March 2014 ~ Pu Niao's<br> Beauty Junkie Reviews

The real reason you can't lose weight
Product Reviews versus Sponsored Reviews
Benefits of Face Steaming
Guest Blogging Guidelines
Innisfree Bija Anti-Trouble Spot Essence R Review

Saturday, March 29, 2014

Kracie Ichikami Moisturizing Care Conditioner (Apricot) Review

By Unknown Saturday, March 29, 2014 // No comments

WHAT IS IT: Kracie Ichikami Moisturizing Care Conditioner (Apricot)

THE PRODUCT(S):

Kracie Ichikami Moisturizing Care Conditioner: Formulated with concentrated Pure Japanese Botanical extracts to intensively repair damaged hair, resulting in shiny, silky hair. Replenishes hair's moisture and shine lose due to damage. Hydrates hair and scalp and prevents damage caused by dryness. With doubled moisturizing ingredients Apricot Oil and Tea Flower extract for hair and scalp.

The big bottle comes with a pump nozzle that I like for easy access, although I prefer flip caps as it's easier to bring around if I need to shower away from home.

It looks thick and creamy, but it spreads decently onto wet hair and it doesn't take too much effort nor trouble to rinse it off.

VERDICT: Let me just say this straight. I love the scent Krachie Ichikami products have, it's so flowery and fruit at the same time without making you feel nauseous. Normally, I am not a flower and fruity kind of person, fruit I can handle. But flowery is just too girly for me, it's just, I don't know. Flowers or flowery is more suited for girls who are dainty, small and sweet and I just feel sort of "over-sized" for dainty, small and sweet no matter how I tried to look at it. Each and every Krachie Ichikami product have different scents, but they always delight and amaze me all the time.

The texture and consistency is typical of most regular conditioners, the only different is the apricot and sakura fragrance that doesn't overwhelm. It spreads well on wet hair and easy to smooth onto hair without much difficulty needed. As I find that the conditioner works really well, I don't need to leave it longer than supposed to and when it's time to rinse it off, it just washes off easily without having to re-rinse repeatedly, something most conditioners should be able to do.

After shower, I noticed my hair smelling wonderful with a fruit and flowery scent that is mild and unnoticeable unless a gust of wind decides to show up. And my hair felt so smooth and soft, it's almost like my hair was never damaged from coloring before. Normally, conditioners just simply made hair feel soft and smooth but you can still tell it's not quite enough at all. It needs to feel soft, smooth and healthy like virgin hair which this product somehow managed to achieve for my not so greatly abused hair.

And despite my hair drying up from the wetness and a day after, my hair didn't lose the softness and smoothness at all. It actually lasts for as long as the next shower session. A little something I am really grateful for as Krachie Ichikami's philosophy is hair first, appearance second. If you have lousy looking hair that looks oily and mangled/tangled, people's perception of you is greatly reduced. Whereas if the hair looks healthy, your appearance can still be slightly overlooked, they'll probably credit it to rushing, hence the slightly messy appearance.

Let's face it, if I were to meet someone for the first time and if that person has really messy, dirty, oily and untidy hair, even if he or she is dressed to kill, I wouldn't want to make any acquaintance at all. However, if the other party has really clean, tidy and healthy looking hair whereas the clothes just look maybe a little crumpled, I'll just ignore the clothes as he or she was probably rushing for time and rushed all the way to the meeting point, isn't it?

VERDICT: ✓✓✓

WHAT I THINK: The fragrance of the product is alright, as it's not too heavy nor cloying. Yet at the same time, it doesn't feel as if the scent got heavier even after usage. And my hair looked clean, glossy and healthy too.

WHERE TO REDEEM SAMPLE: So far, I've never come across samples for this particular conditioner yet.

Curel Intensive Moisture Care Moisture Lotion II Review

By Unknown Thursday, March 27, 2014 // No comments

WHAT IS IT: Curel Intensive Moisture Care Moisture Lotion II

THE PRODUCT(S):

Curel Intensive Moisture Care Moisture Lotion II: Contains Eucalyptus extract that penetrates deeply into the stratum corneum so skin becomes smooth, fully moisturized and resistant to external irritation. Helps to improve your skin's natural barrier function, soothe and protect skin from dryness. Leaves a thoroughly moist feel. Suitable for dry skin.

Honestly, I kept thinking it's supposed to be a toner of some sort, but the description made it sound like it isn't. I'm just going to presume it is a toner and used it as such.

VERDICT: The scent! Despite the product claiming that it contains eucalyptus, I can't really smell anything eucalyptus or minty out of it. I think this is a product line that focus more on proving the product works than to focus on the scent, which I think it s bonus. If not, some of us are just going to buy some Curel products, sniff at it day in and day out and refused to touch it until our nose OD (Over Dose) on the scent and never actually try it out. I once encountered a facial scrub that is supposedly pineapple-based, but it looks more like car perfume. Everyone who bought the related magazine that gives out that pineapple scrub for free commented that they used it for their cars than to use it on their face LOL

The moisture lotion's texture and consistency is typical of regular toner or toner-esque products, so I'm just going to skip it. But I did noticed that it doesn't irritate my skin, and surprisingly, it is light but at the same time, I did feel the toner on my skin as opposed to previous brands I won't named, where the toner just simply feels as if I am rubbing tap water on my skin only. Let's just say this Moisture Lotion II doesn't make you feel like you are rubbing tape water on your skin.

After application, I proceed to apply/layer on my other skincare products with in between 15 to 20 minutes time for my skin to absorb the products. And so far, it never "clashed" with the other brand name products I am using. However, I also noticed that this Moisture Lotion II itself isn't making me see any difference to my skin at all. I believe people with really dry or really sensitive skin would benefit more from this product than someone who have oily/combination skin.

VERDICT: ✓✓

WHAT I THINK: It's really lightweight on the skin, which I think is more suited for dry/sensitive skin than oily/combination skin.

WHERE TO REDEEM SAMPLE: Curel website and Facebook page regularly hosts sampling acitivity whenever they released new products or product line, so you might want to keep track of their Facebook page instead. Not sure if you can still get samples for this particular line though.

Phyto Subtil Elixir Review

By Unknown Tuesday, March 25, 2014 // No comments

WHAT IS IT: Phyto Subtil Elixir

THE PRODUCT(S):

Phyto Subtil Elixir: A subtle blend of four enhancing oils, the efficiency of this unique elixir lies in the perfect alchemy of camellia, karanja, egg yolk and corn germ that act together to reveal the full beauty of hair and deliver softness and shine. SUBTIL ELIXIR provides nutrition, it enhances and illuminates dry and ultra dry hair with incredible lightness.

This fine, lightweight, and easy-to-rinse oil effortlessly penetrates into each strand bringing damaged, dehydrated hair back to life. The formula restructures ultra-dry hair while leaving a discreet fragrance of banana leaf, passion flower, gardenia, and exotic musk notes. Hair feels immediately replenished and its original softness and shine are restored.

Looks like it's really heavy and will weight down hair once applied, but surprisingly, it does. Tangled hair ends just simply smooth out without any effort needed after a light application.

VERDICT: I love this product's scent as it is so wonderful although I can't really put a finger to exactly what the scent reminds me of as it leaves a discreet fragrance of banana leaf, passion flower, gardenia, and exotic musk notes. which sounded like it's going to be those weird scent. But surprisingly, it doesn't. It smells just, wonderful, to sum it up in one word.

Despite it being oil-like and looking like typical hair oil, I find that it is really lightweight on my hair. Whether I have long or short hair, I find that I tend to have tangled ends on a daily basis. But this product actually smoothed out the tangled ends without making me lose hair and it doesn't really weigh down my hair. Although if you have oily scalp/hair, you might want to go easy on the amount applied to your hair though. As this is a pre-shampoo treatment, it doesn't affect the overall effects even after washing my hair with my usual shampoo.

Normally, I'm a kiasu type of person whenever a product says "Leave on for X minutes", I tend to leave it on longer partly because I tend to forgot I have pre-shampoo treatment or pre-shower or pre-whatever I've done. And surprisingly, it doesn't make my hair feel extra oily and limp even if I go past the allocated time indicated. I think you can leave this product overnight on your hair, but as usual, don't go overboard with it. Just around 1 or 2 pumps, depending on how long or how short your hair is.

And despite washing it off with shampoo, I am amazed at how soft and smooth my hair felt. It feels as if it was virgin hair a.k.a hair that hasn't been colored, perm, treated or generally "abused" at a salon just for the sake of fashion and beauty. It just feels like my hair from when I was still a teenager and school students weren't allowed to color or perm or even style their hair outrageously inside school. And my hair felt so glossy, like those hair advertisement you see on television and magazine, but without feeling oily at all.

As I had quite a few sample sachets, I gave the remaining packs to my manager at work who mentioned that her hair is so dry and brittle. She never got back to me about how her hair improved or not, although I could see her hair looking less dry. And because she colored her hair, I also noticed the color of her hair looking so glossy and beautiful, as if she just barely went for a re-color treatment just a few hours ago.

VERDICT: ✓✓✓

WHAT I THINK: I heard the actual retail size bottle is rather expensive, but hey, if the sample already gave more than it promised, I believed the price is worth spending.

WHERE TO REDEEM SAMPLE: I previously got my samples when Phyto just released this in Singapore and was hosting a sampling activity. You can pop by any Phyto/Beauty by Nature outlet and ask if they have samples for this.

Formula 10.0.6 Pores Be Pure Skin Clarifying Mud Mask Review

By Unknown Sunday, March 23, 2014 // No comments

WHAT IS IT: Formula 10.0.6 Pores Be Pure Skin Clarifying Mud Mask Strawberry & Yarrow

THE PRODUCT(S):

Formula 10.0.6 Pores Be Pure Skin Clarifying Mud Mask Strawberry & Yarrow: Pores Be Pure is the skin-clarifying mud mask that helps to eliminate impurities and clear blocked pores. With the help of Strawberry, Yarrow and Rosemary, Pores Be Pure provides your skin with instant complexion perfection. Packed with anti-oxidants, berries much like the Strawberry found in Pores Be Pure are great for your memory and great for your pores!

The product looks really thick and unspreadable, but surprisingly, it literally "melted" as soon as I start spreading it around my face :D

As long as you apply a thin enough amount to cover your skin and not let any patch of skin show up, it dries up pretty decently. A slight tingling sensation was felt when it slowly started to dry.

VERDICT: I absolutely love the light berry scent on this product, when was the last time I got to buy and try out a product that smells like berry without being over-cloying. Never! So, the scent was a nice surprise when I opened up the foil seal and squeezed out the mask to apply. I bought this together with the other 2 Formula 10.0.6, which unfortunately, was the only 3 products Watsons had in their store before it overwent a much-needed renovation. Even after application onto the skin, I don't find the scent anymore annoying. Instead, the scent is more like, if you sniff it straight from the bottle, you get that berry scent. But if you apply it onto your skin, the berry scent doesn't waft over to your nose without warning.

As I am game enough to try out new mud packs and mud masks of any type, I thought this one of many favorite products of mine, considering that I checked out their website and realized that most of their products contained fruits or vegetables of some type, which just sounded so naturally good for the skin. Imagine this, strawberries boost our skin with natural brightness while the rosemary part is actually good for oily and combination skin types. Yep, I am a total sucker for mud packs and mud masks that contains fruit and vegetables of some sort in it.

The texture and consistency looked thick and creamy and at the same time, it also looked as if it's really hard to spread out. But surprise, it wasn't. Maybe it's the body heat we have, but as soon as the product comes into contact with my skin and I started to spread/brush it out, it just smooths and spreads out gently without having to use brute force of any type. Like all masks, this one also need a thin layer on the face to do the job and because it is a clarifying mud mask, I felt this tingling sensation on my skin which I thought was just enough. Not over-the-top tingling that made you attempt the silent scream with your mouth wide open.

And when the mask itself dries up on my skin, I find that it dries pretty well without making my skin feel too tight. It also washes off nicely without having to scrub it off. Just step under the shower, let the tap water flow onto your skin to re-soften the dried mask and slowly massage it off. I tend to use mud masks prior to showering, so it works out for me when I step into the shower to get if off instead of bending over a sink and feel like I have to scrub it off.

As my skin is more of the oily/combination type, I find that this product does it's job in drawing excess sebum out. And hours after using it, I noticed my skin doesn't look like it's too oily and there was this natural brightness. And I loved how my pores and skin felt cleaner after using this product. Normal mud masks just simply clean off gunk from the surface of your skin most of the time, but because this product contains 2% salicylic acid, it actually managed to get my pores clean. Do note that if you have really sensitive or dry skin, it might sting like crazy instead of a slight cooling and tingling sensation.

VERDICT: ✓✓✓

WHAT I THINK: It felt great to use on my skin, the berry scent is really wonderful without being over-cloying and I find my skin calmer, cleaner, clearer and brighter from using it.

WHERE TO REDEEM SAMPLE: No samples for redemption.

How does eyeliner work?

By Unknown Friday, March 21, 2014 // No comments

~Image from: Glasses Online Blog~

Eyeliners are formulated into two basic types: pencils and liquids. While the details vary, both types use the same basic ingredients.

Basic Ingredients

The base is the backbone of the formula. In the case of pencils, it's the waxy/greasy matrix that forms the core of the pencil; in the liquids it's the water/oil emulsion in which the rest of the ingredients are suspended.

Typical base ingredients includes waxes and oils, emollients (spreading agents) and, in the case of the liquid type, water and emulsifiers.

Colors

Colorants in eyeliners (and other cosmetics used around the eye) must be approved by the FDA (in the United States). Colorants that can be incorporated in products for other parts of the body aren't necessarily safe enough to be used around your eyes.

Typical colorants include iron oxides and ultramarine pigments. Carmine is another colorant you see from time to time. It's a red color made from crushed insect bodies.

Control Agents

These are added to eyeliner formulations to make sure the product meets specifications when it's manufactured and that it maintains high quality. These include chemicals that control the pH, or acid/base balance of the product, and that keep the product free of bacteria and mold. In some oil-based formulas, an antioxidant may be added to keep the waxes and oils from going rancid.

Typical control agents include tocopherol (also known as Vitamin E), used for its antioxidant properties, as well as citric acid, methylparaben and propylparaben.

Featured Ingredients

Several things can be added to eyeliners to make them more appealing to consumers. These ingredients don't change the way the product works or the way it looks, but marketers add them because women think they are helpful. For some reason, aloe vera is a popular featured ingredient.

There are two ways that understanding eyeliner ingredients could be helpful. Let's say your favorite eyeliner is being discontinued. If you know what kind of base ingredients to look for, you might be able to pick a replacement without having to try so many new products. On the flip side, if you're experiencing irritation or an allergic reaction to your eyeliner, you might be able to figure out what ingredients to stay away from when you shop for a new one.

The Color of Love

By Unknown Wednesday, March 19, 2014 // No comments

~Image from: MakeUp4All~

The color red has long been associated with St. Valentine's Day. It's the color of the blood that runs through our hearts, so it's not surprising that it's always been linked to love and passion.

We see the color of passion reflected all over fashion and cosmetics. Everyone has (or should have!) a sexy red lipstick or nail polish for special romantic occasions. These products and many others exist thanks to the miracle of modern chemistry which has give us colorants such as FD&C red #40 and D&C red #33.

Of course, we weren't always lucky enough to have such a rainbow of reds to choose from. Originally, red dye came from a more natural, yet more disgusting source: crushed insect bodies - the cochineal insect to be precise.

These bugs grow in certain varieties of cacti. They're hand-picked and immersed in hot water to kill them and to dissolve the waxy coating of their shells. The dead bugs are dried in the sun and then ground into a fine powder that can be used as dye for fabrics, foods and cosmetics.

Today, modern chemistry can synthetically create a wide variety of red dyes, so we don't have to rely on picking bugs off cacti to make our pucker look pretty. And that's just one more reason to be thankful to cosmetics chemists!

B.liv Off With Those Heads - Blackheads Sebum Gel Review

By Unknown Monday, March 17, 2014 // No comments

WHAT IS IT: B.liv Off With Those Heads – Blackheads Sebum Gel

THE PRODUCT(S):

B.liv Off With Those Heads – Blackheads Sebum Gel: Say goodbye to painful squeezing! This light cooling gel promises to easily remove stubborn blackheads and whiteheads in just 14 days of daily application. It keeps excessive oil secretion under control while preventing future irritation and breakouts.

I got a few of this due to b.liv running sampling activities once in a while, and honestly, this is like my 3rd or 4th sample bottle I am using now.

The gel itself is only a little runny, but it does get too runny once it comes into contact with our body heat. Mine was just sliding off my skin while I was trying to take this shot :(

VERDICT: Let's just skip the scent as I just didn't catch any sort of scent to it through vigorous sniffing only the scent of alcohol-like smell. Or maybe my nose isn't feeling well. Meh~

Basically, this little bottle of blackhead sebum gel's main function is to primarily clear out whiteheads and blackheads without ever needing to use those 'head extractors anymore. Sounds too good to be true? I agree with you there, no matter how great a product is, we still ultimately in the end, need to get that extractor out and squeeze away like sunrise isn't going to happen. Either that, or we're not going to step out of the house with a face full of whiteheads and blackheads.

This product has a gel consistency and texture, but it's easy to apply as it's really lightweight on the skin. Best part of all is that it has this cooling sensation when applied to the skin. Something every facial product need to have in hot and humid Singapore, we need a little "cooling" effect happen whenever we apply facial products. Luckily, I had no adverse reaction from using this product despite close to a month from using the sample bottles.

Basically, I only this product after the pre-essence and essence part, but before the actual facial serum and moisturizer. I can honestly say this product left a sticky sensation on my skin a few minutes after application. It almost feels as if I already applied facial moisturizer even though I have not. Technically, I only use it on my T-zone and only the T-zone area as this part of my face is more prone to whiteheads and blackheads. My cheeks are still okay, they do get the occasional whiteheads, but it's like only once in a bluemoon, so I am not too overly concerned as long as I cleaned my face correctly and moisturized properly and correctly.

As each bottle can last close to 2 weeks since I only use a really small amount, I noticed that I did somehow see a slight difference. There's almost no more whiteheads that I can see anymore with the naked eye, whereas blackheads seem to take longer to show up as opposed to the weekly blackhead affair that used to occur without fail. Besides, blackheads are actually easy to take care of, no matter how or which method to use. But whiteheads are a different matter, because it's a whitehead, it's not really noticeable at first glance.

As for the whiteheads, let's just say it softened up and with just a light press to my skin with the extractor, I was a little spooked out and amazed at the same time so much gunk and yucky things show up without warning. I'm just going to spare you all the gory images of squeezed out whiteheads and blackheads in case you all have a nightmare because of me. But still, I was impressed with the fact that the time I used this product, I didn't literally have to touch my extractor much. The only time I did was just to see if any softened whiteheads would come oozing out if I gave a gentle squeeze 0_0

VERDICT: ✓✓✓

WHAT I THINK: Pricey but actually works, even though I was skeptical at first. Hmm... I should be able to last through December and get an actual retail-sized bottle from my bonus + paycheck.

WHERE TO REDEEM SAMPLE: Whenever b.liv has sampling activities going on, this bottle is sure to be included with the sample kit. So, just keep a lookout for the next b.liv sampling activity coming up :)

The Body Shop Papaya Shower Gel Review

By Unknown Saturday, March 15, 2014 // No comments

WHAT IS IT: The Body Shop Papaya Shower Gel

THE PRODUCT(S):

The Body Shop Papaya Shower Gel: This soap-free shower gel contains real papaya seed oil and has a sweet, fruity scent. It is lather-rich and has a sweet papaya scent.

Really runny, perfect for spreading onto a bath sponge and lather up.

Despite the presence of foam, it doesn't dry out my skin at all and the scent isn't overly cloying.

VERDICT: I'd start with the fact that a few years ago, The Body Shop was selling majority of their shower gels for up to S$20 a bottle. That was around the time when I first got my very first membership with The Body Shop, and a few years down the road, they suddenly start lowering the prices dramatically. And now, each bottle of shower gel only costs up to S$6.90 at most. A steal? Oh yes, I always stock up on my shower gels at least once every few months. And like I have mentioned previously in my other posts, I have really sensitive skin and I cannot share the communal soap bar with the rest of my family. But I'm pretty sure it has something to do with my brother that gives me a bad skin reaction after he uses that same soap bar everyone uses.

Personally, I'm not really a big fan of the actual papapya fruit. Although the shower gel is totally in a different league. The scent of this shower gel is sweet, but the sweetness isn't over-cloying at all. It's like a papaya soap bar in a bottle. If you don't open it, you won't smell the scent wafting out. Thankfully, the scent only lingers on the skin gently after showering so you don't end up smelling like a tropical fruit on the streets of Singapore. A tropical fruit plus a hot, sweaty and sweltering weather is enough to make even the nicest scents smell weird and off eventually.

The texture and consistency is runny but not too watery, which is perfect for pouring or squeezing a desired amount onto a bath sponge and lather up. But I dare say a little goes a long way, and a little is still more than enough to get a lot of foam. It feels satisfying to see the foam showing up inside the shower and it is even more satisfying to rinse it off and have the feeling of moisturized skin that doesn't feel dry nor tight and taut.

What I love best is that the scent of papaya is faint after showering. And I think this is how shower gels should be in the long run. Why would you want to smell like an over-ripe fruit right in the middle of hot, sweaty and sweltering Singapore? I wouldn't! So, the faint scent of papay that actually wafts and lingers when you least expect is just something nice and gives your mind a mini perk-up moment when you're feeling overwhelmed.

VERDICT: ✓✓✓

WHAT I THINK: It doesn't dry out my skin after showering plus the fact that the scent doesn't stubbornly linger on strongly after showering. Just faint enough to get a whiff of it every now and then to refresh the mind.

WHERE TO REDEEM SAMPLE: So far, I've never encountered shower gel samples before. The closest would be those small travel-sized bottle version. But still, I've never saw travel-sized papaya shower gel too.

Udderly Smooth Chamois Cream Review

By Unknown Thursday, March 13, 2014 // No comments

WHAT IS IT: Udderly Smooth Chamois Cream

THE PRODUCT(S):

Udderly Smooth Chamois Cream: Udderly SMOOth® Chamois Cream can be applied to the skin or to the chamois depending on your preference. Helps keep skin comfortable and prevent chafing during long riders.

It looks thick yet creamy, almost like cream cheese the first time I literally laid eyes on the actual product after unscrewing the lid.

It actually feels lightweight despite the thick and creamy look to it and I find that it spreads and absorbs well, but only if you don't over-scoop onto your skin.

VERDICT: There's this light scent to it due to the shea butter, although I personally find that the scent really sits well with me. As I am really very particular about scents in products, I sometimes nitpick products by going through the scent first before deciding on the want or need factor. But thankfully, most times I made the right choice and didn't have to walk around smelling like a riot. Most times.

As everyone who is into cycling (on bicycles, that is), chamois cream like this Udderly Smooth Chamois Cream is like a godsend. Imagine sitting on a bicycle saddle for up between 4 to 8 hours each time you decide to go on a cycling trip. I've seen dudes trying to bike through Bukit Timah Nature Reserve and for those of you who are not clear about places in Singapore, Bukit Timah Nature Reserve is where majority of humans hike up steep slopes on their legs to reach the summit, plonk on the visitors seat and admire the scenery around them for hours. And I dare say the scenery on top of the Reserve is really damn awesome, although I don't like the fact that I literally and really sweat like a pig due to the long and uphill hike.

But now, imagine trying to cycle up or at least around the reserve around there is like asking for serious skin chaffing to happen. In comes this product to help alleviate the chaffing issue, and I believe most cyclists would swear by it. However, I use this for a different sort of chaffing going on. For some of us folks who are on the fleshier side a.k.a chubby, just to be nice, parts of our flesh rubs against flesh and then there comes the chaffing issue. I normally tend to use chamois cream like this on the area of skin beside my kneecaps, inside the inner thigh. My knees have the tendency to rub against each other despite my trying to walk like a dude with big balls. No offense there, bros.

Other than that, if I am wearing new flip flops and I unfortunately and stupidly bought those plastic types that chaffs the skin all over my feet, this is something I would apply to my feet all over, except the soles. I don't need to fly out of my flip flops without any warning. And a flying Pu Niao is going to be just, awkwardly weird, no matter how you look at it.

Other than the above reasons stated, I also used it as a skin moisturizer as it is really lightweight and non-greasy to begin with. And sometimes my hands looks a little dry, chapped and sorry and this chamois cream just somehow miraculously make my hands look and feel better. Yea, my hands peel like armageddon is showing up in just minutes. And yes, peeling skin on hands really hurts like a biyotch that I sometimes wonder, am I even still in Singapore or what?

VERDICT: ✓✓✓

WHAT I THINK: It's like the everything goes cream, but so much more :D

WHERE TO REDEEM SAMPLE: No sample for this product.

Nuxe Brightening Program Brightening Cleansing Foam Review

By Unknown Tuesday, March 11, 2014 // No comments

WHAT IS IT: Nuxe Brightening Program Brightening Cleansing Foam

THE PRODUCT(S):

Nuxe Brightening Program Brightening Cleansing Foam: An efficacious brightening foaming cleanser, it produces a fine-textured, creamy foam to cleanse skin without drying it out. Contains patented White Crocus & Daisy to restore radiance to skin and blended with Mallow extract to enhance the moisture levels in skin Loaded with antioxidant. Green Tea to shield against free radical damage Leaves skin supple, clear & youthful looking Paraben-free.

It looks every bit like your typical Over-The-Counter (OTC) cleansing foam, only difference is that this is an expensive brand.

I tried. I really tried. But it just doesn't foam up at all :(

VERDICT: Personally, I find the scent pleasant. It's not over-cloying although I have to be honest, with a blocked and occasional stuffy nose recently, it's rather hard to sniff anything. But the scent radar in my nose immediately perks up with utmost attention if it smells weird or anything. So, rest assured that although my nose is blocked, my scent radar is in snooze-mode, therefore, I'm absolutely sure it doesn't smell weird or anything. I hope :/

The texture and consistency of the product is similar to most Over-The-Counter(OTC) cleansing foam that you can easily buy at NTUC, Giant, Watsons or Guardian Pharmacy. It's not too thick that you need to put in a little more strength just to squeeze out 0.5cm worth of cleanser while on the other hand, it isn't too watery that it overspills more than what you intended to use or need at all. I can literally likened it to having the texture and consistency of milky shower gels.

Despite my best efforts, I just couldn't foam it up no matter how hard I try. Don't get me wrong here, if I see the word "Foam" or "Foaming", my first response to it would be, try and foam the heck out of it. But. It. Doesn't. Upon further digging around on the Internet, I found out that no foam is formed during the cleansing process, making it a little different from the usual foaming cleansers that we are probably accustomed to for X number of years. The good part is that, because it doesn't foam up, it doesn't leave my skin feeling dry and tight like as if the natural lipids have been stripped from my skin.

Immediately after cleansing, my skin felt clean and refreshed but not to the point where after patting off the excess water off my skin, that it felt overly dry nor taut. It felt soft, somewhat moisturized feeling and I can see my skin glowing slightly. Like it has finally been given a comfortable and refreshing shower it deserved after slaving for so long. I felt my complexion look so much perkier and "awake" instead of the usual dullness I always see. As it is a brightening cleansing that supposedly makes your complexion glow instead of lightening dark spots and whatnots, I wasn't too focused on those dark spots and acne/blemish spots I originally already had on my skin.

VERDICT: ✓✓✓

WHAT I THINK: It doesn't foam up despite the description of the product stating that it's a "cleansing foam". Foam or no foam, as long as my skin doesn't feel like it has taken a week's stroll in the Sahara Desert, I'm absolutely fine with it. And I like the fact that my complexion looks so much fresher and awake instead of the usual dullness.

WHERE TO REDEEM SAMPLE: Every now and then, Nuxe holds sampling activities and they are really really generous with their samples. In fact, I got this cleanser a few times already and I pased half of what I've got to my mother and I saw the same effects I experienced too. You could try popping by any Nuxe outlets and ask if they have a sample for this. Or wait for their next sampling activity that comes along.

Meditrina Arctic Algae Refining Mask Review

By Unknown Sunday, March 09, 2014 // No comments

WHAT IS IT: Meditrina Arctic Algae Refining Mask

THE PRODUCT(S):

Meditrina Arctic Algae Refining Mask: Meditrina Arctic Algae Refining Mask is a powerful antioxidant that helps to replace lost minerals and keep the skin healthy. It also has a moisturising effect to prevent dryness of the skin. It can reduce the skin darkening effect of melanin while brightening the face.

It's paper-thin and it's actually green, thereby transforming me into a green-faced monster without my actual intentions LOL

The algae is pretty bad but I thought the product itself is really special and unique in it's own way.

VERDICT: The smell, omigawd, is just unpleasant, considering that it's an algae mask meant for the face/skin. As I am already more or less acquainted with face masks that actually smells from decent to really luxurious, this products was a suckerpunch for me because of it's unusual scent to it. But like I always like to say, the better the scent might not necessarily meant the product is better, sometimes it's the weirdly scented ones that really does the job it claims to be able to. Anyway, let's move on from the scent~

The mask itself is a little sticky but hey, this means that it won't slip from my face if I forgot it's existence and promptly bent over to grab something, say from the drawer located at the bottom of the dresser, right? So, I'm just going to clock it up as being genius with the sticky part while still using it. Although what I wasn't expecting is that, this mask itself has this slight cooling effect as soon as I placed it on my face. Normally, I always place masks that I intend to use into the fridge overnight for it to chill and gain some cooling sensation from it. But for this one, it's really a spur of the moment and hence it wasn't pre-chilled in the fridge. So, imagine my pleasant surprise when it felt so cooling and calming as soon as I applied it onto my skin.

As the mask itself is a little big for my already chubby face, I find that it just perfectly covers every part of the skin on my face without having to worry that I missed a corner, like for example, near the hairline, or near the ears, so on and so forth. But then, it's really a huge mask but I not going to complain much, just glad my face isn't that long though LOL

Personally, I find that this mask itself is wonderful in the sense that after the first usage, I noticed some of the dark spots on my face was visibly lightened up and the best part? It is not irritating to my skin at all despite the mask having that unforgettable algae scent and looking so green. I was half expecting my face to have breakouts, but fortunately, nothing of that sort happened.

VERDICT: ✓✓✓

WHAT I THINK: Despite the weird algae scent and that the mask itself is green, since this is my first time seeing a mask that isn't white at all, I thought it was a pretty good product. That is, unless I can stand the algae scent repeatedly.

WHERE TO REDEEM SAMPLE: Meditrina is no longer giving out samples.

Estee Lauder CyberWhite HD Advanced Spot Correcting Essence Review

By Unknown Friday, March 07, 2014 // No comments

WHAT IS IT: Estee Lauder CyberWhite HD Advanced Spot Correcting Essence

THE PRODUCT(S):

Estee Lauder CyberWhite HD Advanced Spot Correcting Essence: Magnify your skin's clarity like never before. Our HD-90 Technology features a naturally derived ingredient so potent it takes brightening to a new dimension. The CyberWhite HD System helps eliminate dullness from deep within skin's surface and helps dramatically brighten the look of dark spots. Up close, your skin looks more flawless, fair, translucent, with High Definition clarity.

Looks slightly creamy, but is really lightweight but absorbs effortlessly into the skin instead of having to continually massage it in. It does leave a slight sticky sensation but it goes off shortly without me noticing.

VERDICT: First of all, I am quite particular about the scent/fragrance for beauty products. Sometimes, certain stuffs smell weird but it works really good while those that smells so luxuriously rich ended up underperform on it's claims. But this Estee Lauder CyberWhite HD Advanced Spot Correcting Essence has this fairly nice scent to it that I can't quite tell what it's similar to. It's faint, but the scent is just nice. I can probably and closely compare it to being in a sunny field.

As this product claimed that it is created with the special needs of Asian skin in mind, since most Asian skin tone/skin color tend to gravitate between fair to medium or a.k.a Chinese to Malay/Indians since there are really fair-skinned Indians and I've seen a few of them myself. As such, if there's any dark spots on our skin, especially the face, it is actually more noticeable unless one's skin tone/skin color is more towards the olive or tanned skin, it might not be that noticeable at first glance. But still, nobody likes to have dark spots on their face no matter their age or skin tone/skin color, don't they?

Basically, I'm more of the pale variety, the type that spooks regular humans without intending to, therefore dark spots are even more visible on my skin than compared to someone who might have a regular skin tone/skin color. And despite the fact that I rarely sit out in the sun as it gives me migraines, getting even slightly tanned is out of the question. However, I do have dark spots in the form of acne and pimple scars that just somehow lighten up every now and then and then suddenly decides, "Nah, I'll just stay as a dark spot, so tired~"

With that in mind, I used this sample sachet with the sole intention of targeting on the uneven and discolored spots and dark spots on my face. As I literally use less than half a pea-sized and just literally focused on the spot itself, I found that my sample can last almost close to 2.5 weeks. After 2 weeks of using, some of my dark spots did lighten up a little bit but it isn't totally gone at all. However, it's easily covered up by really light makeup to the point it doesn't exist. Acne and blemish scars have also gradually lightened up, but still not totally gone. And once again, easily covered up with light makeup.

And parts of my skin, especially the forehead has these little bumps. These bumps have also started to look slightly smoother and the bumps not so visible which unfortunately cannot be covered up no matter how light or thick the makeup is. Technically, this product never promised to make dark spots of any types on your face disappear, in truth, it just claims to lighten them up by cleverly phrasing it. Hence, I wasn't too overly concerned even when my dark spots of any manner and type are still on my face, the only difference is that it's slowly lightening up, which I think is a bonus.

VERDICT: ✓✓✓

WHAT I THINK: It does work in lightening up dark spots of all types on the skin, but it does take time and consistent usage on a daily basis to really see the end effect.

WHERE TO REDEEM SAMPLE: This came with one of those goodie bags along with more goodies in it, if I do recalled correctly. If not, pop by any Estee Lauder counters and ask if they have sample sachets for this product to try.

How Mascara Makes Lashes Look Lovely

By Unknown Wednesday, March 05, 2014 // No comments

~Image from: Makeup Geek~

What's in mascara and how does it work? Here's the science-y scoop.

History of Mascara

First, a quick bit of background. we know that mascaras have been around since at least 4000 BC because historical records show that Egyptians used charcoal and other minerals to darken their lashes and eyelids. In modern times, mascara first appeared in the form of a pressed cake that was applied by wetting a brush, rubbing it on the cake and then applying it to eyelashes. The cake consisted of a mixture of black pigments and soap chips.

The next innovation in mascara involved a lotion-like version of the soap cake that was packaged in a tube and squeezed onto a small brush to apply. Mascara as we know it today was created in the 1960s with the invention of a grooved brush that could apply a consistent amount of the pigment. This is the basic form that's still used today.

Common Ingredients

The primary ingredients in mascara are pigments — the chemicals that provide colors. Because U.S. federal regulations only allow certain colorants to be used in the area of the eye, only natural colors and inorganic pigments are used. Carbon black and iron oxide provides black, brown and red colors; ultramarine blue provides blue and green shades. These pigments are mixed together in a cosmetic base that is an emulsion of oils, waxes and water. For example of these waxy ingredients, let's look at the ingredients list from Maybelline Great Lash:

The beexwax, ozokerite, stearic acid and shellac provide the main body of the mascara and give it it's waterproof and smudgeproof properties. Glyceryl stearate and triethanolamine are added to make sure the mascara can be washed off. The propylene glycol, sorbitan sesquioleate and simethicone, added as processing agents, help control the consistency of the product while methylparaben, quaternium-15, quaternium-22 and butylparaben are preservatives that keep the mascara free of "bugs". Finally, the iron oxides, titanium dioxide and ultramarine blue are the pigments.

How Mascara Works

This is really the simple part – when you stick the brush into the mascara tube and pull it out, a metering ring built into the orifice scrapes off the excess mascara so the brush has a controlled amount on it. When you brush your eyelashes, just the right amount gets delivered to each tiny hair fiber. The waxy nature of the mascara helps form a relatively thick coating that, due to the high wax concentration, is essentially waterproof. That's how a good mascara can resist smudging and bleeding. The result – your eyelashes get a nice splash of color and they look much plumper.

Monthly Topic #14: Mascara Made Easy

By Unknown Saturday, March 01, 2014 // No comments

Your lashes are the most natural ornaments of your eyes. Use them to your advantage!

~Image Source: Ngoisao~

When is it okay to wear silver mascara? Will a coat of cobalt blue clash with your pink eyeshadow? Is colored mascara funky or trashy? Here's the answers to your mascara must-know questions.

Here's how to choose the right color for every occasion.

Black Mascara: A standard basic that every girl should have in her make-up pouch. Black lashes go well with all colors, and every make-up trend possible. A must especially for formal or party make-up.

Green Mascara: Blue-green mascaras look great with aqua or mint eyeshadows, leaf-green mascaras are best used with lime, gold and olive shades. A good trick is to line the corners of the eyes with a maching liner.

Grey Mascara: Lovely with eye make-up in muted shades of pinks. mauves, lilacs and dove grey. Add pink blush and pale or neutral lips for that gorgeous Spring nymph look.

Blue Mascara: Blue mascara tends to pick out the matching tones in your outfit, and this works well most of the time. Best with matte eyeshadows in neutral shades of beige, cream or grey. Team with brown or nude blush, and buff or taupe lips.

Purple Mascara: Play down purple's brash attitude with heavier neutrals like deep brown and dark grey, or warm plum liner. Shift the emphasis away from lips by using a pale, neutral shade of beige.

Pink Mascara: The perfect accompaniment to pink lashes, is white eyeshadow (matte or perle). Take the white below the eyes too. Add a touch of perle or glitter white shadow below the eyes, a dash of pink blush and go for nude, glossy lips.

Brown Mascara: A good everyday alternative to harsh black. A must if you have had your hair lightened. Eyebrow pencils should follow the same rule.

Silver Mascara: Party girls should try loads of black eyeliner and eyeshadow, fringed by silver-coated lashes. Keep cheeks bare and lips just glossed over.

TIP: Colored mascaras throws your eyes into the spotlight instantly. Play down your cheek color with the lightest dusting of blush and keep lips pale and neutral.