Iman Ridzuan

Have you heard? The gossip is out! Althea Korea came out with their own new skincare line! YES, THAT ALTHEA! My favorite online website to purchase korean beauty products, oh my god, I am so proud of you guys! /hugs/ They have a few releases of makeup products, but this is the first skincare release, and I am so excited for more.

Anyway, the new skincare brand is called Bare Essentials. Some of you might have probably heard of it, since it was released early April. I have had mine for a little over 2 weeks, but I want to make sure that I really put it to the test before I give my verdicts out. So here's what I thought about them!

This skincare line consists of 3 products. I know right? Despite all of the 8 to 11 steps that other korean brands are focusing at, Althea decided to release the main 3 steps that are the most important and essential for your skin. So how does it compare to the other brands? They're using the concept of 'Less is More' and minimalism when it comes to skincare. They're dropping all of the other non essential ones and only focus on the fundamental steps.

Each Bare Essentials products focuses on three main ingredients that are gentle yet powerful for their skin. Most importantly, they're hypoallergenic, so they're very suitable for all skin type, even the sensitive ones.

1. Contour Cleanser, RM23

The three ingredients focused on this cleanser are Ice Plant, Lemon Myrtle Extract and micro capsules that will burst upon contact with water. Therefore, it will help to gently exfoliate and detoxify the skin. The capsules are very gentle enough so that it can be used as a daily or nightly cleanser. I personally use it at night time as I like to use non foamy cleanser in the morning.Yes this cleanser foams up, A LOT. Look at the size that I dispensed and how much it foams up in the pictures below. I fall in love with it the first time I used it because of the scent. It smells like lemongrass, so fresh! You'll also feel a slight cooling sensation using this, but not too much.

What I like the most is that even though it being a foaming cleanser, it doesn't leave my skin feeling tight after rinsing like a lot of other korean cleansers do. Oh right, about the name ; Contour Cleanser. When I first got it, I was like, what? Is this supposed to make your face slimmer? And I was very skeptical about it lol. But I totally understand once I used it. When you're cleansing your face, make sure to incorporate some massaging to your face. The micro capsules will help to massage and make your face less bloated, hence a more contoured look. Actually the idea works the same with any other cleansers if you massage your face, but the micro capsules definitely helps to enhance the effectiveness. And yes, it cleansed my skin pretty well. I do double cleansing with oil makeup remover first, so the foam from this cleanser helps to remove any oil and makeup residue left.My skin feels so smooth after cleansing.

2. Primer Water, RM43

This product acts as a hydrating toner and a primer to prep your skin for the next skincare products. It contains patented dewdrop technology that gently fill in gaps between our pores to allow deeper hydration penetration. This technology is called as Macro Fluidic Dispersion. Cool, right? It also contains Snow Lotus extract, which helps to enhance skin's natural glow, so your makeup will look really good on top.

completely absorbed

The texture is more like an essence than water since it is a tad thicker, but it is not sticky at all! It absorbs really fast into the skin, definitely one of my favorite few toners, and I have used a lot. It does not make my skin oily throughout the day, because I have used several ones from other brands that have similar texture, but makes me really oily after about 3 to 4 hours. But with this one, my skin just feels nicely hydrated. I use about 3 to 5 drops each time, day and night after cleansing.

3. Fixer Cream, RM50

Moisturizer, it is really difficult to impress my skin when it comes to moisturizer. My skin has a mind on its own lol. This moisturizer contains Trehalose, and ingredient from the cactus plant that will help to prevent moisture loss. I guess it kinda acts like Hyaluronic Acid that is used in a lot of other skincare brands. Another main ingredient used is green tea seed oil which is packed with antioxidant properties. The Baobab Tree extract helps to promote collagen regeneration which is what I really need since I am turning 23 this May. Oh my god..aging is what we us girls afraid of the most, right? So, prevention is key!

completely absorbed

This moisturizer absorbs very fast into the skin, usually I will spend some time to massage any moisturizer into my skin, but this one cuts the time which I love. However, despite the claim for being a non oily moisturizer, I do find that it makes my T-zone area a little shiny after about 5 hours. So I only like to use it during the night. I don't think people who lives in colder climate would have the same problem though, Malaysia is so hot and humid all year round. Having a combination skin type, my skin only prefers water based gel moisturizers to be used during the day. But nonetheless, it doesn't break me out or clog my pores which is a huge plus! Recommended for people with dry to normal skin, and for people who lives in colder climate since the moisturizing power is so good. I do wish it came with a spatula though :/.

Congratulations to Althea for this amazing release! I totally enjoyed every single one of them, and will continously use everything, especially the primer water. That one is my favorite. Cleanse, tone and moisturize. The three basic skincare step and Althea definitely nailed all three.I am in love with the minimal packaging too. Get yours now on Althea website! Thank god they are affordable too. You can get the full set for only RM116. Visit their website here http://www.althea.kr/

Tuesday, April 17, 2018 No comments

Hello beauties! I thought about this idea to do a new series on my blog where I'll compare two brands of similar products a while back, and I finally have something to compare, lol. I am pretty sure that most of you guys here are already aware of the beauty benefits of aloe vera gel, right? They're a miracle product that really cures everything from burns to acne. But do all aloe vera gels in the market work similarly?

The two aloe vera gels that I will be comparing are the infamous Nature Republic one and from The Face Shop. Nature Republic is like the OG of all aloe vera gels in the market, and they've been raved for years for how well it performs. But, The Face Shop contains 99% of aloe content, which sounds a lot better.

As for me, I totally prefer the Nature Republic (NR) over The Face Shop (TFS). Here are my reasons.

Firstly, the 99% of aloe content in TFS explains the viscosity of the product. It is a lot stickier and takes more time to absorb into my skin compared to NR. I usually pat my moisturizers into the skin for better absorption, but for TFS it seems like I'm tapping my skin forever until the aloe finally absorbs whereas NR takes less than 30 seconds.

You see, the NR have a higher content of alcohol in the ingredient list. The alcohol in this product acts as a thinner, hence the gel can be easily absorbed at a faster rate but that could be a drawback for people with dry skin as alcohol can dry your skin more. However, the ingredient list for NR is shorter and simpler than TFS that contains quite a number of irritants so people with sensitive skin may want to avoid.

The Face Shop

Nature Republic

Are they equally effective? I would say yes. I do notice that my sunburn and acne scars fade faster with either products. The only downside of TFS to my skin is that it gives me little pimples if I use it as a moisturizer. I guess it clogged my pores. So I just use it as a 15 minutes mask or as a body moisturizer. I have no complain with the NR. It is my HG moisturizer for the time being. I notice that my pores are now smaller ever since I used the NR aloe vera gel as my daily and nightly moisturizer.

Both products are great, but it all comes down to your skin type in the end. I would recommend TFS for people with dry to normal skin and NR for people with combination to oily skin. Good luck!

Sunday, April 08, 2018 No comments

Hello! Today's post is going to be about my absolute favorites for the current being. I have certain products that I've talked about before so it's more like a rediscovery favorite. Keep on reading!

Satin Pillow Case

Satin pillow case is definitely a life changer for your hair! I’ve always read on how better they are versus cotton ones for your hair, and I’m so glad that I experienced it myself. I wake up with less frizzy and more manageable hair in the morning. Usually with cotton pillow cases, I’ll wake up with kinked hair because they’re just too rough for my hair. But with this one my natural waves just fall into place neatly. Gosh I hope you can understand my explanation. But my verdict is, I think everyone should change their pillow cases now! It's definitely softer and better for your skin too if you're a slide sleeper. I got mine from Spotlight. They’re a tad bit pricier than normal cotton pillow cases, sure. But it is definitely worth every penny.

Good Virtues & Co. Hair Serum

I had to chop off a few inches of my hair because my hairdresser told me that the ends are quite damaged. For someone who doesn’t use hot tools for her hair at all, I find it really weird. She asked if I used any serums for my hair and all I used for treatment, other than my normal shampoo and conditioner is just my 100% Argan Oil. She told me that oil isn’t really the best for our hair, but serum is. Something to do with the absorption rate, which kind of makes sense because yeah, sure my hair was better than not using the oil at all, but it wasn’t the best. So I went to the drugstore and picked up my old trusty hair serum that I know would work just as good if not better for my locks. Pfft, I have no idea why did I ever stopped using it. You can read the full review that I wrote a while back here!

Eucerin White Therapy Cleansing Gel

My absolute favourite drugstore gel cleanser! You know how I loveee the Mario Badescu cleansing gel, but that can quite break the bank sometimes, so I had to look for a cheaper alternative. It was an accidental find for me because I tried one that belongs to my sister lol. I didn’t realise it at first, but after about a month of using it I realise that my acne scars were fading fairly quickly. I refused to believe it at first, because I never think a cleanser can do that much apart from cleansing and it must be other products that I was using at that moment. But to be fair, it was the only product that I recently changed in my routine. So I looked up online and to my surprise, it does claim to brighten hyperpigmentation. My scars usually takes foreeeever to lighten up, so this cleanser had since then become one of my favourites!

Holika Holika Water Drop Tint Bomb

This was a gift from my lovely friend, Eika. She got it when she was in Korea, (Thank you darl!) and ohhh my god. I love it! This is a lip tint, in a stick form. The color that I got is in #1 Cherry Water which is a very wearable and natural red. I usually use this for a full lip color and I’m good to go. If I want a little something, I’ll add other darker lipstick on the inner part of my lips for that gradient effect. It doesn’t add any moisture nor dryness to my lips. It feels like the stick melts into water when you glide this on the lips, which feels very interesting. And I loveeee how the stick is shaped into a water drop. It makes the application so easy. The only thing is that you should apply lip balm after you put this on, not before. Or else the color won’t really transfer well onto your lips.

Johnson & Johnson's Oxygen Fresh Gel Lotion

I love to moisturize my hands, but I just can’t stand the greasy feeling of a lot of hand creams in the market. Aloe vera gel is not doing enough for my dry hands. This one, is just perfect! Love the smell, love how fast it absorbs into your skin without greasy feeling because it’s completely oil free!

Sunday, March 11, 2018 No comments

This is not a new, but the most recent collaboration from Too Faced and Kat Von D. I have no idea why it took so long for me to do a review on this palette lol. But it is still available in Sephora if you want to get it. Anyway, better late than never, right?

The Ultimate Eye Collection comes with two eyeshadow palettes, a mascara and an eyeliner. The palettes are actually attached by a magnet, so you can separate them and bring each palette on their own to travel if you wish to.

I'll start with the Too Faced side. This palette comes with 6 shades which I think are very wearable on a daily basis. However, the matte shades are very disappointing to be honest. There is literally no pigment especially for the shade 'lovely'. I was quite excited seeing a pink shade on this palette because I do not own any pigmented pink eyeshadow yet, but yeah. The shade BFF is supposed to be a creamy shade, but it appears a bit white when swatched. here are the swatches of Too Faced palette.

I have no complaints with the shimmery and glittery shades, they are smooth and easy to blend, but there is no color that I am obsessed with. They're wearable.

I have to give the trophy to Kat Von D when it comes to the eyeshadow palette. Kat Von D's eyeshadows formula is a lot more buttery and super pigmented. I cannot get over the shade 'swoon'. It is absolutely stunning! It is not available on any other Kat Von D palettes unfortunately so you have to buy this whole collection even if that's the only shade you're loving lol. But seriously, that red color is so gorgeous and speaks on its own. Imagine layering it under an eyeshadow primer.

The mattes are pretty pigmented, but a little chalky. Just a little, I can still work with them. But honestly, who needs a white eyeshadow? How I wish she had replaced that white with a shade that would compliment a smokey look like purple or plum.

This collection comes with full size of cult products from both brands, which are the Better Than Sex mascara from Too Faced, and the very infamous Tattoo Liner from Kat Von D. I totally love both of the products and already did reviews on them a while back if you're curious about them.

Overall, for RM280, this collection isn't necessarily affordable, but it is not bad. If you're buying the mascara and the eyeliner separately, you are basically paying RM91 for 12 eyeshadows. That's pretty cheap and you get two palettes that will complete a day and night look. It will be great gift idea too. What's best is that this collaboration is totally cruelty free. I actually got this for a present from my boyfriend. Thank you love!

Wednesday, February 14, 2018 No comments

Biore is definitely one of my favorite drugstore skincare brands, hands down. They have an array of good quality products that are beyond worth it for the price you pay. Today, I'll talk about my new favorite sunscreen, the one and only Aqua Rich Watery Essence! This product is a number one selling sunscreen in Japan, believe it or not. I bought it out of curiosity for the hype it gets.

I have tried the older version of this sunscreen, which comes in a plain baby blue tube packaging. I didn't love the old one that much. I can't remember exactly why, but I think it was because it broke me out. But that was wayyy back in high school and I heard they have changed the formula.

The UV filter is exactly the same as the old version, which is SPF50+ with PA++++. You can look it up on Google of what that means. It would require me a whole new blog post to make you understand about all of these terms for sunscreen. However I can tell you for sure, that protection wise, it is very good for both UVA and UVB rays.

The product comes out as a pale yellow liquidy gel. It is not too thick or too thin, but have a slight citrus scent to it. I am not sure whether the scent is natural or additional fragrance is added. But usually my skin is pretty sensitive to products with added fragrance but it is reacting fine with this one. So yay for that!

It is a little bit cooling to the touch, but I guess that's because it got shiz tons of alcohol content in the ingredient list. I'm just gonna pretend that I'm not aware of that because this product does moisturize my skin a little despite the alcohol content. It is a MUST to wear sunscreen everyday, but I was always slacking because of a lot of sunscreen textures being too sticky or greasy. I have absolutely no problems with this one. It spreads as water like gel and absorbs into the skin completely, leaving a matte finish. I love it so much!

It does not make my skin oily throughout the day. But, I don't think it protects my skin from tanning as good as the Biore UV Perfect Face Milk Sunscreen. I went to a water park with this on and got some tanning afterwards. I mean..pfft. It's water based anyway. I'd say it is a very good everyday sunscreen, but if you're looking for something that will be really sweat and waterproof, go for the milk sunscreen.

Pros :

Affordable
Very light
Non sticky or greasy
Absorbs easily
Moisturizes the skin
Doesn't break me out
High SPF and PA protection

Cons :

Not waterproof

Tuesday, February 06, 2018 No comments

1) Eucerin Dermo Purifyer Gel Cleanser

I have a full review on it that you can read here. Basically one of the good drugstore cleansers out there for acne prone skin. It is very gentle and does help with my breakout a little if not much? Will I repurchase? Probably yes. The Mario Badescu cleanser is still the best gentle cleanser for me, but that one will work better with the use of clarisonic. I prefer this cleanser if I’m just washing my face with my hands due to the foam.

2) Biore Makeup Cleansing wipes.

THE BEST drugstore makeup wipes, hands down. I’ve featured this makeup remover a few times already in my blog. Worth every extra penny you’re spending over other drugstore makeup wipes. It is very gentle and very effective. I’ll never switch. 100 percent will repurchase over and over again, lol.

3) Thermal Water Sprays

There are two brands of thermal sprays that I have finished using. Thermal water is thermal water, but I do like one of this more than the other, and you’re going to be surprised. I love to keep them in my bag, or on my desk when I want a quick moisture when my skin feels dry. I also sometimes use them to refresh my makeup when they start clinging onto my dry patches or start to crease. I loveeeed the Watsons brand more than the Clinelle one. They’re both very moisturizing for me, but what makes the Watsons one better is actually the way it mists. The mist is super fine that it feels like almost nothing on the face. Whereas with the Clinelle one, sometimes I get big water droplets and takes more time to dry. So yeah, not much difference, but of course I’ll choose Watsons because it’s a lot cheaper.

4) Lucido-L Hair Make Supplement Triple Beauty Vitamin

Don’t be disguised, the small bottle is really going to last you very long, because this hair vitamin is really thick. A little thicker than Ellipse hair capsules if you’re familiar with those. But it depends on your hair length also lah, I usually only use one to two pumps for my mid length hair, just for the ends. Hmmmm, how am I going to say this? Because of the texture being super thick, it takes some time to really absorb in, thus I don’t really like it. I like their argan oil way better due to the light texture. But if you don’t care about the texture go ahead! Because it is a great hair vitamin nonetheless, it makes my hair really soft, smooth and less frizzy. Recommended!

Thursday, January 04, 2018 No comments

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