April 2022 Haul!

 

May is that you? I can't believe May is almost half way here, it feels like it was just only yesterday the year started and now, we almost at the 1/3 mark-ish. I feel like the day goes by so quickly when you want to do something fun and relaxing but, when I am in meetings the day go by so slowly.

I got a few goodies this month but, I tried controlling myself. Ha, just kidding!  I heard good things about shampoo and conditioner bars and that they are really good for the environment. I got travel size versions of HiBar Shampoo and Conditioner bars. I recently started trying tablet toothpaste and I kinda like more some days. It definitely less messy but, more expensive unfortunately. I got another cleansing balm because I am completely addicted to them. I love how they can remove the most stubbornest makeup without drying out skin. I got a green tea one from Yadah. I have tried a few skincare products from them and they have been solid.

I got a few lip products because you know that's my thing. I got a new lip gloss from Patrick Ta in "She's Expensive" and yes, this lip balm was so expensive but so glittery! Speaking of glitter, I got some more Lancome Juicy tubes. "Magic Spell" just smells delicious and looks oh so pretty on my lips.

Is there anything you got recently that you are loving?

Etude House My Beauty Tool Lovely Etti Head Band

I have long hair so, when I came across this cute headband, I knew I had to get it. The headband has a thick band to keep hair secure while using masks, cleansing, or showering/bathing. It did take me a few times to set the wideband correctly and it was a bit tight even after a few uses. I am afraid that while it holds my hair up now, if it will keep its shape after multiple uses.

Julep Rethink Your Shower Hydrating Body Cleansing Oil

I usually use a  combination of shower gels and bar soaps for showering purposes. I feel like some shower gels are not moisturizing enough and well, some bar soaps are dull. Especially on days where I need to something "extra" to make my mornings more bearable. 

The lightweight body cleansing oil is packed with grape seed oil, coconut oil, kukui nut oil, grapefruit peel oil, and glycerin. It promises to leave skin hydrated and moisturized. The cleansing oil provided a generous lather and did leave my skin feeling soft. However, I still had to follow up with lotion.  It's not a bad shower cleanser but, it's definitely pricer than the brands available at the drugstore.

Sphatika Rose Cleansing Foam

The vegetable based foam is enriched with Bulgarian Rose oil, plant extracts and other rich emollients. The product provided a generous lather for the first few uses, but towards the halfway point, when I depressed the lever, it wouldn’t come back up naturally. The foam was thin and filled more with air bubbles. While, I enjoyed using the cleansing foam, I can’t in good conscience buy a product that when it hits its halfway point it needs to be trashed.

Clinique Acne Solutions Cleansing Foam Step 1

The twice daily cleansing foam promises to help clear skin and prevent acne. It removes dirt, excess oil and unclogs pores to leave face squeaky clean. When used as part of the clear skin system protocol, it  reduces active blemishes by 37% in 3 days. I don’t have many blemishes just the here and there stray pimple and then the dark spot that refuses to go away. The foaming cleanser had a slight medicinal scent and provided a rich lather. I didn’t purchase this foam to use as a part of the Clinique cleansing protocol but as a basic cleanser to use. I didn’t notice much of a difference over my regular drugstore cleanser. I still got the occasional pimple or cluster of small pimples on my face. I think I will stick to my regular cleanser and avoid paying the mark up.

Shiseido White Lucent Brightening Cleansing Foam

The purifying cleansing foam has a creamy lather that purifies the complexion to bring out the radiance of your skin. The cleanser is formulated with multi-action brightening system that targets spots and improve clarity and luminosity in skin. I used a bit of this with my Clarisonic brush and it left my skin a bit tight at first. After following up with moisturizer my skin felt and look radiant. My skin look more bright and luminous but my dark spots didn’t completely vanish..sadly.

       

Wen Fig Cleansing Conditoner

The five in one [shampoo, conditioner, deep conditioner, detangler and leave - in conditioner] conditioning cleanser is packed with aloe leaf juice, fig, and sweet almond oil. The cleanser promises to improve the condition of hair, reduce frizz and retain color.  The cleansing conditioner is free of sulfates and phthalates and provides lightweight, low lather conditioning to hair.  I love the sweet floral scent but I found the cleansing conditioner was too rich. It made my hair feel greasy, sticky, and  heavy. I felt like someone dropped a bucket of gel on my hair and it dried and got tacky. I think my hair is too thick for the conditioner so I usually mix this cleansing conditioner with my regular conditioner to make my hair more manageable.  I probably would not buy this again.

3Lab Perfecting Cleansing Foam

Photo Source - Dermstore

As the older you get, the more you can’t skimp out washing your face before going to bed.  I have use been using this foam religiously with my Clarisonic before going to bed every night. It leaves my skin feeling soft, smoother and radiant.  The foam  also brightens, clarifies and evens skin tone. It also doesn’t leave my face tight or dried out afterwards. The  cream is packed with spherical vitamin E beads, green tea extracts, lipids, shea butter,  and Sodium Hyaluronate. While the cream is expensive, I noticed that even with a dime size I still noticed results. It also removed makeup in one go which unlike other cleansers I don’t have to follow up with a cleansing cloth.

Biore Deep Cleansing Pore Strips

Not the best picture, but what can you do :P

With having more than 200,000 pores on your face, wouldn’t you want them to be clean as well? The oil - free paper mache strips promise to “deep clean” your pores and with regular use can reduce the appearance of your pores. I have been using these strips since I was in high school and they have helped removed the blackheads. Sadly, I didn’t notice an difference in the appearance of my pores or getting rid of my blackheads completely. While I wish I could get rid of the blackheads completely but these are fun to use in the meantime.

Lumene Sensitive Touch Cleansing Wipes

After a recent string of long nights at the office, I found myself with less time and energy to do my nightly routine. Seeing the damage of not removing my makeup before hitting the sack I decided to use cleansing wipes to remove my makeup with minimal time and effort. These wipes are laced with soothing organic arctic linen seeds and are free of alcohol, colorant, fragrance, silicone, paraffin oil, and paraben. The wipes removed most of my face makeup easily but it took several tries to remove my mascara. The wipes didn’t dry out my skin but I would recommend following up with lotion anyways.  Overall, these are good wipes but I rather Simple facial wipes.

Pond's Wet Cleansing Towelettes Evening Soothe

Photo Source -  Ponds

Some nights when coming home from a packed schedule, the last thing I want to do is remove the makeup from my face.  I usually keep a packet of these wipes near my bed or take them with me when travelling instead of lugging my Clarisonic around. These wipes are convenient and easy to use like most wipes except the ones where you can’t get the wrapper opened. And when you do, everything falls to the floor. The premoistened  wipes remove my mascara and makeup very easily without having to rub my skin aggressively or with the use of water.  The towelettes are packed with chamomile and white tea extracts but I don’t notice a scent on the towels. Overall, the towels are pretty good but I still prefer the Simple Cleansing Facial Wipes.

Simple Cleansing Facial Wipes

I usually keep a container of facial wipes everywhere. You can use them in so many different ways from refreshing your skin to removing makeup. I usually use facial wipes when I am too lazy to use my Clarisonic brush before bed [ which is a happening a lot more lately ] .  I have used many different brands and types of facial wipes and this one is one of my favorites. It is gentle, chemical and fragrance free and vitamin b5 enriched. When I first open the packet, the fresh scent of the wipes floated into the air. The wipes themselves felt a bit dry and I was a bit concerned I would have to use two wipes for my face. Boy, was I wrong! One wipe cleaned and moisturized my entire face and it was still damp enough for me to use on my neck and chest. It also managed to remove my waterproof mascara with one swipe.  It left my skin feeling soft and smooth.