Garden of Wisdom Haul

My very first haul from Garden of Wisdom

- Cleansing Pads (gentle) / 50 pads : US$10.65
- Cleanser Sampler ( Oats, Milk and Honey Cleanser, Skin Friendly Cleanser (No orange oil), Gentle Cleansing Gel ) US$9.90
- Matcha Green Tea HA Serum US$3.70
- Majik Tresses Hair Serum  US$4.40
- Pack your Bags and Say GOOD BYE... Eye Gel US$14.35
- Rockin' Moroccan Goddess Hair Oil US$5.15
- Flirty Body Cream - Free

According to the owner of GoW, Markey, their products have a shelf life of 9 months to a year upon receipt of items due to the exclusion of parabens. For oils and hydrosols, she suggest that they are to be kept refrigerated with a shelf life of 6 to 12 months.

Review : Kose Clear Turn White Mask (Hyaluronic Acid)

Product Description
Kose Clear Turn White Mask (Hyaluronic Acid) is enriched with hydrating factors such as hyaluronic acid and white lotus essence that effectively improve the moisture level of skin in balance, hence preventing the problems of skin dryness and sagginess

This 1 piece sheet mask is part of the goodies in July's Glamabox, a subscription box service.

I have used Clear Turn Eye Zone Mask Q10 before and it was horribly scented with alcohol. I don't think the facial mask differs much and indeed it doesn't. However, the ingredient list I obtained online does not appear to contain alcohol. Hmm..

The paper-thin mask is sheer and wet. It has the same horrible alcohol scent as the eye mask and is not dripping wet with essence. There is an added eye patch flap which you can tear slightly to give an option to open or close the flaps as it was joined to the face sheet.

I have read somewhere that you can get a box of 5 sheets for US$12 or US$6 in Japan so I wondered why Glamabox claimed it to be US$10 each. Anyway, I don't think this Clear Turn range costs that much because I don't think I paid that much for the box of eye masks 2 years ago.

I was having a bout of dehydration on the skin, a day after my facial in the salon, so I wanted to use this mask since it purportly contain hyaluronic acid. The sniff of alcohol turns me off and I removed itafter the stipulated 10 minutes. My skin turned out to be soft, moist and supple after the treatment. The rough areas near my nose were minimized.

Ingredients:
water, butylene glycol, glycerin, dipropylene glycol, peg-8, sodium hyaluronate, lilium candidum bulb extract, peg-50 hydrogenated castor oil isostearate, carbomer, triethyl hexanoine, sodium hydroxide, methylparaben

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Review : The Body Shop Nutriganics Smoothing Serum

Product Description
To prep skin to absorb the nutrients from the day cream, this luxurious pre-moisturiser treat softens and revitalises skin while improving suppleness, all thanks to a potent cocktail of active organic ingredients and botanicals. It softens, revitalises and improves skin's suppleness.

Retailing at $46.90 for a 30ml size, this new organic range from The Body Shop certainly looks promising with their EcoCert certification and being on IT list 2011 of Elle Beauty. I don't hold their skincare products in high regards in the past, because their products always seemed overpriced to me, for the benefits it claimed and most products do not deliver. At least, those I have tried before, on my skin.

Key Ingredients :
Organic babassu oil - a versatile, light, moisturising oil, beneficial for both dry and oily complexions.
Community Trade organic aloe vera - renowned for its incredible soothing and hydrating properties.
Organic olive oil - effectively smoothes, softens and soothes the skin.

2 good friends of mine are fans of this smoothing serum so I decided to try it, when one of them passed me 2 sachets of it. The 2 sachets, each at 1.5ml lasted me for about a week's usage. The product is said to guard against the first signs of aging.

It has a light and pleasant scent with a lightweight texture that is runny. After application, the skin feels slightly tacky and sticky. I preferred to spray a mist prior to application and it made the skin feels soft and supple. I have no problem with layering a moisturiser on top of it.

Stated on the sachet, its written that 99% of the total ingredients are from natural origin and 34% of the total ingredients are from organic farming.
Looking at the ingredients, it appears to have too many fragrance components that do nothing much to help the skin.

It scored 2.7 from 6 users on Makeupalley
Ingredients :
Water, Glycerin, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Olea Europaea Oil/Olea Europaea (Olive) Fruit Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil/Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Sucrose Stearate, Benzyl Alcohol, Orbignya Oleifera Seed Oil, Sclerotium Gum, Stearic Acid, Palmitic Acid, p-Anisic Acid, Salicylic Acid, Xanthan Gum, Potassium Sorbate, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Sodium Hydroxide, Limonene, Tocopherol, Myristic Acid, Citral, Linalool, Pelargonium Graveolens Flower Oil, Citronellol, Buddleja Davidii Extract, Thymus Vulgaris Extract/Thymus Vulgaris (Thyme) Extract, Daucus Carota Sativa Seed Oil/Daucus Carota Sativa (Carrot) Seed Oil, Geraniol, Malva Sylvestris Flower Extract/Malva Sylvestris (Mallow) Flower Extract, Foeniculum Vulgare Oil/Foeniculum Vulgare (Fennel) Oil, Citrus Nobilis Peel Oil/Citrus Nobilis (Mandarin Orange) Peel Oil, Vanilla Planifolia Extract/Vanilla Planifolia Fruit Extract, Litsea Cubeba Fruit Oil, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Peel Oil/Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Peel Oil, Citric Acid, Sodium Benzoate, Thymus Vulgaris Oil/Thymus Vulgaris (Thyme) Flower/Leaf Oil, Rosa Damascena Flower Oil

Source : Thebodyshop ,

Review : Evolu Relaxing Creme Cleanser

Product Description
This gentle non-foaming formula is suitable for all skin types, especially sensitive and mature skins. Calendula, Geranium, Apricot and St John’s Wort combine to deeply cleanse impurities and effectively remove face and eye make-up, without stripping the skin of its natural defences.

Key Ingredients :
CALENDULA anti-aging, protective
GERANIUM calming, therapeutic, improves circulation
APRICOT EXTRACT softens, hydrates
ST JOHN’S WORT calms inflamed skin, helpful for blemishes

Evolu, made of a potent botanical system, is custom-designed to assist the skin’s own natural mechanisms.  Every pure, bioactive product in the evolu range is specifically blended to help achieve and maintain the skin’s ideal balance.

Evolu products are pH balanced and contain no parabens, mineral oils, phthalates, sulfates, artifical colors or fragrances or animal products other than beeswax. You can read more about the brand here

I decant some contents of this cleanser from my mum's place, which was worth about 2 weeks of usage. White in colour, its a mild cleanser that is light and creamy that cleanses well with a slippery feel. It has a slight musty scent, but does not linger for long.

It does not leave any taut feeling but a very slight film on the skin to provide that moisturising veil. Soft and moisturised is how my skin feel.

In terms of ingredients, it does contain triethanolamine which is used as a buffering agent, masking and fragrance ingredient, and surfactant, in addition to its primary use as a pH adjuster. It is considered as a moderate hazard ingredient by EWG where it is known as a human skin, immune system and respiratory toxicant. It can cause allergic reactions including eye problems, dryness of hair and skin

Source : Evolu

Review : Leaders Clinic Caviar Repairing Essential Mask

Product Description
Premium ingredients like caviar is good for skin renewal. Together with chitosan and witch hazel water it provides intense nourishment and revitalizes the skin. Provides adequate hydration and nutrients for healthier and radiant skin.

Supposingly made up of thin and sheer ultra thin silk cellulose material, it should fit onto the skin like second skin. It does adhere well to my skin initially but after 5 minutes, the mask at the areas near my chin and jaws hung in mid-air. Kinda irritating.

The cut-out fits my face shape pretty well, except for the nose area which is slightly shorter than I would like.

I used 2 sheets this week, when my skin was in its dehydrated state but well, it does not perform well. The skin does feel moisturised immediately after treatment but the following morning, my skin is back to its dehydrated state.

I purchased this from the local Watsons where it was on sale for $2 each.

Ingredients
Water, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Sodium Hyaluronate, Punica Granatum Fruit Extract, Hamamelis Virginiana (Witch Hazel) Water, PEG-60 Hydrogeneated Caster Oil, Carbomer, Triethanolamine, Methyl-paraben, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Natto Gum, Wheat Amino Acids, Disodium EDTA, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Trehalose, Propylparaben, Tocopheryl Acetate, Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Parfum, Caviar Extract, Chitosan