisturizer. If you want to apply makeup on top, wait a few minutes until the skin surface is dry.

Vacations Must Haves: Dove, Korres & Tend Skin

As I pack, I think it would be best to document it!

It may help someone who has to pack for a trip soon or for myself in the future.

Here are three essentials that NEED to be in your suitcase if your taking a trip to the Caribbean. 

I usually try to bring trial sizes but these are the exceptions. 

Beauty Review: BeautySoClean™

Thanks to Linda over at myprettypinkbox.com I have had the opportunity to review July's MPBB promo.

As scary as this sounds bacteria can grow on your make up.... Unfortunately that means you can get pink eye, cold sores and other nasty stuff I don't even want to talk about...

This is where BeautySoClean™ comes in!!

BeautySoClean™ is a revolutionary line of cosmetic sanitizing products;
a new beauty care regimen developed by professional makeup artists with an innovative system that effectively cleans, rejuvenates and removes bacteria from cosmetic products without altering the makeup in any way.

I personally feel like you don't have to be a make up artist to enjoy this product! Sanitizing our is almost NEVER talked about! It's one of the most important parts to keeping us beautiful :)

I would give this product 5/5 stars because it has made my day soo much easier! It's the perfect size, so I can throw it in my traincase, make up bag or purse. I swap on makeupalley and having BeautySoClean™ allows me to sanitize everything I have on the spot!

**Of course I had to get some HD pictures for you too see how amazing this product is!!**

I got the spray and wipes.

The wipes are small and convenient!

The wipes are perfect for lipsticks,pencils,lipsticks..

How does it work?

Spray: Spray 15 cm away from powder based products.

I also use mine on my brushes and lip products!!
Wipe: Wipe gently to sanitizeAre you still NOT convinced??
Check out my quick video on BeautySoClean™

Re- POST: Beauty So Clean

Thanks to Linda over at myprettypinkbox.com I have had the opportunity to review July's MPBB promo.

As scary as this sounds bacteria can grow on your make up.... Unfortunately that means you can get pink eye, cold sores and other nasty stuff I don't even want to talk about...

This is where BeautySoClean™ comes in!!

BeautySoClean™ is a revolutionary line of cosmetic sanitizing products;
a new beauty care regimen developed by professional makeup artists with an innovative system that effectively cleans, rejuvenates and removes bacteria from cosmetic products without altering the makeup in any way.

I personally feel like you don't have to be a make up artist to enjoy this product! Sanitizing our is almost NEVER talked about! It's one of the most important parts to keeping us beautiful :)

I would give this product 5/5 stars because it has made my day soo much easier! It's the perfect size, so I can throw it in my traincase, make up bag or purse. I  swap on makeupalley and having BeautySoClean™ allows me to sanitize everything I have on the spot!

**Of course I had to get some HD pictures for you too see how amazing this product is!!**

I got the spray and wipes.

The wipes are small and convenient!

The wipes are perfect for lipsticks,pencils,lipsticks..

How does it work?

Spray: Spray 15 cm away from powder based products.

I also use mine on my brushes and lip products!!
Wipe: Wipe gently to sanitizeAre you still NOT convinced??
Check out my quick video on  BeautySoClean™

Is Double Cleansing for you?

After a good girls night or a fun date night to muster up the energy to take off your make up is non-existent. In my younger days, I do remember nights not taking off my make up. Please don’t judge me! Thankfully, I had amazing skin that time so it did not impact me.

There are many ways to fully get your make up off which unfortunately do take up time... but honestly it’s worth it. One thing, I will never give up on is make up wipes. But I'm going to be honest, that there are some wipes that do not fully do the job in one wipe. Those CHEAP ones that are ALWAYS on SALE! Stay away from them. Most of the time, those cheaper wipes only get off the first layer of make up. What about your sunscreen, primer, moisturizer or serum? There is still residue left over. Don't leave me- wet a rag and wipe your face.

So here is where double cleansing comes into play...

Biore Daily Cleansing Cloths Review

One of the goodies I got from the TBB event was the Biore Daily Cleansing cloths. I have a lot of cleansing products but a good package of wipes can make anyone's life easier.

These pre-moistened portable cloths provide gentle exfoliating action that cleans deep down to the pores to give you an essential daily dose of exfoliation and recharge skin anytime, anywhere leaving it feeling vibrant and glowing. Clinically proven to remove dirt, oil and make-up – even waterproof mascara – with no greasy residue. 

When I come home from a night out, I need a quick alternative to cut down steps to get to bed. The first I do is rip the cloths in half. Since I use them on my eyes there is no need to waste a whole cloth. Then I gently press the cloth on my lid to "breakdown" the makeup. Then I wipe it off.

Pro:

Alcohol-free

Quick

Not messy

Thick cloth

Nice scent

Con:

Doesn't take off all my waterproof makeup

 Conclusion

It gets most of the makeup off but will never replace my daily routine. Since there is more pros then cons I would recommend this product. 

Ladies have you tried these cloths before?

 

Must have Product: Cover Fx-Clean Fx Makeup Cleansing Mousse

You guys remember when I told you about my Coverfx: Drench the Skin You're In event experience last month. I want to share with you my must have product from CoverFX right now!

Hello Cover Fx-Clean Fx Makeup Cleansing Mousse

This alcohol- and oil-free facial cleanser removes long-wearing and water-resistant makeup thoroughly yet gently while hydrating, toning and softening the skin. The travel-friendly formula, ideal for sensitive skin, can be used with or without water for rinsing.

I have had cleansing milks, wipes and oil free cleansers in the past..but THIS... this is something beyond amazing. I could totally rant and rave but I think it's best if I show you what this mousse can do!

I applied waterproof pencil eyeliner to my arm and let it dry. Then I squirted a small amount of mousse on a cotton pad.

I applied the pad to my arm and let it soak in for about 20 to 30 seconds. Then I wiped the mousse off in ONE swipe. I did not wipe or wash my arm and there is absolutely no residue at all!

Here is cotton pad to show the residue of the waterproof pencil.

 I don't need I need to stress how great this product is! The pictures speak for themselves :D

Extra information:

What else you need to know: PETA approved. Dermatologist tested. Ph balanced. Free of soap, fragrance, and colorant.

You can purchase this product from Sephora, SDM, select The Bay, Murale, Coverfx.com, Harvey Nichols and House of Fraser in the UK .

Olay 4-In-1 Daily Facial Cloths

I really don't understand people who can go to sleep with their makeup on. 

#1- It damages your skin 

#2-  There so many easy ways to remove in less than 3 mins.

I'm a wipes girl. I love how easy it is! 

Wipe your face, wash off and after that apply your night cream.

 The one thing I can say about certain brands is that they are a little bit to dry. Especially now that we are in the whole waterproof/sweatproof resistant make up era. So when these new Olay 4-In-1 Daily Facial Cloths showed up at my door, I knew instantly that I would fall in love. 

They are designed to remove dirt, makeup and oil while gently conditioning skin, these cloths cleanse and hydrate skin in one easy step Super easy to use- just wet them, rub together to lather, cleanse and then rinse. For people like me who do not wear foundation, try cutting them in into four squares. 

Why waste a full one if you don't need to. 

 These wipes are very gentle and they smell good. 

If you see them in store, I'd recommend that you pick it up!

#BESTBEAUTIFUL

I am a Beauty United influencer. As part of my affiliation with this group I receive products and special access to P&G events. The opinions on this blog are my own.

HUGE IMATS Toronto Haul

I got three yes.. three Royal & Langnickel brush sets. First I got the 20 piece and a travel brush set. After debating I had to get another travel set because it's amazing!

These brushes are sturdy and there also labeled. This set will be added to my kit. I'm excited to use my first fan brush : D

Here is a close up of the Travel brushes. Double ended and FAB! This set gets thumbs up for having an amazing blending brush in it. Also there is a pocket with a zipper on the side.. So far I fit a mascara,liner, udpp & eyeshadow in there. It's like my little emergency kit LOL

I decided to get a makeup setting spray from Graftobian. This spray is waterproof,smudgeproof & moistureproof. In other words your makeup isn't going ANYWHERE!! This is great for long days.

Kett Setting powder for a perfect HD finish. Plus it works for ALL skintones. Don`t let it fool you just because it`s white.

I won a Purely Cosmetics Diamond Powder Perfect Finish Powder from Enkore. I read on the website that it's similar to MUFE HD powder. Can't wait to try it out!

Im excited to be able to really try out NYX! I have a few shadows but that`s it. I`ve dreamt about trying Black Bean forever! Smokey eyes here I come lol..

Also that bright blue liner would be GORGEOUS with a nude or fuchsia lip! I think that will be my next FOTD.

This OCC liptar needs no introduction. I`m happy that I got to swatch them and feel the actual consistency before I purchased.  I got Strumpet which is described as a red seedless grape... HOT!

Surprisingly I didn't get ANY brushes from Crown. I decided to get the 28 palette I have been eyeing for a while. Also an empty 28 palette is perfect whenever you`re in a depotting mood!

I really needed some beautysoclean for my kit and myself. This purchase showed me that shopping around is key. I went to one both and it was being sold for 14.95 with tax. I have nooo idea why I didn't buy but I`m happy I waited! I went to the alcone booth and they were 2 for 15.00 NO TAX. Score :) Plus she threw in a whole bunch of wipes.

Love this picture! Brushes and more brushes. I got a pack from rubber mascara brushes from Nigel Beauty Emporium. Also a lovely pencil brush I got from Cici fashion brush. Pencil brushes are great to deposit color evenly in your crease.

The ever so popular MUFE smoky lash. I`ve heard nothing but amazing things about this soo I had to try it :)

Also the brow corrector was a must! Its waterproof and will last me a VERY long time.




This was the greatest purchase at IMATS.On Sunday right before IMATS ended Evepearl announced that all lip products were $5.00! I got to the booth late but I managed to snag two great lip colors. The first one is called Vampire Kiss & the secondone is called Wet kisses.




This Faceatelier product was picked personally for me by Debbie the President & CEO. This color is gorgeous on it's own or ontop of a lipstick

Ladies: Please let me know if you want any reviews or swatches on any of these products!

I hope you all enjoyed my huge haul! I have a lot of pictures that I will be put into a flickr stream soon. For now enjoy these great pics.