Boiré Self Heating One Minute Mask Review

Good morning everyone!

I was really excited when I found out about the new Bioré Don't Be Dirty line from Nouveau Cheap (that's one of my favorite beauty blogs, by the way). The new products use charcoal to deeply cleanse your pores (or something). I honestly can't explain to you why I wanted to try the masks and the facial cleanser out (well, I do seem to have a liking for face masks) but the need was real. So when I popped into my campus CVS the other day, I was delighted to see that they had these in stock (even though Target didn't, which I found surprising).

Anyway, I have the facial cleanser as well, but I'm not really sure how I feel about it just yet, so for now you just get a review of the mask. With that all said, let's begin!

Sorry the pictures are so wonky, I took them in my bathroom and the lighting is always a little bizarre in there. Anyway, it comes in that little package, and contains four little servings of facial mask. Unlike the Say Yes to Cucumbers facial mask I reviewed not too long ago, these actually DO end up being enough for one use (and not two - as a side note what was left in that package didn't dry out and I was able to use it all up!) which is nice, because I don't like things that are meant to be single-use but contain far too much product for that to be practical. I paid about $8, and as you can see there are $4, making them $2/each. I suppose that isn't too bad, although some of the stuff I got from Ulta was about the same price and has more than 4 uses. 

But those are self-heating, so I suppose I can't judge. By the way, "self-heating" is a bit of a misnomer. You have to continuously for one minute. So you do have to do some work. But the product does heat up, and it feels nice on the face (at least I thought so) and calming to boot. The smell isn't too strong or overpowering, and it feels kinda nice to just rub your face for a minute, which isn't that long anyway. Because of this the product never hardens, so it's easy to get off as well.

My skin was left smooth and beautiful, which is what I like to see (especially since as of late my skin's been very dry and lizard-y looking). 

I think this was worth the price, and I could see myself buying it again once I use it all up.

Has anyone else used this product, or for some unknown reason (like me) been interested in trying it out? Let me know!

Cheers!

Memebox Fourth Edition

Good morning everyone!

So let me start off by saying that I'm really glad that I ordered my Memebox Fourth Edition last month because a) holy shit those babies are selling fast (everything up to 7 is sold out, including 5-2 and 5-2) and b) this no buy month is already hard. :C A lot of times I want something, a lot, and then after a few days I don't care as much anymore, but the wanting is tough man, the wanting is tough. 

As some background info, Memebox is a beauty box that isn't a subscription, so you pick whichever box you want (and whatever's in stock). This one was $21 and after shipping about $27, but now I see for the newer boxes they're charging $23 (so more like $30 after shipping). They ship fairly fast, and they usually hit the states in 3-7 business days.

Anyway, mine came in the mail on 31.01.14, actually, but I wasn't awake yet at 9:30 am, so I missed the USPS person, which meant I had to pick it up the next day. This is a little frustrating, by the way, since normally I only bus around and I can't bus to the USPS office, but I'm glad the company actually gives a shit if we get the product or not.

It's obviously quite full with items, and each box contains a little card that explains what's inside and how to use the product. I found that to be helpful, since a lot of the stuff is familiar, but I can't read Korean (and I wouldn't want to apply too much/not properly/etc). 

This is more of a brief overview of what's inside the box - I'll probably revisit this a bit later with a more detailed review, once I get a chance to use the products (thus far I've only been able to try the shampoo). As a warning, this post is going to be picture-heavy, so I apologize if you aren't a fan of pictures. Let's get started!

IOPE Bio Essence Intensive Conditioning, 18ml (Full: 168 ml/$60)

The description is, "Intensive skin-enhancing program, clearing and smoothing skin texture within three days. Fast-absorbing active ingredients instantly regenerates the skin". You apply this stuff in the bottle with the pads in the morning and night. Sounds interesting. I'm not sure about the whole texture thing, or if I would be able to judge how well it works, since I have pretty all right, smooth skin to start with, but I'll still give it a go.

LANEIGE Snow Crystal Pure Lip Gloss, 3g (Full: 5g/$20)

The description is, "Gel-based, high-sheen lip gloss formulated to smooth the surface texture of your lips. Rosy tint and micro glitter creates the illusion of a full, juicy kiss". Well, firstly, I'm offended that Memebox thinks my kisses aren't juicy enough as is (thanks guys). Secondly, this stuff feels kinda sticky, so I'm not sure someone would want to kiss me while wearing this anyway. Well, I guess I'll have to try it out on my lips and see what I think after that. (Also, this is literally called "the snow" snow crystal pure lip gloss. I'm not sure why people think saying things in another language [in this case French] makes them fancier, but they do.)

Goodal Repair Plus Essential Oil, 15ml (Full: 100ml/$48)

The description is, "A fast-absorbing multi-use essential oil derived from argan, olive, macadamia, sun flower seeds, jojoba, camellia, and green tea. This combination of oil from these super-seeds hydrated, firms, and enhances the skin's complexion". Apparently you can use this on your face, nails, cuticles, and hair. But what I'm wondering, is what the hell are jojoba and camellia!? After some research (and by that I mean using google and wikipedia) I discovered that jojoba is, " is a shrub which is native to the Sonoran, Mojave and Baja California deserts of Arizona, California, and Mexico and the southernmost portion of the California Floristic Province". ... Oke. Sounds good I guess? And for camellia, I got, "Camellia is a genus of flowering plants in the family Theaceae. They are found in eastern and southern Asia, from the Himalayas east to Japan and Indonesia". All right. Well, the more you know. 

Anyway, I've been meaning to try out some essential oil stuff, but it can be kinda spendy. I'm actually glad this (along with another oil thing) was included in the box, so I can try this sort of product out first in a small amount before committing to a lot.

Clio VF 21 Water BB SPF35 PA++, 15ml (Full: 50ml/$20)

The description is, "Ultra-hydrating BB cream designed for dry skin with SPF35, PA++. It gives you a natural dewy glow with long-lasting, medium coverage. Enhances skin complexion and fights against wrinkles". Uhh... What the hell does PA++ mean? I see I'll be off to google again (man this is turning in to a long-ass post). Well, apparently it's the "protection factor" of anything with SPF (according to Yahoo Answers, god only knows how much I can trust that, but I don't really care enough to dig any deeper). 

I've always been leery of BB creams ever since I read this post on Brightest Bulb in the Box's blog. I mean there's nothing wrong with them, per se, but people seem to think they're some sort of miracle cream when that really isn't the case. Anyway, I feel like this is going to be hella dark on me, since I swatched on my hand and saw this:

It's like me, but if I were ten shades darker

Now to be fair, I didn't really blend it in all that well, but that is how it comes out of the tube. Usually I prefer things with sheer coverage, since I usually don't use that much product on my face and I feel like a buildable product is better since you can... y'know, build up and get your desired look. I haven't tried it on my face just yet, so I'll have to do that before giving up on it completely. I do like that is has some SPF since I burn and turn lobster within a matter of minutes when I'm outside, but we'll have to see.

Peripera Peri's Tint Mini Mandarin Juice, 2.5ml (Full: 6.5 ml/$7)

So I had originally thought to put this at the end of my post, but a) this post is starting to get ridiculously long and I didn't want someone to give up before seeing this disappointing mess and b) I figured maybe it would be better if I encased the bad in the midst of good and all right products. Either way, look at this fucking bullshit right here. Now I am no scientist, and I'm actually REALLY bad at measuring things, but you can't honestly expect me to believe this is 2.5 ml. Also, why waste that whole (tiny?) bottle for like... a few nasty looking drops of product? Was this really the desired amount? Could you at least make it look better if that's the case? Obviously it got tossled around in transit, but my god it looks like weird orange cooking grease in there.

The little box thing was so cute, I was really excited. And then I opened it and was like.... "wat??" Yeah, I'm not impressed. I sent an email to Memebox customer service. Either this is wrong or I'm a picky customer, I don't know.

Anyway, here's what it looks like swatched:

As you can probably see already, orange is not my color

I'm not too impressed, as it left a gross-looking orange stain on my hand after I tried to wash it off, but if I'm feeling really ambitious I might try it on my lips a little later. We'll see, we'll see.

LJH Dr's Care Vita Propolis Ampoule, 5ml (Full: 15ml/$26)

The description is, "This perfect combination of vitamins and propolis (psst, propolis is "a resinous mixture that honey bees collect from... botanical sources" peeps) harvested by bees brings out the natural, healthy luminosity of your face. High concentration of propolis in the hermetically sealed ampoule (a fancy word for the vial itself) hydrates, soothes, and protects skin. Suitable for sensitive skin". Directions are to either drip it on to your face, or (what's "highly suggested") is to mix it with your facial lotion/cream. Lots of fancy words in that one (at least fancy to me, maybe I'm the only heathen in the house who didn't know some of those terms). It smells nice? That's basically all I have right now, I'll report back later with more.

The Shampoo Plus Natural Waterless Shampoo, 50ml (Full: 50ml/$5)

A wild full-sized product appears! And the description is, "Made out of oregano (wat), this foam-based dry shampoo allows you to cleanse your hair anywhere without water. It also protects your hair from harmful UV rays, and enhances scalp and hair follicle health with antioxidant properties". So this is something I've already used (as in on Sunday morning as I am sat here writing up this post). I wouldn't call it a dry shampoo, exactly. It's like... somewhere between dry and wet. It's a foam, but a bit more watery than a foam? You definitely don't need to stick your head under a faucet for it to work.

I can actually say that I like this product already. Because of my red hair, I try to wash it with water about once every two weeks and to use dry shampoo in the interim. My dry shampoo ran out recently, and so my hair was getting pretty gross, so I tried this out ASAP. And my hair felt much better, and looked better, immediately after use. Not sure if it actually protects or does anything good for my hair, but at least it doesn't look greasy as hell anymore.

Danahan Bon Yeon Jin Essence, 12ml (Full: 50ml/$68)

The description is, "Concentrate your skin's effort to enhance regeneration and elasticity. Thick serum is a formula made of red ginseng and herbal extracts compatible with all skin types" uhhhh.... K. Somehow this sounds like bullshit to me, but whatever, I'll give it a go.

Lanoa Natural Soap Sulfur, 100g (Full: 100g/$12)

Another full-sized product! The description is, "100% natural handmade soap featuring powerful natural ingredients: sulfur, shea butter, chamomile and lavender. It is specially designed for sensitive and dry skin by hydrating on the surface as well as underneath the skin's barrier". Well, my facial skin has been really dry lately (no matter how much lotion I apply) and I do have sensitive skin, so I'll have to give this a go.

T. E. N Cremorlab Mineral Treatment Essence 100ml (Full: 270 ml/$36)

The description is, "Start your day with essence derived from therapeutic hot spring water to hydrate, tighten pores, brighten and even skin complexion". So basically it's something you apply to your skin after washing. My god, with all this "essence" talk I'm reminded of Zoolander:

Anyway, we all needed a good laugh after that long-ass unveiling. I know it was long, and those of you who stuck around till here deserve cookies (or maybe more appropriately awesome lip stick and facials). I'm excited to try all this stuff out, and I feel like it was certainly worth the money that I spent, but I'll make sure to report back later (and we'll see if I still think so).

Have you gotten this Memebox or another one before? Thoughts? Was this post too long? Did it make you want to take a page out of Oedipus' book and gouge your eyes out? Let me know!

Cheers!

Weekly Window Shopping: Tasty Peach Studios

Good morning!

So last year I went to Anime Detour, and sadly this year I won't be able to go (yes, I do like things like anime/manga, cute kawaii merchandise, Twin Stars, Sailor Moon, etc). Last year when I went there was a cute little booth set up for Tasty Peach Studios, and I ended up getting a super cute kitty cellphone charm that is still in perfect condition on my phone to this day (Piplup was not so lucky, sadly...). I also got some very cute hair clips!

To change things up a bit, I thought I would post my favorite things on her website right now! I'm not a huge t-shirt wearer (I only wear t-shirts a small margin of the time), so most of the things I've picked out are accessories (but hey, we all need more cute accessories I think!!) I hope you like them as much as I do!

Bento Octopus Necklace, $10

Black Sheep Necklace, $10 $7

Blue Flower Fawn Necklace, $10

Black Cat Ring, $10

Narwhal Hair Clips, $10 $7.50

Meowchi Mochi Kitten Zipper Pouch, $10

Meowchi Plush Mint, $20

I allowed myself to get the smaller Lucky Pack (and before anyone calls me on my no buy month, I did buy the Lucky Pack in January) since I love her accessories so much, but it's so hard to decide!

What's your favorite item in her shop? Is this style too sweet for you? What are you thoughts? Let me know!

Cheers!

No Buy Month: February 2014

Good afternoon everyone!

Firstly, I'd like to apologize for posting so late in the day - I know my posts usually go up in the morning, but I was far too tired to work on a post last night due to some extreme insomnia I've been having, and last night I was actually able to sleep so I slept as much as I possibly could! 

Anyway, moving on. I'm really glad that I decided to try out more beauty products and expand my horizons, but that isn't always easy on the budget! So I decided a No Buy Month was in order. What does that mean, you ask? Here are my rules:

1. No buying new products unless an essential runs out (like if my makeup remover gets all used up before the end of the month, I am allowed to repurchase that)

2. No buying new clothes

3. No eating out (my one exception would be plans I made about two weeks ago before I decided on a no buy month - I feel it would be rude to cancel now, and I'm going out with a friend who can get 50% our meal, so... I guess it isn't too bad?)

4. I am allowed to buy groceries, but only if I absolutely need something (so I'm trying to use up all I have first)

5. I am allowed to pay for my bunny's vet bill (since it's essential, of course) and buy him things he needs, like litter and food

What do I want to accomplish?:

1. I want to better appreciate the products I do have, and learn to use them well

2. Help cut back on impulse purchases

3. Use up some of the product I have (hopefully)

So there you have it! I still have lots of things to renew and to talk about, and one of my goals for this month is also to try and go through all of my nail polish and really decide what I want to keep and what I don't (it hasn't really come up on this blog yet, but I have a TON of nail polish). 

I'll report back at the end of the month!

Have you done a no buy month before? Are you planning on it? What were your reasons, and did it work out? Let me know!

Cheers!

Ps - I snagged the picture from Alice's blog - she's doing six months! Wow!

Sonia Kashuk Shimmering Sands & Showstoppers Review

Good morning everyone!

As some of you may know, it was my birthday on the 25th. While I didn't end up going out, I did break out these two quads to do some makeup. I also managed to forget to snag a picture of myself (I know, boo on me). Anyway, I thought I would review these eyeshadows and let you know what I think.

Firstly, I had to apply all of these with a wet brush. I mainly used the lightest brown/tan in the upper quad and a mix of the light colors on the lower quad (and used the black up top for an eyeliner). I tried with a dry brush, and the glitter didn't apply evenly and basically none of the color transferred. 

There was some problem of fallout, I found (even though I used a primer and pat the color on) and it was really hard to manipulate, blend, and control once on the eyelid. 

But worst of all... Clean up was a mess. Usually with my towelettes I can get everything off my eyelid, but for the life of me I couldn't get all this glitter off. :/ And that was honestly a big let down for me.

While I think these colors are pretty, I think there's also a reason these have been sitting in my makeup box for so long with such little use. Showstoppers got mixed reviews on Makeup Alley, and I have to agree with the people that didn't like this quad a whole lot. To be fair, I did get these a bit ago, so maybe in the newer renditions (with black packaging) they've changed the formula? I'm not sure.

But as it stands this isn't something I'd recommend and something I'll only try again in the future if I'm daring.

Do you own either of these quads? What's your opinion? Let me know!

Cheers!

Weekly Window Shopping: OOTD Collection on Storenvy

Good morning everyone!

It's super cold in the Twin Cities right now (about -50 with wind chill!); so cold, in fact, that my Uni cancelled classes! So because it's so cold outside right now, I was drawn to this OOTD collection on Storenvy because it features a lot of summery clothes. It's funny that I want it to be summer right now, because I know that as soon as summer hits I'll be complaining about the heat!

Anyway, here are the items that I liked the most!

Kitty Kat Crop Tank, $15

Medium Wash, $38

Birds Ruched Headband, $10

Protection, $42

Aquamarine Gold Leaf Faceted Dome Ring, $55

Well there you have it! I never know if I'm putting too many things in one post or not, so please let me know if I should be adding more or less (I feel like I could very easily get carried away, haha). 

Did you like any of these items? Have you been hoping for warmer weather or have been doing some window shopping of your own? Let me know!

Cheers!

Ps - If you are in MN and have to go out today, please stay warm. With the weather as cold as it is, you can get frostbite in under five minutes! Please make sure to wear hats, gloves, mittens, coats, and scarves (and all other winter gear) for treks outside. Stay safe everyone!

Deep Down Detox Ultra Cleansing Mud Mask Review

Good afternoon everyone!

Today I'm going to review this Deep Down Detox Ultra Cleansing Mud Mask which I bought from Ulta, but a quick google search shows some other places (like Walgreens) carry this item too.

If you haven't noticed yet (I'm sure you'll catch on quickly though!) I love facial masks. There's something so gratifying about slathering some product all over your face, letting it set, and rubbing it off to reveal ultra smooth skin. Oh yes, I like my facial masks indeed. I picked this one up at my local Ulta after doing some research online (where it got 4.5 stars), and it has yet to disappoint me!

Firstly, the packaging. For some reason I was really drawn to its simple yet somehow pretty design. I really like the sort of matte texture of the packaging as well (most bath/skin care products are kinda slippery, if you know what I mean). 

Secondly, the product itself. On the packaging it says, "This super-cleansing detox mask cleanses impurities for a cleaner, brighter complexion. The energy of orange recharges, while sea salt cleanses and bergamot balances. Your face will notice the difference." While I'm not sure about all the frilly details of recharging and whatnot, I have noticed a difference in my skin over the few times I've used this, and it leaves my skin very soft. I also really like how this product smells - I was a bit worried at first because I have had facial masks that are a little overwhelming in the scent department (which is unfortunate, since you slather it on.. y'know... your face), but this smells very nice without overpowering me. This is one of the longer facial masks I own (meaning longer sit time), as the directions call for 10-15 minutes. So I usually put this on at the start of my bath and soak up for a bit before taking it off.

I highly recommend this product to anyone who likes using facial masks, or who has skin that sometimes won't behave. I also find the scent to be relaxing (along with facial masks themselves; there's something about the application, the waiting, and the removal that's calming to me), so I like to use this to help me unwind at the end of a long day.

Have you tried this product? Are you excited to try it? Let me know what you think!

Cheers!