face

glossier's milky jelly cleanser

August 6, 2019Beauty, Beauty Review, Cruelty-FreeKristenComment

Hello, beautifuls! I hope you’re enjoying these reviews, because I love writing them so much. I have a lot more coming for you, so stay tuned!

I’ve been paying attention to Glossier for a while now (you know, like everyone else on the planet), and have been wanting to give them a try, but I wasn’t sure which product I wanted to get. Then, I watched an Instagram story that compared a regular makeup remover to Glossier’s Milky Jelly Cleanser, and I was so amazed. I knew I needed to get my hands on a bottle right away.

Basically, I’m famous for getting my makeup… everywhere. I’ve been using the same cold cream cleanser to take my makeup off since I started wearing it (just like my mom!) and even though I think I’m getting all my makeup off my face, I soon find tan blotches all over my towels and boyfriends’ shirts. Obviously, this plan has not been going well.

Then, I met Milky Jelly, and it was love at first cleanse. I use this to wash my face every night before bed, whether I’m wearing makeup or not. I’ve never found a face wash that makes me feel so, well, cleansed! My skin just feels so squeaky clean and silky soft. This cleanser makes me look forward to washing my face!

It also does a phenomenal job of taking off my copious eye makeup. I usually pump a little onto a wet tissue and rub it on my eye. It takes my makeup right off. I feel like it actually slides off my eyes. I don’t have to rub as much, so my precious baby lashes can live. And my eyes feel cleansed too. Did you know that your eyes could feel cleansed?

Since I saw the Instagram story advertising Milky Jelly, I’ve wanted to try the same experiment. So, I put on a ridiculous amount of makeup and took off one half of my face using Pond’s Cold Cream Cleanser, and the other using Glossier’s Milky Jelly Cleanser. I used two white towels to take my eye makeup off, and another two towels to wipe my face after I was done washing it.

The towels that I used on my eyes looked relatively similar. Though the cold cream towel looked darker, I found that I had more left on my eye than the Glossier side. The difference between the face towels, however, was pretty staggering. It’s nice to remind myself how much better, cleaner products are really helping me and my skin.

If you couldn’t tell, I’m Milky Jelly’s number one fan. I’m looking forward to trying more of Glossier’s products!

miss spa 24k gold radiance mask

July 28, 2018Cruelty-Free, Beauty Review, BeautyKristenComment

Happy Saturday beauties! I realized that I haven't done a review in a while, so I decided to pull this posts out of my drafts and share my review of this Miss Spa 24K Gold Radiance Mask! I got it in a goodie bag and was very intrigued. I was picturing my face sparkling and glowing gold, but it was much harder because I hadn't tried a ton of paper masks at the time. I'm trying to do more; I'm definitely a fan!

Apparently, Miss Spa is the first skincare brand to have brought the paper face mask trend from Korea. All their products are cruelty free, paraben free, and sulfate free, which is pretty cool! They use lots of botanicals, antioxidants, and other healthy ingredients in their masks, and the masks themselves are infused with more vitamins and minerals.

I left this on for twenty minutes, and to be honest, I didn’t really feel it working on my face as much as I have with other face masks I've done. I didn’t look super glamorous since I looked orange instead of gold, which was a little weird.

After the twenty minutes was up, I took it off and rubbed the orange-y stuff onto my face. This was actually pretty cool since my face was a little sparkly and shiny, but I didn’t feel a major difference in my skin. My roommates told me I looked glowy!

I don’t necessarily have anything bad to say about this face mask, but it doesn’t stand out compared to the ones I’ve tried. I’m a little disappointed, but it was fun to sparkle for a bit! If you’re interested in going cruelty-free, check out PETA’s Searchable Database and Cruelty-Free Kitty’s alphabetized list of cruelty-free brands. If you have any cruelty-free recommendations, please comment them below!

cruelty-free beauty! e.l.f.'s mineral infused face primer

June 4, 2018Cruelty-Free, Beauty Review, BeautyKristenComment

Hello my loves! I guess I’ve been on a weird mineral-infused, vitamin-y kick lately, but today I’ll be reviewing e.l.f.’s Mineral Infused Face Primer. This was another case of me just wanting to try something new. Since I had run out of the other e.l.f. primer I was using, I took a trip to CVS and found that e.l.f. has sooooo many different types of primers! I don’t have a ton of skin problems, so I don’t need anything super special. So I figured this mineral-infused one would be my best bet.

I don’t have a ton to say about this one other than that it did the job! I didn’t really see a difference between this one and the one I was using before. I didn’t really see any change from the minerals in the formula. Maybe they’re supposed to do work on the inside of your face? I’ll do some research and let you guys know.

Overall though, I would definitely recommend this primer! I’ve reviewed a few primers on The Clunkster, so feel free to take a look around for which one is right for you. If you’re interested in going cruelty-free, check out PETA’s Searchable Database and Cruelty-Free Kitty’s alphabetized list of cruelty-free brands. If you have any cruelty-free recommendations, please comment them below!

cruelty-free beauty! e.l.f. beautifully bare foundation serum

April 14, 2018Beauty, Beauty Review, Cruelty-FreeKristenComment

Happy weekend! Every now and then when I run out of things, I grab something new for fun, or because I can’t find what I wanted. This instance was a bit of both! While I was looking for the e.l.f. foundation I usually use, I came across e.l.f.’s Beautifully Bare Foundation Serum, which looked pretty cool. Based on the packaging, I figured it was just a mineral-based foundation that was also SPF 25. I had never used a serum before!

This was definitely different than what I thought it was. I don’t know exactly how to explain it, to be honest. It’s thinner and runnier than a BB or CC cream, which was a surprise! I guess you could compare it to a tinted moisturizer or something, but don’t take my word on that because I’ve never used one of those either (I have a lot to explore hehe). I tried using my Milk Dab and Blend Applicator and it literally slid right off, which disappointed me a bit because I freakin’ love using that thing. I’ve found that the best way to apply this serum is to just use your fingers.

Even though this formula is super thin, this serum actually does a great job of acting as a foundation. It blends really well, and keeps my face looking natural and glowy. I can’t use it on my lips because it absorbs really quickly, but in general the coverage is great.

Unfortunately, I can’t really tell if the mineral/serum part is kicking in. My face has been a bit dry because of the harsh northeastern winter, and I’ve been breaking out a bit near my temples. It could be the serum, the fact that I’m applying it with my fingers, or something completely different.

Overall though, I recommend using this serum if that’s the sort of thing you’re looking for. Take a look through the reviews on the product’s page, which I linked above. Some people love it, and some people hate it! I say give it a try. I’d definitely use this for a lowkey event or a ten-minute makeup look, but maybe not every day. If you’re interested in going cruelty-free, check out PETA’s Searchable Database and Cruelty-Free Kitty’s alphabetized list of cruelty-free brands. If you have any cruelty-free recommendations, please comment them below!

milk makeup dab and blend applicator

March 12, 2018Cruelty-Free, Beauty, Beauty ReviewKristenComment

A little while ago, I reviewed e.l.f.'s brush cleaner, and was incredibly disgusted when I saw how dirty my brushes were, and how this brush cleaner didn't do anything! Since then, I've been looking for new brush cleaners and better brushes, but also different ways to apply foundation. There are so many options for me to try, and I'm so excited to share this one with you all!

When I first saw people using silicone and gel applicators for makeup, I was so confused! I had never seen or heard of it before, and I didn't really know why it was a thing. I did some research and found out that the silicone (or gel) applicator, unlike a sponge, won't absorb whatever product is on it, so you can save a lot of foundation. Because of this, silicone applicators also do a phenomenal job at blending.

At this point, I was very intrigued, so I grabbed one of my Sephora gift cards and made the pilgrimage to my closest store to grab Milk Makeup's Dab and Blend Applicator. I had seen cheaper variations at CVS, but honestly, rubbing anything other than a sponge on my face was kind of freaking me out, so I wanted the real deal. Also Milk is a cruelty-free, generally awesome brand that I've been meaning to try forever, so why not splurge on a pretty applicator with sparkles in it?

Basically, this thing blew my mind. I'm pissed someone didn't think of this sooner! We're honestly not hyping this up enough. Guys, the amount of foundation I saved using this was insane. I picked up a relatively small amount, and it carried my foundation way across my face. I was astounded. Of course, using less foundation is great because you save money, but this also helped me avoid the cake-y, unblended look that I really hate. This applicator really makes the difference.

And, it's blending capabilities are seriously prime. Once again, this applicator doesn't absorb anything. All the action occurs on your face! I usually just wipe the excess foundation off the applicator with a tissue and run it under warm water to clean it. I haven't ever been grossed out while using this!

I think the only critique I have for this tool is that it doesn't work well with BB creams, CC creams, and other thinner formulas (like the foundation serum I'll be reviewing soon hehe), which is kind of annoying, but I don't mind using a brush or my hand every once in a while and using the applicator to blend my contour and everything together.

If you couldn't already tell, I highly highly recommend this applicator! It's one of the best things in the world, and it's seriously life-changing. Everyone should get their hands on one, seriously. A must-have product. If you’re interested in going cruelty-free, check out PETA’s Searchable Database and Cruelty-Free Kitty’s alphabetized list of cruelty-free brands. If you have any cruelty-free recommendations, please comment them below!