Epielle Facial Essence Mask: Green Tea & Aloe

OVERALL RATING: 4/5

WHERE TO BUY: Asian markets

WOULD I REPURCHASE: Yes

PRICE: $1.00

POSITIVES:

- Easy to apply and remove

- Moisturizing and soothing

- No irritation or breakouts

- Affordable

NEGATIVES:

- Only good for 1 use

- Could be hard to find

MY THOUGHTS: This is my first time ever using a sheet mask! I like how it was so easy to put on. You simply place the sheet onto your face, leave it on for 20-30 minutes, and remove it when you're done. No messy creams to spread onto your face or wipe off.

This one is green tea & aloe, which claims to detoxify and soothe. After using it, my skin felt calm and moisturized. Nothing too dramatic, but great for a pick me up when your face is feeling tired or dry. My skin is really acne-prone, but I didn't experience any breakouts or irritation which is always a plus.

As far as price goes, it could go either way. $1 is cheap but it's only good for 1 use. This doesn't seem like a big brand, so it might be hard to find. I got mine from a korean market called Greenland.

What it looks like when you first take it out of the packet.

I know, it looks silly :)

Asian Skincare Haul

I've heard so many good things about Laneige, so I practically ran to it when I saw it being sold at an Hmart. This whole set was $45 which is a really good deal since one full sized product is around $30. It comes with a power essential refiner and balancing emulsion, plus small sizes of refiner, emulsion, cream, essence, and eye gel. My sister also has the water sleeping pack which is amazinggg. I was sharing with her but now I'm gonna have to get my own, haha.

I also really wanted to try sheet masks because they seem really gentle. I got ampoule, green tea & aloe, collagen & vitamin e, strawberry milk, and eye collagen.

So far so good with everything. These products are keeping my skin moisturized without any breakouts or irritation.

Revlon Photo Ready Foundation

REVLON PHOTOREADY FOUNDATION

OVERALL RATING: 3.5/5

WHERE TO BUY: Drugstores

WOULD I REPURCHASE: No

PRICE: Around $13.99 (Price varies)

POSITIVES:

- Medium, buildable coverage

- Has pump-bottle packaging

- Affordable and easy to find
- Has SPF 20 for sun protection

NEGATIVES:

- Sparkly

- SPF doesn't make it very photo-friendly

MY THOUGHTS:

This foundation got a lot of hype when it first came out. With a name like "photo ready," it almost seemed like a drugstore dupe for the popular, but expensive, Make Up For Ever HD Foundation.

The packaging... awesome. The pump bottle makes retrieval quick, clean, and sanitary. If only more drugstore foundations came with this kind of bottle.

The foundation itself feels light and blends easily. The coverage is medium, but it's pretty buildable. Adding more doesn't make your face look thick or cakey. So far, so good. But here's the part that kills me..

THE SPARKLES. Oh so many sparkles. Small pieces of them, all over my face. I normally stay away from shimmer because it tends to accentuate my acne scars. If you look closely in the above photo, you'll be able to see the little glitters. Someone uploaded a sparkling picture of Edward Cullen on the makeupalley review page for this. Although it's an exaggeration, it did make me laugh.

The SPF 20 is a good thing and a bad thing. Sun protection is always good for your skin. However, this is called PHOTO ready. You'd think that would mean that it's good for pictures. SPF is known to make your face look lighter in flash photography, so this photo ready foundation is probably not the best for photos. Sounds weird, I know.

Overall, it's a nice foundation, just not for me. It might work better for people without any major skin issues. If you don't mind sparkles.. I say give it a chance :)

Blended into my hand.

*Closed* $25 Gift Card Giveaway for Apothica.com!

Today is a special day for my blog because I'm hosting my first ever giveaway! This is a thank you to all of my followers and I would really appreciate it if you entered. You have nothing to lose! :)

Many of you may know of SkinCareRx, which is an online retailer that sells a wide variety of clinical skincare products from brands like Clarisonic, Obagi, Dermalogica, and more. Recently, they have joined forces with a sister site called Apothica.com to carry all of your favorite cosmetics.

Too Faced is one of the brands available on Apothica, and they carry some of my favorite products. I use the chocolate soleil bronzer almost everyday and it's amazing for a natural, sun-kissed glow without shimmer. Their retractable kabuki is also one of the softest brushes I've ever felt and I always carry it in my purse for on-the-go touch ups. Apothica carries many other brands you may be familiar with, including Smashbox, Cargo, Stila, and more.

Apothica is offering my followers the chance to win a $25 gift card that can be used at skincarerx.com, apothica.com, or skinbotanica.com. All three websites place your items in one cart, making it easy to purchase both your essential skincare items and your favorite cosmetics.

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To enter the giveaway, leave a comment on this blog post with a list of the following things you have done:

1) Provide your email address and tell me that you'd like to be entered. (Worth 1 entry)

2) Become a fan of SkinCareRx on FaceBook. (Worth 1 entry)

3) Follow SkinCareRx on Twitter. (Worth 1 entry)

4) Subscribe to SkinCareRx's newsletter at the bottom of their website (Worth 2 entries)

5) Write a blog post about this giveaway and a specific makeup brand available on Apothica - Minimum 100 words with the word "cosmetic" linking to http://makeup.apothica.com (Worth 3 entries)

The winner will be chosen by random. This contest will end on August 21.

Pure Ice: Taupe Drawer

Pure Ice nail polishes are only $2 at Walmart. Taupe Drawer is the only color I've tried so far though.

MUFE Concealer Palette

MAKE UP FOR EVER 5 CAMOUFLAGE CREAM PALETTE

OVERALL RATING: 3/5

WHERE TO BUY: Sephora stores, Sephora.com

WOULD I REPURCHASE?: Probably not.

PRICE: $36.00

POSITIVES:

- Offers good coverage

- Long wearing

- A little bit goes a long way

NEGATIVES:
- Expensive

- Not enough shades for medium skintones

- Accentuates dryness

- Can look cakey

MY THOUGHTS: I purchased this palette because I thought it would be a good value. Even though it was $36, it evened out to around $7.20 per concealer.

I guess I'll start with the negatives first. I have a warm, medium skintone (NC30) and I had trouble finding a suitable palette. I heard that palette 3 would have worked well for me, but for some reason, they don't sell it anymore. It wasn't at the store and they never have it online. The only available palettes are numbers 1,2, and 4. Strange. Palette 2 was too cool toned and palette 4 was way too dark. I really wanted to try it so palette number 1 went home with me.

These concealers can look a bit cakey because of how thick they are. They don't work very well for covering blemishes or acne scars since they accentuate dryness. Therefore, I don't really use the green shade very often. I can't use the first 2 shades either because they're too light for me.

Now onto the positives. These concealers (the 3rd and 4th shade) work really well around the eyes, as long as I make sure to moisturize with an eye cream first. A little bit of product goes a long way. I only need a small dab to cover up the discolorations around my eye area. They make me look more refreshed and awake. Lasting power is good too. They seem to stay on throughout the day and I don't need to touch up very much.

Overall, I'll continue to use the 2 shades that work for my skin tone but I don't think I'll repurchase. This might work better for those with oily skin who can find a good color match.

swatched heavily

left - without concealer ; right - with concealer