april empties & a hit pan!

hi guys! it's the end of the month, and it's time for another empties!!! w00t! actually, the weather this weekend's not so nice, so we'll be inside cooking up a storm..?! hashtag mealprep?? teh paul's starting his internship on monday, so we've been experimenting with ideas for our work lunches. hope your april was great! it's gonna be may =P, and summer's around the corner! ~Lin-chan ^.~

1. maybelline fit me matte+poreless in 120
2. simple micellar water wipes
3. rimmel london stay matte in translucent
4. clinique ddm gel
5. tree hut sugar scrub in almond & honey
6. neutrogena anti-residue shampoo
7. tony moly tea tree face mask
8. tony moly bubble mask -- this was an interesting experience. it was actually only the bottom half of the face and it began bubbling as soon as i opened the package. at first, it was a bit difficult to remove from the package, then i struggled to figure out how to open the mask itself to put it on---all the while it's getting slippery and foamy... then after 5 minutes, it was super foamy. i took it off after 10 minutes, after a sad attempt to rub in the foaminess on my whole face and shifting the mask to the point where it just needed to come off. even after i took it off, it was still foaming up, which was kind of neat. as far as how my face felt afterward, it was interesting, but i'm not sure that it really did anything.... so i think i'll pass on this one.
   repurchase? nah
9. tony moly strawberry nose pack -- this was very interesting. i can't decide if i liked this more than the holika holika one though. the first part had a slight warming and tingling sensation. the second was like your normal nose strip, and the third, cooling, part smelled like strawberries and felt pretty nice. overall, i think it was effective, but as said before, my nose doesn't get that bad.
   repurchase? maybe
10. dermactin-ts pore refining sheet mask -- this was an ok mask. i'm not really sure that it did much though. the sheet itself was pretty thick and fairly well saturated, but it had a lot off difficulty adhering to the face well around the edges and hairline, if i moved my face, it would fall.
    repurchase? no
11. caolion hot & cool pore pack duo sample -- this was also interesting to try. the blackhead pack was a black, thick scrub kind of, that you massaged on for about a minute, then left it to sit. by the end of the 10 minutes, it was really warm. kind of reminiscent of the biore self-heating mask. after rinsing, my nose looked a bit clearer. then i used the cooling pack, and that was kind of weird. there was a very familiar menthol-y minty type scent. it definitely felt very cooling while wearing. i feel like the experience was more interesting than the actual results. don't get me wrong, i do think it worked and helped, but i'm not sure if i'd buy this product.
    repurchase? undecided
12. dove dry oil moisture body wash -- while this felt great, i'm not so sure i liked the scent. in the bottle it was great, but using it..it was ok. i do like the dove body washes because they feel super moisturising, but i'll pass on this one.
    repurchase? nah
13. curel itch defense body wash -- i feel like this was a pretty good body wash. like i said before, my skin's generally not dry or itchy so i can't attest to that part. i will say that this was unscented if people have sensitivities to fragrance or skin irritants.
    repurchase? maybe
14. nyc metro girl tea tree & lavender face mask -- this was a great face mask! it was powder that you add to water. the only thing that sucked about this was that i went ahead and dumped the entire 1oz that was in the package into a bowl and added a little water. i mixed it and started applying it, and realized i could have gotten two uses out of this package..which kind of sucks because i couldn't save it since it had clay and would have hardened up by the time i'd try using it again............ anyway, my face felt super amazing afterward, and i wasn't actually expecting much beforehand either. and i don't like the smell of lavender, but i didn't really notice it too much.
    repurchase? yes! but it's not currently on the site..
15. tree hut sugar scrub in marula & jasmine -- this one smelled really nice! you guys know i'm not a huge floral fan, but jasmine is something i'm ok with. i really enjoyed using this one, but pending on sales or time of need, i might not repurchase this one since it's only available at ulta (as far as i know).
    repurchase? maybe
16. caress body wash in love forever -- so let's first start with the 12 hour fragrance claim. i'm not on that side. i did not notice any difference throughout the day when using this. so i think it's gimmicy. on the other side, the fragrance. i like this, but it's not my favorite. and third, the formulation -- it's what i love from this brand, no difference from their others that i've tried.
    repurchase? nah
17. caress body wash in adore forever -- i actually really enjoyed this one a lot. again, i think the claim is a bit much, but within the hour or so after showering, it lingers and smells really nice!
    repurchase? maybe
18. alterna caviar repair multivitamin heat protection spray -- while i love their cc hair cream, i'm not as sure about this one. this has a very similar scent to it, but the feel's a bit different. i do think that the heat protectant aspect is true, but you're supposed to use this on wet hair...so maybe it's more for blow drying?? i'm not totally sure. i definitely don't advise using this on dry hair before curling or flat ironing.
    repurchase? nah
19. clear scalp & hair therapy total care conditioner -- this came in a target box? and i'm glad i tried a mini! this conditioner forumation is pretty nice, but it smells chemically and awful. even when i was using this when i was sick and congested...i could still actually smell this. bleh!
    repurchase? no

hit pan

1. ulta eyeshadow in sable

not pictured

1. nyc metro girl inner chi coconut soap -- this was a pretty good soap, but it didn't really lather like i would have liked it to. and the scent was great before i started using it, but when using it doesn't smell like much.
   repurchase? nah
2. pantene beautiful lengths conditioner -- i got this to try, since i loved the hair mask version of this scent..?...formula? anyway, this worked quite well and if i'm buying another conditioner--not at sam's where i usually do--then i might go for this one.
   repurchase? maybe

april hauls, favorites, & an update

hi guys! i didn't do much shopping this month because things got super busy with my work project and i started working like 50+ hour weeks..... and i'm not sure how things'll be in the coming months either since teh paul is starting his internship next week! w00t, more monies! also, i decided to combine my favorites into this post as well..since it's one makeup item and food. lol. along with the not shopping much, i didn't really experiment with much either. ~Lindsay-chan ^.~

haul:
ulta 20% off sale -- tarte maracuja eye cream, tony moly my little pet eye patches, strawberry nose pack, & tea tree mask, freebie bag of goodies

sephora rouge sale: tony moly tea tree masks, boscia charcoal mask, clinique clarifying lotion 3 (one of these looks funny because i poured about half into my pump bottle), freebies: glamglow gravitymud, tarte tartiest mascara, clinique acne + line correcting serum
amazon: lamora beauty flat top kabuki in rose -- because i love the one i got at christmas, and this one is easily distinguishable from my others!

on a whim shopping trip
ulta: formula 10.0.6 clean getaway kit -- i saw this in those new $8 'favorite-esque' kits they had in the store and was only interested in this mud mask..then i saw that this kit was like $10 and it had a few other things from this brand, so why not. get to the register: it's on sale for $8! tony moly my little pet eye patches (bogo half off!!)
walmart: wet 'n wild megalast lipstick in mocha-licious, tone body wash in blissful awakening
target: adult coloring book!!! i decided to get one to try it out...and so i can use these prismacolor pencils that i bought and never used for art school

mocha-licious

favorites:

1. milani liquid eye liquid-like eyeliner pencil in black -- over the course of a few days, i decided to experiment with quite a few black eyeliner pencils on my waterline. and this one...dare i say is better than my beloved rimmel scandalEyes pencil..? it glides on super nicely and stays black all day. on one occasion, i wore it for about 8 hours, went to sleep with my makeup on (oh no!) and it was still near perfect at the 20 hour mark. wut.
2. matcha flavored pejoy -- i've never seen these before. it's like a reverse pocky, where the cream is inside the biscuit part. i'm not sure which i like better!
3. not new favorites:
1. matcha flavored pocky -- green tea all of the things!
2. philippine brand dried mangoes -- super excited that i found these at walmart, of all places. i used to only be able to get this in larger asian groceries (the ones near me are relatively small).

april 2016: sephora play!

hi guys! as i said in my ipsy post, i got this one last week as well, but hadn't had the time to make a post until now! (theme: the it crowd) ~Lin-chan ^.~

rikugien, peony

rikugien

1. milk makeup sunshine oil (.1oz--mini, $38 for .5oz [$7.60]) -- this smells really good! it's got citrus oils among a few other things. i'm not too keen on oil moisturizers, so i'll probably pass this off, and not only that it leaves the skin oily-shiny.
   repurchase? nah
2. sephora collection colorful cheek ink gel in peony (.35oz--mini, ret. $14 for .67oz [$7.31]) -- i appreciate that companies are coming out with gel formulations of 'cream' blushes and highlighters and stuff for summertime and whatnot, but this is very wet and not very pigmented. like it's the same consistency as a gel moisturizer--don't get me wrong, but i don't feel like this combination works all that well because there's not enough pigment and is spreads a little too easily and doesn't dry and stain fast enough.
   repurchase? no
3. nars satin lip pencil in rikugien (0.5oz--mini, ret. $26 for .07oz [$18.57]) -- so last year, i was all excited that this pencil was part of the sephora birthday gift. and that was great and all, but this makes my 3rd of this pencil in one year. i mean, i'm way glad i didn't buy it years ago when i originally wanted to get one..but geez. so this is probably going to get given away since i really can't use 3, much less the one that i started using as it is.
   repurchase? not at this rate
4. sunday riley good genes (.33oz--mini, ret. $105 for 1oz [$34.65]) -- i've heard great things about this brand--maybe this product too, but i can't remember. this product is difficult to give a first impression on since it's basically a treatment that takes time to see a difference. swatching it, it has a super weird smell. like i recognize it from my childhood, like an 80s-90s product of some kind, like stale orange...........yeah that's a terrible description, but that's all i've got for ya. 
   repurchase? probably not
5. clinique pep-start eye cream (.1oz--mini, ret. $26.50 for .5oz [$5.30]) -- the only thing stopping me from trying this when it first came out was because my skin kind of freaked out by one of their other eye creams in the past. and the packaging for this isn't super hygienic since it's a roller ball. this tube is a traditional lip balm style tube with a rounded tip. it dries down pretty fast, but this too leaves the skin a bit shiny where you apply it, so i think i'll go ahead and pass this one along too.
   repurchase? nah
6. derek lam 10 crosby 2AM kiss (sample, ret. $95 for 1.7oz) -- this is a strange one. it smells of food and date night. or something. it's very strange, and i'm not totally sure i can imagine myself wearing this.. 
   repurchase? nah
7. 'coupon' for an extra 50 points on the next in-store purchase

approximate product value: ~$73.50

april 2016 ipsy bag

hi guys! it's been just over a week, since got my april IPSY BAG* (theme: dreamers) ...but i've been really busy this week with work and hadn't had a chance to post about it. sorries! ~Lin-chan ^.~

here's my impressions:

1. buxom wildly whipped lightweight liquid lipstick in centerfold (.08oz--mini, ret. $21 for .16oz [$10.50]) -- this is a really nice shade. it does take a little bit of work to apply and it fades pretty gracefully.
• likelihood to repurchase: probably not, for the sake of my stash
2. nudestix lip + cheek pencil in mystic (.088oz--mini, ret. $24 for .05oz [$42.24]) -- first confusing thing about this, just to get it out of the way---why does this sample contain more product than a full size of this product??????? otherwise, this is a really nice shade for the lips. not so sure how i feel about using it on the cheeks, but yeah.
• likelihood to repurchase: maybe
3. l.a.b.² - live and breathe beauty just blending in brush (full size, ret. $7) -- this is a really fluffy, flexible brush. not stiff enough for my needs in the crease, but definitely feels like it'd be great for blending away any harsh lines.
• likelihood to repurchase: undecided
4. ren evercalm global protection day cream (1.02oz--mini, ret. $45 for 1.7oz [$27]) -- i wonder if this is called evercalm because of the light aromatherapeutic scent it has..and maybe calming properties for the skin..? anyway, i'm interested in giving this a shot, and the scent's light enough that it'd probably wouldn't be noticable after a short while.
• likelihood to repurchase: probably not
5. pur-lisse blue lotus + white tea sheet mask & blue lotus + seaweed sheet mask (2 masks--ret. $36 for 6 [$12]) -- i'm definitely excited to try these out! ya know, try all of the sheet masks!
• likelihood to repurchase: probably not for the price
6. ipsy bag -- i love the watercolor-y wilderness-ness of it!
7. card with company info/discount codes
1. renskincare.com: 20% off purchase, code: ipsy20 (exp. 5/31/16)
2. purlisse.com: 30% off purchase, code: ipsylotus30 (exp. 5/31/16)
3. elizabethmott.com: $10 off $35 purchase, code: ipsy35 (exp. 5/31/16)
4. nthdegreehair.com: 40% off purchase, code: flawless2016 (exp. 5/31/16)
5. trustfundbeauty.com: 35% off purchase, code: ipsy35 (exp. 5/31/16)
6. prettywomannyc.com: all products $5.99, code: ipsy (exp. 5/31/16)
7. citycolorcosmetics.com: 25% off full size highlight trio palette, code: ipsyglow (exp. 5/31/16)
8. tula.com: 30% off purchase + free shipping, code: ipsy30 (exp. 5/31/16)
9. mybodyskincare.com: 20% off purchase + free shipping, code: ipsyglow (exp. 5/31/16)
10. incoco.com: 20% off purchase, code: ipsy20 (exp. 5/31/16)
11. starlooks.com: 15% off purchase, code: ipsy0416 (exp. 4/30/16)
12. tartecosmetics.com: 20% off purchase, code: ipsyapr (exp. 5/10/16)
13. sophinailpolish.com: 40% off purchase, code: ipsy2016 (exp. 5/31/16)
14. luxiebeauty.com: 30% off purchase excludes product collaborations, code: ipsydream (exp. 5/31/16)
15. harveyprince.com: 30% off purchase, code: ipsy (exp. 5/31/16)
16. pro-belle.com: 30% off $20 purchase, code: ipsy30 (exp. 5/31/16)
17. adesseny.com: 20% off purchase + free shipping, code: ipsy20 (exp. 5/31/16)
18. nomadmakeup.com: 20% off purchase + free shipping, code: ipsy20FS (exp. 5/31/16)
19. moroccanoil.com: free moroccanoil tote bag with purchase, code: ipsytote (exp. 5/31/16)
20. novexhaircare.com: 20% off purchase, code: novexdreamer (exp. 5/31/16)
21. skinandcoroma.com: 15% off truffle therapy products, code: truf2ipsy (exp. 5/31/16)
22. briogeohair.com: 20% off purchase, code: ipsy20 (exp. 5/31/16)
23. jellypongpong.com: 20% off purchase, code: ipsy20 (exp. 5/31/16)
24. ofracosmetics.com: 40% off purchase, code: ipsyofra (exp. 5/31/16)
25. dermae.com: 30% off purchase + free shipping, code: ipsy16 (exp. 5/31/16)
26. twistedlily.com: 20% off purchase, code: ipsy20 (exp. 5/31/16)
27. crownbrush.us: 25% off purchase, code: 2016crownipsy25 (exp. 5/31/16)

approximate product value: ~$99

centerfold, mystic

centerfold

mystic

*Affiliate Link.

10 months!

hi guys!! today marks 10 months at my job! super exciting right?! yeah, kind of. so last time i mentioned how a bunch of my friends were leaving me... well yet another friend from my orientation class got a pretty good offer in another state and is moving away pretty soon. so that kind of sucks, no more lunch and walk around town friend... but i'm happy for him since it'll be a great opportunity. and it was going to happen eventually, considering how the retention at our office has been. as well as another orientation friend....who got let go for not showing up...... so our orientation group has now shrunk from 20 to 14. that's kind of sad. also, another friend from college recently quit. she barely made one year, but had enough of how her managers and projects have been. which, good for her considering the crap that she had to deal with, and she's already at a point where she's got her state residency and can affordably go back to school--which she wanted to do anyway.

my project has been slowly chugging along. i've been having 10 hour days for the past month, and then working more when i get home. client dedication or my need for a sense of accomplishment or completion? anyway, they've added a second wave to our project team, so we can get more stuff done, faster--in theory. lol! after wave two got acclimated, they integrated us and split into two teams with two sub-teams. i'm kind of nervous and excited about this, because we'll be more focused on our individual teams from here on out. butttttt confidence and experience are lacking, and i like having a sense of ownership and accomplishment whenever i'm doing something for someone...but if i don't know how to do something, it really sucks and i feel awful.

on the flip side, my project lead has recognized me as a "rising star" in our office for my work ethic in getting things done as well as how i've been recently helping out a lot with the new team members and helping them out on their tasks---which is pretty cool. so i'm like ¼ of my dev lead now, lol, alleviating the long line of teammates hanging around his desk! but it's also been a bit different for me, having to step up to the plate and be the leader of our sub-team. [my dev lead is the lead of the other team in our office]. i'm typically not the leader, but rising to the occasion is something that tends to happen to me, even when i don't intend it or subconsciously do it.

in other news, i was recently informed that i'm supposed to be taking the certification exam for my functional area before the end of may. i'll have to let you guys know how that goes, considering standardized tests are totally my forte! and i've only been working in this area for maybe 4 months now...and am by no means an expert. but i'll try it and hope for the best! anyway, i hope you all are doing well in whatever your endeavors are, and until next time! ~Lin-chan ^.~

march favorites

hi guys! not many things to share this month... but alas, here ya go! ~Lin-chan ^.~
favorites:

1. nyc metro girl unscented makeup brush cleanser -- omg you guys! this is a really nice brush cleanser! only issues with it are that it takes a bit more effort for liquid foundation brushes, and the packaging is a bit small for larger powder brushes, but this works great!
2. ecotools brush cleanser -- this works surprisingly well. i don't like the $8 price tag though. i'm also not a huge fan of the bottle design either, some of the excess when you stop pouring and squeezing drips down the side pretty easily. this worked well with foundation brushes containing liquid as well as brushes containing powder.
3. tony moly my little pet eye patches -- omg can we get stock in these? this was such a great and relaxing product. these are a gel-type eye patch, and came in their own hard case, so they didn't get messed up inside of the package or anything. these felt super relaxing and the under eye area felt much better. can't wait to get more of these!
4. not pictured: nails inc nailkale superfood base coat -- this is actually a pretty good product. it might be a little gimmicky because of the kale trend, but i do think that this says what it does. it's supposed to help with nails that split and stuff, and i feel like after using this alone for a couple weeks, it started working out. the first week or so, i was still getting splits, but now it's not too bad. and it goes on a nice glossy clear, so i sometimes wear 1-2 coats of this alone.

random favorites:

1. tokidoki 2016 calendar, march -- unicorno is like my favorite tokidoki character, and more specifically i love sakura! so it's super exciting that my favorite character is featured on my birthday month!
2. ski queen gjetost cheese -- this is norwegian goat cheese. and this is not a recent favorite--i may have mentioned this on here before. growing up, my norwegian great-aunt would always buy literally brick sized blocks of this stuff from the norwegian church and would give us some. now, the $8 we spend at whole foods on this stuff will add up, so i don't get it very often. but this cheese is my absolute favorite for snacking. usually, i only eat this as is, or on some buttered toast. i'm not going to bother trying to explain the taste of this..because i'm not really sure how to do so..but i'll just say that anyone who we've offered this to (other family or friends) did not like this cheese. so i do not advise you to spend money on this without trying it beforehand, and be sure to use a cheese plane to cut it!

meh's:

1. real techniques brush cleanser -- this stuff sucks and is not advisable. this brush cleaning palette came with two of these packettes and the first one barely got a foundation-filled brush clean. the scent is another thing, while nice, this formula did not work so well.
2. real techniques brush cleaning palette -- this is an interesting one. it's got its pro's and con's relative to the sigma oven mitt, but i think i'd rather keep a hold of this than the spa glove. i like how easily it can hold water or soap inside of it, as well as the different textured sections to agitate your brushes. i don't like that it takes over your entire hand, so you basically have to remove the thing before you can wring out your brushes, because it feels awkward to do so. but otherwise, it works well and i liked using the ecotools cleanser with it.
3. etude house my beauty tool -- first off, the sponge piece kind of weirds me out, and i don't want to use it for acne and bacteria reasons. second, i wish that the bristles and sponge were not interchangeable because water gets caught up in there whenever i go to wash the bristles. now, i wanted this brush as a test to see if i liked this style of brush--since the artis brushes look and sound amazing. and at the end of the day, i really like using this but i do have some issues. the bristles are nice and soft and product glides on the face pretty smoothly. i don't like that i have to consciously not use too much pressure for fear that the neck will snap off the handle. i do like the $14 price tag vs. $50+ for an artis brush. i don't like that it's so tiny--but it does get the job done. overall, i will continue to use this until i accidentally break it or the bristles begin falling out, but i think it was a great trial run before committing to an artis brush.
1. also, if you want a discount toward an artis brush (not sponsored!), my work has a coupon for beautybar.com: $15 off $60 plus free shipping, i believe it is for new customers only (you could still try otherwise), BENEPLACEBB. you're welcome! ^_^

march hauls

hi guys! not too many things to haul this time, considering my birthday was last month and i threw most of the stuff i got into that post..but here's everything else! ~Lindsay-chan ^.~

apple watch -- redeemed this year's healthy living incentive from work! got this for free....ish, i have to pay taxes on it. [not pictured: i also bought skintomi matte skin screen protectors and a clear tpu bumper case for the watch.]

ulta: tony moly mud & bubble sheet masks, panda's dream & my little pet eye patches, birthday freebie: benefit roller lash mascara mini

sephora: clinique great skin, great deal set for combo-oily skin, marc jacobs birthday gift, code freebie: benefit dew the hoola

blacquer, kiss kiss bang bang

ulta: anastasia single shadow in labyrinth, soap & glory sugar crush scrub & smoothie star body buttercream, tree hut sugar scrubs in lychee and plum & marula and jasmine

target: loreal color riche eyeshadow in pain au chocolat
bed bath & beyond: real techniques brush cleaning palette, ecotools brush cleanser
marshalls: holika holika pig nose blackhead kit
sally's: dermectin-tc sheet masks in purifying and pore refining, mystic divine luminous shine hair mask

sephora:500 points: tarte rainforest of the sea set (lights camera lashes, lip splash lipstick in beach bum, deep dive cleansing gel, marine 4-in-1 boosting mist, & water foundation sampler); not pictured: shiseido facial cotton

pain au chocolat, beach bum

beach bum -- sorry for the terrible swatch photos. the formula of this is so amazing that it broke, when swatching it on my arm before i even got to wear it. so i didn't want to bother retrying it.

march empties & hit pans!

hi guys! work project's got me super busy and tired, so i apologize for being a few days late. buuuut onto the empties! ~Lin-chan ^.~

1. simple cleansing wipes
2. sonia kashuk eye makeup remover
3. sephora collection soild brush cleaner
4. bioderma sensibio
5. maybelline fit me matte+poreless foundation in 120
6. maybelline fit me concealer in 10 light
7. belif true cream aqua bomb moisturizer
8. tony moly rice sheet mask
9. tree hut coconut lime sugar scrub
10. wet n wild fergie take on the day eyeshadow primer -- i really liked using this. super inexpensive and lasted me for like a year. very comparable to urban decay or milani.
    repurchase? yes
11. not soap radio the phoenix body lotion -- omg you guys! i loved this lotion. the scent was great and the formulation was perfect for me. it was about the consistency of a bath and body works lotion, but absorbed way faster, and the scent lingered maybe an hour or so once it fully absorbed.
    repurchase? yes
12. sephora collection green tea face mask -- i actually don't really recall how i felt about it since i used it toward the beginning of the month and forgot..... i do remember feeling kinda meh about it after i took it off. like a maybe it did something, but it didn't wow me.
    repurchase? nah
13. sephora collection green tea eye mask -- these have such a bizarre shape. it's like an apostrophe or a comma and it curves around the eye up to the tail of the eyebrow. super strange and not totally as pictured. these did come semi-stuck together, with a plasticy film thing to kind of keep them separated. i don't think that these were super great, like they're supposedly cooling and refreshing, but i noticed neither with the discomfort of the weird shape of them.
    repurchase? no
14. tony moly my little pet eye patches -- this was so soothing and awesome. first off, these aren't loosely attached to a thin piece of plastic, these came in a legit plastic case, inside the foil wrapper. these are gel patches and they felt great! i don't really get dark circles too badly, so i'm not sure how effective they were on that front, but it was a very relaxing 30 minutes that i was wearing these.
    repurchase? yes
15. holika holika pig nose blackhead kit -- this is a very interesting kit. there's three steps, each an individually wrapped nose strip. the first strip is shaped like your typical nose strip, but is a thin sheet-mask cloth saturated in the serum stuff, and you wear it 15-20 minutes. then step 2 is just like your biore nose strip. you wet your nose and stick it on. it's cute and pink on the underside. you wear this for another 10-15 minutes. step 3 is a gel mask, which you wear for 10-15 minutes. so this whole process is like 1 hour long, which is kind of a long time, but whatever. step one was pretty interesting, i'm not sure if this is typical for everyone but it stung/burned for the first half of the time. the second pulled off the usual amount of stuff, and the third was pretty interesting but didn't feel like anything special or super soothing. also, the third step was a little more annoying to open because they put a label on the back for the instructions [in english!] and making it too thick and difficult to tear it open.
    repurchase? undecided since i don't get really bad blackheads
16. dermatin-ts pore refining charcoal sheet mask -- these were $2 for $5 at sally's, so i decided to give them a try. this one was ok. it is in two pieces, the top half of your face and a lower half. and it didn't really stick all that well to my skin or themselves. it wasn't super saturated like the tony moly ones, but it was made of a slightly thicker, sturdier cloth. also, it was black if you're wondering..for the charcoal i guess. anyway, i kept finding myself sticking it back down onto my face every so often because it kept peeling up. and in the end, i'm not totally sure that this one really did anything special. it was interesting too because this one, you don't pat the remaining serum in, you actually wash your face. but whatever. it was interesting to try and i can't wait to use the other one i bought from this brand.
    repurchase? nah
17. dr. jart+ dermaclear micro water -- this was actually a pretty nice product, the only issue is that it's kind of expensive, relative to bioderma which i will more likely continue using.
    repurchase? nah
18. tony moly tea tree sheet mask --this was super relaxing and helped my skin a lot. prior to using it, my skin was irritated with lots of zits..bleh! but afterward, my skin felt a lot less irritated and cleared up after a couple days.
    repurchase? yes
19. nspa coconut body butter -- this came in a walmart box and i actually quite enjoyed it. the scent was nice and it had a nice semi-thick consistency that absorbed very well.
    repurchase? maybe, & try other scents
20. maybelline brow drama brow mascara in deep brown -- i have the same complaint as pretty much everyone else out there. the wand is really stupid shaped. the product itself is fairly good though. so if you wanted to, you could just cut the wand....
    repurchase? no

hit pans

1. makeup geek barcelona beach
2. rimmel london stay matte in transluscent

not pictured

1. pantene smooth & sleek conditioner
2. simple skincare soothing facial toner -- when i first got this, i thought it was kind of meh and eventually i decided to leave it at the in-law's. and i've finally used it up! it's only taken me a couple years..... anyway, i'll probably just buy a bottle of my clinique clarifying lotion 3 to keep at their house.
   repurchase? undecided
3. living proof satin hair serum sample -- omg guys! this was amazing when i went to chicago in january. i think with the dry air..it kept my frizz away. used in humid louisiana..not so much.
   repurchase? maybe if i'm traveling/living somewhere else