Review – Jordan Samuel Skin The After Show Treatment Cleanser (PLIÉ)

Jordan Samuel’s PLIÉ cleanser is one of the products that I’ve been dying to try for the longest time. It is literally a staple in the Instagram beauty routines for all major skincare bloggers. Therefore, when Jordan Samuel skin was offering their Black Friday sets in November last year (2017), I immediately purchased their Active Collection set to try. The Active Collection includes a whole range of products that I’ve been wanting to try for the longest time.

The set includes the following products:

• Jordan Samuel Skin The After Show Treatment Cleanser (PLIÉ)
• Jordan Samuel Skin Hydrate Serum (used it before and love it! Full review here!)
• Jordan Samuel Skin The Performance Cream
• Jordan Samuel Skin étOILe with Retinol Treatment Oil

As usual, ingredients for the The After Show Treatment Cleanser are as below:

Ingredients

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Olea Europaea (Olive) Fruit Oil, Glycerin, Water, Sucrose Laurate, Propanediol, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Saccharum Officinarum (Sugarcane) Extract, Citrus Limon (Lemon) Fruit Extract, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Fruit Extract, Pyrus Malus (Apple) Fruit Extract, Camellia Sinensis (Green Tea) Leaf Extract, Symphytum Officinale (Comfrey) Rhizome/Root Extract, Anthemis Noblis (Chamomile) Flower Extract, Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract, Salix Nigra (Willow) Bark Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract, Mangifera Indica (Mango) Citrus Fruit Extract Blend, Simmodsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Seed Oil, Tocopheryl Acetate, Caprylhyroxamic Acid, Capryl Glycol

How does the Jordan Samuel Skin The After Show Treatment Cleanser (PLIÉ) fare?

The After Show Treatment Cleanser is a first step cleanser that utilises olive, jojoba, and grape seed oils to remove every trace of makeup (including hard to remove stage makeup). Additional ingredients such as sugarcane, apple and willow bark extracts provide a gentle exfoliation to leave the skin hydrated, soft and absolutely pristine. TLDR; it’s a makeup remover.

First of all, I need to mention the texture of this cleanser. When you squeeze the product out, it actually comes in a gel form. However, when you massage this gel onto your dry face (note: you must use this product on a dry face if you want to use it for makeup removal!), it actually turns into a thick oil that glides over your face to dissolve your makeup and grime. You would then use water to slowly emulsify the product into a milky lotion and rinse it off thoroughly. Although it’s stated on their official website that you can simply rinse the cleanser off, I find that this cleanser doesn’t really rinse off thoroughly if you just splash water over it (unlike your typical cleansing oils). Instead, I would strongly recommend that you use a warm wet washcloth to remove the cleanser itself as well as all traces of makeup. You are then left with a very soft clean face without the tightness and irritation of over-cleansing.

I’ve been rotating this product in my evening cleansing routine for around 2 months and I’m liking it thus far. It works well to remove even heavy makeup or my super waterproof sunscreen and it has never broke me out. However, the main reason why I don’t love it is stated as above. This makeup remover needs a washcloth to be removed thoroughly and I’m just too tired most evenings to really go through this additional step. Otherwise, there’s really nothing much to fault with this product. It’s relatively inexpensive, does the job well and easy to travel with. Try it and tell me how it works for you!

Where can you find it?

You can purchase this product from their official website. It retails at US$20 (3 fl. oz/ 94ml sized).

Note that Jordan Samuel Skin only sells their products through their official website and never through any third party website.    

Thank you for reading!

 

Review – MV Organic Skincare Oxygen Moisturiser

I’ve heard of MV Organic Skincare for a long time. However, the prices for their skincare are quite steep and it wasn’t easily available in Singapore. It wasn’t until Sep last year (2017) that I decided to treat myself to one of their best-selling moisturisers since it was my birthday month and I had received a 15% off coupon code from Cult Beauty. The product that I’m gonna review today is this – MV Organic Skincare Oxygen Moisturiser. MV Organic Skincare is a skincare brand from Australia that was founded by master facialist and holistic skin specialist Sharon McGlinchey. The MV line was originally developed for those plagued with skin sensitivities such as eczema and rosacea. Since then, it has gained loyal fans from health and beauty journalists, holistic GPs and naturopaths to internationally-renowned stars such as Nichola Joss, British supermodel Rosie Huntington-Whitely and actors Maggie Gyllenhaal, Melissa George and Emma Watson.

As usual, ingredients for the product are below for your reference.

Ingredients

Water, Camellia (Camellia Sinensis) Oil*, Cetearyl Glucoside, Cetearyl Alcohol, Vegetable Glycerin*, Glyceryl Stearate, Rosehip (Rosa Canina Fruit) Oil*, Avocado (Persea Gratissima) Oil*, Jojoba (Simmondsia Chinesis) Seed Oil*, Xanthan Gum, Vitamin E non-GM (Tocopherol), Honeysuckle (Lonicera Caprifolium & Lonicera Japonica) Extract, Potassium Sorbate, with essential oils of: Bitter Orange, Lavender, Sandalwood, Frankincense, Neroli and Carrot Seed.

*Organically Grown

How does the MV Organic Skincare Oxygen Moisturiser fare?

The MV Organic Skincare Oxygen Moisturiser claims to be energising and regenerative by protecting stressed, devitalized and sun-damaged skin against environmental aggressors. It is rich in antioxidants such as Vitamins A, C & E to soothe, elasticise and strengthen. Essential oils of bitter orange, frankincense, lavender, sandalwood, carrot seed and neroli works to enhance moisture retention, regulate sebum synthesis, restore radiance and kick-start cellular regeneration and repair.

The product itself comes in a cream form that looks rich but sinks in without leaving any greasiness into my skin. You only need a little bit to cover your whole face since it is pretty spreadable. Use too much and you’ll risk having a too-white face, although the cream does sink in eventually. You are then left with a well-nourished but matte looking face. To me, it’s pretty amazing that a cream with such a creamy texture leaves my face looking literally matte at the end. In fact, I suspect that this cream actually helped to control my oily T-zone. I’ve noticed that ever since I’ve incorporated it into my daytime routine, my mid-day T-zone shine has reduced by quite a lot. I guess its claims of helping to regulate sebum synthesis were not too far-fetched after all for a purely botanical product. My skin also feels well-protected against the drying air-conditioning in my office. Although I’ve bought the small 15ml sized product, it has lasted me around 2 whole months since I only need to use so little of it each time. I can’t say that this is my holy grail product but I do like it enough to repurchase it.

Where can you find it?

I bought the product from Cult Beauty Online. It retails at £24.00 (15ml sized) and £60 (70ml sized).

Thank you for reading!

Review – Tatcha Water Cream

Ok, this review is also way overdue.. As usual.. *sigh*.. I’ve been using this product since Oct 2017 and I’m only going to review it now in the year 2018.

Before we begin, let’s just check out its ingredients below first, shall we?

Ingredients

Aqua/Water/Eau, Saccharomyces/Camellia Sinensis Leaf/Cladosiphon Okamuranus/Rice Ferment Filtrate*, Dimethicone, Propanediol, Glycerin, Diglycerin, Diphenylsiloxy Phenyl Trimethicone, Gold, Belamcanda Chinensis Root Extract, Rosa Multiflora Fruit Extract, Houttuynia Cordata Extract, Sophora Angustifolia Root Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Lecithin, Pistacia Lentiscus (Mastic) Gum, Sodium Chloride, Sodium Citrate, Mica, Peg-9 Polydimethylsiloxyethyl Dimethicone, Dimethicone/Peg-10/15 Crosspolymer, Dimethicone/Phenyl Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Disodium Edta, Tin Oxide, Titanium Dioxide, Butylene Glycol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Parfum/Fragrance, Alcohol, Phenoxyethanol *Hadasei-3.

Yup, I’ve highlighted in red above the ingredient “Gold”! As casual as can be.. This ingredient is lodged in between all the other ingredients so that one might just miss it if you are not paying attention. *So, yeah.. By the way, my face cream contains gold.. Just causally slide that info into your conversations like that.. It’s just plain old gold.. Nothing too fancy..*

Gold is like, such a common ingredient in face cream you guys!

How does the Tatcha Water Cream fare?

Tatcha Water Cream is an oil-free moisturiser that “releases a burst of skin-improving Japanese nutrients, powerful botanicals and optimal hydration for pure, poreless skin”. Its texture is quite special in that when you scoop out the product with the beautiful golden spoon that’s included on top of the pot packaging, it’s in a cream form. However, when you spread it onto your face, the cream actually disintegrates into a liquid which rapidly sinks into your skin.

How ingenious is this packaging?! You just slide the tiny golden spoon out to scoop your product!

I don’t know why but when I read reviews of this product online, I had this impression that it would be a gel-like product. But I can definitively tell you that the texture is definitely not gel-like. It has a “heft” to it that was surprising to me. However, it does get absorbed into my skin quickly without leaving it greasy. I like that it’s light enough not to interfere with the liberal application of my sunscreen, yet it is still hydrating enough for my combination dry skin. I’m not sure how it would perform for drier skins, especially in winter when the weather is dry. However, I found it perfectly hydrating enough even though I’m in an air-conditioned office for most of the day. Note that I’m located in Singapore, which is a tropical hot and humid country all year round.  The product spreads very easily, which means that I do not need to use much product for my face. I’ve had this product for around 3 months and I’m only halfway through the pot.

All in all, I like the Tatcha Water Cream and how it performs. As I’ve mentioned before, I don’t really have very high expectations for my moisturisers since I rely mostly on my actives and serums to do the heavy lifting. For day creams, my basic expectations are that it should not interfere with my sunscreen application (since I wear so much of it) or break me out. It should also help to provide a “barrier” of sorts to keep my actives and serums in my skin and provide adequate moisture against the drying air-conditioning in my office. This product has done all that and I’m happy with it. I’m not sure whether I would repurchase though because its effects are fairly basic for its price.

Where can you find it?

I bought this product from Tatcha Online. It retails at US$68 (50ml sized).

Thank you for reading!