Review: Ichikami hair oil

Item Reviewed: Ichikami hair oil

Price/pack size:

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.

Non-greasy hair treatment oil repairs severe damages, leaving hair shinny & healthy. It contains Rice Squalene to smoothen cuticles & it reduces UV-ray exposure. No rinsing necessary.

Usage: Take an appropriate amount (about 3-4 pushes) and rub on palms. Apply to your whole hair. Take a small amount at a time and apply to tips of hair where damage and dryness is concerned. You can apply on wet (towel-dried) hair or dry hair. Recommended to use with along with other ICHIKAMI series like Shampoo and Conditioner.

Review: Leave-on hair essences are an essential step in my haircare regime to getting soft, smooth hair. I can skip the hair conditioner and treatment, but I will never forsake my leave-on essence! I was glad that Ichikami hair oil comes in a tiny bottle of 50ml as I already have my Kerastase Oleo-Relax (100ml) and small sizes are always handy to have around, especially when you travel. The hair oil comes simply in a translucent bottle (yay! no need to guess if I’m running out soon) and a pump with a sweet, pearly pink cap. The only complain I have about the packaging is that the cap is a little loose, and tends to come off easily if I throw it around my luggage (the cap did come off in my check-in luggage during my Korea trip! Luckily no hair oil was spilled).

The hair oil was very light, and I needed abt 2-3 pumps for my shoulder length hair. I did use up to 4 pumps when I was in bone-dry Korea though. Despite using that much of hair oil, my hair absorbed all of it quickly, and did not turn limp. In fact, my hair was very soft, smooth and had no static reaction! I’d like to think that it was Ichikami that ‘saved’ my hair from becoming frizzy and dry in that weather.

Rating: 4/5

Would I buy again: Yes! Now I must quickly finish up my Kerastase!

Review: Etude House Baking Powder Powder Wash

Item Reviewed: Etude House Baking Powder Powder Wash

Price/pack size: S$16?/60g

Available at: Etude House retail outlets & Gmarket Korea

Ingredients:

Description: Formulated with natural baking powder to supply an exfoliating and pore deep facial cleanse.

Usage: Wet hands slightly and pour a suitable amount into palms. Rub palms together to create lather. Apply lather to skin and cleanse gently. Rinse off with water.

Review: I received a sample of this in one of my previous Gmarket orders… the sample looks really cute. It looked like a stick of sugar! (No. 7 in picture below)

The sample size was also convenient but yet not stingy – I managed to get 2 uses out of it, and believe that I could get a third (but I was on a 2D1N trip, and had to dispose of the balance when I checked out of the hotel). The powder was fine, without being gritty, and lathered up very well with minimal water. It also had a slight milky scent which reminded me very much of Fancl’s washing powder. However, the main difference would be Fancl creates much more thick foam… Etude House’s foam was on the thin side. It did clean my face very well though, without stripping it of its natural moisture. It rinses off cleanly too.

Rating: 4/5

Would I buy again: No… powder washes are too troublesome for me.

Review: Ettusais Medicated Acne Daytime Defense Powder EXTRA

Move over Day Protect Powder! It's now Medicated Acne Daytime Defense Powder EXTRA!

Item Reviewed: Ettusais Medicated Acne Daytime Defense Powder EXTRA

Price/pack size: S$45 for refill / 6g?

Available at: Ettusais counters

Ingredients:

Description: A skincare powder with all-day coverage of a foundation! Medicated Acne Daytime Defense Powder EXTRA is reformulated for those who desire to have zit-free skin! This ultimate skincare cum makeup powder loves your skin while giving it coverage of a foundation at the same time!

Ultra-fine powder particles glide on easily like a thin veil to minimize appearance of pores, blemishes and uneven skin tone, while anti-sebum ingredients help to keep your skin fresh, radiant and spotlessly immaculate all day. What’s more, the skin-loving powder protects your skin against all external aggressors and prevents and treats blemishes.

Usage: Apply evenly using a powder puff (try the Ettusais powder puff and be enveloped by softness!).

Review: I have been using the Ettusais Day Protect Powder for ages and love it! I tried to replace it with Fancl’s loose powder but the quality is pretty bad though the price is cheap. So I went back to DPP and was sad to find out that DPP has been replaced with MADDPE (what a mouthful). The packaging is now streamlined and less bulky which is a plus if you travel a lot. However, they did away with the mesh filter which I prefer as it gets the powder onto the puff evenly. Instead, they now have holes (typical loose powder packaging) and the powder comes out in clumps onto the puff… may be a little tricky to spread the powder evenly on skin that is damp from sunscreen or foundation.

Quality-wise, it is still the same fine-milled powder that doesn’t dry your skin, nor does it accentuate dry spots on your face. I only use it in Lucent shade so I can’t comment on whether it works as a foundation or not, but when I layer the powder over my sunscreen, it does make my skin look lovely soft and pores are covered. The amount of powder you get is still miserable, especially when you look at the price.

Rating: 4.5/5 (give me back the mesh packaging!)

Would I buy again: Yes! I already have one backup refill!

Review: Ucara Soothing Cream

Item Reviewed: Ucara Soothing Cream

Price/pack size: S$79 / 30ml

Available at: Ucara Spa

Description: A multi-functional cream for all skin types. Specially for reduction of erythema from sunburn and AHA treatment.

Usage: Apply soothing cream on area to be treated, leave it on for 20 minutes to work.

Review: My beautician has been applying this on my skin each time after she does extractions for me and before placing a soothing mask. She says it is to calm the skin after that prodding and squeezing. So I bought one tub to use it daily – on my 2nd now in fact. I like it cos my skin gets red and sensitive easily but the Soothing Cream has not caused any problems for me. I like to use it on my battered nose after I’ve squeezed out the blackheads. I don’t get pimples on the nose, and it isn’t that red some 30 minutes after applying the cream.

The texture is light like a whipped souffle (can I get a “yummy!” here?) and it glides and melts into skin right away. It’s not oily at all, leaving you with a radiant, matte face. Scent-wise, it smells really nice, kinda like lemon so it’s refreshing and perks me up in the morning. The Soothing Cream doesn’t really moisturize well though, so you gotta top it up with your regular moisturizer.

My beautician says you can use this as a morning cleanser too (apply a 50cent coin size of cleanser to skin, leave on for 5 minutes then rinse off) but I find that it’s too wasteful. Hell, it’s $79 for 30ml, so there’s no way I’ll be using this as a cleanser. But as a skin treatment, a tub like this lasts me ard 3 months, which is ok I’d say.

Rating: 4.5/5 (it would get full 5 points if it’s more affordable and moisturizing)

Would I buy again: Yes, once I finish up the other 2 brand new tubs of Mario Badescu Control Cream, which works to give the same results (but a little more heavier texture).

Review: Crabtree & Evelyn Jojoba Oil Body Lotion

Item Reviewed: Crabtree & Evelyn Jojoba Oil Body Lotion

Price/pack size: S$35 (250ml)

Available at: Crabtree & Evelyn retail outlets, including Centrepoint

Ingredients:

Description: Our sheer moisturizing body lotion, blended with first-pressed golden jojoba oil, sweet almond oil and oat extract, leaves skin feeling soft and supple.

•Sheer formula absorbs easily
•Moisturizing -Conditioning
•Formulated with golden jojoba oil and sweet almond oil
Scent: Blend of lavender and green herbs with a hint of citrus.

Usage: For daily use after a bath or shower or as needed to help maintain the skin’s natural moisture balance, apply lotion liberally and gently massage into the skin.

Review: I’ve always thought that I’ve got normal skin that doesn’t need moisturizing. But after years of neglect, my legs and hands are dry like a desert. You could see the scaly skin and scratch marks when I gently scratch the surface of my shins. So I was asking Ms Dry Skin if she has any recommendations and she recommended me to try C&E’s Jojoba Oil range. Actually, she told me to buy the cream but I was afraid that the cream might be too rich for my slightly dry skin so I opted for the body lotion instead.

The body lotion comes in a pump bottle which is a +1 for me cos I fancy practical packaging. Another +1 cos it has a stopper that is really handy if you decide to bring the lotion with you on a holiday! The scent reminds me of cheap hotel toiletries in a good way – I happen to like such clean, grassy scents! LOL The lotion itself is very light, spreading easily and absorbs quickly into the skin without being sticky.

I use this lotion in the office where I spend a good part of my day here and apply 1/2 pump of lotion onto my shins every morning when I come in, then another 1/2 pump of lotion for the wrinkly hands. I got a little overzealous in the beginning and was applying the lotion like every 2 hours or after every handwash! BUT my legs no longer feel itchy, and my cuticles are looking better – no more ragged nails too! $35 may be a little expensive but it’s C&E after all, and I can see the bottle lasting quite a while.

Rating: 4/5

Would I buy again: Maybe! There are just too many scents available from C&E and I want to try them!

Morning breath no more!

I’m a little upset and pek chek cos I’ve actually more or less finished up this entry when my browser went wonky and crashed. Yes, the entry went *kaput* just like that. *(&^%#

Anyway, I just wanted to use a loudhailer to call for “bad morning breath-ers” ‘s attention (I know there’s no such term, but you know what I mean right?). This is DA PRODUCT to use if you want to get rid of your stinky morning breath. Dentiste toothpaste.

Thanks to the wonderful crew at thesamplestore and Confirm Trading, I was sent a bunch of Dentiste samples to try and review.

I love receiving parcels!

On my way to getting strong, healthy teeth!

To be honest, I’ve actually used Dentiste Nighttime toothpaste before, through recommendation of my colleague (and it’s not because I’ve got horrible morning breath la!) and I find that it truly works! Most toothpastes give you fresh breath for only about 10 minutes after using them, but Dentiste keeps your breath fresh and clean even until the next morning. How amazing is that?!

The texture is a little like wall putty, for the lack of a better description. It’s a little dry and pasty, unlike Colgate and Darlie. The colour’s a light mint green – very pretty! And it makes me feel like I’m using something very natural and herbal.

Use Dentiste toothpaste for good oral health!

I went onto the website and saw the ingredient list… no wonder! It’s got 14 natural extracts!

Dentiste Nighttime toothpaste is suitable for everyone who wants fresh breath in the morning (which works out to be 100% of the population) – even more so for…

• people who are stressed – Stress causes the body to odor as toxins build up from stress hormones
• frequent travellers
• pregnant women – During pregnancy, levels of the hormones progesterone and estrogen fluctuate and have various affects on the body that can result in bad breath.
• and braces wearers like myself!! – Oral health is extremely important when you’re wearing braces. ‘Nuff said!

I think the guys at Dentiste have tweaked the formula a little cos it’s now mintier than before, which I like! The cool, fresh taste is akin to you having a Clorets mint and suck in your breath afterwards, you know that cool feel? Yea… THAT feel.

If I have to nitpick, I’d say I’m not a fan of the screw on cap cos my family has always use flip cap toothpastes, even when we use Darlie, for convenience. We would keep the Colgate flip cap and change it for the next Darlie. However, the Dentiste toothpaste tube has a different tube thread which doesn’t fit the Colgate cap. I’d also prefer if the toothpaste foams up a little more. Somehow, it makes me have the thinking that more foam = cleaner teeth.

Click here if you’d like to try Dentiste toothpaste, courtesy of thesamplestore!

Review: Etude House AC Red Spot Balm

Item Reviewed: Etude House AC Red Spot Balm

Price/pack size: ~US$9.68 / 170ml tube (Gmarket Korea pricing)

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

Ingredients:

Description: Formulated with Madecassoside (skin healing agent), Salicylic Acid & Hinoki Cypress extracts, AC Clinic Red Spot Balm heals, clarifies and soothes facial trouble spots. Specialized target treatment heals and brightens blemishes with a medicated formula.

Usage: Use provided spatula to scrap a small amount and apply to blemishes.

Review: Etude House’s Red Spot Balm claims to help heal and soothes facial trouble spots, so I used it for that purpose. After starting on hormonal therapy for my acne, I hardly have breakouts now (knock on wood!) but the scars from prior breakouts are still very red and raw which made my skin look far worse than it really is, so I wanted something to reduce the redness. I got some samples of this red spot balm when I bought something from Etude House last year and I could only guess what it was for as there was no English instructions or descriptions.

Luckily, I guessed correctly and it worked for me. I only use it when my pimples have been popped and in the healing stage. I’ve tried using it as a pimple cream but it didn’t work. On the contrary, it became worse as it couldn’t pop and became a mass of red. If I use it religiously, the scars become a lighter shade of red after a week or so.

Red spot balm comes in a jar with a scraper to help get product out. I don’t really like the packaging as the shape can make it quite difficult to scrap the product out and there can be product wastage. It is a balm texture which goes on easily but it can be unsuitable for day use for some as makeup might go on patchy. I usually only use it at night.

Rating: 4/5

Would I buy again: Maybe… 1 jar is quite large.

Review: Egyptian Magic

Item Reviewed: Egyptian Magic

Price/pack size: US$36 (4ozl)

Available at: Online or True Colours Cosmetics at Ngee Ann City in Singapore

Ingredients:

• olive oil
• bees wax
• honey
• bee pollen
• royal jelly
• bee propolis
• Divine love

Description: Egyptian Magic is a skin care cream with legendary
healing powers due to its unique blend of all natural ingredients derived only from living plants and organisms.
Egyptian Magic has been on the market for 25 years and has
grown through word of mouth into one of the most popular and widely endorsed skin creams in the world.

Review:
I had really sensitive skin about a month ago, probably because I used too much retin-A on one night. My skin hurt real bad, even using the most gentle facial wash I had. Needless to say, I couldn’t put on moisturizer. So I was complaining to my sister about my stupidity and she told me to use Egyptian Magic. I melted the balm on my fingers and carefully dabbed the oil on my face. Miraculously, my skin didn’t react to the oily balm.

I used it for a few more nights and even my pimples subsided. Then I was going on an overseas trip and decided to bring the miracle balm since it could be brought onto the plane. I brought my usual Mario Badescu moisturizer as well, just in case my skin goes wonky again, but I didn’t use it a single time on the trip. It was just a pimple treatment and the oily balm after cleanser. I have even used Egyptian Magic as a cuticle moisturizer, to tame my hair, for my eczema spots, my cracked heels and a lipbalm!

2 weeks of using Egyptian Magic, my pimples subsided, scars faded and pores were refined. Clogged pores also disappeared! I now use Egyptian Magic when my usual moisturizer fails to keep my skin moisturized (you know, that time of the month creates havoc on skin!) and for emergencies, like if my itchy fingers pop a pimple when I’m outside, I use it as a pimple treatment to stop the blood and infection.

Because the balm comes in a jar, I keep the entire jar in the fridge and scoop out a small amount into a plastic flat tub. That way, I don’t contaminate the entire jar with my grubby fingers.

Rating: 4.5/5 – the unhygienic jar packing needs to be changed!

Would I buy again: Yes

Review: The Ultimate Wellness Haven

Place Reviewed: The Ultimate Wellness Haven

Price: S$35 for 60 min massage (I had a special rate voucher)

Available at: Shaw Centre, Bt Batok, Changi Airport T2 Transit Hall

Services available:
Facial, massage, body scrubs, hair removal treatments, body masques, slimming treatments,

Review:
I’ve been on a spa whim lately, going for cheap deals when  I see one. This time, I came across The Ultimate when I was working one weekend. $35 for a 60 minute massage, $48 if you want to add a body scrub, is a pretty good deal!

So I visited the Bt Batok spa last night as it was pretty near me and I think I needed to destress after working my March weekends away. The Civil Defence club was easy to locate as I’m familiar with the area, but once I’m in, I took 5 minutes to find the spa. The many blocks did not link to each other, and if they did, it was only on certain levels. Totally confused me!

Entering the spa, I was greeted by an air of elegance – soothing music, warm ginger scents and the distant sound of waterfalls. The staff was friendly and quick to greet me, and also well-trained. Customers (both waiting for  their treatments, and those who have just finished their sessions) were sitting quietly enjoying their drinks. I was served a ginger tea to warm my senses while waiting for my therapist to come pick me.

The rooms were behind this screen that brought me to a different world. This  is where the ‘waterfall sound’ came from – the setting was almost like an outdoor spa! I was brought to this discreet room where there was an attached toilet and a massage bed. I quickly changed and got started.

The therapist first started by sprinkling some lavender EO on the cloth where I was lying face-down to help relax my mind and switching on the electric blanket so that I wouldn’t feel cold. I love lavender so I was drifting away pretty fast.

I requested for firm pressure and I found myself turning into jelly when the  therapist massaged my legs and arms with firm, long strokes. It was like she was pushing the stress and tension out of me. I also enjoyed it when she cracked my joints – totally enjoyable, though somewhat  scary cos not everyone  can do it (you could suffer a sprained neck or worse if not done  properly). My neck and lower back were loosened up after the treatment. As she massaged my scalp, I was away in lala land.

After the treatment, I was brought to the same recep area and was served ginger tea and a dessert (barley with beancurd skin – supposedly good for skin). The dessert was a tad too sweet for me so I didn’t finish it but it was cooked to perfection – the barley was tender to the bite and the beancurd skin was soft. The sales consultant came by to speak to me, but she didn’t do much hardselling. I wasn’t prepared to purchase a package because I hardly have time to utilise the sessions and it was often way out of my budget. When I told her that I’ll think about the package she offered me (30 sessions for $2200, I think), she was cool with it, and still very friendly.

A big thumbs up for this spa and its staff! Pity spa prices are always sky high, so unless there’s a great promotion that I cannot say no to, I won’t take up a package. Usual prices for a 60 min massage is from $180 onwards.

Rating: 4/5

Would I buy again: Maybe, if there was a good promotion.

Etude House Moistfull mask

Picture credits: Musings of a Muse

Item Reviewed: Etude House Moistfull mask

Price/pack size: S$3.90

Available at: Etude House
Please contact me via email (psawyerbeauty@gmail.com) if you’re interested to buy.

Ingredients:

Description: (it was all in Korean, I couldn’t understand)

Review: After weeks of using acne products (adapalene, PHA lotion, BP and occasionally Retin-A), my skin was peeling slightly. It was difficult to put on makeup. So last night, I decided to put on a sheet mask and chose the Etude House Moistfull mask that I received free when I bought some stuff a few months ago.

Opening the foil packet, the mask was a standard one, folded up neatly, soaking wet with essence. It had a slight fragrance that I didn’t really like, but then I couldn’t avoid it as most skincare brands would have their distinctive fragrance. Anyway, the mask was a little too small for me – the forehead fitted nicely but the jawline wasn’t fully covered. It was weird because most masks that I have used were all too big for me.

I left it on for 20mins or so, then removed it. The remaining essence absorbed into my skin quickly and easily with some patting. I applied some AC Red Spot Balm on the acne scars and ended last night’s skincare regimen. This morning I woke up, my face wasn’t overly oily as it was usually. The flaky patches that I had last night, were also gone this morning. That’s a sign that the mask worked, I tell you.

Rating: 4/5

Would I buy again: No, I couldn’t get past the fragrance.