Sun Sense Face Tint SPF 50+

Hey all,

It is Chinese New Year today!!

新年快乐 And 恭喜发财 and 새해 복 많이 받으세요!!

Ever since my stay in Korea, i have never ever left my house without sunscreen. Simply because the Sun/UV rays are just horrible. Not only does it cause skin cancer, but freckles too, and did i mention, it makes your skin age faster. Just no no no no no.

Because of this, i’ve been on a hunt for a good tinted sun screen, simply cause, i dont want anything crazy heavy when i am out in the sun and working, but at the same time, i think it would be nice to have something to even out my skin and stuff so i dont look too unkept in front of my clients.

I’ve been testing a few different brands and products these days, so lets start with my love hate relationship with the Sun Sense Face tint!

The texture comes out pretty thick at first, almost like a korean bb cream, but it blends out easily.

And as you can see, the finish is beautiful. It looks like skin. There is also a slight sheen (beautiful beautiful gorgeous beautiful),

it also provides just enough coverage to even out your skin and make you look flawless. If you have acne or very bad hyper pigmentation however, you might still need the help of a trusty concealer.

It applied so smoothly, it was a breeze, and alittle bit goes a long away. The best part was that, i felt it applied best with your fingers. Which means no brush, which is a major plus point for me.

The wear time was decent, it faded nicely, and at the end of the day, though faded, i can still see i had SOME product left. It felt light and i loved it.

Or at least, i really wanted to love it.

I used it daily, for almost a week, and thats when i started breaking out (NOOOOOOO!!! WHYYYYY), at first i thought it was my diet, or maybe something else. So i continued using this. While playing around with my other products, but my break out just started getting worse, it was not like the normal kind of break out too, i just had random little bumps growing near my lower lids and other random place. It was horrible. It felt horrible. And so i stopped using this product, and replaced it with a normal sunscreen, and maybe after 3 weeks…. the bumps finally started to shrink and with time, it all went away, except for 3. URRRGH.

I loved you so much Sun Sense Face Tint, how could you bear to do this to me.

Anyway, this could have been such a holy grail, It had such perfect coverage for me, and high spf, it had protection against UVA and UVB, it has such a beautiful finish. It was perfect!

i blame my darn sensitive skin

Sigh

Enough of ranting on Chinese New Years

Till then

D

Oxy Cover Acne Pimple Medication

Hey all!!!

Happy Ash Wednesday!

As my pastor says,’from ash to ash’

Today lets go back to the basics.

For those of you who grew up in Malaysia, Indonesia or Singapore, i am sure you will be familiar with this brand!

Oxy was the Brand my siblings and i grew up with.

Anytime we had a zit, we pop on this baby, and within the next few days the pimple will shrink in size.

So i am very very excited when i found this over the counter when i was shopping in ChinaTown the other day.

OXY CAME OUT WITH A COVER VERSION!!!

This means, everytime you have a nasty zit, you can conceal and heal at the same time! HOW AWESOME!

Here is what the Cover looks like VS the Original

Texture wise, i would say it feel similar to the original one. It is very light, almost gel like texture.

As you can see, it blends very easily too, and it dries very fast.

I love using this, when i am having breakouts.

Cause i do want to give my face a rest from all the make up, but i do not want the world to notice my zit.

So what i do during those days, i just pop this baby, and head out.

The sad thing is that it only comes in one shade and color, so it might not be for everyone.

Even on me, sometimes it can appear alittle grey. But i think it helps neutralise the redness so i like it.

What the Oxy Cover Acne Pimple Medication does, is to dry out your pimple.

So please do not use it like a normal concealer for it will dry out your skin.

Just spot conceal and it should be great!

Just fyi, The Oxy Cover also has a 10% level of Benzoyl Peroxide. Those with EXTREMELY sensitive skin might want to be alittle more careful not to use it too often, as 10% is very potent.

As you guys know, i too have sensitive skin, and i found that with regular frequent use (using it on my pimples everyday), my skin would be so dry that it will start peeling/flaking.

Other than that, i really do love this product, it is not only affordable ($8.50 SGD), but it is so effective.

I wish they had this during my teenage years, life would have been awesome.

Till then,

D

The fall back plan

i think that everyone should always have a fall back plan. Well, maybe not everyone, but i like to play things safe, so i like that safety net there. As i mentioned in my previous post, my face is a mess right now.

Doesnt it look like a cat scratched my face? ewww. Anyways, when shit like this happens, i always like to know that whatever products i use on my face (at least until i am all healed) will not be rejected or cause any additional issues. My fall back plan ladies and gentlemen, is the almighty awesome PAULA’S CHOICE!!!! i always ALWAYS rave about this brand to all my friends and relatives when they ask me what i think is good, and i found out that most people have never heard of this brand before. What a pity, it is such an awesome brand.

So for those of you who has never heard of PAULA’S CHOICE before Here is their link, http://www.paulaschoice.com/

I personally love and use their Resist Series, i swear by them, but as many of you may not have heard about them, i decided to talk about all my tried and tested Paula’s Choice products and share why i love them so much. There are a ton loads of product that i think are so good, but today i will talk about my top 2 most loved product from them.

So What 2 products do i swear by?

First:

RESIST ANTI-AGING CLEAR SKIN HYDRATOR

Lets start with the Resist Anti-Aging Clear Skin Hydrator

Urgh! i love this product so much, i do not even know how and where to start!

First, the texture is really quite unique, it is pretty thick, silky almost gel like cream, but when you put it on your face and rub it in, it feels light. The product also gets absorbed almost instantly, so you wont have hair (especially you girls with long hair) sticking on your face for the rest of the night/day.

It also smells alittle funny, i do not think they put any fragrance in it, but the smell does not bother me, in fact after awhile i kinda like it.

I would say if you have dry skin, this probably wont be the best choice for you. But if you have oily skin or combination skin, this might just be your holy grail moisturiser.

Another reason why i love the Resist Anti-Aging Clear Skin Hydrator so much is because it is extremely acne friendly. Whenever i have slight redness, or i feel as though i have an acne coming along, or even if i am having breakouts already, this moisturiser helps so very very much. By the next day, most of the redness will be gone (if i have not broken out yet). And if i have already broken out, i notice that my pimples would have shrunk by the next day. I love it. I will restock this like crazy at the next sale.

Did i mention it is also anti-aging?!?! HOW MUCH MORE AWESOMENESS CAN YOU WANT FROM A PRODUCT?! The Resist Anti-Aging Clear Skin Hydrator is a holy grail product that i will always fall back to whenever i break out, or whenever my skin simply is not in too good a condition.

I highly highly recommend it to all my friends and family. You guys should give it a try out too!

Second Holy Grail from Paula’s Choice is the

RESIST C15 SUPER BOOSTER

This baby, TheResist C15 Super Booster, was the first product that i bought from Paula’s choice. It was the product that convinced me, this brand was not only talk, but their products are indeed effective and simply fantastic.

This is not the first oil type product i tried. I have tried the one best seller one from body shop, Vitamin E Overnight Serum-In-Oil, and i have also tried the one from Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery Concentrate. I hated both. Though both were very hydrating and made your skin feel supple and bouncy, they also broke me out everytime i used it. They were both so rich that it clogged my pores with every use. I would wake up the next day with an increased amount of blackheads and enlarged pores. And mann, that look is not pretty on anyone.

The Resist C15 Super Booster however, felt like a dream come true. It is not near as hydrating as the Vitamin E Overnight Serum-In-Oil or the Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery Concentrate. But! For my combination type skin, it was more than adequate. The texture is not as thick or heavy, so it feels nice and light on the skin. Like the Resist Anti-Aging Clear Skin Hydrator, it has a smell to it, but it isnt that strong nor is it unpleasant, and disappears as you apply it to your face. The best part about it, is how it brightens up your complexion and lightens all the scarring and dark spots you have.

The first night i used it, i noticed my complexion was at least 1 tone brighter the next morning, and as i have been using it pretty often for the past year or so, (i lost count of the number of bottles i used up, and gave away) i noticed a few weeks ago that alot of my acne scarring and my freckles have faded.

Did i mention this helps with anti-aging too!?!

Paula’s Choice has ruined me for life. With such amazing products as these, every other product i have tried or tested after has failed in comparison. They have raised the bar way too high!

May i mention that the prices are pretty affordable too? I always wait for their sales (which normally go from 20-30%), but their original prices are

RESIST ANTI-AGING CLEAR SKIN HYDRATOR (USD 29)

RESIST C15 SUPER BOOSTER (USD 48)

I cant even begin to express how great i think these products are, but greedy as i am, i will keep looking out for better, cheaper alternatives.

Until then, these 2 products will be my fall back products

Till then,

D

The Body shop Haul Review

A few months ago, some time October, i went to The Body Shop planning to purchase a Kabuki Brush,

However, i met an amazing sales lady, and that plan to buy only 1 item, became a large large haul.

I went home with 2 brushes, 2 serums, a moisturiser, 1 night cream and 2 sunscreen+moisturisers.

I planned to review them all today, but that might be too long a post,

so i will stick to the sunscreen+moisturisers today.

First lets talk about

MOISTURE WHITE SHISO UV PROTECTOR SPF 30 (RP399.000)

For the longest time, i’ve been looking for a sunscreen+moisturiser, so when the sales lady brought me to the sunscreen+moisturiser section they had, i was instantly sold!!!

Here is what was promised

‘An easily-absorbed, oil-free cream that helps protect the skin against UVA and UVB rays, and prevent the formation of dark spots and skin discoloration. Suitable for all skin types.’

And one of the reasons why i bought it was because the lady said that it will help whiten my freckles and acne scaring too.

But after almost 3 months of usage, i can’t say i am too ecstatic about the results.

Lets talk about sent and texture first.

It does not have much of a scent, and texture wise, it is not too thick. Feels like a lotion.

However, when put on the face, though moisturising at first, after a few hours, your face feels like a total grease ball.

Let me mention that i have combination skin though, so maybe those with dry skin or normal skin may appreciate this more, but if you have oily skin or combination skin. This is really something you might want to think twice about.

In addition to the weird oiliness it seems to promote, it also that it does nothing, NOTHING AT ALL, to help lighten my acne scars or pigmentation or discolouration or freckles.

URGH.

RP399 = SGD43 = USD40

SO NOT WORTH THE MONEY.

Next lets talk about

VITAMIN C DAILY MOISTURISER SPF30  (RP319.000)

This is what was written on their site

‘Hydrate and enhance your skin’s natural radiance while protecting it from damaging UV rays with a lightweight, easily-absorbed lotion.’

Sigh. Again, i was promised by the sales lady that my complexion would be brighter, whiter. Lies. All Lies.

The same problem as the Moisture White Shiso UV Protector, I was a total grease ball by a few hours.

And this has a strange stinging feeling everytime you use it.

It is bearable most of the time, but i remember that i was having ultra sensitive skin one time, due to over exfoliation, and boy did my skin reject this.

It felt as though my skin was burning, i washed my face right away, and stayed clear of the Vitamin C Daily Moisturiser

for a few days.

i do think that the stinging is normal though, cause a few year ago, when i was a still a teenager, i remember purchasing this product, and having the same stinging sensation.

I guess the Vitamin C causes the Stinging? to maybe…. increase blood flow to your face and make it look….. more awake (pardon my nonsensical theory) i have no clue.

But i have to admit, the smell of this moisturiser is heavenly. It smells so citrus-y and just so therapeutic to use when you wake up in the mornings.

This Vitamin C Daily Moisturiser sunscreen costs slightly lesser to the the Moisture White Shiso UV Protector

RP319 = SGD34 = USD32

Still not worth the money, but ….. much more acceptable i think.

In Conclusion.

I do think that they will make an amazing moisturiser to those who have dry or normal skin types.

I have extremely ridiculously sensitive skin , to the point where 80% of the stuff i buy breaks me out, but these babies did not.

That tells me that these are good products, i guess they just were not suitable for my skin type.

i still use these products often though, i like to pair these moisturisers with a drying foundation. They hold up pretty well in that case, i find that it also reduces the flakiness and cakiness when you put it under your foundation.

I also like the fact that it is a sunscreen and moisturiser in one. As these 2 has failed me, i am still on a hunt for the ultimate one.

If you gorgeous ones know of any good ones, please drop me a message.

Till then,

D

Clarisonic

So, what’s the big hype about?

For a while now, i’ve been hearing the people on youtube going all crazy about this ‘clarisonic’ miracle.

I just did not get it, this vibrating thing is good…. how? Why?

So my curiosity got the better of me,

I bought it!

First, let me say, i spent months and months, contemplating on whether i want it or not.

After all, at $180, this is a big big investment on something i may love or really hate.

Luckily, my lovely sister in law got her hands on it, and loaned it to me for a few months.

And this is the process on what made me decide to get it.

My sister in law had the Mia 2.

The minute i laid my hands on it, i was excited to try it right away, sadly, it wont switch on.

‘Did i break it?!?! OMG’ – i called my sister in law right away, panicking and apologising, but she told me i had to charge it for 24 hours first.

WHAT?!

OK.

During the long 24 hours, i researched on how to use the clarisonic, and read up more reviews on it. The reviews were pretty mixed, but i would say there are more good ones than bad.

So when the 24 hours were over, i finally tried it.  When using it, it felt rough and scratchy. It was not really the most pleasant experience, but it was not the worst either. My face did feel very clean, but it also felt tight and dry. I checked my face to examine if there were any noticeable difference. NOPE. Nothing. I do not get it, why is this raved about so much? i decided to try it out a few more days before i give it my final verdict.

The next morning, regrets filled my mind. I woke up to a horrible outbreak! Sometime i have not experienced since 5 years ago when i first came back to Indonesia.

‘This is not happening?!’

Determined that this simply was not the product for me, i shoved it to one side and left it there. I was going to contact my sister in law to take it back, but for some reason or another, we always forgot. Either she forgets to take it from me, or i forget to give it to her. Either ways, the Clarisonic just laid there, on my bathroom shelf looking pretty for months.

After a while, i forgot about it, and my outbreaks cleared up.

I was watching my favourite youtuber frmheadtotoe one day , and she raved about it.

Them youtubers are just so convincing, especially after i watched gossmakeupartist( Wayne Goss) talk about how his clarisonic gave him problems too. And how he though it was due to his brush head

‘URGH! i am going to give this another chance’ i thought

Off to more researching, i read the bad reviews carefully. Studied what skin tyes were more suitable for which brush heads. How to use the clarisonic properly. So on, and so forth. There were a few issues that he mentioned/other youtubers/ reviewers mentioned that i thought might be causing all the problems

1) Frequency ( I used it 2x a day)

2) Pressure ( i was pushing it too hard against my face)

3) Time (the setting is set at 1 minute, but i can use it up to 2-3 minutes each time)

4) the brush head ( i tried the normal one)

5) Speed (I used the highest/strongest setting)

Thinking that changing the brush head would be a complete waste (it looks brand new!) and it cost $30 a head, so i decided to see and test if the problem lies with any of the remaining 4.

The first thing i did was to reduce my usage to only 1 time a day.

No more breakouts, but i still had that tight feeling around my face, and i did not see much improvements with my skin either. IE, i still had a bunch of blackheads and whiteheads and large huge pores.

Second thing i did was trying to use a light hand (IE, not pressing the equipment hard against my face) and also using the lowest setting . And to my lovely surprise, the feeling of tightness reduced quite abit, i also saw a slight reduction of blackheads.

At this point, i was alittle impressed, and the main reason why i would want a clarisonic was to reduce my blackheads.

I decided to try and see if sticking to the 1 minute mark would make a difference.

Sadly, not much difference in the reduction of blackheads, but the tight feeling of the face was totally gone.

OH YEAH.

Sold. I was totally sold. So i bought myself a Clarisonic PRO and i’ve been using it (almost) daily religiously. I give myself off days sometimes when i feel my skin is dry or over exfoliated. So far so good.

I even got a chance to change the brush head recently, (i switched to the sensitive skin one), and i think, it works so much better for me in comparison to the ‘normal skin’ one.

Conclusion:

Yes it does make your face feel cleaner, and yes, it help  with the blackheads and enlarged pores,

BUT,

is it worth USD$ 200++ in the end? ( i bought it before the ‘Smart Profile’ came out, paid $240 for my Clarisonic)

Plus, you have to fork out another $30 every 3 months to replace the brush.

Thats alot of money for a cleanser.

For me at least, i felt as though i can get away with (almost) the same results using a different product.

During the months that i took a break from the clarisonic, I tried out another product ‘Konjac Sponge’

and i have to say, they almost give the same results and the Sponge is only $10-$20 dollars.

It feels amazing too, but i will do a review on that another time

Till then!

D