i'm branching out!

Hello there!  I've decided to broaden my horizons and work on a lifestyle blog instead.  Don't worry, my beauty reviews with crappy pictures will continue to live on.  

Hope on over to whatkarensaid.wordpress.com to check it out.  Thanks for reading!

skoah skin juice body lotion

I received a 1oz bottle of this lotion as my "bed treat" from a facial last year at Skoah.  I finally got around to trying this out early in the new year (as I'm still slowly whittling down my collection of makeup and skincare products). 

According to Skoah's website, this is their most popular body lotion.  The formula contains sea kelp algae, mango, and shea butters, which all sounded pretty standard for a moisturizer.

I used this on my hands and arms before going to bed.  The lotion, being a lighter consistency, went on smoothly and absorbed quickly.  This is consistent to the other Skoah lotions I have tried out in the past.  However, what makes this lotion different (to me, at least) was the scent: it has a sweet honeydew scent to it (almost like Skoah's Hydradew mask), but there was an almost rancid smell to it.  Instead of a burst of freshness, it smelled like I had smeared some honeydew that was going bad on myself.  And the smell lingered.  I was still wrinkling my nose at it in the morning.

Verdict: I love most of the Skoah products that I've tried, but if you've read my reviews, you know that the scent of a product alone is enough to deter me from repurchasing or even finishing it off.  I will not be purchasing a full-sized version of this product.  ~8oz bottle, C$15.

*I did not take a photo of my sample-sized bottle, so this is the full-sized version off Skoah's website.

   

blistex lip vibrance

Ever the sucker for new lip products, I picked up this one on a recent trip to Walmart.  Blistex Lip Vibrance is a sunscreen (SPF 15) and lip protectant with a slight tint.  The manufacturers thoughtfully included a mirror on the cap (not shown in photo below, but I assure you it is there!), but I found the colour to be so subtle that I didn't need to the mirror to apply it. 

I really liked the consistency of this product.  It's less waxy than the "regular" Blistex offerings and it goes on smooth.  It has a faint cherry scent and no discernable flavour (thank goodness!).  What I really loved about this product, other than the SPF, was the colour: the rosy pink tint was great for pulling off that natural look.  Because the colour is subtle, I'm pretty sure it would look okay on just about anyone.  Like most lip balms, this one's staying power will go as far as your next snack/meal/drink, but because the application is so goof-proof, I will happily reapply as required.

Verdict: sun protection, moisturizer, and a little kick of colour all in one works for me!  I will definitely be repurchasing this item in the future.  ~3.69g stick, C$3.50

 

skiin soothing & smoothing eye cream

I received a 3ml sample of this product from an earlier Beauty Box 5 (please don't ask me which one - the past half year or so has been a blur).  I usually don't pay much attention to eye creams and other anti-aging products, but since I seem to have aged terribly over the past year (apparently, having kids can do that to you), I decided it's about time I jump on the anti-aging bandwagon.

When I first saw the sample, I was a tad disgruntled at how small it was.  However, since you only need a dab of eye cream everyday, this little tube lasted for 9 days for me (probably could have lasted longer if I cut open the tube and got at the last bits with a cotton swab).  I only applied this product on at night, although the website recommends that this be used twice a day.  The eye cream has a nice consistency - it's thick without being gunky, so it smoothes on easily.  This product is pretty much unscented.  I say "pretty much" because when I put the cream right up to my nose, I can detect a very faint medicinal smell (but very faint).

According to the product website, the following are the key benefits of this eye cream (not unlike the other eye creams available on the market):

• Helps reduce the look of fine lines and wrinkles
• Peptides modulate muscle synapses for line and wrinkle reduction
• Helps stimulate collagen production
• Helps whitening for a uniform complexion

In terms of efficacy, I did not notice any significant changes to my eye area after using this product, but that is not uncommon for having only used it for less than a week and a half.  However, I always had this dry patch on the bridge of my nose and the eye cream seems to have taken care of it quite nicely.  I also like that this cream did not cause whiteheads/milia around my eye area, which other eye creams have done in the past.

Verdict: I would definitely consider purchasing the full-sized version of this product (once I get through my other beauty box samples).  ~15ml tube, US$49.95 (currently on sale for $29.95 through the skiin online store)

*I did not take a picture of the sample I received, so this image is of the full-sized version from skiin's website

clean & clear morning burst hydrating gel moisturizer

I received a sample of this product in a Beauty Box 5.  Living in Calgary and having gotten somewhat used to the dry winter conditions, I already knew this gel moisturizer would not be hydrating enough for my parched skin.

To be fair, this product would probably be a good enough moisturizer for me during the summer.  It feels nice and cool when applied, and the honeydew scent is refreshing but not overpowering.  However, in the winter, this product just doesn't stand a chance.  I applied a very generous amount to my face, and within 15 minutes, I could already see my dry patches resurfacing.

Verdict: If I had oily skin and did not require much hydration, I would certainly purchase the full-sized version of this product since it smells yummy and feels great going on.  However, it's just not quite right for my dry skin, so I will have to take a pass.  ~3 oz tube, US$6.99

 

beauty box 5 - february 2014 spoiler

I cancelled my BB5 sub after December so I did not partake in the January offerings.  BB5 likes to send out spoiler emails to people that have unsubscribed in order to entice them to sign right back up for another year (or at least, a month).  Here is the spoiler I received for February - enjoy!

nuxe micellar cleansing water

Micellar waters are non-rinse, soap-free cleansing waters that contain micelle molecules and are supposed to be effective at removing makeup and other impurities from skin.  The Bioderma micellar water is the one that seems to be the most popular, but I ended up picking up the Nuxe version at Shoppers Drug Mart the other day since (a) I've been wanting to try a Nuxe product for some time and (b) I couldn't resist the bright red sticker that says I would be getting a great deal if I purchased it.  Sold!

As I have said in earlier reviews, I cannot stand the scent of rose water, but I found that this version wasn't too bad.  I always follow up the micellar water with toner, which usually gets rid of the scent.  Other reviews that I have read note that this product leaves a sticky feeling on the skin, but again, the toner takes care of that.  I also tried using this after wearing makeup during the day (and believe me, there aren't too many of those days lately).  The cotton cleansing pad I used with the micellar water certainly picked up a lot of the makeup.  I didn't feel comfortable just following up with toner as I usually do, so I added a couple splashes of water in between.  I would say this product did the job in terms of removing the makeup, but then again, I typically don't wear heavy makeup, so those of you that do may find that a separate cleanser and/or makeup remover is required.

Verdict: My skin looks and feels pretty good.  This product effectively removes the amount of makeup that I would normally wear, so I'm happy with it.  I would love it more if it wasn't rose scented, but again, my follow up toner, as well as moisturizer, more than offset the smell.  I would repurchase this product.  ~6.7oz bottle, US$24

aveeno active naturals portect + hydrate lotion

I received a 14g sample tube of this product from Beauty Box 5.  I'm a big fan of Aveeno products, but their Active Naturals line doesn't do much for me.

This lotion contains broad spectrum SPF 30, which is great.  However, the scent of the lotion is very strong - the floral scent is almost overpowering.  This is a big deviation from Aveeno's other products, which are unscented or have a mild oat (and sometimes lavender) scent.  The consistency of this lotion is on the the thin side (also unlike Aveeno's "regular" oat line), so I actually applied this twice on my face because I was convinced this was the only way I would get sufficient SPF coverage.  That being said, the lotion does absorb quickly and does not feel sticky.

Verdict: I have a hard time finding face lotions with SPF that do not feel sticky, so that is one of the pros of this product.  However, the scent is a little too much for me - I would be hesitant to use this on a regular basis because I think my baby would be sensitive to the smell of the product.  I will not be purchasing the full-sized version of this product in the future.  ~3 oz tube, C$10.

 

julep - intro box

The Julep Maven nail polish subscription has been around for quite some time, but since I was never really much of a nail polish person (volleyball keeps my nails short), I didn't have much of an interest.  However, since I went through a bit of an online shopping binge over the Christmas holidays, I ended up signing up for the free introductory box.  I had completed their style profile and been pegged as a "classic with a twist" maven, but since I didn't really like the colours that were featured in that introductory box, I selected the "bombshell" box instead.

Julep was very quick to ship out the box - I received the notification two days after placing the order.  Here's what I found in my introductory box:

• Zelda (Bombshell) - a frosty champagne shade that does not appear to be available on their website
• Kendra (It Girl) - frosty army green shade (I was a little surprised to have received an "it girl" shade)
• Luxe Repair Skin Serum from Julep's own brand of skincare

The nail polish bottles are a bit smaller than the standard drugstore offerings (8mL vs. 15), but I don't recall ever having finished an entire bottle of nail polish, so that's not an issue for me.  The bottles also have stickers on the caps that say "swatch me", which is a fantastic idea if you have a ton of nail polishes and don't want to pull out bottles to identify the colour, but it would make even more sense if the stickers were not already adhered to the bottle cap.  I'm not sure how I'm supposed to swatch the polish unless I use another tool like a Q-tip or my finger.

As much of a cop-out as it is, I'm probably going to cancel the subscription after having received this complimentary box.  I don't spend much time on my nails (though I seem to spend hours filing away at my baby's) and even if I do want to pick up a new polish or two, I'm more likely to head to the drugstore down the street than order online.  However, I'm interested in trying out the serum and if it works out (review to follow - I need to give the product some time), I would definitely order more directly from Julep.