RMK New Skincare & Bodycare

RMK is slated to release the following new citrus-scented bodycare and skincare products on 2 October in Japan:

1. Treatment Barrier Essence

2. Nail & Hand Cream

3. Body Milk

4. Body Oil

5. Lip Balm

The bodycare is made from a blend of botanical oils. Pics tweeted by Abe Sawako.

Jill Stuart Body Oil

Jill Stuart will release this limited edition Body Oil (100ml, 3000yen) on 2 October in Japan. The white floral scented oil has a light texture that melds into the skin and helps to hydrate and soften it.

Jill Stuart Grapefruit & Bergamot Relax Collection

Here's the ad visual for the Jill Stuart Relax Grapefruit and Bergamot bodycare collection, due out on 5 June in Japan. Product details in this earlier post.

Crabtree & Evelyn Spring Rain Deluxe Duo

To welcome the new year, Crabtree & Evelyn has launched a limited edition Spring Rain shower gel and body lotion duo (500ml each). Retailing at the special price of S$68 for the deluxe duo (usual price S$110), it is a refreshing green floral scent with top notes of lily of the valley, a warm heart of rose and spice, rounded out with base notes of jasmine. I liked the soft rose scent which lingers subtly on the skin post-shower without being overly cloying. This can be intensified by layering the body lotion which has a light, non-greasy texture that sinks quickly into the skin, an essential quality in Singapore's humid weather.

The deluxe duos are also available in Crabtree & Evelyn's classic scents of Nantucket Briar and Summer Hill. Nantucket Briar is a floral oriental with notes of bergamot, citrus, wild briar rose, peony, hydrangea, jasmine, patchouli, amber and vanilla. Summer Hill is a veritable melange of florals including rose, orange blossom, tuberose, carnation, jasmine, geranium, as well as bergamot, violet leaf, musk, white woods, sandalwood and vanilla.


From now till 18 February, Crabtree & Evenlyn is offering a red packet set with any S$80 purchase.

Dolly Wink Hand Cream & Body Cream

Dolly Wink, produced by Tsubasa Masuwaka, will launch its first ever bodycare products on 3 September in Japan. The Hand Cream (40g, 900yen) and Body Cream (100g, 1300yen) have a sweet strawberry and tropical hibiscus scent and pomegranate, chamomile and camellia flower extracts.

Jill Stuart Body Oil & Bath Essence

Jill Stuart will release a limited edition Body Oil (100ml, 3000yen) and Bath Essence (300ml, 3000yen) on 3 October in Japan. See the pic here. The body oil is a blend of grapeseed oil and rosehip oil with a white floral fruity scent.

Operation Use It Up

With winter now upon us, I've been slathering on all manner of moisturisers to stave off the dry flakies, which explains the preponderance of moisturisers in this batch of product empties for October and November.

1. Korres Basil Lemon Body Milk: This has a lovely citrusy scent that is refreshing without being too generic. The body milk is light with a runny texture well-suited for the summer months when skin needs less hydration.

2. Lovely by Sarah Jessica Parker Soft Body Lotion: Lovely was one of my favourite scents a few years ago and a distinctively unique creation amidst the flood of cynically sweet floral fruity celebrity juices. It's a pity that SJP has stopped releasing fragrances as she had an interesting range. (Chandler Burr wrote a great book "The Perfect Scent: A Year Inside the Perfume Industry" detailing the creation of Lovely and a Hermes fragrance, which is a must-read for anyone interested in fragrances.) I liked this body lotion for the dreamy scent. It moisturised my skin without leaving any greasy feeling.

3. Rituals Mei Dao Rich Moisturising Body Cream in Organic White Lotus and Yi Yi Ren: Rituals offers several beautifully scented bodycare lines and this is one of my favourites. It's a calming, comfortable scent. The cream offers good hydration without the greasy after-feel of Body Shop's Body Butter.

4. Kenzoki Energisant Stimulating Body Moisturiser: This was the most pricey body moisturiser that I ever purchased but it was well worth it with a cooling texture that hydrates without feeling greasy or heavy. The scent is also wonderfully relaxing. I liked using this in the summer.

5. Philosophy Summer Grace Perfumed Body Emulsion: This worked nicely enough on my skin and had a pleasant scent although it was much less memorable than the Lovely, Mei Dao and Kenzoki moisturisers.

6. The Body Shop Candied Ginger Body Butter: A past holiday release, I liked the ginger scent but this never fully absorbed into my skin and I could feel the oiliness when my skin brushed against the furniture.

7. Shiseido Tsubaki Massage Spa Mask: This was pretty mediocre in terms of conditioning my hair. The Tsubaki conditioners in red or white are much more effective.

8. L'Oreal Elseve Relaxing Mask: This helped to detangle and soften my hair but it was otherwise rather average, so I would not re-purchase.

9. Suqqu Refining Foam: This was included in Suqqu's holiday coffrets for both 2013 and 2012. It lathers up easily and cleanses my skin thoroughly but like many Japanese foaming cleansers, it does tend to leave the skin feeling dry so following up with a good hydrating lotion or moisturiser is a must. Not quite worth the £33 price tag as there are much more affordable cleansers that are more gentle on the skin.

10. H2O+ Marine Cleansing Gel: This has a clear wobbly jelly-like texture that feels refreshing on the skin. It cleanses well without leaving the skin feeling stripped.

11. Ren Micro Polish Cleanser: This contains small scrub particles and glycolic acid for double exfoliating action. This is gentle enough to use 2-3 times a week and it never irritates my skin. Used in combination with Pixi Glow Tonic, this has helped to keep my skin clear.

12. Astalift Jelly Aquarysta: This red jelly moisturiser works well for my skin without making it more oily than normal. My skin also feels more supple when I use this.

13. Elisha Coy Herb Clay Pore Refining Mask: This left my skin feeling softer and smoother. It felt like a nice weekly detoxing treat for the skin and does not dry it out excessively even if left on for more than 20 minutes.

14. Lancome DreamTone 1: Just released a few months ago, this supposedly helps to even out skintone. The 5ml sample lasted around two weeks with daily usage. It absorbs nicely without making my skin greasy but I didn't notice any significant lightening effect on the dark pigmentation spots on my cheeks, although two weeks is probably too short a testing time to make a definitive assessment.

15. Philosophy Clear Days Ahead Overnight Repair Salicylic Acid Acne Treatment Pads: My skin stayed generally clear and free of major eruptions while I was using this. The pads also stayed nicely soaked up until the very last one, unlike some other brands which dry out in the pot.

16. Lancome BiFacil: This works well for removing eye makeup including waterproof mascara without irritating the eyes. It's too pricey for me to purchase it as L'Oreal makes a cheaper alternative, but I often get BiFacil as a gift with purchase or included as part of a set.

17. Jill Stuart Shower Gel: This was part of a summer travel bodycare set. The scent is a tad artificially sweet, typical of Jill Stuart and probably too cloying for some people.

18. Lush It's Raining Men: This has the same sweet honey scent of Lush's bestselling Honey I Washed the Kids soap, so I did not hesitate to purchase it. It cleanses thoroughly without drying the skin. I would re-purchase it except that I still have far too many shower gels to use up.

19. The Body Shop Sweet Lemon Shower Gel: This was pleasant enough but not that special that I would re-purchase it.

Jill Stuart Tuberose & Rose Bodycare

Jill Stuart will release a new Tuberose & Rose line of fragrance products on 6 December in Japan. The line has a "romantic relax" theme and pink packaging with a diamond motif and ribbon charm. The white floral fragrance has green top notes of lemon, orange, cassis and violet; middle notes of rose and jasmine, and amber and woody base notes. The range includes:

* Body Milk R (250ml, 3150yen)

* Fabric Fragrance R (200ml, 2625yen)

* Hand Cream R (30g for 1260yen, 75g for 2520yen)

There will also be a limited edition Present Box (473yen).

Operation Use It Up

Over July and August, I managed to use up a large number of products, plus numerous sample sachets during my trip to London. With the last quarter of the year looming, I'm finally starting to see some space in my bathroom cabinets opening up!

1. Lush Almond & Coconut Smoothie: This creamy body cleanser is targeted at dry skin but it turned out to be not sufficiently hydrating for my skin as I still needed to use a body lotion especially on my legs which are prone to dryness. It works up to a gentle lather and rinses off easily without any greasy residue. The vanilla scent is not that memorable. One plus point is that Lush gives you a free Fresh Face Mask if you bring back five of these clean pots in the UK (but not in Switzerland).

2. Lush Ayesha Fresh Face Mask: This is a re-purchase. This mask feels therapeutic and deeply cleansing for my skin, which always looks more luminous and feels ultra soft and supple after using this. One pot has enough for at least 8 uses.

3. Sofina Jenne Lotion I: This is Sofina's skincare line for ladies in their 20s. Lotion I is the "sappari" (refreshing) type for oily skintypes while II is the more hydrating "shittori" type. This did a good job of leaving my skin feeling refreshed and clean, but other than that, I did not notice any special benefits. Love the lacey bottle design.

4. For Beloved One Polypeptide DNA Resilience Lift Toner: This was the most hydrating of the three toners that I used up recently but it also makes my skin oil up a bit faster than the others. It's supposed to be an anti-wrinkle toner but as I do not have any wrinkles yet, I can't say that I noticed any significant change.

5. H2O+ Aqualibrium Marine Toner: This contains provitamin B5, mineral-rich sea salt, sea weed, sea fennel and sea lettuce to nourish and hydrate the skin. It refreshes the skin well but can leave it feeling a tad dry, so if you have dry patches, I would not recommend this.

6. Addiction Eye Makeup Remover: This biphase remover does a good job of whisking off eyeshadows and waterproof mascara without irritating or drying the eyes. It is supposed to be fragrance-free and contains rosa centifolia extract. This was a gift with purchase. It normally retails at 2100yen for 100ml, which is a bit too expensive for me so I'll be sticking with my usual L'Oreal remover.

7. Daiso Puff & Sponge Detergent: For S$2, this is truly the most cost-effective product. I use it weekly to clean my foundation brushes and sponges. It's much more efficient at getting rid of any cream-based products than MAC Brush Cleanser. I stocked up 5 bottles before moving to Switzerland 20 months ago and this is only the second bottle that I've used up. Great stuff!

8. Biore Mild Cleansing Liquid: This removes makeup effectively without irritating the skin and is very affordable, but I find Bioderma's Sensibio to be even faster to use. I usually follow up with a face cleanser just to be thorough.

9. Shu Uemura Cleansing Beauty Oil Premium A/O: This green cleansing oil has the thickest texture in Shu's range and is really more for dry, mature skintypes. Although it works well in terms of removing makeup, I much prefer the lighter pink Fresh version. I wish Shu Uemura wouldn't keep offering only this in their limited edition seasonal collections like the upcoming Murakami Takashi holiday collection.

10. Cleansing Express Eye Makeup Remover: Aside from being very efficient and non-irritating on my eyes, it's also affordable. I would re-purchase this instead of L'Oreal except that it is not available in Switzerland.

11. Anna Sui Rose Hair Conditioner: This leaves my hair soft and untangled. I love the soft feminine rose scent but it doesn't linger strongly on my hair. I would definitely re-purchase this if it were more easily available.

12. Dove Dryness Care Conditioner: This was quite average. It left my hair untangled but not as hydrated as I would have liked.

13. Phyto Phytodefrisant Botanical Hair Relaxing Balm: Both tubes of this were received as part of sample goodie bags from my US online purchases. The clear gel helps to reduce frizz and make my hair more sleek. I don't like it enough to purchase it though.

14. L'Oreal Elseve Nutri-Gloss Crystal Shampoo: This did not make my hair any glossier or shinier but it's still good as an everyday shampoo that lathers up and rinses off easily without drying out my hair.

15. Kose Seikisho Mask White: This sticky thick black mask is not for wimps as peeling it off is invariably a rather painful experience and it takes off fine facial hair (not all but some) along with flakey skin bits and pore clogs. I find Biore strips to be more efficient at pulling out pore clogs but I like that I can use the Seikisho mask all over my face for a thorough de-clogging. I will probably re-purchase this at some point.

16. RMK Gel Scrub: This is gentle enough on the skin to be used daily but I don't find it to be particularly effective. This sample tube lasted just two uses.

17. African Botanics Marula Firming Botanical Body Oil: This is supposed to help firm, tone and nourish. I liked how it moisturised my skin and absorbed quickly without leaving an overly greasy residue but I didn't notice any firming effect (not that I really expected any).

18. Philosophy Peppermint Bark: I had high hopes of this but the mint chocolate candy scent was too heavy on the cloyingly sweet chocolate note and not minty enough for my liking. Like other Philosophy shower gels, it does not leave a strong fragrance on the skin although in the shower, it is rather strong.

19. Philosophy Gingerbread Man: This turned out to be much nicer than I had expected thanks to a refreshing fizzy top note. I would re-purchase this except that I still have more than a dozen Philosophy shower gels to get through.

20. Sally Hansen Fast & Gentle Polish Remover: I picked this mainly because it was one of the cheapest in the drugstore and by a reputable brand. It's alright for the price and still requires some elbow grease to remove glitter polishes.

21. Coast To Coast Rainforest Invigorating Body Exfoliant: This is my favourite product from this brand, due to the wonderful sweet citrusy scent. It gives good exfoliating action too.

22. Stila Lipglaze in Raisin: Very easy to wear berry shade with a bit of shimmer, this feels a bit sticky on the lips. The amount of product is miniscule and one could easily use this up in 1-2 weeks with daily use but at least they are a lot cheaper than they used to be (thanks to being made in China) when Stila was one of the hottest makeup artist-driven brands around.

23. K-Palette Lasting 2Way Eyebrow 02: A daily staple, I've re-purchased this countless times as it's still the most durable and easy to use brow liner for me.

Operation Use It Up

Here's the bucketload of products that I managed to finish in November. With only one more month to go until the end of 2012, it seems like my beauty stash is still nothing short of overflowing. Need to be more disciplined in 2013 for sure!

1. DiorSkin Forever Compact worked pretty well for me, especially for days when I don't have the time to apply liquid foundation. However, I still prefer the more natural and seamless finish of liquid foundation. I probably won't re-purchase this since Dior comes up with new foundations virtually every year. Full review here.

2. Paul & Joe Protective Foundation Primer UV is a favourite of mine for its natural finish and ability to smoothen out the skin surface. It also does not make my skin more oily than usual. The tube contains only 26.9ml but it took me over two years to finish as I didn't use it regularly until recently. Good grief! Full review here.

3. Lancome Bifacil Double Action Eye Makeup Remover works well for whisking off eye makeup in a jiffy although with stubborn Japanese mascaras, it takes more elbow grease. It's not something I would purchase though as L'Oreal makes a much more affordable version. However, I keep getting samples of it as gifts with purchase.

4. Shu Uemura puRENovate Clarifying Balancing Moisturizer felt too heavy on my skin during the summer, but as the weather turned dryer with autumn, I was able to use this sample tube up quickly. It's not bad as a basic moisturizer but it didn't wow me.

5. L'Oreal Gentle Eye Makeup Remover is a daily staple. I go through one bottle virtually every month. It never stings the eyes.

6. Coast To Coast Rainforest Clarifying Facial Toner helps to refresh the skin without stinging or leaving it feeling dry. It has a fairly strong tea tree scent. I didn't find this to be particularly effective in combating acne. Ingredients list below.

7. Organix Renewing Moroccan Argan Oil sounds pretty good until you examine the ingredients list and realise that argan oil is pretty far down the list. It's full of silicones, which I don't mind. It helps to tame the frizziness and doesn't make my hair feel greasy. Nevertheless, I doubt I will re-purchase this.



8. Vidal Sassoon Premium Conditioner works very well with my dyed hair, leaving it tangle-free. I actually never comb my hair, which I wash and condition once daily. In the mornings, I just use a hair serum to keep it tangle-free. This is made in Thailand.

9. L'Occitane Cherry Blossom Gentle Conditioner isn't as hydrating as the VS Premium although it does have a nicer sweet floral scent. Not something I would re-purchase as it's just too pricey.

10. Percy & Reed Finishing Polish quickly became a daily staple for taming the flyaway strands of my fringe. The scent is also delightfully fresh without being generic. I'll definitely re-purchase this. It's available on ASOS for £10. Ingredients list below.

11. Jill Stuart Body Milk has a sweet white floral scent that is just too cloying and syrupy for me. This light milk also leaves a greasy feeling on my skin.

12. L'Occitane Delice des Fleurs Rose & Violette Body Milk has a much more pleasing and elegant scent. It hydrates well without feeling greasy. This was from last year's limited edition holiday collection.

13. Clarins Extra-Firming Body Lotion also has a lovely scent and absorbs readily into the skin. However, I did not notice any firming effect.

14. La Mer The Cleansing Gel is a good basic cleanser that rinsed off easily without leaving the skin stripped or flakey. However, it doesn't seem special enough to justify the exorbitant US$65 price tag.

15. Ole Henriksen Aloe Vera Deep Cleanser is designed for oily, blemish-prone skin. While it does feel gentle on the skin, I did not notice any reduction in blemishes. It also takes several splashes to rinse off completely so I would not re-purchase this. Ingredients list below.

16. Murad Vitalic Energising Pomegranate Cleanser is also extremely gentle on the skin. It dispenses as an ultra light foam that rinses off very quickly, taking all oiliness with it. The 50ml bottle lasted barely two weeks.

17. Body Shop Rich Plum shower gel is another limited edition product from holiday 2009. Despite its age, it showed no change in consistency or scent. The rich plum aroma is intoxicating and luxurious. Wish the Body Shop would bring this back!


18. Lush Rub Rub Rub is a sea salt-based scrub that provides good exfoliating action without melting away too quickly. I like the refreshingly clean scent as well. The consistency always reminds me of 7/11 Slurpee drinks.

Operation Use It Up

Completed a bumper crop of empties this month!

1. Acca Kappa Calycanthus is a lovely uplifting white floral fragrance with dominant notes of jasmine. It is the first fragrance I've used up in years. I purchased this about four years ago in Kuala Lumpur, and it's been a perennial favourite since then. Always soothing and comforting.

2. Peter Thomas Roth Max Complexion Correction Pads contain 10% glycolic acid and 2% salicylic acid to help prevent blemishes. Drenched in a sweet peach scent, it also has a terribly high alcohol content at 46% but it didn't irritate my skin. I didn't find it to be a wonder product in terms of preventing blemishes though. There was quite a bit of liquid in the pot, which helped to ensure that the pads did not dry out over the three months that it took me to use them up.


3. RMK Creamy Soap N cleanses thoroughly but it does leave the skin feeling stripped, so I use it only once a day after using a cleansing oil to remove makeup.

4. Mario Badescu Seaweed Cleansing Soap had an odd scent and thick texture that I never got used to. It doesn't strip the skin but other than that, it was pretty average. I ended up putting generous dollops of it on my Clarisonic Mia to use up the giant bottle. Ingredients list below.

5. Astalift Priming Lotion is one of my favourite toners. It feels ever so gentle on the skin and doesn't leave it feeling sticky. I will re-purchase this but first I need to use up the other toners in my stash. Ingredients list below.

6. Lush Ayesha: Reviewed earlier here. I like this for detoxing and clarifying the skin. The pot looks tiny but it provided eight applications for me. The only downside is that you have to use it up within a month as it does not contain preservatives.

7. Brewed from beer, Lush Cynthia Sylvia Stout shampoo is supposed to help add shine and tame hair that is prone to frizziness. It doesn't lather that well but it doesn't strip the hair like Lush's shampoo bars usually do to my hair. The scent does take some getting used to but I didn't hate it. Ingredients list below.

8. Lush Glogg shower gel is inspired by the traditional Swedish brew with cinnamon and mulled wine scent. The wine note literally made me gag every time I used it. It has just been brought back under Lush's Retro programme but I would never touch this stuff again!


9. Philosophy Bridal Bouquet was much more pleasant to use but the sweet floral scent seems a bit bland and much less memorable than Senorita Margarita. Ingredients list below.

10. Dove Indulgent Nourishment Body Lotion with Shea Butter is an effective hydrating lotion that helped to stave off the dryness without leaving any greasiness or stickiness on the skin.

11. L'Oreal Elseve Liss-Intense Serum Anti-frizz works well for taming my hair but the 50ml bottle lasts less than a month for me with daily usage.

12. Wen Sweet Almond Mint Cleansing Conditioner is a shampoo-and-conditioner in one that came in a UK Glossybox. It feels like a conditioner as it doesn't lather, which is an extremely odd feeling to get used to. I wasn't impressed by this, so I won't be purchasing it.

13. L'Oreal EverPure shampoo is sulfate-free but it lathers extremely well. It did leave my hair feeling a tad dry though, so I doubt I will repurchase this. Ingredients list below.

14. Kenzoki Ice-cold Eye Cream is great for plumping up the eye area without making it feel greasy. It absorbs easily and doesn't result in milia for me.

15. K-Palette Lasting 2Way Eyebrow 02 is a daily staple that I've used up countless times. Quick, easy and stays put no matter how many times I blot my skin.

16. Josie Maran Bearnaked Wipes have a refreshing grapefruit scent. This works well for taking off light makeup but I still follow up with a face cleanser to ensure thorough cleansing and reduce the likelihood of breakouts. Ingredients list below.

17. Sana Esteny Salt Wash is a great exfoliating scrub with a sweet blackcurrant scent. It feels invigorating and the scrub particles don't melt away quickly. I would re-purchase it if I come across it again.