SkinCeuticals Sheer Physical UV Defense

I've been using Clarins UV Plus HP for years. It's a mineral sunscreen with a great light texture that blends in well. But then along came this one. It's pretty much the same texture and feel- but better. It's a physical sunscreen as well but has a higher SPF. It has a slight tint so there is a little bit of coverage.  It is also a little bit cheaper than Clarins. So far it's been great. It's my new favorite sunblock.

Weleda Cold Cream

Sept of 2014 was one hot summer.  It's probably fall in most places but In LA, summer started in September. I dont have central air so it's been a memorable month. Some days it felt like I was living in an oven and some days felt like monsoon season in Asia- without the actual cooling rain.

My skin was so dry I was trying all sorts of products. I thought that coconut oil would quench my crepe-y skin but it really didnt do much. You'd think that oil would make your face oily but it didnt really work.

So then I tried a little sample of emu oil and that also wasnt the best solution though it felt better than coconut oil.

Finally at Lassens I grabbed a tube of this recommended cream and voila- my dry skin was gone. I put it on at night and even in the morning my skin felt soft.  I wore it during the day and because the air was so dry, it didnt feel too greasy. Now that the temperature has cooled down a bit, I'm just using this cream at night.

DHC Olive Virgin Oil

Hmmm... don't they mean Virgin Olive Oil? Engrish I guess...
Well I've been using this oil on my face for a few months now and no pimples- so it passes the first test.  You would think that putting oil on your face in the middle of summer would turn you into a greaseball but it actually works! I use 2 drops and warm it up in my hands before I apply it to my face. It feels great on my combination/dry skin.

I think in the winter, I'd probably use it on top of my other moisturizers as an added barrier from the dryness.

Aesop Amazing Face Cleanser

I really was hoping NOT to like this product but I really like it a lot! I've been using Aesop on and off over the past few years. Mostly on because these products are great and they smell really lovely in this apothecary kind of way. (And all the products come in dark amber glass bottles. Love that touch.) And mostly off because it's expensive and I have this tugging desire for products to multi-task and these don't. Aesop products are really basic in that a moisturizer is a really moisturizer and a cleanser is a really good cleanser. They don't exfoliate and deliver anti-oxidants or diminish wrinkles or stuff like that. But I guess you can argue that overall, if you take care of your skin, you would be okay? I don't know. Maybe I'll age well if I used this.

Anyways, I just recently went back to the Aesop Mandarin facial cream as my nighttime moisturizer and since I was out of cleanser anyways, thought I'd get this one and try it out. It's kind of pricey, costing $47 for 6.8 oz which actually isn't very much. And another annoying this is that there is no pump. You literally unscrew the bottle and pour some on your hand. How old school is that?!

Anyways, this stuff rocks. It cleansed my face beautifully. My face felt clean, refreshed, no dryness, no stiffness, no cakiness or film. Just clean. really really like this one. Maybe I'll stay loyal after this bottle runs out... but we'll see about that.

Kate Somerville Eradikate

This little acne potion is amazing!
I was a little weary of the Kate Somerville products. I've used them before and liked them but always thought they were overpriced but this stuff is the bomb! When you dab it on any acne or even an emerging spot, it literally kills it the next day or at least partially kills it , like 75%. It's seriously amazing.

The strange thing is that I tried other products that tout the same thing and use the same ingredients but for some reason, they don't work as well. Only this works! You have to try if you have any breakouts!

Amarte Review

So with Grace's recommendation, I tried the Amarte line as I was just finishing up all my products.  From Left to Right - Daily Exfolipower; Daily Wonder Cleansing Foam; Aqua Veil Hydrator; Wonder Cream.  This is the order also in which I apply the products.

EXFOLIPOWER - nice, but not a wow experience.  very similar to Dermalogica's Daily Exfoliant.  It leaves a bit of a residue but overall average performance.

DAILY WONDER CLEANSING FOAM - I personally love this cleanser.  Nice foam, and really picks up the dirt.  What I love the most is it leaves a squeaky clean finish.  My skin feels prepped for the next applications.

AQUA VEIL HYDRATOR - acts as a mild serum / toner.  Texture if a combination of both as well not as liquidy as a toner and as thick as a serum.  Light application, and feels great after cleansing.  I don't think it's the best in class ... to date, La Mer's serum is creme de la creme (I just can't afford it!)

WONDER CREAM - this is the product that has received rave reviews.  my thoughts on it ... it feels really good on the skin.  doesn't leave a greasy residue as my previous moisturizers did.  Maybe because it is winter, and this season I feel is particularly dryer for some reason, I wish it had a little deeper moisturizing effect.  But overall, works well and blends nicely into the skin, and again, there is such a nice, clean finish which I really like.  My previous moisturizers were either too dry or too greasy.  This has a nice balance.

I've been using this line now for the past couple weeks, and coupled with adequate sleep (very important beauty sleeps is!), I do feel a difference in my skin tone.  It's gotten a bit brighter and I think these products have helped, to a degree.

BUT.  I need some serious exfoliation / scrubbing / skincare treatments.  Would love some recommendations.  There's so much out there ... peels, IPL, botox not sure I would go there really, but ... I need to go see an esthetician who can peel off this layer.  I'm 41, and with the exception of a few facial massages, I haven't received any serious skincare treatment.  i need to start!


HAEJUNG'S REVIEW:

I also got this set after hearing Connie's review. I thought the Aqua Veil Hydrator was OK- it leaves an almost waxy coating on your face- maybe that's how it protects it. I'm not sure if it absorbed very well but it was OK for the summer.

The Wonder Cream was also OK- it feels like a basic cream but was super pricey. I also didnt think that it would work in the winter but it was fine for the summer months.

BB Cream- They only have 2 colors and I got the darker shade. It was still a bit too light and I know that I walked around with this stuff on my face that didnt exactly match my skin color but dammit I was gonna wear it cuz I paid for it.  But then I got tired of looking "off" so I stopped wearing it. That is until I ran out of the Aqua Veil Hydrator! So basically- the AVH was creating this waxy surface on my face which did not allow for the BB Cream to glide over my face. Once I stopped using that and using my other serum, the BB Cream worked and it blended in a lot nicer. I still dont love it but now I can finish up the bottle happily.

In summary, I probably wouldnt buy this line again because it was mediocre and I'm looking for amazing.

REN Glycol Lactic Radiance Renewal Mask

I have never posted the day after I tried a product but this mask I tried last night was seriously amazing!

Last night I tried the REN Glycol Lactic Radiance Renewal Mask - yes, a total mouth full so I will just refer to it as the REN mask - and I didn't think much of it after I had washed off my face and put on my regular nighttime cream. But this morning, as I washed my face, I could not believe how AMAZING my skin felt! It was SO soft and dare I say, tighter feeling? I did notice that as I washed my face I felt a tingle on my skin so maybe there were still remnants of the mask still working, I'm really not sure but all I can say is that this mask really delivered almost instant results on my skin and I'm definitely going to keep using this. 

My only issue with this product is that I can't tell how often you should use it. If I get addicted, can I really use it every day?! :)

On their official website, there are no instructions on quota per week or so. But I would assume that people with sensitive skin should really take heed.

LOVE This product.

Dr Brandt Flexitone BB Cream

So I'm continuing on my hunt for that perfect Do-everything Cream and as much as I loved my previous adventure (see my previous post), I tried something else this time: the much touted Dr.Brandt Flexitone BB Cream. The cream was recommended by beauty blogs and scored really high on peer reviews on seller sites and the allure was really just too irresistible for me. Besides, I'd been wanting to try a BB Cream but all the OG Korean ones were never "oil free" so I was scared.
So, I tried it.
I so wish I loved it but I really didn't.
First off, I was a little suspicious how this one tone would magically "blend" to match all shades and it really doesn't. What's interesting though is that it creates almost the same tann-ish tone that the Revision cream created. Perhaps all these all in one creams have a preset color. It's winter now and I've lost a lot of that sunny glow so this color tone was definitely too dark for my skin. Besides the color difference, it also left a sort of ashy tint on my face, like I was looking more sallow than usual. Not usually what I aim for when I use make-up on my face! I can do it on my own, thank you very much! :)

The cream is also a bit drying - and this is from someone who is always complaining about oily skin. It definitely isn't really doing it's "moisturizing" part as well as I had hoped.

I do love that it has sunscreen in it and it's SPF 30 which is great.

and so the search continues....

Sisley Lyslait Cleansing Milk

This winter was super dry. I was using coconut oil for everything- cleanser, face wash and body lotion. A friend gave me a large sample of this Sisley cleanser. I've loved everything I've ever tried from Sisley so I tried this milk cleanser. It wiped the dirt off and left a layer of lotion that I rinsed off with water. Water can be really drying in the winter so I've been trying to just wash my face with cleanser once a day at night. In the morning, I'll use this milk cleanser or just rinse my face with a bit of water. So far no pimples!

Laura Mercier Creme Smooth Foundation

This is my favorite foundation- better than Bobby Brown or Giorgio Armani.  It has a smoother finish and is moisturizing enough for summer or winter. It's medium coverage and it blends in really well with a moistened sponge. My color is Sunny Beige. People think that I have great skin naturally when I wear this with a little bit of blush.  : )