Sheet Mask Review : The Face Shop Real Nature Red Ginseng

Its been a while since I've done a mask post, to be honest I haven't used a mask in ages because my nose has been blocked and masks just felt too smothering.  

This mask is from a mid-year haul I did from RoseRoseShop.  I have had samples of Red Ginseng creams that I really liked, however the creams were quite expensive (I think around $58 for 30ml) so I thought I would try these from The Face Shop - I generally like their masks and haven't had any allergic reactions or major irritations from them so far.

This mask came in a 3 pack and worked out to AUS$3.74 - so $1.25 a mask.  Which even with shipping is a third of what you might pay for a single Face Shop mask in some shops here in Australia.

I didn't have a plan for which mask to wear - it was a spur of the moment idea and thought I might as well try something I haven't before whilst my skin is in a happy place.  The mask is means to be a hydrating mask so better for normal to dry skin.

Red ginseng itself has compounds in it (ginsenosides) that are anti-inflammatory and have some anti-oxidants in them.  This makes red ginseng useful for dermatitis, dry, inflamed skin.  Wooo! Because of these ginsenosides the collagen levels in skin are also boosted, which makes the skin have more moisture and look smoother.

The mask itself is the usual heavy cotton but this time instead of being plain old white, it was a pale rusty colour.  My understanding is that this is from the red ginseng and the cocoa present.  I cant tell you if there was any smell to this because I have lost 95% of my sense of smell from Imuran.

The mask in the packet did not come out sopping wet like the Aloe and Rice masks do, however there was still a good 10ml of essence in the bottom of the packet after I took the mask out.  I spread the rest of the essence on my arms and legs and they seem to have benefited from it.

The mask was nice and easy to wear and did not tear when I unfolded it.  It also did not make my face tingle, sting, itch or burn during wearing - I had patch tested it earlier and that seemed fine but I have had masks that are ok in patch tests and then with the mask itself, irritate my skin.  Around the 20min mark it started to feel dried out and I took it off.  Its summer over here and I had the Air Con blasting so that might be a reason why it didn't last 30mins like the Aloe and Rice masks tend to do.

The next morning my skin was not in any way inflamed or such, in fact it looked the opposite, clear and smooth.  Not dewy or brightened - I didn't expect that because that was not the purpose of the mask.  However when I cleaned my face with micellar water I noticed the cotton pad came away with some of the same colour as the essence!  Not overly disturbing, and nice to know that the colour didn't sink into my skin.

I have two left of these and there not a mask that has "wowed" me, so I dont have it on my list to repurchase.  But I do plan on looking for more Red Ginseng masks to try - what ones would you recommend? 

When Freebies are Besties : Physiogel Daily Moisture Therapy Intensive Cream

I've been on a bit of a mission to find moisturisers (both face and body) in Australia that contain ceramides. This has been more difficult than anticipated.  Why dammit?

So ceramides?  Ceramides are important in preventing water/moisture loss through the skin as the molecules hold onto water molecules.  Unsurprisingly people who have eczema have fewer ceramides in their skin, so using products that contain ceramides helps to refill these levels and also restore the skins barrier.  Now that my skin has stabilised from the Imuran I want to maintain my skin barrier as best I can so I don't have to go back onto Prednisolone.

I have Restoraderm in my collection, but that's on the pricier end of drugstore moisturisers ($25 for 250ml) and it does not rock my world.  I tend also to only buy this on special.  I know that Ego QV and Cetaphil are always recommended for dry/eczema/sensitive skin but my skin reacts badly to some of the QV creams and I didn't care much for Cetaphil, it was very "nothing".

One of my friends got the Priceline Skincare Goody bag several weeks ago and one of the items in the bag was the Physiogel Daily Moisture Therapy Intensive Cream.  My friend has the opposite skin type to me, so this was far to greasy for her.  Thus I acquired it.

So far I know that this is available in 100ml at Priceline for $14.  Which is on par for the Restoraderm.  However this has a much shorter list of ingredients and my skin liked this product more, there was something in the Restoraderm that made my skin feel uncomfortable.

Ingredients : Aqua, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Butryospermum Parkii Butter, Glycerin, Pentylene Glycol, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Cocos Nucifera Oil, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Squalane, Carbomer, Sodium Carbomer, Xanthan Gum, Ceramide 3

I like the fact there are very few "filler" items in this list.  There are several ingredients that are helpful for the skin - squalane is a component of our skin and when used in creams it acts as an emollient and keeps moisture on the skin.  Shea butter is also quite high on the list, shea is very good for dry skin and eczema prone skin. Glycerin helps to draw water further into the skin.

This cream is a medium weight (Nivea creme would be heavy weight, Restoraderm is light weight to me), spreads easily and sinks in very nicely without leaving a tacky feeling.  My skin feels softer after applying this and the fast absorption makes it idea for the morning.  This also layers nicely under Nivea creme for a night time treatment.  I've nearly finished the tube and am scraping all of it out!

I've done a bit of research and have found that nearly all the Physiogel products have ceramides in them so I plan to buy some different creams and see how they perform.

What ingredients have you been on missions for?

Reddit made me do it. Covergirl ClumpCrusher Mascara

I value reviews from other people and while on the AustralianMakeup reddit forum I kept on seeing positive reviews of ClumpCrusher from Covergir.

Then Woolworths had 50% off Covergirl.  Seriously the AusMakeup forum is damn good at finding and announcing sales.  Good times to be had!  Many dollars to be spent!

Reader.  I bought the mascara.

Now you ask why is that a big deal?
Well I've never really liked Covergirl after some incidents (allergic reactions) with their foundations many years ago and they just seemed to be a "no-go-zone".  This is the ONLY Covergirl product I own.

But this mascara is awesome.  The brush is the rubber bristle type that I favour and this stuff layers really well.  Its not an overly wet formula and dries quickly so that the layers don't clump (der).

I reach for this most often now and it can be a light day time look or a heavier night look depending on the layers.

The photo below shows naked lashes (right) and double coat of the ClumpCrusher (how I normally wear it).  This is a really light-weight mascara and my lashes don't feel heavy or sink down from multiple layers.  Nor do I feel my lashes underneath my eyebrows - if you've never experienced it, it is a seriously weird sensation.

It also helps blend my real lashes and false lashes when I wear them (another phase I'm going through - Daiso lashes.  Yes.  Many many Daiso lashes have been bought).

I was worried that I was allergic to it but realised that it was my sunscreen when it got into my eyes (science experiment - wear mascara on a day when you don't wear sunscreen.  See if eyes get itchy.  Such Science. Many variable. Wow.).  Results in - not allergic to it, which is a bonus.
Would I repurchase?  Yep. But only on sale.  I've yet to find a mascara that I'm willing to spend more than $10 on.  I've yet to find a mascara that beats my all time favourite from Essence.

Brand Review : Boe Cosmetics

Boe Cosmetics has been in my makeup periphery for a while now, it's exclusive to Big W and generally when I plan to make a makeup purchase its from Priceline points, give me allllll the points) or Chemist Warehouse (50% Off twice a year sales);

But you know, one does wander into Big W, and with a makeup sale on, the lure was strong.
Also there was a person at the makeup counter (need to purchase makeup items through that specific counter at my local BigW).

I'd inspected the Boe items before and decided with $3 off it would be a good day to sample.  They have two range - the older range is $2 per item, therefore only the newer range was $3 off.

So I had uploaded this post earlier today and was unhappy with my photos and it had been bugging me all day, so I've retaken the majority of them.  There's a few with the white background fr clarity - such as the ingredients list.   But I'm happier with these new photos, its amazing what a change in time and location can do to a photo.

From the new range - Boe Professional - I bought foundation, concealer and a lipstick
From the old range - matte lip paint, mascara and eyeshadow pencil.

Foundation - only 3 colours and I bought Fair.  Nice shade for "Fair" - I've found that some brands lightest tone is damn pale, but their second lightest tone is what I would call nearly tanned by my skin colour (looking at you Models Prefer and Savvy).  Also a nice feature of the bottle is that it is an airless pump, so the inner bottom pushes the foundation up and minimises waste.  Nice. Clever feature that more brands should incorporate.  Also this foundation has a tiny ingredients list and one of the main ingredients is shea butter which is great for dry, sensitive or eczema prone skin.  I really really like this foundation and have been reaching for it more than my Rimmel!

Seriously - for a liquid, heck even a powder, foundation this is a tiny list.
(I'm tempted to go and get the BB cream - if the colour shades are similar. And the ingredients play nice)

Concealer - again three tones, but the light is VERY light, might go back and try the medium shade.  Drier than the foundation.  Could be good for matte highlighting.

Even thought it has Mica it doesn't actually seem that shiny...

Quick comparison of the two shades - not blended, then blended.  The foundation looks almost too dark, but when blended out it matches my skin tone on my face/neck nicely.

Due to the high level of shea butter in the foundation this is very easy to blend, it looks shiny in the photo on the right above but it settles down as the shea butter sinks into your skin.  You can layer powder products over this foundation and they don't look clumpy - just allow a few minutes for the foundation to settle.

Lipstick - this is from the "Supershine" range (they also have a Matte, Diamond Finish and Colour Last). I chose the nude colour in "Empress". It spoke to me more than the others which were heavy in the reds and pinks which I have plenty of.  This shade I didn't actually have.  Also - "Empress", enough said.  Longevity isn't fabulous however - this requires maintenance throughout the day.

From the original range:

Matte Lip Paint - so tiny! Which is good because other ones are so big I doubt I'll finish them (like the Velourlips).  Fabulous pigmentation, stays on really well through drinking, but not eating.  Awkward to apply - its a plastic tip that you use to push the colour around - I will probably use a lipbrush from now.  It applies sticky but dries and mattes quite quickly.  And lasts and lasts and lasts - I tried micellar water to remove it, then cream cleanser, the oil cleanser.  This pigments is strong - so go for the oil cleanser (or even baby oil, olive oil) to remove it initially.

5 cm long tube!!

Eyeshadow stick - nicely pigmented, also can be sharped so you're not just getting the tip of colour (like on of the NYX eyeshadow pencils and Face of Australia Kohl's).  Very creamy but sets quickly after you apply so you need to work it immediately  It can be sheered out or applied thickly.

 

Mascara - the brush is a bit strange, chunky spiral bristles.  It applies really nicely though for a $2 product. I'm not 100% sold on this.  I've worn it twice and I think it may be irritating my eyes.  However its also peak hayfever season so I dont know.  I'll probably try it a few more times before I make a final judgement.

I've got swatches on my hand below so you can get a better idea of pigmentation and colour.

On the left side top: Eyeshadow stick #225

                    middle: Velvet matte lips (no name or number)

                    bottom: Super shine lipstick in Empress

On the right side : top half is blended out Foundation in Fair (now looks dewy as it has set)

                            : bottom half is blended out Concealer in Fair

Overall the products are nice for daily wear, or for keeping in your handbag as touch-up items.  The foundation is a win - I could possibly repurchase.  The matte lips is fabulous and will last for ages, I will look at the other colours as well because for $2 its a bargain for the quality.  

What Boe Products have you used and been impressed by?  Or have been let down by?

Sheet Mask Reviews - Nice Rice and Blah Bamboo

Two sheet masks, from different families, both alike in dignity.

But no.

Missha 3D Bamboo Sheet Mask - I bought this in April in one of my first hauls from RoseRoseShop.  I dont like it. It has a design that makes it "3D" by having a seam down the centre to join two halves.  But the fabric is CRISP.  It did not soften with heat from my face during the 15 un-fun minutes I kept it on for and it did dry out in that time frame.  There was not much essence left in the packet after as well.  Something in the ingredients irritated my skin slightly, or the fabric itself.  I did not see that much of a result from this.  I wont be repurchasing this and probably wont try others in Misshas 3D range.

Disappointment City

Oh but this mask!  Sasatinnie Rice Soothing Face Mask - I purchased this from Sasa in June.  I got three and wish I had bought more.  This has rice, hyaluronic acid and other goodies in it that my dry skin just loves.  This is the opposite of the Missha mask above.  I would say that this currently is my favourite Rice Based Sheet Mask.
I've left this mask on for up to 45 minutes and there was around 15 ml of essence in the packet which I decanted into a dropper bottle and used over the following days.  I wanted to use up all of the essence and if they sold the essence in a bottle I would definitely buy it!!

So unassuming yet such a star performer.
Much love.  Such wow.

The licorice noticeably brightens my skin. This is a very nice list of ingredients but I think the rice and licorice are the standouts. 

What sheet masks have surprised you or disappointed you?

Heeeeeeeeey-heya Bae-By! ChiChi Pretty Palette

Sooooooo.

Got another ChiChi Pallete.

And its not a new one (though my heart yearns for the new Summer Palette that is limited edition).
I am surprised by this purchase because I have sampled and poked and examined most of the palettes and this one hasn't really caught my eye before.
But all of a sudden it was "I wish to add you to my collection.  Now.  Get in my basket", and lo - she came home with me.

She's so pretty, she's so fine.

Add she's mine!

I think after I got the Sunset palette that this suddenly made sense to have. The coral in the centre, plus the purples and blues are the main colours that spoke to me.  Again pigmentation is lovely - you only need a light touch to get a colour hit.
I wore the blues to a hen's party the other week and they lasted from 2pm to 9pm easily.  My face was still all "done" when I got home.  I actually over did the blue when I applied it and used the matte soft pink (4th from left) to tone it down.

Have you bought any of the new ChiChi palettes?  Or suddenly fallen for an old Palette?

Shampoo and sneaky allergens

Shampoo was a difficult area for me to find something that worked and I didn't react to.  I used to be a huge fan of Lush Shampoos, in particular Daddy-O (cos its purple and smells of violets).  But the reality is that they have far too many allergens in that I am sensitive to.  When I started the strict RPAH Elimination Allergy Diet I had to change many aspects of my routine that you wouldn't think of.  It took my 4 weeks to figure out that my toothpaste was the cause of the rash around my mouth. I spent a fair chunk of time and money buying hair products and I thought I would talk about the items I keep repurchasing because they are safe for me.

I should say first that I am very lucky with my hair.  Its not excessively dry - I do heat-style it frequently during term time when teaching, which is why I look for "moisture replenishing" products, I can get away without conditioning if I'm not styling.  It takes a few days for me to get greasy.  My hair is dead straight but I dont have issue with static and it grows quickly.  So I dont look for major help with my haircare products (unlike my skin). Therefore I tend to keep things simple. 

I tried the no-shampoo routine with Bicarb and Vinegar (cept I had to use Citric acid because of the amines in vinegar).  Yeah, no. Didn't care for it too much.  I worked through massively greasy bit and my scalp had adjusted, but I didn't find the "wow" factor that many people rave about.  And when it came time to re-dye my hair, I needed a shampoo and conditioner to get the henna out and couldn't be bothered going through all that again.

The shampoo and conditioner I am currently using is Tresemme Moisture Rich Shampoo and Conditioner (light blue label below). 

Why do the new bottle crumple?  Why?!

Shampoo Ingredients : Aqua (Water), Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Ammonium Chloride, Hydrolyzed Keratin, Tocopheryl Acetate, HelianthusAnnuus (Sunflower) Extract, Corylus Avellana (Hazel) Leaf Extract, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Seed Extract, FoeniculumVulgare (Fennel) Seed Extract, Epilobium Angustifolium Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract, Cocodimonium Hydroxypropyl, Hydrolyzed WheatProtein, Dicaprylyl Ether, Lauryl Alcohol, Quaternium-22 Polyquaternium-39, Polyquaternium-10 Panthenol, Propylene Glycol, ButyleneGlycol, Citric Acid, Hexylene Glycol, Triethanolamine Tetrasodium EDTA, Methylchloroisothiazolinone Methylisothiazolinone,Butylphenyl Methyl Propional Geraniol, Hexyl Cinnamal, Limonene, Linalool Parfum (Fragrance)

Conditioner Ingredients : Aqua (Water, Eau), Cetearyl Alcohol, Cyclopentasiloxane, Stearamidopropyl Dimethylamine, Dimethicone, Cyclohexasiloxane, AsparticAcid, Quaternium-18, Parfum (Fragrance), Citric Acid, Disodium EDTA, Isostearamidopropyl Ethyldimonium Ethosulfate, Linalool, HexylCinnamal, Limonene, Panthenol, Geraniol, Butylphenyl Methylpropional, PEG-9, Hydroxycitronellal, Citronellol, Amyl Cinnamal,Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Cocodimonium Hydroxypropyl Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein, Methylisothiazolinone, Butylene Glycol,Foeniculum Vulgare (Fennel) Seed Extract, Propylene Glycol, Tocopheryl Acetate, Hydrolyzed Keratin, Epilobium AngustifoliumFlower/Leaf/Stem Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Extract, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (SweetAlmond) Seed Extract, Corylus Avellana (Hazel) Leaf Extract

The ingredient list isn't short, but there are some good things in there such as the camellia sinesis oil which is well known in AB for its excellent hair conditioning abilities.  Both have some keratin in as well, but I'm not too sure how much of a true benefit they provide at the levels they sit at.  on the plus side the scent is very mild and you cant detect it the next day apart from smelling "clean" so I dont get a headache from it.

Once a week I use the clarifying Tresemme Deep Cleansing Shampoo (green label above).  This helps greatly with product build up, this was an issue I had because I am very fond of styling my hair. 

Ingredients:
Water (Aqua, Eau), Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Ammonium Chloride, Fragrance (Parfum), Disodium EDTA,Dicaprylyl Ether, Lauryl Alcohol, Hexyl Cinnamal, Geraniol, Butylphenyl Methylpropional, Citric Acid, Methylchloroisothiazolinone,Propylene Glycol, Cocodimonium Hydroxypropyl Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein, Green 5 (CI 61570), Methylisothiazolinone, Ascorbic Acid,Citrus Medica Limonum (Lemon) Peel Extract, Hydrolyzed Keratin, Citrus Grandis (Grapefruit) Fruit Extract, Triethanolamine,Hexylene Glycol

I was concerned about the Grapefruit and Lemon extract but they are very low on the list and as I use this once a week I think that reduces the risk of allergen build up.  I have not noticed an increase in hives or such after using this product.
I tend to focus the conditioner on the lower 10 cms of my hair. I tend to use 2 full bottles of shampoo to one bottle of conditioner - no matter the brand.  You can see that the Moisture Shampoo is the new bottle and the conditioner is still the old bottle!

If I don't condition I will use Schwartzkopf Extra Care 6 Miracles Oil Essence.  
Cyclomethicone, Dimethiconol, Caryocar Brasiliense Fruit Oil, Sclerocarya Birrea Seed Oil, Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil, GardeniaTahitensis Flower Extract, Cocos Nucifera Oil, Moringa Pterygosperma Seed Oil, Octocrylene, Parfum, Hexyl Cinnamal, Linalool,Limonene, Coumarin.

This is the second hair oil I have tried. The first one was Aldi's Lacura Argan Oil.  Didn't really like that - was too heavy for normal wear so I tend to use that as a hair treatment.  To be honest - I only bought this was because it was 50% off at Woolworths.  But I do like it and have found it to be light enough to use frequently, I can also use it as longer treatment if I apply more.  Also no irritation from this one.

Schwartzkopf can be a bit hit-and-miss for me.  I cant use their hair-sprays, but I haven't been able to pinpoint what it the trigger for me, so I just avoid all of them.  I tend to use Tresemme hairsprays or VO5 (blue cans - never ever the pink cans) hairsprays.  

What I trialled along the way was Schwartzkopf Extra Care Nutri-Protect with Rose Oil, but this provided too much moisture for my hair and my hair would look sad and lank the very next day, but did not irritate my skin.  I wash my hair every 2 to 3 days, and have a collection of dry shampoo's that I rotate and use when the urge strikes.  Typically I go for Klorane but have also started branching out into Batiste.  One important thing I have to do is check to see what the main powder - Corn Starch (Maize) or Rice (Oryza Sativa).  I avoid any dry shampoo that has corn starch.  Made that mistake once.

Overall I tend to get for Tresemme products because I've not had a bad reaction to any of them.  that for me is the main selling point for buying hair products.
What do you look for when buying hair products?