Friday 21 October 2016

A'Pieu Nonco Teatree Tinted CC Cream Review

Hello :)

  Lately I have been experiencing some stress related breakouts and so I have updated my skin care routine to help control it. When I do have a particularly bad skin day I like to wear a light base that lets my skin breathe and then I just conceal more problematic areas. The product I have been using lately is the Nonco Teatree Tinted CC Cream from the brand A'Pieu. I purchased this product here from Jolse for $8.48 USD.
 
    This CC cream comes in a simple 30 ml tube with a twist off cap. The product has SPF 25/PA ++. This product contains 42% tea tree leaf water and 2% Centella asiatica extract. The ingredients are supposed to soothe skin as well as to provide mild exfoliation.



    The texture of this product is like a light lotion and it does not feel greasy at all on the skin. It smells like tea tree but I like this because it makes it feel more medicinal but maybe thats just me. This CC cream only comes in one shade which is pretty light but is also very sheer. This seems to me to be pretty typical of most CC creams thought. This allows more skin tones to be able to use this product but I think if you are darker than shade #23 it may make you look a little washed out. However, you could always use this under your regular makeup products or mix it in with another CC cream or BB cream to get the skin care benefits of the product without looking too pale.

     This product has very little coverage but I do feel that it helps even out some of my redness on my face. I do need to conceal blemishes and around my nose and under eye circles still. This CC cream does not irritate my skin or dry it out, I find it quite moisturizing and it has a bit of a dewy finish but nothing crazy. I usually set mine with powder since I find it wears away a little around my nose throughout the day. However, I have yet to find a product that does not do this on me to some extent.
 
    In the photos below you can see you how the CC cream helps with some of the minor redness on my hand and makes the tone a little more even but that it does not really cover the beauty mark at all. You can also see the shade of the product.

Unblended

Blended
   I feel that this doesn't make a huge difference in my breakouts but that it does help. I feel like my skin can overall breathe a bit more and it does not break me out. I also notice breakouts clearing up a bit faster when I use this instead of my regular BB creams as well as reduced breakouts in general when I use this for extended periods of time. I am not so sure about the exfoliation benefits though.

  Overall I like this product. I like it for my light makeup or bad skin days and I think it does help a bit with minor breakouts. I do not think this is enough of an acne treatment on its own but I think it is a good supplement to a skincare routine that is already in place to improve breakouts. I think any skin type can use this product but it will obviously benefit irritated or acne prone skin the most. Have you tried anything from this brand? If you have let me know. :)

        What I liked: - Feels nice on the skin
                              - Helps with minor breakouts
                              - Lightweight
                              - Good price

What I didn't like: - Only comes in one shade - may look ashy on darker skin tones
                              - Unsure about exfoliation effect


Overal Rating: 4/5

This review was completely unsponsored and the product was purchased with my own money.
 

Monday 12 September 2016

Secret Key Snail Repairing Eye Cream Review

Hello everyone :)

   I have for review today a product which I have been using for almost half a year. Since it is a skin care item I wanted to use it for a good amount of time before I reviewed it so I could give as accurate an opinion as possible. It is the Secret Key Snail Repairing Eye Cream. This is a part of the Snail Repairing line from Secret Key. I reviewed the sun cream from this line previously and that review can be found here. I bought this product from Beautynet Korea here for $6.22 USD and you get 30g of product.
   
   This eye cream claims to tone up the skin around the eyes and to revive the delicate skin. This eye cream contains snail secretion filtrate and is supposed to be very mild. Some other active ingredients in this eye cream are adenosine, beta-glucan, niacinamide, arbutin, macadamia seed oil, jojoba seed oil and scualan. These ingredients are also supposed to help with elasticity and with fine lines.

    The packaging is a simple beige tube with a brown twist-off cap and brown writing. There is also a small gold snail on the tube. I have to say the product is bigger than I expected. You only need a small amount for each use and I have been using it for almost half a year and I still have almost half of the tube left. For $6.22 I would say that this is definitely a good value for your money.



Approximately how much I would use for both eyes
   The texture of this cream is like a light cream. It absorbs into the skin quite easily. This line is better suited to combination to oily skin I think unless you live in a very humid or warm place. When I received this item it was very cold and dry out so this cream wasn't quite moisturizing enough for my dry under-eye area. However, during the spring and summer it worked really well because it was light enough to not feel heavy or oily. You can see a demonstration of the texture and consistency of the cream below.





   This product does have a bit of a scent but it is not too strong. It smells just sort of lotiony. I experienced no irritation using this product which was good because I have really sensitive eyes and a lot of products either burn, make my eyes all red, watery or itchy. I however did not notice any significant changes in the appearance or texture of the skin around my eyes while using this product. I personally think that this eye cream is best suited to someone who is younger and is looking for a good mild eye cream to prevent aging and to just keep the eye area moisturized. If you are looking for something to help with wrinkles or aging eyes then I don't think this would be the right product for you.

   Overall I liked this product but since I live somewhere where it is very cold and dry for a large portion of the year I think that I will look for something that is a little richer since I am very prone to getting patchy and flakey areas around my eyes during cool weather and I found that this eye cream did not exactly stop this unless I applied a thick layer of cream. However, if you are young, on a budget, or have oily skin and are looking for a lightweight eye cream then you may really enjoy this. Have you tried any of the Snail repair line? :)

        What I liked: - Lightweight
                              - Non greasy
                              - Non irritating
                              - Good price/value for your money

What I didn't like: - Didn't help with fine lines
                              - Sometimes isn't moisturizing enough for drier skin

Rating: 3/5

This product was purchased with my own money and all thoughts and opinions are my own.
 
 

 
 
 

Thursday 8 September 2016

A'pieu Rilakkuma For Your Shadow #No.4 Good After Brown Review

Hello everyone :)

  I have for review today a special edition eyeshadow palette from the Brand A'pieu. This is part of the Rilakkuma limited edition collection. I bought this from Jolse for $11.98 USD. I have this in the shade Good After Brown. There are three other shades for this product which are #No. 1 How To Some which is orange toned, #No. 2 Feeling Coral, and #No. 3 Call My Name which is pink toned.
 
   The packaging is very cute and was a huge part of why I bought it. It is a small yellow compact with Rilakkuma's face on it. When you first open the palette the plastic cover on top of the eyeshadow has cute little drawings of the characters on it. The size is a little smaller then I expected but I don't mind because you still get a good amount of product and the small size makes it good for travelling. The palette has a convenient mirror inside of it as well. No brushes or applicators are included in the palette. I kind of wish even a small one was included so I don't have to pack an eyeshadow brush when I want to take it anywhere overnight. However, that is just me nit-picking and since they didn't include any applicator that means there is more room for the actual product. :) In total you get 7.6 grams of eyeshadow.





   I chose Good After Brown because the shades are very wearable and are good for everyday. Also Good After Brown is the only palette out of the four to contain mostly matte shades. I find a lot of Korean eyeshadow palettes to be very shimmery so this was a nice change. I do of course like shimmery or glittery eyeshadows but I wanted something to wear to work on a daily basis so this seemed more functional. There are four shades in the palette. The first one is a matte light brown, the second is a matte medium warm-toned brown, the third is a darker chocolate brown and the last shade is a glittery gold shade.



First two swatches are top half of the palette
Second two swatches are lower half of the product
   The matte shades all kick up a bit of powder when I use them but it isn't too bad and I would say they have a decent pigmentation and blend well. The glittery shade is pretty pigmented for a glitter eyeshadow. Personally, I like the amount of pigmentation this palette has because the shadows do not look chalky on me and they aren't too overly pigmented which can sometimes be too stark for me. I think I must be one of the few people who like sheerer eyeshadows haha. The wear time and pigmentation is good even without an eyeshadow primer and using an eyeshadow primer will just improve this.
 
  Overall I really like this product and get tons of use out of it. I was looking for brown eyeshadows exactly like the ones the palette contained so this was a really good find for me. I think almost everyone will enjoy at least one of the four palettes. I personally believe that #No. 4 Good After Brown will suit a large range of complexions and is very natural looking and wearable so I highly recommend this. If you are interested in purchasing this you can find it here. Have you tried any of A'pieu's Rilakkuma collection? If you have let me know!

        What I liked: - Super cute packaging
                              - Natural looking
                              - Travel friendly
                              - Blendable

What I didn't like: - Nothing!

Overall Rating: 5/5

This review was completely unsponsored and the product was purchased with my own money.