Wednesday, September 29, 2021

wondergloss beauty Makeup Assassin: 2 in 1 Makeup Remover and Oil Cleanser Review

'Ello folksickles. Today's review will be for the wondergloss beauty Makeup Assassin: 2 in 1 Makeup Remover and Oil Cleanser.

Availability:  This is available at wondergloss.com. The retail pricing is $26 for 100 ml (3.3 oz.) or at $49 for 2 tubes.. You can occasionally find it at a lower price point through their amazon.com shop. 

Would I buy this? Probably.

What is this product? What is it supposed to do?
Product info according to wondergloss.com:
Let’s not front. You probably leave your makeup on overnight more often than you’d like to admit (shhh, we’ll keep your secret) [I know they're not talking about me because I make a point of taking it off to the point where my body will refuse to fall asleep if I leave it on, I have to at least use a wipe or Makeup Eraser]. For the morning after when you want your 1990s Seattle-grunge level eyeliner GONE, or for those times you want to save your pillowcase from an unnecessary overnight mess - Makeup Assassin is your go to remover to get that ‘ish OFF, it also doubles as a cleansing balm! As a cleaning balm, Makeup Assassin leaves a light layer of oil behind, to not strip your acid mantle and aggravate your skin.
Removes:
Waterproof Mascaras and Liners
Long Lasting Liquid Lipsticks
Removes Eyelash Glue
Full Coverage Foundations (that do not budge)
FOR: All skin types *Light Natural Rose Fragrance. We formulate using the minimum amount of fragrance, when needed, to create an enjoyable skincare experience.

Does this contain any special/beneficial ingredients?
Once again, according to wondergloss.com:
Castor Oil
Castor oil penetrates the skin and helps to stimulate the body’s own production of collagen and elastin, which can soften and hydrate the skin. Being especially rich in naturally antibacterial and anti-inflammatory ricinoleic acid, castor oil has the advantage of a dual-action approach. The oil hydrates skin and fights bacteria at the same time, helping to end the cyclical nature of itching and irritation.
Olive Oil Peg-7 Esters
This Olive oil ester contains excellent emollient and conditioning properties all while being super non-irritating.

What is the texture like?
This starts off as a very thin balm-like liquid that turns into an oil when warmed up in the hands. 

Is this scented?
This has a rather prominent fresh garden rose scent to it.

What has my experience with the product been like?
Honestly I really love using this makeup remover because it really gets all the stubborn, waterproof eye makeup off and it even loosens and removes lash glue which is always an issue for me. It doesn't really leave much of a residue behind but I like to go in with a Makeup Eraser to remove anything left behind and then wash my full face with a bubbly cleanser.

Please let me know if you have any comments or questions.

DisclaimerI purchased this myself.

Sunday, September 19, 2021

Mask Review: BYBI Super Greens Purifying Face Mask

'Ello folksickles. Today's review will be for the BYBI Purifying Face Mask.

Availability:  This is available at target.com along with its physical store locations - although store inventory varies so you might want to call the store before making the trek there. You can also purchase this at revolve.com and bybi.com. The retail pricing varies from around $20-$24 for 60 ml (2 oz) of product.

Would I buy this again? Yes.

What is this product? What is it supposed to do?
Product info according to bybi.com:
Super Greens is a powerful purifying face mask that brings skin back to balance. Packed with detoxifying and nourishing natural actives, Super Greens calms stressed-out complexions, whilst balancing oil production and helping to clear breakouts.
A gentle yet powerful base of kaolin clay and spirulina clears pores and draws out impurities, without stripping or drying the skin. The combination of superfoods, tomato and broccoli, means that skin won’t just feel clearer but restored and hydrated too.
Super Greens uses sustainable active ingredients, including locally-sourced kaolin clay from Cornwall, UK and broccoli seed oil that is cold-pressed, minimizing the energy used during extraction.
Super Greens is packaged in our fully recyclable, carbon-neutral, sugarcane tubes. Its carton is also fully recyclable and made from FSC approved, sustainably sourced wood pulp.

Does this contain any special/beneficial ingredients?
Once again, according to bybi.com:
BALANCING
A gentle, deeply cleansing base of white clay (kaolin) and spirulina helps to clear congestion and draw out impurities. Kaolin purifies the skin, without drying it out and disrupting the skin's moisture levels. It helps keep pores clear and clean by effectively removing any build up of oils.
PURIFYING
Spirulina is the source of its rich green colour, a powerful antioxidant that helps purge skin of toxins.
NOURISHING
Jojoba, tomato and broccoli seed oils leave skin feeling hydrated, soft and smooth. Rich in omegas and fatty acids, they help condition skin and maintain a healthy moisture barrier.


What is the texture like?
This has a thin clay mask consistency. 

Is this scented?
This has a slightly sweet, earthy scent with just a hint of "green" herbaceous-ness. 

What has my experience with the product been like?
So I have to say that I bought this at my local Target because I went in there looking for a mask to help clarify the skin. I bought this completely on a whim without looking at any reviews or anything merely because the ingredient combination sounded like it would do the trick for me without being drying. I am happy to report that this doesn't dry out my skin at all. In fact, when I rinse it off, my skin feels really nourished and soft. In addition, it doesn't feel dry or tight as it sits on the skin either which is fairly common with clay masks and it rinses off really easily. I'm pleasantly surprised! Perhaps the best, and most surprising, thing of all is that in addition to leaving my skin feeling cleansed and nourished, this also significantly reduces the redness I often complain about. I am not currently using a squalane oil but I can only imagine that the combination of the oil and this mask would just work wonders for the redness I constantly complain about. 

Please let me know if you have any comments or questions.

DisclaimerI purchased this myself.

Wednesday, September 8, 2021

Love It Or Leave It; Review 2.0: Morphe 25L Live in Color Palette

Hello folksickles. As a makeup junkie and blogger you may have realized that I review a LOAD of eyeshadow palettes and I like to think of myself as being largely an eyeshadow junkie. In order to de-clutter a bit  I've decided to pick out a palette or series of eyeshadows for the month and have that be my monthly selection for those instances where I'm not doing a tutorial for the blog. Every month I'll do a recap on the eyeshadows - how I feel about them and whether I'll be keeping them or giving them away (and why :P) as well as if I think it's worth its price tag. 

Morphe 25L Live in Color Palette

You can see a look I did with the palette here. These are the looks I created this month:
Frankly folksikles, I was prepared to tell you that I was passing this palette along because my first impression of it was poor and I wasn't really looking forward to playing with it. I think the colors in here are very pretty but the first time I used it the look was... nice but lacking the kind of pigmentation and ease of blending that I was after. That said, frankly, I'm glad I ended up playing with the palette after all because I really do enjoy it and have found the colors to be fairly easy to work with after all. 

Please let me know if you have any questions or comments.

Disclaimer: I paid for this myself. 

Saturday, September 4, 2021

August 2021 Departures

Ok folksickles. Departure blogs will contain items that aren't empties but that are going to be given away for one reason or another. I'm working hard to curate my makeup collection and want it to include only the products that I think truly work well, that I reach for often and do what they're supposed to do.

1.  KISS Lash Couture Triple Push-Up Collection Lashes in Bombshell x2: As much as I love the look of these lashes in the box, I don't really like them on myself. Unfortunately, because they're very thick and full all the way across the band they tend to make my eyelids look heavy and down-turned. Due to the fact that they have thick bands that I constantly fight with and that glue onto my lash-line in a crooked ways that then makes my eyes look crooked, I frankly gave up on trying to make them work and will be passing them along. 

Disclaimer: I purchased these lashes myself.

Friday, September 3, 2021

August 2021 Arrivals

Ok folksickles! Look at me for a change, only buying essentials.  

1. Crown brush mini haul: Technically I bought these brushes back in July but alas, I forgot to post about them. Both brush shapes are ones I needed to replenish on:
C511 brush x5 - I LOVE these as a smaller blending brush to deposit crease color on with and also to apply or blend out cream shadow. They are a perfect dupe for the MAC 217 brush or the Sigma E25 brush at a fraction of the price. I bought a bunch because they were sold out for a long time and I wanted to have them on hand!
C158 brush x2- ever since my Anastasia angle/spoolie brush kind of fell apart I've been meaning to order something similar and this is close, but the angle brush on it isn't as stiff.

2. be natural by ProLinc cuticle eliminator: The name of this product sounds very dramatic. Anyways, I bought this because frankly it's less expensive to buy cuticle remover in bulk so I went for a larger bottle. 

3. Kiss Lash mini haul: So I was on a mission to find lashes that would work for me and given that I know more wispy, fluttery styles tend to suit my eyes better I went and got these
Lash Couture Faux Mink Collection in Little Black Dress x4
So Wispy in Pompadour x5 

Please let me know if you have any comments or questions.

Disclaimer: I purchased everything listed above.

Thursday, September 2, 2021

August 2021 Favorites

Hey folksickles,

Alright, all the goodies I've been enjoying in August :) To be honest I have been sticking to many of the same products so I don't have much in the way of favorites but alas:
1. Lancome Energie de Vie Dullness Relief & Energy Recharge Daily Cream: I've busted this out of my storage and have been absolutely loving it. This has such a wonderful, whipped, cloud-like texture that feels like it gives skin a burst of hydration yet is also refreshing and quick-absorbing. I know in my original review that I said I didn't like the scent of this product but it has really grown on me as well. 

2. Bath & Body Works Tiki Beach Scented Candle: I love this candle so much and have mentioned it in favorites posts in the past. In fact I have it burning as I'm writing this, it just smells so delicious and comforting.

Please let me know if you have any comments or questions.

Disclaimer: I paid for the products mentioned above myself with the exception of the Lancome moisturizer.

Wednesday, September 1, 2021

August 2021 Empties

All my monthly trash on display for you to see. :P


Sheet Masks Galore:
A'Pieu Daily Sheet Mask (Black Tea/Hydrating): So the reason you haven't seen me writing about sheet masks lately is because I was using up this box and then I got sick at the beginning of August so I took a week off from skincare altogether. Anyway, these are a really nicely, but lightly, hydrating mask. They have a nice tea scent to them as well. 
A'Pieu Air Pocket Sheet in Coffee Milk x4: As in previous reviews, I continue to love these sheet masks. They're beautifully hydrating and leave my skin feeling very silky with a supple softness. 
A'Pieu Strawberry Milk Air Pocket Sheet x2: You already know that I simply adore these sheet masks. They smell delicious - exactly as described, they're hydrating, they leave my skin feeling soft and rejuvenated. 
papa recipe Bombee Black Honey Mask Pack: Frankly I think I like these even better than the original honey mask! This smells just as delicious but it leaves my skin even more radiant, hydrated, and smooth. The mask itself feels more silky and luxurious. The only downsides are that the masks themselves are somewhat small and I feel like they're designed for someone with a smaller face. I feel like a lot of the serum drips all over my neck and chest when I wear this, which isn't the most pleasant of feelings. 
goodal raspberry infused honey mild sheet mask: This one is a mask that I really enjoyed, it left my skin feeling super supple, smooth, an hydrated. 

2. KISS Lash Couture Triple Push-Up Collection Lashes in Bombshell x2: As much as I love the look of these lashes in the box, I don't really like them on myself. Unfortunately, because they're very thick and full all the way across the band they tend to make my eyelids look heavy and down-turned.

3Philip Kingsley Elasticizer Deep-Conditioning Treatment: Ultimately this worked like a very hydrating mask but I think its application as a pre-shampoo renders it ineffective. First of all there's the hassle of wetting your hair and chilling with it on with a shower cap 20 minutes pre-shower, which is frankly a bit awkward to do - at least an in-shower mask can be done while you shave your legs or something. In addition, washing it off with shampoo essentially washes away the softness that it gives the hair. I personally didn't see a big difference using this versus not. 

4. Neutrogena Ultra Sheer body mist SPF 70: Although the 100+ version of this is my standby, I really like this one too! It genuinely keeps my skin from burning, which I'm grateful for. In terms of texture, it leaves my skin with a film that's a bit oily BUT in comparison to store-brand dupes of this or of more cream-based sunscreens, this does feel more sheer. 

5.  fresh Rose Hydration Cream: This is a really lovely, lightweight cream that absorbs readily into the skin and smells like rose jam. I quite enjoyed it.

6. Soap & Glory Scrub Scrub For Joy Body Polish: While, initially, I found this not scrubby enough I kind of grew to enjoy its more gentle, gel-based, sudsy scrubby feel. This also has a really delicious sweet, juicy grapefruit scent to it that I absolutely adore. I think I would get this again just for the scent alone. I wish they had other products that smelled the same. Ok further research has told me that anything in the Uplifting line smells the same - you know I'll keep my eye out for that when I need to replenish on body wash and lotion! 

7. Sally Hansen Problem Cuticle Remover: I feel like in the past I used to love this stuff for hydrating around the cuticle but I find that now that my cuticles have gotten extra thick and scraggly this just isn't as effective as the Instant Cuticle Remover they sell. 

8. Dove glowing mango butter & almond butter Nourishing Body Wash: This body wash is incredibly moisturizing and I love it for shaving. It smells delicious, gives my razor a great glide,  and leaves my skin feeling really soft and smooth. 

9. bath & body works Scented Candle in Cranberry Woods: This is a really beautiful, autumnal, holiday-scented candle and despite it still being summertime I still enjoyed this scent a lot. It's cozy and warm without being overly heavy.

10. wondergloss beauty Pumpkin Latte Masque: This mask was really nice for resurfacing and revealing softer, smoother skin but honestly I wasn't a fan of its tingle, scent, or the way that it left little bits of pumpkin on my face after I would go to wash it off.

11. dermalogica biolumin-c serum: As I've mentioned before, I really like this serum as it combines both a hyaluronic acid serum along with a vitamin c serum so you get the benefits of hydration and brightening. It absorbs into the skin quickly.

12m-61 PowerSpot Clear: A repeat favorite for treating and helping clear up any acne. 

13. m-61 Hydraboost Collagen + Peptide Water Cream:  This is a really nice, lightweight moisturizer and I really enjoyed it while I had it. I can't justify its price point but I really like its texture.

14. Jack Black Intense Therapy Natural Mint & Shea Butter Lip Balm: This is a really nicely hydrating balm with an SPF in it. Funnily enough, despite the SPF I really like to use this as a nighttime balm before bed to keep my lips hydrated.

15. AOA studio Buildable Satin Foundation: I love the price point of this foundation but, that said, I personally prefer using something more luminous. This unfortunately fell a bit flat for me. I feel like it tends to create texture on my skin due to it being a tad bit too matte.

16. NATURE REPUBLIC HAND & NATURE sanitizer gel in Rose: I really loved this hand sanitizer because it has a beautiful rose scent and a gel texture that absorbs quickly. It leaves your hands feeling really soft and smooth afterwards. It's not slimy at all and smells great which I appreciate. 

17. Shea Moisturizer Coconut & Hibiscus Illuminating Hand & Body Scrub: This is a really nice intensely scrubby exfoliator that has a really beautiful scent. It's sweet, tropical, and refreshing. 

18. Bath & Body Works Maple Cinnamon Pancakes: Frankly friends I feel weird having burned this candle in  the summertime BUT it smells so delicious and made me crave pancakes every single time I burned it. It sort of reminds me of Pumpkin Caramel Latte from many years past and, in my opinion, is a very cozy scent that I enjoy. 

19. Secret Cucumber Water Antiperspirant: This works just fine and dandy at what it's supposed to do and smells great. Unfortunately the cap on mine broke and while I tried to make it work, it just drags across my armpits quite painfully due to the fact that it dried out. At this point I have to suck it up and say goodbye.

20. Christophe Robin Cleansing Purifying Scrub with Sea Salt: I absolutely adore this product for being a great physical remover of dandruff and any product buildup that might be in the hair. Even this tiny jar lasted me for many months so I can certainly say it is worth the investment. I find weekly use is enough for me. My only advise would be to follow this up with a rich conditioner or hair mask as it tends to dry the hair out a bit, due to the sea salt.  

21. skinfix eczema+ Targeted Body Balm: As always, this is my go-to for soothing and hydrating eczema patches. I do find that this can clear up eczema patches entirely but that requires about a month and a lot of patience. That said, I'm willing to commit the time as having an untreated eczema patch is infinitely worse in my opinion. 

22. KISS Lash Couture Faux Mink Collection Lashes in Little Black Dress: As much as I love the look of these lashes in the box and on myself I wish that, especially given how soft and natural they look, that they had thinner, more flexible lash bands. I find them difficult to work with because they don't want to bend to my eye shape. I do find this annoying thick band frequently with faux mink lashes so that might be the issue. 

23. Tree Hut Shea Sugar Scrub in Exotic Bloom: I know it seems like I went through a load of scrubs this month. The case with this particular one is that I was almost out of it anyway so I figured I'd just use up the rest. As I've mentioned before I really like these particular scrubs due to the intensity of the scrubbiness. This has a really beautiful floral scent to it as well. 

24. First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Lip Therapy: Unfortunately this has an off scent/flavor when I put it on. 

Disclaimer: I purchased all of the above with the exception of the fresh, dermalogica, m-61 (moisturizer), Jack Black, Christophe Robin, First Aid Beauty, and Philip Kingsley products.