Daily Skincare Routine

If you're anything like me, once you find a product that works for you, you never let it go. I've used Biore Blemish Fighting Ice Cleanser since my teens and it's my holy grail cleanser!

My daily skincare routine is pretty basic but it can be quite long! Spending time on your skin is definitely an investment that pays off. I have combination skin; oily along the T-zone and dry along the outer edges of my face and cheeks.

So, what works for me? Salicylic Acid. It might take time to figure out what works for you, but keep at it and you'll be sure to find something your skin likes. 

AM 

Aveeno Daily Brightening Scrub: I wet my face with warmish/hot water and then apply a dime-sized amount of this in circular motions all over the face, focusing on the nose.

Biore Blemish Fighting Ice Cleanser: I will rinse off the exfoliant with warm water and then use a half pump of this all over the face. After I rinse off with warm water, I always always always splash my face with cold water to close the pores up.

L'oreal YouthCode Serum Corrector: I use a half pump of this before my moisturizer. It helps balance the skin tone and fades dark spots.

Josie Maran Argan Oil Light/Coconut Oil: I use two drops of this after giving the L'oreal skin brightening cream a minute to sink in. I focus this mostly on my dry areas. I will sometimes use Coconut Oil (check out my post on Oils for more info http://www.sidesofjane.blogspot.ca/2014/03/oils-oils-oils.html) instead of the Argan if I'm at home all day (it tends to be oilier).

I wait a couple minutes before apply any makeup. While I wait I grab some water and try to guzzle it down!

PM

Sonia Kashuk Makeup Remover: I put a small amount on a cotton pad and remove my eye makeup.

Ponds Makeup Wipes: I remove the rest of my face makeup with one of these. It's important to remove all makeup first before you use any other product. If you don't your cleanser won't be able to work at full capacity.

Biore Pore Unclogging Scrub: I scrub my face with this nightly! I use a dime-sized amount for the whole face.

Mario Bedescu Acne Facial Cleanser/Biore: I use these interchangeably. Recently I've been reaching more for Mario Badescu because it's a bit gentler and the Biore Unclogging Scrub already contains Salicylic Acid in it. I will of course, splash my face with cold water after.

I've been using Ole Henrikson's Ultimate Lift Eye Gel all over my face and eye area! I needed something with extra moisture this winter - it's been a long, dry winter, so I decided to use it all over my face one day and I loved the results. I'm going to try out their actual facial moisturizer and see how it compares soon!

Lastly, for any pimples/breakouts I have, I dip a Q-tip into Mario Badescu's Drying Lotion and apply it right over the pimple itself. Be very careful not to use this around the eye area as it's pretty strong stuff and can ruin the thin skin.

Tips
- Drink lots of water! I try to have a minimum of 40 oz of water which amounts to about 5 cups of water per day. It's still under the recommended amount but that's how much I can definitely drink a day.
- Mineral makeup is always my go-to when my skin is acting up because it doesn't clog my pores.
- Finding a good moisturizer is the best tip I can give you. Dry skin can give you the appearance of advanced age and it just isn't pretty under makeup. After you use a harsh cleanser on your face it's always best to moisturize and restore the skin's balance.

There's my daily skincare routine. I hope this helps you form a routine that keeps your skin happy :)

Love,

jane

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My YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9ddsm4CtLIY7TMVZdk20uQ/videos

First Video!

<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/12021891/?claim=tmft7fsxq4w">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>
Hello!

Here's the first official video for my blog and YouTube channel :)

Glorious Ruins cover by Jane and Jessica. Enjoy!

Love,

jane

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Surprise Date!

Hello!

Just wanted to write a little bit about what went down today. My boyfriend, Pat, planned a date for us back in February and wanted to keep the details a secret. I've been in turmoil for the past few weeks (I hate surprises, generally). But it turned out to be such a great day!

We had lunch at My Cousin Vinny's in Niagara (delicious!) and then he took me to see Bodies Revealed!!!

Bodies Revealed. Can you see Pat hiding?

Sorry for the instagram quality haha...I had to sneak those photos.

I'm a Kinesiology student through and through. I loved every minute of this exhibit. My boyfriend and I are such nerds haha.

After that, he took me to Lundy's Lane and we did a little bit of shopping. I scored this awesome A-line leather skirt at Garage for 5 bucks. I've got outfit ideas in the works already! We rounded Lundy's off with a visit to Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory...mmmm giant peanut butter chocolate cups.

Pat asked if he could take one shot of me somewhere (he's an awesome photographer). I agreed and so we decided to shoot in Hamilton. The one photo turned into a 20 minute photo shoot. Here's one of the photos:

If you are looking for a photographer, this one comes highly recommended :) He does some amazing outdoor photography, portraits and more.

You can check out all his work here at http://patpho-tography.com/

What a lovely, lovely day I had - thanks to my sweet boyfriend :)

Hope your day was just as great!

Love,

jane

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Sigma Brushes

Happy Thursday everyone!

I recently purchased a set of Sigma brushes (eep!). I told myself I didn't need to have Sigma brushes but when Jaclyn Hill, one of my favourite makeup artists on YouTube, teamed up with Sigma to pick out her own set of favourite brushes to make available to the public, it just seemed like the right time. Or so I tell myself.

Turns out, it was a good idea to buy when I did because since then, that set has been out of stock! It's only available for the month of March, but they're selling like hot tamales so maybe they'll extend the sale. Here's to hoping.

Here's a link to Jaclyn's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6jgzx2g3nlbaYkd8EMweKA

So the Jaclyn Hill Expert Beauty Box includes 7 brushes:
- F80 Flat Top Kabuki (the well loved foundation brush on YouTube)
- F86 Tapered Kabuki -
- F35 Tapered Highlighter
- E55 Eye Shading
- E25 Blending
- E40 Tapered Blending
- E30 Pencil
*Plus you get a free travel sized brush with any order over $35. I got a travel sized E25!

Oh. My. Gosh.

All these beautiful brushes for $90.00. This set is a $113 value. She also had a 10% off code on her YouTube channel so that pretty much covered the shipping & handling ($9.55 to Canada).

Top to bottom: E40, E30, E25, E55, F35, F80, F86 & Travel E25

These brushes are every bit what I imagined - except maybe a bit smaller. Haha

The handles are sturdy and are clearly stamped with the brush name and number.
The synthetic brushes are soft and dense, and the goat hair brushes are slightly stiffer but still soft enough for the eye. All the brushes pick up colour well and do not shed at all.

My Favourites
The E40 is such a great blending brush. I have no bad things to say about it. It effortlessly buffs out colour to create a soft, blown-out look.
I also really love the F86 tapered kabuki brush. I used it for under eye concealer and as a contour brush. It applies just the right amount of product to the face.

I've put together a little collage for you guys to see them up close.

Jaclyn Hill Expert Beauty Box

Love,

jane

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Triangl Swimwear

I've been looking forward to a vacation all year! To make things even more exciting, I stumbled upon an Australian company called TRIANGL that sells these beautiful and simplistic neoprene bikinis!

Check out their website for some pretty awesome bikinis! I got two (since I'm going away, I need them right?). http://northamerica.triangl.com/

The first one I got is called the Chloe bikini in the colour Santa Rosa Splash. I love the vibrancy of the blue next to the classic black lining. It's a regular triangular tie bikini.

Chloe Bikini in Santa Rosa Splash

The neoprene material is basically wet suit material, and it definitely fits tighter than your regular bikinis. It has less give but it feels very comfortable on (provided you have the right size!).

The second bikini that I fell in love with is the Ollie bikini in Billie Firefly. It's a rose gold bottom with a black and orange mesh top. It's kind of bra-style so there aren't any ties or clasps for the top. Make sure you get the right size!

Ollie Bikini in Billie Firefly

They each come with matching neoprene bags that are very sturdy. I must commend TRIANGL on their customer service. They have staff available for live chats for sizing information, as well as quick email responses. Shipping charges are pretty steep (flat rate $20 USD) and the duties for Canada are killer. So, I ordered off of Luvocracy http://www.luvocracy.com/hoangjv (there's a link to my page where I have the bikinis in my Luvs) at a time where it was Free Shipping AND...NO TAX!!

I'm a deal finder, what can I say?

I got it sent to my US Kinek Point and picked it up there for 5 bucks. It shipped so quickly.

So. I got this bikini with NO tax, NO shipping fee and no duties. Holla!

Luvocracy only ships to US, so you definitely will need a US address if ordering off of them.

I can't wait to hit the beach! Just need some sunglasses...hmmmm more shopping?

Love,

jane

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Spoken Word : We were won

I wrote this spoken word two years ago (2012) and I wanted to share it all with you. I hope to record it some day, but for now, have a read :)

Love,

jane

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Let me tell you a story

one I’m sure you all know

It’s about a man and a cross

who’s life was inevitably lost

because it was the only way

it could cover our cost.

You know how it starts...

a baby in a manger

who won all our hearts

grew up to be a man of God

not just a man

but God in man form

a man with holy mission

who would weather the storm of humanity

OUR despicable insanity

OUR innate vanity

OUR perverse profanity

and he would call it: Christianity.

The story goes on

he travels and speaks

and he stumbles upon

Generations of sinful people

beggars, murderers, liars, thieves

for all those souls, our God cried, and grieved

This holy man, the very God we believe in

became real bones, real blood, real skin

so that we could have a chance

he gave us a cash advance

He paid the price before we were born

He paved a way, and the veil was torn

But he was shunned, he was hated

he was turned away

and still, and still,

he decided to stay

He was despised and rejected by mankind

but when He came down,

our fates and His, they were aligned

By the blood of the lamb we were made one

Dying to our sins, made alive in the Son

But like sheep, we have all gone astray

each wandering, looking for our own way.

 We mock him by forgetting

by putting us before him and not regretting.

“The Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve

and to give his life as a ransom for many”

No repayment was necessary, not even a penny.

He made himself nothing,

so we could be something

He was pierced for our transgressions

crushed for our iniquities

our lies, our hurts, our human disease

He was whipped and beaten

broken in death

His life, 33 years

gone in a breath.

He was rejected, backstabbed

betrayed by a friend

left alone, left to die

alone at the end.

Here my story ends, but His never will

though he was nailed to a cross on Calvary’s hill

He rose again, he prevailed still.

Jesus, the Christ. God’s only Son.

When he cried, “Father forgive them, for they know not what they’ve done.”

in that one shuddering breath, he beat death. He won. 

New Camera!

Yay!! I picked up a Nikon D5100 just a couple hours ago and boy am I excited to play with it. It's been a crazy few weeks embarking on this new adventure, but I figure this new camera will help me make my music, beauty videos and etc.

The only thing that is scary about it is that my face will be on the internet. More so than it already is! And is it just me...or does the camera add 10 pounds...

Still, I'm excited to test everything out!

I've been finding this website helpful (for all you new D5100 owners out there): http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/choosing-a-focus-mode-in-live-view-with-a-nikon-d5.html

Love,

jane

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Makeup Geek : Full Review & Swatches!

     Hi, everyone! So happy to be back home on this super cold and snowy day. Yesterday was a beautiful 13 degrees Celsius. Today? Going down to minus 17....what the heck?! Anyway, since my classes and midterm were cancelled (hallelujah!) and I had nothing better to do...here are my thoughts on my recent Makeup Geek purchase.

    First off, hats off to the pigmentation on these shadows. Each color shows up very well on the lid and blends like a dream. An individual shadow pan is $5.99 USD and let me tell you, you definitely get the bang outta your buck. All of them have a very smooth and creamy texture.

                                                     Photo on the left. Top (left to right): Vanilla Bean, Glamorous, Shimma Shimma                                                         Bottom (left to right): Purely Naked, Peach Smoothie, Taupe Notch

The swatches on the photo on the right hand side: Vanilla Bean, Glamorous, Shimma Shimma, Purely Naked, Peach Smoothie, Taupe Notch.

Vanilla Bean: A pale, skin tone colour. Matte with a slight sheen. (Very hard to see the swatch as it is almost the exact same color of my skin!)

Glamorous: Shimmery bronze/gold with tiny glitter particles. Swatches beautifully and applies easily without too much fall out.

Shimma Shimma: Shimmery pink champagne. Velvety and perfect for the inner corner and highlight or for a pop of shimmer in the middle of the lid.

Purely Naked: Medium tan color with some shimmer. This works very well in the crease for any sort of warm-tone look.

Peach Smoothie: Peachy beige matte colour. I use a light hand with this colour when placing it in the crease. On my skin it tends to look a little too orange.

Taupe Notch: Darker taupe color. Great for deepening the crease.

                                                         Photo on the left. Top (left to right): Moondust, Creme Brulee, Prom Night                                                           Bottom (left to right): Hipster, Frappe, Unexpected.

The swatches on the photo on the right hand side: Moondust, Creme Brulee, Prom Night, Hipster, Frappe, Unexpected.

Moondust: Metallic purple shade with silver accents. Lovely in the crease or all over the lid for a purple smoky eye.

Creme Brulee: Medium sand shade with a totally matte finish. Great for warming up the crease and blending.

Prom Night: A greyish purple with a shimmery finish. I like to use this shade in the outer corner to give depth to the eye.

Hipster: Darker sand colour. Shimmer finish. Good choice for when you want to smoke out the lower lash line.

Frappe: Matte, medium reddish brown. Frappe is great for blending out darker shadows along the crease.

Unexpected: Matte, pinky-purple shade. I use this mostly as a transition colour for my purple eye looks.

Left to right: Latte, Cocoa Bear, Unicorn

Latte: Soft brown, matte. My favourite pick for the crease.

Cocoa Bear: Deep reddish brown, matte. This colour is extremely pigmented! Be careful with how much you apply and where you apply it.

Unicorn: Sparkly, bluish purple. This colour was the only one I have some trouble with. It's not as creamy as the other shades and it takes a little longer to work with and build up. However, great for a fun pop of colour!

There you go! All 15 of my colours reviewed for you. I will definitely be shopping with Makeup Geek some more. I've been wanting to get some colours that are darker to make the perfect palette (perhaps a matte black/brown that can double as eyeliner).

Overall, I'm very impressed with the formulation of this product and will definitely be purchasing more in the future :)

Love,

jane

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Oils, oils, oils

Left to right: Cold-pressed virgin olive oil, cold-pressed virgin castor oil, cold-pressed virgin coconut oil, moroccan argan oil, josie maran argan oil light and normal.

      I used to run away from anything that was oily; especially when it came to my face. Being the grease monster I am, I used harsh cleansers and oil-free moisturizers in hopes of combating my oily skin. Little did I know that in response to all that "good" I thought I was doing, I perpetuated the oil making process! In 2013 I discovered Argan oil and since then I've been an advocate for it.

Go oil! :) Here are a few of my favourite oils and how I use them!

     Josie Maran 100% Pure Argan Oil: I am in LOVE with this oil. Just a couple drops of this after I cleanse my skin (night and day) and my skin is instantly moisturized. I use it interchangeably with coconut oil, but since I've got the Argan oil, I use it. The only downside? The price tag. The Josie Maran oil costs $58 dollars for 1.7oz. Quite pricey, but it was a great oil to start off with. My skin slowly started developing somewhat less oil (I'm still oil prone), and I noticed less dry patches.

     Coconut oil: I use this for everything! It's solid at room temperature (easy storage - zero spills!) but heats up quickly on your fingertips. I moisturize my face with it but I mostly use it on my body. Arms, legs, hands, feet, elbows (I know y'all have ashy elbows too)...so many uses! This giant jar was about $20 CAD at Goodness Me! my local organic grocery store. Just make sure your oil is cold-pressed and virgin! When they process it with heat you lose a lot of nutritional quality.
Side note: you can also cook with this oil as a healthy alternative!

      Olive Oil: I mostly use this in combination with my castor oil to make a deep oil cleanse. It removes all make up and helps keep your skin looking dewy and moisturized. To make the concoction I mix about 2 parts olive oil to 1 part castor oil. I will rub this on my face (makeup and all) then place a steamed towel over my face for about a minute. I'll take the towel and wipe off any excess oil but that's it. The theory behind this crazy idea? Like dissolves like. It does work! I just don't do this very often. Probably only about once every 2 or 3 weeks.

     Castor Oil: I can confidently say that Castor oil is the reason my lashes have grown longer and fuller! Again, make sure it's cold-pressed and virgin. I brush this oil on my lashes nightly with a sanitized mascara brush. I make sure I get the roots of the lashes and top and bottom. You definitely have to use this for about a month before you see visible results. This castor oil helps rejuvenate and moisturize my lashes after I remove waterproof mascara. I also see less lash fall out!

Part of my birthday gift from Jessica, thanks girl! :)

    Moroccan Argan Oil: For the days I'm lazy and don't condition my hair, I throw this oil onto the ends and work it to the roots to smooth out the frizz. I also use this to protect against heat styling or afterward to give my hair a shiny boost.

There you go, my friends! Lesson of the day? Don't be scared of oils. Embrace them. Love them. Use them.

Thanks for tuning in!

Love,

jane

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GlamGlow Masks - are they worth the hype?

     I first tried GlamGlow in November when I got a sample from Sephora and lo and behold, I was hooked! I bought the "gift sexy" set that includes 34g of SuperMud and 15g of YouthMud. I couldn't find it on the Sephora.ca site, but it's still available on GlamGlow's site.

    This set retails for $69 CAD. The price is pretty steep for what is essentially, mud, but this product performed so well for me that I had to have it as part of my skincare routine. 

A little bit of this magic mud goes a looonnnggg way! I promise you.

I use it once a week and the day of any special event where I want my skin to look extra supple.

These masks visibly suck out oils from pores and unclogs them, and improves the clarity of your skin. I think the most dramatic difference I found was in the tone of my skin. My face looked instantly brighter and smoother in one use. These masks won't leave your face stripped of moisture or feeling tight, but I always moisturize after I use any mask.

SuperMud in the white and YouthMud in the black.

     My favourite is the YouthMud, however, I would recommend the SuperMud for those battling acne. The YouthMud rejuvenates my skin and the pieces of green tea leaves in there really add that antioxidant boost! Once you put the YouthMud on, you feel an intense tingle (almost but not quite a burning feeling) that fades in a few minutes. Also, the YouthMud dries a lot quicker than the SuperMud and makes the face feel tighter while it's on.

THE EXPERIMENT

So, I recruited my brother to try it for the first time and documented his experience for my blog...I'm so mean! Haha :)

Before (left) and after (right).

Look at the difference...the mask even made him smile :P

Results:

     The major difference I saw in his skin was the luminosity. His skin was more even and had less redness. His pores appeared less prominent and his face was definitely softer!

Application & Removal: 

     We left the mask on for about 20 minutes (I recommend going as long as 30 minutes) and then used a little water on the fingertips to rub the product into the skin. He then rinsed it off with warm water and followed up with a splash of cold water to close the pores.

Here's what it looks like upon first application.

Here's the mask at 5, 10 and 20 minutes after application. 

As time went on, the mask drew out more and more of the oil - you can see the spots that are darker and becoming transparent (gross, but cool). Hope this helps!

Love, 

jane

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My YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9ddsm4CtLIY7TMVZdk20uQ/videos

First Look : Makeup Geek Eyeshadows!

        

      I've been waiting for a couple weeks to get my hands on these babies! When they came in the mail today, I was so excited I had to blog about it haha. Shipping took about 2 weeks and they came safely packaged with bubble wrap and packing peanuts :D 

I chose to get 15 shadows that would fit inside the silver travel palette. 

It's a sleek and durable plastic palette with a closure that snaps into place securely. The plastic doesn't attract fingerprint marks - a huge plus for the neat freak within me. 

It also sports a huge mirror that fills the entire top space! The shadows each came individually packaged in a great little cardboard invention that could act as storage if you opted out of buying a palette.

Here are a couple pictures of my picks - can you tell I like my neutrals?

Stay tuned for a full review! 

Love,

jane

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Hi, everyone!

Welcome to "the blog"!

I've got quite a vision for this blog space and I'm hoping to complete it. I'm still trying to figure this thing out - I'm not the best at websites. Stay tuned for make up reviews/tips, hair care, skin care, music and my thoughts in general.

Thanks for reading!

Love,

jane

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