Month: June 2016

Skincare

Clinique Pep-Start Eye Cream

Tiffany Renee Harmon

I have always been obsessed with the dark circles under my eyes. I am always looking for a panacea that will make them disappear, but I don’t think that actually exists. So, instead I’ll try to reduce them so that I can at least cover them easily with concealer. Recently, I got a deluxe sample of the new Clinique Pep-Start Eye Cream.

As far as eye creams go, this one is really affordable. It’s only $26.50 for half an ounce. I’ve been using my little sample for weeks and it’s just now starting to run out.

I think that this is a good beginner eye cream. It adds a nice amount of moisture to my skin, but I think more mature skin would probably require something a bit heavier. This is definitely not going to do anything if you have wrinkles around your eyes, but I did notice that my skin felt a little smoother under my area. I also saw that my dark circles were faded a bit. Caffeine is an ingredient in this product, and I think it does a nice job at “pep”ping up the eye area and making my eyes look more awake.

So, I think that if you’re in your twenties and you want to get started with an eye cream, this is a great, affordable choice. However, if you’re in your thirties and beyond, it may not give you the results that you want. I’m in my mid-twenties and I use something much thicker in the evening, but I do like this in the morning before I put on my undereye concealer.

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Beauty, Health, Skincare

SK-II Facial Treatment Mask 

Tiffany Renee Harmon

Sheet masks are so trendy right now, so I’ve been trying some of them. I’ve found most of them to be pretty lackluster, but then I tried one that was included in a beauty box  several months ago: SK-II Facial Treatment Mask.

The mask was sopping wet when I pulled it out of the foil. I put it on my face and then went to go watch TV. The instructions say to leave it on for 15 minutes, but I had read reviews from lots of people who typically leave it on for 30 minutes, so I decided to leave it on for 30 minutes.

As I waited the 30 minutes, I could literally feel my skin changing. It just felt like it was getting increasingly more and more moisturized. Once I took the mask off, there was still some residue. I decided to rub it into my face instead of washing it off (there’s some debate online as to which is preferably, but I think you get more out of this product when rubbing it in). My skin was glowing! It looked amazing after just 30 minutes of wearing the mask. I kept checking it in the mirror to see if the effects had worn off but they hadn’t. This was a one-time-use sheet mask, but I actually decided to put it in a ziplock back and use the other the side the next evening.

When I woke up the next morning, my skin still looked great. My skin was glowing and looked clearer with much less noticeable acne than the day before. I was so incredibly impressed by this product. Unfortunately, I then looked up the price on Sephora’s website. You can buy one sheet mask for a whopping $17. That is so expensive for a one-time-use product, but it’s a lot less expensive than getting a professional facial. I will absolutely be buying this product when I want to splurge a little, but unfortunately it’s a bit too expensive for me to use it weekly. It’s for sure too expensive for me to use it two to three times a week which is what I’d really love to do.

So, to recap, if you are fabulously wealthy, you should absolutely include this mask in your usual skincare routine. If you are a poor librarian like me, I think it is still worth the splurge when you feel like your skin needs to refresh!

Beauty, Makeup

Lancôme Bi-Facil Eye Makeup Remover 

Tiffany Renee Harmon

I don’t typically use waterproof mascaras because I feel like I have more eyelash breakage when I do, but I do like a good waterproof eyeliner. Waterproof eye makeup can be a real burden to get completely off of your face at the end of the day. There have been so many times where I have removed my eye makeup before bed but then I still woke up looking like a raccoon because I hadn’t been thorough enough. One of my very favorite eye makeup removers is the Lancome Bi-Facil Double-Action Eye Makeup Remover.

This makeup remover is a little bit more expensive than most. It can be purchased at Sephora for $30 for 4.3 oz. Still, I think it is worth the expense because it is just the easiest eye makeup remover to use. I apply it to a round cotton pad and I gently dab it over my eyes before rubbing very gently. Not only does it remove all of my eye makeup, I feel like I have to rub much less than I do with other formulas. There is no tugging involved, which will hopefully help me stave off crow’s feet around my eyes as the years progress.

Some people have complained that their faces felt greasy after using this product. While it does leave a slight residue around the eyes, to me it just feels moisturizing. Still, if you are sensitive about oil or if you feel like you naturally have oily eyelids, then you may not quite love this product the same way that I love this product.