Showing posts with label wash off mask. Show all posts
Showing posts with label wash off mask. Show all posts

Friday, February 13, 2015

SPOTLIGHT: Skin Food Black Sugar Scrub and Mask

I rarely get to mention this but one of the first Korean brands I have ever bought make-up from was Skin Food. Their Mushroom Multi-Care BB Cream was the first BB Cream I've tried and I loved it for two straight years, using it almost everyday even when I wasn't going out. Since then I've tried three cleansers and one mask, which were all great except one, which I mentioned in my last post. Today I wanted to talk about two of their bestsellers from the Black Sugar range - the Sugar Scrub Foam and Mask!


These both contain Brazillian Black Sugar which, according to Skin Food, helps give the skin a glow and a moisturized feeling. It's also packed with minerals that are good for the skin, so you can say that it's nourishing as well. Because of the sugar particles, it also helps in softening and smoothing the skin. From that alone I can say I'm sold!

For anyone that's skeptical about sugar as an ingredient though, you should know that sugar is a humectant, meaning it draws in moisture from the air and brings it into the skin. It also has glycolic acid, which helps promote cell turnover by removing the dead skin cells on the top layer on your skin. I've also read that it was used to treat wounds, but I'll have to look more into that!

Heh, I snuck in a little science lesson again!

Skin Food Black Sugar Scrub Foam

I got this in my Korea April 2014 Beauty Haul and I'm happy to say I still have quite a bit left! It's a  yellow-coloured physical exfoliator with sugar crystals in the formula, which melt immediately when you massage the cleanser into your skin. It leaves everything nice, smooth, but still moisturized, which you don't get from a lot of cleansers in this category. 

I like that because my skin has been exfoliated, my makeup applies better throughout the week. I found that I only need to do this once a week since I changed my skin care routine, but it was a life saver prior to that!

Skin Food Black Sugar Mask


I got this recently and use it once a week as well, about half a week after the scrub foam. It's a wash-off mask that I leave on for 10-15 minutes as instructed. Like the scrub foam, it also has sugar crystals in it that melt whilst you massage it into your face. It's a little stickier and much darker in colour than the foam, but I suppose that's so it can stick to your face for longer.

The sugar particles are much larger than that of the scrub foam. I wouldn't encourage working this in too much or pressing it too hard against your skin as it makes it a little red afterwards, so just some really light massaging motions would do. This is so much easier to remove compared to my Innisfree Volcanic Pore Clay Mask, so I look forward to using this more!



You don't need much of either product to achieve the effects it claims, and for the price of both, I'd highly recommend you try them out as additions to your skin care routine, or even just to swatch them in store to see if you like them. They're quite hard to get if you're not in Seoul, but online you can get them from iBuyBeauti.

What about you guys? Have you tried any of these products, or anything from Skin Food for that matter? Feel free to leave me a comment below!


Wednesday, December 31, 2014

2014 Favourites


Hey everyone!

I won't be having a favourites for this month in favour of the ultimate favourites post - my 2014  Favourites! This is a special kind of favourites as it also includes my favourite travel experience from this past year as well. Not going to lie, this was a pretty difficult year for me in terms of everything, but it was easily the most eventful. Restarting this blog was definitely a big part of my year, and I hope to continue being more active and sharing all these experiences and products with all of you!


Fairydrops Candybar BB Cream (Review here)

I've said this before, but this is by far the best BB cream I have ever tried. No grey cast, great colour match, lightweight, light to medium coverage, and photo-friendly! This makes me look like I have healthy, almost flawless skin, which is definitely not the case. The shade range and packaging definitely need some improvement, but I have been so happy with this overall and would highly recommend it!


Innisfree Volcanic Pore Clay Mask (Review here)

I used to use it twice a week when I first got it, but I like it better as a once a week treatment on Sunday nights to clarify my pores after wearing make-up almost the whole week. It also helps calm my acne though I don't use it as a spot treatment anymore. It also reduces the redness on my face, which is always a huge plus for me. It's easy to see why this sells so well!


Real Techniques Shading Brush

This wins as my favourite brush this year as it is the one that I didn't expect to work as well as it did. It works well to pack on colour as well as to blend harsh edges away no matter what type of eyeshadow. It also allows me a lot of control because of its small size. All in all, it's a really great multi-purpose first eyeshadow brush!


Benefit Creaseless Cream Shadow (Birthday Suit, My Two Cents)

These two have been my go-to for an easy wash of colour on lazy days, as well as bases to make similar colours sitting on top more vibrant. I also like how you can't find similar colours of these in the famous Maybelline Color Tattoo range, which convinces me to purchase the full-sized versions when I run out...which won't happen soon as I'm not even halfway through the tiny pots!


Laneige Water Bank Essence EX

This is the newest one among all my favourites, but it is the one that has made all the difference to my rough, dehydrated skin. It does exactly as it claimed - to smoothen skin and add moisture. I also like how quickly it absorbs into the skin without leaving an icky oily feeling unlike other moisturizers. I think I found another skin care staple!


Etude House Goodbye Pore Ever Primer Essence (Review here)

I like how this adds enough moisture and has just the right amount of silicone to make the application of whatever base I apply on top smoother without making me feel like I have a film over my face as most primers tend to do. I'm happy with the price tag as well despite its availability (rather, lack of) in most Etude House branches I go to. Highly recommended for people with drier skin!


Too Cool for School Marshmallow Puff (Review here)

I was in denial for a long time on choosing this sponge over my make-up brushes, but this gives the most flawless, skin-like finish, especially when paired with cream products like my NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer! It also helps my base products to separate less when worn for a long time.  This combined with my Fairydrops BB Cream and NARS Concealer make for a (seemingly) good skin day. Another unexpected favourite, and it won't break your bank as much as the original Beauty Blender would!

Best Travel Experience


Singapore

I already consider myself lucky to have traveled overseas more than once this year, but what made my Singapore May 2014 trip better was that I got to visit a friend I hadn't seen in a long time, and experienced planning and paying for a trip all on my own. This was more of a vacation for me than my Seoul trip was, as I didn't have to stress over the itinerary and making sure my parents weren't lost. It was nice to go at your own pace and do what you wanted to do for a change. In a way, it was a semi-independent trip that I won't forget for a lifetime.

And there you have it! Feel free to share with me your own favourites for this year down in the comments below. I'd like to thank everyone who has made this year what it was, especially you guys! Here's to a happier, better 2015!


1. Laneige Water Bank Essence_EX
2. Etude House Goodbye Pore Ever Primer Essence
3. Fairydrops Candybar BB Cream
4. Innisfree Jeju Volcanic Pore Clay Mask
5. Too Cool for School Marshmallow Puff
6. Real Techniques Shading Brush
7. Benefit Creaseless Cream Shadow


Friday, June 27, 2014

REVIEW: Innisfree Super Volcanic Pore Clay Mask

Hi everyone! I'm back with a review of this mask that I hauled from my Seoul April 2014 trip. Out of all the things I purchased, I'm most impressed with this particular product, which is the Innisfree Jeju Volcanic Pore Clay Mask! 

I've only ever tried sheet masks and the Laneige Water Sleeping Pack (which I still use today), so I was really excited to try this one. It claims to control sebum and clarify pores (because of the volcanic materials in the mask). I did get to study a little bit about scoria in my Earth Science class, and it is definitely quite good for the skin. This is one of their bestsellers, so I did have high expectations.


Results

There is a jar variant and a tube variant of this particular mask, and I bought the jar one because it was quite hectic in the Innisfree store when I went, and I totally forgot about the tube version. The jar contains 100mL of product, which is a pretty decent amount and will last me about around half a year. One thing I don't like is that it does not come with a spatula, so you would have to get your own. I have tons from my old Laneige products so this was not a big problem for me. Once uncapped, there is a plastic that is covering the product which I appreciate, but I'm not too sure if it really helps in preserving the product and keeping it germ-free. 

The box is made out of recycled paper, and the ink used in printing is soy ink. I also heard you can return the bottles and jars of any Innisfree products to their Korean store, which goes to show the environmental-friendliness and awareness of the brand as a whole. Definite plus points for that!




Consistency-wise, it is rather thick and appears gray in colour. I use about a heaping coin-sized amount, sometimes more, but you would need to gauge during your first few uses on how much you need. Application on the face can get very messy and though it goes on smoothly, it can get a little difficult to work with. 

This is relatively unscented, unless you really stick your nose in the jar. It smells a little bit like glue? But it's definitely not overwhelming, and goes away a minute or two after application.


I usually slather this on my face, and leave it for 20 minutes. I wouldn't go beyond the 20-minute mark as it really hardens, and gets more difficult to wash off the longer you leave it on. After 20 minutes when it is dry, it does get a bit tight on the skin and appears sort of like elephant skin, emphasizing lines and such.



I've been using this weekly for almost three months and I can easily say that I love it! I find that right after I wash the mask off, the redness on my face has been greatly reduced. It also makes my other products absorb better, especially those that leave my face a little dewy. I've also had less pimples with prolonged use, and it has never dried me out, which I was initially scared of when I first tried this. I have also been using this product as a spot treatment for my pimples (for the stubborn ones that do appear) and after just one use, it greatly reduces the size of my pimples and makes them appear less red. 

One thing I find is that this product is not one of those that have instant effects that disappear in an equally fast amount of time. It begins showing its results with prolonged use and I am very happy about this.

It is priced at 12,000₩, which converts to about P540 or less than $12, which is a very good value for the amount of product given. This is good to keep in mind when you're buying online, as I find it can get very expensive.

As I mentioned with my Canola Honey Serum review, we do not have Innisfree in the Philippines as of yet, but this is available in most online stores specializing in Korean beauty products such as W2Beauty.

All in all, highly recommended!

Summary:

(+) Environmental-friendly packaging
(+) Reduces redness
(+) Clarifies pores
(+) Not drying
(+) Can be used as spot treatment for pimples
(+) Inexpensive
(-) No spatula
(-) Jar packaging in general is not hygienic
(-) Messy application
(-) Not available locally

Repurchase? Yes

Rating: 4.3/5