Who would have thought that using charcoal in our beauty products would make a world of difference to our skin and hair?
In case you aren’t familiar with the purifier, activated charcoal has been a major buzzword for the past year and can been added in everything from face masks, toothpaste, to even cocktails. Activated charcoal is a potent natural ingredient that is used to trap toxins and chemicals in the body, which allows them to then be flushed out so the body doesn’t reuse them. It works so well that one of its most popular uses is for the safe and effective treatment of poisoning and drug overdoses. It can also be used to reduce bloating and gas, lower cholesterol, and prevent hangovers (add some to your water).
The beauty world has been abuzz with the product for a while now, and I wanted to share three products that you can try out (all drugstore!) to incorporate this trend into your routine.
Physicians Formula Charcoal Detox Cleansing Stick
This cleanser in stick form (C$15.99 at London Drugs) provides you with a deep-pore cleanse thanks to its purifying charcoal. Apply the stick to your face to draw out dirt, oil, and impurities, delivering a deep clean which leaves your skin smooth, soft, and clear.
When I first saw this I totally thought it would be similar to the Tarte Frixxtion Stick, however, they do have different ingredients in them.
Physicians Formula says to apply this product to your dry face then add water. I found this worked nicely since once you add water to the formula is suds up, thus providing you with a nice cleanser to wash your face. I did find that when I used my toner afterwards, there was some makeup remaining, but overall it cleansed my face well.
Herbal Essences Bio:Renew Detox Black Charcoal Shampoo and White Charcoal Conditioner
I love Herbal Essences products, so when their new addition to the Bio:Renew showed up I couldn’t wait to give it a try. The Black Charcoal shampoo cleanses away toxins from your hair, while infusing it with lavender, juicy citrus, and cocoa. Pair it with the White Charcoal Conditioner to restore hair’s softness and promote natural volume and shine.
Both products, when used together, detox hair to remove buildup. It’s also part of their Bio:Renew line, which includes a blend of active antioxidants, plus aloe and sea kelp. It is also made with 90 per cent natural-origin ingredients. The formula is colour-safe and pH-balanced with no parabens, silicones, gluten, mineral oil, or dye.
I thought originally that the shampoo would be a deep black, but it’s more like a clear formula with a dark tinge (the conditioner is just white). If you’re blonde like me, you don’t have to worry about your hair turning black or anything as it rinses out nicely. Overall, I really like how this made my hair look and feel (more-so feel); it was super soft and sleek.
L’Oreal Paris Pure Clay Cleanser for Energizing & Brightening
This one has been around for a while, so they were early to the game in terms of activated charcoal. This clay-to-mousse cleanser leaves skin feeling clean and fresh thanks to its three mineral clays and charcoal.
Although the formula is black, it washes off quite well and does a fantastic job of removing makeup. It also suds up quickly, leaving skin looking radiant and energized. If you’re in the market for a new cleanser, I totally recommend this one. L’Oreal Paris also has a few other “flavours” of this cleanser, however, I love the black one due to it’s energizing properties.
There’s loads more products out there that use activated charcoal in their formulas (I previously reviewed a mask from Garnier as well with it), so it’s easy to find the right product for you if you want to try out the trend.
Have you tried any beauty products with activated charcoal in them?
Like what you read? Check out these related posts:
I love trying out new perfumes.
Fragrances are different from cosmetics, since typically you either like them or you don’t. For the most part, you know what a foundation is going to do, however, with scents, since each one has a particular smell to it, it’s a gamble on what you’re going to get.
I was already familiar with Nest since I attended a sample sale in New York City this past May where I picked up one of their luxurious candles for a really good price. I knew that they have a variety of home scents (candles and diffusers), but wasn’t too familiar with their perfumes.
They recently came out with a new scent that they sent my way, Cocoa Woods, a sensory combination of bittersweet cocoa wrapped in sequola wood and white sandalwood, blended with hints of tiare blossom and Thai ginger. I couldn’t wait to give this a smell and see how it wears and I have to say that it is quite delectable on the skin. It’s not the summeriest scent, but will be perfect for when we head into the fall months. If you are worried that it will smell too chocolatey, have no fear, it’s actually more of a darker fragrance. Think warm and sexy.
Since this was my very first Nest fragrance, I was super interested in trying out some of their other scents, and I have to say, they don’t disappoint. Nest sent over Wisteria Blue (key notes: French wisteria, Bulgarian rose, imperial jasmine), Black Tulip (key notes: black amber plum, pink pepper, Japanese violet), Citrine (lemon blossom, lotus flower, fressia, dew drop accord, precious woods), Dahlia & Vines (dewy daffodils, peony, rose, garden vines), Indigo (Moroccan tea, Kashmir wood, cardamom, wild fig), and Midnight Fleur (exotic woods, black amber, patchouli, night-blooming jasmine, vanilla orchid).
So do I have a favourite? No, as they all smell awesome. It’s very rare that I smell every scent from a line and love all of them. Each perfume has this layered level of decadence that blossoms as you wear it. I do find a lot of them to be wearable for every season since they have transferrable scents, meaning that they are too summery or too dark. You really can sport them from the beach to the ski hill.
Each scent is an eau de parfum, meaning that a little goes a long way. You’ll also find that they stay on longer than an eau de toilette would since it’s more potent. Like I said, I wasn’t too familiar with the perfume line of Nest prior to this month, but I’ll definitely be keeping an eye on new scents going into the future.
Also, keep an eye on my Instagram, I have a giveaway coming up where you can win your very own Cocoa Woods.
Have you tried out Nest fragrances? Which is your favourite?
Like what you read? Check out these related posts.
Love pink and glittery things? Honestly, who doesn’t? Well if you’re a die-hard like me, then you’ll need to get your hands on Tarte’s newest items
Tarte always kills it with their collections and hot on the heels of their mermaid items that were released a couple months back, they have just come out with a fairy collection to keep things magical (seriously what is the next mythical creature to have its own collection?).
The Love, Trust, and Fairy Dust collection consists of an eyeshadow palette, brush set, blush, face and body glitter, limited-edition Lights, Camera, Lashes mascara, and a limited-edition Tarteist double-ended eyeliner in brown. Each item features a limited-edition packaging that plays with the theme of fairies. I received the eyeshadow palette, eyeliner, glitter dust, and blush and have been using them pretty much non-stop since I got them.
Okay, so before we get into it, can we just talk about the packaging on these items? Both the eyeshadow palette and the blush feature a pink and purple glittery top that it so sparkly and pretty that you’ll want these items just to display on your vanity. The glitter on the blush actually moves around in the casing, whereas on the eyeshadow palette it’s just for show. The rest of the packaging is a metallic rose gold that complements the sparkle.
The Love, Trust, and Fairy Dust palette (C$49) features 11 shades that you can use on the eyes and cheeks. If you have blue eyes you are going to love this palette since it is full of neutrals and pink tones, which are perfect for making your eyes pop. The formulas in here are a combination of mattes, metallics, and glitters. The 10 shades around the palette are for the eyes, whereas the big one in the middle (Flower Crown) can be used as both an eyeshadow and a highlight (I used it in my photos below).
Each shade in here goes on quite creamy and although I did find some of the metallics to be a little tricky, a little dash of setting spray on your brush really helps with getting the colour to apply the way it’s meant to. I definitely think that this palette is more usable than the mermaid one that Tarte came out with last season. There is a better combination of colours in here and if you wanted, you could just use this one palette for your whole eye look, which I found the Be a Mermaid & Make Waves palette lacked.
Now if you’re not in the market for a new eyeshadow palette (but really, does anyone ever have too many eyeshadow palettes?) but want to pick up an item from this mystical collection, then the Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush in Fairy Flush is the way to go. I’m not a huge blush person, I could have one blush and be happy, but as soon as I saw this colour (and obvi the packaging), I fell in love.
This blush is the most beautiful light rosy pink shade in a matte finish that leans towards a lilac colour. Since it’s their Amazonian clay formula, the product is very soft, hence preventing harsh lines or a chalky build up. It goes on smoothly and settles on your skin nicely, giving you a rosy glow. The clay also helps to control oil and infuse moisture for balanced skin and seamless blending.
This blush (as well as the eyeshadow palette) actually features a magnetized pan, so once you run out of it, you can pop it out and replace it with a difference Amazonian clay blush since you’ll definitely want to keep the container.
Tarte also jazzed up their Tarteist Double-Take Eyeliner in the colour brown (C$29). This eyeliner (which joins their bestselling version in black) is a vegan, dual-ended waterproof liquid eyeliner and gel pencil that also includes their Amazonian clay. The one end has a self-sharpening gel pencil that you can use to define the eye area, whereas the other end features a liquid eyeliner that goes on glossy but dries semi-matte. The colour is quite pigmented, so although it’s brown, it’s still noticeable, but not as harsh as the black is. Honestly, I feel like this whole collection is made for people with blue eyes, since I tend to wear brown liner a lot due to the fact that it’s more wearable for everyday as opposed to black. Obviously this would look killer on brown eyes as well, but since I’m a blue-eyed gal, I know what works best for me and that’s pink eyeshadows and brown liner (hello Tarte fairy collection!).
Finally, although there are more items that Tarte came out with (including a pink sparkly version of Lights, Camera, Lashes mascara and a to-die-for brush set), they also came out with some face and body glitter that is one of those products that you totally don’t need but it’s so cool.
The Fairy Dust (C$12) is iridescent pink, silver, and gold glitter that you can apply pretty much anywhere. Obviously this isn’t for everyday use, but it’s something fun to apply for a festival, costume party, birthday party, etc. I will say that this does not stick on without some sort of sticky backing, so try layering it over a cream product for some extra hold. I used a setting spray for the photos, but I feel like after about 10 minutes it would start to fall off.
It’s a no-brainer that I’m kinda obsessed with this collection. Honestly, Tarte can do no wrong when it comes to their themed makeup items, and although I didn’t see fairies coming, I’m loving what they released here.
Will you be picking up items from Tarte’s Love, Trust, and Fairy Dust collection?
Products provided by PR, all opinions are my own.
Like what you read? Check out these related posts:
