Shiseido White Lucent Intensive Spot Targeting Serum Review

Who knew having nice skin took so much time and effort.. and not to mention money. It makes me regret not taking better care of it when I was younger and had the perfect baby soft, clear, and untouched by pimples and scars face haha. But anyways, today's review is going to be on the Shieseido White Lucent Intensive Spot Targeting Serum (wow that was a mouthful) and if you're trying to decide whether or not to slap that grand of money on the table for this product, well read on~!

 

Price: $170 for 50 mL

What it claims to do: "A super brightening serum created to diminish stubborn dark spots in 10 days and prevent future pigmentation from appearing." 

• Formulated with smoothing and re-texturizing ingredients to enhance clarity and radiance for flawless, perfectly even-toned skin
• Developed with advanced Shiseido Multi-Action Brightening System+, targeting all types of hyper-pigmentation and their causes: dark spots, age spots, acne scars and uneven skin tones. 
• Contains ME Complex (Yomogi Extract and Angelica Root Extract) to accelerate cell turnover and diminish and eliminate melanin pigment.

"The recommended replenishment cycle for 30mL is 1 month and 50mL is 2 months."

Okay all of that above was taken straight from the site so I'm sure you've read it before, but let me point out that last sentence.. the "recommended replenishment"?! I started off with the 30mL bottle and it lasted me a year. Maybe it's because I was super sparing with the product or that I stopped using it as consistently as I maybe should have? Who knows but regardless, I'm pretty sure it'll last longer than it says there so don't be too freaked out by that last sentence. 

I originally bought this serum hoping that it would help fade my dark spots and acne scars that I had gotten from my college breakout experience, but as time went by and I continued to use this product, I realized it wasn't really doing much for my dark spots and rather I preferred to use it to "brighten" my skin. I noticed that the mornings after I had applied the product (I usually only put it on at night), my face looked more luminescent, like it had nice radiant glow to it which helped my complexion look nicer. However, when I looked close to see any removal or decrease of my dark spots, I didn't notice any notable or incredible difference. For a product that costs $170 for the full size, I was definitely not impressed by the results. Sure it does make your skin look nice, but you have to continually use it to get that effect and really, who has that kind of money to spend on something that doesn't actually improve your skin? While I'll admit this product does meet the first bullet point in that it does "enhance radiance", I don't think it gives you even skin because I can still see my discoloration from my scars and I don't think that counts as "even"! Personally, I prefer my Aloe Vera gel lotion - which I swear by in treating acne and scars - as well as a Pond's dark spot treatment which I might review if you guys would like (it's less than $10 and I can say it works better than this $170 Shisiedo "intensive" serum. I'm now also trying out an Olay dark spot serum and will let you know how that goes once I've used it long enough to determine it's effectiveness but so far it's going well!

Anyways, back to this review ...Would I repurchase this? No, definitely not because it is way too pricey and did not get rid of my dark spots. Therefore, I can't say I would recommend it to you guys to purchase. Sure it makes your skin look brighter but there are a ton more products out there for less than half the price that do the same job so I'd say save your hard earned money and go for those! So tootle-loo for now, I'll be back with another review soon (hopefully!) ^__^

SK-II Facial Treatment Clear Lotion Review

 

Today I wanted to share my opinion on the SK-II Facial Treatment Clear Lotion because I've been using this skincare product for a bit more than a year now and I have to say, I absolutely love it! I knew it was worth the money in about the first month's use, but I guess I never got around to blogging about it till now. Looking online, I realized there aren't too many reviews for this product so I hope I can add my thoughts to the "pot" and help out some of you deciding whether or not you should spend your money on this toner. 

Price: $60 for 5 oz (update as of 11/26/2014: I went to Sephora's website and apparently they've raised the price to $70!! If you are in Asia or have someone visiting Asia, I would definitely suggest you go ask them to buy it for you as it is about $60 USD or less depending where you go)
What it claims to do: This effective toning lotion with a mix of AHA and Pitera™ exfoliates dead skin cells and impurities. Its clarifying formula prepares the face for the rest of your skincare regimen.

I guess I should start off with the reason why I bought this toner in the first place - I'll admit, it's quite pricey - but if you've been following me on my Youtube channel, you'll know already. My first year of college, I started breaking out like crazy, and for someone like me who had previously rarely got pimples except the occasional one that I would freak out over, it was a pretty big deal. When people say that having acne really hurts your confidence, I understand - it really does. It's strange because you shouldn't have to care so much about your outer appearance but when you just have red dots and bumps all over your face, it's hard not to feel embarrassed or wonder if everyone's staring at them. To this day, I'm not 100% sure why I had that "mid-life skin crisis" but I'm guessing it was a combination of the cafeteria food I was eating (probably a 100% increase in my fat intake since back home, I ate a healthy balanced Chinese meal of rice and vegetables and some meat), the air environment (it is much drier in my college town than in my hometown), and the Missha BB cream (strange that I'd say such a specific item right? But I'll explain!). When I realized my breaks out weren't subsiding, I took action and began eating much healthier (only salads and low-fat foods) because I thought my diet was what was the cause. After about a month or two and no improvement, I was at a loss of what to do. Around that time, it was Christmas break and I went home and even my parents were shocked and a bit distressed at my skin condition. My mom decided to take me out and buy some skincare products to hopefully help my acne and we decided to purchase the SK-II Facial Treatment Clear Lotion. The reason we chose this specific one was because I had seen Raeview (if you haven't heard of her, check out her Youtube videos or her blog - TheRaeviewer - she's writes really great reviews on lots of high end luxury products as well as drugstore makeup products!) talk about her daily skincare routine and she had mentioned using this toner and how well it worked for her. The lady who we purchased the toner from recommended I get the matching Facial Treatment Essence to go with it but I passed (though I did get a sample to try out). I began using the clear lotion that night and within a week, the redness in my pimples had decreased significantly and by two weeks, most of them had cleared away. It took about a month for them to all disappear but within that time, my skin improved so much and it was amazing. 

This toner did wonders for my skin and continues to do so. I would say this toner is just average if it just got rid of my acne, but it's better than that because it actually prevents me from getting any more breakouts. Now I practically NEVER breakout, like even less than I did originally and even if it's "that time of the month", and I'm really not exaggerating!! I really hope I don't suddenly get a pimple tomorrow morning (haha) but I absolutely swear by this toner. Before I got this toner, I used some random "hydrating toner" my mom had given to me by some random unknown brand and I didn't feel like it did anything for my skin. But using the SK-II Clear Lotion, I really can feel a difference. I like to just tip the bottle over two times with half a cotton pad (I like to use the CVS rectangle ones and cut or rip them in half) covering the opening. Because the opening is just a small hole, the toner can't really "spill" out because it'll just drip out. I only need two "tips" of the bottle to soak the cotton pad enough before swiping it all over my face, but I know for my boyfriend, he needs at least 4 so it's really up to you and how much you feel you need to wipe your face down. I like to start from the right side of my face and move downwards getting my jawline down to my neck and avoiding the delicate eye area. I like to concentrate mostly on my nose area because that's where my face oils tends to accumulate. I apply quite a bit of pressure when I'm wiping my face because I like to really make sure I'm wiping away any dirt or oil residue that my cleanser didn't wash off. (If I didn't say this before, I use my Philosophy Purity made Simple cleanser before I use the facial treatment toner). The fun thing is looking at the cotton pad and seeing the dirt or dead skin cells that come off my face haha! 

If I were to say how long this toner would last most people, I'd say maybe about 8 months to a year? I suppose it depends how often you use it because I first started off using it day and night but then as my skin cleared up and I realized I didn't need to use it so often, I started only using it at night. Now, I just use it every other night or even less, it just depends how my skin is looking that week. Because my skin has been doing so well, I've been able to focus more on my acne scars/dark spots and trying to fade them rather than having to fight off pimples and I know it's because of this toner that my skin has been doing so well. The SK-II Facial Treatment Clear Lotion really helps to get rid of any leftover dirt or oil that could clog my pores, and I feel like it helps my skin absorb my other skin care products better. I know the Facial Treatment Essence that you're supposed to use with it would probably also help my skin, but I don't think it's really necessary because of what great results I've gotten with the Clear Lotion alone. While I understand that the price is quite up there, I would definitely suggest this to anyone whether you have extremely severe acne or just moderate to light acne. I think one of the reasons this toner works so well is that it helps balance out your skin so that if you had oily skin before, somehow, it makes your skin produce less oil so that you'll have less oil clogging your pores. I know this is true because for my skin, I previously had combination skin with my T-zone getting quite oily some days, but now, my skin stays nice and healthy and hydrated without getting oily.

Would I repurchase this product? Yes and no. Right now, I haven't even finished my bottle as I have about 1/3 left, but even though I absolutely love this product, I don't think I actually will buy it again once I run out. The reason for this is because I feel like the Clear Lotion has really helped balance out my skin and because my skin is doing so well, I don't see too much of a need for the toner. Basically, the toner has worked so well that I feel like I don't need any toner anymore at all! Of course I know that's not true because toners really help your skin absorb the skincare products you use afterwards much more, but I think I might start experimenting around and try and find a less intense and cheaper alternative that will just keep my skin in balance and in check.

Would I recommend this product? Yes yes and yes! If I haven't drilled it in your head enough, I love this product and think it'll work wonders for anyone's skin. It doesn't just get rid of acne, it prevents it and corrects your skin so that you don't have to worry about it so much. Yes $60 is a lot, but you get a good amount of product and it lasts for quite a while. Plus, it goes against the laws of all business companies in that it works so well that you don't NEED to repurchase it! (Because we all know companies just want us to keep buying their products).


If you want to purchase this toner, you can find it at a local SK-II shop (that's where I picked up mine) or at Sephora - click here! I hope you guys enjoyed this somewhat lengthy review and found it helpful. If you have any questions about my personal experience with this toner, please leave a comment below and I'll answer it ASAP~! :) Hope you all have a lovely day <3

Skin 79 Hot Pink Super Plus Beblesh Balm Review

If you've seen any of my videos, I am either wearing this, using this, or talking about this product. Know what it is?! (Well I would hope so since it does say right there in the title haha!) ...Okay I'll pretend someone responded to me, YES YOU GOT IT. The Skin 79 Hot Pink Super Plus Triple Function Beblesh Balm cream! Wow that was a mouthful and I just realized it's called "Beblesh Balm" (yes that's what it says on the North American Skin79 website!) not "Blemish Balm" ... Is Beblesh even a word... *feeling confused* Wow I've had this product for 4 years now and I've never noticed that.. this is kind of sad. Oh well, hey I guess it just goes to show you learn something new everyday! And back to the matter that most of you guys came for - the review!

From the website: 

TOTAL SOLUTION BB CREAM WITH 10-IN-1 EFFECTS. Moisture based triple function BB cream takes care of the base as well as colour makeup and allows the skin to look bright and natural without greasiness or feeling tight.

Click here to see the full page of specifics and details on the product :D

This BB cream was the first BB cream I ever bought and tried and let me tell you something, I did my research before I chose this one which is why I got it right on the first time. I read up on practically every big name [Asian because American brands hadn't started getting into the whole BB cream craze yet] BB cream there was before I decided which one I wanted. Once again, I can not stress the importance of reading or watching reviews from other girls because they will seriously save you money and time.

I don't want to go into too much detail on what BB creams actually are, because I'm almost positive that everyone already knows, but for the few of you living in a shell (jkjk ;P), BB creams are basically tinted moisturizers but with a bit more foundation like coverage and a lot more beneficial properties for your skin! Many BB creams contain lightening components to fade dark spots or acne scars, help to even out uneven skin tones, claim to fight wrinkles, and much more. All BB creams contain some amount of SPF (or at least I haven't come across one that hasn't had SPF!) and most Asian BB creams contain few shades that range only in the lighter skin tone ranges (sorry my tanned or darker-toned girls! D: ). Even American BB creams have few shades, though more than Asian BB creams, but I still prefer my original Asian BB creams over American ones because American BB creams tend to have less coverage and are more of a tinted moisturizer.

The Skin79 Hot Pink BB cream is definitely my favorite BB cream that I've tried - and trust me, I've tried a lot of them! - because of its matte finish, medium coverage, and natural look and feel. BB creams range from dewy to matte finishes, but I definitely prefer the matte look because dewy can sometimes come off as oily. This BB cream doesn't have SO much of a matte finish that it comes off as dry looking or unnatural which is certainly a plus. I started off using this BB cream when I was in high school on the days where my skin was looking a bit blotchy or uneven and this product was perfect for such occasions. It's great at smoothing over redness, covering small active acne spots, and concealing old acne scars or dark spots without being SO full coverage that its obvious you're wearing face makeup. Of course, as it isn't full coverage, there will still be some spots that will show through, but that adds to the natural look since, hey, no one has perfect skin! I used this BB cream a lot when I was breaking out at the beginning of last school year (Fall 2012) and it helped out a lot. While I can't 100% support the claims of it whitening your skin, fighting wrinkles, and fading dark spots/acne scars, I can say I do feel like I see lightening of my acne scars/hyper-pigmentation when using this product. Furthermore, this product has NEVER caused any breakouts on my skin - unlike the Missha BB cream (maybe I'll write a review on that in the future). The packaging of this BB cream is also a nice bright pink, simple round plastic container, and convenient for travel. It is 40g, which is about 1.35 fluid ounces (more than the typical foundation amount of 1 fl. oz), and comes with a pump that doesn't dispense too much product in one squeeze. I have taken this BB cream with me when traveling/flying and it hasn't exploded on me yet, so fingers crossed!

The downsides about the Skin79 Hot Pink BB cream is first, and foremost, the gray cast that can appear when too much is applied. Most, if not all, Asian BB creams have this downside of a gray-ish color that can look a bit strange at first. From what I've read, this is due to the ingredients like SPF and others that are meant to improve your skin. To avoid this, I only use one thing layer of the BB cream and then go over the areas that need a bit more coverage with gentle dabbing motions with only a little bit of the product. You can also get rid of the gray cast by going over with another light-weight foundation, setting with a powder that has some coverage, or mixing in a regular foundation with the BB cream. Mixing or layering another foundation on top of BB creams are great ways to still get the beneficial properties of the BB cream without the gray cast or for use if the BB cream doesn't come in a shade that suits you. Specifically about the Skin79 BB cream, it only comes in the shade Beige which usually matches my Mac NC30-35 skin tone throughout the year. It can appear a bit light at first (as with most other BB creams) but then it will set and darken a bit to match your skin tone. Another downside to this product is that you don't ever really know how much product you have left because of the opaque pink plastic container. You also can't "scrape out" the last bits of BB cream that might be left in the container which means there could be a lot of product wasted and left on the sides of the container. 

As for pricing, you can get most Asian BB creams off of Ebay for much cheaper than the actual branded sites. For my Skin79 BB cream (and practically all my other Asian BB creams), I got them off of Ebay or when I went to Hong Kong/Japan for vacation. If you have any friends who might be going to Asia on vacation, try and see if they can pick up some BB creams for you because they are definitely much cheaper in Asia than America or Ebay (where you usually have to pay shipping). You can still get Asian BB creams from Asian super markets but they are generally way overpriced there so if going to Asia/getting a friend in Asia isn't an option, definitely check out Ebay or other Asian product selling websites (though I would still be wary of some sites as they generally rack up the prices too!). On the North American Skin79 site, the Hot Pink Super Plus BB cream retails for $30 (which I would consider on the pricier side), but I got mine off of Ebay for about $12 if I remember correctly. I also went to Hong Kong last year and picked up another bottle for about $10 too.


All in all, my final comments would be...

1. Yes I fully support any of you who might be interested in purchasing this BB cream. I really do think it works well for those who need a decent amount of coverage, but are still okay with some imperfections peaking through. While it does stink that there is only 1 shade, it does match a good range of skin tones/colors and can be layered over or mixed with to reach a more appropriate shade. 
2. It is great for travel, on-the-go, younger girls who don't need so much coverage, everyday looks and can be applied in a rush with just your finger tips if a brush isn't available (or you're too lazy :P).
3. If you are interested in this, or any other Asian BB cream, make sure you look online to buy it as it can be hard to find them for a reasonable price in America and you never know, there's always some good deals online!

Hope you enjoyed this review and found it helpful and I hope to be writing another post soon! Leave a comment if YOU'VE tried this BB cream and your thoughts or what other BB creams you're also interested in! And don't forget to check out my Youtube or Instagram if you want to get an awesome big virtual hug from me :)

Maybelline SuperStay 24HR Makeup Foundation Review

Maybelline SuperStay™ 24HR Makeup Foundation in Nude

Here's my review on the SuperStay™ 24HR Makeup Foundation By Maybelline! I know this foundation has been around for a while, but it never hurts to add another review to the web, right? :P Plus, I'm sure there are many of you late budders like myself who aren't looking for the newest products but rather one that just works well for its purpose. For beginners (myself included!), the three things you want to look for in a foundation are shade match, coverage&wear, and probably most importantly, how your skin reacts to it.

First off, let's take a look at what this foundation claims to do (taken from the Maybelline.com website)

• Stays comfortable and looks naturally flawless all day
• Micro-Flex formula provides 24-hour wear and no transfer
• Withstands heat, sweat and humidity
• Oil-free, dermatologist-tested, fragrance-free
• Suitable for all skin types

This foundation comes in 12 different shades that have a variety of undertones ranging from pink, neutral, yellow, and whatever other colors there are. I own the shade Nude Light 50 and find that it matches me quite well though sometimes I feel like it oxidizes a little bit and turns a bit more oranger/darker than when first applied. Nude Light 50 has more yellow tones which I suppose fits me since I am Asian and most Asians usually have yellow or nude undertones while Americans have pink or nude undertones (bear in mind that's just in general though and if you use a fake tanner, those usually give more of a yellow or nude undertone). I've read that if you're an NC 30-35, Classic Beige Medium 60 can also match your skin tone so I'm considering buying that shade and testing it out. But for now, I will say that the shade Nude Light 50 does match my skin tone enough so that it isn't a problem and doesn't make my face look a whole different shade than the rest of my body in pictures or in real life. If you want to see all the shades, click here. And if you're still not sure what shade will match you best after looking online and in-store, go check out reviews and see what shades match different girls' skin tones and try and find the one that'll fit you best! Buying drugstore makeup is always a bit of a gamble since you can't try out the products as you might with more high-end ones, but there are so many great foundations out there that are like 10% of the price of some other ones that it's worth the risk.

Now onto coverage.. I would say the coverage is medium and can be built to full coverage if desired. Personally, I would stick with the medium coverage, but even when you layer the foundation for more coverage, it doesn't get cakey! As the site claims, it does look naturally flawless, but "all day" is debatable. It claims to be 24-hour wear - which I don't know why you would WANT to keep your makeup on for 24 hours anyways - and while I haven't ever worn this foundation for that long, I haven't actually seen any lapse in coverage throughout the lengths of times I've had it on. The longest I've worn this foundation for was about 15 hours and it lasted the entire time (no primer or setting spray!) - that's saying something. Of course you have to keep in mind that my skin type is more on the normal side with only some oiliness in the T-zone occasionally, and I WOULD recommend using a primer and setting spray if you really want/need your makeup to last as long as possible (and for extra insurance, you can never be too safe!). The finish of this foundation is more on the matte side rather than dewy and I haven't noticed any transferring problems when I wear this foundation. Plus, I wore this foundation to the One Direction concert and many other events where I was out in the sun and sweating, and it has lasted throughout all of them flawlessly! I didn't have to touch up at all! (Though I did occasionally press my hands into my face during the concert since I was worried it might start cracking - YES that has happened to me before with another foundation! - but I don't think it was necessary to be honest).

Ready for my one direction concert~!

The most important aspect about any foundation is how your skin will react to it. No matter how good a foundation covers up your flaws and imperfections, if it breaks you out, it is no good! You should always try out a foundation in store if possible - which obviously isn't when you're buying drugstore foundations which stinks big time but just keep this in mind if you ever decide to get a foundation from Sephora or any other beauty store where you CAN test out the products. Sephora is also really cool about giving out samples of the products so you can ask for a sample of a foundation you're interested in and they'll give you a tiny container of it and you can use the foundation for like a week and see how your skin reacts to it. If you want to be really sneaky, you can also just ask for a sample of a foundation that you've already test/know works well with your skin and doesn't break you out for your big event if you don't want to purchase the full size product because hey, I feel ya - makeup ain't cheap! I'll admit, I did that lil trick for my prom ;P But don't worry, I did go and buy the full size foundation afterwards because I loved it so much aha :) Anyways, back on topic, since you can't try out drugstore foundations, the best way to see if it might break you out is to read reviews (like this one!). Now I can tell you this foundation does NOT break me out and is fragrance free (for any of you anti-fragrance folks out there - have no fear!) so yes I would definitely recommend it to all my lovely lil readers. But of course you should read more than one review on any product, especially foundations. Everyone has different skin types and hormones and what not and if you have sensitive skin or acne prone skin, you definitely have to be careful.

Reading reviews from other beauty girls is so helpful so utilize them! One of the best sites to read up on reviews is Makeupalley. There are so many reviews on the site for basically every single product out there so you're bound to find reviews on a foundation you're interested in that will tell you whether or not lots of people have experienced break outs due to the foundation, what shade matched them best, and much more helpful information. Overall, as I mentioned before, I would most certainly recommend this foundation to anyone looking for a medium-full coverage foundation that will last for any event and isn't going to make your wallet cry. This foundation comes in a variety of shades that should match a majority of girls, provides a good amount of coverage and does the job of lasting throughout the day, and I haven't heard of any cases of it causing break outs so it definitely gets an A on my book list! Of course, when you're more serious about foundations, there are a lot more things you can be picky about when choosing a foundation such as packaging, scent, and feel on the skin, but for a basic beginner makeup girl, this foundation does the trick. The only negatives I have about this product are that (1) the packaging is a standard drugstore glass bottle packaging that DOESN'T come with a pump which can get pretty messy when you're pouring out the foundation and (2) I have noticed slight oxidation on some occasions though not enough to be a significant problem.


Well, I hope you enjoyed this review and leave a comment if you've tried this foundation and have anything to add or maybe counter! I know not everyone will have the same opinion, but that's what the makeup community is for! SO SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS AND SEND SOME LOVE MY WAY :)

Don't forget to check out my Youtube channel ~ ^__^