Product Review : VOV Daily Fresh Mask in Ice Aloe, Sake Nori and Sakura Honey

Hello Domokies! Long time no review :/ But but I've been hardworking and taking piccies so I suppose more will be up soon~

For now, I'll be sharing several masks reviews with you, starring the Daily Fresh Masks from VOV. Do note that as I'm compiling 3 different masks reviews in one, it will be quite picture heavy.

First up, the VOV DFM in Ice Aloe.

Basically this is just supposed to be a hydrating and soothing mask. We all know the properties of Aloe by now don't we?

Here you can see how to use it. I personally leave my DFM masks on for 20 minutes. Do take note that this mask contains alchohol and fragrance so if you have sensitive skin you might wanna be more cautious. I did not experience any stinging sensation whatsoever and the fragrance was just a light floral scent.

The mask comes with the eye flap thingy so it's a bonus that you don't have to use a separate eye mask? The mask fits almost perfectly on my face, except for my bulbous nose :(

If you wanna continue surfing the web like me, you can always just fold the flap downwards like so.

Here's a picture of the serum from this mask. It is very thick and gel / jelly like. Upon contact with skin + rubbing / massaging, the gel like consistency becomes watery and absorbs fully into the skin without any sticky or oily residue.

L - Before / R - After

Skin felt soft and smooth after usage. The leftover essence was easily massaged into the skin and as mentioned earlier, no oily film or residue. No stickiness detected either. However, the skin around my cheeks felt a little tight. I am unable to explain why but my skin did not feel dry or agitated. Tight feeling disappeared after following up with my usual skincare routine.

Texture : ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ (Absorbs quickly)
Effectiveness : ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ (It did what it was supposed to, just a star off for the weird tight feeling.)
Scent : ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ (A very acceptable scent, neither extremely appealing to me nor overwhelming.)
Overall : ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ (A decent mask for almost all skin types, not sure about those with sensitive skin though.)

Now for the Sake Nori Mask.

Basically a brightening mask!

*Not sure if this is true but I've once read that sake agitates those with sensitive skin. I however do not have that and thus am unable to confirm for you.

L - Before / R - After

I apologize that my pictures do not do this mask justice :/ If you can see, the lighting for both seems a little different and I am still working on it. This mask in reality made my complexion brighter, softer and smoother! If I'm not mistaken, my dark eye circles are a little less red / puffy? The serum for this mask is the same as the aloe once so I'm not going to repeat the picture. The absorption rate is also the same as the aloe one, with no sticky or oily feeling. The scent is also something floral... (What a relief cause I ain't no want my face smelling like sake :/)

Texture : ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ (Absorbs quickly)
Effectiveness : ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ (I love the brightening effect :D)
Scent : ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ (Floral is too meh for me.)
Overall : ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ (It's quite a good mask! Worth a shot.)

And lastly, the Sakura Honey one. I was most excited about this one due to the beautiful pink packaging!

Sooooo pretty and girly and appealing!

Mask shape is the same for all "flavors" in case you're wondering.

A different texture for the essence! This one is a little more runny than the previous two masks but still quite thick.

L - Before / R - After

Love this brightening and soothing mask! If you squint at the picture, you'll notice a little spot on my left cheek. It's alot less red after using this mask and face was brighter! I personally felt that this was even more moisturizing than the previous two masks as it took awhile longer to sink in and my face felt more... Nourished. I was hoping for a sweet honey kinda scent but sadly, this is once again floral. I have nothing against floral scents! I just prefer fruits~

Texture : ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ (Absorbs well but takes a longer time to sink in completely.)
Effectiveness : ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ (Brightening as well as soothing.)
Scent : ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ (Floral again...)
Overall : ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ (Y)

SUMMARY

I've always loved the VOV masks even before I was sent these for reviewing. I'm however guilty of purchasing only the fruity ones like the Strawberry / Tomato / Grape(Am not sure if it's called grapes, forgot alr). I super heart the strawberry one in particular because it smells sweet and amazing~ Recommended if you're a fan of sweet fruity scents. I was also sent a pomegranate one to review but I didn't have time to use it till the 7th month and honestly I'm a lil afraid of taking pictures of myself in case something (someone) else shows up.

Out of these three I've reviewed, I'd recommend getting either the Sakura Honey or the Sake Nori one as they're more unique and they hydrate my skin as well. I prefer my masks to have a whitening / brightening effect as my complexion is always dull. The aloe one is probably more for people who want to soothe agitated skin only.

These are available at Watsons for $2 each and they come in 15 types! So choose according to your skin's needs :D

P.S. You can find their FB page HERE! Also, they'll be having a buy 5 get 1 free promotion at Watsons from 15-28 August!

Love,
Domo ❤

Disclaimer : These masks were sent to me for reviewing purposes by Essential Nature (Thank you!) but do not affect the honesty of the review in any way. Please remember that not everyone has the same skin so effects will vary.

Product Review : L'Oreal Youth Code Boosting Essence

Hello hello! I've been slacking today T^T But I saw this product on the Watsons sale and I simply HAVE to review it now.

This is a product that has been raved by plenty and mentioned as a dupe for a certain product.

Presenting...

The L'Oreal Youth Code Boosting Essence! (Usually mentioned as a dupe for the Lancome Genefique Youth Activator. I have not used that thus I am unable to provide a comparison.)

This is... In a sense, a serum for your serum. SERUMCEPTION. Okay not really unless you use two serums like me. Otherwise, take it as a primer for your facial cream. Of course it's also supposed to be a serum that provides you with the above effects as well.

Apologies in advance here as I'm honestly not a pro in this aspect and can only show you what L'Oreal says.

Here's the ingredients list for those of you who understand the various names above. (I only understand very basic ones)

So... Let us talk about the usage. It doesn't specifically mention how much you're supposed to use each time other than using this twice a day. This product looks like this.

A simple glass bottle with...

A dropper. When assisted by the SA, I was told that one drop would be sufficient for my entire face. That, I have found to be untrue as I have a fat face. Fat face needs more than one drop. The dropper only picks up a little amount of product each time and I have found that the best amount is just fully pumping out whatever the dropper can pick up. (Please do not strictly follow by this as sometimes it picks up slightly more as shown in the picture. Adjust accordingly to how fat your face is :P)

For the texture, it's amazing! It's a rather liquidy serum that spreads super easily on your face and absorbs a few seconds later. This will be a great product for the oily skin peeps as most products that have any anti aging properties at all are usually somewhat greasy, even if slightly. This absorbs like a dream and leaves skin feeling hydrated and plump.

Here's the product on my skin.

Huuhuu, don't be mistaken, this is just one drop!

Absorbs without leaving any hint of dewiness or oilyness on the skin. Perfect!

It's better if you have two hands to compare the before and after but my camera isn't the best so you'll have to either trust me / google for more reviews / go to watsons to try.

I've been using this for more than a month and it's safe to say that I adore this product. I'm not sure if my other skincare products have gotten better with the usage of this serum but this by itself is already doing a wonderful job. It's no wonder so many beauty bloggers love it! I also did not get clogged pores or any breakouts from this. My skin's really nice right now :3

Regarding the scent, it's a very mild floral scent that goes away shortly after application. Nothing much, acceptable to me.

I can't say that everyone would like this because well, everyone's different. I've yet to see a product that is 100% loved by people. This one usually retails for $39.90 if I'm not wrong but during the Watsons sale, this goes for just $29.90. One bottle will last you for about 3 months or so with daily usage as I'm only about 1/3 through with mine. (Alternatively if you're still not a Watsons member, Guardian will do too :) Use Passion card!)

***UPDATE***

I'm sad to say, this product is no longer of use to me. Initially, I had just finished my doctors medicine so I wasn't prone to breakouts at all. I also didn't know that this product was causing me to have oil seeds and zits till I was experimenting with another serum and realized my breakouts stopped. I have now stopped using it as it is not suitable for my skin. Ratings have been edited.

Texture : ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ (Almost instantly absorbed.)
Scent : ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ (A pretty normal scent, nothing overwhelming. Just okay with it.)
Effectiveness : ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ (Works well with smoothness and plumping but broke me out :<)
Overall : ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ (If it didn't make me breakout, I would give it more stars.)

Love,
Domo

Product Review : Bihada Ichizoku Kurobarakamen Sheet Mask (Brightening)

Mask mask mask. In the end I always have reviews on masks. Why so?! I just like to pamper my skin often and feel like a tai tai. Or at least for my skin to feel like a tai tai's skin anyway. For my non mandarin speaking readers, tai tai means something like a rich lady who can sit at home and do nothing all day. Pardon me if I sound a little eccentric in my post today because I'm feeling woozy from low blood sugar or something. Can't eat at night if you wanna avoid the fatties!

Anyway, today I'm going to be reviewing a mask that I bought quite awhile ago and forgot to blog about :X I have too many folders so I must have missed this one.

Behold, the Bihada Ichizoku Kurobarakamen Sheet Mask! The name's really a mouthful ;) The picture is a little misleading though, initially I thought this was an eye mask. So all, please take note, this is a face mask :D

How can I forget? The description, how-to-use and most importantly, the ingredients list for all sensitive skin babes!

If you are from Singapore and reading this right after I publish it, I shall warn you now about the scary picture you're about to see.

Brace yourself for the impact!

YES IT IS A SHEET MASK THAT IS BLACK! It's not a big deal because Ringo reviewed one HERE too but it's the first time I'm using a sheet mask that's black in color~  Also she took her photo in the day but mine's at night so it's horror factor +10.

Instead of the usual colorless essence you get in a mask, this one's slightly yellow.

Bihada Ichizoku says
The secret behind Kurobara's mysterious, alluring beauty! Sparkle like a gem against the midnight sky with this black sheet mask, formulated with charcoal to hydrate skin and tighten pores. Reveal brighter, fairer, translucent skin.

Bascially, this mask is for brightening. So ya ready to see the effects yet?

L - Before / R - After

The lighting is slight different even though I took both pictures in the same place with the same conditions. No photoshop was used to enhance the effects. No lies. Brightening, it is definitely there. My skin felt more plump and bouncy after the usage of this mask. So if you're talking about results, sure you'll be getting it. This mask also contains hydrolyzed collagen and that makes it easier for your skin to absorb the goodies! It's an awesome ingredient. Honestly though, I'm not an expert in every single ingredient so if you want a really thorough description on each ingredient, I'm afraid google will have to be your best friend.

The down side? I really don't like the smell of this mask. It was a little overwhelming when I had the mask on. Luckily it doesn't linger after I remove the mask so I just have to endure 15minutes of the smell. The mask is also slightly too small as it cannot cover some areas of my forehead. It could just be because I have a big forehead though. Preference of scent differs with everyone so maybe some will like it? It's a strange floral smell that I didn't quite like.

This mask is soaked and dripping wet with essence when you use it. So there will be a lot left on your face after you remove the mask and it takes quite a long time for the essence to be fully absorbed. Your skin will also feel pretty sticky while that is happening. You have to wait for everything to be fully absorbed before you can feel the smoothness of your skin and how plump it is.

This mask is also a little more pricey than most. It costs a whopping $8 per piece and is available at SASA and BHG Bugis/Clementi. The question I will present to you is whether you're willing to spend $8 a sheet of mask. I bought this to review but sadly I will not be purchasing it again. I still love my MBD masks, like the Hello Kitty one, the Chocolate truffle one, those are my favorites because of the lovely scent and the fact that they work well!

Texture : ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ (Absorbs really slowly!)

Effectiveness : ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ (Quite plump and smooth)

Scent : ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ (Me no likey :X)

Overall : ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ (One star off for texture, one off for the scent and one off for the price!!!)

Love,
Chiharu ❤

Disclaimer : I bought the mask myself so that I can review it for all of you <3

Product Review : Kiehl's Dermatologist Solutions Line-Reducing-Eye-Brightening Concentrate

For a really long time, we've been reviewing mostly drugstore skincare. In all honesty, we actually do have a fair bit of skincare products from counter brands too but we weren't sure if everyone wanted to read about them because well, who wants to buy expensive stuff?! If there are cheap and good alternatives, why not correct?

However, I've been facing under eye problems for a really long time. I have hereditary eye bags so... Nothing can help with that. My dark eye circles? Very very dark, so dark it's like I came out from the movie <<The Ring>>!!! I've also been facing the problem of having wrinkles on my eye bags. No I'm serious, I have lines underneath my eyes.

I've been searching high and low for an almighty product that would be able to lighten my lines and reduce the darkness. Not a miracle product, just something that works. So when I heard of the...

I had to try it.

A little info on Kiehl's Dermatologist Solutions~

Description of the product! 10.5% PURE VITAMIN C

And of course, as always, the ingredients list.

The front of the tube. Pretty small though eh? 15ml :(

The back, I can't understand anything though.

Comes in a squeeze tube, very hygienic!

According to Kiehl's, this Kiehl's Dermatologist Solutions Line-Reducing-Eye-Brightening Concentrate is "Formulated to improve the look of the delicate eye area with a potent concentration of Pure Vitamin C 10.5% (L-Ascorbic Acid), known for its affinity with skin and powerful ability to improve the appearance of aging skin. While Haloxyl, a new-patented ingredient, strengthens, soothes and brightens the eye area helping to eliminate dark circles."

Now allow me to shock you.

Yes, it's a whopping $72 for 15ml of product! How many of you just had a heart attack? I had to go ahead because I'm really sick of my horrible under eyes mishaps.

Here's what it looks like. It's actually pure white but it might have oxidized slightly while I was fumbling around with my camera trying to make it focus on the concentrate.

Will this 15ml be worth its price?

Texture wise, it's a lil greasy but it absorbs easily into your skin. I'm not sure what's wrong with mine but there's little beads of white stuff in a suspension of whitish fluid. I contacted Kiehl's Singapore about it and they told me it's normal because it contains the 10.5% stabilized pure Vit C??? The other tube I tried didn't have this problem though so I'd prefer the texture to be more consistent. I've tried shaking it too, doesn't work.

Either way, it still melts into your skin upon application so it's not much of a problem. I'm just OCD or something, I like consistency. Do note that you should NOT overdo the application because you might end up with greasy eye bags. Also, because of the 10.5% Vit C, this concentrate feels warm upon application. It should feel like a comfortable warm sensation. Or at least to me. It should not feel painful.

Does it work then? Surprisingly, it did. Not with the eye bags though. I was pleasantly surprised after usage of about  a month, my under eye wrinkles went poof! Okay not really, the lines weren't as deep set as before and I think my under eye circles look less obvious? I don't have pictures to prove it but if the difference in wrinkles was visible enough for me to see it in person that having to compare with pictures, it's good. As for the lightening of dark eye circles, I think the difference is really slight though so this product is more for wrinkles IMHO.

Whether you believe it or not, it is entirely up to you but I am merely sharing my experience with this product! My own verdict is that this product is worth the $72. I still wish for a more consistent texture though. You can get this from any Kiehl's outlet for $72. Alternatively, you can go to their outlets and request for a sample of this to try!!!

Texture : ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ (Not a perfectionist, but I'd still like consistency.)
Line Reducing: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ (Really works, gonna continue to see how it goes :D)
Brightening: ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ (Not extremely visible to me)
Overall : ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ (Will repurchase if I am not broke.)

Okay if anyone's wondering why it got only three stars despite how well it reduces lines, it is because I judge based on the claims of the product. Do note that the results for brightening may be poor as I sleep quite little. It also got points off for the texture. Personally I do love it for the line reducing factor.

Also, remember to check out our current giveaway HERE!

Cheers,
Chiharu ❤

Disclaimer : I bought this product with my own money. Results vary with individuals.