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: Skinfood Fresh Juice E Serum (Wrinkle Care)

Long time no post~!

Before Chiharu kills me in my sleep I'm going to sneak in a review! While crashing at her house one afternoon, Chi-chan gave me this lovely bottle of serum. Reminds me of those iodine bottles you use in Biology lab classes, but prettier. To be honest I have a slight obsession with Pyrex lab tools - all those beakers and test tubes and shiny shiny glassware!

The Skin Food Fresh Juice E Serum comes in a 50ml glass bottle topped with a rubber bulbed pipette. The glass is tinted a green that gradates to transparent near the upper half.

Unfortunately this is without its original packaging so I can't show you the ingredients list, but it didn't have any adverse reactions on my skin.

It probably contains plant and fruit extracts like much of their other products. And well, it definitely did smell like what the word 'Fresh Juice' would invoke. It doesn't smell like fresh juice per se, but it did smelt like fruits and vegetables, with a hint of alcohol. Personally I prefer my products unscented or fragrance-free, but the fragrance is pleasant and fresh, so I'm all for it.

The pipette actually works, but it didn't see much use because of the texture of the serum. The serum itself is a rich creamy emulsion, and tends to cling onto the glass tube of the pipette. As such, I would normally just spread some of the excess off the tube and not have to squeeze the rubber bulb at all. (Although part of me would like to, for the fun of the experience.)

This serum is quite rich in its texture, and thus takes a little while to absorb. If not properly absorbed, it does feel a little greasy owing to it richness, so take note not to use more than an adequate amount. Once absorbed, my skin feels moisturized and smoother, but I haven't really seen much effect in wrinkle-reducing.

Serum roughly spread

Fully absorbed

But I think it does help in preventing wrinkle formation (at least those fine lines caused by dry skin). It's a little too rich for oily skin, which works better with water-based moisturizers. But for drier skin, this is a good product to try out. It's rich without being too heavy, and kept my skin smooth hours after I applied it.

Texture: Rich creamy emulsion
Scent: A fresh fruit + vegs kind of scent.
Effectiveness: ★ ★ ★ ★ (Good for combating wrinkles and keeping skin moisturized)
Overall: ★ ★ ★ ★ (Not bad. Dry skin types should consider using this)

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.