Viva Woman

I have always look to Japan for innovative skincare products in this part of the world but it looks like the Koreans have a winner with their BB Cream, short for Blemish Balm Cream which is said to provide excellent coverage as a foundation as well as to regenerate the skin. 

It appears that BB Cream was formulated as an after treatment cream for those who underwent laser surgery and soon became popular with the Korean celebrities.  This is because this natural care cream for delicate sensitive skin has the ability to cover the irregularities on the skin as well as soften skin texture. 

At the moment, the best BB Cream is said to be from Bio Remedies Thrapeutic Cosmetics or BRTC and if you watch their video here, the results on the girls do look amazing after they have applied the cream. 

Their skin tone appeared more even with a radiant glow and most of their facial blemishes including their dark undereye circles looked less obvious.  Feedback from some users who have used the BB Creams also indicated that they found the product helped to control their excessive facial oil and improved their overall skin texture overtime. 

And from what I’ve gathered, the BB Creams do come in different shades and for better skin regeneration, it should be used before applying sunscreen. 

Besides BRTC BB Cream, Skin 79 BB Cream has also received excellent reviews and other well known brands like Missha, Skin Food, Etude and The Face Shop have all introduced their own formulation of BB cream.   Missha for example has a Missha M B.B Cream which is promoted as a 4 in 1 multifuncational cream to soothe, moisturize, nourish and provide coverage for the skin as it can be used as a makeup base or foundation.

Frankly I hardly give Korean skincare products much attention.  But perhaps this is a reason to check out their stores soon.

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I’ve never been a fan of Korean skincare or cosmetics but I have to concede that their ladies are beautiful.  I know many will say that it is because of the prevalence of using plastic surgery in the country but let it be know that many Korean women are also born with fairer skin as well as more prominent and elegant noses.

Many years ago I remember that their makeup tend to be heavy, especially using dark colours to accentuate their lips.  However, it seems that they’re now more versatile.  To have an idea on the current Korean look,  just watch Jeon Ji Hyun in the 6 mins long Laneige Makeup Stand CM to see how she gets transformed from a working girl to a party girl using the gamut of Laneign’s makeup products. 

Laneige, if you don’t already know, is the number one cosmetic brand in Korea and carries a range of water-based hydration care and trendy makeup.   Their Water Sleeping Pack Plus, a supposedly feather-light leave-on gel mask applied just before bedtime, for example, is quite a hot favourite. 

If you’re in your late teens to mid thirties, Laneige products may suit you.  To find out more about their masks and newer products, check out their website at www.laneige.com.

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ImOlive is another Korean brand that has hit our shores.  I was attracted to the fact that their products uses extra virgin olive oil.  The packaging looks neat too.  Naturally being a hand cream addict, I tested their Golden Olive Water Drop Essence Hand Cream first.

Unfortunately I can’t rave about it because it doesn’t quite meet my expectations.

This formula is water based, so it’s quite natural that it feels watery and diluted.  However, while it isn’t richly creamy to the touch but upon application, I find my palms feeling somewhat sticky even though the cream absorbs rather quickly.  I had to wait for quite a while before the stickiness disappears but afterwards, I get a matt feel on my hands.  

If you’re read some of my earlier reviews about other brands of hand creams, you will know that I dislike having my hands feel matt altogether.  I like it smooth and supple but this one doesn’t meet those requirements even though it is supposed to be enriched with Vitamin E and polypenols on top of its extra virgin olive oil.

Fragrance wise, it is very light with a fruity tinge.  So that’s a plus there.

Additionally, the 80ml is being sold at S$12 at major pharmacies and department stores.  Considering the ingredients within the formula, this is actually quite a fair price.  So I would give that another point.

But definitely, I would rather spend my money trying out their other products the next time.

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I bought the Skinfood Apple Whitening Essence and Apple Whitening Emulsion some months back and didn’t really have a chance to use it more consistently until these two months.  They kept being shelved in favour of new and more interesting products.  Frankly, at the point of purchase, I didn’t really think these stuff would help lighten up pigmentation for me or brighten up my face that much.  I bought them well, out of the need to gratify myself really.

And I’m right in terms of my expectations.  These stuff can’t really help with whitening already darkened spots.  But, they’re lovely to use and score on their great fragrance.  I’m quite a stickler about smell, so they’ve got me hooked in that aspect.  Vegetable and fruity fresh is how I would describe the fragrance.  Probably as a result of its infusion of cucumber, acerola and apple extract, as well as arbutin which is supposed to make skin clearer and brighter.

While they don’t really perform in terms of whitening for me, they work well as normal moisturiser.  The texture is very light and is easily absorbed without any trace of greasiness.  I like that feel very much. Usually I use the Apple Whitening Essence alone, although at times, depending on my fancy, I may slap some of the emulsion on as well.

The Apple Whitening Emulsion was something I bought by mistake because I thought it was the toner.  The 160ml is huge, so I use some of these stuff on my hands sometimes.  Again, the texture is very light, a tad lighter than the essence.   And I also like the fact that they use a glass bottle instead of a plastic bottle to contain the emulsion as glass is better for natural ingredients.

I would say if you’re looking at this line, don’t expect too much in terms of whitening.  Overall brightening yes.  And perhaps evening out the skin tone too.  But don’t pin your hopes on having your freckles or pigmentation lightened.  I’m not convinced that using the entire range will help much either.

The 50ml Skinfood Apple Whitening Essence is S$31.50 while the 160ml Apple Whitening Emulsion is $30.  Also available is the Apple Whitening Toner and Apple Whitening Cream for around the same price.  Find out more at http://skinfood.sg.

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