Review – Stratia Soft Touch AHA

Hi guys! It’s me! Your super-inconsistent blogger! Heh.. Anyway, I was just looking through my site and saw this post that I had reserved and saved way back in the year 2017! *inserts horror face emoji* Yup, so that’s why you see this product Stratia’s Soft Touch in its previous packaging! Anyway, I thought that since I had taken photos and have already finished this product, maybe I could give you guys a proper review. 

Ingredients

Water (Aqua), Mandelic Acid, Propylene Glycol, Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6, Panthenol, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Matricaria Recutita (Chamomile) Flower Extract, Glycerin, Sodium Hyaluronate, Allantoin, Sodium Hydroxide, Diazolidinyl Urea, Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate

How does the Stratia Soft Touch AHA fare?

Stratia’s Soft Touch AHA is claimed to be a hyper-gentle, highly effective exfoliant that sloughs off dead skin cells to help reveal smoother, clearer skin. Although AHAs are excellent in dissolving the intercellular “glue” between dead cells on the surface of your skin and revealing the smooth, bright skin underneath, many AHAs can also cause significant irritation and redness, especially to those with sensitive skin. However, the AHA included in this product (Mandelic Acid) is the exception. It is a much larger molecule than glycolic acid, so it doesn’t penetrate the skin as deeply and therefore causes significantly less irritation. Soft Touch AHA has 10% mandelic acid, along with skin-soothers like aloe, chamomile, and allantoin to give you bright, smooth skin with the least amount of irritation possible.

In a nutshell, Soft Touch AHA is a very gentle AHA product especially formulated for sensitive skins.

I usually use this product in the mornings straight after cleansing. True to its claims, it is very gentle and has never caused any stinging sensation to my skin. But guess what?! After a few weeks into using this product, my skin was the smoothest that it could ever be.. What kinda sorcery is this, Alli?? *Alli is the founder of Stratia Skin*

Anyway, to cut it short, I think that practically all skin types (except if you are truly super sensitive, then maybe do a patch test first?) can benefit from having this product in your skincare regime. In fact, I find that even on days when I use tretinoin, my skin is still able to tolerate this product. So if you are looking for an exfoliant but is scared to try one (just in case your face melts off), I think that this is a safe bet! 

Where can you find it?

You can purchase it from their official website. It retails at US$16 (50ml sized).

Review – Dr Jart Ceramidin Cream Mist

Hi guys, this is another long overdue post that I found in my “pending” folder from way back in May 2019.. ^_^” Anyway, this product is one that I found while browsing instagram back then and it was a new product at that point in time.. I had a hunch that I would like it since my skin really likes the Dr Jart Ceramidin range so I bought it online from Korea.. Since then, I think I had already gone through 3 to 4 bottles of this products so you might guess that I really do like it a fair bit! In fact, I think that Dr Jart’s ceramidin cream mist is the bomb!

So why do I like it?

Just take a look at the ingredients guys! It’s super hydrating, soothing and has loads of ceramides to repair my skin barrier. The mister itself is so very fine that it feels like a cloud of hydrating goodness descends on my skin whenever I use it. The product itself is a thin runny liquid that feels weightless on the skin. I love using this facial mist after I acid tone and it instantly soothes my skin, making it feel less of the stinging from the acid and I’m ready to go onto the next step. Major love for this product! Well done Dr Jart!

Review – MUN Skin Aknari Brightening Youth Serum

The bottle is a bit funky looking because I’ve almost finished using it! *sorry!*

Hi guys! I’m finally back after such a long hiatus! If you’re curious about why I was gone for so long, let me just tell you that so many things happened in 2018 that my head was left spinning. I got a new job, got pregnant with my second child and gave birth, and I also bought a new house. *Eeeee* Anyway, now that I’m back, I’ve got a review of a facial oil that I’ve been using for almost 6 months or more. Read on to find out more!

Ok.. Maybe 2018 didn’t leave my head spinning to this extent.. Lol..

I’ve always somehow been aware of the natural skincare brand MUN. Although I don’t really recall how I got to know this brand, their most famous product – Aknari Brightening Youth Serum, was always under my radar for one of the skincare products that I need to try at least once. However, its luxury pricing has always put me off and I already have too many unopened skincare products in my cupboard. But as fate would have it, I saw this product sold online for a very good price and immediately grabbed it. *Sometimes I really wonder if the law of attraction is indeed true. I always seem to attract whatever that I’ve been thinking of the most.*

The Aknari Brightening Youth Serum contains just the 3 ingredients that I’ve listed below:

Ingredients

Prickly Pear Seed Oil*, Argan Oil*, Rose Flower Essential Oil *Certified Organic

How does the MUN Skin Aknari Brightening Youth Serum fare?

MUN Skin’s Aknari Brightening Youth Serum claims to transform skin from lifeless to luminous. Prickly Pear Seed Oil is extremely rich in Linoleic Acid and super antioxidant Vitamin E. When combined with Argan Oil, the duo works wonders to smooth wrinkles, repair sun damage and lighten dark spots. Aknari Brightening Youth serum also soothes inflammation, brightens under-eye circles and stimulates collagen production. Rose Essential Oil is included to aid absorption and provide a heavenly scent. The synergy of these three elegant oils will leave your skin feeling soft and looking radiant.

As I’ve mentioned earlier, I’ve been using this oil for around 6 months and I’m almost at the end of it. From my deligent usage of this product, you might guess that I love it and you would be absolutely right! The thing is, I’ve got a very bad habit to confess… If I don’t like a product or find it pretty meh, I’ll not use it even if it is an expensive product. I know, I know.. You might be thinking that I’m such a money wasting person who doesn’t recognise the value of money but in my defense, I’m wasting my own money, ok guys?

Anyway, how do I love this oil? Let me count the ways…

1) The MUN Aknari oil is super duper hydrating. I know.. I was surprised to realise that despite it being an oil, it is really hydrating and totally not greasy at all.. In fact, this oil is slightly mattifying and even helps to prolong the freshness of my makeup. It just leaves my skin with a soft matte glow reminiscent of a makeup primer. I’m not exaggerating guys! It really does that despite it being a a facial oil with no silicones!

2) I love just how “inactive” it is. It is weird to say this but if you are a person like me who uses a lot of products with “actives” such as acids and retinol, sometimes you just want a simple product that works without further aggrevating your skin. If my skin is throwing a hissy fit or it is more reactive than usual, I know that this product will not make it worse. In fact, it will help to soothe and calm it down. It just works!

3) I love its musky rose scent. Now, don’t get me wrong, this product absolutely does not smell like perfume at all. In fact, it smells more of the earth that the roses were grown in (thanks to the inclusion of the prickly pear seed oil) than roses itself. But the smell has grown on me and I love it.

However, if you are expecting this product to lighten dark spots or eliminate wrinkles, I will be very honest and tell you that I didn’t experience any effects of that sort at all. To me, it is just a beautifully lightweight and hydrating facial oil that soothes and calms my skin. Sometimes, I guess that’s exactly what I need.

If you are wondering whether you need this product, I would say that if you don’t mind paying for a premium quality oil with all eco-certified organic ingredients, then go ahead and indulge. However, you can definitely get a good facial oil at a cheaper price. Just buy the best within your own budget.

It’s a beautiful lightweight oil that leaves your skin matte with a soft glow

Where can you find it?

If you are based in the US, you can purchase it from their official website, The Detox Market Online or Beauty Heroes Online. It retails at US$95 (20ml sized).

In Singapore, Living Naturally Co stocks this product. It retails at S$139 (20ml sized).

Thank you for reading!