[Review] Elakoko Noni Enriched Wash Off Pack

 Usually bad weather starts from June and lasts up to September but for some unknown reason the scorching sun rays greeted us a little earlier this year. This has to be the hottest May of my life.  With Temperature as High as 43°C my skin is freaking out from this sudden shift in temperature. 

I had this wash off mask stowed at the back of my skincare cabinet for some time and decided to crack it open for this summer. I am a big fan of Noni . It is very hydrating and helps with skin healing. Noni is an antioxidant so it works as an anti aging ingredient. 

The packaging as you can see is made of really nice plastic. The tub is pretty big and contains generous amount of 100g in it.  I didn't spot any spatula in the box which is okay as I aleady own quite a lot of mask brushed anyway. 

The clay has a nice green color and smells of herbs and matcha. Overall it is a very pleasant scent. It is very easy to spread around the face. I usually apply wash off mask to the trouble area of my face mainly my nose , cheeks and forehead because that is where I get most of the breakouts and sebum . 

Clay masks are notorious for drying out the skin ( something I actually enjoy a lot in summer when my skin is super oily and clogged) but this noni mask is not drying at all. It removes sebum and gunk from yhee face but retains the moisture of the skin . So people with dry skin and normal skin are going to enjoy this a lot . I actually enjoyed the calming effect of this mask . It is moisturizing, nourishing and healing at the same time. 

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Etude House Tiny Twinkle Matte Chic Mini Lip Lacquer Ornament Review

Part of the Etude House Holiday 2018 Tiny Twinkle Collection, I was so excited to recieve this as a gift for New Year

Etude House released  Matte Chic Lip Lacquer a really long time ago, even though the colors were pretty most of them leaned towards red color so I refrained from buying them because I am not a big fan of red and also liquid lipsticks as they look cracked and awful on the lips with time. But getting these as a gift gave me an opportunity to try out three colors from the collection. Moreover these are mini so I can finish them up easily before they go bad

Etude House Mini Matte Chic Lip Lacquer Ornament is a beautiful bronze gold baubble which holds the mini liquid lipsticks inside. Even though I don't celebrate Christmas I found the packaging cute and very festive. Because of the holiday's exclusive release , Etude House added stars to the packaging to make it look extra special

First off how cute are these Mini Matte Chic Lip Lacquers. Each tube holds 2g of product. They may seem very little but trust me these are so pigmented that you wont need a lot of product. There are about three shades in this ornament, RD303 ( IRENE Red) BR402 ( Thank You Berry Brown) ,and PK005 (Icing Cream Pink) after doing a bit of a research online infound out that  RD303 and BR402  were on of the most coveted colors in the collection while the   PK005 was the Ornament collection exclusive shade

These have a very light weight, watery formula which applys like a gloss but then drys down to a matte finish. The lacquer takes a few seconds to dry down so you can definitely smudge the color to you liking before it sets.

Most of the liquid lipsticks I have tried tend to dry out my lips with time and look flaky and gross after few hours but these dont suck the moisture out from my lips. I was surprised how my lips felt soft and looked the same after 6 hrs. The colors dont come off easily with water. These survive all day as long as you don't eat anything greasy or oily.

I love how each color is very wearable and universally workable for so many skin colors  RD303 – IRENE Red  is a basic red color. This looks flattering against my skin and I love how the shade brightens my complexion

BR402 – Thank You Berry Brown. I expected this to look nude brown on the lips but it came off as a mauvy pink. This is a first time for me trying out a mauve lip color and I surprised how nice it looks

PK005 – Icing Cream Pink  I avoid pink lip colors as they don't look good om me but this look like a mlbb color with a hint of pink

Etude House Tiny Twinkle Matte Chic Mini Lip Lacquer Ornament is great for those of you who want to try a few colors before commiting to full size. It also makes a great gift

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My Favorite Skincare 2021

 I shared my most loved skin care products last year and decided to turn this into a yearly ritual and share my skincare and makeup favorites. 

My skin has been through a lot this year. My year started off with a really bad episode of. Folliculitis, then I ended up with some super stubborn Post Acne PIH. And then my skin started breaking out because of some unknown reason. Right now my skin is not at its best condition but the acne eruptions have calmed down a lot

I will start this post with the order in which I use my products 

I have been through, quite a lot of oil cleansers but the one which left a lasting impression on me has to be the Badskin Hyaluronic Deep Pore Cleansing Oil. The texture is thin like water , you need very little amount to emulsify sunscreen, primer and foundation on the skin. The pore cleansing part is true, I get less clogged pores and sebaceous filaments from using this cleansing oil. Unlike many other cleansing oils I have tried this is completely scent free, washed off completely with water and leaves the skin soft and hydrated.

I really enjoyed the Onsaeemin Deep Cleansing Gel this year but ' Huxley Secret of Sahara Cleansing Gel is the one which stole the show with its luxurious sensory experience with its fresh succulent scent. The gel foams up easily with water. It is thorough yet non stripping on the skin. I am a bit sad about the high price tag but the scent justifies it completely.

I am a big fan of wash off mask, they soothe the skin , clear out the pores.Isntree Real Mugwort Clay Mask has to be my favourite clay mask. It is non drying, soothing and also gives mild exfoliation to the skin. It is also very easy to wash off as well

I scrub my lips regularly. So that my lipsticks and liptints apply evenly on the lips. The Etude House Choco mint scrub has to be my favourite of all time. Its smells like chocolate ice cream, it is thoroughly moisturizing and makes the lips soft and smooth

Wear mask for longer duration can clog up pores and increase sebum production. BENTON PHA PEELING Toner gently removes the dead cell build up and keeps the skin soft and prepped for makeup. It is greatvfor daily use and the best part has to be the fact that this is completely scent free . 

I have already reviewed in detail The Ordinary Retinol 1% in Squalene. It is the protagonist of my skin drama ( the knight in shinning armour) .  I wouldn't recommend you jump straight on this high concentration immediately. Build up your skin tolerance to retinol by starting at lower concentration then build it up from there. 

This 10% Niacinamide serum from Tiam is really good for both old and new PIH. I haven't noticed much progress with sebum control but my acne scars have become a lot more light and unnoticeable. 

The Mauve Fantastic Youth Producer Serum is one of the very basic hydrating serums I have tried. I haven't noticed any wow effect from this serum but it works best to prime my skin before makeup

I have tried and review a really long list of creams this year and I enjoyed a lot of them too but now that the weather is warm I like more water based gel like creams. Wonder Honey Green Aqua Bomb Cream by HaruHaru has water like texture. It has a nice floral scent and doesn't pill under makeup

Wrapping up the skincare favourite post with my favourite sunscreen . The Etude House Airy Sunprise Spf 50+ Pa+++ is by far the best physical sunscreen I have tried. It has alcohol in the formula it is so light weight and so easy to apply to the face. I love the tone up I get from this and I also love that this works so well under makeup. 

I will be sharing my makeup favorites next so keep your eyes peeled

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[Review] I'M MEME I'M TIC TOC LIPSTICK SATIN 006 Marsala Robe

 Many of you probably might have seen this brand. The packaging as you can see, is like a  tiktok pen . Wish this was available when I was in highschool and bringing makeup to school was not allowed. This would have easily passed the scrutiny check . Phew those horrible days.

The heart shape tip is really cute and easy to use on the lips. One thing worth mentioning here is that one should not over click the pen as the lipstick once pushed out cannot be retracted back. I learned this lesson the hard way.

I'M Tic Toc lipstick has an adorable heart-shaped tip where the curves and edges make it easy to apply a clean, full lip in one-go. Its moisturizing properties applies color like a silky satin with a lightweight texture. 

KEY INGREDIENTS: Infused with Argan Oil and Mango Seed Butter, this formula moisturizes and helps reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles for a healthier and fuller lip look.

The color Marsala Robe is rich earthy red color. For me the color is very bold for everyday use so I like to apply this on top of a nude lip color. And I works really well for that gradiation effect.  The color pigmentation is really strong so it really stains the lips. This has satin finish so it does transfer onto the facemask.

I might buy more shades for myself and my friends in the future. You don't get a lot of product ( just 1.4g) so the price is a bit high . Buy hey the packaging is so cute so who cares right ?

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The Ordinary Retinol 1% in Squalane Review

 So ever since the folliculitis fiasco I have been paying special attention to my skin. I have added ingredients like niacianamide, arbutin and ferulic acid to deal with the aftermath. Retinol is the latest addition to my regime.

Now before I proceed with the review there are a bunch of things you need to consider when jumping on the retinol bandwagon. 

1. Retinols (Vitamin A and its derivatives) are contraindicated for pregnant women

2. Sunscreen is a must, when you are using oral or topical retinols 

3. Always Start with low dose retinol and build up the concentration

4. Retinols can cause purging which can temporarily flare up acne and make the skin look worse

5. With continuous use retinols can reverse signs of skin ageing to some extend

6. Retinols make skin super dry and flaky so you need to up your moisturiser game.

Okay now that I have listed all the important points let's move onto the review. 

Ingredients:

Squalane, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Retinol, Solanum Lycopersicum (Tomato) Fruit Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract, Hydroxymethoxyphenyl Decanone, BHT.

I bought this serum in March 2021 . I jumped on 1% Retinol because I was already using 0.5% prescription Retinol so my skin was pretty much used to the harsh side effects of retinol. The bottle is made of tinted glass. It is pretty much basic. It is stated on website to refrigerate the serum after opening it. Since the weather was cold at that time, I kept serum in my room

Since this is a squalene baised retinol it has an oily texture. If you apply few drops to the skin it gets absorbed right away but if you use half a dropper then it leaves an oily film on the skin. A lot of people apply thick cream or sleeping mask om top of retinol but I didn't

I initially mixed 4-drops of the retinol with one dime size amount of serum. This way the concentration was slightly diluted. I started off with using 1 % retinol once a week then moved on to using it twice a week. after two weeks of use I stopped diluting the serum and applied it directly to my face

On Day 1 my skin was super dry. It felt smooth and taut . I had to use twice the amount of serum and moisturizer to my face . I didn't see any peeling or purging

On my 2 use I noticed same signs with a little acne breakouts on my cheek. Now after 2 months of use my skin still gets dry and I get a little peeling near my nose and lips. I have noticed that retinol has improved the appearance of PIH on my skin. My breakouts are also under control. My pores look a little refined as well.

This has made massive improvements to my skin . My stubborn acne scars are gradually fading. My feels smooth as well. I wish I bought this magical ingredient a little earlier. I am really happy with The Ordinary 1% retinol is squalene

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