July Beauty Purchases

Hello,

Long time no see. I've been saving up my money for a trip but Shopper's Drug Mart was having a really good clearance sale and I just went for it.

Skincare-
Spectro Acne Care Vanishing Lotion for Sensitive Skin: This is a lotion of 2.5% benzoyl peroxide, which I find works for my acne best. I like the lower concentration, as 5% and above sometimes dries out my skin. It works overnight and is much more effective than what I was using before which was Neutrogena's 3 in 1 Acne Care Lotion (salicylic acid based - which isn't as effective on my skin).

indeed Labs Hydraluron: Got this based on Caroline Hirons' recommendation as well as my past amazing experience with hyaluronic acid masks. I used it once at night with CeraVe lotion on top. When I woke up, my skin had never felt softer and it looked really smooth (I usually have a pretty coarse skin texture). I didn't put on anymore in the morning just to see how it would last and the effect lasted until the afternoon. (So around 12 hours.) It's not a complete fix by any means but the effect is just lovely. I actually wouldn't purchase this full price as I think cost per use is really high, the tube is about 30 mL and I used a dab to cover my face but I could see it running out fast if I used this day and night. It's about $24.99 CAD normally, Shopper's has it for $20.99 on sale, sometimes, and I got it on clearance for $14.99.

Nail Polish-
Maybelline ColorShow in Twilight Rays: Picked this up in the bargain bin for $2.00 for 7 mL of polish. I was contemplating going for one of the other shimmery blues in the collection but like the gold shimmer in this one. On me, its more of a black than the olive in the picture. The gold shimmer warms up the black enough to work with my yellow skintone. What I really like about this polish is the wear, you can get away with 2 coats but I use 3 and it is pretty much the longest lasting nail polish I've ever used (Granted, I had only OPI, essie and Revlon to compare it to before). After 3 days I only had tip wear and no huge chips. You don't get a huge amount of nail polish but for the price I think its worth it.

OH MY GOSH nail polish in Cobalt Blue: Also, $2.00 but slightly smaller than the Maybelline at 5mL. This is an intense cobalt blue that needs 3 coats for opaqueness. I like the color but I find it very trendy which means I won't be able to get away with wearing it in a couple of months. It's not as long lasting as the Maybelline but lasts longer than essie.

I found some really good bargains at my local Shopper's in Toronto. I also go some headphones for $5.00, a yoga bra for $3.00 (!), some Spanx-like shorts also for $3.00 (!), and my bleaching cream for $1.00. Go to your local Shopper's and look around in their bargain section, there are some real gems in there alongside weird castoffs (I once found Goody Spin Pins in the bargain section for example). Just make sure to shop with a cautious and judicious eye.