Paula's Choice CLEAR Acne Kit Review

Hello Everyone!

Wow, I cannot believe it's been this long since my last product review :| I hope you still find my blog useful and hopefully I'll get back into the habit of doing more frequent reviews! :)

Long story short - I had came back from a two weeks business trip in India back in August and my skin took a turn for the worst :( It might've had something to do with the food that I had consumed while I was out there but most importantly - their poor water quality. India is one of those places where even doctors would recommend you brushing teeth with bottled water due to their water issues. Unfortunately, I couldn't afford to wash my face with bottled H2O as well so it became extremely bumpy and I had gone through rounds of break outs for weeks after this trip...

While trying to rescue my face, specifically targeting these crazy break outs...I came across Paula's Choice CLEAR Acne Kit. Paula's Choice hasn't really being on my radar in the past because you typically don't see their products at Sephora or any of the beauty section in Macy's/Norstrom so I was a bit skeptical on the quality and effectiveness of it. For USD$13, I was able to get 3 trial size bottles so I figured why not give it a shot. Additionally, they claim to be fragrance-free and suppose to be great for sensitive skin to use as well.

Let's go through each of these products - first, the CLEAR Pore Normalizing Cleanser: I actually like this cleanser quite a bit because it just feels...clean! My face doesn't feel dried out after each wash and it also doesn't leave any residue which is a major plus. Personally I don't like those cleansers where they claim to keep your skin "moisturized" by leaving an invisible layer of oil of some sort that could never be washed off so Paula's Choice won my heart in round 1.

CLEAR Anti-Redness Exfoliating Solution - This is step 2 of the kit and counts as their "leave-on toner". I thought it was a little strong for me in the sense that after you softly wipe your face with a cotton ball filled with this solution, it exfoliates the top layer off of my face to the point where my skin turns a bit red. It also smells a little funky, potentially has to do with the 2% salicylic acid inside. I don't enjoy using the solution in the morning as much since I have to follow up with sunscreen and other make up products which occasionally causes some irritation to my skin. but I do like to use it at night because it does make my skin feel and look much smoother the next morning!

CLEAR Daily Skin Clearing Treatment - As the last step, you're suppose to apply this product on acne prone/active area. This step dried out my skin quite badly unfortunately so I tried to minimize the use of it unless my skin is extremely inflamed. Similar to step 2, I tend to use this product at night only. It contains 2.5% benzoyl peroxide that's meant to prevent acne breakouts - I like to use it as a way of reducing the redness of my active acne overnight so that I can wake up to a much better looking and calmer face.


All in all - I'm pleased with this line of products and I actually ended up buying the full size cleanser (USD$12) and the exfoliating solution (USD$26) because I did see an improvement of my skin after the first 2.5 weeks of using the trial kit. 
I will most likely try out more of Paula's Choice products and will let you know how they are afterwards!
Thanks for dropping by and happy Friday :) 

NARS Multi-Action Hydrating Toner Review

Hi Everyone! Happy Wednesday to those of us who are one day closer to the upcoming long weekend :) Today, I wanted to share with you guys my thoughts on the NARS Skincare's Multi-Action Hydrating Toner which I've used steadily for the past 2+ months.

For whatever magical reason, I've lived the past 28 years blindly without ever applying toner on my face until it was introduced to me by a NARS makeup artist at Saks Fifth Avenue in SF. [I had signed up for a free makeup consultation sponsored by work last December and was sold on the concept of adding "toner" to my daily routine.]

By definition, toners are meant to help restore our skin's pH level after cleansing. It was created back when people were using bar soaps which had the tendency of raising our skin's pH level beyond its natural/preferred stage. Nowadays, due to all the fancy face washes we have, toners are used more for general skin restoration as it contains antioxidants and skin-repairing substances.

That being said - I decided to give NARS toner a try since it was highly recommend during my consultation for my extremely dry skin. This toner claims to "hydrate, soften, and exfoliate" which seemed like a perfect fit where it moisturizes and gently removes all the dead/unwanted dry skin cells on my face.

This toner is priced at US$32 before tax for 6.7oz bottle. As much as I wanted to rave about this, I unfortunately am just not a big fan of this product :( It did an okay job with exfoliation to remove the dead skin cells during application, however, I felt it was too temporary. I continued to have the same flaky skin issue on my forehead after cleansing and have not seen any improvement despite having used this toner consistently for a while now.

Another slightly bothersome fact about this product is their bottle design. The pump tends to leak or drip quite frequently. Although I do wipe it clean with the cotton pad each time, I feel like I'm forced to waste or use up more of the product than I really needed to.

I'm about two-thirds of the way through with this bottle and can't wait to try out something new next :P Perhaps NARS skin care is just not the right fit for my skin but do let me know if you have a different experience or have a suggestion on which toner I should give it a go next!

That's all for now, thanks for stopping by until next time :)

Origins Free Mini Facial!

Today I made an impromptu free mini facial appointment with Origins and I must say, my skin feels pretty happy right now :) I highly encourage you guys to take advantage of the free mini facials service in stores if you are near one! I do recommend making an appointment ahead of time if the store around you seems busy.

Prior to the facial, an Origins consultant will chat with you to learn more about your skin type in order to pick out the products they want to use on you. They'll also provide a headband and bib for clothing protection.

Here are the products that were used on me:

The entire facial lasted for about 40-45 minutes from talking to the consultant to walking out of the store with samples. They began by cleansing your face with Checks and Balances frothy face wash. It felt okay, seems just like your typical face wash. Then they moved on to exfoliation with Modern Friction exfoliator which is made out of rice starch, lemon oil, aloe, and peppermint. It's a very gentle scrub and left my face feeling super soft afterwards!

To wash off the exfoliator, they used warm water which helped open up my pores in time for 5 minutes worth of Clear Improvement charcoal face mask (containing white china clay) treatment. I did feel like the mask was trying to pull things out of my skin, making the process feel somewhat tight and peppermint-y with cold yet hot feeling all at the same time.

After the mask, the consultant proceeded with Zero Oil toner and followed up with the Mega-Bright serum which supposedly helps with reducing dark spots and evening out discolorations. She also applied Plantscription eye cream that minimizes fine lines underneath your eyes.

Last by not least, my facial was finished off with A Perfect World moisturizer with SPF 25 and made with white tea. I have to say this mini facial was a great success. Upon looking in the mirror after the facial, I did notice the pores on my nose were tightened and my skin were soft and well hydrated.

All of Origins products are formulated with natural and organic ingredients and I'm happy to report that I had no allergic reaction to any of the products used on my face!

Oh and here are all the goodies/samples I ended up walking out with (which essentially is a complete set of all the products used during my facial):

Reflection

Seeing my own reflection in the mirror today, it suddenly dawned on me that my "twenties" is silently walking away! Aside from prepping for the 30's welcome party, I did notice a few new visitors [aka fine lines underneath my eyes] are awaiting at my doorsteps...

While I'm nowhere close to being a professional in beauty or skin care, I do want to start encouraging those around myself and perhaps inspire some of you out there to start taking care of our skin. [I'm 28 and I want to believe it's not too late to start paying attention to what our body is trying to tell us.]

That being said - please keep an eye out for my future posts with reviews, and potentially makeup tutorials! I shall share all my good and bad experiences and hope to make some new friends along the way!

Here's to 2014!