Shiseido Retinol Eye Mask and Gift with Purchase

This was from a while back, but I purchased two packs of the Shiseido Pure Retinol Eye Mask back when they were doing a free gift with $35 purchase, which worked out to a great deal given the bag and goodies it came with (see below).

The mask itself was fine, though I can't say I noticed much of a difference after using it. Retinol as a whole is meant to be quite effective against wrinkles, and I'm always wary of fine lines below the eyes. The material of the mask feels rather cheap, like rough cotton, unlike the Tony Moly gel eye mask I tried recently. It sticks on well to the eyes and the product is quite pleasantly scented.



The gift came with a very large make-up bag in a shiny metallic pink, plus sample sizes of the Power Infusing Concentrate, WrinkleResist emulsion, eye cream, makeup remover, and moisturizer.



The moisturizer was the biggest disappointment, as the packaging didn't allow for more than a few days use - it seemed to run out very quickly. The concentrate and emulsion feel quite nice and moisturizing, and the eye cream is light and effective. The makeup remover isn't one I'd really recommend as the packaging was awful (it kept getting all over the cap when you shook it to mix it up, despite tightly placing the cap on), and its makeup removing power was quite average, requiring rather rough swipes to remove.

I like Shiseido and would recommend this during another of their product promotions.

Ipsy January 2016 Unboxing

I finally joined the subscription box bandwagon, but only for Ipsy as it seems to genuinely deliver value, and is almost universally ranked better than Birchbox on the comparisons I've seen. This was my first subscription bag, and honestly I'm very pleased. At $10.89 a month after tax, I think it's a fun way to try out new products, and at a very fair price point assuming you actually use everything they include. I've definitely spent more on just a single product, and here you get at least one full-size item, plus several samples and a cute little bag (one can never have enough bags in my opinion).

Since I joined while they were running promos for the free Em by Michelle Phan mascara, I also got a free full-size of the lash gallery mascara. I get that the Em brand hasn't exactly taken root and thus they're probably just giving away the old, unsold products, but I'll take it! Awesome value, and even without the mascara I would have been pleased as I got a full size The Balm eyeliner in a deep purple shade called Scott. That alone would retail for the price of the bag, so throw in the cute glasses bag plus all the other little items and I'm thrilled.

Below is a snap of all the items in my bag. I will update this review with impressions / thoughts once I actually start using all of these items.

Hanalei Sugar Lip Scrub

I was initially least excited about this item, because I'm not a lip scrub user as I generally don't think they do much except irritate the lips. Yet I had to change my mind once I actually tried this. Unlike other sugar scrubs, this one is surprisingly not gritty, and features a delicious lemony scent and sweet taste. You're meant to scrub and wipe off with a tissue rather than rinse off, and I found it to be gentle and very moisturizing. It leaves a hydrating layer afterwards, which goes away after a few moments. And my lips looked very hydrated and plump, which is always a great thing. I like!

The Balm Mr. Write (Now) Eyeliner Pencil in Scott

When I first previewed my Ipsy bag online, it looked like they had selected the yellow /gold shade of this eyeliner for me, which would have been awful as there's no way I could have used that on my Asian complexion. But it seems like Ipsy does take into account your profile details, and luckily I received this very usable, deep purple color, which is quite flattering against dark eyes and which I can't wait to start using.

The product features a pointed tip, and I'm not sure about how it sharpens but assume the cap is self-sharpening. It was incredibly easy to use and glided very smoothly on the skin in my trial-run on my arm, so we'll see how it holds up on the eyes. Generally I'm quite pleased.

(Sorry for the blurry swatch!)

Pixi by Petra eyeshadow dual in Lavendar Bloom

This was another product that I'm surprisingly pleased with. Again, the colors are perfect for my Asian-toned skin and eyes, and will go beautifully with The Balm liner. They swatch beautifully as well, especially the bronzey-champagne shade. The lavendar shade is more matte, while the champagne is a nice shimmery color that I can probably wear everyday.

Burt's Bee's cleansing oil: Interestingly, I was just about to buy this product in CVS, but luckily did not as now I can give it a trial run. I haven't tried many cleansing oils, but as I'm always on the hunt for one that will be effective at removing all of my makeup I'm excited to give this a shot. Will keep you posted!

Skone Eyeshadow smudger brush: To be honest, I don't foresee much use for this. The bristles are really short and were quite hard to work with in my quick trial run. They were also quite hard and uncomfortable. We'll see if it softens up, but for now I'm not impressed.

Thanks for reading! Let me know if you have any thoughts on subscription boxes / Ipsy!

Kiehl's Calendula Deep Cleansing Foaming Face Wash

I've mentioned before that I've been on the hunt for a one-stop makeup remover that will easily and quickly get off all my makeup at night. Unfortunately, my Emma Hardie balm just hasn't been cutting it (requires far too much rubbing to remove eye makeup), so I swung into Kiehl's after seeing the signs for their new face wash.

Although I have dry skin, the sales associate assured me that this product would work. I like that it's simple to use, you literally just pump out some of the clear fluid and lather it up on your face. 

The product itself is clear and with a very light herbal fragrance, and works up into a light lather that isn't drying (though you will need to moisturize well afterwards). I've been using it now all summer, and I will say it's by far the most effective product I've tried yet. Unfortunately, it still requires a bit of work to remove eyeliner, but for non-waterproof mascara and eyeshadow it does wonders - a few smears and it comes off.

Overall I'm very pleased with the product, and as a bonus the Kiehl's associate was super sweet and threw in samples for their creamy avocado eye cream and midnight recovery oil. I recommend this if you're also on the hunt for an effective, all-in-one makeup remover.