So today I am home sick and feeling like a bunch of crap. What better time to blog right?
Cosmetic
Today I will be reviewing a couple of items I bought about 2 weeks ago.
First up, Benefit b.right! Radiant Skincare Intro Kit
This kit consists of introductory sized products and consisted of the 3 following products:
Refined Finish Facial Polish, Total Moisture Facial Cream and Triple Performance Facial Emulsion with SPF 15 PA++
The facial polish was the one that I was most interested in. Unlike TLC, I love me a scrub. When I saw the ingredients I was a bit turned off by the use of exfoliating beads. I have a deep hatred for them. For me, I find that they do not scrub hard enough to make my skin feel exfoliated and they do not dissolve in water so I get these weird rubbery beads along my hairline that look like dandruff.
However, as the SA put some on the back of my hand, I realized I had been wrong to so quickly judge this scrub. It felt scrubby! Very much so that I was tempted to get a full size.
When I got this home and tried it out, the scrubbing beads did not disappoint. Another major plus is that once I rinsed my face clean, my face felt clean. No residue like what I would normally find with other scrubs. Just clean brighter skin.
My one con for this is that in order to lock in that softness you do have to act quick with the moisturizer. Other than that this scrub is pretty awesome.
The total moisture facial cream is a dense moisturizing cream that goes on surprisingly light and doesn't feel heavy. However, after I put in on my boyfriend did ask me why my face was so greasy. It kept my face moisturized and didn't cause me to break out. Once I washed my face I felt residual softness from the cream. If you have normal skin with no major skin concerns this would be a great cream.
The triple performance facial emulsion with SPF 15 PA++ is super light and absorbs quickly into the skin. The added SPF is a definite plus for times you want to just moisturize and head out the door without fussing or wearing an additional spf. The PA++ is suppose to be the highest quality spf that is used (or so the SA tells me). I found this lotion to be a very suitable daytime moisturizer and it didn't make me break out either so I was very pleased.
All in all this is a great kit. I wish they would have included a cleanser in lieu of one of the moisturizers but I found the kit to be great nonetheless.
Now, in terms of rankings (from 1 to 5).....
Value : 5 - This is a great way to introduce yourself to Benefit's new skincare line. The price for the kit is $12 and you get enough product to try it out for at least a week, depending on how product stingy you are. This gives you time to see if the products will work for you and if you will have any adverse reactions.
Ease of Use : 5 - Very easy to use, out of the container and onto your face.
Quality : 5 - I found the products to be effective in what they were meant to do and they also smelled great which was a plus. Usually fragranced skincare irritates my skin, but not in this case. Plus the lotions are housed in glass containers which give such an elegant touch.
Repurchase : 4 - As far as the kit goes, I'm glad I bought it. I also would not hesitate to buy it for someone else who I knew was looking for a new skincare line. But the purpose of this kit is to introduce you to the line, and it worked. If I do purchase these products again it will be at full size.
Overall : 4.8 - The fact that my skin did not react badly is a major plus. The kit is set at a great price and allows you to try the product line without commitment. I would probably be convinced to buy the entire line, but my major skin issues aren't really addressed with this line. If I had the same skin I did back in college I think I would be all over this line.
Second beauty enhancing item..... Silk Cocoons!
Seems a bit creepy huh? But lo and behold, on my latest trip to Daiso I found these. Now I'm not 100% sure if they were $1.50 or $2.00 but they weren't expensive at all.
Now I don't know how these were processed, so I can't tell you if the silk moths were allowed to eat through the cocoon if they were boiled alive ( I know, the silk industry is just cruel). You start off by soaking a cocoon in hot water for a few minutes to soften it up. The cocoons have one end sliced off at an angle where you place your finger in. You then rub the cocoon allover your wet face paying special attention to clogged pore areas (i.e. sides of the nose). Once you are done rubbing, you rinse your face with water and apply a moisturizer afterwards to help seal in the softness.
The package says it's best to do this when you take a bath or shower since the skin is softer. It also warns against rubbing too hard. Each cocoon can be used 3 to 5 times which makes it fairly economical if you consider that the average person exfoliates about a couple times a week.
The cocoon does help to smooth out the skin and I find that right after I rinse my skin I must put on moisturizer or else my skin will start to feel tight. The silk will unravel a bit and you will have to pull the loose fibers out to maintain a smooth exfoliating surface but it's no big deal.
And while I don't find that this give a deep pore cleaning, this is a great overall exfoliator to get rid of skin cell build up or flakiness. However, I don't know how different this would be from using a washcloth.
Rankings:
Value : 4 - I don't know how the market is for silk cocoons, but given that these come up to about $2 a pack and they are indeed real silk, I have to say for me that they are worth it.
Ease of Use : 4 - Although needing to soak the cocoons is a bit troublesome, one you have that out of the way all you do is rub. Pretty easy, but I wish there was a diagram of some sort to tell you where to rub to increase circulation or reduce wrinkles. But then again, they are from Daiso so I should just be happy the instructions were in English.
Quality : 4 - Again, I'm not an expert on silk cocoons for use as scrubbing tools and I have no other experiences to compare to. But, the fact that they did not fully unravel after the first use makes the quality for me above average. I have used one 3 times already and have noticed that it is still good to use. Another plus is that these are natural silk cocoons so the likelihood of skin reactions to fragrance or chemicals isn't so much a factor. Granted if you are allergic to silk or silk worms then maybe you shouldn't use this.
Repurchase : 5 - This is an item that I will repurchase for myself as long as I can get it. It's so simple yet so effective for giving me a good clean scrub that I don't think I would want to be without it. Plus you really can't beat the price.
Overall : 4.3 - This product works and it's natural. However, with my lack of knowledge I prefer to be more conservative with my review. If you're looking for a portable exfoliator that only uses water and have the time to spend scrubbing away with your finger then you will like this. If you lack the time though, I don't see why you couldn't just use a washcloth for similar results. I just happen to hate using washcloths for some unknown reason.
Confection
Nanao Golusia Vanilla Wafer Cookies
I found these at my local Japanese Supermarket and before I knew it I had amost finished the entire box.
Granted there are only 8 cookies in the box but that's still a box of cookies.
The wafer has a texture similar to that of an ice cream cone but it's crunchier and the flavor is slightly eggy (at least to me). It is filled with a vanilla cream with a texture that is between whipped cream and meringue. And it looks like shaving cream.......
These are perfect for when you want a small treat but don't want the usual chocolate or candy.
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