WORTH THE HYPE? Rio Deo Aluminum-Free Deodorant Review

Summer has arrived, which means another reason to get my hands on a new deodorant :p

Brand spanking new on Sephora.ca, I made my purchase online and got it in 4 days!

A lil bit pricey at $21 CAD for 57g – I admit I love the scent way too much so, take my money!

I’m sure everyone is familiar with the scent by now… if you’re not, you’re definitely missing out ;)) it smells of coconut, vanilla and sandalwood, similar to physician’s formula butter bronzer but a tad bit stronger.

I adore the bum bum cream but wished it was a bit more moisturizing. The scent stays on overnight and I love the way it melts into my sheets.

The deodorant boasts the following:

• Prevents odor all day
• Soothes irritation from shaving
• Leaves underarms feeling softer, smoother, and more moisturized
• Has a fragrance that lasts all day
• Does not leave white residue or oil stains on clothing
• Is the best aluminum-free deodorant they’ve ever used

Ingredients:

Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Tapioca Starch, Stearyl Alcohol, Magnesium Hydroxide, Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Triethyl Citrate, Parfum (Fragrance), Oryza Sativa (Rice) Bran Wax, Behenyl Alcohol, Polyglyceryl-3 Stearate, Mangifera Indica (Mango) Seed Butter, Platonia Insignis Seed Butter, Lactobacillus/Papaya Fruit Ferment Extract, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Vaccinium Myrtillus Fruit/Leaf Extract, Carica Papaya (Papaya) Seed Oil, Saccharum Officinarum (Sugar Cane) Extract, Citrus Limon (Lemon) Fruit Extract, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Fruit Extract, Acer Saccharum (Sugar Maple) Extract, Tocopherol, Benzyl Alcohol, Benzyl Salicylate, Coumarin, Hydroxycitronellal, Limonene.

Source: soldejaneiro.com

Comes in a plastic roll up tube

Size comparison to my hand

The amount you get in a bottle

THOUGHTS:

Used it for a week now, everyday for about 8 hours. My thoughts are on the 8 hour time frame.

1. Scent

Amazing scent, the same as the bum bum cream. I could smell it fading away after the 4 hour mark.

2. Application

Smooth roll on, leaves abit of a white cast initially but wears off after 10 minutes. I noticed a sticky feeling underarm for a good 15 minutes or so before it feels waxy.

I’ve read comments about it being an aluminum free deodorant, therefore being more organic and leaves a waxy feel.

Not sure about the comments/claims but this is what I experienced so far after a week of usage.

3. Longevity

Because it leaves a waxy feel, I can’t really tell if my armpits are sweating, or if it’s the remains of the deodorant. I know, tricky. It definitely is causing mixed feelings, ha!

I do think it lasts for a good 2-3 hours before reapplication.

Overall, do not recommend this if you’re looking for a heavy duty deodorant to wear to the gym. Would recommend for fun days, like to the beach (if you wanna smell good). The scent is very worth is, but deodorant itself does not perform its job.

Does not do a great job at keeping sweaty pits away, and I consider myself to have not-very-sweaty pits at all. To the sweatier people, beware!

Definitely wished it did a better job at keeping the sweats away considering that price tag, but oh well, keeping it for the scent 😉

REVIEW + COMPARISON: Anessa Skincare BB Foundation SPF50+ vs D Program Allerdefense BB Essence SPF43+

Hola hola, it’s the month of May! My first post of the almost-summertime. Time to whip out your sunscreens, everyone!

The battle of two very famous bb sunscreens: Anessa Perfect UV Skincare BB Foundation vs D Program Allerdefense BB Essence. Both sunscreens boast high SPF protection with skincare properties, as well as coverage of a BB cream.

Of course.. I had to get both.

Anessa BB 25ml – shade Natural, D Program Allerdefense BB 40ml, shade Natural

Anessa Perfect UV Skincare BB Foundation:

Claims: “Aqua Booster Technology, that enhances UV protection veil on contact with sweat and water. Waterproof, can be removed with regular makeup remover, moisturizing and conditioning ingredients. Covers pores and spots naturally” Source: Anessa Shiseido Website

Ingredients:

Dimethicone, Water, Zinc Oxide, Titanium Dioxide, Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate, Alcohol, Diisopropyl Sebacate, Caprylyl Methicone, Isododecane, Butylene Glycol, Octocrylene, Hdi/​Trimethylol Hexyllactone Crosspolymer, Glycerin, Silica, Trifluoropropyldimethyl/​Trimethylsiloxysilicate, Diethylamino Hydroxybenzoyl Hexyl Benzoate, Petrolatum, PEG-9 Polydimethylsiloxyethyl Dimethicone, Dextrin Palmitate, Bis-Ethylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenyl Triazine, PEG/​PPG-14/​7 Dimethyl Ether, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Oil, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Dimethicone/​Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, PPG-17, Aluminum Hydroxide, Disteardimonium Hectorite, PEG-10 Dimethicone, Isostearic Acid, Stearic Acid, Tetrahydropyran Tetramethylcyclotetrasiloxane, Trisodium EDTA, Tetradecene, BHT, Tocopherol, Sodium Metabisulfite, Fragrance, Iron Oxides, Barium Sulfate, Mica

D Program Allerdefense BB Essence:

Claims: “Unique Defense Technology that provides 3x Defense in 1 step: Shield, Absorb, Neutralize. Dermatologist tested, non-comedogenic, fragrance free, mineral oil free, alcohol-free. Essence and Makeup base in one.” Source: D Program Japan Website

Ingredients:

Cyclopentasiloxane･zinc Oxide･titanium Dioxide･water (Aqua)･glycerin･butylene Glycol･triethylhexanoin･titanium Dioxide (Ci 77891)･peg-10 Dimethicone･dimethicone･peg-9 Polydimethylsiloxyethyl Dimethicone･triisostearin･pentaerythrityl Tetraethylhexanoate･methyl Methacrylate Crosspolymer･hydrogenated Polydecene･aluminum Hydroxide･stearic Acid･iron Oxides (Ci 77492)･isostearic Acid･silica･phenoxyethanol･hydrogen Dimethicone･disteardimonium Hectorite･iron Oxides (Ci 77491)･erythritol･polysilicone-2･citric Acid･sodium Citrate･magnesium Aluminum Silicate･iron Oxides (Ci 77499)･mica･sodium Metabisulfite･sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate･tocopherol･hamamelis Virginiana (Witch Hazel) Leaf Extract･

Note that Anessa’s ingredient list seems a little less promising, with some possible skin triggering ingredients like alcohol, BHT, fragrance. Alcohol is quite high up the list so sensitive skin users, proceed with caution!

At a glance, D program’s appear to be much “cleaner” and sensitive skin friendly, compared to Anessa.’

Swatches to proceed:

Both tubes come with a screw top, phew, thank you Shiseido 😉

FRESH SWATCH: Anessa BB 25ml – shade Natural, D Program Allerdefense BB 40ml, shade Natural

SWATCH: Anessa BB 25ml – shade Natural, D Program Allerdefense BB 40ml, shade Natural

SWATCH: Coverage comparison with liquid eyeliner. Anessa BB 25ml – shade Natural, D Program Allerdefense BB 40ml, shade Natural

THOUGHTS:

I have been using both sunscreens alternatively for about 2 months now, sharing my thoughts:

Application: I use my fingers.

Skintype: Combo (Oily T zone, Dry Cheeks)

Shade: NC25-30 (somewhere in between)

1. Fragrance:

Anessa: strong floral/citrus scent, can be a little overpowering, but dissipates after application. No irritation.

D Program: no fragrance, much appreciated!

2. Shade + Coverage:

Anessa: shade natural is perfect for my skintone, currently NC25-30 in MAC. Oxidizes after application to be a darker, orange-y tint. Colour difference is not visible on my skin when applied, though. High coverage, able to cover zits and pigmentation very well. I have layered this on and it adheres to my skin amazingly!

D Program: shade natural is lighter and peachier, and is a tad too light for me. Once blended in, I can barely notice the difference, but it would not work on darker skintones. Coverage is medium, definitely buildable.

Note: there are two shades for both, light and natural. I got the “darker” one.

3. Finish + Longevity:

Anessa: amazing wear time, with an airy matte finish. Velvet in texture but settles down quite matte. Wouldn’t recommend this for anyone with dry skin or patches as they will cling onto dryness hard!

I have worn this in extreme humidity and it held up really well, better than I expected. A little goes a very, very long way. Extremely pigmented and amazing to layer on without being cakey.

That being said… prep your skin well!

Removes easy with micellar water.

D Program: living up to the hype of Japan’s new technology. I have worn this out without any skincare or need to prep my skin. Glides on beautifully with a skin-like finish, nothing too glowy or matte.

Definitely moisturizes my skin – I feel the skincare part doing its job, and lasts all day as a BB foundation. One of a kind and a must try. Will work well for drier skin types/dry climates. Coverage is buildable.

Extremely lightweight.

Removes easy with micellar water.

Not sure about the dust defense as I can’t see/feel it.. :p

4. Whitecast:

None for both.

5. Packaging:

Both are in a plastic squeeze-y tube, extremely convenient to carry around.

On days where I have to film outdoors, I mix both to give me the optimal finish and shade. They work well together and lasts a full workday. No need for touch ups, maybe some blotting here and there if you have oilier skin.

Highly recommend both of these, depending on your skintype. Wished they had more shades, pleaseeee. Overall, amazing stuff and great buy. Will continue using them throughout the year!

Would love to hear your comments if you’ve tried these!

HAUL: Olive Young Global Review

A short review and experience with Olive Young Global. This site provides free global shipping over $60 USD.

As a first time buyer, I was surprised at some of the deals they had!

Those Wake Make tints were only $1.90 USD and expiry in 2022/2023. They smell absolutely fantastic with long lasting staying power.

I wore those tints on set and they only started to fade off after a good 6-7 hours.

Other highly raved products can be found on their site too, such as Physiogel, Illiyoon and Luna!

I have been a long time fan of Physiogel’s Facial Cream (lightweight, non greasy and moisturizes extremely well) – they had it in a set for about $34 USD.

The entire process of shopping was easy, added items to cart and checked out!

Olive Young often promotes great coupon deals, so be sure to reconfirm before payment. Coupons can be found under “Account”.

The total for my haul came to be about $102 USD.

SHIPPING:

Everything was processed really quick, my package was sent out the next day via EMS to Canada. Shipment took only about 6 days, which was superrrrr fast! Was expecting some kind of delay due to the pandemic, ha!

Now…… Customs. That’s right. I got charged with a hefty sum of $25 CAD for customs. Why. Just why. GST, PST, and CBSA Handling Fees ($9.95).

I contacted Olive Young and they confirmed that any customs were to be paid by the customers, they are not liable for any costs. They are also unwilling to mark the package as “gift” as it has caused trouble in the past.

$25 is quite a huge sum, to be frank. I was not happy. Haha!

The package came safe with a ton of bubble wrap, so that’s a plus. No samples given.

Long story short, I love their website and the products they offer. Due to customs, I’ll have to think twice before purchasing from them again.

Have you shopped from Olive Young before? Tell us more about your experience!

PART 1: My Weight Loss Journey of 60lbs/27kg – Understanding Myself

Weight loss is truly a journey.

In mine, there have been massive ups and downs, roundabouts, u-turns, falling off the roads. There is not a single formula that fits everyone. In multiple parts, I will be sharing my formula, the struggles I faced and recovery.

Note: I may bash myself in this series of blog posts from time to time, simply cause I would have done things differently given the opportunity.

I have always been a chubby kid. Ah yes, in every weight loss story, people say the same. “I have always been chubby”. But seriously, I was a big and wide kid. I’m not tall by all means, I grew to only be 5’3 in height, but my weight has got up and down throughout my life.

Being overweight for more than half my life, I had to endure remarks from family “oh, you look bigger”, and my parents “did you gain weight, again?!”. Honestly, I drowned those remarks by eating more in front of them, just to piss them off….

• 

  Knocking on Goblin’s Door in Quebec! I was sitting at 160lbs here

To summarize, I graphed out what my weight gain/loss was really like:

At the age of 18, I was extremely active and was part of fitness groups, particularly tennis and swimming. I lost a ton of my weight during that period, contributing to exercise and restrictive dieting. I remember weighing my cereal every morning, and not eating anything with visible carbs.

Then came university. “Studying”, lack of exercise and losing control of my eating habits had my weight skyrocketing to about 180lbs, making me extremely overweight, for my height.

Weight gain, and loss, takes time and does not happen overnight. For me to be at my all-time high, took about 5 years to reach that state.

I remembered looking in the mirror and asking myself, “when was the last time I exercised”, and I genuinely had no memories of exercising, because yes, it had been that long.

My weight was the highest in May 2019, when I realized I was literally, slowly eating myself to death. As morbid as it sounds, that was what I was doing to myself. Oreos for breakfast, packets of instant noodles, ice cream, heavily processed foods and sugary drinks were part of my main diet. I was (and still am) a massive sweet tooth that did not know how to eat in moderation.

• 

  Worst habit was eating chips in bed and getting crumbs all over

Learning about nutrition was definitely, not in my dictionary. I ate everything that tasted, well, tasty. Refined carbs, huge amounts of fat and truckloads of sugar were my go-to.

During this period I experienced:

1. Fatigue
2. Heart palpitations
3. Joint aches (especially in the knees and ankles)
4. Lethargic episodes (before/after food, I would only stay awake to eat and would go lie down)
5. Wearing men’s clothes
6. Very few social interactions

By no means I was depressed. I have extroverted tendencies and felt like my weight was impacting my social life, as I was definitely unhappy with how I looked but yet, did not know how to fix it. Thus, turning myself to food. Quite the irony.

It turned into a vicious cycle of me hating how I looked, to eating more, over and over again. As much as I wanted to break this cycle I had, clearly I couldn’t.

I remember in the first few days of trying to be healthier, I cut down carbs – all of it. Zero rice, bread, refined grains, pasta, bananas (yes I counted that as a carb), potatoes of any sort. I just wanted to see myself get thinner.

This day, I refused to eat any bread/rice, I was getting cranky

Did that work? Nope. Definitely did not.

Why didn’t it work? I still ate crazy amounts of sugar and processed foods. I was seriously addicted to those two, carbs being top 3 on my list.

Lets look at the very well known, food pyramid:

Credit: The Irish Times

My diet mainly consisted items at the top of the pyramid, the second (fats) and fourth (carbs).

On July 12th 2019, I decided to make a change. Till this day, I still don’t really know what ticked that change in me, but I remember scrolling through Google looking for gyms with a pool. I wanted to go back to swimming, and I knew swimming was easier on the joints despite it being a high cardio workout.

After signing up at YWCA Downtown Vancouver, I explored the gym.

Here’s me, first time at the gym after a long, long, time:

I had no idea what workouts to do, and was quite embarrassed to be in there

Fueled by determination, I was at YWCA everyday, 7 days a week for a workout. I wanted to get my money’s worth and I felt better each time I was there (adrenaline, I suppose?)

My routine for the first month:

Breakfast: Banana with 1 cup of Silk Almond Milk

Lunch: 2 Chicken Thighs, 1 Sweet Potato (boiled)

Dinner: Iceberg Lettuce Salad with Tuna or other kinds of fish

Beverages: Tea, Coffee without sweeteners. No sweetened drinks

No snacking except for fruit

After work: Swim for 1 hour (Breaststroke)

You might be thinking, what, that’s some crazy calorie deficit, and I completely agree, it was! Was it healthy? No. Did it work? Yes.

Within a month I lost about 11lbs/5kg and I was happy with the results. I felt more confident, happy, and was determined to lose more.

The rest of my journey will be continued in Part 2, stay tuned!

MINI REVIEW: Innisfree My Real Squeeze Mask EX – Ginseng + Spring Time Pictures!

It’s April – Springtime is here! Yay to cherry blossom season ❀✿

Time to enjoy the sun, with sunscreen of course. Here are some pictures I took while on a walk yesterday, the weather is truly beautiful. Still a little chilly but hey, layering always works. Cakes are from Diplomat Bakery in Richmond, B.C. If you love cheesecakes, they make the best in my opinion.

Enjoying the sun with layers!

Now, onto a mini review on the Innisfree Ginseng mask. Extremely affordable and a handy go-to. I have been a huge fan of their masks since 2016, and they got an upgrade in 2019 with a reformulation.

There are 3 times of textures and consistencies with the Innisfree masks:

Source: us.innisfree.com

• Water (light and refreshing): Bamboo, Green Tea, Tea Tree, Lime, Rose
• Essence (hydrating): Cucumber, Aloe, Manuka Honey, Pomegranate, Fig
• Cream (deep nourishing): Acai Berry, Rice, Coconut, Ginseng

My favourites:

1. Green Tea
2. Rice
3. Lime
4. Ginseng

The masks are made of 100% eucalyptus fibres, which are biodegradable. Props to Innisfree!

THOUGHTS:

There is a label on the bottom right that notes the consistency of the mask, which is really helpful if your skin needs a little bit more (or less, hence water type) hydration.

The scent. Very very ginseng-y. If you don’t know what ginseng smells like, I’ve googled it for you:

“It has a woody taste and it is also referred to as ‘man root’, ‘root of immortality’ or ‘life root’. What it smells like: Just like its taste, this ancient root smells very earthy, just like wood. “

Honestly, I thought the smell would be milder as the others (green tea, rice and lime) are pretty mild, but this mask was way stronger than the rest. I don’t mind it though, I quite like the smell of ginseng, haha!

I usually leave sheet masks on for a good 20 minutes, and this had some essence left while removing it.

There was a sticky feel to it after (the same feeling of layering Laneige’s Cream Skin Refiner on). It took a while for the essence to sink in, and it didn’t feel greasy after. Apart from moisturizing factors, I didn’t notice any other effects (ie. brightening)

Fit: Mask fits well on my face – I consider myself to have a medium face size.

Price: I got mine for $0.99 on Jolse’s website when they had a sale! Love the affordability and the range of masks.

Any breakouts or irritation: None

Overall, have been enjoying this line of sheet masks and will continue to use them. They’re travel friendly, and extremely lightweight to carry around.

Stay safe and be kind to one another ❤

REVIEW: Anessa All-in-One UV Pact Sunscreen – Light

As a die-hard fan of Anessa’s sunscreens, I had to try the new all in one pact!

This pact is a multi-tasking compact foundation which protects skin against UV rays and helps prevent makeup from fading (essentially a primer). SPF50+ PA+++.

UV Filters: Titanium Dioxide, Octinoxate, Octocrylene, Zinc Oxide (mix of chemical and mineral fliters)

The pact consists of 50% skincare ingredients including Tormentil flower, collagen, green tea to protect the skin from dryness.

There are two shades available: Light and Natural – I’ll be reviewing shade Light today!

The packaging of this product is extremely similar to a cushion foundation. Made in Japan. Non-comedogenic.

Sponge of the pact is rather thin, but a traditional pact sponge.

Shade: Light

Consistency: Smooth, light and extremely creamy.

Shade: Very light compared to their BB sunscreen – comparable to NC10-15 in MAC. Beige undertone.

Scent: A light citrus scent, nothing too overpowering

Blended

FIRST IMPRESSIONS:

I was quite surprised at how little product was given compared to its packaging. The packaging is quite thick, which I find slightly bulky and a little unnecessary.

First swatch was creamy and smooth. It felt like Tatcha’s blurring primer. I applied it with the sponge given, and tried it with a beauty blender after. The sponge provided a fuller coverage, while the beauty blender sheered it out.

It felt extremely silky on the skin, but had the tendency to cling onto dry patches I didn’t knew existed, such as under my eyes and around my mouth, lol! It did not mix well with products I layered on after either, such as my concealer and blush – it made me look quite patchy with an uneven skintone. Powder didn’t work well with it either.

I wore it outside with a mask for about 6 hours, and when I got home I was an oily mess. The dry patches showed more (or maybe I need to exfoliate badly). I had to cleanse my face immediately.

On the bright side, no irritation or breakouts to the face!

THOUGHTS:

I may have to try this product again considering how I didn’t like it the first time. Product did not sink into my skin as I hope it would and felt like I layered a ton of blurring primer on. It felt greasy throughout the day.

Overall, I don’t quite fancy this product as the shade range is a little off and it doesn’t stay put for as long as I thought. Will have to give it another shot! Meanwhile, I’ll stick to their OG sunscreens.

If you’ve tried this product, let us know your thoughts 💕

Stay safe, and be kind to one another.