Skincare Saturday: Makeup Artist's Choice French Green Clay Mask

Clay masks are usually something I view favorably, even if they don't seem to make much of a difference in my skin. Makeup Artist's Choice offers one, and in my last order I decided to order a sample size. In the past, I've always slathered clay masks on really thick, but since the sample jar is super tiny, I decided to try spreading it on thinly––turns out that's just as effective! I got 3 uses out of the 3 gram jar, so the full 1.7 oz size should give about 50 uses.

image via MUAC

Cover FX Clearprep FX Matte Foundation Primer and Anti-Acne Treatment Review

I considered posting this on Skincare Saturday this weekend, but ultimately decided it would be disingenuous to do so, since I don't use it as a skincare product. Which is why this rant ended up happening instead. Whoops? The good news is, while Clearprep FX hasn't done anything for my skin, it has completely knocked my socks off as a primer. I feel stupid typing Clearprep, since it's not a word, lawdy, so I'm just going to refer to it as "the primer". Scratch that: The Primer. There we go.

Image via Sephora

MAC Matchmaster SPF 15 Foundation in 1 Review and Swatches

A few weeks ago I went foundation shopping at Macy's (the only department store with a beauty section in Eugene, we are so deprived) and was matched to and given samples of several brands' foundations. I almost didn't go to the MAC counter, because it was geographically the farthest away and I'd already gone to 4 other counters, but I decided I could take the 10 minutes more of standing. I was hoping to get matched to their standard shade scale, divided into NC (which, ironically, is the warm shades) and NW (the cool shades; I remember these by treating them as "not cool" and "not warm", respectively) and ranging from 5 to 50+, though their main foundation ranges start at 15. Once you know your MAC number, you can usually find your corresponding shade in other foundation lines more easily, so if nothing else, I wanted to walk away with that knowledge. Of course, I ended up deciding that the one foundation that isn't divided in the normal way was the foundation to try, but it's worked so well for me that I can't even care that I still don't know what my MAC number is (though, from what I've seen with this foundation and from input on Temptalia's Foundation Matrix, I'm probably NW10-15). The foundation in question? Matchmaster.

Matchmaster 1

Kryolan Anti-Shine Powder Review and Pictures

Powder mattifying products are my best friend. I've used (and loved) Mattify! ULTRA in the past, but wanted to try something else that would hopefully be cheaper, and after trawling the internet, came upon Kryolan Anti-Shine Powder. Kryolan, stationed in Berlin (Ich bin Berliner!) is a makeup company designed for use in theater and bills itself as being long-wear and heavy-duty. Their Anti-Shine Powder is formulated to survive long shooting sessions while keeping the face shine-free, without adding a white cast. Does it succeed? (Spoiler: I can't actually attest to whether it survives long shooting sessions, since, hello, grad student not model/actor. But I figure my normal-person observations are helpful, too?)

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Meow Cosmetics Premier Puss Primer for Oily Skin Review

More Meow products, whee!  I just love that company.  I ordered several more samples during their anniversary sale (who can argue with 25% off and free shipping?), including this one, since I was running low on my Mattify! ULTRA and figured Meow's would be worth a shot.  It has only three ingredients: kaolin clay (great for absorbing oil), boron nitride (very low-friction and sticks well to skin, giving an airbrushed feel), and silk powder (also oil-absorbent, has some SPF properties, and is good for balancing skin), and, like all Meow products, is very finely milled.  Someday I might want to try formulating my own powder, but for now, the convenience and price of the Meow keep me happy.

It doesn't take much to cover my face with a fluffy brush, and even just wearing the primer powder helps soften my pores and even out my skin.  It's not quite as effective as my Mattify! at controlling oil, but it still lasts a good 6 hours before I get too shiny (an eternity in my world!), and it helps provide a nice surface for my Meow foundation.  In short: another Meow success!  They also make a primer for combination skin that has mica instead of kaolin, so if you have combo skin, it might be worth a try.
$1.00 for sample baggie, $14.25 for 4 g, available from Meow

Have you tried Meow's primer powders?  What did you think?

Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder Review and Pictures

While I love my BB cream, I unfortunately do need to blot/powder after a few hours to keep it looking fresh.  This meant I had to search for a good mattifying compact that I can port around with me for those times when I'm out for longer than a couple hours.  I wanted something cheap and well-liked, so after extensive research on MUA, I had my list and I was ready to go.  Hard Candy's Welcome Matte powder got really good reviews, but it was $8, which is way more than I want to pay for a powder compact I don't plan to use too often.  Rite Aid used to carry Jane, which had a powder I wanted to try, but at least the Rite Aid near me replaced their Jane display with Rimmel (where am I supposed to get Jane now, huh?!).  I'd used Rimmel's Stay Matte powder several years ago and didn't dislike it, so I decided to give it a try.  It was cheaper than the Hard Candy at $5.69, but there are several problems with it that led me to conclude it was not only not worth bringing with me to DC, but that it wasn't worth keeping at all.

Revlon Stay Matte powder

Recommendation Thursday: Facial Masks

Facial masks can serve many purposes.  Some are designed for acne-prone and oily skin (usually containing clay), some for dry skin, some for irritated and sensitive skin, and yet others work as peels and exfoliators.  I've scoured the web for the best masks of each type, and will now share them with you, my lovely and devoted readers!  For DIY mask ideas, see my Tip Tuesday posts here and here.

Peel masks, not necessarily the same as peel-off masks, are masks that contain AHAs (Alpha Hydroxy Acids) to chemically exfoliate and reveal brighter, fresher skin.  I've never used them myself, but I've read that you should leave them on for absolutely no longer than instructed to, as the acids can be too strong if left on for longer, and if you have very sensitive skin, it's probably wise to stay away.  This field seems to be one where higher end (and higher cost) products do give better results than cheaper ones, though you can still find affordable options that work well, too.

REN Glycolactic Skin Renewal Peel Mask and Alba Hawaiian Enzyme Facial Mask

REN Glycolactic Skin Renewel Peel Mask ($55 for 1.7 oz) and Mychelle Incredible Pumpkin Peel ($22 for 1.2 oz) come especially highly recommended, though Alba Hawaiian Enzyme Facial Mask ($10 for 3 oz) and Freeman Feeling Beautiful Facial Enzyme Mask, Pineapple ($3.99 for 6 oz) are good choices if you're on a budget.

Tip Tuesday: DIY Beauty Solutions H-Y (Plus a bonus C)

For a summary of Tip Tuesday, see here.  For part one of diy beauty tips, see here.  And for a video of bunnies wiggling their noses, see here.

Honey
Used as: Cleanser, mask, scrub
Good for: Everyone
Bad for: People who don't like stickiness
I've already done a couple of posts on the wonders of honey, so I'll keep this brief.  Honey is great.  You can use normal honey, raw honey (opaque and light yellow in color), or Manuka honey (full of super nutrients, with a price tag to match).  I've used normal and raw, and prefer the latter because it's less sticky, but both work well.  You can put it on dry skin as a mask or cleanser, or use it on wet skin as a quick cleansing treatment.  Honey combines well with yogurt and aspirin in masks, and with sugar as a scrub.  The possibilities are many, and the results are great––it's moisturizing, anti-bacterial, and it smells and tastes nommy!

Jojoba Oil
Used as: Moisturizer, hair treatment
Good for: Everyone
Bad for: No one
Jojoba (apparently pronounced hə'hoʊbə, who knew) oil is very similar in composition to the sebum and oil produced by your skin, so it can help convince oily skin to stop producing so much oil by making it think there's enough already (I have yet to try this, so cannot vouch for it, but am intrigued!), and its moisturizing properties make it good for normal and dry skin, too.  It's also great for moisturizing hair and reducing frizzies.  You only need a leetle beet, no more than a few drops, which is good because it can apparently be expensive.  It should be available at natural food and health stores, and if you've ever used it, I'd love your input!

Tip Tuesday: DIY Beauty Solutions A-G

For a summary of Tip Tuesday, see here.  For reviews of diy beauty I've personally used, see here (or click on the "diy" tag at the bottom of this post).

There are many appealing things about diy natural beauty.  For one thing, you get to feel like a mad scientist, and who doesn't love that?  (If you don't, go away, this post is not for you.)  For another, you have control over exactly what you're putting on your skin, which means you can avoid ingredients you know irritate you, and don't have to worry about the negative effects from chemical additives.  This does not mean, however, that diy beauty is without its hazards, so please, use caution!

So, here is the first half of the many ingredients you can use in your beauty concoctions (though there are even more that I'm not covering here!), as well as what problem areas they address, and the major concerns to keep in mind regarding side effects and the like.  I hope this is helpful to you, and I welcome any diy suggestions of your own in the comments!  H(oney) through Y(ogurt) will be posted next week.

Apple Cider Vinegar
Used as: Toner, hair treatment
Good for: Acne-prone and/or oily skin
Bad for: Sensitive skin
ACV, as it's known in the biz, is used as a toner to restore the pH balance of skin and help combat acne.  I've never used it, but the intertubes say: it smells nasty, though the smell dissipates after application; you should mix it with water (start with a 1:8 ratio of ACV to water, then increase the amount over time); organic is generally gentler than conventional ACV; and tread with caution if you have sensitive skin.  If you pour it through your hair, it helps get rid of residue and build-up from hair products, though unless you want to smell like a salad, you should probably shower and wash your hair afterwards.

Aspirin
Used as: Mask, toner
Good for: Acne-prone, oily, and/or sensitive/red skin
Bad for: People who are allergic to aspirin
Aspirin, it is claimed, is a source of salicylic acid once it breaks down, though the Beauty Brains did a post about this and said the science isn't really there to back the claims up.  I've tried mixing aspirin in with a yogurt mask, and saw a decrease in redness and swelling, but that could have been due to the other ingredients in the mask.  To use, crush 4-6 uncoated aspirin tablets (uncoated can be hard to find, though health food-type stores often have them) and add a few drops of water to make a paste.  As a mask, you can either spread it over your face like that and let it sit until it dries, or you can mix it with yogurt or honey.  I prefer to do the latter, because the powder has a tendency to fall off as it dries, and mixing it with something else gets rid of that problem.  Some people swear by it as a toner, though when I tried it as such, I got really annoyed with the little pieces of aspirin that stuck to my face.  Do not use this if you have an allergy to aspirin (though I hope that would go without saying!).

Mary Kay Oil Mattifier Review

So, a few weeks ago my mom and I were tidying my brother's room to make space for some furniture that we're saving for my future apartment, and among the piles of clothes, old toys, comic books, and action figures was a small rectangular box that made it just about worthwhile.  Contained within was an old tube of Mary Kay's Oil Mattifier that we had ordered a few years ago, unopened and unused.  I excitedly added it to my pouch of facial tinctures (all my moisturizers and sunscreens) and have used it off and on for the last couple weeks.  Now, I'm going to assume that time hasn't changed the formula of the mattifier (though I realize this is always a risky endeavor), and that the older version I have has the same ingredients the one with new packaging does, but if you've heard otherwise, let me know!

mark. Shine Fighter Oil-Control Mask Review

Okay, one note before I start the review: the brand of this mask is a subsidiary of Avon, and is alternately spelled "mark.", "mark", and "Mark".  I have used every one of those in my reviews so far (in the title of this post, and in my post on their gel cleanser), but I really have no idea which one is "right".  So I'll probably use them erratically interchangeably, but I'm always talking about the same thing!

Clay masks dry out the gunk in pores, tighten skin, and reduce oil production.  Or so they tell me!

Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer SPF 15 with Dermaxyl Complex Review

I'm on a Sun Safety Kit roll!  I realized there's still several products from there that I haven't reviewed yet, and a few that I haven't even tried, so I'll try and remedy that.  I was excited to see that the kit came with a mini Smashbox Photo Finish with Dermaxyl primer, because Smashbox's primer is popular in the beauty world (admittedly, the famous ones are Photo Finish and Photo Finish Light, but I was happy to get a chance to try anything from their line, and who can complain about SPF?), and because, with my oily skin, I try and take any help I can get at prolonging the wear of my makeup.

Photo from Sephora.com

Cucumber Toner

I recently decided to try adding shredded cucumber to my go-to sea salt toner, since cucumber is recommended for oily skin.  Now, I love eating cucumber.  It is the vegetable I crave most often.  The crunch!  The juice!  So refreshing.

Sea Salt Toner Update

A week and a half ago, I wrote about using sea salt as a toner (original post here), and have changed a few things since then so figured I should share.  For one thing, I decided I needed to get some more sea salt, preferably something that's not years old and of questionable origin.

Sea Salt Toner

I'd read about using a sea salt toner to help with oily skin on MUA, but didn't have any sea salt at school, and didn't want to buy a big bag that I'd have to leave behind when I came home.  I kept it in mind, though, and a few days ago mixed up a batch using some sea salt I'd gotten many moons ago when I got my cartilage pierced.  I think any kind of generic sea salt should do the trick, and table salt would probably work too, though it's lacking many of the minerals that sea salt has.

Mattify! ULTRA

I have extremely oily skin.  If I wash my face and don't put anything on it, I am shiny within half an hour, and slick within an hour.  I was searching for a primer that would help control my oil, and came across a review for Mattify! on EDS, and after reading the reviews on MUA, I ordered the smaller size, opting for the ULTRA formulation instead of the regular or sensitive, because I figured I needed as much help as I could get.