Review: Oxy JP Oil Control Gel + Etude House O2 White Mask

//Oxy JP Oil Control Gel by Rohto

http://www.oxyjp.com/face/ocg.html

This Oil Control Gel actually comes from the OXY men's line in Japan.
It deserves HG status in my book and I've gone through 12 tubs of this (Yeah, I know)
It absorbs oil and leaves your face matt. There is a slight tightening of the pores/skin as well.
I don't know if it actually makes your pores smaller though, I reckon that is quite impossible.
Overapplication will lead to flaky dry skin so you can't be too liberal with this one. I use this to combat upcoming zits and it has worked so far. You cannot apply this on acne though. I have combination skin so this is mainly for T-zone maintence.

Of late, it has been annoyingly difficult to find this. Even Matsukiyo outlets opposite Ikebukuro Station, on Takeshita Dori and around Shibuya 109 don't carry this anymore. Or maybe they sold out totally or something.

Oxy Oil Control Gel retails at 1000yen (approx) for 28g. Decent amount of product for that price. I use this religiously so one tube lasts me a good 2-3 months. A tiny investment for a quality product :D

5/5 for this one! Will repurchase (in bulk) without hesitation..if I see it again that is.

Moving on!
//Etude House 02 White Sheet Mask (Sample)
This is distributed free at Etude House outlets to all walk-in customers. Just walk in and make a u-turn out of the store and you will be one mask richer :P

I have two of these and used both.Typical sheet mask with an aritifical perfume. At 20ml, this means that there is a fair bit of essence here. Impressed?Not so fast.

Torochan said that nothing happened after masking and she is totally right. I didn't feel like it was moisturising or whitening or anything. It kept my face cool for 15mins and that was it. I could have slapped on a cooling pack and it wouldn't be any different. There was a strong whiff of alcohol too.The sheet was made of decent quality cotton that didn't tear. The mask absorbed the essence nicely. It did not drip during masking. After taking the mask off, I left the essence to dry. Bad idea.

The essence made my face so sticky!! I had to get out of bed to wash it off. Yuck. Wasted my time. Although this was free, I don't think I would touch this one again

Review: Pantene 3 Minute Miracle Treatment

// Pantene's 3 Minute Miracle is 3 Minutes of Nothing Happening.

The tube is 15ml and it is more than sufficient for 2-3uses. I didn't want to make an oil rig of my my head so I only used half a tube. And knowing Pantene, I anticipated this to be full of silicons.

The formula is pretty thick and it doesn't drip (has a consistency like the Tsubaki Treatment)
I had this on for 10minutes.

When my hair dried, it felt like nothing happened. My hair was in its usual state. The next day, it was a frizz bomb. Did I miss something?Hello? This is supposed to rescue my hair from damage and make it shiny and smooth. Sure as hell didn't see any of that happening. Sounds like a whole lotta bull. Even some silicon would have made my hair shinier (for a day at least)

In the end, I had to turn to my trusty Kose Cosmeport and Tsubaki Conditioner and treatment for some help.

Thank god this was a free sample. Won't even rate it since it didn't do anything good for me. Yerk. The remaining half goes into the bin. Bye Bye, 3 minutes of wasting my time.

Nail of the Day: Paul and Joe 003 Rayon De Soleil

Under artificial light, no flash

Under artifical light with flash

Rose Bronze-Gold base with tiny specks of glitter. All it took was one coat!! And, I'm very glad to say that this one glides on smoothly, with no grittyness at all. Fairly watery in consistency but doesn't drip (unlike Beaute De Kose varnishes!). The brush is controllable too. I like the long screwtops as it provides a good hold (especially when you are not ambidexterous!) I had this one sitting around for at least 1/2 a year and there was minimal separation!

It looks like copper here but it looks gold-bronze in the daylight. I hauled this at a warehouse sale but to be honest, I probably would not pick this one up at regular price.

Made in Japan by Albion. Paul and Joe gives you a decent 10ml, which means it would probably last you quite awhile. Paul and Joe varnishes are not their main line of products (their focus being makeup and skincare) so this would probably be a little difficult to find.

All in all, I likey! 4/5!
-1 for being expensive at regular price!

Review : Kose Salon Style Hair Mask

// Kose Salon Style Hair Mask by Kose Cosmeport

Price: 700Yen or so

My hair was going through a particularly bad period (read: hair being extremely dry + falling out) but a twice a week regime of this hair mask rescued my hair somewhat. After using this for more than a month, I believe I am well equipped to review this baby!

Bought this one quite awhile back...because I was desperately in need of a hair mask and Hasegawa Kyoko was on the sticker! :D

This one gets 4/5 from me!I recommend a twice a week regime for this one.

Its light on the wallet(Very important!!) and most importantly, it does live up to its claims. Its fairly thick and moisturising so a little goes a long way. Personally, I prefer a thick hair mask that doesn't drip so this is another plus point! Then again, it takes a little more time to wash this mask off your hair.

It does smoothen slightly damaged tresses which means less frizziness :D :D I didn't apply the mask near my scalp as I didn't want my scalp to clogged up. It definitely made my hair easier to comb but that effect disappears the next day.

Scent-wise, it has a sweet honeysuckle scent, nothing too strong or artificial.I like the gold packaging as well! Even with wet hands, the lid unscrewed quite easily so there wasn't any fumbling with the tub. +1point for sturdy, non slippery lid!

My only grouch is that this baby can't be found easily in drug stores (even in Japan). I would repurchase if I can find it, but I wouldn't go out of my way to get it.