Quick Review: Kao Megurism Thermal Steam Eye Mask

I have been eyeing the Kao Megurism Thermal Steam Eye Mask for a few months. I first saw it on Qoo10 last year and I was so intrigued by this mask that's targeted for stress-relieving and promoting a better sleep. But, I didn't want to commit to buying the box of 14 yet because what if I hate the mask? Waste money le! So I waited....and now the product page has over 1000 reviews, and a huge majority of those reviews are positive. Ok! BUY LAH! 

The Kao Megurism Thermal Steam Eye Mask retails on Qoo10 for S$19.80 for a box of 14 masks (excluding postage fees) and it comes in 6 variations: Unscented, Eucalyptus, Lavender, Rose, Ripe Yuzu (Citrus) and Chamomile. There's even one specially for men!

I bought the Lavender one since I wanted to have better sleep, and the mask certainly did make my sleep a much improved one. 

I stare at the computer more than 12 hours a day, be it for work or at home, and sometimes I strain my eyes so much I can feel them hurting when I'm sleeping. It's not a pleasant feeling to try to sleep off, and since I cannot stop what I'm doing at work, I can only try to find ways to treat my eye area at home. The Kao Megurism Thermal Steam Eye Mask has done a fantastic job in relieving the pain around my eye area and making me sleep so much faster! 

Once opened and applied on the eye area, the mask will slowly generate moderate heat (up to 40 degrees celsius - nothing too extreme) and this heat helps to warm and relieve the area. To my female readers, this is the same logic as applying a warm water bottle on top of your abdomen to relieve those painful period cramps. Works like magic every single time, and I have a feeling this mask will work as miraculously. 

My fatigued and overworked eyes felt a gradual comfort as the heat sensation intensified. After a seemingly luxurious 10 minutes, I took off the mask and once my head hit the pillow again, I was instantly teleported to my dreamland. Crazy effective?! Usually it takes me a good 30 minutes before I can fall asleep! 

Two thumbs up and I feel the need to spread the gospel! Highly, highly recommended!! 

This mask will be excellent for plane rides too! Can't wait to bring this along for my next trip to Shanghai. 

It's really easy to apply too. Just remove the mask from the plastic packaging and tear open the perforated area and that becomes your ear hooks, and you just attach the two holes over your ears and you're good to go! The mask is completely dry, so you don't need to worry about messing up your pillow or bedsheet. 

The Kao Megurism Thermal Steam Eye Mask is certainly a good before-bed product to have if you're staring at the computer screen way too much at work. Go get yours if you need a better sleep! S$19.80 for 14 masks is quite reasonable! The seller ships out the item quite quickly too.

Have a great weekend guys! :) 

Review: forme Acne Care Medical Pack for Strawberry Nose

Blackheads. No one really wants them. Personally, I HATE blackheads. No matter how clear or smooth your skin is, if you have a farm of blackheads on your nose, you still look like you couldn't care less about your skin. Unless you converse with people by standing very far apart from each other lah, if not it's really sickening when you are very near to someone and then start to worry about how terrible your blackhead situation is.

My blackhead removal procedure is quite .... painful. First, I will use the ever-popular nose strips from Biore, and then after admiring the gunk that was pulled out, I proceed with squeezing out additional stubborn blackheads using clean tissue papers. It's really very very painful and usually after a good cleansing, the skin around my nose area will start peeling. BLEH. Of course, the way I remove blackheads is not the correct way and it's super damaging for my pores - which is why I'm trying to use less crazy ways of removing them.

So, I was really intrigued when I saw the forme Acne Care Medical Pack for Strawberry Nose in a random Japanese drugstore. Just use daily and you will see a reduction of blackheads? Also, it was ranked the 3rd best product by consumers! CONFIRM MUST BUY RIGHT?!

So I did.

The forme Acne Care Medical Pack for Strawberry Nose retails for 987 yen, with tax included, which is roughly around S$11-S$12.

To be frank, I wasn't expecting anything miraculous to happen after using this product. Less expectations, less disappointment!

However, the forme Acne Care Medical Pack for Strawberry Nose is proving its worth!

Packaging: Honestly, the first thing that caught my attention was the packaging. So cute lah! The product itself is packaged minimalistically - a rather huge contrast with the product insert. I think it's quite clever! Capture the consumers' attention by huge contented face and large pink stuff first, then make the consumers intrigued by the professional-looking product.

Directions: Everything was in Japanese and I was lost, so I turned to everyone's best friend, Google, to find out how exactly to use this product. It's quite simple. After you are done with your cleansing routine, just massage a tiny bit of the product on yout nose for 30 seconds, and then wash away.

Consistency: It's like a transparent Cetaphil. If you have used the highly raved gentle cleanser before, you will know what I'm talking about. The consistency of the forme Acne Care Medical Pack for Strawberry Nose is quite pleasant; like applying a liquid gel mask on your nose. When you massage the product on your nose, it doesn't feel slimy or sticky. Instead, it feels like a nourishing serum!

The important question is ....

DOES IT WORK??

At first, I didn't really believe the claims that the forme Acne Care Medical Pack for Strawberry Nose has. After using it for 2 days straight, I stopped using and went back to my old ways of extracting blackheads. As expected, I went a little too crazy and the condition of my nose was way off the normal radar. I got really scared. So, I decided to give this product a try.

I'm glad I did because now my nose looks less pimply and less red. My verdict for the forme Acne Care Medical Pack for Strawberry Nose will be that if you are a person with a relatively mild blackhead situation, please don't expect this product to do magic for you. However, if you have a really bad blackhead tragedy, then the forme Acne Care Medical Pack for Strawberry Nose will make life a little bit better. My extremely sensitive and inflamed nose (with hugeeeeeee pores from all that squeezing omg NEVER AGAIN) calmed down even after only one day of product usage. Today's my fourth day of using it (I only use it during my night skincared routine) and the redness is almost completely gone, and my unsightly huge pores look less monstrous. I'm a very happy user. Want to cry already. :')

Will I buy it again? This will depend on my needs. You know how the skin condition always changes throughout your life? If I have crazy blackhead nightmares again in the future, then of course I'll purchase this again (I hope it's available in Singapore!!). If not, then I probably will not. Overall, the forme Acne Care Medical Pack for Strawberry Nose really works if you have a bad blackhead situation to start with!

Review: SHISEIDO INTEGRATE Cat Wink Black Eyeliner Limited Kit

If you are a regular reader, you will know my obsession with eyeliners (and mascaras...and concealers...and neutral eye palettes...and I have a problem I know). I was very excited about my Japan trip because Japanese cosmetic brands are supposedly really good at producing high-quality eyeliners at affordable prices! 

I saw this SHISEIDO INTEGRATE Cat Wink Black Eyeliner Limited Kit at a random drugstore and I knew I had to get it because wah two for the price of one! Moreover, it's not two of the same eyeliner but two different types of eyeliners! I remembered that it was the first thing that I saw in the store and also the first thing that I put in my basket. Heh. 

I can't recall how much these were, but it's not very expensive, maybe at most 1200Yen (~S$15)? 

So did the SHISEIDO INTEGRATE Cat Wink Black Eyeliner Limited Kit live up to expectation?

My final verdict is one did better than the other. Much better. Maybe that's why they were packed together - nobody wanted the not-so-good one. :( 

The SHISEIDO INTEGRATE Cat Wink Black Eyeliner Limited Kit contains two eyeliners:

1. Cat Look Liquid Liner in BK999
2. Wink Gel Liner in BK999

When we talk about gel liners, the first thing that comes to mind usually is the circular pot of product. However, the Shiseido Integrate Wink Gel Liner comes in a pencil form. Dissonance is happening in my head, but I will try to open my horizon haha.

The slogan for this is "Rich and smooth!", which I agree wholeheartedly.

The Shiseido Integrate Cat Look Liquid Liner comes in the normal pen-like packaging, which I adore. The felt-tip brush really makes it much easier to apply and you get so much control out of it.

I'm guessing this is specially made for the sharp cat-eye look. Score for me because there's nothing I love more than a cat-eye eyeliner look. :D

So how did the SHISEIDO INTEGRATE Cat Wink Black Eyeliner Limited Kit fare?

Pigmentation: Both eyeliners are really intense in their pigmentation. No joking around here. You want the blackest of black, I will give you the blackest of black. Full marks for both eyeliners!

Application: The Cat Look Liquid Liner triumphs slightly in this department because it's hassle-free and very smooth. The Wink Gel Liner is okay but sometimes when you go back for a second application, the gel liner stick scrapes the first application away and you get ugly fallouts and an uneven application.

Swatches taken with camera flash

Swatches taken under normal lighting

Swatches after one normal swipe

Swatches after one normal swipe under running tap water

Smudgeproof? The Cat Look Liquid Liner definitely did better here than the Wink Gel Liner. I think part of the reason why the latter did worse is because it takes a longer time to dry and settle. The Cat Look Liquid Liner dried within seconds and a normal swipe didn't budge it at all. The Wink Gel Liner, on the other hand, failed after the first swiping attempt.

Waterproof? Both are not waterproof. If you want to really pinpoint a winner, then the Wink Gel Liner performed better. I'm a little bit saddened by the fact that they are not waterproof but ohwell this means I can only wear them for long days in an air-conditioned room.

Longevity: I have yet to try this on my eyelids, but I noticed that after around 5-6 hours, the Cat Look Liquid Liner that was swatched on my hand was still doing well, but the Wink Gel Liner started to look a little funky. Funky like I'm-going-to-disappear funky. I don't think that's due to housework/errands because I swatched them on a Saturday and I only lazed around on my bed (yikes), so why does the Wink Gel Liner fade? I guess it will be better to judge if I tried these on my eyelids. Time to whip these out for tomorrow!

Will I buy them again? As much as I love most of Japanese cosmetic products, these were a sad disappointment. The Cat Look Liquid Liner is decent but it's not waterproof! I think we have evolved into beauty users who demand waterproof eyeliners! Try living in Singapore (or other humid + hot countries) and wearing non-waterproof eyeliners - it is a NIGHTMARE.

I shall continue my journey in finding the most amazing liquid liners!

Hope this post has been insightful! Have a great week ahead guys! :D

Review: K-Palette Okuma Cover Control Concealer in 01 and 03

If you were to ask me to only choose one product from my makeup collection, I would definitely choose the concealer. Eyeliner and mascara are important, but a good concealer is ESSENTIAL. I have blemishes, I have acne scars and I have panda-like eyes - of course a concealer is always needed in my life. I'm always on the lookout for amazing concealers that conceal perfectly without breaking the bank. It's not an easy task though. I have been disappointed by high-end brands who claim to have the groundbreaking concealer that solves all known problems, but nope all those claims were just plain bullshit. 

It's especially difficult to find a concealer that works well when you are "blessed" with oily skin and are living in a tropical country. It's like a lose-lose situation - the first hour your skin looks good, the next hour your skin looks like ... a pool of oil. NOT GLAM OKAY. 

During my Japan graduation trip, I chanced upon the K-Palette Okuma Cover Control Concealer and I was extremely intrigued especially because the shades are not differentiated by colour, but by purpose. For example, type 01 is more for the fatigued working person while type 03 is more for a person who uses computers or other visual electronic devices frequently. I love this concept! However, loving a concept does not mean that the concealer will work well, and this is perfectly illustrated by this concealer. I hate to say this, but the K-Palette Okuma Cover Control Concealers have been a waste of my money. :( 

The K-Palette Okuma Cover Control Concealer retails for 950yen (before tax). That estimates to around S$11.90. Quite affordable!

Packaging: You probably have read the many times I go ga-ga over Japanese cosmetic product packagings. These concealers are no different. Pretty (and cute, look at the bear!!) packaging that catches your attention while looking through the myriad of products. I really like the bear paws haha.

One thing I like about these concealers is how much control you have over the amount of product that you want to use. The plastic tube packaging allows practicality and you can squeeze as little or as much as you want. I will advise that you don't apply straight to your skin though. Using your clean fingers to apply the product will be much more hygienic.

Shade: The K-Palette Okuma Cover Control Concealer in 01 tackles overall fatigue and it's perfect for those who don't sleep very much. It has a darker shade than 03 and I guess it's a more universal shade for girls living in tropical countries. The K-Palette Okuma Cover Control Concealer in 03 tackles problems concentrated on the eye area. If you stare at computers all day at work, then this is the shade for your eye area. The problem with 03 is that it's a really fair colour. To be honest, not many girls have porcelain skin. Shade 03 is too white for me and when I use it, I normally mix it with a darker shade concealer.

Coverage: It's amazing for the eye area. The amazingness ends there. I tried to use it on blemishes, and it didn't work. The concealer slides too much during application. I'd prefer it to be a little bit more gooey.

Application: I really dislike how the K-Palette Okuma Cover Control Concealer applies. It slides around too much and I think the formulation is quite oily. It's okay when using it on my eye area, but when I try to apply it on other areas, I just cannot apply it properly! I tried using my fingers, FAIL. I tried using a brush, FAIL. I just don't know how to work with this concealer. I really don't want to waste them, so what I do now is I mix them with a thicker concealer. It's much easier to apply and conceal when the concealer is not so watery.

Longevity: Ah, where do I start with this? I don't really want to come across as being too harsh, but to put it simply, I don't like the K-Palette Okuma Cover Control Concealer even more because it fails to stay on my face for more than an hour. Of course I can't solely blame the product; I have really oily skin so any product that has oil in it will look terrible very quickly. Moreover, Singapore is not a very weather-friendly country and this concealer just melts wayyyy too easily! I remembered that fateful day when I only used the K-Palette Okuma Cover Control Concealer in the morning before work, then when I reached my office, I checked my face and I was in shock. The concealer melts too easily and too obviously! I had patches of oily concealer all over my face! MAJOR FAIL.

I want to be fair to this concealer, so I will only advise those with dry or normal skin to get it. To be frank, it does a good job concealing dark eye circles and all other eye area problems.

Will I buy it again? Definitely not. I'm trying to use both up now by mixing them with other concealers that have thicker consistencies.

It's not nice when I have to rate a product negatively and I don't like writing negative reviews. But what to do? This concealer really just failed me badly :((

Negativity aside, enjoy the long weekend ahead guys! :)

Visuals - July 2013 Week 3 (Highlights: Dulu Kala Peranakan Restaurant, Bedok 85 NOMS and Jin Hua Sliced Fish Bee Hoon)

I know, I know. I'm getting lazy when it comes to posting beauty reviews. I have the photos but aiyoh I just keep forgetting to import them to my laptop. I think I need to churn out at least 2 beauty-related posts by Sunday!

 

In the meantime, let me do a recap of last week. I had a lot of good food and a lot of reminiscing about Japan. I really miss Japan! Everything I saw, experienced and consumed was just magical. I vow to go back soon!!

 

Here are some of the photos from Japan that made me almost tear up...

 

Books from the first hostel that we stayed in.

 

A myriad of onigiris and other rice-ball thingies at every convenience stores. I love these for breakfasts!

Extremely delicate paper art thing that we saw at a shop at Tokyo Tower.

62,000 yen (~S$775) of colourful beaded figurine from Akihabara.

Japanese schools really go all out in terms of uniforms. EVERY school has different but equally nice uniforms. This was taken at Ueno.

How can I not miss the packaged drinks section at Japanese convenience stores. I love the juices the most. Super legit because you really taste the fruits & vegetables!

Last week was a really bad week for my weight because I had sooooo much good food!

Jeremy, Yinghui and I met up for our biweekly Tuesday dinners (see you at the next one, chan!) and we went to Dulu Kala The Peranakan House at Beauty World. The portions were not very big but the food quality was amazing! I especially loved the Bakwan Kepiting Soup and Beef Rendang.

Here's the address if you want to try some really delicious Peranakan food:

Dulu Kala The Peranakan House

Upper Bukit Timah Rd
#04-04, Beauty World Centre
Singapore 588177
  

Kengyang and I FINALLY went to Bedok 85 together to try out some of the highly-raved hawker delights.

It was ..... amazing. I'd rather have these everyday than expensive restaurant food.

The chicken wings were okay. I still prefer those from East Coast Lagoon Food Village.

We also tried Chai Chee Pork Porridge and it was SOOOO GOOOOD. Initially, this was supposed to be shared, but I ended up eating most of it. I LOVE IT. EVERYDAY ALL DAY!!

We had high hopes for this legendary bowl of goodness and yes it was LEGENDARY indeed.

The three stalls with the longest queues at Maxwell Food Centre are obviously Tian Tian Chicken Rice, Zhen Zhen Porridge and Jin Hua Sliced Fish Bee Hoon. I have tried the former two, so last week I went ahead for sliced fish bee hoon! I even went out of office early to queue haha!

It was the most delicious serving of fried fish bee hoon that I've had in my entire life. The broth was so smooth and so flavourful and the fried fish slices were not soggy at all despite having soaked in the hot broth for quite some time.

You need to try this if you haven't!!

And then I tried to be healthy. HAHAHAHA. Nuts are really expensive huh? One small pack of mixed nuts can cost more than S$6. I really love nuts but wow I can't afford to eat it regularly. :(

A couple of OOTDs...

This vintage shirt was purchased online for only S$4. NYAHAHA. I love the print and I look like I'm ready to attend an Indonesian event!

One of the reasons why I love my job is because I need not dress up formally everyday. Nobody really cares what you are wearing because the important thing is to get tasks done well.

Pineapple print shirt: Gu Japan
Ripped jeans: ZARA
Flats: Cotton On
Bag: Qoo10
Watch: Casio

PSYDUCK!
:D

New laptop sleeve from Cotton On for only S$7.50!! Material is so good and it's so cheap!!

I had so many unworn bracelets. Some of them were bought when I was in secondary school and so I don't really wear them anymore. Instead of just throwing them away, I decided to collect the beads and perhaps make another bracelet! DIY TIME! :D

Ending this post with a really cute car. After I took this photo, I went straight home to watch Winnie the Pooh clips. :')

Have a great week ahead everyone! Hopefully, I will be able to post more substantial stuff by Sunday! :)

Review: CANMAKE Cheek & Cheek Blusher in 05

Finally, I have reached the end of my CANMAKE reviews. The CANMAKE Cheek & Cheek Blusher in 05 is the last CANMAKE product that I bought from Japan and writing this post makes me a little little bit melancholic. Call me drama-mama, but if you know how much more CANMAKE products retail for in Singapore, you will understand my grief. I want to buy more, but I can't. :( 

GETTING BACK TO THIS REVIEW, the CANMAKE Cheek & Cheek Blusher in 05 retails for 680yen (before tax), ~S$7.50. I don't even know how much one costs in Singapore, but I'm pretty sure it's so much more. MEH. 

I chose 05 (Peach Petal) because I thought the soft coral and pastel peach colour will go so well together in creating that summer-appropriate cheeks! 

There are 4 other shades:

1. 01 Candy Flower - girlish orange + soft pink
2. 06 Antique Rose - sugar pink + coral pink
3. 07 Orange Bouquet - faintly coral-tinged orange + hot orange
4. 08 Love Trap Flower - blood orange + lovely pink

Do visit the website for more information: http://www.canmake.com/en/ebase/item_base030.html 

Packaging: I really really adore CANMAKE's product packaging. This blusher looks like a gem from far! It's so simple, but it shines gloriously!!

Claims - true or not?

1. Apparently, this blusher can create the illusion of a smaller face. There are two ways in which you can achieve this illusion and they are clearly illustrated at the back of the packaging.
2. This blusher has squalane, jojoba oil, hyaluronic acid and ectoine in its repertoire of ingredients to make your skin supple, healthy and moist. 

Personally, I can't be bothered to apply the CANMAKE Cheek & Cheek Blusher as instructed. Takes too much time! If anyone has tried the blusher as instructed, please tell me if it works or not! 

Regarding the many many beneficial ingredients, it doesn't hurt to have these ingredients right? Unless you are allergic to them! The CANMAKE Cheek & Cheek Blusher gives you healthy-looking cheeks and also moisturises - win-win situation! 

Brush: Wow. Simply WOW. It's a drugstore product with a stellar brush. It's not spiky at all and the synthetic brush feels unbelievably soft and smooth. Great work there, CANMAKE! I have been using this quite religiously for the past two weeks and I'm happy to announce that there has been no shedding. None. ZERO!

Formulation: I really appreciate the hint of shimmer. I hate it when blushers have TOO MUCH glitters/shimmers because they are really unforgiving on oily skin! Give it a couple of hours and you look like you have been dipped in oil. NOT GOOD. Hence, I prefer matte blushers or those that give a little bit of shine. The CANMAKE Cheek & Cheek Blusher is a perfect example of my ideal blusher and I really love it!

Pigmentation: It's not majorly pigmented, but to me, that's a good thing. Some blushers (*cough* Sleek cosmetics *cough*) are so pigmented that applying them gets me really nervous. I once had to remove my face makeup and start from scratch because I applied way too much blusher. Of course, you can say that that's because I'm not skillful enough, but come on, we all need user-friendly products and not one that only the pros can use! The CANMAKE Cheek & Cheek Blusher has beautiful, average pigmentation that ensures you have total control when applying. You want more, then apply more layers!

Application: Smooth and hassle-free application. It seems like the CANMAKE Cheek & Cheek Blusher can do no wrong!

Longevity: This blusher lasts a crazy long period of time. By crazy long, I mean over 12 hours. CUCKOO RIGHT?! I applied it before work at 8am, then checked it when I reached home at 930pm, AND THE COLOUR IS STILL ON MY CHEEKS. I don't get it, but I love it! The blusher actually withstands the horrifyingly humid (and hazy) weather!

Pardon the duck face, this was NOT my intended pose okay. HAHAHA. 

I really love the CANMAKE Cheek & Cheek Blusher and I wish I can get more! Who's going to Japan?? Please help me get more CANMAKE blushers!!! :D