Perilously Pale

Silky Smooth Summer Ready Skin Thanks to Clarins!

May 23, 2013 By Christa 2 Comments

I must admit that I’m not used to pampering my body skin with high end products. I’m pretty cheap in the pampering department. I don’t treat myself to bath products, candles, or any of that sort of thing. I do believe I am hooked now though! I have really come to appreciate the difference adding quality products to my bath and body routine can make. My skin feels and smells soooo good. Here are the products that have my body now expecting only the best.

Clarins Exfoliating Body Scrub For Smooth Skin (200 ml $45 CAD/$36 US) has been preventing my skin from looking dull, keeping it smooth, and prepping it to receive the benefits of the skincare I apply by sloughing off dead skin cells. I’ve been using this in the shower a couple times a week and have noticed a nice improvement in the condition of my skin. This scrub:

Exfoliates with Bamboo powders to gently remove dead surface skin cells.
Detoxifies with Moringa seed extract.
Soothes and Softens with extracts of licorice, tenuiflora, and shea butter.

I have been using the scrub twice weekly but the following lotions I have been using daily to make my skin enviably soft and ready for summer.

Clarins Moisture Rich Body Lotion (200 ml $44 CAD/$40 US) is a luxuriously silky feeling body lotion that smells absolutely heavenly. Not in a perfumed way but rather a light, fresh intoxicating scent. This body lotion:

Hydrates with Peach extract and Shea Butter.
Smoothes with a skin smoothing complex and Abyssinian Pea extract.
Tones with Candlenut Oil (from Hawaii) which is rich in essential lipids and Orange Blossom wax to help shield skin against dehydration.

Clarins Body Lift Cellulite Smoother (200ml $65 CAD) and the Clarins Self-Massage Body Contouring Method. I don’t have the time to follow the massage method with every application but I do try to take a little extra time massaging the product in even on the days I can’t. I have no way to analyze whether there has been any reduction of the appearance of cellulite on my skin but I do know that this lotion feels and smells amazing. If it does actually give me improvements in the cellulite department then that’s an added bonus! This lotion:

Minimizes cellulite with Caffeine combiened with scabious, geranium and cang zhu extracts.
Slows appearance of new cellulite with extracts of celosia, baccharis and water mint.
Optimizes draining effect of the Anti-Cellulite Self Massage method (Auto-Modelage Anti-Capiton™) with Escine (a molecule obtained from Indian chestnuts).
Boosts hydration with sunflower phospholipids and hazelnut oil.

Products provided for my consideration. All reviews are always my own honest and unbiased opinions.

Filed Under: Body Products, Clarins

Make Up For Ever Summer 2013 Aqua Collection ~ Photos, Swatches, and Review

May 22, 2013 By Christa 3 Comments

The instant I saw the promo images for the MAKE UP FOR EVER Summer 2013 Aqua Collection I was totally, irrevocably, smitten. The shades are just so beautiful and the Aqua products never let me down. I wish I had all the products to show you, (because I NEED them all), but for now I will tempt you with these three beautiful pieces from the collection. I hope to pick up the rest of the Aqua Creams and the Aqua Eye liners as well.

MAKE UP FOR EVER Summer 2013 Aqua Collection

The Make Up for Ever Aqua Creams ($28 CAD/$23 US) are one of my go to products. They are incredible eye shadow bases but also come in shades that are complex enough, and opaque enough, to wear all by themselves or in combo with other Aqua Creams for a budge proof look. The releases for summer are all breathtaking. The gorgeous mint #53 Pearly Pastel Green, the pretty lilac #54 Pearly Mauve, and the glorious #52 Pearly Green Lagoon (shown below).

MAKE UP FOR EVER Aqua Cream #52 Pearly Green Lagoon

The summer collection introduces five new shades of MAKE UP FOR EVER Aqua Rouge ($29 CAD/$24 US). The five new shades bring a welcome injection of vibrancy to the Aqua Lip collection that it had been missing.

#16 Fuschia
#19 Pomegranate Pink
#20 Baby Pink
#17 Bright Coral
#18 Coral

Something else I found to be new is that some of the new shades include a very fine shimmer. None of the original shades released included any kind of shimmer that I am aware of (and I own eight of them). #18 Coral has a lovely subtle gold shimmer that just makes this already perfect shade of coral even more special. The MAKE UP FOR EVER Aqua Rouge formula is something truly special. It offers colour that will not move, budge, fade in any way for hour upon hour. I literally scrubbed my lips with a baby wipe and not a speck came off. You simply reapply the glossy topcoat as needed to maintain the glossy finish but the colour will not come off. I find I prefer this formula for really deep or intense shades as you must have the product applied perfectly evenly, as once it’s applied there is no changing it. While Coral is opaque I still have found, amongst all the shades I have, that shades like #8 Iconic Red are still my favourite for this formula. It’s a little easier to just swipe on some more coral or pink gloss or lipstick than it is an intense fuschia or deep wine. If you are headed out for a night on the town and really don’t want to worry about your summer lip fading then you can’t go wrong with these new shades though!

MAKE UP FOR EVER Aqua Lip #18 Coral

MAKE UP FOR EVER Aqua Lip #18 Coral

There are two new MAKE UP FOR EVER Aqua Lip ($23 CAD/$19 US) lip liners as part of the Summer 2013 collection. They co-ordinate with their Aqua Rouge counterparts. #19C Pomegranate Pink, and #20C Baby Pink (shown below). Baby Pink is actually a perfect midtoned pink in my eyes. It isn’t the pastel pink the name infers. I think this would be an ideal lip liner for anyone that loves pink lips as it is a very versatile shade and the Aqua Lip formula offers impeccable waterproof performance.

MAKE UP FOR EVER Aqua Lip #20C Baby Pink

Here are swatches of the three products. MAKE UP FOR EVER Aqua Cream #52 Pearly Green Lagoon, Aqua Lip #20C Baby Pink, and Aqua Rouge #18 Coral shown without and with the glossy topcoat.

MAKE UP FOR EVER Aqua Cream #52 Pearly Green Lagoon, Aqua Lip #20C Baby Pink, and Aqua Rouge #18 Coral shown without and with glossy topcoat.

The collection also includes two new MAKE UP FOR EVER Aqua Eye ($23 CAD/$19 US) eye pencils as well, in #25L Matte Brown and #52L Pearly Green Lagoon.

Shop the collection:

MAKE UP FOR EVER Summer 2013 Aqua Collection is available now at Sephora stores, Sephora.ca, and MAKE UP FOR EVER Boutiques.

Products provided for my consideration. All reviews are always my own honest and unbiased opinions. Post contains affiliate links which helps support this site.