REVIEW: SKINFOOD – BLACK SUGAR WASH OFF MASK

Ahh Skinfood, this has been on my list for quite some time to try out – when I first got into Korean beauty and skin care this brand really spoke to me, I love that they include real food ingredients which are beneficial to helping the skin look beautiful. Today I’m going to talk about the Black Sugar Wash Off Mask.

Enriched with minerals and vitamins, this face scrub effectively exfoliates dead skin that prevents makeup application, while revitalizing skin.
HOW TO USE
After washing, apply desired amount onto face, avoiding eye and mouth areas. Mix the black sugar mask with water or oil to reduce skin irritations, and massage your skin with it. Wait 10-15 minutes, and then wash off with lukewarm water. Recommended to use it once a week.

INGREDIENTS
Sucrose, PEG-7 Glyceryl Cocoate, Clycerin, Euphorbia Cerifera (Candelilla) Wax, Macademia Ternifolia Seed Oil, Lanolin, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Cetyl Ethylhexanoate, Stearalkonium Hectorite, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter), Limnanthes Alba (Meadowfoam) Seed Oil, Sorbitan Laurate, Butylparaben, BHT, Caramel, Parfum.

PACKAGING
The product comes in a small plastic tub, there is actually a lot of product so don’t be deceived by the size, you really don’t need a lot. Underneath the lid there is an initial cap to separate the lid and product, this I assume is for hygiene reasons – however I don’t feel it’s necessary as the product is pretty firm and doesn’t move around on it’s own at all. There is also no spatula to scoop out the product which is a little disappointing as it would make it a lot more hygienic. I suggest using your own or a small spoon to get it out!

SCENT & TEXTURE
The smell is pretty sweet, it has an almost citrus smell, like lemons. It’s not overpowering but it has definitely present. I don’t really smell anything sugary just sweet refreshing fruit! The texture however, is exactly as assumed – lots of little pieces of sugar. It can be quite rough on the skin so mixing in the warm water really helps when massaging it in so it doesn’t pull on your skin. You don’t wan’t to apply this onto dry skin, it will just cause a lot of scratching! It’s also pretty thick so thinning it with the water also helps it become easier to spread around.

FINAL THOUGHTS
This mask is quite an affordable alternative to more expensive products (around $8). It does exfoliate very effectively, after washing this mask of you are left with soft and smooth skin, it also helps to get rid of flaky skin (something I struggle with!) so putting makeup on is much easier. I wouldn’t recommend the mask to someone who has sensitive skin, even though you can thin out the product with water it is still pretty rough with all the sugar. The scent may be quite strong to some people also, but I don’t mind it because it is quite refreshing on your skin. It also leaves the skin looking healthy and bright after washing off the mask. I like this mask, and I would re-purchase it again!

WHERE TO BUY
You can purchase the scrub here if you are interested!

REVIEW: KITKAT – MATCHA GREEN TEA FLAVOUR

For as long as I can remember I’ve always wanted to try Matcha KitKat’s, unfortunately I always found them to be quite expensive for me and also they weren’t always the easiest to come across!

However, yesterday as my Boyfriend and I were browsing in the Chinese supermarket we often go to I came across these beauties and I SCREAMED! Instantly threw them into the cart and rushed to the checkout – I wanted to get home fast to eat them! I was so excited!

This package was around $6, most of them are but I decided to just go for it! The package contains 12 miniature KitKat’s which are individually wrapped – adorable.

They are the perfect size to throw into your bag to have as a snack but also if you want a something sweet and small in the afternoon.

On the back of the package you can write a little message if you’re handing these out as a gift which I think is a lovely idea, there’s also a little bit of history about where the flavoring of the Matcha comes from on the back, I can’t read Japanese but luckily my boyfriend is fluent!

The colour is a light green with some darker flecks which I assume would be the Matcha powder, it’s quite a milky green if that makes sense, It’s a very beautiful colour, even the inside of the wafer has green tea cream (and is also green!) instead of the original chocolate.

The smell is so alluring, it doesn’t have a strong smell of green tea, rather a sweet smell, with only slight hints of the green tea, it makes you want to take a bite right away, whenever I opened the package I always had to take a quick sniff it’s a very inviting smell.

So the taste! What we’ve been waiting for! It keeps its creamy flavor, and falls more to a white chocolate taste rather than an overpowering green tea, definitely no strong bitterness, the sweet defiantly is a lot more pronounced – If you’ve ever had an Iced Matcha Green Tea Latte it’s very reminiscent of that! The cream inside of the wafers is also a green tea flavor, although not as strong as the chocolate on the outside it goes really well with the crunch and taste of the wafer. It left me wanting to eat another, and another, and another.. It’s a sweet taste that doesn’t make you feel guilty, it’s very sophisticated and, in a way, refreshing.

Overall, I love this KitKat, so much so that it has made me want to try more Japanese flavors! My boyfriend on the other hand thinks it’s nothing to rave about, but I put it down to him previously living in Japan for 4 years and being Matcha’d out!

If you haven’t tried this KitKat I recommend you do! You can purchase them here or find them in most Asian supermarkets!

What is your favorite flavor of KitKat? What should I try next? Let me know!

REVIEW: ETUDEHOUSE – SRAWBERRY BUBBLE TEA SLEEPING MASK

First of all, how absolutely adorable is this packing? It looks exactly like a fresh milky bubble tea with jelly pearls nestled sweetly in the glass – beautiful!

This was my first experience with a sleeping pack – I’d been interested for quite some time to try one but couldn’t decide on what was best for me, however recently my skin has been having trouble in terms of dryness (winter in Canada is cruel!) which in effect also made it look dull. I decided I needed extra care, so I decided to finally seek out a sleeping pack, and I’m a firm believer that Korea has it down when it comes to skin care so I looked around for what would be best!

I know that ETUDEHOUSE is quite a popular brand in Korea not only for makeup but also skin care, plus they have some seriously cute packing (so hard to not buy everything!) for their products. As soon as I saw this Sleeping Pack which I found JOLSE here I knew it was the one for me! There are 3 options of pack available for different skin needs which are Green Tea – {Clean & Clear Skin} Strawberry – {Healthy & Dewy Skin} Black Tea – {Glowing & Plumps Skin}. I opted for Strawberry!

After cleansing your face apply the gel generously gently massaging it into your skin then sleep, the next morning rinse it off with warm water! I was sceptical at first as I didn’t want to go to bed with a sticky face however the gel does dry over time, not to a complete set state but enough to not feel incredibly sticky!

The texture is quite thick, and it goes on very smooth, plus the smell is amazing! It’s not overly sweet but you can defiantly detect the sweetness of strawberries!

The Strawberry gel delivers moisture to dry skin, during the night it supplies moisture and you wake up with moist and dewy looking skin! There are also bubbles which are at the bottom of the gel that you can pop on your palm before applying to your face if you feel you need extra moisture – this also is a way to ensure you have less moisture loss.

There is also a really handy spatula that clicks onto the lid which helps in scooping out the bubbles at the bottom of the cup and also to keep the product sanitary and also helps to deliver the correct amount (a little goes a long way – I used way too much first time). *Remember to always rinse the spatula before and after using it*

I like to alternate between popping the bubbles and using just the gel, if I feel like my skin really needs a moisture boost or feels flaky I will use the bubble – and it works wonders!

As soon as I put this on my skin it felt so soothing and it had a lovely cooling effect.

I did notice the effects right away the next morning and I am beyond impressed, after rinsing my skin looked so much brighter, it was soft to touch and a lot of the redness had gone down. It does relax your skin and it feels lovely. It also really helped with the dryness – as I mentioned in winter my skin gets incredibly dry and I always feel like I need extra moisture care.

After using this pack my flaking skin from my nose, forehead and cheeks are virtually non-existent, those 3 areas were very troublesome for me but finally I have found something that actually does work, and actually does smooth and give moisture to my skin, it makes using make up the next day a lot easier! It’s a real treat to use and it has literally saved my skin from the harsh effects of winter.

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HOW TO USE

1. Using the spatula, dispense gel and 1-2 bubbles onto the palm.

2. Gently rupture the bubbles with the spatula onto the palm and rub with the fingers to mix the bubbles and pack.

3. Evenly apply on skin in a massaging motion to promote absorption into skin.

4. Leave it on overnight, and then wash off with lukewarm water the next morning.

Tips! Use only gel depending on the condition of skin. For better moisturising effect, mix the gel with 1-2 bubbles.