Day & Night Skin Care Routine/Review

My day/morning skincare routine in this order:

1. Mario Badescu Cucumber Cleansing Toner ($15 at Ulta): Not really a huge fan of this. I don't think it really does anything special for my skin and I can smell some of the alcohol :/

2. Clinique Dark Spot Correcter ($48 at Sephora): So this is supposed to show results in 4 weeks and it's been a little over 3 weeks since I've been using this product and I must say it has shown results! Not huge results so I won't be repurchasing. It's nice just because Clinique doesn't use harsh chemicals so that's why it takes a longer time to get results

3. Clinique Pore Refining Serum ($38 at Sephora): This is supposed to reduce your pore size by 58% in 2 weeks. It's been over 2 weeks now and it has done absolutely nothing for my pores :/ Disappointed but you can never completely reduce your pores anyways and I don't have large pores...waste of money!

4. Estee Lauder Time Zone Line/Wrinkle Reducing Cream ($56 at Macys): You're probably thinking why do you need a wrinkle cream when you're only in your 20's? Well, one word: prevention! My dad has crow's feet and I am the exact replica of my dad so I'm just trying to prevent as much wrinkles as I can now. It's important to start at a young age. This product is okay..nothing special. I haven't been using it for very long..I actually might return it. I like the Lancome's serum better but it's $68 for 1 fl oz :/

5. Philosophy Hope in a Jar Moisturizer ($40 at Sephora): DO NOT BUY THIS! This is the worst moisteruizer I have ever used. The texture is super milky and it dries up to a weird clay like texture. It smells weird and it's just not worth $40.

6. Boscia Enlivening Amino-AG Eye Treatment ($38 at Sephora): This is a great day eye cream! It's super light and just enough moisture to put on in the morning. I use different eye creams for day and night just because during the day I don't want to put on a heavier eye cream because I'm going to be wearing makeup. The night I'll be sleeping so it's okay to wear a more "thicker" eye cream

7. Shiseido Ultimate Sun Protection Lotion SPF 60 ($39 at Sephora): I LOVE THIS SUNSCREEN! It is a bit liquidy so it's very blendable and it's very wearable along with your make-up. It's SPF 60 so it's more than enough to protect your face from the sun! It's so important to use sunscreen because the sun ages your skin faster and damages your cells so protect your skin!

My night routine in this order:

1. Estee Lauder Take It Away Total Makeup Remover ($22 at Macys): This formula is a bit too thick for me and I'm not too fond of the smell either. I finished my Lancome makeup remover and wanted to try something new but I think I'll be returning this and just getting my Lancome one again

2. Shu Uemura Beauty Cleansing Oil ($75 online only on shuuemura website): I love this cleansing oil. My mom bought this for me about 2 years ago and I am still using the same bottle. It leaves your skin so fresh and feeling so clean afterwards. I'm very sad to know that Shu Uemura does not sell in the states anymore so you can only get it in Korea/Japan and online! It's a bit pricey but it's so worth it. I love Japanese skin care products! o.O

3. St Ives Apricot Scrub ($4 at Ulta): I use this just to exfoliate my face but I'm finding it to be a bit too harsh for my skin now. I used to use this in high school but for some reason I'm not loving it as much. There is a green tea version of this which I will be trying after I'm done with this one!

4. Mario Badescu Cucumber Cleansing Toner ($15 at Ulta)

5. Clinique Dark Spot Corrector ($48 at Sephora)

6. Clinique Pore Refinig Serum ($38 at Sephora)

7. Estee Lauder Time Zone Line/Wrinkle Reducing Cream ($56 at Macys)

8. Philosophy Hope in a Jar Moisturizer ($40 at Sephora)

9. Kiehl's Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado ($27 at Nordstroms): I FREAKING LOVE THIS EYE CREAM! First of all, the color is this gorgeous avocado green and the texture is a bit more "sticky" and thicker than my day time eye cream. It feels so nice on your orbital bone..it really feels like you're giving it nice moisture to your under eyes to reduce puffiness and dark circles..so worth every penny!

I know that my skincare products are pretty costly. In my opinion though, if you care about your skin..you need to be willing to invest some money. It really does make a difference between using better quality and using drugstore items. I'm not bagging on drugstore skincare products but what can you really expect from a $10 facial cream? I may sound like a snob but I have used drugstore skin products before and it made my skin break out or did nothing for my skin whatsoever. So this is just a review on the products that I happen to use. By no means am I telling people that they must use the same products I do (and I purchased all these items with my own money). Thanks for taking time to read this! :]

Review: MAC Lipsticks

From left to right: Myth, Viva Glam Gaga 2, Creme Cup, Speak Louder, Girl About Town, Chili, Ruby Woo

I'm going to start my review as usual from left to right just as it's shown in the pictures above. Myth used to be my absolute favorite nude lipstick. I used to wear it almost everyday with a little bit of pink sheer gloss over it but I'm not too crazy about it anymore. I've found better nudes and so now I'm finding Myth to be almost too pale and a bit too pink for it to be a good nude lipstick for me. I am now loving Lady Gaga's collection which is the next swatch of nude. It is absolutely perfect in every way..it's a little more brown undertone while Myth is more of a pink undertone. It is special edition but I think MAC is still selling Lady Gaga's collection (be sure to check it out). 

The next one is called Creme Cup and it's a very nice soft pink color. It is a creme sheen so the formula is nice and wet. The thing I love about MAC lipsticks is their different formulas and they truly do last ALL day. The next one which is also another creme sheen, I am not too crazy about. When I bought Speak Louder at the store I loved that bright bold pink color just because I have been really getting into pink lipsticks lately but then when I tried it on at home it didn't look that good on me. I was a little disappointed so I think I'll just give it to my mom or sister. It just made my lips look like they were swollen or something -___- Ok, so Girl About Town I am CRAZY about! It's an hot electric pink that you can wear when you go out or when you feel like maybe your makeup is a bit boring and too neutral, this lipstick is perfect for that pop of color. It's a very bright pink with a little bit of purple undertone but it's absolutely gorgeous.

I have been getting into the brown undertones as well which led me to buy Chili. It's a dark brick red and I wasn't too sure  how this would look on me but it's very wearable! It doesn't come off as dark as I thought it would. It gives you that nice cool sort of finish and a bit more edgy I want to say. The next red is Ruby Woo which is my favorite red lipstick of all times. It's a shade darker than Russian Red which I know is very popular. The only thing I don't like too much about matte lipsticks is that they dry out very quickly so that's kind of a bummer. Ruby Woo is I think right in the middle of cool and warm undertones so I think it's a red that's suitable for any skin color. I have a neutral undertone which means I can wear both cool and warm colors. MAC lipsticks are my favorite, hands down. It lasts all day and it's moisturizing and so nice on your lips and they only cost $14.50! Some people might be on the edge about paying that much for a lipstick but I really do think MAC has the better lipsticks among other brand names and drugstore lipsticks so go check it out and you'll see what I mean :]

Review: My Favorite Foundations

From left to right:
1. Clinique superbalanced makeup in #34 Nude Beige
2. Make Up For Ever High Definition Foundation in #118 Flesh
3. Lancome Teint Miracle in Buff 5C

I'm going to start with the Clinique foundation which I have been using the longest..I want to say for about 3 years now? I just like Clinique in general because of their "light" feel. I hate feeling like I have too much makeup on and Clinique does a very nice job of having a light and fresh finish with their foundation. I feel like with Clinique it's a hit or miss for a lot of people because I know some people have really bad breakouts with Clinique but I've never had a problem with their stuff even back when I used to use their skincare in high school. Also it is the cheapest foundation I have. I believe it's $22 for 1 fl oz which is the same amount as the other two foundations even though the packaging looks a lot smaller. It is oil-free for those of you who might have oily skin. I'm a combination where I'm a little oily on my T-zone and a bit dry on my cheeks so this works perfectly for me and you do get a full coverage without feeling like you have a lot on. The only 2 things I don't like is that it has no SPF and it doesn't have a pump which is a little annoying at times when I'm in a hurry. Also there's not a lot of shades to choose from so you might have to mix foundations to get the perfect color. I'm super pale so it's not too hard to find a foundation that matches my skintone.

Next one is the MUFE HD foundation and I bought this after hearing so many great reviews and I figured if people are willing to pay $40 for a foundation then it must be good. So I went and splurged and I must say it is probably the best foundation I have ever used in my life! The color is dead on with my skintone and it's very blendable. I use about 1 full pump and get the perfect full coverage. It's not as heavy as I thought it was going to be. I've never used this brand before so I didn't really know what to expect but it's very light (not as light as Clinique) and it lasts ALL DAY!  It is a bit pricey but I honestly think it's worth it. I don't like to use drugstore foundations just because I haven't really found a good quality "cheap" foundation and I don't want my face to break out and I'm just super paranoid about that kind of stuff..but LOVE this foundation! I'm so happy with it and I highly recommend it..I really wish it had spf though!

Last but not least is the Lancome Teint Miracle which was $37 at Sephora. Again this is an oil-free foundation AND it has SPF 15 which is always a plus because unfortunately I NEVER used to wear sunscreen until recently because I have been getting dark spots on my cheeks and it seems to be getting worse so now I'm using sunscreen and Clinique's dark spot corrector which I will do a separate review on. Anyways, I cannot begin to tell you on how much I love Lancome's product. This foundation is super light and it almost has a light and sheer finish which feels like you have nothing on your face (always a plus)! It says on the box that it's a moderate coverage but I don't wear a lot of foundation to begin with so I get a full coverage with whatever foundation I use..I guess it really just depends on the person. But yeah..if you're looking for a light foundation, this would be a good one to buy.

Hope this review helped..if anybody even reads this -___- Bye

Review: Yves Saint Laurent Lipsticks

So lately I have been getting more into wearing lipstick! I was at Sephora last month and as I was browsing through the YSL section, I was immediately drawn to the AMAZING lipstick cases as you can see in the picture. Aren't they gorgeous? Although I'm a little disappointed with the Rouge Pur Couture casing because I don't know if you can tell in the picture but it does get scratched easily :[

So from left to right:

1. Rouge Volupte Perle in #102 Coral Sun

2. Rouge Volupte in #7 Lingerie Pink

3. Rouge Pur Couture in #11 Rose Carnation

As much as I want to LOOOOVE these lipsticks, I can't really say that I fully love them. What I love other than the casing is the colors. They're absolutely beautiful and especially the coral and the baby pink. They are my absolute favorite! I've been looking for an everyday not too noticeable coral and pink lipstick and I must say YSL hit a home run with the colors. Oh and all three are SPF 15 which is always nice and smells/tastes delicious (I accidently tasted some T__T). The color is a bit more sheer on the lips than it appears on my hand. Now I'm not too crazy about how CREAMY the Rouge Volupte & Volupte Perle formula are. It's just a little too creamy for my liking and it says it's long lasting but I don't really find them to be super long lasting. I kept on having to reapply a few times. It does have a lot of shine in it so there's no need for lip-gloss. Another con is the price!! I bought these lipsticks at Sephora for about $30-35 (I didn't buy them all at once) and being a poor college student, spending $30 on a lipstick is a bit too much and especially if I'm not SUPER crazy about them. Overall, it's a good product and I have been wearing all three lipsticks quite a few times the past month. I would recommend it if you have some extra cash but I'm not too sure if I will purchase these again (maybe just for the case) haha