The Sunday Post, Vol. 32...

Last week as I had just finished writing my Sunday Post something happened that took me completely off guard. I don't want to go into details but let's just say that for me it was big and so there was no way I could concentrate on blogging and honestly, I can't much at the moment either. I just need a little time to get my things in order so I hope you'll bare with me and stick around.

Thank you for your emails guys, you know who you are... amazing! I have no words to express how thankful I am and can just say that the beauty blogging community is awesome, just plain awesome!

Although I haven't been writing nor have I left many comments on my favorite blogs I have been keeping track during the day and in the middle of the night (insomnia's a b...). Phone and tablet aren't the best for commenting and in the evening I just didn't have the energy to open my lap top. If you want to know what I've been reading have a look at my blogroll and at Wondegondigo's. Yes I stalk Belly's blogroll! :)

Oh and by the way, any idea on how an Instagram tag works? I was tagged yesterday by my friend Sara and have no idea how to complete this. I guess it would have to be with either my tablet or phone since it's kind of not working on my lap top but still I just dunno how to do this. 

This week's beauty...

Makeup this week was on cruise control and so there's nothing to mention but I do have a bit of skincare news, well an experiment I'm planning. A colleague brought back a tin of Germain Nivea from Portugal for me and so I plan on doing a split face testing of it and the Mexican version. So many comments and reviews have been written about the differences between the two that I figured I'd do my own non scientific comparison. I don't know how long it will last, my guess is about a month or so unless one or both break me out so stay tuned. 

German on the left, Mexican on the right.

Bath & Body Works finally opened a store down town Montréal!

About dang time too! I wonder why it took so long but hey better late than never I guess. Of course on Friday I had to go have a look. Stacey from Expat Make-Up Addict has mentioned their candles so many times that I went with one idea in mind, buy a few! Sadly I came out of the store empty handed. Opening day wasn't a good time to go. When The Face Shop opened a month ago there was a bit of a hoopla but here with Bath & Body Works it was chaos! Below is a quick pic I took and I had chosen Aunumn the white one on the left but had to put it back because there were too many people waiting in line to pay.

Fear not, I shall return and get my candle(s)! :)

For your viewing enjoyment...

Give it to Dior to have great promos! In case you didn't know the iconic brand has revamped it's entire quint collection called 5 Couleurs and they are gorgeous, every single one of them. I've had a bit of a swatch party recently and there are a few I would love to get my hands on but at $61.00 CAD I'll do a bit of thinking before taking the plunge and there is that Guerlain Écrin 4 Couleurs, Les Violines, that I so want! Sara (the Instagram tagger) from Color Me Loud has already reviewed a few and so far I think the one I like the most is Trafalgar reviewed, here.

 

Have a great week everyone! Hélène xoxo

L'Occitane Shea Butter Body Lotion...

This was a little Christmas indulgence, a little gift to myself. I know, another one! What can I say, I figure I deserved it!

Some of my favorite body moisturizers over the years include Clinique Deep Comfort body butter, Biotherm Anty-Drying Body Milk, Clarins Moisture Rich Body Lotion, Nivea (yes plain little Nivea the one in the dark blue bottle), several of The Body Shops Body Butter (I love their Cocoa Butter Hand & Nail lotion) and the one that kind of comes up on top is Avène Cold Cream Body Lotion. I think I went through four bottles of that one in recent years!

For some reason I tend to be unfaithful. I like to change and I must admit that my long time relationship with Avène and Nivea is exceptional for me. I get bored easily but these have remained staples.

There's a new one on my block...

L'Occitane en Provence Shea Butter Body Lotion...

Ok I know it's not that new but for me it is, there! L'Occitane* was founded in 1976 by Olivier Baussan who's intention was to preserve the traditions of his native Provence. The company took the name L'Occitane en Provence in the late 1990s.

This lotion with it's 15% shea butter from Burkina Faso a little landlock country of West Africa, is rich, luxurious and has an amazing fragrance! I can't quite put my finger on it but it has a flowery and powdery smell that reminds me of products my mother used when I was a child. In other words, it's very comforting. Maybe it's the smell that surrounds you when you step into a lovely ancient French house on the outskirts of Nice or Arles in the south of France.

Rich but non greasy, just the way I like a body moisturizer, it penetrates quickly and keeps my skin soft a good twelve hours, even my elbows! If you have very dry skin you may want to try the Shea Ultra Rich Body Cream which comes in a jar. I only tried that on in store but it did seem extra moisturizing. The Shea Butter Body Lotion is a little on the pricey side at $34.00 for 250 ml, especially compared to Avène which is the same price but for 400 ml.

L'Occitane en Provence Shea Butter Body Lotion may not be the most moisturizing body lotion on the market, that is of course if you have extra dry skin, but it does an excellent job for my winter skin and just the fragrance alone makes it totally worth it.

Shower, this lotion and flannel pj's = super comfy fuzzy feeling inside.


Have you tried this body lotion or any of the L'Occitane en Provence offerings?



Reviews:

Makeup Alley: 3.8 / 5 lippies for 50 reviews.
Beauté-test: 4 / 5 stars for 88 reviews.


Ingredients (from Sephora website):

-Shea Butter (15%): Protects, nourishes, and moisturizes the skin. 
-Extra Pure Apricot Oil: Regenerates and nourishes with vitamins A, B, and C. 
-Honey and Coconut Oil: Moisturize and soften. 

Water*, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter*, Glycerin*, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride*, Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Seed Oil*, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Dimethicone, Prunus Armeniaca (Apricot) Kernel Oil, Cetearyl Alcohol*, Glyceryl Stearate*, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil*, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Fruit Extract*, Mel Extract/Honey Extract*, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Tocopherol*, Ethylhexylglycerin, Fragrance, Xanthan Gum, Propylene Glycol, Sorbitan Isostearate*, Polysorbate 60*, Chlorphenesin, Peg-100 Stearate, Phenoxyethanol, Ceteareth-33, Benzyl Alcohol, Benzyl Benzoate, Hydroxyisohexyl 3-Cyclohexene Carboxaldehyde, Linalool, Citronellol*, Butylphenyl Methylpropional, Coumarin, Hexyl Cinnamal, Limonene*, Geraniol. 
*Natural origin ingredients.


*Occitane to put it simply, is a female native/resident of the pays d'Oc. Its language, originating from the Middle Ages is still spoken today in southern parts of Spain, France, Monaco and Italy. Although considered as a dialect by some (it would seem to be the fusion of several dialects), others firmly believe it's a language and that, even if there are different ways to speak it. Occitan is often synonym to Provençal which in turn originates from Latin Provincia likely of Romain origin.

Nivea Aqua Effect Refreshing Foaming Cleanser / Review

Almost out of my Caudalie Instant Foaming Cleanser, the one I use in the shower, I had a decision to make...

To repurchase or to not repurchase...

Looking through past posts I realised that I had not reviewed this Caudalie cleanser! *facepalm*

Nuxe Rêve de Miel for lips, The Stick Or The Jar?

Here I go again with my Rêve de Miel Lip Balm! What can I say except it IS my absolute favorite, so far. In fact it's been the case for at least two years now and that's saying a lot considering all the lip balms I've tried before and since then. I've mentioned this little wonder a few times already, among other places, here.

 Nuxe Rêve de Miel Lip Balm & Lip Moisturizing Stick

Spring Cleaning, Take a Peek...

Finally, I'm happy to say, we are done with April!!!

It started with the funerals of the man of my life, went on with my first birthday without him and then the  anniversary of our first date without him....

To top it all off, the weather was just plain horrible!

The last few days have been nice and so I do believe that even if Spring has let us down this year, Summer should make up for it. Let's hope it does. Actually it should since Jeff the Weather Man did confirm this morning that there will be a Summer! Being a weather man, he must be right! Right?

Some are done with their "Spring cleaning", an almost traditional yearly ritual. After months spent indoors due to the cold mainly, as soon as the weather warms up a bit we go nuts with cleaning, getting rid of that thick "wintery" dust, opening all windows and washing everything we can get our hands on. It sure is a nice change to shoveling.

This Winter there wasn't a lot of cleaning in my house due to what we where going through and so the result of this is a lot of stuff lying around and a lot of dust. A little overwhelmed, I had to start somewhere and so I  decided to start the process with my bathroom. I guess it makes it easy since it's the smallest room in the house.

The top shelf is not shown and the bottom one is in view when the door is shut.

Our new girls only pharmacy:

 I just realised that I should have changed the tube of toothpaste but hey, this is real life! 

Looks nice and clean doesn't it? I give this 2 days tops!

Catherine's corner. Avène Cleanance K moisturizer, La Roche Posay Anthelios SPF 60, Ombrelle Face SPF 45, Biotherm Purefect Skin Cleanser, Avène Cleanance Soapless Gel, The Body Shop face brush. On the lower shelf she also has some of her Eos lip balms, Powser brush, Clarins bronzer and Laura Mercier loose powder as seen on the top picture.

Avène Eluage Cream, Avène Eluage Firming Gel, Caudalie Vinoperfect Serum, Caudalie Vinoperfect night, Avène Redness Relief day cream, Caudalie Beauty Elixir, Nivea Cream, The Body Shop 3 in 1 mask, Nuxe Crème Fraîche, Unrefined Shea Butter, Witch hazel, a tube of Estée Lauder Vérité Eye Gel and my little jar of Keihl's Creamy Eye Treatment.

Biotherm Biosource Micellar Water, Avène Thermal Water, Avène Anti-redness Dermo-cleanser, Keihl's deodorant, Nuxe Rêve de Miel lip balm, Nivea Lip Butter, Caudalie Lip Conditioner and two samples of Clarins firming line.

Bottom shelf: Little covered basket of hair ties, Liérac oil, Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse. In the little basket, Some samples, The Body Shop's Oceanus and Pink Grapefruit Eau de Toilette, Clinique Tenderheart lipstick as well as some Mark glosses, Avène Cold Cream, Caudalie and Clinique Deep Comfort hand creams, a small Marchesa eau de toilette. In the barbotine container, more samples, cotton rounds, baby washcloths and my old Dior face brush. In the front, lipsticks/glosses of the moment, Chanel, Clinique and L'Oréal.

One thing to know about me, I am domestically challenged! This year there's just so much to take care of, to clean, I can hardly keep up with my in-box so imagine the rest... I probably won't be done until... next Spring!

At least my bathroom is done!

If you've enjoyed peeking into mine, you may enjoy the ones of famous people even more... Have a look at these:

In Vogue: Dans la salle de bain de...

http://www.vogue.fr/beaute/dans-la-salle-de-bain-de

In Harper's Bazaar: Karl Lagerfeld's

http://www.harpersbazaar.com/fashion/fashion-articles/24-hours-with-karl-lagerfeld-0412?src=rss#slide-3

Deodorant Wars: Nivea vs Dove

So we haven't had much of a Spring season so far but hopefully Summer will make up for it!

*fingers crossed*

Summer should, if we're lucky, translate to, hot humid days!

A good deodorant is a must and I usually keep one in my purse, just in case. I don't go for the "clinical" formulas anymore since I find them too strong and irritating, I prefer, if need be, to reapply during the day. This is usually required only on days with extreme heat.

One I've been liking a lot for the past few years is Dove Ultimate Go Fresh with the fragrance Energizing. Keep in mind that unscented in summer is not a good idea. I have yet to find one that works. A bit of fragrance makes a big difference. Oh and I'm not going to compare ingredients, just effectiveness, my own personnal experience.

Dove Ultimate Go Fresh Energizing in stick form, has a faint grapefruit and lemongrass fragrance that is sweet and for me, uplifting. A few swipes, I'm good to go and the protection lasts all day unless of course it's super hot. After about 30 minutes or so the scent becomes quite faint so there's no conflicts with other scented products.

Wanting to try a new one I chose Nivea Happy Time also in stick form with bamboo extract and an orange scent. 

Since we are not talking about high end fragrances here let me just say that the scents of both is quite similar.

How did they compare?

On my skin's chemistry, Nivea doesn't come close to Dove. I've been using it for the past few weeks and by mid afternoon I don't feel as protected. Not a good thing since I don't sweat a lot and it's not even Summer yet! It makes me feel like I could end up smelling like a big sweaty construction worker! Dove is much more effective on me.

Bottom line, between the two, Dove wins!


Reviews on Makeup Alley:

Dove: 4.2 / 5 lippies for 54 reviews.
Nivea: 3.5 / 5 lippies for 2 reviews, one good & one bad.

Nivea Lip Butter Vanilla & Macadamia / Review

These new Nivea Lip Butters aren't even on the Canadian website yet but can be seen on the American one. For a little over a week now other beauty bloggers have been reviewing them and I was quite anxious to try one myself. Ok anxious may not be the correct word here so let's just say I wanted to try one.

Winter Dryness Help / Body Skin

In my area we can't really complain about the Winter we're having so far. We did have a major snow storm but in all honesty we haven't had that many super cold days. One more month and we should be in the clear, hopefully.

There is still time to get days where it can feel like Siberia outside while inside it's more like the Tropics! We do tend to overheat our living spaces in Winter but there are still days when you feel you can't get warm unless you wear a fleece footed Onesie to stay warm. I personally can't stand those. I find they are more suitable for babies and so I prefer vests and shawls*. Yes shawls like the ones our grand mothers used to crochet. Leggings help too. I do wear them... Under my jeans!

Argh!!!

These conditions can be brutal on our skin. There are days, especially the ones at -70 C (I know I might be exaggerating a little here but it can sure feel like it), when my skin looks like it's going to crack because it's so dry. Body skin is fine. I can go for days using only oil at the end of my shower to moisturize. It's the more exposed bits that are problematic. My face of course is a little dryer and maybe even a little sensitive but my hands, arms and feet are the bits that suffer most. Yes feet! I wear flip flops indoors 355 days a year. The remaining 10 days are the ones when I have to wear socks because it's too cold in the house. It can get to the point where my socks will "screech" when I put them on so forget about putting on a pair of Dim® extra sheer stockings they wouldn't get past my toes. You can read more about feet care here.

What's a girl to do to have soft comfortable skin in Winter? Moisturize, moisturize, moisturize!

*slaps head* Of course! Why didn't we think of that???

As you may have read in a recent entry, it's a good idea to start with a gentle cleanser. For me it's the same principle as on my face. If my face feels a little dryer than usual I will not be using a gel cleanser, I'll go for a more creamy option like a milk cleanser. Read more about gentle body cleansers here.


Body moisturizers I like...

Oils
One trick I've mentioned before is using an oil at the end of my shower. On wet skin, I apply it all over and then pat dry with a towel. This helps seal in moisture and leaves a silky feel. Doing this you may not even have to use a body moisturizer after, especially if you do this in the morning. I keep a big bottle of unscented baby oil in the shower but any oil of you choice will do. The other two I like using a lot as well are almond and coconut oil.

Avène Cold Creme
A favorite of mine. This body lotion gives deep moisture and sinks in fast without any greasy feel. I use it every night on arms, legs and feet. Review here.

Kiehl's Creme de Corps
This I haven't reviewed yet. I must admit that I didn't want to like it but as it turns out, I love it! The lotion not the jar which goes by the name of Soy Milk & Honey Whipped Body Butter. This from what I've read balls up on the skin. Not something I particularly like. Creme de Corps is thick and rich, penetrates well and leaves a nice sensation on skin. It is the most expensive on my list. If you want to try it Kiehl's sells a small size for $12.00 which can be refilled for travel.

Clinique Deep Comfort Body Butter
No fragrance, thick and yet penetrates quickly for deep moisture. Review here.

CeraVe
Although I don't find it as moisturizing as many do, it's still a good one to have. I find it has a cool soothing effect upon application. It can easily be boosted with a few drops of oil like argan, almond, olive or any you might like. Review here.

La Roche Posay Lipikar Balm AP
This is serious stuff. Super extra thick, you don't need much. I don't have this one but have received several samples of it last August (I think). I've used it in the morning on my legs and by evening I could still feel the balm on my skin so this would be great option for nigh time use. Also fragrance free.

Nivea Body Lotion (Navy blue bottle)
Also a favorite, I like it more for morning due to the fragrance. Super affordable it's also great to have when you want to get more mileage out of your more expensive lotions. Review here.

The Body Shop
Has several excellent options, great body lotions and extra comfy body butters. All you have to do is choose the fragrance you like. I have a weakness for Coco butter myself.

Yves Rocher
Here is a brand that I haven't visited in a very long time, ever since my daughter was a baby in fact. Recently I've been reading excellent reviews of some of their offerings, especially the Repair Lotion Extra Dry Skin with shea butter. What's great is that in these boutiques there are always specials and promotions so it can be worth a stop. I know I'll try to make one soon.


Finally...

These are of course just my own suggestions. There are so many favorites out there and if you have already found yours, keep using it. Still I know it's fun to try new stuff since it would seem that even with our favorites we can get bored.

*If like me you wear shawls, please take it off for cooking. I wouldn't want any of you to go up in flames!

Image from the Toronto Public Library website

Brand Availability Frustration!

I know that we are relatively lucky here to have access to so many outstanding brands. You would think with department stores, drugstores, Sephora, beauty salons and other beauty supply stores that we would be pretty much covered. In a way we are but we are still missing out on a lot of great brands and some of the ones we have access to aren't complete.

Top 10 of current drugstore favorites for Fall & Winter

There are some basics for which it's not necessary to spend a fortune. I thought it would be fun to do a top 10 list. These are my current favorites from the drugstore.

Nivea Extra Nourishing Body Milk $9.99
2x a day for continuous moisture. You can read my review of it here.

Dove White Beauty Bar $1.99
I've started using this again recently after years of sobbing it. Super cheap, I like it for either hand washing in the bathroom or for the shower. Available fragrance free.

Aveeno Skin Relief Body Wash $10.00
Non drying, a cream gel formula that lathers lightly. Great option for when winter skin gets dry and itchy. Available fragrance free.

Eucerin Foot Cream 10% Urea $17.99
For extremely dry feet, color and fragrance free. Worth every penny. I didn't pay as much for my tube. If I remember correctly it was about $11.00.

Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter $9.59
Favorite shade, Pink Truffle. On me, it looks very natural. Like an improved version of my natural lip color. Not exactly a lip balm, but less drying than a regular formula.

Petroleum Jelly $1.00 and up
This is a must have. It's easy to keep a small jar in our purse. On super cold days it can easily be applied on nose, cheeks, anywhere that needs to be protected from the wind and the cold. You can get some at the dollar store but if you prefer, there's a non petroleum product available, Live Clean Baby Non-Petroleum Jelly for $7.49.

Head & Shoulders Classic Clean 2-in-1 $7.99
I tried last spring to change. No go! If I want to keep my sanity, not itch, this is what I have to use.

Distilled Witch Hazel $3.99 for 100ml
Morning and night, my favorite toner ever. I've written an article about this marvelous potion. You can read it here.

Unscented baby oil (light grade mineral oil) $3.00 for 592ml
This would be the generic version. All the major drugstore banners have it. Great to use on wet skin after showering to seal in moisture. Just pat dry. You may not even have to use a body lotion with this. In Summer I rarely do but in Winter I do so most of the time. Now of course you can go for any scented baby oil. It's just that last Spring I kind of got sick of the fragrance so I opted for unscented.

Garnier Nutrisse Cream Hair Color $11.99
Just a few months ago I was still using a hair color by L'Oréal. I was not satisfied with it anymore because after just a few shampoos I could see some grey reappear. As if the color had not penetrated the hair properly. Garnier gives me better results for less. Most of the time, you can find it for under $8.00 a box which is good since I need 2 to cover my thick long hair.

All the prices listed are from Well.ca. Most of these products will, I believe, be less expensive at your local drugstore, plus, they're often on sale which is nice. For all the major banners, you can have a look at their weekly flyers online on their respective sites.

Pour lire cet article en français, cliquez ici.

Nivea Extra Nourishing Body Milk / Review

This body lotion is one of my staples!

I can't remember when I bought my 1st bottle but I do wish I had used it sooner. This was not a brand my mom used. She was more into Estée Lauder's products and perfumed body lotions like Dioressence and Miss Dior which where her favorites. As a teen and in my 20's, I used some of Vaseline's offerings and J&J's Baby Lotion. That was until I had enough money to go towards department stores brands. Although I did enjoy perfumed body lotions like my mom, they where not always suitable for everyday use. My favorites in those days where from Clarins an Biotherm.

Classic Nivea ad showing our skin's tripple threats,

Cold, Snow and Wind

Silly but I think that the main reason I purchased a bottle of Nivea was because of it's look. It had an Art Deco feel, with classic straight lines, dark navy blue with a white pump, it was known as Original Moisture. It would seem the name varies since my current bottle is named Extra Nourishing Body Milk but on the British website it's called Rich Nourishing Body Moisturizer. If you want to try it and you definitely should, just go for the dark blue bottle. 

Nivea Body, Original Moisture

Sadly they changed the bottle a few years ago for a more feminine curvy shape. Although they've added the Hydra IQ 24h+ logo on it, it feels the same. Marketed for dry to very dry skin, some find it greasy. I don't. I guess I must have dry skin. 

The fragrance, that beautiful comforting fragrance has bergamot, lavender, orange and lemon. Rose, lily of the valley and jasmine. Iris and heliotrope with amber and musk undertones. Although a bit strong at first, 30 minutes or so later it becomes soft and subtle. On me, it lasts a few hours but the moisture lasts all day. 

It penetrates quickly, leaves a silky feel on my skin that is not sticky. Comfort!

For those who want a good drugstore priced body lotion, I just can't rave enough about this one. I've tried others from Vaseline (as mentioned), Olay (can't stand the fragrance), St-Ive's and other more obscure name brands and none have given me the results I get from Nivea. Soft skin that lasts at least 12 hours. It does say 24 hours on the bottle but that's stretching it a bit for me. 

Current presentation of the Canadian version

Reviews:

MakeupAlley, 4.2/5 lippies for 23 reviews

Now here it's reviewed under several names but the average score remains roughly the same.

Beauté-test, 4/5 stars for 42 reviews