Kiehl's Daily Reviving Concentrate Review and Ingredients Analysis

Kiehl's Daily Reviving Concentrate is Kiehl's latest face oil, and is the day counterpart to their iconic product, the Midnight Recovery Concentrate (which I've made mentioned of on my blog before). The idea behind the Daily Reviving Concentrate is that you use it during the day to protect your skin, and you use the Midnight Recovery Concentrate during the night to help your skin repair itself. For facial oil lovers, this is pretty great!

Kiehl's Daily Reviving Concentrate: A companion to the iconic Midnight Recovery Concentrate

The Kiehl's website calls this a face oil that "strengthens skin’s defenses against daily aggressors to keep skin youthful and radiant-looking all day", and "provides antioxidant protection with a powerful blend of naturally-derived oils, including Ginger Root, Sunflower and Tamanu". It also claims to be "Paraben free, 100% natural origin, Mineral oil free, Non-comedogenic, Non-acnegenic". I guess that's going to appeal to a lot of people!


Kiehl's Daily Reviving Concentrate: The latest facial oil product from the brand
Of course, I'm sure there will be questions - for one, what is in the Kiehl's Daily Reviving Concentrate that's so special? And can a facial oil really be non-comedogenic and non-acnegenic? We shall see!

Philosophy Renewed Hope In A Jar Review and Ingredients Analysis!

Philosophy's Renewed Hope In A Jar moisturizer, as the name suggests, is a "renewed", new and improved version of Philosophy's iconic Hope In A Jar moisturizer. I happen to be running a giveaway for a jar of Philosophy Renewed Hope In A Jar and Purity Cleanser right now (which you can enter if you are a Singapore resident), so I figure that there's no better time to do a review of the new Renewed Hope In A Jar!

Philosophy Renewed Hope In A Jar: The new and improved version of Hope In A Jar

According to the Philosophy website, the "the revolutionary lightweight, whipped formula of hope in a jar is renewed and infused with a new innovation: clinically proven skin renewal technology", in particular "a triple blend of alpha hydroxy acids, 3 forms of hyaluronate plus an asian fruit extract". The old version was already pretty popular, so I imagine the new one is going to turn some heads!

I'm a big fan of acids, and both AHAs and BHAs have both worked well for me in the past, so I was definitely keen to try this out! And if you're like me, chances are you're probably pretty excited about the AHAs too, and you're probably wondering - what are the AHAs that are in the product, and is the product formulated to allow the AHAs to function optimally? And also, are there any other benefits beyond AHAs in this product?


Philosophy Renewed Hope In A Jar: The latest moisturizer from Philosophy
Don't worry though - we're going to look at all of these questions in my review. It's going to be a bit long, because we'll be looking both at the overall formulation of the product, as well as aspects of the product that are specific to AHAs (e.g. the AHAs inside it, and the pH of the product), but I hope it will be worth it! This also means we're going to get comfortable spending some time getting to know our ingredients list, so let's get started!

The Face Shop Oil Control Water Cushion Review and Ingredients Analysis

The Face Shop Oil Control Water Cushion SPF50+ PA+++ is the latest BB cushion to come from the brand, and it seems to have been advertised just for this hot weather we've been having - two of the key features being marketed are that it is waterproof, and has oil-control properties. That's gotta be good for hot weather, right?

The Face Shop Oil Control Water Cushion: Waterproof, and Long Lasting

The Face Shop Oil Control Water Cushion comes in two shades, V201 Apricot Beige, which is the lighter shade, and V203 Natural Beige, the darker shade. I have V203 Natural Beige with me, and although it isn't the best match for my skintone because it was too dark and orange, but it was the "default" shade that was sent to me. Which is a pity, because the Water Cushion does have a lot to recommend it! So if you see me looking kind of Oompa Loompa orange in my FOTD or swatches, don't worry, it's the result of a less-than-optimal shade match!


The Face Shop Oil Control Water Cushion: Perfect for hot weather and summer days
So, now that we've gotten that out of the way, let's start the review - by taking a look at the formula and ingredients list!

Jane Iredale PlayOn Lip Crayons Swatches, Review and Ingredients Analysis

Jane Iredale's PlayOn Lip Crayons are new for Fall 2015, just in time to catch in on the jumbo lip crayon trend (these things are still trendy, right? I don't know about you, I'm still loving them!). And they come in 7 shades to boot, so there's something for everyone.

Jane Iredale PlayOn Lip Crayons: New for Fall 2015

These are advertised by Jane Iredale as having a "creamy formula [that] glides on and stays on", although these are not retractable so you'll need a jumbo pencil sharpener to sharpen the pencils. Jane Iredale has their own Jumbo Pencil Sharpener, but in my humble opinion any appropriately-sized one will work too.


Jane Iredale PlayOn Lip Crayons: 7 shades, from light nudes to berries
I'm pretty excited about these PlayOn Lip Crayons, so let's get started with the ingredient analysing and the swatching, and the reviewing! Without further ado, let's look at the ingredients list first!

MAC Waterweight Foundation and Smashbox Camera Ready BB Water: Dupes and Similar Products

MAC's Studio Waterweight Foundation SPF30 is the latest foundation from MAC, and it has been getting tons of raves online for its lightweight, water-like texture. However, the foundation really made its way onto my radar because I was asked by my colleague at work whether I was going to review it or not. After sheepishly admitting that I probably wasn't (not because I don't want to, but because I'm already backlogged on my reviews), she told me that she had heard that it was a dupe of a Smashbox foundation, the Smashbox's Camera Ready BB Water SPF30. So I just had to check it out!

MAC Studio Waterweight Foundation SPF30 vs Smashbox Camera Ready BB Water SPF30: Dupes or not?

Of course, the ingredients nerd in me was piqued by this. Certainly this wouldn't be the first time a product has had a dupe, and is hardly surprising to me. In my 5 years of blogging, I've encountered beauty dupes for everything from brush-washing tools to colour-changing lipbalm to face creams, so nothing fazes me. But it is interesting to see a product being duped so early into its release.

Smashbox Camera Ready BB Water: A new Smashbox product, rumoured to be a dupe for the MAC Waterweight Foundation (Source)

Turns out, as you might guess, the MAC Waterweight Foundation SPF30 and Smashbox Camera Ready BB Water SPF30 are indeed extremely close, if not identical. But I wanted to find out more - what if there were other similar products out there? So began my journey into ingredient nerdiness.

Supergoop! Everyday Sunscreen SPF30 Review and Ingredients Analysis

Supergoop! is a US-based niche brand dedicated to sunscreens, and the humorous brand name belies its goal: to "formulate products that you and your family actually want to put on: they are lightweight, never greasy or sticky and easily absorb into skin". That's great, since sunscreen can feel kinda icky to wear and apply (and also to reapply), although in recent years there have been quite a few non-greasy options from both Asian brands as well as Western ones (as a quick look through some of my previous sunscreen reviews will show. Still, it's always good to have another sunscreen brand to choose from - as I've mentioned in my blog before, I'm a pretty big fann of sunscreen, and I think it's one of the skincare products everyone should use.

Supergoop! Everyday Sunscreen SPF30: From a brand that specializes in only sunscreens

Supergoop! is also one of those brands that will appeal to those who like their skincare to be more natural (as far as sunscreen can be "natural" I guess) - they proudly brag on their packaging that they are free of "controversial ingredients" like parabens, synthetic fragrance, and oxybenzone. While I'm all for fragrance-free stuff, it always annoys me a little when brands pander to greenwashing, because not all controversial ingredients are unsafe, and some (if not most) of them actually have been shown to be safe time and time again. The hype and noise surrounding an ingredient often doesn't match up to the science, so just because an ingredient is currently making the "OMGZ WILL CAUSE CANCER AND MAKE YOU DIE" rounds, doesn't mean it is actually harmful. Specifically for parabens, I've written a blogpost about parabens and safety and whether they cause cancer or not that pretty much summarizes my view - but, in short, parabens are safe for use in cosmetics as they are currently used. I'm cool with natural brands advertising themselves as being natural (although it seems almost every brand is jumping on that bandwagon), but I would like it much better if they didn't have to resort to relying on spurious science and "chemicals are bad" bashing when they undertake their marketing efforts. (And as I've also mentioned in my parabens post, EWG is not actually a good source for science-based info!)


Supergoop! Everyday Sunscreen SPF30: The sunscreen's claim to fame is its light, non-greasy texture
Anyway, marketing aside, I have the Supergoop! Everyday Sunscreen With Cellular Response Technology Broad Spectrum SPF 30 for review. I got mine from Luxola, which seems to have sold out of this particular sunscreen but still have many others, but you can also get it from the Supergoop! website or Nordstrom. We're going to check out whether the Supergoop! Everyday Sunscreen lives up to its claims - whether it really does feel lightweight and non-greasy, whether it does provide adequate sun protection, and while we're at it, we'll also take a look at what the deal is with this Cellular Response Technology. And to do that, we'll start at the ingredients list!

Etude House Wonder Pore Tightening Essence, Black Mask Sheet Review and Ingredients Analysis

Etude House's Wonder Pore skincare range is a pretty popular one, targeting the concerns of oily skin and enlarged pores which are common among young women. Now, Etude House's Wonder Pore range has expanded to include two new products - the Wonder Pore Tightening Essence, and the Wonder Pore Black Sheet Mask. I had previously reviewed the Wonder Pore Freshner, which is one of the key products of the Wonder Pore range, so I decided I had to follow up and review the new additions too!

Etude House Wonder Pore Tightening Essence and Black Mask Sheet

Etude House makes some interesting claims about its Wonder Pore Tightening Essence and Black Mask Sheet. It claims that the Tightening Essence "tightens pores for smooth and firm pores", while it claims that the Black Mask Sheet "controls sebum and cleans pores with its black sheet containing oak tree charcoal cooked in a kiln with temperature over 1,000 degrees". So just like the rest of the range,


Etude House Wonder Pore Tightening Essence and Black Mask Sheet: New additions to the Wonder Pore skincare range for oily skin
I decided to review both products, and while I don't quite have the young, oily skin these products are geared for (I do have some oiliness, but a lot of oil-control skincare is too harsh for me), I figured I could still break down the products and see how they worked, in addition to just sharing my experiences with the products. So, of course to do that, we start at the ingredients list!

Too Faced Born This Way Foundation Review, FOTD, and Ingredients Analysis

Too Faced's Born This Way Foundation is one of the newer base products from Too Faced, and judging by the reception on my Instagram feed and Twitter, it seems to be getting a lot of love. So naturally, I was super curious about it!

Too Faced Born This Way Foundation: The new foundation has been getting lots of love online

Too Faced claims on their website that the foundation is a "medium-to-full undetectable coverage", making you look like you were, of course, Born This Way. Now undetectable foundation is quite a tall order, because in my years of beauty blogging, I've found that nothing looks exactly like skin except skin, although of course a good foundation should be a good colour match and walk the fine tightrope between having great coverage and yet as realistic a finish as possible, and also hold up to whatever activities or weather you face. Still, achieving the perfect base is always worth a shot right?


Too Faced Born This Way Foundation: Touted as a high-coverage foundation with a natural finish, like you were "born this way"
I had high expectations for the Born This Way Foundation - I mean, in addition to all the raves I had been hearing, the foundation's box also has the results of some consumer study survey conducted by the company, that basically said that the foundation was awesome at blurring imperfections, making skin look perfect, and giving natural coverage. So we're going to put these claims to the test. And, we're also going to look at the formula of the Born This Way Foundation, to see how the magic works!

The Body Shop Oils of Life Intensely Revitalising Essence Lotion, Facial Oil, Gel Creme Review and Ingredients Analysis

The Body Shop's Oils of Life skincare and bodycare range launched in Singapore recently, and I have here 3 of the products from the collection: the Intensely Revitalising Essence Lotion, the Intensely Revitalising Facial Oil, and the Intensely Revitalising Gel Creme. There is also an accessory, the Twin-Ball Revitalising Facial Massager, which is meant to massage the products into your face. The Oils of Life launch date was 3rd September, so for once I'm not super late with my reviews, haha.

The Body Shop Oils of Life Skincare Collection: With "3 precious seed oils"

As you might guess, the selling point of these products is the oils in them. The Body Shop advertises them as containing "3 precious seed oils", which are black cumin oil from Egypt, rosehip oil from Chile, and camellia oil from China. And the packaging for this line is pretty gorgeous and luxe-looking too, with the rich, golden amber hues of oils and lotions. I'm not that much of an oil kinda person, but I really like the look of these! I mean, don't tell me that shade of gold doesn't look appealing. And the name "Oils of Life" - doesn't it sound so tempting?


The Body Shop Oils of Life Skincare Collection: The 3 oils are black cumin oil from Egypt, rosehip oil from Chile, and camellia oil from China
Anyway, since we have 3 (or 4, if you count the Facial Massager) products to review, this post is going to be on the long side! But if you're read, I'm ready, so let's cut to the chase and jump straight to the meat of the post! We're going to look at the ingredient in the products, and also, their textures and how oily/light they are.

The Face Shop Sunscreens Review and Ingredients Analysis: Natural Sun Eco Sebum Control and Long Lasting

The Face Shop's Natural Sun Eco Sunscreens consists of two sunscreens: the currently existing Natural Sun Eco Power Long-Lasting Sun Cream SPF45 PA+++, and also the new addition, the Natural Sun Eco Sebum Control Moisture Sun SPF40 PA+++. These sunscreens are something I've had on my radar for a long time (ahem, a few months, if you look at how long ago this Instagram post and this other Instagram post were), and I kept vacillating on whether I should review these, since summer is kind of almost over. But since the weather is still pretty hot right now even in August, I figure I'm still not too late to the party with this review! In any case, since I live in a hot and humid climate with sun all year round, it's always summer here, and correspondingly, sunscreen is a year-round must-have!

The Face Shop Natural Sun Eco Sunscreens: Sebum Control and Long-Lasting

But even if you don't live in a hot sunny environment, it's always a good idea to wear sunscreen if it's a sunny day out, regardless of whether it's hot or cold. After all, even when it's cold or snowy outside, it's possible to get sunburned if the snow is reflecting sunlight. And, in my humble opinion, since sun damage is a huge contributor to skin ageing, sunscreen is really one of the cheapest and most efficient forms of anti-ageing products everyone should get! It's certainly cheaper than an expensive anti-ageing cream, and also probably more likely to actually do what it says on the packaging. The Face Shop's Natural Sun Eco Sunscreens are just one of the many sunscreens available that you can check out.


The Face Shop Natural Sun Eco Sunscreens: Sebum Control is the newer addition
As you can probably guess from the name, the Sebum Control version of the Natural Sun Eco Sunscreen is meant more for oily skin, and to help control oil, while the Long-Lasting Sun Cream is meant for normal skin types. But I'm sure you have some questions: what is the difference in formulation between the two? Is it worth getting both, or just one? And what are the sunscreen filters, anyway, and is this sunscreen going to be sticky on my skin? To do that, we'll take a look at the Natural Sun Eco Power Long-Lasting Sun Cream SPF45 PA+++, which is the original sunscreen that first came out, and then we'll take a look at the newer Natural Sun Eco Sebum Control Moisture Sun SPF40 PA+++. From there, we can compare the two and get a sense of the differences between the two formulas.


The Face Shop Natural Sun Eco Sunscreens: Sebum Control and Long-Lasting actually have very different formulas

The Face Shop Character Mask Review and Ingredients Analysis

The Face Shop's Character Mask is a new launch from the Kbeauty brand, and it is a sheet mask with cute animal face designs printed onto it. As the name indicates, when you wear the sheet mask, you are also wearing a "character mask" of sorts, and The Face Shop has 5 masks for you to choose from - panda, fox, sheep, dragon, and tiger.

The Face Shop Character Masks: A pretty good example of "skincaretainment", where your skincare is fun to use

Of course, the benefit is more aesthetic than functional. After all, a sheet mask is a sheet mask, whether it has a cute animal face printed on it or not, and the fact that it has a panda face printed on it doesn't change its function. Still though, in the vein of "skincarentainment" (a term I've seen thrown around with respect to Asian beauty, particularly Kbeauty products), this is pretty novel to use - you put on the sheet mask, and boom! instant panda face! It does inject some fun into your skincare routine, which I guess is the concept behind "skincarentainment": it's not just about the product, but also the experience, fun, and novelty of using it.


The Face Shop Character Mask: A new launch from the Kbeauty brand, with cute animal designs on the mask
That does sound pretty cool, right? And The Face Shop is certainly not the only brand catching on - there are a few other Japanese and Korean brands having such sheet masks too. Nevertheless, as an old fogey of a beauty blogger (more than 5 years, which is sort of like forever in internetz time), I'm really more concerned with how the product works, than whether it entertains me or not. I mean, I go to the movies to be entertained, but when I choose my skincare, I'm not looking to have a good time, I just want to know if it works, and if it's within my budget. If it does happen to be fun to use, then that's a bonus, but evidently I'm a cranky old grandma who doesn't bother too much about whether my mask looks cute or not. And does The Face Shop Character Mask work? The only way to find out is to start by looking at what exactly is in the product, and take a trip to the ingredient list!

Biotherm Life Plankton Essence Review, Ingredients Analysis and Q&A

Biotherm's Life Plankton Essence was launched last year, and is billed on the Biotherm website as a "Fundamental Skin Treatment". The description for the product goes on to say, "For the first time, Life Plankton is infused at its highest concentration within Life Plankton Essence (5% for anyone wondering). In 8 days, see and feel a new-born skin: more radiant, more even, smoother, hydrated, with greater resilience and fine lines faded. Immediately, the skin is soothed and softened." So essentially, this is a lotion-style essence product, with a high concentration of Life Plankton. This is meant to be used before other skincare products, like moisturizer.

Biotherm Life Plankton Essence: A lotion that claims to improve skin in 8 days

The Biotherm Life Plankton Essence was launched end of last year to much fanfare and raves, and this year has continued to get a steady stream of attention from both mainstream press and bloggers. So I figured it's probably a good time for me to finally get around to reviewing it! How does this product work, and what is inside the product? What is this Life Plankton, anyway?


Biotherm Life Plankton Essence: Contains the highest concentration of Life Plankton at 5%
To answer those questions and more, there's only one place to start looking - the ingredients list! Biotherm has also very kindly helped to answer a few of my questions on the product, to fill in some of the gaps and questions I had when analysing the ingredients list, and I'm really happy that they did - I mean, I'm just a random blogger, not Anna Wintour or anything, and I'm sure the PR people have lots on their plate, so I really appreciate it when I get to ask questions and they get answered! For this review though, I've incorporated some of the answers into my review, rather than having them as a separate standalone section, in order to keep the length of the review shorter and the flow less disjointed, but where the information has been provided by Biotherm, you'll see me mention it (e.g. "Biotherm/the company/the brand informed me that" or something similar). So, without further ado, let's jump right into the review!

The Body Shop Drops of Youth Concentrate Review and Ingredients Analysis

The Body Shop's Drops of Youth Concentrate is a new skincare product, and according to The Body Shop's website, it "works to help boost surface skin cell renewal", so that your "skin feels immediately moisturized and instantly softer". For those who like such products, it also claims to be silicone-free and paraben-free, with "99% natural ingredients".

The Body Shop Drops of Youth Concentrate: Part of the Nutriganics Line

With such a description, I was very curious to check it out and see exactly how it works! I mean, even the packaging has a whole list of awesome things the Drops of Youth Concentrate does - smoother skin, firmer skin, more even skin, fresher skin. What more could a girl want, right?


The Body Shop Drops of Youth Concentrate: Advertised skincare benefits include smoother, firmer and more even skin
With that in mind, I decided to take a look at the product's ingredients list first, in order to really get a sense of how it works, and whether it lives up to its hype.

Kiehl's Iris Extract Activating Essence Review, Ingredients Analysis and Q&A

Kiehl's Iris Extract Activating Essence is one of the brand's major launches for the year - it's a brand new product, rather than an extension of an existing line, so that's pretty cool. According to the Kiehl's websites, the Kiehl's Iris Extract Activating Essence is an "essential 'first step' anti-aging treatment to maintain skin’s youthful texture, reduce fine lines, and activate radiance", and a "multi-action treatment essence for youthful, radiant skin".

If you're familiar with the concept of lotions (which have been very popular in Asia and beyond over the past few years), then the Kiehl's Iris Extract Activating Essence is essentially a similar product - basically, a light, watery lotion that you can apply on your face before heavier creams and treatments, like face creams and so on. Kiehl's claims that applying this lotion first "optimizes penetration of subsequent skin treatments", and I've seen similar claims made by other brands which sell lotion of their own.



As with all my other skincare reviews, this review starts off with the ingredients list, only this time, I've also managed to get answers from Kiehl's too, which is pretty exciting! Since not every brand is as open to answering questions about their products (especially questions like mine, which are more about the ingredients and formulation, rather than things like "is this better for oily skin or dry skin", which can be tougher to answer), I'm really happy and thankful that Kiehl's didn't shy away from answering my questions. In fact, I think they've got some pretty good responses, as we shall soon see!

Kiehl's Ultra Light Daily UV Defense Review and Ingredients Analysis (Reformulated Version)

Kiehl's Ultra Light Daily UV Defense Sunscreen with SPF50 PA++++ protection is new from Kiehl's this summer! I know I've already done a previous post on the Kiehl's Ultra Light Daily UV Defense Sunscreen, but this time round, the brand has reformulated its much-loved sunscreen, and so here is a "re-review" of the sunscreen. After all, summer is the time when people start paying attention to sunscreens, and since I gave the previous iteration of the Ultra Light Daily Defense a pretty good review, I thought it's good to check in again, to see if it's still deserving of the nice things I said about it the last time round.

Kiehl's Ultra Light Daily UV Defense Sunscreen: Still with SPF50, but now with PA++++

As you can tell, the packaging is pretty much still the same. Kiehl's claims that the new formulation of the sunscreen now offers better anti-aging protection, and in particular UVA protection (the type of sun exposure that causes long term aging - if you haven't yet, you can learn more in my post about sunscreen tips). This reformulation of the Ultra Light Daily UV Defense keeps the SPF value at SPF50, but the PA is now PA++++ rather than PA+++ as in the old formula.


Kiehl's Ultra Light Daily UV Defense: With PA++++ instead of PA+++ for better anti-aging benefit
On a side note, I wish I had used the same bright orange paper background that I used the last time I reviewed the old formulation of the sunscreen, instead of this off-white cloth background. The off-white shade, combined with the various shades of white the sunscreen tube and box were, really messed up the white balance on the camera, and there's only so much GIMP can do to correct it. Oh well, the review is still written with the same set of brains, even if the photos are a little washed out this time round. So let's get started!

The Body Shop Vitamin E Eyes Cube Review and Ingredients Analysis

The Body Shop's Vitamin E collection has launched, and one of the items in the collection is the Vitamin E Eyes Cube. When I posted about this product on Instagram, I got a lot of questions and curious comments about it on Instagram and Facebook, so I figured that a review on it was in good order! After all, it's not everyday that you encounter a solid eye product!

The Body Shop Vitamin E Eyes Cube: Part of the Vitamin E collection

The Body Shop's Vitamin E Eyes Cube, is, as the product name suggests, an "eyes cube" - basically an eye cream, but instead of cream form, it's in stick form, like lipbalm. The Body Shop, on its website, claims that "the Vitamin E Eyes Cube is our new ingenious anti-fatigue eye stick. In one gentle sweep, it instantly revives and refreshes the eye area to fight signs of tiredness caused by dryness". The site also claims, "Enriched with wheatgerm oil, one of the highest natural sources of vitamin E, the Eyes Cube protects the eye area with moisture". So yes - moisture for your eyes, in a stick!


The Body Shop Vitamin E Eyes Cube: Probably the first eye cream I've seen in a stick form
First, let's take a look at whether the Vitamin E Eyes Cube really does live up to its claims, and how it works, when it's in a stick form, before we move on to the aesthetics of the product. And of course, our first stop would be none other than the ingredients list!

The Face Shop Myeonghan Miindo Heaven Grade Ginseng Whitening Emulsion Review and Ingredients Analysis

The Face Shop's Myeonghan Miindo Heaven Grade Ginseng range has launched in Singapore, and as the name suggests, the range contains "Korean herbal extract" and "heaven grade ginseng", and is supposed to draw on traditional Korean knowledge to help improve the skin's condition. The Face Shop's English site claims that there are "brightening ingredients in white ginseng extract help to improve dull skin and brighten your skin tone", and also that it uses "traditional herbs grown in Korea". So I guess for all the Korea-philes (what with the popularity of K-pop and K-drama nowadays), this would be pretty intriguing!

The Face Shop Myeonghan Miindo Heaven Grade Ginseng Whitening Emulsion: With "Korean herbal extract"

The product I got from the range was The Face Shop Myeonghan Miindo Heaven Grade Ginseng Whitening Emulsion, which, again as the name suggests, is an emulsion - a light moisturizer - with whitening properties that also contains the heaven grade ginseng. Interestingly, Myeonghan Miindo supposedly means "land of the beauties", which I guess adds to the traditional feel of the product, along with the very classical-looking bottle. The price range for the Myeonghan Miindo range varies from $12.90 for the sheet mask to $75.90 for the eye cream or moisture cream, so depending on what you buy, the impact on your wallet can vary quite a lot! This particular product, the Whitening Emulsion, costs $46.90.


The Face Shop Myeonghan Miindo Heaven Grade Ginseng Whitening Emulsion: Part of the Myeonghan Miindo range, with multiple products from eye creams to face masks
Of course, for this review, we're also going to take a look at whether the Myeonghan Miindo Heaven Grade Ginseng Whitening Emulsion really lives up to its claims of whitening. And to do that, we'll start right at the ingredients list!

Vichy Ideal White Review: Essence and Emulsion (with lots of Ingredients Analysis!)

Vichy's Ideal White range of skincare is quite possibly the brand's biggest launch this year, and, as the name "Ideal White" suggests, this is a range that aims to brighten and even out the skintone. Vichy claims that Ideal White is a "holistic whitening range with exclusive whitening complex to correct melanin dysfunction for spotless skin with healthy rosy glow", and the range is indeed holistic - they do have an impressive array of products, from sunscreens, to essences, emulsions, eye creams, and spot products. So whether you're looking for something targeted, or whether you want to build your entire regime out of a single range, I guess there's something for everyone!

Vichy Ideal White Essence and Emulsion: The brand's biggest launch this year

Vichy's Ideal White range apparently also comes with some novel technology behind it that gives the product its whitening and brightening properties. The featured ingredients in the range are resourcinol, which I'm told is supposed to be more effective than Vitamin C at whitening, Ellagic acid for exfoliating, and Adenosine for anti-wrinkle properties. I'm told that you would need about 1-2 months to show some effect on the skin. That does sound pretty exciting, doesn't it?


Vichy Ideal White Essence and Emulsion: With Ellagic Acid, Resourcinnol and Adenosine
I've got the Ideal White Meta Whitening Essence and Meta Whitening Emulsion to review, and of course we'll start off with the ingredients list for both products! Vichy has also been very kind to answer some of my burning questions about the formulation and the ingredients of the products, so for those looking for a more in-depth exploration of the product, I hope this post will be what you are looking for!

Benefit Puff Off Eye Gel Review and Ingredients Analysis

Benefit Puff Off Eye Gel is Benefit's latest eyecare product - an "instant eye gel to help smooth the look of undereye puffies", according to Benefit Cosmetics' website. The website also says that "the custom “ironing” tip instantly helps smooth the look of undereye puffies & fine lines", and you can literally "iron away for a smoother day!" Their adds are also pretty interesting and quite quirky and memorable in this respect - they reinforce the "ironing" concept, featuring a girl and a guy, with the girl telling the guy to "puff off" when he asks her to press his shirt! One of the things I've always enjoyed about Benefit's products is their really fun, quirky sense of humour, and gorgeous packaging. Who doesn't love a person (or a brand) with a sense of fun?

Benefit Puff Off Eye Gel: An "instant eye gel to help smooth the look of undereye puffies"

This definitely made me sit up and take notice. I mean, while I'm not particularly picky about eye creams, I'm always looking for a way to help alleviate my pesky undereye circles and bags. And the tip certainly looks interesting too - a little cooling metal tip like an iron? That's definitely worth checking out in my book!


Benefit Puff Off Eye Gel: Claims to smooth out skin and minimize fine lines
For this review, as always I'll start off with a look at what's inside the Puff Off Eye Gel, and how it works, and of course, the first stop for this analysis will be the ingredients list as always!

Creme De La Mer Dupes: Ingredients Analysis and Similar Products!

Creme De La Mer is one of those iconic products in the beauty industry everyone's heard of. It is legendary, and the very definition of a cult product, and is often claimed to be a "miracle broth" that miraculously somehow helps in anti-aging. Despite its outrageously high price, or perhaps because of it, the buzz around this product is high - celebrities are said to use it, lots of blog reviews can be found raving about it, and those who spend the money on it claim that it definitely does work. It is the one and only Creme De La Mer, after all, and it is so unique that nothing can come close to it, and there aren't any products like it - or are there?

Creme De La Mer: A legendary product, with legendary hype (Source)

You guys know that I get pretty skeptical of such claims. It has been said that the humble ol' Nivea Creme is a dupe for Creme De La Mer - but of course, if you search the Internets, you'll find people saying that they don't see a difference between the two, and you'll also find tons of people who say that the La Mer version is still much better, and the plain ol' Nivea can't compare.

So with that said and done, let’s examine the Creme de La Mer more closely, and find out what exactly is in this "miracle broth". From there, we can figure out how the product works, and then, see if there are any dupes for it, or if not dupes, perhaps similar products. And the only way to begin this process is to get down and dirty with the Creme De La Mer ingredients list!