LUKE Mugwort Nose Strip - review

*DISCLAIMER - Item(s) sent by company for the purpose of testing/review.  All opinions and words are 100% my own.  I am not being financially compensated for this review.*

I am an avid nose strip user.  Yes, I know there are people who say you should not use them, that they cause more harm than good.  Well, you know what?  I like to use them, I find them effective and continue to use them as an integral part of my skincare routine.  Well, enough of that rant.  Let's get on with the stripping ;)...

I was sent this lovely strip by Skin18.com Natural Beauty Skincare, a lovely site that has tons of skincare from Asian skincare with brands like LUKE, aritaum, leaders, mediheal and more.  The LUKE Nose Strips come in three different varieties (Charcoal, Mugwort and Lemon Tea Tree) and right now retail for just $0.65 cents USD!!!

Beware, nose pore closeup!!! 

Before - there is obvious congestion on my nose.  Pore size is something I also struggle with, which is why I like to keep those suckers as clean as I can.  I washed with a basic, non-abrasive face wash so that I could see the extent of the powers of the strip!

As with all skincare, I followed the steps as stated on the package:
1 wet nose
2 apply strip
3 wait 10-20 minutes
4 remove and enjoy

Its blue, its blue!

This strip dried down so quickly...that was something I was not anticipating.  It adhered to the skin nicely without needing my face to be doused with water.  I will say though, there was a weird herbal, sulfuric scent to this that was a bit disconcerting, but thankfully, subsided quickly.  Removal of the strip was just like any other.  Since this had stuck on good and proper, it did leave my skin a bit red.  But it lifted the demon scum from my pores and for that, I am grateful.

After -

Nose was cleaner and skin was smooth.  Redness went away after a few short minutes and I was happy.  That nose looks a lot more pleasant...doesn't it?

Aftermath:

See those little "trees" sticking out?  Yup.  Goners!!!

Check out what Skin18 has to offer by checking them out HERE.  *not an affiliate link, I am not being paid by skin18*

Give your lashes a boost with Wet n Wild's photofocus Lash Primer

*DISCLAIMER - Item(s) for this review purchased by the passenger element blog.*

WetnWild photofocus Lash Primer

I can imagine what you might be thinking...I'm busy enough...do I really need to prime my lashes also?? :/.  Well, no, you don't have to.  But let me show you why you might after reading this...

Wet n Wild's photofocus Lash Primer is widely available at drugstores and also big box stores such as Wal-Mart.  This was purchased at my local Walgreen's for $4.99 USD.  It is packaged as any typical mascara would be with a midsize spoolie on one end.  Contained inside are 0.27fl.oz/8ml of cream product.  According to Wet n Wild's website, this only comes in one color - 849B Committed a Prime.

This primers blend of waxes also contains vitamins A, E and D-Panthenol to give lashes an added boost of health while building lash length and volume!

The creamy primer formulation is somewhere between wet and dry.  It is akin to when I like to age a mascara and open it and let it sit to make it easier to layer/dry.  The brush coated lashes pretty well, aside from some clumps here and there.  It separated my lashes really well!  I was surprised to see that it did not cake up my lashes into sections.

Clean lashes - eye makeup was left without liner so that you could see the impact of the primer and mascara on its own without any help.

Lashes - Primer added.  Heavier white areas denote larger deposits of the primer.

This is one coat of primer and one coat of a popular drugstore mascara.

Lashes are slightly thickened and lengthened even more.  Mascara and the photofocus primer work well with each other.







I'm really happy with the results.  I used the mascara here the most with the primer, but I also used quite a few other mascaras, both drugstore and high end.  I did not find that the mascaras flaked at all and was really happy with the condition of my lashes after removal.  During removal, it felt as if I had used 2 to 3 layers of mascara, so the process took a bit longer than usual, but nothing that was too much or annoying to handle.  The primer does have a bit of a chemical scent that goes away rather quickly after application.

Repurchase - absolutely.  Definitely a great way to turn dud mascaras into something better!