Oh Looky: I give up with the Cat-Eye

Old Post here, hehehehe...just trying to finish old stuff.

I'm amaze at how I look different with a bit of lines and flick around my eyes...too bad I'm lazy to perfect the lines and the heavy cleansing so I have to quit eyelining.

Maybelline HyperSharp Wing is easy to use - it glides effortlessly and gives sharp lines. It's not opaque as I wanted it to be so the black is more like gray. More on the liquidity side so for someone who blinks a lot, I always mess up so I have to set it immediately with eyeshadow.

TonyMoly Gel Liner was an impulse buy probably beacause of the cool packaging but I like how black this is. It takes time and patience to apply this as gliding application will just result to broken lines. From a noob perspective, short line application is the way to go. It won't easily budge too.

Eyeliner definitely is not an everyday thing for me but more for some fancy occasion but then again, I'm lazy so maybe I'll just try false lashes or mascara next time.

Oh Looky: These Tools

Just a quick look at these three tools that I used to massage my face and decide which one to keep.  I don't know their names so I'll refer them by color.

Kindly read Oh Looky before proceeding to read, thanks.

Black is a souvenir that I got from Taiwan.  It's a multi purpose massaging tool for different parts of the body (as demonstrated by the nice grandma who did his very best to communicate with me through body language) but I mainly use it for the face.  The curve is surprisingly perfect for my jaw lines and I used the top (or bottom) side part to the rest of my face.  It's thin so I have to be light to avoid hitting my bones (it hurts when it happens and definitely need some cream or oil for it to glide smoothly).

Oh Looky: Cleansing Stuff

Let the skin breathe from all the makeup and pollution - your skin will definitely thank you.

Kindly read Oh Looky before proceeding to read, thanks.

Tosowoong Enzyme Powder Wash
I got this thinking that it's a dupe for the Tatcha Rice Cleanser thing (I don't know the exact name but many beauty gurus/youtubers swear by it because it helps in making the skin glow but holy it's so pricey).  So as the name suggest, this cleanser is in powder from like granules of sugar that is easily dissolve with water.  I like that with just a small amount (this cleanser lasted for more than 5 months) I can create a great amount of foam that cleanse and keeps the skin soft.

Pond's Washable Cold Cream
A makeup remover favorite as it is affordable and readily available (I got mine on a 2 for 1 sale).  I like that it keeps the skin moisturized and soft while removing light makeup.  I wouldn't rely on it if I'm wearing heavier and waterproof makeup.

Oh Looky: Cosrx

A sudden popular brand recommended by many beauty enthusiasts spark the curiosity in me to get and try Cosrx.  After finishing them all I can ask is, WHY?

Kindly read Oh Looky before proceeding to read, thanks.

Cosrx AHA/BHA Clarifying Treatment Toner
After reading some articles, all I know is that AHA and BHA are acids that can be use as chemical exfoliants to remove dead skin cells, blackheads and whiteheads. blah blah blah it sounds good, reviews are all positive (not sure now) let's give this brand a try.

Not the Same featuring Missha and Aloe Vera Gel

They were the favorites with a "holy grail" status.  The "go to" when the new items failed their purpose.  They are like your BFFs that you reach out to when you have skin problems.  But then suddenly, you feel they don't give the same effect anymore.  Was it a new formulation? Or perhaps my age and diet (what I eat)?

Whatever the reason, here are the items that awed me before but just won't work anymore now.

Missha Time Revolution Night Repair Science Activator Borabit Ampoule

THEN:  I raved about this before here and it's one of the reason why I tried some more items from Missha.  Here'a an excerpt from my review: "My face looks glowing, flawless and sleek.  With continuous usage, my face looks healthy and less sensitive.  My pores looks smaller and my freckles and sun spots are less visible. I never had a major breakout with this ampoule and my skin is soft yet firmer than before." Overall, I think it made my skin almost to the flawless artista level.

NOW:  It just became a normal moisturizer in a liquid form.  I read somewhere; although not official, that an active ingredient was replace with the "Borabit" edition as Missha had an issue with Estee Lauder because guys, in Korea this is being marketed as a cheaper version of the Estee Lauder Night Repair.  I wish that I have gotten the former formula because I am missing the goodness it gave to my skin.

Before They Go: Skincare

I've been trying to minimized the stuff that I have to somehow de-clutter my space and my mind.  So far not so good but I guess I'll start again by looking into my skincare and bodycare.  Here are the items that will definitely say goodbye to me with mini reviews.

Let's start with these items that works but I have to let go of them because either they are already expired or because I don't need them anymore (I don't use make-up for the past few months): Purebeauty Cleansing Oil-In-Gel, Lacvert Pure Deep Cleansing Oil and Shiseido Perfect Whip Foam.

Purebeauty Cleansing Oil-In-Gel is a gel in texture kind of makeup remover that turns into a nearly oily state once applied to the skin.  Being a gel, it's cooling and can give that relaxing feeling when massage into the skin.  This is enough if you only wear light make-up but you'll definitely do a lot of massaging, tugging and pulling when it comes to heavy make-up like dark eyeshadows and eyeliner.

Lacvert Pure Deep Cleansing Oil is the first and only proper cleansing oil that I tried and it change the way I look at double cleansing.  I only use foam cleanser before and I noticed that the cotton pads that I used when toning is always brown and I tell myself "Oh my toner is really good, it removes residue from my cleanser".  But I got curious about double cleansing and cleansing oil so I tried one and glad I did because the brown thing in the cotton pads is actually bb cream.  I haven't tried any other cleansing oil so I can't compare but this one from Lacvert is satisfying, I really wish that it's readily available here in the Philippines.  It easily removes make-up, it's not oily to the skin as it melts into something milky when I incorporate water while massaging my face and it leaves my skin feeling moisturized.

Shiseido Perfect Whip Foam really creates a thick, rich, dense foam even if I only use a dot of it.  It can cleanse without stripping the moisture of the skin, it's actually a great cleanser for any skin type.

of Facial Mist -Innisfree and Skinfood

Facial mist to me are just toner packed in a fancy can or bottle.  With that, I tend to skip looking at them whenever I visit skincare stores or look for new releases.  But for some reason, facial mist always do something to catch my attention so here are two that I currently have.

I got the Skinfood Herb Anti-Dust Coating Mist deluxe sample for free when I ordered from Sae Sil (if your planning to order stuff from her, please mention my name...pretty please).  I don't know how this mist is anti-dust but whenever I feel the need to feel refresh when I'm at home, I spritz this and it will instantly cool my face.  The smell is very refreshing even its main ingredients are from herb namely Edelweiss, Marjoram, Mallow, Yarrow, Lady's Mantle.

I seldom use this though when I have a heavy makeup on for the fear that there will be slight smudging since the mist of this one is most of the time, not even which leads me to use the Innisfree Green Tea Mineral Mist.

Human♥Nature Overnight Elixir and 100% Natural Moisturizer

I got the Human♥Nature  100% Natural Night Moisturizer because it's so cheap.  It's  Php149 (around $3.50) for 50ml and it has jojoba which is said to be the the most similar to human skin oil and plant collagen which makes the skin looking plump and youthful.

The Overnight Elixir is an impulse buy.  I like to try the Rosehip oil but looking into the ingredients of the Overnight Elixir, I think it's better plus just hearing the "Elixir"word makes me want to have it even more.  By the way, I tried the Rosehip Oil (my sister has one) and I kind of hate how heavy the oil is plus it's smells like a cooking oil.

Even though everyone have good reviews in the site, I still kept my expectation low with the Human♥Nature 100% Natural Moisturizer and I'm glad I did because I am so surprise with the result- I can't believe it's cheap.  Aside from the price, here are three major reasons why I like it:

First is that it's fluidy and has an essence like consistency and texture that my skin absorbs it real quick.
Second is it's moisturizing not only the top of my skin but deep within as well.  While this moisturizer sinks into my skin quickly, it still leaves this thin-light and non greasy layer of oil that kinda coats the top layer of the skin making it bouncy.

Bioré UV Aqua Rich Watery Essence

One fine early afternoon, I woke up and said to myself "I need SPF in my life" and with the blazing sun this summer, that sudden tick of my mind is a bright idea else my skin is all fried and sun-damaged.

I am not a fan of sunscreen/sunblock/sun protection-whatever-you-call-them products because I always assume that they are one: sticky and heavy, two: smells funky and three:  gives white or gray cast.  I loved a sun cream in deluxe sample size before with the right spf and whatever pa+++ but the full size is so expensive and I don't know where to get a sample again so I just rely with whatever spf my bb creams have.

So considering the first reason that I mentioned above, I decided to look for something light like an essence and with that in mind I found Bioré UV Aqua Rich Watery Essence and I hit the jackpot.

The yellowish gel-essence-like-cream is water base so it's light and refreshing in the sense that it melts and gives a bit of a cool sensation when applied on the skin.  At first it weird me out because there's a quick phase wherein it turns into something sticky but glad that it will immediately turn into something powdery~it's like a light satin powder that can act like a make-up base or primer which is also one of the reason why I love this product.  It has a high SPF of 50 and it doesn't leave a white or gray cast.

Skincare Centered Haul for You All

Cosmetics sale is everywhere and I participated in some like the annual nivea sale where everything is half the price and I also got some other stuff like a weird looking brush and foot soak.  I also took advantage of some korean skincare products because some of them are on a great deal.

Here are some of the things I accumulated that I bought online.  Let's start with what I got from Bhappywithme Ebay.  By the way photos are by Louis of Louis Delos Angeles Photography, I edited them though :)

I've been eyeing the OST Vitamin C Serum but I couldn't find a Philippine based online seller who can "procure" it for me and so when I saw the C20 (which is the new name of OST) Vitamin Sleep 9 to 5 crema (Php799, around $18), I immediately put it in my ebay cart.  Dull skin is one of my problem so I hope the vitamin c in this cream can solve my mini dilemma.

Still from Bhappywithme, I also got the Innisfree Green Tea Mineral Mist (Php200, around $4.5) which has been a favorite to many skincare addicts enthusiast.  I initially plan to used this just as a final step to my base  makeup but it's so refreshing that I just spray this on my face whenever I feel like it.

I love my Biore Water Essence with SPF 50 but I couldn't just wear it alone, I need to apply another product to fully entertain the need of my skin for moisture so I got the A'pieu Pure Block Natural Sun Cream (Php300, around $6.70) hoping that it can perform like the IOPE that I have before (which I cannot have to afford the full size).

Sample: IOPE Kit

Auto pilot:  ON

Got 4 of this IOPE Moisture Intense Kit last 2013 and use most of them last year.

IOPE Moisture Skin Cleansing Foam
It says that this cleansing foam is moisturing, it's not.  While it really cleanses my face, it also suck all the moisture out of my face like I when I use ordianry bar soaps.

IOPE Moisture Intense Softener
Ahhh, this one is something that I really like.  Though it's thicker than normal toners, this is perfect for my dry skin as it also moisturize it while toning and it makes the skin soft.

IOPE Moisture Intense Emulsion
Lately, I'm not a fan of emulsion anymore and this one feels more like a body lotion.  I gave most of them to my sister and a friend.  Some, I just use it as a body lotion when I'm travelling or at someone else place (the size is perfect for travelling).

IOPE Moisture Intense Cream
The intensity of moisturization of this is so high that my crack heels benefited much from this cream.  Moisturization wise, this is really good but it just so heavy on the face and sometimes I wake up with an oily face when I use this at night.  This is more applicable to those with a winter or a very cold weather.

IOPE Mild Sun Cream
This is my favorite out of this kit.  It has SPF 35, it's moisturizing, it's easy to spread and it also acts like a base that it blurs my pores and other imperfections of my face plus it also makes my skin glow a little bit.  It has a pleasant smell and looks really natural considering it has spf which makes my skin look ghastly.

IOPE Bio Activator Plant Stem Cell Active
Not part of the set.  This essence/ampoule or whatever IOPE call it is amazing as it got rid of the bumps that I got from Olay Regenerist Cream.  It also makes my skin much smoother  and my pores looking smaller.  This is a very active product that when I use it day and night on a daily basis, my skin got a little sensitive so I just use this at night.

Happy New Year!

Arya

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Sample: Sulwhasoo

Gone for awhile but I'm trying to get back to this blog though for now I'm on auto pilot and wouldn't be very chatty.

Sulwhasoo Concentrated Ginseng Cream
Got interested with this cream as I read a review somewhere that it rejuvenates skin which my tired face mostly need and it works.  Some might get irk about the ginseng, earthy and herby smell but this stuff really moisturizes and seem to repair the skin.  Although it's on the fluidy side, it feels heavy on the skin.  It's probably because I used a lot of water based skincare lately but so far this is a great cream.

Sulwhasoo Concentrated Ginseng Eye Cream
I ordered 30+ sachets of this eye cream which equates to a full size amount.  This is a thick but tolerable eye cream which, again, kinda rejuvenates the undereye area.  Though it did not make my dark circle go away or the lines in the undereye area, it keeps the wrinkles and crow feet at bay which is good because I'm already nearing 30.  Although it's a heavy eye cream, I find it better than using a fluidy one as it doesn't slide on my cheeks...it just stay where I apply it and with the right amount, gets absorb by skin quite fast.

Great New Year to Everyone.

Cheers to 2015!

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Hada Labo and More

Here's the random review again but this time, some goodies are irresistible!

Zenutrients Massage Oils
I got the Eucalyptus and Peppermint and the Eucalyptus and Green Tea and I like the latter more than the former because it's more minty, more relaxing and it helps me breathe better.  These oils are not only good for massages but also for moisturizing the skin because of the coconut oil which is not greasy to use that I apply them even during daytime...good stuff I'm going to try other variants.

Watsons Green Tea Pore Minimizing Gel
If you wanted to try aloe gels for the longest time but don't want to spend 200 to 300 (around $4 to $5) pesos then this gel is a good option.  It has the same light moisturization and cooling effect for less than 100 pesos.  Not sure about the pore minimizing part because I only use this on my feet :)

The Body Shop Special Edition Blueberry
There's a thin line between this, having a childish blueberry smell with a blueberry smell that is good and okay to use in the body.  This has a thick consistency like the shea and moisturizes like the olive, not one of my favorites but for a change of smell to something almost toothy fruity is refreshing once in a while plus I got this for free, yihey!

Bath & Body Works Deep Cleansing Hand Soap
And Bath & Body Works is not joking because this hand soap have the power of deep cleansing.  The only problem is that it also washes away the moisture off my hands so I go gaga slathering lotions everytime I pee and you know what.

Hada Labo Gokujyun Lotion
Hands down to this moisturizing toner, I really wish this is readily available in Watsons Philippines.  This softens my skin to the highest level!!! and really helps in refining and moisturizing my face.  The effect is shocking after just one night of use.  I can't give a full review though because I only use it for less than a month (got to try only around 1/8 of the bottle, thanks to a friend who let me have the remaining of this stuff).
 

Tried any of these?

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Innisfree Jeju Volcanic Black Head Out Balm

Soap, foam, milk, cream, oil now balm~ my latest face cleanser is a balm which sounds really weird, it feels weird and overall I feel weird.  Mine is the Jeju Volcanic Head Out Balm from Innisfree.  Did this made a convert to balms like many famous youtuber's?  The answer is...I wouldn't be like others who would make read till the end to know the answer~ it's a NO.

While this is very friendly to my dry skin as it doesn't strip the moisture and natural oils of my face, this gives me a feeling that I didn't wash my face which is slightly my fault for not using warm water for rinsing or  take extra step in using foam cleanser as instructed but hey I thought this is a cleansing balm and it should already be as good as foam cleansers or cleansing oil.  But things usually don't work the way I think they should work (universe, please be more lenient to me!).

 So how to use a balm?  First get an ample amount of the balm slightly crumble it into your fingers.  Next massage it into your dry face until it turns into oil.  Third wet your hands, massage again and the the balm will turn milky.  Then rinse with water or wipe thy face with a washcloth or whatever cleansing cloth you desire or do another of your cleansing routine.

This balm can remove light make-up like lipstick but not those heavy ones, I use a black eyeshadow one time and it didn't do much in removing the shadow in my lids.  It makes the skin soft and so are my blackheads but it didn't make them disappear.

In the end I still prefer using a cleansing oil or Cetaphil as cleanser and make-up remover.  I wouldn't close my door though for balms, there might be a really good one out there!

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Laneige Essences: Water Bank and White Plus Renew

This will be part 1 of the sample "series" because if you read my What Should I Call This? - Another Haul post then you'll know that I went overboard at hoarding sample size products.  First stop, Laneige essences.

Laneige is considered as a mid-range brand though for me, its price is already on the high end category.  Price is justifiable though, basing on the Power Essential Skin Refiner and Water Sleeping Pack that I tried.

One of the known range from Laneige is the Water Bank and I got 3 15ml + 1 10ml essence, that's already like a full size amount of product.  Water Bank Essence says that it's a long lasting hydration essence that provides clear and moist skin.

It's light, it makes the skin hydrated, smooth and moist and it has a nice refreshing smell so it hit all the things that is in the description (good job Laneige).  This is also a friendly product to those with oily skin type because it's moisturizing without being too heavy, it's even lighter than emulsion.

Full size of this Water Bank Essence cost around $30 to $40, in this Amazon link it's $37.04 free shipping but if you wanted a cheaper alternative then go for Missha's Super Aqua Essence which is around $20 I got mine before at a discounted price.

And here's how the essence looks like, it seems that it melts when applied on skin.  Next essence is a much more liquidy one, more like a very moisturizing lotion/toner and it's the Original Essence White Plus Renew which promises to mildly renew skin to be radiant and clear.

"in just 2 weeks, find solutions to 6 whitening concerns with gentle whitening that excludes 4 mild ingredients for a complexion 2 tones brighter." I don't want to have a lighter skin tone, I just wanted my blemishes like freckles and pimple scar to lighten.  The brightening part is a bonus and this essence didn't deliver.  Sorry Laneige but this essence didn't do any action that it promises and the only good thing that I can think about it is it's texture/consistency because its liquidy and can easily be spread to the skin so it is perfect for all skin types.

No brigtening, no lightening...just a mild kind of moisturization...boring... :)

The Water Bank Essence is really great in terms of moisturizing without being greasy and I'm glad that I bought sample sizes rather than a full size for the White Plus Renew Essence which is perfectly not for me.

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TonyMoly Latte Pore Pack

Cute, TonyMoly really gave a big effort on the packaging of this Latte Art Milk-Cacao Pore pack I even don't want to mix the pack at first to retain the brown and white swirl effect.  I have this on right now and I challenged myself that I could finish this post before the pack hardens and ready to be rinse off.

According to the packaging this cacao in cream mask contains Soft Milk Cream that tightens and moisturizes the skin, Cacao Pack from Ghana which has an excellent sebum-absorbing function and can also remove impurities from the pores,  Marshmallow extract (I also can't believe it) that provides excellent moisturizing effects to the skin.  It also has Peppermint and White Willow extracts to remove dead skin cells and to tighten pores.

It even has this spatula that looks like a teaspoon on top, when I first saw this I was like oh my that's so cute but now I think I prefer packaging that are simple unpretentious.  Going back to the review, this pore pack has a heating effect upon application that slowly "cools down" the longer you put it on the skin.  And as it "cools down", I can feel that the pack is hardening and it's as if it's lifting my face and tightening my pores which for me is awesome.

Directions on how to use (which I usually don't follow :P):
"After washing your face, apply our toner to prepare the skin for the next step in skin care.  Mix the cacao pack and milk cream in a 1:1 ratio and apply the mixture to the entire face, avoiding the skin around eyes and mouth.  Leave it on for 10~15 minutes and wash off with lukewarm water.  After opening the product for the first time, it is more convenient to mix the milk and cacao parts with the spatula contained in the box before use.  (Use 1~2 times a week)."

I leave this pack on sometimes for 30 minutes sometimes less (when I'm in the shower and wanted to have a pore pack but in a hurry mode) then I just usually wash it with tap water and when it's tough to remove it, I usually use washcloth.

What I like about this pack is that it leaves my skin somehow moisturize not like other packs that I tried that right after I pat my face dry it's like a dried sponge gasping for water so I guess the marshmallow extract is effective!  Of course the milk also did a big part in the moisturizing area.  I especially use this whenever I have mini zits or it's the time of the month and pimples are inevitable and it does help in "drying" them out (together with my tea tree oil).
 

And I can't smile now because the pore pack is already hard so I guess I'm done with this post :D

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Nature Republic Rose, Rice, Shea

"By Nature", no annoying overpowering smell, sheet is not too thick nor thin and they are affordable: readers, here I go again with sheet masks.

Nature Republic is one of the korean brands that I knew when I was just starting to blog and also when the kpop started to boom in my country.  It's one of the brands that offer skincare and make-up at an affordable price.  It's been a while since I visited one of its shop but when I do, I usually buy a tub or two of the aloe gel and masks sheets for the quality is quite good considering it's price.

With the still old packaging, rice variant always have a spot on my sheet masks world because of it's brightening promise (if you're wondering why, well I have pale skin and some brightening is quite welcome) and this one from Nature Republic didn't fail to deliver.  The milky essence have a little alcohol smell to it but I guess Nature Republic improved this area because the rose hip and shea variant almost have no trace of alcohol (but I sniff close and hard just to smell the very faint alcohol smell, but if I don't put that extra effort then I really can't tell that they have alcohol in the ingredient list).

The Rose Hip has more oily finish than the rice.  Other bloggers say that this variant whitens their skin (but I'm not a fan of whitening products and when I bought this, rose hip is making some noise so I got curious).  It does smoothen my face in the sense that it moisturizes my skin and leaves my skin with this slightly oily "film"/"layer" that fills the unevenness of my skin.  Firmness, in my opinion can be achieved after a lot of usage just like doing yoga and exercising for a period of time for the body to be toned and firm.

Lastly, the Shea Butter which seems very weird to me because it reminds me of the body butter that I apply on the driest part of my body: very heavy and sticky.  Fortunately, it's not that heavy as I expected but needs a lot of massaging and time before my skin absorbs the essence.  Moisturization is not that heavy but I don't have to apply cream or emulsion the next day so I guess it's promise of "increasing skin's moisture-retention level" is true.

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Etude House Royal Jelly Plus Collagen in One

Please excuse my photo, I did everything to make it look decent and resorted to layering with geometric figures...it look fine right?

After more than a year of hoarding and being addicted to sheet masks, I finally calm my senses and stopped my vice of checking almost every masks that is or has been the talk of the town.  I'm now down to around 15 sheets individually wrap and to this one from Etude House.

Now if you are using a sheet masks on a regular basis, wouldn't it be more economical to just use buy them in bulk as in like wet wipes type?  This was my thought when I saw Etude House's sheet masks that are in this plastic box that contains 20 sheets:  it's definitely cheaper and also saves a lot of plastic wraps and excess essence.  I got Royal Jelly + Collagen variant because it's moisturizing, perfect for my dry skin (nevermind the firming part) which is I think also better than just the Royal Jelly mask that is individually wrap.

The milky essence is sticky, I won't lie and most of the time I have to splash water to my face after use of the mask to remove it's ickiness but it's really moisturizing and saves my face from becoming a Sahara dessert (here goes my exaggeration).  Another unhappiness about this product that can be remedied is of course the uneven distribution of essence so every now and then I have to turn the plastic box upside down so the top sheet wouldn't dry out.  And well, if you already tried asian sheet mask then you might already probably know the fact that the shape of the sheet mask is weird that even me who is asian have a hard time fitting it to my face but it's okay...I'm already use to it :)

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Zen Zest Tea Tree Oil

Even someone with dry skin experience having large painful pimples especially on red days that like those with oily skin type, pray that they would quickly go away but pimples most of the time are clingy and wanted to stay forever.  In situation like this, I rely in the drying and antibacterial power of tea tree oil.

Mine is from ZenZest (I also thought they only sell perfume) because it's the cheapest :) yet works well enough to zit the zits in a shorter amount of time.  By cheap I mean 100 pesos (that's around $2.50) which is way cheaper than The Body Shop's!

It does kind of warm the skin when apply a small amount of the oil either on my pimples or other itchy whatevers in my skin like insect bites or scratch or bumps that just suddenly appear on my legs.  Yes it kind of became a multi-purpose oil for me but let's go back to the pimple part.

When I have a small zit, I just apply (directly on the zit and it's close sorrounding) a small amount of tea tree oil at night, sleep on it and bam! it disappears in the morning.  For bigger zits or pimples, it will take around 3 days (it will slowly shrink) before they will turn into something that can be hidden under a concealer which is not bad since before, it'll take around 5 days before my pimple "ripen" (meaning before it pops, I hope you know what I mean).

I sometimes also use this to deodorize my feet, but I make sure that I moisturize them well the day after since this oil is quite drying.  Yes, it's an oil but it is drying that is why it is effective for my pimples.

The only bummer about ZenZest's is the dispenser of the oil, I have to yank the small bottle in order for me to get a decent amount for my pimples but I guess it's better than accidentally spilling it, right?

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Queen Helene Mud Pack Masque

Because of it's popularity, I always wanted to try Queen Helene's Mint Julep Masque but it's always out of stock or I'm not just fast enough to go to the store and grab one and was left with Mud Pack Masque instead which is actually not bad.

According to www.queenhelene.com"

"Mud Pack Masque is the original old-fashioned, time-tested earth facial treatment with imported natural English Clay that works wonders for your skin. It's not only an effective pore cleanser, but also helps tighten loose, sagging skin on your face and neck and relaxes tired facial muscles to soften lines and wrinkles. Our Mud Pack Masque facial helps you look your best when you're preparing to go out for an evening or helps you relax before going to bed. No matter when you use it, your complexion will have a clearer, smoother, more youthful looking appearance."

Really not bad, right?

Since it's a mud masque, it's so thick sometimes I wish that this is just in a tub instead.  I have to exert too much effort in squeezing the tube and have to rub it in between my hands first (to soften it) before applying it to my skin.  Before, I use foundation brush to evenly apply it, now I just work it in my hands and randomly slather on my face though I saw a youtube video showing how to properly apply a mud mask but who has time for that? hehehe.

This mud mask is quite effective:  I feel that my pores are squeaky clean every after use and it helps in drying out my pimples faster (I also use this around my upper back whenever I feel that there's a lot of "back-acne" going on and in some parts of my body that needs a little deep cleansing action) and when it dries it's as if it's lifting my face and pulling and tightening my pores.  The only downside for me is that it dries my skin so I make sure to moisturize! moisturize! moisturize! I even use face mask and/or sleeping mask/pack after.

Overall it's a really good mud masque for me.

Have you tried the Mint Julep one?  How was it?

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