Isa Knox Deep Cleansing Water & Kawaii Tokyo Promising Aqua Quick Wipe off water (micellar cleanser) review

I'm a pretty compulsive shopper when it comes to buying and trying new skincare and makeup items. Sometimes I open a particular bottle of skincare and uses it a few times and just sort of forget about it. So after opening my bathroom cabinet and found literally about 30+ bottles of opened products, I decided it's time to do a clean up and go through each item and review things I like and throw out anything that's expired or where it's just not worth keeping.

While I've been using a cleansing oil to remove makeup for the last 4 or 5 years, I finally realised they are not fantastic for my skin. During my recent overseas trip, I forgot to pack my cleansing oil and instead bought a cleansing gel and some other random cleansing water and used it for makeup removal for the following 3 weeks, and realised my skin was so much better.  Now I'm continuing that trial and see if I can move into non cleansing oil makeup remover for a few months and see how much skin goes.

Here is a review and comparison of two cheaper makeup cleansing waters. Isa Knox is a korean brand and Kawaii Tokyo is a Japanese drugstore brand. Both are probably under 20USD for a 200ml bottle.

Kawaii Tokyo:

Comes in a white semi clear plastic bottle with flip top opening. The cleansing water is a clear watery consistency, it's definitely scented, a bit citrusy/ lemony scent. 

Instruction on the bottle says recommended to use with cotton pads, saturate cotton pad with liquid, then apply to makeup and remove. Repeat until the pad comes off clean.

Here it is on cotton pad, you can see it's just like water:

Here are some usual makeup pulled from my daily makeup bag. Kiss me mascara on left (the one in the pink tube), Maquillage eyebrow wax pencil (BR shade), Lancome french touch absolue lipstick in 308, then MUFE lift concealer (I think shade 2 or 3).

With cleansing water, it works more effectively if you press the cotton pad against skin for a few seconds before wiping off (same idea as eyemakeup removers). 

Unfortunately, it removes just about everything other than waterproof mascara. Kiss Me mascaras are really oil and waterproof- the only eye makeup remover I use to remove it efficiently is Lancome bifacil (reviewed earlier in March 2013). So I don't think it's really an issue- when you use a micellar water cleanser, you should really use a separate eye makeup remover for the eye area.

Overall as a makeup remover it's quite effective. However it's not completely clean and refreshed feeling, maybe due to the scent, so I always wash my face with an ordinary foaming facial cleanser afterwards. 

p.s. this stings a little bit when used as an eye makeup remover.

Next up is the Isa Knox deep cleansing water. Which boasts it's a "waterproof eye and face makeup remover". 

Unforuntately as the bottle is clear plastic and all the words printed on the back cannot be photographed properly. But the instructions for use is the same.

Again, clear watery consistency. There's a generic cleanser scent. 

The same makeups on my other arm:

Wiped off:

You can see it's a bit more potent than the Kawaii Tokyo cleansing water, it removes waterproof mascara fine on the back of the arm, but it doesn't really work on the eye since there's too much tugging and wiping involved and probably still some traces will remain. Again, it's stings a little bit on the eye area so I would just use a normal eye makeup remover instead.

Overall both are fairly cheap options, though with cleansing water you cant really skimp on the quantity used so you would easily go through a bottle every 2 or 3 months (together with a lot of cotton pads). It equally leaves a slight uncomfortable feeling on the face (feels a bit like you used a stickier toner), so I always follow with a foaming cleanser.

I should say my current staple micellar water is Bioderma Sensibio micellar water. It's a lot more gentle but equally effective as these two I reviewed above, and also leaves the face more supple. I shall review the Bioderma one later.

Fancl U Zone Firm Up Mask & Bioderma Sensibio Soothing Mask review

Didn't realise I was away from the blog for so long! well things have been busy and I was also on a few weeks holiday so now I'm back again.

Quick review of two masks I tried recently, firstly it's a sheet mask from Fancl called the "U Zone Firm Up Mask".

(Click to enlarge picture below)

The mask is meant to be limited edition, and with Fancl's signature HTC collagen complex and it's aimed at overall firming in the "U" shaped portion of lower face. i.e. to remove the double chin or bloated look.

It has a really interesting shape like below:

The masks come in box of 3 separate satchels. Retails about $130HKD in HK (which is like 17USD).

Here it is on me- the picture is so small since I think it looks so silly. But you can see the mask is a typical sheet mask material. It's not particularly damp actually, unlike many other brands of mask where you get leftover serum to apply to rest of your body or arms if you like, the mask is only moist enough for that 20 minutes on your face and does not drip.

I think in terms of the face hugging, it does what it says due to the design of the mask. It hugs the chin and cheek area really well. After application I can see a (temporary) firmness and extra supple looking skin (which can be achieved with most moisturising masks). However there is no real visible long term effect. This is clearly one of those feel good products, just use it as a normal moisturising mask I suppose. Not on my repurchase list unless I can find it on sale or something.

Next one is Bioderma Sensibio Mask. I truly love the Bioderma micellar water as a makeup remover. So I also grabbed a few other items. The Sensibio line features red prints on white tube packaging, and it's targeted at sensitive skin.

Just a typical flip up squeeze tube.

The instructions say spread a light layer on cleansed skin, wait 10 minutes then wipe off or rinse off. It has a light creamy consistency that is non oily.

However, the overall effect was pretty bland. I think I didn't even finish the whole tube before it actually expired so I had to throw it out. While it's comfortable to use, and convenient for e.g. applying it to cleansed skin before shower, then hop in the shower , wash your hair , then rinse off this mask at last step and you get a bit of extra boost of moisture, it is very weak compared to most moisturising masks out there.

It was non-irritating on my sensitive skin as advertised, but I did not feel it moisturised very much compared to any hyaluronic moisturizer masks or serums out there. Definitely a pass for me.

Paul & Joe Body Protection Cream review/ swatch (SPF sunscreen)

I'm not generally too fussed about sunscreens on a daily basis for the body area (as I work in the office indoors and usually start early and finish work late so it's not like I get a lot of sun). However, I'm quite diligent with sunscreen application on the days I do go out and will be in direct sunlight for more than a hour or so. 

For the face however, I apply a SPF moisturiser or sunscreen on a daily basis religiously.

(The Australian sun is incredible- many tourists think they would just tan here like how it is when they go on a tropical vacation and not get burnt and do not realise we do have a huge hole in the ozone layer here and generally you can get seriously sunburnt within 30 minutes, not to mention the risk of skin cancer).

Anyway, due to different country's health authority's assessment of SPF factors, often something that is produced by Japanese brands with SPF30 may not be as sun protecting as an equivalent Australian sunscreen with a SPF30 rating. (Back a few years ago I think the max SPF allowed to be labelled on Australian sunscreen was actually SPF30, so as not to mislead people if they applied SPF50 or SPF100 they'd be able to skip reapplying sunscreen). This means back then a SPF30 sunscreen in Australia could be anything like a Japanese's brand's SPF30 to SPF50 or even SPF80 etc.

So when I use Asian brand sunscreens, if I'm actually going in the water or go to the beach with a lot of sun exposure, I only use something with SPF50 minimum.

Ok this is how the Paul & Joe body protection cream fit in. I'm trying to be more diligent about the days where I may just be out grocery shopping or quick stroll around the park but still want some SPF protection that doesn't make everything sticky or too drying on the skin. I'm happy to go with just SPF30 as well.

The Paul & Joe body protection cream comes in a tiny 80ml  (full retail size), and is SPF30 PA++. Retails for like 25-35USD as well depending on your country of purchase.  It's not the most economical sunscreen size for the body.

Ingredient list: (click to enlarge picture)

80ml bottle basically just fits the size of my palm. I don't really mind the small size , it means it's at least portable so I'd be happy to carry around a body sunscreen in my handbag.

Comes in a standard twist open cap and a squeeze tube applicator.

Directions: (click on picture to enlarge picture)

Here it is- a light emulsion/ cream. It has a rather pleasant light scent (that signature orange blossom scent to all Paul & Joe skincare).

Spreaded:

You can see it blends in really easily and nicely, leaves skin a little bit more moisturised but not sticky. It's not drying on the skin either. 

It also rinses off easily with soap and water.

Overall I think apart from the pricing, it makes a nice daily sunscreen. It probably wouldn't do great for the beach or water etc, but even as a sunscreen for just arms and legs it's pleasant enough to use.  The price tag however is a bit high especially for a body SPF product.

Rating is 4/5 for product, but overall once you take into account the price vs size it gets lowered to a 3.
There are a lot of Japanese drugstore brands (or even department store ones like Sofina ) producing high quality sunscreen with good sun protection and a light, non sticky consistency. If you are really picky about the consistency of the body sunscreens you can even buy face ones and just use them on the body (for like $15-20 a bottle if you are willing to pay for it...). (FYI I like Kanebo Allie sunscreen line and most of Sofina sunscreens, Shiseido Anessa offers very good sun protection but is such a pain to remove and quite drying on the skin).

Anna Sui Nail Color N Ongles #310 review/ swatches

Here's a nail of the day post again. Today I'm wearing Anna Sui's nail color N in shade #310. 

It looks like a gorgeous soft pink with a touch of rose in the bottle, it looks slightly cool toned, almost like there's a tiniest hint of mauve.

As usual it comes in Anna Sui's signature design bottles (Anna Sui has changed the bottle design numerous times in recent years and I'm beginning to lose track of what it looks like nowadays! for Christmas holiday collections or other limited editions, she often comes out with yet another bottle design unique to the collection as well).

The handle has rose print on the top.

Here's a quick swatch with two coats of the polish. One coat was a bit uneven, which is common for polishes in this color family and finish. 

The finish is a semi translucent creme, its not a full opaque creme but it gives an even coverage appearance with two coats.

It looks all pretty and very spring-like color. It's not all that unique, but I can't exactly think of dupes either. Though if you ever buy any Japanese nail polishes there are tonnes of various pinks in this family so you don't necessarily need to resort to Anna Sui brand either.

The brush is sort of small/medium sized, it's quite average, not as easy to apply as OPI prowide brushes, but not particularly bad either.

As with most Anna Sui polishes, she adds a lot of rose scent into the polish, even after days you can still smell the signature rose scent on your nail tip (not sure if it's that a great thing because it would indicate a lot of scent additive).

  

I think there's micro shimmers in this, in the same color as the polish base, but almost non existent once applied on the nails. It does help the color with a bit  more glow but doesn't make it a shimmer finish or anything, it's still clearly in the translucent creme shade category.

Overall rating 4/5, it's nice to keep and a rather 'clean' looking pink against my skintone. However not unique enough to spend full RRP on (probably about 15-20USD in Asia).

Lancome Bi-Facil Non Oily Instant Cleanser Sensitive Eyes (eye makeup remover) review

Lancome Bi-Facil has been a staple Lancome skincare item for  long long time in the Lancome skincare line. In fact the packaging seems exactly as I remembered like 10 years ago. I've gone through several smaller gift with purchase bottles and always liked it.

I started wearing a really stubborn mascara (Helena Rubinstein ) which is not only water proof but probably almost cleansing oil resistant. (don't worry I don't think it's that a brilliant mascara so there's no use in trying to track that one down either).

I noticed that my normal cleansing oil was having trouble getting rid of all traces of the mascara, so I finally bought another bottle of specific eye makeup remover.

The Bi-Facil is a two-phased eye makeup remover. I've tried the cheaper Loreal and Maybelline counter parts in the 'two layer' sort of solution and none really beat this.

The top is a blue 'oil' feeling layer, the bottle is a more liquid like lighter blue layer. You shake it before use.

(FYI the regular retail size is 125ml and retails about 20-30USD depending on which country you purchased from).

Comes in a screw top bottle , it should be sealed internally with a sticker. After removing the sticker you can see a small hole opening which is fine for dispensing.

I saturate a bit on a cotton pad, and press it against eye makeup, wait for 10 seconds then wipe off, then just make sure you wipe both the top and bottom of your eyelashes to get every last trace off. I often also follow with a cotton bud saturated with the Bi-facil and make sure I also clean the lashline closely.

The best way to see if it works is by using whatever's in your makeup bag, so below there's a Lancome eyeliner and a Dejavu brown eyeliner and Visee eyeshadows and a random Lipstick (I think that was the Fancl one I reviewed before).

You can see it removes it completely with a simple swipe or two. even the shimmers come out really easily.

It does leave a slightly shiny feeling, I wouldn't say it's non-oily since it clearly leaves some residue behind due to it's duo texture. However I always follow with a face cleanser and any residue comes off so easily.

By far this is the most effective eye makeup remover I've tried over the years, if you  use a weak mascara or light eye makeup you probably don't need to use this at all, but if you have a waterproof mascara or eyeliner, this helps greatly.  While cheaper eye makeup removers I've used (Fasio etc), probably does the same job with a few more swipes, but the eye area is so delicate I'd rather minimise the number of times I have to put a cotton pad to my eyes.

I usually remove eye makeup using Bi-Facil, then use a cleansing oil  (Hada Labo one I reviewed recently) to remove rest of my face makeup, then hop in the shower and use a regular foaming cleanser (a range of anything lately). 

Overall rating 5/5.

MAC Together-ness, Making it Easy and Calm, Cool and collected mineralize eyeshadow Trios review/ swatch

MAC in the groove collection was probably quite popular back when it first came out in 2010- the mineralised eyeshadow trios and mineralised blushes all offered an array of colors in a single compact at a decent price.

Here are quick swatches of three of the trios:

Together-ness:




Features: - pale pink lilac, extremely pale, on velvet side with very light iridescence, not really shimmery.
- Greyed-blue based lavender, it's almost like a navy purple , again, it's shiny but not shimmery or metallic
- Medium charcoaled grey, applies like a true grey, not very dark


Making It Easy
- peach beige, looks more matte than the other shades.
- middle is champagne peach, still a neutral peach and not too warm. it's more shimmery than the other 2 shades.
- right is a coppered brick (not so red as to turn into brick red). can be a bit harder to wear.

 Calm cool collected- sorry I must have misplaced the product pictures!
- off-white with a tinge of green, the green is really subtle (not sure if it was intended to have green inside, might just be because the other two sides pigment migrated on this side).
- shimmery grassy green, it's not really yellow based so looks like a neutral green. it's more shimmery than the other two shades, again, the shimmer is pretty subtle.
- Mossy green, it's medium-dark but not blackened, it's very winter sort of green, a bit forest green.

swatch only:



Overall I don't really any of them are must haves- the pigmentation vary and the finish is not really as silky as I like. Some of the metallic sparkles are uneven and sparse.

Rating 2.5/5