My Lip Care Routine

Here’s my lip care routine! 👄 This is what I use to keep my lips smooth, moisturized, and healthy-looking. 🙂

Lip Mask

I’ve been using a lip sleeping mask for almost 2 years now. The lip sleeping mask I’m currently using is Carenel Lip Sleeping Mask. I’m on my second jar. I’ve been using this lip mask every night and haven’t made a dent in the jar yet. I still have a lot of product left. This stuff seems to last forever! So this lip mask isn’t my favorite. I don’t have a favorite yet. I haven’t tried that many lip masks. Just the one I’m using right now. Since I haven’t finished it yet, there’s no reason to purchase a new one any time soon. I do have a small jar of Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask (sample size, pictured in photo) that I haven’t tried out yet. I’ll test it out once I finish Carenel. I just don’t feel like moving on from Carenel yet until I finish it, lol.

So the Carenel Lip Sleeping Mask feels sticky when applied to the lips. I apply enough product over the lips to keep my lips moisturized. Just like I’m applying a facial mask but for the lips. The sleeping mask stays in place and doesn’t run off of my lips, which I love! It’s non-messy even though it has a sticky texture to it. I wish it was more moisturizing, but I’m not too dissatisfied with this sleeping mask. I’m able to use it without skipping nights and disliking it. It’ll work for the time being. It has a berry-ish scent to it. The fragrance of the product isn’t overwhelming. I don’t love it, but I’m not bothered by it. I can use it without any issues. No burning or irritation of any kind.

Lip Scrub

I usually don’t use a dedicated lip scrub product for my lips. I have a face brush that I run over my lips when I use it to wash my face, or I just use a toothbrush. I feel that the methods I use work the same as a store-bought lip scrub. The results are pretty much the same. They both remove dead skin cells. But, one summer I purchased a few jars of St Ives Lip Scrub Juicy Watermelon to try out. This is a lip scrub made out of sugar crystals. It feels a bit sticky, but it works to remove dead skin from the lips. I wish I was able to move the product over the lips much more easily and comfortably. To add some slip to the lip scrub, I added a few drops of almond oil or jojoba oil to make it easier to move over the lips without tugging the skin too much. I don’t use this product often. I feel like I don’t need it. Once I finish it up, I won’t purchase it again. Also, I prefer the other methods I mentioned earlier to remove dead skin from my lips. It’s inexpensive and works long term for me. I’ve been doing it for so long that there’s no need to change it. It was nice to try out a lip scrub again though. Maybe I just haven’t found a lip scrub that I really liked yet. This one wasn’t too bad. I’m just not overly ecstatic about it.

Healing Ointment

This is my favorite product out of all of the products I use on my lips. It’s the CeraVe Healing Ointment. This product contains mineral oil, paraffin, ceramides, cholesterol, vitamin e, hydrolyzed hyaluronic acid, etc. I use this healing ointment on my lips every night to seal in moisture after I apply the lip sleeping mask. It works to keep my lips soft and moist the next morning. The CeraVe Healing Ointment isn’t just great for the lips. It works for dry patches of skin, itchy skin, irritated skin, and so much more! It’s an awesome sealant to keep moisture in the skin. I love that it contains ceramides. That makes it an even better product! This is a multi-purpose product that I love to have around since I can’t use what people recommend all the time (Aquaphor). Aquaphor makes my skin really irritated and itchy. It must be the lanolin! Every time I use a product with that ingredient on my face, my skin breaks out in hives. My face hates it! With CeraVe (lanolin-free), I have no issues. Just soft, smooth, and moisturized skin. It’s great for healing the skin. I have a few bottles of CeraVe Healing Ointment sitting around just in case I need to save my skin.

Sun Protection

In the morning, I use Up & Up Sport Sunscreen Lip Balm Broad Spectrum SPF 50. It’s not the most moisturizing lip balm, but it’s not drying. This is a chemical-based SPF lip balm. Broad spectrum. It’s water-resistant (80 minutes). I’ve gone through so many that I’ve lost count. It’s an affordable SPF for the lips. I just stuck with it because I have no reason to switch to any other SPF. It works. It’s inexpensive. It does what it’s supposed to do. It protects the lips from harmful UVB and UVA rays. It’s a high SPF lip balm too (SPF 50!!!). I always make sure to stash one or two in my pocket or bag just in case I need it. I get freckles on my lips. This lip balm with sunscreen has helped prevent more freckles from forming.

That’s my lip care routine for now. 😊

September Skin Care Empties 😎

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 👈🏻

Review: Up & Up Nighttime Facial Moisturizing Lotion

It’s moisturizer time! 😅 So here I have a kinda new moisturizer. Well, I’ve been using it on and off. It’s not really truly in my skin care routine. I just have it and use it whenever I remember to. It’s the Up & Up Nighttime Facial Moisturizing Lotion. This is an off-brand of CeraVe PM Facial Moisturizing Lotion. I’ve used the PM Facial Moisturizing Lotion before. It didn’t work on my facial skin, so I didn’t want to pay more for it. By the way, I’m not using this moisturizing lotion on my facial skin. The ingredients are somewhat similar to the CeraVe PM Facial Moisturizing Lotion that’s why. It’s not 100% identical, but I didn’t feel comfortable using it on my facial skin. It’s because I know exactly what’s going to happen if I do. So more about this facial moisturizing lotion…

It’s a lightweight and oil-free lotion. Provides 24-hour moisturization for hydration overnight and into the next day. It helps to restore and maintain the skin’s natural barrier. Contains ceramides, niacinamide, and hyaluronic acid. Ceramides to restore skin’s natural barrier. Niacinamide to help the skin produce ceramides. Hyaluronic Acid to help smooth the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.

Now here’s my experience with Up & Up Nighttime Facial Moisturizing Lotion! 😊

My experience

The moisturizer feels lightweight and absorbs into the skin very quick. It leaves a clean finish where the skin is left feeling hydrated. It doesn’t have a smell to it. Perfect! It’s fragrance-free! I wish I could use a moisturizer like this on my facial skin. Just from my experience with CeraVe PM Facial Moisturizing Lotion, that’s not a good idea. I love how lightweight it feels on the skin. It doesn’t feel heavy or greasy. It just sinks into the skin like no other. Quality-wise, this product is pretty good. It comes in a 3 fl. oz. bottle for $9.99. But for nighttime, is this moisturizer heavy enough?? Is it moisturizing enough to combat skin dryness?? Hmmm!

I feel that this moisturizer would make a better daytime moisturizer. It’s thin, lightweight, and provides OK moisture. I can feel that it’s moisturizing my skin when applying to my skin, but the type of moisture it provides doesn’t last throughout the day. It’s just so light! So I mainly use this moisturizer during the day. It layers on wonderfully (since it’s so thin) with my other skin care products. Sometimes I sneak it into my nighttime routine. Love the ingredients in this product! It contains niacinamide, ceramides, sodium hyaluronate plus other ingredients to keep the skin hydrated and healthy. But, since I’m not using it on my facial skin, this moisturizer may not be for me. I just picked it up on a whim just because, lol.

This is what the box of the product and product looks like.

Pros & Cons

✅ Pros

• Provides lightweight moisture
• Absorbs into the skin quickly
• Doesn’t leave a sticky residue behind
• Contains ceramides, niacinamide, and hyaluronic acid
• Works just like the name brand (CeraVe) but is cheaper
• Affordable

❌ Cons

• This is just me, but I can’t use it on my facial skin. It clogs my pores.

Conclusion

This is a nice moisturizer for someone that can use products like CeraVe. Me, I can’t. My skin (face) doesn’t seem to like the formulation of their products. Even though this is an off-brand, the ingredients are very similar to the actual brand name. Honestly, it’s almost the same to me. It’s up there with it. It’s just less expensive and for more product. But, I most likely won’t purchase again. I’ve been using this moisturizer on my neck, chest, and arms to get rid of it. haha.

Review: Up & Up Sport Sunscreen Lip Balm Broad Spectrum SPF 50

I haven’t finished my Sun Bum Sunscreen Lip Balm SPF 30 lip balms yet, but I have a new set of lip balms! It’s Up & Up Sport Sunscreen Lip Balm Broad Spectrum SPF 50! 🙂 I’m so excited for these! They’re higher in SPF than Sun Bum. I needed something much higher than 30, so I went for a lip balm that has a SPF of 50! This is a Target brand. They were way cheaper compared to Sun Bum lip balms. A pack of two was only $3.99 with a higher SPF plus other benefits. So this lip balm is supposed to soothe and relieve dry, chapped lips while protecting the lips from harmful UVA/UVB rays. It’s water resistant (80 minutes) and reef friendly. That sounds so much better compared to Sun Bum Sunscreen Lip Balm SPF 30. I think this lip balm could work. Well, let’s find out! Here’s my experience with Up & Up Sport Sunscreen Lip Balm Broad Spectrum SPF 50!

My experience

My first impression of Up & Up Sport Sunscreen Lip Balm Broad Spectrum SPF 50 was very good. The lip balm glides on my lips smoothly, moisturizes my lips, and protects my lips with SPF 50 (Avobenzone 3%, Homosalate 8%, Octocrylene 10%). That’s wonderful! I’m trying to find skin care and lip care products with a higher SPF that’s suitable for my skin type. It’s because I’m prone to developing freckles everywhere on my face plus my lips. I think it’s best for my skin and lips to use a higher SPF. Don’t worry, I’m always trying my best to reapply and stay out of the sun as much as I can. Because of that (one of the reasons), I’m liking Up & Up Sport Sunscreen Lip Balm Broad Spectrum SPF 50 over Sun Bum Sunscreen Lip Balm SPF 30. Also, Up & Up doesn’t have fragrance or a strong overwhelming scent to it. It gets bonus points for that. I get really tired of the scent from the Sun Bum lip balms when I’m using them on a daily basis. It doesn’t irritate my lips, but sometimes I don’t want to smell anything. lol.

Now let’s look at the ingredients! This lip balm doesn’t have the best ingredients, but it works for what it is. There’s a few beneficial ingredients that pop out, such as cocoa butter, coconut oil, aloe, and vitamin e. The ingredient list is pretty short too. I prefer products that don’t have an exhaustive list of ingredients. This one looks ok. It’s working for me so far. It didn’t irritate my lips or make them feel itchy. No allergic reaction. Everything is going pretty well. I love the fact that it’s super affordable too. Can’t beat $3.99 for the price of two lip balms that don’t dry my lips out, is water resistant, and contains broad spectrum SPF 50! This would be perfect for outdoor workouts or walks! It’s a decent lip balm with high sun protection for everyday use that doesn’t cost too much. Yay! It works!

This is what Up & Up Sport Sunscreen Lip Balm Broad Spectrum SPF 50 looks like in package. All brand new. Love it!

This is what the lip balm looks like. Goes on the lips clear! It works great under lip tints and lipsticks too.

Pros & Cons

✅ Pros

• Moisturizing
• Contains cocoa butter, coconut oil, aloe, and vitamin e
• Contains SPF 50 (Avobenzone 3%, Homosalate 8%, Octocrylene 10%)
• Water-resistant (80 minutes)
• Smooths over the lips nicely
• Affordable ($3.99 for 2)
• Reef safe

❌ Cons

• None so far!

Conclusion

Here’s to another lip balm that’s affordable and works like it’s supposed to. It works just the same as my Sun Bum lip balms without costing more. I haven’t had any issues with this lip balm. It helps to soothe my lips while keeping it moisturized throughout the day. I make sure I reapply my lip balm constantly to maintain moisture and keep my lips protected from the harmful UV rays. I don’t want more freckles on my lips. So I’m loving the higher SPF even though it’s not by much. It’s still something. It makes me never want to go back to the SPF 30 lip products, lol. This is a good lip balm to try out if you don’t want to spend a lot of money but still want the quality. I like it. Seems to be working just fine for me.

Don’t forget to check out my posts on other sunscreen products!