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Clear Skin with Neutrogena – Oil-Free & Pink Grapefruit Solutions Review!

January 5, 2016 Leave a Comment

Here we are… a very cold and grey 2016! We were doing so well – I truly believe we were going to get through winter with the 10C+ temperatures unscathed… Although we seem to have avoided the 4-foot snow piles (for now), the weather is still harsh against my sensitive skin.

Lately, I have been facing a series of unfortunate breakouts – I’m sure it’s because of the harsh, icy temperatures, or the relentless dry winds. I wish it was socially acceptable to wear ski masks out in public without looking like I’m about the rob a bank, because I’d be all over that trend. These breakouts are different from my typical hormonal bouts and the teenage acne I was once cursed with. My skin becomes more sensitive during the winter months, resulting in a rigorous exfoliation regime that seems to have resulted in excess facial oil and sebum production.

Fortunately, I was given to opportunity to trial Neutrogena’s Rapid Clear anti-spot gel, as well as their oil-free products and signature pink grapefruit line!

I am very familiar with the pink grapefruit line – many of the products formed the basis of my high school skincare holy grail. Neutrogena’s oil-free pink grapefruit line focus on cleansing, hydrating, and soothing acne-prone skin which is often difficult to achieve in the Winter months, where everything seems to be dried out and dull. Oh how I love winter.

CLEANSER
The Neutrogena oil-free acne wash is an alcohol-free cleanser that provides deep cleaning without overdrying the skin. This wash penetrates deep down to clean pores to help prevent blemishes by removing excess oil and surface buildup. It feels refreshing on the skin! I also feel like it helped to clear up my acne as it contains salicylic acid to provide intensive deep cleansing. The formula is also gentle enough for daily use.

MOISTURIZER
When suffering from acne, it is important to keep the skin clean and hydrated. Neutrogena’s oil-free formula works well with sensitive skin. Some anti-acne cleansers can make the skin feel dry, and possible cause peeling and flakiness. This makes it difficult to apply makeup may even cause acne to appear worse than it is. It is essential to moisturize the skin- I recommend choosing a non-greasy water-based formula that won’t clog pores and fights acne fast! Remember – moisturizing is necessary to keep skin looking healthy and smooth!

BODY WASH
For those suffering from breakouts on the chest, back, or shoulders… look no further! The Neutrogena pink grapefruit body wash is made with 100% natural derived grapefruit extract and vitamin C. The scented body gel is super refreshing, and is gentle enough for everyday use!

SPOT TREATMENT
Don’t you hate it when you have one big obnoxious zit sitting in the middle of my face? For about a week, I had a stupid zit lurking underneath my skin – it was red and painful and all-around unpleasant. The Neutrogena Rapid Clear spot gel is a clear gel that is applied directly to the zit and lasts up to eight hours! Spot treatments are an excellent solution for drawing out and healing those annoying lurkers. It can be reapplied continuously as needed, and has a soothing cooling sensation.

You can find most of these Neutrogena items in department stores and pharmacies. You can also find additional information, and purchase the products at Neutrogena.ca!

*This post was sponsored by Neutrogena, but as always it’s 100% my honest opinion!

How I Edit My Photos ft Corel PaintShop Pro X8

November 8, 2015 Comment : 1

Hello lovelies!
I often get questions about how I edit my cosplay and blog photos…whether that be fashion, food, or product photos! Thanks to the partnership I have with Corel on this post, I am sharing tips on photo editing using PaintShop Pro X8!

PaintShop Pro X8 is basically a fast, easy, powerful, and affordable photo editing program with almost all the power of Photoshop at an affordable price! Adobe is the big name in the industry for creative editing programs and the one I’m most used to, but my dad favours Corel and subsequently gave me lessons on how to use the program haha! The roles have reversed… It’s very easy to pick up though, and has a lot of creative options.

So, let’s get started!

The basics:

I have a few different items in my photography/ video kit that I use. I am currently using the Canon T3i as my DSLR camera. I typically pair it with the 18-55 kit lens, and the 50mm f/1.8 portrait lens. I use my DSLR and a Nexxtech for video and fashion/outfit posts!

I have a set of Cowboy Studio lights which I use to light my videos and sometimes product photos if I don’t have good indoor lighting.

For photos of makeup, food, and anytime out and about on the streets, I use my Canon G7X, which is a micro four-thirds camera! (Think of it as the lovechild between a standard point and shoot and DSLR)… Many of the DSLR capabilities in the body of a point and shoot! Very handy and easy to carry around.

Editing…

Although photos can still look great straight from the camera, editing makes quite a noticeable difference!

Here’s an example from my Halloween outfit post… (You can see the full post here)

This is the raw photo from my camera… It looks okay, but there’s a lot that can be done to improve it!

The same photo, with increased brightness and contrast, tweaked levels and curves, and a boost in saturation!

Makes a bit of a difference, doesn’t it?

Now, I’ll be showing you how I edit photos using Corel PaintShop Pro X8! The program itself is very similar to Photoshop except with more accessible creative options! One of my favourite features is the instant effects! It’s kind of like preset Photoshop actions.

(click image to enlarge)

There are lots to choose from! The one applied on the top photo was called Fade Correct Small, which added subtle blur and focusing and changed the colour balance to be more blue/cyan. This is typically how I edit my photos anyway, so it’s convenient to be able to do it in one click!

Another example for an upcoming post, which I edited entirely with Corel Paint Shop Pro! It’s a recipe post…. Here’s one of the unedited photos…

Now, let’s work on this photo! Like my other photos, I’m going to increase the contrast, up some of levels, and work with the curves.

Looking much better, right? PaintShop Pro also has a one-step photo fix, or a smart photo fix which can put the unedited photos beside the work area so you can see your edits instantaneously!

There are lots of other features which make it a great alternative to Photoshop! Definitely a blogger friendly program, and much cheaper than Photoshop! I don’t know about you, but I’m super impatient and I’d rather take photos than sit down and edit for hours… I want my photos to look good, but I hate editing! Paintshop X8 is a great solution!

Here’s another examples of the things you can do…

Looks cool, right? Luckily for you, Corel is offering up to 30% off the price of Corel Paintshop Pro X8! And check this out — Here’s a campaign coupon for $20 off the purchase or upgrade of PaintShop Pro X8 (Pro & Ultimate)! Just use the code 2930 Click here to find out more…

Have fun! Thanks for reading, and let me know what you think!

xox,

Sachie

Youtube | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Bloglovin

*This post was sponsored by Corel

Acne Free with Clean & Clear

October 26, 2015 Leave a Comment

Hello lovelies!

My battle against acne has spanned over the past ten years. I’ve tried almost every acne-fighting cleanser, scrub, astringent, pad, or cream in the drug store. Fortunately, I’ve found what works for me, and my acne has been at an all time low! You can find out what’s in my current skincare regime by checking out my skincare tag.

I recently had the opportunity to try out Clean & Clear‘s three step cleansing system! I remember using these products when I was a teen, so it’s a real throwback. The three step system includes a cleanser, a deep cleaning astringent, and a moisturizer. If I remember correctly, It retails about $14 – $15 at most drugstores (like Walmart!)

The products target dull skin and acne, in order to hydrate and even skin tones. There are three simple steps: cleanse, tone, and moisturize…

The Essentials Foaming Facial Cleanser has a gel formulation with Vitamin C and ginseng. It has a light citrus scent which is really nice to use in the mornings. It also contains soft bursting beads that work to gently exfoliate the skin. After cleansing, it did make my face feel quite dry. I have combination skin at the moment, but I imagine this would work well for those that have oily skin types or suffer from excess sebum.

The cleanser is meant to be followed by the Essentials Deep Cleaning Astringent. This toner targets the additional dirt or makeup that is left behind after cleansing. Acne fighting ingredients such as salicylic acid treat and prevent blackheads, pimples, and breakouts.

Again, this product is quite drying. You’re supposed to take a cotton pad and wipe it over areas such as your T-zone, or any other places where you make have excess oil. I would only recommend using it once a day, and make sure to moisturize right after!

And finally, the Dual Action Moisturizer. The oil-free formula helps to moisturize and provide additional acne treatment to the skin. I really like this moisturizer! It absorbs and dries quickly on the skin without feeling sticky or oily. It feels cool and tingly on the skin at first which is great.

Overall, I don’t think this set is for me as oily skin and acne protection aren’t my primary skin concerns at the moment. If you’re suffering from excess oil or frequent bursts of facial acne, I would highly recommend for you to check this out!

Have you tried Clean and Clear products before? What are some of your favourite acne-preventing products?

Thanks for reading!

xox,

Sachie

Youtube | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Bloglovin

*PR sample provided by Johnson & Johnson Inc for consideration!

Hallmark Itty Bitty’s and Fan Expo Pass Giveaway!

August 17, 2015 Comments : 32

Heya lovelies! I’ve got another exciting (and incredibly cute) post for all of you today! Stay tuned until the end of the post for a very special giveaway – one weekend pass to a lucky winner for Fan Expo Canada, courtesy of Hallmark Canada!

What’s the first thing that comes to your mind when you think of Hallmark? For me, it’s birthday cards and seasonal decorations! I lovelovelove sending out Christmas cards every year, especially doing my annual card exchange with friends…Gives me an excuse to go shopping for the pretty glittery cards printed on heavy cardstock. I love me some cardstock ok?

But! Hallmark has come out with the cutest little set of plushies. They remind me of upright Tsum Tsums (adorable and collectable… I feel an addiction coming on…) They’ve released a set of geeky Itty Bitty’s of characters that I’m sure many of you will be familiar with. Even better – Hallmark will be at Fan Expo this year! This will be their first time exhibiting at Fan Expo, and their booth has a lot of fun things in store. Hyap is gonna help me model some of them today 😀

I’ll be doing a meetup at the Hallmark booth this year at Fan Expo! I’ll be posting the times/location on my social media so make sure you’re following me on twitter, facebook, and instagram.

Let’s start with… The Avengers! (Well, half of them anyway!) Iron man, the Hulk, and Captain America!

Which one is your favourite? I’m always Team Cap because I’m pretty weak when it comes to muscular, blonde hair, blue eyed men in muscle suits. Hnnnnnnggggggg.

Can’t stop this bromance! HEHEHE. #civilwar

We can’t miss out on Spidey, can we? Don’t worry, you’ve got some marvel-ous friends. (Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha hahahahahahaha) There’s also a set of Itty Bitty’s which includes the Superman, Wonder Woman, Batman etc if you’re more of a DC fan.

Another set that I’m super super super excited for is the Star Wars set! If you haven’t already heard, there’s going to be a new Star Wars Movie coming out in 2016! It’s highly anticipated and everyone seems to be talking about it. As someone who watched Starwars quite late (….last month), I can’t wait to see the revamped version. I don’t think I can fully appreciate the early 2000s graphics. Anyway, I’ve got quite a few Star Wars goodies to show you…

Han Solo and Princess Leia! Look at these cuties~ You can get them as a pair in this adorable set!

Family portrait 😀

Here’s a lil’ R2D2! I’m sure if you’ve ever been to a comic convention, you’ve seen one of these guys whizzing around. There’s always a remote controlled one at Fan Expo, and it’s super cool! He makes noise and his head spins around 😀

If you’re a big Star Wars fan, you can even find this exclusive collectors set! How cute are these? These would make a really cute gift for friends and family who are fans – definitely look out for these in my Christmas gift guide! 🙂

The force is strong with this one! How could we miss Darth Vader?

So many cute plushies! Make sure to check them out at Fan Expo where you can pick up some cool collectables, or at your local Hallmark Store! Itty Bittys are 6.95 each and you can find them at your local Hallmark store.

Now for the fun part…. GIVEAWAY TIME! I’ve teamed up with Hallmark to bring you an awesome prize! 😀

This giveaway is for 1 weekend pass for Fan Expo Canada, which takes place in Toronto, Ontario. Make sure to enter if you were thinking about attending! It’s Canada’s largest comic convention, and it’s a huge show with some great guests! Here are some of the guests that are headlining the con!

Just fill out the Gleam widget below, and 1 lucky winner will be randomly selected on August 24, 2015! I will announce the winner on my social media and contact you by email. You have 24 hours to respond or else I’ll select a new winner!

Fan Expo Weekend Pass Giveaway from Sachie&Hallmark!

Thanks for reading, and best of luck in the giveaway!

I’ll be doing a meetup at the Hallmark booth this year at Fan Expo! I’ll be posting the times/location on my social media so make sure you’re following me on twitter, facebook, and instagram. 😀

Thanks for reading!

xox,
Sachie

You can also catch me here: YOUTUBE | TWITTER | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | BLOGLOVIN!

*This post is sponsored by Hallmark, but as always it’s 100% my honest opinion!

Silk’n Flash & Go Compact – 3 Months Later

The Ultimate Girls Night In With The Bachelorette Canada and Two Oceans Wine!

Power To The Period!

Spirited Away