Freeman Charcoal & Black Sugar Facial Polishing Mask

Yesterday I walked into The Body Shop and saw that the Honeymania Body Butter and Body Scrub is also on sale for S$19.90. I said that it wasn’t in one of my previous post so I just want to clarify that it is. The sales person told me that the sale will last till the 4th of February.

With that out of the way, let’s get straight to the review.

I have several masks from Freeman and by far, Charcoal & Black Sugar is my favourite one.

Don’t be fooled by the “Facial Polishing Mask”. It’s not so abrasive at all. I apply it on my face after washing with a facial wash, leave it on for five minutes and then gently rub my skin for a little bit of exfoliation.

The mask has a slight warming effect when applied, I think because the sugar melts (don’t ask me why, I hate Chemistry). And because the sugar melts, it won’t be overly abrasive when scrubbing as there won’t be as many sugar bits.

I use this a few times a week and it helps to reduce the blackheads, leaving my skin smoother and softer. I highly recommend this. The tube is less than S$10.

Shall end this post with a photo of the instructions written at the back of the tube. I love to read these but lazy to type them out.

That’s all for this post. (^O^)／

Hada Labo Hydrating Lotion [Light]

Only 39 days more to Chinese New Year. Last year, I wrote a guide to looking decent for Chinese New Year. If you’re interested, click here to read. It’s pretty comprehensive, so I doubt I’ll have more things to add on.

I’ll however, be writing reviews of a series of products that I find awesome for the skin, hair, maybe fitness (I’m recently trying to become fitter) and other stuff that I’m using and hopefully, they could be useful to you.

Today I’m going to review Hada Labo Hydrating Lotion [Light].

I’ve been a regular user of Hada Labo lotion because it hydrates the skin so well, the results are noticeable after a few days of use. I introduced it to all my friends but some of them said that when use in combination with the Hada Labo Milk (moisturiser), it was too rich for their face and they broke out. Hence when this lighter version came out in Watsons last year, I bought one to try.

P.s. They also came out with a version for sensitive skin.

Anyways, I use this bottle of hydrating lotion as a toner every evening after using my illumask and then follow up with a sleeping mask from either Heme (bought during my last trip to Taiwan) or Laneige.

It has served me well so I think people who previously found the regular lotion too rich for them can try this lotion. It’s chockfull of hyaluronic acid which hydrates the skin by retaining moisture.

If you’ve dry skin on the rest of your body, you can also use this on your body before applying your body lotion and it works exceptionally well. I love how it makes my skin so moisturised and plump. I’ll definitely repurchase it once I run out.

That’s all for today. ヾ(＠⌒ー⌒＠)ノ

innisfree Jeju Volcanic Pore Clay Mask

Clay mask review!! It’s the Jeju Volcanic Pore Clay Mask from innisfree.

200ml of clay mask in a tube.

If you have the same one and wonder why mine is in a tube not a tub, it’s because I got mine from a seller in Qoo10. It’s shipped from Korea and this is the bigger (twice in volume) packaging as compared to the tub one. I bought it because I don’t fancy digging my fingers into a tub. It was ages ago, I can’t remember the exact price, but it’s definitely less than S$30, much cheaper per ml than the tub one.

Picture of the smaller packaging (100ml), in case you’re wondering how it looks like.

Picture taken from here.

I’ve not been to any of the innisfree stores in Singapore, so I’m not sure if they sell this mask in the big tube.

I got to know of this mask from a YouTuber. Her YouTube name is iamhakme, and she is a Hong Konger. Sadly though, she has not posted any videos for a long time.

This mask works well to absorb the dirt from deep within the pores and I love it a lot. It does dry out the skin a little afterwards but I just put on toner and an overnight gel mask to hydrate my skin and it’ll be fine.

Instructions at the back. Enlarge to read.

I think they have a stronger version of this mask, I’ve yet to try it. This one is really good in my opinion so I highly recommend it to people with oily, combination and even normal skin because using it once to twice a week can draw out impurities and just makes the skin cleaner.

That’s all for this post. ヾ(＠⌒ー⌒＠)ノ

Cetaphil Daily Facial Moisturizer SPF 15/PA++

As promised, here’s another moisturiser review of the Daily Facial Moisturizer from Cetaphil.

I first saw this in AndreasChoice YouTube channel and I thought it wouldn’t be too bad. I occasionally use the Cetaphil cleanser (not mine, it’s my mum’s) and it works well so I thought this would be good too.

Well, it’s a mistake. I normally don’t buy moisturisers with SPF because they usually feel greasier and I can only use it in the morning. I always apply another sunscreen after applying moisturiser anyway. In fact, this is the only moisturiser with SPF 15 PA++ lying on my cabinet right now.

It doesn’t smell bad, but it made my face greasy so fast, I can’t even be bothered with it. If I just apply this without my sunscreen (which also has a mattifying effect), my face becomes a grease ball in less than 30 minutes. This feels like a bottle of sun block for the body. It broke me out and sort of warmed a little when I apply it on my face so I suspect that I might be slightly allergic to it. I can’t believe how it can be made by the very same company that makes such awesome cleansers.

I don’t recommend this. It’s about S$20 plus, I can’t remember the exact price, it’s not worth it anyway. I think I’ll use the rest as a body sunscreen but, the greasy texture is just disgusting, especially in hot tropical Singapore. To think that it states Non-comedogenic, Lightweight, non-greasy in the front. Blatant lie is what it is.

#FlipsTable (╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻

That’s all for today. (^O^)／

Eau Thermale Avène Oil Control Milk

Today’s review is another moisturiser. It’s the Oil Control Milk from Eau Thermale Avène.

Yup, there’s a crack on the lid. I drop my stuff all the time, I’m just glad the bottle itself didn’t break.

I bought this last year for about S$50 from Watsons. It’s pretty pricey in my opinion because there was no tester and I pretty much just bought it because my moisturiser ran out and I needed something. Their thermal water spray is pretty good and I thought why not give the moisturiser a try?

It says apply in the morning and evening on face and neck. Apply I did. First thing I noticed straight away was the smell. It smells metallic to me (some kind of zinc or magnesium smell). I think that’s what controls the oil. I don’t like it but that’s just a small annoyance, at least it’s not overly fragranced.

Initially, it did curb the oiliness but after a few weeks of use, my skin gradually got used to the moisturiser and it became oilier. I suspect it dries out my skin so I stopped using it.

Not going to repurchase this, because I think the best way to stop excessive sebum production is hydration. If the skin is hydrated, it won’t produce as much oil.

That’s all for this post. The posts for the next few days will also be on moisturisers. I think I’m on a roll. ^_^

Mizon Multi Function Formula All In One Snail Repair Cream

A review of the Mizon Multi Function Formula All In One Snail Repair Cream.

For starters, the name is too long. I’ve noticed that this is something that is fairly common in Taiwanese and Korea facial products and it’s so difficult to remember (not to say tedious to type out too). Very unnecessary, IMO.

I ordered mine from a seller in Qoo10 for about S$20 plus (can’t remember the actual price) and this came in a box.

Can’t find the box now, it’s not important anyway.

As the name suggests, there’s snail slime extracts in the cream that helps to repair the skin. This is a moisturising facial cream that can be used in the morning and at night. I love products like this without SPF because I always apply a sunscreen on my face after using a moisturiser.

I’ve completely used up mine and I will be repurchasing because it’s one of the few moisturisers that suits my skin.

When I first tried it, I felt that the texture is a bit oily, weird considering that I expected a gel texture. But the cream sinks in and my skin becomes more moisturised and I noticed improvements in my skin after a few weeks. It’s softer, and the blemishes heal faster.

I can’t read Korean but here’s the back of the tub for those who can and are interested.

I give this a thumbs up. It beats so many of my other more expensive moisturisers and I’m glad I gave it a try despite the snail slime ewww factor.

Highly recommend this to people with sensitive skin that turns red easily. This is so mild and I like it a lot. In short, go get it if you don’t mind snails. That’s all for today. ヾ(＠⌒ー⌒＠)ノ

The Body Shop Strawberry Beautifying Oil

Another dry oil review. This time it’s Strawberry Beautifying Oil from The Body Shop.

It’s dry oil for body, face & hair. Moisturised, smoothed, illuminates.

Or so they claim on the front. The following is what is written on the back.

Dry oil with cold-pressed strawberry seed oil and three precious nut oils: kukul, sweet almond and Community Fair Trade marula oil. Apply to damp or dry skin and dry hair.

As you can see, I’ve already used up about half of mine.

I bought it during the last warehouse sale and it was no doubt, cheaper than the stores, but it was manufactured in Oct 2012. All product from The Body Shop expires 3 years from their manufacturing date if you don’t open them, so mine should expire by October next year.

I’m glad I didn’t buy those that were even cheaper, but were expiring in 6 months because some of them had a different colour and smell than usual.

Digressing a little here.. It’s a bit annoying that they’re selling these products that have obviously gone bad (despite not having reached their expiration date) during a warehouse sale. I mean, we as customers are paying, no matter how discounted, for stuff. They’re not free.

Anyways, my bottle is alright. The oil works well on my hair. I love how it is poured and not pumped because I could control how much I dispense out. A little amount, about 5 drops, usually is enough for my hair ends. I use it on damp hair and then blow dry, and that’ll leave my hair softer. However, using too much will make my hair limp and oily so a little goes a long way.

I’ve tried it on my skin and it is not moisturising enough. It’s not as good as my Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse and I find that it also cause my face to break out if I apply on my face. I wasn’t expecting much in that area with my sensitive skin and I bought it for my hair so that wasn’t really an issue.

All in all, a pretty okay dry oil for hair but not so much for skin. I also dislike the strawberry scent. It smells more sour, quite different from their strawberry shower gel. It is quite expensive selling for $20 over (can’t remember the actual price) for only 100ml and I don’t think it wowed me enough to make a repurchase. I’m sure there’s dry oil out there much cheaper that can do as well if not better so I can’t recommend this.

That’s all for today. I hope this was helpful. I don’t write bad reviews to put down any company or anyone, it’s just my honest opinion and there can’t be improvements without feedback right? ヾ(＠⌒ー⌒＠)ノ

Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse

Here’s a review of Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse. It is a dry oil that can be used on hair, face and body to soften and moisturise.

Here’s a photo of mine, placed on a piece of tissue paper to show the design on the bottle.

This product has been around even before Argan oil was popular. You can say that it’s one of the pioneers. ^_^

As you can see, I’ve already used up a lot of mine (only a fifth of it is left).

I always try to use at least half of a product before doing a review because first impression almost always lies. >_<

Anyways, after using most of this bottle, I'm pretty sad that I only kept one of the three bottles that I bought during an opening sale. Gave one to my friend, Harmony, and one to my sister. Sharing is caring but sometimes I just wish I kept everything to myself. Lol. This is awesomeness in a bottle.

It works exceptionally well on towel dried hair. A little goes a long way for this product. I used one pump on the ends of my shoulder length hair (and the rest I rub on my elbows and knees to soften the skin) before blow drying and it just makes my hair so smooth and nice for the the rest of the day.

You can also use it on completely dried hair but I find that most hair oil works better on towel dried hair as it sinks in better and won't just stay on the surface making the hair look oily and lank. It'll also protect the hair from heat damage if you apply before blow drying.

As it can be used on hair, body and face, I had to try everything before writing a review.

Hence, I tried it on my legs and it leaves them with a glow so normally I'll use them when I'm wearing shorts. However, I find that it cannot entirely replace body lotions and butters because it's too light weight. I tested it out by using it only and nothing else for a week, and my skin was a bit drier. Guess I still need my body butters at night.

As for the face, the Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse caused me to break out a little when I used it on my face. I’ve sensitive skin so it’s not for me, but I’ve read glowing reviews on Makeupalley about how this works well on their faces.

It has a distinct scent that not everyone can accept. I like it. Harmony like it but you might not. The scent does not linger so even if you don’t like it, it’s not going to stay around for long anyway. I still feel that it’s best to try it out in the store first before making a purchase.

I just checked the other day, and Watsons and Guardian sell them for S$70 (USD56), up from the S$68 (USD54.40) last year. I bought mine at a sale; 3 bottles for S$84 which makes it only S$28 (USD22.40) per bottle. Practically a steal!!

I love it and will repurchase once I’m done with my bottle. I’m saving it though because I’m trying out other dry oil for my body and hair to see if I can find something as awesome for less money. More bang for my buck. Lol. So far not much luck. If you remember, I wrote a post about the Miracle Solid Oil from The Body Shop here and I gave it a thumbs up. Honestly, this is better because if you use this in the long run, the hair will become silkier. And to me, this smells much better.

That’s all for this post, I’ll be posting about the other oils I’m using in the next few blog entries. Hopefully that’ll be helpful. ヾ(＠⌒ー⌒＠)ノ

Etude House Dear Girls Cute Eyes Maker to create an Aegyol Sal

The Cute Eyes Maker is used to create aegyol sal or 卧蚕 which gives an illusion of smiling eyes.

My hastily drawn picture of an eye.

Most of us have a natural line below our eyes when we smile and that’s our aegyol sal. The Cute Eyes Maker has two ends and the light shimmer powder on one end should be applied on the lower eye like this.

And the darker brown on the line to create illusion of puffy under eyes. In a nutshell, it’s contouring for the eyes.

-_-

And also swatches of the two colours.

I like both the colours. The shimmer is just right, not too glittery and highlights subtlety. The brown is natural and I feel that it’ll make for a good eyebrow powder colour. However, I’m not too sure I like the applicator.

It is too damn big.

Having a “That’s what she said” moment now. =_=

As I was saying, the applicator is just not the right size. From the testers of other brands that I saw, their applicators were smaller and had a tapered end for easy application.

I see a lot of girls with huge aegyol sal that runs parallel to their lower eyelids and honestly, I don’t think it is flattering because it looks so unnatural. If you observe the photos of Korean celebrities, their aegyol sal has a “U” shape.

For me, I just apply the middle part with the shimmery colour and with a light hand, use a smaller brush to apply the brown to contour, as illustrated by the dotted line.

Contouring can go both ways. It can make you look slimmer, or leave you with ridiculous lines when not blended properly. The same goes for creating your aegyol sal. You don’t want a brown line straight underneath your eyes that only looks good on photos but weird in real life.

This product is fun to use and I’d recommend people to try it out, but if you already have a good highlighter that is not chunky, you can simply use that and some contouring powder to create the same effect.

Guide to looking decent for CNY

This post is for everyone that celebrates Chinese New Year (or Lunar New Year). It is the time of the year whereby you get to meet every single one of your relatives, some of them you don’t even remember how you’re related to, and somehow everybody is judging you. From your looks, your education level, current marital status, to your monthly salary; common courtesy and basic manners are thrown out of the window, at least for that few days.

God bless you if you’ve gotten breakouts because some uncle in the room will declare loudly, ” WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR FACE?!” And you’ll have to deal with the stares and listen to advice about skincare from well-meaning aunts. Puberty had not been kind to me so I’m speaking from experience here. T_T

With only 11 more days to CNY, it is not too late for you to look good, or at the very least, presentable, in front of your relatives. If you are having some breakouts or your eyebrows look wacky and out of shape, it’s now time to do something about it.

Get professionals to tweeze/wax/thread your eyebrows now. Yes, NOW. Don’t wait till the last minute because if they over-plucked, then you still have time for your eyebrows to grow out. When the strays start growing, it’s easy to pluck or shave them off on your own to maintain the shape.

Next tip, it is important to do your tried and tested version of pampering skincare. Don’t be lazy and more importantly, DON’T add on new things to your routine.

Don’t be itchy butt and decide that you need to try out that new highly raved mask or go to that new facial salon that everybody is talking about. With only 11 days, it’ll be impossible to cure allergic reactions, rashes or new pimples (the horrors!!) caused by new products or facials. So don’t muck up your own face and turn up for CNY looking red, splotchy and flaky.

For me, I’m sticking to my normal nightly routine by:

1) Removing my makeup thoroughly with my trusty Bifesta eye makeup remover, and Aqua Label oil makeup remover which has a mild rose scent.

As you can see, they are well loved and I use them everyday to remove my full coverage makeup. Often times, people breakout because they’re not removing their makeup thoroughly enough and the residue clog up their pores.

2) Lathering my Mandom facial cleanser and applying to my face.

Because it is so minty fresh and only cost less than S$4.

3) Then using my Olay facial brush, set on low, to gently exfoliate my skin before rinsing everything off.

I absolutely adore this brush. You can read the review that I wrote here.

4) Applying a sheet mask for about 25 minutes to replenish the moisture.

5) Last of all, I tone and apply a sleeping mask.

Try to drink lots of water and sleep early. And if you are wearing makeup, please test out the look first. How else are you going to know whether that new mascara/eyeliner is going to smudge or if that foundation is going to be too light? The last thing you wanna do is to end up looking like a sad clown with melting foundation on your face.

That’s it for my tips on how to end up looking decent for the Lunar New Year. Stay happy and try to stay strong during the few days of interrogation. If all else fails, smile at them like a bimbo. ^_^

May all your red packets be full of money. Cheers!!