Reviews and Other Stuff

Sephora Collection Masks Review

October 4, 2016 / FASHION & BEAUTY / 0 comments

Hi loves! today let’s talk about skin care. As you see, the key to make your makeup standout is to have a clear and healthy skin, but sometimes our face or skin can be exposed to harsh elements that tend to make our skin dull and stressed out. A good solution for this would be to relax and unwind, go to a nice spa because after all, life’s a beach. But nowadays, life can be so hectic that we barely have the time to chill. Thank goodness for some good face masks that you can do at the comfort of your home nowadays. I specially like the Sephora Collection face, eyes, foot, hands and sleeping masks. I usually grab some of them whenever I have the chance to visit that store. They’re so relaxing and so refreshing.

These masks (except for the sleeping mask) are made of natural fibers with different ingredients to target specific skin care benefits or needs. While the sleeping mask is more of a gel moisturizer that you can apply on your face overnight. They are dermatologist tested and I’ve never had any break out ever since I started using these.

Sephora Eye Mask. Favorites: lotus, green tea, pearl and rose. Such a refreshing mask for my tired and puffy under eyes with some dark circles. The green tea ones are so good for easing tension and stress around the eyes.
Sephora Face Mask. Favorites: green tea, pearl, orchid and rose. Never knew that the secret to a clean and refreshed face is a nothing but a serial killer face mask, LOL. Well, the mask itself is not scary, but once I applied it on my face, I got so scared at my own reflection. I thought I transformed into someone like Michael Myers or Jason Voorhees! While this face mask is not for the faint of heart, joke!, the feeling of having this one on your face is like being in a spa somewhere in the Pacific, haha! also, this could double as your halloween costume. Just saying…:-)

Sephora Hand Mask: Favorites: argan and avocado. This is basically a pair of coated gloves with extra moisturizing and nourishing effect to condition dry and tired hands. You just have to keep wearing the gloves for 15 minutes and voila! For me, these hand masks helped a lot because I tend to have dry hands, so I use this in conjunction with my favorite hand lotion.
Sephora Foot Mask: Favorites: lavender and almond. A pair of plastic disposable sock masks that resembles a shoe wrap infused with some hydrating and repairing extracts that alleviates dry and sore feet. Wear it for 20 minutes and notice your feet feeling extremely moisturized and soft. It’s so good for someone who suffers from cracked heels.
Sephora Sleeping Mask. Favorites: pearl, lotus, pomegranate. The only non-fiber or non-cloth mask that resembles like your usual gel-textured moisturizers. You’re supposed to apply it on your face before going to sleep and leave it overnight. For me, it’s not that different from my usual bedtime moisturizer, so I don’t use this often. Sometimes I’d put it in the refrigerator for that extra cooling effect during application. But overall, I only noticed a touch of softness on my skin the following day. So I suggest using this only from time to time.

I’m pretty sure some of you may have tried these already. For me, I really like the eye masks, face masks, and foot masks the most. Which ones suit your fancy?

For more information and where to buy these masks, visit http://www.sephora.com

Thanks for reading guys!

See yah!

Follow me in instagram: @reviewsandotherstuff

Favorite Compact Powder Foundations

September 29, 2016 / FASHION & BEAUTY / 0 comments

Hey All! Today I’ll be reviewing about my top 3 Favorite Compact or Loose Powder Foundation which I’m currently using in conjunction with my favorite liquid foundations.

These compacts are so good at absorbing oil from your skin and giving you that mattifying or slightly silky finish. Some of them come with Spf while one can be used wet or dry. I’ve repurchased a few of them simply because they’re so good, while a few are the ones I’m currently testing and loving. I must admit that I don’t have a lot of powder foundations given that I have an oily skin. I really should have, but my issue is, once I fell in love with one specific powder foundation, I tend to hoard them while forgetting to venture and try some other ones out there. I’m kind of a product/brand loyal once I’ve found the right or compatible product for my skin, and that’s because in the past, I’ve had issues with powder foundations looking cakey on me, plus I’m also loving the liquid matte foundations that’s been popular lately.

Powder Foundations are really great for the summer when your skin is prone to sweating and humidity, but I still think that you should go to where you’re most comfortable with and what works well for you. I like using liquid foundations during the cold months because my skin tends to be drier and liquid foundations give that extra moisture on my skin.

Anyways, you ready for my top 3?

MAC Mineralize Spf 15 Foundation/Loose (Medium Plus) : Had this for some time and is currently being discontinued by MAC. The closest product I could find is this. What I like a lot about this foundation is its overall packaging and formulation. I love mineral makeups, but my skin tends to break out with them. Yet this foundation is mild and it works really well in making my skin looking oil-free. I also love its quick easy to apply buff/sponge.

Dolce & Gabbana Perfect Matte Powder Foundation (Warm 100) : L.O.V.E. I am totally crazy about this foundation. My absolute favorite and hands down one of the best powder foundations I’ve tried. I know a lot of people that swear by this and have repurchased this several times. What I like about it? There’s a lot to like about it for sure. Besides from creating a very natural look, it can be used wet or dry and it has such a fine and smooth formulation that mattifies my skin for several hours without any annoying scent and no breakouts later. My skin does not look completely flat like a flatbread, (LOL) but more silky or velvety. I also love its gorgeous packaging and it comes with a nice sponge. I’ve repurchased this several times now because I’m afraid of D&G discontinuing this, plus this particular product tends to run out easily. Another great thing about this product is that the shade Warm 100 is really spot on my skin color. Just a few drawbacks though, first, the price. It’s $61, so better use it down to its last grain. And lastly, there’s no Spf. Might as well make good use of moisturizers and primers with sunblocking capabilities. I recommend Murad Oil-Control Mattifier and Smashbox Photofinish Primers since they both have SPF.

Chanel Le Teint Ultra Tenue Ultrawear Flawless Compact Foundation Spf 15 (30 Beige) : A great all-in-one compact that answers to your oily skin issues. It produces a matte effect but it also has a natural and flawless finish. Extremely buildable and comes with a sponge applicator and with the typical yet subtle Chanel foundation scent, just like the Vitalumiere Aqua and the Perfection Lumiere Velvet. The shade 30 Beige is also a true match to my skin tone just like D&G Perfect Matte Foundation in Warm 100 reviewed above. Actually, these two powder foundations mentioned are almost neck and neck with each other. I can’t tell which one I preferred more. I just had this Chanel Le Teint Ultrawear Compact Foundation but I’m already liking its soft and well-refined formulation that is very very similar to D&G Perfect Matte Foundation as well. Plus it has an Spf 15 and it’s also $1 less.

As you can see in the swatches below, the shades from Chanel Le Teint Ultrawear Compact Foundation in 30 Beige and D&G Perfect Matte Foundations in Warm 100 are almost invisible on my NC30 skin. As with the most effective way of choosing your foundation, the shades should match and disappear on your skin tone quite well.

Any recommendations for a good mattifying powder foundation? What are the ones you swear by?

For more of Reviews And Other Stuff, follow in Instagram: @reviewsandotherstuff

See yah!

Murad Oil-Control Mattifier SPF 15 Review

September 23, 2016 / FASHION & BEAUTY / 0 comments

Howdy Friends! In my quest for finding a great mattifying product in a sea of varying mattifiers out there, be it makeup or skin care, I stumbled into this Murad Oil-Control Mattifier with Spf 15. Actually, I’ve been so curious about this particular mattifying moisturizer because I’m a huge fan of Murad skincare, especially the Murad Rapid Age Spot and Pigment Lightening Serum and the Murad Essential-C Cleanser. Murad products are one of those reliable skincare products that actually work, and the ones I usually rely on whenever I have skincare issues.

I have an oily and acne-prone skin which I’ve been trying to manage with some mattifying makeup foundations and oil-control blotting sheets, but lately, I’ve been experimenting on this Murad Oil-Control Mattifier Spf 15 to see if this moisturizer is going to help me even more in managing my skin. I don’t think I have the oiliest skin in the world, but it’s oily enough to bug me.

A lot of people seem to swear by this Murad Oil-Control Mattifier and I tested it against my normal oily-prone skin and also against my regular daily moisturizer for several days to see if this product actually works or would actually work better than the products I’m currently using in controlling oil.

I used the Neutrogena Shine-Control Blotting Sheets for this experiment and swiped them once on the oiliest part of my face which is the forehead down to my nose. As a baseline to show my skin’s oiliness, I swiped the oil-control blotting sheet on my forehead and nose right after washing my face, and as you can see below, there’s almost no oil blotted. Just so you know, this Murad Oil-Control Mattifier is meant to give your skin that mattifying effect for 8 hours.

Here’s what I did and what I found:

Day 1: Washed face and blotted with an oil-control sheet as a baseline for oiliness. No moisturizer or anything applied on the face thereafter. 7 hours later, I swiped the oil-control blotting sheet on my face.

Day 2: Washed face and applied my regular moisturizer on the face. 7 hours later, I swiped the oil-control sheet on my forehead and nose.

Day 3: Washed face and applied the Murad Oil-Control Mattifier on the face. 7 hours later, I swiped the oil-control blotting sheet on the oiliest part of my face.

As you can see above, this product works, but it didn’t completely obliterate the oil from my face. It just minimized or controlled it even after almost reaching 8 hours. What I noticed is that this particular moisturizer works best at the beginning of the application but as the 8th-hour approaches, my face looks quite oily already. If you have moderate oiliness on the face like me, I suggest that you may still need the help of mattifying powders or foundations plus oil-control blotting sheets to combat the oiliness along with this Murad Oil-Control Mattifier as a moisturizer. Until someone invents a cement face powder for my oily face, lol, I’ll be using and recommending this as a good oil-control product.

Have you tried this already? What was your experience?

Follow me on Instagram: @reviewsandotherstuff