Josie Maran Argan Oil Lip Treatment

From Josie Maran Cosmetics Website

Recently, upon trying to put on a lipstain and failing to have an even distribution of colour due to dry skin across my lips, I set out trying to find the most moisturizing treatment balm. I wanted something that would make the dry bits become one again with my lips and to have full moisture-rich lips.  I figured this was a great thing to look into for the fall and winter months coming up, and wanted to share one of my trials with you.

This cute little pot from Josie Maran contains her Argan oil lip treatment. A pink gel-cream that smells like green apple, it goes on well and feels cushiony on the lips. Only needing the smallest amount it stays on for a good amount of time and the smell dissipates quickly if you are sensitive to smells. 

All thats needed for one lip 

I found that if I wore this at night the dry skin would literally roll off my lips leaving healthy skin underneath. Lipstain goes on much easier I've found and I'm not even through my sample half-way yet! However, this product didn't make my lips feel more moist than normal, it just made them not look chapped anymore. Possibly with wearing this nightly it could get to this point, but I've fallen into bed off and on in the last week so I haven't tried this.

The thing about this product, like all Josie Maran products costs a pretty penny and doesn't give you very much. As you can see above thats my finger, which has a width of around a centimeter. The pot isn't much bigger, though it is cute and honestly reminds me of Aladdin's Lamp. It costs $20 USD, but since you only need such a small amount and a couple days of use to see results I think it would last quite awhile. (Plus the jar will look adorable on your vanity!)

Rating: 8/10 It lost a point for it's expensive price per product and lack of uber moisturized lips I was expecting but other than that this is a great product!

Best Nail Polish Removal System

I know, I know, you're all looking at screen wondering if I'm crazy for putting a tub on here. You can't pour from a tub onto a pad easily, right? And you are correct, BUT this simple tub holds a wonder originally brought to us from the seas. Sponge.

The Life Brand (found in Shopper's Drug Marts here in Canada) has honestly gone up in respect for me by coming out with this product. It's simple, it generates less waste, it costs less overall and it makes removing all kinds of nail polish (even glitters!) a breeze. Here's how it works:

Above view of the screw top lid

1) Unscrew the easy open top and remove the plastic seal

2) Locate the centre opening in the nail-polish-remover-soaked sponge. It should be a cross or an x shape.

3) Place finger inside and gently rub back and forth against the sponge. The sponge will easily brush away the polish without the normal rubbing needed with a cotton pad.

4) Presto! Your done!

It takes a bit longer with glitter of course but it's still much faster than normal as the bubbles in the sponge often catch on the glitter particles and pull it off. You might get some sponge breakage from this but only small pieces usually.

All in all, ever since I discovered this, I'm never going back to removing my nail polish regularily on my fingers again. Unfortunately, it doesn't work quite the same with toes as toes are stubby and lack fine motor movements (i.e. your toe kicks out and the tub falls over spilling the polish remover inside- I haven't tried it but I can totally see myself doing this), thus making me use normal cotton pads soaked in remover for toe nail polish.

You will have to replace this every once in a while as the sponge will eventually start to disintegrate from the polish remover (and get quite grungy looking) but it will last you easily 6 months if when it becomes a little drier due to evaporation you add some more polish remover to the tub yourself. 

I got mine for under five Canadian dollars at my local Shopper's Drug Mart and this is my second tub. They come in four varieties: Apricot, Lemon, Regular, and Acetone-free. The one pictured is lemon, but I think I could stand the smell of Apricot a little more. They still smell strongly of nail-polish remover but  they have a slight fruit scent to slightly tone it down (or at least not demand total attention of your sense of smell at once!) If you think about it the pros out weigh the cons.

Pros:

• Less polish remover used as it's used again and again each time you remove polish in the tub. 
• The tub cuts down on evaporation of the remover you are using while attending to each nail
• No cotton pad waste
• About the cost of regular remover
• Quicker removal time

Cons:

• Sponge will disintegrate with use
• The sponge starts looking dirty quickly (its all the polish colours mixed together)
• Only available in Canada

Overall, I love these as it makes removal pretty much one-handed so I can type/scroll/click the remote with the other at the same time. If you get the chance I recommend giving one of these a try!

Rating: 9/10 Because the sponge does fall to pieces with time and use

Skunk Smell

I don't know about anyone else, but to me an attractive trait is to smell nice, or at the very least not smell bad. The other night, my little dog Peppermint, fondly nicknamed Pepi, decided he would play with the visiting skunk at 4:00 in the morning and so promptly pestered my mom into letting him outside. I'm sure you understand the wonderful connotations of this as he returned quickly with a large yellow patch and squinty eyes. So, in case you love animals and also want to smell good even if they decide to become Pepe Le Pew, here's the best formula I've come across to getting rid of the stink.

From Google Images

For the Dog you'll need (all available at any drug store)
- 1 quart Hydrogen Peroxide 3%
- 1/4 cup baking soda
- Liquid Dish Soap (the gentler the better)
- Rubber or Latex Gloves
- An Open air tub

Directions:
1. Mix all the ingredients together in the open air tub, it will fizz this is the desired effect because the bubbles are oxygen being released to powerfully remove the smell molecules.
2. Immediately place dog in the tub and soak/massage the mixture into their coat for at least 5 minutes. Keep out of their eyes, nose, mouth, and ears or it will cause them pain. For the head you can carefully apply or multiple websites online suggest gentle douche solution as an alternative. (I've not used this, so I can't vouch for the effectiveness).
3. Wash them off with clean water (like with a spray hose as I did). And Presto clean little white dog again :D.

NOTE: Do NOT mix the solution together in a closed container, the release of oxygen will cause it to explode (not like fire explode, but like shaken pop can explode)! Also, it won't work if you store it, the solution will either explode from the storage container, or not work at all- it's the fizzyness that makes it work!

Room/Deck:
My recommendation is to hose down as much as you can with water and soap, however the new Febreeze works fairly well for furniture or rugs (though I do suggest airing them outside if you can). Any remaining smell can be captured with the remaining baking soda set out in open dishes around, mixed up every once in a while. The larger the dish and the more spread out the baking soda the more effective it will be (It's a Surface Area thing, I won't bore you with the details).

So, even though this isn't really a cosmetic post for you, it can be for your dog. (Unless of course you decided to go out and visit Mr. Black & White I suppose, lol.) Useful? Not useful? Comments are always welcome!

Peppermint, up close and adorable!