Nerdy Review : ZA Perfect Action Mascara

Are you looking for a new mascara? Mine dried out totally and wanted to get one before GST so I rushed to the drugstore and randomly picked up one without doing any sort of researches like I always do. #yolo

ZA has 3 different types of mascara : Normal, Waterproof & Smudge-proof. In a normal occasion I would choose the waterproof version over anything else but since there was a Smudge-proof version, I knew I had to give it a go! So before I provide my verdict, have a look at the pictures below for a little idea of how it looks on my lashes. [My left eye, your right]

ONE COAT

TWO COATS

THREE COATS

As you can tell from the pictures above, this mascara provides a good amount of volume without clumping and also separates them pretty evenly. Since I don't fancy spidery long lashes and prefers a voluminous yet subtle look, this is right up my alley. However, you won't be able to see my curled top lashes unless I tilt my head slightly back/upwards. *sighs*

This happens to most volumising mascara as the fibers tend to weigh the lashes down. This ZA mascara isn't as heavy as what I've tried since it has a drier formula but still...the fibers. I've been testing this out for about a week now and it didn't smudge on me! On the packaging, ZA claims that this mascara could be removed by just using warm water. Well, I didn't test the validity of such claim but its definitely very easy to remove given the long staying power. I often use a specific eye makeup remover to get rid of my waterproof mascara but for this one, Bioderma will do! 

Hint: Bioderma is an extremely gentle makeup remover that is good for the face and skin.

Will definitely finish up this tube of mascara. Overall, its a good one but can't say its fantastic. For everyday use it works well but since I prefer a better 'hold', I think I'll move on to other mascaras. You know, explore and try something new :) Before I end my lengthy and effort-ful blogpost, I shall clearly state my verdict on this product. If you are interested, I bought mine at Watsons Malaysia, paid RM33.95.

Pros

Volumising

Longlasting

Affordable 

Nice Packaging

Separates lashes

Does not clump

No flaking

Easy to remove

Cons

Does not hold a curl :c

What are your thoughts? Do you have a mascara that you love? Share in the commenst below! I would love to know. Have a nice day <3

p/s #thankgodforthenaturalmorningsunshine #100thblogpost

Umbrella Your Skin

I wonder am I the only one who haven't started using Sunscreen yet? Since I have been struggling with skin issues since 2 years back, venturing on different sunblocks and protecting them from the sun was not my main concern. I have very sensitive and easily clogged pores so the act of trying out sunblocks scares me. Even though sunblocks nowadays are Oil-Free (Whats shown on the bottle), certain ingredients can cause reaction to sensitive skin still.

Since my skin has been stabilizing recently, I decided to try out these 2 sunscreens that are said to be good for people with sensitive skin. The first one on the run would be the Soap n Glory Make Yourself Youthful Sunshield Superfluid. As you can see in the picture below, it has SPF 50 with surreal descriptions on the box :)

The packaging of Sunshield Superfluid reminds me of the Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua Foundation. Sleek and compact. The lightweight plastic packaging and screw on lid makes it amazing for travelling. I have been using the Sunshield Superfluid for 4 days now and I can say that it has changed.My.Life.

This sunshield is slightly runny and liquidy. When its smoothed out on the skin, it gets slightly sticky. Don't fear because its in a good way :) Literally feels like a thicker moisturizer. In the morning, I apply a generous layer of this after moisturizing my skin. Instantly, my face looks glowy and healthy. You can leave it this way but occasionally I slap on some cc cream to even out my skin tone. A point to note is that since the sunscreen itself is flesh tone, it did not change the colour of my face. Which is my pet peeve because nobody needs to know that you're wearing sunscreen :/ I personally think that this product is good for men as well. Pretty much unisex.

Makeup applies smoothly and sits nicely on top of it no doubt. Its weird how a sunscreen double up as a primer. After testing this out for 4 day, I noticed my pores looking noticeably smaller. Besides that, it is also oil controlling. [If I were to use 6 sheets of blotting sheets daily, with this product, only 3 is required. Thumbs up! ]

Wait! I have not even mentioned the best part yet. This sunscreen does not clog my pores! It actually lightened my scars too T_T I'm sold. Shut up and take my money. hahaha :D

Left: Laneige Sunblock Sensitive SPF 30+    Right: Soap n Glory Sunshield Superfluid SPF 50+

Just a comparison, could you see why have I been hesitating from trying the Laneige Sunblock even though I got this since last September? The consistency and the color of the sunblock scares me. It takes alot of effort to 'rub' the product into the skin and the product feels too thick & heavy for our weather. Even after spending minutes massaging the sunscreen into the skin, I could still feel a layer of 'cream' sitting on my skin = =' And if you observe closely, the Laneige Sunblock has a tinge of blue-ness in it. This is what that will cause a flashback/white cast in flash photography. In other words, Casper face.

Laneige Sunblock Sensitive SPF 30+                25000won/50ml [approx rm83 ]
Soap n Glory Sunshield Superfluid SPF 50+     £ 15/30ml [approx rm85] Update: Rm120 at Sephora Malaysia

*Note: The price point for SnG is higher given it is 20ml lesser than Laneige. :c By the way, I believe you can find the SnG Sunshield at Sephora Malaysia. If you are interested in getting it, let me know if you want a 10% off <3

Anyhow, I will continue to put this on a test and perhaps give the Laneige one a go ;p Are there any sunscreens out there that you love? Please recommend! Happy Thursday!

Nerd Reviews : Soap n Glory The Fab Pore

If you spend 80% if your time in Sephora, half of your bank account on skincare bits and is always on the hunt for 'better' products to improve your skin? Then you are like me. :p

Scouted around in Sephora for about 1 hour last April (yes, it was a serious deal haha) and saw 'The Fab Pore' on the shelf. I knew I had to get it. As at that point of time, the deep pore cleansing masks I had were too stripping and drying for my skin. So I was in need of a pore cleansing mask that doesn't make my face feel naked. Currently running on my 2nd pot and its halfway down already! The previous pot lasted me for a full 8 months.

Before I start to tell more about this product, I have to let you know my skin condition. It is dry/combination, extremely sensitive and gets clogged easily. I do get shiny throughout the day but definitely not Oily.

 'The Fab Pore' has a minty smell and a cooling sensation when its on the skin. Texture wise, its smooth and thick with tiny little beads in it. To be honest, I use this almost every other day because I love it that much. My skin feels clean, smooth and less irritated. Skin definitely improves after every application. Miracle happens in the product itself and not really contributed by the tiny beads in it. The packaging is lovely. It comes in a thick plastic pot which makes it easier for travelling in comparison to a glass pot. The lid closes tight enough for the product to not dry out. Even said so, I prefer if it came in a tube rather than a pot.

I don't exfoliate daily but when I do, the mask works noticeably better. I have repurchased and will definitely do so until I find something better. The price point of this is not cheap I would say. But in comparison to the Glamglow YouthMud Mask, this is a steal. I've tried the YouthMud mask before but for that ridiculous price, I expected a heck lot more than what I got.

If you are interested, I bought mine at Sephora for RM100/50ml

Happy Monday People <3

Nerd Reviews : Laneige Light Balance Emulsion

Laneige Balancing Emulsion in the 'Light' formula is formulated for people with combination and sensitive skin. Its a simple and gentle moisturizer with a barely there scent.

Been testing this baby out for almost 2 months now so its time for a little nerdy review. Lets get straight into the point shall we? I like this moisturizer. A lot. Perhaps even more than my Kiehl's Ultra Gel Cream Moisturizer! It is thicker than any ordinary moisturizer but has a runnier texture than a gel moisturizer. Therefore the word 'emulsion' haha :/

The reason why I prefer this than the latter is because my skin stays moisturized longer, makeup applies more flawlessly, texture is so light that its so comfortable to have it on and it doesn't clog my pores at all. Not even a tiny bit which gives it an extra thumbs up.

In the daytime, I use this on its own and then pair this up with my Kiehl's midnight recovery concentrate in the night time. Brought this whole regime to a dryer & colder climate to test it out and oh boy...it was wonderful!! As at currently, my complexion and skin condition is still improving as the week clock ticks :) I use 1 1/2 pump on an average application and at this point of time I'm not even halfway through yet. Good news because it's gonna last me till Feb fau sure <3

Will I repurchase? Yes for sure. But in the meanwhile, I'm trying out the La Roche Posay Toleriane Ultra Legere Moisturizer hand in hand. You know, just putting it into test. Will keep you updated :)

Nerdy Review : 3CE Blotting Papers

The 3CE blotting papers consists of 60 sheets with a rm12.00 price tag. Bought mine from Luxola with a discount as per usual as its my favourite site to get beauty products :) I admit that initially I was very hesitant to try this out because I was in a happy relationship with my Daiso blotting sheets so didn't find a need to try out anything new.

As you can see in the picture above, 3CE has smaller and slimmer blotting sheet size in comparison to the Daiso ones. After using this for about a month now, I can finally conclude that......I love my Daiso ones more than the fancy 3CE blotting sheets!

Why is it so? 3CE requires a longer 'hold' on the skin in order to provide a good enough sebum absorption. In which I find it slightly disturbing as I normally blot in public and it's weird holding a piece of purple sheet on my forehead = =' Actually it wouldn't be an issue to those who blot in the washroom but for me it was quite inconvenient. Besides, the oil absorption ability was a little too good for my liking. This might sounds insane but I do prefer a little shine left behind and not so dry looking. For people who gets really really oily throughout the day, this will go up to your alley :)

Btw, the Daiso ones has 200 sheets in it with a humble price tag. So that's it for this post! I'm gonna run some errands and prepare myself for the upcoming posts! Byeee!

Nerdy Review : Naturals by Watsons Argan Oil Shampoo

This shampoo claims to repair damaged hair and maintain the moisture balance of your hair, leaving it clean and more manageable. 5 in 1 formula : Nourish, Detangle, Smooth Frizz, Damage Repair and Strengthen. After using this shampoo for a week now, I can finally provide my view and thoughts on this product.

The reason why I purchased this was because of the fact that Luxola doesn't ship L'Oreal EverSleek to Malaysia anymore and Watsons Malaysia took it off the shelf months back. Basically, access to my favorite product was really limited. So I was determined to find a substitute for my holy grail shampoo. The Naturals range of products from Watsons doesn't contain Parabens, Mineral Oil, Silicone, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate and Colorant, which is very similar to the L'Oreal EverSleek. Hair doesn't feel as smooth but I feel better without those ingredients.

In the shower, this shampoo lathers up nicely. It has a faint citrus-y lemony scent which I don't really fancy but it doesn't bother me much. In the rinse, hair feels straight and tangle free. Hair and scalp feels squeaky clean but not drying at all. And surprisingly after I shower, hair air dries faster than before!

Now to the main part of the review. How does it feel and look like when hair its totally dry? Hair feels lightweight and strong. Besides, hair doesn't get greasy easily as well. +1 brownie point :) Overall, hair looks slightly more airy and voluminous than before. Good news for people with flat and heavy hair but for me its a little too much.

Why didn't I rate this as high as my EverSleek? It's because my hair doesn't look as 'tamed' as what it used to be. Hair started to look slightly frizzy & messy by the end of the day. It could also be that my hair is getting longer and needs to be trimmed haha :/

This is not at all a bad product. It is close enough to my L'Oreal EverSleek but not as good. I will continue to use this shampoo until I can get my hands on EverSleek. Everything is fine, just that it doesn't keep my frizz at bay as long as I want it to.

                     EverSleek   Watsons Argan Oil
Price(Rm)           29.90              21.90
Volume(ml)          250               490

Hey lovelies, Real Life Nerd has moved to www.vivienekok.com. We think you will love it. 

See you there :)

Nerd Reviews : L'Oreal Butterfly Waterproof Mascara

Finally I'm giving this Mascara an honorable blog post. I bought mine at Olive Young in Seoul because at that point of time, Malaysia didn't stock it yet and echemist.com sells the non-waterproof version only. Good news for all Malaysians because it is now available at any Watsons and priced at Rm49 after discount.

The Butterfly mascara has a rather fat packaging, a weird wonky rubber wand and also a slightly wet formula. To be honest, I was worried because wetter formula tends to weigh my lashes, making them droopy. Generally, mascara works better after being opened for 1 month. This is because the formula and texture of the mascara will dry up a tad bit, making it  less heavy for the lashes. However, this one worked wonders on my lashes the first day I used it!

Initially, the famous and unconventional wand intimidated me because I have Asian eyes and the wand looked a little too sharp and huge for small eyeballs! :) But after several uses, I find the wand wonderful because it's shaped in a way to catch all of our tiny outer lashes and make them flutter out like a Butterfly. 

In terms of removability, the product do need a little more effort to remove. I use an oil based eye makeup remover from skin food. Just soak a cotton pad and place it on my eyeballs for about 10-15 secs in order to remove the product entirely. Since I use waterproof mascara most of the time, I'm okay with the time spent.

This mascara provides sufficient volume and length to the lashes. Most importantly, it doesn't smudge on me! Definitely the best one I've tried so far. If you see me with 'smokey' eyes one day, 100% I'm not wearing this. 

I snapped a few pictures of me with the mascara on so that you can see how the mascara works on me. 

Fresh Lashes

One coat of L'Oreal Butterfly Mascara

Two coats of L'Oreal Butterfly mascara

No bottom lash mascara

Bottom lashes coated with Clinique lash power

Its not easy & comfortable to take a picture that close...at least for me. But what other ways to show damn lashes right? I will definitely repurchase this mascara in the future! But in the meanwhile, I'm eye-ing on a mascara from Tarte :p

By the way, the best shot of my life is below. Gotta sacrifice for my blog. =/ Don't laugh.