Product Review: evian Brumisateur Facial Spray and #AnytimeSpa Ideas + Giveaway

Hello hello! It’s a skincare review! Well, of sorts. Today’s post is all about the evian Brumisateur Facial Spray. I’ve been tasked by evian and Brandbacker to find creative uses for the spray to make my beauty routine feel like a spa treatment. Of course, since this is a nail blog, I’ve found a way to incorporate it into my manicure routine. Bottom line: this is a product that has a million uses just waiting to be discovered.

I was given this product by Brandbacker and evian. My opinions are my own and are not swayed by free stuff.

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So I was really skeptical of this at first. I thought “Weird, it’s water in a spray can, what a weird thing”. The more I played with it, though, the more I thought “Whoa, what can’t I do with this?” As silly as the idea seems, it’s actually really refreshing as a facial spray. I just wish it sprayed a little more finely; if one isn’t careful, one will end up more wet than refreshed.

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For this post, I used it to refresh my cuticles after cleaning them up with acetone. We all know how drying acetone is, and so after a mani, using a balm or oil to moisturize is imperative. As a blogger, I photograph my nails after cleaning up more often than not, and having balm or oil smudges on my nails is less than ideal. The evian spray is a great way to keep my skin from looking dry after exposing it to acetone while still keeping the finish on my nails pristine. It’s no substitute for a balm or oil, but it’s enough to ward off the dryness in time to take photos. All I did here was spray it on, dab off the excess with a tissue, and I was done. Apologies for the scruffy-looking polish; I’d had this polish on for like three days when I took these photos.

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Before and after

Of course, there are tons of other things you can use this for. evian suggests using it to prime skin before applying sheet masks, refreshing skin after at-home waxing, or to keep cool while you run a hair treatment. Here are some other uses I can think of:

Eyeshadow foiling: Use the evian spray to moisten your makeup brushes and/or pressed eyeshadows. This is more of a convenience than anything else; I love the look of foiled shadows but I’m usually too lazy to get up and get the water for it. Having this on the vanity table makes it fast and easy.

Basic refreshment: It’s November, but it’s still pretty warm here in Florida. It’s cool enough that running the air conditioner seems unnecessary, but it’s still pretty warm. A nice spritz of this on my face, neck, and feet, as well as a glass of ice cold cucumber water helps me cool down pretty easily. For fun, I sprayed a little on Boyfriend’s face. “It feels like a sea breeze,” he says. It’s especially nice after heat-styling my hair, which always makes me feel a little sweaty after.

Quick cleanse: If you use a powder cleanser in your skincare routine, you can use this spray to make the process a little simpler. Spray a microfiber cloth with evian, sprinkle the powder onto the wet cloth, and rub it together to combine them. Then, work the cleanser onto your skin and rinse. Also, use it with your powder clay masks as a rinse or a mixer. Or use it to refresh a mask that dries out too quickly.

I could go on, but I’ll let you tell me in the comments what you would use this for! Also, how about a giveaway? evian is giving sprays away to twenty lucky winners, so enter and try these tips out for yourself! evian Facial Sprays are sold at Sephora and evianspray.com; the can I have, the 5 fluid ounces size, retails for $12.50. Other sizes and multiple packs are available.

I was given this product by Brandbacker and evian. My opinions are my own and are not swayed by free stuff.

Swatch Sunday: Ulta’s Blue Streak

It’s Swatch Sunday again! This week’s polish is an old Ulta creme. Remember these square bottles? I’m not even sure they have these anymore, I think their polishes come in the round bottles with the big caps now. I’ve probably had this since 2010 or something. I love these blasts from the past, old polish is still good polish! This is Blue Streak; I’m wearing three coats with one coat of Seche Vite.

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Blue Streak is a deep blue creme polish. Application was good; I have no issues to report with the product consistency or formula. The first coat was a little streaky, but the next one evened it out nicely. The polish dries quickly and with a glossy finish; I used top coat for extra shine and protection.

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I’ve had this polish a long time, but it still goes on like it’s brand new. It’s a great creme with a great formula that wears well and looks fantastic. And, much to my surprise, it’s still available. I actually can’t believe it. I forgot how nice this polish is, and I feel sorta bad that I’ve been ignoring it.

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Blue Streak and other Ulta Collection polishes are available from Ulta.

I bought this polish myself.

Swatch Saturday: Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer’s Hypothermia

Happy Saturday, reader! Today’s Swatch Saturday is good. We’re looking at Hypothermia, a special Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer that’s never been sold alone — except during the annual Depression Awareness charity auctions — you always had to buy the winter collection as a whole. Perhaps it will make a return in this year’s winter collection! Here’s three coats of Hypothermia with one coat of Seche Vite. All photos were taken outdoors in direct sunlight.

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Hypothermia is a steely lavender holo with purple shimmers. Application was very easy; this polish has the usual perfect BEGL formula and product consistency and was very nice to work with. Depending on your application technique, you may only need one coat of this polish for a completely opaque look; others should stop at two. The shimmers, are easily detected in this polish, though it does blend in easily with the holo effect. The polish dries with a somewhat glossy finish; I used top coat for extra shine and holo emphasis.

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So, yeah. Hypothermia is a BEGL classic, and if you don’t own it, you’ve gotta get it. It’s the perfect purple for winter; it’s a deep, greyed-out shade, but the holo effect is strong if you’re lucky enough to get some sun. I definitely recommend grabbing this the next time it becomes available.

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From left to right: Direct sunlight, cloudy conditions, direct light again, but tilted for shimmer visibility

As I mentioned, Hypothermia was never sold separately outside of special events and was a gift with purchase of previous winter collections. Keep an eye on BEGL news to see if this lovely comes back. Other BEGL polishes are sold in their shop.

I bought this polish myself.

Empties Roundup: October 2016

It’s here, the Empties Roundup for October 2016! I used up a lot of fun things this month, and I’m pretty proud of the sheer number of them. Let’s get started!

Shea Moisture Hand and Body Scrub in Lavender and Wild Orchid

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The Shea Moisture sugar scrubs are my favorite thing. The sugar is coarse and abrasive (in the best way), the oil soaks into my skin quickly, and it’s pretty affordable at $9.99 for 12 ounces. Scrubs like these tend to be pretty expensive and come in small quantities at this price point; that’s what drew me to these in the first place. I’ll continue to buy these, but for now, I bought some scrubs from a local-ish maker in St. Augustine. One is almost nearly gone; I can’t wait to share those with you in next month’s post.

Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day Hand Soap in Lilac

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Last month I made it through the Peony soap, and now this one is gone, too. I’ve replaced it with the Honeysuckle scent that is very nice. These are the best liquid hand soaps.

Lush’s Snow Fairy Shower Gel

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I found this in the back of the bathroom cabinet. I must have had it for a few years. I opened it to sniff it, and then broke the cap as I was screwing it back on. Good job, Hulk. I liked this shower gel; I wasn’t big on the bubblegum scent but having glitter in it was enough to make me want to use it. Maybe I’ll buy it again if Boyfriend ever lets me step foot inside a Lush store again.

Le Couvent des Minimes Soothing Night Hand Cream in Lavender and Acacia

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This hand cream is the best. It’s so creamy and rich, and that’s nice, but the scent is my favorite thing. I love lavender-scented products, and sometimes the scents vary; this one has the lavender that smells right. I want to buy this again, but I remember it being kind of pricey, so we’ll see. I think this was already my second tube.

CeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser

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Is there such a thing as a cleanser being too gentle? I like that this doesn’t make my skin feel completely stripped and dried out, but that makes me wonder if it’s doing the job, because I still feel oily after. I used up a couple of these over the summer and replaced them with Cetaphil cleansers, and I definitely prefer this one to those. I’ll probably buy this again; it’s good for the price and it must be working if my face doesn’t look like pizza anymore.

Smashbox Photo Finish Blemish Control Primer

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I had this hanging around in the makeup drawer, and there wasn’t much left in it, so I used it as an interim primer, between running out and buying more. I don’t know how well this worked as a blemish treatment, because I used the majority of this product in the past, but it wasn’t bad for a primer. When this ran out, I bought the regular Smashbox Photo Finish primer.

Softlips Cube Lip Balm

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You guys, this is the thing I’m happiest about using up. I’ve probably had this for years. I’ve had it so long, I don’t even remember what the scent/flavor is. I did a search and they have two that come in pink containers, so your guess is as good as mine. I’m so happy to have used this thing up. It was lovely stuff, but I was ready to move on. I’m now using a lip balm from Curology, back when I was getting stuff from them.

LA Girl Nail Polish in Black

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This is another good one. It’s not often I actually use up a nail polish. It was something I used to do routinely, when I only had a few bottles. It never happens now that I have like 1,400. Of course, it’s only a black creme in a small bottle, but it’s progress. I’m now working on a Sally Hansen black creme I’ve had in the drawer.

And there you have it, the empties of October 2016! I cannot believe it’s already November. This year is so ridiculous! Did you use up anything this month? Tell me in the comments! Also, if you’ve done your own empties post, consider joining the linkup, courtesy of Cosmetopia Digest!

I bought these products myself.
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