Beautify Your Skin With Tatcha!

Tatcha has been one of my favorite skincare brands for a while, so when they asked me if I was interested in reviewing some of their travel-friendly products I said, "YES, PLEASE!"

*Disclaimer: These products were sent to See, Shop, Love! in exchange for an honest review.

I was first introduced to Tatcha through Birchbox; I received a pack of their Aburatorigami blotting papers in my very first Birchbox! I loved their beautiful packaging and that they were a Japanese brand. Although I'm Korean, I'm still interested in all things Asian beauty, and Tatcha has a huge line of amazing products for all skin types.

Tatcha's cult favorite products are now available in TSA-friendly travel sizes, so you'll never have to be without them! I am traveling more often than I used to (NYC has been a favorite weekend trip lately), and it's annoying to have to portion out all of my cleansers, creams, toners, etc. Sometimes I don't want to check a bag, but I also need to pack more liquids than are allowed on a carry on, so then I get stuck carrying more luggage than I need to just because I want to have all of my skincare essentials!

The Tatcha Polished Gentle Rice Enzyme Powder is a godsend for over-packers like me! The travel sized jar is super cute, but even better, it's not a liquid! It exfoliates without harsh abrasives and is ideal for dry skin. My skin is oily, but I still found that this works very well with my skin. It felt soft and matte after I used it. It's really easy to use: just dispense a dime-sized amount of powder, add water to make a paste, and apply it to your skin. Then rinse with warm water and you're good to go!

I followed the Gentle Rice Enzyme Powder with the Radiant Deep Brightening Serum. The bottle I have picture above is not the travel-sized version, but there is a travel-sized bottle available. This is great for all skin types and hydrates while making skin look more luminous. It dispenses from an airtight pump and has a creamy, milky appearance. Just one small drop is enough for the entire face and it absorbs quickly into the skin.

After applying the serum and a moisturizer, I save the under eye area for last. The Ageless Revitalizing Eye Cream is an intensive cream with deep anti-aging properties. Eye creams are so important to use, even if you don't have any wrinkles or anything yet, because the skin under your eyes is super delicate. I want to do everything I can as far as preventive care to keep that area looking bright and youthful! This cream is very thick, so you will have to be careful when applying it to make sure you don't tug at your skin. It was still easy to apply, though, I just put a bit on my finger and blotted it along my under eye area.

I also received a pack of my favorite Tatcha product, the Aburatorigami Japanese Beauty Papers. Anyone out there who has oily skin like me knows that blotting papers are a must. These are generously sized and incredibly beautiful, so much so that I almost don't want to use them! But I do, because they absorb all of the excess oil on my face without disturbing my makeup.

The Kinu Pure Silk Polishing Face Cloth was totally new to me. I had never heard of a polishing face cloth before receiving this one, so I wasn't quite sure how to use it. The instructions inside said that this 100% pure silk cloth pairs well with Tatcha's Pure One Step Camellia Cleansing Oil and that it's well-suited for cleansing because the protein and amino-acid rich fibers are similar to the structure of our skin. The silk is softer than cotton and and it naturally loosens and removes dead skin cells. I love using this! It's so incredibly soft and it feels like a mini spa experience to use it on my skin.

• Visit Tatcha's website to browse their full line of products
• Connect with them on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest

Bottom Line: I have always enjoyed Tatcha's products, and now I have even more favorites to love! Their TSA-friendly travel sizes are great for any trips you might be planning, or they're also a good way to try out the products at a lesser price before committing to a full-sized version; though I'm sure you'll fall in love with Tatcha just as I have once you try them!

PolarGel Pillow Pad Review

I hate summer. There, I said it. I don't like it! I hate heat, I hate humidity, I hate the bugs...I just overall do not like it. I'd take a cold winter's night over a hot summer one any day. But, alas, I live in a place that experiences summers as hot as the winters are cold, so I just have to deal with it. Sleeping during a humid night is the worst, but now I have a PolarGel Pillow Pad to help me fall asleep in comfort!

*Disclaimer: This product was sent to See, Shop, Love! in exchange for an honest review.

The PolarGel Pillow pad uses advanced cooling gel that disperses heat away from your body and evenly throughout the pillow. I have to say that I was skeptical at first, but I was definitely willing to give this a try because I'll do anything to have a more comfortable night's sleep!

The pad arrived in a medium-sized box and is eligible for Amazon Prime shipping. It's wrapped inside of plastic and includes an instruction/information sheet and a link to a free sleep aid eBook.

The pad unfolds and looks pretty large at first, but it's the perfect size to fit a standard pillow (12" x 22"). It doesn't feel cool to the touch at first, so I wasn't quite sure how well it would work. The instructions say you can pop it in the fridge for extra cooling power, but I wanted to try it out on its own first.

I used this on a night that it was in the 80s and there was no breeze -- a.k.a. THE WORST. I didn't need to worry about the product's efficacy, because as soon as I placed my head down on my pillow I immediately felt the cooling sensation! The instructions say to not cover the entire pad with your body, otherwise there is nowhere for the heat to dissipate to. This really did help me drift off to sleep because I wasn't kept awake by the annoying feeling of being too hot.

The pad is made from non-toxic materials and weighs 2.2 pounds. It does slide around a little bit on the pillow, but two non-slip straps are included to help hold it in place. I sleep on one of those neck support contoured pillows so I didn't need the straps (the shape of my pillow helped keep the pad in place enough), but when I tried it with my regular pillow I used the straps.

• The PolarGel Pillow pad can be purchased on Amazon

Bottom Line: I really like the PolarGel Pillow pad and I recommend it to anyone who suffers from hot flashes at night or just generally doesn't enjoy sleeping on a hot pillow. I found it to be very effective!

June Birchbox Review

This month Birchbox had a giveaway for all subscribers, and prizes included discount codes, referral points, and "adventure-ready products." You can also enter if you aren't a subscriber, just enter your email here and they'll send you a code. My prize was a 10% off coupon code, which I may or may not use.

*Disclaimer: This box was purchased by See, Shop, Love! Post contains referral links.

This month's theme was Adventure. I've said it before, but I don't ever really think the products they send match up too much with the theme, but I like all of the different box designs they've been sending this year.

My box was fairly decent. I didn't absolutely love any of the samples, but I wasn't totally averse any of them, either. I think I was underwhelmed because I have gotten very similar samples before and have no need for anything that was in the box. I guess that's bound to happen when you've been subscribed for three years, though.

• Real Chemistry Luminous 3-Minute Peel ($4.80 for .17 fl oz) - I actually like this product quite a bit, I just have three sample tubes already that I bought directly from Real Chemistry. It's fun to use and effectively removes dead skin, so I'm definitely keeping this for future use.
• Dr. Jart+ Premium Beauty Balm SPF 45+ Shade 2 ($4.42 for .17 fl oz) - I know Dr. Jart+ products have a cult following, but they've always been way too light for my skin. Now that it's summer my skin is even more tan than usual, so I didn't even bother trying this and just posted it for swap.
• TOCCA Isabel Eau de Parfum ($1.20 for ~.03 fl oz) - I'm totally guessing on the size of this so the value probably isn't calculated correctly, but whatever. I usually like TOCCA's perfumes and this one is no exception. It's a good mix of sweet and spicy, with notes of bergamot, sangria, Mediterranean orange, vanilla, and Spanish rose.

• Harvey Prince Hello Body Cream ($.92 for .5 fl oz) - I like Harvey Prince perfumes and Hello is a good one, it's bright and citrusy. I ended up posting this for swap, though, because I have a ton of lotion samples that I'm already not using and I didn't want to add one more to the pile.
• Emi Jay Solid Hair Tie ($2.20 for one tie) - These are pretty unexciting and always overpriced, regardless of the brand (considering you could make them yourself), but it's practical and I'll use it. I just probably won't use it anywhere other than at home because it's bright green and I prefer wearing black hair ties to match my hair color.
• Marcelle Mini Waterproof Eyeliner ($4.50 for one eyeliner) - I feel like the only eyeliner color I ever get from subscription boxes is bright blue. I will never use this.

Bottom Line: This was not the best Birchbox I've ever gotten, but it wasn't the worst. All of the samples were just so-so to me because I either wouldn't use them in the first place, or already have similar (or the same) products I'm currently using.

June Beauty Box 5 Review

June's Beauty Box 5 theme is "Bon Voyage," and the box features brands "from near and far so you can get globetrotter gorgeous!"

*Disclaimer: This box was sent to See, Shop, Love! in exchange for an honest review.

Beauty Box 5 costs $12 a month and sends five deluxe-sized samples (and full-sized products, too!) to your door, shipping included to U.S. addresses. Shipping to Canada is an extra $3. Boxes contain everything from hair care, color cosmetics, accessories, and more!

• Urban Decay Perversion Mascara ($5.50 for .1 oz) - To be honest I was surprised to see Urban Decay in the box because BB5 usually doesn't send items from brands like them. This mascara has a creamy formula that packs in pigment and volume. I tried it and wasn't impressed, I thought that the brush was too thick and the formula too sticky.
• LOL Rotational Eye Shadow ($3.00, full-sized) - I got the "So Rosemantic" palette and man, these shadows are pink! I think that this is more appropriate for tweens, especially given the name of the brand, so I probably won't use it. The colors are a lot of fun for younger girls, though.

• Simple Skincare Micellar Cleansing Water - I'm not going to bother calculating the value on this because it was so minuscule. I'm actually disappointed with this "sample," if you can even call it that. All it contained was a tiny little pad inside that barely had any product on it, so I couldn't even really test it. I don't think micellar waters are really for me anyway, though, because my skin is too oily/problematic.
• Nails Inc. Nail Polish ($9.50 for .33 oz, full-sized) - I got the shade "Bruton Street," which is a pretty pink/mauve creme. I also really like the name because it reminds me of one of my favorite shows, Psych (Gus's "Bruton Gaster" nickname).
• Herbal Essences Body Wash ($.27 for 1.2 fl oz) - I got the "Honey, I Smell Good" scent and it is very sweet. It contains honey and apricot extracts.

There was also a note at the bottom of the info card that said "Beauty Bonus: treat your tresses to shiny, strong results with $20 to shop from Gorge Hair!," but I did not have an insert or anything from Gorge Hair in my box.

Bottom Line: I wasn't as impressed with this Beauty Box 5 as I have with past boxes. I liked the full-sized Nails Inc. polish and I know a lot of people will enjoy the Urban Decay mascara, but overall I felt that this box was a little underwhelming.

June Candy Adriatico Review

I love candy, and I love trying candy from other countries even more. It's so much more fun to try something that isn't readily available in the U.S. Candy Adriatico is a fantastic subscription that sends sweet treats from Italy, Croatia, and Slovenia (the Adriatic Group) right to your door, making it easy to sample international snacks!

*Disclaimer: This box was sent to See, Shop, Love! in exchange for an honest review.

Candy Adriatico has one-, three-, and nine-month options available at the following price points:

• Sweet Starfish Plan: One month for $24.08 (€22,50), billed monthly
• Sweet Dolphin Jump Plan: Three months for $23.54 (€22,00) a month, charge of $70.63 (€66,00) every three months
• Sweet Shark Bite Plan: Nine months for $22.47 (€21,00) a month, charge of $202.26 (€189,00) every nine months. Includes free gift envelope with extra special treats!

Each box contains up to 500 g/17.64 oz of candy and an exclusive postcard that's signed by Nadi, Candy Adriatico's founder. I love the personal touch!

• Tortica - This candy bar is from Croatia and is my favorite of the box so far (I haven't tried them all yet). It's milk chocolate filled with cream and wafers and kind of reminded me of a Kit Kat, except it was 10 times better because it was filled with cream!
• Kinder Delice - I love all things Kinder, especially their Happy Hippos, so I know this will be good. It's a soft cake with chocolate and milk cream. Even though it's a cake, it still felt kind of soft and melted so I stuck it in the fridge. Oh, and it's from Italy.
• Tronky - I just love the name of this! It's also from Italy and is a crispy wafer with cream inside. It was pretty good, but the wafer to cream ratio wasn't quite right to me (I was hoping for more cream).

• Gorenjka Bali - This is from Slovenia and is made with milk chocolate and puffed rice. Puffed rice seems to be a popular ingredient in candy from the Adriatic Group; I feel like it's been in at least one bar from every box I've gotten (read my past reviews here). I'm not complaining, though, because it tastes great!
• Gianduja - This is from Italy and is a little milk chocolate bar with hazelnuts in it. It was really good!

• Nougat Napolitanke - This is from Croatia and is a wafer with hazelnut cream. I haven't tried it yet but I love wafer-style cookies so I think this will be delicious.
• Herba - These are gummy candies with natural orange and ginger flavors that are from Slovenia. I like ginger in candies so I think I'll like these a lot.

Bottom Line: June's Candy Adriatico box was another great one! There was a lot of chocolate and wafer snacks this time around but I love both of those things.

What do you think of Candy Adriatico?