Review on Neutrogen Clear Face Liquid-Lotion Sunscreen SPF 55

Hi Everyone!

Today I am reviewing the Neutrogena Clear Face liquid-lotion Sunscreen

This product can be found at Ulta or at any drugstore such as CVS or Walgreens. It costs about $10. This sunscreen is said to be break-out free, oil free, and has an SPF 55 and water-resistant for a max of 80 minutes.

What do I think of this product?
My second bottle of La Roche Posay Fluid sunscreen was running low and I wanted to try something new (and possibly cheaper).
I have used this sunscreen for at least 1 month now. This sunscreen does not really have a fragrance. It does have that normal sunscreen smell but no added fragrance or perfume.
The consistency of this formula is pretty smooth. It is not as light-weight and watery-smooth as my La Roche Posay sunscreen, however, it is smooth and workable enough for my purposes. I am so used to my previous suncreen that I feel it does take a bit more effort to blend the suncreen into the skin of my face so I do not have white patches. However, it is not very thick or creamy. It still has a fluid-like smooth consistency that is not hard to work with.
If I apply too much onto my face, it can feel a little sticky and oily looking. However, overall it does not give me that greasy shiny appearance on my face and is not bad at controlling my oily skin.
This product is pretty long lasting. I apply it once, every morning before I go out and it lasts the entire day. I do not need to reapply and I do not get tanned or darker the entire day. (Though one time I forgot to apply it and I went to go visit my parents, and when I came back I was visibly tanner, my housemates were like omg O_O you got so tanned! T_T)
This sunscreen does not irritate my skin overall. However, it does sting a bit if I exfoliate my skin during cleansing before sunscreen application. And regardless of exfoliation, the sensitive skin on the corners of my nose always sting and burn a little and get red after application. I don't know how I feel about this, because to me, the pain and redness is minor and goes away quickly so it does not bother me that much. But I hope my skin is okay and is not getting hurt or damaged. =/ So far, I do not see or feel any long lasting problems.
Also, this sunscreen does not block my pores or accentuate my pores. I do not get acne or breakout from using this product.
About the water resistance, I have gone to the beach with this sunscreen and reapplied within the 80 minute range and I did not get sunburned so it works! XD

Do I recommend this product?
If you do not have sensitive skin,  I recommend this product as a good sunscreen to try. It has a high SPF, is long lasting, affordable, easy to find, and does not appear to cause acne.
However, if you do have sensitive skin, I advise you to just be cautious and safe. Everyone's skin is different, so even if you also have sensitive skin, it might react (or not react at all) differently than mine. Just keep in mind that it may irritate your skin.

So I hope that you found this review to be helpful! Summer has the sun! But the sun can damage our skin causing more than just a tan but also spots, wrinkles, sunburns, and possibly skin cancer. Protect your skin from the sun and have fun! Also don't forget to not only apply onto your face, but also to your neck and upper chest area!
If you have any questions or comments, feel free to write in the comment box below. Thank you for reading and I hope to see you soon! =)

Review on Origins Zero Oil Pore Purifying Toner! =D

Hi Everyone!

I hope you all had a great winter break!
I can't believe that the holidays pass by so quickly! Class starts in a couple days for me! =O

So, today I am reviewing the "Origins" Zero Oil Pore Purifying Toner

This product can be found at an Origins store, online, and at Sephora. It costs $20 and contains 5 fluid oz. or 150 mL of product. It is supposed to get rid of excess oil without over drying the skin, clean and tighten pores and reduce breakouts.
It's main active ingredients are:
-Saw Palmetto: The extract of this berry provides antiseptic properties and controls excess oil.
-Salicylic Acid: Promotes the exfoliation of dead skin cells that would otherwise block pores and cause pimples. 
-Mint: Rejuvenates and purifies pores, and helps reduce blackheads and sweep away impurities.

What do I think of this product?
So, this was something I just wanted to try out. I still really like my "The Body Shop" Aloe Calming Toner. But I kind of wanted to try something new for fun.
I have used this toner for at least 2 months and I am about halfway done. It is expensive for a toner, costing about twice as much as the Aloe Calming Toner. Which can be a make or break for me.
However, this toner really refreshes my skin without drying out my skin. It does tighten my pores a bit, making them smaller. Which made me pretty happy. =) It does not irritate, dry out, or redden my sensitive skin or the dry combination areas of my skin.
Because it has salicylic acid, I only use this in the evening before going to bed because salicylic acid makes the skin sensitive to the sun and can cause hyperpigmentation of acne or acne scars. So, I do not know how well the oil controlling properties are during the day when you go out. =/
This definitely has helped prevent breakouts for me. Sometimes I will get very small breakouts it between my eyebrows and they have been significantly reduced after using this product!
It is a great toner, and it really does clean the rest of the dirt off my face and neck that my facial cleansers couldn't get. I put some drops in a cotton pad and wipe it over my face and neck. The cotton pad becomes a bit tan or gray colored after using it on my skin, showing how much dirt and dead skin was picked up! Sounds kind of gross, sorry, but it works well!

Do I recommend this toner?
If you do not mind the price, then I recommend this product!
You can try this to help reduce excess oil on your face but it definitely cleans your skin well, reduces acne break outs, and helps minimize pore size.
Because of the price, I will not buy this product again, sadly, but maybe in the future when I am making more money! Luckily my Aloe toner works very well, so I will stick with that for now. =)

So I hope you liked this review. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to write in the comment box below. Thank you for reading and I will see you later!

Review on "Clean & Clear" Advantage oil absorbing cream cleanser! =D

Hi Everyone! =D

I hope you guys had a great New Years celebration and are ready for the year 2013!

Today I will be reviewing the "Clean & Clear" Advantage Oil Absorbing Cream Cleanser!

This product costs about $7-8. You can find it at any drugstore or online. It contains 5 oz or 141 grams of product. It is supposed to have POWDERPARTICLES^™ technology that absorbs oil—even after you wash and leaves a soft, powdery-finish that helps control oil so your skin stays less shiny for the whole day. It contains 0.5% salicylic acid as an acne treatment.

What do I think of this product?
So I ran out of my regular Neutrogena sefdf cream cleanser and when I went to the store, they were sold out! =O But I needed a salicylic acid facial cleanser so I decided to pick this up instead.
And this turned out to be a fantastic choice! Currently, this is my favorite salicylic acid facial cleanser and I love using it!
First, I love the fact that this is a foaming cleanser! It does not say or tell us on the label that it is, but it foams up when I am using this to wash my face and I love foaming cleanser! To me, it makes me feel cleaner and that it works more effectively. Or maybe it just feels like it does something because it foams up. But I also enjoy the soft foaming texture as I wash my face.
This cleanser does have exfoliating beads, but they are the tiniest beads I have ever seen and felt! There are also not that much because this is not meant to be an exfoliating cleanser, which means it is more gentle on the skin.
Because this cleanser contains salicylic acid which makes skin sensitive to the sun, I only use it in the evenings before I go to bed. However, because of this, I cannot tell if it really controls the oil on my face during the day because I don't use it during the day. =P However, when I wake up in the morning, my face does not feel as oily as it used to and I have read reviews saying that it was pretty good in controlling oil on the face.
This is my current favorite acne facial cleanser with salicylic acid that I like to use at night! It is affordable, easy to find, and works great for me! =)

Here are a few pictures of the cleanser:

As you can see, it is quite a soft and creamy cleanser.

The exfoliating bead is super super tiny, I'm not sure if you guys can see it! It took me a bit of time to find it, but I can definitely feel it  when I was rubbing my hand and washing my face.

Do I recommend this product?
If you want something to help prevent acne or calm down red and inflamed acne I recommend this product! It does have salicylic acid so would rather use it in the evening (since salicylic acid makes the skin sensitive to the sun and you are more likely to get hyperpigmentation from acne and acne scars). But if you use it in the morning, it should be okay as long as you put on sunscreen afterwards.
This cleanser is gentle, foams up into a soft lather and the exfoliating beads do not irritate or damage the skin.
Also, this is an affordable easy to find product, which is something great to try without putting too much effort to find it or spending too much money at once. XP

So I hope you liked this review and it was helpful to you. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to write them in the comment box below! =) Thank you for reading and have a great New Years Day!

Review on Smashbox Hydrating Photo Finish Primer

Hi Everyone!

I"m sorry I haven't been posting as often lately! X( I've bought a lot of products but I'm still using them and working on them before I feel confident enough to give a good review, so sorry. They'll be out soon!

Today I will be reviewing the Smashbox Hydrating Photo Finish Primer!

I have bought a travel size version of it at Sephora for I think $17 and the travel size contains 0.4 fluid oz or 12 mL of product.

What do I think of this product?
So, I have combination skin and the dry areas of my skin can get pretty dry and flaky. And I really wanted to try this primer but at the time, they didn't have travel size ones that were cheaper. So I finally bought it about a month ago and tried it. I really like this primer, it is very hydrating and my makeup lasts on all day without melting, smearing, or smudging. The consistency of the primer is light and smooth, it does not feel heavy, sticky, or oily. I like to put this on after I use my moisturizer and it does a great job of hydrating my skin and locking in the moisture! Also, a little goes a long way! You don't need a lot for your face. A pea size amount is enough for my entire face, and another pea size amount is good for my neck! It does not irritate my sensitive skin. I have worn this in 90 degree weather, when it is super hot and muggy and I feel like my makeup is going to sweat off, but it amazingly doesn't and stays perfect! =D
The only problem I have with this primer is that when I first apply it, it smells like paint. =( I don't like my makeup having any fragrance, especially chemically paint smells. However, the smell does not hurt my nose or eyes. It does go away in a few minutes and I can't and no one else can smell it on me. But if they came out with a new formula of this primer without such a smell, I would definitely buy it and choose it over this one!

Do I recommend this product?
If you don't mind the smell and the price, then I recommend this primer to anyone with normal to dry skin! This is especially great during winter when the air gets windy and dry and tends to dry our skin out! You don't need a lot of product, so I would recommend the travel-size version actually (unless you put on foundation every single day). This is a great all day foundation primer that will keep your foundation lasting all day and you looking radiant and beautiful!
I know this can be a pricey product for some, but I think it is worth it to invest more into something that directly touches your skin. A good primer not only keeps makeup lasting longer but also forms a good barrier between your skin and the makeup so your pores won't be clogged or irritated by makeup!
And if you try and don't like it, as long as you have the receipt, you can return it to any Sephora store. =)

So I hope you enjoyed this review and it helped you! Thank you for reading and if you have any questions or comments, feel free to write in the comment box below =).
Thanks and we shall meet again!

Review on CVS vs Neutrogena Oil-Free Eye Makeup Remover!

Hi Everyone! =D

Today I will be reviewing and comparing 2 eye makeup remover brands: CVS and Neutrogena

CVS Eye Makeup Remover Oil-Free:

This can be found online or, of course, at CVS. =P It contains 6.4 fluid oz or 189 mL of product and costs $4-5.

Neutrogena Oil-Free Eye Makeup Remover:

This can be found online, at any drugstore, and at Ulta.  It contains 5.5 fluid oz or 163 mL of product at costs $6-8.

Comparison:
I have used both kinds for extended periods of time. And literally, they are the same! All the ingredients are the same. I literally went to the store and stared at the ingredient list in both bottles. They are both a non-polar and polar solution in which you can see 2 immiscible layers of liquids in each bottle. Basically they act like soap, with polar and non-polar components. The polar compounds will wash away anything aqueous or water-based and the non-polar compounds will wash away anything oil-based like grease, dirt, organic compounds, etc.
Directions for both are the same: shake well and apply with a cotton pad on closed eyelids, later gently rinse your eyes with warm water.
They are both fine for sensitive skin/eyelids and eyes. For both of them I have gotten both solutions in my eyes, and they don't hurt. I could dump both kinds in my eyes, and nothing would happen, though I don't recommend it =P.
They both take off makeup easily, without any pressure or tugging. My makeup, no matter how much makeup I put on my eyes, even if it's waterproof or cosmetic glitter, etc. they both easily take everything off.

Which one do I recommend?
Really, it's simple. If they both are the same, and work just as well, go for the cheaper one. The only reason Neutrogena is more pricy is because it is a brand name, but really the CVS eye makeup remover works just as well, physically and chemically. So I recommend the CVS Eye Makeup Remover Oil Free. Guys, don't be drawn in by brand names, kay? Some things have the same stuff and work the same but just aren't as well known or flashy. Save money to buy something even better for yourself ;)

So, a rather quick review, but I thought it was important since CVS is such a common drugstore brand in the US and Neutrogena is fairly well known throughout. I too can be a bit worried when I go for drugstore brands that don't look as high quality as the more well known brand names, but I'm just saying that there are equivalent things out there for a cheaper price!
I hope this was a helpful review to you! Thank you for reading and I will see you later! XD

Review on Aveeno Ultra-Calming Daily Moisturizer SPF 15

Hi everyone! =)

Today I am reviewing the Aveeno Ultra-Calming Daily Moisturizer SPF 15:

This product can be found online, at any drugstore and at Ulta. It costs around $13-$16. It contains 4 fluid oz or 120mL of product. It has an SPF of 15 with UVA/UVB sunscreen, said to be oil-free, hypoallergenic, and noncomedogenic. It is said to moisturize sensitive skin for the face and neck to reduce redness and sooth irritated skin.
Directions: After cleansing, smooth over face and neck daily to visibly reduce redness. Apply evenly before sun exposure and as needed.

First Impression:
The first thing I noticed about this product was the lock-pump system. You can lock and unlock the pump by twisting the head according to the small diagram etched on the head. And when you unlock it, you can pump the product into your hands. I think this is an amazing dispenser. The lock works great and I have had no problems with it. Plus it's not messy like the pumps that come with a cap that people loose eventually and it's hygenic!
Another thing I noticed right away was that this moisturizer has a fragrance. It has a really nice fragrance, and smells good. But I don't like putting scented moisturizers on my face (for my body, it's fine). Adding fragrance to a facial moisturizer is just one more thing that could irritate my very sensitive skin. Because of that, I became unsure of whether to use this on my face or not.

What do I think of this product?
The product is a cream colored lotion that has a very smooth and light consistency. However, because it has a fragrance, I do not use it on my face, even though it was made for the face and made for sensitive skin. I would just rather be on the safe side and I don't like my face smelling like moisturizer fragrance. I do use this on my neck, my shoulders and arms because they get tanned the most during the summer and I like my face color to match my neck and upper body more closely. For my face I still use my Lancome and La Roche Posay sunscreens, which have no fragrance and have high SPF values.
On my body it is fast-absorbing and does not make my skin shiny or oily. And it works as a good neck and body sunscreen, but I'm kind of sad that it has fragrance. Because if it didn't, I would definitely try this on my face.
How is it on the face? Well, because I don't use it on my face, I don't know. I'm sorry, yes. I know this product is meant for the face and meant for sensitive skin, but I just don't like scented facial moisturizers, not my thing. =(

Do I recommend this product?
If you have non-sensitive facial skin and you like or don't mind fragrances in moisturizers, then I recommend this product. If you do have sensitive skin and you like or don't mind fragrances, I think it's worth a shot because this product was made for the face and neck and made for sensitive skin. So I don't want to scare anyone from using this on their face just because I don't use it on my face. I just know that generally the more things you put into a facial moisturizer, the more complications there can possibly be, and I just don't want to take the risk. If you still want to try it, you can first try it on your hands, and then your neck, and if you like it and there are no problems then start with a thin layer on your face and see if it works too. Remember, if you do get this and you don't like it on your face or it doesn't work well for your face, you can always use this for your body, and it works fine.

So I hope you liked this review. Thank you for reading and have a great day =)

Review on the Neutrogena Oil-Free Acne Wash

Hi Everyone!

Today I will be reviewing the Neutrogena Oil-Free Acne Wash:

This a drugstore brand that can be found anywhere and it is about $7 for about 6 fluid oz or 177mL. You can buy it in different sizes and amounts. It is said to be non-comedogenic and oil-free. It's active ingredient is salicylic acid.

What do I think of this product?
I don't like this product. I'll just say that first. I used this product for at least 2 years in high school and it did nothing for me. I didn't really see a reduction in acne or much treatment of acne at all.
The consistency is very fluid-like, reminds me of liquid soap.
Obviously it's been a while since I've used it, probably around 5 years, but I don't think the ingredients have changed. I switched out of it a long time ago because it does not work for me.

Do I recommend this product?
Different skin and different acne need different treatments. While it did not work for me, I know it has worked for some people based on reviews that I have read. I kind of don't recommend it, but it is worth a shot in a way because it may just work for you.

Yeah, very short review guys, sorry =(. I know it doesn't seem very detailed or thorough enough but it has been years since I've used this product and this review is based on my experience and what I remember from it. Though if it does work for you then great =), I'm glad it did!

Thank you for reading! I will do better posts in the future! This one I just wanted to input what I felt about this product and how it worked for me.

Review on Neutrogena Oil-Free Acne Wash Pink Grapefruit Foaming Scrub

Hi Everyone! X)

I hope everyone had a good weekend, in California at my university, most midterms are done so this is a good relaxing weekend for most of us haha.

So today I will be reviewing Neutrogena's Oil Free Acne Wash Pink Grapefruit Foaming Scrub:

This product can be found in any drugstore and easily online. It's about $7-9, so reasonably affordable. It contains 4.2 fluid oz or 124mL of product.
It's active acne treatment is 2% salicylic acid.
It is said to be oil-free, have Vitamin C, and clears breakouts.

What do I think of this product?
I have been using this product for more than 3 years and I have recently stopped (yes, I will tell you why!). I think this product works well. It does what it says. It does not cause breakouts for me and it helps clear acne. I actually used the Aloe version for 1-2 years before using this and I like this one better, because I think it smells better haha. It has a nice, fruity smell.
Because it is a scrub it will have microbeads inside for exfoliation. Personally, I feel that on my skin, the exfoliating beads are on the harsher side. The microexfoliators are kind of hard and largish in size. When I use it, I need to wash my face very carefully because more pressure/rubbing will irritate my skin. Later in the years I stopped using it on my face and just used it on my forehead because that is the oiliest area with the thickest and most insensitive skin. And in that area it worked well. I do get good results from it but if I scrub too hard on the pimples alone, they will hurt and get a little red, so please keep that in mind!
I also do feel a little dry after using this product, any acne treatment or cleanser will do it, it's part of the process to dry the pimple out and reduce swelling so I just wash with a hydrating cleanser or apply a moisturizer afterwards and it's fine.
I do not use this product anymore because 1st: the exfoliator  alone is on the harsher side and I have found an acne treatment exfoliator that is more gentle 2nd: I used to get more widespread breakouts, that would cover the forehead, or a larger area of the face, but nowadays I don't really get that much acne. I get spot acne, and it is not good for the skin to get washed with acne treatment cleanser when only a small area of the skin needs it.

Do I recommend this product?
For more insensitive/thicker skin, oily to normal skin with acne issues, yes, I recommend this product. However, please use it gently, even if your skin is tougher than others, you don't want to over scrub, it will still damage your skin.
However, if you have sensitive skin with acne, especially if it gets easily irritated with rubbing, then I don't think this is a good idea. This is a pretty strong exfoliator and it also really depends on how your put pressure on your skin when you wash it. If you are confident in yourself with knowing how to handle harsher products, then you can try it. I'm a bit torn, since I'ved used this product for so long and it does help acne quite a bit but I know it's like a double-edged sword, so you need to be careful with it!

So I hope you guys liked this post! If you have any questions, feel free to write in the comment box below! Or if you have anything you want me to talk about more, go ahead an ask! There is no harm in asking =)

Thank you for reading this, I hope this helped you on your journey for clear skin! Good luck and I will see you guys later! X)