REVIEW: One week of Génifique

See what I did there?? haha lame i know. Well if you guys had read, I recently received a prize package from Lancome which you can read about here. One of the products that i received was the Lancome Génifique 30ml bottle. I was really excited to try this out as I had thought about it previously but the price was a bit too steep for me to go out and buy (mind you Lancome have reduced the prices now across selected skincare products).

What Lancome Claims:
Lancome Génifique Youth Activating Concentrate is supposed to boost the activity of our genes so skin looks and feels younger. The 2 biotech active ingredients are Bio-Lysat – stimulates gene’s expression of the identified youth protein; and Phytosphingosine – re-establishes protein synthesis and promotes the development of higher quality, more beautiful skin.

How I used it:

For my first week trial, i decided to use it only once a day at night before bed. I just used the dropper to dispense two drops onto my hand and dabbed it all over my face before gently massaging it into my skin. It doesn't feel sticky but rather a smooth gel consistency that immediately soaks into the skin and dries up. After about 30 seconds you don't even realise you had applied anything! it instantly feels refreshing and my initial thoughts was that I was impressed!

Milky gel consistency and only two drops required for my whole face

Results:
For the first 3 days I was really impressed, I honestly thought my skin felt so much smoother, bouncier and soft however it wasnt until the fourth day of application that when i ran my fingers over my forehead I noticed little bumps and unevenness appearing. I decided to ignore it but on the morning of the 5th day after i had cleared my face, i could clearly see little red breakouts forming on my forehead. Now I wont say I've never had breakouts but generally my skin is pretty good with pimples and blemishes. It's quite rare that I do get pimples and when i do, it's only one or two here and there. But now my forehead has completely broken out and i have at least 10-15 little pimples all across my forehead which definitely was not there before i started to use the Génifique.


Also, I have another theory as to what may have caused my breakout and have also considered it may be from the WOTNOT facial cloths that i have been using that i received in the July Bellabox. I used both the WOTNOT facial cloths and Génifique on the same day and everyday after that so a combination of both or just one product could be the cause of my break out on my forehead.
However, I have stopped using both now to try and let my skin calm down before i consider using the Génifique again. I really wanted it to work for me and although i did feel a difference in my skin, i'm not game enough to keep using it with the breakouts occurring. But I havent completely given up hope yet.

So that's my review after one week of trial. Have you guys tried Génifique? or curious to try? let me know below! xx

Natural CURE Aqua Gel

Today I want to share with you guys what I've been using since March as part of my skincare routine. I know there used to be a lot of hype (maybe there still is?) about Japan's "#1 best selling skincare product" namely, Natural Cure Aqua Gel. When I first heard about this product, I didn't really look too much into it, i was curious but not enough for me to jump online and track down a source where I could purchase it. However, back in March during my trip to Singapore, I stumbled across this product in their Watson's health and beauty store and figured I may as well give it a try since it was right in front of me and boy am I glad I did!
I have no idea how I have survived without this and I used to think I was doing ok with my skincare. I didnt have the best skin but it was as good as I knew it could be so I never really thought about adding to or changing my routine. Before using Cure Aqua Gel, my skin was fairly clear to begin with but running my fingers along my face I'd be able to feel little bumps and grooves. It was fairly red in some areas and I always looked dull and tired when barefaced (life of a full time worker??).
I started using Cure when I returned to Australia and as per the instructions that came on the bottle (there were English instructions on the plastic wrap) I use it twice a week religiously on Sunday and Thursday nights. It advises to apply onto clean, dry skin so I make sure I've removed all makeup and cleansed and dried my face before using one pump and gently massaging it into my face in circular motions. I do this for about 30-40 seconds and then rinse off and pat dry. Even within the first use, I could feel a difference in my skin texture, it felt so smooth and my fingers just glided across my face. It also felt really clean, much better than any make up remover could remove.
Now, almost 3 months on, my face has cleared up so much. It feels and looks much better and has also helped to brighten up my complexion. Some days I can just leave the house with out any tinted moisturiser/foundation/BB Cream because I'm that confident with my skin! I never used to feel like this. Although, i must admit that my redness hasnt completely vanished, i still get redness around the corners of my nose and some on my cheeks but nothing overly noticeable. My dark circles are less noticeable as well. I absolutely love this product and for sure will be purchasing a new bottle once I get through this one. 

My Actual bottle - It's going to last me awhile :)

All I need is one pump and it comes out as a clear gel

 

(Click for larger view) (With Flash) After massaging it into my skin, you're "Dead skin" is supposed to come off which is what the white balls represent. There has been debate as to whether this is actually your skin or not but i'm not going to get into that here. I love this product hands down.

No Flash.

So that's my quick review, hope you guys enjoyed. Does anybody else use Cure Gel or tempted to try? let me know, and if you have any questions just leave them for me below :) x

Tokuya Japanese Discount Goods

So yesterday while roaming around in the city, I visited a little Japanese discount store in Bourke Street. I'd been there before but I always find these kinds of stores a little interesting. My favourite section of any store really is the cosmetics section and I always find myself spending a really long time looking at all the products but I don't actually ever buy any just because I don't feel that they would be any good.  I mean everything is $2.80 - how good can the quality be? Well.. I'm about to find out. I managed to pick up a few things that I was curious to try:

(Left to Right: Half Lashes, Concealer pen, Mascara, Concealer stick, Brow Pencil)

I spent a long time trying to pick out products to try and I had an amusing time trying to test out my Japanese ( I studied Japanese throughout highschool and did a semester in Uni) by reading the products. To my amazement, I was able to choose the colours of the concealer stick so I was a little useful. Anyways, I couldnt decide which concealer stick to get as there were two and one of them is double ended, so in the end I just bought both of them to compare. With the mascara, well I thought it was mascara but as it turns out it is a clear liquid that I cant decide whether you apply before or after actual mascara as it is supposed to hold the curl. So today i did end up using it and applied it BEFORE my mascara and I must say it does pretty good at holding a curl. I'll have to use it a few more times and maybe try applying it AFTER mascara to see the difference. I also used the brow pencil today and I really like it. I bought it in brown and it comes with a spool at the end of it - it's my first time using a brow pencil as i generally just use my Benefit Brow Kit but it just takes so long to fill in my brows i wanted something quick and easy for when i'm on the go. I actually really like this one so far.
I haven't had a chance to use the concealer sticks yet or the eyelash so I'll keep you guys updated on those at a later time. Has anyone else tried and loved the make up products sold at these kinds of Japanese discount stores? let me know x

Introductions !

Hello Everyone!
Welcome to my newly created blogspot. I'm really new at this so bare with me, i decided to create this just to randomly share everyday things that you may not see or know about me through my youtube videos :) But then again, i'm pretty new at youtube also so there hasn't been much space for alot to be said. Anyway, since this is only introductory, I do hope to get better at this, make it more attractive and what not, and hopefully.. actually have interesting stuff to read :)
Until next time,
-N