Belif Hungarian water essence

Belif Hungarian water essence

This is a water-based moisturizer. I honestly give it a 1 out of 5. It didn't break me out. But it didn't moisturize me very well either. I did 2-5 pumps to no avail. This stuff just really couldn't quench my skin that well. And I don't have terribly dry skin either. I'm very combination oily/dry and lean a bit more oily. This didn't break me out though, and I have very sensitive and acne-prone skin. It was also terrible to apply my makeup over. It was not smooth at all.

In order to use this, what I ended up doing was doing 2 pumps of this and a full pump of my regular moisturizer (Neutrogena oil-free moisture sensitive skin) mixed together in my palm and then applied to my whole face and neck. I eventually used it all but really don't think it made a tremendously positive impact on my skin.

Buy the product here:
http://www.sephora.com/hungarian-water-essence-P394633

Origins GinZing Peel-off mask

Origins GinZing Peel-off mask

This was a lovely large sample I had sitting around for quite some time. I decided today was a good day to give it a try since my skin has been a bit clogged and dull. That was mostly my doing, though, since I didn't adhere to my skincare regimen very well last week.

As background, my skin is combination oily/dry. Very acne-prone, specifically in regards to cystic acne. Very sensitive.

I applied this on my clean, dry face after a shower. It went on smoothly, smelled a bit like oranges, and was the color of copper. I don't think I put it on thick enough because it dried in less than 5 minutes but was kind of a pain to peel off. As in, it didn't want to go off in a nice big sheet. I had to rinse with warm water and a wash cloth.

I give this a 3 out of 5. The results were pretty standard, but not spectacular. My skin felt nice and clean. Not too squeaky clean, but clean enough. This wasn't a super intense peel like a lot of others out on the market. So I feel like you could use this with more frequency than many. I just wanted to get my pores unclogged and it did a fair job at that. For a more intense peel, though, I'd go with the Boscia Luminizing Black Mask.

Link to buy the product:
http://www.sephora.com/ginzing-peel-off-mask-to-refine-refresh-P409768

Boscia Clarifying Detox Mask Review

I'm almost out of this Boscia Clarifying Detox Mask. That's because I think it is awesome. I only use this once every couple months. I used it recently because I spent all day in my makeup sweating outside in the hot and humid air hosting a Steampunk Swapmeet in my driveway. This stuff is really nice at drawing impurities out of your pores. I typically only use it as a spot treatment on whiteheads, but sometimes your skin calls for being totally treated.

Here's me sporting the mask:

I'd recommend to take a hot, relaxing shower before you do this mask. That will make your pores nice and open and ready to be treated. Use a non-drying, gentle facewash in the shower to get any makeup or face grease off. You want the mask to penetrate your skin a bit. This stuff can be pretty drying which is why I normally only use it as a spot treatment. If you have oily skin, you could probably get away with using this stuff once a week or every other week. Mine just isn't that oily.

This works basically the same as any other  kaolin clay mask but doesn't make my sensitive skin break out the next day! Once you wash your face, you pat it dry and do the mask. You put a thin layer on, let it dry for about 10 minutes, and then wash it off with warm water and a washcloth. This doesn't bleach anything, so it doesn't matter if you get it in your eyebrows or on your washcloth or towels. Rinse your face with cool water and pat dry your face. You cannot miss the final step of moisturizing, lest your face overcompensate for the lost oil and basically become a grease factory. Again, my face is middle of the road level oily, so I actually went with a deeper moisturizer than my normal daily moisturizer. Right now, I'm trying Murad Age-Balancing Night Cream but full review is pending on that as I've only been using it maybe 4 days now.

Product review: Murad Time Release Acne Cleanser

I got this jumbo sample ages ago and due to its size, threw it in my travel bag for use at conventions/the gym. I'm almost all the way through this tube and I can heartily say: I love this stuff. My acne prone, sensitive skin actually feels great when I use this stuff. Since I am using it mostly at conventions, it has to have the ability to do two very important things: 1. Really scrub off all the makeup at the end of the day (hello heavy makeup for costumes!) 2. Not dry out my skin (usually I change makeup for day vs. night and sometimes even more often for a costume change). This stuff is amazingly effective at both.

I've also started to use it when I go to the gym and use the gym shower. Its good at scrubbing off all my oily, sweaty self in preparation for my daily makeup. It keeps the zits at bay, scrubs off my makeup, doesn't over dry, doesn't smell gross and leaves my skin feeling so fresh n so clean. I'm debating throwing down the $30 to get 6.75 oz, but it seems kind of insanely priced. I wish I could just keep getting the smaller travel tubes but I either got this as a sample or part of a kit (couldn't find it even in a kit just now). The product is really great though, so it is very tempting and I highly recommend it.