Review: Caudalie Beauty Elixir

There is something about reading about beauty products that are promoted in a non-hard sell way that makes me want to try them even more. Especially when the products are listed on websites I absolutely love visiting.

This Caudalie Beauty Elixir boasts smoothing properties while providing you with a glowing complexion. As much as I would love to love this product, I don't. Maybe I just haven't been using this often enough (more on why I don't later) or maybe my skin isn't as bad as I think it is to be seeing a significant improvement on my complexion.

What prompted me to purchase this product in the first place was this Caudalie x wine article. This beauty elixir does not have any wine in it at all (although it does contain alcohol which can be pretty irritating) but the brief mention of this product got me all excited. I am so easily amused! On Sephora.com itself, they've even list all the bad stuff that this beauty elixir is formulated without:

- Parabens
- Sulfates
- Synthetic Fragrances
- Synthetic Dyes
- Petro-Chemicals
- Phthalates
- GMOs
- Triclosan

Just looking at this list made me feel like I would be providing my skin with so much goodness! The name "beauty elixir" does more good than harm in instilling ideas in your head as well.

According to the glass bottle, this beauty elixir (sounds so magical, doesn't it?!) is "inspired by the 'elixir of youth' used by Queen Isabelle of Hungary." ROYALTY, PLEASE. It "visibly smoothes features, tightens the appearance of pores and provides a burst of radiance to the complexion."

You spritz this onto your face before you apply your moisturizer or even at any time of the day to refresh your face or set your make up.

The first time I used this I thought I got it in my eyes, even though I DID close my eyes prior to spritzing this wonder liquid onto my skin. I found out later on that like many products filled with alcohol, just it being on your skin irritates your eyes. I'm sure most of you know what I'm talking about. It's when you apply certain products that you KNOW have intense levels of alcohol in them and they get near your eyes and even without direct contact they just make you feel uncomfortable. And that was how it was for me. I even started splashing tap water onto the areas surrounding my eyes but to no avail, I still felt the same way. And throughout the night, the smell of the beauty elixir (which I can only describe as overwhelming levels of alcohol with a tinge of fragrance) stayed with me.

I know this product is part-toner, part-serum but I am never a big fan of toners.
I use toners, especially after I've worn make up for the entire day and I want to make sure I get those pores extra cleansed and tightened after my using my Clarisonic, but the way it tingles on my skin makes me not want to use them everyday. 

This beauty elixir seems to encourage consistent usage for beautiful looking skin, but I hate that "burning" feeling even though it is slight and manageable. The scent that stays on with me throughout the day is also why I deviate from the everyday usage of this beauty elixir. 

As for whether this does help set my make up, I really can't tell the difference. 

I just realized how inaccurate this review might be since I haven't used this much. So, for review's sake, I will be impartial and spritz this on every morning before my moisturizer. It hasn't given me any breakouts yet, so I guess the formulation of it is fine. I've read about people who have said the chemicals in it are really bad for you, so I definitely do not intend to keep this if I see no difference.

Stay tuned for an update! And let me know about your take on this beauty elixir if you've used it. Maybe I've been using it wrong or maybe you just want to suggest a better way for me to use it. In any case, let me know!

xx

-Day One-

My experience today with this beauty elixir was better than the previous times I've used it. I managed to cover all sections of my face with this alcoholic mist while keeping my the bottle at arm's length. Was afraid to open my eyes and feel the sting after spritzing it, but it wasn't too bad! It didn't irritate my eyes at all. One thing that I do have to note though, is that I would have preferred to be able to pat the mist for better absorption and so as to be able to cover every part of my face. But either the product absorbs really quick, or the mist just evaporates really fast due to the alcohol in it. So, theres that. My face does look clearer compared to the days before this when I would apply my moisturizer WITHOUT using this beauty elixir beforehand. This product is growing on me. So as long as it doesn't start breaking me 
out, I should be keeping it!

-Day Two-

My verdict today: same old, same old. Again, I was still afraid to open my eyes today after spritzing it onto my face...I guess as the saying goes, "once bitten, twice shy"..but it was, surprisingly, not irritating at all. Keeping the bottle at arm's length while I spritz was definitely the right move I discovered! No drastic changes in my complexion. Might just return it. It was $49 after all. /: but I promised to do five days worth of a review. So, three more days to go! Shout out to my mom who just started reading my blog as well! :D

-Day Three-

NOT GONNA WAIT. Returning this product. It's not worth the money (for me) and as the weather becomes more humid by the day, I think it only acts as a catalyst for my oily/combination skin.

Issue #3

Remember how in my post about lash enhancement formulas I raved about the Tarte lash combo?
Well, see it for yourself!

This was tonight's eye make-up to Sum 41's concert.

Excuse my bare face. I usually like to let my skin breathe on weekdays.

Empro Triangular Brow Pencil in "Natural Brown"

Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion in "Original"

Laura Mercier Artist's Palette for Eyes, "Sable" and "Rich Coffee"

Clinique Brush-On Cream Liner in "True Black"
Tarte MultiplEYE Lash Enhancing Primer
Tarte Lights, Camera, Lashes 4-in-1 Mascara

My lashes are usually barely visible by itself, but this Tarte combination does the whole "false" natural lashes for my sparse Asian lashes.

xx

Most Affordable Beauty Product

Lip balms are probably everyone's first beauty product (girls and boys alike!), and most likely, we all started with a drugstore brand. Personally, I have swayed from one drugstore brand to another, sometimes getting a bit more adventurous and dabbling into the more premium brands. But, these days, I swear by only ONE brand. And it is Carmex!

Carmex lip balms have got to be the cheapest and most effective lip moisturizing product I've ever used! Stores usually sell it for $1.99/tube and sometimes, if you're lucky, you can get them for only $1! I have experimented with my fair share of lip moisturizers to finally be able to say, THERE IS NOTHING ELSE FOR ME BUT CARMEX.

I have also, unintentionally, tried all the different flavors Carmex has to offer. Now, I usually stick to the strongest lip balm in a collection, always leaning towards the original scent because I always want to be able to get the most out of an effective product! But, sadly, the original Carmex hardly ever comes in tube form, which is how I like my lip balms to be, so I always end up getting the Cherry ones (but now they have Carmex in two new flavors- Vanilla and Lime, whut whut!) And unlike other brands, like Burt's Bees (which I have now come to detest after buying other lip balms from their collection that weren't medicated), the quality of their flavored balms do not differ much from the original!

Carmex lip balms do not leave a greasy residue on your lips unlike certain Burt's Bees lip balms and Kiehl's very famous lip balm (another lip balm that I hate with a passion). It may take some time for it to get absorbed completely, but your lips are always supple after! I get very chapped lips and I find that Carmex lip balms never fail me. I get instant nourishment and my lips are good to go for a long time without reapplication.

Annnnnnd...since it is so cheap, I never feel very bad whenever I lose them. Face it, we are all always losing lip balms. Carmex gives you quality lip balms for cheap and it is my favourite lip balm to date! For now, Carmex, I WILL NEVER DIVORCE YOU. You have and will always be a lifesaver!

What is/are your most affordable beauty product(s)? Do you have a favourite lip balm that you think I should try? Leave me a comment!

Issue #2

I don't know why my face was so swollen that day, and I only realized after going through the pictures.

Smashbox Artificial Light Luminizing Lotion in "Flash"

Make Up For Ever HD Invisible Cover Foundation in  "N120"

NYX Rouge Cream Blush in "Natural"

Empro Triangular Brow Pencil in "Natural Brown"

Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion in "Original"

Urban Decay Naked Palette, "Sidecar" and "Virgin"

Laura Mercier Artist's Palette for Eyes, "Chocolate"

Clinique Brush-On Cream Liner in "True Black"

Too Faced Better Than False Lashes Nylon Lash Extension System

Korres Lip Butter in "Wild Rose"

I first applied the luminzing lotion and foundation across my face, then going in circular motions with my Real Techniques Stippling Brush, I mixed them together. I used "Virgin" to highlight the area under my brow bones and along my nail bridge.

xx

Lash Enhancing Formulas

The first time make-up item I ever bought for myself was a mascara. I was 12, and make-up and all things beauty had just started piquing my interest (unavoidable, since I was cultish-ly consuming Seventeen magazine every month). At the tender age of 16, I also learned that false eyelashes save you a ton of time and money spent looking for the perfect mascara, since they do wonders once you stick them on, enhancing your make-up without you even trying. For the last few years, I've toned down on falsies, mainly because it was impractical (for me) to be wearing them on a regular basis...so I've practically survived on deluxe mascara samples.



LOVE mascara samples because they last you a long time! And let's face it, you never really finish a tube of mascara before they dry out!

Two months ago, I was lucky enough to receive a lash primer sample with one of my orders.

I guess everyone has their own way of applying their mascara, but I was taught since I started using them to first coat your lashes by brushing downwards, then only brushing upwards. I know it sounds odd, but it really DOES make a difference! Think of it this way, you're coating both sides so that when you finally LIFT THOSE LASHES from bottom to up, it is stable enough to provide this lift. You get longer and more voluminous lashes! F'REAAAAAL. Don't believe me, try it. Because of this, I hardly ever use my eyelash curler anymore! By the way, if you ever have to use one, you must use the Shu Uemura Eyelash Curler!

Anyway, back to the lash serum!





I do the same as I would with a regular mascara, coating both sides with the Tarte MultiplEYE Lash Enhancing Primer before proceeding to coat both sides again with the Tarte Lights, Camera, Lashes! Mascara. MY EYELASHES HAVE NEVER LOOKED SO PRETTY.



This Tarte combo is the best! I once wanted to test its durability since most mascaras these days don't even need the waterproof claim to be waterproof, so I wore this for the entire day from 7 a.m. up till 7 p.m. And I even worked out that day and sweat quite a bit, but there were NO smudges whatsoever! Tarte is slowly becoming my favourite brand, I swear (more on that in a future post).



Another mascara that I really loved, and would still have continued loving if it didn't already dry out is the Estee Lauder MagnaScopic Maximum Volume Mascara. Now, when I first started using this three years ago, I had people come to me asking me whether I was wearing false eyelashes! That, my dear readers, is how good this mascara is. I don't pair this with the Tarte MultiplEYE Lash Enhancing Primer because 1) it IS totally dried out and I am happy enough with the aforementioned Tarte combo, and 2) after a few bad smudging experiences with pairing the Tarte lash primer and the Lancome Definicils High Definition Mascara, I kinda just want to stick to the Tarte combo for now..



A few weeks ago, I got a an email from Beautylish.com with a $10 off voucher. If you all don't know, Beautylish.com is a beauty community online that recently started having an online boutique...so recent that they include personalized messages in your packaged goods, thanking you for being one of the first customers! Lol.











The website's pretty neat though, even if they do not offer as many brands as other beauty sites, but it's worth visiting, and they ARE expanding. I got this Too Faced Better Than False Lashes set. This comes with an Activating Mascara Base & Top Coat and a tube of Nylon Lash Fibers. This set, has got to be, the WEIRDEST thing I have ever applied onto my lashes. I mean, it's not like I've done lots of funky things to my lashes to have anything extreme to compare this with, but if someone were to ask me of my WEIRDEST experience with make-up, this probably takes the cake.



...and this is why. It looks exactly like this in real life, and it is dry.

It was SO weird applying it. And since the instructions said to apply the Activating Mascara Base & Top Coat first, and then the Nylon Lash Fibers, it felt super weird. I guess since the fibers are dry, they could hold on to the base coat if they were "step 2". After applying that, I still had to go back to apply the last step, going back to the first tube I used.

My lashes did not feel "false". They did not even look nice as real lashes. They were just dull, and I even had to use my eyelash curler after that!

It claims so many things, and maybe I need to be wearing this consistently to see the results, but I'm returning this. The hassle is not worth it, and the nylon fibres get into my eyes! Such a pity, though. I really wanted my first Beautylish.com purchase to be one that I didn't have to return! I really wanted to love it since it is the first full-sized mascara I've bought for myself in a long time and it's so pretty as well, in its gold packaging and all..

Quick Tips

1. NEVER pump your mascara in and out to get more product, or whatever reason you're doing that. It will only introduce more air into the tube, causing your mascara to dry out faster.
2. Everyone's lashes is different. A mascara that might work for someone else might not necessarily work for you. Just like how we are all of different shapes and sizes, so are our lashes! It is always better to try things out on your own!
3. Applying a thin line of dark shadow just below your waterline when you're applying mascara to your bottom lashes will help create a fuller look.

I hope this post was helpful in some way!
I will be posting more on my March beauty haul & March favourites.

So, stay tuned! :D
Bloglovin | Twitter | Instagram

What YOU Can Anticipate This Weekend

Hey girls (and boys who read this just for kicks),

I know I haven't posted in a while and it might feel like "a very long time" for someone who just started her blog, but I swear, with school and work and Spring break it really didn't feel like time passed at all. BUT I JUST KNOW IT HAS...but I still don't want to check the date on my last post because I don't want to know how long has it been.

There are reasons as to why I haven't been posting besides my usual excuse but since this blog is pretty new, I have been working on trying to make it look more desirable for my readers, and myself. And with Wordpress' free blogs, you don't get as much flexibility as you do with Blogger in terms of editing the CSS for your blog to make it look pretty and sparkly. I can always use my own domain but I'm saving that for the future when I have professional portfolio to showcase! So, I've been thinking about migrating and doing the editing and transferring my existing posts over and all that blogger jazz I don't want to bore you with..


Look forward this weekend to read my post about lash serums, mascaras and lash extension formulas in a tube!


Bloglovin | Twitter | Instagram

Cleansing

Over the weekend, I sampled the Clinique Age Defense BB Cream Broad Spectrum SPF 30. It's been a while since I used a BB cream, actually, and in fact, the last time I used a BB cream was the first time I used it and found it gave me breakouts. The BB cream was the FIRST thing I've ever purchased myself as a base for my face, so you can imagine how it brought down my spirits (because I thought my skin was so sensitive I couldn't use make-up other girls could! *sad face, sad face, sad face).



This Skin79 Hot Pink Super Plus Beblesh Balm was the one I was using, and every review I read that was out there on the interweb told me that this was the best at that time, especially with Asian skin, AND SO I GOT IT. And breakouts aside, it did make my skin look fantastic! My skin was flawless and I look back at pictures taken then when I used this BB cream and I get kinda sad because I know I won't be able to use it without irritating my skin. My beautician told me that because the molecules in the formula are smaller than your regular foundation, it seeps into your skin to be absorbed, and so people have had problems with the BB cream because they don't cleanse their face properly. And I can see why! You're boasting 10-in-1 properties in your product, you're claiming that it benefits your skin while providing foundation-like coverage, it makes sense! Now, before you think I am NOT washing all that gunk off my face properly, I can assure you- I WAS. I spend a considerable amount of time cleaning my make-up, double-cleansing, all that jazz...but it is what it is.

Anyway, my beautician just told me that the BB cream was bad and asked me to stay away from it (lol).

I never took her advice quite literally, but for my own sake (and my pocket's, since there was no return policy in Malaysia), I never ventured out to try other BB creams anymore. And the reason why I finally did again, AND ALSO THE MAIN POINT OF THIS POST, is because I knew for sure this time that I will be deep-cleaning my made up face at the end of the day.

If you guys don't know already of Clarisonic's existence, I, along with any other beauty fanatic out there, swear by the Clarisonic Sonic System Cleansing Systems!



These brushes deep-cleanse your skin without being harsh, so it's possible for you to use it everyday if you have make-up on your skin on a daily basis! I even use it when I don't have any make-up on, and it's just part of my regular night time skincare routine, so it's definitely not harsh! The brushes are soft and you get to choose the kinds of brush heads (sensitive, normal, deep pore, etc.). It is NOT an exfoliator, but it does the job of cleaning your skin, so much so that I don't even use exfoliators anymore! It is battery-operated, rechargeable and it is waterproof so you can bring it in with you in the shower!

I'm currently using the Clarisonic Aria, and the way this cleansing brush has changed my face is amazing. I no longer worry that I have dirt stuck in my pores that the mere cleanser and water could not reach and I know my serums and creams are being absorbed completely (every serum works so well now I don't know which do I love more anymore...).

When you first start using this, you WILL breakout, but it's only because your skin is purging. The girl at Sephora told me that it's usually within the first two weeks, but it was a month for me. After all, when it comes to your skin, it varies for different people. What I usually do is I'll go through the regular motions of applying my facial cleanser (Lancome Creme Radiance as my night time cleanser) onto my face and when it foams, I'll use the brush to cleanse my face, in a circular motion as well. There's a timer to the brush that tells you when to move to the next part of your face, and the whole process only takes a minute! After that, you just apply your toner, moisturizer, serums or whatever that goes with your regular routine.

And it took me months before I finally bought this, because I wasn't sure whether it would be worth the investment.
Take my word for it, girls. It is. Because the Clinique BB cream that I used last weekend? Did not cause any breakouts at all. I'm willing to go back to Skin79 again to see whether it'll work differently this time, but until then...the Clarisonic is a lifesaver!

xx