B.liv by Cellnique Review

This review has been a long time in the making, so I'm glad that I can finally put it up. Today I'll be reviewing some products from the B.liv line from Cellnique.



First up, some of the Dullness Cessation, Bright is Right Pearl Brightening Masks from their website. They asked me for a few of my "problem areas" that I would want products for, so I could test their usefulness. At the time, I had been having some trouble with dull, lifeless skin and had been noticing my pores, so they sent me these masks to try.



From the website, the benefits of the mask are:

Benefits:
• Restores skin’s radiance and lightens skin 
• Nourishes the skin and makes it softer, finer, brighter and smoother 
• Accelerates the skin’s natural process of shedding dead skin cells and replaces them with new ones revealing a pure, fresh and healthy-looking skin. 
• Provides instant hydration and helps skin preserve its optimum moisture balance.

I used this mask at night as soon as I got it, because I really wanted to try it and see if it worked. This mask has a great scent, it's not too strong so I didn't mind wearing it for 20-30 minutes at all. The mask was very heavy because it had so much liquid, so it was nice to lay back for thirty minutes and wait for it to work its magic. And it did! After thirty minutes when I took it off, my skin was brighter and softer. Since then, I try to use it every week or every two weeks, and it works every single time, making my skin feel softer, more relaxed, and even lighter. The price on the website is $30 for 14 pouches, and that is actually a really good price for such a fabulous product. I did a quick google search and found that the My Beauty Diary black pearl masks are about $20 or so for 10 masks, and the Bright Is Right masks work way better for me than the My Beauty Diary masks. 

Price: 5/5. 

Effectiveness: 5/5

Would I repurchase? Definitely. 

Next is the I'm dryness conqueror eye mask. 

Because I'm in college and have been super busy this semester with tests, homework, and my organizations, I haven't been getting a lot of sleep, and my eyes are betraying me. My undereye circles have been really bad this semester, and my eyes have been puffy and showing my lack of sleep. After I got the eye mask, I tried it out one morning when I woke up and noticed how puffy my eyes were. 

Whatever formula B.liv has been using, they need to keep doing it. It has a very light, almost unnoticeable scent and there is a lot of serum in the masks. As you can (kind of) see from the picture, the eye masks are literally eye masks, so I kind of felt like Batman wearing it. :) And it really worked! I've tried a lot of things for my eye circles and bags, like freezing a spoon, ice cubes, cucumber masks, and all of them have been very short-term solutions, lasting for only an hour or less. But with these masks, the circles were gone for almost a week, so it doesn't have to be used daily. I use it weekly, and it really has helped, and you could probably stretch it to two weeks at a time. 

The price on the website is 7 masks for $29. Honestly, this price is kind of high just because I'm really cheap and as a college student, $29 is a lot. But for the usefulness, I definitely think that I will splurge on it, but probably only use it twice a month or something so that I can stretch the use. 

Price: 3/5

Effectiveness: 5/5 

Would I repurchase? Yes, begrudgingly, and I would try to make it last. 

The B.Liv Spots got shot anti-blemish serum. I was having trouble with scars on my face because my skin was not used to the water that they use in my dorms (it's well water or something like that), so they sent me this to fix it. 

This isn't a magical, overnight spot remover. I had to use it consistently for a week to see results. After two weeks, the marks are very faded and barely there, so I definitely think it works! The smell is a little bit strange, but it wears away after a couple of minutes. As you can see, it has an applicator at the tip, so I don't have to reach into a jar or use a squeeze tube, and it helps conserve the product. Plus, a little bit goes a long way! The site lists it as $25 for 15 mL, and I think this is super reasonable. The product works, there's a lot of product with a nice applicator, it doesn't have a funky smell. If I ever run out, I'll definitely repurchase this.

Price: 5/5
Effectiveness: 5/5

I hope you enjoyed the review! I actually got these products awhile ago, so I'm embarrassed that it took me so long to post a review. But these products are amazing. The site offers free shipping and free samples with every order, and I always love a site with free shipping. Definitely go check them out!

`Rakuzen

(This product was sent to me for review, however, all photos and opinions on this post are mine, unbiased).

May 2013 Birchbox Review

I got my Birchbox yesterday! I'm going to try and start reviewing it monthly if I keep up the subscription.

This is what you see when you first open the box. The card that lists the items in the box.

And when you lift the tissue paper, you see all the items neatly packaged!

First on the list is the COOLA Classic Face SPF 30 Cucumber Moisturizer for Face (the blue tube on the right). It is described as "This mineral sublock is infused with organic antiaging ingredients like evening primrose extract and broage seed oil." It smells amazing, a very light scent, and isn't greasy at all. I've been using a little bit in the morning after I wash my face, and it is perfect. I will probably repurchase this once I run out.

On the left is the Marvis Classic Mint Toothpaste. It is described as "a stylish Italian import with an invigorating peppermint flavor." The packaging is cute and it does look nicer than the Colgate or Sensodyne toothpaste tubes littering my sink, but I'm not sure if the packaging and the tingling effect from the mint is worth the extra expense (especially since Colgate has a similar one). I probably won't repurchase this.

 

Sorry for the lighting on this picture, I've been taking pictures for the blog with my cellphone because the camera is actually really nice and it focuses a lot better than my actual camera (go figure), and I haven't been able to figure out how to avoid casting the shadow. I'm sure there's a simple solution, but I didn't have time. Anyways! This is the Klorane Gentle Dry Shampoo with Oat Milk. It is described as being "beloved by celebs, this award-winning formula adds tons of texture and helps revive second-day styles." This smells fabulous! And also I am always on the lookout for a dry shampoo that isn't difficult to use and blend in (since most of the time the powder is white and my hair is very black). For this one, so far, so good, although I've only used it once. I'll have to try it more before I decide if I'll repurchase.

On the right is the Sumita Color Contrast Eyeliner. Sadly, mine came in black instead of some super cool color, but I guess black is the easiest color to use and match for everybody's eye, so I'll take it. It's described as "inspired by traditional Indian formulas, this velvety liner glides on easily and lasts for hours." Yes, it glides on easily, but it hasn't been lasting for me, only for about two or three hours. I probably won't repurchase this, especially since it retails at $21 for 4 mini pencils, and I can get a full-size NYX pencil for $1, which I know lasts on me. 

On the left is the fancy Acroball pen. Nothing special, although the card tries to boast about the design. 

Overall, I think I might cancel my Birchbox subscription. I haven't been happy with my last few boxes, and I'm not sure it's worth the money. I think I'll wait another month before I bite the bullet and cancel, though. 

I have another nail art design post in the works and some reviews, so keep an eye out! 

Rakuzen

Flowery nails~

Some more nails that I did while preparing for exams. I did fine on them, just in case you were wondering. So doing my nails during the study break may have actually helped? Also it was nice because I haven't had a lot of time to do them throughout the school year.



They look a little messy, but whatever. I had inspiration from a nail art picture that I had in my files, but I don't really know where the source is. Also, I feel like they were a little messy, but they looked fine up close!





For the french mani tips, I used my ArtDeco white striper. I never do french tips, but I figured that since I would do a design on them, it wouldn't matter. (And as you might be able to notice if you look closely, it is kind of sloppy.)

Then I used my black nail art pen/brush to draw the branches. I got it for like, a $1 at Rite-Aid during the after-Halloween sale and used for the first time when I did these nails. I love it!

I used Revlon Impulsive for the purple flowers and Essie Mod square for the pink. First time that I used either polish! Then my Seche Vite as top coat.

Hope you like it and that it inspires you to do nail art! I just got a book about Nail Art in the mail that was sent to me for review, so I'll try a few of the designs and post about the book soon. Stay tuned!

`Rakuzen