I remember a few months ago I was casually browsing at Watsons Kajang and I stopped briefly because I saw this Hada Labo Kiwamizu Lotion on the shelf and I was curious at it. I do not remember Hada Labo having such product so I assumed it was new. Yeap. It is new alright.

Give me any face mist and I would be jumping up and down in joy. It is only starting last year that I begin to appreciate face mist more due to drier skin condition. A few of my friends asked what exactly is this Hada Labo Kiwamizu Lotion. The word “lotion” also represent toner for the Japanese. But because Hada Labo also include a separate nozzle spray top in the packaging, this lotion can be used a face mist throughout the day as well.

Wouldn’t it be sticky? This is one common question I get the most whenever I speak about this Hada Labo Kiwamizu Lotion. You see, every other country for example Japan is using their toner as mid-day face mist. It is only in hotter climate such as Malaysia that we never thought of doing so. Understandably, colder country need extra hydration. So are we. Eventhough we live in a humid country, our skin can get dehydrated and thus face become oily. Besides using Kiwamizu Lotion as toner, you can actually use it as a mist to help keep the skin hydrated all day long. And I love the idea of Hada Labo including a nozzle spray. Why didn’t anyone thought of that!

As a lotion, I did not find this to be sticky. In fact I want my face to really soak all the lotion that I would normally mist heavily onto my face as toner. The lotion is watery and feels like water when in contact with the face. Yes it can get a bit sticky on top of makeup if you are heavy handed like me so go easy with it although I do not. I even set my makeup with this

Hada Labo Kiwamizu Lotion are blended with six types of minerals namely Calcium, Magnesium, Zinc, Copper, Potassium and Sodium, together with two Amino Acids namely Arginine and Trimethylglycine. This lotion works by re-balancing the oil and water in the skin layer and it moisturises from the inside-out.

All the minerals are to improve and strengthen skin cells. It also cool and calm irritated skin. Amino Acids on the other hand supply nutrients to nourish the skin, strengthening the connective tissue so that the skin stays smooth and elastic. Scent wise, it is basically scent-less and also color-less. It comes in two sizes – 400ml and 180ml. The one I have is 180ml and that is too huge for travel so if you plan to bring this for travel, do pour it out into a smaller bottle. Otherwise this will be too heavy.

Disclaimer: Product was sent to me for review consideration. This doesn’t affect my judgement in the review in any way.

The post Hada Labo Kiwamizu Lotion: A Hydrating Lotion That Doubles Up as Face Mist appeared first on Street Love. by Fiona

My friend Carol kept telling me that The Face Inc Primer Mist is a face primer. I remember stalking The Face Inc on Instagram for a few weeks before that and there was no mention that this The Face Inc Primer Mist is a primer in a mist form. I could have missed something, I don’t know so now, as I am typing away for the review, I am looking at the product little booklet and I know why my friend said it is a face primer. The recommended best to use method is to mist all over the face before makeup as it provides instant hydration boost of up to 15 times. Hence it is named as primer mist. But that is not all.

As you already know, I am a slave for face mist. Face mist all day everyday! When The Face Inc broadcasted on the launch of the Primer Mist, I told myself I must get my hands on it. Now that I have it with me, I can tell you what it is. It is a face mist that hydrates the skin by 15 times boost, smooth and tighten the skin in just 15 seconds. Now, The Face Inc is not a stranger with claiming a product to work in seconds. If you still remember my review for Eye Lift, it was claimed to lift, tighten and smoothen the under eyes in 30 seconds and it did. So I have high hopes on this Primer Mist that claimed to smooth and tighten the skin in just 15 seconds. Let’s see if it really does.

What I like about this Primer Mist is that it is small, easy to throw it in the bag and it comes with two extra refill vials of 15ml each. However, if you go through face mist like I do, one vial will last you for probably 2 to 3 weeks give and take. I do take it out with me and had a full use of it when I am out and about.

What I am most excited about this cute little mist is the hydration benefit. It has enriched formula of proprietary botanical extracts and weightless blend of natural moisture preserving ingredients that delivers all-day moisturised feel to the skin thus plumping the appearance. The Face Inc said this is a 3-in-1 products – priming, hydration and tightening. I am using Primer Mist for everything except for priming my face because I already have so much skincare on my face so this mist is not necessary. However I am using the mist to set my makeup. True enough, it does provides me the necessary hydration to the skin so my makeup was flawless with no shine peeking through. I can get quite oily these days if my skin is too dehydrated . I like it very much as a skin hydration boost. It does not interferes with my makeup at all.

But what intrigued me is the claim to instantly tighten the skin in 15 seconds, visibly reduce fine lines and wrinkles and the improvement of skin elasticity. When I first used Primer Mist, I seriously thought this is some kind of magic potion. So I had a table stand mirror set in front of me and start misting my face. Then I stared at the mirror and trying to “feel” the tightening sensation (if there’s any). Nope. There was no tightening sensation, no tightening or what so ever happened in the next 15 seconds. I already knew prior that was quite impossible to achieve so honestly, I did not put too much high hope on it. I do believe that result varies from individual to individual. What may not work for me, may work wonders for others . I am already happy to have this as a hydration boost to my skin. I used to have oily skin. If your skin is as dehydrated as mine now, girl…you will appreciate this Primer Mist.

Let’s talk about the refill because I have one funny incident the minute I got this product on my hand. I like to shake all my skincare before using including face mist so when I shake this Primer Mist, the refill inside the tube flew off. Thank goodness the vial glass is not some cheapo glass that breaks easily or else I would be crying my eye balls out lol. I then learnt that the refill vial is just sitting inside the tube with nothing to secure it in place so be careful if you like to shake any skincare bottle like I do. Just hold onto the top before shaking . None the less replacing the refill is so easy. Simply take out the vial from tube and plonk a new one in. Easy peasy.

Another feature of The Face Inc Primer Mist that I appreciate very much is the pump twist. I like that it hides the pump when it is not in use. The refill vial does stays put in the tube though , provided there was no vigorous shaking lol.

Do you need this Primer Mist? No you don’t. YOU WANT IT. If you like a heavier in formula face mist than a thermal spring water mist, you will like this one. The mist is something you need to get used to. It does not mist like other face mist. It is a short, stiff mist squirt, which means I am misting my face portion by portion. The mist water however is a fine one. It does not wet your face with a flood of water. So do not worry about that

Disclaimer: Product was sent to me for review consideration. This doesn’t affect my judgement in the review in any way.

The post The Face Inc Primer Mist: To Set Makeup With an Instant Hydration Boost and for On-The-Go Mist appeared first on Street Love. by Fiona

Here is a major throwback. Eau Thermale Avène; my first ever full set skincare products that I bought when I was 19 years old. I still remember the day I brought a few hundred ringgit with me to Mid Valley. I headed to Guardian and I stood in front of Avène shelf. The lady who attended to me was super nice. That day I decided to get a full range of Avène to treat my acne skin. I cannot remember how I get to know Avène but it was probably from sampling exercise prior before that. And I remember I paid RM400+, went home with tons of products and samples. Mind you Avène samples are in mini tubes and bottles, not sachets. At that time, splurging a few hundred on skincare is considered a lot for a 19 year old. But I did it anyway. It was my first skincare. I even mentioned about my first love in this review post on Avène Sérénage Nutri-Redensifying Vital Serum & Day Cream!

Eau Thermale Avène is widely known for its iconic Thermal Spring Water and for its soothing and softening properties on sensitive skin. Now, Eau Thermale Avène is also known to help with eczema skin, which I have a few patches now on my skin so I was looking forward to test it out. I still remember vividly that I chose Eau Thermale Avène for my problematic skin last time because I have heard so many people talk about how mild the products are but highly effective. Sometimes less is more . Being a maven in beauty, I tempt to hop around different brands and products but one fine Saturday morning roughly 2 weeks ago had me rediscovering and revisit my first love. A trip down memory lane I say. Since that day I have readapted Eau Thermale Avène into my skincare routine. In fact it is my current skincare routine. A simpler but effective one.

My Current 5-Step Skincare Routine

Well, it is actually 4-step skincare routine now for me but if I add Thermal Spring Water mist in it, that makes it five . Let’s start with me by telling you what is my skin condition at the moment. I am no longer the same 19 year old girl with breakout on my skin. My oily skin has now become dehydrated. Dehydrated means my skin is lack of water inside hence it is sending a signal to the brain, then to my skin to tell it to start producing oil to keep my skin hydrated. That is dehydrated skin. It has pros and con I would say. Pros is I can slap on a thick layer of moisturizer and my skin does not look oily throughout the day, just dewy. Con is fine lines and wrinkles will pay me a visit soon

Step 1: Eau Thermale Avène Gentle Cleansing Foam (RM95 / 150ml)

My all time cleanser from Eau Thermale Avène is the green bottle Cleanance Soapless Gel Cleanser which everyone raved about. The Gentle Cleansing Foam would be a new discovery for me. I love self-foaming cleansing as it is so much convenient. This is a very mild soap-free gentle cleanser for all skin type, especially for sensitive to irritated skin.

What is like about this Gentle Cleansing Foam is that it has composition that are rich in Thermal Spring Water. As you know, Thermal Spring Water are widely used to soothe irritated skin. However, this is after all still a foam cleanser therefore if you only use it on it’s own, you will feel slight tightening sensation on the skin especially under air-conditioned area. So please properly moisturized your skin after cleansing. Why is that so? That is because the formula contain Glutamic Acid blend to mattifies the skin by rebalancing sebum production and tightening pores. Having said that, it is not drying at all as it has moisturizing agent in it.

Step 2: Eau Thermale Avène Gentle Toner (RM89 / 200ml)

Oh my gosh! This Gentle Toner smells exactly like Cleanance Soapless Gel Cleanser! If you like that scent a lot like me you will like this toner too. Eau Thermale Avène Gentle Toner is an alcohol-free toner, suitable for dry to very dry sensitive skin. What suits sensitive skin will suit every other skin type as well. This toner matches perfectly with Gentle Foaming Cleanser as it is very moisturizing thanks to natural silicates in it. It contains Thermal Spring Water in it as well. Together with silicates, it gives the skin a complete moisturization, softness and protects the skin from external aggressions.

This Gentle Toner looks like a dual-phase toner. The top layer is clear to softens while the bottom later is milky white to protects skin. Simply shake the bottle up a bit and you are good to go! The best part about this toner is that I do not need a lot. I just quickly tilt the bottle onto my cotton pad 3 times and I have more than enough for the whole face. I cannot get enough of the scent

Step 3: Eau Thermale Avène Hydrance OPTIMALE Light Hydrating Cream (RM109 / 40ml)

Now comes the star of my skincare routine. As I am writing this now, I am left with just a few dollops of this Hydrance OPTIMALE Light Hydrating Cream and I am kind of bummed about it because it is so good!

Hydration is the key to a healthy skin. I cannot stop repeating this again and again here in Street Love. I learnt it through the hard way so I am making sure you do not have to :). Let me share with you a story I learnt from a recent gathering with Eau Thermale Avène. Pretty interesting. You know why tears stay inside our eyes to keep the surface moist at all time? That is because our eyes are covered by a special protective film containing 2 specific proteins – lipocaline and mucine. These films stabilises the protective film, curb evaporation of tears and encourage an even distribution of moisture to all over the eye surface. Based on that and utilizing the same concept, Avène came out with Hydrance OPTIMALE range, which provides 4 times hydration to the skin.

Within Hydrance OPTIMALE range, there are two types of cream – Hydrance OPTIMALE Rich and Light. The Rich version is for dry to very dry dehydrated sensitive skin, while Hydrance OPTIMALE Light is for Normal to Combination Dehydrated Sensitive Skin aka my skin

Eau Thermale Avène Hydrance OPTIMALE active ingredients includes Eau Thermale Avène Thermal Spring Water for its soothing and anti-irritating properties, Lipomucine – an active complex to promote even distribution of water over the skin and holds it on the skin, keeping it perfectly hydrated, NEW ingredient – Meiboserine that limits the evaporation of Thermal Spring Water and Lipid Trio to restores an effective skin barrier against dehydration, distributes water over the skin and holds it.

If you know me you will know that I like to go generous when it comes to my moisturizer. Same goes to this Eau Thermale Avène Hydrance OPTIMALE Light Hydrating Cream. Now that explains why I am running out of the cream within 2 weeks of usage . It is lightweight for daytime use and surprisingly provides enough moisturization for night time for me.

Usually natural products smells earthy but I was so relieved that this cream smells like Eau Thermale Avène Cleanance Soapless Gel Cleanser and Gentle Toner. What I was even surprised to find was that this cream disappears into my skin right when I am about to jump onto the bed. I no longer need to lie down flat on my back waiting for the cream to be absorbed. My face was not even tacky when I am done with my night skincare routine. More brownie points for the cream!

This is how my skin looks like immediately after applying Eau Thermale Avène Hydrance OPTIMALE Light Hydrating Cream.

Besides looking forward to a much healthier and hydrated skin, I was looking forward to treat the eczema patch on my right eyebrow with the cream. I start to have eczema patches a few years ago when I was put on Hyperthyroidism medication. I managed to get rid of the patch on my left nose but seems to fail to treat the one on my eyebrow/forehead. My doctor told me that eczema is actually dry patch and all I need to do is to hydrate the skin more. So far none of my skincare managed to do so. And Eau Thermale Avène Hydrance OPTIMALE Light Hydrating Cream did it! No photo editing as you can still see the “mark” aka leftover. There is still a bit of redness left but looking at how the dry patch is almost gone and the redness was toned down so much, I am more than pleased.

Step 4: Eau Thermale Avène Day Protector Tinted SPF 30 PA+++ (RM99 / 40ml)

Eau Thermale Avène sun care is the first sun protection that has triple action innovation. They recently added Day Protector Tinted SPF 30 PA+++ into their sun care range and it has bagged No. 1 European Market Leader Sun Care Products in Pharmacy in 2015 award. Eau Thermale Avène sun care products are also the brand recommended by Skin Cancer Foundation International. Now that says something, isn’t it?

Did you know that people with sensitive skin is prone to be affected by UV radiations? Not only that. Photoaging is put on speed and that will cause signs of aging such as brown spots, uneven skin tone, wrinkles and loss of firmness. Another fun fact that you might not know is that many brands came out with SPF50 sunscreen but if you bring them for a lab test, you may not find a full SPF50 protection but a mere SPF protection not more than SPF30. Naturally, the higher SPF protection it is, the more oilier it gets. Eau Thermale Avène understand this and our hot humid weather hence the born of the NEW Day Protector Tinted SPF30 PA+++. Tinted means it has a skin tone tint to it rather than the usual white cast. The shade of the tint are made to match most Asian skin complexions.

Day Protector Tinted SPF30 PA+++ comes with Triple Protection.

1. Photoprotective complex SPF30 PA+++ – a photostable and effective against harmful UVA and UVB.
2. Pre-tocopheryl (stabilized precursor of Vitamin E) – a powerful cellular antioxidant property.
3. Avène Thermal Spring Water – of course, a natural soothing and anti-irritating properties for the skin.

The Tint is quite subtle and natural-looking on the skin that it also acts as an uneven skin tone cancellation for me. It has a bit of a scent to it, quite an earthy smelling sunscreen in my opinion. But it is definitely not smelly, don’t worry . A little bit goes a long way but knowing me, I knew I would go crazy with face sunscreen. You can get away with just applying this as it does even out your skin tone. It leaves a bit of a tackiness on the skin and that is normal. Just lightly dust some powder on the face to remove the tackiness.

The tackiness also means that the product Hydrates your skin. The Tint shade may appear fair upon application but once it is on the face, the tint gets slights darker and blends with your skin tone. It is formulated with a few combination of mineral pigments and brightening pearls. What the combination does is that it unifies your complexion by covering blemishes, fine lines, and pores.

Step 5: Eau Thermale Avène Thermal Spring Water (RM25 / 50ml, RM49 / 150ml, RM69 / 300ml)

I thought I would do a separate mention on the Thermal Spring Water as I did mentioned before that I do not like this face mist before. Here’s why. Many years ago I had a severe skin allergy attack. My face was burning and itching so badly that I resorted to Eau Thermale Avène Thermal Spring Water to cool my face down. I heard it is the best remedy. At the same time I had a few bottles at home from previous haul. Talking about right timing, eh? The water droplet was too huge and when the water evaporates from my skin, it makes my face itches like mad. I never dare to touch it since then until 2 weeks ago. I took the tester bottle and start misting on my face. It was not the same as my previous bottle so I kept misting and misting, wondering why and how come. I like it there and then. I even brought the same big bottle with me to Malacca the next day. Then I know why. You see, I had the small 50ml travel bottle and somehow maybe mine was faulty that the water mist was rough and wet my whole face. Naturally with so much water on the face, you tend to feel the evaporation. The bigger bottle misted finer mist that you will not feel anything, even when the water evaporates. I finally found out what is the problem and I thought I would come here to clarify it

There are so many ways you can use the Eau Thermale Avène Thermal Spring Water and my favorites are two – to set my makeup and as mid-day mist. I am a sucker for face mist and I could not step out of the house without one! My skin now is much more dry and dehydrated so a mist shower of the Thermal Spring Water somehow managed to set my makeup and kept them on my face, without any meltdown. As this is water, it does not put on any additional product on my face therefore no extra sebum production. In fact, it kept my face hydrated AND keeping sebum at bay. If you have a dehydrated skin like I am, you will start appreciating face mist lol.

However you have to be careful with the Thermal Spring Water mist as well. You may go crazy with it hence drenching the whole face of makeup, like I did with the above photo and I managed to blot it down. Phew! Eau Thermale Avène suggested to use it as soothing mist right after cleansing and before toner. I find it to work best right after Gentle Cleansing Foam, which I said can be a bit drying if you cleanse and walk away.

There you have it! My current skincare routine with a success battle on the stubborn eczema patch issue I had for years, and a walk down the memory lane. I was reminded once again to why I chose Eau Thermale Avène as my first skincare brand when I was 19 year old. Eau Thermale Avène is more than just water.

Disclaimer: Product was sent to me for review consideration. This doesn’t affect my judgement in the review in any way.

The post Rediscovering and A Stroll Down Memory Lane to My First Ever Skincare Brand; Eau Thermale Avène + My Current 5-Step Skincare Routine appeared first on Street Love. by Fiona

While I am still on the face mist kick, I better start talking to you about every face mist I have. Among all of the face mist I own, I am more excited with this one. The Estée Lauder Micro Essence Aquaceutical Mist was sent to me by surprise a few months ago. Why am I excited about this one you asked? First of all, when I received it I am not aware that they came out with a face mist version of the Micro Essence! I thought they sent me another Micro Essence lotion but in a small bottle. Estée Lauder like to secretly launch new product lol. Then this is a face mist. I LOVE FACE MIST. And it’s Estée Lauder, a brand which I spent quite a lot of money on when I started my skincare journey besides Clarins.

Micro Essence is a lotion that works so well with Advanced Night Repair (ANR) where it “carries along” ANR with it, penetrating deeply into the skin surface. If ANR alone is superb for your skin, pairing it with Micro Essence is even better. So what is this Micro Essence Aquaceutical Mist and what it does? Same as the lotion version, this mist is actually an essence-in-mist that reactivate the skin’s youthful and gives the skin an angelic glow. It has concentration of exclusive Micro-Nutrient Bio-Ferment and Climate Conditioning Complex to get the skin adapt to resist the dehydrating effects of changing micro-climates.

It comes in an identical bottle look as the lotion, except that this Aquaceutical Mist is smaller and the bottle is made from plastic as opposed to the glass for the lotion. The mist nozzle is absolutely classy. It’s in gold colour and has patented nozzle mists out vapor-light mist. In a layman term, the mist is the finest you will ever encounter and it smells exactly the same as the lotion version. Because the mist is so fine and the nozzle does not explode too far away, you have to hold the bottle closer to your face. For an essence-in-mist type of face mist, I do not find this product to be heavy or leave a sticky residue on my face. I usually have this in my bag when I go out. I have used it on bare face and I also set my makeup with it. All good! However the mist is so fine that I find re-misting is necessary if you want to keep you skin fresh for a longer time.

Bad news for my oversea readers and friends. This Micro Essence Aquaceutical Mist is created specifically for Asian skin in Asia. Therefore you may or may not find this other than Asian countries.

Disclaimer: Press sample. This doesn’t affect my judgement in the review in any way.

The post Estée Lauder Micro Essence Aquaceutical Mist: Resist Dehydrating With Angelic Glow Anytime, Anywhere, Everywhere appeared first on Street Love. by Fiona