lokiii

 

Neutrogena Visibly Clear Blackhead Eliminating Daily Scrub

 

 

As the title says, "so good that my mum stole it"

This product is so creamy and gentle of being a scrub. Effectively removes most of my blackheads even though I only use this about 2 times per week. It does not irritate my skin, neither did it dry out my face ;) I bought this from the UK but a similar product can be found in Hong Kong. The exfoliants are quite fine (but not the finest I have ever tried) and there are more of them in the product than a other usual facial scrub got. The red particles actually break as you massage the product onto your face. 

 

Even though it says 'Daily Scrub' on the tube, I wouldn't use a scrub product every day... It's way too harsh especially I am not a teen anymore... I am also slowly stepping out from the exfoliating routine because I found that my skin has changed now. I use to be really oily all over the face when I was a teen, then combination skin (with oily T-zone and dry cheeks) just before I turned 20. Now, I seem to have normal skin all over?????

 

Hormone's changing??? Oh dear am I getting old?

 

Watsons Aloe Vera Soothing Moisture Mask

• A nice hint of refreshing smell, not too strong
• Quite runny for a cream but too thick to be a lotion, the consistency is in between a cream and a lotion
• Smoothed on easily but since it is quite runny for a cream mask, might need to use a lot of product to cover the entire face
• It did not dry on my face, rather, it got absorbed into my skin
• Tinkled a little (which I hate) but it's not like I have an allergic reaction since it did not cause any redness - not recommended for sensitive skin
• Left my skin not as drying after wash but neither did my skin feel moisturised/hydrated
• No irritation afterwards
• Did not clog my pores
• Did not cause any break-outs
• Did not leave me looking like a grease ball
• Can be easily rinsed off
• Did not feel soothing at all

Do I recommand this product to the others?

No, I'd rather spend a little bit more for a tub of mask that is actually going to sooth and moisturise my skin without any tinkling sensation.

 

 

 

The Body Shop Warming Mineral Mask

• A muddy smell
• The consistency is quite thick like a usual clay mask
• A little difficult to spread evenly on skin because of its consistency
• A little bit drying after it is cleansed off, moisturiser is definitely required afterwards
• Tinkled a little (which I hate) but it's not like I have an allergic reaction since it did not cause any redness - not recommended for sensitive skin
• There is a warming sensation as this product is applied to a wet face, the warming sensation does last but not as warm as it was after 5-10 minutes
• No irritation afterwards
• Did not clog my pores
• Can be a little bit difficult to wash off the product
• Effectively cleansed my pores (blackheads) but result does not last for mroe than 2 days because the product does not really reduce my pore size other than clearing out the pores

Maybe this product is worth buying if you are interested in the warming technique. However, I would not purchase this again, but would not mind it if I can get it for free again^^"... I do not think this product is neccessary for me^^...

 

 

 

Mudd Hydrating Sea Mask (clay); Gentle Cleansing Peel-off mask

 

Mudd Hydrating Sea Mask:

• There wasn't a particular strong smell, so light that it did not even catch my attention
• Consistency is thick, like normal mud masks
• Since it is quite thick, needed a bit of work to spread the product
• It dried hard, so could not move any of my face muscles...
• Took a bit of time to rinse it off...
• Felt sooooo dry afterwards
• Left my skin felt like sqeaky
• No irritation
• Did not cause me to break-out
• Did not leave me looking like a grease ball
• Did not clog my pores
• Little bit of redness (i.e. around the nose)

 

Do I recommand this product to the others?

No... I think even people with oily skin would find this very drying... It's supposed to hydrate your skin!?

Mudd Gentle Cleansing Peel-off Mask:

• There wasn't a particular strong smell, very light
• Consistency is thick
• No irritation
• No smell
• Feels cool
• Did not clog my pores
• Does not really clear my pores... It did...nothing?
• Little drying afterwards

I think most peel-off masks are more or less the same that none of them really does a good job on my skin. I would not ever buy any peel-off mask ever again.

 

 

 

Kuan Yuan Lian Beadlike Grain Powder:

• It comes in a form of powder, all natural ingredient with no added chemicals/perfume/alcohol... Nothing that is not eatable
• It does exfoliate your skin a bit when you apply and rinse off the mask because of the grain in the product
• It can be a little messy during the mixing process
• Very little water is required to make this mask into a paste form
• It dries up quickly after application and it turns hard
• Whitening effect can be seen straight away after it is rinsed off and it does last of a couple of days
• Not irritation occurred
• It does clear your pores very well
• It feels fresh after the product is rinsed off
• The only thing is that be careful when you are rinsing the mask off as it can be scratchy if you are aggressive or not patient enough
• Always melt the product with water first before you start massaging the mask off
• Did not leave my skin too dry
• Did not cause any breakouts
• No clogging of pores

Do I recommend this?

Definitely except for dry or very sensitive skin. Very affordable, no added harmful substances and lives up to my expectation.

 

 

Boots Tea Tree + Witch Hazel Peel Off Face Mask

• Did not cause any breakouts
• Kind of did nothing to my skin, did not clear my skin, did not clear or reduce my blackheads, did not prevent me from breakouts, did not help my acne to heal faster, did nothing to my scar...etc.
• It really cannot get into your pores, I would see it with my own eyes, bubbles can be easily trapped in the product after applying to the skin especially where there is a pore
• A little cooling when you first applied it
• Takes ages to dry
• Very thick, like glue
• Can be peeled off easily
• Feels a tiny bit greasy after it is peeled off, I think it's because of the tea tree oil in it
• Did not block my pores
• Did not irritate my skin
• Not too strong a tea-tree/witch hazel smell, acceptable I think
• Did not dry my skin out

Do I recommend this?

No... what a waste of time and money... end of story

 

 

 

 

 

Kose Softymo Speedy Cleansing Oil

This cleansing oil really does impress me. It never fails to take off my face makeup. It does not irritate my eyes/skin, neither would it leave any oily residue behind after rinsing the product off. The consistency is a little bit to the thicker side but not too thick or runny. What does it smell like? I do not think there is any smell to it. However, do not let ANYcleansing oil get too close to your eyes. Otherwise, it can blur your vision if the oil gets into your eyes... Even though it's only temporary, it is never a good thing to let any foreign substances get into your eyes. Trust me, I have tried to use this to take off my eye makeup. It did a great job removing even any waterproof mascara but left me with a blurry vision for a minute. Well, it did not irritate my eyes but still it is not a good idea.

 

Kose Softymo Speedy Cleansing Liquid

I should have just stick with the pink one I mentioned above...

I ran out of the pink one and was thinking, 'maybe it is the time that I give other products a try...' I saw this blue one on the shelf and the term 'weak acid' caught my attention... 'OK, I will give it a go!'

REGRET!!!!!!!!!

When I first pumped it out I notice that the consistency is so different to the pink one. This one is runnier, even runnier than any heated cooking oil I would say...Then I could smell alcohol... I said to myself, 'NOOOOOOOOOO.............'

Yes, this one contains alcohol... Then I read the label carefully... FAIR ENOUGH... this is not cleansing OIL but it is a cleansing LIQUID... I hate any skincare products that contain added alcohol... (I think it is acceptable for those that contain alcohol produced from natural processes... e.g. Weleda products) I know, I know... alcohol is really good for dissolving and removing oil and dirt... But I do not like the smell of it, I do not like the feel of it, I do not like how it dry out my skin, and I do not like how the vapour and the alcohol itself can easily get into my eyes and sting my eyes like crazy. No way that I would use this to take off my eye makeup.

I DO NOT even like consuming alcohol, END OF STORY.

 

 

Botanics (Boots) Soothing Eye Make Up Remover All Skin Types

I must admit, this is the best (so far) make up remover I have ever tried, just like what all the others say. This one even beat the eye makeup remover lotion from Simple (I have blogged about this before of how much I like it). This product worth every single penny. This is so gentle, no offensive smell, no added alcohol and no over-powering perfume (Actually, I think this product contains no perfume at all). This is a lovely product. This is one of those 2-phase products that you have to shake really well before use. The only down side of this is that you will need to use cotton pads with this product whereas you only massage with your hands for those I mentioned above. It takes off everything with no effort. No irritation at all and if you do not rinse after using this product, it does, in some way moisturise your skin. But I would assume that everyone would wash their face afterwards anyway.

 

Reason I bought this was I wanted to reduce the number of times I exfoliate my face over the winter, so that I won't dry out my skin. On top of that, I went for a cream wash because cream wash tends to be less drying than gel wash. I went for the cheapest cream wash I could found that at the same time has some properties in it - claims to contain salicylic acid, which can help prevent spots and breakouts. it says, 'cleans deep down to effectively remove dirt, oil and impurities without clogging pores', 'the tingling sensation tells you your skin has been thoroughly cleaned, leaving it cool, refreshed and really clear'. I bought this when it was half price in Wilkinson (so I only paid GBP1.xx for it :D). It was a gamble, really. I still remember the last time I tried a Clean & Clear product, how drying it was that was enough to put me off from this brand for years until now (that was when I was in year 7 I believe...). However, I guess Clean & Clear has improved their products a lot but still got a very long way to go. 

 

• non-drying
• really strong menthol but you can still open your eyes with no problems during cleansing / straight after rinsing, which is something I could never do back in the years, the last time I used a Clean & Clear product. 
• did not clog pores
• did not cause break outs
• did not prevent break outs completely either (these are not from the cleanser, it's because I've stopped using my antibiotics)
• so... kind of maintain my skin condition rather than improve
• did remove dirt and oil, but does not clean deeply enough I think. I still have many very visible blackheads after cleansing. When I applied a nose strip afterwards, I still ended up with millions of blackheads (Yes, blackheads is one of the major problems of my skin) just not as big. I would say... remove 40-50% of my blackheads.
• consistency is more to the lotion side than cream, and I need double a pea size to cover my entire face
• left my skin really soft and cool
• did not cause irritation
• maintained my skin condition in terms of oily T-zone, did not make me look shine-free completely but my T-zone did not look more oily

 

MIGHT get this again if no other cream washes (with some properties) are on sale during winter...

Not my first choice but at least it is non-drying, oil-free, maintained the condition with spots issue and did not leave me looking like a grease ball.

Biore Pore Perfect Warming Blackhead fighting cream wash - heats and targets

 

 

I bought this for 49p. 

The consistency of this face wash is so thick. It's almost like PVA glue, if not, thicker.

It says to apply onto wet face with dry hands. But as you massage the product over your face, you will found that you really need to keep adding water to your face or you won't be able to spread the product over your face. Once the product is in contact with water, it heats up, not massively that it's going to burn your face but you can feel the warmth. I'd say it's warmer than my shower temperature. Just need to make sure that you store this at a dry place. 

 

There are loads of exfoliants (well, nothing can beat the St. Ives. but when it's compared to a normal face scrub in the market), it's so much that they can effectively exfoliate every single part of your face without having to deliberately move the beads to a spot where you want to exfoliate every time. The exfoliants are so small in size, but I found that they are a bit 'rough'. What I mean is, the exfoliants seem to have sharp edges so make sure you don't rub too hard (you shouldn't anyway).

 

In general speaking, this product is gentle enough to use once every day, I normally do that at night. It leaves your skin so smooth, very smooth, extremely smooth that you can feel it straight away when you are rinsing the product off. Does dry my face out a little but I guess it's because of the warming properties and the fact that I've got heating on in my house............. So... Can't really give a fair comment on this. It does reduce the appearance of blackheads but not by much, but it did not break me out :)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Biore Pore Perfect Pore Unclogging Scrub - exfoliates and refines

The consistency of this product is very interesting. Yes, I said interesting. In the brand new tube, it looks like A tube of ice-cream. It's got some shiny swirl in the product, with green beads, very creamy looking. As you squeeze the product out, I said to myself, it reminds me of something...

It's not sticky, it stays like a slid sitting on your fingers (so if you tilt your hand over, the product WILL fall off your hand) but as you press it, it turns into a mash yet creamy.  

As I use it more and more, I realised the most out-standing good thing about this product is that you won't waste one single drop of this product. Why? Look at the tube! The product WILL NOT get left behind the tube as it does not stick on the tube like any other cream/gel/foam/liquid/lotion or whatever!!!!!

Do you know what I mean? Then I finally know what it reminds me of - wasabi! The consistency is like wasabi! Not sticky, like a solid when you squeeze it out and turn into a creamy mash as you press it.  WASABI

 

The amount of exfoliants are not as many as the warming one I mentioned above. However, I prefer these beads than the ones in the warming tube since these ones are not as harsh, not like the warming ones, they are all very sharp. Also, these beads are bigger in size comparing to the ones in the warming tube. However, it does not down-grade the performance. Instead, this one does a way better job than the warming one on reducing the appearance of blackheads that the results it so obvious! No, it does not break me out!

 

It gives a slight cooling sensation instead of warming. I almost did not realised the cooling effect the first time I used this but I actually thought that something's wrong with the water...^^" The cooling sensation is not as strong as the Clean&Clear or Neutrogena's products, only a slight cooling effect to make you feel fresh. 

 

So creamy and I really like how creamy it feels on my skin. I kept wanting to wash my face again and again with this product but I just knew that I mustn't. so smooth, very smooth, extremely smooth that you can feel it straight away when you are rinsing the product off. Does not dry out my skin at all. Certainly gentle enough to use once a day. 

 

 

 

 

 

Both of the products mentioned above contain salicylic acid, which is good for helping the removal of dead skin cells that also is a plus for acne prone skin. Also, they both have the same lovely scent. They both have a refreshing cucumber scent with a hint of floral, I am so addicted to the smell that sometimes I just randomly open the cap just to smell it...

 

 

Simple
Spotless Skin
Triple Action Face Wash

 

When it says 'face wash', I immediately thought of a gel wash. Not until I went home and opened the cap... Oh... It's a gel scrub... It's got exfoliants in it... :'( Especially when they have another product called "Simple Spotless Skin Blackhead Eliminating Face Scrub", it made me more convi that the 'Face Wash' should not have got any exfoliants in it! 

 

So, so, so, so disappointed as the reason why I bought this was because I was looking for a gel wash or cream wash so that I won't be exoliating my face twice a day 7 days a week. Also, I've never liked the exfoliants Simple use in their products. The exfoliants've got very sharp edges and too big to clean your pores to my opinion. It hurts. 

 

On the back, it does not say it's got exfoliants in it either :(

 

Well, this product claims to contain Zinc PCA, Chamomile and Witch Hazel. 

 

I have tried their other products with Zinc PCA in it, which was a moisturiser. It really did do what it says - absorb excess oils. However, I don't find it as effective when it is in a face wash. I guess it's because rather than applying and leaving it on the skin, we rinse it off when it's in a face wash? My forehead started to get oily around mid-day, but it did not happen when it was in a face moisturiser.

 

Chamomile is often included in products for treating skin inflammation and eczema because it is supposed to be a skin soothing anti-irritant. Since I don't really suffer with this problem, I don't know if this product's got enough amount of this ingredient to make this work. :P

 

Witch Hazel is quite a well known ingredients in terms of spots fighting in this country (UK) and widely used. It is a natural ingredients from plants. it helps to shrink and contract blood vessels back to their normal size and this is why on the packaging, it says, "tone and tighten pores". Just to point out that, it did not say "decreases the size of pores". I don't notice any different with the size of my pores, nor did I really measured them ==". 

 

They've also pointed out that Phytosphingosine is included in the product, which is a natural antibacterial ingredient.Phytosphingosine is also known as the sphingolipid. Such ingredient is believed to protect cell surface against harmful environmental factors. 

 

Overall, I found this a waste of time. First, I expected this to be a gel wash and it turned out to be a gel exfoliating wash.Second, it did not help with my oily T-zone. Third, the exfoliants hurt. Fourth, it does not cleanse, I felt like I haven't cleanse my face after rinsing the product off. My blackheads kept building up and got worse. Fifth, it did not help my spots to heal faster nor did it stop me from breaking out. Acnes kept coming back together with millions of white little bumps around my cheeks, on my chin and forehead. Oh, and red bumps on my cheeks. 

 

Perhaps these are the only good things of this product:

• no perfume
• no added colour
• did not dry my skin out after wash
• did not irritate my skin/eyes (not like those with menthol)
• even though it does not contain perfume, it does not have a funny smell

 

 

Everyone's skin is different and how everyone's body response to different things different. This is definitely the case since... this product's got 8 out of 9 five-stars rating on the Boots product page, and the only one who did not give a five-star rating gave a four. But I am completely disappointed by this.