Musings of a Muse

Don’t ask me why I’m purchasing skincare products from Quixtar/Amway because I really won’t have an answer for you.

The good news is even though this particular product I am about to review for you is possibly made by and disturbed by a subdivision of Amway it still really does work.

Unreal right?

Who would have thought skincare from Amway had the potential for greatness!

Gasp!

Anyway what am I going on about?

I purchased a tiny bottle of Artistry Essentials Moisture Plus from Quixtar.com after reading a review about it on another blog (I’d give credit to that blogger but god knows where I read about it! Sorry ’bout that).

The review raved about how great this was for refreshing dry skin and it couldn’t be more right! It’s pretty darn amazing at making my skin sigh in delight!

What exactly is it?

It’s a moisturizing oil that comes in a tiny bottle with a dropper. You simply take the dropper out and squeeze about 5-10 drops in your hand and pat this gently onto your face. I don’t actually pat. Sounds weird but I give myself a little bit of a facial massage with this rubbing it in nicely. The formula is pretty oily so if you’re skin is oily/combo stay AWAY! If you happen to suffer from dry patchy cheeks or dryness on your forehead this be for you! It virtually cleared up my the dry patchy problem on my cheeks and my forehead is no longer flaking up. Yay!

I must warn you if you’re sensitive this may cause a breakout so beware prior to use. I started out with about 2 drops and I instantly experienced a little bit of a breakout but I gradually introduced my face to it and after a while my skin was loving the added moisture this gave to it.

This advertises as a product you can use over makeup but they must have been delirious when they wrote that because unless you want to look like a beacher babe tanning with baby oil on Venice beach I’d say don’t attempt applying during the day over your makeup.

I use this as PM treatment ONLY and would not attempt it during the day as a touch up nor as an AM treatment simply because it stays oily and wet a little bit before drying down. Unless you like going around with an oily face I’d avoid using it during your AM skincare regime.

I’m not using this regularly but only when I feel my skin may need a bit of a pick up and feels a size or two tighter due to the cold weather. At the moment Spring is upon us and Summer to come shortly so I’m doubtful I’ll make much use of this but it’s an excellent treatment for the cold Winter weather months!

I’ve been using about 10 drops or so a night after using my regular night cream and I’ve noticed that I wake up with a very beautiful, soft completion!

This is .49oz in size and costs $19.50 USD. The price is a bit off for a size so small but the bottle should last a good long time since you need so very little of the product!

All and all I’m enjoying this for the days my skin is whining about how it needs a bit more moisture to be on it’s best behavior!

I had to pick up some MAC lipsticks for a swap a few weeks ago and of course being the junkie I am I couldn’t leave the counter without getting at least one item for myself!

What did I end up with? MAC Prep & Prime.

Lately I’ve sorta been on the hunt for a good primer. I don’t normally prime prior to foundation aside from the regular toner and moisturizer regime. But after reading some rave reviews about various primers I decided I should incorporate the step into my makeup routine.

What I read that turned me onto primers:

• They make your foundation last longer.
• They minimize the appearance of pores (I don’t have this problem as my pores are really tiny) but hey that didn’t stop me from wanting to buy a primer!
• They are a good base for your foundation and it applies easier and smoother when a primer is used.

All this sounded like I seriously needed to start using a primer. The promise of long wearing foundation and foundation that applied easier and smoother sounded fantastic!

Who else but MAC would have a great primer right?

Well…

Not really.

I’ve been using Prep & Prime for about two weeks now and I seriously haven’t seen much of a difference in my foundation wear and tear. My foundation fails to last through the day sadly and I have to touch up at least twice with powder or a highlighting pen since I begin to look dull around the 4th hour or so of wear. Sadly, MAC Prep & Prime failed the test of making my foundation last longer.

Did my foundation go on smoother?

No. Not really.

It felt about the same going on after using Prep & Prime. I’m not sure what I was expecting from it but I thought maybe it would give my face a sort of wet moisturizing feel that would allow my foundation to glide on flawlessly. This it did not do.

The texture is pretty thick and if you look close enough it has tiny particles that pick up and reflect the light but that trick doesn’t apply when it’s on. At least for me it didn’t. Someone had mentioned on MUA that one pump will do it. Well no. I need at least two pumps to do my entire face.

It glides on rather smooth and soft in contrast with it’s thick texture. It feels wonderful really however I don’t feel like it’s moisturizing my face but then again that’s not really what it’s supposed to do anyway.

All in all it just doesn’t appear to work for me. It doesn’t make my foundation last longer and it doesn’t do a brilliant job of prepping my skin for foundation so basically it’s $22 USD of thick cream that doesn’t do much of anything.

Sadly, as much as I love MAC, this one gets a big thumb down!

Have you used it? Love it? Hate it?

Any recs for a good primer?

Tell the Muse!

Tis still a bit Wintery outside my window but Spring is slowly making it’s way across the board!

Come the Winter my skin suffers in a major way! Dry, itchy skin on my elbows, knees, and legs! Ugh I hate it so, so much!

I’ve tried so many moisturizers to relieve it but nothing really works! I find that my dry skin worsens since I shower twice daily and the hard water in New York rough houses my skin and makes it all chalky and yuck! Which also means I am moisturizing double duty!

I was lucky enough to test out some NeoCeutical Dry Skin Gel the past two weeks or so and I must say I’m quite liking it. It’s an interesting little product.

It’s basically a cooling gel that softens my rough, dry skin. The tube itself promises to hydrate and exfoliate. The exfloliate part confuses me but it does soften my skin beautifully!

The product is slightly sticky and there is a dry down period so don’t expect to slip right into your clothes after using this on say your legs! I found it takes a few minutes to fully sink in and go from wet to dry!

I’ve been using it for about 14 days now and I actually did notice that the skin my elbows is much smoother and less rough then when I use my normal moisturizer!

This retails for $24 USD for a 4oz tube. The price does slightly make me cringe however you only need a small amount so I see it lasting me for a good few months!

This is available now from Ulta.com or Neostrata.

If you suffer from the Dry Skin blues in the Winter (or anytime) this might be something you want to check out!

I imagine this isn’t very news worthy but I thought I’d shout out and tell you that the 32oz mega size of Purity is back in stock at QVC.

About a month ago I finished off my mega size that I had purchased last year and I wandered over to QVC for a re-order and was saddened and shocked to see it was unavailable.

Now this mega size is about $40 USD or so after shipping.

I hopped into Sephora and had to pay $32 USD for 16oz…..sheesh………..I could get twice the amount for almost the same price!

32oz vs 16oz

Anyway! For the Purity lovers grab it while the grabbing is good! Item Number A34737.

On to more Philosophy news…..

Have you seen these?

From Philosophy’s website:

Sounds like I need these as my skin is always thirsty for more moisture! It sounds like a great fix for Winter skin blues!

What do you think?

I’ve never tried any capsule treatments from Philosophy (they have booster shots available as well in cap form) so I am vaguely curious!

Hmmmm!

Thoughts?

Remember a few weeks ago when I was testing out the Neutrogena Wave? Sheesh forgot already? Click for a refresher!

I’ve also been testing out the Skin Rejuvenator as well. I actually couldn’t use this for a while as I was broken out for a bit and anything aside from simple oil cleanser was all I could use without further making my skin cry NO!

But I’m back!

And testing resumed recently!

I have to say that I felt like the Neutrogena Healthy Skin Rejuvenator did a far better job cleaning my skin than the Wave. I really liked the Wave alot prior to testing the Rejuvenator but I now find myself reaching for the Rejuvenator more often!

Why?

I feel like the Rejuvenator cleans deeper as it sends off more powerful vibrations then the Wave and the pads that are included foam up better. I’m not only feeling like I get a deeper clean but I also feel like it’s exfloliating my skin as well!

The Rejuvenator is actually meant to improve fine lines and wrinkles and promote firmer skin. I have neither problem but it worked perfectly great in to give my skin a softer, cleaner appearance! My moisturizer seemed to really like it too as after using this it sunk in much better than it normally does!

I guess I’m somewhat on the hunt to find a cheap alternative to shelling out $199 for the Clarisonic Cleaning Brush and the Wave and the Healthy Skin Rejuvenator does a pretty good job of that!

This particular kit comes with the cleaner, batteries, and 12 cleaning puffs. It works just the same way as the Wave does in that you simply attach a pad to the cleaner, switch on, and begin circling it across your face.

After you’re finished you ditch the pad, rinse, and you’re good to go!

The kit is a bit more expensive then the wave at about $33 USD but I also felt like it did a better job than the Wave which had cost $12 USD.

You can certainly feel the difference when you switch it on as the pulse and vibration are much stronger!

The pads are pre-soaked with a cleaning solution and you get a bit of a tingle as you use them which is very cooling and refreshing! They foam up much better than the Wave however I don’t feel I can use this to take off major makeup but I do enjoy using the entire unit in the shower, as it’s waterproof, for a nice deep clean in the morning!

The unit also left my face with a beautiful glow and softness that it normally doesn’t always have!

Overall I’d say it’s definately an improvement over purchasing a unit that could cost $199 or more!

Definitely worth trying out for yourself, young or old!

Tried this?

Love it?

Want to try it?

Tell the Muse!

This year I turned 30. OH MY GOD! AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Sorry had to get that out of my system!

Moving on……..

When you turn 30 I think maybe you’re faced with your lack of immortality. It’s like suddenly a light bulb switches on the top of your head and you realize you’re not going to be cute forever and wrinkles, a thing of the past, are now part of your present and future life!

JEEBUS NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

So this might be boring for some of you. I find it extremely boring to walk onto a blog that’s discussing anti-aging creams! Keeping that in mind I’m going to keep this as brief as I possibly can!

I’ve been mudding around with at least 20 eye creams lately, seriously. It first started in December sometime when I woke up and noticed that my eyes were puffy. Mmm nothing new there we all have that problem. However, it began to sincerely freak me out when the swelling lasted all day.

I suddenly found myself drinking 30 glasses of water, avoiding more then 10 grams of salt, and looking in the mirror very, very closely!

It was when I was looking in the mirror that the puffy problem was no longer a worry but the fact that I was developing some sincerely fine lines! Where the hell did those come from!? Who put those there!!!!!!!!!!? I demand to know! I wanna talk to the man in charge!

I skipped my way over to the MAC counter and I casually asked about a concealer as my plan of action was to conceal those nasty buggers with industrial strength MAC concealer! Obviously my beloved Benefit Boi-ing wasn’t doing the trick! I needed to get out the big guns!

Of course, my MA wasn’t there at the time and although all the girls know me I ended up getting someone new. Which was fine. But it later became a problem when she was studying my eye area and poking around under there and calmly said…”You’re very dry”!

MY GOD! WHAT?! Puffy, Wrinkles, and DRY!? What the hell else could go wrong!?

She proceeded to tell me about Clinque’s All About Eyes Cream and later told me that it probably wouldn’t work and I’d need something stronger. Gee thanks. Really helpful.

I skipped the concealer needless to say and headed directly across the way to the Clinque counter where I asked after an eye cream. I explained that I was dry, I had fine lines, and I had a bit of a puffy thing going on. I got a snarky reply that went something like this, “SO WHICH is it?!?!?!?”….um all of the above is that a problem? I was desperate otherwise I’d have told her to take the eye cream and stick it up her…..sorry…..

I ended up purchasing the Intense All About Eyes Cream…it’s extra moisturizing or some rubbish like that. She proceeded to throw it in the bag, throw my change at my head, and usher me out so she could help another customer who probably didn’t buy anything ANYWAY!

After using it for a week I decided it was way to thick. This is ridiculous! Did I really need to apply a layer of cream cheese under my eye daily?

I went back and returned it for the normal formula and proceeded to use that a week. It did nothing. I guess I wanted a miracle in 7 days!

Now over the course of my time middling around with eye creams I’ve gotten so many great replies to my questions it’s borderlines on ridiculous. I’m wondering if these people even know anything about what they are selling!

The bad news is I’ve been through to many of these bad boys with absolutely no results!

This is what I’ve tried so far:
Clinique All About Eyes
Clinique All About Eyes Rich
Ole Henricksen Ultimate Lift Eye Gel
Murad Renewing Eye Cream
Dermadoctor Wrinkle Revenge Cream (Testing in progress….)
Patricia Wexler De-Puff Eye Gel (Testing in progress…..)
Serious Skin Care Nanofiller
Dr Denese Restoreyes
Amazing Superfil (Testing in Progress….)
La Mer Eye Concentrate

I’m sure there are more but I can’t remember them all. My main reason for typing this up is I discovered an interesting little tidbit about eye creams.

It appears that eye creams make things worst instead of better! My eyes have gone from having fine lines, dryness, and puffiness to having a sunken in appearance, an exhausted look, saggyiness, milia (sounds like someone’s name), and other problems!

I guess the moral of my story is that you have to seriously be careful how much you use, what you’re using, and be conscious of how you looked before using the cream and how you look after!

We are now in March and I still haven’t found an eye cream that works that great but I have worked out an interesting eye care regime that appears to have helped almost all my problems!

I’ve discovered a miracle product from Dr Denese entitled Hydro-Shield Serum. This contains everything you long for in an eye cream such as soy and retinol. It’s also very gentle compared to other items I’ve tried out. It’s highly moisturizing and although it promises to dry matte I find it doesn’t do that but I use it before bed so I’m not really worried. It’s a clear gel that comes in a pump bottle. One tiny pump should do both eyes because it’s such an amazingly moisturizing gel that you don’t need a ton of it. The formula is a clear gel and I glide it under my eyes. No patting here, at least for me. The formula is so slippery and slides so well you might as well just gently glide it across.

In the time I’ve been using it I’ve noticed a huge improvement with my fine lines and I actually think this has to do with the fact that it moistened my eyes so well. My eyes were so dry prior to using this that fine lines were much more noticeable. Now they are definately looking much better!

If you’re looking to use this in the AM (I only use it in the PM) you’ll have to wait at least 5 minutes because it takes about that long to dry and that could be a deal breaker for some folk! I don’t use it in the morning for this reason! This is a serum so you can happily apply your eye cream of choice over it after dry down! I actually feel so moisturized that I don’t apply my normal eye cream over it.

It deserves to be said that this is great for fine lines and dryness but does nothing for puffy eyes which is why I’m in lust and love with another product to shrink my puffy eyes down to size.

I’m pretty sure you have heard me raving about this product before but it deserves a re-mention. I was experiencing a problem with puffy eyes this Winter in a big way. It could be lack of sleep, eye strain, sinuses, or just general old age but I’ve had a bit of a puff here and there that I found irritating. I tried just about everything in the old maid’s handbook but nothing seemed to work. Cold spoons, teabags, cold compresses…no I didn’t try hemorrhoid cream…there is no way in hell I am putting butt cream under my eyes sorry but I have to draw the line somewhere!

When age old methods failed I turned to a few different gels such as Patricia Wexler De-Puffing Gel and Ole Henricksen Ultimate Eye Lift. The Wexler one just didn’t do anything but the Ole one was successful in sealing my eyes closed for me. I’ve never experienced anything so sticky in my life! Wow.

My mate Rows sent me a package with some Boots Botanicals Ultimate Eye Lift Gel and the first time I used it I didn’t see any results. I’m one of those people that want instant results, right away, NOW DAMMIT NOW! In a “unlike me” way I proceeded to keep using it for a week day and night. I never commit to anything that I don’t notice some results with so this is a rare thing but I was desperate so I decided what the hell. It’s a clear gel that I massage under my eyes every evening and every morning. Within a week’s time I noticed a very big difference and I was no longer sporting serious baggage. Within a month or so of use my eyes had virtually cleared up. I still wake with a tiny amount of puff but it’s pretty much gone after I get out of the shower. I still religiously use this night and day even though most of my puff is gone. It’s very gentle, doesn’t sting, hasn’t caused any milia, and my eyes are looking refreshed and gorgeous!

I guess my promise of not being long and rambling has been broken! Sorry!

The moral of the story is even if you’re 20 years old now is a good time to start treating your eyes to a good eye cream!

Do you use eye creams?

What’s your favorite?

Which have you found effective?

Tell the Muse!

This idea came to me today when I was talking to our little Cookie, Lilan, from the Daily Cookie. We were chatting back and fourth and she had mentioned she and her boyfriend had done a series of pictures using Bioré products last week. Honestly, guys, I begged and pleaded with our Cookie to please post these pictures and how much of a contribution this would be to the beauty blogging world! I tried! I really did! Let’s hope my hard work pays off and we get to see Lil and the boyfriend doing their review of Bioré shortly!

For now I decided I needed my own pampering. It’s been a long, hard day at work so I decided to treat my skin nice!

Pajama Party Provisions

As you may have noticed I’m on a budget beauty buying cycle lately and one item that I believe gives alot of bang for my buck is Bioré. It’s one of the very select few brands from a drugstore that I trust and have found to actually work. Quite a few products in the line I love and I’m particularly in lust with what I can get from Japan in regards to Bioré. Seriously have you seen Japan Bioré products? Everything is all pink and sweet looking!

As I was saying I had a long day at work so facial time! Yay!

AWWWWWWWWWWWW the Muse is exhausted after her hard day at work! Her eyeshadow is smudged, her foundation is fading, her lipstick is long gone but her PJ’s sure do match! The Muse is such a chic girl isn’t she?

I’m a bit lazy and I’m really not in the mood for my full blown facial regime of removing my makeup but have no fear Bioré Daily Cleaning Cloths are here!

YAY!

Seriously, I think we all fall into a bit of a funk some nights and aren’t too interested in spending alot of time removing our makeup! Especially when we just want to turn the lights off and go to bed! Daily Cleaning Clothes make that possible! Each cloth is pre-moistened with a cleaning solution that doesn’t have to be washed off. Wipe it across your face a few times and it’ll pretty much remove everything from your face. As you know I wear some bold shades of eyeshadow and this removes them without a problem! Although it doesn’t do that good a job on waterproof mascara but seriously neither do MAC cleaning clothes so honestly that’s not the fault of the cloth that’s just the formula of your mascara!

Two clothes later and my face was happy, refreshed, and clean!

After I got all that gunk off my face I needed a seriously good scrubbing down. The winter weather is harsh and my skin is suffering from some serious dryness, flakes and all! Gross! Sooooooo I got me some Bioré Unclogging Scrub and scrubbed my way into nirvana. This is the first time I’ve used this particular scrub and I must say it’s quite good. It does a fab job of removing flaky skin from my forehead and given time I imagine this will clear up the blackheads on my nose as well. If you’re acne prone this contains salicylic acid to clear up any nasties you have keeping house on your face! It was a good scrub and did a great job smoothing out my face but I found it to be a bit drying. That could be because it’s an acne treatment. If you’re oily this may very well be a god sent for you as it’s liable to dry up any oily bits on your face!

The formula contains little microbeads! See ‘em? It also has a very fresh smell!

Now it was time for a bit of a facial! I adore Bioré self-heating mask! So good! This is seriously a fab mask! If you’ve never used this before you have to try it at least once! It’s a one minute facial that you rub into your skin and as you rub it heats and fells so warm and cozy and lovely! It exfloliates the skin while detoxing it and removing any yuck that might be lurking in your pores plus it’s good if your skin is oily! This feels wonderful in the Winter but I love using it in the Summer to combat oil on my forehead!

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And since I love you guys so much I’m of course including photos of me wearing the mask…you’ll probably find some use to blackmail me with them later…..

Scary Muse! BOO!

Of course after all this I had to go the extra yard and attack the blackheads hanging out on my nose! What better way to do that then with a Deep Cleaning Pore Strip? Pore Strips are God’s gift to humanity. I’ve seriously never found a better product to remove blackheads. I scrub, and scrub, and scrub and I have seriously little success removing the blackheads from my nose that have taken up residence, built a condo, and have settled in with the kids. They stay there and never leave. Unless I go to a Spa and extract these chances are no product, expensive or inexpensive, will get these buggers to move up and out! However, I’ve had pretty good success it getting a nice cleanup using Bioré Deep Cleaning Nose Strips! Plus I like looking at the strip after it’s been on my nose 8 minutes…is that morbid? Sorry too much info there! In all seriousness I really do have an excellent success rate with these. I’m not saying they get deeply embedded blackheads but they do a bloody good job of getting about 75% of mine and my nose looks alot less like a porcupine after use!

Yes, yes I know you want pics! More blackmail material coming right up!

Finally to finish off my little skincare party Bioré Pore Minimizing Lightweight Moisturizer. This is new for me. I normally don’t stray from my current moisturizer but I was generally curious about this as it has an SPF 15. Honestly, as I get older I’ve been caring about having an SPF in my moisturizer and this is very light and silky and perfect for day wear. I’m not sure how much it reduced the appearance of my pores because I honestly have tiny pores anyway but in regards to the formula I’m pretty impressed. I travel alot and I love going on cruises and such and this would make an excellent daily moisturizer when out in the heat. It’s silky, smooth, and very light weight plus it has SPF. When you’re in a humid climate that’s about everything you’d want in a moisturizer! Plus it’s cheap as day old chips price wise! What’s not to love? I’m too set in my ways to change it for my current moisturizer but as a backup when going on Holiday this will definately make an appearance in my traincase!

And finally here she is the Muse fresh faced, makeup less and simply Bioré clean! Wasn’t that fun? I work my 30 years good don’t I? Teehee!

Do you use Bioré?

Love it?

Favorite products?

Tell your Muse all about it!

Check out the full Bioré line up by clicking here!

Be sure to see the new Mandarin Blossom Pore Strips!

I’m very, very wary of trying new skincare items. I’m sort of stuck in my normal routine rut and since it works so well for me it’s very rare I try anything else on my face. I’m a Lushie for life as you probably already know from reading my blog. If you’re not familiar with my daily skincare routine click over here for the details.

I’ve been happily testing out two of Kiehl’s skincare products last week which were the Ultra Facial Cleaner and the Ultra Facial Toner.

The first thing that shocked me about Kiehl’s was that it’s affordable skincare. Seriously how often can you find affordable skincare that works? Tis a rare occurrence for me!

I normally take my makeup off with one of three products that I use. Lush Ultra Bland for hardcore makeup that’s tough to get off (liquid eyeliner, heavy eyemakeup etc…), Kose Airy Whip (for lighter makeup removal! This is sadly not available in the US.), and Philosophy Purity (I use this daily for all types of makeup).

All of the above products work fantastic for me so there isn’t any reason for me to change however I’m vaguely surprised, with being so picky the way I am, that I really enjoyed using Kiehl’s Facial Cleaner for the past week. I’ve been using this from Monday until Sunday evening and I must say it works a treat and I’m considering adding it to my current skincare routine!

For some reason I get a weird feeling of “you missed a spot” when using Philosophy Purity. I normally use this daily, more so then my other cleansers and it always leaves me feeling like maybe I didn’t get off everything that was on my face. However, I felt truly, deeply cleansed with Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cleanser. Even looking in the mirror after cleansing, my face looked really refreshed!

A little of this goes a long way as it’s a thick gel that foams up for a good deep clean. The cleanser is good for all skin types. At the moment my skin chooses to be dry because of the cold winter weather. It’s quite a gentle wash that is not drying to my skin! Believe me I’m already dry enough if I used anything that was drying I’d definately know!

I ended up wandering over to Kiehl’s website as using the cleanser had made me curious about the rest of the line and I was pleasantly surprised to learn that the cleanser is $17.50USD for 5oz! I thought for sure something that worked this good would be $30-$40!

All in all I was very pleased with the Ultra Facial Cleanser! Well done Kiehl’s it’s on the Muse’s list for repurchase as soon as I get through the sample!

I also got my hands on the Ultra Facial Toner but this sadly wasn’t as wonderful as the cleanser. This is a very thick toner in comparison to my normal toner. I normally use Lush’s Tea Tree Oil (for oily days) or Breath of Fresh Air (for dryer days). My toner choices are very light and are spray on where as the Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Toner is a thicker formula that’s meant to be swiped on with a cotton ball! The formula is comparable to Guerlain’s Issima Success Model Smoothing Toner, the texture for me is spot on the same as the Guerlain but the Kiehl’s has a nice price tag! Happy Days! I really liked the consistency of this toner and it felt wonderfully cool and moisturizing when I swiped it on. Sadly, it dried me out a bit. This is for all skin types but for me it was a bit drying. I felt like my skin was very tight minutes after applying it. I used it for seven days straight just to see if I’d see an improvement but sadly nothing changed. I’d highly recommend this if you’re oily because it may very well dry your skin up a bit. My Asian readers that suffer from oily skin and humid weather (my lovely Singaporean readers) may find this an excellent toner for your skin! I think I’ll try this again in the Summer when my forehead decides to become a mirror!

Again, the price is very nice on this! $15USD gets you 8.4oz! That’s a great price and a great size! Total props for an interesting formula and texture but I can’t recommend this for people with dry skin! You might want to avoid it as I experienced further drying when using it.

Overall, the new lineup in the skincare collection is most definately interesting! For further information about the new additions to Kiehl’s Skincare click here!

Have you tried any of Kiehl’s Skincare?

Love it?

Favorite product?

Speak to the Muse!

I’ve come to the realization that I don’t include nearly enough budget beauty finds in my blog! Many of my readers are quite young and spending $70-$100 or more on skincare is beyond their reach at the moment (at least that was the case for me when I was that age!).

In order to redeem myself I’ll occasionally make a mad dash to the local drugstore and see what’s to be had, what I try, what I like, and above all in keeping with an inexpensive price tag!

I was able to test out the new Wave Power Cleaner from Neutrogena and this is definately fitting in with Beauty on a Budget. This costs all of $10.49 USD at Drugstore.com or $12 USD at Target. The price, in my opinion, is so right! Plus if you head over to Neutrogena’s website you can print out a $2 coupon so that cuts the cost down to $8.49 or $10! Hell that’s a deal! Click to get your coupon!

I’ve wanted to purchase a power cleaner for a while now, in particular I crave the Clarisonic Skincare Brush but seriously I don’t see myself dishing out $200 for that thing. As lovely as it looks I can’t bring myself to pay that much for a cleaning brush.

I haven’t tried the Clarisonic so I can’t compare it to the Wave however I will say at the bargain price the Wave works bloody well for it’s tiny price tag with a few minor pitfalls!

The entire package comes with the power cleaner, a battery (sweet! I didn’t have to go to the store to get one!), 14 cleaning pads, plus a $1 off coupon for refill pads!

I’ve used the Wave three times so far. Once in the shower and once out of the shower. My first run with this was out of the shower and it was a bit of a disappointing run. First of all this isn’t brain surgery to operate. The cleaner has a ridged surface that you plop on the pads on. No special tools needed to hold it in place, no snap ons, or anything like that. Just slap a pad on and go.

Once your pad is on you run the unit under water, press the on button, and start working in on your face. This doesn’t rotate, there aren’t any brushes that rotate, the pad doesn’t rotate, none of that. The Wave simply vibrates which causes the pad to foam up and begins the deep cleaning of your face. Sadly that was my main beef with the unit. The pads didn’t foam up at all. For someone who wears a face full of makeup daily this is NOT going to remove your makeup so well. Absolutely not. However, after using it and rinsing with my regular cleanser my moisturizer did sink in very nicely so obviously the unit is working well enough!

That’s a minor rant as I found a few better ways to use the Wave. One was in the shower which I believe will be my main place to use it. I think if you have a clean face already and you’ve just woken up in the AM and you’re stepping into the shower this is perfect for doing a nice deep clean. The foaming won’t matter so much as your face is pretty much makeup less. I found that the unit worked wonderfully in the shower and it’s completely waterproof so no probs at all. I decided to get crazy and plop a bit of Philosophy’s Microdelivery Wash on the pad and that’s when I experienced nirvana! This made a huge difference and worked wonders for getting a nice deep exfoliating facial while in the shower! I came out of the shower refreshed and my moisturizer and makeup went on so much smoother!

Cheers for that!

The formula of the pads is a tingly, cool pleasant sensation and the smell is quite nice as well but as I said I seen little foaming from these so that does need a bit of work!

The unit is very tiny which I found fantastic for travel plus it runs on one double AA battery which means I’m not having to tug around a recharger with me when I travel. The entire thing is smaller then the palm of my hand. Really great for storage, travel, and it’s just nice to have a small unit that works well!

You might be curious about the refills and the price. It’s safe to say they are pretty inexpensive at $8 for 30! You know you’ll be able to score these on sell though and maybe even cheaper in Walmart!

I had a totally smashing experience with this little gadget and it’s definately part of my skincare regime from now on!

You can’t really beat the price plus it works great! If you don’t take my word for it check on MUA for the rave reviews! The unit is up to a 4.1 rating!

To learn more about the Wave Powder Clean have a click over here and check it out at Neutrogena’s website!

Did I mention you can choose your favorite color? The Wave is available in blue, pink, and green!

Here’s one for the trash kids!

I was in Target a few days ago because my sister enjoys dragging me around that bloody store like nobody’s business!

As she oohhhh’ed and ahhhhhh’ed over her finds I wandered over to the Boots section to have a peek. I generally like Boots line of products and I haven’t really purchased anything that I didn’t love however the eye makeover remover gets my big old “don’t buy” stamp.

I normally get Sephora’s remover for $8 or when I’m feeling lucky I look through E-bay to score some cheap Bi-Facil (you seriously don’t think I’d spend $26 on that stuff did you? Sometimes the Muse is cheap!). However, I was feeling adventurous so I decided to grab some of the No7 Cleanse & Care remover and call it a day!

I was thinking somehow this would become a staple as soon as I noticed that it had a pump! W00t! Awesome! Instead of having to dip my cleaner onto my cotton pad I could now pump the cleaner on! Wow how techy!

The coolness ends right there my friends. Aside from the ultra awesome pump this does absolutely nothing in the way of removing hardcore eye makeup!

I didn’t have much on but it was a whole lot of tugging to get it to remove anything. A few swipes later and about half a bottle I had successfully removed about 60% of my eyeshadow and none of my mascara.

Sigh.

Well that chalks this up as heading right into the trash can! $8 bucks down the drain and still a load of eye makeup on!

Boo Boots! I’m disappointed in you!

Have you used this?

Love it?

Hate it?

Tell the Muse!

Thanks to the Total Beauty Network I was able to lay my hands on the posh, pricey Pure Cloud Cream from Skyn Iceland.

I was really looking forward to trying this out and possibly doing cartwheels around the room when I heard I would get a chance to test it out! I heard big time rave reviews about not only the Pure Cloud Cream but also all of the Skyn Iceland line!

Well…

I’m sad.

I have to give this a thumbs down sadly. For one thing the price of $75 for 1.7oz scares me slightly. I really shouldn’t say that as my regular moisturizer costs $85.45 for 1.5oz but at least it works amazingly well!

Maybe I didn’t get the benefit of it since it’s recommend for super sensitive skin types where as I’m more of a dry type during the winter. It promises to restore skin from intense weather conditions but I really wasn’t seeing much of a difference. I faced the elements for the time I was sampling it (rain, sleet, snow) and my skin came out without much change.

The formula is very thick which got me super excited as I thought it would be excellent nourishment for my dry, patchy skin. After using this for almost two weeks my skin is actually missing my old moisturizer!

It didn’t create any problems for me, it didn’t cause dry skin, or oily skin or any other such problems however it just didn’t feel like it was doing anything for my skin where as with my regular moisturizer I can feel and see it working. My face looks fresher, less dull, and moist when I use my regular brand.

At the very least for $75 bucks I was hoping I’d see some change in my face! From dull to glow? Nope. Nothing.

I can’t recommend this one for purchase but I am curious about the rest of the line!

Got this?

Love it?

Want it?

Tell the Muse all about it!

I admit that I own a mini fridge that I store my skincare items in. A majority of my skincare items are Lush which means they are quite fresh and have an expiration date of a year or six months. I find refrigerating them keeps them fresher and long lasting (either that or I’m anal about what I put on my face). You can read about my skincare regime by clicking here.

About two years ago I purchased a mini fridge from Think Geek for a small chunk of change (I only keep skincare and cosmetics in it NOT food and drinks) however for $225 you can get a mini cooler that’s made exclusively for your skincare!

Check this out:

I’m geeky enough to think this is awesome!

Check out what it promises to do:

A lovely reader left a wonderful comment for the Muse and had asked a question in regards to Lush and using Angels on Bare Skin.

I’ve discussed Lush a plenty on my blog as it’s part of my main skincare/bodycare/haircare regime so I pimp it as much as possible as I’ve had such brilliant results with it and of course when it works good the Muse must pass that info onto all you lovely ladies I’m positive you recall my rather long post about Lush prior to this but if you happened to miss it do click here and have a look!

Now her question was about a product called Angels on Bare Skin. Angels on Bare Skin is a Preservative Free Face Cleanser. First time users may be confused how exactly to use it! So…here’s a tutorial for Stephanie and anyone else who was interested in the best way to use Angels on Bare Skin!

Stephanie thanks for your comments and your question! I hope this helps!

MuseTV Presents: Angels on Bare Skin Tutorial

(If the video doesn’t play right away please try back in a few)

Benefit is asking if I Do It Daily and last time I checked I most definitely do it daily and nightly too!

Stop thinking nasty little thoughts! I’m talking about moisturizing your face!

Benefit is introducing a brand new moisturizer entitled Do It Daily! that’s good for all skin types and contains an SPF of 10.

Personally I’m not running around in excitement over this as most skincare items I’ve tried from Benefit aren’t always that great!

But the idea of a lightweight facial moisturizer with SPF 10 that takes the guess work out of skin type does sound neat!

The Muse will have a think and consider it as a future purchase (the packaging sure is cute)!

If you do happen to try it, comment, let us know what you think!

The Muse’s lovely mate at A Touch of Blusher has an entire week of Anti-Aging! Some wonderful articles to be had on general skincare, skincare reviews, and great tips and tricks!

Of course the Muse is gorgeous and never aging so she has no need of trivial things such as anti-aging methods (I’m Kidding! I’m Kidding!)!

My favorite so far is Thursday’s entry which contained a link for What Makes a State-of-the-Art Moisturizer? Very interesting reading!

And of course when Anti-Aging week is over you can always keep A Touch of Blusher bookmarked for other fantastic blog entries about cosmetics, skincare, and all good things girly!