Question for the Ages...

I have a question for you:

You know when your mascara smudges or runs? And you end up with those little clouds under your eyes?

My question is this:

How does the mascara end up there? I have a full gap of half a centimetre or so between my lashes and the smudge. How does it get over that. Whenever I notice these smudges, I spend a few minutes making faces at myself in the mirror trying to see how the smudges got there.

I have tried squinting, cross-eyed, squinching up my face as much as I can... How does the mascara get there? It must leap off my lashes and down onto my face...

If you know, please tell me so I can stop wasting time thinking about this!

More! More! More foundation!

I seem to be on the theme of foundation lately - so I may as well continue!

One that I tried that I mostly liked was the Clinique Superfit makeup. I liked the way it went on, it was good for my skin, and it looked good. For awhile. But I found that through the day the colour seemed to change a bit! Which is really frustrating. So I probably used about half the bottle and then gave up on it.

I am quite pale, so it might be better for someone with darker skin. It seemed to darken on me, but maybe if you started with a darker colour it would not be so bad? Not sure. If you've used this, let me know! I'd love to hear about it!

I would give Clinique Superfit Makeup three stars out of five.

Take it Back!!

I take back everything I said about that L'Oreal True Match Foundation I was trying!

It's terrible, terrible stuff that made me break out like a 15-year-old again. Which hasn't happened to me in nearly 15 years!!

It looked good on, but I think due to the oil-base, it made me break out like you wouldn't believe (unless you have oily, sensitive skin like I do, in which case you probably know what I'm talking about).

If you've had a better/worse experience with L'Oreal True Match Foundation, I'd like to hear about it!

Making Some Changes!!

I'm making changes!

I've been on hiaitus for nearly a year, but I'm back now!

I'm going to switch this up, so instead of focusing on local events, I'll be looking at doing some product reviews (beauty products) and looking at some local deals, etc.

So you'll be seeing me here again soon!!

Michelle

The Cheap Girl

I know not everyone would be thrilled to be known as "The Cheap Girl!" (I wouldn't want my friends to be saying that about me!) But this cheap girl really knows her stuff!

Wanna know about local sales? How about the Aritzia 25th anniversary sale that starts today and runs till November 22nd? You can find it on her blog! Seriously, my life has improved by 82% since I added her to my google reader.

www.thecheapgirl.com

Natural Deodorants

I had a helluva time trying to find a decent "natural" deodorant. I pretty much just wanted to switch off of antiperspirant, because it's not supposed to be good for you. Which makes sense, I mean, how can blocking your body from a natural process (even if it's a gross one like sweating) possibly be good for you?

I've tried three natural deodorants and am ready to award first, second and third place to them.

Third Place: earthscience mint rosemary natural deodorant (about $8 at PriceSmart)


I had two issues with this deodorant. When I first put it on, it felt fine but the mint rosemary scent reminded me of roasting lamb. If it had been any good, I would have just tried a different scent. But it burned my skin and left me with red, puffy underarms for about a week. I will never buy this again. Grade: F

Second Place: JASON Lavender Deodorant Stick (about $8 at PriceSmart)


This deodorant smells quite strongly of lavender, but the tea tree and aloe varieties do not smell as strongly. It felt good going on, although sometimes it didn't seem to dry and would be sticky. I also had to reapply it during the day as it didn't last more than about six hours. In the summer, when I was hot, it would show up as ridges of white goo. Grade: C (and by "C," I mean that other than the First Place deodorant, this is the only other one that I've found that is even remotely acceptable).

First Place: Lavanila Laboratories The Healthy Deodorant in vanilla coconut ($23 at Sephora)


I didn't want to like this deodorant. I really didn't. Because I knew if I did, I would end up spending $23 at Sephora every time I needed new deodorant and that just seems kind of silly to me. But this deodorant is so amazing I'm willing to not only go across town to buy it, but also to shell out almost $25 for one stick. It smells fantastic. After I checked the reviews on Sephora.com, I thought the smell would be really strong and overpowering, but it's not. I put it on in the morning and I can be confident that I'll smell as fresh when I go to bed as if I had used antiperspirant. Grade: A+

Sephora

I had to check out the new Sephora store in Coquitlam Centre last week, and I have to say, the crowd was overwhelming!  There was no line to get in, but you could barely move inside and the line to pay went right to the door!  I've heard that the Pacific Centre location had an hour wait just to get inside!  I guess now the powers that be know that a Sephora could have opened here ages ago and done fantastically.

I wasn't disappointed, though: the store carries everything that a Sephora should!  Philosophy, Urban Decay...  you name it!  Once the buzz wears off, I'll be heading back to spend my hard-earned money on lovely beauty products and make-up.  

I've already mentioned that the first thing I will buy is Hope In a Jar, by Philosophy, and then I think I'll try and find a new foundation.  I'm currently using MAC Studio Fix, which I find very nice, but I'm always ready to try something new!

The Most Wonderful Day of the Year: July 10th

No, it's not Christmas: it's the grand opening of the new Sephora stores in Coquitlam Centre and Pacific Centre!!!   What could be better?

I'm trying to wangle my way out of work early so I can be there - crossing my fingers!  What's going to be my first purchase?  Hope In a Jar!  Just check out the reviews - it's a best of Sephora.  And it comes highly recommended by several friends.  Don't worry, I'll let you know how it goes.

So where will I be on Friday at 3:30?  Sephora Coquitlam Centre - I'll be the one with bells on!

Beach-Ready Skin

Want to get your skin nice and clean and ready for the beach? Or maybe you already went to the beach and now you want to wash off all that makeup, sand and sunscreen? I've got the product for you!
Alba Naturals (www.albabotanica.com) makes a fantastic pineapple enzyme facial cleanser. I was skeptical at first, thinking that pineapple enzymes wouldn't be enough to wash off my makeup and clean my oily skin. But it works! This amazing cleanser foams right up and leaves your skin feeling clean and refreshed.
As a bonus, it smells like pineapple, which will remind you of pina coladas, the beach, and summer evenings all year long. Even in the snow.

I bought mine at London Drugs for around $10, but I'm sure you can get it at most local drugstores (Shoppers Drug Mart, etc).

Getting Rid of the Winter Blahs

Sometimes I wish I could just scrub off my old face and find a new one underneath!
Sadly, no matter how hard I scrub, I'll still have the same bone structure and freckles. But I can give myself a bit of a brighten by getting rid of my old, dry winter skin.
The weather is warming up and in Vancouver, March means get ready for the rain! So if you're like me and have combination/oily skin, that means it's time to get rid of the last of the dry bits and expose the fresh, sunny skin underneath. My favourite way to do that is with St. Ives apricot face scrub.
I find that some scrubs are too subtle and just don't feel, well, scrubby enough. This apricot scrub is nice and gritty and leaves you feeling like you've left the past behind.
As well, they make a few varieties. I have tough, oily skin, so I use the original, but they also make one for sensitive skin, and a new "renew and firm" variety.

May all my dreams come true!

I have received the best news ever! A Sephora is coming to Vancouver this July! How exciting!!!
I believe there are three coming in: Coquitlam Centre and MetroTown in July and then Pacific Centre in August. It's like a dream come true!
In honour of this fabulous occasion, I have spent more time than usual cruising sephora.com and planning my future purchases. The very FIRST thing I am going to get is some Philosophy Hope-In-A-Jar facial moisturizer. It has fantastic reviews for all skin types. And I love the name, who wouldn't want to buy some hope in a jar? The reviews all say it has a bit of a funny smell, so I will have to see if that is true.
At any rate, I am practically counting down the days until July. I wish my birthday was in July so I could just go blow my life savings at Sephora. Maybe I'll do that anyways...