Garnier ULTRA-LIFT TRANSFORMER

I'd posted last month about receiving some goodies from Target.This particular moisturizer I was prepared to use and review but I didn't expect it to WOW me. And yet, it did!

I have combination to oily skin, and a lot of anti-aging stuff is a little too moisturizing for me. This stuff is FABULOUS. The first time I tried it, I was doing a trans-Pacific (Is that even a thing? I've only ever heard of trans-Atlantic before..) flight and wanted some SPF during a layover/run through an airport. The sample they'd sent was teeny tiny and perfect for flying. So I tried it. It smelled nice, which is always a plus. It didn't feel greasy. And it was kind of a BB or CC cream in that it went from white to.. whatever color blended into my skin. It was oddly satisfying.

Since I returned to work I've been wearing this almost daily, when I can find it in the pile on my bathroom sink. I really like it. It gives.. not coverage, but just a hint of some color to even out my complexion. It's really nice. When I use the lazy girl way and "wash" my face with a wipe, there's a yellowish tint left behind from the moisturizer. I am half Asian so yellowish isn't weird to me.

The retail value is about $17 which is on the pricey side for drugstore moisturizers, but I'd spring for it in lieu of my normal splurges which can be upwards of $50. 10/10 would buy full-size!

Garnier Clean+ Nourishing Cleansing Oil Review

So I just gave this stuff a try and.. I really like it. It works just like the much pricier Dermalogica Precleanse that I've been using for years. You apply it to your completely dry face and massage it into your skin to loosen up whatever is on there: makeup, oil, hydraulic fluid, oatmeal, whatever. I don't pretend to know your whole life story and what crazy things may end up on your face over the course of the day. Then you get some water on your hands and massage it into your now super oily skin to "emulsify" it which basically means to make a mixture out of the oil and water. Then you rinse and it easily rinses clean.

Before I tried the Precleanse I was pretty horrified at the idea of using oil to clean my face but I've had NOTHING but positive experiences. Shoutout to my esthetician! In my teen years I did everything I could to suck the oil out of my face and it didn't help all that much. But now I don't fight against it, I work WITH it and Bam! Instant awesome!

Using a cleansing oil dissolves the crap on my face so that it rinses cleanly away, removing the need for harsher products. I can just rinse, or if I'm in the mood to super clean (or I'm preparing to use an exfoliant or masque or both), I use the oil first and then my regular cleanser. SUPER clean, not super dried out.

I'm not quite sure the difference in quality between this drugstore oil and the spa quality one I've been using. But I'm going to spring for a bottle (I mean $7 vs. $40 why not?!) and I'll see if it has an effect in the long term.

So my quickie review:

It smells nice. It breaks down the junk on my face and waterproof mascara. It does leave a little cloudiness in my eyes, but I've removed my contacts beforehand each time I've used it just in case it did that. I haven't noticed that with Precleanse unless I open my eyes a bunch while I'm using it, but this stuff seemed to seep into my eyeballs. Didn't hurt or irritate at all, things were just blurry for a few moments. Overall, I give it my thumbs up and I can't wait to give this a long-term try!

P.S. The bottle says it's for dry skin. I'm telling you: I have combination-to-oily skin and cleansing oils work wonders! Don't be afraid!!!

Thanks Target and Garnier!

So I got a little surprise in the mail today. :)

Here's the packaging, letting me know that they sent me the Garnier Ultra Lift Transformer Anti-Age Skin Corrector with Broad Spectrum SPF 20 Sunscreen.The full-size product retails for $16.99 according to the Garnier website. My sample is 0.34 oz (10 mL).

Now I'm trying to understand what this product actually is. I mean it's obvious it's a moisturizer with anti-aging properties. But the website states that application instantly corrects and brightens skintone which leads me to believe it's some kind of BB or CC cream. I'll let you know!

As you can see, my package also included a few other samples and coupons. I got:

-Garnier Fructis Marvelous Oil Deep Nourish 5-Action Hair Elixir, a hair oil treatment for dry, damaged hair, with custom-blended Cupuacu & Brazilnut oil, which nourishes and helps repair. Retails for about $6.
-Garnier Clean+ Nourishing Cleansing Oil. Now I've used cleansing oils a lot in the past, and I LOVE them. My favorite is Dermalogica Precleanse. The retail value of the full-size Garnier product is less than $10 versus the nearly $40 that Precleanse costs. So if I love it.. there's a great chance I'll be switching it up for some time to see how it works in the long term.
-Garnier 5-Second Blur Instant Smoother. This looks to be a primer product. Retails for around $17.

Reviews to come! :)