Sephora Haul & Mini Reviews Part 1

Final exam season is in full swing, so I must apologize for my recent lack of updates. Of course, my best remedy for stress is to do excessive amounts of beauty shopping. And maybe a little bit too excessive, but hey, life's short, who can blame you? After a particularly long Sunday of last minute essay writing, I trekked on over to my local Sephora and picked up a few things. Maybe a little more than a few things. By now, I've already had a few weeks to test these products out, so I figured I would do sort of mini reviews on all of the products.

Origins Clear Improvement Active Charcoal Mask - I have a mini version of this mask in my skincare drawer that is on its last legs, so I knew it was time to get the full size. This mask is probably my favourite Sunday mask/detoxifying mask (as mentioned in this post) at the moment. It's the best clay type mask I've used for clearing breakouts and clogged pores. However, it dries very fast and feels like a really intense cleanse, so make sure to spray water over your face to keep your skin from drying out. I tend to reserve this for the bad skin days and use a gentler mask when my skin isn't as congested. My face looks quite red immediately after using this mask, but the next morning everything just looks ten times better. Highly recommend.

First Aid Beauty Facial Radiance Pads - I was looking for a new chemical exfoliator, and this fit the bill perfectly. They're basically cotton pads soaked in solution, which makes them very convenient to use. It's a AHA exfoliator composed of lactic and glycolic acid, but unlike other AHA exfoliators which tend to be quite harsh on the skin, these pads are not irritating even on my incredibly sensitive skin. These pads also contain soothing aloe vera juice, licorice root extract to brighten pigmentation, and antioxidant ingredients like white tea extract. $30 will give you 60 pads, but I've seen some reviews saying you can cut the pads in half and get twice the value for your money.

AmorePacific Moisture Bound Sleeping Recovery Masque - I watched an interview with a Korean actress with gorgeous, baby smooth skin reveal that her best kept skin secret was overnight masks. I'm sure some of it must have been attributed to her team of makeup artists, but I thought hey, why not give it a shot. This mask is meant to hydrate and increase antioxidant protection overnight. It feels like a gel-cream moisturizer and absorbs easily so nothing gets on my pillow cases. I would not say that it necessarily moisturizes any better than my regular night moisturizer, but maybe I have to give it a few more uses. It also is pretty heavily fragranced, so steer clear if that is not your thing.

Fresh Peony Brightening Night Treatment Mask - Another overnight mask, this one more targeted towards discolouration and dark spots. Fresh is my absolute favourite skincare brand, so when this came out, I absolutely had to have it. It has a light refreshing scent like their Lotus Youth Preserve Face Cream, which is my current night moisturizer, and feels very similar as well. Although the product is packaged in a tube, it actually has a pump. It's always difficult with brightening products because you need to use them consistently for a long time to see actual results, and this product is pretty expensive at $76. If you are not a Fresh fanatic like I am, I would not put this at the top of your wishlist.

I don't want this post to be pages and pages long, so I'm going to review the other half of the products in my next post, which will unsurprisingly be Sephora Haul & Mini Reviews Part 2 and will be up later this week. Until then, take care everyone.