Author: The Beauty Wolf (Page 18 of 28)

Coco Park, mismiki nashoba

NATURAL COCOON SILK PEELING BALLS REVIEW

May 5, 2014 / The Beauty Wolf

I’ve tried some pretty ‘out there’ things on this journey of reviewing products for you guys. I’ve tried bird poop masks, snail slime & bee venom concoctions, donkey milk cream, the list goes on and on. Honestly, there’s not much I wouldn’t do in the name of discovering new cool things for you all to add to your beauty routine. When I came across the opportunity to review these cocoons, I jumped at the chance.

Natural Cocoon Peeling Silk Balls are the actual cocoons woven by silkworms. They are made of 100% silk with no other additives. But I’m getting ahead of myself here, first I should explain what these little guys even do. These are meant to cleanse and exfoliate your face. If your face is doing anything other than the “lolwut” look right now, kudos to you and you’re a better man than I am, because that’s exactly what mine was doing at first. I’m going to let the Memebox website (where I found these little guys) explain everything:

“Close in composition to skin proteins, Grand Plan’s Natural Cocoon Peeling Silk Balls are made with 100% natural silk and no added chemical ingredients. These luxuriously soft cocoons will gently exfoliate and hydrate your skin, removing impurities, dead cells, and makeup residue to reveal the all-natural, baby-smooth complexion underneath.

WHAT IT DOES

Exfoliate

Cleanse

Hydrate

Nourish

KEY INGREDIENTS

100% Natural Silk“

.
Makes sense now? Awesome. Now let’s get to how to use them:

“HOW TO USE
Soak peeling balls in lukewarm water for 3 minutes.
When moist and soft, place on fingertips through opening (if too small, cut slightly to widen).
Massage skin with fingertips in circular motion.

Any impurities on the cocoons are harmless and gained naturally through the production process. Simply wash them off with warm water. “

So after I followed the instructions and fit these little silk balls on my fingers, I got to work massaging my face. It didn’t feel weird or strange, but to be quite honest it wasn’t the most pleasant of smells emanating from the wet cocoons. However, it wasn’t all that bad, just real…uh, natural. With that being said these did give a gentle, effective manual exfoliation and my skin was left feeling extremely soft and smooth afterward. I’m not a huge proponent of manual exfoliators, but this one felt very soft while still being thorough enough to make a difference. I noticed after using these they picked up a lot of oil and dirt, as was evident on the formerly pristine white balls. Afterward they darkened and had schmutz on them as you can see below. It was surprising how much stuff these picked up as I had already washed my face beforehand.

These are quite the novel thing to use. Not exactly practical as you have to soak them, fit them on your fingers, and then dry them (you can reuse them a couple of times apparently). But, they do honestly work! And to those of you who worship all natural products, it doesn’t get any closer to nature than rubbing a moth’s bachelor pad on your face! If you’re into having odd new experiences and love nature, I suggest giving these a spin 🙂 Make it a theme night and eat the worm out of your tequila beforehand.
Nature Cocoon Silk Peeling Balls get a 4 out of 5 turtles (but a 5 out of 5 turtles for novelty and overall fun!).

Edited to add: These are no longer available on the Memebox site where I originally got them, but Wishtrend has them for even cheaper here ! At only $3.90 that’s a great deal considering you can reuse them. And you can get $5 off your first Wishtrend order by signing up for an account via my link here https://www.wishtrend.com:48598/?s=022463306 and entering code 022463306 upon sign up 😉

You can also find them on ebay here
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Organic-Natural-White-Silk-Cocoon-for-Cleanser-facial-Massage-Scrub-/261649847305?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&var=&hash=item3ceb8bd409

and here
http://www.ebay.com/itm/500-Silk-Natural-Cocoon-For-Face-Massage-Scrub-/331322547976?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4d245cdf08

CLIO LIPNICURE REVIEW

April 23, 2014 / The Beauty Wolf

When writing a lipstick review, there’s not a lot you can say that hasn’t been said a thousand times before, especially with a popular product. But sometimes a product is so great, you feel like it’s your duty to let the world know. That is certainly the case with Clio’s Lipnicure. If you’re not already familiar with the product, I’m sure you’re going “Lipnicure? What in the hell is a Lipnicure?”. Well, from what I gather, it’s a mashup of lip and manicure. Basically meaning, this lip product has so much staying power, it’s like a manicure for your lips. It’s a liquid lipstick with a matte finish, to call it long lasting doesn’t even really do it justice. Once this stuff sets, it ain’t goin’ nowhere. In fact, these Lipnicures are so stubborn, Clio actually sells a remover specifically for these little guys.

With the finish being matte, it’s best to make sure you have on a nice lip balm underneath. It’s not drying per se, but if your lips are already dry it’s certainly not going to help matters. In regards to the staying power, it is serious business. Once dry there is pretty much no transfer. If you’re doing hardcore making out or something there isn’t going to be any smudging, but you will have to watch out for it going powdery and flaking off. I wore this lipstick out to chocolate breakfast (yes, in my city it’s a thing) with a friend and by lunch it was still going strong. Eating with this on is not much of a problem *unless* you’re eating greasy or oily food. Grease and oil is this super product’s kryptonite. That makes a lot of sense considering waterproof makeup removers use oil to break them down and clean them off.

I’d like to point out that these pictures were taken two hours after my initial application. Aside from the amazing staying power, the thing that really knocks it out of the park are the gorgeous colours available in the line. Seriously, the colours are just amazing. I’m especially fond of shade #8 Guilty Pink, which is what I’m wearing above. It’s such a beautiful shade, I can’t even handle it. This has got to be my absolute favourite lippie currently. It’s available in 8 stunning colour selections (however I’ve heard from other bloggers that the lightest shades don’t perform near as well as the darker shades). They’re a bit on the pricey side if you’re used to paying lower end Korean brand prices but honestly they’re worth every penny. This product undoubtedly deserves 5 out of 5 long lasting brilliant turtles.

Available direct from the Clio USA website here
http://clubcliousa.com/lip/lip-tint/clio-virgin-kiss-lipnicure.html

From Urban Outfitters here
http://www.urbanoutfitters.com/urban/catalog/productdetail.jsp?id=32158149

Amazon here
http://www.amazon.com/Clio-Lipnicure-08-Guilty-Pink/dp/B00G42EZ40/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1433687134&sr=8-2&keywords=lipnicure+guilty+pink

And Ebay here
http://www.ebay.com/itm/CLIO-Virgin-Kiss-Lipnicure-4-7g-13-Colors-Long-Lasting-Lipstick-Lip-Tint-/371255668304?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&var=&hash=item56708fee50

SKINFOOD BLACK SUGAR CLEANSING OIL

April 23, 2014 / The Beauty Wolf

When I bring up oil cleansing as part of a two step cleansing process to people, more than half of the time they scrunch up their face at me and tell me that don’t have time for that. Some people are too obtuse to reason with, but those of us who are on the two step cleansing train already know how great it is. Stubborn waterproof makeup, sunblock, bb cream, mascara, all gone in a gentle instant. If you’re not already doing the two step cleansing routine, you should definitely be at least willing to give it a try. I’m almost positive you’ll never go back to doing things the old way! I’ve tried a variety of oil and sherbet cleansers, the most recent being Skinfood Black Sugar Cleansing Oil.

Let me start by telling you what I love about this particular oil cleanser, the pump. It has a long narrow hooked spout that perfectly dispenses what can sometimes be a messy product. Each time you depress the pump it gives you the perfect amount. The oil itself is, well, oily of course. I put it on my dry face and gently massage away my makeup. I find this works wonders on my insanely stubborn Tony Moly gel eyeliner and waterproof mascaras.

As effective as this cleansing oil is you might think you would have a hard time rinsing it clean. Absolutely not! It rinses clean with minimal effort. After you’ve used and rinsed away this oil cleanser, you follow up with your normal cream or foaming cleanser.

My sole complaint about this is the scent. Since it’s called Black Sugar one would assume it would smell, well, sugary. At the very least somewhere on the baked goods scale, but nope, this stuff smells like straight up PineSol. It has the most misleading name ever! It’s so lemony and antiseptic scented that as great as this stuff works, I find myself dreading using it. That being said, scent preference is so subjective, someone else might absolutely love the smell, this is just a personal opinion of mine. The product itself works great, the dispenser is great, the scent is it’s only negative.
Available on Ebay
http://www.ebay.com/itm/SKIN-FOOD-Black-sugar-Cleansing-Oil-170ml-Korea-cosmetic-/271249056008?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3f27b42108

Amazon with Prime shipping
http://www.amazon.com/Skinfood-Black-Sugar-Cleansing-Oil/dp/B005T5CARW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1433881255&sr=8-1&keywords=skinfood+black+sugar+cleansing+oil

Skinfood Black Sugar Cleansing Oil gets 4 out of 5 clean little turtles.

BENTON SNAIL BEE HIGH CONTENT SKIN TONER REVIEW

April 17, 2014 / The Beauty Wolf

I’ve been sitting on this review for awhile. As soon as this product was released I started to receive the inevitable questions about which Benton product choice reigns supreme for me. But before I get to that, let me start with a brief introduction of this little wonder.

Snail Bee High Content Skin joins the Benton family, taking it’s place alongside BHA Aloe on the toner throne. As is the hallmark of Benton products this is chock full of natural, highly skin beneficial ingredients.

Let’s have a look at them:

Snail Secretion Filtrate, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Water, Glycerin, Niacinamide, Human Ogliopeptide-1, Bee Venom, Diospyros Kaki Leaf Extract, Salix Alba (Willow) Bark Extract, Plantago Asiatica Extract, Laminaria Digitata Extract, Ulmus Campetris (Elm) Extract, Zanthoxylum Piperitum Fruit Extract, Pulsatilla Koreana Extract, Usnea Barbata (Lichen) Extract, Athaea Rosea Root Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Betaine, Bacillus Ferment, Panthenol, Beta-Glucan, Allantoin, Azelaic Acid, Adenosine

As you can see it’s pretty much a dream, full of great natural ingredients with no fillers (I expect nothing less from them honestly). If you’re wondering exactly who this is aimed at, as I’ve said with their other products I’d say pretty much anyone and everyone. Dry skin, oily skin, normal skin, this could potentially do well for just about everyone. Who I think would really see the most benefits would be someone with sensitive skin, especially those dealing with superficial redness. With the inclusion of the snail secretion and the green tea water, it’s a pretty powerful little calming potion.

The texture is just ever so slightly thicker and more viscose and water. It’s absolutely not sticky, it’s actually quite the opposite. It’s very refreshing. After using this product for a few months I can say it’s a soothing, calming, concoction that made my skin brighter, calmer, and clearer.

Now, on to what everyone has been asking me. I kept hemming and hawing over where I was going to land on the ‘there can only be one, make your choice’ side. Since there’s now two toners, and I loved the last one so much, I had to pit these two high performing gems against each other and let them fight it out. So, which do I prefer between the Aloe BHA toner and Snail Bee High Content Skin toner? I’m going to have to go with the High Content Skin on this one. Not that I don’t still absolutely love the Aloe, mind you. I just think for me personally, the benefits of the High Content edge out the competition. It was a close call though, they’re both excellent products. However, I do find that the BHA Aloe toner is more moisturizing compared to this one. If that’s the most important thing for you, you still might prefer to stick with the Aloe. Also of note, some people have found that they have a sensitivity to the inclusion of Alcea Rosea extract (commonly known as hollyhock), an ingredient in the Aloe toner. There’s some good news for those people because the High Content Skin does not contain that ingredient. So if you wanted to love the Benton toner in the past and didn’t, I would strongly suggest you give this one a try! For me, this is perfection in a bottle. Keeping in line with the insane love and devotion I have to Benton products this deserves higher than my highest rating. 5 out of 5 turtles plus an extra turtle for being so damn awesome.

Available on Amazon here
http://www.amazon.com/Benton-Snail-High-Content-Toner/dp/B00KYFZVWS/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1433884614&sr=8-2&keywords=BENTON+SNAIL+BEE+HIGH+CONTENT+SKIN+TONER

and ebay here
http://www.ebay.com/itm/BENTON-Snail-Bee-High-Content-Skin-150ml-Natural-ingredients-Mild-toner-/111258855038?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item19e78b667e

BENTON SNAIL BEE HIGH CONTENT LOTION REVIEW

April 16, 2014 / The Beauty Wolf

I had the highest hopes for this product. I don’t think I’ve ever put so much effort into getting a product to work for me. Let’s just jump right into this and have a look at the ingredients:

Snail Secretion Filtrate, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Cetyl Ethyl Hexanoate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Niacinamide, Zanthoxylum Piperitum Fruit Extract, Pulsatilla Koreana Extract, Usnea Barbata (Lichen) Extract, Cetearyl Olivate, Sorbitan Olivate, Squalane, Urea, Human Ogliopeptide-1, Bee Venom, Argania Spinosa (Argan) Kernel Oil, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Carthamus Tinctorius (Safflower) Seed Oil, Pentylene Glycol, Glyceryl Stearate, Stearic Acid, Cetostearyl Alcohol, Xanthan Gum, Tocopheryl Acetate, Bacillus Ferment, Azealic Acid, Alcea Rosea Root Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Panthenol, Beta-Glucan, Diospyros Kaki Leaf Extract, Salix Alba (Willow) Bark Extract, Plantago Asiatica Extract, Laminaria Digitata Extract, Ulmus Campestris (Elm) Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Adenosine“Nooooooooo!” Was my first thought when I got a look at the ingredients list. While this is packed full of great natural ingredients, there’s also some decidedly unnatural, potentially triggering ingredients as well. I’m going to link you to my girl Skin & Tonic’s review for an in depth breakdown of the ingredients (because no one does it better lbr).

The lotion has a light consistency and is odorless, I think that’s about the only thing people can agree on about this product. The reviews have been all over the place for this stuff. Some of my friends absolutely love it. Some people think it’s a mess. I think I’m somewhere in-between. When I first started using it, I found that it didn’t melt instantly into my skin the way other Benton products do. It tended to kind of sit on the face the way a physical sunblock does. I still wasn’t ready to give up on it because I actually liked the way my skin felt with it after it had finally sunk in. Soon after starting the trial I also added another product to my mix, Paula’s Choice BHA 2% liquid exfoliant . Once I had been using that for about a week I noticed the Benton lotion’s absorption improved dramatically. Despite the improvement I still wasn’t 100% satisfied, I kept toying with my routine and I found that adding some generous drops of my essential oil du jour with each pump of lotion(either passion fruit oil, baobab oil, or argan oil) made everything just right for me. This can be used either on it’s own, or as an emulsion step before your cream. I have an oiler skinned friend who found the steam cream to be too heavy for her and loves this lotion on it’s own as the last step in her routine. On the other hand I know someone who found this to be heavier than the steam cream and didn’t like it at all. Like I said, the reviews are all over the place on this one. Personally I use it as an emulsion before my cream, and it really works for me once I tweaked it just right. I’ve also had no break outs and no irritation. However, as much as I love Benton and their products, I do hold them to a higher standard and I can’t give this the full 5 out of 5 turtles.
It’s available on amazon here
http://www.amazon.com/Benton-Snail-High-Content-Lotion/dp/B00ISV7CN6/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1433881740&sr=8-3&keywords=BENTON+SNAIL+BEE+HIGH+CONTENT+LOTION

and ebay here
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Benton-Snail-Bee-High-Content-Lotion-/191039867044?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2c7add08a4

It does work nicely for me but the inclusion of the potential no-no ingredients and the slow absorption earns 3.5 out of 5 turtles.

NATURAL COCOON SILK PEELING BALLS REVIEW

CLIO LIPNICURE REVIEW

SKINFOOD BLACK SUGAR CLEANSING OIL

BENTON SNAIL BEE HIGH CONTENT SKIN TONER REVIEW

BENTON SNAIL BEE HIGH CONTENT LOTION REVIEW

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