lundi 14 janvier 2013

Operation Use It Up

Here's the most recent batch of products that I used up over the past 1.5 months. Hopefully, this year will finally see my stash of bodycare products return to some semblance of sanity. At least until the next Lush holiday collection!

1. RMK Super Basic Liquid Concealer EX01: For a product that contains a paltry 0.06oz/1.8g, this has been in my stash since March 2009 - yikes! This helps to cover up the worst of my dark circles and is easy to blend without feeling cakey, although it does crease slightly later in the day. It's pretty pricey though so I probably will not re-purchase it as it did not quite hit holy grail status for me.

2. Lush Whoosh Shower Jelly: Reviewed earlier here, this wonderfully zesty jelly is great for refreshing the senses. Always use a shower lily with these, otherwise the slippery jelly will just end up in bits on the floor.

3. Lush Rehab shampoo is designed for damaged hair. Most of Lush's hair products have been disappointments for me, and sadly, this was another miss. It has a clean, bracing scent but leaves my hair slightly tangled and dry. Ingredients list below.

4. Lush Twilight Shower Gel is a deeply unusual blend of soothing lavender mixed with malt, that makes it a headier scent than L'Occitane's lavender range. This has a sprinkling of silver shimmer, which does not linger on the body. The scent takes some getting used to, but I grew to like it eventually. Ingredients list below.

5. Aromatherapy Associates Renew Rose Body Cream does a good job of moisturising my skin and leaves a nice soft rose scent. This was a deluxe sample that came in a UK Glossybox. At £32.50 for 200ml, it's too expensive for me to purchase.

6. Korres Basil Lemon Shower Gel smells a bit sharp. It lathers easily and does not strip the skin. Doubt I will re-purchase this. Ingredients list below.

7. Bliss Lemon + Sage Conditioning Rise does a decent job of detangling my hair and leaving it soft. The lemon scent is not particularly memorable, unlike their Blood Orange range. Ingredients list below.

8. Berber Oil is yet another argan oil-based serum that also contains silicones like cyclomethicone and cyclopentasiloxane. This was another sample box product. It worked fine for temporarily relieving the dryness of my hair ends and keeping them frizz-free but it wasn't special enough to warrant tracking down to purchase.

9. RMK Skintuner Smoother Moist leaves my skin feeling slightly sticky and makes it get shiny pretty fast, even in the depths of winter.

10. Lancome Tonique Eclat Clarifying Exfoliating Toner did the opposite and dried out my skin without having much of an effect on combating acne. Need to avoid purchasing toners that contain alcohol so high up on the list of ingredients (below).

11. Avene Cleanance Mask is also designed for oily, blemish-prone skin. However, this stings my skin and leaves it red so I would caution ladies with sensitive skin to avoid it.

12. L'Oreal Gentle Eye Makeup Remover is a staple that I keep re-purchasing as it doesn't sting my eyes.

13. Benefit It's Potent Eye Cream does a nice job of hydrating the eye area without leaving a sticky, obvious film. It also does not irritate my eyes. The only drawback is the pot packaging which is less hygienic than pump packaging.

14. Phyto Phytophanere is a dietary supplement for combating hair loss. The hard water in Switzerland results in quite a lot of hair fall for me, so I started taking this a couple of months ago. It does seem to have helped slow down the rate of hair fall. The recommended dosage is two small capsules per day.



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mercredi 1 août 2012

Operation Use It Up

I just did an "empties" post less than two weeks ago but somehow, I managed to finished up another bunch of products recently. And yet, it seems like my cabinets are still stuffed to the max!

1. Lancome Blanc Miracle Foundation: This was good for daily use, especially when I am in a rush. (Read my earlier review here.) However, this was replaced in April by Maqui Blanc Miracle which contains purple ‘liquid light essence’ pigment and salicylic acid.

2. The Body Shop Satsuma Body Lotion: This was lying around half-empty for too many months to count. When I finally got around to finishing it, half a bottle was gone in less than two weeks. It is very light textured and non-greasy, perfect for the humid summer months.

3. Bliss Steep Clean Deep Pore Cleanser: This claims to help reduce the appearance of pores, excess oil and shine through a double enzyme blend. It contains salicylic acid and ascorbic acid. I liked this as it feels very gentle on the skin and leaves skin feeling clean and supple. It did not keep blemishes away completely or prevent pores from getting clogged but no cleanser does that for me.

4. La Roche-Posay Effaclar Purifying Foaming Gel: This paraben-free cleanser works well with my Clarisonic Mia, cleansing thoroughly without stripping the skin. Not sure if I will re-purchase it though as I still have a few cleansers to use up. The ingredients list is below.

5. La Mer The Radiant Infusion: This 15ml bottle lasted about three weeks with daily usage. Now that it's summer, this is all I use to prep my skin after cleansing and before applying foundation. It absorbs well without leaving any greasy or sticky feeling, and helps to combat the skin flakes that I sometimes get. Not a fan of the scent though.

6. L'Occitane Cherry Blossom Hand Cream: This has a delightful sweet floral scent that is not too cloying. It also gives immediate relief to my hands, which are prone to peeling as I wash my hands quite often. I always try to keep a tube in my bag.

7. Essence Nail Art Nail Polish Remover: Super cheap and does the job reasonably well, although glitter nailpolishes are still pretty tough to remove with this.

8. Philosophy Bubbly Shampoo, Shower Gel & Bubble Bath: I was not a fan of the light champagne and orange scent at first but it grew on me, and now I find it quite refreshing. It lathers up very well, great for use with a bath lily.



9. Nivea Color Protect Conditioner: This keeps my hair relatively soft and tangle-free but I've since switched to Vidal Sasson Premium which I find to be more hydrating.

10. The Body Shop Rainforest Moisture Hair Butter: Given the name, I expected this to be very hydrating but it did absolutely nothing for my hair. I would not re-purchase this for sure!

11. Lush I Love Juicy: Lush's zany descriptions always make their products sound irresistible. This has a light green citrus scent and cleanses well, but it does leave my hair slightly dry. Not sure if I will re-purchase it.


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vendredi 6 avril 2012

Anna Sui Rose Bodycare

The Maquia editor just tweeted this pic of the newly revamped Anna Sui bodycare line which will be released on 7 June in Japan. It includes (from left to right) a Rose Hair Conditioner (7 fl oz), Rose Hair Shampoo (8.4 fl oz/250ml), Rose Liquid Body Soap (8.4 fl oz/250ml) and a Rose Body Lotion. While I usually like the rose design motif in Anna Sui's products, the hourglass shaped bottles look somewhat clunky and bottom heavy.

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mardi 19 octobre 2010

Shiseido Tsubaki at Watsons

Shiseido Tsubaki haircare is now available at Watsons. It's not cheap though. The "Shining" range in the red packaging costs S$8.90 for the shampoo and conditoner in 220ml, S$17.90 for the 550ml shampoo and conditioner, and S$19.90 for the hair mask.

The "Damage Care" range in the white packaging costs S$9.90 for the small shampoo and conditioner, S$19.90 for the large shampoo and conditioner, and S$21.90 for the hair mask. I've used both ranges before with good results. The gold "Head Spa" range is not available.

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vendredi 2 octobre 2009

New Tsubaki CM

Here's the new TV CM for Shiseido's Tsubaki shampoo range. It does not introduce any new products but Japanese newscaster Takigawa Christel joins the line-up of celebrities promoting Tsubaki. Tsubaki's hair conditioners (both the red and white versions) are among my favourite haircare products as they always leave my hair soft and manageable without product build-up.

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mercredi 18 mars 2009

Stila Personal Care Line

Stila is releasing a bodycare line in Japan. This is the first I've heard of Stila putting out a bodycare line so I'm not sure if it will be sold in other countries.


The line consists of body soap (1680yen, 250ml), body lotion (2100yen, 200ml), hair shampoo (1680yen, 250ml), hair conditioner (1890yen, 250ml) and shimmering body powder (3390yen, 30g) in three scents. Romantic Dream is a sweet bouquet and berry; Juicy Vacances is a fresh citrus and peach scent; and Precious Relax is relaxing herb and green apple scent.

The collection will debut on 20 March in Japan.

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lundi 3 septembre 2007

Shiseido Tsubaki Golden Repair

Shiseido's Tsubaki shampoo range is currently the market leader in Japan following its debut in 2006. Backed by a lavish, high-profile US$43 million ad campaign that featured many top Japanese actresses, Tsubaki's distinctive glossy red bottles could be seen everywhere in Japanese drugstores. Shiseido will be launching the Tsubaki Golden Repair series in late September in Japan. Formulated for damaged hair, it comes in a white bottle instead of Tsubaki's trademark red.
http://www.shiseido.co.jp/tsubaki/?fk=a00100

Also check out this IHT article on Tsubaki's success story.
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/08/28/business/AS-FEA-FIN-Japan-Shampoo-Wars.php

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