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

Blithe Splash Mask - review

Recently I've heard a lot about Splash masks, which is a new type of mask from Korea, which is supposed to give you results in just 15 seconds, and as the name suggest, you just have to splash it on your face.

Blithe is a Korean brand and their splash mask is one of the most hyped ones out there. They make 3 different versions, a green tea, a purple berry and a yellow citrus honey.

Green tea: Formulated with green tea extract and tea tree leaf oil to quickly soothe and calm irritated skin.
Purple berry: Formulated with antioxidant packed berries to help leave skin looking brighter and more youthful.
Yellow citrus honey: Formulated with citrus fruit extracts and honey to help brighten skin for a natural, youthful glow.

These masks contains lactic acid and botanical extracts that will help re-texturize and smooth your skin instantly and increase radiance over time. You can either fill your sink with water and add a cap full of the splash mask to the water, and splash it on your face and pat it in. Alternatively you can use it in the shower and put about half a cap full in your palm, and pat it on your wet face while having the shower water hit your face. 
I find the best way for me is to use it in the shower. I feel like I waste less product, plus I can use it on my body as well. 

It sounds to good to be true, but the results are instant with this mask. My skin feels softer and smoother right after I use it. I highly recommend these masks, though you don't need all three of them. I don't see any difference between the purple and the green mask, and I doubt the yellow is much different, so choose the one you'd like best. They do smell very different though, the green one smells like herbs and green tea, and the purple one smells like sweet berries. I haven't smelled the yellow one, but from what I've heard it smells like citrus, which makes sense. 

I bought my splash masks from Sasa.com but they are sold in Sephora and other online stores as well. The mask cost 45$ for a 200ml bottle, which is about 30 uses (if you use a whole cap full every time, but I find I use way less product with the shower method). 

I hope this was helpful!

~Kira

Sheet masks

A while ago I ordered a ton of different sheet masks, and since I read a lot of posts about doing a sheet mask every day I wanted to try it out and see what would happen.
I used 4 sheet masks, one mask every day for 4 days straight, and my skin did get hydrated and felt nice and plump, but I didn't feel a different benefits from each mask and honestly I don't think I will with any of the masks I bought.
The masks shown are very affordable and cost from less than $1 to about $3 each. The masks are all supposed to be good for different things and concerns, but honestly I only expect sheet masks to hydrate my skin, since it is essentially just a cloth with serum on it. 

I do recommend buying some sheet masks and try to do the "7 days of sheet masks challenge", if not for the benefit of the masks then at least to just have 30 minutes of relax time every day.

~Kira

Empties - mini reviews

I love skincare, and I buy a lot of it, but I always read reviews before buying anything, and I never really seem to buy a product that doesn't work for me or breaks me out, which is why I have a lot of empties. I like all the products in the picture above, some I have already repurchased and others I've found better alternatives.

Clarins Hydra Quench serum - I love this serum so much! It's light but moisturizing and I saw a big difference in my skin after using it only for a couple days. My skin looked healthier and my makeup went on a lot better. I have repurchased this one!

Antipodes Divine Face Oil - I've tried many rosehip oils but I think this is the best one I've tried and it's a lot more affordable than many other brands. This oil helps my acne scars fade super quickly and it's hydrating. I have repurchased!

Ebryolisse Lait Creme Consentre - A very hydrating cream and a nice base for makeup. The only problem I had with this cream was that it never really seemed to sink in completely. I think it'll be great for dry skin but I will not be repurchasing this one.

Mario Badescu Glycolic Acid Toner - I use this toner every morning and I love it. It very gently exfoliates the skin so it's smooth and ready to absorb the rest of your skincare. I've been using this product for years and I'm already using a fresh bottle of this!

Taaj Himalaya Micellar Water - This is the best micellar water I've used. For me this works better than Bioderma and it's a bit cheaper too. I've made a video comparing the two here. I have repurchased the Taaj micellar water!

Nuxe Creme Fraiche Beauty Cream - I've repurchased this cream many times and I love the scent of it, but it is a bit strong and some people might not like it. I am using another tub of this cream, but I think I might look for something different because I've noticed I'm getting some milia on my forehead and I tend to get those when I use too much of heavy creams on my skin, but if you have dry skin this is a good one!

Secret Key Starting Treatment Essence - My first ever Korean essence and I fell in love! this is a great essence to start of with if you've never tried essences before. It's good for all skin types, it's hydrating and anti- aging and very affordable! I only use this product for DIY essence masks now since I've found another essence I love more to use in my daily skincare routine. But I will still repurchase this one!

Nuxe Reve de Miel Lip Balm - I use this every night as an overnight lip treatment mask. It's very thick and moisturizing which is why I love to use it at night. I have repurchased!

Kiehl's Skin Rescuer - A light but hydrating cream, it claims to help with stressed and troubled skin but for me it didn't do anything else than moisturize my skin. I think it's good for normal to combo skin but it really is just a moisturizer and I will not be repurchasing this one.

Clarins Booster Detox - I add in these drops to my facial oil at night for an extra boost of detoxing my skin, and getting spots cleared up faster. The product is really small but I only use 2 drops every night and it lasted me a good 6 months or so. I have already repurchased!

Hope it was helpful!
~Kira