skincare • selfcare • lifestyle

10.27.2016

Beauteque Monthly - Mask Maven October Collection


Yesterday I received my final Beauteque Monthly/Mask Maven mask subscription. Beauteque was offering a great discount code for their Mask Maven monthly subscription a year ago so I thought why not! I signed up to receive one year which roughly cost about $150, making each month about $12.50. Not a bad deal! Overall I have been happy with the service and the collection of masks that are in each month's pack so I am kind of sad that this is my final pack.

This month's theme is "After Party Masquerade", helping to revive, relieve and nourish the skin. I am very happy with the 9 masks, especially the Nohj which has quickly turned into one of my favorite mask brands because of the quality and effectiveness of their sheet masks.


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10.25.2016

Guerisson 9 Complex Cream Review


I attended a Portland meet up at the end of February here and had the pleasure of connecting with Pretty and Cute, a local Asian beauty shop here in Portland Oregon. I have known the owner for many years now and she reached out to offer a product in exchange for my honest review. After surfing the Pretty and Cute website, I decided to try the Claire's Guerisson 9 Complex Cream because of the positive reviews I had read, especially from those with combination and sensitive skin like mine. 

To start, my skin type during autumn is normal to dry. My skin can also be quite sensitive and temperamental. I am usually very acne prone however, with the incorporation of Curology, my skin has been less breakout prone. My review will reflect how this cream works for my personal skin type and condition and as always, your results may vary.

I do want to point out that this cream does contain horse oil, a very controversial ingredient in skin care products. As a pescatarian, I do find the idea of horse oil, a byproduct of horse meat (a big industry in Asia) disturbing. However, the scientist in me wanted to test this cream in the name of beauty. After using this, I will not be using any more products containing horse oil. I just want to say this ingredient is just not for me but I do not pass judgement on those who use this ingredient in their skin care products. 



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10.13.2016

Skin food Black Sugar Cleansing Oil Review



Today I want to review the Skinfood Black Sugar Cleansng Oil. It seems like I may be the last person in the kbeauty world to try this particular product and I do realize that the web is saturated with reviews. However, each person's skin is different and as with all things beauty related, your results may vary. I have a very unique perspective on product not only because I am a medical estheciain but also because I have a very finicky skin type.

To start, my skin type during this time of the year is normal to dry.  My skin can also be quite sensitive and temperamental. I am usually very acne prone however, with the incorporation of Curology, my skin has been less breakout prone. Because I do use a retinoid, my skin is more inclined to be dehydrated and have occasional redness. My review will reflect how this cleansing oil works for my personal skin type and condition.

In the world of k-beauty, cleansing oils are used in the evening to remove makeup and sunscreen and are called first cleansers. If this sounds confusing it is ok, you are not alone. A skin care philosophy that I have stood by for almost two decades is double cleansing....here is why! First, in order to cleanse the skin, you need to remove the layers of makeup first. It would be like treating a cut with antibiotic ointment before cleaning the cut itself. The same is true for the skin. You need to remove all of the makeup before you can actually get to the skin to cleanse it properly. For those of you who do not wear makeup everyday, I feel you still need an oil based cleanser to remove sunscreen (yes, you should be wearing sunscreen every single day). Most high protection sunscreen I have found need an oil cleanse to fully remove them properly.



The Claim:
This cleansing oil is said to contain organic black sugar, refined rice wine and botanicals to gently remove makeup plus hydrate and nourish the skin at the same time. 

Packaging:
The cleansing oil comes in a 6.8oz or 200ml sturdy plastic bootle with a pump top. 


Patch Testing:
Every product I use goes through a very detailed patch testing period. I always patch test and I recommend patch testing to everyone. This is how I introduce new skin care products to my easily irritated skin. Patch testing can look different for everyone but for me, I test products in stages. However, cleansing products are difficult to patch test. For this particular product, I patch test an few areas on my face, using the cleaning oil just in a few places in the morning when I have no makeup on. I let it sit on my face for a few minutes to see if any reaction occurs. If all goes well, I begin to use the product on my entire face and neck as my first cleansers.



Texture and Formula:
This cleansing oil is just how I like cleansing oils to be, a little on the thick side. The reason behind my crazy pet peeve is lighter, more runny cleansing oils dip and easily spill/fall through your fingers.  This oil glides on the skin, dissolving makeup with little effort. After you massage this into the skin, it emulsifies very well, turning into a milky cleanser that washes away.

Ingredients:
Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Peg-20 Glyceryl Triisostearate, Pentaerythrityl Tetraethylhexanoate, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Pentaerythrityl Tetraisostearate, Peg-10 Isostearate, Bis-Ethoxydiglycol Cyclohexane 1,4-Dicarboxylate, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Olea Europaea (Olive) Fruit Oil, Oenothera Biennis (Evening Primrose) Oil, Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil, Limnanthes Alba (Meadowfoam) Seed Oil, Camellia Oleifera Seed Oil, Water, FragranceDimethicone, Black Sugar Extract, Sodium Pca, Betaine, Threonine, Sorbitol, Proline, Lysine, Lepidium Meyenii Root Extract, Glutamic Acid, Arginine, Alanine, Butylene Glycol, Cholesterol, Citrus Limon (Lemon) Fruit Extract, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Fruit Extract, Pyrus Malus (Apple) Fruit Extract, Carica Papaya (Papaya) Fruit Extract, Serine, Glycine, Alcohol Denat., Rice Ferment Filtrate (Sake), Hydrogenated Lecithin, 1,2-Hexanediol, Phenoxyethanol, Ceramide Np, Sarcodon Aspratus Extract, Sucrose, Ethylhexylglycerin, Tocopheryl Acetate, Disodium Edta





Results:
As stated above, I love that this cleansing oil is on the thicker side and that is dissolves makeup with ease. I like how it emulsifies into a milky texture but I find that after rinsing with water, my skin feels like it is left with a layer of film. This also has a very strong lemon scent that even after I have cleansed, the fragrance lingers. I have used the Black Sugar Scrub Mask which has the same scent but the scrub/mask dissipates unlike the cleansing oil. I happen to like the fresh lemony scent however, when I am lying in bed at night I do not want to smell like pledge wood cleaner. Eventually I find that the scent gives me a slight headache. For some odd reason the cleansing oil's scent lingers on my skin most likely due to the fact that at the moment, most of my skin care (toner, essence, serum, FTE, moisturizers etc) is fragrance free or has very little scent. If I use the Cosrx Low PH Cleanser (I would highly recommend btw) following this cleansing oil, the lemon scent doesn't seem to linger as much. 

Overall:
Although there is a lot to like about this cleansing oil, it is not for me. I love the formula but I just can't get past the lingering lemon scent. There are other cleansing oils out there that give me the same and better results without the fragrance. My favorite cleansing oil to date is the illi hanbang, anti-aging cleansing oil found here. Thank you so much for reading my review and for supporting my blog. 



Stay Beautiful ❤️

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