Here are some mini reviews on products I received samples of, or were "Free with Purchase."
The first one is the Tony Moly Delight Tony Tint in Red. (It also comes in Orange ChaCha and Cherry Pink). Tony Moly is a very popular Korean beauty brand with reasonable prices and fun, cute packaging. It is becoming more and more available in the U.S., with some products available at Sephora, and Ulta, and others easily purchasable online from many sources, including Amazon, Soko Glam, and Memebox.
The packaging on this lip tint is adorable. I love the see-through tube that shows the pretty, glowing tint, and I also love that the end of the tube is in the shape of a heart. The applicator is a nice, angled "doe-foot". The smell is like strawberry candy. The color of the tint in the tube looks like strawberry jam. Unfortunately, that's where the positives end.
Upon application, the color turned orange-y (at least on my lips), and was super wet. The applicator deposits way too much product onto the lips, so I had to just dab on a bit in the center of my mouth, and then use my finger to spread the rest. It dyed my finger orange. Really, the color ends up being just like you sucked on an reddish orange popsicle with lots of artificial colors, and it stained your lips orange. The lip tint dried quickly to a like-skin finish, which is okay, but it was also drying. I needed to apply lip balm shortly afterward. I also needed to scrub the skin around my mouth a bit, too, because the color bled a little bit outside of my lip line.
This product is long lasting, though, and I had the same stain on my mouth and finger by the time I went to bed, although it did not wear evenly. On the plus side, it is very affordable, selling for $2 on the Koreadepart website.
Final verdict: I would not purchase this, and I also won't use up my tube. This is pretty junky stuff.
Wednesday, May 18, 2016
Beauty Favorites and Fails: March and April 2016
I have so many beauty products to discuss this month because I've been stockpiling the empties but procrastinating writing about them. In February, I tore my meniscus (which is very painful, by the way), and it's kind of thrown my life into chaos. So a lot has fallen through the cracks, but now I am finally sitting down to type up this recap of products I've tried over the last two months. Here goes:
I enjoyed the consistency of this product, which felt very silky on my skin, and it worked well to remove make-up at the end of the day. But I didn't care for the smell. It has that dried rose petal smell, so it smells very natural, and maybe some people like that smell, but I do not. The packaging is very good, though. The pump worked efficiently through my entire use of the product. And it was pretty with the actual rose petals floating in the bottom. I can recommend this product, because it does work well, but only if you like the smell, which is pretty strong.
2. 7 Seconds Morning Sheet from Neng Jang Go
These moistened pads, with smooth plastic scrubby bumps on one side, and a soft quilted pad on the other side, are okay. There was no scent that I could detect, and the packaging is good. It comes in a plastic tub with a tin can style lid that you peel off, then cover with a plastic lid, and it comes with tiny blunt tweezers to lift each pad out. It is supposed to be kept in the refrigerator so that the coldness of the product will help reduce morning puffiness. But I didn't find that this product did much for me. The plastic bumps weren't really exfoliating enough, and the solution did not clean very well. I much prefer the grape-juice scented pads, with similar design, from NeoGen. These were not horrible though, just kind of "meh."
3. Pomegranate Softening Facial Wash from The Body Shop
This was pretty good. I think it did an okay job of removing make-up and dirt from my face. It did not help with my clogged, enlarged nose pores, though. But I liked that it did not strip my face, or leave it feeling tight or dry. It had a light fragrance that was a little fruity, but it smelled kind of old-ladyish to me. I did not notice any particular "softening" of my facial skin.
4. Sweet Pea Golden Sugar Scrub from Bath and Body Works
Well, just like every other product I've tried from B&BW so far, this product drew me in because of the pretty packaging but turned out to be just okay. I love the design of the tube, which is sparkly (of course!) and floral with delicate colors, but it wasn't the greatest design for this scrub because a lot of it would not come out the opening. This is a thicker-consistency gel scrub, with larger sugar as the exfoliant. I prefer a finer grind of sugar or salt in my scrubs. This was gloppy and a lot of it ended up on the shower floor. The smell was nice, but it didn't exfoliate very well.
5. ProX Anti-Aging Nightly Purifying Micro-Peel by Olay
This product worked really well to exfoliate my hands of their beginning age spots, and to lessen the roughness of the chicken-skin bumps on the backs of my arms, but it was too harsh for my face. It's a quality product, though, so if your skin is tougher than mine, this might be good for you. It is a glycolic acid solution in a syrupy liquid, dispensed from a sophisticated pump. Ideally, it should be in a darkened container to protect it from degradation by light. And personally, I found the texture unappealing so I didn't enjoy using it. There is no fragrance or scent, and it leaves a slightly tacky sensation on your skin. It does work well, but is kind of yucky.
6. Power 10 Formula Propolis by It's Skin $13
This is a serum from Korea that is chock-full of beneficial ingredients, like honey, glycerin, hyaluronic acid and niacinamide. I used it all up and I think it was good for my skin. But I didn't like the packaging (it's in a yellow glass bottle the color of urine, with a black eye dropper), and I didn't like the texture. It was goopy and sticky. I guess I am finding that I prefer serums with lotion-like formulas, as opposed to runny or gelatinous ones.
7. Black Tea Age-Delay Instant Infusion by Fresh $49
This very pricey toner didn't seem to change my skin at all. The packaging seems luxe: it's a dark brown, heavy glass bottle with a screw cap. I liked the texture of this toner, which was watery without stickiness. But the smell was kind of gross. And for this much money, I really have to love using the product and see actual results. I was glad when this was all used up.
8. Water Sleeping Mask by Langeige
This is a cult-favorite Korean sleeping mask that is supposed to be used as a last step in your skincare routine at night, to seal moisture into your skin. This just wasn't moisturizing enough for me. I did like the scent and the texture, both of which were pleasant and light. However, it stayed sticky on my skin for a long time after application, meaning that my hair stuck to my face, and so did my pillowcase. The jar packaging is pretty, but I won't purchase this again because of the poor absorption and the low level of moisturization.
9. Exfoliating Body Scrub Anti-Cellulite Kneipp-Kur by Kneipp
This product falls in between favorites and fails for me. I'm still not sure if it is something I would purchase again. On the one hand, I liked it as a scrub due to fine scrubby particles (I think it's salt but I'm not positive) suspended in a lathering gel loaded with beneficial plant oils. But it, of course, did not live up to its claims of reducing the appearance of cellulite. So ..... not sure about repurchasing this one, but it's okay.
This was such a huge disappointment, not least because it is super pricey for what you get. This palette features seven eye shadows in beautiful neutral tones. However, I was only able to ever use five of them because although I kept ordering more, every single palette was delivered from Nordstrom with two of the shadows already cracked and crumbled. Shame on you, Nordstrom, for your pore quality control when shipping these out. There must be some quality issue with the formula of these shadows, since it was the same two colors that arrived crumbled every time. The colors are so pretty though. But they have terrible staying power, a shit-ton of fallout, and low pigment. I was so sad to finally give up on this and even now am thinking I should try it again with different primers, etc. to hopefully make it work .... we'll see.
2 Clean Slate 360 Creaseless 12 hr. Smoothing Eye Primer from Tarte
Well, it lies: this did not keep my eye shadow creaseless. It also did not seem to smooth my crepey eyelid skin, either. The only good things about this are that it does apply smoothly and the color match is good for my skin. But while so many other people online have had great success with this product, it just didn't cut the mustard for me. :( The search continues for a reliable primer.....
3. Photoready 3D Volume Mascara by Revlon
I like the sleek and stylish packaging and love the small-bristled, plastic wand on this mascara, but it didn't really create much volume, and it didn't last all day. You would have to reapply quite a bit to have it show up at all, so this really did not do the job.
4. Very Emollient Cream Shave in Mango Vanilla from Alba Botanica
This did not work well at all. I bought it because the packaging was charming and I liked the scent. Plus I was drawn to the idea of it being very emollient. I didn't even use this all up, however. It doesn't spread onto your skin easily so you end up using a lot of product to shave your legs. And the thick lotion clogged my razor, so I had to rinse out the razor after every stroke. Very annoying!
5. Shadowlock Eyelid Primer by Elf
This is a white goopy liquid that did not spread well on my eye lids, and there was very little product in the vial. It also did not improve the look of my eye lids, or the performance of my eye shadows. Total Fail!
6. Ole Henricksen Truth Serum Collagen Booster
Bummed that I didn't like this serum. It's pretty pricey. And I thought it would give me some beneficial Vitamin C on my skin. But the texture is that goopy liquid/gel that I hate, it is bright orange, comes in a clear glass bottle (thereby putting the ingredients at risk of degradation from light), and has a super strong fake orange scent. All in all, very unpleasant to use, so I just gave up on it. Not sure if it did anything for my skin or not. If so, it was negligible.
7. Get Big! Lashes Volume Boost Waterproof Mascara by Essence
This mascara was disappointing on so many levels. Firstly, the brush was huge and clumsy to use, and with my eye shape, this meant that every application was messy with the mascara getting all over my lids and under my eyes. As far as volumizing, it was just so-so, and it definitely was not waterproof, ending up smeared under my eyes after just a few minutes in a swimming pool.
8. Prime Time Eyelid Primer by Bare Minerals
My complaints about this shadow primer are pretty much the same as the one mentioned above. It did not spread easily, or improve the look of my eyelid skin. It made it more difficult to effectively blend eye shadows, and it did not prevent creasing.
Ah Lush cosmetics, I love you so! Their products are pretty pricey though, which is why I try not to go into their shop more than once or twice a year. I might have to make an exception for this product, however. It is sooooo pretty, in that Caribbean Sea blue color, and the smell! I Die! I love it so much. Apparently, it is a mix of orange blossom and mimosa. Whatever it is, it smells sweet and fresh, and happy and reminds me of my beloved Tinkerbell Perfume that I had as a child. This shower scrub is finely grained salt, and it works nicely to soften your skin. It doesn't leave any kind of residue on your skin, though, so you still need moisturizer after you get out of the shower. But anyway, this is a definite favorite!
2. The Blacks Hydrogel Eye Patch from Banila Co.
Wow! Fantastic results from this sheet mask. It is a hydrogel mask, so it fit my eye area very well, and stayed on even when I was walking around. It was not super drippy, however, it is fragile and ripped easily, so take it out of the package very gently. It feels much thicker and heavier when it is on the face, but I loved the results which were better than the average sheet mask. My fine under eye wrinkles looked smoothed and plumped out, and my skin looked dewy and fresh. I would use this before a night out. Will definitely purchase again.
3. Hyaluronic Acid 3-Go Mask Sheet from Urban Dollkiss
Another fantastic Korean sheet mask; I especially love the funky packaging. The mask itself was very wet and drippy, so you do have to lie down while wearing it, but it stayed on well, fit my face, and felt good while on my skin. There is a very faint, pleasant fragrance, and upon removal, there was a lot of the liquid still sitting on my face, that I had to pat in to absorb. However, it did provide moisture to my skin for several hours afterward, so I think that's a success. I would get a few more of these and keep them on display because they are so edgy/cute.
4. Eglips Muli Unique Sun Block SPF 50 +++ $8
This is a fantastic facial sunblock from Korea. It is a lightweight lotion that blended in very well on my skin, and left no white cast. Apparently, it contains aloe and rosewater, but I can't tell you what the sunscreen ingredient is though, because the packaging is all in Korean. I am pretty sure, though, that it is a chemical sunscreen, not a physical one, because of the sheer texture. There was no strong odor, and it never pilled or balled up under my make-up. It also did not cause breakouts, or sting my skin or eyes. Downside is that it is not that easy to get. I found only two places online that carry it, shipping directly from Korea. But it was a real pleasure to use, and a definite re-buy.
5. Argan Wear Argan Oil by Physician's Formula
I really enjoyed using this pretty facial oil with gold glitter in it. It has a nice texture and scent, and really pretty packaging that looks exotic, with a golden glass bottle and an eye dropper dispenser. Of course, if you don't want glitter on your face, this is not for you.
6. Sea Moss Black Sand Body Scrub by H2O+
This scrub contains black sand, but also sea salt. The scrubby particles are fine, and suspended in a lathering gel. It has some cool-sounding ingredients, like Irish moss extract, aloe, vitamin B5, and water lily. The scent is light and pretty, and it worked well to exfoliate my legs. It does leave the black sand on your shower floor, however, and it is not an oily scrub, so you will need to moisturize once out of the shower. This is my fourth tube of this product and I will probably purchase it again. I enjoyed it!
7. Jasmine and Vitamin E Moisture Cream from Alba Botanical
I love this lightweight moisturizer! The texture is a lovely and soft gel/lotion hybrid, and the scent is so pretty. Better for use in summer as opposed to winter, because it doesn't offer deep hydration. But it is very pleasant to use, and I will likely purchase it again. Wish it wasn't in a jar, though. I tube would be more sanitary.
8. Essential-C Sun Balm Broad Spectrum SPF 35 PA +++ by Murad
This is a fantastic balm-textured sunscreen that is very emolient and has Vitamin C in it. It comes in a soft textured stick formula, but you don't get a lot of product for the money. It is pricey. It works great and spreads easily on the firmer parts of my face like nose, forehead, chin and jaw, but I have to warm it between my fingers then pat it on to my delicate under eye area because it is a solid stick sunscreen. Once under my eyes, however, it works fantastically to moisturize and blend away the fine lines. Although it is a bit oily, it does not clog my pores or cause breakouts. People who sweat a lot or have oily skin might find it too emolient for them, but for me it worked great, even under make-up. One of my favorites that I've already purchased multiple times.
9. GlamGlow YouthMud Tinglexfoliate Treatment
This is a mud mask that you leave on your face for a bit, then add water to it to dissolve it and then it turns into a gentle scrub with fine scrubby bits. I really liked this. It did tingle a bit, which I've read is not supposed to be good for your skin because it means there is probably something like menthol in the product, which can irritate skin. However, I did not experience any irritation. There also seems to be bits of seaweed in the mud, which I really liked. I think this did provide a nice glow to my skin, and of course, the other benefits of a mud mask. I only use this when I can wash it off in the shower though, because it gets really messy when you are rinsing it off, and can be hard to remove unless you use a ton of water.
That's all for this month. Please comment below and share what favorites and fails you've had so far this spring.
Things That Were Pretty Good, But Not Great, So I Probably Won't Buy Again
1. Rose Petal Cleansing Oil from RE:CIPEI enjoyed the consistency of this product, which felt very silky on my skin, and it worked well to remove make-up at the end of the day. But I didn't care for the smell. It has that dried rose petal smell, so it smells very natural, and maybe some people like that smell, but I do not. The packaging is very good, though. The pump worked efficiently through my entire use of the product. And it was pretty with the actual rose petals floating in the bottom. I can recommend this product, because it does work well, but only if you like the smell, which is pretty strong.
2. 7 Seconds Morning Sheet from Neng Jang Go
These moistened pads, with smooth plastic scrubby bumps on one side, and a soft quilted pad on the other side, are okay. There was no scent that I could detect, and the packaging is good. It comes in a plastic tub with a tin can style lid that you peel off, then cover with a plastic lid, and it comes with tiny blunt tweezers to lift each pad out. It is supposed to be kept in the refrigerator so that the coldness of the product will help reduce morning puffiness. But I didn't find that this product did much for me. The plastic bumps weren't really exfoliating enough, and the solution did not clean very well. I much prefer the grape-juice scented pads, with similar design, from NeoGen. These were not horrible though, just kind of "meh."
3. Pomegranate Softening Facial Wash from The Body Shop
This was pretty good. I think it did an okay job of removing make-up and dirt from my face. It did not help with my clogged, enlarged nose pores, though. But I liked that it did not strip my face, or leave it feeling tight or dry. It had a light fragrance that was a little fruity, but it smelled kind of old-ladyish to me. I did not notice any particular "softening" of my facial skin.
4. Sweet Pea Golden Sugar Scrub from Bath and Body Works
Well, just like every other product I've tried from B&BW so far, this product drew me in because of the pretty packaging but turned out to be just okay. I love the design of the tube, which is sparkly (of course!) and floral with delicate colors, but it wasn't the greatest design for this scrub because a lot of it would not come out the opening. This is a thicker-consistency gel scrub, with larger sugar as the exfoliant. I prefer a finer grind of sugar or salt in my scrubs. This was gloppy and a lot of it ended up on the shower floor. The smell was nice, but it didn't exfoliate very well.
5. ProX Anti-Aging Nightly Purifying Micro-Peel by Olay
This product worked really well to exfoliate my hands of their beginning age spots, and to lessen the roughness of the chicken-skin bumps on the backs of my arms, but it was too harsh for my face. It's a quality product, though, so if your skin is tougher than mine, this might be good for you. It is a glycolic acid solution in a syrupy liquid, dispensed from a sophisticated pump. Ideally, it should be in a darkened container to protect it from degradation by light. And personally, I found the texture unappealing so I didn't enjoy using it. There is no fragrance or scent, and it leaves a slightly tacky sensation on your skin. It does work well, but is kind of yucky.
6. Power 10 Formula Propolis by It's Skin $13
This is a serum from Korea that is chock-full of beneficial ingredients, like honey, glycerin, hyaluronic acid and niacinamide. I used it all up and I think it was good for my skin. But I didn't like the packaging (it's in a yellow glass bottle the color of urine, with a black eye dropper), and I didn't like the texture. It was goopy and sticky. I guess I am finding that I prefer serums with lotion-like formulas, as opposed to runny or gelatinous ones.
7. Black Tea Age-Delay Instant Infusion by Fresh $49
This very pricey toner didn't seem to change my skin at all. The packaging seems luxe: it's a dark brown, heavy glass bottle with a screw cap. I liked the texture of this toner, which was watery without stickiness. But the smell was kind of gross. And for this much money, I really have to love using the product and see actual results. I was glad when this was all used up.
8. Water Sleeping Mask by Langeige
This is a cult-favorite Korean sleeping mask that is supposed to be used as a last step in your skincare routine at night, to seal moisture into your skin. This just wasn't moisturizing enough for me. I did like the scent and the texture, both of which were pleasant and light. However, it stayed sticky on my skin for a long time after application, meaning that my hair stuck to my face, and so did my pillowcase. The jar packaging is pretty, but I won't purchase this again because of the poor absorption and the low level of moisturization.
9. Exfoliating Body Scrub Anti-Cellulite Kneipp-Kur by Kneipp
This product falls in between favorites and fails for me. I'm still not sure if it is something I would purchase again. On the one hand, I liked it as a scrub due to fine scrubby particles (I think it's salt but I'm not positive) suspended in a lathering gel loaded with beneficial plant oils. But it, of course, did not live up to its claims of reducing the appearance of cellulite. So ..... not sure about repurchasing this one, but it's okay.
Fails
1. Telluride Eye Shadow Palette by Bobbi Brown $52This was such a huge disappointment, not least because it is super pricey for what you get. This palette features seven eye shadows in beautiful neutral tones. However, I was only able to ever use five of them because although I kept ordering more, every single palette was delivered from Nordstrom with two of the shadows already cracked and crumbled. Shame on you, Nordstrom, for your pore quality control when shipping these out. There must be some quality issue with the formula of these shadows, since it was the same two colors that arrived crumbled every time. The colors are so pretty though. But they have terrible staying power, a shit-ton of fallout, and low pigment. I was so sad to finally give up on this and even now am thinking I should try it again with different primers, etc. to hopefully make it work .... we'll see.
2 Clean Slate 360 Creaseless 12 hr. Smoothing Eye Primer from Tarte
Well, it lies: this did not keep my eye shadow creaseless. It also did not seem to smooth my crepey eyelid skin, either. The only good things about this are that it does apply smoothly and the color match is good for my skin. But while so many other people online have had great success with this product, it just didn't cut the mustard for me. :( The search continues for a reliable primer.....
3. Photoready 3D Volume Mascara by Revlon
I like the sleek and stylish packaging and love the small-bristled, plastic wand on this mascara, but it didn't really create much volume, and it didn't last all day. You would have to reapply quite a bit to have it show up at all, so this really did not do the job.
4. Very Emollient Cream Shave in Mango Vanilla from Alba Botanica
This did not work well at all. I bought it because the packaging was charming and I liked the scent. Plus I was drawn to the idea of it being very emollient. I didn't even use this all up, however. It doesn't spread onto your skin easily so you end up using a lot of product to shave your legs. And the thick lotion clogged my razor, so I had to rinse out the razor after every stroke. Very annoying!
5. Shadowlock Eyelid Primer by Elf
This is a white goopy liquid that did not spread well on my eye lids, and there was very little product in the vial. It also did not improve the look of my eye lids, or the performance of my eye shadows. Total Fail!
6. Ole Henricksen Truth Serum Collagen Booster
Bummed that I didn't like this serum. It's pretty pricey. And I thought it would give me some beneficial Vitamin C on my skin. But the texture is that goopy liquid/gel that I hate, it is bright orange, comes in a clear glass bottle (thereby putting the ingredients at risk of degradation from light), and has a super strong fake orange scent. All in all, very unpleasant to use, so I just gave up on it. Not sure if it did anything for my skin or not. If so, it was negligible.
7. Get Big! Lashes Volume Boost Waterproof Mascara by Essence
This mascara was disappointing on so many levels. Firstly, the brush was huge and clumsy to use, and with my eye shape, this meant that every application was messy with the mascara getting all over my lids and under my eyes. As far as volumizing, it was just so-so, and it definitely was not waterproof, ending up smeared under my eyes after just a few minutes in a swimming pool.
8. Prime Time Eyelid Primer by Bare Minerals
My complaints about this shadow primer are pretty much the same as the one mentioned above. It did not spread easily, or improve the look of my eyelid skin. It made it more difficult to effectively blend eye shadows, and it did not prevent creasing.
Favorites
1. Rub Rub Rub Shower ScrubAh Lush cosmetics, I love you so! Their products are pretty pricey though, which is why I try not to go into their shop more than once or twice a year. I might have to make an exception for this product, however. It is sooooo pretty, in that Caribbean Sea blue color, and the smell! I Die! I love it so much. Apparently, it is a mix of orange blossom and mimosa. Whatever it is, it smells sweet and fresh, and happy and reminds me of my beloved Tinkerbell Perfume that I had as a child. This shower scrub is finely grained salt, and it works nicely to soften your skin. It doesn't leave any kind of residue on your skin, though, so you still need moisturizer after you get out of the shower. But anyway, this is a definite favorite!
2. The Blacks Hydrogel Eye Patch from Banila Co.
Wow! Fantastic results from this sheet mask. It is a hydrogel mask, so it fit my eye area very well, and stayed on even when I was walking around. It was not super drippy, however, it is fragile and ripped easily, so take it out of the package very gently. It feels much thicker and heavier when it is on the face, but I loved the results which were better than the average sheet mask. My fine under eye wrinkles looked smoothed and plumped out, and my skin looked dewy and fresh. I would use this before a night out. Will definitely purchase again.
3. Hyaluronic Acid 3-Go Mask Sheet from Urban Dollkiss
Another fantastic Korean sheet mask; I especially love the funky packaging. The mask itself was very wet and drippy, so you do have to lie down while wearing it, but it stayed on well, fit my face, and felt good while on my skin. There is a very faint, pleasant fragrance, and upon removal, there was a lot of the liquid still sitting on my face, that I had to pat in to absorb. However, it did provide moisture to my skin for several hours afterward, so I think that's a success. I would get a few more of these and keep them on display because they are so edgy/cute.
4. Eglips Muli Unique Sun Block SPF 50 +++ $8
This is a fantastic facial sunblock from Korea. It is a lightweight lotion that blended in very well on my skin, and left no white cast. Apparently, it contains aloe and rosewater, but I can't tell you what the sunscreen ingredient is though, because the packaging is all in Korean. I am pretty sure, though, that it is a chemical sunscreen, not a physical one, because of the sheer texture. There was no strong odor, and it never pilled or balled up under my make-up. It also did not cause breakouts, or sting my skin or eyes. Downside is that it is not that easy to get. I found only two places online that carry it, shipping directly from Korea. But it was a real pleasure to use, and a definite re-buy.
5. Argan Wear Argan Oil by Physician's Formula
I really enjoyed using this pretty facial oil with gold glitter in it. It has a nice texture and scent, and really pretty packaging that looks exotic, with a golden glass bottle and an eye dropper dispenser. Of course, if you don't want glitter on your face, this is not for you.
6. Sea Moss Black Sand Body Scrub by H2O+
This scrub contains black sand, but also sea salt. The scrubby particles are fine, and suspended in a lathering gel. It has some cool-sounding ingredients, like Irish moss extract, aloe, vitamin B5, and water lily. The scent is light and pretty, and it worked well to exfoliate my legs. It does leave the black sand on your shower floor, however, and it is not an oily scrub, so you will need to moisturize once out of the shower. This is my fourth tube of this product and I will probably purchase it again. I enjoyed it!
7. Jasmine and Vitamin E Moisture Cream from Alba Botanical
I love this lightweight moisturizer! The texture is a lovely and soft gel/lotion hybrid, and the scent is so pretty. Better for use in summer as opposed to winter, because it doesn't offer deep hydration. But it is very pleasant to use, and I will likely purchase it again. Wish it wasn't in a jar, though. I tube would be more sanitary.
8. Essential-C Sun Balm Broad Spectrum SPF 35 PA +++ by Murad
This is a fantastic balm-textured sunscreen that is very emolient and has Vitamin C in it. It comes in a soft textured stick formula, but you don't get a lot of product for the money. It is pricey. It works great and spreads easily on the firmer parts of my face like nose, forehead, chin and jaw, but I have to warm it between my fingers then pat it on to my delicate under eye area because it is a solid stick sunscreen. Once under my eyes, however, it works fantastically to moisturize and blend away the fine lines. Although it is a bit oily, it does not clog my pores or cause breakouts. People who sweat a lot or have oily skin might find it too emolient for them, but for me it worked great, even under make-up. One of my favorites that I've already purchased multiple times.
9. GlamGlow YouthMud Tinglexfoliate Treatment
This is a mud mask that you leave on your face for a bit, then add water to it to dissolve it and then it turns into a gentle scrub with fine scrubby bits. I really liked this. It did tingle a bit, which I've read is not supposed to be good for your skin because it means there is probably something like menthol in the product, which can irritate skin. However, I did not experience any irritation. There also seems to be bits of seaweed in the mud, which I really liked. I think this did provide a nice glow to my skin, and of course, the other benefits of a mud mask. I only use this when I can wash it off in the shower though, because it gets really messy when you are rinsing it off, and can be hard to remove unless you use a ton of water.
That's all for this month. Please comment below and share what favorites and fails you've had so far this spring.
Wednesday, April 6, 2016
Sewing Diary: March 2016
To be honest, I wasn't as productive in my sewing during the month of March, as I'd hoped to be. My knee injury (torn meniscus) coupled with absolutely dreary weather, and short trips to visit family at the beginning and end of the month, all conspired to make me be grumpy, lazy, and unmotivated when it came to creativity.
Anyway, this post is going to be super short: I made one dress and three aprons, all of which I've posted on etsy for sale. (I also have one apron that is almost finished. I will post about that hopefully next month). The dress and one of the aprons have sold, as of this writing. Details below:
1. Pink Bambi Print Apron. I found this fabric at Hancock Fabrics and snapped it up. Too cute! I made it in to an apron with a loop neckline and white rick rack trim. It's still available in my shop.
2. Parisian Print Apron. This fabric was a gift from my mom for my birthday last year. I made it into a traditional pinafore style apron with a tie neckline. It sold pretty quickly. Yay!
3. Retro Green and Pink Floral Apron. This fabric has a nice texture and medium weight. I found it on the bargain table at Hancocks. I made this for people who like more traditional prints on their aprons. Here it is in my shop.
4. 60s Retro Style Dress. Was completely in love with this fabric! Super cute, amirite?! Love the color combination of turquoise, avocado, rust and brown. I made this with bell sleeves, brown velvet trim and an empire waist. It is a mini dress or tunic in length. It was snapped up really quickly in my shop. The first dress I've sold. Yay!
And there you have it. I didn't quite meet my goal of 1.5 projects per week, and if this past week is any indication, April is not going to be much better! My knee injury is very distracting and is making me crabby, plus the side effects of the pain medication are sleepiness. And still no sun anywhere to be seen in this part of the country. Can't wait for Spring and the infusion of energy it will hopefully bring. I did sign up for Cassie Stephens' summer art camp today, though, so maybe that will inspire me to make some cool outfits for the trip.
Anyway, this post is going to be super short: I made one dress and three aprons, all of which I've posted on etsy for sale. (I also have one apron that is almost finished. I will post about that hopefully next month). The dress and one of the aprons have sold, as of this writing. Details below:
1. Pink Bambi Print Apron. I found this fabric at Hancock Fabrics and snapped it up. Too cute! I made it in to an apron with a loop neckline and white rick rack trim. It's still available in my shop.
2. Parisian Print Apron. This fabric was a gift from my mom for my birthday last year. I made it into a traditional pinafore style apron with a tie neckline. It sold pretty quickly. Yay!
3. Retro Green and Pink Floral Apron. This fabric has a nice texture and medium weight. I found it on the bargain table at Hancocks. I made this for people who like more traditional prints on their aprons. Here it is in my shop.
4. 60s Retro Style Dress. Was completely in love with this fabric! Super cute, amirite?! Love the color combination of turquoise, avocado, rust and brown. I made this with bell sleeves, brown velvet trim and an empire waist. It is a mini dress or tunic in length. It was snapped up really quickly in my shop. The first dress I've sold. Yay!
And there you have it. I didn't quite meet my goal of 1.5 projects per week, and if this past week is any indication, April is not going to be much better! My knee injury is very distracting and is making me crabby, plus the side effects of the pain medication are sleepiness. And still no sun anywhere to be seen in this part of the country. Can't wait for Spring and the infusion of energy it will hopefully bring. I did sign up for Cassie Stephens' summer art camp today, though, so maybe that will inspire me to make some cool outfits for the trip.
Tuesday, February 16, 2016
Beauty Favorites and Fails: February 2016
This month's favorites and fails ran the gamut from hair care to body products, and include lots of Asian beauty products, too. Let's get started:
This mask is made by a Taiwanese company, and is now widely available at places like Target and Walmart. It claims to be soothing and moisturizing, which I found to be true. Aside from the aloe, this mask also has hyaluronic acid. The shape of the mask was rounder and shorter than most I've tried, and this made it fit well for me. I didn't have to fold the excess under my chin. It felt soothing and cooling. I imagine it would be nice after a day in the sun. It dripped a little bit around my jaw as I lay with it on, but not too bad. And my skin did indeed look moisturized after I took it off.
Gilchrist and Soames Spa Therapy Moisturizing Sea Moss Conditioner $28
This is my favorite rinse-out hair conditioner for every day use. I discovered it when it was stocked in my hotel room in La Jolla, and then I purchased it from Amazon when I got home. I love the turquoise color, it smells nice, and it leaves my hair very manageable, soft and shiny. I find the bottle a little tricky to use and squeeze out the product when my hands are soapy and wet in the shower, and I wish it dispensed with a pump, but other than that, I love this and will definitely repurchase it after I use up some other ones I have. (Ps: I just noticed when I linked to the website, that they do now sell it in a pump dispenser. Yay!)
Clinique Broad Spectrum SPF 45 Targeted Protection Stick, $21
I love this stuff and have purchased several. I use it on my nose, the space between my eyebrows, the naso-labial folds, upper lip and on my lips. The reason I don't use it every where on my face is that it is in stick form, so you really have to drag it over your skin. I can only use it on the places on my face where my skin is taut. It is too hard for the delicate under eye area, for example. That being said, it is really great in those places I do use it. I love the emollient texture, and it never breaks me out. It gives good sun protection and also moisturizes. It feels really good on my skin. If you have oily skin, however, you would probably find this greasy. It's great to carry around with it because it is compact and of course, will not spill.
SkinFood Platinum Grape Cell Emulsion, $24
This was just a tiny sample size packet with enough for two applications, so this review is really just a "First Impressions." But as far as that goes, I really liked this. This contains grape cells and platinum, as the name would suggest, and is supposed to brighten and firm skin. It had a light, pleasant slightly fruity scent, and lightweight gel/lotion consistency that spread on my face easily with no tugging, and absorbed quickly, and it did lightly moisturize my face. After getting through all my other serums, I will buy a regular size of this one and try it out over a longer period of time.
I bought this around the holidays last year, mostly because I loved the packaging, with its blues, violets and pinks, topped off with glittery silver snowflakes. It is a seasonal scent, so it is no longer available from the store, unless they release it again next holiday. But the formula is apparently always the same. I found that the lotion worked just fine: it spread easily on my skin, and absorbed quickly. The scent is nicely light, with coconut, vanilla, musk and plum, according to the description. The only negative was that the scent dissipates within minutes of wearing it. Although, some people might think of that as a plus.
Olay Total Effects CC Cream, $20
This was an okay CC cream. The pros were that it did not break me out or leave me looking either dry or greasy. It was easy to spread, but it did occasionally streak. I wish it had a higher SPF, and I also wish the color was a better match for my skin. Like most CC creams, the coverage is light, and I made it even lighter by blending with my sunscreen. If you need more opaque coverage, this is not for you. It did not sting my eyes, which is good, however, it claims to minimize pores, but I did not notice any difference. It was fine, but I will keep looking for a BB or CC cream that makes a noticeable difference in my skin's appearance. This did not.
Olay Regenerist Micro Sculpting Serum - Fragrance Free $25
I found this serum pleasant to use. There is no yucky smell and it spreads easily. I like the dispenser and the packaging, which are both very easy to use. It did not irritate my skin. Did I see a difference in my skin? I'm not sure.... I may have to use it for a longer amount of time. But it does have good ingredients in it, like niacinimides, peptides and anti-oxidants. I may try this again after I am done using all the other serums I have stored up.
I love the SkinFood brand, but this sheet mask was a bit of a disappointment. I did not purchase this individually, but instead received it in one of my Beauteque Mask Maven packages. It's kind of gimmicky because you really can't get any whitening (or dark spot reduction) just by using a mask once. Omija is apparently a mountain herb with anti-oxidant properties. Obviously, I saw no improvement in the number or darkness of my age spots or freckles after using this mask, but I did find that it was moisturizing. There was barely any fragrance, and the liquid in the mask was a white, milky lotion, rather than the watery essence usually in Korean sheet masks. I didn't like that this mask stung a bit around my eyes, or the fact that there was a ton of lotion left in globs on my face after I removed the mask: It didn't seem to absorb very well, so I actually had to remove the excess lotion with a cotton pad afterwards.
Innisfree It's Real Squeeze Mask in Lime, $1.20
This very inexpensive mask, made for brightening the skin, was pleasant to use because it smelled very nice: a very light lime scent. The fit was okay, but again, you would have to lay down while you are wearing it, because it is slippery and drippy. But the end result was poor. My face actually had lines and wrinkles in it after taking off this mask, that weren't there before! This mask has niacinamide, japonica leaf extract, grapefruit extract, and some other fruit extracts, but also alcohol! Another favorite brand, but alas, another mask fail.
So I hope these reviews and opinions are helpful to you. Please leave me comments below telling me about your recent beauty favorites and fails. And stay tuned next month for more reviews....
 |
| Beauty Favorites from Clinique, My Beauty Diary, SkinFood, and Gilchrist & Soames. |
Favorites:
My Beauty Diary Aloe Mask, $14 for 10 masksThis mask is made by a Taiwanese company, and is now widely available at places like Target and Walmart. It claims to be soothing and moisturizing, which I found to be true. Aside from the aloe, this mask also has hyaluronic acid. The shape of the mask was rounder and shorter than most I've tried, and this made it fit well for me. I didn't have to fold the excess under my chin. It felt soothing and cooling. I imagine it would be nice after a day in the sun. It dripped a little bit around my jaw as I lay with it on, but not too bad. And my skin did indeed look moisturized after I took it off.
Gilchrist and Soames Spa Therapy Moisturizing Sea Moss Conditioner $28
This is my favorite rinse-out hair conditioner for every day use. I discovered it when it was stocked in my hotel room in La Jolla, and then I purchased it from Amazon when I got home. I love the turquoise color, it smells nice, and it leaves my hair very manageable, soft and shiny. I find the bottle a little tricky to use and squeeze out the product when my hands are soapy and wet in the shower, and I wish it dispensed with a pump, but other than that, I love this and will definitely repurchase it after I use up some other ones I have. (Ps: I just noticed when I linked to the website, that they do now sell it in a pump dispenser. Yay!)
Clinique Broad Spectrum SPF 45 Targeted Protection Stick, $21
I love this stuff and have purchased several. I use it on my nose, the space between my eyebrows, the naso-labial folds, upper lip and on my lips. The reason I don't use it every where on my face is that it is in stick form, so you really have to drag it over your skin. I can only use it on the places on my face where my skin is taut. It is too hard for the delicate under eye area, for example. That being said, it is really great in those places I do use it. I love the emollient texture, and it never breaks me out. It gives good sun protection and also moisturizes. It feels really good on my skin. If you have oily skin, however, you would probably find this greasy. It's great to carry around with it because it is compact and of course, will not spill.
SkinFood Platinum Grape Cell Emulsion, $24
This was just a tiny sample size packet with enough for two applications, so this review is really just a "First Impressions." But as far as that goes, I really liked this. This contains grape cells and platinum, as the name would suggest, and is supposed to brighten and firm skin. It had a light, pleasant slightly fruity scent, and lightweight gel/lotion consistency that spread on my face easily with no tugging, and absorbed quickly, and it did lightly moisturize my face. After getting through all my other serums, I will buy a regular size of this one and try it out over a longer period of time.
 |
| Products that were just okay, from Olay and Bath and Body Works. |
Just Okay:
Bath and Body Works Snowkissed Sugar Ultra Shea Body CreamI bought this around the holidays last year, mostly because I loved the packaging, with its blues, violets and pinks, topped off with glittery silver snowflakes. It is a seasonal scent, so it is no longer available from the store, unless they release it again next holiday. But the formula is apparently always the same. I found that the lotion worked just fine: it spread easily on my skin, and absorbed quickly. The scent is nicely light, with coconut, vanilla, musk and plum, according to the description. The only negative was that the scent dissipates within minutes of wearing it. Although, some people might think of that as a plus.
Olay Total Effects CC Cream, $20
This was an okay CC cream. The pros were that it did not break me out or leave me looking either dry or greasy. It was easy to spread, but it did occasionally streak. I wish it had a higher SPF, and I also wish the color was a better match for my skin. Like most CC creams, the coverage is light, and I made it even lighter by blending with my sunscreen. If you need more opaque coverage, this is not for you. It did not sting my eyes, which is good, however, it claims to minimize pores, but I did not notice any difference. It was fine, but I will keep looking for a BB or CC cream that makes a noticeable difference in my skin's appearance. This did not.
Olay Regenerist Micro Sculpting Serum - Fragrance Free $25
I found this serum pleasant to use. There is no yucky smell and it spreads easily. I like the dispenser and the packaging, which are both very easy to use. It did not irritate my skin. Did I see a difference in my skin? I'm not sure.... I may have to use it for a longer amount of time. But it does have good ingredients in it, like niacinimides, peptides and anti-oxidants. I may try this again after I am done using all the other serums I have stored up.
 |
| This month's fails, from Innisfree, SkinFood, E.l.f., Clarins, and Sonia Kashuk. |
Fails!
SkinFood Omija Whitening Mask Sheet, $5I love the SkinFood brand, but this sheet mask was a bit of a disappointment. I did not purchase this individually, but instead received it in one of my Beauteque Mask Maven packages. It's kind of gimmicky because you really can't get any whitening (or dark spot reduction) just by using a mask once. Omija is apparently a mountain herb with anti-oxidant properties. Obviously, I saw no improvement in the number or darkness of my age spots or freckles after using this mask, but I did find that it was moisturizing. There was barely any fragrance, and the liquid in the mask was a white, milky lotion, rather than the watery essence usually in Korean sheet masks. I didn't like that this mask stung a bit around my eyes, or the fact that there was a ton of lotion left in globs on my face after I removed the mask: It didn't seem to absorb very well, so I actually had to remove the excess lotion with a cotton pad afterwards.
Innisfree It's Real Squeeze Mask in Lime, $1.20
This very inexpensive mask, made for brightening the skin, was pleasant to use because it smelled very nice: a very light lime scent. The fit was okay, but again, you would have to lay down while you are wearing it, because it is slippery and drippy. But the end result was poor. My face actually had lines and wrinkles in it after taking off this mask, that weren't there before! This mask has niacinamide, japonica leaf extract, grapefruit extract, and some other fruit extracts, but also alcohol! Another favorite brand, but alas, another mask fail.
And Three Eye Shadow Primers That Did Not Work!
Ugh! Still searching for that eye shadow primer that will lock down my shadows and prevent creasing. And I also expect that, even if it can't improve the texture of the skin on my eyelids, it will at least not make it worse. Over the last two months, I have tried three different ones, and all were fails. I'm so bummed at spending money on these. I used to not even wear eye shadow primer, and yes, my eye shadows faded away to nothing by the end of the day, or they creased. But at least I hadn't spent money on a primer to get those results. The three I tried were: Sonia Kashuk Extreme Wear Eye Primer $10 (light beige in color, comes in a tiny jar, thick and hard to spread, really difficult to get out of the tiny jar). E.l.f. Shadow Lock Eyelid Primer $2 (white in color but disappeared once on the skin, applied with doe foot applicator, did not spread easily, kind of goopy, very tiny amount of product in the tube). And the expensive Clarins Instant Light Eye Perfecting Base $25 (medium/light pinky beige tone, spreads easily, comes in a tube, emphasized the crepiness of my eyelid skin). None of these were effective in keeping my eye shadow looking good all day. So annoying!So I hope these reviews and opinions are helpful to you. Please leave me comments below telling me about your recent beauty favorites and fails. And stay tuned next month for more reviews....
Wednesday, February 3, 2016
Winter Blahs Prescription: Sunshine in the Desert. Travel Diary - Yuma, Arizona
 |
| Top tourist attraction in Yuma: the old prison |
I definitely suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder with the long, drab, gray winters in the Chicago area. I don't get sad, but I get grumpy and lazy, and the only thing I want to do is shuffle around in my pajamas for the first four months of the year. So thinking Arizona was just the ticket, I made a plan for 5 nights in the desert. I spent three days in the Phoenix/Scottsdale area (post on that part of my trip to come), and two days exploring Yuma, (the largest city outside the metropolitan areas of Phoenix and Tucson) about 4 hours drive southwest of Phoenix.
 |
| Driving to Yuma as the sun sets |
 |
| Sun setting over Highway 8 |
 |
| Funky roadside signage, Arizona |
 |
| The "Yard" of the old Yuma Prison |
 |
| A park area, by the prison, on the banks of the Colorado River. |
Man, the sunlight in Yuma is just amazing. I couldn't get enough of it. I wanted to absorb it all into my body so that when I got back to Illinois, I could make it through the winter. The light is just different in a desert area than it is in the Midwest. The colors of everything look so vibrant, it's like you are using an Instagram filter on your eyeballs.
 |
| An old prison cell. Wooden beds were replaced by metal ones to discourage bed bugs. |
 |
| The Dark Cell, where prisoners were sent for punishment, was like a cave. |
At the Yuma prison, its stark adobe-style architecture stood in sharp relief against the vibrant blue, cloudless sky. I enjoyed the little museum that told the stories of some of the inmates, and had artifacts from their history. There was also a little gift shop; I purchased an Arizona magnet, cactus print placemat, and an authentic antique Indian arrowhead for my nephew. Outside, as you approached the old prison cells, a recording came on to tell about life in the prison from the perspective of the inmates. This tourist attraction was both visually and intellectually interesting and I'm really glad I saw it.
 |
| Even with the beautiful sunlight, this would have been a bleak existence. |
After I left the prison, I had lunch at a Mexican restaurant recommended in the Fodor's guide book, called La Fonda. The restaurant was in a kind of bleak-looking part of town, but I went anyway. The interior was kitchy Mexican style, with lots of color and Mexican knick knacks, and Mexican music playing in the background. The free chips and salsa were really good, and I ordered the tortilla soup, sonoran rolled tacos, and sopapillos to take with me for dessert. Everything was very fresh tasting and flavorful. The price was also very good.
 |
| La Fonda Mexican Restaurant in Yuma |
 |
| A friendly stranger at the door of a beautiful old building, now housing an agriculture company. |
 |
| A really cool old hotel, now abandoned. I hope someone restores it! |
 |
| Here is an old postcard of the hotel that I found online! |
Also in the downtown area is the Sanguinetti House Museum. This house belonged to a prominent Yuma entrepreneur from the 1800s and features the first swimming pool in Yuma (which unfortunately is now paved over the top for a dance floor for weddings). It's a cool old house, furnished with period furniture, and our docent suggested that many thought it was haunted. There is a small gift shop attached, as well as a cafe under an awning, which apparently has good lunches and breakfasts, although I did not try it.
 |
| A gorgeous original light fixture in the Sanguinetti House, with a garnet red glass shade. |
 |
| A cold beer under the tent at River City Grill. |
Finally it was time for dinner, and I headed over to another spot recommended by the Fodor's travel guide, River City Grill. This cozy spot had indoor seating and outdoor under a canopy. I chose outdoor, and with my sweater on, it was perfect. The place was packed on this Tuesday night, mostly, it seemed, with groups of people, and the conversations I overheard indicated it was a popular place to go with work associates. I tried a Lucky Buddha Lager for the first time, which was quite good, and enjoyed the romantic fairy lights everywhere in this garden patio setting. I got a salad and a chicken curry entree, which were both quite good. I would definitely recommend this restaurant, as well.
 |
| Traveling Hwy. 95 north to the Imperial National Wilderness Preserve |
 |
| Army Paratroopers taking practice jumps! |
 |
| Meers Point Trail |
 |
| Meers Point Trail |
 |
| Fisher's Landing Grill at the trailer park |
 |
| The Painted Desert Trail |
 |
| I have to climb up there!! |
 |
| Look at this wacky rock formation! |
 |
| Red rocks, gorgeous sky! |
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
