Rilakkuma Body Lotion

Another one from Simply, a Taiwanese brand. I picked this body lotion up together with Rilakkuma Moisturizing Face Mask. Too bad I cant remember the exact price, but i know for sure, it didnt break me bank! Actually, I have just finished this tub recently. The lotion was so thin, I managed to finish this rather big tub in no time.

One of the main ingredient the lotion advertises is shea butter. so, I was expecting this to be moisturizing. unfortunately, it was not as moisturizing as i expected. Dont get me wrong here, it is still a pleasant lotion to use!

the texture is slightly runny lotion with sweet chocolate smell. however, I do feel the smell is slightly artificial. nice thing is, the lotion got absorbed in to skin easily. but as I said before, the level of moisture it offers is not enough for my perpetually dry skin.

bottomline,

cute addition to my closet, but I wont repurchase, even if I can get it easily- the artificial fragrance and merely lightly moisturizing property is not enough for me.

Sasatinnie Magic Fairy Coralline Algae Mask

Another mask from Sasa’s house brand! Recently I cant help but noticing wide variety of beauty products the Sasatinnie brand has to offer. From creams to masks…

The Magic Fairy masks comes in a box of three sheets, each individually packaged as other sheet masks do.  The nonwoven material in this mask is thicker and somehow more rough than other brands I tried, like My Beauty Diary. As usual, each mask has its own thin plastic sheet backing and ultra saturated with essence.  Just place the mask on your face accordingly (there are holes for eyes, nose and mouth) and watch your favorite re runs! Sasatinnie recommends 15-20 minutes. Me? Sometime I bring sheet masks to short nap or to watch few episodes of my favorite shows.

Coralline Algae mask is designed for all skin types, especially dehydrated skin. It promises to energize and nourish skin. The mask contains coralline algae to reduce fine lines & pigmentation, USDA organic aloe vera for hydration, anti aging & skin repair plus ECOCERT edelweiss to minimize pores and act as anti oxidant + anti blemish. All sounds good to me…

Despite the rougher thicker mask material, I love this mask!!! My skin feels so refreshed and supple after wearing this. The essence got absorbed easily by my skin and it doesn’t leave sticky residue.  Lovely!

Bottomline,

This is an enjoyable mask to wear. Too bad each box only comes with 3 pieces, not more! Softer materials will be appreciated too!

Things I finished this month...

No doubt I am a self confessed product hoarder. I like to try new stuff and tend not to finish them. Yet, I also buy numerous repurchases of stuff I really like. So, when i do finish something, especially those random purchases, I am so proud of myself... So, drumroll please... These are stuff I finished this month!!!

Sasatinnie magic fairy aloe Vera and tea tree mask

okay, this is not thing I'm proud of, since a box only contain 3 sheets. The mask is traditional Asian sheet mask from non woven material, soaked in serum/ essence. The material in this mask is thicker than my usual My Beauty Diary masks. It smells like tea tree and feels soothing when worn. The mask contains ingredients like moisturizing aloe, blemish reducing-pore minimizing-sebum secretion balancing tea tree and pore minimizing-anti blemish-anti oxidation edelweiss. The aloe and edelweiss is claimed to be of organic origin. As with most oil balancing mask i've tried, this doesn't really help my oily t zone. But I do enjoy the soothing, cooling feeling when wearing this mask.

Cussons first years nourishing stretch mark cream

not like I need stretch mark cream. I got this as part of cussons first years box I purchased during a boring day. I do end up with most useless purchases during boring days... Anyways, it is light and easily absorbed. But not moisturizing enough for me. May be because it is designed for stretch mark, but not moisturizing? I do liked the fragrance in this cussons first years series thou.. Light airy fruity floral. Just enjoyable.

Tony moly red appletox honey cream

another purchase I made just because I can't resist the cute apple shaped jar. The cream contains apple, honey and collagen to Moisturize and enhance elasticity of skin.It is recommended for tired, dehydrated sensitive skin. Don't expect cream here, you are getting gel with honey consistency. It even comes with a tiny spatula to take the product from the jar. I find it too moisturizing, borderline sticky for my combination face skin. Since I don't want to waste it, I ended up using it for my hands. But it is not moisturizing enough for my dry hands. feels like the gel just sits on top and does nothing. I'm glad I'm done with the content and now, i can clean the cute apple shaped jar up and use it to store my tiny trinkets.

Kose Cosmeport Rose of Heaven Hand Cream

Seems like I finished a few creams this month! I still remember this cream being so fragrant, however, the fragrance doesnt last very long, as last I applied it, the fragrance has subdued to light sweetened rose scent. I do like the sweetened rose scent, but I expect longer lasting perfume on my hand creams. The texture itself is enjoyable, easily absorbed and moisturizing. But I wont repurchase this one.

L'occitane Amande Pomme Velvet Face Fluid

Been using this since my lazy days...this light yet moisturizing fluid is suitable for my combination face. Doesn't make my face too oily, yet provides enough moisture. It has SPF of 40 as well. However, won't repurchase, as nowadays I prefer separate moisturizer and sunblock. Right now I am using moisturizer still from Amande Pomme -the non SPF version.

Kao Essential Damage Care Rich Premier Shampoo

I had high hopes for this one, especially that is promises smooth & manageable hair. it contains honey, shea butter and sunflower oil. Sounds wonderful. however... it doesnt work on me as much as I would like it to be. Somehow it makes my hair tangle more- that's the opposite of smooth and manageable . I am so glad I have finished this bottle, surely I wont be repurchasing. I still have the conditioner and leave-on serum from the line which I havent try...lets hope the conditioner and serum works better.

Heme Pore Perfect Purifying Gel

I am obsessed with pore care products. The moment I saw this in Sasa Taipei, I just get to grab it...

Heme is Taiwanese brand offering various skin care products. From peel of masks to... Pore Purifying Gel! This product is supposed to conceal pores, enhance firmness and elasticity of skin making skin appear smooth and dewy. Oh... since it contains Witch Hazel-it is also supposed to help with your acne! Sounds heavenly...It is supposed to be applied after cleansing, followed by your regular skincare regime and make up.

first of all, I have to talk about the adorable tub! It is made of clear plastic and has this cute design on top of it. The whole design, color and translucent design makes me feel so calm. I do hope it calms my pores as much as it calms my eyes.

The gel is totally refreshing. it has light minty fragrance and feels immediately cooling after application. I just love using this as light moisturizer on hot days.

But... I dont see it helping my acne or clearing/purifying my pores or whatever... just fun cooling gel. So, unless you dont expect anything else from your gel, this one is perfect for you. If you are like me, expecting some pore cleansing/shrinking action... as far as I'm concerned, I dont see much/any of it.

My Beauty Diary Orange Blossom & White Lotus Sleep Concentrate

My Beauty Diary is one famous Taiwanese brand for its sheet mask. They truly offer good quality wide range of cute sheet masks! And cuteness is one of the main factor I grabbed this Sleep concentrate from Sasa Taipei.

Sleep Concentrate is said to be highly moisturizing and soothing, also protecting your skin from environmental damage. They come in Orange Blossom & White Lotus (peach box), Rose and White Peony (pink one) and green one (I forgot the extract they are using here). Orange blossom & lotus promises me translucent, 'sleek' skin.

This baby is a versatile one! You can apply thinly in the morning as moisturizer, then apply more generously at night as overnight mask. 

The peach colored gel is housed in plastic tub with a tiny plastic spatula for hygienic scooping. I totally enjoyed the fragrance of this mask... it is sweet (not candy sweet) refreshing floral.

It gives cooling effect when applied. I totally enjoyed it during hot humid summer days... be it in the morning or afternoon on in-house lazy days. But it doesnt provide enough moisture for drier days or the air conditioned office. As overnight mask, I find it fun to use, but doenst give me much benefit.

Bottomline,
cute, fun addition in my mask/overnight treatment collection during hot summer days-if you can get it at retail price. but it is not really worth it if you are looking for very moisturizing product, especially if you need to pay for the jacked up online prices!

My Beauty Diary - 2 Step Autumn Repair Pack

Yes, Spring is coming… but I still own few mask from Autumn by My Beauty Diary. I am so loving sheet masks from this Taiwanese brand. 

This 2 step repair pack contains of 1 Snail Mask and 1 Snail Repair Cream. This mask set is supposed to make my skin more moisturized and plump. 

I have to admit, those snails on the package are cute… yet again, every time I open this pack- I cant help but imagining having slimy snails running around to get their slime harvested! Ha!...

So, naturally, I dig the ingredient list and the synthetics aside- I saw arnica monatana flower extract, mushroom extract, hydrolyzed milk protein sweet almond oil, sambucus nigra flower extract, soluble collagen, grapefruit extract, sugar maple extract, aloe leaf juice, cantella asiatica extract, orange fruit extract, leon extract, gentian lutea root extract, licorice root extract, rice protein, laminaria digitata extract, mallow extract and sugar cane extract. Sooo glad I didn’t see any thing that sounds like snails in the list.

The cream attached also looks like it doesn’t any snail in it…but it does contain mineral oil.

The snail mask has soft fragrance, not strong at all. I cant smell it anymore once I put the mask on. The essence got absorbed nicely on my drier skin area, but it got sticky on my more oily T zone. I end up rinsing my face with water to lighten up the stickiness. While it is not so suitable for my skin now, I think this would be wonderful for autumn or winter.

The Snail Repair Cream included is rich and creamy without any discernible fragrance. It gets absorbed easily, yet it feels slightly slick… may be it’s the mineral oil in it… may be it is just the whole formula. 

Bottomline…

I don’t like this…too moisturizing for me, especially the cream.

Shopping in Taiwan…

Disclaimer: I am by no means a Taiwan-shopping expert. Just happened to drop by Taipei for a few days, and would like to share spots where I got my hauls…

I totally love shopping in Taiwan for beauty products. They are sensibly priced, they have wide range of Japanese brands, be it department store brands or budget friendly drug store stuff. And this country, is filled with cute stuff… Hello Kitty masks, Rilakkuma creams, Little Twin star stuff… packaging junkies-be warned, prepare your money & that credit card limit!

I will save the introduction, and just goes to the details… for department store beauty brands, look no further than Shinkong mitsukoshi. This is actually a complex of shopping malls, 4 buildings to be exact. The beauty department in ground floor of few of the buildings offer international brands like Dior, Chanel, Guerlain and such. There’s quite extensive offerings of Japanese brands: shiseido, coffret d’or, kose, esprique, dr ci la bo, shu uemura, paul& joe, anna sui. I do think it is worth to mention they also have NARS there! Needless to say, if up scale department store brands is your cup of tea, this is your heaven. At night, usually you can find street artists performing in the alleys between the buildings.

When I was there, there’s even donation / adoption drive for doggies. These are not your usual mongrels, these dogs are actually well trained and they are good breeds- golden retrievers, jack russels… so heart breaking to see some of the dogs got injured. Those who cant take care of dogs, really shouldn’t get dogs or cats… and those who already have one, please neuter your pet – don’t force urself to send your pet’s offspring away to impatient and clueless (or even cruel) hands…  Ahem… now, back to beauty stuff…

How to go there? Take the MRT (metro) line to Taipei City Hall, it takes 2 -3 minutes walk from the exit. (I recommend buying the easycard for NTD 200 –that’s NTD 100 for refundable deposit and NTD 100 worth of value. Makes your MRT ride a breeze , no need to queue for your tickets everytime!).

For more budget friendly stuff, go to Watson’s. this drugstore chain is ubiquitous, I am sure anywhere you stay in Taipei, it wont be so hard to find one nearby.  They sell, my favorite shiseido’s tsubaki hair care line, ma Cherie, some happy bath day range. And alley full of masks!!! I love Taiwanese sheet masks!!!  The drug store staples such as Maybelline (find your Asian special editions here) and L’oreal is here. Japanese brands: Media, canmake, nature &co. and many more. And loadz of BB cream brands!

Wonderful thing about Watson’s is they seem to always have special offers and discounts on various stuff. Lovely! When I was in Taipei, they even have buy 1 free1 for certain mask range.

Asian brand lovers must be familiar with sasa.com. do visit the real store here! They are easy to find in shopping spots. They have majolica Majorca, kate & Revlon stands there. They also offer selected range of Heroine Make, Pupa, Dolly Wink, My beauty diary, eos  (how nice to find eos in asia!), seabreeze and many more…and lots and lots of false lashes too!

I do recommend shopping in Taipei City Hall area, they have a few malls, watson’s & sasa around the area. And of course, you get the visit the famous Taipei 101 tower! which hosts shopping mall with small beauty hall inside.

One surprising place to find beauty stuff is 7-11! I found decent offering of My beauty diary face masks there, Sexy Look line (okay, never mind the cheesy-cheap sounding brand name, but they have Hello Kitty line! So cute!), Simply (This brand offers Rilakkuma themed cosmetics!)

Those are places where I find most fun to shop! Have fun shopping in Taiwan. Do inform me if you have additional recommendation where to shop!!!

Therapind Oil Bar

Lip balm is the last thing on my mind when I spotted this in Sasa Taipei. It thought it is some kind of aromatherapy solid fragrance or massage bar. After some research in the internet, I just realized, I picked up a lip balm!

I liked the packaging-very pretty! The blue one I picked (recalled a few other colors), has minty flavor and scent. It glides easily on my lips and leaves fresh minty-tingle feeling. Too bad, it is not very moisturizing and I have to re apply every hour or so.

Bottomline… I wont purchase any of these again. Prefer my eos lipbalm…

Sexy Look x Hello Kitty Fruity Rose Fragrance

I saw her bow and whisker… and I grabbed her with me. Yes, Hello Kitty creams and stuff never failed to tempt me. This time, Hello Kitty is collaborating with Sexy Look, a Taiwanese brand of skincare & cosmetics. 

From the size of the tub, seems like this pretty beige tube is hand cream, however, I am using it for pretty much everything. The white thick creamy lotion is easily absorbed and makes my after-bath skin feel comfortable and well moisturized.

As the tub says, the fragrance is sweet fruity rose. Somehow there’s a tinge of artificial-ness in the scent. But that doesn’t really bother me, as the cream is not too heavily fragranced. It kinda reminds me of Kose Heavenly Rose hand cream scent.

Bottomline…

Grab this cream if you happen to see it in your nearest store! The cute factor is just too tempting! But to actually get it via internet, shipped it etc..too much hassle.

I got mine from 7-11 convenience store in Taiwan.

Appleface Winnie the Pooh Sunscreen SPF 50+ PA+++

Who doesn’t adore Winnie the Pooh? I don’t exactly need another tube of sunscreen… but Winnie was calling!

Appleface is a Taiwanese brand, which often collaborate with Disney to make cute lotions and potions… Other than that, I don’t have much info on the brand. The Winnie sunscreen I got was made in Taiwan.

Ah…I cant stop adoring that cute Winnie face on the tube! Makes sunscreen application more fun! Too bad the ‘Pooh’ on its cap was just a sticker. 

Now I don’t read mandarin much – but judging from the pictures in the packaing it seems that it is meant to be waterproof (to use during swimming and other sports) and safe for kids- but hey…don’t quote me here.

The sunscreen itself is standard thick white cream you apply liberally on your skin before sun drenched activities and don’t forget to re apply after a few hours baking under the sun! it is sticky – as I expected from waterproof suncreens. Other than that…it is nothing special really.

Bottom line, thanks to Winnie – I purchased this one! No Winnie, no purchase for me.

Kinda forgot how much does this cost… I got it in Sasa during my recent travel to Taiwan.

Heme Pore Clarify T-zone Peeling Mask for Men

Ha! When it goes to pore, oil control and acne related stuff, I don’t hesitate to grab men’s skincare line! My pores are so productive producing oil, softie softie pore cleaner won’t help.

Look at that cute mole rat carrying the white flag...isn’t it cute?
Anyway, this pore peeling mask comes with girls’ version and men’s version. The one I got for myself is the man’s version.

A bit about Heme:
‘Heme International Inc. was established in March 2003. They focus on manufacturing skincare products for young Asian men and women around the age of 20 to 35. The name 'Heme' comes from the combination of the words, He & Me, which means the best skin solution for both young females and males.

In 2008, Heme began collaborating with well-known cosmetic research and development labs and manufacturing companies in Japan and Korea to develop a new product line to cater to market demands for quality skincare products. They hope that with their affordable prices, good quality of products and significant results, they will be able to provide better choices and variety for their consumers. Heme aims to provide reasonably priced imported beauty products with the hope of being among the top skincare brands for young women in Taiwan.’

About the product:
‘Exclusively formulated to cleanse skin, clear up blackheads and refine pores.

How to Use: Apply at night to a clean, dry area of T-Zone, Leave for 15 minutes or until mask has set and peel off. ‘

To the most important part: the product! This must be the thickest peel off mask I have ever tried. It is black in color. Even though the instruction said to leave it to dry for 15 minutes, mine took nearly 30 minutes to dry. But may be because I am used with applying thinner product, and hence applied too thick in this case. I applied it on my nose area.

One thing I am sure this thing is doing is exfoliation. After peeling the dried mask, I can feel my nose area feels smoother. Not surprisingly, those pesky blackheads are still around, may be some of it got lifted away, but not most of them.

I can say I haven’t found pore mask that is really really effective getting rid of my stubborn blackheads. But this product is fun to use nonetheless. I like the fact it my nose feels smooth after use 

In summary...
Packaging: rather cute
Price: SGD 14.9
Texture: thick, dries in 30 minute-ish
Is it worth it?
Yes if... you love peel off mask, you don’t have thin sensitive skin around nose
No if ... you want to see all those blackheads off in single application