Garnier Nourishing Cleansing Oil Review

TGIF!!! It's been a long and exhausting week for me. I'm so glad the week-end is here so I can finally chill.

One thing I love about oil cleansers is that they are gentle on the skin and are usually effective at removing makeup, even long-wearing makeup. This makes cleansing much easier and quicker for me.

Packaging

• Simple and clean plastic container with a pump. The pump can dispense too much product if you don't carefully press on it. It's a bit tricky and difficult to control. 
• 4.2 oz or 125 ml 

Product

• Although this product is labeled for dry skin, I think most cleansing oil are good for all type of skin. 
• It contains macadamia and jojoba oil to help dissolve makeup and cleanse skin. I find that it actually does a very good job at that. It's a much more gentle way to remove makeup. 
• I usually just do one pump. I find that it is enough for my entire face. I apply the oil over dry skin and rub my face with my hands for a couple minutes and then rinse with luke warm water. The oil emulsifies and looks a bit milky. One thing I really like about this oil is that I feel that it rinses off thoroughly. Some other oils I've tried tend to cling on my skin. 
• It doesn't dry or irritate my skin. My skin feels smooth after I use it.
• I personally wouldn't use this alone and mainly use it for removing makeup. I like to follow up with a different cleanser or exfoliator. 
• It has a fresh clean scent. I like it. 
• I've also used it to remove makeup swatches and it melts them instantly. Making clean up easier. 

Final Thought

Does an excellent job for removing makeup. Smells nice and is gentle on skin. Love the price. The only thing I didn't like is the pump dispenser that is a bit difficult to control.

Rating: 9/10

Price: $6-$8
Availability: Wal-Mart, Walgreens, Ulta

Do you use oil cleansers? Which ones do you like?

L'Oreal Clean Artiste Waterproof & Long Wearing Eye Makeup Remover - Review

Happy Sunday!

It snowed a bit yesterday. I didn't do anything so far beside drinking some coffee. It's sunny outside but it looks cold and I don't feel like going anywhere. So here I am finishing up some reviews.

Packaging

• The packaging looks pretty and green. 
• Surprisingly this bottle came with a child-proof cap. That's a little annoying for me personally since I don't have small children but perhaps it was necessary because the opening is pretty wide open so you would need to be extra careful since you could accidentally pour too much product out. 
• 4 oz or 118 ml

Product

• So I have a thing for bi-phase makeup remover because I've found that most of them are pretty effective at removing long-wearing or waterproof makeup. I was pleased that this remover worked out very well. It did quite an excellent job removing my eye makeup, including the waterproof ones.
• It doesn't feel oil. It was gentle and didn't irritate my eyes. 
• I didn't detect any scent. 

Final Thought

It does the job fairly quickly and effectively. What more can I ask for? Oh yeah packaging could be a little better I suppose but not a deal breaker. Love the fact that it's affordable and easily accessible.

Rating: 9/10

Price: $6-$7
Availablity: Walgreens, CVS, Wal-Mart, Ulta

Tried it? What is your favorite drugstore makeup remover?

Almay Longwear & Waterproof Gentle Eye Makeup Remover - Review

If there is one beauty product I can't feel guilty of purchasing, it has got to be makeup removers because I use them religiously and rely on them to remove my makeup. They never go to waste and I always put them to good use. I love trying a few different brands so I can review them as well as find out which ones really do work. Recently, I picked this one up from CVS and if you've been following me for a while, you may have noticed that I have a thing for dual phase makeup removers, lol, and they are usually the ones I tend to pick up generally because I've mostly had good luck with those.

What Almay says about this makeup remover...

Gently and easily lifts away makeup, completely removing even the most stubborn waterproof mascara and longwearing products. luxurious dual-phase formula leaves skin feeling conditioned and moisturized. hypoallergenic. fragrance-free. dermatologist tested.


Packaging

• Cylindrical plastic bottle
• 4 oz or 118 ml

Product

• So the first thing you want to do with these dual phase removers is shake them so that you can mix the water and oil together. Then pour a few drops of it in a cotton pad or cotton round and gently wipe your makeup off. 
• I don't always wear waterproof makeup but I do mostly wear water-resistant and smudge-proof makeup. I immediately noticed that this remover didn't do very well at dissolving my eye makeup and I had to do more rubbing in order to get it off. It doesn't sting my eyes and I find it rather gentle for the eye area but perhaps a bit too gentle since it doesn't work as effectively as I expected. 

Final Thought

It will work for removing certain type of makeup but it's not very effective for waterproof and smudge-proof makeup. I think this is the first of this kind that didn't work for me. If you need a heavy duty remover that will do the job yet remains gentle on the eyes, this isn't the one for you.

Rating: 7/10

Price: $5.00-7.00
Availability: Ulta, CVS, Target

Huge Jordana Haul (With Preview Swatches) & Some L'Oreal

I'm super excited to show you this haul. I went to Walgreens last night to pick up two hand full of Jordana products. Crazy eh? Well, to justify my craziness, Jordana was on sale at for BOGO 50% off so I went nuts and grabbed whatever my two hands can hold.

Ok so the funny story is that I went to another Walgreens first before doing my grocery shopping and I had picked up just one Jordana Balm stain along with two L'Oreal products. After I was done grocery shopping, came home and ate supper, I decided to swatch Tropical Frenzy, which is the shade I initially got. I was like wow, this feels nice. I go online looking for swatches and reviews of the other colors and come to find that it was on BOGO sale at Walgreens and I didn't even know! Boo me! But I blame Walgreens for not labeling the sale.

It was 9 pm and I decided to run off to the Walgreens closest to home, an hour before they close to grab the rest of this haul because I didn't want to miss out on the BOGO sale. Yep, beauty junkie mentality to its fullest!

I don't know how new these balm stains are but I think they are fairly new. In all, I purchased 7 of the Twist & Shine Moisturizing Balm Stains. They have 8 shades available and the only one I didn't get is Candied Coral. Beats me why I didn't get it. Maybe because I already had a coral balm stain? I don't know what I was thinking. Here's a quick preview of the swatches below. I will review them eventually.

Quick note, Tropical Frezy and Sweet Pink are extremely similar when swatched. I think Tropical Frenzy may be just a tiny bit brighter but honestly you don't need both. Another thing I want to mention is that prices vary between Walgreens. The first Walgreens I went to, they charged me $3.29 for one of these, whereas the second Walgreens I went to, they were sold for $2.99 each. With that said, the prices are low to begin with and the sales makes them even lower, which is why I ran off to Walgreens like I had a makeup emergency crisis, lol.

Secondly, I saw the 12 Hours Made To Last Eyeshadow Pencil, which reminded me a lot of the Milani Shadow Eyez and the Rimmel ScandalEyes. I just had to have them. I really want to know how they compare. These are $3.99 each. I picked up the shades: Endless Emerald, Continuous Almond, and Pink Evermore.

I love eyeliners and seeing that they came up with the 12 Hr Made To Last Liquid Eyeliner Pencil, I had to try a few as well. These were $2.49 each at regular price, again like I said earlier prices may vary between stores. I got the shades: Purple Fix, Jade Jewel, and Espresso Last.

So far, my initial impression of these new Jordana products are good and they have a potential to become new favorites as well but I will tell you want I really think of them once I have used them enough to form a better opinion. One thing is for sure, the prices for these babies are awesome and won't break the bank!

Lastly, while I was at Walgreens, I saw that L'Oreal was on BOGO sale as well and I've been curious about the Magic Nude Liquid Powder since I read on Beautezine that it is comparable to the Giorgio Armani Maestro foundation. I have not tried the Maestro foundation but I wouldn't be surprised if the formula is similar since Giorgio Armani is owned by L'Oreal. I had that eye opening experience with two eyeshadows from Lancome and L'Oreal which were practically identical, you can read it HERE if you missed it. L'Oreal is the parent company to several high end brands like Lancome, YSL, and Urban Decay. This is $12.99. 

Didn't know what else to get for my BOGO item so I grabbed the L'Oreal Clean Artiste Waterproof & Long Wearing eye makeup remover. Normally priced at $7.99 for a 4 oz bottle. I go through these makeup removers a lot so it's always good to have a back up.

Whewwww...Ok, that's it for now. Did you take any advantage of the Jordana sale at Walgreens?

Haul - Ulta, Victoria's Secret, and a Few Miscellaneous Items

Guess who went shopping! I got a coupon from Ulta a couple days ago for 20% off my entire online or in-store purchase so I decided to put it to good use.

I was in desperate need of hand soaps. These Ulta Anti-Bacterial hand soaps have quickly grown on me. I love them just as much as the Bath and Body Works hand soaps. These were on sale for $4.00 each. The coupon brought them down to $3.20.

I've been eyeing this spray for some time now and with the coupon, I thought it was a good opportunity to finally try it. My hair is pretty long and reaching down to my waist now. Seems like it took me forever to grow them. Anyways, I always wished my hair was thicker and had more volume because it's always flat and boring. I'm hoping this will give them the bounce I've always been dreaming of. This bottle is $26 but with the coupon, I saved $5.20.

NYX Cosmetics are BOGO 50% off sale. I've had mostly good experience with this brand so I'm always looking for the next thing to try. I usually wait for a sale for the opportunity to snag new goodies.
More eyeliners! If you've been following me my recent swatch posts, you know how much of an eyeliner junkie I am. I, of course, had to get more.

• NYX Super Skinny Eye Marker Carbon Black, $8.99. I usually don't have much luck with marker type eyeliners. I was hoping this one would prove me wrong. 
• NYX Born To Glow Liquid Illuminator Gleam, $6.99. I don't know what I was thinking. Highlighting isn't usually my thing but I gotta say, this one looked quite beautiful when I tried out the tester in store. 
• NYX HD Photogenic Concealer, $4.99. I don't know why but I've been on a concealer kick lately, lol. This one looks promising. 
• NYX Slide On eyeliner Tropical Green, $7.99. I dig this deep shimmery green color. 

Pond's Wet Cleansing Towelettes ($5.49) were on BOGO 50% off. Actually, all Pond's products are on sale at Ulta right now. I was debating between another pack of makeup wipes or a cleanser but since I still have a lot of cleansers to go through, another pack of wipes was the logical decision.

Scuppered and Jack the Lad

I've been wanting these two polishes for the longest time. My lemmings for them are finally over! I justified my purchase with the coupon, which saved me $6.00 on these two babies. I think the price of Butter London went up. Didn't they used to be $12.00 a pot? They are now $15.00 each...*Cringe at the price*
Scuppered is OMFG amazing! I nearly cried when I finally claimed it as my own. It was like being reunited with a long lost lover. Yeah I know, sounds a bit dramatic but nothing gives me the high like a pretty nail polish does. Jack the Lad is also gorgeous, was going to put it back on the shelf but my bad self couldn't do it so in my bag it went as well. This concludes my Ulta haul.

Moving on to Victoria's Secret...

Yep, I'm back to trying to find a new scent and VS has all their beauty products for buy 2 get one free.

• Dream Angels Heavenly body mist, $15.00 Free. Notes: white musk, sandalwood, vanilla, and white peony. I like this one but I think I would love it if the floral note was stronger and the white musk and sandalwood notes were softer. 
• Very Sexy Touch body mist, $15.00. Top notes: Juicy red pear, honeysuckle, gilded apricot, fresh citrus.Middle notes: Vanilla orchid blossom, blooming magnolia, white peony, Italian iris. Dry-down notes: Vanilla bean, creamy coconut, clean vetiver, amber wood, musk...Dang, I didn't know this one had that many notes but I'll have to agree that this fragrance smells like a lot of stuff has been put into it! My daughter picked this one for herself. It has a sweet fruity floral scent, which is usually what she prefers.
• Very Sexy Temptation body lotion, $20. Notes: Passion flower, Moroccan jasmine and blushing orchid. The lotion is light and absorbs quickly. It has a bit of a sweet scent. Maybe a bit too much for for my nose. 

I found a store at the mall that sold this polish for a buck. It has a mix of chunky red glitters, smaller red glitters, and holographic bar glitters.

Francesca's has some cute jewelries. I don't shop there very often but this time I decided to check it out. The earrings on the left ($18.00) looks like two medallions attached together. It's approximately 2 inches long. The earrings on the right has two jade-like colored stones. The length of the earrings is approximately 1 1/2 inches. It was originally $12.00 but jewelries were BOGO 50% off so this one ended up being $6.00.  

I guess that's it for now...

Have you tried any of these products or is there any that are going on your wishlist?

NYX Eye & Lip Makeup Remover Review

I purchased this makeup remover from Cherry Culture during their sale on NYX products and I've been using it for the past few days so I'm ready to tell you what I think of it.


Packaging

• Clear round plastic container
• 2.8 oz or 80 ml. 

Product

• I typically have good luck with these dual water&oil makeup removers and that's one of the reason I wanted to try the NYX makeup remover. You need to shake it up before use. 
• Does it work? YES! And it worked better than I expected. It removes quite quickly and melt always my waterproof eyeliners and long-wear cream shadows with ease. 
• It's also gentle on the eyes. It does not sting. 

Final Thought

Removes waterproof makeup with ease, check. Doesn't irritate eyes, check. The bottle is rather small. I didn't realize how small it was until I received it. If you use eyes makeup often, this probably won't last very long.

Rating: 9/10

Price: $7.00
Availability: Cherry Culture,

Boscia Makeup Breakup Cool Cleansing Oil Review

I realize I have a lot of skincare product I haven't reviewed and I am working on them. I think skincare is more of a personal experience since we all have different skin type. For myself, I really don't have much complaint about my skin. I'm not sensitive to products and my skin is overall in good condition and easy to manage so I rarely notice a dramatic difference when I use a product but I can tell if I enjoy it or not and I can comment on how I personally feel about the product.

I don't know how you feel about cleansing oil but I really wanted to give it a try. Boscia is a skincare brand that I've been using for a while. I personally loved the Enlivening Amino-AG Eye Treatment and the Restorative Night Moisture Cream.


Packaging

• Milky white plastic bottle with a pump. The only complaint I have with the packaging is that it isn't travel friendly. There's no cap and no lock mechanism. 
• 5 oz or 150 ml

Product

• I need at least 2 pumps to cleanse my face and I think that's a lot of product per  use.
• It feels very slippery and greasy, just like oil, and that was expected.
• It has a subtle minty scent. The weird thing is that they say it's a "cool" cleansing oil but I actually feel a little warm when I rub this on my face. 
• I wouldn't recommend it for removing eye makeup. 
• Once I rinse with warm water, the oil emulsifies and comes off easily and doesn't leave any oily residue behind.
• It does a fairly decent job at removing makeup; however, it still leave a bit behind. 
• I still needed to use a separate cleanser since my face doesn't feel that clean with this alone.

Final Thought

It's a fairly decent makeup remover but it's not perfect. Too much product used per cleansing so it goes fast and for that price and that amount, that's a bit too much for me. You still need to cleanse your face with another product. I've always liked Boscia's skincare so I thought I would give this a try, however, this product didn't meet my expectation because the value and price isn't a good match.

Rating: 8/10

Price: $26.00
Available at Sephora

Do you like cleansing oil? Which one have you used?

Estee Lauder Take It Away Makeup Remover Review

Hello Lovelies,

I've been feeling lazier these days. I miss doing a lot of things that I normally do but my road to recovery is on the right path. I only have to wear my boot for 2 more weeks but I've been getting frequent muscle cramps.

Today, I'll be reviewing this makeup remover that I purchased at the CCO for $20.00. Now, if you get this at any other Estee Lauder counters, you'll pay $25.00 for it.

What Estee Lauder says about this remover...
Quickly and gently removes all makeup, even long-wear or waterproof formulas.
Unique water-based creme-gel refreshes you with a crisp herbal citrus scent.
Rinses away easily and leaves skin feeling soft and smooth with no greasy afterfeel or oily residue.

Packaging

• Minty Blue plastic container with a pump. I'm a bit surprised it didn't come with a cap but when you move the head to the correct spot there is a lock mechanism that prevents the pump from dispensing products. The pump works well and is easy to control. 
• 6.7 oz or 200 ml. A pretty generous amount I'd say. 

Product

• This is a cream makeup remover. You basically apply to the area you need to remove makeup and wipe it off with a cotton round. 
• It doesn't work as effectively as I would like because it takes a lot of time for it to dissolve my eye makeups and it smears them all over my eyes when I try to wipe it off. 
• I prefer to use it to remove my face makeup because it's less messy.
• Because it is a cream and doesn't leave any oily residue, I also like to use this to fix and remove any makeup mistake I might have made. 
• It's non-irritating and has a fresh scent. 

Final Thought

Overall, this is just an ok remover. I would not recommend this for removing eye makeup and waterproof makeup since it doesn't do a very good job in that area. However, for removing face makeup, I find it handy. The bottle contains a generous amount that will last me a long time. I don't think I will repurchase once I'm done with it though. 

Rating: 8/10

Price: $25.00

Available at Estee Lauder and Cosmetics Company Outlet.

Missha Review - Green Tea Lip & Eye Makeup Remover and The Style Lip & Eye Makeup Remover

Hi everyone,

Today, I'll be reviewing these two Missha Makeup Remover that I bought and tried. I am typically drawn to any makeup remover that has water and oil. They say water doesn't mix with oil but they sure make good makeup removers. I often wear long-wear and waterproof makeup and I've had good luck with these types of makeup removers.

Missha Green Tea Lip & Eye Makeup Remover

Packaging

• It's quite cute because it's heart-shaped from top to bottom.
• 90 ml, which is approximately 3 oz. It's rather small for me because I can go through that pretty quickly.

Product

• It's actually a really good makeup remover. It's gentle on the eyes, not itching or burning, and is quite effective at removing waterproof makeup even if it doesn't claim to be for waterproof makeup. 
• It does feel slightly oily on the skin after you've used it but I'm ok with that since I end up washing my face afterward anyways.
• It has a subtle but pleasant fresh scent.
• It's almost as good as Lancome Bi-Facils.
• It contains green tea extract and has no alcohol. 

Final Thought

This little bottle sells for $7.99 on Missha's website but you can get it for less during a sale. It definitely works great  for both removing eyes and lip makeup without irritation. My only complaint is that I wished the bottle was bigger for that price.

Rating: 9.5/10

For more info on where to purchase and ingredient list, follow this link.

http://www.misshaus.com/ctrl.php?page=mainProductDetail&p_code=MSMS2107&ctg=ABF

The Style Lip & Eye Makeup Remover

Packaging

• The packaging is made of plastic. It's simple, round, and practical. 
• 100 ml or 3.38 oz

Product

• While it did a fairly decent job at removing regular and waterproof makeup, it doesn't work as quickly as the Green Tea Remover.
• It's gentle, alcohol-free, and non-irritating
• Subtle, non-offensive scent.

Final Thought

You can purchased this remover for $5.99 on Missha's website but can get it for cheaper during sales and promotions. It does a good job and is gentle on the eyes but just take a bit longer to dissolve the makeup. Since I've had better, I probably won't repurchase.

Rating: 9/10.

For more info on where to purchase and ingredient list, follow this link.
http://www.misshaus.com/ctrl.php?page=mainProductDetail&p_code=MSMS2015&ctg=ABF


What's your favorite makeup remover?