PRODUCT FLOPS: CHAPTER 3

You win some, you lose some; what can you do right? It’s been a long while since I’ve done these and just so you know, I came across a lot of mediocre, fail products but I just didn’t really care enough to announce them until now. I think I have a good amount of products to share with you that just didn’t work out. Nothing against these brands, some things just don’t out as plan or work the way we want them to.

Glow Recipe Watermelon Sleeping Mask

i-038857-watermelon-glow-sleeping-mask-80ml-1-940I’ve tried time overtime to make this sleeping mask work for me, I really wanted to enjoy this. Don’t get me wrong, I love their other products such as their watermelon mist, pineapple-c serum, avocado sleeping mask, and blueberry cleanser but this, this was not a hit for me. No matter how thick or thin I applied this on my face, it would just pill on me. Whether I had skincare underneath or no skincare, I had the same issues. I’ve tried really hard to make this sleeping mask work for me and it just wouldn’t.

Etude House Double Lasting Serum Foundation

51f9km5qell._sx425_I used this foundation a handful of times and every time I was left disappointed. Not only it separated on my skin, but it also made my skin appear extremely oily. Somehow it clung onto dry patches and leaving a layer of grease on my skin, not sure what to think of this. Perhaps I got a dud, perhaps I didn’t shake it hard enough for the serum to mix well with the foundation. I know what dewy looks like and this ain’t it. Luckily, I got this from PR because I would have been annoyed spending 20 bucks on it and just have to throw it away. I ended up giving this to my friend and she said it works for her dry skin so yay.

Farmacy Honey Potion

zoom_1_product_33489_20farmacy_20honey_20potion_20renewing_20antioxidant_20hydration_20mask_2050g_76178f15a3283189a2c0f66ca0392012519a5a11_1528796116You may have seen this on my Instagram feed a while ago and I liked it but maybe it was all placebo. Sure, it gave my skin that warming sensation but I didn’t really feel a significant difference when removing it off my skin. I think I just liked how it was warming and it didn’t irritate my skin. It’s quite overpriced if you ask me and I don’t think I should have gotten it in the first place. I should have gotten the smaller size and tried it prior to getting the medium size. I did like the packaging for its magnetic lid and spatula but other than that, there are better honey masks out there, such as the Naisture – honey honey mask and also the “I’m from – honey mask”.

RiRe Liquid Eyeshadow

s-l300This is a small Korean brand and I got one of their liquid shadows from a Joah box and let me tell you, it was the chunkiest glitter shadow I have ever seen in my life. It’s definitely not eye-safe and I don’t even know why these brand develops these glitter products without being mindful of the environment and also user’s health. I swatched a tiny bit of this on my hand and it instantly turned red without me putting any pressure during the application. Could you imagine if I put it on my lids? It would have been over for my eyelids. You want a good liquid shadow, try Peripera – they’re just as good as the Stila liquid shadows but a fraction of the cost.

It’s Skin Tiger Cica Calming Serum

dead35_34d17ec33008487e9a5d396696c8f27emv2It’s funny that I’m mentioning this because I had a huge obsession for It’s Skin products and the more I learned about the ingredients and the more I understood what works for my skin and what doesn’t. I have dehydrated skin issues so gel creams are not ideal for my skin type because they don’t serve that much purpose for me. During summer, I tend to use them the most but other seasons? no. This particular serum is a gel-based serum and it just does absolutely nothing for me. Sure, it might be a TINY bit hydrating but nothing more than that and it kind of just forms a film on top of my skin doing absolutely nothing. I think I’ve “graduated” from using It’s Skin skincare. I still enjoy their power 10 ampoules and hand creams but other than that, I don’t think they really interest me as much as they did when I was a lot younger. You know when you have certain phases in your life and you’re over it to move onto the next big thing? yeah, that’s how I feel about their products.

Colourpop Pretty Fresh Tinted Moisturizer

pretty-fresh-light-5n_aWhy? This isn’t the worst product I’ve tried however that being said, why is so overhyped? I don’t understand why this is so hyped up. It’s a very underwhelming product, you won’t get that glow as promised. Also, it’s not that hydrating nor has tinted moisturizer coverage. It’s pretty full coverage for a tinted moisturizer and just doesn’t really match the name of it. I purchased this myself and I am a fan of Colourpop products but this one was probably not as good as a drugstore foundation and you guys who have followed me from time would know I don’t like drugstore foundations that much. I mean, I have a lot of product left so I’m contemplating to use it up or forward to someone who may like it.

I Dew Care Plush Party Lip Sleeping Mask

41q0n46gsgl._sx355_Their packaging is so stinking cute and I had so many hopes for this little guy. It burned my lips like no other, I was in shock because I was hoping it to be similar to maybe the Laneige lip sleeping mask but for a fraction of the cost. You know when a product burns your skin on the surface you feel it, right? This product penetrated into my lips and burned it on the inside. How is that even possible? Luckily I didn’t have an “allergic reaction” to this where it could have been swollen but I did, however, have that burning sensation and it was ongoing for a good hour before it went away. Concerning and a big nope for me, I’m SuRpRiSeD by the amount of “positive” reviews on Instagram about this specific product. Anyway, I did repurpose the container and I put some vaseline in it instead.

The Saem ICELAND Hydrating Toner

21vdvwkbgblOh man, where do I even start with this? The first thing you’ll notice is it’s the heavy fragrance the moment you open it. Not to mention it was very drying on the skin, it was far from hydrating. It also left an unnecessary strange slight tack to the skin, which I did not appreciate. I’m not sure why The Saem thinks it’s a brilliant idea to pour a bottle of perfume in their products. I said this once, I will say it again. Skincare doesn’t need to smell good, it just needs to work. It’s as easy as that but to some brands, they believe fragrances make a product more attractive. It might attract certain consumers but fragrance is a very irritating to the skin.

Glowhill (In General)

glowhill20aurora20whitehole20glow20maskThey gifted me their products and I was so excited to try their products when I first got the PR package. I want to share that just because a product looks pretty and cute, doesn’t mean it will work on your skin. I should have known these would bad news the moment I opened their peel-off masks. Peel-off masks are extremely harsh on the skin because think about it, it dries on top of your skin and you’re peeling it off and sometimes, it really hurts when you peel it off. Anyway, this was heavily fragranced as well so I don’t know why I thought it was a great idea to apply it all over my face. I left this mask on then peeled it off, my skin was very red afterward. No surprise here because peel-off + fragranced, those are two red flags right there. Another concerning thing, there’s glitter in these masks. Why is there glitter in skincare? At first, I was attracted to the concept but the more I think about it, the more I realize it’s not as great as it seems. Roughly 2 days after, I got a giant pimple on my forehead and I’m 99.9% sure this triggered that because I don’t break out that easily and I’m pretty blessed with clear skin for the most part. It’s usually irritating products and poor diet that triggers my breakouts.

That’s it for now, friends. I know there were a lot of products I shared today that may or may not work for you but keep in mind, no two skin types are alike with one another. Be mindful of what you buy and use and also check the ingredients.

CYBER MONDAY GIFT GUIDE

Black Friday may have just past by but that doesn’t mean the party is over. Who wants to really go to physical stores and have to fight over the best deals when you can buy everything at home? That’s right, at home! Which means there will be a ton of deals online right now. Here are some products I think that would make great gifts and usually, during Black Fridays, there will be sitewide and store sales or specific door/site crasher deals; it really varies by store but hopefully you can snag these for a good deal.

Colourpop Super Shock Shadows

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These gems are so affordable as is but they can be even cheaper during their sales. Who doesn’t love a good bargain? I most certainly do. They come in a wide range of finishes from mattes to shimmers to glitters and even duo-chrome shades. I like how their products are extremely reasonable prices and sometimes even perform better than actual drugstore quality. If you’re interested in purchasing these or any colourpop, fourth ray or sol body product, definitely head over to their website right now because they have a 30% off sitewide deal. Click here!

 

 

Laneige Cream Skin Refiner (or the mist, or both)

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This bad boy has an amazing reputation because it has to be one of the most revolutionary products in K-beauty history. It’s essentially a toner that transforms into a liquid moisturizer. If you’re interested in hearing my full thoughts on this, please check my review here to see why it’s worth the hype and why it’s so good.

Available here: eBay (best price) | Yesstyle

 

 

Nails INC Polishes

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I think these would make amazing gifts for anyone who loves to paint their nails. I would honestly like to say that these are salon-quality kind of polishes because they don’t chip as easily and long-lasting. I’ve been using their nail polishes for many, many years and have really enjoyed them. They too, also come in different finishes where you can have glittery/shimmer, matte or duo-chrome finishes. The prices are pretty reasonable and I use the detachable silver cap allows my finger to rest as I apply the polish on for that finger. They often have duo sets for an amazing deal so you can always share a polish with a friend or keep it for yourself. I think these would be an amazing stock stuffer for anyone who loves high-quality nail polish. These are available at Sephora.

LANEIGE Kiss Me All Day Set

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These LANEIGE glowy lip balms make incredible stocking stuffers for Christmas, birthday gifts and etc because who can’t live without lip products? They are essentials and a really nice unisex gift. This set comes in the berry, pear and peach scent so a good variety of different scents. You can pretty much find these at a lot of online shops.

I hope these picks have helped you a bit in finding a nice gift for your loved ones or yourself! Please feel free to comment below what sort of content you would like to see from me and if you haven’t already, follow me on Instagram and check out my daily uploads.

Available here: Sephora

Well, that’s it for now, friends! Til next time. I hope these suggestions allowed you to find some awesome gifts for this holiday season and share them with your loved ones.

 

PRODUCT FLOPS

Hey, hey friends!
I am starting a new blog series called “Product flops” aka Products that did not work for me. I posted on instagram asking if anyone was interested in hearing my thoughts on products that just didn’t work out for me and I recieved a positive feedback on my comments along with dm’s.

Disclaimer: What may have or may have not worked out for me doesn’t mean it will apply the same for you. Everyone’s skincare type is different. These are my personal experiences with these products..

I no longer own many of these products because I tend to declutter and give away products that did not work for me to my family members and close friends. For consistency, I will be posting a photo of these products I found online with the description and experience I had with it below.

da837aa283891383dfde030921b9354d.pngGuerlain Lingerie de Peau Fluide Foundation in 02N

A couple of months ago, I was on the hunt for a new foundation to try out and I wanted one that had medium coverage and felt weightless on the skin. I saw quite a few bloggers post about this particular foundation and I quickly went to grab it at my local Sephora. The weird thing was, I swatched this foundation at the store on my hand it somehow turned orange within 10 minutes so I thought maybe the tester went bad and went ahead to grab it anyway. If it doesn’t work out, I can just return it, right? I went home to test this foundation out and to my surprise, I turned into an oompa loompa. Even wiping this foundation off with a makeup remover cloth, you can visibly see that it is full blown orange. Thank god I did not go out looking like that because I’m sure many people would find it amusing. It also has a really bad floral scent to it. I am not even sensitive to scents and I didn’t find the scent pleasant at all. Out of all foundations I own whether it’s from the drugstore or high end, I have never seen any of them oxidize the way how this oxidized on my skin.

0c891e8c6f28f02ea0fec1a53b9e07a4.pngColourpop Amber Crystal Collection – 3 pc – mist, lip balm and liquid highlighter

Something I quickly learned about Sephora “sale” items are that they USUALLY are on sale for a reason. This was when Sephora had Colourpop for a month and then took them off the shelves for some reason. The highlighter was a fail and was just an oil with shimmers in it. It would constantly seperate with the shimmers at the bottom while the oil fluid ontop. It wasn’t even buildable and was a fail for me. The mist smelled horrendous, it smelled like a bitter herbal scent. The only thing that I enjoyed from the scent was the lip balm for it’s beautiful red orange tint, sweet and soft mango butter scent and performance for lasting throughout a long day. I normally love colourpop products but the liquid highlighter and mist was a total fail for me. I’ll stick to their fantastic super shock eyeshadows, pressed shadow palettes/singles and concealers!

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Too Faced Born This Way Foundation in Ivory

*FYI – I purchased this foundation when the shade range was much more smaller back then.
This was my very first high-end foundation and was also the only foundation I swore by working at my first job. It has a medium to full coverage.
The consistency was perfect for me since it wasn’t too thick in formula nor was it too watery but how it performed on my face was a different story. As I played around with more makeup, I started to realize that this foundation does not work for me for various reasons. It oxidized into a Simpsons yellow on my face, it clung to all my dry patches and emphasized my pores and has a very odd paint scent to it just like the UD Naked skin foundation and Estee Lauder Double Wear foundation has. Luckily it did not break me out but I definitely would not repurchase this foundation even in another shade.

Urban Decay Naked Skin Foundation in 2

This was either the 2nd or 3rd foundation I tried when I got into makeup and it was awful. Urban Decay was reputable for their fantastic naked palettes, perversion mascara and the OG 24 hour glide on pencil eyeliners but this foundation was terrible for me. So terrible that I threw it out and did not think twice to give it to pass it on to someone else. First of all, it had a horrendously strong chemical scent between a spray paint x accetone and it had a strange thin, watery consistency and everytime I dispensed it out from the container, the product would have air bubbles in it. When I applied it on my skin, it dried up pretty fast but within an hour my face started to look extremely dehydrated. I’m not sure what was in this foundation but was bad news for my skin… I broke out on my forehead, cheeks and chin and if any of you know me, I don’t break out unless my skin reacts negatively to a product, hormonal or too much sodium in my diet.

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Etude House Tint My Brows Gel in Gray Brown

I’m sure quite a few of you are shocked by why this product did not work out for me considering the fact this is raved and loved by many influencers and was featured on social media for quite a long time. This product is effective however it has a bad side to it. It has a very odd chemical scent to it. I’m not sure how people found it pleasant. I have repurchased this product over 4 times in different shades and my feelings about it have not changed about it. I always thought maybe I got a bad batch, maybe I’m using it wrong. My brows are tinted beautifully after every application, my problem is that I can’t use any face masks or wash my face because the tint will easily come off. The shade I have been using more frequently is Gray Brown but after a few days, the tint on my eyebrows turn into this strange forest green colour… If any of you are on the hunt for a good brow tint, I strongly suggest you to try the clio duo brow pen.

Alright, that is all for today. There are more products I wanted to share but we’ll leave that for another time. Til’ next time, friends.

Toodles!