Favourites of the Month: May 2011

I thought I'll do a quick update. I haven't been updating much as I've been getting lazy. My daily makeup routine has been kept as simple as possible. Thought I'll share some of my favourites. :)

1. Skin79 Super+ Beblesh Balm VIP Gold Collection (BB Cream)
I bought this a while back from Gmarket Singapore (I took a risk and after verifying, it is real and authentic. But I probably would still discourage people from buying from there as there are really a lot of fakes floating around. The seller I contacted is no longer selling it. ) I didn't like it at first because the BB cream just looks so ashy gray when I pumped it out. Loving it ever since I tried it out in May.

Weather in Singapore during May was incredibly hot and humid. I just couldn't bring myself to put on foundation so I got started on this BB Cream. It takes a while for the BB cream to set so it can look a bit ashy initially. After sinking in, it looks like you aren't wearing anything. My skin looks brighter and it's as if I was starring at skin instead of powdery/liquidy foundation.

I would say it has light-medium coverage. Coverage is buildable if you pat on the Skin79 Gold BB cream layer by layer, preferably with fingers, over problematic areas that need more concealing. It didn't manage to cover all my acne so I still need to top it off with another concealer. Another reason why I love this is that I noticed my undereye concealer staying put really well after I topped it up over the BB cream. (I've read cases of people reacting badly to certain BB creams applied on the undereye areas so please do a patch test before trying out.) I hate it when my concealer starts melting off after a hot day so this is a bonus. After everything, I would set it with either Maybelline Dream Matte Powder or Silk Naturals Silk Mineral foundation. :)

2. Revlon Super Lustrous Lip Gloss in Coral Reef
I'm so loving this colour. It's almost a bright neon coral orange shade. As I've been keeping my makeup simple, this shade works really well as a perk-me-up colour to brighten the face on lazy days.

3. Garnier Pure SOS Anti-Blemish Gel/Pen
If you had read my earlier entries, I've been complaining about acne problems. Sometimes I wonder if my over-reliance on Tea Tree Oil products somehow backfire on me. I dug out the Garnier Pure SOS Anti-Blemish Gel (squeeze tube form) which is really old.  I used to really love this in the past but it was never essential for me since I was combating cystic acne most of the time. This stuff works but not on cystic acne. For some weird reason, my recent acne problems seem to be mostly black heads problems.

This anti-blemish tube gel works amazing on blackheads. This product contains sacrylic acid, which is good for using against blackheads. I used it after washing my face with Garnier PureActive Deep Unclogging Pore Facial Wash. My acne problem slowly stopped.

This is also the best-smelling pimple gel I've ever smelled. It smells of sweet longans. I think it has been discontinued in Singapore (sadly) and replaced with the Garnier Pure Active Spot-On Roller though I kind of suspect they don't contain the same formula. Anyway I never figure out why Garnier wants to change it to a roller since squeeze tubes are definitely more sanitary for acne application.

New Hauls: Watsons Members' Preview Sale

Sorry for the lack of updates. I was too caught up following Singapore General Election 2011. Politics has always been the last thing in my mind so I'm pretty shocked by my interest. It is taking a long while for the emotions to sink in. I just feel so exhausted.


Went for Watsons Members' Preview Sale on 18 May. Some of the items had discounts up to 20% + 10% off.

Finally picked up Majolica Majorca Puff de Cheeks in OR302 Apricot Macaron. Had wanted PK 301 Peach Macaron too but it was sold out.

Also picked up 2 items from K-palette that I wanted to try out. There wasn't any testers for this.

I got the K-palette 1 Day tattoo 24Hr Real Lasting Eyeliner in Super Black and 24Hr Real Lasting Eyebrow Liner in 02 Greyish Brown. The K-Palette Eyeliner won BEST Liquid Eyeliner for 2010 in Singapore Women's Weekly 'Best Beauty Buys' award .

Picked up a lip balm from Mentholatum too. I've been using Mentholatum lip balms since young. Don't find them to be very moisturising but I heard this is really good so giving it a try.

Watsons was selling ZA bundled packs for $10, which is quite a good deal.

In one set, you get a ZA Eyes Vibrant eyeshadow trio in E10, a ZA Dramatic Eye Color quad in Green, a ZA Wide Eyes Mascara in Rose (I just realised the mascara is not black -.-').

For the other set, you get 2 ZA Pure Shine Lips in 01 Violet Visions and 02 Rose Toffee. These are really sheer and have tiny glitters.

I think there was also a set for ZA foundations but I missed it. I got these 2 sets since I kept missing out the ZA deals whenever I go Watsons. Not too sure how these items are. I wished there were choices for colour. :\ (What am I going to do with a rose-coloured mascara?!?!)

Other than that, it's really a good deal.

I think I'll end here.

New Hauls: More Cleansers and KATE Dual Blend Eyes GN-1

Bought three cleansers last week. Lol, I can't get enough of cleansers.

From The Body Shop atrium sale, I managed to pick up the Tea Tree Oil Skin Cleansing Foaming Cleanser. It's in the new formula which I've yet to try. Also picked up the Seaweed Deep Cleansing Facial Wash. I didn't really like it when I first tried it last year and used most of it for washing brushes but I've switched over to using this when I was having bad breakouts. This doesn't dry out my skin as badly as the Tea Tree Oil facial wash, when used in conjunction with my pimple creams or acne gel. I really can't decide which I like more now so I had to get both.

And then I picked up another new cleanser which I've never tried - Garnier PureActive Deep Unclogging Pore Facial Wash. I'm actually a huge Garnier fan. I know you probably can't tell as I don't blog about their products much. I have tried their cleansers, exfoliator, creams/moisturisers, sunblock, eye cream, pimple gel, spot whitening cream, masks etc. Lol. Some are average products but I still like most of them. The blue range (previously, the blue range was called Garnier Pure instead of PureActive)  cleanser is something which I've used in the past to combat my acne skin as it contains sacrylic acid and zinc minerals, way before I switched over to using Tea tree oil based products. I didn't think much of their cleanser back then as most of my problems are dealing with cystic acne and it didn't show much improvement. But recently I started picking it up my old Garnier Pure Pore Unblock Foam to use and it cleared up a good amount of my clogged pores. Thinking back, perhaps this has been the reason why I don't get much clogged pores/blackheads/whiteheads back then. I wanted to get back the old cleanser but apparently, they revamped the range again. I bought this new cleanser to try but I realise it doesn't contain zinc minerals like the old range. I'm not really sure why Garnier likes to keep changing their formulas, packaging and even product names. It's actually most frustrating. Anyway I've started using this and it did show results (as promised on the bottle). My skin is slowly clearing up. I still wish they'll bring back the Pore Unblock Foam as it has microbeads in it.

Also picked up this tool for cleansing the face. It's made from a soft rubbery material and said to help cleanse the face better. As I got this cheap, I'm really not expecting miracles.

Finally caved in and bought KATE Dual Blend Eyes in GN-1. I've been wanting a moss green eyeshadow for a while. The pigmentation of the moss green is really great and I just love how sophiscated it looks. The lighter green is more of a sheer light minty green wash of colour. It isn't crazy pigmented but the various shimmers in it really make the colour to be very interesting.

By the way, I picked up the KATE eyeshadow quad at John Little. So now besides Watsons, you can also find KATE cosmetics at John Little stores . :D

Review: Hada Labo Super Hyaluronic Acid Hydrating Face Wash

Will be reviewing the Hada Labo Super Hyaluronic Acid (SHA) Hydrating Facial Wash. I have been using it daily for more than 6 months and have been really enjoying it. Decided to get this after I tried out the Hada Labo Super Hyaluronic Acid (SHA) Hydrating Lotion, which I have mixed feelings about it (I might review it slightly later).

The Hada Labo Super Hyaluronic Acid (SHA) Hydrating Facial Wash is a hydrating cleanser, which promises to help restore and preserve skin's natural moisture. The product is labelled as a gentle cleaner that promises low irritation and to be free of fragrances, mineral oil, alcohol and colorant.

The key ingredient, Super Hyaluronic Acid, helps to lock in twice the amount of moisture than ordinary Hyaluronic Acid does. I wanted to explain how it works in theory but I gave up. Included some illustrations.

Basically when you have well moisturised skin and with a protective shield that helps lock in moisture, your skin layers would fall back in place neatly, thus your skin feels softer and smoother.

When I first started out on this Hada Labo SHA hydrating cleanser, I really like it the minute I tried it. It foams really well and I feel it cleanses really well, removing all the grime, dirt and dead skin from my face. It does not dry out my skin like most cleansers do and that's because of the Super Hyaluronic Acid, which helps to lock in moisture after cleansing. I also felt my skin to be significantly softer after it. In particular, what I'm most pleased with is how the area around my nose isn't dry and flakey.

I started out using this facial wash only once a day to slowly let my skin accustomed to the Super Hyaluronic Acid. After a month of trying, I used it twice daily for several months. After a while, I did notice that my skin got brighter and that the surface of my skin to be smoother (less bumpy).

I would say this is a product that I'll definitely repurchase again. As of now, I did stop using this facial wash for a short period. (I had another breakout which I couldn't figure out what's causing it. It could be due to a mixture of reasons ranging from lack of sleep, diet, stress or other facial products. Basically I switched my usual skincare products just to be sure it wasn't adding on to the problems I have. )

If you have dry skin or are living in an area with dry climate, this product would be great for your dry skin. For those living in humid countries like Singapore like me, it is still fine to use this product. But when the weather turns extremely humid, I feel it's better to stop using the product temporarily. High humidity causes low evaporation hence when you overload your skin with over- moisturising forms of skincare, you might end up blocking your pores (since if they don't absorb fast enough, they just sit on top of your skin and wouldn't evaporate fast enough either).

If you suffer a bad experience from the Hada Labo Super Hyaluronic Acid (SHA) Hydrating Lotion due to its "overpowerful" moisturising properties (lol), don't be afraid to try this facial wash. I would say this facial wash is significantly milder compared to the hydrating lotion.

The Hada Labo Super Hyaluronic Acid Hydrating Face Wash retails for $12.90 at Watsons Singapore.