BUY or DROP: Wet n' Wild Color Icon Eyeshadow Palette

Update: I have a post of Colourpop shadows which I love that are affordable and great quality!
*This post was made prior to be becoming vegan*
I thought I would start this series on makeup products that I haven't used up but I want to share my experience and thoughts on them. The first one will be on the Wet n' Wild Color Icon Shadow Collection in 736 Petal Pusher. It's has 8 shades in the purple and pink family. I have also tried one of the 3 shadow palettes but I tossed that already.

So I'll get to the point; I personally don't recommend the palette(both the trio and the 8 pan). I know there's big buzz in the beauty community about Wet n' Wild shadows but I really don't even see the point in buying them... Here are MY reasons as to why I don't like them. I can see why some do like the shadows but those reasons don't cut it for me.

1) Although SOME shadows may swatch well onto skin; they do not transfer well onto the lids. I would say the best way to pick up pigment is with your fingers. I've tried sponge applicators and very tapered, dense eye brushes but I think fingers are the best.

2) Some shadows are quite dry. I understand they are more pigmented than some other drugstore shadows. But personally, pigmentation is not the only factor that cuts it for me. 

3) Some of the shadows behave strangely in the pan. The more you rub your fingers in there I feel like the top layer starts to group and create a film like affect. Not so sure how to explain it, but it makes product harder to use.

Overall, if you are looking for good quality shadows that you want to perform well on your lids I wouldn't get this. If you do like the price tag and the pigmentation make sure you get to feel and swatch before you buy. Keep in mind, you want a balance of blendibility and pigmentation.:) 

Michael Todd Clear Bi-Light: Review, First Impression and Journal

Update: TL;DR- get it if you are willing to invest 30 min of your time every night and if you want something that is not a lotion/cream topical treatment. Keep in mind it will take some time for really obvious results. It's smoothing (the red light). The product itself could be built a bit better and battery life is not the greatest. My current favourite skin care routine is posted if you want to check that out, it's more convenient than this and I see visible results without a tired hand! Click here to that page.

I've been contemplating for the longest time in purchasing the Michael Todd True Organics Clear Bi-Light.... I gave in and purchased the product after doing as much research as I could. To be honest I really couldn't find lots of reviews. The most helpful review was a blogger who journals her progress with the Bi-Light. Otherwise the other review are sponsored or not very detailed (not that I'm trying to discredit anyone's review).

I bought the Bi-Light through a link after continuously sifting the net for the best discount. Led me to this link which currently has the Bi-Light for $99USD. 

http://www.michaeltoddtrueorganics.com/ps-clear-bi-light.html

Then I was able to take 25% off my purchase (it was some 25% Valued Customer discount  that automatically applied) so it got reduced to $75USD. However I'm in Canada so I forked over the 5.99 for Shipping (I wasn't going to purchase any other items however 125US orders receive free international shipping). They shipped through USPS and it took 9 days for the product to arrive. 

I don't want to spew on the details which are already listed on the Michael Todd website but I will do a quick description.

It comes with these components:
-Pamphlet with guide, explaining terminology and usage. It says the device comes pre-charged but on the Michael Todd website they indicate that portion is a misprint. You must charge prior to first use!
-Two light heads (blue and red)
-The device itself
-charging stand
-AC adapter
-"coupon" 

First Use:

I use it once a day and treat my face in 6 sections: 3 minutes each section per light.

Cleaning:
The first time I used it I wiped it down with some tissue.

Maintenance:

Side Notes:

I'm hoping that this will work since many of typical acne related products contain salicylic acid  or benzoyl peroxide. (They used to work but now they are either ineffective or irritating)

But then again having tried so many of "effective" acne products and being let down so many times I try to have realistic expectations. :D

I will try to update this post with pictures as often as I can. 

Here we go!!! 

July 10, 2014 First day, prior to treatment: (Technically this is July 11th, morning) I'm waiting for the device to charge so I can use it at night...

Don't mind the crazy hair! I really think these photos make my skin look better than it is in person.

July 18, 2014

I realized that the battery lasts about 3 "treatments" About 5x blue light and 4/5x red light for 3 days.

What really annoyed me is when I went through the first 3 days I actually separated my face into 6 sections instead and I used a lot of the battery so I couldn't finish my treatment on the third day. However I was able get it to come back alive by waiting a few seconds and trying the power button again. The device will have a flashing red light indicating it should be charged. Also, you can't use the device while it's charging. 

*I used a BB cream and it broke me out, hence more pimples.

*I have actually seem some of my pimples become much smaller

Sorry about the lighting change. These photos are taken at night.

Aug 5th Update: I really don't see the point in posting photo updates weekly so I will update maybe once every 3-4weeks.

Sept 11th Update: Excuses but I've been backed up with new events in my life so I have been horrible at updating. 

Basically, my hormones love to break my out every single month; it's just a part of my cycle and I have to deal with them. I do believe that no topical treatment can prevent these breakouts and I have no interest in resorting to pills to deal with them.

The thing I have found with the Bi-Light is that it helps calm my pimples down. You do have to be consistent with it and sometimes it's a pain when you're tired you don't want to be shining a light on your face when you feel like just going to sleep.

I do find that it helps me get my skin to a better state faster and the red light especially helps with those pimples that are painful,

THE POINT: I would never pay full price for this; the site always has discount codes or sales going on. Do I regret my purchase?: No. I stopped using topical/chemical products to treat my acne beacuse they either ruined my skin or haven't helped at all. I use a gentle face cleanser and moisturizer and try to do the light process every night. It does help mildy soothe and calm my skin. It assists in healing/treating my pimples slightly faster. I just have lots of hormonal/stress acne and that's something a light cannot prevent. I have realized I need to implement better diet and routine to help turn my skin around.

One Year Update: I hardly use this any more, it's a bit of an annoyance to keep up with the daily routine that will cost you around 30min of your time at night. (I'd rather go to sleep). I understand the change is gradual but it doesn't necessarily have enough of an impact for me to continue using it. I have an updated skin care routine that is vegan and cruelty free, feel free to check it out! :)

June Favourites!

*This post was made prior to be becoming vegan*
I know this is late but I always push back posting a monthly favourites post and I had to start somewhere.
Here we go!

1. Too Faced Milk Chocolate Soliel (Light/Medium) Matte Bronzer.
I pretty much used this everyday in June and I love it. It smells like mini eggs and I think on me it looks better than the Benefit Hoola. It's light in colour and it blends well on my skin over foundation. I love using it with my next favourite: The BareMinerals Flawless Face Brush

2. BareMinerals Flawless Face Brush.
This brush came in a set with the foundation, mineral veil and primer. I love this brush for using it with the bronzer. I use one side for bronzer: brush almost parallel to my face, other side for blush then I use the brush perpendicular to my face to blend the two together.

3. Maybelline Rocket Volum' Express Waterproof Mascara.
It's extremely difficult for me to find a smudge proof mascara. The way my lids are shaped and how my eyelashes curl.... My lashes are prone to smudging. Others will tell me certain mascaras don't smudge on them but those mascaras have smudged to the point I have panda eyes after an hour. At the end of the day I see slight smudging but at this price point I have noooo complaints about that component.
I don't want to be that negative nancy but I really don't see the point in coughing up $$$$ for mascara that I intent to use up or toss in 3/4months time.
Plus, it holds my curl beautifully... It's so difficult to find a mascara I like that will hold my curl! I have stick straight lashes.

4. Makeup Forever HD Conealer in 6.
I used to have a love hate relationship with this concealer... But I finally learned how to use this concealer properly and I have been really enjoying it. I did have a hard time convincing myself to purchase it a while back but now I'm glad I gave in. I use a detailing brush (In my case a lip brush) to apply a sparing amount to the area and blend/dab with my finger or the sponge I used to apply my base. I have many blemishes but I can get away with using a blob about twice the size of the bobby pin head.

Those are my makeup favs of the month. I shall list some random mentionables.

I have really been into AprilJustinTV Vlogs on Youtube. Liam, their baby is sooo cute and I love how the family is so positive!
Food love: Korean spicy cold noodles. I almost made it everyday for about two weeks, I quit partially because I started getting bored with it and because I want to prevent my stomach from retaliating.
I don't know why but Nicky Minaj: Pills and Potions and Ariana Grande: Problem. Pretty much the two songs stuck in my head for June. ~-~

-D


I really think my sentences ending with prepositions will drive someone crazy. That is if someone does read this post and if they are keen on avoiding sentences ending in prepositions.

Have a nice day/night whoever does end up reading this! :)

Palty Hair Dye in Honey Brown Review and How To

*This post was made prior to be becoming vegan*
I have been considering dyeing my hair blonde but I decided to dye my hair brown prior to committing all the way. In February I dyed my hair using the same brand same line: Palty. I should've kept the name of the colour but I didn't.

My black roots grew about 2 inches and the rest of my hair was what I would describe a dark-slightly orange brown. I purchased the dye at Pacific Mall in the Beauty Star store for  $10. I think you can find it on Amazon or Ebay but Pacific Mall (a strip mall comprised mostly of stores operated by Chinese and or Asians selling Asian goods) was the best and most convenient location to purchase. There are always stores around the world selling Asian goods so you may want to check out your local China towns or Japan towns if you really want to stray from buying online.

My friend has used the foaming kind and I would say it wasn't as effective as the cream.

My Hair with roots showing, the lengths looks less orange in real life

The contents: instructional pamphlet, gloves, leave in conditioner, base, colourant and applicator tip

The box, in the colour Honey Brown

Back of box

The back of the box is perforated in a circular shape which you can pop of to use as a stand

Mixed dye in stand

So on to the product:

The box and it's contents. The pamphlet is in Japanese, Korean, English and Chinese (I estimate that its Mandarin). 

I was on my second day hair so that my natural hair oils would somewhat act as a protector to my scalp.

I mixed 1 and 2 together and then put on the comb/applicator tip.

I started at my hair line concentrating on my roots. After I applied product onto my roots I went ahead to apply it to the lengths of my hair. The application time took me about 10 minutes. I set my timer to 30 minutes. (It says to develop for 20minutes but you have the option of leaving it on for 30 minutes for more difficult to dye hair/ or un-coloured hair).

Using my new shampoo and conditioner : the Live clean Pink Fire collection, I shampooed twice and conditioned. 

I towel dried and waited for my hair to be about 70% dry. 

The instructions say to apply the leave in conditioner (yellow/orange packet) when your hair is dry but it's easier to apply when slightly wet so the product will distribute thoroughly.

The hair dye itself has a scent but it's not overwhelmingly offensive, you will smell it while you have it in your hair but it wont fill up a room with the scent. As for the leave in conditioner it has a clean slightly fruity scent.

My tips when you use the hair dye:

Once you have the product in your hair you can "massage" it into your strands.

My hair is around 6-8inches off of my shoulders and it was a okay amount of product for it. 

Make sure you are wearing something you don't mind getting dye on and that the location you are in is well ventilated. 

Once you are finished applying the dye check around your surrounds as well as skin to see if there is any dye that may have gotten on it.

OVERALL:

Pros:

-Non-overpowering scent

-Works well on black hair

-You don't get exact colour on the box ( but that is to be expected as everyone has natural pigmentation in their hair)

-Not too orange ( I wanted to avoid straight up orange hair as much as possible)

-Staying power-> I will update

Cons:

-Difficult to obtain if you don't live in Japan or near store that sell Asian goods

-This may not be a con to all but it makes my skin tone look a bit more peachier. 

July Update: The result was a more brown/orange colour. I ended up going to my trusted hair stylist and dying my hair "blonde".
If I ever decided to go back to a darker colour I would most likely purchase a kit from the same line. I'm still unsure of my next hair colour.

The Body Shop Tea Tree Line Review

*This post was made prior to be becoming vegan*
So, I've been on a natural.. or well... less "harsh" chemical kick for makeup and skin care. So far my attempt was trying out the Tea Tree line at the Body Shop....
Has anyone noticed that the Body Shop; very much gives a consumer the "natural", "organic" and more "hippie" vibe is far from that?
There are some good ingredients and they really hype up their "no animal testing" and "fair trade" campaigns....BUT. Many of their products are laced with preservatives and chemicals.
Said, there are alternatives... My favourite body butters turned out to contain parabens... Something I have been trying to avoid. (I maybe be over reacting as to the whole paraben scare but I don't mind skipping out on things that do contain it)
So ... let's get back on to topic..
So far. I have tried the:
Foaming Face Wash
Toner
Lotion
Tea Tree Oil ( this has 15%... I ended up going to the close by "natural/health" store to get 100% tea tree oil)
And PS. If you've never smelled tea tree ... you maybe be off put.. but I got used to it after a while

My thoughts?
The foaming face wash... By no means a makeup remover. (it doesn't say it is, last time I checked)...
I feel its gentle... Not so sure if it's 5 stars worthy but I like it. I've repurchased a back up. It hasn't cleared up my skin, it also doesn't break me out.
Toner.... If you have oily skin... This will mattefy you like CRAZY.. It's got some solids at the bottom and you have to vigorously shake the bottle prior to use but that's what makes it work. (I tend to shake lightly so I don't get as much of the powder). It absorbs oil and dries your skin out. It doesn't necessarily accentuate dry spots but don't expect it to not be drying. It contains alcohol and I would not repurchase.
Lotion. I returned it. I'm trying to stay away from silicones... Trying to see if it does make a difference in my skin.
Tea tree oil... As mentioned above I used it then I realized I was basically paying for water.
A side note: I have been using these products since January and now I only use the toner (at night) and the face wash. Results? I'm not sure if it eliminates my acne or treats them... I will really have to wait out and see.
Overall... I really think that it hasn't done much to help with my acne. I know tea tree is supposed to an antibacterial so I get how its supposed to deal with acne bacteria.

I totally forgot to mention. I've been dealing with acne for a really long time.. and I guess I will post more details of my skin later to see if it will help anyone or if anyone has skin like me and can help me out :)

May update: The only item I still use from this line is the Foaming Cleanser. I'm on my second one. I use it together with the Body Shop brush.

July Update: I am still using the Foaming Cleanser. I use one pump and I spread it around my face. I then wet my hands to massage it around and continuously add more water until I am clear of all the foam. It hasn't helped to clear up my skin. I think it would work for those with those with milder acne than I. It really isn't anything special to me other than it doesn't seem to break me out.

-Dee

                 The Toner(left) and Face Wash(Right)           The settled powder at the bottom