Thursday, December 30, 2010

TheFaceShop's White Mud Nose Pack Review

I had read great reviews about the White Mud Nose Pack with some reviewers posting pictures of how the nose pack got rid of their white heads and blackheads at one go. So naturally I got very intrigued and wanted to try it out. Based on some reviewers, the product is only sold in the US so when my sister went on a course-trip to Korea (where TheFaceShop originated), I asked her to please scout the stores and get me one. Alas, she came back empty handed but she did buy a Black Head EX Nose Clay Mask. Last weekend, on a quick shopping stop I had with my sister at the Pavilion Bukit Bintang, we stumbled upon the White Mud Nose Pack at TheFaceShop's outlet there and I squeeled, 'Hey! I've been looking for this!'. I picked up a tube smiling to the counter.

The White Mud Nose Pack is a slap-the-gunk-on-your-face-and-let-it-dry-then-peel-it-off type of product. It is formulated with White Mud and Burdock extract and aims to clean and clarify pores.To use, just spread  the white mud paste all over nose area and leave on for 10-15 minutes. When completely dry, slowly peel from the bottom up and finish with a toner.

The White Mud Nose Pack comes in a soft white coloured plastic tube with a screw-on cap. The mud chocolate coloured label with the name of the product printed on it gives a soft contra to the white coloured tube. Quite nice to look at, really. The label  pasted on the back of the tube is packed with information and list of ingredients.
 
Ingredients: Water, PVP, SD Alcohol 40-B, Polyninyl Alcohol, Titanium Dioxide, Sodium Magnesium Silicate, Butylene Glycol, PEG-100 Stearate, Sodium Citrate, Methylparaben, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Extract, Illite/Water/Propylene Glycol/Arctium Butylparaben/Ethlyparaben/Propylparaben/Biotin Artemisa Princess Leaf Extract, Citric Acid, Fragrance, Allantoin.
The list of ingredients on the back of the tube.

The white cap unscrews open revealing a small hole in the opening for the mud paste to flow out of the tube.
White mud paste comes out from here.

The nose pack mask is basically a very sticky and gooey white gunk. It has a sticky texture and it sticks to my fingers as I spread it over my nose. The residue that got stuck to my fingers is quite difficult to wash off with water. I had to scrub them off with my fingernails! I guess that is because the mask is made to have a rubbery texture when dried to help it cling to the skin.
 
A blob white mud gunk.
Spread out evenly.
All dried and ready to be peeled off.

The White Mud Nose Pack has a flowery smell almost like rose water. The scent is tolerable and does not  bother me at all. It took about 15 minutes to dry completely. Peeling the dried paste off my skin is done easily without any pain. The nose pack did took out some white heads. I actually tried the product after I had scrubbed my face so the effect of the white heads coming out is not that great. I think I have to try it on my husband since he has a lot of white heads on the nose.

Verdict: I have mixed feeling about this product at the time being. It is quite messy to apply but peels off easy taking out some white heads along with it. At the moment, I don't think I would repurchase this again since there may be some better options out there in the market.

Price: RM19.90 at TheFaceShop outlets anywhere. I bought mine at the Pavillion Bukit Bintang.

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Baviphat Peach Magic Lip Tint Review

I don't know why but I am suddenly interested in colour changing lip products recently. This post is going to be about Baviphat's Peach Magic Lip Tint which my sister bought to compare with Tony Moly's Magic Lip Tint.

Baviphat's Peach Magic Lip Tint comes in a very cute peach-shaped plastic tub with a screw on lid. I really mean it when I say it's very cute! The tub is inserted in a cardboard inlet with product name on the front and product info in Korean at the back.

Very cute packaging!
I am not sure what is said on the label.

The cap of the peach tub twists open to reveal a waxy looking red with hints of orange coloured product inside. The lip tint felt very thick and sticky when swiped with my finger but it is less thick if compared to Tony Moly's Magic Lip Tint. It glides on like a sticky lip gloss and leaves a sticky film on lips. Initially, it goes on clear but after a few seconds applied, the colour changed into a deep pink but not fuchsia. The colour looked a little bit better than Tony Moly's shocking fuchsia hue on my lips. I did notice that the colour turned a little bit deeper as time goes by. The most discouraging part for me in this lip tint is that it does not smell nice and it also does not taste nice.
The lip tint in the tub (already dented by yours truly).
The lip tint swatch after it had changed colour (In real life it is much deeper than in the pic).

My verdict: In terms of colour, Baviphat's Magic Lip Tint looked a little bit better when compared to Tony Moly's shocking fuschia colour on me but still the colour is still too obvious and too pink to my liking. I also didn't like the not so nice smell and taste of the lip tint. I really don't think I would purchase this or let my sister repurchase this. I think this cures me of wanting to try other colour changing lip products for a while. T_T

I think Baviphat is available in Malaysia at Parkson Pavillion, Bukit Bintang (please do correct me if I am wrong) but I am not sure of the price though.

Sunday, December 19, 2010

Tony Moly Peach Lip Balm Review

Since my last few posts have been focusing on lip tints recently, this time I am going to write about something else but also related to lips (yup, still not over the lippie from Korea phase! hehe!). For this post, I am going to review Tony Moly's Peach Lip Balm which also came together with all the goodies my sister brought from Korea.

The Peach Lip Balm has the same packaging concept as their Magic Lip Tint but opposite in terms of colour. It comes in a clear thick plastic tub with a pearly white screw on lid. Also like the magic lip tint, there is only the logo of Tony Moly printed on the lid and a label with product info is pasted on the bottom of the tub.
A tub of Peach Lip Balm.
Label at the bottom of the tub.

The Peach Lip Balm's surface looked hard and impenetrable at one glance but actually it  is very emollient and has a soft-to-the-touch texture. It melts nicely when warmed by body temperature which makes it very easy to pick up with finger for application. It goes on very smoothly and not at all sticky. There's a tingle of mintyness which I love love love! The cooling effect lasts for quite some time so that's another plus point for me but it will dissipates after a few minutes. It it quite tasteless but smells of subtly sweet peaches. It really hydrates the lips and also leaves a nice glossy wet sheen. It lasts a couple of hours like most lip balms.

The Peach Lip Balm already dipped by my sister and me.
The lip balm swatched on the back of my hands. Very soft and easy to apply.
The lip balm when evenly spread. Gives off a nice wet sheen and is very moisturizing.

My verdict: I really love this lip balm. It has all the properties of a great lip balm that I look for (non-sticky, goes on smoothly, minty, nice scent, very moisturizing), except for the non-taste attribute that is. This is going to be the first thing on my list of things to buy when Tony Moly opens a store in KL.

You can check out more information on Tony Moly's products at their website here.
My sister bought this for 5500won (approximately RM14.85).

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Tony Moly Magic Lip Tint Review

For this post I am going to do a review on Tony Moly's Magic Lip Tint my sister bought while she was in Korea. Magic Lip Tint is basically a colour changing lip gloss. There are three flavours to choose from which is Strawberry, Grape and Green Apple. My sister got the Grape flavoured Magic Lip Tint. 

The Magic Lip Tint comes in a small thick clear plastic tub with a black screw on plastic cap. The packaging is very sturdy. Looks very simplistic and classy with only the letters of Tony Moly printed on the black cap. There a label on the bottom of the tub with Korean writings (which I don't understand, of course). I am presuming it is the name of the product and company's info.

Tony Moly's Magic Lip Tint.
Purple is Grape.
Label at the bottom of the tub.

The Grape Magic Lip Tint has a very thick and sticky jelly texture (think very thick jelly). It has a nice sheer purple colour and made me think of grape jelly. It was quite hard to break the surface initially but once broken into, it was easier to get a little bit of the jelly onto my finger. The scooped out tint felt a little bit like a hybrid between jelly and jam. It spreads easily but felt like spreading a very thick gloss on my lips.
A very nice pristine looking purple coloured jelly lip tint.
I've successfully made a big dent on the pristine purple jelly surface. hee.. hee..
Looks like grape jam doesn't it?
Left: The lip tint half-spread. Right: The lip tint fully spread and the colour had changed.

As you can see, the Magic Lip Tint goes on clear but changed into a fuchsia pink. It was quite all right when swatched on the back of my hands but it really turned into shockingly fuchsia pink on my lips. It looked nice on my sister though. I guess it really depends on the pigment of the person's lips who's wearing it.
The Magic Lip Tint has smells a really nice scent of grape but the taste... ewwww! It has a not so nice taste when I accidentally licked my lips while wearing this. It actually tastes quite bitter to me as opposed to the lovely scent of grape it has.

My verdict: I didn't like the shade the Magic Lip Tint turned into on me but since it goes on all right with my sister, I think she digs it and I didn't. I also didn't really enjoy having a bitter tasting lippie on my lips. I wouldn't repurchase this.

Sunday, December 12, 2010

Tony Moly Sweety Dual Lipgloss Review

Still on the topic of lip tint, I am going to review Tony Moly's Sweety Dual Lipgloss which my sister bought while she was in Korea a few month's back.

The Sweety Dual Lipgloss is actually a dual ended tube of lip tint and a gloss at each end.  Both the tint and gloss is packaged in clear thick plastic tubes with applicators attached at the middle cap for each end on the tube. No list of ingredients. There's a nice vine-like illustration at each ends giving the tubes a sweet look.
The double ended tint and gloss tube.
Applicators attached at the middle cap of the tube.
The dual lipgloss and tint unscrewed open.

The tint has a thicker texture than Tony Moly's Water Jelly Tint but it has the same cool feeling when applied. It has a subtle fruity scent if compared to the Milky Tint or the Jelly Tint. The colour of the tint is cherry red from the tube. It blends easily and gives a nice sheer red tint making lips looked naturally flushed and healthy. It can get very pigmented if applied with several layers. It has a weird and almost bitter taste when it is freshly applied but that goes away after a few seconds. Just like other lip tints/stains, the colour is buildable to get more pigmented tint on the lips by applying several layers.
 

The gloss on the other hand has a very sticky texture. It goes on clear with no shimmers. The light sheer pinkish colour of the gloss matches the lip tint.

When the gloss is applied over the lip tint, it gives a nice glossy sheen and the sheer colour becomes more prominent.
Left: Just the tint. Right: The gloss applied over the tint.

My verdict: Tony Moly's Sweety Dual Lipgloss is a great 2-in-1 tube to bring along especially during travels.  The colour of the tint is very sweet indeed. My sister really digs this lippie. As for me, I prefer wearing the lip tint alone and the gloss alone separately. Maybe it's because I prefer to have the fresh or just bitten look on my lips rather than having them look glossy and shiny. Would I repurchase again? I am not sure about it but my sister definitely would.

You can check out the Sweety Dual Lipgloss at Tony Moly's website.
My sister bought this for 6800won at a Tony Moly's store in Korea (approximately RM18.64).

Tony Moly Pomegranate Water Jelly Tint Review

I am still on lip & cheek tint kick and this review is dedicated to Tony Moly's Pomegranate Water Jelly Tint which my sister got during her short course in Korea.

The Pomegranate Water Jelly Tint comes packaged in a  fuchsia pink box. The product description and list of ingredients are printed on the box in Korean. The only thing I understand from the box is that the lip tint lasts for 6 months after it has been opened.
Lip tint unboxed.
Not understanding what the box is saying.. huhu..

The lip tint comes in a sturdy see-through plastic tube with a gold screw on cap. There is a cute illustration of pomegranate on the plastic tube. Overall impression of the tube is that it has a very clean and nice packaging.

Attached to the cap is a slanted tip applicator.

The Pomegranate Water Jelly Tint texture is like waterish jelly and very easy to blend with fingers. Since it's jelly based, it glides easily too. It also felt cool on lips and has the same sweet scent line the Milky Tint.

From the tube, the lip tint looked very intimidating because of the deep red (almost blackish) colour. When swatched, it gives a dark plum colour but turned into a very nice sheer plum colour when blended. If applied generously and more than one layer, the lip tint will become very pigmented on the lips.

The tint lasted on me half the day without the need to reapply. Just like any other lip stain or tints, it does not smudge or transfer. It is also cleanse off with makeup remover much easier than Benefit's Benetint.
Left: Water Jelly tint blended. Right: The tint not yet blended.

My verdict: I really like the sheer plum tint the Pomegranate Water Jelly Tint gives. Overall, it functions just the same as any other lip tint/stains but the jelly-like texture made it much easier to blend without the worry of the tint dripping.

You can check out Tony Moly at their official English website here.
The price for a tube in Korea is 6000won which is equivalent to RM16.45. (Not sure how much it's going ot cost when the Tony Moly outlet is officially opened in Malaysia).

Tony Moly Milky Tint Review

While my sister was attending a course in Korea, I asked her to scout beauty stores there and get me some lip products and anything she finds interesting. One of the things I asked her to get was Tony Moly's Milky Tint because it is almost a dupe for Benefit's Posietint. I could not afford to get me a bottle of Posietint yet so this is as good as it gets.

Tony Moly's Milky Tint comes packaged in a pink box. The ingredient list is at the back of the box in Korean. Well, at least I presumed it was the list of ingredients. ( >.< ) The lip tint bottle itself comes in a very sturdy shocking pink plastic tube with a pearly white screw on cap.
Pink!
List of ingredients, perhaps?

Like most lip glosses packaged with screw-on caps, there is an applicator with a slanted tip attached to the pearly white cap.
The cap unscrewed.
Applicator.

The Milky Tint has an almost gel-like texture. It is not watery and very pink in colour. It has a very sweet smell. The scent is just nice and not pungent nor nauseating. Straight out of the bottle, the lip tint looked almost shocking fuchsia pink and I got a little but worried since I really don't like shocking pink colours. When blended, the colour turned into a very sheer pink giving the lips a naturally flushed pink look. Like any type of lip tints or stains, the liquid have to be blended in quickly to avoid getting a spot of very dark pink in the middle of your lips. The tint also did not dry my lips.
 

My verdict: I liked the tint very much and I find that the colour is just naturally sheer just how I like my lippies to be. I would definitely purchase this again if Tony Moly do open an outlet here in Malaysia.

You can get more information on the Milky Tint from Tony Moly's official English website.
The price for a tube in Korea is 6000won which is equivalent to RM16.45.

Saturday, December 11, 2010

The Body Shop Lip & Cheek Stain Review

I recently had become a new fan of lip tints and lip stains alike. I am so a late bloomer and had just discovered the joy of using lip tints and stains. It started when I was trying out Benefit's lip product over their counter in ISetan KLCC and I liked the effect of the sheer tint of red the tint gave. So, being a product junkie, I went online and did some reading on lip tint products and The Body Shop's Lip & Cheek got some nice reviews and decided to try them out.

The Body Shop Lip & Cheek Stain comes in a long and thick translucent plastic tube with a very sturdy screw-on long silver plastic cap. The The ingredients of the product is pasted over the plastic wrapping.

The list of ingredients are: aqua (water), glycerin, phenoxyethanol, panthenol, acrylates/C10-30 alkyl acrylate crosspolymer, methylparaben, aminomethyl propanol, CI 17200 (red 33).

The silver plastic cap unscrews to reveal a slanted applicator like most lip gloss tubes has.

The texture of the lip & cheek stain is jelly like and coloured a very dark cherry red. The jelly-like texture made it much easier to blend. When applied there's a brief cooling sensation (from the alcohol). Like all lip & cheek tints, the liquid must be blended over your lips before the liquid dries up and leaves a spot of dark red on where you dabbed the applicator. TBS's Lip & Cheek Stain does not really smell of anything strong. From the bottle and on the applicator, the jelly liquid looked dark red and intimidatingly pigmented but once it is blended, it gave a really nice sheer sweet red tint to the lips just as if I had been eating a red popsicle or drank strawberry soda.
 
Left: A swatch right out of the bottle, Right: Blended swatch.

I find that it did not dry my lips even though I was not wearing any lip balm at the time. Staying power of TBS' Lip & Cheek Stain is very commendable which lasted for hours even after drinking and eating. I only needed to reapply once during the day since I like the colour to be very sheer.

Here's a swatch comparison of TBS' lip & cheek stain with Benefit's Benetint:
Left: Benefit's Benetint, Right: TBS' Lip & Cheek Stain.

Benefit's Benetint has a stronger pigment when compared to TBS' stain which goes on one shade lighter. They have the same colour group and I think two swatches of TBS' stain would get almost the same shade as Benefit's tint.

Verdict: I really like the effect of the Lip & Cheek Stain on my lips as it goes on very sheer and looked very natural. It cost a fraction of Benefit Benetint which the lip tint that got me started on this lip tint madness. Would I repurchase: Yes, I believe I would.

You can get a tube of TBS' Lip & Cheek Stain for RM39 at any The Body Shop's outlets.

Friday, December 10, 2010

Bioglo Caramel Peppermint Shower Cream Review

I am a huge fan of things minty especially peppermint. Currently I am in the craze for peppermint toiletries and I just can't have enough of the sweet minty scent it gives off in the shower. When Cosway launched their new Bioglo Caramel Peppermint Shower Cream, I immediately went to a Cosway outlet in Precint 15 just to buy myself a bottle.

Packaging: The shower cream came in short and fat pet bottle in opaque white with a turquoise flip cap.  The cap cannot be unscrewed open even though. The bottle weighs 200 ml (6.8fl. oz.).

A bottle of minty shower ceam.
 The flip cap opened.

List of ingredients: deinosed water, ammonium laureth sulfate, ammonium lauryl sulfate, cocamidopropyl betaine, sodium lactate & sodium gluconate, PEG-7 Glyceryl Cocoate, glycol distearate, polyquaternium-7, fragrance, styrene/acrylates copolymer, cocamide MEA, glycerin, trehalose, methyl gluceth-20, acrylates/C10-30 alkyl acrylate crosspolymer, PEG-14M, allantoin, pistacia vera seed oil, hydrogenated vegetable oil, tetrasodium EDTA, methyl lactate, butylene glycol, mentha piperita (peppermint) leaf extract, lactose, hydrolyzed milk protein, glycerin & theobroma cacao (cocoa) extract, theobroma cacao (cocoa) seed butter, methylchloroisothiazolinone, methylisothiazolinone, FD&C yellow No. 5, FD&C Yellow No. 6, FD&C Blue no. 1.


The shower cream has a creamy liquid texture and lathers up very well. It did not feel minty while lathering up but it did felt a bit minty while rinsing off but not so much to make me feel cold under running water. Straight out of the bottle, the shower cream smelled full of peppermint dozed with a hint of sweetness to it. While showering, the shower cream smelled exactly like a milky butterscotch candy. I really like the candy but as a shower gel I felt it was too sweet smelling up to a point of being nauseatingly too sweet. It made me quickly rinse and wipe myself dry. The smell grew on me after several times showering with the shower cream and now I kind of enjoy the candy-ish scent.

The creamy candy scented shower cream.
 Very rich lather.

My verdict: I didn't like the scent at first but it grew on me. It is an enjoyable shower cream to use when the mood for something sweet in the shower strucks me. It did left my skin felt soft and moisturized. Would I repurchase? Only if there's a sale.

You can get the Caramel Peppermint Shower Cream from Cosway outlets for RM12.90. I got mine for RM9.90 during a promotional introductory price.

Sunday, December 5, 2010

Yves Rocher Aquarelles Vegetales Fruit Jelly Hair & Body Wash Review

Yves Rocher is one of the nearest beauty outlet that can be found at the shopping mall near my home so I frequently go there to check out bath products. I got me a bottle of Aquarelles Vegetales Fruit Jelly Hair and Body Wash on my last stop at the outlet a few months back so this review is quite overdue. 

The Fruit Jelly Hair and Body Wash is botanical based product and is made from organic passion flower extract, organic witch hazel water, sweet orange and lemon essential oils, botanical glycerine and botanical cleansing base. It also have no animal ingredients and is biodegradable. The sales person told me the scent of the hair & body wash is somewhat like Yves Rocher's Flowerparty EDT which I doubted since I didn't find any similarities when I sniffed the tester bottle at the store but I gave it the benefit of the doubt with hopes that it would at least smell a bit sweet and fresh in the shower.

Just like any other Yves Rocher's shower gels, the Fruit Jelly Hair & Body Wash comes in the same translucent plastic pet bottle with a tapering large bottom. The cap is fuchsia pink with a flip top. The shair & body wash weighs  200 ml (6.7 fl oz) and have a 6 months shelf live once opened.

The label on the front of the bottle consists of red, orange, a bit of purple and yellow blobs on thin stalks of to indicate that the product is all about flowery scent. The back of the bottle is pasted with a printed label of product information and list of ingredients.
 Fruits or flowers?

List of ingredients: Aqua/water/eau, sodium laureth sulfate, hamamelis virginiana (witch hazel) water, ammonium lauryl sulfate, cocamidopropyl betaine, glycerin, sodium cocoamphoacetate, parfum/fragrance, sodium benzoate, citric acid, coco-glucoside, glyceryl oleallate, sodium chloride, polyquaternium-7, allantoin, salicylic acid, linalool, limonene, passiflora incarnata flower extract, alcohol, propylene glycol, CI 14700 (Red 4).
List of ingredients printed on the back of the bottle.

To open the flip top, there is small latch at the front end of the lid that can be lifted to help flip the lid easier.
Thumbing the small latch open.

The small hole in the cap is sufficient enough for the liquid to flow through.
Shower gel goes through here.

What intrigued me to try this out is the word 'jelly'. I was expecting the hair & body wash to come out in jelly form but I was quite mistaken. The hair & body wash actually has a very runny texture and nowhere near jelly like form at all. That was quite a let down for me but it has a nice peachy hue to it that makes it quite adorable and girly. The lather has a silky feel to it and rinses off easily.
Nice peachy tint of the hair and body liquid wash.
The silky froth for hair and body.

When used as a shampoo, I find that it cleanses my hair quite nicely. It does not dry my hair too much but neither did it moisturizes. As for it's performance as a shower gel, it delivers just the same cleaning results as any shower gels do. As for the scent, the Hair & Body Wash has this musky mixed scent of flowers and fruits, nowhere near the scent of the Flowerparty EDT at all (just as I suspected). I am not a fan of the smell because I did find it too pungent and thick. It would have fared better in terms of my rating if only the scent is much more sweeter, fruity and fresh. The scent is not that overpowering when rinsed off though.

My verdict: This is a good product to bring along on trips especially when you want to have a quickie shampoo and bath without the hassle of bringing too much bottles along. If the scent is somewhat more fresh smelling and a little bit sweeter, I would be swayed to purchase it again.

You can check out more information on the product at Yves Rocher's website.
You can grab a bottle for yourself at any Yves Rocher's outlet for RM28.

 

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