These two days are going by hellishly. I am tired and spooked. It’s not every day that you wake up from a dream about your dad trying to rob you and he ends up getting shot for it. The other night, the dream was about Raid that magically set spiders on fire when used. Pete said I got scared last night but I don’t remember.

I went to the mall yesterday and I have to admit that it was pretty awkward. However, I manage. The plan was that I chill at the mall and find my inner girl time for three hours while Pete tries his best at getting another job. He told me to take a photo of the new Microsoft store but I guess I forgot. Went to Bloomingdale’s and got some interesting finds at the abandoned Laura Mercier counter. It’s so rare to find a beauty counter with no one there, but then again, it was Monday. Small amounts of socialization are perfect for me. I actually like to experiment and check out the product myself without being guided.

So because of Ceci and a LM primer sample I got a year ago, I wanted to really get the primer. It was kind of confusing looking at five different primers but I know my skin and it needs a lot of hydration so oil-free would be a definite no-no. The hydrating version of LM’s foundation primers has a gel-like consistency and holds a mild fragrance. Think Clinique’s Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel. It spreads evenly and it can feel my skin plump and smoothen out as it maximizes and seals the moisturizing products you have on prior to the primer.

I try to let primers set (just like my moisturizers) before applying foundation or anything else after that but since my skin is as dry as the Sahara, everything is absorbed immediately. However, this hydrating primer stays put and continues working its magic. I was fortunate to get the Limited Edition and that’s basically double the size of the original hydrating formula (a whopping 3.4 oz. tube) and it’s for only $40 ($60 value). I checked online and I didn’t see that size for the other formulas, but hopefully, they come out with it, too. This tube should last me a year.

Afterwards, I tried out Laura Mercier’s new Creme Smooth Foundation. It’s a cream foundation (introduced last September in 11 shades) geared towards normal to dry/very skin (in my case). It doesn’t settle into your dry patches, which has always been a big problem for a lot of foundations I’ve used. It has a natural, satiny feel and the Dermaxyl keeps you glowing ( a key ingredient that makes this foundation costlier than its sisters). It comes in a pot with a spoon so you get absolute control over how much product you’ll use unlike pumps. You need only two fingerpads worth of product to go for the entire face. And yes, Laura M. recommends you use your fingers or a damp sponge (from her line or even better, the Beauty Blender) for a seamless application. Because the product is highly pigmented, meaning more coverage in a thick, creamy dollop, you should warm it up in your fingers.

This foundation is supposed to mimic the actual process and movements you would make when putting on a face cream/moisturizer. Simply, warm it up using your fingers. Dab it on your face and smooth it out, working inwards. If you’re using the sponge, stipple it onto your face and apply more product on your problem areas. With Lancome Photogenic, I usually finished off with Lancome Absolue Loose Powder but with this foundation, powder is optional. The Creme Smooth foundation comes in an 1.0 oz. glass jar and it should last me a year and a half. Perhaps, two if I get lazy. It costs $50 but that’s nothing compared to the low quality of some “high-end” foundations like Amore Pacific. This little jar delivers and it delivers thoroughly. By the end of the day, everything is still intact and not melting off of my face.

So for under $100, I am set for a long time. It’s just sad I didn’t discover Laura Mercier when I was teenager.

And speaking of what I cannot live without now, the Cure Natural Aqua Gel samples came today. I followed the instructions which was to cleanse and dry your face and hands, dab the gel on a finger, massage it onto your face (and especially longer for those problems areas), rinse off with lukewarm water and moisturize afterwards. I love this product! I haven’t used anything like this before and it’s amazing.

Because of my high skin sensitivity, I can’t exfoliate without getting all red and face hurt. Cure doesn’t hurt at all as it being 91% water. I barely even have to work it in (they tell you not to anyway). So I was hopeful about it and I was blown away not when the layers of years, yes, years, of dead skin came off, BUT actually when I rinsed my face and discovered how it felt to have normal skin for the first time in my life. I’m not saying it’ll disperse discolorations or take away your wrinkles in a matter of seconds and I can definitely say that it’s not magic. Cure acts as a powerful agent to make sure your skin is as clean and as bare as can be so that your skin care products can actually reach your skin, not the dead layers that you don’t know about. Cure works by breaking down that bind that keeps dead skin cells held to the surface of your skin and it works on your entire body.

Cure is for $44.95 on eBay. Yes, I said eBay because it’s not sold in department stores or beauty counters in the US although other websites besides eBay do sell it. They have it in Japan (it’s made there), Singapore, and most of East Asia. As to why it isn’t here, I don’t know, but I can tell you this: If this product hits America like it hit Asia (a bottle sold every 20 seconds there), no brand is going to ever be able to compete with this. I mean it. I’m going to finish the rest of my samples and if it continues to wow me, this girl with the worst skin ever (dry, dehydrated, sensitive, eczema, you get the point) will always have the best skin days for a long time.

Thanks Laura Mercier and Cure. And I’m not being paid to review this (one day … ). I would post pictures of myself using these products but I’m too tired for that now. Plus, no d-slr today so I had to make due with a replacement camera so sorry about the crazy fuzziness, except for Cure (not mine). No camwhoring today. Off to bed and hopefully, no more crazy dreams.