I used to wonder how much better a skincare product would be if the amount spent on advertising, packaging and hiring top notch celebrities and models was actually used on the quality of the skincare itself. When I was approached by an unknown company to test their products, I was initially hesitant. I can’t find any reviews online. In fact, I can’t find much info on the company at all. I did question its credibility, but then even big luxury brands were once a nobody. It takes time to build credibility, and most of all, people who are willing to give it a go.

So I was game, because I didn’t want to be a hypocrite. I was preached what I wanted skincare to be – money actually spent to bring quality instead of money spent on shiny packaging and extensive marketing. I did patch tests to make sure I had no allergic reactions, and I was very careful, very observant of how my skin reacted. I spoke to Keith often, and he is one of the formulators. He used to work in the USA with a well known international brand, came back to Malaysia and decided to formulate his own line of skincare. The products were sold through doctors, with rave reviews from patients, and if you’re a skeptic, you might ask… How do you know if it’s true? Well, you and I don’t. Now the products are available to the public through their Facebook page. I used their range of skincare for 6 weeks since before Chinese New Year and I am ready to tell you more about it.. Are you ready?

Let’s keep an open mind

Before we start, let me just tell you that there are no mineral oils or artificial fragrances in these products. Some products smell like burnt brown sugar while others just don’t smell like much. The foam cleanser is very gentle on the skin. I like that it foams up itself, and while it cleans thoroughly, my skin never felt dry or taut. The makeup remover has to be shaken before use. It is similar to bi-facil removers because I tried NOT shaking it and I saw the separation of oil and solution. This smells a little of citrus and quite pleasant. I find that I need to use quite a bit to get my liquid foundation off completely, so I definitely prefer my own cleansing oils. The toner comes in a spray bottle, and it is yellow liquid. I like to spray it on my hands then pat on the toner all over my face. I was reminded that I only need very little of the products to work because they are ‘potent’.

For the day, I apply the brown face serum all over my face including eyes, followed by eye cream and sunscreen. The serum’s texture doesn’t glide on like what I’m used to. So I take one pump, dot it all over my face and spread it out as much as I can. The eye cream however, is very emollient. I only need less than half a pump for both eyes. I find that if I apply makeup or undereye concealer too soon after the eye cream, the makeup doesn’t stay very long. So, having that in mind, I wait for about 15 minutes after my skincare before applying my makeup. The sunscreen is in spray form, and it feels like dry oil. I spray it on my hands then pat on my face.

To tell you the truth, it took a bit of getting used to, and my patience was running thin. I wouldn’t have stuck to it for so long if I didn’t see the results so soon. My face started looking brighter and the most obvious result is the disappearance of black heads on my nose!

For night time, after cleansing my face, I apply a pre-serum which is White Youth Cellular Renewal Booster and then the serum all over my face. I find that my face gets rather dry without any moisturizer, so I use it at night. It is quite rich and I find that it gets quite oily in the day. I sleep in an air conditioned room at night, so I don’t mind my night moisturizers to be heavier. Of course, the eye cream always go on before my moisturizer. It’s just how I like to apply my skincare.

I wanted another person’s opinion on this skincare, so I let my mom use it. After 2 weeks, she noticed her skin tone more even and her eyes less puffy. She uses the moisturizer day and night and didn’t think it is too rich for her dry mature face. After I got off the skincare, there were a few breakouts especially on my nose (ugh!) but it settled after a couple of weeks. I don’t know if it’s a withdrawal symptom or if it’s purely hormones, so I thought I’d just let you know.

I find that the line of skincare does work on my skin and my mom’s skin as well. It didn’t break me out while I was on it, and I noticed very clean pores and very little black heads. Now that I’m off the skincare, I do find I have more blackheads to deal with, but nothing unmanageable. The list of ingredients for each product is listed on its Facebook page so if you’re interested, do hop on over to have a look <here>. They provide excellent customer service, making sure your skin gets the right treatment for your specific concerns. I compiled the price list for your convenience.

• White Youth Supreme Mousse Cleanser RM188
  
• White Youth Power Cleanse Accelerator RM188
• White Youth Radiant Revelation Toner RM388
• White Youth Serum Empowerizer RM508
• White Youth Cellular Renewal Booster RM358
• White Youth Transformative Eye Factor Extreme -eye moisturizer- RM368
• White Youth Ultimate Youth Proliferator Extreme -face moisturizer- RM458
• White Youth Superior White UV Integral Protection Fluid SPF 30+ / PA +++ RM358

Now the question remains. Will YOU be spending your money on it? The price is comparable to Dior, Estee Lauder, Shiseido, the more prominent and popular brands which have proved themselves throughout the years. Did Riviere D’or perform so much better to warrant my firm believe that it is worth the price? Fellow blogger Paris B of My Women Stuff put up an article which voiced out a whole lot of concerns about new brands. They are all valid and I understand where she comes from. Perhaps the unknown is a huge factor here. Would I be a hypocrite to say that the brand might warrant more credibility if a famous spokesperson advertise for the company? If there was a dot com store for the brand instead of selling through Facebook? If I see that some money was actually spent on making the brand more visible? All this, while I already told you that the products DO WORK on my skin? Would I seem shallow to tell you that I do prefer the smooth luxurious texture of my Dior skincare, and I actually like to smell something good, other than burnt brown sugar? Perhaps I appreciate aesthetics more than I thought. Let me emphasize again that all these are going through my head while I already told you that the products do work!

Do you see my debacle? I can’t make up my mind whether to tell you to go for it, or just save your money for a luxury brand. I’m no chemist so I wouldn’t know if the ingredients are truly topnotch! I know there are science genius among you readers, so help me out here.

I gave an unknown brand a try. My mom always scolds me for using my skin as an experiment but hey, my skin did get better from this! I also wanted to support a local brand, so there. Now, my question to you is, would you give it a try? If you’re hesitant, what would you like to see before you’d make the jump? I’d love to know the reasons behind your decisions!

xoxo Lily

Products in this month’s subscription box are:

• Clarins 50% discount voucher on face or body treatment at Clarins Skin Spa KLCC only, valid until 30 June 2013
• Clarins White Plus Intensive Brightening Serum, reviewed here (5 sample sachets)
• ORIKS Gemstone Nano Platinum Aqua Watery Cream [a face moisturizer] (3 x 1g)
• KilaDoll Red Wine Q10 sheet mask (1 x full sized sheet)
• Kate Eyeshadow DB in GD-1 RM49 (1 x full sized palette)
• Perkins Nail Wrap RM39.90 (1 x full sized pack)
• Jean Paul Gaultier Classique EDT (1 sample vial)

So for summer, you’ll need to brighten your skin (NOT bronzing or tanning. It’s Asia after all) while keeping it moisturized. The neutral gold eye shadows bring the summer glow to your eyes, while nautical nails make you feel like you’re sailing the seas. The scent however makes me think of those unbearable hot and muggy nights when I was in Perth. I personally would have preferred something lighter and more fun but scents are very personal. How did I do? Side note, I wouldn’t be caught dead using the nail wraps but you never know, I might just wear it on the blog to let you see some stripy blue and pink nails with a gold anchor on the tip. It’s so not tacky at all!

What I do like about this month’s offerings is that you get your RM60 worth and more. There are 2 full sized items and the samples are generous. I am keeping the Clarins samples and the samples of moisturizer for travel. They are handy like that. There is FINALLY a useable makeup product in the box and here’s the swatch for you below. The colours are very wearable and it brightens your eyes with just the right amount of sheen.

Why didn’t they START with this box? It would have been a great first impression, and I might have subscribed to the second box. I hope VanityTrove will keep this up, because compared to the huge disappointment in the second box, this has finally put it back on the pedestal. However, the fluctuation and uncertainty of the quality still remains. VanityTrove is one of the more expensive subscription boxes in the country, and if the more affordable ones are doing better, why should I choose you? What if there’s a recurrence of the March disaster? I hate to be harsh and critical, but hey, even if I didn’t say it, I’m sure you (yes, you, the one who’s reading) are thinking it. Right? I am curious to know what May will bring, so I will be watching out for the reviews online. I have always been a skeptic, and I still am, if not more. The April box gives more value than you paid for, for sure, so let’s hope the coming months will be as good if not better.

xoxo Lily

I want to start April by leaving some old stuff behind. I used up quite a few things since the last Empties post, and I want to share with you. There are a few makeup items I devoured – pretty happy there! So, let’s start with makeup

Out of the 5 items shown here, all are eye products except one. I actually used up a lip product. Such a feat I tell you! I have been talking a lot about the Lunasol Full Glamour Liquid Lips, and I have finally used the last drop. Next please! You can see 2 brow products here, one is a brow pencil by Empro and another is a liquid brow pen by Suqqu. I have been enjoying my Empro brow pencils for a few years, and this is my 5th one, if I’m not mistaken. That was BEFORE I discovered Shu Uemura. While this brow pencil is good, I find it softer compared to Shu Uemura. This one feels more waxy while the Shu Uemura hard pencil fills in my brows in a more natural way.

The Suqqu liquid brow pen is a dream to work with. It is easy, soft and subtle, making it quite hard to go wrong, really. However, it dries up rather quickly, making it a hefty investment. I might have bought it for GBP20, which is equivalent to RM100. While the effect is pretty good, I don’t think it’s worth the price. There are others out there which do just as well, with a lower price tag. The mini mascara from Dior is a gift and it’s a Diorshow mascara. It volumises amazingly, and after 3 months of use, it’s time to say bye bye. I don’t grow attached to any mascaras and while this has been great to my lashes, I am now enjoying others which are good too. Last but not least, my eye liner duo by Urban Decay. It came with the Naked palette that I got nearly 2 years ago. It has served me well. Both shades Zero and Whiskey are very versatile.

I have talked about all these skincare products before.

Kiehl’s UV Defense (This is actually my second tube. However, now I find it a little too moisturizing compared to Shiseido UV Perfect which is so comfortable on my skin)

Dior Capture Totale Eyes Essential (I use this under my eye cream. I’m still using this. My HG!)

Kanebo Lip Fresh (Don’t know about repurchasing. Probably won’t)

Clarins White Plus Intensive Whitening Smoothing Serum (It was a duo and I’m half way through the second bottle!)

Are there any items you used up recently?

xoxo Lily

Ever since I used up my Estee Lauder ANR serum, I replaced it with Antipodes Hosanna. In the picture here, I peeled off the label because I wanted to know how much was left. This serum has been keeping my face hydrated, but it didn’t wow me enough to garner a repurchase. I am using something from Aesop in place of this. Antipodes’ Manuka Honey mask is pretty good, but I also want to try another hydrating mask from Dermalogica. I haven’t bought that yet, so we’ll see. I’ve run out of my hydrating stuff, since the Clinique Moisture Surge is also gone. I have to get something soon.

I use toner daily, and when I ran out of my Dior one, I’ve been using this Laneige face mist instead. It’s OK, but I think it’s better as what it is. Just a face mist. The Estee Lauder Hydrationist moisturizer shown above is a deluxe sample, and I’m still using the full sized one. I’m already half way through. I have yet to write a review on this, so you’ll be seeing it soon

Last but not least, I finally used up my Silky Girl nail polish remover. It is affordable and gets the job done. I’m not too fussed about this. I have since bought a Sally Hansen one. The little gold nugget you see there is thrown in for decorative measure, by my visual director, Little Miss Ashlyn. Yeah, my 3-year-old decided to add some bling in this picture

As usual, please share your empties with me! It’s a good habit to use up stuff. Otherwise, money spent feels like a waste! Can’t say the same for makeup, but I’m slowly (and surely) changing my habit

xoxo Lily

This set is a travel exclusive so if you’re flying somewhere, you might be able to grab this. This duo sells for SGD95 if I’m not mistaken, while locally, the price of 1 bottle is RM185. Please correct me if I’m wrong. This, for me, is a bargain. I get 2 bottles of 30ml, which is great for me. I’m used to 50ml bottle serums anyway. The serum comes in a lightweight plastic bottle with a pump nozzle that I find convenient to use. I use 2 pumps for my face and neck. The serum is a milky white texture, and I love the scent. It smells of soap and powder

To use, I prefer to pump onto my palm, rub my palms together and spread all over my face and neck before patting it in gently. The serum doesn’t feel oily nor does it feel like silicones. It feels like very light gel on the skin, and absorbs completely very quickly. I like that. It doesn’t add weight to my face and it is important to me since I layer different serums on my face. It is also great for day use, as it doesn’t grease up my face. I’m very pleased with the texture.

I have been using it since mid December last year so it’s been nearly 2 months. My face is brighter, and when my skin was acting up, this serum helped my skin heal faster. Marks lightened and disappeared instead of staying there stubbornly for a few months. It does nothing to lighten my freckles, and I’m not too worried about them. In fact, I like some freckles on my cheeks anyway I’m not sure if it’s because of this serum, but my skin feels smoother and looks finer. My mom who is my worst critic actually commented my skin looked better. So, I guess I’m doing something right somewhere!

Have you tried this serum before? Is there anything else from Clarins that you want to recommend me? This experience has given me some confidence to try more, so let me know. I’m game

xoxo Lily

Skincare

I used cleansers with salicylic acid to calm down the breakouts. During the day, I used Vichy Normaderm and in the evening, I used Elemis Tri-Enzyme Resurfacing Facial Wash to get rid of dead skin cells. Exfoliation is key to clear the clogged pores, so in the morning, I used my trusted Clarisonic with the Vichy Normaderm foaming cleanser for fresh skin. I probably won’t recommend too much exfoliation for those with sensitive skin, but it works great for mine. I also used a softening hydrating toner free of alcohol. For this, I use Lancome.

I never miss my Dior One Essential serum and it helps detoxify my skin anyway, so after this, I apply Clarins Intensive Whitening Smoothing Serum to lighten the marks. After moisturizing my face with an oil-free moisturizer, I apply Differin as a topical treatment for the bumps. After a few days, smaller bumps disappeared while bigger ones take a little longer. My jawline is no longer bumpy, save just a couple of stubborn ones. Some bumps needed extraction, and once the bumps are dried up, they are easily removed.

Base Makeup

Do you use full coverage foundations when your skin is not cooperating, with hopes it’ll cover up imperfections? I usually try to avoid that. In fact, I make it a point to use products that make my face look even more natural and undone. During that breakout phase, I stayed away from foundations especially those high in alcohol content. I used Bobbi Brown BB Cream in Light. It only gives sheer coverage, but helps even out my skin tone and covers some redness. Furthermore, it absorbs into my skin when other foundations make my skin look absolutely fake and cakey. I use RMS ‘un’ cover up as a concealer (review coming up). It is an organic product good for problem skin. I find cream blushes are great for dry skin, and I just love Bobbi Brown Pot Rouge. The colour I often used was Raspberry. It gives me a healthy natural flush. Then, I set everything using a brightening powder. I find that important when skin is especially dull.

Now, my skin is much better and foundations are easily buffed in. No more bumps and flaky skin. What do you do when your skin is acting up? Do you stick to your skincare routine, or do you change it according to your skin condition?

xoxo Lily

They say good luck comes in three. I’ve also heard bad luck comes in three. We have the Three Musketeers, even ménage à trois. For Chinese, we pray with 3 joss sticks, sometimes 1. So I guess it might in the number. Number 3. I bought this in August, when there was 20% off all products for my birthday month. This trio was sold as a set, and the SA was so excited about it, I decided to give it a try. I love serums and what they do to my skin, so why not?

This trio comes in glass bottles so be careful you don’t drop it. The serums and face oil are all heavily scented, but luckily, dissipates rather quickly. The strongest scent I find, is Apostle. Smells like berries. LOTS of berries. I have been using these together every morning and night for about 2 weeks, and noticed some bumps along my jawline. I suspect it might be the Divine Face Oil, so I reduced it to a nightly routine only. The bumps ceased a week after, so my guess was right. In the morning, I am using Apostle as my serum before moisturizer. This has been my serum consumption for the past 3 months (save the break I took to test Tatcha for about 3 weeks).

The trio comes with a dropper, and I use 2 – 3 drops of each to make a concoction. Hosanna is a hydrating serum while Apostle is a brightening serum. These two are oil free and absorb into skin very quickly, leaving a matte finish. Divine Face Oil feels like dry oil because it just disappears into the skin. When I use them together, skin feels immediately hydrated and well moisturized without feeling greasy at all. The scent lingers for about a minute then it’s gone. At night, since I sleep in an air conditioned room, I use this before my moisturizer. Skin is soft and supple when I wake up the next morning, without any greasiness on my skin’s surface. I can’t tell you if my skin is brighter but I can say that my skin is kept well hydrated. This is even when I went off my skincare staple, just to test the efficacy level of this trio.

For the past 1 week after coming home from my short holiday, I have been skipping Divine Face Oil. I have bumps on my skin and foundation seems to sit on top of my skin no matter how much I buff it in. So I have been using Hosanna as the first layer of serum then Apostle as the second before my oil free face moisturizer. I find that my skin is healing (with the help of Differin), less bumps, less dry.

I am still using their Manuka Honey Mask with great results and their Saviour Skin Balm has kept my family with happy healthy skin. I have normal combination skin, so if you have drier skin, you can read what Paris B has to say. Below are the ingredients list, because I know some of you are itching to know

Whew! Picture heavy indeed. If you are looking for some serums from an organic brand, give this a try. Antipodes hasn’t disappointed so far, in the few products that I tried, save Divine Face Oil which I suspect breaks me out. Do you have anything you’d like to recommend from Antipodes? Have you tried Antipodes at all?

xoxo Lily

I’ve reviewed Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair Synchronized Recovery Complex here. It was sad to see it go because of the hefty price tag for repurchasing. Darn my skin and its expensive taste. Not doing my wallet any good.

I haven’t talked about this before, but Bobbi Brown makes a pretty good conditioning brush cleanser. This tube has been with me for 2 years and I’m only using it up now. You squeeze some of this clear liquid into a cup, fill in some water, swirl your dirty brushes in there, rinse them with clean water and voila! Clean brushes with really soft hair. It is good for brushes with natural hair, those you use for powder products. I’m afraid this isn’t strong enough for your foundation or concealer brushes.

The Eyeko Grafitti Eyeliner Pen was good while it lasted. I didn’t use it for a few months, and when I decided to use it again, it dried on me. Dry like a desert, but it’s been more than a year. It was good to know you!

The gold tube of Lunasol Treatment Mascara Base is good stuff. While it conditions lashes, it does great things to short fine Asian lashes. It adds volume and length, so any crappy mascara you use later does a magnificent job. However, it is rather pricey, so I’ll just look for a more affordable base. This stayed with me for about a year already, so it’s time to go.

The L’Oreal mascara has also outlived its life span. It’s been with me for more than 6 months already, so it’s time to go. It has dried up a little and I find I have to do a lot more to get it to work. I’m too lazy for that. Next please!

What have you used up this month?

xoxo Lily

Look at how the bag blings! I probably have no use for it, but just looking at it gives me that festive feeling Anyway, let’s get to the goodies. You get a few full sized items which are absolutely fabulous. Others are deluxe sample sizes and they are the best of Lancôme, which include:

• Bi-facil 125ml (reviewed here)
• Maqui Miracle Liquid Foundation PO-03 5ml
• Hypnôse Doll Eyes Mascara
• Color Design Golden Frenzy Palette
• Mini L’absolu Rouge 363
• Mini Color Fever Gloss 321
• Mini Crayon Khol
• Gold Champagne Vanity Case
• Génifique Yeux Light-Pearl™ 5ml
• Visionnaire Serum 7ml
• UV Expert BB Complete Shade 1 30ml
• Blush Subtil Rose 20
• Mini L’absolu Nu 365
• Trésor in Love EDP 5ml
• 3pc Brush Set with Elegant Pouch

The 3 brushes aren’t too bad at all. I thought they would scratch like most holiday sets would, but they are actually surprisingly usable! I mean, don’t have any high hopes of them being soft and luxurious, but I don’t mind them at all. Below are some swatches for you to see.

I will review the skincare products in due time, but I’m just really happy to get this deal Check it out before they’re all gone. These are limited edition after all!

xoxo Lily

Above is the full line up of the products in The Ritual. There is PURE camillea one step cleansing oil, RADIANT deep brightening serum, rice enzyme powder and SUPPLE moisture rich silk cream. The line up is pretty much the same for all skin types, the only difference being the rice enzyme powder. Gentle (pink) is for dry skin, Classic (white) is for normal / combination skin and Deep (green) is for oily skin. The set below is what I have been using day and night for the last 21 days. Mine is a sample set which is only good for about 2 to 3 weeks. I managed to stretch the serum to 3 weeks but I still have much of the rest left.

One Step Camellia Cleansing Oil

This cleansing oil does not contain any mineral oil. I find the texture thicker and creamier than my Dermalogica Pre-Cleanse and Bobbi Brown Oil Cleanser. Comparatively, I also use less product to clean my entire face, including eyes. It takes off waterproof eye makeup quite well, but I nearly always use a separate remover for that area. The oil (and all other cleansing oils for that matter) tends to get into my eyes, leaving a film of haziness in my sight. What I like however is that there is just a slight trace of scent to the oil, and it cleans my face very well, without leaving it tight. No signs of spots either.

Deep Brightening Serum

I haven’t been using this long enough to tell you that it works. It takes 1 to 2 months’ constant use to really tell, but in the last 3 weeks or so, there is no breakout on my skin, and it has remained bright and even…even though I’m off my Diorsnow and Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair. The only additional product that I use in conjunction with this is my Dior One Essential Pre-Serum. The serum is light and watery, and just 2 pumps get my face and neck covered. It is easily absorbed into skin, leaving no greasy residue

Rice Enzyme Powders

In the 9 sachets that I received, 3 are gentle, 3 are classic and 3 are deep. These enzyme powders of rice bran and papaya are water activated. Wet face and hands, pour some powder onto your wet palms and rub your palms together until it becomes a creamy froth that can be smooth or grainy. Gentle is the smoothest while Deep has some noticeable grainy texture. Of all the products, I love this one most. It acts as a cleanser cum exfoliant, leaving skin baby soft without drying. Excessive exfoliating is not good for our skin, but this is so gentle I can use it day and night. No scrubbing is needed while applying the froth onto the face. Just leave it on for about 15 seconds then wash off. A little goes a long way and I can see myself purchasing a full sized one

Moisture Rich Silk Cream

I usually use different moisturizers for day and night, because I want my day moisturizer to be as light as possible. I was initially skeptical about this cream because it seemed a little too heavy for day use in this country’s hot and humid weather. It is great for night uses because it keeps my skin moisturized while I sleep in an air conditioned room. I have been experimenting with it for day use, and it is really not as bad as I thought. I dab a small amount onto my palms, rub it then pat onto my skin. This makes application lighter and it absorbs quite well too. My skin seems to be liking it.

Preliminary Verdict

Since I have not been using this for more than a month, I cannot say much about the performance. However, the products feel lovely and they are suitable even for sensitive skin. If there were any adverse effects, I would have seen something by now and I haven’t. I love the story behind the brand and the people are approachable and friendly. You can even purchase a sample pack before the full sized ones, and I think this is clever. There are only 3 stores at the moment (they are all in New York) but don’t be sad if you don’t live there. The products are accessible to everyone because of the availability of worldwide shipping, but the shipping cost is quite steep. Free shipping is only available for purchases above USD250. You can read about their FAQ here because I find it very helpful.

Have you tried Tatcha skincare? How do you like it? How likely are you to try a new skincare brand if you’re comfortable with what you already have?

xoxo Lily