Spa Night In featuring Luke (Total Skin Solution)

*DISCLAIMER - Item(s) sent by Skin18 for consideration and review.  I am not being financially compensated for this post.  All words and opinions are my own.*

After this long week of work and classes, nothing sounds better to my weary soul and skin than a spa night in.  Yup, just me, some skincare, snacks and movies!  Here we have the pleasure of bringing you some skincare tlc by way of Luke skincare.

Details:

Luke Snail Essence Mask - retail $1.65 USD x1 piece
Luke Mugwort Nose Strip - retail usually $1.20, free right now - just pay shipping!
Luke Collagen Hydrogel Eye Patch - retail $1.80 USD x1 pair

Here is how I got my night on....(cue soft music, candles, wine....)

Luke's Mugwort nose strip is your basic nose strip.  I do find that it has a bit more tack and dries faster than most easily found in drugstores, which is what I like about these.  The Mugwort scent I am not so much a fan of.  It is a bit musky upon removal.  But, you can assail your nose for a few minutes when you see the gunk it pulls from your pores, amiright?  Was not painful to remove and left me clearer than I was before.

Alright, yes, there is a ton of realness going on in this photo.  But hey...you can see what going on with my nose and that's all that matters.  I shall call this one...Congestion.  :)

Right after usage.  Not 100, but this is looking a lot cleaner.  Also a bit drier, but beggars cant be choosers, right?  The end of the nose strip doesn't have a cut in it to really get it around the tip of the nose.  Something I will remember to do next time.  Other than that, happy with my result.

The Collagen Hydrogel Eye Patches were a sweet relief to use.  Backed by fabric and having a thick gel layer, these adhered to the skin in the most awesome way.  There was an initial cooling that was lovely that dissipated as time wore on.  After 25 minutes, eyes felt more alive, were a bit brighter and cooled.  No residue left behind which was a huge plus!

The final layer of Luke came by way of their Snail Essence Mask.  The lovely snail helps us by repairing damage with its slimy goodness.  It contains hyaluronic acid, peptides and is even anti-microbial...trust me, you want this on your skin!  This promised to refresh, soothe, moisturize and improve skin's vitality.

Decent fit around the face...eyes, well, its an issue I have with a lot of masks.  But you may not share my face shape, so don't let this picture alone dissuade you from trying it.  Adhered nicely, stayed moist for the duration of wear (25 minutes).  Slight tack on skin after, but nothing too concerning.

And here we are...brighter looking skin, more rested looking eyes and cleaner pores on the nose.  What more can a girl ask for?  Well...a new camera and scholarship money for school would be a start...but seriously, if you are wanting to get your feet wet with Korean beauty...why not start with Luke?







To find these products, go HERE to find them at Skin18.com :)

tip of the day: Anytime you try new skincare, remember that your mileage may vary!

*DISCLAIMER - Item(s) sent by Skin18 for consideration and review.  I am not being financially compensated for this post.  All words and opinions are my own.*

Targeted skincare with Holika Holika 3D Medi Masks (Skin18)

*DISCLAIMER - Item(s) sent by Skin18 for the purpose of testing/reviewing. I am not being financially compensated for this review. All words and opinions are my own.*

It is always an exciting day when a new sheetmask makes its way into my hands.  I had heard of Holika Holika before but had yet to try any of their products.  Skin18.com was kind enough to send me some of their masks to see what all the buzz was about.  So let's target some areas...shall we?

Details:

Holika Holika 3D Medi masks - 5 types (lifting, whitening, aqua, pore, soothing)
retails for: $4.40 USD on skin18.com
1 sheet mask per envelope

Let us now discuss particulars on these fellas...

Aqua was first.  3D Medi Aqua was here to deliver intense moisture into the skin with the help of glacier water, hyaluronic acid and Betaine.  Its particular skin conditioning checks were moisturizing, smooth skin, healthy skin and skin balance.  I did find this to power punch me in the face with moisture!  This, along with the other two masks Ill mention, was juicy as all get out!  After wearing this one for about 20 minutes, skin was plump, glossy and super soft.

3D Medi Lifting contained Collagen, Protein Complex and Adenosine to help intensely lift the skin.  Its particular checks were anti-wrinkle, nutrition supply, lifting, skin power.  Now, I was not expecting this mask to lift or add too much in the way of anti-wrinkle.  I imagine a series of these used for weeks would garner a more dramatic result.  But after the recommend wear time, skin was bright, soft, and bouncy.

3D Medi Whitening I was super excited about.  With Vitamin C, Vitamin E derivative and Vitamin B6, its skin conditioning checks promised brightening skin tone, whitening, skin purification and vitality.  After my 20 or so minutes, skin was indeed bright, soft and super hydrated.  Again, a mask that I would think would need a couple of weekly applications to garner more discernible results.

Fit:

Here is where I have the biggest problem...this mask was not made for someone for my face shape.  It had a lot of cuts around the mask, which did help me try to budge it into the best place possible, but the 3D aspect of this just did not work out for me.  The forehead area had gaps along the seam which dried out faster than other areas of the mask.  Same goes for chin and nose.  The eye holes were super close together so mask kept getting into my eyes.  The chin flaps were an amazing bonus.  That sucker held on nice and tight for about 80% of the duration of the mask.  Once it started to dry from the gaps, the flaps did loosen a bit.

Results:

Cannot say enough about how much moisture these put onto my skin.  Skin was soft and pliable after these treatments.  But they did leave skin with a pretty sticky residue that I tried to have work with my other skincare.  Unfortunately that did not work.  So for the last mask I just rinsed off the residue and continued with my routine.

I enjoyed most of the attributes of these masks.  Would love to see them come out with another face shape and give it another go!  If you are looking to try out the 3D trend...why not start here?

To check out these Holika Holika masks...check them out at Skin18.com HERE.

Always remember guys and gals...with skincare, your mileage may vary!

*DISCLAIMER - Item(s) sent by Skin18 for the purpose of testing/reviewing. I am not being financially compensated for this review. All words and opinions are my own.*

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*

dear Klairs Illuminating Supple Blemish Cream SPF40, PA+++

*DISCLAIMER - Item(s) sent by 08liter in exchange for an honest review.  I am not being financially compensated for this review.  All words and opinions are 100% my own.*

As I am becoming more active about my skincare routine, I researched and fell hard for Korean beauty.  Yup, officially obsessed with kbeauty now, and though I am still a newb, I have found some products I already love and some that I am super excited to try.  One of those products is a tried and true BB Cream.  A BB Cream, or blemish balm, is a workhorse, kind of does it all products.  It does everything from color correction, wrinkle care, brightens, whitens, sun care, pore care, oil control...the list goes on and on.  Here in the states, many "bb creams" are released, but none come close to asian bb creams.

Thanks to 08liter.com I had the chance to try a lovely bb by the name of dear Klairs Illuminating Supple Blemish Cream SPF 40, PA+++.

Klairs Illuminating Supple Blemish Cream

Here we have dear Klairs Illuminating Supple Blemish Cream!  Here are its particulars...

+Plastic Tube with screw top
+Contains 40ml of cream product
+Retails anywhere from $18 - 22 USD.  Can be found at known outlets like Amazon, wishtrend, etc.
+Contains SPF 40, PA+++
+Claims - to whiten, provides wrinkle care and sebum control

Let's just get this out of the way first....western BB creams have NOTHING on its Asian counterparts. What we get here are nothing more than glorified tinted moisturizers.  From high end to drug store, I have yet to find one that promises or delivers like I heard eastern BB creams can.

Since this experience was my first with what I deemed a legit BB cream, I had no idea what to expect.  Unfortunately, a few weeks before I received this, I had gotten a tan from helping a friend move.  And boy did I tan.  Let's just say if you know you are going to be outdoors moving with no sun cover, don't buy new foundations just days before :/.

Here we have Klairs Illuminating Supple Blemish Cream, one heavy swatch and one blended.  This was taken with no flash, under kitchen/day lights.

Here is the BB cream taken with flash photography under the same kitchen/day lights.







Experience:
* Scent -  a light, pleasant combo of makeup and skincare, fades a few minutes after application.  I think even those that do not like scented products would not mind this.
* Texture - lightweight in texture, but with enough body to spread evenly.  Once blended, skin feels tacky for a few minutes.
* Application - melts nicely into the skin.  Even when applied in 2 or 3 layers (for discoloration), it layered nicely over itself and over my current concealer.  Once on, product remains tacky for a few moments.  Does dry down to a skin feel, but dewy appearance.
* Wear - This wore lovely on the skin, no primer, but I did set with a powder. 6 hours had lapsed before I noticed any immediate need to blot/reapply powder.  Skin feels soft throughout the day.  I did notice that this wore rather thickly in my hairline and stuck around that way for a while.  Brush application there seemed best for avoiding that.
* Color - As far as I know, this only comes in one shade.  Had I been the color I usually am around winter, this would have been a good match.  I did notice a heavy white cast, due to the sun protection, and also on the face, this made me look a bit grey.  It was nothing a bit of correcting with powder couldn't fix.

pre application

post application

Have been loving the feel and look of my skin during this trial with Klairs.  Look forward to seeing my skin in a few weeks and also getting my hands on some more Klairs products!

Enjoy, D

Let's Get Sheet Faced! A facial mask story...

As I am getting older, I find that I am always on the lookout for new skincare that will benefit my skin and give me results.  From high end to drug store, I tend to try whatever I can to see what best fits into my beauty regimen.  Yes, I am 34 years old, just turned a few weeks ago and though I can thank my mother and father for passing some very good genes down, it also takes work to keep what you have going :).

With that, I have gotten completely obsessed with the Asian skincare community.  From reddit to instagram to blogs, I have been soaking up as much information as I can from fellow beauty lovers out there about what is new, what is worth trying and what works.

From an array of products, I chose to start my foray into Asian skincare with sheet masks.  Sheets masks, in basic terms, are a sheet of fabric (like cotton), gel, or other synthetic that is soaked in a serum or essence, is worn for a period of time to hyper introduce and soak those serums into your skin!

I will have more in-depth posts as my journey with face masks continues, but I wanted to give you a glimpse of what I've used recently.

From Top, clockwise...

Tony Moly I'm Real masks in Clear Skin, Nutrition, Elasticity, Skin Purifying, Skin Purifying - Makgeoll, Skin Soothing  [KOREA]

Absolute New York Exfoliating Foot Mask  [KOREA]

Miniso Moisturizing Stretch Facial Mask - Snail

SNP Animal Otter Aqua Mask  [KOREA]

Epielle Facial Essence masks in Green Tea & Aloe, Firming & Lifting Vitamin C  [KOREA]

Benton Cosmetic Snail Bee High Content Mask Pack  [KOREA]

As stated before, detailed reviews about these masks is coming.  And also the plethora of other Asian skincare I have picked up along the way...

Stay tuned :)