Beauty - sparkleshinylove

Roxymandy July 13, 2015

Review of NIVEA Q10plus Anti-Wrinkle Serum Pearls

Over the last year I have really started taking care of my skin. When I was younger I tanned without sunscreen, went to bed without makeup on, and rarely exfoliated. All of that has stated to catch up with me, so I have been doing some damage control!

A new product I have tried that is showing me some pretty amazing results is NIVEAQ10plus Anti-Wrinkle Serum Pearls. When I was younger I used to think it was cute to have those wrinkles around my eyes when I would smile big and bright! Now I can feel those lines deepening, so I thought I would try a product that could improve the look of my wrinkles.

NIVEA Q10plus Anti-Wrinkle Serum Pearls promises to transform the look of skin with freshly activated pearls. What does this mean? There are small pearls in the bottle and as you squeeze them through the nozzle, they disappear into a smooth consistency so they can be applied to your face. You are literally breaking these pearls just before they are applied, and they are enriched with creatine, hyaluronic acid, and the highest concentration of energy coenzyme Q10 within the NIVEA Q10plus range. These cute little pearls are supposed to give you a more refined and younger-looking complexion. Doesn’t that sound great? A younger and more refined look sounds good to me!

So what did I think of it? First of all, I thought it was pretty neat that these pearls were freshly broken before being applied to my face. Freshly activating the product’s ingredients before each use seemed provide an opportunity for a greater impact of what this cream could do! The smell of the cream was lovely, and it felt very soothing when applied to my skin. I had no skin irritation at all, and even just applying it to my skin improved the look of my complexion immediately.

I applied the product each morning before my moisturizer, and my make up. Both seemed to glide over top of this serum. It felt like I had a primer on because my skin felt so smooth, but really I was fighting the look of wrinkles!

NIVEA Q10plus Anti-Wrinkle Serum Pearls contain revolutionary pearl technology and ingredients similar to those found naturally in the skin. By working in harmony with your skin, NIVEA Q10plus Pearls reduce the visible signs of aging.

Is it working? Well I am still using it daily, which means I am impressed with my results so far. It has visibly improved the look of my skin, and I love the way it feels! I seriously don’t have time for wrinkles, so this product has joined my beauty bag arsenal!

NIVEA Q10plus Anti-Wrinkle Serum Pearls are available at all major drug, grocery and mass merchandise stores across Canada and it retails for approximately $19.99.

For more information, visit the NIVEA website here, and visit them on Facebook here, or check out the hashtag #q10pearls on social media to see more results and product information.

This post was created in collaboration with NIVEA; all opinions shared are my own, individual results may vary.

Roxymandy July 7, 2015

Review of Vichy Ideal Body Serum-Milk

Oh I love a good lotion! I slather lotion on in the morning and at night, and especially after a long day outside or after a hot shower to replenish my skin. I go through a lot of lotion as well – it’s something I love to indulge in. I have a closet full of them actually! I have a little lotion department store in my linen closet. My husband is a little less enthusiastic about my “stash” of lotion taking up a whole shelf in the closet, but as usual he let’s it slide for the sake of my happiness.

Once I tried Vichy Ideal Body Serum-Milk, I pushed all of the other lotions out of the way and this has been my go-to for weeks. I am obsessed with it, and I am so sad to almost be out of it!

For Ideal Body Serum-Milk, Vichy used active ingredients traditionally used in face care for this formula to help women obtain fabulous skin quality on the body. Hyaluronic Acid and LHA were combined with 10 fundamental oils to provide firmer, smoother and more radiant skin.

First of all the smell is amazing! It’s quite a strong smell which was just fine with me, and I could smell roses and peaches in the scent. I think it’s one of the prettiest smelling scents in a lotion I have tried. It’s almost a peach coloured lotion, and it has a bit of a shimmer to it as well.

Is it a body milk, or a serum? Well, it’s both! The consistency was between the two categories, hence the name. It absorbs quickly into the skin, and feels very light and airy.

It is an amazing moisturizer. It promises to give firmer, smoother and more radiant skin. I found that my skin did look a bit more radiant (I’m sure the shimmer in the lotion helped with this!) and I absolutely felt like my skin was smoother. As for firmness, I would likely need to give it more than a few weeks to make that determination.

For best results you should apply it just after the shower when you have damp skin to lock in moisture.

For those with sensitive skin it is Paraben-free and hypoallergenic.

Will I buy this product again? Absolutely! I love it. It smells amazing, and does a great job of moisturizing my skin. It feels like a luxury just to apply it.

I have tried a few Vichy products recently, and this one again is a great one to add to my beauty arsenal!

For more information on Vichy Ideal Body Serum-milk, visit the Vichy website here!

Disclaimer: This product was provided to me for review, but all opinions are fabulously my own.

Roxymandy July 3, 2015

Review of the Dermalogica Skin Kit for Oily Skin

One major skin issue has always really plagued me, and I have forever been on the hunt for the perfect skincare product to solve it – I have oily skin.

I hate it when people ask what skin type I have. Doesn’t oily skin sound like a terrible answer? Well it’s my answer and I’d really like to switch skin types of that’s ok!

I had never used Dermalogica before, and the best place for me to start with this new brand was the Dermalogica Skin Kit – Oily

The kit included a Dermal Clay Cleanser (1.7 oz), Multi-Active Toner (1.7 oz), Oil Control Lotion (0.75 oz), Skin Prep Scrub (0.75 oz), Total Eye Care (0.1 oz), PreCleanse (sample), Skin Refining Masque (sample).

For best results I used the kit morning and night, and the kit had a full regimen of what I needed.

The Clay Cleanser was my favourite from the kit. It really felt like it woke my skin up! It had a minty fresh sent that made my skin tingle. It removed my eye makeup as well.

The Multi-Active Toner was AMAZING! The instructions said to close your eyes and spray it over your face, but I preferred to do it with a cotton ball, and it felt like it was soaking up all of the oil in my face.

The Skin Prep Scrub gently exfoliated my face, and made it nice and smooth. I really should exfoliate more often!

The Oil Control Lotion required very little for each application – the coverage was amazing! It did not make my face greasy or oily at all.

When it came to the Total Eye Care, again it seemed like a little went a long way. This kit is meant to last one month, and it’s a great way to try the whole regimen to see what works for you.

After using these products there was an immediate difference compared to other skincare products I have used because there was no sheen to my face. My face seemed completely clean and oil free instantly.

It was pretty shocking the difference this skincare line made to my oily skin. I saw results after my first application – I couldn’t believe it. It really improved my oily T-Zone.

I was also having a minor breakout when I started the Dermalogica Skin Kit, and it cleared it up in only a couple days. Huge bonus!

Do I sound like a big fan of the Dermalogica Skin Kit? I am – I had heard great things about Dermalogica, but after trying it I was amazed to find that the skincare line kept all of its promises.

The kit included one-time samples of the Dermalogica PreCleanse & Skin Refining Masque as well which I would like to purchase to see what their long-term benefits are. I really liked the way the Skin Refining Mask made my skin feel.

For more details on the Dermalogica Skin Kit – Oily, visit their website here!

Disclaimer: This product was provided to me for review, but all opinions are fabulously my own.

Roxymandy July 1, 2015

Amopé Pedi Perfect Review for Chick Advisor!

If you follow me on the blog or on Instagram, you know I am a girl who loves the spa. I love to bounce around to different locations to indulge in a little pampering – especially pedicures.

When I can’t make it to the spa, I often do my own pedicures at home. I probably change my nail polish every other week, and I have a kit with all kinds of files, creams, lotions and pumice stones to do my own pedicure.

When Chick Advisor said they were sending me the Amopé Pedi Perfect Electric Foot File, I was obviously excited, but a little nervous too. How would this contraption work into my home pedicure routine? The idea of using something battery powered was a little intimidating, but I soon realized that this tool was exactly what I needed.

The Amopé Pedi Perfect Electronic Foot File is an electric hard skin remover for the professional removal of hard and tough skin at home. It is battery operated, and the average price is $49.99.

Compared to using other foot files, the Amopé Pedi Perfect blows them all away. Who want’s to do manual labour on your feet when this device easily files my feet? It made them so soft in seconds! The instructions say to keep the device moving, and not to focus on one part of the foot for longer than 3 seconds. I followed the instructions precisely, and I found that in only a few seconds my feet were super soft. I was sure I couldn’t get them that soft if I had used a pumice stone.

It was much easier to operate than I anticipated. It’s very easy to turn on and off, and it just needed to be smooth across my feet in the areas I wanted to remove callouses and dry spots. It was very quick as well – I was done so quickly that I wasn’t sure how I lived without this device before!

One of my major pet peeves is having dry heels. They look horrible in sandals, so I am always trying smooth my heels before I go out. It is so much faster to use the Amopé Pedi Perfect just before heading out the door!

I am in love with this product. If you love to do home pedicures like I do, then you really need to get a hold of the Amopé Pedi Perfect. I had no idea I would love it this much!

To see more honest reviews on this product, visit Chick Advisor here, or check out the hashtag #BarefootBeautiful on social media channels!

Disclaimer: Although I received this product for review, all opinions are fabulously my own.

Roxymandy June 25, 2015

Review of Vichy’s Idéal Soleil Invisible Mist SPF50

I am not joking around this summer when it comes to the sun because I have had a few questionable moles pop up, and my upcoming dermatologist appointment has me a little uneasy! I can’t believe how often I would leave the house without sunscreen on over the last few years. I have always avoided sunscreen for the most part. I rarely burn and tan easily, so I just didn’t put much thought into sunscreen. I love having a tan, but I would often take it a little far, and now I am scaling back my time in the sun, and I am making sure my sunscreen is up to snuff.

One thing I had never used before was spray on sunscreen. I really didn’t use a lot of sunscreen at all, so it never occurred to me to even look into this form of sunscreen.

I have been using Vichy’s Idéal Soleil Invisible Mist SPF50, and it’s a keeper!

I have been rather impressed with some of the Vichy products I have used lately, and this Vichy product did not disappoint either.

It dries instantly on your skin. So quickly, I was a little worried I didn’t have enough on, or that it wouldn’t protect my skin. I am so used to seeing a white coloured cream lathered all over my skin, so spraying something on that had such a quick drying time had me skeptical.

The instructions said to shake the bottle well, and spread it in circular motion. It’s suggested you spray 3 seconds on each arm, 4 seconds on the front of your body, 4 seconds on the back of your body, and 7 seconds on each leg. Having a guide to how long I should spray on the sunscreen was essential! I had no idea how long to spray – thank goodness for the instructions from Vichy!

This sunscreen contains the #1 filter recommended by dermatologists, which is Mexoryl SX. It’s a synthetic sunscreen agent which will not degrade during time in the sun as quickly as other sunscreen agents. The UVA protection it provides can give you some other beauty perks such as increased luminosity, fewer wrinkles, less age spots, and a better skin quality. It makes sense that sunscreen is so important – the sun can do so much aging and damage to your skin!

I’ve been using this sunscreen daily because it’s just so easy to pop into my purse! I can spray it on anytime, and because it dries so quickly, it is very easy to use on the go. My biggest issue was not wanting to get all goopy when applying sunscreen in the middle of the day, or when I am at the beach I wouldn’t want to get sand all over me as I tried to apply sunscreen.

With Vichy’s Idéal Soleil Invisible Mist SPF50 I can just spray and move on with my day. It’s also suitable for sensitive skin which is a huge bonus for anyone who breaks out with other sunscreen formulas.

I’m happy to report that I did not burn when using this sunscreen, which is pretty impressive because I used it for a day at the beach as well. Every few hours I re-applied, and kept going on with my day. It hydrated my skin as well which I didn’t expect from a spray. It did not transfer to my clothing (and I wore white more than a few times), most likely due to the fact that it dried so quickly when I applied it.

For more information on Vichy’s Idéal Soleil Invisible Mist SPF50, visit the Vichy website here!

Disclaimer: This product was provided to me for review, but all opinions are fabulously my own.