Long time no blog, this semester is killing me and my skin. As you can see from my last post, I’ve been putting new products to use but I’ve definitely made the biggest mistake in the book. Trying out too many things at once. My skin is starting to seriously break out again like crazy, all over my lower jawline and my right-cheek. Its just extremely red and “bumpy” looking right now because of the newly formed acne and what’s worse is I can’t tell what is causing it.

I’ve started on a new cleanser, moisturizer and toner. Also to try out J.lynne cosmetics foundation and priming powder, I’ve been using that regularly as well – along with the Maybelline Dream Matte Powder.

I’ve cut out on the make-up for now to see if its the cosmetics or the skincare regimen that is causing it. I will report back within a couple of weeks to let you all know the news. I’m resorted back to my original trustworthy JUJU Aloe toner and to the Olay moisturizer to test the cleanser first.

Remember ladies, don’t get too excited and slather on a ton of new products at once. Adding on one product at a time is the safest way to go! Then even if something breaks you out, you’ll know which one did it!!

School just started this week and so I don’t know how often I will be able to post, I will try to be somewhat active because I know I’m still spending a lot of time buying stuff! I left my cleanser at home so I decided to go out a drugstore to buy a new one. I really love my Clinique cleanser but I honestly would feel bad if I spent another $15 on one when I have a new one sitting at home somewhere. I’m also running out of my Olay moisturizer, and since the new formulation of the Olay moisturizers aren’t that great, I decided that I would buy a new moisturizer as well!

Bottom line: Forced to try out a new skincare regimen!

I picked up the Aveeno Positively Radiant Makeup Removing Cleanser because I always have had a good impression of Aveeno. Besides, it was only around $6.99 and a lot cheaper than if I were to buy my usual Clinique cleanser. I will definitely have a review up after I have used this for a few weeks! I also picked up the the Merlot Grapeseed Moisturizer w/ SPF 15. I have heard many great reviews for this product and I decided I would try it out – it did turn out to be pretty expensive though, I believe the product was priced at $15. I probably read the sign wrong while at Walgreens because I had initially thought it was for $5.99, but at least I got a free travel-size mini out of it. I couldn’t find the SPF 30 Olay moisturizer in the store for some odd reason and Merlot was the only other moisturizer in the store that uses zinc oxide instead of avobenzene.

I also picked up the Maybelline Dream Matte Powder at CVS for $8.99. There are many great reviews about its oil control, so I decided to give it a go! I’ll review it as soon as I can!

This is just an initial review, I will do a real one after I have used this product for a few weeks.

Product: Everyday Minerals – Intensive formula
Price: USD 11.00 @ J.Lynne Cosmetics
Review:

My samples from J.Lynne came last week! As you can see, I ordered from the Warm and Golden palettes in both Medium and Tan. As all I bought were samples to determine a match for my skin color, I’m mainly going to focus on the color-matching aspect in this initial review. According to the website, Warm is designed for people with “soft yellow/peach undertones” while Golden is for those who have “true golden/yellow undertones”.

Comparing both the Medium formulas, you can see that the Medium Warm actually is darker than the Medium Golden. I found that Medium Warm would be a great fit for me in the summer, since it gave me a nice bronzed look. But since it is winter right now, if I wore it I would stand out because my skin has actually gotten lighter now that I have no sun to bask in. My only problem is that Medium Warm is good for peach undertones too, and it can end up making you look unnaturally pink. On the other hand, Medium Golden was a perfect fit for me!!

These are the Tan formulas and they definitely don’t fit my skin, if only because I’m not tanned in the winter. Tan Warm made my face look really dark and bruised. And don’t be tricked, the Tan Golden is actually not that dark in my opinion – the only thing different is how much more yellow it’ll make you look. The “yellow” in Tan Golden is extremely strong. You’ll know that it won’t match you because it’ll make you look cartoon yellow.

I know that most of you know how to test foundation shades by now, but for those of you who are just starting out: Please please please test it in natural lighting!! At first I thought that I was a perfect match for Medium Warm and Tan Golden until I stepped outside to compare. Also, don’t forget that you can always mix two different shades of mineral make-up to attain your perfect color! I used to mix my Everyday Minerals with Coastal Scents to get the correct shade for me. Overall, my results are:

Summer Foundation: Medium Warm
Winter Foundation: Medium Golden

My initial thoughts: fantastic full coverage, good staying power (much better than Coastal Scents!) and applies with a semi-matte finish. Loving it so far.

Initial Rating: 5/5

Product: Everyday Minerals – Intensive formula
Price: FREE (samples, only paid the shipping)
Review:

To be honest, I also mix some of my Coastal Scents Silk Cover foundation (see below) with my Everyday Minerals foundation to get a better match for my skin color – so I should probably do a review of it as well. I also bought Everyday Minerals in their sample form back when you could choose your own sample kit – I think they have pre-made “Try me Free” kits now, which I don’t really like that much. I have the samples in Sandy Medium, Winged Butter and Golden Medium. The Winged Butter is very, very yellow so I would beware of it unless you really have extremely prominent yellow undertones. My best shade is a mix of my Coastal Scents Tan Foundation, Sandy Medium and Golden Medium.

Ingredients: Mica, Titanium Dioxide, Iron Oxide, Ultramarines.

I purchased all of mine in the intensive formula, which is meant to provide more coverage. It claims to give a silky near-matte finish and help control oil. In terms of oil control, I feel that it is pretty good because I don’t need to blot until the evening after I apply it in the morning. Don’t put too much on though, especially if you have uneven skin or active or healing/dried acne spots because you’ll end up looking cakey. I find that this doesn’t provide a dewy finish and is quite matte too.

I haven’t broken out since using this foundation, so I do have a pretty good impression of Everyday Minerals. In terms of coverage however, I find that it is medium at most. Its staying power lasts longer than that of Coastal Scents though so both has their pros and cons. That’s why I like mixing the two foundations together; I find that I get the perfect coverage and oil control that way.

Rating: 4/5

Product: Coastal Scents Silk Cover Foundation
Price: ~USD 2.00 per sample / USD 21.95 per 30 g full jar (8 g powder)
Review:

I bought these in their sample form and have actually never needed to invest in the larger jars yet, since I honestly don’t wear much foundation. They give very generous samples, it will last you for a while. This foundation is supposed to provide full coverage with a creamy texture and dewy finish. This is one of the reasons why I really like this foundation because it is a mineral make-up that provides full coverage – I’m all for full coverage that feels light on the skin.

I have the shades Medium, Medium 1.2 and Tan. Both Medium and Tan are actually very neutral, so if you need a warmer undertone I would try the Medium 1.2 because it is slightly warmer and more fitting if you have yellow undertones. It might be difficult to find your exact shade with one sample, so I would suggest trying a out a couple and even mixing some. I apply this with the Coastal Scents Pink Kabuki Brush and build until I get the type of coverage that I want.

Ingredients List: Titanium Dioxide, Sericite, Iron Oxides, Rice Powder, Boron Nitride, Kaolin Clay, Mica,Ultramarine Blue

In the image below, I only have some dark spots left over because I have been on a Tazorac & 2.5% Benzoyl Peroxide treatment for about 6-7 months. The foundation does provide full coverage if your main concern is redness or spots but it will provide medium coverage if you have active acne or bumps.

I find that this foundation helps to control oil, since it does contain Kaolin Clay that absorbs the oil on your face. If I apply it in the morning, I won’t need to blot until around mid-day or late-evening depending on how warm it is outside. This foundation feels light on your skin but I am able to build to full coverage and it makes my skin look very silky and smooth. You do need to touch-up every now and then though. I also find that it can make my shallow acne scars more prominent as the day wears on, so its not that great if you have extremely uneven skin like me. Fortunately, its not that noticeable for me unless you’re really up in my face and staring. This foundation doesn’t have the most amazing staying power though, if you are slightly oily and blot, it won’t last the full 12 hour day.

Rating: 4/5

Product: Etude House – Vitamin A & Vitamin C Essence Masks
Price: ~USD 1.49 each @ soompi (kimnvy)
Review:

These are two out of the three Etude House Essence masks that I purchased a while back. I used both the Vitamin A one and the Vitamin C one in the two nights before I went to get my wisdom teeth removed. I figured that I’d be in too much pain and too loopy to really take good care of my skin afterward, so I might as well treat it well before to prep for it. Personally, I really liked both of the masks and I couldn’t really tell the difference between the two – they both just as well, in my opinion.

They have a light fragrance to them but its nothing too strong or noticeable. Since these are essence masks, I’m supposed to pat the remaining essence into my face after waiting the 15-20 minutes. I actually waited a full 30 minutes before peeling off the mask. My skin definitely felt extremely hydrated and it left a sight glow to my skin. I felt that the masks made my skin look a lot healthier. Also, compared to the Skinfood Herb Salad Essence mask, I had no problem with patting in the remaining essence to dry – it didn’t make my skin feel sticky or anything

I only get one or two occasional active pimples now that I’m on Tazorac (usually around that time of the month) and I feel that the mask really helped with decreasing the dark spots that active pimples leave. I really wish I knew where to buy these masks in bulk, that would be awesome. Personally, I like the Vitamin A mask more because I feel that Vitamin A is a great anti-aging and healing agent. If you’re looking for hydrating though, the Vitamin C mask would be better.

Rating: 5/5

Earlier in the week I went to Sally’s Beauty Supply and picked up these three items. I’ve actually never been to a Sally store until now, which is amazing because I just about wanted everything in their haircare department. I ended up choosing these three products:

1) Ion Anti-Frizz Leave-in Conditioner: This came in an easy spray bottle, I haven’t used it yet though. It cost about $5.99 USD and comes in a 12 fl. oz (355 ml) size bottle, which I think is pretty sweet for a salon care product.
2) Professional Infusium 23 Leave-In Hair Treatment (original formula): This didn’t come in a spray bottle but its really water in consistency so I had to buy an empty spray bottle to fill it with. I believe Infusium is also sold in drug-stores in their salon haircare isles, but this was a 20 fl. oz (591 ml) bottle for only $5.79 USD. I’ve used this product twice thus far and I think it makes my hair feel extremely soft.
3) Kolestral Concentrate: This is a deep conditioner that I picked up for $4.99, it contains 170g (6 oz.) worth of product. This isn’t your average 3-minute deep conditioner that you get at the drugstores or Target though, you leave it in for 15-20 minutes so its the kind of deep conditioner that you would get done at the salon.

I’m almost as obsessive about haircare as I am about skincare, so I’ll make conclusive haircare post sometime in the near future that documents my current hair regimen and which products are my favorite.

I hope everyone had a great New Year and Holidays! I will be returning to me reviews shortly today, but I just got my wisdom teeth removed (all four!) yesterday so I’ve been spending this time adjusting to the eating Vicodin every 4 hours thing. Bleggh. I’m also on a liquid diet for the next week since I’m a baby and it hurts to eat. I must say, Ensure is very sweet (the vanilla flavor anyway). I’m not much of a sweets person so this is really hard for me to down without wanting to hurl. Just an update for now, will see you all later today with more reviews!

Also, I’m thinking of making another Sasa order soon towards the end of the month. If you have any suggestions for skincare products that you’d want me to purchase and buy, let me know! I will mainly be making a huge hall of sheet masks, toners and possibly more blotting sheets.

Product: Stila Smudge Pots – Black
Price: ~USD 16.00 @ Sephora
Review:

This was my first real eyeliner and it is still my one and only go-to eyeliner. I find that I have a lot of trouble applying liquid eyeliner and pencil liners somehow don’t much work with me either. I bought this as a substitute to the M.A.C. Fluidline because Sephora sadly doesn’t sell M.A.C. products. I won’t be comparing it to M.A.C.’s product though because I don’t have the M.A.C. version. I feel that this is a great gel liner and applies really smoothly. I apply with TheBalm shadyLady Liner Brush and it makes application extremely easy for me.

The black doesn’t apply as darkly as a liquid liner would but I think that it is still pretty prominent, depending on you thickly you are making it. I find that when I use a primer on my eyes, the liner doesn’t smudge at all – through daily wear-and-tear anyway. If you cry and/or rub your eyes with your hands…that’s a different story. It is easily covered up by your eye-shadows though so you’ll have to reapply a layer of liner after you’re finished with the rest of your eye-makeup if you really want the black to pop.

It’s a great gel liner, I would give the M.A.C. version a try too since it is about the same price. I’m really looking for a liner that won’t smudge even if I cry or accidentally rub my eyes with my hands – is this possible? Let me know if you guys know of such a liner!

Rating: 4/5
credit: image from Sephora

Product: TheBalm TimeBalm Concealer
Price: ~USD 18.00 @ Sephora
Review:

I purchased this product in ‘Light/Medium’ and I would have to say at the time, it was a good match for my skin. You might think that it is a lot of money for such a small pot but the product really lasts a long time. I bought this product well over a year ago though and I don’t think I’ve even used half of it yet. You only need a few dabs to conceal spots, so you can imagine how many dabs you’ll need to use up a whole pot. But since I have tanned, the shade doesn’t exactly match anymore so I don’t use it as a concealer per se. Instead I’ve resorted to using it on my lips, over Chaptstick and with gloss to create the ‘nude lip’ look. The product comes with a small sponge for application although I find that using my fingers works better.

The concealer did help to conceal dark spots on my face, but I would suggest against using it around your eye area if you have a lot of fine lines. I have extremely uneven skin around my eye area – I’m not really sure how to explain it, but the concealer will settle into your skin and make them even more noticeable. I would also suggest building up on the coverage slowly, if you over-do it your skin will end up looking extremely cakey.

Rating: 4/5
credit: image from Sephora