Bath and Body Works Candle Haul! (Christmas Edition)

One of my favourite things about the holiday season is the deliciousness that is Bath and Body Works Candles. I mean, all year round they have delightful candles, but around this time of year is when I get particularly excited and go a little candle crazy.

Bath and Body Works is one of the very few stores that I can drag my boyfriend into that he he doesn't complain about within 2 minutes of arriving. It's become a little tradition over the last few years that when they put out their holiday candles, we spend the time to sniff out our favs.

Which made the cut this year? Check out the links for a description of each amazing scent!

Twisted Peppermint

Mint Chocolate

Hot Buttered Rum

Red Velvet Cupcake

Have you spotted the theme? I love the sweet treat holiday scents! But if I had to choose my favourite of the bunch, I think I would have to go with the Mint Chocolate. So delicious!

Have you sniffed out the holiday Bath and Body Works range? Tell me, what's your fav? I'm in the market to pick up a few more.

Lots of love,

Jess

'Tis the Season for Christmas Nails!

Aside from the tree, the food, the family and the all around joy of Christmas, like any other girl, I love to celebrate the season on my nails! This is my first Christmas inspired nail, and I suspect it will not be my last. 

This simple nail look is comprised of two coats of Covergirl Outlast Stay Brilliant from the "Glosstini" line in the colour 515 Sangria. I topped it off with one of my favourite glitter top coats (which I've used in many other posts) is called "Only Gold for Me" by Sephora by OPI.

This look is office friendly yet still very fun and festive. It is hard to capture on camera, but the glitter is quite pretty and fetching.

Tell me, what holiday nail looks do you plan to rock this season?

xoxo

Jess

Nails of the Day: Mint with a Sprinkle of Sparkle

Did someone say mint AND sparkles? I'm loving this nail combo lately! It's "Frosty Mint" (111) by Ceramic Glaze and "Only Gold for Me" top coat from Sephora by OPI just on my ring fingers. Heck, I need to dress up that finger with some kind of bling until I get the real thing. ;)

I have only seen Ceramic Glaze in at Shoppers Drug Mart in Canada. I believe it is a newer brand. Have anyone outside of Canada seen it before?

What is your favourite nail at the moment?

Garnier Skin Renew Dark Spot Treatment Mask

For the last few year I have seen read blogs and seen videos featuring sheet masks. They are not very easily found in North America, but they seem to be huge in Asia. So when Garnier came out with their new Skin Renew Dark Spot Treatment Mask I was all over it!

I got mine at Shoppers Drug Mart. The price was around $20.00 for a box of six or $3.99 individually. I didn't want to splurge on the whole box until I tried them out, so I just picked up two individual masks.

The Claims

This product is said to help with dark spots (hence the name), dullness and uneven skin tone. It is supposed to be loaded with vitamin C and keep your skin intensely hydrated for 24 hours.

My Experience.

The masks themselves are VERY saturated with product- which is amazing. There is actually supposed to be half a bottle worth of product in each mask! I applied it on freshly cleansed skin and kept it on for about 15-20 minutes (the package suggests 10). After, the mask is not completely dry, but you can definately tell lots has been absorbed into the skin. I then simply massaged the remaining product into my skin. I even used the remainder on the sheet and rubbed it on the top of my hands!

My Results

My skin was VERY moisturized, plump and smooth afterwards. I've tried using the masks both at night before bed and in the morning before makeup. I like both ways, but I found I loved the way my makeup applied after using the mask. My skin felt and looked very plump and moisturized.

Final Verdict

I would definitely repurchase these masks again! Although, I do find them a wee bit pricey. The directions suggest using up to 3 times a week, but I think that might be a little too expensive. I think I will incorporate this into a once-a-week (maybe Sundays) beauty night.

Have you tried Garnier's new sheet masks? What about any other brands of sheet masks?

Lots of love,

xxx Jess

Revlon Nail Art Expressionist

It's Friday, I had a half day at the office and so of course I had the urge to swing by the drug store. I went to pick up the new Garnier Dark Spot Masks (Which I got- review coming soon!), but I always find myself wandering to the nail isle.

I was in the mood for some sparkle and this Revlon Nail Art Expressionist duo in 350 "Ulterior Motif" caught my eye (plus it was on sale!). As summer is coming to an end, I find myself leaning towards darker shades as summer slowly fades away (sigh). 

The base is a deep iridescent grey, not quite black, and the sparkles are a mixture of small and chunky pink sparkles. I had original planned on only using the sparkles for an accent nail, but I went sparkle craaazay and did them all.

Have you tried these polishes? I'm thinking of picking up a couple more shades!

Lots of love,

xx Jess

Review: Paula's Choice Resist BHA 9 and more!

It is rare that I come across a product that truly lives up to its hype. After trying so many products over the years and spending so much money, I've come to join the camp of, "If it sounds to good to be true, it probably is."

Now, I have struggled with my skin from my late teens up until now in my mid twenties. In my early twenties I suffered from really bad cystic acne. I was prescribed accutane and thought I was on the road to beautiful skin. After Accutane my skin was beautiful, smooth and glowing. I was amazed! Then, about 1 year after I completed my treatment and my acne came back! Back to the doctor I went and was put on a second round of Accutane. My skin was perfect again, for about a year... and back it came.

Fast forward a few years and I still struggle with acne. Albeit, I rarely have the huge, painful cysts I once had, I have many white heads, black heads, clogged pores and just lumpy bumpy skin all over my face. I have found that this type of acne has been so much harder to treat and it's harder to cover with makeup because the skin's texture is so bumpy. I've tried dozens of products and I was fed up.

Enter Paula's Choice.

I recently stumbled across the Paula's Choice after doing some research about skin care, particularly BHA (Beta Hydroxy Acid), as I learned it's good at unclogging pores and dealing with white heads and black heads. But I still hesitant order.

Then I stumbled across a video from on of my all time favourite YouTube Beauty gurus, Wayne Goss (AKA gossmakeupartist on YouTube). I have always really trusted his opinions on products and skin care. He was raving about Paula's Choice and particularly a new product called Resist BHA 9 and how amazing it was for unclogging pores and dealing with breakouts and imperfections.

I ended up ordering Resist BHA 9, Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant and Skin Recover Super Antioxidant Concentrate Serum with Retinol (which I use under my eyes).



After a couple of days I say immediate improvements in bumps and within about a week- noticable results. Even my boyfriend said something- and that says a lot!!

My skin care routine is not 100 times more simple, with less products, yet 100 times more effective!

Today I placed my second order with Paula's Choice and I am confident that it won't be my last!!

Have you tried any of Paula's Choice products? If so, what were they and what were your results? I'd love to hear!!

Lots of love,

Jess xxx

Simple DIY Statement Necklace

Hi ladies!

Just a quick post to show you my latest DIY venture: a knotted statement necklace. The turquoise fabric is actually from an old t-shirt and the chain is extra I had laying around from another project.

I love the way it came out and I can't wait to experiment with more colours, sizes and chains.

Lots of love,

Jess xoxox