Macy’s Beauty department is having 15% off with promo code FRIEND* , but you can get an additional 15% cash back with e-bates* , maximizing your savings to a 30% total discount. Skip to the next paragraph if you’re an e-bates fanatic. But if you’re new to e-bates, signing up with this link* will give you an extra $10 cash back after your first purchase. The best thing about e-bates is that it stacks with your sales, so it’s not a promo code where you have to choose. I only recently learned how it worked – almost every time you shop whether you get redirected from an ad or google the store pays a commission to the place that referred you. With e-bates they split the commission with you and sometimes when it’s a big rebate like this you get more cash back than you would get commission as an affiliate. The only downside is that you only get your cash back quarterly so you have to be careful to budget and not overspend.
While shopping for deals I also stumbled on this gem: 2-piece Sunday Riley CEO gift* with an $85 Sunday Riley purchase. I couldn’t quite get it to work, I thought it would be a great opportunity to try Sunday Riley Good Genes* ($105 retail, $89.25 with FRIEND, -$13.39 cash back with e-bates) which everyone raves about but I couldn’t get the gift to add to my cart. It was just too much of a hassle for me but if you’ve been dying to try Good Genes (I just got a Paula’s Choice AHA which I enjoy a lot and was less than half the price) this is a good chance for you.
As you all know, sun care is the best thing you can do for your skin so when Sephora’s 2018 Sun Safety Kit was released I was stoked to get a chance to review all 16 products in the line. Unfortunately they were sold out by the time I received my order, but you can still get it on e-bay*.
TBH I’m a little disappointed by how small some of these samples were! Following the guidelines of using 1/4 teaspoon per application (1.25 mL) some of these are only good for about 6 days of use. Quick note about the reviews: skincare is very individual so if an ingredient is getting conflicting responses this is why (for example: silicones like dimehticone are an effective occlusive that is used in many high end moisturizers but it’s also an acne trigger for many).
Part 1 covers the SPF 30 and below Chemical Sunscreens in the kit. Reviews are listed from lowest SPF to highest SPF and from most watery to most creamy. Please check out the recommended reading / watching list at the bottom of the post to learn more about the differences and safety of physical vs chemical sunscreen.
First impressions: Untinted, chemical sunscreen. It’s not as “silky” as some other primers I’ve used but it’s probably because it doesn’t contain as many silicones as other primers. In exchange it has a creamy texture that’s easily absorbed into the skin, and contains a bunch of moisturizing ingredients. It looks like micrococcus lysate is a more recent addition to this formulation, and it’s allegedly reverses UV damage.
Worst: SPF 20 isn’t enough for sun protection on its own, contains silicone (common acne trigger), ferments probably not safe for fungal acne, squalane is HG for some but acne trigger for others
First impressions: Sprays are one of the easiest ways to refresh SPF over makeup. This is a light-as-water application and while it does smell like alcohol on first spritz but it fades to a floral scent. I would use this on makeup days but not on its own, since usually sprays and powders don’t give even enough coverage. The ingredient list is pretty short so this is a pretty straightforward product.
Best: Very light and easy to apply. Feels like water and dries a little slow but you don’t have to rub it in. Minimalistic ingredient list.
Worst: Sprays not suitable for use on their own, takes a little bit of time to absorb. Squalane is Hg for many but acne-trigger for some.
0.17 oz/5 mL Murad Invisiblur™ Perfecting Shield SPF 30 PA+++ – $65 at Murad.com*
First impressions: Untinted, clear chemical sunscreen. This feels so silky on application. It’s not advertised as a primer but it would probably be a good one. I like that it’s PA+++, a lot of western sunscreens don’t list the UVA protection. It has a minty, floral scent that’s not overpowering.
Best: It feels nice on the skin and it applies very sheer and dries completely matte. The product is clear and lives up to its claims of being invisible. High silicone content is known to have a nice texture and fill in the appearance of wrinkles.
Worst: Retinyl palmitate may be photo-sensitizing and may degrade in sunlight (conflicting evidence, but I would still avoid it in a sunscreen), lots of silicones which may be an acne trigger, contains alcohol, not fragrance-free
0.25 oz/7 mL philosophy Ultimate Miracle Worker Multi-Rejuvenating Cream SPF 30 – $28 at philosophy.com
First impressions: Has a light, creamy texture and smells fragrance free. It absorbs quickly and matte.
Best: This product feels moisturizing and contains a lot of antiaging ingredients (bifida ferment lysate, retinol).
Worst: Formation contains both octinoxate and avobenzone stabilized with octocrylene, which may mean that the avobenzone could degrade faster than in other formulations.It also contains alpha-hydroxy acids which are moisturizing but make you more sensitive to the sun. Retinol, while it may be anti-aging, can also make you more photosensitive.
0.5 oz/15 mL Peter Thomas Roth Max Sheer All Day Moisture Defense Lotion SPF 30 – $42 at peterthomasroth.com*
First impressions: Thick an creamy but absorbs into the skin surprisingly quickly. It has a very light stereotypical sunscreen scent. I think this is my favorite one in the list and I would recommend for dry, sensitive skin.
Best: Fragrance free and feels very moisturizing and has a lot of moisturizing ingredients – (allantoin, aloe, butylene glycol, capryllic/capric triglyceride, ceramide 3, cetyl alcohol, dimethicone, glyceryl stearate, phospholipids, propylene glycol) and vitamins (ascorbyl palmitate vitamin C derivative, panthenol vitamin B5, retinyl palmitate vitamin A, tocopheryl acetate vitamin E). This product also has a relatively short ingredients list but there’s plenty of good ingredients.
Worst: Contains both octinoxate and avobenzone stabilized with octocrylene. Retinyl palmitate may be photo-sensitizing and may degrade in sunlight (conflicting evidence, but I would still avoid it in a sunscreen), contains silicones which may be an acne trigger
-Bonus- 0.25 oz/7.5 mL First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Tinted Moisturizer SPF 30 – $28 on FAB.com
First impressions: Thick an creamy, has light, natural coverage but absorbs less quickly than the PTR Max Sheer. It’s fragrance free and FAB is the only brand one of my sensitive family members can use.
Best: Tint looks natural on the skin, and contains a lot of moisturizing ingredients (silicones, moisturizing alcohols, vitamin e, glycerin, butylene glycol, colloidal oatmeal, sodium hyaluronate, allantoin) and Licorice Root extract which may help even skintone.
Worst: Contains both octinoxate and avobenzene stabilized with octocrylene. Contains silicones. Citrus oils may be photosensitizing.
Dr. Dray‘s (my favorite dermatologist v-logger) full explanation of why you should sunscreen daily and the difference between chemical vs mineral sunscreens.
Data repeated from previous reviews will be in Italics. This is the first mask in the series I’ve encountered that doesn’t contain drying alcohols.
The 0.2 mm refers to the mask thickness. The mask fit is hands down the best thing about this mask, but the thinness might explain the feelings of dryness once the time is up. Or maybe it’s the alcohol.
I have to admit even though there are more irritating ingredients it’s just more comfortable on the face than my other recommended budget sheet mask line Dermal Korea Collagen Essence Mask Sheet.
Across most of the line alcohol is going to be high on the ingredients list and the mask fit is going to be the same. I tend to have a longer forehead for most masks but this one fits me well, the eye holes are a little closer together than most masks.
First Impressions:
This mask has a thin, milky serum that absorbs very quickly and leaves the skin feeling moisturized when it’s dry. The mask has a light herbal scent common to the other masks. This is my favorite mask so far.
Like with others in the series, the mask starts off moist and then the cooling sensation sets in (probably from the eucalyptus).
What? CosDNA, caprylic/capric triglyceride isn’t a fragrance. Paula’s Choice sums it up very well “Caprylic/capric triglyceride can also function as a thickener, but its chief job is to moisturize and replenish skin.”
But on to the main ingredient, snail! Snail is a cult favorite Korean skincare ingredient that’s commonly recommended for acne-prone skin. A quick search found more studies about the texture and fine line-reduction benefits of snail which is in line with the mask’s flavor text.
Gotta have it now? Cosmetic-love is running a promotion: get the 15-mask set for $8.06 excluding shipping* after an extra 5% off with promocode NEWSETSHOP05. Or get a combo pack for ~$1.00 each on Amazon* usually masksheets.com has good prices but for some reason they carry individual masks in this line above MSRP.
Sources
Liu, Lucy. “Snails and Skin Care-An Uncovered Combination.” JAMA Dermatology, American Medical Association, 1 July 2017, jamanetwork.com/journals/jamadermatology/article-abstract/2642949?redirect.
Fabi, S G, et al. “The Effects of Filtrate of the Secretion of the Cryptomphalus Aspersa on Photoaged Skin.” Journal of Drugs in Dermatology : JDD., U.S. National Library of Medicine, Apr. 2013, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23652894.
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links denoted by *.
Data repeated from previous reviews will be in Italics. I’ve been using minimal other skincare while doing these reviews to see if the high alcohol content actually made a difference to my face. Mornings are foam cleanse, moisturizer, sunscreen and evenings are double cleanse, 0.2mm Therapy Air and moisturizer. I just passed out last night with evening skincare at all so maybe that contributed to it but… I thought I was pilling on my nose yesterday but this morning it was noticeable that it was peeling instead (probably from dryness). I think my skin is slowly approaching dehydration again but I’ll continue to ruin my face for science. It also makes me wonder if the humectants in the strawberry mask just weren’t enough to offset the alcohol.
The 0.2 mm refers to the mask thickness. The mask fit is hands down the best thing about this mask, but the thinness might explain the feelings of dryness once the time is up. Or maybe it’s the alcohol.
I have to admit even though there are more irritating ingredients it’s just more comfortable on the face than my other recommended budget sheet mask line Dermal Korea Collagen Essence Mask Sheet.
Across most of the line alcohol is going to be high on the ingredients list and the mask fit is going to be the same. I tend to have a longer forehead for most masks but this one fits me well, the eye holes are a little closer together than most masks.
First Impressions:
This mask has a runny, clear watery serum that absorbs very quickly and not tacky. It seemed to be thinner than the strawberry serum. The mask smells like alcohol mild herbal notes.
Like with others in the series, the mask starts off moist and then the cooling sensation sets in (probably from the eucalyptus). This mask has a very similar ingredients list to the strawberry mask.
Like the strawberry mask, the pearl mask contains beneficial skin ingredients Niacinamide, Hydroxyethyl Urea, and Allantoin . The Niacinamide imparts brightening and anti-acne effects while the Urea and Allantoin are both additional humectants. Check out the Strawberry Air Therapy mask review for more information and references.
Not going to lie, I wasn’t expecting to find any evidence that pearl extract is beneficial to the skin. It turns out I’m only partially wrong. Pearl extract has been shown to promote collagen III, wound healing, and support the extracellular matrix, but take it with a grain of salt. Even though the study has no conflicts of interest the experiments weren’t performed on humans. It’s better than no evidence at all though.
Gotta have it now? Cosmetic-love is running a promotion: get the 15-mask set for $8.06 excluding shipping* after an extra 5% off with promocode NEWSETSHOP05. Or get a combo pack for ~$1.00 each on Amazon* usually masksheets.com has good prices but for some reason they carry individual masks in this line above MSRP.
Sources
Li, Yi-Chen, et al. “Pearl Extract Enhances the Migratory Ability of Fibroblasts in a Wound Healing Model.” Pharmaceutical Biology, vol. 51, no. 3, 2012, pp. 289–297., doi:10.3109/13880209.2012.721130.
Dai, Jian-Ping, et al. “Effects of Pearl Powder Extract and Its Fractions on Fibroblast Function Relevant to Wound Repair.” Taylor&Francis Online, Pharmaceutical Biology, 23 May 2008, http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.3109/13880200903046211.
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links denoted by *.
My favorite thing about e-bates is that it stacks with other deals, in this case you’d only be getting back $1.66 but it really ads up (unintentional typo pun)!
New to e-bates? Get an additional $10 cash back for your first purchase.
The bad thing is you only get your cash back quarterly. This is my first ever Paula’s Choice so I’m pretty excited but I also can’t tell if this is a historically good deal. Have you gotten it for less? share your experiences in the comments.
Just looking at the ingredients I wouldn’t recommend if you have a sensitivity to glycols. It has some nice anti-aging and moisturizing ingredients too.
I needed a new BHA. The only one I’ve tried is COSRX BHA Blackhead Power Liquid, despite mediocre reviews COSRX is a very popular, affordable Korean beauty brand. I purchased off Amazon and I still wonder if I received an authentic product. The packaging is so simple that it would be very easy to counterfeit, and it didn’t have any smell despite other reviews saying that they dislike the scent (if I’m nose-blind I’m still in denial). When I’m good with my skincare routine I use a BHA 3x a week, and the COSRX BHA Blackhead Power Liquid was making my nose peel so that means it’s working right? Unfortunately I wasn’t getting visible results.
I stumbled on fanserviced-b’s blog post about BHAs and I thought I’d give it a shot. Lucky for me Paula’s Choice is running a promo so I thought I’d share. I have what some people call a “strawberry nose” haha. Once it’s in I’ll take some before and after photos using it on its own and with fiddysnail’s pore method.
Data repeated from previous reviews will be in Italics. Today I realized that the 0.2 mm refers to the mask thickness. The mask fit is hands down the best thing about this mask, but the thinness might explain the feelings of dryness once the time is up. Or maybe it’s the alcohol. I have to admit even though there are more irritating ingredients it’s just more comfortable on the face than my other recommended budget sheet mask line Dermal Korea Collagen Essence Mask Sheet.
Across most of the line alcohol is going to be high on the ingredients list and the mask fit is going to be the same. I tend to have a longer forehead for most masks but this one fits me well, the eye holes are a little closer together than most masks.
First Impressions:
This mask has a runny, clear gel serum that absorbs very quickly and not tacky. My first impression of the smell was “strawberry daiquiri” IMO it would be pleasant if the scent were not very faint. There is still a lingering medicinal / eucalyptus scent.
Like with others in the series, the mask starts off moist and then the cooling sensation sets in (probably from the eucalyptus). This mask seemed to retain moisture better than the Camellia mask reviewed yesterday, I think it’s because it has more humectants.
The additional Niacinamide, Hydroxyethyl Urea, and Allantoin sets this mask apart from the series so far. The Niacinamide imparts brightening and anti-acne effects while the Urea and Allantoin are both additional humectants.
Niacinamide (vitamin B3) has been shown to have a slew of skin benefits including anti-acne, dark spots, and anti-aging. It’s a very common ingredient in skincare because of all the benefits, but I see a lot of people in skincare groups who can’t use it at all so spot test with another niacinamide product if you suspect you may have this issue.
Urea is a humectant and apparently hydroxyethyl urea is a moisturizing ingredient commonly used in oil-free moisturizers.
Allantoin is another common skincare ingredient that is “listed in the FDA over-the-counter monograph as a safe and effective skin protectant.”
Gotta have it now? Get them for ~$1.60 each on Amazon* usually masksheets.com has good prices but for some reason couldn’t find that in stock there today.
Sources
Bissett, Donald L., et al. “Niacinamide: A B Vitamin That Improves Aging Facial Skin Appearance.” Dermatologic Surgery, vol. 31, 2006, pp. 860–866., doi:10.1111/j.1524-4725.2005.31732.
Shalita, A R, et al. “Topical Nicotinamide Compared with Clindamycin Gel in the Treatment of Inflammatory Acne Vulgaris.” International Journal of Dermatology., U.S. National Library of Medicine, June 1995, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7657446.
TANG, W., and B. BHUSHAN. “Friction, Adhesion and Durability and Influence of Humidity on Adhesion and Surface Charging of Skin and Various Skin Creams Using Atomic Force Microscopy.” Journal of Microscopy, Wiley/Blackwell (10.1111), 19 Jan. 2010, onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1365-2818.2009.03362.x.
Thornfeldt, Carl. “Cosmeceuticals Containing Herbs: Fact, Fiction, and Future.”Dermatologic Surgery, Wiley/Blackwell (10.1111), 21 Mar. 2006, onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1524-4725.2005.31734.
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links denoted by *.
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Mermaid Magic Beauty and Skincare 