Review: Etude House Real Art Cleansing Mild Soap

I have always gone for products that are quality over packaging. However, this time, I was intrigued by the lovely packaging that Etude House had. I bought this while on holiday in Seoul last April, and it came in a set of cleansing soap and cleansing oil. The cleansing oil was rubbish so I disposed of it after using 1/4 of it. Yea, it was that bad that I didn’t even want to pass it to someone else. However, the cleansing soap was lovely to use.

It was a basic cleansing liquid that cleansed my face well without leaving it dry and tight.It was clear and runny and only needed a pump to lather up sufficiently. That being said, I didn’t feel that it would be strong enough to clean off the day’s dirt, grime and makeup so I only used this in the morning. My skin was always smooth after using this. And since only a pump is needed each time, the 200ml bottle lasted me from ~Nov 2011 to May 2012.

I would love to repurchase it since it’s a simple cleansing liquid that does what it’s supposed to do, but I guess the Korean brands always have something new to offer. And I’ve still got 3 of those Holika Holika egg soaps to try… *oops, totally went crazy in Korea!*

Review: Ichikami Care & Style hair water

Item Reviewed: Ichikami Care & Style hair water

Price/pack size: S$

Available at: exclusively at Watsons

Description: Ichikami hair care series is formulated with Rice Premium EX (Yusuru essence, oil and protein originated from rice bran), plus six kinds of pure Japanese Herbal Essences (Belanmcanda, Camellia, Soapberry, Walnut, Sasanqua, Sakura) to nourish, repair and moisturize your hair.

Usage: Spray hair water 5-10cm away onto hair. Apply styling products if desired. Can be used on wet & dry hair.

Review: I received this product in my Ichikami product hamper last year end, and only remembered to use it recently after I permed my hair and it was getting dry like the Sahara desert. Remind me to treat my hair properly before I do any other chemical treatments in future please. Le sigh. Anyway, I was deciding between Lucido-L treatment water (with Hyaluronic Acid!) and Liese Raspberry hair mist in Watsons, when I saw the top shelf display for Ichikami. I suddenly recalled I have this at home, and decided to save some bucks and not buy anything. Hehe.

Ichikami Care & Style hair water promises to treat and repair hair, as well as style hair at the same time! Talk about multi-purpose! I usually use this during the day, while in office, to add some much required moisture to my hair, as well as, restyle and revive the curls. It smells really sweet, and makes my hair smell nice too (an added plus especially when we lunch at the smoky hawker centre!) However, I think my hair is way too parched for the hair water to have any effect on it. Like, I reckon I need a serum or oil more than water. Y’know what I mean? So sadly, this hair water was used a couple of times and I sent it to dear Kimoko (Queen of BB creams) who absolutely loves it.

Rating: -/5 (not suitable for my current hair state)

Would I buy again: Don’t think so… I’ve already found my HG hair serum (Kerastase Oleo Relax!)

Update on B.Liv Got Me Covered

It usually takes me forever to finish a product, and I usually fall out of love with products somewhere around the 60% mark. But this! I finally finished it! Ok, my drawing sucks. I actually kinda forgot about Got Me Covered as I was using a combination of my doctor’s sunscreen + mineral loose powder to keep my skin protected and matte. But when I finished up the doctor’s sunscreen, I found myself needing a good sunscreen cos the Dior Snow wasn’t cutting it for me.

To cut the long story short, I picked this up again and completed the bottle. My initial review on the tinted sunscreen still stands. GMC does control oil well. My nose started peeling when I used GMC on a 5 day roll without using a strong moisturizer. I love how matte my skin becomes after application so I usually skip the powder when I use this (my acne scars are now lighter than before. Yippee!). I even brought this to Malaysia when I went to stay with a friend over the weekend. It was so convenient and the travel-safe packaging just made it so easy!

HOWEVER, now that I’m done with this, and again need a new sunscreen, I think I might just try the moisturizing version of it (untinted though) – Shield Me. I recently bought a moisturizer from Bliv (Quench Me) and it’s fab! So maybe…

Review: Ichikami shampoo

Item Reviewed: Ichikami shampoo

Price/pack size: S$7.90 for 200ml bottle, $16.90 for 550ml pump bottle

Available at: exclusively at Watsons

Description: Ichikami hair care series is formulated with Rice Premium EX (Yusuru essence, oil and protein originated from rice bran), plus six kinds of pure Japanese Herbal Essences (Belanmcanda, Camellia, Soapberry, Walnut, Sasanqua, Sakura) to nourish, repair and moisturize your hair.

Ichikami shampoo does not contain Silicon, a chemical ingredient that gives an instant result of silky smooth hair, which may also result in hair fall in the long run. Instead, Ichikami makes use of herbal essences to achieve smooth, beautiful and most importantly, healthy hair. Enjoy the refreshing and fruity fragrance of Sakura!

Usage: Wet your hair well and apply proper quantity on your hair. Lather up and massage scalp well. Rinse thoroughly. Apply Ichikami conditioner and/or treatment for better results.

Review: I was excited to use the Ichikami haircare range as I really liked the scent and finally got down to using the shampoo, 1 out of many products I received in the product hamper. However, I was a little disappointed with the packaging. Now, I don’t know if I got a reject bottle but the hinge of the bottle cap broke the first time I opened the bottle. It says a lot to me, and definitely affects my decision to repurchase. Product packaging is important to me as I like my products to be functional and not just look pretty. Having the hinges broken made me wonder if it’s a design fault, or I just happened to get a defect bottle. As mentioned previously, the shampoo lathered up really well despite not having silicons in its formulation. I did, however, notice that I drop a lot more hair than usual while using Ichikami. My hair also felt a little straw-like if I skimped or skipped conditioner. But I persevered and continued using it and slightly 2 weeks later, it was all good. I guess it was the natural process of purging out the silicones in my hair.

It is a must to use the hair conditioner or hair treatment while using the shampoo, as the conditioner & treatment definitely smoothed out the tangles and straw-like feeling. A little lasts a long way with Ichikami as well, I only require one pump of conditioner (whereas I’d usually require 2 pumps for my shoulder length hair). My hair was a lot smoother and softer when I allowed it to dry naturally.

Rating: 3.5/5

Would I buy again: Not sure.. while I like the way it makes my hair feel, I’m divided on the silicon-free stand ( I really don’t care if my hair products are loaded with silicones). Having said that, Ichikami is a good and affordable way to start caring for your hair. If I had to choose, I’d probably repurchase the conditioner & hair treatment pack, but not the shampoo.

Review: My Beauty Diary Strawberry Yogurt Mask

Item Reviewed: My Beauty Diary Strawberry Yogurt Mask

Price/pack size: S$1.50/piece

Available at: MadAboutSprees

Description: For whitening, pore refining & oil control. Suitable for normal to combi-oily skins.

Usage: Place mask on skin after toner, for 20-30 minutes. Excess essence can be gently massaged into skin – no need to rinse off. Follow with usual moisturizer to lock in the nutrients.

Review: I was doing some clearance sale and found that I still have a couple of pieces of this mask so I decided to give my skin a treat. I have always liked MBD masks as they smell really nice and I don’t have any adverse reaction to their masks. This was no different from the other masks I’ve tried from MBD.

The scent of this strawberry yogurt mask is distinctively strawberry milk, very yummy! I was craving for strawberry milk the whole time I had the mask on. The mask was well soaked with the essence but yet not too wet and drippy. I could sit upright and watch TV comfortably while using the mask. Despite being in an aircon room, the mask sheet was still slightly wet with essence after 20 minutes.

I removed the mask and quickly massaged my face to let it absorb the remaining essence. There was no need to rinse my face, unlike other masks I’ve used, as the essence absorbed into my skin quickly and wasn’t sticky at all. In fact, my skin was matte and bouncy with moisture! The next day, the pores on the sides of my nose were slightly smaller. There wasn’t a glow or brightening effect though – I usually get that effect with MBD’s White Rose & Pearl Powder masks.

Rating: 3/5

Would I buy again: Hmm… I’m on the fence with this product. Like the scent but not much WOW effects.

Review: Etude House Baby Skin Base

Item Reviewed: Etude House Baby Skin Base

Price/pack size: S$15.90/30ml

Available at: Etude House retail outlets & Gmarket Korea

Ingredients:

Description: Delicate coverage for natural, radiant complexion and tone. All Day Moisture Rich & Oil Absorbing Base Makeup- Fine, silky powder solution. Promotes smooth, even complexion- baby skin presentation with reduced pore visibility.

Usage:

Review: I have been using this makeup base on and off for some time now… it’s not something that I cannot live without… but that’s not saying that it’s no good. On days where I use the makeup base, my powder does stay on longer than usual. My powder and blusher usually fades off by mid-day without a primer, but my skin still looks good by the end of the day for times where I remember to use it. By good, I mean my pores still look refined, and I still have blusher on. And that happens even when I had a rough day, sweating it out in the hot, humid warehouse. So I believe there’s something good going on with the Baby Skin Base. However, I’m usually in a rush in the morning, and would like to pare down my routine, so I tend to skip the primer and just go straight to powder after sunscreen.

Let’s get on with the rest of the review, shall we? The base is encased in a convenient pump bottle which makes it easy to control the amount you require, and not to mention, hygienic. It is a light coloured peach lotion (note that I chose #2 which is an apricot colour. They also have it in #1, a colour correcting green base) that evens out my skin tone and gives it a little coverage. It smells wonderful, pretty much like its namesake – baby! It does have some oil control since my face is kept matte and doesn’t turn into an oil slick by mid-day. The lotion also dries quickly on skin and preps it for the next step of makeup.

Rating: 3/5

Would I buy again: No, I just don’t have the habit of using a makeup base.

Review: The Body Shop Blue Corn Mask

Item Reviewed: The Body Shop Blue Corn 3-in-1 Deep Cleansing Scrub Mask

Price/pack size: S$29.90 / 100ml

Available at: All TBS retail outlets

Description: A 3-in-1 mask that deeply cleanses, exfoliates and moisturises the skin in one easy step. It leaves the skin feeling clean, smooth and balanced.

Usage: Cleanse skin and pat dry before applying a generous layer of the mask to the face, avoiding the eye and lip areas. Leave on for 10 to 15 minutes before rinsing with warm water (mask will not dry).  Use one to two times per week after cleansing.

Review: This is hardcore stuff! TBS’s Blue Corn Mask reminds me of wall putty, dry and pasty. It doesn’t take much to get an even layer on skin and it dries fairly fast, taking about 6-7 minutes for the mask to be ready to be washed off. It did sting a little when I first put it on, especially around the corners of my nose where the skin is thinner. However, once you get used to it, the sting goes away. I like to wet my hands a little and scrub my face before rinsing it off. However, those with sensitive skin and/or those who didn’t like St Ives apricot scrub might want to skip this as I find that the Blue Corn mask is even harsher than St Ives.

The mask rinses off cleanly and my skin always looks fresher and more even-toned after using the mask. I usually alternate this mask and Innisfree volcanic clay mask as I’m afraid the intensive scrubbing action of the Blue Corn mask may be too much for me.

Rating: 3/5

Would I buy again: Hmm… I’m on the fence with this product.

Review: Etude House First Snow Ice Cotton Toner

Item Reviewed: Etude House First Snow Ice Cotton Toner

Price/pack size: S$25.90/150ml aerosol can

Available at: Etude House retail outlets (Sadly, you can’t get this from Gmarket as it cannot be shipped via air)

Ingredients: *all in Korean…*

Description: Solution sprays to form ice cold toner pad for moisturizing, pore constriction and soothing efficacies.

Usage: Shake well and spray onto palm in circular motion until formation of round pad. Press flat and use pad to apply toner to all areas of face and neck.

Review: I was intrigued by this product when I read about it on Mischievous Mack. Tried to save money by attempting to buy it on Gmarket, but unfortunately, this product cannot be shipped overseas due to its packaging (aerosols are classified as dangerous goods). Luckily, it wasn’t too expensive in the stores. The product reminds me of silly string! But it was not silly at all… the product solidifies to form the cotton pad and can be applied to face quickly and easily. I don’t think it can save you money by replacing cotton pads because you won’t get a lot of product in one can, but you’re paying for the novel idea.

The toner is cooling and feels really nice on skin, especially after a hot and grimy day. It smells quite nice, quite like Elizabeth Arden’s green tea perfume. As you wipe the “cotton pad” around your face, it will get smaller and smaller, eventually leaving you with a small piece that cannot get any smaller, and that’s when you know you can throw the lint away. The toner dries quickly on face, and is also moisturizing so oily skinned girls may choose to skip moisturizer if they wish. Having used it 3x so far, I cannot comment on pore constriction, but it is moisturizing enough for me.

Rating: 3/5

Would I buy again: Maybe… not sure if it’s value for money yet.

Review: Etude House Super Aqua Sun Guard SPF35 PA++

Item Reviewed: Etude House Super Aqua Sun Guard SPF35 PA++

Price/pack size: S$?/70ml tube

Available at: Etude House retail outlets / Gmarket Korea

Ingredients: *all in Korean…*

Description: Oil-free sun protection relieves skin with Chlorella extracts.

Usage: Apply sun guard to sun exposed areas of the face/body and massage into skin.

Review: I was out of my usual sunscreen from the clinic and decided to try a new one. $42 for a 30ml tube didn’t sound very appealing, especially when I was just going to be home and didn’t need a SPF65. Being obsessed with all things Etude House recently, I decided to try the Super Aqua Sun Guard SPF35. I also did a check online and read some promising reviews, thus the deal was signed, sealed, delivered. *Name that song*

As always, the sunscreen came packed in perfect condition and the price was right. The lotion was light as a feather and wasn’t oily to touch. It spreaded very well on skin, needing only a tiny blob (approx less than $0.05 coin for the whole face). It also wasn’t sticky on the face. However, there is a slight sheen to skin, which can be easily fixed with a pat of powder. The sunscreen lotion smelt fresh, almost like a fresh ocean scent. SPF35 was also perfect for days that I stayed in, or wasn’t going to be out in the sun for long.

Unblended - light green colour sunscreen

Blended out... no white cast!

Handy tube for traveling

Rating: 3.5/5

Would I buy again: Maybe… there are many other sunscreens out there, y’know?

Review: Etude House AC Acne Foam Cleanser

Item Reviewed: Etude House AC Acne Foam Cleanser

Price/pack size: ~US$5.72 / 170ml tube (Gmarket Korea pricing)

Available at: Etude House stores and/or Online via Gmarket Korea

Ingredients: Salicylic Acid, Triclosan and Sandalwood Oil

Description: Formulated with Salicylic Acid, Triclosan and Sandalwood Oil, Acne Foam Cleanser removes acne causing germs to keep your skin clean all day. Ideal for use as makeup removal cleanser.

Non-Comedogenic & Dermatologist Tested
‘Non-Comedogenic’ means it will not produce nor aggravate acne. AC Clinic line is formulated without acne-inducing ingredients to promote clear skin.

Usage: Squeeze approximately 0.3cm of cleansing foam, lather up and cleanse face. Rinse well with water. Suitable for daily use.

Review: I read that some girls actually alternates their cleansers when their period is about to hit, and I think that’s quite a smart move! Our skin condition changes when hormone levels fluctuate so the skincare products must cater to different conditions… why haven’t I thought of it? Anyway, I bought this AC Acne Foam cleanser together with the Baking Powder Cleansing Foam when I ordered from Gmarket Korea and didn’t use it until recently (I wanted to finish up a cleanser before moving onto the next one, but naturally I couldn’t ‘tahan’ it and had to have 2 cleansers in the bathroom). I have tried the cleanser previously as I got a trial tube of it when I purchase the AC Red Spot balm at Etude House Singapore.

I’ve been using the AC cleanser for almost 3 weeks now but I think the Baking Powder one is better. The AC makes my skin feel like I could get a squeak sound by running my finger across it (like it’s a clean plate). I also felt like it doesn’t rinse well. However, that said, I used it when my period was approaching and I didn’t get any pimples (knock on wood!!)… the worst I had (or could remember) was some bumps that occured due to dehydrated skin. Nothing a moisturizer couldn’t fix. Once my period was over, I switched back to the Baking Powder and I was a happy girl.

The texture is creamy, and it smells strongly of sandalwood, so sensitive noses might want to take note of that. It’s a pretty large tube, 170ml and I only paid around S$9-$10 for it, so it’s definitely worth the money. Buying via Gmarket Korea is a breeze as well and the item came very well packed. It’s much more worth it to buy online than get it from the shops if you can wait and don’t mind the language barrier. If you don’t know how to purchase from Gmarket Korea, you can refer to here for tips or ask me! I will be doing a tutorial on how to buy from Gmarket Korea soon!

Rating: 3/5

Would I buy again: Maybe… I get bored with skincare easily. It would be better if they have a smaller tube sold separately, also good for traveling then!