ElishaCoy Premium Gold Mineral BB SPF 45, PA+++ Review

I am back with another ElishaCoy's BB cream, it is the ElishaCoy Premium Gold Mineral BB Cream!! Not going to delve too much into ElishaCoy's brand introduction or history this time, those who are interested can check out my other reviews on their BB creams (Always Triple / Always Nuddy 24).

The Premium Gold Mineral BB cream stands on the luxurious end of their BB cream range, with caviar, royal jelly extract, camellia japonica flower extract and deep sea water in its ingredient list. Other ingredients also includes trehalose (high water retaintion capabilities) and marine collagen to keep skin moisturized and wrinkles at bay. On top of that, it also contains gold ingredients!!

This BB cream is meant for whitening and anti-aging. It spreads and blend well, with a slight floral scent. FYI, Always Triple smells kinda like incense and Always Nuddy 24 smells like paint to me....-.-" So yea, Premium Gold BB cream is the better smelling one of the lot.

The Premium Gold Mineral BB cream is like an upgraded version of Always Triple, with a higher SPF of 45 (compared to Always Triple's SPF of 30) and better packaging. It comes with a pump dispenser unlike the others which sports the tube-design. The problem with the tube-design is that i always have a mess at the outlet. Really annoying sometimes, especially when the excess BB cream gets dried up in the grooves of the cap...erk!!.....

under sun light

under room light

The coverage and staying power is probably better or on par with Always Triple (~ 6-7 hours depending on the environment). Unlike Always Triple and Always Nuddy 24 which has pink undertones, the Premium Gold Mineral BB cream has yellow undertones.  The downside is that like Always Triple, the Premium Gold Mineral BB cream tend to feel a little heavy on the skin and the oil control is fair ( i need to blot every 4-5 hours).

All in all, i do not see the whitening or anti-wrinkle effects, but the strong coverage and staying power is convincing enough for repurchasing. Would recommend Premium Gold Mineral BB cream for fair-skinned individuals as the shade offered are quite light. Price-wise, you can get Premium Gold Mineral BB at John Little or on Qoo10 at SGD 28.50 for full volume and at SGD 13.50 for the 15ml trial tube.

Thanks for reading and hope this post helps!!

Hada Labo Arbutin Whitening Lotion and Milk Review

After trying out Hada Labo's Retinol Lifting + Firming  Lotion and AHA/ BHA Exfoliating Face Wash (you can my review here), decided to try out their Arbutin Whitening Line this time.

The Arbutin Whitening Line boasts of 3 benefits, deep moisturizing, intensive repair and double whitening. It contains their usual does of super hyaluronic acid (SHA), Vitamin C and Arbutin (plant extract). SHA provides hydration, Vitamin C helps to reduce appearance of dark spots while Arbutin helps to fight dark spots and refine skin texture and tone. Kanebo's White C Line also contains Vitamin C, guess its a 'hot' ingredient in Japanese beauty industry?

Arbutin Whitening Lotion (Top)
Arbutin Whitening Milk (Bottom)

The Arbutin Whitening Lotion has a watery texture, unlike the viscous texture seen in Retinol Lifting + Firming Lotion. It is easily absorbed, but the hydration factor is kinda low. So you might want to use an additional emulsion or cream if you are concern about your skin drying out.

The Arbutin Whitening Milk  has a thick viscous texture which needs some work to pat it into your skin. Just think about the infamous Hada Labo Ads where the girl pats very vigorously =) Does gives a little 'boeing boeing' effect...haha~ Do note that the Arbutin Whitening Milk do not contain SHA (wth? but it feels more hydrating that the Lotion?!).

Does includes all three key ingredients

Only contains Arbutin & Vitamin C

Would recommend the Arbutin Whitening Line to normal to oily skin individuals, who are looking for something to brighten their skin tone. Did not observed much whitening on my face, but i do feel that my skin's clariancy is clearer. Despite the emphasis placed on simultaneous whitening and hydration by the Arbutin Whitening Line, the hydration factor from solely the lotion and milk might be little low for dry skin individuals. So do invest in their Arbutin Whitening Cream instead of Arbutin Whitening Milk for better moisturized skin.

You can get the Arbutin Whitening Lotion and Milk at SGD22.90 each at Watsons, Guardians and NTUC Fairprice. For those on budget, there are sellers on Qoo10 who are selling as low as SGD16.90 (exclu. SGD 1.80 shipping), thats like almost 30% lower than retail!! The Arbutin Whitening Lotion and Milk comes in 170ml and 120ml respectively. Used a fifth of the contents (rough estimate with ruler ^^) in a month, should last around 2-3 months.

Hope this post helps and thanks for reading!!

The FaceShop New Zealand Volcanic Clay Black Head Clay Nose Pack Review

Used to use The FaceShop's Black Head Ex Nose Clay Mask whenever i'm too lazy to spread Shiseido's Naturgo Mask or White Mask for full face exfoliation. My tube of Black Head Ex Nose Clay Mask was running out and i saw that The FaceShop has another nose clay mask on their shelves!! The New Zealand Volcanic Clay Black Head Clay Nose Pack~!

Initially, I thought that these two nose clay mask are part of two different exfoliation series that The FaceShop is currently hosting. But, after checking their website, The New Zealand Volcanic Clay Black Head Clay Nose Pack is the new replacement. 

Black Head Ex Nose Clay Mask swatch

New Zealand Volcanic Clay Black Head Clay Nose Pack swatch

 Texture-wise, both nose clay mask have white and thick consistency. However, the New Zealand Volcanic Clay Black Head Clay Nose Pack seemed to spread better, covering pores more efficiently giving much better coverage and grip on black heads. Less open pores can be seen on the New Zealand Volcanic Clay Black Head Clay Nose Pack compared to its predecessor. Other than that, the New Zealand Volcanic Clay Black Head Clay Nose Pack contains pore clear agent as well as natural mineral to provide smooth skin after usage.

In terms of performance, i felt that both nose clay mask were pretty much the same. Pity that i did not manage to capture a picture of the Black Head Ex Nose Clay Mask with impurities. The New Zealand Volcanic Clay Black Head Clay Nose Pack does removes a lot of black heads and white heads!! 

 The removal process does pack some punch, so do be prepared, probably a 6.5/ 7 on the scale of 10. The New Zealand Volcanic Clay Black Head Clay Nose Pack comes in a small tube of 1.76 oz (approx 52ml), which will probably run out fast since thick application of the nose clay is required for better black head removal. Price-wise, i bought the New Zealand Volcanic Clay Black Head Clay Nose Pack at SGD 5.90 during a Qoo10 promotion back then. Now, prices have risen to SGD 6.9-7.2 excluding shipping. You guys can also check out prices at local The FaceShop retail stores if you like to see the product for yourself =).

The New Zealand Volcanic Clay Black head Clay Nose Pack does leave my skin feeling superbly smooth, but it comes in such small volume and gets used up really quickly. I would rather invest in peel-mask that is applicable to the whole face rather than just the nose. Would recommend this nose clay mask to individuals with oily T-zone.

Hope this post helps and thanks for reading!!