Review: Naruko Magnolia Brightening And Firming Cream

Product Information (credit naruko.us):

Product Detail:
Naruko Magnolia Brightening And Firming Cream is designed for mature skin and it is an all-round anti-aging skin cream. It helps your skin against the problem of oxidant and sallow, and you can regain the white and young skin. The formula contains a variety of hydrating ingredients, all of these provide water for skin and make your skin moisture and smooth. At the same time, it repair damaged skin, and your skin shows the feeling of smooth and supple.

Natural Ingredients:
Plantain Extract Complex, Magnolia Floral, Phytoferulin®, Hyaluronic Acid, Arbutin, etc.

Review:

I bought this after seeing Naruko Magnolia Brightening And Firming Cream on Nu Ren Wo Zui Da show. This brand from Taiwan and is the product of skincare guru Niu Er lao shi. I looked up the product and saw that it had a comprehensive list of beneficial ingredients. It seemed like an all-in-one anti-aging and moisturising cream. 

Naruko Magnolia Brightening And Firming Cream has a light cream texture. It doesn't absorb too easily and requires a bit of massaging, which I don't mind since Naruko Magnolia Brightening And Firming Cream is an anti-aging cream, it is also a good time to do some lifting facial massages. I am, however, not too fond of the smell. I know it is probably the magnolia smell but I thought it is a bit too strong. It was a bit uncomfortable to keep smelling the cream the first time but I got used to the smell after a few uses. 

After applying and massaging the Naruko Magnolia Brightening And Firming Cream in to my skin, it absorbs but still leaves my skin feeling oily. A clear sign this is too rich for my skin. I have combination skin type,  dehydrated with oily t-zone. So I concentrate on my cheek area before applying the rest to the t-zone. Even then, I still feel an oily film on my skin. Sometimes, after a few hours, before bed, I blot off the oil by pressing a piece of tissue into my skin, without rubbing any cream off. The website states that this is suitable for all skin types, but I don't think I will recommend this for oily skin types. Dry and normal skin types will suit this Naruko Magnolia Brightening And Firming Cream better. 

It is quite an expensive cream. I cannot remember the price but I think it was around $60+, definitely more expensive than the average cream from Niu Er's brands. I think it is too expensive to purchase again since it is a bit too oily for me. 

Review: Hanskin Intense Eye Cream

Product information (credit: description on product itself):

Hanskin's Intense Eye Cream contains Argireline. Phytocollagen which minimizes the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles while protecting against environmental damage and eliminates superoxidein skin cell. 

Review:

I bought this from Korea, as part of a pack which consists of their best selling bb creams and another night cream. The description highlighted the ingredient Argireline, which is supposedly something like a topical botox. So I had expectations that this Hanskin Intense Eye Cream will help with my lines.

The texture is cream-like, absorbs relatively fast but feels like there is a film on my skin after that. I suspect there are silicones in this eye cream due to the texture. It is common to have silicones in anti-wrinkle products as they act as temporary fillers such that wrinkles look like they disappeared or reduced, but it is mainly just a cosmetic improvement due to the silicone filler. I cannot confirm this as I do not have the ingredients list and I cannot find it anywhere online. Another downside about not having the ingredients list is that there is no way to tell how much active ingredients are in this eye cream. So I cannot tell how much or little Argireline or phytocollagen this eye cream contains.

Needless to say, this eye cream did little for my lines. Hydration-wise, it is very average. I sometimes have to follow with another eye cream if my eye area is dryer.

All in all, Hanskin Intense Eye Cream is a below average. Good for those who needs just a basic eye cream or during the summer time. I probably would not use this Hanskin Intense Eye Cream during the winter. I will not re-purchase.

Review: La Roche-Posay Active C Eyes

Product information (credit: laroche-posay.us):

Recommended For

• Premature aging of the eye area
• Fine lines and wrinkles
• Dark circles

Benefits

• Minimizes fine lines and wrinkles
• Reduces dark circles
• Suitable for sensitive eyes and contact lens wearers
• Silky, pleasant texture

Key Ingredients

• 5% Vitamin C (L-ascorbic acid) > Anti-oxidant
• Citrus amara > Minimizes dark circles
• Glycerin > Hydrating agent
• Thermal spring water > Soothing, anti-oxidant
• Canola oil > Emollient

Review:

I bought this eye cream as I wanted something with Vitamin C, which is a wonderful antioxidant and has good anti-aging properties. One thing about Vit C is that can be difficult to find a product that is stable and will not oxidise too quickly. La Roche-Posay Active C Eyes contains 5% L-ascorbic acid, which is a sufficient percentage to see results with use.

I like that this product is stable and I do not have to store it in the fridge. I have my La Roche-Posay Active C Eyes for a few months now and it is still a murky white colour when I squeeze my eye cream out for use. Sometimes, when I look into the cap, there will be some dark yellow residue of oxidised eye cream. When that happens, I will clean it with a cotton bud so as not to affect the rest of the product in the tube. The packaging is a metal tube which is great for preventing oxidation of the product and gives you control over the amount of eye cream you want to use.

When I first started using La Roche-Posay Active C Eyes, there would be a stinging sensation around my eye area and my skin would turn red. This does not last long, so I continued using. About 2 weeks later, the stinging and redness reduced in frequency and only occurred occasionally. After 4 weeks, I did not experience any more stinging or redness. I think my skin was getting used to the Vitamin C.

Effects-wise, I saw a slight improvement in my lines, but only after prolonged use. There was hardly any effect on my dark eye circles (I don't have bad dark eye circles but if I have an all-nighter, the La Roche-Posay Active C Eyes didn't help much).

I like that it absorbs really quickly and provides enough hydration for my eye area. The texture is gel-like and when applied onto the skin, turns a bit watery. So I did not experience any clogging or milia seeds with the use of La Roche-Posay Active C Eyes.

All in all, I like this eye cream mainly because of the L-ascorbic acid. I like to use products with clinically proven ingredients. I think the price is S$59.90, which is quite expensive. I would wait for a discount at Watsons/guardian or hospital pharmacies like CGH.

Skincare-holic's Skincare Tip #9: My Skincare Routine- Eye Cream

When i blogged about my current day skincare routine, I forgot to include the eye cream that I use so I decided to do a separate post on eye creams that I use nowadays.

Day:
La Roche-Posay Active C Eyes

Night:
Avene Eluage Anti-Wrinkle Concentrate
Hanskin Intense Eye Cream
Creme de La Mer

I use La Roche-Posay Active C Eye cream in the morning as I want to use a retinoid at night. And I read that we should not use Vit C and Vit A together as they deactivate each other.

LRP Active C Eye cream absorbs fast so its great when I have to rush in the morning. Vit C is also good for enhancing sun protection. LRP Active C used to sting my eyes but that rarely happens nowadays. It is good as it is a stable Vit C product.

I use Avene Eluage Anti-Wrinkle Concentrate at night as an eye serum then a richer eye cream like Creme de La Mer (I know, it's technically not an eye cream but Creme de La Mer works everywhere and it works nicely on my eyes but it can be too rich for my whole face). Avene Eluage Anti-Wrinkle Concentrate has been working well for me. I have been using this for a few months and I am seeing improvements in my lines.

I bought Hanskin Intense Eye Cream from Korea, together with some Hanskin BB creams. It contains Argireline, which is a derivative of Botox. It supposedly helps reduce expression lines. I just started using this not long ago so I will monitor and see how it works for me.

I will be doing full reviews of these products soon!