The bright purple bottle with pastel pink and white text is cheery and easy to read. This one smells like grapefruit, which you can smell the entire time the mask is on but it didn't irritate my eyes, the scent goes away immediately once the mask is removed. . The warning on this bottle states: "a mild tingling sensation is normal". Upon first application there was definitely an immediate tingle, along with a minor burning sensation. It wasn't too bad and it went away within a few minutes so no cause for concern.
The mask takes a while to dry, but it doesn't get tight or uncomfortable. It peels off in small chunks, which is annoying but manageable. I appreciate the fact that it doesn't pull out all the tiny hairs on my face. My skin was left feeling soft and moisturized. My biggest issue was it getting gobbed up in the brows, so be sure to avoid those as much as possible.
Overall it was a nice mask, I'll definitely continue to use it.
Recently I became aware to the amount of waste the beauty industry creates and how much waste my own beauty routine was creating, specifically with single-use makeup removal wipes. Previously I was using makeup wipes for multiple things, including removing swatches on my hands/arms, complete or partial makeup applications and even for makeup touch ups throughout the day. Then I reduced my usage to only using a makeup wipe if I had a full face of makeup, opting for liquid makeup remover for targeted makeup removal.
I had researched several options to replace my makeup removing wipes and I feel like I have finally come to a solution that is not only more eco-friendly but also efficient. A simple microfiber cloth I bought from my local dollar store.
I am now using a liquid makeup remover on a microfiber (polyester) cloth, or breaking down the makeup with a makeup removing lotion then wiping it off with the cloth which I can use multiple times and toss in the laundry when it's dirty.
This method requires more rubbing than a typical makeup removing wipe, but the cloth is soft so it doesn't hurt as long as you're gentle. I have yet to find a product that this method will not remove, aside from mascara (which I almost never wear anyways). The only downside is that it strips a lot of oil and moisture out of the top layer of skin, so a moisturizer after is beneficial.
Hopefully in the future we are able to come up with a biodegradable makeup removing cloth that isn't drenched in chemicals and doesn't harm the environment - but is still efficient. Even those "flushable wipes" don't entirely biodegrade and are causing major problems in sewers across North America.
I've been very proud of the reduction in waste this simple change produced and am looking for ways to further reduce the environmental impact my beauty habits have.
This lotion is very light and gentle without being oily, it absorbs into the skin in less than a minute and leaves no residue on the surface. It spreads across the skin quickly and easily, making it perfect for giving a quick boost to the skin. It is not an intensive moisturizer, so it won't help dry skin but is great for average every day skin. My skin feels soft, without being too overloaded with product. The scent is very natural, but the fragrance is strong and tends to interfere with any additional scented products. Due to this, I choose to use this lotion right before I go to bed to help maintain moisture in my skin. The container size of 600ml lasts a long time, even with frequent use. Plus it's affordable and easily accessible!
--Something a little different from my usual, I've decided to attempt making video gaming videos, here's the script for people who prefer to read instead of listen or watch. --
Today I wanted to give you my top (5) tips on how to beat the Island Hopping scenario
in the game Cities: Skylines. Scenarios were released within the Natural Disasters expansion pack.
When you enter the scenario you are given an empty map with one highway connection, this is
the first square you start with, but you can purchase up to 8 more later on. You'll notice most
of the map is water, with small islands here and there.
The first tip is to start off as cheap as possible, here I'm only building the cheapest roads
and trying to maximize the space as best as I can. Zone as much residential as possible in the beginning,
since you can change the zoning later and our only concern right now is building our bank account.
Tip Two: This is going to sound a little bit crazy but tip number two is to ignore all
services. The first two natural disasters hit early on in the game, and if you have any
service buildings they will collapse and need to be replaced entirely. It's much cheaper
to ignore all services until later on in the scenario.
You WILL encounter issues with buildings becoming abandoned due to high crime rates and fires,
but it is cheaper in the long run to demolish those buildings as they become abandoned than
it is to replace the service buildings. As you can see, they tend to regenerate pretty quickly
anyways.
Tip Three: Raise the taxes. Citizens won't complain about taxes until they reach over 12%.
This allows you to raise funds quickly and efficiently without doing too much work or spending
what little money you currently have. You could also lower the budget for electricity and water
but since the building area is so spread out it's best to raise taxes instead.
The first natural disaster to hit is an earthquake, it will completely level any buildings
nearby and will ruin your roads. To avoid additional expenses, I don't suggest building anything
on this island here until this earthquake passes. As you can see it splits the island right
down the middle, so it's best to wait for it to pass before building on it.
Tip Four: Tsunami's will not affect your roads, so if you are going to splurge on anything
it should be your roadways. Traffic control is very important in Cities Skylines in general
so build 4 or 6 lane roads along your main routes. I like to have one main road connecting
my islands, and have all my bridges be 6 lanes. Remember to go in and adjust the amount of
stop signs versus stoplights as well.
Tip Five: As soon as you can, start zoning high density residential. This will help bring up
your population and make up for the losses you will experience during the natural disasters.
Don't rezone any low density residential until you have the population to sustain losses though
as you will lose people when rezoning. Do NOT zone any high density commercial or office space yet since your population won't be educated enough to fill those positions and they will become
abandoned before earning any money.
The second natural disaster is a tsunami with the intensity of 5.0, it will begin in the north west
corner of the map, and sweep straight down the entire map. Any buildings that sustain extensive
flooding or are under water for awhile will be abandoned. Raise your speed to 3 until the tsunami
passes your first island space and then lower it back to 1.
Quickly begin to demolish all of the abandoned buildings on the first island. Some may
have survived and you can leave those alone, but the majority will become abandoned and
require demolition. Luckily the demand should be high and they will begin to generate
quite quickly.
Only begin working on a space once the tsunami has passed and all the flooding has dispersed.
Otherwise you will encounter buildings generating and almost immediately becoming abandoned again. This step is vital to balancing out the losses of both population and money. If you are too slow,
you may go bankrupt or lose your entire population. If you get overwhelmed, feel free to pause the game and complete the process one island at a time.
Follow this pattern until the entire map has been cleared of abandoned buildings.
Right off the bat I love the packaging of this product, it includes a lot of helpful information without being overwhelming or confusing. Some interesting facts mentioned are that this product is 99% derived from natural ingredients and it is 100% vegan! On the back it also says the bottle is made of 30% recycled plastic and can be recycled itself, as long as you remove the pump.
The mister is gentle and disperses the product evenly - no super-soaker action with this one. I like it so much I will actually refill the bottle and use this pump for other products with undesirable pumps (such as other facial mists or makeup setting sprays).
This mist feels nice on the skin, but can be slightly tacky for up to a minute before it dries on the skin. I have found this product is ideal for refreshing my makeup throughout the day and reducing the look of powders, however I didn't notice any additional skin benefits. It does provide immediate moisture, but it doesn't last very long. I believe it is supposed to be rose scented, but it comes off more like the smell of damp laundry. Slightly unpleasant while spraying, but it doesn't linger around so it's not a huge issue.
While I did find a good use for this product, I don't think I would repurchase it, especially not for the retail price of $15.99. There are other facial mists that do the same thing for less money.
I received this product as a GWP (gift with purchase) from CountOnUsStore.Ca. I have not let this bias my review. Any opinions stated below are mine alone.
The packaging makes for easy and precise dispersal of product, but the 90ml feels more like a travel size than a full product. Especially at the price of $22.99CDN. After some research I learned the regular product comes in a larger size, the limited "pink edition" is only available in 90ml.
The text on the front is simple and easy to read but uses a lot of words that became off as confusing for someone like myself who isn't very educated on skin care. Luckily the back has the information I was looking for laid out in simpler terms.
The texture feels like shaving gel. It comes out like a cream but thickens into a rich
mousse. It is easy to spread across the skin evenly, and can be built upon itself if desired. It doesn't dry down or get tight on the face. The mask isn't really pink, despite that being a big claim on the tube, rather it's white with the faintest hint of a pastel pink.
The scent reminds me of the sweet grass braids we used to have at the cottage. Its a gentle but noticeable fragrance that invoked major nostalgia. The scent did linger on my skin for a little while but dissipated within a few minutes.
My skin was left feeling clean, but neither dry nor moisturized. I didn't notice any reduction in pore size or skin redness. I will have to keep using it to see longer term results, but overall I felt like this mask was a nice treat for myself but not one I was incredibly impressed by.
My order came with a business card, along with a coupon code on the back for my next purchase
As a Canadian, it can be hard to find companies that not only ship to Canada for a reasonable price, but also won't incur duties and additional fees upon delivery. By chance I stumbled across a Reddit thread about an online company called "CountOnUs", questioning if it was legitimate or not. A quick google search revealed nothing positive or negative... But their website states they are based in Canada. That coupled with a 40% off OFRA cosmetics sale won me over, and I placed an order.
My order arrived in a bubble mailer, filled with seemingly endless amounts of bubble wrap
My order totaled $81, so I got free shipping. I assumed this meant regular shipping (3 - 7 business days), as I had the option of upgrading to expedited shipping (1-3 business days) for an additional $3.99. I wasn't in a rush so I went with the free option, but my order took less than 2 days to get to me. I placed my order on a Monday night and had it in my mailbox by Wednesday afternoon.
My order, wrapped in layer upon layer of bubble wrap
Everything I ordered made it to me intact, but I felt like the amount of packaging was borderline excessive. My OFRA highlighters came with 5 layers of bubble wrap around them, which was almost an inch thick! Things that had a very low chance of breaking such as a facial cleanser also came wrapped in bubble wrap, although only 2 layers. While I appreciate how much effort went into ensuring my order reached me intact, I couldn't help but think about how bad this amount of bubble wrap was for the environment.
Free Sample of Elizabeth Arden Superstar Probiotic Cleanser
Free Gift With Purchase - OFRA Peptide Brightening Mask (In PINK limited edition)
I received a free sample of an Elizabeth Arden facial cleanser, along with a free gift with purchase. The free gift was a 3oz OFRA face mask, the full size is 6.8oz and has a retail value of $59USD according to the OFRA website.
My order consisted of 1 OFRA liquid lipstick in the shade Pasedena, 2 OFRA Highlighters, one in the shade Pillow Talk and one in Glazed Donut and 1 OFRA Vitamin C cleanser. As far as I can tell all the products are authentic.
OFRA Long Lasting Liquid Lipstick in Pasedena
OFRA Highlighters in Pillow Talk and Glazed Donut
OFRA Vitamin C Cleanser
Overall I was very impressed with CountOnUs! The package label said they ship out of Mississauga, ON, which is important as a Canadian consumer. Their prices were reasonable (especially with the sales) and the free gift with purchase was a pleasant surprise. CountOnUs has a range of product lines that can be hard to find (if not impossible) for Canadians, such as OFRA and TheBalm among others. I'm very excited to have found another Canadian company I can purchase from and I highly recommend them!
If you'd like to place an order with CountOnUs, you can do so here: https://countonusstore.ca/
(Not an affiliate link)
