New youtube video up of my Sephora Play July unboxing!
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Category: Skincare
Luxury Beauty Review :: Creme de La Mer
I recently did a youtube review on the Luxe product Creme de La Mer, I wanted to expand upon it a bit. The video is below.
Overall thoughts
- I got this over 2 months ago (almost 3 at this point) and I have to say I have seen an amazing difference in my skin. Softer, looks healthier, feels smooth, texture is improved and I have noticed an overall diminish in my pores appearance.
- Overall I’m incredibly happy with the product. I have tried dupes of this in the past, but for me this is what has worked the best. That doesn’t mean it will work for everyone, and from a lot of reviews I read people had better experiences with the dupes. So it all depends on your skin, and your expectations.
- I want to also add, that using it everyday at night for almost 3 months I am barely if even 1/3 of the way through the jar. I suspect this will last me at least throughout the entire summer. So even though it is incredibly pricey you get a lot of bang for your buck.
If you were on the fence about this product, or want a very effective and luxurious moisturizer, from my experience and results I would highly recommend. But do see if you can get a sample first (I am a HUGE believer in sampling before buying!) as not all skincare works for everyone, and this is a very expensive product. Hope this helped anyone!
Thanks!
April Favorites :: Skincare
I already posted my April makeup favorites, and now it is time for my April Skincare favorites. I love my current routine, and would have loved to put them all on this list, but I decided to post the ones that I am super obsessed with, rather then the whole routine. If you want to learn my whole routine I have a recent post on that! ONWARD!
April Skincare Favorites
Tatcha Luminous Deep Hydration Firming Serum- It normally takes a good 4-6 weeks for me to see a difference when I switch serums/treatments. But this one I saw just after about 2. My skin felt firm, and definitely hydrated.
Secret Key Snow White Cleansing Foam- I love this as my morning cleanser. I bought it on a whim and I am so glad I did. have such a nice lather, leaves my skin feeling squeaky clean, and I notice that I have a much brighter complexion.
Tosowoong Platinum Miracle Skin Tightening Pack– I am OBSESSED!!!!!!!!! I reviewed this, I bought it, I use it. I LOVE it! Has to be the best mask I use hands down!
La Mer Creme de La Mer- This is practically holy grail status. I have used this in the past but at the time I was much younger and I don’t think my skin needed it as much. Fast forward over a decade and I decided to give it another go. Immediate results. I can definitely tell when I don’t use this. My skin hasn’t felt this healthy, or looked better EVER! Now I know it is pricey, good LOOOOOORRRRRDDDD is it pricey. But it has worked so well for me. So I will probably have this as a permanent part of my nighttime skincare routine from now on. A jar does go a long way though. With the current rate I am going through this I probably won’t need to rebuy another at until November or December.
Tatcha Pure Camellia Cleansing Oil- This is fast becoming my favorite oil cleanser. Leave my face feeling really clean and gets off all my stubborn makeup!
I didn’t include items I have been using over and over again like my Nature Republic Aloe Vera Gel, my Innisfree Jeju Pore cleansing Foam, or my SK-II Essence, but those are always in my favorite loves list! ❤
Honorable Mentions
- La Mer- The Cleansing Gel
- Sea Tree Moisture Mist
- sk-II Facial Treatment Lotion
- Corsx Power Blackhead Liquid
Hope you liked my favorites! ❤
New Skincare Routine for Spring/Summer
I think I finally got the perfect routine of skincare down. I haven’t seen my skin improve so fast in such a long time. I haven’t had as much irritation lately. my pores are getting so small (areas were they were prominent are completely gone, just smooth flawless skin) and it feels so happy, healthy and hydrated! So here is an updated routine.This is my current skincare routine (with list of products).
Again,I change or try new things every few months, so I will probably be updating this blog with what I have tried and what works and what didn’t. However I am loving this routine so this may stay the same through summer.
My Skin
I have a very pale complexion, with combination sensitive skin. I also suffered from enlarged pores. I have lived in South Florida my entire life, and would wear sunscreen everyday on my arms and neck but not my face. As such I had some sun damage, and some issue with a nice texture on my skin. At 30 (I’m going to be 32 in a few months) I decided it was time to put on my big girl pants and start really taking care of myself. Diet, exercise, and SKINCARE!
I don’t like under-exxagerating how bad my skin was, because truly whats the point- I had bad skin. Breakouts, pores, flaking. All because I didn’t take proper care of it. It was MY FAULT. So when I owned up to that (rather then blame genetics) I started to see a VAST improvement.
After trying new products, and really refining my regimen I can say that my skin hasn’t felt this healthy, or looked this good ever! I have been doing this routine for about 3 weeks now.
My Routine
Morning
- Oil Cleanser – Clean It Zero From Banila Co. This is a great first cleanse in the morning. Sometimes I do not do a double cleanse in the morning, but if I wake up and my face is extra greasy then I do this. I can say I usually do a double cleanse in the morning. at least 5 times a week.
- Foaming Cleanser –Secret Key Snow White Foaming Cleanser. I love this in the morning,. my complexion looks brighter and my face feels great.
- Toner –SK-II Facial Treatment Lotion
- Exfoliate – Cure Natural Aqua Gel (twice a week, I love this) or Freeman’s Charcoal Sugar Scrub (this one is ok, just using it up right now since I don’t like to waste product)
- Essence – SK-II Facial Treatment Essence- Put a small amount in my hands and gently pat into my face. I let it absorb completely before moving on, BHA Blackhead Power Liquid by Cosrx – I put a fair amount on a cotton pad and dab in on my entire nose and chin. I wait for the SK-II to absorb before I move onto the other.
- Serums –Tatcha Firming Serum, Then Red Tea Antioxidant Serum from Ole Henriksen
- Eye Cream –SK-II Eye Cream, this one has been one of the better ones I tried. Although I am still a fan of the ETUDE House Moistfull collagen one.
- Cream- Perricone MD Cold Plasma, this is a dream product. It smells horrible but it makes my skin look amazing.
- Moisturizer – Indigo Soothing Triple Recovery Cream by Tatcha.
- I also apply Nature Republics Aloe Vera Gel all over my body and chest and neck area.
Evening/nighttime
- Oil Cleanser – Tatcha Camellia Cleansing Oil. This leaves my face clean, and takes off all my makeup and gunk from the day.
- Foaming Cleanser –USUALLY Jeju Clay Pore Cleanser from Innisfree, which is my holy grail cleanser. But If I wore a very heavy face of makeup I use La Mers The Cleansing Gel, which is amazing, and during hormonal breakouts I use Tatcha’s Rice Enzyme Cleanser. I found a big difference when I catered my cleansers to certain times of the month, and different instances as well.
- Toner –Benton BHA Aloe Vera Toner
- Exfoliate – Cure Natural Aqua Gel (twice a week, I love this) or Freeman’s Charcoal Sugar Scrub (this one is ok, just using it up right now since I don’t like to waste product) I used to just exfoliate at night but I was still getting clogged pores. Now that I do it twice I have seen a huge difference in the amount of blackheads I get
- Mask– Either a foaming mask, clay mask or sheet mask
- If I am using a sheet mask I skip this step/ If its a wash off, peeling or clay after I rinse it off then I will wipe my face off with the Green Tea cleansing water from Innisfree
- Tone Again- SK-II Facial Treatment Lotion
- Essence – SK-II Facial Treatment Essence- Put a small amount in my hands and gently pat into my face.
- Serums –Tatcha Firming Serum, Then Red Tea Antioxidant Serum from Ole Henriksen
- Eye Cream –SK-II Eye Cream
- Cream– Perricone MD Cold Plasma, this is a dream product. It smells horrible but it makes my skin look amazing.
- Moisturizer – If my skin is irritated at all I will use Tatchas Indigo Soothing Triple recovery Cream. If my skin isn’t irritated I use Creme de La Mer from La Mer
- I also apply Nature Republics Aloe Vera Gel all over my body and chest and neck area.
I CAN SAY THIS. I used to dread cleaning my face a few years ago and now its one of the favorite parts of my day. And I get to do it twice!! I really look forward to it.
Again I have seen the biggest improvement in my skins overall health and appearance since I have switched up my routine. I do know a few of these items are very pricey. So if I had to only recommend one or two to add I would definitely say add the Sk-II essence and lotion, or just the essence. I think essences are one of the most important things in any solid skin care routine.
❤
Favorite Cleansers
I have a variety of different cleansers I use depending on what my skin needs. What I use in the morning, what I use at night, what I use when I wear a lot of makeup, and what I use when I am having a hormonal breakout, or a lot of skin irritation. Here is a list of my favorites.
Oil/Balm Cleansers – First Cleanse
I do a double cleanse every morning and night. I use a different one for the morning, and different for the evening.
Banila Co Clean it Zero- I Love this one from Banila Co. It is definitely a cult favorite for people who are obsessed with Korean skincare. I love how clean it makes my face feel. I use this one on the morning.
Holika Holika Pig Nose Deep Cleansing oil/balm- I used this one before I used Banila Cos Balm. I really liked it, and it gave me a really nice clean. I don’t usually buy it because I have moved on to the Clean it Zero, but it does clean very well and if you have wanted to try it out I would recommend it.
Tatcha One Step Camellia Cleansing Oil- I love this oil. I use it at night to help remove all my make up, and any gunk that’s been accumulating on my face the whole day. Its’ gentle, leaves my skin feeling healthy and fresh, and super squeaky clean.
Foaming Cleansers- Second Cleanse
Just like the first cleanse, I use a different foaming cleanser at night then I do during my morning routine. It all usually depends on the amount of makeup I have worn that day, stress, and if I am having any hormonal breakouts.
Secret Key Snow White Cleansing Foam- This has become my favorite morning cleanser. It creates a great lather, cleans very well, and leaves my complexion glowing.
Innisfree Jeju Volcanic Pore Cleansing Foam– THIS IS MY HOLY GRAIL CLEANSER. I don’t know what I did before I tried this, and I hope I never have to be without it. It is such an amazing cleanser. It cleanse so deep down into my pores, leaves my face feeling nice and fresh, and doesn’t irritate my sensitive skin. I use this at night, and sometimes in the morning when I am planning on wearing little to no makeup.
Tatcha Polished Classic Rice Enzyme Powder (I also like the Indigo version as well)- I love this cleanser. It is a little fickle, but once you get the hang of it it leaves the most remarkably clean skin. I use this around the time I get hormonal breakouts, it does a good job of not aggravating my skin and keeping those pesky buggers at bay.
New to the List
La Mer The Cleansing Gel- I had heard so many amazing things about this I just had to try it out. I have been using it for a short time and I can honestly say it is worth the hype. It is on the expensive side, so I use it on days I wear a full face of makeup, or I feel like I need a ridiculously squeaky clean. If you wanted to splurge on a nice cleanser I would recommend this one. So good!
Lastly are my 2 favorite cleansing tools.
I’m Dual Pore Brush– I picked this up from Memebox on a whim. Its such a special little brush. It cleans my face and pores very well, and is very gently for my sensitive skin. I use this in the morning.
Kashoen Cleansing Brush– Oh baby do I love this! Seriously, this is the best facial cleansing tool I have. It cleans my face so well, feels so nice, helps with circulation, and overall is such a pleasure to use. I use this at night, and it is really helpful to create a lather with the Rice Cleanser from Tatcha. ❤
Those are my favorite cleansers, and I use a few others but these are my die hard ones I go to.
Haul :: Random Items From Memebox.com
I wanted to buy a few different things from Memebox.com and wanted to add a few extras to bump it up to get free shipping.
The Goods
- Innisfree Jeju Volcanic 3 in 1 Nose Pack
- Innisfree Eco Beauty Tool Ribbon Hair Band *not pictured
- Innisfree Eco Safety Perfect Sunblock SPF50+ PA+++ 50ml *repurchase
- I’m Meme I’m Rubycell Puff pack 5
- Darkness Eyelashes K.Ma5
- Darkness Eyelashes VN
- Berrisom Oops My Lip Tint Pack Lovely Peach
- Nooni Root Energy Cleansing Water Mini (for travel)
- ETUDE House Tear Drop Liner #01
- Tosowoong Platinum Miracle Skin Pore Tightening Pack
I had reviewed the pore pack recently and I fell in love, so I wanted to buy a full size! Its so amazing!
That’s my little haul. I love all the things! ❤
Subscription Box Haul :: Beauteque April Box
Beauteque boxes are great of you want to try out some Korean beauty items. I love what came in my April box.
The Goods
- Toyoepin 2 in 1 Permanent Crazy Mini Natural False Lash
- Seatree Air Moisture Mist
- Baviphat Urban Dollikiss Mango Magic Brightening Mask
- Somoon Dog Nose Pore strip pack
- Dr. Morita Moisturizing Essence Eye Mask
- The Saem Saemmul Easy Eyeliner
A lot of fun stuff.
The eye liner is super pigmented and glides on smooth.
also super long lasting!
Fun fun stuff!
Review :: Acure Pore Minimizing Facial Scrub
This is a product I received in a subscription box. I was reading about it and got pretty excited to try. I love clay masks, and facial scrubs!
First Impressions
This is thick and also watery, when I applied it I noticed it didn’t have much exfoliating particles in it. I wanted to leave it on for a few minutes, but the directions say just to scrub. So I started scrubbing…… then it happened.
The Fragrance…. UGH
The fragrance of this is so stinkingly sweet. It smells like rotten mangos. I could barely wash it off fast enough. YUCK! Like I normally do not mind things with fragrance, but this smelled rancid almost.
Overal Impressions
After I washed it off my face did feel very smooth, and it also felt very clean. I can honestly say that the fragrance is unbearable for me though. I normally do not mind fragrances,. but this hit me on a smell level I didn’t know I had. The package says that it is synthetic fragrance free, but that smell is just awful.
To give it a fair review I will make a pros and cons list.
Pros-
- Does an excellent job at cleaning face
- Its Vegan, if that is important to you then you should definitely give this product and brand a try
- Has a lot of really nice ingredients
Cons-
- Fragrance. Smells like rotting fruit
- not a lot of exfoliating particles
- a little watery
Ok, for me this is an F product purely because of the fragrance. But it did a good job at cleansing (not so much at exfoliating though) so I will give it a better grade based on how it performed.
Grade- B-
Mini Haul :: Random Trip to the Mall
I went to the mall to exchange a product at Sephora. I got the Benefit POREfessional primer which I love, but I have to many primers, so I wanted to exchange for something I needed. Another Cleansing oil! I also ran into Neiman Marcus and picked up 2 fun products too!
The Goods
- Tatcha Cleansing Oil
- La Mer Cleansing Gel
- Guerlain Terracotta Pause d’ete Bronzer
Ok, I wanted to try out La Mers cleanser forever and since I just ran of my cleanser and figured I would give it a go! Also I wasn’t planning on getting this bronzer but I walked past it when I was paying for the cleanser and I was like what is that!!?
LOOK AT THAT!
here is a swatch
it has such a lovely warmth and shimmer to it.
So excited to use this! UGH I love Guerlain!
Small Haul ::Unboxing La Mer
Ok, so I haven’t used any La Mer products other then their amazing powder in a very long time. I wanted to try out their concealer (I heard it rivals my favorite Cleau de Peau) and I decided to also try out their famous Creme de La Mer.
I ordered online, because they gave me a $75 dollar off coupon for a first time online shopper (HUZZAH), and I also got to choose 2 deluxe samples to try as well. When I got the box in the mail (they offer free shipping which is really nice) I was surprised to see it was all gift wrapped. I am not sure if I choose to say this was gift by accident, or if they do it with any order. ANYWAYS it was fun to open this like a very nice present!
really beautiful wrapping
The Creme de La Mer and their concealer
their boxes are so nice. I am a sucker for packaging
I got the concealer in shade light, it comes with this nice package that fits into this little leather sleeve. It also comes with a brush.
And the Creme de La Mer and its little spatula. The jar is a nice heavy ceramic, and I also love the box it came in.
I decided to get the original version of the creme rather then the gel or soft creme. I like a heavier moisturizer at night. Also I have used the concealer 2 and OMG its amazing. I think it might be better then my Clea de Peau. Its alittle drier then my CdP concealer but I didn’t need to bake it, and I had NO creases all day! So love love LOVE!!!!
I have only used the creme the last 2 nevening so I don’t want to say anything until I have used it for a few weeks to get a good feel for the product, so expect a review soon!
I hoped you enjoyed this unboxing. If you have any questions or if you have any experiences with these products let me know! ❤
Beauty Meow 