The Body Shop's Camomile Line

I first heard of the concept of cleansing balms and oils about a year ago, and I have to say, I was a bit skeptical. I had just experienced using facial oils for the first time and couldn't wrap my head around using oil as a cleanser. After some thought, it started to make sense. A lot of makeup is oil based and can be a pain to wash off with water. If you use an oil cleanser, it will in fact break down the oil in the makeup, making it a lot easier to remove.

From what I've seen, all items in this line are CAD$16. I believe a muslin cloth and waterproof eye makeup remover are apart of this line as well, but I'll only be focusing on the three items mentioned above.

Camomile Silky Cleansing Oil

I have been using this for a little over six months now and I can honestly say that it has forever changed my skincare routine. This product is great for first time users of cleansing oils as it is super effective and affordable. 

Before you do anything, make sure you wash your hands and keep your face dry. The cleansing oil works best on dry skin, so make sure you don't wet your face! I would recommend using one or two pumps of product and rub it back and forth between your hands to spread the product around. Next, start rubbing your hands all over the face. I like to start with my cheeks first, then the chin, nose, forehead, and eyes. Yes, this removes eye makeup as well! However, if you have sensitive eyes I would hold off on using it on the eyes as there can be residue left on your lashes. The Bod Shop site claims that it can be used on sensitive eyes, but from what I've experienced, it can be a little irritating. Once you're done rubbing the oil around your face, rinse it all off with water. 

If you have been wanting to try a cleansing oil I would definitely recommend this one. It has a bit of a scent (all products in this line do) but it isn't offensive, the product is easy to work with, and it does a good job breaking down the makeup. The cleansing oil also provides you the most bang for your buck as it contains the most product (200ml) for $16.

Camomile Gentle Eye Makeup Remover

Over the last couple of months, I found that the cleansing oil was starting to irritate my eyes. I probably wasn't rinsing off all of the oil. Anyway, I decided to stop using it to clean my eyes, and instead give their eye makeup remover a try. It also comes with more product than the cleansing oil (250ml).

I have to say, I was quite disappointed with this product. It wasn't anything special and didn't get all of my mascara off. I can't say much about the waterproof version, but I definitely wouldn't mind giving it a try as the waterproof formula may work a bit better since it's supposed to be more heavy duty.

I'm not going to lie, I actually ended up exchanging this for my favourite product in the line. I would rather get something I know I'll enjoy using, than keep something I won't be happy using. In my opinion, Bioderma is the way to go to get all of your eye makeup off!

Camomile Sumptuous Cleansing Balm

This is hands down my favourite product from the Camomile line. I don't think I can say enough good things about this product, which is weird to say as this was the one thing I was most hesitant about. For some reason I couldn't understand the concept of using solid oil on your face. Boy, am I glad I got over that. If I could only recommend one product from this line, it would be this one!

The cleansing balm is used the same way as the cleansing oil, apart from how much you need to use. I like to either dab little oil chunks on my face like you would with moisturizer, or scoop about a fingertip worth of product and work it between by hands before applying it to my face. 

As a fair warning, keep this away from hot areas as the product is extremely silky and smooth. It's basically like butter! Sometimes the warmth from my finger is enough to start melting the product when I'm trying to take some out of the tin.

The only downside for this product is how much you actually get. Each tin only comes with 90 ml of product. That's less than half of what you would get with the cleansing oil! However, the way this balm feels on your skin is indescribable. It feels so luxurious and just gets better the longer you massage it into your skin. The bang for your buck factor may be lacking in this product, but the way it makes your skin feel after using it, makes it easy to disregard that flaw. 

All in all, I really love the Body Shop's Camomile line. These are the only products I use to remove my makeup, along with my Bioderma. Even if the $16 price tag is a little steep for you, the Body Shop always have some sort of sale going on whether it's a percentage off, or a BOGO deal (My favourite is the buy 3, get 3 free promotion). 

If you're still on the fence about using oil as a cleanser, don't! I know it can sound crazy, especially for those with oily skin (I thought the same), but they honestly work wonders. Whether you want to try products from the Camomile line or not, make sure you give oil cleansers a go! Once you try it, you'll never go back!

I though I'd sneak this photo in that I took during this little product photoshoot. The sun was starting to set on me but I managed to climb through the snow in my backyard to take this photo of the lake. Proud to say there is no filter used on this photo. Canadian winters may be harsh, but they really are beautiful!

Have you tried anything from the Camomile line or oil based cleansers in general? If so, which one is your favourite?

- Amelia

Beauty Blogger Shoutout

I think it's pretty clear that I am OBSESSED with Estee (+Essie Button) from Essiebutton! I just love her personality and how she isn't afraid to show who she is! She just seems so genuine in her videos. Plus she always makes me laugh which is definitely a plus in my books! Laughing is probably my favourite part of being human. The fact that she's Canadian and living my dream (living in London/Europe) makes me love her even more.  

I'm super happy for Estee as her channel has really started to gain momentum. So happy in fact, that I had to get my hands on her makeup bag! I think it's super cute and very practical. When it first arrived in the mail, I was shocked to see how big it was! Amelia wasn't lying when she said this bag was big! 

Sidenote: Can we please take a moment to think about how awesome and adorable Aslan and Reggie are? Like can I just move to London now and hang out with the 3 of them forever? 

The bag costs $24.99 and with shipping to Canada, I think it came to around $35. I had a $30 credit on PayPal from an order I never received from Aldo, so I really only paid $4.99 out of pocket for this. That definitely helped justify the price especially with the shipping. Does anyone else get annoyed with how ridiculously expensive shipping can be? However, credit or no credit, I still would have purchased this makeup bag! I was on the fence about making a purchase when she first announced her products, but after realizing how inspirational, down to earth, and hilarious she is, I couldn't say no.

When I purchased this bag it said that there were only 2 left in stock. However, I just checked the website today and it says that they are back in stock. Click here to check out the bag and get your hands on one while you still can!

I can't wait to start using this. My whole makeup organization is a bit of a mess at the moment (makeup all over the counter, makeup bags won't zip shut..) so hopefully this bag can help me sort it all out better.

If you haven't watched any Essiebutton videos or vlogs, I highly recommend you do so RIGHT NOW! You honestly won't regret it! She's one of my favourite YouTubers/bloggers (along with +Fleur DeForce). 

All in all, congrats on all of your achievements Estee! I can't wait to see what the future has in store for you!


Do you have a favourite beauty guru/blogger/YouTuber?

-Amelia

Massive Sephora Skincare Haul

My skin has been going through a rough time this past month. Needless to say, the skincare promotion at Sephora could not have come at a better time! If you're not sure what I'm talking about, Sephora was offering 2x the points on all skincare products for a couple weeks in January.

I feel like I did a pretty good job in this haul as I only purchased 3 items. I was only able to a ton of samples as I am VIB Rouge. After spending over $1000 in less than a year (insert monkey covering its eyes emoji here), I'm definitely going to take advantage of that free shipping and all the free samples that allows.

The Great Cleanse

The first thing I got was The Great Cleanse from Sephora. I read a ton of reviews on this and it sounded like you really get your bang for your buck with this set. If anyone is interested, I'd be happy to do a post just on this set. Then you can see what the products look like and how much you're actually getting. Nothing is worse than purchasing something and realizing it's half the size you thought it would be. A majority of the products are at least an ounce. I believe the biggest item is the Caudalie makeup remover, coming in at just over 3 ounces.

First Aid Beauty's Ultra Repair Instant Oatmeal Mask

The next thing I got was the Instant Oatmeal mask from First Aid Beauty. I have heard so many people rave about this mask. Unfortunately, the Sephoras in my city don't carry FAB (besides the face cleanser and radiance pads in the aisle of doom), so I haven't been able to try out too many of their products. The amount of positive reviews I've seen about this product was enough for me to go ahead and order one for myself.

Boscia's Multi-Masking Medley 

Lastly, I ordered the Multi-Medley Face Mask set from Boscia. The set includes 4 packets each containing one of their peel-off masks. I've developed a thing for peel-off masks so I'm really excited to give these a shot. The masks in this set include the Green Tea Oil-Control mask, the Luminizing Black mask, the Bright White mask, and the Cool Blue Calming mask.

I think this set is great for anyone who is unsure of their skin issues, have multiple skin issues, or is a beginner with masks. Buying the full sizes of these masks can be a bit of a commitment. Being able to try each mask out a couple of times could really help someone decide which one bests suits their skin. If you find your skin issues change every so often, this set would be great as well as you aren't stuck with the full size of one type of mask. I've tried the Black one before but I haven't gotten the chance to try any of their other peel-off masks. I'm definitely excited to see how these fair with my skin!

Boscia 500 Point Redemption

I've been waiting to splurge my points on a 500 point perk for a while, but the options had been pretty disappointing until now. I went ahead and redeemed this Boscia Pore Purifying Black Magic set. I'm pretty happy with my decision as I have tried a few of the products before and liked them. I'm a little disappointed with the size of the samples considering I pretty much paid $500 to get them, but then again, what can you expect considering its "free"?

Free Samples

This sample was one of the main reasons why I decided to place two orders. I had heard Zoe and Tanya rave about the Sunday Riley Good Genes Treatment and have been wanting to try it out for myself. However, I couldn't justify spending over $100 on a product that was only 1oz. and i can't sample in store. 

After watching their videos, I was amazed to find that this was actually available as a sample on Sephora's site with the code "discover" (need to spend at least CAD$35 to redeem). This bottle is super tiny but considering how much you need to spend to get only an ounce, I'd say this sample is a steal!

I then decided to place a second order as I couldn't give up this plethora of samples. Like this is honestly a free samples lover's version of heaven... 12 free samples of well-known, highly recommended skincare products? Yes please! Also, that customized ziplock bag.. enough said. I can't get enough. Did anyone else get their hands on this crazy sample bundle?! 

The goodie-filled ziplock bag contains eight cleansers and four masks. I really like how they included a number of brands that are rather expensive and some that are more affordable. It allows you to indulge in the higher priced items but still get a sense for products that won't break the bank. However, being exposed to more expensive products could encourage shoppers (like me) to purchase the more expensive products, as they are given the chance to try them out and see how well the products work with their skin. (I see what you did there Sephora!)

Can we all just take a moment to appreciate the free samples you get when ordering online? I hate when the sample section only contains perfume as they are usually hit or miss with me. Plus, i can always sniff the perfumes in store! They just don't seem that special to me. I'd rather get a sample of a product that I would be able to use and test out. 

I have to say, I think I definitely lucked out on this one! I mean, how often does a mascara make it as an online sample (it's not an individual use one)? Or a face wash that comes with a muslin cloth? That's insane! Clearly I went a little overboard and ordered two of each but I honestly couldn't resist. Plus most of the other samples were perfumes so.... that's my way of justifying my decisions.. Also, who could pass up a little bit of Lancome?

Did you take advantage of the double the points skincare event? Are there any new skincare items you've bought recently that you're dying to try? Are you going to take advantage of the 3x the points fragrance event at Sephora? 

- Amelia