When a friend is in need of skincare advice, who else to turn to but Christina right? Well that’s what I figured, so when blemishes of gargantuan proportion started surfacing on all parts of my face over a period of about a week, I decided immediate action needed to take place and got on the pipe with the ‘Lady with the Answers’ immediately. 
It just so happened that she had recently picked up a test set of the basic products from the Boscia Line with a points credit she had at Sephora. (I’m sure she gets a freebee each week with the amount of product she buys haha...) Of course nothing comes free right?.....well actually she is very generous, so of course they do with her, but in this case, the payment requested for using this tester was that I blog about it of course!
I am aware that my recent skin issues are due to hormonal imbalances and changes, and that $1000 products would not necessarily fix this immediately. But I was eager to see what benefits, if any, this new skin care line would offer me. The first day I used the products I noticed the light, non-sticky, pleasant smelling texture to this product line, and instantly loved its look and feel. I received five products, and have recently purchased one more, so here are my thoughts:
Makeup-Breakup Cool Cleansing Oil - My first reaction was surprise since it’s an oil [of course I had not read the title of the product, otherwise I wouldn’t have been surprised!]. Wash with oil? When I already have an oily complexion? Weird.... but I’ll try anything. The first few days I noticed that it did a bang up job of getting all my makeup off, even my eye makeup and was quite impressed that little to no residue was left behind when I did a spot check with toner and a cotton swab. Imagine my surprise when Christina asked me if I was supposed to put it on dry or not...of course I didn’t let on my ignorance to her as I had just assumed one would wet their face first as with normal products. So I went back and re-read the fine print, and sure enough, it says to put on a dry face! Wow, an incredible difference. An already great face wash just became amazing. It almost naturally heats with the friction of your fingers, and removes EVERYTHING on your face. It also leaves ones skin feeling moist and supple. Love this product!
Enlivening Amino AG Eye Treatment - A few months ago Christina put me onto an under eye stick. She told me I was looking haggard and needed some help. (This is a joke; she would never be so rude!!) So I have been faithfully using the Garnier under eye stick since and it works fabulously! However, I decided to trust that the Boscia one would be equally as good and shelved Garnier for the time being. Instead of a liquid, this is a fairly thick, but non greasy cream, that you lightly rub into the sags, bags and dark pouches under and around one’s eyes. I can’t say enough about how immediate the difference was! Even though I had been using a similar product the Bosica product has vastly reduced my bags and darkness leaving my eye zone area looking much more alive.
Oil Free Daily Hydration - I have never in my life been picky about moisturizers or even particularly aware of if they work or not. This one is on the lighter side, has good coverage with a small amount, and doesn’t leave my face greasy feeling at all. I have noticed a small amount of flaking of skin in certain areas of my face, but it could just be the nature of the fact that it’s still winter here, and the wind and colder temperatures tend to dry out certain zones anyways. All in all, this is a nice product – and one that I will continue using.
Skin Perfecting Primer - OH MY! I was in love with this the first time I used it! Thick but not greasy – amazing coverage – and I hardly have to blot the slickness off my face anymore. (This is apparently one of the benefits of using a primer). The mineral makeup I use glides over this primer with amazing ease and my makeup now never cakes or creases. I will swear by this until I die.....well, or until Christina puts me onto the next best thing. But honestly, I actually look forward to putting this on every morning. One thing to be aware of however is that if this product gets too close to your eyes it will sting and make them water. So ensure you close your eyes for a few seconds if that happens and it goes away.
Green Tea Blotting Linens - I have used blotting sheets for years, and had some I love and some I don’t love so much. These are by far my favourite for a few reasons. They are large....one sheet can do my whole face and even have some of the sheet left over. The dispensing system is like a Kleenex box where when you pull one out, another comes out behind it. This is so much better than trying to get your finger or nail behind one paper thin sheet to pull out. The paper is very organic feeling; you can tell it is made from natural materials which makes me feel great about the environment as well. It whisks the shine off my face like no other blotting paper has, and leaves no smell or residue behind.
Clear Complexion Treatment with Botanical Blast - After a few days, I realized that no matter how much I loved the products, my acne was not disappearing as fast as I wanted it to, and I needed to get a spot treatment. I went to Sephora and bought the matching one to the line (kinda pricy....I know I’m in for a hefty bill when my test kit runs out, but it will be worth it). I love the pump dispenser, and its active ingredient is Willow Bark so the scent is light and pleasant. This is an all over, or as needed treatment that can be put under makeup for day, or before bed (or both) to combat the growth of those nasty red things. To begin with, I used it morning and night, and liked how fast it dried on my skin, and how it didn’t leave a crust at all like some topical spot zit zappers do. Now that my skin is clearing, (yes, finally it is!!) I am only using it as needed at night to preserve the product for future breakouts. Since my skin scars incredibly easily, I now have some lingering redness to deal with – perhaps I need to get a green cover stick based on Christina’s love of them as read in a recent post of hers.
All in all, my Boscia testing experience has been a great one, and I have found a new product line that I plan to continue with for the foreseeable future. Christina, I hope this blog suffices as payment, and that we are now even... Any time you want me to be your guinea pig for future products, as one face can only test so much, I'm here!!!
The brand, Tokidoki, is really new to me. I've seen the display many times while shopping at Sephora and though the packaging is extremely bright and fun, I've never tried any of their products. About three weeks ago that changed. See, I needed some new lip balm, literally. For some reason, my lips have been so chapped. Typically, I never get chapped lips. Allan says it's because I can't go more than 9 minutes without applying something to my lips (which is very true) but all the lipstick/gloss in the world can not prevent the chappy horror story happening on my face. 
So, instead of buying my tried-and-true lip balm (Rosebud Perfume Co. Minted Rose Lip Balm...yummy) I figured I should try something different so I picked out two lip balms from Tokidoki's line: Gelato Lip Balm Stain in Donutella and Pink Martini. First impression is fantastic. I love the packaging (it's super bright, cheerful and there are tons of cute little characters surrounding the tube) and the lip colors are very vibrant. I used the Pink Martini balm first and was instantly drawn to it's bright fuschia tone. Seriously, this product not only goes on smooth BUT actually adds the perfect amount of color. The Donutella shade, though, is more of a sheer coral-strawberry shade and has slowly become my go-to coral tone. The downside is that your lips do not stay moisturized for very long. Though the color of the balm lasts a long time on your lips, the balm-feeling does not. So, you still feel like you need to apply the balm every five minutes, even though the color is still on your lips. Because I've been wearing this gloss for the past two days solid, I've ended up with very flaky, chapped lips. I still love the Donutella shade but am thinking I'll need to wear it over the Rosebud balm if I want to continue my relationship with this colorful product. My lips are, quite obviously, screaming for additional moisture. Have you ladies tried this line before? Oh, and what's your go-to lip balm? I'm thinking I could really use some advice in that area at the moment.....
