Murad

Review: Murad Environmental Shield Starter Kit

Review: Murad Environmental Shield Starter Kit

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Murad Essential C Cleanser, Serum, Moisturizer
“Murad Environmental Shield Starter Kit is a complete Murad regimen designed to free your skin of dullness, dark spots and wrinkles for a younger-looking complexion and to protect your skin from environmental damage”
Kit includes:
– Essential-C Cleanser (1.5 oz.): Massage a small amount over dampened face and neck. Rinse with warm water and pat dry.
– Advanced Active Radiance Serum (0.33 oz.): Massage evenly over clean face, neck and chest. Wait one minute for maximum absorption.
– Rapid Age Spot & Pigment Lightening Serum (0.25 oz.): Massage a thin layer over face, neck, chest and hands every evening after cleansing.
– Essential-C Day Moisture Broad Spectrum SPF 30 PA+++ (0.7 oz.): Apply liberally to face, neck and chest.
I loved my first skincare kit for Murad so much that I ordered another. The cleanser in this kit is a gel instead of a creamy cleanser. I think that this cleanser would work better for oily skin because I experienced some tightness after using it. On the other hand, the Advanced Active Radiance Serum in this collection worked beautifully on my skin. It went on smooth and restored some of the moisture in my skin. The Day Moisturizer was also great for adding moisture and protecting my skin with the SPF 30. 
The Rapid Age Spot & Lightening Serum is a fave of many beauty lovers that I’ve been hearing about for years but had never tried. I tried applying it all over as the instructions stated but it made my skin dry out in some areas. After doing some more research I started to apply it just to a few dark spots and old scars to help them fade quicker. 
Overall I like “Environmental Shield” kit but I don’t love it as much as I loved the “Age Reform” kit. I blame it mostly on the different cleansers but all of the other products have worked great for my skin. Another win from Murad. 
See my review of Murad’s Age Reform Starter Kit here 
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Good Skin Day: Murad Age Reform Starter Kit Review

Good Skin Day: Murad Age Reform Starter Kit Review

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Skin Care
I’ve had my eye on some Murad products for s while now, thanks to Krissy & Nesh. 
I finally decided to take the plunge & ordered Murad’s Age Reform
Starter Kit. I’m only 25 but I love “anti aging products” because they’re usually so moisturizing.
“Murad’s Age Reform Starter Kit helps improve skin’s appearance by increasing firmness and hydration while reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.”
 Age Reform Starter Kit Includes: 
Refreshing Cleanser (1.5 oz.) 
Rapid Collagen Infusion (0.33 oz.) 
Perfecting Day Cream Broad Spectrum SPF 30 / PA+++ (0.7 oz.) 
Hydro-Dynamic Ultimate Moisture (0.25 oz.)

Let me start by saying, I never really “got” the purpose of high end (aka expensive) skincare when drugstore products work just fine.
I was wrong. Oh so wrong.
I love this skincare set & my skin has never looked better. The cleanser is gentle enough not to overdry my already dry skin but effective enough to basically eliminate those stubborn clogged pores on and around my nose. The Rapid Collagen Infusion gave my skin an extra shot of moisture and made my face look super plump & firm. I liked to use the Hydro-Dynamic moisturizer at night because it’s thicker and more moisturizing. It made my skin feel very soft but wasn’t oily or heavy. The Day Moisturizer had been my holy grail this summer because it has SPF 30 and I’ve been spending a ton of time outside in the sun. I love knowing that my skin is protected and I haven’t gotten any sunburns or weird hyper pigmentation from sun exposure. It’s not greasy or heavy and it doesn’t clog my pores. 
I love that Murad offers lots of small travel sized kits so that you can try out a lot of the products and figure out what works before spending a fortune. I’ve been using this set for about a month and the only product I’ve run out of has been the Hydro-Dynamic moisturizer. 
Skin on FLEEK! 
Honestly I’ve been using NOTHING but this kit on my face since I got it last month & I’ve already ordered more! I’m obsessed. 

SHOP:
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X-mas in July Haul ft. MAC, Murad, Sephora, BECCA & NYX

X-mas in July Haul ft. MAC, Murad, Sephora, BECCA & NYX

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I haven’t really been shopping very much lately but I’ve been feeling down and decided to treat myself with some new makeup goodies this month. I’m feeling like a kid on Christmas now!  
I’m a skin care junkie so I decided to try Murad’s “Age Reform” kit. I stocked up on some of the newer NYX products during Ulta’s 40% off sale. Of course I had to get my hands on BECCA x Jaclyn Hill “Champagne Pop” highlighter. I haven’t used in on my face yet but I swatched it on my hand & OMG I LIVE! It might just replace my holy grail “Opal”. I also picked up a few color correcting products from MAC. I plan on creating a Brown Girl Friendly guide to color correcting in a few weeks & reviewing pretty much all of the products below, so keep your eyes peeled. 
Looking at my haul now I’m shocked that I didn’t buy a single lip product! 
Shop with me… 
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QOTD: Are Unauthorized Beauty Retailers A Big Deal?

QOTD: Are Unauthorized Beauty Retailers A Big Deal?

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I went perusing through my local CVS today and was shocked when I noticed that they had added several new high end lines to their shelves. Of course I headed over to my Instagram to share my find with the world…
… only to receive and interesting response from Murad. 
Of course I ran to my good friend Google to see what the deal was with CVS distributing high end skin care products as an unauthorized retailer and found that Murad has actually filed a lawsuit against CVS for selling their products according to BusinessWire.com.

“Murad Inc., the skincare brand synonymous with high-performance, science-based products, has filed an unfair business practices lawsuit against CVS, one of the largest pharmacy chains in the United States, for the unauthorized selling of diverted and defaced Murad products in CVS stores and on CVS.com. In the lawsuit, it is alleged that because CVS has no authorized relationship with Murad, CVS secretly diverts Murad products from unknown sources in order to sell Murad’s highly sought-after products in CVS stores and on CVS.com.

In the lawsuit, Murad alleges that many of the products sold by CVS have been defaced, meaning they have been stripped of Murad’s quality-control tracking features, such as hologram protection seals and unique batch codes. Like many other high-quality skincare companies, Murad uses tracking features to help prevent tampering and protect the public from counterfeit goods, health risks and other potentially serious harms”.

Upon doing a little more digging I found that CVS (or CVS.com) is not listed as an “Authorized Retailer” for Murad, Dermalogica, or Peter Thomas Roth.
So how do you feel about big retailers like CVS selling unauthorized products on their shelves with no warnings to customers?
Personally, I think i’ll stick to making my high end skincare purchases at Ulta or Sephora. I don’t see the point in buying from an unauthorized retailer for the same price as an authorized retailer and without the guarantee from the manufacturer. It also seems unethical, I’d expect this on Amazon or Ebay but not from a bigger retailer, although I know CVS is not the only one that does this. I doubt that the products are actually harmful or counterfeit but you never know and I’d rather not take the risk with my face! 
Shop Safely

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