Skincare-holic's 2010 Favourites List

2010 is coming to an end and I thought I'd do up a Favourites List like the one I did for 2009! I looked through the reviews I did in 2010 and rounded up the few I really liked.


Best 2010 Cleanser: Hada Labo AHA/BHA Tamagohada Exfoliating Face Wash Foam

This Hada Labo cleanser doesn't exfoliate well but it cleanses well enough. I like that it is self-foaming and convenient to use. It removes dirt and oil without making my skin feel dry or tight. I used to like Fancl Washing Powder a lot and this cleanser is a good competitor as it doesn't require a foaming ball nor do I have to worry about expiry dates.




Best 2010 Lotion: Hada Labo Super Hyaluronic Acid Moisturizing Lotion

This lotion helped improve my skin texture. I could see that my dehydrated skin was more plumped up. It comes in a big bottle and each usage only requires a small amount, so it lasts a long time. 



Best 2010 Moisturizer: La Mer Creme de La Mer

This was the only cream I could use when I had patches of dermatitis on my face. It may be rich but if you control the amount you use it will not clog pores (I first press the creme into my cheek area before using the remaining on the t-zone). I like that it is quite soothing, even when my skin was sensitive and would react to most other products. I felt my skin become smoother with usage.


Best 2010 Hydrating Mask: Laneige Water Sleeping Pack

I used to like Clinique Moisture Surge Extended Relief but Clinique did not work well when my skin was very dehydrated and sensitive. It caused redness and stinging. Laneige, however, worked really well and helped restore my skin to normal. I don't experience any clogged pores even when I apply a thick layer. I wake up the next day with hydrated skin.

Best 2010 Clay Mask: BeautyDIY Dead Sea Mud Mask

I think this dead sea mud mask is cheap yet good. Its main purpose is to suck out dirt and excess oil from the pores so I don't need an expensive mask with wonderful ingredients and this mask does just that. As the mask dries, I can see spots of oil where pimple or blackheads are at, which shows it really works. It contains tea tree oil, which helps dry out and heal pimples. It is good to follow up with a hydrating mask to replenish moisture. 

Best 2010 Eye Mask: The Face Shop Raspberry Slim & Lift Collagen Eye Patch

I almost forgot that I really liked this eye mask until I looked through my 2010 reviews again. It is a bit pricey but it works nicely to hydrate and plump up my under eye area. After using this mask, the jelly-like mask becomes thinner, which shows the essence has been absorbed by the skin. I think I will be purchasing some more soon. 

Best 2010 Face Spray/Sensitive Skin Product: Avene Thermal Spring Water

I have been using this for a few years now and I always re-stock whenever there is the 2 for S$29.90 promotion. The Avene Thermal Spring Water soothes my sensitive skin really well and I even use it as an eye mask at times - by saturating a cotton pad with the spring water then tearing it into half and using it as a normal eye mask. It is cooling on the skin and reduces my redness effectively. It also helps when skincare products are too thick/sticky, I spray this over my face and try to massage the products in again. 

**This is all for my favourites list this year. It is too bad I didn't find a favourite sunscreen. I have been looking but haven't found one that I like yet. 

Do comment with recommendations of skincare products you like and find works well! I would like to try more skincare in 2011 =)

Review: Niu Er BeautyDIY Dead Sea Mud Mask

I like to do a deep cleansing mask once a week. And a clay mask is my mask of choice as it is able to suck oil and dirt from my skin to prevent clogged pores and lift up impurities from my skin. The BeautyDIY Dead Sea Mud Mask is one of the best selling masks from the BeautyDIY line of products.

I like the BeautyDIY Dead Sea Mud Mask as it contains tea tree oil, which is beneficial for acne prone skin as it is a good anti-bacterial agent and kills the bacteria which causes pimples/acne. The BeautyDIY Dead Sea Mud Mask does not dry out my skin when I wash it off. There is no tight or stinging feel when it is dried or after washing so I find that it is not overly harsh for my skin.

How to use: I apply a thin layer of the BeautyDIY Dead Sea Mud Mask and allow it to dry before washing it off. It usually takes 10-15 minutes for it to dry. The colour of the mud turns from dark green to light green and you can see oil spots which are oil secreted from your pores. It is most visible around the nose. It shows that the product is really sucking up excess oil from my skin.

I usually follow with a hydrating mask to replenish moisture. When your skin loses oil, it becomes drier and when your skin is dry, it sends a signal out to produce more oil, so it is good if you follow with a hydrating mask to moisturise your skin.

I find that clay masks all serve the same function, which is to suck up excess oil accumulated in your pores, so I don't really buy expensive clay masks since they all serve the same basic function. The BeautyDIY Dead Sea Mud Mask is quite cheap (I bought it for around S$13-14) and the tub lasts me for quite a long time. I am currently using my second tub and I have not found a better replacement yet.

Review: Niu Er BeautyDIY Rose Floral Water Calming Spray

I like face sprays that have properties other than providing moisture to the skin. This Niu Er BeautyDIY Rose Floral Water Calming Spray is said to contain calming, soothing and moisturising properties.  The rose water is said to be derived from the Bulgarian rose.

This spray can be used as a lotion/toner before moisturiser or as a spray as and when you need it. I find that the spray alone did not work very well for my skin as a toner and it is too bulky to carry around with me. This is why I use it as a 'carrier' for my pearl powder.

Pearl powder has very good brightening properties and have been used since the olden days as a very precious skincare ingredient that the royalty use. I use this whenever my moisturiser is too oily and I need to remove some excess oil. I find that using the pearl powder alone makes it difficult to spread which is why I add it into this Rose Floral Spray and spray it directly onto my skin before spreading it out. This would be my last skincare step. This brand's philosophy is DIY beauty and also after studying the ingredients list of the Rose Floral Spray, I found that it is a very simple list with rosewater with preservatives so I felt at ease mixing my pearl powder in directly.

Price: NT299, I purchased this through sprees online.

Rate: 3.5/5

Review: Niu Er BeautyDIY Job's Tear & Licorice Water Brightening Treatment 薏仁甘草美白化妝水

The Niu Er BeautyDIY Job's Tear & Licorice Water Brightening Treatment 薏仁甘草美白化妝水 is one of the consistent best selling products from BeautyDIY. I heard of people raving this product so I decided to purchase this product a while back just to see what the hype was about.

Product Information:
This product contains Job's Tear and licorice extracts both of which are known for their whitening properties. Licorice also has a soothing effect on skin. This lotion also has some moisturising properties and claims to be able to revive tired skin and make it more radiant. Consistent use can help whiten and brighten skin and also allows for skincare products used after this lotion to absorb better.

My review:

I think one thing that characterises BeautyDIY products is that they usually do not contain long lists of chemicals as you would find in BioBeauty products, both skincare lines of Niu Er. So this Job's Tear & Licorice Water Brightening Treatment is not a complicated product without a long list of ingredients. But the most important question is whether it works?

I am not impressed by the Job's Tear & Licorice Water Brightening Treatment. I find that it did not have much whitening effects on my skin even after finishing the bottle. I not only use it as a lotion but also as a lotion mask. I saturate my pill mask with this product and the BeautyDIY Herbal Whitening Complex N. This makes a wonderfully light water-based mask, which did not leave any stickiness behind, and made my skin saturated with moisture.

So the pill mask method is the only way I enjoyed this product and also made my usage quicker than the daily swipe with a cotton wool saturated with the product. Using it as a lotion mask also helps to concentrate a higher amount of the product into my skin. And since it is water based, it did not cause any breakouts. In fact, this is one of the recommended usage of the BeautyDIY Herbal Whitening Complex N.

That said, although I enjoyed the lotion mask because it did not cause stickiness yet moisturised my skin, the main property of this product is a whitening/brightening treatment. I did not experience whitening effects, which was a disappointment since it is their best selling product. Their Job's Tear & Licorice Maximum UV Liquid SPF50/PA+++ from the same range was a disappointment as well.

If you would like a good whitening lotion, Kose Sekkisei Lotion would be a much better (although more expensive) alternative.

Price: NT199. (I bought mine from a spree. Kindly note that I do not conduct sprees. I only review products.)

Review: Niu Er Beauty DIY Job's Tear & Licorice Maximum UV Liquid

 BeautyDIY Job's Tear & Licorice Maximum UV Liquid SPF50/PA+++

Review: The harmful effects of the sun are numerous and instead of trying to reverse the effects of the sun when the harm is done, the best thing we can do is engage in preventive measures. Sunblock is a good investment as part of any good skincare regime.

Ingredients: Titanium dioxide, Zinc Oxide, Octyl Methocinnamate - This sunblock has both physical and chemical sunblocks components which is a good thing. Other beneficial ingredients include Vitamin C derivatives for whitening, Job's Tear and Licorice Extracts to soothe skin and even out skintone, Cucumber Extract for soothing skin and Vitamin E for extra anti-oxidant protection

Texture: Although it's called UV Liquid, the Job's Tear sunblock is more like a cream-liquid consistency, I would say more towards a cream. Comparing this to Avene Very High Protection Emulsion, it is almost the same consistency. It is definitely thicker than most Japanese sunblocks, like Fancl, Shiseido Anessa and even Biore.

Effects: This Job's Tear sunblock is not easy to spread evenly across the face and looks uneven. It takes a long time to blend and it sometimes 'balls' up after interacting with other skincare products so it is advisable to use lesser skincare steps when using this product. However, being someone who enjoys my skincare steps, I would prefer suncreens that can work without these balling up effects. It makes my face look like it is shedding skin.


One good thing is that it does not make my face feel heavy and sticky, which sometimes occurs with cream sunblocks.

That said, I will not repurchase this sunblock as it does not perform well against other more liquid suncreens like my Fancl Sunguard SPF30/PA+++. However, it now makes a good arm sunblock for me whenever I go out into the sun, and as a stay-at-home sunblock, where no one else can see the unevenness of the application.

Price: $18.90, spree price. I think the Biore UV Bright Face Milk SPF50+/PA+++ (pink bottle) is better and cheaper. Blends better and no balling, but contains alcohol.

Rate: 2.5/5   There are other better sunblocks out there.