Review: Etude House Hydro Wrapping mask (Refreshing)

Item Reviewed: Etude House Hydro Wrapping Mask (Refreshing)

Price/pack size: S$2.90/piece

Available at: Etude House

Description: Mask sheet’s special hydro coating essence contains botanical extracts to effectively nourish complexion. (Active ingredients: Bamboo extracts & Phytoncide).

Usage: Apply mask sheet to cleansed face and leave on for 10-15 minutes. Remove mask and massage remaining solution into your skin with hands. Recommended interval for mask application is every 2-3 days for maximum efficiency. *Hold and apply according to diagram*. (I remembered to take a picture of the entire back of the mask packaging so you can see it now! The extra tab should be on the right side of your face)

Review: The entire range of Hydro Wrapping masks feature the same unique special coating on top of the mask sheet. It definitely helps lock in the moisture essence so that your skin will absorb all of it, and none of the essence will evaporate into the air. The scent is very soothing and green, probably to suit the bamboo extract. It’s not strong and did not irritate my sensitive nose. After 20 minutes, the mask was still very wet with essence and I followed instructions to massage the remaining solution into my skin. The essence took only less than a minute to absorb into my skin and I applied moisturizer after that. Initially it was a little sticky as my face was overloaded with moisture goodness but it soon became matte and smooth after 10 minutes.

I used the mask last night, and this morning, my skin was smooth and bouncy even after I washed my face. It would usually be a little dry! 2 thumbs up! The mask sheet did not really fit very well around my jaw, with a lot of excess. I did what I usually do with extra large mask sheets: tear the mask in 2 around the mouth area to make it fit nicely.

Rating: 5/5

Would I buy again: Yup, I love the unique mask coating! So interesting.

Review: B.Liv Got Me Covered

Item Reviewed: B.Liv Got Me Covered

Price/pack size: US$32/45ml (online price) / S$69.90 (retail price)

Available at: Sasa & selected Guardians

Ingredients:

Description: Get rid of greasy facial complexion with this natural skin tone, oil-free sunblock. Got Me Covered (SPF35, PA+++) shields your skin from harmful UVs and maintains your complexion’s allure. It keeps a tight rein on your excessive oil secretion to ensure blackheads and whiteheads are forever on the run. A non-pore-clogging, weightless and mattifying formulation that got you covered perfectly.

Usage: Pump 1 to 2 pea-size drops of Got Me Covered onto your palm. Apply over your face and neck in up and outwards stroking movement, in straight lines

Review: I have received a sample of this product some time ago and brought it to the gym with me one day. I was instantly sold. The product is a 3-in-1 product, an oil control product, sunscreen & foundation, all rolled into one.

Got Me Covered only has SPF35 though, so I still prefer to use my regular sunscreen beneath it cos I’m paranoid like that. The tint is light, but sufficient to conceal my acne scars, making them barely visible. However, those looking for full coverage may have to follow up with loose (mineral) powder like I do. This combination of GMC and mineral powder gives me flawless skin and it doesn’t budge until I remove it with a makeup remover. I also don’t get the oilies as bad when I use GMC because it has very good oil control!!! GMC is best suited for combi-oily skin types as it helps to control oil. Dry skin types may have to double moisturize beneath or it can get too drying. The most I get is a dewy look on my nose by midday (around 2pm when it’s the hottest). GMC is also water-based and spreads easily on skin. It is creamy but yet not oily. BHA is also present in its formulation to help keep the blackheads away and pores clear! So really, it’s more than just a foundation. It’s almost like a BB cream already!

GMC is also water-resistant, just a FYI tip for those who like to wear a bit of tint when they go to the beach or to the pool. How do I know? Cos I can see the water beads forming on my palms when I rinse them after GMC application. Quite cool… I mean, Singapore is really hot and humid, so it would definitely help if your sunscreen is water-resistant and lasts longer.

Rating: 5/5 (would prefer it to have higher SPF level though)

Would I buy again: Most probably! When I’m done with my 751246 foundations & BB creams.

Review: The Ultimate Spa *revisisted*

Place Reviewed: The Ultimate Wellness Haven

Price: S$299.60 for Javanese Mandi Lulur treatment (60 min massage + 30 min scrub (I utilized my spa voucher which I won from an Expat Living competition, so I got the treatment for free! ^^)

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

Services available:

List of services & pricing from http://theultimate.com.sg/sitebranches/oursvcs/images/TU_SpaMenu.jpg

Review: This is my 2nd visit to The Ultimate Spa (read about my first visit here). The Ultimate is, undoubtedly, one of the best spas I’ve been to, in terms of treatment services, therapists and ambience. My therapist was a nice Thai lady named Nancy. She was quite friendly too, asking how was my day but without chatting incessantly during the treatment.

I chose the Javanese treatment which actually consisted of a 60 min massage & 30 min hydropool soak, but the hydropool was under maintanence the day I went, so I opted to get a body scrub instead. The massage started with the petite lady climbing onto my back and applying deft pressure so that my joints and bones would be loosened up. I tell you, I love it when the numerous bones on my back go “cracccckkkkk” and I feel so much lighter and flexible immediately. I like firm pressure massages and the lady had just the right amount of force. It wasn’t painful, it wasn’t too light – just how I like my body massages to be. However, I was a little confused when the massage also included the Thai style of twisting your body. Not that I’m complaining though… whichever style it was, it was good. I also liked the little detail the therapist put in – she switched on the electric blanket so that I wouldn’t feel cold. The head massage was also very relaxing and it didn’t mess up my hair too badly. Some places I’ve been to made my hair really oily after the treatment, or that I’d get very bad hair tangles.

An hour passed by very quickly and it was time for my scrub. I chose Marine Algae and was glad that I did. It smelt really wonderful – reminded me of H20+… very fresh and clean scent. The scrub particles were big but not too abrasive. As I rinsed off the scrub in the attached toilet in the room, it felt like I was in Maldives (or how I envisioned a trip to Maldives would be…). Heaven.

The bad? The price was scarily high… I mean, I wouldn’t pay close to $300 for 90 mins of body treatment!

the clean wide bed with electric blanket. I like!

the room came with attached bathroom. i love! sorry for the mess at the sink... I took the picture only after I was done with the treatment.

Rating: 4.5/5

Would I go back again: If I had a discount coupon… maybe…

Review: Mandom Cleansing Express Essence Conc Wash

Item Reviewed: Mandom Cleansing Express Essence Conc Wash

Price/pack size: S$12.90 / 200ml

Available at: Watsons exclusively

Description: Light makeup remover + cleanser + moisturizer. Enriched with Rich Beauty Essence (no idea what this is) and Royal Jelly. Suitable for sensitive skin.

Usage: Pump a suitable amount onto your hand and lather with cold or warm water, washing gently as if to wrap your skin in foam. Rinse off well with water.

Review: Though I love the Cleansing Express (sebum), most times I wash off my makeup when I’m in the shower, so I feel that it’s kinda a waste to use cotton pads with the cleansing water when I can wash off my makeup one-step in the shower cubicle. What better way to do this than with the Essence Conc Wash (hereby known as Conc Wash)? The Conc Wash is a transparent, runny liquid that smells of oranges which removes my makeup easily, and doesn’t strip my skin of all moisture. The Conc Wash works like your regular face wash where you need water to lather up and water to rinse off.

I often use loose powder, blusher and sometimes mascara and eyeliner. And just 2 pumps of the Conc Wash is enough to remove the makeup cleanly! The foam that I rinse off is brownish in colour, evidence that the loose powder and blusher have been removed. And my eye makeup is also being removed effortlessly (I usually apply 2 coats of mascara, and will need 2 cotton pads, double sided, to remove the eye makeup completely).

The Conc Wash is pretty similar to the Cleansing Express – (artificial) fragrance-free, colouring-free.

Rating: 5/5

Would I buy again: I just bought the cleansing gel from the same range to try and compare.

Review: Carmex medicated lipbalm

Item Reviewed: Carmex original lipbalm (tub)

Price/pack size: US$1.49

Available at: Sadly, not in Singapore!

Ingredients:

* Camphor alleviates pain
* Menthol kills germs and relieves discomfort
* Phenol gently numbs your sore lips and removes old, dead skin

OTHER INGREDIENTS

* beeswax, cetyl esters, flavor, fragrance, lanolin, paraffin, petrolatum, salicylic acid and theobroma cacao(cocoa) seed butter.

Description:

• Available since 1937, with over 1 billion jars sold
• Original lip-tingling formula
• Relieves the symptoms of chapped lips and cold sores
• Non-addictive and not tested on animals
• Available in .25 and .5 oz. sizes
• Available in larger 4 oz. and 8 oz. jar sizes

Review:

I’ve always complained about dry lips, especially since having braces! So my sister passed me a jar of Carmex one day and asked me to try it. Now, if my sister says Carmex is dope, I’ll believe her. She has the driest lips of all, one of the side effects of being a smoker.

So I tried it one night when my lips were peeling and no amount of lipbalm could save it, and I was impressed! My lips were restored back to its usual state of softness and smoothness after 2 nights of intense Carmex therapy. Now I know why Carmex has constantly won awards and gotten the thumbs up from many users. Even my male Ang Moh boss uses it and loves it!

Now, if only Carmex will produce its award-winning original lipbalm in a twist up lipbalm tube… it would be most convenient and hygienic. They currently produce it in a squeezy tube, which is what my boss uses, however I don’t like squeezy tubes because the rounded tip often causes product to go all over the perimeter of my lips, and they melt in our humid and hot weather. They have the SPF15 lipbalm in twist up tubes, but me being troublesome me, I can’t use SPF lipbalms as they cause my lips to peel even more… only the original lipbalms without colouring, flavouring and fragrance work for me.

Rating: 5/5

Would I buy again: Yes, anyone going to the US soon?

Review: Mandom Cleansing Express (Sebum)

Item Reviewed: Mandom Cleansing Express Sebum (for Oily Skin)

Price/pack size: S$16.90 (300ml)

Available at: Watsons, Guardian, Sasa (most beauty outlets are retailing it, I believe)

Ingredients:

Description: Water-based, gentle but powerful cleansing agent. 3-in-1 lotion. Removes makeup, tones and moisturizes. All in ONE step!

Usage: To use, remove stopper from pump. Soak cotton generously with 2-3 pumps of lotion per cotton and wipe makeup off. Do not rub hard when wiping. Cleansing Express blends well with makeup so only a gentle wiping motion is required.  When removing eye makeup, be careful not to let lotion enter eyes. Repeat steps until all makeup is removed and cotton is clean. There is no need to double cleanse again with facial foam as washing face again washes off moisturizing ingredients. If really a must, rinse face with water only.

Review: To be honest, I was quite skeptical of this product and thus didn’t buy it when it was first introduced to the market. I was using Fancl’s Mild Cleansing Oil then and was pretty happy with it. Then, Joyce introduced me to Mandom Cleansing Express and raved about how good it was. I believe I was in a shopping mood that night and decided to give the product a go. It was also on 20% discount then, so no brainer.

I use sunscreen and a light layer of powder every day and it only takes 3 cotton pads (with 1 pump of cleansing water on each pad) to get my skin cleansed thoroughly. The cleansing water was light and odourless, almost like water. It is also oil-free, alcohol-free and colouring-free. Though the instructions said there is no need to double cleanse after removing makeup with the cleanser (the moisturizing ingredients will be washed off face – if you really want to, just use water), I still prefer to double cleanse with a gentle cleanser as I’m used to it this way, and I’m paranoid. However, I have just left my bare face to dry after wiping with Cleansing Express on days that I’m really lazy and I want to take a shower later in the night (I would wash my face again then) – no big deal. It wasn’t sticky, oily or anything like that. Just smooth, matte skin after drying.

Rating: 5/5

Would I buy again: Yes! I have used 3 bottles so far!

Review: B.Liv Off with those Heads

Item Reviewed: Off with those Heads

Price/pack size: US$63 (45ml)

Available at: Sasa & selected Guardian stores for Singapore shoppers (Online for international shoppers)

Ingredients:

Purified Water (Aqua), Aloe Vera (Aloe barbadensis) Extract, Witch Hazel (Hamamelis virginiana) Extract, Carbomer, Propylene Glycol, Menthol, Tea Tree (Melaleuca alternifolia) Oil, Poly(Oxy-1,2-Ethanediyl)Α-(Donyl Phenyl)-Ω-Hydroxy, Sodium Hydroxide, Perppermint (Metha piperita )Oil, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, Diazolidinyl Urea.

Description: Off With Those Heads removes white & blackheads without violence or pain, and stops them from appearing ever again. The gel softens the clogging blocking your pores, allowing for effortless extraction and removal of all sores. Its essence ingredients keep oil secretions under control, and skin irritation will never again rule!

Usage: Use Off With Those Heads daily, on your cleansed, towel-dried face:-

1. Pump 2-3 pea-sized drops of Off With Those Heads onto your palm.
2. Apply on T-zone areas, or areas with black and whiteheads.

Review: This is a follow up review from Cellnique’s Pro Sebum Gel (they have now repackaged it and are selling it under B.Liv brand name). I didn’t realise how bad my blackheads were when I stopped using Cellnique. And it was a silly reason for not using it – I didn’t like the brand name B.Liv and the childish packaging. I still prefer the previous elegant looking bottle.

Anyway, the product is still the same – transparent runny gel that spreads easily onto skin and absorbs quickly. There’s a cool sensation on skin, due to the peppermint oil. It dries matte so I can skip the powder if I want.

A few days after using OftH, I tried doing an extraction myself and the blackheads popped out easily, with nary a pressure! I had used the product for about a month when I went for a facial and I checked with the lady if I had a lot of blackheads. She said “no!”, so I was really pleased that the product worked. Usually, I would have many blackheads if I did not do my regular extractions.

Rating: 5/5

Would I buy again: Yes, if it is easily available

* A sample of Off with those Heads was received by me, from b.liv.

SPECIAL DEAL, ONLY FOR PSAWYERBEAUTY READERS!
Get a free sample of Off with those heads, 3ml (first 50 readers). Simply email your full name and mailing/shipping address to fbfreesample@blivskin.com with the subject psawyerbeauty.wordpress.com.

T&C: Valid ends 2nd April 2010 and allow 4 – 6 weeks for delivery.

Get yours today and let me know how it goes for you!

Review: Fancl Mild Cleansing Oil

Item Reviewed: Fancl Mild Cleansing Oil

Price/pack size:
S$33.00 120ml x 1 bottle
S$62.00 120ml x 2 bottles
S$19.00 60ml x 1 bottle

Available at: All Fancl outlets
Please contact me via email (madaboutsprees@gmail.com) if you’re an international reader interested to buy.

Ingredients: (active ingredients) Meadow Foam Oil, Green Tea Catechin Oil, Rosehip Oil

Description: Makeup removal is now blissfully easy with FANCL MILD CLEANSING OIL. This powerful formulation now comes enriched with Meadow Foam Oil which aids the removal of keratin plugs over time for a clearer, smoother complexion.

Review: This has got to be my favourite cleansing oil, ever. I have strayed and tried other brands (such as Softymo, Neutrogena) but Fancl is still the best I have ever used. I particularly like the texture – it’s thick and cushiony, almost like marshmallows on your skin. It glides on skin easily without creating a drippy mess, unlike those cleansing oils that are on the thin side. It is also formulated without alcohol and fragrance- very important factors to me. Fancl MCO rinses clean and easily so you’ll never have to worry that there is still oil residue on your face.

Here’s how to use it properly:
1) apply sufficient oil to face (roughly 2 pumps) and massage away makeup. The oil is safe enough to go over your eye area as well. You’ll see the makeup melting away. When you have massaged properly, go to Step 2.
2) Add water bit by bit to your face. You’ll feel the oil thinning out and emulsifying. I usually just run my hands under the tap quickly and emulsify the oil part by part (cheeks first, followed by eye area, chin then forehead).
3) Make sure oil is properly emulsified before rinsing off. (There shouldn’t be any more ‘cushiony and thick’ oil feel. If there is, add more water to emulsify)

Rating: 5/5

Would I buy again: Yes, in a heartbeat!!

Review: The Body Shop File A Foot

Item Reviewed: The Body Shop File A Foot

Price/pack size: S$6.80

Available at: All The Body Shop stores

Ingredients: NA

Description: Double-Duty Smoothing. Our best seller, made from Community Trade birch from Russia. One side’s for rough areas, the other gently exfoliates. Use Dry.

Review: I have been using this foot file for ages, almost 5 years I believe. I find this more effective than PedEgg in getting rid of cracked heels (PedEgg is more for maintanence IMO). Follow the instructions: use the rough side to file heels before smoothing it with the smoother side. I promise your heels will thank you for it.

The only drawback is that it gets a little messy, especially if your heels are extremely dry – you’ll get a lot of filings. Do it over the dustbin and use an old toothbrush to clean your file.

Rating: 5/5

Would I buy again: Yes

Review: My Beauty Diary Lavender mask

Price: ~S$1.70/piece from Guardian pharmacies
Please contact me via email (psawyerbeauty@gmail.com) if you’re interested to buy.

Review: I like to use this mask when my skin is feeling particularly blotchy and sensitive, especially when the mask has been in the fridge. The lavender scent is very relaxing (I love lavender!). The essence absorbs into the skin easily and moisturizes the skin.

The main purpose of the lavender mask would be to moisturize and relax the user’s senses. And while it doesn’t have other properties like brightening, or oil control, it is a good basic mask which you can use daily without any problems.

Rating: 5/5

Would I buy again: Yes