Murad Skincare

Whenever I check out the skincare section at Sephora, I notice that Murad is always heavily featured on the shelves but, up until this year, I had never tried any of their products. It was quite fortuitous then when the Canadian distributor of the brand ended up contacting me earlier this summer and asked if I'd be interested in reviewing some.

For those of you not familiar with Murad, it is a skincare company founded by renowned dermatologist, Dr. Howard Murad. I am always interested in skincare backed by science so I was curious to see how the products would stack up against what I was currently using. My skin was also being super troublesome at the time, so I decided on some items from their blue Acne line even though I would not actually consider my skin acne-prone.

The good news: my skin is now back to normal! But how did I feel about the products?

Murad's products feature handy labels at the top of each tube to show what step you should be using it. Not that this is particularly difficult to figure out but I'm sure it's a feature some skincare newbies will appreciate.

My Step 1 was the Clarifying Cleanser, a gel cleanser made with Encapsulated Salicylic Acid to fight breakouts. I liked this cleanser a lot. It feels very clinical (no fancy scent, basic clear gel), and it would be a good accompaniment to a Clarisonic if you have one. However, this is not the best for removing makeup and, in fact, I wouldn't recommend it for that. I accidentally got some in my eyes and it stung like crazy! Using a makeup remover before you cleanse with this is necessary.

After using the Clarifying Cleanser, I would use the Skin Smoothing Polish a couple times a week. You'll notice this product is not from the blue Acne line but actually from the pink line which is for Combination Skin. The texture of this exfoliator is very fine (no giant and environmentally-harmful scrubbing beads here) and I liked it a lot.

For any breakouts, Murad recommends the Acne Clearing Solution as a Step 2. Initially I thought this was a spot treatment but there is a different product for that. With this, the idea is that you spread it all over your skin, as opposed to targeted areas. This makes more sense for acne sufferers but if you are only dealing with an occasional breakout like I am, I probably would not recommend this.

Step 3 was the product I was most excited to try: the Oil-Control Mattifier SPF 15 | PA++. Unlike the La Roche-Posay Effaclar Mat, this one contains SPF. Unfortunately, it was a huge disappointment. I found the formula really thick and uncomfortable, plus despite the fact that it's non-comedogenic, my pores felt really clogged and I swear it was the cause of additional breakouts. After all the work to clear them, this is obviously counter-productive so I had to stop using this moisturizer. Perhaps it was the SPF since I know that can sometimes be a problem for people with sensitive skin (which I don't have but I'm not sure how else to account for the weird reaction).

Weekend Wind-Down

My birthday was on Saturday which meant this past weekend was packed full of parties, food, cake, and quality time spent with my friends and family. Honestly, it was a great reminder of how lucky I am and I am so grateful for everyone in my life who celebrated with me and otherwise showed me how much they care. I had definitely been dreading turning another year older so it was just what I needed.

After all the festivities, a wind-down was much needed in the form of some relaxation (this Pendleton blanket is perfect for impromptu park visits) and stocking up on edibles at Granville Island. Plus I was excited to wear my new Kit and Ace Bellwood Tee... technical cashmere -- what a revelation!

Tee: Kit and Ace / Sports Bra: Lululemon / Jeans: Paige (similar and similar)
Shoes: Converse (here) / Bag: Proenza Schouler (here)
Sunglasses: Ray-Ban (here) / Blanket: Pendleton (different pattern)

Stila Fall 2015 Modern Goddess Collection

The Modern Goddess Collection is Stila's Fall 2015 release and, to be completely honest, I find it a bit surprising (and not necessarily in a good way). I am used to seasonal collections with a lot of colour, a range of eye shadows, and at least a lip product of some sort. Modern Goddess has absolutely none of that. Instead, the focus is on flawless bronzed skin, with the only colour coming in the form of a liquid eye liner.

That liquid eye liner is the Got Inked Cushion Eye Liner, which comes in 6 shades, with the most stunning of those shades being Amethyst Ink. It's a deep purple with a very slight metallic shimmer. The formula is long-wearing but does require a some layering since I found it sheerer than I would have liked.

What's most innovative about this liner, however, is that it uses the cushion technology that some of you might remember from the Asian cushion foundations that have been popular for years. The dispenser is a cushion-y sponge saturated in product, so when you press your brush into it you get just the right amount. I recommend using the accompanying La Quill Precision Eye Liner Brush, which is perfect for getting a thick cat eye.

Along with the cushion eye liner, Stila has also introduced its new Perfectly Poreless Putty Perfector. Blending a traditional pressed powder with a cream foundation, the result is a texture unlike any I have ever felt before. It's so hard to describe but think of something slightly wetter than a pressed powder that has a "bouncy" feel. The coverage is pretty good and feels lightweight. However, I think this product is better suited to normal/dry skin since I noticed my skin getting shiny not long after application. That means an additional powder is necessary for us combination/oily skin girls, which essentially negates the 2-in-1 benefits of this product. All in all, I love the feel and the innovation, but I don't love the Perfectly Poreless Putty Perfector -- on me, anyway.

What I do love is the Wonder Brush for Face & Body. In fact, it appears my two favourite products from the Modern Goddess Collection are the brushes. The Wonder Brush feels nice and weighty, and is ergonomically designed to fit into your hand. The synthetic bristles are short and dense, and it can be used with all kinds of products, from powders to liquids and creams. It is also great for bronzing and contouring with something like the Stay All Day Contouring Bronzer, a matte-satin powder that can be used to sculpt and shape both the face and body.

The last two products in the Modern Goddess Collection are for the lashes. My first foray into fiber lashes was very recent (see here), so I was interested in seeing how the Lash Stunner Extreme Lash Primer stacked up. Instead of just being fibers, these are fibers in a brown cream, so you get some colour at the same time. The brown is still lighter than my naturally black lashes so I probably wouldn't wear this alone.

On top, I layered the HUGE Extreme Lash Mascara. A blend of soft, malleable waxes, this mascara is supposed to make lashes look fuller and bigger. While it does do that, like most mascaras I encounter, it did not hold a curl at all. If you have straight Asian lashes, I do not recommend this because the formula will weigh your lashes down. I had to re-curl after application which I hate doing since it often results in accidentally yanking out precious lashes.

Above, I'm wearing all of the products in Modern Goddess, which I received from a media preview last month. But see what I mean about this being kind of a weird collection? There's hardly any colour apart from the eye liner. I know collections don't necessarily need to cater to the creation of entire FOTDs, but why are there no lip products? I'm actually wearing the lip combination from this post, in case you were wondering, because the entire look, plain as it is, did not look complete with bare lips. 

Final thoughts: Stila has introduced some interesting products which I'm sure fans will love, especially if you like new formulas and packaging, but this is simply not a cohesive collection. It might have made more sense to simply roll out the new products without lumping them together.