I have been blogging since February 2015. That’s 5 years! FIVE YEARS!!! Wow. In those five years, I have written 98 reviews. Yes, I counted (Lol, if you do decide to re-check then let me know!). And in those reviews, very few products have gotten over a 9/10 rating. So here they are! All of 15 them!
Like all of my reviews, these are my own opinions. You may have had bad experiences with these products and that’s ok.
Also these are in reverse order. From the oldest to the newest (because that’s how I looked through each of my reviews! HAHAHA!).
Also also, I am only sharing products that are still available for purchase.
Paula’s Choice for Men (PC4Men) Face Wash I have given few products over 9 rating, I have given far less “no cons”. This was one of it!
Maybelline Hypersharp Power Black Liquid Eyeliner I love liquid liners. And I prefer ones with brush tips as opposed to a felt tip. Which isn’t really what most people prefer. Hmmmmppphhh…
Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge The introduction of these expanding sponges meant to be used by dampening it with water has CHANGED the makeup game!!!
Althea Milk Peel Cream Mask FIVE STAR review with 222 reviews on the Althea official website! That should be enough to convince you to at least try… TIP: I usually wait for more than 60 seconds. 😛
A’Bloom Mask Trust me, I am just following order of post. This is not a promotion for Althea. A’Bloom is a sister brand to Althea Collection (i.e. the previous product brand). They both are Althea’s brand of products. The review includes more than just the mask but not all the products have a 9 rating. BTW, these masks are cheap too! CHEAP!
Zoeva 227 Luxe Soft Definer/ Blender Brush This is part goat hair so discretion advised. Otherwise, they are simply the best for the price. Freaking John McLean loves this exact brush!
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!
Second edit 4th January 2021: Prices have been changed by Althea, the pads are now MYR70 (from MYR 54) and the cream is now MYR 32 (from MYR 44).
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.
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.
FiercePaint 