Operation Use It Up

Just cleared out another bunch of empties from my stash!

1. Dove Damage Therapy Intense Repair Daily Treatment Conditioner: This helped to detangle my hair but I didn't find it as moisturising as Tsubaki's conditioners.


2. Biore UV Aqua Rich SPF30 PA+++: I love this sunscreen and will definitely re-purchase it as it is very affordable and feels completely non-greasy. I've been outdoors under strong sunshine frequently over the past few weeks and this helped to prevent my skin from burning (my skin gets burnt quite easily from just one to two hours' exposure).

3. Josie Maran Argan Oil Hair Serum: I've reviewed this here. This worked well for de-frizzing my hair but I didn't notice any significant long-term improvement in my hair.

4. Canmake Make Me Happy Fragrance Whip Wax: Formulated with camellia oil and rose water, this light whipped hair wax is supposed to help create and maintain an "airy style" with soft curls. It worked well for taming the flyaways without making the hair feel stiff. The fruity scent is quite light and I could not detect it after applying it.

5. Shu Uemura White Recovery EX+ Whitening Lotion: This refreshing lotion hydrates my skin without leaving it sticky, but I haven't seen any significant lightening of my skin pigmentation.

6. Shiseido Benefique NT Lotion: This was just an average toner.

7. Sample sizes of eye makeup removers from RMK, Ettusais, Etude House and Jill Stuart: These were all bi-phase removers that worked well for removing eyeshadow in a single swipe with eyeliners and waterproof mascaras requiring a bit more effort. The only one that stung my eyes a little was Ettusais Speedy Eye Make Off. I don't splurge on expensive eye makeup removers as Cleansing Express works well for me and is very affordable.

8. Fragrance samples of FlowerByKenzo Essentielle, Jimmy Choo, KenzoAmour and Flora by Gucci: I was surprised that I liked the Jimmy Choo fragrance, which is a modern fruity chypre fruity, with green top notes, tiger orchid, sweet toffee caramel and Indonesian patchouli. Flora didn't leave much of an impression on me while KenzoAmour garnered an unexpected compliment, which is always a pleasant surprise.

And finally, I also used up my L'Occitane Verbena Leaf Soap. I adore the refreshing scent and exfoliating effect but I noticed that it leaves the skin on my shins dry.

Biore UV Aqua Rich Watery Mousse

Biore recently sent me their two new water-based sunscreens for the face and body. The UV Aqua Rich Watery Mousse SPF50 PA+++ (S$18.90; 33g) is a very light textured cream sunscreen for the face. Infused with hyaluronic acid to help moisturise the skin plus grapefruit, lemon and orange extracts, the Watery Mousse has a light citrusy scent and applies with a slightly cooling sensation.

Unlike many other sunblock lotions that tend to leave a slight sheen on the skin, the Watery Mousse absorbs virtually instantly without any sheen or greasiness, just a smooth, silky feeling. I don't have the ingredients list in English but you can find it easily on other blogs. It does contain alcohol and silicones.

After trying it out for the past few days, I have to say that I love the texture and how nicely it absorbs. I haven't had any issues applying makeup on top of it but it does make my skin appear slightly fairer, so there is a subtle tone difference between my face and neck when wearing this.

In the photo above, I am wearing only the UV Aqua Rich Watery Mousse while in the photo below, I am wearing the Watery Mousse with Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation T51 dusted on top. The Bourjois foundation powder adds a little bit of coverage and a more matte finish. With this combination, it takes about 2-3 hours before my T-zone starts to see some shine, depending on how dry the weather is.

The products used for this look.

In the Japanese TV CM, they use an oil blotting sheet to show that after applying the Watery Mousse, there is absolutely zero oil absorbed by the blotting sheet, whereas the blotting sheet picked up oil from a previous Biore sunblock product.

Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch Sunblock and Biore UV Bright Face Milk

Before my Maldives trip, I stopped by Watsons to pick up a new tube of Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch Sunblock SPF30 (88ml). This had worked very well for me during my honeymoon in Honolulu last March and my skin didn't tan at all. I briefly considered splurging on more expensive Japanese brand sunscreens like Allie which have a much lighter, watery texture but these were just too expensive at around 3000yen (S$45) for a 60ml bottle, whereas the Neutrogena sunblock was only about S$14.

The Neutrogena sunblock is supposed to be waterproof, sweatproof, non-comedogenic and non-oily with a light fresh scent. Parsol 1789 provides broad spectrum protection against both UVA and UVB rays. While the sunblock does live up to its Dry-Touch name, unfortunately it failed to adequately protect my skin against the blazing sun of the Maldives. We usually spent about one to two hours on the beach or swimming each day and I slapped on the sunblock liberally before going outdoors. By the second day, I had a burn on my arms and legs with a smattering of small red dots on my legs. Fortunately, my face and neck didn't burn thanks to the Body Shop Shiso BB Cream SPF25 that I was using.

Following the trip, my arms and legs are much more tanned than before and it will probably take a few months of minimising sun exposure to get my skintone back to its original state. The skin on my legs felt tight but at least there was no peeling and flaking. One week after the trip, most of the small red dots have faded but some still remain. A small section of the top of my scalp, near the hairline, also got burnt and I had to deal with pieces of it literally peeling off, like giant pieces of dandruff.

I suspect that the reason why the Neutrogena sunblock didn't work well for me this time was maybe because I went swimming, whereas I didn't in Honolulu. Even though I re-applied the sunscreen right after swimming, I still got sunburnt. By the end of our 3 day trip, we had almost finished the tube so it probably wasn't a case of not applying enough sunscreen. Next time, I'll probably choose a sunblock with a higher SPF.

For the face, I usually pick a sunblock that is a light lotion which is less likely to clog the pores than a creamy formula. On this trip, I used a sample tube of Biore UV Bright Face Milk SPF50 PA+++ on my husband and occasionally on myself. Below is the ingredients list.

As you can see in the pics below, the Biore UV Bright Face Milk has a more watery texture compared to the Neutrogena sunblock. The light pink lotion is a boon for oily skintypes like mine as it dries quickly to a slightly powdery finish and adds a very subtle glow to the skin. It also absorbs faster than the Neutrogena sunblock without any whitish cast.



As sun damage is a key cause of skin ageing, do remember to ensure that you have adequate sun protection before spending prolonged periods outdoors. For me, that will mean bringing a hat and a sunblock with higher SPF to the beach in future!

RMK New Base Makeup

Here are pics of RMK's new Pressed Powder N and UV Face Protector EX SPF43 PA+++ from UrCosme.com.

The Pressed Powder N comes in 5 variations ranging from a translucent white to tanned beige.

The Pressed Powder N comprises four powders with different textures. "A" is for concealing pores and skin unevenness, "B" is for restoring skin's radiance, "C" is for enhancing skin translucency and "D" is the colour correcting shade for adding radiance and correcting skin redness.

RMK is also revamping its UV Face Protector (2940yen, 35g) to give a higher sun protection factor. The water-based sunscreen contains several moisturising fruit extracts. This will be released on 18 March in Japan while the Pressed Powder N (4725yen, 8.5g)will be released on 4 March together with a new Smoothing Polished Base.

Love Clover Marshmallow Fit UV Mousse

The Love CLover website has been updated with the new Marshmallow Fit UV Mousse SPF30 PA++ (1575yen, 80g). This is a limited edition face and body sunblock mousse with a sweet rose berry scent. It is formulated with beneficial ingredients such as collagen, rose water, hyaluronic acid and raspberry extract. The airy mousse texture means that it is very easy to apply and has a light, non-sticky texture and yet protects against both UVA and UVB rays.

Jill Stuart Upcoming Releases

Here's the list of upcoming new products from Jill Stuart. The release dates are for Japan.

1. Extra Volume Mascara (2 April): Volumising and separating film-type mascara with a slim comb applicator. Can be easily removed with warm water. (3150yen)


2. Mix Blush Compact (16 April): two limited edition shades (4725yen)


3. Body Protector (7 May): Formulated with gold and silver pearl and three UV blocking ingredients. SPF50, PA++ (2940yen, 50ml)

Anna Sui Summer '09

Anna Sui will release a hair and bodycare collection on 4 June in Japan. Love the packaging of these!

1. Hair Treatment Oil (2625yen, 60ml): Made with rosehip oil.


2. Hair Comb R (1890yen): 5cm x 11.5cm


3. Body Protection N (3150yen, 90ml): SPF30 and PA++. Rose-scented, water-resistant sunblock that is infused with gold and silver pearl for a added glimmer. It also contains raspberry and rose extracts, grapeseed oil and olive oil.


4. Bath and Body Trial Kit (2940yen): Includes hair shampoo 60ml, hair conditioner 60ml, body shampoo 60ml in a tote bag. All the products are rose-scented.

Love Clover Marshmallow Fit UV Base S

Just in time for the summer, Love Clover has launched a new series of Marshmallow Fit Base UV S SPF50 PA++ (1575yen, 20g) which helps to protect your skin from sun damage and also conceals pores. It comes in 3 shades, Non Color, Natural Ochre and Cover Type, and contains marine collagen, rosemary and lavender extracta, hyaluronic acid and Vitamin C. These are also free of parabens, alcohol and fragrance.