First Impression - Estēe Lauder Clear Difference Advanced Blemish Serum

Hello Princesses!

Today I'm going to be talking about the Estēe Lauder Clear Difference Blemish Serum! I was recommended this product when I asked the Estēe Lauder counter assistants about the Estēe Lauder night cream.

What Is It?

Finally, a grown-up solution to blemishes. This fast-acting serum reveals clearer, smoother, fresher skin. Targets, treats and dramatically reduces the look of blemishes. Helps prevent new ones from forming and stop the breakout cycle.

86% of women said their skin looked clearer and healthier in just 1 week.
Suitable for all ethnicities.

The Clear Difference Anti-Blemish Collection: See the dramatic change in how your skin looks and feels with our Triple Action Clarity Technology. With the proven power of salicylic acid, it helps stop the breakout cycle, free skin of flakiness, control oil and refine pores. 

Active Ingredients: Salicylic Acid 0.5% Inactive Ingredients: Water/Aqua/Eau, Dimethicone, Hamamelis Virginiana (Witch Hazel) Water, PPG-14 Butyl Ether, Acetyl Glucosamine, Sucrose, Isodecyl Neopentanoate, Steareth-21, Glycine, Acrylamide/Sodium Acryloyldimethyltaurate Copolymer, Laminaria, Saccharina Extract, Caffeine, Tocopheryl Acetate, Isohexadecane, Steareth-2, Algae Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Polysorbate 80, Quaternium-22, Butylene Glycol, Sodium Hydroxide, Pentylene Glycol, Disodium EDTA, Fragrance (Parfum) Limonene, Linalool, Phenoxyethanol, Benzalkonium, Green 5, Yellow 5.(1)

The serum has a misty white colour and is quite thin and runny. It has a light almost lemon-y scent which dissipates quickly when absorbed into the skin. It feels quite smooth and almost like silicone when I apply it to my skin and leaves my skin looking matte and feeling moisturized. The lemon or citrus scent comes from the ingredient Limonene which is present in this serum which is a known irritant to skin, so if you have sensitive skin this may not be great for you!

This product is targeted for anyone with blemishes on their skin and claims to  be fast acting, however I felt like this did absolutely nothing to my blemished skin other than making it feel moisturized and look matte. This is potentially because the serum doesn't actually contain that much Salicylic Acid (only 0.5%) which is the active ingredient in the Serum, and my skin needs a little more oomph to banish blemishes.

Would I Purchase This Product?

No. It's incredibly expensive in New Zealand ($120 for 1.7oz) and it doesn't help my blemishes at all. I used the whole mini bottle (.24oz) and I saw absolutely no difference to my skin. I'm not sure if it's because there isn't quite enough Salicylic Acid in the product to combat my acne or just that the formula didn't work for me, but it's an awful lot of money to spend on a product that just makes my skin look soft and matte.

Have you tried this product before? How was your experience?

First Impression: MAC Prep + Prime Natural Radiance; Pink

Hello Princesses!

Today I'm going to be talking about MAC's Prep + Prime Natural Radiance primer in Pink! I picked up this sample pot when I was talking to the lovely MAC ladies about Strobe Cream, and they recommended this primer for my particular skin type. So how did it do?

What Does It Do?

"A silky gel emulsion, rich in natural ingredients, that hydrates and primes to improve foundation or powder application, control oil and promote smooth texture. Vitamins E and C protect with antioxidants, while caffeine calms skin. Illuminating pearl powders reflect optic brightening. Now in two shades; Radiant yellow especially effective on deeper skin tones and Radiant Pink for fairer skin tones. The formula disappears upon application, resulting in a beautiful glow." (1)

This primer is a super cute baby pink colour and smells a little like sunscreen mixed with chemicals. It's quite thick and leaves a smooth almost silicone feel behind. It's colourless on the skin so provides no coverage. It leaves the skin looking a little shiny/glowy, but this glow doesn't always show through 

I've used the same three types of foundation that I've used in my previous Primer First Impressions (MAC Strobe Cream and Stila One Step Correct), my difficult foundation (NARS Sheer Glow), favorite BB Cream (Missha Signature Complete) and my long lasting foundation (Estēe Lauder Doublewear Light).

First up is my difficult foundation - NARS Sheer Glow in Siberia. This foundation is the perfect colour for my pale skin, but applies and lasts terribly. I didn't feel like the primer made any difference to the application or lasting power of this foundation.

Next up is my favorite BB Cream, Missha Signature Complete in No.13! The primer made the application of this BB Cream smoother, but didn't effect the longevity or oil control of the BB Cream.

Lastly, this is my long lasting foundation - Estēe Lauder's Doublewear Light in 0.5. I have to say that this primer was quite nice with this matte finish foundation because it gave it a really lovely glow. However, it didn't help with the longevity of the product, in fact it made the oil control a little worse.

 Would I Purchase This Product?

Probably not. For the price that it is, ($41USD) I don't think the results were good enough for me. I didn't feel like it had any skincare benefits, and only worked with a couple of my foundations and BB Creams, so I wouldn't get enough use out of it in terms of how much it cost. It would be perfect for princesses looking for light hydration and a little bit of smoothing.

 What are your favorite primer products?

First Impression: MAC Strobe Liquid

Hello Princesses!

Today I'm going to be talking about the younger sibling of an iconic product, MAC's Strobe Liquid. You've all heard about Strobe Cream before (who hasn't with the glowy, dewy skin trend going on) but what about Strobe Liquid? I was recommended Strobe Liquid by a MAC artist when I asked their opinion on the product and happily took a generous sample pot home to test out.

What Is It?

"Blending soft focus diffusers with iridescent pigments, this ultra-fluid strobe formula produces a soft radiant light on the skin, reducing the appearance of skin imperfections by providing a natural looking glow. Spreads on smoothly and absorbs quickly leaving the skin looking healthier and more radiant. A lighter weight addition to the popular strobe cream." (1)

Like all of my primer trials, I've photographed this primer with three different types of foundation, a BB Cream, High coverage foundation, and a difficult foundation. Click these photos to enlarge.

First up is my High coverage foundation - Estēe Lauder's Doublewear Light. I found that the Strobe Liquid did exceptionally well with this usually matte foundation, making my skin softly glow. Because of the foundations long lasting properties, my face still looks great at the end of the six hour wear.  

Next up is my Difficult foundation - NARS Sheer Glow (in Siberia, of course). Even though this is named Sheer Glow, it's neither sheer nor particularly glowy, but of course the Strobe Cream gives me a lovely glow. However, since this foundation doesn't last particularly long on my skin (3 hours at best) the end result looks quite oily rather than glowy. Looking sweaty isn't cute.

Finally we have my favorite BB Cream, Missha's Signature Complete BB Cream in shade No.13. I actually quite liked the combination of the Strobe Cream and BB Cream because it made my skin look incredibly healthy and strangely plump.

Look at the glow! Let's all take a moment to appreciate my acne scar free cheeks and to ignore my allergerific chin. I love seeing a little of my freckles beneath foundation, I think freckles are super cute!!

The Strobe Cream worked beautifully for the majority of the foundations I trialled it with, although I wouldn't wear it on it's own since it does make my skin look greasy. It was super easy and smooth to apply and dried down to a matte finish instead of feeling greasy.

Would I Purchase This Product?

I'm pretty keen to purchase the Strobe Liquid! I'm also interested in trying the Strobe Cream as well as the L'Oreal Lumi Primer which is supposed to be quite a good dupe for the MAC Strobe products! All in all, this primer works well underneath foundation (as well as over the top) giving me gorgeous glowy skin. It doesn't make my foundation last longer, nor does it claim to. This is a beautiful product for girls with oilier skin too!

What do you Princesses think of the Glowy, Dewy skin trend? Are you a fan of the look? 

First Impression: Estēe Lauder Double Wear Light; 0.5

Hello Princesses!

Today I'm going to be talking about Estēe Lauder's Doublewear Light in 0.5! I was so excited to hear that the Double Wear Light comes in shades below 1 (unlike the regular Double Wear) so I was incredibly excited to take home a little trial pot to see if it would be light enough for my pale yellow skin! :3

What Does It Do?

"Double Wear Light,Stay-in-Place Makeup SPF 10

BENEFITS

15-hour wear. Controls oil.

Sheer to Medium; SPF 10.

 Long-wear makeup is now lightweight makeup. Goes on sheer, resists smudging, leaves skin free to breathe all day. Looks fresh, natural. RRP $80." (1)

I was given the shade 0.5 to try out, which is a very light warm toned colour. I trialled this foundation with a couple of different primers with varied results, but here is what the foundation looks like without a primer base.

Without a primer the foundation clings to any dry or flaky patches (especially my chin!) but it looks fine on the rest of my skin. It covers my large pores and conceals my imperfections really well without making me look too "fake" looking.

Using a primer makes this foundation look a lot smoother if you have dry skin or any imperfections like me. Pretty much every primer I used with this foundation worked well, but my favorite was MAC's Strobe Liquid! 

This foundation is quite pale, warm toned, and easy to apply with fingers, brushes or sponges! It dries fairly quick, so you need to work in small sections to avoid making the foundation look cakey. It has a soft matte finish, so you don't have to use a finishing powder! This foundation lasts for a long time on my skin without fading or getting too shiny. ^.^

Would I Purchase This Product?

I absolutely love this product and am planning on purchasing it as soon as I can afford it! Colour wise, it's almost perfect. It could do with a little lightening, but it's got a lovely warm tone so it's quite passable for everyday wear for me. I really love the formula, it gives me medium coverage and a soft matte finish that makes it a perfect fancy face product for occasions when I want to look like a more flawless me!