February 2012 Favorites

This February I discovered a couple amazing new (to me) products, and fell in love again with some classics:

1. Lush The Sacred Truth Fresh Face Mask - I have used this before and it's definitely my favorite mask from Lush. Although I can't vouch for its anti-aging benefits, this leaves my skin super soft, moisturized and smooth, not tight and dry. 

2. Gud by Burts Bees Hand Cream in Floral Cherrynova - I love how fast absorbing this cream is, yet it still manages to infuse a solid amount of moisture in my skin. When I use this at night I wake up with super soft hands. I love floral scents and this smells soooo fresh and floral, but there are other scents available too. My full review of this line is here. 

3. Sue Devitt Gel-to-Powder Blush in Marion Reef - This blush is AMAZING! It has a velvet feel to it and it applies like a gel/cream but sets on the face as a powder. It feels so silky and lasts ALL day on me. I normally layer powder blushes on top of cream blushes but I don't have to with this because it is so pigmented and long lasting. I will do a full review soon. 

 

4. Nars Sheer Glow Foundation - This is such a popular product in the blogosphere so I just had to try it for myself. My verdict? It does live up to the hype! Nars has done a great job with the shade selection and the formula sets beautifully. Although it is called sheer glow, it has medium coverage and a natural finish. I will do an in-depth review of this product too, but so far I am loving it.

5. Kirkland Makeup Wipes - I have re-discovered my love for makeup wipes and these are by far my favorite. I love the thick texture, the moistness of each towelette, the fact that one towelette removes ALL my makeup (including mascara and gel eyeliner) and the price! Check out my full review here. 

Hope you all had a great February! I am glad it's over because that means we are one month closer to spring and warm weather! Oh, and in other news, the Too Faced Vintage Sale started today so check out the Too Faced Website for some great deals on soon-to-be-discontinuted products and sets.

Is a $35 Face Mask Really Better Than a $2 Face Mask?

Remember how the Boscia Luminizing Black Mask was all the rage last year? I actually bought it, used it once, and then it sat in my medicine cabinet. Since I finished up my Aura Science mask, I brought it out of hiding in order to do a little review and comparison for you.



This is a peel of face mask that is supposed to draw out dirt, oil, and other impurities and also brighten the skin. It would make for a great Halloween mask because it really is black and ugly:



I decided to compare this to the Bath and Body Works (B&BW) Fresh and Flawless Face Mask with Purifying Clay.



Many moons ago B&BW had a skin care line and they had really nice clay face masks so I was hoping this would be similar. This is also on clearance right now because it was part of the summer collection...one more incentive to try it out. This is a non-peel off mask that requires washing with water.



So what were my thoughts?

Boscia

• $34 for 2.8 oz


• Have to use a really thick layer in order for it to peel off (6-10 uses per tube depending on how thick you apply it)


• REALLY HARD to peel off, ends up leaving lots of black spots you have to scrub using water


• No noticeable difference in skin texture or luminosity


• Since product has to be layered thickly, it takes a lot more than 20 minutes to dry

Bath and Body Works

• $1.75 for 2 oz (it is actually $7 but on clearance right now for 75% off)


• A thin layer is effective...will last MANY more than 10 uses


• Very creamy in consistency....feels great on the skin


• Smells delicious


• Doesn't make skin feel stiff, while mask is on and after mask is washed off


• Dries in about 10-15 minutes


• Easy to wash off


• Leaves skin super smooth, soft, and hydrated

Overall, I prefer the B&BW mask 100%! I really like the fragrance (even the hubby came close to me and said it smelled good, and that RARELY happens), it made my skin super soft, and most importantly it was easy to wash off. The Boscia mask was a nightmare to remove. No matter how thick it was, there were some areas that just wouldn't peel off. After peeling as much as I could, I had at least 7-8 black splotches on my face that I had to scrub harshly using water. That just made the whole experience extremely frustrating and irritated my skin. Any relaxation that I got from having the mask on was immediately gone because I had to spend a good 15 minutes getting all the black crap off. Now I remember why the Boscia mask was hidden away for the past few months.

Finished!

As mentioned previously, I am on a kick to finish up my half-used products, and I was successful at finishing 3 things last month:

1. Aura Science Phase One Withdraw Mask - This is a clay mask I picked up a few years ago from Victoria's Secret. I heard that they only sell the Aura Science line in a few states in the US. Personally, I have not seen it in California or Pennsylvania in recent years. I kind of wish they would bring it back because I really liked this mask. A thin layer all over my face and neck really helped shrink my pores and tighten my skin. It was non-drying, but the pore-shrinking effect made me believe it did deep clean all the gunk in my pores. This mask also left my skin super-smooth and soft. Oh well, I will have to find another one....any recommendations?



2. Fresh Soy Face Serum - I had heard great things about the Fresh Soy line, so when I needed a new face serum, I decided to see if it was worth the buzz. OMG, this product smells like rotten cucumbers! I can't believe I actually used up this whole bottle. Really speaking, I would have returned it but I couldn't find the receipt, and couldn't bear throwing it out, so I just used it in the morning when I knew I would be wearing makeup after my skin care so the smell would get covered up. Aside from the smell, I don't think this serum did anything great for my skin. It didn't reduce the size of my pores, and I didn't notice any brightening effects. I don't think it hydrated my skin very much, and I definitely didn't notice any anti-aging effects. My skin was softer with this serum, but that is about it. I highly recommend that you stay away from this product and the whole Soy line.

3. MAC Select SPF Moistureblend Foundation - This is another product that is now discontinued. This foundation was replaced by the Mineralize Foundation SPF 15 that comes in a compact. I really liked the Moistureblend formula so I had a couple back-ups and the one I just used up was the last of my stock. I used it sparingly, mostly when traveling, but I loved it because it was so easy to use and blended in with my skin flawlessly. It looked like I wasn't wearing makeup at all, and it was very hydrating. I guess now I will have to venture out and try the newer Mineralize version.

Have you used any of these products? Have you finished anything recently?