TRAVEL SERIES PART 1: MY SKINCARE TRAVEL BAG

I'm gonna go on holiday for 8 days starting next week, so I really want to share with you what beauty products I'll bring with me. Let's start with my favorite subject: skincare ^^ (Some of the products have been reviewed on my blog, so if you want to read the full reviews, just click on the names).

This bag is a freebie that I got from Tonymoly as a GWP. I love it and it has followed me through many trips. 

• Cleanser: I bring along Bifesta Cleansing Express Eye Makeup Remover and Biore Cleansing Milk. The latter can double up as a makeup remover and a regular cleanser, so I don't have to bring a separate cleansing foam.

• Exfoliator: I exfoliate once or twice a week, so I only bring 1 sachet of It's Skin Mangowhite Peeling Gel. This exfoliator is gentle yet effective.

• Toner and moisturizer: I've saved up all the samples I received in several months to use them on the trip. I'll use It's Skin Collagen Toner and Emulsion, It's Skin Hyaluronic Acid Toner and Emulsion, It's Skin Fermented Floral Water Whitening Toner and Lotion, and It's Skin Caviar Double Effect Toner and Emulsion. I know it may sound excessive, but these samples are tiny and can run out at anytime, so I'd rather be safe than sorry :P Besides, I've used them all before and they don't irritate my skin in any ways. Side note: It's a really bad idea to try out new skincare products while traveling because if you're allergic to them, they'll ruin your holiday.

Since these samples are all emulsion, I also bring along some sachets of It's Skin Prestige Creme D'escargot in case my skin gets dry.

• Eye cream: It's Skin Brighten System Eye Cream. (I'm almost out of this one, but I think it can last until the end of my holiday).

• Sunscreen: I have It's Skin 2PM Sun Block SPF50+ PA+++ for my face and Biore UV Perfect Milk SPF50+ PA+++ for my body.

• Lip balm: Maybelline Baby Lips in Cherry Velvet. This lip balm has good moisturizing property as well as SPF20.

That's all for today. The post about my travel makeup bag will be up tomorrow, so stay tune for that ^^

REVIEW: ETUDE HOUSE SHEA BUTTER NUTRIFULL SKIN CARE KIT

Last summer I received a Shea Butter Nutrifull Skin Care Kit from Etude House Hong Kong, but I put off trying it until winter because if I used rich products during hot weather, I'd break out. 

Description: Enriched with Ecocert certified Organic Shea Butter and Cloudberry ingredient, this three-piece skin care set deeply nourishes and moisturizes dry to very dry skin, This set contains: Nutrifull Shea Butter Essentializer, Nutrifull Shea Butter Cream, Nutrifull Shea Butter Sleeping Pack.

Directions: 

• Step 1. Nutrifull Shea Butter Essentializer (Essence-in Lotion): After cleansing and toning, massage evenly over face. Pat to finish. 
• Step 2. Nutrifull Shea Butter Cream (Ultra-concentrated Cream): After Essentializer and Eye Cream, massage evenly over face. Pat to finish. 
• Step 3. Nutrifull Shea Butter Sleeping Pack: After toning, smooth evenly on face before sleeping. Do not rinse off - the product will absorb. Cleanse in morning with warm water. For an extra nourishment, use after Nutrifull Butter Cream.

Ingredients:

• Nutrifull Shea Butter Essentializer: water, butylene glycol, butyrospermum parkii (shea) butter, cyclopentasiloxane, glycereth-26, glycerin, squalane, dimethicone, cetyl ethylhexanoate, C14-22 alcohols, cyclohexasiloxane, rubus chamaemorus seed extract, C12-20 alkyl glucoside, glyceryl stearate, glyceryl caprylate, DI- C12-13 alkyl malate, cetearyl alcohol, stearic acid, ethylahexyglycerin, xanthan gum, carbomer, palmitic acid, polysilicone-11, PEG-100 stearate, tromethamine, disodium EDTA, phenoxyethanol, fragrance       
• Nutrifull Shea Butter Cream: water, glycerin, cyclopentasiloxane, cyclohexasiloxane, cetyl ethylhexanoate, squalane, butyrospermum parkii (shea) butter extract, dicaprylyl carbonate, disteardimonium hectorite, cetyl PEG/PPG-10/1 dimethicone, butyrospermum parkii (shea) butter, helianthus annuus (sunflower) seed wax, limnanthes alba (meadowfoam) seed oil, PEG-10 dimethicone, rubus chamaemorus seed extract, salvia hispanica seed extract, lauryl PEG-9 polydimethylsiloxyethyl dimethicone, sodium chloride, ethylhexaglycerin, pentylene glycol, polysilicone-11, disodium EDTA, phenoxyethanol, fragrance 
• Nutrifull Shea Butter Sleeping Pack: water, butyrospermum parkii (shea) butter, glycerin, cyclopentasiloxane, butylene glycol, dicaprylyl ether, cetearyl alcohol, cyclohexasiloxane, BIS-PEG-18 methyl ether dimethyl silane, sodium hyaluronate, rubus chamaemorus seed extract, dicaprylyl carbonate, glyceryl stearate, behenyl alcohol, PEG-40 stearate, polysorbate 20, carbomer, glyceryl caprylate, hydroxyethyl acrylate/sodium acryloyldimethyl taurate copolymer, palmitic acid, stearic acid, tromethamine, dimethicone/vinyl dimethicone crosspolymer, alcohol, ethylhexaglycerin, phenoxyethanol, fragrance 

My opinion:

• Nutrifull Shea Butter Essentializer: This product has the lightest consistency among the 3. It absorbs quickly and doesn't clog my pores or break me out. It's definitely not moisturizing enough on its own, but when used with Nutrifull Shea Butter Cream or Nutrifull Shea Butter Sleeping Pack, the combo still isn't enough for my dehydrated skin in the winter. 
• Score: 7/10

• Nutrifull Shea Butter Cream: This product has the thickest consistency and never seems to absorb into my skin. Even though my skin was dry, this cream just kinda "sat" on my face and did nothing other than making it greasy. It's so ironic that even though it felt tacky and heavy on my skin, my face was still dehydrated with this on! Worse than that, it broke me out! I tried coupling it with Nutrifull Shea Butter Essentializer, but it just didn't work. My skin felt even more greasy but still dry underneath, and I woke up with a new zit on my chin! I didn't even want to try using it with the Nutrifull Shea Butter Sleeping Mask because I was sure I'd turn into an oil slick! So, in short, this cream doesn't work well on its own or with other product.
• Score: 3/10

• Nutrifull Shea Butter Sleeping Pack: Etude House claims that this product can be used alone after a toner, but I beg to differ. On my dehydrated skin in the winter, this is definitely not moisturizing enough. Even when I used the Nutrifull Shea Butter Essentializer beforehand, my skin still didn't feel hydrated. On the plus side, this sleeping mask absorbs really quickly into my skin thanks to its light consistency and it doesn't irritate my skin in any ways.
• Score: 7/10

Purchase?: No. I think the reason why these 3 products aren't moisturizing enough for my skin is because they all contain alcohol. My skin tends to become dehydrated if I use products which have too much alcohol, especially in winter.  

REVIEW: TONYMOLY INTENSE REPAIR LIVE SNAIL LINE (SKIN, LOTION, ESSENCE AND CREAM)

When it comes to acne treatments, people often think of ingredients like benzoyl peroxide or salicylic acid. My favorite, however, has to be snail mucus because it's gentle and non-drying. Today I'd like to talk about the skin, lotion, essence and cream of Tonymoly Intense Repair Live Snail line.

• Tonymoly Intense Repair Live Snail Skin: 

(Source: tonymolyvn.com.vn)

I received a tiny sample bottle of this as a GWP. One thing that I dislike about Tonymoly's sample bottles is that it's so hard to get the products out, even when they are in liquid form! This "skin" is actually a toner. I don't like it because it's sticky and does nothing for my skin. Needless to say, I won't purchase this.

• Tonymoly Intense Care Snail Lotion:

I also got this as a GWP. This "lotion" is the equivalent of a light moisturizer. Ii feels sticky at first but quickly absorbs into my skin and provides a little bit of moisture. I don't see any skin improvement though, so I definitely won't buy it.

• Tonymoly Intense Repair Live Snail Essence and Cream: 

(Source: tonymoly.ph)

This was the first and only product from Tonymoly Intense Repair Live Snail line that I purchased. I quite liked it as it helped cure my acnes and moisturized my skin well. However, it felt sticky on my skin and didn't seem to absorb at all. It also failed in preventing future breakouts. I prefer It's Skin Prestige Creme D'escargot to this, so I don't think I'll repurchase. 

A sample tube of the Tonymoly Intense Repair Live Snail Cream was included in the essence box. It felt super sticky and didn't do anything to my skin, so I wouldn never buy it!

Score:

• Skin: 5/10
• Lotion: 6/10
• Essence: 7/10
• Cream: 5/10

If you're looking for a good and acne treatment, definitely try the Tonymoly Intense Repair Snail Essence, but there's no need to buy other products in the line, really.

MY SPRING SKINCARE ROUTINE

Our skin constantly changes because of the environment, the weather, our diet, stress, hormones and many other factors. So, in order to get the best out of our skincare products, it's important to adjust and change your skincare routine according to your skin needs. As for myself, I often have different routines for each season, and I try to provide options for when my skin is drier or oilier. Since it's spring right now, I'd like to talk about my current routine. Currently, I have combination with normal but easily dehydrated forehead and cheeks, and oily nose, philtrum and chin. Some of the products here have been reviewed on my blog, so if you want to read my detailed opinions on them, just click on their names. Other products will be updated on my blog as soon as possible. Without further ado, here are my morning and evening routines.

A.M.

• Cleanser: In the morning, my skin isn't too oily, so I just cleanse my face with Etude House Baking Powder Bubble Cleansing Moist - a super gentle yet effective cleanser. 
• Toner: I'm using SK-II Facial Treatment Clear Lotion. This one is super expensive but it's the best toner I've ever used: it's non-drying and non-irritating, and my skin feels smooth and moisturized after applying it. However, I haven't seen any actual long-term benefits on my skin. I update later once I finish this bottle. 
• Eye cream: My current eye cream is It's Skin Brighten System Eye Cream. It absorbs quickly yet still moisturizes my eye area really well. I haven't noticed any brightening effects though. 
• Moisturizer: If I stay at home, I'll just apply Juju Aquamoist Hyaluronic Acid Essence. This essence is ok, nothing to write home about. Sometimes, when my skin is drier than usual, it isn't moisturizing enough and I have to layer It's Skin Toma Jelly Cream on top (You can see its photo in the p.m. section). If I go out, I always wear a sun block, and the one I'm using right now is It's Skin 2PM Sun Block SPF50+ PA+++. It acts as a moisturizer, sun protector and makeup-base, and I don't need to apply anything underneath or over it! It prevents my skin from getting tanned, too! Reminder: Always double cleanse when you wear sunscreen/sunblock. Otherwise, you'll get blocked pores, blackheads and even breakouts!

P.M.

• Makeup-removers: I first remove my eye makeup with Bifesta Cleansing Sheet Moist. It's able to take off most of my Majolica Majorca Lash Enamel Glamour Volume On Mascara. I then use Bifesta Cleansing Gel to take off my sun block and/or my base makeup.
• Cleanser: If I don't have any makeup or sunscreen on, I just use Etude House Baking Powder Bubble Cleansing Moist. On days that I do wear sunscreen and/or makeup, I reach for Hada Labo AHA+BHA Exfoliating Face Wash Foam. It completely removes every makeup and sunscreen residue on my face. However, don't use it if you have dry or sensitive skin because it's quite strong.
• Toner: SK-II Facial Treatment Clear Lotion.
• Eye cream: It's Skin Brighten System Eye Cream.
• Moisturizers: First, I aplly Juju Aquamoist  Hyaluronic Acid Essence, then layer It's Skin Toma Jelly Cream over. I really like this cream as it's lightweight and moisturizing. They are not moisturizing enough on their own, but perfect when combined together.
• Lip Balm: Finally, I moisturize my lips with Nivea Essential Care. I love it: cheap and cheerful :) You can read more about my beauty tips for lips here.

SPECIAL TREATMENT

- For extra hydration: When I feel like my skin is drier than usual, I'll add Hada Labo SHA Hydrating Lotion into my routine. I apply it after my toner and before the essence. It helps lock the moisture into my skin and when I wake up the next morning, my skin is no longer dry.

- For deep-cleansing/exfoliating: When my skin is congested and bumpy, I apply The Body Shop Seaweed Ionic Clay Mask. It gets rids of my blackheads and the bumps under my skin, as well as deflates my acnes and unclog my pores. However, I have to moisturize my skin well afterwards, otherwise, I'll wake up with dry skin the next morning. If you have dry skin, I don't think it's a good idea to use it.

That's all for my skincare routine. It may seem long but it only takes less than 5 minutes. And please remember to drink 1.5-2 litres of water per day as well as maintain a healthy diet and lifestyle, because what you eat/drink and how you live will really show up on your skin, and skincare products can't solve all the problems if you don't take care of your body first. 

REVIEW: IT'S SKIN ACEROLA WHITENING CREAM

A few months ago, I won a 100,000 VND voucher for It's Skin Acerola Whitening Cream, so I decided to buy one as I'm always on the hunt for good brightening products.

Description (source: http://en.koreadepart.com/item/1341997713/it%E2%80%99s-skin-acerola-whitening-cream): Moisturizing cream without stickiness. Vitamin B, C, E derivative complex makes skin moist and smooth. Makes skin bright and white. Acerola extract includes 65 times more vitamin than orange and 34 times more vitamin than lemon. 

Size: 52ml

Price: 650,000 VND (about US$30.55), but I got it for 550,000 VND.

Ingredients (source: http://en.koreadepart.com/item/1341997713/it%E2%80%99s-skin-acerola-whitening-cream): acerola 520 mg, vitamin C derivative, hyaluronic acid, niacin amide

My opinion: I just ADORE the packaging (Actually, the cute jar is what prompted me to buy the product)! It has a very light and pleasant scent, which, I guess, is the acerola's. Despite its name, it's actually a gel, and I don't know why but I just love touching and looking at it :"> It turns watery as soon as I put it on my face and sinks in so quickly, making my skin feel smooth and moisturized. It neither clogs my pores or breaks me out (I have oily combination skin). However, I find that it's not hydrating enough for winter time and I have to layer it over It's Skin Power 10 Formula YE Effector. After using up the whole pot, I can't see any brightening effects whatsoever :( I'd recommend this product for people with oily or oily-combination skin who're looking for a light moisturizer, but not for those who want to find an effective brightening cream. 

Pros:

- Cute packaging

- Attractive scent

- Quick penetration

- Non-comedogenic and non-acnegenic

- Moisturizing enough for oily skin

Cons:

- Not moisturizing enough for dry skin

- No brightening effect

Score: 8/10

Repurchase?: No. I like it, but not enough to guarantee a repurchase.   

REVIEW: THE FACE SHOP ARSAINTE ECO-THERAPY CRYSTAL WATER SUPER GEL

As you may know from my previous posts, last summer my skin was severely dried out because of Tonymoly Pore Cleansing Brush. During that horrible time, I tried out various moisturizers in hopes of helping my skin recover, and The Face Shop Arsainte Eco-therapy Crystal Water Super Gel was one of them.

Description: Containing 1,000mg of Iceberg Water from Newfoundland, Canada and 1,000mg of Phyto-Hyaluronic acid water. 

• 7-free formula (free of paraben, benzophenone, artificial coloring, sulfate, mineral oil, animal-sourced ingredients, and thiethanolamine)
• Dermatologist-tested
• No animal ingredients
• Respect the environment

Directions: After using toner and emulsion, dispense an adequate amount and apply evenly to the skin in an outward direction. (For better cooling and soothing effect, recommend to keep it in the fridge)

Ingredients: water, SD alcohol 40-B, dimethicone, PEG/PPG-17/6 copolymer, betane, trehalose, glycerin, dipropylene glycol, bis-PEG-18 methyl ether dimethyl slane, PEG-32, 12-hexanediol, sodium hyaluronate (10mg), panthenol, ammonium acryloldimethyltaurate/VP copolymer, acrylates/C10-30 alkyl acrylate crosspolymer, citrus paradisi (grapefruit) fruit extract, fragrance, benzyl benzoate, citronellol, geranol, limonene, linaldol, potassium hyrdoxide, xanthan gum, synthetic fluorphlogorite, titanium dioxide (CI 77891), xylitol, tin oxide (CI 77891) 

Size: 100ml

Price: 729,000 VND (about US$34.55), but I got a 10% discount on my birthday.

My opinion: I love the packaging, especially the snow pattern on the lid ^^ I still keep the jar even though I've used it all up. The first time I used this, it absorbed quickly, leaving my skin feeling smooth and moisturized. However, the effects were gone as soon as I washed my face the next morning. Things started going downhill from there as this gel somehow made my skin dehydrated every single time I applied it! I stopped using it after a few days and waited until my skin recovered completely to try it again, and it still dried my skin out! I tried putting it in the fridge, but it only made the gel cooler and didn't improve the moisturizing property one bit. I also didn't notice any improvements in terms of skin tone and skin texture. It didn't clog my pores or break me out though. I finally gave up and used it as a body lotion. It worked quite well that way, but who wants to spend over US$30 for a body moisturizer? In my opinion, the reason why this gel is so drying even though it contains hyaluronic acid is that it has denatured alcohol as the 2nd ingredient. 

Pros:

- Beautiful packaging

- 7-free formula

- Absorb quickly 

- Non-comedogenic and non-acnegenic

- Cooling effect

Cons:

- Drying

- Zero skin improvement 

- Pricy

- Contain denatured alcohol

Repurchase?: Never again!

REVIEW: SKINFOOD OMJIA WHITENING LINE

Apart from the Salmon Brightening Eye Cream, I've never used any skincare products from Skinfood, so I was quite excited to try this Omjia Whitening line. However, I was sorely disappointed, not because of the products themselves, but rather the quality of the sample packagings :( 

For some reasons, most of the products have evaporated/disappeared by the time I opened my samples. For the toner, I was able to get 2 drops out, which, frankly speaking, wasn't enough to wet my cotton pad. As for the serum, ALL of the serum had gone and the inside looked like this:

Although it seemed there was loads of product, it was just the mark of the used-to-be-there serum. This sample was completely empty so I couldn't try out the serum T-T

The  emulsion wasn't much better as I was able to get only a green bean-sized amount out. I applied it on my philtrum and... that was it!

The cream fared the best out of the four. I got a pea-sized amount which was enough for my T-zone.

OK, so here's my first impressions of 3 products: toner, emulsion and cream.

- Toner: It was OK, nothing to write home about. It was gentle, non-drying and non-sticky.

- Emulsion: Honestly, it's hard to write a review based on a green-bean sized amount, but at least it didn't break me out and made me philtrum feel smooth and moisturized.

- Cream: I like this product because it absorbed into my skin quickly and didn't make my face become oily or greasy. It made my skin baby-smooth and moisturized without clogging my pores or breaking me out. When I woke up in the morning, my face looked bright and healthy. However, I have a feeling that it'd be quite heavy for my oily-combination skin in summer.

Purchase?: No. To be honest, the quality of the samples kinda puts me off :( 

REVIEW: IT'S SKIN STAR CREAM

I received several samples of It's Skin Star Cream and I'm so glad I did because it saves me from buying such a horrible product.

Description: This Star Cream for your skin with SPF25, PA++ protection provides natural shining skin and helps to minimize the appearance of fine lines and enhance the brightness of complexion by Adenosine and Niacinamide. Containing Starfish collagen extract, it improves skin firmness, elasticity and vital hydration.

(It's Skin's English translations are always weird and awkward o-0) 

Direction: At the last step of basic skin care, apply an adequate amount of product over your face with light circular motions until thoroughly absorb.   

Ingredients: water, pentaerythrityl tetraisostearate, ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate, butylene glycol, butyrospermum parkii (shea butter), glycerin, titanium dioxide (CI 77891), niacinamide, PEG-10 dimethicone, polymethyl methacrylate, synthetic fluorphlogopite, cetearyl alcohol, glyceryl stearateSE, hydrolized collagen, polysorbate 60, ethyl hexanediol, sodium polyacrylate, fragrance, ethylhexyl stearate, inulin lauryl carbamate, glyceril caprylate, azolla imbricata extract, bertholletia excelsa seed oil, pollen extract, simmondsia chinensis (jojoba) seed oil, methicone, adenosine, trideceth-6, disodium EDTA, iron oxides (CI 77491)

My opinion: I've tried various ways of applying this: with and without moisturizer, apply BB cream on top, change moisturizers/serums/sunscreens and nothing worked with this cream! Every single time I apply this, my face looks unnaturally WHITE (not bright, but white!), cakey, and flaky! This is supposed to be a moisturizing cream but it's drying as hell! If my skin is slightly dry, it'll emphasize all the dry patches. But even when my skin is perfectly normal, it still manages to make my skin look dry, possibly because of the alcohol content in it. Furthermore, I have large pores on my cheeks and it sinks into these, thus creating weird-looking white dots on my face T-T It has ZERO coverage, oil-control property and staying power. It can be wiped off with a single tissue, even though I've already applied powder on top! This also sucks as a makeup base as it neither helps my BB cream glide on better nor increases the lasting power of it. If anything, it even makes my face oil up quicker (within 1 hour in warm weather and 2 in cold weather!). Everytime I use this, somehow I look older (well, so much for the improving elasticity-claim!) and more tired! This is how it looks like on my face:   

   

The only positive thing I can think of is that it doesn't clog my pores or break me out, but it "compensates" for that by drying my skin T-T

Pros:

- non-comedogenic and non-acnegenic

- Free of paraben and mineral oil

Cons:

- Look unnaturally white, caky and flaky on my face

- Drying

- Accentuate dry patches

- No coverage, oil-control property and staying power

- Ineffective as a makeup base

Purchase?: NEVER!

REVIEW: IT'S SKIN PRESTIGE CREME D'ESCARGOT

Most of my skincare products are quite affordable. However, once in a while, when I feel like my skin is really really bad, I'd splurge on a high-end product. I bought It's Skin Prestige Creme D'escargot when I suffered from hormonal cystic acnes on my chin and my philtrum earlier this year. They often came around that time of the month, took about a month to heal, so just when the old ones disappear, the new ones came up T-T They were huge and quite painful to the touch. Since the regular acne treatments just didn't work on them, I bit my tongue and purchased this insanely expensive cream. It cost me 2,863,000 VND (about US$136). And yes, I still shudder every time I think about the price >.<

Description: First class luxurious cream contains mucin (snail mucus), the ingredient with superior cell restoration, moisturization, and skin trouble relieving effects, and EGF (epidermal growth factor), through the combination of which creates a synergy effect to regenerate damaged cells, the fundamental cause for skin aging.

Size: 60ml

Packaging: The jar is gorgeous and it comes with a small spatula for those who don't like dipping their hands into the cream.

My opinion: This is hands down the most expensive cosmetics product I've ever purchased. So was it worth the price? I have to say, yes. It has a light citrusy scent that snail products seem to have. The moisturizing property is okay, nothing to write home about. It didn't make my skin feel smooth or plump. It absorbed fast coz of its light texture but still felt sticky on my skin. If you have dry skin, this won't be enough for you. But I bought this to treat my cystic acnes, and for that purpose alone, it worked great! The cream got rid of my pimples in less than a week! And while I was using this, I stopped having any new acnes! So, it cured and prevented acnes at the same time! However, it didn't work on the small bumps I had under my skin and it failed to fade away my old acne scars. I was heartbroken when I ran out of this coz my pimples started coming back around that time of the month T-T Around 2 months ago, I was lucky enough to receive some samples of this cream. However, it seemed that this time my skin had got used to this product, coz it didn't have any effects whatsoever on my skin. It neither cured nor prevented acnes. And no, it's not because the formulation has changed coz the full-size product and the samples were manufactured at around the same time. This happens to all acne treatments I've used: after a while, my skin becomes immune to them and they stop working for me (yeah, my skin is cunning like that). But you know what, in a weird and twisted way, I'm kinda glad that it's no longer effective on me coz it means I don't have to buy it again :"> Besides, thanks to my new skincare routine and my (relatively) healthy diet and lifestyle, I rarely get cystic acnes now (cross fingers), just some odd zits around that time of the month (they are small and often go away after a few days), so I no longer need any acne treatments :) I'd still recommend this cream for those who suffer from severe acnes coz it's a gentle, non-drying yet effective acne treatment :)

Pros:

- Moisturizing enough for oily skin

- Effective on curing and preventing hormonal acnes

- Gentle and non-drying

- Gorgeous packaging

Cons:

- Not moisturizing enough for dry skin

- Ineffective on under-the-skin bumps and old acne scars

- Feel sticky on the skin

- My skin becomes immune to it

- Insanely expensive, especially in Vietnam 

Repurchase?: No, coz my skin has become immune to it. 

REVIEW: NIVEA SOFT MOISTURISING CREAM

My cheeks are prone to dryness, and they can look a little bit flaky under BB cream / foundation if I don't use a heavy-duty moisturizer beforehand. My favorite product to use under makeup is Nivea Soft Moisturizing Cream.

Size: 200ml

Ingredients:

My opinion: This cream doesn't have the best ingredients in the world; in fact, it even contains paraffinum liquidum (a.k.a mineral oil). However, for some mysterious reason, it's the best moisturizer I've ever used! It makes my skin smooth and hydrated. Even after I remove my makeup, my skin is still soft! It has never broken me out, clogged my pores or irritated my skin in anyway! It can make my T-zone oilier in the summer, but I just reduce the amount and skip my nose, and that solves the problem ^^ I only use this when I wear makeup because its only function is to moisturize the skin. For my daily skincare routine, I prefer products with both moisturizing and brightening properties. This works well as a body moisturizer too, but I tend to apply it only on my face as I use Nivea Creme for my body. If your only skin concern is dryness, then I highly recommend this product is very affordable and long-lasting. This huge tub can last me for a whole year!

Update: I stopped using this on my face after discovering It's Skin 2PM Sunblock SPF50+ PA+++ because the latter works well with all kinds of BB creams, while Nivea Soft Moisturising Cream is only effective when used in conjunction with It's Skin Prestige Creme D'escargot BB. Besides, now that my skin has completely recovered after the whole debacle with Tonymoly Pore Cleansing Brush, this cream tends to make my skin oil up quicker than usual (after about 1 hour). I apply it on my body now. It's good as a body cream in warm weather but not moisturizing enough in winter.

Pros:

- Moisturizing without clogging pores or breaking me out

- Last for a very long time

- Cheap

- Can be used on face and body

Cons:

- Can be a little bit heavy for oily skin
- Not moisturizing enough for dry skin, especially in winter

- Contain mineral oil (which is not a problem for me, but others might wish to avoid this)

Score: 7/10

Repurchase?: Yes, because it's cheap and good for the body in warm weather.