Yes To Cucumbers & Blueberries Facial Towelettes Review

 cleansing wipes, facial cleanser, Ulta, wipes  1 Response »
Apr 132012
 

Last week I went to Ulta to use my 20% off coupon and to purchase Revlon Lip Butters which were on sale for 40%.  While in line, I decided to check out the travel size products and I noticed they had  Yes to Cucumbers and Yes to Blueberries Facial Towelettes available.  Since I’m always on the hunt for good wipes, I decided to give them a try.  Yes to Cucumbers wipes were recommended to me a couple of months ago after I reviewed the Noxema wipes and was highly disappointed. I figured if I didn’t like them, at least I didn’t spend a lot of money and I wouldn’t be stuck with a lot of them.

I’m highly impressed with the size of this towelette.

So what are my thoughts?  They are so much better than the Simple Cleansing Facial Wipes, that I tried last week. I like them but I’m not in love with them.   Everything was great about these wipes except for two things:

  1. The Fragrance.  I could tolerate it with the Say Yes to Blueberries wipes, but the fragrance in Say Yes To Cucumber wipes was very strong.  I can smell it through the packaging.
  2. My eyes burned.  When removing my eye makeup, there was some burning after a while.  I’d recommend just placing the wipe on the eye for a while to let the makeup dissolve then very gently wiping it off.  Don’t just rub your eyes with these wipes.

I’d consider repurchasing the Say Yes to Blueberries, if I couldn’t get my Ponds wipes for some reason,  but not the Say Yes to Cucumbers.  I’d still recommend them though if you’re not sensitive to fragrances and don’t have problems with wipes burning your eyes.  The wipes are very sturdy yet soft.  I love the size of them. On both packs, the very first wipe was moist.  I was able to remove my make up with 3 Say Yes To Blueberry Wipes, and 2 Say Yes To Cucumber wipes (for some reason, my eyes burned more with the Cucumber than Blueberry so I had to stop).

Have you tried these wipes before?

My Updated Skin Care Routine

 African Black Soap, charged essence, clarisonic, cleansing wipes, coastal scents, Dr. Denese, eye creams, facial cleanser, M.A.C., moisturizers, My favorites, Oily Skin woes, primers, product review, Purity made simple, skin care, Uncategorized  No Responses »
Feb 062012
 

You know how some people brag about getting ready in the morning within 15min? Well I’m definitely NOT one of those people.  It takes me about 10min just to do my skin care before I even get to my make up. I did a post last year on My Skin Care Routine and why it takes me so long, I’ve changed a couple of things since then, so I thought I share them with you.

  1. Clarisonic
  2. Philosophy Purity
  3. Dr. Pericone Neuropeptide Face Activator this product is really geared towards anti-aging concerns, but I’ve noticed that it has helped my skin to feel smooth.  I use it as a toner.
  4. M.A.C. Lightful Charged Essence
  5. Dr. Denese SPF 30 Defense Eye Cream
  6. Dr. Denese SPF 30 Defense Day Cream
  7. Isomers High Definition Primer

My current system has been working really well.  I’m having fewer break outs and my skin has never been so smooth, even toned, and clear.  I’ve also noticed a reduction in the appearance of my pores.  I’d imagine that my skin would be close to perfect in complexion if I’d actually go through this routine 2x/day everyday.  Realistically, this isn’t the case.  At night, I’m usually too tired to go through all of this so I’ll just use my Ponds Wet Cleansing Towelettes and call it a night. LOL! :-)

I know that my Clarisonic is the biggest reason that my skin is clearer.  It will enhance any product I use with it.  But I’ve truly seen a difference in combining it with my Purity Cleanser.  Even more so than when I use it with my favorite Coastal Scents African Black Soap.  The only drawback is that Purity doesn’t help my oily problem as much as the African Black Soap did. :-(

What’s your daily skin care routine?  How long does it take you to prep your skin?

My Top 5 October Favorite Cosmetic Products!

 cleansing wipes, Compact powder, Cover Girl, Ebony Bronze, M.A.C. prep and prime powder, MAC, My favorites, Nars, Nars Taj Mahal Blush, Ponds, Queen Collection, Vanilla Pigment  2 Responses »
Nov 062011
 

Here is a list of my favorite cosmetic products from last month.

Retails for $23.  For more info go here.
  1. M.A.C. Prep and Prime Transparent Finishing Powder/Pressed.  So glad that the best powder that works to absorb my oiliness is in a convenient compact.  Now I have to admit, it DOES NOT work as well as the original version.  There’s just something about having a loose powder that really does work better than compact powders for controlling oil.  The M.A.C. Prep and Prime Compact Powder does work better than all of my other compacts including M.A.C. Blot Powder.  I believe having corn starch is what sets these two powders a part from all of the rest.
It retails anywhere from $3.99-$7.00 depending on the retailer.
For more info, go here

I’ve talked a bout these Ponds wipes a few times before.  What can I say except that I truly love them and I shouldn’t have stopped using them in the first place.  I started back using them more frequently after I ran out of the Oil Of Olay wipes (which I would not recommend because they were too dry and they burned my eyes a  bit).  These wipes are consistently moist from the time you open the package until the very last one.  They totally remove all of my make up and leave my face feeling fresh.  There is a fragrance but it’s very soft and doesn’t bother me.  I really love the size and the texture.  They are thorough enough to where I don’t have to use 5 to get my face clean. That’s a relief.

3.

1.5oz retails $34 and 4oz retails for $75
Dr. Denese Defense Day Cream. This is the most amazing moisturizer I’ve ever found for my oily skin.  Trust me, that’s not an easy thing for me to say, as I have tried soooo many and never truly been completely satisfied.  I will do a more detailed review of this product later, but the I’m extremely pleased that it has an SPF 30 and it leaves a matte finish.
This product retails for only $3. You can get it cheaper with all of the different discounts Elf provides.  Sign up for their emails and you’ll know when they offer the best deals.

4.  Elf Lips Stain has really been helpful and proven to reassure me that you don’t have to spend a lot of money on products in order for them to be good quality.  I talk a lot at my job and normal lip products tend to fade away throughout the day.  These lip stains have really held up well.  I would compare them to M.A.C. Prolongwear Lipcolour but they are significantly cheaper as Prolongwear lipcolors retail at $22.  I’ve noticed that the Elf Lip Stains don’t make my lips feel as dry.

5.

Retails at $27
Nars Taj Mahal Blush is just…fantastic! I think I used this blush almost everyday in October.  My favorite combo is using this on my cheeks, Cover Girl Queen Collection Ebony Bronze Bronzing Powder as my contour, and M.A.C. Vanilla Pigment as my highlighter.  It’s the perfect color on my skin.  It gives just enough orange without being too orange.  It also brings out a pretty golden glow to my skin. I now know why so many women rant and rave about it.  The fact that you only need to gently swipe your brush across this blush is even better.  It’s full of pigment so it will last a very long time. :-)
What were your favorite products from last month?
*All of the pictures above were taken from the companies’ websites*

Purity Made Simple Cleansing Wipes

 cleansing wipes, Philosophy, Purity made simple, Purity wipes  5 Responses »
Aug 072011
 

I love cleansing wipes.  I’m adamant about cleaning my face before I go to sleep at night but I don’t always want to go through my entire skin regime.  This is why wipes are so helpful and wonderful.  I’ve tried quite a few different brands.  I’ve mentioned before that out of all of them my favorite are by Ponds.  They’re fantastic for the quality and price, which is usually around $4-6 depending on the retailer.

I bought the Purity Cleansing Wipes by Philosophy last Saturday with my Ulta Haul.  I had been wanting these wipes for about a year but never broke down to purchase them.  Since I had my 20% off coupon, I decided to go ahead and get them.  Here are my thoughts about them.

They work pretty well.  I think I have to use 2-3 to get the make-up off of my face.  I need 4-5 total if I use them to take off my eye make-up as well.  They’re not as moist as I would like them to be.  It could be because I’m still at the beginning of the pack.  Maybe as I get closer to the end, they’ll be more moist.  This is how my MAC and Neutrogena wipes are. What stands out to me the most about these wipes?  Well beside the expensive $20 price for only 45, the fact that they burn my lips and eyes sucks.  On my eyes, I can get most of my make-up off with these but I have to stop because of the burning.  On my lips, OMG! It’s bad.  It’s not just a mild tingling or cooling effect, these wipes really burn my lips and later they feel numb.  I’ve never experienced this with any cleanser or wipes before.  I don’t have sensitive skin.  I’ve never been a person to easily break out from using products so I’m not sure what’s going on with these wipes burning me.  
On a good note, I’ve noticed that my skin looks and feels smoother. Weird huh?  I guess it has similar ingredients as the liquid soap.  I used to love Purity Made Simple soap.  I used it for a couple of years before I worked at Clinique and began using the 3-step system.  I intended on buying the travel size purity bottle at Ulta that retails for $10, but they were out. :-(  That’s when I decided to go ahead and get the wipes.  Another downside to these wipes is the fragrance.  I did an entire post about me not liking fragrances in my skin care products.  The scent seems to be stronger in the wipes than what I remember from the liquid soap.  It has been some years since I’ve used the soap and I recognize that this was before I became super sensitive to smells in cosmetics.  
I’ve heard great reviews about Alcone wipes.  I’ll have to try those next.  Have any of you tried these wipes?  I’d love to hear your feedback.  I’d also like to know which wipes are your favorite.  I’m always looking for new ones to try.  Thanks in advance! :-)