BRAND REVIEW: DEAR KLAIRS PART TWO

So this is the second half of the brand review and these four products are ones that I enjoyed using more than the ones included in part one. If you have any questions feel free to leave them below or  comment on any photos on my instagram or send me a DM!

4. Midnight Blue Calming Cream

$30 CAD for 30 ml

So first off I'd like to say I was very disappointed with this because the lid broke about a month into using the product. I don't know if it was defective or made with cheap packaging or if I was just being way too aggressive when using it???? Due to the lid breaking I wasn't able to use the product for long after it broke and I didn't want to buy another one because it's pretty expensive and I am a poor university student. They repackaged it so hopefully the new packaging is more sturdy than this one! Besides the packaging issue, I did enjoy this cream! I started to use this when I was experiencing very irritated skin from a product that started to mess up my skin and because of dairy (I am lactose intolerant and dairy makes me get really bad break outs). For some reason everything I put on my skin made it sting and break out and it was just a bad time. This helped soothe my skin and I found that my acne healed a little bit faster when I used this. I used this as a spot treatment for areas that were breaking out or just really sensitive but I do know some people use it as a cream all over their face. I don't know if I didn't have a bad reaction to the essential oils because I only used this for under a month but maybe the other ingredients minimized their sensitizing effect? I would definitely recommend this to anyone who knows they aren't sensitive to essential oils and are acne prone or just have very irritable skin! I wouldn't recommend this as a cream for those with dry skin because it isn't hydrating or moisturizing at all (at least in my experience). Those with oily or normal skin could get away with using it but I still don't think it would work good as a all over cream unless you are experiencing break outs all over or super sensitized skin that needs a break from other products. If anyone has used this let me know how you used this and if you reacted to the essential oils or not!

3. Gentle Black Sugar Facial Polish

$28 CAD for 110g

I'm not a huge fan of physical exfoliating because a majority of the ones I've tried have been too abrasive and have dried my skin out like crazy afterwards. I've tried the old school apricot scrub by st.ives, a couple neutrogena scrubs and the rice mask by Skinfood but I'd say this is my favourite physical exfoliator! At first I mixed it with water and rubbed it in my hands to break down the sugar a bit so it wouldn't be as harsh then I would gently rub it into my skin in circular motions. This method worked decently and wouldn't make my skin too dry or feel raw afterwards. HOWEVER, I saw someone mixing it with the Klairs cleansing oil and it was a game changer! It would exfoliate well but was super hydrating at the same time. The cleansing oil would also cleanse the pores out well but wouldn't make my skin super dry afterwards despite exfoliating deep in the pores and on the surface. It also felt really nice because the cleansing oil is rich and feels like a nice facial massage. My skin would feel soft afterwards and products would absorb a lot better. This also smells really good so it was like a quick aromatherapy session for me whenever I used it. I would have to quickly moisturize after using the second method because it is quite intense for dry and sensitive skin but it wasn't like the other types of exfoliators that made my skin feel tight and dry even after slapping on a thousand layers of essence and moisturizer. I don't think you'd need to use the klairs cleansing oil to mix with this but any rich and moisturizing cleansing oil would work! During the summer I would use this at most once a week or once every other week and in the winter once a month, I wasn't consistent with it though and would do it only when I felt like I needed to. I do want to try to add it in at least once a month again since I just feel like sometimes my skin needs a gentle physical polish to help wash the dead skin cells off and help my products absorb better.  I would recommend this to anyone who still likes using physical exfoliation over chemical (or just hasn't found the right chemical exfoliator for them yet). It's also good to use on the body, whenever I used it I would also use it on my hands and lips and it really helped get rid of dead cell build up and creams/balms would absorb a million times better. My hands and lips get so dry they crack and bleed in the winter and when I haven't exfoliated in awhile nothing absorbs properly and helps the situation, so using this on those areas really really helps!

2. Rich Moist Soothing Sheet Mask

$12 CAD for 5 masks

I don't have a photo for the mask since I used it a long time ago and threw out the packaging. I really liked this sheet mask and I am confused about whether or not the new version is similar to the old one. I haven't tried the new one yet but looking at the ingredients it looks similar to the older one? This is one of the few products by the brand that doesn't contain essential oils and that definitely explains why my skin loved it so much! I think a few of the hardest things to find are moisturizers and sheet masks that don't irritate or dry out my skin. All of the sheet masks I have tried until now except for two have burned my skin because a good majority contain alcohol and have heavy fragrances. All of the face shop masks I've tried made my skin burn like crazy and a good majority of innisfrees sheet masks did too (except for the bamboo and rice ones). I always wanted to hop on the sheet mask bandwagon but it's been incredibly hard since I find that there isn't many options for those with super sensitive skin (why is my skin LIKE THIS??!!?!?). This one was the first mask in a long time that didn't burn my skin or dry it out and I would have bought a bunch more if I knew they were going to change it. I want to try the new one out but it has alcohol in the ingredients so I don't know if it'll make my skin burn or not. If any of you have tried it who have sensitive skin please let me know how it was! I also want to try the midnight blue calming sheet mask but it has tea tree oil and I don't know how well my skin would react .... hmm... dilemmas!

1. Gentle Black Deep Cleansing Oil

$27 CAD for 150 ml

This is one of my favourite products by Klairs and also one of my favourite cleansing products overall. After discovering cleansing oil and balms, I have never gone back to cleansing foams and I never plan on going back unless they create some crazy moisturizing foam that actually doesn't strip my skin (all the ones that say they don't still do). It would remove all of my make up easily and felt so nice and luxurious when I massaged it into my skin. My skin felt soft and supple after using it and best of all it didn't feel stripped and tight afterwards. I wouldn't recommend using it to remove waterproof eye makeup if you tend to have sensitive eyes because at times it would irritate mine a bit but it wasn't terrible and I still used it just fine. This also helped with my blackheads since it cleaned my pores quite well. If you use it morning and night I would think it would significantly help with blackheads but I only used it when I wore make up or sun cream because when I like to use something fast and simple since I am extremely lazy. This was a bit messy, which is it's only downside. Since I'm lazy and don't like spending a lot of time on cleansing it felt like a bit of a chore when I was tired since it was messy and sometimes would take a bit of time to rinse it off. However, if you aren't lazy and don't mind using oils to cleanse these things wouldn't be an issue for you at all. This is why I prefer cleansing balms because I find they're a lot faster and less messier than oils but I do love both. I would recommend this for anyone because it is a great way to cleanse no matter what your skin type is. I know a lot of people are scared of using oils on their skin thinking it will clog their pores but that truly depends on the type of oil and how your skin reacts. My parched skin drinks up oils and really enjoys them and I highly recommend you check them out when you get the chance to. They're great at unclogging pores and melting away dirt and grime. I could go on for hours about how much I love using cleansing oils and balms!!!!!!!! They are the best thing to happen for those with dry skin and anyone with dry skin should try one at least once in their life! As for repurchasing, I don't know if I will repurchase this any time soon. As much as I loved it, I still want to try what's out on the market and possibly find something that is more affordable. It isn't extremely expensive for the amount you get but it does run out quite fast so I don't think this would be ideal for someone on a budget that wears make up every single day. I'm also extremely lazy and prefer balm type cleansers since they are a tad bit easier to deal with (and easier for travel!!!). However, I would not be against repurchasing this and I often use samples of this when I travel!

BONUS

 Toner mate 2 in 1 cotton pads

$8.50 CAD for 120 pads (60 of each type)

So I bought these just to get free shipping and I was a little bit interested in them too. You get 120 pads, 60 of two different types of pad designs. 

One of the pads has a foamy or spongey type texture and absorbs products very well but doesn't dry out fast either. I know that quite a bit of people like to soak their toners with the pad and just place them on certain parts of their face like a sheet mask. I haven't tried that since I don't have a hydrating toner to use with this and all my other moisturizing products are too thick but if you have a watery type toner or essence this would be great to use for a quick spot mask. It's also thinner than the other pad in the box.

The other pad has similar texture and feeling to normal pads you buy at the store, however they are thinner and better quality in my opinion. I find that the cheap ones you find at the drugstore are thick, fall apart easily and soak up all the product but dry out easily, whereas these pads are a lot more sturdy and don't dry out as easily. I like using this pad for removing eye make up and it does a pretty good job. I don't like using the other spongey type pad for removing eye make up as I think it just soaks up the remover too much though. 

I wouldn't repurchase these because I just don't use cotton pads often and I don't see the point in spending more on something I very rarely use. However, if you're someone who uses them a lot, for toner or removing make up, I do recommend them as you do get quite a bit and they are good quality too. If I buy a watery type essence or toner in the future I might try to use them more but honestly they've just been sitting on my desk for almost a year now without being used very often. I didn't include this in the ranking list because I don't like them or hate them.

Final thoughts
I appreciate the efforts made by Klairs to introduce products without essential oils and I am looking forward to what they will release in the future. Although I've had quite a few negative experiences with some of their products I know that many people love them too, it just all boils down to your skin needs and how your skin reacts to certain ingredients. If you don't have issues with essential oils I think you'll really like a majority of their products and if you do, there are still a couple things available without them.

I want to try their Midnight Blue Youth Activating Drop and their Manuka Honey and Choco body soap one day and their new Youthful Glow Sugar Mask looks pretty interesting as well (all don't have lavender oil which is awesome haha). Let me know your thoughts on the brand and their products as well as your own experiences! It'd be great to know what kind of experiences people with other skin types and it'll also help out others who are debating on whether or not to try some of them out :)


If you didn't get the chance to read part one, click here.

Where to buy products mentioned:
mikaela-beauty: midnight blue calming cream + tube version / gentle black sugar facial polish / rich most soothing tencel sheet mask (new version?) / midnight blue calming sheet mask / gentle black deep cleansing oil / midnight blue youth activating drop / manuka honey & choco body soap / toner mate 2 in 1 cotton pads * FREE SHIPPING IN EDMONTON ON ORDERS OVER $60 CAD

wishtrend: midnight blue calming cream + tube version / gentle black sugar facial polish / rich most soothing tencel sheet mask (new version?) / midnight blue calming sheet mask / gentle black deep cleansing oil / midnight blue youth activating drop / manuka honey & choco body soap / youthful glow sugar mask / toner mate 2 in 1 cotton pads   * cute beagle badge to support beagle rescues
* HAVE A LOT OF SETS WITH FREE SHIPPING

sokoglam: midnight blue calming cream / rich most soothing tencel sheet mask (new version?) / midnight blue calming sheet mask / gentle black deep cleansing oil / manuka honey & choco body soap / youthful glow sugar mask *sokoglam exclusive / toner mate 2 in 1 cotton pads   * FREE SHIPPING IN U.S ON ORDERS OVER $35

testerkorea: midnight blue calming cream + tube version / gentle black sugar facial polish / rich most soothing tencel sheet mask (new version?) / midnight blue calming sheet mask / gentle black deep cleansing oil / midnight blue youth activating drop / manuka honey & choco body soap / toner mate 2 in 1 cotton pads

I have ordered from all of these sites before, only difference is price, location and shipping costs!

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