CoxRX Master Acne Patch, Boscia Makeup-Breakup Cool Cleansing oil, and Boscia Luminizing Black Mask Review

Just so you know: I am not affiliated with any links provided below




I have finally managed to drag my lazy ass out of bed to write this review for you all, so you're welcome.

As you can probably already tell from my rather colorless title, I will be ranting and/or raving about CosRX Master Acne Patch, Boscia Makeup-Breakup Cool Cleansing oil, and Boscia Luminizing Black Mask.

Let us begin.

(I am really feeling the gifs today so be prepared for many, many fabulous gifs) *

CosRX Master Acne Patch (picture link)

Ingredients: Cellulose gum, Styrene Isoprene Styrene Block Copolymer, Polysobutylene, Petroleum Resin, Polyurethane Film, Liquid Paraffin, Tetrakis Methane

There are no triggers that popped up in CosDNA , keeping true to the mild yet extremely efficient products that CosRX produces. 

The packaging is simple looking but personally I find that the prescription like packaging that Cosrx generally uses on their products to be very appealing. The package 'zip locks' shuts and have some protective plastic layering in it. Each package contains a sheet of 24 patches. You receive 10 small patches, 5 medium patches, and 9 large patches. I found that the Large/Medium ones worked best since I was able to cover the entire area easily, where as the small ones were a lot harder to get centered and to completely cover any breakouts I have/had. There is a short English description on a sheet of paper inside the package and on the back of a packaging itself to show you how to use them.

Basically, you open the package, take a patch off the sheet inside, place it on the blemish once you've cleansed your skin but before you've used any other products ( I found this to be important), and then leave it all overnight or during the day, and voila! The blemish has receded into the unholy depths of where it once emerged from. Never to be seen again, our great heroes have rescued us from the evil pimple wizard.

I tested this a couple times, both after cleansing and before toning and after toning but before any actives or occlusive. I found that it was most effective when I used it right after cleansing my skin.

But Natasha, don't you feel like you wasted your time/product by not just following what the directions say on the packaging?

Why yes friends, I do feel a tad foolish but I am not one to just follow what a piece of plastic and/or paper tells me to. This is a free country and I shall always defy any direct orders that I feel like I need to defy. Plus, I didn't really read the directions all the way through the first time and just kind of put it on after my toner.

So I put mine on at night, and then go to bed. I was a little worried about possible slippage of the patch but I found that it stayed perfectly in place during the night. Which was an awesome plus. I did sometimes wear them during the day though and, since they go on clear, they are basically invisible on my face so no one could really tell I was wearing them! So they go on clear, and then slightly change color after about 8 or so hours. When you remove the patch in the morning or end of the day, you will find a little white circle in the patch where the blemish was. This is the point of extermination where the patch pulled out all the weirdly, satisfying grossness that resides in CC's** and what not. It's honestly a beautiful sight. They work on reducing the size of CC's that are not ready to pop yet, but I found that they completely got rid off any CC's that had come to a head (meaning ready to pop).

These things are amazing. I can't even begin to explain how amazing they are because there isn't the right words for it. They just work! These patches will end world hunger, that's how great they are***.

Rating

1: just, no

2: meh, not rebuying.

3: mediocre

4: is good, will probably rebuy

5: holy snail grail

Boscia "Makeup-Breakup Cool Cleansing oil" (picture link)

Ingredients: Cetyl Ethylhexanoate, Polyglyceryl-10 Diisostearate, Polyglyceryl-20 Hexacaprylate, Glyceryl Behenate/Eicosadioate, Epilobium Angustifolium Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Leaf Extract, Eucalyptus Globulus Leaf Oil, Dextrin Palmitate, Menthol, Rosa Canina Fruit Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Elaeis Guineensis (Palm) Oil, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Copper Chlorophyll, Water/Aqua/Eau, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Powder, Butylene Glycol, Tocopherol, Ascorbyl Dipalmitate.

Things that CosDNA flagged as triggers:

Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil - rated a 2 for an acne trigger and a 0-2 for an irritant trigger.

Butylene Glycol - Rated a 1 for an acne trigger. This shit is in everything though so, if you haven't had a reaction to anything in it then you should be fine.

Tocopherol- Rated a 2 for an acne trigger.

Nothing to be super concerned about in my opinion, This hasn't broken me out to my knowledge but I will know more when I introduce a new oil cleanser (let me know if you have any suggestions!).

It has Geranium which is supposed to supply a calming scent to help calm you. I think I'm too aggressive in life for a calming sent to really take any affect..so there's that. It also has Eucalyptus extract to help with circulation and invigorating the skin. Honestly though, it takes gross things that make me feel pretty off my face so I'm happy.

I got this product from my local Sephora. It comes in a murky/clear, 150mL, pump bottle so you can see inside. It has a tidy looking label and the product itself Is green in colour. Nothing super special about the packaging. It has directions on the back.

How I use it: All I do is use one pump (or two if I am wearing makeup) and massage it all over my dry face and neck for a couple minutes. Usually I'm lazy and just kind of massage it all over until I feel it's gotten everything broken up and ready to come off. Then I just rinse off with water and dry off my face.

It's okay at taking off makeup. Waterproof stuff is difficult to get off but non waterproof stuff comes up easy-peasy. My skin feels clean after which is great. It's smells a little herbally, and is a liquid/oil consistency. This is the first product I bought when I began my obsession with skincare. It's nice. It didn't break me out, it didn't make my skin peel off or burst into flames, so it met all the basic requirements for me for a first cleanser. I use mine at night, as you should with any first cleanser, to take off all my sunscreen and makeup. I like the bottle! pumps are super fun.

Rating

1: just, no

2: meh, not rebuying.

3: mediocre

4: is good, will probably rebuy *unless I discover something better*

5: holy snail grail

Boscia "Luminizing Black Mask" (picture link)

Ingredients: Water, Polyvinyl Alcohol, Hamamelis Virginiana (Witch Hazel) Water, Glycereth-26, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Acrylates/Palmeth-25 Acrylate Copolymer, Iron Oxides (CI77499), Pentylene Glycol, Montmorillonite, Polysorbate 20, Charcoal Powder, Lonicera Caprifolium (Honeysuckle) Flower Extract, Lonicera Japonica (Honeysuckle) Flower Extract, Epilobium Angustifolium Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract, Eucalyptus Globulus Leaf Oil, Pinus Pinaster Bark Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Leaf Extract, Citrus Grandis (Grapefruit) Seed Extract, Diglycerin, Xanthan Gum, Acrylates Copolymer, Ceteth-25, Oleth-10, Ascorbyl Glucoside, Sodium Hydroxide.

Things that CosDNA flagged as triggers:

Butylene Glycol- Once again, is in nearly everything, not really a huge concern (for me anyways). 1 for an acne trigger.

Oleth-10- Rated a 2 for an acne trigger, and 1 for an irritant trigger.

Again, pretty mild, nothing to be concerned about which I like.

It comes in a pretty little, 2.8 oz, black squeeze bottle. The product is black with texture like tar. You have to get quite a bit on product layered on your face to be able to peel it off effectively- think of it as putting enough product on your face that you slightly resemble a really racist mask used sadly not long enough ago. It's really sticky and you need to be careful to keep your hair out of it because it will pull it out.

RIP baby forehead hair.

How I use it: Make sure my hair is back and I usually where a towel on my head or a thick headband to make sure that it doesn't get into my hair (I do not lie about the pullage of baby hairs this mask can do). Then I squeeze some out, am reminded of the poor ocean that is suffering from so many oil spills, and proceed to apply a thick layer on certain areas of my face (chin, nose, under eye, cheekbones, cheeks, center of forehead- generally places I want to 'brighten'). I wait until I think It's able to peel off, realize that half of it is still tacky, peel off whatever I can anyways, wait a little bit more, and then peel off the rest. Then I wet a face cloth and wipe off any black stuff left on my face.

I really want to like this mask. I really do! It's got Ascorbyl Glucoside which is a vitamin C thingy to help brighten skin but it's so far down the ingredient list that it doesn't seem like it really does all that much. It also has eucalyptus extract which is supposed to help with calming the skin, as well as Pinus Pinaster Bark Extract which is supposed to help with elasticity of skin as well as hydration. It's just...this shit stings the flipping crap out of eyes!!! I put it on, and my eyes cannot stop watering/burning for at least 2-5 minutes. It sucks! And the mask is really fun! I am a chronic skin picker and this is a peel off mask. So, when I'm using it I get to peel black stuff off my face and it totally satisfies my need to just poke around up in my business.

If it would just, stop, fling-flanging, stingy my eyes!!!!! LET ME LOVE YOU!!

I'm holding on that I will see a good amount of results when I start using this again so I can love it. I will update in a while to let all of my 2 readers (hi mom!) know.

Rating

1: just, no

2: meh, not rebuying.

3: mediocre

4: is good, will probably rebuy

5: holy snail grail

Places where you can purchase these items:

I bought both the Boscia "Makeup-Breakup Cool Cleansing Oil" and the Boscia "Luminizing Black Mask" from my local Sephora (link to website provided).

For the CosRX "Master Acne Patch" (es?) I would recommend going to Bisou Beauty Bar. They have a small collection but are based in Canada which is great for me (yay mooses!). I like using them, they ship quickly and updated me about the possible mail strike for Canada post! Plus they send cute handwritten cards with their orders. Really great service, 10/10 would recommend. You pay a little bit more, but honestly, it's a really great service and so fast.

Hope you all enjoyed this and have a wonderful day! And with all honesty, please recommend me some neat cleansing oils to try/review. I'm running out of the Boscia one and am tempted to buy the Banila co Clean it Zero one that everyone raves about, but the inner hipster in me really wants to give something that hasn't been used before a try. May the snail gods be with you, and have a lovely night!

XX

*All of these gifs are not mine and have been provided by/searched for relentlessly on http://giphy.com/


**CC= close comedones aka whiteheads


***They won't actually end world hunger. I'm sorry I hyperboleed (that's a word, I swear).

Getting My Rocks Off on Asian Beauty

Since I seem to have this unrelenting need to inform everyone about my life, I decided why not broadcast my new obsession over the internet.


This infatuation of mine stemmed from stumbling across a magical place called reddit. From the beginning, Reddit has been a place where everyone feels as though their opinions are the only correct opinions, and if you (god forbid) have an opinion that goes against the herds consensus then you are wrong, and will be shamed and downvoted* until the only thing that remains of your self worth and happiness is the ever fading shadow of what it once used to be.


I fell in love instantly. 


During my adventures throughout this website, I stumbled across many things. Things that made me happy, and things that made me sad. I found community, and understanding in so many places, and I also found frightening hate in many others. One place however, a jem of a place hidden behind many links, was a subreddit known as...


/r/asianbeauty


My insides began to tingle when I read the name on a 'suggested subreddit' section. What was this place? Will it make all my dreams come true? Should I go buy more lube? I didn't know then what would become of me when I clicked the link. I didn't realize how deep I would fall into the rabbit hole. I was confused at first, you see, 'Asian beauty' to me did not seem to be what I thought it would be. My not so inner pervert had risen and I thought I had stumbled across some strange, fetish page. I was both disappointed and pleased when I realized that this subreddit was about skincare items and routines that originated in Asia- generally from Korea and Japan.


I had realized the shame I had bestowed upon my family name by so eagerly thinking that I was entering a crazy, racist, sex ring, but then I forgave myself with some mint chocolate chip ice-cream, went out and bought some new lube, and began probing into the subreddit's branches.Within a couple of hours, I had read nearly everything on the front page, to get a feel the forum and not at all to waste my time at work obviously, and had then began to delve into the beginners guide in order to finally begin my adventure in skin care.


Now I highly suggest that you go and research for yourself more about Asian skin care and eastern products. The links I have provided offer a lot of information, and are the starting points that I myself took to get into the skin care routine I have now. There are thousands of posts and blogs out there though so Google as much as possible. And remember: YMMV (your mileage may vary)** .


I wanted to start reviewing and introducing ways that I take care of my skin (face and body). I will also more than likely talk about hair products since I have a lot of it ('it' as in hair) and I like taking care of it.


I know my other posts have been more about mental health, specifically my mental health, but my motivation to continue to drone on about my strange thoughts and sad days will get (and has probably already gotten) boring. Honestly, I feel way to conceited talking about how sad I am all the time. Plus, taking care of my skin, and upping my hygiene regime, has actually helped my mental state a bit. By having this routine and feeling good and clean with my skin, I have began to (dare I say it) feel good about the rest of myself in general. It's strange actually wanting to get out of bed to wash my face, but it's making me slightly more tolerable to be around. I'm not going to say that I am 'cured'***, but rubbing, patting, and scrubbing my face with things I never thought I would rub, pat, or scrub on my face (I'm looking at you snail juicy goodness) has made waking up in the morning a little more enjoyable.


I think I will go more in depth and review the products I am using now in another post since this getting a little long and I am getting hungry. But let's go over a few things that I have learned to be important in taking care of your skin.


Sunscreen


I used to only use sunscreen on super hot and sunny days when I went to the beach or was hiking or something. And even then I just used it on my body and not on my face because I did not want my sunscreen to break me out. People, let me tell you something. Sunscreen is life. It protects your skin from so medical and cosmetic things. It helps prevent dark spots, signs of ageing, and cancer. Western foundations may claim to have sun protection in them but from what I've read, that is not enough. I could do a whole post about sunscreen but this is all that you get for today.


Double Cleansing


It means exactly what you thing it means. This is the first step in the AB Routine. It involves using an oil cleanser, or any other preferred first cleanser (ex; micellar water if your skin reacts badly to oil cleansing), to take off all makeup and sunscreen off from the day. I am not aware of anyone who double cleanses in the morning time, I only double cleanse at night since I keep  gunk on my face all day. Then I use (and you do to) a low pH second cleanser. I repeat, LOW PH second cleanser. I will have to do another post about why low pH is good, or you can research it for yourself. Just trust me, low pH is good since our skin has a slightly acidic (low pH) level. I was using high pH cleansers for ever and could not understand why my skin felt so tight and dry even though I have oily/combo skin. LOW PH CLEANSER PEOPLE.


Moisturizer


This goes after your toner/exfoliant, essences, ampoules, actives, and a whole bunch of other crap I'll rant about later. Even people with oily skin need hydration. Think of it this way- your skin produces it's own oils (sebum) and when you cleanse, you strip your skin of these oils along with the bad stuff. If you leave your skin all oil free it will freak out and start producing more oil (homeostasis my friends). But, if you hydrate your skin and keep it all nice and bouncy then your skin will create its own natural oil levels that it needs. Again, Deserves its own posts.


These four items (sunscreen, oil cleanser, low pH cleanser, and moisturizer) are really the four staples you need to start off your routine. The rest (toner, vitamin C, actives, exfoliants, oils, sheet masks, etc.) are all things you can add depending on what your skin needs!


That's why I love this routine so much! It's not the oversimplified cleanse, tone, moisturize we see in western skin care. You can change it up so much and add or take away what does and does not work for you. Also, the products usually have really awesome packaging which just makes everything so much better. 


I'm going to sign off here and go wash my face because writing this post has made my face clitoris all riled up. Hope you all have a lovely Wednesday and become just as addicted to skin care as I am becoming!  


XX (Remember to pray to the snail gods)








*Reddit really is a great place, I make fun but there are many entertaining and enlightening things on reddit that make me and so many others happy


** YMMV is commonly used in the Asian Skincare subreddit and should really be taken very seriously. What may work for me may not work for you even if we have twinsie skin types. Something may also take longer to kick in that it does for others so be patient.


***I understand that depression is a touchy subject so when I mention it please don't take offense to anything. I am 100% just making fun of my self and my own issues rather than depression and mental health as a whole. If you are depressed/ in a depressed state then please talk to someone about it. It will help a lot. Even if that someone is vast, unemotional pit that is the internet (more than likely projecting here).