A Bit of Shopping: ULTA, Target, Sephora, and CCS (Collective Haul)

     It has been a crazy busy month of May for me, hence the lack of post. Work has been a bit stressful combined with the stress of preparing for my trip and just daily life, I've just been too caught up to blog. In a week I'll be flying out and most of my beauty stuff has been shipped out together with my other things ahead of time so I wouldn't have to deal with overweight suitcases, I'm honestly bad at packing! 

    Since most of the stuff I bought earlier has been shipped out already, what's left in terms of my beauty arsenal are the ones I just use regularly and most of my makeup brushes. It's so odd to see my makeup area a bit bare. Like I said most of my things are already gone and the ones I have left here were running low so I went ahead and bought some stuff through out the month as I needed it.

   

Origins Modern Friction Nature's Gentle Dermabrasion

    I love, love, love this product! I've used several brands of facial scrub before, mostly drugstore brands like Clean and Clear, Neutrogena, and St. Ives for years. It was not till early this year that I got a travel sized version of Modern Friction that I honestly fell in love and finally bit the bullet, I bought the full size version. Before I begin to declare my love for this wonderful facial scrub, let's check out what Origins has to say about their product.

(Sephora; 4.2 oz for $38.50)

    "Sand-blasting skin with coarse, chemical crystals? How painfully passé. Here's age-smoothing exfoliation without irritation. Skin-refining Rice Starch, cushioned in cream, shows real affinity for rapidly removing sluggish cells, uneven patches and signs of skin damage and discolorations. Lemon Oil kick starts the process of illumination. Another age-sweeping action: skin-menacing molecules are mopped up. All while Aloe keeps skin calm and comfy. There's no ouch, extra steps or other complications. No redness or flaking follows. The before-and-afters are amazing. Signs of fine lines and size of pores appear to shrink in size. Skin looks perfectly polished, smooth and luminous. And the perk-me-up aromas of Bergamot and Peppermint help you look on the bright side.
Origins tested Modern Friction™ on a panel of 54 women. After just one try, of those who had undergone clinical micro-dermabrasion, 94% said they would now consider using Modern Friction™ instead."

Mario Badescu Enzyme Cleansing Gel

      I started using this cleanser around December last year... I'm honestly a bit conflicted about this product. Before I start typing my opinion, here's what the Mario Badescu website says about their Enzyme Cleansing Gel:

(ULTA; 16 oz. for $20)

      "This non-foaming, gel cleanser thoroughly removes the day’s make-up, dirt and oil without drying the skin. Papaya and Grapefruit Extracts are exfoliating Alpha Hydroxy Acids that help prevent dulling build-up that can cause blackheads and pimples."

Origins Checks and Balances Frothy Facial Wash

     I started using this product September of last year. I haven't looked back since then! 
First, according to the Origins website:

(Sephora; 5 fl.oz. for $20)

     "When it comes to faces with dry and oily places, it takes a clever cleanser to balance the two. This gentle, frothy face wash carefully does both jobs without canceling each other out. Broad Leaf Kelp Extract discourages excess oil production, while Wheat Protein balances and protects dry prone zones. And Tourmaline actually makes water wetter to more easily disperse dirt and sebum down the drain. There's also aromatic Bergamot, Spearmint and Lavender to add pleasure to the process. Skin feels comfortably refreshed after cleansing, never tight, pulled or parched."