Klairs Manuka Honey & Choco Body soap - Review

For a long time now I've been struggling with spots on my back. Usually I would wash my back with my face wash and try to keep my hair away from my back as much as possible.
I saw someone on YouTube review this soap, and they said it was really good at keeping your skin on your back clean and spot free, so I ordered it right away.

I've tried it out for about a month and it's a good soap, and it makes the skin feel clean after you use it. It has a nice smell of sweet coco and it lathers up nicely in your hands. It does help with the spots on my back, it's not a miracle but I don't get the big painful spots anymore and the small spot that pops up here and there goes away quicky.

I can't give this soap the full credit for making my back clearer, I do have a routine for keeping my back clean, and it seems to be working really well so far.
I start of with a dry scrub glove (or brush if you can't reach your whole back) and I scrub my whole back. After the scrub I use the Klairs soap and lather it in my hands and rub it all over my back, and rinse under the shower. To end the routine I use the Blithe splash mask on my face and take it down my chest and back as well (read my Blithe review here)

I hope this was helpful!

~Kira

Charlotte Tilbury - Haul and Review

I've had a lot of products from Charlotte Tilbury on my wishlist for a long time, and I finally saved up enough money, and got most of the things on my list.

Wonderglow - is like a golden glow primer, I've tried a little tester before and I really like the effects that it gives. I don't think its the best at keeping the makeup on your face longer than any other primer, but I like that this can double up as a liquid highlighter, and it looks very natural and beautiful on the skin.

Matte Revolution lipstick - I got the shades Bond Girl and Very Victoria, which are both very natural everyday colors. I like the matte formula because it feels more moisturizing than a liquid lipstick but it still gives you that matte lip look, and I love that!

Cheek to chic swish and pop - a two toned blush that looks very natural and blends like a dream! I got the shade First Love which is the lightest shade, and on me, it looks like my natural cheek color, and it makes me look fresh and healthy. All the blushes in her line has some sheen to them, so if you don't like that, the blushes are not for you. 

Beauty Glow Palette - I loved this palette from the second I saw it, and honestly the palette was the reason I did the haul. The eyeshadows are nice everyday shades that can be build up for a nice bronzy smokey eye. The bronzer has a tiny bit of sheen, but I don't mind that because it makes the skin look healthy and natural. The shade of the bronzer is a bit pale and even on my skintone it donesn't show up too much, so if your even medium to dark skintoned this bronzer is way too light.The highlight is a pale yellowy gold and looks very natural, but again it would be too pale for medium to dark skintones. The blushes are beautiful! the swish shade is a gorgeous redish brown color and the pop is a fresh pink color, they work really well together or even separately.  
Everything in this palette has decent pigment and is buildable and blends like a dream! If you have pale skin like me this palette is absolutely stunning!

Powder and Sculpt brush - I really wanted this brush because I thought it would be the perfect size for the palette, and I've seen so many beauty gurus use this brush and everyone seems to love it. I don't! this sheds like crazy! even my cheap elf brushes are softer and don't even shed like this brush does. save your money! this is not worth the money at all, and if I could take it back I would. The only good thing about this brush is the shape, but other brands do similar brushes for a better prize and honestly also better quality.

Beauty Glow palette - bottom to top

eyeshadows 1,2,3, Bronzer, Highlight, blush swish, pop

Lipsticks and blush bottom to top

Very Victoria, Bond Girl, First Love blush swish, pop, together

Here's the look I did with the palette. I used Wonderglow as a base under my foundation. On the eyes I used shade 1 on the inner corner and on the inner part of my lower lash line, shade 2 I used all over the lid, and shade 3 as a soft liner on both top and bottom lash line. 

I used the bronzer to sculpt my cheekbones and hairline and took a bit on my nose to make it look like a natural sunkissed glow. Highlight on the top of my cheekbones and on the top of my nose and upper lip. I used the palette swish color on my cheek to blend highlight and bronzer into a natural looking gradiant on the cheek. and the pop shade on the round apples of my cheeks for a fresh looking complexion. On my lips I used Very Victoria for a "my lips but better" look. 

I love all the makeup from Charlotte Tilbury and everything she does seems to follow a theme of natural and healthy looking beauty which is just what I'm looking for in my makeup products and the looks I do. 

I reach for all these products on a daily basis and they are my favorites in my collection right now. I would highly recommend them, except for the brush, don't waste your time or money on that!

Hope this was helpful!

~Kira

Troiareuke ampoule set - Review + How to use

Troiareuke is Korea's No.1 professional use skincare brand and their products are mostly natural - no paraben and no animal testing. I heard about the brand from a couple of Korean youtuber's and I was excited to try their ampoule set, since it's easy to mix and match for your own needs. 

The ampoules are from what I've seen most commonly used to mix with Troiareuke's skincomplex which is a face mist. Since I'm not a big user of face mists I'm going to tell you all how I use these ampoules.

Green ampoule: Called the "Anti- trouble ampoule" helps skin with troubles and redness. It claims to be a super moisturizer and to have a calming effect on the skin. The main ingredient is Aloe vera fermented extract. 
I use this in my essence every morning and night. I add a drop or two and pat the mix on my skin until it is absorbed. I've used up the whole ampoule at this point, and I like it, but I don't see a huge difference in my skins moisture when I use it. I thought this was going to be my favorite ampoule out of the set, because I need more moisture in my dehydrated skin, but sadly it doesn't make a noticeable difference. 

Yellow ampoule: Called the "Mela C ampoule" claims to be a brightening and whitening solution that will minimize the melano synthesis to reduce the melanin process. Which means it will help reduce the appearance of sunspot and acne scars. The main ingredients are Ellagic acid, Mandarin oil,  pomegranate extract and Green tea catechin extract.
I mix two drops of this in my vitamin c serum in the morning (always finish your routine with SPF!). I've been really liking my vitamin c serum but for me it's hard to tell if the ampoule boosts the effect or not. I still have a lot of the ampoule left and if I see a difference in my sunspots when I run out of this ampoule I would repurchase this again for sure.  

Blue ampoule: Called the "Akne-C ampoule" it claims to cool down the skins temperature while also being anti-inflammatory and an anti-bacterial solution for acne prone skin. The main ingredients are Lavender oil, Green tea catechin extract, Spirullina and Sephora extract. 
I wasn't that excited about this when I ordered it. I liked the spot treatment i was using, and didn't really expect this ampule to do a whole lot. Boy was I wrong! I use this as a spot treatment and dab a bit on any spot or bump I have on my face, and usually by morning it's clearing up or completely gone! This is by far the best spot treatment I've ever used and it is a HG product for sure. 

Red ampoule: Called the "Cell Repair Formula ampoule" and it claims to be a super anti-ageing solution that visibly improve skins elasticity and reduce wrinkles.  The main ingredients are Pycnogenol, Anthocyanin and Pentapeptide. 
I use a drop of this ampoule under each eye every morning and evening before I put on my eye cream. I have noticed a slight improvement in my fine lines and I do believe that continued use of this ampoule with reduce the risk of those fine lines getting more noticeable. I wouldn't use this all over my face, just because I have other anti aging serums in my routine, but since my eye area is a big concern of mine, I would definitely repurchase this again as an anti age eye serum.  

 
Just to clear up any confusion - ampoules are in the same family as essences and serums. An ampoule is a supercharged serum with higher concentrations of active ingredients that you are meant to use as a booster, to mix in with other essences, serums or creams. Ampoules usually come in smaller bottles with a dropper.

In the above picture the products I mixed the ampoules with are: 
 
Green - Missha Time Revolution First Treatment Essence
Yellow - Klairs Freshly Juiced Vitamin C Drop
Blue - Klairs Midnight Blue Calming Cream (HG combo!)
Red - Clarins Super Restortive Total Eye Concentrate

The reviewed product is a trial set of the four ampoules at 5ml each priced at $68. A full size ampoule is 20ml and costs $60 each. A kit of all four full size ampoules is $240.
 
I bought my set on w2beauty.com

Hope this was helpful! 
~Kira 

Tried and Tested #2

This is basically a YouTube made me buy it, cause I've heard a lot of people rave about these products and I had to try them out for myself.

L'Oreal Lash Paradise mascara: A lot of people claim that this is a dupe for the Too Faced Better Than Sex mascara, but I have never tried it, so I can't compare. To me this is a very good lengthening mascara and the design of the wand makes it easy to separate the lashes to get them fanned out nicely. It doesn't give as much volume as I would have liked, but that's easily achieved with another coat of mascara.  
I really like this mascara and I think it has taken the top spot in my mascara stash for now!

Troiareuke H+ cream: This is a BB cream or tinted moisturizer that is 99% skincare and 1% makeup. It's pretty thick in consistency and very pigmented for advertising to be more skincare than a makeup product. It looks very natural on the skin but it does have better coverage than a lot of my other BB creams. Usually I use this on days where I have more spots and don't really feel like wearing makeup but I need to actually wear makeup - does that make sense? I feel like its the perfect solution for blemish prone skin since it's makeup, but not really. Only downside to this product is that it's hella expensive! The company do make a cushion version of this, which is half the price cheaper, but you only get half the amount of product.

Tarte Shape Tape: I've heard so many YouTuber's talk about this concealer and I couldn't wait any longer to try it. It's a very thick concealer with super good coverage. For me though, it's too thick to use under my eyes, and because the wand is so huge it's hard to conceal spots with it because I usually end up with a big blob of concealer, that ends up covering half my face. I really hoped the hype was real, but for me it just wasn't the case. 

In the above picture I'm wearing the Troiareuke H+ cream all over my face, the Tarte Shape Tape under my eyes and a single coat of the L'Oreal Lash paradise mascara on my lashes. I really liked this look since it was very natural and felt really light on the skin, the only downside was the Tarte Shape Tape that ended up looking pretty dry under my eyes after a few hours. 

Hope this was helpful!
~Kira

Huxley skincare - Review

Huxley is a Korean skincare brand, and all their products contain Prickly Pear Cactus Seed Oil which is supposed to help with hydration. I was really interested in the brand since I was looking for hydrating products that wouldn't feel heavy on the skin.

Extract It Toner: This is a hydrating toner, which I use as an essence. I use this as part of a "7 skin method" where I layer toners or essences 7 times for extra hydration without the heavy feel. To me all the Huxley products smell like a garden or kind of like grass, and I don't really like the smell, but it is a light scent. This product claims to provide superior hydration, which I don't agree with at all. I have toners that are way more hydrating than this one and when I use this toner it does sting around my mouth where my skin is very sensitive. I'm using this product up, but I will not repurchase or recommend it. 
 
Oil Essence: Is a hybrid products as the name suggest. It's a great product for people who doesn't like the feel of an oil on their skin, but still want a boost of hydration. The products claims to provide lasting hydration and intense nourishment, which I sadly don't fully agree with. It provides hydration but on my skin it doesn't last more than a couple hours, and my skin will start to feel a bit tight and dry, which also means that on me, this product is not giving me intense nourishment. It is my fave product from Huxley, and because it is a hybrid product it's very easy to layer with other products and it will not feel heavy on the skin. I would recommend this if you have combo skin, and you're looking for  lightweight serum that provides a bit of hydration.

Fresh and More Cream: I wanted a light cream to use in the morning that wouldn't feel heavy, and this is a nice lightweight cream that sits well under makeup. This product claims to lock in hydration for a lasting, all-day glow, which I do agree that it locks in the hydration you've put on before the cream, but it doesn't give an all-day glow because there is no glow when you put makeup on top of it. This cream pretty much does what it is supposed to, but it's nothing special and I'm currently on the lookout for a new morning moisturizer. I would recommend this cream if your looking for a light cream to use in the morning, but I do think there are better things out there for the price.

Grab Water Essence: I was really excited to try this product since it claimed to be an oasis for tired skin and will fill and plump skin with intensive hydration. I was pretty disappointed when it didn't make much of a difference in my skin. I don't think it's a bad product, I just don't think it does what it claims. On me it's a lightly hydrating serum, very lightweight, and good if you don't like oil serums. But sadly for me it's not hydrating enough and doesn't make enough of a difference in my skin. I will use it up but I will not repurchase. If you have oily skin I think you'd like this serum.

A very negative review, but it's my honest opinion, and I won't be buying any of these again. I might look at the brand again in the future if they come out with new products, but until then I can find better and more affordable alternatives.   

Hope this helps!
~Kira

Make P:rem - in shower masks

 I've been trying out these masks for a while now and I do have some pro's and con's. 

Clean me. - is a clay based mask that you can put on 10 minutes before you shower on a clean face, and then wash it off when you take your shower. It's not a drying mask since they clay stays wet on your skin, even if you leave it for longer than 10 minutes. The idea with this mask is that when you get in the shower you wet your hands and rub your face, turning the mask into a more milky face wash, making this mask a mask and cleanser in one.
I do like the multitask effect of this product and it is a nice clay based cleanser, but as a clay mask its too mild for me to see any difference in my skin after using it. If you have trouble with large pores and oily skin this might be a good product to try.
The packaging of this mask is a plastic squeeze bottle, which can slip around if you have went hands. The writing on my bottle rubbed off after the 2nd time I used it. 

Wonderful me. - is a hydrating mask that you put on while your showering. It's sticky enough to stay on your face even it you have water in your face. I love using this when I wash my hair with purple shampoo cause the mask will protect my skin from being tinted purple, plus it will keep moisture in my skin while I'm the the shower, and my skin wont have that tight feeling afterwards.
This mask is my fave of the two and it's a really easy mask to use. If I know I'm gonna have a long shower I will usually out this mask on my face and let it sit until I'm done with my hair routine and then wash it off. I felt a difference in my skin from first use.
The bottle of this mask feels a bit rubbery which is great cause it makes it very easy to grip in the shower, and it wont slip out of your hand when your pumping out the product. 

Hope this was helpful!
~Kira

Tried and Tested #1

I'm gonna try and test a couple new items and give mini reviews on them, since I've bought a lot of Korean skincare that I need to try out.

Kanebo 3D Rose Cleansing Foam: This foam is really cool and has been hyped a bit on social media lately. It looks and smells like a rose. The foam is soft and smooth and feels really good on the skin. I found that my skin had a very squeaky clean feeling, so it will get all the oil and dirt off of your skin.

I got my rose cleanser from eBay here.

The Face Shop - The solution soothing face mask madecassoside: This sheet mask was very soothing and left my skin very hydrated and soft. I have all the other sheet masks from this line and I will be reviewing them over time. So far I recommend this one!
I bought this mask from roseroseshop.com here.

Make P:rem - UV defense me blue ray sun gel: This is a lightweight sun gel with SPF 50+ and PA++++ that protects the skin from both UVA and UVB rays as well as blue ray light from your computer, phone and other devices. This sunscreen sits well under makeup and doesn't leave a white cast. I can't say about the blue rays, but I wore it on some of the most sunny days and I didn't get a sunburn, and the sunspots I have on my forehead didn't get darker, so I think this gives a good protecting against the sun. Big thumbs up from me!
I bought this sun gel on eBay here.

I hope this was helpful!

~Kira