Today, I’m reviewing my beauty expenses for 2022. I know we’re more than half way through 2023, but I realized that I forgot to do last year’s beauty expenses.
As you can see from the graphs, I started spending money on beauty products again. There was a significant decrease in 2020 and 2021 because of COVID. The majority of the skincare purchases were the Kiehl’s Ultimate Strength Hand Salve and First Aid Beauty KP Bump Eraser. I’ve been lucky enough to receive skincare products to review. So I haven’t bought many skincare products for my face, but somehow I spent $550 on things like hand cream, body scrubs and pimple patches.
My 6 most expensive beauty purchases of 2022:
Sephora Collection PRO 8-piece Brush Set – $92.80
Charlotte Tilbury Eyes to Mesmerize Cream Eyeshadow Trio – $70.20
Clinique Take the Day Off Cleansing Balm (Value size) – $52
Uoma Beauty Say What?! Foundation – $50
Youth to the People Dream Eye Cream with Vitamin C and Ceramides – $49.60
After seeing how much I spent last year on makeup and skincare, I’m actually quite surprised. It didn’t feel like I spent that much on beauty products. Since we’re in August 2023, I can say that I’ve actually tried my 6 most expensive purchases and I like all of them. I think I’m starting to prefer powder or cream foundations though, so I probably wouldn’t repurchase the Uoma foundation. I like all of the other products though. I haven’t opened the Clinique Take the Day Off Cleansing Balm, but I’ve used it in the past. I really like the Sephora Collection PRO brushes. They’re so soft and fluffy. The ABH eyeshadow palette is a classic, I still need to use it more. I haven’t used the Charlotte Tilbury Eyes to Mesmerize shadows as much as I’d like. I chose more smokey shades and I’ve mostly been going out during the day and prefer to do a natural eye look in the morning.
I’m interested to see my beauty expenses for this year. I think I’ve bought more clothes than beauty products, but we’ll see what happens in the next few months when the Sephora sale and Black Friday/Cyber Monday sales come around lol.
It’s been a while since I’ve posted on the blog. It’s also been a while since I’ve done a Hits & Misses post. So here are my thoughts on L’Oréal products. Some of the products I was gifted and marked with a *.
Before you read this post, please remember that we all have difference preferences and skin types. These are MY hits, misses and likes. You might love something I don’t like or dislike something I love.
HITS
Voluminous Original Mascara – This is one of my favourite drugstore mascaras. I like the wand and it’s a good price.
Rouge Signature Liquid Lip Colour in I Create 416 – I love this shade and it’s a pretty comfortable matte liquid lipstick. Sometimes I’ll put a bit of gloss on in the middle.
Colour Riche Shine Lipstick in Varnished Rosewood 904 (read my review) – I bought this one for my mom, it’s a really pretty shade and has a nice shine.
LIKES
Bambi Eye Mascara* – I liked this mascara, the shape of the tube made it a bit difficult to open. I don’t have dexterity issues, but someone who does might have trouble opening it.
Telescopic Intense Lash Length Original Mascara – This is the gold tube one. It works well for bottom lashes.
Brow Stylist Boost & Set Volumizing Brow Mascara (read my review) – This brow mascara was okay. I liked the small brush, but it made my brows feel crunchy.
Magic Skin Beautifier BB Cream Anti-Redness (read my review) – My mom uses this anti-redness bb cream and it works well. I wish it came in different shades because it’s too brown for me. It also doesn’t smell that great.
Color Riche Collection Exclusive Lipstick in J Lo’s Nude 370 – I used to looooove this lipstick. I didn’t really love the scent of the lipstick (I think it was the same as the regular Colour Riche lipsticks – either a baby powder scent or a bit floral). I went through 3 tubes of this until I decided to try other products. I prefer lip tints and balms or liquid lipsticks these days.
Color Riche Oil-Infused Nail Lacquer in 554 Carmin Parisien* – Gorgeous shade and the brush works well. I could do without the rose scent of the polish though. I prefer the regular Color Riche Nail Lacquer (if they still sell that).
Anti-Wrinkle + Firming Day Moisturizer Fragrance-Free* – This is the only skincare product I’ve liked from L’Oreal because it’s fragrance-free. It did a good job as a moisturizer too, but it’s almost the same price as a non-drugstore brand. So I’d rather use a serum or moisturizer from another brand.
Revitalift Triple Power LZR 7-day Treatment Replumping Ampoules* – These were interesting. I would prefer if they sold it in a bottle because it’s expensive for these 7 capsules.
Le Colour Clear Toning Gloss* – I haven’t coloured my hair in years, so I can only judge the claims to make your hair shine. It did make my hair look very shiny and healthy.
Dream Lengths 8-second(es) Wonder Water Lamellar Rinse-Out* (read my review) – It detangled hair well, but it didn’t last very long and it was expensive.
MISSES
Unfortunately, a lot of the skincare products has a heavy fragrance that gives me a headache, so I was unable to test how well the product actually worked. The serums were all quite tacky which I didn’t love. Here are 3 of their Revitalift serums that were too scented to try:
Revitalift Derm Intensives 12% Pure Vitaminc C, E + Salicylic Acid Face Serum* – smells like that solution to clean the hair tools at a salon
Revitalift Hydrating Smoothing Serum* – smells like hairspray from what I remember
Revitalift Triple Power LZR 0.3% Pure Retinol Night Serum* – I may be mistaken, but I could’ve sworn that all of the serums had fragrance in them. Maybe there was another reason I didn’t like this one because it claims to be fragrance-free on the website
Pure-Sugar Scrub for Oily Skin (Kiwi) – When I first tried this, I liked it, but I don’t really use scrubs on my face anymore because of my sensitive skin.
Pure Clay Masks (Charcoal Brightening Mask for Dull Skin, Red Pore Minimizing 7 Exfoliating for Rough Skin, Green Mattifying Face Mask for Oily Skin)* – As I’ve gotten older, I’ve stopped using face masks as often out of laziness. I prefer to use a mask that I don’t have to clean off. Also, clay masks can make my skin feel dry and tight and I don’t need my skin to be drier (especially in the colder months).
Concealer Infallible Full Wear, One-Swipe Complete Coverage Matte Finish – This one is too thick for my liking and just made my under eyes look cakey.
Colour Riche Ultra Matte Lipstick* (read my review) – These were a bit too matte for my liking. I probably could’ve added a gloss or balm on top, but the shades I tried weren’t ones I would’ve personally chosen. So maybe if I had tried a shade that I like, I would like them better.
Voluminous Lash Paradise Mascara – This is going to be a surprise for some people, but I do not like this mascara’s wand shape. I need a more cone-shaped wand or one that’s wider in the middle, not thinner.
I have an Excel sheet of products I’ve tried and whether I would repurchase them or not. I have a few L’Oreal products that I said I wouldn’t repurchase, but unfortunately, I didn’t write why lol, so these fall into that category:
Voluminous Original Primer – I could’ve sworn I tried this, but I can’t find it in my records anywhere. I know I tried a mascara primer, but I didn’t want to splurge on one, so I got this one. I remember not liking it because it made my lashes feel so heavy once I put mascara on. It was either this or the Tarte Opening Act Lash Primer.
Excellence Crème – I’m pretty sure I’ve used one of their hair colours. I don’t dye my hair often, but I tried a few box dyes a few years ago. So I don’t really have a reference for which ones are good
Dream Lengths Shampoo with Keratin and Castor Oil & Dream Lengths Conditioner* – All I wrote in my Excel sheet was “scent was too sweet”
Extraordinary Oil Shampoo Fine Coconut Oil – I’m guessing that I didn’t like the oil in it or I didn’t like the coconut scent.
EverPure Sulfate-Free Bond Strengthening Shampoo & Conditioner* – I usually stick to regular drugstore shampoo brands in bottles (sometimes I will occasionally buy an expensive one and use it for special occasions). I think I didn’t love the scent of this and it was expensive
Stylista #BeachWaves Texturizing Mist – I don’t like the feeling of a hair texturizer
Stylista #Curls Defining Spray – I remember this being quite fragranced
I’ve tried a few discontinued products as well:
Sublime Soft Micellar Gelee Eye Makeup Remover (read my review)
Infallible Pro Contour Palette – This was the first contour palette I tried. I didn’t know what I was doing back then lol. I do remember the contour shade being a good ‘shadow’ shade though
Infallible Le Rouge Lipstick in 337 Refined Ruby – This was a pretty red (blue-red, not an orange-red), very shiny too
While I’ve tried quite a bit from the brand, it also doesn’t seem like a lot once I’ve written it all down. I haven’t tried much of their face makeup, but I don’t feel tempted to try much from the brand. I have considered trying their foundations, but then I just end up trying other brands. Especially since drugstore prices have gone up and they’re comparable to brands at retail stores.
Today, I have an updated makeup inventory list. These posts are more for me to track what products I have/had at a given time. Products in BOLD are unopened.
Primers: 7
elf Vitamin C-Bright Putty Face Primer (mini)
Smashbox Photo Finish Primer Water
Smashbox Photo Finish Primer Water
Physician’s Formula Spotlight Illuminating Primer (mini)
Pixi +C Vit Brightening Perfector*
Tula Prime of Your Life Smoothing & Firming Treatment Primer
Foundations: 7
bareMinerals Original Foundation Broad Spectrum SPF15 in Light
Heimish Artless Perfect Cushion in 23 Natural Beige*
Maybelline Shine-Free + Balance Stick Foundation in Classic Ivory
Maybelline Shine-Free + Balance Stick Foundation in Natural Beige
Missha M Perfect Cover BB Cream in No. 21 Light Beige
Shiseido Synchro Skin Self-Refreshing Custom Finish Powder Foundation in 220 Linen
Uoma Beauty Say What?! Foundation in Fair Lady T2N
Concealers: 4
L’Oreal Infallible Full Wear Concealer in 340 Fawn
Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage Concealer in SC-2: Fair To Light Skin Tones
Shiseido Synchro Skin Self-Refreshing Concealer in 202 Light
Shiseido Synchro Skin Self-Refreshing Concealer in 203 Light
Powders: 4
Hourglass Veil Translucent Setting Powder
Becca Hydra-Mist Set & Refresh Powder (mini)
Make Up For Ever Ultra HD Microfinishing Loose Powder (mini)
Maybelline Fit Me Matte + Poreless Powder in Translucent
Blushes/Highlighters/Bronzers/Contour: 13
Bare Minerals Gen Nude Powder Blush in That Peach Tho
Burt’s Bees The Luminizer in 1906 Starlight*
Chanel Soleil Tan de Chanel Bronzing Base
Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Flawless Filter in 2 Fair
Honest Beauty Crème Cheek Blush in Rose Pink
Hourglass Ambient Lighting Bronzer in Nude Bronze Light
Jane Iredale PurePressed Powder Blush in Barely Rose*
Rare Beauty Soft Pinch Liquid Blush in Joy
Milk Makeup Lip + Cheek (mini) in Werk
Milani Strobelight Instant Glow Powder in Afterglow
Too Cool for School Artclass By Rodin Shading #01 Classic*
Wet N Wild Megaglo Highlighting Powder in Blossom Glow
Wet N Wild Dual-Ended Contour Stick in Light/Medium
Brows: 7
Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz in Ebony
Benefit Precisely, My Brow Pencil in Shade 6 Cool Black
2x Colourpop Clear Brow Gel
Maybelline Brow Fast Sculpt, Mascara for Brows in Clear
Shu Uemura Hard Formula Eyebrow Pencil in Stone Gray 05
Uoma Beauty Brow-Fro Blow Out Volumizing Gel in 6
Eyeshadows: 9 (I’m counting the palettes as 1)
Anastasia Beverly Hills Single in Intense Gaze
Anastasia Beverly Hills Single in Rosette
Anastasia Beverly Hills Single in Sunset
Anastasia Beverly Hills Soft Glam Palette
Charlotte Tilbury Easy Eye Palette
Charlotte Tilbury Eyes to Mesmerize Cream Eyeshadow in Champagne
Charlotte Tilbury Eyes to Mesmerize Cream Eyeshadow in Chocolate Bronze
Charlotte Tilbury Eyes to Mesmerize Cream Eyeshadow in Oyster Pearl
Urban Decay Naked Eyeshadow Single in Half Baked
Eyeliners: 4
Annabelle Kohl Eyeliner in 116 White
MAKE UP FOR EVER Artist Color Pencil: Eye, Lip & Brow Pencil in 100 Whatever Black
MAKE UP FOR EVER Artist Color Pencil: Eye, Lip & Brow Pencil 502 Infinite Sand
MAKE UP FOR EVER Artist Color Pencil: Eye, Lip & Brow Pencil in 612 Dimension Dark Brown
Mascara: 3
Blinc Original Tubing Mascara*
L’Oreal Bambi Eye Original Mascara in 400 Blackest Black*
Pacifica Activist Volume Volume & Curl Mascara
Lips: 14
Burt’s Bees Gloss and Glow Glossy Balm in Winning in Pink*
Drunk Elephant Lippe Balm*
Etude Fixing Tint in #05 Midnight Mauve
Giorgio Armani Rouge Ecstasy Lipstick in 400
Honest Beauty Lip Crayon in Rose
L’Oreal Rouge Signature Matte Lipstick in I Create 416
One Thing Moisturizing Lip Essence*
Pacifica Vegan Collagen Complex Lip Balm*
Pixi Botanical Collagen Lip Gloss*
rom&nd Glasting Water Tint in Brick River
rom&nd Juicy Lasting Tint Bare Juicy Series in #22 Pomelo Skin
rom&nd Juicy Lasting Tint Bare Juicy Series in #23 Nucadamia
rom&nd Juicy Lasting Tint in #25 Bare Grape
rom&nd Juicy Lasting Tint in #07 Jujube
rom&nd Zero Velvet Tint in #16 Burny Nude
TOTAL NUMBER OF MAKEUP ITEMS: 72
I’m also including my nail polishes and perfumes, but not including them in the makeup item inventory count.
Nails: 13
CND Vinylux Long Wear Polish in Black Pool
CND Gel Like Effect Top Coat
Dior Base Coat Abricot
L’Oreal Color Riche Le Vernis à Huile Gel Nail Polish in 554 Carmin Parisien*
Revlon Ultimate Shine Top Coat
Static Nails Liquid Glass Lacquer Perfect Sheers Set (minis)
Today, I’ll be reviewing products I received from BeautySense.ca! This post was sponsored by BeautySense.ca and the products above were sent to me for review, but all opinions are my own. The links below are NOT affiliate links.
Beautysense.ca is a Canadian-owned website that sells beauty and cosmetics products.
We have deep roots within the beauty industry operating successful spas and salons in Canada.
BeautySense.ca was launched in 2013 with a vision of providing Canadians with a trusted and reliable source of beauty products while contributing the same customer service and education found in our spas and salons.
BeautySense.ca currently offers well over 4000 quality products from top Canadian and International brands and we continue to add new brands every month. We cater to each of you, our customer, to reach a goal of 100% satisfaction.
They sell a wide variety of skincare, home, bath & body, makeup and wellbeing products.
Free shipping on all orders within Canada, no minimum!!
They have promotions every now and then. A free gift with purchase, discounts on certain brands, etc.
I don’t know if they have sales throughout the year, but I have signed up for the newsletter to email me. So I will update this post if I am notified of any sales throughout the year.
They have a loyalty program. Receive 1 point for every $1 you spend
BeautySense let me choose the products to try out so I went with a 3 products from brands I’ve never tried before and 2 products from amika (love the scent of their dry shampoo and soulfood nourishing hair mask).
Colorescience: Sunforgettable® Total Protection™ Face Shield Flex SPF 50 | $63
A lightweight mineral sunscreen with tinted color coverage immediately evens skin tone for a flawless look. Available in four uniquely flexible shades for a range of skin tones, it features innovative, tone-adapting pigments that offer medium, buildable colour coverage with a natural finish.
This is drier than I thought it would be. I think I could’ve tried the medium shade instead of fair because it’s very white on me. For sunscreen, I usually just squeeze it out onto my hand and then apply to my face, but I think maybe it’s better to do a little at a time for this one. Instead of trying the medium tinted shade, I think I would just try the original (non-tinted) one next time.
Amika: The Wizard Detangling Primer | $34.50
A weightless, multi-benefit priming spray that detangles, cuts blow dry time and protects against thermal and environmental damage. Leaves hair smooth, soft and radiant.
This detangled my hair so quickly and my hair felt smooth and sleek. It looked shiny and smelled really nice. It has the same scent as the normcore conditioner and dry shampoo.
Amika: Normcore Signature Conditioner | $26
Boost hydration, softness and shine daily with this everyday conditioner, loaded with vitamins and antioxidants.
I used to love the Perk Up Dry Shampoo, but I stopped buying products with aerosol cans. Since this has the same scent description, I figured this would be the same and it is. At the time, the shampoo was out of stock, but I would definitely get the shampoo. My hair is healthy because I don’t dye it and I don’t use styling tools all the time. So I usually stick to buying shampoos and conditioners from the drugstore. I have bought a few expensive shampoos and conditioners and I use them every couple weeks when I feel like a pick-me-up.
Jane Iredale: PurePressed Blush in Barely Rose | $41
A silky, easy-glide pressed blush that builds like a powder and blends like a cream for seamless, long-lasting color and a fresh, healthy glow.
The blush is a pretty pink shade that looks like a natural blush to my cheeks. I did notice that the blush had faded by the 6 hour mark though. I purposely applied more blush than usual just to see how it wore throughout the day. So, by the 6 hour mark, it was no longer noticeable and by the 9 hour mark, it was definitely gone. I used a cotton pad to wipe the makeup and no blush came off.
Blinc: Ultravolume Tubing Mascara – Black | $32
Whether your daily activities take you from the office, to your sweaty workout then out to dinner, Blinc Tubing Mascara Ultra Volume will make your lashes look as good in the evening as they did when you first applied it in the morning.
I have typical Asian lashes that don’t keep a curl for very long so I was surprised at how well this mascara kept the curl. I was wearing the mascara for about 9 hours and my lashes were still curled. They might’ve gone down a little bit, but they definitely had a curve to them still (not sticking straight down). I did notice a few flakes on my eyelid and under eye by the 9 hour mark. I think I may have touched my eye at some point. The mascara removes easily with warm water. I would say to remove the mascara with warm water before removing the rest of your makeup. So the tubes don’t get all over your face.
They have a number of brands that I’ve never tried, so I’d be interested in buying those in the future and reviewing them on my blog.
Today, I’m sharing a K-beauty haul! I made an order from thekshop.ca…even though I have a lot of skincare to try already. Here’s what I ended up ordering:
Beauty of Joseon Green Plum Refreshing Cleanser | $18.99
Nacific Holiday-Edition Special Bundle (Cica) – NACIFIC X Stray Kids | $99
Fresh Cica Plus Clear Toner | $23.99
Fresh Cica Plus Clear Serum | $24.99
Fresh Cica Plus Clear Cream | $25.99
Vitamin C Newpair Cream (Spot Treatment) | $16.99
2 x Fresh Herb Origin Clear Spot Patches (18 per pack) | $5.99 x 2 = $11.98
8 Stray Kids Christmas Photocards
8 Stray Kids The Comeback of Hologram Photocards
Klairs Fundamental Nourishing Eye Butter | $31.99
samples: 3 x Iunik Black Snail Restore Serum
The photocards on the top are the holographic ones. That’s why there’s a rainbow across some of their faces.
All the products in the Holiday bundle add up to $103.94 if you buy them separately. They also threw in the Nacific Salicylic Acid Clarifying Mask Pack ($3.99) which was a nice little bonus. They packaged the products individually, instead of sending them in the holiday box as pictured on their website. I was fine with this because it would be silly to pack a box in another box. Especially when each product also comes in boxes. The photocards come in plastic sleeves to protect them. One thing I was worried about though was that they put an elastic around the cards to secure them. It creased the edges of the plastic sleeves a bit, but the photocards were fine. I think it would’ve been better to package the cards into a larger sleeve/bag to keep them together. You don’t want the photocards to get damaged, especially if you’re buying the skincare set just for the 16 photocards.
I haven’t tried any of the products yet, but I look forward to trying all of them. I wanted to try Cica because I’ve read that it’s good for redness and irritation. My face has gotten clearer lately, but I still have redness around my nose.
Other skincare products I want to try in the future:
Beauty of Joseon Serums
Beauty of Joseon Radiance Cleansing Balm
Dear, Klairs – Midnight Blue Calming Cream
KraveBeauty Great Barrier Relief
KraveBeauty Kale-Lalu-yAHA
KraveBeauty Oat So Simple Water Cream
I also wanted to get a lip product, but they didn’t have any of the shades in stock:
I am revisiting last year’s favourites. There were some products I really enjoyed, but I don’t love them enough to repurchase. Others are favourites and I will repurchase again in the future. Keep reading to find out which products from my 2019 favourites made the list!
Check out my other posts revisiting my old favourites!
This year, I’ve taken a look at those “Revisiting” posts and reviewed them again. I’ve decided that every year, I will take a look at all of my favourites to see how my tastes change as I get older.
I know it’s been a while since my last post. I know I’ve already said this, but I haven’t bought many new products this year, so I don’t have a lot to review. Here are my empties for the last 2 months. I decluttered the makeup items since I’ve had them for a while.
Tosowoong Propolis Sparkle Ampoule* – I really liked this product. I was sent it to try, but would repurchase it in the future. It comes in a huge bottle which lasted a long time. When I used this at night, I noticed that it calmed down the redness on my face. The redness wasn’t completely gone, but it didn’t look as bad as the day before.
Repurchase? Yes.
Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask – This lip mask lasts so long. I wish it came in a tube to make it a little more hygienic since it took so long to finish. I would wake up with my lips feeling moisturized.
Repurchase? Probably.
Burt’s Bees All Aflutter Volumizing Mascara* – The Burt’s Bees Mascaras are nice and natural. They don’t look clumpy at all. While it was a nice mascara, it’s a bit more expensive than other mascaras I like better.
Repurchase? No.
Maybelline Super Stay Matte Ink in 65 Seductress – I really liked this lipstick and would definitely repurchase in the future and consider other shades as well. It was a comfortable matte lipstick, but it was time to declutter it.
Repurchase? Yes. I would try other shades too.
Dermalogica Special Cleansing Gel (read my review) – It was a good cleanser, but it’s expensive and it didn’t do much more than my Cetaphil Gentle Cleanser which is a fraction of the price.
Repurchase? No.
Good Molecules Caffeine Energizing Eye Patches – They felt cooling to use, but I didn’t really notice a difference after using them.
Repurchase? No.
What have you finished lately?
Love,
Products marked with * were sent to me for review or gifted.
Her skin type is oily and she uses powder foundations. She tried a cushion, but ended up giving it to me because she doesn’t like liquid foundation. She dislikes eye makeup (especially mascara), so she only ever curls her lashes.
Morning Skincare – Update
Shiseido Benefiance WrinkleResist24 Day Emulsion – Mom loves the Shiseido Benefiance WrinkleResist24 collection. Originally, I bought her the Day Cream, but she didn’t like that it came in a pot (for her day cream…for some reason, she’s fine with using the potted creams for nighttime). So, we got the Day Emulsion which comes in a bottle with a pump. She must like it because she bought two more bottles at the Shiseido Warehouse Sale.
She also has a few different SPF products floating around. I don’t know which one she’s currently using on her face, but we have the Shiseido Ultra Sun Protection Lotion and the Neutrogena Ultra Sheer one.
Primer & Colour Corrector – Update
Make Up For Ever Step 1 Equalizer Primer (Smoothing)
L’Oreal Magic Skin Beautifier BB Cream- Anti-Redness (read my review) – My mom said the smell is starting to affect her too, so if anyone knows of a product that’s similar, please let me know!
Foundation – Update
After the Sephora MicroSmooth Baked Foundation, she used the Shiseido Sheer and Perfect Compact Foundation in I20 Natural Light Ivory. This was a nice foundation, but the shade wasn’t quite right and she finished it fairly quickly compared to the Sephora foundation because the pan isn’t very deep.
Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Powder Foundation in 5.5 – The shade 5.5 is a bit dark, so if she were to repurchase, she’d go down a shade or two. She’s enjoying the foundation – it’s very smooth and looks beautiful. One thing she doesn’t like about the compact is that it comes with a sponge and the middle part with the powder flops back and forth (like the Physician’s Formula Butter Bronzer), powder collects in the sponge section which is wasteful.
Concealer – No Update
Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay-In-Place Flawless Wear Concealer in Warm Light Medium
She still uses this concealer and she likes the consistency.
Eyes – No Update
Tweezerman Lash Curler
She doesn’t wear eyeshadow or mascara.
Blush – Update
Lancôme Blush Subtil in Aplum – Plum-mauve blushes are her favourite! The compact for this blush isn’t the best though. My mom accidentally dropped it and it chipped off the edge because it’s just plastic. Also, why do high end blushes have to come with those useless brushes?
Lips – Update
MAC Patentpolish Lip Pencil in Spontaneous – I bought this at the MAC Warehouse Sale and my mom is just using it to finish.
MAC Cremesheen Glass in It’s A Strike – Same as the patentpolish pencil, this is not the right shade for her and she’s just using it to finish it.
Makeup she has in her purse to touch-up throughout the day:
Clinique Superpowder Double Face Makeup in Matte Neutral – to get rid of the shine.
MAC Lustre Lipstick in Midimauve – I gave her this one since it’s a more sheer lipstick than the satin lipsticks. It has a bit of pigment and shine – looks more like a tinted balm.
Vaseline – glossy and easy to apply without a mirror.
Today, I’m going to be talking about eye creams I’ve tried. I never realized that I’ve tried quite a few and there’s actually only one that I love that made my under eyes feel smooth and didn’t give me milia. Several of the eye creams were just okay for me. I need one that hydrates because I have dry under eyes, but I also want one that helps with dark circles. Usually eye creams are hydrating OR for dark circles. So, maybe I have to find one to use for the day and one for night. I’m still on the hunt for one. While I do have a fave on this list, it’s the most expensive eye cream out of all of them, but you don’t get a lot for the cost.
I’ve written a mini review of each eye cream I’ve tried and also said if I had a reaction to it or not. Keep reading to find out which one is my fave!
Neutrogena Hydro Boost Gel Cream for Eyes (read my review)
Unlike the Hydro Boost Cream for the face, this didn’t have a smell and it wasn’t tacky at all, but it just didn’t ‘wow’ me.
Both my mom and I tried this eye renewal serum. We both felt itchy using it and it wasn’t allergies or anything because we were using this in the winter time.
Reaction? No physical reaction, but eyes felt itchy.
Origins Ginzing Refreshing Eye Cream to Depuff and Brighten(read my review)
I’m not a huge fan of the smell of this. I accidentally bought this instead of another product – I meant to get the Ginzing moisturizer. A little goes a long way and while this does brighten the under eyes, you have to be careful not to use too much or it looks too white. I was using this off and on because I got one spot and I wasn’t sure if it was the eye cream or something else. I stopped using it until it got better and then I used it again and I’ve had a bit of texture under the eyes since. So, I won’t be using this anymore.
Reaction? Got a milium (singular of milia) and also got red bumpy spots
Kiehl’s Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado (read my review)
I’ve been using this for about a while now and I’ve been using it on and off because whenever I use it, I get 1-2 red spots under both eyes. Also, it has a weird texture that’s almost glue-y. If you use too much, it doesn’t blend in very well, but if you use a very small amount, it absorbs into the skin and almost feels like water.
Reaction? Red spots under eyes whenever I used it.
Clinique Even Better Eyes Dark Circle Corrector
I love the metal applicator on this and this is my favourite eye cream I’ve tried so far! It kept my under eyes smooth and hydrated. It also helped with darkness around my eyes for a while, but I stopped seeing results after a while. Maybe it did everything it could or my skin got used to it and stopped working for my dark circles. It still kept my under eyes nice and hydrated though. This is the most expensive eye cream I’ve tried (if you work out cost per mL). I like that it comes in a tube and not a pot which keeps it hygienic.
Today, I’m reviewing the Origins Ginzing Eye Cream to Brighten and Depuff. This one and the Ole Henriksen are super popular brightening eye creams. I thought I’d give this one a try first.
A refreshing eye cream that visibly brightens the eye area by diminishing the appearance of dark circles and puffiness.
It does illuminate the under eye because of the peachy tint. When I first started using it, I used too much and it brightened my under eyes too much. It would also dry down quickly and wouldn’t blend out well. Now that I know how much to use, it does brighten the under eye nicely. I don’t love the smell of this and I think I had a reaction to it because I got a milium (singular of milia since I only got one).
RATING: 3/5
I need a more hydrating under eye cream because my skin is so dry. I won’t be repurchasing this one.
I’ve always seen 3-step fiber mascaras and one of my friends bought one off Amazon and her lashes looked amazing, so I thought I’d try it out myself. I’ve seen the fiber mascaras at the drugstore, I got mine from Amazon, but it’s no longer available. For unknown reasons, it’s no longer available on the brand’s website either. Most 3-step fiber mascaras retail for $15-20 CAD. I’ve seen one on sale at Rexall or Shoppers Drug Mart for $12.
In this post, I will be sharing my thoughts on whether 3-step mascaras in general are worth it, I won’t be reviewing the specific brand or mascara that I bought because let’s be honest, they’re all kind of the same- there aren’t any name brands that have 3-step mascaras out there.
Sealing Gel- Steps 1 & 3, Natural Fibers- Step 2
Step 1- Curl lashes and apply generous amount of the mascara
Step 2- Immediately apply natural fibers to lashes
Step 3- finish with a second coat of the mascara to seal the fibers to your lashes
For best results, do one eye at a time to prevent Step 1 from drying before fiber application.
To remove the mascara, you just use warm water and it comes off easily. Make sure not to open your eye until it’s completely off because the fibers can get into your eye.
RATING: 4/5
It does make my lashes look longer and fuller. To be honest, the sealing gel by itself makes my lashes longer. For me, I just think it takes too much time to do the 3 steps and I could do the same with a regular mascara or a fiber mascara like the Revlon Mega Multiplier Mascara (read my review). Also, I don’t like how you use the sealant after using the fibers because then the natural fibers get into the other tube.
