Skin Inc – Bubbly Michelle

Skin Inc Pure Serum Mist Review

June 5, 2016June 5, 2016by Bubbly Michelle2 Comments

Just over a month ago I received this new, first of it’s kind serum-mist from Skin Inc. As you know i’m a long term fan of the brand and this new addition was more than welcome to my skincare routine.

I have very sensitive skin, which is why Skin Inc products work so well for me. Their products are free from irritants such as fragrance and have always been well received by my fussy skin.

This new mist contains just 8 ingredients, one of which is Onsen water from the 1200-year-old Izumo Yumara hot springs in Japan, known for it’s healing properties. I’m intrigued!

Packaging

The Pure Serum Mist comes in a weighty glass bottle sporting a minimalistic yet luxurious design.

To me the most striking feature is the nozzle. The best i’ve ever come across!

It feels so sturdy and well made. Something you come to appreciate when you rotate a lot of mists. But overall it’s the little things right? I truly appreciate well packaged products and this was a nice touch.

Prepare yourself for the finest, most even misting action ever!

The Skin Inc serum mist contains loads of skin loving ingredients to soothe and bring your skin to it’s natural equilibrium; and best of all, like I mentioned before, no unnecessary fillers. Just the few active ingredients in high doses.

Hyaluronic Acid to capture and retain moisture.
Onsen Water for it’s healing and anti-inflammatory properties.
Glycerin to hold in moisture and regulate skins water balance.

Complete Ingredient List – Water (aqua), Butylene Glycol, Spring Water (aqua), Glycerin, Sodium Hyaluronate, Phenoxyethanol, Citric Acid, Sodium Citrate.

This mix is specially crafted to penetrate deep into the skin, hydrate and reduce sensitivity (in blemish prone skin) and overall promote and maintain a healthy skin barrier.

I mostly use this as part of my skincare routine. Straight after cleanser to refresh, hydrate and prep skin for serums that follow which are usually Skin Inc Licorice serum + Ceremide.

Used as a setting spray, this gives your skin a dewy effect (specially great for combatting the over powdered look) and as a desk companion to top up hydration levels while at work where the A/C is usually on full blast!

Bottom Line

I don’t see this as something to carry around daily, it’s too weighty in my opinion.

Consider this as a luxury mist, more for skincare benefits than general misting to stay cool. It does great as a calming mist for whenever my skin gets itchy and also combats any tightness caused by dehydration. It’s definitely much more than ‘just another facial mist’.

A must try for skincare junkies and anyone who suffer from dryness, skin sensitivity and blemishes.

Product Info

Available at all Skin Inc outlets retailing at SGD98 for 100ml.

Made in Japan.

*Mine was a sample sent for review consideration.

Lifestyle, Makeup, Skincare

A Holiday Gift Guide for the Ladies

December 19, 2015December 19, 2015by Bubbly Michelle1 Comment

One more gift guide for this season and it’s all for the girls! I rounded up some beauty, skincare and home décor for a balanced set of options.

The 1^st rule to gifting is always giving something you’d genuinely like to receive. Something extra special. As everything seen here!

Overall I abstain from gifting makeup as much as possible. With exceptions made for palettes (has lots of variety) or kits keeping within the brands I know the recipient enjoys.

The palettes & kits that caught my eye were,

1. Clé de Peau Holiday Coffret – A stunning limited edition palette for someone VERY special. The packaging is exceptionally beautiful with a masquerade theme this year and come with an eyeshadow quad a red lipstick and a mascara. Retails at $240.

2. NARS Steven Klein Despair Blush Palette – A selection of 4 blushes (3 new & LE) with a mini brush. I love that the packaging isn’t Christmassy which makes this a timeless piece. A great gift for the girl that seems to have everything and sure to be enjoyed for it’s sheer beauty. Retails at $120.

3. Clé de Peau Body powder – A shimmery highlighter for the body which could instantly be put to use for all the parties leading up to Christmas! Retails at $150.

4. Make Up Forever 15 Artist Shadow Palette – A great mix of neutrals & pops of colour. Unfortunately when I stopped by Sephora, the tester was no where to be found. However I still wish I got myself one. It’s great value for money! Retail price, $116.

Beauty tools & gadgets always make great gifts. Hence why companies come out with loads of brush sets specially this time of year. I spotted a few beautiful brush sets at Bobbi Brown and also Make Up Forever. Both excellent quality with the added bonus of festive appeal. If you swing by those counters today, do check them out. Sets always come handy for travel.

5. Bobbi Brown Travel Brush Set – A beautiful silver leather cased set of 6 brushes (full sized) for the face and eyes. This ones’s a slightly splurge-y pick but makes a wonderful gift for that jet setting friend (or yourself) 😉 Retail price – $288

6. Make Up Forever Cult Brush Set – A compact set of 5 brushes in a festive red pouch. I checked them out in store and was surprised how lovely they felt to the touch. A steal at $135.

7. Beauty Blender Makeup’s Best Friend Set – Contains two regular Beauty Blenders, a micro.mini Beauty Blender and a mini Rea.activate liquid. Good value for just $68. I got one for myself!

Skincare is also a popular choice and I love giving ‘the gift of good skin’ to friends & family. In general I prefer picking up curated sets as they have been carefully selected and packaged with gifting in mind and usually good value. Here’re a few that caught my eye.

8. Charlotte Tilbury The Gift of Red Carpet Skin – was a gift to myself this year and it’s been such a great buy! I know my friends would love to receive this too. Retail Price – $59

9. Skin Inc Mask to Perfection – A set of Skin Inc’s best selling masks packaged in a festive silver case. I love this set for value for money and also that it’s beautifully packaged for gifting! ($145, valued at $195).

10. Shiseido Snow Beauty – This powder doubles up as skincare and comes packaged in a gorgeous limited edition snow flake design. A beautiful gift for someone who appreciates collectible packaging. Retail price – $90.

11. L’Occitane Jasmin Immortelle Gifting trio – A set of hand cream, lip gloss and soap. (L’Occitane Singapore is currently having a 10% off discount on selected Christmas sets today. Now’s the time to swoop in!) They have plenty of options for gifting!

Lastly some gifts for the home.

12. Kikki K But First Coffee Mug – I picked this one up for myself as I adore the minimalistic design in simple typography. Also makes an appropriate gift for any coffee drinker 🙂 Retail price – $19.90

13. Jo Malone Candle Trio – Another great gift for the girl who has everything (hoping she hasn’t bought this already!). The set contains, Blackberry & Bay, Pine & Eucaliptus and the popular holiday release, Roasted Chestnut. All smell amazing! Retail price – $180

Store Locations

Clé de Peau – Tangs Orchard

Jo Malone – Tangs, MBS Shoppes, Takashimaya

Kikki K – Ion Orchard

L’Occitane – Tangs, Ion Orchard

Shiseido – Takashimaya, Tangs, Paragon

Charlotte Tilbury – Net-a-Porter, Selfridges

Skin Inc – Ion Orchard & Sephora

Bobbi Brown – Tangs, Ion Orchard

Beauty Blender – Sephora

NARS – Sephora, Robinsons, Tangs

Lifestyle, Makeup, Skincare

The Art of Stocking Stuffing!

December 16, 2015December 16, 2015by Bubbly Michelle1 Comment

With less than 10 days to go, i’m guessing there’s a mile long list of things to get done. Gift shopping, mad baking, spring cleaning and holiday decorating galore. In my opinion gifts are priority though, after all we don’t want to be the sad lot running all over town in ridiculous traffic, battling thousands of others on Christmas eve! It’s good to get it done and over with as early as possible. Everything else can follow after!

So today, i’m here to share a bunch of gifts I gathered for stocking stuffing. All super cute and also useful gifts that won’t break the bank 🙂

(click to enlarge)

Most everything seen above is $25 or under with the exception of just two. You are bound to find options for a variety of budgets!

Etude House was my first stop for gift shopping. This year they truly outdid themselves with the cutest holiday treats.

1. Ginger Cookie Contour Maker – The cutest thing I bought this season and I ended up with multiples. This one retails at $ 24.90. Just under the 25 mark! The overall quality is lovely and doesn’t feel cheap. I love it!

2. Pudding Tints – Lip gel tints that came in 5 flavours. They are stains that last all day. The best part was the packaging though, wrapped in a box complete with a bow just like Christmas pudding! Price – $13.90.

3. Bling Me Prism – Even though these weren’t from the holiday collection, I really loved how cute and fun these cream eyeshadows were. They come packaged like a lip gloss, with a wand for application. Overall the quality was phenomenal, they last ALL DAY and retail at just $11.90. BUY ALL.

Next up, Stenders. The one stop shop for affordable yet awesome gifting! Nearly everything they sold were cute thoughtful gifts with the holiday soaps being my favourites!

4. Blueberry Snowflake soap – Intricate and festive, this would make a pretty treat for your gal pals or even the men in your life. There’s also a Goat Milk Angel soap too ($9) for that perfect festive touch.

5. Damascus Rose soap – For the girls who love rose scented body care. Retail price – $9.

6. Coffee Lip Balm (contains 60% natural Shea Butter + coffee oil) – This one’s perfect for the guys. I love that it’s a unisex fragrance and make a thoughtful gift for men who keep stealing their partners lip balms. I bought one for hubby 😉 Retail price – $10.

Sephora shoppers on the look out for gifts below 25, i’ve got you covered too! Here’re some nifty things I received in a press package 🙂 + a few I picked up as well.

7. Let it Snow Handcream – A lightly fragranced hand cream packaged in a snowy blue tube. This one retails at $10.

8. Mini Hot Water Bottle – I ended up buying multiples! A cute blue patch that can be used as a hot or cold compress. The festive print makes it even more stocking friendly imo! Retails under $8 I belive.

10. Sephora Colour Around the World eye and face palettes – This one’s a sneaky addition which can be broken up and stuffed in 4 stockings! Each named after a city (Paris, Rome, Rio, NY) they contain 4 eyeshadows and a blush to create a look. Retails at $52.

11. Sephora Kiss Me Balm – Tinted lip balms in cute egg shaped packaging! Perfect gift for those younger gals just getting into makeup. Price, $14.

12. Skin Inc Facial in a Flash! – for the jet setting pal. This comes with three components for a complete at-home facial. What’s not to love?! (there’re three sets to choose from depending on skin concern. Collagen for wrinkles & fine lines. Licorice for sensitive and irritated skin. Vitamin C for enlarged pores and oily skin) Retail price – $39

13. Sephora Masks – Face masks are a great way to add a few extra treats without much effort. I particularly love these eye masks by Sephora. They are packaged in cute acrylic cases that contain 5 each. Great for even dividing among a few stockings! ($3 each)

On to a few goodies I picked up from L’Occitane. This years holiday collab with Pierre Hermé was a match made in heaven for any L’Occitane loving lady. I grabbed the Jasmin Immortelle Neroli range, my favourite from the three limited edition lines!

14. Hand Cream – One of L’Occitanes star products. These hydrate well and absorb immediately. No greasy hands! Retails at -$15.

15. Lip gloss – Available in three LE fragrances. Retails at $48 for a trio.

16. Shea Butter Soaps 100g – Make stylish gifts for just about anyone! Mom would love some french soap right? Retails at $9.50.

Last but not least, cute gifts from Jo Malone! No stocking stuffer guide would be complete without their gorgeous cracker!

17. Christmas Cracker – This contains three Jo Malone favourites. Blackberry & Bay Cologne, Lime Basil & Mandarine Hand & Body Wash and a Peony & Blush Suede Body Lotion. All in travel friendly mini sizes! LOVE!

That concludes my little guide for today! Stay tuned for more gift ideas tomorrow! 😉

Skincare

New brand discovery – Skin Inc

November 8, 2015February 2, 2016by Bubbly Michelle1 Comment

Isn’t it amazing how skincare has evolved over the years? From simple routines of cleanse, tone and moisturize , we are now at the stage of customized solutions. You can actually buy a specially mixed potion just for you!

Leading the pack is Skin Inc. with their now globally popular custom blended serums. Each mixed to address your individual skin concerns, it takes personalized skincare to the next level.

Earlier this year I had the opportunity of trying out some of their products and I am happy to report back with some positive news!

Luckily for me, it seems Skin Inc products agree with my fussy skin and it’s been nothing but an amazing journey of discovery so far.

The purpose of this post is basically an introduction to the brand for those of you who are keen to try something new and also talk about how Skin Inc has benefitted my skin. All in the hope you’ll find something that works for you too. And maybe you’ll have one less skin concern to worry about!

Talking about skin concerns, mine are pretty simple (I think). I look for anti ageing benefits, hydration for my dry areas and overall brightening. Not too much to ask right? I didn’t think so 😉

To tackle these problems I started using the Skin Inc Get Glowin’ Brightening mask and Pure Deepsea Hydration mask.

The Get Glowin’ mask is a fast acting brightening mask for instantly luminous skin. It lifts any dullness and over time maintains the glow. You could start off with a week of intensive masking, let’s say every other day (3days a week) and then follow with a weekly treatment to maintain. I find 10 mins of this mask does wonders for my complexion and I’ve finally found a way to even out my annoyingly darker forehead to match the rest of my face!

Here’s what it looks like in the jar. Just a white paste with no noticeable smell.

The next product that makes a regular appearance in my routine is the Hydration mask.

LOVE this stuff. The texture is a lightweight gel and super comfortable on the skin. I use this as a sleeping mask, sometimes as a primer (if I’m using a matte foundation) and also as a lightweight moisturizer if I feel my skin’s feeling fussy. It’s truly a wonder product. The ultra light formula is oil free and all the hydration is delivered by a cocktail of Hyluronic Acid, Soy bean extract and deepsea Okinawa water that’s rich in nutrients.

This product comes in several sizes and the smaller tube is great for travel. I never leave home without it.

P.S- It also makes an excellent pre flight mask! Just slap this on, some concealer and you are good to go! It’s been my favourite travel companion these days and my skin never feels dehydrated or tired when I land.

The Skin Inc Ritual

Other than the two products I’ve been using and loving, I’ve just started on some new goodies. This is actually a complete Skin Inc ritual consisting of a peel (gentle enough for 2-3 times a week), a custom anti ageing serum topped with the Pure Deepsea hydrating mask to finish off.

I’ll report back on long term results later. But for now, I’m happy they are settling in nicely into my routine and soon you’ll have a post on how custom blend serums work!

If you are keen on trying the masks i’ve mentioned today, Skin Inc currently has a special value set, Mask-to-Perfection. It’s basically a trio of two full sized products (30ml) of the Pure Deepsea Hydrating mask and the Get Glowin’ Brightening mask along with a 20ml Pure Revival Peel.

It’s a perfect set for weekends, for an at-home spa experience! I actually ended up purchasing an extra for a friend 🙂

(SGD 148 |value- SGD195)

Product Info

Skin Inc products are all formulated Paraben & fragrance free.

Available at Ion Orchard #B3-43 and Sephora Singapore/U.S.A