Mishibox August 2015 Review

This is my second Mishibox, and the second "official" Mishibox (not counting the pre-launch one). I reviewed the first one here and was quite excited to see what box #2 was going to offer up. I'm sorry that the photos aren't all snazzy, I'm not a photographer and usually limited to using my camera phone.

Happy pink box arrives!

Mask Monday: Naisture Tea Tree sheet mask

Brand: Naisture
Flavor: Tea Tree
Where Purchased: Marshalls (USA)
Cost: $4.99/5 pack
CosDNA Link

Fit: The eye, nose, and mouth holes are quite large. I especially appreciated the size of the eye holes, because I often have to rip sheet masks so that I don't get essence in my eyes. The nose hole was fairly large, but the part of the mast designed to cover the nose didn't extend down to the tip of mine (but my nose isn't exactly dainty). The sheet seems to be a bit heavier and more solid, and the chin and jaw area of the mask is a bit too wide. It doesn't extend down nearly as far under the chin as I'd like, and it is so wide that there are very large wrinkles around the side when I press it to my face.

Essence: The essence is slightly transparent milky white (probably from shea butter) and can be a bit sticky even after it as dried down. It contains scutellaria baicalensis root extract, which is a proven antioxidant and anti-inflammatory, as well as the requisite tea tree extract and tea tree oil. They've thrown glycolic acid in there, but it's down at the bottom so I don't really know how much good the AHA is doing.

Scent: I always address scent because I know some people can be sensitive to it. This mask has the strong green "chemically" smell of tea tree. There is added fragrance listed as an ingredient, too.

Verdict: I actually really like Naisture's tea tree mask, even though I feel like it leaves a stickier layer of residue after using it than most other masks. Keep that in mind if you have very thin essences, use them before using this mask. The eye holes being larger are awesome, and I think about them every time I use a My Beauty Diary mask and have to rip both sides of the tiny eyes to keep myself from being blinded by serum. I especially like the $1/mask price that my Marshalls tends to have them for.

Memebox sale insanity haul

   Memebox had a flash summer sale last weekend and I managed to snag a few heavily discounted items from the chaos and scramble. It wasn't easy; the goal was to make $30 minimum so that I would qualify for free shipping, but every time I went to check out, half my cart would already be sold out! Finally made the cut off at $31 and checked out. A day later I get an email that one of the masks I purchased, a TonyMoly Red Wine sheet mask, was oversold and they needed to refund me the cost of the mask ($1), plus an extra $5 for an apology. Didn't bother me any, it made my grand total $25 and I still got free shipping. All of these products are completely new to me except for the Innisfree cream, as I had a sample of it previously that I enjoyed.

Holika Holika Penguin's Dream hand cream: $3
Innisfree Orchid Enriched Cream: $10 (I like to think it was actually $5 due to the apology discount Memebox gave me!)

Botanic Farms Polar Energy Camel Milk hydrogel mask (x3): $1 each, so $3
Naexy Genius Pore Tightening mask: $1
Naexy Genius Lifting mask: $1

Leaders Insolution Coconut Gel Moisturizing Recovery mask (x4): $1 each, so $4
Leaders Insolution Coconut Gel Lifting Recovery mask (x4): $1 each, so $4

Mediheal Dress Code mask (Violet, Tone-up): $1
Skin79 Honey Moisture mask: $1
TonyMoly I'm Real Pomegranate mask: $1
Etude House Mango mask: $1

I have a chronic illness or two, this is how it all started.

You never think when you wake up that this might be your last day feeling "normal". When being sick becomes the new normal, when doctors diagnose and re-diagnose you, and some have to google your diagnosis because they've never heard of it before.

Some illnesses are slow building, and you can look back and see the evidence of it coming on for years prior. Narcolepsy was like that with me. I was the sleepy one, the lazy one, the one taking all the naps.  It was all I could do to not nod-off while sitting up in High School (even though I adored school) and in university I scheduled my classes so that I could take naps in between them. Lunch breaks at work were always a battle between my hunger and my exhaustion, where usually the exhaustion won out.

I thought this was how everyone felt, and I was just not strong enough to fight off the need for sleep. I thought that every morning when people woke up, everyone felt as un-rested and drained as I do. Everyone said I was lazy, so I just figured maybe I was. Sadly, these were the good days. Around August of 2012, it got worse.

Innisfree Eco Safety Perfect Waterproof Sunblock SPF50+ PA+++ Review

   My quest for the perfect waterproof sunscreen for horseback riding has come to an end. When I purchased the Innisfree Extreme Safety 60 sun gel that I reviewed previously, I received a free deluxe sample of the Innisfree Eco Safety Perfect Waterproof Sunblock SPF50+ PA+++, that I promptly cast aside and ignored.

   That is until another Asian Beauty loving equestrian pointed out the sunblock on Innisfree's website and I told her that I'd try my sample and tell her if it was good for barn work. Basically we wanted a sunscreen that was very sweat resistant that dried matte/non-sticky so horse fur and barn dust wouldn't stick to our faces. Innisfree delivered.