~Eunyful~!!!!

Dermalogica Overnight Clearing Gel

2010-07-22T16:47:00.000-07:00

I was introduced to this product due to adult acne formation on my cheek and forhead during my initial stage of my pregnancy.

Product:
-It's a leave-on clearing gel with 2% salicylic acid as the active ingredient.
-It dries quickly(clear)
-It's a clear gel with herbal smell.
-Get cooling sensation when you apply it on your face initially
-As the gel dries, you notice the tightening/pullng sensation of skin due to the dried gel. Think if it as a thin/clear filmy mask.
-It comes in a squeeze bottle with twist cap

How to use
-Dermalogica recommends it to be applied on dry face after cleansing, leave on overnight then reinse off in the morning.

How I USE
-Follow the dermalogica direction if yu have a VERY oily, acne pron skin condition.
-If you have few pimples on forhead or cheeks, I apply it on those areas only after cleansing,
-I'll apply all over face (except the eye area) if I feel my skin looks dull or oily
-If I decide to leave it on overnight then I apply it after I put on eye cream around my eye area since your eye area will be dry in the morning with no treatment after cleansing
-I'll put it on before I do house chores then use facial mask(the leave on-essence kind) to give myself a mini facial with no need to spend hours or rubbing and rinsing and etc

After use
-I'm not sure if it's due to hormonal changes or the product, but after using it for a week (about 3-4 nights/week), the acne seem to improve, I was no longer getting new ones. I stopped using it when I was getting into my second trimester still my complexion was clear(this probably is due to my hormone).
-Although I was told to use it nightly b/c the gel is also hydrating by sealing in moisture at the same time I didn't use it nightly since I felt my face wasn't getting enough hydration from it alone
-My face felt refreshed/brightened in the morning after I rinse with just water (you'll notice slimy feeling as the product melts with water)

Verdict
-Great for Very oily, acne skin, even for spot/area treatment
-Great if you need to refresh your skin by mild peeling(salicylic acid) without scrubing, or your face is very hypersensitive to mild scrubs
-Great if you are busy, don't have much time for facial, just want the convenience of putting in on, sleep and rinse and still get the glowy/brightened skin in the morning

Initial impression on La Mer Lip Balm

2010-07-20T12:30:00.000-07:00

Ok, since I'm very fortunate(?) with my lips, I got to spend so much money on lip care products hoping for smoother lips.

I decide to put the pic of my lips to prove my case. Actually the pic didn't come out right (my lips look actually worse than how it looks on the pic)
My concern with my lips are : Very dry/Flaky/chapped lips- I actually chew on my lips..so gross~, the corner of my lips get cut and bleed( I don't know how, but it just happens like when I yawn, or open my mouth to brush my teeth...you name it) or I'll just wake up with both corner of my lips bleeding. It's so painful.

Anyhow, after years of all the lipbalms from the high end to drug store lippies, Aquaphor seemed to be the only thing that "MILDLY" works if I put it on every hour or so(too much work seriously) to help the dry lips. But again, when I wake up in the morning after slathering my lips with it the night before, my lips are still flaky and the cut is still there.

Before I bought La mer, I was little hesitant b/c it seemed like it's a wax type formulation (wax type can actually make your lips drier, better to stick with petroleum jelly type), but I was desperate since my dear Aquaphor wouldn't heal corner of my lips. So, I bought the La Mer lip Balm, hoping it would at least work on the corner of my lips. I put in on once at night, and woke up with...wow!
My lips felt dry(after 8 hours of sleep), BUT, it was NOT flaky and the cut on the corner of my mouth was somewhat closed so it wasn't bleeding.

Not sure how long this jar is going to last me, but I guess I'll follow up on it to see if it's worth the money. So far,,,,it seems to work for me.

The famous Creme de la mer- part 1.

2010-07-17T13:20:00.000-07:00

Part 1 is more of the behind story of the creme, plz stay tuned for part 2 follow up. thx~

Ok, so I finally felt that my skin deserves pampering, and I need to start "investing" in my skin. After reading many reviews on other brand creams and all, I decided to give this cream the go( why not? since this seem to be the most talked about and the creme of the cream, if this doesn't work I know I can try others, but if it works then I saved my self trouble of buying and trying so many other products).

As the fantastic behind story of the creme states (the NASA scientist experimenting for many years to treat his massive burn, and how it takes about 3-4 month get the "secret ingredient"-the marine extracts- to make each jar), it sounded like too good to be true. I had to try it. So I hynotized myself before placing the order on why I should spend that much money on myself for a creme( i.e. repeatedly saying I deserve this....worked^^).

So, the the creme comes in 3 different sizes,

1oz-$130, 2oz-$230, 16.5oz-$1390. It comes with a spatula, hidden below the jar in a box. So I keep it in the box it came without the box lid (you can see the handle of the spatula peeking).

If you have enough $$$$ and like the product, then buying the 16.5oz seem more economical b/c 1oz is $85 that way (I read that some celebs apply this on their body). Most people seem to buy the 2oz jar since that also save them money (you pay about $115 per 1 oz), but I bought the 1 oz jar b/c I wanted to find out how long it will last me and also whether I would really love the creme or not.

I just ordered mine from the la mer website (bliss of on-line shopping), I got to choose few samples due to their promotion. I also received 1oz hand creme, sample gel-creme, and sample creme.
I was excited to get the hand creme b/c I heard that's also great and you get the 1oz size which is great for travel (3.4oz is $70, so 1 oz comes out to about $20, great deal for a sample I think^^).

So, if you are currently using or thinking of trying the creme, this might be a good time to order it from its site since you get the option of choosing the free 1oz hand creme-only if you want to try the expensive hand creme and see what the deal is.

I'll post part 2 of the creme de la mer as a review of the actual product after using it for a while b/c I like to spend sometime with a skin care product before I review. Stay tuned~

Patricia Wexler Advanced No-Injection Wrinkle Smoother

2010-07-17T13:00:00.000-07:00

Yes, that's the full name. As I approach 30...I started to notice few mild wrinkles on my forhead and top of my nose. So, I bought this serum when I was at Bath and Body with my ma, and the SA said it's a V. good product due to it's active ingredient MMPI. Well, I decide to give it a try (I think it was ~$30).

I liked the pump style package and how your can twist it to get the pump disappear into the bottle( good for traveling). The consistency is like a very thick serum and lotion mixture. It does not feel light on the skin. It actually has similar feel as the MUFE-primer on the skin. The color is opaque yellow/greenish. I used it mainly on my forhead, under eye and my neck. After using it for about 3-4weeks, well, it's gone. It's 0.5oz, directions says speread several drops, and that's how I did and that's how long it lasted me.

Truthfully, I did not notice much improvement afterward. I don't think it made the existing wrinkles worse, but I didn't see it go "lighter" as we all expect from anti-wrinkle serums. Maybe it kept the new wrinkles at bay, but I don't know if I'm supposed to use it longer than a month to see the difference, but that sounds too long to try out a product. Also, it seems to peel when you apply a foundation(not sure if it's the base interaction (silicone) with other foundation).

Re-purchase?
No.

Smells so Delish~ Mac-tendertone Lip Balm

2010-07-16T11:28:00.000-07:00

Why I bought it?

Well,,,did you smell it? It smells SOOO delish~ maybe like the tone down version of grape nerd flavor(obviously, I like that smell).

So?
-It goes on smoothly(it should be since it's a lipbalm).

-A bit sticky, but not as sticky as glosses, does seem to soak in after few min. unless you slather your lips with it..

-Not so thrilled about the packaging. It comes in a glass jar(I hate dipping my finger,,,so not sanitary!).

-It has SPF 12, so good to use during daytime or at beach( I still use it at night time before sleep since I smell so great,,,kissable~)

-Not pigmented, but great to use over matt lipstick for moisture; perfect if you want little bit of shine but not gloss shine

Re-purchase?
Yes,
I'll probably buy it again just b/c I love the smell and the color I see in the jar( all about presentaion!).
HOWEVER, I believe this product is discontinued from MAC, I was able to stock'em from my local CCO (cosmetic company outlet) store. So if you don't have a CCO nearby then you can't get it. Bummer!

My first La Mer products!

2010-07-15T14:16:00.000-07:00

After reading few helpful reviews, I purchased my La mer products from its website.

http://www.cremedelamer.com/

They gift wrapped'em for me at no additional cost. When I opend the box, it was wrapped in its trademark minty green monogrammed wrapper with green ribbon and its trademark tissue paper. It was a very nice start (yes, presentation matters, love the extra touch they did).

They also sent me few samples(I got to choose), but one of the sample was not what I chose. I called'em right away, the SA was very pleasant to talk to, and said she'll put the order in to send out the correct sample to me.

Don't waste your perfume samples.

2010-07-15T14:08:00.000-07:00

Ok, so we've all at one point received a vial of a perfume or so from the department stores, or Sephora, etc.

As soon as I receive them and if I like the scent, I usually keep them in small boxes or container so I can find them when I need them in a more efficient way.

Now all you need is a small box or a container to recycle. I used my small Tiffany &Co box and a tin box I bought from Tokyo airport (it had green tea chocolate stuff inside, I liked the box so much, I kept it)

When you purchase a perfume ask the SA for other perfume samples or the sample of the perfume you purchase, so you don't have to carry the entire bottle for overnight trip or for your night out(especially when you carry a small clutch, it comes handy for refreshing yourself thru the night)

Best Daily Exfoliant-Dermalogica

2009-06-06T22:43:00.000-07:00

So...here's my 1st blog post, hooray~

I decided to do my first review on a product that's V. important in skincare regimen according to me and my mom's belief!

"It's important to put make-up on, but it's MORE important to get that OFF!"

I think it doesn't matter how great a makeup product is, if you are not properly cleansing yourself to maintain your natural skin.

So, here it is.

This is my first exfoliant which I happen to love. If you Never exfoliated before or stay away from exfoliation due to the grainy/sandy feel of products, or you want a day to day exfoliant, check this out.

What is it?

=Demalogica Daily Microfoliant.

Description?

As you can see, it's white colored finly grinded powder.

It goes on smoother on face than typical beaded type exfoliant. How it feels on my face is,,,a bit sandier than flour paste but not as grainy than granulated sugar( can you imagine?)

How it works?

It's rice based enzyme that leaves the skin smoother and brighter. It's got skin brightening effect that will balance uneven skin tone. According to its package, it should be used as-Dispense about a half teaspoon of powder into very wet hands, and create a creamy paste by rubbing hands together. Apply to face in circular motions, using care around the eye area. Massage gently for one minute, then rinse off thoroughly.

But I think you can also use it by wetting your face first, then put powder on your face(so it sticks) then rub it on. OR you can mix some powder with your daily cleanser then rub your face with it. You can also make a facial mask out of it which I kinda get peeling effect.

Anyhow, you'll figure out what method will work well for you.

It recommends daily use, but I think 2-3times a week is sufficient enough for most skin type unless you have an oily skin or wear heavy make up every day( if that's the case, you'll probably need another exfoliant).

Verdict?

It exfoliates just enough so my skin feels clean and refreshed not too dry. I do feel like it gently peels the skin, leaves my skin glowing afterward.

It could get messy if it's your first time using powder typed exfoliant.

I actually like this since there are many ways for me to get use out of this(gentle cleanser, exfoliant, peeler).

Would I buy this again?

Very likely.

I sooooo wanted to luv *MUFE-HD Microperfecting Primer-Pink

2009-06-06T20:58:00.000-07:00

OK,,,I'm still not over the fact my relationship with MUFE HD-primer did not last.

I tried,,,seriously!

MUFE-HD primer-Pink.... I soooooooo wanted to love this item, but I had to say Good bye.

What is it?

MUFE-HD Microperfecting Primer-Pink

What it looks like?

=Dark pinkish salmony color. It's not a bright pink color as you see on Sephora.com color description.

It's more like...toned down pastel pink with black undertone...(sorry, i'm running out of color description, if you know exactly how to describe this kind of pink, please let me know^^)

It comes in a long, sturdy plastic(?) "pump"bottle which I loved. It's more convenient to pump then squeeze when you are in a hurry. The bottle is semi-see thru so you can see the color. Kinda neat~

Description?

=Color correcting Shades (green, blue, mauve, pink, yellow, caramel, neural) to choose from to even out base tones

How does it work?

=Apply before foundation, primer or powder to even out the skin tone and to lock in moisture and to help foundation set in better.

According to its active ingredient,

=Silicone/silica micro balls to give soft finished look that can diffuse lights and smoothes wrinkles by filling them

=Hydration and protection from environment.

$32 for 1.01oz bottle(Price is OK for the quality and quantity/package design).

@ http://www.sephora.com/

Verdict?

Obviously, above reasons were main reasons why I was attracted to THIS primer.

Sadly, it did other extra things I did not like about.

1. Weird patch/films on your face after you put on foundation. It makes you look like you have dry skins you didn't scrub ( this can be minimized if you use like-based foundation, such as silicone based)

2. After few hours of wearing it, I felt like I had a mask on that doesn't let my skins breathe.

--(I ended up getting break outs, I rarely do from a make up product)

3. After more than 4 hours of wear, my skins got very oily. This might explain break outs!

I usually do not have to oil blot after my morning make up since I don't wear heavy coverage for work, but I had to blot that day.

4.I bought Pink, since pink colored primers are meant to brighten complexion & make it look like( or try to) you had good night of sleep. I did notice "slight" healthy/awake skin tone after I put it on.

I tried it again with MUFE HD foundation since I was told that they go better together. MUFE HD foundation went on more smoothly with MUFE HD primer, but I still felt like I was wearing a mask, got very oily, thus break outon my cheek and forehead!

Would I buy this product again?

...not likely... Unfortunately, it did not work out well with me at this point, but I would recommend it for people with...

1. very dry skin or work/travel/live at very dry area.

2. will be on photo shoot(i.e. wedding, modeling, you-tube filming, etc). Try to use with like-based foundation.

3. use very small amount to color correct certain areas(cheeks, under eyes with different base shades)-Luv the color shade options.