Mask Review: Compliment Lavender and Blueberry Clay Face Mask

 'Ello folksickles. Today's review will be for the Compliment Clay Face Mask in Lavender and Blueberry.

Availability: I can't seem to find a retailer online for this, but I bought it at my local Russian-speaking pharmacy for $5.99 for 80 ml.

Would I buy this again? Possibly.

What is this product? What is it supposed to do?

According to the packaging (note: I edited my translation for enhanced grammar):

Active mask for the face: enriched with natural violet clay, blueberry extract, and lavender oil. Suitable for sensitive skin. It delicately cleanses, tones, enhances/improves elasticity, restores cellular hydration, and promotes skin strengthening (I'm assuming the mean barrier function here).

Does this contain any special/beneficial ingredients?

Once again, according to the packaging:

Kaolin Violet Clay: A type of kaolin clay that is mineral-rich; has anti-aging, detoxing (I'm assuming this means it's deep-cleansing), skin-smoothing, and exfoliating properties.

Glycerin: Has humectant properties, draws moisture into the skin.

Stearic Acid: Has hydrating, anti-inflammatory, cleansing, and skin barrier strengthening properties.  

Sweet Almond Oil: Has hydrating and anti-inflammatory properties.

Blueberry Fruit Extract: Has antioxidant, hydrating, collagen-boosting, and anti-inflammatory properties.

Lavender Essential Oil: Has antibacterial, antiseptic, and anti-inflammatory properties.

What is the texture like?

I would describe this mask's texture as being a soft clay mask, it does dry out a bit but it doesn't set to that very tight, somewhat dehydrating sensation that traditional clay masks tend to have. 

Is this scented?

I would describe this scent as a blueberry yogurt with lavender, both scents are fairly prominent and remain on the face even after washing the mask off.

What has my experience with the product been like?

Personally, as someone with dry skin that can be sensitive or get inflamed easily but who also struggles with sebaceous filaments that aren't super prominent but bother me, this mask sounded very much up my alley. I was shocked when I washed this off and my skin felt soft and hydrated because I never have that sensation with clay masks. Even ones that don't dry down to a tight, dry feel, will leave my face feeling maybe deep-cleansed and a bit stripped but never outright hydrated. Additionally, I noticed there was increased skin clarity after I used this, as in, my skin had a very health-looking natural glow to it. 

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

Disclaimer: I purchased this myself.

Mascara Review: L'Oreal Telescopic Intense Lash Length Original Mascara

Alright folksickles...

Today I will be reviewing the L'Oreal Telescopic Intense Lash Length Original Mascara in Black.

Sans Mascara:

With Mascara:

Availability: This retails anywhere from about $8 - $20 and is generally available at drugstores (and their respective websites) that sell L'oreal. I cannot guarantee availability so you may want to call your local store ahead of time.

Would I buy this again?: Probably not.

Notes: This mascara comes in three blacks and a black-brown.

Let's go over what the mascara's supposed to do and what it actually does. According to lorealparisusa.com: Telescopic® Original Mascara's washable formula enhances lashes with intense length, up to 60 percent longer lashes, and unique lash by lash separation.

Telescopic® Original Mascara enhances your lashes with intense length and unique lash by lash separation. The flat side of the patented flexible Precision Brush lengthens lashes up to 60%, while the comb side of the brush precisely separates lashes for a clump-free result. Fragrance-free. Ophthalmologist-tested and allergy-tested. Suitable for sensitive eyes and contact lens wearers.

Honestly, I find this mascara to be alright, it's good if you just want to give your lashes a mostly natural look and a dark tint. That said, I'm someone who obviously prefers my makeup more dramatic and I like a mascara to give my lashes definition, noticeable length, and volume - and while this did give me some length and a bit of lift and curl, I just don't feel like it gave me the voluminous oomph I'm looking for. Additionally, maybe it's because the mascara is still fresh, but I think it's a bit clumpy, nothing awful or anything, but it's not clump-free. I didn't have any issues with this mascara flaking or smudging although lots of folks online say this smudges on them, so watch out for that if you decide to try it for yourself. 

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

Disclaimer: I purchased this myself.

Love It Or Leave It; Review 2.0: Juvia's Place The Tribe 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 declutter 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. 

 Juvia's Place The Tribe Palette

You can find a look I did with the palette here. These are the looks I created this month:

So as you can see I created all sorts of colorful looks with these shadows. I personally have found that these shadows are easy to blend and the pigmentation on them is fantastic. All of them work really great in my experience. I feel like this particular selection of eyeshadow colors gives me the vibes of either a summer transitioning into fall or, alternatively, as a Christmas-themed palette when paired with red lipstick. While I enjoyed playing with it, I almost feel like it wasn't the best for this time of year. 

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

Disclaimer: I purchased this palette myself. 

June 2024 Arrivals

Ok folksickles! I'm back to replenishing on things that I'm running out of and buying mostly just necessities.

1. mixsoon Glacier Water Hyaluronic Acid Serum: Since my current serum is beginning to run out I decided to replenish and try out something new. The tester of this serum felt lightweight, hydrating, and refreshing on my skin so I decided to give it a try. 

2. Ardell Professional Wispies x6: I haven't had these lashes in quite a while and remember loving how natural they looked years ago. So, I decided to just go ahead and pick up the six pack since I don't have any more lashes to wear and I had a discount on these.

3. Physicians Formula Eye Booster Waterproof Ultra-Fine Liquid Eyeliner: My liner is coming to its tail end and isn't going on as pigmented and smooth as it once did so it's that time to replace it.

4. L'Oreal Telescopic Intense Lash Length Original Mascara: Much like the liner above, my mascara is drying out and its performance is not up to par, so it also needed replacing. 

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

Disclaimer: I purchased everything listed above.

June 2024 Favorites

Hey folksickles,

Alright, all the goodies I've been enjoying in June :) 

1. Juvia's Place The Saharan II Palette: I really enjoyed playing with this palette. The quality of the eyeshadows is fantastic - they're very well-pigmented and blend well. Additionally, I feel like initially looking at this, the selection of colors may make it seem like they won't necessarily all work well together. but that's not the case at all! I had a really fun time playing with this palette!

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

Disclaimer: I purchased the palette discussed above myself.

June 2024 Empties

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

1. reese robert Faux Fur 3D Feather Effect - Amplified Volume lashes: These lashes are beautiful, they really do have this wispy feathery effect that makes them dramatic yet also soft at the same time. That being said, I do find that they have a habit of wanting to come off at the corners.

2. Equate Coconut Hibiscus Shea Sugar Scrub: I really like that these scrubs are gritty without being overly abrasive and are at an affordable price point. I feel like the sour notes of hibiscus come through more in this particular scrub, it doesn't smell strongly of coconut but is more kind of sweet and tart at the same time. 

3. MIZON Multi Function Formula Snail Repair Eye Cream: I am sad to have finished this because it's such a lovely, nourishing eye cream which I feel is fantastic for keeping my eyelid eczema at bay.

4. Fourth Ray Beauty Soak It Up hydrating hyaluronic Mask: I like to use this mask as a sleeping mask because I feel like it boosts the hydration of my skin while being a lightweight add-on to my nightly skincare routine.

5. FRUDIA My Orchard Mango Mochi Cleansing Foam: This is another product that I'm sad to have run out of. This is one of those soft, whipped, foaming cleansers from Korea that I feel leaves my skin feeling soft, smooth, and hydrated. It also works great as a shaving foam and it smells like mango juice. I definitely had a good time using this!

6. berkley jensen scented baby wipes in Green Tea & Cucumber: As I mentioned before, I like to use these to wipe down surfaces, wipe down my makeup collection, and to wipe any swatches off my skin because they are fairly gentle. I also really enjoy their scent.

7. Shiseido Prepare Dermaplaning Razor: It's about that time to replace this razor as it's getting a bit dull.

8. Skinfood Powder Puff: This is another item I'm replacing for hygiene reasons, as I've been using it frequently and it's kind of a bit worn down. 

9. Eminence Organics Strawberry Rhubarb Dermafoliant with Lactic Acid: I absolutely love this scrub as it leaves my skin feeling very soft and smooth, like a baby's bottom. That said, I barely have any left and what is left in the bottle seems to have clumped into a, well, clump that won't dispense out of the bottle. I was able to get the top off my first bottle but it isn't coming off of this one so in order to avoid injury I've just given up on it.

10. Ivon Cuticle Pusher: I purchased a three pack of these because my cuticles were starting to look raggedy and they do a really nice job of getting rid of the dead skin but I feel like they're not as invasive as literal cuticle nippers and are easier to use.

11. Nivea Essentially Enriched Body Lotion with Deep Nourishing Serum & Almond Oil: I feel like this lotion is alright for the body, it hydrated my legs just fine post-shave. But that said, it just doesn't hydrate the soles of my feet enough, I feel like if I want something that does both, I need a thicker, more hydrating product. 

12. Neutrogena Beach Defense Sunscreen Spray SPF 70: I like that this sunscreen is really lightweight and doesn't do that weird thing where it rolls off you where there is skin friction. It kept me from burning out in the sun, which I appreciated. 

13. Equate Island Coconut Shea Sugar Scrub: I really like that these scrubs are gritty without being overly abrasive and are at an affordable price point. I feel like their coconut scent is more floral and reminiscent of coconut water, rather than being over the top, intense, sweet, and more similar to coconut milk the way a lot of coconut scents can be. Now I personally enjoy them either way, but this take on coconut feels more mature and I appreciate it. 

14. Soapology Walnut Polisher: I really love this scrub - it feels gritty, luxurious, and a little goes a long way to really get you smooth and exfoliated. That being said, I don't love the mess it makes of the tub or shower floor - this product is very sand-like which makes it avoid going down the drain. Now I did have a high success rate of clearing up most of it with giving the tub a good rinse following my showers. But if you're someone who's maybe in a rush or it will bother you that it will take several showers after you're done with this product to make 100% of it go down the drain, maybe this would be a skip for you.

15. COSRX Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence: I absolutely love this serum to help revive dry, dehydrated skin as well as to keep it feeling supple and well-moisturized. I'm sad to have run out of it.

16. Ardell Original Demi Wispies: I love that these lashes are very easy to work with, glue close to the lash-line, and are very natural-looking. In fact I wish all lashes had lash bands like the ones on these because they make it so easy to glue these lashes on without them popping off anywhere the way that thick lash bands tend to do.

Disclaimer: I purchased all of the products mentioned above with the exception of the Soapology product, which was kindly gifted to me by a friend. All opinions are my own.