Monday Must-Have: Mario Badescu 'Chamomile Eye Cream'

Eye creams are a hit or miss for me at times. Either they are not hydrating enough, formulation is icky, or it irritates around the sensitive eye area...And I am a bit finicky when it comes to them as well, not only for the above reason, but for the benefits they will provide. 

I don't have heavy dark circles usually, unless I'm ill or had a horrid, long day (we all have them once in a while); nonetheless, I still struggle with them. As well as puffiness, especially with spring here and summer around the corner, the allergies attack and give me awful puffiness all around my eye area; dryness is also a constant year-round, until I picked up this eye cream from Mario Badescu. 

This was a completely random purchase from Ulta...I was browsing their site for a new eye cream, reading reviews, checking ingredients, etc...I stumbled upon the Chamomile Eye Cream ($18) from his line. The name attracted me to it to be quite honest, I am drawn to anything with 'Chamomile' in the name just because I love the soothing and relaxing properties it gives off; added vitamin boost from A & E are also incorporated into this.

Its a very thick, moisturizing eye cream that I use only at nighttime. I am going to emphasize something here, it's very a thick eye cream; a lot of eye 'creams' I have tried in the past feel more like a light lotion or moisturizer, this actually is a cream, and a very hydrating one at that. Another thing I will mention, oily lids will not like this because it will make the eye area oily to due oils that are also in this cream (non-irritating for sensitive, dry eyes). I don't have any oiliness around my eye area but, this still doesn't bother me. When applying, I like to massage this all around my eye contour and under eye for almost a minute, it feels so calming and relaxing when doing so. My eye area does look a bit on the greasy side (hence why I stick to using it at night), after a while it settles and goes away but, that takes a bit, too. 

This is recommended for dry, sensitive eye-use. I have noticed a turnaround since using this: I no longer notice any dry patches around my eye contour or outer corners, my under eyes have looked less dull, dehydrated, and dark, and the skin around the whole eye feels so soft and nourished the next morning. 

I just purchased my second pot of this little magic-wonder eye-saviour, thats how much I have fallen in love with it and that's why it's this Monday's must-have!

Monday Must-Have: Bobbi Brown's 'Lathering Tube Soap'

Hey beauté's! Yet again, I am back to being awful at this blogging thing...when life gets chaotic, I lose all sense of well, everything! Sorry about that...anyway, I want to try something new during the week: my 'must-haves' every Monday & 'fails' every Friday...seems like if I can at least get 2 blog posts up a week, it can get me more into the habit of being able to update it more 'frequently' so-to-speak, let me know what you think! I may not have both up during the week because some weeks I just want to rave till the end of time about how much I love a product more than I disliked any, and vise versa. Like I said, this will be a work in progress but let's get into things while you're here...

Bobbi Brown's Lathering Tube Soap

I get a bit on the hesitant side when brands that are highly known for their makeup come out with skincare products...I don't know why, I just feel like well, why fix something if it isn't broke? Thats not the case for my Monday 'must-have' this week, Bobbi Brown's Lathering Tube Soap. The word 'lathering' in this title scared me, why I decided to go ahead and get it anyway is still unknown to me, but the reviews were raving all across the broad, so I took the plunge...so glad I did! 

I use this as a 'pre-cleanse', meaning I use this as my first step of my skincare routine to get off all the makeup and grime of the day. I have used this as a 2nd cleanse though, personal preference is the latter.  On Bobbi Brown's website, the description for this reads:

               A coconut extract derivative cleanses deeply, yet gently, while a blend of apricot, sweet almond and wheat germ oils hydrate and cushion skin for an incredibly clean, soft, and refreshed feeling. Shea butter immediately provides maximum moisture.

Very eloquently put Bobbi but, it's not untrue. This is a relatively thick formulation (swatch of it above) so you need a TINY bit, literally, you need such a small bit because this lathers and spreads across the face quite evenly (even smaller than whats pictured). Like I said previously, I was afraid of the word 'lathering'; lathering, foaming, the like dries out the skin; naturally I try my best to stay away from any and all of these types of cleansers yet, something went off in my head  that was like 'you'll thank me later, Jewels'. It lathers into a thick, white formulation across the face without stripping or drying out the skin, thanks to the hydrating properties she put into this cleanser. 

This removes makeup like a dream! You'll want to full-stop on the awful make-up wipes & substitute this for them instead (well, you shouldn't be using those germ-spreading things anyway!). This lifts & removes EVERYTHING off your face, prepping it for the rest of your routine. Trying to find what skin types would be best suited to use this vary; Brown's site saids oily/normal, & other sites have said combination or all skin types; so it depends. Personally, I do find this more suited towards Oily/Combo(thats more on the oily side)/Normal skin types yet, it really just depends (read the list on ingredients if you're unsure).

Since a little goes a long way, this will last you for months...and months...and possibly a few more months after that. The packaging is sleek and looks lovely on the bathroom vanity. I'm a very simple gal, so I appreciate the simplicity of it all. But as a product, it's a definite repurchase. I've experienced no irritation, dryness, breakouts while using this, though it recommends to NOT use it on/around the eye area so, you've been warned! I have not made this slip-up but, I am sure it's on the tube for a reason folks...

I love having this 'permanently' apart of my skincare arsenal now and that's why its this Monday's 'must-have' of the week!

You can find it & purchase it on Bobbi Brown's website here, for $29. First-time e-mail subscribers can get 15% off their first purchase as well when they sign-up!