Finally I got around to opening this voxbox and trying the products that I got for testing purposes. Below is my review of each product that I used for a little over one week now. Let me know below in the comments if you’ve tried any of these products and what you think! It was great hearing from you guys on Instagram. XO

L’Oréal Paris Revitalift Brightening Daily Scrub Cleanser

I’ve used this for a week now and one of the things that I love about this scrub is that the beads are not abrasive. They’re actually gentle compared to other leading brands. The scent is not overpowering and it appears to be working. I did start to break out after the first day of using it, but that could just be the resurfacing of dirt etc for the deep cleansing to work.

When to use: Nightly
What does it do: Gently exfoliates dullness and gets rid of impurities
(dirt and all that make-up grime that’s seeped into the next layer of your skin. *gross*)
Key ingredients: Glycolic Acid and Perlite

L’Oréal Paris Revitalift Bright Reveal SPF 30 Moisturizer

For an everyday moisturizer that has SPF 30 this is very light in texture. It has a bit of a pearly look to it, which actually doesn’t affect the look of your makeup when taking pictures etc. It actually brightens your face in a radiant glowy kind of way. It almost reminds me of the Guerlain pearls primer. Not exactly but could be a distant cousin of it. My skin did feel moisturized all day which is great, because I have some dry spots on my face. In terms of long term results of a week of using I don’t see a huge difference in the darker areas of my face, but maybe I need to prolong the use to see that. If you have sun spots like me, I would still protect those areas with a higher spf. SPF 30 won’t take you through an entire day of office lights or sun exposure.

When to use: Daily
What does it do: Absorbs quickly. UVA/UVB SPF 30 protection
Key ingredients: Glycolic Acid

Dual Overnight Moisturizer

This dual overnight moisturizer reminds me of the day SPF 30 because of the texture and look of the cream. After I used the peel pad from this line and applied this moisturizer I saw instant radiance in my skin. Is that even possible? Well, it has been “revealing brighter skin” as promised. But I’m not sure if it’s because of the amount of glycolic acid and pro-retinol or if it’s the mica. For those of you who don’t know, mica is an earth mineral included in products to give them sparkle and shine. It’s usually found in make-up. The reason why it’s called dual moisturizer is because it is one side serum and one side moisturizer. With one pump, you get an even amount of both to apply all over your face and neck. Because this product has 4% glycolic acid and pro-retinol I started using it on my neck only to see if my skin reacts to the combination. So far no reaction. Just brighter and moisturized skin! I’m also a firm believer of not mixing skincare steps into one. I like using my serum first, waiting 30 seconds and then applying moisturizer on top. Also don’t believe in 2 in 1 shampoo/conditioner products. But so far the results have been great so I can’t complain. Would I use this again after I finish this bottle, probably not. I like to mix and match different brands and favourites. Having my serum and moisturizer in one, doesn’t allow me to do that. I would recommend someone trying glycolic acid or retinol products for the first time to test on the neck or the inside of the their wrist before applying all over their face. Not everyone reacts the same to skincare, better to be safe than sorry. Also, you won’t always get lucky and get both treatments in one pump. I had to slap the bottom of the bottle to get the serum to pump out. So as you see in the image, the moisturize to serum ratio isn’t always equal.

When to use: Nightly after cleansing
What does it do: Two treatments in one pump. Penetrates skin’s surface to remove dead skin cells and infuse brightening formula for overnight skin rejuvenation
Key ingredients: 4% Glycolic, Vitamin Cg, Pro-Retinol

L’Oreal Paris Revitalift Bright Reveal Peel Pads

The last time I used pre-soaked pads like these was when I tried oxy pads. Probably when I was a teenager. Ever since then I haven’t been drawn to products like this just cause I fear I won’t close the jar properly and the product will dry up. That happened to me once. Oxy days. Because these pads are soaked with 10% Glycolic Acid I was scared to use right away all over my face so I started only using it on my neck. Even after washing my face, I noticed on the pad some left over traces of make-up. UGH. Felt instant gratification for these pads for removing that gunk. Out of habit I always use a rough hand to apply skincare and used the pads the first few times of use a tad bit to abrasively. I did start to feel some uncomfortable tingling and then read the instructions, where it said “gently apply in circular motions…”. *Doh* After that I’ve been following the instructions and I have noticed brighter and more smooth skin. Which is awesome for make-up applications. I received this product for testing purposes.

When to use: Nightly
What does it do: Ultra-gentle pre-soaked textured pads physically resurface dead skin cells
Key ingredients: 10% Glycolic Complex

When your @InfluensterCA voxbox has some of your most favourite products!😄 #WinningWednesday @LOrealParisCAN pic.twitter.com/4JqEfWEXET

— Humara Kausar (@HumaraKausar) May 5, 2016

L’oreal Voxbox Review

There are so many drug store cosmetics to choose from, and L’oreal has been a tested and true brand for me. Not everyone enjoys the high end boutique brands and some even find amazing dupes.

dupe²

d(y)o͞op/

verb & noun

verb: dupe; 3rd person present: dupes; past tense: duped; past participle: duped; gerund or present participle: duping; noun: dupe; plural noun: dupes

short for duplicate, especially in photography.

As a matter of fact, the first mascara I tried was the L’oreal Voluminous mascara. This mascara has always been my go to when I’m on a budget and need the look/quality of a more expensive brand.

Pros

– It doesn’t flake off from your lashes
– I usually get perfect wear from this mascara up to 10 hours
– Full lashes effect
– I can use it up till the 3rd month (it’s a general rule of thumb to throw out your mascara after 3 months of use)
But truth is I use it well after and only throw it out if it’s done or if I’ve lost track of how old it really is, I do the smell test. Smells bad, then throw it out.
– Affordable price

Cons

It’s really rare that I come across a product that I have zero problems with. So, basically I love this mascara!

I had this one L’oreal solo shade in matte black. When all of my girls would come over to get ready before going out, we would all use it to create amazing smokey eyes. I think I had all the girls hooked on it. At that time there was no other highly pigmented matte black (that I knew of I guess). I’m into the softer shades now so I wouldn’t know if the quality of their matte black has changed. By the way, to put things into perception, those were the days of the beige/gold packaging for their shadows.

L’Oreal La Palette Eye Shadow – Nude 01

Pros

– 10 colours in one palette
– Pigmented and build-able
– Shades you can wear everyday

Cons

– The brush included in the palette is average quality. Not stiff enough to build on colour nor that great for blending
– The colours are too similar to the la palette in nudes 2

Above, the last two products from the right are eye liners. Liquid and pencil. If you ask me, I prefer liquid on the top of my lid and pencil for the bottom. This liquid liner is amaze-balls! I love the ultra fine tip. Out of curiosity I wanted to see if I could write with it and effortlessly I could:

I can’t do that with any other affordably priced liquid liner. So that says a lot to me about the quality of the brush. Now I can get right to the edge of my lash line for that solid natural look or use it to create a perfect swoop for a half cat eye. The things you can do with a really good brush!

What I love the most about the pencil eyeliner is that its smooth and creamy. On the other end there’s a smudger and sharpener. Which means, you can create different looks with this one eye liner. Super skinny fine lines (sharpen it), sultry and smudged (use the smudger). Again, zero cons for both products.

Let’s talk about the brow liner. The L’oreal stylist definer brow liner in brunette. I’m not a huge fan of it. The first time I used it, it was dry and broke off. The other thing I don’t like about this liner is that it’s a retractable pencil. I think the retractable thing has to go altogether. In my experience all retractables dry up so quickly and break even faster.

Have you tried any of these products? How was your experience? By the way, I received these products complimentary via influenster for testing purposes.