You may remember that back in November I did a review of The Ordinary by Deciem after having visited their flagship stores and factory in Toronto. I had experienced the brand before but this was the first time I got to see products up close and in person and purchase a large sampling. Since then I’ve become rather obsessed and have purchased items repeatedly – in the name of blog research of course ;). I’m not affiliated with the brand in any way and haven’t been able to even squeeze a few free samples from them so this post is purely written as an obsessed shopper. For those of you mindful of your skincare, Deciem is cruelty free and all the products are made in their factory in Toronto.
I love that the price point is so low you can sample many different types of products for the price of one conventional product, even cheaper than one drug store product actually. The shipping is great since it’s free on orders of $25 or more, but I’m even more excited to see that Sephora.ca has started carrying a few Deciem products. I was going to re-order my Sanskrit Saponins Cleanser from Sephora to take advantage of the beauty rewards and samples but unfortunately they where out of stock on Friday, so I went ahead and ordered off the Deciem site.
The Ordinary By Deciem
Sanskrit Saponins Cleanser (the spent up tube at the bottom) is probably the most expensive item from Deciem that I own at $29, and it comes from their more complex (and expensive) line called Niod. I love this cleanser so hard. It is weird to use because you MUST keep it out of your eyes. If you don’t it will burn for hours and you will look like you’ve been awake for 72 hours straight. It’s a simple soap nut cleanser but it really strips the dirt and oil out of your skin so your pores disappear after a week of using it. You will not have any need for a clarisonic with this deep pore cleanser. Beware that this really does strip your skin of natural oils, but it’s rebalancing. A few minutes after you’ve cleansed, your skin will start reproducing fresh, and clean sebum. It has not actually ‘dried’ out my skin at all which I tend to, irritated it or created excess oil production. You can use this as a cleanser (wiping it off with a wet cloth after washing your face) or you can leave it on like a mask and then wipe it off. This is definitely a repurchase product for me. From the Niod line I’ve also been wanting to buy the Copper Amino Isolate, but it’s $60 and I’m having fun with the Ordinary Line which is much cheaper.
Another item I’ve loved is the Lactic Acid 10% $6.70. I use this on my face as well as on my arms to deal with Keratosis Pilaris. It’s made a huge impact on my KP and has really smoothed my skin. It’s gentle enough to use on my face without irritating my very sensitive rosacea skin. I’ve purchased two more of these since I use it on my body as well as my face and run through it quicker. I’ve since switched to the PRO Retinol Body Oil $20 for my KP and alternate it and I also really recommend that because it’s smoothed out my dry rough skin and makes my skin really soft. Both are great, the body oil is a bit better because it moisturizes at the same time that it exfoliates.
I’ve been using the Advanced Retinoid 2% $9.80 and it’s really changed the surface of my skin. I find this is the best at preventative anti aging, and if you have sensitive skin like me you should use this one over the Retinol 1% $6.70. I purchased the Retinol 1% recently because it’s a more ‘potent’ form of vitamin A, but with just one use I had a very severe reaction. The reaction cleared up over night but my skin was extremely sore yesterday. Advanced retinoid gave me no reaction at all, and all the benefit of vitamin a. Retinoid takes a bit longer to see the benefits that you see with retinol but to me it’s more worth having calm happy skin and getting results a little later.
Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% $5.90 is another great one and if you have acne or sensitive reactive skin this is a great item to use along with your acne treatment. It’s got really great skin healing properties, balances sebum production and reduces inflammation. If you want to matify your skin, zinc is great.
Other honourable mentions are the anti aging items like ‘Buffet‘ $14.80 (chocked full of a variety of peptides, and Matryxl 10% $11.50 – both really plump up the skin and smooth out lines. I don’t use these that often but I do like to use them if I’m going out somewhere fancy. I’m more into the age prevention products than the age correcting products.
I’ve also tried and so far love the High Spreadibility Fluid Primer $7.90 for wearing below my foundation. It’s a high quality silicone primer that fills in lines and dryness and skin texture and allows you to spread your makeup quickly and evenly. I really like the way my makeup looks with this, especially my under eye area. The only negative I’ve seen is if you use slightly too much you do get a bit of makeup transfer (onto my phone to be specific) and it takes a bit longer to set. There is a second makeup primer meant for oily skin called High Adherence Silicone Primer – this one matifies and blurs pores.
Most of these products I’ve used are serum based and very easily layered together. The consistency is nice and light and feels slightly thicker than water and they absorb pretty quickly. They have information on their website on how to create a regime with these products and what order you should wear them. They pretty much all play nicely together except for Vitamin C and Niacinamide, in which case you either alternate days or do one at night and one in the morning. There are also oil products like Rose Hip Oil, Argan and Marula oil and those you would layer after your serums.
If you guys have any questions about any of the products here, or anything on their website you are curious about, let me know. I’m happy to discuss products in greater detail in the comments, but I wanted to share my skincare obsession with you in this post and give you a bit of a four month update since my November purchase.
This picture cracks me up. How’s this for a beauty guru photo?
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Sole Training Short Sleeve, Sole Training Crop
I would normally really like this Daisy Dust print but we’ve just seen so many variations of this speckled print over the past five months which have all ended up on WMTM that I just can’t get excited over it.
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Sole Training Tank and Sole Training Crops
It is such a shame this tank is mesh in the back because I love it otherwise. Although it does look like the armholes are a bit wide.
Heathered Illuminight Scuba Hoodie IV
Dark Chrome Speed Shorts, Sole Training Short Sleeve
Sole Training Long Sleeve, Sole Training 7/8 Tight
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Nothing for me today, although I do like the Illuminght Swiftly Racerback that the US got. I would have been interested in the Ulluminight Sole Training Tank if the back had not been mesh and if it wasn’t $64. I had an item on my wish list at Aritzia so since the upload was a bust for me I ordered it to try on. It’s the Assonance Dress. I got a similar style dress last summer and I wore it a ton so I’m hopeful this one is just as versatile and flattering.
Did you order anything today? it’s weird because I really like Poseidon and Illuminight but they just don’t feel spring enough for me – and after our horrible snowy winter I am in dire need of spring revival colors.
Happy Valentines Day my lovelies! Treat yourselves today!
Swiftly Tech Racerback Illuminight
Lost In Pace Long Sleeve and Short Sleeve Dark Olive
8% today!
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I know the bomber jacket style has been very polarizing on the blog ever since the Non-Stop Bomber Jacket dropped last week. I discovered I really love the bomber jacket style, but in particular I like the flight version, not the varsity version, and I don’t care for embroidery. I was surprised when the Lululemon one arrived at how light weight it is, and very disappointed in the reviews that have popped up online. Honestly it feels pretty flimsy stacked up against a same style from another brand, at the same price point.
Today I decided to try on a few that had caught my eye at Aritzia that where the same price (I tried on a few at a higher price point – $177 and $390) but I really gravitated to this Whitby Bomber, in this cedar rose color called Foulard. As you can see, I tried to quench the lust for this color with the purchase of the matching tee shirt (Valmere T-Shirt). I’ve tried this jacket on 5 times in the past few weeks and have decided to return the Lululemon Non Stop Bomber in favour of this one.
Whitby Bomber Size L
Black, Size L
I really was torn between the black and Foulard. The black is really beautiful, elegant and edgy and will go with everything, but the rose color makes me happy and feels like a really nice contrast between a masculine jacket style and an ultra feminine color.
This was another style at Aritzia that I also really liked, This is the Gilman Bomber priced at $174 and it also comes in a pretty soft pink called Venetian. My local store only had this Taupe color. The inside is lined with jersey and it’s significantly lighter weight than the Whitby Bomber, but also less structured. I opted out of this one because it was more expensive.
After purchasing the Whitby Bomber I decided to stop in at lululemon to get some fit comparison shots. I really dislike the way the Non Stop Bomber Jacket pockets are on the side of the jacket. This creates a bit of a horizontal poof at the waist. The other bomber jacket styles I tried on all have the pockets either on the front, or closer to the front and angled. I like that the jacket is light and perfect for warmer weather, but as I said above it also feels really delicate and flimsy. I don’t care for the reversed side in the matte textured swift.
Another thing to note here is that the SA at Aritzia convinced me to go with the medium vs. my regular size L. The M felt comfortable but it’s definitely more cropped. I erred on her suggestion because I’m losing weight (like actively working on it) so I don’t want to have an oversized bomber jacket in 3 months time. I am slightly worried though that I should have stuck with my regular size. I am 100% happy with the color though, and who knows, in a few months time I may break down and buy the black one too!
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| Lucent Tank, Align Pant II, Nike Romaleo II |
Sorry I missed last weeks Olympic lifting post. It’s been a really crazy week and I had to miss last weekends class. Today I wanted to give you guys an update on how my Whole 30 went and what I’m up to now as far as my nutrition plan. Whole 30 went really well and I had a lot of non scale victories but I was really disappointed to have only lost 6lbs total on it. It was really frustrating to have eliminated things I loved and thought where contributing to my weight gain only to learn that those things weren’t ‘the thing’ holding me back from weight loss. 6lbs in 30 days is not nothing, but it felt like a very restrictive diet for a moderate amount of weight loss.
I took a few days off of whole 30 at the start of this month and then decided to throw myself into the land of food weighing and measuring, and calorie counting. My plan of choice is the Flexible Dieting/IIFYM where you calculate your total daily calorie expenditure, and calculate your maintenance calories and then subtract 10% for a calorie deficit and macro nutrient ratio. The first week I worked on my own calculations but then this past week I decided to have my calculations done by a professional coach.
The IIFYM/Flexible Dieting plan is going well so far. I’m noticing a big difference but I’m also learning a lot. My protein requirements are very high and I see that I’ve never really hit those requirements before. It’s hard!!! I’m hitting them now by supplementing with protein powder, and eating a lot of egg whites and lean meats. Because I’ve increased my protein significantly, I’m having some gastro issues adjusting to the amounts – but I’m noticing a change in how my clothes are fitting which is crazy for just two weeks. I’ve also learned that going over on your daily fats is super easy if you are not eating the leanest meats possible, or even if you enjoy whole eggs or avocados, or nuts. My diet is very ‘clean’, but my calories quickly go over into surplus category by eating too much healthy fats, and too many fruits and veggies, and maybe not adjusting my daily calories enough when I opt to enjoy a glass of wine or two. I’m really liking that I can eat anything, as long as they fit within these macros of mine. The catch is that I have to eat foods that are nicely balanced, and that keep me full for longer. If I eat a cookie early in the day, that means that I have to eliminate a lot of foods that would keep me feeling full all day long. I’d really rather feel comfortably satiated and have plenty of energy vs. trading that in for a cookie. I made the mistake two days ago of making protein pancakes and that took out a huge chunk of calories and carbs really early on in the day and left no room for snacking on fruits and veggies in the mid afternoon. Those pancakes where a lot more calories than I’m used to so early on in the day!
I’m at officially 10lbs weight loss since January 2nd and I’m going to stick with this flexible dieting plan long term. I’ll keep you guys posted on how it’s going and what I’m learning, but so far so good!
Sorry for not having a ‘fit review’ post up this week. The early upload really threw me off, plus my store hasn’t received the new products yet (including the non stop bomber). I did get the two sizes of the Non Stop Bomber delivered today (my TTS, and a size up) and my TTS is definitely the size I want to keep. I like the look of the jacket on a lot. I’m not 100% sold on keeping it though because I’ve since seen two other bomber jackets I really like by other brands, one is a pink satin bomber jacket by Brunette The Label – based in Vancouver and you can even add lettering to the jacket ($165) and another one is a very similar satin olive color on sale at Aritzia for $68 (sorry, the only color on sale is an eggplant, olive is $138). Either way, I should probably try on a few different ones before settling on the Lululemon one.
Hot Like Agni Tight
Lost In Pace Long Sleeve, Gear Up Crop
Am I right that these are the Gear Up Crops? I seem to remember these got uploaded but now are off the website, and the closest I could find where the Gear Up Crops.
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