Tag Archives: skincare

Review: Kiehl’s ‘Let Us Change Your Skin’ Haul

September 8, 2018 Talyssa 15 Comments

[better-reviews]

Finest Apothecary Skincare

I am all for apothecary and natural skincare. In fact, getting a skincare consultation, switching to natural products and following a personalised skincare routine was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. 2 years on, my skin has completely transformed and is relatively acne free. In case you didn’t know, I suffered from some pretty bad acne for quite some time!

If you find yourself struggling to find the perfect products for your skin, I highly recommend going to have a chat to a skincare consultant in any Kiehl’s store during the remainder of September for a free customised skincare service. With every consultation, you’ll also get 5 free personalised samples to take home and try out!

Now onto the reviews! I have oily-combination and acne prone skin so my experiences below are based on how the product reacted to my skin type. If you have a different skin type, you might want to try the products yourself (ask for a sample if you’re not ready to pay without trying!)

Kiehl’s Calendula Herbal Extract Toner

This toner is ideal for normal to oily skin types, making it perfect for me! What I love most about this toner is the smell. It’s an amazing almost tea-like smell that’s very natural, I can’t get enough of it! The product itself is also gorgeous to look at, with hand picked calendula petals floating inside.

Being made with whole calendula flowers and pure extracts like great burdock root, this toner aims to gently cleanse skin of remaining dirt, oil and impurities, while calming and healing the complexion. It’s also alcohol free, and did not irritate or contribute to my acne in any way!

The only thing I disliked about this toner is the application. The toner I was using before was a spray application, which I really love. Being an environmentally conscious person, Kiehl’s Calendula Herbal Extract Toner requires the use of a cotton pad upon every application, and I couldn’t help feeling like my facial care waste contribution had now doubled. My second issue with the application is that is goes against the calming properties of the toner. Rubbing the cotton pad over my face, even gently, promotes redness in my skin. With a spray application this does not happen and therefore calms the skin more effectively.

If this toner was a spray application, I would have given this product 5/5 stars and even swapped it into my regular routine!

Price

125mL: $33

250mL: $54

500mL: $87

Kiehl’s Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado

Suited for all skin types including sensitive skin, this was my favourite Kiehl’s product from the “Let Us Change Your Skin” pack. Out of all products, I noticed the most impact from this one and I really found my eye area looking brighter and younger after using this product for 2 weeks.

Enriched with avocado oil and shea butter, the creamy eye treatment deeply moisturises and hydrates the skin under your eyes to prevent dark circles and keeps the skin looking bright instead of dry and dull – something I really noticed! This product also helps to prevent fine lines from forming.

With the skin around the eye area being extremely delicate, this product just missed out on a 5 star rating because of its application and texture. The texture of this product is not creamy, but more like a paste that turns watery with the heat of your fingertips upon application (at least that is how it appeared to me). The only problem with this was when the weather got a little colder and my face and hands were cold/dry, the product failed to immediately turn watery, causing the paste-like texture to pull at the delicate skin under my eyes. This product would be great if it became watery a little quicker, maybe on direct contact with the skin.

Price:

14mL: $44

28mL: $83

Kiehl’s Powerful Strength Line Reducing Concentrate

One of Kiehl’s more expensive products, the Powerful Strength Line Reducing Concentrate claims to visibly reduce wrinkles, signs of ageing, improve skin texture, minimise pores and boost skin radiance after 2 weeks. It is formulated with 12.5% Vitamin C and Hyaluronic Acid, making this a clinical grade serum.

Maybe it’s the fact that I don’t have that many wrinkles yet, but I really only noticed complexion become more radiant. I haven’t really noticed any reduction in wrinkles (again I might not have enough) and I also haven’t noticed a change in the size of my pores. However, to give this product more of a fair test, I’ve given it to my mum to test over the next two weeks and will report back with her results!

I also want to add that this product worked very well when integrated into my current skincare routine and did not cause me to break out.

For me personally, this product didn’t do all that was promised annnndd considering it’s quite pricey, my rating was influenced accordingly. This may change when I report back on my mother’s results!

Price:

50mL: $98

Kiehl’s ultra facial cream

Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cream provides 24 hour hydration for your skin. Formulated with nature-powered ingredients such as Antarcticine (extracted from microorganisms sourced from sea glaciers) and Imperate Cylindrica, a plant indigenous to the Australian desert with excellent water retention qualities, this cream aims to leave skin comfortable and balanced in even the most harshest weather conditions.

Because of all the natural products and science behind this product, I really wanted to like this cream more than I did. Although formulated for all skin types, I did find this cream caused me to break out in my problem areas, like most hydrating and thick creams when used on oily/acne prone skin. However, considering how thick this cream is, it didn’t feel too heavy or irritating on my skin which I was surprised about! Overall, this was the product I liked least for my skin type, though I can imagine it would work really well for others!

Price:

28mL: $24

50mL: $40

125mL: $74

Get your Kiehl’s Goodies here

Beauty Guides, Skincare

Miracle Youth: A TL;DR Guide to Japanese Collagen Products

October 24, 2017 Siree Leave a comment

Stop the hands of time and drink this wine!

You might be familiar with my gushing of the magic that is Japanese collagen products, promising longer lasting beauty by regenerating the appearance of youthful-looking skin. In Japan, many shops have dedicated shelves like shrines to this beauty supplement and are even available at

convenience stores.

With the popularity of collagen beauty supplements making its way to the West, here’s a rundown of what this stuff is and my rumble opinion of the best Japanese collagen products to get.

So where does collagen come from?

nfortunately, collagen products are not vegan/vegetarian friendly.

The four main sources of hydrolyzed collagen found in supplements are bovine (cow), porcine (pig), chicken, and marine (fish) collagen.

Most collagen products are either pig or fish collagen-based. I personally like the collagen derived from fish for its taste and also since it is derived from the parts of the animal (fish skin, scales, and bones) which would be disposed of rather than consumed normally.

Types of Collagen Products

he current line up of collagen beauty supplements comes in the form of tablet capsules, powder, jelly, and drinks.

As I’m not a big fan of swallowing unnecessary pills, I chose to focus on the latter:

Powder Form

his form is a powdery white grain collagen that has no smell and is tasteless for maximum enjoyment.

Since my first encounter drinking this type of collagen, I have been seriously impressed at the advancements in production as I feel companies are really trying to improve their formulas to help customers enjoy consuming their products more. These powder forms can be either fish or pork collagen-based.

Personally, this is my favourite type because you can joy it mixed in a variety of drinks and the size of the bag is enough to last a month. As it is in dry form, it also lasts longer should you only choose to drink it every so often making this type very cost-effective.

Currently, I am enjoying the Orihiro brand’s Collagen with Hyaluronic Acid. Meiji’s Premium Amino Collagen range is also great too.

Jelly

ollagen jellies come in a week supply packaging and eating one a day is sufficient enough to get your daily dose for beauty.

This one is particularly interesting because it uses man-made pork placenta extract hence the tasty name “Placenta C Jelly.” Though the name isn’t very pleasant, never fear! It is fruit flavoured to mask any potential unpleasant smell

or taste.

It’s nice to know my sweet tooth treat now has an extra benefit other than a sugar rush but I feel it’s not the greatest option if you want the long term benefits of collagen as part of your beauty routine.

Drinks

upplement drinks are concentrated mixtures for on-the-go people and comes in calorie-free sweetened flavours.

As you will need to drink one per day these bottles are so popular they come in larger quantity packs for daily use. Although I do like drinking these, they are a little bit expensive to drink regularly than the powder form. However, as a

fun drink suggestion, I have seen mocktail drinks using these as a mixer if you want to try something a bit fancy and creative.

My favourite is the Shiseido’s The Collagen and Chocola BB range (another skincare supplement drink but uses vitamins rather than collagen ingredients.)

DO YOU USE ANY COLLAGEN PRODUCTS?

LET US KNOW WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE BELOW!

Beauty Reviews, Skincare

Review: Innisfree Eco Ice Cotton Toner

June 5, 2017 Siree 6 Comments

The Verdict

Application
Skin Benefits and Effects
Packaging and Design
Value for Money

3.4

OVERALL SUMMARY

Cool, but not *that* cool

“It delivers an instant cooling effect for tired skin in hot summer to lower the temperature of your skin as well as our earth.”

Summer is well in effect here in Tokyo and to escape the heat, I thought I would road test one of the most interesting beauty products I’ve seen so far: the Innisfree Eco Ice Cotton Toner.

With a tagline that promises not only to cool you down in summer but also being environmentally friendly, I ask, what magic does putting on this toner aid in lowering the temperature of our earth exactly?

Innisfree, priding itself as a natural environmentally-friendly brand hopes the introduction of these products will help reduce the use of air conditioners during the simmering summer months. While I am a bit pessimistic at the bold claim to stay cool on a searing 40 degree, high humidity day without a need for a fan or air-con for sweet relief, I can relate to the satisfying feeling of getting rid of the day’s grime with a cooling toner. Let’s find out how effective this product really is…

Application

hen dispensing the product, I was surprised at what came out!

The product inside was a spongy, silly string like foam that was soaked in a bubbly water-based toner for easy direct use.

After shaking the can well, you spray a small amount into your hand to create a cotton ball shape and massage it into your skin. True to word, it was very cool to the

touch and really moist, I was seriously impressed!

The design of this silly string formula is also very smart as it replaces the need for cotton pads when using. The sponge-like foam can be stretched and pulled without breakage and a good squirt of this foam goes a long way as it holds quite a lot of toner product. As an added plus, it’s a hell lot of fun to play with when molding it with your fingertips!

Skin Benefits and Effects

he Innisfree Eco Ice Cotton Toner is said to hydrate, smooth, and tighten pores while improving the appearance of tired-looking skin caused by excessive heat with its formula’s cooling effect.

Much like the sensation from touching an ice cube, the coolness is mild and does last for a brief minute or so. Unfortunately, don’t expect a long-lasting cooling effect with this stuff! It disappears quite fast after applying.

After some research, I believe the logic behind this “chilling” element is the same as opening your pores using warm water and using cold water to close the pores quickly during cleansing to seal the skin from bacteria. As this product also has pore tightening properties, the cooling effect would work to increase its effectiveness and would be a great product for people with large pores problems.

Packaging and Design

mall and portable the Innisfree Eco Ice Cotton Toner fits nice and snug in your hand and is also the perfect size to put in your bag.

The spray can design is very effective and the nozzle dispensed the

product with no problem at all.

Overall, it was very easy to use and dispensing the product was not messy at all.

VALUE FOR MONEY

t roughly $15 the Innisfree Eco Ice Cotton Toner is a fun and practical product that is well worth the price.

Unfortunately, these cooling effect products are only available during the summertime so don’t expect to see these little guys being available all year

round.

If you happen to be in South Korea during the season or see them online I would definitely recommend trying these out.

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THESE “COOLING” SKINCARE PRODUCTS?

LET US KNOW BELOW!

Beauty Reviews

The Hidden Thimble x Clearasil – Skin and the Sun (Giveaway)

March 24, 2015 The Hidden Thimble Team Leave a comment

Advertorial

Self-conscious. Embarrassed. Gross.

Those harsh and unfortunate words haunt any adolescent’s thoughts and are all too familiar growing up with blemished skin.

I must admit, I didn’t really care for my skin much when I was a teenager, or ideas for “healthy” habits that could help improve skin appearance. My personal treatment of teenage skin was to tackle my facial problems using a facial wash, mainly a gel or a scrub and medical acne treatments. Things like toners, serums, and moisturizing (a very important step always left forgotten) were not in my routine vocabulary and my knowledge of “proper” skincare was still in infancy until I reached past my 20’s. All the effort made since then has dramatically improved the condition of my skin’s appearance by creating a more thoughtful and complex routine for the results I wanted to achieve – and it’s worth it!

As everybody’s body is idiosyncratic, this guide to perfecting a skincare regime is the foundation to exploring your own skin story. Whether you are fighting against hormonal or stressful once off breakouts, there are products out there to help you in balancing your skin’s changing stages from the inside out and fight those annoying little red dots!

A Guide to a Perfect Skin Care Routine

– Cleanse –

First off you want to remove any make-up, dead skin cells and pollutants that might clog your pores. I like to use a facial cleanser sponge to make sure I get into the corners as much as possible. There are a few forms of cleansers such as gel washes (Clearasil Ultra Rapid Action Gel Wash), which are great for easy face rinsing to cream types (Clearasil DailyClear Vitamins & Extracts Wash) which can also double as a mask to penetrate deeper.

– Scrub Off –

Exfoliators stimulate cell renewal and improve skin texture and appearance. As this product can be harsh to use every day on your skin, limit this to only once every other week or once a month. Choose a scrub that has natural ingredients like Clearasil’s DailyClear Vitamins & Extracts Scrub which has Vitamin E and Antioxidants from Avocado and Pomegranate to help keep skin healthy and nourished.

– Tone It –

After stripping away all that natural oil from your face, toners are your best friend to rehydrate and restore the pH level of your skin, avoiding excess oil production and also to shrink your pores.

– Hit the Right Spot –

This is for those miracle working product treatments that come in concentrated forms such as essences, creams, serums, ampoules, boosters – the list goes on! This is where you target the areas of concern so if you have sore acne spots that you want to reduce and can’t pop just yet, use a specially formulated product like Clearasil Rapid Action Pimple Cream to spot treat problem pimples.

– Sunscreen –

The sun is not the kindest to our skin so make sure you stay sun smart if you are doing your skin regime and going out for the day.

– Lock It In –

Moisturize. Moisturize. Moisturize! It’s the key for youthful skin when you are older so do it!

Want to know what products are best suited for you? Check out Clearasil’s Customised Skin Care Guide.

I want to highlight one of the most underrated steps in a person’s skincare regime: prevention from the sun. Let’s face it, how many of you actually include sunscreen into your daily facial regime? I bet not many! Now I could go on about the scientific facts concerning why it’s so important to slip, slop and slap, but all you really need is some hard cold evidence.

You know all that money you spend on formulas with anti-aging? What if I told you that majority of the anti-aging formula secret is sunscreen. Yep that’s right, the skins biggest enemy is sun damage! Think of how much money you could save by just adding sunscreen to your regime!

And for those of you who like the science: ultraviolet light (and in Australia this is even more pronounced due to a giant hole right above us in the ozone layer) breaks down the elastin and collagen in your skin. This causes discolouration, roughness, skin thinning, dilated blood vessels and the most dreaded…wrinkles!

You might be thinking, where in my regime do I add sunscreen? Apply sunscreen after cleansing and exfoliating with a good exfoliate such as Clearasil’s Clear and Refine Daily scrub, BEFORE applying moisturiser. However if you’re anything like me and have oily skin that’s prone to break outs, you can streamline the process by using an oil free combination moisturiser with SPF 30+ or my personal choice – a CC or BB cream with SPF 30+.

For more information, check out Clearasil’s Summer Skin care tips for preventing Sun damage.

After feeding you with so much skin knowledge, guess what? We have a surprise!

We are giving away:

1x Clearasil Ultra Rapid Action Gel Wash, 1x Clearasil DailyClear Vitamins & Extracts Wash, 1x Clearasil DailyClear Vitamins & Extracts Scrub and 1x Clearasil Rapid Action Pimple Cream, all c/o Clearasil.

Here are the details!

Good Luck!

[UPDATE]

We have a winner!

Thank you to everyone who entered! We hope to do more giveaways soon ;)

Run by two travel and lifestyle bloggers, The Hidden Thimble focus’ on creating truthful and in-depth travel guides, food & beauty reviews. Enjoy drool-worthy photography from around the world!