Sunday, February 27, 2011

Eminence Organic Skincare

I often get massages at my favorite local spa but never had a facial.  During my last visit, I browsed around their skincare shelves and found an interesting brand that I got some samples to try.  This brand is pricey at the spa but I found better pricing online.

Strawberry Rhubarb Dermafoliant:
I love this natural rice based scrub, so much that I started looking to see where I can get it for the lowest price. It comes in a dry powder form that you mix with your favorite cleanser or water.  I used only water to create a good paste on my hands and exfoliated my face with gentle circular motion.  The granules are very fine but powerful so I could feel it working on my face and hands too.  After rinsing my face, it felt so soft and my hands were so much smoother than before too.  This is definitely going to be on my list of exfoliants to buy.  The cheapest place I found online for this scrub is still $42.00.
http://www.lovelyskin.com/details.asp?PID=119469&MID=0

Strawberry Rhubarb Masque with Hyaluronic Acid:
I was not that impressed with this masque.  It is a nice strawberry moisturizing mask priced at $52 online.  But I found that Laneige's Strawberry Yogurt works about the same for $25, so I probably won't be getting this.

Monday, February 14, 2011

DIY Facials

Gentle Oatmeal Mask For Acne:

Combine three quarters a cup of oatmeal with half a cup of water and cook medium heat for a few minutes.  After cooling off a little, stir a quarter cup of honey into it. The oatmeal will absorbe the oil from pores and act as a gentle exfoliant. The honey is to help the mask stick to the face and moisturize the skin. Be careful not to get any of the mask in the eyes, as this may irritate them.  Leave mask on for at least 15 minutes before washing mask off.  When washing off mask, use circular motion to rub the oatmeal around for exfoliation.  This is cheap to make and can be used once or twice a week.

Friday, February 11, 2011

My Experience with Sasa.com 02-2011

Since they carry many Asian brands that I cannot get in the local store here in the U. S., I have been trying to get an order from them since last year.  My first order back in Oct. 2010 kept being delayed in processing and then they said they were moving to a new warehouse and all orders were being held until later.  They charged me already in Oct but the order was held forever.  My order was finally cancelled because multiple items were not in stock any more by the time they finally began processing my order.  But since they charged me already, I had to deal with my credit card company to get my money back.  What a hassel.  But with there products back in stock, I was so tempted to try again.  I just placed a new order with them Jan. 27, 2011.  Let's see how long it will take for me to get my goodies.

Update: I got notified that my package is shipped out on Feb 7.  Expecting shipping to take 14 - 21 days.

Update: I finally got the order on Feb. 24.

Cleansing Oils 2011

Kose - Softymo Deep Cleansing Oil, $9:
I can easily find this at my local Japanese supermarket and it's cheap.  It only takes 2 pumps to clean the entire face, with light makeup, including mascara.  It comes out a clear liquid that you rub into your dry face.  Then add a little water and it becomes milky white.  Then I rinse with water and it does not leave my face oily at all.  I still double cleanse with a light foaming gel though.  Overall I love this basic cleansing oil for it's price and cleansing performance.


Origins - Clean Energy, $19.50:

This is my first non-Asian brand cleansing oil that I have bought. It is thicker consistency than others that I have tried.  I placed a little bit of the oil on my hands and spread it over my dry face.  Then I added a little bit of water to the face and the oil becomes a white milky film.  I continue to work the cleansing oil all around my face until it is clean.  After rinsing my face, I noticed that my face was smooth and seemed brighter.  I double cleansed with a gel cleanser and skin is still very smooth.  I highly recommend this oil cleanser for those who cannot get access to Asian brands.

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Best Face Cleansing Regimen

Double cleansing the face is important if you wear makeup.  The first cleansing is to take off the makeup, usaully better with an oil cleanser. The second cleansing helps remove oil out of pores and any left over makeup from the first cleansing.  I like gel foaming type of cleansers for second round cleansing.  Good ones that I use are Avalon Organics gel cleansers, The Body Shop Seaweed gel cleanser, and The Body Shop tea tree cleanser.  I think that we all need to regularly mask with a good clay mask to get rid of blackheads.  I have never had a facial before, nor extractions, because I feel that with regular skincare, I don't need it.  I believe that extractions can temporarily clean pores out but you need to keep it clean.
Do the following at least once a week and you will see improvement.

  1. Wash face and exfoliate
  2. Steam your face for about 5 minutes to open the pores and soften the skin, or shower will do 
  3. Apply a clay mask and let dry for 15 minutes
  4. Don't apply anything that night, let skin breathe with clean pores
  5. You can put your regular stuff on next day
Good clay masks that I have in my bathroom are :
Mary Kay Clarifying Mask 3, http://www.marykay.com/skincare/classicbasicskincare/10347300/10347300/default.aspx
Origins Clear Improvement, http://www.origins.com/product/3857/11588/Skincare/Daily-Essentials/Masks/Clear-Improvement/Active-charcoal-mask-to-clear-pores/index.tmpl
The Body Shop's Seaweed Ionic Clay Mask, http://www.thebodyshop-usa.com/facial-masks/prod808821

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Cleansers 2011

Philosophy - Microdelivery Exfoliating Wash:
8  oz, $25
16 oz, $37
32 oz, $55

This is one of my favorites face scrubs/cleanser in one products. It's like a basic face wash and scrub in one, saving your time. Try it in the evening before your night time skincare ritual and you will see that it makes your skin absorb better and feel so soft. But it doesn't take off makeup, so if you wear makeup, you can use this as your double wash. I got the big 32 oz from Sephora since that's the best deal and lasts for ever.  I find that if you use this regularly, you will not need to do a separate weekly scrub.



Philosophy - Purity Made Simple :
8  oz, $20
16 oz, $32
24 oz, $40
32 oz, $45.50, this size not always in stock
I tried a sample of this when I bought my Microdelivery Exfoliating Wash.  It's a thick gel texture but doesn't foam at all.  It feels very slick and you could use it as a facial massage product.  The smell is not that great but once you wash it off, you can't smell it anymore.  It does leave skin clean and not over drying but not feeling oily either like other cream cleansers do.  I like my cleansers to foam up so I probably won't be buying this.  This is a great product for those with sensitive combination skin since it feels really gentle.

Zirth - Clean, 8 oz, $20:
Although this line is targeted for men, I find that this cleanser works great for me on my oilier days.  I received a sample of it before and liked it so much that I purchased the full bottle.  It's very concentrated and only need a small dot to make a nice foam for the entire face.  It rinses out completely for squeaky clean feeling.  You get a lot of it too for the price. I like to use it for a pick me up morning wash.  Since it is targeted for men, I don't think it will take off makeup completely so it should be used as second step washing if you wear makeup or morning washing.  This is a bit drying, so not recommended if you have dry skin.

Origins - Zero Oil Deep Pore Cleanser, 5 oz, $18.50:
I got a sample of this when I bought my Clean Energy cleansing oil.  It is a clear gel cleanser that foams up pretty well and rinses completely but can be drying if you don't have oil skin.  This cleanser replaced the old mint version, which I liked better.  This one is ok but doesn't smell as nice as the mint cleanser.

Shiseido - White Lucent Brightening Cleansing Foam, 4.7 oz, $35:
I had a sample of it last month and loved it.  It's expensive but very concentrated.  I only needed a dot smaller than half of a jelly bean size and it foamed up so much.  The fragrance is very light.  It cleans off light makeup and leaves skin clean but not dry. I don't know if it does anything for whitening but for a product to stay on your face for such a short time, I don't think it will do much.


L'Occitane - Immortelle Brightening Cleansing Foam
5.1 oz, $24
10.1 oz refill, $34
This gentle foaming cleanser contains Immortelle floral water, camomile, raspberry, and strawberry to even out complexion.  I only need to use 2 pumps to clean the whole face and it has a light floral fragrance.  It does remove light makeup and rinses well with no residue.  Face is left very soft after wash.  This is a nice cleanser to repurchase, especially with refill reasonably priced (L'Occitane online only).  I have used this for 2 weeks and have not seen any major skin brightening effect but my skin tone does look good.

kose

 

yu lan

Moisturizers 2011

Qiora Moisture:
Qiora is the premium line from Shiseido.  It's philosophy is purify, calm, enhance and soothe using a lot of aromatherapy.  It is pricy so I only bought the moisturizer, 4.2 oz, $70.  I got the level IV moisturizer because I wanted something not too rich but not too watered down so that a little is all I needed.  I love using this at night because the fragrance does calm me down and the light moisturizer gets fully absorbed without any oily feeling.  It is a big bottle and I have had it for over a year now.  Shiseido is a good brand and this is probably great stuff but since I started using Laneige products and they are cheaper, I probably won't repurchase this unless I wanted to splurge.

Sheet Masks 2011

For those who are not familiar with sheet masks, here are general directions for sheet masks:
1.  Wash and dry face in the evening.  Exfoliation can also be done in step 1.
2.  Spread wet sheet mask on face.
3.  Pick up extra serum that might be running down mask with fingers and spread it around face.
4.  Lay down and relax for 15 minutes while mask does it's wonders.
5.  Peel off mask and spread any remaining serum onto face for extra softness, can be used to soften hands.
6.  Leave serum on all night.
7.  Rinse face with water in the morning and enjoy the glow.

*************************************************************************

I purchased these during my last trip to Japan and Hong Kong.

Sexylook Pearl Whitening Sheet Masks, 10pc, $15:

Kose Clear Turn White Sheet Masks, 26 count box, $12:
I have been using this for over a month now, once or  twice per week.  It's such a big box but the sheets are thin and serum is settled in the bottom so I have to place the package upside down 30 seconds before use so that the next sheet on the top of the package will get soaked up with the serum.  Caution not to leave package upside down for too long as the serum will leak out and get wasted.  The sheets fit comfortably around the face with the holes being well proportioned.  The serum is on the watery side, so I had to lay down to prevent it from running down my face.  My face felt moisturized after I peeled off the paper but it didn't look any brighter instantly.  But I think over time, it does help keep skin clearer and brighter.  I had less break outs with this mask.

Kose Clear Turn Q10 Sheet Masks, 26 count box, $12:

Supia Nano Deep Vitamin C-Q10-Royal Jelly Sheet Masks, 10pc, $60:

I purchased these premium masks during my last trip to Japan because my tour guide raved about them.



Sheet masks from Taiwanese brand My Beauty Diary:

Bulgarian White Rose Mask, 10pc, $13:
I bought these a few months ago and didn't have time to try them until now.  It's Valentine's week so this is perfect to complement all the rose products I am using this week.  Each mask is packaged individually in pretty foil packets, keeping them fresh until you are ready to use.  This way, you don't have to use the same masks continuously until the package is done, like Kose's big count boxes that I reviewed at the top of this page.  This mask has a thicker premium sheet soaked in lightly fragranced serum.  It doesn't have a heavy rose smell like I am expecting, but still a very relaxing frangrance.  There was so much serum that I decided to sqeeze some off the sheet and back into the foil packet for later use.  The sheet size is comfortable.  After 15 minutes, I peeled off the sheet and saw an instant brightening of my face.  Wow, it was a translucent glow.  I am thinking that this could be used right before a special event.  Although the brightening effect disappeared the next morning, my face still looked refreshed and skin is smoother than before.  The serum in this mask is thicker and more moisturizing than others that I have used.  I used the extra serum directly onto my face for a few more days.  Overall I really like this mask and in the long run, it may whiten skin.

Japanese Cherry Blossom Mask, 10pc, $13: