BEAUTY PRODUCTS REVIEW - CLINIQUE AND MAC

Hi lovelies....hope your week was great. As promised in my "living healthy" article, the post on beauty products is finally here. 

During my teenage years, I had much acne on my face and I thought it was as result of puberty. But mine became really bad that I tried a thousand and one products from shirley, dusting powder, dudu osun (black soap) etc. Whenevr I heard that something worked for someone else, I immediately want to try it out. Little did I know that I was worsening the situation. Finally I decided to just leave the face and use only facial cleanser after washing my face daily. Gradually, the acne started clearing but not everything. After few years, I was introduced to Clearasil which made the acne go completely and so I stuck to Clearasil products. The thing about facial products is, what worked for Susan or Kemi may not work for you cos your skin type is not the same. We (ladies) are quick to run to a product cos it had an effect on a friend and we want same effect without checking if we have same skin type. In the end we end up causing our face more harm than good. Jumping from one product to another is not advisable so find one that is your skin type and stick to it.

My Clearasil products finished and I could't get another one because the products had not yet come into Nigeria, a dear friend bought them for me when he traveled to the states cos I was so uncomfortable about my face. So when they finished, I decided to try something new. My mum was using Olay then so I joined the band wagon and Olay it became for me. I stuck on Olay products (they're really good) - facial cleanser, facial scrub, bar soap/shower gel, oil of olay lotion. I left Nigeria to UK and still continued with my Olay products but after about 6 months I started noticing some changes on my face. The water was a bit coarse (unlike Naija water and in Naija you can add dettol to your bathing water) and kinda affected me. I just stopped using any product and resorted to Vaseline. I used vaseline for almost a year till I discovered Clinique. So the products I use on my body and face are:

Clinique 3-step skin care: This is the love of my life right now, it's almost two years and counting and I'm still in love with Clinique. First thing I did was to use the "trial pack" - advisable so that you know which one matched your skin type. Don't just buy any product, go to the store and speak to the specialists; they'll know what to give you depending on whether you have a dry, combination, oily, sensitive or normal skin type. I did that and after 20 days trial, I fell in love.  Clinique uses numbers to differentiate the skin types - 1, 2, 3 and 4; I use skin type 2 (dry combination) as recommended by the specialist because my face is dry but my T-zone (forehead down to the nose) so it's a mix of dry and oil. Please make sure you use the right skin type and start with the trial pack and if it suits your skin, then you can buy the bigger set.

Clinique even better eyes: I used to have a dark circle under my eyes; I used to blame it on the fact that I wore glasses all through secondary school till I stumbled unto a picture when I was about 3 years old and saw that circle was there. I was using concealer on it but I didn't like the way it looked so I sought for another option. I wanted it to go but I had some sort of doubt that it may not go since it had been there since I was a little child. I started applying this product morning and night since June and I can see positive results. Unfortunately I don't have pictures of before and after but if I find anyone, I'll post if on instagram/facebook/twitter.

Clinique superdefense spf 25 cream: This was my sunscreen when I went back to Nigeria for christmas. I didn't really come out much under the sun to give a better review of its effectiveness but I'm sure it works pretty well.

Garnier Products:

For facial scrub, I like a scrub that I can feel the tiny stones doing the magic on my face so instead of Clinique I went for the Garnier Sugar Extract Scrub. This product is so lovely that you notice the effect almost immediately, your skin feels smoother and refreshed. And instead of Vaseline, I started using the Garnier hydrating lotion on my body - it's a god product to use cos your body stays moisturized all day unlike some body lotion you use and still notice that your skin is dry.

MAKE UP PRODUCTS

Hhmmm...I never really knew anything about make up until a friend trained with "House of Tara" and decided to use me to practice. So I learnt that when you have too much on the eyes, the lips should be subtle and when the lips are fierce and hot, the eyes should be calm. I was a Mary-Kay addict from 2004 till 2013 (loll...die hard customer). The lady who I normally buy my Mary-Kay foundation from travelled outside UK for a long time so I had to look for an alternative. Funny thing is I had tried MAC before and just decided it wasn't for me; I bought the studio fix but used it only once and gave it out. The only MAC product I ever used was the concealer for my eyes until May 2013. Thank God for the MAC Matchmaster Foundation and the Natural Mineralizer. When I see most MAC faces, they look caked, moulded or seriously layered up so I specifically told the make-up artist who tested the product on me that I want a subtle look, she kept trying until I settled for No 7.5 of the matchmaster foundation.

Foundation: The foundation is really good, light and doesn't make you sweat. I don't carry make up in my bag for touch-ups and all cos once I apply this in the morning with the mineralizer, my face remains intact till I get back home and wash it off. Most times, the my T-zone could get oily and I'll just apply the mineralizer but this happens occasionally.

Matte Lipstick: My friend laughed at me so much the first day I bought this lipstick cos I was a learner in the lipstick business so I decided to go for a colour I can wear for all occasions - work, church, dinner, casual outing and finally settled with this lipstick. I also use the SLEEK pink pout polish when I want a subtle look on my lips.

Eye-shadow: I love it...simply amazing especially if you can  blend your colours very well. I've actually had the eye-shadow longer than any of my MAC products. 

Mascara and eyeliner: I use any eye liner but for Mascara, I prefer Maybelline or the Rimmel-WOW-factor which I'm currently using. I've also used a Clinique mascara that once came with my pack but since I'm not much of a fan of long lashes, these products are okay for me and I love the results. The first time I fixed lashes, it felt like someone dropped a lid on my eyes and my eyes kept fluttering (loll still a learner) but I don't think I'll try it again - maybe on my wedding day.

WOW, this article is longer than I expected. Sorry you had to read this much but I tried to cover every product I use.