facial Archives - Curiously Carmen

My Melody Face Mask

October 4, 2015

When Maki went to Taiwan and Hong Kong last month, she came back with an assortments of gifts and souvenirs for me! Thank you, Maki, if you’re reading this! I don’t buy many Asian beauty brands, but to my knowledge, I believe that they are a lot cheaper in Asia so it is a good time to stock up on them while you are there.

I received a bunch of facial masks from her, which I am slowly trying out.. as well as an liquid eyeliner that I really love! One of the facial masks that she got me was the My Melody face mask.

For those of you that don’t know, My Melody is one of the Sanrio characters. You can think of Sanrio as the Disney of Japan… their characters are very popular and everywhere in Asia! The most popular Sanrio character is probably Hello Kitty.

I grew up with a lot of Sanrio characters in my life, my favourite characters would have to be Hello Kitty, Keroppi, Little Twin Stars, My Melody… and the list goes on. I’m feeling so nostalic as I type this, I had Keroppi stickers all over my room and door when I was a kid!
This is what the packaging looks like – simple and minimalist, yet still very cute!
Although I took a Japanese beginners class three years ago, sadly I did not continue with it although I hope to be able to read fluent Japanese one day. That, or be able to travel to Japan and understand or get around!

With that said, clearly I can’t tell you what the ingredients are or what this mask claims to do. I’ll just leave it up here for you all to see and if you can translate the back, please leave a comment down below =D
I was very surprised when I took out the mask, and saw that it was an actual My Melody face! How cute is that?! Seriously, Japanese products are amazing and are so detailed. It also smelled like strawberries, which was an excellent delight.

At first, my skin reacted a bit with the mask as it stung a little, which went away in less than 30 seconds. I left it on my face for 15 minutes, and I thoroughly enjoyed the scent of strawberries the whole time. I am a big fan of strawberries, if you didn’t know 😛

I was a bit confused as to if this mask would fit my entire face, since it is more horizontal than vertical. It actually covered my whole face area, except for the tip of my nose because the nose flap was a bit too short for me.

Overall, I thought that this mask was very cute and I enjoyed using it. I really loved the packaging and design of this. The mask felt very moisturizing, although I wish I could read Japanese so I can tell what this mask targets.

Thanks for reading!

-Carmen

Bliss Fabulous Makeup Melt- Gel to Oil Cleanser

August 11, 2015

Once in awhile, you come across certain beauty products that you just can’t stop thinking about.

Enter Bliss’s Fabulous Makeup Melt!

We had a bit of a rocky start and I initially didn’t like it. However, after giving this product a second try and carefully reading the fine print on the packaging, I was blown away at the effectiveness of this cleanser.
As the package states, the Bliss fabulous makeup melt is a gel to oil cleanser. Initially, the cleanser comes out of the tube in a clear, gel form. As you massage this into your pores, the gel slowly turns slightly thicker and into an oil.

From wearing a full face of makeup, this cleanser easily melted away even my toughest foundation & primer regime (Hello, Urban Decay!). The result was moisturized, fresh, and soft skin that lasted until the next day.

In fact, while studying for my final, I was subconsciously touching my face and wondering why it was so soft that afternoon. Could it be the study gods, rewarding me for studying? It wasn’t until a few hours later when it hit me. The only difference in my skin care that day was introducing this amazing cleanser!
Initially, I had applied this cleanser on wet skin as I usually do. What resulted was a cleanser that did not bind and pull off my makeup, but instead smeared my eyeliner in a slightly horrific manner.

I’m really glad that I gave this product a second chance and that I read the instructions properly. Apply this on dry skin, everyone!

A disappointing start with a happy ending. I can definitely see myself incorporating this cleanser into my routine, especially if I have a full makeup face on.

This product effortlessly lifts my makeup off, revealing skin so soft I didn’t even recognize it as my own!

Thanks for reading!

-Carmen

Press product featured, all opinions are my own.

Amie New Bloom Cleansing Wipes

February 6, 2015

Hi everyone,

It feels as though I haven’t written a beauty post in so long! Truth be told, I’ve been quite busy this past month so I’ve just been using simple products that I’ve already mentioned previously. My skin was breaking out due to stress last month and I’ve recently rediscovered and reloved by Lush herbalism cleanser and it has seriously helped clear my skin so much.

Giveaway update: I have already drawn the winner for my Cetaphil skincare set giveaway, congrats to Naomi for winning! Take a look at my Instagram to see how the winner was determined.

Okay, now on to the actual review!

Amie had sent me these facial wipes, which came at a perfect time because I was just looking at trying out different cleansing wipes.

These come in a standard packaging, like the ones used for baby wipes. I like the size of the packaging, as it is compact and travel sized, I don’t think I would have a problem bringing these with me if I go on vacation (someone take me to Hawaii right now please, Vancouver is in the middle of a wind and rain storm right now).

The sheets are damp, and not bad to work with (eg. it is not super thin so that it tears). I decided to test these out while wearing full coverage makeup, I would say it removed around 70% of my foundation. I rarely wear foundation so this isn’t a problem for me.

With that said, they are not deep cleansing wipes but probably something you could use after washing your face to give it a “final” clean before moisturizing.

As always, Amie’s products are free from parabens, mineral oils, and animal extracts. These wipes include pomegranate, cranberry, and green tea extracts, which explains why they smell so wonderful.

These would be really great and convenient to use after a gym work out or hiking. Or, if you’re a person who is constantly on-the-go, these would be great to stash in your purse or car in between appointments and errands.

What are some of your favourite facial wipes? This is the first facial wipe I’ve owned so I’m open to trying new ones 🙂

Thanks for reading!

-Carmen

Press product featured, all opinions are my own.

Cetaphil DermaControl Review & Giveaway (Ended)

January 18, 2015

Hi everyone!

I am so excited to be holding my first giveaway! My blog is turning one soon (January 30th, to be exact) and I wanted to do something here to celebrate it. Perfect timing to do this giveaway, so thanks to Canadian Beauty Bloggers & Cetaphil for the opportunity! Cetaphil will always hold a special place in my heart as it was the first face cleanser I’ve used, so there was a bit of nostalgia while writing this post.

Please keep in mind this is my first giveaway, I am welcome to suggestions on how I can improve it.

Keep reading on this product and how to win!

The Cetaphil DermaControl line is specifically formulated for oily, combination or blemish-prone skin… right up my alley (unfortunately? haha!). The special ingredient in this is zinc, which apparently absorbs oil really well and provides a shine-free, matte finish. Let’s see how it does!

I was a bit hesitant as to how effective it would be, but as I mentioned before, I used to be a big fan of Cetaphil in my puberty days and knew that their products were always great. For the sake of this review, I went back to basics and used only these two products for a week, before mixing these products in with my other skincare favourites!

First up, was the oil control foam wash. The scent was slightly medicinal, and had a light and airy feel to it. I agree that it was very gentle and would be suitable for those with sensitive skin!

My skin did not feel dry after using this product, and felt moisturized! I felt like this was a good everyday wash if you don’t wear heavy foundation. Otherwise, I don’t think it will be enough to take off heavy face makeup.

After using the cleanser, I followed up with the oil control moisturizer. I liked how the moisturizer was lightweight and non-greasy. Just like the cleanser, the moisturizer did not have any fragrance or perfume to it. It smelled a bit like sunscreen due to the SPF 30, but wasn’t as thick as sunscreen.

I used this every morning for a week while going to work to establish a regular routine. I chose to do this when I was back in the office as I noticed that my skin tends to get oily around 1pm. If my skin was not very oily in the afternoon while I was work, I knew that the cleanser and moisturizer had done its job!

Cetaphil foam wash back — Back of the Cetaphil Derma Control foam cleanser!

For the first day I used this, my skin was amazingly not oily by the time 1 pm rolled around! I was quite surprised, as I had gotten used to having to blot my face but I didn’t have to. For the rest of the day, my skin did not get oily or shiny! But I thought maybe this was beginners luck… nope!

For the next week using this product, I am happy to say that it these two products did an amazing job at combating my oily skin. I love how these two products are very gentle and mess free to use! I’m not sure how well this product works for non oily/blemish prone skin, but I can say without doubt that this product will do a great job at making you oil and shine free for hours and hours!

Cetaphil moisturizer back — Back of the Cetaphil Derma Control Moisturizer!

Oh Cetaphil, how much I’ve missed you. Sometimes it’s great to go back to basics and your beauty roots. I’m glad that I did too. Thank you Canadian Beauty Bloggers and Cetaphil for giving me this opportunity! Click on their names to read more =)

How to enter:

Comment on this post below and let me know:
- The first skincare brand used
- And how old you were!
Go on Instagram (@curiouslycarmen) and like my giveaway photo, and comment with the first skincare brand used and at what age
You don’t have to do both, but it will increase your chance of winning!
This information is not used for marketing purposes, I’m just curious and want a fun/personable way to host this giveaway, as Cetaphil was the first brand I personally tried!

Giveaway fine print:

Prizes: One travel sized Cetaphil DermaControl Oil Control Foam Wash & One travel sized Cetaphil DermaControl Oil Control Moisturizer SPF 30 (Same as the two products I just wrote on!)
Open to Canadian residents only
Must be of legal age in your province or territory of residence
Winner will be contacted by e-mail and announced on February 1, 2015 (So be sure to leave a valid email when commenting. If entered through Instagram, I will contact you via private message!)
If you are the winner (yay!), you will need to provide me with your mailing address and phone number as well
Questions: Leave a comment or email me at [email protected] / leave me a message on Instagram

Thanks for reading and best of luck!

-Carmen

An InLinkz Link-up

Montagne Jeunesse Honey Manuka Peel-Off Mask (Part 3/3)

January 17, 2015

Hi guys!

My apologies that I haven’t written a post all week…I missed writing here so much (thank goodness for draft posts, bloggers will understand haha). This week has been hectic and I didn’t have any time or energy to write a coherent post.

I also have been working on my first ever giveaway (!!! Ahhh!) coming up soon, so be sure to check back on the details 😉

During the holiday break, I first introduced two Montagne Jeunesse masks on my blog, sent to me courtesy of Obssessed Canada. Today, I am finally going to talk about the last one of those masks that I received… turns out that I coincidentally saved the best one for last =P Well, in my opinion at least.. I liked this one the most out of all three, even though the other two were good as well.

These were the three I chose from Obsessed Canada, they have around twenty different Montage Jeunesse products that you can chose from on their website. I picked the top three that sounded appealing for my oily skin type. I had already written on the Blemish Mud (click here) and Mud Pac (click here), today I will talk about the Manuka Honey peel off mask!

I love using honey in my skincare routine! I used to quickly whip up my own honey & sugar masks when I felt my skin feeling yucky, or if I was at the boyfriend’s house and did not have any masks to use. With that said and my love for honey, let’s get the review started!

When I first opened the packet, I noticed how lovely the scent was! It was a mix of sweet honey and jasmine, very calming and soothing. The consistency and colour of this mask looked just like honey, which makes sense as it is made mainly with manuka honey.

Manuka honey is a type of honey reigning from New Zealand and Australia, and has been suggested to have antibacterial properties. It also contains aloe, chamomile, and caramel to name a few!

There were also a few non natural ingredients in this as well which isn’t worth mentioning because I don’t know how to spell lengthy chemical names by heart nor do I know what the purpose of each of those are.

Montagne Jeunesse Manuka Honey Peel Off Mask 4 — Picture taken from chantalscorner.blogspot.ca

As you can see, it looks just like honey! Applying it on my face was fairly easy, it did not drip everywhere.

However, I strongly recommend making sure all your hair is tied back because it’s sticky (due to the honey). Some of it got stuck in my hair and it took me some time to wash it out.

Comparing to the other two MJ masks used, the consistency of this one was a lot thinner and lighter. The pack, just like the previous two, had more than enough for one person so I highly recommend doing the mask with a friend or having a ziploc bag handy to keep the leftover pack in (preserves freshness and less messy). I asked the boyfriend to use the rest of the mask for me as I didn’t want to store it, and he agreed to try it =) Guys can do masks too okay!!!

peel_off_face_mask — It felt like I was peeling off my own skin! (Photo from eco-lina.com)

After fifteen minutes, both of our masks had completely hardened and I helped him peel his off first. Honestly, at first it was really weird because it looked like I was peeling his skin off.

I removed mine afterwards, and it was the first time I tried a peel off mask. I think it’s easier and cleaner than washing it off with water. As you’re peeling it off, it also feels good because your skin feels so tight when the mask is drying on your face!

The peel off mask was new to the both of us, but I actually really like the idea of it and will look into buying peel off masks (once I get past the idea it looks like I’m peeling off my own skin, haha!) It’s less messy, and one of my BIGGEST pet peeves are getting my sweater sleeves wet from washing my face… yes I could roll it up higher but I always forget until it’s too late.

Our skin felt really soft and smooth afterwards. Honey and aloe are known to be great for your skin, so it’s no wonder that our skin felt so great. The boyfriend even said my skin looked glowing and I’ve never heard him say that!

I’ve never been blessed with smooth, clear, and glowing skin so to hear that was very surprising… I guess it is a step forward (until my skin goes back to its usual self, but it’s all about preventative measures right =P)!

You can get this mask online at Obssessed Canada for $2, with free shipping over $25!

Stay tuned to hear about my first ever giveaway!

-Carmen

This product was sent to me by Obsessed Canada, and I was not paid to write the review. All thoughts and opinions are my own, and not altered by the requests of Obsessed Canada.