Product Review : Naruko Lip Repairing & Smoothing Lip Balm Set

Hello! I'm not super hardworking but I've decided to blog here and there while I'm free :D Also, very very unfortunately, I have the habit of purchasing items online whenever I am feeling a little down. Retail therapy is super bad for health okay, online retail therapy counted as well! So... I kinda have a lot of products on hand... *Briefly considers burying credit cards and ib device*

Anyway, I got lip balms! I'm very anal when it comes to lip balms because I have super dry lips. They're so terrible that using any lip products, balms included, can cause them to peeeeeel. Then I'll end up looking sick with pale dry lips :/ So ever since, I've constantly been on the hunt for newer and better lip balms. I was purchasing something for my mom and decided to add this to the cart as well.

Introducing the Naruko Lip Repairing & Smoothing Lip Balm Set!

Well I'm don't need so many lip balms and given a choice I would go with the pink one! Just cause it's pink. But it comes in a set anyway so...

Pardon my mentos xD I was trying to get better lighting with my mentos container! Very simple packaging, just like your usual, average lip balms? (But I like pink :P)

The pink one's called the Vitamin ACE Ageless lip balm and the purple one's called the HA Intense Hydrating lip balm. As you can very obviously see in the picture, the pink one contains a yellowish balm that looks a little... Not so appealing. Whereas the purple one contains a creamy looking whitish balm that looks normal I suppose?

Here you can see their functions and ingredients.

L - HA Intense Hydrating Lip Balm / R - Vitamin ACE Ageless Lip Balm

As you can see, or not see (lol), the HA Intense Hydrating Lip Balm (Purple), looks like nothing on the lips. It's good for prepping the lips before lipstick application. Probably will not change the finish of your matte lippies but I can't say for sure as I don't own any matte lippies. Works well with the lip stains I own. HOWEVER, over application will give you a whitish film on your lips. You don't want that so remember not to spam. As much as I'm obsessed with lip products, I often do not like feeling anything on my lips or accidentally tasting/consuming my lip products. This lip balm feels almost like nothing on my lips, making me feel more at ease. This product contains fragrance but it's very mild, just a herbish lavenderish scent?

For the Vitamin ACE Ageless Lip Balm (Pink), it has a glossy finish. It's not obvious in the picture but obvious in reality. You can safely spam this on if you desire the finish to be more glossy. I usually use this when I'm going out without any other lippies or at night before bed. I find that this balm is a lot more moisturizing than the purple one and it glides on a lot smoother :/ It improves the appearance of fine lines because of the glossy finish and have not noticed any significant difference in my lip lines. I prefer this pink one to the purple on because it hydrates my lips a lot better and keeps it from peeling or shriveling up. This smells similar to the purple balm with the addition of a slight menthol scent. Don't ask me why :/

To conclude, there's no need for a comparison as these come in a set haha. Either way you'll still get both and you'll wanna use both unless you're super rich and don't mind just using the one you prefer. If sold separately, I'll get the pink one. I have not seen these at Watsons thus I assume that they're only available online at Naruko's website HERE for $7.90 (Not inclusive of GST I think). Also, it's mentioned that for best product quality you'd wanna finish this within 6 months after opening. Time to spam spam spam!

HA Intense Hydrating Lip Balm (Purple)
Moisture level : ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ (Average lip balm :/)
Scent : ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ (Nothing pleasant or unpleasant)
Texture : ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ (Feels like nothing but doesn't glide on very smoothly)
Overall : ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ (Just... An average lip balm?)

Vitamin ACE Ageless Lip Balm (Pink)
Moisture level : ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ (Very very moisturizing!)
Scent : ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ (Nothing pleasant or unpleasant)
Texture : ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ (Glides on smoothly but one star off cause... I just don't like feeling stuff on my lips.)
Overall : ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ (Better than the purple one, get this! [But you can't choose lollol])

It's worth getting if you're not as picky as me, about $4 per lip balm? Would work better for people whose lips aren't as extreme as mine.

Love,
Domo ❤

Disclaimer : This product was purchased by yours truly and reviews are as always, 101% honest!

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.

Domo Diaries : FOTD + Mini memories of Bangkok!

*Inserts guilty and nervous laughter*

Hello Domokies >_<

We sorta came back for awhile, blogged a little, explained our disappearance and then disappeared again... We've been living our lives as normal, boring human beings and I went on a recent holiday trip to Bangkok!

It's my first time going to Bangkok without a tour guide so I'm kinda a noob and thus I didn't take note of any details or locations or whatsoever. I have some pictures randomly pooled together so feel free to take a look~ I'm returning in November for another shopping spree so I'll do a proper detailed post then!

I'm sure some of you have heard of MK, otherwise you're just like me :D It's not that bad, we're still exploring! Basically this is just... Steamboat. I can't remember much of it for it wasn't very impressive to me. The soup was however, one of the sweetest I've ever tasted in my life, probably because of the amount of veggies dumped into it.

I think this is beef. Nothing too amazing, it's just meat.

Some kinda platter. See that white doughey thing at the bottom left? That's shrimp wanton and it's awesome!!!

More meat, pork I believe.

And bla bla bla fast forward to my next meal on don't remember which day, here's my samurai pork burger!

Only picture I took before gobbling it. It's not like the samurai beef/chicken burger we have in SG though. This one doesn't contain black pepper and it's not spicy at all.

Super delicious kway chap.

Loads of intestines and tender pork that melts in your mouth~

From here onward, viewers' discretion is advised.

Heh heh bugs stall!

Frogs! Deep fried whole. I have close ups but they're slightly disturbing so I won't post them here. These taste like really crunchy chicken. And yes, you can eat the entire thing with the eyes...

Grasshoppers.

These things are HUGEEEEE. But they don't taste as bad as you think. Still, it takes courage to bite into one, especially for a girl with a mega phobia of anything without legs or with more than 4 legs ><

Here we have some crickets.

These are a lot less intimidating than the grasshoppers and I personally find them tasty :/ They're a healthier and more nutritious version of potato chips! Super crunchy with a slightly milky aftertaste?

Last but not least, here are my loots! Snapped them up at fantastic prices and I promise to do a more detailed post next time /.\ But for now, dresses as cheap as $3-4, belts for about $2? And $8 bags!!! Plus I bought a HUGEEEE tub of hair mask to try! It's like 1litre and received positive reviews on the internet. Time to pamper my hair.

And randomly...

How I've been doing my make up recently! Super natural and suitable for work or school! (I don't mean primary or secondary school or JCs, you're not allowed to use make up there!) And of course, it's inspired by the Korean make up trend~

And then RANDOMLY, AGAIN, I'm ending this post! Hopefully I won't go MIA again~

Love,
Domo ❤

Artwork & DIY: Flower Headdress and LoL Nami

Hope you guys are well this Chinese New Year season. Seems like more people get sick during this period, compared to other festive occasions, so do take care and not eat too much bak kwa. If you're like me, and not much of a festive person, perhaps you'd feel like a 'foreveralone' single on a Valentine's Day (which is coming soon :-O). Don't feel too down either.

Sorry for having not posted much for quite a while. My camera is officially deceased and it's a good excuse for me to get a new one (perhaps, a DSLR?).

I haven't been all that idle though, I hope. (Excuses. :x) Have been trying my hands out doing some DIY stuff though I haven't had a chance to photograph them yet.

Made a flower headdress of sorts from artificial flowers and lace ribbons. And a lace circle skirt that has really messy sewing. And well, drew some artworks. I've really got to concentrate and do more work though. I've been a little lazy these days because life is a little comfortable and I'm usually a little sleep-deprived (which explains the somewhat early timing of this post).

Wishing you a happy year ahead. 

Cookie

Event : Soap NOT Soup!

Wait... What? I'm sure that title made no sense to most of you :/ Here's a post before CNY, hopefully to also prevent you from doing something wrong, or even potentially harming yourself! *Dramatic*

A few weeks ago, we were invited to...

Lush! One of the happiest shop in SG imo.

Look at all the colors!

Pretty right? But the main reason why we went down to Lush was for...

The Soap NOT Soup event / I'm FINished With Fins campaign!

We saw these posters in the shop, you'll be able to see some of these around your bus stops and stuff like that. These are the people who've pledged to be FINished with FINS.

Say NO to shark fin soup. It's like saying no to drugs, it's not addictive but it causes harm to your body. I bet most of you didn't know that.

Us at the event! *Pardon the tired face*

As beauty bloggers, we initially thought we were just going down for a *cough-typical-cough* event that's just introducing their new products. Don't be shocked, the existence of most BB nowadays are just to help companies market their products for free. However Cookie and I wanted to go for this event because we do not consume shark fin at all. At least this is for a good cause! (We thought wrongly though, we'll elaborate later.)

*Plants surprise picture of Hossan Leong and Yasminne Cheng!* Was trying to subtly snap this pic but got caught... Scroll down~~~

>___< BUT AHEM, evidence of them supporting the campaign!

I believe this is Shima, she's giving us an introduction to this event and its purpose.

Credits to Aleron who compiled these facts together.

Here's some facts you never did know with regards to sharkfin, click to enlarge! Now you know. Plus most SG peeps are seafood lovers, so without sharks, without the balance in the eco system, you can say byebye to scallops and crabs!

Here's Nafees Khundker, Director of LUSH SG, giving his support and explaining how Lush helps in being green as well!

It's Domokie's mission to save the sharks as well, not officially but we do it in our own little ways.

Here's John Lu, Regional Director of Shark Savers telling us more about this campaign.

And prepare yourselves for a mini bombing of pictures.

Basically, they're sharing with everyone their experiences upon pledging their loyalty to this campaign. As expected, they did face some disagreements with friends, a little teeny itsy bit of conflict here and there with those who find this campaign ridiculous.

DOMOKIE WAS WRONG. I admit, we were both wrong. This is the most eventful event out of all the blogger events I have been to in the past. We went there confused because we didn't recognize most of the people there till we realized that we were one of the few beauty bloggers invited. Cookie and I do not eat shark fin. We're actually really happy to know about this campaign because now we know, other people care as well!

Not just divers, not just celebrities, even ordinary people like us can play a part in helping to save the sharks. I bet that at some point of time in your life, if you ever pondered over shark fins and sounded it out to those around you, there are those who say that eating shark fin is a tradition, sharks can live without their fins anyway! Now let me ask you in return, would you like living without your hands or legs? I'm not sure how true it is but we humans can survive without our limbs for sure. Do YOU want that?

I know CNY is here, I know most of you have family dinners. Please, say no to shark fin. That's what I do. Even though my influence isn't as big as the celebs, I would at least know that I've done my part. I've not touched shark fin for a few years already. I mean come on! Shark fin doesn't taste good, it's just the soup really! Don't let innocent sharks die. Just because you can't see them doesn't mean they're fine and dandy. I forgot the exact numbers but they're comparable to pandas :/

Well. This is my take on the entire shark fin thing. I think I sound all over the place but I truly feel that we should stop consuming shark fins. If Cookie has anything to add she'll edit this post later on.

Here's the shark fin soap.

Shark fin soup, seasoned with sea salt and seaweed. (Y)

Please purchase this soap for a few dollars and do a good deed instead of forking out a ransom for the soup. All sales proceed goes to Shark Savers! It's for a good cause, remember that! *No sharks were harmed in the making of this soap*

LASTLY, HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR!!!

Love,
Domo

Disclaimer : We are in NO WAY related to Shark Savers or LUSH. We truly believe that sharks need help and this message is coming from the bottom of our hearts. We do not gain anything from this!