ZOEY'S

Hello peeps! Another review post and this time I'm reviewing the famous Annie's Way Arbutin & Hyaluronic Acid Brighting (nope it's brighting not brightening I did't get it wrong) Jelly Mask which is kindly sponsored by Mini Sweets ,thanks! Before I proceed with the review I think it's reasonable to brief you on some basic things about the product itself.

Annie's Way  is an infamous mask which is founded by Annie Wu in 2009 and is raved in countries such as Taiwan and Hong Kong. This mask was recommended by two of my favorite youtuber,Bubzbeauty & Hana Tam and they themselves claimed it worked wonder. You pretty much can get this product on any website but on different price range,which is ridiculous. More detailed infos of this brand can be found on their own website. There's a pretty wide range of section of this jelly mask that you can choose from according to your own skin type and requirements.

Let's start with the review shall we? Quick reminder this is an authentic product. 'll also include how to differentiate between authentic and fake product.

Main Ingredients:

Arbutin Extract
''Beta-Arbutin is often referred to as just Arbutin. As a natural extract found in bearberry (Uva Ursi) plants, Arbutin also provides a skin lightening effect on the skin by inhibiting tyrosinase activity. Though arbutin is a natural derivative of hydroquinone, it does not possess the same risks or side effects. Arbutin has been shown to be a very safe ingredient and does not break down into hydroquionone very readily. Though it is cheaper to manufacture than Alpha-Arbutin, the skin lightening effect is much less than that of its counterpart. For this reason, many new skin whitening products now use Alpha Arbutin as opposed to only beta-Arbutin.''

Hyaluronic Acid
Hyaluronic Acid is able to penetrate the skin’s upper layers to improve and benefit the skin when applied topically. Hyaluronic acid is a major component of skin, where it benefits tissue repair and protection. When applied in an HA cream or serum, hyaluronic acid forms an air permeable layer and penetrates into the dermis, thus boosting the elasticity and hydration of the skin. The protective barrier on the skin locks in moisture, which gives the skin a youthful appearance.

Packaging wise: The packaging is pretty simple with the brand description sticker on each side but honestly I don't really mind about it. Somehow I kinda like it after owning it for a couple days hmm.

250ml & comes with a spatula with a butterfly imprint

Original product that comes with a void sealing sticker

Beautiful butterfly imprint on the spatula provided

Texture Wise: The texture is jelly-like,which is why it's a jelly mask and it's transparent.
Scent Wise    : Can't describe the scent of it very specifically but it's smells like a clear jelly? I'm the worst at describing scent.


Usage: 

1. Cleanse your face thoroughly
2. Apply toner as a base for the mask
3. Using the spatula,apply jelly mask onto your face with a thickness of approximately 0.3-0.5 cm
4. After 30 mins,remove mask by scraping gently,wipe off any excess & rinse with water
5. Continue with your regular skincare routine

For first timer,it is recommended to apply a dollop of the mask onto the back of your had and see if your skin will have any allergy reaction toward the mask before using it on your face. If you are applying it onto your face,rinse off directly if there is any reaction such as irritation etc on your first 15 mins. I personally don't have any allergies toward this mask and my skin type is combination skin so I used this mask for 30~40 minutes then scrap it all off.

Here are some photos during application;

 High concentration of stubborn blackheads on my nose and some on the bridge of nose,a few acne and uneven skin tone. Another thing is please excuse my eye bags,I'm gifted with horrible bags.
The photo on the left was after I applied the mask btw.The mask also gives a very cooling and soothing sensation when applied and it made the waiting and the whole process so much better.

Now here comes my verdict,this mask didn't work like miracle on my very stubborn blackheads but it certainly did managed to cleanse and moisturize my face in the same time. Most of the whiteheads I have on my face are scrapped off together with the mask and some blackheads too,my skin feel supple and hydrated after rinsing. If you have not-so-stubborn blackheads and looking for a mask that would cleanse and brightens your face then I would definitely recommend this mask. After rinsing,my face indeed felt brighter which is a good thing.

Overall, this mask works pretty well and would I repurchase (actually purchase*) ? Why not.

Not to forget about how to differentiate between authentic and fake product,be careful before you click that add to cart button.

CLICK TO ENLARGE PHOTO

Original

• Both manufacturing and expiry date are provided
• Authentic logo is engraved on the bottom of the container
• Wording on labels is clear
• A transparent protective cover (I assume it's a cover)
• Sealing sticker is in silver color and will show the words 'void' after you peel if off
• Authentic products comes with a FREE spatula

Fake

• Either one of the date will be provided
• No logo will be engraved on the bottom of the bottom of the container
• Wording on labeling is blurry
• Polystyrene like seal is provided instead of a transparent cover
• Transparent seal sticker is adhered instead of the silver one
• Fake product do not provide spatula and you have to pay separately for one

Now that that's cleared up,time for some good news!
3 lucky winners get to win some Annie's Way goodies!










Contest duration: 12/11/2014-25/11/2014

Mini Sweets is also doing some promotions go check them out:

 Hello amigos! Haven't been posting anything for million years.Promise promise promise I'll be back ten times more active when my finals is over! And also I have some plan on designing my blog to a more decent look too.
         
    ................. Back to what this post is meant for, BEST BLACKHEAD STRIPS! and to clear things up before I start,this is a personal preference and thoughts so it might work on some people or vice versa.And for your information I have literally tried out all type of pore strip its insane but I can say I managed to finally seeks for something which give a result I expected.

First one: Silky and Clear Nose Strip with Charcoal

A bit of disclaimer,I took this from google.Didnt get to save the box photo.

This product is simply amazing! It does what is says.All you have to do is to clean your face,wet your nose thoroughly and stick the strip on for 10-15 minutes (till the strip is firm on your skin and is a little bit dried texture to it) and peel it off!
The right photo looked gross but some of you might needed proof so there you go and this is my own photo and this was my first try of the product.I got this from Watsons and I belive you can find it on any other drugstore like Guardian (i know none of any other drugstore) and it only cost me around RM8! Such an amazing product for under RM10! If you cant find it on your local drugstore you can try to get it here if the stock is this available ( http://www.becleo.com/skin-care/face/pore-treatments/silky-n-clear-nose-strip-with-charcoal.html )


Second one: OXY nose pore strip

Didnt get to edit this because I took the photo halfway blogging and I dont like wasting my time when Im blogging :)

First thing first,it cost a bit more than the first one which is RM12 I believe and its better than any other strip I tried but it still don't defeat the first one.That is just my personal preference.The steps on how to use it is the same except you have to make sure it kinda dried (very firm) on your nose before pulling it off or else it wont pull anything out.15 minutes is the best time to pull it off from my experiences.Since the strip is in white color you sometimes don't get to see everything that is pulled out but those awful and gross ones will surely appear which you can see down below.Kinda gross but for the sake of blogging,

This was my 3rd piece of the strip before I finished the whole pack and the result I wanted was least expected since it just showed on the last few pieces but this was due to the wrong way of handling the strip.I don't know if anyone ever peeled this strip off their nose with the strip's glue still damp and nothing was pulled off.

2 tips for your black or whiteheads before I go.

Take a teaspoon of bicarbonate soda which is known as baking soda and mix it with a tiny amount of water till it becomes an exfoliating paste and massage the mixture onto your black/whiteheads prone area once or twice a week to help reduce those tiny demons on your nose.I wouldn't suggest to apply this mixture anyway else since it cause a slight of discomfort to my face area last time I tried it.


Take your freshly used tea bag sachet(preferably 100% green tea/green tea),let it cool (just in case if you just picked it up from your blazing hot cup of tea,who knows) then take out all the content in the tea bag and put into a tiny bowl,plate or whatever and mix it up with some honey or you can just use it on its own.After cleansing your face,simply take the tea leaves mixture or just tea leaves and exfoliate your whole face especially nose area.Massage the nose part which I will point out in a photo down below for 30 seconds and let the tea leaves sit for 3-5 minutes and wash off with cold water.



REMEMBER to apply your serum or toner and moisturizer after you do any of the above because you dont want those pores to enlarge do you?

So thats it for today and I hope to post something else soon and I am planning to try out Tony Moly's pore pack soon so if you want me to do a review once I tried it,comment down below or tweet me @zoeywbu :)