Primera Miracle Seed Essence

Do you use any essences?

I've been using this amazing 𝐌𝐢𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐥𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐄𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 lately which I have been loving.

Fun fact: I actually had to retake this picture, because I actually took the French side of this (which is weird because this is a Korean brand) when it as pretty much brand new so that's why this isn't completely full. 

A while back, I got their mini set from Sephora which was surprisingly smaller than I anticipated but I wasn't too mad about it. So of course I was super excited to get this! 

Key Ingredients:
🔹𝑁𝑖𝑎𝑐𝑖𝑛𝑎𝑚𝑖𝑑𝑒
🔹𝑆𝑜𝑑𝑖𝑢𝑚 𝐻𝑦𝑎𝑙𝑢𝑟𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑡𝑒
🔹𝑆𝑎𝑐𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑜𝑚𝑦𝑐𝑒𝑠 𝐹𝑒𝑟𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡

'

This came in very minimal packaging since it came in a box with the essence and a box of cotton pads. I rarely ever use cotton pads (I don't even use my reusable ones often) but I might just to use it up and they're quite thick and not bleached or heavily processed since you can see the little fibers in it.

This is a super hydrating essence and you only need one layer of this for your skin to drink it up and feel very hydrated afterwards. I was a bit surprised at just how hydrating this is because it's a little goopy at a first glance.

PR/Gifted via Octoly

Doc Hygiene Hand Sanitizer

What are your essentials? 💙 I hope hand sanitizer is one of them especially now!

We all want to stay safe during this time and this is great to use on the go or just at home if you want a quick wash without the actual washing!

Not all hand sanitizers are made equal! 

This Doc Hygiene Hand Sanitizer contains the CDC recommended amount 75% Ethyl Alcohol and kills 99.9% of germs while also moisturises with Vitamin E and Aloe.

I actually carry this in my car's cup holder since I ran out of my smaller hand sanitizers that I got ages ago (who's laughing now?). I love using this if it's been a long day of running around and my hands need some sanitizing from whatever I've been in contact with.

I really like how this isn't like most other hand sanitizers I've used in that it doesn't leave a weird sticky feel after and also isn't as drying. It's definitely STRONG in the alcohol smell which you can tell it works but also doesn't dry out my hands after a couple uses. I didn't even need to put lotion after! With most hand sanitizers, I feel the need to use lotion either before or after so it doesn't dry out my hands, as they tend to get super dry during colder months.

PR/Gifted via Octoly

The Ordinary Niacinamide

 Does this even need an introduction?

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐎𝐫𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝑁𝑖𝑎𝑐𝑖𝑛𝑎𝑚𝑖𝑑𝑒 10% + 𝑍𝑖𝑛𝑐 1%

I finally emptied this about a month ago and I stumbled upon this while going through my old pictures on my phone so here's a super late review 😄

Key Ingredients:
▪️ Niacinamide: also known as Vitamin B3, reduces the appearance of skin blemishes and congestion
▪️ Zinc PCA: controls sebum production and fights acne-causing bacteria

I first started using this about a year and a half ago when Niacinamide was barely a thing and not in every single product 🤣 I actually looked into this for trying to fade my acne scars since I didn't want to use a skin bleaching cream (more on that in a future post maybe). Of course, I didn't notice a difference right away but using this with a Vitamin C serum (yes, you can mix them! - at least for me) really helped improve the texture of my skin.

I didn't really notice a huge difference until I slowly noticed that my usual acne scars around my mouth and chin area fading away and I actually stopped breaking out for a little while.

Of course, maskne has now contributed back to those pesky acne scars so I purchased the 60 ml bottle a few weeks ago in hopes of at least keeping them at bay. Also because I the smaller 30 ml bottle was out of stock literally everywhere so I had to get in on the actual Deciem website.

Is this my HG serum? 𝓓𝓮𝓯𝓲𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓵𝔂.

Quick note: It's been said that this can foam up and pill depending on your skin type and I've heard the Inkey List Niacinamide is a little gentler but I've personally never tried that one since I didn't really have a reason to and it's almost always sold out at Sephora (yes I tried to get it at the VIB sale) whereas I can get this either on Sephora or the actual Deciem website among other places. I've never really had a problem with it but it could be cuz I have combo/oily skin.

Have you ever tried this pretty popular serum? Strangely enough, it doesn't specifically say it's a serum on the packaging but we all call it a serum 😅

Available at Sephora and Deciem 
$5.90/$10.60 for 30 ml/60 ml

Happy Mask

Kinda late but happy #pinkwednesday! 💕

What kind of masks do you wear? 😷

I've been loving this cute mask I got courtesy of Happy Masks! I love the little whale designs on it! 

I usually wear a reusable cotton mask because regular disposable ones tend to make my skin super red and sensitive around that area (and are also bad for the environment). And of course maskne, but that's another story. But even cotton masks fog up my glasses since they don't have that little wire thing you can pinch to make them fit your nose better.

Then comes Happy Masks! I can attest they really do make you happy with this fun design! They have a bunch of other colours and designs but since I have so many black and white masks, I decided to get this pink one because why not get pink? 💗

Not only are these super cute, but it also has that little nose wire thing (yay!) so us glasses people can wear these masks fog free! It's also really comfortable and breathable. It allows room to breathe (not directly into the mask) so maskne can go bother someone else! Because of this you don't sound too muffled and can also talk without having to adjust your mask every ten seconds! 😂 Oh and it has adjustable ear straps! How cool is that?!

So how does this work and is it effective? 🧐

The mask is developed using a nanofiber membrane filter, which has been tested to maintain its efficacy for up to 50 washes. These filters are often referred to as "unicorn" filters because of its unique ability to achieve powerful filtration to block over 99.9% of particles, be highly breathable, whilst also being lightweight and flexible.

^paraphrased from website

I can definitely say this is a unique mask, as it's not only stylish and cute, but also highly effective during this time. And you'll be known for having a really cool looking mask. How awesome is that?

I'll definitely be getting more of these masks since this is probably my most used mask because of its snug fit but I might actually have to get a kids size because my face is really that small and this is a tad too big for me 😅

Fun fact: They're also made and tested in Taiwan which we all know is the Coronavirus hero since having very few cases even being so close to China.

They also have new designs that are sometimes designed by their followers and fans which I think is super cool! They even had a cute panda one that was designed by a 5-year-old! How cool is that?

PR/gifted

Zeroid Pimprove Moisturizer

 Happy #whitewednesday!

Do you prefer gels or a heavy cream moisturiser?

This 𝐙𝐄𝐑𝐎𝐈𝐃 𝑃𝑖𝑚𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑣𝑒 𝑀𝑜𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑖𝑧𝑒𝑟 is basically a water cream and sinks so nicely into the skin! 🤍 I really like how this absorbs so quickly into the skin! I was a little surprised since it does come out how you would expect a normal moisturiser to be but it spreads so nicely once rubbed in! Key Ingredients: 💧Glycerin (basically the OG hyaluronic acid) 💧Beta-glucan (brightening) 💧Allantoin (prevents dryness and irritation and keeps skin moisturised) 💧Arginine (protects skin from free radicals) I've been using this mostly in the mornings since I prefer slightly heavier moisturisers at night, and although the name suggests it may help with pimples, I haven't seen a significant change in my few pimples I do have 🤔 It doesn't have any fragrance or tack to it, AND it comes in a tube which just makes things so much easier! 💙 Thank you 08liter and Zeroid for this lovely moisturiser! Definitely will be using this in the summer ♥️ Product gifted for review.

Soomlab Face Mask

Happy #selfcaresunday!

Protect yourself and others by wearing a mask! Do you prefer disposable or reusable ones?

This 𝗦𝗼𝗼𝗺𝗹𝗮𝗯 ʜʏᴘᴇʀ ᴘᴜʀɪғʏɪɴɢ ʙʀᴇᴀᴛʜɪɴɢ ᴍᴀsᴋ is becoming one of my go-to masks.

These came in a pack of ten so I gave a few to my parents and they loved it. Of course, my dad, being the overly paranoid person he is, prefers the N-95 mask instead. Even my mom, who is a retired nurse, really likes this one and agrees that this is good enough protection. We ain't dealing with patients on a daily basis 😂

Since I've been starting to go into the office for work now, I've been more wary about what kind of mask I'm wearing and if it offers enough protection. My workplace is also in Pasadena where the rates have steadily been going up so I've been trying to be careful and protect myself and others.

This mask has four layers of protection and has an inner nano filter layer to filter out any particles. It is very comparable in terms of protection to the widely used, medical grade N95 mask, and although it may not be as particle-proof, but is pretty decent.

I like that they come in individual packets, which ensures the hygienic properties of each mask. Although it may be a little wasteful as they are individually wrapped, they could be pretty convenient to give people to avoid contact with the actual mask, and in these times staying safe is slightly more important now than creating a little product waste.

They're also very breathable as the name suggests as they have a little room for breathing in the mask, and have the ability to talk with them on without having to push them up every few seconds. They also have the little nose wire thingy so no more foggy glasses! You can also reuse them up to ten times without compromising the effectiveness of the filter by just spraying it with hand sanitizer.

With my now dry, combination, acne-prone skin, I'm always on the lookout for masks that don't irritate around my chin area as maskne seems to just linger around there without really gong away. Although this mask seems to be made of some synthetic material, it doesn't really irritate my skin around the mouth area too much because there is some room for breathing and isn't in constant contact with the actual mask itself.

Product gifted courtesy of 08liter and Soomlab in exchange for review.

Go check out Soomlab as they have other really affordable face masks! (Not sponsored, I just really like this mask and a few of their others!

Psst, I have another mask review soon so stay tuned!

Oolo Cleansing Water

It's another #whitewednesday!

Do you use cleansing water? 💙

I've been using this 𝖔𝖔𝖑𝖔 3 Sυpα Cleαɴѕιɴɢ Wαтer for the past few weeks and have been enjoying it!

Only three ingredients!

🌀 Water
🌀 Jojoba Seed Oil
🌀 1,2-Hexanediol

Some things to note:
✅ Alcohol-Free
✅ Paraben-Free
✅ Silicone-Free
✅ Sulfate-Free
✅ Allergen-Free
✅ Fragrance-Free
✅ Pregnancy-Friendly
✅ Non-Comedogenic

HOW MUCH BETTER CAN IT GET?

🎉

I really like the feel of this cleansing water. My previous one from Benton left a little tack afterwards and stung my eyes a little if I got too close to the eye area. However, this one is super lightweight and feels like water on the face AND you don't need to wash it off! Plus, it removes (light) makeup very well! I used this when I removing some lipstick and foundation swatches and it worked pretty well.


The only annoying this I found with this is with the pump-like packaging. It's designed to be used with a cotton round, but I usually just pour my cleansing water into my hands and use it that way, since it's less product waste. I actually had to pour the contents of this into my Benton cleansing water since I couldn't remove the pump-like packaging. It was either that or I had to turn the bottle upside down and squirt it into my hands that way, as it made a mess when I tried pushing to directly onto my hands face up.

Product gifted by Gopicky and Oolo in exchange for honest review.

Green Tea Extract

Happy #thursdaytea? Okay there's no "TEA" to be spilt, just some delicious tea to DRINK 😂

I've been enjoying this 𝐉𝐞𝐣𝐮 𝐈𝐬𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐹𝑒𝑟𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝐺𝑟𝑒𝑒𝑛 𝑇𝑒𝑎 𝑆𝑒𝑒𝑑 𝐸𝑥𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑐𝑡 by itself or paired with a meal.

I seriously thought this was wine when I got it!

Because this is pure green tea extract, you would have to MIX it with water. I made the mistake of accidentally drinking this by itself and it was not pleasant! 😣 The directions say to mix 10 ml of the extract with 0.5 liters of water, but I had no idea how much that was (since the US refuses to go metric) so I kinda just adjusted it to my liking since I find I usually don't read or follow instructions anyways 😅 I actually prefer diluting the 10 ml of the concentrate with a glass of milk or condensed milk and water since I feel like diluting it with water just gives you regular tea and prefer milk tea over tea cuz boba is life right? 🧋 Either way, this tasted really good and I loved how rich the tea flavour was even if it were super diluted with water or milk.

Now, who's up for a good cup of tea?

Product gifted for review by 08liter.