You might have noticed that I have posted anything since September. Work got busy which made me tired which in turn made me not want to write. So products kept stacking up on my desk reminding me “hey, you have to write about me!” I had given myself a task to update X times per month and between this blog and my other, it became more of a chore than a fun hobby.
So I’ve taken all those products and recycled them. I’m ready to refocus my energy and I hope clearing my plate of other, unwanted tasks will help.
I haven’t done an eyeshadow update since June! My work schedule changed which allowed me less time to work on my reviews and updates but I think the progress I’ve made on the Chocolate Bar palette will make up for it.
Progress
Below is a comparison between June and early September. You see all that glorious pan?? I’m really pleased with my progress. I do have to note that I got really irritated with Milk Chocolate so I poked it. While you can see the pan for that shade, it’s from the Great Impatient Poking not from use.
How I’ve Been Using It
I focused on a group of shades until I hit pan until I was happy with the amount of pan and then moved on to another shade. Strawberry Bon Bon and Milk Chocolate got on my nerves. Strawberry Bon Bon because it’s such a light shade and I wasn’t using it because it hardly showed up. I ended up using Strawberry Bon Bon to set my eyelid primer. It did give a slight pink tint but it wasn’t noticeable in the end result.
Milk Chocolate … I have been using that shade five days a week since June and I haven’t legitimately hit pan. As I mentioned above, I got impatient and poked it with a de-potting tool to see how much more product I had left before the pan showed. I still have plenty of product to go. I will pan that blasted shade. I will!
Next Up
I’ve recently been playing around with Triple Fudge, Amaretto, and Cherry Cordial. I would like to hit pan on one or two more shades before moving on to another palette or some de-potted shades (which I have many of). I just purchased two ColourPop palettes so I’m very excited to get them and play around.
When my Mario Badesco facial spray ran out I decided to try Formula 10.0.06’s Be Berry Balanced Grape + Vitamin B3 Nourishing Spray Toner. I find that I enjoy the refreshing mist of a facial spray and wanted to try something other than the Badesco brand.
Use
I started using the Be Berry Balanced spray around April 9th and it ran out on May 22nd. so I got a little over a month’s use. I used it twice a day, in the morning and evening prior to my moisturizer.
Texture & Scent
It smelled like fake, plastic fruit and it irritated my skin when I first started using it. It does claim to have Alpha Hydroxy Acid in it so I think that might have been what irritated my skin.
I also didn’t like the spray mechanism. It wasn’t a garden hose on my face but it certainly wasn’t a find mist. I ended up pouring the product into my empty Mario Badesco bottle and using it that way.
Did it Work??
I didn’t see a difference and the fact that it irritated when I first starting using it makes me not want to try it again. I’m a fan of Formula 10.0.06 products so I was sad that this didn’t work for me.
Cost & Approval
It’s $6.99 for 5.1oz of product whereas the Mario Badesco sprays are $7 for 4oz. While the Badesco sprays are more expensive for less, I prefer them.
Just for reference, I have used Mario Badesco’s Aloe, Cucumber and Green Tea spray, Aloe, Herbs and Rosewater spray, and the Aloe, Chamomile and Lavender spray. The lavender is my favorite and the rosewater is my least favorite. I’m generally not a fan of rose-scented products.
Last year I decided to find my go-to face wash. I tried several different ones and it came down to Formula 10.0.6 ‘s Best Face Forward Daily Foaming Cleanser and Pacifica’s Kale Detox Deep Cleansing Face Wash. Best Face Forward was the “winner” for a few reasons. 1- It was cheaper and 2- It smelled better. I like Formula 10.0.06 and decided to try another one of their face washes — Be Berry Sassy Exfoliating Face Scrub.
Use
I started using Be Berry Sassy on April 9. I used it once a day in the morning followed by a facial spray and then my CeraVe AM moisturizer. The product ran out on May 14 so I got a little over a month’s use. Shortly after starting Be Berry Sassy I also started using Formula 10.0.06’s Be Berry Balanced Nourishing Spray Toner. I’ll have a review on that as well.
Texture & Scent
It was a clear gel with white beads mixed in. It’s a scrub so as you wash your face they, well, exfoliate. It has a very pleasant scent that I enjoyed. However, I’m not a fan of scrubs because I never tend to wash all the beads away and they get in my hair.
Did it Work??
It was nice to have a soft scent in the morning wake me up and it made my face feel clean. Whether or not it gave my skin a “sassy glow,” I’m not sure.
Cost & Approval
Overall I liked it. It’s $6.99 for 3.4 oz product which is more expensive and less product that the Best Face Forward ($5.99 for 5.0 oz). I have no regrets trying this face scrub but I’m happy to be back to Best Face Forward not just for the cost part but also because I can see an actual difference in my skin when using BFF.
I very quickly lost interest in my Wizardry and Witchcraft palette dupe. I think it lasted two weeks before picking up my Too Faced Chocolate bar palette again. I used it for all of May and a week or two in April, I think. I made some really good progress and I’m very proud of myself.
Progress
Below is a comparison between the last picture I took of the palette, December, and now, June. I apologize for the crappy picture from December. I’ve started taking pictures in a different room so … yeah.
The first thing you’ll notice is that big ol’ pan in White Chocolate and that baby pan in Semi-Sweet. For the life of me I can not get Milk Chocolate to pan or dent and it’s annoying. I used that shade everyday for a month in my crease and nothing. That’s okay. I’ll get there.
How I’ve Been Using It
I use White Chocolate to set my eyelid primer and as a brow highlight. Milk Chocolate as a transition shade in my crease followed by Semi-Sweet to darker the crease. For the lid I do a number of things. Either Marzipan, Creme Brulee, or Candied Violet.
I found that Creme Brulee with Gilded Ganache in the outer corner is really nice. I’m very happy to have found a use for Gilded Ganache as it’s my least favorite shade in the palette. That gash you see in it? I tried to depot it.
Black Forest Truffle and Candied Violet I had trouble with because they are the glittery shades and there’s fallout. They also go on quite sheer and require a lot of build up to achieve opacity. However, I’ve been using their sheerness to my advantage and I actually really like Candied Violet gently brushed on my lids. It appears more gray-purple and is great for simpler makeup days.
Looking Forward
I am very proud of myself for hitting pan on those two shades. As much as I love Marzipan I feel like it’s next. You probably can’t tell from the picture there’s a very big dent in the left corner. I might focus on that for a while.
Outside of the eyeshadow palette I also finished a blush and a highlighter! Technically neither was truly finished but it was hard to get the product from either. I decided to throw out the blush but continue to use the highlighter in the inner corner of my eye while I tackle another highlighter for my cheeks.
After our taxes are done my husband and I usually sit down and review our spending. We see where we spend the most money and where we can cut unnecessary spending. Shortly after this I ran out of cotton rounds. I use cotton rounds to remove my eye makeup and to apply micellar water. Now, they’re not that expensive but I also thought about the makeup remover wipes I buy and how both products, plus my eye makeup remover, adds up over the year. It got me thinking about reusable makeup wipes which led me to purchase S&T Always Off Makeup Removers.
Use
I hate doing laundry so my goal was to use one remover a week and then wash them. In theory, it should correspond to how often I do my laundry. For my initial test I used one of the five makeup remover towels for a week. At first I wet it and then rung out the water but found out quickly that it worked best slightly damp. I had to work a little harder on my eye to remove my mascara but when I used a little of my makeup remover after the first day and it came off just as well as with the cotton rounds.
After cleaning my face with the S&T towels I would follow my regular face routine. I would use my Yes To Tomatoes Micellar Water (still with a cotton round), facial spray, then moisturize.
Texture & Scent
The towels have no scent unless I put face wash on them. They are very soft to the touch and were very nice on my skin.
Did it Work??
Yes. I stopped using the towel after a week because I decided I wanted to use up my Up & Up makeup remover towelettes and switch to the S&T towels for good. They left my face feeling clean and I noticed removed more makeup than the Up & Up removers!
Cost & Approval
For five towels I paid $6.99. They’ll replace my Up & Up makeup remover towelettes which are $3.64 for 30 and my cotton rounds which are $5.39 for a pack of 300. I’ll continue to use my Up & Up eye makeup remover and the Say Yes To Tomatoes Micellar Water but I’ll use them with the S&T towels instead of a cotton round. Sure the cost savings might be small and I still have a lot of other product waste, but I’m happy to replace what I can. Plus, I won’t have as much in my cabinet!
I’m a little behind on my posts, I know. Work has been busy and has left me super tired but I have a bunch of posts planned so hang tight!
I started using Algenist Firming and Lifting Cream on March 22. I used it twice a day (am and pm) after my facial spray and before my moisturizer. There were some days that I might have used it once and the rare occurrence I didn’t use it at all. The product ran out on April 3rdso I got only over a week’s use out of it. It was only a .5 oz container so I wasn’t expecting it to last very long.
Texture & Scent
It was a light cream that felt like it just sat on skin and didn’t absorb. Even when I used very light and tried to rub it in (gently!) it still felt like it was just sitting there. It had a light scent that was quite pleasant. It wasn’t the best scent ever but it wasn’t as bad as Clark Botantical’s.
Did it Work??
My primary focus was my forehead, sides of mouth, and neck. I didn’t see any improve nor did I see any worsening. I looked into the ingredients and noted that this product does not contain retinol.
Cost & Approval
Overall I liked it but wouldn’t repurchase as I prefer something with retinol. I couldn’t find a price for the Firming & Lifting Cream but did find one for the Firming & Lifting Neck Cream. For 2 oz of the neck cream it’s $98. After some math, I figured for an entire year it would cost if I were to repurchase this it would be $792.82 before tax.
The Math
I got 11 days out of a .5 oz product. Since the 2 oz is 4x the size, then I would assume I’d get 4x the use = 44 days. Repurchase every 44 days for a year = 8.09. 8.09 x 98 = 792.82.
A friend of mine was very kind to send me a bunch of face products. One such product was Clark’s Botanicals Age-Defying Radiance Cream. After finishing the StriVectin Tightening Face Serum I wanted to try to use up some of these minis I had so in came Clark’s Botanicals!
Use
I started using Clark’s Botanicals Age-Defying Radiance Cream shortly after the StriVectin Serum. I’d say March 19th or 20th. I used it twice a day (am and pm) after my Mario Badescu facial spray and before my CeraVe am moisturizer. I used it for two days before snapping some pictures and recycling it.
Texture & Scent
This cream had a weird feel. It was tacky and oily at the same time! It also has an unsettling color that gave me some serious Ghostbusters 2 rage slim vibes. The scent was the worst part. It was awful. Like rotting plastic. This was a major factor in me discontinuing this product. I could not stand the smell.
Did it Work??
I only used it for two days so it would be unfair of me to say if it made any difference. It’s not unfair of me to say that this product made me breakout and that’s not cool.
Cost & Approval
I couldn’t find the size on the container but it’s pretty small so I wouldn’t imagine it could be more than 2oz. I couldn’t find this product on the Clark’s Botanicals site but did find it on Birchbox’s, no longer available. They had this product listed as 1.7oz for $119.
If you couldn’t tell already, I’m not buying this product. It smelled awful and made me breakout. And the cost is crazy. I think I could definitely find a cream that works for me for significantly less money and more product.
I bought Maybelline’s Fit Me Shine Free + Balance stick foundation for combination skin because I wanted to try a stick foundation. I bought it in shade 120, Classic Ivory and it’s a great match for me. The Laura Geller Spackle Hydrating moisturizing under make-up primer was given to me by a friend. I had never used anything by Laura Geller and was running out of primer so I was excited to give it a shot. These two products made the perfect combination.
Hydrating the Foundation
Like I mentioned above, the shade 120 was a great match. I found that it blended well but I had to try different brushes to find the best application. My stippling brush did not do a good job and I didn’t like how it looked with a sponge. I found that a flat top or dense brush worked best.
However, I did find that the foundation looked dry on my face. If I had some dry spots it looked even worse. This is where the Laura Geller primer comes in.
I started applying the Laura Geller primer with the same brush I would go on to apply the foundation. Between the primer hydrating my skin and the residual primer on the brush, the dry look of the foundation was solved.
What Came Before
You may be curious what primer I was using before the Laura Geller one. I used Maybelline’s Baby Skin Instant Pore Eraser Primer. It worked well with my previous foundation but not with the Fit Me. It did reduce the appearance of my pores though but I didn’t like the texture of the product itself.
What’s Next
I’m looking forward to finishing the Maybelline foundation. I’m not a big enough fan to repurchase it. The Laura Geller primer is 2 oz of product so I have a feeling that it’s going to last me a while. I’m intrigued to see how it works under other foundations. I do have at least three other primers lined up to try out after this one is done! Primer is the one thing I haven’t found my go-to for.
I got StriVectin’s Tightening Face Serum in their Power Starters Tighten and Lift Trio pack from Ulta a while ago. I used this product on and off for a while but decided it was time for dedicated use. After finishing the Neutrogena Rapid Wrinkle Repair serum I started using the StriVectin serum, around February 24/25. I used it twice a day (am and pm) after my Mario Badescu facial spray and before my CeraVe am moisturizer. There were some days that I might have used it once and the rare occurrence I didn’t use it at all. It ran empty on March 18. Given that I’d already been using the serum, I don’t think this is bad. I’m sure I could have gotten another 2 weeks of use if it had been new.
Feel & Scent
I would say the serum was medium-to-light feeling. It wasn’t the lightest on my skin but not the heaviest. I could definitely feel it on my skin even if I used one pump (which I tended to do because of this). It made me feel like my skin was greasy even though it wasn’t. There wasn’t shimmer in this product but there was a scent. Kind of like a medicated floral. It eventually went away but I hate floral scents so I really didn’t like that.
Cost & Size
The face serum included in the trio is 1.0 oz. The eye
serum is 0.25 oz. The neck cream is 1.0 oz. For all three
products, 2.25 oz costs $89.
The full size of the face serum is 1.7 oz for $99. The full
size of the neck cream is 1.7 for $95. The full size of the eye
serum is 1.0 oz for $69. For all three full sized products,
4.4 oz, costs $263.
I definitely think the trio is the better deal. You get quite a
bit of product for a good price. Plus, the trio sometimes goes on
sale and you can get it for cheaper.
Did it work??
Like the Neutrogena serum, my primary focus was my forehead, sides
of mouth, and neck. I didn’t notice anything on my forehead. For
the sides of my mouth I noticed that where the lines were got darker!
Definitely not cool. I didn’t see a change in my neck but, like
before, I didn’t always use the product on my neck.
Ending Thoughts
What I liked the most about this serum was how my skin felt the next morning. My skin felt so smooth and plump. I don’t know if it tightened anything and overall I didn’t see any improvements. I won’t repurchase this.
Adventures in Beauty 