All about Ampoules

Ampoules, are more intense, potent versions of serums or essences. They typically contain high concentration of active ingredients which can help revive and boost the skin in lesser time.

It is considered a skincare secret which every Korean woman swears by, in making a huge impact on how your skin looks and feels. In fact, it is not uncommon to see 50% or more concentration of the star ingredient in ampoules.

Due to the high concentration, ampoules usually come in smaller packages as a little goes a long way and sometimes, a drop of two is all it takes to see results. The texture is usually light and slippery which makes them easily absorbed by the skin.

They can be found in airtight glass containers, filled with a concentration of highly active ingredients which usually contain botanical extracts, vitamins and enzymes in various combinations and do not have any preservatives or chemicals due to the airtight packaging.

Ampoules can have remarkable effects on various skin conditions, like whitening, hydrating, irritations, hyper - pigmentation as well as aging. Some ladies who used it reported visible results within a short time after application, making them great fans of ampoules.

Commonly used in beauty salons during facials or before make up application in the past, they are now more easily available, to be incorporated as part of your skincare regime. Makeup lasts longer as it is helpful in controlling sebum and makes our face looks less oily. Skin feels very soft and hydrated after application.

Check out my review of Skin Expert Whitening and Hydrating Ampoules. 

Review on Bioglo Active C Whitening Mask

I bought this mask from a colleague who is a member of Cosway.
Cosway belongs to a member points reward system and is marketed by Cosway (M) Sdn Bhd.

I saw this store in KL before and its pretty big and impressive. Cosway have a wide range of products. As a member, you will receive a monthly catalog of products with special prices during that month. When you made purchases, you also need to inform the cashier of the member ID in order to enjoy the member prices. This brand does not sell to non-members.

Bioglo Active C Whitening Mask is a sheet mask which claim to give you a fairer, smoother and firmer skin almost instantaneously! Each treatment delivers a lavish dose of Activated Citrus-C™ to your skin. Perfect for an intensive whitening or lifting treat

Vitamin C can helps to
- combat premature ageing caused by free radicals
- whitens and brightens skin
- build skin resilience
- aids wound healing and reduces scars

This is a sheet mask and it came wrapped in a protective sheet.
Its thin and the cut-out area for the eyes are pretty big so its a minus point for me, as I will prefer it to mask around my eyes so that my whole face can reap the benefits.
Just feel that the cut-out area for the eyes is way too big.

So how did this mask fare on my skin?
This mask purports to give intensive lifting and whitening treatment.
I do see an immediate whitening effect after the first use but not any lifting though.
It gives an overall radiance to my face so I will continue to use it in the long run.

Ingredients :
Distilled water, Propylene Glycol, PEG-40 Castor Oil, Citrus Peel Extract, Aloe Vera Extract, Polyquatenium-39, Sea Urchin Extract, Coconut Oil, Isopropyl Myristate, Fragrance, Sodium Lactate, Allantoin, Methylparaben, Dipotassium Glycyrrinate, Xanthan Gum, EDTA

According to the box, this is made in Taiwan and marketed by Cosway.

Review : Skin Expert Whitening and Hydrating Ampoules

Ampoules, an in-thing in Korea for a long while, are potent, viscous fluids packed in vials or dropper-type bottles and said to produce almost instant results on the skin.

They are different from serums, even though both contain highly concentrated amounts of active ingredients and are small enough to penetrate deeply into skin.

However, ampoules contain more condensed active ingredients and sizes are smaller than that of a serum, hence they are said to be more potent than serums.

With that in mind, I purchased some ampoules from a colleague who is a beauty fanatic. Even though whitening and hydration are my top most concerns but I still can't resist getting Caviar, Oxygen Booster and Beauty Lifting ampoules as well.

Note that Skin Expert has a wide range of ampoules for different concerns - AHA Peeling, Anti-Acne, Beauty Lifting, Caviar, Couperose, Oxygen Booster, PhytoFlavon, Regenerating, Sensitive, Hydrating and Whitening.

Among the 5 variations, I felt that Whitening and Hydrating ampoules work best on my skin. I saw results, unlike when I used Caviar, Oxygen Booster and Beauty Lifting ampoules. It could also be because of my age when I don't need anti-aging products for now - hopefully its because my skin is still young!

Each glass vial contains 2ml contents. Break the vial, as indicated by the red line, near the neck of the vial. Depending on your preference, you can finish the whole vial at one time ( like in the salon ) or choose to use it over a few days.

In some facial salons, the beauticians tend to apply the ampoules during the skin massaging, after exfoliation. I tried using the same way, but my skin experienced some breakouts, so I stopped the massaging and used the ampoules like a serum instead.

I tend to use the whitening vial after exfoliation and masking, if I feel that my skin is in need of radiance or hydration vial if my skin is dehydrated. I tend to use the ampoule for 3 consecutive days because the quantity is too much for a 1 time usage.

In order to maintain the "freshness" of the contents, I will stuff a tissue paper in the opening and keep

in the fridge. You can find small containers to slot the vial if you are worried about spillage and breakage. 

In facial salons, ampoules are highly marked up and if you are getting married, some make-up artists will sell the beauty-lifting ampoules for $25 or more. I managed to get it at a discount because my colleague know someone from the beauty industry.

My skin appeared more radiant after consecutive use of the whitening ampoule for 3 days. And with the hydrating ampoule, my skin was sufficiently hydrated. Loving the affordable price and the results of the ampoules.

Popular ampoules on Amazon
Lanbena Vitamin C/ Hyaluronic Acid/ Retinol Serum Ampoule
Martiderm Photo-age Anti-aging Ampoules 
Ohui Miracle Moisture Ampoule 

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Review on My Beauty Diary Intensive Refining Eye Mask

There have been many online sales on this range of My Beauty Diary masks from Taiwan in many local forums and blogs.

In the end, I decided to get 2 pairs of the eye masks from my colleague to try it out.

Main purpose of the eye masks : Increase hydration, reduce dark circles and puffiness.

As derived from Mei Mei Mission who is selling this mask on her website,

1) Combination of Vitamin C, Licorice, Yeast Complex, Vitamin K, Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein

- strengthen the skin cells around the eye area to lighten the dark circles, hydrating and firming the skin around to restore the glow in the skin.

2) Combination of Horsetail, Algae, Centella Asiatica, Gentian, Elder Cryo-Buds Extract

-reduce water retention and promotes the elasticity of the skin.

3) Combination of Witch Hazel, Aloe and Arica together with Hyaluronic Acid

- improve hydration around the skin area and promotes collagen formation helps to destress the tension at the targeted skin, reducing the formation of pre-mature wrinkles.

The eye patch comes in a unique shape to fit the eyes, there is a slit in the center to cater for the eyes. When you place the eye patch on the eyes, it will rest on the eyelids and the area below the eyes, with a slit in the center where your eyes are.

Its wet when you first place in on the eye area but dries up pretty quickly.

So try to remove it before it dries, so that the moisture at your eye area will not get sucked by the masks.

I see no effect though, so I guess I will not be buying it again.

Drop me a line, if you like to get the eye mask, I may be able to get it at a cheaper price from my colleague.

Its much much cheaper if you get these masks from Taiwan or Hong Kong.

I was in Hong Kong recently and Beauty Diary facial masks are just going for HK$52 ( about SG$10 ) for 10 pieces.

Salon Review : Hair Inn

Salon : Hair Inn
Location : Centerpoint Shopping Center #02-26
Tel : 67338510/ 67338511
Stylist : Carmen

There were quite a number of hair salons in Centerpoint and I actually strolled 2 rounds before choosing Hair Inn. Why? Because its crowded and the prices seem reasonable as compared with the rest of the salons.

Its actually my first time not making any hair appointment and just trying my luck at the salon.
So surprisingly and thankfully, I managed to secure a slot on the spot, even though I have no appointment.
Its actually my 2nd time in this salon, the first time was quite a number of years back, for a haircut.

In this salon, there were quite a number of stylists, more females than males.
Prices were pretty reasonable. I opted for a haircut + perm + treatment.
Ceramic Perm with free haircut : $158 ($128 for short hair)
Treatment : $88
Total : $246

The stylist whom they assigned me to, was Carmen who is a courteous, friendly and approachable lady. She have a stream of regulars who came in without any appointment, during my 4 hours in the salon. In fact, the salon was quite crowded most of the time. Customers just kept coming in.

So how did my curls turn out at the end of 4 hours ? Well, its nice, girly and natural, as what a colleague commented the next day. According to Carmen and most stylists whom I went for perms, they usually commented that I am suitable for perms, due to my rough hair structure.

Well, my hair belongs to the thick and coarse category, which according to the hair stylists, are most suitable for doing perms.
And because my face is round, I am not suitable for any short fringe, unlike Carmen (I love her rebonded hair with short fringe). So my fringe is usually swept to the side.

How do I take care of my curls? After washing my hair, I will usually twist my hair inwards, its to maintain the shape of the curls. Right now, I am not using any mousse, spray or wax because my hair still looks abit wild. Probably later, when the curls have sort of tamed down.

Overall, the hair experience in this salon was good, I will say, except for a minor hiccup.
I hate the lady at the cashier. A sulky young lady with long blond hair. She never once smile at me when I made payment.
A curt reply of "NO" when I asked if there were any credit card promotion.
No thank you and no eye contact when she passed me back my change.
Very rude for one to be in service line. I am appalled at her attitude. Seriously.
During the time at the cashier, Carmen was beside her, thanking me profusely and smiling at me.
What a big contrast of attitude.

If not for this minor hiccup, it would have been such a pleasant hair experience.