beauty

Review: NYX Le Frou Frou Mascara

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Hello Lovelies!

I have here another mascara review! I got this NYX mascara for Christmas which came in a set with some other products. I’ve actually never heard of anyone talking about this mascara so I’m not sure if it has good or bad reviews until now. I wanted to see what others have to say about it so of course I turned to Makeupalley right before starting this post. There are quite a lot of negative reviews on it and the thing that most people pointed out was that “it did nothing to their lashes”. I have to disagree with that actually because for me it does give me volume and a bit of lengthening like it says it does.

 

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Package: Pretty normal square tube. Nothing special.

 

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Brush: Very basic round bristle brush and it applies the product without clumping.

 

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Formulation: Its not too dry or wet so right in the middle. It gives me enough volume but I wish it would give me a bit more length. The length it gives me is very minimal and like a lot of mascara it doesn’t hold my curls very well. The mascara probably brings my 100% curled lashes down to about 50% after application. I can still live with it because it hasn’t gotten to the point where its pointing downwards which will cause smudging later on the day.

 

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NYX_LeFrouFrou_1 NYX_LeFrouFrou_2 Performance: Its lasts all day and I have only experienced smudging with this after about the 8th-9thth hour of wear which is still pretty good.

Final Verdict: The rating I would give this mascara would be a 3/5. This Mascara retails for $5.99 which is fairly cheap but for what it does there are way better mascaras in the drugstore for about the same price. This isn’t a horrible mascara but also it’s not something thats noteworthy. I will continue using this until I’m out but I would probably not be repurchasing this. 

What is your favorite mascara under $10?

Until Next Time,
❤ Jessica

Get to Know me at a Skin Deep Level

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20140706-143351-52431872.jpgThis is the Get to Know Me Beauty Blogger Tag that I saw going thought that it would be fun to do! Get it?.. Skin deep?… heh.. I tried haha

1. Is your hair naturally curly or straight? Straight

2.  Do you dye it yourself or go to a salon? Currently I have it done at the salon but I have done it myself as well in the past.

3. Do you wear the same style everyday, or do you change it? I change my style depending on my mood, day, where I’m going, what I’m doing, who I’m going out with, etc. I can go from super casual (tshirt,shorts) to super dressed up (dress, heels, the whole shabang)

4. Do you do your own mani/pedi or go to a salon? For the most part I do my own. I probably go get my nails done at a salon probably only a couple times a year at most.

5. How often do you change your nail polish? I am very lazy so I don’t change my nails polish color until I absolutely have to because it has chipped to the point of disgust. Depending on the nail polish I will be wearing the same polish anytime between 1.5-2.5 weeks.

6. Do you polish your toes in the Winter or just the Summer? Mostly during summer.

7. How long does it take for you to put on makeup? Ranging anywhere from 15min – 45hour. On a day to day basis I would say about 15 min but on a night out and I’m doing a full face makeup then 45min.

8. What do you do first? Face or Eyes? Face

9. Do you collect makeup? Or just buy it when you need it? I never thought of it as collecting but I guess I do collect because I have enough makeup to last me a lifetime probably but that hasn’t stopped me from purchasing new items has it?

10. Do you do a full face of makeup everyday? No. Makeup is an enhancer and not a necessity. If you feel that you need a full face makeup on everyday before you leave your door then people around you are not seeing you as you but seeing you as who you want them to see.

11. Do you wear make up when your home alone or with family? No. When I am home and know that I won’t be going out or doing anything special then I wouldn’t even put in the effort of applying makeup but sometimes when I am lazy and I know I need to be productive that day I would get ready whether I am going out or not just to get myself out of the mentality of “I can just lounge around today”

12. How often do you wear false lashes? When I am going out on a special occasion, clubs, or just a fancier night out.

13. Will you leave the house without makeup? Yup

14. How many high-end products do you have? In my collection I would estimate about 10-20%? I am not sure actually but most of my products are from the drugstores.

15. Do you plan your OOTD every night or decide when you’re getting dressed? Nope. I wear what I feel like wearing when I wake up.

16. How often do you change your handbag? Theres one that I use on a day to day basis casually but I would change it to something else if I’m going to dinner with friends or if my outfit will match another purse better. I probably change my purse sometimes 2-3 times a week?

17. What time do you wake up and go to sleep? I go to sleep probably around 3am and wake up anywhere from 10am-1pm depending on how late I was up the night before. I would have a more regular sleep schedule if I was working or in school but currently its neither because its summer!

18. How often or when do you work out? I have been trying to get back on the grind of working out and in the past 2 weeks I’ve been pretty good about it. I would exercise at least 5 days out of the week.

19. Left handed or Right handed? Right!

20. How tall are you? 5’5″

21. Do you speak any foreign languages? Fluent in Cantonese and I can get by with Mandarin

22. How many pets do you have? None :[ but I want a puppy!!

23. How often do you blog? My schedule is every other day (:

24. Do you read comments posted on blogs? Most definitely! Its the most exciting thing when I see a notification!

25. Do you keep a list of products to try as you see other posts? I don’t physically have a list but I keep a mental list and my memory sucks so often times I forget until something reminds me of it. I should really have an actual list that I can keep track because it would save me so much time when it comes time to buy things I need.

26. How did you come up with your blog name? My name Jessica Chan but my grandma calls me caca so JessicaKAchan

27. What kind of camera do you use for your photographs? Olympus E-PM1

28. How often do you clean your house? Not often enough. I tend to leave things cluttered until I get annoyed to clean things so sometimes it would be super clean and sometimes its just a huge mess.

29. What’s your favorite color? Teal

30. Do you swear? Bad habit that’s hard to get rid of >.<

31. What are you doing with the rest of your day? Its actually in the middle of the night so my day is ending!… SLEEP

I hope you learned a thing or two about me and now its time for your to do it so I can learn something about you!
I am going to tag the following people…
UnitedPink
Cecilia’s Corner
JoannaLoves
SplishSplasch
SillyFaceAlice
Bauble&Trinket
Atticus Primped
and of course you! yes, you the one thats is still reading this post.
I thought it would be fun to include a collage of pictures to let you guys see more of who I am and what I like .. Would be so awesome if you guys did it to if you decide to do this tag (: Adding that personal touch 😉

Until Next Time,
❤ Jessica

 

 

June ’14 Misses

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Hello Lovelies!

I tried 3 not so great products this month that I want to share so that you are aware of some cons before you go purchasing these items.

 

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Batiste Dry Shampoo in dark & deep brown – I love batiste dry shampoo and they are my HG but unfortunately I really dislike this one. The formulation works just like the other ones from Batiste but because this one has a hint of brown in the formulation it ruined it for me. The color in the dry shampoo isn’t a very subtle but I could see it getting on my skin after I sprayed it. I had to wipe my forehead to get the brown off my face. Throughout the day when I touched my hair, I can see the color coming off making my fingers brown. When I washed my hair at the end of the day the water looked like I just dyed my hair and all the brown coloring is coming off. If you don’t mind any of this then it wouldn’t be a problem but for me its a total game changer and I can’t use this product anymore because the coloring is too much.

Dove Refresh+Care Dry Shampoo –  First off this is not a bad dry shampoo when it comes to performance wise but the only problem I have with this one is the fact that I feel like I am suffocating every time I use this. The scent is not bad but it’s just very strong and pungent. I have to hold my breathe and step out of the room every time I use this just so I cant breathe. I demonstrated this to my cousin and she agreed with me as well that the fragrance of this product is way too strong. Unlike the Batiste one where I won’t be using again, I will still suck it up and work around the problem to finish the product up.

Neutrogena Hydroboost Gel with SPF – If only this product sinks into my skin as effortlessly as the night time moisturizers. Unfortunately it doesn’t and it leaves my skin feeling a bit tacky after application. It takes awhile for this product to be completely absorbed by my skin which is a problem when I am getting ready in the morning because I can’t wait 20-30min for a moisturizer to sink in before I start my makeup routine. In order to work with what I have, I’ve blotted my face to mattify my skin before applying foundation or any face makeup. It’s very weird because the consistency of the gel is very light so I am not sure why it doesn’t sink into the skin more easily. I will be using it for the time being because I don’t have another SPF moisturizer to use at the moment.

With the new products that I have tried this month it seems that I have had more misses than loves but we’re not always that lucky to find products that works for us right? If you want to see my June’14 Loves then click here.

Until Next Time,
❤ Jessica

June ’14 Loves

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Hello Lovelies!! We are officially more than half way through with 2014 which is crazy! I actually don’t have many beauty products this month that I’ve been loving but instead most of these things are more lifestyle base? This year I have been trying to go through all the products that I have already before buying anymore items so I actually don’t go out and buy many new products because lets be honest, how many face/body do we have to be able to use the plethora amount of products that we own? Yea, only one. So lets get into my obsessions for the month of June.   OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA Proactive+ – I have never used proactive before until recently in the past week. This is a fairly new product for me and it was given to me by my aunt because someone gave it to her. Since I have been suffering from daily mini breakouts this month I figure it wouldn’t hurt to try this out and it has stopped and cleared my breakouts within a day of using this. I can’t go in depth with how I really like it because right now it’s more of a first impression and I am getting really great results but I will have to do a more in depth review of this later on.   OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAOLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA Tangle Teazer – I don’t blow dry, heat style, dye, or do anything to my hair on a regular basis but my hair is so damaged with an army of split ends. I have been wanting to try some of these brushes that are suitable to be used with wet hair because I don’t like using wide tooth comb. I settled for the tangle teazer because it looks cute and my stylist used it on me when I went to get my hair cut and styled 2 weeks ago. I don’t know if it prevents hair breakage but it makes brushing out my thick tangled hair a lot easier than with a normal comb.   IMG_1208 Wines – I’ve had wines here and there but never really gotten to really enjoy and love it until this past month. I prefer white wines over red just because I like wines chilled but of course I enjoy a good glass of reds as well.   Maze Runner / Scorch Trials – I started the Maze Runner series in the beginning of this month and it has been one of those books that I’ve been meaning to read but never got around it it. I love dystopian books so the Maze Runner is right up my alley. The first book I thought was a little slower but the second book was just so engaging because something changes and stuff happens like every chapter. I breezed through the second book in two days and I felt a little ridiculous when I even dreamed about it. The one thing that I particularly liked about this book was the fact that it didn’t revolve completely around romance like Hunger Games and Divergent are the ones I can think of on the top of my head. It gets a little boring and repetitive when it goes down that road and the Maze Runner is told in a boys perspective also.   Suits – OMG I am in LOVE with SUITS. I know I know I am a little late but better late than never. If you haven’t watched suits yet and you like quirky smart ass humor then you got to give this show a try. Although I like Madmen but I can’t stand the stereotypes, sexism, and everything else that goes on in that era because it drives me up the walls with annoyance as I’m watching it. Suits is pretty much the same but instead of being in an Advertisement agency they are in a Law firm and it takes place in present day with witty humor. I have also tried some products that I didn’t like so much this month and that will be on my next post so keep a lookout for that. What products did you fall in love with this month? Until next time, ❤ Jessica

Liebster Award

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Thank you LittleMissTuxedoDress (Sillyfacealice) for nominating this blog for the Liebster Award! 

It’s awesome to be able to be exposed and get exposed to other bloggers that share the same interest. Although we live all over the world I find that to be one of the coolest things because we get to share with each other things that I have here in the US that you might not in other parts of the world and vice versa.

Here is the 11 questions from Alice:

1. When and why did you start your blog? I started this blog over a year ago but haven’t been very active until the past month when I decided that I am going to proactively keep my post consistent. The reason why I started was to share and document what I love and thats beauty, food, and travels.

2. What blog post are you the most proud of? This is hard but it would be my Healthy Eats: Turkey Tomato Sauce Brown Rice Pasta because the pictures turned out so nice.

3. What is your biggest beauty bad habit? When I am removing makeup from my face I probably rub a little harder then I should be especially when I am removing eye makeup. What can I say, sometimes I’m impatient.

4. What is your go-to special occasion/night out/date night look? Too many times have I tried to do something “special” that I don’t normally do and end up messing up, looking like crap to finally realize that you should just stick with something thats not too over the top that you know for sure you can perfect without screwing it up. I go for a neutral smokey look that I can do with my eyes closed.

5. What is one thing you love about yourself? Hmm.. I guess it would be that I can control and keep my temper in check. It takes a lot for me to show my annoyance/anger/temper. What I have learned is that if I know what I’m doing is correct and that I’m not cheating myself of anything then whatever negative comment anyone else says doesn’t matter.

6. If you could change one thing about the world what would it be? I would wish that there is a cure for arrogance. Nothing annoys me more than hearing/witnessing/seeing how arrogant some people are.

7. What is the top item on your beauty/fashion wish list right now? Beauty- Jeunesse Iluminesce Serum / Fashion – White Jeans

8. What is your favorite childhood movie? Any Disney Animated film. Lion King, Cinderella, Snow White, Alladin, Mulan, etc. I was so obsessed with those movies as a kid that I memorized all of them and would even reenact them while I watched it.

9. What are your 3 skincare staples? Cleanser (don’t have one that I can’t live without yet), Toner (SKII Facial Treatment Essence), Moisturizer ( Neutrogena Hydroboost Water Gel)

10. If you could meet one person dead or alive, who would it be and why? This is so hard! I would want to meet a fashion/beauty icon. I would pick someone that is already dead because if they were still alive I still have a slim possibility of meeting them in the future so I would pick Audrey Hepburn. She exerts such class and grace that truly shows how nothing is sexier than class. Hepburn has achieved such success in her career, humanitarian work, and personal struggles that shows us how much we are capable of doing in a lifetime.

11. Who is the most important person in  your life and why? My grandma because while my parents were working to support the family and making sure that we can live a comfortable life my grandma was the one that retired to take care of me from day one. If there is a timer that shows how many hours we have spent with someone I’m sure I have spent the most time with her.

Make sure you follow the rules below. Looking forward to reading your answers!
(*) You have to link back to the person that nominated you.
(*) You must answer all 11 questions given to you by the person who nominated you.
(*) After completing these questions you must nominate 11 bloggers with under 200 followers and give them 11 questions of your choice.
(*) You must not nominate the person who nominated you.
(*) You must let your nominees know that they have been nominated and provide a link for them to your post so that they can learn about it.

Here are the bloggers I nominate:

Atticus Primped / Bauble & Trinket / United Pink / Monica Renee Watson
I know I’m suppose to have 11 but all the bloggers that I want to nominate already have 200+ followers so I had to massively shrink my list.

Here are my questions:
1. Why did you start your blog?
2. How do you keep your blog consistent with post? Where do you get ideas of what to post next?
3. What are your favorite type of post to read?
4. What is the most versatile product you have tried?
5. If you could choose to be a spokesperson for a brand which one would it be?
6. What are the 3 must try items that you recommend to everyone?
7. If you could give yourself one advice today to yourself 5 years ago, what would it be?
8.What trend are you glad that it has passed?
9. My favorite food is…
10. A random and interesting fact about you .
11. What is the motto that you live by?

Until next time,
❤ Jessica

Review: Lancome Hypnose Star Mascara

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Hello Lovelies!

The feature today is going to be one of Lancome’s Mascara and is one of those mascara that I have grown to love. It’s not exactly my HG mascara though but there is a reason why I love it.

 

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Package: Super adorable with the glitter on the ends. I think its probably one of the most gorgeous mascara packaging out there.

 

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Brush: This brush is a flat triangle? I think the brush is what makes this mascara give your lashes a really nice volume boost. It separates and coats it with just the right amount of product and it helps flare out your lashes. It creates the most beautiful full lash effect. I prefer bristle brushes over the plastic ones just because I feel that they give a more natural look compared to plastic brushes that separates in a very artificial way.
Formulation: Whether you like a dry or wet formula you will find the perfect consistency for you during the lifetime of this mascara. When you first open the tube it’s more on the wet side (which I didn’t like very much), then after letting it dry out a bit I personally think it works and looks even better. This is not one of those mascara that will dry out to the point where you can’t use it anymore within a couple weeks of opening.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERALashes that has not been curled.
Lancome_hypnosestar_3  Lancome_hypnosestar_4

Performance: For the most part it lasts all day without smudging but if you are out on a very hot summer day then you will probably experience some smudging after the 6/7th hour of wear but its nothing major to the point where you will turn into a panda. Please keep in mind that I don’t apply mascara to my bottom lashes so I don’t know how well it performs there. The only down side to this mascara for me is the fact that it doesn’t hold curls very well. It’s not as bad as some mascaras that I have tried where afterwards it looks like I never even curled it in the first place but the Hypnose Star brings my curls down about 40%. With my stubborn lashes this is actually quite good because the one and only brand of mascara that will hold my curls 100% is Majolica Majorca. The removal of this mascara is quite easy so some simple makeup remover will do the job.

Final Verdict: The rating I would give this mascara would be a 4/5. What I like about it is the brush, volume and effect it gives my lashes and the fact that it’s not hard to remove at all. If only this will hold my curls better then it will most definitely be my HG but its not. I will not be running out to repurchase this the moment I run out but it will be part of Products I would repurchase list in the future.

Do you have any Mascara recommendation?
❤ Jessica

**question for fellow bloggers.. Does your pictures change color when you upload it on wordpress? The color of my pictures gets more saturated to the point where it’s almost fluorescent?  It’s really weird because when I upload it anywhere else the color is fine. help!**

Best Natural Detox To Relieve Your Irritated Skin

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Hello Lovelies!

I like to believe that our skin has a mind of its own. We can go a couple days with the most glowing perfect skin fooling us to think that we have finally found the perfect skin care regime and then it just goes downhill from there. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gone through this treacherous cycle time and time again. In the past week or two I have noticed my skin starting to flare up and become susceptible to tiny little red bumps (like small acne) that forms over the course of the day then be gone in a day or two. What I need is to give my skin a little break from all the different chemicals that we use in our cleanser, moisturizer, toner, makeup, etc. to give my skin a little detox I use this scrub that only has one ingredient and is so inexpensive but works wonders for irritated skin. I present to you…Oats!

Oats or Oatmeal will make your skin feel so moisturized and soft after you use it. There are so many different uses that it makes this a Chameleon of Skin Care products in my opinion. You can use it as a face/body mask, scrub, bath, consumption, sun protection, etc. What we will be talking about today is using it as a Face Wash/Scrub.

The first time I used Oats to wash my face was after a bad trip to a facial that left my skin with a very weird bumpiness to it about 2 years ago. My skin was definitely reacting to whatever products that was used on me so I decided to do some research and found that Oats has anti-inflammatory benefits. It calms the skin and can also relieve itchiness. For those that have eczema you can use Oats as a body scrub or even take an Oatmeal Bath to relieve your skin (i haven’t tried this because I don’t have eczema). After using the Oats to wash my face it feels instantly better and plumped. After a week or so of doing this my skin went back to normal and was better than ever. I recommend you to try using Oats to wash your face because there are numerous benefits…
1. Anti-Inflammatory
2. Relieves Itchiness / Irritation
3. Moisturizes
4. Cleanses by soaking up Oils and dirt from your skin
5. Phenols and Flavonoid in oats acts as sun protection for the skin
6. Antioxidants

How to Use it…

1. You only need a pinch of oats. You can use pretty much any Oats that you would cook with. (not the instant individually packaged ones though)
2. Place it in the palm of your hand and add water onto the oats.
3. Press on the oats a couple times until the water starts to get murky from the oats breaking down.
4. Wet your face with the Oat water then just grab the wet oats and start using it as a face scrub. You will start to notice the oat breaking down even more as you scrub and the “juice” from the oat will almost form a sort of lather on our skin. After you’re done, rinse. (this does get a little messy so its best if you have a faucet catcher thing to filter the oats when you wash it off. If you don’t then wipe off the oats before your rinse your face)

Whether you’re suffering from major skin irritation or have perfectly fine skin, you should try this at least once just to see how well it works. Every time my skin starts acting up I will resort to this solution almost as a Restart button. If you have tried this then please let me know how it worked out for you because I would love to know if your skin loves it as much as mine.

Until next time,
❤ Jessica

 

June Empties: Hair and Makeup

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Hello Lovelies,

Welcome back to part 2 of my empties post.

I am going to start off with makeup first because the hair stuff you’ve seen in recent post already so its really nothing new.

 

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Physicians Formula Eye Booster 2-in-1 Lash Boosting Eyeliner+Serum – $10.95

Need I say more? Theres 2 of these in the trash bin right now and if that doesn’t say that I freaking love this stuff then I don’t know what does. Long lasting, smear free, easy application, great price point, very pigmented, and just overall a HG product. I will repurchase this.

 

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Model Co Fibre LashXtend Extreme Black Lengthing Mascara – $??

I got this in my birchbox awhile ago and this mascara just does absolutely nothing for me. It didn’t lengthen or volumize much. I like it when a mascara is on the drier side but this was just way too dry. I’m not sure if I got a bad tube but I couldn’t use this anymore after like a month after the first initial use. I would not recommend this product.

 

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Benefit They’re Real Mascara – $23.00

Don’t you just hate it when an overhyped cult favorite product just doesn’t work for you? Well, I was really excited to try this mascara because sooo many people loved it and said it was such a great product but unfortunately my stubborn asian lashes didn’t like it. If it doesn’t hold my curl very well I can look past because I have accepted the fact that it’s very hard for me to find a mascara that will actually hold my curl well. So it did lengthen and separate my lashes like it claims but it didn’t volumize, lift, or curl my lashes. It started to smudge a little after the 6 hour mark but that acceptable. Overall, this is not the mascara for me so I would not be repurchasing this.

 

So for the next 3 products I’m not going to say much because I have mentioned these in past post before. I will be providing the link to a more in depth review if you’re interested.

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Batiste Dry Shampoo Floral and Flirty Blush – $7.99 ($5.99 in TJ Max)

Loves it and will be repurchasing (In depth review)

 

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L’Oreal Total Repair 5 Damage-Erasing Balm – $5.99

Will not be repurchasing (In depth Review)

 

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Macadamia Deep Repair Masque – $25.99

Will be repurchasing (in depth Review)

Don’t you agree that it’s one of the most rewarding feelings when you finally finish a product? You finally stuck it through to the end and now you can venture into the next new item. Although its a bittersweet moment when we have to say our farewells to some beloved products but we know that we will come together again one day when the repurchase has been made.

Until next time…

❤ Jessica

 

 

June Empties Skincare

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Hello Lovelies!

I got here a pretty large bag of empty containers that I am going to share with you today. These have been products that I’ve been using up in the last couple of months so I am going to make the final decision today if I will be repurchasing some of them. This will be split into two parts because theres just too many for one post so this is going to be skincare and the next post will be makeup and hair products.

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Biore Deep Cleansing Pore Strips – 8 Strips $6.27

As you can see this is their old packaging so I’ve had this for awhile now. To be honest I haven’t used a pore strip in a very long time, instead I have just been using a black head extractor to extract after I shower every so often. Pore strips are great because its fast and simple in removing oil build up in your pores. I have gone through countless boxes of these because you can see the white/black head being pulled out on your strip after which I find to be super satisfying when I see all the gunk I have removed from the strip.. am I weird? Anyways, I would recommend this and repurchase in the future but please keep in mind to don’t over use these or else it might do more bad than good.

 

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Pond’s White Beauty Cleansing Foam – $9.0

This product is actually from Hong Kong so the packaging is different from the US Pond’s product but I know the US has a White Beauty line as well. To me this product didn’t do anything beside being a gentle cleanser. It didn’t really remove makeup very well, it didn’t do much lightening, it just acted like a basic cleanser. I would not be repurchasing this.

 

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Magic Olive Pimpleless Serum – $8.80

I discovered this product when a Sasa sales person came up to me and my cousin and said “Wow, you have a lot of breakouts, let me recommend you some products” What a bummer to be called out on because you have bad skin. I hate buying products without doing my research first because I am always skeptical with people that are trying to sell me stuff. Since this was fairly inexpensive I listened to her suggestion and made the purchase.. this was about 4 years ago and it has been a staple skincare acne controlling product since. The sales lady told me that this is infused with chinese herbal medicine as well as tea tree oil and some other herbal treatments. It not only dries it out like other products, but it also treats it and prevents scarring. Although I think my skin has become a bit immune to it so I will probably have to move away from it for awhile after I finish my back ups but I definitely recommend this.

 

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Dior Hydra Life Creme Sorbet Pro-Jeunesse Pro-Youth Sorbet Cream ($56.00) & Eye Cream ($49.00)

Both of these products has the consistency that I like for a moisturizer and eye cream – non sticky and absorbs into the skin leaving it feeling soft and fresh feeling. Although the consistency is good, it didn’t break me out, it didn’t leave my face greasy, and it smelled very nice, I didn’t notice it doing much to my skin. It didn’t love it nor hate, so to pay this hefty amount for a product, my skin needs to really love it for me to justify a continuos repurchase. I would not discourage people to try it because I know some girlfriends that absolutely loves this stuff but I’m not sure if I will be repurchasing this again.

 

Its Shiseido time…
Until about over a year ago my main skincare products has been from Shiseido. My mom only uses Shiseido products so you can probably guess where I got the influence from. I haven’t tried a single product from them that has made me break out so I am pretty comfortable in just diving in and trying any of their products.

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Shiseido The Skincare Hydro-Nourishing Softener Lotion – $ ?? Possibly discountinued

The consistency of this comes out to be less solid than jelly but thicker than liquid. Its a great toning lotion to replenish and give your skin a restart. Unlike regular toners, this one has a little bit of moisturizing element to it. I have gone through bottles of these before exploring other options and it has been awhile since I’ve purchased this. I just googled to try and find the price point of this product and it seems like its sold out on almost every site I come across (except for amazon which is selling it for $60!! thats x2 of the normal price). If you can find it at counters or in stores then I would recommend giving this a try.

 

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Shiseido White Lucent Brightening Protective Emulsion w SPF15 Sunscreen – $54.50

I’m actually not sure why I would get this in the first place because it only has a SPF 15 but I did. I got this to use as a sunscreen because I like the consistency (if you can’t tell already, the consistency makes or breaks a product for me) and how it settles into my skin. It has a bit of a brightening effect when applied but its not a permanent long lasting whitening effect so I don’t think it does what it claims to do. I would suggest using this almost like a morning serum for you skin under your daily moisturizer/sunscreen. Its not a terrible product but its just not something that I find necessary for my morning skincare routine (especially for the price) so I would not be repurchasing this product.

 

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Shiseido Pureness pore purifying warming scrub – $24.00

The lady at the counter sold me this product persuading me that it will solve my large crater pore problems. Well, those craters are still here. It claims that it’s suppose to warm up as you scrub but I didn’t feel any warming sensation and it didn’t minimize the size of my pores either. I haven’t even finished this product yet but I find it to be so useless that I don’t really use it so it has aged itself into the trash bin. I would not be repurchasing this product.

Skincare is probably one of the things that I actually get through and finish.. along with some haircare products.  I find it really really hard to actually finish makeup, especially the powder items. Stay tune for my next post for the rest of my empties!

❤ Jessica

Current: Sun Protection

Skincare, , , , , , , , , , , , One comment
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Hello Lovelies!

With Summer in full swing now I think its only appropriate to share with you my current Sun Protection products. We should always be protecting our skin no matter the season but once the warmer season rolls around we tend to be outdoors more to enjoy the weather so its more relevant to start putting more stress on the amount of SPF you are wearing.

What I look for in my sunscreens are …
– Hydrates
– Not sticky
– Doesn’t have the sunscreen smell because I despise it
– At least SPF30 with UVA/UVB protection

Lets start off with face because this is something that should be part of your skincare routine by default.

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Shiseido Urban Environment UV Protection Cream – Face/Boby SPF 35 PA+++ 50mL- $30
This has been my HG sunscreen/day moisturizer for the past 4/5 years at least. I have ventured out to try others but continued to come back to this one. ( More in depth review) I believe they have increased the SPF of the newer ones to SPF 40 now so I am actually not sure if this 35 is still being sold. Also, the new packaging no longer has the PA levels (which is for UVA)  because the FDA has changed their regulation. If you see the phrase “Broad Spectrum” used then it has both UVA and UVB protection now. (to break down the meaning of SPF and UVA/UVB protection it will be a post on its own so let me know if you guys want one or you can just google it and research it)

 

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Neutrogena Hydro Boost gel SPF 30 PA++ 40ml – $19.30

This is a gel form of sunscreen meaning its very light so its awesome for summer. I have just recently started using this so I can’t say if I love it or hate it just yet but a in depth review should be on its way. The reason why I’m still on the fence with this product is because although it is a gel product, its not as light as you would imagine it to be. I absolutely LOVE their Hydro Boost water gel that leaves my skin silky soft with no sticky feeling which is one of the reasons why I wanted to try a sunscreen from this line since I have been using the water gel for years now. But as first impression is concerned, one day my skin will absorb it and my skin will feel fine but on another day I feel as though the product only half gets absorbed and leaves my skin a bit sticky. So I’m going to experiment a little more before I can make a final judgement on this.

 

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Aveno Protect+Hydrate Lotion – Broad Spectrum SPF 30 – $7.99

Last year I was on a quest to find a Daily body lotion that also has SPF in it because I am just that lazy. I needed a one step product that eliminated the process of having to do the same motion twice. I have found others such as the Eucerin one but that was just unbelievably sticky , it left a sheen on my body that wouldn’t go away, and the worse part was that it had the smell of sunscreen. Its not impossible to find one with all my expectation at a reasonable price because this Aveno one has fulfilled all my requirements. Rubs on just like a lotion and it leaves your skin moisturized without that icky sticky feeling. The scent is… hard to describe because it doesn’t really smell like anything besides standard basic lotion smell? If that makes any sense. Bottom line is that I would recommend this sunscreen

Recently I have noticed that the sun rays seem to be stronger now than a couple years ago?  Just by driving in my car with the sun shining through an open window I feel as though my skin is burning! This can just be me getting older and being more sensitive to the sun or has anyone else noticed this? Either way, it’s a big warning for me to be extra cautious when I am out and that I definitely shouldn’t skip out on sun protection and neither should you!

Until next time,
❤ Jessica