Calming mist whenever my skin is experiencing redness and itchiness

The Jurlique face mist isn’t a new thing in my skincare arsenal. I’ve previously tried the rose face mist and I fell in love with the scent. Always with the scent. When it comes to hydrating toner I think I’m easily swayed when it’s obviously hydrating and the product has a really nice scent. But I couldn’t help to wonder whether the 100ml bottle of this face mist at around IDR 670,000 is too pricey or not? But when I factor in my other hydrating toner and how long it lasts, probably it is worth the price.

So I picked up another one after I finished my bottle of rose face mist, this time around the travel size of Jurlique Calendula Redness Rescue. At that time, I was having a really problematic skin with new small acne popping out every other week or so and unbearable redness and itchiness due to stress caused by projects deadline. I was under a lot of pressure and it’s taking a toll on my skin.

The easiest way to deal with redness and itchiness, other than using the right skincare arsenal, is also to have a kick ass face mist. Whenever the urge to scratch my face arise, I would just spray a face mist. That’s why I picked this one. Because calendula is one ingredient that will go hand in hand with my problem. Calendula is known for its antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.

Tea for your skin from Jacqueline Evans

Jacqueline Evans is another skincare product that hailed from Australia. To be exact the home of Jacqueline Evans skincare is Malvern, Victoria. It’s no surprise that I jumped to the opportunity of trying the skincare from this brand. I wasn’t sure where to start with this brand. As with any other brand, I was playing it safe and opted for the face mist instead.

Before I review the Jacqueline Evans Rooibos Facial Toner, let me first introduce you to the brand. Jacqueline Evans is a Naturopathic Skincare and classified as a premium organic skincare, though price-wise it ranges between AUS 18 – 78. With the most expensive product being the eye gel. The brand focusses on research so that they could find safe products yet effective. It contains only natural and certified organic ingredients.

The Rooibos Facial Toner is a face mist that is packaged in amber glass bottle with a spritzer. The spritzer itself is easy to use and it disperse a normal amount of mist, the one that is not too fine and not that horrific that you feel like it’s raining cats and dogs.

The ingredients is pretty simple, they are:

organic rooibos tea*, rosa damascena (rose) water*, aloe vera concentrate, soya lecithin,
vegetable glycerine, amyris balsamifera (sandalwood) oil, rosa damascena (rose) oil,
pelargonium graveolens (geranium) oil, grapefruit seed extract

*certified organic ingredients

Instead of using water, Evans used organic rooibos tea and rose water for this beautiful concoction. The former ingredient lends its soothing and herbal scent of the product. I’m a tea drinker so using this product is a really pleasant experience for me. If you’ve ordered a rooibos tea from Starbucks before, you probably know what scent I’m talking about. It’s just this one is more delicate.

Light gel moisturiser for every skin type: Dr Jart Most Moist Water-Sure Gel Cream

I get asked a lot what moisturiser would be great for combination or oily skin? Well, it’s hard for me to recommend anything because I have a very dry skin. My skin drinks up any hydrating product like there’s no tomorrow. But I imagine this product from Dr Jart named Most Moist Water-Sure Gel Cream would be a perfect moisturiser for every skin type, including those with combination and oily skin.

Theoretically, combination and oily skin will still need hydration because their skin though producing more oil but they still need water to give the skin hydration or else it will compensate the lack of hydration by producing even more sebum. What both of these skin types need is the balance of hydration between oil and water not depriving the skin of both which create imbalances to the skin. A light, oil-free and/or gel type moisturiser would be the perfect kind of moisturiser for these types of skin.

In theory. But you can test this theory yourself and let me know how it works for your skin.

What is it?

Dr Jart Most Moist Water-Sure Gel Cream. For Asian and UK market the line is called Most Moist but for the US market it is called Water Fuse line.

From the Sephora website:

What it is:
A refreshing, oil-free gel cream moisturizer infused with hyaluronic acid to hydrate and plump skin all day. 

What it is formulated to do:
This refreshing, oil-free gel cream binds moisture to the skin for long-lasting hydration without stickiness, while olive leaf and cranberry strengthen the skin barrier to boost elasticity.

From the Beauty Bay website:

Dr. Jart+ Most Moist Water Sure Gel is a refreshing anti-ageing moisturiser ideal for dry and dehydrated skin types.

Specially formulated for prolonged moisturisation, Most Moist Water Sure Gel is enriched with natural Botanical Extracts such as Oat and Cactus which firm and lift, whilst hydrating the skin without irritation. With a gel cream consistency, Most Moist Water Sure Gel removes dead skin cells and smoothes rough, dry skin for a smoother surface texture.

Who is it for?

Basically I would say for anyone who needs hydration but you want something with light texture. Whether you have dry, normal, combination or oily skin, if the keyword in your search of moisturiser is “hydration” then this could be it. Especially great to use during day time or if you’re keen in layering in skincare products. This will not add up “weight” to your overall skincare layers.

Grown Alchemist Detox Serum Antioxidant+3

I have a soft spot for skincare that hailed from Melbourne. I’m not immune to the charm  of Grown Alchemist. In fact, it seems that more and more products from this brand is making its way into my life. The packaging may seems a little bit Aesop-ish, but it has something that Aesop is lacking which is the use of non-synthetic material and all natural ingredients. Although, when I inspect it closely that it seems that this brand hasn’t gotten its natural or organic certification from any single body as yet. However, upon checking the ingredients of the brand it seems like a solid brand.

Grown Alchemist products contain ingredients such as collagen and elastin boosting actives, advanced peptides, hyaluronic acid, cell-communicating actives and powerful antioxidant.

Taking into account where it came from, the lovely simple sleek packaging and product that seems to be effective, with or without certification I’m ready to profess my love for this brand. To date, I’ve used three products from Grown Alchemist: the Age Repair Eye Cream, the Chamomile, Bergamot and Rosewood Body Cleanser and the Detox Serum Antioxidant+3. Today, I will be reviewing the latter.

What is it? Grown Alchemist Detox Serum Antioxidant+3 is your typical antioxidant laden serum that helps your skin to fight the external aggressors and UV exposures during the day.

What’s in it?

Aqua (Purified Water), Aloe Barbadensis (Aloe Vera) Leaf Extract, Dimethylmethoxy Chromanol (Antioxidant), Panthenol (Provitamin B5), Niacinamide (Vitamin B3), Aqua (and) Diaminopropionoyl Tripeptide-33 (And) Caprylyl Glycol (Naturally Derived Peptide), Sodium Dehydroacetate (Organic Listed), Hydroxyethylcellulose (Polysaccharide), Glycerin (Plant), Phenoxyethanol, Polysorbate 20 (Plant), Pelargonium Graveolens (Geranium) Oil, Cananga Odorata Flower (Ylang Ylang) Oil, , Lactic Acid (Plant), Citral (Plant), Geraniol (Plant), Citronellol (Plant), Linalool (Plant).

Aloe vera will help to soothe the skin. Which is great considering during the day you get exposed to the sun alot and it could be quite unnerving to the skin.

Another winner from Merumaya, the day cream!

I used to laugh at the idea of day cream. What day cream? I use a separate sunscreen protector. But then I came across of the idea of day cream from the Japanese skincare whereby day cream is actually the sunscreen! But instead of just protecting you from the sun it’s actually packed with extras because your hydration during the day comes from milk lotion or emulsion and not your day cream. It’s supposed to work as a protector so that whatever you put beforehand works in harmony on your skin.

So I accept the fact that day cream is not a joke.

Also, I come to seek for a good day cream because I use multiple layers of skincare because it seems to work best for my dry skin. If I have to use separate moisturiser and sunscreen it sometimes feels too “heavy”. As such, I look for a good day cream. On the day that I only go out for a meeting and not for the whole day, SPF 15 and some bit of PA would be acceptable because after 4 hours you need to reapply anyway to make it an effective protector. I apply this after my oil, that’s why I just want to simplify using a day cream instead of a separate moisturiser and sunscreen.

You know how I love Merumaya Recharge Night Cream and how I enjoy their signature scent eversince I first try their cleansing balm? So there’s no surprise that I got myself a Merumaya Youth Preservation Moisturiser SPF 15. The people at Merumaya called this Power of 3 because it gives an effective moisturisation, anti-oxidants to fight all the nasties (sun rays, pollutions and external agressor) and SPF 15 protection to protect you from photoageing.

The ultimate eye cream splurge & it’s worth it: Menard Embellir

If you ask me what eye cream that worth splurging. The answer would be Menard Embellir Eye Cream. I think Menard is lucky enough that I got to try most of their products when I’m not too picky with ingredients. I tried most of the stuff with a clean slate and no expectation, despite the Embellir line being a very pricey line. The three products from the line that caught my attention are the liquid (a hybrid of hydrating toner and emulsion), extract (basically a serum and yes I need to review this soon) and lastly the eye cream.

What is it? Menard Embellir Eye Cream, the eye cream from one of the most expensive lines sof Menard. After this line, they still have the ultra luxurious line called Authent.

How much? It’s Rp 2,832,000 for 15 ml and you can get it online at Sociolla.

Who is it for? For someone willing to splurge. Tried everything out there with no result. Have either dryness issue on the eye area which leads on fine lines or have deep fine lines and sagging issue. This could be the eye cream that answer your prayer.

Holy Grail: Favourite eye serum from Aesop

It took me long enough to review this one. To date, I’m still using the Aesop Parsley Seed Anti-Oxidant Eye Serum. It has been probably 6 months since I first used it or probably longer. I want to review it sooner, but I want to see how it wage against other eye cream/serum that I had. I have to say, this is by far my favourite eye products of all time next to Menard Embelir and Grown Alchemist.

I’m indefinitely partial when it comes to Aesop (and Grown Alchemist), both brands are lovely and hailed from my favourite cities in the world: Melbourne. It smells like home. Melbourne is filled with organic products hence most of the corners of the city smell like organic product.

This eye serum texture feels like oil, but if I remember correctly the Sales Assistant said it’s not an oil serum. Fair enough because it doesn’t feel oily upon application and it absorbs fast. It’s filled with vitamin A, B, C (Magnesium Ascorbic Phosphate) and E (Tocopherol). It promises to hydrate, protect and nurture the skin around the eyes. Nothing too fancy.

The price however is quite fancy at around £55 or AU$81 for 15 ml. Quite something isn’t it? It’s also much pricier in this part of the world: Singapore and Malaysia, because we have none in Indonesia.

Battle of the eyeliners!

Let’s break the all skincare post (and mostly cleansers) with a makeup related post. Yes, I love makeup too. I used to love it more than I love skincare. But now skincare hold first place. But I wear makeup on daily basis and one thing that I can’t leave without is eyeliner! God I look awful, like I have puffy eyes all the time, if I’m not wearing one.
My favourite kind of eyeliner is the liquid eyeliners. They give a nice precision to the line I’m drawing and usually give a really nice real black finish. I used to love gel eyeliner too. But the thinnest of the result and the colour really pale in comparison to liquid. Although I love the smudge proof and waterproof result of gel eyeliner. If you asked me, I’ve used most recommended gel eyeliner out there from MAC, Bobbi Brown, Kate, even the cheap one like L’Oreal. I found that I love the colour and result of Kate and perhaps Shiseido the best. Still, liquid eyeliner has my heart from the very beginning.

What do I use Son & Park Beauty Water for?

When a friend of mine went to South Korea, it’s hard to say no to her offer of getting me some of the good and affordable skincare from South Korea. There are cornucopia of products that garner interest of many of the Korean Skincare enthusiast and they’re often not that pricey. Off course, there are the exception of some luxurious brands that are also made it into my favourite as well.

Among others, I asked her to get me these two products: Son & Park Beauty Water and Cremorlab Mineral Treatment Essence. So much hyped surrounding these two products and I must say it took me some trial and error to actually found a way to use these two.

Today, I will be reviewing the Beauty Water first. So much question about this product. Whether I love it or not. How do I use it?

What is it?

I took it off straight from Soko Glam, where you can get this product at around USD 30 if you resides in the States.

This multi-tasking toner and cleansing water has quickly become a cult favorite, as well as a 2015 Soko Glam Beauty Award Winner! It creates a clean base for the next steps in your skincare and makeup routine. Originally created by master artists, Son & Park, Beauty Water lives up to its name.

Not just a cleanser, it has mild exfoliation abilities with willow bark and papaya extract to help sweep away dead skin cells, revealing brighter skin tone and smoother texture. Lavender water, rose water, and orange fruit extract impart a subtle hydration so your skin canbe prepped to absorb the next skin care steps, while adding in a bit of moisture. 

Beauty Water can be used in the morning to create the perfect canvas for makeup application, midday as a refresher, and night after cleansing to whisk away remaining impurities. For normal, oily, dry, and combination skin types. Beauty Water has a pH of 5, effectively resetting the skin’s natural pH after cleansing.

If you’re looking for a multipurpose oil, try this Nuxe dry oil!

Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse or Multi Purpose Dry Oil is dubbed as a Parisienne multi purpose oil that seems to be able to tackle several problems. It’s the combination of six oils Macadamia, Hazelnut, Borage, Sweet Almond, Camellia and St. John’s Wort. All have a nourishing and hydrating quality. It helps to nourish, repair and soften skin and hair. Yeap, it’s that multipurpose.

Ingredients

Contains at least 96% natural ingredients. No Preservatives.
INGREDIENTS : COCO-CAPRYLATE/CAPRATE, DICAPRYLYL ETHER, MACADAMIA INTEGRIFOLIA SEED OIL, PRUNUS AMYGDALUS DULCIS (SWEET ALMOND) OIL, CORYLUS AVELLANA (HAZEL) SEED OIL, CAMELLIA OLEIFERA SEED OIL, PARFUM/FRAGRANCE, TOCOPHEROL, BORAGO OFFICINALIS SEED OIL, OLEA EUROPAEA (OLIVE) FRUIT OIL, HELIANTHUS ANNUUS (SUNFLOWER) SEED OIL, ROSMARINUS OFFICINALIS (ROSEMARY) LEAF EXTRACT, HYPERICUM PERFORATUM FLOWER/LEAF/STEM EXTRACT, SOLANUM LYCOPERSICUM (TOMATO) FRUIT EXTRACT, BENZYL SALICYLATE, LINALOOL, LIMONENE, CITRONELLOL, GERANIOL [N2206/B].

Now that we have the ingredients out of the way let’s get on with the review. Which not be lengthy, I promise.

I first use this on my skin because of how thick this oil feels on my palms. It’s super wonderful. It helps to soften the really dry and parched skin on my legs that looks like chicken feet. Uninteresting at all. But when I do the math, it’s quite a prices product to use for body oil so I used it sparingly.

I also tried it on my hair, can’t say that I like the feel. I rather use either almond oil or virgin coconut oil for the face. It feels to dry yet oily on the hair.

Next, I tried applying it directly to the face. Wow it feels so thick. That coming from face oil like yours truly speaks volume. I love the result, my skin does feel soft, especially after applying Retinol. But I don’t like the feel on the skin. However, when I mix it on my moisturiser it feels like it gives my moisturiser a booster that it works wonderful on the skin and let it hydrate my skin all day long and sort of gives a nice glow to the face.

Moral of the story? If you don’t have a multipurpose oil, you might want to give this a try because it’s easily available in Indonesia and Sociolla for Rp 295,000 (50ml). It doesn’t do anything specific really. I love it best when I have dry skin on my body. But it will come handy especially when travelling where you don’t want to bring to many things at once.