Eyeko Hydrogel Eye Patch Review

This is my first time ever trying out eye masks! The Eyeko Hydrogel came from a recent Topbox.  I had only recently tried their eye makeup remover wipes which were very good as well, so was looking forward to this product.

Each pack comes with two masks (for both eyes!), and both sides of the "gel" mask has a backing.

It didn't really come with instructions on how to do this, so I took off one side, applied, then took off the other side (kinda like double-sided tape...).

It's pretty big, and covered a lot of my cheek as well. I left it on for about 30 min as instructed.

The results! It did smooth out my under-eye area. I don't get puffy to start with so wasn't sure if it de-puffed anything. It also made my skin smoother for concealer application after.


Only issue was it did somewhat slide around my face, often needing to push it back into place. In retrospect this eye mask should probably be used lying down, but I don't have 30 min to lie down in the AM so I had it on while attending to my usual morning activities.  I suppose you could use this at night, but I find the effect was gone by the end of day, so using at night may be pointless.

Overall, I like this product, but it isn't super practical for my daily life. It's better if you really have no hurry to attend to anywhere or anything in the morning, not for the busy mom (we better just stick to an eye creams/serums). Unless it's a special occasion of course and you've convinced hubby to take care of both toddler and dog for 2 hrs so you can get ready leisurely with this :)

The Eyeko Hydrogel Eye Patches cost $23CDN for 4 sets.

Do you use eye masks? 

Lancome Creme Douceur Massage Cleanser Review

Great makeup requires great cleansing... afterall, doesn't matter how great you look in the day, if you don't take it all off at night you're opening the door to blemishes, clogged pores, blackheads, ick...

I love cleansing oils, how they work and how they feel, but find them a touch messy/runny to use as they're sometimes hard to contain in my hands and occasionally drip. Then I came across this thing of beauty from Lancome...

It's described as a cream-to-oil cleanser.  I'm intrigued...basically it comes out of the tube in the consistency of a cream, but once applied feels just like any other cleansing oil and works the same way (apply to dry skin, then wet slightly and lather up, then rinse off).

No mess...just gorgeously clean skin without any drying effects thereafter... I love it. This is also super gentle in the eye area and removes all my undereye concealer (I don't use it for eyeshadow/mascara as I prefer to use Bi-Facil for that).  Lancome has made another solid product indeed and this is a great option if you're like me, wanting the effects of oil without the mess!

Do you like oil cleansers? Or regular ones? Or something in between? Let me know what's your favorite!

How I got on with Glamglow

Ok so I'm yet again super late to try the hype... I wasn't willing to shell out the full amount for the wonder product so many have talked about, so waited until I got it in a Topbox. Finally got around to trying it...

You've probably seen all over the blog-sphere by now what this looks like if you haven't yet tried it yourself... but in case not, this is what it looks like: mud-base with tea leaves on your face. You can visibly see the drying and you wash it off after it dries. 

My first impression when I washed...my cheeks felt as smooth as a baby's! And I have a baby at home to compare to... However, unfortunately it really didn't make my skin look any better other than making it feel smoother on touch. So darn it, this hype was over-hyped for me.

Now here's the thing, I then tried this on my mom who is in her late 50s, and woa, it really did amazing things for her! Her skin looked brighter, appeared to have less wrinkles, smoother, and the whole she-bang this thing advertised! This leaves me to think that overall this is a good product for those with more mature skin, but unfortunately just didn't do much for me.

Did this work for you? I'm writing this only after first impression, so if it's supposed to do more magic after a few uses please let me know and I will keep trying...

Empties #1

My first empties post... I used to always just toss my used up packaging of products away without a second thought, with my only next thought being "yay time to try something new"! Recently as I've started to look at others' "empties" posts/videos, I realize it's actually a great "final word" on products. Also the fact that it even got used up (full sizes anyways) says something since most of us product junkies have too much stuff on the go at once that to use something up means something... (what does it mean though? let's find out!)

 

First up, deluxe sample size of EA daily serum. This sample lasted me about 10 days. It felt nice, but nothing magical happened.

 

Next, the Shiseido White Lucent softener (a toner product), which is a staple for me. I have bought this at least 5 times now throughout the last few years. It helps to clear off any residue I haven't washed off my face with my cleanser and is soothing. Unfortunately it doesn't actually brighten anything on my face, but I still like it nevertheless.

 

Ahh...my YSL eyebrow pencil... this has been reviewed before here.  It has come to more of a stub now and is becoming unusable as it's hard to grab onto and sharpen.  As mentioned in my review post, I love this and it's been repurchased. My "final word" is still: great product!

I finished my Kate Somerville Goat Milk moisturizing cream, which I was using at night. It did good. However not so amazing to deserve a repurchase. I'm onto other things!

 

Lastly...this obviously isn't "empty", but has been used for about 3 months now and is time for it to go bye-bye. It's a Japanese Konjac sponge I got from T&T. This thing is rock hard when dry, but becomes super soft and cushy when wet thoroughly, and does a nice job of gentle exfoliation. I've repurchsed this as it's become a staple.

Well, there you have it, my first empties post... it felt kinda nice to say a last word on these! I think I will keep doing these posts...makes me want to use up more stuff!

 

Philosophy Miracle Worker SPF 50+

Yay summer...time of hot weather and fun outdoors, which means need for more SPF! I'm almost done the my Murad SPF 30 (will show up soon in an empties review), and have been on the look out for something higher SPF. I chose the Philosophy Miracle Worker. It combines powerful sunscreens as well as loads of antioxidants, need lots of those!

 

It contains 5 different sunscreens, all of chemical types (so no white cast expected).

 

It comes out a relatively thin fluid for such high SPF rating (often the higher one goes up in SPF, the thicker the product might be), which is nice as who wants thick goop on their face. 

 

It absorbs quite nicely, no white cast as expected. There's a minor bit of sheen that will go away in a few minutes once the product fully absorbs. Not a matte finish by any means, but it doesn't make me look oily afterwards.

The smell isn't overly great (mild chemical smell), but that also means no irritating fragrances, so that's a give and take for me.

Overall, I like this! I'd recommend it for anyone looking for more skincare and sunscreen in one. Keep in mind I have normal/combo skin in the summer. If you're oily maybe try it out in store first before purchasing to see if it might make you shiny.  

What's your favorite moisturizer-sunscreen in the summer?

B.Kamins Brightening Mask First Impression

Quickie review today... I left this mask at the bottom of my samples pile (it had come in a previous Topbox), and finally while going through my "stock" decided to try it out 4 days ago. This is a 1st impression...but I am IMPRESSED.

This mask is clay-like, and dries down quite quickly. As directed, I smoothed it over my wet face and let it dry 5 minutes. It tingled like mad (I do have sensitive skin) but not in a painful way like some other masks have felt.  It was quite easy to then wipe off with a warm cloth and then rinse off with warm water.

The result: WOA. My skin felt smooth, fine lines were gone, pores looked cleaner and smaller, and my face overall looked much brighter and more even. My hyperpigmentation spots were also much lighter. I was seriously shocked as I've never seen a product do this! Best of all it didn't even feel that drying.

So here's the kicker...I moisturized and went to bed thinking this effect is going to be gone tomorrow like with most mask effects. The next morning, my skin still looked much better than usual. So much so I didn`t even feel the need for my usual tinted moisturizer so I skipped out. Even more surprisingly, my T-zone was also not as oily as it normally is throughout the day. This effect is continuing even today (with or without makeup)! (Day 4 now...)

Even more shocking, the patches of eczema I always have in my cheeks are also improved! I`m beyond shocked.

Ok, so that`s all I gotta say for this. I`m going to keep using it and update with a full review at a later time, but so far, I would highly recommend this! (or at least to similar skin-types as me, oily t-zone with very dry and sensitive skin otherwise).

If you have tried this mask before let me know what you thought of it!

Kate Somerville Goat Milk Cream for Sensitive Skin - Review

A quick review today... of the new nighttime moisturizer I started using daily a week ago.  It's still early to notice ongoing benefits but I'm sharing an early review because there's some very good aspects of it even in the first week of use. I recommend!

It comes looking like a regular tub of moisturizer, except it has a new fangled pump system whereby you press on the whole large top and it squirts out the little hole in the middle. Then I just wipe up the cream with my fingers. Not sure how much better this is than the traditional pump, but hey, nice to have a change.

In terms of actual use, here is where it shines and why I'm recommending so early on. It's soft, smooth, absorbs quickly, no awful/irritating scent, and makes my skin look VERY supple and soft, with fine lines evened out and dry patches gone. Unfortunately the next morning after my usual 5-6 hours of sleep I wake up looking like my usual zombie self, which says to me there's unlikely to be any long-lasting effects from this cream, but dang I go to bed feeling good!  Regardless of lack of long-lasting effects thus far (I never actually believe in any long-lasting claims from skincare, afterall, the product is going on a dead layer of skin cells waiting to be shed), it just feels too good for me to wait on recommeding this. Go get it! Do keep note I'm reviewing this in the winter when my skin is very dry, so take it with a grain of salt if you're considering this in the summer or if you have oily skin as it may or may not end up too heavy for you.

You can buy this at Sephora for $55USD

*Disclosure: as usual, I have no affliations to this company and bought this product myself.

Let me know if you try this and how you like it!

The Good and the Bad... NeoStrata and Live Clean (fresh face)

Wow I've neglected this blog for a very long time... ! Work and family life have really been all I've been doing, with some watching of Breaking Bad here and there... but somehow this evening I remembered again that I have this space that I love which I can share my opinion on and hopefully may help whoever is reading with their next beauty-buy or product choice, so I'm back! And hopefully to write more frequently again, but not making any promises...

Today I'm going to share two drugstore products that I've been using off and on for the last while, one which I love and has made it into my pro kit as a staple, and the other is off my list as a face product and I will not even finish using it.  Read on for why...

First, the good product I like!
This is NeoStrata's Oil Free Matifying Fluid
CDN $20-30 (try to wait for a sale at Shopper's!)

Surprisingly, my hubby actually introduced me to this! I know eh...  This is what it says, a  matifying fluid, but man is it good at it! It's a white cream product that goes on into a dry-powderly consistency and not only matifies, but also minimizes pores. I use this over my primer on my T-zone and then apply my foundation or BB cream. It keeps me shine-free for about 6-8 hours without needing to blot or powder. Pretty darn good! This is now in my pro kit and I happily recommend it to anyone who asks ^_^









Next, Live Clean fresh face daily moisturizer
CDN $10-18

This advertises all sorts of interesting "natural" ingredients, all of which doesn't matter much in the end because this moisturizer contains a couple of alcohol-derivatives which is drying. It didn't bother me much in the summer (though didn't moisturize much) but now that it's winter, I notice how bad this is for my skin. It actually STINGS...ugh. My skin is sensitive, but this is only the second product in my life so far that actually stings. Big no-no.

In the sense of not wasting product, I actually switched to using this as a body lotion/hand cream. It doesn't sting when used that way but also doesn't moisturize well... sigh, despite not wanting to waste, I think this might be headed for the trash.




So that's it for my first post "back" from my hiatus. Hope it was helpful and let me know if you have tried these and what your experience was!