Review: Vely Vely Black Sesame Clarifying Mask vs Sweet Rice Cake Peel Off Mask

Friday, 23 March 2018 at March 23, 2018

Applying masks is a great way to pamper your skin, and yourself, without breaking the bank. I personally love masking, and I do it really often especially in the evenings before I go to bed while I pack my bag for work the next day. Instead of waiting until my skin breaks out, or show signs of dryness, I like to apply a mask as and when I feel like it to prevent those skin problems from arising.

Therefore, I was really pleased to expand my mask collection with the Vely Vely Black Sesame Clarifying Mask and Sweet Rice Cake Peel Off Mask! These two masks are peel off masks which I was very interested in as I recently found my pore strips whilst spring cleaning, and the peel off effect just worked so well for removing any blackheads and whiteheads on my nose. After seeing that Vely Vely is offering these two peel off masks, I couldn't help but to test them out for myself!



The first one I tried was the Vely Vely Black Sesame Clarifying Mask. I first used it because I was getting a little lazy to exfoliate my skin, and so I thought this mask would be a quicker and easier way to remove any blackheads and dead skin cells. This mask is black in colour due to the 'black' ingredients (black sesame extract, black rice extract, and black bean extract) used to formulate it, and these ingredients help provide nutrients to the skin to keep it healthy and radiant. Other than providing nutrients, removing blackheads and dead skin cells, this mask is also formulated to provide moisture, calm sensitive and stressed skin, as well as assist with pore care and anti-aging.


My first impressions of this mask is that it smells DELICIOUS. It literally smells like a sesame dessert or like 'muah chee' (glutinous rice balls covered in peanut and sugar), and this is the first for a skincare product! My favourite part about this mask is that you don't have to apply a thick layer of it, so it dries up really quickly and evenly. Even with a thin layer, the mask is firm and does not tear apart easily while peeling. After the mask has dried up (approx. 30 minutes later), I peeled it off and immediately felt a difference in the texture of my skin! My skin definitely looked brighter, and it felt so incredibly soft and clean, I love it!
After witnessing the amazing results of the Vely Vely Black Sesame Clarifying Mask, I decided to use the Vely Vely Sweet Rice Cake Peel Off Mask a week later.


This mask is pretty similar to the Black Sesame Clarifying Mask in a sense that it also aids in removing dirt, and dead skin. This mask though, is formulated with 'white' ingredients such as rice, oat flour, and oatmeal extract, which is what contributes to its white colour. It also contains a mixture of red fruits extract that is rich in vitamin C which will help revitalize, clear, and brighten up the skin. Other than that, this mask also aids in tightening enlarged pores, keeping your face line firm, and improving your skins' elasticity.



Similar to the Black Sesame Clarifying Mask, you only need a thin layer of this mask for it to work wonders and I'm really thankful for that because the consistency of this mask is really quite sticky. Unlike the Black Sesame mask, this one did not have a strong "food" scent, probably because it smells like uncooked rice. After 30 minutes, it's time to peel the mask off and the end results is pretty similar to the other mask, my skin looks noticeably smoother and brighter.



So far, I've been really enjoying these two masks as they are really convenient, and easy to use. I love the fact that you can see (and feel!) instant results that lasts because... That's the best part isn't it? You can also choose to use these masks together by applying them on different areas of your face, for example, I will use the Black Sesame Clarifying Mask on oily areas like my nose and T-zone, since it contains centella asiatica extract that will help to minimize and remove sebum, and then apply the Sweet Rice Cake Peel Off Mask on the rest of my face to counter aging and skin-sagging.



These two masks are retailing at S$37.90 each on Velyvely.com.sg, but you can get them in a special bundle now for only S$70.80 (U.P. S$75.80 for two) so head on over to their online shop now to shop!

Labels: beauty, face, korean, review, skincare

Review: Tartelette In Bloom Amazonian Clay Palette (+ swatches!)

Tuesday, 20 March 2018 at March 20, 2018

My first eyeshadow palette review for 2018 was a glitter-packed one, suitable for year end parties, and night outs. But now that spring is upon us, it means that it's time to chuck aside our festive, glittery eyeshadows, and dark lippies. Today, I'm doing my second eyeshadow palette review of the year, and coincidentally, it is one that ties in with this spring season. It is not a newly released eyeshadow palette, but it's the latest addition to my collection.


Today, I will be reviewing Tarte's Tartelette in Bloom Amazonian Clay Palette.

As usual, we begin with the packaging talk. I love the packaging of this eyeshadow palette. Technically, it isn't anything complicated or special, but I love the print on the front that looks like a bunch of different coloured flower petals stacked together. The packaging also feels very sturdy, and it comes with a full-sized mirror (aka a mirror that covers the entire area of the flip side of the cover)!


I've always enjoyed products from Tarte because I find that all of their products are high quality, and honestly I own many products from Tarte and there's not a single one that I dislike. That said, this palette contains Amazonian Clay-infused eyeshadows which makes them silky smooth, pigmented, easily blendable, and long-wearing. There are a total of 12 warm shades in this palette, arranged in 3 rows that creates 3 different looks for you to choose from everyday! Each row contains only one shimmer shade and three matte shades, so you don't go OTT on those glitters.


Since I have warm skin, the moment I saw the shades, I knew that they were going to work well for my skin tone. My favourite shades are Firecracker, which is a medium bronze shimmer. Activist, a chocolate matte shade. Funny Girl, a versatile and must-have champagne glitter. Leader, a dark matte maroon brown, and Jetsetter, a cool light brown that'd be perfect for contouring or defining the crease.



I think this eyeshadow palette is perfect for beginners as I find that the arrangement of the shades really provides a good guide to create basic, everyday looks. Since most of the colours included are eyeshadow-must-have-shades such as browns, gold, bronze, and champagne, I think this will also be a great starter 'kit' for those attempting to try out eyeshadows. So if you're interested to pick this palette up either for yourself or as a gift, it is currently retailing on Cosme-de.com for only ~S$52 (U.P is S$72 on Sephora!). If you'd like, get an additional 15% off with my discount code, "thatxxrin15"!

Labels: beauty, eyeshadow palettes, make-up, review

Review: Vely Vely Long-Lasting Cover Foundation vs H2O Ampoule Foundation

Monday, 12 March 2018 at March 12, 2018

Having the Vely Vely H2O Ampoule Foundation as my go-to foundation as of lately, I was thrilled to be able to receive the newly released Vely Vely Long Lasting Cover Foundation too! Since I received the Long Lasting Cover Foundation a week ago, I've been testing this foundation and using it as a replacement for my H2O Ampoule Foundation. So in today's post, I will be comparing the 2 foundations to help you pick the one that is more suitable for your skin type.



Not too long ago, I did a review for a range of cosmetic products from the Korean brand, Vely Vely. Ever since I filmed this makeup look for them, I've been completely obsessed with their products and their products are pretty much the only ones I've been using for the past 3 weeks! One of my favourite is the H2O Ampoule Foundation as this foundation effectively brightens up my skin by cancelling out the dull yellow tones, and it also makes achieving the Korean dewy look (or 'glass skin' look) a breeze.


As the name may suggest, this foundation contains H2O Ampoule, which aims to provide long lasting hydration to your skin. According to a moisture test, this foundation was able to boost the skin's moisture to up to 40% which is great news for those with dry skin! Even though I have oily skin, I do have dry patches around my face at times, especially around the sides of my mouth, as well as the tip of my nose. When I wear a super matte foundation, sometimes at the end of the day, those parts of my skin will start flaking (yes, even though I have oily skin!) and my boyfriend will always ask, "why is your skin coming off?". With the H2O Ampoule Foundation, my skin never flakes even after wearing it for 12 hours.


What I love about this foundation is how lightweight it feels on my skin and how easy it is to blend it out. I love using a damp beauty blender with this foundation as I find that it really enhances the dewy finish. Having this foundation on, my skin looks clear, bright, moist and plump.


Even though I'm using the darkest shade available, #23 Natural, this foundation is still rather pale for my skin tone. Nevertheless, I find that it does blends into my skin tone naturally throughout the day, and I've never received comments regarding my foundation being too light. Usually, I tend to go for lighter foundations as well because I like how it brightens up my entire look. Foundations that are a perfect match to my skin tone tends to oxidize and darken throughout the day as well which is why I prefer going for something that is more brightening.


The coverage of this foundation is a buildable low to high due to its lightweight, slightly watery texture. I like to keep my foundation light, therefore I always use only 1 pump for my entire face and neck. I find that this amount is enough to even out my skin tone as well as brighten it. As for my spots, 1 pump is definitely not enough to cover them up, but I like to cover my spots and acne scars using the IM Custom Flawless Concealer instead of using another layer of foundation.


Moving on to the Vely Vely Long-Lasting Cover Foundation, I was super excited to try this foundation because this foundation caters for oily skin people like myself! The special point and probably the main difference of this foundation is that it contains sebum care complex like centella extract, chia seed extract, etc which are ingredients that helps to control the oil levels in your skin. Oil does not equals to moisture. Even though you have oily skin, moisture is still extremely important to prevent aging, as well as acne from worsening. Moisture is also a key ingredient to achieve that moist, dewy finish. Therefore, this foundation also contains AQUAXYL and beet root extract, which are ingredients that helps to boost and retain the moisture levels in your skin. According to a moisture test, this foundation was able to boost the moisture levels to up to 30%!


The first thing I noticed about this foundation was the slightly thicker and stickier consistency. I also notice that foundations with a stickier consistency tends to last a lot longer on my skin because of how well it adheres to my skin. Due to the less watery texture, it is a little less easy to blend in as compared to the H2O Ampoule Foundation.

For this foundation, I used the darkest shade available #23 Natural as well, but surprisingly the shade turns out to be slightly different from the H2O Ampoule Foundation. This foundation has more yellow hues in it, but thankfully it wasn't anything extreme, so after blending out the foundation, there's barely any difference between the two. The coverage for this foundation is slightly higher in my opinion, due to the thicker formula. This is something I appreciate because as someone with oily skin, I get breakouts pretty often and breakouts just means redness, spots and scars that needs to be concealed. If you watch my makeup videos, I seldom apply concealer on my spots (because I'm too lazy), so I'm happy if my foundation is able to cover them up! The finish of this foundation is very similar to the H2O Ampoule Foundation, despite this one having a thicker consistency.


Since I want to retain the dewy finish of the foundations, I never use a setting powder with these foundations. Even so, I've never had an issue of them being too sticky. Prior to using these foundations, I'd always set my foundation because of my oily skin, but I find that with the Long-Lasting Cover Foundation, my skin doesn't turn greasy looking at the end of the day.


The highlight of both foundations is that it actually works similar to a BB cream as it not only provides coverage, but it also provides skincare benefits such as whitening, wrinkle improvement, and sunblock (SPF 30 PA++). Another thing I love about both foundation is the packaging. It comes with a pump which makes it very convenient and easy to dispense the product. And not only that, the pump also makes it very easy to pump out precise amounts of product.



So with that, I think we can all tell by now that the H2O Ampoule Foundation is definitely more suitable for those with dry skin, as it is able to not only boost the moisture levels in your skin by 40%, but also retains it so your skin feels comfortable and hydrated all day long. The Long-Lasting Cover Foundation is more suitable for people with oily skin because it has a better coverage to conceal those nasty acne scars, and it also helps to control the sebum in your skin, preventing your skin from turning shiny and oily.

Personally, I like both of them. I love using the H2O Ampoule Foundation on days where I want something that looks very natural and feels extremely light on my skin, and I love using the Long-Lasting Cover Foundation on days where I prefer a more flawless looking finish, and on days where I want my foundation to last.

If you're interested in the foundations, they've just launched on Waseyo.com at a special promotional price of only S$29.90 (UP S$32.90)! Use the code "FREESHIPPING" to receive free shipping charges, or spend above S$30/- and use the code "XXRIN" to receive free shipping + an additional 5% off! This promotion is valid for only 4 days (13th Mar'18 - 16th Mar'18), so hurry up and make your purchase before the promotion ends! *If you're interested in other base makeup from Vely Vely such as their sunscreens, primers, etc, make sure to check out Waseyo.com as they are also on sale for the 4 days! 

Labels: face, korean, make-up, review