Philosophy – Purity Made Simple Review

Adapted from Sephora.com:

Purity Made Simple
What it is:
A highly effective one-step facial cleanser.
What it is formulated to do:
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.
What else you need to know:
Purity Made Simple is part of a collection of Philosophy products designed to soothe even the most dry and sensitive skin.
Best of Sephora Winner 2008

I received a sample of this from Sephora, and I’m almost out.  I do plan on buying a larger bottle. =]

I *love* this cleanser.   I have combination skin and this stuff is great! My face feels so soft after – like a baby’s bum.  It never leaves my skin feeling dry or tight.  It feels… balanced and fresh.

It takes off all my makeup, cleanses, and tones all in one step! me love. =]  Especially since I’m so lazy, and this allows me to skip steps hehe.  Also, the product is categorized as ‘Naturally Sephora’.  To learn more about Naturally Sephora - *click here*  The scent smells a bit herbal, doesn’t bother me.  The consistency of the cleanser is liquid.  It doesn’t really foam, and on my face it feels gel-like?  I don’t know.  Maybe that’s just me. haha

Overall,  I think this is an excellent cleanser.  I definately recommend going to Sephora and asking them for a sample.  Hey … it’s free … that’s always a good thing. =]

Missha Perfect Cover BB Cream Review

“Missha M Perfect Cover B.B Cream offers a novel skincare concept with BB Cream, which lightens skin tone by healing visible wrinkles and blemishes with excellent skin cover ability, and prevents skin aging through effective whitening and anti-wrinkle properties”

The Before and After:

  

See the difference?  I do!!! Brightening… check! Concealing… check!  Even skin tone… check!  Can it replace my foundation? ABSOLUTELY!

I use Shade No. 23 (The darker version). 

This BB Cream comes in 2 shades – No.21 & No.23.

What I like about Missha M Perfect Cover:

It feels light.  However,  it doesn’t feel as light as other BB Cream’s I’ve tried.  I still feel that there is something on my face.  What I like the most about it is the packaging.  It comes in a tube with a pump!  So you don’t risk the chance of getting too much product out of the tube as compared to the traditional squeeze tubes.  One pump is enough to cover my entire face.  It also has a very light scent to it – floral scent?  Not entirely sure, but it doesn’t bother me.  It’s actually pleasant =], but the scent doesn’t linger around too long.  Another plus – sun protection.  This BB Cream has THE BEST sun protection I’ve come across… SPF 42 PA+++!  Awesomeness!  You get the sun protection without dishing out more money for sunscreen =] 

What’s PA?

SPF protects against UVB, while PA protects against UVA.  So if you’re going to be in the sun for a bit, it’s a good idea to get a product with both SPF and PA.

The Cons:

Oil control.  Compared to other BB Creams, namely Skin79 DermaRx… its oil control is so-so.  I tend to get a bit more oily at the end of the day with this on – total bummer! =[  And I’m too lazy to do touchups haha, but with this I’d have to use MAC’s Blot Powder on top, and then touch up with some blot powder throughout the day.

The Verdict:

I really wish this BB Cream had better oil control.  But despite that, it’s not like it’s something that can’t be fixed with some powder.  Would I buy this BB Cream again – YES!  The price is decent – about $20 (ebay) for 30mL.  That is a GREAT price for a product with such good sun protection!  That’s probably the main reason why I’d buy it again. 

It would be awesome to find a BB Cream with the oil control of Skin79 Derma Rx and the sunscreen of Missha M Perfect Cover.  My perfect BB Cream would be a combo of both, more on the Missha side because it makes my skin look nicer. =]  Tried this BB Cream?  Liked it?

Mascara Review/Comparison - Dior Mascaras

Dior is one of my favourite make up brands. It's quite pricy, but the quality is great. Me likey =]Lucky for me, I don't have the stereotypical asian lashes - short and straight. Mine are 'ok'. Not long, not short, and not totally straight. If you lovely ladies read my reviews on drugstore mascara, you'd know I always go for the waterproof versions. <^_^>

I really wanted to love Iconic, but it just didn't work that well on me. It's probably because I had high expectations for it. This mascara promises to lift, curl, separate, volume, and lengthen your lashes. Who can ask for more right? I love how this has a slight shiny finish to it. It doesn't dry matte. But for me, this was only an ok mascara, so I probably won't be purchasing it again. This definately separated and volumized my lashes, but it didn't do such a good job with lengthening or curling it. When I used it without an eyelash curler, Iconic didn't really add much curl. For the price - $27 USD ($34 CAD), I really did expect more from this mascara. The hype around this mascara is crazy, but it just doesn't work as well as I thought it would. Have you tried this mascara? How do you like it?

Dior Blackout - From Dior's line of mascaras, this one is my least favourite. It has kohl pigments in it to give you that super black dramatic look, great for a smokey eye. However, I don't like the brush. There is too much product in between the big spaces in between the bristles. It's probably because the brush that my lashes seemed to clump together. I get better results when I use a tissue to take the excess off, and it really does volumize. I don't like 'extra' work, and I feel like it's such a waste of product. I think I will like this a lot more if they changed the brush to something that is more dense. It's not like I will finish the tube in 3 months anyway, but I still feel like I'm wasting. Blackout also didn't really hold my curl, nor did it really lengthen my lashes. You'll probably *love* this mascara if you already have long lashes.

DiorShow & DiorShow Unlimited - my loves. I have to review these to together. I find the formulas of these two very similar - buildable and light. It keeps my curl, and there is absolutely no smudging. The only difference aside from the brush sizes is DiorShow is more volumizing and Unlimited is more lengthening. I often layer these 2 on top of each other for a more dramatic effect. These mascaras can be used for the natural look, and can easily be built up to add drama - with no clumping! *I love*

The huge brush that comes with DiorShow takes abit of getting use to, but once you get use to it, I guarantee you'll love it! The Unlimited brush is heaven. It's tiny and can easily reach hard to reach lashes, so every single lash is coated. I love the duel sizing too! I use the longer bristles on my top lashes, and the short bristles on my lower lashes.

I would definately repurchase these 2. But if I were to choose 1, I'd go with Unlimited because it gives me longer lashes and the brush is uh-mazing! Also, L'Oreal's Voluminous gives me a similar effect to the original DiorShow, for about 1/4 of the price!

Tried Dior's mascaras? What do you think of them? Love it? Hate it?

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Drugstore Mascara Review/Comparison Part 2

Whoohoo!! Weekend is finally here. My crazy week is over, and I can finally get some sleep =]
Checker out part 1 if you haven't already >^_^<

*L'oreal*

Double Extension Beauty Tubes
Volume: 2/5
Lengthening: 3/5
Curl: 0/5
Smudge: 0/5
Clumping: 2/5
Repurchase: No
For the price of this mascara, I expected more. It slightly lengthens, and does add a little volume. The secret with this mascara is not to let the primer dry before you layer on the mascara. The problem I have with this is that it doesn't keep the curl. My lashes are straight after applying this, and I have to go back and recurl them. For the price, it's not worth it.

Panoramic Curl

Volume: 2/5
Lengthening: 3/5
Curl: 4/5
Smudge: 0/5
Clumping: 0/5
Repurchase: Yes



This mascara is decent. It only adds slight volume and length. Nothing too dramatic. Overall, this isn't a bad mascara.

Volume Shocking
Volume: 2/5
Lengthening: 1/5
Curl: 0/5
Smudge: 1/5
Clumping: 4/5
Repurchase: No
This mascara SUCKS. It doesn't volumize despite its 'volume shocking' name. The packaging is huge. It totally uncurled my lashes. The formula feels very thick and heavy. Even after blotting the excess mascara off the wand before application, this stuff still clumps. Don't let the name fool you like it did me... all this will give you is clumpy, straight lashes... GROSS.


Voluminous

Volume: 5/5
Lengthening: 3/5
Curl: 5/5
Smudge: 0/5
Clumping: 0/5
Repurchase: FOR SURE!!!

This is hands down *the best* drug store mascara I've ever tried. It deserves a HG status for me. =] It's my 'go to' mascara. I always come back to it. The formula is so smooth and light. *Loveliness* XD The thing I find with this mascara is that when it is new, it's a little 'watery', and it gets creamier after a couple uses. This is comparable to the infamous DiorShow mascara, but for the fraction of the cost. I've repurchased this many times. They better not discontinue the mascara.

Stay tuned for my reviews on higher end mascaras!

I'm curious to know what your favorite drugstore mascaras are. *Smiles*

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Drugstore Mascara Review/Comparison Part 1

Mascara… It’s something I can’t live without. I’ve tried so many mascaras, and I thought I’d share my thoughts on them. I finally got around to clearing up my stash… and this is what’s left. It’s still a lot >^_^<> Things I look for in my mascara is volume, length, smudge factor, clump factor, and if it can hold my curl. When I buy mascaras, I tend to get waterproof formulas since I find they hold the curl better. What do I think of my mascaras?

*Cover Girl*


Lash Exact

Volume: 2/5
Lengthening: 3/5
Curl: 1/5
Smudge: 0/5
Clumping: 3/5
Repurchase: No

It clumped my lashes together, and didn't look natural. It uncurled my lashes, and I had to go back after and recurl them, which is something I shouldn't do. *grr* However, this did not smudge at all!
Lash Blast

Volume: 3/5
Lengthening: 3/5
Curl: 5/5
Smudge: 0/5
Clumping: 0/5
Repurchase: Yes


This is one of the better drugstore mascaras I've tried. No smuding, dries fast, holds the curl. The only thing about this mascara is it's a pain in the ass to take off. The brush is huge as well, and it takes a bit of getting use to. Not really a fan of the packaging. It's too bulky.


*Maybelline*
Define-A-Lash

Volume: 2/5
Lengthening: 3/5
Curl: 4/5
Smudge: 0/5
Clumping: 0/5
Repurchase: No

This one is just *ok*. Nothing special. It's good for more natural looking lashes, but I prefer more dramatic lashes.



Volume Express

Volume: 1/5
Lengthening: 1/5
Curl: 2/5
Smudge: 0/5
Clumping: 2/5
Repurchase: No

This mascara really didn't do anything. It just 'coated' my lashes. I would think from the name of it, it would give me lots of volume. It doesn't. Total waste of my money.



Lash Stylist

Volume: 2/5
Lengthening: 3/5
Curl: 4/5
Smudge: 0/5
Clumping: 0/5
Repurchase: No

This is one of those mascaras that require more time to apply. You have to take off the excess product from the comb before applying, or it'll clump like no tomorrow. Other than that, it's decent. But I won't repurchase this just because I like mascaras that don't require any effort to put on. I'm lazy. haha

*Rimmel*

Magnifier


I'm not going to even rate this mascara. I've tried the normal and the waterproof formula. It's one of the worst products I've ever tried. It clumps. It doens't lengthen. It doesn't volumize. I don't know what this is suppose to do. It definately doesn't 'magnify' my eyes. It also leaves my lashes stick straight after. *Awful*

*Revlon*

This is another mascara that doesn't even deserve to be rated. I bought it because it had a small wand and the brush was different, so I thought I'd give it a try. Boy, was it a mistake. The brush is horrible. It definately thickens my lashes, but in a very clumpy kind of way. The formula is so thick and heavy, it uncurled my lashes. This is probably the worst masacra I've tried. I literally took it out, tried it once, and it was just left sitting in my mascara drawer until I threw it out. What a waste.

What are you're favourite mascaras? I would love to know =]. Leave me a comment below or on my cbox. =]

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Drugstore Mascara Review/Comparison Part 2

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