Tuesday, 31 May 2011

Review : Living Nature "Illuminating Radiance" Facial

I did post a little hint on FB that I was going to a facial and I have went for it already. I'm sure everyone'd love to know what it was like and how it felt. So as usual, I'm going to share just because sharing is caring!

On one fine day, TWOOS invited me to try their newest "Illuminating Radiance" Facial.


You can click on the picture to further enlarge it.

I've never been to a facial as I've mentioned my phobia before. Yes, I'm a coward with many phobias. But since this one's all organic, I decided that it couldn't do much harm to my face.

BEWARE, LONG POST AHEAD.


Arrival at Living Nature!


The entrance of the store


The counter, and yes that is my BC, Veronica. I proceeded to explore the place afterwards so as to take picture for all of you! Below, you can see the various rooms they have.


Relaxing bed no. 1


Relaxing bed no. 2


Pretty wallpaper no. 1


Pretty wallpaper no. 2


This one is one of my favorite pictures taken. It looks so mysterious yet calming.


This is "my" room and that red cloth is my facial robe!


Totally makeup-less and in my facial robe!

From here onwards, Veronica proceeded with the facial so I couldn't possibly take pictures anymore. Initially, my heart was pounding in my chest because I was kind of afraid. I was praying I wouldn't be sensitive towards any products used and that I wouldn't break out like mad afterwards. However as you can see too, the room is quite dim and relaxing so the ambiance really does helps in making me more calm.

Firstly, she cleansed my face thrice with these...


A gentle makeup remover first. I also provided the ingredients in any case would someone wish to read it. You can click to enlarge it further.


After removing my make up, she used this vitalising cleanser on my face. Because they do not add any chemical fragrance into their products, you might not like the smell. In my case I was alright with it except that the scent was slightly overpowering. A little sour but I believe that's because of the Manuka Honey.


The third and last cleanser was this Purifying one. I love love love this cleanser. I'm not sure why but it smells a little like chocolates with a tinge of a more woody scent. I quite like this scent because it makes me feel more at ease. This one foams really nicely and I loved the feeling of this product on my skin.

After cleansing she patted my face dry and proceeded with the facial I was there for. This point onwards, I am more confused and would not be able to explain as well because the products used are "secretly formulated" so if they revealed it to me... I WILL COPY THEM AND DO IT ON MY OWN. I'm joking. Don't take me too seriously.

She cleansed my face again and massaged thoroughly with what they call "Beauty Water". It's actually just water with pH 5.5. This is supposed to be our face's natural pH level so this beauty water is to return our face back to it's very most original pH of 5.5.

Afterwards, it was time for exfoliating. Now this exfoliating scrub thing is made with their secret formula made with mineral salt and their own products so I might be a little messy at explaining here. She also used a rose quartz crystal stick thing to massage and exfoliate my face. Sounds really pretty right? After exfoliating, there's the secret blend of essential oils and their own products! I'll be showing all of them below and I'm sure they were used somewhere along the way but I'm not sure which comes after what. 


This is the Mineral Salt.

This is their Deep Cleansing Mask. It comes in little sachets and I'm sure I heard the ripping of the sachet at some point of time during the facial but I forgot which part!


The secret blend of essential oils!

She massaged my neck, shoulders and the area above my chest with the essential oils too so you don't have to fear for those part of your body! None is neglected :D She also asked me constantly throughout the facial if I was feeling alright and I think that's really important because you wouldn't know if the person was feeling uncomfortable unless you asked.

After finishing the facial, she proceeded to use some skincare products on my face.


She toned my face with their special Hydrating Toning Gel that serves to balance the oil and water in the face. This felt really soothing and I don't think there's a scent to this as far as I can remember.


This is the Rescue Gel that she plopped on my inflamed / problem areas, pimples to be precise. I also had a sensitive spot that turns red whenever I try new stuff so this rescue gel went there too. This one smells quite strong and sour but fades away after application to a very soothing scent.


They were OOS for this product that day so I couldn't take a picture of the ingredients list. Like all the products with Manuka Honey, it smells a little sour but it's pleasant to me? This was the last product used to seal everything in, a Balancing Day Lotion.


These are all the Living Nature products used on my skin! And before I forget, here's a picture to teach you how to read the ingredients list.


Once again you can click on it to enlarge!

Now after all the talking, pictures are important to show the effectiveness of this facial!


Can you see the difference? This was taken in the same lighting. Can you see how much brighter my face is after the facial? Also my skintone is more even throughout and my nose isn't darker than my cheeks. If you see the before picture, my face is somewhat darker than my neck. It got a lot better in the after picture! Also note that this is my bare naked face. My face felt literally like a Tofu after the facial and I really loved my skin. This isn't all!


I was a little hesitant to put this up and show my bulbous nose but for the sake of my blog I will. Despite the difference in lighting, you can see that blackheads are reduced. Squint at the picture and you'll be able to see it! It's not a drastic change but it's still an improvement. I didn't cheat with any make up, what you see is my bare nose! Weirdly, although this facial was more about brightening skin, lightening pigmentation and lifting skin, many little bumps on my cheeks were gone! I'm not complaining, I'm really happy.

I went home a really happy girl. There was no hard selling of products which I loved but usually when I go for sponsored spa / facial, there'll be products for me to bring home so that I can review them. A little sad that I didn't get any! I would have LOVED to be able to try out more products from their range! ( > . < ) So I had to buy one for myself which is of course the rescue gel because everyone wants to be blemish free right?

Sorry for the really long post though! If you have the cash to spare, do try this treatment and pamper your skin! If I had more Ka-ching I'd definitely go for more sessions!!! *Palm face*


Ends with a happy girl that has nice skin!

Cheers,
Chiharu ❤

Disclaimer : Everything I've said in this review is true to my words. Pictures are not photoshopped to make my skin look more flawless whatsoever except for the last picture where I removed my eyebags. I did however adjust the lightings because most of the product shots were taken in dim orange lighting. Only the watermarked pictures are my own. The rest were sent to me by TWOOS to aid in writing this post. I am in no way related to TWOOS nor do I speak for their brand.

Monday, 30 May 2011

Product Review : Maybelline Color® Sensational Lipcolor in #025 Pink Please

It's really hot and bright outside so I'm stay home for now and do up some reviews. I just heard thunder but it's still as bright as ever!!! SO. Here I am reviewing Maybelline's Color® Sensational Lipcolor in #025 Pink Please.


Simple packaging, a little difficult for me because I have the tendency to pluck off the cap from the middle of the tube so mine always gets stuck instead. For this one, the entire reddish purple thing is the cap!


Pink please is quite a popular shade and a lot of make up gurus use it too! One very famous example? Michelle Phan!


Mine is quite short already as you can see, I've used it quite a lot.


This is the swatch on the back of my hand. This lipstick is really weird. As you can see, it's quite a mauve-ish pink on my arms. When you see it on my lips later it's a totally different story.


On my own lips, I'd describe it as more of a pastel pink. No, it's not the pretty peachy pink you see on Michelle Phan, it's this pale pink shade you see on my lips. It's shimmer and glitter free, in fact it's almost matte on my lips. There's only a very very slight sheen as you can see in my lip swatch.

What Maybelline says?


"Fall in love with color, all over again:
• Crisper color from pure pigments
• Creamier feel from nourishing honey nectar
• Lipcolor so rich, so stunning…it’s sensational
• 48 captivating shades"

MY say?

Creamy yes, it slides on quite smoothly BUT, it's not really that nourishing despite the honey nectar. If you have dry lips or chapped lips, you might not want to slap this on. It WILL go on patchy if you don't use a base before hand unless you have naturally pouty and moisturized lips. Any dryness, fine lips and lip flakes will be emphasized so be sure to use a lip balm underneath! You can always try the Maybelline Baby Lips lip balm because I usually pair these two products together.

It is however very pigmented. It goes on opaque on my lips so one coat is sufficient. I haven't tried the other shades though so I can't say that every shade is the same. One thing that bugs me is the scent. I got this when it first came out so it could be that mine was from the faulty batch? Quite a number of people had this problem too. Mine smells like play dough. Not pleasant. This varies with your own preference of course because my guy friend who gave this to me loved the scent. @__@ He says it smells like sweet coconut to him.

Sadly, the Color Sensation Lipcolor range isn't available in Singapore... Bring it in please Maybelline?

Texture : ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ (It's a little too dry on my already dry lips! Works fine with a lip balm though)
Pigmentation : ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ (My color is opaque)
Lasting power : ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ (Because it's of a drier formulation, it tends to "stick" on longer)
Overall : ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ (I wish Maybelline SG would bring it in so I can try the other colors!)

Also, our giveaway is ending!

Cheers,
Chiharu ❤

Disclaimer : I am in no way related to Maybelline. This was given to me as a birthday gift.

Product Review : Chanel Rouge Allure Extrait De Gloss in #57 Insolence

Most of the reviews I have done awhile back are mostly regarding drugstore products. Today I'm going to review a more high end lip gloss and see if high end is really of better quality.

I'm going to review a lipgloss that I bought from Chanel awhile ago and it's the Chanel Rouge Allure Extrait De Gloss in #57 Insolence! First we will proceed to look at it's packaging.


I was a little blur when I took the product shots because I completely forgot to take the top part of the lipgloss that has kind of a gold plating with the Chanel logo on it. Other than that, this product does have a little weight to it so it feels more sturdy and the whole black packaging makes it look sleek. It's quite a long and "fat" tube of gloss though because it actually does take up quite some space due to it's rectangular ish packaging.

The one thing I don't like is that it's a fingerprint magnet. It's not that obvious in the picture but seriously my fingerprints are all over it.


Random picture to show you the Chanel word~


The thing about this lipgloss is the wand. Look below for a close up!


From this angle, it looks like your typical gloss applicator but truly it's not. Flip it sideways and this is what you'll get.


Can you see? It's very similar to the Lioele 3D Enamel Gloss that I reviewed awhile back. This applicator is slightly more curved than the Lioele one though so it's actually better for application because it will fit around the curves of your lips.


This is the swatch on my arm...

L - Before / R - After

And the swatch on my lips!

So I personally feel that the lip swatch is a little misleading. If according to the picture, it looks like just a sheer pink gloss. Truly it is actually rather pigmented and it's just that my natural lip color is quite pigmented too? It actually goes on as a stronger pink, a little reddish too. I believe that is because the gloss is semi translucent so it mixes with my natural lip color.

What Chanel says?
"CHANEL reveals the next generation of lipgloss – with colour so rich and shine so intense, it could only be inspired by the iconic lipstick, ROUGE ALLURE. Bold colour combines with the smoothest, silkiest gel texture for luxurious wear and deeply dramatic effect. Lips feel comfortable – never sticky or tacky – and look luminous, full and sensuous for hours. The double-sided, flocked applicator is beveled to deliver ultra-precise definition." - Quoted from Chanel

MY say?
By bold color, I guess it depends on which color you choose. Mine is more semi translucent than a opaque color so it's not what I'd describe as bold. What they say about the texture is true though because it feels like jelly on my lips. Very slick and smooth, exactly like what they said - gel texture.

It's not sticky or tacky at first while it's still freshly applied but as it starts to dry and disappear off my lips, the stickiness comes in. My lips do peel a little with this gloss but that's because I have really really dry lips that are sensitive to lip products. I also dislike that it's scent free. I know that's supposed to be a good thing but I really do prefer scented lip products.Oh, because it's not very sticky, you actually do not get long hours of wear with this gloss. It fades off in around 4 hours or so and even more if I talk a lot / eat / drink.

However with this gloss, it really does make my lips look a little more full and pouty. I wouldn't say it has mega shine but it leaves a really pretty sheen on the lips. The applicator does deliver precision and it picks up sufficient gloss so I don't have to dig around in my tube.

So is high end really more worth it? If you're someone who prefers to stick with luxury brands or have the extra cash to spare, by all means go ahead. It's not a bad lipgloss that's for sure. However if you're not willing to fork out that much for a gloss yet you want something with the same jelly texture, you can always try the Candy doll lipgloss. There a lot of lipgloss out there in the world and I'm sure you don't have to stick to just one.

Glossiness : ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ (Not mega, just a sheen)
Pigmentation : ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ (The color I picked out wasn't very intense)
Lasting power : ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ (It's always the case, the more not sticky it is, the faster it'll fade~)
Overall : ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ (It's what I'd consider a good lipgloss but a little too pricey for me!)

Also remember to join our GIVEAWAY as it's ending soon!

Cheers,
Chiharu ❤

Disclaimer : I am not affiliated with Chanel and I bought this gloss with my own money.

Bits of Chiharu : When my cousin from Holland visits!

My cousin Kye Lie resides in Holland. She recently flew back to Singapore and of course, she had to visit all her relatives! My parents decided to treat her to dinner so we headed off to...

Guess?

I went there yesterday...

*Drum roll~*


Yes, Sakae Sushi again. Did you get it right? (^ w ^)

We ordered a lot of food. Are you ready to see A LOT of food? I hope you're not hungry!


We have the standard "go Sakae Sushi must eat" Salmon Sashimi!


Another love of mine! Amaebi Sashimi~~~


Yet ANOTHER favorite of mine, Ika Sashimi!


We have my dad's favorite Unagi Maki... Followed by mine...


Yes, this is my maki! My current favorite maki to be precise. Fune Maki! I think this is one really great dish especially if everything is served fresh. It's an explosion of flavors in your mouth! The sweetness of the mango, the q q chewy salmon sashimi along with the crunchy breaded prawns. Great texture!


What is Sakae Sushi without the sushi! Here's one, it's seasoned scallops sushi but I can't remember the actual name for it.


My favorite favorite Spicy Salmon Sushi! Deja vu much anyone?


My used-to-be favorite, Lobster Salad Sushi~


Some grilled squid that my dad ordered. I didn't really like this one though because the squid was really tough. Not chewy at all!!!


Also ordered by my dad, Soft Shell Crab. It was a little too greasy for me though...


I liked my teapot so I snapped a picture of it sitting alone!

Enough of food, onto the people!


Kye Lie, my cousin from Holland! She's the only one who isn't camera shy. Everyone else is .___.


She took a picture with my mom. Yes that is my mom.


OMG RANDOM. But this is my dad's T-shirt LOL. Isn't it cute?


Family picture! This one no one can avoid because well, it's a family picture. So family members MUST be in family picture!


See how shy my family is? That's my sister. Totally does NOT look like me.


I CONCLUDE WE ARE ALL MONSTERS. We ate up to over $200!!! Evidence?


Our impressive tower of red plates.

Now, I will end with a random picture taken on the same day.


Cheers,
Chiharu ❤
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