Medicube: PDRN Pink 1 Day Serum

I bought these from Shopee through new sign up promo and I had always wanted to try them!

Unfortunately, I feel that it was indeed moisturising but it feels very sticky on my skin after using. Very very sticky, even after applying a mask over it, the feeling doesn't go away. 

But since there are 10 pieces, I will still finish them up but maybe I should use half bottle each time hopefully there's a way to make it feel better and less sticky.

The bottle design is good, easy to twist open.

Rating: 3 out of 5 because the sticky feeling is still bearable and the bottle design is good. Minus 2 for the very sticky feel and I can't tell much about the actual effect apart from feeling that my skin is very sticky after use.

Anti-static Massaging Wide-toothed Comb Green Sandalwood

I bought a new Anti-static Massaging Wide-toothed Green Sandalwood Comb lately as the "tooth" of my plastic comb 💔 broke. 

As mentioned in the earlier post, the class I took covered the scalp massaging techniques. They kept selling the idea of doing scalp massage using Sandalwood comb (deer horn version - image above) and the ginseng + rosemary + polygonum multiflorum roller essential oil along with their usual course upsell. 

I was trying to see if there is a more effective way to just massage my entire scalp. To make my life easier and replace my broken comb, I bought a new Wide-toothed Green Sandalwood Comb and simply sprayed the hydrosol / essential oil mix onto my scalp, activate the meridians, then just use the comb to comb my hair from left to right 10 times for each area. It is the most efficient way that I could think of plus the comb's price is like <30% of the same Green Sandalwood deer horn pair. Plus I would have combed my hair so killing 2 birds with 1 stone. 🤭

Even as purely a comb, it looks not bad and is smooth and nice to use, I always like Wide-toothed ones more as it feels better when combing my hair.

(My Lazada referrer link: Wide-toothed Green Sandalwood Comb, for the version I actually bought)

I feel that the massaging effect mainly relaxed my scalp but I didn't get the darkened hair effect I was after, I couldn't feel much dandruff since the usage though.

Lucenbase: Vitamin A & C Essence Set

This is the first Vitamin A & C essence that I actually enjoyed using from Lazada. I feel that this version is value for money, I've bought the 120 pieces which is 3 boxes of 40 pieces each. 20 pieces of Vitamin A and 20 pieces of Vitamin C per box. It cost ~ $40+/- SGD varying with the promotion available. Each 30 pieces cost ~ $10.

The transparent ones is Vitamin C and the yellow ones is Vitamin A. Do note that we need to keep all these products away from light to ensure its potency. 

What I liked about this product set is that the single-use bottle is solid and easy to twist open. It's strength is just nice for my skin even when applied directly after toner. My skin absorbed the product relatively well after some slight lighting massage as I normally used the full bottle in 1 use.

Typically, Vitamin C every morning, I might apply optional other essence after it (about 1min later) to boost the anti oxidant effects if I had the time, e.g. Astragalus or Astaxanthin essence that I previously bought so I don't waste them (the other stuff). Vitamin A is applied at night about twice a week. 

I had slight allergy with Astaxanthin Essence (if I apply it directly, I get slight rashes / bumps about 30mins later, but it heals overnight after I applied aloe vera over it). Since I have 5 bottles of Astaxanthin Essence, in order not to waste my money, and it appears that if I apply the vitamin C before, my skin feels fine after with 2 drops of Astaxanthin Essence.

Overall, with this product my skin feels firm, hydrated and smooth after using it. Will definitely buy again when I am running out. I wish their Vitamin C ones could be sold alone so that it would work put better based on my usage. 

Rating: 5 out of 5 because I loved it

I bought this from Lazada's official store: Lucenbase: Vitamin A & C Essence Set.

Bioaqua: Hyaluronic Acid, Retinol & Vitamin C Essence

These single-use essence are the cheapest I found on Lazada but if we use the full bottle (1.5ml) in 1 use, my skin doesn't absorb it very well. It feels watery and moisturising and can be applied directly on my skin for all variations without any side effects but probably because it is somewhat diluted hence the low price. 

Personally I feel that the biggest downside of this product is that each bottle is super hard to open, simply twisting it doesn't work, easiest is to use scissors but it means we can't keep it after. The alternate way I discovered while trying to finish it is to pull from 1 side using our nails using all my strength and after like 2-3 times it finally opens a gap, from there I can then twist and pull open the cap. Definitely not good for use in the morning if you are in a rush of time.

Since it is moisturising and average kind of effective as Anti-oxidant, plus the low price, I decided to give the bottle version a try. I feel that the Vitamin Chief bottle might still be fine as I should be able to finish in 1 month but the Retinol version might be half wasted as I only use it like twice a week, so 1 month about 8-9 times. It would take about at least 3 months to finish the whole bottle and I am not sure if the freshness would still be there if I do that, so I regretted slightly after the purchase.

Rating: 2 out of 5 for the single-use version and 3.5 out of 5 for the bottle version

Lazada referrer links for the versions that I bought if you plan to check it out:

Single use version (~$5+ for 2 bottles)

Bottle version (~$3+ to $4+ per box depends on what you buy)

Verdict: I would say that I won't recommend these unless you have a tight budget on such products. Those that cost about $10+ for 1 month worth of products are much better. These feels kind of average just that it is super cheap. Bottle version is about 23% of other brand's pricing, single-use version is about 30% of other brand's pricing, exact pricing may vary with the discount offered by Lazada.

Quadha: Youthful Multi-Recovery Oil Essence

I had attended a 9 day plant essence skincare class lately about how to improve our skincare absorption using light massage techniques on our face as well as our scalp. One of the products recommended by the trainer is the Quadha: Youthful Multi-Recovery Oil Essence.

Personally, I feel that this single-use serum is really good as it is easily absorbed by my skin, even without the special application techniques, it got absorbed almost instantly. Every piece is only 1ml which is a bit less than most other single use brands (typically 1.5ml). To be honest, it is supposed to be single use and preferably we should finish the whole bottle in 1 time although it feels like you can lock it back. Even if you can't finish it, we should finish the whole bottle within 24 hours to maintain the freshness of the contents. 1ml is in fact just nice the amount we can easily absorb without much effort. I typically apply half over my face and neck then the other half again over it and it gets fully absorbed after.

The oil essence and the CT50 ("cell charger") technology improves skin vitality and overall complexion. Highly recommended for those above 40s. I bought 3 more boxes of it from lazada (Quadha: Youthful Multi-Recovery Oil Essence; also known as hanging oil 2.0), and I use about 3 pieces per week. Using it almost every alternate day, e.g. Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday evening after toner and face cream before bed. 

It has very good anti-aging and moisturising effect. My skins feels soft and bouncy after each use. For light face massage, I would need to add essential oil after as this essence gets absorbed by my skin before I can even start. I feel that the absorption boosting method works better with other essence that takes longer to get absorbed. 

The cheapest rate I found for Singapore is ~ $1+ per piece, with luck and promotion, sometimes it is slightly <$1.

(My lazada referrer link: Quadha: Youthful Multi-Recovery Oil Essence, to the one I actually bought, the 2 reviews are from me)

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

0.5 deducted as the price is on the high side.

Lazada $1.20 Cashback

If you also have a Lazada account, with the recent promotion where we could get $1.20 cashback by clicking on each other's link, please give me a hand by clicking on mine. Feel free to share yours too!

My $1.20 cashback link

Ruyi: Collagen Firming & Moisturising Secondary Serum

I feel like sharing an irresistible buy that I had made this May / Jun. I had bought twice (total of 6 boxes so far, hahaha), while stock lasted.

Fyi, the name of the actual product displayed in Lazada is different from the name on the box though. This Ruyi: Collagen Firming & Moisturising Secondary Serum is not sticky and is absorbed relatively well compared to most others I had used. The single-use serum bottle twist out well (bioaqua has the super hard to open version, this bottle quality is good, yet easy to open in a twist, don't need too much strength).

Effect: Very moisturising, non sticky, my skin feels smooth to touch after it gets fully absorbed. My face feels firmed and bouncy after use. For best effect, finish the whole bottle within the same day to ensure potency of the product. 

Frequency: Usually I use it at night, about 3 times a week, other nights I used the other types.

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Where I bought: RUYI recombinant collagen serum (Cheaper version ~50% cheaper than official store for 90 pieces / 3 boxes, it had the same authentic sticker. About $29 - 36. You can check out my review in lazada)

Official Ruyi Store: RUYI | Repairing Anti-aging Soothing Barrier Repair Essence (About $68 - 90, depending on promotion for same 90 pieces / 3 boxes).

Key difference: non official store I bought from had slightly older stock (Expiry: Dec 2028), Official store had freshest stock, most of the products I bought there had expiry around 2029, the month varies. The ones I just bought (different type) had expiry of Apr 2029. If you buy from the cheaper source, expiry is likely the same as mine but it is just Jul 2026, there is still ~2.5 more years to finish using it which is plenty of time. 

Sofina: Primvista Ange Long Keep Base UV

I bought this from Taiwan's Watson's last year as it comes with cute Hello Kitty recycle bag. 

Just couldn't resist the kitty design. It comes with the powder as well but I don't use much make-up these days so I hardly use it. 

Look at the lower part of my hand and you can see this fake white and the texture is pretty bad for a makeup base. As I am fairly white, after applying this, I feel that I looked like ghost plus the colour is so fake and it kind look like it cracks between the lines and gaps of my skin. Imagine all the lines, smile lines, double eyelid, below the eyes, all over the face with uneven tone and super fake white look. Which is why I rather show you my hand in the picture as example. 

Definitely this will be the first and last time that I am using this brand's make up products. It's now in the bin after these photoshoot. 😜 

Rating: 1 out of 5, 1 more points for the cute kitty bag. Was wanting to put 0 without it.

I feel, don't waste your time and money on it, knowing there is a high chance you would regret after buying.

Skin79 - Super+ Beblesh Balm

The Skin79 Super + Beblesh Balm (BB Cream) is one of the best match BB Cream for my skin type and color tone. Although they have many in their range, this is my favourite as it blends into my skin perfectly and doesn't dry my skin. When used just on top of a moisturizer, it works best together with some loose powder, gently pressed on my skin with a powder puff.

Otherwise, it works well without loose powder if applied after the Makeup Base from Taiwan Magic Shop too. With this combination, it will be a more moisturized effect and doesn't crease the skin even after long hours of wearing it. Despite the price (close to $40 SGD), I'd buy it again when I finished using it. With this type of packaging, my lesson learnt is that it's best that I buy it from Singapore so that in case it really doesn't work, I can go back to find the shop to change for another bottle. Haha..

But of course, the BB cream comes out from the bottle smoothly after just a few pumps and it's simply great!

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars!

Makeup Base - Taiwan Magic Shop

The makeup base from Taiwan Magic Shop is so far the best that I had used in my life. With the demo that I mentioned in my previous post, it is this particular product that's creating the magical effect of smooth foundation application. It provides my skin with a superb smooth surface which is perfect for a makeup base, to prepare it for either BB cream finish or normal foundation finishing.

The feeling after applying this makeup base when I touched my skin is.. Wow.. it's actually so smooth to touch and my fingers almost just glide through! It has a slight powdery effect after I finished my application which is pretty similar to the "Skin Refinishing Lotion" from Amway Artistry. But of course, the usage is totally different. It's now an important part of my usual morning makeup routine.

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars! It's just a pity that it's only sold at Taiwan.. so that means I need to go there to buy again when I ran out. I wonder how long will it last me per bottle.

Mousse Foundation - Taiwan Magic Shop

The mousse foundation from Taiwan Magic Shop somehow doesn't seems to be as great as what the sales person had described it to be, especially when it was used alone by itself on top of other moisturizer brands. It was after I used the makeup base that I finally realized what's the magic behind that "better" makeup which she demonstrated on me. 

However, even when I did apply this product with the makeup base, it wasn't as "magical" as how the sales person had presented to me. It's pretty much diluted in a way and the color was pretty yellowish with no coverage at all. So I though to myself, if that's the case, what's the difference between applying this and not applying anything at all? And I gave up on the product. Luckily, I only bought 1 bottle to give it a try :D

Rating: 0.5 out of 5 stars. Don't bother getting it.

Pearl Whitening Eye Mask - Asily

This particular Eye Mask is bought during my Taiwan trip. It's pretty moisturizing and easy to use. However, the downside is that because of the way the mask is being designed, it's a solid gel stick which I'm to stick up just below my eyes. Such mask material is pretty cooling in nature, which might make it work better but it doesn't stick to my skin very well. It tends to glide off the intended location pretty often.

I'll still prefer the usual eye mask that sticks better although they are not as cooling but I won't need to keep adjusting it back. As just a slight gradient in my position does make it glide off my skin. Not sure if it's because I did apply my usual moisturizers prior to using the mask, so the moisture on my skin is too wet to hold it still.

Rating: 3 out of 5

Laneige Water Sleeping Pack

The Laneige Water Sleeping Pack is a cooling and moisturizing sleeping mask. That aids in my sleep when used as per instructions. The gentle fragrance is designed to help us relax and sleep better at night. Usually, if I take a deep breathe holding this Sleeping Pack close to my nose, I felt relaxed and I usually sleeps better. :)

Although, it is not really as gentle as the DNA Replenishing Mask from Taiwan Magic Shop. It's usage of aiding in my sleep on top of keeping my face and neck moisturized is certainly great! Just beware that you shouldn't be using this on areas of your skin where there's peeling skin as it might hurt a little (usually one off incident for me) due to it's cooling properties.

Also, this sleeping pack can be used around your eyes like the eye cream to help keep the moisture around your eyes in as well. But you mustn't apply too much so that it doesn't get into the eyes of course.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars. I've got 2 bottles :D

NARS - The Multiple (Cheek, Lip & Eye Stick)

The NARS - The Multiple stick is now my favourite makeup companion after my BB Cream or foundation routine, prior to the loose powder application (if I ever apply that). It sticks and blends into my BB Cream pretty well so far giving my cheeks a smooth and light blusher effect.

Ever since I started using the blush tint from Shu Uemura, I fell in love with the idea of cream based blusher. I would say that it's pretty long lasting if I did apply loose powder after using this, so that it gets hidden underneath the loose powder, giving it a protective coverage. Although this is much more expensive than the Shu Uemura blush tint, it is much easier to remove when it comes to my usual makeup remover process -- the makup remover tissue. However, as I bought this from Taiwan, it might not be on sale in many places. So far, I haven't found it on sale in Singapore yet.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars (0.5 due to the high cost involved). Anyway, with it's volume, it's going to last me quite a long time as I usually only use it on my cheek.

Hada Labo Lifting + Firming Milk

This Hada Labo Lifting + Firming Milk is the moisturizer product of the anti-aging series. It gives my skin a smooth moisturizing finish after usage. The only downside is that it doesn't come with SPF at all so I usually use this when I'm at home or at night rather than in the morning. As I'm a believer that SPF helps my skin by preventing unnecessary sun damages.

Although the bottle isn't very big, the volume can last pretty long as 1 gentle squeeze can usually cover my whole face and I only use it at night. So it's definitely going to last a very long time.. haha.. Probably around 6 months or so. After all, most of my moisturizers lasted pretty long with the exception of sleeping mask where I applied generously onto my skin. 

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 because of the missing SPF function

Hada Labo Hydrating Lotion

Under the strong recommendation of my good friend, I got myself a bottle of the Hada Labo Hydrating Lotion. From its range in the normal series, it looks like this should be the toner of the set, which is very moisturizing for a toner. It's now part of my daily routine of using it after my "toner" - Vichy Thermal Spa Water. 

The feeling after applying this lotion is that my skin feels instantly revived of water and smooth to touch. So much so that I also bought it's moisturizer item of the anti-aging series which is also very moisturizing as well.

Vichy Thermal Spa Water

The Vichy Thermal Spa Water is pretty good according to what the sales girl described, it can be used as "toner", or help soothe rashes. So far the use for rashes and itchy skin reaction due to unknown reasons works pretty well, so does it's "toner" functions.

I had kept a bottle in the office just in case. :)

Ratings: 5 out of 5 stars.

Moisture Boost Sparkling Mask - Cyber Color

The Moisture Boost Sparkling Mask from Cyber Colors is selling at close to 75% discount when I bought this one from Sasa. The reason behind it is because they are clearing old stocks so they are currently selling these stocks at $15 per bottle instead of the usual price: $59. Very cheap isn't it? But the expiry date though is on Oct 2012, which is coming soon.

Since it's gentle enough for daily use, I decided to buy a bottle and give it a try. It's pretty cool and interesting to see how after applying the mask on cleansed dry skin, tiny bubbles began to form and covered the entire area that I applied it on. Also, I can feel slightly that the bubbles are forming but when it comes to the bubbles disappearing, it's a rather ticklish sensation. But this will only happen if you leave it on for few mins.

After washing it off, and my skin dried, it feels smoother and supple.

Ratings: 4 out of 5

Dr. G Hydra Intensive BB Cream

Bought this Hydra Intensive BB cream during one of my Taipei trips as it feels smooth and hydrating after trial. 

However, when it comes to actual usage on my face, it does feel pretty off my face tone. Much fairer than my skin color. But if u do know me personally, I'm very fair myself, my skin tone is lighter than most of my friends. Yet, this BB cream is too "white" for me, making me look pale after use.

Rating: 1 out of 5. So I need another replacement.

Honestly speaking, when I went for more trials in Singapore where it's also for sale in local Sasa stores, it's pretty thick in coverage and does work, it's just a mismatch in color I supposed. So nothing I can do about it, next time must see more carefully before buying haha

DNA Replenishing Mask - Magic Shop

I've got the DNA Replenishing Mask from Magic Shop during my Taiwan last year and this year March. I would say that it's pretty good as even when I got sun burnt skin, application of this sleeping mask helps to soothe my skin and replenish the moisture lost with a cooling sensation rather than burning sensation that I got when I apply a few other brands of sleeping masks.

I would say that the effect I get from this sleeping mask when use after application of moisturizer is much better than without moisturizer as it enhance the moisturizing effect. Which means, I wake up with a much more moisturized and supple skin as compared to a normal clear skin without the moisturizer part.

Price: TWD$499

Location where I got the 2nd tube: Taipei XiMenDing Eslite Shopping Mall level 1

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars (That's why I did get a 2nd tube)