Showing posts with label Amore Pacific. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Amore Pacific. Show all posts

Tuesday, April 1, 2014

Product Empties #2

I know that it seems like a short amount of time in between these product empties posts, but believe me, I have not used up all of these products in two month's time. The last empties post was delayed, because of my laziness. The pictures were taken, edited and added to a new post, just waiting for me to write everything out. And I didn't. While the last empties post was waiting to be completed, I collected my empties products for the next Product Empties post. Well here it is, un-dulated in all it's timely glory. Keep reading to see what I have used up in the past couple of months and a mini review on each of the products. 



ProductAmore Pacific Color Control Cushion Compact (sample)
Where to get it: I received this in my New Beauty Test Tube September 2013 box. It can also be purchased at Sephora.com and the Amore Pacific website.
How it worked:When I received it I didn't know what this product was. I ended up checking out some reviews on the product and realized that it is a CC cream - just not in a cream form. I really liked this product. It gave me light to medium coverage and felt really nice on the skin. It lasted all day long. The only thing that people might have an issue with this product is that it's is very dewy. Almost to the point of looking oily. Oily skinned ladies should not use this product. I was able to somewhat tone down the dewiness with a setting powder but I still retained a dewy finish, which I did like. Repurchase?: YES! I have a few BB creams and foundations that I need to get through and I may end up picking up a full size of this product. The only issue is that it sells for $60.00.  According to the reviews on the Sephora site, it comes with two cushions in the product so it's basically like buying two foundations for the price of one. 



ProductRevlon Lash Potion mascara in Black
Where to get it: Drugstores
How it worked: I really liked this product. I got the waterproof version to help keep the curl of my lashes and it worked to keep most of my curl. It doesn't work as well as my Urban Decay Cannonball mascara, but it's a cheaper alternative to my high end holy grail. I really didn't like the brush on this product, it was too big for my short lashes and I prefer a smaller brush. 
Repurchase?: Maybe, I liked the mascara formula, but hated the brush. I am on the lookout for a drugstore mascara formula AND a brush that I like.



ProductBare Minerals Prime Time foundation primer. (I cut the top corner to get more of the product out)
Where to get itBare Escentiuals stores and website, Ulta and Sephora. I received a sample of this with the starter set when I first purchased the powder foundation. 
How it worked: I didn't really think that this primer worked for me. I didn't notice a difference on how my foundation lasted with and without using this product. 
Repurchase?: No.



ProductLancome Clis Design Mascara
Where to get itLancome website or counters. This product is not currently sold anymore.
How it worked: I liked this product. Lancome is famous for their mascaras and this mascara held up to the hype. I think that I liked the design of the mascara more than the formula on this one.  The mascara came in two parts. One side had a skinny mascara wand and the other side had a tiny comb.  The comb could be used to apply mascara to the bottom lashes, or if you area like me and don't have enough bottom lashes to put mascara on them, you can use the little comp to define your top lashes and get in the inner corners of your eyes. I have had this mascara for a while and am making a conscious effort to use up all the samples and older makeup items that I have. This is one of them that I had and hadn't used up.
Repurchase?: No - only because it is not for sale. 



ProductBatiste Dry Shampoo in Floral and Flirty Blush
Where to get it: I get my bottles from T.J. Maxx or Marshall's. They are usually the lowest price for the product.  I get it for $6 as opposed to the $8 or $9 that you will usually pay at other places.
How it worked: This is my favorite dry shampoo. I think that it works the best and comes at a really good price. 
Repurchase?: Yes. I already have repurchased another bottle of this dry shampoo in a different version.



ProductReNu Contact Solution
Where to get it: I get my contact solution from Costco. It usually comes with two full sized bottles and either/or an extra contact case or a travel sized bottle of the solution.
How it worked: It's contact solution. As I said above, I am trying to use up my sample products and was able to get through two of the travel sized bottles of this solution. 
Repurchase?: Yes. 



ProductCVS Skin Purifying astringent in Deep-Clean
Where to get itCVS
How it worked: This is the cvs store brand version of Sea Breeze's astringent. I use this in the mornings to clean up my skin, especially if I used my Mario Badescu Drying Lotion the night before.  The Drying Lotion is an overnight spot treatment that has a pink tone. When I wake up in the morning after using this product, there is usually traces of pink all over my face. I use the astringent to get rid of the pink spots and clear up my face. 
Repurchase?: Yes.



ProductJohn Frieda Radiant Red daily conditioner
Where to get it: Most drugstores and super stores will have this brand in the store. The red version is hard to find and the same chain of stores will have different stock of this product in each store. 
How it worked: I didn't really like this product. I have colored, red hair, which is hard to maintain.  This conditioner has a slight red tint to maintain the red hues in colored hair. I didn't think that the product maintained my red hair and it dulled with this product. It was also really drying. My hair was so dry that it was at the point of constant frizziness. Because the product was so hard to find, when I did find the product (shampoo and conditioner) in a store, I stocked up when I initially dyed my hair red. I still have shampoo and conditioner bottles to get through. 
Repurchase?: No.



ProductYes to Cucumbers trial size facial towelettes
Where to get it: I received this in my Fab Fit Fun Summer 2013 box. 
How it worked: I liked the scent of this product and that's about it where the accolades for the product ends. I thought that the size of the product was too small. It was about the size of half of a normal sized face wipe. The small size made it hard to handle in your hand. I also felt that the product was a little dry. I wish that there was more product on the individual wipe. 
Repurchase?: No.

Product: Kirkland daily facial towelettes 
Where to get itCostco 
How it worked: I like this product. I like that the opening has a plastic snap closure instead of the regular sticker opening. The wipes are big enough and saturated with the cleanser that I am able to wipe my whole face without the towel drying out. These wipes come in a boxed set from with multiple packages of the product in it. 
Repurchase?:Yes.

ProductNeutrogena Oil-Free Cleansing Wipes in Pink Grapefruit
Where to get it: I got my wipes from Walgreen's when they had a buy one get one 50% off sale.
How it worked: I liked these products.  They are specifically made for acne prone skin.  The Pink grapefruit line from Neutrogena are all catered to treat acne. The scent doesn't really smell like pink grapefruit to me and I initially did not like the scent. Eventually I got used to the scent and didn't mind it as much.
Repurchase?: I will probably repurchase these in the future, but right now I have enough of the face wipes from Costco that I don't need any more at this time.



Product: Status nutritive hair mask
Where to get it: I got this from T. J. Maxx  or Marshall's. I can't remember which one. 
How it worked: I really liked the smell of this mask and it lingered on my hair. I usually applied this mask in the shower and then put on a shower cap while I finished taking my shower.  
Repurchase?: ...if I knew where to get it from - I haven't seen this mask anymore in stores.



Producth2o plus Anti-Acne Calming Corrector
Where to get it: I got my bottle from T.J. Maxx
How it worked: This product technically wasn't empty, but I really didn't like the product at all and had to throw the rest of it out. Firstly i didn't see any noticeable results from using this product. Secondly and most probable was that when I used the serum, it would ball up on my face and ruin my makeup.  
Repurchase?: NO.



ProductOrigins 'A Perfect World' Age-defying moisturizer.
Where to get it: I received this sample size from the Sephora Sun Safety Kit that I hauled.  
How it worked: This was a nice moisturizer. It has the added bonus of having the SPF in it, so that was nice. I used this in the morning because of the SPF. 
Repurchase?: Maybe. 



ProductMario Badescu Whitening Mask
Where to get it: I received this mask as a sample with purchase from Ulta.  
How it worked:
I really liked this product, I felt that it worked nicely to help even out my skin tone.  This is a clay mask that applies soft and hardens as it dries. I did notice a difference in my skin after using this product. I have a slight issue with "whitening" products though. I just think that it's really weird to basically be bleaching your skin to even it out.
Repurchase?: Maybe. Once I get over the whole skin bleaching issue.



ProductClairsonic Deep Pore brush head (blue) and Acne brush head (lime green)
Where to get it: I'm pretty sure that I got my brush heads from Ulta when they were having a sale or a coupon. 
How it worked: I use these with my Clairsonic Mia 2. I didn't really see or feel a difference in these two versions. 
Repurchase?: Yes. I already have repurchased the Acne brush heads. 



ProductSephora Age defy moisture cream SPF 15 Sunscreen
Where to get itSephora stores.  I received this from the Sephora Sun Safety Kit that I hauled in May of last year.
How it worked: This worked well enough. Nothing about it was very memorable. 
Repurchase?: Probably not.


Product:  True Blue Spa Grin and Bare it body lotion
Where to get it:Bath and Body Works. Although I received this from a hotel that I stayed in. 
How it worked: I really liked the scent of the lotion. 
Repurchase?: I don't think that I would purchase a full size of this product, mostly because I took multiple sample sizes of this product that should last a while. I also wasn't really impressed in a memorable way with the efficacy of the lotion.



Productboscia Self-Defense Vital Antioxidant Moisture Broad Spectrum SPF 30
Where to get it: I received this in my Sephora Sun Safety Kit that I hauled back in May.
How it worked: I liked this moisturizer. I know it's weird, but I really liked the applicator for this product. I also like the packaging. 
Repurchase?: Maybe.



ProductStri Vectin Get Even Brightening Serum
Where to get it: I received this in my New Beauty Test Tube November 2013 tube. 
How it worked: AMAZINGLY! I have acne prone skin (as evidenced by all the acne clearing products in the post) and when I get a zit the mark left after the zit leaves lasts for a really long time. I used this product to help with the acne marks and I have seen a difference since using this product and notice when I miss application.  The serum helps with my redness and evens out my skin tone as the product claims to do. 
Repurchase?: I have already repurchased this product from T.J. Maxx. Stri Vectin is repackaging their products so I was able to get these for a really good deal. I think that I need to get even more backups since it's such a low price and I won't be able to get them again. The bottles at T.J. Maxx are in the old packaging. 



ProductNeutrogena Oil-Free Cleansing Wipes in Pink Grapefruit
Where to get it
How it worked: Oh look I found another one of these in my empties pile. This is the second package of these wipes that I purchased at Walgreen's on the buy one get one 50% off sale.  See the review above.
Repurchase?: Probably.



ProductDelon Premium Cotton Rounds
Where to get it: I got these from Costco in a pack of eight.
How it worked: I really like these cotton pads.  These flat cotton pads are two sided. One side is a soft cotton, the other side has a mesh netting over it to scrub the face a little bit more. Even the side that has the rougher netting is soft. 
Repurchase?: I will definetley be repurchasing these after I run out. But with the amount that I got from Costco that won't be any time soon.



ProductPhilosophy Hope n a jar moisturizer
Where to get it: I'm not sure where I received this sample from. But this brand is fairly easily found from Sephora to QVC to everywhere else in between.
How it worked: This was a really light moisturizer. I have dry skin so I tend to prefer heavier, thicker moisturizers, but this did keep my skin hydrated. 
Repurchase?: Probably not, in favor of a thicker moisturizer.


Thursday, January 30, 2014

Sephora Haul December 2013

This December I had a gift card to Sephora and all the holiday sets were out, so I decided to put in a order. 


I received a sample of Ren's Glycol lactic radiance renewal mask and ended up loving the mask. I could immediately see and feel the results. How the mask works is that you apply it to your face, leave it on for ten minutes and then use a warm, wet cloth to wipe away the mask. It's very similar to the hot cloth cleansers that are all the rage right now, just in mask form. I was looking through the Sephora site and found that the mask was selling for $55.00. This set sold for $58.00 and included a full size of the mask that I was already planning on purchasing. How could I NOT get this set?!

Here is a list of what was included in the Ren Rediscover Radiance Kit
1.7 fl. oz. Glycol Lactic Radiance Renewal Mask
0.34 fl. oz. Radiance Perfection serum
0.5 fl. oz. micro polish cleanser
2 0.7 fl. oz. Resurfacing AHA concentrate
Muslin Cloth



December is my birthday month so I also got my birthday gift as being a part of the Beauty Insider program. I'm sure that you have already seen this set or have it yourself, but being as my birthday is the last month of the year, I'm always last to get the birthday gift after everyone else has received this gift. 

Just in case you are the last person on the planet that doesn't know what was included in the birthday set, this is what was in it:
0.08 oz. Watt's Up highlighter
0.1 oz. they're Real mascara

Here is a link to 2014's Beauty Insider birthday gift.


I received a nice sized sample of Amore Pacific's Color Control Cushion Compact in my September 2013 New Beauty Test Tube and I really liked it. In fact I was initially going to order a full size of the sample during this purchase. I ended up seeing this sample for free, so I decided to just get this to sample to make sure that I really liked it. The full sized product is pricey ($60.00) so I wanted to make sure I was justifying my purchase.


As with every online Sephora purchase, you get to pick three samples. I picked Lancome Dreamtone corrector for fair skin tone, Tata Harper resurfacing mask and Wei Golden Root Purifying Mud Mask.

Friday, November 15, 2013

New Beauty Test Tube September 2013

My New Beauty Test Tube came in the mail and the changes keep coming! 

RecentlyTest tube changed their shipping schedule, going from a quarterly subscription service to a bimonthly one. The most recent shipment had an aestheic change.  The new packaging is super cute, with pink hexagons throughout the boxes and tube. They also started wrapping the products in tissue paper instead of just packing everything in a box. 


First Look!


I really like the new changes that they made to the packaging! How cute is the pink and orange honeycomb design!?!


It Cosmetics was highly featured in the tube.  This booklet was included to showcase all the It Cosmetics products that they offer. 
FULL SIZE It Cosmetics Heavenly Luxe Powder Brush. This brush was really soft, but I'm not sure it will be my everyday powder brush.


2.26 fl. oz BioSilk Silk Therapy

2 fl.oz. It's a 10 Miracle Leave in Plus Keratin This is the second time I have received a sample of this leave in conditioner. The first one I received as the lite version. It will be nice to compare the two and see which works better for my hair. 


.5 fl. oz La Roche-Posay 'Mela-D' deep cleansing, brightening foaming cream

.5 fl. oz. Smashbox 'Photo Finish' Foundation Primer I already have a sample size of this product that I bought in a kit. I love this primer and it is my go to primer.  Although I already have this product, I was happy to receive another one. 


 .14 oz. Amore Pacific 'Color Control Cushion Compact' inTan Blush
This product I was really confused and interested in. The product is in a sponge and you are supposed to press the applicator (which is amazingly soft) into the inner sponge and then apply that to your face. 
I haven't tried out this product, because I am still so confused as to how to wear it. Is it a foundation? a tint? how much coverage does it have? do I apply it before or after my foundation? Blarg.


 FULL SIZED Mally Cosmetics 'Evercolor' eyeliner in "Starlight" When I first saw this I was really disappointed. The  last Mally Eyeliner that I received was a huge disappointment. Once I saw this pretty silver color it made everything better. 


TestTube continued to pack the extra products along with the tubes. 


 Nip+Fab Viper Venom

Nip+Fab No Needle Fix Serum

Lumene BB Cream


 Spa Ritual Handprint Hand serum I've never heard of a hand serum before. I'm interested to see if this work and how it works. 



I love the aesthetic changes that Test Tube has made, but noticed that there has been a lot less full sized products in the tubes than I have previously received. My first tube had numerous full sized products, most of which were all luxury brands that I have never heard of. Now it seems that they are shipping out products that are easily accessible and that other sample boxes have shipped out in their boxes. All of which are in boxes that are much cheaper than the $29.99 plus shipping every two months price tag. Every brand in this tube I have heard of, I already have similar products or have the exact product already. My very first tube I received from Test Tube had mostly all products that I had never heard of. I liked that about the old Test Tube.  I'd rather not see products that I can easily pick up at my local CVS in the tube.