REVIEW: Queen Helene Mint Julep Masque

So I am keeping my promises yay! Well this blog is now full on up and running. Today's review is the Queen Helene Mint Julep Masque. The Queen Helene Mint Julep Masque is an institution, well at least in America it is. It is affordable and has been raved about in the skin care blogs, videos and reviews. So I needed to try it, however it was and currently is still ridiculously hard to find in any stores in Australia. Luckily for me I was able to purchase it from iHerb.com and thanks to their new shipping arrangement to Australia I was able to get it for A$4.12. OMG SO CHEAP! For my readers you can get a $10 off your order using my code NWG020! Isn't that great. Also I was able to get my hands on the new formulation!

Well anyways I will cut to the chase, it's a very nice masque, I can't recommend this enough, especially for the price. This mask is a thick (thicker than other masks I have used), creamy, neon green clay-based mask that supposedly reduces pore size as well as clear out pores. To be honest there is no real deep cleaning effect (doesn't really unclog pores) however it does 2 things very well.

One, it does reduces pore size (albeit temporary) and
two, it gets rid of pimples.

I use(d) this on a weekly basis as well as a spot treatment when I have pimples about to pop up or on white heads. It really does work. After a few nights as a spot treatment and poof the pimple is gone. It's the prefect maintenance mask.

When I use it all over my face I put it on using a mask brush and then wait at least 30 minutes till it is completley dried and stiff. It stings initially but it goes away and once you start using it regularly you get used to it. This mask also has the "pore matrix" like the very expensive and overpriced GlamGlow range. You can see the oil being absorbed by the mask. After the 30 minutes I rinse with warm water.  It doesn't perform miracles however you will see a reduction in small blackheads as well as some minor whiteheads. You won't find anything in this price range that does or can claim the same things. If you have oily/combination skin please try this mask. 

Ingredients ANALYSIS
Water - No Harm ^^ as usual
Kaolin - Kaolin is a silicate (a negatively charged silicon compound) of aluminium. It's known for it's absorbent properties and it's commonly found in most clay masks. It's a naturally occurring soft clay.
Bentonite - Bentonite is also a silicate of aluminium. Like Bentonite it is an absorbent substance and very commonly found in clay masks. FUN FACT: Bentonite is commonly found in kitty litter.
Glycerin - A humectant. Attracts water to skin. It plays a moisturising role in most products. It attracts water.
Zinc Oxide - Zinc oxide has been shown to decrease inflammation as well as reduce sebum production
Propylene Glycol - A humectant as well as a stabiliser. It's so cosmetics can withstand extreme temperature changes. It is completely safe.
Mentha Viridis (Spearmint Leaf Oil) - Though studies have shown that this is very irritating to skin, for certain individuals it's as effective as tea tree oil.
Sulfur - Sulfur is great for acne. It really is my god send. Without it I would still have a very pimply face. Sulfur is a natural antibacterial and anti-inflammatory ingredient. Although some studies have shown that it irritates skin, I absolutely love it and there are others who swear by it as well. Sulfur is great because unlike Benzoyl Peroxide and Salicylic Acid it doesn't make you sun sensitive or dry you out like crazy.
Methylparaben - Preservative
Phenoxyethanol  - Preservative
Limonene - Enhances penetration of ingredients. Essential oils derived from citrus
Fragrance - It's fragrance. So this may be problematic for those sensitive skinned individuals however as it is a wash off product it shouldn't be too much of a concern,
Chromium Oxide Green - A coloring agent. Again safe for skin although to be honest they could remove this from the product. I couldn't care less what my mask looked like as long as it does what it claims.

Anyways so I hope you try this mask and for my Aussie readers use the code below and purchase it from iHerb. Technically it's free if you use this code as the mask is only A$4.58 at the time I published this post. FREE! You just have to pay for shipping!! FREE! OMG! SO YOU HAVE TO TRY IT NOW!

NONE OF THE PRODUCTS IN THIS BLOG UNLESS STATED SPECIFICALLY ARE SPONSORED. ALL PRODUCTS WERE PURCHASED WITH MY OWN FUNDS.

Skin Care Overhaul

Hey everyone,

I haven't posted in a while have I...I don't know who reads this blog yet, however if I have an regular followers [is there anyone out there? :)] I'm really sorry. I have had exams and been on break for just over two weeks now. So yes...you guys are probably wondering after looking at the title of this post. ALREADY? C'MON WHAT?! Yes...I'm redoing my skin care routine all over again. The primary reason for this is because I have run out of certain products, and as a poor uni student I really cannot afford to restock them. ESPECIALLY WHEN PAULAS CHOICE SHUT DOWN IN AUSTRALIA >< for the time being...so let's have an overlook of what I said I used when I posted last time.

Morning
Paula's Choice CLEAR Pore Normalising Cleanser
Paula's Choice 2% BHA Liquid
Moogoo Acne Cleansing Cream/Aesop Oil Free Hydrating Serum
La Roche Posay Anthelios XL SPF 50+ Extreme Fluid
Moogoo Milk Wash (For Body)
Night
Moogoo Oily Skin Cleanser
Paula's Choice CLEAR Pore Normalising Cleanser
Paula's Choice 2% BHA Liquid
Paula's Resist C15 Super Booster
Moogoo Acne Cleansing Cream/Aesop Oil Free Hydrating Serum/Avene Cleanance K
Moogoo Skim Milk Udder Cream (For body)
Special Treatments
Paula's Choice Resist Weekly Skin Resurfacing Treatment 10% AHA
Origins Out of Trouble Mask
Biotherm Homme White Peel Skin Resurfacing Cleanser
Aesop Chamomile Concentrate Anti-Blemish Masque

So yes, as you can see, nearly all my Paula's Choice products are gone, my holy grail product 2% BHA has run out :'(. I am panicking at the moment, my skin is breaking out uncontrollably since not being able to use it. Also ever since I have discontinued my use of the 2% BHA I am absolutely hating the Moogoo Acne Cleansing Cream. I have no idea why, but suddenly I really dislike it's consistency and smell. It's too greasy, heavy and it doesn't sink it your skin, it lingers (bleugh). I take back my previous comments about how its perfect for winter. Maybe a Northern Hemisphere winter but definitely not here in Australia. Even in the Northern Hemisphere it wouldn't be my ideal moisturiser. This honour goes to the Clinique Moisture Surge Extended Thirst Relief. I cannot live without this product especially when travelling in places that snow. I'm currently all out because I would never purchase paying full RRP here in Aus. I can get 125mls for the price 50mls here at Lotte Duty Free Incheon Airport. 

Many of you are now probably wondering so what are you using now? Well I have completely redone my routine. I'm most likely not going to stick to this routine for a long period, as it's not ideal. I'll be purchasing products that I genuinely would like, not settle for less as soon as I find a better paying job or when I travel to Korea (things are so much cheaper over there), whichever comes first. This routine is almost budget skin care, well in comparison to what I had used previously. All two products added together is less than AUD 40 I'll have more comprehensive reviews on the new products but without further ado, here are the new members of my skin care family.

L'Occitane Angelica Lemon Ultra Mattifying Toner AUD26

I purchased this toner, despite a scathing review by one of the people I trust the most when it comes to skincare, Paula Begoun. It's alcohol free and it's had rave reviews by other bloggers. The reason Paula Begoun rates this as poor, is because of its essential oils, I however have a different stance on this ingredient. This topic deserves a post of its own so I'll save this for another post. Anyways I've been loving this toner, it smells a little peculiar but it does what it claims. 

L’Occitane associates organic angelica extract for its effectiveness on skin hydration and vitality with organic lemon essential oil for its well-known astringent action. This alcohol-free toner balances skin and soothes skin irritations. Enriched with organic angelica and lemon essential oils, it removes impurities and contributes to keep skin mattified and fresh. The skin looks perfectly MATTE, SHINE-FREE and feels PURIFIED

Neutrogena Naturals Purifying Facial Cleanser AUD10.99

I needed a cheap and effective cleanser and I did some research and it seems a lot of people are happy with this one. This is, at least for me, one of the cheapest cleansers I have ever used ever since dealing with Acne, and guess what I love it.


The below is now my new skincare routine

Morning 
Neutrogena Fresh Foaming Cleanser/Biotherm Homme White Peel Skin Resurfacing Cleanser
L'Occitane Angelica Lemon Ultra Mattifying Toner 

Avene Cleanance K

La Roche Posay Anthelios XL SPF 50+ Extreme Fluid 

Night 
Moogoo Oily Skin Cleanser Neutrogena Fresh Foaming Cleanser/Biotherm Homme White Peel Skin Resurfacing Cleanser 
L'Occitane Angelica Lemon Ultra Mattifying Toner 
Paula's Resist C15 Super Booster 
Avene Cleanance K

Moogoo Skim Milk Udder Cream (For body) 

Special Treatments 
Origins Out of Trouble Mask 
Aesop Chamomile Concentrate Anti-Blemish Masque

REVIEW: Paula's Choice Resist Ultra-Light Antioxidant Serum

Well the past few weeks have been a pain due to assignments and assessment tasks for uni, and my skin is complaining as well. It's been breaking out...everyone no matter how much you care for your skin stress will ruin it. Anyways, today I will be reviewing Paula's Choice Resist Ultra-Light Antioxidant Serum. 

Many of you will be wondering what is a guy in his early twenties using an antioxidant serum for? Well despite being in my early 20s my skin makes me look like a guy almost in his early 30s thus my interest in skincare (Also being Korean made me more and more interested as Korean men spend the most in the world on grooming and skincare LOL).

Anyways the principal reason why I purchased and used this product was because of it's claims of reducing enlarged pores also Paula's Choice Australia had it for 50% off in January. It's very silky in texture and it's yellow in colour. It's a silicone based serum so it glides onto your skin. It makes your skin feel soft and supple, like a baby's bottom. However this was a very disappointing product, it didn't do anything besides making my skin feel nice.

Ingredients List

I did not see any visual results, which was what I was expecting and what it claimed. I would not recommend this at all unless you are looking for like a primer with antioxidants in it. Maybe it is because I am young that's why I didn't see any results, but my pores are larger than a 60 year old man/lady so at least I would have liked to have seen some improvement.


Was it worth the $40 or so, not really. I plan to try the Skin Balancing Super Antioxidant Concentrate Serum with Retinol. I've read research papers as well as other blogs about the wonderful benefits of retinol so I want to try out the product as soon as possible (when I can afford to). So for now I won't be using a serum of any sort besides my C15 booster which I will post a review up soon. My skincare routine has changed slightly and I outlined it below.

Morning

Paula's Choice CLEAR Pore Normalizing Cleanser

Paula's Choice 2% BHA Liquid

Moogoo Acne Cleansing Cream/Aesop Oil Free Hydrating Serum

La Roche Posay Anthelios XL SPF 50+ Extreme Fluid

Moogoo Milk Wash (For body)

Night

Moogoo Oily Skin Cleanser

Paula's Choice CLEAR Pore Normalizing Cleanser

Paula's Choice 2% BHA Liquid

Paula's Choice Resist C15 Super Booster

Moogoo Acne Cleansing Cream/Aesop Oil Free Hydrating Serum/Avene Cleanance K

Moogoo Skim Milk Udder Cream (For body)

Special Treatments

Paula's Choice Resist Weekly Skin Resurfacing Treatment 10% AHA (I used this instead of the BHA 2% when I do use it)

Origins Out of Trouble Mask

Biotherm Homme White Peel Skin Resurfacing Cleanser 

Aesop Chamomile Concentrate Anti-blemish Masque

NONE OF THE PRODUCTS IN THIS BLOG UNLESS STATED SPECIFICALLY ARE SPONSORED. ALL PRODUCTS WERE PURCHASED WITH MY OWN FUNDS.

REVIEW: Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid

Hello everyone,

I have finally decided to update this blog regularly. I will try to post weekly especially when I have so many product reviews to write up! So this is how my blog will work. I will at least try and post on a weekly basis a review and in between when something amazing hits the skincare world I will try to be the first to post ^^

So today I am reviewing Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid. This product has been a god send for my skin. Since high school I've been battling acne (not that it's been that long only 4 months ago since I graduated LOL) and this has completely saved my face. I've been using it since December last year and it has cured my acne...well almost. I do occasionally get the pimple or two however this is due to sheer laziness on my part as at times I just cannot be bothered to wash my face before sleeping.

Anyways this product has been a life savour. It's completely cleared up my skin, especially white heads as well as cysts. I really do not know whether it's this product or me finishing puberty as my cystic acne is non-existent now.

It claims to reduce blackheads as well, however I really haven't seen any improvement in regards to this. My pores aren't that much smaller either...as you can see in the photos below. My acne has improved exponentially however the scarring and the enlarged pores still remain a problem.

The texture of the product is almost like water. It's slightly more viscous, very slightly but it's just like water.

I use it with a cotton pad like a toner day and night. This product is highly recommended for anyone with acne no matter how severe. Personally I believe it's suitable for all skin types as it's very gentle, but then again my skin has been ruined by paint stripper toner (CLINIQUE see my first every post), so it can withstand almost anything. If you are on the fence about trying this try it, you will not regret it.

NONE OF THE PRODUCTS IN THIS BLOG UNLESS STATED SPECIFICALLY ARE SPONSORED. ALL PRODUCTS WERE PURCHASED WITH MY OWN FUNDS.

The Moogoo Project. 1 Year In

It's been a while since I've posted anything hasn't it, not that I have any avid readers at the moment. Well unfortunately the MooGoo Project actually did inevitably fail. I did not get the clear skin that I imagined however I was not too disappointed with the products as they sort of did what they advertised.


Acne Cleansing Cream

The MooGoo Acne Cleansing Cream is an excellent moisturiser for oily skin, however that is about it . MooGoo did tell me that it's not meant to treat pre-existing pimples. However it did not help prevent pimples either in the summer. Due to the squalene it gave a very dewy finish and I really did not like it in the summer. In winter however it was an absolutely amazing moisturiser. I didn't need anything else, just this. It was not too heavy nor too light. My skin did not break out nor did it flare up. I wouldn't say that it was thanks to this that my skin improved as I was using, and still am, a BHA at 2% (will get to that later) however it's just a very nice, slightly on the heavy side moisturiser suited to combination oily skin. I would not recommend this to anyone with severe cases of acne though, as I believe that you should treat it with other products such as salicylic acid, sulfur etc. However please do avoid benzoyl peroxide. I have not personally used it before however have seen the aftermath of it. The thing with benzoyl peroxide it does help with acne BUT it dries out your skin and the acne comes back within two weeks of stopping the treatment. I am quite biased towards this and I am no dermatologist but family members and friends who used the vast amount of benzoyl peroxide products out there took a while to wean themselves off it. 

MooGoo Oil Cleanser Oily

This product is amazing. It worked wonders for not only my skin but my older sister's as well. I don't put on makeup as I am a guy but do put on chemical sunscreens daily and used the Shu Uemura Fresh Cleansing Oil for a period of time however I realised it was mainly mineral oil (See my rant here -->http://thedermaproject.blogspot.com.au/2013/01/the-moogoo-project.html). Anyways this gently removes everything on your skin however for me it did leave a slight oily feeling afterwards even though I washed my face thoroughly with tepid water, so I did and still do use another gel cleanser afterward. My sister on the other hand has combination skin and she just uses it without anything else afterwards. I am no expert on makeup removal however my sister did tell me with a little bit of elbow grease this cleansing oil can remove everything even waterproof mascara. Best of all it's natural. 

MooGoo Rosehip Oil

I really wanted this product to work however it did nothing for my skin, it exacerbated the acne for all I know. The people at Moogoo told me that it would gently overtime remove red acne scars however zilch nothing. But as people say there's always a silver lining on a grey cloud, this products helped my stretch marks. WHAT!? A GUY WITH STRETCHMARKS? Yes men can get them too especially during puberty (I'm a late bloomer) anyways I have relatively tanned olive skin so the stretch marks behind my legs really bothered me. I read somewhere that Rosehip oil can aid in the fading of stretch marks and it worked. It did not happen overnight but just under a year of vigilantly applying at least three times a week has paid off. Now you can barely see the stretch marks :D! One down side is it does get pricey when you use this as a "Body moisturiser". So this wasn't a horrible product but don't use it on acne prone skin as it will break you out.

So people who are reading this are probably wondering what I use now. Well I will elaborate in future posts however the brands I currently use are La Roche Posay, Aesop, Clinique, Paula's Choice, Biotherm Homme and Moogoo. I'll list the products below but in my next post which I will try to get up at least at the end of the month I will expand on my current skin care routine as I just recently jumped ship to my current routine after using Origins for a period of time (I really don't want to do a post on Origins so I'll just sum it up in a sentence. Everything sucks besides the Super Spot Remover and their mask) I jump shipped to Origins around June last year after the Moogoo Project Failed! 

Anyways see you soon and Happy Skincaring ^^.

Morning

Paula's Choice CLEAR Pore Normalizing Cleanser

Paula's Choice 2% BHA Liquid

Paula's Choice Resist Ultra-Light Antioxidant Serum

Clinique Moisture Surge Extended Thirst Relief or Aesop Oil Free Hydrating Serum

La Roche Posay Anthelios XL SPF 50+ Extreme Fluid

Moogoo Milk Wash (For body)

Night

Moogoo Oily Skin Cleanser

Aesop Amazing Face Cleanser

Paula's Choice 2% BHA Liquid

Paula's Choice Resist Ultra-Light Antioxidant Serum

Paula's Choice Resist C15 Super Booster

Clinique Moisture Surge Extended Thirst Relief

Moogoo Milk Wash (For body)

Moogoo Skim Milk Udder Cream (For body)

Special Treatments

Paula's Choice Resist Weekly Skin Resurfacing Treatment 10% AHA (I used this instead of the BHA 2% when I do use it)

Origins Out of Trouble Mask

Biotherm Homme White Peel Skin Resurfacing Cleanser (I used this two~three times a week instead of the Aesop Cleanser) 

Aesop Chamomile Concentrate Anti-blemish Masque