Too Faced Primed & Poreless Skin Smoothing Face Primer Review

Hey guys! Today's post will be an addition to My Sephora Mini Haul reviews. Makeup primers could be a quick fix product for those who have troubles with pores, redness, dullness, or even dryness. This Too Faced Primed & Poreless Skin Smoothing Face Primer is one of those best selling primers out there. What is it? Too Faced describes this product as:

Our one-of-a-kind makeup primer was scientifically formulated to wear under bronzers and foundation powders or alone to achieve the look of flawless skin without makeup. Vitamins A & C, Mulberry Extract and a powerful dose of Retinol virtually banish pores while tired skin is left hydrated, firmer, and detoxified. Primed & Poreless creates the perfect canvas to allow powders, bronzers and foundations to airbrush onto the skin seamlessly and perfectly blended. Skin appears brighter, fresher and younger. Color stays true and in place all day. 

More To Love: 

• Erase Pores & Imperfections: Virtually erases pores, softens lines and perfects your complexion leaving skin ready for bronzer, powder, makeup or nothing at all. 
• Customized Formula: Provides an airbrushed canvas as it preps skin for bronzers, powder products and liquid foundations. Bronzers glide on without grabbing or looking heavy. Powders float above imperfections. Makeup applies like magic onto skin. Color stays true and in place all day. 
• Mulberry Extract & Arctostaphylos UVA URSI: Protect, brighten and lighten skin for a renewed freshness and soothing effect. 
• Retinyl Palmitate & Cyclodextrin with CAVAMAX Retinol: Restores moisture, elasticity and suppleness with a powerful combination of anti-wrinkle, youth enhancing, skincare ingredients. 
• Camellia Oil & Vitamin A: Essence of the white tea plant and the free radical fighting vitamins are nature’s most powerful antioxidants. Skin looks firmer, brighter and more resilient, even up close. 
• Colorless: Great on any skin color! The nude tone becomes invisible once applied.

*Vegan-friendly

**Paraben-free

(retrieved from Too Faced) 

This primer came in a squeeze tube in such a sweet pink color. The primer was nude colored but turned clear after applied. It feels powdery and velvety, glides on smoothly, and does a great job in filling pores and blur lines. I use my fingers to apply this product. The formula contains silicone which visually smooth skin, though some might actually break out from silicone should watch out.

 You need just a tiny bit for each application, a tube would last for a very long time. I find that this primer doesn't correct any redness or discoloration, as their main concern is to banish pores and lines. I also think that this won't help too much in evening skin tone. But it is true that it makes my skin appears brighter. As for the oil control, it does an okay job. Under powder/foundation, it helps those products to stick better and didn't change the color. This primer tends to be matte rather than dewy, glowy, etc. Barely has no scent to it. 

Blended

I believe the vitamins infused to it haven't improved my skin condition so far. Maybe they only help in fixing how the skin looks like by the time we're wearing the product. And yay, it didn't make me break out/made my skin irritated! So would you try this primer? Yes or no? :D   

Bottom line: Great for those looking for pores/lines concealer! The brightening effect is a sweet bonus. Feels silky, velvety. Slightly mattifying and helps prolong makeup wear. Not very good in concealing discoloration nor helps with redness/evening skin tone.           


I purchased mine at Sephora for $30 (1oz.). Psstttt.. Too Faced Primed & Poreless Primer also comes in oil-free  (Pure) and bronze tinted-SPF 20 infused version. Primed & Poreless (pink packaging) series also came up with priming powder & finishing veil (loose powder) and pressed powder to enhance your makeup wear.

Origins Clear Improvement™ Active Charcoal Mask to Clear Pores Review

Origins Clear Improvement™ Active Charcoal Mask to Clear Pores is raved by so many fellow bloggers and I was so excited to try this! I picked this up on my Sephora Mini Haul  I wasn't familiar with this kind of masks as I usually use paper masks. So I tried to look up on HOW TO's to put on this particular mask but I couldn't find any! I ended up using my fingers to spread the mask. Before I go on to that part I'll make sure you know better about this product.

This mask is a mud mask and it's made of Activated Charcoal to draw out deep-dwelling pore-cloggers, White China Clay to absorb environmental toxins, and Lecithin to dissolve impurities. The mask is grey in color and smells like clay (of course)! Here's how Origins describes the product:

Clear Improvement®

Active charcoal mask to clear pores

When environmental toxins, dirt and debris get under your skin, its waste-filtering system gets jammed, pores get clogged, skin looks cloudy. Nature's complexion clean-up crew gets to the bottom of skins overcast condition and clears the way for it to act its best. Activated Charcoal acts like a magnet to draw out deep-dwelling pore-cloggers, White China Clay absorbs environmental toxins, Lecithin dissolves impurities. Without all that "stuff" down there, skin "breathes a sigh of relief."

HOW TO USE: Once a week or as often as needed, open pores with warm, moist towel and layer mask on. Allow to dry, rinse well. Watch your skin shake off the shroud of dullness and take on a new clarity.

Best for all skin types

(retrieved from Origins)

So this is how I use the mask:

After washing my face, I put on warm moist towel for 5 minutes to open pores. Then I dispense the mask then spread it thinly and evenly on my face avoiding eye area. I was surprised that this mask spreads easily and feels smooth! I didn't expect that before.   

Spread it thinly and evenly

The mask will begin to tingle and dry within 10-15 minutes. As it dries, you won't be able to move your face and maybe you shouldn't because it hurts (your face will feel really really tight!).  

Completely dry

After the whole mask is completely dry you can wash it off using warm water (I find that using warm water to wash off is easier rather than using cold water) then towel dry. My first impression was my skin felt smoother, brighter. My pores looked smaller and I swear my blackheads went far away. It didn't help with my blemishes but the other day I tried putting it overnight on spots and the day after the pimple looked less red and smaller.

    
Origins recommends to use the mask 1-2 times a week and I predict that this tube will last me at least 3-4 months. You don't need much for an application and my tube looks like brand new even after 5 usages. If you're looking something to help with the pores or blackheads this might worth a shot!      

I bought mine at Sephora ( 3.4 oz for $24).

Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion Review

Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion (DDML) has been a world-wide cult favorite moisturizer for years. Clinique describes it as "Step 3 in Clinique's 3-Step Skin Care System. The moisture "drink" developed by Clinique's dermatologists to maintain optimal moisture balance. Softens, smooths, improves."

Clinique DDML-Used around 30 pumps/more

This one best selling moisturizer (1 is sold every 3.5 secs all around the world) has been there for ages. DDML was first launched in 1968. It is meant for dry to very dry skin. My skin is supposedly combination as I tend to be oily on my T-zone and normal on cheeks. So actually DDMG (Gel) might suit me more? I don't know haha.

The lotion itself is yellow colored, has no significant fragrance, and feels and looks quite creamy but not thick. I pumped out 1-2 pumps and it's enough for my entire face.


Note that my skin was pretty troubled by the time I tried this on. The lotion sinks in quickly and leaves my skin moisturized with no residues. However, it doesn't reduce breakouts (I know it's not meant to do so) or improve anything beside moisturizing. I don't see any differences from using this product and since I still have so many left I decided to use it as a body lotion LOL (I don't know if it's okay but it has been working fine for me).  

Spread

I tried putting on makeup above this and it works just fine. Nothing less nothing more. It comes in a plastic bottle with pump but there is a tube version of the packaging. DDML is $25 for 4.2oz (with pump), I purchased mine from Sephora.

DID YOU KNOW?? After more than 40 years Clinique finally reformulated the phenomenal DDML ! Now this revamped best selling beauty product is called Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion+ ! Find out more about it HERE !!!

My Sephora Mini Haul !

I can't deny that maybe one of my favorite things on earth to do is browsing around Sephora's website. I can do it for hours and hours, aside from clicking the tabs of beauty blogs and vlogs on the left and right. So some time around last month I received some things from my friend who purchased them from Sephora US , some kind of a mini haul. I was having a serious stomachache by the time I received the items, but after being overjoyed the pain seemed to go away! Hahaha.
Things I got were:
-Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion. Review here
-Origins Active Charcoal Mask. Review here
-Too Faced Primed and Poreless Skin Smoothing Primer
-Beautyblender Set
-Some samples!

http://instagram.com/p/b6VivbRAh1/

I sure did quite some research before buying so now I'm going straight down into thoughts about those top rated products. I'm going to post reviews on those products. It's important to note that my reviews are based on my experiences and thoughts, my skin is different than yours so it might work for me but not for you or vice versa. If you recently did hauls feel free to share with me! ;)

All products were purchased from www.sephora.com