Pick Your Preference: Makeup Removers

Taking off your makeup, spf, and/or the grime of the day every night is essential and the most important step at maintaining a healthy skincare routine. Sleeping in makeup or spf is a no-no; because overnight it will do more damage and overtime, your skin will only progress in showing your naughty habits. 

There are so many different ways you can remove your makeup completely before getting into the rest of your routine: balms, oils, gels, lotions, waters...SO MANY to choose, you have no excuses to be lazy and not take care of your skin properly. I wanted to talk about some of my favorites, with a few notable mentions (these are w/out photos because: I have run out of product and/or mindlessly forgot to snap a photo whilst posting this)

I'll start with the notable mentions first:

Clinique 'Take The Day Off Cleansing Balm': A favorite amongst all of us beauty bloggers & obsessives, this no-fragrance balm is absolutely a stand-out amongst other cleansing balms out there that do the same thing (still enjoy using my Emma Hardie one though from time to time). This gets off every last bit of makeup and is very gentle for the eye area. It's a very simple, plain formula but it does exactly what it saids on the tin with no fuss. And the price point doesn't break the bank, either.

Clarins 'Extra-Comfort Cleansing Cream': I quietly weep at my keyboard as I type this...because this product has been discontinued by the brand. Well, let me correct myself, the version I have, the one that comes in the big jar, has been discontinued, and since Clarins revamped the formulation by adding 'Anti-Pollution' in the title. I've read more disappointing reviews on the new one, which is why I will not go & try it once I run out of this one. I'm going to try and savior this one till the very last drop. Ok, onto why I love it so much.

It's a very thick cream, you scoop a bit from the jar, rub your hands together for a moment to warm it up to melt it, then gently press the product onto your face & lift, continue to do this about 4-6 times, & the cream lifts all the makeup & grime from the day right off the face; wipe off with a damp, hot cloth & it reveals soft, clean skin. It is such a wonderful product, its a shame Clarins thought the need to change it; whats that saying...why fix something if it ain't broke?

L'Oreal 'Clean Artiste Eye Makeup Remover': I'll start by saying that there are 2 versions of this eye-remover, one is oil-free (blue bottle) & one is not (green bottle pictured at the top of this post). Before purchase, I read reviews of both & the non-oil free version had the best reviews; the oil-free came in with so-so reviews, with people saying that the oil-free one was not best for sensitive eyes because it would irritate/sting the area. I can't personally say that it does because I haven't tried that one but, I'd rather be safe than sorry. The version I do have does not irritate my eyes at all though, it does leave behind a bit of an oily residue so, oily lids beware. 

I love this eye-makeup remover because no matter how heavy you you doll up your eyes, this doesn't leave a speck of eye makeup behind. I shake it up (dual-phase formula), pour some onto a cotton pad, gently press onto my eyes (closed of course) for a few seconds then swipe down. I do this a about 2-3 times max, just to make sure I got every last bit. For $6.99, & the constant deals & coupons going on at Ulta, I almost never pay for the full price of this product.

Now onto the ones I did manage to get photos of...

Vichy 'Calming Cleansing Micellar Solution': This is a great micellar water to remove lighter makeup (tinted moisturizers, bb creams, etc), & up to medium eye makeup. Super gentle & very hydrating, also the most affordable micellar water on this list at $17. It's been a past repurchase for me as well many times over. I also have an unpopular opinion but, I do think that this removes eye makeup better than everyone's beloved Bioderma. Speaking of Bioderma...

Bioderma 'Sensible Make-up Removing Micelle Solution': This has also been a past repurchase for a while. The bottle pictured I haven't opened yet because I wanted to give other micellar waters a shot (Vichy, Institute Esthederm) before returning to this beauty-cult staple. I'm not going to talk too much about this since you can find so many reviews, articles  & videos on it but, its now readily available for U.S. purchase at Beautylish. I'm tempted to try the Hydrabio H20 thats also newly available for purchase at Beautylish here ....tempting, very tempting.

Institut Esthederm 'Osmoclean Osmopure Face and Eyes Cleansing Water': The last micellar water on the list is another great one, especially for summer. It feels so cool, fresh, & hydrating on the skin and is just as spectacular as the others at removing traces of impurities & makeup, gentle on the eyes as well. This one is more higher up in price & harder to find in the U.S. but, I'll post a link here to where you can purchase.

Bobbi Brown 'Lathering Tube Soap': Kind of a weird name for a great product. I already posted about this remover here, so I will leave it at that & read at your will!

La Roche-Posay 'Physiological Cleansing Gel': This is a new cleanser I threw into my routine only for about a week now, but I thought it deserved a mention. I love the LPR brand through & through, it was the brand that got me into taking care of myself and my skin, properly. I owe La Roche-Posay a lot, so thats why you will see every few posts or so me mention them. Getting back to the product at hand...I have been using & loving this one product to remove all of makeup, including eyes. No cotton pads to waste with this one, just a damp, hot cloth & off it goes! Its so easy, gentle, & never wasteful. You get your bang for your buck with this one, & this will be saving me money on having to buy cotton pads every month. 

I did hear through the grapevine that La Roche-Posay is discontinuing this cleanser (please correct me if I'm wrong!), if thats the case, I'll need to stock up on this ASAP! Why do brands keep discontinuing the best products?! Arg, its so very frustrating!

What are your favorite makeup-removers? Let me know! 

Meet the Reds

Just a little heads up: Sorry about the weird changes going on with the blog. At the moment, I'm trying to work out a new layout & color scheme; if you see this blog changing colors like a disco ball, thats why!

What woman doesn't own a great red lipstick? Well, I have 7 of those that I rotate throughout the year, depending on the mood, occasion, etc. But a red lip is like a owning that perfect little black dress, it's that must-have necessity that everyone should/needs/has to own, even if its just one. A red lip can change an outfit & can stop a crowded room in its tracks. Its a strong symbol of not only femininity, but confidence. With a red lip, we hold our heads higher, backs straighter, and our esteem soars, ready to take on anything that comes our way. 

Nowadays though, a woman can't just have one red lipstick because there are so many different brands and shades and hues of it that we need to have; one for each of our moods, but still always have that one at arms reach when ready for battle. This post is a quick look at my red lipsticks in all its glory, I try to stay in more of the blue-reds, since those end up being the ones that I love with my light complexion. 

What are your favorite/must-have red lipstick(s)?

* Lipstick Queen: Medieval 

* Clinique: Black Honey

* MAC: Media

* Dior: DiorAddict Extreme 829 Sunset Boulevard

* Too Faced: Divine Wine

* MAC: Diva

** Dolce & Gabbana: Sicilian Jewels Collection 'Rubino 175'


*You can find these lipsticks at: Ulta, Sephora, and/or MAC counters/stores. 

** Since this lipstick was from a special edition line a while back, I believe that its no longer available for purchase (originally purchased this at Sephora sometime last year). If you really desire it though, with some thorough google search, you may get lucky! 

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My MAC Lipstick (mini) Collection

What beaute lover doesn't enjoy a good MAC lipstick? They are one of the most iconic and popular brands when it comes to lipsticks, and they do a darn good job at it; with a vast variety of colors and unique name choices, they are usually hard to beat out. I have a few (7 to be exact) that I all love dearly, and that I use (almost) regularly. I have a small collection, thats only because I like to branch out into other brands yet, I keep coming back for more (& only more to come in the future I presume...). Anyway onto my (mini) beautiful collection.

My very first MAC lipstick was the shade 'Patisserie' in the lustre finish. A beautiful nude-light pink with a lovely cream formal to match. I love nude lipsticks, I lean more towards light pink and mauve-nudes, and this one is the top of the tops for me, meaning that this is probably my favorite nude lipstick I own, and probably favorite in general. I have loved it so much over the last 2 years that I am on a second tube of this stuff, and I never have repurchased a lipstick before, let alone go through one start to finish. There is just something so special about finding that 'one' lipstick for you that just completes anything you wear or whatever kind of makeup look you put on your face that day, this one always is my go-to if I can't decide what color lipstick I want to wear. It's an all-around winner for me.

'Half N' Half' is another nude lipstick that just never fails for me. This goes on the mauvey-nude spectrum, though it says on MAC's website that its a creamy pink, it definitely shows up more on the mauve side on me, though you can also say its a mauve/pink nude hybrid? Sure, let's go with that...I absolutely love how the amplified finish feels on my lips and looks; not drying, extremely creamy without being overly shiny, just another one MAC got right, spectacular shade.

'Fresh Moroccan' was definitely a step out of my comfort zone when it comes to lipstick shades; again, MAC's website describes this shade as a 'brick red' though with the gold shimmer, it makes this 'brick red' look more almost like a copper-red. I usually detest shimmer in makeup products, but something about this one was just calling me out to try it, I don't know what it was...and the disappointing thing about all of this is that I rarely have worn this shade enough since I have gotten it (probably almost over a year ago now!). I may have to experiment with this more over the summer and through the fall because as I type this, its looking more and more appealing to me again, though the reason still stumps me.

I have two shades in the satin finish, which is another wonderful formulation that MAC's put out with their lipsticks, the ones I have are in shades 'Brave' and 'Media'. I loved 'Brave' at first, but after a while I just felt it was too much on the pinky side for my taste, something about the whole shade now just throws me off and I don't know why, its not one that I reach for quite often anymore and its disappointing because in the tube it is such a beautiful color. 'Media' on the other hand is this absolutely stunning dark red with some purple undertones too it, I can best describe it as a light burgundy, which is something that's not just great for fall and winter, but something you can also pull off in the summer too if you like breaking the rules with color during the seasons.

The last 2 shades are mattes, which are usually my least favorite formulation because they tend to be a bit more drying on me, though a little prepping of the lips before with a bit of balm greatly helps that. 'Diva' is this perfect oxblood red color, not dark enough in my opinion to be a full-on burgundy shade, though it does have hints of the color in there; this is another great one I think that can be worn more during the summer months as well (more than 'Media'). The last shade is a new one for me, and another MAC nude lipstick that I've fallen in love with, 'Velvet Teddy'. It tends to be slightly similar to 'Half N' Half', but this one is more beige than mauve, also meaning its just a bit more darker in tone, but let me tell you guys, it looks like 'Velvet Teddy' is going to be competing with 'Half N' Half' soon for second place of my fave MAC lip. & a little side-note  the perfect lip-liner really adds the icing to the cake for this one.

welcome to j.beauté! : introduction post

Welcome!!

My name is Julie & I am a 20-something student & lover of all things beauty. I decided to start this blog to be able to share my thoughts on different types of beauty products that range from skincare to makeup, body to hair; with product favorites (& non-favourites), reviews, routines, tutorials, & more! I am NOT an expert in skincare or makeup, yet being able to take care of myself & my skin properly is a continuous learning process that I take the absolute pleasure in being able to do.  Here's to a new year, a new blog, & to all things beauté!!!

Also, don't forget to check out & follow my instagram, where I update daily about the ongoings of my beauté life!

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