Description: Ultra creamy yet refreshingly lightweight makeup goes beyond flaw fixing, acting as an undercover moisture agent for a dewy look. Disguises unevenness. Instantly comforts drier skins. Skin looks soft, radiant all day.

I was hunting around for a foundation a couple of months back and truthfully, I had really wanted the Dior Nude foundation. However, as it costs $75, I thought I’d give something cheaper a fair shot first as I had to keep to a strict budget at that time. Anyhow, in lieu of my recent love affair with all things Clinique, I trudged over to Clinique and the SA there introduced me to this Supermoisture Makeup Foundation, a foundation meant for my skin type.

She provided me with a week’s worth of sample for me to try and having samples of both Dior Nude and Clinique Supermoisture Makeup in hand, I went home and tested both products out throughout the next few weeks until both supplies were depleted. Despite loving both products for similar and various reasons, due to budget considerations, I’ve decided to purchase the Supermoisture Makeup from Clinique for $48. There are about 15 shades all together for this foundation ranging from Very Fair to Olive Dark. The shade I purchased was Warm Caramel.

The texture of this foundation is very creamy though still smooth and lightweight to apply. Though it wonderfully provides moisture to the skin (which is amazing!), it does not feel heavy on the skin at all. It also absorbs quickly and produces a nice and dewy finish as promised. The foundation smoothes nice and well onto my complexion making it look nicely made up in a just right sort of way – not too heavy and not too light either.

I pretty much only touch up on my T-zone slightly after lunchtime usually after almost 6 hours of using the product, which is pretty great!

Packaging-wise is just a simple tube and I dare say that this product will last for some time as I hardly need to use much of it although I apply this foundation on almost daily. It’s also easy to bring this with you when you travel as it is so small and compact and will definitely not spill or open up in your makeup bag.

If you look at the tube closely, you actually might be able to detect a teensy hint of shimmer which sort of helps highlight the face a bit making it look absolutely fresh and radiant!

This foundation has fared very well for me over autumn and winter. I’m hoping it’ll still be a good one for the upcoming scorching summer months in December to February.

I’d say that this is a great foundation for those with dry-combination skin and for those looking for mid-range coverage as this certainly isn’t a heavy foundation, neither is it light. However, the application can be built upon if you wish for heavier coverage. Personally, I feel it looks best applied light and in moderation.

I was certainly pleased with my purchase and would certainly recommend this if you have the same skin type as me.

Description: Alpha Keri Wash is a lathering soap free, liquid wash that is especially suitable for dry, sensitive skin. It lathers and rinses clean away without stinging, irritating or drying the skin. It is recommended for every day use on the face and body.

 

Features:

• Has pH of 5.5
• Fragrance Free / Lanolin Free / Hypo-Allergenic
• Non-Comedogenic
• Lathering / Soap free
• Package design – pump pack
• Choice of product size (200ml, 500ml, 1000ml)
• Shower / Bath Therapy
• Flexibility of usage
• Cleans thoroughly without stinging, irritating or drying

Benefits:

• Within pH range of normal skin
• Will not aggravate sensitive skin
• Will not block pores
• Suitable for dry, sensitive skin
• Effective and convenient cleanser for people with dry skin problems

Earlier this year, sometime when autumn hits Australia and the weather starts getting chilly and dry, my skin not only became drier, but it also became more sensitive and intolerant of fragrance and soap. I started itching and developing rashes and scaly skin all over my body whenever I used soap. After trying all sorts of different soaps, I began to realize that the thing I was intolerant to in my body wash was probably the soap component and quite possibly also the fragrance component.

The pharmacist also advised me that certain ingredients in those body washes I used were probably aggravating my situation and suggested I try a more hypo-allergenic range. She advised me to use Dermaveen, QV or Alpha Keri.

As Alpha Keri was on sale at the time, I decided to go with it. I purchased the 1 litre pump pack for $15, which was a bargain to me. This product contained SLS, but it probably only contains a teensy weensy bit of it, as it hardly foams up and is certainly not irritating to my skin at all.

The texture of this product is very light and nice to wash with. I’ve even used it as a face cleanser and I’d say it performs pretty well as both a face and body cleanser. However, I tend to be of the opinion that my body, hair and skin cleansers should all be kept separated, hence, my Alpha Keri is mainly used only for my body.

As soon as I started using the product, my rashes and scaly skin and itches all started disappearing one at a time, which is absolutely amazing. It cleanses well and is fragrance free.

I love the Alpha Keri Wash and would definitely consider repurchasing. Right now, I’m on a hunt for organic / natural / hypo-allergenic body care products and whilst Alpha Keri is definitely high on my list at the moment, I’d like to try the various body cleansers out there in the market first before deciding on which one’s the best one for my skin.

Description: Enriched with an advanced liquid silk formula, Schwarzkopf Extra Care Liquid Silk Shampoo and Conditioner create incredible shine by combining real silk essentials to deeply nourish and revitalise hair, leaving it with a silky smooth and sleek with brilliant shine.

One of my readers, Lynn, has requested that I do a review on this product. So here goes…:)

I went all out a few months back to cut down on my “beauty” expenses and I tried saving on hair care costs. As I have such naturally unruly hair, it’s been a hassle finding the perfect hair care regiment for my hair type, and when I do, the solution is often quite pricey. Since 6-7 years back, I’ve stopped using drugstore hair care all together and have been religiously purchasing salon brands and professional hair care system.

Anyhow, to cut a long story short, the GFC (Global Financial Crisis) hits, and I’ve decided to save a few pennies here and there wherever and whenever I can. I went round Priceline in pursuit of a drugstore shampoo and conditioner that will hopefully work miracles for my hair.

I picked Schwarzkopf as I figured that since they have a professional line which is pretty reasonable, their retail line might be reasonably acceptable as well. I was dead wrong. At first use, both shampoo and conditioner made my already “hard” hair harder. When I say “hard”, I really do mean coarse.

The texture of my hair is already coarse and this made it far, far worse. Forget about being able to comb it, even running through my hair with my fingers caused me to cringe. The shampoo made my hair squeaky to touch and manageability was seriously bad.

The fragrance was nice, although that is really something I’m not too concerned about as I personally prefer fragrance free products these days due to my increasing allergies to fragrance by the day.

The texture is nice and creamy, for both shampoo and conditioner. It even has a slight shimmer to it which looks absolutely beautiful.

I must say however that my hair has never been kind towards drugstore shampoos for some reason. I’ve tried them all – Sunsilk, Pantene, Dove, Vo5 and now Schwarzkopf. They never work on me, my hair is that fussy! So far, I’ve found Redken and Joico works best and more recently, Muk (which I’ll review in time to come). So for those of you with normal and less fussy hair types, please don’t take my word on this product as you may very well find this product good. I’ve read good reviews on them elsewhere, so they must work on some people, just not me. *sigh*

I ended up using both shampoo and conditioner as my makeup brush shampoo. At least my brushes smells great!

Description: Stress may damage the appearance of skin. You can confirm this yourself. When you’re stressed, skin often looks tired, lifeless.

Superdefense SPF25 Age Defense Moisturizer helps protect skin from aggressors such as sun and pollution that can surface as lines, wrinkles, uneven skin tone. Skin is better protected, moisture barrier is improved and skin looks more radiant and comfortable even when your environment is at its most stressful.

All so you can look better, longer.

I’ve just repurchased this moisturizer since the jar I’m on is almost finished after almost 5 months plus of using it. I purchased the Dry to Combination formula and this formula seems to suit my skin to perfection.

The texture of this moisturizer is quite thick and creamy, very emollient but the great thing is that it absorbs quickly. It’s not mattifying, but certainly does not add extra shine either. By far, this is one of the best sunscreen moisturizers I’ve ever used and I intend to stick to this in my regime. This moisturizer sinks well into my skin and leaves it feeling absolutely velvety soft.

This year, I am no longer trying to try different products everytime I deplete a jar or bottle of skincare item. I am all out this year to find the best products that suit my skin and once I’ve found them, I intend to stick to it for a while, maybe a few years and see if using the ‘chosen’ regiment reaps benefits for my skin. All these while, I’ve never stuck to a program and have always changed it to my whim and fancy upon finishing each and every product. Now that I’m nearing the big three-oh, I thought a consistent regiment might be better as opposed to a constantly changing one.

Anyway, back to Clinique’s Superdefense Moisturizer.

As a product meant for use under makeup, it has not caused any problems to my skin or in preparing my skin to be made up. Skin feels smooth and dewy, nicely moisturized and fresh after putting this on. The moisturizer hydrates well and seems to be good for my skin.

I’ve tried this on top of Clinique’s DDML and on it’s own. I think that for my skin, using it on top of the DDML is great for winter when it’s drier, but certainly for spring and summer, I’d use it on it’s own as it is fairly thick in consistency.

As this is an antioxidant moisturizer and is quite expensive at $90 a jar, I thought of switching to Paula’s Choice Skin Recovery Moisturizer as it is also an antioxidant moisturizer for 1/3 the price. Unfortunately, after 2-3 days of using it, PC’s Moisturizer didn’t quite work on me as it didn’t seem to absorb well on my skin and I feel as though I have a thick gunk on my face which does not sink in at all.

On Strawberrynet, I can get this for $65 which is certainly a relief at least. For me, Clinique’s Superdefense provides all that I need in a day moisturizer: good sun protection, hydrating and basically a cream that will make my skin smooth and is absorbed well by my skin. I’ve certainly found my solution.