Slip Silk Pillowcase Review

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As you know, I sometimes like to review much-hyped about things even though they aren't in the ethical or sustainable realm (like Away luggage or Glossier products) because just like you, I want to know is the product really worth it or is it all marketing?  Well the Slip Silk Pillowcase has been on my radar for awhile now.  I mean who doesn't want to sleep on a pillow case that promises anti-aging?  

So what do I think?

Ok so the claims are definitely a tad over-hyped (I mean c'mon there's no anti-aging anything really other than cosmetic surgery) but I will say that this silk pillowcase does have benefits and I haven't gone back to a regular pillow case since buying this one (coordinated bed sheets be damned, lol)!  My favorite part about this silk pillowcase is that it prevents those sleep creases on my face, which as I get older take longer and longer to disappear (thanks to waning elasticity in my face).  This is especially important to me since I'm a side sleeper and used to get those creases all the time.  Before getting this I tried to become a back-sleeper since my friend told me side-sleepers get more wrinkles on their face from sleeping on it, lol.  Nope, it didn't work so I'm so glad I got this pillow case instead.

The silk is a 22 momme weight made from Oeko-tex certified silk, which means harmful chemicals were not used for its production.  That also means they use non-toxic dyes (I have the white one so there's minimal dyes in that one especially).  I discussed momme weight before here.  For reference, Everlane uses about 16mm silk while Elizabeth Suzann uses 23mm silk.  Grana uses 22mm silk for their Georgette satin pieces (no longer readily available but you can still find it being used for their V-neck slip dress).  And since I had a bunch of Grana credit left over, I thought I might as well try to make some silk pillowcases out of them (since it will mean they are essentially free for me).  And well I made them and tried sleeping on it but it's not the same, even though the momme weight is the same.  And that's because Slip uses a special charmeuse finish that makes it softer and more breathable when compared to the Georgette satin.  So at least I know I'm really getting a great product from Slip that can't be easily copied.

Also they do mention in their FAQs that they "work closely with our suppliers to ensure that fair workplace practices are enforced and that only the highest quality materials are used."  But they don't advertise where they make their products so I'm pretty sure they're made in China.

So yes, $79 is a lot for one pillowcase, but it's the only pillowcase you'll ever need for the rest of your life.  Just take care of it well (I machine wash on delicate with the Laundress Delicate wash and hang dry).  This product is definitely worth it for me and it's the tiny bit of luxury at the end of the night that makes sleeping just that much better!

P.S. If you're wondering if their Slip Silk Sleep Mask is worth it, I'm going to say that's a big fat nope.  I loved the pillow case so much, I purchased the $50 sleep mask for travel and I have to say it's not comfortable.  Either I have an abnormally large head or they make it way too small but it's tight around the head and puts pressure on the eyes.  Save your money on this one and just skip the sleep mask.

La Mer Review: The Moisturizing Matte Lotion

La Mer The Moisturizing Matte Lotion

So I already have one thing to add to my worst purchases of 2018 and it's this lotion.  Womp womp :( I really wanted to like it, especially since it was a ridiculous $260 for this lotion.  Yep, isn't that insane?  Luckily I had some thank you points from my Citi credit card so I did not pay that much out of pocket.  But then I think of all the things I could have spent those points on and it makes me sad.  But on the bright side, I get to let all you acne-prone people know to stay away from La Mer.  And that's because their top ingredient (and what they're known for) is Algae (seaweed) extract.  And that is a pore-clogging ingredient.  *facepalm* . Of course I should be checking ingredients before spending so much money on something.  But guess I'll have to learn this the hard way.

Anyway if you have normal, not acne-prone skin this is actually a pretty great product.  It left the parts of my skin that didn't break out soft and helped my makeup from feeling too greasy during the day.  It's not a primer, but just a mattifying lotion.  Is it worth $260?  No, I don't think so even if your skin doesn't break out easily.  You are definitely paying for the name and the hype.  But if you tend to have combo/oily skin that doesn't break out easily, and an extra $260 lying around, sure it's great.  As for me, I'll stick with my cheap(er) but non-comedogenic lotions.

Anyway I'm selling this lotion, used about 7 times, at 75% off here.  Since it's a pump mechanism, the lotion inside hasn't been exposed to the elements.  So if you're interested in trying La Mer at a deeply discounted price, here's your chance!

Glossier Super Pure Serum, Milk Jelly Cleanser, and Generation G Review

So I'm finally doing part 2 of my Glossier product reviews after having thoroughly tried out these last three items in my initial order from Glossier (for part one I reviewed the boy brow and the stretch concealer here).

So let's start with this Super Pure serum.  I have a history of sensitive, acne-prone skin so whenever I see a product promising clearer skin I'm always down to try it out.  Unfortunately for me this product did not work :( . (<--lol that is exactly how my face looked for a week, with a zit that wouldn't go away on the left side of my chin).  So this product is supposed to prevent zits by clearing sebum and whatnot.  But I still developed a zit.  And then I made the mistake of putting it on the zit for the first couple days of inflammation.  At first it looked like the redness went down but then the zit just wouldn't go away.  And it kept getting bigger with multiple white heads (so gross, I know).  Eventually I treated the zit how I normally treat zits (first pop it with this tool and then let it dry out on it's own.  Sometimes I'll also ice it to calm the inflammation).  I read else where that this product worked for them, but I think it really does depend on what your skin is like (I mean I can't even handle Neutrogena without breaking out).

Luckily, I found more success with Glossier's milky jelly cleanser.  An initial look at the ingredients did show that there is one possible pore-clogging ingredient (isopropyl myristate) but it's way down on the ingredient list, and I found I had no issues with this cleanser.  In fact I would say it works really well.  It removes all makeup and doesn't leave any kind of residue.  But when I use this product I still end up rewashing my face with my favorite charcoal cleanser from SkinSalvation.  But I find when I use both cleansers, there's no trace of makeup after (as opposed to when I just use the charcoal cleanser alone).  Out of all the products I've purchased from Glossier this is definitely one of my favorites (along with the boy brow).

And last but definitely not least, Glossier's generation G matte lipstick.  I purchased it in the color Zip.  I'm not a huge fan of matte lipstick since it tends to be a lot more maintenance than I'm used to (making sure your lips are not flaky and also making sure the matte lipstick doesn't bleed).  The last time I tried a matte lipstick it was from Nars and it was a terrible experience.  Not only did it really dry out my lips but it bled to the point it looked like I had clown lips.  Ever since then I've been weary of matte lipsticks and have stuck with my usual lip glosses or balms (a current favorite is actually the RMS lip shine in Sacred).  But I have to say Glossier did a great job with their generation G matte lipstick.  It goes on smooth and it's pleasantly not drying (well yes it will be a tad drier than a lip gloss or balm, but it's not that much drier).  And best of all it doesn't flake my lips.  So if you're looking for a great matte lipstick, definitely give this a try.

So some final thoughts about Glossier:

~ It's definitely a trendy brand right now with their minimal and slick packaging and great marketing.  And yes some of their products are good (maybe even 'cult-worthy'), like the boy brow and milky jelly cleanser.  But I'm not about to jump on the Glossier band wagon since like a lot of beauty brands, sometimes the hype is bigger than the actual results they deliver.

~One thing that turns me off a bit from this brand is all the packaging that this brand uses.  They products not only came in individual packaging but also with an exterior pink plastic pouch.  And then all of that was in a box.  Of course some people may like that, but to me it's such a waste.

Glossier Boy Brow and Stretch Concealer Review: The Good and the Bad

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At first I was going to do one review for all the different Glossier products I bought but I'm going through them all so slowly since I really take my time when it comes to trying new makeup and skin care (sometimes when I use too many products at once my skin just freaks out and then I'm not sure which product was the one that triggered it all).  So for today I have for you a review of Glossier's Boy Brow and Stretch Concealer.  

First the Boy Brow, which I have to say does live up to the hype.  My brows in general are fairly thin since an unfortunate over-plucking incident early on in my adolescence (a story for another time), but recently I've been using this lash and brow growth serum (and it really works!).  And now that my brows hairs are growing quite long, Glossier's boy brow has been pretty clutch in keeping my brows looking groomed and polished.  The short wand is perfect for combing your brows while simultaneously filling them with their cream-like formula.  At first it looks like there's a lot of product on the wand and that it might make your brows look too dark but looks are deceiving.  As you comb it through, it really does blend it with your natural hairs.  I'm using the brown color and it blends in perfectly.  I should warn you though that once you comb through the formula, you don't want to touch it until it dries otherwise it somehow loses its magic and starts to look like you painted your brows heavily (I made this mistake when I accidentally went overboard with this product and then tried to wipe some off with a tissue--nope don't do it, it totally backfires on you).  I really love this product but I'm not sure I'd repurchase this when I think about it from a sustainability stand point.  Yes the product is awesome, but all the extra plastic just for a brow product (when really my Shu Uemura brow pencil already does a decent job) seems a bit like a waste.

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Now for the bad: their stretch concealer.  I need concealer most to hide my zits and general redness on my face.  The concealer itself is a bit greasy but does have decent coverage.  But the big no-no for me is their pore-clogging formula (even though they say it's not).  How do I know this?  First I tried it out and then where ever I used it, I started getting a couple of small whiteheads. So then I cross checked the full ingredient list of this concealer to this list of comedogenic (pore-clogging) ingredients from a well respected acne spa treatment center in San Francisco (I went there a couple times and I actually use a lot of their products regularly).  And lo and behold the number one ingredient of this concealer is a pore-clogging ingredient (Octyldodecanol).  Talk about false advertisement.  So if you're planning to use this on pimples, don't.  But if you have fairly tough skin and are going to use this for under-eye darkness then it might be worth looking into.

Anyway I'll try to get the second half of this review out which will include Glossier's milk jelly cleanser, Generation G matt lipstick, and their Super Pure serum.

Supergoop! Review of Barre to Bar Beauty Set

Just a quick beauty review for you today.  I had mentioned that I'm in the search for a good sunscreen that won't melt off my face in the summer, won't break me out and also gives me some coverage to even out skin tone.  This search has been harder than I anticipated due to my super sensitive skin (if I don't break out, sometimes I get a rash, but most of the time I just break out).  So when I saw this Supergoop! Barre to Bar set I though I would give it a shot (I kept seeing the brand in magazines and such so I finally caved into the marketing).  I love trying little sampler sets like these since it allows me to try it without committing to the full size.  So here's a quick rundown of each product:

The Daily Correct CC Cream in Light/Medium: in short, a dud.  It was greasy and gave my skin a pinkish tint (obviously not a match for my asian skin tone).

The City Sunscreen Serum: I loooooove this!  This is probably the only thing I would rebuy out of this whole kit (and probably the only thing I will use up).  This is a super lightweight sunscreen with zero sunscreen smell and no greasiness.  Also doesn't break me out.  This could become my everyday go-to sunscreen for under foundation (if I don't find a good tinted sunscreen).

Perk up lip and cheek treat: I didn't really like this for my lips and I never used it for my cheeks.  The taste/smell is subtle but slightly of sunscreen (it's SPF 50).  I prefer to use my RMS lip shine in sacred even though it doesn't have SPF.  We'll see, I might keep giving this a chance.

Defense Refresh Setting Mist: I originally loved this product thinking I could just wear my regular foundation and then use this as a setting mist to provide extra SPF coverage.  However after using it for a week, I'm not a huge fan.  First, you can definitely tell there's alcohol in their formula (especially if you don't shake it as well as you're supposed to) and that alcohol can definitely cause a sting near your eyes even if you have them closed.  Also the mist doesn't really give you all that much SPF coverage since it's really just tiny droplets of SPF (you'd really have to spray it on good for actual SPF coverage I think).  And lastly I sprayed these on my arms in an attempt to use up the product and got it all over my car's black leather interior.  That stuff is hard to get off, lol.

So final verdict?  Don't buy this set but do check out that serum if you're looking for a good everyday base sunscreen.  Thus the search for a sunscreen with coverage continues, though I am now a huge fan of that serum (I use it under my usual SPF 15 lotion for extra coverage).  In the meantime I'm trying out several products form Bella Cuore and will let you know what I find!