Tokyo Beauty Loot (Image Intensive!)

Today, I thought I might share some of the beauty items I bought from *ahem* multiple trips to Matsumoto Kiyoshi (aka MatsuKiyo), one of the biggest and my favourite drugstore in Tokyo!

These are mostly items that I haven't gotten round to using yet. Emptied higgledy piggledy on the living room floor, this it what it looks like:

Ahhh....makes my heart flutter~ =P

First up, the weather in Singapore has been simply horrible recently, muggy with a capital M-U-G-G-Y. So of course, I remembered to pick up some refreshing powder sheets! You remember my previous review on the Biore Powder Sheets? Well I thought I'd try out other brands this time. Rose-scented, I couldn't resist! Plus, the formulas include Persimmon, Aloe Vera and Raspberry essences for that added skincare element!

Top L - R : French Bath Soap and English Garden Rose powder sheets / price forgotten >_<
Bottom L - R : Morning Facial Masks from Mandom / 399yen each

Morning facial masks from Mandom! The pink is for Moisturising and the blue, Tightening. Each mask contains 7 times the usual amount of facial toning lotion and contains ingredients like Coenzyme Q10 in the moisturizing mask, Yukinoshita (I think this is geranium, good for toxin draining and depigmentation) and Hamamelis (witch hazel) in the tightening mask.

Watsons has recently started selling these jelly strip beauty supplements from Otsuka Group and they are disgustingly overpriced at S$16 a box. I bought these for 399yen at MatsuKiyo which is only about S$5!! Each box only contains 7 strips so S$16 is really quite pricey imo... I shall buy more next time!

Available in Placenta C (orange), Collagen C (pink) and Hyaluronic Acid (green, not pictured), these are basically beauty supplements to consume on the go. I ate the Placenta C jelly strips while I was in Japan and they tasted like mango~ Yum! I think these are good for when you're having a hectic work week or haven't gotten enough rest and don't want it to show on your face~

Next up, my favourite beauty product: mascara!!

Beauty/Skincare shopping in Japan, it's easy to spot top sellers because they always have these proud stickers on them!

 

These stickers tell you about the product's sales ranking on platforms like Yahoo shopping, Rakuten, Amazon Bestsellers etc.

Click and read on! =D

Poreclearing with The Face Shop's Volcanic Clay Mask

Hello hello~~~ (>__<) Apologies all around for my brief disappearance after my last post...or did nobody notice? ( T_T ) DIIIIIIID YOUUUUUU NOTICEEEEEE~~~~~~~

....... *awkward silence*

Anyway, moving on. I am still only about halfway sifting through my photos from the Japan trip since I was out of the country again for most of the past week so I shall, in the meantime, post about other stuff.

Today, The Face Shop's Volcanic Clay Blackhead Heating Gel Mask! I bought this in KL quite some time ago for about S$20-ish but only recently got round to using it. It's cheaper in Singapore though, under S$20 I think!

Back-of-the-tube info:

I must admit I'm a sucker for visual presentation and that little sticker showing the white foam turning into black totally did it for me =P It gives me the impression that 'something' has happened and the mask is doing 'something'. Now, what exactly is that 'something' is anybody's guess really...

This is what the dispensed product looks like:

Doesn't look quite so magical huh. =\ Yeah I was abit confused too, like "Did it spoil or separate in the tube?" But I just slapped it on anyway =)

The mask heats up quickly, within a couple minutes of application, but it's a fairly gentle warmth so I doubt it would be painful. As you massage it, it turns grey and finally a dark grey. It also becomes more watery as you massage.

The instructions weren't very clear so I wasn't sure whether to massage for the whole 15 minutes or just massage till it changes colour then leave the mask on for the rest of the 15 minutes. I eventually decided that I'm too lazy my nose will be rubbed raw if I massage for 15 minutes so settled for the latter method.

Here's a before pic:

 

 

Hmm...I now realize the before photo is really rather blurry.....damn...

 

Above is after a couple of uses, about 3 times I believe. I think it's slightly visible that my nose is a tad clearer, just that tiny little bit though.

 

After the first use, I was hoping to see lesser blackheads on my nose but there didn't seem to be a difference. So I took my extractor to my nose and the bits of gunk popped up more willingly than usual. So I deduce that this is more like a pore opener mask rather than straight up blackhead-ridding. So you still need to do your own extraction after washing off the mask, which puts some people off I know.

 

So in short, The Face Shop Volcanic Clay Blackhead Heating Gel Mask is:

• an inexpensive heating mask considering not much is required for T-zone use
• does help in opening up the pores thus making extraction easier and less painful but doesn't mean ALL your blackheads and assorted gunk will surrender
• warming effect is gentle and shouldn't hurt
• mask washes off easily with lukewarm water and doesn't leave the skin with any discomfort e.g: tightness, tackiness etc
• results should be much more visible on more serious cases of course

Would I buy this again? Mmmmm....nah. It doesn't really make that much of a difference to my blackhead situation. It was mildly interesting and I probably will continue usage since it's not entirely useless.

 

Have you found any good blackhead pwning products?

**21 May 2013 Edit: I have recently started using this gel mask as a pore prepper for my various peel off pore masks/packs and it helps a lot in removing extra gunk! Try it! =D

The Tokyo Affair 2013 - Tadaima!

I'm back~~ I just got back yesterday from Tokyo and oh my godddd my luggage was so full!! I was so paranoid my suitcase would just burst at some point of the flight and I'd have my belongings appear on the luggage belt in a sad cardboard box from Changi Airport T_T Seriously, it was THAT full. If it's any indication, I went with 1 suitcase and came back with 1 suitcase, 1 overnight bag and 1 big paper bag full of odds & ends...oh yes and a full shoulder bag too.

So freakin awesome. *^o^*

I thought I might just put up some shots of moments here and there whilst I'm getting myself organized.. You cannot believe the huge mess of shopping bags (that exploded out of my luggage) in my room right now... (>..<)

That T-shirt store at Harajuku



Sensoji Temple at Asakusa



Kimono rental at Kawagoe

Kids in Inokashira Park



Late cherry blossoms





Tokyo Disneyland's 30th Anniversary!!

So sorry it's just a mish mash of random shots but I promise I will sit my butt down and sort out all my photos and get some comprehensive posts out!

In the meantime, sit tight and have a good weekend!! *hearts*

Just 'Dew' It - Maybelline Pure Mineral BB WaterGel~

Ok mah homies, this be another new favourite I purchased a couple weeks ago at its intro price of S$16.90~ I'm using it now in Tokyo! From the Japanese Maybelline range, this is the Pure Mineral BB WaterGel:

Usual price: S$19.90 at your usual drugstores

Not like I need more bb creams but the tester swatched quite nicely and the medium beige was such a good match~ And so cheap, it was a no brainer. And no regrets too as it turned out!

Some closer shots of the product:

I bought the Medium Beige which is the darker of the 2 shades available and it's quite the perfect match for my medium fair complexion!

In my mind I can't help but compare this to the KATE Mineral BB Gel Cream I reviewed last year. These are some of the differences straight up:

• KATE - S$25.50  vs Maybelline - S$19.90
• KATE - SPF30 / PA++  vs  Maybelline - SPF35 / PA+++
• KATE - Available in 3 shades  vs  Maybelline - Available in 2 shades
• KATE - Marketed as an all-in-one product i.e moisturizer, essence, sunblock and foundation vs Maybelline - Lightweight BB base that provides moisture with good coverage and sun protection

The fact that Maybelline offers a higher sun protection factor and is cheaper makes it that more desirable imo =)

Moving on!

Beauty Quiz Tag from Jermaineee! ^_^

This brings me back to the days when we had all those memes going around our personal blogs, such fun! This quiz tag is from a beauty blogger, Jermainee~ I got wind of it last week =P and just in time too since I needed some entries for while I'm in Japan, I figure this might be a good filler post? *sheepish grin*

Anyhoo~ Let's begin shall we? It's quite a lengthy post so click to read on! (^_^)v

KATE Spring/Summer 2013 Collection~

Goldfish Eyes doesn't sound very pretty but in this case, it is! It's just so nice and shimmery~~ *___* And the gorgeous Kuroki Meisa is just....gorgeous. (*____*) It's also nice how it's not too Spring/Summer-like y'know? I'm not a fan of pinks and greens and blues etc cos I just don't know how to work with colour (especially pastels) on my eyes so it's nice to have a label that's consistent throughout the seasons~

 

I spotted the new range up for sale some weeks ago and was uber tempted to get this, the Teary Drop Liner!!

 

It's super slim (typical of a Kate eyeliner), dries in seconds and the tester I swiped on my hand stayed really well! Available in pink and beige:  

I really like the beige one! It's like a pearly golden shade that's not too in your face~ BUT I had to stop myself because I'm heading to Japan tomorrow for my yearly 'pilgrimage' and it'll be cheaper there! ^O^ Can you imagine the beauty haul from Japan? *spins around* And no husband to drag me out of the drugstore!! Matsumoto HERE I COME!!! *waves a shopping list* 

 

Check out the KATE Official Website for the rest of the Spring/Summer collection!

 

all images from KATE

Bijinsenmon 美人専門 Face Slimming Serum - Fugu Face?

Fugu is Japanese Pufferfish by the way. ^_^

I realize many girls nowadays have really slim faces.... Like nice sharp chins and no unsightly cheek bulges and double chins. And it's killing me softly inside. *sigh* On my first trip to Paris I refused to be photographed by my friends because it was so difficult to get a flattering angle of my big face! And even in my own shots, there was no hiding my chubby jawline. Now don't get me wrong, I don't mind some flesh on my face but the looming double chin is too much for my delicate ego. =P

So I bought this:

Bijinsenmon Face Slimming Serum - S$49 from Guardian Pharmacy

Closeup so you can see those E particles

Although fronted by popular HongKong actress Christine Ng, Bijinsenmon is of Japanese formulation. You can read more about the company HERE.

A look at the back of the box info:

Closer look after the cut!

My Beauty Diary Dark Circles Eye Mask - Problem with puffiness?

My Beauty Diary is easily one of the most popular sheet mask brands in Singapore and the sheer amount of mask varieties available is probably a good testament to the market they have here~ I was loitering around Watsons some time back and just picked up a box of these cute fishy-shaped eye masks cos I wasn't sleeping very well at the time.

About S$11 for a pack of 5 at the usual drugstores~

Anti-puffiness and Anti-fine lines versions available too~

See? I picked the one for OBVIOUS FATIGUE and DARK CIRCLES. (T_T) Sad life has I.

So anyway, the mask has a decent amount of essence in it (3.3ml per pair), not dripping with the stuff. I like the way the fish shape fits nicely though I think I could do without the 'tail' part extending all the way to my hairline but yeah, small issue ^^;;

Removed after about 15min and (I regret that I do not have an after photo to show..>_<) my eyes did really look less tired! Cross my heart! In fact I recently had a friend texting to recommend me this same exact eye mask but HA! I have it already! (─‿‿─)

So if you have a busy busy week ahead, do check this mask out ok! ｡◕‿◕｡