Beauty TLC Kit - Sick But Still Beautiful

Even the best of us beauty queens get sick sometimes! The universe catches up to us and somehow it's summer, boiling hot outside and yet we are in bed with a cold. It happens a lot more than I'd like!
And as a girly girl a set back like that can really cramp my beauty style.
However I am anything but not persistent and you'd be surprised just how much pampering I can accomplish even when I am ordered to "bed rest"!

All beauty enthusiasts, including me appreciate a home facial a lot more than reruns of Jerry Springer or the infamous Days of Our Lives.
Why not take advantage of the time that you have to lay low and preform a few beauty rituals you don't normally have a lot of time for?

Here are some of my favorite rituals and tips that make me look a little less "grey" during those sick days.
Just because I feel terrible on the inside doesn't mean that I need to look like it on the outside :-)

*Washing Your Face in Bed is Easy With the Right Tools"
When you are laying down in bed, sick with no energy at all, the last thing you want to do is get up and go to the bathroom to wash your face twice a day (like you are suppose to). I know its so much easier not to do it, ignore personal hygiene and just sleep it off BUT if your basics are not covered, when you finally emerge from the "sleep coma" the mirror may freak you out!
To improve your chances of looking a little more presentable leave a few essentials by the bed where they are easy to reach and won't require too much effort to apply or use.
If the mere thought of standing up is giving you the bed-spins, remain in horizontal position and "wash" your face with some good quality facial wipes or soak a few cotton pads with cleansing water and swipe them over your face a few times. This is not only going to clean your skin but it will also feel refreshing and cooling, which is something anyone with a fever definitively appreciates.
My favorites and ones I reserve specifically for my "Beauty TLC Kit" are the Simple Skincare Cleansing Facial  Wipes ($6.00 for 25) and the Neutrogena Pink Grapefruit Cleansing Wipes ($7.49 for 25).
The cleansing waters I prefer for sick days are the Koh Gen Do Cleansing Spa Water ($39.00 for 10.15 oz) and the Clarins Cleansing Milk with Alpine Herbs ($34.00 for 6.9 oz).

*Maid of the Mist to the Rescue*
Facial sprays can be your best friend when you are sick! A few things feel as refreshing as a fine mist of a cooling thermal water to rejuvenate your senses and supplement the basic cleansing steps. For some tips on how to utilize facial sprays to their maximum potential check out the Maid of the Mist Feature. Spraying your face with a hydrating version of the facial spray will not only refresh you but will also keep your skin hydrated as you are recovering.
For sick days I highly recommend any toner-like spray with rosewater because those formulations are usually deeply hydrating, give the skin a comforting-soothing sensation and the fragrance is soft enough so it won't interfere with any sickness induced headache.
Two excellent Rosewater sprays are Jurlique Rosewater Balancing Mist ($42.00 for 3.3 oz) and the budget-friendly Reviva Labs Rosewater Facial Spray ($6.30 for 8 oz)

*Bust Out the Balmy Balms* 
Continuing with the hydration theme for skincare you need to choose rich moisturizing skin potions. If your skin is in any way sensitive, dry, red and/or irritated, the best treatment choice for "sick days" would definitively be deeply-hydrating multi-purpose balms. Those with oily skin may stay away from balmy moisturizers (if breakout prone) but still upgrade to a slightly richer formula of their usual cream. Since staying indoors is a prevalent characteristic of being sick, moisturizers with SPF protection are obsolete, which means swapping it out with your nigh-cream will give your complexion extra hydration and more time to engage in natural skin repair cycle. Red, raw noses will need a little bit more help so don't be afraid to layer and pack it on!
Don't forget your hands and neck!
I am a huge multipurpose balm fan and the standouts in my collection are Suti Purity Organic Moisturizing Balm ($41.00 for 50ml), Bobbi Brown Extra Repair Moisturizing Balm ($110.00 for 1.7 oz) and the famous Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream ($23.00, review here!)

*Lip Bomb Kit*

When I am sick the dehydration is always most obvious and prominent on my lips and nose area. I hate the sensation of chapped and flaky lips so no matter how bad I might feel I try to pull out all the stops to fix the problem ASAP. An everyday lip balm simply will not cut it for such extreme conditions so investing in a heavy-duty lip treatment is going to be very beneficial in treating these kinds of lip disasters.
The ones in my arsenal are Einstein Lip Balm Therapy ($12.99), Philosophy Kiss Me Tonight Intense Lip Therapy ($20.00) and my newest awesome discovery Lanolips 101 Ointment ($20.00)

*Bonus Points - lip scrub like Sara Happ Vanilla Bean Lip Scrub ($30.00) and the lip emergency is easily averted!
*More Bonus Points - apply a hydrating facial mask like the FRESH Rose Face Mask ($63.00 for 3.4 oz) and just sleep on it!

The Beauty TLC Kit will help you look a little bit better but in order to feel better you will need some soup, hot chocolate, tea, extra sleep, a downy comforter, a good book, a favorite DVD and if you are like me, your Mommy :-)

To our good health

Do you bother with beauty products when you are sick? What makes you feel better?

XOXO

ANJA

P.S. If you enjoyed this post and want some more Princeza Beauty Musings, please consider following me through GFC, Bloglovin, Pinterest or Twitter! Insert "happy dance" here :-) 

The Princeza Guide to Morning Beauty

Apparently you guys loved reading about my bedtime beauty ridiculousness and even though I was almost expecting to have to dodge my little vain head, the response was quite the opposite :-) I might have finally stumbled upon a little slice of this sparkly universe that really understands the feel only a "beauty product" can fool you into and just how comforting a swipe of rose-scented lip treatment can be at the end of a hard day. More importantly my need to over-complicate and over-do anything and everything was not mocked (yay!)

I guess The Princeza Guide to Bedtime Beauty was such a hit that I received quite a bit of emails for an "encore" of sorts however despite the fact that my attention span sometimes resembles that of a goldfish, my 

bedtime routine hasn't changed enough to do a repeat (just yet!) but ever the clever goldfish I am, I came up with an equally complicated (or more?) substitute - Guide to Morning Beauty post. 

So after a night of annoying tossing & turning, unladylike-like sleeping positions, candy-colored kitty (don't ask - i am the weird one!) filled dreams and the occasional creepy nightmare any Princeza worth her crown will need to preform a series of pre-determined tasks that are pretty much required for her to be at least presentable. That's the plan of course, however this does not work out very often and i guess the key feature being is that its at least pre-determined :-) 

The success rate also depends on how early it is, where I have to be that day, the temperature outside, how long will I be away from my abode and how comfortable my bed feels that particular morning. I think we have already established that my high-maintenance nature guarantees that I am bound to be on the lazy side as well so getting out of bed and moving is not my strong point. Beauty products I love using definitively help in that particular department. 

Once again lets break this into steps so the over-complication can be easier to understand!

Shopping Bags For Your Morning Eye Bags

Whether you partied the night away, won the "black-eye" genetic jackpot or mother nature simply refused your sleep request last night, there is no worse start to your beautification routine than having to deal with really-puffy eye syndrome. Your regular eye cream might be able to help disguise some of the lovely purple shading but no matter how good the formula is, its not going to be able to deal  with the puffiness under the eyes one bit. You will need something more powerful, targeted and a lot more specific to banish the dreaded eye "pouf" on those mornings and I being who I am have a number of tried&tested remedies that work every time without a lot of frill or fuss to it 

Mornings that are puffy, sleepy and pressed for time as well I always reach for an eye-serum roller-ball that is usually  in the fridge for that extra icy boost to the the refreshing massaging action under the eye. It literally takes about 60 seconds of quick press action to see results, break-up the "pouf" and wake me up a little more too.

Daytime Beauty Eyes with Live Clean, Frownies, Duwop

My top pics and ones that never disappoint are Garnier Skin Renew Anti-Dark Circle Eye Roller ($12.99), Aveeno Smart Essentials Anti-Fatigue Eye Treatment ($11.99) and Live Clean Fresh Face De-Puffing Roller Eye Treatment ($21.29)

Mornings that are more lazy, on the weekends or on special occassion days I will bring out the big guns and actually use a treatment to really cool and de-compress the entire eye area. The best stuff is natural of course so if there is time and cucamber/tea bag relaxation session is your best bet however these products really are a the next best thing - Skyn Iceland Hydro Cool Firming Eye Gels ($30.00 for 8), Frownies Eye Gels ($29.99) and my all-time favorite Duwop Igels ($25.00)

The Cleansing Party 
Since the Bedtime Beauty Routine already involves a heavy duty cleansing routine followed by a very specific line-up of hydrating-rejuvenating treatments I try to keep my morning cleanse very gentle and as simple as my Princeza genes allow. This includes a generous spray of hydrating thermal mineral water (maid of the mist) to start things off with a grime-neutralizing step which is then followed by a gentle cleanse, pairing  my Clarisonic with a mild non-stripping cleanser. I used to stick to just micellar waters and wipes in the mornings but since i stepped up my cleansing party I find my skin quality has greatly improved.

Morning Cleanse with Omorovicza, Pai Skincare, Mario Badescu Skin Care

The best ones I have used are Omorovicza Cleansing Foam ($75.00 for 5 oz, review here!), Mario Badescu Glycolic Foaming Cleanser ($15.00 for 6 oz) and my current favorite Pai Camellia & Rose Organic Facial Cleanser ($50.00 for 100ml).
The combination of the Clarisonic and gentle cleansing action means that my complexion will be exfoliated gently, cleansed and refreshed, ultimately ready to receive my daytime products with the renewed gusto only clean pores can provide.

To Tone Or Not to Tone 

I have always used some kind of toning step or even an astringent so skipping it makes me feel awkward or like I am missing out on something. Since the discovery of exfoliating toners and all their amazing benefits (see here) I can't see myself skipping this step anytime soon. It might not be a must-have part of a skincare regiment and I wouldn't endorse it just for the sake of using yet another product but for me there are obvious benefits so I continue to make time for it (its only takes 10 seconds tops!).
Besides I am probably brainwashed into it at this point but at least its a good kind of habit to "get into"!

Skin Toners with Biologique Recherche, Clarins Skin Spa, Pixi

My favorites continue to be the Pixi Glow Tonic (review here!), Biologique Recherche (review here!) and Clarins Gentle Exfoliator Brightening Toner (review here!) but my recent discovery Liz Earle Instant Boost Skin Tonic might be taking over pretty soon.

Protection Serums Are a Go! 

Just because I tend to go overboard during my Nighttime routine you would think I would try to take it easy and skip a step or two during the day! Um nope! My facial serum choices shift from rejuvenation and renewal at night to protection and radiance during the day because I feel it's important to have all my skincare needs and basis covered. However daytime serums also have to be light, fast absorbing and layer friendly. Since I will be adding a moisturizer, a sunscreen and possibly even makeup on top, this means that all of these need to play well together and one "pilling" culprit can wreck the entire process completely and that can really suck if you don't have time for the reset button. 

Serums that fit really good in my routine are - an old stand-by Indeed Laboratories Hydraluron ($19.99 for 1 oz, review here!), Biotherm Source Therapie 7 ($64 for 50ml) and Trilogy CoQ10 Booster Serum ($44.00 for 20ml)

Hydration with Indeed Labs, Trilogy, Biotherm

Hydration and More Hydration
Everyone has to moisturize every day is a statement we can all agree on (even you oily skin gals!) and not just to soften and hydrate the skin surface. Properly moisturized skin cells are balanced, plump, comfortable, renewed and strengthened but more importantly hydrated skin is stronger and finds it easier to renew itself over time. Its kind of like skin insurance if you know what I mean.
Canadian weather can go from one extreme to another quite frequently and if you have sensitive-reactive skin like me then you already know what kind of havoc that can cause! I try to keep the reactivity in check by keeping a variety of skin moisturizers in my arsenal to fill and fix any need my skin cells come up every day.
Taking sunscreen into consideration, which is worn separately if I am not wearing makeup, my favorite moisturizing creams are Oskia Nutri-Active Day Cream ($85.00), Zelens Z Matrix Energy & Moisture Infusion ($140) and Vichy Aqualia Thermal Balm ($24.99).

Bonus Morning Brownie Points 
If my facial moisturizer doesnt already have a sunscreen built in I normally apply a light layer in the morning even if I don't plan on being outside for too long - remember skin cancer and the leathery look will never be trendy (i hope!).
The best ones I have found are Clarins Sun Wrinkle Control SPF 15 ($34.00) and Supergoop Endless Summer SPF 30 ($45.11).
On the days I don't have to wear makeup but want to be somewhat polished then my beloved tinted moisturizers are the key because when paired with the right cream-based blush I can end up looking healthy and "glowy" even though I might not feel that way. My current obsession is the Hourglass Illusion Tinted Moisturizer ($64.00) and its a perfection in a tube which I will review very soon!


Other bonus point tasks include a layer of hydration and protection by Nuxe Reve de Miel Ultra-Nourishing Lip Balm ($19.99, review here!) or the Josie Maran Argan Lip Treatment Duo ($34.00) for the lips and when i am feeling extremely ambitious some lash and brow TLC conditioning by Lashem Eyelash Boosting Serum ($70).

Bonus Brownie Points Beauty with Hourglass, NUXE , Lashem

The obligatory perfume spray of my signature PRADA Candy ($96.00 for 1.7 oz, review here!) is the finishing touch regardless of whether I am staying in or out.
Its cheesy I know but it really does complete me!

I hope you enjoyed yet another glimpse it to my completely over-saturated beauty world - please tell me if i need to add any more things to this routine! I feel like i can always elevate it you know...

What is your favorite part of morning beauty routines?

XOXO

ANJA

P.S. If you enjoyed this post and want some more Princeza Beauty Musings, please consider following me through GFC, Bloglovin, Pinterest or Twitter! Insert "happy dance" here :-) 

Skincare Tips from a Skincare Hoarder/Beauty Blogger

Just a quick glance of this blog and its pretty clear to anyone that the Canadian Princeza is a huge appreciator and connoisseur of the beauty industry or more specifically the skincare field. Necessity, genetics and over-reactive skin caused me to start seriously looking into skincare, ingredients, treatments and a vast number of products from a very young age.

Being proactive, naturally curious and a scientist at heart (Biology Grad Student!) made it second nature for me to want to experiment, try new things, explore new innovations but perhaps most importantly learn about ingredients and how to identify the "bad" from the "good".

You would be surprised just how many ingredients can be questionable in just one single product - I was shocked to see some "respectable" brands filling their skincare with parabens, petrochemicals, sulfates, glycols and even synthetic colors. How is synthetic fragrance or color going to improve the performance of that moisturizer? Chances are it won't and in fact the chances of the formula becoming more irritating due to the addition is far greater.

Luckily for us there are so many new brands (and some older ones too!) that are understanding the shift in focus to good ingredients, simpler formulas and accountability to their customers. I can only hope the trend continues.

One of my wonderful readers (Hi, Kate!) perceptively picked up on the fact that I obviously have a lot to say when it comes to skincare and requested a post filled with: tips, recommendations and some pointers when it comes to choosing the right technique or product for all skin types.
I was obviously very excited (happy dance!) and more than happy to share my (limited) knowledge and experience with all of you.

Before we begin I would like to remind you all that I am not a professional, I do not work in the beauty-related field and I am certainly no expert or guru anyone can rely on. The products, pointers and tricks, have all worked for me but may not preform exactly the same for you, especially if our skin type does not match. For that reason I tried to narrow down my points, streamline the list to mostly tips that could work for all skin types and include product recommendations for both budget and higher end brands.

Please use common sense, be cautious the first time you use something new, ask for a sample before purchasing (when available?) try to do a patch test when introducing a product, research other reviews (like Makeupalley) and most importantly pay attention to your skin, only you will be able to tell you if something is wrong.
*For reference my skin is combination with some localized dryness, moderately prone to acne & clogged pores, sensitive & reactive and now displays mild rosacia on cheeks and nose.


Things I Learned Through My Own Skincare Journey

*Neglecting Sunscreen
Skipping sunscreen or not using enough of it is one of the top beauty and health mistakes anyone can make. Don't use one and risk skin cancer, skin cell and blood vessel damage, deeper wrinkles, photo-damage, discoloration, pigmentation issues and generally weaker skin surface. The "leathery" look is not trendy now and I hope it never is.

- Great sunscreen for the body is the Honest Sunscreen SPF30 - $13.95 for 3 oz from the Honest Company
- Great sunscereens for the face is the Skinceuticals Sheer Physical UV Defense SPF 50 - $34.00 for 1.7 oz from SkinCareRx or for an amazing budget choice try the Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry Touch SPF 110 - $16.99 for 88ml from well.ca


*Sleeping Without Removing Makeup
We have all heard this advice before and even though it seems simple enough, it can end up being the hardest task of your day on one of "those nights". No matter how crappy I feel I also know that if i don't take a few minutes to take care of my face I will more than regret it when I wake up and see surprise bumps on my chin. To make things easier I always have some facial wipes, Micellar water, cotton pads and a travel size of my moisturizer handy right on my bedside stand.

- Good budget facial wipes I have used for years are the Neutrogena All-in-One Make-up Remover Cleansing Wipes - $12.99 for 25 sheets at well.ca
- For a good cleansing (micellar) water that preforms fully and gently try the Vichy Purete 3-in-1 Calming Cleansing Solution - $17.00 for 6.76 oz at ULTA


*Overcleansing and Harsh Facial Products
This point can actually be quite difficult to figure out and stick to because for years the opinion on treating problem (acne) skin was to "treat" it or "clean" it into submission. Unfortunately all that does is strip your skin of its natural oils, disrupts skin's natural moisture balance, over-dries skin's surface and causes the epidermal cells to produce even more oil to overcompensate, thereby new pimples pop even more. Harsh ingredients such as alcohol and harsh physical scrubs only further irritate that what you are trying to correct and your skin eventually rebels no matter what you do.
As a rule clean your skin only twice a day (morning + night) unless there are special circumstances and choose gentle formulas for your skincare, whenever possible.

- Great gentle cleanser for problem skin is Green Beaver Daily Facial Cleanser for Sensitive & Acne Prone Skin - $16.99 for 120 ml from Green Beaver
I also highly recommend the Pangea Organics Discovery Set for Blemish-Prone Skin - $34.00 for 5 piece set available at iherb

Skincare Tips with Antipodes, Cake Beauty, bareMinerals

*Lifestyle and Diet Problems
We all know that eating well, exercising and getting enough sleep, affects how our bodies feel and how much energy we have for everyday life. Your skin is affected the most when you neglect yourself in such a way and pretty soon you will see it "on your face". Common skincare issues such as blemishes, sallow tone, dark circles, dryness, excess sebum and superficial redness; can all related in some way to how you live your life. The good news is that if you improve "you" it wont take long for it to be evident on the face as well.


*Skipping Moisturizer 
Making sure that your skin is hydrated is very important and that goes for all skin types, including those beauties with oily skin. I can understand why it makes sense to skip the step because you fear more oil on your face but that kind of thinking has now been dis-proven by dermatologists around the world. Basically if you don't add moisture to your skin then your epidermal skin cells will add their own in the form of more oil!
To avoid this just find a lightweight face lotion, designed for oily skin which will not just hydrate but can also help mattify the complexion even more.

- \My recommendations are: Say Yes to Tomatoes Facial Hydrating Lotion $14.99 for 1.7 oz from ULTA and Avene Hydrance Optimale (Light) $30.00 for 1.35 oz from drugstore.com


*Overexfoliating - too much of a good thing!
This tip is one of the most important ones for skincare-aholics and beauty bloggers like me. There are so many "potions" I want to try and sometimes these "trials" end up overlapping almost without me noticing. A lot of skin treatments preform some kind of resurfacing, exfoliating, scrubbing, peeling, polishing, refinishing...or will just indicate "enzyme presence". All of those terms mean one thing and that exfoliation. There are two ways you can exfoliate - chemical and physical but they should never be combined or overused.
I recommend taking an inventory of all the products you use and identify which ones preform any kind of exfoliating. You will be surprised how many you'll end up with and once you know what you are working with then it will be easy to make sure you only use one at a time.

For example - using a Clarisonic with a resurfacing face wash is doubling up OR using a facial scrub with a chemical exfoliating toner like Biologique Recherche p50 is also doubling up.
Try to use only one exfoliating product with each routine.

*Neck and Hand Skin Care
Many of us forget to include the neck and hands when caring for our skin (me included) even though we know that the first signs of aging usually show up on these two areas. It takes a little bit of practice to remember but the effort is certainly worth it.
What helped me was purchasing a separate neck cream to include in my evening skincare routine however I don't think I necessarily needed a separate product for it. However once the cream is gone I will have developed a habit to take care of the neck so it will be second nature to me. I am hoping anyways :-)

*One of the best neck creams out there and the one I chose is the ridiculously expensive Clarins Advanced Extra-Firming Neck Cream which is ridiculously priced at $80.00 but can be found for a lot cheaper on Amazon.
*A more budget version is the bareMinerals Naturally Luminous Extra Firming Cream $48.00 at Sephora

To take care of my hands I make sure I choose a hand cream that I like and just litter the tubes all over the house so they are always handy to me whenever I remember to use it. There are anti-aging formula's out there but I feel that since we are constantly washing our hands all day long, the focus needs to be on hydration and protection first.

*A few of my top choices are: Glysomed $3.69 for 50 ml, Cake Milk Made Velveteen $10.00 for 30 ml and my favorite Burt's Bees Almond Milk Beeswax Hand Cream $12.99 for 55 g; which are all available well.ca
*If you are looking to splurge on a luxury formula then I strongly recommend the Rodial Glam-Balm Hand Cream $39.00 for 50 ml, available at Murale and the Antipodes Deliverance Kowhai Flower $26.38 for 75 ml and Antipodes Joyful Hand & Body Cream $41.23 for 120ml; which are both available at feelunique

I hope this little guide was helpful to you (especially Kate!). If you have any questions, comments or ideas, don't even hesitate to contact me - I will always get back to you!

What are your favorite skincare products? Does my list and yours have items in common?

XOXO

ANJA

P.S. If you enjoyed this post and want some more Princeza Beauty Musings, please consider following me through GFC, Bloglovin, Pinterest or Twitter! Insert "happy dance" here :-)

Review - Clarins Gentle Exfoliator Brightening Toner

I love my Biologique Recherche p50 treatment!
It has been a life-changing product for me and I would gladly invest in cases at a time. However with the new European formula change and limited supplies, the original P50 formula is getting harder and harder to find.

I fully appreciate everyone's effort to remove nasty chemicals from beauty products and everything else for that matter but my skin needs a little bit of the "baddies" to be kept in check. I simply haven't been able to find a formulation that works as good as the Biologique Recherche but since I've been conflicted about the whole thing I decided to start pursuing other options in the limited world of exfoliating toners.

As per usual I took Caroline Hiron's (online skincare genius!) advice and invested in one of her other top choices. The Clarins exfoliating toner caught my eye so that was one of my first test products.

I decided on Clarins first because I have always felt that their skincare choices seem to stand out from the rest of the beauty giants (Estée Lauder) in terms of price, functionality and innovation. I had liked some of their skincare products before and I have always felt comfortable browsing their counter choices so it really was an organic first choice. 

Thereby I introduce you to the seriously underrated Clarins Gentle Exfoliator Brightening Toner.

Description;
The Clarins Gentle Exfoliator Brightening Toner is a lotion formulated with fruit acids to sweep away dulling dead skin cells and the day's grime and pollution.
It smooths and softens skin to leave it looking and feeling clean, bright and beautiful.
Apply once or twice a week to a clean face with a cotton pad, avoiding the delicate eye contour. Wait for a minute before continuing your usual skin routine to maximise effectiveness.

This particular exfoliating toner brightens and refines your skin through the means of natural chemical exfoliation; using a combination of tamarind fruit acids and white nettle extract.

The Tamarind fruit acid helps to unclog congested skin, eliminates any settled impurities and dead skin cells and activates natural cell renewal. On the other hand the White nettle extract firms the complexion, tightens your pores and prepares your skin for additional topical treatments.

For those of you concerned with alcohol content I should point out that in this particular formulation, the addition of glycerin counteracts the drying factor successfully so any effects of said alcohol is negligible or even non-existent. 

The concentration of chemical exfoliants in this is a lot lower than that in the P50 or the Pixi Glow Tonic so this is a great choice for Sensitive Skin Club Members and in my experience suitable for daily use. 

However as always I recommend an old- fashion patch test prior to use any products that contain "active" ingredients such as this one.

I have used the Clarins Gentle Exfoliator Brightening Toner ( $34.00) for almost a month at this point and I have to say I am very impressed. The results of course are nowhere near as dramatic as that of the P50 but its serving its exfoliating purpose in the gentlest way possible. 

It leaves my skin smooth, soft, supple and radiant upon each use and while I can't say it will totally replace the Biologique Recherche completely, it's definitively got what it takes for the maintenance phase in between the sad skin days. 

You can purchase and get more info on Clarins skincare directly on their website, Sephora or any designated counters in your area.

Have you tried the Clarins Gentle Exfoliator Brightening Toner? Do you have a favorite toner? 

Thank you for stopping by :-)

XOXO

ANJA

P.S. If you enjoyed this post and want some more Princeza Beauty Musings, please consider following me through GFC, Bloglovin, Pinterest or Twitter! Insert "happy dance" here :-) 

Clarins Lip Perfector in Rose Shimmer

Clarins Instant Light Lip Perfectors are another one of those products that seem to have blown up in the blogosphere just recently, most likely driven by the addition of the new shades to the somewhat small collection. 

Today the lineup consists of six shades: 01 Rose Shimmer, 02 Apricot Shimmer, 03 Nude Shimmer, 04 Petal Shimmer, 05 Candy Shimmer and 06 Rosewood Shimmer. I believe the last 3 are the new colors.

I am not exactly sure when Clarins initially brought these out but it must have been a while back since I remember using them even years ago. My color of choice was and still remains the original 01 Rose Shimmer, which is a perfectly natural rosy shade that compliments my lips, adding just enough shine and shimmer, without being too obvious. In fact that's exactly what the point of these lip perfectors really is - to add a little bit of color, moisturize, erase any imperfections (flakes, anyone?) and technically "light up" your own lips.  

This is how Clarins describes the Lip Perfector;

A softly textured lip gel with a deliciously sweet scent and 3D shimmer.Experience the lusciously  smooth, shiny and fuller lips you've always dreamed of. Sheer but shaded enough to wear alone or to complement your favorite lip shade. 

Supple, well moisturized lips; extracts of Shea Butter, Wild Mango and plant perhydrosqualene repair and soften

Derivatives of Vitamin E and A, reinforce the repairing action and protect against free radicals.

When I initially purchased one these Instant Light lip glosses I was expecting just that - a lip gloss! I am happy to report that I was so very wrong! This is no ordinary lip gloss that adds some color to your pucker - its actually a hybrid of a lip color and a lip treatment. What that means is that i don't need to apply lip balm before this, just 1 layer of this and my lips are smoothed, moisturized, protected and just plain pretty. I am not usually a fan of fragrance when it comes to face products but the Lip Perfectors smell of caramel, vanilla, candy and pie, so I enjoy that feature very-very much! Compared to other lip glosses the stickiness is negligible, which is something i always take in to account since my hair is quite long.  

Final verdict is a resounding rave and since the price ($20) is reasonable for a 10 ml tube I would recommend this to anyone 

The Instant Light Lip Perfectors are available for purchase directly on the Clarins website here and counters everywhere!

Have you tried the Clarins lip perfectors?

XOXO

ANJA

P.S. If you enjoyed this post and want some more Princeza Beauty Musings, please consider following me through GFC, Bloglovin, Pinterest or Twitter! Insert "happy dance" here :-)