Boots Skin Care Review

Boots Cleansing Milk

Purchased this the other day cause I needed a new face wash and loved the one product from Boots that I've tried before (Vanishing Day Cream, scroll down for info).



The product has a faint rose scent; i'm not usually one for rose scented products but I could do with this one. The product washed off easily, made my skin feel very soft, and did not irritate it at all.

As much as I do love the glass packaging of Boots Original line, I have a feeling it's going to be difficult to get this product out when I'm near finished with the bottle. For that reason, I probably wouldn't repurchase.

Cost: $7.99 at drugstore.com

Boots Expert Sensitive Gentle Refreshing Toner

I don't usually use toners and bought this Boots toner more on a whim than anything else. I've just been using it randomly: before I take off my makeup, after I wash my face, or as a quick "cleanse" during the day when I feel my face becoming oily.

It doesn't seem to do anything special or bad to my sensitive skin. I wouldn't repurchase again because I do not normally use toner.

Cost: $3.99 at drugstore.com

Boots Vanishing Day CreamNote: these are pictures from my old blog.

Now this, this I would totally repurchase again and again for what it did to my skin last summer. Even during the hottest days, I was matte like nobody's business!

It's not at all greasy and absorbs so well into my skin.

I'd definitely buy this again!

Cost: $12.99 at drugstore.com

Skinfood Rice Mask Wash Off Review

Description
From sasa.com:
SKINFOOD Rice Mask Wash Off contains various nutrients, including Vitamins and Minerals, which soothe irritated skin and whiten skin.
Rice extract is a gentle but effective whitening ingredient. It not only vitalizes skin, but also hydrates skin, for bright and whitened skin.

This mask was one of the items B cp’ed for me during our trade. Honestly, she’s one of the sweetest girls I’ve ever met (Thanks B!!!). The consistency of the rice mask is creamy white with many bits of grinded rice. The mask isn’t really a mask in my opinion. I’ve thought similar of other Skinfood “masks.” After you’ve spread the mask on your face, it doesn’t dry off so I mainly use it for exfoliation instead. The fragrance took me by surprise when I first opened the package because it doesn’t smell anything like rice! It’s super floral but I know some friends who really like it.



Packaging
I thought that pot had somewhat of a silly look to it. The top is overly large compared to the container itself so at first glance, you think it’s a nice big tub but it’s not really that big. The only way to get the rice mask out is to use your fingers or something sanitary like a spoon/spatula.

Cost
100g
$12.30 on sasa.com



Usage
From sasa.com:
After cleansing, apply the mask to lightly wet face (avoid eye and lip area). Gently press and massage (for sensitive skin, massage is not advisable). Leave it for 10-15 minutes and then rinse well with water.

Once in a while, I use it to gently exfoliate after cleansing my face with my normal CeraVe hydrating cleanser. The rice mask is very, very gentle since the rice grains are so tiny. Sometimes if I want to try it as a mask, I leave it on for about 5 minutes and then wash off but I don’t feel much of a difference afterwards.

My Thoughts
I like that the scrub is so gentle because it makes me feel like I could use it everyday if I wanted to. The only thing is that my skin doesn’t feel any different after having used the rice mask so I probably won’t be purchasing this again. It was fun to try. I do like Skinfood’s nice range of masks though so I’ll probably keep trying them out.

Innisfree Wine Peeling Softener Review

Innisfree Wine Peeling Softener Review



I la-la-loveee this stuff! Ever since I finished the samples J sent me a while back, I’ve been trying to find a bottle online. For a while, I couldn’t find a single place that sold the Korean brand Innisfree (even eBay!) but it has been gaining more popularity lately and I was able to purchase my bottle from sasa.com (prices on sasa are much closer to Korea retail prices than eBay prices are).



Description
From Sasa.com: “Innisfree extracts botanical nutrients and essence from organic plants to correct various problematic skin types. By pure, natural, professional and effective therapy, Innisfree creates healthy and energetic skin and pleasant mood. All products are dermatologically tested. Innisfree Wine Peeling Softener can immediately remove the dead cells on your skin and brighten your complexion.”



Innisfree Wine Peeling Softener comes in 140 mL glass bottle. The softener smells absolutely divine! Just like real wine. I love it! I could probably just sit around with that bottle to my nose and never get enough of it but that’s another story. The consistency is deep, dark reddish-purple liquid with just a bit of graininess.



Cost
$10.30 on sasa.com
http://web1.sasa.com/SasaWeb/eng/product/viewProductDetail.jspa?itemno=103685008001
$14.96 on eBay (031tansango, allatkorea01)
http://cgi.ebay.com/Innisfree-Wine-Peeling-Softener-140ml_W0QQitemZ220422848134QQcmdZViewItemQQptZSkin_Care_test?hash=item335239be86&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14
http://cgi.ebay.com/Innisfree-Wine-Peeling-Softener-140ml_W0QQitemZ110400442700QQcmdZViewItemQQptZSkin_Care_test?hash=item19b461114c&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14



Usage
How To Use It (According to sasa.com):
Gently apply on the cleansed face with a cotton pad. (Avoid eye and mouth contour)
2. Rinse off with water
3. Apply lotion to moisturize the skin.
Note: The white particle on the cotton pad is the peeling of your skin.

I really like that it’s so gentle that I can use it everyday. I usually pour the softener into my hand instead of using a cotton pad but perhaps I should try a cotton pad to see if it makes any difference.



My Thoughts
After I wash my face off, my skin is always so super smooth! It’s great! Although I have a hard time believing that all the white stuff coming off is my dead skin (because when I wash the same patch of skin again, “dead skin cells” still come off), I still really love this product. The wine smell itself is already a big purchase incentive to me. They should make this scent into an air freshener or something. Man, would that smell good or what.

Since I just recently purchased this bottle, it seems like it’s going to take me quite a while before I have to purchase another. Even when J gave me two small sample bottles, they lasted me quite a while. All in all, this product definitely stands up to its claim of removing my dead skin cells and bringing me a brighter complexion. My skin is always super smooth afterwards and looks so radiant! Definitely a product worth purchasing again and again.

I can’t wait to try the Wine Sleeping Pack! Has anyone tried this? Comments about it or how to use it?

Lush Sweet Japanese Girl Cleansing Bar Review

Please note: This is a review moved over from my old blog at loraborealis.blogspot.com.

Lush Sweet Japanese Girl Review





Description
Lush Sweet Japanese Girl is a facial massage and exfoliation bar made in the shape of a traditional Japanese sweetmeat mould. Ground almond and adzuki beans can be found in the solid cleanser and provide exfoliation benefits: removing dead skin cells and invigorating the skin. Lemon and juniperberry oils stimulate while natural butters soften and moisturize. Sweet Japanese Girl definitely smells very strongly of juniper.

It comes in Lush’s Yellow Bag which you can bring back to Lush to refill with more lovely goodies.





Cost
$10.25 for 1.2 oz but is now discontinued? I can’t find it on the Lush website.





Usage
Directions: Warm the bar in your hands then rub it over your entire face. Remove with warm water on a face cloth or cotton pad.

I usually follow up the given directions with a toner moistened cotton pad. I don’t usually use toner but did have some samples of The Face Shop’s Eco Vert Essential Toner so I’ve been using that. Now that I’ve run out though, I’ll probably just stick to Lush’s simple directions and see how that goes. In addition to these steps, I end my routine with a light moisturizer like CeraVe’s Moisturizing Lotion.

You can see the little exfoliation almond/azuki beans here.

Using a soft cotton facial pad...

I tissue off all the product.

My Thoughts
I think it’s a fun product to use since it’s a bit more involved than my normal CeraVe pump cleanser but I don’t always have the time for it. It’s easy to warm up in the summer time but I’ve been having a difficult time with it now that it’s winter. It’s not hard if I use it right after I shower because my body is still warm but if I’m trying to warm the bar during other times, it’s kind of hard. Sometimes I even resort to just sticking the bar on my face and slowly moving it around to see if that works.

Skin afterwards.

I find the ground almond and adzuki beans a fun addition but they’re actually a bit painful sometimes. I try to rub very gently in a circular motion but even then, the edges of the particles are sometimes a bit sharp.

I love that my face feels super smooth and moisturized afterwards! It’s a little red sometimes but I’m sure that’s because of the exfoliation part. You’d think that all the oils and butters would leave my skin greasy but I don’t feel that’s the case at all! I even follow up with some light lotion.

All in all, I’d recommend this product because it’s fun and hasn’t broken me out or caused any sensitivity problems but I’m just not sure about whether or not I’d purchase it again (although this first one was a gift) because it’s just a bit time difficult to warm up sometimes which leads to it being unnecessarily time consuming. But it’s not thatttt bad. It’s a fun product though. And cute, too!

Philosophy Purity Review

Please note: This is a review moved over from my old blog at loraborealis.blogspot.com.

Philosophy Purity Made Simple Review



With over 2,500 5-star reviews on Sephora, how could I not give Philosophy’s Purity cleanser a try? Even though only 67% of reviewers on Makeupalley would purchase the product again, I thought, “Why not?”



Description
From Philosophy.com: purity made simple is an award-winning, one-step daily facial cleanser that removes makeup, cleanses, tones and lightly hydrates the skin. this facial cleanser rapidly dissolves dirt, oil and makeup to deep clean pores while maintaining the skin's proper moisture levels. purity made simple is gentle enough for the eye area and even for the most sensitive skin.

you need this product if...
• you've tried a lot of cleansers but never found one you loved
• you crave deeply cleansed skin
• you want a cleanser that will multi-task for you
• you wear a lot of makeup
• your skin is congested

Philosophy’s Purity is a one-step facial cleanser that claims to remove makeup, cleanse, tone, and hydrate the skin. It comes in a clear plastic bottle with a push down cap? I’m not sure what that type of top is called. Purity comes in a many sizes: 3 oz for travel, 8 oz, 16 oz, 24 oz, and most recently a 32 oz with a pump. This stuff is seriously popular.

Purity smells a lot like lemongrass to me which is interesting. It’s different. Thank goodness it’s not super overpowering. It’s actually quite light and smells very fresh. Purity is a cream colored, somewhat thick and gooey cleanser.

Cost
3 oz for $10
8 oz for $20
16 oz for $32
24 oz for $40
32 oz for $42.50

Purchase from:
Sephora.com



Usage
From Philosophy.com: at the end of each day or at the beginning of each morning, take a small amount of purity made simple, a little water and massage onto skin for 30-60 seconds. rinse. take a leisurely pace when washing yourself clean. cleanliness is a new beginning. when you feel clean you can begin being who you really are.

I began using Purity on December 12th and used it for two weeks straight. On the second day, I immediately noticed that little bumps had formed on both of my cheeks. They’re not pimples but I don’t know what they’re called. I used to have these same little bumps on the same spots back when I was in grade school but they went away sometime in college. Whenever something new and freaky happens to my skin, I freak out. And these new bumps were freaking me out but I told myself that I’d give Purity at least two weeks to do its magical 5-star thang.



Six days into my new regimen, my forehead did well to explode in pimples. I’ve read that some call this the purging of one’s skin. Who knows if that’s true or not. Anyway, the pimples just never stopped coming. My forehead was often full of pre-pimples: those tiny little bumps you know are going to turn into whiteheads (I don’t get blackheads. Usually just whiteheads, if anything) and for some reason, I busted out with so many around my left eyebrow (three conglomerated near the middle of my brows. Wonderful!). At one point, my forehead was also really itchy! A fat painful volcano pimple came up on the 2-week mark and that was the last straw. I immediately switched back to CeraVe and two days after, my skin was soothed. I ran my hand across my forehead to feel for new bumps/pimples and the only things I could feel were the battle scars/scabs of the Purity pimples. I touched my cheeks and the little bumps had gone down quite a bit but still needed time to further recede.

Here you can see all the little bumps that formed on my cheeks.

My Thoughts
It’s just definitely not for me. I definitely wouldn’t recommend it to those with sensitive skin since mine went berserk but everyone has different skin and this is just mine. Yours may react differently. A ton of people on Sephora love it. I have a friend who has been using Purity since grade school and also loves it. This product smells nice. A little goes a long way. It didn’t dry my skin out but it did break me out like mad and cause a bunch of little bumps to pop up on my cheeks.

Oh and the description states that “you need this product if you wear a lot of makeup” but this cleanser did not wash off all of my makeup. I was just left with raccoon eyes after my eye shadow washed and smudged all over. I don’t hold that as a reason to not like Purity though since I usually only think of cleansers as something to simply cleanse the face and not to take off my makeup. That why I have makeup removers. I will not be repurchasing this product.