Ettusais July Surprises!

Ettusais has released new pore related products to help us fight large pores again! Ettusais really surprises me with lotsa new products lately..

Previously it was the new pore care wash, now its the new zero pore coat & Pore care serum :)

Zero pore coat (8g) is a clear make up base that absorbs sebum and control shine all day! Its oil free, fragrance free and colorant free. This can be wear alone (after make up base) or before foundation.

Pore care sebum is a medicated and moisturising serum that shrinks pore! It contains amino acid derivative to shrink pores, glycyrrhizinate to soothes imflammation, AC control oil to fight acne bacteria. Its fragrance and colorant free. Apply it before makeup and its suitable for both day and night use.

Another new product released is Aqua splash OB (40ml)! 1 sold every 6seconds in Tokyo! Its a spray that contains white porous powder to absorb sebum, chamomile to lower skin temperature to regulate and prevent excess sebum, mineral ingredients, 100% refined water. And of cos, its fragrance and colorant free. The way of using it is similar to those thermal sprays, hold it around 15cm away from face and spray evenly over entire face, then smooth over skin.

I tried this Aqua splash last wkend at metro sale. I could smell alcohol (or isnt their signature AC oil??). It does absorb in fast i must say.

As for the freebies this month, spend $60 and get black and white polka dot pouch and handy cosmetic mirror (2 designs available) free. For members, we will receive additional pore care wash (20ml) free.

Review: Nature Repulic Aqua the Ocean By Tahiti Body Lotion

I bought this body lotion (240ml) quite sometime ago at the 313 outlet for about $18. The other outlet is at j8.

Loved the cute bottle :) They dont provide any ingredient list on the box and bottle, so there is no way to know the ingreditens. The SA told me its a water- based body lotion.

Result:

I really love how the nice scent from this lotion! Its a very refreshing scent. The lotion is rather light, easy to massage into skin too. But my skin dint absorb in fast enough i feel, nonetheless, my skin do feel moisturised and soft after usage.

Verdict: 8/10 Rather expensive if you compare to those drugstore brands. but i really love the scent and the cute bottle!

Review: Sephora Daily MakeUp Brush Cleaner

Bought this brush cleaner (60ml) at ion sephora 2 wks ago at $12. This is the only size available at ion, not so sure if this can be found at the taka outlet though.

This brush cleaner claims to contain an anti-bacteria agent, designed to quickly remove light traces of make up between applications.

So how do i use this cleaner? Spray it all over the bristles of the brush. Then gentle wipe brush onto a lint-free cloth to remove make up. Let the brush air-dry, need not rinse. Can be used daily.

Result: The cleaner smells ok, a chemical scent. I bought this cleaner for my lip brush since i think its best to clean them regularly. For convenience, i tot this spray cleaner will come in handy. I sprayed about twice onto my lip brush. Wipe clean with tissue rather than the suggested lint cloth. Lastly, i air-dry it after slight rinsing though the instructions stated that we need not rinse.

I cant really guage the cleansing powder of this cleaner since my brushes are for my lip balms and they have no color. but i dont really recommend it for bigger brushes. I doubt the cleansing liquid can reach those inner bristles and i will probably have to spray alot of times on them. Moreover, if its lip brushes, I think its better to rinse the brush since i will be using it on my lips, so the convenience of the no rinsing part dint appeal to me at all.

I found out other ways to use the cleaner as well. 1st I can spray the cleaner onto a tisse to make it damp, then i wipe the brushes with the tissue. I feel that i can reach the inner bristles better using this way. Alternatively, for those bigger brushes, I can pour abit of the cleaner into mini cups or containers, then rinse my brushes with it. Of cos my usage will be alot more if i were to use this way.

Verdict: 7/10 I find it approriate for smaller sized brushes such as the eye ones. As for the lips and those that are bigger, i think those usual ones such as the one sold at clinique counters ($41, think is 300ml?) will be cleaner and cheaper in the long run. Those who do not like to rinse their brushes, afraid that the metal thingy will get rusty or want their brushes to be clean daily etc, this cleaner will be suitable i guess.

Review: Anna Sui Nail Remover

I bought this remover as a package when i was in HK last month. Kinda disappointed cos it dint come in a pretty bottle. Hopefully the full sized item do.

Results:

It smells like the signature rose scent and has a cooling sensation when i was using it. Since it does not smell like the usual nail polish remover, this makes me pretty happy with it. It does not sting my fingers like some brands out there in the market too. It removes my nail colors quite easily, except for those with lotsa shimmers.

Verdict: 8.5/10 I may consider buying the full sized if the bottle is nice and reasonably priced.

Review: Ettusais Shelf Life

Just wanna praise ettusais for their honest service! The honest refers to the stuff i bought from them. I always do not need to check the stuff i bought for manufactured dates/expiry dates.

After buying so much from them, i never once received items that are old. Or to be exact, the shelf life of ettusais stuff seems to be much longer. They always print the expiry dates on their items, including samples :)

Thumbs Up!

Metro Storewide 20% Sale!

Its Metro sale again!

Metro has storewide 20% sale (including skincare & cosmetics) quite frequently, once every 2-3 months. Their 20% is on rebate vouchers form, as in if the item cost $10, i will get a $2 voucher that has no expiry date. I can use the voucher at all metro stores, on all items, including those on sale. I can use more than 1 voucher on a item too. moreover, i can use the voucher immediately, upon next payment ( on the same day i received the voucher). And the 20% voucher is based on item before discount (meaning item usual price), not the discounted price (after voucher offset). so this makes the sale very worth going.

Do pay with UOB cards, since there is additional 2% rebate stored in your card. then i can use the rebate anytime, anywhere, even on moive tickets :)

1 tip when going such sale is the way you use your rebate voucher. Do not pay your stuff in a single receipt, pay those more expensive ones first, then use the rebate from these items to offset the cheaper items. Then, you will be left with 1 voucher thats of the least amt :) so even if i bought stuff that cost me hundred over, the rebate im left with at the end of the day is always under $4. well, this depends on the last item (cheapest of all items u bought on that day) that i paid too of cos. This way, i can see the 20% saved, rather than in rebate vouchers i feel haha.

another tip is to go with a friend. so that even if you buy only 1 item, your rebate voucher can be used on your friend's items, and at the end of the day, you guys can spilt the remaining 1 voucher.

when we're going crazy over the sale, do remember to check the expiry dates of the items you bought! I was careless today, and realised my kanebo eye shadow is made 1 yr ago! :(

Beauty Bargains at AMK Central

A couple of years ago, i found out 3 shops at amk central that sell really cheap beauty stuff.

All located at amk central, near the mac outside ang mo kio hub. These shops are found along the stretch there. They are Venus (also found at boon lay mrt station), pink beauty (found in tpy central, west mall) & spring.

From my past experiences, its usually the fight between pink beauty & venus for value buy. Drugstore brands such as ginvera, loreal, bio-essence, neutrogena, simple, vaseline can be found there. Products ranging from hair, body and facial stuff. Counter brands such as estee lauder, biotherm, clinique, sk2, clarins & kose can be found @ pink beauty. Even salon brands such as Redken, kerastase can be found at venus & pink beauty. Something that surprises me is that even imported japan brands such as kracie masks can be found at venus and pink beauty. Perfumes such as anna sui, DKNY and versace can be found in pink beauty.

Well, i only buy my drugstore stuff from these shops so far. for eg, i bought my simple cleansing wipes there and they dint give me any problems. As for the counter brands, im not so sure if its authentic since i dint buy there. what i can assure you is the price haha. Its really cheap, at least 20%! the price diff can be understand since hk pricing is also very cheap.

There is watsons & guardian nearby these beauty shops, so do remember to chk them out as well, there are times when watsons and guardian are cheaper, esp when they have discounts and sales.

Do check the manufactured dates when you buy. sometimes when the price diff is so big till its hard to believe, check the dates. take those at the back of the rack, cos tts where they put those thats manufactured later ;)

Update: The distributor for versace perfume at pink beauty is the same as the 1 found at metro. so i guess that means the perfume is authentic haha!