Product Review : Naruko Raw Job's Tears Supercritical CO2 Whitening Serum

As I'm blogging, it's nearly 4am! But I promised to be back on track and since there's an event tomorrow, I'll have to do the reviewing now and scheduling this to be published in the morning! Once again, it's a Naruko product. If you've watched 女人我最大, you'll know that Niu Er often talks about Naruko, which is actually his own line of products. The emphasis is on effective yet affordable skincare.

This Naruko Raw Job's Tears Supercritical CO2 Whitening Serum sounds pretty good doesn't it.

The box is a recyclable paper cardboard packaging kinda thing.

I'm not sure if it's right but I think the Chinese name for it translate to a phrase with the word "supernatural" in it! O____O???

His face is important. You want to know that your product is REAL and AUTHENTIC.

Here's the product. I totally adore it. Look at the luscious red bottle.It's a dear to have this around your vanity table. Most products don't really have such a rich color but this one does and it kinda perks up your day because of the color. Did you know that if you don't get enough colors in your life, you actually get depression?

That's the product description and usage in Chinese. Let me be your translator once again! Supposedly, this serum brightens your skin, gets rid of excess melanin and gives you skin that is free of dark spots!

Here's what the pump looks like. Easy to manage, one pump is sufficient for my entire face.

Take a quick look at what Naruko says.

To me, this serum is very very different from most whitening products. I'm not sure if most of you have noticed but the SKII Cellumination Essence, the newest Estee Lauder Even Skintone Illuminator and maybe your own whitening serum has shimmery particles in it. This is because of the ingredient Mica. It's a fine shimmery powder thing that's often used in whitening/brightening products to give your skin the pearly iridescence so that your skin will look brighter. So at that very moment upon application, you'll definitely see radiant skin. It's like a "trick" to get radiant skin on the spot so that after you test your serum at the counters it'll look as though it has an immediate effect.

This  Naruko Raw Job's Tears Supercritical CO2 Whitening Serum has no shimmers in it. That would mean that it's actually harder to get instant results. So personally, I've been testing this for at least 2 weeks now. Domokie only reviews stuff we've tested out for a trial period of 1 week at the very least, unless it's a mask or something along that line. This product has no detectable scent either and I think that's good for those peeps with sensitive skin. I swear I tried sniffing this for a scent really hard while trying not to snort it up my nostrils. I could NOT detect a thing. I did wish that it would have that kinda signature lavender / majoram scent that most of Naruko's products seem to have? (Those I've smelt anyway)

This product is a tricky one to review. Initially when I used it, it was honestly blah. Like because there was no mica in it, there's no instant gratification. After a few days, I still couldn't tell the difference. It was only till I had the most dreaded PIMPLES. Please note that I do not have freckles or pigmentation. So as usual, me being the itchy hand attempted to squeeze them out. Yes, it's actually okay to squeeze your zits ONLY IF you know how to. There'll definitely be scarring too. And then it hit me. I realized that with the usage of this serum, my pimple scars faded faster! Remember in my previous post on the AMPM Dual-Phase Tone Correcting Tinted Sunshade SPF35 ***? I've been using these two products together and I must say I have definitely gotten fairer. By fairer I do not mean bleached or snow white. My complexion is brighter and I think I don't look as ghostly when I see myself in the mirror without make up.

Also, this serum is super light. It's not light as in watery in texture but it absorbs into the skin within seconds. It's not oily which is a plus point for people like me. Should you prefer to massage this in slowly and lift your skin, I'd suggest 2 pumps or more, depending on the size of your face. Blot off any excess!

If you've always been looking for a whitening serum that wouldn't break your pocket, no harm giving this a go! You can get it for just $28.90 at Naruko's Web Store or head down to your nearest Watsons outlet! For a list of Watsons outlets that carry Naruko products, please see HERE.

On a side note...

You can make a box outta this! Awesome, I love boxes because I have TOO MUCH STUFF.

Ta dang~ Mine has nice bamboo prints on it :D Really lovely, I personally suggest using this as a lipstick casing. I think it fits the best.


Texture : ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ (Almost instantly absorbed.)
Effectiveness : ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ (It works well for my pimple scars but I can't be sure about dark spots...)
Overall : ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ (I think it's affordable and effective for me, I just wish it had a scent to it!)

Up till this point, Naruko hasn't disappointed me yet :D Plus, I adore their night jellies! My aunts and cousins use Naruko too~

Remember to like Naruko's Facebook Page if you haven't already, for more promotions and updates!

Cheers,
Chiharu ❤

Disclaimer : This product was sent to me for reviewing purposes by Naruko SG. This does not affect the honesty of my review in ANY way and it is 101% honest as usual. Do note however that time taken for results to be seen varies with individuals.

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 : Vichy Thermal Spa Water

A few days ago, I blogged about the Vichy's Spa Water and 80th Anniversary workshop. I recommended ya'all to purchase THIS on Domokie's FB page.

Yes, that's the normal packaging for the Vichy Thermal Spa Water I tried at the workshop. And you all should know this. I used to think that such water spray thingies are like some kinda scam, it's like asking us to pay for a spray with water in it. Before I thought of such water sprays as scams, I bought a few and tested them out. To me, those were just water. I didn't see any effect at all so yes, for the rest of my life, I classified them as plain water.

However, after attending the Vichy workshop and trying it out...

I bought it!!! I bought the limited edition packaging one so it looks different from the first picture. Now the best thing to prove that I love and recommend a product is when I buy it after testing it. This is now my 神奇水, AKA my newly found Miracle water. Before I start babbling more, let's take a look at the usual, ingredients list!

Yea... Once again I recall my previous thinking of the plain water spray thing...

Not just the plain water you can get from your tap ;) I know the difference now, this water actually has heaps of minerals that our skin requires!

This water's actually from a Spring in a town called Vichy. Here's a continuation for the cool facts! Cool fact #3, the Spring from which this water is drawn from has been declared a public health spring in 1846! Vichy is like... A really really ancient and old grandparent. This miracle water is 100% natural of course, from the spring itself and EFFECTIVE at the same time! I myself have seen some strange special effects when using this so I'm about to share it.

This water is what I call, 万能. Super multi-purpose.

Ta-da! So many uses~ But I have one more to show you and that's my absolute favorite!

Also, I will not be telling you what Vichy says because for stats and info, you can ask from the BA working at the counter. Sharing my experience is a different thing.

My favorite way to use this is as a mask. You'll have to get your own compressed mask from SASA though.

There's no before picture but can you believe that this was taken at about 8pm, after 8 hours of work excluding travelling time? I've had my make up on since around 7am in the morning and it's been more than 12 hours. This is what sparked me to get this can of miracle water.

Also, I did not blot my face before taking this picture or prior to using the mask. It ALL magically DISAPPEARED. There was no cakiness, no nothing, except for my blush being somewhat eaten away. My face was super bright too. Catherine saw the difference too, so I swear you have to do it to witness it for yourself.

I did a mini test the next morning, I woke up with a mega greasy face and proceeded to spritz a good amount of this miracle water all over my face. I then waited for about 10-15 seconds before dabbing it off with a tissue. Guess what? I became shine free! I was super amazed so I told Ringo, which was why she suggested drinking this after eating a heavy meal to get rid of the oils. This water is sweet too =) It can be drunk but I don't think you'd wanna spend your money just to drink this. NOT that I intentionally spritz this in my mouth, I accidentally sprayed on too much one day and it trickled into my mouth =/

We were not sponsored the 150ml set, Ringo, Catherine and I bought a set each though. Our actions speak a lot louder than this post. I'm not sure if this limited packaging set is still available but I think the normal one is, so get one from your nearest Vichy counter today :) It is that good! Besides, it costs only 14.90 for two cans of this if I'm not wrong, so why not try it out once?

Effectiveness : ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ (Soothes, brightens, hydrates, miracle!)

Scent: No scent detected.

Texture: Like how your water would feel.

Overall: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ (It's cheap, it works, sensitive skin can use it, so why not try it?)

Love,
Chiharu ❤

Disclaimer : I bought the 150ml twin pak myself.

Product Review : AMPM Dual-Phase Tone Correcting Tinted Sunshade SPF35 ***

Ever since I saw this on my favorite beauty show, 女人我最大, I've wanted to try this. In case some of you don't know, 女人我最大 is a Taiwan beauty show that gives you tons of tips on skincare, make up and even clothes. It's a really popular show and often, each guru will recommend products that they've used and found to be fantastic.

So what did I see that sparked off my interested in this product?

Yes, it's the AMPM Dual-Phase Tone Correcting Tinted Sunshade SPF35 ***! I was intrigued to try this because firstly, it's white, and if my eyes did not fool me, I thought I saw the sunscreen turn slightly pinkish beige and then finally, it just melted into her skin.

Here it is ^____^ I've not reviewed sunscreen in awhile and I KNOW some of you are interested!

SPF 35, this is perfect for those of us who are sitting in classrooms / office / home. If I'm not mistaken, those 3 stars should stand for the 3 plus too. And that is the maximum protection you can get. The number on the sunscreen doesn't represent the "ability to let you remain fair", it actually just represents how long it will last you throughout the day.

Also if you do get this, make sure this is on your product packaging~

NIU ER'S FACE. It's like an authenticity sticker cause you know, there's lotsa fake stuff out in the market these days and you don't really want to risk it.

Part 1 of the ingredients list.

Part 2 of the ingredients list. I don't usually split them up but the tube was too long for me to take the ingredients list in one shot. If I'm not wrong, this product is fragrance free. I couldn't detect any scent despite sniffing really hard!

Here's the description! The word that's blinded by the spot of light is formula.

You'll get 30ml in nice hygienic squeeze tube.

I'm glad product doesn't just ooze out of this tube. I've had problems previously with sunscreens / bb creams that just oozes product out continuously even if I cap them!!!

Here's a few images taken from Naruko to show you their description + benefits of this sunscreen!

Okay okay, I know most of you wouldn't want this review to be just about what Naruko says about this product because you can read it yourself! Do note that I will not be judging on the anti aging factor as I do NOT have wrinkles/fine lines/dark spots on my face currently. I'm hoping I'll not have them anytime soon!!!

Here's MY SAY on the AMPM Dual-Phase Tone Correcting Tinted Sunshade SPF35 ***

As seen in the video, it's creamy and white. However I did not squeeze a lot out for this swatch because... I have to conserve the remaining of this precious for my face don't I!

L - Without / R - With

Yay for no ghostly white cast! I'm not sure if you can tell the difference just by looking so let me tell it to you. If you squint carefully at the picture, you'll be able to tell that the mole with the sunscreen on looks slightly lighter. Also, once again I'm not sure if it's very visible in the picture but this sunscreen gives you a beautiful dewy finish.

When I say dewy, I know those peeps with oily/combi skin will start worrying about this sunscreen being greasy. Okay to this, I'd say watch the video if you understand Chinese. If you don't, you'll have to attempt understanding my own translated version of her words. Basically, this product does contain a lot of goodies for your skin, like Vit E. To prevent the greasy problem we often face with sunscreen, this is developed such that the nutrients are as though kept in this little ball that only breaks apart and gets absorbed into your skin after you apply it all over! Does that makes sense? Like it only gets "activated" after it touches your skin.

Personally, I also noticed the white sunscreen turning slightly pinkish beige on me before magically disappearing into my arm / face.

L - Before / R - After

Can you tell the difference now? In the before picture, my complexion was more yellow and dull. After application of this product, my complexion's more even, radiant and pinker as opposed to the yellow skin before. It gives my face a nice dewy finish, not the oily-disco-ball kind though. It is super light and I don't feel anything on my skin afterwards. Also, no concealers were used in the picture. I didn't need one anymore, except for my eye bags maybe. Do note that though it evens out your skintone, coverage is pretty sure so if you skin requires a more heavy coverage, I recommend pairing this up with a 2 way cake or a loose powder.

I can't tell if this is sweat or waterproof since I don't have a test to help me judge in this aspect. I did however become fairer after using this daily for almost a month? At the same time, remember that this is not some kinda face bleach. You will not become 10 shades fairer just from using a sunscreen.

All in all, this is a pretty handy 2-in-1 item as I often use this during the early mornings while I'm feeling like a zombie. Just slap this on with a bit of powder to set it and I'm off for work. And maybe a lil bit of concealer on my under eyes and I'm good to go. Really convenient if you're the kind who doesn't require a whole lot of coverage. It's great for peeps with dry skin too because this is hydrating. Note, hydrating but not greasy!

This product is now easily available at most Watsons outlets near you! Naruko SG has kindly written up a note with a list of Watsons outlets that carry their products HERE. Alternatively, if you're feeling a little lazy and prefer to do online shopping, you can get it HERE too at a discounted price of $29.90 for a limited period of time.

Effectiveness : ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ (I think it evens skintone and protects against the sun pretty well.)

Texture : ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ (Creamy but light, easily spreadable and blendable.)
Coverage : ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ (Really sheer but this is just to even out your skintone, it's not a concealer.)

Oil Control : ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ (It's not oily but it doesn't have much oil control.)

Overall : ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ (I like it, slightly poor oil control but this product never claimed to do that.)

For more updates or promotions from Naruko SG, like their Facebook Page!

P.S. Though this product has skincare properties, you need to remove it thoroughly with a make up remover at the end of the day.

Cheers,

Chiharu ❤

Disclaimer : This product was sent to me for reviewing purposes by Naruko SG. This does not affect the honesty of my review in ANY way and it is 101% honest as usual. 

Giveaway : My Beauty Diary Strawberry Milk Mask Winner!

As mentioned previously, a lucky reader will get to win the following :

Thank you to those who took part in this giveaway!

The winner is... Pei Jun! Please drop an email to Domokie@gmail.com with your mailing address~

As for those who did not win, fret not! Roughly around our 6th month anniversary + Ringo's birthday, I'll be throwing a HUGE one. It's really big, a lot better with lots more prizes to be won ^_____^ Should you have any suggestions as to what kinda contest you'd like to take part in, feel free to comment here or on our Facebook page~

Love,
Chiharu ❤

Share & Care : Get the items you desire at smashing prices with Sold.SG!

Warning, lengthy post ahead! But then again, usually when I have so much to say, it's something good isn't it ;)

Last Thursday, I was invited to...

Okay no, I wasn't invited to their website, I was invited to make a trip down to Sold.SG's office by omy.sg to learn more about their website, auctioning along with little tips to make my experience more pleasant!

Wait, you don't know what Sold.SG is?!

NO WAY. It sounds too good to be true right?

I mean, just look at this!

Yea, those are ongoing auctions that I took SS of. They have a lot of cool gadgets and vouchers~ And no, it's not a scam. How would I know? Because of this.

Voila! Look at ALL of that. Yes, how many of you are drooling already? All of those are going up for auction on Sold.SG. I've seen those items with my own eyes along with plenty of other bloggers.

Of course should you still be worried, feel free to head down to their office anytime to meet the team and see the products for yourself! Sold.SG is CREDIBLE, TRANSPARENT and VERY OPEN!

A little Sold.SG background...

Sold.SG was launched in July 2010 and has been around ever since. If you've always thought that your iPad2 was expensive, or that you really want a camera but can't bring yourself to fork out that tremendous sum of cash, Sold.SG is your solution. Remember the SS above? So many of their items are 99% off the actual retail price!

Sold.SG is over a year old and has beaten ALL other auction websites hands down with more than 34000 joining in the fun! The best part? They're here to STAY. And they mean it. To show their commitment in making this a sustainable business, the founders QUIT their full time, high paying, stable and comfortable jobs!

Meet the us, the bloggers... And the lovely team of Sold.SG!

Do note that they do not engage bots or insiders to bid. They are very strict that no employees and immediate family members of Sold.sg are allowed to participate (All employees have to sign a contract stating so). Also, All their products are brand new, directly from their suppliers and carefully selected to ensure quality and high standards.


Items won are delivered via SPEEDPOST!

Enough of the words!

There are a few different kinds of auctions you can go for.

The Learners auction is for those who've never won any auctions. It's for beginners like *ahem* me to try and get some goodies without getting trashed by the bidding pros!

There's also these kinda one cent auctions so that the ending price won't be too expensive! After all, this website is to help us get our desired products at a lower price isn't it?

Sometimes there's also these five cents bid...

The three kinds of auctions mentioned above are eligible for the use of the highly dreaded AUTO BIDDERS.

It helps you when you're not free to bid manually! Of course, for every +, there will be a -. For more information, click on the picture to understand the Auto-Bidder!

If you have time or you're unwilling to spend on the auto-bidder, the following two types of auctions will be your cuppa tea!

The Manual Auction! My 2nd favorite kinda auction because there are NO AUTO-BIDDERS allowed! I am someone who likes to camp there and be silent so no one knows I'm bidding >_____<

This one's the best! You don't have to buy tokens to bid, it's a free auction! NO auto-bidders allowed too! Definitely something great to start out with. Do remember that you'll have to pay the winning price of the product so don't overdo the bidding! Hafta learn to let go we should and move on to other auctions~

Also, remember to check out these BIDDING TIPS and STRATEGIES!

At this point of time, you should know more about the Sold.SG already! It's TIME.

Let's begin the bid!!!

This is the beautiful beautiful Samsung Galaxy Tab I'm eyeing! The auction is still on going and I'm currently camping at that page :D (Please do not snatch from me!!!) Okay I'm kidding, everyone should give it a go because it's just SO ATTRACTIVE. Just know that I will be fighting for it with you ^___^

MY HEARTBREAK NO.1. I was camping on this page and was gonna click at the last few seconds but guess what? My antique laptop decided to stop working .__.

But honestly, I swear this is a potential health hazard. The first time I started bidding at the last 20 seconds, I nearly had a heart attack. I was SO EXCITED. I was msn-ing Ringo at that point of time and I was blabbering to her about how my heart was pounding I could feel it smashing against my ribs. I know I'm being dramatic but I was so pumped with adrenaline and all the blood rushed to my head~ I felt light headed after that.

AND THEN MY HEART BROKE when I went to this auction on my phone immediately after my antique died. IT ENDED T___________T It ended at the price of $1.16... How many of you are feeling the heartache right now?

I really wanted a camera though because mine is spoiling =x So I went on to this...

HEARTBREAK NO.2. I was hoping it'd drag on till I got home from work... AND IT GOT SOLD AT $60.95!!! The retail prize for this is $1099 okay, see how cheap that person got it for!!! I almost died when I saw the ending price of this auction.

Wasted such a golden opportunity didn't I...

Yes, how many of you have a knife in your hands now? I'm kidding! But yea my heart plummeted to the bottom of a black hole when I missed all of these beautiful cameras...

So in order to not let any of you suffer further heartbreaks, I've decided to show you all this.

YOUR EYES ARE NOT FOOLING YOU. This Apple iMac 21.5 Inch Desktop is STILL AVAILABLE and up for grabs!!! The best part? You get FREE TOKENS to get you started with bidding when you sign up now~

Visit Sold.SG NOW to get that Apple iMac 21.5 Inch Desktop and tons of other cool gadgets!!! You can be the next BIG WINNER!

Also, if you're active on Facebook or Twitter, feel free to like them on Facebook and follow their Twitter for daily updates!

Love,
Chiharu ❤

Disclaimer : I am not working for them! I even bid, won and bought my own tokens from Sold.SG! Evidence is in the picture below~ Pictures taken via SS by me or taken from Catherine's blog(Those with her watermark!).