[REVIEW] CERAVE RENEWING SA CREAM

Who said thick creams are strictly for winter? I suffer from very dehydrated skin. Although I have combination skin, it’s still possible to have that issue. Cerave has been one of the most life-changing brands that I came across late last year. I was struggling with seasonal eczema and nothing I used worked for my skin except for their classic moisturizing cream, formulated with ceramides, fatty alcohols and hyaluronic acid. It wasn’t the most glamorous looking however, it did the job; better than any high-end product I’ve tried. One 500ml tub cost me around 15 CAD( I got this during a sale) but they normally range between 20~26, varying where you purchase it.

Cerave was kind enough to send over their renewing SA line. The first product I will be sharing with you is their cream. This is specifically to help prevent and reduce the appearance of recurrence of dry, itchy and inflamed skin. Sounds like the dream, huh? It doesn’t matter what time of the year it is, my body is forever dry and quite flakey.

340g ~ price may vary where you purchase it. See links below.

Available at: Shoppers | Well.ca | Amazon

Claims

• With ceramides 1, 3 and 6-II
• Salicylic acid softens and smoothes skin
• Lactic acid exfoliates
• Non-comedogenic
• Fragrance-free, hypoallergenic
• Gentle, non-irritating formula

Ingredients

Purified Water, Glycerin, Behentrimonium Methosulfate and Cetearyl Alcohol, Mineral Oil, Glyceryl Stearate SE, Ammonium Lactate, Salicylic Acid, Triethanolamine, Cetyl Alcohol, Niacinamide, PEG-100 Stearate, Cholecalciferol (Vitamin D3 in Corn Oil), Ceramide 3, Ceramide 6-11, Ceramide 1, Cholesterol, Phytosphingosine, Hyaluronic Acid, Phenoxyethanol, Dimethicone, Methylparaben, Edetate Disodium, Propylparaben, Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate, Carbomer, Xanthan Gum.

My thoughts

Initially, I was worried that this cream was going to be too thick for me. I wanted something a bit more lightweight however I had a couple moments where my skin’s barrier was compromised; it felt so rough and parched so I turned to this to see if it could help and it really did. With continuous usage for over 2 months, I saw a significant difference in my skin’s overall health and appearance. You can see how much more glowy it is, plump and hydrated. I would recommend this to those who suffer from dehydration, irritated and textured skin.

Overall

• Texture: 5/5 – This is ONE thick cream, folks. If you’re not a fan of thick creams, stray away but I personally have grown to love thick creams all year round.
• Scent: 3/5 – There is a faint medicinal scent to it but it goes away after a few minutes so don’t worry about it lingering.
• Performance: 5/5 – Works like a charm. Cerave has never failed me and I will continue to support and purchase their beautiful products.
• Packaging: 4/5 – Practical and functions perfectly fine. Although I do prefer it being in a tube form for hygiene reasons, I don’t like digging my fingers in products so I have to use a spatula every time to scoop out the product.
• Overall: 4/5 – Fantastic find and product. I think Cerave deserves more love especially for a drugstore brand that is reasonably priced. Who said you need to invest big bucks in skincare? You’d be surprised what you can find at the drugstore and what it can offer for your skin’s needs.
  

  Disclaimer: I was given this product in exchange for an honest review. All views and thoughts of this product are my own. What may work for me, may not work for you so please keep that in mind. Some links on this post are affiliate links. This means that I will earn a small commission if you purchase from these links.

   

 

[REVIEW] Rovectin Cica Care Balm

Hello, friends! I’m back with another review this week and this is a product I have been using for little over a month now and wanted to hop on here to share my feedback and thoughts on it. I also wanted to thank Jin for sending this to me to try and review for you all.

 

40 ml ~ price may vary where you purchase
$25 ~ $27

Available on: Yesstyle | Amazon | Style Korean

Firstly, I would like to thank Jin & Sungman from Rovectin for sending over some goodies for me to try. This was the first product I tried out because it really caught my attention. I feel that Hyaluronic Acid was a very popular ingredient last year but this year, I believe cica is somewhere on the top well-loved ingredients in skincare. I mean, what’s there not to love about it? It’s well-known for its multiple healing properties; it is rich with amino acids and fatty acids that can help treat and prevent acne, calming down skin inflammation and promote collagen growth.

Claims

• Reduce and calm down skin rashes that develop during the menstrual cycle period
• Able to clear skin texture from pimples
• Reduce the appearance of rosacea
• Reduce traces of skin scarring and troubles during the teenage years

Features

• An active “Barrier Repair Complex” hydrates sensitive skin while strengthening the barrier of the skin.
• This is free of paraben, mineral oil, artificial fragrance and coloring, and steroids.
• This contains Calamine and high-concentrated Madecassoside to soothe and calm skin sensitivity, ex: acne, inflammation, and redness.
• The high-concentrated Madecassoside has the ability to reduce and gradually removes skin blemishes while promoting skin cell regrowth for a more healthier, glowy complexion.
• Madecassoside has the ability to skin barrier while calming inflammation through it’s potent antioxidant properties.

Key Ingredients:

• Calamine – is very commonly found in skin spot treatments. It has soothing and anti-inflammatory effects. The natural pink raw ingredient gives this product that gorgeous hue to it.
• Madecassoside – is fantastic for healing and fading the appearance of scars and promotes skin cell reproduction. This is highly concentrated in this product and in powder form rather than the diluted liquid extract that is commonly found in a lot of skincare products.
• Barrier Repair Complex – Skin lipid ingredient and reinforces the skin barrier by repairing it and protecting it.

Ingredients

Water, caprylic/capric triglyceride, propanediol, glycerin, sorbitan stearate, stearyl alcohol, cetyl alcohol, 1,2-hexanediol, vinyl dimethicone, glyceryl stearate, trehalose, centella asiatica extract, hydrogenated lecthin, arginine, lavandula hybrida oil, madecassoside, lavandula angustifoila (lavender) oil, hydroxyethyl acrylate/sodium acryloyldimethyl taurate copolymer, sorbitan laurate, calamine, synthetic beeswax, phytosteryl/octyldodecyl lauroyl glutamate, behenyl alcohol, carbomer, glycol stearate se, betaine, cetearyl alcohol, stearic acid, glyceryl acrylate/acrylic acid copolymer, xanthan gum, protease, disodium edta.

My Skin Type and concerns:

Combination | PIE | Congested | Dehydrated | (Occasionally) Sensitive

My thoughts

The first thing I noticed about this balm, was how small it was. I honestly was expecting it to be triple the size but unfortunately, it’s quite small. The reason why I expect more product was because this is a kind of product where you can use as a spot treatment or throughout your face. I really like how there was no noticeable scent to this but if you look at the ingredient list, there are two kinds of lavender essential oils. If you’re sensitive to essential oils, please be sure to do a patch test prior to applying onto your face.

Overall:

• Texture: 5/5 The balm has this really faint pink hue to it, it may not be as noticeable on your skin but if you look inside the tube, you’ll see the colour. This is way better than what I expected it to be, I thought it was going to be an extremely thick balm consistency where it doesn’t squeeze out so easily from the tube. I basically expected it to be similar to the glossier’s balm dot coms but thankfully it wasn’t and was more of a soft gel x balm texture. When you apply this on, you’ll notice it has a really pleasant and wearable mattifying finish to it.
• Scent: 5/5 It has a very subtle lavender scent, you will barely notice it. As I experiment with more skincare products, I realize I like fragrances but not necessarily in my beauty products; If I can avoid them, I would. They can be potential irritants. Overall, this product did not irritate my skin so I personally had no issues with this. I just wanted to share this for those who are sensitive to essential oils to keep this in mind.
• Price: 3/5 This is kind of expensive for my budget and I see this as “premium” skincare pricing for the amount of product that you get. I mean, if you use this as a spot treatment, then you’re set – it will last you for a while before you need to repurchase but if you use this for your entire face all the time, you will likely finish it up a lot sooner.
• Performance: 5/5 It does exactly what it claims and says, I have zero complaints about this department. My skin feels so much softer and my breakout inflammation has dramatically reduced after 4 days of continuous use. Sometimes pimple patches don’t the job for me so I’m glad I have a product like this to turn to when my skin is in need of help. The most fragile region on my face has to be my nose; I often blow my nose and product gets wiped off my face so that tends to be the first area that usually starts to crack up and get really dry. This balm repaired and sealed up my broken skin barrier within 3 days of continuous usage!
• Packaging: 5/5 It’s super simple but I really like how easy it is to read; It’s not too busy looking and you can easily identify it. I also like how travel-friendly it is. Basic isn’t always bad especially for skincare, I really appreciate when brands make things more easy to use and find.
• Overall: 4/5 I’m very satisfied with the results this balm has given me but I’m not quite sure I would repurchase this but I will follow up with you all on Instagram stories if whether I will or not. I think it is worth a shot for those who have skin inflammation where you want to reduce. This is a fantastic spot treatment, I’ve specifically used this on inflamed regions on my face and I can see a remarkable difference the following day. The redness and raised bump gradually gets smaller from continuous usage. I actually prefer this product over the famous cosrx centella blemish cream; don’t get me wrong, I like it but not as much as this balm because this balm offers multi-functional purposes and really did a fantastic job maintaining and protecting my barrier from weakening. I found the cosrx blemish cream left an unnecessary white cast (does contain zinc oxide) on my skin while this balm glides on seaminglessly and looks like my skin. I would recommend this to those who have dry, dehydrated and inflamed skin.

 

 

*Some links on this post are affiliate links. This means that I will earn a small commission if you purchase from these links.

[REVIEW] SOME BY MI AHA, BHA, PHA 30 DAYS MIRACLE CREAM

Hello friends! It has been a long while since my last blog post and I have been quite occupied with life along with my struggles of protecting my moisture barrier. Luckily for me, winter in Canada is almost all over. I wanted to share a product I have been using for almost 2 months behind the scenes. I received this cream back in early February and wanted to give this cream some time to see results.

My skin type:

My skin type is combination (oily t-zone, dry cheeks), congested, dehydrated and somewhat sensitive.

Claims

This cream was designed to firm skin barrier, recover damage skin, soothe, provides scar and pore care. It has a high potency is Centella Asiatic content (700,000ppm) and enriched 4 kinds of cica extracts (Asiatic acid, Madecassic acid, Asiatic acid, Madecassoside) to protect damaged skin barrier. There is also tea tree leaf extract (anti-oxidant), adenosine (wrinkle-care) and niacinamide (whitening/brightening).

What is AHA, BHA, and PHA?

Before we talk about the ingredients and the product breakdown, I want to share a break down of what AHA, BHA, PHA are because I know they can get confusing and even myself get them mixed up.

AHAs are used to reduce the appearance of hyperpigmentation – dark spots, scars, enlarged pores and uneven skin tone. This is excellent for penetrating deeply into the skin and removing excess dead skin cells and surfacing the skin. You may have seen them in your skincare’s ingredients before. A very common one is Glycolic acid; this acid is derived from fruit extracts and even sugar cane. Another AHA is Lactic acid and unlike most AHAs that are derived from fruits, this one is made from lactose in milk. It’s also known to reduce the effects of aging. Whatever kind you decide to use, please be advised to wear sunscreen every day to prevent age spots, skin irritation, and burns.

BHAs are meant to be applied a few times during the week until your skin adapts to its effects. BHAs do not sensitize the skin like AHAs do but please be sure to wear sunscreen every day to prevent any further sun damage. A very common BHA that you may already use in your skincare routine is Salicylic acid. This is a common ingredient used to treat acne and also calm skin’s redness and inflammation. This is more suited for oilier skin types.

PHAs are quite similar to AHAs however they are much milder. This is usually for those who have more sensitive skin types who can tolerate neither AHAs and BHAs and is an exceptional alternative. PHAs can help smooth and resurface the skin without any skin irritation.

Key ingredients:

Centella Asiatica Extract (Cica): is a plant-based ingredient that has multiple healing properties. The extract is rich with amino acids, fatty acids and etc that can help treat and prevent acne, calming down skin inflammation and promote collagen growth.

Niacinamide: ability to stabilize and tighten your skin barrier + visibly shrinks the appearance of pores and diminishes skin dullness.

Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract is an antiseptic and a moisturizer. Aloe is known to soothe act against inflammation and is clinically proven to heal burns, wounds, and scars.

Madecassic acid is an antioxidant and helps replenish the skin’s surface.

Ceramide: are lipids that assist and protect skin barrier by retaining skin moisture and they protect the skin from any environmental irritants. They can also improve the look and feel of dry skin instantaneously. *amazing for winter*

Full list of ingredients:

Centella Asiatica Extract (70.8%), Dipropylene Glycol, Glycerin, Water, Niacinamide, Caprylic/Capric Trigyceride, Cetyl Ethylhexanoate, Maleleuca Alternifolia (Tea Tree) Leaf Extract (10000ppm), Cholesteryl/ Behenyl/ Octyldodecyl Lauroyl Glutamate, Melia Azadirachta Leaf Extract, Coccinia Indica Fruit Extract, Solanum Melongena (Eggplant) Fruit Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Flower Extract, Ocimum Sanctum Leaf Extract, Curcuma Longa (Turmeric) Root Extract, Corallina Officinalis Extract, Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract, Camellia Sinesis Leaf Extract, Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender Extract), Rosemary Extract, Origanum Vulgare Flower/ Leaf/ Stem/ Extract, Thymus Vulgaris Extract, Fructan, Albatrellus Ovinus Extract, Willow Bark Extract, Enantia Chlorantha Bark Extract, Lentil Seed Extract, Witch Hazel Extract, Houttuynia Cordata Extract, Coptis Japonica Extract, Saccharide Isomerate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Butylene Glycol, Propanediol, Betaine, Allantoin, Madecassoside, Madecassi Acid, Asiaticoside, Asiatic Acid, Adenosine, Ceramide NP, Oleanolic Acid, Capryloyl Salicylic Acid (100ppm), Inulin Lauryl Carbamate, Polygryceryl-3 Methyglucose Distearate, Cetearyl Glucoside, Sorbitan Olivate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Lactobionic Acid(100ppm), Citric Acid(11ppm), Ammonium Acryloyldimenthyltaurate/VP Copolymer, 1-2 Hexanediol, Benzyl Glycol, Ethylhexyglycerin, Raspberry Ketone, Disodium EDTA, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) oil.

My thoughts

The first thing I noticed about this product’s ingredients was that the first ingredient listed is Centella Asiatica Extract. This means the potency of this ingredient is very concentrated. I swear by this ingredient and use this on a regular daily basis – it’s one of my favourites for countering skin irritation and redness. I see a huge significant difference when using products with this specific ingredient. The texture of this cream is a gel and has a very pleasant cica, fresh scent to it. The moment I applied this onto my skin, it instantly felt hydrated, moisturized and cool! I did not refrigerate this product but if I did, I bet it would be even more cooling. I noticed the appearance of my skin looked brighter and more even after using this cream.

• Texture: 5/5 – I love gel creams, they’re not ideal for me during winter but I’ve been using a lot more facial oils on my skin so it all works out. I am very thankful to know this cream does not pill nor is it sticky. It absorbs seamlessly into my skin without any issues.
• Scent: 5/5 – There is a light cica scent to it and I absolutely adore it! If you’ve ever smelled cica products, they smell very pleasant to them.
• Price: 5/5 – This is pretty affordable for cream and will last you a while before you need a replenishment. It’s a lot more affordable many resurfacing creams in the market and would highly recommend you to give this a try.
• Performance: 4/5 – Absolutely fantastic! My skin definitely has improved from what it looked like since early February to today. It’s less textured and way brighter looking. My skin was going through multiple phases during winter and it was never consistent but I found myself reaching for this cream a lot as night care to resurface and restore my skin. The following morning after using this cream, my skin is soft to the touch and quite radiant! I have this healthy glow to my face. I also used this during when I had a few active breakouts and almost immediately after I applied this cream on, it had this amazing soothing sensation to it. After maybe about 3-4 consistent uses every night, my breakouts were practically diminished and no longer inflamed!
• Packaging: 5/5 – Practical and easy to use. I prefer jar packaging over tubes because tubes are such a pain to get the excess product out when you’re almost done using it.
• Overall: 4/5 – This product is a beautiful product and definitely worth a shot trying. I find this is an effective cream and budget-friendly because it will last you a long time and user-friendly. Anyone who struggles with uneven skin or acne-prone skin really should try this product out. It’s quite mild and does the job for a reasonable price! I would definitely repurchase this along with their toner from this line! Alright, the reason why I jotted off 1 mark is that the name “miracle”. Yes, this is an effective product however there really isn’t a product out there that is a one-stop shop that will solve all of your skin care issues. Everyone has different skin concerns and we need to keep that in mind. You as the individual, need to be able to take care of your skin and be consistent with your routine. With consistency, you will see results! Overall, I would highly recommend this for you guys to give this a try if you have similar skin concerns like I do.
  

  

I hope this review helped you out on whether you would be interested in this cream, thank you for dropping by and have yourself a fantastic day!

Available on: eBay | Yesstyle | Amazon (Cream) | Amazon – Full Line Set
60g – prices may vary between $20-$25

This product was kindly gifted to me in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own.

 

 

*Some links on this post are affiliate links. This means that I will earn a small commission if you purchase from these links.

[REVIEW] Klairs Unscented Supple Preparation Toner

Hello dear friends, Merry Christmas to you all!

I know it has been an insane week for us all and I’m sure you still have some holiday stress since we have the new year not far from here. I came on here to share this toner I received through Wishtrend in exchange for an honest review. I have tried the original Klairs Supple Preparation Toner a while back but it was not compatible with my skin and I was fortunate enough to get the opportunity to try this wonderful toner out.

My skin type: Combination-Dehydrated, Acne Prone

Available on: Wishtrend | Amazon | Mikela Beauty | SokoGlam

*bold italics – ingredients that stood out to me

Ingredients: Water, Butylene Glycol, Dimethyl Sulfone, Betaine, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Natto Gum, Sodium Hyaluronate, Disodium EDTA, Centella Asiatica Extract, Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Extract, Polyquaternium-51, Chlorphenesin, Tocopheryl Acetate, Carbomer, Panthenol, Arginine, Luffa Cylindrica Fruit/Leaf/Stem Extract, Beta-Glucan, Althaea Rosea Flower Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Portulaca, Oleracea Extract, Lysine HCL, Proline, Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Acetyl Methionine, Theanine, Copper Tripeptide-1

Key Ingredients

• Natto gum is fermented product of soy protein and is potent with antioxidants.
• Centella Asiactica is a plant-based ingredient that has multiple healing properties. The extract is rich with amino acids, fatty acids and etc that can help treat and prevent acne, calming down skin inflammation and promote collagen growth.
• Licorice Root is effective in improving the appearance of skin by evening it out, it’s also potent in antioxidants and has skin soothing properties.
• Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract is an antiseptic and a moisturizer. Aloe is known to soothem act against inflammation and is clinically proven to heal burns, wounds and scars.
• Beta Glucan is a polysaccharide sugar derived from yeasts/oats. It has skin soothing and some antioxidant properties that are fantastic to improve the skin’s appearance by reducing redness and any signs of inflammation.

TIP: If you have an inflamed and dehydrated face, soak this toner in cotton squares/pads and apply onto face. Leave it on for 15 minutes before applying skincare routine. Before removing cottons, be sure to massage the remaining excess toner on face.

My thoughts:

I often rotate through many toners and this toner is on my top three I would like to travel with because it’s perfect for my skin. It’s lightweight, easy to absorb onto my skin, does not alter my skincare products and easy to control – where you don’t waste any product because of it’s packaging. I was shocked by the consistency differences from the original and the unscented. Firstly, the original toner was formulated with essential oils and was very dense/thick in formula. When applied onto my skin, it feel like it would take forever for my skin to absorb the toner into my skin. It was quite unfortunate but I’m glad Klairs cared about their customers and heard them out to formulate this toner. I always appreciate it when companies hear their supporters out. I’m guilty for skipping my 8 step skincare regimen some nights so I would just double cleanse, apply this toner on my face or soak it in cottons as use it as a mask then go in with my moisturizer/sleeping pack of choice. Sometimes less is more and when my skin has outbreaks, I can’t really do my regular regimen without it getting all itchy. This product has 4 of my favourite ingredients that provide calming and soothing benefits for my skin.

 

Overall:

• Texture: 5/5 – In the bottle, it looks like it would be on the slightly thick side of toners but it really isn’t. It’s very lightweight and spreadable. It’s very easy to layer with other products on-top. It’s also fantastic for makeup prep and does not alter or effect the appearance of the makeup applied on-top + provides an extra boost of hydration onto the skin.
• Scent: 5/5 – Because this product is unscented, do keep in mind it will smell like the natural ingredients in it. The scent is very light and doesn’t bother me.
• Price: 5/5 – I think the price is quite reasonable and affordable for those who are on a budget. It’s a very nice toner and be an excellent addition to collections.
• Performance: 5/5 – I’ve used this toner 3-4 times every week and I find it’s perfect for me skin in all conditions. My skin often gets easily dehydrated and very cracky during the winter seasons. As many of you may know, Canadian winters can be very harsh and my skincare options are VERY limited. I get seasonal eczema so my skin not only is dry but is extremely itchy; I can’t use a lot of products on my face during this state. I had a “skin outbreak” not too long ago and I used this toner on my face during the healing process along with my trusty cerave moisturizing toner. It truly worked wonders and my skin healed within 4-5 days.
• Packaging: 5/5 – Packaging is practical, simple but easy to read. Even if you don’t bother reading the paragraph on the front label, it does state at the bottom in bold “essential oil-free, balances pH level, deep moisturizing and cleanses and soothes”. Easy to use and stopper on the bottle is easy to control – you don’t ever need to worry about pouring out more than you need.
• Overall: 5/5 – I’m pleased with this toner and would recommend this to all everyone of all skin types, especially to those who are acne prone and have seasonal eczema because this is effective for soothing the skin. It’s budget friendly, effective, a little goes a long way and easy to control/use. I was very disappointed and wanted the original toner with Essential oils to work out for my skin because I genuinely did love the scent to it. This toner did not give me any issues and my skin drank it up without having any issues. If you don’t have sensitive skin and essential oils are not irritating to your skin, please try feel free to try out the Klairs Original Supple Preparation Toner.

That’s it for today, friends. Wishing you a fantastic holidays and cheers to clearer skin days!

 

 

 

 

Disclaimer: I was given this product in exchange for an honest review. All views and thoughts of this product are my own. What may work for me, may not work for you so please keep that in mind.

[REVIEW] b.liv See Ya No More Mask + HA Temptation

Hello friends, happy friday to you all. I know this is a long anticipated review because I’m sure you’ve seen me do an unboxing, talk about this product and shared photos of it in my instagram feed. These were kindly gifted to me by b.liv in exchange an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I wanted to point out that b.liv’s official website is very easy to navigate around and unlike some skincare websites, b.liv actually provides you options to choose from by skin type, skin concern, lifestyle/skincare tips and etc. If you don’t know your skin type is, b.liv offers descriptions and wonderful diagrams explaining and showing you the types of skin types and skin concerns.

❤ b.liv see ya no more mask 

available on: b.liv
price: $19 USD for 10 sheet masks
made in: Taiwan

Claims: This mask is formulated with chamomile, papaya extract, mango extract, witch hazel, aloe vera, gluconolactone, burdock root extract.

Star ingredient breakdown:

Chamomile contains one of the most powerful skin properties such as anti-inflammatory, anti bacterial, antiseptic and antioxidants.

Papaya Extract has a natural non abrasive exfoliant that is effective to remove skin impurities, push away dead skin cells and brighten the skin’s complexion.

Mango Extract is a natural astringent that reduces the appearance of blemishes, controls excess oil production and can deeply penetrate into the skin to clear impurites from pores.

Witch Hazel treats acne, minimizes the appearance of pores and controls excess oil production.

Aloe Vera is a powerful emollient for the skin that can deeply moisture, soothe and protect the skin.

Gluconolactone is a PHA(polyhydroxy acid) that offers all the benefits of AHAs but is suitable for sensitive skin types.

Burdock Root Extract is a natural ingredient that has anti bacterial and anti inflammatory properties

*italics+bold – ingredients that caught my eye *italics – ingredients to be aware of

Ingredients: aqua (water), butylene glycol, glycerin, gluconolactone, propylene glycol, sodium citrate, hamamelis virginiana (witch hazel) water, xanthan gum, phenoxyethanol, saccharide isomerate, polysorbate 80, aloe barbadensis (aloe) extract, ppg-26-buteth-26, sodium hyaluronate, chamomilla recutita (matricaria) flower extract, peg-40 hydrogenated castor oil, alcohol, carica papaya (papaya) fruit extract, disodium edta, mangifera indica (mango) fruit extract, o-cymen-5-ol, zinc pca, menthyl lactate, ethylhexylglycerin, yeast extract, arctium majus (burdock) root extract, leuconostoc/radish root ferment filtrate, sulfur, pyridoxine hcl, thiamine hcl, fragrance.
My thoughts: These sheet masks are very “juicy” and filled with essence. There’s a generous amount of essence per sheet mask and immediately after application of the sheet mask, you can feel the cooling sensation in your skin. The sheet mask material wasn’t fragile like some cheap sheet masks in the k-beauty market and was decent quality. The fitting/adherence was great and fit nicely on my face. I have quite a few issues getting J-beauty sheet masks to fit my face. Luckily I didn’t have any issues with this one! This mask has a very soft fruity scent to it, nothing too overpowering and I quite like it. 🙂

I prefer this mask over my all-time favouite Dr. Jart+ Soothing sheet mask because the only drawback I had with the Dr Jart+ mask was that it gave me irritated eyes. The corners of my eyes tend to go red/get irritated when I use products that irritate my skin. Is that strange or what? Same thing happens to me when I use heavily alcohol based products on my skin. This mask does not give me that issue and I can feel it calming down my skin and also giving the most pleasant cooling feeling. The cooling sensation reminds me of menthol. If any of you tried the Japanese Rohto eye drops that are formulated with menthol, it’s gives a VERY similar effect to the skin and it feels amazing.

I’ve personally never refrigerated my skincare products before but this mask gives that lightly refrigerated cooling sensation and I high recommend this to anyone who struggles with inflamed, acne prone and also that have congested skin concerns. I’m surprised that the alcohol in this did not irritate my eyes or skin, usually my eyes react when there are alcohol in products. If you look in the ingredients very closely, alcohol isn’t on the top of the ingredients but middle. I believe they used it for formulation reasons so I’m not bothered by that. Also, notice that there is fragrance at the very bottom, because fragrance is the last ingredient listed this means that there is VERY little fragrance in this so I doubt this would make an impact on sensitive skin types.

It’s a 5/5 for me and I would 100% repurchase this.

 

 

Alright, you friends are in for a treat because there is another item I wanted to share ~ 2 in 1 review post! 🙂

❤ b.liv HA temptation

available on: b.liv
price: $19 USD for 30ml
made in: Taiwan

Ingredients: water (aqua), glycerin, propanediol, hyaluronic acid, tremella fuciformis (snow fungus) polysaccharide, phenoxyethanol, acrylates/c10-30 alkyl acrylate crosspolymer, panthenol (vitamin b5), methyl gluceth-20, chlorphenesin, hydrolyzed silk, disodium edta, potassium hydroxide, nelumbo nucifera (lotus) phytoplacenta extract, rosa centifolia (cabbage rose) flower water, ascorbic acid, caprylyl glycol, methylpropanediol, butylene glycol, octoxynol-9, artocarpus altilis (breadfruit) wood extract

Star ingredients:

*Hyaluronic Acid* ❤

Panthenol is a proviotamin of B5 and it’s used a lubricant, emollient and moisturizer to bind to hair and penetrate into skin providing both lubrication and hydration.

There is no secret that this gem is formulated with Hyaluronic Acid. There’s a lot of buzz in the beauty market about this one specific ingredient. HA is a powerful humectant that is able to keep the skin appear plumped, hydrated and youthful. Don’t let the word “acid” scare you, HA is not abrasive, harsh or strips the skin’s moisture. In fact it does the opposite and binds the skin and acts as glue to seal all moisture in.

Please keep in mind that HA will not solve all of your skin moisture issues, you need to use other skincare products to support this ingredient into your skincare cocktail/regimen.

 

My thoughts: I have been enjoying mixing in products for skincare cocktails but for this specific serum, I prefer to apply it right after toner as instructed then I go in with my other serums and then finish with a moisturizer. If I’m feeling extra, I will finish everything off with a facial oil to seal it all in. I wake up to the most soft and supple skin ever. This really does a fantastic job quenching and fixing my dehydrated skin. I would use this all season round. I’m not quite sure if I would personally repurchase this because there are a lot of serums like this in the market but it is nice to own. I’m always excited to try out new products so this was a positive experience for me.

Once again, thank you for swinging by and reading my thoughts on these two star products. If you have any questions about these, feel free to drop me a comment below. Til next time, friends! Wishing you a wonderful weekend ahead of you and beautiful skin!

 

 

 

 

 

Disclaimer: I was given this product in exchange for an honest review. All views and thoughts of this product are my own. What may work for me, may not work for you so please keep that in mind.

[REVIEW] Iunik Black Snail Restore Serum

Hello, hello friends. It has been a VERY hectic little bit for bit I’m managing my time wisely today to share this wonderful serum I have been anticipating to share my thoughts on this serum I have been using consistently in my evening beauty routines. The reason why I don’t always share all of my products in my photos because it can quickly get all congested and look too busy. As well, I wanted to use this a fair amount of times to develop and actual opinion on this.

I was kindly gifted this product from Iunik in exchange an honest review.

Iunik Black Snail Restore Serum – 50 ml

Available on: Unique4U | Yesstyle

• Prices may vary where you purchase the serum from. It ranges between $20 USD -$23 USD

Product Claims

1. Nutrition: Contains 70% of black Snail extract instead of purified water to nourish the skin’s natural strength
2. Anti-Aging – Contains 5 Black Super Foods (black beans, black sesame, black rice, kelp and eggplant) to help with anti aging.
3. Skin trail relaxation – Incoperates Centella asiatica extract to help alleviate traces
4. Facilitate skin recovery – Contains patented Natural HG ingredients to help tired skin recover
5. Whitening/wrinkle improvement – Confirmed as a pharmaceutical functional ingredients by KDFA Contains niacinamide and adenosine to improve whitening and wrinkle.

Key Ingredients

• Snail mucin is shown to have antioxidant properties as well the ability to promote collagen production and increases wound healing. It is packed with hyaluronic acid, which is humectant ingredient that is able to retain moisture within the skin.
• Centella Asiactica is a plant-based ingredient that has multiple healing properties. The extract is rich with amino acids, fatty acids and etc that can help treat and prevent acne, calming down skin inflammation and promote collagen growth.
• 5 Black Super Food ingredients all have something in common, they are all rich in antioxidants, have natural dextoxifying properties and rich in Vitamins (B & E). Kelp in particular helps calm, soothe and nourish the skin.

Here is how the serum looks like when applied on my hand: 

My thoughts

As you can see as the demonstrated photos, this serum is very lightweight and watery. It leaves no sticky/tacky residue behind and absorbs into the skin seamlessly. It can be layered with other products as desired. I have combination skin however it’s quite dehydrated even in my oily regions. I also have some acne scars on my cheeks. I would mix this serum into a skincare cocktail with my vitamin C serum and would notice my skin is not only brighter the following day but within a month of continuous usage, I noticed my acne scars were less red and prominent. One thing I really appreciate about iunik is that there is a generous amount of product and their dropper is high quality Their dropper is sturdy and allows you to control how much you want.

Overall:

• Texture: 5/5 – Lightweight and perfect for layering with other skincare products, can be used in skincare cocktails.
• Scent: 5/5 – There is no scent at all to this, which is fantastic for everyone since fragrance is unnecessary to have for skincare products.
• Price: 4/5 – Standard pricing for serums and there’s a lot of product in this so you won’t need to repurchase for a while.
• Performance: 5/5 – I’ve used this consistently every single night consistently for 2 whole entire months and I am impressed. Initially, I didn’t see any results on my skin because it was too short of duration for my product trial to even have an opinion of it however as I used this. I noticed a huge difference in my skin’s texture and overall moisture levels. Usually during the winter seasons, I would struggle with very dried and damage skin but with this, I feel like it’s protected my skin from the Canadian cold and harsh winter days.
• Packaging: 5/5 – Packaging is simple, easy to read and you can visibly see how much product is left inside so you know when to repurchase. The dropper is sturdy and well made where you can control how much serum you want to apply onto your skin.
• Overall: 5/5 – I have nothing to complain about this. This is another fantastic iunik product and I highly respect this brand for it’s reputation and quality. They honestly are the very few brands out in the market that care about their ingredients. See on Cosdna with the breakdown ingredients. There are no harmful filler ingredients and it’s completely free of silicones and parabens. Did I mention that they are cruelty free? I’m so blown away with iunik and I’ve been using their products even when I first started getting into skincare. I recommend this everyone because it’s such a beautiful and versatile serum that can be used in all skincare routines.

Thank you again for swinging by and reading my review on another fantastic skincare product. Cheers to beautiful skin days!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Disclaimer: I was given this product in exchange for an honest review. All views and thoughts of this product are my own. What may work for me, may not work for you so please keep that in mind.

[REVIEW] Purito Centella Green Level Calming Toner

Happy weekend, friends. It’s that time again, self care Sunday! How will you spend your self care Sunday? I will be doing my regular skincare routine and making sure I put on a sheet mask ~ I haven’t been as persistent with my mask game lately just because life has been a bit more busier than usual.

Are you suffering with breakouts and skin congestion? Do you have sensitive skin and some toners just don’t work out for you? I thought it would be a good time to come on here and share my opinions on this toner. You’ve seen it on my posts and stories but I haven’t really went in depth about my overall thoughts on it.. so here it is!

Available on: Purito | ebay | Beauty Tap

Price may vary where you want to purchase this.
It usually ranges between $18 USD to $23 USD

Product claims:

Purito Centella Green Level Calming Toner not only deeply hydrates your skin and kick-starts your skincare routine, it calms and heals with 10% Centella asiatica extract in a supercharged powder form. Witch hazel extract soothes as panthenol draws in moisture, working in synergy with hyaluronic acid to create a moisture shield, protecting skin from external stimulation. Its natural scent, derived from botanicals and not synthetic fragrance, helps calm the senses, and its deeply hydrating formula means you can shorten your 7-skin routine to just 2 or 3! Formulated without any unnecessary, potentially irritating ingredients, including preservatives, this toner features 99% EWG 1 (green/safe) ingredients, making it comfortable even for sensitive skin.

It is super hydrating and has the a pH5.5 balanced toner which reduces irritation on the skin with mild care.

Free of 40 potentially irritating ingredients and allergens.

 

Key ingredients:

• Centella Asiatica: is a plant-based ingredient that has multiple healing properties. The extract is rich with amino acids, fatty acids and etc that can help treat and prevent acne, calming down skin inflammation and promote collagen growth.
• Hyaluronic Acid:  as we age, our skin lose’s it’s natural elasticity. This fantastic ingredient has the ability to hold up to 1000 time it’s water weight. It is an ingredient that is known to retain moisture in the skin.
• Panthenol: This ingredient is common in beauty products such as moisturizers, ointments, shampoos and even eye drops! It’s speifically used to help heal the skin such as from sun burns and wounds. Panthenol is another ingredient that does a fantastic job binding water and enhances hydration.
• Witch Hazel: is a plant-based ingredient and has several antioxidants. It’s fantastic for minimizing the appearance of enlarged pores and can control excess oil production. It’s a very popular ingredient used in acne treatment and for home remedies.

My thoughts:

This toner has a really lightweight, watery feel to it. The first thing I noticed it’s very watery but the moment you apply it ontop of your skin it really reminds me of the whamisa organic flower deep rich toner. It isn’t sticky but does have a VERY slight tack residue once it dries. Trick: Apply moisturizer ontop and the tackiness will go away~ One of my favourite things about this toner is that it absorbs beautifully into my skin seaminglessly. It doesn’t take long for it to absorb and I can layer other products ontop of it.

Overall:

• Texture: 5/5 – Lightweight and effective on the skin~ mild tack but it’s not unbearable and can be layered with other products.
• Scent: 5/5 – Light medicinal/centella scent to it. I personally love the scent so I’m happy with the way how it smells and it doesn’t linger and stay on your face. The scent eventually does go away.
• Price: 5/5 – The price is reasonable and there’s a lot of product in it. It’ll last you for a while before you need a replenishment.
• Performance: 5/5 – I rotate toners quite frequently but this is one of my go-to toners to use especially in the colder seasons and also to treat+prevent my acne. It’s nourishing and does not have harsh ingredients that could trigger further irritation.
• Packaging: 4/5 – Packaging is functions fine, it’s simple and easy to read. The claims are on the front in case you threw away the box.
• Overall: 5/5 – I own a lot of toners but this gets the spotlight for being the most multi functional toner – it’s soothing, calming and hydrating! I would reccomend this to everyone and especially to those who have sensitive skin and are also acne-prone. I am someone who likes to try out new things and sometimes, it can overwhelm my skin so I would turn this toner to calm down my skin. If you have rosacea, you may want to avoid this product because it had witch hazel in it.

Well, that’s it for now friends! Until next time ~ 🙂

 

 

 

 

Disclaimer: I was given this product in exchange for an honest review. All views and thoughts of this product are my own. What may work for me, may not work for you so please keep that in mind.

[REVIEW] Haru Haru Wonder Honey Cream Repairative Cream

Hello, hello, my friends. I hope your weekend is going well so far.
I received a lovely package from the brand HaruHaru. I firstly would like to thank their team for providing me this lovely cream along with 4 different cream samples.

Haruharu Wonder Honey Repairative Cream – 88g 
Product Claims/Information:

1) Key ingredients are the extracts from fermented Green Tea with Honey.

Green Tea is a powerful antioxidant that counters aging and detoxifying the skin.
Honey is a perfect anti-inflammatory and antibacterial ingredient that is able to reduce, prevent and protect the skin from aging, developing acne and unclogs pores.

2) All ingredients including Honey and Green Tea are 95% natural derived.

3) The product is excellent for skin regeneration and preventing future breakouts.

4) WONDER line has a very special patent technology called “Natural Liposome”.

5) ALSO, Very important… This product does not have the following:
Paraben | Chemical | Cruelty | Artificial Fragrance | Animal Origin Ingredients | Artificial Colorant

6) Ingredients are available on: cosDNA

Here are some lovely shots of the packaging of this product. I love how simplistic the packaging is yet bold because of the subtle reflective background and then the strong poppy red container that almost looks like a coffee cup and the geometric, circular design. It also comes with a spatula! I love it when brands include a spatula or spoon to scoop the product out because you won’t cross contaminate the product. I no longer use my finger/nails to scoop out products, strictly spatulas or q tips. If products don’t include spatulas, you can just purchase disposable spatulas on ebay or aliexpress. They are about 3-4 bucks for 50-100 of them.

 

The texture for this product is phenomenal because it’s this lightweight cream and it melts into the skin. You see how it looks like an opaque white? The moment you massage it in your skin, it melts in perfectly! It does not leave a greasy, oily residue. My face feels cool and refreshed every application. It’s quite comparable to my all time favourite a’pieu madecassoside cream in texture.

The scent smells a bit like clean linen and lemons. I personally don’t mind it and I actually really enjoy anything citrus scented but I wanted to put it out there just in case those who didn’t like citrus scented products.

Here are photos showing a closer look on what the texture looks like.

 

As many of you may know, I recently suffered from hormonal cystic acne so I was quite desperate on ensuring that I would minimize it and reduce any further breakouts on my face. My skin is combination, dehydrated and acne-prone. I don’t often break out unless I used something I should have not used on my skin, ate poorly(too much sodium, spice, sugar), or drastic weather changes. The most I would breakouts I would have would be 1-2. This time around, it was quite bad.. I break out all over my left side cheek and some were inflamed, some were just bumps.

Here are two photos of my skin gradually recovering. I forgot to take photos every day so I do apologize for that. The first photo was taken maybe around my 3rd or 4th day of after using the cream and the last photo was taken around the 7th day of my skin recovery. You can see a significant difference in the swelling and redness. To be very clear, I have a skincare routine that I have been doing every single day to achieve these results and the haruharu honey green repetitive cream is part of my routine. Let me know if you would be interested in what products I used to cure my acne~ Please feel free to drop me a comment below or message me on Instagram and I will do a full in-depth routine of products that cured my acne!

My thoughts: The packaging and container are great, I think it is quite travel-friendly because it’s not bulky and it’s different looking from your standard cream packaging making it super easy to identify in your collection/luggage. The cream was gentle on my skin and did not cause any further breakouts. You can even see how more radiant and even my skin is on the second photo compared to the first. I am very pleased with this cream and thankful for Haruharu for giving me the opportunity to try out their new products and to review. I would repurchase this because my current moisturizer collection is surprisingly quite limited.

Overall:

• Texture: 5/5 – AMAZING. I love textures that are lightweight and melt into the skin. I should never feel like the product is too thick and it’s sitting ontop of my skin. Very rare cases I would myself using a thick cream on my face unless it’s a sleeping mask or my skin really needs that extra nourishment and moisture.
• Scent: 3/5 – I am pretty content about this scent.
• Price: 4/5 – The price will vary where you purchase this cream from but I do think it’s a fair price for what you get because it’s free of many horrible parabens, chemicals and no animals were harmed in this. Which are three very important factors a lot of users are concerned about.  You get a good amount of cream to use because most moisturizers are 30ml to 50ml.
• Performance: 5/5 – I am pleased with the results and would recommend those who are suffering from random breakouts, who have breakouts and those who would be interested in a product with anti-aging benefits to get this!
• Packaging: 5/5 – It’s so cute!!
• Overall: 4/5 –  Very happy with this cream and cannot wait to try out the other creams! The other cream variations they have are:

  1.  Haruharu WONDER Honey Green Aqua Bomb Cream
  2.  Haruharu WONDER Honey Green Brilliant Cream  *highly interested because I love brightening products*
  3. Haruharu WONDER Honey Green Maqui Berry Antioxidant Cream

Available on: eBay |Jolse | Haruharu AU | Amazon

 

Well, that is all for today, friends! I hope you all enjoyed this review as much as I did writing it. I am wishing you all beautiful healthy skin and have yourself a lovely weekend!

Until next time.

 

 

 

 

Disclaimer: I was given this product in exchange for an honest review. All views and thoughts of this product are my own. What may work for me, may not work for you so please keep that in mind.