Too Faced Holiday Collection 2012 | Sweet Indulgences Palette

This is Too Faced's Holiday Collection for 2012, Sweet Indulgences. Carmen got me this for my birthday (today) and I decided to take some pictures to share with you guys :) This is my first palette ever, I own like...four non-neutral quads. We did end up testing this a bit yesterday as I was getting ready to go to a wedding and she helped me do my makeup hehe. The bronzer suits me way better (it's lighter) than what we usually use for the editorial shoots (Estee Lauder's Bronze Goddess in Soft Matte). I actually love that it comes in a tin box, thanks Carmen :)

Thanks to the eye shadow primer (full-sized), even my gel eyeliner stayed smudge-free for 8 hours...which is actually a miracle on my lids. Edit: 3 hours max, nevermind :(

indoor lighting

with flash

with flash

L to R:  Marshmallow, Lovey Dovey, Malted Milk Ball, Cherry Cola, Copper Peony (with flash)

Yves Rocher Cure Solutions 24H Vitality Skin Care Anti-Fatigue Cream

Originating from France, the brand Yves Rocher, if many of you don't know, are known for its plant-based products. I still have the mirror lip glosses from the first time the store opened at West Edmonton Mall two to three years ago. Today, I have chosen one of their best-selling creams to review.

"Cure Solutions 24H Vitality Skin Care is enriched with Red Vine Polyphenols. In one month it:- Smoothes fine lines and wrinkles,- Reduce signs of fatigue,- Revitalizes the skin.The Plus : The firm dense texture of this cream and its stimulating fragrance. It floods the skin with revitalizing vigor. The effect is spectacular. And so is the sensation."- Yves Rocher

This cream promises a lot...but it wasn't for me. In short, this cream broke me out, and I would love to find out why, but the ingredients are not listed anywhere. Actually, maybe it was listed on the box, but I threw that away long ago and unfortunately, they are not listed on the website. I love the color of the container - it just looks so promising!

Most people comment on the cream having an overpowering smell, but I think it smells really good (like wine but not). The texture is a bit weird, I would say it spreads well but not something I would choose as a base for make-up - it did not sink into my skin quickly and came off a bit waxy. This cream made me so oily within half an hour, which was a definite first for me.

I remember somewhere on the box, I was told to use this for one month straight (day and night) to see results, but my skin rejected this cream completely. Basically,  the skin under my eye became super itchy and red (as well as having bloodshot eyes), I have a hunch that it contains mineral oil. I gave it a week to try, but I started to get red spots on my cheeks, and my skin started to yellow (I am normally quite pale, yellowing on me is a sign of toxicity). I ended up giving this to C as she has less sensitive skin, and things that do not work for me, usually work wonders on her. Thankfully, I got this as a freebie.

I have other Yves Rocher products, primarily their lip products and mascaras, and I really really like them. I wanted to test out some of their skin care for a change, and as I could not tell if it had mineral oil from the website, I ended up taking a risk. However, everything is all right now as I have started to use Clinique's Moisture Surge for dry to combination skin instead and things have cleared up. I will also be doing a review on that next time. =)

P.S. Hi to all our wonderful new readers!
P.S.S. yves rocher is having a 50% off sale, do have a look!

Laneige | Water Sleeping Pack EX, Multiberry Yogurt Repair Pack, and Multiberry Yogurt Peeling Gel

For those of you who have tired, dull, and dry skin...read on!

Left to right: Water Sleeping Pack EX,  Multiberry Yogurt Repair Pack, Multiberry Yogurt Peeling Gel

Laneige is a Korean brand much known for their moisture-retaining products such as these packs and others in their many lines. La neige in french literally means the snow and I remember reading about how they emphasized pure and natural skin. For reference, I have normal skin, but let me start off by saying, I would recommend these products to people of all skin types.

Multiberry Yogurt Peeling Gel

 

The smell of this product is just amazing. The color is a faint baby pink and it smells lightly of a yogurt smoothie, so delicious! The gel contains tiny micro beads, which are great for exfoliating. I like this peel because it is not as harsh as other exfoliaters, yet it still does its job. Although I do have to say, I find it difficult for the microbeads to exfoliate areas such as the sides of my nose.

How to use this: Apply on a clean, washed face (still wet) and rub in circular motions. Rinse off with warm water.

Overall, if you are looking for a gentle exfoliating experience that has moisturizing effects...this is the one! I would rate this peel as a 4.5/5.

Multiberry Yogurt Repair Pack

I would say all three of these products have quite different textures. I am not sure if it is the illusion given off by the whiter cream, but this pack feels heavier as well. I typically use this one right after the Multiberry Yogurt Peeling Gel. The texture of this is very smooth and quite a bit thicker than the peeling gel, but not by much. The scent is still pretty much just like the peeling gel but a bit stronger.

How to use: After appling evenly with the included spatula, wait  10-15 minutes and rinse off.

Overall, everytime after using this, my skin feels moist, supple, smooth, and it glows! I would definitely rate this mask a 5/5.

Water Sleeping Pack EX

This has been a much hyped product for awhile now. I was first introduced to this by Doris a couple year ago when she brought back some from Korea and gave me a bit to sample. I saw instant results when I woke up. I believe this is an award winning product in Asia as well.

How I use it: After rinsing off the multi berry yogurt mask, I pat dry my skin and feed it with this overnight sleeping mask. The next morning, I wake up and continue my skin routine as normal (there is no need to rinse, however I do wash my face in the morning). You will wake up with moisturized and supple skin guaranteed. :)

Overall, this has the most gel-like texture to it, and the colour is very close to a light baby blue. I would describe the scent of this product as fresh and light. When applied, this is extremely soothing, and takes awhile to become non-sticky. After you wake up in the morning and rinse the product off, your skin feels extremely moisturized, and from my experience, it gives off a youthful glow. I would rate this mask a 5/5 as well!

Top to bottom: Water Sleeping Pack EX,  Multiberry Yogurt Repair Pack, and Multiberry Yogurt Peeling Gel

Edmonton is an extremely dry city, with harsh winds especially in the winter! I highly suggest investing in these products if you want to keep your skin moisturized through the jarring winters or just to treat your skin. Laneige is a cosmetics and skincare line from Korea, but if you live in Edmonton like I do, you can find Laneige products and many other korean brands at a boutique called Umi & Co. Their address is 10462 82 Ave down Whyte. 

For those international folks out there, you can get them online over at Sasa and strawberryNET as well.

I imagine a lot of you have probably heard much about these products already. Which Laneige product do you like the most?


xx,
Carmen

Shu Uemura Cleansing Oil, Beautymate Nano Cleanser, Clean & Clear In-Shower Facial, Biore Balancing Cleanser

 

    Having good skin is essential for your foundation or any makeup product to work seamlessly, not to mention the confidence bonus! Skincare for me is especially important because of the genes I inherited. My dad has oily skin prone to acne, while my mom has very fair, supple, radiant skin prone to freckles. My mom's skin type is normal, and in her case, she can literally pick up any product from the shelf at a drugstore and it would not cause her any problems. 

The five skin types are: normal, oily, combination, sensitive, and dry. While it is absolutely ridiculous to be so black-and-white in diagnosing your skin type, these categories give you a rough idea of where you stand.

In my case, I believe I have mostly combination skin with some sensitivity. This means that if I were to blot my face after a few hours, I could potentially find my T-zone (area around nose and forehead that form a "T") oily. The sensitive part means that harsh ingredients found in most drugstore brands here in Canada could really dry me out, give me a scaly effect around eyes, etc. I don't know about you, but I feel like I have to fight against my genes to achieve "normal" skin.

B i o r é   C o m b i n a t i o n   S k i n   B a l a n c i n g   C l e a n s e r

Bioré Combination Skin Balancing Cleanser 200mL

    I was sent this cleanser in my June Glossybox. I must say that was probably the box that made me want to stop subscription from Glossybox (I eventually did in July). I felt like I was paying $15 on easily accessible drugstore products that I had no say in. It felt like everyone got the same products no matter how unique their profile might have been. Also, most of the cosmetics came in really unflattering shades, I remember reading a blogger commenting on how they must have the shades that couldn't sell, and I couldn't help but agree!  This cleanser and the Wella Ocean Spritz hairspray were the only things worth keeping.

I had some doubts about this cleanser at the beginning (after trying another cleanser from Glossybox- Simple Kind to Skin Refreshing Facial Wash Gel - which felt like it was too gentle), but I was pleasantly surprised. I now use it every morning! First, I rinse my face with a bit of warm water, pump once onto my palm, lather it till it becomes foamy, rub gently all over my face, rinse with some cooler water, and pat dry with a clean cloth. The smell is what morning cleansers should be like, absolutely uplifting.

This product doesn't feel stripping to me at all, and if you have combination skin like I do,  I highly recommend this. Chances are people that gave bad reviews don't truly have combination skin. :P This cleanser is readily available at your local wal-mart or maybe even shoppers. It comes in a 200mL for around $5-6 CDN, a bargain if you ask me.

Clean & Clear Soft In-Shower Facial

Clean & Clear Soft In-Shower Facial 141g (Discontinued)

    This is something I leave in the shower shelf when I feel like deep cleansing. A lot of people rave about the St. Ives Apricot Scrub, and I would say it is a much gentler alternative. Actually, having just googled the makeupalley reviews which you can see here, I would sleep better at night if people stopped using it.

What you do is apply this in a thin layer all over your face, wait for one minute or so, (I usually leave it on a bit longer so it doesn't feel so abrasive when I wash it off) and gently rinse off. Sometimes I follow up with BeautyMate PURIFYING & BRIGHT Nano Cleanser for double cleansing. 

As with most exfoliants, please exercise caution and only use this three times a week, max! (I probably only use this once twice a week at most) Any more and you could be doing your face more harm than good. Usually after cleaning so thoroughly, I like to follow up with a face mask.

I would recommend this but sadly it's discontinued.

 BeautyMate PURIFYING & BRIGHT Nano Cleanser

BeautyMate PURIFYING & BRIGHT Nano Cleanser 100g

About the product:

"Beauty Mate PURIFYING & BRIGHT Nano Cleanser contains black pearl powder which can provide whitening effect; Morus Nigra Leaf Extract, it minimize dark spot from formulating. Applying nano technology, nano particles purify pores deeply and eliminate dirt and grease and leave a refreshed look."

- SaSa.com

    This might be my third or fourth tube of this cleanser. I reckon each tube lasts around 2-3 months. I ordered this through SaSa for around $5.50 USD for 100g of product. This is a white gel-like consistency cleanser, and in the past I've only stuck to cream cleansers because they are what I find to work best for my skin type. Perhaps later I will invest in a Clairisonic, but I will have to do more research that.

To use this, you wet your face with lukewarm water, squeeze out a tiny bit, lather in your hands and again, rub gently all over your face, and lastly, rinse off. 

However my loyalty might have to end at this tube because in the past few months I felt it was a bit harsh and too drying on me. I only use this at night and perahps my skin chemistry changed but for some reason I am not getting along with this like I have before.

Perhaps I better go back to cream cleansers..

Shu Uemura Sakura Cleansing Oil

Shu Uemura Sakura Cleansing Oil 50mL

    This is my first cleansing oil, so I'm not sure how I would compare it to any others. However, this is also probably one of the most famous. Mine comes in a 50mL bottle for ~ $13-14 (you can see the comparison to my hand), perfect for traveling and what not. It also comes in 150mL for ~ $30-32 and 450mL for ~ $80. Pretty pricey stuff. As with most things, you can find this on eBay.

I do not use this too often, mostly as a last resort, and also because my bb cream usually comes off through double cleansing alone. I have used this as a replacement for my eye makeup remover when I ran out, and I do use this to remove super stubborn mascara though, and it works really well.

Now, don't be fooled by the "oil" in this name. To use this, you have to make sure your face is completely dry. Now untwist the cap and you will notice there is a hole (much like the toners where you pour on your palm and pat on your face). This is the same concept, and really, a little goes a long way. Now gently massage your face, eyes (making sure not to get it inside) for around a minute. Now wet your hands with water and massage your face again, you will notice the oil is coming off in a milky white color, this is normal and you simply re-wet your hands and massage again. Repeat a couple times, and then actually wet your face with the water. Everytime I use this cleansing oil, I follow it up with another cleanser just to remove any traces of oil left over.

This works really well and I have had this for six months and only used up one-third of the bottle. However, I might not repurchase this simply because it is mineral oil based. A makeup remover I would really want to try right now is Taaj HImalaya Micellar Water, all the reviews make it seem simply divine (but is near impossible to get).

    These are all of my current cleansers, and remember what works for me might not work for you. If you think there is a cleanser out there that I'll love, please let me know!

What is your skin type? And what are some of your favourite cleansers?

xx,
Doris