2010 Favorites

Here are my 10 fave products throughout 2010!

Nexcare Acne Patch

(review here)

I already have a few backups for this acne patch, that's how much I love it. It's an essential for me now period.

The Face Shop Post-Acne Nighttime Spot Eraser

(review here)

It really needs patient to use this product. It's not a miracle worker that could erase acne scar in just a few days, but after using this for months, I realize that most of my acne scars are less visible. Love it!

Cellnique Paramedical Advanced Bio Renewal Masque

(review here)

This exfoliator plus mask really makes my skin feel smoother, not to mention that it smells yummy as well!

Daiso Nose Pack

(review here)

My nose saviour! It's the best one I've tried to pull out dirty gunk out of my nose and it's super affordable as well!

Biore UV Perfect Face Milk SPF50+ PA+++

I love how it really keeps my face shine-free when I'm using this. And the fact that it has high SPF, I feel that my skin is protected!

Biore Cleansing Oil Cotton Facial Sheets

An essential for traveling! This makeup wipes clean really well and come in very handy to bring with.

Shiseido Mascara Base

After hearing very good reviews for this mascara base, I decided to get one and I'm really glad! It really makes different to my lashes esp when I'm using non-waterproof mascara. It lifts my lashes all day long!

The Face Shop Nail Base Coat

This nail base coat dries fast and makes applying nail polish become so much smoother, definitely a fave for me!

Facial Wash Net

I've been using this wash net ever since I tried it for the first time and now I feel really weird when I don't use it. Thanks to Kay who had introduced this to me! See her very thorough post about this wash net here.

Daiso Sponge Detergent

before and after pics

My sponges just love this! Need I say more? :D

Hope everyone had a great year!

Finished Products in November 2010

Clinique Anti-Blemish Solutions Clarifying Lotion

I've finally finished this big bottle of toner (okay, it's not that big but to me it is big :p). I've reviewed this toner few months ago, you can read it here. Although it did work to clear my acne and kept it at bay but the alcohol scent is just strong for me, so I feel really glad that I've finished it. Since I still have a few toners to use, I don't think I'll repurchase this anytime soon.

The Face Shop Post-Acne Nighttime Spot Eraser

This spot eraser is a must for me now! I will feel that something's missing if I don't apply it even just for one night. As I've said on my review, it works effectively on new scars but not so much on old scars. But with continuous uses, the old scars do get lighten in a period of time. I've repurchased this of course!

Mentholatum Acnes Point Clear

I used this point clear on new blemishes/pimples. It did work but not very effective, it took more than a few days to reduce the redness and to shrunk the size. I'll keep looking for a better product, so no repurchase for this. 

I've just realized that all three products are acne-related! I guess that means I'm really desperate for my acne problems, haha!

Okay, till next time!

Review: Daiso's & The Face Shop's White Nose Pack

I've been using these two nose packs for these past few months. And today, I'm going to do a comparison for both of these nose packs. Check below for the nose packs comparison!

 The Face Shop White Mud Nose Pack

Description:

Formulated with White Mud and Burdock extract, this peel-off nose pack cleans and clarifies pores.

Directions:

Spread over nose area and leave on for 10-15 minutes. When completely dry, slowly peel from the bottom up. Finish with a toner.

Cautions:

For external use only. Avoid contact with eyes. Keep out of reach of children. Discontinue use if signs of irritation appear.

Ingredients:

Water, PVP SD Alcohol 40-B, Polyvinyl Alcohol, Titanium Dioxide, Sodium Magnesium Silicate, Bulylene Glyvol, PEG-100 Stearate, Sodium Citrate, Methylparaben, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Extract, Illite/Water/Propylene Glycol/Arctium Majus Root Extract, Zinc PCA, Methylparaben/Bulylparaben/Ethylparaben/Propylparaben, Boilin Artemisia Princes Leaf Extract, Citric Acid, Fragrance, Allantoin

 Daiso Natural Nose Pack

Description:

Natural extracts remove oils and all dirt and deeply clean the pores, leaving your skin clearer with less visible pores.

How to Use:

After cleansing your face, evenly apply on the nose area and let it dry for 10-15 mins. If completely dried out, peel it off starting at the bottom, pulling toward the top. Do not use more than twice per week.

Caution:

If any irritation occur, stop using it and consult with a doctor. Keep out of reach of children. Use for nose areas only.

*click at your on risk*

(Yes, I have a disgusting nose)

My Thoughts:

I purposely display the nose strips picture so small because it looks really disgusting. But if you don't have a weak heart, you can click the picture to enlarge it. From the picture, you'll be able to see that Daiso's clearly is the winner. It pulled out more gunk than The Face Shop's, not just more but so much more.

First, I'll talk about their texture. The Face Shop's has a thicker texture while Daiso's is more runny so it spreads more easily than The Face Shop's. Even though The Face Shop's is thicker but it dried out faster than Daiso's. I think it's because of the runny texture of Daiso's, I applied more layers so it dried out slower. But that doesn't bother me.

As for the scent, they both have pretty similar scent but in my opinion The Face Shop's smells better than Daiso's.

For the price, again clearly that Daiso's is the winner. It costs me only SGD2 while The Face Shop's costs me SGD13. They both have the same amount of product which is 50g/1.76oz and both are made in Korea.

I think the only con from Daiso nose pack is it doesn't state any ingredients, but since I didn't experience any irritation from both of the nose packs, it's not a problem for me.

So the conclusion, Daiso's obviously beats The Face Shop's. Why spend more if you can get a more effective and much cheaper product?

Repurchase:

Daiso Natural Nose Pack: YES!!

The Face Shop White Mud Nose Pack: Never.

More reviews for Daiso Natural Nose Pack: Macnunu's review and Evie's review.

Disclaimer: The products were purchased by me. I am not affiliated with the companies I mentioned above. This is my honest opinion, product that works on me doesn't mean it works on you and vice versa.

Finished Products in October 2010

I didn't manage to finish anything on the month of September. But fortunately I managed to finish a few products, two body products and two lip products to be exact. Here they are:

The Face Shop Blooming White Rose Body Sunscreen SPF30 PA++

This sunscreen has the best sunscreen scent ever! I really like the mild rose scent and it lingered quite a while on me. It absorbed really well and didn't leave any stickiness on my skin. Even though the SPF is enough for daily uses but I'll need higher SPF for some occasions. I'll definitely repurchase this body sunscreen if I can find it cheaper or when I'm in Korea because it's quite pricey at here.

 Bath & Body Works Body Lotion P.S. I Love You

This is my first B&BW products but I'm already hooked with it. I  really like the scent and it moisturized my skin pretty well. Plus the travel size comes in very handy. Thanks to Nic for letting me to try this! :)

 Canmake Lip Essence [01]

I really love this lips essence! I used it as a clear lipgloss.  With a hint of golden sheen, it looks really great both on top of lipstick and even on its own. It's very moisturizing and not too sticky which is great.  And I love the mild cherry scent in it. The only thing that bothers me is when it's almost finished, it's very hard to reach the essence on the bottom of the tube. But still, I'll happily repurchase this!

Carmex Green Apple Moisturizing Lip Balm

To me this is just an OK lip balm. I'll still prefer Burt's Bess lip balm over this one. As the name suggests, it's apple flavored. I love apple and that's the reason why I picked up this lip balm, but the scent is too artificial to me. It moisturized my lips decently, but it's not enough to use on night. I don't think I'll repurchase this.

Till next time!

Review: The Face Shop Herb Day Cleansing Emulsion - Green Tea

I can't believe it's already September now, time flies really fast. But I'm excited for this month as last month was uneventful for me :D. 

So, I'll start this month post with a review! I have been using this cleansing emulsion since few months ago and I'm on half way finishing it so I think it's time to do a review about it. 

Descriptions & Ingredients:

*click to enlarge*

Price: I don't remember how much it was when I bought it but I think it's around US$15

My Thought:

Of course the first thing that drew me to buy this cleanser is the Green Tea. I love green tea so much that everything with these two words will attract me :D. I'm using this as a face makeup remover. I usually press one or two pumps and apply it to the whole face, massage it then wipe it off with cotton pads. I think it cleanses my makeup well (I use separate makeup remover for eye) but after I wipe it off with cotton pads, I still need to cleanse my face with a facial cleanser cause it leaves a slightly greasy film on my skin. So it might be a little inconvenient as we have to double cleanse. The packaging is definitely a plus, I love everything that comes with a pump cause it's more hygienic and we can control the amount of the product that we want. 

In the past, I've never paid attention to the ingredient list of the product that I bought. But recently since I've finally understood about the importance of ingredients, I looked at the ingredient list of this cleansing emulsion and I was surprised that it has mineral oil as the second ingredient. I probably wouldn't buy it if I saw that in the first place. Although it doesn't break me out but mineral oil is a very comedogenic ingredient.
Just like the rest of The Face Shop products that I've tried, it has really nice scent, and this one, of course, has green tea scent :D. As for the texture, it has tiny green bits in it and they dissolve right after you massage them like shown in pic below.

Pros:
- Removes makeup well
- Nice scent
- Hygienic packaging
- No breakout

Cons:
- Needs double cleanse
- Contains mineral oil


Rating: 2.5/5
Repurchase: No, although it has more pros than the cons but the words mineral oil definitely a no for me.

Disclaimer: The product was purchased by me. I am not affiliated with the company I mentioned above. This is my honest opinion, product that works on me doesn't mean it works on you and vice versa.

Swatch: Essence & The Face Shop Nail Polish

I got this Essence nail polish from the lovely miss Witoxicity (Thanks you!). When I first got this nail polish, I immediately thought of my The Face Shop nail polish which the color looks similar to this Essence one. But when I got them side by side, they don't look really similar, Essence nail polish looks more to burgundy while The Face Shop nail polish looks more to mauve (Sorry! I'm terrible at describing colors).

Left: Essence Multi Dimesion 3 in 1 Nail Polish in 55 Spot on
Right: The Face Shop Nail Polish in BR805

left: without flash, right: with flash.

pinky: Essence 55 Spot On - one coat
ring: Essence 55 Spot On - two coats
middle: The Face Shop BR805 - one coat
index: The Face Shop BR805 - two coats
thumb: The Face Shop BR805 - three coats

From the pictures above you can see how different they are. Essence nail polish is very opaque while The Face Shop nail polish is really sheer. I need to take three coats of The Face Shop nail polish to reach that opacity. And Essence nail polish only needs one coat but I prefer two coats for a more even application.

Essence nail polish 55 Spot on

The staying power of this nail polish is just mediocre, it chips in just two or three days upon application. And it's very streaky, I was having hard time to get a smooth coat from this nail polish. But it's a really lovely shade, it's very wearable in my opinion.

The Face Shop BR805

The staying power is no better than Essence but I like that with thin application, it dries so much faster than Essence nail polish and it's not as streaky.

Till next time! :)

Review: The Face Shop Post-Acne Nighttime Spot Eraser

Remember my last The Face Shop haul? I bought this Post-Acne Nighttime Spot Eraser that has been talked about :D. I've used it for almost two months now, and i think it's time to do a review about this spot eraser.

 Description (on the box): Gentle brightening formula effectively fades post-acne marks

left: before, right: after 1 week.

 note: don't bother the scar on the corner left bottom, it's a chickenpox scar. nasty I know...

My thought:

I guess the pic says it all. The spot eraser does work its job but not much. After one week, the post-acne scar is still there although it's almost gone. The scar on the pic was a new scar, and I notice that the spot eraser works much better on a new scar. When I applied it on my old acne scar, it took almost one month to actually fade it out. For some people, it works quickly but not for me. So you really have to try it out for yourself to know the effectiveness. I also notice that when I  applied it on a pimple that was going to appear, the next day the pimple was gone. I think it doesn't just work on post-acne scar but pre-acne too :D. And the scent of this spot eraser is just like any other The Face Shop's product, it has a mild flower scent which I like.

Pros: 

- Relatively affordable (around SGD 20 or USD 15)

- Fades/lighten acne scar

- Prevent acne

- Easily found (for me)

- Decent scent

Cons:

- Took quite a long time to fade the scar (esp. on an old scar)

- Hard to find (for some people)

Rating: 3.5/5

Repurchase: Probably Yes

Disclaimer: The product was purchased by me. I am not affiliated with the company I mentioned above. This is my honest opinion, product that works on me doesn't mean it works on you and vice versa.

The Face Shop Haul

First of all, thank you so much for the greetings on my previous post. I really appreciate every single one of your greetings :) They totally made my day.

So on to the haul, I bought some stuffs from The Face Shop few days ago. I only got stuffs that I really need at the moment cause I have been in no shopping mood lately, just don't know why. hehe..

I have finished my Skinfood Tea Tree Cleansing Emulsion and need a new makeup cleanser. I saw this Herb Day Cleansing Emulsion in Green Tea and the SA told me that it's good for oily skin, so without a doubt, I grabbed it. I just can't go anywhere far from the word 'tea' :D. I have used it a few times, it feels more lightweight than the Skinfood one and so far I like this.

Herb Day Cleansing Wipes

Saw this on the shelf, and just grabbed it. I need a cleansing wipes for my next travel trip. I haven't tried it though.

Fragrant Nail Enamel Remover - Pink

Read a good review about it from Anastasia, and my nail polish remover is finished, so i decided to try it. I have tried it a few times and like it too, but not too fond of the scent.

Post-Acne Nighttime Spot Eraser

Now, this is the one that I'm excited to get for. I remember going to The Face Shop a couple weeks ago to search for this but was disappointed that they didn't have it. And few days ago when I was going to pay for the stuffs above, I took a look around and saw this spot eraser, I immediately rushed over there and grabbed it, I almost ignored the SA that was going to tell me about this product, haha...I have only tried it for three times, haven't felt anything yet. Hopefully it really works to fade my acne scar as I've read a lot of great reviews about this product.

Actually I got a few reviews in my hand, but I'm too lazy to take picture of the stuffs that I'm going to review. Hopefully I can do it by this weekend :D. So, that's it for now. Have a great day everyone!

One-Year Blog Anniversary!

Yes! Today my blog has turned one-year old. I started this blog last year on March although on the archives, the first post was on June. Back in last year, this blog was just a personal blog of mine that I promised to myself to blog at least once a month :D, hence that only one post on each June and July. If you are one of my first followers, you would still read the first few posts (from March to June), cause at that time I still kept those posts but I doubt you read those posts though :D. Later I decided to move them to my personal blog, cause I want to keep my personal stuffs aside :). I still remember who was my very first follower (Shout-out to Nic!) and I'm really glad that I create this blog although the initial thought for this blog wasn't on beauty blog. I really love this community, just like what Lisa said on her recent post, this community is like a sorority. I really feel that I can easily make friends with you all although we most likely won't be able to meet in real life. I got to meet a fellow blogger though, yeah, that's the ever lovely Verina :). I really want to shout-out to each and everyone of you, but afraid that one or few of you will be left out. So, just know that I love you all very very much :)), you are all sweet and nice blogger!

Speaking of sweet and nice blogger, few days ago I received a surprised birthday present from Kay. I was really surprised that I got a package cause I didn't expect any package at that time, and I was even more surprised that the package was from Kay. A couple weeks ago, I found out on twitter that Kay's birthday is on March and I randomly told her that mine is on March as well. When I received the birthday present from Kay, I was puzzled that she knows my address, and later I remember that I joined a Secret Santa she hosted on last Christmas. Thank you so much Kay! You are one of the sweetest blogger I've ever known :). 

Here's the love that she sent to me....

 I really love the Kit Kat, esp. the Royal Milk Tea Flavor. It really tastes like real milk tea. Yum!

The Face Shop Oil Free BB Cream, L'egere White Multi BB Cream, MAC Barestudy Paintpot, Kate Eyeshadow Palette and Falsies.

I was really excited when I saw that Kay included those BB Cream samples cause I've been wanting to try them. Love the paintpot and the palette as well. And those are my very first falsies, yeah I've never applied falsies by myself yet, so I'm going to start with them :D.

Thanks again, Kay! :)

Daily Makeup Routine

Daily Makeup Routine tag by Nic from Spoiled Rotten, this is a real late tagged.. so sorry Nic..

Daily Cleanser:

- The Face Shop Green Tea Foam Cleanser: i like this cleanser, i can feel my face really clean right after i use this
- Skin Food Tea Tree Cleansing Emulsion: my face make up remover, don't hate it but don't really like it too.. i don't think it cleans my makeup thoroughly
- The Body Shop Camomile Gentle Eye Make Up Remover: this one is a sample size, luckily i didn't buy the normal size. it stung my eyes a bit..
- Skin Food Kiwi Yogurt Mask Wash Off: i like this, i think it brightened up my skin
- Skin Food Rice Mask Wash Off: just used it a few times, but i like that the beads are so small, so it doesn't feel rough on my skin

Daily Skin Care:

- The Body Shop Tea Tree Oil Facial Toner: my daily toner, but i'm considering of switching this when i finish this cause it just did what any other toner did to me
- Skin Food Tea Tree Essence: i don't hate it and like it too, i used to like this essence on the first few times i use it, but later i feel my face oilier after using this.. i have already finished it though..
- Skin Food Peach Sake Pore Serum: i want to love this product as i saw so many raves about it, but it caused me breakout.. i'm thinking of letting it go.. anyone?
- Garnier Eye Brightening Roll-on: it hasn't done anything to me yet, my dark circles are still obvious
- The Body Shop Tea Tree Oil: i love this! it really could calm my big red pimple in just one night

Daily Makeup:

- The Body Shop Moisture White UV Protection: i use this before i bought my BB cream, now it has been neglected by me.. :(
- Skin Food Aloe Vera BB Cream: i really love this! i basically use this every time i go out and even when i stay at home.. but i'll try another BB Cream when i've finished this
- Skin Food BuckWheat Loose Powder: i heart this too, the texture is really smooth
- Maybelline Make Up Foundation 3 in 1: i've finished this, i use this as my concealer..
- The Body Shop Tea Tree Cover Stick: new love! it covers my blemish well
- The Body Shop All in One Face Base: i use this as a retouch, but maybe i've became fairer cause it looks darker on my face now.. going to buy a new compact powder


- Maybelline Lipstick
- NYX Tinted Lip Spa
- The Body Shop Lip Balm
- Red Earth Lip Gloss
- Random Eye Lashes Curler
- Skin Food Sugar Bloom Shadow Box
- NYX Mosaic Powder
- Maybelline Mini Brush Mascara
- Maybelline XXL Volume+ Length Mascara
- The Body Shop Eye Definer
- Skin Food Black Bean Eye Liner Pen: i really don't recommend this, this eye liner is suck cause it smudges easily..

As you can see, i don't own much makeups, cause i usually don't use them.. but now i wanna get more cause i'm getting to do makeup more now!! and i'm waiting for my new skincare package to come..

So, for this tag i'm tagging everyone who haven't done this tag! please do this tag =)