Skincare - Face -DHC - Acerola Gel
Dowagr 3/23/2013 7:21:00 AM
This gel didn't really work for me. I bought it with the intentions of using it as a pre-makeup moisturiser but I realised the gel balls up against my skin if i were to apply foundation on it. This was really disappointing. Since i can't use it as a pre-makeup moisturiser, I thought it would be better for night time usage. Didn't like it either cos it was sticky/balmy, yet it did not provide much moisturising either. I am very surprise it got such a high rating on MUA, but I'm not a fan of it. Not purchasing it again.
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Moisturizers -Clinique - Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel
Dowagr 3/17/2013 12:48:00 PM
i bought a 2 pack set of this at the airport, I can't remember how much but I remember it was quite a good deal. It's not superbly moisturizing but it's good enough for me as a daytime moisturizer as I have super oily skin and I stay in a humid country. This light-weight gel moisturizer that absorb quickly into my skin and because it is a light/non-oily formula, it is great as a pre-makeup moisturizer for my oily skin. In other usage, I like to use it to dissolve some of my heavier foundations into a thinner consistancy - like a tinted moisturizer. I found that not only did it work great, it has not broke me out. Try it! There is 2 ways to mix: 1. 1 part gel, 1 part foundation, mix well. 2. For much heavier foundation, use 1 part gel mix with 1 spritz of evian, mix well and add 1 part foundation, mix well. Dissolve the water to the gel first, if not the foundation may separate if you add the water later. For those of you guys who are concerned with the smell, this has no discernable scent. Price: 3, reasonable. Packaging: 4, love the pump bottle, hate the corners as I can't get the gel out!
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Cleansers -Vichy - purete thermale purifying foaming water
Dowagr 3/15/2013 6:02:00 PM
I like this product. It is gentle enough to use it 2 times a day, yet it does not leave my face dry/tight. Using a stronger cleanser isn't the answer/best when your skin flares up, hence this is perfect for those time when your skin is irritated/sensitive because it is just so mild yet cleansing. However, I have not noticed lesser blackheads from using this, maybe cos it is not exactly strong/thorough enough. Sometimes I felt like I have to pair it up with another stronger cleanser occasionally just to make sure my face is really really clean. I am not a fan of the scent as it is very heavy. I could do with a more natural smell. Packaging is OK, comes in a pretty pink bottle with a pump that disperse the right amount every time. I honestly would not repurchase this again. While it is good for basic cleansing, I did not notice a significant improvement from using it. It is also rather expensive for such a basic cleanser. Not my Holy Grail Material. I will continue to search for my HG foaming cleanser!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Toners -Boots - Face rosewater toner
Dowagr 3/11/2013 10:50:00 AM
This is a review for the 150ml boots botanic organic rosewater toner (non-spritz bottle). I always stock up on this whenever I go Bangkok as Singapore do not have Boots pharmacy. Coupled with the 1 for 1 promotion with my members' card, each bottle cost me slightly under SGD$6, which is really affordable for such a good product. You really can't expect fancy packaging for SGD$6, the no-frill plastic screw top bottle is absolutely fine with me. It smells really nice and soothing. Very gentle on the skin, not the astringent kind of toner. If my skin feel abit too "raw" for makeup, I will pat some on and immediately, my skin will calm down. I also decant some into a spritz bottle and use it to set my makeup or whenever i feel too hot. I like that this is a mild enough toner to multi-task as a facial mist. I've also tried other rosewater such as diluted rose water (1 part rose water/1 part mineral water, it was OK, doesn't feel as nice as this) as well as the much raved about Mario Badescu rose water facial mist (feels too heavy on the glycerin), I still feel this is the best one for me. PRO: - cheap and no frill packaging - fresh clean rose scent - soothing/calming on the skin - not too astringent, light feel - ability to multitask as a facial mist CON: in my humble opinion, NONE!
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Moisturizers -La Mer - The Moisturizing Gel Cream
Dowagr 3/11/2013 9:38:00 AM
I've learnt the mistakes of my ways. I use to hate this product, but that was because I over-applied the gel cream thinking more is better. How wrong I was. The more you apply, the harder it is for your skin to absorb and it always cause me to break out. The whole warming the product in the palm didn't sit well with me cause I felt I was wasting such an expensive product. Now I apply a thin layer, spritz with some Evian water and massage it gently into my face and neck, and allow some time for it to warm up and absorb into my skin. It leave me with the smoothest face and neck from any product I've ever use. Like unbelievably silicone-y smooth. I actually prefer to use it at night as I don't like to sleep with heavy creams on my face. Hope this tip can help some of you guys. Lastly, I wish it came in a pump bottle as that would have been a more sanitary packaging than a jar. Edit 4/4/2013: I just wanna add on that I've been doing lactic acid peel on my face for the past 3 weeks. After each peel session, my skin is left slightly irritated and itchy, and nothing will calm it until i apply this gel cream on. It has been a savior for me as it moisturises enough and is gentle enough. HG material, 5 lippies now.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Scrubs -Boots - Botanics Cleansing Body Scrub
Dowagr 3/5/2013 12:53:00 PM
I love everything about this product. Firstly, i am not a fan of oil-based scrubs or dissolvable scrubs. I always preferred gel-based scrubs. This have enough scrub particles in a nice and light gel base, and it's really cheap for a tub! I'm not the biggest fan of it's smell cos it smells just like antibiotic medicine to me. But it has really help to ease my winter eczema legs. Works so much better than the body shop scrubs (Pomegranate and the oily mango one that i really dislike). In my opinion, it's almost like a cheaper dupe for the L'oreal Exfotonic, except that the gel is lighter.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Powder -Giorgio Armani - Luminous Silk Powder
Dowagr 2/16/2013 2:45:00 PM
I use it together with GA LSF. it really sets the foundation nicely, creating a smooth and silky finish. The powder is really fine and smooth, I like it a lot. Only issue i have is that it's really pricy for a powder cake of this size. I also do not like the black sponge that came with it. It doesn't pick up enough powder and doesn't spread on my face with ease. I use it with a La mer loose powder sponge and it works better that way. I am still looking for a right furry sponge to replace the original sponge, so I can bring this out for touching up. all in all, very please with it... I would definitely buy it again.
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Cleansers -Bioderma - Sensibio H2O (aka Crealine H20 Solution micellaire)
Dowagr 2/13/2013 7:41:00 AM
everyone was raving about it online so i cave in and bought a bottle. It really is a good product. I actually look forward to removing makeup cos it just makes my skin feel soooo fresh and moist. It remove every single bit of foundation/blusher and then some more. With non-waterproof eyeliner, it goes away with a little bit of pressure. But it won't work on waterproof liner (i tested it with Mac Liquid Liner), so I still have to use a proper eye makeup remover. Some people don't wash their face after using this but for me, it just isn't clean enough. It will leave a sticky feel on the face, so that's a definite must for me to wash my face.
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Cleansers -Kose - Sekkisei White Powder Wash
Dowagr 2/13/2013 7:31:00 AM
When it's brand new, I like it a lot cos the powder is fine and smooth and it lathers up nicely into a fine foam. after using it, my face is literally squeaky clean. However that means it's really quite harsh and drying to the skin. After a certain period of usage, the powder will start to clog the opening. If you leave it in a humid environment, the powder will start to clump up and get stuck in chunks on the inside of the bottle. You can break it apart with a few hard knock but the granules are now lumpy and doesn't dissolve as evenly as it was in the beginning. (packaging quality rated 2 lippies) I actually repurchased it twice, cos I felt it was a OK cleanser that lasted me for a long long time, really value for money (price rated 2 lippies). But now that I am older and taking better care of my skin, I feel it's not the best/nourishing cleanser for me and will not buy it again.
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Scrubs -Kose - Seikisho Exfoliating Massage Gel
Dowagr 2/13/2013 7:21:00 AM
i actually bought this wrongly and couldn't return it as I already used it and locally the stores don't honour return/exchange once the product is opened. It took me 3 years to finish an 80g bottle. it claims to be (I loosely quote from their website) a self-warming gel that opens your pores with black scrub granules gently excavate dirt from pores. erm, it barely warms up, not even enough to open up the pores my face. It also doesn't contain enough scrub particles to exfoliate. All in all, i am just massaging a black gel that turns grey on my face. It absolutely did nothing for me, it did not aggravate nor improve my skin condition. that's the only reason why i'm finished it.
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Eyeliner -Physicians Formula - Eye Booster Lash Boosting Felt-Tip Eyeliner Serum
Dowagr 1/22/2013 9:48:00 PM
This product is H.O.R.R.I.B.L.E. I used it once, it smudge all over my upper lids and lower lash line creating a terrible mess, I had to remove all and re-apply with another eyeliner. I don't even mind the packaging or the price, but the formula is really beyond hope. No doubt, the colour is dark..tip is nice, sharp and thick (how i like it) but it smudges everywhere! Seriously, keep your money and buy the other one - Physicians Formula Eye booster eyeliner + serum (the silver packaging one)
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Treatments -Unlisted Brand - B.liv by Cellniq Off With Those Heads Pro Sebum Gel
Dowagr 1/15/2013 10:04:00 PM
I loveeeee this product. This is the first time I used a skincare product and actually like it so much that I wanna repurchase it. FYI, I am a skincare flirt, I hop from brands to brands and hardly finish any products. So for me to finish it and wanna re-purchase it, it's really says something about the effectiveness of it. I've been using it for 1 year and it has been really effective in reducing blackhead and clogged pores on my face. The bottle is a clean and sleek design, with a snap on cap. The pump disperse just enough gel to cover my entire face. The consistency of the gel is neither too watery nor gluey. It smells and feels like mint on your face and it absorb really quickly. After just using it consistently for 2 weeks (mostly during the evening after cleansing and toning), i noticed my blackheads were diminished and the clogged pores on my chins are lesser. My nose used to be really clogged due to the tropical weather in Singapore, but now there are hardly any visible blackheads. I am really icky about those raised bumps of sebums on my face so I like to do this home facial: first, I steam my face, and then i apply pore pack or peel off mask which helps to remove a lot of blackheads. after which, I will rinse my face clean and apply this gel. It has really helped a lot for my acne-prone skin. I only wish it was cheaper!
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Lotions/ Creams -Palmers - Palmers Olive Butter Formula
Dowagr 5/5/2012 7:59:00 AM
I much prefer this than the original cocoa butter. First of all, the cloying scent of cocoa butter give me a terrible headache every time i use it. This scent is not too olive-y yet fresh. The lotion really sink in and moisturises my skin (especially my limbs). It can leave a slightly oily film on my body but it's still works better than other body moisturiser/lotion i've tried (example: Jergens) If you live in a hot tropical place like Singapore and dislike that oily film it leaves on your body, you can add a little more water to dilute out the lotion which also helps with the absorption.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Treatments -Moroccanoil - Light
Dowagr 2/27/2012 12:12:00 PM
I like how this product makes my dry and frizzy hair smooth and under control. My ends tend to be super dry/rough and it tangles really easily. 2 pumps of this oil easily fixed the problem, leaving the ends shiny and tame. You know, tame like those shampoo commercial girls' hair. Tame hair that falls around your neck like chiffon. I don't know why everyone like the smell of it, I personally found it really cloying and heavy and would prefer a lighter scent. Even after using a few days in a row and I've gotten used to the scent.. but I still wouldn't call it my favorite smell. My bottle came with a pump, though I'm still wondering how I'm going travel safely with it. If only the bottle is not glass and the pump came with a cap. I never liked pump bottles when travelling. Lastly, I made the mistake of forgetting to wash my hands after applying this onto my hair. I went straight into my morning routine of moisturiser/sunblock/tinted moisturiser, and I noticed bumps on my forehead, chin and cheeks. I suspect it was the moroccanoil reacting badly with my skin. So please remember to wash your hands after applying the oil. I bought my Moroccanoil Light Oil treatment from ebay. US$39.99, 100ml bottle.
4 out of 5 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Moisturizers -Kose - Sekkisei Emulsion
Dowagr 2/14/2012 10:45:00 AM
I got this almost 2 years ago and I'm not even half way through it. I genuinely have no idea what it does for my skin. It doesn't whiten, doesn't really moisturise on its own. It tends to break me out badly. It does not absorb into your skin cos it's just sits there and dries into a sticky layer. Some people have recommended using it as a lotion mask (soaking pill mask in the lotion), but I haven't really seen any remarkable improvement to the fairness/even-ness of my skintone. Though i gotta admit, it does make my face feel a bit more "juicy". Lastly, i realised it tend to give me a lot of blackheads when I use it. is it really just me?? I noticed it has a very strong smell of alcohol so I'm a bit concerned. Overall I really hated the stickiness of it, and I wouldn't recommend you buy it if stickiness is a major pet peeve in skincare product.
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