Love your planet with Shoppers Drug Mart Quo Beauty and TerraCycle!

Welcome to Earth Month and can I just say that I love it when companies do more than just pay lip service to environmental commitment!

 

Such is the case with Shoppers Drug Mart - just a little under a year ago saw the launch of “More Planet Love” by Quo Beauty which includes over 500 products with more sustainable packaging, using recycled plastics, mono-materials and reduced plastic packaging. Additionally, the entire Quo Beauty lineup is vegan, cruelty-free, and PETA-certified, further contributing to a more sustainable planet. 

 

If you are looking for a great intro to the products check out: 

Quo Beauty More Planet Love Picks - $29.99 - a curated set of products include a shimmer lip oil, mascara and eyeliner made with a minimum 70% naturally-derived ingredients and 30% recycled plastic.

 

Following that up, Shoppers Drug Mart is launching the new Quo Beauty Cosmetics Free Recycling Program in partnership with international recycling leader TerraCycle which introduces a convenient solution for customers to recycle empty Quo Beauty cosmetics components and keep plastic packaging from going to landfills and incinerators. For each pound of cosmetics waste shipped in through the recycling program, $1 will be donated to Shoppers Foundation for Women’s Health - which creates equitable and accessible care for all women in Canada, empowering them to lead healthier lives. 

 

How does the TerraCycle program work? It's easy peasy - just collect your eligible empty Quo Beauty and get a prepaid shipping label to send them in by signing up on the TerraCycle program page here. Once collected, the cosmetic packaging is cleaned and separated by material type, and then recycled into raw formats that manufacturers use to make new products. 

 

The Quo Beauty products that can be recycled include: plastic and glass tubes, pots, pumps, sprays and jars; lipstick, lip balm, lip gloss tubes and wands; mascara tubes and wands; eyeliner pencils and components; eyeshadow and bronzer components; foundation packaging; powder components and concealer tubes and sticks.

What can't be recycled: nail polish bottles; nail polish remover bottles; makeup wipes and sponges; makeup brushes and pressurized canisters (including aerosol cans).

 

The Quo Beauty Cosmetics Free Recycling Program is open to any individual, school, office or community group. To learn more about TerraCycle’s recycling process for cosmetic packaging, please visit www.terracycle.ca/how-terracycle-recycles-beauty-products.  

- Lisamarie -

Fragrant Friday - Marc Jacobs Daisy Wild

Melting snow, crocuses and longer days are all signs that spring is on it's way but the real harbinger of spring for me is the arrival of the new Daisy fragrance from Marc Jacobs that appears in stores every year around this time....

Marc Jacobs Daisy Wild - 30ml EDP - $120, 50ml EDP - $151, 100ml - $194 - a floral scent

reminiscent of a bouquet of wildflowers with a top of banana blossom accord; heart notes of  jasmine and macadamia accord; and base notes of sandalwood and vetiver des sables. 

 

If a floral fragrance is your springtime bliss then this one is going to be your jam. I was hoping the macadamia and sandalwood were going to make it a warmer fragrance but it smells totally fresh and floral-like on me - with the jasmine being the most prevalent note.

 

What I really adore though is the bottle, a wild daisy has been added to the bouquet on the cap and there are flower stems peeping through the light green juice in the bottle making it beautifully decorative on your dressing table.

 

Also, for the first time ever, this Daisy fragrance is fully refillable - with a 150ml refill format for $215  that you can use to top up any of the bottles.

 

Available at Shoppers Drug Mart and Sephora stores across Canada and online at beauty.shoppersdrugmart.ca and sephora.ca. 

- Lisamarie -

This week I'm obsessed with... Shoppers Beauty Bundles!

If you love a sampler set as much as I do be sure to check out your local Shoppers Drug Mart right now for several bundle options including the one the skincare junkie in me loves the most...

 

Shoppers Beauty Skin Protect Beauty Bundle -  $70 - a curated kit chock full of 15 deluxe samples that will help protect skin and act as a barrier against environmental aggressors like sun damage, pollution and blue light - valued at over $175 including: Biotherm Cera Repair Barrier Cream with Ceramides, Clarins Hydra-Essential Silky Cream, Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion+, Elizabeth Arden Prevage Anti-Aging Daily Serum, Estee Lauder Nutritious Melting Soft Creme/Mask, It Cosmetics Confidence In A Cleanser Cleansing Gel, Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream, Lancôme Advanced Genifique Youth Activating Serum, Nudestix NudeSkin Citrus-C Mask & Daily Moisturizer, Origins Clear Improvement Active Charcoal Mask To Clear Pores, Shiseido Ultimune Power Infusing Concentrate, Smashbox Photo Finish Primerizer + Hydrating Primer, The Body Shop Edelweiss Daily Serum Concentrate, Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray and Lise Watier Sublimessence High Hydration Probiotic Serum. 

 

Each sample contains enough product to be able to try it out for a week or two to give you get a good idea of how well it works for you before springing for the full size - so far the Estee Lauder mask and The Body Shop serum are on my to-buy list! And if your skin leans more towards the sensitive, there is also a Shoppers Beauty Derm Sensitive Skin Beauty Bundle for $45 full of products to nurture and soothe.

 

If you want to try the latest and greatest products of the year then check out the Shoppers Beauty Viral Trends Beauty Bundle -  $70 - containing 10 beauty products: 1 full-size lip oil, and 9 deluxe samples including: Butter London Mellow The Yellow Nail Brightening Treatment, Buxom Power Line Plumping Lip Liner, Clinique Almost Lipstick In Black Honey, Drunk Elephant B-Goldi Bright Drops, Kylie Cosmetics KyLash Volume Mascara, Laura Mercier Translucent Loose Setting Powder Ultra-Blur, Narciso Rodriguez For Her Eau De Toilette, NARS Laguna Bronzing Powder, R.E.M. Beauty Essential Drip Lip Oil (FULL SIZE!) and Virtue Labs Virtue Healing Oil. 

 

Or if you are looking to spread the beauty love grab a Shoppers Beauty 7 Days of Love Beauty Bundle -  $55 - which contains 7 Hearts, 7 Beauty Products and 7 Notes of Gratitude to Express Your Love - whether you gift it to one special person in your life or unpack the gift set and gift it to 7 special people in your life! Each heart contains one deluxe sample of the following: Lancôme Lash Idole Mascara; Smashbox The Original Smooth & Blur Primer; Too Faced Deluxe Lip Injection Extreme In UC; Lise Watier Waterproof Eyeliner Brun Noir; NARS Orgasm Blush 1.2g; Shisiedo ModernMatte Powder Lipstick; and Nudestix Mini Nudies Matte All Over Face Bronzer - SunKissed. You can also feel good that 10% of the proceeds of this Beauty Bundle will go towards supporting Shoppers Foundation For Women's Health - which is committed to fostering health equity for all women in Canada in collaboration with over 360 charities by increasing awareness of women's health issues and ensuring equitable and accessible care so all women in Canada can live healthier lives.

 

Available now at Shoppers Drug Mart stores across Canada and online at beauty.shoppersdrugmart.ca.

 

- Lisamarie -

This week I'm obsessed with... Nivea Luminous 630 Dark Spot Solution Advanced Serum!

Nivea introduces a new revolutionary science-backed dark-spot solution that works...

 

Nivea Luminous 630 Dark Spot Solution Advanced Serum - 30ml - $49.99 - visibly reduces the look of dark spots in as little as 2 weeks, with dark spots looking less intense after each application, and then a more luminous complexion revealed in 12 weeks.

 

The formula contains patented Luminous630 - which acts on existing pigmentation to reduce the appearance of dark spots and hyaluronic acid - to effectively smooth skin and intensely hydrate.

 

The serum has a thicker texture which is good for me as I prefer to wear just a serum without a cream on top, the negative though was the scent, which I found a little strong, although it did dissipate quickly so it wasn't prohibitive. After using it for 2 weeks I did find that my dark spots seemed lighter and my skin looked brighter - nothing dramatic but definitely an improvement!

 

Also available in the Luminous 630 Dark Spot Solution collection is: Even Tone Cream - 50ml - $49.99 - for face, neck and decollete - use on its own or also great for layering over the serum if you have drier skin; and Eye Cream - 15ml - $49.99 - anti-dark circles as well as containing caffeine to reduce under eye puffiness and the appearance of eye bags.

Available now at drug and mass retailers across Canada.

- Lisamarie -

This week I'm obsessed with... Ole Henriksen Pout Preserve Peptide Lip Treatment newness!

Just when I thought Pout Preserve couldn't get any better...

 

Ole Henriksen Pout Preserve Peptide Lip Treatment - $30 - an advanced lip treatment with skin-supporting peptides and kokum butter that instantly hydrates and improves elasticity; smooths, brightens and revives dull lips; reduces the look of fine lip lines and quickly, visibly plumps for fuller looking lips in just one week.

What's new is that in addition to my already beloved Original with a sheer tint and citrus scent - it now also comes in 3 new tints and scents: Strawberry Sorbet - mauve pink tint and strawberry scent; Blood Orange Spritz - red-orange tint and blood orange scent; and Cocoa Creme - chocolate brown tint and rich hot chocolate scent.

Scent-wise I think the Original is still my fave but colour-wise I am loving the Strawberry Sorbet tint - it adds just enough colour to add some polish without having to worry about it smearing or wearing off in blotches - this is something I am going to be reaching for often - Original at night, Strawberry during the day, my lips are set!

Available now at Sephora stores across Canada and online at sephora.ca.

- Lisamarie -

This week I'm obsessed with... Fenty Skin Cherry Dub Blah 2 Bright 5% AHA Face Mask!

I have tried a lot of different masks in my skin care life but I have to admit, cherry is a first for me...

 

Fenty Skin Cherry Dub Blah 2 Bright 5% AHA Face Mask - 75ml - $53 - a  brightening jelly face mask for all skin types with Barbados Cherry - loaded with vitamin C - to reduce the look of dark spots, visibly brightening and evening skin tone; and 5% AHAs - to gently exfoliate - leaving skin visibly plump and bouncy in minutes while over time improving the look of pores, dark spots, fine lines and wrinkles. 

 

Aside from the skin benefits I loved the cherry scent - and it's not a little bit cherry, it's a bunch cherry - it reminds me of cherry chapstick which is a nostalgically wonderful scent for me!

The only thing I was concerned about was the AHAs - I have sensitive skin which sometimes will react to stronger ingredients but I didn't have any issue at all - just nice smooth skin. I did find that with the thicker, gel texture that using a washcloth to remove it was a lot more effective then the usual water splash (and added a bit of extra exfoliation) - overall, I'm a fan!

 

Available at Sephora stores across Canada and online at sephora.ca and fentybeauty.com.

 

- Lisamarie -

This week I'm obsessed with... Korres Black Pine Up-Lift Contouring Serum!

Sick of ageing, sagging and loose skin? This new lifting and contouring serum from Korres offers targeted anti-ageing benefits to reveal tighter and more youthful skin...

 

Korres Black Pine Up-Lift Contouring Serum - 40ml - $68.00 - a targeted gel serum with a rollerball applicator designed to lift the appearance of the jaw, cheek and neck for a more defined looking facial and neck contour and a youthful-looking complexion.

 

Powered by a potent 4D BIO-SHAPELIFT complex that works to lift the skin; while antioxidant-rich black pine supports skin elasticity and firmness, helping to improve the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. Featuring a unique massaging roller applicator, it fits effortlessly into the skins natural facial contours .

 

I really do appreciate how the light serum texture means that it easily goes under my regular moisturizer so I don't have to replace a favourite product, I can just add on the benefits and the roller applicator is very cooling which helps add an instant tightening effect!

 

Available online now at korres.com.

 

- Lisamarie -

Fragrant Friday - Gucci Flora Gorgeous Magnolia

Floral fanatics rejoice,  there is another addition to the Gucci Flora lineup:

 

Gucci Flora Gorgeous Magnolia - 10ml EDP Mini - $45, 30ml EDP - $120, 50ml EDP - $153, 100ml EDP - $206 - a chypre floral fragrance with top notes of dewberry and coconut; heart notes of magnolia, jasmine sambac and clary sage; and base notes of musk, patchouli and blonde woods.

 

Floral scents really aren't my thing - I can say it's not a cloying or overpowering floral but what I can comment on is the bottle - love it! It is so pretty and the purple really makes it stand out - am I one of those people who will buy a fragrance just for the bottle? I admit to nothing!

 

Available at Shoppers Drug Mart, Sephora and Holt Renfrew stores across Canada.

 

- Lisamarie -