Garnier Fructis Damage Eraser Review

I write to you today from the comfort of my bed.  Sounds great, doesn’t it?  It was on Monday, but after a week in bed with the flu, I would absolutely LOVE to leave the confines of my home and venture out into the snow.  To make matters worse, I have an assignment worth 30% due Sunday, so I have been doing little bits of that whenever my stomach settles long enough for me to think straight.

I seem to be on the tail end of whichever bug I caught, so what better time to write a review on the new hair products I have been using.  You may remember several weeks ago, I was trying out a new L’oreal hair care line sent to me courtesy of Influenster.  Last week, the follow up box ended up on my doorstep.  It was a little late, likely due to the blast of cold air that decided to blow through the area (reaching under -40 C!).  I don’t blame the postal workers from not wanting to go out to deliver packages!

      

   The package contained full sizes of the Garnier Fructis Damage Eraser Shampoo, Conditioner, Split Ends Bandage and Strength Reconstructing Butter.  The line contains Phyto-Keratin Complex with plant based proteins and fruit concentrate, Cupuaçu Butter, and natural lipids, which work together to repair dry and damaged hair.

   I’ve been using the line for about three weeks now.  I was my hair daily at this time, since I’ve been going to the gym before work.  The scent isn’t too strong – I’m horrible with scents but my best description of it is a light floral/citrus mix.  I’m going on three months without a trim and haven’t felt the urge to call my hairdresser yet, which must mean it’s doing something.

   The Fortifying Shampoo (384 ml) lathers well and leaves my hair feeling clean but not stripped.

   The Fortifying Conditioner (384 ml) is wonderful – I apply it from midway down my hair to the ends, and let it soak in while I wash my face and body.  It is quite thick, and it allows me to de-tangle my hair with a quick run through of my fingers.  It doesn’t seem to build up over time, and my hair doesn’t feel weighed down after the shower.  My curls still show through if I let my hair air dry, which a lot of conditioners don’t allow for.

   The Split Ends Bandage (125 ml) did a fair job of repairing my split ends (or at least masking them until the next washing).    I don’t find the serum to do anything amazing in terms of softness, shine, or decreasing drying time, as my other serums do.  However, the packaging says it is meant to preserve your hairs strength, so maybe I will see improvements with time.  I do love the twist and lock cap, which means I can throw this into my gym bag without worrying about a sticky mess.

   The Strength Reconstructing Butter (250 ml) is very thick, meant to be used in place of the Fortifying Conditioner as needed.  I found it to be very moisturizing.  As with the Fortifying Conditioner, my hair was not weighed down, and it didn’t have any product buildup after several uses.

  The most notable products in this line definitely has to be the conditioners.  I was surprised with the brand reveal, as the conditioners are quite effective, and to be able to purchase them at drug store prices is quite a steal.

The Split Ends Bandage left a little to be desired, and I found myself mixing it 50/50 with argan oil each time I applied to get all the qualities I look for in a hair serum.  I appreciated that it is working to strengthen my hair, but I would also like to see more shine and quicker drying time.  My hair wasn’t as soft and silky as it has been with other brands in the past, but for a drug store brand, the Garnier Fructis Damage Eraser line holds its own.

   I haven’t been able to find the line in town yet, but the American Walmart site sells them for $2.97-5.97 each.  I’d imagine Canadian prices will be within the same range, if not a bit higher.

   I was sent the above products from Influenster for review purposes.  All opinions are my own.

L’Oreal Canada Mystery VoxBox

Last week, a surprise package arrived at my doorstep from Influenster.  Inside were three tiny bottles of a mystery L’Oreal line, promising to strengthen my hair, repair the damage that has been done, and prevent further damage.  The credit for these claims is given to the Phyto-Keratin Complex and Cupuaco Butter the line contains.

I received 50 ml each of Shampoo, Conditioner and a Split-End Serum.

I found the shampoo to smell nice, not too fruity or floral.  It didn’t stand out as amazing, but lathered nicely and left my hair clean without feeling stripped.  It was a pretty standard shampoo consistency, and was a pale yellow with a bit of sheen.

The conditioner was nice and thick, more-so than the usual drug-store conditioner that isn’t marketed as a “deep repair mask”.  I found it really moisturized my hair, leaving it tangle free.

The split end serum was quite thin, but still effective.  I used about a quarter sized amount from about mid length to the ends while my hair was damp, and tried both blowdrying and air drying.  While I usually use a hair oil, I skipped it this week to try to get the full effect of this mystery line.

The results?  I thought my hair looked fine before, shiny yet a bit dry at the ends.  As I was editing the before and after pictures, my husband said aloud “Wow, what a difference!”.  While I think that my hair is definitely shinier before thanks to the hair oil, it also has quite a few split ends and flyaways.  After using the line for one week, my hair looks more nourished.

I’d be interested to see what the long term impact would be, as usually when I switch to a new product my hair behaves nicely for awhile.  While my hair feels clean and soft, it doesn’t have as much shine as I would like, and I’ve had to mix a hair oil with the split end serum.  I also found that the split end serum didn’t cut down on drying time like my hair oil does.  When I’m getting ready at the gym in the morning, any minutes spared with the blow dryer are much appreciated!

The conditioner is what I am the most curious about.  If this is a drug-store brand, I’m hoping it will be an affordable choice for winter conditioning.  I find regular conditioners just don’t cut it in Northern Ontario winters, especially when I have to wash my hair daily after sweaty gym workouts.  Spending upwards of $40 for a tub of deep conditioner isn’t ideal, but neither is having to chop off my hair due to dry ends.

My guess for the brand?  L’Oreal has many different brands under them, and this entire campaign is set up to be super mysterious.  My first through was something from an international market, such as L’Oreal Elvive.  After doing a bit of googling for the Phyto-Keratin Complex and Cupuacu Butter, I found many links to the Garnier Damage Eraser line (mostly from other bloggers who were quicker to the draw than I was!).  While not new to the US, this line hasn’t yet released in Canada.

Looking forward to the big reveal!  As always, thank you to L’Oreal and Influenster for providing me with these products for testing purposes.

Recent Reads

Late 2013, in an effort to curb my insomnia and limit my time spent in front of the television, I started trying to find ways to add literature to my daily habits.  I’ve always loved to read – when I was a child, I would take out the maximum limit of books from the library, finishing 20-30 short stories within the week and returning the following Saturday to choose another pile.

I’m not the biggest fan of “fluff” reads, if a book doesn’t have me wanting to read more after the first 100 pages or so, I move on to something else.  I’ll usually try the book again in a few months in case my interests have changed.

Fitting reading into my daily life is somewhat of a challenge.  I don’t have the time to spend entire weekends with a good book anymore, but a well stocked iPad on my night table allows me to sneak in 20 minutes before I drift off to sleep.  If I wake in the middle of the night, I read some more from a dimly lit screen.  My troubles with insomnia seem to be improving, and I no longer go 2-3 nights without sleep.

I purchased my mothers seldom used Kobo from her for $35, and stocked it with even more books.  It lives in my glove box, and I pull it out during my hour long lunch breaks.  I’ve started looking forward to a good 40 minutes of reading with the windows of my car open, overlooking a lake and watching runners and cyclists go by.

In the latter part of 2013, I read more books than I had the entirety of 2012.  I seem to be continuing this habit, having finished three books December 2013 and the first ten days of January 2014 alone.  My current interests seem to be fiction with some historical relevance, or

The Dinner – Herman Koch

“The Dinner” was on the wishlist of the person I drew for Secret Santa this year. I was intrigued by the hype, and dowloaded the ebook. I hope the recipient isn’t as dissapointed as I was. I found the book to be a very slow read, and it didn’t draw me in to the characters. Where the writer tried to create suspense by limiting the details, it created frustration as I didn’t want to read through 10 pages to get what could have been written in 5. The books content was drawn out and interspersed with a lot of filler, and just wasn’t a good match for me.

Had I of not read all the hype beforehand, I would have just thought this was a mediocre story, but I had high expectations and was left wanting more.

Into Thin Air – Jon Krakauer

My late 2013 interest with Everest started with clicking on a documentary on Netflix that was intriguing and left me wanting to know more. After reading countless articles online about various Everest expeditions, “Into Thin Air” kept emerging as the leading must have read. I purchased a copy from Chapters, and was done in three days.

Into Thin Air gives an in depth, albeit biased, account of the May 1996 summits in which many lives were lost. I would love to read more about the other climbers perspectives, but find that the author has done an excellent job providing the reader a far greater account of what an Everest expedition is like than any documentary or news article will.

Krakauer provides many details about the the various climbers on the mountain, the circumstances of each day, and decisions that were made. He touches on errors he made himself, both on the mountain and after his descent.

A highly recommended read.

  Five Days at Memorial – Sheri Fink

I’m just finishing the last hundred pages, and have really enjoyed this book. The level of detail and research the author has put into the book is remarkable. Fink provides an account of the circumstances leading up the the hurricane, many perspectives of the days at Memorial, the aftermath, and even a current look at more recent disasters and changes to legislation.

Five Days provides many details about the health professionals, patients, families, rescuers, and legal professionals who had a role (or were refused a role) in the events at Memorial, allowing the reader to understand the people behind the decisions that were made.

I found myself engaged, but only able to read so much at once. I found the book repeating itself at times, and that many details in this nearly 1 200 page novel could have been written more succinctly to make reading the book more enjoyable to the reader.

Please let me know if you have  read any great books lately!  I have a few on the go right now but haven’t found one yet that really engages me.

All books were purchased by myself, and all opinions are my own.

Influenster Canada Maple VoxBox

Influenster had been hinting at a Canadian program for much of 2013, without giving an actual launch date.  Early December, this package arrived on my doorstep without warning:

Contents include:

Skinny Cow Milk Chocolate Heavenly Crisp and Dreamy Clusters: $4.29/4 pack or $1.29 each

• Skinny Cow Heavenly Crisp bars bring you layers of wafer with delicious chocolate creme flavoured in a milk chocolatey coating.  At 100 calories per 19g bar, say yes to delicious!
• These bite sized crunchy crisps and creamy caramel drenched in milk chocolate are only 120 calories per 28g pouch. 
• I usually don’t like 100 calorie type snacks – I’d prefer to have an apple or asian pear with some almond butter to better allocate my calories each day (I’m a shortie, and only get 1200-1500 daily).  I wasn’t a huge fan of the Dreamy Clusters as they were very sweet, but I did like the Heavenly Crisp Bar. It was pretty light, and was a nice alternative to having a piece of chocolate as the wafers gave a satisfying crunch.

NYC New York Color Big Bold Curl Mascara:
$4.99

• Big Bold Curl Mascara’s oversized curved brush is he ultimate way to get outrageosly thick and super sexy lashes.  One stroke gives your lashes up to 12x more volume and 99% more lift.
• I’ve used NYC bronzers in the past, and love them for being ridiculously cheap but still looking great.  Influenster sent me a couple $1.00 NYC coupons as well, which was generous considering they are already cheap enough!
• I really liked the giant brush on this mascara, and that it had actual bristles instead of those rubber bristles that most brushes have now.  It gave a lot of volume and curl, and was a nice dark black.  My only complaint would be that it was hard to get the very outer lashes with the giant brush.

NYC New York Color Big Bold Plumping Lip Gloss: $4.99

• Big Bold Plumping Lip Gloss makes lips look up to 50% fuller with a high gloss shine that lasts up to 4 hours.  The ultra-soft, mega applicator gives full and even coverage for beautiful, perfectly plump lips.
• The applicator for this gloss is HUGE!  I found the effect t be a bit much for me – a lot of shine and shimmer, but at the same time not sticky.  I didn’t find the gloss to be plumping, but it does make your lips look bigger since they are so shiny!

Broadway Nails ImPRESS Press-On Manicure: $8.99-$10.99

• imPRESS Press-On Manicure by Broadway Nails is the revolutionary way to apply polish! Get a salon perfect manicure in seconds – simply peel off, press on, and you’re done (No glue needed!).  There’s no drying, a killer shine and a manicure that lasts up to a week. 
• I’ve already posted about these nails, but I will repeat that I am a fan.  No more nail glue for this girl!

Montagne Jeunesse Clay Spas: $2.49

• Join the revolution and start a new weekly skincare regime with the Clay Spas from Montagne Jeunesse.  These natural bamboo fabric masks are infused with clay for a cleansing experience that is better, quicker and easier than ever before.
• I’ve already reviewed this mask, but I will say that apparently I’m not one for change and I actually prefer a regular old clay mask.  I do still like the variety of other masks Montagne Jeunesse offers, more so than any other brand I have seen!

Ice Breakers DUO: $1.99

• New Ice Breakers DUO combines sweet fruity taste with refreshing cooling crystals.  Ice Breakers DUO is a two sided mint with a fruity flavoured, textured side and a minty, smooth side that cools and freshens your breath.
• These were delicious, and lasted only two days in my house.  I made the mistake of leaving the container on my kitchen counter, and my husband and I would each take one or two each time we passed by.

I’ve had a lot of fun trying everything out.  I love being able to try out new products, so the Maple VoxBox is right up my alley.

I received these products complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes.  All opinions are my own.

Montagne Jeunesse Clay Spas

This morning I tried out a hybrid between a clay mask and a sheet mask.  I wasn’t sure what to expect, and haven’t used Montagne Jeunesse products in the past.

The mask was Montagne Jeunesse’ Glacial Clay Spa variety.  It’s made of glacial clay spa, red grape and arctic cloudberry to help clean pores.

It seemed simple enough to apply – they even have directions on the back of the package in case you can’t figure it out, haha.

The mask itself was folded tightly and full of the clay mask.  It was a bit more watered down than regular clay masks, but it didn’t drip out of the mask at all as I applied it.

I found the mask unfolded easily, but that it didn’t fit my face exactly.  There was about an inch of overhand around the perimeter of my face, which was easy enough to tuck under my chin, but a bit messy around the hairline.

The mask also didn’t fit perfectly around my nose and eyes, and when I pulled it to fit against the skin, it would pull from another area on my face.  Eventually I just figured it was good enough and left the mask on for the recommended 15 minutes.  I removed the mask, and found very little product left on my face.  I rubbed this in a circular motion on my skin, then wiped it away with a damp cloth.  This took only one go, compared to several times with  a regular clay mask.

The verdict?  It was fun and innovative, but not something I would repurchase.  It’s not that I don’t like the product itself, I just wasn’t a fan of the format.  I prefer a mask that I can paint onto my face, making sure it comes into contact with all of my problem areas (along my t-zone, sides of my nose, the dip on my chin under my bottom lip). Even though the masks are only $1, I find that I can usually get several uses out of each packet, but with this mask, I am limited to one use.

Will I try Montagne Jeunesse again?  Definitely!  They are much cheaper than the masks I usually buy from Shoppers Drug Mart, and they have a ton of variety!  I’m particularly intrigued by their chocolate collection:

My favourite part of this product?  If you read way down at the bottom of the package, in tiny print: “We’re vegetarian and animals are our friends – that’s why we don’t bash bunnies or add bits of animals”.  Go Montagne Jeunesse!  Love that you aren’t using this as a selling feature by boasting it, and that you have a bit of a sense of humour.

If you are interested in learning more about Montagne Jeunesse, you can visit their website, their other website, Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest.

I received these products complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes.  All opinions are my own.

Broadway Nails imPRESS Press-on Manicure Review

I’ve seen Broadway’s Impress Manicure floating around the internet for about a year.  Unfortunately, Glossybox never included a set in my Ambassador package, and I was never intrigued enough to find them in store as I have plenty of my standby Broadway Real Life French Manicure nails at home.

   I received a package of Impress nails in the Influenster Maple VoxBox to test, in a sassy leopard print.  At first I planned to give them to my leopard loving mother in law.  Two days later, Revlon surprised me with a delivery of their new Revlon Perfumerie nail polish in Bordeaux, a deep burgundy polish that smells of grapes.  It was fate.  A deep red and leopard print mani was a must!

I used a coat of my Butter London base and top coat with this manicure, as well as my OPI Drying Drops.

The Revlon Perfumerie polish is adorable, the bottle looks like it should sit with my Lise Watier, not my OPI!  It applied very nicely for a red polish, not streaky and completely opaque with two coats.  Best of all?  It doesn’t stink like polish and instead smells of grapes.  I spotted some other varieties in store and am tempted to try them now!

In terms of the Broadway Impress Manicure?  I’m a convert!  Regardless of how carefully I apply my Broadway Real Life nails, I always have nail glue seeping out along my cuticles or between the tip of the nail and my fingertip.  This leads to messy nails, and likely bacteria as it is hard to correctly clean under the nail if there is nail glue stuck there.

With the Impress Manicure, all I had to do was match the size, peel the plastic backing, and stick it on!  No mess with the nail glue, no waiting for the glue to dry.  Simple!

When it came time to remove, the process was equally as simple.  I usually have to file my press on nails down, then soak them in acetone until they melt and come off.  The nails underneath are usually dry and splitting.  With the Impress Manicure, I waited 5 days, then stuck my nail along the edge of the press on nail, lifting slightly.  The nail polled right off, without damaging the nail underneath.

 

I’ll definitely be repurchasing for future events.  I like wearing a press on french manicure for weddings, and love that I don’t have to mess around with nail glue anymore!

All featured products were sent to me for testing purposes.  All opinions are my own.

Strange Things Are Happening

I went for a gym tour today.

Socially awkward, run in the other direction from any sort of social interaction, avoid crowds and people of any sort me went for a gym tour.

I gave myself a week to reflect, and will go back this Saturday if I decide to take the plunge.

I thought I would hate that it was so large, and prefer a smaller place, but I actually liked that the bigger space and more machines allowed for more space between myself and the other people.

I keep telling myself that the first time will be hard.  The second time hard as well.  The first month itself will be pretty difficult.  But this past year I tried to get myself to stick with new things for at least 30 days, and I ended up stepping out of my comfort zone quite a bit.

I am so sick of working out in my basement.  It’s been 5 years, and I need a change of scenery.  Northern winters are long, and this girl can only take so much of looking at the same, outdated, 80’s brown/orange carpeting and vinyl bar.

It was either a basement reno, or a gym membership.

Gym won.

Hope to be posting more soon.  yadayada, I’ve said it all before.  But I’m sure my friends and family would live for me to stop griping to them all the time.

Talk to you soon?

Nutrience Original – BzzAgent Review

I find it interesting how different people perceive the role of pets.  My pets are like a member of my family, and they get treated as such.  If I go out of town, I get a family member to house sit to be least disruptive to my pets.  If they are sick, I pay for their vet bills and prescriptions.  I used to get my pets mid-range food – not the no name stuff, but not the stuff you buy from local pet stores either.  Several years ago, my dog had a rough go with his health, and we had to play around with different medications, foods, and lots of pricy vet visits until he was finally better.  When BzzAgent sent me an invitation to the Nutrience campaign, I knew I didn’t want to play with fire and change his food. My cat, however, was still eating a pretty midrange food likely full of fillers, while the dog was dining like royalty.

My BzzKit came with plenty of coupons for $5 of Nutrience, a brochure for the Nutrience Frequent Buyer program (buy 10 get 1 free), and samples of their Nutrience Natural and Nutrience Grain Free cat food.

Oliver is a 5 year old long hair tabby that I adopted from a rural home.  She liked both the Grain Free and Natural formula’s, but seemed to favour the Nutrience Natural Turkey, Chicken & Herring  Healthy Adult food.  When I went to my pet store, only the Nutrience Original was available.

Since she is 7 lbs, I fed her just over 1/2 cup a day.  I followed the transition recommended by Nutrience (over 8 days), mixing the new food with her old.  She likes it quite a bit, and I found I had to split her servings to two 1/4 cup servings a day so she doesn’t eat it too quickly.

I like that Nutrience is made with North American ingredients, and in small batches.  The ingredients list reads fairly well, though I don’t consider myself enough of an expert to judge.

   What matters most to me is that my cat enjoys it, which she definitely does!  I couldn’t get her to sit still once I brought the bag home.

This post contains products sent to me by BzzAgent for review.  All opinions are my own (and of my cat!).

Canadian Blog Giveaways

It isn’t very often that Canadian Blogs have giveaways, especially ones with really great prizes!  Two of the blogs I regularly read, Nancy at SpiffyKerms, and Leanne at Fresh Season, are hosting a holiday giveaway.

Head on over their way to enter to win a $30 Sephora gift card, Philosophy gift set, and a Fossil Wallet.

While you are at it, you can also enter to win some Philosophy and Real Techniques goodies from SpiffyKerms as well.  Good luck!

Maybe one day I can dedicate myself enough to this little blog to actually host a giveaway, haha,  Until then, I will support other Canadian bloggers!

Recent Empties

I have a few days off work, so I’ve been going though the house de-cluttering.  That means another empties post before these products are recycled!

Passion Parties Soft & Silky Shaving Cream/Refreshing Bath and Shower Cream

• I purchased these products at one of those home sex toy parties.  While I could do without the shower cream, the shaving cream was absolutely amazing.  Regardless of where you use it on your body, it leaves you smooth, moisturized, and irritation/razor bump free.  I plan to repurchase, possibly in one of their scented options.

Avon Red Chocolate Cake Bubble Bath

• This was a Christmas gift from my mother.  It gave lots of suds, but sadly they weren’t very scented, and the bubble bath didn’t do much to moisturize my skin.  I won’t repurchase, but will use it again if I receive it as a gift.  The scent is no longer available, but you can check out their current offerings here.

Jergen’s Natural Glow Daily Moisturizer

• I absolutely love this stuff.  I have another full size bottle that is nearly empty, and rarely use regular self tanner anymore.  I love that I can use it right before bed without it streaking or staining the sheets, that it builds gradually so I can apply one or two times depending on what I have going on.  A couple things I do to ensure it looks great:  exfoiliate before application, moisturize all dry areas (elbows, knees, ankles, feet), apply max two times over a three day period to avoid turning orange, and make sure to use the medium to tan, not tan to medium (which looks orange).

Random Assortment of Body Lotions

• Lots of Bath & Body Works, a Cake hand cream (love it, have a couple more on the go), OPI (smell good but not very moisturizing in the long term, a Nivea sample (great for elbows and knees), and a Burt’s Bee’s Cuticle Salve (have already repurchased).

Hair Products

• Aussie’s 3 Minute Miracle lives up the the hype.  I purchased this in the US as I can’t find it in Canada.  I’ll repurchase again the next time I go to Duluth.
• Tresemme Deep Conditioning Treatment I could do without.  I received it in a Glossybox and prefer other conditioners that are more effective.
• KMS Flat Out.  Used very lightly this gives a nice sheen to my hair.  It smells like Barbie hair, no joke!  I have a million serum samples to use up before I repurchase, but probably wouldn’t as it is very easy to over-do it with this product.
• Big Sexy Spray & Play.  Received in Ipsy, have already repurchased.  Love it for the texture it gives my hair, allowing me to actually style my hair in the cute styles on Pinterest.
• Sebastian Shaper is a long time favourite of mine.  I have a few small samples of Re-Shaper courtesy of Glossybox, and while I like the strong hold, I prefer the original.
• This lemon body butter from The Body Shop is the first scent I didn’t like!
• NuMe products have never been a favourite of mine.  I made it through this Finishing Serum, and wouldn’t repurchase.

Facial Products

• This Garnier Shine Control Moisturizer was great for days that I needed absolutely no shine.  It works well, but not for ongoing use as it isn’t very moisturizing.  I may repurchase, but have a few other daily moisturizers to go through first.
• Skin for Life Defense was sent to me by Glossybox.  I wasn’t able to find the exact product on their website.  I enjoyed using this as a daily primer, and liked that it provides SPF 30 protection.  A little goes a long way, and this 10 ml sample lasted me three months with 5x weekly use.
• Multiple facial cleanser samples.  I’m not a fan of Simple products, but did enjoy the Olay cleanser – anything that helps to combat shine in the summer is great!
• A Bentaberry sample.  Hard to form a decision on the product based on the tiny amount I was provided.  This tube was about 1/3 full.

Cosmetics

• A Clinique eye makeup removed.  Not my favourite as it removes eyeshadow but not mascara.
• A Mai Couture gloss I recieved in a Glymm box.  It was gritty from day one, and went skunky so it’s being thrown away.
• A Bailey Cosmetics gloss from Glossybox.  I actually enjoyed the texture and colour of this gloss, but it was always leaking from the top of the tube and has also gone skunky so it is being thrown away.  Had the top of the tube been more secure, I may have gotten more use out of it.  I still love the packaging!
• Lancome Definicils Mascara.  One of my favourites for definition, the wand allows you to reach every single lash.  I will repurchase eventually, likely at the Sears Christmas Beauty Gala so I can receive some extra’s with my purchase.
• Benefit Stay Don’t Stray.  I recently purchased Urban Decay’s Primer Potion in the professional size and regret it.  I loved Stay Don’t Stray for it’s opaqueness and slight concealing ability, which Primer Potion doesn’t offer.  I will definitely repurchase, as I miss the way it brightens the eye area and makes me look more awake!

That’s it for the past couple months.  I’ve been slowly working my way through my beauty product stash, so hopefully at Christmas time this year I can purchase some full size products that I have been lusting over.  My skin type is changing quite a bit, so I find my needs changing.  I can’t use any products that come my way anymore, rather, I find I am needing to find products that target my current issues (dryness, loss of elasticity, and the beginning of fine lines and – gasp! –  a wrinkle between my brows.

In other news, I made camo cupcakes for a bachelorette last week.  The wedding is this weekend, and I’ve had fun stepping out of my comfort zone and exploring ways to use the brides personality in my creations.  I’m currently working on mossy oak boutineers and hunter green wooden signs for the wedding site (a hunting and fishing lodge).  I’ll be sure to post some pics!