When it comes to new and inovative products, I somehow always get sucked into trying them. It's not that I'm not totally satisfied with my current skincare system, but trying a new product for me is like opening up a new toy on Christmas morning, I just get excited. Maybe that's what makes me a beauty addict?

Anywho.. the L'oreal Go 360 Clean Deep Facial Cleanser is a foaming cleanser that comes with an added bonus: a scrublet which fits right in the bottle. The oil-free cleanser is a high-foaming gel which L'oreal claims unclogs pores as it removes oil, dirt and makeup. The cleanser contains notes of naranji, orange flower and mint which feels really refreshing on the skin.

Pros: I really liked the cleanser at first, the mint felt really nice in the morning when you need that wakeup boost, and it did a pretty good job of removing all of my makeup, even better than my regular cleanser. The scrublet, a small silicone feeling scrubber that gently cleanses the skin, was a great add on and left my skin feeling smooth, clean and looking radient. I loved that the scrublet fit in the hole in the bottle, rather than having to leave it on the bathroom sink or misplacing it who knows where.

Cons: As much as I really wanted to love this cleanser after a few uses I noticed my normally oily skin starting to feel dry and tight (I suspect the mint is the culprit.)

Verdict: While I wasn't too big on the cleanser in the end, I'll probably still use it once in a while. But the scrublet is definitely here to stay, and I've found it works great with my regular cleanser and really helps clear away any makeup or residue.

L'oreal Go 360 Clean Deep Facial Cleanser

$6.99 by L'Oreal at Ulta

I first came across Soap & Glory products a year ago from a friend who was interning for the brand in the UK. It was love at first sight.. err.. smell. I quickly bought a stockpile to bring back with me to Canada and show all my friends. I've since moved to Los Angeles and you can bet how glorious it was when I discovered the line is now available at Target.

The line was started by the owners of Bliss Spa products in 2006 and sold exclusively in the UK until 2007. Aside from the fact that these products smell amazing (and believe me they do!) the packaging is super cute and kitsch-y (I admit I'm a sucker for cute packaging), almost Benefit-esque, and the brand's philosophy is that “you shouldn’t have to spend an arm and a leg to moisturize one.”

What first sucked me in was the amazing blueberry scent of the Soap & Glory Spa Body Butter in Blueberry Thrill. It smells amazing --like fresh blueberries, good enough to eat. But smell aside, it works great leaving skin feeling super soft but not too greasy.

Then there's Sexy Mother Pucker, a lip plumping gloss. I got it in a pinky-peach color, and it gives lips a nice plumping without too much tingle. It really fills in any lines in the lips making them look smooth and soft. It is a sticky gloss though, so you might wanna wear your hair pulled back to avoid lipgloss-hair syndrome.

Soap & Glory products are a little pricy compared to other drugstore brands, but they work just as good as many higher end brands and last forever --I'm still not done with the huge jar of body butter from a year ago. Go check them out! They're love at first smell.

When it comes to dry cracking heels, cosmetics expert Paula Begoun recommends wiping heels with Stridex pads -yes the acne pads!

Stridex pads contain 2% salicylic acid which works as a great exfoliant for the rough skin of your feet.

So swipe away, cover with a rich moisturizer (no need to wash it off) and some heavy socks over night and enjoy softer feet!

I must admit, I definitely suffer from oily skin. While my makeup looks fab in the a.m., by noon my t-zone usually has enough oil to run a car. Especially in the summer, regardless of how much powder I apply, my t-zone is an oil slick by lunch. So rather than re-applying tons of powder all day, which can get cakey fast, I like to keep around some oil absorbing sheets to get me through. They're quick, convenient and can easily be tossed into your purse, car or desk for quick touch-ups.

Here are some options from different price ranges to help you find something that works.

E.L.F. Shine Eraser Blotting Sheets
50 sheets for $1 (eyeslipsface.com)
Pros: the E.L.F. blotting sheets are the cheapest option at around 2 cents per sheet.
Cons: the sheets are super thin, more than one sheet was needed to fully absorb all the oil. The packaging also lacked a sticky spot to easily dispense 1 sheet at a time, which made them more difficult to use.

Boscia Fresh Blotting Linens
$10 for 100 sheets (sephora.com)
Pros: These smell really good different scents included green tea, vanilla, lavender and original.
Boscia products are made from all natural materials and are preservative-free.
At roughly 10 cents per sheet these were the best pick for the price.
Cons: The fragrance might be irritating to more sensitive skin types (and noses.)

Clean & Clear Oil Absorbing Sheets
$5 for 50 sheets (drugstores)
Pros: The blue film-like papers actually you the oil it’s absorbing so you can see how much oil they absorb
The price is average at around 11 cents per sheet.
They don't smudge makeup at all, which makes touch-ups unnecessary.
Cons: The sheets contain mineral oil which can be irritating, especially on acne-prone skin.

Shiseido Pureness Oil-Control Blotting Paper
$17 for 100 sheets (sephora.com)
Pros: These sheets contain powder so not only do they absorb oil but they leave a powder finish on your skin.
The powder isn’t too much, it doesn’t leave that powdery look on your face and doesn’t interfere with makeup.
Cons: These were the most expensive option at around 17 cents per sheet

Toilet seat covers  or Starbucks napkins (the brown ones)
Pros: These are both great oil absorbers if you’re ever in a pinch and find yourself in the restroom, they’ve saved me a few times. And of course they’re free.
Cons: No exactly the most glamourous thing to carry around.

Blotting sheets are simple to use, just grab a sheet and blot away. Be sure to blot or dab and not rub or smudge, that way you minimize risk of loss of makeup or smudging, you don’t want to remove any makeup by mistake.

Ever wonder what’s inside your beauty products? Maybe you've had a bad reaction to a certain product and were wondering what it was that caused it? For most of us we don’t even think twice about what makes up the products we use everyday. But is ignorance really bliss when it comes to what we put on our face and our skin?

Cosmetics expert Paula Begoun has a great website which includes a cosmetic ingredient dictionary which is a thorough listing of all the ingredients that are in common products we use every day. Through Paula’s site I found out things, like that my favorite OPI polishes contain formaldehyde (a chemical commonly used in the preservation of dead bodies) or that it is often the fragrance in a particular product which is irritating to most people's skin.

I definitely recommend checking out the site and searching through the alphabetical listing of common ingredients to see what it really is you’re putting on your skin every day. Who knows, you might find out what's breaking you out or causing skin irritation.

http://www.cosmeticscop.com/cosmetic-ingredient-dictionary.aspx