REN Rosa Centifolia Hot Cloth Cleanser & Foaming Cleanser review

This is my 2nd go at REN’s Rosa Centifolia’s cleansers the first being their 3 in 1 cleansing water. What keeps me interested in the range is probably the price, aesthetics, quality and scent.

I am a huge fan of Fresh but the only way I can get hold of them is by ordering from the US and while I enjoy using their products, I sometimes can’t help but find it to be overpriced. REN on the other hand is a lot cheaper and easier to get hold of – Mecca Cosmetica in Australia.

On to the reviews.

The foaming cleanser is a great alternative to Fresh’s Rose Foaming Cleanser. Your skin will still feel hydrated after a cleanse but keep in mind that it won’t be a thorough cleanse. Follow up with a cotton pad soaked with toner if you need to.

It retails for AUD26.00 at Mecca.

The hot cloth cleanser comes with a small face towel which you are meant to soak in warm water, squeeze dry with your hands and apply it over your face once you’ve applied the cleanser to your skin. Wipe it off your face using the same cloth. It does irritate my eyes slightly like the cleansing water does. On stubborn Japanese mascara, you would need a separate eye makeup remover but in general does a good job in removing makeup and keeping your skin hydrated. This is an alternative to hot cloth cleansers like Liz Earle but I prefer this version as it doesn’t feel as if I have something sitting on my skin after removing in from my face. I always double cleanse with the foaming cleanser just in case.

It retails for AUD32.00 at Mecca. The reviews for this specific cleanser has been really good.

Maison Francis Kurkdjian Discovery Set / Fragrance Wardrobe for Her

My love for this perfume house started years ago when I was able to try the range at Mecca Cosmetica’s Sydney CBD counter at Myer. Few years forward, I finally got my hands on APOM (A piece of me) which I’ve previously reviewed. It’s still one a favourite but I get bored easily.

Some of you might know that Francis Kurkdjian’s perfumes are actually pretty expensive 😦 so I’ve never really been able to buy Lumière Noire or Aqua Universalis which has always been on my wishlist.

A recent trip to Malaysia and an unplanned stop to the perfume’s counter in Pavilion KL saw me come home with this beautiful set which I think is such good value if you have too many perfumes like me and can’t seem to stop buying more. It was RM550. I was told that this was a limited edition release for Christmas and I never saw it make an appearance at Mecca here in Australia. You get 8 x 11ml spray bottles which is so handy for travelling too!

I’m also going to say thanks here to the two SAs who served me on the day who were so friendly and non pushy :).

This is the best way to try their most popular (and almost all) of their female releases. I’ve got Aqua Universalis on today, it’s a cool 23 degrees and I’m so surprised that it’s still going strong for an Eau de Toilette. I’m pretty sure it won’t fare as well if the weather were anymore hotter / humid.

From their official website (which you can shop from too)

An invitation to discover the expressive world of Maison Francis Kurkdjian through eight fragrances which dress an exceptional fragrance wardrobe for her. A selection created with the utmost sophistication for wearing divine fragrances both night and day.

A collection to wear, to take away or to offer as a gift.
Aqua Universalis, Aqua Universalis forte, Aqua Vitae, OUD, APOM, Lumière Noire, Amyris, féminin Pluriel.

SK-II Cellumination Deep Surge and Day Surge Review

I’ve been on and off deep surge over the years trying new products but I’ve now decided to stick to it. It works best for my skin. It’s ridiculously expensive and sometimes I think there probably is another product that’s cheaper and works as well but I have yet to come across one.

Source: sk-ii.com.sg

I’ve been struggling with keeping my skin hydrated, even when I used something that was heavier it was never hydrating enough. It never gets oily and the rose scent is really calming. I’d rate this a lot higher than stem power which is so-so.

I’ve also decided to start using sunscreen so in my attempt to do so I decided to try something with SPF included. The deep surge I use at night, during the day I use day surge. Deep surge is a gel / jelly texture and day surge is a thicker gel texture. Can’t say which one is better, day surge doesn’t make me break out either, goes on and absorbs into my skin pretty quickly so I would say they are both great with different functions.

Source: sk-ii.com.sg

Definitely give this range ago, so much better than the stempower range.

Diptyque Vanille and Feuille de Lavande Candles

A year ago I received a tiny Feuille de Lavande candle as a gift during Nordstrom’s Anniversary event.

Today, I finally have the regular sized candle. So exciting it motivated me to blog about it.

It’s an unsuspecting and if you ever came across a display candle and sniffed it – you’d be unimpressed. The candle when taken out of the box has the strongest herbal lavender scent, it’s to die for.

I also got hold of Vanille which is a new release. I think it’s fated because I was walking around one day and randomly thought ‘I love eau duelle, I should buy the candle version of it’. At that time, there was none and a month later ‘Voila!’. It smells like a smoky vanilla out of the box.

Diptyque is available at Mecca Cosmetica in Australia for $78 and I think RM240 at Ken’s Apothecary or Isetan KLCC.

Byredo Bal D’afrique

1 year. That’s exactly how long I’ve wanted to get this perfume. It’s kind of nice to wait a while because too many perfumes I don’t use nearly enough so waiting makes me appreciate this a lot more.

I’d describe this as a fruity vetiver, that’s what it comes across to me. A bit dirty but uplifting at the same time and wears so well in winter – it lasts and lasts and it doesn’t morph into anything that’s too different. It’s quite unique.

The weather is a lot warmer now and unfortunately the staying power isn’t as good 😦 It smells pretty faint by the end of the day.

$158/50ml $229/100ml from Mecca Cosmetica

NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer – AMAZING

I’m on my third tube and it’s only been less than a year. Shu Uemura’s Pro Concealer circa many years ago was the only one i purchased over and over again but once they changed the formula I moved on to Cle De Peau (CDP) but this has to be my favourite.

This is so much more hydrating for use on my under eyes and zits and the best thing is it’s easy to blend, great coverage and stays on.

While it’s pretty cheap $35 from mecca cosmetica the product runs out quickly so while you might be paying around USD$80 for CDP, you will appreciate how much longer it takes before CDP runs out. Having said that CDP doesn’t last as long on the skin as this does. Another gripe is that while they have a wide colour range CDP is a perfect match for me but Biscuit (from NARS) is still a tad darker than I’d like it to be.

Fresh Black Tea Instant Infusion and Rose Face Mask

I’m in love with Fresh’s black tea age delay instant infusion. I am not even sure why I bought it, I never even tried it and I wanted something hydrating. This fits the bill.

It smells amazing! The scent of tea is so calming and invigorating at the same time. It’s a think liquid almost gel like but sinks in very quickly. My skin feels so hydrated and happy.

The face mask comes in a gel form that’s meant to aid hydration. I leave it on my cleansed skin for 5 mins and then rinse off. It’s a nice mid week boost and I love the scent of roses.

I think the black tea infusion is worth every penny of the usd42 I paid because I think it’s a good substitute to sk-ii’s facial treatment essence. The mask on the other hand is pricey at usd55. There are probably heaps of other hydrating masks out there that are cheaper.

Fresh is not available in Australia but can be found in Sephora Malaysia stores.

Diptyque vetyverio – my go to winter scent

I am experiencing my first Melbourne winter and I can’t help but miss Sydney A LOT.

Nonetheless I am taking measures by layering up. Good ol’ merino wool.

There are certain scents that I preferring wearing in the colder months and lately I am smitten by vetyverio. I find vetiver to be ‘root-y’ most of the time but Diptyque has created a version that is a easier to wear but still the vetiver never takes a backseat. I was worried it would be too masculine but I am glad I took the plunge. I’d previously been given samples of this so I wasn’t sure why I still hesitated.

I have also been burning the candle and it smells so amazing, it actually gives me a feeling of warmth. This is my 2nd vetiver candle and it won’t be my last.

The perfume was purchased from Isetan KLCC in April when I was home for a couple of days to celebrate my birthday. I say this often about the SA at Diptyque Isetan KLCC and this applies to the other SAs who are commissioned to other brands but they are absolutely LOVELY. You never feel pressured and it’s such a relaxed and friendly vibe.

I was really bummed that eau de lavande and geranium rosa weren’t available for me to try so I’m just going to have to wait impatiently. In fact 3 mths have passed and I have yet to try them.

In Australia, Diptyque is available at Mecca cosmetica and in Malaysia / KL – Isetan & ken’s apothecary. The 50ml was RM295 from memory.

Ren Moroccon Rose Christmas Set and Body Oil review

Christmas is awesome because you get to buy these exclusive sets that come with extras but cost less 😛

I was really taken by the scent of Ren’s cleansing water so I decided I wanted to try their body range! This christmas exclusive comes with a full size scrub, body oil and a travel sized body wash for GBP52. If you do the maths the products itself cost GBP32 (scrub) + GBP34 (body oil) + GBP8.5 (shower gel) so GBP52 is quite a lot of savings if you wanted all 3 products to start with. I only wanted the body oil so I actually was hesitating because it became a situation where I was spending more but for things I didn’t want / need.

Back to the body oil, as expected it smells of roses and 3 pumps is enough to cover both my legs. The scent sadly does not linger past the 1st hour 😦 It absorbs in about 10 – 15 mins and is really easy to spread. I would say I prefer this sort of packaging for body oils rather than the pour onto hands or spray that Caudalie uses. The spray mechanism is so annoying because it just gets everywhere. This on the other hand is a lot less messy. As for results, I would say it has helped reduce the dryness on my legs but it’s not a game changer.

La Prairie Marine Biology Emulsion and Tonic

I’m not sure how I ended up being interested in La Prairie. I just remembered walking by their counter one day and after striking a conversation with the lovely SA at the counter, I sat down and she patiently took me through the whole range.

I left with a few samples in hand and booked myself a $200 facial that was redeemable on their products.

This is the room located somewhere in David Jones Bourke St, my skin felt really plumped yet refreshed after the 90 minute treatment.

 

 

 

I ended up picking the tonic and emulsion from the marine biology range. To be honest, anything else was too expensive and this sounded more suitable for my skin. The emulsion was $170 and the tonic $100.

The tonic is similar to clarins hydraquench serum and while it looks like a toner, it really is more of an essence / serum. I love the shade of blue (how dreamy) but the packaging is a bit shit. It’s so hard to not get it all over the place when you pour this onto your hands.

The emulsion is definitely hydrating enough for winter but it has to be used in conjunction with the tonic. All in all, 2 pretty decent products but I’m not sure if it’s worth the high price.

I was given a sample of their Essence of Skin Caviar Eye Complex. I don’t know if it’s just me but I put a thick layer around my under eye and that area does look like it shows improvement. I definitely feel like buying that now!