September Skin Care Empties 😎

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iUNIK Propolis Vitamin Synergy Serum

It’s the end of September! Here’s what I finished! September’s empties was quite satisfying. I knocked out a ton of products this month! I’ve been meaning to finish up some of these products, such as the Benton Aloe Propolis Soothing Gel (finally!) and Canmake Mermaid Skin Gel UV SPF 50+ PA++++ (White)! And some others. 😁 Now here are my thoughts on my September empties! Enjoy! 😊

iUNIK Propolis Vitamin Synergy Serum:

Here goes my last bottle of iUNIK Propolis Vitamin Synergy Serum! I purchased this serum to help moisturize and brighten my skin. That’s what this serum claims to do. It says right on the packaging that it’s powerful calming, nourishing and brightening, and is for wrinkle care. Some beneficial ingredients in this serum are Propolis Extract, Hippophae Rhamnoides Fruit Extract, Niacinamide, and Sodium Hyaluronate. I went through a few bottles of this serum. It’s a serum that feels nourishing and soothing on the skin, but it does feel sticky and takes a while to absorb into the skin. I didn’t like the texture of the product. After finishing a few bottles of this serum, I didn’t notice much of a difference in my skin. It helps to hydrate, but it didn’t help with wrinkles and didn’t brighten my skin. All it was is a hydrating serum. I’ve decided that I’m not going to purchase it again.

Benton Aloe Propolis Soothing Gel:

Benton Aloe Propolis Soothing Gel was one of those products that I couldn’t let go, which is weird because the ingredients aren’t too exciting. It contains Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Water, Glycerin, Propolis Extract, Betaine, Cucumber Fruit Extract, to name a few. The product was lightweight, somewhat hydrating, and soothes the skin. It also didn’t break my skin out. I loved it for a while. But, I haven’t been using on my face lately, and I don’t miss it at all. Thinking about it now, I don’t think it did much for my skin. I just kept it around because it didn’t clog my pores, and I needed a product that moisturizes my skin just a little bit. I had a hard time finding a moisturizer that works on my skin. This was the closest to a product that moisturizes my skin. It worked for a while, but I’ve found something better.

Canmake Mermaid Skin Gel UV SPF 50+ PA++++ (White):

I finally finished the last Canmake Mermaid Skin Gel UV SPF 50+ PA++++ (white version!). It took me so long to reach the last bottle. Finally, I have! So the white version is the unlikable version of the ‘Clear’. The white version didn’t break me out, but it leaves the skin with a noticeable white cast and dries out the skin tremendously. Well, on my skin it did. It didn’t look good on my skin. It accentuated every fine line and wrinkle, pore, and flake. There’s no way I’m going to purchase the white one again. It’s terrible. I don’t recommend it at all. Stay away from it unless you like having a white cast and dry skin. The cooler weather is coming up, so it’s best to stay away from this sunscreen.

Gold Bond Ultimate Neck & Chest Firming Body Treatment Cream:

I’ve been using Gold Bond Ultimate Neck & Chest Firming Body Treatment Cream at the beginning of this year. I’m on my second tube. The product is pretty tiny. It’s only 2 oz. The cream is supposed to help improve skin elasticity, texture, firmness, boost hydration, and repair dry, depleted skin. It contains salicylic acid to exfoliate to help reveal younger-looking skin. After finishing the cream, I feel that this cream is just another body cream. I didn’t notice an improvement in skin elasticity or texture. It’s just another product that’s making claims and under-delivering. It’s not a bad product when it comes to moisturizing, but there’s more affordable options out there that moisturizes the skin. I couldn’t tell the difference between this cream and my other moisturizing creams. I’m glad I’m done with it. I won’t repurchase again.

Differin Oil-Absorbing Moisturizer SPF 30:

Another sunscreen I finally finished before the winter season! It’s the Differin Oil-Absorbing Moisturizer SPF 30! I’ve been trying to finish this sunscreen up too. I don’t use it on my face anymore. I stopped after it started to make my skin oily while causing breakouts. Also, it burns my eyes too. It’s just not the type of sunscreen for my sensitive facial skin. My skin is very picky with sunscreens. This one failed the test. So I used this sunscreen mainly on my hands. It’s moisturizing, lightweight, and feels just like a non-greasy moisturizer. When I finished it, I never looked back. Out it goes!

Up & Up All In One Micellar Cleansing Water:

I stopped using micellar cleansing water on my face. I had half a bottle left, but I couldn’t finish the rest. The product does help to remove residue and makeup from the facial skin, but I just don’t like the way micellar water feels on the skin. It’s just one of those products that I can live without. So with the rest of the micellar water, I ended up using it to remove my eye makeup. I had to use it for something. I didn’t want to waste it. Once I finished the whole bottle, I tossed it out and didn’t repurchase. It’s not just this micellar water that I don’t care for. It’s micellar water in general. I haven’t found one that I liked. It feels like an extra step in my skin care routine that I don’t need. A cleansing oil alone removes my sunscreen and makeup just fine. I’ve had no issues just using a cleansing oil followed by a face wash. It works, and I don’t have to use another product like this one to aid in the product removal process. I prefer to keep my skin care to a minimum as much as possible, lol.

CeraVe Eye Repair Cream:

I’ve tried a ton of eye creams and this one just sucked. lol. There’s no other way I can put it. The ingredients look nice. It contains Niacinamide, Ceramides, Hyaluronic Acid, Almond Oil, Aloe, Vitamin E, and much more. But it doesn’t live up to its claims. The eye cream is supposed to reduce the appearance of dark circles and puffiness. Ceramides help to repair and restore. Nope, none of that happened. It didn’t help with dark circles or puffiness. I love ceramides, but it didn’t do anything for my skin in this eye cream. My skin still felt dry using this eye cream. It just didn’t do anything. I wouldn’t recommend this eye cream. It just wasn’t a good pick.

RoC Line Smoothing Daily Cleansing Pads:

I finished two containers of the RoC Line Smoothing Daily Cleansing Pads. The product claims to visibly reduce fine lines and improve tone and texture in 1 week. Diminishes signs of photo-aging and uneven skin tone, dark spots in 4 weeks. Visibly diminishes wrinkles and pores in 12 weeks. There are 28 pads per container. After finishing this product, I didn’t notice many changes in my skin besides softer and smoother skin. It didn’t help to reduce fine lines or wrinkles. Tone and texture, not so much either. Signs of photo-aging and even skin tone? Nope. Diminishes wrinkles and pores? Not at all. Just softer and smoother skin, lol. It’s a good physical exfoliant (pads with tiny little bumps on it) that cleanses the skin very well. My skin always feels squeaky clean afterwards, which is nice on this oily skin of mine. I liked this product, but I don’t really need it in my routine. I feel like it’s one of those products that’s just fun to use. I won’t purchase again.

Neutrogena Sport Face Oil-Free Lotion Sunscreen SPF 70+:

I tried Neutrogena Sport Face Oil-Free Lotion Sunscreen SPF 70+ on my face, but that didn’t work out. It felt really greasy and oily on the skin. It has a chemical smell to it too that I didn’t like. It also broke me out. I wanted it to work out due to the price and that it’s SPF 70+. I finally finished my last tube of this product, and I’m happy that it’s gone. It worked well on my body but not my face. I won’t repurchase it again for the body because it’s only 2.5 fl. oz.

For my August Empties go here πŸ‘ˆπŸ»

Review: Trader Joe’s Daily Facial Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF 40

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I picked up a box of Trader Joe’s Daily Facial Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF 40 over the weekend. I’ve been searching for a new sunscreen that’s more affordable and convenient to purchase. I haven’t purchased a new skin care item in so long. I made an exception for SPFs, since I go through bottles of this stuff very quick. So this sunscreen is supposedly a dupe of the Supergoop Unseen Sunscreen SPF 40. I haven’t used the Supergoop before, but I’ve seen it. I’ve never had the urge to buy it. The Supergoop is $36 for 1.7 fl. oz. (50 mL) of product. That’s way too much for a sunscreen for me. The amount of sunscreen I use in a day…that would eat my wallet up so fast! IMO, it’s just not worth it. Trader Joe’s Daily Facial Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF 40 is $8.99 for 1.7 fl. oz. (50 mL). It’s way much less expensive compared to Supergoop at the same size. I can see what the fuss is about! Similar product and better price, why not?! Let’s try it out!

The product comes in a pretty tannish color (box and tube). The tube is sealed (see photo). That’s awesome. I love products that are sealed, so I know it’s new, unopened. The product itself smells like plastic vinyl. Looking at the ingredients, I’m not shocked. The first three ingredients are isododecane, dimethicone crosspolymer, and polymethylsilsesquioxane. They’re silicones. Here’s the full ingredient list if you’re interested:

Active Ingredients: Avobenzone 3%, Homosalate 12%, Octisalate 5%, Octocrylene 6%

Inactive ingredients: Isododecane, Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Polymethylsilsesquioxane, Dimethicone/Bis-Isobutyl PPG-20 Crosspolymer, Neopentyl Glycol Diheptanoate, Polyester-7, Isohexadecane, Jojoba Esters, Silica, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Tocopherol.

The ingredients are short and simple. It’s a chemical sunscreen. It’s oil-free, invisible gel formula, fragrance-free, water and sweat-resistant (40 minutes), and has a broad spectrum of SPF 40. That sounds really nice, especially the sunscreen being an invisible gel formula and is water/sweat-resistant. I’ve been trying to find a sunscreen that is invisible on the skin (no white cast) and stays on the skin well. This could be the one if it works.

The product claims to be fragrance-free. In fact, it is. But I’m able to pick up smells easily. This sunscreen smells too plastic and too chemical-like to me. In saying that, I would be able to let this aspect of the product go if the sunscreen actually works on my skin. The product when dispensed is a gel. It looks and feels like a primer (if you have used any of those). That’s exactly what it felt like on my skin. It’s soft, smooth, silky, and glides over the skin nicely. Blends into the skin without leaving a white cast behind. The sunscreen simply just vanishes into the skin. It’s truly invisible. It settles into the skin comfortably. It has a smoothing effect on the skin. My skin looked pretty good with this sunscreen on. It makes a good makeup base too due to it being a primer as well. I loved how it felt on the skin and how it looked on my skin. All was well…until…

Unfortunately, I had issues with this sunscreen. I noticed breakouts after using it the first day. I developed some closed comedones in random places. Also, I wasn’t able to use this sunscreen around my eyes. The product burned my eyes and made me teary. The smell of this product is irritating on my skin (face only). I’m able to use it on other parts of my body without any issues. I think it’s because it’s a chemical sunscreen. The sunscreens I’m using on my face right now are hybrid and physical sunscreens. They seem to work better for my eyes that get irritated and red easily. Even though I like how convenient this product is, meaning that I can go to Trader Joe’s to pick it up when I’m shopping for other essentials. It’s not something I would repurchase again. It didn’t work on my skin that is oily and acne-prone.

This is what the sunscreen looks like. It looks and feels like a typical makeup primer.

A quick recap on my thoughts. πŸ™‚

βœ… Pros

❌ Cons

Those are my thoughts on Trader Joe’s Daily Facial Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF 40. I hope this was helpful! Have a nice day! 😊

Another Update on My Moisturizers. What I’m Using Now.

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Tret Break Moisturizers

Here’s an update on what moisturizing skin care products I use on my face. I think the list has gotten longer!! But, oh well. I like my moisturizers. They keep my skin soft, supple, and hydrated. Gets rid of the flakes or at least help them come off easier when I need to exfoliate my skin. Here’s my list of moisturizers that I use, which includes serums and essences too. I hope this is helpful. Enjoy!

⭐ Cosrx Hyaluronic Acid Hydra Power Essence

Cosrx Hyaluronic Acid Hydra Power Essence is a staple in my routine by now. It doesn’t leave my skin super hydrated, but it’s good at prepping my skin before layering on other skin care products. When my skin is feeling more irritated than usual, I apply this essence first to calm my skin down. I use the Cosrx Hyaluronic Acid Hydra Power Essence along with… *read about the next product on the list*

⭐ Cosrx Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence

Yep! The Cosrx Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence. The Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence is more moisturizing than the Hyaluronic Acid Hydra Power Essence. The last time I talked about this essence, I said that I’m not able to use it every day. That has changed since. I can use the Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence every day now. I’ve been using it every day to add a little bit more moisture to my skin. I actually prefer the Snail over the Hyaluronic Acid. It’s more moisturizing on the skin and helps with skin texture. It’s the perfect moisturizing essence. It leaves the skin feeling hydrated but feels lightweight on the skin at the same time. Funny how things changed so sudden. 😊

⭐ Benton Aloe Propolis Soothing Gel

I’ve been using Benton Aloe Propolis Gel for a while now. From my experience, it’s a lightweight moisturizer that sinks into the skin really quick. Great for oily skin and skin that’s prone to breakouts. It hasn’t clogged my pores. It’s not the most moisturizing moisturizer out there. I don’t rely on it to keep my skin moisturized. That’s why I have other moisturizers in my routine. The only downside to this product (besides it not moisturizing the skin enough) is that it stings the skin sometimes, especially when the moisture barrier is damaged. It’s called a soothing gel, but I don’t recommend using it to soothe the skin when it’s irritated.

⭐ Purito Centella Green Level Buffet Serum

I remember when I started using Purito Centella Green Level Buffet Serum, my moisture barrier was damaged. This serum contains centella asiatica extract and ceramide to reduce irritation in the skin and to keep the skin moisturized. It helps to protect the skin’s natural barrier. My face was so red and irritated that I needed something to calm my skin down. This serum did what it’s supposed to do. It worked to heal my skin. It’s one of my favorite serums that’s lightweight and provides other beneficial skin care ingredients (in addition to what I mentioned earlier) for the skin, such as niacinamide, panthenol, and sodium hyaluronate. It’s not the most moisturizing serum, but it worked very well on my oily skin. I didn’t get any breakouts from it.

⭐ Cosrx Oil-Free Ultra-Moisturizing Lotion (with Birch Sap)

Cosrx Oil-Free Ultra-Moisturizing Lotion (with Birch Sap) is one of my favorite moisturizers. It’s lightweight, moisturizing, and hasn’t clogged my pores. Yup, no breakouts from it! My skin just loves this lotion! The lotion is easy to apply to the skin and sinks into the skin quick. It doesn’t leave any sticky residue behind. This lotion worked very well on my oily, acne-prone skin! Love the smell of the product too! It smells like candy and it has tea tree oil in it. It’s been amazing so far!

⭐ iUNIK Propolis Vitamin Synergy Serum

I didn’t think I would have iUNIK Propolis Vitamin Synergy Serum in my routine again, but I’m falling in love with it all over again. It hasn’t brighten my skin, but it leaves my skin feeling hydrated. I just love the way it feels on my skin. I only need one single drop of the product to get that moisturizing effect on my skin! Also… *read about the next product on the list*

⭐ iUNIK Black Snail Restore Serum

I’m using iUNIK Black Snail Restore Serum. I didn’t know I had a new bottle of this serum sitting around. I was going to discontinue using it, but I guess I’ll keep using it since I have it. As I keep using it, I’m falling in love with it too. So I use a mixture of the Propolis Vitamin Synergy Serum and Black Snail Restore Serum to create a super duper moisturizing serum. I know, cheesy, but it works like charm for extra hydration! I love it!

⭐ Hada Labo Gokujyun Premium Lotion

Here’s another moisturizing product that I REALLY LOVE! It’s Hada Labo Gokujyun Lotion. I’m glad I brought this product back! The difference it has made in my skin under less than a week has been astonishing! The lotion feels sticky when dispensed from the bottle, but it goes on the skin so nicely. It feels lightweight on the skin, leaves my skin feeling really moisturized (love using it!), and I haven’t noticed any breakouts from it. That’s just awesome! This lotion is quickly becoming one of my favorites. I think it’s more moisturizing than Cosrx Oil-Free Ultra-Moisturizing Lotion (with Birch Sap)!

⭐ Eucerin Q10 Anti-Wrinkle Face Cream

Here’s a new moisturizer that’s in my skin care routine. It’s Eucerin Q10 Anti-Wrinkle Face Cream. Alright, it’s the most moisturizing moisturizer/face cream in my routine. It’s rich, creamy, and buttery. It’s very different compared to what I’m used to using — lightweight, gel, something that’s better for oily skin, a moisturizer that absorbs quickly into the skin. This moisturizer or face cream did feel a bit heavy on my face when I first used it. That worried me because I was afraid of breaking out from it. It’s just so creamy and super moisturizing. My skin hasn’t experienced this type of moisture in so long. But, fortunately, it’s been good. I can’t say great because I’m still testing it out. So far, I haven’t experienced breakouts and it has helped alleviate dry patches on my face and made my skin look soooo good! I really hope it works out in the end. A new update coming up soon!

That’s all for now, haha. I’ll be sure to update my list of favorite moisturizers! ✨

What’s your favorite moisturizer or moisturizers? Be sure to leave a comment and share! 😊

Review: Aveeno Positively Radiant Skin Brightening Facial Cleanser

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Aveeno Positively Radiant Skin Brightening Facial Cleanser

Let’s talk about facial cleansers! Here’s one that I used before. I wanted to share my thoughts on it. It’s the Aveeno Positively Radiant Skin Brightening Facial Cleanser. This facial cleanser is a brightening facial cleanser that contains moisture-rich soy-extract that lifts away dirt, oil, and makeup. It helps to enhance natural radiance and improve skin tone and texture. It’s gentle on sensitive skin. Oil-free and soap-free. Did it work on my skin? Keep reading to find out! Now here are my thoughts on this product!

This face wash comes in a 6.7 fl. oz. (200 mL) bottle with a pump. It’s a gel facial cleanser. The texture and consistency of the product is very soft. It has a shimmery golden sheen to it. The first a couple of times using this facial cleanser, I noticed that it didn’t lather up or become foamy. That was a little disappointing. I prefer facial cleansers that are soapy and sudsy. Even just a little bit. As I continued to use the face wash, I noticed that it cleansed my skin without drying it out and left my skin feeling moisturized. Also, there was a brightening effect that was temporary, so it didn’t leave my skin brighter or make it appear more radiant (as advertised). The brightening effect faded over time.

My first impression of Aveeno Positively Radiant Skin Brightening Facial Cleanser was decent. I wasn’t too ecstatic about it. I just thought, it could work if it cleansed my skin properly. A good facial cleanser has to remove oil, dirt, debris, and all of that gunk off of my skin properly. After 3 weeks of using this face wash, it all went downhill. I noticed that it didn’t leave my skin feeling as clean as it should be. I have really oily skin, and this face wash just didn’t get the job done. My skin just didn’t feel completely clean. Since it didn’t clean my skin well, I ended up with acne on my chin, around my mouth area, and nose. I developed blackheads too. The end results were very upsetting. So I stopped using the face wash after experiencing breakouts.

βœ… Pros

❌ Cons

I stopped using Aveeno Positively Radiant Skin Brightening Facial Cleanser a while ago. The breakouts were terrible while using Aveeno. I’m glad I stopped using it, but it took me 3 weeks to notice that it clogged my pores. Whew! I’m glad that’s over. So, I’ve already moved on to another facial cleanser. Check out my current facial cleanser right here ~ Trader Joe’s Face Wash with Tea Tree Oil.

Review: Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hydrating Concealer

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Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hydrating Concealer

I picked up a new concealer! I’ve always wanted to try this concealer since it’s from the Neutrogena Hydro Boost line. I love moisturizing makeup products even though I have oily skin. Makeup for oily skin just settles into dry patches and accentuates fine lines and wrinkles. My skin is already dry enough from using acne treatments. Why make it even more dry?? So this concealer contains hyaluronic acid (more hyaluronic acid in makeup and skin care products, lol), is non-greasy, oil-free, provides silky-smooth, natural-looking coverage, blends into the skin effortlessly to hide dark under eye circles, non-comedogenic, and ophthalmologist-tested. I’ve used it for a couple of weeks now. Here are my thoughts on it!

The color I chose was fair. It’s the lightest shade they have. Neutrogena also offers Light, Light/Medium, Medium, and Deep (from the lightest to darkest shade). The color of this concealer was disappointing. It’s not fair. It’s much darker. It looks more like a medium shade to me. It looks orangey too. I was hoping that it wouldn’t come out orange. But, from my experience with Neutrogena makeup products, it’s always orange. One of the reasons why I don’t use Neutrogena makeup products. I don’t want to walk around with an unnatural orange-toned face. Now on to the texture and consistency of the concealer…

The concealer does feel soft when swatched on the skin. It’s hydrating. Doesn’t dry the skin out. The texture of the concealer felt really nice. It glides on the skin smoothly and effortlessly. It’s really easy to blend the it into the skin too. Besides the horrid color of the concealer, I really liked the texture of the concealer. It feels like how I thought it would feel like on my skin. But that’s just from swatching the product. When applied to the under eyes, why I purchased this concealer in the first place, I needed a moisturizing concealer that doesn’t dry out my under eyes and provided smooth, long-lasting coverage, the result wasn’t the same compared to just swatching it.

So when I tried using the concealer to cover my dark under eye circles or make my eye area look brighter and more lively, it was hydrating and felt smooth on my skin, but I noticed that it would clump up and settle into fine lines. It’s weird. It feels hydrating. But at the same time, it makes my under eyes look worse. Since that’s what I experienced from using this concealer, I eventually stopped using it to cover my dark under eye circles. I just didn’t like the way it made it looked. I really wanted this concealer to work due to its moisturizing properties, and it also does provide decent coverage, but it didn’t work for me. The color is just terrible, haha. If you have fair or light skin, this isn’t it. I’m not sure what the richer, darker shades look like. But fair is not a fair shade.

Here’s the concealer out of its packaging.

Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hydrating Concealer

Fresh, new concealer. The white circle (in the center) is what makes this concealer moisturizing.

Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hydrating Concealer

Here’s a photo of the concealer after swatching…

Here’s a swatch of the concealer. It’s much darker on my skin. I thought it could blend into my complexion, but it still had that orange tinge to it.

Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hydrating Concealer

βœ… Pros

❌ Cons

This concealer is moisturizing, but it didn’t work under my eyes. My under eyes ended up looking all crepey. The concealer settled into fine lines and wrinkles. The shade of the concealer didn’t help much either. It was too dark on my skin, which made it look like I had a mask on. I tried blending the concealer into my skin very well. That didn’t work either. The orangey color it leaves behind on the skin, lol. I think Neutrogena had something going on with this concealer. It could’ve been a better product. It’s a nope for me.

For more reviews on Neutrogena products go here

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