Tuesday, July 23, 2013

[Review] Skinmiso x Wishtrend T-zone Serum

The first signs of aging starts before the age of 29.

I'm 28 this year, and I'm already starting to feel panicky because recently, I found visible pores in the patch between my cheeks and my nose! Something like this part here... ㅠ.ㅠ

And blackheads, white heads are becoming a real issue on my t-zone too. My skin has always been on the dry side, but ever since I moved to Singapore, it has adjusted to the humidity and became more combination, dry (inner dry but outer oily on the T-zone).

Many of us rely on black head peels to regularly remove black heads. However, when we do so, our pores are opened and widened, not many remember to tighten and close up the pores to prevent impurities in the environment from entering the skin and irritating it. That's why sometimes, certain people say that black head peels actually lead to bigger pores. It's not the peels that's the issue in my opinion; it's the fact that they forget to tighten the pores after they yank the black heads out of the skin that widens pores.

A few years ago, I started using a combination of different serums for different purposes (hydrating, firming, whitening, clearing spots, pore tightening). I love my pore tightening serum from Korea's derm, but it's running out... T.T So when Wishtrend sent me this T-zone serum from Skinmiso, I was hoping this would be a good replacement for my pore tightening serum.


1. The Product

SKINMISO T-ZONE SERUM



2. Price

USD34.99 on wishtrend.com


3. Packaging

With a simple light blue on white color motif, the packaging looks clean cut. I wouldn't say it looks very expensive just from the packaging because there is no inner angled flap holding the nozzle bottle in place, however there IS an reinforced thicker paper inside the box, so the box doesn't feel too flimsy. The glass bottle itself is a fat cylindrical bottle, pretty cute looking and looks like it can last a long time.

I love nozzle drip bottles. Better control of amount, and you feel like a chemist. Nuff said.



The side of the box that is in Korean. Basically translates into the following:
(1) Functions of the serum: 
- To tighten T-zone pore and boost elasticity
- Also helps to whiten the skin

(2) Directions: 
After toning the skin lightly, use an appropriate amount of the serum and softly spread onto the t-zone skin, tap lightly all over the skin until fully absorbed.

(3) Things to take note of: 
The usual, stop using immediately when the product doesn't suit the skin; when red spots, itch etc occur. Keep in a cool and dry place. Don't use on broken skin etc.






4. Shelf Life

Produced on 6th May 2013, and expires two years later on 2015.



5. Ingredient List

YAY lots of plant/floral extracts, no wonder there is a hint of floral smell that seems quite natural. (list taken from wishtrend.com)







6. Functions

(taken from wishtrend.com)

+ Pore Tightening

+ Pore Purifying


+ Control Excessive Sebum


+ Skin Elasticity


+ Actualize Velvet-looking skin 



7. Application

Here we put the serum to the test! tinyceci first tried it out on the back of her hand to test for texture. It actually feels pretty watery and not very thick, and absorbs very quickly into the skin. Skin really feels mattified on first use. 
tinyceci has been using this serum for two weeks. Whilst it does tighten pores and matifies the skin (the oil control on t-zone is pretty awesome), tinyceci's new facial beautician/the lovely lady boss Veronica commented that my t-zone is oily but so dehydrated from the inside, she was having SO MUCH TROUBLE getting the blackheads/whiteheads off my nose! ㅠ.ㅠ(from Nourish Naturally, go check them out! I think this is one of the few facial/nail salons in Singapore that has awesome quality facials with a personal touch.)

Lesson learned: I should have used a blackhead remover first (as recommended on the site) and then a deeply hydrating serum before using this SKINMISO T-zone serum. I'd imagine it to have much better effects next month! Maybe I should try these two as well~ ㅋㅋㅋ

Verdict

Pros
Feels very nice on skin
Easy to apply with nozzle drip
Really matifies skin
Skin feels soft and even without bumps from pores
Unisex, get your boyfriend, brother or dad to use this to get rid of strawberry noses
Quite a lot of product in the bottle, will last at least half a year to a year


Cons
YOU MUST exfoliate and remove all blackheads, whiteheads first for best results

Recommended for: 
- Ladies and Gents with oily T-zone, big pores, uneven skin texture
- Those who need better control oil/sebum production under makeup

Not Recommended for:
- Those who have completely dry skin 

Want to try this product? 
Check out the wishtrend site!


Monday, June 17, 2013

[Review] Klairs Illumination Supple Blemish Cream

I have a love & hate relationship with BB creams which goes all the way back to year 2006, where I first moved to Seoul and started out using BB creams. I started with Hanskin, and was totally blown away by the almost "magical" qualities BB creams have in correcting the skin tone and flaws. Although blessed with almost no breakouts in my pubescent years, I have always been very self conscious of my freckles since I was a little girl, which only worsened as I grew older because of the lack of sunblock usage. I didn't realize the BB cream I was using clogged up my pores, and before long, I had the worst break out ever lasting for almost 1.5 years! Obviously it wasn't as serious as Singaporean blogger Bun Bun's case, but still it was to the extent where I couldn't wear makeup to conceal my acne and nothing, IPL or chemical peels or what nots, could heal me. I was totally devastated and gave up on BB cream. Went back to using foundation for the next few years until two years ago, I found a BB cream from a Korean dermatological brand which didn't break me out and stuck with it ever since.

I have been hearing my Korean girlfriends rave about Klairs for the longest time. One of my former coworkers in TFS who's now in Nivea Korea, swears by Klairs from skincare to makeup! To be honest, I was pretty skeptical of Klairs initially because too many Korean brands have been trying to "sound western" and doing the kiehl's style of marketing floating around. So, when I was presented with this Klairs BB cream from wishtrend, I immediately checked out all the Korean reviews in Daum and naver. And OMG, I was really surprised at how many positive reviews Klairs Illumination Supple Blemish Cream received!

1. The Product

Klairs Illumination Supple Blemish Cream 
SPF40, PA+++


THERE IS NO ANIMAL TESTING!!! ^_______________^


It is also:

Alcohol Free and Paraben Free! 
Great to know for skin care ingredient freaks like tinyceci.

2. Price 
Currently retails for USD18.50 at 20% off (usual price USD22.99) on wishtrend.com. 

3. Packaging





I love this toothpaste-like tube packaging! Unlike most other BB creams which comes in an oblong squeeze tube form, this one comes in a long, thin tube form, sort of like 페리오 (perioe) mini? It feels really handy, although it wasn't really that much easier to squeeze out the BB cream. Okay, I'm just really into pretty packaging! ^^   

Here's 페리오 치약 for reference ㅋㅋㅋ


Another plus point is the clever use of an angular flap within the box to prevent the product from moving around! I love the monogram of klairs imprinted on the innerside of the box, so pretty~~ ㅋ ♥ It really adds on to the sophistication of the packaging. ^^


One thing that tinyceci didn't really like was that the nozzle didn't come vacuum sealed. Luckily, it felt pretty tightly closed when tiny first opened it so there shouldn't be any pre-oxidization of the product. ^^
Also, there's a small typo 오타 on the word "illuminating" on both the box and the product itself. Spelled as "illuminaiting". Hope dear klairs correct this little mistake on their next batch of products! ^^

4. Shelf Life
Most BB creams have a shelf life of 12 months once opened. Same for this BB cream!

The date of expiry is 5th May 2015 which is pretty okay, and omg 05.05.05? lol! What an awesome coincidence! ^^

5. Ingredient list
I've read many Korean reviews raving about this BB cream being THE BB cream for sensitive skin, and true enough, the ingredients look really okay on a glance.
Ingredient list in 한국어


Ingredient list in English
On the English label, it is stated that the BB cream shouldn't be used on broken skin, and that we should avoid using on blemishes, pimple, irritated or sunburned skin. However, there's nothing like that in the Korean label. Looks like we will have to test it out to find out if this BB will cause break outs or not. ㅎㅎ


6. Functions

I took this from the original Korean site; and basically this Klairs Illumination Supple Blemish Cream can apparently:

1) Correct the original skin tone without altering your original skin color. So no more worries about having an alien head with different skin tone from the rest of your body~


2) 3-pronged function with "Moisture Battery" Hyaluronic Acid! Basically it has suncare, whitening and wrinkle correcting, so fret no more about BB cream drying out your skin~


3) Sunblock + Primer + Finish = great for busy ladies who want to finish makeup in 5 minutes! If you apply this in the morning, the sebum control powder particles will make sure that your skin remains dewy and fresh up till afternoon. :)

6. Oil Blotter Test
Taken from the original site, Klairs BB is touted to less oily then other BBs. Check this picture for a comparison between Klairs Illumination Supple Blemish Cream vs another brand before and after 30 minutes.
The bottom left and right pictures also show how Klairs' BB is not sticky. ^^ Definitely a plus point.

Seems like this would be a good product for ladies with oily, combination skin!


7. Application
I have combination/dry skin, FYI. 

Tried applying it on two occasions, once for 5 hours, went out and stayed in an indoor environment. And another today, for about 4 hours, in a mostly outdoor environment.

In both indoor and outdoors, I didn't have the feeling that my makeup was melting or that icky oily feeling. It was very comfortable wearing Klairs BB out and running about. However, when I blotted my forehead, the paper was completely soaked. tinyceci has inner dry outer oily skin, especially serious on the T-zone, so my guess is my T-zone overcompensated. My other BB cream, however, did not secrete that much oil.


8. Color Tone Comparison


Took this from the original website too! The Klairs Illumination Supple Blemish Cream is definitely much brighter than other brands. It looks a little more yellow toned than others and thus looks more suitable for Asian skin with yellow undertones.

tinyceci has more of a fair skin with pink undertones, I use Chanel BR20, MAC NC20.

Verdict

Pros
Easy to apply
Just a little product is enough to cover the whole face
Provides a dewy finish and very comfortable to wear out in hot weather
Doesn't ashen out or darken as the day goes on
Pretty and handy packaging
Smells like soap? :P

Cons
Too much oil secretion for inner dry skin type

Recommended for:

- Ladies with normal, oily skin type looking for sebum control type BB cream
- Skin with yellow undertones
- Great for summer!

Not Recommended for:

- Those who dislike soapy scents
- Those who tend to have inner dry but outside oily skin

Want it?

Get it here from the wishtrend site or from qoo10!