Tuesday, December 31, 2013

Skin79 Rose Moisture Mask review

Skin79 Rose Moisture Mask review
Skin79 Rose Moisture Mask contents
Happy New Year!!!

Either you are working hard to meet year end deadlines or you simply have been partying (a lot? *wink), either way, our skin must be tired from all those layers of make up or having the need to staying up so late, not to mention stress. And if you are living in a place where it is currently winter, your skin must have been drying from the dry weather or heaters. Good thing, we have masks to help us moisturize and relieve our dry and tired skin! My new year's resolution this year is to have better skin than I do now. Currently, I think my skin is in good condition, but there are still areas that are fairly dry, I hope by this time next year, those dry areas will be fully moisturized and smooth! What is your New Years Resolution?

It is quite fortunate I was able to receive this Skin79 Rose Moisture mask in time for this post! Let's put another Skin79 product to the test! This is the way to end the year... with a Skin79 product review!

The product contains a box, a sanded glass container and a plastic spoon. I really like the idea of using a plastic spoon. It is extremely hygienic, by keeping your mask clean, you can store it for a longer time without worrying about bacteria growing inside (eww).

Tagline: HYDRATING MASK FOR DRY AND TIRED SKIN. This mask contains refreshing rose petals, delivering the moisture and vitamins of rose petals to dehydrated skin to moisture skin from the inside to help maintain resilient and lively skin.


photo credits: official site

After you have cleansed your face, apply a thick layer of mask to the skin. Leave on for 20-25 minutes* then wash off with warm water. *the instructions say 10-15 minutes, but I like to leave it on longer, it seemed to be more effective if you leave it on longer.

Skin79 Rose Moisture Mask review
ingredient list
The QR Code brings you to the Korean Official website of this product. (http://m.skin79.com/product/product_view.asp?proNo=00096 but for some reason, only mobile phones can access this page only). I was slightly shocked at the list of ingredients, how can there be so many!

Skin79 Rose Moisture Mask review
inside of container
The moment you lift the cover, you can smell rose petals (like rose tea). Don't let the name fool you, if you look closely at the ingredients, you will notice that besides rose petals, there also contains Cocoa, Licorice, and extracts from cucumber and aloe. These ingredients will help moisturize and make your skin feel soft.

Skin79 Rose Moisture Mask review
close up of the product, see the rose petals. This is all you need to cover your whole face, you can use more if you like
if you take a close up look at the product, you will find that there are bits of rose petals contained inside the mask. The mask does not require you to use a lot of product, just a liberal amount. It may seem unrealistic, but when I scooped out half a spoonful (the spoon that they provide), it was enough product to cover my whole face. However, I suggest that if you really need intense hydration, you should use a bit more.

Benefits to skin:
  • purifies and Moisturizing
  • Toning and tightening
  • Hydrating
  • Softening
  • relaxing
  • stimulating

pros:
  • smells good (literally like rose)
  • effective - my skin felt hydrated, moisturized
  • attractive packaging
  • reasonable price
  • easy to wash off
  • you don't need a lot to cover your whole face
cons:
  • feels sticky when it is on your face (even when dried)
  • more effective during "milder" summer and spring months*
*Sadly, as good as it is. It is not very effective nor having a lasting effect during harsh winter months in North America. It does help to put more product on, but the effect is not as lasting as I have hoped.
rating: 8/10

check out my reviews on other Skin79 Masks by clicking here!

Thursday, December 26, 2013

OKF - Aloe Vera King Peach Juice Drink (Natrual & Fresh Aloe Vera pulp Drink) review

OKF Aloe Vera King Peach Juice Drink

I love peachy drinks, so when I found this I had to buy it (it was also on sale! ^^v) I love how there is a nice peachy taste to it along with a lot of Aloe pulp.

(caution: Due to Aloe being highly medicated (naturally) avoid taking aloe drinks during pregnancy, menstruation, if you have hemorrhoids or degeneration of the liver and gall bladder.)


OKF Aloe Vera King Peach Juice Drink
nutrition contents


pros:
nice peachy flavour
lots of Aloe pulp
quenches thirst

cons:
a little too sweet
peach is too sour (so they had to sweeten it a bit)

It contains 18 g of sugar per serving, it sounds like a lot, but it is a lot less than other "sweet drinks" I wished they chose a sweeter peach (the current one is too sweet)


So you might wonder, what's so beneficial about Aloe? Here are 12 reasons as to why (credits)


1.  Aloe Vera Is High in Vitamins & Minerals:

Aloe Vera contains many vitamins including A, C, E, folic acid, choline, B1, B2, B3 (niacin), B6. Aloe Vera is also one of the few plants that contains vitamin B12.

Some of the 20 minerals found in Aloe Vera include: calcium, magnesium, zinc, chromium, selenium, sodium, iron, potassium, copper, manganese.

2. Aloe Vera is High in Amino Acids & Fatty Acids

Amino acids are the building blocks of protein. There are about 22 amino acids that are necessary for the human body and it is said that 8 of these are essential. Estimates of the amino acids found in aloe range from 18-20 amino acids, with all 8 essential amino acids.

Alove Vera also includes quite an impressive range of fatty acids. Aloe contains three plant sterols, which are important fatty acids- HCL cholesterol (which lowers fats in the blood), campesterol, and B-sitosterol. All are helpful in reducing symptoms of allergies and acid indigestion. Other fatty acids include linoleic, linolenic, myristic, caprylic, oleic, palmitic, and  stearic.

3. Aloe Vera is an Adaptogen

Aloe Vera is a well-known adaptogen. An adaptogen is something that boosts the body’s natural ability to adapt to external changes and resist illness. It is thought that aloe’s power as an adaptogen balances the body’s system, stimulating the defense and adaptive mechanisms of the body. This allows you an increased ability to cope with stress (physical, emotional and environmental stress like pollution)

4. Aloe Helps with Digestion

Poor digestion is related to many diseases. A properly functioning digestive tract is one of the keys and foundations of health. Aloe is known to soothe and cleanse the digestive tract and help improve digestion. The interesting thing about taking aloe internally is that, because it is an adaptogen, it helps with either constipation or diarrhea, helping to regulate your elimination cycles in whatever way you need.  It’s been a great remedy for people with problems such as irritable bowel syndrome as well as acid reflux. Aloe also helps to decrease the amount of unfriendly bacteria and in our gut keeping your healthy intestinal flora in balance. Aloe is also a vermifuge, which means it helps to rid the body of intestinal worms.

5. Aloe Helps in Detoxification

Aloe Vera is a gelatinous plant food, just like seaweeds and chia. The main benefit to consuming gelatinous plant foods in your diet is that these gels move through the intestinal tract absorbing toxins along the way and get eliminated through the colon. This will help the proper elimination of waste from your body and help the detoxification of your body.

6.  Aloe Alkalizes the Body

Disease cannot manifest in an alkaline environment. Most people are living and subsisting on mostly acidic foods. For great health, remember the 80/20 rule – 80% alkaline forming foods and 20% acidic. Aloe vera is an alkaline forming food. It alkalizes the body, helping to balance overly acidic dietary habits

7. Cardiovascular Health

There hasn’t been a lot of studies conducted in this but there has been some research to show that Aloe Vera extract injected into the blood, greatly multiplies the oxygen transportation and diffusion capabilities of the red blood cells.

According to a study published in the 2000 issue of the British Medical Journal, beta sitosterol helps to lower cholesterol. By regulating blood pressure, improving circulation and oxidation of the blood, lowering cholesterol, and making blood less sticky, Aloe Vera juice may be able to help lower the risk of heart disease.

8. Aloe Helps Boost the Immune System

I think given the stresses of our daily lives, every one can use a boost to their immune systems. The polysaccharides in aloe vera juice stimulate macrophages, which are the white blood cells of your immune system that fight against viruses.

Aloe is also an immune enhancer because of its high level of anti-oxidants, which help combat the unstable compounds known as free-radicals, contributing to the aging process. (Free radicals are a bi-product of life itself, it is a naturally occurring process but we can overload ourselves with unnecessary free-radicals by living an unhealthy lifestyle) Aloe is also an antipyretic which means it used to reduce or prevent fever.

9. Aloe Vera is Great for the Skin

Because of aloe’s well-known healing properties for the skin, aloe is one of the primary compounds used in the cosmetic industry. It is a known vulnerary, (meaning it helps heal wounds) and is great for applying topically to burns, abrasions, psoriasis and even to bug bites. Aloe acts as an analgesic, acting to help relieve pain of wounds. It’s feels especially good to cut a stem of aloe, place it in the fridge and rub it on sun burnt skin – the immediate soothing effect feels like an absolute lifesaver. Aloe is also an antipruritic: A substance that relieves or prevents itching. Aloe Vera is an astringent: which causes the contraction of body tissues, typically used to reduce bleeding from minor abrasions.

Due to aloe’s high water content (over 99% water) it is a great way to hydrate, moisturize and rejuvenate the skin and fits within my general guideline: “Don’t put anything on your skin that you wouldn’t eat!” Aloe increases the elasticity of the skin making it more flexible through collagen and elastin repair. Aloe is an emollient, helping to soften and soothe the skin. It helps supply oxygen to the skin cells, increasing the strength and synthesis of skin tissue and induces improved blood flow to the skin through capillary dilation.

10. Disinfectant, Anti-biotic, Anti-microbial, Germicidal, Anti-bacterial, Anti-septic, Anti-fungal & Anti-viral:

Wow, I think that covers all anti- bases. Okay, I admit, that was just a sneaky way to add in another 8 good reasons why you should keep Aloe Vera handy and incorporate it into your lifestyle. Aloe Vera’s active ingredients are sulphur, lupeol, salicylic acid, cinnamic acid, urea nitrogen and phenol which are substances that prevent the growth of disease-causing microorganisms and act as a team to provide antimicrobial activity thus eliminating many internal and external infections, also active against bacteria. It also helps to treat fungal and viral infections.

11. Aloe Helps Reduce Inflammation

Aloe Vera contains 12 substances, including B-sisterole, which can help to slow down or inhibit inflammation.  This may be able to help with painful joints due to stiffness and help improve joint flexibility.

12. Weight Loss – A Secondary effect

Improving your digestion, and detoxifying your will have a secondary effect in promoting weight loss because when we start to improve our digestion we naturally eliminate more efficiently, which is a primary way they we detoxify – through our bowels. This will lighten our toxic load on the body and will give us more energy.

Monday, December 23, 2013

Nicole by OPI I Do De-Claire! review

Who needs last minute nail polish ideas? We must all be getting ready and beautifying ourselves for Christmas! If you are like me, procrastinating to the last minute before deciding on what to wear for that special Silent Night parties or holiday parties, this post is definitely for you!

This Christmas holiday season, I want a nice subtle pink colour to enhance my nails, yet not enough to steal . This frosty soft rose pink colour is perfect, it reminds me of the frost outside our houses, yet the rose pink gives a feminine warm side setting the perfect swatch for my nails.

Nicole by O.P.I. I Do De-Claire! review
Nicole by O.P.I. I Do De-Claire!

OPI has always had a wonderful reputation for high quality nail polish, I learned that OPI has made themselves more affordable by introducing "Nicole By OPI" This is a drug store line to their popular brand.

Nicole by O.P.I. I Do De-Claire! review
bottom of a bottle of  Nicole by O.P.I. I Do De-Claire!

Thoughts

  • Wonderful colour
  • frost finishing (reminder of winter)
  • Lovely
  • Long lasting colour
  • Great for fall/winter
  • One dip can fill 5 fingers
  • versatile, you can match any style with pink and frost 

Nicole by O.P.I. I Do De-Claire! review
I only used one coat (I suck at taking pictures of my hands)

This nail polish lasted a week looking great without any top coat or needing to reapply. I only used one coat, and the colour was vivid enough.

Nicole by O.P.I. I Do De-Claire! review
the brush can pick up a lot of product (sorry for the blurriness, my camera just won't focus, grrr)
Like most OPI products, the Nicole by OPI line's polishes were very vivid and strong in colour. The brush was well made, I just needed to dip the brush twice to finish coating all my nails.


Nicole by O.P.I. I Do De-Claire! review
colour of bottle versus colour on my nails, see how similar they are
This is a very versitile colour, that you can match with most styles. If you want a subtle swatch colour that is elegant and simple. This is the nail colour for you!


Monday, December 16, 2013

sick :(

photo source: historymike.blogspot.com

Hey my lovely readers,

I was sick with a throat infection (which lead to flu, sinus problems) this past week. This means reviews will be delayed. I am feeling much better now, but I still need to rest.

Hope to be back soon,

Steph

Thursday, December 12, 2013

Yorker Crackers review



I think the name lost something in translation, they aren't exactly "crackers" more like munchies. These were made in Malaysia.

thoughts:
  • savory
  • a little oily (the "crackers")
  • love the peanut bits (they are coated in some hard cracker mixture)
  • variety of taste
  • very subtle taste



Yorker Crackers
a look at a handful of their bits and choices
The "cracker" or solid dough bits are very oily, I could literally see and wipe oil off my fingers just touching it.

The peanut and green peas (which are covered in a dough coating) are much better. THey are not oily, but are "hard" (texture-wise)

These are good small simple snacks, but watch out for the vast amount of oil (in the solid dough bits). They can be quite addicting since they are small, oily and have "SOME" flavour

rating: 6.5/10

these don't seem as popular... so no website

Tuesday, December 10, 2013

Étude House kissful tint choux red review


Étude house kiss full tint choux Red colour - container
Étude House kiss full tint choux Red colour - container

I always like Etude House products because they are really girly and are good quality. I heard a few beauty bloggers blog about this so I decided to make a purchase and give it a try. I actually have been using this for over 6 months now.

I decided on the Etude House Kissful Choux Tint in #1 Red

thoughts:

  • delicious cherry smell (no, I didn't taste it)
  • vivid colour
  • long lasting tint
  • moisturizes
  • natural looking
  • hard to apply (need to apply with finger)


Étude House kiss full tint choux red review
Étude house kiss full tint choux Red colour - contents and "applicator"

I really wished there was an applicator, this product forces you to use your hands which can be very messy. I end up with a pink/red stained finger every time I use this product. 



The product is really thick, you don't need a lot of it to fill your whole lip. It also smelled really yummy, like artificial cherry candy (but in a good way), for those who don't eat candy, this lip tint reminds me of Escada's Cherry in the Air perfume (which is the smell of artificial cherry candy).

Étude House kiss full tint choux red review
me with Étude House kiss full tint choux (Red) right after application

As mentioned, the product is thick but once you blend it out, it is is less pigmented. It looks dark pink more than red. When it dries, it is really dry, the thick product is no longer sticky. It even has a glossy finish (I know the photo doesn't show this too well).

Étude House kiss full tint choux red review
me with Étude House kiss full tint choux Red colour - after dinner (please excuse the background and my messy hair)
I really love how it moisturizes my lips and enhances them at the same time. Because the look is so natural, it keeps people wondering whether I have even applied anything on. It is really great that it is long lasting, so I don't have to "give away my secret" every time I need to reapply some more product.

Thursday, December 5, 2013

Watson's Anti-Bacterial Hand Gel Hand Sanitizer review

Watson's Anti-bacterial Hand Gel

Sorry for the picture quality, when I was writing this review, all I had was a half used bottle and I wasn't able to find a picture online.

There has been a lot of flu and germs going around... (as with most typical winters)... I have a slight case of Automysophobia, so hand santizers are very important for me.

If I had to choose a most favourite hand santizer it will definitely be Watson's Hand Sanitizer.

Several reasons:
  • very affordable
  • cleans so well
  • gentle on skin
  • smells good
  • leaves a clean feeling to your hands 
The last time I checked, it only costs 14.5 HKD, if you are in Hong Kong or planning to go... get some! This hand sanitizer does such a great job cleaning skin, it doesn't strip away all "oil" to make your hands feel overly cleaned (it doesn't make them dry and sensitive). I have tested this hand sanitizer on really dirty hands and it cleaned my hands so well!

rating: 10/10!

Tuesday, December 3, 2013

魔漫相机 MomentCam app (android & iPhone) review

playing with different templates on Moment Cam
playing with different templates on Moment Cam

I recently came across an app called Moment Cam. It is a app that allows you to take a head shot (or upload a picture) of yourself. It takes your headshot and transforms it into a drawing. (It is a Chinese App, but I am SO GLAD it has an English interface)

Moment Cam template
Moment Cam template
Thoughts:
  • English Interface ( if you are Chinese, there is a Chinese version)
  • Very User Friendly
  • Light App (won't drain your battery, won't lag your device)
  • lots of templates
  • Would be good if you can smooth out blemishes (due to lighting issues)
  • cool
  • free


Moment Cam
You can choose to edit yourself with different "background" templates (where you can do crazy, silly and interesting things). Some times the photos are very accurate or they can be very wrong, making you look very different, silly... or... weird.


face edit feature on moment cam
face edit feature on moment cam
Please excuse the weirdness of the "original photo". As you can see, because I had a bit of hair near my face, the app captured it as some dark spot, causing every picture to have a "dark spot". I had to use their "hair" to cover up.

You can see how I look different in some of these pictures that were generated, it is because of the lighting, and the angles I have used for different pictures. Just because a picture of you looks good "in real.. normal mode" doesn't mean it will look good in the app. (you will see what I mean when you look at these pictures)


Moment Cam: face edit mode: glasses
Moment Cam: face edit mode: glasses
In Face Edit Mode, you can choose
  • face shape (pointy chin, long chin, short chin, larger cheeks, square face, etc)
  • Hair Style (different types of hair style, from ancient Chinese to punk hair, long hair, short hair,etc)
  • Glasses (there is quite a variety of glasses to choose from)
  • Eyebrow (I didn't know your eyebrows can make you look so different prior to using this app)


Moment Cam: Face Edit, eyebrows
Moment Cam: Face Edit, eyebrows
After you have selected a headshot (or if you took a picture of a close up), the app will ask whether you a boy or a girl, this will bring you to different templates.
Moment Cam: random shot
They have a "signature feature" that allows you to draw freehand. I don't really like it, since I found it extremely difficult to do that on a mobile device. They should have a selection of fonts and stickers to choose from, that would enhance the user experience.

moment cam: this picture makes me look like Lilo from Lilo and Stitch DX
This is definitely a fun app, fun to play with and fun to share. I also really like how you can test different hair styles on yourself to see what fits your face. This is really helpful if you plan to do a whole new makeover. Sometimes, in default, it will choose the perfect "settings" (hair style, eye brows, face shape) for you that it feels will best fit you.

Moment Cam template
Moment Cam template
 For those who use Facebook or Weibo, you might probably notice that a lot of people are using this app, and list most people, I think I got a little obsessed by saving all the photos I did. You will know why when you use it.



They give you the convenience of uploading your "finished" product on your favourite social media networks such as: facebook, Weibo, Twitter, and virtually any others you can think of. You can also add some other apps that you want to upload to. 


*I have also noticed they are starting to have celebrity templates (take pictures with celebrities).

I will definitely give this App 10/10 because there are no crashes, freezes or battery drains. It is also really easy to use, and best of all, it is available on BOTH Android and iPhone. And the #1 reason... IT IS FREE!

App Name: 魔漫相机MomentCam
Apple IOS App Store: https://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/momentcam/id687624831?mt=8
Google Play Store, Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.manboker.headportrait

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