Product: Bare Escentuals Mineral Veil Finishing Powder
Price: ~USD 19.00 @ Sephora
Review:

I tried this product out along with the Bare Escentuals foundation and bisque that I purchased years ago. You may have heard how badly the foundation and concealer turned out for me, but I honestly think the mineral veil wasn’t that bad. I’ve used it alone before, after throwing away the foundation & concealer and it didn’t make my acne worse or anything. This product is used to set your foundation and soak up excess oil. It is transparent and doesn’t add any more coverage or color to your face. I felt that this product did a great job with keeping my face matte throughout the day but you definitely need your touch-ups if you’re as oily as I am.

The ingredients include: Zea Mays (Corn Starch), Corn Starch Modified, Zinc Stearate, Magnesium Stearate, Iron Oxides

I have heard that zea mays can also cause irrituation for certain people, but it is the main ingredient for a lot of other veils and finishing powders that I have seen. I would give this a try first before blowing a lot of money on it, to make sure you aren’t the one-in-a-million that is irritated. I sold this to someone else already, since my impression of Bare Escentuals was terrible and I just didn’t feel like using it anymore. I’ve resorted to just using my trusty blotting sheets to deal with any oiliness.

Rating: 3/5
credit: images from Sephora

Product: bareMinerals SPF 15 Foundation & Multi-tasking Bisque Concealer
Price: ~USD 25.00 for the foundation, USD 18.00 for the concealer
Review:

I bought these two products two years ago, back when the hype of “bareMinerals” was still fairly new and just starting up. Or at least, that’s when I first started hearing wind of it and decided to try it out. Biggest mistake of my life, let’s just say that much. I would say that after the first two weeks of usage, I was pretty pleased with the results since coverage was light to medium and I thought that it felt really light on my skin. This foundation was actually my first venture into any form of foundation – I used this before discovering BB cream, etc.

I remember feeling my skin itch slightly while using this foundation but I thought that it was just something that would go away with time. Unfortunately for me, I was one of those people who broke out in moderate to severe acne. While it did not develop into cystic acne, I’m sure it would have if I didn’t decide to stop using it and go see a dermatologist. I was prescribed Retin-A after this and it took nearly 6-8 months for my skin to semi-recover.

A main problem with this mineral make-up is in its ingredients. The ingredients for the foundation: Titanium Dioxide 12.6%, Zinc Oxide 21%, Bismuth Oxychloride, Mica, Iron Oxides. The ingredients in the concealer are similar: Mica, Bismuth Oxychloride, Titanium Dioxide, Iron Oxides, Ultramarines.

The culprit for most people is the bismuth oxychloride, which is an ingredient that is responsible for the dewy, satin finish that the mineral makeup provides for your skin. It is a common ingredient that makes the minerals feel silky and stay on your skin better. Some people can go by without any irritation, I have two friends that continue to use bareMinerals and their skin is absolutely gorgeous, not a pimple in sight.

If you have sensitive, acne-prone skin – I would avoid this product all together. If you are itching to give it a try and don’t usually have skin problems, I would say go ahead and purchase a sample of it first to see if you react to the bismuth oxychloride.

Good news though, I know that they have released a new formula – the “Matte SPF 15 Foundation”, which does not contain bismuth oxychloride. I haven’t tried it yet but honestly, bareMinerals has lost a load of points in my book. I don’t know if I’ll ever try their products again.

Rating: 1/5
credit: images from bareMinerals website

Product: Catena Cell Repairing & Mark Removing Mask
Price: ~USD 7.70 @ Sasa
Review:

When I bought these masks, I thought that it was kind of expensive for just the 5 pieces. This mask had great reviews on Sasa’s website so I decided that I would give it a try. As stated in the name, the mask is geared towards those with marks and scars, such as from acne. After using a pack of the masks, I thought that the masks worked pretty well but still wouldn’t add up to how nourishing the Aegissi masks were.

The website states that the mask contains silicon meant to “diffuse scar skin tone”. Knowing this, the mask probably works by depositing silica to fill in pores to give the impression of a smoother skin tone. It is also supposed to promote the healing of damaged tissue and increase skin elasticity. After using this mask, I did feel that the texture of my skin was improving and that recent inflammations caused by acne was healing quicker. I liked this mask but not enough to keep purchasing it.

Rating: 4/5

Product: Aegissi Carrot Essence Mask
Price: ~USD 0.80 @ Sasa
Review:

I bought six of these masks last year and I absolutely fell in love. I’m extremely sad that they went out of stock so quickly on Sasa and never came back! Extremely peeved because these were amazing sheet masks that were well worth the price! I wish the product was still listed on Sasa’s website so I can show you guys the description because I can quite remember the exact ingredients that were in the mask.

Carrots are good for the skin, since they contain carotene (provitamin A) and antioxidants that are great for the skin. Carrot masks are extremely good for people with oily/acne-prone skin. The mask has a really nice fragrance to it and is very hydrating. I felt that while using this mask, my acne subsided and it took great care of my skin during midterms and stressful times. You have to leave it on for 20-30 minutes; I left it on for the full 30 minutes. It leaves my skin baby soft after use and helped in clearing up my acne.

This is my number 1 go-to mask, I really wish that Sasa would restock.

Rating: 5/5

Product: Kose SOFTYMO Softy Nose Clean Pack
Price: ~USD 4.90 @ Sasa
Review:

I’ve heard that this product has been very popular since its review by the TV show “Nu Ren Wo Zui Da”, but I bought this a while ago. It is your basic pore strip for your nose and again, like the other two Asian brand nose strips that I have introduced on this blog, it is black in color. One side is adhesive and all you have to do is wet your nose before applying.

I liked this because you get 10 strips in one pack and each of the strips works pretty well. It is not as strong as the mook brand strips that I had introduced last time. I would say that it is similar to the Biore kind that you can purchase at the drugstore. I found that the results were usually a hit or miss. Sometimes it would clear up my nose and pull out plenty of blackheads but other times it would dry and come right off without pulling anything out, although this may be a problem with my regimen somehow before applying the nose strip. I would give this product an average rating.

Rating: 3/5

Product: SKINFOOD Herb Salad Mask Sheet
Price: ~USD 2.49 @ soompi (kimnvy)
Review:

I bought this mask because I love mask sheets and I am in love with a lot of Skinfood’s products. I chose to try out the Herb Salad Mask Sheet just because of my acne-prone, oily skin. The Herb Salad mask is designed for sensitive skin and is meant to soothe redness and irritation. Since its cold, my skin has started to get extremely dry and sometimes it even hurts when I apply my moisturizer because of how cracked it is. I’ve also started to get some breakouts here and there on my upper-lip and cheeks, so I thought that the mask could help soothe my skin.

According to the directions, I placed the sheet on my face for about 15 minutes before removing. I was supposed to tap the remaining liquid on my face in and let the rest dry/absorb – but I found that it left my skin feeling extremely sticky and gunky, even after the residue had dried. So I went and splashed with water just to get rid of the gunky feeling that it left on my skin. Perhaps I’m just not used to the feeling since I don’t have much experience with these types of sheet masks.

Overall, I feel that this mask did a pretty good job. It was seriously hydrating and it made my skin feel very soft after using it. I felt that the redness in my skin caused by the recent cold, dry weather has decreased. In the couple of days after using the mask, even the flakiness on my cheeks has decreased. I think that if you have sensitive skin, I would give this mask a try because it really does a good job with redness and helping your skin heal faster. My only qualm is that it was almost $3 for each, and $3 for one use is kind of ridiculous in my opinion – I mean, I like the mask but I’m not in love with it.

Rating: 4/5

Product: Lancome Ablutia Fraîcheur Purifying Foaming Cleanser
Price: ~USD 20.00 @ Gottchalks (on sale b/c Gottchalks was going out of business)
Review:

I bought this for a slightly cheaper price, but it retails for about USD 30 regularly. The packaging for this is very nice, it comes it a very sanitary pump-bottle with a cap to prevent leakage when traveling with it. This cleanser comes out as a reddish/pink gel that you need to lather in your hands before applying to your face.

The ingredients of this cleanser is almost the exact same as the Clinique cleanser, which means that one of the major ingredients is also sodium laureth sulfate. This ingredient is known to be too harsh for people with sensitive skin, but it doesn’t do much to me so this cleanser actually works pretty well.

It is an oil-free gel cleanser that activates with water to remove makeup, excess oil and impurities. The cleanser claims that it won’t strip your skin of its essential oils, and I don’t feel like my skin gets oily after cleansing in the morning and night. I’m not very sure about how well it takes off makeup though, since I usually take off my makeup with a makeup remover beforehand.

All in all, I feel that this cleanser is good and doesn’t break me out but it isn’t anything special. I basically just took off a point for the price because the cleanser really isn’t that great for the price. I feel that I can get the same results using my Clinique cleanser. I have been using this product for at least four months now and as you can see, there is probably still another month or so left in the bottle so it will at least last you a long time.

Rating: 4/5

Product: Skinfood Peach Sake Toner
Price: USD 10.99 @ skinfoodbestprice(ebay)
Review:

I bought this while it was on sale, it is usually $12.99 on ebay – I’m actually not sure if it is sold for a cheaper price elsewhere. I remember that I’ve tried looking before and eBay was the best place to obtain it. There is about 135mL of product per bottle. Skinfood claims that the toner is lightweight and refreshing, and I would have to agree that it is very refreshing on the skin after use. It doesn’t strip away from the skin but it doesn’t feel as nourishing and moisturizing as the JUJU Aloe toner from before.

The toner contains rice sake, peach extract as well as Vitamins A and C to nourish the skin. The purpose of this line is to control and reduce oil and I have been using it in conjunction with the serum. The toner is supposed to minimize shine and reduce the appearance of pores – I suppose that it does reduce the appearance of pores, but I can’t say for sure since I have too many scars to really tell (sad, I know). However, it does do its job in minimizing shine!

Since starting the use of these products, I realized that I really don’t even use my blotting papers anymore! This is not to say that I don’t need to blot at all, but its just that I don’t blot until the end of the day – which is really big deal for someone who used to blot within an hour of getting ready in the morning! I’m actually torn between whether I like this toner more or my aloe toner more, but it is definitely a very close tie. The sad thing is that I actually don’t get a lot of product for the price – so this may just be a “luxury” toner.

I would beware though, although it doesn’t feel harsh, it does contain alcohol as one of the major ingredients. If you have sensitive skin, I would sample this before spending the money on a whole bottle.

Rating: 5/5

Product: Mentholatum Acnes Oil Control Film
Price: USD 1.70 @ Sasa
Review:

I’ve been using this brand of oil blotting sheets for a long, long time and I never regret finding this product. It’s cheaper than the Johnson & Johnson/Clean & Clear brand that you can pick up at the drugstore and it doesn’t contain mineral oil. From what I know, a lot of oil blotting sheets contain mineral oil – which would clog pores and cause massive break outs. I really like the Mentholatum brand because the sheets aren’t just pieces of tissue paper like most of the Asian brand blotting sheets that I come across. The packaging claims that it is:

• * Unique microporous film with superior oil absorption power
• * Remove excessive oil instantly, leaving skin fresh and clean

I would say that its oil absorption power is very good, it is similar to that of the Clean & Clear brand, if not even a little better. I’m very glad that it doesn’t make my skin even oilier after blotting – as many claim that blotting sheets will do.

The packaging is good too, and comes with a little sticker to help you pull out one sheet at a time. The sheets are pretty sturdy, although I can go through about one and a half sheets per-blot on a really oily day, simply because that’s how oily I can get. The sheets are green and turn a dark, translucent green after use.

Since using this blotting sheet, I’ve seen a noticeable decrease in my number of breakouts. Definitely will continue to use this brand for as long as its still around! Forget the American brands!

Rating: 5/5

Product: JUJU Cosmetics Moisture Aloe Toner
Price: USD 8.40 @ Sasa
Review:

So for the couple months that I was M.I.A. my regimen had actually changed up a bit. Its now returned back to normal however because I was just utilizing the month to try out some new products. This aloe toner was one such product and let me just tell you: I am officially in love! The toner may look like it comes in a glass bottle but its actually just plastic. There is a small hole at the top that makes dispense of the product extremely easy since you can give the bottle a squeeze to squirt some of the liquid out.

There is no fragrance at all and unlike with most toners, it doesn’t feel harsh at all. It actually feels hydrating on my skin after I apply it and doesn’t strip my skin of anything. I apply the toner using a cotton ball and it literally glides along my skin. Aloe is supposed to be anti-inflammatory and soothing for the skin and it lives up to its properties! It had definitely help to calm the redness of my acne and actually reduced the amount of break-outs even while using Tazorac. This product is 100% organic aloe and doesn’t contain alcohol, which is great for people with sensitive skin.

This lasted me for about a month or so and I really feel that I need to stock up on this product again.

Rating: 5/5