Peach & Lily Peach Slices' Citrus-Honey Aqua Glow Moisturizer - Review

I recently found some users on some makeup and skincare subreddits raving about this moisturizer and had to try it for myself. They had me at "light," "gel texture," and "honey." 

The worst part for me as a Canadian was finding it to purchase. I read reviews from Americans 99% of the time, so when they're like "just go to CVS/Ulta/Walgreens," it's not that simple. I ended up ordering directly from Peach and Lily. So if you're in the US and want to try this, apparently it's in the neighbourhood of $12USD at CVS in the new k-beauty section and there's no reason not to try it! That's a great price for (spoilers) a great product. 

Peach and Lily sent two samples, an essence and ampoule, both which were items I am interested in trying. Shipping to Ontario took about two weeks. which is decent... but the shipping was $17.36USD. Yikes. My other option was just never using it, which I guess is fine, but I was really interested in it.. so I swallowed up that cost and ordered 2 of the moisturizing gels to make it worth the order. 

The scent is nice. It is fragranced as advertised, a mixture of honey and citrus. It's not too overpowering, but it's there if you stick your nose in it. It isn't detectable after application. The texture is a light, clear gel. It is similar to my usual moisturizer from Clinique, the Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel, but maybe closer in feel to Moisture Surge. It absorbs quickly for me and leaves my face soft and smooth. 

I don't really like the twist off cap, it's small and hard to put back on sometimes. I like things that just pop on and off or pumps, to make my routine quicker and less finicky.

For reference, my skin is normal AF and I don't have too many skin concerns or goals besides maintaining moisture and preventing signs of aging. This is great for my goals and skin-type.

Favourites 2017: Moisturizers

Hello!

I have decided to make a series about my favourite skincare items that I regularly use, focusing on one category of products at a time. I was going to begin at the "beginning" of a routine (e.g. cleansers, cleansing oils) but I was too excited about some of my moisturizing stars to start with anything else.

1. Stratia Liquid Gold is formulated with sea buckthorn oils and a plethora of other yummy ingredients that are AMAZING for the skin. From the creator's description of the product:

"Your skin’s moisture barrier (the stratum corneum, or outermost layer of the epidermis) has a bricks-and-mortar structure: the bricks are skin cells called corneocytes, and the mortar is a fatty mixture made up of ceramides, cholesterol, and free fatty acids. This mixture keeps your skin healthy, clear, and resilient. If it’s compromised, it can lead to skin that’s:

• Flaky
• Simultaneously dry and oily
• Lax, sallow, or dull
• Itchy and/or easily irritated
• Extremely sensitive
• Acne-prone

Liquid Gold is formulated with ceramides, cholesterol, and fatty acids to mimic and strengthen your natural moisture barrier. By healing your dehydration and replenishing that fatty mixture in your stratum corneum, you can address the above symptoms and discover healthy, bouncy, resilient skin."

My skin isn't typically flaky, dry, or acne-prone, so I wasn't sure if this would be too heavy duty for my needs or not. I just wanted to try it and benefit from the ingredients to maintain well hydrated skin. I was so happy to see that my skin felt soft and plump and looked even in texture and tone even within the first 3 days of using this product. It's a light, bright yellow cream that absorbs and feels like an oil. The packaging is a heavy frosted glass with a pump that works fantastically. It has been given the esteemed title of "holy grail" by fans on Instagram and blogs, but don't like the love fool you into passing it by as an overhyped product. It truly is a great treatment and moisturizer for day and night. 
Available on stratiaskin for $24

2. Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel is just one option for moisturizers from Clinique. They have many products and recommended skincare routines for specific skin types. Many are also big fans of their Moisture Surge and the Moisturizing Lotion. The Gel is marketed for combination/oily skin, but as someone with normal skin, I find it lightweight and effective. It absorbs quickly and layers well with other skincare products, sun protection, and makeup. I will not repurchase another basic every day moisturizer because it's so great when you need to moisturize but not necessarily treat or mask or go overboard.
Available at Clinique.ca for $34

3. COSRx Ultimate Nourishing Rice Overnight Spa Mask is perfect when I'm looking for something a bit more occlusive and nourishing. It is marketed to have multiple methods of application and use, however I prefer it as a sleeping pack (as the last step before I go to sleep, and after my other skincare steps in the PM). They say you can use it as a wash off mask or as a day cream as well. I find that it absorbs well and is quite moisturizing, leaving my face bright and smooth in the morning. The star ingredient is supposed to be the rice extract. Sometimes Wishtrend has a duo with this mask and the honey mask for around $20.
Available on Wishtrend for approximately $13-16

4. COSRx Ultimate Moisturizing Honey Overnight Mask is another good moisturizer that I love to use as a sleeping pack. The star ingredient here is the propolis extract. I do find this one a bit sticky and I don't feel as though it dries down or absorbs completely, but it does feel moisturizing enough and I believe it does calm some redness. I especially enjoy using it with snail mucin products for redness in my skin.
Available on Wishtrend for approximately $13-16

What is your "holy grail" moisturizer and what do you expect that product to achieve?

May Favourites

Mark Glowdacious Illuminating Powder (Shimmied Up) ☼ I became a bit of a blush and bronzer fiend over the past couple months, but since my NYX highlighter broke multiple times (another story), I've been doubling this one up as a highlighter and bronzer. The light, center shade is a pale gold with loads of shimmer and shine, and I brush the outside colours on like a regular blush/bronzer after. I found myself grabbing for this multiple times this month! 


St. Ives Apricot Scrub ☼ I have a cleanser and make up remover that I use at night, but I use this every morning. Since I bought it a couple months ago, I have not had a single skin problem. I have been blessed with very clear skin, but I'm human and get zits every now and then. I haven't had one for over two months, and I'm not saying this is the reason why that is, but it is a change I made around the same time! I think it's definitely helped. It's really affordable and easy to find, too, which I like in a product.


Vaseline ☼ I thought about making a post just about how I use Vaseline, but there are tons of other bloggers who have done so and a quick Google can bring up some of those posts for you. I put it on chapped lips, legs and body after a shower, on my hands when they get dry, on my eyebrows to smooth them out, on my feet and elbows when they get dry.. and there are so many more uses that I haven't got around to trying yet! 


Annabelle Kohl Eyeliner (White) ☼ I used to wear white eyeliner a few years ago but I haven't had one since. I didn't really research or try many before picking one out.. I just kind of went to the store and saw white. I wore it every day for a week after I bought it! Annabelle is a Canadian cosmetics company with reat prices. I've only tried the pencil liners (I have a couple other colours), so I will be looking into more products. 


Avon Strong Results Length and Strength Complex ☼ I have the worst nails in the world. I love polish and I buy lots of it, but unfortunately I don't post many photos here because I have sad hands. I bite not only my fingernails, but hangnails and skin around my fingers and on my hands. It's a horrible habit! I have tried so-called miracle products like Witchcraft, which had an icky taste but didn't keep me off of the rest of my hands. On top of that, my nails are always weak and peeling. The Avon Strong Results treatment is like a clear liquid that you put on your bare nails for a few days and it makes them strong and moisturized. For me, it stops the peeling nearly instantly. I give my poor fingers a break every now and then and leave them naked save for this treatment with the Avon Silk Wrap treatment. I'm nearly done my bottle, so looks like I'll have to get some more!

Revlon Colourburst Lipgloss (Peony - not pictured) ☼ I don't know where I was around January when everybody was blogging about these glosses, but I had no idea they were so loved by bloggers until I read Cute and Mundane's post last week. I immediately knew from her swatches that I wanted Pink Ice, so I rushed out to the store and... then I couldn't decide. I decided to pick up Peony, which is a warm pink with gold shimmer. It's very sheer, but the shimmers are visible and it's a comfortable formula to wear. I normally don't like lipgloss, but this is awesome! It's safe for work and everything if you don't want to wear too bright or obvious colours on your lips. I am planning on going back to buy some more, simply because I've heard so many good things and I was impressed myself. I guess this technically shouldn't be a favourite of the month since I just got it, but oh well! Go look at some swatches and get to the store right now if you were like me and in the dark about these!

If you've made a May favourites post, link me to your blog in the comments!

Skin So Soft Satin Glow

I'm a white girl. Like, I'm so pale that people sometimes comment about how I don't look well. Sorry, that's just my face.

Anyways, I'm not one for going tanning. I love the summer and I love going outside and especially laying on the beach, but nothing happens to me. I am red for the day/night that I'm outside, and then I'm white again the following morning. I can't burn or tan. The only hope I have for any colour is self-tanners.

I started using Skin So Soft in high school, maybe around grade ten. I used to just use it for the spring/summer when people would be seeing my legs. I decided I liked it just as a lotion/moisturizer and the "gradual glow" was just a perk. I have used it year round for the past 3-4 years, and I've gone through a few bottles of it. I realized I should get some more because my last bottle was getting low. I already had to go through the trouble of figuring out which foundation replaced Avon's old Smooth Minerals liquid foundation, and.. you guessed it.. I had to do the same with Skin So Soft. SSS has been around for a long time, but they are always changing their formulas and bottles and scents and whatever. The new bottle looks completely different, contains less product, is not the same formula at all, yet has the same name.

left: old bottle/formula, circa 2008.

• thick cream/lotion
• dries/absorbs quickly
• light and pleasant scent (not the tanner scent that many people, myself included, aren't too fond of)
• leaves my legs so smooth and soft (jojoba seed oil!)
• does its job in every other area described on the bottle
• sometimes leaves streaks; be sure to apply evenly and allow to dry completely
• also available for Medium/Dark skin tones

Here's the new one, pictured on the right up there.

• added a fourth purpose/benefit of minimizing the appearance of hair
• formula looks and feels completely different; watery/runny, clear gel (comes out quickly and can be messy, and packaging is the same for both bottles)
• dries/absorbs quickly
• stronger scent
• different ingredients

I am going to have to use it more often and see how it goes. 

Isn't it just so sad when your favourite products get made over and completely changed?

a successful shopping trip

Yesterday I was surprised with an invitation to go shopping with my future mother and sister in law. We went to a little boutique in Paris, ON called Suzanne's of Paris. I'll admit that when I walked in, I didn't think I would buy anything or even like the store. It's kind of.. well, old, for me. The clothing is just not really something I could imagine too many young people wearing. Some dresses and boots were nice, but I didn't find anything I wanted to buy. What I think they had going for them was their selection of scarves and bags. Seriously, I should have taken a picture of this wall of scarves. I had the hardest time deciding. Anyways, I went with a red/leopard pattern one. It's sort of slinky and light. They had the same pattern in a bunch of different colours and I almost bought a black/grey one, but I've been a bit obsessed with red lately.  I apologize for the awkward photo.

The next thing I saw that I knew I couldn't leave with was this little leather purse. It was right beside a black one with grey trim and a forest green one with dark grey trim. It has a zipper section on the back and the inside has a pocket which will likely fit a cellphone. The strap is also removable, so it can be used a clutch!

My only complaint now is that the strap looks adjustable, but it only makes the whole thing go smaller. There is a bit of leather stitched around the metal slider that doesn't allow it to slide any further. I prefer long straps so I can wear bags off the side (especially small ones like this), but I'll have to make do with it being a tad short. 

Virginia bought a tan one with dark trim and I saw a red one with black trim on my way to pay.. but I didn't want to have a red meltdown (my winter coat is red)! I'll probably use this in the spring and summer, anyways.

The rest of our trip wasn't too exciting.. I hit Walmart and Winners in the mall because I wanted to buy some beauty products:

♥ E.V.A. Unbreakable Hair Oil Therapy ($15)
♥ Sally Hansen Gem Crush Nail Polish, Big Money & Razzle Dazzler ($6 each)
♥ Revlon Nail Polish, Radiant/Blue Mosaic ($5)
♥ Vitamin C (?) Anti-aging Day Cream ($9)
♥ China Glaze No-Chip Top Coat ($7)
♥ Avon Super Extend Extreme Mascara (free, gift)

I don't know anything about what is supposed to be in these popular oils that people have been using lately, because Virginia warned me against other stuff being added. She said this one looked pretty good, so I trust that. I included ingredients in case someone else sees something I don't know about. I've just used it once, so more on this as I use it more. 

Again, included ingredients because I'm not certain what's good and what isn't. It sounded good enough with the sea salt and different fruits and shea butter. I can never decided what to buy with moisturizers.


I put Big Money (the gold one) on my fingers and Radiant (blue) on my toes. Two coats for each, though Radiant could have used a third. I love both of them and I'm guessing Razzle Dazzler is going to be the same. ♥


Then when I was home, my mom gifted me the new Avon mascara. It's supposed to have some special magnetic fiber formula that I don't really know the details of or really care about because I hate this mascara. It's very rare that I don't like a mascara, but this one is just so weird. The brush is very wide and plastic and looks like a weird comb. It's so big that I found it awkward to use on my lashes. I made a mess under my eye trying to coat my lashes the first time. The comb thing is so hard and plasticy that it almost seems to catch when you're trying to pull it out of the tube, resulting in this crunchy suction noise.  I did just two coats and it was clumpy. There was no separation of my lashes at all. The photo ended up making my lashes look better than they actually did.. but don't be fooled! 

I don't know if I'll use it up anyways or toss it. I might give it another chance, but I definitely prefer the Maybelline Illegal Lengths I've been using.

October favourites

I've had so much school work in the past couple weeks! I haven't had a lot of time to blog. I also have a couple packages with new things at my mum's house, so I'm waiting for a bigger post when I finally go pick up my new things. I ended up getting the Kat Von D palette I've been whining about, so look foward to that!

I joined a Zumba class this week and I've gone twice and it is AMAZING. If you want to work out but not pay for a gym, or you just want to keep active, or, hell, if you just want something to do.. I highly recommend it!

Anyways, these are some of the things I found myself constantly reaching for this past month.

Coconut Body Butter ~ The Body Shop
I think a lot of people are familiar with The Body Shop's Body Butters. Coconut is my go-to scent for pretty much everything.. lotions, shampoos, whatever. I've had this since last December (I bought it for myself when I was Christmas shopping). There's so much product for $20. I know a lot of people go through the full size Body Butters in no time, but I just can't, and that makes it so much more worth it to me. I'm not spending $20 to replace this super often; it's awesome. I like the smell and the forumla.

Moisture Surge Extended Thirst Relief Moisturizer ~ Clinique
Unfortunatley, this is just a sample bottle. I am actually convinced that I will buy the full size product when this is gone, though. I love it. I have normal skin and it makes my skin feel so smooth and moisturized. A little bit goes a long way!

Lip Glace in "Popsicle" ~ No7
I am not a lipgloss person. I am so picky with what I put on my lips. If it tastes like plastic, do not want. If it doesn't last, what's the point? You guys know the drill. I borrowed a different colour from a friend this summer when I went to Canada's Wonderland and applied it TWICE during a whole day of talking and eating and roller coasters. It's a little bit sticky, but a good sticky. It doesn't budge, it's long-lasting, but it isn't drying at all. It smells sweet, but it's not exactly flavoured. And it's SPARKLY! I just love it so much and used it so much this month.

i-Mark Custom Pick Eyeshadow ~ Mark
I like palettes, and I usually don't pick out my own eyeshadows. I know with palettes you usually get a shade or two you don't really use, but I find it more annoying and expensive to buy everything individually. I decided to stop being such a bum and bought a Mark Mezzo case (fits two blushes OR one blush + 2 shadows OR four shadows) and four shadows:

• Latte - matte pinky brown 
• Biscotti - shimmery cream/champagne
• Minx - shimmery taupe/silver
• Night Owl - shimmery navy

They are very well pigmented and fit into the case with magnets. They are $6 per shadow, with the case being something like $8. They have new sizes/names for the cases than what I have, but they're very similar. Anyways, I love these four shades together. I can leave out Night Owl and have the perfect neutral look, or make things a little more dramatic and smokey if I include all four colours. I take this one with me when I travel or stay overnight somewhere. I'm pretty sure I used Biscotti every single day in October. It's a very versatile colour and good for highlighting. I recommend all four of these colours and the other i-mark shades available. I have several other shadows and many of Mark's palettes that they've released. I might do a post on them some other time.

Anybody else really loving Mark products? Sometimes I feel like I'm the only one. There needs to be more Mark/Avon love online.