Got my eye on Rachel K Youth Complex~

This is another belated post that I took photos of and then proceeded to forget about >_< Apologies all around~

For people who keep frequent late nights like me, beauty solutions for the eye area are always important. So for my fellow nocturnal creatures, I come bearing good news!

I bought the Rachel K Youth Complex Eye cream at BHG during a 20% sale sometime back off it's original price of S$35~ The Rachel K range is also available at Watsons which is pretty good since Watsons has good sales very often!

S$35 / 15ml tube

Certified Organic! Me likey~

This certified organic anti-aging eye cream contains powerful active ingredients (Algae from depth of the oceans, Aloe Vera, Shea Butter, Jojoba, Olive Oils, Squalane) that rapidly smooth, hydrate, reduce puffiness and dark under-eye circles.

The usual look at the back-of-the-box info:

One of the main features of this product is it's petal shaped pump dispenser cum massage applicator~ The massaging motion recommended during application is supposed to encourage circulation whilst delivering instant de-puffing effects on tired eyes!

 

Just press down to dispense the youth complex cream. The product is smooth, very slightly cream in colour and has very little scent. What little scent I can detect is rather like jojoba/olive oil, so it's not unpleasant =)

By placing the applicator as below, you can massage the cream directly with a smooth back and forth action. The first couple of times, you might experience a very slight warming sensation on the applied area but there were no other side effects for me.

 

The product absorbs well, leaving only a slightly moisturized feeling to my undereye area in its wake. It performed nicely under makeup, not flaking or anything like that. But do note that I did let it absorb very very thoroughly before putting on makeup. Only a small dollop is required for each application, making this product very cost effective!

 

I used this very faithfully twice a day because it's so easy, I didn't need to put my fingers into any dinky little jars and because the applicator was so well-shaped, I didn't really need to pay attention while I was massaging the cream in too~

 

But the best part was the results!

 

 

Not sure if you can see it but there's a small puffy patch under my left eye (right eye from your point of view) that's been there for almost forever... I actually noticed that it had gone down considerably by the 3rd day, which is really pretty awesome~ After about a week I took this photo and was very pleased with the results! The dullness around my eyes had lightened to a slight redness and alot of the initial puffiness was gone! The fine lines, I regret to say, are still there but hey, 2 out of 3 isn't bad at all!

 

So basically now whenever I unfortunately end up going to bed at say 4a.m, I don't need to worry about awakening with puffy eyes! And for just S$35? It's a no brainer!

 

In short, Rachel K Youth Complex Eye Cream is:

• an affordable drugstore option that delivers speedy results
• comes in a stylish pump tube with massage applicator, no need to get your hands dirty
• cap becomes slightly loose after frequent use though
• light to no scent makes it easy on those who are sensitive to fragrances
• product is creamy but not heavy; did not cause milia on me
• highly absorbable product makes it easy/comfortable for day and night wear
• dark eye circles are reduced quickly
• de-puffing action easily rivals Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Eye cream
• fine line reduction doesn't seem to be as effective though

I'm really glad I happened to buy this eye cream because it really gives the Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Eye a run for its money for almost half the price! Super satisfied! ( ^___^ )

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! ｡◕‿◕｡

Classic Beauty Sins - Are you guilty?

This, like my previous post on product expiration dates, is one of those topics that need to be refreshed every now and then so that we don't forget~

My biggest beauty sin is.....forgetting to wash my sponges and brushes! T___T I know I know~~ Bad! Big no-no!! It seems like such a small, easy thing to do, keeping your makeup applicators clean so you don't further pollute your skin.. But it's one of those things that always slips my mind.... Theoretically, I should be washing them about once a week but I usually end up using the sponge/brush for almost a month before I remember to wash them! ~~~~( >_<)

• Sleeping with your makeup on

 

This is the BIGGEST classic beauty no-no of them all. Common sense will tell you why. The night time is when your skin has it's Me Time, regenerating tissue, repairing itself from the daytime damage so it needs to be nice, clean and unclogged so it can do its thing~ Thankfully, many brands have now introduced one-stop makeup remover+cleansers like micellar cleansing water from Bioderma and Nuxe. Now there's little excuse to crash with your makeup on~

• Popping your zits

Another classic! Everybody knows this one. It's easier to not pop your zits than to not touch your face. I find myself often touching my face when I have a zit, just to check if it's still there! >_< Shan't go into detail about this since it's common sense that popping a zit traumatises your skin and leaves an open pore that can accumulate dirt and grime and potentially leave a scar.

• Washing your face with hot water

Some routines advocate cleansing your face with hot water, citing reasons like increased circulation as one of the pros. But by using hot water, you risk breaking the fragile capillaries on your face, especially those around the delicate eye area! So stick to tepid or, if you prefer, lukewarm water~

• Always sleeping on the same side of your face

Sleeping on the same side of your face doesn't seem to be something you can control but if doing so could result in permanent fine lines, wouldn't you try to be more conscientious about it? Skin being squished against the pillow over and over can cause wrinkles so try layering a bean-shaped or neck pillow over your usual pillow so that only the edges of your face are resting on the pillow~

• Washing your face before your hair

You might have heard that certain shampoos and conditioners can aggravate the skin near the hairline and cause zits but did you know that the sequence matters too? Especially if you have sensitive skin, shampoo and conditioning should always come before washing your face. This is because hair treatments are usually loaded with oils, which can clog and aggravate the pores situated along the hairline and lead to breakouts. So always make sure to cleanse your face of any shampoo/hair mask residue after washing your hair~

• Overdosing on the moisturiser

 

Ok ok I know it isn't exactly a photo of moisturiser, but it's cute right? =P

The thing with moisturisers is, too much of a good thing can be bad. Excess product won't be absorbed deep enough into the skin's cellular tissue and can end up clogging the pores instead because the skin can't breathe. This can result in breakouts and the formation of milia! So don't be tempted to overdose. Instead, pick a good moisturiser and just use a 10 to 20 cent sized amt each time!

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All images from Microsoft Office

Most of the beauty no-nos are classics, I haven't seen any 'new-age' no-nos as yet. Have you? What's your biggest beauty sin?

Revisiting: Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Eye~

I thought I might do a little update as to how the Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Eye is performing for me. After all, I've been using it conscientiously for a little over 2 months now~ (Do bear in mind that I have not altered my lifestyle in any way this few months)

You can read my initial review --- 'A Little Spot of Kiehl's Midnight Magic!' for more info on ingredients, texture etc~

Fast forward 2 months and I believe a final verdict is due!

After 2 months, Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Eye has:

• not made much difference in the fine lines and dark circles department =(
• but proven it's an effective solution for puffy eyes (yay!)

So if you're looking for a all-rounder product that'll depuff, lighten dark eye circles AND dewrinkle, I don't think Kiehl's will be it unless it's coupled with lifetyle changes like abit more sleep etc. BUT the depuffing is really pretty awesome. I keep late nights quite often and having this eye cream in my skincare arsenal makes me totally confident that I won't wake up with squid eyes~

I'm tempted to continue purchasing the Midnight Recovery Eye after this tube runs out 'cos the anti-puff factor is pretty big to me but if there's anything out there that's a good all-rounder I'd love a heads up! =)

Sale Loot!

Chanced upon a 1 day sale at my neighbourhood BHG last week and I popped in after realising the 30% to 50% discount. The aLT beauty corner stocks a fair range of Japanese and Korean beauty/skincare products so I figured it would be worth squeezing my way through.

The range at my neighbourhood branch is less impressive compared to the ones downtown but still, the discounts were decent. Emerged 30min later with these:



From Top:
Kaiketsu Shirokuma-kun Reusable Undereye mask (S$12.90)
& Pure Smile 3 Pc Aroma Mask (S$6.90) Prices before discount.

The Shirokuma-kun Masks seem to be quite popular and this 1 set pack is designed for multiple usage and, wait for it....INFRARED RADIATION. This pack is supposed to have immediate effect after leaving it on overnight, sounds spiffeh! Watch out for the review~

The Pure Smile mask caught my eye because it was a 3 piece set i.e 1 pair of undereye sheet, 1 face sheet and 1 neck sheet. It also came in various fragrances like Rosewood, Sweet Orange, Lavendar, Bergamot and Peppermint among others. All the masks are formulated with collagen hyaluronic acid and aloe, the main differences being the aroma essence used. I bought Rosewood and Peppermint for myself (combination - oily skin) and Bergamot for my mum (dry skin)~

Also:



From Left: Sana Gafixx Mascara (S$25.90) &
Legere Pure Aqua Pore Tightening Ice Toner (S$27.90)
Prices before discount.

The Sana mascara I bought because....well....I like mascaras! =P The Legere toner was a chance find as the Legere skincare was just a 4 or 5 product range that was in a rather unnoticeable corner. I have a girlfriend who's been raving about it to me so I figured, at 30% off, why not~

Did you pick up any good deals over the week? =D

A Little Spot of Kiehl's Midnight Magic!

I'm sure most people know of the Kiehl's Midnight Recovery range by now. Well, I was in Europe a couple of weeks ago and wandered into the Kiehl's store out of curiosity. Between the Midnight Recovery Concentrate and the Midnight Recovery Eye, I picked the latter as I've been plagued by a puffy lower left eye for some time. At 28 euros, it was really quite affordable! ^_^

First, a look at my puffy eye! =_= See it? Fugly I know.