L'Occitane Free Gift Trio

Hey everyone! I stopped in at my local L'Occitane store yesterday and wanted to share with you what I received inside my little gift box!

They are having a promotion for those who signed-up online to receive their newsletter (there was an 8 day window from February 1st-9th.) If you already received your email, you can redeem your own box in-store that contains 3 travel sized items! The best part is that you were able to refer friends as well as family members to spread the love! They also gave me a unique code for $10 off my next purchase of $35 or more which was unexpected but appreciated. I posted my unique code here for whoever wants to save $10 off their next order. The first person to use it gets it!

What's Inside?
- Shea Cleansing Oil with 5% Shea (30 ml)
- Shea Butter Hand Cream with 20% Shea (10 ml)
- Immortelle Divine Cream (4 ml)

I have used their Shea Butter Hand Cream before which I really do like and their Divine Cream is luxurious as well as great for the skin. I have never tried their Cleansing Oil and I am excited to try that out! This is honestly a great incentive to be a subscriber to their newsletter and in-case you didn't know, the 30 ml hand cream alone retails for $12 on the L'Occitane web site!

If you already received the email, make sure to redeem your free gift by February 28th because that is the cut-off date. There are only a certain amount of gift boxes allotted per store as they operate on a first-come basis so keep that in-mind! You can only redeem your gift box at the location you pre-selected and you need to show ID (driver's license, health card, etc) in-store. They will ask you a few simple questions while you are there such as your date of birth as well as your phone number, and then you get a free beautifully packaged gift! It is one per person and each person has a unique gift code. You can either print off the email or show it to the sales associate on your mobile device. I redeemed mine in Canada as this is a Canadian offer and I'm not sure if the USA is doing this as well. 

Until next time,

STAY CLASSY

Berrz

FTC: This blog post is not sponsored and all opinions are my own. Some links are affiliate. 

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Top 3 Most Used Facial Cleansers

Hey everyone! I have been on a skincare kick lately and I have been trying out a ton of products! I have two affordable cleansers and one high-end product to show you. I wanted to share with you ones that have been working for my oily skin and which ones I recommend that you check out! 

Bioré Baking Soda Pore Cleanser - I originally tried a deluxe sample of this that I featured in one of my Empties blog posts, and liked it so much that I went to the store to purchase a larger size. I got mine at Wal-Mart on sale and this bottle cost me between $5-$8. It is very affordable and I love the way that it cleans my skin! It also does a great job at removing my makeup at night.

GLAMGLOW THIRSTYCLEANSE Daily Hydrating Cleanser - I purchased this when I was at the Estee Lauder Warehouse Sale and it was buy one get one free! This is the travel size which retails for $16 CAD for 30 ml on the Sephora site. For the largest size, you get 150 ml of product for $43 CAD. This does an excellent job at removing my makeup at night! I love that it has a pump and the packaging is really eye-catching. This is a mud to foam cleanser and this is perfect to use in the Winter when your skin is more dehydrated. If you do have dry skin, I wouldn't recommend this cleanser because some people claim that it can really dry out your skin, but since I have oily skin, it works very well for my skin type.

The Body Shop Camomile Sumptuous Cleansing Balm - I also featured it on on my YouTube channel as I have an entire video on it comparing it to another cleansing balm. I also like the Clinique Take The Day Off Cleansing Balm but this one is more cost effective. I love the Camomile scent and it is very easy to use. This cleansing balm melts away your makeup leaving it petal-soft! I paid $8 CAD for my tin because The Body Shop was having a 50% off site-wide sale when I placed my order. You get 90 ml of product and it is very gentle on the skin!

I also want to give a shout-out to the Peter Thomas Roth Anti-Aging Cleansing Gel. It does a great job at removing my makeup and does not irritate my skin. I used up a smaller bottle already that I featured in my October Empties. Both bottles came in 2 different Peter Thomas Roth sets from Sephora.

If you haven't already, make sure to subscribe to my Newsletter to get notified through email of when a new blog post goes live. You will be the first to know! You can enter your email on the right sidebar and it is that easy! 

Until next time,

STAY CLASSY

Berrz

FTC: This blog post is not sponsored and all opinions are my own. Some links are affiliate. 

Smile Brilliant: Use code beautybyberrz for 5% off your entire order
MagicLinks: I use MagicLinks for all my ready-to-shop product links
Uber: Get your first ride FREE using promo code: amandab9033ue

Hope's: Get 15% off your first purchase
*LOOK AT THE TOP OF THE PAGE FOR YOUR AUTOMATIC CODE!

Coastal Scents: Get $5 off your next online purchase
Ebates Canada: Get cash back on your online purchases
Ebates (Everywhere else in the world): Get cash back on your online purchases
Hautelook: A flash sale web site you don't want to miss out on!

A Potential Dupe for the Peter Thomas Roth FIRMx Peeling Gel

Hey everyone! Here is my breakdown on the information that I found online about the ELF Gentle Peeling Exfoliant vs Peter Thomas Roth FIRMx Peeling Gel (that I actually own.)

Peter Thomas Roth FIRMx Peeling Gel:

• $60 CAD (based on the full size version of 100 ml)
• 100 ml (3.4 fl oz) (full size)
• Can purchase it at Sephora
• For all skin types
• Peeling Gel
• Advised to use 1-3 times a week depending on how sensitive your skin is

ELF Gentle Peeling Exfoliant:

• $10 USD
• 100 ml (3.4 fl oz)
• Can purchase it on their web site
• Doesn’t specify on which skin types that this can be used on
• Doesn’t specify what the consistency is. It just says that it is an exfoliating cleanser.
• Advised to use 2-3 times a week

Similarities:

It is recommended that you use both products on a dry face and you are to massage both in a circular motion. Both products are formulated without: Parabens, Sulfates or Phthalates. In terms of ingredients, both of these contain: Water, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Carbomer and Phenoxyethanol. 

They have Cellulose and Glycol in both but I don’t know enough about them to speak on them but I believe there are different forms in each product. Each one has different fruit extracts in them. For example, PTR has Pineapple and Pomegranate Fruit Extract. There are multi-action enzymes and there is also keratinase inside. ELF has Papaya Leaf Extract as well as Tangerine Fruit Extract. It also claims in the description that there is Licorice Extract but I’m not sure which ingredient in the provided ingredient list that would be.

Differences: 

PTR has Sodium Hyaluronate, Sodium Hydroxide, Sodium Benzoate and Mica whereas the ELF one doesn’t have either. ELF has included Fragrance (Parfum) in their product without specifying which one specifically and PTR has not included any fragrance in their peeling gel. On the ELF web site, someone mentioned that the ingredient 'Microcrystalline Cellulose' is a biodegradable replacement for the polyethylene beads that were recently banned from: soaps, body washes, facial cleansers and toothpastes. These microbeads were proven to be harmful to our environment as well as our health. I remember reading an article about these microbeads being found in many aqua life forms and how toxic they really are.

Using The Peter Thomas Roth FIRMx Peeling Gel:

You will want to apply some product onto your dry face. I applied some onto my hand to show you.

You then will want to massage the product into your skin as mentioned above in circular motions. You will see the Peeling Gel ball up as it is exfoliating the skin and getting rid of the dead skin. You are left with a smooth layer of skin.

To Conclude:

The exfoliating cleanser by ELF just came out and I received an email about it yesterday. There is little information about this product online right now. Also, I do have a review & demo about an ELF product from this same line that you are welcome to check out. 

I just want to mention that I do own the smaller size from Peter Thomas Roth (it came in the Skin Saver PTR Kit that was purchased on the web site,) but I do not yet own the Exfoliating Cleanser from ELF because it just recently came out. 

Until next time,

STAY CLASSY

Berrz

P.S. This is not a sponsored blog post but some links are affiliate.

Smile Brilliant - Use code beautybyberrz for 5% off your entire order
Uber - Get your first ride FREE using promo code: amandab9033ue

Shop Hope's Online - Get 15% off your first purchase
*LOOK AT THE TOP OF THE PAGE FOR YOUR AUTOMATIC CODE!

Coastal Scents - Get $5 off your next online purchase
Ebates Canada - Get cash back on your online purchases
Ebates (Everywhere else in the world) - Get cash back on your online purchases
Hautelook - A flash sale web site you don't want to miss out on! 
If you're a content creator, check out this awesome web site!

July Empties | 2016

Hey everyone! I feel like I wrote my June Empties blog post just the other day and now it's time for another round of empties! As always, you can see which products I have finished and my honest review on each one.

Face

M. Asam VinoLift Lipo Pearls Cleansing Cream (200 ml) - This is a German brand that I found through watching The Shopping Channel. My mom enjoys using this brand and I loved how effortless this removed my makeup at night! The only minor complaint I found was that when I took this into the shower with me, the next time I would use this product, water would accumulate in the cap and spill everywhere making it messy when I would open it up to use again especially if it was over the sink.

Olay Total Effects 7 in One Anti-Aging Eye Treatment - This was a decent product and I purchased it on sale. It is light weight and I used it every single night before I went to bed. I am in my 20’s and do not really have any major skin concerns right now therefore I did not see any drastic differences after using this eye treatment. 

Nice’n Clean All Purpose Wipes - These wipes are AMAZING! I loved them for multiple reasons: they are extremely cost effective, they are multi-purpose, they are a decent size, they do not rip when you use them, they did not dry out, they lasted me quite awhile because there are 80 unscented wipes and the packaging is such a nice shade of blue! Once I use up all of my other wipes, I am going straight back to Wal-Mart and purchasing another pack!

Teeth - DenTek Triple Clean Floss Picks (90 Count)

These were great to use and they claim to be made with ‘extra strong floss.’ They did not rip or break when I was using them and keep in mind that I have a wire at the back of my back teeth as well as my behind my front teeth because I used to have braces. 

Colgate Total Whitening Gel Toothpaste - This is a very basic toothpaste as it does the bare minimum for my teeth. I have more back-ups of these and you will see this product a few more times in the upcoming months.

Hair

Selsun Blue Anti-Dandruff Shampoo - Deep Cleansing Micro-Bead Scrub - You already know that I have a scalp that is hard to manage: it is oily in general, and then the humid weather dries it out and leaves my scalp dry. This product used to work for me years ago but I think that my scalp got used to it and it is no longer effective. I also wanted to point out that they have non-plastic micro beads in their formula.

Hands

Bath & Body Works Gentle Foaming Hand Soap in Boardwalk Vanilla Cone (x2) - You have seen this before and it is a staple in my household. My dad and brother even enjoy this scent!

Body

The Body Shop Body Butter in Smoky Poppy - This was a free perk I received with my purchase a few months ago and I really enjoyed the scent! It is musky and more of a warm scent! It is perfect for fall and winter! I would get this scent again in a heartbeat!

Johnson’s Baby Wash with Shea Cocoa Butter - This is the one with the yellow formula and it is one of my favourites! I have been using this for quite some time now and it makes my skin very smooth.

Vitamins & Other

Nature’s Bounty Hair, Skin & Nails Gummies with Biotin (80 Gummies) - This is something that I take on the daily and have been doing so for many months now. It has really strengthened my nails and made my hair stronger as well as thicker.

Cotton 100% Pure Cotton - Cotton Rounds (100 Count) - These are the ones from Wal-Mart and I absolutely love them! They are sturdy, get the job done and are very affordable.

David’s Tea Peanut Butter Cup - This was a tea bag given to me by my friend and I loved this flavour! It was sweet enough for me to drink black and because of that, I did not have to add any sweetener or honey! 

Samples

Crest Pro-Health Jr. Fluoride Anticavity Toothpaste  - I received this as a sample and let’s just talk about the obvious for a minute: the packaging. I absolutely love the packaging! If I had known that this toothpaste was Frozen themed, I would have stocked up! The formula of this product was great too as it was a blue paste called ‘Rockin’ Mint.’

The Face Shop Mango Seed Silk Moisturizing Facial Butter (4 Samples) - I absolutely love this product! It claims that it is gives ‘intense moisture’ to the face which I would have to agree with. I received these samples with my purchase and I am so glad that she gave me this product to try-out because I would have never thought to try it on my own! It smells great, it absorbs into the skin quickly enough that I can follow-up with my makeup right after, and the formula luxurious! After I am out of my other moisturizers, I will definitely consider buying this in the full-sized version!

The Body Shop Drops of Youth - Youth Concentrate (x3) - I received these samples in-store and after being able to try this product out for a while, I feel like it absorbed quickly into my skin, the formula was not sticky and it made my skin softer overall. What I noticed is that the dropper wasn’t ideal for this product and often times I would take product on the exterior of the dropper instead of squeezing it to apply it onto my face. I also noticed that I was breaking out less on my face when using this product. It retails for $40 CAD for 30 ml which is on the more expensive side but The Body Shop always has sales and promotions going on that you can take advantage of!

Biore Baking Soda Pore Cleanser - I loved using this product! I couldn’t get enough of the smell, it took off my makeup effortlessly and I really felt like it was giving my pores a good cleaning! My skin was soft and smooth after use! I used it both in the morning as well as at night and I felt that it was perfect for my combination skin! I am certain that males can use this product too because the scent is fresh smelling and not girly.

Fresh Soy Conditioning Eye Makeup Remover with Soothing Mallow Extract - This wasn’t my favourite eye makeup remover and it did burn when it got into my eyes. The formula is white and not too thick. I wouldn’t purchase this on my own.

The Estee Edit Dissolve The Drama 2-in-1 Makeup Remover + Cleanser - I just used this to clean-up under the eye area and it wasn’t anything special. The formula is clear and I feel like I have to try it again to have a real opinion of it because I didn’t try it as a facial cleanser.

L’Oreal Paris Advanced Haircare Extraordinary Oil Transforming Oil-in-Cream - I really enjoyed this product! I would apply it to my hair after I came out of the shower. A little bit goes a long way as it states that you only need a dime sized amount. I would agree that it was very nourishing, ultra lightweight and it left my hair very soft!

L’Oreal Paris Advanced Haircare Extraordinary Oil Nourishing Shampoo & Conditioner - This was a great duo to use in the shower! It is a very lightweight formula and it is non-greasy. I did find my hair to feel silky smooth after one use.

Tresemme Expert Selection Step 1 - Pre-Wash Conditioner & Step 2 - Shampoo - I used Step 1 the night before and applied it evenly into my hair. I slept, woke-up and then washed my hair with the shampoo. I did like the reverse treatment and found that it was effective. It also smelled great in the shower!

OGX Bamboo Fiber-Full Shampoo & Conditioner - There are bamboo fibers and soy proteins in both the formulas. It had a nice smell to it but it didn’t WOW me. I would only purchase both the shampoo and conditioner if it was on sale or on promotion.

Pantene Pro-V Daily Moisture Renewal with Moisture-Silk Complex Shampoo & Conditioner (x2) - It claims to help ‘lock in hydration from root to tip.’ I would agree with that and I must say that I certainly loved using both the shampoo and the conditioner! It smelled amazing in the shower and left my hair feeling silky smooth! I would consider buying this dynamic duo!

Until next time,

STAY CLASSY.

Berrz <3

FTC: Not sponsored. Some links are affiliate. 

Third Love - Use code BRABLEMS for 15% off your next order
Uber - Get your first ride FREE using promo code: amandab9033ue

Shop Hope's Online - Get 15% off your first purchase here
*LOOK AT THE TOP OF THE PAGE FOR YOUR AUTOMATIC CODE!

Coastal Scents - Get $5 off your next online purchase
Ebates Canada - Get cash back on your online purchases here
Ebates (Everywhere else in the world) - Get cash back on your online purchases here
Hautelook - A flash sale web site where I get most of my footwear and accessories from!

January Empties | 2016

Hey everyone! I decided to get my January Empties up a little early so that my lovely readers would have something to read over the weekend - especially if you live on the East Coast and are snowed in!

Face

Oxy Emergency Acne Vanishing Treatment Wipes (30 count) - I found these to be alright. There is 2.5% benzoyl peroxide lotion which helps target the acne quickly. The one thing I didn't like about these wipes is the packaging. Once it is open, you can't reseal it and you need to store them so that the label is facing down on the counter or else, they will dry out quickly. Even by doing this, I found that some wipes that I used were pretty dry and not as moist as I would have liked them to be. I would suggest putting the wipes in a different packaging to get the most use out of them!

Herb Day 365 Cleansing Foam - Acerola (The Face Shop) - This product lasted me a long time surprisingly considering the fact that there is only 100 ml of product inside the tube. I did like it because: it did not burn my eyes, it was very effective in removing my makeup and did not cause me to break out. 

Olay Fresh Effects Shine, Shine Go Away! - This is my second sample tube of this particular product from their line and I did like the fact that it easily broke down my makeup. I could conveniently reach for this at the end of the night knowing it was a product I could trust in removing my tough makeup. The only down side is that since it is a shine minimizing cleanser, you need to follow-up with a cream or lotion because it can dry out your face! If I use it again in the future, I would probably only use it in the summer months when I know that my face will be VERY oily!

Teeth

Colgate Total Toothpaste in Clean Mint - A very basic toothpaste that gives your teeth a nice clean feeling.

Colgate Total Whitening Toothpaste - I didn't notice a huge difference in terms of my pearly whites, it just helps to maintain that white smile.

Hands

Bath & Body Works Deep Cleansing Hand Soap in Bourbon Street Buttercream - I love this scent and have featured it in a previous empties blog post! On the side of the packaging, the description tells us that it smells like the "flavours of New Orleans." How can you say no to that?

Bath & Body Works Gentle Foaming Hand Soap in Boardwalk Vanilla Cone - You all know that this is a staple in my household and we are still working through our stash!

Bath & Body Works Anti-Bacterial Gentle Foaming Hand Soap in Vermont Sugar Maple - This is probably one of my favourite scents from BBW especially in the fall and winter! 

Bath & Body Works Anti-Bacterial Hand Gel in Vermont Sugar Maple  - I am sad this is done because for a little bottle, it really carried the scent well without being too powerful! 

Nivea Refreshingly Soft Cream - What I really liked about this product is that it was small enough to put in my pocket and easy enough to quickly use when I was at work. It is great for sharing and it states that you can use it on your face, body and hands but I stuck to using it on my hands mainly. 

Body

Organic Spa Exfoliating Body Wash - On the packaging, it states that it is "infused with sea algae extract and certified organic aloe vera." I quite enjoyed using this product and will check to see where I can pick-up a full sized bottle of this!

Johnson's Baby Wash in Vanilla Oatmeal - I love this scent and have been using it for years. It really conditions my skin and makes it very soft!

Vaseline Intensive Care Repairing Serum  - This is made with pure cocoa butter and has 10x the repairing power. I didn't notice that my skin had a radiating glow after use and I want to mention that I found this formula to be more on the "watery" side compared to the formula you buy in the larger size with the pump. I also went through this bottle VERY quickly when moisturizing my whole body once a day.

Versace Bright Crystal Eau De Toilette Natural Spray - I received this sample from Sephora and I enjoyed it. There are notes of: yuzu, iced accord, pomegranate, peony, magnolia, acajou, lotus flower, musk and vegetal amber. To quickly summarize: it is flowery, fruity and musky. 

Miscellaneous

Johnson's Baby Shampoo - I have been using this for years and is my go-to product to clean my makeup brushes as well as my Alex & Ani bracelets.

OrganiQ Spa Restorative Conditioner - I received this line of deluxe samples from a friend and I quite enjoyed them! The conditioner is "infused with sweet lupin complex and certified organic jojoba oil." Their products are made in Canada and worth checking out because they are: certified organic, they do NOT test on animals, they are paraben free and SLS free. 

Until next time,

STAY CLASSY.

Berrz <3

P.S. THIS BLOG POST IS BY NO MEANS SPONSORED. SOME LINKS ARE AFFILIATE LINKS.

P.P.S. I am working on a fun collaboration with a company that will be live on my blog in just a few days! You don't want to miss that!

P.P.P.S. I will be posting another Project 10 Pan blog post shortly! Stay tuned for that!

Uber - Get your first ride FREE using promo code: amandab9033ue

Shop Hope's Online - Get 15% off your first purchase here
*LOOK AT THE TOP OF THE PAGE FOR YOUR AUTOMATIC CODE!

Ebates Canada - Get cash back on your online purchases here
Ebates (Everywhere else in the world) - Get cash back on your online purchases here
Hautelook - A flash sale web site where I get most of my footwear and accessories from!