Reader’s Review : ElishaCoy Always Nuddy BB 24 BB Cream April 4, 2011

 

 

I’d like to start by saying this is my first experience with a BB Cream after reading about them for quite some time.  However, my problem skin (oily-combo, acne prone with some acne scarring-whew!) always kept me away for fear that the heaviness of a “cream” would cause me more problems.  The lure of near flawless skin primed, perfected and protected all in one step was eventually too much for me and I decided to wade into the world of BBs…

 

 

 

After years of cursing, crying and finally praying my acne has significantly improved, however left in its wake is some scarring on my cheek and several large “ice pick” scars around my nose.  I have a very odd skintone with undertones that are olive to almost grey with a lot of surface redness.  All these problems… could a BB cream really cover it all?  I started with the Always Nuddy BB 24 cream by Elisha Coy.  The package promises it is suitable for “trouble” skintype, hmm, sounds like me…

 

 

 

The Good:
I applied this over my usual moisturizer (Hope in a Jar) but I can see now how this is a step that could be easily skipped if you are oily.  I open the sample expecting a thick, pasty consistency but what I find is actually a smooth and very spreadable product.  Under the lights of my bathroom the cream appears to be a neutral tone, not truly leaning to either pinkish or yellow undertone.  The cream spreads and blends easily with little rubbing, just a nice smoothing motion and its all blended in.  It really feels more like a foundation than the consistency I was expecting.  What appears to look a little greyish blends nicely with the skin once applied and I must say it matches my skintone PERFECTLY (now, keep in mind my crazy undertones) and redness is zero!   It does give the skin a naturally radiant look, not shiny or greasy, not glittery, just really how healthy, moisturized skin should look.  I can feel it on but it isn’t too heavy and it seems to be pretty transfer resistant, much better in fact than my usual Origins foundation.  The wear is in fact what is the most impressive, I keep checking my face thinking I must be shiny but I’m not!

 

 

 

The Bad, and the Ugly:
Let me start by saying, even way back in elementary school I never read the directions and it got me in trouble more than once.  This cream states it should be used AFTER foundation. Now maybe they all say that but to me the lure of a BB Cream is the one-stop shop, I don’t want to wear it over foundation, I want to wear it INSTEAD!  That being said, this just isn’t enough coverage for me.  I like the radiance of it combined the natural look but it just doesn’t smooth out the scarring around my nose like my Origins foundation.  I did put a second layer in that area and it did blend in and look as natural as the rest but still just not the “filled in” look I was hoping for.  Also, I can feel it, its not THAT heavy but if you are someone used to minerals it is going to feel a little heavy and is in fact a bit heavier than my Origins liquid.  As I said earlier, I FEEL like I should be shiny, but I’m not, so why its good not to be shiny, it isn’t so good to feel like you must be. I’m thinking that as the heat and humidity of a Kentucky summer start to come in that this could be a VERY bad thing!   I think this is mostly an issue because I have been oily for years and to feel any moisture on my skin has always been a bad thing for me but for dry and normal gals this shouldn’t be a problem.

 

 

The Conclusion:
Hmmm, BB Creams are not going to give me flawless skin.  What they are going to give me is a nice alternative to the full face process that is moisturizer, sunscreen, primer and foundation for days when you just don’t have time to deal with it all!

 

 

 

 

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Reader’s Review : Suiskin’s Panacea Program February 17, 2011

 

Here is my review for the mini suiskin kit I won from the facebook contest.

As soon as I arrived home from vacation a bunch of mail was waiting for me but the first thing I opened was the package from the contest. I had received 4 packets of the moisturizer (Biological Fermento Moisture) and 5ml of the Fermented Essence (Biological Fermento Panacea – Facial Treatment Essence).

So, going back to the blog and researching more about these I was looking forward to testing them out. My skin is very sensitive and by consequence it dries out easily.

The Essence is very liquidy and indeed very milky. The moisturizer is just like a cream but not oily at all.

The essence has a minty smell, that surprised me greatly. I’m sensitive to smells but this didn’t irritate me at all. And the moisturizer has a herbal smell. Nothing too strong.

The essence and the cream soaked into my skin pretty quickly. I really liked how it felt. My skin looked glowy and luminous. And the moisturizer, although at first a bit sticky, leaves the skin so smooth after! I even skipped BB cream while using it! I love it.

They last a long time, if it were sold somewhere besides Gmarket I would purchase the full size. And I definitely recommend it.

Thank you, hope in a blog!

Nate

 

For our original review of the Suiskin Panacea Program, head over : here

 

 

 

 

 

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Reader’s Review : Sulwhasoo Starter’s Mini Kit January 29, 2011

In recent events with Amore Pacific, i felt that this was finally the time to write the review.

I was given this by Hope In A Blog’s review giveaway which compromised of the skin clarifying mask, emulsion, water balancer, first care serum – and they also included the firming cream which was not included in the photo.

Firstly, i would like to thank Hope In A Blog for this opportunity to discover this brand. I paid nothing for this, not even shipping – just to clarify this in case ‘Julia’ slanders the blog again for promoting sample sales.  It was my first asian brand i have tried and after testing these products , i even purchased the full size products.

While the representative had a point, she failed to acknowledge that there are other Sulwhasoo retailers ( both online and offline ), and not only  Bergdorf Goodman. From her emails, she clearly guards the interest of Bergdorf and not other Sulwhasoo sellers. Is that how a Sulwhasoo representative should act? By saying that buyers should just wait for Sulwhasoo counters to expand to their country. By saying that, isn’t she destroying business opportunities to those online companies that also sells Sulwhasoo products? Or are these retailers lower class than Bergdorf.? I am sure that Sulwhasoo sales in America is insignificant compared to the sales of Sulwhasoo products in Asia or in online retail stores.

I would never have bought products from Sulwhasoo if i had never discovered this blog and had the opportunity to try these samples that is ‘looked down’ by Sulwhasoo. The products are so expensive that no one would really purchase the products without even testing them. Now, i really do ‘look down’ at this brand and i feel uncomfortable each time i use my Sulwhasoo  full size products and i even have intentions to just give this away.

Now moving on the agenda of this – the review.

1. Balancing Water – regardless of it’s name, it isn’t exactly water, more like thick water. I guess it is more of a toner in western cosmetic terms and you can feel the hydration instantly.

2. First Care Serum – this is the first time i have seen a serum being used in the first step of a skincare regimen. I believe this is Sulwhasoo’s star product as written by hopeinablog, and i absolutely love this. I am uncomfortable with asian herbs smell but i love the smell of this serum. It absorbs instantly into the skin and hydrates it.

3. Balancing Lotion – i have seen so many good reviews on this lotion and i am not surprised why it is loved by many. It is light, absorbs quickly, and hydrates the skin well. It is also suitable for all skin types as the texture is very light and it feels comfortable on the skin and hydrates very well that you might not need a cream.

4. Revitalizing Serum – I was onlygiven one sachet of this serum but liked it enough to purchase the full size product of it anyway. The serum is gel-like and absorbs very well too. it doesn’t leave a sticky or greasy feeling , and i have felt some firming action too.

5. Clarifying mask – i found this mask too troublesome and difficult  to apply because it was too sticky and concentrated therefore i did not purchase the full size product. However it did help clarify the skin after using the sample but i am just too lazy to be doing it all the time.

6. Firming cream – a bit heavier than the balancing lotion, use it if you have dry skin.

Overall a great line, but i will not be purchasing any amore pacific products anytime soon. It takes years to build the reputation of a company, and needs only one bad representative to spoil it. Like someone said on the comments below, there are other good brands out there. I do not need to give my hard earn money to a company who look down on their readers or on a blog that has only helped them so much. I do not need to ‘wait’ until the brand opens up at my country – i have so many other choices that doesn’t need me to wait. Maybe it’s time to buy the History Of Whoo that hopeinablog has been talking about, and i will introduce History of Whoo products to my fellow Norwegians.

To hopeinablog, you have been so wonderful introducing so many unknown foreign brands and giving out these samples for readers to try for free. Please don’t be dishearten by this and continue the great work ! keep it up.

P.S : Sorry for taking so long to write this review and sorry for making the review so short – i just had no heart and passion to write it anymore.

With love,

Bjur

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Reader’s Review Giveaway #1 : LJH CELLABEL Time Perfection Cell Active Recovery Balm SPF25 contains Plant Cell Carrier December 22, 2010

Hope In A Blog’s first ever Reader’s Review based on Hope In A Blog’s 1st Ever Review Giveaway which was a sample of the reputable LJH CELLABEL Time Perfection Cell Active Recovery Balm SPF25 contains Plant Cell Carrier.

The winner was Maria from Moscow, Russia and below is her submitted review :