August Favourites // Dermagold, Chantecaille, Kew Organics & More

I love me a good eye cream. My undereye area is seriously one of my main issues as they tend to be quite dry and crepe-like. Perricone MD is well known for their pharmeceutical grade skincare and I really do like how this firming eye cream is perfoming so far. This eye cream claims to help repair the skin for resiliency and firmness while hydrating the skin. It also contains a blend of potent peptides which is said to help minimise the appearance of visible lines and dark circles as well. I like how there isn’t a fragrance to it (my eyes sometimes can get sensitive) and this eye cream isn’t too heavy or thick so it gets absorbed into the skin almost immediately. I’ve been using this for about 3 weeks now and I find that my undereyes look slightly more plump and hydrated after using this. My concealers go atop this cream with no issue as well, so the formulation and texture definitely gets a thumbs up from me. You can check out the Perricone MD Firming Eye Cream on Look Fantastic here.

Onsaemeein Magic Solution Skin Powder

As my acne around my cheek area has become worse as of late, I decided to get myself some pimple care to help quicken the process. I’ve seen quite a few of these powder and liquid mix in stores (notably the mario badescue one) and decided to give this concept a try. I got this Onsaemeein Magic Solution Powder from Althea Korea and have been using it on and off lately. Even though it hasn’t been too long since I’ve received it, I decided to add this into my monthly favourites as I found that this aids in drying out the pimple and reducing the redness so that the whole process is faster! I quite like it as I do think that leaving this overnight helped to reduce the redness of my bumps and some of the larger pimples were reduced in size. It definitely had a noticeable result. Considering it was only SGD 11, it is quite a steal and worth checking out if you’ve always been interested in trying these kind of products out. However, unlike a pimple patch, this can be wiped off from the skin quite easily with any contact so I usually would wipe it off right before bed to prevent any smears on my pillow cases as I toss and turn very often.

Dermagold Elite Miracle C+ Serum* 

I’ve mentioned my love for Dermagold’s Miracle C+ Serum before 3 year back (post here) and they have reformulated it to make it even better. This serum contains 18% Vit C Ester which helps to promote radiant and glowing skin and retains all the goodness from their previous award winning version. This reformulation was focused on offering an improved texture that slides easily against the skin and to lock in moisture to the skin without making the skin greasy. Upon hearing the news, I was excited to try it out as vitamin C serums are great in brightening up the complexion, a quality that I often look out for in my skincare. As I am pretty tanned and my skin tone leans to the warm end of the spectrum, my skin does look dull and lack lustre easily without proper care. Housed in similar packaging as their previous version, this serum is easily absorbed into the skin and works well with my other serums, making it a good addition to the routine. Personally, I can’t remember exactly how the previous version felt as I reviewed it 3 years ago, but this one glides on like a dream. I like that it is lightweight and does not leave a tacky film on the skin after application. After using it for about 3 weeks now, I do think that it has helped brighten up my skin (especiually around my cheks and forehead) and my texture seemed to be improved as well (but that could also be due to a combination of my other skincare). As you can see from the pictures, my bottle is well loved as the words have all been smeared away with daily use!

Kew Organics Apple Stem Vita Glow Serum*

As I went to try their organic peel at their Sugar K Peel Bar (review of that here), I was gifted two of their house brand skin care goodies, and one of them was the Kew Organics Apple Stem Vita Glow Serum. This serum is for dehydrated skin and is said to help with radiance and in reducing the visibility of pigmentation on the skin. Only organic ingredients are used and includes the active ingredients of Organic Licorice Extracts, Organic Acai, Swiss Apple Stem Cells, Organic Vanilla Fruit Oil, Ferulic Acid. Personally, I have no particular preference when it comes to natural or synthetic ingredients as it ultimately boils down to which ingredient, rather than its source. That said, I have been using this serum twice a day ever since I visited their Peel Bar so that makes it about 2 months already. The biggest boon of this serum is that it gets absorbed almost immediately into the skin. As this is a water-based serum, the texture of this serum is lightweight, with very little viscosity so it’s truly a breeze to apply. I know that I keep harping on absorbency for these skincare items but that truly is one of my biggest criteria. I can’t stand thick and heavy serums as it deters me from using them. In terms of reducing my pigmentation, it’s very hard for me to say as my skin has been breaking out recently and more pigmentation has been formed. However, I can say that this serum, in combination with the Dermagold Vit C Serum, has brightened up my complexion significantly. I notice a slight glow on my forehead and cheeks and my skin is less dull and sallow. 

Life Flo Pure Rosehip Seed Oil

I bought this from iHerb a while back as there was so much hype surrounding rosehip oil. Sadly, it didn’t work for my face as it broke me out quite badly. However, when I came back from Thailand, my skin as badly burnt and I remembered that rosehip oils are great for easing inflammation and hydrating the skin. I busted this out and started applying it onto my burnt shoulders which were peeling quite excessively. The very first thing I noticed was that the flakiness of the skin was reduced significantly. I had so many mini bits of skin peeling off (a little TMI, I know) but after applying this oil, the skin is hydrated and the skin flakes off less due to the protective layer created by the oil. This makes the flaking a lot more manageable and the oil is also said to help with the uneven pigmentation of the skin. I still have many patches on my shoulders, but I think they are also healing faster than the ones on my face (which peeled off before I remembered that I had this bottle of oil). So if you’re sunburnt, this oil comes in handy! Also, this one from life flo which I got off iHerb is much cheaper than many I’ve seen in stores, so if you’re interested in trying rosehip oils out, you can check it out.

Thann Oil Free Facial Sunscreen*

I finally finished my ultimate favourite Labiotte UV Veil Moisture Essence in Krabi and I have to move on. When I came back, I opened up this Thann Oil Free Facial Sunscreen and I do like it. This comes in a compact tube and is an opaque white liquid. It isn’t too viscous in texture and goes onto the skin in a lightweight fashion. I like that it doesn’t leave a white cast on the skin after application and it isn’t tacky once it sets as it is oil-free. This sunscreen is SPF 30 PA+++, which is decent for daily sun protection.

Chantecaille Jasmine and Lily Healing Mask*

I got extremely sun burnt in Krabi and as I am typing this, my skin around my nose and forehead are peeling badly. This Jasmine and Lily Healing Mask from Chantecaille is a life saver as I used it right when I flew back and I found it to help reduce the inflammation and redness of my skin overnight. This mask, when used extremely thinly (and I do mean thinly as I find that I tend to break out if I apply too much), can be used as an overnight moisturiser and I really like how it replenishes the moisture in my skin without being too heavy like some other overnight masks can be. The tightness and flakiness was significantly reduced when I left a thin layer of this overnight and I do like to use this once a week or so as a pampering treat to nourish my skin.

Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara

Mascara and concealer are pretty much my only makeup items used on the face on a daily basis now so I am quite selective as I want something that is easy to apply and reliable. Before this mascara, I used to be a strong advocate for drugstore mascaras as I didn’t find it worth to pay for a high end one since mascaras can only be used for about 6 months before having to throw it away. That being said, the Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara has really been my favourite lately as I find that this just satisfies my need to definition, length and volume. While the hourglass shaped wand can require some getting used to, I find myself neglecting my other mascaras the moment I started using this. I find that this gives me the same effect to when I layer my lashes with a separate lengthening and volumising mascara so definitely something I believe I would repurchase. I got mine off SGD 35 off Sephora.