Second Rimmel review! I loved the previous product (Rimmel Scandaleyes Waterproof Kohl Kajal – link here) and let’s see if I love this too. Today, I review the often talked about Rimmel Stay Matte Long Lasting Pressed Powder in the shade 010 Warm Honey.
The product. Very simple packaging.
Product inside.
Description on the back.
A closer look.
Swatch. About half a shade lighter than my skin tone.
Description: Pressed powder that comes in 14 grams or 0.49 oz of product. Here in Malaysia there are about 6 shades which is pretty good because I believe 010 is one of the darkest! Sure enough, 010 is difficult to find because it seems to be sold out.
Where to buy: Selected Guardian and Watsons nationwide.
Price: MYR 14.90 (at this price, waiting for a promotion isn’t even necessary!)
Wear test.
Freshly applied. I used this only under the eyes because it is too light to use all over the face (yes, picture reused from my Maybelline Fit Me foundation review, link here).
After about six hours of wear. The under eyes have stayed almost perfect!
Pros:
Smooth velvety powder.
Easy to apply and blend.
Lives up to the name! It stays matte all day!
CHEAP!
Does not look heavy or cakey with proper application.
Lasts very well on the skin!
Comfortable to wear.
Cons:
Can settle into lines if over applied.
Darker shades of this powder would be perfection. It actually does come in deeper shades but this is the deepest one available here in Malaysia.
Packaging is very flimsy.
No powder puff or sponge.
Can cause flashback if over applied.
Rating: 9.1/10
In spite of the Cons, I LOVE this powder and am giving it a high rating. By the way, I already have a backup, enough said.
Update 17th June 2019: Prices have been revised for these products. Check under each product review section.
Another day, another Althea review! Yeay! Althea launched a new collection called A-Bloom and let me tell you that the adorable factor is 10 out of 10. You’ll see in the pictures below.I was sent all these products but opinions are all mine! None of the links are affiliate links either!
I LOVE THIS BOX!!!!!!!!!!!!!SO MANY GOODIES!!!!!!!!!
SO the collection comes with the following; 1. BHA Blackhead Blaster 2. A’bloom Giant Meringue Puff 3. A’bloom Baby Meringue Puffs 4. A’bloom Moisturizing Watermelon Mask Sheet 5. A’bloom Nourishing Avocado Mask Sheet 6. A’bloom Brightening Lemon Lime Mask Sheet 7. A’bloom Anti-Blemish Peach Mask Sheet I will be reviewing the blackhead blaster as a unit, both the meringue puffs as a unit, and the masks as a unit.
First up, the Blackhead Blaster.
Illustrations! YES!A little bit of description on the box.
Directions and ingredients. I have to say THANK YOU ALTHEA for the ENGLISH scripts!!!
A close look. I will list the ingredients separately too.It comes in a twist up tube.Safety cap! YES! highly appreciated!Don’t worry the black is just the charcoal!
Description: Cleansing stick targeted at managing and removing blackhead, excess sebum as well as pore cleaning. Has charcoal as an added ingredient and hence the black colour.
Pros: -Cleanses pores and excess sebum really well. -Easy to use. -User friendly packaging. -PRICE! -Skin felt clean and fresh.
Cons: -Dries out the skin a tiny bit. This typically happens with me when tea tree oil and charcoal is involved. (But I only used it on and around the nose and forehead area). -The grit that is supposed to clean the pores does dissolve but not fast enough and so it does scratch the skin! First time I used it I actually felt the grit on my skin and not in a good way. The grit is a little sharp. Take note that I don’t have the most sensitive skin or delicate skin for that matter.Althea website says that it is supposed to be gentle so I guess it would depend on your own skin and how you handle exfoliation.
The red circles are the gritty substance in it which I believe is charcoal although I can’t be sure.
Rating: 6.5/10 As effective as it is I was not a fan of the grittiness of the stick.As much as it made my skin softer and really exfoliated, I did notice one or two tiny zits around the areas I used it which is something I’ve noticed, happens when I use a really strong exfoliant. I doubt this product would be something I’d willingly purchase.
Next up, the Meringue Puffs! Trust me, this is the most adorable thing you’ll see in this review!
OMG, OMG, OMG!!!Both puffs come with the same description because they’re made of the same material.Thank GOD for description in ENGLISH!Not dampened.Dampened! Definitely gets CONSIDERABLY larger.This are the smaller puffs, the larger one is just a result of dampening it.YES! SO CUTE!This is how it looks held up to my face (dampened).
Description: High density latex free makeup sponges that come in two sizes.
Note: I can’t attest to longevity of the sponges just as yet, since this was sent to me for my honest review, I agreed to post the review within a prescribed time limit but I will definitely keep you posted.
Pros: -Blends out cream and liquid product beautifully. -Blends out product in RECORD time because the giant sponge is so big! -The baby sponge helps with the nooks and crannies. -Soft sponge! -Bouncy and that’s really important in makeup sponges. -CHEAP!!! MY GOD SO CHEAP!
Cons: -It EATS product. First time I used it I had pumped out enough to cover my face and when I dipped the sponge into the foundation it completely disappeared into the sponge. I thought it might just dispense onto my face and it did but not all of the product came out. Because of this, I tried dotting on my face and blending it out and this worked much better. -Although it has a teardrop shape, the tip tapers off to the base on an angle too wide rendering it not that useful for going into the corners for more precise blending. The smaller ones are much more useful for this but since they have the same shape I get more use from the base than I do from the pointed end. -Holds too much water so the sponge needs to be rung out properly lest the face becomes wet (unless of course that is your desired look).
The point is not acute enough to fit nicely at the under-eye area.Even the baby sponge is shaped that way and it’s not that convenient.
This is how I used the baby sponge.
Rating: 6.9/10 I am torn with this. It’s soft, blends well and is CHEAP but at the same time, the cons are pretty serious. Sponges are good because they should take away some product off the face so one doesn’t look caked on but at the same time it shouldn’t eat up your product. I feel like people doing body paint might get good use of out it because the giant sponge is so big it would cover a large portion of the skin with a base grease paint fairly quickly. Perhaps even faster than a large brush.
Last up, THE FACE MASKS!
I got four!LOVE the puns!Description on the back and in ENGLISH! YES!I am only sharing one picture because directions are the same and specific ingredients I’ve already listed.Four different masks made for four different goals.
Description: Face masks that come in four different variations.
Price: MYR 2 (each)!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YASSSS!!!!!!!!!(no change in price, THANK GOD!)
Pros: -All four masks worked beautifully. –Mild scent. Fragrance is not an ingredient so perhaps the only scents I caught were from the ingredients. -The mask is very wide which is ideal for me because masks rarely cover my big face properly! -Avocado – It is supposed to balance pH; I don’t know if it did but this was my FAVE out of the four. -Watermelon – This lived up to its name; it moisturised my skin and made it bouncy. -Lime – Brightening is something that takes time. Hardly something that will be obvious in a single use. However, I loved how this mask makes my skin feel! Peach –This was the only one that didn’t do much for me except hydration.
Cons: None (RARE, INDEED)!
TIP! Squeeze out the serum/essence from the face mask and use it on your legs and feet to get the most out of it!
Rating: 9/10 Out of all the products in this collection, it’s funny that I loved the masks the most because I don’t really believe in masking except for the soul therapeutic effects it parts. So I was surprised to see an actual difference and a glow to my skin! At RM 2 it’s a STEAL!Would definitely repurchase!
Sorry if you were click-baited but here’s the meme! HAHAHA!
Edited 17th April: Added two pictures because there was something I missed on the product. Scroll to “Description”.
New products from Althea Korea; an online beauty shop from, obviously, Korea! There are country specific iterations of the shop in several countries including the USA. I am an Althea ambassador but that has no influence on my views on their products. I was sent these two together so I decided to review them together. Opinions are all mine! None of the links are affiliate links either!
The products.
One comes in a tub and the other in a tube.
Both descriptions were in Korean.
I review the Waterful Green Bamboo Pads first.
Notice the word “Pads” that will make sense in a second…
Safety sealed! Love it!
Yes, they are individual sheets that dispense product.
Comes with this teeny tiny prong to pick it up.
LIKE THIS!
This is how each sheet looks like.
Description: They are moisture pads that come in 80 sheets per tub and contains about 100 ml product. The special ingredient in this product is bamboo, as its name suggests.
The sheet material was not disclosed but there was this statement on the Althea website (verbatim).
“Made with EWG green(1-2) grade ingredients only, safe and suitable even for sensitive skin – EWG Grade : Safe Ingredients tested and chosen by American environment NGO.”
So after I had published the review and had to put away the box for recycling (YES, I ALWAYS DO!) I noticed this inside the flap of the box. It was a description of the product in English.
You see how I may have missed it!!!
Thank you Atlhea for putting the description here in English but next time, please place it where I CAN ACTUALLY SEE IT!
Pros:
Gives the skin a gentle exfoliation with the pads.
The formula itself is very effective! I noticed a difference on day 3.
Skin felt smoother.
Skin felt highly moisturised!
I even felt a little reduction in texture!
The plastic prong was a great addition (I hate tub products because I hate sticking my finger into it knowing my germs transfer into it!).
Cons:
The pads are so thin that even with the tiny tweezers it was difficult to separate each sheet.
I need AT LEAST two sheets per use, that’s about 4 sheets per day and with that the product would be done in UNDER 20 days. That’s less than a month usage.
Note: Although it does not have added fragrance, this pad does have a very strong medicinal scent to it. I’m partial to that kind of a scent as opposed to fragrance in skincare.
Rating: 8.7/10
I love this stuff!!!! I may even willingly purchase this. Once I use up all the skincare I have…
Moving on, product number 2!
The tube.
Product.
Description: It is essentially a moisturising cream that helps with skin issues.
Update 17th June 2019: Prices have been revised for these products. Scroll down to see changes.
*Disclaimer: None of the links in this review is an affiliate link. I am an Althea brand ambassador but I am NOT paid to write this review or test the product. The product was something purchased with free Althea store credit.
B-Lab is a Korean cosmetics brand whose sole purpose is to create cleansing products hence their entire line is only made up of, well, cleansers. With very simple, no fluff packaging they focus on good quality natural ingredients and effective cleansing methods.
I got the smaller one to test but because Althea was so generous to give me store credit, I went for the large 500ml one. It is a simple squeeze bottle and the black cap can screw all the way off so one could definitely reuse the bottle for something else.
Ingredient list is in Korean so I did have to refer to Althea and Google translate for information.
Description: Cleansing water that comes in 100 ml and 500 ml bottles.
Price: MYR 17.00 for 100ml and MYR 52.00 for 500ml (revised price, MYR 20.00 for 100ml & MYR 54.00 for 500ml)
Swatch test
From left to right, hard to remove liquid lip, blue liquid liner, concealer, tough to remove waterproof mascara, three pigmented eyeshadows.
Pretty good, considering, that mascara is the devil’s spawn and that liquid lipstick belongs on the Sahara desert because it dries out the lips like none I’ve tried!
Pros:
Light on the skin.
Very effective at removing makeup.
Skin feels refreshed after using.
Love the reusable bottle!
Very natural ingredients!
Cons:
Tiny bit of sticky feeling after use.
Does burn my eyes but it isn’t as bad as some others.
VERY bitter! DO NOT recommend using this on the lips!
Rating: 8/10
The price is not too bad for the amount of product and it performs pretty well but I’d look to the drugstores for my tried and tested.
Oh, another Maybelline review. What can I say, I love a lot of products from the brand. It is perhaps the first makeup brand people know here in Malaysia and today I review the Baby Skin primer.
The product. Comes in an outer plastic box.
Ingredients list and some instruction on the side of the box.
Ingredients list.
The tube.
The product. Clear silicone-y primer.
Blended out. It does fill up the pores and blur the skin as seen here.
Description: A dimethicone and silicone based primer that comes in 22ml product.
Ingredients: DIMETHICONE, DIMETHICONE CROSSPOLYMER, STEARYL HEPTANOATE, CAPRYLYL GLYCOL, SILICA SILYLATE, PROPYLENE GLYCOL, PENTAERYTHRITYL TETRAISOSTEARATE, PRUNUS CERASUS EXTRACT / BITTER CHERRY EXTRACT [+/- MAY CONTAIN / PEUT CONTENIR CI 73360 / RED 30 CI 77492 / IRON OXIDES]
Where to buy: Major pharmacies/drugstores nationwide.
Price: MYR 28.21
Wear test.
No primer.
With primer.
After about 7 hours.
I used it with the Maybelline Fit Me foundation, keeping with the brand. No primer side.
Primed side.
It isn’t so apparent in the picture but the side of the primer did break apart while the unprimed side stayed intact. What is obvious from the picture is the primed side is way oilier than the unprimed side.
Pros:
It does fill up pores.
It does blur skin texture.
Generous amount of product for the price.
Cons:
As evident, it didn’t hold up even with my not so oily skin.
Foundation breaks apart and patches of skin shows through when facial oils come through.
It moves too much underneath the foundation and so the foundation does not sit well.
The scent is nauseating to me.
Feels rather uncomfortable on the skin to me.
Rating: 6/10
One expression; ‘meh’. Such a ‘meh’ product. Had it for over a year and it is not even a quarter used.
LipHop is a brand under the drugstore/pharmacy brand Guardian Health and Beauty. The products are developed and made in Korea. This is my review of the LipHop Sun Protection Lotion.
The product.
Description on the back of the tube.
Description and ingredients list.
Description: Sunscreen that comes in 100ml that claims to be SPF80.
NYX has products I absolutely love not just because they’re the single most affordable brand in Sephora but because they truly have some amazing products. The two products I’ve previously reviewed here, I absolutely love!
This review is on the NYX Jumbo Pencil in 604, Milk.
The product.
Description and ingredients.
Swatch.
It isn’t an eyeliner that typically sets down and does not move. It stays creamy unless set with powder. That’s not a bad thing. It makes for a great base to press corresponding eyeshadow on.
Description: A jumbo pencil that comes in a variety of shades and in 5grams of product.
Ingredients: ISONONYL ISONONANOATE, OCTYLDODECANOL, ETHYLHEXYL PALMITATE, ISOSTEARYL ISOSTEARATE, EUPHORBIA CERIFERA (CANDELILLA) WAX / EUPHORBIA CERIFERA CERA / CIRE DE CANDELILLA, CERESIN, MICROCRYSTALLINE WAX / CERA MICROCRISTALLINA / CIRE MICROCRISTALLINE, COPERNICIA CERIFERA (CARNAUBA) WAX / COPERNICIA CERIFERA CERA / CIRE DE CARNAUBA, POLYETHYLENE, BEESWAX / CERA ALBA / CIRE D’ABEILLE, TOCOPHERYL ACETATE, BHA, BUTYLPARABEN, ISOBUTYLPARABEN, ISOPROPYLPARABEN. MAY CONTAIN (+/-): MICA, TITANIUM DIOXIDE (CI 77891), IRON OXIDES (CI 77491, 77492, 77499), CARMINE (CI 75470), CHROMIUM OXIDE GREEN (CI 77288), ULTRAMARINES (CI 77007), FERRIC FERROCYANIDE (CI 77510), BLUE 1 LAKE (CI 42090), YELLOW 5 LAKE (CI 19140).
Where to buy: Sephora stores nationwide and in the NYX Malaysia professional stores (you can find locations to the stores here). There are also various online options.
Price: MYR 26
I used the product to create my 2016 Halloween look.
Pros:
Very pigmented!
Very opaque!
Blends easily.
Creamy and glides on very easily!
Pretty affordable considering it’s sold in Sephora.
Cons:
Sharpening it is a PAIN!
Note: These don’t set like a typical eyeliner but I do believe they weren’t meant to. They would make a great eyeshadow base. And to set it in place would be just to use a white eyeshadow.
Rating: 8.6/10
I love this particular eye pencil but this particular colour isn’t exactly something practical. Perhaps a different colour would serve as a wonderful cream eyeshadow.
Althea has been releasing product after product and another edition to it is this new Milk Peel Cream Mask!
This product was sent to me but opinions are all mine.
Outer packaging.
Description is all in Korean. But Althea Malaysia is working on pasting a translation on the back.
The bottle.
Attach a pump to any liquid cosmetic product and you win hearts!
Description: A bubbly mask that is required to be applied for only a minute! Comes in 50ml or 1.7 fl. oz. It is supposed to contain AHA (alpha hydroxy acid) and BHA (beta hydroxy acid) but although not explicitly written, it is typically contained in milk and glycolic acid is a type of AHA.
I’ve uploaded a video of me trying on the product on YouTube. And of course please subscribe!!! I don’t have half a million subscribers to be saying subscription is optional (if you get that reference then you’d understand seamlessness HAHAHA).
The mask. White in colour. Thick cream consistency.
As I spread it, it started BUBBLING! That was cool! It is a bubble mask!!!
Hopefully you can see the bubbles. It bubbles almost immediately so it was difficult to get a shot of the product before it bubbles. So I guess you just have to take my word for it that it was just a white cream. Hahaha!
Pros:
Easy to use!
Fast!
Pump and the bottle, are no muss no fuss, both in terms of functionality and aesthetics.
Skin felt smooth and soft.
Definitely reduces inflammation (I had a large painful zit that happens very infrequently and this product definitely helped reduce both the zit itself and redness around the skin. I would have taken pictures but I more focused about product having an affect on my skin as opposed to the acne. Only noticed it when the zit wasn’t uncomfortable anymore and realised it had shrunk after having used this product a few times. I believe this is due to the BHA in the product which has always had positive affect on my skin. I’ve reviewed Paula’s Choice skincare in the past and one product was a definite winner for me; link to review here).
Skin felt moisturised!
Cons:
None! (First Althea product without a CON!)
Rating: 9/10
Loved using this! MYR 36 may be not be something I’d spend on just 50 ml product but it is in no way a pricey product. Besides, one would use a mask perhaps 3 to 4 times a week at most so the product will last you a while. Also, I already have so many products to try out and finish so I wouldn’t purchase it at the moment.
As we approach the end of the year, I want to thank all of my readers for being here, reading and commenting, in spite of my absence in the comment section! I FEEL THE LOVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I promise to be active in 2019. From the bottom of my heart, I thank you…
Oh yeah, Happy Christmas and have a wonderful New Year! See you guys in 2019!!!
This is my first Real Techniques review. Real Techniques is a brand started by sisters Sam and Nic and I remember them being one of the very first beauty gurus on YouTube. In fact, they were the very first makeup artists I started watching, when makeup tutorials were nothing but filmed on a simple camera with natural lighting. Started in 2011, they crawled their way into the masses and people loved (and still love) their products. Perhaps called one of the best dupes for the cult beauty favourite, the beautyblender, the Miracle Complexion Sponge is a legend in the makeup world.
This is the sponge; the larger one has been dampened.
The dual sponge combo comes in this plastic packaging. Very minimal, simple and clean design.
On the back, there’s a little guide on how to use the sponge. It says that it can be used dry but I prefer it dampened.
The teardrop shaped sponge is soft with a flat edge on one end and pointed one on the other.
The flat surface is round and has a sharp edge. Perfect for more precised blending.
Description: It is a makeup sponge that is used damp (or dry according to the creators) to apply and blend out foundation, concealer, cream blusher, powder, primer etc.
Where to buy: I purchased this particular one from an Instagram shop that no longer exists. However, Shins Malaysia sells authentic Real Techniques products both online and in stores (link at https://shins.my/). I would definitely suggest finding a cheaper alternative although authenticity may be an issue.
Price: I purchased them for MYR 50 for the dual pack. The same one is sold at retail price of MYR 101.80 at Shins.
Pros:
Extremely soft when dampened.
Flawless application of base products and cream products.
The sharp edge was an issue for me in the beginning but as I kept using it, it made more sense. I am a person that likes doing eye makeup first so the sharp edge helps me get around my done brows and eye liner when blending concealer and foundation.
The unique shape is very useful for any kind of blending.
At MYR 25 a piece (which I am hoping to find again) it is a steal, especially since I’ve had it for over 2 years and it is only just showing signs of tear (I do take measures to keep them clean and properly taken care of).
Even with the tears on the sponge it is still very much serviceable.
Cons:
Soaks up product a bit more than I’d like it to.
Rating: 9.2/10
Because they cost only 11 USD, I find it hard to believe that they would sell at a price point of anything more than MYR70. So I’d only ever purchase this from a source where I can get it for a price under RM30 a piece.
This is my first Rimmel product review and I am excited! After Essence, there’s a competitor in town with dirt cheap prices! Started in 1834, it also is one of the oldest makeup brands still available today. A London based company whose products are made in the European Union, I am surprised they have managed to keep their prices so low. AND, one of their foundation line runs two shades deeper than mine!!! TWO SHADES DARKER THAN MINE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AT MALAYSIAN DRUGSTORES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Today’s product, I got from Guardian on sale for MYR 5!!! 5 bucks! So anyway, here’s the review!
The pencil. Rimmel Scandaleyes Kohl Kajal.
Some description. Product is made in France.
Description: Waterproof kohl eyeliner that comes in a variety of shades and in 1.3 grams or 0.04 oz of product. This one in particular is in the shade 005 Nude.
