Review | Mamonde Rose Water Toner & Toner Pad

Hydrating toners are currently my favourite steps in my daily skincare routines as it is a huge part of my therapeutic self-care ritual where I would be layering my hydrating toners; sometimes with numbers of different hydrating toners but most of the times, I would be using a single toner and apply 3 to 7 times depending on the hydrating power of the toner itself or simply how dry my skin at that point of the day.

MAMONDE ROSE WATER TONER

Product Description Rose Water Toner contains 90.97% Rose water,with soothing and moisturising effects, offering greater hydration with each swipe on skin:

• Building a water-based moisture barrier on the skin
• Exceptional soothing and moisturising effects of the Damask Rose
• Formulated without 7 ingredients - Free of animal ingredients, mineral oil, polyacrylamide, imidazolidinyl urea, triethanolamine, silicone oil, synthetic colour.

How to Use: After cleansing, take appropriate amount of the product onto cotton pad and wipe across the face, from inner to outward of facial area. Tap the skin lightly to let the excess absorbed into skin nice and even. Capacity: 250ml

Ingredients List:
Damask Rose Extract (90.97%), Butylene Glycol, Propanediol, 1,2-Hexanediol, PEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Acrylate/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Tromethamine, Ethylhexylglycerin, Disodium EDTA, Fragrance, Purified Water, Sucrose, Prunus Mume Fruit Rosehip Fruit Extract, Indole Acetic Acid.

PACKAGING

 

As you can see in the above photos, the product comes in that transparent pink plastic bottle. There's no English product description nor label sticker so all the information you need is in the section above and there is a product expiry date printed at the bottom of the bottle with the format being YYYYMMDD (Year-Month-Day).

 

The product doesn't come with a pump or anything; just a simple cap with seal that needs to be removed before using and with the small hole at the cap, I'd say it's easy to dispense the toner whether on cotton pads or your palm. I'd recommend for you to decant into smaller bottle if you were to travel with this one or even better, a spray bottle as you can surely use this toner as facial mist.

APPLICATION

 

The product has a watery texture which is quickly absorbed into the skin and I know the scent is quite overwhelming for some but for me, none whatsoever plus I love the rosy scents; good thing that it doesn't irritate my skin or anything.

THOUGHTS

I find this toner is simply hydrating and thanks to its lightweight watery texture, I have been using it a lot in both of my morning and evening skincare routines. I am optimising it's usage by layering the toner 3 to 7 times in the morning and then followed up with applying my daily serum, lightweight moisturiser and physical or tone-up sunscreen of the day.

At night, I always apply this toner after my exfoliating Glycolic Acid; alpha hydroxy acid (AHA)-containing toner to simply hydrate my skin because I find my skin tends to feel even drier if I don't pile on layers of hydrating products on top. Also, it's actually even better when I add soothing toner on top of this and that's how I gather the ultimate trio to treat my dehydrated flaky facial area.

MAMONDE ROSE TONER PAD

• Product Description

Cotton pads soaked in Rose Water Toner that can be used as a toner or a sheet mask.

• Soothing, moisturising effects of Damask Rose Water. The brand have picked damask roses that were grown in morning dew to deliver soothing and moisturising effects to the skin.
• Long-lasting moisture barrier. Goes on light on the skin without stickiness and creates a moisture barrier for long-lasting hydration.
• Formulated without 7 ingredients - Free of animal ingredients, mineral oil, polyacrylamide, imidazolidinyl urea, triethanoamine, silicone oil, synthetic colour.

How to Use: Use the toner pad as a mask!

• Take out the pads and leave on the cheeks, forehead, chin, and other spots like a sheet mask. Remove after 10~15 minutes and lightly tap on the residue to absorb.
• When used instead of cleansing in the morning or as a toner, wipe across the face following the flow of skin texture and lightly tap on the residue to absorb.
• Leave the pads on the face while drying hair or applying lip & eye makeup. Remove the pads and then apply base makeup for an effective use.

Capacity: 40 pads, 80ml

Ingredients list:

Damask Rose Extract (90.97%), Butylene Glycol, Propanediol, 1,2-Hexanediol, PEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Acrylate/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Tromethamine, Ethylhexylglycerin, Disodium EDTA, Fragrance, Purified Water, Sucrose,  Prunus Mume Fruit Rosehip Fruit Extract, Indole Acetic Acid.

PACKAGING

 

As you can see on the above photos, the product comes in that pink tub with screw lid. There’s simplified Korean product description at the side of the tub and there is a product expiry date printed at the bottom of the tub and the format is YYYYMMDD (Year-Month-Date).

If you're familiar with regular daily sheet masks from AmorePacific brands like Innisfree, the sheet is similar to the sheets of the sheet masks; thin, perforated and can hold the liquid in it for about 10 to 15 minutes, provided that you're not sitting under a fan or it'll dry out even quicker.

 

Single pad is actually quite big as it covers my cheeks area rather sufficiently and adheres well onto my facial area too. As the pad is quite thin and if you feel the toner pad is rather insufficient you can simply add more toner of your choice by pouring directly onto the sheet in small amount.

For hygienic reason, do not try to recycle the pad as I'm pretty sure the pads are merely for single use only.

THOUGHTS

Having both products in my skincare collection is great! While the bottled toner serves its whole purpose to hydrate my dehydrated normal to oily skin in this hot and humid weather, the toner pad however is simply a convenient or at some point, a luxury for me because every time I use the toner pad, I keep on adding more toners after 10 minutes or so. Now that I'm halfway through the tub, I am definitely sure that I would rather getting actual rose daily sheet masks compared to this as I can source compressed sheet mask from drugstore myself these days.

Bottom line, definitely get the toner because it nicely hydrates the skin and you can use it as simple toner after cleansing, toner masks even as liquid medium if you were to mix it with powder wash-off masks for example clay masks and by mixing hydrating toner like this with it, you can still get a little bit of hydration while letting the clay ingredients pulling out all the impurities off your skin.


I guess that's all from me and I hope this review helps you to choose which of the five that you want to pick up or try next. Let me know your thoughts by leaving comments down below. Annyeong~

Review | Shu Uemura Anti/Oxi+ Pollutant & Dullness Clarifying Cleansing Oil

There are many type of makeup removers out there; from cleansing wipes, micellar waters, oil-based cleansers, etc but for me, I would go for cleansing oils mostly as I use waterproof sunscreens (and mascara) and cushion foundations on daily basis. During travels, I will be opting for oil-based cleansing wipes for convenience but for everyday use, I would prefer to use cleansing oils or sometimes cleansing balms which are basically oil-based cleansers too. 

These days, there are a lot of beauty brands releasing their own cleansers but when it comes to cleansing oil, Shu Uemura is the first brand to launch cleansing oils in Japan back in the 60s so when I finally got the chance to invest a little bit more for a makeup remover, I decided to get my first bottle of this Anti/Oxi+ Pollutant & Dullness Clarifying Cleansing Oil. So first things first, let's go to some basic information on the product.

Product Description:

• Empowered with a unique green trio, the new generation green cleansing oil is designed to eliminate micro-sized pollutants such as PM2.5 as well as protein stains.
• It effortlessly removes makeup including waterproof mascara and long-lasting lipstick, leaving no residue while protecting skin's moisture veil.
• Dull look is reduced resulting is refined, supple and youthful radiant skin.

Highlighted ingredients:

• Papaya extract known to contain papaya protease, a powerful yet gentle exfoliator to polish away protein stains.
• Green tea extract known for its antioxidant properties.
• Moringa extract known for its anti-pollution properties.

How to Use:

Dispense 3 to 4 pumps of cleansing oil onto dry palms

Gently smooth over the face.

Wet the face to emulsify the cleansing oil.

Rinse thoroughly with lukewarm water.

Capacity: 150ml - about 3 to 4 months of daily use.

Ingredients list: 

Zea mays, Ethylhexyl palmitate, Isopropyl Myristate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Polybutene, Polyglyceryl-10 Dioleate, Polyglyceryl-6 Dicaprate, Polyglyceryl-2 Oleate, Phenoxyethanol, Limonene, Isopropyl Lauroyl Sarcosinate, Dicaprylyl Ether, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Tocopherol, Linalool, Glycine Soja Oil, Glyceryl Stearate Citrate, Glycerin, Aqua, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Moringa Pterygosperma Seed Extract, Disodium Phosphate, Citric Acid, Carica Papaya Extract, Potassium Sorbate, Parfum.

  

The cleansing oil comes in its own box and as with most anti-pollution products that I'm familiar about, it is in that pretty green colour. On the side of the box, there are product information printed in Japanese, English, French, Chinese even Korean. That's so amazing in my opinion, as expected from premium brands.

  

The product is housed within that sleek and sturdy bottle. Turn it horizontally and you can find product information and instruction on the bottle too. The pump is unlike your typical pumps as you can actually turn it to open or close it so this is a great feature especially when I'm travelling domestically; I would just pack this into my toiletries bag without the worry it might spill or decant into smaller bottle even.

APPLICATIONS

As I have mentioned earlier, I always go for cleansing oils to remove heavy waterproof makeup products therefore I'm going to show you guys how this cleansing oil works with some of the toughest waterproof makeup I have in my stash; black mascara, matte liquid lipstick, liquid eyeshadow tint and cushion foundation.

This cleansing oil is considerably light in texture with a slight scent to it which doesn't bother me at all and definitely non-irritating to my skin.

 

I've dispensed some of the product directly onto the makeup (without adding water to it), usually 3 to 4 pumps for my whole facial area and gently massage my skin in circular motion for several minutes or until all the makeup melted off with it; the oil changes colour once it's mixed with the makeup. There is no need to roughly rub my skin in the effort of melting off the stubborn makeup and just let the oil works its way.

Then, add some water to emulsify the oil; forming the milky oil in water which can remove both oil and water-soluble impurities in a single step.

THOUGHTS

As you can see in the above photo, all trace of makeup is gone! Up to having this product in my cleansing routine, none of my oil-based cleansers actually have the ability to remove the most stubborn liquid eyeshadow and I usually left with blue dye around my area for days before it is gone on its own. Excellent cleansing job!

Overall, I give this product 5/5. I just had to! It works so well, easy and quick. I must admit that after practicing double cleansing for years now, I am having doubts when it comes to ditching my second water-based cleansers but after awhile, I'm getting used to just using this cleansing oil to thoroughly remove my makeup of the day; oftenly take a bit extra time to rinse it off with lukewarm water. My skin feels fresh, clean in a good way; no pulling or tightening and I have never seen any visible impurities on my cotton pad after running it across my facial area with toner.

Shu Uemura offers several different cleansing oils and all are suitable for all skin types. The reason I chose this cleansing oil as the first one from the brand is because I'm always exposed to dirts and debris whenever I'm outdoor; just one of the common challenges living in the city but you can surely pick one that suits your concerns and needs.

I guess that's all from me and I hope this review helps you to choose which of the several variants of cleansing oil that you want to pick up or try next. Let me know your thoughts by leaving comments down below. Annyeong~

Beauty Empties | Sheet Masks 9.0

I guess the caption space for a single post on Instagram isn't much to begin with so that's why I'm going to keep updating my empties for sheet masks here. Anyway, for this quarter; July till this month of September, I've used a total of 66 sheet masks! Yay!

First thing first, let's go to sheet masks that I've used for morning skincare routine where I would prefer to use simple hydrating sheet masks and black charcoal sheet masks to help with moisture and sebum-control.

These are some basic My Real Squeeze Masks from Innisfree. There are 3 types; water-type, serum-type and cream type and I love the water-type the most as the thin sheet complements the essences in the so well. 

I bought the whole box for all 3 Oozoo Bear Masks from the brand The Oozoo. The essence is actually in the transparent bubble and needed to be popped into the masks and spread even before putting onto facial area. Unfortunately, i don't find these as hydrating as I'd expect them to be so after finishing them all hopefully next month, I won't be repurchasing them again.

I'm so impressed with these Annie's Way Secret Garden Masks. The sheet is charcoal black and helps with sebum controlling and purifying but these moisturise my skin so well afterwards. I do love them and definitely will be repurchasing some more.

Another charcoal black masks are those 3 from My Beauty Diary. I do love their black sheets as they adhere so well onto facial area. I love the Moisturising the most! I bought all those in whole box of 5 each and there are still some that left to be used. I've tried the cooling mask also from the brand but I think I got it from a friend and it's actually not available in Malaysia.

Next are these 2-step masks from common labs. I really like these as they moisturise so well  with ample of ampoules and essences especially Vitamin E that soothe my skin as well. I'll repurchase these from Althea soon.

Senka Malaysia sent these 3 sheet masks for review on Beauty Memo by Hermo and I'm so glad for discovering the supposedly new Soothing White! Although the brightened up effect lasts temporarily, the hydrating and soothing effect is very nice on skin so I recently bought a whole box of 7 from Sasa. 

Some random Taiwanese masks that were given to me; the HerbaLine mask that I got from local spa here in Kota Kinabalu. It's nice but just average to me. As for that Hey! Pinko Girl Triple HA Seaweed Collagen Moisturising Mask however is actually feels really good on skin but the ingredients are bit low in quality with different kinds of preservatives in it. That was the first Neogence mask that I've tried and the moisturising effect is actually quite good! Still got some more before repurchasing.

Now, let's go to sheet masks that I've used for my evening skincare routine!

Thanks to a fellow K-beauty skincare enthusiast, I've discovered these sheet masks from Wonjin Effect. These are probably the best ones I've tried in years since Mediheal and Leaders. the sheet adherence is amazing and the ampoules are great for my my currently dehydrated skin. Love them and I've already repurchased their whole boxes from local sheet mask reseller, Mask.Have.

I bought these Illiyoon; hanbang (oriental) brand from South Korea through an Instagram reseller and there are several variants that I've got but so far I like the Lotus and Cameliia ones the most but I don't think I'll be repurchasing again as it's quite expensive to be sourced from Seoul directly.

Of course, you would be seeing this coming! I really do like these Mediheal sheet masks and only have few left in my sheet mask stash. These work so well with my skin as they moisturise, brighten and soothe my skin so well! I'll repurchase when there's a sale in Sasa or Watsons.

 I've received a box of the moisturising anti-wrinkle sheet masks from HelloSkin and actually quite like it! The sheet adheres greatly on skin and the essence is very moisturising although the scent for these is quite overpowering. The brand is now available on Wynora.com so definitely do check them out!

You guys know this, my most prized sheet masks from B.Liv, bio-cellulose sheet masks that comes in 3 variants. These days I'm loving the Soothe Me Now the most but I'm down with the last couple of box of it and I'm sad that the brand is discontinuing this mask line. As for the regular sheet mask on the left, I'm still trying several other variants before reviewing them so do stay tuned.

Now as for these masks from SexyLook that I've got from fellow sheet mask addicts on Instagram are great in terms of result as they hydrate well but the one in black packaging however irritated my skin so bad I thought maybe the first one I've used a faulty one then decided to put on another that's when the irritation got worst and that's when both masks got thrown into the bin.

I've always been curious about the brand Acwell but after trying the sheet masks, I found these unimpressive at all so I no longer curious. I know the toner is raved a lot even on Instagram but I guess I'm gonna pass their masks.

 It's really hard but these sheet masks from Forencos are expiring next month so I've used up both masks and finally say goodbye to Song Joongki oppa but I guess, it's hard for Song Hyekyo unnie too. >.< The masks are great but it's goodbye now. haha so dramatic!

I'm sad that my favourite masks from THE FACE SHOP are being discontinued - those from Mask.Lab line as only the lifting ones that are available in the store right now. I still have a lot more of their basic Real Nature masks and am loving most of them especially that Calendula mask. 

The above is actually bunch of masks that I've got to try once and after only first try, i decided to purchase the whole box of that Shangpree mask. It's so soothing and the sheet is amazing, I'm telling you guys. I'd be repurchasing them again for sure!

What about you guys? have you tried sheet masking? Let me now in the comment box down below. I guess that's all of it and I'll be seeing you guys on my next post!

Beauty Empties 22.0 | September

Another quarter of this year then we're entering the second decade of this century, I've been thinking a lot on so many variable things like where my life is going to be on the next one? Okay, too heavy so here we are at another empties post; featuring products that I've finished between July till this month of September! I'm going to talk about the sheet masks that I've used throughout this quarter on my next post so do stay tuned for that. 

Let's go to the cleansers, first!

Finally, I've finished that Bifesta Eye & Lip Makeup Remover after more than 12 months! I do know it's over the supposed PAO but I don't see any change; scent nor its consistency and my easily sensitised eyelids aren't reacting to it so I just kept on using it. Because I actually really like the product, I have repurchased another bottle for it!

I'm going to admit here that I didn't finished the makeup wipes above to remove my makeup as I've been using it a lot to remove swatches as I've did lots of makeup swatches the past few months. It's good and quite affordable but I already have others that I would prefer more.

For second water-based cleansers, I've finished that Heimish All Clean White Clay Foam but I didn't use the whole lot of it on my face because it's so drying so I've used it as body cleanser instead. Even so, I needed to moisturise my body afterwards as it turned out so no, I'm not going to repurchase the cleanser again.

I've finished my second tube of that THE FACE SHOP White Seed Exfoliating Foam around last month but this too, I've used up as body cleanser as it's too foamy and dried out my face afterwards. Won't be repurchasing again.

The third cleanser that I've finished is that pretty Fresh Soy Face Cleanser in its jumbo 200ml-sized tube and I love it very much indeed; used the the whole tube within 6 months and that's actually something! In fact, I'm into gel cleansers now because they don't dry out my skin unlike those high-pH cleansers at the very least. I'm already on my second jumbo tube - 20th anniversary version of the cleanser.

For special care category, I've used up both of Althea Real Fresh Skin Detoxer in Green Tea and Rose around last month and already opened my backups. They can a bit drying so I only take small amount of it usually in my morning skincare routine.

Now, let's go to first treatments and toners!

Finished the very first bottle of that LANEIGE Clear C Advanced Effector EX (3rd generation) and quite frankly, I don't really noticed the difference between this and the 2nd generation of the product. I always use this product as the first step after cleansing by pumping out at least 3 times and wipe my facial area outwards. I absolutely love this product as it helps maintaining my skin from being dull and it provides vitamins that help boosting the rest of my skincare. I still have another 2 bottles to finish before opening the new 4th generation bottle!

Technically, I didn't finished the whole bottle of that Heimish Refresh Water; my brother used half of it and I took the other half and poured into a tub to pre-soak some rounded Sephora pads. This exfoliating toner is kind of mild to me but I think it's good for beginners and as it's similar to Son&Park Beauty Water, I don't use this product everyday.

For hydrating toners, I've finished the first bottle of that LANEIGE Cream Skin Refiner that I've got for review on Beauty Memo by Hermo back in April and I have to say, I do love it, bought one bottle from LANEIGE Official Flagship store on Lazada and 5 more bottles from Althea as they were having sales at the time. I'm currently halfway through my second bottle as I'm so into layering it!

For essence-like toners, I've finished the Pyunkangyul Essence Toner which hydrates so well and I'm already on my second bottle in 200ml size. I love this especially for toner masks during midday. As for that Kayman Beauty Rosa Glow Treatment Essence, I really like it as it helps fading my acne scars so I've got another 2 bottles as they're having sale and I've already reviewed it on my Instagram so just scrolled down further or you can use #myrabeautyreviews for it.

Finished the first bottle of that Rejoice Hijab Perfection Perfume and its 3-in-1 Perfect Conditioning sister that I've got during their launching event back in April. Here to report that I've already bought another bottle of the shampoo along with its Cool sister but not the conditioner as I still have others to go through before getting a new one. Both shampoos are great and give long-lasting scents to my hair.

As for after-washing care, I've used up my first bottle of that Innisfree Camellia Essential Hair Oil Serum and gladly opened another bottle with new packaging as the brand changed their logo. No change made to the formula so all is good!

I guess that's all from me and I'll be seeing you guys on my next post that I've scheduled tomorrow! Annyeong~