REVIEW: NIVEA ESSENTIAL CARE

My favorite lip balm of all time has to be good old Nivea Essential Care.

Price: SGD$3

Ingredients: Microcrystalline Wax/ Cire microcristalline, Octyldodecanol, Hydrogenated Polydecene, Cetyl Palmitate, Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil, Myristyl Myristate, VP/Hexadecene Copolymer, Cetearyl Alcohol, Polyglyceryl-3 Diisostearate, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Pentaerythrityl Tetraisostearate, VP/Eicosene Copolymer, C20-40 Alkyl Stearate, Copernicia Cerifera (Carnauba) Wax/ Cire de carnauba, Panthenol, Glyceryl Glucoside, Glycerin, Water/Eau, Beeswax/ Cire d'abeille, Parfum/Fragrance.

My opinion: This is the most moisturizing lip balm I've ever used. It can be a little bit sticky but I don't really care about that because I often use it before going to bed. By the next morning, I can see dead skin cells on my lips (My lips kinda self-exfoliate when I sleep, provided that I apply a lip balm). Once I wash them off, my lips look super glossy and feel soft to the touch. It's cheap and one tube can last for up to 6 months with daily usage. I also love the fact that it's a stick because I don't like the feeling of having to dip my finger in a lip balm pot. It's also odorless and small enough to carry around.

Pros:

- Moisturizing

- Cheap 

- Long-lasting

- Odorless

- Portable

Cons:

- None

Score: 10/10

Repurchase?: Yes. In fact, I've bought several tubes of this.

BEAUTY TIPS: HOW TO GET HEALTHY, GLOSSY LIPS

If you read my previous posts, you may see that they are all products reviews. Starting this year, I'd like to share with you the beauty tips that I gather throughout the years which have worked for me. Today I'll talk about how to have healthy and glossy lips because it's been requested by lots of people. I used to be plagued by chapped lips, but in recent years, my lips have improved significantly and they rarely get dry now. Here are four simple tips on how to moisturize and plump up the lips.

1. Use a good lip balm

There are thousands of lip balms out there, and it takes me years to find ones that really suit my lips. My current favorites are: Nivea Essential Care, Maybelline Baby Lips SPF 20 in Cherry Velvet, It's Skin Macaron Lip Balm and Jill Stuart Fruit Lip Balm N 001. I tried putting honey and olive oil on my lips, but they just kinda sat there and didn't do anything for me. My friends used them and they, too, didn't see any benefits.

I always apply a lip balm before going to bed, and thanks to this habit, I wake up the next morning with moisturized and glossy lips. Cold winds and scorching sunlight can seriously dry out the lips, so make sure to moisturize your lips well before and after going out in harsh weather.

2. Always remove your lip makeup

When I first used cosmetics, I didn't pay much attention to lip makeup removal because my lipsticks/lip glosses often faded away completely by the time I got home. However, after a while, my lips started looking duller and darker, so I did a little test. I used a wet tissue to wipe my lips after eating a big meal, and even though I couldn't see any colors on my lips, the tissue was actually stained pink! Since then, I always diligently remove my lip makeup when I get home, even if I only wear a lip gloss. If I put on a regular lipstick/gloss, a simple wipe can do the trick. When I apply lip tints, I use Bifesta Cleansing Gel to remove them. 

3. Drink 1.5-2 liters of water per day

Everybody knows of this, but not all of us do it. In the past, I rarely drink 1.5 liters of water a day, and as a result, not just my lips but my whole face looked lackluster. Ever since I increased my water intake, I could see a big improvement in my lips and my overall complexion. If your body lacks water, it really shows up badly on your skin.

4. Some bad habits to avoid

Many people tend to lick their lips when they are dry, but this is really bad because our saliva contains enzymes that can break down food and these can actually dry the lips out. So, drink water and/or apply a lip balm if your lips are dry, instead of licking them.

Some people have the habit of peeling the flakes off their lips and I have to admit, I used to do that when I was a child. But this is even worse than licking lips, because it can result in lip bleeding. A good way to get rid of flakes is that after brushing your teeth, use your toothbrush and the remaining of your toothpaste to gently scrub your lips for a few seconds. After that, apply a lip balm right away to nourish the lips.

Hope these tips will be helpful to you. If you have any other advice/tips, please share it with me. Have a nice day!

REVIEW: NIVEA ANTI-PERSPIRANT WHITENING DEODORANT

I bought this roll-on deoderant on a whim in Malaysia during a "Buy 1 get 1 free" promotion. I didn't have much expectation for this but it turned out to be quite a good product.

 Description:

Ingredients:

My opinion: This deodorant has a pleasant and subtle scent which lasts all day. This 50ml bottle lasts for such a long time. I've been using it regularly for about 4 months and there's still a third left. This is free of colorants and preservatives. It works great as a deodorant, but I don't notice any whitening, pore-tightening and anti-perspirant effects whatsoever. However, with such a cheap price, I honestly don't expect it to perform all of those things.

Pros:

- Nice scent

- Stay on all day

- Last for a very long time

- Cheap

- Free of colorants and preservatives

Cons:

- No whitening, pore tightening or anti-perspirant effects

Repurchase?: Yes, but this product may have been discontinued as I can't find it on Nivea Malaysia website :(

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.