Category: Review It!

I tried TERRE & MER Vital Fluid with Organic Olive Leaf for about a week. Finally I’m reviewing it.

TERRE & MER by THALGO is an ECO-CITIZEN and ECO-DESIGNED range. THE FORMULAS are more than 99% natural, are certified Organic by ECOCERT and comply with the COSMEBIO (World-renowned with a presence in 40 countries worldwide) charter. The packaging items are made of recyclable plastic (PE, PP), glass and are authorised by ECOCERT. The boxes and leaflets are printed with plant-based inks and are made of cardboard with the FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) label from sustainably managed forests and it does not contain excess filling material.

Moisturise every day. This fluid with a non-oily texture is the everyday skincare step for normal to combination skin. Codium fragile, a source of youth, and Organic Olive Leaf extract increase the moisture level of the epidermis. Your skin is soft and matte.

The smell: Very strong olive smell. It took me quite awhile to get used to the smell, I personally don’t really like the smell of olive but I don’t mind eating it ;p

The texture: It’s quite heavy compare to many other moisturizers that I had tried. It didn’t feel oily but sticky in way when I tried to smooth it on my skin. Despite feeling sticky, it’s quite easy to smooth over the skin.

The feel: It left a layer of sticky film on my skin, it took quite awhile to absorb. However, once it’s fully absorbed, it’s not that sticky anymore and the skin felt soft. As for staying matte, it didn’t really help me stay matte for long hours though. My face got stickier later in the day when my face got oilier. The good thing was it didn’t break me out, so it’s a good sign, it’s organic!

The price: I was shocked to find out about the price, it’s too high end for me to use *LOL* RM238 for 50ml.

Will I buy?: No, I don’t have such money to spare. Also, I don’t think this is suitable for my skin even though it’s stated for normal to combination skin.

Gonna review its Vital Cream soon. I’m using it now.

I got the samples of Clarins Multi-Active Skin Renewal Serum & Day Early Wrinkle Correction Cream somewhere last year after joining the Facebook survey conducted by Clarins.

They were actually meant for those in their 30’s, I’m not yet in my 30’s but close to it already. All those aging signs started to show already at late twenties. It’s meant to fight the first sign of aging.

Left: Clarins Multi-Active Skin Renewal Serum (30ml)

Thanks to a unique formula, the serum restores incredible brightness, softness and a healthy glow. Early wrinkles are reduced and skin appears younger-looking. Better toned, skin is more resistant to aggressions. It is perfectly smooth, incredibly soft to the touch and glows with a new freshness.

Nopal flower extract: evens the skin surface and reduces small age spots. Phytosphingosine: optimizes the synthesis of collagen and boosts cell renewal.

It really lived up to what it claimed! I could immediately see the radiant after applying it. I really hope to get this but the price is a bit too high end for me. I can’t afford it.

Right: Clarins Multi-Active Day Early Wrinkle Correction Cream (50ml)

The ideal solution for premature loss of tone linked to a busy lifestyle. Improves the skins support structure and hydration. Reduces early wrinkles to leave skin smooth, fresh and younger-looking again. Thanks to an anti-free radical active ingredient, skin is preserved from premature aging.

Ambiaty extract: a medicinal plant from Madagascar. It stimulates the dermal-epidermal junction which supports the epidermis and provides the water and nutrients it needs. Hesperidin: an active ingredient encapsulated in Multi-Lamellins which release it as and when the skin needs.

Applied this after the serum. This also didn’t disappoint me. I double confirmed the effectiveness when I went for my facial after using it for 2 weeks. The beautician told me that my skin wasn’t dry anymore and the condition improved! Imagine how happy I heard that. Every time I went, I’m sure being told that my skin was dehydrated. Again, I cannot afford it, too expensive for me.

At least I know these are good stuffs and I’ll put this in my KIV list in case I can afford it next time.

Remember the first Cellnique product I reviewed? It was the Cellnique Contour De-Puffy Jewel.

The second product that I tried from Cellnique was Cellnique Advanced Bio Renewal Masque. This 50g jar of masque costs RM159, the most expensive masque I ever tried. It’s an honour to be able to try it out.

I thought it’s blue in colour but when I opened it up, it’s grayish white. Then I smelt something… Soy sauce! Aiks… I sniffed it again, fruity smell. Then sniffed again, soy sauce! *LOL* Soy sauce-fruity-soy sauce-fruity-soy sauce…

The first time, I applied it on my face and the same smell greeted me, soy sauce-fruity-soy sauce-fruity-soy sauce… Very funny. Finally I figured out the fruity smell was actually pineapple smell. I suspected pineapple enzyme in there and I was correct! For the whole 10 minutes, I’m smelling soy sauce-fruity-soy sauce-fruity-soy sauce…

The grainy texture also serve as scrub. I’m using it once a week after cleansing my face. After 10 minutes, I wet it with some water and massage in circular motion before washing off the mask from my face. I was warned that it might have warm and tingling sensation at the cheek area and I really felt it for the whole 10 minutes the first time I used it but it’s not unpleasant, I quite enjoyed it ;p.

The second time I used it, the warm and tingling sensation only lasted for awhile. This time, no more soy sauce ;p maybe I got accustomed to the smell. The pineapple smell was so yummy, it made me hungry!

The following is from their own website:

Description
This unparalleled scrub mask is formulated with bio-captured fresh fruit enzymes and acids complex. It works effectively in exfoliating dead cells, optimizing cellular renewal performance and deep pore cleansing, thus revealing a softer, fresher and healthier skin.

Benefits
– Promotes cell renewal
– Slows down aging process
– Exfoliates dead skin cells
– Lightening, brightening and instant radiant effects

BioCELL eL
Advanced Bio Renewal Masque contains 20% BioCELL eL, Cellnique’s exclusive acid complex formulation that uses AHAs to accelerate cell renewal rates, enzymes and vitamins to neutralize and prevent possible irritation by the acids.

Alpha Hydroxyl Acid
AHAs are known to have the ability to rejuvenate skin by exfoliating dead cells from the skin, this further causes the skin to grow new cells to replace the damaged cells. AHAs also helps in wrinkles and photo-aging.

Enzyme

• Papaya enzyme + Bromelain from pineapple fruit extract
• Bromelain, an enzyme derived from pineapple plant, Bromelain helps digest keratin protein and promote exfoliation effectively. Skin appears smooth and brightens after the dead skin cells being removed.
• Papain, an enzyme derived from papaya, helps exfoliate damaged and dead skin cells to prevent clogged pores that can result in skin eruptions. It is able to whiten and soften the skin, heal wounds and prevent the subsequent development of pimples.

Full Ingredients List:
Purified Water (Aqua), Glycerin, Kaolin, Glycolic Acid, Glyceryl Stearate, Cetyl Alcohol, C12-20 Acid PEG-8 Ester, Polysorbate 20, Potassium Cetyl Phosphate, Papaya (Carica papaya) Enzyme (Papain), Phenoxyethanol, Trithanolamine, Caprylyl Glycol, Titanium Dioxide, Citric Acid, Pomelo (Citrus grandis) Peel Extract, Pineapple (Ananas sativus) Fruit Extract, Acrylate / C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Fragrance, Disodium EDTA, Methylparaben, Ethylparaben, Propylparaben, Butylparaben, Potassium Sorbate.

I like the after feel. My skin looked and felt so smooth and clean.

My skin looked quite rough before the masque, then after that it looked so smooth. The after photo was actually slightly blurred so the skin looked so smooth but this was what I saw with naked eyes too.

The photo was taken with macro mode. Seeing my skin in macro gave me a chill -.-” all those pigmentations, blackheads, pores and so on really freak the hell out of me. Really cannot play play with this. I’m not young anymore! I really hope with constant use of this mask, my pigmentation will be in control.

Anyway, you notice the arrows? That’s one of the clogged pores and it was gone after the masque session.

I quite like this masque but the price is a bit steep as usual but I might be able to use it for quite long because I don’t have to use much. I estimated that if I used it once a week religiously, it might be able to last me a year or more. So… Price wise, maybe it’s not that expensive after all.

What I don’t like about it is that it doesn’t come with spatula, so it’s not that hygienic.

However, please take note if you have very sensitive skin. This product might not be suitable for you because it contains AHA.

I got a mail last month from Cellnique asking me to review some of their products. I’m sure many of you heard of this brand if you do read beauty blogs. Really didn’t expect I would get such opportunity to review it too. I agreed to it as I’ve been reading so many reviews about it from other bloggers and I would love to try it out myself.

I finally got the package last Tuesday. Was sent with 3 products. I’m going to review Cellnique Contour De-Puffy Jewel(RM169 for 15ml, never in my life use such expensive product ;p) as the other two still need a bit more time to see the effect.

Right: The gel like texture, just one pump is enough for two eyes. Massage until it’s fully absorbed.

This is the quote I got from the Cellnique‘s website:

With its unique combination of Acetyl Tetrapeptide Gold Dipeptide and Rhodochrosite extract, this breakthrough eye formulation helps alleviate eye puffiness by increasing blood circulation and deep moisture the eye areas. This puffiness reducing and SPF15 eye care sunscreen helps reveals radiant eyes immediately after short period of application.

Methylsilanol mannuronate
An organic derivative of seaweed that binds moisture in the epidermis thus firming and strengthening the skin. It is also known to act as an anti-oxidant to actively prevent the acceleration of premature aging.

Acetyl Tetrapeptide Gold Dipeptide
Helps relaxes the facial expression muscle, thus diminishes the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles around the contour area.

Guaranine (Caffeine)
Helps to reduce eye puffiness and dark eye circles by constricting blood vessels.

Rhodochrosite extract
Rich in Mn ions, helps to fight aging by preserving cell to release collagen and elastin, reducing the problems of sagging and aging.

Full Ingredient List:
Purified Water (Aqua), Butylene Glycol, Methylsilanol Mannuronate, Glycerin, Carbomer, Phenoxyethanol, Caustic Soda (Sodium Hydroxide), Carrageenan Moss (Chondrus crispus) Extract, Ethylhexylglycerin, Propylene Glycol, Ppg-26-Buteth-26, Caffeine, Peg-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Sulisobenzone (Benzophenone-4), Disodium EDTA, Quartz, Caprylyl Glycol, Sorbic Acid, Rhodochrosite Extract, Potassium Sorbate, Glyceryl Caprylate, Acetyl Tetrapeptide Gold Dipeptide, Red #33 (CI 17200), Blue #1 (CI 42090)

I have slightly puffy eyes, dark circles(due to lack of sleep and also sensitive nose. Oh yes! You’ll get dark circle is you are having problem with your nose), lots of oil seeds, and the dreaded fine lines(have to admit I’m no longer young hahaha…). The puffiness is quite obvious in the photos most of the time if I smile showing my teeth(example here).

Take note!
The photos here only gone tru’ some adjustments of curves to show you the problems I’m having with my eyes clearer. Differences in colours and I had to change position due to the change of lighting since I’m using natural lighting and I took the photos before and after shower.

You can say that because of the different lighting made as if the product worked but I can tell you the product really worked, it’s not the lighting issue! I was surprised with the effect right after I applied the product on the first usage.

This photo was taken on the second day of usage. On the first day, I woke up with really puffy eyes. After showered, I applied the the gel and the puffiness reduced so much that I got too excited and forgot to take photo of it. Since I didn’t take the before photo so couldn’t compare also. So I made a mental note to take before and after photos the next morning.

The next morning, as you can see from the photo. This is my right eye. I was grinning from ear to ear when I took the photos so that the puffiness can be seen more clearly.

Left: There’s puffiness but wasn’t that bad compare to the previous day. There’s also fine lines. I have droppy eyelid on my right eye. Add on with the puffiness, it looked even worst.

Right: Reduction in fine lines, less puffy as you can see the eyelid didn’t seem that droppy.

There wasn’t noticeable improvement on my dark circles though, I guess it is due to me having late nights these few weeks -.-” It’s important to lead a healthy lifestyle to have a product really works well. I believe that no matter how good a product is, without you leading a healthy lifestyle, the product will be a waste because it couldn’t work to its full potential.

As for the oil seeds problem, it’s beyond the functions of this product. So I won’t comment on it but it’s a good eye care product to use as it’s not oily and with SPF 15.

Just one downside, the price is quite steep for me. Let’s just see how long this bottle will last me and then see how I could work it out with my budget. Pretty broke for now as I’m saving for something big.

You can’t get them in Kuching though. However, you can get it online at Cellnique‘s website.

I decided to buy Bioglo Aquavit Water Essence Cream to try since it’s on discount when I finished my Garnier Aqua Defense Essence.

Original price was RM49. After discount, it was RM29 for 50g of water essence cream, I’ll try anything that fancies me below RM29. Anything higher than that I have to think a lot hahaha… By the way, it’s from Cosway.

The colour of the cream is very pale blue. It’s not too creamy nor watery. It claims that it can deliver instant surge of hydration with Spring Sea Water®(sourced from the coast of Brittany, France) that’s naturally rich with essential minerals. Besides that, it also claims that it can provide continuous, time release moisturisation for dewy-soft, supple, healthy skin.

It has Black Currant Leave Extract & MultiVitamin Complex promotes healthy cell functions, stimulating efficient moisture circulation and cell-renewal; Pine Bark Extract that delivers powerful antioxidant benefits to prevent damage caused by free radicals, ensuring protection of skin’s natural moisturising factors (NMFs) from oxidation; Pumpkin Seed Extract that soothes and repairs dry, sensitive skin conditions, rebuilding skin’s moisture barrier for improved water retention.

Now… Sharing my experience. It was cream at first, it didn’t feel nice, I was doubting it because it felt oily when I dotted it on my face before spreading it. Once on the face and coupled with the warmth from fingers, it became watery. It’s so easy to spread around and I only need small amount to cover my whole face.

Beware though… Do not use too much as it will leave your face feeling slightly sticky and shiny rather than dewy.

Does it works? Oh yes, it does.

How do I judge it? Usually when I woke up, I would have oily face, ew… I hate it. With this, no oily face in the morning. This is because if your skin is dehydrated, it will produce more oil that make your face oily. It’s not because you have oily skin but it’s because your skin is too dry.

Will I go back to it? Only if there’s discount hahaha…