Spa Quality Skin Care VS. Drug Store Products.

Invest In Your Skin, You Are Stuck With It For Life.

I wanted to make this post because I get the question "Are spa quality skin care products really worth the extra cost?" so often. Let me tell you a little bit about skin care.

I know some people don't trust the reps in the stores because well.... commission. And come on, all those long technical words! I understand, I had to go to school for all that. It gets confusing.

I will start off by saying that in my personal opinion, yes, spa quality products are 110% worth the extra cash to me. Out of anything I would splurge on my skin. It's an investment. And remember, the skin is your largest organ, and what you apply, is absorbed and taken into your body.

Active Ingredients:

The difference in quality is quite significant between high end and drug store products. More significant than you could imagine. With your skin care you want a high percentage of 'active ingredients'. These are the ingredients that mostly make up the product and actually go to work on your skin. The more active ingredients, the more powerful your product. If the percentage of active ingredients is low.. In a lower quality product it could mainly contain fillers. Fillers can be anything from water, to wax. And also just because something is labeled with that ingredient doesn't necessarily mean that it is active.

Product Fillers:

You would be surprised to find that even some of the 'higher end' products have water as the first ingredient! It's good to know what you're paying for, especially if one of the top ingredients is... bum bum bum. Wax Fillers. Cool I just spent $15.00 on water and wax. 

The Facts: 

*The product line that I currently use 'Eminence Organics' has 95-98% active ingredients, they do not use water in their products as water breaks down organic materials. Drug store brands contain only 5-7% active ingredients. This is the #1 reason I choose spa quality over drug store brands.*

Benzoyl Peroxide:

A lot of drug store products will use benzoyl peroxide, be careful with this product it has been known to strip the skin of its natural oils, leaving the skin with nothing to protect itself. This increases bacteria growth, causes redness, irritation, and dryness. I would personally steer clear of this all together, and opt for a salicylic acid treatment or a tee tree alternative.

Student tip:

*If you do not have the budget for a full skincare routine from a higher end line, and really want to improve something about your complexion, I would splurge on what are considered the 'problem solvers'. This is your serums and masques. * 

I hope this post helped! If you have any questions please leave me a comment below!

Xo-Joanna

The Basics -Sephora/Mac Haul.

Today was a bad day to be my Visa.

I wanted to treat myself and try out a few of the 'high end' products I have been hearing about but have never had the chance to try.

First stop, MAC Cosmetics.

I bought a Paint pot, these guys are great as primers! Your shadow will not move. I have 'Painterly' already, though I find with some looks it's a bit too dark. I decided to go with 'Soft Ochre' to brighten up my eyes and it will be nice to bring right up to get that clean line under my brows as well. It has a slight yellow tone to it, which fits with my skin tone fairly nicely, I'm super excited. I also bought a new brush to apply this product with, that I'll show further down this post.

                                                         Soft Ochre MAC Paint Pot

I wanted to replace my brush collection, and I ended up going for a few Sephora collection brushes to finish off my 'essentials'.

*Classic Multitasker Brush #45*

(For a full coverage application of my new powder foundation you will see below)

This brush will give you great medium to full coverage with powdered foundations.

After hearing all this hype about the Anastasia DIPBROW Pomade I had to give it a try.

First Impression- Amazed! Definitely worth the hype.

It's texture is so smooth and soft for an easy application and you don't have to use too much! But with that said, surprisingly it still has great hold, you could sleep in this stuff and it would not come off. I purchased the shade 'blonde' but they have a large selection of colours.

Since I know this is a hot product right now, and I bet a lot of you are wondering how exactly you use this. I will attach a great brow tutorial youtube video featuring this product.

                              Desi Perkins Brow Tutorial -Check her out, her videos are amazing.

                                   

What are we missing? Thats it! and I'm super excited about this because I LOVE full coverage, and I have been so excited about all of Kat Von D's products since she first came out with them!

I purchased the shade 'Light 49'. Unfortunately this shade is not quite as golden as I need, I wish I has gotten a slightly lighter more 'yellow' shade, but what can you do. It blends fairly well though. With this product you can apply it over liquid foundation for extreme coverage for photoshoots and nights out, or alone for light to medium coverage. This is how I will most likely be using this product because of the shade oopsie. It does work very well for a super quick application, when you are flying out the door.

                                                    Kat Von D's: Lock It Tattoo Powder Foundation

I think this was a very successful shopping trip. Super pleased with myself, you know that high you get after a good day shopping?

Yeah. Me too.

Have you guys tried the Kat Von D liquid foundation? What do you think? Let me know in the comments below!

                                                                      Xo -Joanna

                                                             

Neutral Palettes, Urban Decay VS. Bobbi Brown..

A Battle of Palettes, Nude VS. Naked.

We have some amazing options right now for neutral palettes. Sephora has plenty of options, I spend far too much time in Sephora, that's for sure. I was taking a look for neutral shadow palettes, and these are my two favourite.

NUDE:

Bobbi Brown Nude on Nude eyeshadow palette

You can't have too many neutrals! This palette is filled with my favourite shades, tones I generally gravitate towards, golds, taupes, creams, and browns. As well as a variety between matte and frosty. This palette speaks for itself, what else would you need? Great for any make-up junkie, true to shade and long lasting. It will be put to good use. 

VS:

NAKED:

Urban Decay's Naked Basics eyeshadow palette

Not as many options, also quite a bit cheaper, slightly important. But this is exactly what it advertises. Your basics. It's perfect for make-up beginners, It's nothing fancy.Though it would also be great for the make-up pro who needs to re-stock on the 'basics'. Beautiful colours, Urban Decay is great quality, and I do love my mattes!

Which palette would you choose?

Xo -Joanna

Get To Know Joanna.

Thanks for visiting my blog. My name is Joanna Lively, I currently live in Vancouver, Canada. I am 20 years old and have a background with skin care, make up, esthetics, and modeling. I have always wanted to start up a blog sharing what I know, and what I love in the beauty industry. I love the beauty blogging community, and am so excited to be a part of this world. This blog will give you guys a look into my world, different make up looks that I try, brief product reviews, and any tips and tricks I learn along the way. If you need any beauty advice or have any questions, feel free to ask! Comments and messages are always welcome. 

Youtube Coming Soon!

Xo Joanna