Thursday, October 6, 2022

September 2022 Arrivals

 Ok folksickles! Look at my nice birthday gifts :P

1. Freeman Mask Set: One of my friends got me this set for my birthday which honestly was great timing because I'm starting to run low on the masks I'm using. The set contained two of each of the following masks:
Freeman Deep Clearing manuka honey + tea tree oil Clay Mask + Cleanser
Freeman Anti-Stress  dead sea minerals Clay Mask
Freeman Hydrating glacier water + pink peony Gel Cream Mask

2. Greenleaf Dahlia & White Musk Candle: This was another gift from a different friend of mine. It has a really pretty perfume-y scent.

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

Disclaimer: All products mentioned were birthday gifts.

Tuesday, October 4, 2022

September 2022 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. I can't believe there haven't been any departures since May but I guess I've been liking the stuff I've played with this year thus far.

1. ColourPop The Mandalorian The Child Pressed Powder Palette: So while I mentioned in my Love It or Leave It post that I liked the versatility and depth of color in this palette I also found the darker colors here difficult to blend. If I am honest with myself I just don't see myself reaching for this palette after I'm done playing with it for my testing phase so I feel it's better for me to pass it along to someone who can make better use of it.

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

Disclaimer: I purchased the palette mentioned myself.

Sunday, October 2, 2022

September 2022 Empties

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

1. The Ordinary "Buffet" Serum: Although I can't speak to the anti-aging benefits of the peptides in here, given my lack of aging signs thus far, I found this serum gave my skin a nice boost of hydration and made my skin feel plump.

2. Dr Teal's Shea Sugar Scrub in Cannabis Sativa Hemp Seed Oil: The scent of this grew on me, it's very green and I wasn't its biggest fan at first. It does not, however, smell like the type of weed people smoke so if that's what you were expecting or hoping for, this isn't it. This provides a nice exfoliation due to its large sugar pieces and makes my skin feel soft and smooth. I can't say that it has any pain or inflammation reduction benefits, nor does it claim to, but I know some cannabis products do and therefore felt the need to point that out. 

3. AOA studio lashes in Alexis: While these lashes are beautiful and easy to put on, I find that you have to be very delicate with them as they have a tendency to rip off at the lash band. Given that these lashes were under $2 I can't complain much but I'm unsure if I'll get them again. I also wasn't the biggest fan of the style, it was wispy the way I like but I found it a bit too chunky for my liking. 

4. L'oreal Excellence Creme Conditioning Treatment x2: For whatever reason my mom doesn't use these after she dyes her hair so I end up using them instead. This leaves my hair feeling very soft, silky, and smooth. It gives my hair a nice shine.

5SOLINOTES Paris Rose Eau de Parfum: While I personally still prefer sweeter, fruitier, rose scents this grew on me as I was using it. This has a nice fresh rose scent to it.

6. berkley jensen Maximum Strength Ant-Itch Cream 1% Hydrocortisone: I purchased this to help get the itch out of my eczema patches and I have to say it does a really great job of that. 

7. Darphin Hydraskin Light All-Day Hydrating Cream Gel: I really love the texture of this moisturizer because it feels very hydrating and nourishing while also being extremely lightweight. It's also nice for the summertime because this feels refreshing to apply. I do personally feel that I need more hydration than this offers though.

8. Trader Joe's Brazil Nut Body Butter: I have to start by saying that this smells absolutely incredible and I just love it. As far as this being a Sol de Janeiro Bum Bum Cream dupe - it's a dupe in scent for sure but the texture of this is thicker, and in my personal opinion, a bit more stickier, especially on the soles of the feet. Despite its thickness I feel like the soles of my feet have a tough time absorbing it and getting adequate hydration from it. That being said, it makes my legs feel super silky post-shave. I feel like this is the kind of item I'd purchase if I was in Trader Joe's and wanted to pick it up because I wanted its scent but it's not an item that I feel I always need to have on hand. 

9. COSRX Aloe Sun Soothing Cream SPF 50 PA+++:  I really love this sunscreen and am sad to have run out of it. It has a nice lightweight yet hydrating texture and doesn't leave a white casting behind. I like that it feels hydrating and I don't need to use an additional moisturizer with it and that it keeps my pale behind from burning out in the sun. 

10. AOA studio lashes in Audrey: Unfortunately I was feeling a bit weepy when I wore these lashes and sort of ended up screwing their shape up entirely because I cried with them on. Overall they're pretty and are easy to apply and shape to the eye. 

11. Christophe Robin Cleansing Volumizing Paste with Pure Rassoul Clay and Rose Extracts: I really like using this product as a weekly scalp scrub just to get rid of any dead skin and product residue. I personally prefer their sea salt scrub because it's a bit more intense but this is a nice, gentle alternative.

12. Soapology Black Coconut Creamy Scrub: Honestly this scrub is just absolutely dreamy. It does a beautiful job of exfoliating and smoothing my skin while giving it hydration. It feels invigoratingly scrubby but, in my opinion, is fairly gentle for the body. It can be used for the face and the one time I tried it made my facial skin super smooth but I found it a bit too abrasive for my liking. That being said, it's great as a body scrub and it doesn't leave an oily residue in the bath/shower either, which is fantastic. The black coconut scent feels sweet yet sophisticated. All in all, while this is a super pricey item and I received it as a birthday gift, I absolutely love it and would purchase it myself if I wanted to treat myself or someone special. 

13. Farmacy Very Cherry Clean makeup meltaway cleansing balm: I really enjoyed using this cleansing balm because it removed not just my long-wear makeup, but also most of the lash glue residue I get on my lashes without leaving any kind of oily residue behind on my skin. I've been using it regularly since March so I think it lasting me just about 6 months is really fantastic and well worth the price. I would definitely consider repurchasing this. 

14. #I Dew Care Berry Groovy Brightening Glycolic Wash-Off Mask: I really enjoyed using this mask because it smells like a delicious berry smoothie and leaves my skin feeling very soft and smooth.

15. Korres Renewing Body Cleanser in Lilac Hyacinth: This body wash smells absolutely delicious and left my skin feeling very clean and soft. I am sad to be done with it.

16. Soapology Buttercream in Verbena & Ginger: This is a really yummy scented lightweight body cream. As with many, I love the way it leaves my legs feeling silky but it just doesn't do enough for the soles of my feet. I do love that it's quick-absorbing and doesn't leave any kind of residue on my clothing. 

17. AOA studio lashes in Lauren: So, my advice when it comes to these lashes is do not fall asleep in them because you will end up deforming them in one way or another. I took a nap and these look like weirdly bent caterpillars now. 

18. Drunk Elephant Protini Polypeptide Cream: This was a nice lightweight yet hydrating moisturizer. That being said, I feel like my facial eczema is aggravated at this time and this didn't really do enough to hydrate the bits afflicted by the eczema. 

19. Dove refreshing cucumber & green tea Nourishing Body Wash: As I've mentioned many times, I really love to use these body washes to shave with because they're very hydrating and more economical for me to have on hand versus shaving foams. This has a nice, refreshing, slightly sweet scent to it. 

20. Soapology Walnut Polisher: I absolutely love that something about this scrub smells like a bookstore as I find the scent of bookstores very comforting. But that aside, this scrub leaves a lot of sandy residue in the tub which is a pain to clean up. 

21. Nature Republic Hand & Nature sanitizer gel in Apple: I really like these hand sanitizers because they don't feel thick and goopy, and they also don't dry out your hands. The apple scent reminded me of apple Jolly Rancher.

22. Soapology Buttercream in Yuzu: This body cream just smells absolutely incredible. It has a very strong, lasting yuzu scent that's citrusy and refreshing. Unfortunately, as with most body creams, this did a wonderful job on my legs but didn't cut it for the soles of my feet. 

23. Soapology Dead Sea Salt Scrub in Waterlily & Jasmine: I absolutely love the scent of this body scrub and I love how grainy and scrubby it is. That being said, unfortunately it's just too oily for my personal liking. It leaves a residue behind on my skin. I understand that the oil is to counteract the drying properties of the sea salt but I wish they would've just made it a sugar scrub instead. 

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

Disclaimer: I purchased all of the above with the exception of the Darphin, Soapology, and Christophe Robin products. 

Friday, September 30, 2022

Love It Or Leave It; Review 2.0: ColourPop The Mandalorian The Child Pressed Powder 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. 

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 some soft, some smoky, green looks. I really love the quality of this palette - the color payoff is excellent, the shadows are beautiful, and they blend well. I feel like it's a good palette going into fall because of its cool-toned yet olive shades, they feel very transitional because with the palette being green, it's still colorful and feels a little spring/summer. I also just happen to love green eyeshadow and it's my birthday this month so maybe I'm projecting but I really feel it can lean more summer or more fall depending on what shades of blush and lipstick you pair it with. I also love the variety of tones here that make the palette feel like it's still mostly green and monochromatic but has shades to contrast and feel like it's giving you versatility. That being said, the darker shades in here, in particular Float Your Crib and Droid Protocol are very difficult to blend and because I just don't see myself reaching for this palette, I will be passing it along.

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

Disclaimer: I purchased this myself.

Friday, September 16, 2022

Serum Review: COSRX The Vitamin C 23

COSRX The Vitamin C 23

Availability:  This is available at sokoglam.com, yesstyle.com, flip.shop, and amazon.com. It retails at $25 for 20g (0.70 oz) on the US market but can be a bit less pricier if purchased from Asian retail sites. 

Would I buy this again? No.

What is this product? What is it supposed to do?
According to yesstyle.com:
Revitalize skin with this skin-brightening serum packed with 23% pure Vitamin C. Formula is infused with an antioxidant-rich Vitamin E derivative to amplify the effects of Vitamin C, and sodium hyaluronate to maintain skin’s moisture levels. It also contains allantoin to soothe skin irritation.

Does this contain any special/beneficial ingredients?
Due to the ingredients being described above, I feel like pointing them out again would be repetitive.

What is the texture like?
This has a lightweight, watery yet gelatinous feel to it. 

Is this scented?
This is going to sound quite strange but it smells like canned ham to me.

What has my experience with the product been like?
I've been using this serum for a while now and have some thoughts. I will say that it gives me skin a nice glow and really helps boost the clarity of my skin. That being said having to store it in the fridge, while I understand it's to keep the Vitamin C from disintegrating, is annoying. Additionally, it smelling like canned ham is rather off-putting. The scent does dissipate quickly and isn't super noticeable when the product is on my face but I still don't appreciate it.

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

DisclaimerI paid for this myself.

Thursday, September 15, 2022

e.l.f. SKIN Holy Hydration Makeup Melting Cleansing Balm Review

'Ello folksickles. Today's review will be for the e.l.f. SKIN Holy Hydration Makeup Melting Cleansing Balm

Availability:  This retails at $5 for 0.45 oz. (13g) or at $11 for 2 oz. (56.5 g). It can be purchased at ultabeauty.com and target.com along with their physical store locations and potential at other drugstores that carry e.l.f. It can also be purchased at elfcosmetics.com and flip.shop.

Would I buy this again? Honestly I think I would.

What is this product? What is it supposed to do?
According to elfcosmetics.com:
What is it? A solid cleansing balm that melts into a luxurious oil texture that instantly melts away makeup.
Why we love? Cleansing balm easily removes makeup without stripping the skin
Formulated with hyaluronic acid, ceramides and peptides leaving skin feeling plumped with hydration
Leaves skin feeling silky smooth and hydrated
Great for all skin types
Same product, new look
Watch your makeup melt away! It’s solid cleansing balm that melts into a luxurious oil and turns into a nourishing milk texture that rinses off clean. Formulated with hyaluronic acid, ceramides and peptides leaving your skin feeling silky smooth and plumped with hydration.
All e.l.f. products are free from phthalates, parabens, nonylphenol ethoxylates, triclosan, triclocarban, and hydroquinone. All skincare is also free from sulfates.
All e.l.f. products are Vegan and Cruelty Free.

Does this contain any special/beneficial ingredients?
Once again, according to elfcosmetics.com:
Hyaluronic Acid – helps hydrate and plump the skin.
Ceramides – to help build up the skin's moisture barrier.
Peptides – helps reveal a more refreshed complexion.

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

Is this scented?
I'm unsure how to describe the scent of this - it's clean yet has hints of something fruity and floral in a way that's not cloyingly sweet or overpoweringly floral, it's mostly just the clean scent. I personally really enjoy it.

What has my experience with the product been like?
Honestly, I feel like every time I review a makeup remover I come in here talking about how it's impressed me but I have to say - I am impressed. I love that I've found a makeup removing balm that gets rid of lash glue residue and long-wear eyeliner and the rest of the heavy makeup I like wearing at an approachable price point. It cleans my face without leaving residue behind, I don't need a lot of product to get my makeup off, and I love the way this smells. I look forward to using it.

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

DisclaimerI purchased this myself.

Wednesday, September 14, 2022

AOA Artista Blue Fine Tip Liquid Eyeliner Review

Today's eyeliner review is going to be on the AOA Artista Fine Tip Liquid Eyeliner in Blue.

I have this on the upper lash-line
AvailabilityThis retails at $1 and can be purchase at shopmissa.com.
Would I buy this again? I'm not sure. 
Notes: I'd say that this is a somewhat sheer royal blue navy with a leather finish. It's waterproof and stays put nicely (about 8-10 hours). It glides on fairly easily. That being said, I feel like you need to build it up for it to reach full opacity. It also tends to leave behind a stain when removed that's difficult to remove even with makeup remover balm.  The brush is a thin pen-style liquid eyeliner which is great for precision work but I find it makes the process of lining take a while and the brush is stiff so it feels every-so-slightly poke-y during application. At its price point I think it's great for people who are just starting out with pen-style liners but the Physicians Formula Eye Booster Waterproof Ultra-Fine Liquid Eyeliner remains my very favorite and I wish it came in blue/navy as well.

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

Disclaimer: I purchased this myself.