Tuesday, July 29, 2014

Ecotools Pure Complexion Facial Sponge Review

I keep on hearing that exfoliation is a must for keeping skin clear and wrinkle free. There are many different ways to exfoliate and many people have raved about using the clarasonic. However, the clarasonic is a bit beyond my reach and after consulting with a sephora associate she said the boscia konjac sponge would help with getting rid of dead skin cells that's clogging more pores. However at $18 its still beyond my reach so I searched for other alternatives: in comes the six dollar Ecotool's Pure Complexion facial- which I am willingly shelling out.

The Ecotools Pure Complexion Facial Sponge comes packaged in a cardboard box

box of Ecotool Pure Complexion Facial Sponge

box of Ecotool Pure Complexion Facial Sponge
back label of Ecotool Pure Complexion Facial Sponge
These three photos are just the packaging and labeling of the  Ecotools Pure Complexion Facial Sponge

So what is all this hype about that konjac sponge that makes is so different than other sponges. The konjac sponge is made from the root of a konjac plant, also known as the devil's tongue or konnyaku in japan, and is hailed as a health food since it contains high amounts of fiber with zero calories. The plant itself is naturally slightly alkaline to help break down dirt, oil and makeup from your face without any additional cleanser and also provides you with gentle exfoliation.

Ecotools makes two versions of this sponge. The deep cleaning one (which is the one I bought) contains bamboo charcoal which is supposed to be more exfoliating and also draw out impurities deep inside pores. The sensitive version has nothing added so its less abrasive and is just pure konjac to clean and exfoliate your face.

Ecotools Pure Complexion Facial Sponge wrapped in plastic
inside the cardboard box you find the sponge wrapped in plastic


Ecotools Pure Complexion Facial Sponge
ecotools pure complexion facial sponge with ecotools logo
the other side is rounded with ecotools logo

























The above picture is the dried sponge. After removing the plastic wrap around it, you see that one side is flat and the other side is rounded. It looks really big but is actually small and fits easily in the palm of my hands. When wet, it doubles in size. As I was uploading these picture, I find that it looks oddly like the pores of my face.

What it promises: The Ecotools Pure Complexion facial sponge promises to give you a "better clean by removing impurities and revealing smooth, refreshed skin…Wash away dirt, oil, and makeup and leave skin glowing without over-drying or causing redness"

How to use: You soak the sponge in water until it softens. Then you can use it by itself to exfoliate or use it with a cleanser. Use it with the flat side against your face (but you can use any side you want). The product labeling says that after using to rinse with water and lay flat to dry. I think its best to keep it in a cup upright so it has least contact with any surface grime.  I find that when you place it in cold water it takes longer to soften, in warm water it takes less than 30 seconds. On the first time it make take up to a minute but after using it, it should soften more quickly.

Verdict: The first thing I noticed after using this was how baby soft my skin felt and I constantly looked forward to using this during my nightly cleansing. I find that the tear shape of the sponge helped reach the corners of my eyes more easily and the tiny tip was less harsh on my delicate eye area. The sponge is like a rock when dry but once softened, it so squishy. I just love the squeezing water out of the sponge and washing  my face with the sponge- feels like an ultimate spa experience.
As for exfoliating wise, my skin feels baby soft, however when putting on makeup, I would still see dry flakes that annoy me so much and doesn't disappear unless I use my chemical peel.
As for cleaning- the bamboo charcoal drawing out impurities is a lie. It just exfoliates to prevent any blocked pores. I use the sponge after removing all my makeup because I don't want the makeup to ruin to sponge. I get the feeling that dirt and oil get trapped in the sponge and I don't want to get makeup trapped in the sponge.

How to Care for Sponge: The labeling says the sponge will last about 1 to 3 months. You can help the sponge last longer by soaking it in warm water and let it air dry in a non-humid area after each use. Also, squeeze and not wring the sponge out to prevent breaking its fibers. I kept mine in a plastic cup to air dry in the bathroom since its a bother bringing the wet sponge elsewhere. It lasted for 3 months of daily use before splitting apart right in the middle. I tried to salvage what's left by continuing to use the broken piece but tiny fibers kept on falling out as I washed my face. It's said that the konjac sponge is so natural that you can bury the fallen apart sponge in the soil to keep plants hydrated.-however I haven't tried it yet. Other konjac sponge comes with a string to hang up the sponge, sadly ecotools doesn't incorporate that in the design.

How to Disinfect the Sponge: Place the wet sponge in hot (not boiling) water for 3-5 minutes or place the wet sponge in a bowl of water that completely covers the sponge and microwave for 1 minute. Take care to let it cool down before using tongs to take the sponge and allow it to dry completely. I disinfect it about once a month and have only tried the microwave method since I deem boiling water too time consuming. You can disinfect it as often as you like but doing this more often will cause the sponge to break down more quickly. A blogger had posted about placing it in a bowl of ethyl alcohol but I feel that putting it in hot water is a lot easier.


Pros:
  • made my skin feel so utterly soft
  • does cost as much compared to other brands
Cons:
  • although flaky skin is removed visibly, when putting on makeup, still not as smooth as using chemical peel
  • doesn't have a string to hang dry
Repurchase? Probably not since there are many different konjac sponge brand out in the market right now and I just want to try them all. Also other bloggers have said that the ecotools sponge was a lot smaller compared to other brands like dew puff so although the ecotools sponge is cheap you don't get as much bang for your buck. However the ecotools brand is easily found at your local drugstore/ beauty store. If you don't want to pay steep shipping fees to purchase other konjac sponges online, then ecotools is probably the most easily accessible brand. I have also heard that there are fake konjac sponges online, so unless you are buying from a reputable brand, make sure to check the seller before purchasing or buy it from the actual brand website.

Is there a brand of konjac sponge that you highly recommend. Please comment below.

As always,

thanks for reading,

VanillaDreamCream


Monday, July 14, 2014

Top Five Best Pink Lipstick from Get It Beauty's Pink Lipstick blind test 2014

get it beauty with lips

In episode 3 of Get It Beauty, they picked the top 5 best pink lipstick for 2014 through blind testing

top five best pink lipstick from get it beauty
from left to right according to their ranking: Espoir, Chanel, Guerlain, Bobbi Brown, and Loreal

swatches from left to right: Bobbi Brown, Chanel, Loreal, Espoir, and Guerlain



Best Pink lipstick of 2014 is...

espoir in PK001 N.Y Pink

1st place [Espoir] No Wear M Lipstick 
#PK001 N.Y Pink 
$10 for 3.7g

online:2nd
experts:1st
better girls:1st

The color was the most pigmented out of all the lipstick and went on smoothly. Experts placed it in first because the color was so strong and vivid.


2nd Place [Chanel] Rouge Allure
#138 Fougueuse
$40 for 3.5g

online:1st
experts: 4th
better girls: 3rd

It doesn't have a vivid color but has a nice glossy finish. It makes lips look healthy and alive.



Guerlain Rouge Automatique Lipstick #171 Attrape-Coeur

3rd place [Guerlain] Rouge Automatique Lipstick #171 Attrape-
$40 for 3.5 g

online: 3rd
experts: 5th
better girls: 2nd

It's moisturizing and very long lasting.



[Bobbi Brown] Sheer Lip Color in  Neon Pink

4th place [Bobbi Brown] Sheer Lip Color in Neon Pink
$30 per 3.4g

online: 3rd
experts: 2nd
better girls: 4th

It's very pigmented



Loreal Paris Color Riche Moist Matte #P502 Cherry Crush
5th place [Loreal Paris] Color Riche Moist Matte #P502 Cherry Crush 
 $10 for 5g

online:3rd place
experts:3rd
Better girls:5th

It goes on matte but has oils to keep lips from drying out.



What is your favorite lipstick?
Let me know if you want more of these get it beauty blind testing post.

Thanks for reading,

VanillaDreamCream

credits to cosmetic love from youtube for the name and color of the products. I would have never been able to figure it out without cosmetic love.

Thursday, July 3, 2014

OPI Nail Lacquer in Double Decker Red Review

Happy July 4th everybody. I have a July 4th nail idea that I want to share with everybody :)


red white and blue nail art


Our city was suppose to hold our annual July 4th firework on friday, but due to hurricane Arthur, they decided to move the fireworks up a day. I decided to stay up late and finish my nail art for July 4th.

I will be reviewing OPI's Double Decker Red which is used to create my fourth of July nail.

deep fire engine red OPI nail color

OPI's Double Decker Red is a creme in a dark fire engine red. The color actually isn't as bright red as seen in the picture but about a shade darker. The lacquer is watery, so applies thinly, which I like because that allows it to dry quickly in about a minute. By the time I finish applying the first coat to my right hand, my left hand is already dried and I can apply a second coat. I only needed two coat to achieve opacity. However, I am disappointed at the finish. Most of OPI's color has such nice shine that I don't need to apply a top coat to it. The finish of Double Decker is shiny, but looks dull and I wasn't getting that freshly minted feeling. On my pinky, it looks shiny but on my second and third finger, it looked dull. Despite that, I would still recommend Double Decker Red if this is the color you like. The color lasted 5 days before chipping.


Summary:

PROS: 

  • Dries Quickly
  • opaque with 2 coats

CONS:

  • Finish is not as shiny as I would have liked


four nail polishes in the colors red white blue and glitter
(from left to right) Sally Hansen's Twinkle Twinkle, Orly's In The Navy, Orly's White Tips,  OPI's Double Decker Red


Other colors that I used to create this look is Orly's french tip nail lacquer in White Tips, Orly's In the Navy (which I reviewed here), Sally Hansen's Hard as Nail Extreme Wear in Twinkle Twinkle for the glitter accent, and I finished it off with Borghese's Brilliante base and top coat.

I put two coats of the base color before applying designs to the nails. On the ring finger, I used a toothpick to position the glitter. I find that it's easier to apply the glitter polish on to a piece of paper in order to fish out the glitter and place it on the nail.

On the thumb I dotted the circles with a Q-tip, let the color dry before putting on another color. I have a dot tool for nail art from Sally Hansen, but the circles came out too small so I switched to using Q-tips.

thanks for reading

What red nail polish do you use? Any great nail polish that you can recommend me? Please comment below :)

Happy Fourth of July,

VanillaDreamCream



Wednesday, July 2, 2014

Get It Beauty eyeshadow palette blind test 2014 edition


There is a korean beauty show, Get It Beauty, that I haven't been able to get my hands on and FINALLY its second season is subbed in English!!!

purple lips from Get It Beauty

It's second season is hosted by a beautiful actress and a favorite of mine… Yoo In Na!!! <3 p="">

cartoon eyes pattern on yoo in na on get it beauty

total beauty on purple tinted yoo in na from get it beautytotal beauty on blue tinted yoo in na from get it beauty
A popular segment of the show is their blind testing, where they blind test beauty products and reveals their ranking of their top chosen beauty product. I just wanted to compile a list of their ranking for those that don't get to watch the episode.


In their second episode, Get It Beauty had their 2014 edition blind testing for eyeshadow palettes.
Their blind testing consists of 10 beauty experts that anaylzed the product according to their field of expertise. They revealed the top 5 palettes that were voted by critics and online experts. On the show they only revealed the first letter of the brand and didn't tell us the full name. For example, for Chanel they would say C brand. I wrote in the name of the brand with the best of my ability based on what the packaging looks like. The brands stated in the post may not be the correct one, therefore I also included pictures in case you think the brand I guessed is different than the actual brand. Their ratings factors in opinions of beauty professionals, online critics, and audience (which the show calls Better Girls). The first section shows the ratings from beauty professions and second section shows ratings from online critics and the audience. Now without further ado, to the ratings…


get it beauty blind test


These are the top 5 palettes for Get It Beauty's 2014 eyeshadow palette blind testing:

In first place: Nars ( $120 for 15 g)





The ratings from the 10 beauty experts are as follows:

It's chosen as 4th place by doctors (aka dermatologist)
3rd place by beauty editors
1st place by makeup artist

pros: variety of textures and colors
cons: lacks transportability


online critics and experts rates it as follows:

Online:3.5 stars
experts: 4 stars
better girls (audience): 3.5 stars

the host commented that it has something that everyone wants to try since it has 15 eyeshadows

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Second Place : Estee Lauder ($60 for 7.5g)




2nd by doctors
1st by beauty editors
2nd by makeup artist

pros: unique and trendy color
cons:might be hard for beginners

Online: 5 stars
experts: 1 stars
better girls (audience): 3.5 stars

Host comments: the spring collection from this brand has beige and pink color for bases, perfect for spring

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Third Place: MAC ($60 for 2 grams)


1st by doctors
5th by  beauty editors
4th by makeup artist

pros: shimmer is pretty and elegant
cons: the monotonous texture was disappointing

Online: 4.5 stars
experts: 3.5 stars
better girls (audience): 3.5 stars

Host comments: its nude colors are perfect for spring. It uses lots of minerals so it goes on smoothly without flaking

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Fourth Place: Bobbi Brown ($70 for 8.5g)




3rd by doctors
1st by beauty editor
5th by makeup artist

pros:variety of textures and usefulness
cons: colors can be dull

online 4 stars
experts 4 starts
better girls 3 stars

Host comments: colors make it great for daily use

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Fifth Place: Chanel (2g for $80)



5th by doctors
4th by beauty editors
3rd by makeup artist

pros: trendy colors
cons: doesn't apply well

online: 4 stars
experts: 3.5 stars
better girls (audience): 2.5 stars

Host comments: the more you apply the more saturated it becomes. It goes on smoothly but clumps if you apply more.  It does not flake a lot.

If you want to watch the show, here's the link to Dramacool

Thanks for reading :)

VanillaDreamCream

Please comment if you would like me to post more of the blind testing results from Get It Beauty. Also do you guys like the way I arranged the rankings. Is it too picture heavy? Any feedback iid appreciated.

yoo in na inside purple eye silhouette from get it beauty