Review: Clean & Clear Persa-Gel 10 acne medication

Update:
I refer to my Clean & Clear "Advantage Acne Spot Treatment" in this post, but I actually mean the Advantage Mark Treatment.  That's the one I own- sorry about the mix-up!

I bought this Clean & Clear Persa-Gel 10 acne spot treatment last week, shortly after reading several rave reviews about it.  I was using Clean & Clear Advantage Acne Spot Treatment Mark Treatment but wanted to try something different- that has 2% salicylic acid, as opposed to this one which contains benzoyl peroxide.  I was wary about the benzoyl peroxide since I've found cleansers containing it don't work for me, but figured a spot treatment would be worth a shot.

Anyway, I'll just begin to tell you my thoughts on it now.  :)

What it is: (From cleanandclear.com)

CLEAN & CLEAR® PERSA-GEL® 10 Acne Medication is a unique formula that goes to work immediately, releasing the medicine deep into the pores where pimples start.

Basically, it's an on-the-spot pimple treatment.  I typically get one or two bad pimples, so I use it on those specific areas.

Price:  About $6.00, although I think mine was a little over $5 from Target.  You also get a full 1oz of product which won't be used up quickly.

Formula: This product, unlike the Advantage Spot Treatment, is a cream.  It blends into my skin pretty easily and I don't need any more than the picture above to cover the areas on my face (I currently have two small pimples in between my eyebrows and two on my chin that I use this on).

Ingredients: (From cleanandclear.com- I threw away the box already, whoops!)

Active: Benzoyl Peroxide (10.0%) Inactive: Carbomer, Disodium EDTA, Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose, Laureth-4, Sodium Hydroxide, Water

So I don't mean to compare this product to the Advantage Spot Treatment one in this review, but this has 10% benzoyl peroxide as opposed to only 2% salicylic acid.  Don't use this on an entire cheek, people!

I've found this really dries out the skin around my pimples (my skin is sensitive and can lean on the dry side, but it's not typically dry, just for reference), so moisturizing is a must.  The directions say to apply this 1-3 times a day as needed.

How I like it:  Although you can use this up to 3 times a day, I usually just apply it at night after my moisturizer.  The next morning I have to reapply moisturizer or else my skin peels around where the pimples are.  That's the only reason I don't use this more often- I'm afraid of my skin peeling too much during the day.  Even if it's only in a little spot, that's not something I want!

As far as performance, it's working well to reduce my pimples.  I did have two bumpy pimples on my chin this weekend, and now they're just little dots, which is at least easier to cover with concealer.  It hasn't gotten rid of my pimples or anything.
I've read that for other people this just zaps zits- I wouldn't say it does that, but it sure helps eliminate them faster.

I think for me personally I'll rotate this product and my Advantage Spot Treatment with 2% salicylic acid- that one doesn't dry out my skin so much and is better to use more often.

Overall, I think this one would work great if you have monster pimples that need to be erased pronto.

Pros:
- Inexpensive, 1oz size
- A little goes a long way
- Reduces the appearance of large zits (This seems like it would be GREAT if you get a pimple the night before an important event and you need something with maximum strength)

Cons:
- Dries out skin
- Doesn't completely erase the appearance of pimples
- Has a high level of benzoyl peroxide so must be used minimally and in safe areas

Have you tried this?  Did it work better for you than it did for me?

200th post (!) and swatches/EOTD

Guys, this is my 200th post and I have to make it a little sappy- I'm so stinking happy to have made it to 200!  Even though I blog and do all this stuff because I love it, it really helps to have such kind readers.  It keeps me motivated and buying makeup (Like when I'm at CVS and don't necessarily need anything but "it's for the BLOG!").  ;)
So I just wanted to say a huge thank you to you all who continue to support/encourage me by reading and following.  I appreciate every comment I get, every new follower I get, and so on.  I'm so honored to be a part of this amazing community of bloggers.

Now, the other half of this post I wanted to dedicate to the swatches for yesterday's "haul".  I would have done them yesterday as a part of that post, but my roommate was around and I just didn't get any time to myself.  This way I can also incorporate an EOTD, as well.  :)

Maybelline Time For Wine eyeshadow quad, Prestige Strong Slate Total Intensity eyeliner, NYX Milk JEP

Yesterday I mentioned that each of the Maybelline quads vary in terms of pigmentation.  Unfortunately, this is one that is very light and harder in consistency.  The colors are SO PRETTY which is where it kills me!  However, looking through my eyeshadow stash I found a Maybelline dupe of the 'outer corner' shade, which is the eyeshadow swatch on the far right (in the picture above).  If you remember the limited edition "Diamonds" collection earlier this summer, the eyeshadow duo in Amethyst Duo has a purple that is virtually the same, just softer in texture (and thus more pigmented).  I posted about that HERE.

Moving on...

A close-up of Strong Slate and Milk (unblended)

ULTA doesn't have testers for the majority of their eyeliners, and the packaging of these Prestige Total Intensity eyeliners makes it so you can't see the pencil tip.  I had no idea this was going to be a metallic-y sort of gray color, which was a little disappointing for me.  However, I do still love the formula and I don't have any other "slate" eyeliners.  I also plan on going back to repurchase another color, so I'll be looking up swatches!

Now onto my quick EOTD.  This was inspired by yesterday, actually, when I woke up late for class and had to run without any makeup on.  People told me countless times how tired I was.  Today, even though I got plenty of sleep, I decided to do a "brightening" eye look.  I began with it just neutral and ended up adding the purple to my outer v because it needed something extra.

This is using the Prestige liner, BTW.

I love how the white eyeshadow brightens up my eyes; I finally look awake!

What I used:

- VS Pro eyeshadow primer

- NYX JEP Milk

- NYX Champagne & Caviar palette, shimmery light taupe

- Wet 'n' Wild Greed palette, light shimmery grey

- NYX Ultra Pearl Mania eyeshadow White Pearl

- Prestige Total Intensity eyeliner Strong Slate

- Fresh Supernova mascara

Thanks for reading everyone- hope you're all having a nice night.  :)

Mini haul from ULTA (My favorite!)

I love doing haul posts, or just sharing with you guys new things I've recently purchased.  Today I made a little trip to ULTA to "treat" myself, yet again- I've done well not spending too much this month, so I thought I deserved this!  And I also had that $3.50/$10 purchase coupon they always have floating around. That combined with the deals they have going on this week and you can get a great deal!

NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Milk (FINALLY!), Prestige Total Intensity eyeliner in Strong Slate, Maybelline eyeshadow quad in Time For Wine

After my last sub-par experience with Maybelline eyeshadows, you'd think I would have stayed away from this.  The colors were too pretty in person to pass up!  The eyeshadows aren't the softest, but after testing out several of these in the store, I found that it varies palette to palette.  The quad Enchanted Forest was MUCH smoother.  This one I can work, though.  

I've heard raves about these Prestige eyeliners for the longest time, but I hadn't looked close enough in ULTA to know they were there!  For $5.50 I figured I should just try it.  I got mine in Strong Slate, which is a metallic-y grey, and I just love it.  Smooth and doesn't rub away when I test it on my hand.

Lastly, this is the highly popular NYX JEP in the color Milk.  I used it under the Maybelline quad just a few minutes ago when trying out the shadows, and it really does help make them more vibrant.  I'm going to need to invest in a big pencil sharpener, but I'm glad I finally got this!

The Maybelline eyeshadow was on sale for 40% off, bringing it down to $3.47, the NYX JEP was also 40% off making it $2.51, and the Prestige eyeliner was regular priced at $5.50.  After my $3.50 off coupon, my total was only $8.76!

I'm definitely going back for more of those Prestige eyeliners- which other colors should I get?  

Tons of new products at ELF!

I really apologize for the less frequent posts the last few days- my social life suddenly got crazy, in a good way, but schoolwork picked up at the same time.  Perfect, right?
Anyway, I checked my email this morning and saw one from ELF talking about all the new products they just added to their site.  I love when they send out different emails- it always seems like I'm getting the same alerts about promotions they have going on!  I just thought I'd do a post about some of these new things, in case anyone isn't subscribed to their newsletter.  I'm quite interested in the palettes, especially!

They have more new things on their 'what's new' page (20+ to be exact?); these four items are just a few that I thought looked interesting.  

- 32 piece eyeshadow palette, $5

- 10 piece brush set, $10

- a bunch of new 'get the look' sets, $5 each

- 100 piece eyeshadow palette, $15

Most of these say they are limited edition with limited quantities.  Anyone else interested in anything?  I think I've gotten over my ELF obsession (I've only made 2 online orders but after making my second one I seriously wanted to place another), but if I hear good reviews about anything I'll probably be tempted! 

You can find them all on this page:

http://www.eyeslipsface.com/makeup/new

(All images taken from eyeslipsface.com)

Best Makeup Deals of the Week!

Hey guys, today I'm going to do another small post about some great deals I've seen so far this morning.  It's a typical Sunday morning for me to devour my favorite drugstore/makeup websites for the new ads, coupons, and deals of the week (Specifically Target/coupons, CVS, Walgreens, ULTA, Sephora, Redplum.com, and Coupons.com).  I've seen some pretty good deals so far, most especially at ULTA, so I thought I'd let you know about some of them.

ULTA

- Revlon, Maybelline, NYX, Physicians Formula 40% off

- ULTA brand buy 3 get 3 free

- OPI, Essie, China Glaze, Piggy Polish, CHI Orly BOGO 50% off
(Click HERE to print off a $3.50/$10 purchase coupon!)

Walgreens

- Wet 'n' Wild 50% off (Great time to stock up if you want to try some of these products! See my label "Wet 'n' Wild" for a bunch of posts)

- Revlon BOGO 50% off

- Neutrogena BOGO 50% off

CVS

- Covergirl BOGO 50% off

- Covergirl Clean foundation $4 each

- Revlon Double Twist mascara and Colorburst lipstick $7 each

- Revlon Custom Creations foundation $12 each

- Revlon spend $15 get $6 ECB

- Rimmel Lash Accelerator $8.99 get $2 ECB

- Physicians Formula bronzer or powder $5.99 each

- Sally Hansen BOGO 50% off

If you have any other good deals/coupons you'd like to share, feel free to add them in the comments!  

EOTD: Soft Lavender and Violet

This look was inspired by B's FOTD Friday, here.  Mine is quite different than hers I realize, but I rarely wear gel/cream eyeliner so that's where I drew my inspiration from (And the pop of color!).  I meant to take the "no eyeshadow" route that B did, but after I applied my eyeliner I thought it needed a little something else.  I actually love the way it turned out!

(Click on pictures to enlarge and see color better- the lavender is much more apparent in person)

(Enlarge to see better)

What I used:

- VS Pro eyeshadow primer

- Coastal Scents 88 Matte palette, skin tone color all over lid

- highlight color on brow bone and inner corners

- pale lavender on outer lid and blended lightly into crease

- Physicians Formula gel liner for Green Eyes- purple color, on upper lashline

- Coastal Scents 88 palette, dark violet color to "set" gel liner

- shimmery taupe on lower lashline 

- L'Oreal Extra Volume Collagen mascara in Black

Thanks for reading as always!  Happy Friday!

Love from Arezu! (Pic heavy)

A few weeks ago, I got an email from the lovely Arezu over at Chica De Belleza about winning her birthday giveaway!  I was so excited, and I'm still a little baffled at my luck.  She was extremely generous in what she gave away- today I'm going to share it all with you!

MAC Cheeky Bronze MSF (I never even imagined I would own a MSF, so I am so excited to wear this!  I was worried it would be too orange on me, but I'm thinking it'll work perfectly as a bronzer or peachy blush.  It's much sheerer on my skin than it looks in swatches.)

Annabelle eyeshadow quad + four Annabelle eyeshadows (Buff Naked, Vanilla Chilla, Bronzed Idol, & Ebony)- Annabelle is a Canadian drugstore makeup chain, so I've always been curious about the brand.  The eyeshadows look nice from what I can tell so far.

MAC On A Misson Blush- I LOVE this.  I've been having an obsession with purple-pink blushes but haven't found anything quite right, so this is going to be perfect for fall when I want plum-pink cheeks.

MAC Night Maneuvers eyeshadow- This is a really pretty muted dark brown.  I'm loving cool dark browns right now.

Forever 21 eyeshadow trio in Silver- I've never tried any beauty products from F21 but have been interested.  The packaging is too cute.

Annabelle Le Gloss lipglosses in Superstar and Nude Suite, LA Girl lipstick in Fling, Annabelle eyeliner in Black- The glosses are really pretty.  Unfortunately the lipstick is too brown on my complexion, but I'm thinking I could pull it off with a pink or red lipgloss.  And I've been playing around with the eyeliner tonight- I actually don't own any black eyeliners, so this has been fun!  

Lastly she sent me this makeup bag which will come in handy- I only have one travel makeup bag and it's an old one from MAC.  It's pretty big, and this one is compact.  And cute!

F21 eyeshadow trio, MAC Night Maneuvers eyeshadow, Cheeky Bronze MSF lightly blended, On A Mission blush, Annabelle eyeshadow quad (the lighter colors didn't really show up in the picture, but they're there!)

A huge thanks to Arezu- you are awesome, girl.  I can't wait to put together a real look using everything.  :)

EOTD: Golden Cranberries

Cheesy title, I know.  This look totally reminds me of something for Thanksgiving and makes me crave fall even more!  I used all ELF products for my eyes except primer and mascara.  I really love how the colors just blend together.
(And not to 'toot my own horn', but I think I'm getting a little better at taking pictures of my eyes?  I've been practicing hard!)

Alright, here we go:

 

(Please enlarge the pictures to see the quality better- when I upload them to Blogger they lose so much)

What I used:

- VS Pro eyeshadow primer

- ELF Neutral Eye Beauty Book eyeshadow #1 (all over lid)

- eyeshadow #2 (in crease and along lower lashline)

- eyeshadow #3 (in crease to blend #1 and #2 together)

- eyeshadow #4 (highlight browbone and inner corners, along inner lower lashline)

- ELF eyeliner in Coffee (the one that comes with this palette, along upper lashline)

- eyeshadow #5 (to set eyeliner, because the eyeliner stinks on its own)

- L'Oreal Extra Volume Collagen mascara in Black

Unfortunately you have to layer the colors in these palettes quite a bit, but they are really soft and blend like a dream.  I wouldn't recommend ELF eyeliners (at least the $1 ones, which is the same kind that comes with this palette) because they fade, smudge, and don't really dry completely.  I wanted to use as many ELF products as I could for this look, though.

Thanks for reading everyone!

It's Feeling Like Fall... Haul from H&M!

I realized last week when we started getting some cooler weather that I'm in serious need of fall clothes.  I have sleeveless tops and then I have big winter coats, but only a few sweaters hanging by their lonesome in my closet.  So, during a trip to H&M on Saturday (with a new-found friend!), I found myself in sweater-city.  I tried on a few different things that I wanted, but decided to go back this week and see if I still liked them.  Yesterday I ended up buying a few much-needed pieces that are now sitting happily in my wardrobe!

(Left: Sweater with ruched sleeves, Right: Open flowy sweater)

I tried on the olive colored sweater on the left, and realized I don't have any clothes in this color!  The sleeves bunch up when you wear it so they sit just above my elbow.

The sweater on the right is so soft.  This is the one I tried on when I went on Saturday, and I knew I had to get it.  I was worried at first that the oatmeal cream color would wash me out, but my friend said it actually made my skin look brighter.  My friends can talk me into anything!

(Left: Sweater dress; Button-close wrap around belt, Right: Ruffled vest)

The sweater dress on the left is very simple but again, really soft.  All this softness is making me realize my older sweaters fail in comparison!  Anyway, I got this inexpensive 'leather-looking' belt to go with it. I actually paired the belt with the olive sweater (first picture) and the vest for my class last night.  Outfit of the day to come!

Lastly, this ruffly, flowy, long vest is just what I was looking for.  It pairs well with leggings and a longer top, a casual dress, or even jeans.  I don't have any sleeveless tops like this and I love that I can wear it with so much.

Like I said, expect an OOTD to come either later today or tomorrow.  Thank goodness I got these yesterday- I'm in dire need of doing laundry and didn't want to do it today.  ;)

Enjoy your day, everyone!

Giveaway: CSN Stores Gift Certificate! (CLOSED)

Guys, I have very exciting news for you today.  Last week I was contacted by Kate from CSN Stores about hosting a giveaway here on my blog.  I've been wanting to do something to show my appreciation for my lovely readers, so this came at the perfect time!

If you're unfamiliar with CSNstores.com, it's a website that sells a ton of different things.  You can find anything from handbags to a twin bed set, with a huge selection and affordable prices.

With that said, you can win a $35 gift certificate to use at any of CSN Stores' 200+ sellers (I thought luxebycsn.com and shoesgotsole.com looked really interesting!).  

Rules: (There actually aren't many rules with this giveaway, which is the best part!)
1.  You MUST follow my blog,
2.  You must live in the US or Canada (Unfortunately their stores only ship to North America)
3.  Please include your current email address in your comment entry so CSN Stores can contact you if you win.


How to enter/extra entries: (You can do one or all to increase your chances of winning)
1.  Leave me a comment on this post telling me your favorite thing about yourself! (1 entry)
2.  Post about this giveaway on your blog (3 extra entries)
3.  Post about this giveaway on the sidebar of your blog- use the icon below (3 extra entries)

This giveaway will go for two weeks, starting today and ending Tuesday, October 5th.  

Thanks again for reading my blog and supporting me so far, everyone- it's all much appreciated.  :)

Review: Maybelline Unstoppable Eyeliners

Now that I have two of these Maybelline Unstoppable eyeliners (I purchased Sapphire yesterday at Walgreens), I figured I should tell you guys what I think of them.  And Maybelline is also 40% off at Walgreens this week so it's the perfect time to try them if you've been wanting to yourself!  The first one I got (Jade) was one of those "on a whim" buys- it was on rollback at Walmart a few months ago and I decided to try it.  I've been pleasantly surprised by both colors I own!

(Top: Maybelline Unstoppable eyeliner in Sapphire, Bottom: Jade)

What it is:  From Maybelline.com- "Waterproof liner glides on to define your eyes effortlessly for ultra-smooth application."

Essentially this is a waterproof, smudge-proof, retractable eyeliner designed to stay put wherever you apply it.  Hence the name, "unstoppable!"

Price: Retail $6.99 at Walgreens, but are currently 40% off.

(Left: Sapphire, Right: Jade)

If you've noticed in my more recent reviews, I do eyeliners a little differently.  I include a section for "formula" and another for "wear/quality", because I feel like these are the two most important criteria for eyeliners.

Formula:  These aren't for anyone who requires a "creamy" eyeliner.  In comparison to my Mary Kay eyeliner they are harder, but warming them up on the back of my hand helps alleviate this issue.  I do wish they were creamier, however they don't tug on my eyelid.  

Wear/quality:  This is where these eyeliners excel, in my opinion.  I can apply one in the morning and have it last all night.  Today, for example, I took a shower in the evening and it even stayed through that.    And despite being "smudge-proof", you can still get that smudged look as long as you work quickly.  My favorite way to wear these is applying a thick line to my upper lashline, then smudging it out and then going along my bare lower lash line with the color left on the smudger.  I've never tried them on my waterline (I don't line my waterline), but on the upper and lower lashlines they really work well.

Swatches:

(Left: Sapphire, Right: Jade)

Swatch after lightly rubbing my finger back and forth:

(Sorry for the blurry-ness!  I didn't realize it until uploading the picture)

You can see that after rubbing my finger back and forth the swatches do lighten up a bit, but on my eyelid the color really stays put.  I also only waited about 20 seconds before doing the test.  They still maintain their brightness, though, and hardly smudge.

Here's a picture of a look I did yesterday using Sapphire:

(Click to enlarge)

Pros:

- Affordable and easily accessible

- 6 colors to choose from

- Long-lasting formula that you can work with

- Retractable liner (In my opinion this is a pro- you don't have to sharpen it like you do a standard pencil!)

Cons:

- Not very creamy, requires 'warming up'

Overall, I really love these.  I might have to pick up one in the color Pewter- I've been really wanting a grey eyeliner! 

What are your thoughts of these eyeliners?  Have you tried them? 

:)

Maybelline Haul & First Impressions (Walgreens)

This is an awesome week to stock up on both Maybelline and Revlon products if you need to!  They are 40% off at Walgreens, so it's also the perfect time to use any coupons you may have.  Redplum.com has printable coupons for $2.00 off any Maybelline foundation or lip product, and both of the Walgreens near me have LE displays that have $1.00 off tearpads for either any Maybelline product or any eyeshadow/eyeliner.  I took advantage of both in this haul!  I'll go into more detail about how I paid for everything at the end.

(Left to right: Expert Wear eyeshadow trio in Charming Cobalt LE, Color Sensational lip gloss in Shimmering Sands, Instant Age Rewind Double Face Perfector in Light, Unstoppable eyeliner in Sapphire) 

Cobalt Blue eyeshadow:

(lid, crease, highlight)

I first saw this trio over in Gianna's post, and then I saw it in person sometime last week.  I wasn't really feeling it for it's retail price of $5.99, but with the 40% off deal plus the $1.00 off tearpad coupon on the LE display, I thought just under $3.00 was reasonable.  The only complaint I have about this trio is the pigmentation.  It's not terrible, but it's not fabulous, either.  

Swatches of Shimmering Sands lip gloss and Sapphire eyeliner:

I'm excited to wear this lip gloss.  It's a pretty, shimmery nude color, and my guess is that it isn't too pigmented.  It will probably be a good one to keep in my purse- goes with everything, easy to apply.

The Unstoppable eyeliners have become an underrated favorite of mine.  I have another in the color Jade, which is a deep forest green.  They really do stay put but you can easily smudge them if you're going for that kind of look.  Sapphire is a not-quite navy blue; I'd say it's a touch brighter than what I'd define as "navy".  Different than what I was expecting, but still nice nonetheless.  

Double Face Perfector concealer/highlighter in Light:

!! This is the one I was most excited for.  I know Jamie has raved about this duo, so I've been waiting for a good sale to go out and try it for myself!  I tried it out just a bit ago and the concealer is really pigmented and covers all my imperfections.  I hope I still like it after using it awhile.

Here is the breakdown of how much everything cost me before tax, including the 40% discount and coupons:

-lip gloss: $3.89 ($2.00 off any Maybelline lip color from Redplum.com)= $1.89

-concealer/highlighter: $5.87 ($1.00 off any Maybelline cosmetic tear pad coupon from LE display)= $4.87

-eyeliner: $4.79

-eyeshadow trio: $3.59 ($1.00 off any Maybelline eyeshadow/eyeliner tear pad coupon from LE display)= $2.59

Total: $14.14

Chicago has 9.75% so obviously I had to pay that, but it was only a little over a dollar.

I still have my $2.00 any Maybelline foundation coupon waiting to be used.  Any recommendations?  Anything else I need to try?  Or if there's anything here that I bought today that you love, definitely leave a comment and let me know!  I love hearing what you guys like/dislike.

Have a great day!