Weekend Haul

Thanks to a special offer on Rue La La local picks, I was able to get a hold of $120 worth of products for only $60 from Naimie's Beauty Center in LA! This is seriously like a gift sent from heaven whenever this deal is offered. This was my second chance to take advantage of this opportunity, and boy did it feel good getting almost 50% off (I couldn't stop at $120). It's pretty sad how quickly everything adds up!!! I feel like I have little to show, but hope you like some of the things!

from left to right:

Embryolisse Nourishing Moisturiser - Sam Chapman of Pixiwoo always uses this natural and paraben-free lotion underneath her foundation, and I have always wanted to try it! I have combination skin, but have been experiencing dry patches on my right bottom cheek. I thought it was a good excuse to try it out and did run out of night cream.

Lorac Translucent Touchup Powder - This powder was marked 50% off and with the added voucher, I'd only pay $8. I have hit pan on my Maybelline Dream Matte Powder and can't really say no to something that may help with afternoon oiliness. It contains oat flour that is not supposed to be drying. I'll be working on an upcoming post on powders!

Egyptian Magic All Purpose Skin Cream - I have been wanting to try this darned thing for aaaages. I first heard about it from Ginabinawina99 on Youtube and was so intrigued by it. It's supposed to be like Elizabeth Arden's 8 Hour Cream, an all purpose product that can serve as a moisturizer for desert lands on your body, chapstick, hair tamer, burns, bites, scar prevention, and even primer! All sorts of crazy. I was actually going to head to Whole Foods to purchase it after my trip to Naimies, but thank goodness I was able to get it with a discounted price. I don't necessarily have dry skin, but like I said, I've been intrigued for years and will do anything to get rid of the dry patch on my cheek.

  

Moroccan Oil Treatment Light - I got a small 0.85fl oz of the original Moroccan Oil Treatment from my last haul at Naimie's and decided I would purchase a full size on my next trip. My hair really loves this stuff. I decided to get the "light" forumla because my hair does get weighed down really easily. 

Make Up For Ever Face & Body Liquid Foundation - I love this gel foundation so much. I tested it in 2011 and really enjoyed what it did for my skin, especially during the hot summer days. By the time I realized that it worked for me, summer was coming to an end and I didn't need another product collecting dust. It's not quite yet spring, but LA is already feeling hot and thought it was a wise investment for future use. 

Without boxes:

I also got a Sigma F25 sent to me as a replacement from my previous order. I got a faulty brush that shed TONS of bristles on a daily basis and knew something wasn't right. They had great service and kindly sent me a new brush. I'm happy to report the brush does not excessively shed and is even more tapered than the last!

(re-edit)
PS- I realized I was naughty and never posted my last haul from Naimie's, even though I took photos. I'll just do a quick recap of what I purchased.

from left to right:

Bobbi Brown Creamy Concealer - Sand

Terax Latte Clarifying Shampoo

Voluspa Goji Taracco Orange Candle

MAC Lustre Lipstick - Jubilee

Kiehl's Rare Earth Pore Refining Toner

Moroccan Oil Treatment

Have you guys tried any of these products? What worked and didn't work for you? 

Testing: Gel Liners

On a recent day at the mall, I decided to test out a few gel liners I've been interested in trying out. I've used ELF and Wet n Wild in the past and have been satisfied with the price, pigmentation, and staying power, but decided it's time to invest in a higher end liner. My major complaint with the cheaper liners is that they dry out way too quickly, resulting in a slight tug when applying. It's most likely due to the plastic packaging it comes in versus the glass the higher end brands come in. You can always scrape the top dried out layer, but sometimes I just don't want to deal with it. It becomes harder to scrape out of the jar and harder to clean.
I threw out the gel liners in the beginning of 2011 and have only been using liquid liners for the past year (Maybelline Stiletto Felt Liner & DollyWink). However, I miss building a strong line that I just can't achieve with liquid liners. I've been intrigued by these liners when I watch Youtube gurus apply them with such ease and without any tug!! So here were the "contestants":

2:00pm

From left to right:

 1) Bobbi Brown Long Wear Gel Eyeliner - Black Ink $22

This is popular in the beauty world and it definitely looked so black when it was swatched. The lady at the counter swore she had never used a liner as black. It was the first product I swatched, and it WAS so black! It dried pretty quickly and I had to smudge off the top layer because the lady just gooped it all over my hand. 

2) Clinique Brush-On Cream Liner - True Black $15

The Pixiwoo sisters made this liner look really appealing in all their videos. This does feel truly creamy when applied. However, this liner looked deeper than the Bobbi Brown. 

3) Tarte EmphasEYES Waterproof Clay/Shadow - Black $22

This product is BLACK! It was soft and dried pretty quickly. I wasn't that interested in this product at first, but I decided to try it because Sephora offers this product with a free brush. 

 4) Yves Saint Laurent Eyeliner Effect Faux Cils (Longwear Cream Liner) - Deep Black $25

Swatched on my hand, this liner was definitely the most black. It was so opaque and I fell in love when it touched my skin. HOWEVER- I realized this product took forever to dry. I literally waited 10 minutes before I felt like it was okay to touch it. This is a major no-no considering my double eyelids are really small. That means major smudging onto my upper lid and I will not stand for that! In the picture, it looks as though it has a glossy finish (it probably looked the least matte), but most of it was because it was still wet. 

4:00pm (2 hours)

None of these liners budged one bit! 

5:00pm (after first hand wash with soap and paper towel)

Sadly, most of these liners began to disappear after one hand wash. I was relatively gentle to give the products the benefit of the doubt, but they still disappeared under running water. The Bobbi Brown, Clinique, and YSL all budged with similar results, but Tarte surprisingly kept on! I guess it does hold true to it's "waterproof" claim.

8pm (6 hours)

By this time, I had finished a lot of activities throughout the day and washed my hands several times. Clinique and Bobbi Brown went out of the running, YSL was trying to hold on for dear life, and Tarte was still running strong. 

10pm (8 hours total) 

The swatches remained pretty much the same from 8-10pm. I decided to use my Smashbox cleansing oil on a cotton pad and slowly swiped it across my hand to try to get as much product off as I could. Here's the end result after 8 hours of wear and one swipe of makeup remover. 

The Winner: Tarte! 

Wow, the underdog ended up beating everyone! I was thoroughly impressed with this liner and think it just might make it into my collection. Plus you get a double-ended brush! The only drawback about this product is that it may be TOO waterproof. I had to spend extra time getting all of it off of my hand, and wonder if it may be too intense for my eyes? I do think I should do a final trial between MAC Fluid Line Blacktrack and Tarte, but I just may end up with both. :P 

Hope this was helpful! What are your holy grail eyeliners? 

What's in my travel makeup bag?

My Wet n Wild Red Velvet lipstick wasn't the only thing I took to New York! Thought it'd be fun to share the things I took with me on my trip. I could have done with just a quarter of the things I took, but 10 days is a long time to be away from the comforts of your makeup! :P I took a minimal range of colors, which are basically what I wear on a daily basis. I guess these would also fall under my "daily essentials"!

Let's take a look.

Benefit The Porefessional Primer

Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation - #52

Neutrogena Healthy Skin Foundation - #60 Natural Beige 

Bobbi Brown Creamy Concealer + Loose Setting Powder - Sand

Maybelline Mousse Concealer Cream - Light 4-5

NYX Eyebrow Shaper Wax Pencil

The Face Shop Eyebrow Shadow

Nars Danmari Blush Palette

NYC Smooth Skin Bronzing Powder - Sunny

NYX Rouge Cream Blush - Natural

(left to right, top to bottom)

L'Oreal Voluminous Million Lashes Waterproof

Cover Girl Lash Blast Waterproof

Revlon Colorstay Eyeshadow - Copper Spice 

Wet n Wild Single Shadow - Brulee 

MAC Mineralized Eyeshadow - Daylight (Naturally Collection)

Maybelline 24 Hr Color Tattoo - Bad to the Bronze

Benefit Creaseless Cream Shadow - Birthday Suit 

L'Oreal Infallible Eyeshadows - Iced Latte, Amber Rush, Bronzed Taupe

Shu Uemura Eyelash Curler

ELF Mineral Eyeshadow Primer

Maybelline Line Stiletto Waterproof Felt Liquid Liner

Dolly Wink Liquid Liner

Real Techniques Stippling Brush, Sigma F84, MAC 109, Sigma F25, Sigma F40, MAC 187, miscellaneous eyeshadow brushes 

Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment - Honey

Tarte LipSurgence Natural Lip Tint - Enchanted

Boots No7 Stay Perfect Lipstick - Ginger Mousse

Wet N Wild Mega Last Lipstick - Red Velvet 

Revlon Lip Butter - Fig Jam 030 

Mac Lustre Lipstick - Jubilee A81

Smashbox Limitless Long Wear Lip Gloss SPF 15 - 24/7

And here's the small touch-up makeup bag that went in my purse:

Revlon Spa Age Defying Concealer - 002

Maybelline Dream Matte Powder - 

Crabtree & Evelyn Hand Therapy - Rosewater

C.O. Bigelow Rose Salve (this goes with me EVERYWHERE)

Juicy Couture - Viva La Juicy 

Tarte Smooth Operator SPF 20 (in sample tub) - Agent 08

Rubber scrunci and bobby pin

Stila Lip & Cheek Stain - Pomegranate Crush

Same Tarte, Fresh, Revlon, and MAC as before 

Nivea Natural Glossy Lip Care - A Kiss of Shine

Jouer Lip Enhancer Conditioning Lip Treatment 

Whew!!! It didn't seem like so much until I had to type it all out. Took wayyy longer than I expected!

What are your MUST HAVES when you travel? 

Wet N Wild Mega Last Lip Color - Red Velvet

I know the holidays are long gone, but wearing red lips is still on trend! And with Valentine's just around the corner, I'm sure people will find an excuse to bust out their favorite red look. So here is one of my most recent and favorite (and only haha) "red lipstick" find:

Wet N Wild Mega Last - 910D Red Velvet 

Don't be fooled by the cheap $2.99 price tag. WnW has been upping their game for the past two years and has been coming out with makeup that puts high end brands to shame. This lipstick comes from their matte long-wearing line with a pretty decent range of colors. I picked this color up right before I headed to New York because I was looking for a fun color for nights out. I've never rocked a bold lip before so I was hesitant to splurge on anything more than $5 in case the color was wrong. I wasn't able to swatch the lipstick in the store, but I trusted in WnW! 

I couldn't tell which swatch was better, so I just posted both. Although a matte lipstick, Red Velvet has a slight cream finish that has some slip. It isn't so matte that it instantly dries on your lip. There's also a hint of gloss that helps the color look more wearable. The blue tone underneath isn't so strong- in fact, I think it's just the right amount that anyone could wear it. The staying power is at least for 6 hours too! Red Velvet is a TRUE bright red lipstick and I definitely recommend it if you're looking for a fun new look!

What reds are in your collection? 

Missing New York and my besties <3 <3 <3 

Memo Boards

They're here!

Only two days ago I ordered these Ivory Twill French Memo Boards from Target online for $12 each.
They're so cute, aren't they? And I was really impressed with their speedy service. It was quite the opposite situation when I ordered Missoni merchandise back in September and had to wait till January to receive them! I also had a HORRIBLE experience with one of their phone reps... Anyways, good stuff.

They're currently having a sale on all home items, so check it out! 

I'm not even sure what pictures I'm going to stick in these considering all my pictures are digital... so I'll have to start picking and printing. Will post pics when completed. :) 

Chanel vs. MAC

The recent CRAZE in the beauty world has definitely been the new drugstore eyeshadow releases by Maybelline and L'oreal. These cheap alternatives to the ever so famous Chanel's Illusion D'ombre, MAC Paint Pots, and Giorgio Armani Eyes To Kill have definitely racked up major popularity because of their ability to give these high end brands a run for their money. I had to jump onto the bandwagon myself and scored Maybelline Color Tattoo Bad To the Bronze and L'oreal Infallible Iced Latte, Amber Rush, and Bronzed Taupe. Here's a color swatch of Amber Rush and Bronzed Taupe:

Not bad, right? They're amazingly pigmented and for a fraction of the price of Chanel and GA... yes, please! 

Here are some links to legit swatches: Iced Latte, more Infallibles, and Color Tattoos. 

Anyways!!!

On my recent trip to NY, I had my first opportunity to check out Chanel's Illusion D'ombres and MAC Naturally collection in person. Having finally seen Chanel in person after tons of video and blog raves, I had to admit I was a bit underwhelmed. If you check out the swatches below, you'll see that there are tons of glitter specks I had not expected in the formula. Sure the black pot was known to have silver specks, but not all the other colors! Personally, I think glitter can make a product look much cheaper... Is that just me? They're definitely gorgeous... but worth $36? Hmmm...
Giorgio Armani shadows were also beautiful in person, but I just couldn't justify the price when L'oreal does it just as good.

left to right: Chanel 82 Emerveille, 86 Ebloui, 83 Illusoire (sooooo pretty), 85 Mirifique, GA 6 Khaki Pulse

Then came MAC's Naturally collection. These mineralized shadows go for $20 each, but I thought the subtle sheen of the shadows were so pretty and looked much more wearable than Chanel's. I ended up purchasing the pinkish-purple color on the left (Daylight), but am now regretting I didn't get the soft peach champagne color (Summer Haze) as well!!!! I didn't feel right spending $40 on eyeshadow alone that day, but I should have because Summer Haze is completely sold out wherever I go! I thought it was too similar of a color that I already own, but nothing gives off as pretty and soft of a glow as this color does. And it could work beautifully as a cheek highlight too!! Oh... regrets... 

As much as I admire Chanel products and the prestige of their brand... I have to admit I wasn't convinced I needed (well, I don't really need any of this) to have the Illusion D'ombres in my collection. But who knows? They may get me one day.... 

Happy New Year!!!

Hello Blog World... I am still alive. I've made into 2012 and I have resolved that I will be a much more diligent blogger! I'll shoot for at least once a week... and if I slack, I welcome any type of threats or harassment. I assure you I have TONS of pictures stored up in my "blog" folder, but just haven't gotten around to posting them. But they are on their way!

So let's get to it! Come see the progression of my new sickness...

One of my newest obsessions of this new year has been CANDLES. I was never a candle-kinda-gal. I never understood it when I would watch people show their newest candles in Youtube hauls. But then my life was flipped upside down when this little guy came into my life.

Say hello to my new friend. I got this candle for 50% off with my Rue La La 50% off coupon for Naimie's. So for $4 I thought, "Why not?" It just smelled too good to pass. I can't explain the rich and fruity scent of this candle... so if you ever come over, expect me to shove it in your face. Mmm... so good. 

But then, this other guy made a special place in my heart when I won him in a Christmas White Elephant gift exchange. An Anthropologie Capri Blue candle in Volcano. YUM! This one also is fruity, but there is a lightness to it that makes me feel fluttery on the insides. Both of these candles have a citrus accent where the Voluspa has orange and the Capri Blue has lemon and lime.

 Then I came across these lighters at Target for $1. Had to get them for my new candles. :P

And then here's when things got buckwild...........

I walked into Bath & Body works with friends and before my eyes were these mini-candles that were being sold with a glass jar for only $2!! I collected 4 Cranberry Pear Bellini (my fave), 2 Merry Mistletoe, and 1 Winter Candy Apple. I felt justified in "trying out" these scents for only 2 bucks. Too bad I'm sold and will definitely invest in these scents full size one day. These candles may be tiny, but they can really fill up my ENTIRE room.
The other big guy is a Yankee candle in Christmas Cookie I got for 50% off at Ulta. They were getting rid of their holiday scents. This is a soft and sweet vanilla scent that makes me feel warm and cozy. This is the candle I burned the most until....

... this happened. Another 50% off Vanilla Creme candle from Ulta. Then... my aunts, cousin, sister, and I took a little trip to Marshall's after celebrating the Lunar New Year together. My aunts and sister were basically buying all the candles in the store, so I took a peek myself. I ended up with 2 Caldrea candles in Pomegranate Fig and Vanilla Lemon. 

Here's the showstopper. I came across this candle sitting in the clearance section. Yankee Hearts & Kisses. I can't explain the scent... smells like roses, candy, lavender, and freshly cleaned sheets. Have no idea if any of that is true. I've been trying to google this scent, but I can't find anything!!! I bought 2 of these (only 2 left) and I'm already scared of the day I'll be left without them. I need to go scour all of the Marshall's and TJ Maxx's in my area. Or else I'LL DIE!!!  Not really, but I'll be pretty depressed. 

So that wraps it up for my candle obsession. I don't know how my collection escalated so quickly, but I hope I don't become a hoarder! I need to keep my eyes turned away from any new candles... except for Hearts & Kisses. 

What are your favorite candle scents?? 

Rock & Republic

The Rock & Republic line of makeup is known for its lavish packaging, tremendous color selection of blushes and eyeshadows, and great color payoff. Too bad it's discontinued!!! :(
Thanks to YouTube gurus like Hollyannaeree and Jenn from frmheadtotoe who raved about this brand, people jumped onto the bandwagon and began buying out products whenever it was held on Hautelook. I'm bummed because this all happened before I began actually collecting makeup and missed out on so many opportunities to get their blushes and brushes. Now they're all sold out! :((

I decided it was time to invest in whatever I could before the entire line disappears. So here is what I got my hands on at $7 a pop from Hautelook.

 Each eyeshadow comes in it's own little case. I likey!

Here are 3 of the shadows I received. From left to right are Revenge, Alloy, and Wicked. Revenge is is shimmery cranberry purple, Alloy is a shimmery golden peach, and Wicked is a matte maroon purple.

Swatches of Alloy, Wicked, and Revenge from left to right and bottom to top. 

Surprisingly, the colors swatched differently than expected. Revenge has a deep purple tone and the cranberry speckles seem to disappear. The shadow is creamy to the touch, just like Alloy. Alloy was pretty much what I expected and swatches true to color. Wicked turned out to be much chalkier than I had hoped for and has more of a maroon-cranberry color than purple, which I actually like. 

I'm still waiting for the color Tribal to arrive. I'm sad that I missed the chance to own colors like Carat, Veil, Sabotage, and Exile. I've probably done a horrible job at portraying the wonders of this line, so if you're bored please check out this girl's swatches at Part 1 and Part 2. 

And while I'm still talking about this line, I figured I should show the blush I own in Immoral.
Please excuse my extremely lazy impromptu "shoot" on my bed with my iPhone... haha

First of all, do you see how big the blush is compared to the shadows??

The color in the pan is really scary, but when applied with a light hand, the blush brings a bright flushed tone to the skin that isn't too bad. Plus it's matte so it looks pretty natural. 

To sum it up, it's a pretty great brand and even greater with it's huge discounted price tag. I love its heavy and durable packaging with mirrors placed in each compact. It seems over the top, but that's what makes it feel expensive. My only gripe about the packaging is that there are no magnetic or clip closures. It's made well enough that it shouldn't open on its own, but I wouldn't trust it to be sitting in my purse, that's for sure. So that is my measly Rock & Republic collection. I'm so sad I missed out on the other blushes, shadows, and brushes! I wonder if they'd ever come back out with this makeup collection since it's been doing so well?

Overview: Exfoliators

I'm not that much of an exfoliator buff (har har), but here are the ones I'm going through.

1) St. Ives - Green Tea Scrub
This is the newest addition to the club. I think it's one of my favorite exfoliators to date! It has such a clean, fresh, and yummy scent. What I enjoy most about this scrub is that it has tiny beads that are gentle, yet it's dense enough to feel like you're really scrubbing your face. This scrub has a good ratio of beads to the paste... if that's even what it's called. Basically, it's an awesome scrub if you're willing to spend $4 and I totally recommend it! If you're feeling iffy, at least smell it!!! Smells so good....
2) St. Ives - Apricot Scrub for Blemish & Blackhead Control
Who hasn't used this exfoliator? It's been around for ages and was the option to turn with all it's awards. I don't think I've been without this exfoliator since high school... but I'm so over it! This is the epitome of a "scratchy" exfoliator. I was excited to try their new formulations with their new packaging, but it's pretty much the same thing. I'm not into rough exfoliators, especially since my skin has become more sensitive. I don't enjoy the feeling of my skin burning... It's taken me forever to get through it because I leave it in the shower, but it will be replaced by my new favorite, the St. Ives Green Tea Scrub. And I haven't seen any blemish or blackhead control.
3) DermaNew - Microdermabrasion
This came with a handheld scrubber that I'll speak about below. I haven't used this scrub without it, so I don't have much to say. It's white with tiny microbeads. (ps, thanks sis for the gift!)
4) Ambi - Even & Clear Exfoliating Wash
I used this cream when I was going through the worst year-long breakout of my life. I think I was going through hormonal changes after graduating college and my skin was wigging out on me. I even tried ProActiv! (it didn't help) Anyways, this cleanser caught my eye one day and I wanted to see if it would help with evening my skin tone after all the scarring left on my forehead. I absolutely love the scent of this pearly cream, but I love it even more now because I associate it with the time my skin began to clear up. Now I don't fully credit this product to the clearing of my skin, but it was a nice alternative to the St. Ives Apricot scrub because this is more like a cleanser and exfoliator put into one. It's extremely gentle on the skin with tiny microbeads that aren't densely packed into the formula. It's definitely something that could be used daily unlike the other exfoliators I've discussed. The only reason why I own it right now is because I haven't seen this line carried in Target for years and I ran across it this summer and thought it was time for a little reunion.
5) Clarins - One-Step Gentle Exfoliating Cleanser
This cleanser came with the Clarins package I ordered from Hautelook this summer. The cleanser has a gel consistency with round beads sparsely dispersed through the formula. Now I know I'm not one for harsh exfoliators, but this is too far on the opposite side of the spectrum. I would think this would be ideal for mature or extremely sensitive skin. I could imagine my mom or grandma liking this exfoliator... which is why I should have steered clear from Clarins in the first place. I am not digging this barely-grazing-the-face-exfoliator action... nor it's orange scent.

This is the DermaNew set my sister got me. This "Facial Rejuvenation System" includes the dual-sided resurfacing tool, the microdermabrasion cream, a body foam applicator, a facial foam applicator, and a facial cleansing brush. The tool can either be used as long as you'd like or with it's 2 minute timer. I usually use the 2 minute timer, apply my Body Shop Seaweed gel cleanser onto the cleansing brush side, and clean my face whenever  I want a decent scrub. I will also use the foam applicator with the microdermabrasion cream time to time. There are tons of different tools on the market, both high and low end. I think it's worth the investment because it just revives the face better than what your hands can do!

I think the only scrub I'll repurchase is the Green Tea from St. Ives. I haven't been on the lookout for new exfoliators because I've had my eye on the Clarisonic Mia... the ultimate exfoliator. I hope to be a proud owner one day!! :P

Overview: Face Cleansers

Here's the beginning of my "Overview" series dedicated to products I'm currently using/trying to finish up. That way I can talk about all the things I've been rotating around for the past several months. (These pictures were taken back in August!)

Today's post will be featuring facial cleaners. Sigh... facial cleansers... my first love since junior high. I have probably used almost every drugstore brand and age appropriate line for my skin from Clearasil, Clean & Clear, Basis, Noxema, Olay, Loreal, Cetaphil, Biore, Purpose, Aveeno, and Ambi. My favorite brand would have to be Neutrogena out of all the drugstore choices. I've also dabbled with some high end cleansers, but there isn't one that stands out more than my trusty drugstore brands. There are a few tried and true cleansers I don't mind going back to, but I think I have ADHD and find myself always looking for something new!!

 Here are the 5 facial cleansers I'm desperately trying to go through!

1) Chanel - Mousse Douceur 
This is one of my 3 white creamy cleaners that foams and washes off beautifully. I think it's comparable to cream cleansers of Clinique or Shiseido that give you that squeaky clean face. It smells so good too! I'm sad I'm coming to the end of this tube, but I don't see myself spending the dough to keep this in my collection.
2) L'oreal - Go 360 Clean Deep Cream Cleanser (all used up now)
This is my second bottle of this face wash. It does a pretty good job of cleansing the face, and I especially enjoy the pink scrubber it comes with. It took some getting used to, but I use this scrubber with other cleansers now. The cream doesn't strip the face of all its oils, which I think helps me not to produce extra oil throughout the day. It has become a staple shower cleanser, but I'm bored of it. I think I'm going to try one of their gel cleansers in this line or I'll switch over to Clean & Clear's Morning Burst or Neutrogena Grapefruit cleansers for my shower routine. I do recommend this line though!
3) Dr. Brandt - Poreless Cleanser 
Love/hate relationship with this guy. It's taken me FOREVER to ge through this... like over a year and a half... is that even sanitary? haha Anyway, this face wash gave me instant results when I noticed my blackheads were totally clearing out. However, after a month of using it my skin became immune. And on top of that, this cleanser reeks of medicinal scents and burns the crap out of my eyes. This is one wash you definitely need to make sure is completely gone before you open your eyes or you'll regret the day you were born. I don't even know where this could be purchased because I don't see this line at Sephora anymore.

4) The Body Shop - Seaweed Deep Cleansing Facial Wash

I was introduced to this line through Lil Lady's Life blog and her review found here. I stumbled upon her post in the middle of summer when my face was extremely oily and I was looking for a new cleanser, and thought "Why not?" I bought this along with the moisturizer (which I'll speak about in my upcoming post) and thought it was okay. The toner is probably the best item of this line. Anyway, the cleanser is decent, but is pricey!! I do like the seaweed scent and it helps clean the majority of my makeup way, but I will definitely not repurchase. I'm enjoying it while I use it up as my main cleanser, but I will be on the lookout for something new. 

5) Sibu - Sea Buckthorn Facial Soap Bar (half of the bar cut off and wrapped) 

I was introduced to this soap from another online guru, Ginabinawina99 of Youtube, with her review found here. She was such a believer of this line, so I actually purchased this soap bar and one of Sibu's moisturizers for my boyfriend. He used body soap bars for his face his entire life and I was trying to introduce soaps meant for the face!! My first attempt was with Anthony Logistics for Men Glycerin bar, but that still gave him breakouts. I thought Sibu's bar was worth a try since Gina's husband enjoyed the line AND it was super cheap (like $3!!) on Amazon. Turns out not only did my bf stop having breakouts completely, it totally took off all my makeup too! After that, we have collectively gone through about 5 bars and fully intend to keep repurchasing. This soap bar does a good job of cleansing impurities and excess oil. I especially like to use this after rubbing an oily makeup remover all over my face to make sure everything is fully washed off. Great cleanser for men or women!

I'm happy to report that I'm coming near the end of most of these cleansers... which means time to go shopping! 

What cleansers have been tried and true for you? What do you recommend???