Lisa Eldridge's - Summertime Pink Duo Review and Swatches

If you haven't heard of Lisa Eldridge - you've been living under a rock! She's an incredible makeup artist, business woman, author and to add to her list of titles she's also the Global Creative Director of Lancome! When she launched her own lipstick line I knew I wanted to make some purchases.

For her first launch she ade sure to focus on a series of reds and nudes that matched any skin tone but for me, whose lipstick collection is primarily made up of reds and nudes, I wanted to wait until I could get shades that I didn't have a lot of. 

When her Summertime Pink Duo came out I knew it was the perfect time to strike! 

Take a look at my full thoughts below: 

Tony Moly Mr. Smile Line Patch Review

While Tony Moly is iconic for their cute packaging their whimsical designs bleed over into their beauty products as well. When I saw these little mustaches lined up by the register, for only $4 dollars, I couldn't help but purchase a couple for myself and boyfriend.



This hydrogel mask is pretty straight forward, just peel off the back and stick 'em on your face. More specifically, where your smile lines are.

According to the Tony Moly site the Mr. Smile Patch mask utilizes the essences of black sesame, blueberries, and mulberry to minimize your smile lines and promote smoothness in your skin. Stick the smile patches on your face and leave them on for 20-30 minutes.

Let's do this! 

The hydrogel patches are pretty thick and smell more floral than fruity. They're very lightly scented though, so I wasn't too bothered when I slapped them on my face.

Behold my grotesque visage.

For ideal smile line placement the patches should probably be angled a little further down.

For pictures I think the traditional mustache placement looks best. The one thing that really annoyed me while I was waiting the 30 minutes for the patches to "work" was that they kept on slipping off my face. It was a constant battle of readjustment and after awhile I just gave up and lay prone reading a book.



Additionally I didn't see a huge difference after the 30 minutes. Certainly my skin was more hydrated, having had something wet placed on my face for a period of time, but I didn't think my smile lines were diminished or my skin was much smoother than before.

Here are some basic before and afters. I feel like I'm smiling harder in the "before" photo, but as you can see there wasn't a significant difference.

If you're looking to take a cute selfie, I would recommend buying these, but if you're thinking that this product will have a beneficial effect on your skin...you'd be mistaken. I probably won't purchase these again, but they made for a cute 30 minutes of taking some selfies.

If you want to try out the Smile Line Patch, you can get a value set with the mustache patches and Tony Moly Lip Mask by clicking here.

Blast from the Past

Hey there! Feel like I haven't been updating recently? You're not wrong! I have been posting more recent updates on my Instagram and my Youtube Channel. Take a look:

Here's my most recent video about blackheads, sebaceous filaments and pore strips. Let me know what you think!

If you've already watched the video, here's a link to all the products mentioned so you can get your nose smooth!

*CosRX BHA Power Liquid: http://amzn.to/2pOxkvJ Dr. Pore Colloidal Clay Mask: http://bit.ly/2jUxbHA *DHL Deep Cleansing Oil: http://amzn.to/2r9XvRd

Tony Moly Egg Pore Tightening Cooling Pack

So I keep on mentioning that Tony Moly has adorable packaging, but I haven't showed you any of their products that actually adhere to this rule. Well, today that's all going to change.

Here's a member of the Tony Moly "Egg Pore" line, their "Tightening Cooling Pack." I actually purchased this thinking it was the "Egg Pore Blackhead Steam Balm." It wasn't. Which isn't to say that it's bad! Both products come in very similar packaging with the only difference being the color: white or brown.

It just had a different application than what I wanted. Like most people on this planet, I'm constantly looking for a product that will rid my nose of pesky blackheads. I've heard fantastic things about the "Black Head Steam Balm," but that review will have to wait for another time. The cooling pack's primary function is to minimize pores, tighten skin and restore elasticity.

Look at that attention to detail!

Let me start off this official review by saying there's no way to truly minimize your pore size. According to science, and Google, your pore size is genetically predetermined, so I didn't go into trying out this product with those expectations.  Instead I was thinking about its oil controlling properties, acne fighting properties, and overall skin health.

First thing that I immediately notice, the texture is WEIRD. It's aerated clay. It feels very spongey and has a bouncy texture. You don't be able to sink your fingers in, spoon it out and spread it on your skin. You'll have to break it apart and smooth a little "mask nugget" over you skin.

The second thing I noticed was the quantity that you get. I expected the egg to be more than half full of product, but you really only get the bottom third of the plastic egg filled with mask. You only get 30 grams of product.

The instructions on the box say to take a "moderate to heavy" amount and spread it over you face for 10-15 minutes or until dry. Then wash off with warm water.

The ingredients include:Water, Kaolin, Butylene Glycol, Bentonite, Titanium, Dioxide (CI 77891), Acrylates Copolymer, Sodium Hyaluronate, Zea Mays (Corn) Starch, Vinegar, Egg Shell Powder, Sea Silt, Glacier Water, Perfluorohexane, Tromethamine, PEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Cellulose Gum, Perfluorodecalin, Potassium Alginate, Pentafluoropropane, Disodium DETA, Phenoxyethanol, Chlorphenesin, Caprylyl Glycol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Fragrance. 

Here's my bare face before the mask. (Super Tired)

Despite the strange texture the mask was easy to smooth on my face. With clay masks I prefer an opaque covering of mask to really absorb all the impurities from my face.

Most of the masks that I use are clay based, I've tried bentonite, kaolin, and umbrian clay, and I find they really help with oil and sebum control. Waiting the 10-15 minutes wasn't unbearable, I just queued up some youtube videos and sat down.

Unlike the rest of the clay masks that I've had the pleasure of trying, that crack and crumble when they dry, this mask coalesced together and really did feel like it had a "tightening" effect. It was a bit difficult to talk after the mask had fully dried. 

After I washed the mask off my skin felt really good. My skin didn't feel stripped, but I did notice whatever bubbling breakouts I had underneath my skin became smaller.

This before and after picture is slightly deceiving, as the after makes my skin look more angry and red, but the next morning when I applied my makeup my skin's texture was phenomenal and looked markedly different. Again, I don't think it can "shrink pores," but in terms of acne fighting powers, sebum control and skin refining this is a pretty good mask.

The real drawback for me, is that you get a small amount of product.  On the other hand it retails for $13 so that's not necessarily too bad? The ultimate test is whether I'd purchase it again and yes I would. Despite the small negative of the amount of product, I felt like this mask offered something new and beneficial to my skin.

I hope this review helps anyone looking to invest in this product! I purchased mine from the Tony Moly flagship store, but if you're curious, here's a purchase link below:

Pretty and Cute
Amazon*

Kocostar Foot Therapy - Review

I was shopping at Urban Outfitters when I saw the blue Kocostar Foot Therapy package nestled in with all the Tony Moly goodies they stocked. A friend of mine, who worked for Soko Glam's Klog, did a review a while back on a Faceshop's "Smile Foot Peeling" pack. Intrigued by the foot peeling phenomenon, I had to purchase this pack and try it for myself. Luckily, I was able to force boyfriend into trying it too.

He's more religious about running than I am, but it's safe to say that both of our feet have taken a beating and, unfortunately, we're not very diligent about giving them some well needed TLC.

WARNING: VERY GROSS FOOT PICTURES 

Again, apologies for the gross foot pictures, but here are our "before" photos.

Did you know Kocostar is actually a Canadian company? They offer treatments for your hands and nails as well.

Active Ingredients: Alcohol, Water, Propylene Glycol, Lactic Acid, Isopropyl Alcohol, Urea, Glycolic Acid, hydroxypropylcellulose, Betaine, PEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Triclosan, Menthol, Fragrance, Disodium EDTA, Water, Butylene Glycol, Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract, Viola Tricolor Extract, Taraxa cum Officinale (Dandelion) Leaf Extract, Chrysanthemum Morifolium Flower Extract, Brassica Campestris (Rapeseed) Flower Extract, Prunus Serrulata Flower Extract, Butylene Glycol, Chrysanthemum Indicum Flower Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Melissa officinalis Leaf Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract, Aspalathus linearis Leaf Extract, Thymus vulgaris (Thyme) Flower/Leaf Extract, Jasminum Officinale (Jasmine) Flower Water, Coix Lacryma-Jobi Ma-yuen Seed Extract, Glycine Soja (Soybean) Seed E xtract, Triticum Vulgare (Wheat) Seed Extract, Oryza Sativa (Rice) Extract, Phaseolus Radiatus Seed Extract, Zea Mays (Corn) Kernel Extract, Angelica Gigas Root Extract, Cnidium Officinale Root Extract, Coptis Japonica Root Extract, Ganoderma Lucidum (Mushroom) Extract, Phellinus Linteus Extract, Phellinus Linte us Extract, Rheum Palmatum Root Extract, Laminaria Japonica Extract, Chlorella Vulgaris Extract, Porph yra Yezoensis Extract, Acer Saccharum (Sugar Maple) Extract, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Fruit Extract, Vaccinium Myrtillus Fruit/Leaf Extract, Saccharum Officinarum (Sugar Cane) Extract.

Look at that gross blister. 

Safe to say that boyfriends feet were in significantly worse shape than mine. 

When you open up the packet, don't expect it to be like a traditional face mask. It's dry and the little "painter's booties" are self sealed! Cut them open, jam your little feet-sies in and use the tabs to adjust for a tighter fit.

They were easy to get on, but sitting still for an hour and a half was actually a bit difficult. I'm naturally a fidgety person with a small bladder, so the only advice I would give is go to the bathroom first and turn on Netflix, Hulu, Youtube or whatever floats your boat and sit still.

The hour and a half passed by uneventfully and I didn't feel unpleasant tingling or burning. In fact, I felt nothing at all! Which made me curious to see if the treatment truly worked. Our feet were also pretty pristine after removing the "foot mask" and washing our feet off.

My feet felt a little "tight" due to dryness, but it wasn't unbearable. You can see that my feet are a little red and irritated.

However, we didn't truly see the effects until around 3 days later.

REALLY GROSS FOOT PICTURES 

Boyfriend's foot had significant shedding and continued on for about a week. He said that his foot did feel softer, but it didn't have any effect on his blister. I think continued use of the foot mask would be more effective.

My shedding was significantly less, but still there. I really wanted the callous on the ball of my foot to go down or get softer, but again I think one treatment was not effective enough.

Would I buy this again? Yes probably! We definitely grossed out all of our friends, but I think routine use of this foot pack would definitely give you softer feet. However, there's no way to target specific callouses or blisters in this pack (since you're wrapping your foot in the mask) and I would be worried about how the rest of my foot would hold out. I think I would probably use this once a month?

Purchase links:
Kocostar
Amazon*

Chloe Mini Drew: Review and Styling

Hey there, I hope you're doing well. Long time no see right?

I've put something a little new together that I hope you will like! I started blogging a long time ago to provide information that I thought would be useful to people when purchasing stuff on the internet. I'm not a very strong writer, so thank you for your patience, but it's always a bit difficult for me to type out something that balances humor and information.

So I've given a new form of a media a try....YouTube! I have a small collection of videos on there now, but I wanted to link my first one here. Let me know what you think!

Tony Moly 5 Day Mask Project: Day 3 Review

Day Number 3 of the Tony Moly 5. Day Project! As mentioned previously, the peeling and water glowing masks treated me well. I'll mention the same disclaimer as in my last post. Even though this post is coming much later than the original "Day 1" post, I completed this mask set in the allotted 5 days. 

Since it's been a while, let me refresh your memory on the five masks that come with the program. 

The masks, in order, are:
Day 1: Peeling
Day 2: Water Glowing
Day 3: Toning
Day 4: Lifting
Day 5: Total

According to the pack:

Day 3: Toning Mask

Concept of Vitamin injection (Brightening) / Lightening up the skin tone. With a effects of whitening from niacinamide and vitamin C derivative, the whitening mask sheet lightens up the skin tone and makes skin clear and clean. The cellulose fabric with excellent adhesion and transparency helps lock in active ingredients within skin with its moisture retention ability.

My super tired before face! After you've pulled out all the toxins from your face and restored moisture, day three is entirely dedicated to evening out your skin tone.

I didn't expect this to work wonders (I wish there was a single treatment that could even out my skin), but since the first two masks went so well, I had high hopes for this mask too!

Like the water glowing mask, this mask is made of plant cellulose as opposed to paper or cotton.

The mask experience was the same as the previous mask: cool, refreshing and relaxing.

As usual, I waited longer than the allotted 20-30 minutes and wore it for 50 minutes.

So excite.

Despite the change in lighting between the before and after photos, I do think the cooling nature and the vitamin C lightened my redness a little bit! I don't think it did anything for my hyper pigmentation though.

Between Day 2 and Day 3 I didn't think there was that big of a difference. My skin was certainly happier and my acne was getting better, but I didn't have that "stare in the mirror" moment like I had after Day 1.

Onward to Day 4!