Review: Etude House AC Clinic Intense Pink Powder Spot

Etude House AC Clinic Intense Pink Powder Spot (20ml) [Re-updated]

Description(from the box): Formulated with Salicylic Acid and Hinoki Cypress, AC Clinic delivers trouble care. Pink Powder alleviates trouble swelling on contact to minimize damage. Comes with cotton swabs for application.

Directions(from the box): Do not shake bottle. After facial care, allows the powder to settle at the bottom. Perpendicularly dip cotton swab into bottle to draw powder from bottle. Use swab, coated with powder, to dab onto trouble spots and acne.

The set comes with a bottle of AC Clinic Pink Powder Spot (20ml), a bottle of AC Clinic Daily Spot (15ml) and a packet of cotton swabs .aka. q-tips.

The Pink Powder Spot comes in a sturdy glass bottle with a plastic screw-off cap.

How to use?:

Do not shake the bottle! Allows the powder to settle at the bottom. 

Then use a cotton swab .aka. q-tip and dip it perpendicularly into the powder in the bottle. Pull out the cotton swab/q-tip and apply it to the pimples.

It leaves a pink powder layer upon application. Therefore, I don't recommend you to use it in the day unless you plan to stay at home the whole day. Also, I don't recommend you to wear this under make-up. If you are looking for a spot treatment that can be use under make-up, you can try the day version spot treatment which is also from the Etude House AC Clinic line, called the Etude House AC Clinic Intense Liquid Spot. (Review: link)

Consistency and Color:
It has a pink powdery texture.

Scent:
It has a medicated herby scent to me.

Likes:
- contains salicylic acid
- dry up and heal pimples effectively
- no breakout or irritation; suits sensitive skin
- easy to use
- easy to wash it off

Dislikes:
- the powder may stains pillow/pillow case easily (can be washed off)
- the liquid in the bottle finish faster than the powder

Neutral:
- does not treat acne marks/scars
but I'm fine with this since I can treat the marks/scars with Hiruscar Post Acne Gel (Review: link)

Here's my 5 days of 'experiment':

PS: All the photos were taken on different day/time so the lighting may vary. NO makeup or editing... errr... actually..., I did edit... — cropped, combined all photos into one and added in watermarks and dates. That's it. NO major editing though.

During the day, I will use Etude House AC Clinic Intense Liquid Spot (Review: link) and at night, I will use Etude House AC Clinic Intense Pink Powder Spot.

Day 1: A nasty, inflamed zit decided to come out to play... 

Day 1 (night): Dab some pink powder spot on the zit. I use the pink powder spot every night until the zit is completely healed.

Day 2: You can notice that the zit got dried up.

Day 3: The layer of dried acne scab has peeled off and there is an open wound.

Day 4: The zit/pimple has gone away but the open wound is not fully healed yet. The wound is barely noticeable though.

Day 5: The wound has healed and it leaves a flat pinkish-red acne mark/scar. It's time to treat the acne mark/scar~

Once the zit has fully healed, I will proceed on to treat the acne mark/scar with Hiruscar Post Acne Gel. (Review: link)

Verdict: This night spot treatment does not treat acne marks/scars but it is very effective in healing zits. It dries and heals zit within a week without causing any irritation or overly drying problem. I absolutely love it sooooo muuuuuuuchh~! Like the AC Clinic cleanser, this has always been in my holy grail skincare product list too! You can read "My Acne Story" page to know why. I can't stress how much I love the AC Clinic line. Their products had helped to deal with my horrible acne. Though back then halfway through the progress there were some drying problem, I don't find the line drying for my skin now. It works perfectly for my skin and I'm loving it!

People who have trouble with acne, you might want to give this spot treatment and/or other AC Clinic line's products a shot! :)

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Review: Etude House AC Clinic Daily Acne Foam Cleanser

Etude House AC Clinic Daily Acne Foam Cleanser (150ml)

Description: Formulated with Salicylic Acid, Foam Cleanser removes acne causing germs to keep your skin clear all day. *Non-comedogenic & Dermatologist Tested.*

*'Non-comedogenic' means it will not produce nor aggravate acne. AC Clinic line is formulated without acne inducing ingredients to promote clear skin.

Directions: Wet face and dispense small amount onto hands. Lather and apply foam to face, gently massaging entire area. Wash and rinse thoroughly with warm water.

It comes with a plastic twist-off screwed flip cap and the opening is perfectly sealed with a foil.

The product can be easily squeezed out from the cleanser tube. 

Consistency & Color:
It has a white creamy texture.

Scent:
Err...I'm bad at describing scent... It has a medicated herby scent to me. I don't find it overpowering. I actually quite like the scent.

Moisture Test on the back of my hand:

The moisture loss after cleansing is only 0.7% so I concluded that this cleanser is not drying.

I found some sites saying that this cleanser can be used to cleanse off makeup. So let's have an experiment~!:

Make-Up Removal Test on the back of my mom's hand:

Swatches of make-up

Squeeze out some cleanser, add some water and start massaging...

massage...massage...massage

You can notice that the makeup starts to dissolve...

Rinse it off with water and dry with a towel.

Result?: It failed to remove the Revlon Colorstay Eyeliner and the Holika Holika Jewel-Light eyeliner completely. As for the rest of the makeup swatches, it seems to have removed completely. However, to be on the safe side, I will still recommend you to use a make-up remover prior to cleanse with this cleanser. I called it 'double cleansing'~! It is to make sure that all makeup residues/impurities have been completely removed. Well, I'm pretty sure you don't want to get breakout, isn't it? So yeah, use a proper makeup remover in removing makeup before cleanses with a cleanser! Don't be lazy and skip the step. :)

Likes:
- contains salicylic acid
- non-comedogenic
- cleanses well
- able to remove certain makeups
- does not aggravate pimples
- no breakout or irritation; suits sensitive skin
- prevents future breakout
- easy to wash off
- leaves the skin feels clean and refresh
- does not dry up the skin
- the scent

Dislikes:
- none!
There's nothing I don't like... :)

Verdict: This cleanser cleanses well and it isn't drying nor aggravating pimples. It does not cause breakout either. In fact, it helps to deal with future breakout. I absolutely love it soooooooooooo muuuuuuuuuuuchh~! This has always been in my holy grail skincare product list! You can read "My Acne Story" page to know why. I can't stress how much I love the AC Clinic line. Their products had helped to deal with my horrible acne. Though back then halfway through the progress there were some drying problem, I don't find the line drying for my skin now. It works perfectly for my skin and I'm loving it!

People who have trouble with acne, you might want to give this cleanser and/or other AC Clinic line's products a shot! :)

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ONGOING: Giveaway #4

DISCLAIMER: All giveaway items shown in this blog are purchased using my own money. I was not paid by any companies nor have any affiliation with any of the brand mentioned in here.

Ready for Giveaway #4?~

*3 Lucky Winners will be selected.* :)

Take note that whatever items in the bag are not in their full product size! They are sample sachets and/or trial kit from various brands such as Etude House, The Face Shop, Innisfree, Skinfood, Skin&Lab, Mizon, Tony Moly, My Beauty Diary, Elisacoy etc. Each bag will be packed and sent randomly!~ :)

How to PARTICIPATE & WIN?:
My giveaway rules are always very simple! You just have to email the following details:
- [Your Name]:
- [Your Country]:
- [Your Email Address]:
to bitsdiaries@live.com subject to "WIN Giveaway #4".

* This giveaway is open internationally!~ 
*Multiple entries are NOT allowed. One entry per participant. More than one entry per participant will result in disqualification.
*All prizes will be mailed via SingPost.
*Winners will be announced on my blog on 29th November 2013 and will be notified by email directly. (Dear participants, do check your email inbox and/or junk mail folder on that day!)
*Winners who fail to respond within the next 3 days will be forfeited. New winner will be drawn.
*Prizes not redeemed within a month will be forfeited.

Giveaway #4 Event will

start on 5th November 2013, SGT 05:00PM

and

end on 27th November 2012, SGT 11:00PM.

Good luck to all participants! XOXO~ ;D

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Review: Hiruscar Post Acne Gel

Having trouble with pimple marks/scars? Try this! :

Hiruscar Post Acne Gel (10g)

Description: Gel for pimple scars and dark marks. In collaboration with Medinova AG — Switzerland, Hiruscar Post Acne, a scar clear gel, is proven to improve depressed scars arising from pimple and help lighten dark spots and/or red marks. Hiruscar Post Acne contains MPS, Allium Cepa, Pionin (Quaternium-73) and other natural ingredients to improve pimple scars and may help the formation of new pimple scars. It provides fast, easy skin absorption with a pleasant and non-greasy texture. It can be used as a part of treatment regime and also can be used under make-up.

Claims to do:
A Unique Formulation with 3-in-1 Scar Clear Benefits:
1. Lightens dark marks in 12 weeks
2. Improves/smoothens depressed pimple scars
3. May prevent pimple occurrence
* Non-Comedogenic, Hypoallergenic, Alcohol Free.

Directions: Apply 2-3 times a day, in the morning and before bedtime. Use regularly after skin treatment and before make-up for continuous and better outcome for scars management. Always wash hands before and after use.

Composition (Ingredients):
Aqua, Allium Cepa Bulb Extract, Niacinamide, Sorbeth-30, PPG-26-Buteth-26 and PEG-40hydrogenated caster oil, Quaternium-73, Carbomer, Fragrance, Iodopropynyl butylcarbamate and DMDM hydantoin, Sodium Hydroxide, Allantoin and Mucopolysaccharide (MPS).

Below pictures(Source: link) further elaborate... (please take some time to read them~)

• What is a Hiruscar Post Acne Gel?

• What can Hiruscar Post Acne do and when to use?

• How to use Hiruscar Post Acne Gel?

• The effectiveness:

It comes in a squeeze-able tube with a twist-off plastic cap.

It's easy to squeeze out the gel from the tube.

Consistency and Color:
Light clear gel texture and it's not greasy at all.

Once applied on the skin, it gets absorbed into the skin without leaving any sticky residue/layer.

Scent:
I don't know how to describe the scent... The scent is kind of "unique" though. I personally find it a little pungent. To be honest, I couldn't accept the scent when I first tried it but after a few use, I'm used to it. It's bearable and will not linger after application.

Likes:
- 100% anti-bacterial
- lighten and improve pimple scars and dark marks
- gets absorbed into the skin
- can be used under makeup
- light gel consistency and not heavy
- non-comedogenic
- alcohol-free
- suits sensitive skin
- doesn't cause breakouts

Dislikes:
- takes time to fully lighten pimple scars/marks

This is not my first time using this product. I first used it back in Year 2010.

This is the one I used last time.(2-in-1 formulation)

*The one I reviewing is Hiruscar Post Acne Gel. I think it's their new product. An upgraded version(3-in-1 formulation) specially for pimple scars/marks.

After some time, I stopped using this product and switched to other lightening/whitening products, such as the Skinfood Tomato Whitening Spot Serum & Etude House AC Clinic Red Spot Balm. It's been quite a few years since I last used this and I decided to use it again because of my allergies and sensitive skin. Well, I got a skin allergic reaction to tea tree oil back in August 2013. Yes, I am allergic to tea tree oil and I know it yet I still used it. Am I stupid or what!? LOL.

Back then, I had an event coming up and I just wanna get rid of about 6 to 8 zits(ranging from small to big) that were on my chin before the event. Despite knowing that I am allergic to tea tree oil, I still took the risk and used it. I actually had a plan in mind... I planned...if an allergic reaction occurs, then I will just don't attend the event. As simple as that. It's not really important anyway. So yeah..., allergic reaction really occurred and I left with even more zits and scars. 

During and After the allergic period, my skin on the chin belonged to the VERY sensitive skin type. Therefore, I decided to get back to this Hiruscar Gel because I know it's sensitive skin friendly~ It's clinically proven, safe to use, non skin irritant, even safe to use on sensitive skin.

By the way, it takes time to notice the results so don't expect an instant miracle from this product. The recommended treatment must be at least 2 weeks to 2 months. But I will recommend to use this for at least 3 months. With continuous usage, you will probably see visible results in 2 weeks on fresh pimple scars/marks. Do take note that the treatment period and results may vary depending on individual's condition, such as the condition of the acne wound and also how fast your skin repairs itself.

Here's my 8 weeks and 3 days of 'experiment'~ 
PS: All the photos were taken on different time so the lighting may vary. NO makeup or editing... errr... actually..., I did edit... — cropped, combined all photos into one and added in watermarks and dates. That's it. NO major editing though.

(Before): I had these patches of redness, bumpy/pimplish skin after using tea tree oil. It was a skin allergic reaction as I've said. Actually, it was much redder than in the photo and it was hell itchy! >< The itchiness and redness took about a week and a half to heal.

PS: I started using the Hiruscar Post Acne Gel on 6th September 2013. So...

Day 1: As you can see, I have a lot of scars/marks left by the allergic reaction...

6 weeks & 2 days: Oops, sorry. Wrong angle. lol. Anyway, you probably still be able to notice the difference huh?

(After) 8 weeks & 3 days: There are still some very faint pimple scars/marks, I don't know if you guys can see... However, the marks are greatly faded! On a side note, please excuse that Nexcare Patch~ lololol. I have a nasty zit there. It popped itself this morning and I just pasted the patch over it to help suck out all the pus. :x

By the way, I apply the gel 2 times a day, in the morning and at night, after my toner and before my moisturizer.

Okay, enough said. Whether the product works in fading scars/marks, you will be the judge~ :)

People who have trouble with pimple scars/marks, you might want to give this a try.

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2013 Aug-Oct Skin Care/Beauty/Misc. Haul

~Skin Care/Beauty/Misc. Haul~

Well, it's been quite awhile since I last did a Haul of the Month post. I don't know if anyone likes to read such post... Anyway, I will just continue....................

Over the past few months, I purchased quite a number of stuff. I did not take any pictures of the items and to be honest, I long forgotten what I have bought(most of it) thus, it would be hard for me to post everything up. That being said, in this post I will just sum up what I remember buying for the past 3 months. It's not in order by date/month nor by category by the way. :)

2013 August - October Haul

I got this package yesterday and the box is too small for me to nicely show all the AC Clinic products I've bought. -.- I got almost the whole Etude House AC Clinic products except for the Red Spot Balm and BB Cream(discontinued). :

Etude House AC Clinic Daily Acne Foam Cleanser

Etude House AC Clinic Daily Toner

Etude House AC Clinic Daily Gel Lotion

Etude House AC Clinic Intense Liquid Spot

Etude House AC Clinic Intense Pink Powder Spot (comes with 15ml of Pink Powder Water)

Etude House AC Clinic Intense Hinoki Water Mist

Etude House AC Clinic Intense Mask Sheet

In fact, I actually got 2 bottles of the mist, 2 bottles of the liquid spot, 2 bottles of the toner and 2 bottles of the gel lotion. If you read my Skin Care Routine page, you will know that I switched back using these products. And I got so many AC Clinic products at one go because they were having a sale~ The manufacture date is quite recent so it was a super good deal~ A STEAL! A STEAL! 

Did you notice that yellow stick on the left of the picture, placed right beside the liquid spot~? That's the...

Tony Moly Petite Bunny Gloss Bar in #8 Neon Yellow
I'm thinking of getting the #09 Neon Red too..
Will do a review once I have tried it.

Some other skin care/beauty stuff I bought much earlier on...:

Etude House Baking Powder Crunch Pore Scrub

I heard a lot of raves about this product so I got them. 

Review coming soon~(hopefully...)

Hiruscar Post Acne Gel

This is one of my long-lost favorite product for pimple scars & dark marks.

Review coming soon~

Etude House Eraser Show Mascara Cleaner

I have not tried using this yet because I don't wear mascara much these days... :/

Will do a review once I have tried it.

The Face Shop Freshian Big Mascara in #01 Curling

The Face Shop Freshian Big Mascara in #02 Volume

Revlon ColorStay Eyeliner in Black

The Face Shop Mascara were having a sale too~ They were having like a 1+1 promotion. I actually picked up 4 and I gave 2 to my friend. I got it at the price of SGD$4.90 for 2. The manufacture date is also quite recent~ A steal, isn't it?

On the other hand, Revlon was also having a sale~ 20% off. So I picked up one of my favorite eyeliner.

Also, I got a cleanser and many facial masks~:

Innisfree Jeju Volcanic Pore Clay Mask

The Face Shop Mini Capsule in Seaweed

The Face Shop Mini Capsule in Cucumber

The Face Shop Real Nature Mask in Mung Bean

The Face Shop Real Nature Mask in Bamboo

The Face Shop Real Nature Mask in Rice

The Face Shop Real Nature Mask in Green Tea

Etude House Baking Powder B.B Deep Cleansing Foam (Review: link)

And I got another ...

5 sheets of Etude House AC Clinic Intense Mask Sheet

much earlier on...

After trying out The Face Shop Masks, I went back to stock up even more...:

I picked up The Face Shop Real Nature Mask in Kelp to try out~

Besides that, I also got another box of 

Etude House AC Clinic Intense Pink Powder Spot..

I grabbed many pieces of The Face Shop mask sheets because they were ALSO having a sale! HAHAHAA I LOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE SALES!

For Fragrance..., 

I got the Elizabeth Arden 5th Avenue perfume

I've been wanting this perfume and I finally got it. yay~

Miscellaneous:

A beige color cap with studs from Korea

p/s: thanks dad for the Hello Kitty. He bought it for me during his business trip. :)

Black Lace-Up Ankle Boots from Korea

Necklace from Coach

Currently, this is my most favorite necklace~♥ :)

hoomia UTWO(U2) Ace Headphone from Taiwan

Lingerie Case/Travel Organizer Bra Bag or whatever it's called...

This hard moulded case keeps your bras out of sight and protects the bras from crimping, crushing and creasing in the luggage/suitcase. Perfect for traveling~

PiGi bags from Taiwan :)

I have a dresser of 6 drawers in my room where I keep all my bags and some misc. stuff and 5 out of the 6 drawers are where I keep my bags. In there, 90% of my bags were purchased from PiGi Mall. I absolutely love their brand and bags!! Visit their site here. PS: It's in Chinese.

As I have said, I won't be able to post up all of the purchased items. I only post up what I could remember and just the ones I have a picture... As for clothing, I bought A LOT(in bulk) from Taiwan and it's too troublesome to show all of them so pardon me for not showing...  And apart from that, some of the pictures were taken using Iphone's camera so please excuse for the bad picture quality. :x

I hope you enjoyed my haul post and...... 

Have a safe and Happy Halloween everyone! 

Trick or Treat? 

xoxo,

Ashley.

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Review: Etude House skin mal:gem (Fresh; Oil Control Toner)

Etude House skin mal:gem (Fresh; Oil Control Toner) (250ml)

Description: 맑음[mal:gem] — the Korean word for cleanness, clarity and pureness. Skin Malgeum hypoallergenic toners promote clean, clear and pure complexion with moisturizing and pore cleansing formulas.

*Fresh: Controls excess sebum while providing enough moisture to keep the skin matte. Bamboo extract and sebum control ingredient keeps the skin clean and fresh.

Directions: Dispense solution onto toner pad and use pad to wipe all areas of face and neck.
*can be use as a facial mist or facial mask
(PS: I won't make any comments about the facial mist and mask method since I have not tried it.)

The toner comes in a matte bottle with a plastic twist-off screwed cap and the opening is perfectly sealed with a foil. The fluid can be easily pour out from the opening of the bottle.

I usually moisten a cotton pad and gently swipe it all over my face. It gets absorbed into the skin after a few minutes without leaving any sticky residue.

Consistency & Color:
Light and watery. Colorless.

Scent:

It smells citrusy when sniff directly from the opening of the bottle. But when pour it out on hand and sniff it, there's a mild hint of floral scent to it. I might be wrong though... lol. I'm bad at describing scent. hah. :x It does not smells bad anyway.

Oil-Control:
It DOES control sebum but of course, not to the extend that you will be totally free from oiliness the whole entire day. My skin still feels oily throughout the day and I still need to blot my face with oil blotters however, I noticed that the amount of sebum has been significantly reduced compared to what I would normally get.

Moisture Test on the back of my hand:

Before applying the toner, my skin moisture level measures 33.3%
After applying the toner, my skin moisture level measures 41.2%.
After 10 minutes later(toner got fully absorbed), I took the measurement again, it dropped to 40.6%

Moisture gain is 7.9%.

The difference on moisture loss after 10 minutes is only 0.6%.

which I concluded that this toner is pretty moisturizing.

**Above result is just for the application of a toner.**

With application of a moisturizer, I believe the skin will be perfectly moisturized!

Likes:

- 5 free formula: Free of Paraben, Artifical dye, Benzophenon, Mineral oil, Animal material

- controls sebum

- pore cleansing

- moisturizes

- gets absorbed into the skin

- not sticky at all

- does not cause breakouts

- leaves skin feeling clean, fresh and cooling

- the scent

Dislikes

- does not help to shrink the pores...

Seriously, there's nothing much I dislike about. :)

Verdict?: I have already finished using this toner and it does works as what it claimed to do — "controls sebum yet at the same time provides moisture to the skin". It leaves the skin feeling clean, fresh and cooling upon application. On the downside, I don't think it helps minimizing the pores though...I didn't see a difference in the size of my pores. 

Anyway, this toner is perfect for Summer season, for people who live in hot and humid country and also for people who have oily skin. 

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