Yon-Ka Skincare Review

A couple of years ago I went for a facial at a spa where the esthetician used a certain product line on my face that made my skin feel extremely moisturized and hydrated. And I remember thinking, "I need to remember the name of this skincare line so I can purchase the same products once I run out of the ones I'm using at home!" But of course I forgot. Fast forward to a couple of months ago when Yon-Ka sent me the above products to try for 4 weeks and it clicked: I remembered Yon-Ka was the line the esthetician used! (I called the spa to confirm.) Needless to say, I was very excited to try out these products.

The Yon-Ka brand was created in France in 1954 and provides skin with the most precious parts of plants and active ingredients - vitamins, fruit acids, polyphenols, peptides and oligo-elements. The heart of Yon-Ka's products consists of a unique blend of 5 essential oils: lavender, geranium, rosemary, cypress and thyme that enhance the effectiveness of the natural active ingredients from plants all over the world. Yon-Ka offers every person a customized solution to various skin issues and the promise of visible, lasting results.

Essentials Lait Nettoyant Cleansing Milk for Face and Eyes - This is a 2-in-1 cleanser plus eye makeup remover. It was very gentle on my somewhat sensitive skin and left it feeling soft and smooth and most importantly, clean! I loved that I could use it to remove eye makeup and mascara, too.

Essentials Lotion Yon-ka Invigorating Mist - I used this after washing my face with the cleansing milk. It's an alcohol-free mist that helps to revitalize and refresh the skin. It's essentially a toner, all you have to do is spray it on your face and use your fingers to rub it in. It has a beautiful scent. I never used to use a toner but going forward I definitely will. It really wakes up my skin and helps prepare my face for any other creams I put on it during the day, and at night. Plus it helps with my extremely dry skin!

Age Defense Vital Defense Anti-Oxidant - This is a great anti-aging cream that fights damaging environmental factors like pollution, smoking, exposure to UV rays, etc. I put it on in the morning, after using the Lotion Yon-Ka and my skin drank it up. It's very easy to apply, as the texture is quite creamy. I only wish it had an SPF rating, especially now that I'm spending more time outside as the weather gets warmer.

Age Correction Elastine Nuit Smoothing Wrinkle Remover - I used this as my night cream. It's very rich and nourishing, helping to minimize the appearance of lines and wrinkles. I felt it really firmed my skin and smoothed the lines around my mouth.

Age Defense Masque No. 1 Intense Hydration Repairing - An anti-aging gel-cream mask, I put this on once a week after applying the Elastine Nuit. You don't have to wash it off, you can go to bed with it on (after you wait a few minutes) and wake up with beautiful, moisturized skin. I think this was what the esthetician used on me that one time and it really wowed me. Living in an extremely dry climate, this mask is my savior!

Contours Phyto-Contour for Eyes - Out of all the eye creams I have ever tried (and I have tried a LOT), this is THE BEST one. I have really bad, dark, under eye circles (see here) and I noticed them lighten up after using this eye cream for the 4 weeks. It also reduced the appearance of the fine lines around my eyes. It has a strong smell, kind of like Vick's Vapo Rub but I don't mind it. Tip: Even though this is an "eye" cream, I also put it above my top lip, which, like the skin around the eyes, is very delicate.

Here's a non-photo-shopped picture of me a couple of days ago (in my bathrobe!). After using Yon-ka products for 4 weeks, my skin has become so much clearer and my under eye circles no longer frightening that I don't need to wear foundation anymore! All I'm wearing here (on top of the Yon-ka products) is tinted moisturizer, a bit of concealer under my eyes and blush. It looks like my T-Zone is oily but I can assure you that's just the flash from my camera ; ). I am extremely pleased with what Yon-ka has done for my skin. I feel like I look more youthful after the 4 weeks (I'm in my 30's) and my skin is refreshed and hydrated. I thought my skin was so dry, especially around my eyes (and the climate I lived in was so dry) that no moisturizer or cream would help, I had tried so many, but Yon-Ka has proven me wrong. 

For more info on Yon-Ka products, you can click here and/or call 1-800-361-1263 to order.
Yon-Ka Canada is also on Facebook.

***I want to note that I still used Retin-A and Vitamin C Serum (which I've been using for years) while trying these products. I was not compensated for this post, Yon-ka sent me these products for review only.

Blogger Sale

blouse - Nordstrom Rack, cropped pants - Rachel Roy from The Bay, heels - Aldo, jewelry - old (I can't remember)

I remember seeing these Rachel Roy fancy pants (and falling in love with them) at The Bay for $120 or $130 last fall. Flash forward to after Christmas during all the Boxing Week sales and I scored these suckers for $35! Not bad, not bad. I wore this outfit to our first Fashion Blogger Clothing Sale held at Phabrik Art & Design last Saturday. A bunch of Edmonton bloggers (Sandy from The Pretty Secrets, Alyssa from The Ordinary People, Vickie from Adventures In Fashion, Jenna from Smitten, Susanna from A Clean, Well-Lit Style Blog, Melanie from Born Lippy, Courtney from The Button Up Blog, Jenn from LUX Beauty Boutique and me!) got together and sold our gently-worn clothing to the public for discounted prices. We had a really good turn-out and it was a lot of fun hanging out with the girls (and Anton and Derek!) and meeting readers of our blogs, who were so sweet! We're hoping we can make this sale an annual event. If you came on Saturday, THANK YOU for shopping our closets and we hope you're enjoying your buys! Most of the items we didn't sell were donated to the iHuman Youth Society.

Here are some photos from Saturday:

All set up at Phabrik, which was the perfect space for an event like this!

Alyssa (right) from The Ordinary People and her friend Joy.

A few pairs of Courtney's gorgeous shoes she was selling.

New friends Melanie and Courtney (It was so nice meeting these two for the first time on Saturday!)

Susanna's AH-MAZING vintage pieces.

Vickie's clothing rack was a hit!

So I was able to do a little shopping myself and picked up these booties from The Ordinary People for $20 : ) HOW COULD I RESIST??
 

WOW

I just have to say Ashlee Simpson looked STUNNING in this gorgeous black lace Alice + Olivia backless gown which she wore to the American Ballet Theater Spring Gala in NYC Monday night. The emerald earrings and the black and gold clutch complete the outfit perfectly, along with her hair pulled up out of the way in soft waves so that the focus stayed on the dress. When I saw these pics I thought, "damn, girl!" and I almost forgot about the time she lip synced on Saturday Night Live and did that awkward hoedown dance. Remember that?

Life Lately

I apologize I've been M.I.A. lately and haven't written a blog post in awhile! It's been a busy last couple of weeks for me but now I'm back to my normal routine. I was very happy I was able to take a mini vacation to Phoenix last week and relax in the hot sun with my family. I didn't get a tan though because I use SPF 110. (I'm so anal about taking good care of my skin.) We celebrated both of my nephew's birthdays while we were there. That cake on the bottom right was from Walmart and it was better than anything I have ever tasted, even better than my favorite Dairy Queen Skor Blizzard. And it only cost 10 bucks!! (Food is so cheap in the states!) Not sure if I can get this same cake in Canada but I'm on a serious hunt. I also did some a lot of shopping at Nordstrom Rack in Scottsdale. I could spend hours in that store. I'll be wearing my purchases on my blog in the near future ; ).

A day before I left for Arizona, we filmed segments for the West Edmonton Mall Mother's Day Makeover Contest with the 3 winners for Breakfast Television. It was my second time as a Fashion Stylist for the contest and it was another great experience. I had the pleasure of taking each of these ladies on a shopping spree at Simon's and The Bay and styling them for T.V. : ) They also got a new hairstyle and their make up done. Unfortunately I don't have copies of their "before" pictures to show you : (.

And that's pretty much what I've been up to lately! This week I'm also gearing up for our Blogger Clothing Sale. If you live in Edmonton, you should definitely attend! There are gonna be some niiiiice clothes and accessories for sale, I can tell you that ; ).

Blogger Wardrobe Sale!

I'm very excited to be a part of this event! It's been a long time coming! Come shop the closets of your favorite Edmonton fashion bloggers Saturday, May 18th at the beautiful Phabrik Art + Design Center near Whyte Avenue. Gently worn, name brand and designer clothing in sizes 2 to 18 will be available for purchase as well as shoes, accessories and more! All at huge discounts. I have a ton of clothing I'll be selling, even some pieces I've never worn. We would love to see you there : ). If you have any questions, please email me or leave a comment in the comment section below and I will respond to it. You can also join our Facebook page for updates where we'll be posting a few pictures of what we'll be selling.

Update: Check out the interview I did with the Edmonton Sun about the event here. We were also featured in the Edmonton Journal : ).

Any leftover clothing we don't sell will be donated to the iHuman Youth Society.

Greenery

blouse - J Fresh, pants and rings- H & M, clutch - Top Shop, heels - Aldo, 

gold cuff - Banana Republic, rings, pendant - I forget but maybe Aldo??

I know I just wore these pants in this outfit post a few weeks ago but I can't help it, they're my go-to fancy pants when I want to pair a bright top with black and white bottoms. I got them last year at H & M. I haven't bought anything from H & M in a long time, actually I haven't purchased any clothes from any store in ages, which is really unusual for me! I've been trying to wear clothing I already have in my closet and save up for high-quality pieces that I really want. I no longer buy just for the sake of buying. (Let's see how that pans out when I go to Arizona next week and visit Nordstrom Rack!) These days I have to really love something before I hand my credit card over. It's amazing what I can buy when I don't spend my leftover money solely on clothes! Like books, and workout DVD's and healthy food! : )

The Perfect Outfit

                                                               photo credit: Vanessa Jackman

I'm one of those people who likes to wear black, even in the spring and summer  (is that depressing?) so I am in love with this outfit Elin Kling is wearing here. I'm also a big fan of dressing simply and comfortably and I'm guessing I could probably sleep in these pants, that's how comfy they look! But I wouldn't dare sleep in them because they probably cost hundreds of dollars.

Have a great week! 

Six Picks (What I'm Loving Right Now)

Kelly Oxford's "Everything Is Perfect When You're a Liar." It's a book of essays the hilarious Twitter Queen and hot mom of three wrote and it's laugh-out-loud funny. I read it in two days. I've been following Kelly Oxford on Twitter for a couple of years now (along with her other half-a-million followers) and when I found out she had a book coming out I pre-ordered it right away. I don't normally buy books either, I borrow them from the library but I knew this one was going to be good and that I'd read it more than once. And what's really cool is that she was born and raised in Edmonton! (She's now living and working in Hollywood.) This book is a great read, right up there with Tina Fey's "Bossy Pants" and Mindy Kaling's "Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?" Funny stuff, kids.

VOLUSPA candles. I got mine at LUX Beauty Boutique. The containers for these candles are gorgeous, don't you think? And they burn forever. This scent is quite light. D. can't stand strong-smelling candles, he says they give him a headache so this one is perfect for our home.

 This perfect Walker Leather Biker Jacket from ALLSAINTS.  Must. Save. Up. 

Tracy Anderson workouts. I started doing the mat workout DVD on the left a couple of years ago and I liked it but I thought it was reeeeeally hard. I ended up yelling expletives at my T.V. and talking directly to Tracy as if she was in my living room: "Do I really need to do FORTY REPS on one side?! And how come you're not even breaking a sweat and I'm drenched?!" Fast forward to a couple of weeks ago when I thought I'd stop being such a wuss and give it another try and I did it 4 times last week and even ordered the Metamorphosis DVD pack to switch things up a bit. Still waiting for it to arrive in the mail...Hey, if I can get a body like Gwyneth Paltrow's (who is one of many Tracy's celebrity clients), I'm willing to do the work! Just not 6 days a week like Tracy recommends. Really, who has time to work out 6 days a week?! GWYNETH PALTROW DOES. 

I was given a couple of samples of REN's Glycol Lactic Radiance Renewal Mask at LUX Beauty Boutique's Birthday last weekend and all I can say is OH MY GOD. My skin felt and looked tighter and brighter after using it. It didn't irritate my skin at all, which I thought might happen. I need to go back and purchase a bottle!

Amanda Bynes' Twitter page. I was hesitant to post this because she's obviously suffering from a mental breakdown and I don't want to come across as making fun of her (but I will come across that way, I know). I really do hope she gets some help as she clearly needs it. But, I have to be honest with you, I check her crazy Twitter page twice a day! With tweets like "I want Drake to murder my v*gina," and "I can't wait to go down on this food," reading her feed is sometimes the highlight of my day, and of course very entertaining. She's a complete train wreck and I can't help that I find her utterly fascinating, kind of like when Britney Spears was going off the deep end circa 2007. I felt sorry for her, but I couldn't help watching her downfall. It's like when you drive by a car crash, you can't not look, you know? You can close your eyes but you know you're gonna peek!

Happy Almost Friday!

Studly (And a Giveaway Winner!)

jean jacket + top - Zara, pants + jewelry - H & M, purse - Rebecca Minkoff, shoes - Dolce Vita

I'm really into studs and I'm not talking about my boyfriend Ryan Gosling (although I'm into him, too.) I love studs on jackets, pants, shoes, iphone cases, anything. The STUDlier the better ; ). So of course this jean jacket caught my eye right away when I saw it last year at Zara. It's the perfect fit, too. Last week my friend asked me if jean jackets were still "in" and I told her, "Of course!" Pair it with a dress, or a tee and some shorts, anything goes! Just make sure you wear something under it, unless you're posing for Playboy.

The winner of the LOFT Bracelet Giveaway is Melanie from Bornlippy! Congrats! Please email me your address!