Ojon Hair Care

Will you pay $89 for a set of 33.8 oz shampoo and 33.8 oz conditioner, Ojon Duo Set ?
Well I don't unless it's so worth it.  I stopped by Sephora and asked for a sample of each.  I color my hair regularly with do-it-yourself kits.  With Asian hair, it's coarse already and add the hair coloring, you get dull thick hair.  I have basic haircare that will clean and untangle hair.  But on special days when I want that brilliant shiny hair, I need more.  I have tried the Ojon Restorative Hair Treatment before, leaving it on overnight with a shower cap on.  It was very uncomfortable sleeping with plastic on my head.  I did love the results though, hair stayed soft and lustrous for a week and I wash my hair every other day.  But the amount of work and strong smell of this product prevented me from buying it again.  Now I am trying their shampoo and conditioner and see if I can get the same results as the overnight treatment.  I have sample sizes for about 2 washings and used them once this morning.  The products do not feel as greasy as the overnight treatment but I could feel a difference already while I was shampooing.  Then the conditioner goes on light without any heavy smell.  My hair (shoulder length) feels so bouncy and healthy looking after air dry. Then I switched back to my basic hair care and it's back to where it was before I used the Ojon Duo.  The results are only temporary but if you have special events where you need to make your hair look its best without spending a lot of effort, get a smaller versions of Ojon Shine & Protect Kit at Sephora for $39.

Dr. Brandt

I have sampled a few products from Dr. Brandt line that is worthy of writing about.

Pores No More Pore Refiner, 1 oz, $45 :
This is a gel like primer with microspheres that soak up the oil throughout the day.  It holds the oil and your face looks really nice but when I touch my face at later hours, I feel this greasy film on my fingers.  I feel a lot better once I wash my face in the evening.  But it does keep the face "looking" fresh all day.

Pores No More Vacuum Cleaner, 1 oz, $45:
This is a mask that you put on after you thoroughly cleansed your face.  It is suppose to draw out dirt and oil from your pores for the ultimate cleansing routine.  I tried a sample of this and it's amazing.  It comes in a somewhat transparent gel that spreads easily.  I have visible black pores around my nose and inner cheek areas. I only use this mask around these trouble areas.  After 2 minutes, I already felt it tightening and turning to a solid white color.  There are tiny holes visible from the surface of the mask, showing where you have large pores that absorbed the mask.  Another 5 minutes later, I washed my face with warm water and I looked closely in the mirror.  My pores were cleaned out! This is an expensive mask so I will probably purchase and use it on my most troubled areas.

Avalon Organics Vitamin C

I saw these at my local health food store but bought them online at vitacost.com since it was cheaper and no sales tax.  These are relatively inexpensive compared to name brands so I wanted to give them a try.

Refreshing Cleansing Gel:  I really liked the cleanser.  It smells like fresh cut oranges and creates a good foam.  It washes well with no residue.  It does take off light makeup and sunscreen.

Vitality Facial Serum:  This orange scent gel absorbs easily.  Can't tell if it does much though.  I probably won't repurchase.

Revitalizing Eye Cream:  This is a good basic eye cream that moisturizes without being greasy.  It didn't do much for my dark circles but does smooth out the fine lines a little.  If you don't have dark eye circles, it's worth a try.

Renewal Facial Cream:  Although this is not the oil-free version, I feel that it's not oily at all and still absorbs pretty well.  My mother-in-law has dry sensitive skin, tried it, and now uses it regularly. 

Overall, the vitamin C contents must have been very small since I didn't notice much brightening of my skin tone but it's a good basic line for cleansing and hydrating the skin.  I like the orange scent and will probably repurchase the cleanser and facial cream.

The Body Shop Skincare

I get these cute kits when The Body Shop has their $12 sale on skincare kits.

Seaweed Essentials Kit: Seaweed Deep Cleansing Facial Wash, Seaweed Clarifying Toner, Seaweed Clarifying Night Treatment, Seaweed Mattifying Day Cream

I liked everything in the kit and the little travel pouch is cute to carry around. The value is awesome when you add up buying the individual items.  The cleanser has a light pleasant fragrance that I enjoy and it foams up pretty well.  The toner does not sting like some alcohol toners do and makes my face less oily during the day.  This is a nice basic skincare kit with mattifying power for oilier skin. I can use the day cream as a primer to keep my oil under control.  The night treatment feels sticky at first but will get absorbed shortly after putting it on.  I don't know if the night treatment does anything for my skin but the cost of the other products already makes this kit a good deal so I would probably repurchase.

Tea Tree Skincare Kit: Tea Tree Oil Skin Clearing Facial Wash, Tea Tree Oil Skin Clearing Toner, Tea Tree Oil Skin Clearing Lotion, Tea Tree Oil

Again I liked everything in this kit.  Tea tree is suppose to help with acne by killing bacteria on your skin. The face wash has a strong tea tree smell and makes your face squeaky clean.  It might be too harsh for dry skin but for normal to oily skin, it's great.  The toner also makes the face a little dry but the Tea Tree Lotion adds some moisture back.  My favorite item is the Tea Tree Oil, which by itself is already $9.  The Tea Tree Oil is not oily at all and I use it for spot treating new small pimple bumps that are just trying to come.  Then they don't really come because I treated it at an early stage.  It doesn't do anything for big pimples though.  But for $12, it's not bad to relieve some acne problems.

Wise Woman Skincare Kit - website description says : Wise Woman products will reduce the signs of aging by strengthening skin, stimulating natural cell renewal, and helping to maintain collagen levels for renewed suppleness and elasticity. Your skin will feel firmer and more hydrated, while the appearance of fine lines and dark spots is reduced.

Since this was a nice looking kit, I decided to try it even though I have combination/oil skin.  The cleanser was a disappointment because it says that it removes makeup but it couldn't remove my BB cream.  It does not foam and feels very slick on face.  I just ended up using this in the morning as a gentle cleanser and will not purchase full size.  The toner is like a moisturizing gel, not watery like other toners.  I put it directly on my hands and lightly press it onto my face, just like how many Asian beauty consultants suggest doing.  The day lotion has some light reflecting property but very subtle.  I like this effect and use it under my eyes to help with my dark eye circles.  The night cream is rich but did not make me break out and can be used during those dry winter months.  Overall this kit is for dry skin and I will probably won't repurchase.

Wise Woman Eye Cream - website description says : Improve the appearance of dark circles, puffiness and lines around your eyes with an innovative, rich moisturizer that uses cotton fibers to “fill” in lines as it soothes and smoothes. Soy and rice peptides reduce the appearance of dark circles and puffiness while witch hazel refreshes and reduces puffiness.

I find this to be one of the most effective eye creams that I have ever tried.  I got a sample of this Jan 13, 2011 and already I am seeing results.  I have purchased the full size to continue use and see if the results get better.  I am very skeptical about eye creams since no product (Shiseido, Clinique, Ole Henriksen, Kinerase, Philosophy, ...) seems to do miracles.  Working on the computer all day and lack of sleep left my eyes the worst part of my face to deal with.  I found some good eye creams that moistorizes well without being too greasy for my eyes.  But for my puffiness and dark circles, nothing really works.  Wise Woman Eye Cream showed some improvements only after a week use.  It doesn't erase everything but improved it enough to see a difference.  Anyone who wants to try, I suggest asking The Body Shop store to give you a sample to try, it's enough to see if it works or not.

Laneige Perfect Renew Set and Mamonde BB Cream

For my new start of the year, I made my first skincare purchases at the Korean Amore store.  Getting Amore products is a problem for many people because they don't have that many Amore stores in the U. S.  I am lucky that I have access to one because it's always good to feel and see the products in person verses buying them purely online.  The owner at this Amore store is very friendly and generous with samples for me to try.
http://www.yelp.com/biz/amore-san-jose-santa-clara
And I always come back for more since I like what I try.

Laneige Perfect Renew Set:
After the busy holiday season, I got the Laneige Perfect Renew holiday set to pamper myself and get a good start of the new year: refiner, emulsion, and cream, full sizes + travel sizes as a bonus for getting the set.

This set is suppose to help early signs of aging by tightening pores and skin, which I do feel that it's working. I love how the products just sinks into your skin and I get a dewy not oily look. Downside is $$ but if I was going to get it anyway, it's best to get them in sets like this during some promotion. 

Mamonde Mineral BB Cream:

This is my first BB cream purchase although I have sampled many brands before.  The other brands made me look orange in natural lighting but this one adjusted very well to my fair Asian yellow skine tone.  It does feel thick when you first start using it but with practice, you will learn to spread it out better and you won't even feel it on your skin.  It's a light to medium coverage and works better for oily skin with a light brush of powder on top of this. I especially like to use this outdoors because of the SPF.  It did not cause me to break out and I always double wash in the evenings when using this.

Laneige Balancing Emulsion and Water Bank Cream and Perfect Renew Dual Touch Eyes:

I tried the Balancing Emulsion and Water Bank Cream together as my nightly routine for a few days.  I find that while the emulsion has a good texture, the Water Bank Cream 2 EX is better for me than the Water Bank Cream 1 EX because I have oilier skin.  They are nice products that hydrates my skin without leaving it oily.  But I don't get the tightening feeling that I get when I use my Laneige Perfect Renew products for anti-aging effect.  But then the basic line cost less then the Perfect Renew line.

Laneige Strawberry Yogurt Peel, Yogurt Pack, and Water Sleeping Pack, priced $20 - $23:

The Strawberry Yogurt Peel is a gel scrub that you spread on dry clean face and gently rub in circular motion for about a minute.  I noticed that it formed white dry flakes and I tried to use them as the scrubbing medium.  The strawberry fragrance in this product is not as strong as the Yogurt Pack.  After rinsing off my face, my skin felt significantly smoother. I also get this same effect when I use The Face Shop's Peeling Day products (full review under my The Face Shop entry), which are very similar but cost less, only $15.

The Strawberry Yogurt Pack looks like a thick lotion with tiny pink beads in it and it smells so yummy.  After the peel, I spread this on using circular motion to give me a facial massage at the same time.  The tiny pink beads just melts away and the lotion gets absorbed in minutes.  Directions says to rinse off but I don't see a need to since all the product got absorbed already.  I just sleep in this delicious smelling face and find my complexsion very supple the next morning.  I did not break out even when I slept with it on all night.

I finally tried the Water Sleeping Pack, Laneige's most popular item. The texture is a light smooth gel that absobs quickly into the skin.  There is almost no fragrance to this.  My skin feels moisture balanced without being greasy.  I liked the texture and tried using it this morning as a moisturizer, worked great keeping my face fresh and moisturized.  I have oily skin but need moisture in winter time so this is something I could use night and day during dry winters.

IOPE

Will update after trying.

Sulwhasoo

Will update after trying.

Peter Thomas Roth Sulfur Cooling Masque

Peter Thomas Roth Sulfur Cooling Masque, 5 oz, $40:
This is my favorite acne healing mask.

The jar is a screw tight one so it keeps it from drying out for at least a year.  Spread thin in troubled areas only since it can dry up skin in other areas.  I usually put it on my forehead and nose and inner cheeks around nose and leave it on overnight.  Once dry it doesn't really smear on your pillow.  You might smell the sulfur even after you wash it off in the morning and that's ok.  Do this 2-3 times a week if you have acne or just once a week to keep the acne away.  I love this stuff and will repurchase again and again from Sephora.