Maychiri's Thoughts

BEL London

New Stuff - Part 42

July 27, 2024

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Brush

Catrice Disney Villains Powder Brush Ursula Review

July 18, 2024

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Catrice

Reviews From the Past - Part 50

July 18, 2024

Hello!

Here's an interesting mix of stuff for today! The brush will be the only full review, though.

These items were bought back when BIPA still had these stickers that you could stick on any product to reduce its price by 20, 25, or 30%. However, since there isn't a limit to how many stickers you can use, I usually take too many and then I don't know what to use them on. This results in me wandering around BIPA, browsing all the shelves until I find something interesting. I found one interesting new product (the brush), and one item I have been restocking on for years (the brush proof cream), so I decided to stick the stickers on these two. And then I found a scented candle and added it without a sticker because I ran out of them by then.

So... I don't feel like I am too qualified to talk about hair products, so that is why I won't make a full review of the L’Oréal Brush Proof Cream. However, what I can say is that this brush proof cream is one of the very few hair products that doesn't make my hair very greasy and makes it able to brush my hair through it. I have very fine, but dense hair, which is very irritating to handle a lot of the time because it tangles in no time. Plus, my scalp is oily, so I need very specific products that will both make me able to brush my hair and won't make my hair look like greasy spaghetti. This cream usually manages to make my hair healthy shiny and makes it so easy to brush! Although, it can sometimes make my hair look greasy and stringy. Still, I have been using it for years, now, as it is quite, quite good!

The other short review is the scented candle that's on the right, next to the brush. I looove scented candles! I have one burning most of the time, to create a nice chill atmosphere, and that means that I need to go search for new ones quite often. This candle is a Glade scented candle; they are usually very intensely scented and have great scents. I bought this one because it seemed like a nice change of pace. I don't typically like peppermint scents, I hoped the vanilla would be the dominant scent. However, it is not. It smells very pepperminty, with only subtle vanilla notes. Certainly very Christmas-y, but I don't like it much. And it's very intensely scented, which would be great normally, but the peppermint is overpowering.

Okay, now the only full review:

Catrice Disney Villains Powder Brush Ursula

See you soon!

Maja

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AURA

AURA Like a Pro! Nail Polish [112 - Taupe Nude] Review

July 14, 2024

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Anti-blemish

L’Oréal Paris Bright Reveal Spot Fading Serum-In-Cleanser Review

July 14, 2024

Let’s start this week's reviews with something truly innovative: this is the L’Oréal Paris Bright Reveal Spot Fading Serum-In-Cleanser!

The Bright Reveal range was fresh out the oven (so to speak) when I bought this cleanser; and, as part of a welcome deal, BIPA had all Bright Reveal products 30% off! Talk about amazing! Fresh, new product and I already got it for a cheaper price! Now, out of all the products that are part of this range, this cleanser interested me the most. Partly because I am still tweaking my cleansing routine, so I am still looking for good cleansers, but also partly because it claims to reduce spots acne marks. And I have never had a “Serum-In-Cleanser”! So, like, a cleanser that, at the same time is infused with a serum? Sounds very interesting, although I do have some questions about this. I first checked this cleanser out, and then didn’t buy it. I wanted to first research it, to see if it even has any place in my current skincare routine; then, after researching it and concluding that it is worth trying out, I went back (while the promo was still active) and bought it. Hey, I got it at a fantastic price! And I’m stoked to see how good it actually is! Let’s finally check it out!

Packaging: a tall, elegant bottle. L’Oréal products always have an elegant design, and this one is no different. Every product range has a certain design and colour that ties all the products part of it together; for the Bright Reveal range, that seems to be this medicinal green colour combined with white. This serum cleanser looks stunning all green like this! I love it! It’s so bright and easy to see among other products! Text is white and black so that it’s super easy to read. I love the big, blocky text in the front, it looks so modern. There’s a big sticker in the back with allll information about this unique serum-in-cleanser. The pump is white, to match the whole medicinal aesthetic it’s going for.

However, one thing really, really annoys me: it doesn’t come with a cap! That’s legit insane, tbh. I though that the one that was on display was missing its cap for some reason but nope, they all come without a cap. Now, there is a twisting mechanism inside, so it’s not like it’s being exposed to air he whole time but still, who knows how many people touched it... it’s very unhygienic. And it’s baffling how L’Oréal would allow this... but overall, I really love the design of the bottle!

Ingredients: glycerine, salicylic acid (as pure salicylic acid and capryloyl salicylic acid), niacinamide/vitamin B3, zinc (as zinc PCA) for nourishment. No parabens. The active ingredients aren’t too far down the list, which suggests that there isn’t a tiny amount of them, but it also isn’t listed what the percentage of salicylic acid or niacinamide is, and that is quite important. The combination of salicylic acid and zinc is targeted towards reducing acne, while niacinamide should even out the skintone and fade post-acne marks. In theory, this sounds wonderful! The scent is incredible! Although, it doesn’t come from salicylic acid, it’s perfume. Still, it smells medicinal, and kinda herbal, .maybe slightly salty floral. It kinda smells like expensive skincare tbh, I love it! Although it is fairly intense, so if you’ve got a very sensitive nose, beware! The expiration date is 12 months after opening, although, since it doesn’t have a cap... how relevant is this, then?

The gel is dispensed from a pump. As I already mentioned, there is no cap, so who knows how many people already touched it. The pump is quite tricky to use: it has a rotating mechanism that opens/closes the mechanism inside. This is where things become very tricky. See, it doesn’t rotate easily, and when I want to close it, it kind of becomes stuck? Like, I really have to finesse it just to close it. And that’s easier said than done when your hands are damp from using the gel! That aside, the pump is easy to press – too easy, even, because it’s entirely too easy to dispense gel when you were just trying to close the pump. But it also dispenses a very good amount of gel, more than enough for my chin, probably enough for my entire face, even! So yeah, this pump had a lot of potential, but it’s just too tricky to use properly. And causes unwanted product waste, which is never good.

What it looks like at first

Colour: it might look green, but that’s just the bottle! The gel is actually colourless and clear. It just looks like regular gel.

What it looks like after "foaming"

According to L’Oréal, this is a foamy gel... only it isn’t, at least not in my case. My experience is that it is like any other cleansing gel. The formula is lightweight and feels soapy. It doesn’t feel occlusive and it is easy to spread it across the skin, which is when it was supposed to start foaming. I tried, believe me, I did! I tried it on moist skin and on wet skin, and it just doesn’t create any foam. While I don’t really mind that at all, I do think it would penetrate more deeply into the skin of it did foam. Still, it feels like a quality formula, as it isn’t too soapy or greasy, it’s just the right amount of soapy.

This gel is extremely easy to rinse off! Even without any cosmetic pad or konjac sponge or anything, it is still super easy to remove. Just some water and it will be removed in no time! And it doesn’t leave a soapy or slimy residue on my skin.

The rest of the Bright Reveal range

Despite having salicylic acid, this cleanser does not sting. However, this may very well be my skin not caring about it anymore because I’ve been using copious amounts of salicylic acid for years now. In fact, it barely feels like anything on my skin. It feels lightweight and not at all occlusive. It’s pretty comfortable on the skin. It feels very gentle, which is great, as that means it is appropriate for sensitive skin as well. And boy is my skin sensitive these days! But, best thing, it doesn’t feel like it is stripping my skin of its natural oils! Salicylic acid, especially when combined with the likes of zinc, is known to cause that, but this serum just feels like it is soothing my skin instead! And balancing it at the same time! It really feels like a deep cleanse... perhaps that was the point of calling it a “serum-in-cleanser”? Anyways, I love how light and soothing it feels on my skin, even when I’m in the middle of atrocious cystic breakouts!

Let’s first get this out of the way: what does a “serum-in-cleanser” mean? Apparently, that’s L’Oréal’s way of saying that this cleanser has dermoactive ingredients (aka, salicylic acid, zinc, niacinamide), but, that doesn’t make it into a serum?? And if it is a serum, surely washing it off would be the last thing you want to do because you want the active ingredients to actually, you know, absorb into the skin?? It’s all quite puzzling, hmm. Perhaps I’m just overthinking it. Anyways, this cleanser should be used twice a day, in the morning and evening. That is exactly how I used it. In the morning, this was the first product I used, before following it with a salicylic acid/niacinamide serum and moisturiser. In the evening, again the first product I used, as part of my double cleanse method, before cleansing my face with micellar water and then applying a toner and night cream. At first, I was worried that it would be too much to use salicylic acid so often, but I use it a bunch anyways, so my skin is already accustomed to it. The exact percentage of salicylic acid is not listed anywhere, but I do believe that it’s gentle enough even for skin that has never used BHAs before. It certainly feels gentle on the skin! Just don’t skimp on SPF – you’ll need it with constant use of salicylic acid!

Alright, I’ve been using this cleanser for quite some time... a few weeks, actually! So now I can judge what its effect on the skin are. The easiest way to do this is to go claim by claim. “-51% pimples”. Hmm, not really?? Like, I know I’ve been using it mostly during the luteal phase, which is when my acne become the worst, but if it cannot help then... see, I have been using this cleanser every day, twice a day, but I don’t really see much of a difference in my acne. I still get painful cystic acne that, eventually, pop. And my chin is still littered in acne all over. However, by the time I was phasing this cleanser out for adapalene, my chin looked like it was becoming clearer and more balanced. Acne appeared to slowly fade, so I guess it is kinda true?

But it’s not as good as I hoped it would be... perhaps I just wasn’t using it for long enough. “-57% post-acne marks”. Alright, this one I really cannot tell because I don’t have major issues with post-acne marks anyways, it’s more that acne won’t ever heal completely that’s bugging me. But given that it has niacinamide, I am inclined to believe this claim. And finally, “-41% excess oil”. Right, I almost forgot to mention, my skin is naturally very oily and very acne-prone, so I should be the ideal candidate for this cleanser. But my chin isn’t as horribly oily as my forehead, so I didn’t notice a big reduction in the amount of sebum in my chin. Although, cystic acne took a shorter amount of time to mature and pop (on their own! I never pop acne!), so this suggests to me that there is actually less sebum present inside the skin. Honestly, the results aren’t quite what I thought they’d be, they’re not nearly as impressive as it was advertised, but I am still happy with them. I am literally the ideal patient for this cleanser, but perhaps my acne is just too severe? It seems like this cleanser is a slow burner, it takes its time to actually show results, and I simply have not been using it long enough I think. If nothing else, I like how clean my skin feels from it!

All in all, although I haven’t been able to use this gel for as long as I would have liked to (because I was prescribed Belupo Sona Duo Gel), I still really like how it affects my skin! As all products containing actives, it needs time for results to be visible, and even in these 3 weeks that I’ve been using it, I am already starting to see some improvements! For the first 2 weeks, I thought that it didn’t do anything, but the following week, acne had started to subside, and my chin looked clearer. I really believe that I would see even greater results if I had continued to use it. But alas! I will have to continue where I left off once I’m done with adapalene. So, this gel smells really nice! It smells fresh and medicinal, with an almost salty floral note. The scent is a bit strong but it doesn’t irritate my nose. The gel feels soapy, but not heavy or occlusive. However, despite being called a foamy gel, it actually does not create any foam at all. That’s alright, even though it is kind of false advertising. The gel is super easy to clean and doesn’t feel like it’s stripping my skin of its natural oils, it just balances the skin, or at least, that’s what it feels like! It doesn’t feel prickly, but my skin is already very used to salicylic acid, so I probably don’t feel anything. Now, L’Oréal’s claims that it reduces pimples, post-acne marks and excess oil are... well, true and not true at the same time. The effects aren’t as visible as you might think. Like I said, I noticed that my skin looks slightly clearer and more balanced, but I still got cystic acne. It didn’t really prevent new acne from forming, especially not that painful large cystic acne. However, they did seem to heal slightly faster. As for post-acne marks? I really did not see much of a difference, but I don’t have severe acne scars anyways. And oil? Well, I don’t know, my chin is not extremely oily anyways, unlike my forehead, but the fact that new acne formed anyways might suggest that it’s not actually regulating sebum quite right. Still, even though it did not reduce acne quite as well as I had hoped it would, I still like it. I feel like it actually is helping my skin! It definitely feels like it was formulated for oily, acne-prone skin, as it suits my skin really nicely. Yep, I will recommend it, but only to those with oily/acne-prone skin, it will for sure be too drying for other skin types.

Rating: 7/10

Would buy again? YES

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AURA

New Stuff - Part 41

July 14, 2024

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Cotton pads

Saffee Cleansing Cotton Pads Review

July 04, 2024

Bear with me – this might seem silly, but trust me, it is not! This is the Saffee Cleansing Cotton Pads!

Source: www.notino.hr

I might look silly now. What am I doing reviewing cotton pads, of all things??? But, over time, it has become clear to me which cotton pads are good are which are not. Trust me, there is actually a noticeable difference! The main reason why I bought these pads specifically, in the first place, was because Notino had given them out as a GWP. This happened many, many times; either that, or they would be extremely discounted or would net me free shipping. Either way, I was inclined to buy them. After all, cotton pads are an absolute necessity! Saffee is one of Notino's own brands, in case you didn’t know. Now, let’s see how good these are!

Packaging: the pads come in a plastic bag like most cotton pads. The bag can be squeezed using strings on one side (I have yet to figure out what this does, exactly); it opens on the bottom, on the navy blue part. That said, I really like the design! It looks elegant! It’s got a navy blue bottom, while the rest is clear so that you can see the pads inside. The text is large and easy to read, both in the front and in the back. Saffee wants to make it clear that these pads are “for extra gentle cleansing”. The plastic is very easy to tear open and it doesn’t degrade over time. Overall, quite a quality bag!

Description on www.notino.co.uk

The cotton pads themselves are made of 100% cotton. These are not reusable. They have a classic shape, they are round cotton pads that are not very thick nor thin. They feel just right in terms of thickness. They have fantastic build quality; they are sewn around the edges so that they don’t become frayed or fall apart and, so far, I’ve never had even one of them fall apart! And I’ve used hundreds by now! The pads feel firm due to that quality sewing. They are average size for a cotton pad. Now, there are two sides to each ~~coin~~ pad; one side is totally smooth while the other is gently ribbed. This allows you to choose whether you want softness or more grip.

Both sides of these cotton pads feel extremely soft and gentle on my skin. Even if I swipe across my skin with them, they don’t feel like they’re tugging at the skin. The smooth side is super, super soft and feels incredible on skin. The ribbed side is gently ribbed, so it, too, feels gentle and soft on the skin. But slightly more textured. I’d say that the ribbed side is a bit better for make up removal, while the smooth side is slightly better for skincare, such as applying toners or cleansing with micellar water. Oh, and the pads feel soft even when wet, they don’t feel like a mushy mess!

Source: www.notino.hr

These pads are so good, I mean, for real! Many cotton pads absorb way too much product so they become a wet mess that doesn’t do anything but cause problems but these do not! Don’t get me wrong, product does get into the fabric – it is cotton, after all – but the pads don’t totally absorb it, so you still have a more than usable amount of product left. This allows the product to still function properly; I use these pads to clean my face with micellar water, and there’s still enough micellar water on the pad that I feel it cleaning my skin. It doesn’t feel wet and useless. But, beside not absorbing too much product, they also are built so phenomenally well! The sewing is so robust that they never lose their shape or tear, even if you aren’t being too careful how you use them, and they don’t shed cotton fibres like so many other cotton pads do! These are literally perfect, no matter what you use them with!

All in all, definitely one of the best cotton pads to use! These and the Nivea ones are my two go-to cotton pads because they are clearly superior! While other cotton pads either feel stiff or sharp on skin, or absorb way too much product, these pads keep their structure when they get wet. They don’t fall apart like many others, and they don’t absorb a lot of product – this is evidenced by the fact that micellar water doesn’t lose its strength when it soaks into these pads! And they are super soft and gentle on the skin, while still being textured so that there is some grip on a very detailed level. They don’t slip on the skin, which makes it extremely easy to use them to remove stubborn makeup – or to use them to apply micellar water during a skincare routine, which is what I them for, mostly. They are very high quality, and they don’t cost a lot at all! Fantastic! But... Notino doesn’t seem to stock them anymore 😕. Why is it always the fantastic stuff that is removed first... this breaks my heart. Now I cannot reorder them. Oh well, I will cherish this one last pack that I have! Oh, these cotton pads will absolutely get my top recommendation! They are extremely good!

Rating: 10/10

Would buy again? Definitely YES (I have been buying them repeatedly actually!)

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Anti-blemish

COSRX Salicylic Acid Daily Gentle Cleanser Review

July 04, 2024

Hello, here’s the first of two full reviews for today, the COSRX Salicylic Acid Daily Gentle Cleanser.

I had my eye on this cleanser for the longest time, but I hesitated to buy it because it was a bit expensive for my tastes and I was worried whether my skin would accept it. And I have had a ton of positive experiences with Korean skincare, it almost always turned out to be way better than western skincare products. It is made specifically for oily and acne-prone skin, so it should be good, right?

Packaging: it’s rather simple looking, just a white plastic tube with black text. There is a red rectangle which breaks up the monotony of the rest of the tube. All in all, it’s quite modern in its simplicity.

Ingredients: glycerin, white willow (Salix alba) bark water, salicylic acid, lemon (Citrus limon) peel oil, tea tree (Melaleuca alternifolia) for improving the condition of the skin. White willow water already contains salicylic acid naturally, so you are getting an extra strong dose of salicylic acid to help fight blemishes. Tea tree has also been proven to help soothe the skin, helping to reduce inflammation and the occurrence of acne. Myristic acid creates foam, but can be slightly drying, which can be worrying, as salicylic acid is already slightly drying. I must say I like the ingredient list, it really looks like it was made especially for acne-prone skin! The scent is a bit uncomfortable though, at least for me. It smells quite medicinal at first but then it turns into this strong lemony smell that I really don’t like and sometimes makes me a bit nauseous. It should be noted that this scent is natural, coming from the lemon peel oil, so it is not a synthetic perfume, which should be gentle enough for sensitive skin. I am just not a fan of citrusy scents in general. The expiration date is 12 months after opening.

The formula of this cleanser is really, really thick. Squeezed out the tube it looks more like a rich night cream than a cleanser. And it is pretty greasy, too.

On my skin it feels creamy, thick, greasy and a bit heavy. I thought it would be a lighter formula, and I would’ve preferred that. This is a bit heavy but it doesn’t feel like it is suffocating my skin. It is really easy to spread across the skin though, despite the thick, creamy formula.

Given the thick formula, it takes some time to wash it off. I use a konjac sponge to wash my face and I noticed that it does take longer to wash this cleanser off than my previous one. It’s not that big of a difference though, but it is noticeable.

As for how it affects the skin, I can say that my skin looks totally matte and very clean and even after washing it with this cleanser. It also feels deeply cleansed. You should note that this cleanser is not really hydrating, which isn’t really surprising when you look at the ingredients. Salicylic acid has been know to make the skin drier, and there aren’t really any emollients present, which leads to my skin feeling a bit dry after washing. It also feels squeaky and like I used an astringent. It’s a really hard thing to properly explain, and I am not entirely too sure whether I like it. I just assume that that means my skin has been deeply cleansed and is now totally clean.

This is the first cleanser that caused this astringent feeling on my skin, even though I have been using both salicylic acid and tea tree for years now. I do think that my skin condition is slowly improving while using this cleanser as my blemishes seem a bit smaller and less inflamed. It also did not cause any irritations on my skin, although people allergic to aspirin (which itself is salicylic acid) will most likely react negatively to this cleanser.

It’s too soon to tell just how my skin will look after months of using it, but first results seem promising.

EDIT: after a few months of using it, my skin seems to have responded positively to this cleanser. My skin produces less sebum throughout the day, and it looks more even and with less redness or blemishes. It did not lead to my skin becoming too dry, despite feeling astringent when used. In combination with other products containing salicylic acid (and tea tree and witch hazel). It looks like a good first step in my skincare routine.

Conclusion: I have mixed emotions regarding this cleanser. I like how even and clean my skin looks after cleansing, and it seems like I have fewer acne, but the thick, heavy and greasy formula coupled with the weird astringent feeling left on my skin really bring down the overall opinion. The lemony smell is not pleasant either, but that’s just because I don’t like those kind of fragrances anyways. My skin seems to like this cleanser though, and it looks like it might make a real difference given enough time. I will still recommend it, with the caveat that you must not be allergic to aspirin.

Rating: 7/10

Would buy again? Maybe YES