Althea Korea Petal Velvet Sunaway [Advertorial]

Scared of the unforgiving sun, but even more terrified of the ghastly white cast that your thick, sticky and heavy sunscreen gives you? Now, Althea has got you covered!

-credits to althea-

Made to be ultra lightweight, this translucent sunscreen is formulated with hyaluronic acid and Damask rose extracts to make sure that our skin stays fresh and hydrated throughout the day without any streakiness or the dreadful ghastly white cast. 

Armed with the highest sun protection of SPF 50+ and PA++++, the Petal Velvet Sunaway is actually a non-chemical formulation, with an advanced non-chemical UV filter that has a more transparent formula, helping it to apply evenly and smoothly onto the skin without leaving a white cast behind. 

Combining the effect of a micro powder barrier system, which absorbs sebum and excess oil from the skin, and the moisturising & hydrating effect of hyaluronic acid, the Petal Velvet Sunaway not only helps to control excess sebum on the skin, but also ensures that the skin is kept hydrated throughout the day. 

Suitable for all skin types, the Petal Velvet Sunaway is retailing at only $13 (55ml) HERE

Even better, you can now pair your purchase with your choice of Althea Petal Velvet Powder (now comes in 3 shades) and get 10% of the petal duo!

Visit sg.althea.kr for more product information. 

ps. do you know that Althea is also on shopback.sg now? Check out how you can get up to 5% cashback on all your Althea's purchases HERE

Till then,

Mia Foo

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Wellaholic Cosmeceuticals: W+ Protective Day Cream (SPF 50++) [Sponsored]

Gone are the days whereby we need exposure to the sun for our body to make vitamin D because it's not found naturally in most foods, for many foods are now fortified with vitamin D during the manufacturing process today. While the immediate danger of exposure to too much sun will be sunburns, the actual serious threat of the sun is that it is the major cause of skin cancer. And as according to what doctors believe, most skin cancers can be avoided by preventing sun damages.

Heading outdoors? You better get that sunscreen and layer it up!

W+ Protective Day Cream with SPF 50++ (50gm) - $69

A high-performance formula that contains both physical and chemical actives to help protect the skin from UVA/UVB rays. For all skin types, especially pigmented skin. 

I like how the packaging comes with a combination of a twist-up and pump dispenser, which makes dispensing of the product much easier and hassle-free. 

But I need to pump it almost 50x for the 1st squirt of product to come out. Was a little worried that I might have ended up with a faulty pump dispenser at one point. 

The product has a very unique scent that is both "citrusy" and minty, and extremely pleasant to the sense and feels somewhat invigorating. 

The product has a consistency that's right smack in between a cream and a water-gel type, very spreadable and quick to set over the skin with no oily or tacky after-feel.

And because this product is both a physical and chemical sunscreen, do expect a certain degree of "whitening effect" should you pile it on, and also refrain from using flash photography unless the glorious white-cast is the effect you're going for in your photos. 

Just a side note: The stamp is so cute! It's a neko-chan! <3

And so is their pillbox, which not only comes in the shape of a giant tablet, but also in one of my favourite shade. 

Wellaholic also carries other skincare products in their premium cosmeceutical line, that are manufactured locally and registered with HSA in line with the ASEAN Directive and Cosmetic Legislations for cosmetics that come in contact with the skin. For more information, visit their website at https://www.wellaholic.com

You can also check out my review of their awesome ProHydrolase Whey HERE

Till then,

Mia Foo

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Mia's Review: Neutrogena Suncare [Advertorial]

As you all know, blogging to me is actually more of a hobby and I do hold a proper, full time job, working as a C&S Engineer at construction sites.

And while you may think that I'll be looking like this on site, with perfectly styled hair, clean faced, and spending most of my time in air-conditioned temporary site offices...

The truth is pretty much the opposite, as I usually end up sweating like a pig, standing under the hot scorching sun at the hottest time of the day, overseeing the site works.

New friends who heard that I'm a C&S Engineer based on site all commented, "Oh, but you're hardly tanned!"

Oh well, they have no idea how quickly I go through my sunscreens.

And I was definitely more than happy to be able to work with Neutrogena this time round, not for any other products, but specifically their suncare products!

While choosing a sunscreen, it is important to make sure that it offers long-lasting and stable protection against UVA and UVB rays. The Sun Protection Factor (SPF) and the PA rating measures the protection against the UVB rays (what causes you to get sunburned) and UVA rays (what causes you to get skin-aging and cancer) respectively.

Hence, a good suncare product should not only have a sufficiently high SPF, but also sufficient '+' for PA rating to give you the best protection against both harmful rays.

For example, SPF 30 means it will take 30 minutes longer (than usual) for your skin to get burn, and PA+++ gives higher UVA protection than a PA+.

Neutrogena is the #1 dermatologist recommended suncare brand in USA and is one of the few brands in Singapore that has suncare protection for both the face and the body.

To protect our skin from the harmful effects of UV lights, Neutrogena has introduced the revolutionary Helioplex technologu that contains FDA-approved sunscreens covering the full UVA and UVB spectrum.

Though many sunscreens offer protection from UVA rays, this protection starts to break down when our skin is exposed to the sun. Helioplex prevents this from happening by stabilising the UVA protection so that even under highly intensive sunlight, we can be assured that our sun protection does its job more effectively over a longer period of time (up to 5 - 6 hours).



First up, the Ultra Sheer UV Waterlight with SPF 50+ and PA+++ for Face.

With a extremely light and watery consistency, this spreads onto your face effortlessly and may feel just a little bit sticky at first but will quickly dissipate upon absorption, making it perfect for usage under our daily make up!

Next up, there's the Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch with SPF 50+ and PA+++ for Face and Body.

Compared to Ultra Sheer UV Waterlight, the Dry-Touch is of a much thicker, creamy consistency and hence I'll personally prefer not to use it on my face, for spreadability is much lacking in comparison to the waterlight lotion. 

The first few moments of spreading was a little worrying as the thick cream felt as if it's not going to absorb/dry off well. But with a few more rubs, the cream quickly settles onto my skin and dries off into a clean, smooth and matted finish. It's no wonder this product is named the Dry-Touch. 

And did you know that Neutrogena also has a sunscreen body spray that allows you to apply directly onto wet skin? 

The Ultra Sheer Wet Skin with SPF 50+ and PA+++! 

This will be an awesome product to use for 'top up' times after an exercise session out in the sun, as there's no need to wait for the perspiration to dry out before application of the product.  

Can't wait to get one for myself and try this out! 

And did you know about the following?

1. Protecting your skin during the first 18 years of life can reduce the risk of some types of skin cancer by up to 78%. 

2. Severe sunburn during the first 15 years of life can double the risk of skin cancer. 

3. You can get sun damaged even on a cloudy day!

4. Up to 80% of the sun’s rays can penetrate light clouds, mist, and fog.

So what are you waiting for? Find out more about Neutrogena's suncare at their website HERE

Till then,

Mia Foo

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Mia's Update: Orbis Focus Group

Just recently, with the help of Airmeli, I managed to get a place in the focus group by Orbis. 

For those who find this name extremely unfamiliar, ORBIS Inc., established since 1984,  is a leading company in mail-order cosmetics and is also involved markets such as health food and women's lingerie. ORBIS Inc. is well known for its 100% oil-free skin care and has seen its customer's numbers increase dramatically beyond 8.5 million since the introduction of its popular 100% oil-free skin care. Currently, Orbis has sucessfully entered the Korean, Hongkong and Taiwan market and is finally coming to Singapore this October!

And yes, you didn't see it wrong. We're given a $55 worth goodie bag for attending this focus group! If you have no idea what's a focus group, it mainly is some kind of a 'market survey' whereby the staff will introduce their range of products to us and let us try out a sample before asking us to state our feedbacks. And now I'm going to share with you some of the products that made a strong impression on me. :)

First up, we were introduced to the 5 ranges of their basic skincares. The AquaForce range for hydration, Clear range for acne prone skin, Whitening range that is pretty much self-explanatory, Excellent Enrich range for anti-aging, and Excellent White for a combination of whitening and anti-aging. We were given the lotion and moisturiser to test out and I really like the Clear and AquaForce range, especially their moisturisers. The texture is like a clear gel lotion, and is extremely spreadable and light. I need barely a pearl size sample to spread thoroughly over the back of my hand. And while spreading the moisturiser, it gets absorbed into my skin very quickly, leaving a non-sticky and refreshing feel to it. For the other 3 ranges, although slightly heavier in comparison to Clear and AquaForce, are still considered very light and non-sticky as compared to most of the skincare products currently in the market. 

We were also given their aqua peeling gel and bubble masks to try out, out of which I really liked the peeling gel. It's very thin and near watery texture makes massaging the product into the face extremely easy, no tugging on the skin at all. Best of all, despite the watery texture, it took out a great deal of dead skin from the back of my hand (rather embarrassing with the Orbis staff staring at it) and left my skin visibly brighter, softer and smoother to the touch.

Moreover, with their products priced at a very affordable range of $20s, I'm definitely running to the Orbis retail store once I'm out of my current skincare products. 

Next up, we were introduced to their Special Care series, which is basically sunscreen.

We were given both to try, and I really love the UV cut foundation! Even though labelled as a foundation, it's extremely lightweight and blendable, reminding me of a tinted moisturiser, and with SPF50 PA+++! Even though I cannot be sure of it's coverage, Daisy, the Orbis staff, assured us that it can cover some slight blemishes. The other product, Sunscreen on face light, is supposedly one of their best sellers and we even had the product-maker seated in with us, coming over all the way from Japan! The texture is even lighter than the foundation (like, duh!), is slightly tinted and doesn't give a sticky feeling at all, unlike many sunscreens available in the market right now. In addition to these, we were also introduced to their sun powder pact (two-way foundation) and loose powder compact.

And after stacking literally a ton of product on the back of our hand, we were finally given their cleansing liquid to try out. Unlike a normal cleansing oil, which cannot be used with wet hands and required to be emulsified with water (massaged with water after first dry application) before it can be washed off, Orbis's cleansing liquid needs nothing of those burdensome steps. Just pump into our hands (regardless wet or dry), massage onto our face to dislodge all the makeup, dirt and grime, and wash off with water. Viola, cleansed skin! There, another Orbis-must-get added to my shopping list. 

And then, we finally moved on to the diet and health supplement range, and we were given the full range of their diet Petit Shake to try out. 

And as stated, there's 5 other flavours apart from strawberry and I vaguely remembered them as white grape & aloe vera (my favourite because there's aloe bits inside!), peach, orange, pink guava and banana (my least favourite).

The shakes are recommended to be mixed in milk and drank cold. The consistency served to us are like a mix of yogurt and smoothie. Or perhaps you can simply call them, smoothie with very smooth texture. No doubt, very tasty and offers 6 flavours for you to have them throughout the week with 1 day of indulgence. However, I can't advise on how filling these shakes are, I can only confirm on their tastiness. :)

Finally, we were given a small sample cup of Orbis 12,000mg marine collagen to try out, pineapple flavour. First sip and I cringed at the acute sourness. However, the entire group of us later on concurred that we got used to the sourness pretty quickly and it's actually quite an enjoyable acquired taste. I'm not a collagen supplement fan, but after hearing from Airmeli that Kinohimitsu's collagen taste nothing but fishy, I'm pretty sure I'll turn to Orbis if I decided to take collagen supplement one day. :p

And then, to show off my $55 worth goodie bag from Orbis!

This is the paper bag of goodies given to us.

 And within, I found a full sized Cleansing Liquid, one full sized bottle of 6,000mg collagen drink

 Travel sized pack of AquaForce basic skincare (to my choice), kept in a super cute not-for-sale travel pouch!

A sample sachet of their best selling UV Cut Sunscreen on face light

And a redemption voucher for 1 box of Petit Shake and a coupon for redemption of a mini Aqua Peeling Gel with $30 spent.

Orbis will be having their first pop-up store at Ion Orchard B4 (before Muji) from 25th - 30th September, and there will be a FREE sampling bar for ALL petit shake flavours! So drop by and check them out for yourself! 

Do check out Orbis's facebook HERE!

Till then,

Mia

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