[Review] SHIMMER New York Green Tea Anti-Oxydant Mask

While going through my stash, I discovered that there are still products which I got from Hong Kong which I haven't reviewed on yet. And they are fabulous products.

So anyway, I got the above 2 masks in Hong Kong at an Ingrid Millet Paris outlet at Tsuen Wan. There are also other samples which the awesome salesperson gave me and also another moisturizer I bought. I'll review about them in due time.

I can't remember the pricing for these two masks (or anything I got at Ingrid Miller for that matter) but I remember that it was a very very good deal. Many things at Ingrid Miller are affordable unless you go for the elite lines.

I've used the green one so far which is the Green Tea Anti-Oxydant Mask. I haven't used the pink colour one (which is a nourishing mask with collagen) so when I do, I'll do a review on it.

Anyway...

SHIMMER New York Green Tea Anti-Oxydant Mask is said to enhance the skin resilience to give you brighter and clearer skin tone.

Green Tea Anti-Oxydant Mask uses natural Green Tea Extract ECO to enhance the skin resilience, your face then becomes energized. Hyaluronic Acid and Cucumber Extract penetrate deep into the skin to retain moisture. Licorice Extract enhances your skin for brighter and clearer skin tone.

Ingredients: Water (Aqua), Butylene Glycol, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Cucumis Sativus (Cucumber) Fruit Water, Algae Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Xanthan Gum, Phenoxyethanol, Methylparaben, Hyaluronate Acid, Disodium EDTA

My take:

First thing I noticed about the mask was the material of the mask. It was thicker than most masks and it feels like a thin cloth. I like the rich feeling of the mask simply because it is thick and the essence does not drip all over. That is the good thing about thick masks :)

The scent is very delicate and mild. The fragrance is very natural and has a hint of green tea. The most impressing thing about this is that there is no fragrance listed in the ingredients!!! So that obviously means that the scent comes from all the natural extracts :) and I love that part of the mask!

After using the mask, my face felt very calmed, and this was important because the extraction from my facial the day before really aggravated my skin. It was nice to see that the redness from the extraction subsided a little.

Even though I know this mask's main function isn't to calm, I guess it did due to the much natural ingredients :)

I would definitely repurchase this again when I return to Hong Kong :D

[Review] sasatinnie Pearl Facial Mask

Due to National Day, there is a special promotion at Sasa where selected masks are priced at $4.70 for 3. It's not a wonderful deal but it is a deal nonetheless.

So anyway, this is one of the mask which I got: sasatinnie Pearl Facial Mask I've recently been big on whitening products so I got this. From many sources and variety shows, it has been endorsed that pearl powder is a great whitening item, and since this is called Pearl Facial Mask, I decided to try this out.

An introduction to the mask:

Pearl facial mask contains Superfine Natural Pearl Extract, which is effective for skin regeneration and rejuvenation. It helps to reduce the appearance of pigmentation, dark spots and blemish. Glycerin and Hamamelis Virginiana Extract can improve your skin moisture balance and conditioning your skin at once. It contains Gentiana Lutea Root Extract which is a good whitening boosting agent and Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract has a strong anti-oxidizing effect on helping against skin aging.

Ingredients: Aqua, Alcohol, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Pearl Extract, PEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, DMDM Hydantoin, Sorbitol, PVM/MA Copolymer, Propylene Glycol, Fragrance, Allantoin, Hamamelis Virginana (Witch Hazel) Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Arnica Montana Flower Extract, Gentiana Lutea Root Extract, Cl 19140 (FD&C Yellow #5), Disodium EDTA

My take:

The scent of the mask is sickeningly sweet. I know I mentioned that I love that my masks be scented but this scent is too over the top. If the scent is less strong, I would really love it. But sadly, it isn't.

The ingredients are a bit put-off. Usually, the ingredients are listed according to their quantities in the essence, from highest to lowest. I didn't like that there was more fragrance than the key ingredients used for whitening purposes, because that is hardly promising in delivering. Usually, I am not put off by the fact that there is alcohol in the mask so I didn't mind that there was alcohol.

However, this mask actually does deliver, at least slightly. My skin was slightly brightened and whitened, though I honestly don't know how long the effect will last. I am not optimistic in terming this a long-term treatment because come on, the mask is only a few dollars and that has a very low chance of creating a long-term whitening effect, such as those by Shiseido, SKII and L'oreal.

I really can't stand the scent even if I love fragrances in my products. I will not repurchase this again because I am absolutely put off by the strong scent :(

[Review] My Beauty Diary Chocolate Truffle Sheet Mask

As promised in the MBD Mini Teatime Set post, this is the review on the final product, the Chocolate Truffle Sheet Mask

Like all MBD masks, I love the fit of the mask. The mask is pretty thin but that was okay because that way, it won't hold so much essence that it'll drip all over.

The smell was very mild. There was only a small hint of chocolate in the scent, and you actually need to really breathe in the scent to tell that there is a scent.

the mask claims to moisturize and soften the face. After using the mask, I did notice my skin was less dull, and I felt my skin was smoother and softer. The brightening effect was only slight but that was better than nothing!

Usually, I go for masks with a stronger fragrance because I love different kinds of scents. But in this case, I would absolutely repurchase this because even though the scent of the chocolate wasn't that strong, it was very very pleasant. Plus, I love the effect of the mask. It's not everyday that you'll come across affordable masks which is effective :)

So there concludes my review on the entire MBD Mini Teatime Set. I really enjoyed using the products from the set, but if I had a choice to repurchase the set again, I wouldn't, because I only love the masks and the other two facial wash/scrub were only mediocre in my opinion. There is simply too many other awesome face washes in the market these days. So if I had to love something and repurchase something, it will definitely be the masks.

Ciao and until next time~!

Awfully Chocolate - Peppermint Cold Poached Chocolate

Chocolate is always a favourite of mine. I mean, who doesn't love them? It's CHOCOLATE. So when I walked past Awfully Chocolate at Jurong Point last night with my friends, I knew I have to get something.

So I got this:



This is what chocolate is meant to be! The top stuff is peppermint cream and the bottom is pure chocolatey goodness.

They came in a total of four flavours: Peppermint, Coffee Liquer, Pear and Butterscotch.

This is absolutely heavenly and for all you chocolate fans out there (who isn't?), you guys need to try this, at least once.

However, I would admit that awfully chocolate isn't inexpensive. For this rather small serving of chocolate, it costs $6.60. But you only live once, so why not cut back on just one bubble tea or Starbucks and grab this instead?



YUM! :D

[Review] Shiseido Pureness - Deep Cleansing Foam

During my university freshmen camp, I had a goody bag and one of the things inside was this sample tube of Shiseido Pureness Deep Cleansing Foam

I have heard very good things about Shiseido products (or at least most) but I never did have the heart to purchase it, simply because it is a high-end product which has prices which scare me. So when I got this really small tube in the goody bag, I thought "hey, that's not bad, I must try it." And try did I, and I am happy to say I love this cleansing foam.

The cream is a light blue colour and there are blue beads too, helping to exfoliate while cleansing. I would be happier if there were more blue beads #justsaying. The smell is very mild and pleasant.

I love how my skin feels so cleansed and refreshed after I rinse my face with warm water. It does not leave my skin feeling tight at all and does not strip off so much moisture. This was especially important to me because my skin has this thing about mood swings. When it feels good, it holds on to any moisture on my skin; and when it's angry or sad, it just allow the face wash/cleanser to strip my face of a lot of moisture and makes my skin feel tight. I've been using this on a daily basis and so far, I did not experience any uncomfortable-face-tightening feeling.

I would repurchase this product definitely, but frankly, the price will be a tiebreaker for me.

[Review] SKINLITE Self-Heating Massage Cream

SKINLITE Self-Heating Massage Cream is designed to help pores cleanse deeply. It has a special formulation to heat up instantly after being applied on your face, like a hot towel treatment. In just 60 seconds, you can experience the unique deep cleansing feeling of a heated mask. Simply wet your face and apply Self-Heating Massage Cream. Instantly, the cream warms up on your face. Self-Heating Massage Cream leaves your skin clean, smooth, and refreshed.

My take:

The box contains 6 packets and each packet can last up to 2 applications, but that has to depend on how much you use per application.

I like that the pack has a narrow neck so that when you squeeze out the cream, it is less messy than the other products which has a big opening.

The cream heats up nicely when you massage your face with it. For people who does not like it to be very hot, this is definitely for you. However, for people who enjoy a more intense heating sensation, I would not recommend this. You will like it, but not love it. Personally I love a more intense heating sensation, that's why I would rather get the Montagne Jeunesse Red Hot Earth Sauna Masque anytime.

The smell of the massage cream is frankly, not good at all. It smells really weird and I don't even know how to start describing it. I just know that it isn't floral or fruity scents, and it's not fully a chemical smell. So even by elimination, I have no idea what to say about the smell.

After rinsing the cream with warm water, my skin feels really clean. Not the refreshed kind of cleam, but just feels...clean. That's the thing I like about the cream. I'm not sure whether it gets rid of the blackheads because luckily for me, I never had such a problem.

In a nutshell, I would not repurchase this, simply because the smell is a big big turn-off for me. Luckily for me, I got this at a Sasa sale at Great World City for only $2 so that was a great deal. Considering how many times you can use it and that it really cleanses your face, I totally got my money's worth :)

[Review] My Beauty Diary Earl Grey Tea & Macaron Sheet Mask

I'm on a roll today so I shall do one more review and it is this My Beauty Diary Earl Grey Tea & Macaron Sheet Mask

I love MBD masks since they first launched here in Singapore because again, I like the packaging and the wide range of selection.

This sheet mask came in the mini teatime set I got in Hong Kong. I've been seeing this everywhere in Singapore but never really got around to buying it. So I jumped at the chance of getting this when I went Hong Kong.

Anyway, because the description and all are written in Chinese, I can only say that this mask is for brightening and moisturizing purposes, especially for dull skin.

The ingredients listed were a joy because I saw so many plant extracts. I know that sometimes (if not most of the times) the concentration of extracts in the mask is to a bare minimum, but at least I feel at ease that there are those extracts and not some ingredient that has been chemically manufactured.



The first thing I love about this is that the mask fit perfectly. I bet MBD masks have one of the best fit ever.

I am always wary about any dripping essence because I hate to be messy. So even for this MBD mask, I was careful to squeeze some of the essence back into the packet before unfolding the mask for use.

The fragrance of the mask is very nice and mild. Even though the mask states that there are macarons elements, the fragrance is more of the citrus-y kind, which is exactly what earl grey tea smell like.

The mask really brightens the skin and moisturizes really well too. The excess essence on the face is easily absorbed when you massage it well and thorough. Plus, some of the essence will inevitably flow down to your neck so you can also massage your neck to make most use of the essence to brighten your neck area.

Even though I really like this flavour mask, I may not repurchase this because there are other MBD masks which I would like to try out as well.

[Review] My Beauty Diary Vanilla Souffle Face Scrub

As promised in the MBD Strawberry Yogurt post, I'm going to do a review on My Beauty Diary Vanilla Souffle Face Scrub

Like all other MBD products, the label for this product is adorable.

The product has a unique nozzle. Maybe I'm a noob or something, but this is the first time I see a nozzle with such a shape and that seems really unique for me.



The product comes out as a cute ball (or whatever shape it is) of fluff.



When you squeeze out the product, there is a soft sizzling sound from the fluffy face wash/scrub, like how a souffle is when it comes straight from the oven.

The product apparently helps to scrub off dead skin cells. I can vouch for this because the first time I used it, I was all like "what are these flaky things?" And I am pretty darn sure it wasn't any exfoliating material. So upon closer examination, they really are dead skin cells because I once sampled Cure! and what came off was just that: dead skin cells. However, according to some reviews from the internet, the flaky things are by-product from the product itself. But I think it's more of dead skin cells.

The scent was way less than thrilling. It does not smell anything like vanilla, much less vanilla souffle. There is, though, a strong smell of alcohol, which can be a put-off.

However, because there is alcohol, people with sensitive skin may want to steer clear away from this. If the smell of alcohol is strong, who knows how much is the alcohol content from the product. So just to be on the safe side, avoid it altogether.

Although I love MBD products (mostly because of their cute packaging and their wide selection of choices) I would not repurchase this. And the biggest part of the reason is the alcohol smell really freaks me out. Usually I don't really care that there is alcohol in the product because I know I can always replenish moisture with Hada Labo. However, the smell of alcohol for this product is so strong, even I am concerned how my skin will be if I use it in the long-term. So after this bottle, I am definitely not repurchasing it again.

Until next time~!

[Review] SKINLITE Vital Nourishing Red Ginseng Mask

Again, I'm going to review something which I did not buy from Hong Kong. It is this SKINLITE Vital Nourishing Red Ginseng Mask

The product claims that it is specially formulated with high concentrations of Oriental Red Ginseng, Collagen and Vitamin E which help to revitalize and nourish tired skin. It penetrates deep into the skin, providing abundant nutrition and moisture.

My take:

The smell of ginseng is quite strong from the mask. However, because I'm rather a huge fan of scents or fragrances and herbs in general, I was pleased with the smell. The scent was strong but it wasn't sickeningly strong, so that was definitely a plus for me. However, if you do not like oriental herbs and their smell, you might want to stay clear away from this.

The material of the mask was less than thrilling. Even though the packet said that the mask is made out of 100% pulp, I did not like the fact that the sheet was thinner than most sheet masks.

There was a lot of essence or serum or whatever you call it in the package. If you use it straight from the packet, the essence will drip all over and it will be very messy. Before I used mine, I squeezed out some of the essence from the mask and then proceed to using it. There is a lot of excess essence which I managed to use like a skin serum. So it is a very economical mask.

The mask claims to add moisture into your skin, but my skin didn't feel any more moist than before I used the mask. I did feel more revitalized but I'm guessing that was due to the strong scent of the mask.

I like the brand because they have many ranges and types of masks, so there is something for everyone. However, I would not repurchase any of their products because from my experience with SKINLITE, even before writing reviews here, I have noticed that SKINLITE products hardly deliver their claims, save for a few products. To me, SKINLITE masks are just feel-good products which I use only because I feel like using but not because of their functions.

I bought this at a sale by Sasa at Great World City for S$1.95.

[Review] Lassie'el Soothing & Moisturizing Cool Sleeping Gel

Taking a break from reviewing the products I got from Hong Kong, I've decided to review some of the products I bought in the heartland of Singapore. So today, I'll be reviewing this Lassie'el Soothing & Moisturizing Cool Sleeping Gel.

According to the box, it has Chamomile, Raspberry and Lavender extracts. It is easy to use and lift your chin and cheek of the face, which gives you a soothing and increasing elasticity, nutrition to your dry and tired skin. It is a wash-off type massage mask and yogurt extract for skin softening and refresher..

The actual package is a box and inside, there are 4 very mini packs as shown in the picture above. One pack lasted me up to 4-5 applications, but the number of applications can vary person to person, such as how much you put on your face and the size of your face etc.



I wasn't so much of a fan of the scent. It smells like cheap lavender water with alcohol on many levels. For people who are concerned, this product does contain alcohol, and even though it didn't strip the moisture from my skin, it does feel a bit stingy. However, when I washed off the gel, my skin felt quite moisturized. So the alcohol didn't bother me at all.

The gel is water-based and so when you apply it to the skin, it does feel cooling.

However, for people with sensitive skin, you may want to avoid this product even if the product says for all skin types. I'm not sure what is the alcohol content of the product but if a normal-skinned person like me can feel the sting, it probably may cause a good deal of discomfort for you.

Also, another thoughtful feature of the product is the fact that there is a cover provided to secure the pack if there is any unused product.





I honestly think this is a great feature because the unused product will not get contaminated with dust or other air elements which may spoil the product, especially when there were many plant extracts listed in the ingredients.

I may not repurchase this product because I want to try out other types of masks/gel/etc of this brand. This particular product was quite pleasant, and I am especially pleased with the packaging and the fact that each pack lasted me around 4-5 applications. It's definitely value for money and it did it job pretty well for me (I repeat, people with sensitive skin, you may want to stay away even if the box writes for all skin types).

I bought this at John Little at Tiong Bahru Plaza for S$9.90. There are other products of this brand so you can check everything out at the place. After using this particular product, I feel that this brand is quite promising :)

[Review] My Beauty Diary Strawberry Yogurt Amino Acid Cleanser

As I promised in the previous post, I shall review one of the items inside the MBD Sweet Teatime Mini Set. So in this post, I shall review the Strawberry Yogurt Amino Acid Cleanser.

This cleanser comes in a cute tiny tub which contains 30ml of the stuff. I love the colour of the tub and the label is really cute as well.



The colour of the cleanser is a shimmery pink. There are extremely fine beads which helps in exfoliating as well. It doesn't smell all that like strawberry yogurt and the scent is very mild, but you can definitely tell that it is a cleanser which is has strawberry elements.

When you first apply the product on your damp face, you might feel that you're not using enough and that it doesn't foam very well. However, upon washing for a while with water, it will become more foamy rather than the initial "dryness". After washing my face with the cleanser, my skin didn't feel tight at all and instead, I felt my skin becoming very refreshed.

I also like the fine scrubby feeling very much, because I am a fan of exfoliating, no matter how gentle or how rough.

The next product I'll be reviewing will be the Vanilla Souffle Face Scrub which is part of the MBD Mini Set.

Stay tuned!

[Review] My Beauty Diary Sweet Teatime Mini Set

This is another item I got for my trip in Hong Kong (now that I think about it, I should have made a haul post, but oh well, whatever). It is My Beauty Diary Sweet Teatime Mini Set! :D

For a long time now, I love MBD (short form btw) products because the packaging are just so lovely. They are simple but yet so appealing with their soft pastel colours. But anyway, moving on...

When you first open the box, you'll see details of each item inside:

 Looks so pretty, right?

Apparently the voucher expired last year, so this batch was last year's batch. Nonetheless, the voucher looks nice.

The mini set includes Strawberry Yogurt Amino Acid Cleanser (the little tub), Vanilla Souffle Face Scrub (the bottle) and 2 masks: Chocolate Truffle Mask and Earl Grey Tea & Macaron Mask.

I really enjoyed this purchase because the cleanser and the face scrub are like fun-sized and I don't need more than a month to finish using them. This is really important to me because I like to try many new things and I have a tendency to neglect some stuff and then the next time I see them, they have already expired, so yup.

I will review each product after I used them so keep your eyes peeled!

I got this for HK$79 at Angel Cosmetics in Hong Kong. Personally, I found it a little bit more expensive than it should have been; the bottle and tub are rather small and the masks were, well, masks. But then again, they were so cute that I couldn't resist.

[Review] TONY MOLY Broccoli Sprout Cleansing Cream

In my trip to Hong Kong, I also got this, the Broccoli Sprout Cleansing Cream. The price was more than reasonable, considering the brand itself and the quantity of the cream. The packaging was really adorable too!

See? It's like a broccoli sprout because of the leaf. The product is so pun intended :D

So anyway, the following is the product description that was written on the box itself:

The brilliant cleansing care system brings strong vital power of fresh sprouts with dewy water.

The fresh cleansing cream that removes impurities and make-up as it contained the broccoli sprout of the Super food.

This young broccoli cleansing cream makes the skin healthy and revitalized. It provides super energies as it contained the active ingredient of "the super food" such as blueberry, tomato and young broccoli. The AHA makes the skin smooth and glossy while removing dead skin cells and impurities from the skin. Containing young green tea and lavender, this fresh cleansing cream energizes the tired skin and gives the comfortable and peaceful cleansing time.

What is Broccoli sprout? This fresh and green sprout delivers full of spring vitality and is very rich in various nutrients including vitamin A, vitamin C and minerals.

[Directions] Apply an appropriate amount on the entire face, gently massage with finger tips, wipe off with a soft tissue, and cleanse with our cleansing foam.

My take:

I really love this! The scent isn't very strong and was mild and pleasant.

Like the picture of the cream as shown, you can see there are green little dots. Those are not exfoliating beads, but I am guessing those help to clean the skin, because when you squeeze the green dots, it actually becomes smudgy, as if it is part of the cream itself. So please note that the product does not exfoliate.

Before I bought the cleansing cream, I didn't read the instructions and so I didn't notice there was a second part of the cleansing routine which includes the cleansing foam. However, I think that even without the cleansing foam, the cream itself still cleanses very well.

I think this product is suitable for people with dry skin too because after I used it, my skin didn't feel tight at all. Instead, it felt quite moisturize, but I still applied moisturizer all the same.

 I bought this at HK$98 at the TONY MOLY outlet at The Peak in Hong Kong. I'm not sure whether it'll be that affordable in the TONY MOLY in other countries so you guys should check with the outlet most convenient for you. Also, the salesperson were really nice! They gave me a few samples. I haven't used them yet, but when I do, I'll definitely do a review on them :)

[Review] Asana Wellness Mediplus Dark Circle Remover

Haloxyl - 72% improved in dark circle
Eyeseryl - 95% improved in puffy eyes and smoothness
Eyeliss - 70% improved in eyebag volume

My take:

The consistency of the eye cream is very light and is very easily absorbed. You just have to massage your eye area around 10 times and you won't even feel that you applied the eye cream.

The eye area becomes slightly red, probably partly due to the eye cream and partly due to the massage. As for whether it is effective, I can't tell because my eye bags and dark circles are in the genes. But I'm sure that if your eye bags and dark circles are due to late nights and lack of sleep, this cream may just help.

I bought this eye-cream at mannings and it is priced at HK$159.

[Review] LUSH Soap - Sandstone

When I went Hong Kong, I saw LUSH and it was my first time buying something from LUSH so I was excited. I didn't know what to get so I decided on this soap which is called Sandstone.

The LUSH website said this about Sandstone:

Sandstone is seriously scrubby; it’s the strongest, scrubbiest soap we make. Loved by men and women alike, it was inspired by babes on the beaches of Brazil who mix sand with tanning oil to make their backsides smooth as silk. The layer of sand will exfoliate your body as you wash to leave you with soft, touchable skin. For once, getting sand all over your bits is a good thing! Coriander and gardenia oils tone and brighten, and your skin will be seductively scented with citrus notes of a tropical cocktail. Have yourself a shower vacation.

My take:

Like what the website claims, this soap really is very scrubby and exfoliating. It smells really nice, like lemon and citrus fruits. Personally, I like very scrubby soaps and shower creams/gels, so I really like this. However, because my skin can be rather dry, the skin on my legs feels quite tight after the shower. So I had to moisturize, which I don't normally do because I live in a rather tropical climate.

For people with sensitive skin, DON'T use this. No matter what degree your sensitivity is, don't use this. The soap can be very rough.

The soap is quite pricey so I don't think I'll buy LUSH products frequently. This soap itself was HK$91 for 120g, so I'll only get it again after a long time.