REVIEW: Origins Drink Up Intensive Mask

I'm definitely someone who likes to research different products before I purchase them, especially if it's skincare. I like to know if they're effective, the pros, the cons, and basically just how others have got on with the product. I would highly recommend doing this whether the product you're interested in is expensive or cheap. We may as well try to save money if we have resources that can give us a glimpse of what we can expect from the product.

Because I always research products before purchasing them, I'm shocked to say that this was an impulse purchase. I went in to get the 10 minute acne mask from Origins and ended up leaving with one plus this hydration mask. What's even more shocking is, this is my first time ever buying a mask targeted towards hydration. Now that I look back on it, how did I justify this purchase in store?! It's skincare, I've never researched it and have never tried a hydration mask. Talk about being contradicting...

Time for the Review

When you squeeze the product out of the bottle, you'll notice that it looks just like a cream or a moisturizer. It isn't a coloured mask or anything. It also has a scent to it that I kind of like. It's really hard to explain... Slightly fruity? I'm not sure. I've been sniffing it for the past 5 minutes now and it's either starting to smell different every time I get a whiff of it or I can't smell anything at all. Either way, I don't find it irritating but some may not like the smell of it. I wouldn't say the scent is overwhelming or anything but you can definitely smell it for a couple minutes after applying it to your face. After those first few minutes you can't smell it at all.

I like to put this on as if it were a moisturizer. You don't need to use a lot of product as it glides over the skin very easily. I'd say use about the size of a dime to the size of a nickel. After squeezing it on to my palm, I rub my hands together to spread out the product and rub it all over my face. This is an overnight mask so you don't need to wash it off until the next morning which is awesome! I'm super lazy so I hate washing off masks. Especially the ones where you really have to rub hard to get it off. 

Max amount I would use to cover my entire face

Over the last month, I've been using this mask either after I use any acne targeting masks and/or right before I go to bed. I mentioned in a previous haul, that Estee from Essiebutton, recommended using a hydration mask after a drying/acne targeting mask. My skin was acting up after the long drive to Minneapolis, so I decided to take her advice and give a hydration mask a go. 

Boy, am I glad I gave this product a try! When I wake up the next morning, my skin feels so good! *cue the singing angels* My skin is super soft and any dry patches that may have formed due to the use of acne treatments have vanished! You know what I've talking about, that patch of skin surrounding a blemish that you just can't cover up... This mask definitely fixed that problem for me! 

My skin feels ridiculously healthy after using this product. I honestly can't recommend this enough! Perfect for those with dry skin or have any dry patches from using acne products. In a way, I feel like this mask helps counteract the negatives of using acne treatments and allows you to have the best of both worlds when it comes to skin. You can still use your favourite acne spot treatment that tends to be drying. Just use this mask after to prevent the ring of dry skin.

Pros

• Affordable (it's $25 but you use a small amount every time)
• Easy to use
• Works while you sleep
• Don't have to time how long it's been on your face (perfect for my fellow lazy people out there)
• Smells good
• Gets the job done
• Doesn't feel too heavy
• Leaves the skin feeling fantastic the next morning
• Could be soothing for those with irritated skin
• Gets rid of dry rings around blemishes

Cons

• Scent may irritate some people
• May be overly hydrating for those with oily skin

I seriously can't think of any other cons... It's just a life saver for the skin. It really rejuvenates the skin and balances every thing out. If you're unsure about this product or don't want to spend the money before trying it, I would suggest getting a sample of it. When I first used this I immediately noticed results. I didn't have to use it for a couple weeks before I noticed a difference. 

Overall, I think this is a phenomenal overnight mask! It does what it's supposed to do at a relatively affordable price. I believe that this is a fool-proof product and it will definitely have a permanent spot in my skin care routine! Again, I don't think I can recommend this enough!

What are some masks that you can't live without? What type of mask do you prefer using the most? (Acne targeted, hydration, exfoliation, etc.)

-Amelia

Drugstore Haul #3

I'm going to take a small break from the Minneapolis Haul to quickly show you what I got at a recent stop to the drugstore. A friend sent me a snap on Snapchat of a Physicians Formula display she saw at Shoppers Drug Mart. Everything from the brand was on sale! You can thank her snap for this haul!

Physicians Formula Organic Wear Jumbo Lash Mascara

I finally got my hands on this mascara! I've been wanting to try this out for so long! I've heard great things about the brand and specifically this mascara. I'm a contact lens wearer and my eyes are usually pretty good with all mascaras with one exception. Because of the exception, I've been interested in trying out a mascara that is organic. Anyway, the sale for Physicians Formula products was 40% off, so I was finally able to justify buying this mascara.

Physicians Formula Organic Wear Lash Boosting Mascara

I originally went in to buy the Jumbo Lash mascara but because of the sale, I decided to take a look at the mascara beside it. I'm glad I did! I usually shy away from the Physicians Formula section as everything is super expensive considering it's a drugstore brand. This mascara claims to enhance the length, thickness, and volume of your lashes. I've tried this out a couple times and so far it's been pretty awesome. The brush is a little big but it's manageable. 

Essence "All About Nudes" Eyeshadow Palette

This was a bit of an impulse buy. I have been looking for a dupe for Too Faced's Silk Teddy. One of the colours in this palette looks quite similar. I still need to physically compare them but I'm hoping they're a match. I also really like the other colours in this palette. They're all wearable shades, especially the dark brown colour. I'm not going to be upset if this palette doesn't contain a dupe for Silk Teddy as it was only $4.99! If this palette works out well, I'm definitely interested in trying out Essence's All About Chocolate palette. 

Essie in "No More Film"

This may come at a bit of a surprise, but I bought nail polish! For some reason I'm not a fan of nail polish. I find it heavy and I feel like I can't do anything with my hands when I have polish on my fingers. I've recently been giving nail polish a try once again. It doesn't seem to bother my toes as much as my fingers. I've been reaching for clear coats or pale pinks, but because Fall is fast approaching, I decided to try out a darker shade. I kind of wanted to go black but my friend who is a polish ADDICT, convinced me to dry a different dark shade. I took her advice and went with this deep purple. From a far, my nails look black but up close or in the light you can definitely tell that it's purple. Not sure why, but I find that super cool! I love it so much I'm considering putting some on my fingernails. Still a bit skeptical but who knows, I might give it a try.

Have you recently bought a drugstore product that you've been dying to try? What shade of nail polish is your favourite to wear during the fall season?

- Amelia

Skin Care | Minneapolis Haul

As promised, here's the second instalment of the Minneapolis Haul! I believe if you're gonna splurge on anything beauty, it should be skincare. I think of it this way, if my skin is in good condition, I won't feel the need to use as much makeup, which in turn will save me money. But will it really save me more money if I'm spending more on different products? It's a theory that I'm still working on but for now I'm gonna stick with splurging on skincare is okay.  

Victoria's Secret Smoothing Body Scrub

This was my first time going into Victoria Secret and actually coming out with a purchase. I thought they only sold creams, so you can imagine how excited I got when I found out they also carried body scrubs! I've used a couple of them now and I'm really enjoying them. They aren't harsh so they're perfect for everyday use, yet they're still effective. The scrub also fully dissolves if you scrub long enough almost acting as a body wash. As of right now, I've only tried Secret Charm and Pure Daydream. So far Pure Daydream is my favourite!

Clearasil Ultra Rapid Action Pads

I've heard about Clearasil products before, but I never really gave them a chance until I saw one of my friends using some of their products while we were away. It's interesting to see what other people do to unwind after a long day. She mentioned that their products have worked really well for her so I decided to give their Rapid Action Pads a try. Plus they were on sale at Target so I couldn't pass that up.


Origins Out of Trouble Mask

I love Origins, like alot. No one will ever understand my love for Origins. Obsession aside, this mask was a must needed purchase. After the 8 hour drive to Minneapolis, a friend and I noticed that our skin was breaking out pretty bad. Unfortunately, I forgot the mask I was going to bring in my room, so I had to go out and buy one asap! I had never tried this before, but I knew I could trust it because it's from Origins. My skin seems to really mesh well with their products. So far, I'm loving it! Now that I think about it, I might just have to make a post dedicated to Origins...


Origins Drink Up Intensive Mask

This was a bit of an impluse buy fuelled by something Estee said in one of her videos. She recommended using a hydrating mask after using an acne targeting mask as they can be stripping. Plus, I've always wanted to try out overnight masks. With all that in mind, it made handing over the $25 a lot easier. My skin always feels so good when I wake up the next morning after using this product. I definitely recommend trying out this mask if you use any kind of acne treatment or have dry skin. It just makes your skin look 10x better than it did the night before. 

Dermalogica Clear Start Breakout Clearing Overnight Treatment

When we went to Sephora, we were told that they didn't really have any overnight masks that focused on getting rid of acne. Most of their overnight masks are geared towards hydration. Anyway, on our last day we stopped into Ulta and I picked up this bad boy. After our disappointment in Sephora, we were excited to see this. I have heard good things about Dermalogica but I've never used any of their products before. Since I've purchased it, I've used it quite a bit and I'm happy to report that this is awesome! I haven't had any trouble with drying when I use this, so I highly recommend this product if you suffer from acne. It's also only $19! Compared to acne treatments found at the drugstore, this is a steal because of it's size!

Last, but not least, one of the specific number one products I wanted to get on this trip (I had 3 number one things. Don't judge me...)

Clarisonic Mia

I've finally jumped on the Clarisonic band wagon! I've used facial brushes before and I found they did wonders for my skin. The two brushes I owned before were a lot cheaper than this one (~$10-30) but I thought I'd splurge because it's related to skincare and my brush was getting a little nasty... Definitely glad I caved! I did however cheap out and bought the Mia but I figured I didn't need to spend an extra $50 just for another speed setting. My basket at Sephora was also reaching full capacity so I had to think about how much I was spending. So far I'm loving it though! 

What's your holy grail skin care product? Do you have a favourite skincare brand/line?

-Amelia