Review: NeoStrata Moisture Infusion Cream

I don’t think I have written any skincare product review before this one, except the GlamGlow Super-Mud Mask. I don’t usually write skincare review because I think they are very personal in terms of whether it works or not, and quite frankly I don’t really know how to write reviews about them. But if there’s one product that I will write about, it will have to be the NeoStrata Moisture Infusion Cream.

This moisturizer and I went waaayyyyy back. I remember 3 years ago the skin on my cheeks decided that it will pretend to be a snake and start shedding, it was disgusting (imagine just rubbing your hands on your cheeks and have skin flaking off – actually, it’s probably a better idea not to). I tried a ton of moisturizers and none worked – they just burned my skin and irritated it even more. Finally I had to resort to steroids to fix the problem, and with the help of the NeoStrata Moisture Infusion Cream, that horrible skin flakiness finally subsided.

This moisturizer is quite thick, and extremely moisturizing. In the winter I would use it in the morning and night, but in spring/summer I find it to be too heavy to use during the day. It has quite a heavy, but fresh scent that goes away after a while. Although it’s thick, it gets absorbed pretty fast, which is a huge bonus for me because I hate the feeling of having skincare product lingering on my face. I have tried many moisturizers since my horrid experience with flaky skin, and during spring/summer time most other moisturizers suffice, but when winter came, the skin between my brows, around my nose, above my lips, just start flaking and no other moisturizer can tame it except this one.

Oh, on a side note, I have combination skin, but this moisturizer has never broken me out – score!

I believe I got it for $27 (50ml) at Shoppers Drug Mart, which is not a bad price at all, since you only need a small amount for the whole face. I highly recommend this for anyone looking for a rich, effective, but reasonably priced night time moisturizer.

Review: GLAMGLOW Super-Mud Clearing Treatment

I have heard a lot about the GlamGlow treatments, but I finally caved in when I saw this set on Sephora. At $69 for 34ml, this jar of gold mud definitely put a dent in my bank account, but is it worth the price tag?

I definitely think it is worth the money. The Super-Mud Clearing Treatment comes with a whole list of benefits ranging from pore minimizing, razor bumps, skin tone evening to narsty ingrown hair. The mask is a dark grey paste that has some small chunks (I believe charcoal) in it. I just apply a thin layer evenly on clean face and wait for it to dry. When it dries, it turns into a a light grey color, but the cool part is that you can see where the masks extracted crap from your pores! The mask gets tight and dry within minutes, and the packaging suggest that you leave it on anywhere from 5-20 minutes. At this price, of course I’m going to leave it on my face for as long as possible, so I left it on for 20 minutes. I felt a tingling, almost burning sensation after around 5 minutes, but it subsided eventually. My face was a bit red after the mask, but it was gone really quickly.

The result? The blackheads around my nose are almost non-existent, and the pores on my cheeks are minimized. I only used this mask twice, so I can’t comment on any long-term results, but I have high hopes for this. I read somewhere that a jar lasts ~17 treatments, so we will see how it goes after I finish this jar!

What’s in My Makeup Bag?

I am currently out of town but wanted to type a blogpost… and all I have with me is my makeup bag so I decided to do a quick post about what’s in my makeup bag! Also, I just got a new makeup bag and I am completely in love with it, so I just wanted to show you guys.

Deal: $10 Gift Card at Kiehl’s Canada

I just got this email today, and I decided to share this great deal with you all! Unfortunately it’s only for Canada only (but hey, US residents get way more amazing deals than we do here!)

From now until August 9th, print this invitation and bring it to any free-standing Kiehl’s stores in Canada to receive a $10 gift card and a free skin consultation! I am not sure if the gift card can be used another time, or has to be used the same day… I will be heading to a Kiehl’s in a couple days so I will ask them that! Too bad I’m on project pan though! What great timing!

 

Skincare, Make up, Nail Polish Haul

Okay. One last haul (for a couple days)! I left the housing thinking I won’t buy anything… and yet here we are. Such bad self discipline. tsktsk. I blame my friend for showing me this amazing “up stairs store”… and it all started there.

Korea Trip Part 2: Missha Haul

The store where I purchased the most expensive skin care product during my trip in Korea was Missha. So I didn’t end up buying many things from there, since I already got a big ticket item. I am extremely excited about trying what I got at Missha though!

A quick preview of my haul in Korea

so far… It’s only my 2nd day here (well technically 1.5 days). Will be posting details about what I got, when I get back to HK and have more time!

Hong Kong Haul Day 2!

The weather is still humid and hot like yesterday, and I am bracing myself for weather like this for the rest of my time in HK, which I hope isn’t true lol! I headed back to Mannings today just because I can (gotta love how convenient it is to get everywhere in HK!), and also did a quick stop-by at a chain department store called Log-On.

Hong Kong Day 1 Haul

Oh my god. It’s so humid and hot here, I feel like I’m in a sauna all the time. Thank goodness for the air conditioner, otherwise I am pretty sure I would’ve had a heat stroke by now. I am not even kidding, with humidex it feels like 40+ everyday, and it’s a different kind of heat. In Canada (at least in Manitoba and Ontario), when it hits 46 on the super rare occasions, it is still much more bearable, because it is “dry-heat”, but in Hong Kong, the humidity makes it absolutely gross. I walked out for 5 minutes and I wanted to rush home and take a shower, yah, that’s how gross it is.

On the bright side, the transits, and the malls are very well air-conditioned in Hong Kong. On that note, if you ever travel to Hong Kong in the summer, make sure you bring a jacket with you (no matter how hot it is outside), because once you step into a bus, a mall, a restaurant, or any public indoor places, you will feel like it’s less than 20C. No kidding. It’s quite annoying, since it’s so easy for me to get sick when I go between high and low temperature.

Enough of me blabbing on about the less-than-enjoyable weather in Hong Kong, and onto my haul!

Neutrogena Canada 60th Anniversary Sample Pack

A while ago Neutrogena Canada put out this amazing freebie, as a celebration of their 60th anniversary! Basically they had a site where you can pick 5 deluxe samples or coupons, and they will mail it to you! I completely forgot about that until I got it in my mail recently. I am really excited about trying some of these products so I decided to share it with you all first about what I chose/got!