Review: Renew Rose Hip Oil

I first wrote about the Renew 100% Organic Rose Hip Oil here – I had only used it for a couple of months then, and it was my first attempts at using facial oils, so I didn’t really know what to think of them. Now, after using this for a few months, I’m back with a full review! In fact, I’ve actually nearly used up the entire bottle – I have only about 1-2 more uses left as I write this!

In terms of packaging, it’s in a nice dark glass bottle with a pipette – I liked the packaging initially, as it’s easy to control how much product is dispensed. However, the rubber at the top of the pipette started to melt in the last couple of months, making it sticky and quite gross.

The oil itself has a rather heavy texture – it is an oil after all, and it feels like one. It’s not very fluid, with a thickness to it, and I have to rub it between my palms so that the heat makes it easier to spread. It takes a few minutes for the oil to fully sink in, quite a lot slower than cream; even after having it on for awhile, there’s still some shine on my face. I don’t use this in the daytime because being in a hot country, this will definitely roll off my face.

I honestly love this oil. Although it’s rather heavy, my very dry skin drinks this up and when I wake up the next morning, my face feels plump and comfortable, even if I had spent the night in an air-conditioned room. I thought it would smell like roses, but it doesnt – it’s quite a strange scent, so if you’re sensitive to scents, I would suggest giving it a whiff first.

I’ve read that it helps with healing scars, but I don’t find it true for me – my old pimple scars took just as long to heal while using this. But I have to say that it really helps relieving the dryness in my skin, making it look a lot more supple and soft, and a lot younger! When I have dry patches, this really worked like a miracle – it’s all gone in just a day or two!

If you suffer from very dry skin and can stand the oiliness and the weird smell, I would say, do give this a go. I found mine for less than S$25 for a full 25ml bottle, which is really great value for what it did for my skin.

Rating: 4/5

Review: Himalaya Herbals Gentle Exfoliating Walnut Scrub

It’s important to exfoliate at least on a weekly basis to get rid of dead skin cells and ensure smooth skin, but yet it’s so hard to find a good face scrub! They are either too abrasive, or they do absolutely nothing. I’ve been trying out a lot of face scrubs over the last few months, and now it’s time to give my own two cents worth about them! The first up is the Himalaya Herbals Gentle Exfoliating Walnut Scrub.

Claims on website:
Exfoliating regularly is key to deep cleansing and removing debris. This gentle scrub is fortified with Walnut granules that gently exfoliate dead skin cells and blackheads while Apple, rich in natural antioxidants, helps stimulate cell renewal, giving you soft and younger looking skin.

I will jump right in and say that I did not like this, at all. The cream feels really greasy and seem to leave a film behind if you do not rinse off thoroughly. The scrub bits however, feels very harsh on the skin. There are literally large bits of walnut shell – shown by the black bits in the photo. Everytime I use this I feel like I’m causing harm to my own face. I have officially downgraded this to scrubbing my legs, which actually works really well.

The packaging is very normal, just like the usual drugstore cleanser plastic squeeze tubes. This did malfunction on me though, with the squeeze-hole clogging up and I have to unclog it all the time.

This is a pass for me – unless I’m on a look out for a cheap leg scrub. I don’t remember how much this was but it’s definitely on the affordable end.

Rating: 2/5

5 Friday Favourites #2

It’s been a really long while since I did a Friday Favourites post – the last was in December last year! I noticed that I have been consistently using some items lately, and thought it would be great to do an update!

// Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation makes my skin looks better than it is, is affordable, and has really good staying power. // MAC LoveCloud Satin Powder Blush has been my go-to blush for perking up my face and taking the years off. // Burberry Sheer Eye Shadow in Pale Barley is a repeat favourite; I’m still really loving it as a transition shade – it’s irreplaceable! // The Kiko Water Eyeshadow in 206 is gorgeous; great pigmentation and can be foiled to make it really shimmer. // The Dior Addict Lipstick in 553 Princess was an impulse buy that I did not regret; it’s sheer but gives a nice soft glossy pink tint to the lips and feels really comfortable. //

That’s all for my 5 Friday Favourites! What are you loving lately?

Final Swatch #4: Wet & Wild Fly Me to The Moon Color Icon Trio

Another goodbye today, and it’s to the Wet & Wild Fly Me to The Moon Eyeshadow Trio, one of the palettes released by the brand in its Dream Weavers Collection a few years back. The palette has 3 shades – a sheer frosty white, a matte black with silver sparkles, and a satin medium blue.

The packaging is just like its regular trios – made of light and cheap plastic, that flips open with a clear lid. It’s very compact, but are not travel friendly as it will crack easily, and the eyeshadow in it cannot withstand a drop.

I’ve had this palette for quite a while but never used it much – unlike its regular line up, this palette was a bit disappointing, with the colours barely showing up without a primer, and applies rather dry with a lot of fall out from the white shade. It did work very well with the help of a primer though.

I’ve since given this away… it’s not really the disappointing pigmentation that made me get rid of this, but rather that I don’t really like blue on my eyes – I just don’t find them flattering. Add to how much effort that I have to put in to make this palette work, it just isn’t worth it. Adios!

Haul: Weekend Trip to Inglot

Hi everyone! Hope you all had a great long weekend, whether or not you celebrate Easter! I’m just happy for the public holiday – sure came at a good time because I was feeling a little burnt out from work! Anyway, the bf decided that we should travel up to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, for a short weekend trip; so we did. We do that quite often when we want a really cheap holiday; it’s only an hour’s flight, and the hotels and food are so much cheaper than back home so it’s better than doing a staycation.

I managed to bug the bf into bringing me to Mid Valley Megamall because I was dying to get some Inglot cosmetics! We don’t have them here in Singapore, and every time we travel to KL he’s avoided the malls with Inglot (because he knows me too well) but this time he caved! Well, with conditions – I did promise him that I would only buy a handful of items.

So on to my haul! I picked up a Freedom Palette, and filled it with AMC Blush 54 – a berry pink that’s so smooth and buttery. Beside it is 3 eyeshadows; the Rainbow Eye Shadow 124 is a trio of shimmery Pink, Red and Maroon – I chose this on a wimp because the bf said my initial choices were so boring. The Rainbow Eye Shadow 107 is a trio of matte browns, followed by the Eye Shadow in DS 460, which is such a gorgeous taupe to me but the bf called it “another boring brown”. Last but not least, is an Eyeliner Gel in Matte 75; a really dark eggplant color!

So that’s it! Hope my haul was interesting; I always love reading about other people’s hauls! What else do you think I should have picked up from Inglot?

NOTD: Pink Sparkly Nails to Brighten Up the Day

I’ve been feeling a little under the weather lately; there’s a lot on my mind and a lot of things that I’ve been putting off thinking about, but is all coming to a head right now so I can no longer do that, and have to face them. I thought some pink sparkly nails would brighten up the day a little. I liked how it turned out! It did make me feel a little better every time I look at it. 🙂

Polishes used:
1. L’Oreal Color Riche Le Vernis in 210 Shocking Pink
2. Essence Colour & Go in 103 Space Queen
3. Rimmel Pro Super Wear Ultra Shine Topcoat

What about you? Have you ever switched up your makeup or nail colors just to boost up your mood?

Review: Love More Deep Hydrating Aqua Brulee

LoveMore is a Taiwanese brand that is more well known for their sheet masks – under the brands “LoveMore” and “SexyLook”. I have not heard of any other products from the brand so when I received the Aqua Brulee from a Vanity Trove beauty box, I wasn’t that excited to try it out so I kept it in my stash for a few months before finally digging it out recently to give it a go.

Claims on Vanity Trove website:
Moisture Lock + Repairing + Firming! Love More Aqua Brulee’s benefits on the skin are visible. Prolonged usage helps refine skin complexion. No more oily, dry and peeling skin. Best of all? No wrinkly skin!

Aqua Brulee is meant to be a deep hydrating moisturizer. I really like the texture – it’s gel form, so it has a cooling and soothing effect when applied to the skin. I find that it absorbs really fast into the skin as well, without leaving a tacky feeling. It’s quite lightly scented, but it’s not too strong and smells rather fresh, and does not irritate my skin.

On the flip side, however, I don’t actually find it to be that effective at “deep hydrating”. Because of how quickly it absorbed, after the initial soothing effect, I find my skin just as dry as before, as if I have not used any moisturizer. I also don’t think it did anything to refine my skin complexion.

The packaging is a bit bulky, in a really big round pot with a big screw on cap, but I think it looks quite cute. I don’t really like moisturizers in a pot, because I enjoy pumps more and hate the thought of sticking my fingers and germs into the pot, but a lot of brands – even high end ones – does it.

At S$26.90, I think the price is okay. It’s not too expensive but would not recommend this for anyone with dry skin looking for a hydrating cream. I think it might be suitable for oily skins though, given how quickly it absorbed so if you have oily skin, you might want to give it a go!

Rating: 3/5

Review: Simple Kind to Skin Soothing Facial Toner

A quick and simple review today on a toner that I have been enjoying – the Simple Kind to Skin Soothing Facial Toner. I’ve tried a few skincare items from the brand, and have generally liked them all. Their products are reasonably priced, and like its name, very simple with no fancy packaging, focusing on using the purest ingredients with no colour and perfume. I find myself reaching for Simple’s products whenever my skin is being irritable.

Claims on website:
Our special blend of Simple skin toning goodness containing Pro-Vitamin B5, Chamomile, Witch Hazel and Allantoin, helps to keep your skin toned and refreshed. No artificial perfume or colour. No unnecessary ingredients so it won’t upset your skin. Dermatologically Tested and Approved.

The packaging is a simple plastic green bottle, with a flip cap. It’s not the best bottle, but at its price I don’t have a big issue with it. To apply, I just pour some on a cotton pad and wipe it across my face.

The product itself is rather lovely. It feels just like water but it does make my skin feel clean; I find it able to remove some remnants of makeup that my makeup remover had failed to remove. The toner does not contain any alcohol in it and is refreshing without being drying. It does not have a scent.

What I really enjoy about this is whenever my skin is irritable – such as sudden angry spots or dry itchy patches, using toner usually aggravates the situation. But as a regular toner user, I don’t feel like my whole skincare regime is complete if I don’t use it – so I reach for this. This does not irritate my skin and I actually find it rather soothing whatever the problem is.

Definitely recommended this for anyone with sensitive skin or having problems with using a toner, looking for one at a reasonable price.

Rating: 4/5

Have you tried this toner, or anything from this brand?

Haul: Sample Store Shopping

I saw a few interesting items on Sample Store recently and decided to pick them up; the items are free, but you do have to pay S$5.90 per checkout, which I think is quite expensive for shipping. But considering each checkout has a maximum of 4 items (and I mean types, so 5 foil packets of anything is considered 1 item), whereas beauty box subscriptions costs S$20 to S$25 for a box of 5-6 items, it seems quite reasonable in comparison.

Things I picked up:
1) 1x Vardi & Migdal Collagen Gold Powder Crystal Eye Mask
2) 1x Neogence Ace Renewal & Repairing Mask
3) 5x foil packets of Rachel K Mineral CC Cream
4) 4x foil packets of Oceaniq 3D Anti wrinkle Total Solution CC SPF30
5) 2x foil packets of La Roche Posay Uvidea
6) 3x small tubes of Bioderma Sebum H20 Solution Micellaire
7) 1x Lierac Mesolift Serum
8) 1x Bio-essence Bio Spring Water 25ml

I got all of these with 2 S$5.90 checkouts, bringing it to S$11.80 in total. I honestly think its quite reasonable, and a great way to try out new items! There are also some “sponsored samples” where checkout is totally free – but there are not a lot of them. Granted, the brands may not be as high-end or unique as the beauty box subscriptions, but it also means that if you like the products, they are easily available and affordable to actually purchase the full size product! Win!

Review: Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua

The Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua is one of the most talked about foundations online. I’ve also seen this appearing in a few of Lisa Eldridge’s youtube videos, so being a huge fan of hers, I couldn’t help picking this up when she said it’s good, despite the hefty price tag of around S$80 for 30ml.

Claims on website:
Its soft and evanescent ultra-fine fluid texture is a real surprise. Although it is exceptionally delicate and light, an incomparable “second-skin” perfecting result is achieved. The complexion appears amazingly even, fresh and energized. The skin glows with seemingly nude beauty.

Because it’s water-based, I have to shake it really well before using. When I first got it, I gave it a few light shakes and out came some light runny liquid that did not do anything. I gave it another go with all the arm power I had, and texture became creamier and appeared more pigmented.

After all that shaking, the texture is very lightweight, and dries down very quickly to a very matte finish on me. It just wasn’t what I thought it would do and certainly did not look “fresh and energized”. I have very dry skin, and this seems to accentuate it more and made it looked so dull.

I was matched to the lightest shade B10 by the Chanel MUA, which turned out to be a really good match. I’ve read that the coverage is buildable, but try as I might, I could not get it to cover any discolourations. I would say light coverage, slightly more than tinted moisturizer, is the furthest it could go.

I honestly hate the packaging; it’s not the most user friendly bottle – instead of a pump, it comes with a little snout that is not removable. As I use up more product, it gets progressively harder to squeeze the foundation out. Plus I have no idea how much is actually left as the bottle is opaque. It is small and boxy, which I like, but it’s a pain to use.

Bottom line, I won’t repurchase it. The packaging is a pain, and for a foundation I personally prefer something that can be built up – otherwise I’d rather reach out for a tinted moisturizer or BB/CC cream. It’s not as bad as it sounds – it is very lightweight and comfortable to wear, but probably not for someone with dry skin or needs more coverage. Also, for something that costs S$80, I expected a lot more and maybe some of that “second skin”.

Rating: 2.5/5