Himalayan Charcoal Purifying Glow Mask Review

This is a relatively new product by The Body Shop which compared to its other series. It is marketed to help to unclog and refine the appearance of pores as well as give you the glow you have always wanted. 

It contains: 

1. Bamboo Charcoal: Charcoal which is meant to replace clay which helps removed impurities from your pores. 

2. Green Tea leaves: Which are the texture which gives you a good scrub when you are washing off the Mask 

3. Tea Tree Oil: Antibacterial, Antifungal, Anti-viral Essential Oil which helps with troubled and blemished skin

The actual long list of ingredients: Aqua, Kaolin, Moroccan Lava Clay, Magnesium Aluminum Silicate, Alcohol Denat., Camellia Sinensis Leaf, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Pumice, Argania Spinosa Shell Powder, Phenoxyethanol, Xanthan Gum, Parfum, Charcoal Powder, Ethylhexylglycerin, Caprylhydroxamic Acid, Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Limonene, Linalool, Methylpropanediol, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice Powder, Menthol, Disodium EDTA, Tetrasodium Pyrophosphate, Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Oil, Eucalyptus Globulus Leaf Oil, Citric Acid, Menthoxypropanediol, Citral, Geraniol, Coumarin, Caramel.

It is recommended to use the product 2-3 times a week. 

How to use: 

1. Cleanse your face with a facial wash 
2. Apply a layer of the mask onto wet face avoiding the eye and lip area
3. Leave it in for 5-10 minutes and rinse it off with warm water

How it looks like in the bottle

How does it feel on the skin

The texture of the mask was very spreadable, unlike conventional clay masks, it does not dry or clump after weeks/months of opening. The smell was a little herbl and minty, not sharp on the nose at least for me. Initial 1-2 minutes after application there was a very cooling sensation on the skin. The cooling sensation progresses to a spicy tingling sensation. after 5 minutes of application, there was some tightening sensation. 10 minutes into the mask, you can feel it hardening. 


Washing off

As the mask hardened really fast, rinsing off was a little tricky and warm water was really preferable. With room temperature water, it does not rinse off as well, some effort to remove the bits and wetting the mask was needed. When you rinse off in circular motion, you can feel your skin getting a really good scrub. 

After Mask Reflection

My skin felt really refreshed, my face was brighter and I felt like my pores were smaller and cleaner. However, there was some dryness with usage more than 2 times per week for me. The tingling sensation while the mask was on was really uncomfortable the first time I used it. It made me felt like the product was "too strong" for my skin. 

I would recommend trying it out if you have blemished and oily skin. However, for those with dry or sensitive skin you may want to give this product a miss. 

Top 5 Must Buy Value Worthy Beauty products in Korea

1.  UNIX Take Out Hair Series유닉스전자

-       There is a variety of tools available. They are easy to use and convenient for travel. Heats up really fast and gives you the results which you can get with a regular sized hair curler/ straightener. For those who need something fast and convenient. This is definitely a product not to be missed.

-       Can be found in Olive Young and Watsons in Korea.

-       Price range: around 18000-20000krw depending on whether there are any sales during your visit.

2. Mise En Scene Hair Care 미쟝센

-       Mise En Scene is a popular Korean brand within korea until there few years where   there was some hype about it on the internet somewhere near 2014 when the Mise En Scene’s Damage and Perfect series was launched.

-       For those with coloured, permed or bleached hair you can consider trying on their conditioner. I felt my hair feeling softer after the very first wash. The leave on serum is also something which I would recommend if you tend to skip the conditioning step. It can help soothe out the dryness and tangles.

-       Price ranges between 6500-13000krw depending on whether there is a bundle promotion as well as where you buy it. I had my best buy at Homeplus in korea.

-       There are some other series available as well, however, the ones I would recommend is the Perfect and Damage series as well as the Shine series.

3. Mamonde BB Cover Powder Cushion

-       This was really a product which I stumbled upon by chance. When BB cushions were popularised by Laneige, I did try out its formula once. Despite being produced by the same company, Mamonde had a lighter consistency left a dewier texture for those with dry and oily skin. It is less oily and lasts longer in Singapore’s hot and humid weather compared to Laneige’s BB Cushion.

-       In terms of pricing, it is almost equivalent to that of Laneige’s BB cushion. You can get them at Aritaum and Mamonde shops.

  

4.  3CE Lip colour

-       3CE is a Korean brand which became popular together with the Kpop hype. They have a variety of products ranging from Clothes, bags, shoes all the way to makeup. They have been known for the big range of colours available for lips sticks, lip colour as well as liquid blush.

-       The lip colours can range from 13000krw onwards depending on the type of lip colour you are getting. They also have mini sets such as the Mood series which was newly launched in late 2016-2017.

-       Price range for the Mood series: 19000krw for one regular sized lip colour and 50000krw for the mini set with all 5 colours.

-       The colours in the mini set range from nudes to dark berry colours. The colours are pretty unique (especially burnt rose) and the formula is not drying and relatively lasting.

55.  Innisfree lip tint

-       In particular the vivid colour ink, they are really pigmented with a very moisturising formula. They are a series based on tulip colours. My favourite is Vivid Ink Colour No. 5  Burgandy Tulip. It is a deep reddish colour with a relative cool tone.

-       Price range is from 9000krw which is pretty affordable for a lip colour.

Skinny Mint: A Fitness Booster?

While scrolling through my Instagram feed, I came across this advertisement for SkinnyMint and it piqued my interest. Like many other people out there, it's been my long-time goal to lose weight and have a nice slim bod. I've seen numerous advertisements and raves on Skinny Mint. So, it got me wondering if supplements like Skinny Mint could really give me the body I've been wanting all this time. Like many of my other impulse buys (which happen after a little cash bonus incentive from work), I quickly streamed Skinny Mint's webpage and bought myself 3 months’ worth of Super Fat Burning Gummies. 

The Skinny Mint set comes with 2 types of gummies. 

Power Up

As found on the Skinny Mint website: Power Up contains mainly Green Coffee beans which gives you a boost for the morning which can increase your metabolic rate and drive weight loss and reduce fat absorption. 

Hunger Buster

As found on the Skinny Mint website: Hunger Buster contains Garcinia Cambogia which can reduce your hunger pangs/ appetite and drive weight loss and fat loss. 

According to some research through google: 

Green Coffee Beans: This coffee bean extract comes from coffee beans which have not been roasted. These extracts contain chlorogenic acids. Chlorogenic acids have been studied over the past years to determine its benefits to the human body. There were some relatively positive findings on its ability to reduce blood pressure, prevent Alzheimer's disease, cardiovascular events as well as type II diabetes. Despite these findings, there is yet to be conclusive evidence on its effect on weight loss. FDA has also not endorsed the effectiveness of Green Coffee Beans extracts as a health supplement and advises consumers to take such supplements with caution. 

Side effects of Green Coffee Beans are similar to that of the usual coffee: Frequent urination, increased heart rates for some, alertness and stomach upset for those who get the runs with coffee. 

Garcina Cambogia: Garcina Cambogia is a citrus fruit. Its rind is high in hydroxycitric acid that has been commonly used for cooking and in recent years, for weight loss. Hydroxycitric acid works by increasing your metabolism. Some scientific studies have documented reduction in abdominal fat with the use of Garcina Cambogia, while its ability to suppress appetite and speed up metabolism has yet to be well documented. FDA has also advised the use of Garcina Cambogia with caution as there have been some studies showing that Garcina Cambogia supplements had some links to liver damage. Use of Garcina Cambogia in scientific studies have not been longer than 12 weeks. Long term use may also be questionable.

Side effects of Garcina Cambogia: Dizziness, dry mouth, upset stomach and diarrhoea.

Would the use of these gummies really be safe?

Trying out the Skinny Mint Super Fat Burning Gummies.

During the period when I would be giving these gummies a shot, I would follow all the recommendations by Skinny Mint, on top of eating these gummies.

1.     To start on a reduced calorie diet and regular exercise.

2.     Recommended dosage method.

a.     Power Up gummies in the morning with breakfast one hour before my workout.

b.     Hunger Buster as a snack in the afternoon.

During these 3 months, I would be continuing with my 8 to 8.5 hour weekly exercise regime and a reduced calorie diet by cutting down fast foods and anything fried. I would also be taking notes on how it each day felt and if I felt any side effects.