Regardless of age, every women want to have a firmer, lifted face. I for one sought after face lifting product since I was 26 years old after being on Hyperthyroidism medication. For some reason medication changed my sharp face feature into a different face shape. That, I am not happy with as I too developed some other skin issue as well. But the most obvious change after being put on massive medication is my face shape. After so many years of trial and error with trying out products that claimed to make one face sharper, I have come to a conclusion that those claim are near to impossible. Having said that, I do notice that all these products do lift and firm but not changing the face feature itself. So when the new Swiss Line Cell Shock Face Lifting Complex II landed on my review table, I was ready to see a firmer and lifted face.

Right off the bat, the Cell Shock Face Lifting Complex II is one expensive product. RM698 expensive! How am I going to repurchase this if I do like it? We’ll figure that out . I was pretty excited about this one. Anything that said “lifting” excites me. The beautiful gold serum came housed in a sturdy box. The bottle was nestled in an inner shell. Love the fancy feel when I slide the box out . My first impression according to @whoisthatcarguy was priceless. I went WHOAAAAAA so loud because I wasn’t expecting a gold bottle of serum lol.

Now, Cell Shock is a range within Swiss Line. And two of its classic – Eye Zone Lifting Complex II and this Face Lifting Complex II went into a revamp, now with the concept of combining anti-pollution to fight urban stress. Its original actives are retained. But its best Lifting formulas were improvised and incorporated with botanical biotech ingredients to effectively provide shielding from pollution and environmental toxicity. Newly engineered Urban Detox Complex is added into the classic formula as its high concentration of plant boosters is able to offer tightening and restructuring properties.

Recently I am trying out the idea of using toner with palm patting motion, rather than using it with cotton pad. Reason being is that my toner is so expensive that I find it is a waste to leave the goodness on a cotton pad. Yes I do know cotton pad is crucial in removing dirt and cleanser residue or what not. Just exploring the idea to see if I like it. I find that if I pat my toner straight from my palm to my face, my face is “wetter”. I was told this is good for the next skincare absorption. But then, I encounter an issue. A pump of this Cell Shock Face Lifting Complex II hardly feels on my skin and that small pump amount suddenly is too much. You know me, I like to go all-out with skincare especially anti-aging product, what more a face lifting product. So I switch things up a little bit. I ditch the idea of toner without cotton pad so that my face is not too saturated with toner. THEN, it feels right with this Cell Shock Face Lifting Complex II.

You see, the serum is in a gel consistency and it is on a liquidy side. It feels absolutely lovely on the skin. There was no worry about hydration because this serum is definitely hydrating, provided you use two pumps minimum. It smells a little perfume-y, but not too overpowering for me. I kind of liking the floral scent. From what I see on the tube, there are small little beads suspending inside the gel. Sometimes I can feel it on the skin, sometimes I don’t. The beads are not a lot so it is not always I get to pump the beads out. It’s not scratchy or anything like that so don’t worry.

Now, it claimed to give a noticeable face lift within minutes and reducing wrinkles. I feel the lifting literally a few minutes after I make sure I have all the serum absorbed into the skin. I don’t have visible wrinkles to witness the wrinkle reducing . I like that my face is more toned, not too tight and I definitely felt the lifting. It was weird but in a good way

Now that I like it, how am I supposed to repurchase this serum? Please send help over here lol. I do like it for when I am going out. I do not need to worry that I would look saggy on photos. I also notice that I need not to retake photos since I started using this serum. When I’m working from home, I try not to use this serum as I fear I would run out of it soon. I’ve used 1/4 of the serum you bet I am afraid I run out

The post Never Ever Going Out Without Swiss Line Cell Shock Face Lifting Complex II Beforehand appeared first on Street Love. by Fiona

If you are obsessed with anti-aging skincare products, you would be obsessed with Retinol as well. Retinol is known to be THE ONE anti-aging ingredient that is well-known to fight signs of aging and also the most sought after product. However finding the right product with the right Retinol ingredient can be a little tricky. Most of us ended up buying and trialing whatever come our way, with the hope that it work and no money was wasted. Most Retinol products are relying heavily on a single form of Retinol. Nothing wrong with that except that it can take several weeks for the effect to be noticeable. Murad’s latest Retinol Youth Renewal Serum, which was launched a few months ago are the result of years of research and development of Dr. Howard Murad. And, it is formulated with a combination of three Retinol technologies for a quick noticeable result minus the irritation.

Regular user of Murad products will know that their products are really good and effective. So when the Murad Retinol Youth Renewal Serum was launched, it got many of us excited. Oh God, age is really catching up when we are excited with anti-aging products lol. Now, as I mentioned earlier, the serum has 3 types of Retinol technology namely Retinol Tri-Active Technology for optimal levels of Retinol to be delivered to the skin for a faster, delivering sustained results and boosting efficacy.

Retinol Tri-Active Technology delivers and worked in three ways:

1. Fast-Acting Retinoid: Retinoid and Retinol are basically the same and made from Vitamin A. This boost the results for it to kick in much faster by boosting the skin cellular’s turnover.
2. Time-Released Retinol: This is a Retinol that is encapsulated in a lipid shell which will melts on the skin slowly for a consistent, sustained levels of Retinol supply for the skin over time.
3. Retinol Booster: You have result boosting Retinol and long-lasting Retinol and so the third one is also a booster and this efficacy booster enhances the Retinol efficacy by turning itself into a magnet-like to assist the skin’s receptivity to accept Retinol benefits.

I had the opportunity to bring home a bottle and I was particularly excited with the part where I was told that this Retinol Youth Renewal Serum is efficient in minimising deep wrinkles. We all know my all-time concern is my forehead wrinkles due to the way I lift my eyebrows when I do my eye makeup. Bad habit, I know. But I have typical Asian hooded eyes with limited lid space so that is the only way I can do my eye makeup. Because of that, I have forehead wrinkles forming and it is getting worse. I do not want to get Botox all the time so the only way I can tackle this issue is through Retinol skincare. The launch of this got me really excited.

I started using the serum the same night I got home. I used two pumps for the whole face. One pump I generously applied onto my forehead alone, while the second pump is for everywhere else. The pump does not really pump out a lot of product per pump so I was quite glad about that.

It does have a scent to it, which I can’t quite put my finger on it. The scent does not bother me, just like every other Murad products. Besides all the Retinol goodness, Murad also used Swertia Flower Extract, the first ever brand and product that ever adopted the use of this flower extract. This Swertia Flower Extract is a native ingredient to the Himalayas for the ability to aid the regeneration of skin cells after a burn. Hyaluronic Acid Spheres were also added in for skin hydration to plump and smooth up the skin.

For me the result is almost immediate. Over the next few days, I continued with my normal skincare as usual with the implementation of this Murad Retinol Youth Renewal Serum. After I did my makeup is where I was amazed. Forehead wrinkles still formed, again because due to how I do my eye makeup BUT, it is almost 50% smoother thereafter. Usually it takes a long time. If I had super matte base makeup, it takes even longer. Over the course of a month, I did spontaneous test to see if it is really the serum or I was over reacting. On the day where I did not have the serum on before makeup, true enough those nasty deep forehead wrinkles stay on. On days where I diligently applied the Retinol Youth Renewal Serum, especially with a pump full on the forehead alone, those wrinkles are smoother. It is still there no doubt but relatively smoother. Results can be seen on the recent few photos I had on other product review.

Because I have been using this Murad Retinol Youth Renewal Serum a lot, I am also paranoid that I would ran our without knowing. You see, the product is enclosed in a opaque white case. I can see the bottom of the bottle which revealed a little bit on how much I have left. Not being able to know and get a backup freaks me out. There is a reason behind the opaque packaging. Any forms of Vitamin A tend to deteriorate when it is exposed to light or even air. That is why you see most Retinol products are in an opaque packing. If you ever see one without, don’t buy it because opaque packing eliminates and minimizes the product exposure to air or light. Those without opaque packaging are probably not good to use anymore.

Here’s the downside. The price. This Murad Retinol Youth Renewal Serum costs RM498 / 30ml. Ouch! I would definitely repurchase this serum provided the wallet permits. So far the serum has been working well on the area I am most concerned about so I don’t see why I won’t repurchase. The only thing that refrain me from doing so is the price LOL

Disclaimer: Product was press gift given to me at the launch event. This doesn’t affect my judgement in the review in any way.

The post Surely, Murad Retinol Youth Renewal Serum Smoothen Those Forehead ‘Railway Lines’ Faster Than I Pronounce the Product Name appeared first on Street Love. by Fiona

What do you do when Hada Labo released two different gel close at the same time? You do THE BATTLE OF THE HADA LABO GEL of course! . Rather than the usual one by one product talk-through and making your life harder referring to different pages on which gel to get, I thought why not combine two of the gel and show you what is the difference? This way you will get a clearer idea on which gel to get that is suitable for your skin need

Function

(Blue) Whitening Water Gel – This gel provides 3 times brightening benefits. It is infused with multiple intensive brightening ingredients such as Vitamin C, Vitamin B3 and Carnosine. All this ingredients promises a luminous, fair and translucent skin with natural radiance with 3 brightening action – Anti-Redness, Anti-Dark Spots and Anti-Dullness.
Formulated with High Performance Penetrating and Deep Moisturizing (HPP&M) Technology, this Whitening Water Gel are also infused with 4 types of Hyaluronic Acid, just like every other Hada Labo products, which includes Large size, Medium Size, Super and Nano HA. Additional to that, there is a Aqua Oil Volume Matrix Technology, which is a 3D moisturizing System to help to form a moisture protecting shield on the skin surface to keep the skin hydrated at all times.

(Red) Lifting + Firming 3D Perfect Gel – This gel on another hand is a multifunctional 5-in-1 moisturizer to help life and define the skin’s 3D contoured appearance for more sculpted look. 5-in-1 means it is a cream, milk, essence, emulsion and sleeping mask for skin nourishing and skin aging repairing. This new 3D Perfect Gel comes with a unique restoration gel texture. It is formulated with 4 types of Hyaluronic Acid + Sacran. What this gel does is that it hydrates the skin deeply from the surface to inner skin to give the skin intense hydration and it also contains 3D Hyaluronic Acids, which is an advanced generation of interlocked Hyaluronic Acid structure that instantly replenishes and boost the skin with deep hydration and locks in long lasting moisture. As this is also an anti-aging focused product, it contains Retinol Vitamin A to promote skin elasticity and to help diminish the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles for overall skin smoothness. In addition, Hydrolyzed Collagen to lift and define the skin’s 3D contoured appearance are added in. Other aging skin issues such as age spots and uneven skin tone are repaired and lightened with Resveratrol Extract, a powerful anti-oxidant from red wine.

Packaging

(Blue) Whitening Water Gel – Whitening Water Gel is only 50g. The jar is significantly smaller but heavier due to the gel structure. The cap is white as opposed to the blue jar.

(Red) Lifting + Firming 3D Perfect Gel – This one on the other hand is a 100g product. The jar is of course larger in size but not that much. Having 100% more content than the other gel, it is somehow lighter due to the gel structure, which you will see in the next paragraph.

Texture and Scent

(Blue) Whitening Water Gel – Between the two, this gel smells more refreshing and more pleasant on the nose. The gel has a light blue color from the jar but goes on the skin translucent. It has an ultralight watery texture which will absorbed into the skin in no time.

(Red) Lifting + Firming 3D Perfect Gel – This gel is so light and watery that it spilled all over me when I opened the cap so becareful with the gel. It is a translucent gel that feels a little jelly-ish in the jar when touch and quickly smooths itself to restore back to its original state. It kind of reminds me of Asta Lift. It does not have any scent except for the the typical gel scent, which I am not a fan of. It goes on the skin with a slight hardened gel feeling but quickly diminish when the gel was smoothen out. Because of this it feels heavier on the skin comparing to the Whitening Water Gel.

In conclusion, Whitening Water Gel is more like a gel and Lifting + Firming 3D Perfect Gel is like a jelly.

There you have it! The difference between Hada Labo Whitening Water Gel and Hada Labo Lifting + Firming 3D Perfect Gel. Hope this back-to-back comparison gave you a clearer picture as to which gel to get that suits your preference and skin need.

The post Battle of The Hada Labo Whitening Water Gel and Lifting + Firming 3D Perfect Gel appeared first on Street Love. by Fiona

Just when I scrapped out the last bit of my old Clarins Advanced Extra-Firming Neck Cream, tossed the empty tub to the dustbin, the NEW Clarins Extra-Firming Neck Anti-Wrinkle Rejuvenating Cream arrived my doorstep two months ago.

I wished I was told about the importance of taking care of the neck, just as the face. I came from a family where no one uses any skincare. I learnt about taking care of my face only after I started working. However at that time neck care is basically non-existance. Just like face care, I learnt it the hard way. It was a 9-5 desk job with monitor placement underneath the table (you know, the kind of table that the banks are into a few years ago?) that gave me two harsh lines on the neck that got me thinking about neck care.

If you search hard enough, you will know that there aren’t many neck cream available. There are a few from higher end brand and they are usually on the higher price side. Yes you can drag your usual skincare down to the neck, but for someone who has two distinctive deep lines, it is not enough nor does it do anything.

Clarins Extra-Firming Neck Anti-Wrinkle Rejuvenating Cream is a cream specially designed to firm the neck, provide anti-wrinkle benefit and rejuvenate the fragile neck at the same time. The first time I opened the tub, a familiar Double Serum scent greeted my nose right away. Heck, I like this new formulation scent more than the previous! The old one doesn’t smell bad, this new one is just better

The cream has a soft peach tint to it and the texture is the usual Clarins ‘melt’ consistency whereas it is extremely lightweight. Personally for me Clarins always came out with the best cream consistency as it is not the typical usual creamy cream. Its delicate melt texture melts right into the skin within a minute, leaving a non-greasy afterfeel. Being a Clarins product, it does carry a scent to it. As I mentioned earlier, the scent is similar to the brand’s other best-seller – Double Serum, which is very soothing. Extra-Firming Neck Cream is made from a blend of Clarins’ Extra-Firming Complex and Sunflower Auxins to help firm and reduce wrinkles. Green Seaweed Extract plumps and smoothes the skin, while Oat Sugars immediately lifts and supports the vulnerable skin.

I’ve been using this new neck cream for about two months now, not 100% diligently but 80% . Does it work for me? I’m anxious to find out myself. Can you imagine how excited I was when I was preparing the photo for this review?

First thing first. As much as I have high hopes for this neck cream, I am well aware that my neck lines has reached the danger level. This means I don’t need a good neck cream but I need a miracle cream. We all know cream alone will not do anything to these nasty neck lines that I have. Sad to say the cream does not do much for the deep lines. On the positive side, I like how the skin on my neck area is so much smoother now. And so much more “toned” looking. To be fair, Extra-Firming Neck Cream never promises to remove deep lines so as far as I’m concerned, this product absolutely delivered its claim to provide softness, firmness and tone the neck area. I did not have any extra wrinkle so the anti-wrinkle claim is true as well

Here are the ingredients list if you are interested.

As I’ve tried the old version and this new Extra-Firming Neck Anti-Wrinkle Rejuvenating Cream, I prefer this new formulation and scent so much more as the result are more noticeable, albeit not what I expected. This explains why I never get around in reviewing the old version neck cream.

Price wise, it is still on the high side. This is more of a special care product which you may not need at this stage of your life unless you are in the same situation as mine. You can still use this neck cream as a preventive measure, which I highly recommend as I myself regret so so much for not taking care of my skin and neck during my younger age

Have you used any neck cream before? Do share with me what is your current neck cream and if they works

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

The post Clarins Extra-Firming Neck Anti-Wrinkle Rejuvenating Cream: Tone and smoothes the neck area, but does not remove existing nasty deep lines appeared first on Street Love. by Fiona