Review: Ettusais Medicated Acne Real Fit Concealer

I bought this concealer when I was trying to learn make up a few months ago. I thought concealer was 1 of the must-have item in the pouch other than foundation.

This concealer is retailing at $36, 3 shades available. I am using the lightest shade, 10 ivory. As usual, its medicated, suitable for acne prone skin. I dont know why, I just feel that using this concealer, I can conceal and treat my zits at the same time haha. This concealer is meant to for open pores, blemishes and acne scars.

Result:

It comes with a spatula, whereby I have to turn the round thingy at the bottom then the liquid will come out from the spatula. I usually will dab it with my fingers and apply directly to my blemishes rather than using the spatula directly on my face.

I dint detect any scent.

I only apply on scars and red bumps, not zits with pus. I will dab abit of the concealer on the blemish, then dab lightly with fingers to blend. Well, for those lighter scars, it can more or less conceal, but for those darker or brown ones, this concealer cant do much. Sometimes on darker scars i will apply 2 layers, it wont cake too.

The good thing is it wont irritate my red bumps and make them worse after application.

Verdict: 7.5/10

I have some dark red scars and this concealer just cant do the job. I hope I am not expecting too much from a concealer haha. But i am glad it dint give me more zits or irritate them further. Shade was suitable for me, i realised ettusais foundation shades and concealer suit me perfectly, at least i need not worry about the color etc. For a beginner like me, this product is easy to use.

Review: Ettusais Medicated Acne Gentle Wash

I wrote a short review on this soap when i was doing an overall brand review for ettusais some time ago.

Well, I tried this soap cleanser again lately and felt that it deserves a full review on its own again haha.

(From Ettusais.com.sg)

This soap cleanser is formulated with AC Control Oil. this soap forms a rich, creamy lather ( I agree!). With a “cushion effect”, the bubbles remove dirt and old sebum cells from the skin, leaving it dewy fresh without any feeling of tightness. Its oil-free.

I tried this cleanser again lately cos my face was in bad shape since i came back from tokyo in May.

This soap is retailing at $20 without casing. For hygiene purposes, I think its better to get a casing for this soap. I got mine free when i purchased the full sized soap 3years ago. It was on promotion so ettusais was giving away free casing & foam ball.

Result:

1 full sized soap can last at least 6months ( last longer if you use it with foam ball i feel) so its really affordable.

I can smell sulphur when i hold the soap close. But I dont really detect any scent when i cleanse my face with the foam created though.

With the foam ball, I can create lotsa foam within seconds. Foam are rather thick and dense (Fancl is still thicker though), so I cant really feel my zits when i was massaging the foam over my face. Sorta like a cushion effect. So the foam was quite comfy. I like the cushion feel haha. This foam is thicker than the dhc salicylic acne wash which i've reviewed earlier.

The foam can be rinse off easily. Face was left clean soft, the dish clean feel if you understand what i meant. not the soft and smooth kind like fancl washing powder. Face feel tight sometimes so I only use once a day. I will use Fancl at night.

After using this soap for nearly 3 months, I really have lesser breakouts. Though i still suffer a few here and there when my period is coming.

Verdict: 8.5/10

Points deducted cos sometimes its too drying for me and i still think soap is not very hygienic haha.

But its still worth a try cos it really helps to combat zits! Price is really affordable too :)

Ettusais always have samples for this cleanser so make sure you can one before buying! the sample sized soap can last at least a week!

Happenings At Takashimaya

L'Occitane has a roadshow at Taka from 24Aug to 2nd Sept 2010 for their limited edition Calanques range.

Eau de Toilette 50ml: $69

Buoy Soap 100g: $15

Body Scrub 200ml: $58

Foraming shower gel 250ml: $32

Soothing Body Milk 250ml: $47

For the freebies above ( no1 & 2), its while stocks last!

Purchase up to $180 in a single receipt to join their VIP Club and receive an Olive Luminous body cream 75ml FREE! ( They did not state this is while stocks last though haha)

Check this out if you're going town this weekend :)

Guerlain has got a new eye make up product, the casing looks really pretty! Their stuff always look classy to me haha. From the brochure, I dont think the eye shadows look shimmery, more towards matt i feel.

If you're keen for the photoshoot, check it out from 10sept to 13sept 2010 at taka dept store level 4 studio 04!

Make Up tips From 女人我最大

have been watching the famous taiwanese variety show, 女人我最大 on scv lately. Was more interested cos I hope to learn more about make up application haha.

Learnt something interesting about the application of liquid foundation. To have more natural make up, be it radiant or what, simply mix skincare with our liquid foundation :) Ive heard of this tip before but have not tried it since i do not have liquid foundation at home.

The make up artist in the show was saying, by doing this, we can add skincare benefits to make up. If you wanna have more radiant and whitening, add whitening products. For more hydration, of cos moisturising products. The proportion will be 1/3 skincare, 2/3 foundation. Too much will affect the coverage of the foundation.

Do choose products that are more watery like emulsion or essence, not cream. Adding watery essence etc, can 'dilute' thicker liquid foundation and make application of foundation easier too. The make up artist mix(massage the foundation & essence on the back of his hands, saying that the heat (our body temperature) on our hands helps mixing both products.

Apply our daily skincare, make up base, liquid foundation ( with added skincare), then loose powder ( so that the foundation can stay longer).

Well, I will try this when i get my 1st liquid foundation haha. That will probably be 2months later when i feel richer hehe.

The other tip is for eye make up. Some of us may have oily eye lids and eye shadows may crease etc. If you wanna save on eye primer, can probably try getting eye shadows of cream texture. Meaning we apply cream eye shadow 1st then the usual powder ones. This will help eye make up to stay longer. Some of those eye palettes in the market already have this combination if you notice. In this case i guess the cream shadow will most probably be the base (lighter color).

Alternatively, you can put a towel in the fridge then take it out to 'cool' the eye lids. This will help to control oil. Do note that opting for ice cubes with towel is a no-no cos that will hurt our skin.

Lastly, apply loose powder on our eye lids hoping to control oil is a no-no too. He said something like if we secrete oil, the loose powder will make the eye make up look worse.

Hmm, seems like im really interested in make up now. Hopefully i will become some expert one day haha.

Review: Kanebo Kracie Ichikami Shampoo & Conditioner

I am back with review for ichikami shampoo & conditioner.

I bought both at $7.90, 200ml each at watsons. I got them one after another cos I think its fairer to gauge ichikami when i use both shampoo & conditioner together. This is the 1st conditioner in my life haha, Cos i have short hair so all along i dont think condi is necesssary for me. Well, i just decided to care more for my hair .

Result:

I have normal scalp, not oily, dry hair. Frizzy hair a bit here and there.

Shampoo claimed to be free from silicon, the ingredient which causes hair loss. But seriously, I dont think its helpful cos I am still dropping quite a bit of hair. Not as much compared to when i was using Loreal ( the shampoo i reviewed previously), slightly lesser only. As for conditioner, they dint state the silicon part so i reckon it contains it.

Shampoo's scent is really nice, more of floral, not too overwhelming as well. The conditioner smells a bit different, not as nice but not too bad too.

Texture of shampoo is towards watery compared to my previous asience. Lather up easily. For the 1st few days, i use it without conditioner cos i haven buy it then. Hair was left smooth and soft. When i started on the conditioner, effect was better. I only use condi once a day and shampoo twice. I realised the conditioner made my fringe a bit too oily sometimes.

It has been nearly 3 weeks since i started using both products, I realised hair is less frizzy as compared to before but still effect not as good as loreal. No doubt hair is left soft, but not smooth enough.

Verdict: Shampoo 6.5/10, conditioner 6/10

I was disappointed by japanese hair products once again, after essential :( Ichikami was much much expensive too, almost twice the price.

I think shampoo fare slightly better than the conditioner.

I was thinking if i should try shiseido tsubaki now since its found in nishino (taka basement). Heard many raves for tsubaki. Nishino has many japanese hair products too, esp shiseido. But after these 2 not so good experiences with jap hair products, I sorta changed my mind. I think i will try redken or kerastase instead since they specialised on hair products. seems like i got myself hooked onto hair stuff lately, after neglecting my hair for the past 2o odd years haha. well, that means more spending =p

Review: ELG Crystal Collagen Whitening and Lightening Eye Patch

Another review for ELG eye masks. This is one of the limited edition i guess, bought it early this year, cant really remember. Packaging is prettier haha.

I have the ingredient of this mask this time round.

Ingredients:

cucumber extract, aloe, vitamin C, methylparaben, hyaluronic acid, arbutin, rose essential oil, witch extract, lavender, glycerine.

looks impressive.

Result:

For the texture etc, refer to my previous posts on ELG eye mask. I realised this mask is a bit wider than the 4th generation which i tried.

As usual, my eyes look hydrated, brighter and fresh. but still not as good as the golden 4th generation one i feel. This pack does not have so much essence too, not sure isit because its almost 1 year old or what, never encounter this with the rest though.

Review: Mandom Beauty Barrier Repair Hyaluronic Acid Mask

I first saw this mask on Sasa.com, then decided to grab it when i was in hongkong in May. It can be found at the Sasa in Hk, retailing for HK60 ( Around sgd 11) for a box of 5. Currently its not available at any of the stores in Singapore, at least i dint see them around at Watsons & Sasa. We can buy it from sasa.com & adambeauty.com.

There are 3 range available, the hyaluronic acid(blue) for hydrating & pores, Q10 (orange) for firming & the royal jelly for moisturising.

I threw the boxes away cos i wanted to minimise luggage weight then so i dont have the ingredients. But according to adam beauty website, this mask has got no coloring, no fragrance, no preservative, mild enough for sensitive skin.

I realise manufactured dates and expiry dates are always not available for Japanese products bought from HK & japan. Well, since it does not contain preservative, i guess i better finish them up fast in case they expire.

Result:

I tried it 3x so far. Mask has 22ml of essence, was rather wet when i took it out, slightly dripping. This mask comes with eye flaps. Since i dont have the habit of masking my eye lids, I tore the connector so that the eye flaps can be folded down. The connector is just a very small piece of cloth so it was done easily. Eye holes are just nice, i like it.

This mask is similiar to the juju aquamoist mask, the chin and upper lid areas are not connected, so we can adjust it freely. Refer to the picture of the packaging, and if you look carefully at it, the upper lin area has got white 'spaces' in the picture, they are not 'attached', what i meant by not connected. the mask looked exactly like the one on the packaging. I love this detail cos most masks are not fitting for me at the chin area, probably because my face is not very long, though i thought mine is quite long already haha. this gave me an idea that I may wanna cut other masks so that they can adhere better in future haha. The cut of this mask fits me perfectly! Even at the areas near the nose.

Anyway, i detected a very mild soya bean scent when i open the packet. I am quite sure its not like those added fragrance scent, guess its the original scent of the essence. Essence is a little towards gel-like texture, very comfy when i had the mask on me.

After about 13min or so, i removed mask and face look really hydrated, clearer and brighter significantly, pores looked refined (temporarily though) too. I din scrub my face for around 5days already though haha. After massaging the left over essence on my face, face felt quite smooth and moisturised, not sticky at all.

Face was a litle oily this morning, looked quite radiant but not super smooth.

Verdict: 9/10 I love it! Very sure this mask dint give me zits (sometimes its just hard to determine for some masks) and dint irritate my existing ones too. 1 point deducted cos my face was not left super smooth.

the cutting of this mask is great, adhere well to my skin. Though i think its more of a hydrating mask since it contains hyaluronic acid, but i like the fact that my face was brightened up, quite a bit in fact.

i may need to order it through adambeauty in future, probably at $3/pc. Pretty expensive but i love the effects from this mask haha. I make sure i stock this mask when i go HK again!

Review: Kracie Hadabisei Whitening Mask

Another review for kracie mask. the whitening one this time. Bought it for $1.95/pc at taka watsons earlier this month, i dont find them in single packs when i went there last week though.

they are retailing at Watsons for $18.90, for a box of 5pc. Quite expensive i think.

Ingredients:
Water (Aqua), Dipropylene Glycol, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Ascorbyl Glucoside, Potassium Hydroxide, Carbomer, PEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Phenoxyethanol, Methylparaben, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Polysorbate 20, Xanthan Gum, Sodium Citrate, Sodium Citrate, Disodium EDTA, Citric Acid, Fragrance (Parfum), Lemon (Citrus Medica Limonum) Extract, Soluble Collagen, Alcohol, Job’s Tears (Coix Lacryma-jobi) Extract.

Do note that it contains alcohol and added fragrance.

Result:

The material of this mask was different from the moisturising (red range) which i tried previously. this mask does not have those micro look alike holes on it. The material is those normal ones, a bit stiff, a little hard to adjust, thickness is just right, not really like cotton material ( like skinvitals) though.

The cutting is quite big for my face, but im glad mask adhere quite well on face. Big eye holes, i like! haha.

Essence is 20ml, stated on the mask. When i took it out, its not those dripping kind, moderately wet. Cant detect any scent though fragrance was added.

After like 13min, face did look a little brighter. Essence was not sticky. After massage, essence was absorbed in quite fast. Face felt quite hydrated but dont feel very smooth.

After like 1h, red patches appeared at forehead area again. I realised i tend to have this problem with whitening mask :( Well, i gathered its because of citric acid（果酸）. I have sensitive skin by the way. So those with sensitive skin, you may want to think twice before trying this mask. My red patches were not those serious kind, will go away after a while say 30min or so but its still quite irritating cos its a little itchy. I felt better after spraying avene water too.

I watched those taiwan variety show and understand that sensitive skin has to be careful with 果酸, AHA. I googled online and realised citric acid is one of the 5 main types of AHA found in skincare. AHA helps to get rid of dead skin and activate skin regeneration, hence enhancing essence absorption etc. Thats why some whitening products contain them. Since it contains AHA, I think its best to apply this mask at night cos AHA can increase sun sensitivity.

My face was less oily this morning and looked a bit radiant, 1 new mini zit pop out with another threaten to pop out any moment too.

Verdict:

I only judge it on the whitening/brightening effect, hydration, smoothness etc. Will not penalise it for the red patches it gave me.

I got no choice but to send it to hall of hates cos it gave me zits!

Seems like i do not have much luck with kracie masks. Hopefully the charcoal one will be better.

How To Create Lots of Foam with Cleansers?!

As promised, today's post will be on foam! haha.

I am not sure how many of us out there have got this same problem as me. I always have difficulty creating enough foam with foam cleansers. I used foam cleansers ( those in tube form) for many years, since i was a secondary school kid, all the way to university year 1. I remembered the last one i tried was thefaceshop mung bean cleanser haha. I guess many of us now still do since it was the most common kind of cleansers in our local market.

Well, no1 teached me how to properly lather up etc. What i did was , squeeze about 1.5cm of cleanser onto my wet hands then rub back and forth, then the cleanser will become sorta like a creamy liquid form, I will then massage them onto my face.

Over the years I became more and more crazy about skincare lol, I read magazines, watched beauty variety shows etc, and realised that it is very important to create enough foam while cleansing to ensure that our faces are properly cleansed and yet not too drying for our skin. I came upon fancl washing powder and fell in love with the cushiony foammmm!! :) Since then, I never touch those foam cleansers anymore cos i think they cant provide me the same kinda foam i get from fancl.

I tried ettusais soap cleanser and I managed to create lotsa foam with fancl's foaming ball too. Just roll the ball on the soap for like 10seconds, then squeeze the ball a bit, keep rolling and you will get enough foam. I am not sure how people usually lather up soap cleansers but I find it very easy with fancl foaming ball. I got to know this method cos i was given a foaming ball by ettusais when i purchase their soap 2 years ago. It was on promotion and it came with free casing and foam ball. Since i am a fancl cleanser at the same time, I've got no problem getting their foam ball too. Those who have problem lathering enough with soap cleansers can try this method. Its quite easy to get foam ball from fancl counters, just tell them you need one and they will give it to you generously. I heard that we need to pay in japan for that!

I tried DHC salicylic acne wash sample lately and i decided to use it with the foaming ball since i knew i could never create enough foam with my bare hands. It was in gel form so i rolled the ball back and forth, allowing it to 'absorb' in the gel. Within seconds, trust me, it less than 5 seconds, with a little squeezing for the ball, foam was created! I dint managed to snap a photo of it but i tried it with vichy purifying cleansing gel today. That was my 1st gel cleanser, received it as a freebie when i bought the pore minimiser product lately. I opened it not long ago but was too busy to try it haha.

the blue ball on the right is how fancl foaming ball looks like. They come in green too.

shocking right haha! I used roughly same amount of gel for both tries yet the difference was soooo biggggg!

I dont have any opened foam cleansers (tube form) with me right now so i cant try it, but if you have the same problem as me, try it with fancl foaming ball! OR any other foaming sponge/ball you can find in the market :) I was thinking daiso may have such cleansing tools since japanese are crazy about foam haha.

Alternatively, you can opt for mousse or bubble cleansers, those pump kind whereby foam was already created and stored in those pump bottles and we just need to press the pump to get the foam. I know hada labo, nuxe ($20+) & Juju aquamoist (around $15) have their cleansers in pump form at watsons. Do take note that these cleansers finishes faster. Whether those foam are 'thin' or dense, i guess will have to depends on brand.

Review: DHC Salicylic Acne Wash

Received this sample few months ago, decided to try it lately haha. Cos I'm too in love with my foamy fancl powder lol! This small sachet was only enough for 2 washes.

Saw that brown circle sticker on the right? Thats to remind myself that i received it in april! For samples its best to use it up within 6months upon receiving since it likely that samples are old stocks, i mean who knows right! Yah, im a freak in these areas, Im scared of using expired stuff on my face =p

This acne wash(120ml) is retailing for $29.50 at Watsons. This range contains active ingredient, salicylic acid, 2%. The ingredients look impressive with aloe, royal jelly etc.

Result:

This acne wash is yellowish in color, very runny gel. The scent is quite overwhelming, smells exactly like the moisturiser. has got this herbal like scent, i dont quite like it personally.

Im too used to thick foam, so i use my fancl foaming ball with this cleanser and i managed to create lotsa foam! I will write a post about creating foam with cleansers this weekend :) though there are lotsa foam, but its a little 'thin', not those dense kind like fancl. For some reason, there are lotsa bubbles too. Though foam is thin, but still possible to massage on my face, still quite acceptable.

After cleansing, face feel soft, not tight and smooth! I think my face looks a little clearer and brighter too.

Verdict: 8/10

Since i only used it twice, i dono if it helps in combatting zits or what, but the after wash feel is not bad!

Cleo Hall of Fame 2010: Winners Revealed!

Lately, I realised quite a number people found my blog when they were searching for cleo hall of fame 2010. I guess they should be kinda disappointed since i dint list out the full list of winners previously in my post.

Well, fret not! I am going to reveal the winners today for those who dint managed to get that cleo issue :) I will skip the perfume section nail color though =p



LASHES:

Mascara for that false-lash effect: Anna Sui Super-Black full Mascara in 001 Noir Intense, Heroine Make long & Curl Mascar 01

Best Waterproof Mascara: Diorshow iconic extreme lash curl, Maybelline New york the Magnum Volum' Express Waterproof, Majolica majolira lash expander mascara frame plus

Most beautifully colored mascara: Benefit badgal plum eye color intensifying mascara, Za Wide eyes masara in violet, LA splash lash splash waterproof mascara in envy

Best treatment for lashes: Lancome Oscillation Power Booster, Loreal Paris Renewal Lash Serum & Canmake Lash care essence

Smoothest kohl pencil for smoky eyes: Shiseido Makeup Smoothing Eyeliner in BK901, Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye pencil in zero, Heavy rotation perfect eyeliner in E91 Deep black

EYES

most eye catching eyeliner: shu uemura painting liner in me purple, rimmel glam eye professional liquid liner in 008 aqua glow

most seductive eye shades: shu uemura pressed eyeshadow in p purple 781, revlon colorstay 12hour eye shadow in 18 azure mist

Best day to night eye palette: Dior 5 couleurs designer all-in-one artistry palette in 208 navy, urban design eyeshadow ammo

Best brown eyeshadow: Chanel quadra eye shadow in 18 kaska beige, canmake four shiny eyes in 01, fasio eye color br-1

Most effective concealers for dark cirles: Lancome flash retouche perfecting brush-on concealer, make up store easy cover in chai, canmake color stick 02

Best eye cream for the 20+ girls: vichy aqualia thermal eye roll on, fancl resteye gel, nuxe nirvanesque first expression lines eye cream.

Best eye rescue treatment: kiehl's dermatologist solutions ultimate white darkness diminishing activated eye treatment, ginvera green tea jade dark eye roll, loreal pairs Dermo-expertise revitalift double lifting eye

Best eye makeup remover: bobbi brown instant long wear makeup remover, cleansing express eye remover

LIPS:

glossiest Lipstick: Lancome color fever gloss sensual vibrant lipshine, maybelline new york watershine pure lipcolot

Best nude lippie: Chanel rouge allure luminous satin lip color in 69 mythic, thefaceshop diamond shine lipgloss in BR801

Most comfortable lip gloss: Shu uemura gloss unlimited, make up store twin gloss

Prettiest pink lippie: Chanel rouge allure laque luminious sain lip lacquer in 76 ming, ZA pure shine lips in pk2, metholatum lip ice sheer color strawberry lip conditioner

Hottest red lipstick: Dior rouge replenishing lipcolor in 863, urban decay lipstick in revolution, loreal paris color riche made for me intenses in 643

Best balm for chapped lips: clarins moisture replenishing balm, burt's bees beeswax, juice beauty organic lip moisturiser

BEst lippie shade to wear daily: Dior addict lip glow color awakening lipbalm in color reviver balm, burt's bee lip shinner in peony

Most hydrating lost-lasting lippie: Dior rouge dior serum de rouge, rimmel moisture renew lipstick


HAIR

Best treatment for frizzy hair: Loreal professional serie expert thermo repair serum, loreal paris elseve smooth intense anti frizz serum

best curl enhancer: Joico curl definer creme, medavita lissant creme, lucidol-L designing whip hair foam

Best treatment for sensitive scapls: ecru sea clean shampoo, phyto phytoapaisant gentle rebalancing treatment

best hair wax: professional sebastian matte putty texturizer, loreal paris studio mineral control modelling gel paste, lucidol-L designing pot smask fixer

Perfect bodyguard for colored tresses: kiehl's sunflower color preserving conditioner, keratase reflection chroma thermique thermo-radiance protecting milk, joico color endure shampoo

shampoo that will land you a commercial contract: shiseido professional prosynergy treatment shampoo, phyto phytolisse perfect smoothing shampoo

best deep-cleansing hair treat: loreal professional serie nature terre d-argile purifiante purifying clay masque for oily hair, wella biotouch pure purifying shampoo, phyto phytopolleine universal elixir

Best gloss for locks: fekkai glossing sheer shine mist, loreal paris elseve smooth intense anti frizz serum

BODY

body scrubs: biotherm lait de gommage gentle exfoliating milk, OPI maicure pedicure cucumber scrub, himalaya gentle exfoliating walnut scrub, the body shop spa wisdom africa ximenia and salt scru

best cellulite buster: biotherm celluli laser intensive night high precision night slimming care, clarins high definition body lift, loreal paris body expertise perfect slim lifting pro

most therapeutic shower treat: biotherm lait de douche cleansing shower milk, ahava mineral botanic micro peeling cream wash

body lotion leaves you blissed out: kiehl superbly restorative argan body lotion, loccitanne rose 4 reines lait de roses body milk

HANDS

most repairing hand treatment: sisley nutritive handcare, julique purely age defying, loccitane hand cream with organic olive tree

FACE

best organic face cream: juice beauty oil free moisturiser, john masters organics rose and apricot antioxidant day creme

best remover: shu uemura white recovery EX brightening cleansing oil advanced formula, the body shop cucumber cleansing milk, cleansing express sebum cleansing lotion

best pore minimiser: vichy normaderm refine total pore resurfacing essence , fancl pore essence ,nuxe aroma perfection pore reducing serun

bets moisturiser for blemished skin: mario badescu AHA & ceramide, the body shop tea tree skin clearing lotion

Best sheet mask fir thirsty skin: SK2 skin signature 3D redefining mask, neutrogena hydro boost, my beauty diary pearl powder

most hydrating cleanser: perfect potion replenish cleansing milk, biotherm bio-source hydra mineral cleansing toning mouuse, kawaii tokyo brighten up wash spring vaction nutriious facial wash

gentlest exfoliator: kiehl dermatologist solutions ultimate white surface brightening exfoliator, ginvera green tea whitening marvel gel, bio-essence deep exfoliating gel with ATP

best zip zapper: mario badescu drYing lotion, skin basique clearify, la roche posay effaclar duo corrective and unclogging anti imperfection

most lightweight moisturiser: madara ecoface deep moisture gel, la mer the moisturising gel cream, neutrogena hydro boost water gel, bliv cellnique quench me moisturising gel

best sunscreen: vichy uv pro secure daily ultra block spf 40 pa+++, neutrogena sheer complete uv waterlight lotion spf 50 PA+++

best serum to start using now: lancome genifique youth activator, bio-essencey outh essence woth ATP, olay white radiance intensive brightening serum

best skin brightener: sk2 cellumination essence, shiseido white lucent intensive spot targeting serum, loreal paris dermo expertise white perfect rafiance boosting essence, dhc acerola 100

complexion enhancer for sexy skin: anna sui protective foundation primer, the face shop baked shimmer all over illuminator in 03

best bb cream: lancome uv expert gn shield high potency active protection bb base spf 50 PA+++, maybelline new york clear smooth minerals, elishacoy always triple bb

beauty nightcap for the morning after glow: elizabeth arden white glove extreme skin brightening overnight capsules, beauty credit conenzyme q10 sleeping pack, bio-essence hydra spa energy complete nourishing sleeping mask

rosiest cheeks blusher: shiseido make up luminizing satin face color pk304, canmake cream cheek 02

ultimate flaw concealer: benefit boi-ing industrial strength concealer, mac studio sculpt concealer

FOUNDATION & BASE

best mineral make up: bare minerals spf 15 foundation, la splash mineral foundation

Compact foundation for finest finish: shiseido makeup sheer mattifying compact, chanel vitalumier eclat comfort radiance compact, za skin beauty 2 way, rimmel renew and lift brightening power with minerals

compact that stays on and on: sk2 skin signature cream in foundation, za skin beauty 2 way, revlon colorstay pressed power

best make up base: shu uemura uv base mousse, beauty credit q10 bb sun base, esprique precious dramtical stay base

liquid foundation for natural coverage: maquillage lasting liquid uv, diorskin nude natural glow hydrating makeup, loreal paris true match, stage picture perfect foundation

finally done!! so tiring.. hopefully the list here will help all of us to choose a product you need :)

Benefit PORE-fessional!

A New product from benefit :)

Pore-fessional is a primer which can be used both under and over make up to instantly minimise pores! Its retailing at $54.

Exclusive available at Taka from 20th to 26th August 2010.

Only 3 people reviewed it at Taiwan Forum UrCosme. All 3 people rate it 6/7.

Cleo September 2010 Issue

Bought this issue last friday and found it to be one of the most informative & interesting issue so far, at least for me. Usually a copy of cleo wont last me more than 1.5h, but i actually spent quite some time reading this issue.

SO whats in this issue?! I only list those that i find interesting haha.

Great beauty finds under $25 recommended by 11 makeup & hair experts.

New skincare or makeup in Sg!

- DHC acne care make up series ( Not found in Watsons yet, prolly 2 more weeks?)

- Kanebo Freshel BB cream & Skincare ( Heeren ALT, Sasa, John Little & Watsons)

- Heme BB cream (Watsons & Sasa. I notice Heme carry this brand too, not sure if bb cream is found there though)

- Dr Wu BB cream ( Watsons & OG)

- Ettusais speedy eye make of & eye lash essence with chrysanthemum extract. Ettusais always has a 1 page special in CLeo I realised.i dont think these 2 products are out yet, prolly end of the month.

Freebies for this issue: One Whisper 40cm pad, Lancome genifique youth activator sample sachet.

For Watsons card members, 20% with 40 bonus points ( =$2) with every purchase of himalaya neem range.

Interesting Facts & articles:

Do we need to apply moisturiser after masking?! Yes if you've dehydrated skin. a moisturiser is used to seal in the goodness of the mask, but do remember to give our skin a few minutes to absorb in mask before applying moisturiser :)

Burning Questions about lip sticks! Foolproof way of applying lipstick especially when you've dry lips. I learnt quite a bit on lipsticks from this article :)

Fashion Trends this Fall/Winter

What do i Use these brushes for? An article on brushes, showing us the different types of brushes available in the market, good for beginners like myself! Im trying to find out about the different types of brushes for eye make up lately.

Guys who hold their girlfriends' Handbag: Fool or Foe? quite an interesting article.

Products that I am keen on after reading Cleo:

(Got to know them from 2page maquillage special)

Maquillage Treatment Lasting compact: Combines the coverage of a liquid foundation with the smoothness of powder to give natural looking yet flawless skin. sounds like cream foundation to me haha. 70% treatment ingredients, skin is kept moisturised up to 8 hrs! sounds great hur?!

Maquillage Rouge Enamel ($43). Pretty packaging! Provides the gloss from lipgloss and brighter colors from lip stick. Not sure if its a 2-way application though.

Kate white eye liner pencil. To line lower lash and prolly inner eye. should be affordable too haha. Then i need not use my eye shadow to highlight inner eye area anymore. Got interested about eye make up lately hohoho~

Conclusion: An issue worth buying! :)

Review: Skinfood Gold Caviar Cream

Since the number of samples i have in my bag are increasing day by day, i decide to clear some by using them on my neck hehe. I chose to use them on my neck simply because i knew it was not going to be suitable for my face, yet i dint wanna waste it cos who knows it may be something good right haha.

I received skinfood gold caviar cream sample from koreanbb when i bought the egg moisture hair pack from them a few months back. i checked online, it was meant for anti-aging. im very particular about stuff to be applied onto my face, so of cos this sample is going to be applied to my neck instead.

Result:

Scent is very mild, bascially cant smell it unless you applied it near nose i guess. Texture is thick cream, white in color. Very hard to massage onto neck due to the thick texture. It never got absorbed in apparently and my neck was very oily after usage! eek~ i got a mini bump the very next day so i reckon it must be this cream! I nv get bumps on neck before.. omg.

Verdict: Hate it!

Cheap Deals in Town!

went town with miao and saw some great deals in town :)

Clarus foot & Hand mask: 2nd one at 50%

Silk Whitia masks: $1.95/pc

Anna Sui: They are having a roadshow this weekend for their new eye shadow. There will be

hourly offers for mascara etc!

Lovely packaging! I will get my hands on it soon haha. Miao tried it today and it din grease on her oily eyelids. For the new eye shadow, there are single and dual colors available.

Review: Nature Republic 102 MD Water Collection For Pore & Sebum Control

Bought this powder mask a few months back when i was interested in Nature Republic stuff. So far, they only have a outlet at junction 8 & 313.

For this powder mask, the powder and the liquid are sold separately, both at $1.60 each i dint remember wrongly. They have quite a few choices for this powder mask. 5 in total including this that i've bought. They have the red one for moisture, brown one for detox, light blue for firming and yellow one for oriental nutrition ( i dont know what this means that, I got this info from this website haha).

The one that Ive tried is the Pore & sebum controlling water: Alpine glacial water from Mattehorn + Edelweiss + Bear Berry + Artemisia.

I think its acting like some mud or clay mask. Just that its in powder form and i have to mix them.

DIRECTIONS: Pour MD water collection powder (Sebum-Control Ghassoul Powder) in the MD water container and Close a lid. After shaking well, Gently spread over face using by pack brush and Rinse thoroughly with warm water after 15 minutes.

Result:

I followed the instructions and pour the powder to the small bottle containing the MD water.
Initially, i poured about 80% of the powder cos I reckon i dont need that much. When i opened the lid, i realised the mixture is still a little watery so i decided to pour in all powder since i wont be using them again anyway so why not. But after i did this, the whole thingy became abit gross, the powder became like big lumps thats impossible to take out from the bottle even. Nonetheless, I still use my finger to dig into the bottle since i don wanna waste my $$.

I cant really smell anything during the whole process.

I use my fingers to spread the mixture onto my face and leave it for about 15min. It started to harden a little but not totally after 15min. But i still rinse it off.

I think there is a slight brightening effect and face was powdery smooth after usage. But after a while, I realise my face feel abit tight. Its better after i applied my skincare but still not very comfy. I regretted not applying a hydrating sheet mask after this powder mask.

The oil control was quite good cos my face was less oily this morning when i woke up. My face was less oily the whole of today and i dint have to blot.

Verdict: Price 6.5/10 Effect 7.5/10

I think i still prefer the usual ready-made mud or clay mask, like my ahava mud mask though the oil control is not as impressive as this. This powder mask was abit too messy and a bit costly for 1time usage. I dont like to wait too long in the toilet haha, cos i usually do all my rinse off mask during shower.

Review: ELG Crystal Collagen Eye Mask 4th Generation Part 2

Tried more of ELG eye mask this week. The orange one this time round.

The orange packaging one contains Orange + Lemon + EGF + GHK-Cu: Enhanced with collagen and Vitamin C, helps in skin repair and fine lines, improves skin elasticity.

this is the plastic tray in the packet when i opened it. I dont why but i find it quite lame cos the mask are always one on each side. So when u are taking the tray out from the packet, do be careful cos one mask is at the back so dont drop it.

Result:

As seen above, thats how the collagen mask looks like. Looks like jelly huh haha.

Scent etc was the same as the rest which are previously reviewed. I find this not as hydrating as the gold one. I can still see a little of my dehydration line on my right eye. Dont really see brightening effect too.

Verdict: 6/10

I wont put this orange ELG to hall of fame cos its not very hydrating, at least for me. But it dint give my bumps etc, cooling and cheap so i wont fail it too :)

Review: Cotton Pads Showdown - Guardian VS Selena

I cant believe it.. I can even write a review on cotton pads lol. Well, sometimes you wont know how good a product is till you change it haha.

The contestants today are Guardian Facial Squares & Selena Clean Puff ( From Sasa).

Round 1: Price

Guardian facial squares is retailing for $2.2 per box, 100 pads in a box., made in malaysia. Selena Clean Puff is 2boxes for $3.95 at Sasa, each box has 80 pads, made in Japan. If you were to do the calculations, Guadian is cheaper by a little, each is $0.022 while selena is $0.0246.

Sometimes when Sasa is having offers, 4boxes of Selena cost $3.95 only.

Winner: Guardian won by slight margin.

Round 2: Quality

( Left: Selena, Right: Guardian)

Both cotton pads are soft and smooth in texture. Guardian is slighly smoother on the surface. From the side of the cotton pads, you can see there are some cotton fluff for selena's. But they wont be all over my face when i use them to remove mascara etc.

I usually use cotton pads to apply my ettusais shooter (Liquid). I tried it with Guardian's yest and i dono if the cotton pads are really so thick or what, I usually only need to press the spray 3times and the selena cotton pad will be wet enough to dab all over my face. But for guardian's, I spray around 5x and it seems like the cotton pad absorb it all! the surface is still not damp enough when i dab it on my face. I wasted so much shooter instead. There goes my $$$..

Winner: I will see Selena as the winner cos it save alot of my shooter!

Verdict: Selena! For cotton pads, i feel that its important to get better ones cos i dont like the wool/fluff all over my face will i use my toner or remover. Next, to save on toner etc, a good cotton makes a difference! Spending a bit more on cotton will save me more money on toner etc in the long run.

Review: Bio-essence Bio-Hydra Eye and Lip Dual Make up Remover

I bought this trial sized remover when i was searching for one thats for my lips a few months back. I got this 30ml for $1.90 at watsons :) The full sized (think its 100ml or more) is retailing at $11.90.

Cos i threw the box away, I cant write the ingredients here but i do remember there is added fragrance.

Result:

the scent was alright but a bit too strong for my liking. Its like the loreal & maybelline's, have to shake before use and there are 2 layers, with the blue colored one on top. Texture is the same as those 2 above too, watery liquid.

I dont use it for mascara since mine can be removed with water. Well, I tried it for eye shadow, eye liner & lip gloss.

For eye shadow, mine is kanebo & ettusais' ones, can be removed easily with this. Dint sting my eyes or what. But for my mac lip dazzleglass, need to really wet the cotton in order to remove those glitter. Do note that this lip gloss is really qute shimmery haha. For ettusais eyeliner, can be removed easily! I remembered using a cotton bud to remove my eye liner ( cos i need to re-draw the part which is crooked haha), and it removed it effortlessly!

Verdict: 9/10

Overall quite a good product i feel. Removes my eyeliner easily, thats the most important thing to me cos i hate removing eyeliners haha. Price reasonable too, definitely cheaper than Maybelline since thats only 70ml. 1 point deducted for the scent cos i dont really like products with added fragrance, moverover i dint really fancy the scent haha. I shall consider putting it to the hall of fame when i finish the trial sized bottle.

Review: ELG Crystal Collagen Eye Mask 4th Generation

Got to know this eye mask because of NRWZA ( 女人我最大）,the famous taiwanese variety show which many have heard and probably watched before.

I chanced upon them at thespreestore website ( links on the right). I started off by using the 3rd generation one and i love them! ELG 3rd generation is the 1st eye mask I tried too. Then it was upgraded to the 4th generation.

I got mine from thespreestore (they are the licensed distributor in sg) for 80cents each. There are a few types available for this mask.

GOLD
(Arbutin + L-Ascorbic + EGF + GHK-Cu): Has whitening effects, improves skin pigmentation and lightens dark circles, improves skin elasticity

SILVER

(Pearl + Hyaluronic Acid + EGF + GHK-Cu): Effectively moistures the skin and lightens melanin in the skin under the eyes, leaving skin supple and bright

PINK

(Red Wine + Grape + EGF + GHK-Cu): Specially suited for skin prone to aging and dehydration, this helps to restore skin vitality, prevents wrinkles

ORANGE

(Orange + Lemon + EGF + GHK-Cu): Enhanced with collagen and Vitamin C, helps in skin repair and fine lines, improves skin elasticity

BLUE

(Seaweed + Tea Tree Extract + EGF + GHK-Cu):Deeply moistures the skin under eyes, helps to relax the skin and prevents wrinkles

GREEN

(Aloe + Chamomile + EGF + GHK-Cu):Aloe helps to moisturise skin and prevents wrinkles, while Chamomile serves to soothe sensitive skin. Helps to eliminate wrinkles and eye bags and keeps the skin under eye area moisturised and fresh

Due to laziness, Ive stopped eye masking for some time, though i did wandered off to other brands like DHC on and off (only to realise that it gave me bumps :( ) After trying those eye patches such as purederm and dhc, I realised i still prefer sheet eye masks or jelly kind like ELG.

I will include pictures of the eye mask and the packaging etc when i use them again.

Result:

I tried the 4th generation GOLD & GREEN ones lately again. I wil review the silver and orange ones next time.

The 4th generation ELG eye mask: 0.038mm and 10g each

All ELG eye masks are in 'jelly' texture, transparent. When i opened it, there is like a plastic separator, one mask on each side. There are lots of essence in watery form, so be careful if not you will spill them all over.

Im not sure there is added fragrance but i quite like the scent of the masks. Refreshing scent and all their eye masks smell the same. I wonder if thats the collagen smell haha.

The eye masks may look slippery cos of the essence etc but i was surprised it din slipped around when i was applying them on my eye areas. So its actually quite easy to apply it but i will strongly encourage to lie down and relax once applied. I doubt we can use the com with the masks on us.

It quite relaxing to have something cooling on the eye areas though i dint put it in fridge. After like 10min or so, my eyes look hydrated and 'fresh'. I noticed the gold ones gave me better brightening effects compared to the green one. Both are equally moisturising i feel. My dehydration line on my right eye will disappear for like 1-2days aftr usage haha. no sticky feeling after usage and little essence left on eye areas. Probably absorbed in already haha.

Verdict: 10/10 I love it!

Price is really affordable, even for teens since they are under $1. I think i can mask evyday with ELG if there is a need haha.

No pulling and tugging of the skin too due to the material and texture. For me, I prefer something light for my eyes area so this mask is just nice for me.

Herbacin 德国小甘菊: Highly Raved in Taiwan

A few months back, I started to see this new green stand at Watsons. The bright green color with the white flower caught my attention. But I dint bother to look at the products since Ive never heard of the brand, and the packaging dint look appealing to me at all.

Well, when i was browsing the UrCosme taiwanese review forum last weekend, I saw something familiar. Yes, its the green tube with white flower again! Oh god, I dint expect Herbacin to be so highly raved in Taiwan!

Herbacin is apparently a german brand ( I dint realise it from the name, oops). They cultivate its own plants and herbs for decades. All their products undergo dermatological testing.

From their stand at Watsons, I realised they only brought a few items to sg.

So whats the highly raved item in taiwan?!

Wuta Kamille Glycerine Hand Cream & Wuta Kamille Skin Care Cream!


1 of their highly raved product is the wuta kamille skin care cream. Its meant for intensive care for legs and hands. It has got 6/7 in UrCose, with 270 pple rated it. It was voted the no1 foot cream in 2007. $4.5 for the tin.


Another highly raved will be their Glycerine Hand cream. It got a rating of 5.8/7 at UrCosme. This rating is considered very high, cos i seldom see products with such rating. Moreover, its rated by 1224 people in that forum! 312 pple gave it full marks and 501 pple with 6/7. This result is considered very good in my opinion. It was voted the no1 hand cream in 2007 and no2 in 2006. It was beaten by crabtree in 2008. I will write the results of this UrCosme poll in another post since i guess alot people don like reading traditional chinese haha. retailing at $3.50 for the 20ml, $8.50 for 70ml.

There are 2 types of hand cream. Both under Wuta Kamille range. I guess the difference is the Soft hand cream is the lighter version. The soft hand cream got a rating of 5.6/7, with 185 people rated on it. $4 for the 20ml, $10.5 for the 70ml.

The lip balm ($8.5) and exfoliant ($18.9) have rating of 5 and 5.3 respectively, with about 200 over people rated on them. The rest of the products either do not have rating or dint get good rating at UrCosme.

The brochure at Watsons is quite informative, stating the available sizes of the products. For eg, the glycerine hand cream come in 3 sizes, 75ml and 20ml tubes and 20ml tins.

Well, im a sucker for handcream, I'll most probably get the small sized one to try though i still have 2 brand new ones (DHC & Venus Spa) at home! hehe.

Review: Sasa Apple Anti-Blemish Mask

Bought this some time ago since it was on offer, 3 for $3.95 if i dint remember wrongly. This mask is one of Sasa's in house masks. They have other flavors too.

this mask seems to be a clarifying mask to me. Pretty impressive for the ingredients. Apple & algae extract, aloe, allantoin, niacinamide.

Result:

The material of this sheet mask is quite good, similar to that of Skinvitals, feels like cloth. Comes with eye flaps, adheres well to skin too, size is alright.

There is added fragrance, i find the scent weird but not too overwhelming though. Essence is quite little i feel, dont look like 25ml.

Face looked significantly brighter after masking. BUT face have 2 red bumps after about 2hours. Face dont feel vv hydrated, so-so, i guess it wont be hydrating enough for dry skin pple. The red bumps are still there after a day. I think they are going to be transform into zits v soon. NONONONO~

Verdict:

This mask will join those at the hall of HATES!!! I was quite happy to see the face brighter, and was devastated to see the red bumps!!! ARGH~

Review: Daiso Sponge and Puff Cleanser

I forgot how i got to know this highly raved sponge cleanser from daiso, probably it was from a friend, if not i must have read it somewhere that this cleanser is good. Well, I guess i was pretty lucky. I went to daiso twice, and managed to find it at the vivo outlet. I read that alot people searched high and low for it but to no avail.

Since its from daiso, so its obvious this cleanser (80ml )cost me $2 only. Well, the bottle stated that its made in japan, I find it a little unbelievable cos isnt it abit too good to be true that this $2 cleanser is actually made in japan?! ANyway, as long as it works, who cares right haha.

I only use the cleanser on my foundation sponge so far. I bought the fancl sponge cleanser when i was in tokyo too. I will compare this with the fancl's next time. Probably next year march haha. Cos thats when Ive to discard this cleanser since it has been a year already.

Result:

The cleanser is rather watery, transparent liquid to be exact. I cant really smell anything since there is no added fragrance etc.

What i usually do is wet my sponge first, then pour a little of this cleanser directly onto my sponge and squeeze it. A little foam will be formed than i just wash it under running water. Whole process took me less than 5min. Air dry sponge overnight to make sure its really dry before putting back into my foundation case.

After washing, sponge looks clean again :) I think this cleanser is a little strong since my hands felt dry after cleansing.

Verdict: 10/10

A cheap and good sponge cleanser indeed :)

I dont use it on brushes since I've my sephora brush cleanser with me. For sponge, i guess its a little hard to judge if this cleanser leave the sponge soft or affect the quality of my sponge. But i guess if we use it on puff, it will be easier to gauge? For me, I dont have expensive sponge/puff, and im satisfied that this cleanser left my sponge clean. My sponge is the one that comes with the ettusais foundation in case you are wondering.

Review: Kracie Hadabisei Super Moisture Mask

I bought this mask when i was in tokyo in May. the 5+1 pack for 500yen ($8). It can be found in most Watsons outlets now, retailing at $18.90 for 5pc.

This mask (25ml) contains royal jelly, hyaluronic Acid. citric acid (lemon extract) to soften. no fragrance and coloring. Do note that it contains alcohol.

Ingredients:

Water (Aqua), Dipropylene Glycol, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Methylgluceth-20, Phenoxyethanol, PEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Carbomer, Methylparaben, Polysorbate 20, Sodium Hyaluronate, Potassium Hydroxide, Xanthan Gum, Sodium Polyacrylate, Citric Acid, Disodium EDTA, Alcohol, Royal Jelly Extract, Citrus Medica Limonum Fruit Extract.

Result:

Well, the scent was normal since there is no added fragrance haha. Though there is alcohol but im glad i cant detect it. I notice the fabric was kinda different the other masks, it seems to have a lot of micro holes, somewhat similar to Neutogena's. The eye holes are quite small, and omg, for the 1st time, i encounter mask that has small mouth holes too =.= my lips felt like being squashed up. But im glad that the mask adheres well to my skin except for the nose area cos its slightly too nose, probably cos ive a flat nose haha.

Mask was moderately wet. I left it on for like 12min. When i took it off, i saw alot of bubbles on my face lol. Yes, bubbles, I was a little amazed. I reckon its bcos of the design of the mask. After massaging the essence left on my face, I still felt a little sticky so i wiped it off with tissue. Face felt really moisturised, quite soft but not smooth.

Face was a little oily the next morning.

Verdict: 6.5/10

I was abit sad when i see alcohol in the list. But probably its not the 1st few, and im a sucker for jap products, so I still go ahead with this mask haha.

I like how well this mask adhere to my skin except for the small eye & mouth holes. Other than being moisturising, the mask dint left my face smooth and was abit sticky. I tried 2x so far and I still have 3pc with me, i will use them on next week to see if it can change my view.

Review: H2o+ Face Oasis Hydrating Treatment

H2o+ Oasis moisturiser aka 8杯水， is famous for its hydrating purposes. I bought this moisturiser some time back when i was feeling rich haha.

I thought by using a hydrating moisturiser my face will secrete less oil but i guess i was wrong lol. For skincare, sometimes i think we just have to try it before knowing the results, being too analytical dont always work. Experts always say if face is dehydrated, we will secrete more oil, so never forget to moisturise blah blah blah~ Well, probably all this knowledge do help me to select my products, as for finding my HG, I think luck is still the more important factor here hehe.

Anyway, I only knew there is h2o+ at wisma isetan & citylink. Rather limited ya. This moisturiser is retailing at around $68 (50g) if i dint remember wrongly.

Well, this water-based moisturiser comes in a tub, something im not very keen on due to hygiene reasons. It doesnt comes with an applicator or mini 'spatula' for me to scoop the gel out. So i got no choice but to get one for it, im a freak in this area remember? haha. I bought those mini travel tubs (to put cream etc）package at Sasa for a few bucks, and they included a small spatula inside. If you find it too troublesome, i guess those small plastic spoon work the same too. So everytime i use this moisturiser, i got to wash it and wipe dry, so its kinda irritating at first. But after some time, i was used to it and the time taken to do the washing etc become more of like a prepration time ( waiting time for my ettusais shooter to be absorbed in).

The dustbin symbol (refer to freshness post at beauty tips label) stated that once opened, this moisturiser can only last 9months.

Result:

Nowadays, i use it twice a day, morning & night, after my ettusais version Up & shooter. All along i knew ettusais is not hydrating enough for my oily skin so i decided to add this moisturiser after them. Do note that this is an oil & alcohol free product. The oil free fact kinda assured me that it wont colg my pores etc.

The texture of this product is similar to gel, when u shake the tub, you can see the moisturiser boucing haha. The watery gel like texture makes application really easy.

There is added fragrance. The scent isnt exactly appealing to my senses but its not that bad either. It just smell like a marine product lol. Complementing the light blue color.

I use very little, probably a 10cent/5cent coin size each time. I know its very little but i think its enough for my whole face. Moreover, this is just like extra moisture for me since i have ettusais on my face already. If you have dry skin, you can try putting a thicker layer and leave it on for 5min as a mask. This was stated on the tub itself.

After massaging, it takes some time for the product to be fully absorbed in. Its a little sticky at first but this feeling will go away after some time. After i apply my neck cream and eye lash essence, i can start applying my pimple gel already, so i guess the absorption time is only about 1 min or so?

Face look fresh, dewy and hydrated after application. Rather lightweight too since i apply it in the morning before i go out. But my face is still oily the next morning. But after rinsing ( without cleanser), face will feel soft and smooth again haha. I was using it when i was in Tokyo in may. It kept my skin moisturised and prevent flaking too. The air there was rather dry then.

After using this for a few months, Im quite sure it dint clog my pores or give me zits. BUT it dint prevent zits either.

Verdict:

Price: 7/10 I dint fail it cos im sure the tub can last me 9months judging on the amount i use daily haha.

Effects: 7.5/10 I really like the texture and the fact that my skin look dewy after usage. But cos my main concern is zits, I would prefer my moisturiser to help me combat zits and perhaps some oil control.

Im not sure if i will re-purchase, but i would love to give the shine neutralizing gel (the green color tub that looks exactly like this oasis) a try after hearing gd review from miao :)

More Kracie at Watsons!

Have been seeing quite a number of kracie (kanebo) products in Watsons lately. 1st its their facial masks (Ive the moisturising, whitening and charcoal ones, will review once i try them!), then the cleanser, cleansing oil and cleansing wipes. Now its their Hair products!

So far, their masks are available at most Watsons, but their naive range i only see it at taka watsons. They have a mini stand there. Prices ranges from around $8- $15 if i dint remember wrongly. I saw quite a number of raves for their olive cleansing oil.

Well, since i was looking for a shampoo to replace Loreal ( I seriously think i drop more hair than usual with it and i am feeling a bit scared now haha), so i decided to give ichikami (Kracie Kanebo) a try. I bought it at $7.90 for the 200ml (small). Quite costly if you compared to other brands. They only have 1 type of shampoo & conditioner for all hair types. They have the treatment mask too.

I tried it for the 1st time just now. I love the floral scent! I can still smell it when i finished my shower 2hours ago lol. It wasnt too overwhelming when i was using it just now, so dint expect the scent to last that long! Well, it made my hair smooth and soft. But i guess all shampoo are good at first haha. I shall review it again in 2weeks time! :)

Review: La Roche-Posay Effaclar A.I. 理肤宝水 青春调理精华乳

Though skinvitals pimple gel works fast enough for me, it dint solve my scarring problem. I bought this after seeing some gd reviews at tw beauty website (urcosme, link at the Beauty Reads section).

It retailing at about $27 (15ml) at Watsons, Guardian & nishino (taka basement). There are occasional offers for this brand, together with vichy & avene, usually its 20%. I was lucky enough to be able to get it during the 20%.

This pimple cream is Hypoallergenic, Non-comedogenic.
It claims to purge imperfection in depth to accelerate their resorption and prevent residue skin marking. It contains niacinamide to stop the development of breakout, piroctone olamine/ glycacil combination purifies the seat of bacteria activity to resorb skin imperfections. It has LHA for micro exfoliation and to activate skin regeneration, repairing la roche posay spring thermal water for soothing effects too.

Seems good huh? After trying so many pimple gel, I dont really care about all these as long as the cream works for me haha. But i do avoid benzoyl peroxide cos i know thats too strong for my skin.

Results:

This product is in cream form, but no worries, its not sticky at all. Its rather light and easy to blend, dries up fast too. It smells really nice, very refreshing but there is no added fragrance, so i guess its the natural scent.

Its very mild, even my sensitive skin can take it. Probably because because of the texture, i tend to apply a little more than my previous pimple gel, yet my skin dint peel etc.

It takes quite long to heal bigger zits, say 5days to heal one of mine. It wont force my zits to ripe faster like skinvitals'. So when i know i'm going out the next day, I wanna treat my zit but at the same time i dont want it to ripe so fast cos with the pus its ugly, i will apply this haha. I dont think it reduce redness as well, at least not significant enough for me to notice. But i did notice my scarring became lighter compared to those which ive applied skinvitals'.

Verdict: 7/10

I'm alternating this pimple cream with skinvitals, hoping to reduce scarring. If you've scarring problem like me, perhaps you can give this product a try. But if you want that work fast, then probably skinvitals will be a better bet. I dint fail it mainly because of the nice scent, and that it did help my scarring a bit. Moreover, its pretty affordable too after 20%.

至今，我仍在寻找一款能解决痘痘给我留下痘疤的问题。看到台湾网站UrCosme许多人的评语，我决定买这款来试一试。

在Watson, Guardian 和 nishino (taka basement)能找到这款，大概$27(15ml)。偶尔会有20%折扣。

它含有LHA脂氢氧基酸及Niacinamide菸硷醯胺，有效改善青春痘傷口感染，预防痕產生，也含 LA ROCHE-POSAY 温泉水。

效果：
这款的质地是乳状，白色的，但用起来不油腻，擦上去也很清爽。闻起来很清香，很舒服。它没有添加香料。

它非常温和，就算擦多了皮肤也不会脱皮。但对于稍微大点的痘痘，大约需要5天才能击退。它不会像skinvitals那款一样，会让痘痘赶快熟。用了之后，痘痘好像还是蛮红肿的。虽然这款没有完全解决我痘痘留下痘疤的问题，但我发现用了它之后，留下的痘疤没这么大，颜色也比较淡。

结论：7/10

如果你也有痘疤问题，不妨试试这款，价格打完折后也不会太贵。