Beauty Haul and Impressions :)

Aloha everyone!

So this is just a mini haul I have to share with you guys and although there isn't a ton of stuff, I have a lot to say . . . So grab yourself a snack and get comfortable!

Macadamia Rejuvenating Shampoo

Marc Anthony Macadamia Oil Conditioner / Macadamia Oil Treatment

I just recently purchased these products, because I decided I couldn't afford my other hair care routine products anymore. I had been using "Wen," which you can purchase online and through their infomercial offers, but I had actually went into a Showcase store in a mall close to where I live and got it on sale, so I decided to give it a whirl. I didn't actually have too high of expectations, because I'm pretty skeptical with hair products. When I was a teenager I was always bleaching and down right ruining my hair - my hair stylist says I'm even lucky to have hair these days - so really nothing had ever given me that soft, light, bouncy "salon" feel to my hair until I tried Wen. That stuff is absolutely off the wall amazing. It literally repaired my hair from it's dead state to a soft, gorgeous looking "oh my god let me pet your hair," hair. When you buy it you receive two big bottles of the shampoo, an intensive hair mask, a comb for the shower, a texture balm and a styling gel. The other down side to the product is how expensive it is for the amount you have to use each wash. Unfortunately I had to make the decision to search for a comparable hair care routine regime. So, I researched a few products and the Macadamia Oil won my vote.

I don't actually think the Marc Anthony conditioner goes with this shampoo, but it works well together so I'm not going to search for the proper one now. The shampoo is alright, it's really not my favourite smell, nor does it do wonders for my hair on it's own but when I use the oil treatment conditioner in combination with it, my hair is pretty bouncy, light and mostly tangle free. The conditioner smells AMAZING, so I find myself doing several hair flips throughout the day just to get a good sniff of it ha. I find that my hair has dried out a little bit since switching to these, but I do still have a lot of my Wen hair mask left as well as a L'oreal Arginine hair mask to use up, so hopefully those will moisturize my hair a little better than the shampoo/conditioner. All in all, I will keep using these products until someone recommends me something even better that won't break my bank. They aren't terrible by any means, they just aren't a miracle product. 

I actually haven't used the Macadamia Oil Treatment on my hair yet as I just bought it yesterday, but today will be the first day to use it and I'm super excited. It is also from Marc Anthony so it smells identical to the conditioner. I have heard a lot of people raving about oil treatments, so we'll see if I jump on the band wagon or if I have to go on a rant about it. Stay tuned!

Soap and Glory Righteous Body Butter for very dry skin

Soap and Glory Clean Girls Body Wash

Soap and Glory Hand Food

I cannot stress enough how much I love Soap and Glory products. I am the type of person who has a billion different body butters, hand creams, scents and body washes stored away in their room. Whenever I buy a new body products I'm always like "oh my god, this is the best thing I have ever used, it works like magic, blah blah blah," then a few days after I just quit using it because it's not doing what I want it to do anymore. When you walk into my room and look at my makeup and beauty product storage you'll see a basket dedicated to every day body cream uses / favourite moisturizers of all time and then another basket dedicated to body creams/hand creams/ scented body moisturizers that really don't do anything for my skin except making me smell pretty . . . So those are stored away for when I'm doing something important or if I'm trying to impress someone ;) ha. Now, in the basket solely for magic moisturizers and what not, Soap and Glory is ALWAYS in there. Out of ALL the moisturizers I have tested and bought, the Righteous Body Butter is my absolute favourite and staple for every day life. After I shave my legs, my legs are so itchy and irritated, but right after I apply the body butter they seem to be soothed and smooth out . . . Which is nice, because who wants itchy, irritated and flakey legs O.o

When I first smelled Clean Girls, I didn't really care for the smell too much, but Shoppers was all out of Clean on Me, so I was forced to buy it and I have to admit . . . I might like this scent and body wash even more than Clean on Me. I know, it's absolutely shocking. The smell still kind of irritates me when I'm in the shower, but once I'm out and dried off it leaves you with such a clean, fresh smell to your skin that isn't over powering, nor does it compete with the body butter smell. I find that they actually work pretty well together scent wise.

Do I even have to go into detail about Hand Food? It is just the best thing since sliced bread. I will never leave the house without it in my bag. Not only does it have that amazing quintessential Soap and Glory smell, but it makes your hands super soft and soothed from cracks and dry skin. If you live in Albertan winter climates, it is a necessity to have a good hand lotion or else you will have dried, cracked, achy hands and nobody wants that.

Lush Ocean Salt Face and Body Exfoliant

Lush Almond and Coconut Smoothie

Lush Bubble Gum Lip Exfoliant

Lush Sea Spray

I love experimenting with body exfoliants, because I have super dry skin, but that also means that I have to be very careful because I have sensitive skin and harsh exfoliants can leave me with little red dots, itchy patches, hives and burning sensations . . . Attractive, I know. I got warned by tons of people that Ocean Salt would probably really irritate me because of my sensitive skin, but I rebelled and purchased it anyways and I have to tell ya, my skin doesn't seem to mind it all that much! I wouldn't use it on my face, because I'm too nervous that I'll break out super badly, but it does do the trick on my skin. I only use it once or twice a week and it leaves my skin soft, healthy and smelling wonderful.

I am absolutely OBSESSED with the smell of the body smoothie, ahhh, I seriously just want to eat it . . . But I won't, because I'm not crazy. Anyways, it's nice, I'm not going to say it's my absolute favourite thing in the whole entire world, but I think I'd repurchase it just for the smell. I think I'm going to start using it at night time if I take a shower or bath, because I find that it leaves a residue on my skin that annoys me a little bit. It will leave you feeling soft, but I dunno . . . Just not what I thought it would be I suppose.

I had never used a lip exfoliant before discovering them at Lush and I will never ever ever go without them again. I use it whenever my lips feel dry, which is pretty much every day, and it makes my lips ready for any lip products I want to use. If you read my Kate Moss lipstick review, you will have read that I have super dry lips all year round and before I discovered lip exfoliants, I was scared to wear lipstick because it just looked awful on account of the dead skin, the dryness, the cracks, etc. Now that my lips are soft all the time, I've began to build up my lip product collection and couldn't be happier about it! Oh and did I mention that you can lick off the sugar scrub after?! Awww yeah!

I've used seas salt spray in the past to attempt beachy looking hair and they have always failed me :( However, I would recommend this Sea Spray from Lush to virtually everyone and anyone. I'm not the type of girl who enjoys prim and proper curls in my hair - I like them to look a little worn, a little messy, and very natural and this spray is now a staple in my hair routine! I've become very resistant in using too much heat on my hair, because it's already drying out from not using Wen, so I'm trying to keep it as healthy as I possibly can so when I can't be bothered to fully blow dry my hair, I spray in some Sea Spray, mess my hair up a bit and go. You'll definitely be able to tell that you have product in your hair, but I don't personally find it gooey or anything like that. You'll also be able to smell the saltiness of the product and it took me a while to get use to, but I now really like it. The only thing I really hate about salt sprays is that your hair will indefinitely become knotty and such, so a good combing before bed is a must or else you'll end up with mats and those are no fun.

Body Shop Mango Body Scrub

Body Shop Duo Body Butter for dry skin

The body shop had a sale on where if you buy one product, you'll get another full sized product of your choice for half off, so I got suckered. I have never tried a body shop body scrub, nor have I used it yet, but I am excited to try it. I've heard that they aren't too harsh on your skin so that really impressed me. Plus, this smells absolutely fantastic.

This duo body butter is in my every day essential basket in my room, because the "dry skin" side works wonders on my skin. If I ever were to run out of my Soap and Glory body butter, I would automatically reach for this. The "normal skin" side of this works well, too, but I would repurchase this duo just for the "dry skin"side. The only thing I dislike is the smell . . . Sweet pea is a gorgeous scent, but I find this too overpowering and a little obnoxious ha.

Eclos Skin Products

Cleanser, Clay Mask, Facial Scrub, Face Serum, Eye Cream, Moisturizer

I haven't been very happy with my Vichy skin care routine, although it hasn't broken me out and it is a good acne fighting line, I've been so curious about organic products to use on my face. I was debating whether I wanted to purchase Eclos or another brand that I can't remember the name of, but I decided to get this solely because it was a tester pack worth $24.00 rather than buying full sized products for a ton of money. Last night was the first night I used these (along with my Bioderma) and they haven't broken me out . . . Yet. I'm not expecting miracles for my skin, because I'd need a face transplant to disguise my skin problems, but as long as this stuff doesn't break me out or make my skin inflamed I will keep buying it. It smells very fresh and nice and it is derived from plant stems with a main ingredient of apple, so that's nice . . . I like apples . . .

Revlon Color Stay 24 Hour Foundation

I have been avoiding buying this for SO long and now I don't even know why honestly, because I do really like it. The first time I used it I found it a little too yellow pigmented for my skin, but after a couple of days I really liked the finish it gave my skin. I have heard a lot of people saying that it is easier to apply with a damp sponge, but I personally HATE using this with a damp sponge. I like using my liquid foundation brush and it applied very flawless and nicely. I like pairing this foundation with a cream blush rather than a pressed powder one, because I find that it looks more natural and pretty. This is for oily/combination skin - I didn't know that when I bought it - but it actually wears really nicely on my dry skin if I'm wearing a proper face primer. I don't know about the "24 hour wear" effect . . . Mostly because I need not wear my make up for a full 24 hours, but it does wear for a good 8 hours nicely on my skin. This is also a really good "hugging foundation," because it doesn't rub off on anyone's clothing, woo! I think we've all been through that awkward moment where you hug a wear, who just happens to be wearing a white or black sweater, and you smear your make up ALL over his clothing . . . Well, my friends, fear not - this does not do that! If you have a hot date coming up, go get some of this and I promise you you'll be good . . . Unless you cake it on like no one's business . . . Then you're screwed.

Hope you guys enjoyed these products and my impressions on them! If you've used any of these and have some thoughts, let me know!