MUJI Refresh Sheets
/ LaurenBeat the heat with cooling refresh sheets!
As I mentioned in a previous post, I was off to Dallas this past weekend for a friend's birthday/cancer remission celebration.
It also happened to be one of the hottest weekends in Dallas, going into triple digits. Yay. Luckily, this is where an accidental purchase became so very handy.
What I had meant to buy was Cleansing Sheets or MUJI's equivalent to moist facial towelettes for removing makeup. What I bought was something a little different. The refresh sheets are made with menthol, and work to combat when your skin feels sweaty and sticky. They smell like a more pleasant version of Vapor Rub, somewhat minty and eucalyptus-like, and they leave a wonderful cooling and refreshing (hey, they named them aptly!) on the skin.
I wouldn't use these to remove makeup, even in a pinch. They're not really designed for that and might irritate the eyes. But that's what the Cleansing Sheets they also sell are for.
In short, these were perfect for a super hot weekend in Dallas where the air was basically set to hairdryer. I'm guessing these will be an absolute godsend the next time I get a cold or sinus congestion and need some menthol-scented comfort.
The MUJI online store still seems to be under construction, but you can find the Muji Refresh Sheets on eBay for about $3.40 plus $5.00 shipping from Asia. Or if you live in or near San Francisco, Stanford, San Jose, the Los Angeles area, Toronto, or New York City, there are local stores you can pop into.
The weather here in the Bay Area has gone from rainy and a bit cold to the ever ubiquitous sunny overnight, and as we traverse more into Spring and the air is beginning to dry more so is my face. I don't have dry skin per se, more combo leaning midway, but enough where as I've entered my 30s I've learned to appreciate the need to treat dehydrated skin more and more.
Is there anything more vexing as trying to attain perfect, flawless skin? Okay, maybe running out of coffee. That is up there in the realm of things being "the worst." But here's the thing I feel compelled to get out of the way off the bat- perfect and flawless skin that looks literally like porcelain is more the work of Photoshop than beauty products, and it's a standard that is nigh non-existent in reality. Nothing in a bottle will actually turn back time, despite how clever or catchy marketing is.
What you can attain, however, is improving what you have to work to a more reasonable standard, ie- giving dull skin more glow, finding ways to tackle acne, improving hydration, etc.
Is 29 by Lydia Mondavi an affordable Caudalie alternative?
The Ordinary, one the the skincare labels under the DECIUM umbrella, certainly has the beauty world talking over how it's disrupting the skincare market with quality ingredients at super affordable prices. A good retinol for shy of $10? Vitamin C for $5.80? Cold pressed rosehip oil at a price that doesn't press your wallet hard? Is it too good to be true?
Nuxe Paris Cleansing Milk with Rose Petals is a cleanser meant for normal to dry sensitive skin that might react poorly to harsher soaps and needs a gentler hand in getting clean without being too squeaky clean and stripping the natural oils of your face. Does everything come up roses with this cleanser?
September is coming to close, and boy is this year going fast! While doing some tidying up and throwing out a decent amount of makeup, I gathered up my empties for the month for my first Empties post.
Who doesn't love digging through someone else's trash? :D
In one of those "I heard it on Tumblr" sort of situations, I came across Meow Meow Tweet, a newer indie skincare brand, and originally was interested in the deodorants but decided to just go on a sample ordering spree.
I got a small size of the facial care kit, face mask, and deodorants.
How does this brand size up?
I'm a bit of a cleansing balm addict. When you find a great one, it really feels like it can do anything: take makeup off, cleanse, treat, double duty as a mask, maybe pay off my taxes? Okay, that last one is reaching just a wee bit but hey, a girl can dream!
The Trilogy brand from New Zealand is slightly newer to the US skincare market, but every product I've tried so far I've ended up loving and gave the brand a nod in my winter skincare favorites. The Cream Cleanser, Hydrating Mist Toner, and Certified Organic Rosehip Oil Antioxidant+ are all incredibly lovely and constantly rotate their way into my routine. So when I saw they had released a cleansing balm when I was at Whole Foods recently, I had to try it.
Last weekend in my last bit of makeup shopping for a good while, I stopped by Nordstrom's because finally, blessedly, there was a Charlotte Tilbury counter. I could finally swatch this highly coveted brand in person, pick up a few things, and see if it's really worth all the hype it's getting by everyone from pro makeup artist to the online beauty community.
I got inspired as most things happen these days, in the bathroom sitting down and staring at my shelves aimlessly. As I noticed that I have a tendency to line up my skincare there fairly neatly (one of the only times I'm that organized with my home), I thought it would make more a neat Instagram photo. Then I thought, "well, I need more blog content so why don't I do a sporadic bathroom shelfie series?"