Battle of masks - ROUND ONE

Watsons Aloe Vera Soothing Moisture Mask

• A nice hint of refreshing smell, not too strong
• Quite runny for a cream but too thick to be a lotion, the consistency is in between a cream and a lotion
• Smoothed on easily but since it is quite runny for a cream mask, might need to use a lot of product to cover the entire face
• It did not dry on my face, rather, it got absorbed into my skin
• Tinkled a little (which I hate) but it's not like I have an allergic reaction since it did not cause any redness - not recommended for sensitive skin
• Left my skin not as drying after wash but neither did my skin feel moisturised/hydrated
• No irritation afterwards
• Did not clog my pores
• Did not cause any break-outs
• Did not leave me looking like a grease ball
• Can be easily rinsed off
• Did not feel soothing at all

Do I recommand this product to the others?
No, I'd rather spend a little bit more for a tub of mask that is actually going to sooth and moisturise my skin without any tinkling sensation.

The Body Shop Warming Mineral Mask

• A muddy smell
• The consistency is quite thick like a usual clay mask
• A little difficult to spread evenly on skin because of its consistency
• A little bit drying after it is cleansed off, moisturiser is definitely required afterwards
• Tinkled a little (which I hate) but it's not like I have an allergic reaction since it did not cause any redness - not recommended for sensitive skin
• There is a warming sensation as this product is applied to a wet face, the warming sensation does last but not as warm as it was after 5-10 minutes
• No irritation afterwards
• Did not clog my pores
• Can be a little bit difficult to wash off the product
• Effectively cleansed my pores (blackheads) but result does not last for mroe than 2 days because the product does not really reduce my pore size other than clearing out the pores

Maybe this product is worth buying if you are interested in the warming technique. However, I would not purchase this again, but would not mind it if I can get it for free again^^"... I do not think this product is neccessary for me^^...

Mudd Hydrating Sea Mask (clay); Gentle Cleansing Peel-off mask

Mudd Hydrating Sea Mask:

• There wasn't a particular strong smell, so light that it did not even catch my attention
• Consistency is thick, like normal mud masks
• Since it is quite thick, needed a bit of work to spread the product
• It dried hard, so could not move any of my face muscles...
• Took a bit of time to rinse it off...
• Felt sooooo dry afterwards
• Left my skin felt like sqeaky
• No irritation
• Did not cause me to break-out
• Did not leave me looking like a grease ball
• Did not clog my pores
• Little bit of redness (i.e. around the nose)

Do I recommand this product to the others?
No... I think even people with oily skin would find this very drying... It's supposed to hydrate your skin!?

Mudd Gentle Cleansing Peel-off Mask:

• There wasn't a particular strong smell, very light
• Consistency is thick
• No irritation
• No smell
• Feels cool
• Did not clog my pores
• Does not really clear my pores... It did...nothing?
• Little drying afterwards

I think most peel-off masks are more or less the same that none of them really does a good job on my skin. I would not ever buy any peel-off mask ever again.

Kuan Yuan Lian Beadlike Grain Powder:

• It comes in a form of powder, all natural ingredient with no added chemicals/perfume/alcohol... Nothing that is not eatable
• It does exfoliate your skin a bit when you apply and rinse off the mask because of the grain in the product
• It can be a little messy during the mixing process
• Very little water is required to make this mask into a paste form
• It dries up quickly after application and it turns hard
• Whitening effect can be seen straight away after it is rinsed off and it does last of a couple of days
• Not irritation occurred
• It does clear your pores very well
• It feels fresh after the product is rinsed off
• The only thing is that be careful when you are rinsing the mask off as it can be scratchy if you are aggressive or not patient enough
• Always melt the product with water first before you start massaging the mask off
• Did not leave my skin too dry
• Did not cause any breakouts
• No clogging of pores

Do I recommend this?
Definitely except for dry or very sensitive skin. Very affordable, no added harmful substances and lives up to my expectation.

Boots Tea Tree + Witch Hazel Peel Off Face Mask

• Did not cause any breakouts
• Kind of did nothing to my skin, did not clear my skin, did not clear or reduce my blackheads, did not prevent me from breakouts, did not help my acne to heal faster, did nothing to my scar...etc.
• It really cannot get into your pores, I would see it with my own eyes, bubbles can be easily trapped in the product after applying to the skin especially where there is a pore
• A little cooling when you first applied it
• Takes ages to dry
• Very thick, like glue
• Can be peeled off easily
• Feels a tiny bit greasy after it is peeled off, I think it's because of the tea tree oil in it
• Did not block my pores
• Did not irritate my skin
• Not too strong a tea-tree/witch hazel smell, acceptable I think
• Did not dry my skin out

Do I recommend this?
No... what a waste of time and money... end of story

Oh my cheeks look radiant~

beautyuk Stripey Blusher Pink

beautyuk Striped Bronzer

If you are on a budget, these products are difinitely first choice for you. They were GBP2.99 each I got these, I believe that the price has gone up since. They do all kinds such as eyeshadows, nail polish, lipsticks, lipglosses, foundation...etc... But I am only into their Stripey Blusher and Striped Bronzer. Not the one-colour blushers and bronzers, I am not interested in those at all.

They are slightly shimmery if you look at them from a very short distance. However, they do not leave you looking like a glitter ball. Instead, make your skin looks glowy and radiant.

Pigmentation is good, one or two swipes can give you enough pigmentation. These are not as pigmented as those from the Body Shop or Barry M, you really do need a light hand for those products. Moreover, even though these products do not cost a lot, they are not powdery/chalky at all.

Staying power is amazing especially for the price. They stay for the whole day even if I wore it on a hot, humid summer day. These colours are great for all four seasons and very unicersal for all skin tones. The Stripey Blusher also comes in two other colour scheme: Purple and Orange.

Make-up............off!!

Kose Softymo Speedy Cleansing Oil

This cleansing oil really does impress me. It never fails to take off my face makeup. It does not irritate my eyes/skin, neither would it leave any oily residue behind after rinsing the product off. The consistency is a little bit to the thicker side but not too thick or runny. What does it smell like? I do not think there is any smell to it. However, do not let ANYcleansing oil get too close to your eyes. Otherwise, it can blur your vision if the oil gets into your eyes... Even though it's only temporary, it is never a good thing to let any foreign substances get into your eyes. Trust me, I have tried to use this to take off my eye makeup. It did a great job removing even any waterproof mascara but left me with a blurry vision for a minute. Well, it did not irritate my eyes but still it is not a good idea.

Kose Softymo Speedy Cleansing Liquid

I should have just stick with the pink one I mentioned above...

I ran out of the pink one and was thinking, 'maybe it is the time that I give other products a try...' I saw this blue one on the shelf and the term 'weak acid' caught my attention... 'OK, I will give it a go!'

REGRET!!!!!!!!!

When I first pumped it out I notice that the consistency is so different to the pink one. This one is runnier, even runnier than any heated cooking oil I would say...Then I could smell alcohol... I said to myself, 'NOOOOOOOOOO.............'

Yes, this one contains alcohol... Then I read the label carefully... FAIR ENOUGH... this is not cleansing OIL but it is a cleansing LIQUID... I hate any skincare products that contain added alcohol... (I think it is acceptable for those that contain alcohol produced from natural processes... e.g. Weleda products) I know, I know... alcohol is really good for dissolving and removing oil and dirt... But I do not like the smell of it, I do not like the feel of it, I do not like how it dry out my skin, and I do not like how the vapour and the alcohol itself can easily get into my eyes and sting my eyes like crazy. No way that I would use this to take off my eye makeup.

I DO NOT even like consuming alcohol, END OF STORY.

Botanics (Boots) Soothing Eye Make Up Remover All Skin Types

I must admit, this is the best (so far) make up remover I have ever tried, just like what all the others say. This one even beat the eye makeup remover lotion from Simple (I have blogged about this before of how much I like it). This product worth every single penny. This is so gentle, no offensive smell, no added alcohol and no over-powering perfume (Actually, I think this product contains no perfume at all). This is a lovely product. This is one of those 2-phase products that you have to shake really well before use. The only down side of this is that you will need to use cotton pads with this product whereas you only massage with your hands for those I mentioned above. It takes off everything with no effort. No irritation at all and if you do not rinse after using this product, it does, in some way moisturise your skin. But I would assume that everyone would wash their face afterwards anyway.

Pore... no... change...

The Body Shop
Seaweed
Pore Perfector

• A gel / lotion consistency
• Smells okay
• Very light
• No oily residue left behind after application
• Gets absorbed easily
• No, I did not see any results... It was supposed to make my pores look less visible/smaller as long as I keep using this product, but it did nothing...
• I do not recommand this

But everyone's skin response differently to different products, definitely recommand you asking for a free sample before buying. Remeber, this is a product by the Body Shop, they give out free samples all the time.

I also got told that once you've stopped using this product, your pores would go back to the state before you use this product, so it's one of those you have to keep buying. Even so, it took me about three months to finish one bottle but I did not find my pores appeared less visible/smaller within those three months at all. 

However, I do not regard buying this product as much as that I would if it is from some other brand. The Body Shop supports fairtrade, no animal testing and they also do a lot of other good work. My money has not been wasted in a way, but has gone to help this company to help the rest of the world. The only think I might not be happy about is that I have wasted the product itself, that someone else who finds this product brilliant could have bought it.

DEEP clean? Oh well...

Reason I bought this was I wanted to reduce the number of times I exfoliate my face over the winter, so that I won't dry out my skin. On top of that, I went for a cream wash because cream wash tends to be less drying than gel wash. I went for the cheapest cream wash I could found that at the same time has some properties in it - claims to contain salicylic acid, which can help prevent spots and breakouts. it says, 'cleans deep down to effectively remove dirt, oil and impurities without clogging pores', 'the tingling sensation tells you your skin has been thoroughly cleaned, leaving it cool, refreshed and really clear'. I bought this when it was half price in Wilkinson (so I only paid GBP1.xx for it :D). It was a gamble, really. I still remember the last time I tried a Clean & Clear product, how drying it was that was enough to put me off from this brand for years until now (that was when I was in year 7 I believe...). However, I guess Clean & Clear has improved their products a lot but still got a very long way to go. 

• non-drying
• really strong menthol but you can still open your eyes with no problems during cleansing / straight after rinsing, which is something I could never do back in the years, the last time I used a Clean & Clear product. 
• did not clog pores
• did not cause break outs
• did not prevent break outs completely either (these are not from the cleanser, it's because I've stopped using my antibiotics)
• so... kind of maintain my skin condition rather than improve
• did remove dirt and oil, but does not clean deeply enough I think. I still have many very visible blackheads after cleansing. When I applied a nose strip afterwards, I still ended up with millions of blackheads (Yes, blackheads is one of the major problems of my skin) just not as big. I would say... remove 40-50% of my blackheads.
• consistency is more to the lotion side than cream, and I need double a pea size to cover my entire face
• left my skin really soft and cool
• did not cause irritation
• maintained my skin condition in terms of oily T-zone, did not make me look shine-free completely but my T-zone did not look more oily

MIGHT get this again if no other cream washes (with some properties) are on sale during winter...

Not my first choice but at least it is non-drying, oil-free, maintained the condition with spots issue and did not leave me looking like a grease ball.

The War of Mascaras *O*

Rimmel London
100% Waterproof Mascara
shade: 001 Black Black

Totally NOT FOR ME, quite a wet mascara, claims that it's 100% waterproof

Bristle wand, normal size. 

• Does not hold curl
• Does not give volume
• Does not lengthen
• Clumps up like crazy
• Makes my lashes stick together -> spider lashes (Looks like you have only got a few really thick - diameter wise - lashes) - no separation
• Takes ages to dry after application
• Dries up in the tube fast
• Smudges like crazy (even if it's only the minute after application) -> panda eyes
• NOT 100% waterproof at all, smears around my eyes so badly
• Also get dried bits of mascara falling off all the time
• Solution form: need to rub a bit to get it off 
• 2-phase / cream / lotion / oil form: remove without any effort

What did I do at the end?

BINNED it. 

Rimmel London
Glam'eyes Waterproof Mascara
shade: Black

I know a lot of people like this mascara but it's just... NOT for me either... A very wet formula. Claims to give you ultra volume and high definition (!?!?!?)

Rubber wand, thin, curled. 

• Does not hold curl
• Does not give volume
• Does not lengthen
• Does not clump
• Makes my lashes stick together -> spider lashes (Looks like you have only got a few really thick - diameter wise - lashes) - no separation
• Takes ages to dry after application
• Seems that it never dries up in the tube
• Smudges like crazy -> panda eyes, but not as bad as the above
• Makes my lashes turn into a rubbery texture
• NOT waterproof, smears around my eyes so badly
• Solution form: easy to remove
• 2-phase / cream / lotion / oil form: easy to remove

Where is it now?

Sitting in the tray collecting dust.

Avon
ColorTrend Plump Out Mascara
shade: Black

I don't even know whether this mascara claims to do anything? The packaging does not say a lot... It says 'plump out', I guess it's a volumising mascara? It's a mascara with a drier formula. 

Bristle wand, normal size. 

• Holds the curl
• Very black
• Gives volume
• Clumps like crazy
• Does not lengthen
• Not waterproof (it does not say it is anyway)
• Dried bits of mascara falling off all the time
• Smudges and smears around the eye badly
• Not that stand out in terms of separation
• Dries quite quickly after application
• Does dry up in the tube fast
• Solution form: easy to remove
• 2-phase / cream / lotion / oil form: easy to remove

Where is it now?

I don't even know...

L'Oreal Paris
Double Extension Waterproof Mascara
shade: Black

Claims to give you so much length and waterproof. Not my favourite but quite nice to combine to use with a good voulmising mascara such as the Maybelline Full 'N Soft waterproof. It is one of the mascaras that is formulated with the tubing technique that when you take the mascara of it comes off in tubes rather than a smear, so that all mascara can come off without leaving any residue.  

Bristle wand, normal size. 

• Lengenths like crazy
• Not that great at separation, can end up with spider lashes if put on a second or third coat (or, when you have applied more primer than you needed to cover all your lashes)
• Would clump if you applied more than two coats
• Very waterproof
• No smudging or smearing
• Holds the curl
• No volume - it is a lengthening mascara (that's why it's best to use in conjunction with a volumising mascara)
• Does not take long to dry after application
• Does not dry up in the tube fast, well, still not dried up six months after opening, which is normally when you should bin your mascara and get a new one. 
• No dried bits come off during the day
• Solution form: such a pain to remove / takes ages
• 2-phase / cream / lotion / oil form: can be removed easily 

Do I like it? 

Yes, I do like it, but best to use with other mascaras as I said. I do have back-ups of this mascara because I luv how long my lashes look after applying this mascara. Also because most mascaras smudge/smear on me but this on never :)

L'Oreal Paris
Lash Architech Waterproof Mascara
shade: Black Brown

Claims to give a false lash effect, gives a magnified volume, redefined curl and infinite length. This is the waterproof version in brown black. Smells funny. 

Bristle wand, thin. 

• Holds the curl 
• Gives a good volume but I would not say it is dramatic
• Lengthening but not as lengthening as above
• Does not smear/smudge, great for summer as well
• Very waterproof
• Can clump after two coats
• Does not take long to dry after application
• Does not dry out quickly in the tube
• Good at separating lashes but not the greatest I have tried. But can make a few lashes stick together when more than two coats are applied. 
• I don't like the strong funny smell
• No dried bits fall off during the day
• Solution form: a pain to remove it with
• 2-phase / cream / lotion / oil form: easy to be removed

How often do you use this?

This is one of my everyday mascaras even though I don't like the smell. 

L'Oreal Paris
Extra-Volume Collagene Mascara (waterproof)
shade: Black

Claims to give you hydra-collagen instant volume and waterproof. I don't notice any change in terms of the health of my lashes... Well, my lashes do not suddenly break off anyway in the first place, and whatever needs to come off will come off (your lashes do come off when they've reached a certain length/life-time, it's normal,). Maybe people who usually suffer with lashes breaking would see a difference... I don't. Does do quite a good job but I just want to use it as less often as possible. Carry on reading if you want to know why...

Bristle wand, Fat brush with bristles going in all directions. 

• Bristles used are very SPIKY and SCRATCHY
• Very Black
• Great volume, one of the best for volume
• Holds the curl
• Does not lengthen
• Separation is okay but can end up with spider lashes if more than two coats are applied
• Clumps
• Does not take long to dry after application
• Does not dry up in the tube easily
• No smudging or smearing around the eye
• No dried bits fall off during the day
• Very waterproof
• Solution form: a pain to remove, have to use a lot of product AND takes forever but STILL cannot remove all residue... Basically impossible...
• 2-phase / cream / lotion / oil form: takes longer to dissolve the mascara comparing to other waterproof mascaras that I own or owned

What do I think?

It is with all my other everyday mascaras on my desk but I try to use this as little as possible because it's such a pain to remove with any type of makeup removers. It is also because the wand is so spiky that I have to take extra caution applying this mascara. 

Maybelline New York
Great Lash Mascara - waterproof
shade: Very Black

Claims that it can perfectly separate your lashes, no clumps, gives you volume and with a conditioning formula. Also in the waterproof version. I don't know if it is conditioning or not though... As I said, the condition of lashes are not that bad in the first place...

It is one of my everyday choices. 

Bristle wand. Spiral. Small compared to normal size. 

• Separates so well
• Does not clump
• Not lengthening
• Gives little volume but can be built up (wet build-up formula), I just never want to because when I use this mascara I want my eyes look simple, clean and fresh
• Holds the curl
• Does not take long to dry after application
• Does not dry up in the tube easily
• No dried bits fall off during the day
• Does not smear at all throughout the day
• Never get spider lashes no matter how many coats you applied
• Solution form: can take a bit of time for the makeup remover to dissolve the product
• 2-phase / cream / lotion / oil form: can be removed without any effort

What do I think of this in general?

Gives you a nice clean, fresh, simple look by separating your lashes so well and not smearing. Can be built up to give you more volume but why bother when you want to look natural? Oh yea, when men says they prefer 'natural' looking face, they do not mean they want a girl with absolutely no makeup on, research has shown that 80% of men voted for the face with makeup on when they were shown with a photo of a women with makeup on and a photo without makeup on. 

Maybelline New York
Volum'epress Turbo Boost Waterproof Mascara
shade: Turbo Black

Claims to give you five times more volume and is waterproof. I don't know whether the 'five times' claim is true because I did not measure, either do I know HOW to measure.... 

It is one of my choices for volume. 

Bristle wand, normal size. 

• VERY black
• Separation is great
• Does lengthen a bit, which is strange, because it does not claim to do that
• No clumps
• Can give you a LOT of volume without giving you spider lashes
• It is waterproof but cannot stand EXTREMELY humid weather
• Generally does not smudge or smear but can smear a little when it is EXTREMELY humid / when your eye areas go EXTREMELY oily due to various reason
• Holds the curl
• Does take a bit of time to dry after application
• Does not dry out in the tube easily
• No dried bits fall off during the day
• Solution form: no rubbing required but can take a bit of time dissolving the product
• 2-phase / cream / lotion / oil form: can be removed without any effort at all

When do I use this?

This is great for dramatic looks and smoky eyes. For those looks when I normally would wear nude colours on my lips. 

Natural Collection
Mascara
shade: Clear

It says it conditions for natural looking lashes, is fragrance-free and dermatologically tested. To be honest, I want to know what 'tests' did they carried out, because it stings my eyes. It went cloudy as well after a few uses. 

Bristle wand, spiral. Normal size. 

• Gives no volume
• Gives no length
• Does not hold curl
• Does nothing about separation - lashes stay what they look like before applying the mascara
• The lashes stayed soft after application
• Took me ages to wait for the product to dry after application
• Does not dry out in the tube at all
• No dried bits fall off during the day
• No smudging or smearing throughout the day
• Solution form: I didn't even know if there was any product on my lashes when I took my makeup off at the end of the day
• 2-phase / cream / lotion / oil form: I didn't even know if there was any product on my lashes when I took my makeup off at the end of the day

So, what did I do instead of using it as a mascara?

Simply did not do ANYTHING, so I changed and tried to use it as a brow gel but failed... Did not hold my brow hair in place either. 

Casuelic
Mascara & Eyebrow Gel
shade: Clear

The first mascara I bought was a clear mascara. Reason I bought that was, at that time, I have only came across two mascaras, both by Rimmel, one was waterproof(the first mascara I talked about here), one wasn't and both smudges on me badly. I was on the look for something that can hold the curl but does not smudge. I thought to myself, a clear mascara should not smudge on me since it has no colour, even if it does, no one would be able to see. However, it turned cloudy eventually after I used it everyday for about two months so the following summer, I had to go get another one. I could not find the same one but bought this one instead, hoping it would do as good a job as my previous one but... And, this one turned cloudy after two uses!

Bristle wand, spiral, normal size.

• Gives no volume
• Gives no length
• Does not hold the curl (my first one DID hold the curl!)
• Separation is great (so was my first one!)
• Did not take too long to dry after application (so was my first one!)
• Does not dry out in the tube easily (so was my first one!)
• No dried bits fall off during the day(so was my first one!)
• No smudging or smearing throughout the day (so was my first one!)
• Solution form: can be removed easily (so was my first one!)
• 2-phase / cream / lotion / oil form: can be removed easily (so was my first one!)

What did I do after it turned cloudy?

I used it as a brow gel but did not see the point...

Maybelline New York
Full'N Soft Mascara Hydrofuge
shade: Soft Black

Claims to leave your lashes soft at the same time gives you volume. It is the waterproof version. I luv this mascara and it's my favourite of ALL TIME. I just hope that they sell this at where I live so that I don't have to get this off the internet in the future. Also claims that it can make your lashes stay healthy rather than damaging them, I am not sure since I don't have a problem with the health of my lashes. Because my lashes stays soft, I can use this even when I wear my glasses without having 'hard-lashes' poking the glasses and hurting my eyes, they bend since they are soft. 

Bristle wand, normal size. 

• Gives you volume
• Holds the curl
• Separation is good - no spider lashes
• Does not take long to dry after application
• Does not dry out in the tube easily
• Lashes stay soft (I luv it!)
• No clumps
• No dried bits fall off during the day
• Completely smudge-proof and waterproof (I wore this for the whole summer, when the weather is EXTREMELY HOT AND HUMID, when my eye areas are the MOST OILY AND SWEATY in the year)
• Solution form: easy to be removed
• 2-phase / cream / lotion / oil form: can be removed easily

How much I luv this?

It is my favourite of all time and I have a few backups :D This is the mascara that got me into Maybelline New York's mascaras.

Maybelline New York
Sky High Curves Waterproof Mascara
shade: Soft Black

I think this is the lengthening version of Maybelline New York's Great Lash Mascara Waterproof, giving you clean looking lashes. I was on the look for a waterproof mascara that is affordable because I forgot to bring one with me when I went back to HK for holiday. I found this in Bonjour and only cost me HKD35.00 and it's by Maybelline New York!!!!!!!! I did not want a volumising mascara in particular since it was summer and I would rarely want to do any 'heavy eye-look'. This was the perfect choice. 

Bristle wand. Normal size. 

• Gives length (but not crazy like L'oreal Paris' Double Extension Waterproof)
• Holds the curl all day 
• Completely smudge-proof and waterproof (I wore this for the whole summer, when the weather is EXTREMELY HOT AND HUMID, when my eye areas are the MOST OILY AND SWEATY in the year)
• No clumps
• Great in terms of separation
• Does not give volume
• Does not take long to dry after application
• Does not dry up in the tube easily
• No dried bits fall off during the day
• Solution: easy to remove
• 2-phase / cream / lotion / oil form: easy to remove

What's my thought on this?

Another GREAT choice for the summer.