Morning Skincare Routine + Mini Reviews

My morning skincare steps in the order I presented them:
(Water + hand towel)
Clearasil Tinted Acne Treatment Cream
Rohto Cool Eye Drops
Bare Escentuals bareVitamins Skin Rev-er Upper Primer (I use it as my day lotion)
Bobbi Brown Extra Eye Repair Cream
Estee Lauder Daywear Advanced Multi-protection Anti-oxidant Lotion SPF 15
Shiseido Ultimate Sun Protection Cream SPF 55 PA+++


Other products I mentioned:
Lancome Renergie Eye Multiple Action (Light)
Mario Badescu Drying Lotion


Black Mesh Dot T-Shirt (size S)..................................................Zara
White Shorts with Front Rib (size XS)..........................................Zara
Silk Scarf (worn as a headwrap)......................Borrowed from my Mom



Face: Bobbi Brown Face Touch Up Stick (Warm Sand 2.5); Missha Perfect Cover BB Cream No. 23; CoverGirl and Olay Simply Ageless Eye Concealer (Light/Pale); Tarte Smooth Operator Finishing Powder
Eyes: Maybelline Chai Latte Eyeshadow Quad; Urban Decay eyeshadow in Foxy, Bootycall, Half Baked, Snakebite, and Blackout (from Naked 2 palette); MAC gel liner in Blacktrack; Waterproof Maybelline Full and Soft Mascara in Very Black
Bronzer/Blush: Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-hour Blush in Exposed
Nails: chipped and awful....I know


I just realized that in my evening skincare routine, I seemed really nervous and stiff!  Hopefully this video is a breather...I'm practicing little by little guys!  Let me know if this helps and/or if you have any questions in the comment box below!


heart, alice

P.S. This video was dedicated to Jessica Y.  Thanks girl for keeping me on track and motivating me!

News: Sephora's selling SUPERSIZED beauty products again!

Hey guys and gals!  FINALLY Sephora restocked their supersized products!  I love how we can get high end, high quality products at a great value.  The only supersized product I own is the Philosophy Purity Made Simple face wash, and I found it to be actually cheaper per fluid ounce than some of my drugstore face washes ($1.484 per fluid ounce VERSUS $1.498 for my Biore Pore Unclogging Scrub and $1.567 for my Neutrogena Visibly Even Foaming Cleanser [base prices taken from Target]). The supersized products last forever...as long as they don't go bad. Though purchasing the products might initially hurt your piggy bank for a while, in the long-term, they're worth it for me!  Here are my recommendations and anti-recommendations if you were thinking about investing in these bad boys (or bad girls, to stay gender neutral):

I RECOMMEND:

1) Philosophy Purity Made Simple Luxury Size ($47.50)

As you guys already know, this is my current and all-time favorite face wash!  It's so gentle (good for sensitive skin) yet removes all that makeup, dirt, and oil off your face.

2) Philosophy Microdelivery Exfoliating Wash Luxury Size ($58)

I've tried a sample of this in the past and I love it as an exfoliating scrub!  Like the Purity Made Simple face wash, it doesn't dry out the skin at all, which I always look for in a face wash.  I'm waiting for my Mario Badescu strawberry scrub to run out, so I can purchase this bad boy/girl later!

3) Smashbox Jumbo Photofinish Foundation Primer ($49)

I ONLY recommend this to people who don't have oily skin.  For my skin, it turns it into a grease factory, but I have used it on other people who had normal skin.  It definitely helps reduce the size of pores, virtually making them invisible, and it makes liquid foundation a DREAM to apply.  I like how it gives an HD finish, even to a drugstore liquid foundation.

4) Giorgio Armani's Acqua Di Gio Pour Homme Deluxe Edition ($98)

There's a reason why this is supersized: it brings all the girls to the yard!  Haha just kidding...maybe it's just me but this cologne on guys makes me melt EVERY single time.  I briefly fall in love with the guy when he wears it, but that can be a bad thing since he could be a stranger or my best friend!

5) Korres Showergels (especially in Guava!) (not supersized??) ($19.50)

I think this bottle is the regular size (not supersized), but it was listed under the Sephora's supersized beauty section.  This product is more for my smelling pleasure than anything else (It's hydrating too!).  The Guava showergel is seriously the bomb dot com.  At least try and grab a sample from Sephora if you love guava.  SO GOOD!  I've never tried the other smells.


I Don't Recommend: 


1) Josie Maran Organic Argan Oil Jumbo Size ($96)

I rave about the product itself, but the price is so freaking high!  Shea Terra makes great quality ones for much cheaper with the exact same ingredients (100% Organic Argan Oil), so I don't recommend this Josie Maran one for the price point.


2) Bare Escentuals bareMinerals Deluxe Original SPF 15 Foundation Jumbo Size ($35)

I know some of you guys will completely disagree with me on this one, and I recognize how many awards this product has won.  Therefore, I will try to argue my point as thoroughly as possible without going overboard.  To me, this is one of the most overhyped products in the market.  First of all, since my skin is oily, this foundation does jack squat to control my oiliness.  2nd of all, It also doesn't cover my blemishes very well.  I actually bought the starter face complexion kit in 2009, and I initially liked the foundation.  Buuuut the face brushes it comes with suck (except the concealer brush), the mineral veil did not absorb oils like it claimed to, the "warmth" powder was really hard to work with (you're supposed to use a tiny amount, but all the dark powder just sticks to area of initial application instead of blending effortlessly all over the face), and the foundation itself did nothing for my skin except make me oilier.  I found products that I liked better for my skin, like the Missha BB cream I talked about here, the Dream Matte Powder I talked about here, and the Sonia Kashuk concealer palette (found at Target).


3) Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel Luxury Size and Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion Luxury Size ($36 each)

Again, way overhyped product in my opinion. The gel one doesn't hydrate my skin at all and actually makes me oilier throughout the day because it's not very hydrating (so my face produces oils to make up the lack of hydration).  The lotion one is also surprisingly not very hydrating (even though it's supposed to be the more hydrating one) and does nothing for my skin.  For face moisturizers, I'm always looking for ones that do other things besides purely hydration, such as acne-fighting salicylic acid or anti-aging ingredients.  Since these Clinique ones don't even do the hydrating part well, I say why bother.


4) Urban Decay Primer Potion Professional Size ($30)

There's nothing wrong with the product itself (though it's not a holy grail primer by any means...I'm still looking for one that makes my eyeshadows more blendable.  This one has too much stick to it.).  The problem comes in the size itself.  One of my friends has this professional size one, and she said that it's not worth buying such a large size since they tend to dry out and harden over time. Hers probably had a little less than 1/4 of the tube left, but by that point it was non-usable.  So I recommend giving your piggy bank a break on this product and go for the smaller size for $19.


I hope this was helpful since I have tried these products before!  Are any of you planning on purchasing a supersized beauty product?


heart, alice