Guerlain La Petite Robe Noir EDT

While waiting for the 2nd Bag of Love (which I heard will be mailed out during the third week of April), I will do reviews on the products that came in their Debut bag this month. Now, I will always make sure that I tried skin care products for at least 2 weeks prior to writing a review on them, as to give the product a chance to work on the skin and do what it claims it can do (unless of course if I am allergic to it!).

I will start with a non-skin product that was included - the Guerlain La Petite Robe Noir EDT.

Lets start with the notes....

From www.fragrantica.com:

• Top notes: jasmine, rose and green accords. 
• Heart: cherry, orange blossom and apple.
• Base: white amber, white musk and patchouli  

Described as "fresh floral" by Guerlain, I could definitely appreciate the floral part as I first sprayed it on - Rose was the most prominent top note. To my humble nostrils, this perfume skipped the fresh part, and went straight to powdery. Now, I am quite a fan of powdery - I feel a sense of maturity and lady-like out off it. However, this scent is toooooooo powdery to my liking.
The most distinct smell which lingered for the longest time on my skin was a mixture of powdery cherry and white musk.

So overall, not really a huge fan of this perfume. The only component that I like from the notes listed above is the Apple, and unfortunately, I could not appreciate it at all. As a person who loves vanilla-based scents, this is a definite miss.The bottle does look elegant though!

Do remember that perfumes do smell different, on different people. So if you are into floral perfumes, you might enjoy this. And as for lasting power, it lasted a whole day on me (to my despair!  =P)

Bag of Love: Debut Bag!!

Hi there!
So I am really excited about this post because it is going to be on the very first Bag of Love!
Simply put, Bag of Love is kinda like the Malaysian version of Birchbox in the US and Loose Button, Glymm and Topbox in Canada. There are a few similar "operations" like this in Malaysia, but somehow, I chose Bag of Love! I was intrigued with Bag of Love because rather than a box, the products are nicely packed in a cute little make-up bag! But wait, maybe I am getting a little bit ahead of myself here....

Birchbox, Loose Button, Glymm, Topbox and Bag of Love (amongst many others), are companies that provide monthly (or every 3 months as for the case of Loose Button) samples of a range of beauty products to their subscribers for a minimal fee. This is to provide a chance for their subscribers to try out different samples before making a commitment to buying full-sized products. What an excellent concept eh? It also helps bloggers like myself to save money too on buying full sized products that we want to review on, with the hope that it will help our readers a bit on what to expect with the reviewed products.

Back to Bag of Love......
The March Edition is their debut and I must say I do NOT regret my 3 months subscription. (I only subscribed for 3 months as I will be heading back to Canada in June this year). 3 months subscription with Bag of Love was MYR119.70. (They also offer monthly and annual subscription as well. More info here.) For MYR39.90, the debut March Edition is definitely worth it.

The courier was Airpak

My box was intact!

TA-DA!!

Nice touch with Gold letters

Bubble wrapped for extra protection.

The goodies! ^_^

I was pleased that my box was not damaged (some subscribers mentioned their boxes were damaged on delivery).  Adore the satin hot pink and black stripes design on the debut Bag. (The bag will have a different design each month! ^_^). The following are items in the March Debut edition of Bag of Love:-

• Revlon Professional Color Sublime Treatment, 75ml (MYR88 for 200ml)
• Guerlain La Petite Robe Noire EDT, 1ml (MYR248 for 50ml) review here
• Murad Vitalic Energizing Pomegranate Cleanser, 50ml (MYR148 for 150ml) review here
• Lunasol Skin Fusing Powder Foundation SPF20/PA++, 0.6g (MYR140 for 10.5g)
• Definite Face Blending Brush, Full size, Retail: MYR98

Do the maths, and you will see that the whole set is worth more than MYR39.90 (and that is not including the lovely cosmetic bag). ^_^

Watch this space for reviews on the products!

Conclusion:

Definitely worth the money. Give it a try if you have been wanting to try out this kind of thing. No need to worry about commitment as Bag of Love allows month to month subscription.
Check out their website for further information.

xoxo 

Clinique Chubby Stick Intense Moisturizing Lip Colour Balm

Now I know I just posted an entry on the Clinique Chubby Stick Moisturizing Lip Colour Balm. This time it will be a review on the newer Clinique Chubby Stick Intense Moisturizing Lip Colour Balm. ^_^

This newer version of the Chubby Stick gives a more intense colour on the lips while maintaining it's moisturizing property.

 "Tempt lips with a soft cushion of colour that's not quite sheer, not quite opaque-just the perfect happy medium. Loaded with mango and shea butters so lips feel comfortably soft and smooth. Eight vibrant shades in all."

I only have 1 shade at the moment - Mightiest Maraschino.
(It is a full sized Chubby Stick of 3g).

Packaging:
It is the same as the original version. A twist-up stick which looks a lot like a crayon.

Product:
As I apply it on my lips, I notice right away how intense the pigmentation is compared to the first generation Chubby Sticks. Definitely more on the opaque side than sheer. The colour range is smaller - only 8 shades at the moment.

Trying on all 8 shades at the Clinique counter, I could definitely appreciate the different colours on my lips as oppose to the original version. You do still need to reapply it as the colour do fade out after an hour or so.

The moisturizing aspects of the Intense version is the same to me as the original Chubby Sticks. My lips do feel pampered with the shea butters but without the heavy sticky feel. You will have that "moist" feel on the lips, but not sticky.

Value:
One full sized, 3g Chubby Stick Intense goes for MYR60.00. This is MYR2.00 more than the original version, which is silly I think because in the United States, the 2 products have the same price! >.<
Will I buy more? Well, I think I will just wait for a box set similar to the ones I have of the original Chubby Sticks. ^_^

Conclusion:
Buy the Intense version if you prefer a more pigmented, more opaque colour on your lips, without jeopardizing the benefits of a lip balm. This product may not be your cup of tea if you either prefer a more sheer lip balm or matte lips. Otherwise, such a good alternative to a lipstick!

Clinique Chubby Stick Intense Moisturizing Lip Color Balm is available at all Clinique counters nationwide.
Reminder: Product that works for me may not work for you, and vice versa. =)           

Clinique Chubby Stick Moisturizing Lip Color Balm

Tinted lip balm is a good alternative for days that you don't feel like wearing lipstick, but still want a dash of colour on your lips. Clinique Chubby Stick Moisturizing Lip Color Balm is the one I will be talking about today.

The ones I have came in a box set that was released last Christmas. The set contains 5 miniature sized Chubby Sticks which I think is a good way to test the product out. The only down side to getting the set is the colours are pre-selected. I am not sure if they have similar sets out at the moment.

Each Chubby Stick is 1.2g.
My set came with the following shades:

Richer Raisin
Super Strawberry    
Oversized Orange
Chunky Cherry
Curvy Candy

Clinique describes the product as "Super-nourishing balm is loaded with mango and shea butters. Just what dry, delicate lips need to feel comfortably soft and smooth. Sixteen natural-looking lip tints in all, each with a subtle sheen."

Packaging:
It looks like a crayon, which is cute! The cap fits snugly and wont pop off in your handbag.
Don't worry about a sharpener as it is actually a twist-up stick (you twist the silver bottom to reveal more product).

 Product:
Application was easy. Definitely feel that my lips are pampered with the shea butter. As for the colours, they are quite pigmented but do require constant reapplication as I find it fades out within about an hour or so. The moisture do however stay on for longer.

Although the Chubby Sticks do come in quite a range of colours, I find that on my lips, 3 out of the 5 colours that came in my set were quite similar. I have to apply a generous amount for the colours to be distinct. So they are pigmented, but the range are not as varied on the lips as they are on tissue paper. ^_^

A big plus to me for this product is the smell - it is fragrance free!! Yeay!! I dislike the many chemical, fake fruity smell of a lot of tinted lips balms out there. The Chubby Sticks stay true to Clinique's fragrance free philosophy.

Value:
I bought this set for MYR140.00 which works out to be MYR28 each. Not too bad for a "higher end" brand (compared to drugstore brands of course). A full size Chubby Stick is MYR58.00.

Conclusion:
Not a bad tinted lip balm to try out especially if like me, you hate perfumed lip balms. If you want to get more than 1 shade, make sure they do look different on your lips! 

Clinique Chubby Stick Moisturizing Lip Color Balm is available at all Clinique counters nationwide.
Reminder: Product that works for me may not work for you, and vice versa. =)            

Eczema Care: Ego Pinetarsol Gel

Today's review will be on a product I depend on a lot for my eczema care. The most annoying thing for me about eczema is how intense the itch can be! During one of my many visits to the dermatologist, she recommended a cleanser which claims to "relieves inflamed and itchy skin." I was of course initially skeptical since after being disappointed by many products, your expectations declined. The cleanser is by a company called Ego Pharmaceuticals and it is called Pinetarsol Gel.

As the name suggests, this product has Pine Tar - "Pinetarsol Gel is a soap free cleansing gel that can be used as an adjunct treatment to help relieve itchy and inflamed skin conditions including dermatitis, inflamed scaly skin, jock itch, anal and genital itching and other minor skin irritations. Can be used in the shower, bath or hand basin. pH 6 to maintain the skin's natural protection. Pinetarsol Gel is  soap alternative. Avoid using soap as soap may irritate tender inflamed skin."

Packaging:
I absolutely love the plastic tube as I find product wastage is minimal. You can definitely squeeze almost 99% of the product out and snip the tube open with a pair of scissors to really clean the tube out before dispensing. Make sure when you first bought it, there is an intact security seal. You have to unscrew the cap to remove the security seal prior to your first usage.

Product:
It is a green gel which smells very strongly of tar.

Application:
"Apply to wet skin and smooth gently over affected area. Leave on 2-3 minutes. Rinse and pat skin dry." The key thing here is to really apply it on WET skin. Also important to wait a bit before rinsing the gel off as to give the product enough time to act on the affected area. Again, the smell could be bothersome, especially during your first few usage. After rinsing, I do feel that my skin is cleaned and less itchy.

Effectiveness:
I love this product! To me, it did help a lot with reducing inflammation and itchiness of my feet (which is where my eczema tend to bother me the most). At the same time, I love how my feet do feel clean after. (Yes, people with eczema should not use soap as it could really dry the skin out. But that does not mean you should not clean yourself!). After each use, I would say my skin is itch-free for a good 4-5 hours. This may not seem much, but believe me, it is!! After suffering for a long time with itch, 4-5 hours of itch-free is heaven! ^_^

Conclusion:
I do recommend this product. Do not get put off by the pungent smell of tar (I kinda get used to it after a while). Ego Pinetarsol Gel has helped me a lot for the past year and I hope that it will also be of some help to my readers with eczema.

Ego Pinetarsol Gel is available in Malaysia at most drug store such as Caring and Guardian. There's often value twin packs offered where you can get 2 tubes of 100g each for less than MYR40.00. Single tubes are sold for about MYR28.00 each.

Reminder: Product that works for me may not work for you, and vice versa. =) 

Sukin Foaming Facial Cleanser

I recently purchased a new set of facial cleanser. Sukin is an Australian brand which focuses on natural ingredients and claims to be very earth-friendly. I decided to give this brand a try since my skin has become quite sensitive (I have eczema) and thought that I should give some natural products a go. In the past, natural products have deterred me quite a bit since somehow, I have the assumption that natural products are just too mild. ^_^ These products have gotten a long way now, especially with more research proving their efficacy. Hence I wanted to give natural products a try.

Packaging:
This particular plastic bottle has a push-to-open top which I think is travel-friendly (compared to the pump type which leaks easier, in my opinion). The label do projects a "natural, earth-friendly" vibe.

Notice how this cleanser lacks many of the ingredients deemed damaging or drying to the skin. This is definitely a super plus for someone like me (with eczema). It is also 100% vegan.

Product:
As expected, the product is colorless. It does however has a very refreshing smell. The best I could describe the smell is - it reminds me of lemongrass. For a natural product, I was quite happy with the amount of foaming it gives on lathering.

Pros:
1) Gentle
2) Non-drying (even after 2 consecutive wash - see Cons below)
3) Adequate foam for a natural product
4) Smells refreshing

Cons:
1) I need to use a make-up remover prior to washing my face with this cleanser as I find it does not remove make-up (and take note that I only use concealer and sunblock on a daily basis)
2) At times, I need to wash my face twice at one time to feel that my face is thoroughly cleansed.
3) A little pricey for a drugstore facial cleanser. (MYR36.00 for 125mL)

Conclusion:

Definitely a product worth trying especially if you have eczema (as you would want to avoid products with Sodium Lauryl Sulphate ie SLS and parabens). Using a make-up remover prior to washing my face is not troublesome since I do usually include this step in my evening face routine. The lemongrass smell is a plus. Will I buy it again? Definitely.

Sukin Foaming Facial Cleanser is available in Malaysia at Vitacare Pharmacy. I believe the price is about MYR36.00 for 125mL.

Reminder: Product that works for me may not work for you, and vice versa. =) 

Almay Wake Up Undereye Concealer

Although I am not a daily foundation user, I am  however an avid fan of undereye concealer and use it on a daily basis.

My current undereye concealer is one that I bought during my recent trip to Ottawa, Canada. So unfortunately, it is not available in Malaysia. I do however think it is good to know what other brands out there that are available, so that when u travel to other countries (or have relatives/friends traveling overseas who does not mind buying products for others) you know what is available.

The Almay brand is available both in the United States and Canada. (Not sure if it is confined only to these 2 countries). I bought their concealer due to its shade and price.

I had always preferred a concealer with a yellow undertone and about 2 to 3 shades lighter than my skin tone (yes, I like my undereye to be THAT much lighter, huhu). So the yellow-ey shade of this Almay concealer attracted me right away.

There are 3 shades available. I bought the middle shade - 020 in light/medium.
The Almay Wake Up Undereye Concealer comes in a 6.5mL squeezable tube with a brush tip.

It has a more creamy than liquid consistency and has a very muted smell.

The application is easy with the brush. I use my fingers to blend it out...

Here is a comparison before and after the application.

I love how the product brightens my undereye area without leaving a grey cast.
Overall, really happy with it and hope that i will be able to re-purchase mine when it runs out!

The Almay Wake Up Undereye Concealer sells for CAD10.90 before tax ( about MYR33.00 ).

Reminder: Product that works for me may not work for you, and vice versa. =)
 

Smashbox Photo Finish Hydrating Undereye Primer

Hi there!!! 

Yup, I know. Its been a while. Sigh... My health is just not at its best form these days. I hope everyone else is well. We are now into the third month of 2013. Wow! So soon??!  

Anyways, today I will share my thoughts on a Smashbox product that I had purchased from Sephora. It is the Smashbox Photo Finish Hydrating Undereye Primer. Here is what Smashbox has to say about this product: "Hydrating formula primes the eye area while reducing the look of puffiness and dark circles. Smooth under eyes before makeup application or wear alone for instant brightening."

The Photo Finish Undereye Primer comes in a 10mL tranparent squeeze tube with a slanted end with a small opening through which you squeeze the product out. I believe the idea behind the slanting end is so that it is easy to apply directly under the eyes.

The product feels almost gel like to touch and appears pink with a bit of pearlescence shine to it. I could not appreciate the minty smell that some reviews have mentioned. Instead, to me it smells "oily", if that makes any sense at all?

On application to my undereyes, it felt smooth and cooling. I also noticed that my undereye was instantly brightened too. Therefore, i was initially quite impressed. Unfortunately, that was the one and only time i used it for the following 2 reasons:-

1) although it did made my skin under the eyes feels smoother, when it comes to aplying undereye concealer, i was struggling with the concelaer "moving" too much. I find it a bit difficult to pat the concealer into my skin with my ring finger and ended up with an uneven finish which is not appealing at all.

2) the main reason why i did not use this product after my first trial is that i am allergic to it!! =( how do i know? Well, at the end of that day when i removed my makeup i noticed the area under my eyes were puffy and a bit itchy. This tends to happen when i use products that are not suitable for my skin. Puffy, itchy and redness.

Conclusion:

Even if i was not allergic to it, this cream wont help me much with concealer application. But like I always say,  "Product that works for me may not work for you, and vice versa".  =)

Smashbox Photo Finish Hydrating Under Eye Primer is available at Sephora for MYR99.