19 Days till Christmas: Review on Ren F10 Smooth and Renew Mask

I've realised that alot of youtubers and bloggers have talked about products from Ren. They have quite alot of products within the brand, so I'd thought I would give this product a go as it is suitable for sensitive skin types. 

Formulated to gently exfoliate and detoxify, this gel mask will promote skin renewal and leave 

the complexion looking smooth, toned and radiant. 

Claims: gently exfoliates and renews complexion, skin looks smoother, brighter and healthier

Apply a generous amount onto clean skin, leave on for 10 minutes and remove using the cloth 

provided and wash.

More information here

As you can see, it is a gel consistency with bits of exfoliators in it. I'm not sure if it's the exfoliators itself that exfoliate the skin or the gel (or possibly both), either way it does a great job of removing the dead skin on my face without scrubbing vigorously on the skin. Because it is a gel type mask, it doesn't dry on the skin (which I like about it, I absolutely hate the feeling of tight skin when using masks) so it's best to keep your hair out of the way. 

I use this after washing my face and applying a thin layer on dry skin, avoiding the eye area. With a few uses my skin got a bit red during the mask, but it didn't feel irritated - which I assume it just being a reaction to a new product. After a few uses I did notice a difference in my skin; felt alot smoother, less blackheads around my chin and forehead, and I found my skin became less dry. Ever since using this my skin is more combination skin (my skin use to be fairy dry). 

It does have a slight citrus scent to it with something else I can't put my finger on, which shouldn't bother those that are sensitive to fragrances. 

overall
Pros:
- gently exfoliates without vigorously scrubbing on the face
- made for sensitive skin types
- pleasant citrus scent
- hygienic packaging, and easy to use
- product is protected from the air/ oxygen as it is covered by a cap, and product itself is encased in a bag

Cons:
None that I can think of

I do think that this product claims are true (for once, haha). I'm keeping an eye on alot of other Ren products. Do you use Ren?

20 Days till Christmas: Product empties #5

Hi guys!

So with the festive season upon us, I decided to do a series of blog posts, one for each day up to Christmas. If you have any suggestions on what I should review/discuss, leave them in the comments and I'll see what I can do. This post will be on products that I have used up.

DDF Blemish Foaming Cleanser
I was given this by a relative while my skin was acting horribly from acne. I was quite scared to use this because the product itself was a bright blue colour. Within about 2 weeks I saw a difference in my skin. It did clear my acne (to an extent) but it is quite strong. Will recommend this product to those suffering from relatively strong acne, but if you have super sensitive skin then stay away from this. I found if I used it everyday for about 5 days, my skin would get super sensitive and dry. I will repurchase at some point.

Innisfree Camellia Sun Hair Mist
I mentioned this a few times in my blog and I don't have any bad comments about it. It's great for a moisture boost for my hair, prevents tangles during drying of my hair, smells really nice, and the list goes on. If you get the chance to try this out, you definitely should!

Etude House Aloe Moistful First Essence and Soothing Lotion 
I got these large sample sizes from a G-Market order a while back and it took me a while to use them up; for some reason I never use my samples. I would use the first essence then the soothing lotion as my first steps of my routine after cleansing. They are the basics to skincare features as they target the moisture component. These would be great for those who have just gotten into skincare, or have just really great skin in the beginning. If you have super sensitive skin or are sensitive to fragrance then stay away from these, as they are quite heavily fragranced.

SK-II Stempower
I've seen this in South Korean ads, so I'm not sure if they sell this in western SK-II counters. This targets wrinkles and fine lines. I didn't notice anything as I don't have any wrinkles, although I did find this to not be as hydrating as other creams I've used in the past.


My mission to finish products in the urge to buy more is happening quite slowly. Do you have any holy grail products that you have purchased constantly?

Haul #2

Hi guys!

In this haul, I'm presenting all of the products I got from The Balm. They were having a 50% off sale and I thought it would be an awesome opportunity to try out their products. I've been eyeing on some of their products for a while but I didn't want to pay for what they were worth in store.

Nude-tude Eye Shadow Pallet (Nice version)

Bahama Mama Bronzer

Frat Boy Blush

Instain Blush in Toile

 

Left to right:
Frat Boy, Bohama Mama, Instain in Toile

First impressions is positive. I was sceptical of the packaging because it's made of paper/plastic, but the quality of packaging is good and it also has a metal closure which is safe for travelling. They all come with a mirror which is handy, so you don't need to carry a separate mirror. I love the size of the cheek products as they are small and compact, handy for travelling (and super cute).

Pigmentation is in the middle. Not horrible but not crazy pigmented, which is what I like about these. So far I've only tried Bohama Mama and the Instain blush once. So far so good, but would need to use it more to have a proper opinion. 

I was expecting Frat Boy to be a satin finish, but to my surprise all of the cheek products are matte. Frat Boy is more of a dusty pink colour compared to Toile which is more of a bright pink colour. I have been looking for a matte bronzer/contour colour, for some reason all of the make-up which is in drugstores that I have seen all have shimmer and have an orange undertone (which I do not want), so to find a matte and a true brown with no orange undertone bronzer/contour colour, I honestly couldn't be happier.

Have you tried any of The Balm products?

Haul #1

Hi guys!
So for the past month or so, I've been buying a few things from different places and this post will be the first out of the three. My first purchase was from G-market. I was running out of two of my favourite products, and I also picked up a fragrance.

Innisfree JeJu Volcanic Pore Clay Mask
I've mentioned this product a few times and I bought this as soon as I ran out of my first jar. I bought the 200ml instead of the traditional 50ml, which proves how much I love this product, and now they have the mask in a tube which is super hygienic compared to the jar. It helps calm acne and gets rid of oiliness without making the skin feeling too dry. 

Innisfree Camellia Shine Hair Mist
I ran out of my Sun mist (from the same line) so I thought I would try this one to see if there's a difference. So far I haven't noticed the difference between the two products, but they both do wonders for my hair. I use this while my hair is still damp, and it prevents my hair from getting tangled while drying and it does make my hair slightly shinier, on my horribly frizzy hair. 

Missha L'eau De Missha Body mist - Stay Beside Me
If you've followed me for a while, you'll know I'm a huge TVXQ fan. I bought the fragrance that they promoted and now they have come out with a body mist, a less concentrated mist to be used all over the body.

Innisfree Eco Science Special Kit
I got this as a sample. I find that when buying from Gmarket, they give quite generous samples compared to other sites (and they damn should because the cost for shipping is $$$). Unfortunately when I opened the box one of the sample bottles was leaking (not sure how because the lid was tight). Will report back on how I feel once I start using this. 

That's all for the G-market purchases. Keep a look out for an exciting make-up purchase in a few days ^_^

Product empties #4

Hi guys!

I'm officially done with my 2nd year of university! (whoop whoop!!). Now with my 4 months worth of breaks, I'll be updating this blog regularly, so without further ado, here are my products that I've used up.

John Frieda Root Awakening
I believe they repackaged this, but I'm not sure if they have re-formuated it either. Regardless, this didn't really do anything for my hair. It didn't do anything beneficial to my hair nor make it worse. I would spray this in the roots of my hair before blow-drying. Will not repurchase

Kiehl's Activated Whitening Moisturizer
I bought this along with a few other products to see if it would lighten my acne scarring. It is a really good day moisturiser as it gives enough hydration without making the skin feeling oily, but when it comes to whitening, I didn't really see a difference in my skin, though with most products you have to stick to a whitening product religiously to see effects. I've got other light moisturisers to use up, so I won't be repurchasing this as a moisturiser any time soon. Still debating whether to get it again to notice any whitening effects.

Sally Hansen Instra-dry Anti-chip top coat
A great top coat for fast drying nails, but not a great anti-chi top coat. This claims to prevent chipping for 10 days. Even with this top coat, my nails still chip within the first 3 days (which is normal for me). I found with this, that as it becomes thick and gloopy, the effects of the drying time takes longer. I have repurchased this, but I'm still looking for an affordable fast drying top coat.

Innisfree JeJu Volcanic Pore Clay Mask
I bought this way back when I was in South Korea (early 2012) and it was only until recently that I finished using it up. The first few uses of this I didn't really see any effects, but as I use this more often, this has been a lifesaver! I would use this after long days of wearing make-up as well as when my skin is in bad condition and needs a 'pick me up'. It gets rid of oil and dirt in the pores which helps get rid of my current breakouts without making my skin feeling dry and dehydrated (with my more dry/combination skin). Definitely recommend this for oily and dry/acne prone skin types. I have already repurchased this in a bigger size.

Batiste Dry Shampoo - Original
This was my second can of this. I bought the Tony and Guy dry shampoo mainly because I couldn't find the Batiste dry shampoo at the shop I was in, and to be honest, the Tony and Guy Dry shampoo does not do what a dry shampoo does, so once I'm done with that, I'm going back to this product.

Loreal Elvive Night Elixir
I bought this a while back in search of a good leave in conditioner (which I gave up on that search). This claims to give nutrients to hair overnight, and claims that it can be used on dry and wet hair without weighing the hair down. I tried this on both dry and wet hair; it was quite heavy feeling on dry hair and only seemed to work with wet hair. The consistency is like a really thick gel, and I found it difficult to put it in my hair for it to absorb. I found 1 pump to not be enough because the product itself does not melt when I warm it with my hands, and with 2 pumps, it made my hair feel crunchy as when dried. Will not repurchase.

Miizon All in one Snail Repair Cream
I reviewed this product previously (check it out here). I wanted to use all of my other products before I buy it again, and within about a week without this product, my skin just doesn't feel the same. Will repurchase when I finish my other products.

Shu Uemura Skin Purifier cleansing Oil (green)
I mentioned this in my August Favourites and it still is. I bought the largest size right when I was done with this and I have to say, I'm loving it and will never go back to traditional cleansers and wipes for make-up removal. a few drops of this will get all of my make-up off (including waterproof mascara) in no more than 2 minutes. 

In my mission to finish all of my products so that I can venture out and try other things, I already have products lined up for my next empties, so look forward to that and many upcoming post within the next few months. Thanks for all of the support! ^_^