Review: Ginvera Aqua Whitening Cream

Besides Nude BB Cream, Ginvera has also introduced a new moisturizer, called Aqua Whitening Cream with oil control. Say what?! Whitening cream with oil control? It got me intrigued since whitening moisturizers are often oily and greasy, not at all suitable for my skin in humid Singapore! So among the 2 new products, I was more interested to try the aqua whitening cream.

Most Asian girls are obsessed with obtaining fair, porcelain skin (quite evident by the myraid of whitening products we have in Asia!), but I believe this is the first of its kind to combine whitening and oil control in 1 product. The aqua whitening cream claims to combine skin whitening, UV protection, oil control, lightening of spots and acne scars and prevents the formation of pimples. To be honest, I am a little baffled by its UV protection claim, because I can’t find any ingredient that can protect skin from the harsh UV rays! Ginvera might want to reverse that claim, in case HSA comes knocking on its doors!

Onto the actual product, it is a white cream which spreads easily and absorbs quickly into skin, without leaving any white cast (but of course! It doesn’t have titanium dioxide to give that dreadful white cast). It does seem to control the oilies until around the 4 hour mark for me. Perhaps my skin is just too oily for comfort now that I have stopped acne medication. It also moisturizes my skin moderately enough to prevent the flakies and fine lines. Would I buy this again? Probably not, because it has a very strong scent that irritates my nose. For others who do not mind scented products, you may consider getting this all-rounder product for around $17!

Review: Ginvera Nude Cover BB Cream

Ginvera has been one of those brands that have been around for very long, but yet it doesn’t have an old image (think Vaseline, think Hazeline – it reminds you of granny times right?). I think Ginvera has done a great job in improving and upgrading its products, and now it has even introduced its first ever BB cream! Yay!

The BB cream comes in a gorgeous jade green tube packaging (I love the colour!) and looks all girly with the swirls and simplistic packaging. However, I’d much prefer if it comes with a flip cap, rather than a twist cap cos then you’ll need 2 hands to close the tube, which can sometimes be a bit ‘ma fan’, inconvenient. The BB cream contains green tea extracts, ginseng, Chinese angelica and hyaluronic acid to provide the benefits of blemish free concealing, sun block effects, whitening, moisturizing and helps to reduce fine lines, providing a long lasting smooth and ultra light feel to nourish and perfect your skin.

The colour shade of Ginvera’s Green Tea Nude Cover BB cream is slightly darker and more yellowish than other BB creams I’ve used so far. That being said, it is a better colour match for my skin since the other BB creams are a bit lighter than my skintone and often make me look super pale and unnatural. The texture is very liquid, more like a liquid foundation than a cream, and so it spreads easily on skin and dries to a matte finish. I use this in thin layers to conceal my acne scars without having coverage which is too thick. I think it has fairly good oil control as well as my face had nary a bit of shine even at the end of the day!

If there’s anything I’d change about the product, probably the packaging and the fragrance? The scent was a little too strong for my sensitive nose. Luckily it faded quickly upon application. Since the texture of the BB cream is very watery, it would flow out easily of the tube, and it was hard to control the amount squeezed out (because I didn’t have squeeze the tube!). I think a pump-type packaging would be more suitable for such textures. I am quite anal about packaging and the inside of the silver cap has quite a bit of BB cream leaked out. Not so happy.

Ginvera marvel gel (green tea) review. What review?

So I brought along a sample of the Ginvera green tea marvel gel on my trip to KL last weekend cos I wanted to review it and also because a sample is handy for 3D2N. However, I did not manage to use it cos the sample had dried up by the time I wanted to use it, and thus I was left with no cleanser on my trip. =.= I had to borrow from my sister’s boyfriend.

I have to say it didn’t leave a good impression on me. Samples have the same shelf life as retail products, so the sample I received should be good for 3 years. Well, unless it was an extremely old one. Either way, bleah.

Christmas surprise from thesamplestore

I ordered some samples from thesamplestore and they arrived today! Yay!

3 types of samples: Ichikami, Ginvera & Bioessence!

The samples were free of charge – I didn’t even need to pay shipping fees!

Ichikami shampoo & conditioner samples

Generous sized samples - 12ml of shampoo & 12g of conditioner!

Zero blackheads in 1 step!

Big in size, but feels empty. I doubt it's enough for my entire face...

Bioessence BB cream samples!

Er.... gross?

Review: Loreal True Match Two Way Powder Foundation

Item Reviewed: Loreal True Match Two Way Powder Foundation

Price/pack size: S$29.90

Available at: Watsons & Guardian

Ingredients:

Description:
Matches skin tone to look like your natural skin.
Blends perfectly without clogging pores
Skin stays matt and radiant for up to 8 hours
UV protection with SPF20/PA++
Oil-free and non-comedogenic

Review:
The sample received is a handy compact, containing 1.6g of foundation and a small sponge. The size was good as I brought it along during my Macau trip (cos I took budget air and didn’t want to lug tons of stuff around)

One thing I noticed is that the manufacturing date is Jan 2007, and most cosmetics are only good for 3 years, so that means my compact is almost “bad” when I received it.

Anyway, the actual powder foundation provided good coverage, almost like a creamy texture. Colour was alright too, it wasn’t the best match for me, but close enough. It didn’t create an oil slick for me, neither did I become an oil slick – so that means it had pretty good oil control properties. However, it didn’t hold up as well when I tried reapplying the powder after midday lunch. It went on patchy and the colour was a clear off (the first layer of powder had oxidized by lunchtime). I couldn’t reapply the powder on my dark circles and blemishes properly, it was darn obvious. The foundation can also be quite thick if you’re after a natural, fresh look.

Rating: 3/5

Would I buy again: NO

You can now grab a sample of this product at thesamplestore!

Review: The Face Shop Peeling Day White Jewel

Item Reviewed: The Face Shop Peeling Day White Jewel

Price/pack size: S$25.90

Available at: All TheFaceShop stores, including Plaza Singapura and Bugis Junction

Ingredients: Tourmaline, Pearly, Amethyst

Description:
Exfoliation + Brightening

Convenient, easy 1-step scrub with tiny exfoliants to help you discover a newer and clearer skin.
- Fasten turnover cycle
- Eliminate excess sebum and impurity accumulation
- Promotes a brighter and more glowing skin
- Enhance the effectiveness of other skin care products
- Stimulates blood flow
- Makeup sits better on your skin

Review:
Product sample size is 3ml.

I got this sample, thinking that it works something like (Ginvera) Marvel Gel. But I think I might be wrong (someone, please tell me?). The peeling gel feels rough on my dry skin, and made it turn red, though the final result was smooth skin. It felt like microdermabrasion!

I used some on my feet (which turned dark after a day in the scorching sun) and they were lighter in colour after rinsing off the scrub. So it does work to a extent, but I wouldn’t get it again.

Rating: 2/5

Would I buy again: NO

You can now grab a sample of this product at thesamplestore!

Review: Dr Jart Black Label Detox Healing BB Cream

Item Reviewed: Dr Jart Black Label Detox Healing BB Cream

Price/pack size: S$32 for 50ml tube

Available at: exclusively at Watsons

Ingredients:
- Arbutin : Whitening
- Pore Purifying Complex : Provides Oxygen to Your Skin
- Hyaluronic Acid : Mosturizing
- Coenzyme Q10 : Gives Your Skin Tension
- Centella asiatica extract : Protects Your Skin, Relief

Description:
Triple-function of whitening, wrinkle decrease and UV protection. It has a soft, moist application and provides a natural skintone.

Review:
The sample received is a small tube, around 5-7ml?

Texture of the BB Cream was runny, much like a liquid foundation, or even a tinted moisturizer. It spread easily on skin, without much tugging. However, it lacked coverage. It melted into skin and disappeared. It looked like I applied tinted moisturizer, with my scars still very much visible. I have some dark scars from my acne days and I often use mineral makeup to cover the scars. I thought I might be able to use less mineral makeup if I used a BB cream under it. It was weird for me because I also have the silver label and it has pretty good coverage! Black label was runny and thin on the contrary. I still had to use the same amount of mineral foundation to get the coverage I want. It was as though I didn’t apply the BB cream.

The sample was generous though – a mini tube very handy for traveling.

Rating: 1/5

Would I buy again: NO

You can now grab a sample of this product at thesamplestore!

Review: Freeman Mandarin Moisturizing BODY WASH

Item Reviewed: Freeman Mandarin Moisturizing BODY WASH

Price/pack size: S$9.90 for 150ml tube

Available at: Watsons & Guardian

Ingredients:
Water, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Acrylates/ Steareth-20 Methacrylate Crosspolymer, Glycerin, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Citrus Nobilis (Mandarin Orange) Peel Oil, Absorbic Acid (Vitamin C), Tocopheryl Acetate, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Cocamide Mpa, Glycol, Distearate, Sodium Chloride, Peg-8 Laurate, Laureth-4, Sodium Hydroxide, Hydroxypropyl Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Peg-7 Glyceryl Cocoate, Tetrasodium Edta, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone, Citric Acid, Butylene Glycol, Limonene, Fragrance (Parfum)
Description:
Made with natural, botanical ingredients, new Freeman Feeling Beautiful is a full range of skin and body care products to help you look and feel your best.

This creamy, moisturizing body wash, enhanced with Mandarin Oil and Vitamin C, rinses clean and leaves your skin soft and refreshed.

Review:
The sample received is a sachet, containing 7.4ml of product.

I wanted to try the body wash as it sounded very refreshing and citrusy. On first sniff, it was tangy and sweet, quite like a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice. It lathered up nicely but I soon realised that it was not moisturizing. I have normal skin and can usually get away with most body washes without having to apply moisturizer. However, after using this body wash twice, my skin was dry and itchy. The citrusy scent did not last, only maintaining the fresh smell for about 20 seconds only. It was long gone before I exited the shower.

The sample was generous though – I managed to get about 5 usages out of the sachet.

Rating: 3/5

Would I buy again: NO

You can now grab a sample of this product at thesamplestore!

Acnes Medicated skincare

Remember how much I adore the pimple gel from Acnes Mentholatum? I was just checking my email minutes earlier and am pleased and surprised to see that I have been selected for Acnes Blogger campaign of the year and won a hamper!

The blogger contest runs on thesamplestore and top 3 most voted blog entries will win a year’s supply of Acnes skincare! How exciting!!!

Thank you once again…

I received a pleasant surprise from Fr3b.com a couple of days back. Turns out that I was one of the top 18 referrals for March, and they rewarded me with a little something.

To enjoy thesamplestore ‘soffers like I did, join now!