theNotice: a beauty blog

The product: Burt’s Bees Best of Burt’s Bees set (Holiday 2012)

This year’s Best of Burt’s Bees set ($24.99 CAD) contains three full-size Burt’s bestsellers, and is basically a hit of major hydration in a box. With targeted treatments for dry hands, feet, and cuticles, I like to think of it as my little “prairie saviour” box — perfect for soothing your holiday-shopping-tired feet and wind-chapped hands. 

(And by wind-chapped, I totally mean shopping-mall-chapped.)

The Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream

A Burt’s Bees classic, the Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream is waxy and unyielding, and takes a moment to apply . That said, though, it does its job well — that same waxy texture also means that it’s highly portable (in any climate), and stays on your cuticles like nobody’s business.

I haven’t tested this out long enough to give it a ringing endorsement, but from what I’ve seen of it so far, it definitely does a great job of locking in moisture without getting your fingertips or hands greasy. You don’t have to use a lot of it each time, and what you do put on withstands a respectable amount of wear & washing, to boot.

The Coconut Foot Cream

Rather unexpectedly (for someone who rarely-if-ever uses foot creams), this was my favourite of the bunch! Despite living on the prairies and having chronically dry skin, my feet don’t actually tend to get terribly dry — less so than the rest of my body, even.

The Burt’s Bees Coconut Foot Cream is strangely gelatinous, while still being petroleum-free and 99% natural. Like their Peppermint Foot Lotion, Burts’ coconut cream feels luxurious and has a bit of a minty tingle — but that’s where the comparisons end.

Where the peppermint lotion is thin, white, and sinks in quickly, this one reminds me of a thick honey butter, flavoured with a slightly-spicy coconut and a little sticky. It’s made to sink in overnight (follow up with cotton socks, of course), and delivers deep hydration while having what I’d actually describe as quite a pleasing scent!

The Almond Milk Beeswax Hand Cream

Like the coconut foot cream, Burts’ Beeswax Hand Cream has a lovely, interesting texture — in this case, the texture of a waxy butter, solid in the jar but which melts easily as it’s worked into the skin.

While rich and moisturizing in terms of formula, my complaint with this product lies in its portability and fragrance. The latter is overdone (a problem I have with a surprising number of Burt’s Bees products), and has a sharp, synthetic edge that may be headache-inducing for some. And, while the 2 ounce jar is a great sink-side or desk-drawer addition, it’s far from portable — just something to consider, with the way hand creams need re-application in climates like the prairies!

The verdict?

At $25, this set is a good deal… but only if you already love all three of the included products. With the way I (don’t) go through products, I tend to prefer sets like the Burt’s Bees Tips n Toes Kit  — that is, ones that let you try out a lot of different products, rather than those that get you stocked up with old standbys.

So, while I liked this set, I’d actually recommend that you give the other one a go, instead! (Or, hey, any one of these.) Something like the Tips ‘n Toes Kit is just $19 CAD for the same awesome formulas plus three others, but minus the commitment of full-sized containers.

Or, y’know, skip the hand care entirely and just go for the Coconut Foot Cream. I’m having a lot of fun with the texture! And, okay, the giant hit of moisture and tasty fragrance are pretty nice too, I guess.

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I have been strangely fond of the Fresh Sugar Lip Treatments as of late — there’s something about their heavy, weighted packaging & twist-end closure that just sits really well with me.

At $22.50 USD ($26 CAD), they’re priced higher than I think we’d all prefer, but sometimes the little luxuries make the best gifts, you know? The products that you know someone will really enjoy, but wouldn’t necessarily splurge on if left to their own devices.

Living inside the box (for once) 

But then I started thinking about beauty gifts, and boxed gifts, and the ones that hang on trees (on Christmas trees, not just random backyard pines upon their own volition), and I wanted to throw together a few ready-to-go boxed sets for all of you. They’re quick, easy, and all you have to do is add some wrapping paper and a ribbon.

And, alright, some of this panic stems from the fact that your last ship date for Sephora.ca is tomorrow, in order for standard shipping to get a package to your door by the 24th. Our American readers and friends have a bit more time (Dec. 18th), but the 25th is sneaking up on us pretty quickly!

And, finally, a quick preview of a boxed set that’s coming up…

The Best of Burt’s Bees Set ($24.99 CAD), which contains their Coconut Foot Crème, Almond Milk Beeswax Hand Crème, and cult-status Lemon Cuticle Cream, all of which are paraben-, silicone-, and cruelty-free!

The product: Korres Goddess Beauty Colour Collection

Lovingly boxed up at Sephora this Holiday season is the gorgeous Korres Goddess Beauty Colour Collection. While I think the name is a little awkward (is it the Goddess collection? Is it the Goddess Beauty collection?), the products themselves more than make up for it.  

The Volcanic Minerals Volumizing Mascara

Also included is a small tube of Korres’ Volcanic Minerals mascara, in Obsidian Black. I have to say, I love the packaging of this one — even though it isn’t full-sized, the design is great. Slim, easy to handle, and intricately patterned, the rich brown hue just feels very Korres (as it probably should!)

The brush is fairly standard, as is the product itself. I can get a full day’s wear out of this, if you define a full day as 6 hours, but I do have to sweep under my lower lashes with a cotton bud at least twice before hitting the 12 hour mark. It leaves my lashes feeling (and looking) full & a little heavy after just one swipe, dropping the curl a bit but going on clump-free enough to make up for it.

Korres Volcanic Minerals Volumizing Mascara ingredients

The Cherry Lip Gloss in (Pale Pink)

If you thought this looked familiar, you’re not wrong: Pale Pink is numbered as Cherry Lip Gloss #23. If you think back to last Holiday season, though, you might remember seeing a similar product on theNotice — Light Purple, incidentally also #23.

Check out swatches and photos behind the cut, but the two are the same gloss, re-imagined. The new version has less chunky shimmer and more pigment, but while it’s slightly easier to wear than Light Purple, I still find it to be a little too milky & shimmery for my liking.

Lipgloss ingredients

Korres Goddess Beauty Colour Collection swatches

The Magic Light/Face Contouring Powder Trio (in Santorini)

And, finally, the one you’ve all been waiting for!

The Santorini cheek trio is absolutely gorgeous — easily one of the most beautiful pressed powders in my collection, just based off the way it looks in the pan. The detailed top does wear off, but the shimmer goes right down, so what you see (product-wise) is what you get.

Shimmery and glowy, this trio is optimal for light skintones of any temperature. It’ll fit a much broader range, though; cool to warm skintones from fair to medium should be able to pull this off without a hitch.

The blush and bronzer are warmer and more pigmented than the highlighter, but both build up & sheer out easily. My issue with the palette, though, is that for as luminescent as it applies… it’s pretty glittery, at least for me. The glitter isn’t hugely obvious in indoor lighting, and photographs absolutely beautifully, but it is there if you go looking for it — which I can’t stand.

I can still see this on my cheeks after a good 12 hours of wear (and a nap!), but I like my shimmer a lot more subtle than most bloggers. Every other review I’ve read for this face trio has described the shades as finely-milled and glowy–and have even recommended it for use as an all-over face powder–so do my little neurosis in mind.

Cheek trio ingredients

The verdict?

This set was originally $42, which made it a good deal — but it’s been marked down to $29 USD/$39 CAD, which absolutely makes it a great one. (In Canada, the price works out to just $9.75 per product. Yep, that $36 cheek trio just got a whole bunch cheaper.)

Paraben-free and just so, so pretty, the Goddess set is a great gift for a natural beauty lover – even if that beauty lover is you. It’s not perfect in my mind (I think the cheek palette is just too glittery for that), but I think my shimmer-sensitive eye is alone on this: most other bloggers describe Santorini as a sheer product with a gorgeous “natural glow,” after all.

One last note: this set includes a mini Quercetin & Oak Antiageing Primer (10 mL), which is a great way to give Korres primers a proper try before committing to a whole tube. Check out a full review here.

Keep reading; I’m not done yet! »

The product: Korres Quercetin & Oak Antiageing Primer

While writing up a review for the Korres Goddess collection (which will go up here in a few hours), I realized I had far too many thoughts about this one to fit into a grouped review. It was probably the 1000+ word count that tipped me off.

So, instead, here’s a quick little mini-review!

I like this primer, but I don’t see an enormous difference with it — I can tell when I’m applying it that I’ve got it on, but the difference isn’t so substantial that I’d use it every day.

That said, the Quercetin & Oak primer does leave my skin smooth and velvety, and I prefer it slightly over its Korres Face Primer counterpart: both are good at minimizing the appearance of fine lines (shh, I have ridiculously dry skin; I’m allowed to have opinions on this), but I feel like this one does just a tiny bit better.

I have absolutely no SCIENCE!! to back up this statement, though. It  may well just be in the marketing.

The ingredients: 

Water, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Dicaprylyl Ether, Cetearyl Alcohol, Coco-Caprylate/Caprate, Glyceryl Stearate, Propanediol, Glyceryl Stearate Citrate, Microcrystalline Cellulose, Alcohol, Glycerin, Phenoxyethanol, Grapefruit Peel Oil, Jojoba Seed Oil, Limonene, Ethylhexylglycerin, Xanthan Gum, Cellulose Gum, Wheat Flour Lipids, Hordeum Vulgare Extract, Tocopherol, Spilanthes Acmella Flower Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Sodium Phytate, Silica Dimethyl Silylate, Glyceryl Oleate, Quercetin Caprylate, Quercus Robur Bark Extract, Citral, Linalool.

The verdict?

I don’t like giving out “verdicts” for products like these, so I just… won’t, exactly. This is worth checking out if you need a silicone-free primer, but I honestly think a good moisturizer & skincare regimen will do just as well. The right skincare routine is hard to find, though, and this will do more than adequately in the meantime.

I would recommend this most for: fine lines & normal-to-dry skin that needs a bit of an extra boost. (PS: Korres do a mattifying pomegranate primer as well, if hydration & a satin finish aren’t all that you’re after!)

The product: Marcelle Revival Firming + Brightening Cream Serum

I’m not usually one for the brightening serums, but I’ll make an exception for Marcelle for a lot of things. (And, from micellar waters to cleaning milks, they haven’t let me down yet.)

The Revival Firming + Brightening Cream Serum is aimed at menopausal and post-menopausal women, but I honestly think it’s a great find for any age group. Sure, I don’t really need the wrinkle-reducing properties, but it scores top points for evening out tone without whitening it! 

The product: The Firming + Brightening Cream Serum is a cream-serum hybrid, formulated to deliver the results of a serum with the comfort of a cream. You will still need to follow up with moisturizer, but it’s a great “disappearing act” all around: not only does it work to fade uneven pigmentation, but the product itself seems to disappear from the skin, too.

The cream-serum is easy to control coming out of the packaging, applies smoothly, and sinks in quickly. It doesn’t leave my skin any more oily or dry than it would be without, doesn’t have a long-lasting scent (or any artificial fragrances at all), and won’t make foundation catch or ball up.

The results: The Revival serum is made to firm, lift, protect against the formation of new wrinkles, reduce the appearance of brown spots, even tone, clarify the complexion, and improve the skin’s elasticity. (Quite a mouthful!)

I’ve just been using it to help fade scars left behind by blemishes, but it’s been going really well. Scars will stick around on my skin for a good 8-10 months, but the difference I’ve seen with this serum has just been enormous. The patch I’ve been targeting hasn’t faded completely, of course, but I’d peg it at 3-4 months of fading (visually), rather than the 2-3 weeks I’ve actually been using it for.

The verdict?

As the title says: you need this!! $35.95 is a price I know many will flinch at in the drugstore, but when you put it into perspective, it’s nothing at all — it works out to just $21.27 CAD per oz, while most dark spot correctors sit around $60-$90/oz.

I don’t want to promise miracles with the Revival Firming + Brightening Cream Serum, because I know all skins will respond differently to different products, but I honestly think Marcelle hit gold with this formula. It’s not going to give you laser-resurfacing results, but it’ll give any department store brightening serum a run for its money! My skin is particularly sensitive, and so far I’ve had no breakouts, irritation, or stickiness.

All in all, I am very, very pleased with this one. It’s rare that I try out a product that I can’t find a flaw in, but this is one of the few.

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