I was sauntering around a Westfield shopping centre the other day when I came across an interesting-looking store. Curiously, I abandoned my earlier hunt for the perfect pair of boots, and glanced through the glass windows, only for my eyes to meet the most perfect sight - makeup... enough makeup to last me my entire lifetime. Naturally, I had to walk in right? And that I did... to discover the amazing world of Mecca Maxima.
Ok pause and rewind.
I'm just being a doofus... Contrary to the gibberish I've written up there, I've actually known about Mecca for a while now as one of my good friends is the 2IC at the Macquarie store in Sydney (having previously worked at the Parramatta store). Truth be told, I headed in there to buy my mum about $300 worth of Lancôme creams for Mother's Day but ended up buying myself $300 worth of skincare products and makeup (not my best moment, I'll admit).
I was wandering the aisles, searching aimlessly for something to suit my skin as I needed to revamp my skincare regime when an idea hit me: Why don't I get one of the workers to assist me? Funny thing, that. Having people getting paid to wander around the store, bursting with knowledge and reviews about many of the products on the shelves. Who would've thought, hey?
Anyways, long story short, I was with this amazing worker for about fifteen minutes and coincidentally, we both had oily/combination skin (everything's going swell for me, isn't it?) and she recommended me a few products that have worked well with her skin so without a second thought, I bought them (probably should've thought through blasting $300 at once but it's worked out well for me so I'm not complaining).
And no, before you guys ask, the three products I'm reviewing won't cost you $300.
Anyways, out of the pile of tinted moisturisers, primers, highlighters and various hand creams that I bought, the three that stood out the most to me, in regards to my skin, were the Kiehl's Ultra Facial Moisturiser, the Ren Clarimatte T-Zone Control Cleansing Gel, and the Origins Drink Up Intensive Overnight Mask. So if you're interested in having a less-shiny t-zone three hours after you've put on your face, read ahead.
Shall we start?
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Kiehl's Ultra Facial Moisturiser (RRP $36)
When I was recommended this product, the girl said something along the lines of HGG's and ADG's or some three-letter combination thing that was just all too confusing for me to process. But it made sense at the time, so I was impressed.
Basically, apply this product evenly over your face day and night after you've done your nightly skincare routine. It's incredible. Most moisturisers make my face feel flat, streaky and oily much of the time but this one does the complete opposite. The moisturiser may look shiny for the first 10 minutes or so, but as it sets into your skin, the shininess goes away and the amazing thing is that it keeps your skin moisturised the entire day. I've had experiences with moisturisers where I felt my skin dry out after maybe 5/6 hours, but that hasn't happened with Kiehl's. What's amazing about this product is that it makes your skin feel taut and plump... if I pressed down on one of my cheeks now, it springs up... kind of like a trampoline. It's incredible, I'm not sure if I'm even describing this properly - but you have to try it to know it. I highly recommend this product for all skin types, and five different people in the store told me that it was an amazing moisturiser so if that doesn't sell you on it, I don't know what will.
REN Clarimatte T-Zone Control Cleansing Gel (RRP $29)
I have three words for this product.
It's fucking amazing.
Please excuse the French.
If you've got uncontrollable oily skin like I do, and you're completely sick of having to powder or blot every two hours or so, then this is the product for you. Before I started using this product, I saw my skin get shiny every couple of hours and my foundation went really really bad only halfway through the day, even though it was perfectly fine on people with normal skin types. I know how annoying it gets, I understand, I've been through it myself. My skin even went shiny when I had nothing on my face - no moisturiser, no makeup, nothing. But I have seen a major difference since using this cleanser... and it's completely natural.
I've worn makeup to work once - I work in a very hot environment, and so I'm constantly exposed to oil and heat and all that fun stuff. But since starting this product, I've noticed that my makeup stays put after a five hour shift... and that's in hot, humid, oily conditions. Wearing makeup on a general day, I've gone from my foundation lasting maybe four or five hours to lasting me from morning to night. It takes a couple of days for it to fully take effect, but when it does, your life will get easier - trust me on that.
Basically, it's just a gel cleanser. I know many people have complained that it doesn't foam - who cares? Does it work? Yes. Then why complain? Use it daily, day and night, especially if you've got oily skin... one pump will be enough each time and then put moisturiser on directly afterwards. I find absolutely no fault with this product, and it comes highly recommended by me.
Origins Drink Up Intensive Overnight Mask (RRP $34)
Basically what this is: it's an overnight mask for your face, for use maybe one or two times a week. What you do is you apply it to your face right after cleansing, toning, moisturising, blah and just wipe the excess off with a tissue. It repairs and protects your skin, making sure that moisture is locked in for the coming day. Upon waking up in the morning, just get it off with your usual cleanser and you should be ready for the day. I would recommend this as a little extra to keep your skin hydrated and feeling nice (don't touch it, please) but it's not a necessity.
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ANYWAY, another post that's entirely way too long for my liking but I'm crippled and doing nothing at the moment so why not make you guys read my incessant ramblings?
I hope you've enjoyed it, and for those of you venturing out to buy these products after reading this post, make sure you let me know how it goes in the comments below and/or Twitter & ask.fm! And if you guys want to see more of this, make sure you follow our blog on your account and/or +1 us on Google+ :)
xo Tina
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