A few months ago I've been sent a set of skincare by Riversol, a Canadian company from Vancouver. I was impresed by how much product I got, but couldn't proceed to try them out, as I was already testing other skincare. It had taken me time, but I've finally got around to it.

The Riversol skincare range is made with Beta-T (Beta-Thujaplicin), which is derived from red cedar from the Pacific Northwest. Beta-T benefits include anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and anti-pigmentation proprieties.

So here's what I thought of the products:


Riversol Foaming Gel Cleanser
$29 available at riversol.com
This cleanser has a very strong cedar smell. Like, really strong at first, but then I got use to it. It says foaming gel and yes it is a gel, but to me it wasn't foaming at all. My skin doesn't seem to react badly to it and as long as I use something more targeted to deep pore cleansing or a scrub a few times a week my black heads don't go out of control. I did notice that my skin gets less red when using it.

Riversol Anti-Redness Serum
$69 available at riversol.com
It is very liquidy when first applied and adhere and sinks into the skin fast. The smell is a lot milder than the cleanser. Actually, I could barely smell anything. I feel like whatever I put on top of this will somehow work faster.

Riversol Daily Moisturizing Lotion
$49 available at riversol.com
It goes on somewhat mat and is not geasy at all. In combination with the serum it looks really good underneath make up. However, it is not moisturizing enough for my highly dehydrated skin to use on a daily basis. But if I want my make up to look extra good, this is the combo I would use, as long as it's not every day.


Overall, I think these Riversol products are good, even if it's not moisturizing enough for my really dehydrated skin. I'm sure it would be perfect for someone with normal skin.

I've been seeing Epiderma's publicity for years, so when they contacted me, I was really excited to try their products! To be honest, I didn't even know they were doing skincare, I thought it was only on site treatments. But I was wrong. And I'm happy I was because contrary to lots of skincare I try I did see results!

Here are the two products I tested for a period of approximately a month.


BIO Moisturizing Creme
Reatails at $52

This day cream as a really thick and dense consistency, but yet goes on without leaving any greasy residue on the skin. It also has FPS 30, which is always a plus. Before I started to use this Epiderma moisturizer my skin was super dry, but now, even if using harsher cleanser, I cannot feel any dry patches. At all. Actually my face it probably the only part of my body that isn't dry as hell.


BIO Night Creme
Retails at $45
One thing I always struggle with is blackhead. Especially on my nose. I can manage what's on my cheeks, chin and forehead, but my nose always seem to be out of control. Well, that was the case over a month ago before I started using this Epiderma night cream. I still have large pores and nasty blackheads, but I can definitely say that they appear way smaller than they use to. That makes me so happy to say! Regarding the night cream itself, a little goes a long way with it and it will probably last forever. If I apply too much I can't blend all of it in and end up with a white face, but it's so worth it.


I didn't even realize how amazing these products were before writing this review. You know, when things are just going so well you don't even stop to think about it.

I might even make a statement and say I will probably purchase these two products when they run out. And coming from me it means a lot.

I wanted to try the Sephora Formula X for a while. I heard so many good things about it. One of the point that really sold me was people talking about how long it was lasting on their nails and I have a real problem with my nail polish lasting more than a couple of days.

So when I ordered from Sephora at the end of January and needed $5 to have free shipping I ended up buying this $20 kit (quadruple of the amount I needed, oops).

First of all I am really happy with the color I choose. It is Cloud Gray and it is a pale grey-beige color that looks good with everything. I mean, any nude nail color I will be in love with but this one is different than the other 185 I have, obviously. I think it looks chic on my pale hand in the winter and I'm sure it will be stunning with a tan in the summer.

I was really impressed with it as soon as I was done with the application. It was super glossy and contrary to other polish I own the shine actually lasted even after days of wear.

I applied it on a Friday afternoon and it lasted until Wednesday without any noticeable chips. Of course it's a nude and that means I can get away with it when it starts to chip because it won't be as obvious. So I had it on my nails for a total of 7 days and when I took it off half of my nails had no chip at all and were still super glossy.

Overall, I am really, really happy with it and will definitely get my hands on more of the Formula X nail polish. As if I need anymore nail polish but you know how it is.

Did you try the Sephora Formula X nail polishes? What did you think?

I tried a number of new product lately and I thought it would be interesting to talk about it. This isn't exactly a first impression, but it isn't an in depth review either. It's somewhere in the middle.

AmorePacific Cushion Compact Foundation* in 102 Light (pink)
I still don't know what to think of this foundation. When I first apply it, it looks gorgeous. But as the day goes by, it seems to settle in dry skin. But the day that I took this picture, it didn't do that and looked good until I took it off. As I just wore make up for the sake of the picture, I didn't do my whole routine before it and applied it to bare skin. So I'm thinking maybe it interferes with another product I'm using underneath. I'll have to keep playing around with it to see what I'm doing wrong for it to look bad just on some days. Other than that, I love the whole cushion thing, it makes application so easy.

NYX Tinted Brow Mascara in Espresso
I have a love hate relationship with this product. Over all, I really like it but the wand is way too big and I often end up with gel outside of my brows that I have to clean up. I think if they would make it just a little bit smaller it would be a really great product.

Arbonne Smoothed Over Lipstick* in Iris
This one I just don't like. It is a really nice shade, but it doesn't go on even at all. At first I though it was just because my lips were dry, but then I did my whole lip care routine (LINK), ended up with really soft lips and it still was patchy. A few days ago, I tried to apply just a tin layer with a lip brush and it looked nice, like a berry tint. But I'm sad that I can't use it as a full on dark lipstick.

Have you tried any if these products? What were your thoughts?

A few weeks back, PerlaCoco reached to me to review their organic coconut oil for oil pulling. In the last year, I heard quite a lot about oil pulling, without ever trying it myself. So I though it would be a good opportunity to try something new.

First of all, I loved their order confirmation email. It was funny and different to the regular one we usually get.

I was provided with a two week plan of individually wrapped mint flavoured coconut oil.

I have to say that… To me oil pulling was harder than it looked. They say to use it for 5 to 15 minutes every day but at first I couldn't keep it in my mouth for more than 2 minutes. As I write this, I am just staring the second week of product (but it is actually my third week using it, I just keep forgetting to use it) and I lasted about 7 minutes - which it a big improvement.

Oil pulling is said to whiten teeth and I have to say I am starting to see a slight difference in their colour. It is also said to clear out toxins from your body. This I can't say I've seen a difference, because how could I actually see it? But I sure like the sound of it!

Some people have also reported better skin after using this technique for a while. It is also said to be great for oral health. I have a dentist appointment today to fix two cavities and I just hope it will be gone - not that I have high hopes that it will have actually healed my cavities but I can always dream.

As for PerlaCoco compared to any other organic coconut oil out there? I think if you are an oil pulling enthusiast it would be good to have them on hand as it is easily portable. I think it would be especially good if you're going on holiday and don't want to take a whole coconut oil jar with you. But for day to day, I think I'll stick the regular kind. To me the PerlaCoco oil pulling product didn't have a strong enough coconut flavor (I know, the flavor is mint, I just wished it tasted like coconut). Which I guess is great if you don't like the taste but I love it.

Overall, I think it is a good product. It is easy to use, especially if you are on the move a lot.

I don't know if I will make oil pulling fit into my daily routine, but I'll sure try to keep using it from time to time as I've seen results in the whiteness of my teeth.

What do you think about oil pulling? Have you ever try it?

A few week ago I was offered the opportunity to try the Irresistible Me clip on hair extensions. I never tried hair extension for the purpose of having longer hair(I used to have blue and purple micro-bead extension streaks instead of dying my hair years ago), and I have to say I was quite exited about it. I picked the Silky Touch extensions in medium brown 140kg 18po. The hair color fit almost perfectly my natural hair, they are just a little more warm toned, but you can only see it if you look up closed, and even them it's barely noticeable.

The hair itself looks really good. They are thinner at the ends, which gives them a layered look that I really love.



I had a bit of a hard time blending the hair extension with my own hair, but I think this is mainly due to my haircut and length. Plus I probably didn't choose the right day to try them on and take pictures, because it was hot. And I had a lot of extra hair on, that I was curling, with a hot tool. So maybe I didn't take enough time to style them properly (aka the back of my head was not styled at all), but I think it looks good in the pictures, which is what I wanted for this post.

But I am planning to wear them at a wedding I am going to in November (I am the best man, I'm so exited!). It will be much colder then, so no heat problem. Plus I am planning to let my hair grow until then just to make sure it blends well.

Over all, I am really happy with the way the Irresistible Me hair extensions looks on me. I will me experimenting more before the wedding, but I'll wait for the heat to go away first!

Have you tried hair extensions before?

I've been send the evoDerma PRONECK Massager a few weeks back and I might say this is one of the best things that happened to me so far this year. Yes, that's a big statement, but to be fair, the year have not been great until now. Still, the product is good.

For years and years I had really bad neck pain. There was not so much I could do other than take medicine or try to massage my own neck, which most of the time is not exactly effective. The PRONECK bring a new option to me.

Obviously, this won't cure my neck pain overnight, but so far it's been helping. It really does relax the neck (and therefore relax me as a whole) and I found it to reduce my neck pain too.

The “PRONECK Massager is a safe and high tech massage system designed to bring you comfort and relaxation.” It has three main setting : heat massage, vibrating massage and low frequency electric impulse massage. It also has six pre-made programs that mix different massages together. The PRONECK is said to ease tense muscles, relieve stress, stimulate blood and oxygen flow and improve sleep.

I mainly use the vibrating massage as it is the one that feels the best. But the electric impulse massage doesn't feel as good, but is just as effective. As for the heat massage, I'm sure I will love it this winter.

The PRONECK Massager is also easy to use and to bring everywhere. It's compact and wireless and is flexible to be use on any neck size. I find it to be quite comfortable to use, you can barely tell it's there. I mainly use it when I am working or while watching TV. I am not traveling anytime soon, but if I would, the device would be great for the trip. I will definitely bring it with me next time I'll go on the 9 hours trip to my hometown to see my parents!

If you want more information, you can find it here on the evoDerma website.

The PRONECK Massager is $159 but you can get it for $75 here with the promo code GENE.

I hope you are having a great day and I will see you soon with a brand new post!

I had my make up done a few weeks back, by a Lise Watier make up artist, at my local drugstore. It was $10 paid in advance, but you got a refund when buying a product the day of the event. So obviously, it was more than enough reason for me to spend some money on a new foundation, right?

Plus I wanted to try one of these lightweight formulas that seems to be on trend right now. And it ended up being one of these that she used on me.

I never had my make up done before, and I liked the experience. I'd go back anytime.

But now, to the actual foundation.

It is a really lightweight formula and once it sets, I can barely feel it on my skin. They describe it as “second skin effect”, and it sounds appropriate. It is a really comfortable foundation and even if I though it during the day, I don't feel like it's moving around my face, like some other foundations I tried. Plus it lasts quite a long time. I haven't timed it, but I heard some other blogger saying it was about 7-8 hours, which I don't feel like contradicting.

It is infused with “Diamond Lumière Complex” which is a fancy way to say that it illuminate and reflect light in a nice way. And it has FPS 15, which is always a plus.

The foundation comes in a nice frosted glass bottle that makes it look quite luxurious. It as a dropper that drops the right amount of product to use on your whole face. I usually use two drops, blending the first one, then adding the second one on top to build coverage. It ends up giving a light to medium coverage that evens out the skin, but you can still see some imperfection. This is the kind of coverage I am looking for.

It comes in 8 shades and I have 01, which is the lightest. It is getting too light for me right now, as I'm tanning a little, but it will be perfect back in fall.

Overall, I love this foundation.

Have you tried this Lise Watier foundation?

I got this Argan Illuminizer a while back, in a Josie Maran value set. Since then, I had quite a strong love-hate relationship with it. I guess I haven't found the right way to use it, until now.

The thing is, I liked the formula, but hated the packaging. The pump let way too much product out, and if you haven't used it in a while, what comes out first is drier and thicker than it is supposed to be. Sometimes sample sized product have crappy packaging, but this seems to be full size, as they sell the same quantity on the Website. That being said, I think they changed the packaging since then, which, I have to say, looks way better.

But I started using it by unscrewing the lid and not using the pump, which works like a charm.

The product itself, when used as a regular highlighter, gives a really nice, natural glow to the cheeks (or anywhere) as the shimmers are very fine. It is a golden-champagne color and it blends well on the skin. But it can also be used mixed with foundation or moisturizer, for an all over glow. The fact that it is so versatile makes it an even more interesting product.

Now that I don't have to deal with the pump, I can see myself wearing the Josie Maran Argan Illuminizer a lot more.

Have you tried this product? What is your favorite highlighter?

I was so exited when I received an E-mail from Evoderma, telling me they wanted me to review their Noome device. It's the first I've been send anything to review on the blog. Needless to say it felt like hitting a big blogging milestone!

Noome is meant to help with aging skin. But they talk about it better than I do, so just let me quote what I think are the most important specifications of this device :

Stimulates skin cell renewal to smooth fine lines and wrinkles
Increases natural production of collagen and elastin
Soothes facial strain to attenuate expression lines
Brightens complexion for a youthful glow
Improves the efficiency of any anti-aging skin care regimen

I'm only 25, so I don't have lots of aging sings showing on my skin. There is a few little fine lines around my eyes, but they say not to use Noome on fine skin, so I'm not taking chances on my eye area!

Therefore, I can't really review it in depth. But the one thing I can say, though, is this is perfect for a pamper evening, when you want to relax, this is perfect! The first time I used it, I couldn't believe how relax my face felt.

I don't think I will be using it every day. But I will definitely once or twice a week, to relax and to prevent aging skin at the same time.

The Noome retail for $89, but if you are interested, the people at Evoderma gave me a code for you to use, so you can have it for $35, shipping included. You can enter the code GENE on the Evoderma Website.

Hope you liked it and I'll see you on Sunday with a new post!

And happy Canada day to any fellow Canadian out there!

I kinda got this on a whim. It was the buy 3 get 3 free sell at the Body Shop and I never tried any essence before, so curiosity got the best of me. Plus, I knew it would end up being free anyway, because of the sale. I assume it is a fairly new product, as there are no reviews at all on the Body Shop website. And I haven't head of it at all on blogs or anywhere else.

It says it's for oily to normal skin. Even if my skin can get a little oily on the T-zone during the day, it is mostly dry. But it also says that it gets rid of dead skin, and that I have plenty of.

For a few months, my foundations didn't really sit well on my skin. Even the ones meant for dry skin. Once applied, I could see it settling into all the dry skin. I tried to exfoliate, of course, but it was still not looking great. (Except when I used a beauty sponge) I was at the point where I would not wear foundation anymore...

Well, these days are over.

What I would do is wash my face, then apply the essence(they say to do it with a cotton wool, but I find it works better just with my hands). Rub it in a little, then once it was kinda dry, I would apply my face oil. The thing I noticed is this : as I rubbed the oil on my skin, I felt little particles under my finger. At first I though it was leftovers my exfoliating cleanser, but the next day I used another cleanser, without a scrub, and the same thing happened. The particles were dead skin falling off my face. I don't know if it is supposed to do this, but I love it!

The essence, I guess, is dissolving the dead skin. And then I tried my foundation again, applied with a brush. It looked great! No more highlighting dry skin and no more settling into lines, I was left with a good looking foundation!

This is definitely something that will stay in my skincare routine for a long time!

Have you heard of the Moisture White range? Have you tried any essence before?

Apparently, I've been collecting trash for a while.

Bonnabelle Eye Style Mascara in Denim
Meh, it didn't do much. And now it's old, so I'm throwing it away.

Revlon Colorstay Liquid Liner in Black Brown
This is so old, I'm actually ashamed it was still in my draw. I can't even remember if it was good or not.

Elizabeth Arden Dry/Sensitive Skin Hydra-Gentle Cream Cleanser
I wasn't bad. I can't say it made a huge difference to my face, but it didn't make it worst. It felt a little luxurious to use, so that is a plus.

Lacoupe Flat Iron Thermal Straightening Spray
This was my second or third bottle of this, and it lasted quite a while because I was not using lots of heat before I cut my hair. It's just a basic heat protector.

Dove Refresh+Care InvigoratingDry Shampoo
It was good, definitely beats some other dry shampoo I tried before (like the Treseme one).

L'Oréal Perfecting Base Magic Lumi Light Infusing Primer
I quite loved this primer. I can't really say it made my make up last longer, but it added a nice glow to my skin every time I used it.

B. Kamins Maple Body Lotion Sample
I got this in a Glamglow box a while back. At first I was quite exited about it, because it says maple on it. But it doesn't smell like maple syrup at all. I don't think it's worth the price tag of the full price ($41) because for me it was just a really basic lotion. I can find better for cheaper.

Philosophy No Reason To Hide Sample
Why so expensive? I'm not ready to pay $85 for a 1oz serum. Maybe one day, when I have a full time, well paid job, but certainly not right now. That's a shame though, because with the sample, which lasted me about a week, it made such a difference to my skin. I will definitely try to grab some more sample of this!

The Body Shop Vitamin C Facial Cleansing Polish

It was so long ago, I can't remember! That range has a nice smell. From what I can remember, it was nice, but nothing mind-blowing.

The Body Shop Ginger Sparkles Shower Gel & Chocomania Shower Cream Samples
I usually have a hard time with scented body wash. But I had no problem with this one! I definitely will buy a full size eventually.

Revlon Phooready BB Cream
I loved this BB cream, but eventually it went bad. It separated. And I didn't feel like it has been open for THAT long… Or maybe I just use BB cream way to slowly?

Vichy Normaderm Nuit Chrono-Active Anti-Imperfection Care
I used to swear by this line! But my skin changed and I started using other product. This tube is old and need to go to the trash. But really, if you have acne prone skin, I can't recommend the Vichy Normaderm line enough.

Bumble And Bumble Thickening Shampoo and Conditioner Samples
I didn't like this at all. Obviously, for the thickening benefits, I guess it would show over time, but my problem wasn't with that. I felt like it didn't clean my hair. I don't know if there just wasn't enough product in the sample, but it kinda missed the point of a shampoo for me.

F.A.B. Facial Radiance Pads
I heard quite a few people talk about these. But I'm quite indecisive. I think I kinda see a difference in my skin, but I really didn't use it consistently enough to notice anything major. Although I feel like it would have worked much better if I had used it every day.

Lush Pot De Bienfaisance Hand and Body Lotion
It was quite lovely. It had a nice smell and consistency.

The Body Shop Vitamin E Moisture Cream
I think I finish this about a year ago. At this point I really shouldn't have included it in this post, but now that it is on the picture...

The Body Shop Mango Body Butter
The BodyShop body butter are by far my favorites body moisturizer. It's the only one I can actually feel a difference in my skin.

Personnel Trio Passe-Partout Corector in Medium
It's still quite full, but the edges of one of the colors is turning grayish, which really doesn't inspire me anything good. It was a pretty average product.

Ole Henriksen Pure Truth Youth Activating Oil Sample
This was just a little sample, but I though it was worth mentioning. It smelled like fish. A really strong fish sent. At least at first, because 5 minutes latter there was only an orange sent left. But still, that really took me off guard. I can't really say if the product itself is good or not, since I only used it once, I didn't any major change in my skin.

What product have you finish lately? Are you collecting trash?

I got the Boscia Detoxifying Black Cleanser about a week or two ago. I was all out of cleanser and couldn't wait for the Sephora package to arrive to my door.

My first though on it is that, to me, it smells a little like weed. Or, to make a flashback to my teenage years, it smells like the entrance to my high school (there was always a bunch of stoners at the front doors). But it's not over powering, and so, does not really bother me at all. I just find it kindda weird.

I heard a lot about Boscia on different blogs. And I also heard a lot about activated charcoal being good for the skin. So I decided to give it a go. From what I could read, the actives ingredients include : Activated Charcoal, Artichoke Leaf Extract, Glycolic Acid, Vitamin C (Ascorbyl Glucoside), Vitamin P (Alpha Glucosyl Hesperidin) and Licorice Root. What sold me on this is that it claims to reduce the appearance of pore and detoxifies (and more, but that's what I was looking for). You can read more about it on their website.

I haven't noticed a big difference in the size of my pores, but I think this could take a little longer that a week and a half to really see the effects of this. But I haven't been breaking out since I started using it, which is a good start! Also, right now I'm only using it at night, as I have another cleanser I use in the morning, but I might start to use it twice a day, so I could see the effects faster.

I'll keep on using it and report back in a future blog post.

Update : I've been using it twice a day for about a week now and I'm really starting to see a difference in my skin. It's over all clearer, the black heads are not as black and my pores are not as large! This is great! I'm so happy I tried this product!

Have you tried any products by Boscia? Or another activated charcoal product? What are your favorites cleansers?
That's a lot of questions.

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This is the most pigmented and easy to use eyeshadow!

It is a bit weird, really watery and you have to shake it before using. Then, you just apply the tiniest bit of product on the lid. You really have to use it sparsely, or at least for everyday use. It can either look natural when using it sheer. You can also make it really in your face to make your eyes pop out when you use more of the product. 

The other important point about this product is that it is moisturizing. It's part coconut water and part argan oil. If you read one of my latest post about this eye cream, you may know that I recently had really dry eyelids. So this product adds a nice amount of moisture.

I have the shade Rio De Rose Gold.

Have you tried this product? Did you come across something similar? I would really like to know!