Curiously Carmen

Beauty: Acure Seriously Soothing Wipes

It’s been awhile since I reviewed makeup wipes here! I was sent some wipes from Acure and after testing it out, here is what I thought of them.

This line is the ‘Seriously Soothing’ line, which is made with micellar water and suitable for normal to sensitive skin. Micellar water is made up of micelles. Micelles are molecules which attract dirt and oil, so it is effective in cleaning your skin (source if you’d like to read more).  This whole time, I thought micellar water was some type of natural mineral water LOL!

What it says (taken from press release):

Acure is on a mission is provide sustainable personal care products of the highest quality that are fair trade, natural and certified organic.  Their products are made with plant and food based ingredients and are free of parabens, sulfates, phthalates, petrochemicals, or animal bi-products.  With clinically proven results  that without the use of gluten, synthetic preservatives or fragrances, they can provide scientific nutritional support to enhance the skin’s own ability to regenerate optimally. 

Anyways, this is a compact box and suitable for a gym bag, large purse, or travelling. It comes with 30 towelettes.

Application: The towelettes were moistened and I found them to be thicker than other makeup wipes that I have used. They were really soft too.

A good comparison would be that it was more like the Charmin ultra thick toliet paper compared to a public washroom one-ply toliet paper… We all know Charmin is the best. If you’re disgusted or offended by talking about toliet paper, we probably wouldn’t get along or be friends. 😉

I was really surprised when it removed all of my foundation completely. When using a makeup wipe, I would usually follow up with a cleanser to make sure everything was removed. However, my skin felt really clean after one towelette. I still used a cleanser afterwards though because it felt weird to just leave it.

I would really recommend the Acure Seriously Soothing Wipes. They did not dry out my skin and cleaned very well. Sometimes I’ll quickly use these wipes when I don’t feel like splashing water on my face with my face towel and making a mess everywhere (because I’m clumsy). I would wipe my eyes and eyebrows, and then use a damp towel to wipe away any residue.

Yay!

Availability: https://well.ca/products/acure-seriously-soothing-micellar_143914.html
Price: $8.99 (so cheap for the quality and effectiveness of these!)

Lemongrass House Carrot & Ginger Lip Balm

I am happy to share a new brand on my blog, that I haven’t shared before! Lemongrass House is a Thai-based brand, using all natural products. Lemongrass House specializes in handcrafted, spa/skincare products and recently just opened a brick-and-mortar store right here in Vancouver!

The first Lemongrass product that I’d like to share is their carrot & ginger lip balm. It was the first time that I’ve tried such a lip balm flavour!

Application: It is stored in a thin tin. A little bit goes a long way due to the key ingredients of shea butter, coconut oil, bees wax, honey and avocado oil – all moisturizing powerhouses. My dry lips were loving this and soaked it up right away!

I had to get used to the taste of ginger in my lip balm, as I mostly associate it with food/drink. But other than that, I was really impressed at how moisturizing it was.

Stay tuned for more reviews on other Lemongrass House products!

Yay!

Jowaé Youth Concentrate Complexion Correcting Cream

Last month, I introduced a new brand named Jowae on my blog. Jowaé just launched last month and can be now found exclusively at Shoppers Drug Mart!

Since writing that post, I have been using some Jowaé products daily, including the one I will be reviewing today! It is such a mouthful so I will just be calling it the correcting cream.

What it says (taken from press release):

Twice as concentrated in antioxidant Lumiphenols, brewed from protective, repairing, anti-dark spots white tea, this serum also contains vitamins B3 and E and was inspired by the radiant complexion of Korean women. It is all skin types’ best friend. The youth concentrate complexion correcting is a true youth activator and skin perfector and defying all the negative effects of daily aggressions.

Application: The cream easily dispenses with the pump, and the packaging is nice and sturdy. It has a light, thin consistency but don’t let that fool you! It is actually very moisturizing and rich, and absorbs very quickly into your skin.

Because it is very rich (despite the light texture), this would be suitable for those with dry skin. I have oily/combination skin depending on the season, and I found that when applying this in the morning, it made my face more oily throughout the day. So now, I only use it at night as a rich repair cream while I sleep.

The Jowae correcting cream also has a nice, light scent too. It is not as feminine smelling like their sakura cream.

Overall, my skin has been loving this cream! I like to use this right after my shower and before I sleep. In the morning, my face is soft and well moisturized!
Yay!

Availability: Shoppers Drug Mart stores and online
Price: $52.00 CAD

Press product featured. Opinions are own.

Jowaé- New Beauty Brand Introduction

I am happy to share a new brand on my blog today, by the name of Jowaé (pronounced cho-wha-e). They are part of the French based beauty company, Alès Groupe, and influenced by the science behind Korean beauty products hence the Korean sounding name.

I have been trying their products for a couple weeks now after finding its reviews on tashanicolewright.com, and will be slowly rolling out individual product reviews of my own! This post will be a quick introduction to all of the products currently available in Canada.

From left to right-

Purifying cleanser gel: Suitable for those with combination to oily skin. It has notes of jasmine, mandarin orange, and mint. It also contains purifying and smoothing sacred lotus extract, and lipoaminoacid which neutralises bacteria to minimize breakouts and infections.

Soothing cleansing milk: This contains the lovely benefits of peony, vegetable glycerin, sunflower oil, and jojoba oil to help clean and moisturize your face. It is a gentle and creamy cleanser.

Wrinkle smoothing light cream: The highlight of this cream is the red ginseng. Growing up Chinese, I was always told to have ginseng chicken broth soup for the tremendous amount of health benefits, and now it is being used in skincare too. Ginseng helps collagen production and protects cells from UV damage.

Hand & nail cream: Currently the only hand cream that Jowae carries in Canada. The packaging reminds me of chamomile, but it is actually made with camellia oil.

Youth concentrate complexion correction: If you have dark spots, this is the product for you! It contains twice as concentrated lumiphenols, which is an antioxidate, as well as white tea.

Wrinkle smoothing rich cream: This product is from the same family as the wrinkle smoothing light cream. The only difference is that this one has a thicker consistency. I would recommend this as a night time moisturizer, and then the light cream as a morning moisturizer.

Wrinkle smoothing eye serum: This product is from the same family as the wrinkle smoothing light cream, and also contains red ginseng.

Hydrating water mist: The favourite product of the night! The water mist contains refreshing Sakura blossom that is immediately absorbed by the skin. It is suitable for use after makeup application too.

Moisturizing light cream: Admittedly, I have been using this product the most because of how much I love the fragrance! It contains Sakura blossom just like the hydrating water mist. There is also a hint of jasmine. The two combined help wake me up in the morning and keep my skin moisturized and soft throughout the day!

Revitalizing moisturizing lotion: Last but not the least, their body cream! It contains bamboo water as the featured ingredient. The body cream absorbs quickly and says that it will not leave a sticky residue after.

Now, you’re probably wondering where you can find JOWAE products! They are currently exclusively available at Shoppers Drug Mart. Everything is reasonably mid priced, averaging around $25-$30 a product.

Stay tuned for some individual product reviews!

Beauty: SNP Snail Soothing Gel

After discovering Mizon’s snail cream, I was curious to see if other brands of snail products would work just as well. I came across the SNP Snail Soothing Gel when I was shopping at H-Mart, which is a Korean supermarket. They had a beauty section and was advertising this gel. It was only around $8 for a tub so I thought why not? Even if it sucks, it was only $8.

What it says: (Taken from Sasa.com):

SNP 99% Snail Soothing Gel contains snail mucus filtrate that quickly relieves rough and sensitive skin irritated by external stimulation and creates a protective film for healthy skin.

Application: When I opened it, I did not like the scent of it at all. It smelled a bit plastic-y and I recognized this particular scent from other creams in the past. Not off to a good start.

The texture was gel based, and was cooling when I put it on my face. It absorbed very quickly into my skin, but I didn’t feel any difference in my skin texture or it becoming softer. It was as if I had never put it on. But I know I did because the scent lingered around for a few hours which was off putting.

Maybe I just had too high of an expectation after trying the Mizon one, but this was very disappointing and didn’t come close. I think it would be suitable for perhaps a sunburn because it is a cooling gel.

Nay.

Availability: Hmart
Price: $8 CAD approximately