QV Face Purifying Mask

Ever since I got pregnant I had to do a total overhaul of everything I used, from skincare, haircare, to bodycare. Somehow the moment I hit "5 weeks" suddenly my sense of smell went 100X stronger than usual. Even slightly scented product smelled horrible, making me feel sick. Had to do a super quick shower and had to hold my breath everytime I washed my hair, otherwise I might puke in the shower due to the "super strong" smell. I couldn't (and still can't) wear my favourite perfumes since.

My combination skin went really oily, I had tiny bumps on my forehead and my chin, which was upsetting, as I don't normally get them. Plus pimples around my cheeck and nose. Must be due to those pregnancy hormones!!!! So I went on the hunt for a mask with kaolin in the ingredients list, hoping to draw all those impurities out of my skin. I was attracted to QV Face Purifying Mask mainly because it has kaolin and because it was supposed to be "fragrance free".

I'm glad I got it, the mask is one of the best I've ever used. It seems to settle my skin, doesn't cause more breakouts, and feels gentle enough on my sensitive skin. It doesn't give me the tight-skin/moisture-sucking feeling that normal mud mask gives, leaving my skin feeling smooth and comfortable after application. It's not totally fragrance free in my opinion, as I can smell a soft scent whenever I use it. But it's mild enough not to upset my pregnant nose. I was pleasantly surprised with it, especially considering it comes with a very affordable price tag.

Verdict: yes, yes, YES! for me. It has become one of my newest best friends. Definitely buying more when I run out of it.

Ingredients: Aqua (water), kaolin, pariffinum liquidum, butylene glycol, cyclomethicone, panthenol, carthamus tinctorius (safflower oil), magnesium aluminium silicate, glyceryl stearate, PEG-100 stearate, cetyl alcohol, tocopherol (vitamin E), xanthan gum, methyparaben, propylparaben, citric acid.

Cosline Green Tea Mask

I've just finished Cosline Green Tea Mask (wash off type) I bought from SaSa on my last trip to Singapore. That was last April, how time flies!

From what I can read from the package, this "Green Tea Natural Powder Pack" is made in Korea. Apart from that and the ingredients list, I can't read anything else on the package. All thanks to my very dodgy Chinese reading skill (couldn't be bothered to learn properly when I was a child - to my regret) and my non-existent knowledge of Korean language. Means I can't tell you what it's supposed to do.

Goggling it didn't help either. I tried typing in the address of the korean website, it didn't want to give me access. So you have to make do with what I can tell you.

- the mask has cooling effect on my skin, even when I mixed the powder with warm water: I like.

- it has yummy green tea scent: I like.

- my skin feels tighter and smoother after application: I like.

- my skin gets a bit red (well, it was more like pinky than red) afterwards, but no stingy/uncomfortable feeling: so I use it in the evenings.

- the sachet lasts a long time, very economical (not including flight tickets to S'pore): I like.

- powder mask can be messy: I sometimes like, I sometimes don't.

Verdict: I can't really make up my mind, as it caused temporary pinkness on my skin. I'm also a little suspicious that sometimes it caused a little "purging". So I'm going to try the other 2 masks I bought from the same range before letting you know whether I like them.

P.S. Sorry if the tone of the post come across as un-friendly, I'm quite tired after travelling for 9 hours straight today. I'm going to have a nice hot shower and try out a NEW scrub that's not even on sale yet. You have to wait for another post to find out more. :D

Ingredients: Starch, Wheat, Allantoin, Disodium EDTA, Kaolin, Diatomite, Methyl Paraben, Green Tea, Non-Fat Dry Milk, Alginic Acid, D.P.G.

L'Occitane Clarifying Rice Mask

Today I'm writing about L'Occitane Clarifying Rice Mask as it's the first mask I've encountered that really mattify my skin. The mattifying effect is so good I could see noticeable difference in my combination skin. Everytime after I used it the oily parts of my face looked matte, as if I've just been airbrushed! :)

I guess the magic ingredients could be the 3 types of natural clays used in this mask. According to the webpage, it contains "white clays (to promote the elimination of impurities), green clay (known for its absorbing and rebalancing properties) and pink clay (known to soften and improve skin’s radiance)."

The blurb on the webpage says: "This mask, recommended for combination to oily skin purifies the skin and ensures a long lasting matte and velvet finish." I'm not sure about the purifying part, as I haven't noticed any improvements to the congested part of my skin. Generally I like to use mask in the evening before I sleep and so far I've never consciously made a note of how long the matte effect last. All I can say is I really, really like the result - look at how many times I used the word "matte"! :)

I love the gentle almond scent and the texture of the mask. I'm using muslin cloth to remove the mask, I find that it's too slippery to remove it with water alone.

Verdict: a good mattifying mask.

P.S. For those who are interested in pore-reducing products, try Biotherm Biopur Pore Reducer lotion, it worked wonders on my pores. Obviously the Pore Reducer mask isn't as good as L'Occitane's Rice Mask as I'm not writing about it today. LOL.

Ingredients: aqua/water, kaolin, glycerin, hydroxypropyl starch phosphate, Cl 77891/titanium dioxide, vitis vinifera (grape) seed oil, oryza sativa (rice) powder, sodium pca, sorbitol, butylene glycol, illite, oryza sativa (rice) bran oil, parfum/fragrance, maltodextrin, bentonite ethylhexylglycerin, tocopherol, xanthan gum, red rice vinegar, zinc pca, benzoic acid, dehydroacetic acid, oryza sativa (rice) extract, citrus media limonum (lemon) peel oil, spiraea ulmaria extract, polyamonipropyl biguanide, sodium benzoate, potassium sorbate, phenoxyethanol, limonene.

Nude Skincare

My review of Nude Skincare is based on my short-term experience in using 3ml size sent by the kind people at Nude. As usual, clicking on the product name will bring you straight to the relevant webpage, which also has the ingredients list. :)

Cleansing Facial Oil - This nicely scented facial oil works well to dissolve all my make-up, including waterproof mascara, so it gets a thumbs up from me. It's very easy to use: "Warm between hands and massage onto dry face. Apply warm water to form a light milk and rinse clean." See what I mean, it's easier to use than Bloom's Nuts About You. My combination/oily skin seems to like it though it's supposed to be "For normal to dry skins." My skin is acne-prone, so after cleansing with the oil I would do another cleansing with my normal facial cleanser, in case the oil residue stays on and cause acne.

Cleansing Facial Wash - This foaming facial wash is supposed to "effectively removes make-up and pollution leaving skin immaculately clean." I have to say it didn't remove all my make-up completely even when I double-cleansed. So I ended up using it as the 2nd part double-cleansing (after cleansing my face with the facial oil) and as a morning cleanser on it's own. The texture and scent reminded me so much of She Cleanser (my old HG cleanser). The difference: my skin felt a little tight after using Nude facial wash, that's why I'm not really in love with it.

Clarifying Water - The instruction says that it's "not suitable for very sensitive skins." I really wanted the to work for me as it contains rosa damascena flower water, so I tried it anyway. Unfortunately my skin reacted to it, perhaps my skin doesn't like the "BHA from willow bark". So this product is probably more suitable for people with less sensitive skin.

Deep Cleansing Mask - This mask comes in the form of mousse with tiny grains (organic burity?) in it. "Smooth onto cleansed, dry skin twice a week, after 10 minutes, remove by massaging gently with warm water." My skin felt smoother after application, possibly due to the glycerin and shea butter. I wasn't so keen on the scent though.

Hibiscus Monoi - The gorgeous scent of this Hibiscus scented coconut oil reminds me so much of my old-time favourite Elemis Monoi Melt. In my opinion Nude Hibiscus Monoi wins hands down as the oil is lighter and more easily absorbed by my skin. It worked well as a body moisturiser, keeping my skin nice and smooth. I enjoyed the lingering scent of the oil, as if I was wearing a perfumed body lotion. The oil has the tendency to solidify in cooler weather, just like normal coconut oil. Which isn't a problem as it turns into liquid again on direct contact with the skin.

Verdict: Hibiscus Monoi and Cleansing Facial Oil are on my must-have list now.

Unfortunately the moisturiser dried up in it's packaging, so I can't tell you much about it apart from the lovely scent I could smell when I cut the packaging open. :)