Review: SK-II Cellumination Deep Surge EX

If you've been a long time reader of this blog, you may notice that I have a thing for SK-II.

Review: Origins GinZing Eye Cream

Happy Sunday!

Review: SK-II Stempower & SK-II Signature Eye Cream

It's been awhile now since I finished using the SK-II Stempower and the SK-II Signature Eye Cream. This review is way long overdue. 

Battle of the Make-Up Wipes: Neutrogena vs. Simple

I've been pretty obsessed with make up wipes lately. I'd totally attribute this to stumbling across the Neutrogena Make Up Remover Cleaning Towelettes while on vacation in Sydney earlier this year.

Review: Kose Sekkisei Lotion

I have been using the Kose Sekkisei Lotion for close to 5 months now. Whilst it didn't take a really long time for me to form an opinion on the product itself, I still took quite some time to decide on whether to share my thoughts here since I believe that this is a pretty well-known product which has been in the market even before I was born!

Review: Caudalie Vinoperfect Cell Renewal Night Cream

** This is going to be a long post **

Favorite Beauty Treats

Review: SK-II Facial Treatment Essence

If you remember this post here, YES, it has been quite some time since I've bought and tried out the SK-II Facial Treatment Essence. I've been meaning to share my thoughts here. However, interestingly for this product, my opinions only formed on my second bottle of product and after more than 6 months of usage.

Even without much further introduction from my end, I believe many would have already heard about this product from the aggressive advertisements everywhere. This product claims to have the benefits of boosting texture refinement, firmness power, wrinkle resilience, radiance enhancement and spots control. From the website, it claims to contain more than 90% of Pitera which helps to maintain the skin’s natural renewal cycle to its optimum condition to allow skin nourishment and helps balance skin’s pH and sebum moisturization.

Too much information to handle? Well, in summary, this is known as the ‘Miracle Water’.

Review: July's Bella Box

Sorry for going on hiatus for the past month. I have accumulated so many beauty stuff which I really wanted to share here, but unfortunately, had not much time to do so. Definitely hoping that with myself stepping onto a new milestone in Sep, I will have more time to write on this blog.

Anyway, back to what I'm suppose to share here today. As with the other months, I've received my July's Bella Box in the early weeks into the month. This is my third box so far and I've noticed that the management has switched up its delivery service to a hand delivery service (i.e. The delivery man will actually call you up and make sure that the box is hand delivered to you). I quite like this service, however, it did come with an increased price of $19.95 instead of the initial $15. 

Review: Bioderma Hydrabio Exfoliating Cream

After much procrastination, I'm finally posting up this long overdue review on Bioderma Hydrabio Exfoliating Cream.

I'm sure there's no need for much introduction to Bioderma, as most of you would have already be quite familiar with this much acclaimed French skincare line. YES! that's the one which came to fame in the beauty blogging world via its amazing Sensibio H2O Makeup Remover.

Like most, I was drawn to the products due to the rave reviews by so many youtubers and beauty bloggers - I have not heard any bad reviews on Bioderma yet, frigging unbelieveble right? However, I must saay that like the 99%, my decision to jump on the bandwagon was on the money. ;)

Bioderma is essentially a dermatologist brand designed for sensitive skin. It is created by a French laboratory and owns different skincare ranges under the same brand. It is also claimed to be one of the most prescribe brand by French dermatologists. And like all of its range, the Hydrabio line is specifically catered for dehydrated and sensitive skin. 

Contrary to any exfoliater that I've ever used, the Hydrabio Exfoliating Cream claims to be able to provide gentle and moisturising exfoliation. Gentle is pretty much what many exfoliating products claim to do, but hydrating and moisturising is definitely one of the very first I've encountered, at least for drugstore brands. Here are some claims from their official website:

• The patented Aquagenium^® biological complex stimulates the skin’s cellular capabilities, re-training it to generate in depth, and to lock in on the surface, the moisture essential for its balance.
• Cleansed and hydrated in depth with Hydrabio Exfoliating cream, the skin regains its comfort, softness and radiance, and derives full benefit from the hydration* procured by the Hydrabio skin care range.
• Non-comedogenic and hypoallergenic, Hydrabio Exfoliating cream respects the dehydrated skin’s sensitivity and guarantees excellent tolerance.

With such amazing claims, one must wonder whether does the product really works as well. Honestly speaking, I do not have sensitive skin so I'm not sure how this will work on sensitive skin. However, one thing that I can be sure of is that contrary to any face exfoliation products I've used before, this is one of the gentlest and non-moisture stripping face exfoliation product ever. 

 

The product is lightly scented and the texture is creamy which is different from most exfoliater I've tried which are watery.  There are some microbeads in the cream and it's very well blended together with the cream to provide gentle exfoliation. A little of this product goes a really long way as it lathers really well on the surface of my skin. After each exfoliation, I find that my skin feels alot smoother, brighter and has no slightest hint of tightness (something that is common for harsh exfoliater). 

After Exfoliation with Bioderma Hydrabio Exfoliating Cream

The method of use is very simple where you only need to squeeze a tiny bit onto your palm and gently massage it onto a slightly damped face in circular movements, avoiding the eye contour area. 

I use this product once to twice a week and it works really well in removing the dirts and dead skin from the surface of my skin. This is something that I totally recommend especially for those who apply makeup on a daily basis as most of the time products tend to clog our pores even with daily cleansing. 

I would say that this is definitely one of the best drugstore face exfoliater which I've tried so far and I can foresee that it will be a mainstay in my skincare routine.

Have you tried any Bioderma products?

xx

Guide to Naruko: am Wakeup Skin Smooth Washing Powder

As opposed to any facial wash I've tried, the Naruko [ampm] am Wakeup Skin Smooth Washing Powder is my very first powder format facial cleanser. I have always been skeptical about such products and by now, you must be wondering why I even bought it in the first place.

Answer is, I got this as a free gift from purchasing the Naruko skin care guide.

According to Naruko's site, this product contains papaya enzyme, vitamin E, bifidus ferment filtrate, micro-dermabrasion crystals and etc. (bunch of stuff in chinese that I don't recognize). The papaya enzyme is said to be able to remove dead skin cells while the microbeads promote cell turnover rate. Both ultimately combats dullness which will lead to a more radiant and healthy complexion.

The method of use is rather straightforward; just pour a walnut size amount of powder to the palm and work out a lather by mixing the powder with a small amount of water. The product is also recommended for use in the morning instead, as it supposedly wakes up the skin.

My 2 cents: 

After consistently using this for a few months, I came to a conclusion that this product this product do works well as a morning cleanser. However, I find that the main 'waking up' factor for my skin is the strong herbal scent rather than any other abovementioned ingredients. I also do agree that it provides gentle exfoliation and brightens up my skin, especially on days that I'm deprived of sleep.

Yet, this is one of those cleansers that I find myself rarely reaching out for on my bathroom counter (I prefer the rose & botanic aqua cubic cleanser). Main reason is that I find that it can be a lil' drying for my liking (I have combination skin type) and the strong herbal scent sometimes gets to my nerve.

Overall, I wouldn't recommend this as a must try among all the different cleansers by Naruko. Especially for those with dry skin, you might want to get a sample before buying the product.

xx

Guide to Naruko: Rose & Botanic HA Aqua Cubic Foaming Wash

Ever since started using Naruko products, I've been meaning to share some of my product experience here. However, owing to the reason that I do own quite a number of products from Naruko, I decided that I would do a Naruko review series this whole month instead of combining the reviews in one post.

The first product on my review list is the Naruko Rose & Botanic HA Aqua Cubic Foaming Wash. This facial wash is part of the Rose & Snow Fungas collection that is recommended for dry, dull or sagging skin. From what I know, this line of products is also one of the classic best seller from Naruko due to the intense hydration benefit.

Each line by Naruko offers a holistic regime ranging from cleanser all the way to sleeping mask. Amongst the different lines, I decided to purchase this cleanser due to its claim of providing gentle cleansing experience and intense hydration.

This cleanser comes in a dense and creamy formula. It is strongly scented with a rose scent due to having rose essential oil as one of the ingredients. Though I'm not a fan of scented facial care, I enjoyed this product especially at night as it gives a really soothing feeling after a long day at work.

Aside from the rose essential oil, the product contains amino acid, hyarulonic acid and snow fungas extract; all of which are ingredients which enhances hydration, ensuring that moisture is not stripped away from the skin. Even though facial cleansers are usually my least concern in my daily regime, I do notice that the cleanser leaves my skin soft after each wash and my pores condition is also improving by the day.

Overall, I do not have any complains regarding this product and would definitely recommend anyone to try out if you are looking to purchase from Naruko. The product retails at price below and can be purchase from their official distributor site in Malaysia and Singapore.

RM29 (Naruko Malaysia Official Site)

SG$15 (Naruko Singapore Official Site)

TW$199 (Naruko Taiwan Official Site) - For international customers

p/s: This cleanser alone does not remove makeup hence make up remover is a must to ensure all makeup is removed fully.

xx

I love Empties #2: Part 1 - Skin Care

After much procrastination, I'm finally putting up this post. These are basically all the products that I've finished using up since 2011 till now. As I have alot of products to show, I will be splitting this into 2 or 3 parts, depending on my blogging mojo. :)

Part 1. Skincare

Soap & Glory Hand Food

This is my all-time favorite hand cream. I love the smell and how soft my hands feel right after each application. Furthermore, the price is really affordable and a small really does go a long way. If you are in search of a new hand cream, I definitely would recommend you to give this a try.

Biotherm White D-Tox Corrective Make Up Base

I think this must be my third tube of make up base/primer from Biotherm. This range of product comes in 5 different shades. I have personally tried the instant brightening (my favorite) and the rosy glow ones and find both to not only corrects my skintone but also keep my foundation on all day. Sometimes I even wear this just with a thin layer of powder! Though I'm trying out other primers at the moment, I can safely say that this is my Holy Grail primer for now.

Merlot Grape Seed Eye Cream

I do not have a review of this on my blog as I was too lazy to post it up.. Opps. I think this is really a very basic type of eye cream. It keeps my eye area moisturize and prevents fine lines. The consistency is rather thick and it does take some time for the product to completely sink into my skin. I have absolutely no complains for it but being a skin care fanatic as I am, I just can't help looking for the next great product out there. That said, if you are looking for an affordable product, definitely give this a try. This can be found here or here.

Biore UV Aqua Rich SPF 50++

I think this is a very average sunscreen. I wasn't a big fan of it but while I was using it, it did a good job preventing my skin from getting tan. It is also non-sticky and sinks into the skin in no time. Aside from that, I didn't find anything really interesting about the product.

Mandom Cleansing Express Agecare Cleansing Lotion

I love this product. It is my holy grail water-based cleansing lotion. I have reviewed this once here on this blog.

Laneige Perfect Renew Essence

I really enjoyed Laneige's skin care, especially the water bank series and the perfect renew series. The Perfect Renew series prevents premature series and while I was using it, I think it did a really good job keeping fine lines out my skin.

Laneige Perfect Renew Skin Refiner

Similar to the same range's essence, the texture of this skin refiner/toner is light and refreshing. I also think that this product did a good job with the whole anti-aging claims that it came with. Like what I mentioned about the other products, while I really enjoyed most of the empties in this post and will recommend it to people around, I wouldn't necessary repurchase them as I love trying new products.

Laneige Water Bank Hydro Gel & Gel Cream

Looking at how I have finished up 2 tubs of the same product, I believe you would already know how much I love this range of moisturizer. The hydro gel cream is said to be even more moisturizing than the hydro gel. It is also slightly more expensive. However, in my honest opinion, I think both are the same and give out the same results. In fact, I prefer the hydro gel better as the packaging is much more user friendly compared to the hydro gel cream.

Naruko Narcissus Total Defense Fundamental Serum

I adore this product! I can safely say that this is in fact my favorite out of all the product I have tried. It enhances the absorption of the next skin care product that I apply on to my skin. I am currently using the second bottle in my skin care routine. The only downside about this product is that each bottle only lasts about 3 - 4 months. The pump is also annoying as it uses a dropper to take out products. However, if you are looking to purchase anything from Naruko, definitely try this out!

Baviphat Grape Anti-Wrinkle Gel Cream

Yes, yes! I am obsessed with anti aging skin care at the moment. I know I probably should accept aging as a natural human growth process but I just can't get passed seeing even a slight sign of age on my skin. Anyway, back to this product. I have reviewed it here. This is not something I recommend for sure as it did nothing as far as anti aging goes.

Stay tune for the next installment on Make Up and Hair Products.

xx

Review: Biotherm Aquasource Starter Kit

It was around the beginning of this year that I bought a set of Biotherm Aquasource starter kit for travel purposes. Since then, I've always wanted to share the review here but as time passes by, it just kinda slipped my mind.

So the other day, while I was going through and reading some comments, I came across one which requested a review on this set of product. I kept a firm mental note on it this time round and so, here it is!

This set retails at RM 100 in Malaysia. I believe that selected Biotherm counters may still carry them now but u gotta check out popular counters like the ones in One Utama, Pavilion etc. I have already finished using the Aquasource gel and I absolutely adore it. I love the hydration and how it controls the size of my pores, making them visibly smaller. Really awesome product.

As for the cleanser and the toner, I still have about half of it left. Honestly, I don't find myself reaching for this 2 products and I'm certainly not a huge fan of it. Out of the 3 products in this trial set, the only one which I will repurchase is the Aquasource gel (aka moisturizer). I did not enjoy the squeaky kinda feeling the cleanser gives me. It really did clean my face very well, but I just am not a fan of how my skin feels right after.

As for the toner, I find that it might be just my preference of skin care that causes me to shy away from it. I prefer toners that soften the texture of my skin and I just don't feel that this toner did so. 

Overall, I would still recommend this trial kit if you can find it since it is really very convenient for travel. As for which product I will purchase in full size, I'd say I'm sticking to the Aquasource gel. 

Hope this review helps.

XX

Review: Mandom Cleansing Express Agecare & Bright Up Cleansing Lotions.

If you are looking for an effective, fast and convenient makeup remover, you are at the right place.

The Mandom Cleansing Express is one of my new found love which I've discovered in the aisle of Watson's (my local drugstore). Retailing between SG$ 16.90 - SG$18.90, this product is 100% oil free, water-based and comes with moisture retaining benefit while providing effective and fast cleansing action that is comparable to an oil cleanser. Whilst the traditional oil cleansers usually require an extra step of rinsing the residues off, this water based product kicks that step outta the picture. Amazing right? 

Frankly speaking, I was pretty skeptical about the product's many claims initially. Make up remover that is oil free, preservative free, alcohol free, colorant free, fragrant free and best of all water based? Sounds too good to be true to me! However, after using one bottle of it, I was completely sold.  So impressed that I ran out and purchased my second bottle immediately.

The product comes in 4 different types, Moist, Sebum, Agecare and Bright Up. I have tried Bright Up & Agecare which I must say I am very impressed with both results. I do personally prefers Bright Up due to the brightening benefits but Agecare leaves my skin soft and moisturized.

Both bottles were able to completely remove my daily makeup and the rinsing part is completely optional, but due to my personal habit, I tend to rinse off with water just to prevent any remaining residues. Like what the product claims, I love how moisturized my skin feels after each use. The direction to use is also really simple, no rocket science at all:

How to Use:

1. Pump 2 pumps onto a cotton

2. Gently wipe the wet cotton all over the face until no traces of makeup is found on cotton

3. Voila! U're done!

With the many benefits aside, this product is perfectly design for people with hectic work hours. I gotta confess that there were many times when I got home really late from work, I would just remove my makeup with this product and jump into bed straight without even washing my face nor applying any skin care products. I know its a bad habit but the amazing bit is that my skin still looks OK the second day.

~OMG~

This product is definitely one of my Holy Grail at the moment. I totally totally recommend this product if you are looking for a quick and efficient makeup remover without burning a big hole in your pocket.

xx

P/S: On a side note, I gotta say that this product has been able to remove all my face makeup (even heavy foundation) and light eye makeup so far. If you are into very heavy eye makeup/or waterproof mascara, it might take longer to remove and may not work as well. 

Review: Biotherm White D-Tox Corrective Make Up Base

Here's a review of my all time favorite makeup base which I have featured on my February Favorites post. As I've mentioned, this is probably my third/fourth bottle now and I must say that I am very impressed with it.

Review: Baviphat Grape Anti Wrinkle Gel Cream

I have been consistently using this product for almost a month now and am finally comfortable in sharing a review on this blog. I feel really bad for always taking such a long time to try out a product (min 3 weeks), but I really want to get a good feel on how the product works and personally the longer I use them, the better I'll be able to notice the changes.

Review: Hada Labo Gokujyun Super Hyaluronic Acid Moisturizing Mask

I finally tried out this sheet mask that has been sitting in my fridge for over a month. This mask came along as a free gift along with the moisturizing lotion which I hauled not too long ago.

Review: Hada Labo Gokujyun Super Hyaluronic Acid Moisturizing Cream

Blogger has really been driving me crazy lately.. I wanted to get this post up last night but it was impossible to load the new post page on Mozilla and Chrome browser. And now I resort to using my oldie but goodie ancient Internet Explorer. Yay! Now I know who to turn to when all else fail.

Anyway enough of  my lamenting!

For almost half a month now, I have been using the Hada Labo Intense Hydration Moisturizing Cream and can say that I am confident to give a proper review / report of the product.

Review: The Face Shop Brightening Rice Water Cleansing Emulsion

Hello my lovelies, I'm back with yet another review! Been wanting to do this review for the longest time but I was too lazy and occupied with my life. =)