Help: Clear Skin Before/After & Review

Hello lovelies!

A few posts ago, I mentioned that I will be reviewing a supplement that helps deal with acne. I was very fortunate to be able to try this product and I have to say that the results have marked milestones for me.

A bit about my skin history: I've been very fortunate not to have any major skin problems growing up but as an adult, I've suffered more adult acne than I ever did as a kid. It is mainly due to hormonal imbalance, stress, body not absorbing certain vitamins, etc.

I started on this supplement called Help: Clear Skin by UK based company Works with Water. They pride themselves on using targeted ingredients that are 100% natural and backed up by science to work in sync with our bodies. In my case, I am using their Clear Skin supplement and it couldn't be any easier!

Each box contains 7 satchets of a powder base that dissolves in any type of liquid (hot, cold, warm) and it dissolves instantly into something clear and tasteless. I have added it to tea, and coffee and in both cases i couldn't tell that there was something added in my drink. 

The key ingredient in Help: Clear Skin is  Praventin - a bioactive protein that is rich is lactoferrin, has been proven to help clear blemishes. How it works is that it inhibits the growth of propionibacterium, which is responsible for our skin's acne and that lessens the number of new blemishes. It also has anti-inflammatory properties that helps blemishes subside for quicker healing. 

I trialed it for 2 weeks while continuing on my regular skin regimen. Here is the before and after:

You could see the difference in day 1 and day 14. My blemishes on day 14 is a lot lighter even though my skin is far from perfect there. The supplement has worked significantly well and the results are realistic and at a good pace. I didn't experience any health declining side effects. 

Overall, I think this is a solid product. It seems it would be really good for anyone that suffers from acne by taking care of it from the inside. Aside from what we put on our faces, this is an easy supplement to have in your drinks as an extra boost of immunity. 

Pros - 

7 individually packed packets in each box

dissolves quickly

tasteless, 

Cons -

The only downside is that this particular brand is only sold in the UK at the moment but they do ship to the US from their website. 

Current Promos

Olympic Countdown to Clear Skin!

Use code: OLYMPIC45  for 45 % off the 28 packs of help: clear skin and help: revitalise

my skin until July 27th

They are also offering a little freebie with every order: a  pocket mirror or an Ion Sport Watch 

Every order over  £45 (USD $ ~70) will be automatically entered into a prize drawing to win a Kindle Fire

Every order over £45 (USD $ ~70) is entitled to free ship

Have you tried the Help: brand? What methods have you gone in trying to rid of acne? 

Review: Paul & Joe Protective Fluid Foundation

I have been wanting to review these all summer! - the Paul & Joe Protective Fluid Foundation(s).

Shades 03, 30

These babies were on my WANT! list for the longest longest time but never got around to getting them because they're quite pricey and hard to get here. But I finally bought it on a whim. Was it worth the hype?

This shade is a light medium that's slightly creamy but still sheer. I still think it's on the drier side even with it being moisturizing. The scent is very pleasant and smells very feminine with a touch of softness. The texture itself is lightweight and incredibly flawless. It felt like I had nothing on my skin!

30 is virtually a tinted moisturizer. It's really runny and very sheer. I like the nozzle a lot and am very partial to the shaker bottle method ^____^  Between the two, I really like this a lot more because it's runnier and better for my dry skin. 

Why the drastic difference between the bottles?

03 (left) is in a frosted glass bottle. It's gorgeous to look at and stands prettily next to any vanity. 

30 (right) is in one of those shaker bottles with a tipped nozzle that is nice for traveling

Overall, while I like these foundations enough, they were not worth the hype for me. The bottles certainly are dainty and elegant to look at but the foundation itself was messy and I didn't like putting so much effort (lazy me, i know!) to get the right amount out and then having to clean the rim of the bottle. The coverage for both of these were also not the best I've tried - too dry, and too sheer. I'd say it'd be a perfect companion for gals that have a nice complexion and needing only to even out their skin tone. 

Anastasia See and Be Seen Kit

Happy Friday!

I wanted to share with you gals a new kit that I've been playing around with. Anastasia has always been known for brow products but their new See and Be Seen is the perfect little kit of summer time essentials. The basics like a duo eye shadow, brow gel, lipgloss and a waterproof top coat for lashes so any of your mascaras could be waterproof. How's that for options? ;)

Anastasia Duo Eyeshadow in On Set

On Set

Gorgeous colors, right? The first one is a nude champagne shade and the second one is more of a shimmery bronze. 

While these two colors are gorgeous swatched, the warmth of the colors clashes with my skin tone. The combination would look better on me as a bronzer than as eye shadow.  

Hydrafull Lip Glosses in Plastic and Heiress

These lip colors are very opaque. The most pigmented lip glosses I have ever tried! Surprisingly not sticky. It felt really nice on my lips. After the gloss goes away, the stain on my lips remained. I really liked that. 

 Plastic is a lilac shade with no shimmers.

Heiress is a rosy pink with no shimmers.

Plastic

Heiress

I really like both colors a lot, but Heiress gives a gorgeous stain that made my lips stay bright for hours!

I'm really amazed at how nicely these glosses held up. I'm not a gloss person at all but these felt really nourishing. The spatula applicator is also really nice because I like how you can layer on the gloss. It might be the Asian in me but I feel like it saves product too! 

Brow Gel in Chestnut

This is actually the first time I've tried brow gel. It's light and the color is also really soft. It's a nice alternative to brow powder.

I think it would work really well in conjunction with brow powder. The brow gel would be perfect as a setting. I also used Lash Genius here as well. It's amazing! I used a really cheap Rimmel mascara and topped it with this waterproof coat. It gave my lashes a satin-y shine that my otherwise dull mascara wouldn't.

Lash Genius

This is the most innovative product in the entire kit. I'm really impressed with what it claims to do. I hate it when I have to use different mascaras for different occasions when I know I'll be sobbing uncontrollably (movies, I tell ya!) and the one mascara you love isn't waterproof. This is quite the genius - turns your favorite mascara waterproof so you don't have to buy so many, thus saving money in the long run ;) LOL

Overall, this kit is really nice with quality basics that you'd expect from Anastasia. The only thing I would recommend is for them to create different shades for different skin tones. 

Would you buy this kit once it hits stores?  

Disclaimer: The Anastasia Seen and Be Seen was sent to me for review purposes. All opinions expressed are of course from yours truly.

Maybelline Master Drama Eyeliner: FOTD and Review!

Hello friends!

Even though I have more or less sworn off using pencil type liners (retractable ones included), I get tempted to try eyeliner after eyeliner, hoping for the one that I could happily use without worrying about it rubbing off my eyes or melting off my face ;) So naturally, when I saw key words like 24 hour wear from Maybelline's Master Drama eyeliner, I was like... whaa? o_o

Shade: Coal Commander

Retractable applicator. It's very faulty though! Once I twisted mine out, you can't twist it back in. I suppose you wouldn't have to if you're only pushing out what you need but for testing purposes, I was disappointed. 

The eyeliner is really creamy, very opaque and intense. The product itself was not long lasting; I mean, the bar was set pretty high at 24 hour wear however it surpasses a work day, at 8 hours. If you look closely enough, there are micro glitters in it as well, which I hadn't expected and I am neither yay or nay as of right now. 

The color is quite dramatic and the texture is so much like a kohl liner. I did the 'invisible eyeliner' trick and lined my upper waterline and used a bit on my eyelid and smudged it out. Before I smudged it, it looked way too dramatic for work! 

I liked the eyeliner and will continue using it for its ease. I wasn't crazy impressed with it but it was better than the ones I've tried in the past (ie Covergirl Perfect Point). It darkened my lash area and gave my upper eye lids some definition. 

Here's the rest of the makeup I used for the day ;)

Dermablend Cover Cream in Rosy Beige as a concealer for my under eyes, blemishes and freckles. I have to do a review on this cream! It's incredible! I have never used anything quite like it. As in never. This cover cream is miraculous in all its pot form. I also Chanel bronzer in Brume D'Or, a coral Shu Umera lipstick, and Maybelline Master Drama eyeliner. 

Not pictured: Maybelline mascara and Anastasia brow powder.

Also, I wanted to share with you gals a top I found while thrifting a few months ago! It was around or under $3.00. I'm in love with the ruffly white flowers.

If I had more time for thrifting I would dedicate hours to it. Unfortunately, it takes a lot of patience and a good eye, which I am not always good at. I have a lot patience but I can't take a piece of fabric and turn it into something amazing. Oh how i wish I were crafty o_o

...More posts to come! And welcome to my new subscribers! *waves* ;)

What is your preference: gel eye liners, pencil or liquid liners? 

FOTD: The No-Nakeup Makeup Look!

Hello dear friends!

I am back and ready to blog again. I've taken a bit of time to attend to life's hectic and unpredictable shenanigans. As it turns out, I was really missing my daily reads!

Today I leave you with a no-fuss 5 minute look I did in the morning. I didn't have much time for anything else other than base makeup so here it is:

What I Used:

. 

For the base, I used MUFE F&B foundation which I am really liking! 

The MAC F&B doesn't even compare to the MUFE one. This one has a nice liquid gel consistency and while it is lightweight, it covers really well and is very natural feeling. I can't really say much else about it other than it being really nice. The glass bottle is also really pretty. I prefer it without the pump because it's so runny I could easy pour a little onto the back on my hand. 

To conceal, I used Benefit's eye contour kit. I really like this palette because it's travel friendly and I've been bringing it everywhere since I've been moving around. The concealer in the palette is their famous Bo-ing one! I'm a fan of that one because it covers really well and has a nice texture.

The eye shadows are really pretty as well but the color payoff is not as good on me. I can barely see the pink and taupe shades but the brown is good. I have used it as an eye liner and that makes a world of a difference especially when you want to give your eyes a bit of dimension.

To finish off my face, I used Maybelline's Dream Matte Powder. This powder is seriously amazing. I used to use MAC's blotting/finishing powder but this does the same thing for mere dollars. I dust it on with a small blush brush on my face and my makeup stays put. I really like powder a lot and it's such an incredible buy. I bought mine at Ulta when they were having a buy 1 get one for 50% off so it was good I picked up two. It should last all summer

For my lips, I used Guerlain's Kiss Kiss gloss in Amethyst Pearl (822). I seriously love this gloss. The purply color is so unexpected but really not all that strange.

 I love the gradient in the gloss - light-reflecting and pearly. The formula is really nourishing and I liked that it felt comfortable on my lips and not sticky or tacky at all.

Overall, my usual look consists of mostly like this. Makeup that enhances your best features is really what I aim for when I wear makeup.

Tell me, what is one item, skincare or makeup (or tool) that you cannot live without on a day-to-day basis?