Used Up Beauty Products / Empties #3

The garbage has been piling up in my bathroom... haha

REVIEW: CLINIQUE even better clinical dark spot corrector

I picked this up from the Cosmetics Company Outlet a year ago for $37.50 US, and finally decided to use it regularly this year.  I think I started using it in February and just finished it two weeks ago.

Used Up Beauty Products / Empties #1

Aside from haul videos, my favourite videos from beauty youtubers are their "empties" ones.  Beauty youtubers seem to own everything within the beauty industry, so one can become confused as to which products are worth purchasing.  Empties videos showcase products that are fully used up or are so unbearable that they have to be tossed out before being finished.  In my opinion, these videos tend to be most truthful of the integrity of a product.

Behold, my first empties post...

January 2013 Topbox (Privé Box)

Topbox introduced the idea of the Privé Box in the new year.  It basically means that instead of receiving a variety of brands in a box, we will be only be receiving products from a single brand.  Personally, I preferred the former... since, I signed up to receive products that I typically wouldn't pick out on my own.

This month's was Clinique.
Good news:  I'm super familiar with Clinique products, and enjoy some of them.
Bad news:  I'm super familiar with Clinique products.

What irks me is that you can receive all of these samples easily from the counter or from their bonus gifts.  My mom and I only stock up on Clinique skincare products during their bonus gift months, so I have plenty of these little samples around.  Paying $12 + tax for these samples seems a little ridiculous.

I will be giving the Repairwear Corrector to my mom - I've sampled it before and obviously, with a sample, I didn't see any results.

I will also be giving away the Clarifying Lotion (aka. Toner) because when I tried it years ago, it burned me.

I'll be keeping the Eye Makeup Solvent, because it's amazing.  Before Bioderma, it was my only makeup remover.  It's not great with stubborn waterproof mascara, but everything else easily comes off.

The eyeshadow I got is Mink.  The shades are complementary to my skintone, but I might still give it away to my mom.  It's so chalky and the pigmentation is pretty bad.

I'm pretty disappointed with this month's box... I may unsubscribe after the February box.

- M

Clinique Chubby Stick (04 Mega Melon & 06 Woppin' Watermelon)

I snagged these from my mom's Clinique gift with purchases last week.  The Woppin' Watermelon comes in the pink version and the Mega Melon comes in the nude version.

They're completely sheer tinted on my skin (as you can see from my swatches below), and invisible on my pigmented lips.
They apply very smoothly and seem moisturizing, but within the hour, they were drying my lips out.

Verdict:  Buy a lip balm instead.

natural lighting

with flash

- M

Party in the USA (Haul)

 The Cosmetics Company Outlet

Clinique Even better Clinical Dark Spot Corrector - $39.75 USD ($63 CAD in Canada! WTF)

I'll keep me posted on whether it works.

 Walmart

Neutrogena Healthy Skin (40 Nude) - $11.97 USD (You can't find this in Canada, boo)

Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eraser (150 Neutralizer) - $7.94 USD ($11.99 CAD in Canada)

Burt's Bees Radiance Eye Cream - $17.97 USD ($24.99 CAD in Canada)

I'll keep you posted on whether Healthy Skin and the Concealer live up to their hype.

I'm giving the eye cream a try too.

 Walmart

Wet n' Wild eye shadow (Brulee) - $1.97 USD ($2.99 CAD in Canada)

Finally, got it.

It's impossible to find one that isn't shattered to bits in Canada.

L'Occitane Outlet

Cherry Princess Body Silk & Solid Perfume pack - $13.60 USD (Not available in Canada)

Cherry Blossom Hand Cream - $10 USD ($12 CAD in Canada; mini travel sizes not available anymore?)

and the samples I got.

Woohoo, found more Cherry Princess stuff!  They're completely sold out in Canada.

These "Body Silks" are super liquidy, which is awesome, cuz I can use them as hand lotion.

I stocked up on another two tubes of the Cherry Blossom hand lotions, because all their hand lotions are in the twist-plastic tubes now.  The new tubes have a new formulation, so the consistency is thinner.

As you can tell, we get screwed over in Canada...

seriously, the price differences are ridiculous

especially when our dollar has been on par with the American dollar for quite a while now.

♥ M

BB doesn't always stand for boobies

Asian beauty products have long been amazeballs and putting "Western World" beauty products to shame!  One that is particularly attracting attention as of late is the BB Cream.

BB stands for Beauty Balm.  It is basically an Asian tinted moisturizer; proposing to replace your moisturizer, concealer, foundation, and sunscreen, with a single product.  There are tons of BB cream brands and types out there in Asian markets--and now, mass North American markets too (including drug stores)!  See Musings of a Muse for her kickass detailed post answering "what is a BB cream?"

Unfortunately, I am not rich enough and too stingy to buy a bunch of BB creams that are $30 each... so, I can only speak of my experiences with two BB creams:

DR. JARDT+ Waterfuse Beauty Balm SPF 25 PA++

This is a Korean brand.  It is a water based BB cream, which is a bit of an oxymoron in its name as a cream.  As mentioned in my previous post, I have oil-prone skin that is super sensitive... so, I definitely did not want a product that was too rich in creamy texture.  I also figured that any water based product would be less likely to clog my pores.

This product is very light in texture.  Some users might think it's too watery and not enough coverage.  I would agree that it is on the lighter side of coverage; however, for someone, like myself, who rarely uses foundation as anything more than just a spot concealer, it is perfect.

What I like about this product:

• Very easy to spread
• Very little product is required to cover the entire face
• Easily matches to the natural skin colour
• I cannot feel it on the skin, at all

What sucks about this product:

• It costs $32 USD!  Dr. Jardt+ isn't on Canadian Sephora shelves, so I had to order this online... which made it $33.60 CAD after conversion.  For 1.7 oz of product, that sucks major balls.  Thank goodness, I only need a pea sized amount of product for coverage over my entire face (that shit really spreads well).
• It has the sunscreen smell.  It's a light scent, so, I'm not hating it... I just don't love it.

CLINIQUE Age Defense BB Cream SPF 30

This is an actual cream based BB cream.  It is quite thick, and not as smooth to spread as the Dr. Jardt+ one above.  Its sunscreen smell is strong too.  Combining the smell and texture, it actually reminds me of an actual sunscreen.

I really don't like this BB cream, so I really don't have anything good to say about this product.  I think it might suit someone who regularly puts on foundation (as a foundation's function, and not spot concealer), has dry skin, and wants medium to full coverage.

I bought this in one of the duty free shops at Chicago's O'Hare airport last July.  I think it was $26.50 USD.  They didn't have two tints at the time, but looking at swatches, I think I have 01, which is described to be for very light to fair skin.  I think what adds to my dislike for the product is that I'm slightly darker than 01, but way lighter than 02.

***

I am not comfortable enough to post pictures of both BB creams on my face... but I basically dot very, very little product on my forehead, cheeks, nose, and chin.  See Jennifer's (From Head To Toe) recent BB cream application tutorial video.

To give you an idea of how they dry and eventually look on your face, I did quite a bit of drag and spread in my swatches below.  The top swatch is the Clinique one, and the bottom swatch is the Dr. Jardt+ one.  I did not spread the top of either swatches, to show what the product looks like straight from the tube.  The mid-sections of either swatches show spreading for the product.  The lower sections of either swatches show the dried product.  As you can see from the swatches below, Clinique dries much much much slower than the Dr. Jardt+ one, because of its thicker, cream based formula.

(Sorry for the bad lighting of my iPhone4 ghetto picture... it doesn't do justice to the Dr. Jardt+ one.  It seems to make it look more yellow and darker, such that, it doesn't seem to match my skin tone.)

(Top:  Clinique Age Defense BB Cream; Bottom:  Dr. Jardt+ Waterfuse Beauty Balm)

Overall, I think it's pretty obvious that I hate the Clinique one.  I'm not certain on whether or not I would repurchase the Dr. Jardt+ one, because of its price tag.
I've heard good reviews about Skin79, and I see that they have a water based one (Shiny Pearl Water Drop).  Maybe I'll try that one.

What are your experiences with BB creams?  I'm very new to Asian beauty products... Any recommendations on BB creams or any other Asian beauty products would be awesome!

M.

M's Nighttime... DAYTIME!

My original title was "Shit M puts on her face" but figured I should at least attempt to come up with a better one. I was reminded of this ridiculous thing my friend does:

Yea, I know... wtf, right?

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To give you some context to my skin...
It's got attitude.  It's sensitive/combination/hormonal acne prone.
When I say it's sensitive, I mean really sensitive.  Part of this reason is because it's super thin.  There are many sensitive-specific and self-proclaiming gentle products (both department and drugstore) that I cannot use as a result of this.  You're not sold that I have stupid sensitive skin... Ok, imagine having deep red/purple blotchy skin coming out of the shower... not from the heat, but from the water... yea.
The combination part is quite typical of the mould.  Except for the forehead area just above and in between my eyebrows, my T-zone is oily.
Hormonal acne... ugh.  I shouldn't complain too much about it, but I always know when the time is coming when I welcome a bright red pimple shoves itself into the picture.  Also, chocolate, chips and other fried goodness highly invite acne for me.

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Nighttime...

PHILOSOPHY purity (24 oz)
It comes out of the bottle like a watery lotion.  I have a big face, so I use about a quarter coin sized amount.  There's no bubbles or froth, unlike other facial cleanser products I've used in the past.  You just smooth it over your face and rinse off.  I keep this in the shower, and use it at night.  It also acts as a makeup remover.
If your skin is as sensitive as mine, I would highly recommend this.  It broke me out the first two times I used it, but has been absolute heaven afterwards.  I think it was getting all the deepass shit out of my pores.
Repurchase?  YES.  A HG for me. It's fucking expensive, but lasts forever.  (I've tried going back to my Olay Deep Cleansing Witch Hazel face wash, but failed so badly, because I've become too snobby).  I bought this 24oz Purity from Sephora.com for $42 CAD.

CLINIQUE dramatically different moisturizing gel (125mL)
It has a fucking long name.  They could just call it "Gel" for all I care, cuz that's all I look for when I pick it up.  (Note:  there's also a lotion one).  I've been using this lotion for more than 10 years, as it is the only lotion I know that doesn't make my face throw a tantrum at me.  It is definitely a gel, and is definitely the perfect moisture amount for me.  I dot my forehead, cheeks, nose, and chin with one pump each (about the size of a pea), and spread it around.  The product fully seeps into my skin within two minutes, and my face is smooth to the touch.  I hate products that leave your face feeling like there's a film or oil, cuz 1) you feel like a butterface and 2) you're just asking for shit to stick onto your skin.  I put this on after coming out of the shower.  It calms my post-shower blotchy red face (as mentioned previously).
Because it's a water-based gel, it's very easy to use the product completely up, without leaving anything inside the packaging.  I use the pump until I can't get any more product through it anymore, then I just keep the bottle upside down whenever I set it down.  All of the gel will slide right down to the bottleneck.
Repurchase?  Duh, yes.  No other product is more HG than this one.  I have maybe 3 bottles in reservoir.  I get mine from The Bay for $24.50 CAD whenever Clinique is giving out free sample kits (early September is one of the times during the year).

BURT'S BEES natural acne solutions (7.5mL/0.26 fl oz)
It directs you to use it in the morning and night after cleansing--DONT.  Only use this at night when you're definitely not going out until the day after, because it smells like shit.  Even washing your hands with soap won't get rid of the smell.  The smell is so revolting, but the product works amazing.  It's a spot treatment acne product.  I basically use my finger to dap it onto the pimple and just around it.  Don't use a cotton swab, because it'll just be a waste of product.  The skin soaks up the product immediately with 0.75% of Salicyclic Acid.  If I use this, a fresh pimple will disappear within 2 days with no dark marks or scarring (unlike a lot of other acne spot solutions that end up drying the shit out of the pimple and leave you with a dark mark).
Repurchase?  Yes, until I find one that does the same stuff without the odour.  I get mine for $9.99 USD at Walmart.

NIVEA aqua sensation eye creme (14g/0.5 oz)
I've tried the Bobbi Brown one that everyone raves about... and thank goodness I didn't buy a full sized to try, because this one kicks its ass, without burning holes in your wallet.  I wouldn't exactly call this a cream, as it is more of a slight more moisturizing eye lotion.  It hydrates my eyes without leaving any oily residue or film.  I put it underneath my eyes on my eyebags and on my eyelids before I go to bed.
Repurchase?  Probably.  I got mine from London Drugs when it was on sale for $10 CAD (I think).

... DAYTIME!

CLINIQUE dramatically different moisturizing gel (125mL)
(I'm lazy and it's stupid to copy & paste the same shit within the blog... so, stroll up to see my rambles about it)
I use this right after I brush my teeth and wash my face in the morning, too.

L-R:  Almay foundation (160 naked), Chanel concealer (20), Laura Mercier concealer (wheat)

ALMAY clear complexion makeup - 160 naked (30mL/1 fl oz)
On the bottle, it says that it "clears blemishes" (with 0.6% Salicylic Acid) and is for oily skin.  I'm not sure if it clears blemishes, but it doesn't break me out nor dry my skin, so good enough.  It's a foundation, but I use it as a concealer during the summer.
Repurchase?  Yes.  I've been using it since I started using makeup.  I buy mine from London Drugs or Superstore whenever it goes on sale.  It's usually around $10-12 CAD.

CHANEL correcteur perfection long lasting concealer - 20 (7.5mL/0.26 oz)
I bought this in April 2011.  It has very good coverage and doesn't look dry.  I use foundation or powder on top, and it looks unnoticeable.  I tab it with the wand, and then blend with a triangle sponge.
Repurchase?  I'm not quite sure yet.  It's a good product, good for both winter and summer, but so fucking expensive.  $40 USD for this tiny tube is fuckrageous!  In my last post, I said that the Laura Mercier one is a dupe, but I'm like gahhh, is it really, because I love this one.  It's undetermined at the moment.  Fuck you, Chanel!  (See my previous vegas haul post on the Laura Mercier).

TARTE amazonian clay 12-hour blush - dollface (5.6g/0.2oz)
(see my vegas haul post on this).

COVERGIRL lash blast fusion - water resistant black-brown (13.1mL/0.44 fl oz)
(not in photo).
Everyone seems to hate this mascara, but it's my HG mascara.  I have the typical sparse stick-straight short lashes.  I also have oily eyelid creases.  This mascara gives the illusion that I actually have eyelashes with a slight curl that looks like it's natural, as if I'm not wearing any mascara at all.  Everyone hates this product, saying that it's not water resistant at all, but I think it is.  I've chickflick balled my eyes out with this product on, and I end up walking out of the theatre without any runs everytime.  It's also super long lasting without any flaking specks or panda eyes underneath my eyes.
Repurchase?  YES.  HG mascara.  I've tried sooo many expensive ones from Dior, YSL, Buxom, etc., but always reach for this one as my trusty one.  I get mine from Walmart for $7.99 USD.

YSL dessin des sourcils - 2 dark brown (0.04 oz/1.3g)
(not in photo).
I LOVE THIS EYEBROW PENCIL.  Sooo, I have no eyebrows.  Without makeup, the ends of my eyebrows are crazy sparse.  I also have very thin hairs, so they barely show.  I use this pencil to fill in my eyebrow, and then use the brush end to make it look very natural.  The formula is very smooth and soft.  It also lasts all day without reapplication.
Repurchase?  YES.  HG eyebrow.  This is my first one.  I bought it at Sephora when I was in Vegas in August 2010 for $28 USD.  I'm not even half way through yet!

ECOTOOLS blush brush
I use this as a regular blush brush, yes...  BUT, I also brush it all over my face (with no blush on it, of course) to smooth out any concealer areas.  It's quite dense and is super soft.  It's softer than any other brush I've fondled.  What I really like about it is it was just as soft after I washed it for the first time.  Sometimes, there are very slight changes in texture after the first wash... maybe it's something manufacturers coat on them?  I bought mine last year at London Drugs when it went on sale for $5something CAD, and it still looks brand new with the exact same shape and texture.  (Yea, yea, I know it's only been a year... non-shitty brushes shouldn't show any changes until much later.)
Repurchase?  When this one dies, yea.  I don't see it dying for a while though.

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That pretty much finalizes all the shit I put on my face on a daily and nightly basis.  There's two other products that I use... but occasionally--Olay exfoliating brush and BB cream.  Those two products deserve their own spotlight posts... coming soon.

Sorry, there are so many words and so little makeup porn for your eyes... I figured I'd wipe up some of R's nail polish jizz with slaps of words... kidding... ish.  I'm just too lazy to take ghetto pictures of everything individually.  Plus, this post would be way fucking longer than it is already!

- M