Friday 7 August 2015

July Empties

Oops! It's already the end of a week in August and I'm only posting my July empties now. The last week has been CRAZY. I think I bit off more than what I can chew. >.<

Anyway, here are my empties from July!

Batiste Dry Shampoo, Etude House Real Art Cleansing Oil (Light), Mane n Tail Herbal Gro Shampoo, Essential Nuance Airy Hair Mask
(L to R) Batiste Dry Shampoo, Etude House Real Art Cleansing Oil (Light), Mane n Tail Herbal Gro Shampoo, Essential Nuance Airy Hair Mask

Batiste Dry Shampoo

I love this stuff. I use it almost everyday. As long as I need to leave the house, you bet that I will definitely use this dry shampoo on my hair. I saw my make up artist friend using this on a actress to freshen her hair and the actress' hair went from limp to Hello! So I immediately went to buy it after we wrapped that day. This prevents my hair from going limp, it absorbs the excess oil and gives my hair volume too. 

Will I repurchase? I already did! I bought the Oriental version.

Etude House Real Art Cleansing Oil

I use cleansing oils to remove my make up and this Etude House cleansing oil is indeed light and it cleanses well. A great product as step one in double cleansing. The fragrance doesn't irritate me unlike other Etude House products. 

Will I repurchase? Technically I can't because Etude House reformulated their cleansing oils, but I will get one of those new ones once my Biore cleansing oil runs out. 

Mane n Tail Herbal Gro Shampoo & Conditioner

I love the Mane n Tail shampoo and conditioner and I have expressed that love in my iherb haul, but I absolutely dislike the Herbal Gro version. It has an overpowering shea butter smell and makes my hair frizzy. The shampoo makes my hair feel like rubber and the conditioner does nothing at all. 

Will I repurchase? Never.

Essential Nuance Airy Hair Mask

I seriously suspect that this is what comes with the Kao Liese Bubble Hair Dye. This hair mask smells and feels exactly the same as the Bubble Bye hair treatment, and both of them do a great job at moisturising my hair. My sister likes this too.

Will I repurchase? I already did! I'm on my second tub now.

That's all for my July Empties! Gotta go work on my school assignment now. T_T

Tuesday 4 August 2015

Review: VDL Sunscreen, Eye Cream, Cleansing Foam, Make up Remover

VDL is a brand from Korea and it's name stands for 'Violet Dream Luminous'. Yes, I know like what does that mean? I find Korean and Japanese make up brands tend to have rather strange descriptions and taglines.

e.g. VDL is a brand making sensitive desire of 25 years old women come true with vivid professional colour. 

But I kind of get the gist of what they are trying to say.

Anyway, my impression of VDL is it's a slightly more upmarket cosmetics brand, appealing to women in their mid-twenties and above. VDL is under LG Household, which is the parent company over THEFACESHOP, Belif and The History of Whoo. VDL came to Singapore just two years ago and I discovered this brand while exploring a nearby mall. The SA I met was so nice and helpful and I ended getting almost everything she recommended. I have a weakness for good customer service.

I went online to read up more about the items I bought but I realised there aren't many reviews or posts on VDL. :( I took the plunge, tried them out and I became a fan of VDL. There have been hits and misses, and for today I will talk about the skincare hits!


VDL Skincare, Beauty Sun, Pure Cleansing Foam, Naked Cleansing Foam, Botanicals Eye Cream
(L to R) VDL Beauty Sun SPF50, Pure Cleansing Foam, Botanicals Enriched Repair Eye Cream

VDL Beauty Sun SPF50

(From VDL Website) A powerful moisturizing sunscreen [formulated with prune water] for the face that defends against UVA/UVB rays which cause sunburn,cell damage, dryness and premature signs of aging such as fine lines.

I am heavily dependent on sunscreens. I had skin issues when I was in my teens and the dermatologist told me that my skin is photosensitive so I have to use sunscreens whenever I am out. So I've been faithfully slapping on sunscreens throughout my teen years till now (my twenties).

That aside, I really like the VDL Beauty Sun. I have both versions in SPF32 and SPF50 but I left the SPF32 in my boyfriend's house. The sun protection is good and it does not feel too greasy on my skin. The VDL sunscreen has prune water in it, which is VDL's trademark beauty ingredient. Due to that, this sunscreen is also moisturising and I use it in place of a moisturiser in daytime. It has the distinctive fragrance of the VDL prune water products. 

VDL Skin Care, Beauty Sun SPF 50
VDL Beauty Sun SPF50 has a cream consistency



VDL Sun Care fully blended out

It does have a slight white tint after you spread it out but it doesn't cause a bad white cast. The sunscreen also evens out the skin tone and works well under foundations, which makes it a good make up base.

Will I repurchase after I'm done with this? Yes!

Pure Cleansing Foam (now known as Naked Cleansing Foam)

(From VDL Website) Mild and deep cleansing foam washes out invisible dirt, oil and pollutants using rich whipping cream bubbles that penetrate deep into pores.

My skin is sensitive and any facial wash that is too stripping will cause me to break out, so I am also very particular about my facial wash. Which is why I am glad I was introduced to the Pure Cleansing Foam.

In case you are confused, VDL has numerous lines under its skincare catergory - Pure (now known as Naked), Beauty, PRO, Botanical. 

VDL changed the name of the Pure line to Naked but for the sake of this review, I will stick to Pure because that's the word on my product. The VDL SA introduced this cleansing foam to me because I told her I was looking for something will be cleanse my skin effectively without stripping it of its moisture. 

VDL Skincare, Pure Cleansing Foam / Naked Cleansing Foam
It has a gel-like consistency

It starts to lather when in contact with water

A tiny bit goes a long way with this cleansing foam. It cleanses effectively and my skin always feel refreshed and cleansed after each use. Although it does not dry out my skin, it does remove some natural oils off my skin so a moisturiser after this is a must.

Will I repurchase? I like to try to new products and I have two tubes of this, one in my house and the other at my bf's, the tubes last forever so I will think about it when I reach that bridge (which is a really far way off).

Botanicals (now known as Botanique) Enriched Repair Eye Cream

(From VDL Website) Eye cream that repairs both deep and fine wrinkles around eyes, while brightening dark under-eye shadows.

Again, a low-down on my skin, I inherited dark circles from my mum and I have them since I was young.  I had people commenting on them when I was only in primary school. 

This eye cream works for me, it keeps my dark circles at bay even when I was severely sleep deprived. I stopped using this to try out another brand and my dark circles came back with vengeance. 

VDL Skincare, Botanicals / Botanique Enriched Repair Eye Cream
Inside the tub. 

VDL Skincare, Botanicals Enriched Repair Eye Cream
Thick, creamy consistency

I've used more than half it and I bought it last year. Again, a little goes a long way as the formula is thick so you only need tiny bit. On top of that, there is a lot of product in the tub so it can last a long time even if you use it twice a day. Although it is rich and thick, I experienced no milia seeds.

Will I repurchase? I am tempted to try the Belif eye cream because it is under the same company as VDL. I want to know what's the diff? But other than that, there's a high chance I will repurchase because this works!

Hope this entry has been helpful and thank you for reading!