I’ve got quite a few empties for you this month. I love trying travel-sized products to test things out. I know they’re not the most cost effective, but I’ve found a fair share of products that I don’t like. So I’m glad I didn’t buy the full size versions right away.
Amorepacific Purify & Polish Set (includes Treatment Cleansing Foam and Treatment Enzyme Peel Cleansing Powder) – Both of these cleansers are so strongly fragranced. I have dry skin and I feel like the cleansing foam was too drying for me.
Repurchase? No. They’re both quite expensive and too fragranced for my liking.
Tosowoong Repair Sleeping Hair Pack* – At first, I enjoyed this because it was a rinse free hair mask and it smelled pretty good. But once it dried, it felt like I had left product in my hair and forgot to wash it out.
Repurchase? No.
Institut Esthederm Cellular Water Gel* – I liked the consistency of this, but it was very fragranced. It reminded me a lot of the Neutrogena Hydro Boost Gel (read my review).
Repurchase? No.
Tatcha The Water Cream – I didn’t want to like this cream because of the price, but it’s quite nice for the warmer weather. It’s very similar to the Sonia Roselli Water Balm (read my review).
Repurchase? Yes.
Nars Soft Matte Complete Concealer – I’ve had this concealer for almost 2 years and I thought it was time to declutter it. I really loved it for spot concealing.
Repurchase? Absolutely!
Charlotte Tilbury Legendary Brows Eyebrow Gel in Perfect Brow – I loved the size of this brush. I don’t really have any complaints about it, but I think I slightly prefer the Benefit Gimme Brow because of the selection of shades.
Repurchase? Probably not.
Cinema Secrets Makeup Brush Cleaner – This did a good job of cleaning my brushes, but the vanilla scent started to get to me. I originally put this in my July/August 2019 faves post, but I’ve changed my mind. The scent would linger on the brushes and make my room smell like the scent.
Repurchase? No.
What products did you finish this month?
Love,
Products marked with (*) were sent to me for review.
Here’s my haul from the Sephora VIB Rouge Sale. I decided not to buy any new makeup because I already have more than enough makeup to get me through the year. So, I only purchased skincare and hair products…and one lip oil. I’ve been wanting to try Briogeo and other Volition Beauty products. I’ve tried the Celery Green Cream and Strawberry-C Brightening Serum from Volition Beauty. I thought I’d give their eye gel a try and also one of their serums. At the last minute, I decided to throw in a Sephora PRO eyeshadow brush.
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.
Each primer has a small blurb on why I love, like or didn’t like. Some I’ve grouped together because they were similar to me. First, I’ll start with Hits, then Likes and end with Misses.
HITS
Smashbox Photo Finish Primerizer – This one is great for my dry skin. Before I started using facial oils and drinking more water, my nose was super dry and flaky (ew). It’s still a bit dry and can get flaky at times, but around the nostrils aren’t as bad as they used to be. This primer was the first that would keep my nose moisturized enough by the end of the day. You can also use this as a moisturizer if you’re in a pinch and need some moisture.
Good Molecules Silicone-Free Priming Moisturizer* & Sonia Roselli Water Balm (read my review) – These are also 2-in-1 primers that can double as moisturizers. I wouldn’t say that these should be used as your only part of your skincare routine, but they can definitely be one of the steps in your morning routine to help prep your skin. The Sonia Roselli Water Balm is more moisturizing than the Good Molecules. I wouldn’t use the Good Molecules as a moisturizer on its own though. I usually pair it with a face oil.
Smashbox Photo Finish Primer Water – This is a nice hydrating primer that has a bit of tackiness. You can also use at the end of your makeup routine, but take note that the spray nozzle isn’t the finest so don’t get too close to your face. It has a slightly citrus scent from the Limonene, so if you don’t like citrus, you’ll want to skip this one!
Make Up For Ever Step 1 Equalizer Primer (Smoothing) – This is a nice smoothing/blurring primer that smells really nice. I use it on my cheeks and forehead where my pores are larger.
Tarte Timeless Smoothing Primer (read my review) – This is one of Tati’s fave blurring primers. So I thought I’d give it a try. This is a thicker primer and it’s easy to use too much – Less is more! Sometimes I would get too much on my fingers and then just apply it to areas I didn’t really need it. I would notice my makeup would look more cakey in those areas. That was totally my fault though. This is a great primer if you need to blur those pores. If you do end up trying it, press it into the skin, do not rub.
Winky Lux Whipped Primer – Tati also tried this one to compare. I can’t recall exactly what she said, but I think she liked it. Although not as much as the Tarte one. This one is a softer texture since it’s whipped – It’s like this one is whipped cream cheese while the Tarte is regular Philly cream cheese. It might be easier for a beginner to try this one first and then upgrade to Tarte Timeless Smoothing Primer when you’re ready.
Mac Strobe Cream (Pink) – I guess this is more of a liquid highlighter than a primer. If you have larger pores, you might want to use a blurring primer before applying this to the face. You can use this underneath foundation, mix it in with foundation or apply as a liquid highlighter. This pink is so pretty to give you that ‘glow from within’ look. The Giorgio Armani Fluid Sheer in #7 is also really pretty and I haven’t personally tried it, but the Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Flawless Filter is so pretty too.
LIKES
Smashbox Photo Finish Pore Minimizing Primer – I don’t really like the silicone-y feeling blurring primers, but if you don’t mind them, you’d like this one.
Touch In Sol No Poreblem Primer – This one broke me out, but it blurs really nicely. If it works for you, this is one of the cheaper primers available at Sephora and in this blog post.
Make Up For Ever Step 1 Equalizer Primers (Nourishing & Hydrating – These two primers were both really nice, but again didn’t provide my dry skin enough moisture. The Nourishing one is a bit richer in texture while the hydrating one is more of a gel cream texture.
Smashbox Photo Finish Primer Oil – I really loved this primer when I first tried a sample, but once I bought the full size bottle, I didn’t reach for it as often. You could use any facial oil you already have instead of spending money on a primer oil. Also, this isn’t the best smelling facial oil I’ve used either. I ended up having to use it as a facial oil and then ended up decluttering because I had it so long that it started to smell off.
First Aid Hello Fab Coconut Skin Smoothie Priming Moisturizer, Stellar Brilliant Primer & Mac Prep + Prime Natural Radiance – From what I remember, these three primers were illuminating and they had similar textures. They weren’t shimmery or anything, but there was a glow to them. While they were nice, they didn’t provide quite enough hydration for my dry skin. Also, I didn’t like the smells of these primers. I’d rather use a really good hydrating primer and choose to add in some liquid highlighter on my own instead of getting an illuminating primer like these ones.
MISSES
Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer – I know some people love this one, but this smells like school glue to me and that just turned me off. I also didn’t notice anything special about it.
Maybelline Baby Skin Instant Pore Eraser Primer – Similar to the Smashbox pore minimizing primer, this is silicone-y. It’s a good drugstore alternative to the Smashbox one, I believe. I didn’t compare them so I don’t know if Smashbox was better at blurring, but they both have the same texture.
Make Up for Ever Step 1 Equalizer Primer – Redness Correcting & Smashbox Photo Finish Colour Correcting Primer – Redness Correcting(read my review) – I didn’t really find these two primers to work that well at concealing redness. If you need to colour correct, use a colour corrector instead of a primer that corrects.
L’Oréal Magic Skin Beautifier BB Cream (Anti-Redness) (read my review) – This smells really bad, but it does work great if you have a slightly darker skin tone than I do. It works well for my mom. It starts out green, but then it turns ‘skin-coloured.’
Maybelline Facestudio Master Primer Blur + Redness Control Primer – This did nothing to conceal redness OR blur.
Nude By Nature Perfecting Primer (read my review) – Even though I rated this a 3/5 in my review, the smell is too sweet. It smells like Rockets (or as the Americans call them ‘Smarties’).
The Body Shop Moisturizing Primer – I don’t think this is available anymore, but it was basically a moisturizer. It had a similar texture to the First Aid priming moisturizer.
The Body Shop All-In-1 Blurring Primer – Again, this is silicone-y and one of the first primers I tried.
Smashbox Photo Finish Under Eye Primer – Originally, I loved this primer because I thought it made my under eyes look illuminated and bright. After a while, I didn’t notice anything. I don’t know if I was just imagining things in the beginning. This was meant to illuminate the under eyes. You don’t need this (even if it did work)…just get a good eye cream that already illuminates. This one has a similar texture to the First Aid/Stellar/MAC illuminating primers.
I’ve also tried the Benefit The POREfessional Face Primer and Tatcha The Silk Canvas Protective Primer in samples. I think the POREfessional was dried out by the time I tried it, but I know a lot of people love it. I think it’s similar to the Make Up For Ever Smoothing Primer, so I might give the hydrating version a try. I really liked the Silk Canvas primer and would definitely consider purchasing the mini. I know the full size is more cost effective, but I don’t know if I could get through the full size one fast enough. I’d rather spend a few dollars more per ounce than buy the full size one and end up throwing it out because it expired.
To Try
Becca First Light Priming Filter Face Primer
Becca Velvet Blurring Primer
Benefit The POREfessional: Hydrate Primer
Bite Changemaker Skin-Optimizing Primer (normal to dry skin)
Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Flawless Filter (This was on my 2020 Beauty Wishlist)
Cover FX Gripping Primer
Laura Mercier Pure Canvas Primer – Blurring
Laura Mercier Pure Canvas Primer – Hydrating
Tatcha The Silk Canvas Protective Primer
In my next Hits & Misses post, I’ll be writing about foundations!
I’ve got quite a few empties this month! Keep reading to find out which ones I’d repurchase.
Tula Acne Clearing + Tone Correcting Gel – I like this gel. It doesn’t dry out my skin or irritate it like other salicylic acid products. Unfortunately for me, Tula stopped selling outside of the United States.
Repurchase? I would if I could.
Dr Paw Paw Original Balm (read my review) – This product was okay, but it didn’t do much more than Vaseline (which is a lot cheaper).
Repurchase? No.
Laneige Lip Glowy Balm in Grapefruit* (read my review) – I liked this lip balm, but it tasted like artificial grapefruit.
Repurchase? Yes, in a different flavour.
Goldfaden MD Bright Eyes* (read my review) – I really enjoyed this eye cream. I didn’t really notice if it brightened my under eyes, but it didn’t have any scent to it and wasn’t too thick. It didn’t cause any reactions under my eyes. It wouldn’t be hydrating enough for Fall/Winter, but I liked it for Spring/Summer.
Repurchase? Yes.
Tatcha The Deep Cleanse Exfoliating Cleanser – This was an okay cleanser, but I don’t think it’s worth splurging. It didn’t do anything special compared to cheaper options.
Repurchase? No.
Smashbox Photo Finish Primerizer – This is one of my favourite primers. I’ve already repurchased one to replace this.
Repurchase? Absolutely.
Tarte Timeless Smoothing Primer – This is one of Tati’s (GlamLifeGuru) favourite pore-filling primers. It is a great primer, but it comes in a jar and it’s a bit thicker than other pore-filling primers. You also have to make sure to press it into the skin, don’t rub it in or it will pill. If you use too much, it can get cakey. It’s a great pore-filling and blurring primer.
Repurchase? Probably not since I’ve found others that are easier to use.
Morphe Highlight & Contour Beauty Sponge – This was denser than I thought it would be. I didn’t love it and didn’t hate it.
