From the French Pharmacie: Physiogel - A.I. Crème

This cream is intended for sufferers of eczema, psoriasis or any other skin condition that leaves skin itchy, delicate and very, very sensitive. It's hypoallergenic, scent-free and incredibly hydrating and soothing. This appeals to me because even though the sun is making an appearance, it's still chilly out there and my sensitive, overly dry skin needs some TLC.

I originally heard of this in one of Bubzbeauty's videos - and on her blog - where she claimed it works wonders on her irritated skin. She won't use anything else. 

According to the product website, A.I. Crème is for:

•     itchy, irritated and dry skin, such as in atopic dermatitis
•     sensitive baby and children's skin

It's also:

•     hypoallergenic: no fragrance, preservatives, dyes
•     contains skin-related lipids, rejuvenate the skin barrier
•     provides the skin with long-lasting moisture
•     no emulsifiers, no further drying of the skin
•     itchy, irritated, inflamed skin is soothed

I don't have any specific skin complaints at the moment, so I can't speak to its efficacy in treating severe skin irritations, but I always have sensitive skin and love anything that will soothe and moisturize effectively without being too heavy or perfumed.

I've only used this a couple of times so far, but I really like it. It's quite different in texture to any of the other moisturizers I regularly use. When I apply it to the skin, it glides on effortlessly and almost seems to multiply as I massage it in. I was surprised at how little I needed to cover my entire face in a generous layer, and I love that there's no tugging or pulling during application which is great considering it's a cream for such sensitive skin!

You can definitely tell that it's there, and skin remains tacky for a little while after application, but it's not overly heavy or uncomfortable. It feels a bit like Embryolisse Baume Riche though perhaps a tad more sticky - and, like the Baume, it absorbs fully by morning if used as a night cream. I wouldn't recommend using it in the daytime if you plan to use foundation, because it does take awhile to absorb and I feel like it would make skin look a bit too oily and cause foundation to move around. But if your skin is very irritated and you can't wear makeup anyway, there wouldn't be any harm in putting a light layer on during the day as well.

I'm pretty impressed with it so far, and if you're someone who suffers from any type of skin irritation or discomfort - or even if your skin is just a bit on the sensitive side - I'd definitely recommend trying it out.

February 2013 Empties

I love watching empties videos on YouTube. Partly it's because I'm nosy, but also because I love hearing what the reviewer thought of each of the products after using it for that long and whether they will buy it again.

I'm very fickle and have no self-control, so I'm constantly flipping back and forth between different products and almost never actually finish anything. You might notice that some of these "empties" aren't entirely empty - that's because I started using them, moved on, and forgot to go back and finish them before they expired. So I guess that's kind of cheating, but they're getting tossed along with the empties and I figure there's a reason I didn't go back to them, so you might still find the feedback useful.

Here goes!

1. Vichy Essentielles Facial Emulsion

This was a nice, light moisturizer that I used a lot last summer. I don't think it's entirely empty, but it has expired and I don't like using expired product on my face!

2. Marcelle Essentials Clay Mask

Marcelle is an unsung gem of a drugstore brand available in Canada. It's one of the two major ones (the other is a brand called Quo, available at Shopper's Drug Mart) that no one has heard of outside of the country, but that are pretty darn awesome for the price! I love that the majority of their products are unscented, hypoallergenic and non-comedogenic. Their makeup is hit or miss, but the skincare is great for sensitive skin and works really well. This mask is pretty much just your basic mask - toss it on, leave it for a little while, remove with a face cloth. I honestly couldn't really tell if it did anything or not, but the texture was lovely and it was gentle enough for my sensitive skin.

3. Marcelle Oil-Free Multi-Defense Moisturizer

Before Embryolisse, this was my daily face cream. I may switch back in the summer. It's a very liquidy lotion that doesn't have a scent and is incredibly light on the skin. I like it in the summer because it has SPF 15, is soothing if I have gotten more sun than I should and is great if my skin is feeling a bit more on the oily side. It absorbs very quickly, so it's great to use under makeup.

4. Alba Pineapple Enzyme Facial Cleanser

Just alright. Smells great, perhaps a little drying on the skin. Confession time: I got so sick of having this bottle hanging around that I used up the last third of it as hand soap. Yeah, I have that many face washes hanging about in the bathroom. Feel free to start judging now.

5. Juice Beauty Green Apple Mineral Antioxidant Moisturizer

This one expired too, sadly. I loved it, but it's the curse of the natural beauty product - it expires too quickly. And this was a HUGE bottle. This one hurt to throw out, though, I'm not gonna lie! The smell was gorgeous - light and citrusy. It did a great job of moisturizing - not too heavy, not too light - and was great for sensitive skin. If it weren't so darn expensive, I'd definitely repurchase.

6. Juice Beauty Green Apple SPF 15 Moisturizer

This I actually used up and it was delicious. I love this stuff - smells good, feels lovely on the skin. And of course, the SPF is excellent to have in a face cream! A bit pricey, though, and it expires quickly. I'd consider re-purchasing if it was ever on special.

7. Vichy Essentielles Facial Cleanser

This goes with #1, obvs. This was pretty "meh." Not excellent, but okay. Did the job. Got me clean. Not worth the money, though.

8. Body Shop Tea Tree Skin Clearing Facial Wash

I've been using this line since I was a teenager with oily skin. I like that even though my skin has matured (even if my personality hasn't) it's still gentle enough to use when my skin's having a good 'ole teenaged tantrum. The smell is intense, so you have to be okay with tea tree - but once you get used to it it's actually quite nice. Love it.

9. Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion

I've gone through a bunch of these, because until I discovered the wonder that is First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream, I used it as hand cream. I also used it as night-time face cream in colder months until switching to my French pharmacie products. It's still great, and I still have a bottle of it in my bathroom. I'm sure I'll always have some of this kicking around.

10. Bioré Purify Daily Scrub

I have used up a few tubes of this - the smell is lovely, I like the round beads because they're not too abrasive on my skin and the formula of the cleanser itself left my skin nicely refreshed. I'd recommend this if you're looking for a budget physical exfoliator.

11. Bioré SkinPreservation Even Smoother Microderm Exfoliator

This is another great one. I don't like the smell as much, but the texture is amazing. It has very fine, very dense exfoliators so you feel like it really gets into your skin and takes off all the dead skin cells. I would only use it a couple of times a week because it is quite an intense exfoliation, but I think it does a great job - particularly considering that it's a drugstore brand. I've gone through a few tubes of this as well.

12. Makeup Forever Waterproof Eyebrow Corrector

I love this stuff. I have light patches in my brows where I've lost pigment, so I use a tiny bit of this on a spoolie and work it through my brows and it colours the individual hairs rather than the skin so it looks totally natural. This is in shade #3, which matches my natural brow colour perfectly. It lasts all day long and I love that it's waterproof so I don't have to worry about it smudging. I've had this one tube for over a year now - maybe even a year and a half - and I could probably get even more out of it. Great stuff. 

Phew! That's it for empties this time around. I'll do another post whenever I feel like I've amassed enough empties to warrant it, but since it takes me forever to finish things it probably won't be monthly - maybe every couple of months.

Hope you guys found that helpful! Have you used any of these products? What were your impressions? What products have you used up lately, and what did you think of them? Share in the comments!

Compacts and Cosmetics: Beauty from Victorian Times to the Present Day - Madeleine Marsh

I wrote this review over on my book blog, Backlist Books, ages ago and it just occurred to me that y'all might be interested in it. So here ya go.

Back in the day (i.e. about 5 years ago) I took some Women's Studies courses in college. One of the main things I learned that stuck with me was that the worse things are for society in general, the better they are for the relative status of women in that society. For example, during WWII men were overseas fighting and out of necessity, women took over many jobs that had previously been unavailable to them. This was a huge step in the history of women. Though after the war many women returned to the home and set about being wives and mothers, that experience wedged open a door that has since been flung open.

Madeleine Marsh is a historian, who specializes in antiques. She has an entire room that houses her vintage makeup collection - and she can tell you not only when each item was made and what it was used for, but how the cosmetics (or lack thereof) associated with each era reflected what society expected women to be during that time.

For me, it's a fascinating read. I have been intrigued by cosmetics since I was quite young - not as a vain thing, more because of the artistic expression it allows, and the way it can transform someone's appearance, and with it, who they are perceived to be.

The book itself is beautifully presented - it's printed on glossy paper, and there are old advertisements and pictures of vintage cosmetics every page or two throughout the whole book so that readers can see what is being described.

It's definitely a niche book that sits right on the intersection of history, Gender/Women's Studies and an interest in cosmetics, so I certainly don't think it's for everyone. But if at least one of those topics is of interest to you (or all of them!) you won't find a better read!

Bonus - here's a video by Lisa Eldridge, makeup artist to the stars, in which she discusses the book - and has a tour of Madeleine Marsh's collection! (It's part one of two, so if you like it, click over to YouTube or her blog and watch the rest!)

Makeup Academy (MUA) - Undressed Palette

Makeup Academy is a great brand.You might not have heard of them over here in North America, because they're a UK drugstore brand, but trust me, you want to try them out. Because it's a little tougher to get my hands on them over here in Canada, I have only tried certain products in the range - but so far everything I have tried has been much better than I expected from a drugstore product.

That said, their eyeshadows really are the stand-out product for me. In fact, my all-time favourite eyeshadow is the MUA #11 Pearl (review to come). So believe me when I say that their eyeshadow palettes need to go on your wishlist - right at the top.

This particular palette may look a bit familiar to you if you have checked out the first Urban Decay Naked palette, because it's quite similar. It's not an exact dupe, but it's so close that if you have one, you really don't need the other. And this one is so much cheaper! 

I swatched these without a base, so the matte shades didn't show up well on my pale skin - but they do work much better with a primer under them. The shimmery shades have amazing colour payoff and it's an amazing mix of neutral shades that can create pretty much any look you want - day, night, natural, smoky - on nearly any skintone.

If you're in the UK or are into eBay shopping, I'd definitely check this one out - and they recently released a second palette that's similar called "Undress Me Too" - stay tuned for a full review of that one shortly!

Are You a Goo Hoarder?

No, Jenna, you're NOT alone. In fact, I'm pretty sure I have even more lip products in my bag than you. And I'd also like to know: what's up with that? I have absolutely no logical explanation for the volume of products I have in my bag - let alone my bathroom.

I'm not only incapable of walking out of a store that sells lip gloss without buying one - I'm also incapable of walking out of a store that sells any kind of cosmetics without buying something. I've been trying to either use up or throw out old, half-empty products that I thought were going to be magical but turned out to be - as Jenna said - just like the 20 other variations I'd already tried. This isn't easy for me. I hate throwing things out if they're still good, even if I know I'm never going to use them.

But things are getting pretty out of hand, yo. I'm running out of space in the bathroom and it's spilling over into the office, the dresser, my bedside table... even the living room has some hand lotion and lip balm kicking around. I think I need an intervention.

'Fess up - are you a goo hoarder?