Polished: Wet'n'Wild "Femme Trouper"

Wet'n'Wild "Femme Trouper"

After a lovely visit with my family over Thanksgiving weekend, my boyfriend and I took our usual trip to K-Mart in International Falls, Minnesota to check out what un-Canadian goods we could find. Instead of the usual suspects (pop, chips, junk food) I bee-lined for the beauty aisles. A brief power outage almost stopped me from bringing my beauty treats home, but luckily all was sorted quickly and I left grinning with a full bag in tow (sorry bank account.)

I'm not sure whether or not this colour is exclusively American, but I hadn't seen it before at home and it really caught my eye. Though my nail polish stash is...extensive, to say the least, I don't have anything quite like this so into the basket it went.

This went on my nails almost as soon as I arrived home and I was surprised to find that it was a sand-textured polish! Textured polishes are usually well-advertised but the display for this collection didn't mention texture at all, so I definitely wasn't expecting it. I'm a little disappointed that this isn't the smooth, golden-shimmery peach prettiness that I was expecting but I still really like it. The formula was normal for a textured polish, opaque in 2 coats and dried very quickly. No need for top coat - I always find that textured polishes seem to last really well on their own.

I've never seen a textured polish in a colour quite like this and it feels very unique to me. If you like the textured polish trend but aren't into the bolder colours that tend to have it, you might really like this! I got a lot of compliments on this manicure!

I bought Femme Trouper at K-mart for $3.99. I can't seem to find it on their website but I did find it on E-bay here, not sure if it ships to Canada or not though.

Review: Josie Maran 100% Pure Argan Oil Light

Josie Maran 100% Pure Argan Oil Light

Putting oil on my face...?! Up until recently, the very thought seemed absolutely insane to me. My skin has always fallen into the "combination/oily" category - mostly oily, with the odd dry patch, and I can't remember the last time my face was totally pimple free. Since my face is a little oil factory as it is, facial oils were never a product that interested me, let alone something I wanted to try. But after doing some research I learned that the harsh oil-sucking cleansers and astringents that I had been wielding in the battle with my skin were probably just making things worse. It makes sense - harsh cleansers can over-dry the skin, which results in sebum producing glands working overtime to replenish the lost oils. The excess sebum then sits atop the skin and may clog pores, causing acne. Then we attack again, and the cycle continues. I've been using far gentler cleansers over the past year, and this has helped things immensely, but I still haven't found my skin's ideal balance.

With this in mind, I decided to give face oils a try. I've read mostly great reviews on Josie Maran's Argan Oil infused range, especially the pure Argan Oils. On my most recent trip to Sephora I was somewhat torn between these and the Boscia Tsubaki Beauty Oil, but after some texture comparison I decided to take home the lighter of the Argan options - Josie Maran 100% Pure Argan Oil Light.

The first night I used it, I got over-excited and used half a dropper full which is WAY too much. I woke up feeling rather greasy with a few new spots on my chin, cheek and forehead which had me feeling discouraged, but I decided not to dismiss it and massaged a few drops into my skin before my regular morning moisturizer. The "just a few drops" method is the key to success when it comes to this oil - I use about 4 in the morning, and maybe 5-6 in the evening if I feel I could use some extra moisture. This tiny amount goes a very long way and sinks in pretty quickly so you don't have to wait long before applying your moisturizer. I haven't had any problems wearing this under makeup, but I can see it being a bit too slippery during the warmer months and I will probably stick to night-time application during the summer. The smell is very "blah" - it kind of reminds me of cardboard, or wooden popsicle sticks, which isn't necessarily unpleasant but it is kind of weird. I feel like I would enjoy using the product more if it smelled nicer, but it's a minor thing.

This oil has only been a part of my skincare routine for about a week, but I already feel like it's a game changer for my skin. My skin feels hydrated, balanced and supple, and I've had zero new zits to report after my initial "oil-overdose." I don't feel that it leaves a "semi-matte" finish as the company claims, but I like the healthy, not overly-shiny glow it gives my skin. This oil is meant to be multipurpose and can also be used on the hair and body, so I'll definitely give it a test, but honestly I have plenty of products that serve the same purpose for those areas so I'll probably just use it as a face oil. I feel like my bottle will last me forever that way too!

If you're thinking you'd like to give it a try, but don't want to splurge on the full size, Sephora has a value set here that includes a trial size of Argan Oil Light along with some other great looking bits from Josie Maran's line!

Have you ever used a facial oil? What did you use, and what did you think?