MAC Brilliantly Cool Crushed Metallic Pigments in Guilty Passions

I bought this a few weeks ago...it was an impulse buy..absolutely loved the colors when I saw them. There are 4 colors in box: She's Got Class, Moss Garden, Spruced, and I've Got A Crush On You.

My favorite from the bunch is Spruced, which is a gorgeous green. There is some fall out, but nothing major. When I patted the shadow on there was much less fall out.



From right to left: She's Got Class, I've Got A Crush On You, Spruced, Moss Garden

What I love about these shades are the different pigments in each shade. For example, I've Got A Crush On You has green and brown. These are definitely "going out shades". The price was reasonable...£25 for the set. The box the pigments come in is adorable...even has a plastic bow on top. I've never been disappointed with any MAC eyeshadows and this a beautiful set of colors.




And the winner is...YSL Touch Éclat

My and my friend just went to Barcelona (which was amazing!) and we hunted down for the best under eye concealer for her. She has dark circles and a bit of dryness. She lives in India at the moment and doesn't easily get a lot of brands. We ended up at my favourite store Sephora. Tried on a concealer from MUFE, which covered dark circles a bit but was cakey. Bare Minerals was even cakier. Benefit's Erase Paste was alright...creased after awhile. YSL Touché Éclat covered pretty well and was the least cakey. Didn't end up getting anything then. I think the people who work at Sephora wanted to kill us!
After a few days we were off to London and to the wonderful land of Harrods. There came Bobbi Brown, which was horribly cakey (probably because it was the worst possible blending I've seen). Laura Mercier stung the eye area. Then it was back to YSL. After trying on about shades 3, 2, 1, 2.5, and 1.5 ...settled on 3. What a looong hunt! I can't believe how many bad concealers there are for people who really have dark under eye cycles. I ended up trying on the Armani Maestro Fusion Concealer and actually liked it. It blended really nicely. Didn't buy it but it's definitely on my list of things to get in the next few months.

Ben Nye Banana Luxury Powder

After reading many good reviews about the Ben Nye Banana Powder, I bought this online. Now, the ingredients probably aren't the best for all skins. It contains talc and other things that don't sound good. This would be a product that you wouldn't wear on a daily basis, or at least I wouldn't. I put this on over my mineral foundation and my skin looked airbrushed. I loved the finish on this. It makes the skin look amazing. No pores, brightens the skin up. One negative about this is that I have to sift this onto a tissue paper and then use my brush. I've been using a kabuki brush with this.

I would definitely recommend this for occasional use, or if your skin can take it, you can obviously use it every day. I've just bought the Ben Nye Media Pro Creme Contour..hope it's as good!

Aspirin mask

So, today I went and bought aspirin (non-coated), witch hazel, sweet almond oil, tea tree oil, and lavender oil. Figured I would get a bunch of things and try them on different days and see what works.

Today I decided to do an Aspirin mask. I've read many, many reviews about them and thought I would try it out. I took 5 aspirin and used water to dissolve and make a paste. Once they were all dissolved I added a bit of sweet almond oil and some honey and mixed it all. I covered my face with the mixture. I realized that I probably should have used a couple more aspirin. Anyways, I left the mask on for about 20 or so minutes. When I washed it off, the sweet almond oil definitely made it harder to wash off. It left a layer of oil..not sure if that was good or bad. Next time I might try witch hazel or just water instead of the almond oil. I'm really hoping the mask is going to unclog all the little bumps I have all over.

I'll try the mask again in a few days and see if there's a difference.

**UPDATE
After using the mask, a lot of clogged pores ended up becoming whiteheads, and with a combination of Paula's Choice 1% BHA exfoliant, tea tree oil, and origins spot remover (not as frequently) my skin is looking much better. My face is definitely much smoother. I haven't had the chance to try the aspirin mask again though. I just had laser hair removal on my face yesterday, so I  want to give it at least a week before I put anything stronger on my skin.

Paula's Choice

Recently I tried Paula's Choice...I've heard of it before but never thought to try it out. My skin has not been reacting well to anything I use lately...tried Tamanu Oil, Embryolisse, Avene. The Tamanu Oil was working at first and definitely fading dark spots I had from acne but after a few weeks my skin broke out into a ton of pimples. I don't know for sure if it was the Tamanu Oil but I don't think I want to find out at the moment. Embryolisse was good for dry spots but I don't want to be using a product everyday that has Mineral Oil in it. Avene Cold Cream Cleansing Gel didn't dry out my skin but I don't think it did anything else for it either.

1% BHA Gel Exfoliant

Toner

So I decided, after reading all the good reviews about Paula's Choice, that I would take a shot using it, so I got a bunch of samples. I tried the Skin Balancing Oil-Reducing Cleanser, which doesn't seem to be doing anything for my skin. It's not a bad cleanser but really not doing anything to decrease my breakouts. The Skin Balancing Oil- Reducing Toner is actually one of the best toner's I've used. It didn't dry out my skin and was good at getting all the left over makeup off. The Skin Perfecting 1% BHA Gel Exfoliant I love! It doesn't dry out my skin...it is a bit sticky but that goes away quickly and I put on moisturizer a few minutes after anyways. It really has made my skin less dry and I don't feel like I'm putting anything harsh on. I've ordered the 2% BHA to see if it that works as well. The Resist Weekly Resurfacing Treatment with 10% Alpha Hydroxy Acid was just not for me. My skin felt tingly right away and didnt stop burning until I washed it off after about 20 minutes. Some of the acne I already had looked more inflamed. It was just way too strong for me. I generally have not had good results with anything with AHA's, and this was no exception. The Skin Balancing Super Antioxidant Serum went on very smoothly, but I didn't like the consistency of it. This just felt like it sat on top of my skin. It is good if you want a very matte finish, however. The Skin Balancing Invisible Finish Moisture Gel didn't provide much moisture for my skin. This is good for people with oiler skin. The last product that I used was the Skin Balancing Carbon Mask, and this was surprisingly non-drying. I really thought this would dry out my skin, but instead, my skin was very soft after using this. Definitely a keeper!

So, the products from Paula's choice that I really liked/loved are the Skin Balancing Oil-Reducing Toner, Skin Perfecting 1% BHA Gel Exfoliant (love!), and Skin Balancing Carbon Mask. All in all, a good brand and I think I'm going to stick to it.

My new treats

Been a busy couple of weeks..getting back into work mode..getting up early, sleeping early...oh how I miss summer (I'm a teacher). Well since being back in England, my skin has declared war on me. I've been forced to try new skin care products that have surprisingly been working (I think).

Organic Tamanu oil: I've been really wanting to try oils on my face because of the hype they have, so I researched which ones have been effective for other people with similar skin to mine. Jojoba oil is one that got good reviews, but is also said to cause breakouts. Tamanu oil is said to be "a soft, smooth oil that has the capacity to promote the formation of new tissue, thereby accelerating wound healing and the growth if healthy skin." It contains the following fatty acids:  Linoleic, Oleic, Stearic, and Palmitic. It has anti-inflammatory, anti-neuralgic, antibiotic antioxidant properties. Used to treat many things, including acne. At first I put it all over my face in the night, but then realized I should really only put it where necessary. It's dried out and decreased pimples I have overnight without making the surrounding area dry. Not all my pimples have decreased overnight but it's definitely working. Great stuff!

Embryolisse Lait Creme Concentre: I've been using this as a night cream and it really moisturizes without feeling greasy. I put on the tamanu oil in certain spots and put this cream over on my entire face. I think this is a good moisturizer that does its job without irritating the skin or causing any breakouts (so far!). I would recommend this to anyone who wants a basic moisturizer that actually moisturizes. I had a few dry spots on my cheeks and since using this the dryness has gone down considerably and I've only been using this for the last week. It's not a miracle product but it definitely works much better than many things I've used.                                       

MAC Prep+Prime Face Protect SPF 50: I hadn't bought a primer in a very long time. The last one was years ago by Lorac. I would get tons of samples from Sephora and just end up using them. I like the silky feel this gives the skin and it blends over the skin very nicely. I do need to make sure my skin is moisturized like crazy, because this primer does nothing for any dry spots. I noticed a difference when using this primer compared to not using anything. My mineral foundation definitely lasts all day when I have this on. I've used tons of primers and this is one of the good ones. The worst was probably Benefit Porefessional Primer...my skin ended up drier and flakier after putting that on. Thankfully, it was just a free sample. 

Avene Cold Cream Ultra Rich Cleansing Gel: Because my skin was getting drier but can also be acne prone and sensitive I thought I would use a gentler cleanser in the morning and my Kiehl's Blue Herbal Gel in the night. I found this at Boots and I figured since it's for dry skin it would work for me. I've been using it for the last 2 or so weeks and so far it's worked well. Because I only use it in the morning, I'm not worried about it having to take off makeup. I'm just looking for a good, gentle cleanse and this does the job. The best thing about this is that it isn't pricey...it's a big bottle and I'm sure it will last for a looong time.

Products Not Worth Buying

It's been almost 2 weeks since I've written anything...I'm back in England and it's been hard to adjust back to life here. Still trying to adjust my timings back to normal..uhh not worked out so far...that's why I'm awake at 3:30am. I did get to take a trip to Selfridges on the weekend...the one good thing about this place, but Sephora still rules! So today, I'm going to list the products that are just not worth buying..either they don't work or the'yre just too pricey for what they are. I have combination skin which tends to get very dry in the cheek area, and breaks out from time to time. I usually have a pimple or two (very small ones) at any given time.

1. Yes to Blueberries Age Refresh Smoothing Smoothing Daily Cleanser: I was soo excited when I bought. I'd been wanting to switch my morning cleanser to something with more natural ingrenients and more gentle for the skin. HORRIBLE HORRIBLE!! I broke out after using this. It leaves a greasy film on the skin no matter how much you wash your face. Stay clear of this!

2. Kiehl Line Reducing Eye-Brightening Concentrate: I've been using this for over 2 months and haven't noticed any positive change. I bought it because it was supposed to be eye-brightening and so far, my under eye area has not brightened. Maybe this is one of those products that takes months and months to work. It's too pricey and not worth it. It doesn't moisturize, so you do need to put another moisturizer on top. I'll finish the tube I have, but will not be purchasing another one. I would recommend, however, Kiehls Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado..I just bought it over the weekend and love it already. My underye area feels so much more moisturized...this is going to be my eye cream from now on!

3. Chanel- Soleil Tan de Chanel Bronzing Powder: There's nothing wrong with this, but it just isn't worth the price. There's sooo many good bronzers out there for cheaper...Estee Lauder, MAC, Tarte, etc. I've used Bare Escentuals All Over Face Colour in Warmth for years now and I find to give the best bronzer colour for my skin...amazing stuff and you only need a tiny bit.

4. Philosophy's On A Clear Day Retinol Clarifying Lotion: I've been using this for over 2 months now..thought it would be a good lotion to use in the night. It states on the back of the tube that it "refines the appearances of pores and overall skin texture". Well I'm still waiting for that to happen. I was not impressed by this product. For the price I paid, I expected better. I used Philosophy Help Me about a year and half ago and found it to work much better. My skin was less irritated with that one compared to On A Clear Day.

5. Max FactorSmokey Eye Effect Eyeshadow: I never used anything from Max Factor until I bought this. Well, the first time I used it one of the eyeshadows (Onyx Smoke) broke off. The colours themselves were okay, nothing special. There are brands that are about the same price that work much better, but are not eyeshadow sticks. After that experience, I've stayed away from any stick eyeshadows.

6. Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate: I got this as a sample and absolutely loved it. I used it about once a week until it ran out. Then I bought the full size bottle..bad idea. It was okay using it once a week but not more than that. It's not very moisturizing and just seems to sit on top of the skin. I hate putting moisturizer on top because it starts to feel too heavy.It didn't break me out though. I think there's products out there that work much better, and are actual serums. Or you could try using oils, which are so much more reasonably priced.

7. Lush products: I know many people love products by lush, but I have not had a positive experience with a single product, and I've used quite a few. Their masks/exfoliants didn't do a thing except give me small bumps on my face. Their shampoos either make hair oilier or dry. The products are a bit too pricey for what they are, and not worth it.

These were the products that I could think of right now...I'm sure there's tons of stuff I've used that hasn't lived up to my expectations! One more important point I wanted to make is don't use more than one new product at a time. I've done this recently and when my skin reacted negatively I couldn't figure out exactly why. So if's a new cleanser you're using, and you also bought a new bronzer or foundation don't use them in the same week.