Sephora Sample Review – Pore No More

I did finally get to try my dr. brandt Pore No More pore refiner sample last week. I was very impressed with how fast it was set on my face. This beige color cream just glides on my skin, makes my pores appear smaller, and took all the shine away from my face. Although I still felt there was something missing, so I put foundation over this refiner, and my skin looked flawless and ready for make up.

I was seriously considering this over Philosophy’s The Present clear makeup which I have blogged about a couple of weeks ago. But the added step and added time with using dr. brandt pore refiner in my routine has convinced me to stay with Philosophy’s The Present clear makeup.

If you have really oily skin and seeking for a very polished look, pore no more refiner is the right stuff for you. If you are like me, has combination skin, wanting a more natural look, and doesn’t have a lot of time in the morning for getting ready, I would recommend the Philosophy’s clear make up, and save the foundations for a special occasion.  

Salty Goodness

You know a good beauty product is in your midst when it starts winning awards. Premium Spa Lemon Butter Salt Body Scrub is just that, a winner! Recently winning the 'Best Salt Body Scrub' in the inaugural Australian Beauty Awards, it's a fair accolade considering the plethora of scrubs that adorn the shelves across Australia. Made from a deliciously fragrant and cleansing blend of 12 pure essential oils blended with naturally exfoliating West Australian Sea Salt and enriched with moistursing Vitamin E, organic olive and sweet almond oils it really is the best going around. Premium Spa products were reformulated in 2008 to reflect the brand creators’ philosophy of using active Australian organic ingredients for optimum skin and health benefits and to better care for the environment. Premium Spa does not contain nasties such as mineral oils, parabens, detergents, artificial colours, synthetic fillers and polybeads – which are ultimately absorbed by the skin and eventually end up in our precious waterways. Premium Spa is 100% Australian made and owned and is never tested on animals. It also supports Australian manufacturers and industry through the purchase of locally grown and organic ingredients so, you'll be doing a good thing for yourself, the environment and our fabulous Australian producers. You can find Premium Spa Lemon Butter Salt Scrub at Priceline and Big W stores nationally and it's a steal at $14.95. Visit www.beautyawards.com.au to see the complete list of winners.



Posted by Emilie Harrison

Sephora Skin Care Samples Review

My husband took some close up shots of me for my Clinique lip gloss post from last week. I was shocked at how bad my skin looked, my pores are as huge as the sponge, and my skin tone is so uneven, all the early signs of aged skin. Wow, it was bad, I almost had to call 911. I could not believe my eyes, how did I allow my skin to get to this stage, this is so sad.

I can’t believe I’m actually showing you guys this. This is the straight-out-of-camera photo. I hope you guys won’t be scared by this, it’s pretty bad. Of course, I had to retouch the crap at of it for my Clinique lip gloss post.

See what I mean?

It seemed like I gave up on taking care of my skin after I had my son. I used to get all the fancy stuff to try, and make sure I have a mask treatment every week, and went to spa to get facial done. I was young, with nicer skin anyway, but I did all I could to maintain it to its best potential. Once I started being a mom, everything on my face just started falling apart. But I wasn’t ready to let it stay this way, I want to have young looking skin as long as I can.

I did some research online, and narrowed down to a few things I want to try. I hurried to Sephora as soon as I could. I got samples of four different things to try. Sephora is so nice about giving samples, they will put whatever you want in a little pot for you to try. You can get at least a week’s worth of product to try.

These three products are Max Complexion Correction Pads from Peter Thomas Roth, Black Tea Instant Perfecting Mask from Fresh, The Present Clear Makeup from Philosophy, and Pore No More Pore Refiner from Dr. Brandt.

Ok, so here it goes, the correction pads from PTR are amazing. I started seeing results after the first use, and each day just gets better and better. My pores are getting smaller and smaller, black heads are getting less and less, and skin tone started to even out. I mean this thing is unbelievable.

You will get this tingling sensation when you start using it, but it goes away pretty quick. The peachy smell is nice. This product actually does something. You can get them from Sephora for $36, and it contains 60 pads. I cut them in half, since I mainly just use it on my t-zone, this way I can get 4 months usage at of one jar’s pads. I definitely recommend this to everyone with complexion and large pore problems.

I also have been trying the black tea mask from Fresh, and I have to say that I’m not that impressed. I mean I like how it feels on my skin, but I don’t want to pay for $85 just to feel good on my skin for a few hours a week. For that kind of price, I want a product that does more, and does something more substantial. This isn’t it. I love the smell, and the ultra whipped texture, but that’s about it. Sorry Fresh, I’m not sold on this one.

Philosophy’s clear makeup is very different to everything I have used. I like the concept of using it alone as a moisturizer. I would do anything to reduce the number of steps I need to take to get ready in the morning. This stuff is like a thick white gel, you spread around your face. It feels great and makes your skin look great with less-visible pores and even skin tone, but you have to wait for a two full minutes before you start to apply your make up.

I forgot to wait all two minutes one morning, and put on my foundation, and it was a disaster. My foundation and the clear make up stuff got mixed together to a beige thick gel that stayed on top of your skin, not pleasing to look at. I had to take off all my make up and start over again.

With the combination of the correction pads and this clear makeup thing, I don’t even need to apply foundation anymore. My skin looks flawless with blush for some color and shimmer for some glow. This is a more natural look, which I love, because it’s my own skin without all the cover up . I now save my foundation for special occasions for extreme coverage.

Clear makeup, $25, moisturizer also doubled as foundation, saves money and saves time, what a great buy! Highly recommended.

I haven’t started using the pore refiner for Dr. Brandt yet, because I want to see what they can do individually. This pore refiner is more like a foundation base. I’ll probably wait till I’m done with the Philosophy’s clear makeup to start using the pore refiner. I’ll write another post to keep you guys updated. Thank you for reading, I hope this helps with your daily skin care routine. Don’t give up, girls! Looking good brightens up our day!

Beauty Test – Clinique Vitamin C Lip Smoothie

We were trying to find something to do that doesn’t involve the heat outside on Saturday, and we (I) decided to go to the mall. My husband does not like to go to the mall, because he knows it means we are going to spend money. I told myself we are just going to window shopping, but then I got sucked in buying another lip gloss that I don’t need.

I love lip glosses, and that’s why I probably have 10 of them just sitting around,  but I always forget to use them, so they are just sitting there, kind of waste of money. However this one is different. I saw the ad in magazines, and they looked so healthy and delicious. I mean they certainly got the message crossed. Apparently this little wand is packed with Vitamin C and antioxidant that supposedly to make your lips look good and age slower. 

 

Of course I had to try it at Nordstrom to see if it’s really that awesome. I tried on a coral color called Mango-thon, and a pink color called Pink Me Up. I Loved how the texture looked after I applied; it seriously smoothed my lips up, like I’m wearing a layer of plastic cover on my lips, but my lips look natural. It’s full of shine but not very sticky like some other lip glosses I have. The coverage is a lot stronger than normal lip gloss too. I’m not sure about the anti-aging part, but the amazing smoothing feature has definitely sold on me.

At the end I went to the mango one, because it suits my complexion better. Now I love, love it, and actually remember to apply it before I leave the house, I just hope that is going to last, hehe…

Beauty Product I can’t Live Without – Anastasia Perfect Brow Pencil

I have very very light brows that are barely there. I never knew how to make them look, crayon pencils make them look way too strong, and powers make them look flat. Until, a lady from Nordstrom recommended me Anastasia’s Perfect Brow Pencil.

You use one end pencil in smoothly, and then use the brush end magically lift the color on to your own brow hair. That’s what it seems like to me. It looks so natural, just like your own.

I have been using this brow pencil every single day for the last two and half years, and finally finished it, and I meant the last bit of it. I have never used any make up stuff to it’s end. This brow pencil certainly served me well.

I didn’t make it to the store for almost a week after this brow pencil died, I felt so naked the whole time. I didn’t even want to look at myself in the mirror. Now, I’m finally happy again, I have good looking, visible, face lifting, glowing eye brows again. YAY!

Oh, just so everyone knows, Nordstrom no longer carries Anastasia for some reason, which I don’t understand. Everyone loves her products. Now, you have to go to Sephora.

What is that one thing you can’t live without? Share with us please.