Showing posts with label sunscreen. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sunscreen. Show all posts

Monday, July 19, 2010

Review: Skinfood Aloe Sun BB Cream

My dear lovelies!

As promised, an update & review on my new favorite Summer going-out staple!

For some reason, I feel like I'm always the last person to jump on the bandwagon...Double Rainbow, Keyboard cat, NYX cosmetics...and now, BB cream!

BB creams are quite popular in Korea and are meant to be the all-in-one makeup miracle product, many promising to be a base/primer, cover-up, foundation all-in-one with added benefits like anti-aging, hydration, UV protection etc. My last foray into BBcreams (Missha Perfect Cover) left me with cystic acne so I was a bit hesitant to jump back into things...

That being said, after carefully researching a few more varieties, I decided that I would give Skin Food a try. Skin Food is a skincare line available on sites such as Sasa.com - they don't carry this particular bb cream anymore, but Amazon.com currently sells it for around $19.95.

REVIEW

Skin Food Aloe Sun BB Cream (SPF 20 PA+)

On Packaging: Food Therapy - Special food for the skin to eat. Contains lots of nutritive and energetic ingredients such as fresh plants, fruits etc. to maintain our bodies healthy and lively.

Rich with aloe, which possesses excellent hydrating properties and soothing effect, this multi-functional skin care product (UV protecter and blemish correcter) provides moisture and nutrition to your skin while providing protection from UV rays.

The tube is a nice decent size - the size of a medium-sized tube of sunscreen (50g)

Skinfood aloe bbcream


The dispensing nozzle allows for hygenic application

Skinfood aloe bbcream tube


As true for most BB Creams, the color selection is extremely limited. This BB Cream comes in either #1 (fair) or #2 (medium). In the Summer time, I tend to get a bit darker but really, I would be a #2 regardless.

Skinfood aloe bbcream sample


I used a foundation brush to sweep the BB cream over my face. The product applies smoothly but requires a little blending. It smells FANTASTIC though - very fresh and clean. If you like Bath & Bodyworks Cucumber melon, you will like the smell of this BB cream. Although this BB Cream has built in sunscreen (SPF 20), I still use my regular sunscreen (Olay SPF 25) all over beforehand. The results with and without flash - I love the overall slightly dewy finish!

Skinfood aloe bbcream on

Skinfood aloe bbcream on flash
Wearing: NYC brow pencil on brows, MAC Blacktrack fluidliner, Darkness KMA 7 false lashes, Maybelline Eye Quad in Taupe Temptress in corners of eyes, Maybelline Moisture Extreme Lipstick in Peach Colada on lips, Skin Food Aloe Sun BB Cream on face

I did not see any of the greyish undertone of #2 that some reviews had mentioned.

Look of the day (LOTD) from this past weekend! Abercrombie stretchy tube dress & Jessica Simpson heart chain necklace. :)

LOTD 7-17

Overall

Pros

Pleasant fresh & clean smell which fades over time
Beautfiul, dewy finish
SPF 20
Not drying
Moderate oil control (my face was just slightly oily by the end of a day being exposed to 90 degree plus Texas heat!)
Coverage is medium - hid most of the redness in my cheeks
Long lasting
Smooth, even, application
Does not feel heavy on the skin
Did NOT break me out...so far. (Will update if anything changes)

Cons
Extremely limited colors
May be hard to find (Sasa.com no longer stocks), online availability
♥ May need to use spot coverage for larger blemishes


Rating: ♥♥♥♥ (5/5)

My beautiful friend, fellow blogger, co-worker, and Pharmgirl extraordinaire Liz suggested that I include whether or not products are tested on animals for future reviews. This is a great idea! I am happy to report that my previous review and one of my favorite new cosmetics lines, NYX, does NOT test on animals. I am not quite sure about this current BB cream since it was produced in a foreign country (Korea) but if I do find out, I will surely update!

Here's a little sneak peek into what is coming up next!

Sneak peak July August

Hope you all had a lovely weekend!

Saturday, May 1, 2010

Costco ♥ , Giveaway, and you are what you eat!

Hi Beauties!

Busy week for me, lots and lots and LOTS of work and overtime...gotta hustle in the real world sometimes so you can enjoy what you love! It seems like being away from blogger for a few days seems more like a few months, so much catching up to do! ;)

***

*~Things I've discovered in the past week~*


I absolutely LOVE COSTCO

So yes, buying in bulk isn't *always* the best if you're living in tight quarters, but it IS very economical. As the Bad Idea Bears from the musical production Avenue-Q say: "Buy in bulk - it's cheaper!"

According to the website, Costco operates in 9 different countries: USA, Canada, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Mexico, Australia, UK, and Puerto Rico (Technically US Territory) so it's International!

So why do I Costco so incredibly much???

Because COSTCO sells stuff like this.

Sunscreen

Each bottle alone is usually around $9-10USD. Each package was around ~$9.50 USD! I the spray on sunblock and it's all waterproof and has helioplex for broad spectrum UVA/UVB coverage, very good for the Summer!
You can also stock up on essentials like this:

Olay daily moisturizer

Again, only like $10 USD for 2 whole bottles! This is my staple daily sunblock!

And healthy stuff like this

Sunbursts

COSTCO sells really nice stuff - organic, fresh, quality products. It is also probably one of the more "high-end" wholesale retailers on the market. In NYC people were going nuts since Costco was selling discounted luxury brand name bags including CHANEL and Louis Vuitton!!!

Sometimes you can also find beauty steals from big name expensive retailers too!

So if you have a friend/family member who has a membership, hit them up sometime lol. Or just buy a membership...if you live on your own it really is worth it! :)

***

Speaking of healthy, read an article on Yahoo.com about foods that are known for being treated with tons of pesticides. It really got me thinking about why it might be worth it to invest in a few organic items!

The biggest offenders were Celery, Peaches, Strawberries, Apples, Blueberries, Nectarines, Bell Peppers, Potatoes, Spincah, Kale, Cherries, and Grapes!!!

Noooo...All fruits/veggies that I love! I usually make sure I SOAK all my produce for at least 15 minutes in a large bowl of water and give them a good scrubbing before consumption. However, I think I might consider buying organic celery, spinach, nectarines & cherries in the future.

Just some food for thought ~ really consider what you eat! Pesticides and toxins can build up over time in your body and lead to long-term effects such as nerve damage, cancer, and birth defects. In the end, it might be worth the extra investment to think about alternative options or organic produce!

***

I will be reviewing my Dolly Wink order once it comes in -- maybe it really isn't worth the hype, but I thought I'd give it a shot since it was on sale and I have been dying to try out some 'lower lash' falsies for the eyes! :)

***

ReallyPetite is having her first 100+ follower giveaway! Congrats!!! Please check out her giveaway here!


***

I know I have a bazillion+ things already and I just finished Spring Cleaning so it feels like I need to make room for MORE -- lol. J/K! I still have to work on tons of reviews for the upcoming month (my b-day month!!!) -- you will see them once my busy week is over! :)

I still really want to try this out, just found out you can purchase on AMAZON.COM too! Sasa.com is also offering 20% off on all Sexy girl products for the entire month of May!

Other things on my wishlist!
On my dream *wishlist*
  • Trip to Japan, Hong Kong, & Hawaii!
***

Sorry this post is so mega-random. :)

***

Welcome to new beauties Lara, Bella, Maria, Nino, Dang, Shobe, Pinta, Rhain, Nikki-san, Bec, Di, Grace, Suzanna, Belinda, Mary, Saimese, Shaim, Shumin, Chath, Heather, and Ik!

Have a great weekend!