July Favourites

This is actually the first monthly favourites post on the blog. I usually don't find the need to write a favourites post as I mention my favourites in various posts throughout the month, but this month I haven't been able to blog as much, so I decided to round up the best of beauty here. 

First up is yet another SPF favourite. I know I've already mentioned a few SPF loves recently, but as it is still summer, wearing SPF is extremely important so it can't hurt to mention another one. The Shiseido Gentle Sun Protection Lotion for Sensitive Skin and Babies is a completely physical sunscreen with a whooping 13.9% zinc oxide and 3.3% titanium dioxide to ensure protection against both UVB and UVA rays. I'm pretty picky with SPFs - or rather, my very sensitive skin is pretty picky with SPFs - but if this suncreen is gentle enough for babies 6 months and over, it's good enough for me. It's SPF 33, which is completely fine for city activities, but there is also a SPF 50 counterpart for those going on vacation. The product comes in an extremely liquid texture. Physical sunscreens can feel heavy and greasy on the skin due to the oil content needed to spread the mineral SPF actives evenly. I find that applying in 2-3 thin layers rather than one thick layer can help to spread the sufficient amount of sunscreen needed to provide the full SPF protection while minimizing greasiness and difficulties with blending. I find that applying this way, this product leaves a very smooth finish on the skin that isn't heavy at all. 

Another skincare favourite this month is the Biotherm Life Plankton Essence. I picked this up at a Biotherm counter in Shanghai, but I was told that it will be released worldwide soon. Apparently, "Life Plankton" is a micro-organism that live in the French Pyrenees hot springs, known as the "fountain of youth" due to its ability to sooth the wounds of Roman soldiers and preserve the youthfulness in women's skin. The product has a very watery consistency and I like to use it as a hydrating toner, but I think of it as kind of a toner-serum hybrid. It helps to hydrate the skin, increase cellular turnover in the skin to reveal brighter skin, and aid in the absorption of subsequent products. During the first week that I used this product, I didn't really see any effects. It felt comfortable on the skin, absorbed nicely, and had no obtrusive scent, but that was about it. After the first week though, I noticed that my skin started to feel incredibly smooth and had this healthy glow to it. As I've been staying in air conditioning pretty much 24/7, my skin has been dangerously on the verge of being dehydrated, but this product has been keeping my skin nicely plump and hydrated. The sales assistant at the Biotherm counter told me that after 28 days (the skin renews itself every 28 days), I would see significant improvement in acne scars and fine lines. Now I don't struggle with fine lines and other signs of aging, but I will keep you all updated on the acne scars front.

I got a Japanese perm (permanent waves) in June and it has seriously saved me so much time getting ready in the morning. I roll out of bed with hair that actually looks very nice, and my hair doesn't require any extra maintenance compared to its natural state. The one step that I have added to my hair care routine is a salt spray, and I went with the Bumble and Bumble Surf Spray. I went with the smaller 1.7oz size as it's super easy to carry around. I find that a surf spray really helps to enhance the curls in my hair. When I feel that my hair is getting a bit flat after a few days of unwash, I spray a bit of this through the ends of my hair, scrunch it up a few times, and I'm left with more texturized, defined curls. I've also tried spraying this on damp hair and scrunching my hair while it's drying, but I actually ended up with hair that was a bit too curly for my liking. I think those who don't have a perm but want a bit of a wave to their hair would benefit more from using a salt spray on damp hair and scrunching up/twisting the hair while it dries. 

As summer in China has been so incredibly hot and humid, my use of makeup has been limited to a very light BB cream, brow gel, and a nice lip colour. I've already mentioned the Innisfree Eco Flower Tint 3 Rose in my recent Innisfree haul post here, and my love for it is still going strong. It's a rosy lip stain that is very long wearing and can be patted in sheerly for a rosy tint, or layered on for a warm-toned red lip. There's also a peachy pink and an orange in the Eco Flower Tint range and I'm definitely thinking of picking those up. Another lip favourite is the Dior Addict Lip Glow, which comes in absolutely gorgeous pink packaging and is so easy to use. Just swipe it on like you would a lip balm and you're done. It's one of those tinted lip balm type deals, but the colour sort of varies for everyone. When I use it, I get a very rosy lip, but when my mum uses it, she gets more of a pink lip. It leaves a nice glossy finish and is incredibly moisturizing as a lip balm. I think the only complaint I have for this product is that it doesn't come in more colours. 

What were your July favourites?

A Love and a Shrug #2: CC Cream Edition

CC Creams have been out on the market for a while now but have just never really caught my interest. I love Korean BB creams for their high coverage yet skin-like finish, but CC creams didn't seem like they would have enough coverage for me. This week, I decided to give CC creams a go and see what the trend is all about. In the end, one product came out on top, while the other fell very short.

These CC products are meant to colour correct without giving coverage, which - ideally - would mean that they minimize hyperpigmentation, redness, and dullness while maintaining a very lightweight skin-like finish. Both of these products come out in a green base with colour particles inside that are meant to adjust to your skin when blended in. However, the Biotherm Aquasource CC Gel just did not deliver the results I was looking for. I mentioned last week that I am a huge fan of the Biotherm Aquasource Deep Hydration Replenishing Gel moisturizer, which is why I thought the Aquasource CC Gel would be a good product, but there are a few reasons why I find it problematic. As the name would suggest, the product comes in a very light gel consistency, but a lot of product has to be applied before any effect can be seen. Although it feels and smells like the Aquasource moisturizer, the CC Gel dries sort of tacky and sticky, and feels actually quite heavy over the skin. Because of the gel consistency, the product can really only be applied with fingers, but it takes quite a bit of effort to blend in as the product tends to have a streaky look, which makes it difficult to use in the morning when I'm in a rush to get out the door. Even after all the effort of blending it in, the product doesn't really have any effect. I know it's supposed to be a light coverage product, but I at least hope to see some results. It also just felt uncomfortable on the skin, so I had to pass on this product.

The Stila CC Color Correcting Cream Broad Spectrum SPF 20 is everything that I hoped the Biotherm Aquasource CC Gel would be. The product claims to provide sheer to medium buildable coverage, but it's definitely a light coverage at best. This one comes in a cream base rather than a gel. The first time I tried to use this product, I applied it with a beauty blender sponge and saw absolutely no results. After a bit of trial and error, I find that fingers work well, but my favourite way to apply is with a buffing brush. I use the Real Techniques Expert Face Brush, dot the CC cream all over my face, and really go to town with buffing it in.

While it doesn't provide any coverage to the skin, it is really perfecting. It helps to reduce any redness and really brightens the complexion. It definitely has a dewy, glowing finish that is just so perfect for summer. It doesn't do anything for oil control and I find that my nose does start to get a little oily throughout the day, so those with oily skin may want to powder down the t-zone. For those with dry skin, this product is pretty moisturizing as well. Although it doesn't stand a chance against covering hyperpigmentation, it does make them slightly less noticeable, and a little bit of concealer takes care of that easily. This product pretty much looks and feels like skin, and I don't feel it on my face at all, which I love. Overall, I think the Stila CC Coloring Correcting Cream is a great option if you are looking for a natural light coverage base for the summer months.

What is your favourite CC product?

In a League of its Own: Biotherm Aquasource

If you are on the hunt for a new summer moisturizer, look no further than the Biotherm Aquasource Deep Hydration Replenishing Gel. It's really been a while since I've liked a moisturizer enough to finish the whole tub, but I've already completely used up one tub of Biotherm Aquasource, bought a new one, and bought a back up, just in case. In case you can't tell, I've got a serious love affair going on with this moisturizer.

I was first introduced to this product by one of my favourite beauty bloggers, Igisele, who has absolutely gorgeous skin. She said that back in her acne-prone days, this moisturizer really saved her face by providing lots of hydration yet not making the skin oily at all. That sounded like just about the perfect thing for my combination, acne-prone skin, and I wonder why it took me so long to finally purchase this product.

As you can see in the picture above, this moisturizer comes as a light green gel. Biotherm is known for using marine algae and plankton ingredients in their skincare, and I personally really love algae ingredients in skincare. We're beginning to see more and more algae ingredients in high-tech brands such as Algenist, and I think that this field definitely has a lot of potential. Somehow, and I don't know how this product does it, I find this moisturizer to be lightweight enough to use in the morning under makeup, yet hydrating enough to use at night, depending on the amount you apply. Once the moisturizer sets and sinks in, my skin always looks visibly more plumped, yet it feels kind of matte to the touch. Over the course of the day, I find that my t-zone gets less oily as well.

This moisturizer is paraben free and mineral oil free. It really calms and soothes my very sensitive skin, and does not break me out at all. The scent of it is pleasantly green (like when perfume has green notes?), and really gives a bit of luxury to the whole experience. While it is perfectly lightweight for the summer, I imagine that this moisturizer will be hydrating enough to use during the cold winter months as well. At $47 for a 50mL tub, this moisturizer lasted me about a month when used both morning and night. It's definitely not a cheap product, but I really like to just go to town with slathering my skin in this, so if you use it a bit more sparingly, I imagine it could last you much longer.