Review : Milk Baby Shampoozle + Conditioner

Product Description
Shampoozle + Conditioner is guaranteed to make washing your bub’s hair the highlight of the evening. No matter what ‘floats your bub’s boat’ in the hair styling department, this all-natural shampoo + conditioner will leave your bub’s hair silky smooth, tangle free and smelling beautiful in just one wash! Full foaming for extra fun, this gentle formula ensures that bath time is an allergy and tear free experience for your baby.

With a great scent that both you and bub will love, Shampoozle + Conditioner contains strawberry fragrant oil and is based on aqua from Tasmania’s pristine wilderness with incorporated formulations to preserve purity. 100% pure and has no harsh surfactants.

I purchased this off Luxola at $15 for a 375ml size. I like to do silly things at times, using this for my own hair, even though its meant for babies. I enjoyed its Bath Time Wash and wanted to try this out.

Made in Melbourne, Australia, it uses 100% recyclable packaging and is not tested on animals.

With all these ingredients combined, it creates the perfect product to keep your little ones healthy and clean

Milk Baby was developed by Lindy Klim, wife of Michael Klim (best known as one of Australia's most successful swimmers of all time. Michael is a world champion, a world record holder and holds medals from all three Olympics he attended, including two gold). Michael's latest triumph is Milk skincare for men. (Spell Milk backwards and you get Klim).
When her husband Michael was developing his range of Milk skincare products for men, she was a new mum to their eldest child and pregnant with their second. Unable to find a skincare range for babies that she felt confident enough to use on her very young family, she decided to develop her own range, based on natural ingredients, and hence, Milk Baby was born.
Lindy wanted to create a product that was affordable, looked good in the home and and enhanced the well-being of the child and parent.
You can check out their range of products here and her interview here.

With a flip-top opening, this formula has a gel-like consistency that is clear in colour. Because its formulated for babies, I find the formula to be gentle and mild hence my hair tends to get greasy if I have a long day outside.
How I counteract this, is, I washed my hair in the morning ( even though I have washed my hair the night before ), if I know that I will be out till very late. It works well for me.

I also tend to use more than what I am used to because of the lightweight consistency and it does not lather too much. Surprisingly, I do not fancy its strawberry scent, it feels cloying to my nose and I rather do without it.

Its been a long time since I last used 2 in 1 formula and at times, I like to add in my own conditioner to have the added softness.
With this shampoo + conditioner formula, its reasonably right, but not enough to keep my locks moisturised although it did not dry it out. I just prefer more moisture on my locks.

Glycerin : returns moisture to a dry scalp and dry hair and is also fantastic for strengthening your little one’s hair!
Citric acid : removes unwanted and harmful minerals from the water we use to wash our little ones and also helps reduce dandruff and make hair soft and shiny.

Ingredients:
Water, Cocobetaine, Glycerine, Hydroxyethyl, Cellulose, Suttocide, Citric Acid, Strawberry Fragrant Oil.

Source : Luxola , Klasekids , UrbanBaby

Beauty Shopping + Korea Haul + Freebies

- Kao Hot Eye Mask HKD36.90

- Loreal Revitalift Laser Serum and Cream samples from here
- Estee Lauder Cyberwhite HD Advanced Spot Correcting Essence samples from here
- Nuxe Brightening Cleansing Foam, Extreme Lotion, Serum, BB Cream and Multi-purpose Dry Oil samples from here
- Belif Creamy Cleansing Foam, Eye Care Mask, Aqua Bomb and Sunscreen gel sachets from Blackbox Beauty Subscription
- Belif Facial Scrub, Hungarian Water Essence and Overnight Skin Regeneration Mask sachets ( after presenting the Blackbox Belif sachet pack for further samples ) - not featured
- Fancl Whitening Essence samples
- Biotherm Blue Therapy Serum samples ( not featured )
- Neutrogena Hydro Boost Gel sample ( not featured )

Requested a friend to CP some products from Korea

- Etude House Collagen Eye Gel Patch
- Etude House CC Cream 14000won  (S$16)
- Etude House Hello Kitty Tender Powder Eau De Toilette ( gift from friend )
- Tony Moly Intense Care Syn-Ake Eye Mask
- Tony Moly Intense Care Snail Eye Mask
- Its Skin Prestige Masque D'escargot Facial Mask sheets
- VMV Hypoallergenics Sport 70 $26.50 ( Under their tube swap program where you can purchase it at 50% off with a similar product under a different brand. Original $53)
- Innisfree Shimmering Base 15000won (S$17.30)
- Innisfree Eco Safety Aqua Sun Gel samples
- Innisfree The Minimum Soothing Mask sample
- Innisfree Green Barley Cleansing Cream sample
- Philosophy "The Gingerbread Man" Body Scrub $25 ( original $50, from Sephora )
- Philosophy Purity Made Simple cleansing gel, Eye Hope, Keep The Peace super soothing moisturiser, Miracle Worker anti-aging moisturizer, Be Your Best BB Cream, Full Of Promise Treatment Serum, The Microdelivery Triple-Acid Brightening Peel, Exfoliating Facial Wash samples
- Fancl Whitening Emulsion II , Lotion II and Essence samples from Fancl Ion branch
- QV Moistursing Cleanser
- QV Body Moisturiser

Review : Lancome Genifique Yeux Light Pearl Eye Illuminating Youth Activator

Product Description
Eye luminosity, the new visible sign of youth.
The new 360° eye contour transformation.
Lancôme introduces its 1st eye-illuminating serum, engineered with a unique rotating and massaging applicator to reach even the most inaccessible eye areas.
Experience a 360° eye contour transformation above and below the eyes for visible results.

The 5ml sample I owned comes from the Christmas Beauty set which I have been using for the past 3 months and since it is a booster for eye cream, I added it to my usual eyecare regime.

This product is formulated WITHOUT:
- Parabens
- Sulfates
- Synthetic Fragrances
- Synthetic Dyes
- Phthalates
- GMOs
- Triclosan

Finally, something from Lancome that comes without the nasties but first and foremost, it has to work. That is of the utmost importance, no?

My 5ml sample is a miniature sample of the retail sized of 20ml. It comes with a similar metal pearl-shaped massaging applicator with a unique 50-degree rotation angle for it to do the neccessary eyecare massage that is essential for it to depuff the undereye area.
Formulated with Caffeine, Escine and an extract of the micro-algae Chlorella Vulgaris, the pre-serum also works to correct puffiness, diminish under-eye circles and smooth fine lines when used on its own. After seven days, your eyes should look bigger, brighter, smoother and more youthful.

What its touted to do :
- Smoother skin, Reduced crow's feet, Reduced Wrinkles and Reduced Fine lines
- Lifted eyelid, Lifted arch of the eyebrow and Deflated eye bags
- Increased brightness, Refined texture and Faded dark circles

Since its made of stainless steel, its logical that the applicator is cooling and refreshing for the undereye area, especially when its coated with the eye serum.
The texture is runny and lightweight and sinks into the eye area after some eyecare massage ( mentioned below) with the applicator followed by some tapping movements. At least that is how I used it.

You can check out the recommended massage steps below.

The applicator tends to pick up more serum than necessary, hence either you do not mind or you like to clean off the excess. As for me, I like to use tapping motions on the undereye area for some blood circulation purposes as well as to get the excess serum absorbed into the skin.

There is no greasy after-residue but neither does it hydrate my dry undereye area sufficiently. It just feels refreshing. Puffiness and fine lines were still apparent.

Because this product is a booster, it is supposed to enhance the effects of the eye cream that goes on after that. I am currently using this product prior to using Garden of Wisdom Pack Your Bags and Say Good Bye but sadly I do not see a significant improvement. There is no difference with or without the booster itself.

The second ingredient in this serum is Bifida Ferment Lysate, a type of yeast Lancome uses in their other Genifique products. I have previously reviewed its Genifique Youth Activating Concentrate.
According to Paula Begoun, there’s no research proving that this specific form of yeast has any anti-aging or gene-stimulating activity when applied to skin, nor is it capable of eliminating eye-area concerns such as puffiness, dark circles, or pouching. There is limited research showing that yeast ferment filtrate (a compound different from bifida ferment lysate) does reduce oxidative skin damage in the presence of UV light, but this research also showed that many other antioxidants have a similar effect.

It currently retails for $110 at 20ml size.

Ingredients :
Aqua / Water / Eau, Bifida Ferment Lysate, Propanediol, Glycerin, Alcohol Denat., Dimethicone, C13-14 Isoparaffin, Escin, Tocopheryl Acetate, Sodium Benzoate, Phenoxyethanol, Adenosine, Caffeine, Polyacrylamide, Chlorphenesin, Polymethylsilsesquioxane, Chlorella Vulgaris Extract, Salicyloyl Phytosphingosine, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Ammonium Polyacryldimethyltauramide / Ammonium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate, Dimethiconol, Pentaerythrityl Tetraethylhexanoate, Xanthan Gum, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Bis-Peg/Ppg-16/16 Peg/Ppg-16/16 Dimethicone, Bht, Laureth-7.

Source : Lancome , Nordstrom

Paula's Choice RESIST Cellular Defense Daily Moisturizer with SPF 25

Product Description
This ultra-gentle yet effective formula has a lightweight, silky-cream texture that hydrates and enhances radiance while providing extremely effective mineral-based, broad-spectrum sun protection. It includes potent antioxidants to defend your skin from environmental stressors, allowing the
skin to repair itself on a cellular level, and restoring skin's ability to resist further signs of aging. Used daily, this moisturizer will help reduce wrinkles and brown spots, while rebuilding collagen and improving skin tone.
Fragrance-free, colorant-free, and formulated to work beautifully under makeup. 100% Guaranteed.

Benefits :
•Shields skin from wrinkles and brown spots
•Provides gentle broad-spectrum protection
•Silky cream soothes and brightens
•Proven antioxidants boost your skin's environmental defenses
•Ideal for sensitive or rosacea-affected skin
•Designed to work beautifully under makeup
•100% fragrance-free and contains no dyes or coloring agents

Specially formulated for normal to dry skin, this product is a gentle mineral sunscreen that is touted to be excellent for sensitive or rosacea-affected skin.
On the sachet itself, the description described it to be a sunscreen which is misleading because this product is actually a moisturiser with SPF protection.

White in colour, creamy in texture with tiny beads in it, it has a light sunscreen scent and the consistency is not exactly hydrating on my skin. It is thick and requires some time for it to get absorbed into the skin.
Pairing it with RESIST Super Antioxidant Concentrate Serum proved to be too much for the skin to take it and my skin broke out on the first day of usage.

On optimal skin days, it provides a light smooth feel on the skin, immediately after application. However on bad skin days, this moisturiser fails to hydrate my skin sufficiently and is drying to a certain extent.
Despite being touted as a product meant for normal to dry skin, I usually found Paula's products to be less hydrating than what the claims do.

Whats great about the product is the antioxidants in it, helping the skin to combat against free radicals. But despite the SPF25 and 8% titanium dioxide as sunscreen protection, I still layer an additional sunscreen on top, because the amount used on the face is just too little to be considered as sufficient sunscreen protection.

It scored 3.0 from 27 users on Makeupalley.

Full Ingredients :
Active Ingredients: Titanium Dioxide 8%;
Other Ingredients: Water, Tribehenin (skin conditioning agent), PEG-20 Esters (thickener), Cyclopentasiloxane, Trimethylsiloxysilicate (silicone slip agents), Glycerin (skin-repairing ingredient), Caprylyl Methicone (skin conditioning agent), Stearic Acid, Squalane (emollients), Sodium Hyaluronate (skin-repairing ingredient), Tocopherol, Tocopheryl Acetate (vitamin E/antioxidants), Ubiquinone, Glycine Soja (Soybean) Seed Extract, Oryzanol, Leontopodium Alpinum Flower/Leaf Extract, Buddleja Davidii Extract (antioxidants), Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice (water-binding agent), Diisopropyl Dimer Dilinoleate (emollient), Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone
Crosspolymer (silicone film-forming agent), Cetyl Alcohol, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate (thickeners), Polyacrylamide (film-forming agent), Polyhydroxystearic Acid (thickener), Isopropyl Titanium
Triisostearate/Triethoxycaprylylsilane Crosspolymer (polymer-base texture enhancer), Triethoxycaprylylsilane Crosspolymer (binding agent), Laureth-7 (emulsifier), Thymus Vulgaris Extract (antioxidant), C13-14 Isoparaffin, Alumina (thickeners), Sodium Hydroxide (pH adjuster), Xanthan Gum (thickener), Disodium EDTA (chelating agent), Dehydroacetic Acid, Benzyl
Alcohol (preservatives).

Source : Paula's Choice

Review : Paula's Choice RESIST Super Antioxidant Concentrate Serum

Product Description
RESIST Super Antioxidant Concentrate Serum utilizes an innovative blend of ingredients that research has proven aging skin needs to look younger and feel its healthy best. Stabilized Vitamin C plus potent antioxidants in a silky base join ingredients that repair damaged cells and rebuild skin's
protective barrier so it functions optimally. This state-of-the-art serum efficiently addresses multiple issues that cause skin to look wrinkled while reducing inflammation and the visible effects of sun damage. This product is 100% fragrance- and colorant-free.

Usage Directions
RESIST Super Antioxidant Concentrate Serum can be used once or twice daily, as desired. For best results, apply before or after Paula's Choice RESIST Barrier Repair Moisturizer.
At night, smooth a few drops onto skin after cleansing, toning (optional), and exfoliating. May be applied under or over moisturizer. For daytime, wear under a product with SPF 15 or greater. Works beautifully under makeup and is suitable for use around the eyes.

This serum comes together with the travel sized kit where I have previously reviewed its cleanser and toner. Citrus in colour, it is oily but runny in texture so it tends to shine on my T-zone area after application. Less is more.

The description on the website has indicated that it can be used in the daytime, however the description on the 2 sachets I owned, stated that it should be used as a night-time serum.

I used it on 2 days, both during daytime, underneath the Cellular Defense Daily Moisturizer with SPF25. On the first day, it broke me out. A zit appeared on my chin which meant that the ombination may be too rich for my skin. It also left my T-zone shiny and oily and I have to dab on the oilness for at least 3 times a day. ( I usually only need to dab once a day )

Subsequently, I used it during night time without any moisturiser or sleeping mask. I woke up the next morning with very shiny T-zone though there were no breakouts.

Due to its silicon ingredients, it made the skin smoother after application. On optimal skin days, I could see that my skin appeared to be softer and more even-tone with smaller pores.
With all the antioxidant ingredients in it, its good to be used as part of an anti-aging care regime but I don't fancy its shiny finishing due to my combination skin.

It scored 3.6 from 59 users on Makeupally.

Ingredients :
Cyclopentasiloxane, Dimethicone (silicone slip agents/suspending agents), Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate (stabilized vitamin C/antioxidant), Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5 (cell-communicating ingredient), Ceramide 3 (skin-repairing ingredient), Tocotrienols, Tocopherols (vitamin E/antioxidants), Ubiquinone (coenzyme Q10/antioxidant), Thioctic Acid (alpha lipoic acid/antioxidant), Tocopheryl Acetate (vitamin E/antioxidant), Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate (stabilized vitamin C/antioxidant), Ferulic Acid, Caffeic Acid (antioxidants), Beta-Glucan (anti-irritant), Superoxide Dismutase (antioxidant), ), Epigallocatechin Gallate (green tea-derived antioxidant), Ergothioneine (mushroom-derived antioxidant), Glutathione (fruit-derived antioxidant), Xanthophyll (antioxidant pigment), Glycine Soja (Soybean) Seed Extract (antioxidant), Glycerin (skin-identical ingredient), Arctostaphylos Uva Ursi Leaf Extract (anti-inflammatory agent), Lupinus Albus Seed Extract, Curcuma Longa (Turmeric) Root Extract (antioxidants), Elaeis Guineensis (Palm) Oil (emollient), Phenoxyethanol (preservative).   

Source : Paula Choice

Review : Sexylook Q10 + Aloe Vera Facial Mask Sheet

Product Description
Simply Sexy Look Moisture Mask fits your face shape perfectly. It helps to firm and lift your skin, increases skin's hydration levels, moisturises, soothes and helps to firm up saggy chins. Featuring a "Chin Lift" section at the bottom that neatly tucks over your ears for a tight fit.

Key Benefits :
Moisture: aloe vera, cucumber extract, hyaluronic acid
Antioxidant: Q10, green tea extract
Ease: Calendula, Chamomile extract

My mum bought a box of this facial sheet masks when they went Taiwan last year and I have been using it on a weekly basis whenever I visit them.

Individually packed, each sheet mask is heavily soaked in essence, with ear flaps that can be pulled to the ears and neck flaps that can be pulled up all the way to the ears to provide a lifting effect.

While I never really like lifting masks that pulls too tightly, the fitting for Sexylook range of masks on the face is more comfortable than Lovemore masks, even with both hooks pulled up right to the ears.

This facial sheet provides moderate hydration to the skin, which is sufficient on optimal skin condition days.

Ingredient :
Q10,Aloe Extract, Calendula Extract, Chamomile Extract, Cucumber Extract, Green Tea Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizinate, Niacinamide, Propylene Glycol, Glycerine, 1.3-Butylene Glycol, Hydroxyethyl Urea, Xanthan Gum, Methylaparaben, Methylisothiazolinone, Perfume, Water

Source : Nattacosme

Review : Hugo Naturals Pineapple and Coconut Lip Balm

Product Description
Moisturize your lips with our ultra nourishing blend of coconut oil, shea butter, jojoba and essential oils. Your lips will thank you for it. Hugo Naturals' luxurious Lip Balms are handcrafted in small batches, with hand-selected, food-grade ingredients. All of Hugo Naturals' pure and natural blends pamper your senses with luscious, yet effective, vegan and gluten-free ingredients.

This lipbalm comes in, as part of a travel kit which I purchased some time back. I really hate this lipbalm so much so that I decided to switch despite my stance of using up a product completely before starting a new one. Its just horrible. Period.

With a twist and turn packaging as what a normal lipbalm is like, it has an unique flavour of pineapple and coconut as stated but in actual product, the scent of the coconut is so mild and the pineapple scent is hardly detectable.

The initial few usages have been normal but subsequently went downhill from there. The balm becomes stiff and the texure has an uneven bumpy surface with little bits that tends to stay on my lips whenever I swipe it on. You can actually a drying layer of a white film on the lips which I had to rub it off.

It just failed to hydrate the lips. None at all. Instead it made my lips worse than ever, with flakes all over. My lips just looked drier than before.
Good bye, you are going into the bin!

 

Source : Iherb, LuckyVitamin

Review : Sanctum Body Buff

Product Description
This invigorating body scrub gently exfoliates to remove dry skin and ingrained impurities. Your body will feel fresh and awakened.

Key Ingredients :
Luffa and Black Walnut Shell - Natural exfoliants that gently loosen and remove dead skin cells without irritation
Oak Bark Extract - Helps regenerate damaged skin tissue. Regulates skin tone and colour
Olive Leaf Extract - Softening and soothing properties

I picked up the travel kit from Iherb sometime back which comprises of The Body Buff, The Body Balm and Hand and Nail Repair at US$10.79.
Hailing from Australia, the brand boasts of having Certified Organic, Vegan and Cruelty Free status. Every Sanctum product contains more than 70% Certified Organic Ingredients and many products are more than 95% Certified Organic.

This Body Buff is 86% certified organic and is 100% naturally derived.
It contains luffa and crushed walnut shell to gently exfoliate and remove dry skin and ingrained impurities, leaving the body feeling fresh. It also contains oak bark extract to help balance oil flow, and lavender oil to soothe and calm skin. Sanctum Body Balm is a nourishing, easily absorbed cream rich in shea butter, cocoa butter, chamomile extract, macadamia nut oil and coconut oil.

Strangely, this 30mg tube is only 50% full when I first received it and so I used it up pretty quickly.
Based on the buffing action of crushed Walnut Shell and Luffa particles, this Body Buff is a creamy but runny exfoliating scrub that is dark brown in colour with tiny beads in it. It also contains Olive leaf extract to stimulate circulation.

It left the skin moderately smooth without any drying effects or abrasive feel.

Source : Sanctum

Review : Naisture 24Hr So Fresh Foot Pack

Product Description
Pine Needles, Mint Extracts and Green Tea Extracts leave your feet completely cool and refreshed.

There was a 1 for 1 promotion in Sasa so you paid $3.90 for 2 pieces, instead of just 1 piece.
Made in Korea, the packaging consists of a Step 1 and a Step 2 where Step 1 contains the moist foot pack and Step 2 contains the vinyl socks.

This 20 minutes foot pampering session is supposed to provide 24hour of freshness to the feet as per the title claimed. Wear the moist foot pack to your feet and slip in the dry vinyl socks to seal in the essence goodness.

The freshness and coolness feeling is hardly apparent. After the treatment, my feet feel slightly sticky and hardly moisturised.

Ingredients :
Water, Glycerin, Cetyl Ethylhexanoate, Butylene Glycol, Urea, Alcohol, Cetyl Ethylhexanoate, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter), Carbomer, Trehalose, Polysorbate 60, Menthol, Methylparaben, Soritan Stearate, Triethanolamine, Panthenol, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Pinus Sylvestris Leaf Extractm Canellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Mentha Arvensis Leaf Extract, Phenyl Trimethicone, Phenoxyethanol, Perfume, Propylparaben, Papain, Allantoin, Disodium EDTA

Source : Bonaza

Review : Frederic Fekkai Marine Summer Hair Zero-Humidity Frizz Control

Product Description
A pre-style, anti-frizz treatment. Frederic Fekkai Marine Summer Hair Zero-Humidity Frizz Control is a weightless, alcohol-free mist with sea algae extract that blocks humidity while sealing in hydration to keep sleek for all-day frizz and fly-away protection. The AquaNutrients infuse deep hydration into sun-exposed, moisture-thirsty hair and the UV shield helps prevent fading. Your hair will have a healthy shine, texture and style that lasts all day.

This product originally retails for US$23 which has since been discontinued. I bought mine on Strawberrynet quite some time back.
Recommended for women who have sun-parched hair that is susceptible to frizz and want to maintain beautiful, effortless chic hair throughout the summer, I thought this product may be able to help me with my hair frizz and flyaway ends in order to keep my hair neat and tidy.

This prestige hair mist is infused with a customized blend of marine botanicals that help nourish and condition hair. Formulated with the exclusive aqua-nutrients technology, it blends marine botanical extracts to help condition, hydrate, and protect dry hair from environmental impurities.

Stored in a striking orange almost-clear bottle, the content is milky white in colour with a citrus scent.
The dispenser is a spray spritz that dispenses the contents in bursts type. It tends to dirty the floor and made it sticky, as the spritz does not give out a fine mist.

Best to be used on damp hair, I hardly notice a remarkable difference. On bad days where there are more hair frizz than normal, I do see a slight 10% reduction in frizziness and flyaway hair ends.
I do not feel any difference in the hydration and shiny levels on my hair, after using the product.

I have straight hair now, so I can't really comment on using the product to keep the texture and style all day long. This product is not something I would re-purchase.

Source : Sephora

Review : Paula Choice's Resist Advanced Replenishing Toner

Product Description
RESIST Advanced Replenishing Toner is our most state-of-the-art toner. Everything about it is designed to provide superior benefits to aging skin. From the first application your skin is smoother, softer, and visibly radiant. See redness and signs of irritation vanish, and with ongoing use,
you will see fewer wrinkles and a beautifully healthy skin tone.

Benefits :
•Super-charged formula repairs signs of aging
•Milky liquid with antioxidants calms redness
•Builds collagen for firmer skin
•Leaves your skin feeling silky with a gorgeous glow
•Works beautifully to remove last traces of makeup
•Formulated for all skin types but best for normal to very dry skin
•100% fragrance-free and contains no dyes or coloring agents

Toners can be a great after-cleansing step to be sure you've removed all your makeup although a good cleanser and make-up remover should have already done the job well. When properly formulated, toners soothe skin and provide an extra dose of antioxidants and repairing ingredients.

This RESIST Advanced Replenishing Toner is said to contain lots of antioxidants. Clear in colour, the toner has a lotion-like consistency and using it on cotton pads seem to be wasteful though thats the recommended method.

The 2 sachets I owned lasted me for about 6 days in usage. With the touted antioxidants in its ingredients and being able to reduce redness and making the skin smoother and softer, it seemed like an excellent toner, suitable for sensitive skin like mine.

However, in my case, I feel that the cleanser is doing a better job in making my skin softer and smoother while the toner did nothing much. Instead, it made my skin redder instead of reducing the redness. I have more redness along my T-zone each time I used the toner on my skin-sensitive days.
Waiting 5 minutes for the toner to sink into my skin and improving it seemed useless as it did not manage to soothe my skin at all.

On optimal skin condition ( when my skin is not having its bout of redness ), the toner works moderately well enough to provide a smooth feel.

In terms of ingredients, it contains high amounts of the antioxidants like ferulic acid, epigallocatechin gallate (the primarily polyphenolic antioxidant of green tea) as well as moderate amounts of vitamins C and E, quercetin, and pumpkin seed extract. Some well-known anti-irrtants are also present in moderate amounts, as licorice and beet root extracts.
However, due to its fatty acid contents (Linoleic Acid, Oleic Acid, Linolenic Acid) located as the 6th, 7th and 8th ingredient in the list, it may not be suitable for acne-prone skin or those with sebum overproduction skin.

You will be glad to know that this product is fragrance-free, color-free, free of harmful skin irritants and never tested on animals.
It scored 4.4 from 39 users on Makeupalley.

Ingredients
Water, Cyclopentasiloxane (silicone-based skin-conditioning agent), Glycerin (skin-identical ingredient), Glycerth-26 (emollient), Dimethiconol (silicone-based skin-conditioning agent), Linoleic Acid, Oleic Acid, Linolenic Acid (essential fatty acids/cell-communicating ingredients),
Phospholipids (skin-identical ingredient), Carnosine (cell-communicating ingredient), Epigallocatechin Gallate, Genistein (antioxidants), Sodium Hyaluronate, Sphingolipids (skin-identical ingredients), Ferulic Acid (antioxidant), Laurdimonium Hydroxypropyl Hydrolyzed Soy Protein (skin-conditioning agent), Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Extract (anti-irritant), Acetyl Glucosamine (water-binding agent), Tocopherol (vitamin E/antioxidant), Ascorbyl Palmitate (stabilized vitamin C/antioxidant), Quercetin (antioxidant), Oenothera Biennis (Evening Primrose) Oil (non-fragrant plant oil), Beta Vulgaris (Beet) Root Extract, Curcubita Pepo (Pumpkin) Seed Extract (antioxidants), Lecithin (cell-communicating ingredient), Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride (emollient), Hydrolyzed Corn Starch (opacifying agent), Polysorbate 20 (stabilizer), Hydrogenated Lecithin (cell-communicating ingredient), Butylene Glycol (slip agent), Cellulose Gum (thickener), Laureth-23 (cleansing agent), Laureth-4 (emulsifier), Aminomethyl Propanol (pH adjuster), Disodium EDTA (stabilizer), Sorbic Acid, Sodium Benzoate, Benzoic Acid, Chlorphenesin,
Phenoxyethanol (preservatives).

Source : Paula's Choice

Review : Paula's Choice Resist Optimal Results Hydrating Cleanser

Product Description
RESIST Optimal Results Hydrating Cleanser is the first step in your RESIST aging routine. This elegant cleansing lotion instantly softens your skin as it removes makeup. Best of all, your skin's barrier function is preserved and enhanced as you cleanse. A healthier skin barrier means your skin can repair damage to help you look younger!

Benefits :
•Silky lotion soothes and protects
•Preserves skin's moisture balance
•Removes makeup, leaves your skin soft and smooth
•Protects and nourishes skin's surface as you cleanse
•Reinforces healthy substances skin needs to look and act younger
•100% fragrance-free and contains no dyes or coloring agents

Another trial set kit of Paula's Choice products which I purchased together with Earth Sourced Perfectly Natural range, RESIST is their new anti-aging range of products.
This Resist Range is specially targeted for wrinkles, acne, rosacea, sensitive skin, oily skin, dry skin and more. It is fragrance-free, color-free, free of harmful skin irritants and never tested on animals

I like this cleanser. The 2 sachets in the box is enough to tell me all that I needed to know. Delicate, gentle and nourishing are traits I usually look out for, in my cleansers and this fits the bill perfectly.
White in colour, this lotion-like texture glides gently on the skin and is non-greasy. There is no scent and it does not lather much. I use it as a regular cleanser but not as a make-up remover. It cleanses off the dirt and grime in its gentle way, without causing any redness on the skin.

The after-effects of the cleanser is soft, smooth and supple skin! No taut feeling. Just well-pampered skin. Love! A cheaper alternative to my current Skin Origin Cleansing Milk. A 190ml size retails for $38 on the Singapore website.

It scored 3.9 from 27 users on Makeupalley.

Where To Purchase : Shopee

Ingredients :
Water, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride (emollient thickener), Decyl Glucoside (cleansing agent), Glycerin (skin-identical ingredient), PEG-20 Methyl Glucose Sesquistearate (cleansing agent/emulsifier), PPG-20 Methyl Glucose Ether, Methyl Gluceth-20 (skin-conditioning agents),Glyceryl Stearate, Stearyl Alcohol (thickeners), Polyacrylamide (binding agent), Camellia
Oleifera (Green Tea) Leaf Extract (antioxidant), Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract (soothing agent), Sapindus Mukurossi (Soapberry) Peel Extract (foaming agent), Methyl Glucose Sesquistearate (cleansing agent), C13-14 Isoparaffin (thickener), Laureth-7 (emulsifier), Xanthan Gum (thickener), Disodium EDTA (chelating agent), Citric Acid (pH adjuster), Caprylyl Glycol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Hexylene Glycol, Phenoxyethanol (preservatives).

Review : Inika Certified Organic Eye and Makeup Remover

Product Description
Introducing the world’s first Certified Organic Eye and Makeup Remover from INIKA.
Creating an organic and all natural eye makeup remover that truly works is a break-through in the organic and natural market. Blended with certified organic ingredients such as chamomile, jojoba and calendula, INIKA Certified Organic Eye and Makeup Remover removes makeup instantly and feels nourishing on the face and delicate eye area. Rose and aloe vera leaf juice are added to leave your skin feeling fresh and smooth.
Perfect for even the most sensitive eyes and skin.

Benefits
Due to the luscious certified organic ingredients this innovative product removes instantly and also nourishes the very delicate eye area, leaving the area feeling fresh and smooth.

A new brand which I recently came into contact with, this is what it says about the brand.
Inika products are touted to be pure, natural and made from the finest crushed mineral pigments. They are free from harsh chemicals including fillers, talc, bismuth oxychloride, GM ingredients, parabens, preservatives and fragrances. Inika is certified cruelty free and one of the few certified vegan makeup brands on the market.

I purchased this product off feelunique.com as there was a promotion on it. Sad to say, the promotion was due to its near-expiry date of the product which has never been clearly mentioned on its site.

Despite buying beauty products online for several years on other websites, I have never encounter such dishonest sales. Even Strawberrynet and Iherb would state the expiry dates on their promotional items clearly.
I should have checked the dates once I received the items but I forgotten to do that and now its just too late for any remedy.

I kept it for a while before deciding to use it recently and realized that its near expiry date. I used it once so its terribly expensive for it to cost me $30 for that 1 usage. It not worth using an expired product on my face and face the possibility of sensitivities and allergies.

I have a good experience in using it but bad after-effects. I can't say if its due to the near-expiry date but it has certainly marred my experience of using this world's first certified Organic Eye and Makeup Remover product..

The initial cleansing experience has been great. Even though this Eye and Make-up Remover is creamy in texture, it is recommended to be used on cotton pads which I found it to be odd since I like to use creamy textures directly with my fingers onto the skin.
It reminded me vaguely of Naruko lotions which are creamy in texture and are to be used on cotton pads too.

I do not fancy using creamy products near the eyes so I use a separate remover for the eye area. The product cleanses off the make-up gunk in a breeze, leaving a nourished after-feel. Skin feel supple and smooth after washing with clean water. It has an unique scent, with a hnt of aloe vera and something else.

The horror is that, within minutes, my skin starts to turn red and feels slightly warm when touched. If I did not look into the mirror, my skin actually feels fine, without any itchness to boot.
It gets especially red around the T-zone and slightly near the cheeks.

Misting and dabbing with Avene Thermal Spray soothe it and it sort of cleared after 30minutes though I can't say the subsiding is entirely due to the Thermal Water Spray.

Without the redness, my skin actually feels soft and supple after using the make-up remover so too bad, about the redness. Expensive too!

Ingredients
Aloe Barbadensis (Aloe Vera) Leaf Juice*; Glycerin; Cetearyl Olivate; Sorbitan Olivate; Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil*; Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil*; Cetearyl Alcohol; Coco-Glucoside; Aqua; Xanthan Gum; Potassium Sorbate; Tocopherol (Natural Vitamin E); Citric Acid; Calendula Officinalis Flower Infusion*; Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Oil*. *Certified Organic

Source : Inika , MyPure

Renew Everyday Purifying Shampoo and Everyday Nourishing Conditioner

Shampoo Product Description
This pure, gentle daily shampoo will cleanse and strengthen any type of hair. Organic rose hip oil and burdock will keep the scalp healthy to prevent flaking, wheat protein will protect and lilly pilly will purify.

Conditioner Product Description
This daily conditioner adds volume and shine while preventing tangles and static. Organic rose hip oil and burdock will keep the scalp healthy to prevent flaking and avocado, jojoba and macadamia will leave hair soft and shiny.

Renew, a brand from Australia is known to integrate rosehip oil with Australian active botanicals and essential oils. Their products do not contain Petrochemicals, Sulphates, Parabens, Lanolin, Synthetic Fragrances and Synthetic Colourings. You can read more about their product range here.

Shampoo Ingredient Benefits :

Organic Rose Hip Oil – Healing, Protect

Hydrolyzed What Protein – Protein
Henna – rich conditioner
Burdock – Soothing, Anti-dandruff, Promotes hair growth
Watercress – Vitamins A, B complex and C, Soothing and Conditioning
Horsetail- Strengthens hair, High in Silic Acid and Amino Acid Cystine. Balances scalp.
Nettle – Stimulates scalp
Lilly Pilly – Rich in Vitamin C, Purifying
Yukka – Mild natural detergent for it’s foaming and cleansing abilities.
Chamomile – Soothing
Macadamia – Emollient
Avocado – Emollient
Jojoba – Emollient

Conditioner Ingredient Benefits :

Organic Rose Hip Oil – Healing, Protecting

Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein – Protein
Burdock Extract – Antibacterial
Avocado Oil – Emollient, Shine
Jojoba Oil – Emollient, Shine
Macadamia – Emollient, Shine
Horsetail – Toning
Nettle – Antibacterial
Lily Pilly – Rich in Vitamin C, Purifying
Yukka – Mild natural detergent for it’s foaming and cleansing abilities.
Chamomile – Soothing
Watercress – Soothing

Containing the natural fragrance of Rose Otto and Geranium Oil, both the shampoo and conditioner are soothing to the senses.
Clear in colour, the shampoo has a gel-like texture that is easy to lather and provides little suds. The conditioner, white and creamy in texture provides moderate conditioning treatment to the hair.
 
The shampoo left the hair feeling straw-like during the process of shampoo-ing but provided softness and lustre to the hair after hair cleansing. I wouldn't count on the conditioner for making it shiny or voluminous. Using the shampoo alone is enough for my hair type. ( oily scalp with dry hair ends )
However, each time I use the shampoo, it left my face looking red and patchy. Irritated.

Instead of living up its claims on preventing flakes on hair, the shampoo gave my hair large white flakes instead, which happened occassionally. And when it does, its really horrible looking, like snowflakes each time I run my fingers through my hair.
And my scalp gets oily by the end of a long day ( note that I wash my hair at night ). Hence if I know that I am going to be out till late, I will wash my hair again, in the morning.

In short, I wouldn't get both products again. I purchased both products at $19.60 from Watsons.

Shampoo Ingredients

Aqua (Purified Water), Cocamidopropyl Betaine (Vegetable), Decyl Glucoside (Vegetable), PEG-150 Pentaerythrityl Tetrastearate (Vegetable), Polysorbate 20 (Vegetable), Rosa Canina (Rose Hip) Oil, Hydrolysed Wheat Protein, Lawsonia Inermis (Henna) Extract, Arctium Lappa (Burdock) Extract, Nasturtium Officinale (Watercress) Extract, Equisetum Arvense (Horsetail) Extract, Urtica Dioica (Nettle) Extract, Syzygium Paciculata (Lilly Pilly) Extract, Yucca Schidigera (Yukka) Extract, Santalum spaticum (Australian Sandalwood) oil, Citrus reticulate (tangerine) essential oil, Vanilla planifolia (vanilla) extract, Macadamia Ternifolia (macadamia) Seed Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Oil, Lecithin, Persea Gratissima (Avocado) Oil (Vegetable), Sodium Hydroxymethylglycinate (Vegetable), Citric Acid, Citrus Grandis (Grapefruit Seed) Extract, Phenoxyethanol.

Conditioner Ingredients
Aqua (Purified Water), Cetyl Alcohol (Vegetable), Cetrimonium Chloride (Vegetable), Cocamidopropylamine Oxide (Vegetable), Sesamum Indicum (Sesame) Oil, Rosa Canina (Rose Hip) Oil, Hydrolysed Wheat Protein, Arctium Lappa (Burdock) Extract, Persea Gratissima (Avocado) Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Oil, Macadamia Ternifolia Oil, Equisetum Arvense (Horsetail) Extract, Urtica Dioica (Nettle) Extract, Syzygium Paniculata (Lilly Pilly) Extract, Schidigera (Yucca) Extract, Schidigera, Nasturtium Officinale (Watercress) Extract, Lecithin, Sodium Hydroxymethylglycinate (Vegetable), Citrus Grandis (Grapefruit Seed) Extract.

Source : Fourbody , OrganicAustralia

Review : Laneige White Plus Renew Apple Zone Mask

Product Description
An Apple Zone Mask-exclusive package for customers who want to use apple zone mask for weekly care. A whitening booster mask with excellent moisturizing and tone-up effect for Apple Zone

Laneige White Plus Renew Apple Zone Mask was one of my conquests during a friend's trip to Korea. However, there were only 4 sheets in the box, instead of the touted 8 sheets as stated on the box. I can't be sure where the remaining goes to.

Each individually packed eye mask is kept in a tray, with a protective layering on the mesh-like eye mask sheet. The material is thin and rubbery-like but did not tear even though it does look flimsy and not sturdy enough.

It has a generous size and covers the whole eye area akin to a batman mask, it covers the eyebrows, nose bridges and abit of the cheeks which gave rise to the name "apple zone". Apple Zone is the delicate area on your face that is especially prone to sun exposure, pigmentation and dehydration.

Zone spreading from eye brows down to 1CM underneath cheekbones around eye area, the apple zone is a basic element to have beautiful skin. Skin texture over the apple zone tends to be thin and easily dry; its relatively prominent position makes the area more easily exposed to the sun rays, easily leading to the creation of discoloration and blotches.
Such dark and uneven looking skin tone of the apple zone makes the entire face appear more discolored and unclean.

The mask is said to contain Artiflow and Artbutin which are effective in boosting blood circulation and whitening the Apple Zone.

This sheet mask is not wet, just slightly moist. With eye mask flaps that can be opened or closed for user preferences, I like to use it when I am comfortably in bed for 10mins to 30minutes of rest.

Refreshing and tingly cooling, it gives me a wonderful perk-me-up and calming feel and eyes feel rested after each treatment. However, there is no visible improvement to the eye area, no reduction in fine lines, dark circles or puffiness.

You can also check out the Laneige You Tube video here or read the steps here.

Check out other masks from Laneige, and get free samples with your purchase.
Laneige Bright Renew Capsule Sleeping Mask
Laneige Water Sleeping Mask


Source : Laneige , Laneige2