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Holiday Gift Guide – December 2021

WELCOME; to my annual Coco and Chino’s Christmas Holiday Gift Guide 2021! Here I will be going through in guide-form, my top holiday gift picks for this holiday season. This years’ picks are from Too Faced, Hourglass, Cerave and Lanolips, covering a wide variety of beauty categories. To take a look at what my selections are this year, just look below..

Products, Textures & Formula’s
– Limited Edition Too Faced Christmas Coffee Eye Shadow Palette 6.7g; with eight tasty shades that is sure to warm you up on a cool night, it will get you through the winter months and you can create a multitude of looks with this bite-sized eye shadow palette. With a mixture of mattes and shimmers, it gives you the perfect balance and all shades are nicely pigmented. From top-to-bottom and left-to-right, the shade names are titled: ‘Kool Whip‘ – a light warm cream matte, ‘Warm Me Up‘ – a soft caramel-brown matte, ‘Cinnamon Chai‘ – a deep red-brown terracotta, ‘Holly Sh*t‘ – sparkling forest-green shimmer, ‘Brew-tiful Day‘ – peach-pink matte, ‘Slow Roasted‘ – rustic copper metallic, ‘Candy Cane Latte‘ – cranberry-red metallic and ‘Christmas Coffee‘ – a rich deep brown matte. This size palette is also ideal for taking on trips and touching up on a night out, etc. Take a closer look below..

– Cerave Hydrating Cream-to-Foam Cleanser 236ml; perfect for normal-to-dry skin and people with sensitive skin, this cleanser is infused with hyaluronic acid for ultimate hydration, it has an amino acid based surfactant that lathers into a gentle foam and easily removes oil, makeup, dirt and any SPF residue from the skin. It also includes ceramides to maintain the skin’s barrier, and their own patented MVE technology that continually releases moisturising ingredients overtime for 24hrs. It can also be used on hands, body as well as the face. It’s quite easy to use, just massage gentle into lukewarm wet skin before rinsing well. It is soap-free, paraben-free, non-comedogenic, fragrance-free and pH balanced. To check out some photos of the cleanser and texture of the cream, take a look below..

– Limited Edition Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit Universe Face Palette 5.4g; the new annual Ambient Lighting Edit face palette for 2021 is here! Featuring four brand new shades of blush, bronzer and highlighter are limited edition and create the most flattering light source for looks and photography. The powders create such a beautiful celestial glow, they’re all hand-made in Italy and are such universal shades that they would suit most skin tones. The photoluminescent technology allows the powders to capture, diffuse and soften surrounding light to help blur imperfections and refine the skin’s appearance. The two ambient strobe lighting blush shades are: ‘Vibrant Heat‘ – a very vibrant soft mid pink and ‘Luminous Rose‘ – a softened plum. The ambient lighting bronzer shade is titled ‘Glistening Bronze Light‘ – a golden bronze. The ambient strobe lighting powder is titled ‘Supernatural Strobe Light‘ – a soft champagne. And the larger pan powder is the ‘Ambient Lighting Infinity Powder‘ which is a combination of three acclaimed shades of ambient powders: ‘Diffused Light‘, ‘Dim Light‘ and ‘Hypnotic Strobe Light‘. To get a much closer look at the fantastic face palette, check out the packaging photos below..

– Limited Edition Too Faced Cinnamon Bun Longwear Melting Matte Lipstick 7ml; a brand new holiday shade in Too Faced’s melted matte lipstick formula, ‘Cinnamon Bun‘, which is a gorgeous universal shade described as a moderately-warm toned brown matte. It is infused with vitamin E, avocado oil with hyaluronic filling spheres that smooth the lip lines upon application. It coats the lips with a true pigment of colour that lasts for hours and is quite comfortable to wear. This particular shade is limited edition and a part of Too Faced’s 2021 holiday collection. To see up-close shots and lip wear swatches, take a look below..

– Limited Edition Too Faced ‘You’re So Hot’ Hot Cocoa Bronzer & Lipgloss Set 8.5g 5.2ml; a new smooth and silky bronzer in a limited edition shade ‘Hot Cocoa‘ with the most cutest packaging we may have ever seen, the embossed design on the surface of the bronzer in pan has a smiley face resembling hot froffing coffee with whipped cream nested on top and is also scented just like the decadent treat of hot cocoa, the perfect treat on a cold winter’s day. The tone of the bronzer is definitely on the lighter side, it would be ideal for fair or light skin tones. The lipgloss is in the lip injection power plumping formula and is in shade ‘Christmas Cocoa‘. It is scented just like chocolate cake or a chocolate candy bar, it is a very pleasing brown tone which is universally flattering on most skin tones. It delivers a gorgeous high shine upon wear and is quite glossy. The make up pouch that the set comes in is a cute light pink colour with little mugs of hot froffy coffee with whipped cream on top, there is also sparkly marshmallows on the front and back in pattern form and the iconic gold love heart handle zipper is on the top edge. I think the size is around 5×7 which is wonderful as it can fit quite a bit of product inside, which would be fantastic to take on trips. On the back it says ‘Too Faced’ and on the front it has ‘You’re So Hot’ emblazoned in font. Take a quick look at the close-up details and lip wear shade swatches of both via the pictures below..

– Limited Edition Lanolips x Messina 101 Ointment Multi-Balm Salted Coconut x Mango Gelato 10g; touted as the Australian summer dreams collaboration, is the iconic 101 ointment balm from Lanolips crossed over with another iconic Aussie fave, Messina’s sorbet salted coconut gelato flavour. Using coconut oil, mango fruit extract and vitamin E to create an all-around good vibes boost of hydration for your skin. It uses pure grade Australian Lanolin, which mimics the skin’s own oils and leaves it perfectly hydrated. It is not just for your lips either, it can also be used all over the body on your skin and that is why it’s multi-purpose. It tasted and smells absolutely delicious! If you’d like to see texture shots, up-close photos of the packaging just keep scrolling below..

Worldwide Prices & Availability
– LE Too Faced Christmas Coffee Eyeshadow Palette 6.7g;
Australia: $38 AUD
Available: online and in-store at Mecca.

USA: $27 USD
Available: online and in-store at Sephora, Too Faced, Nordstrom, Kohls, Macys, HSN and Ulta.

UK: £24 GBP
Available: online and in-store at Look Fantastic, ASOS, Selfridges, Boots and John Lewis.

– Cerave Hydrating Cream-to-Foam Cleanser 236ml;
Australia: $15.99 AUD
Available: online and in-store at Chemist Warehouse.

USA: $10.80 – 14.99 USD
Available: online and in-store at Ulta and Target.

UK: £9.37 GBP
Available: online and in-store at Boots and Superdrug.

– LE Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit Universe Face Palette 5.4g;
Australia: $114 AUD
Available: online and in-store at Mecca and Net-a-Porter.

USA: $80 USD
Available: online and in-store at Hourglass, Beautylish, Net-a-Porter, Sephora and Ulta.

UK: £79 GBP
Available: online and in-store at Hourglass UK, Space NK, Cult Beauty, Feel Unique, Look Fantastic and John Lewis.

– LE Too Faced Cinnamon Bun Longwear Melted Matte Lipstick 7ml;
Australia: $32.50 AUD
Available: online at Selfridges and Cult Beauty.

USA: $22 USD
Available: online and in-store at Sephora, Too Faced, Macys and Ulta.

UK: £20 GBP
Available: online and in-store at Selfridges, John Lewis, Look Fantastic, ASOS and Boots.

– LE Too Faced ‘You’re So Hot’ Hot Cocoa Bronzer & Lipgloss Set 8.5g 5.2ml;
Australia: $49.93 AUD
Available: online at Amazon.

USA: $39 USD
Available: online and in-store at Sephora, Kohls and JC Penney.

UK: £37.42 GBP
Available: online at Amazon.

– LE Lanolips x Messina Salted Coconut & Mango Gelato 10g;
Australia: $19.95 AUD
Available: online and in-store at Mecca and Lanolips Australia.

USA: $13.50 USD
Available: online at Lanolips.

UK: £8.99 GBP
Available: online at Lanolips UK.

My Thoughts & First Impressions
– Limited Edition Too Faced Christmas Coffee Eyeshadow Palette 6.7g; what drew me to this palette was the gorgeous cranberry red and the forest green shimmer shades, they’re so Christmassy and after watching Youtube reviews with swatches from it, thats when I decided I wanted to get it. I always look forward to the Too Faced christmas holiday releases and usually there is always a palette I end up loving. Sometimes in some of the Too Faced holiday eyeshadow palette releases (like the ones in sets), the shades can be a bit chalky and hard to layer, however I find with their bite-sized palettes that the pigmentation is much better quality and that is why I tend to pick up those instead. And at $38 AUD, it’s a great pick to get 8 mixed formula shades and the packaging is so nice.

– Cerave Hydrating Cream-to-Foam Cleanser 236ml; I’m always on the hunt for cleansers and skincare products that are suited to dry skin and this is where Cerave come in, they have a nice range of products suited to all skin types and their formulas are always without any nasty ingredients. I had tried their hydrating cleanser for the last two years and absolutely love it, so when the cream-to-foam release came out, I hopped on the trial train straight away. During a sale at the Chemist Warehouse I picked up my bottle and I have loved it since first try. It is decently priced and suits my skin so well.

– Limited Edition Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit Universe Face Palette 5.4g; this is the big winner for me this year. Amongst all of the other palette releases from all other brands, including MAC, this Hourglass interested me the most and the packaging is just simply divine. It is so stunning! I have owned a ambient lighting edit palette beforehand and it was the white marble packaged one from 2016 or so, and when I saw this one I fell in love right away. The fact it is limited edition also helped budge me to pick it up, as they can sell out pretty fast. I love how long these palettes last and the pans are such decent sizes too.

– Limited Edition Too Faced Cinnamon Bun Longwear Melted Matte Lipstick 7ml; I was drawn to this shade right away because it is a universally flattering nude that would suit most skin tones. It is a mid-brown matte with a cool mauve undertone and it smells just like freshly-baked cinnamon rolls. I love earth toned nudes and if it’s in the brown category, I always find the cool tones suit me as unfortunately warm tones never do, they look muddy on me and wash me out. I am a fan of the Too Faced’s melted matte lipstick formula, they’re usually very comfy upon wear and they last so long too. I’m waiting to receive mine that I purchased this year so I will further update when I have it and have worn it.

– Limited Edition Too Faced You’re So Hot Hot Cocoa Bronzer & Lipgloss Set 8.5g 5.2ml; what I loved about this bronzer set is that the bronzer shade looks perfect tone for my skin, I also enjoy the cute pouch and the lip injection gloss shade is another nice earth neutral nude tone, which would compliment most skin tones as well. The gloss is very sparkly and looks like it goes on very smoothly. And not only is the packaging so cute but the products are both scented like hot cocoa.

– Limited Edition Lanolips x Messina 101 Ointment Multi-Balm Salted Coconut & Mango Gelato 10g; this smells so delicious and is your iconic 101 ointment from the fave Lanolips. Infused with Messina’s popular salted coconut sorbet, this balm makes you want to eat it! It is so nourishing and it is such a fun collaboration between two Australian faves. Released at a perfect time right before the summer season in Australia. I don’t think you can go wrong with this pick up at all.

That wraps up my holiday gift guide for 2021! I hope you have enjoyed learning more about the featured products in my guided round up for Christmas gifting and have found the perfect selection, or even as a gift for yourself. I am embarking on starting my Christmas shopping and I hope to be finished early this year. I hope you have all been safe and well throughout this year, and I hope you all have a lovely Christmas season with your families and loved ones. I’m going pretty big with decorations this year so I’ll try to include some photo’s of that in my posts.

Disclaimer; all of the above featured products have been purchased with my own money and all thoughts & opinions published here are my own.

Beauty

Holiday Gift Guide 2020 – Part One

WELCOME; to part one of my annual Coco and Chino’s Christmas Holiday Gift Guide 2020! This part one edition of the guide features latest holiday releases from brands Tatcha, Too Faced and Laneige, covering skincare and makeup for the beauty lovers in your life. I always get so excited for the Christmas releases, and I would love to share what is included in this first part of the guide.


Products, Textures and Formula
– LE Too Faced Salted Caramel Eyeshadow Palette; features eight shades in a mixture of mattes and shimmers. The shades range from warm tones to dark ones, the matte formula is nicely pigmented and the shimmers are a silky kind that are also decently pigmented. There is a nice light matte cream shade that can be used as a base. The shade names are, T-B & L-R: ‘Oooey Gooey’ – a vanilla cream slightly transparent, great for priming, ‘Golden Sugar’ – a warm shimmery copper brown, ‘Drizzle It’ – a vivid mid-tone matte orange, ‘Caramel Apple’ – a coral brown/red matte, ‘Butter Me Up’ – a shimmery golden medium brown, ‘Soft and Chewy’ – a mustard matte orange, ‘Toffee’ – a shimmery pink with silver shift and ‘Make Me Melt’ – a deep matte brown.

– LE Tatcha Pore-Perfecting and Protecting Set; features The Deep Cleanse 50ml, The Water Cream 10ml, The Liquid Silk Canvas 10g and The Kissu Lip Mask 5g. The Deep Cleanse is formulated with an oil-free gel cleanser with natural exfoliants and clarifying extracts from the Japanese Luffa fruit that gently lifts impurities, unclogs pores and the balances the skin moisture for a healthy-looking glow. The Water Cream is formulated with Japanese wild rose to smooth skin texture and works to visibly tighten pores. It also features Japanese leopard lily which reduces oil production, calms problematic skin and promotes turnover of the skin. The Liquid Silk Canvas is formulated with silk extract fibroin, the inner part of silk that nourishes skin into lustrous and healthy condition, and includes sericin; the outer part of silk which closely parallels the amino acid structure of human skin to hold in essential moisture and minimises flaking and dryness. The silk powder adds a pore-blurring element and helps makeup to apply smoothly and absorb excess oil. The Kissu Lip Mask contains peach extract to soften and smooth, squalane richly moisturises and improves the skin barrier function and it also includes camellia oil with vitamins, oleic acid and nourishing omegas 3, 6 & 9.

– Laneige Hydration-To-Go Kit For Normal to Dry Skin featuring 5 piece Gift Set; Moisturising Cream Cleanser 30ml, Water Bank Hydro Essence 10ml, Water Bank Moisture Cream 10ml, Water Sleeping Mask 15ml and the Lip Sleeping Mask 3g. The Moisturising Cream Cleanser is a cream formulated with plant-derived natural oils to hydrate the skin while it gentle cleanses. The Water Bank Hydro Essence uses a ‘water splash’ formula serum that pops moisture into the skin as soon as its applied. It uses the Green Mineral Water thats extracted via Laneige’s patented Ocean Brew Method, creating a dewy glow for skin. The Water Bank Moisture Cream is also formulated with the unique blend of Green Mineral Water, in addition to vegetable extracts from brussel sprouts, artichoke leaves and lima beans, forming a protective barrier and providing soothing hydration to leave the skin looking radiant and feeling hydrated. The Water Sleeping Mask is an overnight mask that is formulated with evening primrose and apricot extract, and contains the Sleep-Tox technology that purifies skin during sleep. Patented Moisture Wrap helps the skin to retain moisture throughout the night and the Sleepscent which is specially developed for the Water Sleeping Mask as an AmorePacific original, allowing skin to relax and rest during sleep, which boosts it to regenerate. The Lip Sleeping Mask is formulated with strawberry, raspberry, cranberry, arabica coffee bean, blueberry, quinoa seed extracts, shea butter, candelilla wax and carnauba wax.      

Worldwide Prices & Availability
– LE Too Faced Salted Caramel Eyeshadow Palette;
Australia: $39.95 AUD – $41.00 AUD
Available: online at MyQT, and only in-store and subject to stock as it’s LE, at Mecca.
USA: $20.00 USD – $27.00 USD
Available: online at Amazon, and only in-store subject to stock as it’s LE, at Sephora.
UK: £22.00 GBP
Available: only in-store and subject to limited stock as it’s LE, at Selfridges, John Lewis, Debenhams, Look Fantastic.

– LE Tatcha Pore Perfecting & Protecting Set;
Australia: $84.00 AUD
Available: in-store only and subject to limited stock as it’s LE, at Mecca.

USA: $68.00 USD
Available: only online at Yorkdale.

UK: Unfortunately it has sold out most places. Some items are available separately on London Loves Beauty and Amazon UK.

– Laneige Hydration-To-Go For Normal To Dry Skin Kit;
Australia: $36.00 AUD
Available: online and in-store at Sephora and Adore Beauty.

USA: $29.00 USD
Available: online and in-store at Laneige and Sephora.

UK: £18.50 GBP
Available: the exact kit isn’t available in the UK but there is a Hydration kit and it is available at Selfridges.


My Thoughts & Reviews
– LE Too Faced Salted Caramel Eyeshadow Palette; the powders in this palette blend quite nicely and have very little fall out which I really liked. Each shade is pigmented well and even the cream matte is decently pigmented, perfectly used as a primer underneath or to shape the brow bone. The scented powder really does smell just like salted caramel and is quite delicious, it isn’t too strong and it’s quite nice to smell as I apply the shades. I love the mini size tin case the palette is packaged in, it is very handy to take traveling, and I am enjoying the combination of the colours.

– LE Tatcha Pore Perfecting & Protecting Set; I feel like this is the perfect set to try out if you’re new to the brand and especially if you have dry skin. With your face, lips, under eyes and prep for makeup all taken care of in this kit, you can’t really go wrong. The Water Cream is an all-time fave of mine, it is so hydrating, soft, fast absorbing and never leaves the skin feeling oily or dried out. Highly recommend this set or ones like it from Tatcha.

– Laneige Hydration-To-Go For Normal to Dry Skin Kit; this k-beauty skincare brand is fast becoming my favourite skincare brand! The water-based formulas is a science my skin is absolutely loving. I really enjoy the water bank moisture cream, it is soft, buttery in texture and always soaks so easily into my skin, leaving it feeling hydrated and soft each application, the magic is that it lasts so long! If you follow my page on Instagram, you’ll know that I’m a huge fan of the multi deep cleanser, well this kit has a terrific moisturising cleanser as well and it always leaves my face feeling so supple. If you have normal-to-dry skin, I highly recommend this.


Thank you for reading and checking out my part one of the Coco and Chino’s Holiday Gift Guide 2020. Stay tuned for another part to the guide and a further post on these featured products for a more in-depth look.

Skincare

Jurlique: Moisture Plus Rare Rose Skincare – August 2019

Jurlique: Moisture Plus Rare Rose Skincare – August 2019

From the natural South Australian grown Jurlique rose scent to the popular hydrating hand creams and balancing facial mists, Jurlique have arguably stamped their presence in the skincare field. A month ago they released their stunning brand new skin range with their new Moisture Plus Rare Rose formula. Featuring a cream (50ml), a serum (30ml), a lotion (50ml) and a gel cream (50ml), something for everyone and useful throughout all seasons. I have been using the range for the past month and have loved the results! If you’d love to know my review and what products have become favourites, read on.


As you can see above, the outer box packaging is stunning white and pink textures with chrome silver font print. And the product themselves are gorgeous frosted glass with medium-dark pink covering and chrome silver writing and title font over the pink. Jurlique is quite known for their luxe packaging, with beautiful rose gold trims, chrome font and frosted glass. Read further on below to learn about the formula and textures..

As you can see above; the textures are very fluffy, lightweight and airy. I think my favourite formula is the cream and the serum.. they both absorb so well into my skin and there is no sticky feeling at all with any of the products. I have always loved how hydrating and buttery the Jurlique skincare line feels, they are really on another level.

Worldwide Pricing and Availability
In Australia, the entire Moisture Plus Rare Rose range is available from $59 – $75 AUD at Jurlique Australia, and also at the following retailers; David Jones, Myer and at Adore Beauty.

In the UK, the entire range is available from £26 – £45 GBP and is located at Jurlique UK, Feel Unique and Anthropologie.

In the USA, you can find the whole range available from $60 – $64 USD at Jurlique USA and Skin Store.

Final Thoughts?
After using these over the last month, I have come to love each product. Particularly the serum and the cream. The serum absorbs into my skin so well, it doesn’t feel tacky or sticky, it smells amazing and it’s comfortable on the skin. I find it hydrating extremely well and the hydration lasts on my face for quite some time.. so much that I don’t feel like I need to use the serum each day. Just twice a week and I am fine. The cream is a airy, light and buttery smooth formula that quite literally sinks into the skin on my face when applied. I think it absorbs well and the moisture it provides is AMAZING! The entire range is ultra hydrating and soothing to my dry skin, they all arrived to my desk at the perfect timing as we’re just coming out of a dry Winter filled with cold air.

That sums up my review on this gorgeous new skincare range from Jurlique. What have you been loving on your skin this Winter?

Disclaimer
The above Moisture Plus Rare Rose skincare range was kindly sent in to me from Jurlique for consideration of content & review. This does not alter my honest thoughts and opinions in any way.

Skincare

Manicare: Sonic Mini Facial Cleansing Brush & SensiScrub – March 2019

Manicare: Sonic Mini Facial Cleansing Brush & SensiScrub – March 2019

Say hello to the new Sonic facial cleansing brush device from Manicare, the USB chargeable Sonic Mini Facial Cleansing Brush requires only two minutes daily to exfoliate, cleanse & massage the face. Using a circular motion, you dampen the facial skin or the brush head & then work your way from the inner centre of the face outwards to the edges. There is two speeds in the settings that you can choose from. This device has been proven to cleanse to up to 5x better than your own hands or makeup wipes.

The Sonic Mini Brush & Features
In a sphere shape handle that consists of a frosted rubber, it’s extremely easy to grip with your hand. An on/off button is at the back of the handle and features two different speeds with choice of setting, one click brings on the first speed while a second tap of it begins the second speed setting. The other side has an easy interface you can connect and click-in the interchangeable brush heads; this is where you would use either the gentle cleansing brush, the exfoliating rubber bristled head or the massaging rubber nodule head. It comes with a USB charging cord that is easily connected to the USB plug-in port on the inside of the interface. The Sonic Mini Cleansing Brush has a battery life of up to 5hrs! The brush uses vibration cleansing to remove impurities from the skin and leaves skin feeling softer, renewed and plumper. It’s water resistant and can therefore be used in the shower too, the only part that cannot get wet is the charging port which is on the inside of the interface where the heads click onto. The range also comes with three separate packs of 2x SensiScrub silicone exfoliating heads, or 2x soft facial cleansing heads, or 2x massaging nodule heads that can be purchased separately and used to back up the original heads it came with.

My Thoughts & Findings
After my very first use of the gentle cleansing brush and going over my damp wet face with the soft gentle bristled cleanser brush, I found my skin instantly softer and smooth. I felt like my face was more radiant and plumped. I loved how each area of my face only took 10-20 seconds to complete and how compact the sonic mini is. I could easily travel with it & use it as part of my daily skin routine no matter where I am! I also enjoyed having two speeds to choose from for light or more intense cleansing. Regarding the interchangeable heads, I would just recommend thoroughly washing the soft cleansing brushes and rinsing them off after to dispel any residue soap/wash. The exfoliating SensiScrub head & the massaging nodule head awoukd be quite easier to clean after use.

Would I Re-Stock?
This is a definite YES!. The claims are true, this is a very gentle and soft but effective facial cleansing device and all the extra accessory replacement heads are perfect! It’s ideal for traveling with, it just takes as little as two minutes to give your face a great clean & it fits well into anybody’s daily skincare routine. I have trialed it out for a number of weeks now and time and time again it leaves my skin feeling much softer and renewed. I highly recommend it! I love the fact the battery life lasts 5 hrs in one single charge & I LOVE that there is a USB port to recharge it.


Pricing & Availability
In Australia; the Sonic Mini Facial Cleansing Brush is available for $42.49 AUD at the Chemist Warehouse and for $49.99 AUD at Manicare Australia and Priceline.

Replacement Heads; the separate twin pack of extra replacement heads for the soft brush cleansing are available for $9.99 AUD at Manicare Australia and Priceline. The twin pack of extra replacement SensiScrub exfoliating heads are available for $14.99 AUD at Manicare Australia and lastly, the triple pack that includes two soft brush cleaning heads and a massaging nodule head are available for $14.99 AUD at Manicare Australia.

Disclaimer
The Sonic Mini Facial Cleansing Brush and SensiScrub Replacement Heads Twin Pack were kindly sent in for trial review purposes and consideration. This does not alter my honest thoughts of the product in any way, shape or form.

Beauty

Clinique Pep-Start Skincare Range – Full Review & Swatches

Clinique Pep-Start Skincare Range – Full Review & Swatches

I have always been a huge fan of Clinique, I simply love their approach to skincare. Having been an avid user of their Dramatically Different Moisturising Lotion for years (which is seriously terrific stuff!), you could imagine how excited and happy I was to receive a parcel in the mail of their new Pep-Start collection releases! Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve been trying out a number of their Pep-Start products. Ahh! It was a glorious day for me when the postman had this parcel waiting for me, I can assure you! You couldn’t wipe the smile off my face! And I’m still smiling.. because this gorgeous collection of new Pep-Start releases are AMAZING! Let’s get introduced to the products via a bag-spill and a run-down on each item…

Clinique Pep-Start Skincare Range

Intro
The Clinique Pep-Start Skincare Collection features products in various treatments. All of them have been designed to enhance the quality of skin, let’s list them all; for the eyes, there is the Pep-Start Eye Cream – 15ml 0.05 Fl Oz, of course for skin moisturising (a big factor), there is the Pep-Start Hydroblur Moisturiser – 50ml 1.7 Oz, which doesn’t just moisturise but also blurs imperfections. In terms of exfoliation, there is the Pep-Start 2-in-1 Exfoliating Cleanser – 125ml 4.2 Fl Oz, aiming to provide a daily glow and flawlessly smooth finish to the skin. On the topic of purifying the body’s skin, Clinique offer the very popular Pep-Start Double Bubble Purifying Mask – 50ml 1.7 Fl Oz, to enhance skin’s radiance, unclog the pores and purify the cells. Moving onto our pouts.. you can’t go wrong with the Pep-Start Pout Perfecting Balm – 3.6g 0.12 Oz, they’re nourishing to the lips skin and so long-lasting for hydration, they also come in a variety of subtle tints of colour; Cherry, Guava, Tangerine and Clear. Of course, the collection wouldn’t be complete without a lip mask, Clinique have included the very highly-rated Pep-Start Pout Restoring Night Mask 10ml 0.34 Fl Oz, designed to intensely hydrate, plumpen and soothe the lips. Click through the gallery below to see swatches and take a closer look at each product in this famous Pep-Start collection..
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The Products and Formulas
The entire range is designed to hydrate your skin, smooth it out and enhance the elasticity. All products in this group have moisturising capabilities and Clinique have thought of every targeted area with these products. I have loved the way the Double Bubble Purifying Mask makes me skin feel after leaving it on for a little while and rinsing it off, it clears my skin and makes it feel so clean. I love to apply it on in the morning to set a nice base for my makeup later on and it really allows for a mattified look! Another favourite of mine from this range would have to be the Hydroblur Moisturiser, it isn’t your typical creamy moisturiser, instead it’s a lot thicker and absorbs quite well into the skin by being rubbed in circular motions over the targeted area. There is no strong scent to it either, which I know a lot of people enjoy skincare products not having. Let’s move onto the formulas of each product..

– Pep-Start 2-in-1 Exfoliating Cleanser; an orange clear gel with tiny clear granules.
– Pep-Start Hydroblur Moisturiser; a fluffy & silky light pink whipped cream.
– Pep-Start Double Bubble Purifying Mask; a pinky clear gel cream that bubbles lightly.
– Pep-Start Eye Cream; a white cooling, silky & smooth cream.
– Pep-Start Pout Perfecting Balm; a hydrating & creamy bullet lip balm with tinted colour.
– Pep-Start Pout Restoring Night Mask; a clear gel that is silky smooth.

Swatches
Clinique Pep-Start Skincare Range swatches, Top Row, L - R: Pep-Start Pout Restoring Night Mask & Pep-Start Pout Perfecting Lip Balm, Bottom Row, L - R: Pep-Start 2-in-1 Exfoliating Cleanser, Pep-Start Double Bubble Purifying Mask, Pep-Start Hydroblur Moisturiser & the Pep-Start Eye Cream.


Top Row, L – R: Pep-Start Pout Restoring Night Mask & Pep-Start Pout Perfecting Lip Balm in ‘Cherry’.
Bottom Row, L – R: Pep-Start 2-in-1 Exfoliating Cleanser, Pep-Start Double Bubble Purifying Mask, Pep-Start Hydroblur Moisturiser & the Pep-Start Eye Cream.

I have found this range of skincare products to be very pleasant and easy to apply. Each product is also suitable for all skin types and won’t dry you out after a few uses. I love that about Clinique products!

Pricing
Pep-Start 2-in-1 Exfoliating Cleanser 125ml 4.2 Fl Oz. – $29 AUD | $19.50 USD | £16.50 GBP
Pep-Start Hydroblur Moisturiser 50ml 1.7 Oz. – $42 AUD | $29.50 USD | £24.50 GBP
Pep-Start Double Bubble Purifying Mask 50ml 1.7 Fl Oz. – $52 AUD | $24.50 USD | £24 GBP
Pep-Start Eye Cream 15ml 0.05 Fl Oz. – $42 AUD | $26.50 USD | £22 GBP
Pep-Start Pout Perfecting Balm 3.6g 0.12 Oz. – $36 AUD | $17.50 USD | £16 GBP
Pep-Start Pout Restoring Night Mask 10ml 0.34 Fl Oz. – $36 AUD | $17.50 USD | £16 GBP

Where To Buy
The Pep-Start products from this Clinique collection are available at many places worldwide. As Clinique is a global brand, the products are stocked almost everywhere, yay!

In Australia, you can find all of the products from the Pep-Start collection online & in-store; at Clinique Australia, at Myer, at Sephora Australia, at David Jones, and of course at Mecca Maxima as well.

For the USA; it can be found online & in-store; at Clinique, at Sephora, at Nordstrom, at Macys, at JC Penney and at Bloomingdales.

For all shoppers in the UK; you can find these products in-store & online; at Clinique UK, Harvey Nichols, at Harrods, at Debenhams & Boots, at House of Fraser and John Lewis.

Availability
All of the products mentioned in this post (from the Pep-Start collection) are available at all of the stores mentioned directly above in ‘Where To Buy’, both in-store and online. Obviously at times in certain stores or online, there may be a low stock level but this will always be replenished as it’s an on-going permanent collection of products. How AMAZING is that?!?

The Clinique Pep-Start Pout Perfecting Balm range.

Restock?
Yes, yes, yes! I definitely will! Having been a fan of Clinique for over many years, I will continue to use their products for as long as I can. If you asked me what my favourite product was, I’m not sure I could pick one. But if you asked which is my fave product from this particular collection… I would say; there’s three! The first one being the incredible Pep-Start Double Bubble Purifying Mask, the second one is the Pep-Start Hydroblur Moisturiser and he third one is the Pep-Start Eye Cream. I love the feeling of the Double Bubble Purifying mask as it develops into a thin layer of bubbles on the face.

Where to next?