CHANEL Ultra Correction Lift Night Creme

$165.00 USD for 1.7 oz.

Well, back with a bang--a really big, expensive bang. When I first received a small sample size tube of this night cream a few weeks ago, I was expecting the same ultra-thick, super hydration that leaves me oily as I get from almost all other "night creams;" I was, however, totally mistaken.

On CHANEL's site, the description of this cream is "velvety," an apt word for the satin-smooth feel as it quickly absorbs into skin and leave no trace of heavy residue or oily moisture. I find this luxurious cream absolutely addictive, and frankly, couldn't resist purchase of it despite the ludicrous price point. I have owned expensive in the past, but this cream is outlandishly expensive.

That said, I purchased it last Monday...
And I love the cream as much as ever; the formula consistently leaves my skin smooth as silk, not clogging over time or diminishing after prolonged use. Sometimes I even layer this under my makeup during dry days, and I am not oily/slick by end of day. Miraculous! So why do I need to actually review this?

Simple. Packaging. Problems.

Look CHANEL, I get that luxurious means over-done for you more often than not, but please, think about the functionality of your packaging before saying "print" to the producers. I cannot stand the super-heavy square shaped rock that my cream comes in! My god, the gunmetal is a breeding ground for fingerprints and dust, slippery plastic that feels weightier than glass, and the lid is hard to align to close properly. The whole thing is just MASSIVE, cumbersome, and frustrating, so if I didn't love this product so much, I would return it and never think twice.

For something so expensive, I should not want to depot it into a cheap plastic container just so that it is less of a pain-in-my-butt. Final thoughts, WHY, CHANEL, WHY?! I'm going to have to put this in a different container...

Beauty Newb Rating: ★★★★☆

Blitz Blogging: Birchbox April 2012

After most of the estheticians I work with started raving about being able to sample products every month with no effort of searching around stores or the web, I caved and forked over a $10.00 USD per month subscription to Birchbox. I am not disappointed! I get 5-6 samples of really great products, most of which I adore and usually one of which I could skip...but those are for gifting, yeh!

First off, my pass-product, Wonderstruck Perfum by Taylor Swift. What can I say I am not a fan of hers or her perfum; I hate the smell, so lets just leave it at that. (Find this product here.)

Moving on to the good stuff-- three amazing products from one ecocentric company. Pangea Organics  Egyptian Fennel with Grapefruit and Sweet Orange Lip Balm has blown my mind. I received a full-sized tube in my Birchbox, and full-size to Pangea is over-size, i.e. about twice as much as any other balm/lipstick/gloss will ever be! Now I want to try the other scents/flavors but will probably never finish the tube... dilemma... (Find this product here.)

Pangea Organics Turkish Rose and White Tea Eye Cream for all skin types is very smooth, hydrating, and very little goes a very long way. My tiny little sample pack actually lasted me over a week using it twice daily. Wonder how far a full-size tube will get me...and if you couldn't tell from the name, it smells fantastic! It also never caused even the slightest bit of irritation on my sensitive skin and eyes. (Find this product here.)

Pangea Organics Egyptian Geranium with Adzuki Bean and Cranberry Facial Scrub for all skin types is a thick but workable scrub that is lovely and smells very good, but I am not convinced it does more/better than any other scrub I own. That said, for any of you looking for a natural or organic way to polish your visage to a healthy glow, look no further because this is a treat to use. (Find this product here.)

Weleda Pomegranate Firming Day Cream was really the biggest surprise in my Birchbox this month. Since I have problems with oil and blemishes, I had to force myself to start using this even though I thought it might really mess with the tentative balance of my skin this spring. I was wrong--it works great even for my oily skin! After using it all week, my skin feels firmer and more evenly hydrated than before, and I don't seem to be creating as much oil throughout my long work days.  Tip of the hat to Weleda for this diamond in the rough. (Find this product here.)

Benta Berry G-1 Exfoliating Cleanser is again your more natural version of the average scrub, but I do find it a bit more drying than the Pangea formula I tested out. I also like the scent a little less; however, this is a less-expensive option for the natural scrub market and an excellent option for travel as it comes in a 1 oz/30 ml tube. (Find this product here.)

You can sign up to receive your very own Birchbox sent to your door at Birchbox.com!

Estee Lauder Time Zone Day and Night Creams

$58.00 for 1.7 oz. Day Cream and $62.50 for 1.7 oz. Night Cream

Estee Lauder Time Zone Line and Wrinkle Reducing Creme SPF 15 (available in Normal/Combination and Dry formulas) and Time Zone Night Anti-Line/Wrinkle Creme are designed to make your skin "look more lineless, radiant and rested," two claims of which I can actually vouch for. Both Day and Night formulas (Normal/Combo skin) have a super-smooth, creamy texture that absorbs quickly into the skin, and I felt as though deeper layers of my skin were nourished by the end of testing.

Both of these products were an incredibly pleasant surprise as part of a gift-with-purchase. I received 0.5 oz of each and immediately used them nearly everyday and night for several weeks; not only did a little go a very long way, but my combo/oily skin didn't go nuts in the process, not too oily, not too dry, and no unexplainable breakouts in site. As an added bonus, both of these smell wonderful and were relaxing to my skin and senses upon application. Truth be told, I would absolutely use these on a regular basis...if I needed the wrinkle-minimizing effects...that I cannot vouch for because I don't have wrinkles...

Kirkland Signature by Borghese Age-Defying Restorative Night Cream

$14.99 (may vary) for a .5oz Eye Cream and 1.7oz Night Cream

This is a very rich cream meant for all skin types which usually indicates that it shouldn't stimulate oil-production in combination or oily skin. This has a peculiar scent which dissipates quickly once applied. The Night Cream feels lovely on my skin and turns my skin matte seconds after I put it on. There is NO time that this needs to "sink in" or be "absorbed" before your skin goes back to lovely, hydrated texture, and that is my love-love-LOVE moment with this cream.

At no point did I wake up feeling like an oil-tanker had gone Titanic on my face, so for my oily skin, I approve of this soooooo much! Highly recommended. The thing that worried me the most about this is how much I was using compared to the Eye Cream. (Since I recently switched to Aveda) I can't say exactly how long it takes/took me to finish the 1.7oz jar, but I can say that the eye cream will last far longer for most people even when it's used twice as much as this Night Cream.

All in all, two lovely products worth every cent, scent, and disproportionate packaging amount.

Beauty Newb Rating:✪✪✪✪✪
This Night Cream comes in a package with Kirkland Signature Age-Defying Protective Eye Cream and costs $12.99 for both.Sometimes available online at Costco.com and at Costco Wholesale Warehouses.

Dior HydraLife Pro-Youth Comfort Cream for Dry Skin

This is a lovely moisturizer that while it may have induced a thin film of oil on my face by the time I awoke the next morning never broke me out. That is a rare thing indeed, which is why I can say that this is not a clogging formula even for my combo/oily skin!

But Anie, why did you buy a moisturizer for dry skin? Well, with the weather finally getting into the 2-degree-but-feels-like-minus-3 range, my skin has been getting flaky around the nose and chin. The nose is partially due to allergies and a runny nose, but the fact still stood--I needed moisture! So the SA at Nordstrom was very specific in saying that although the Comfort Creme was not for normal/combo or even oily skin, it would give me the extra moisture I was looking for. She was....not entirely correct but didn't give me a product that didn't work.