Mask

Christmas Gift Guide & Best of 2009 : Smooth as fresh snow

Paris B 2 Comments

skincare_picks

What the… ??

Skin as smooth as fresh snow is what I’m going for 🙂

Skincare is always a tricky thing to get as gifts. Well, unless you already know what your friends are using and what their concerns are and what they are allergic to! Here are my picks for the best of skincare in 2009 – available in department stores and pharmacies.

For acne prone skin or oily skin:-

  • I like the Vichy Pore Refining Essence from Vichy Laboratoires – it works so well for me to reduce pores.
  • Cellnique Skin Action Serum gel is great for melting black and whiteheads and reducing spots.
  • Kiehl’s Rare Earth pore refining masque helps get rid of oil, and leaves skin feeling smooth.

For anti-aging or older skin:-

  • For a touch of luxury, I’d get Elemis – the Marine Recovery cream which is crazy awesome but it is only found at selected spas for now – notably at Mandara Spas in and around Kuala Lumpur (I know of Renaissance Hotel and Sheraton Imperial Hotel).
  • Not quite luxury but still in the expensive range of skincare is Lancome Primordiale Nuit which is an amazing night cream I like too and have for years.
  • Dior Capture XP Nuit overnight recovery serum seems to be working well for me now that I’m nearly done with the bottle!

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Review: Cellnique Paramedical Advanced Bio Renewal Mask and Intensive Hydrating Silk Masque

Paris B 30 Comments

cellnique mask

There are 2 masks from Cellnique that will be reviewed here – one is a clay mask  and the other is a sheet mask – take your pick which type you prefer! 🙂 Well not literally take your pick, but the two masks are quite different and can actually be used consecutively or separately. I received these recently and decided to try them together and learnt something new in process- moisture masks work better when used after clay masks! I’ll elaborate further below 🙂

Cellnique Advanced Bio Renewal Masque (Clay Mask)

When I saw that the Cellnique mask was a clay mask, I thought it would be like the Kiehl’s Rare Earth mask. Clay masks are well known not to be great for those with drier skins but one day, realizing I’d misplaced my Kiehl’s mask (is there a gremlin in the house?!) I reached instead for the Cellnique Advanced Bio Renewal Mask that was sent to me.

The mask is a clay mask but smells delicious – like pineapple or tropical fruit puree. Just don’t mistake this for your salad dressing! When I saw that the mask contains fruit enzymes, I went “Ah! No wonder it smells of tropical fruit!” Its a yummy sort of smell 🙂

cellnique-mask2

I spread a thin layer on my face, as I do all clay masks and the blue clay mask is quite a sight – don’t go round scaring anyone with this – or maybe do scare people with this for Halloween! 🙂

There is a slight tingling feel on the skin which isn’t unpleasant. The clay mask will dry and harden a little so wait until it all dries then wipe off with a wet washcloth or rinse off with warm water. I found my skin feeling super smooth – must be all that fruit enzymes and AHA at work.

I must say that although this is a clay mask, it did not leave my skin feeling very dry after washing off, though you should follow up with a hydrating moisturizer.

The Advanced Bio Renewal Mask is targeted at clearing dull skin and open and enlarged pores. I can see how this mask can help. Just after 1 use, my skin felt better already. However, I won’t recommend using this more than 1 time a week and not if you are allergic to fruit extracts as I know some people are.

A 50g tub of Cellnique Advanced Bio Renewal Mask retails at RM159 (US$55 online) and can be purchased online (free shipping worldwide) or at Cellnique salons and authorized counters (list). I rather liked this one and since you don’t use too much each time 1 tub can last a long time.

Pros: Leaves skin feeling smooth, Not drying

Cons: May not be suitable for anyone allergic to Fruit Extracts or AHA


Ingredient List: Purified Water (Aqua purificata), Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Disodium Cocamphodiacetate, Pineapple Enzyme (Bromelain), Papaya Enzyme (Papain), Polyethylene Micro Beads, Glycolic Acid, Malic Acid, Citric Acid, Tartaric Acid, Tomato Extract, Lemon (Citrus medica limonum) Oil, Grape Seed (Vitis vinifera) Extract, Bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus), Amino Acid, Saponaria (Saponaria offcinalis) Extract, Propylene Glycol, Chamomile (Anthemis nobilis), Aloe Vera (Aloe barbadensis) Gel, Linden (Tilia cordata), Titanium Dioxide, Allantoin, Disodium EDTA, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, DMDM Hydantoin, Tropical Fruit Fragrance.

Cellnique Intensive Hydrating Masque (Sheet Mask)

Sheet masks are a wonderful invention. Never has masking at home been made so easy as with the invention of the pre-soaked sheet mask! 🙂 The Cellnique Intensive Hydrating Silk Masque comes sealed in individual silver packs in a box of 5.
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Review : Kiehl’s Rare Earth Deep Pore Cleansing Masque

Paris B 31 Comments

My facial skin has been feeling a bit dull and uneven of late. So, when my eyes fell on the new Kiehl’s Rare Earth Deep Pore Cleansing Masque I decided to slap it on and see where it took me.

kiehls rare earth masque

The instructions say to apply a thin layer on the skin. The reason I suspect is because it can be drying. The new Kiehl’s Rare Earth skincare line does after all have Amazonian White Clay as its key ingredient. Clay in skincare has been used traditionally to absorb oil and is used usually in masks and this Amazonian White Clay is known to remove bacteria, toxins and excess oil and dead cells that can clog skin and result in enlarged pores. The other key ingredients are oatmeal to absorb oil and aloe vera to soothe the skin.

Because clay can be drying, the Kiehl’s Rare Earth skincare line is tailored for those with normal-oily skins. The sales assistant did tell me the rest of the products in the line may not be suitable for me. I’m glad she was honest and not out for a quick sale! 🙂

I’ve worked out that I’m combination with slightly dry skin on my cheeks but I decided to risk this mask anyway. I’m rather glad I did because I like how my skin felt after using this mask
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Clarins HydraQuench Cream Mask to Quench your Skin’s thirst

Paris B 25 Comments

Despite all the beauty articles we read, I know of quite a few women who still forsake using a daily moisturizer because they feel their skin don’t need it. Au contraire! In hot humid weather, our skin needs moisture more than ever because heat and sun are 2 of nature’s harshest environments.

Clarins has recognized this by introducing a few new products in the Clarins Hydraquench range for introducing and locking in moisture in the skin.

There is already a Hydraquench range but a couple more new products that are already out on the shelves will supplement things further. The key ingredient in the Hydraquench range is the Katafray bark from Madagascar – it was discovered to help raise moisture levels and is now cultivated and used exclusively in Clarins’ Hydraquench range of products.

One of my favourites is the Clarins Hydraquench Cream Mask for dehydrated skin (RM135/75ml).

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