Used Up Beauty Products / Empties #6

It's only been a month since my last empties post... dang, I'm going through products like mad!
Definitely continuing to plow through my samples.

Used Up Beauty Products / Empties #4

Sorry, I've been quite lazy with blogging... work has been keeping me busy, and during the weekends, I just want to enjoy the beautiful Summer weather.

During the months, I've finished a ton of products... so, I figured I would return with an Empties post.  My last empties post was in June!

M's China & Taiwan Beauty Haul

Hello Strangers!

It's been a while since the last post.  I went on holidays to China and Taiwan for a month, and R is a lazyfuck.

I wanted to share (cough showoff cough) my beauty haul from the trip (cue photos galore):

Please note that the currency in China is RMB (1 CAD = 7 RMB), and the currency in Taiwan is NT (1 CAD = 28 NT).  In other words, I bought a lot of shit.

from duty free
I will be doing a full post on this later

it's supposed to whiten your pits lol

this was 29 RMB for 2!
I gave one to R

floral AND fruity scent!
this was 109 NT for 2! (I gave two to R)

I bought a box to try since they were only 100 NT!

velcro sheets to keep your hair up without creasing it
20 NT for a pack (2 sheets in a pack)

my beloved lip ice
(see R's post here)

they come in a pack of 4
80 NT for two packs
These are my favourite makeup wipes (see my post here)

stole the two cherry blossom scented ones from my mom's duty free 6-piece assorted hand cream pack
the 6-piece pack contained 2 cherry blossoms, 2 dry hands, 2 lavender - a complete steal at 269 RMB (~$6 CAD each!)

I was completely out so bought one from duty free for 180 RMB ($25 CAD!)
they're normally $40 at the North American counters... wtf

MSF in Soft and Gentle from duty free
I have no idea how much it was... Mom got it for me

$24 CAD from duty free
Normally $27 CAD at Canadian counters
(see my review here - clearly, I lied about not running to buy it. it saved my skin in China and now I'm hooked lol)

I bought a shitload of these grapefruit scented oil blotting films
I think they were 20 RMB each

My Beauty Diary face sheet masks (each box has 10 individually packaged masks)
389 NT for 2 boxes, which is ~$7 CAD per box
they normally retail for $15 CAD per box here!
I will probably do a full post of these later

I stocked up on Asian pads!
they fit me a lot better, so I always stock up whenever I go (they're also a lot cheaper at 14 RMB per pack of 16 pads)
I spend about 1000 RMB on just pads every time I go to China and it lasts me about 2.5 years
(imagine me strolling around Carrefour like no big deal, with a shopping cart filled with bright pink pads lol)

- M

MAC Mineralize Skin Finish Natural

After much pestering from R and 1.5 weeks of randomly appeared blotchy redness on my face, I finally caved.  This is my third ever MAC product and first ever MAC face product.

I didn't get matched at the MAC counter or anything... I figured that my skin tone was pretty much identical to R's, so I just grabbed the Medium - Turned out to be a perfect match; I can't tell it apart from my skin.

I wore it for a full 10 hour day today, and I'm quite pleased.

Before I begin, I want to inform that I've never worn foundation in any form; at least, not for the function of foundation.  When I use foundation (in liquid form only), it serves as a spot concealer.

After washing my face, I applied my usual Bioderma Sébium Pore Refiner (my post on it here) to my T-zone.  Then, starting from my T-zone, I buffed the MSF all over my face with my Real Techniques Buffing Brush (my post on it here).  I found that it was a light coverage that was build-able to reduce redness and even out my skin.  The MSF isn't enough coverage for my under-eye darkness and dark pigmentation spots, so I used my Chanel Perfection Correcteur Concealer; however, I found that I didn't need as much of my concealer as usual.  After I applied my concealer, I went over my face with the MSF once more, really lightly, to just set everything.

Normally, I would apply my pore refiner to my T-zone, conceal, and apply my Tarte Smooth Operator Amazonian Clay Translucent Finishing Powder all over.

Even though I didn't apply any moisturizer today, the MSF didn't enhance any dry patches (I have combination skin, but within the last couple of weeks, I've been having more dry-normal skin).  Sometimes, if I haven't moisturized, I've found that my Tarte finishing powder will slop up the little oil on my skin and make my top of nose and chin look like a flaky mess.

Also, the MSF was able to even out my complexion and keep it matte without making me look like a powderpuff.  Even after a full day out, I felt like it handled the accumulation of oil pretty well.  The MSF seemed to just slightly soak up the excess oil, leaving my face looking semi-dewy matte.  My complexion actually looked better as the MSF blended with my natural oil (as gross as it sounds haha).

Overall, I'm quite impressed and am pleased to have purchased it.  It functions like my Tarte powder, but seems to be better at handling my combination skin's oil and dry patches.  Considering I paid $36 CAD for my Tarte powder, $34 CAD for this MSF isn't bad.  My Tarte powder still looks full and brand new, so I'm sure the MSF will last forever too.  I will be travelling quite a bit for vacation this Autumn, and starting in January, I will be travelling twice a week for work, so the MSF is perfect - It will be a more travel-friendly option.

- M

Bioderma Sébium Pore Refiner Review

I bought this a month ago in hope of finding something that would fix my ginormous pores.  Because my skin can be quite temperamental, I wanted to find one from a chemist or pharmacy line.  I didn't see anything in the La Roche-Posay lineup so I went for the Bioderma Sébium Pore Refiner.  Plus, this came recommended by Lisa Eldridge -- How can you go wrong?

I am so glad I did, because since I had bought it, I have been using it anytime I leave the house!

This pore refiner is part of the Sébium line, which is specific to combination to oily skin.
It has a slightly opaque white colour and has the consistency of a gel-like lotion. There's a fragrance, that is reminiscent of very faint Chanel's lotion, but once it's applied, you can't smell it at all.

How I use it:
After I put on my usual Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel, I put one dot of it on my forehead, one dot on my nose, and one dot on my forehead.  Then, I spread the dot all over my forehead, rubbing it in.  I do the same for my chin.  For the dot on my nose, I spread it all along my nose bridge as well as the skin right in between my nose and cheeks (this is where I have the most enlarged pores).  Since I have combination skin, there is no need to put it all over my face, just the general T-zone sufficed.

Once I rubbed it into my skin, I immediately saw my skin becoming matte - not satin, matte.  Once rubbed in, it dries pretty quickly so, I was able to just continue my regular make up routine.  In addition to pore refining, this product also acts as a make up primer - I have noticed that my make up goes on very smoothly on top of the pore refiner.

Verdict:
What's great about this product is that it actually does what it says!  I barely need to blot my face anymore because whenever I habitually feel like I need to blot, my sheet would have nothing - my T-zone would actually stay matte throughout the day!  I've also noticed that my pores are less enlarged and that my skin is less prone to whiteheads (probably because oil and dirt isn't able to sit on top/in my pores anymore with the Bioderma there).  Since I started using it, I have noticed that when I do get whiteheads, they are minimal and much more narrow than before usage.

Even though this is pricey ($31 CAD at Shoppers Drug Mart), it is so worth it.  A little goes a long way for this 30 mL squeeze tube of product.  It has definitely become a HG in my skincare routine.  I would highly recommend this to anyone who has combination or oily skin, or just anyone who wants a bit more oil control - this product is perfect for the Summer months.

- M

Update:  October 24, 2012
I just finished up this tube.  I bought it in the middle of May, and have worn it everyday since then.  $31 CAD ($25 whenever Shoppers has a 20% Bioderma promotion) looks like a pretty good deal now, since it's lasted me almost six months, even with daily wear!