Innisfree My Real Squeeze Sheet Mask Reviews: Broccoli, Oatmeal, Tomato, Ginseng, Rice

Ingredients:


Broccoli

Water, Glycerin, Dipropylene Glycol, Brassica Oleracea Italica (Broccoli) Extract, Betaine, Xanthan Gum, Butylene Glycol, Paeonia Suffruticosa Root Extract, Centella Asiatica Extract, 1,2-Hexanediol, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract, PEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Glyceryl Caprylate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Disodium EDTA, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Fragrance, Sodium Hyaluronate, Citrus Unshiu Peel Extract, Orchid Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Camellia Japonica Leaf Extract, Opuntia Coccinellifera Fruit Extract.

Oatmeal

Water, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Cetyl Ethylhexanoate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Dimethicone, Avena Sativa (Oat) Kernel Extract, Polyglyceryl-3 Methylglucose Distearate, Glyceryl Stearate, PEG-100 Stearate, Centella Asiatica Extract, Paeonia Suffruticosa Root Extract, 1,2-Hexanediol, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract, Carbomer, Glyceryl Caprylate, Tromethamine, Xanthan Gum, Ethylhexylglycerin, Disodium EDTA, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Sodium Hyaluronate, Citrus Unshiu Peel Extract, Orchid Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Camellia Japonica Leaf Extract, Opuntia Coccinellifera Fruit Extract, Fragrance.

Tomato

Water, Glycerin, Dipropylene Glycol, Alcohol, Betaine, Solanum Lycopersicum (Tomato) Fruit Juice, Dimethicone, Butylene Glycol, Centella Asiatica Extract, Paeonia Suffruticosa Root Extract, 1,2-Hexanediol, PEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract, Glyceryl Caprylate, Xanthan Gum, Carbomer, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Ethylhexylglycerin, Fragrance, Potassium Hydroxide, Disodium EDTA, Sodium Palmitoyl Sarcosinate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Camellia Japonica Leaf Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Citrus Unshiu Peel Extract, Opuntia Coccinellifera Fruit Extract, Orchid Extract.

Ginseng

Water, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Cetyl Ethylhexanoate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Dimethicone, Panax Ginseng Root Extract, Polyglyceryl-3 Methylglucose Distearate, Glyceryl Stearate, Panthenol, PEG-100 Stearate, Paeonia Suffruticosa Root Extract, Centella Asiatica Extract, 1,2-Hexanediol, Carbomer, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract, Glyceryl Caprylate, Tromethamine, Xanthan Gum, Adenosine, Ethylhexylglycerin, Disodium EDTA, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Pantolactone, Fragrance, Sodium Hyaluronate, Citrus Unshiu Peel Extract, Orchid Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Camellia Japonica Leaf Extract, Opuntia Coccinellifera Fruit Extract.

Rice

Water, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Cetyl Ethylhexanoate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Dimethicone, Oryza Sativa (Rice) Extract, Polyglyceryl-3 Methylglucose Distearate, Glyceryl Stearate, PEG-100 Stearate, Centella Asiatica Extract, Paeonia Suffruticosa Root Extract, 1,2-Hexanediol, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract, Carbomer, Glyceryl Caprylate, Tromethamine, Xanthan Gum, Ethylhexylglycerin, Disodium EDTA, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Fragrance, Sodium Hyaluronate, Citrus Unshiu Peel Extract, Orchid Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Camellia Japonica Leaf Extract, Opuntia Coccinellifera Fruit Extract.

I try to mark the sunscreen ingredients in red and other possible irritants in lilac. Ingredients thought to be good and useful for skin I mark green.  Learning as I go, google is my friend etc...

Overall thoughts about Innisfree My Real Squeeze Sheet Masks

Price: 

0,80 USD without shipping, with about 1,50 USD / 20 ml, 1 mask

Bought from: 

Roseroseshop

Thoughts:


Broccoli (promises to leave a dull skin clear and supple)

- I felt like my skin was tickling a bit throughout the masking time (25 min), continued a bit after removing the mask as well. I don't know if it was the essence, or the mask material. Didn't irritate me otherwise.

- The scent is not strong, barely there, but something in it made me uncomfortable.

- Still some redness on my face afterwards. No effect on pores.

- Could be a bit drippy mask. Already when I opened the pouch, some liquid splashed out.


+ Best fit compared to Etude House Air Therapy and The Saem Natural lines. The placement and size of eye and mouth holes ok, leaves only about 2 cm space uncovered of my cheeks on both sides. A bit long on forehead. No extra folding needed, some wrinkles.

+ Nice thin, comfortable material, fully and evenly soaked in liquid essence. Wasn't feeling drippy at all anymore while on face.

+ Adheres great, very easy and fast to place on skin, easier than before mentioned Etude House and The Saem. Stays put.

+ My skin felt hydrated and plump afterwards. Maybe even brighter, probably just thanks to the hydration.

+ There was extra essence left in the pouch, again I just plopped cotton pads in to soak it up.


* Recommended masking time is 10-20 minutes, this time I paid attention to clock and peeled the mask away at 25 min mark because it was starting to show the signs of drying, but wasn't dry yet. Possibly could have been on for 5 minutes more.

Buy again? 

Probably not, but I possibly could. Not a straight out no. 

Worth the money? 

I think so, Innisfree's Broccoli Mask offers a quick hydration and is easy to put on and feels comfortable enough. For this price, for a daily mask type, it definitely fulfills its purpose! I'm more confident now to test the other Innisfree My Real Squeeze masks. I can see why they are a popular choice. 

Oatmeal (promises to leave rough, dry skin moisturized and smooth)

- The same slightly uncomfortable barely there fragrance as in Broccoli mask.

- The mask is almost too slippery and heavy with the lotion essence, it tends to slide downwards a bit. Wouldn't recommend moving much during masking. It still doesn't slide off though and I don't think I even bothered to fix the slightly off fit.

- Could be a bit drippy but to my surprise didn't make any mess.

- Not much extra essence. Used it as a lotion the next day.


+ Now we are talking. Amazing, lotion like essence, very creamy.

+ The same good fit as the other My Real Squeeze sheet masks. Easy and fast to place on face.

+ Fully and evenly soaked in essence.

+ So fully soaked, that I had the mask on for maybe 35-40 minutes before I removed it when it started to show signs of drying in the forehead area. But it wasn't dry yet on the skin side.

+ My skin looked so hydrated, plumped, glowing afterwards. Also very soothed, nourished. No redness anywhere. Zero. (But my skin wasn't irritated beforehand anyway.)

+ I almost think the mask helped with pore size too... could be my imagination though.

* 

Buy again? 

Already looked up some bundles and prices. I guess that's a yes.

Worth the money? 

I feel like this mask offered more than just a quick hydration, it felt all over nourishing, brightening and soothing and the effect seemed to last well over to the next day. I don't think I've liked any sheet mask I've tried before this much. But I haven't tried too many and this is the first one that has lotion essence.


Tomato (promises to leave tired skin clear and vibrant)

- I don't think the mask did anything to pores, also didn't have a soothing effect. There was redness afterwards.

- Made my pimples and closed comedones very visible, almost like lifting them up from hiding, but still not enough so that it would have helped to get rid of them. So for a while I just looked like I had super bad bumpy skin. Very strange. Not a mask I'd want to use before going out.

- Not very much extra essence, barely enough to wet a cotton pad once afterwards.


+ To my surprise, even though the mask also includes alcohol, it is very hydrating and didn't tingle or itch at all.

+ I may have noticed my skin being a bit brighter as well. But, I was a lot more concentrated on my acne obviously!

+ The same good fit as other masks from the same line. Easy and fast to place on face. Not drippy at all. Stayed well put until started to dry around my mouth at 20 minute mark.

+ The mask was evenly soaked in the liquid essence despite there not being much extra. Essence felt light and absorbed into skin very well.

* I must say I can't remember the scent of the mask at all. So probably very mild, similar and less noticeable than the other My Real Squeeze masks so far.

Buy again? 

No.

Worth the money? 

I feel the Tomato mask was a bit underwhelming. It was ok for hydration, but that's it. It's not bad, but not really worth it either considering you can get the other Innisfree My Real Squeeze Masks for the same price as well! I do love tomatoes though which was the reason I bought it.


Ginseng

- 

- 

- 


+ 

+ 

+ 

* 

Buy again? 

Worth the money? 

Rice

- 

- 

- 


+ 

+ 

+ 

* 

Buy again? 

Worth the money? 

The Saem Natural Tea Tree Sheet Mask Review

Ingredients:

Water, Glycerin, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceide, Butylene Glycol, Melaleuca Alternifoli (Tea Tree) Leaf Extract, Disodium EDTA, Panthenol, Hydroxyethycellulose, PEG-20 Hydrogenerated Castor Oil, Carbomer Treithanolamine, Sodiyum Hyaluronate, Chlophenesin, Glycyrrhia Glabra (Licorice) Root Extract, 1,2-Hexanediol, Caprylyl Glycol, Schizandra Chinensis Fruit Extract, Cotis Japonica Root Extract, Zingiber Officinale (Ginger) Root Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Trehalose, Fragrance.

I try to mark the sunscreen ingredients in red and other possible irritants in lilac. Ingredients thought to be good and useful for skin I mark green.  Learning as I go, google is my friend etc...

Thoughts:

- After removing the mask, I didn't feel like my skin was hydrated or plump. I do understand however that a tea tree mask is more for purifying/sebum control, not for plumping the skin.

- My cheeks were still red-ish afterwards, I didn't notice soothing or brightness.

- The mask dried surprisingly quickly, it was already almost dry especially in the middle after 30 min

- The mask's material felt uncomfortable and heavy on face

- The lower part of the mask didn't adhere very well and kept moving and wrinkling




+ Strange thing is, my nose looked good afterwards, my pores looked reduced, it was smooth - but why only the nose?! Pls make this thing to my whole face!

+ The mask was fit wise quite good, good size and placement of eye and mouth holes, it covered my cheeks almost fully.

+ Quite a bit of extra essence if you like getting that.

+ The essence is very suitable to use as toner, as it's so light and absorbs right away, maybe controls sebum as well because it's not hydrating or sticky. I threw some cotton pads in the pouch so I can use them the next day to wipe my face. (Too lazy to bottle anything.)

* What is it with me, not feeling any sheet masks I try lately? It has been a while since I masked and now I found my stash and started again. Maybe my skin is just having a tantrum phase.

* The mask felt a bit drippy, but in the end didn't make any mess.

* The scent was mild, a bit sweet even, not like tea tree.

* I also bought a couple of other The Saem Natural Mask Sheets, I have Potato and Charcoal as well. Haven't tried them yet.

Price: 

0.63 USD without shipping, with shipping about 1.30 USD

Bought from: 

Roseroseshop

Buy again? 

No.

Worth the money? 

Probably aimed at people with really oily skin who still want to mask without overbearing moisture bomb. Also if you have big pores, maybe with good luck it smoothes them like it did to my nose. The mask does deliver some of what it promises, sebum control, but nothing else. Anyway, all that being said, it was uncomfortable mask with little benefits for me and again I could've bought something else instead!

Ceralan Cleansing Oil Pesuöljy 200 g Review

Ingredients:

Caprylic/capric, triglyceride, aqua, isopropyl palmitate, diethylhexyl sodium, sulfosuccinate, disodium laureth, sulfosuccinate, cocamidopropyl betaine, glycerin, ceramide np, ceramide ap, ceramide eop, phytosphingosine, cholesterol, sodium lauroyl lactylate, carbomer, xanthan gum, sodium chloride, propylene,glycol, phenoxyethanol.

I try to mark the sunscreen ingredients in red and other possible irritants in lilac. Ingredients thought to be good and useful for skin I mark green.  Learning as I go, google is my friend etc...

Thoughts:

- A bit boring for me because there is no scent, I actually like (floral) fragrance in my shower products and the tube is not pretty




+ I haven't been a big fan of super cream like washing products for my body, usually I go for a gel or foam. But Ceralan's Cleansing Oil is so soft, so creamy but not thick at all and kind of melts on the skin with a little foaming - so pleasant, so surprised! Honestly afterwards I just stared at the tube thinking "how can this feel so nice?"

+ For me, not drying at all and I felt very clean and comfortable afterwards

+ No scent for those who are sensitive

+ Has ceramides and cholesterol

* Now I'm going to share something that is not really mine - Ceralan Cleansing Oil / Pesuöljy. I bought for my man because he currently has an eczema flare up all over his body (he looks like a leopard almost) and at the pharmacy they recommended this cleansing oil cream. He has liked the cleansing oil, but I don't think he really cares what he uses, as long as it doesn't make the spots worse.

* I rarely feel that my body is dry so can't really comment how drying or moisturizing a shower product is. Or if I do comment, take it with a grain of salt.

Price: 

About 10 € / 200 g

About 16 € / 400 g

Bought from: 

Local pharmacy

Buy again? 

I think so yes, but I would go for the bigger 400 ml pump bottle this time. 

Worth the money? 

It doesn't look luxurious at all and is hidden in the pharmacy shelves, but it does feel luxurious. I see why Ceralan is so popular. It does exactly what it promises, I think it's worth the money.

Etude House Air Therapy Camellia Sheet Mask Review

Ingredients:

Water, Glycereth-26, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Xylitol, Alcohol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Carbomer, Arginine, Hydrolyzed Jojoba Esters, Coptis Japonica Root Extract, Sucrose Palmitate, Dipropylene Glycol, Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Coptis Chinensis Root Extract, Zingiber Officinale (Ginger) Root Extract, Xanthan Gum, Ethylhexylglycerin, Adenosine, Sodium Hyaluronate, Disodium EDTA, Citrus Limon (Lemon) Fruit Extract, Camellia Japonica Seed Oil (100 ppm), Citrus Nobilis (Mandarin Orange) Oil, Zingiber Officinale (Ginger) Root Oil, Pinus Palustris Oil, Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Oil, Eucalyptus Globulus Leaf Oil.

I try to mark the sunscreen ingredients in red and other possible irritants in lilac. Ingredients thought to be good and useful for skin I mark green.  Learning as I go, google is my friend etc...

Thoughts:

- Dries quite fast on face, it's not a long pampering session mask (recommended time to keep it on is 10-20 min). I was lost in my thoughts and had it on for 35 min, and it was already dry at that point, especially in the middle

- Smells weird, almost like it has gone bad, I feel like I can smell the alcohol, I hesitated putting the mask on (expiry date 2020)

- The fit of the mask was uncomfortable, it left a big part of my cheeks uncovered (about 5 cm on both sides), was too long on my forehead, I had to make several folds on cheeks, and mouth and eye holes were so tiny!

- My cheeks were still red after removing the mask, not a negative really considering my face is red usually - but after using Tosowoong masks my redness has usually reduced




+ After a couple of hours and next morning, my face looked brighter and comfortable, a bit strange it didn't right away after removing the mask like usually

+ The mask was full of essence when I took it out of the pouch, and still it wasn't dripping or messy, the essence was quite thick, like jelly

+ Stayed well on my face, I was able to clean the house while waiting

+ Didn't leave face sticky, all the essence absorbed easily

+ My face did feel hydrated afterwards, but not very plump

+ The material of the mask felt nice, it was was more thin woven fabric like compared to the ones I've used before.

* Etude House has many different Air Therapy masks and I bought a few different kinds to test, Calendula, Collagen and Camellia. I have no idea how I made my choice, maybe I wanted only C-letter masks!

* Not much extra essence left in the pouch after using the mask, for me it's okay as I generally can't find much use for it other than rub it on my body. I did buy those sheet mask tablets but I don't remember where I put them.

* It's actually kind of funny how the mask is called camellia mask, when there is only 100 ppm of camellia japonica seed oil. 100 ppm is only 0,01%!

Price: 

0,68 USD without shipping, with about (I ordered a bunch of masks at the same time) 1,40 USD

Bought from: 

Roseroseshop

Buy again? 

No.

Worth the money? 

I do have to say using the mask wasn't that pleasant and the end result wasn't very visible. It wasn't expensive mask, it's a daily kind of mask, so I did get one use out of it and it was ok. For some reason I expected something more nourishing. It wasn't worth the money in that sense that I could've bought something else instead!

Korres Wild Rose Advanced Repair Sleeping Facial 16 ml Review

Ingredients:

Aqua/Water/Eau, Glycerin, Glyceryl Stearate Citrate, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Alcohol Denat, Triheptanoin, Behenyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Isodecyl Neopentanoate, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Beeswax (Cera Alba), Lecithin, Imperata Cylindrica Root Extract, Acacia Decurrens/Jojoba/Sunflower Seed Wax/ Polyglyceryl-3 Esters, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone, Ascorbyl Tetraisopalmitate, Benzyl Alcohol, Benzyl Benzoate, Benzyl Salicylate, Butylphenyl Methylpropional, Caprylyl Glycol, Carbomer, Cetearyl Alcohol, Citronellol, Distarch Phosphate, Eugenol, Galactoarabinan, Geraniol, Glycine Soja (Soybean) Oil, Glycine Soja (Soybean) Sterols, Hexyl Cinnamal, Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Hydroxyisohexyl 3-Cyclohexene Carboxaldehyde, Parfum (Fragrance), Phenoxyethanol, Rosa Canina Fruit Extract, Rosa Canina Fruit Oil, Rosa Rubiginosa Seed Oil, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract, Sodium Gluceptate, Sodium Hydroxide, Tetrahydrodiferuloylmethane, Tocopheryl Acetate,Xanthan Gum.

I try to mark the sunscreen ingredients in red and other possible irritants in lilac. Ingredients thought to be good and useful for skin I mark green.  Learning as I go, google is my friend etc...

Thoughts:

- Korres Wild Rose Sleeping Facial doesn't feel hydrating or moisturizing, strangely. So maybe it's meant to be more like a repairing occlusive, but...

- ... where I apply it, skin actually feels in a couple of minutes more dry and tight! The feeling dissipates after some hours. I always apply it on top of my serums and moisturizer, so it absolutely feels like it's sucking the moisture out of the skin.

- Not a product for people with asthma or other scent sensitivities, now this fragrance is strong and lingers almost the whole night. Even my man noted "you smell".

- First time I used it, I immediately developed some red blotches on my other cheek. However can't say they were related to this cream as that didn't happen again, they weren't itchy and were gone next morning.

- Didn't notice brighter skin by morning. But I use many things with active ingredients.




+ The cream feels luxurious, very smooth, almost buttery, just melts on your face. Very much A+ for this!

+ The fragrance grew on me despite being off putting at first. So in the end I quite liked it. I guess it's trying to smell like roses (?) but I don't even know, it's strange deep floral, stuffy, chemical, musky.

+ Doesn't leave the typical sleeping mask stickiness or film on face. You can apply it a couple of minutes before going to bed.

+ Skin feels soft in the morning, but nothing unusual.

* Korres Wild Rose Sleeping facial is a bit weird product. It boasts a lot of things (evens skintone, repairs fine lines, heals, softens, moisturizes...) but doesn't really deliver. I'm not sure if it does anything. So I feel like I am somewhat stupid, have I missed something? Maybe that's why it has been discontinued with this name at least. Is Wild Rose Brightening & First Wrinkles Advanced Repair Sleeping Facial the new name? The ingredients are almost the same, except for example rose canina fruit oil has been moved up. Maybe the new formula is better!

* I am going to use the sleeping facial sample to the end, as it seems like it's not making my skin worse and not breaking me out much, maybe a bit on my forehead at least. It has a lot of fungal acne triggers.

* Would be interesting to try something else from Korres. I often hear the name. But maybe I should just get sample sizes if possible and stay with shower products to be safe. Also their tube designs for facial masks (Damask Rose, Goji Berry...) are very cute!

Price: 

About 35 € / 40 ml

Bought from: 

Got in Lookfantastic Advent Calendar

Buy again? 

No. 

Worth the money? 

I don't think it is for me. Maybe I just don't belong in the target group. I'm not sure what the target group is though. Oily skin that is not sensitive? If I didn't know the price of the product, I would've guessed something like 10-15 € / 40 ml. But if you want brighter skin, maybe go for vitamin c products, for example The Ordinary's Ethylated Ascorbic Acid (30 ml/18 €) that I love, or maybe for pure cold pressed rose hip seed oil (The Ordinary 30 ml/9,80 €) that is both moisturizing and brightening for me, and way more effective than Korres Wild Rose Advanced Sleeping Facial. 

ModelCo Instant Brows Brow Pencil Light/Medium 0,3 g Review

Ingredients:

Microcrystalline Wax, Ozokerite Wax, Isopropyl Palmitate, Castor Oil, Mica, Cetyl Alcohol, BHT, Propylparaben. MAY CONTAIN: Titanium Dioxide (CI77891), Iron Oxides (CI77491, CI77492, CI77499).

I try to mark the sunscreen ingredients in red and other possible irritants in lilac. Ingredients thought to be good and useful for skin I mark green.  Learning as I go, google is my friend etc...

Thoughts:

- 3 months use time after opening? That's ridiculously short. That being said, it's been open now for a year and it hasn't dried.

- I think the tip of the pencil could be smaller, sharper

- I didn't fall in love with this pencil? Is the color, the formula or just my laziness?




+ Very creamy and smooth to apply, no tugging.

+ Versatile shade, not too dark or light. Blends in quite well.

+ Sturdy enough packaging, easy to handle, doesn't feel cheap. For some reason thought the pencil was more expensive than what it actually is.

* I'm lazy when it comes to my eyebrows. I barely have energy to pluck them. And it irritates my skin a lot too. I found a mini eyebrow razor that was like 1 €, it's surprisingly easy to use. I think I'll get another (better) razor.

* I think this is my second eyebrow pencil, ever. So I'm not really sure what I'm looking for in one. I have naturally a bit bushy eyebrows, but they have started to thin. They are also quite ashy compared to my natural hair, that is also ashy/light brown/golden highlights. Should I try to match my eyebrows or try to get something lighter, darker, more warm?

Price: 

Around 10-15 € / 0,3 g

Bought from: 

Got in Lookfantastic Advent Calendar

Buy again? 

No.

Worth the money? 

Honestly can't tell because I have no experience with eyebrow products. Model Co's brow pencil are not exactly expensive but for me, I think I would rather bye cheap ones (under 5 €) for practising and testing different colors and formulas. So I'm happy I got this in the calendar, but I wouldn't have bought it myself.

Schwarzkopf Gliss Hair Repair Ultimate Oil Elixir Balsam Spray 200 ml Review

Ingredients:

Aqua, Cyclomethicone, Phenyli Trimethicone, Argania Spinosal Kernel Oil, Hydrolyzed Keratin, Cocodimonium Hydroxypropyl Hydrolyzed Keratin, Panthenol, Dimethiconol, Cetyl PEG/PPG-10/1 Dimethicone, Lactic Acid, Polyquaternium-16, Parfum, Cetrimoniuml Chloride, Sodium Benzoate, Hexyl Cinnamal, Linalool, Limonene, Phenoxyethanol, Potassium Sorbate, CI 15985, CI 47005.

I try to mark the sunscreen ingredients in red and other possible irritants in lilac. Ingredients thought to be good and useful for skin I mark green.  Learning as I go, google is my friend etc...

Thoughts:

- As an overall product Schwarzkopf's Gliss Hair Spray works well on all fronts so I don't have complaints, really. It's not a heavy treatment, not even a proper oil treatment - but it's almost exactly what it promises to be. It doesn't repair hair in any way however, it just helped me to be able to comb and manage it.




+ I think the best point of Gliss Hair Sprays was the quality for the price! 200 ml for 2,5 €, yes please!

+ Not heavy, excellent for getting some shine and being able to comb dry distressed hair

+ I was able to use it every day and it didn't flatten my hair, or make it oily

+ Didn't make a mess or color walls, floors... but it did make floor slippery after a while where I sprayed

* Actually I thought this balsam hair spray had already been discontinued because the stores near me stopped carrying it for a while. Or that's what I think because I searched for it several times and couldn't find it, then bought some other pink colored (?) Gliss Spray but didn't like it that much. Then I decided to cut my hair and be done with all the extra care anyway. Still I think only some stores carry this spray.

* I haven't used extra balsam sprays for two years, maybe? At the time I had butt length bleached hair and I had to figure out ways to be able to comb it but not make it too heavy.

* Can't remember the scent anymore, but it did have some. Actually it could've been quite strong?

Price: 

2,50 € / 200 ml

Bought from: 

Supermarkets

Buy again? 

I did buy several bottles. Now, probably not (at least in near future). Now I think I'm going to find some salt spray for texture because my hair is only neck length.

Worth the money? 

Definitely! I went through one bottle in about 3 months I think and I did go through several Gliss Hair Sprays during that time of long hair (before and after bleaching). It wasn't perfect but something made me come back to it even though I tried other hair sprays as well.

The Ordinary Azelaic Acid Suspension 10% 30 ml Review

Ingredients:

Aqua (Water), Isodecyl Neopentanoate, Dimethicone, Azelaic Acid, Dimethicone/Bis-Isobutyl PPG-20 Crosspolymer, Dimethyl Isosorbide, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Polysilicone-11, Isohexadecane, Tocopherol, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Isoceteth-20, Polysorbate 60, Triethanolamine, Ethoxydiglycol, Phenoxyethanol, Chlorphenesin.

I try to mark the sunscreen ingredients in red and other possible irritants in lilac. Ingredients thought to be good and useful for skin I mark green.  Learning as I go, google is my friend etc...

Thoughts:

- Strangely, I believe TO's Azelaic Acid broke me out!

- In a couple of weeks didn't notice reduced redness or brightness or smoothness - probably a product that you have to use for a long time to notice changes

- A bit weird to use because it's so silicony... do I use it first next to skin, or last? You would think acids are more effective closer to skin but if applied first, other products won't absorb?




+ Soft, emollient, easy to spread evenly

+ Azelaic acid is said to be good for rosacea and redness, not so harsh acid

+ Very slight scent, barely noticeable

+ Affordable

+ Not as drying on my skin as some other acids (but I feel it was still a bit drying)

+ Works as a primer as well, nice finish

* I tried to use TO's Azelaic Acid a couple of times (different occassions) for some weeks, but I felt it was probably breaking me out. Could've been something else of course but in the end I decided to give this one away and try it or some other azelaic acid product again in the future. I thought azelaic acid could've been a heaven sent for my red skin! Perhaps it was my skin's other problem at the time, perhaps it's TO's formula.

* Garden of Wisdom has 10% Azelaic Acid Serum, without silicones. I'll go for that one at some point. Unless I manage to pick up Skinoren while travelling.

* Anyway, this is not really a review, just noting that I impatiently tried the product at a wrong time perhaps and gave up too soon. (It's been a while.) I do not know if silicones are problematic for my skin, I think they are a bit pore clogging but I can't remember that they would've been a disaster to my skin ever. Isodecyl Neopentanoate is both in TO's MAP and AA, I think both products broke me out? Does the type of the silicone matter much?

Price: 

7,20 € / 30 ml

Bought from: 

The Ordinary webstore

Buy again? 

No? 

Worth the money? 

Very affordable for an azelaic acid product! There aren't many options honestly unless you get a prescription for Skinoren or buy more expensive pharmacy cosmetic products. I think the tube would last for a while despite being 30 ml because the cream is very soft and even a small amount is easy to spread evenly.

Tea Tree Oil Review

Ingredients:

Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Oil.

I try to mark the sunscreen ingredients in red and other possible irritants in lilac. Ingredients thought to be good and useful for skin I mark green.  Learning as I go, google is my friend etc...

Thoughts:

- If you slather pure tea tree oil on a clean skin, it burns. Literally. Just do not do that. If you must dab the oil on your skin, do it as a last thing after all the other stuff so that there's some barrier at least.

- Be careful how you dilute the tea tree oil and how you apply it. Stay away from eyes and other sensitive areas, also broken skin. It burns.

- Tea tree oil has a very distinctive smell and it's not all that pleasant. It lingers, a lot.

- Tea tree oil can be drying.

- Some people are allergic to it or otherwise sensitive. Even a small amount is enough to cause a reaction.

- It is very annoying extra work to keep diluting the oil.




+ The bottle lasts for a very long time because you need so little. It's best to buy only the small bottles.

+ Tea tree oil seems to be very stable even though it's said that opened one should be replaced every 6 months.

+ Absorbs quickly, very light on skin.

+ Anti bacterial, anti fungal. Effective for many types of acne.

+ Works fast, results within days, usually overnight.

+ Personally, tea tree oil has never felt too drying on me. Many other treatments have felt worse actually.

* Tea tree oil, our lord and savior, how is it possible I haven't written a huge fan letter to it yet? When nothing else seems to work, tea tree is the hero. Ok, maybe not for everyone as it can be very sensitizing and drying. I do like tea tree and find it effective. Maybe I really have had fungal acne on top of bacterial for a while, if for years tea tree oil has felt like only solution when I get flare ups.

* I have been using tea tree oil diluted with squalane for a long while, before discovering squalane I used whatever, a toner, a cream... But I am a bad girl and sometimes I do dab pure tea tree oil on my pimples when I have tried everything and they persist for weeks. Must admit it has worked great and I've had no reactions. However diluting with a carrier oil is the best way to go I've noticed. Usually I do 4-5 drops of squalane with a drop or two with tea tree oil. I don't actually know if it is too much. 

* I've noticed that products not containing very much tea tree oil or containing the tea tree extract, are also showing positive results in an upkeep of skin, but when the acne strikes, I must hit it with the real deal. I did like LJH's Tea Tree Essence actually. Too bad it got reformulated. I actually would like to find a nice hydrating tea tree toner without alcohol.

* I don't use tea tree oil daily or even weekly, only as needed. Sometimes it's needed twice a day for a week, sometimes only once here and there.

* I have The Body Shop's Tea Tree Oil bottles as well, but I wouldn't recommend them really (got them as gifts). The solutions are already diluted, but the dilution is with water and alcohol mostly. They do work, but at the same time are not as effective as pure tea tree oil with squalane and they do dry out my skin quite badly.

Price: 

Varies. For example 7 € / 10 ml, 18 € / 30 ml at a local pharmacy

Bought from: 

Several places, natural food/health stores, pharmacies...

Buy again? 

Yes.

Worth the money? 

I definitely think so, the oil lasts a long time because you need so little. Tea tree oil also battles many different kinds of acne, bacterial and fungal. If you know how to use tea tree oil and you're not reacting to it, it's amazing value. Not the most pleasant to use though. For more sensitive skin I think a tea tree extract, that is not so concentrated, probably works as well. Just make sure to avoid the dilutions with alcohol, they are the worst for me.

Skin Watchers Pore Control Toner 150 ml Review

Ingredients:

Water, Dipropylene Glycol, Glycosyl Trehalose, Hydrogenated Starch Hydrolysate, Glycerin, 1,2-Hexanediol, Polyglutamic Acid, Panthenol, Allantoin, Niacinamide, Orostachys Japonica Extract, Portulaca Oleracea Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Lactobacillus/Punica Granatum Fruit Ferment Extract, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Zanthoxylum Piperitum Fruit Extract, Pulsatilla Koreana Extract, Usnea Barbata (Lichen) Extract.

I try to mark the sunscreen ingredients in red and other possible irritants in lilac. Ingredients thought to be good and useful for skin I mark green.  Learning as I go, google is my friend etc...

Thoughts:

- Broke me out sadly. Tried several times to use it. In the end moved to using the toner on my back, but it almost looked like it was breaking out my back too!

- Also, felt drying on my skin despite it including hydrating ingredients.

- Not sure if the toner did anything to my pores but I wasn't able to use it for extended time.




+ I think Pore Control Toner actually made my skin a bit brighter. So I could see that it could help with pores too.

+ Absorbs quickly.

+ No scent.

+ Well-sealed bottle.

+ Bottle has a nice design, easy to pour a right amount out because the mouth is so small.

+ Clear expiration date.

* Despite all the good ingredients Skin Watcher's Pore Control Toner seems to have, I just didn't get along with it. I bought my mom at the same time Skin Watcher's Ceramizing Essence Toner as it was mentioned many times as a good option for a dry skin back in the day. Eh, my mom said Ceramizing Toner was breaking her out and too heavy, and for me Pore Control Toner broke me out and felt drying.

* I don't know if the breaking out business was purging, but it felt unlikely at the moment. I used acids already. But still, it's been a while and I can't remember the details clearly.

* I am bummed the toner didn't work for me or I wasn't using it correctly. I have no recollection what else I used at the same time. But it is a good lesson, do not hoard everything and make notes for later!

* I still have some of the toner left, I am wiping my legs and backs of arms with it... feels refreshing and no break outs. Maybe I should just throw the rest out. I actually have somewhere Skin Watcher's Pore Control Essence, got it for a couple of dollars, wonder if it has expired too.

Price: 

Maybe 15-20 USD?

Bought from: 

Can't remember, Jolse? Ebay? 

Buy again? 

No.

Worth the money? 

It's a difficult question as I didn't get much chance to use the toner properly. For me it was a waste of money in that sense, but I could see the brightening effect so the toner must work for someone. Probably someone with truly very oily skin could benefit as the toner felt so drying even on my T-zone.

The Body Shop Spa Of The World Balkan Juniper Body Wash 250 ml Review

Ingredients:

Aqua/Water/Eau, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Glycerin, Cocamodopropyl Betaine, Sodium Cocoamphocetate, Parfum/Fragrance, Polysorbate 20, Mel/Honey/Miel, PEG-7 Glyceryl Cocoate, Sodium Chloride, PEG-120 Methyl Glucose Dioleate, Phenoxyethanol, Citric Acid, Benzyl Alcohol, Trisodium Sulfosuccinate, Caffeine, Juniperus Communis Fruit Oil, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Geraniol, Limonene, Phosphoric Acid, Citronellol, Hydroxycitronellal.

I try to mark the sunscreen ingredients in red and other possible irritants in lilac. Ingredients thought to be good and useful for skin I mark green.  Learning as I go, google is my friend etc...

Thoughts:

- I love forest/pine fragrances, but this Juniper Body wash just smells a bit too pungent without any warmness to it. Yes juniper smells a bit weird but it doesn't smell like juniper properly, it goes into random masculine scent territory

- Still, I don't like the cap of the bottle, difficult to open in the shower



+ Even though the smell is not what I imagined, it is refreshing and not bad, it doesn't linger even for a second though

+ Foams better than other shower gels from TBS I've tried, feels more cleansing, I like it

+ Like always, I think the bottle design and shape is very cute

* I actually am weirdly disappointed in this shower gel, not because it would bad, it's just not what I imagined probably? And I guess there's a learning curve too, now I know I am so basic that I enjoy the fruity floral fragrances the most.

Price: 

9,90 € / 250 ml, I think I paid 7-8 €

Bought from: 

The Body Shop website

Buy again? 

No.

Worth the money? 

I don't specifically regret buying it, but I would have survived without as well. I really wanted it to be perfect juniper or forest fragrance. So in that sense it wasn't worth my money or time.

My Skin and Fungal Acne Thoughts

I feel a little bit apprehensive writing about fungal acne or malassezia (pityrosporum) folliculitis because it seems to be treated as a trend and I'm no way sure I have it. However it has been interesting to find different causes for different types of acne and for me, some fungal acne treatments have been useful.

My skin doesn't seem to respond very well to ferments, especially saccharomyces could be a big trigger. I had developed during one night a lot of small bumps after using a product including it, and it took forever to clear (I didn't know about fungal acne back then). My skin doesn't seem to like being bombarded with products, sometimes I really feel that trying to keep it slightly dry helps with acne. Also, my acne is not cystic or huge pimples anymore. Now that I think about it, it's possible I've had fungal acne (in bursts) ever since I was a teenager. I got once a topical cream from my doctor for my forehead and back, but stopped applying it soon because it didn't seem to help my acne at all.

For a couple times now my forehead has had bursts of acne, that come out of nowhere. It starts on my scalp, on the hairline, and from there develops down to my forehead and also deeper to my scalp. Yes, it is ever so slightly itchy but I wouldn't say I went crazy scratching it. Especially because scratching made it worse, more like red splotches and they would hurt. The pimples were small, some of them had whitehead, some of them more like closed comedones. They would eventually spread but the worst places were my forehead, hairline, my eyebrows, between eyebrows and my moustache area (however that is called). Anyway, near the hairy parts of my face, my cheeks were clear.

Nothing seemed to help and it looked quite bad only after about 3 weeks. So. I decided to treat it as a fungal acne and started doing Head&Shoulders shampoo masks daily. (The old H&S, it has been reformulated without zinc pyrithione now). And in about 3 days, I think 70 % of the acne was gone. This was somewhere last year I think. 

This year the same repeated, and I tried the reformulated H&S. This time it took a week or a week and half for 70 % of the acne to disappear, I don't know if related to the formula change or not, maybe it was not fungal this time at all. I'm still using H&S to wash my hair and I leave it on my scalp for about 5 minutes before washing off. I must say my forehead is looking quite nice at the moment, only about 5-7 bumps, all close or in my hairline. 

I am not using a fungal acne safe routine, I don't think. Still these bursts of hairline acne are quite mysterious! Something is triggering them but I don't know what exactly, this year it started when I got sick. Be it fungal or not, I'm trying to do some upkeep now and either regularly mask both my face and scalp with antifungal shampoo (I bought 20 mg Nizoral shampoo for this, it's actually kinda expensive) or use antifungal cream. Also I'll keep checking ingredients more for the possible fungal feeding ones. I will also check out other shampoos meant for dandruff because they usually have antifungal ingredients and I want to see which ones are the best value for the performance.

My advice for anyone doubting about fungal acne is go ahead and treat it as such! I felt like an idiot for doing it for some reason. Yes, the shampoos do dry out the skin a bit and I was afraid of using almost all products, but squalane was a great friend. I would do the shampoo mask by applying a bit of shampoo on a dry skin only on areas with acne, wait about 10 minutes and wash off. When the acne started to disappear within days, I would mask less and shorter times to let my skin heal from the dryness.

Clinique High Impact Mascara 3,5 ml Review

Ingredients:

Water\Aqua\Eau , Copernicia Cerifera (Carnauba) Wax\Cera Carnauba\Cire De Carnauba , Stearic Acid , Glyceryl Stearate , Polyisobutene , Silica , Acrylates Copolymer , Aminomethyl Propanediol , Vp/Eicosene Copolymer , Sodium Hyaluronate , Lauroyl Lysine , Pantethine , Melanin , Panthenol , Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein , Ethylhexylglycerin , Hydroxyethylcellulose , Calcium Aluminum Borosilicate , Pvp , Acacia Senegal Gum , Isostearic Acid , Simethicone , Dimethicone Peg-8 Polyacrylate , Urea , Glycerin , Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate , Sodium Lauryl Sulfate , Peg-8 Dimethicone , Disodium Edta , Chlorphenesin , Sodium Dehydroacetate , Phenoxyethanol , [+/- Iron Oxides (Ci 77491, Ci 77492, Ci 77499) , Yellow 5 Lake (Ci 19140) , Chromium Oxide Greens (Ci 77288) , Mica , Titanium Dioxide (Ci 77891) , Ferric Ferrocyanide (Ci 77510) , Chromium Hydroxide Green (Ci 77289) , Carmine (Ci 75470) , Bismuth Oxychloride (Ci 77163) , Aluminum Powder (Ci 77000) , Bronze Powder (Ci 77400) , Blue 1 Lake (Ci 42090) , Ultramarines (Ci 77007)]

I try to mark the sunscreen ingredients in red and other possible irritants in lilac. Ingredients thought to be good and useful for skin I mark green.  Learning as I go, google is my friend etc...

Thoughts:

- The mascara lasts barely a couple of hours without smudging, it's almost hilarious because it's the worst mascara I've ever had in that sense!

- The brush is quite big and a bit clumsy, I have to concentrate on putting it on, especially the lashes on the eye corners are difficult to get

- I think you can layer the mascara for a party look as well, but it's no use because the more you put on, the more it will smudge... and you need several more layers compared to my other mascaras.




+ Doesn't irritate my eyes at all, very gentle to apply as well, doesn't pull my lashes

+ Easy to wash off and doesn't leave any residue, doesn't need oils or double cleansing

+ I feel like I'm not losing any eyelashes (some mascaras make me feel so, probably been too harsh trying to wash them off)

+ Easy to achieve a natural everyday look, no clumps, quite well-defined lashes

* Before Clinique's High Impact Mascara I was using Essence's waterproof mascara. Still, I even wrote about Essence that I didn't trust it completely even though it had never made any mess during the day. But now I must admit, Essence is great and I can trust it. However this is not very fair comparison as Clinique's mascara is not promoted as waterproof so they are not even fighting in the same category.

* I have to say I'm surprised how bad the staying power is. Maybe I'm not meant for non-waterproof things, sadly. I want to find a good non- waterproof mascara though. They feel so much more gentle and my eyes are getting more sensitive the older I get.

* I've been using this High Impact Mascara now for about 2-3 months maybe? Which means it's not a disaster and when I don't have to look polished, a little smudging is ok. Plus the mascara was free and I refuse to waste products!

* I have a couple of other samples from Clinique, can't wait to test them more. So far Moisture Surge Hydrating Supercharged Concentrate feels quite nice.

Price: 

About 23 € / 7 ml

About 8,5 € / 3,5 ml

Bought from: 

Got as a gift, free sample

Buy again? 

No.

Worth the money? 

I just have to say no, unless you don't sweat at all and aren't oily and can keep checking how's your mascara every hour. I do love that Clinique's High Impact is a gentle mascara that is easy to wash off in seconds. I recommend trying the sample size one before going for the full size. But in the end I just can't use a mascara that refuses to stay on my lashes.

Gosh Extreme Art Eyeliner 3 ml Review DISCONTINUED

Ingredients:


??

I try to mark the sunscreen ingredients in red and other possible irritants in lilac. Ingredients thought to be good and useful for skin I mark green.  Learning as I go, google is my friend etc...

Thoughts:

- It was a bit difficult to apply sometimes (brush applicator) and could take some time, if you made a mistake it took forever to fix because it's difficult to get it off

- Washing the eyeliner off in the evening was quite a task, only thing that removed it without pain was baby oil

- When I had it on all day, it started to "flake" off and looked a bit dirty compared to products that just "fade" away

- The tube and brush started to feel disgusting after a while, all covered in the liquid




+ Absolutely waterproof and smudge proof, didn't have to worry about eyeliner the whole day, no matter how much I sweat or how oily my eyelids got

+ Color was very pigmented

+ End result looked usually very refined

+ Reasonably easy formula to work with despite me having trouble with the brush, the liquid seemed to set nicely even though I wasn't perfect at applying it

* Gosh Extreme Art Eyeliners were my favorite eyeliners... got them in several colors, black, brown, green, yellow... perfect for creating interesting looks that last the whole day!

* It's been what, 8-10 years I bought and used them?! Time flies. And no, I haven't been using them for years, just found them in my stash. The one I had used the most was the brown one.

* I haven't owned anything else from Gosh, I don't think. It's weird considering I absolutely loved the eyeliners because they were waterproof and smudge proof. I should check out what their product line up is like currently!

Price: 

?? Probably around 10 € / 3 ml, could've been on sale too

Bought from: 

??

Buy again? 

Discontinued.

Worth the money? 

They most definitely were. At least at the time.