Tag Archives: Korres

Skincare Saturday: What’s In My Bathrooms?

Guest bathroom
Guest bathroom

I think we’re all a little bit curious as to what products people keep – be it in their bags, showers, makeup collection, etc. – so I thought I’d take you on a quick tour of my two bathrooms and the products I keep on the counters and in the medicine cabinets.

Sidenote: There’s a lot of PR products in here and most of them I’ve reviewed in the past. I’ll put a star (*) beside each product that was sent to me so you’ll know!

The first bathroom is our guest bathroom and, out of the two we have, it’s the one we use the least (which means it stays clean the longest!).

Guest bathroom - sink area
Guest bathroom – sink area

I like the idea of keeping a fairly clean counter in the guest bathroom (our ensuite is much different) so I don’t have a ton of stuff on display. Tis the season for Live Clean holiday hand soaps, so I’ve got their Vanilla Peppermint hand soap* out for use. I also keep the Soap & Glory Sugar Crush Body Lotion* out in case someone is feeling dehydrated and needs a skin boost.

In my opinion, no bathroom is complete without Q-tips and cotton rounds, so those are there as well!

Guest bathroom - medicine cabinet
Guest bathroom – medicine cabinet

It’s a little bit empty inside the mirrored medicine cabinet, but that’s fine by me! I’ve got a handy Febreze in there because no one likes to leave a bathroom feeling ashamed (more specifically… in someone else’s house!) and honestly that Febreze is about six years old at this point. Those things last forever!

I’ve also got some QUO nail polish remover – I always opt for the hydrating ones if I can find them. Some more lotion in there – Avon‘s Skin So Soft Aqua Express* (love the smell of this one!) and the Be Delectable Hand Cream. Since I also wash my makeup brushes in the guest bathroom, I’ve also got a huge bottle of Johnson’s Baby Shampoo which is my go-to for makeup brush cleaning.

Ensuite bathroom
Ensuite bathroom

Time to move on to our ensuite and this one is a lot more jam packed with products! Once again with the Q-tips and cotton rounds, but this time I’ve got a Bath & Body Works hand soap in Crisp Morning Air which is one of my favourite autumnal scents.

Ensuite bathroom - counter
Ensuite bathroom – counter

To the right of the sink is a lineup of products that I use daily… or that I try to use up (namely some of the hair stuff).

  • The Aveeno Positively Radiant Daily Cleansing Pads* are one of my favourite quick face washes. The pads come soaked with face wash and have a textured side so you can really scrub at your face.
  • Dermal Therapy Heel Care is VITAL to me. I get heel cracks and this is the only product that will heal them.
  • Bioderma Micelle Solution in Hydrabio* – an absolute daily necessity for me. Helps to clean up my makeup mistakes and great for removing any makeup or oil residue at the end of the day.
  • Too Cool For School Egg Mousse Soap – I usually wash my face in the shower (where I keep another face wash), but if I’m not showering that day I’ll reach for this face wash. It’s kinda neat – it foams up like shaving cream, and thankfully does not smell like eggs!
  • Infusium 23 Leave-in Conditioner*: LOVE this stuff. I was a huge fan of the shampoo and conditioner, but I used those up a while ago. So now I’m finishing up the leave-in conditioner which I spray on my hair when I’m out of the shower. Helps detangle my very-much-in-need-of-a-haircut, far-too-long-hair right now!
  • Sun Bum Sea Spray* – I love using this during the summer to give me some crunchy, salty beach waves!
  • Living Proof Instant Texture Mist – Not a huge fan of this one, so I’m trying to use it up. I much prefer the volumizing cream.
  • Sunsilk Thermashine leave in conditioner: This is actually a bottle of water that I use to wet my hair if I got a kink in it and need to re-style it. I miss Themasilk/Sunsilk though. They were my absolute favourite hair brand through the 90s and 00s.
  • Pantene hairspray – I’m not fussy when it comes to hairspray so I just buy the biggest can out there and it lasts me forever since I only use it when I curl my hair.
Ensuite bathroom - medicine cabinet
Ensuite bathroom – medicine cabinet

Straight into the medicine chests!  There’s a hell of a lot in here, so I’ll keep it brief. I’ll also only be mentioning the products that are mine (which uh…. is most of them).

  • Secret Deodorant: Spring Breeze is my favourite scent and I haven’t strayed from it in about a decade!
  • Sekkisei Enriched Lotion*: Using this as my daily toner. It seems fine, but I don’t notice much of a difference in my skin. I do like using toners for some reason though.
  • Lierac Hydragenist Spray*: I don’t use this super often, but it’s a great hydrating spray when you need an extra boost.
  • Boots No7 Beautiful Skin Cleansing Oil: It works really well at breaking up makeup, but I do notttt like the smell of it.
  • Marcelle Gentle Makeup Remover for Sensitive Eyes: The BEST makeup remover in the world, hands down. Been using this for more than ten years and they had better continue to make this throughout my entire lifespan!
  • MAC Cleansing Oil: Tiny baby sample I got with one of my orders.
Ensuite bathroom - medicine cabinet
Ensuite bathroom – medicine cabinet

And the last two shelves… phew!

  • Clinique Pep-Start Eye Cream*: I use it… but I have no idea if it’s doing anything like removing wrinkles. It does help to rehydrate my eyes if I’ve worn makeup too much that day though.
  • Bioderma Hydrabio Gel-Creme*: Super moisturizing. I tend to put this on on days where I don’t wear makeup.
  • The Body Shop Drops of Youth – Youth Concentrate Serum*: Just trying to use this serum up. It’s okay, but it tightens my pores and I’m not a huge fan of that sensation.
  • tarte Lip Facial* and Mary Kay Satin Lips*: Two lip scrubs I just pulled out but haven’t used yet (just finished my Lush one the night before).
  • Korres Wild Rose Face Oil*: Almost done with this one and I really like it! It’s lightweight so you can wear this one throughout the summer as well. I usually apply it a few times a week at night.
  • Maison Jacynthe Eau Florale de Lavande*: I’m not huge into lavender, but the scent of this is refreshing and soothing. I occasionally mist my face with it in the mornings for a boost.
  • Embryolisse Emulsion Hydra-Mat*: This stuff is WILD. Super moisturizing but also mattifying. I don’t know how that works, but it does!
  • Bioderma Hydrabio Creme*: Feeling seriously dehydrated? This is the moisturizer for you! I only apply this at night because it’s SO thick and does’t play well under makeup.
  • Philosophy Take A Deep Breath*: This is a lovely gel cream that is my current daily moisturizer. It works really well under makeup, smells nice and is hydrating.
  • Embryolisse Eclat du Regard*: Super buttery eye cream that I’ve used a handful to times, but will be in full rotation when I finish up the Clinique one

Phew! That’s it! When I thought of this idea for a post, I hadn’t really stopped to consider just how many products I have in my bathrooms! Hope you liked the quick tour of the products I’m currently using on the daily. 🙂

Post contains affiliate links.

Skincare Saturday: Korres Castanea Arcadia Review

Korres Castanea Arcadia skincare

I’ve had such a backlog of skincare products to try out that I’ve actually had this set since August! However, this is one of the most interesting items I’ve seen in skincare recently: the Korres Castanea Arcadia is centered around utilizing Arcadian Chestnut tree extract!

Taken from the leaves of the chesnut tree, Lupeol is a powerful natural ingredient that contains incredible antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and skin-regenerative properties, but has never before been used as an active ingredient in cosmetics before. KORRES developed an innovative molecule known as HALupeol, which encases pure Lupeol in a hyaluronic acid shell. This new molecule creates a special system that allows the active to penetrate the skin, offerring targeted wrinkle repair. Over time, you’ll see enhanced skin elasticity, resilience and youthfulness.

Korres Castanea Arcadia Wrinkle Rewind Night Cream and Eye Cream
Korres Castanea Arcadia Wrinkle Rewind Night Cream and Eye Cream

I’ve been trying out the Wrinkle Rewind Night Cream as well as the Eye Cream (but we already know how I feel about eye creams…) as the air gets dryer here in Toronto. I’ve been using these two products together at night to help boost up the moisture in my skin. While I can’t say I’ve noticed any wrinkle reduction (I don’t really have a ton to begin with), the very first I used this overnight, I woke up the next morning with skin feeling saturated with hydrating. My skin felt like it was plumped up instead of feeling thin and dry! I’ve continued to use this as repair cream overnight whenever my skin felt dry (particularly from foundation application) and I have loved how much skin has felt every morning after!

The product does smell enticing too – not like chesnuts, but lightly sweet, slightly potpourri. From what I noticed, the face cream does have more scent than the eye cream, but neither is overpowering. Anyway, all in all, I’m kind of enchanted by the fact this uses chestnuts in the formula – feels very seasonally appropriate right now!

Let me know if you’ve tried out Korres’ Castanea Arcadia range and what you’ve thought of it!

The products featured in this review were sent to me for consideration.

Skincare Saturday: Korres Wild Rose Brightening Oil & Targeted Tone Corrector

Korres Wild Rose Vitamin C Active Brightening Oil

Korres is one of those skincare brands that has been around for what feels like ages (turns out they were established in 1996)… and yet I’ve never gotten around to trying them – until now!

I was sent two items from their Wild Rose collection: the Vitamin C Active Brightening Oil and the Brightening Targeted Tone Corrector. This was one of those times where I was sent something out of the blue that I hadn’t requested nor would I ever think to request simply because of the scent of it. Rose (and most floral scents in general) send me running for the hills! Generally the smell is too cloying or thick and I just want nothing to do with it because it smells like grandmas. THANKFULLY, this particular wild rose infused scent by Korres is nothing at all like that. The scent in both of these products was subtle and light and felt *real*. None of that artificial thickness that seems to be inherent in so many “old fashioned” skincare products. Yay!

Korres Wild Rose Vitamin C Active Brightening Oil
Korres Wild Rose Vitamin C Active Brightening Oil

The Wild Rose Vitamin C Active Brightening Oil  is an “innovative brightening oil infused with real wild rose petals pays homage to the legendary wild rose oil ingredient that started it all. This ultra-concentrated vitamin C oil is rich in omega 3, 6, 9, fatty acids, and vitamins A and C. It provides significant antioxidant action while repairing the look of fine lines and wrinkles and improving skin’s overall tone and texture.

The formula is boosted with super C which increases skin’s vitamin C absorption by 1,000 percent to support natural collagen synthesis, powerful skin brightening, tone repair, and antioxidant protection against free radical and UV damage. Camapu, a plant derived extract delivers anti-thermal aging activity and anti-inflammatory benefits while improving skin’s luminosity. ” And there’s even actual wild rose petals floating in the oil!

Now, that’s a heck of a lot of things that this oil is doing and not all of it is necessarily readily apparent in your skin since cell turnover takes a long, LONG time. What I will say is that this absorbed incredibly quickly into my skin. It’s thick enough to be a good oil moisturizer, but it’s light enough that I can use it throughout the summer and not feeling weighted down (for example, I love my skynICELAND Arctic Face Oil, but that stuff is WAY too thick for the summer). I can even wear this under makeup if my skin needs a lot of hydration that morning! When my normal moisturizer just isn’t doing enough for my skin, this is what I’ve been reaching for.

Korres Wild Rose Brightening Targeted Tone Corrector
Korres Wild Rose Brightening Targeted Tone Corrector

The Wild Rose Brightening Targeted Tone Corrector is a daily facial serum intended to visibly correct discoloration and even out overall skin tone. Sadly, I do not think I’m the intended audience for this tone corrector because even though it applies nicely, sinks in quickly and smell good, I didn’t really notice it doing anything to my face. (As I’ve said before though, I don’t really have any skin issues which means I haven’t got any discolouration to correct.) However, I have found that this tone corrector is decently moisturizing. I’ve been using it as the step before I apply the brightening oil and I like how the two of them combined makes my face feel.

Let me know if you’ve tried Korres products before and what your thoughts are. Hope you’re having a wonderful weekend! 🙂

The products featured in this review were sent to me for consideration.