• November 2018 Product Empties

    December 3, 2018

    Hi Everyone!

    Here are last month’s product empties:

    Amika Nourishing Mask – I got this on Amazon, so this is the old packaging. The new one looks pretty much the same (design-wise), but the font is a bit bigger. This mask made my hair smooth and shiny.

    Repurchase? Maybe. I did really enjoy it, but I think I would rather get a hair mask from the drugstore because I really enjoyed the Garnier ones I’ve tried.

    Sephora Yuzu Micellar Cleansing Water – The lemon scent makes me think of dish soap. While it does the job to remove makeup, it kind of makes my eyelids tingle. I gave it to my mom (who doesn’t have sensitive skin) and she noticed that when she used it, her face would be red after removing her makeup. She rarely has reactions from products, so it was weird. I used what was left in the bottle to clean my makeup sponge.

    Repurchase? I don’t think they sell it anymore. Even if they did, I would not repurchase.

    Tarte Maracuja Oil – I love this oil! I use it as a moisturizer and a primer.

    Repurchase? I already repurchased a supersize bottle! The supersize is available on Tarte and it’s $22 more than the regular size, but twice the size. I got it during the Black Friday sale when it was 20% off!

    Make Up For Ever Step 1 Equalizer Primer (Redness Correcting) – I love the MUFE primers, but this one is kind of useless. If you want to colour correct redness, get an actual concealer that corrects instead of a primer. I’ve written a This or That post comparing this to the Smashbox primer. While this one performs better than the Smashbox one, it still doesn’t do as much as an actual colour corrector.

    Repurchase? Not the redness correcting primer, but I have already repurchased other MUFE Step 1 Equalizer Primers.

    The Body Shop Pink Grapefruit Exfoliating Gel Body Scrub (read my review) – The gel texture of this made me use it faster because it was easy to just scoop some out with my hand and get too much.

    Repurchase? No.

    BCL SPA Lavender + Mint Dead Sea Salt Soak – I enjoyed this a lot and it made me feel very relaxed.

    Repurchase? Probably not.

    BCL SPA Lavender + Mint Sugar Scrub (not pictured) (read my review) – I loooved this; it smells amazing and makes your skin feel baby smooth. I’m sad I used it up so quickly because it’s so expensive.

    Repurchase? Probably not. I just can’t justify the price tag, but I will try to duplicate it with a DIY sugar scrub or find one that’s more accessible and affordable.

    Live Clean Coconut Milk Moisturizing Shampoo & Conditioner (conditioner is not pictured) – I liked the smell of this and it made my hair feel soft.

    Repurchase? Possibly.

    Johnson’s Baby Shampoo – I used this to clean my makeup brushes and sponges.

    Repurchase? Yes.

    Lady Speed Stick Invisible in Cool & Fresh – The smell is very nice, but after a while, it started to smell different; not as fresh. I want to start using natural deodorants that don’t have aluminum.

    Repurchase? No.

    Delectable by Cake Beauty The Everything Powder – When I first tried it, I loved it. It doesn’t have talc and it was great to use as a setting powder, but I just don’t love the smell that much. I’ve said it multiple times, but it smells like this toy that my cousin had. It was a baby that comes with a bottle and spoon and you put the spoon in the bottle and it ‘fills’ up with cherries and you feed the baby and the cherries disappear.

    Repurchase? No.

    Delectable by Cake Beauty The Everything Balm – I enjoyed this when I got a little tube from a Topbox, so I bought a full-sized bottle. The full size comes with a pump, but the pump sucks. It doesn’t dispense the product and it smells a bit different from when I used the small tube.

    Repurchase? No.

    COSRX Acne Pimple Master Patches (read my review) – I love these. They’re amazing.

    Repurchase? YES!!

    Neutrogena Hydro Boost Eye Gel Cream (read my review) – This didn’t hydrate my eyes as much as other eye products I’ve tried which was disappointing because it’s a good price for an eye cream.

    Repurchase? No.

    Essence The False Lashes Extreme Volume & Curl Mascara (read my review) – This mascara held the curl of my lashes well, but it was quite flaky.

    Repurchase? No.

    Rimmel Moisture Renew Universal Transparent Lip Liner in 001 Universal – This is a clear lip liner that you can use for any lipstick. The only problem with it was that I could see where I was drawing on my lips. Also, it’s retractable and I prefer a pencil that you can sharpen so I can get a more defined line.

    Repurchase? No.

    Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in 855 Berry Smoothie – This was a gorgeous shade, but I just didn’t like it on me. It looked like my lips were stained from eating berries and I always wore it with Vaseline on top or underneath to sheer it out.

    Repurchase? I would consider repurchasing a Revlon Super Lustrous lipstick, but not in this shade.

    Bourjois Twist Up The Volume Mascara (read my review) – This was an interesting mascara, but if I were to spend over $20 on a mascara, I would get one from Sephora that I like better.

    Repurchase? No.

    Milani Color Statement Lipstick in 26 Nude Crème – I loved this shade. It was a “My Lips But Better” shade, but I didn’t love the watermelon scent of the lipstick.

    Repurchase? Maybe.

    Check out my Black Friday Haul!

    What did you finish last month?

    Love,

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  • First Impressions with Neutrogena Hydro Boost

    September 5, 2018

    Hi Everyone!

    I’ve been seeing the Neutrogena Hydro Boost products on Instagram and heard so many good reviews, I had to try something. I was kind of surprised how expensive they were for drugstore. A lot of drugstore products are bumping up their quality, but that also means their prices go up too.

    Hydro Boost Gel Cream

    I love the consistency of the gel cream, but I’d prefer if my moisturizer came with a pump because I’m a bit lazy and don’t like cleaning a spatula after every use. This gel cream didn’t come with a spatula, I had one from another cream. Even though this gel cream is fragrance-free, it has a perfume-y scent that I find too overpowering for me. I’ve been told that the gel cream for extra dry doesn’t have a scent. I also think I had a slight reaction to it, my cheeks felt a bit itchy after applying it.

    Our unique water gel-cream formula absorbs quickly, like a gel, but has the long-lasting moisturizing power of a cream to quench your extra-dry skin’s thirst. It contains hydrating hyaluronic acid, which is naturally found in the skin, and acts as a sponge for dry skin cells, absorbing up to 1,000 times its weight in water.

    This rich gel relieves intense dryness to help restore skin’s natural barrier against moisture loss. Plus it’s fragrance, dye and oil-free, and can be worn alone or under makeup.

    Apply evenly to face and neck after cleansing, morning and night. For added hydration, use together with NEUTROGENA® Hydro Boost Hydrating Cleansing Gel, Hydrating Serum and Eye Gel.

    RATING: 3/5

    Hydro Boost Gel Cream Eye

    So far I like the eye gel, it’s not sticky at all and it doesn’t have any scent. Although I do get dry under eyes, I think I’d prefer an eye cream that helps with dark circles.

    Instantly quenches dry skin and keeps it looking smooth, supple and hydrated all day. The unique light-weight formula absorbs quickly around the eye area, like a gel, but has the long-lasting, intense moisturizing power of a cream.

    Use in the morning and at night on cleansed skin. Dot product around the eye area and smooth in until thoroughly absorbed.

    RATING: 4/5

    I was a bit disappointed with these products. After seeing all the hype, I was expecting more. I would rather pay a bit more money and get something I like better. Higher end products are easier to sample because you can test them in-store or bring home samples from Sephora or Nordstrom. With drugstore products, they’re less likely to have testers unless it’s a higher end brand like Vichy.

    I haven’t tried a lot of Neutrogena products. I’ve only used their Acne cleansers and sunscreens which I like: Oil-Free Acne Wash Pink Grapefruit Facial Cleanser (this cleanser used to have plastic microbeads, but last year, they replaced them with jojoba beads. Some stores may still have stock of the cleanser with the plastic though), Beach Defense Sunscreen Lotion and Ultra Sheer Face Sunscreen.

    Have you tried the Hydro Boost products? What did you think of them?

    Love,

    jen

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