Update

Hi!

I just want to pop up and do a quick update! I recently went back to get my designation so that means I am basically spending my spare time studying and brush up on things I have forgotten since I graduated. So.... That means I will be updating the blog even more sporadically than I did before.. I do apologize but school is really killing me! (X╭╮X)My skincare routine is now basically cleanser and facial spray. I am just glad we are having a super warm February in Cow Town so my skin isn't drying up.

Once again, sorry about the lack of updates in the upcoming future. But hopefully I'll be able to do some more posts once I am done the course in April. (๑◕︵◕๑)

[JOLSE] Benton Honest TT Mist Review

Yay!!! It's my first and probably last sponsored review!!!!! Let me start it off with a story~~

So Jolse went on r/AsianBeauty back in November selecting 40 reviewers for the Benton mist and I submitted my name for it. They also had a similar process on their website and I also submitted my name. Hey.. Why not increase my chances right..

Fast forward to middle of November and I was browsing on their website and saw the banner for the list of winners. I was sad to see my name wasn't on there but that reminded me to check out Reddit. And what did I see?!?!?! OMG ~~~~ I won~~~~~~!!! o(*≧□≦)o But then.. I realized.. I missed the deadline to give them my address.... .·´¯`(>▂<)´¯`·. What's a girl to do????

I emailed them and explained how I missed the deadline. Jolse graciously replied back saying they will still send it out! Yay!!!!

I anxiously waited and waited but it still wasn't here by the posting deadline of January 8, 2016... But.. What do you know.. I get the mist a week after the deadline. Thanks a lot Canada Post... ┐(￣ー￣)┌

Anyways, here is my honest opinion of the Benton Honest TT Mist.

First and foremost. I DO NOT like this mist at all. It has nothing to do with the product but rather the product design. Every time I sprayed the mist on my face.. I feel like I am being bombarded heavily with water. The nozzle just dispenses too much liquid with too much force. I have to hold it at an arms length to not be splashed with so much product that it's dripping off of my face. If it feels like my face is being rained on every time I use it, I am not going to like this product. Sorry Benton!

1 full pump, it's very poorly distributed. 

On the plus side, I do like how it is designed aesthically. It's only 40ml so it would be very clunky to have it in a bottle. I like the tube design. It makes it much easier to slip into a bag than a bottle. The simple black and white design is very appealing to me but I have a preference for black and white items.

Let's move on to the actual product. This is made with tea tree water instead of plain water. I am so glad this mist doesn't smell ANYTHING like tea tree!!!! Tea tree is up there on my list of smells I will absolutely avoid. I refused to use this tea tree mask that works really well due to the smell. So the lack of tea tree smell is a big plus for me. The fact that it doesn't have any discernible scent is even better!!!

 Ingredients: As per the package. 

Melaleuca Alternifolia (Tea Tree) Leaf Water, Sodium Hyaluronate, Melaleuca Alternifolia (Tea tree) Extract, Butylene Glycol, Aloe Barbadenisis Leaf Juice, Glycerin, Althaea Rosea Root Extract, Aloe Barbadenis Leaf Extract, Beta-Glucan, Poly Glutamic Acid, Aspalathus Linearis Extract, Portulaca Oleracea Extract, Psidium Guajava Extract, Zanthoxylum Piperitum Fruit Extract, Pulsatilla Koreana Extract, Usnea Barbata (Lichen) Extract

Oooooh~~~ Sodium Hyaluronate is the second ingredient!!! I am always excited to see that high up in the ingredients list! 

Love that there's instructions in both Korean and English!

I been using the mist right after my toner, and I hate to say it.... The tea tree water doesn't work as effective as the Snail Bee Essence. I know there has been problems with the preservatives in the Snail Bee Essence previously but it worked wonderfully against all of my brother's breakouts. Whereas this, I am using it right after toner and I am still getting break outs. In fact, I got two huge painful under the skin bumps on my cheeks right after I started to use the mist. After I stopped for a few days, they kind of went down. I currently have quite a bit of breakouts on my chin and I been using the mist. So far, it haven't helped calm or reduce any of it... 乁░ ‾́  ‾́ ░ㄏ

But... then I realized.. I had misconceptions about the product! This is a moisturizing product! Not targeted toward breakouts at all!! I really thought it was for calming down breakouts like the Snail Bee Essence. But the description on the tube says it is to "help improve your rough and damaged skin from stress and pollution with moisturizing and cooling effect".  I should've known after seeing Sodium Hyaluronate as the second ingredients.. I think including "TT" in the product name and  advertising it is made from Tea Tree water is a bit misleading for a moisturizing product.

Okay, so it's a moisturizing product. So now let's view its moisturizing ability. I would say it's quite good with refreshing my skin and keep it moisturized. After I spray and pat in the mist, my skin feels softer and more moisturized. I even tried to spray it while I am at work, where I have a mini heater on at all times. My skin was so much softer and happier after using it.

My final thoughts on Benton's Honest TT Mist is that the tea tree water does nothing against breakouts for me but it is quite a good moisturizing mist. Would I purchase it? No I would not. even though it's portable, and a good product. I absolutely hate the nozzle and how unevenly distributed the mist is. I don't want to sit in public and look like an idiot trying to distribute the mist and pat it in. ＼| ￣ヘ￣|／

Last thought! Thanks again to Jolse for sending the product out for me to try! 

Masks #12: Masks that makes me go ┐(￣ー￣)┌

My apologies for the lack of posts for almost two months!! I got this post ready and just needed to insert pictures. Then I got busy with Christmas season and then during my down time I decided to read instead. (๑•́ ₃ •̀๑) I been neglecting everything else in my life since then... Just work and read.. Only eating when I had to.. So bad! But I am back! So here's my super belated mask post!! Hope you enjoy! 

My Scheming Snail Essence Hydrating Mask

I was so excited to find cheap silk masks from Taiwan that I ordered the Book of Masks I in hydration. I always feel like my skin needs more moisture. This is one of the masks in the Book, I decided to use it as my skin was kind of acting up and I wanted to provide moisture while calming my skin. What better than them lovely snails right??

 Ingredients: As per the package. 

Water, Butelyene Glycol, Hydroxyethyl Urea, Propylene Glycol, Cucumis Sativus (Cucumber) Fruit Extract, Glycerin, Sodium PCA, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Aleuritic Acid, Glyceryl Polymethacrylate, Glycoproteins, Yeast Extract, Sclerotium Gum, Sodium Hyaluronate, Dipotassium Glycyrrhetinate, PEG-120 Jojoba Esters, Xanthan Gum, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, PEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate, Methylisothiazolinone, Fragrance

Umm........... Am I completely blind or am I not seeing ANY snail mucus? Or is it just broken down to its chemical terms that I am not familiar with? Because in Chinese it clearly says Snail Muscus Extrac and Aloe Extract... Hmm.... 

I am kind of weird, but I do like the fact that you open from the bottom. Sometimes, when the packaging is really pretty and I don't want to destroy it so I'll rip from the bottom. So I like these masks open at the bottom.

Like all My Scheming masks, or Taiwanese masks for that matter, it was filled with essence. I squirted some onto my surrounding as I was opening the package.

The mask has a very light faint smell. By faint, I do mean faint. I have to take really deep sniffs to get a stronger scent of it. I can't really identify what that smell is, but it didn't bother me and goes away after a few minutes.

Like the previous My Scheming masks I tried, it hugs my skin like second skin. Yay for great fit! I took it off after 25 minutes and has quite a bit of essence left on my face. It only takes about 5 minutes to dry and did not feel stick to the touch. Yay for non-stickiness!

As much as I loved the fit, I can't say I loved the result. My face feels moisturized, but it wasn't plump or anything. It just feels like.. I put on some serum and it sunk in and that was that. Kind of disappointed. But I have to say it did seem to shrink my pores down a little bit.

I am glad I got it as a part of the mask book instead of a full pack of 10. Because I don't think I'll buy it again.

Mediheal N.M.F Aqua Ring Ampoule Mask

I got this as Interpark Global had it on sale for $12 USD including shipping. Like I said above and many times, I love anything that promises moisture. I just HAD to snag it up!

Ingredients: As per the package. 

Water, Butelyene Glycol, Glyereth-26, Propylene Glycol, Rosa Centifola Flower Water, Hamamelis Virginiana (Witch Hazel) Water, Fomes Officinalis (Mushroom) Extract, Bis-PEG-18 Methyl Ether Dimethyl Silane, Betaine, PEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Carbomer, Triethanolamine, Allantoin, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Seed Extract, Methylparaben, Chondrus Crispus (Carrageenan), Adenosine, Disodium EDTA, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Fragrance, Propylaparaben, Tocopheryl Acetate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Phenoxy-ethanol, Trehalose, Glycine, Serine, Glutamic Acid, Aspartic Acid, Leucine, Glycerin, Alanine, Lysine, Arginine, Tyrosince, Phenylalanine, Proline, Trenoine, Valine, Isoleucine, Histindine, Cysteine, Methionine, Alcohol, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Ceramide 3, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Ethylhexylglycerin

Hehehehe.. There's so many chemicals in there that ends with "ine".. Hehehe It's just amusing to me.. Anyways.. Good news is that there is not added fragrance as part of the ingredients. Bad news is there is alcohol. I assume it would be in a very small amount as it is very low on the list of ingredients. 

I was really excited to try this as I really liked the Aquaringer mask from Leaders. Yes they are different producers, but come on, Aquaring, Aquaringer, they should perform very similarly.. As least I hope.

My excitement was dampened when I opened the package. Right away I can smell this chemical, alcohol kind of smell. Not too pleased with that. Thank goodness there wasn't much of the essence in the package. So I don't feel like I wasted much essence when I throw it away.

I think I must have been spoiled by the thin silk masks, because I thought the mask material is on the thick side. Thankfully, it fit my face very well. I would say it is similar to a silk mask. I like the fact that there are slits along the jawline so I can fold it and adjust without tenting in areas. Downside is that it does not reach all the way to my ears. *I got a fat face I guess.. ಥ_ಥ*

I took the mask off after 30 minutes. The mask itself was still moist except for the upper lip area. There was still lots left on my skin to sink in. It took a while for it to sink in, even then my face was still really sticky to touch. I had to put on tiny smidgens of the Abalone cream to rid of the stickiness. 

Excuse the eye patch in before.. I like to double mask at the same time. 

The next morning my face was.. Okay at best. The stickiness was gone so everything was absorbed. But it didn't feel soft or as plump as I liked. It does feel smooth but I can't say if it's the mask or the Abalone Cream. I will keep using the mask but I can't say I am blown away by it and won't repurchase in the future. 

The Face Shop Vita B Hydro Gel Mask Sheet

So I bought this from TK as I wanted to try a hydrogel from a shop that I can access locally. Except I was too lazy to venture to the mall, and the store closest to me doesn't always carry masks and I haven't seen this one so far. I decided to buy it from TK and see if it is worth bugging them to stock it. I forgot about it till I saw Faceshop Canada had 25% off on everything in store and online for American Thanksgiving. *Psst, Faceshop Canada, we celebrate our Thanksgiving in October. But thanks for the sales anyway!* I wanted to try it and make sure I like it before I plop down my cash for some more. **Can you tell I tried and wrote this back in November/early December?? (⌒_⌒;)**

Ingredients: As per the package. 

Water, Glycerin Chondruscrispus (Carrageenan), Algin, Agar, Allantoin, Butylene Glycol, Betaine, Sodium Hyaluronate, Sorbitol, Panethenol, Arginine, Averrhoacarambola Fruit Extract, Niacinamide,  Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyltaurate Copolymer, Sodium Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, PEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Methyl Gluceth-20, Disodium EDTA, Fragrance, Ethylhexylglycerin, Phenoxyethnaol, Potassium Hydroxide

The mask has a very faint smell. Unfortunately I can't say for certain what it reminds me of. But because it is so faint, I can't smell it when I had the mask on.

This is a hydrogel mask so it comes in the standard two pieces of "pearl paper". Unfortunately for me, it slipped out of the backing and came out all wonky. The mask itself is extremely thin. Almost as thin as a piece of paper! I am already not impressed. ┐(￣ー￣)┌

As for fit, it's... Okay at best. The upper mask is alright, it goes all the way to my hairline. But the lower piece is a disaster. My jaw and jawline was not covered at all, no matter how I adjusted. I also got a little extra flap over my nose, but that's because I got a relatively small nose so I can't really fault them on that.

Due to the fact that it's so thin, I really wanted to see how long I can keep it on before it dried out. I managed it for 47 minutes before it started to feel dry in most areas. When I took it off, there was no extra essence on my skin whatsoever. But, because it is so thin, the mesh in the center actually left an imprint on my face. Wonderful... So glad I wasn't getting ready to go out.

Oh! I almost forgot! The mask made me feel like meh. My skin felt like I just finished applying toner or essence to my face. So it feels smooth to the touch but doesn't have that dewiness I associate with a well moisturized skin.

So, it's pretty safe to say at this point, I didn't like the mask enough to plop down $3 or whatever Face Shop Canada charge them at.

My Scheming Hyaluronan Hydrating Mask

I got this in the Mask Book, along with the snail mask from above. My skin was feeling particularly dry due to the weather, such that I can see dry patches on my cheeks after I applied toner. I think my hot shower probably did not help with the dryness. So I decided that I need to add some moisture before I do anything else. This was the mask I chose. It looked promising. Anything H-Acid is always a instant go to in my books. 

Ingredients: As per the package. 

Water, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Crosspolymer, PEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, PEG-120 JOjoba Esters, Sodium Hyaluronate, Imperata Cylindrica Root Extract, Polyglutamic Acid, Xanthan Gum, Paraffinum Liquidum/Sodium Polyacrylate, Propylene Glycol, Cucumis Sativus (Cucumber) Fruit Extract, Scleroglucan Gum, Dipotassium Glycyrrhetinate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Naturitium Officinale Flower/Leaf Extract, Tranexamic Acid, Arbutin, Hydroxylethyl Urea, Glycerin, Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate, Chlorphenesin, Phenoxyethnaol, Fragrance

Woot!!! It's going Sodium Hyaluronate pretty high up on the list~~~ Woot~~~~ XD 

The mask has a chemical smell to it. But it is faint so I did require a big hard sniff to get that punch of chemical smell to my nose. Yup.. Real smart right there. It does dissipate as soon as I put on the mask so I am pretty happy about that. 

It's a messed up panda face!!

It fits my face well, just like any of the My Scheming, or any silk masks for that matter. I had it on for 30 minutes before taking it off. It was still moist around the cheeks and the forehead, but the edges around the jawline and upper lip area was starting to get dry and uncomfortable. There was some essence leftover on my skin but that sunk in quickly. I slapped the used mask onto my leg so my leg can get some much needed moisture as well. I did the same thing with all the extra serum left in the pouch in the same way. 

My cheeks feels less taut than before the mask, the lines on my cheeks looks lighter and my pores looked smaller. But my forehead did feel a little tight which is kind of odd. My skin looks happier and moisturized, but it didn't give me that soft dewiness I associate with a well moisturized skin. So I guess it may be enough for the summer but not enough for the cold AB weather. 

So far I tried two masks from the My Scheming Mask Book and I have to say I am not too impressed with it. With it costing $1.45 per mask. I don't think I'll repurchase it again as I can get better moisturizing masks at a cheaper price. 

Overall, I am pretty disappointed with the masks I tried in this post. Hoping the next batch will be better!!!

PSA - Gift Exchange Scammer

Hi all~ 

The holiday season is upon us and I am starting to see a lot of people doing gift exchange online. It is fun but I just want to put out a caution out there. If you are exchanging with someone you don't really know, do your homework and make sure they aren't lying. 

The reason I am saying that is because I got tricked last year by someone over Instagram. Her account looked legit and I seen an unboxing video from the person whom she shared an exchange with. So I went into it thinking it was legit. But of course it wasn't. I mailed off my package and confirmed she received it. Then I just waited and waited and still didn't get it. I messaged her asking her what happened because I haven't received the package. I even did a post, hoping I was wrong. But of course, I will never receive it because she lied and never sent it. I chalked it up as an expensive lesson to learn, count it as doing a good deed and earning some good karma points. 

So this year, I decided that I would post her address such that anyone looking up that address will see this post and be aware that she is a scammer and should not continue their gift exchange. 

Her address is : 

C-144 Ashok Vihar 

Phase - 1 Ground Floor

Delhi - 110052 

India

I didn't want to release her address because I didn't want to believe someone could do such a petty thing just for some skincare items and some Lush products. But, it is the season where people are filled with the holiday spirit and want to do something good. I just don't want anyone else to be fooled like I was. 

Sorry for the negativity and I do hope this helps someone out there.

Update:  I just been informed that this person is at it again. Unfortunately the package has been sent so she's gotten away with it again. The Instagram accounts she's used so far is Thecraftymuffintop and showeroflippies (which she has deleted). Please only do exchanges with people you communicated and trust or through programs like Reddit gift exchanges where it is monitored!!! 

Nature Republic Lemon Foot & Nature Peeling Foot Mask

Yuck, this post contains many pictures of my yucky peeling foot so it deserves a post all by itself. You have been warned!! From the beginning! That there will be gross closeups on my feet! Don't proceed if you are easily grossed out!!! YOU BEEN WARNED!!! (＊☉౪ ⊙｡)

Okay, let's start. I have been using a few foot peel masks in the past year or two. My favourite is the Tonymoly Shiny Foot Super Peeling Liquid that I bought as one of my first Korean skincare/body care products. I was very impressed with the result! It took off so much of this big callus that I had on my left foot. I love its result but hate its cost. Especially with the declining Canadian dollar, they cost about $11 CAD per use. That's a little expensive even for a item that I use maybe twice or thrice a year. I am also not fond of its strong chemical smell that would linger in my mouth, even though it's actually soaking my feet.

The other foot peeling mask I tried was the Mizon Magic Peeling Foot mask that I received from Memebox. You can see the review here.  RoseRoseshop doesn't seem to carry it anymore so I am assuming it is probably discontinued. It's a good thing too, as I found it did nothing to my feet besides making it super dry.

I heard good reviews for Nature Republic Lemon Foot & Nature Peeling Foot Mask and it was about $3.50 USD so I decided to buy it to make up the weight for one of my hauls. Sadly it looks like Nature Republic has discontinued the product. They now have a new version of peeling foot mask with aloe vera instead.

 Ingredients: As per the package. 

Alcohol, Water, Propylene Glycol, Lactic Acid, Isopropyl Alcohol, Urea, Glycolic Acid, Betaine, Anthemis Nobilis Flower Extract, Citrus Limon (Lemon) Fruit Extract, Carica Papaya (Papaya) Fruit Extract, Pyrus Malus (Apple) Fruit Extract, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Fruit Extract, Triclosan, Salicylic Acid, Menthol, PEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Disodium EDTA, Sea Water, Fragrance

Hmm, I am surprised to see so much fruit extract in a foot mask! Though I don't like seeing alcohol listed as the first ingredients. Oh well, at least it's not going on my face. 

The masks comes in two sealed booties that has a plastic shell, mesh lining and liquid solution. My advice for this pair of booties is to cut well below the "cut line". I cut right on the line and I could not open it at all. Had to cut further down to open it. 

As mentioned above, each bootie has the liquid solution inside. The liquid has a chemical smell to it, most likely due to the alcohol. Though it isn't as strong the Tonymoly version. The bootie is not that big. As you can see above, my size 6 foot is just comfy in it. I can't imagine it being able to fit someone with a shoe size over 8. 

My problem with these booties is that there was no tape to close it shut! Because there is quite a bit of free flowing liquid in the booties, I prefer to have it taped shut to prevent possible spillage. I wasn't smart enough to foresee this problem and had to roam around with the booties on while trying to find tape. 

Couple of advice for wearing these booties. 

1) After taping up your booties, wear a pair of socks over them. Preferably a pair of socks you don't normally wear, I'll explain why at the end. This allows you to move around without fearing any step will break open the tape and your foot will slip out of the bootie. 

2) Remove your nail polish before doing this. I learned it the hard way. I had this really nice black base + silver glitter top going in, it came out looking like the mold I found in my Julep eyeliner. So unless you want your manicure to be ruined, do it afterwards! 

The instructions said to leave it on for 60 - 90 minutes but I tend to leave it on for close to 2 hours to let it really soak. After 90 minutes my feet started to feel warm. So I decided to take it off after an hour and 40 minutes as it was starting to get really uncomfortable. 

When I took off the booties, my feet were RED. Probably from a combination of the solution and the fact that it was enclosed in a bag for over an hour. My feet smelled like menthol as I was rinsing off the solution, which makes sense since menthol is listed in the ingredients. Which also explains why my feet felt cool as well. After I finished rinsing it off, my feel smelled BAD. It is this unpleasant fermented smell that is so strong that I can smell it while sitting in a chair. 

I did put on foot cream and socks on after I dried off my feet, but now I wonder if that was the wrong move. 

Okay.. So gross feet pictures are coming!! Press "End" on your keyboard and read the final thoughts now!!!! 

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Enough spacing, now for the ugly feet pictures! 

Left foot on top, and right foot on bottom. My feet are super dry as I prefer walking around my place bare feet and always forget to put some cream on them. For some reason my left foot is much more drier than the right foot. There's that thick callus below the pinkie toe. I managed to get rid a bit of it with Tonymoly's foot peel. 

I am truly sorry for these GROSS pictures of my feet, but you have been warned!!! This is 6 days after I used the foot peel. As you can see, only a little bit has peeled under my right toes, there wasn't much action going on on my left foot. *Sorry about the dirty feet, but I washed my feet prior to taking the photos but they just wouldn't come off. May have been due to the skin being so dry? 

The pictures are a little deceptive as there were a bit of skin coming off in patches throughout the week. The packaging does say DO NOT TRY TO PEEL OFF THE SKIN! But I am a rebel and I do it anyways. The chunks that come off are very little, they are nothing compared to the big patches I get from Tonymoly. 

After a bit over a week, this is how my feet looks like. They are much softer than before but you can still see some dry patches on my feet. The mask didn't take off much dead skin from the heels and not much was done to the callus. Most of the dead skin comes from the ball and the sole of my feet. 

Overall Thoughts

Well, I can't say I am too disappointed with the product. It did what it is supposed to do. Not as great of a result as I was looking for but it cost less than $5 so you get what you paid for I guess. I got another pair that I am planning to use in spring time, just before sandal season. But I don't think I'll buy it again. I think I would rather spend the money and get the good ol' Tonymoly Shiny Foot masks. 

Now a little caution to using socks with these peeling masks. Two weeks ago, I noticed my feet were really dry but chalked it up to the dry weather. But when I actually looked at my feet, I realized it wasn't due to the dry weather at all. The ball of my feet had patches of skin ready to fall off, and the heel was just a big giant patch of dry skin, ready to come off in little chunks. It definitely looked like it was day 5 or something of a foot peel. But I haven't done a foot peel for over a month. Then I realized, I must have accidentally worn the socks I used to secure the booties. The most likely scenario is that the solution leaked from the bootie and I did not realize my socks are soaked in the solution and essentially soaked my feet in the solution again. Yuck I know, but no harm was done to my feet. 

Hope you enjoyed reading my review on the Nature Republic lemon foot peel, even with the gross pictures! Do you have any recommendations for a good foot peeling mask that is cheap but comparable with the Tonymoly Shiny Feet masks?