Wednesday, 23 July 2014

Ole Henriksen Truth To Go WIpes: Review

These Ole Henriksen wipes have been raved about for a while now in the online beauty community. I first heard about them in monthly favourites of a youtuber, but I cannot remember who. Regardless they sparked my interest but I was not able to find them, and $9 for 10 wipes is a little steep for me. Luckily I was sent them in my Ipsy Glam Bag for the month of June (to see what else I got check it out here).

Product Description:
Made with Vitamin C, Micro Algae, CoQ10, and Green Tea to brighten, tighten, increase collagen production and anti-oxidants

My thoughts:
I'm glad I was sent these for free as I did not loose any money, but I am not overly impressed with them. I find they are not as wet as they should be to remove makeup, and I find myself tugging at my face to try and get my makeup off. I find that my skin feels very dry after I use the wipes, and I currently find myself using them just to get rid of them. I am however going to spend the $9 and get another back to see if it was just the sample I was given, or not.

Wednesday, 16 July 2014

July Ipsy GlamBag: Summer Sunkissed


My July Ipsy GlamBag arrived in the mail today and I was very excited to open it, as I usually am. This months theme was Summer Sunkissed, and came in an adorable pink bag, and featured many cool products, from some great companies.


Derma E BB Creme Light Tint $29.50

Pur-Lisse SPF 30 Sunscreen  $16.59 

Pixi Tinted Brillance Lip Balm Unique Pink $14.00 

Pop Beauty Sunkissed Bronzer $10.00 
bareMinerals Ready Eyeshadow 2.0 The Inspiration Duo- Muse/Passion $25.00  

I'm really excited about this months picks, and I've already tried some of the products, expect some reviews coming soon! Have you tried any of these products? What are your thoughts? Let me know in the comments!

:)

Monday, 14 July 2014

5 Ways to Survive the Summer Heat.

I'm originally from the province of Ontario Canada, which in the winter gets really cold and in the summer gets really hot. To put it into a little perspective the coldest day I remember last winter was -32 degrees celsius with the windchill, and when I left Ontario to come to British Columbia it was 32 degrees plus the humidex. Currently Vancouver British Columbia is experiencing a heat wave very similar to Ontario, which means my 5 best tricks to keep cool are really useful!

#1 Drink lots of cold water
I'm not usually a big water drinker, but in the summer I cannot put it down, it's really good to battle heatwaves and prevent heat stroke and it keeps you and your skin hydrated, which will keep you cooler.

#2 Take cold showers
I love me a hot shower in the winter, but in the summer ice cold showers are the fastest way for me to cool off, it is also a little gentler on your hair and skin which will benefit you a bit in the long run. I find that the top of my head gets really hot in the summer, so cold showers really hit the spot and cool my whole body down. (I couldn't really post a picture of a cold shower, but I hope you understand how truly fantastic they are when it's really humid!)

#3 Cooling Sprays
In my may ipsy bag  I was sent the Avene Thermal Water spray. I have found myself reaching for it almost every day at the peak of the heat to cool my face down.

#4 Sunscreen and After Sun cream
For my face this summer I am using the Hang Ten Sample I received in my May ipsy, I'm really enjoying it. For my body I am currently using the Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Body Mist Sunscreen and the Hawaiian Tropic After Sun cream to hydrate after being in the sun for any amount of time.

#5  Lots of Rest and Relaxation
The heat is really harsh on your body, especially if you aren't used to it and are slightly ill prepared. Knowing and following rules to stay hydrated, avoiding direct exposure to the sun for extended periods of time can really help, but I find that the heat often makes me tired. So I try to avoid too much strenuous activity during strong waves of heat or in peak hours of the day (10-4 ish). But sitting in the shade and reading a book is a great way to relax and stay cool, or working on your blog.. like I am!

**Staying hydrated in the most important thing when it comes to heat waves, it is very easy to become dehydrated and risk heat stroke and potentially dangerous health risks. I hope everyone enjoys their summer and hopefully the weather is fantastic where you are so you can enjoy it! Leave me a comment below with your tips to survive a heat wave!

Thursday, 10 July 2014

Elf Makeup Mist and Set vs. Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray.

ELF is known for decent quality cheaply priced makeup, I find a lot of their products are hits with me. The ELF makeup mist and set is infused with cucumber, aloe, green tea and vitamins A,C and E. Urban Decay is infamous for their Naked Palettes and their setting sprays. The All Nighter Setting Spray promises to keep makeup in place throughout the night.

ELF Makeup Setting Spray
Product Description:
Retailing for $3 this Mist and Set is lightweight and comfortable and prevents colour from running or fading. Available here

My thoughts:
I have had this product for over a year, and I usually forget to use it. I find it has more cooling properties then setting, meaning I use it in the summer to mist and refresh instead of setting my makeup. While I do not notice a difference in my makeup wear while I use this product I do like it to keep cool.

Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray
Product Description:
Designed with temperature control technology this product is designed to lower the temperature of your makeup. It is also Oil and Paraben Free. $30 for a full size available here

My thoughts:
Overall I like this product. I use it most days, and I do find that it holds my makeup in place throughout the day and into the night. Applying it in an X and T motion it does really target areas where makeup can breakdown. I would advise using this product before you apply mascara as it can make it stick under your eyes if it is still wet.

Tuesday, 8 July 2014

Each Peach Massage Bar: LUSH

I love LUSH, I have used a couple of their massage bars, and the most recent one I have purchased is the Each Peach. It retails for $10.95 and smells amazing.

Product Description:
Avocado and Mango peels mixed with fair trade cocoa butter and created using a new aeration techniques to melt easier into the skin.

My thoughts:
I do not find that the Lush massage bars are as moisturizing as they should be, or if I am just not warm enough to melt the bar to actually get the principle to work properly. For those of you who don't know, massage bars are supposed to melt from your body heat to moisturize the skin. I'm not entirely sure if my body just doesn't radiate enough heat or what, but it really drags along my skin and it doesn't really moisturize as much as I would like.

Sunday, 6 July 2014

Family Adventure: July

As I've mentioned before, my family doesn't really sit still, whenever we have a day or two off together we usually find something to do, go exploring somewhere or experiencing something.

My whole family managed to have a saturday off together, which currently is a rare thing so my dad pulled out his backroads adventure book of maps for British Columbia and we picked 4 stops to experience.

We left at 9am and drove to Bridal Veil Falls in the Rosedale area. The falls were named by a romantic who envisioned the way the falls thinly fell as the veil of a bride. They were absolutely beautiful. My dad and I have a habit of ignoring the "Do not stand on rocks" "Do not pass this point" signs and going a little further, so we hiked up the rocks to get as close to the falls as we could (a lot of other people were doing this.. the signs were more of a guideline).

Our first view of Bridal Veil Falls
My dad and I hiked closer to the falls, to take selfies of course
My dad and the falls, the water falls so thinly..
Our next stop was to Sasquatch Provincial Park, to visit Deer Lake and Hicks Lake. The park is called Sasquatch Provincial Park because many recorded sightings of the Sasquatch are noted in the area every year. The lakes were beautiful, the picturesque mountains in the background make it look unreal.

The water was just too cold, so we only put our toes in


We took our jeep for our adventure and boy were we glad we did, our 3rd stop was to Cogburn Beach, which required taking a Forestry Road for 20 kilometres. Forestry Roads are the ones used by logging companies and are gravel poorly maintained roads. It was the closest to off roading my sister, mom or I have done so it was a bumpy, bouncy ride. On our way we spotted some portions of Rainbow Falls, which is a continuous flow of water that actually goes through many different falls. The beach was beautiful.
My mom is often behind the camera, but we make it a point to get one of her every trip
Our final stop was to Harrison Mills, which is a beach side town, and the resorts pools are fed by the Harrison Hot Springs. We walked along the beach, but sadly it was raining so we didn't go swimming or stay for very long. We bought a Potato Tornado, which is essential a coiled potato on a stick that has been deep fried (it was delicious). My mom and sister got Baskin Robbins, while my dad and I got Gelato.
Potato Tornado seasoned with Salt and Pepper
We took a picture with the Sasquatch
I got Vanilla-Strawberry Swirl and Double Chocolate Gelato

 We left at 9am and we returned home at 8pm. It was a very long day, but it was a good experience and a lot of fun for the family to do :)

What are some of the things your family likes to do together? Leave me ideas in the comments!

Thursday, 3 July 2014

Guest Posts: Are you interested?

Last month I did my first Guest Post. I was happy with the results, it brought my content to more readers and gave me the chance to work with another blogger. Since then, I have been thinking about doing more guest posts.

I am interested in working with other bloggers who are interested in beauty, fashion and lifestyle posts in partnerships to give another dimension to my blog. If you are interested in doing a Guest Post partnership with me, please send an email to northernjoli@gmail.com and we can set something up!

:)