Review: Kiehl’s Clearly Corrective Dark Spot Solution

I haven’t done a skincare review in a while but I just finished a bottle of this and with summer coming, up, it seems like the perfect season to get yourself a bottle of dark spot reducer. I received the Kiehl’s Clearly Corrective Dark Spot Solution as a sample from Kiehl’s in February and I have been using it every day and every night for the past nearly 3 months.

My skin profile: I have very dehydrated cheeks with a t-zone that gets oily. I occasionally get break-outs, usually 1-2 around that time of the month. My main skin concerns are hyper-pigmentation and dehydration in the cheek area and fine lines in the eye area. My ideal skincare products are ones that provide good moisture to my skin, absorb quickly and leave no left-over product sitting on top of my skin.

I used this product twice a day, two drops in the morning for my face and four drops at night for my face and neck. I use this together with the Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Moisturizer both morning and night, and then also a layer of sunscreen during the day as well.

What it claims (from Kiehls.com): Clearly Corrective™ DARK SPOT SOLUTION is a fast-acting serum that evens skin tone and diminishes dark spots to impart overall radiance and luminosity to the skin:

• In as little as 2 weeks, 55% of women clinically demonstrated a significant reduction in dark spot intensity.
• In 4 weeks, 69% of women clinically demonstrated a continued reduction in dark spots intensity and 73% of women showed a significant reduction in acne scarring.  Reduction in other skin discolorations was clinically evident among 69% of women.
• In 8 weeks, 87% of women clinically demonstrated more uniform skin tone to deliver breakthrough clarity.
• With continued daily usage, Clearly Corrective helps to prevent the formation of future dark spots and other skin discolorations.

No Silicones. No Parabens. No Fragrance.
No Colorants. No Optical Diffusers.

Price: $49.50USD/$54CAD for 30mL

Texture/Scent: Light watery serum, very subtle herbal scent

The good: It is a light watery serum that absorbs quickly and leaves no residue. It is gentle on the skin and does not sting or cause any irritation, even with continued and prolonged use. I love that helps the Ultra Facial Moisturizer absorb quickly and the products together leave my skin hydrated, supple and healthy. Most importantly, I felt that my skin was brighter, smoother and more luminous. I also felt that because of the vitamin C in the serum, it helped to increase the cell turnover in my skin through exfoliation, which also help acne spots heal faster and any leftover scars will also lightened faster.

• Light, absorbs quickly and leaves no residue
• Gentle on the skin
• Skin is brighter, smoother and more luminous
• Helps cell turnover in the skin due to the vitamin C

The bad: I did not notice any reduction in dark spot (i.e. freckle) intensity, which was its main claim. If anything, I felt my spots were even more prominent because the rest of my skin was more luminous and bright. I am not a fan of the dropper packaging, because every time I use it, the serum is exposed to oxygen, and over 2-3 months, that is a lot of oxygen. Also as I am nearing the end of the bottle, I have to pour out the rest of the serum because the dropper doesn’t go all the way to the bottom.

• Does not lighten freckles
• Dropper packaging lets in a lot of oxygen and also not effective at releasing all of the product

Overall: I love this product when used with Ultra Facial Moisturizer, so much that I updated my review of the Ultra Facial Moisturizer because the Dark Spot Solution, when used in tandem with the Moisturizer, really helps to improve the efficacy of both products. Even though I didn’t see a reduction in my freckles, I did feel that this serum was worth investing in because it made the rest of my skin brighter, more luminous, and overall more healthy looking. I highly recommend this product to anyone who is looking for an effective skin brightener that is still gentle and can be used twice a day for prolonged periods of time. It is hydrating enough for people with dry to normal skin, and it is light enough for people with oily or combination skin. I just finished my first bottle… and will be on to my second very soon =)

Product: 18/20
Packaging: 3/5
Value: 4/5
Overall: 25/30 | A-
Repurchase? YES!

FYI for an another review of this product, head over to Just J to read Miss J’s take.

Ingredients:

All Hail the Queen!! Butter London’s gorgeous taupe polish turns heads everywhere

Ever since this pretty polish was named All Hail McQueen, I have been smitten. It was later renamed All Hail the Queen, probably due to copyright issues, but the popularity and beauty of this shade never died down one bit. I finally caved and bought this baby off Nail Polish Canada a couple of weeks ago and every time I wear it out, I always get asked what shade of polish I’m wearing because it is that gorgeous.

All Hail the Queen is a complex taupe holograph with gold, copper, bronze and green sparkles. It has a lot of depth and looks equally gorgeous under direct sunlight as well as in the shade.

The formula itself is also equally fantabulous. It is a thin formula, but not watery and the coverage is pretty good, even with just one coat. This is my first and only Butter London polish as of now, and I would jump to try more.

Priced at $17 from Nail Polish Canada, I would probably buy a backup of All Hail the Queen if it was ever announced to be discontinued.

March GLOSSYBOX Review… nice good value products!

Sorry for this super late review. I received the March GLOSSYBOX early this month and have been pretty happy with the products included in this month’s box.

As per several peoples’ feedback from last month to include more makeup items in the GLOSSYBOX, I was happy to see there were two full size makeup products in this month’s box: a lip gloss from BAILEY Cosmetics, and a blush from PANDORA. The lip gloss shade that I got, pink, is very sheer and pretty much a clear gloss. The PANDORA blush shade that I received, St. Tropez, is a dusty powder pink that’s good for every day.

The thing I was most excited about though, was the Evian Brumisateur Facial Spray. I have been meaning to try this for the longest time but never around to buying it. This product is perfect for the hot summer days when your skin just needs a refresher, or at the office when you have makeup on but skin is getting a little dehydrated from the central heating or air conditioning. I haven’t tried the other stuff yet, but they do look very promising.

From a purely value-based evaluation, this month’s GLOSSYBOX is really good value. If you would like a little surprise in your mailbox every month, the GLOSSYBOX is a good addition to your monthly subscription portfolio.

Erno Lazslo “Splashing” Technique and Quick Skincare Reviews: Erno Laszlo Active pHelityl Oil, Active pHelityl Soap & Sea Mud Soap

If you didn’t see my last post about Erno Laszlo, you can see my short introduction of the brand here.

Erno Laszlo has developed a cleansing ritual that is called the Splashing Technique…

I tried the Splashing Technique once and I wasn’t exactly impressed with it. It was just too troublesome and at night, I prefer to do my face-washing in the shower. After one time, I didn’t see much results so I can’t really comment. I did find that using the facial soaps in the shower yielded pretty good results so I won’t be looking back.

Erno Laszlo Active pHelityl Oil

• Texture: Light oil
• Scent: Fresh
• Effect: Couldn’t really feel like this did anything, doesn’t emulsify
• Price: $49CAD/$40USD for 200mL
• Overall: This oil is meant to be a pre-cleanse like other cleansing oils. It is supposed to remove makeup and dirt from the skin. I didn’t like this oil because I felt like 1) it didn’t rinse off completely, rather leaving a thin film of oil on my face, and 2) it just didn’t do anything, I didn’t notice a difference in my skin with or without using this oil. It also doesn’t emulsify, so it is a little harder to rinse off.

Erno Laszlo Active pHelityl Soap

• Texture: Lathers up into a slightly slipper
• Scent: Slightly fresh and floral
• Effect: Cleanses surface greasy and dirt but is slightly drying
• Price: $49CAD/$40USD for 180 grams
• Overall: I am on the fence about this soap; it does clean well but it I found it slightly stripping. I also found it takes a bit more splashing to rinse off completely. I like, but do not like as much as the Sea Mud Soap.

Erno Laszlo Sea Mud Soap

• Texture: Lathers up into a bubbly creamsome black gritty charcoal exfoliants
• Scent: Smells fresh, like sea mud
• Effect: Deep cleanses without drying-out skin
• Price: $49CAD/$40USD for 180 grams
• Overall: I LOVE THIS CLEANSER! I think I just found another HG-worthy cleanser to replace my AmorePacific Treatment Enzyme Peel. It cleanses very, very well without leaving my face dry, tight, or stripped. After a week or so of daily use (at night), I felt my pores were being cleaned out, blackheads and pores shrinking. I went out and bought the full-size soap which should last me about 8-10 months with daily use. I recommend this soap for anyone who does not have super dry skin; f you have dry-combination to oily skin, this is the cleanser for you!

Light up your life with Lise Watier Haute Couleur Lip Lacquers & Light Cap Nail Lacquers

Lise Watier released two new products with this new innovation for Spring 2012 – light-up lip lacquers and nail polishes! While light up lip products aren’t that new, it was previously used on Gosh lipglosses, but these Lip Lacquers plus the light up caps together are something to be excited about. The light-up nail polishes are also something of an innovation. I was lucky enough to be sent a couple of Lip and Nail Lacquers to share with you.

Lise Watier Haute Couleur Lip Lacquer ($22.00CAD)

Housed on a long clear tube with Lise Watier’s signature gunmetal metal cap, Haute Couleur Lip Lacquer has feels weighty and luxurious in my hands. When you turn the cap, the light automatically comes on and you can apply colour using the built-in mirror on the side of the tube. The applicator is a long, flat, slanted doe-foot applicator. One coat of this is enough to get near-opacity, or two coats for nearly full opacity. The finish is a high-opacity, glossy look.

• Rouge Catwalk is a semi-opaque neutral red with very subtle red shimmer.
• Haute Couture is a full-cover cool mauve cream.

The formula of these Haute Couleur Lip Lacquers is thick and honey-like. It is not as sticky as a traditional lipgloss, but it is not as light as a liquid lipstick (say for example, Chanel Rouge Allure Laque). The length of the applicator does require some extra attention when applying this, which is not as effortless. The built-in mirror and light does help a lot with application though, especially in a club setting, or anywhere with lower light. All in all, I like the concept of these Lip Lacquers: they are semi-opaque to opaque, with a formula that is in between a lipstick and a gloss and a highly innovation package design. I would recommend that you take a look at these (wherever Lise Watier products are sold: Sears, London Drugs and Shoppers Drug Mart) and swatch the colours for yourself.

Ingredients: Polybutene, Octyldodecanol, Silica, Triacontanyl PVP, Lecithin, Tocopherol, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Citric Acid, Anise Alcohol, Aroma (Flavor), Parfum (Fragrance), Phenoxyethanol. +/- Mica, CI 77891 (Titanium Dioxide), CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499 (Iron Oxides), CI 77742 (Manganese Violet), CI 75470 (Carmine), CI 42090 (Blue 1 Lake), CI 77163 (Bismuth Oxychloride), CI 19140 (Yellow 5 Lake), CI 15985 (Yellow 6 Lake), CI 15850 (Red 6, Red 7 Lake), CI 45380 (Red 21, Red 22), CI 45410 (Red 27, Red 28), CI 17200 (Red 33).

Lise Watier Light Cap Nail Lacquer ($12.50CAD)

I LOVE these nail polishes! The light-up cap is probably the best innovation ever and I honestly think more companies should adopt this. I found that my nail polish application became much more precise and less messy compared to using a polish that didn’t have the built-in light. Lise Watier Nail Lacquer formulas are almost completely opaque with just one coat. I found it to dry relatively quickly and it applied easily without streaking. I felt that the formula is a little thick, even with a new bottle, but that might just be because of the cold climate.

• Glamour is a this interesting brown/grey-purple with red micro-glitter. It looks quite purple in the bottle but more brown upon application
• Euphorbia is a opaque cream purple with very subtle shimmers in the bottle but no shimmer on application (similar to how most of Dior polishes have subtle shimmer in the bottle).

The Lise Watier Light Cap Nail Lacquers wear pretty well with about 3-4 days of perfect wear and then minor chipping on the 5th day forward. I think this attributes to the thicker formula which dries harder. Even the chips that come off are thicker and harder than my usual polish chips.

Ingredients: Butyl Acetate, Ethyl Acetate, Nitrocellulose, Acetyl Tributyl Citrate, Adipic Acid / Neopentyl Glycol / Trimellitic Anhydre Copolymer, Isopropyl Alcohol, Stearalkonium Bentonite, Acrylates Copolymer, Styrene / Acrylates Copolymer, Benzophenone-1. +/- Sili