FIRST AID BEAUTY Ultra Repair Concentrate Review

At first, I did not like this product at all! I thought it was greasy and did not moisturize my skin..
But, after a few weeks, during a very dry winter and a bad eczema flare up, I gave this cream another try... and I love it! I felt bad how I treated this product when I first got it and I do hope it forgives me! You can purchase the First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Concentrate for around $35/Cad at Sephora.

This is great for eczema, it does a great job moisturizing... just need to give it time to sink in!

It is a bit greasy but then again its a concentrate and at times when I apply too much, I feel a residue on top of my skin... Sort of when you use those heavy body butters and sometimes it can be a bit sticky. I don't use this all over my body, only on extreme dry spots and on my face. You really have to take the time to rub this moisturizer in. It is a bit calming, I noticed it soothed the red or itchiness overnight.. it doesn't completely get rid of the redness or itching when you apply it but it does help.

Overall, it adds a long lasting moisturize to your skin, can be a little greasy at times and you need to take the time to rub it in... best to apply it at night. But it is a great product for dry skin and I will definitely repurchase it. I'm really curious on other products by First Aid beauty as well..

Elizabeth Arden - Visible Difference Refining Moisture Cream Complex Review

It's been a while since i've done a review on moisturizers. With winter coming my skin has already been misbehaving.

I have not noticed any differences in my skin since I've used this. I was assuming this would be like Cliniques "Even Better" moisturizer, which i have briefly used in the past and thought it worked wonderfully, the price on the other hand was not wonderful. I've gone through almost a whole bottle (refer to photo) and I feel like it's long enough to give a review.

First off, its barely moisturizing. My skin doesn't feel moisturized after using this. It doesn't leave a sticky residue or a greasy feeling at all. It has a faint scent, not bother to me. It's light weight.

I bought mine for around $30 dollars at costco for 2 jars. This goes for reg price @ $52/usd on their website for one jar. 2.5 oz/ jar. 

To conclude, I would not recommend this, I have not noticed a difference in my skin since using this and I find this to not be moisturizing. Pass.

I've seen this at multiple costco locations. I would check it out to see if your local location carries it before forking out $52 for a jar. 

VIB Haul

 Just some items I picked up at the latest VIB Sale. Reviews coming soon!

Duchess Bake Shop - Edmonton, AB

This is quite a popular spot in Edmonton, usually fairly busy and with a line. They offer a wide selection of pastries and do have a small selection of food.
One word: Overpriced. Lets add another word, ridiculously. Ridiculously overpriced.

They have delicious looking pastries and food. But the price they are asking for is too high. Granted there are a couple of items that are reasonably priced for a couple dollars. The taste of these pastries aren't outstanding. Subpar at best.

My friend had a Brioche Pepin, macaroons and meat quiche. While I had a Vegetarian Tartine with a side salad and pumpkin cream soup. I also purchased a Paris Brest.

First off, the Vegetarian Tartine has Roasted Pears with Brie. I found there were too many pears on there, and it offered too much of a sweet tartness to this dish. The pumpkin soup was delicious but cost an extra six dollars, which in my opinion is pretty ridiculous.

The Brioche Pepin was ... eh. It didn't really taste like anything, it was a very heavy pastry.

The Paris Brest, it was alright. Has a light praline mousse filling, was very light tasting. It was just nothing special. Just an average tasteless pastry.

The macaroons, this is a funny part. My friend bought the packaged one up because usually it's cheaper then buying them individually. While we were sitting there, she calculated the prices separately, if she had bought the same amount separately it would have been cheaper.

I like the interior and the looks of the dishes. They look classic and delicious. I dislike the price and the lack of flavor that accompany the prices. I would not recommend Duchess Bake Shop and would not be back.

The Rock, Wood Fired Kitchen - Red Deer, Alberta

"My My Hey Hey"

Ive tried it numerous times since it has opened and "rocked" Red Deer. Every time I am left unimpressed and unsatisfied.

I've had numerous dishes from this place since it's opened (Only one photo, the most recent one):
"Get Back Mac", I was expecting some good ol comfort food. It was bland, not cheesy enough
"Classic Rock" Pizza, the basic pepperoni pizza. This wasn't bad, not overly greasy but not overly special. I can get the same satisfaction from Delissio.
"Flirtin With Disaster" Actually not bad, had a nice balance with the sweetness from the onions and a nice minor kick to it.
"Bourban Chicken Wrap" Just a generic wrap to me, nothing stood out in this dish verse a wrap at other restaurants
"Beer Battered Fries" Now this I believe everyone just loves,
"Chicken in a Basket" The fries were the only good thing about this. Too much batter on the chicken.
"My My Hey Hey" This was my latest meal @ the rock. It was bland, tasteless and boring. I was super disappointing since i was craving a creamy and rich pasta dish that day. I would have been more satisfied with sidekicks.

Sorry The Rock but the only thing that I would go to the rock for are it's drink specials. I feel like almost every dish I have is boring, tasteless and just doesn't deliver.

Bamboo Hut - Sylvan Lake, Alberta

I may be a little biased in my Review, but i love almost every dish at this place. And if you don't, we can't associate.

"Mango & Pineapple Cream Cheese Stack" Cream Cheese stacked between deep fried rice patties topped with coconut. This is different, i like it but it's not what I usually salivate over. Its essentially a unstructured cheesecake with asian flare, its a must try but i find that not everyone loves it.

"Deep Fried Bananas with Mango Ice Cream" If you meet someone that doesn't like this dessert... run.

"Salad Rolls"I usually never order these at asian restaurants, most of the time they are paired off with hoisin sauce topped with peanuts. I personally find salad rolls to be pretty boring. But the peanut sauce that comes with these are amazing, especially when its nice and warm... mm. The peanut sauce is the star of this dish.

"Spicy Fried Squid" I liked this so much, I tried remaking it at home.... didn't turn out the same way. Its lightly battered, perfectly crispy with a nice hint of spice to it.

"Spicy Wonton Soup" The name says it all. Nicely seasoned wontons with a spicy broth and lots of veg.

The Curries I've had almost all the curries except the Red Chicken and Pork and Pineapple Red Curry. All these curries carry a creamy coconut base balanced out with numerous spices. I love the green curries, it has the perfect kick to it to blend with the coconut flavor.

Noodle Bowls You can't go wrong with vermicelli bowls. They're light yet filling with their beautifully charred meat.

"Chicken and Shrimp Pad Thai" a classic thai dish with intense flavors. You get the balance of sweet, spice and sour. Its a tasty and savory dish that almost everyone loves.

Cashew Chicken

"Cashew Chicken Stir Fry" to me, this is a great comfort dish right behind the green curry. The bell peppers add a nice sweetness to this savory dish. This isn't one of my favorites but I love it non the less.

"Hot Thai Stir Fry" , this is one spicy ass dish. It really helped my heart pump, they were not kidding with the name. Personally, prefer my go to Green Curry dish for spice but when I want something more, I hit up Hot Thai Stir Fry.

"Coconut Pineapple Chicken" If you like pineapple on your pizza, your most likely going to fall in love with this dish. I love the sweetness the pineapple brings to such a savory dish.

"Sues Seafood Stew" "tangy coconut satay sauce" is the perfect way to describe it. It makes your tastebuds do a little dance and you may be tempted to lick the bowl. If you like seafood, this is a must try.

Hot Thai stir fry

Those are just a few quick notes on the dishes I've tried at Bamboo hut. I will one day, try everything on their menu... but it is hard. It's hard ordering a new dish when you just salivate over a favorite. Not saying you'll be disappointed but when you crave something...

I recommend anyone in the area to try Bamboo Hut or their other family owned restaurants Blue Dragon and Sophears in Red Deer. If you have a love for asian food, you will be left wanting more.

First Julep Maven "Modern Beauty" Box

This is just a quick post about the "Modern Beauty" box I got! This took a lot longer then I expected to receive, they did send me a promo code for a free nail polish to apologize for the delay because I guess they realized it got sent out late. I was not sent this box, purchased it with my own money.

Each box has $40 worth of product, it costs you $25 dollars. I always passed on these boxes since I have no interest in nail polish. But I recently saw that they do offer make up products, so i decided to try it out. The "Modern Beauty" box comes with two full sized products each month.

The first "Modern Beauty" box comes with one pencil gel eyeliner and a small neutral eyeshadow palette. I thought the palette looked larger online, but its pretty small in person. Nice neutral tones, surprisingly pigmented. The pencil gel eyeliner was really smooth, I've never used gel liners in pencil form before but so far am impressed. Ill have a more detailed review on both these products later.

On the way to check out, they of course entice you to other items for a good deal. And I am a sucker for those promos, so I picked up the "Konjac Cleansing Sponge" for $6.99 where as the reg price is $12.00. First thoughts: I've used a cleansing sponge before, only from Saje. I loved it and was hoping this would be the same deal. Except this came already wet/soaked in a cleanser? Where as the one at Saje is a dry sponge that poofs up when under water. I also picked up the "Blank Canvas Mattifying Make Up Primer" for $13.99, where reg price is $28.00. Also have more detailed reviews on these products in the upcoming future.

At the moment, I don't see this box being worth $25 dollars a month or $20 /month for a 3 month plan. I only went for one month just to see the products performance by this company. I ordered this on October 2nd and I got it October 31, they did notify me and apologize that my package would be 2-5 business days behind schedule, they also offer tracking for each package, which comes in handy.

I'll keep you updated on product performance and my thoughts!

Size comparison in my hand.. 

Light swatches of eyeshadows