Philosophy Purity Made Simple Review

Two weeks ago, I got this cleanser from Sephora as a free 100-point reward with the purchase of any skincare item. I've heard many great things about this cleanser, but I've never gotten the chance to buy it because the price can be pretty steep ($20 for 8 oz, $32 for 16 oz) compared to my usual drugstore purchases. However, you only need a nickel-sized amount each time, so one expensive bottle can probably last you a long time.

Product Description
"Philosophy Purity Made Simple is a ph-balanced formula that rapidly dissolves dirt and makeup while deep cleaning pores. The best-selling cleanser contains infusions of sage, chamomile, and carrot."


Other Information

• "One-step", meaning it's supposed to replace makeup remover, eye makeup remover, facial cleanser, and toner
• Safe for the eyes
• Designed to soothe even the driest and most sensitive skin, but can be used for all skin types (including acne-prone)
• Can be used everyday,  day and night

Packaging
Comes in a round, fat plastic bottle with a black push-top cap. Although my 12 oz bottle is short, it holds a lot of product because the bottle is so wide.


Experience

The bottle with a stack of nickels

The cleanser has a soft, milky texture that smells strongly like rosemary, sage, and other fancy herbs (every time I use this in the shower at night, the smell reminds me of the soap you'd get in a five-star hotel or cruise ship spa, which is a very very good). I wet my face, take a small amount in my hard, and spread it onto my face for 30 seconds to 1 minute. It doesn't have much of a lather (bubbles), which I don't mind. Because this cleanser claims it can take off stubborn eye makeup, I massage it on my eyes as well, and experience zero irritation.

I can feel it clean deep down and gently wash away dirt and grime when I use it. Although it doesn't contain any acne-fighting ingredients, existing breakouts looks smaller and less red (but doesn't eliminate them) and I haven't had any severe acne breakouts since using this (although I still get small bumps here and there). The cleanser doesn't leave any soapy residue on the face, and your face feels moisturized and smooth, not tight. I don't see much of a reduction in pore size, oil-control, or skin texture improvement though.

As far as its makeup-eliminating abilities go, it is effective to an extent. It takes off the day's BB cream and eyeshadow gently and very well (although I only wear small amounts of eyeshadow on a daily basis. If you like to sport darker or more dramatic eyes regularly, you may have to wash your eyelids two or three times because this cleaner may not get all of it the first time around). Its mascara-removing abilities are average-- although it takes off most of my usual Covergirl Waterproof LashBlast Mascara, I still have a faint gray ring under my eyes after I'm done showering (but nothing that can't be removed with another makeup remover).

Does this cleanser live up to the price and hype? Indeed it does, not by too much. It is an excellent cleanser for a soothing experience, effective cleansing, acne control, and light-to-moderate makeup removal, but I feel like a few drugstore cleansers can do the same. If you have the money to spare, definitely try this cleanser out! If you're strapped for cash, just keep looking for the right drugstore cleaner for you because I'm sure there's one out there.


Final Thoughts

• Can be expensive, depending on your budget
• Very smooth and creamy texture
• Strong smell of herbs
• Cleans skin well
• Diminishes existing acne and prevents severe acne from forming
• Skin feels nice and soft after use
• Safe for the eyes, but may not remove all of your eye makeup if you wear a lot of it
• A very good cleanser overall, but drugstore cleansers can definitely compare

Recommend it? Yes!

Rating: 9.1/10

Love,
Jessica

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My Beauty Diary Mask (Arbutin Whitening and Black Pearl) Review

Mel and I recently went on a trip to New York to visit Chinatown before attending SMTown Live at Madison Square Garden (AMAZING concert, btw). In Chinatown, we went to Kam Man, which is an Asian supermarket with a little Sanrio/accessory/Asian cosmetic boutique on the second floor. The both of us purchased a My Beauty Diary Mask for the first time; I got the Arbutin Whitening Mask and Mel got the Black Pearl. 

Product Description

Arbutin Whitening Mask - "Arbutin is combined with cherry blossom extract for a one-of-a-kind skinwhitening that gives skin an ethereal and radiant glow. Fruit extracts then act to metabolize skin's natural renewal process, refining and evening out skin tone with continued use."

Black Pearl Mask - "A best seller, Black Pearl Mask softens and whitens skin while bringing back its original resilience and glow. The natural active ingredients of white pearls brighten and soften skin. The citrus trio of pineapple, lime and cucumber gently shed off dull and dead skin cells to reveal a newer and more vibrant complexion. Black Pearl Mask is recommended for normal skin types to improve skin elasticity."

Other Information

• The masks are in sheet-form; each is made of thin cotton fibers thoroughly soaked in serum
• My Beauty Diary offers many different types of masks for different skin benefits
• Taiwanese brand, made in Tawian

Packaging

All My Beauty Diary Masks come in a colored paper box specific to the type of mask. Each box contains ten sturdy foil pouches. Each pouch contains one sheet mask, meant for one-time use.

Experience

My Beauty Diary is an Asian skin care brand that is especially known for its sheet masks. The masks come individually packaged. Once you open the pouch, the cotton fiber mask (in the shape of a large circle with holes for the eyes and nose) will come neatly folded with a plastic blacking; the plastic helps you unfold the serum-drenched sheet. You then are supposed to fit the mask over your face: I had an easy time adjusting the mask to the contours of my face, but Mel thought the mask was too big so she had to fold the corners over. After leaving on for 20-30 minutes (I left in on for 40 with no problems), you take the mask off WITHOUT RINSING. The last step is to massage the remaining serum into your face until fully absorbed. It may take a few minutes, but during the entire process your skin will feel extremely refreshed and soft. You can follow with your usual skin care routine (eye cream, moisturizer, etc.) but I found that it wasn't necessary. These masks are meant to be used 2-3 times per week, which is sufficient for the quality of this product.

Both of us had an excellent experience with each of our masks. For Mel, she thought her Black Pearl mask was soothing and refreshing (keeps you awake during homework). After you put it on, she feels like your pores get clean and your complexion is instantly brightened. The only thing she didn't like about the mask was the once size, which was too big for her small face. My experience with the Arbutin Mask was much the same; the mask feels fresh and cool, with a pleasant scent, upon putting it on the face. After taking it off and in the process of massaging the serum in, I could tell that some of my acne scars were clearly lighter (but nothing too dramatic. With a few more applications I predict that some spots will be completely gone.). My face was incredibly soft and moisturized afterward, but the serum can leave a slightly tacky feel on the skin.

[Hint: After you use the mask, there will be so much remaining serum on the plastic and in the pouch that it feels wasteful throwing it all away. You can massage the remaining on other parts of the body, or, to save some product for later, carefully fold the plastic back into the pouch and store the pouch upright back in the box so the serum doesn't drip or dry out. For the days in between when you don't use the mask, take the plastic out and rub it directly on a cleansed face, or squeeze the rest of the serum directly from the pouch.]

Final Thoughts

• Many different varieties for all skin types and needs
• Good value (We each paid $11 for a package of 10 masks)
• Smells pleasant
• Visible difference after only one use (face brightened, sunspots and acne scars lightened), but nothing drastic
• Didn't break us out
• Save the pouch in between uses to get the most out of it
• Asian brand; can be hard to find

Recommend it? One million times yes.

Rating: Jess gives it a 9.4/10, Mel gives it a 9.0/10

Love,

Jessica and Melody

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Aquolina Pink Sugar (Eau de Toilette and Hair Perfume) Review

Pink Sugar has a special place in my heart because it’s the first “grown-up” perfume I’ve ever owned.  It’s definitely one of the most popular and distinctive scents out there- when a girl leaves a sweet-smelling trail as she passes by, I can assure you 99% of the time that she was wearing Pink Sugar.

Pink Sugar hair perfume and a pretty-much-gone bottle of the eau de toilette

Product Description

“Stylish and lively, with a distinctive personality, Pink Sugar takes you on a journey through the pleasures and flavors of childhood with a playful blend of vanilla and caramel.”

Other Info

Notes: Bergamot, Sicilian Orange, Raspberry, Fig Leaves, Lily of the Valley, Licorice, Strawberry, Red Fruit, Cotton Candy, Vanilla, Caramel, Musk, Wood, Powder

Packaging

Both the eau de toilette and hair perfume come in tall, slim bottles (the toilette bottle is made of glass, while the hair perfume bottle feels like hard plastic).

Experience

[Toilette review below, hair perfume review under “Other Products”]

Scent

This scent is extremely popular for many reasons. The name “Pink Sugar” is perfect- it smells girly and super sweet. Upon initial spray, a bakery-like aroma fills the air around you; you can clearly smell the vanilla, cotton candy, and caramel notes. And I find that depending who you come in contact with, the opinion of what this “smell” is can change- while wearing this scent, I’ve heard everything from “You smell like marshmallows” to “Something here smells like cupcakes” from guys and girls alike. As the scent develops and dries down, the deeper notes of musk and powder start to come through while still retaining the sweetness from before.

There’s no doubt that Pink Sugar is meant to make you smell like some sort of sugar-laden treat. While some may find that they love gourmand (foodie) scents like this (I personally love them), others may be turned off by the idea of coming off as a walking desert. This candy-like smell can suit all ages, but depending on your taste, you might consider this smell to be too childish.

The main drawback I find with this product not with the product itself, but its popularity. It’s one of the most-rated products on Sephora and I can recognize girls who wear this perfume everywhere I go, especially in school. They all smell delicious, but that’s the problem- they ALL smell delicious. When you wear this scent in public, chances are, another person will also be wearing it and you may not feel as unique. Lately I've stopped using this scent simply because I smelled it all the time.

Application and Staying Power

The staying power of the toilette is incredible; I can still clearly smell the perfume on my skin at the end of the day, and it sometimes sticks to my clothes for the next few days. Take extreme caution as to not bathe yourself in this perfume. Just a few spritzes on the pulse points are definitely enough before it becomes overpowering. Any more and you will definitely give those around you, and yourself, a headache. This scent is quite heavy and is probably best suited for colder months, but can be worn from daytime to nighttime.

Other Products

The hair perfume has the same scent, but slightly fainter and lacking just a little in the depth department compared to the toilette. As a hair product, it doesn’t deliver very much. Alcohol denatured is listed as the first ingredient, so it can be slightly drying, but it contains silicones to “soften hair” and other ingredients for UV protection. The product will weigh down hair if used excessively.

However, the hair perfume can be used solely for the purpose of its scent. It gives the hair a delicious, faint Pink Sugar smell (I find myself sniffing my wads of hair from time to time), and can be spritzed on the body for a lighter but not-as-long-lasting smell than the toilette. I bought this for $15 at Sephora, so if you want to experiment with the scent but don’t want to spend money on an entire bottle yet, I strongly recommend you purchase this.

Final Thoughts

• Very candy-like, young scent
• Will receive comments and compliments
• Extremely popular
• Insanely long staying power
• The toilette is very strong; spritz sparingly
• Better for colder months, can be worn day to night
• Hair perfume fails as a hair product, but succeeds as a fragrant mist
• Hair perfume is a great value
• While the toilette bottle looks pretty on the dresser, due to its high concentration of vanilla scent, the perfume will yellow over time.

Recommend it? Yes and yes.

Rating: Eau de toilette gets a 8.7/10, hair perfume gets a 7.9/10

Love,

Jessica

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Benefit Cosmetics Feelin’ Cheeky! Minis Set (Posietint, High Beam, and Benetint) Review [Swatches]

I bought this Benefit set a few months ago and have used each product many times since, hence the scratched-up bottles heh.

Product Description

“A travel-size set of Benefit's three bestselling cheek products: Benetint, Posietint, and High Beam. This trio features Benetint, for the sexiest flush you can get from a bottle; Posietint, which imparts a poppy-pink tint to brighten cheeks and lips; and High Beam luminescent complexion enhancer.”

Packaging

Each small, cylinder-shaped bottle stands about two inches tall. The white caps house nail polish-like brushes with firm bristles. Each bottle holds about 0.13 oz. of product.

Posietint bottle

Benetint brush

Experience

Posietint

Posietint is a bubble gum pink gel stain. A few blended dots on the cheeks will give you a youthful and natural pink glow, while on the lips Posietint tints your lips an even, sweet pink color. The consistency is gel-like and easily spreadable, therefore you have a little more time to work. It also stains more evenly than liquid Benetint. I find myself using Posietint most often out of the three products in this set.

High Beam

High Beam is a luminous pink “complexion enhancer”. The consistency is creamy and packed with shimmer; High Beam is meant to highlight rather than color like Posietint or Benetint. Although it looks very opaque and pearly in the bottle, it thins out to give any feature a soft glow. Apply it on high points of the face or any points you want to illuminate (such as the tops of the cheeks, browbone, bridge of the nose, cupid’s bow, and inner corners of the eyes) and blend to instantly brighten with extremely fine shimmer that would flatter any skin tone.

Benetint

Benetint is a rose-tinted, rose-scented liquid stain. On your cheeks, you can use the brush applicator to apply a swipe of tint on the apples of your cheeks and quickly use fingers to blend upwards for a sheer red flush. The color is buildable and looks natural only when applied properly. Similarly, Benetint can be dotted on the lips and patted on for a just-ate-a-cherry-popsicle look. However, make sure your lips are exfoliated and moisturized! The liquid stain looks quite unflattering on chapped lips and will color unevenly (the inner portion of your lips will look redder than the rest). But because the consistency is watery and packed with color, the stain will last a long time- much longer than many lipsticks and blushes of the same color. Also, be careful of your clothes! Benetint doesn't just stain lips and cheeks.

Posietint, High Beam, and Benetint unblended

Posietint, High Beam, and Benetint blended

All three products work very well and yield beautifully natural results, but what really makes this set a winner is the value. Everything costs $15 at Sephora, and is a great way to sample each product before shelling out $28 for a full-sized bottle of one. Moreover, the cute little bottles are portable and last a surprisingly long time. I've been using Posietint on the lips almost daily for the past few months and I feel that I won't run out until the next two or three months.

Final Thoughts

• Posietint gives you a youthful pink flush, I use this most often
• High Beam adds a shimmery but natural glow to the face
• Benetint stains lips and cheeks a rosy red, but the liquid consistency can make it tricky to apply
• An awesome value ($15) and lasts a pretty long time

Recommend it? Indeed I do.

Rating: 9.7/10

Love,

Jessica

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Skin79 Super Plus Triple Functions BB Cream (Hot Pink Label) Review [Swatches]

Mel bought this BB cream from Hong Kong over the summer and we’ve both been using it everyday for the past three months.

Product Description

“Moisture based triple function BB cream takes care of the base as well as colour makeup and allows the skin to look bright and natural without greasiness or feeling tight”

Other Information

• Contains ingredients to protect, brighten, and whiten (fades acne scars and discoloration over time)
• Contains anti-aging ingredients
• Controls oil
• SPF 25 pa++

Packaging
This BB cream comes in an adorable hot pink cylinder container with a hygienic vacuum pump. The mirrored, silver top has a button you press to dispense the product with ease and control. Contains 40g of product.

Experience

Not sure what BB cream is? Read our article here.

Overall, we both like our experience with the Skin79 Hot Pink BB Cream. Considering that Mel has combination skin with dry patches and Jess has oily and acne-prone skin, this BB cream has proven to be quite versatile and suitable for most skin types. This BB cream did not break any of us out, but it can accentuate dry patches on Mel’s skin.

Like most BB creams, this one only comes in one shade. It has a slight grey cast but will oxidize to suit most pale skin tones. The consistency out of the pump is thick compared to most mid-coverage foundations, but applies thin once smoothed out with fingers (our preferred method), sponge, or a brush.

Swatches on the back of Mel's hand

BB creams are generally very pigmented; a little goes a long way. The coverage is definitely buildable. It provides medium coverage, if rubbed on, to full and concealer-like coverage, when patted on with fingers. It covers sunspots very well (in fact, even whitened them) and covers pimples and acne scars moderately well. In addition, it doesn’t accentuate pores or wrinkles.

This BB cream gives a satin finish that should be set with powder if you need to control oil or prefer a more matte finish. Because it contains SPF 25 pa++, your face will appear paler than the rest of your body in flash photography (set your face with a tinted powder containing no SPF to fix this problem).

Though the product claims to minimize sebum production, the oil control is medium. It doesn’t contribute to oiliness, but the natural oils produced by your skin throughout the day will not be completely absorbed. Those with dry to normal skin should not have any problems, but girls with oily skin or those who plan to wear this all day should set the BB cream with powder and keep blotting sheets handy.

The scent is mild and pleasantly floral. It fades after application and should not be offensive to those who are sensitive to strong smells.

Because this BB cream is an imported product, it can be hard to find and expensive if you order it out of Asia. Mel bought this BB cream for 55% off at Sasa for 89 HKD, or 11.44 USD.

Final Thoughts

• Does most of what it claims (lightens spots, protects and anti-ages with SPF, but can’t say anything about anti-wrinkle yet)
• Good experience with different skin types
• Only comes in one shade, so not be suitable for all skin tones
• Thick consistency, applies thin
• Buildable, medium to full coverage
• Medium oil control
• Container is a bit smaller than expected, but still holds a lot of product
• Imported, may be expensive and/or hard to find

Recommend it? Definitely.

Rating: Jess gives it a 9.5/10, Mel gives it an 8.7/10

Love,
Jessica and Melody

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