As diligent as I am with plowing through my stash, I just can't get through it fast enough!
Adopting Liz's rule of thumb, every two travel/sample sized items will equal to one full sized product and one jumbo sized product will equal to two full sizes. The first 3 contenders:
Skincare: Korres Pomegranate Cream Gel, Mask, and Scrub
The Korres Pomegranate Cream Gel and Scrub have already been reviewed but the mask deserves no such mention. It's mediocre at best.
I briefly mentioned the Bioré cleanser in my first empties post but this is my second bottle. I don't use it on my face because it's too drying but it's a decent brush cleaner.
Makeup Removers: Soap & Glory Fab Pore Hot Cloth Cleanser + Lancôme Bi-Facil
I will genuinely miss the hot cloth cleanser. I wish it were available at Shoppers Drug Mart but I purchased my tube at Target before the brand was pulled from their stores. Sephora carries it on their website but the price has been raised along with many other Soap & Glory products. I'll give the Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser instead of repurchasing Soap & Glory's.
Lancôme's infamous duo-phase eye make up remover - doesn't need further introduction. If you're looking for an affordable dupe of it, try the Sonia Kashuk Eye Makeup Remover. I absolutely love it and I have to review it soon!
Evolution of Smooth (EOS) Ultra Moisturizing Shave Cream + Shiseido Tsubaki Golden Repair Shampoo
I reviewed the Shiseido shampoo at the beginning of the year but count me excited that it's finally out of my shower caddy! Even though it's a huge bottle, I don't count it as a total success because the conditioner is still half full *sigh*.
The EOS shave cream is good; much better than the average shaving foam. It leaves my legs soft and has helped prevent ingrown hairs. Since it goes on sale often at Shoppers Drug Mart, I'll be repurchasing this one over and over again.
Moisturizers: HadaLabo GOKUJYUN Moisturizing Cream + AmorePacific Moisture Bound Rejuvenating Cream
I actually finished the HadaLabo cream right after my first empties post of the year so this one has been sitting on the counter uselessly for awhile. Click the link above for my first impressions of the AmorePacific cream but if you've already read it, you know I already like it!
Lip Products: Carmex Moisture Plus + C.O. Bigelow Rose Salve + Neutrogena Naturals Lip Balm
Now the Neutrogena lip balm is obviously 80% full but it's one of those lip balms that should never be used - it does more harm than good. Stay away - far, far away from it!
The Carmex Moisture Plus Tint and infamous C.O. Bigelow Rose Salve are legitimately empty though. I'm actually really depressed that the Carmex tint has been polished off but that's why I got back ups *maniacal laugh*.
Whether you use Smith's or C.O. Bigelow, a tin of rosebud salve lasts forever. I hope to finish my two back up tins quicker than this one as it is no longer a must have for me.
In total there are 13 empties; 6 samples, 8 full sizes, and 1 jumbo sized product. This has been a very successful run but not as successful as the first. I am still very proud of myself though and I promise to do better on the third run!
What have you emptied lately?
I promised a few posts ago I'd post more pictures on my blog, not just stock photos. Anyhow, I didn't want to title this post as "haul" because I don't like that word... (I don't like a lot of words). I'm not purposely flashing my purchases, I just want to share with everyone my great finds. Believe me, these purchases were bargains I couldn't resist.
I don't remember how many times I've mentioned this but I'm from & currently residing in Vancouver, B.C. Most beauty addicts here in Canada (or even B.C.) don't realize that NYX Cosmetics IS available here & not just online. NYX Cosmetics can be found at Rexall Drugstores and Save-On Foods grocery stores(some, not all). I only recently learnt that Save-On's has NYX Clearance baskets with items all for a $1. So here's what I found about a week ago at Save-On's:
I bought 7 Chrome Eye Shadows (pigments) & 4 Triple Shadows For Sexy Babe's Eyes Only! (trio palettes) for myself, all for a $1 each. I bought a few for my friend's birthday too but those aren't pictured in case she reads this post & thus ruining her surprise!
F.Y.I - NYX is a drugstore cosmetic line that is said to be comparable to MAC & other medium-to-high end cosmetics. For $1, the NYX eye shadows I bought were well worth it and I would pay full price for them if I had to! Both the pigments and pressed e/s are plenty pigmented but foiling them makes them even more amazing (with regular water!).
Then at Wal-Mart on the same day I bought the Neutrogena Eye Makeup Remover Lotion - Hydrating, I also bought the Wet n Wild Mega Last Lip Color in Just Peachy (903C). I'm not the type to wear lipsticks or lip liner but the color looked nice & it was no more than $4(??).
I wish it was as pretty on my lips as it is in the tube. The formula also doesn't work with my lips. I'll write a review on it later but this was a no-go for me :(
My Wal-Mart trip wasn't a complete bust however! I also picked up Revlon's new Top Speed nail polishes in Jaded (320) and I absolutely love it! I prefer this to Revlon's Minted nail polish & China Glaze's Re-fresh Mint. I was supposed to do a comparison review but I keep screwing up my nails before I can take pictures!
And after ages of waiting for Bioré to go on sale (anywhere!), London Drugs was having a sale on Bioré products and a BOGO Free deal!
I initially wanted to use $2 off coupons I had saved but London Drugs coupon policy does not allow stacking. (The BOGO deal was through London Drugs in-store coupon *sigh*) Another catch was that the "free" item had to be the
Bioré PURIFY Steam Activated Cleanser. Conviently, a week before the sale I knew there were certain Bioré cleansers that came with a free razor or John Freida Frizz-Ease Hair Serum. In the end, I bought two different cleansers so I got two Bioré PURIFY Steam Activated Cleansers free, plus two John Frieda Frizz-Ease Hair Serums! My total was $23.27 for 6 products & divided evenly, I paid $3.87 for each product. I know I have a lot of cleansers left to finish but I also use my facial cleansers to wash my brushes and face cloths! I'll run out in no time....
Ontop of the abundance of cleansers I got, I also bought more nail polishes. Revlon recently released previously limited edition nail polishes onto their permanent display. I bought Minted & Gray Suede for $2.99 each as it was on sale but I haven't tried them out fully yet.
I can't explain why but London Drug was having a massive clearance on beauty products & I found quite a lot of great beauty products on sale but still a little too expensive for my taste. The whole L'Oreal Passport to Paradise Collection was on clearance; nail polishes for $2.99 and eyeshadow quads for $5.99. I bought a nail polish in Ocean Breeze (606) from the Passport to Paradise but I also don't like this one. The first coat leaves little streaking but during the second coat, the formula gets goopy making it hard to apply. Atleast the second coat leaves a very opaque blue nail! I never quite liked L'Oreal nail polishes, they separate in the bottle too quickly and are waaay to thick. Lastly I bought Seche Porcelain.. I don't know why but I can't return it so I might swap that too. I couldn't take clear pictures of the nail polishes or find stock photos so... I'm sorry!
I think I've gone on for long enough anyway so I hope this was an interesting read for someone! Happy Weekend, hope no one has a dentist appointment tomorrow like I do! :(
As the title says, I'm reviewing yet another eye makeup remover. I have high expectations for my make-up removers & if they don't meet my standards, they are banished from my kingdom! Before I start the fireworks, I'll just straight out tell y'all I am not a fan of this eye makeup remover (lotions). I'm so put off by it that I'm returning it as everyone should if they are unsatisfied with a product! I likeNeutrogena but their new Eye Makeup Remover Lotion -Hydrating product bugs me to bones. So keep reading to know why!
This light, residue-free lotion gently dissolves your hard-to-remove eye makeup while conditioning your eye area.
The unique formula quickly removes makeup--even waterproof mascara--while still being gentle enough for daily use. Plus, a replenishing blend of cucumber and aloe extracts helps smooth the look of dry lines and puffiness.
Your skin will look clean and refreshed, and feel soothed and hydrated.
Instructions:Dispense onto fingertips or onto cotton ball and gently massage over closed eyes. Can also be used on face for makeup removal. Tissue off product for maximum hydration.
So Neutrogena claims that their eye makeup remover (lotion) is gentle enough for daily use and is residue and fragrance-free.
I haven't used it for more than two days so I don't know how gentle it really is. I can however vouch that the Neutrogena Eye Makeup Remover Lotion is residue-free. The removal of the remover was easy breezy & pain free. Plus, I don't see fragrance or parfum listed as ingredients but there are big scientific words I'm unsure about. I think the product really is fragrance fee because it smells just like my Sofcil Professional Eye Make-Up Remover which is also supposed to be fragrance free.
(I also noticed that I find unscented products tend to smell pharmaceutical-y to me because I associate non-scented products with medicine.)
Neutrogena also claims the Eye Makeup Remover Lotion will remove waterproof mascara, smooth the look of dry lines and puffiness, soothe and hydrate your skin (I assume the area around your eyes).
This sounds more like an eye cream than an eye makeup remover doesn't it? I'm not even sure if the eye makeup remover is supposed to smooth the look of dry lines and puffiness instantly or after continuous use. I'm guessing instant use because eye creams reduce dry/fine lines and puffiness after continuous use and has long term benefits. I don't have extreme puffy eyes and normally, my eyes aren't puffy at the end of the day when I'm removing my eye makeup... I do have dry lines and this lightly hydrating eye m/u remover does smooth my dry lines just a tad unlike water based eye makeup removers that are barely hydrating. The issue is, I always double cleanse and use face wash after I remove all of my makeup so my eyes get cleansed again during the process. The hydrating benefit is great but useless in the long run (for me atleast). And it is my personal choice to use waterproof mascara but any type of eye makeup remover that claims to remove waterproof eye makeup efficiently, falls into my lap and then back to the store it goes! If you've every tried the Max Factor Volume Couture (Waterproof) Mascara, you'll know that stuff is HARD to remove. Even oil-based eye makeup removers cannot sufficiently remove the waterproof mascara. I guess I was expecting a miracle to happen when I used this eye make-up remover but I do not enjoy false claims. I've tried using just my hands to apply the lotion and a cotton pad. Neither can suffiently remove waterproof mascara but fare well with regular mascara.
I finally used a camera to show some swatches, are you happy now??
As you can tell, the left picture is just a swatch of what's on the back of my hand. There's waterproof mascara on the left & orange e/s on primer on the right with the eye m/u remover lotion on top. The picture of the left is after a minute of gentle massaging of the lotion over the mascara. Not a lot came off, can you tell? Although the swatch of the mascara is a little much, layering mascara is almost exactly the same. Heavy duty! The m/u remover got rid of the e/s easily enough but waterproof mascara? HA!
All in all, I didn't enjoy this product all too much. It is hydrating but because I haven't used it enough, my review is somewhat biased. If I had given it a full one week trial, maybe I would see benefits of smoother dry lines. I have an eye cream for that though.. The Neutrogena Eye Make-Up Remover Lotion does not follow through with what it promises and I am truly upset about that. If Wal-Mart didn't have a good return policy, I would be out of $8.50 (plus taxes) and highly disappointed.
I do not recommend this at all but if you'd like to purchase the product anyway, I bought mine from Wal-Mart for $8.50(CAD) but is originally marked as $9.xx. It's a tad expensive for a drugstore product but if you're based in the U.S., you can find the Eye Make-Up Remover Lotion - Hydrating on the Neutrogena website on sale for $5.99(USD).
Sorry for being such a negative nilly. The Neutrogena Eye Make-Up Remover Lotion gets great reviews on MakeupAlley but I had a much different experience than the avid fans. I hope I helped someone, thanks for reading!
Oh & check out Meaghan of Glamour Momma's intriguing comparative review of this lotion and Clinique's infamous Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion!
Ingredients:
Water, Cyclopentasiloxane, Isononyl Isononanoate, Cetyl Ethylhexanoate, Isosterearyl Palmitate, Pentaerythrityl Tetraethylhexanoate, Glycerin, Glyceryl Stearate, PEG 100 Stearate, Hexylene Glycol, Sorbitan Stearate, PEG 6 Caprylic/Capric Glycerides, Cetearyl Alcohol, Acrylates/C10 30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Sucrose Cocoate, Proplylene glycol, Cucumis Sativa (Cucumber) Fruit Extract, Aloe Vera (Aloe Barbadensis) Leaf Juice, Disodium EDTA, Sodium Hydroxide, Propylparaben, Methylparaben
Don't worry pal, this blog will be short but not so sweet. It's all about first impressions!
This is all in relation to the first time I started using the Neutrogena UltraSheer Water-Light Daily Face Sunscreen which was Mother's day (yesterday)!
*Note: Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Complete UV Waterlight Lotion - Asia version, Neutrogena UltraSheer Water-Light Daily Face Sunscreen - Canadian version, Neutrogena UltraSheer Liquid Sunscreen - American version.
First of all, I found out about it this sunscreen on Soompi. Soompi (IMO), where almost everyone in the forums are addicted to Asian cosmetics and skincare in relation to the two subjects in general. Most Soompier's & sunscreen fanatics like this sunscreen because it is milky in texture like most of the ones in Asia.
What can I say about this sunscreen? Nothing good enough to repurchase! I used it a couple of times & noticed a reaction but blamed it on my make up. Now I am beginning to think it wasn't and infact it is this sunscreen.
The reaction I got was a tingling burning sensation around my chin, nose and mouth. It didn't last as long as before but today even after 3 hours of washing it all off, my face is still burning. I used it all of today because I knew I was going to be in the sun for a long time. I applied it 30 minutes before going out and 10 minutes upon applying, the irritation began and since then it hasn't quit.
I enjoyed the milky texture and how easily it spread but it did not absorb quickly if at all. I felt that this sunscreen sat on my skin for more than 20 minutes before fully drying to a semi-matte finish. The formula made my dry patchy cheeks look greasy and ironically my t-zone was better than usual. However, the redness around my nose, mouth, and cheeks were worsened because of the irritation.
I conclude by not recommending this for sensitive skins!
**Read on if you are the type that nitpicks over ingredients.**
While it is PABA-free, paraben-free and claims to be non-comedogenic it is not. PABA can be irritating to some people and dimethicone is silicone based (definitely comedogenic). Plus ingredients that both irritate the skin and our environment. A well known ingredient, fragrance (parfum) irritates the skin which is begs the question why companies still include it in facial products! Most importantly this sunscreen contains oxybenzone which harm our Earth's coral reefs! Another is BHT, one of the worst ingredients and known as a immune system toxicant. What does that mean? It is harmful to the development of babies and pregnant woman should steer clear of this ingredient. While I advise all people to use a sunscreen daily, I wouldn't go for this one. I know there is a lot of controversy in regards to skin cancer and sunscreen but I will allow you to Google the topic yourselves.
Disclosure
Make-Up Kismet is a personal blog written and edited by myself. This blog was created to share my experiences with whom ever reads it.
All reviews posted are written by me and are my honest opinions. All products reviewed are purchased by me for personal and/or review purposes unless stated otherwise. Each person is different, as are our experiences. With that said, I cannot be held responsible for any unsatisfying reaction to a product I review or recommend.
Photos on this blog are either from Google, other Bloggers or, my own. I try to depict all products as accurately as possible. I may edit photos for this purpose.
