rinnah's consumer views|a straight talking, tell-it-as-it-is consumer lifestyle blog

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In conjunction with my earlier review on the Back To Basics “Flower Power” 3-in-1 Cleansing Powder, I also trialed Back To Basics “Rescue Me” Precious Oils Intensive Face Serum. I’ll have to admit that I approached this oil-based serum with some trepidation, having had a previous experience with facial oil from another organic brand that irritated my eczema breakouts.

This special blend of the purest natural oils and essential oils is formulated to nourish, rejuvenate, heal and fade scars, soothe sensitive skin and reduce fine lines and wrinkles.

I found the Rescue Me serum was quite gentle, but I noticed that immediately upon application, the patches of eczema on my face would turn red and feel warm. This would dissipate after a while, but it was slightly uncomfortable while it lasted. This is not unique to the Rescue Me serum though, as I have come to the conclusion that my eczema does not play nice with oils.

Leaving my eczema problems aside, the Rescue Me serum does a nice job of moisturising my dry cheeks, but I found it to be too much for my oily T-zone. I would wake up feeling that I needed to wash my face and after a couple of days, the over production of oil resulted in the formation of one or two pimples at my nose. I found that I needed to experiment to find the right number of drops to use (around 2 drops) and areas to apply (on my dry cheeks only). I also found that my skin was happiest when I used the Rescue Me serum every other day or so instead of nightly.

I think those with dry skin would benefit the most from this serum.

Yes factors : Does a good job of moisturising dry skin, organic ingredients
No factors : Might be too rich for oily skin, not compatible with certain types of eczema, short shelf life, only available online at the Back To Basics Naturals website

Ingredients : Organic argan oil, organic pomegranate seed oil, wild crafted sea buckthorn berry oil, essential oils of rose, sandalwood, rosewood and lavender.

Packaging : 10ml / 3ml

Recommended retail price : MYR 180.00 / MYR 60.00

Note : This product was provided to me for consideration. This does not affect my review in any way and do refer to my disclosure policy for further details.

This has to be one of the most expensive moisturizers I’ve ever used.

When I bought the Santaverde Aloe Vera Creme in Medium, I was desperate to find a product that would work on my sensitive, eczema prone skin and thus was willing to throw money at the problem if it helped solve matters. So I used this at the height of my eczema breakout last year and ended up with two completely different opinions about this product.

Firstly, the good stuff. I love this for short term use. It’s wonderful when my skin is relatively normal – which means those *rare* periods of time when I have no eczema breakouts, no dry flaking spells, no sensitized redness. It doesn’t contribute to extra oil production on my oily t-zone and makes my skin feel comfortable. Unfortunately for me, my skin doesn’t behave itself all the time.

But…(you knew there was a but coming, right?) when my skin is misbehaving and breaking out in patches of rashes and what not, I hate this cream. It stings my eczema patches (I thought aloe vera was supposed to help calm!) and that in turn makes my skin turn red and irritated. I’ll also find that the cream formula becomes too rich for prolonged usage because I developed painful pimple bumps underneath my skin’s surface in the areas that supposedly need more moisture (my dry flaky cheeks). Not fun yo!

What’s a girl to do?

For now, I’m keeping this cream in my office to use as the air-conditioning tends to dry my skin out. And I use it very, very minimally, mostly on my hands and neck. Such an expensive hand lotion!

Would I repurchase this? No but only because it didn’t suit me.

Yes factors : Organic ingredients, smells great, handy size for travel, keeps skin soft and moist
No factors : Too rich for dry skin in the long run, expensive, not easy to find – currently available in Singapore only via Pure Tincture

Description : Pure Aloe Vera juice and valuable oils from seeds and fruits provide your skin with moisture, protect and preserve elasticity and suppleness.

Directions : Apply twice daily after cleansing and toning to face and neck.

Packaging : 30ml

Recommended retail price : SGD 73.00

Is it a cleanser? A scrub? Or a mask? How about all three? An intriguing concept no?

The “Flower Power” 3-in-1 Facial Cleansing Powder was the very first product I gravitated to when the good folks at Back To Basics Naturals sent me some samples of their products for testing and review.

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A description of the product on the website says :

Free of synthetic ingredients, your skin will show remarkable improvement within a few days. The skin is left refined, toned and purified. The gentle action when applying and removing the cleansing powder helps to remove any dead cells from the skin, thereby promoting a younger and clearer looking skin.

A product in powder form, all you need to do is add water to it and apply the paste-like mixture to your face. Keep it thick and let it dry naturally to use as a mask. Make it less thick and use it as a scrub. Add more water and use it as a cleanser. It’s up to you how you feel like using the cleansing powder.

The Flower Power cleansing powder comes in a small glass bottle that has a nice heft to it and fits comfortably in your palm. It also adds a touch of luxe feel to the brand. Although the instructions say to measure out approximately half a teaspoon of powder per use, I found I could get by with tapping the powder gently out of the bottle and estimating the amount needed each time.

The powder doesn’t look all that awesome as its natural shade is a bit grey-ish. It smells a wee bit herbal-ly, being a natural product and all, but nothing so strong that you’ll take a step back. In fact, I had to sniff closely to detect the scent. Having said that, once I got to the mixing stage it was a bit messier than what I’m used to so I would recommend that you use this over a sink. It’s not exactly pump and go so I had to take my time to get the paste to the right consistency that I wanted before applying it to my face and neck.

The first time I used it I was skeptical, but I’m not a skeptic anymore. I recently had another round of my facial eczema breakouts around my eye and mouth area so I had a number of red patches all over my face. I was really surprised that using the facial cleansing powder didn’t sting and it really did calm the red patches on my face. I could still feel the itch but when I looked in the mirror, the redness was gone by more than half. This wasn’t a fluke reaction because consistently over a week, I would go home at the end of the day with a slightly inflamed face, wash and have redness calmed and halved after. I believe this is due to all the anti-inflammatory busting ingredients in the powder. My skin also looked a tad brighter after use as compared to my regular scrub/exfoliator so I was quite pleased with its effects.

The only drawback for this product would be that because its completely natural, it won’t last forever like all the other manufactured products out there. If kept in the fridge, it will last up to a year. If kept at normal room temperatures, it will stay fresh for 5 months.

Yes factors : Calms irritated skin down a treat, works well as a scrub
No factors : A bit messy in application, shorter shelf life, only available online at the Back To Basics Naturals website

Ingredients : Lavender powder, rose hip powder, calendula powder, hibiscus powder, pink rose powder, white kaolin clay, dead sea black clay, rice flour, organic oats, sandalwood powder and tea tree powder

Packaging : 50g / 15g

Recommended retail price : MYR 68.00 / MYR 25.00

Note : This product was provided to me for consideration. This does not affect my review in anyway and do refer to my disclosure policy for further details.

I was uber excited at first to know that Singapore was getting a local version of the sample box trend that’s all the rage in US, UK and Australia.

Bellabox delivers the latest deluxe beauty products to your door, brand new and exclusive for you at SGD 15.00 a month. We handpick and deliver 5 of the most luxurious beauty products to hit the market. Discover new products you will love, and make new purchases with confidence.

I signed up for Bellabox about 3 months back during the preview before their official launching, but only received my first Bellabox this month after a long saga (I had multiple issues with ordering and the online payment via PayPal that resulted in my missing the cut-off date for the first edition Bellabox in October). I was pretty frustrated with the technical problems that put me on the sidelines watching other bloggers and Singapore beauty lovers tweet/blog/write about what they got last month so I guess my expectations were rather dampened by the time the November Bellabox arrived.

Nevertheless, there is always a thrill in receiving a package and opening presents.

Your Bellabox experience starts when your pink Bellabox is delivered to the doorstep via Singapore registered post.

Inside the pink Bellabox packaging sits another, smaller glossy box containing the sample products for the month, all nestled in confetti packaging. These products are custom selected for you based on the profile you fill up when you first register for the service.

Here’s what I received in November’s Bellabox:

1. Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Lip Tar in Trollop
2. Duchess Marden Damascena Anti-Wrinkle Serum
3. Korres Guava Body Butter
4. Skin Factory Eye Dream Honey Patch
5. Davines Melu Mellow Anti-Breakage Lustrous Shampoo
6. Davines Melu Mellow Anti-Breakage Lustrous Conditioner

Of all the products, I’d say that OCC’s Lip Tar and the Davines shampoo/conditioner set seem most value for money. After all, considering that 1 tube of Lip Tar normally retails at SGD 18.90, you’ve already gotten back the price of your monthly subscription. I was a mite disappointed with the size of Korres’ body butter sample sachet though – just one sachet seems rather miserly to me. Surely they could have coughed up another sachet which would allow users to better decide whether or not it works for them in more than just one or two uses.

All in, the jury is still out as I’m rather ambivalent about Bellabox at this point of time and will wait to see what’s in next month’s Bellabox before making any judgement calls.

Read other blogger reviews here :
Beetrice – October Bellabox and November Bellabox

When I was first growing out of my teenage years about a decade or so back, Simple was the very second skincare brand that I used (the distinction of being the first goes to Shiseido). Even back then I already knew that I had sensitive skin because of the way my skin used to turn red and irritated if it came into contact with stuff that didn’t suit me. My aunt recommended Clinique, but it was way too pricey for the student I was at the time so I looked for a drugstore alternative. I chose Simple simply because (yes, I know, bad pun there) it claimed to have less harmful ingredients and was manufactured in UK. (The ones you see in the store today are now manufactured in Thailand, I believe.) I used up nearly the whole range available back then – from their cleanser, toner, mask, scrub, etc. Then I started to stray simply because I grew up, started working and had money to be unfaithful. Hahaha.

This past year or so I’ve been battling bad bouts of eczema on my face (which was not a problem I’d had before) and even switching up my skincare regime didn’t seem to help. On one of those particularly bad days, I was trawling the aisles of my local Guardian when I saw a cute travel sized bottle of my former love – Simple Refreshing Facial Wash Gel. I remembered how good Simple used to be on my skin (granted that my skin condition then and now is in rather different circumstances) and I thought why not give it a go again?

I approached my night time cleansing ritual with trepidation that first night. Who knew what had changed in the years since and would Simple work its charms on me again?

Now, if the story had gone badly, I would still blog about it. But luckily, all went well and I’m now wondering why did I ever stray from Simple in the first place. Either my skin has changed somewhat or they’ve reformulated this facial wash gel, but it seems to be even gentler on skin than before. I like how fresh and clean my skin feels after using this – no more oily feeling but yet I feel comfortable and not dried out. If you’re looking for foam, you’ll need a different type of cleanser because this baby does its work quietly and efficiently without fanfare. Also, there is no scent in this cleanser – after all, we’re keeping things simple here.

I’m now quite partial to reaching out for it on days that my face is less oily and when I don’t need to think if I need to calm or scrub. I would say that it’s one of those products in your arsenal that’s reliably there when you need it but doesn’t necessarily wow. So yup, Simple and I are back together again, but it isn’t *that* kind of love this time around. Hello old friend, it’s good to have you back.

Yes factors : Gentle on skin, not drying, no scent, decently priced drugstore brand
No factors : Nothing I can think of

Read other blogger reviews here :
Shirleen
Tine

Packaging : 50ml, 150ml

Ingredients : Aqua, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Propylene Glycol, Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose, Sodium Chloride, Panthenol, Disodium EDTA, Sodium Hydroxymethylglycinate, Sodium Hydroxide

I need to confess that I’m a very bad girl when it comes to sun protection for my skin. I hardly ever use sunblock since my previous working lifestyle in Malaysia meant that I was somewhat vampirish/zombieish – the times that I ventured outdoors was usually early in the morning before the sun rose and late at night after the sun set. So, yes I was lazy about protecting my skin in that aspect although I was diligent about my moisturizers.

But ever since I’ve moved to Singapore, I find myself being rather concerned about sun protection since I have to do a fair bit of walking out in the sun – in the morning, at midday and again in the early evening. To be honest, I’m most concerned about changing skintone color. (It’s the Asian genes in me that incite the need to be as fair as possible. Heh.)

So I’ve been looking for a tinted sunblock or moisturizer for some time now ever since I finished off my previous one (Avène Very High Protection Cream SPF50) and Clinique’s Derma White City Block Anti-Pollution SPF40 landed in my hands at just the right time.

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I like the tube packaging and the clean white and silver design. Controlling the amount of sunblock you want to use is easy and I’ve never had a mess on my hands. So no gripes about the packaging.

The Derma White City Block is a tinted sunblock and it comes in only one shade. I’m not sure how it will fare on darker skinned girls as I tend towards the lighter end of the spectrum for Asians. The tint seems to suit my skintone fairly well because you can’t tell at all that I have a tinted product on but it does little to cover up redness and blemishes. It did feel a bit ‘sticky’ on my skin upon immediate application, but that feeling fades after a while (around 30 mins or so). The thing that I noticed and loved the most is that there is no typical sunblock smell about the Derma White City Block. It looks and behaves (to me) almost like a liquid foundation but with sheer minimal coverage and higher SPF protection.

I first tested wearing this sunblock over my moisturizer and nothing else. I did feel a bit oilier than usual around my T-zone after 4 hours but it was nothing that a quick blotting couldn’t cure. The following day, I used pressed powder over the sunblock and the oilies were well in control at the same 4 hour mark. In fact, with the pressed powder working in combination with the sunblock, my skin tone looked evened out especially in the areas where I’m prone to redness and the combination provided me with sufficient coverage for a pretty much flawless surface. (Please bear in mind that I have dry/combination skin, rarely have pimple breakouts and don’t have open pores to conceal.)

As for the Derma White City Block’s protection qualities, I was out and about in the harsh midday sun during my lunch hour running errands and I can safely say that it was doing its job because my unprotected arms felt like they were burning but less so on my face.

Would I repurchase this? Very likely yes, unless another product comes along to distract me.

Yes factors : Nice level of sun protection, color tint helps to cover uneven skin tone, no chemical sunblock smell
No factors : It only comes in one shade, feels a bit sticky on application, makes me a bit oily, may be a bit pricey for some

Packaging : 30ml

Recommended retail price : MYR 135.00

Note : This product was provided to me by PR for consideration. This does not affect my review in anyway and do refer to my disclosure policy for further details.

Read other blogger reviews here :
Paris B
Rachel

I’m a sucker for packaging and I’d been lemming after getting me one of these cute-sy Steam Cream tins for the longest time. What can I say? There’s just something that calls to me – the minimalistic aluminium tin with a variety of limited edition designs to cater to your every whim and fancy.

I picked up my Steam Cream while I was in Hong Kong for HKD 138.00. Score! Because after currency conversion, it worked out to be cheaper than Malaysia (anywhere between MYR 59.00 to 65.00) and Singapore (SGD 26.00). The moment I realized it was cheaper, my friend couldn’t pry me away from the Steam Cream display at Harvey Nichols Beauty Hall until I’d bought one to take home.

Here is the design I’ve chosen – Liberty, featuring the Stars and Stripes of the American flag. Yes, I know I’m not from America, but it was either this or the Union Jack and I’d seen that design available in both Malaysia and Singapore, whilst the Stars and Stripes have not made their way to the online stores here. (Actually, it was also because my friend remarked that I didn’t seem to be the type to go for a pinky, flowery, girly or frou frou design. Haha.)

But enough about the tin and the designs! How does Steam Cream actually fare when it comes down to use?

Steam Cream is supposed to be a cream manufactured with the latest concept of skincare in mind, pioneering the use of a steam technique to create a unique, gentle and loosely bound emulsion which is supposed to work on both your face and body. Essentially, it is a multi-purpose cream!

I like the scent, which is really relaxing and smells like lavender to me. But me being me with my sensitive nose, I can’t slather on lots of Steam Cream at one shot without feeling overwhelmed by the scent. So it’s a no go on my face for me. With a bit of practice, I’ve found my nose adapts best to the scent when it is massaged on in little doses at a time, so for now Steam Cream shall be my new relaxing nightly ritual and body moisturizer. I’d wager the scent helps promote better sleep for me too, because I always feel like I have some aromatherapy going on with the soothing lavender scent.

As for the cream itself, it initially feels a bit oily to the touch, but when used sparingly, it sinks into my skin fast enough and leaves behind a hint of fragrance that makes me happy. I find Steam Cream works best on slightly dry or normal skin because I find my arms and body to be loving it. But I’m guessing it would take a lot and frequent applications for it to work on the dry scaly skin on my legs (yeah, I have super dry skin there that looks like scales and flakes off in chunks).

Also, those of you who are fastidious about your skincare may not like the open tin concept of Steam Cream, but you can easily get around this decanting into a smaller jar or even a pump bottle (since the formula is not so thick) but that would just make the whole idea of the tin’s design meaningless, yes? I prefer to keep mine in the tin that it came in and make sure that it lies flat so that the cream doesn’t spill over the top when I unscrew the lid.

In a nutshell, I love the design factor and luxury feel but I’ll probably need something more moisturizing (and less scented!) for long term use.

Yes factors : Lovely scent, cute designs, does the job well enough on normal skin
No factors : Scent can be too strong for some, tin design doesn’t encourage hygiene

Packaging : 75ml

Recommended retail price : MYR 60.00 or SGD 26.00 (online pricing)

Read other blogger reviews here :
Beetrice
Connie
Muse
Paris B
Pretty Beautiful
Sesame
Tine

I can’t believe it took me so long to get around to trying this product. Now, if I’d just bitten the bullet and got myself a sample or two of this baby, I wouldn’t have had to endure so many months of dry skin!

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Estee Lauder’s Hydrationist Moisture Barrier Fortifier is supposed to be an ultra-hydrating serum for all skin types and I picked up a travel sized version (7ml) of Hydrationist during my holiday in Hong Kong recently.

I had been battling awfully dry skin as a result of a long running eczema flare-up on my face and seriously, it is no fun going around with a face that’s covered with a red, irritated rash and dry peeling, flaking skin that makes me look as if I had permanent sunburn.

Enter Hydrationist.

To be absolutely sure that my skin wouldn’t feel overwhelmed when faced with a new product and especially a concentrated serum, I used this on its own with no other moisturiser.

With just one use, seventy percent of the minor flakies disappeared overnight, leaving just the really badly affected areas. With the dryness addressed, the redness and irritation in my skin started to reduce gradually.

By the second day (day and night use), only two stubborn dry patches near my eyes remained and my skin was almost back to normal.

On the third day, the area size of the dry patches near my eyes had shrunk by half and the rest of my face was back to normal.

By the fourth day, the dry patches around my eye area had improved so much you could barely see the dryness unless you looked up close and personal.

As if that wasn’t enough to sell me on the serum, Hydrationist also works on spots, because I had two tiny red hard pimples forming under my skin on my cheek (which was dry to begin with and the pimples had developed as the result of attempting to use a cream-based moisturiser to hydrate the area). After using Hydrationist, they softened and resolved by itself within 2 days. No popping involved!

What can I say? My skin adores Hydrationist! I’m never going without a bottle of this serum as long as they keep on manufacturing it.

I do have a minor gripe about the packaging though – the travel sized (7ml) version has no pump – it comes with a screw top cap that is secure for travel – but it makes it a bit harder to control the amount of product used each time. But I’d gladly put up with the hassle in order to keep this skin saver around.

Yes factors : Hydrates skin without feeling sticky or oily, works miracles on dry dehydrated skin
No factors : Expensive, not easy to control amount of serum used in the travel-sized version

Packaging : 50ml

Recommended Retail Price : MYR 210.00 (50ml)

Read other blogger reviews here :
Paris B

Ah Hong Kong! How I miss shopping there already… and I’ve only been back for a week.

Being a total newbie (it was my maiden trip to HK), I was totally unprepared for the bright lights and myriad stores. But I was lost the moment Kahani introduced me to Bonjour.

When she showed me the section on sample/travel sized products, I was completely sold on the concept and there was no turning back. The majority of the stuff you see in the picture below is from Bonjour, with a purchase each from Sasa, Harvey Nichols Beauty Hall and duty-free at Changi Terminal.

In no particular order, I came back with :
1. Revlon Colorburst Lipgloss in Rose Perle
2. Steam Cream
3. Lanvin Marry Me perfume miniature
4. Talika Lipocils Expert eyelash serum
5. Lancome Hydra Zen Neocalm detoxifying moisturising multi-relief anti-stress gel essence
6. Lancome Hydra Zen extreme soothing moisturising cream-gel
7. Lancome Genifique Youth Activator serum
8. Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair Synchronized Recovery Complex serum
9. Estee Lauder Hydrationist Moisture Barrier Fortifier ultra-hydration serum
10. Dior Capture Totale One Essential skin boosting super serum
11. Diorsnow White Reveal essence
12. Shu Uemura UV Armor high protection face cream SPF 50
13. Shu Uemura Deepsea Hydrability moisturizing gel cream
14. Clarins Beauty Flash Balm
15. Kiehl’s Ultra Facial micro serum
16. Laniege Water Sleeping Pack_Ex
17. Guerlain Orchidee Imperiale exceptional complete care serum
18. Clinique Take The Day Off makeup remover

Whew! That’s a lot of miniature stuff, methinks!

And did you notice anything about the list above? It’s mostly skincare with a heavy slant towards hydrating stuff and anti-aging stuff.

I’ve been lemming quite a number of these serums for some time now, so yes, I am one very happy camper. Let’s hope that my sensitive/problematic skin takes kindly to me experimenting in the next few months!

How I wish I had access to these miniature pretties in Singapore or Malaysia all the time…

Read other blogger notes on shopping in Hong Kong here :
Kahani
Paris B

If you’re an Avène user in Malaysia, you would know that the brand very rarely goes on sale, and even then the discounts are only around 10% – 15% off.

I happened to be at my local Guardian drugstore today and noticed that they had a special offer for Avène’s Extremely Gentle Cleanser (which I use but have not yet reviewed) – the 200ml size bottle was on offer at MYR 48.88 compared to the normal retail price of MYR 64.90. Needless to say, I snapped it up immediately, since it also came with a free travel size (50ml) Avène Thermal Spring Water spray which normally retails on its own for MYR 18.90. Is this a great deal or what?

I’m not sure how long this promotion will be on, but if you use Avène, I’d say get going to your nearest Guardian and grab this bargain while you can.

Review on Avène Extremely Gentle Cleanser will be out soon.