Review: Oilatum Cream

A quick review today on the Oilatum Cream; I’ve had this for a few months and am more than half way through. I first heard about this on the Pixiwoo youtube channel – Nic used this a lot in her videos in the past; we have similar skin types so I just had to get one for myself and try! Plus it was really reasonably priced; I can’t remember the exact price but I’m pretty sure I got it for less than SGD20 for this 40g tube.

Review: Chanel Sublimage La Creme Yeux

When I get too stressed at work, one of the things I do is go totally crazy at the beauty counter located not far from my work place. A particular item that I always end up buying is… insanely overpriced eye cream. Somehow, stress always induces me to buy expensive eye cream – when I have worries at work, I think about the wrinkles I’ll get. I have a big bucket of very expensive eye creams to go through, and now I’m not too sure if I am being paid enough for the amount of stress I get at work!

One of my insane purchases is the Chanel Sublimage La Creme Yeux. This costs about S$300. Yes. That’s S$300. For 15g of product. I cannot even begin to explain how I could have parted with S$300 for such a small bottle like this, but I did. I must have been stressed out of my mind.

Midweek Peek #16: Moisturizers I’m Currently Using

Being a beauty fanatic, I’m constantly trying different products. At any given time I have a huge load of new products that I’m currently testing; some will eventually turn up in a review, and some of it will be forgotten. Some products I will actually love so much that I use them up even before they appear anywhere but an empties post. So, I wanted to quickly show all of you a peek of some of the moisturisers that I’m currently using and testing before I finish them up or forgot about them!

Aesop Perfect Facial Hydrating Cream
I bought this recently in Australia – I don’t know why since the price difference is not great. I was recommended this by the sales assistant for very dry skin. Lately my skin has been so dry and tight – not sure why, but this so far has been doing a great job. It’s still early days to tell if there are any side effects, but I’m loving how hydrating it is. I’m not a big fan of its strong frankincense scent though!

Belif The True Cream – Aqua Bomb
A good size sample – very light in texture, given that it’s a gel. It’s cooling on touch and sinks in really quickly. I’ve just started using this but I’m liking it for use in the day so far.

Oilatum Cream
I got this after watching Nic from Pixiwoos use it all the time in her videos. She has dry skin too so I thought this would be something suitable for me as well. As can be seen from the bottle, I’ve used a good amount of it. I like it on days that my skin are extremely parched, but not for wear during the day as it can be very oily and heavy. It’s a very cheap, unpretentious thick cream for extremely dry skin.

Algenist Overnight Restorative Cream
Another good size sample. This is a very thick but not-so-dense cream – if you get what I mean. It’s kind of like thickened whipped cream. There’s some kind of ‘air’ in it but the texture is definitely more cream like. It’s so hard to explain. Another product for the night because of how thick it is.

I should be doing a full review on these items as I try them out more and have a better feel for them. Have you tried any of them?

Review: Embryolisse Lait-Crème Concentrè

The Embryolisse Lait-Crème Concentrè claims to be a 24-Hour Miracle Cream and a “must have product for makeup artists, models and celebrities”. I first found out about this product from one of my favourite youtubers – the Pixiwoo sisters, and after many months of contemplating whether or not to order this online for an exorbitant price, I found it during my Japan holiday trip for a reasonable price.

Claims on website:
A cult favorite that has found its way onto countless photo shoots, television and film sets internationally. This creamy lotion is three products in one: primer, moisturizer, and make-up remover. Its formula remains extremely simple and effective with nourishing ingredients that restores the skin’s natural glow and gives a boost to tired dehydrated skin.

The packaging is very simple; in a squeeze tube. I personally prefer squeeze tubes or pump bottles for skincare products, than jars, as they’re a lot easier to carry around and more hygienic. It’s also a small thing but I am anal like that and it somehow makes me really happy – that the tube keeps its squeezed shape after being squeezed. It annoys me when squeeze tubes reflate back to its original state after being squeezed!

The cream is rather rich and creamy. I use a pea size amount to cover my entire face, and I find it really soothing for my dry skin. It doesn’t irritate my skin at all but does take a couple of minutes to fully sink in; I would think that it’s quite heavy because I can still feel it on my skin after leaving it for a while, but feels so comforting when my skin is tight and dry. It’s not too thick or oily though; I find it perfectly fine to put on makeup after using this even in hot climate – it doesn’t cause my makeup to shift.

The product does contain mineral oil, which is a topic of controversy; I’m not a scientist so I won’t comment on that – all I know is I have no reaction to it. But if you’re particular about ingredients, then this is something to note. I also think that because of its thickness, it might not be suitable for oily skin.

Does it live up to its hype? I’m quite on the fence for this – I think it worked really well and lived up to its claims, especially at its regular price. My dry and dehydrated skin feels so comfortable with this on, and amazingly it worked well beneath my makeup. But because of the hype, I always expect more – above and beyond its claims, which I think is not fair to the product. I would definitely repurchase this if I can find it at a reasonable price again.

Rating: 4/5

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: Avene Skin Recovery Cream Calming Formula

A really quick review on a moisturiser – I was reaching out for this Avene Skin Recovery Cream one day and realised that it is nearly empty! I’ve loved it so much but have yet to mention anything about this – how rude!

As can be seen on the tube, this is meant for sensitive and irritated skin. I bought it some time ago when my skin was going through a very strange period of intense dryness with tons of little spots and nothing worked for me -the spots were aggravated if I used something heavy for the dryness, and the dryness was exacerbated if I used something for the spots. This, at that time, was a life saver for me – it did not aggravate the spots, and was moisturising enough for the dryness.

Claims from website:
This calming cream is especially designed for people with naturally sensitive skin or skin which has become sensitive due to other reasons. This rich cream is paraben, fragrance and colouring agent free.

This cream comes in a squeeze tube – which I like; it’s very simple and hygienic, as well as travel friendly without bulky packaging. The texture is very light, and sinks into the skin very quickly without leaving a tacky or oily feeling. It’s quite fluid, more gel than cream like. Given that it’s targetted at sensitive skin, this does not have a strong scent.

My skin is back to its normal dryness nowadays, but I still find myself reaching out for this whenever my skin feel congested, or when I’ve done too much to my skin during the week and needed a break. I feel that this calms down my angry skin and allows it to breathe, while still keeping it well hydrated. My skin feels very soft and hydrated after using this.

I really enjoyed this and would be looking to buy it again. I believe there is another formula – the Rich Skin Recovery Cream, which I have not tried yet but given how much I have loved this, I’ll be picking that up to try soon.

Rating: 4/5

Review: Eucerin DermoPurifyer Hydrating Care

I know, it’s weird for someone like me with very dry skin and no acne problems to be looking at this product. But there was a period of time that I went through really bad breakouts and wanted something that could control it. I’ve read on a blog that this was amazing in controlling blemishes, in conjunction with the Eucerin DermoPurifyer Active Concentrate, while acting as a good makeup base so I promptly bought it.

Claims by Eucerin:
With its sebum-absorbing particles new Eucerin® DermoPURIFYER Hydrating Care visibly refines the skin’s pores, imparting a perfectly matte complexion. The quick-absorbing and non-greasy formula reduces oil shine with its mattifying particles, regulated the skin’s disrupted functions, diminishes skin blemishes, decreases sebum production and provides an excellent base for make-up.

In terms of texture, it’s quite light and is yellow in colour as shown. I find that it sinks into the skin quite quickly, and dries matte without a sticky feeling. At $25.90 for a 50ml bottle, I find it to be quite affordable.

However, I have to say that the benefits end there. This product is so drying and definitely not one to be called “hydrating care”; all the moisture from the skin is sucked out upon contact. I think it dries matte because there is no moisture left! It also did zilch to help control blemishes; I actually think it caused more. Because it is so drying, I find that it dulls the look of my skin when used as a base for makeup. I also couldn’t get through the whole day comfortably because my skin was feeling too dry.

When I used it in conjunction with the Eucerin DermoPurifyer Active Concentrate, what I did get was a mild but still horrible case of eczema, where my skin started to look ‘rotted’ with a lot of tiny bumps. If you have dry skin, never use the two products together! My skin was just dry when I used either product alone, but the two products together literally ruined my skin. Thankfully I stopped after a couple of days before much harm was done.

In all, I’m still thankful that I tried this – because it reminds me to always let my own skin judge whether a product is good or not, rather than just blindly believing in what others say or blog about. I’m glad that I stopped using it when I thought something was wrong with my skin. Maybe if you have oily and acne prone skin, this might be a good product. But for someone like me with dry skin and occasional skin problems, I would stay clear of it.

Rating: 2/5