Clinique Pore Refining Solutions Correcting Serum Review

Clinique Pore Refining Solutions Correcting Serum 
Claims:  "reduces the visible appearance of pores by 58 per cent... Supports cell maturation, balances oil production and keeps skin smooth with gentle desquamation."
RRP: AUD68
Packaging: 5 out of 5
Review:  I've been suffering from several skin problems lately. Cystic acne, blackheads, you name it! When my housemate, Ann-Marie, gave me a 10% off Myer card, I jumped at the chance to get this product. I really wanted to deal with my blackheads and large pores the proper way once and for all.

Let's start with the positives, shall we? I really like that the product comes with a pump so that you can dispense the serum in a hygienic way, hence full marks for packaging. In terms of price, I believe it is fairly reasonable given it contains 30ml of serum.

If you only have small areas of enlarged pores, half a pump is plenty. The texture is thick, like a lotion. I applied this to my nose (the problem area) religiously, day and night for nearly a month. Unfortunately, I did not notice any difference. I definitely was not expecting any mind-blowing changes but I expected at least some. But nada, zilch. The lady at the Clinique had said that this product would help unclog my pores and make them look smaller. I would use my Clarisonic and a clay mask (a GlamGlow one to be more precise) to clear out my pores first before applying this product.

I wanted to boost its efficacy but it did nothing at all. I know this because every morning and every night, I check my pores and fresh blackheads take the place of the ones I removed. I occasionally inspected my nose with a magnifying mirror to make sure that my eyes were not playing tricks on me. My pores still look as large as ever.

I'm disappointed and I will not be repurchasing this product.

Do you know of any good pore minimising products? Please do share! 

Wicked Wednesday: Battle of the Hand Creams

Spring may be only three weeks away but this does not mean that the weather stops being cold and drying. I still find myself reaching for my tube of hand cream as many times as I normally do in a day during mid-winter. If you haven't been using hand cream, it's never too late to invest in one. You will need it a lot if you work in an environment where the air-conditioning/heater is drying or if it involves you washing your hands countless times in a day. I've put together a list of hand creams that I have tried; they are arranged from my least favourite to the most.

Clarins Hand and Nail Treatment Cream

Claims: Soften hands; minimises age spots; and strengthens nails

Retail: AUD$40 for 100mL

Packaging: 4 out of 5

Review: I was given a 50mL tube of this product by a friend. I was really keen to try it out until I opened up the tube. It had a strong fragrance that is typcial of body/hand creams and it made me sneeze. I am not a fan of products with artificial (added) fragrances because they either irritate my nose or gives me headaches. That aside, I think this hand cream keeps my hands from drying up for half the day before I have to reapply. I do have spots/pigments on my hands but I don't think I've used this cream consistently enough to see any improvements. The cream is smooth and easy to spread but it takes a while to absorb into the skin.

Clinique Deep Comfort Hand and Cuticle Cream

Claims: 12-hour hydration; strengthens moisture barrier against environmental stressors; and conditions cuticles and nails.

Retail: AUD$32 for 75mL 

Packaging: 3.5 out of 5 

Review: I got the sample version of this hand cream as a gift from another friend (people seem to love giving me hand creams, don't they?). What I really liked about this hand cream was that it's fragrance-free, plus it's allergy-tested. I found that it makes my hands smooth and soft immediately after application, which I really liked. The downside of this product is that I found myself reapplying it every couple of hours. Perhaps it was because it was a particularly dry and cold winter. So for me, the "staying power" was poor. Other than that, I was happy with it.

Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula Hand Cream SPF 15

Claims: Contains all the goodness of the original cocoa butter formula for your hands with sun protection.

Retail: AUD$4.20 for 60g

Packaging: 4.5 out of 5 

Review: I'm using this hand cream currently. What I really like about it is that it contains SPF. We often neglect our hands when it comes to protecting them from the deadly UV rays of the sun. The hands often age the fastest, apart from our faces and necks because they are exposed most of the time. It has a scent (which I believe originates from the cocoa butter) but it isn't foul, just tolerable. The cream is thick and harder to spread but I think you need no use as much per application compared to other hand creams. Because it is so "solid", it feels like it takes a while to absorb into the skin. I apply this very early in the morning before I head out the door and it lasts me till the evening.

L'Occitane Shea Butter Hand Cream

Claims: Helps heal and protect dry or dehydrated skin; anti-oxidizing vitamin E helps nourish hands.

Retail: AUD$12 / AUD$39  for 30mL / 150mL

Packaging: 4.5 out of 5

Review: I love this little tube of heaven! I've only tried it a few times (whenever my mum lends hers to me) but I just know that it's the perfect hand cream for me. It has a lovely subtle scent and the perfect consistency: not too thick and not too fluid. All you need is a very tiny amount and it moisturizes your hands immediately and effectively. My skin feels smooth and amazing, like it has just returned from a day spa! It also lasts most of the day. I'm hoping to get my hands on one of these once I empty my Palmer's hand cream! 

I hope this post has given you an idea on what to look out for if you're shopping for a hand cream. If you already have/use hand creams, what's your favourite? Do share by commenting below.

Triple S: Photoshoot

I did this photoshoot at the start of the year to enter a photo competition. Just thought I'd share with you guys a couple of photos and the products I used to achieve the look.

For my face, I used:
- Bobbi Brown Natural Finish Foundation in Warm Beige
- Bobbi Brown Concealer in Warm Beige
- Bobbi Brown Sheer Finish Powder in Soft Sand
- Brown Brown Illuminating Bronzer in Aruba
- Bobbi Brown Blush in Nude Peach

Okay, so that soundsed like a lot of Bobbi Brown products. Allow me to rephrase: "For my face, the Bobbi Brown Makeup Artist used". Yes, so for my base, I did a 20 minute Secret To Perfect Skin lesson since that is the only way I could pull off a flawless face for the camera.

Moving on, for the eyes, I used:
- Urban Decay Naked Palette eyeshadows in Virgin, Sin and Toasted
- Bobbi Brown Eyeshadow in Matte Black as eyeliner
- Clinique High Impact Mascara
- MAC False Eyelashes in #33

Lastly, for my lips, I used Bobbi Brown Lip Gloss in Nougat (which went perfectly with the Nude Peach blush).

I would like to thank my wonderful photographer, RLD Photos.

Triple S: Travel Makeup Bag

As promised, this is a post on my "travel makeup bag". I was away for the last weeks, because with a winter course in a different campus (one in a different town). So the makeup that I brought with me, was technically travelling.

Here's what I took with me:
1. My trusty Bobbi Brown Day to Night Cool Eye Palette
2. Natio Extreme Volume Smudge Proof Mascara
3. A compact mirror
4. Eyelash curler
5. Clinique Superbalm Moisturizing Gloss in 10 Grapefruit
6. Mini nail clippers
7. A pair of tweezers
8. A nail file

The Bobbi Brown palette is perfect for travelling. From left to right is Ivory (matte), Flint (matte), Charcoal (matte), Petal (Shimmer wash), Rockstar (Metallic) and Gunmetal (Shimmer wash). You can easily create a day time look with Ivory, Flint and Petal. Rockstar and Gunmental are great for a smokey grey eye look, perfect for night outs. Most importantly, I use Charcoal religiously as my eyeliner. I simply wet the eyeliner end of the brush provided and dip it into Charcoal. So I simply could not have gone on this trip without this palette.

So far I'm not impressed with the Natio mascara. I'm still trying it out. The only perk to this mascara (that I can say for now) is that it doesn't smudge and leave me with panda eyes. I really like my Clinique lipgloss. It doesn't dry out my lips and it gives a touch of colour. I clip my nails once a week because I can't stand them long. So they are a staple in my makeup bag. Tweezers and a nail file were also staples for me. I had to keep my brow hairs in check and blunt my freshly cut nails down.

What do you have in your travel makeup bag?