REVIEWS: Sephora Skincare Haul

If you have been treated by a doctor for eczema before, you may be told that you can use your cream/gel/ointment consistenly for 2 weeks max.  The odd thing is, that may apply to your regular facial lotion too.  

I've noticed that for creams or lotions, is that when it works, it seems most effective on the first two days I use it.  For the following 2 weeks, it is still moderately effective.  Afterwards, the effectiveness goes down.  Because of this, I am always on the hunt for new lotions or creams to try out.

Back in May 2011, I took advantage of Sephora's 20% off entire purchase, made my purchase.  I tried out several serums and creams for 2 months and I can now give feedback on my experience! :) 

 

Jurlique Calendula Cream

Description from Sephora: 
A gentle cream that calms and soothes sensitive skin prone to redness.
This natural, non-greasy cream provides hydration and instant relief to irritated red skin. Rich in calendula and witch hazel, this product provides anti-inflammatory properties to soothe skin immediately while preventing future flare-ups.

My take:

Sounds so good doesn't it?  So good, this is the first thing I grabbed when I opened my box.   The Calendula cream came in a metal-ish tube, I had to pierce the opening with the outside of the cap.  The cream was fairly thick and was slightly yellow, no strong scent.  I gave the produce several tries, when my skin ranged from normal to moderate eczema.  Unfortunately this stung my face.  I didn't feel soothed, rather, it felt heavy, like it just sat on top of my skin.  I was disappointied, I really wanted to like this cream.

Rating:  5/10

 

Clinique Comfort On Call Allergy Tested Relief Cream

Description from Sephora: 
A soothing moisturizer that calms dry, sensitive, and reactive skin.
In a world of irritants, this soothing balm-like formula provides comfort to your skin. It blends the best ingredients from nature and science to restore your skin's natural barriers while providing relief from reactivity to environmental irritants, wind, and extreme cold.
Ideal for dry, cracked, easily irritated skin, and those bothered by wind and extreme cold. Tested by a leading dermatologist who specializes in skin allergies on dry, sensitive, and reactive skins.

My take:  Finally!  A cream that works!  The cream is very similar to butter, its thick and slightly yellow.  It didn't sting my face and several hours after application, I felt a light protective moisure.  Two days later, my skin became calm.  It's a huge jar, I've used up 1/3 after 2 months.  At $40 per 50ml jar, this will last me a total of 6 months.  

Based on experience, sensitive creams often do not provide enough lasting moisture.  The Clinique Comfort on Call is no exceptions.  that is where the serums come in...

Rating:  7/10

 

Clinique Moisture Surge Extended Thirst Relief

Description from Sephora: 
A refreshing cream-gel that instantly replenishes skin with 24 hours of soothing hydration.
This light, comfortable cream-gel is a "drink" for skin, continuously plumping it with hydration. Fine lines, flakiness, and tightness are washed away. Skin looks and feels happier and healthier—even through shifts in humidity.

My take:

Once I started to read the ingredients on the box I didn't bother opening.  It's got Birch Bark Extract.  My recent allergy tests say I am do no fare well with Birch trees.  Though they are not exactly the same thing, it is likely to have the same effect.  I was not wiling to take the chance.

Doh!  Why didn't I bother to check the ingredients before adding it to my cart?

Rating:  n/a

 

Murad Hydro-Dynamic™Ultimate Moisture
Description from Sephora:
A rich, skin-quenching formula that provides instant and lasting hydration to restore youthful resilience and tone.
This powerful hydrator is clinically demonstrated to lock in optimal moisture levels for up to eight hours and is gentle enough for sensitive skin.

My take:

My fault again for not checking the ingredients first, I've recently became allergic to Oats and this has

 Avena Sativa (Oat) Kernel Extract.  Would've loved for this to work!

Rating:  n/a

Skyn Iceland Antioxidant Calming Serum

Description from Sephora:
A soothing, lightweight serum that helps promote healing, reduce redness, and minimize the signs of aging.
Accelerated aging and increased sensitivity can be the warning signs of chronically stressed skin. With powerful moisturizers and active extracts, Skyn Iceland Antioxidant Calming Serum helps diminish the signs of aging while reducing redness, dehydration, and irritation in the skin.

My take:

I had a very immediate action, it stung like a motha!  I waited again when I knew my skin was doing well, and it still stung.  The ingredients passed my ridiculous allergy list so I was surprised.  Again, too bad, I was looking forward to getting irritation diminished. :P

Rating:  3/10

HydraQuench Intensive Serum Bi-Phase

Description from Sephora:
An intensive serum for dehydrated skin.
This bi-phase serum, with its imperceptible, comfortable texture, restores a youthful vitality to the most dehydrated complexions, even in extreme climates.

My take:

I picked this up because of the keywords, "serum for dehydrated skin".  Ingredients list checked, no problems.  There are two very different liquids in the bottle, you can clearly see the line where the liquids are separated, like oil and water.  As directed, I shook the bottle well before using.  The first time I tried this, it was in the evening before going to bed.  The next day I noticed my skin was much more hydrated than the night before.  My skin was smoother.  Although the ingredients do not list it, this product smells like it has some perfume.  So although I my skin was more hydrated, the redness did not diminish.  I plan to use this on my lower skin sensitivity days.

Rating:  6/10

Kate Somerville Quench Hydrating Face Serum

Description from Sephora:
A moisture-locking treatment that delivers a luminous glow.
Kate Somerville Quench Hydrating Face Serum is a red-carpet favorite and an essential step towards Kate's signature radiance. Ideal for normal-to-dry skin types, this wondrously effective treatment moisturizes skin and protects against photoaging, regenerating tissue to promote firmness and elasticity. Skin is left looking youthful, healthy, and fresh.

My take:

Honestly I had doubts with this product.  However, it was one of the few hydrating-type serums that Sephora sold.  The packaging was nice, it had an clear window indicator on the side that shows how much product is left.  This serum is clear and the texture is just slightly heavier than some of the silicone based make-up primers I've used.  I didn't believe anything silicon could do much to moisturizing my face.  The surprising part was, even when my skin was mildly sensitive, this did not sting.  Though it didn't moisturize as well as the Clarins HydraQuench Serum, it definitely helped to keep the moisture locked in longer when used before the Clinique Comfort on Call.  Was happy with this purchase!

Rating:  8/10

BoBoDave Beauty Haul

Hello, thank you for reading my first post! Please excuse the picture quality, it will be better!
I'll jump right into the purchases I made from BoBoDave.com.

Beauty Haul

I've been eyeing the Jill Stuart eyeshadow for the longest time, and I've finally made the purchase. I'm a bit of a sucker for packaging and Jill Stuart has one of the most beautiful that I've ever seen. Here's a photo of my complete haul.

CLOCKWISE: Jill Stuart Eyeshadow, Jill Start Fragrance, CanMake Perfect Brown Eyes Eyeshadow, Kao NEKURIZUMU Vapor Relax Hot Eye Mask (Large box with masked lady), ESPRIQUE Precious Extra Moist Retouch, ESPRIQUE Dramatical Veil Pact UV, sample of RMK Creamy Foundation color 103 (Small yellow pack), sample of MISSHA Super Aqua Hydrating Emulsion (Small bottle with blue cap), sample of Missha Super Aqua Ultra Waterfull Cream (Small Pack with pic of jar).

Kao NEKURIZUMU Vapor Relax Hot Eye Mask, contains 5 lavender scented eye masks. I tried this last night before going to bed. When I first opened the packet, the smell of lavender was strong. After placing the mask on my eyes, I stopped noticing the scent. The mask gradually became warm, it was never too hot. After a few minutes, I felt condensation beginning to form, this was a good thing, my eyes lids have been dry and this should add moisture. As directed, I took the mask after 10 minutes and fell asleep. -.- zZzz
Rating: 6/10

Scroll down for more detailed pictures of my haul.

Jill Stuart Jewel Crystal Eyes in Eternal Platinum, ESPRIQUE Dramatical Veil Pact UV (Extra Moist) in OC410, Jill Stuart Fragrance 4ml travel size

Jill Stuart Jewel Crystal Eyes in Eternal Platinum. I couldn’t help but squeal a little when I opened this.

The small tray area where the applicator sits is clear! I’ve seen many pictures of this palette, and didn’t realize until this was in my hands. Let me introduce you to uhm, well I’ll just call her Kabuki Hello Kitty. I found her in a Korean gift store in LA. Kabuki Hello Kitty is a keychain, with the chain attached to the top of her head. Scroll down for a full pic of her. :)

Jill Stuart Fragrance 4ml travel size.
Product Description: Top notes are green apple, pear, black currant, lemon and water lilies. The heart includes a bouquet of peony, Bulgarian rose, lily of the valley, jasmine, magnolia and orange blossom. The base contains notes of musk, sandalwood, cedar, vanilla and amber.
My take: smells like many of the other fruity/floral perfumes you find at Macy’s or Sephora. Also, was disappointed it did not look like the picture on the site I purchased from, it didn’t have the silver embellishments circling the bottle. :( I was actually more impressed by the silver on the box it came in.

ESPRIQUE Dramatical Veil Pact UV (Extra Moist) in OC410. The case is soo pretty!

This pressed powder was first released for F/W 2010. When I ordered, I was afraid that since it’s an Asian brand, the colors going to be lighter than American brands. I think I did an okay job in picking OC410. I picked the color purely on the color swatches I saw on the site. It was definitely a lot darker in person than what I see on screen. Anyways, I gave it a try and it was a tad light, so now I’m curious how the OC415 looks. It covered my large pores well, I was impressed! I plan to find my MAC NC color when I get the chance, to give you a good reference. Will review this product in a later post.

ESPRIQUE Precious Extra Moist Retouch.
An essence you use to pat over dry patches of makeup. I couldn’t find much info in English. I've tried this on several on occasions, when my skin is okay to great, when I've got liquid, cream or powdered foundation. It has a thicker than normal gel-like consistency and was slighly opaque. Once applied, I had to be careful to blend out the area of the dry patch. This was okay for me.
Rating: 6/10

Canmake Perfect Brown Eyes in 01 Deep Brown. Product
Description: Effects of the cream eye base containing beauty essence ingredients. Carefully designed brown powder. A moist powder with an excellent coloring ability that has been calculated to go with the base cream
First Impressions: I didn’t found out until after my purchase, bloggers seem to think the quality is not worth the price, its not pigmented enough. I have yet to try this.

On the plus side, its got a small horizontal mirror on top, great for on the go. I hope you can tell from this pic but the bottom left color, the pan with the rounded corners, is the base cream. That is the full view of Kabuki Hello Kitty!

Bottom view of the palette. Shows you what to apply the shadows with and where to apply. Notice the cream base should be applied with a finger. :)

Another plus, instead of double end sponge tip applicators, one end is a flat rounded brush! For me this is a big plus because I like to apply the darkest shadow right at and above my lashline.

More Samples:

IPSA Metabolizer Moist White 2
Description: Prevents the occurrence of spots and freckles by inhibiting the melanin production and fills the stratum corneum with dewy moisture. Maintain the well-balanced proportion of moisture and oil. Mild and moist texture leaves skin non-sticky and silky smooth.

IPSA The Time Reset Essense W
Description: A medicated brightening essence that creates bright, translucent skin rich in moisture. Creates an artificial skin barrier on the skin surface to prevent moisture evaporation and increase moisture deep inside the skin. [Contains Double Barrier Actor II, an ingredient for preventing rough skin.]Also controls melanin production to prevent the development of dark spots and freckles for translucent skin with moisture. [Contains m-Tranexamic acid, a medicated brightening ingredient.]

UNO Fiber Neo Acrobat Wire
Description: UNO Fiber Neo Acrobat Wire Wax gives you strong hold, soft and flexible texture best used to style short to medium hair.

Shopping on bobodave.com

My first reaction to this site was, “WTH is bobodave? That’s a wierd name…” Bobo makes me think clowns (yuck and creepy), or the name Chinese people give their dogs (I know two Chinese families who named their dogs Bobo). Upon reading the Chinese characters on the site, its a direct sound tranlsation of 寶寶地. I can’t tell you what it means, but it has something to do with nurturing one’s beauty. Hope that makes more sense. :)

As I explored the site, I was excited about all the products they sell, especially all the Jill Stuart items they have. At some point, I realized the website will not tell you how much shipping to the States is. They won’t tell you until *after* you have paid. It’s all so questionable and inconvenient!

I found that some other US based bloggers have made purchases without problems, so I took the plunge and made my own purchase.

I ordered, paid via paypal, and received a confirmation email. After two days of not hearing from them on shipping fees, I emailed them. Turns out an item was sold out. They gave me options, so I asked them to use the refund for shipping. The package was received 9 days later. Though I asked several times, I was never told how much shipping was. The sold out product was $15, and I didn’t see a refund in my PayPal account, so I can assume shipping was $15.

I'm not sure if I'll order from them again, perhaps only if they sell an item that no other place does.
Rating of bobodave: 7/10