SkinnyMint Detox Teas

So you know how one of my goals for this year was to be a little healthier? Well, I was trolling around my Facebook news feed last month when I stumbled upon SkinnyMint and decided to take the plunge and try out their 28 Day Teatox regimen. And dare I say, it has changed my daily routine. I've always been skeptical of detox programs such as this, what with all the ones available in the market with only about half of them being legit, but I decided to throw caution to the wind and try this out. 

The SkinnyMint Teatox is basically what it is called - a detoxing program with a 2 step routine. You've got your Morning Boost tea for the morning, and the Night Cleanse tea for the evening, and you can choose between taking the 14 Day Teatox or 28 Day one.  The way it works is that you dink the Morning Boost every day for 28 days (or 14, depending on whichever you choose) and you take the Night Cleanse tea every other night. Basically on Day 1 you have just the Morning Boost, then Day 2 you take both teas, and so on.

Shipping is free, which is a complete bonus, and surprisingly pretty quick! The ETAs do vary depending on where you are though, but I'm still impressed. They weren't kidding about express shipping. The teas actually ship from Singapore (which is where SkinnyMint is located) and in less than a week, my teas had arrived - all the way here in Ottawa, Canada. That's pretty darn good!

Both teas have natural ingredients in them - the Morning Boost tea has got nettle leaves, yerba matte (to boost metabolism supposedly), dandelion, guarana and hints of grapefruit, strawberry and pineapple, while the Night Cleanse has lemongrass, orange leaves, senna leaves, licorice root and hints of peppermint, psylium husk (whut?) and hawthorn berry. Nevertheless, these teas taste pretty good! It did take a while for me to adjust to the taste of the Morning Boost, but now I've come to like it. The Morning Boost tea does have caffeine in it, so its perfect for those who need their dose in the morning - like me!

They do suggest that these teas should be taken as part of a balanced diet and exercise routine, so you know, to get the full experience I did as recommended. Thumbs up for my attempt at being healthier please?

As for my experience? Funnily enough, because I have refrained from drinking coffee during this teatox, I've become even more accustomed to just drinking more tea instead of coffee. As in, after finishing my 28 day program, I had a cup of coffee and just felt so uneasy and jittery the whole day. Not a good thing when you've got a full day of radio journalism going on. But you know, that doesn't mean I won't be going for my occasional Starbucks coffee fix every now and then. I haven't completely converted to being a full-fledged tea drinker.

As for the Night Cleanse, well, because it does act as a gentle laxative, the first week had me running to the bathroom the morning after drinking it. I'm being honest here, to give you guys a full review. It wasn't anything extreme, but there was definitely a substantial amount of body flushing for a while which goes to show the amount of junk I've had in my body. *cringe* Anyway, it doesn't go on like that for the rest of the program, so rest assured you don't have to be close to a bathroom all the time. Just you know, be wary for the first few days.

Overall, I have seen quite a substantial change in the 28 Days I took these teas. I have noticed some significant improvements in my digestion (gross, I know, I'm sorry but that's a good thing no?), a reduction in cramping and bloating and dare I say, more energy in the morning. I'm not as sloth like as I used to be, and I'm pretty happy about that. Whether it was due to the teas or the change in lifestyle, or a combination of both, I don't know. But I'm liking this change. I'd definitely recommend this teatox program to anyone who was looking to put their foot in the door and slowly change to a healthier routine.

For the price, I would definitely say it was worth it. You can check out all their teas and bundles over at their website.

SkinnyMint does recommend that you take about a 4-6 week break in between your teatoxes, so here's to waiting about a month before I try it out again!

Happy discovering!

TLP Beauty: MAC Cinderella

Alrighty guys, so perhaps the greatest MAC make-up collection to ever come out this quarter of the year graced us with its presence yesterday. Which one am I talking about? Well, none other than the Cinderella collection of course!

I've been waiting for this collection to come out ever since MAC announced they would be releasing a tie-in with the movie, and mann... the long wait has been so worth it! I'm a huge Disney fan - and I know lots of people say this, but you do not understand the deep rooted love I have for Disney. As in, I can't even begin to describe this connection I have with Disney. 

Anyway, all those times I spent trolling Instagram and websites for photos and swatches? They all paid off! I absolutely love the packaging for the products in this collection, and granted I was a bit put off when I first saw photos of it, I've come to love it so much. Can we actually just take some time to talk about this gorgeous packaging please? I mean, a lavendery, baby blue and gold? *sigh* Absolutely beautiful!!! I thought the packaging for the Proenza collection that came out April last year was pretty beautiful, but this one just takes it for the win. To me anyway. 

This collection actually came out online I believe on Feb. 26, and man, tons of pieces sold out fast! I've never been one to shop online so that didn't exactly bother me, but it did have me feel quite anxious about heading out to the MAC counters to get my hands on the ones I wanted. But alas, the day came and I got everything I wanted!

Funny story though, Rideau Centre opens up at 9:30 here in Ottawa. I arrived like five minutes after, and when I went to the MAC store, three things were already sold out. I mean, WTF??? Did they open earlier or something? Not that the ones I wanted were the ones sold out, but come on! 

Alright, ramble over. Let's get to the goodies I got!

The Macroviolet fluidline was actually one of the things at the top of my shopping list. I am an absolute sucker for MAC fluidlines, and I knew I just had to get this one. They did have another one, Little Black Bow I think it was called which was a cool grey, but that didn't tickle my fancy like this one. I know, I know, macroviolet is already part of MAC's permanent collection, but hell, I didn't have it. Let's be honest, it's the packaging that really got me here. It gave me the perfect excuse to finally get it, and I don't regret a thing. 

Macroviolet is pretty much your standard violet gel liner, with a silver sheen. It looks absolutely beautiful swatched, and on the lids? Gorgeous! It can be a bit tricky to apply and you do have to swipe it on your lids a few times to really get the colour, but it looks so pretty! (Swatches below!)

Weirdly enough, they only had one of these at my local MAC store. As in, the moment I said I was going to be taking this one, the lady ran to the back to get it cause she said they only received one. Boy, was I relieved when she came out with this in hand for me! Either way though, it's part of their permanent collection so you can still get it, just you know, without the pretty packaging. 

Next thing on my shopping list? Royal Ball lipstick of course! I have to say, I was seriously debating between getting this one and Free As A Butterfly, but based on the swatches I saw on Instagram and YouTube, this one seemed like the best match for my NC40 skin. And come on, the name itself just screams Cinderella and I knew I had to have it. 

I'm super glad I got my hands on this! Royal Ball is a beautiful silvery, muted pink that when swatched, looks so beautiful. Now, because it is a lustre finish, you do have to swipe quite a bit to really get the colour from the tube, but ugh, so so pretty! I can definitely see myself using this as a somewhat everyday lipstick this spring for those 'no makeup' makeup looks to give me just a hint of colour. 

Alright, so I wasn't exactly planning on purchasing this one, but the lady at the store (who I've completely forgotten the name of, but she's always the one helping me out! Woops!) totally persuaded me. When she swatched the Pretty It Up pigment, I swear, my eyes totally widened at the sight of how beautiful it was (how many times have I said beautiful? geez!). 

The MAC website has this listed as a gold, but on me it seems more like a dirty gold with a bit of a muted green sheen to it. It's definitely an intense pigmented little fella, so I'd definitely reserve this for evening looks. But hey, if you want to rock this everyday, go for it! I can't wait to try this baby out!

And last but certainly not the least, the Mystery Princess Beauty Powder. Obviously, I'm a sucker for packaging and I knew right away I would have to get a compact. Again I was debating between getting this one and the Coupe D' Chic Iridescent powder, but when I swatched the latter one, it just came out as pure glitter. Hence, I went for the beauty powder. 

Mystery Princess is a very light beige with a silver shimmer, and is the perfect highlight, I think. MAC's website says it's a pink beige, but on my skin it definitely pulls more light peach. That suits me just fine! And I know a few reviews have said it to not be pigmented, but I think it's alright. I'm not one to really pack on the highlight, so the colour pay-off from this one is fine for me. I just, urgh, I love it so much!

Swatches [for reference, I'm an NC40] (L-R): Mystery Princess beauty powder, Royal Ball lipstick, Macroviolet fluidline and Pretty It Up pigment.

I know people were also pretty hyped up about the eye glosses that came out with this collection, but personally I wasn't too fussed about them. The Stroke of Midnight eye palette? I would have been all over if I didn't already have three of the shades in it. Which is probably a good thing given the amount of money I spent in just this one trip to MAC! But my god, so worth it! I'm totally in love with the fluidline and pigment, and I can't wait to try them out together in a look!

Hopefully, you guys can still get your hands on this collection because I swear, it's so beautiful. I know a few people weren't too excited for this one, but personally, I'm in love. I do know quite a substantial amount is sold out already online (and heck, the MAC store at Rideau Centre no longer has the display!) but for those who still have the chance of getting it, GO GO GO!!!

You won't regret it!
And if you did manage to grab some goodies, which ones are your favourite?

Happy discovering!

TLP Beauty: boscia Multi-masking Medley Face Mask Set

boscia is quickly becoming one of my favourite skincare products, and being the skincare enthusiast I am, I definitely had to try out this Multi-Masking Medley from them. It's basically a pack of face masks with four from their different peel-off mask ranges. I'd already tried out the luminizing black mask before (as shown in my previous monthly favourites post - December or January I believe?) and I could not wait to try out their other ones!

So first things fist, the Luminizing Black Mask. I already knew this one works well for me so I was pretty pleased when this one came with the set. There's enough product to last you three uses (at least for me anyway) given that its pretty opaque already. Fair warning, this face masks looks like tar the minute you get it on your fingers and you definitely can't help but laugh as you slather it all over your face. I know I did. Just make sure to warn anyone you live with you'll be using this product so you don't freak them out the minute you walk out of your bathroom. LOL.

This mask does dry up pretty quick, but they recommend that you keep this on for about 30 minutes. Then again that depends on your skin's sensitivity, so do as you please. Anyway, it's pretty easy to peel of this mask (I suggest moving your face and pulling faces prior to peeling it off to make the process easier and more fun!) but because it does cling pretty tightly to your pores, it can be a tad bit painful pulling it off. No major tugging is needed, but there can be a tendency for little parts staying on your face. Nothing a little water can't fix though. I find that this mask really does make my skin feel smoother and softer, so two massive thumbs up for this one! Definitely recommend this for those ultimate pampering days when you really want to get all the dirt and gunk out of your pores!

The Bright White Mask is pretty similar to the Black one. But the consistency is pretty thick - almost like plaster which freaked me out a bit. Again, it's pretty opaque so it's not difficult to cover your face with this. I'd read a lot of mixed reviews on this particular mask over on Sephora, but I decided to try it out myself.

The verdict? Hate it. It did absolutely nothing for my skin! It just kind of sat there on my face, doing nothing. Zip. Zilch. NOTHING. I completely agree with those reviews that found this to be a disappointing product. It didn't pull of any gunk I had in my face like the black mask, it didn't feel tingly or refreshing at all. It felt like literally putting plaster on my face. Granted that there's probably enough product in the pouch for two more uses, I threw it away immediately. Definitely not surprised why the full bottle of the Bright White Mask retails for half the price compared to the other three. 

Alright, on a more positive note, the Cool Blue Calming Mask was pretty amazing. It does basically what it says on the packaging! It felt so cooling and refreshing the minute I put it on my face! Sadly, the consistency is pretty watery and liquidy, so building this up to make an opaque face mask was pretty hard. In fact, I used up 2/3 of the product that there wasn't enough for another use! The picture on the packaging (the box all these masks come in) is a lie!

But despite that disappointment, I love this mask. My face felt all tingly and cool while the mask was on, and this is probably the easiest peel-off mask to take off. So much so you can keep it intact as you pull it off your face! Compared to the black mask, this didn't get rid of all the dirt, but it did leave my skin feeling much smoother, and the redness on my face wasn't as bad. I'd recommend using this for those days where you just want to have a relaxing night after a full day, or even to use as a nice morning mask to get you feeling all lush and refreshed for the day.

Last but not least, the Green Tea Oil-Control Mask was also pretty kickass. There's enough product to last you about two uses and like the blue mask, it's got that tingly feeling as you put this on your skin. In terms of consistency, it's pretty thick but not as much as the black mask. Again, you may need a bit to really make it an opaque face mask.

I definitely feel as though this green-tea mask is similar to the cool blue mask! I absolutely love the tingly and cooling feeling this mask has, and again, this one is really easy to peel off. I couldn't say that I saw results in terms of oil-control, but then again, there's only enough product for two uses. Perhaps a more long-term try will give me a better overview, cause hell, I've got combination/oily skin so anything that keeps the oil at bay I'm all for. But you know, this one did leave my skin feeling all smooth and nice, and like the cool blue mask, I'd recommend this as an emergency pamper product for those 'meh' days.

All in all, I love this multi-masking medley set! For the price ($23 CAD at Sephora), it's definitely worth every penny, as you can try out boscia's different peel-off mask ranges. There's enough product in each pouch for about 2-3 uses to get a good impression on each product. My favourites would definitely have to be the Luminizing Black Mask and Cool Blue Calming Mask. That Bright White Mask though? Never going near that thing ever again!

So, if you're in the market for a face mask and are wondering which ones to try out, I'd definitely recommend this multi-masking medley from boscia! It's a great chance to try out the brand and see which ones work well for your skin before committing to the full-size products!

Happy discovering!