Sponsored Review

One of the many rules I drew up when I started this blog is that I shall only offer my sincerest opinion when writing about products in order that you, my readers, may benefit from reading my reviews. As the blog grew, I started to receive sponsorships. However, the same rule applies to sponsored reviews; I am careful when it comes to sponsorship offers. To put it simply, I refuse to write glowing reviews on products which I do not believe in. You have my word on that. ;) Basically, the blog is here to help you sieve out good products, and I hope you have found the blog useful thus far! :)

Alright, let’s start with today’s skin care review. I have to admit that even I sometimes neglect my skin. *hides head in brown paper bag* With skin care products so widely available, and thousands of them to suit every budget, where does one begin? How do you select your skin care products?

Besides your basic cleanser and toner, you need to have a good skin hydration routine. Dehydration is the cause of many skin problems – roughness, redness, fine lines and wrinkles, premature aging, and flaking, to name a few. If you haven’t been using any hydrating products, well, fret not! Thanks to the folks at Beaute Inn, I’m going to show you a series of hydrating skin care products which live up to their claims, and the entire range of which you can sweep off the shelves for under S$120.00.

And what range would that be? Why, Heme, of course!

Endorsed by the popular Taiwanese girl group S.H.E, Heme is a skin care brand that caters to 20 to 35-year-olds and aims to provide quality skin care with affordable price tags. I found the brand name rather interesting. The name “Heme” is derived from the combination of the words “He” (your boyfriend) and “Me” (yourself), bearing the meaning that their products are suitable for both genders. Pretty catchy, don’t you think? :)

Presenting, the Heme hydrating series!

I love the packaging – very girly, and sort of princessy! The hydrating range consists of (from left):

• 24hr Hydrating Sparkling White Mask (1 box of 5 pieces, S$18.90),
• Instant Lift & Whitening Eye Mask (1 box of 5 pieces, S$18.90),
• 24hr Hydrating Ultra-White Lift V-Mask (1 box of 5 pieces, S$20.90),
• 24hr Hydrating Instant Recovery Serum (1 tube of 30ml, S$18.90),
• 24hr Hydrating Detox-White Night Jelly (1 tub of 50ml, S$18.90), and
• 24hr Hydrating Face Moisturizer (1 tub of 40ml, S$18.90).

Wow, that was a mouthful! :) On to the individual reviews.

24hr Hydrating Sparkling White Mask

Once a week, I treat my skin to a hydrating sheet mask. Contoured to fit the shape of your face nicely, the luxurious 24hr Hydrating Sparkling White Mask hydrates and brightens your skin. The mask is soaked in an intensive treatment essence containing Aloe extract and Collagen, which penetrates the skin and helps fight dark spots, freckles, and uneven skin tone.

This mask is perfect for me! Until recent years, I did not take good care of my skin. As a result of my negligence, my poor skin has suffered sun damage, resulting in freckles and dark spots (not obvious to the general public but extremely noticeable to trained eyes, and of course, yours truly). The box has roses printed all over it – I don’t think I’ve mentioned this on the blog before, but I am a huge fan of ROSE-anything!

This is what the mask looks like. :D Like all sheet masks, it may look creepy when you put it on, but the benefits are well worth it! To use, after cleansing your face, place the mask over your facial contours, positioning it over openings for eyes, nose and mouth. Leave it on for 10 to 15 minutes, remove it, and gently massage remaining essence into skin. And you’re done! The mask sufficiently hydrates and plumps the skin, and, after using it for the first time I noticed that my skin brightened up considerably. And it is rose-scented! It smells sooooo pleasant! You should definitely incorporate this mask into your weekly routine.

Instant Lift & Whitening Eye Mask

You would know that the skin around your eyes are way more delicate than the skin on the rest of your face. Therefore, you should always be gentle when applying eye gel/cream, eye makeup, and when removing eye makeup. And don’t rub your eyes! If you tug at your skin all the time, you’re bound to develop fine lines and wrinkles. Your eyes need some special TLC!

Specially formulated with patented active ingredients, the Instant Lift & Whitening Eye Mask works to brighten, de-puff and hydrate the skin around your eyes, and helps improve fine lines. I have to say that this is one of the most unique eye masks I’ve ever seen. I call this my “superhero eye mask”, LOL! :)

See what I mean? I really like the shape of it. It’s masquerade-ish… kind of mysterious, no? Makes you look like a superhero. ;D Like your usual sheet mask, this eye mask is soaked in essence and is very, very pleasantly scented. When you remove the mask from the wrapper, be careful to not tear the mask! After cleansing your face, put the mask over your eye area and leave it on for about 10 to 15 minutes. Upon removal of the mask, I noticed that my eye area was significantly brighter! Skin was also well-moisturised. :) Say hello to refreshed and radiant eyes!

24hr Hydrating Ultra-White Lift V-Mask

You can probably guess from its name – the 24hr Hydrating Ultra-White Lift V-Mask delivers nutrients and antioxidants to hydrate and whiten skin, and the unique cutting of the mask helps your face attain that highly sought after V-shaped contour. The mask contains Peptides, Collagen and Ivy extract to give your skin a fresh radiance and firming benefits. Looking at the number of facial contouring products available on the market, I anticipate that this mask will likely be very popular with our local girls! ;)

The cutting is very interesting.  The mask comes with two pairs of ear loops. After cleansing your face, apply the mask over your facial contours, positioning openings over eyes, nose and mouth. See the pair of ear loops at the sides of the “face”? Loop this first pair over your ears. See that extra piece at the “neck”, with a slit on either side? That’s the second pair of ear loops. You’re supposed to wrap that extra piece under your chin, and hook the slits over your ears. Now, that should sufficiently support your chin! Initially, it was rather difficult for me to hook the second pair of ear loops over my ears without them slipping off, so if it happens to you, I suggest stretching the loops out a little. Just very slightly – you don’t want to tear the mask! They should fit nicely thereafter! The mask feels kind of tight, and I think that’s how it should be, because it’s supposed to help redefine the contours of your face. And again, this is rose-scented! ^-^ LOVE!

Leave the mask on for 10 to 15 minutes, remove it, and gently massage the remaining essence into skin. With constant use, your facial shape will become more defined, in addition to having fairer, more radiant skin!

24hr Hydrating Instant Recovery Serum

All that weekly masking should complement your usual skin care routine. But, what if your skin is in need of a boost on days when you’re not masking? Try the 24hr Hydrating Instant Recovery Serum! ;) An intensive hydrating and brightening serum made specially for dehydrated skin, this helps prevent fine lines, wrinkles, and repairs skin imperfections and discolorations while moisturising the skin at the same time, giving your skin a luminous glow. Sounds like these products are all multi-taskers! :)

Here’s the tube, out of the box!

The product is a clear, colourless, viscous gel, and smells of (no prizes for getting this right! :P) ROSES! To use, apply this on your entire face in the morning and evening, after cleansing. For best results, follow up with 24hr Hydrating Face Moisturizer and 24hr Hydrating Detox-White Night Jelly (both reviews of which are at the later part of this post) in the day and night respectively.

As the gel is pretty sticky, be careful not to apply too much of it. A little goes a long way! :) I like that it makes my skin feel taut after application. Give your skin a few minutes to absorb the gel before proceeding with the next step. With regular use of this serum, I found my skin to be brighter (even on days when I don’t mask), so this is definitely a keeper!

24hr Hydrating Face Moisturizer

This aqua-based moisturiser delivers essential elements to maintain one’s skin’s moisturising and brightening qualities. It also helps the skin maintain its optimum moisture balance.

The cute tub, out of the box! See that huge “ROSE” word on the cap? XD

This comes with a cute little spatula for scooping!

And this is what the product looks like! It is a semi-opaque white jelly which smells fabulous. Fabulously ROSE! To use, massage this in a circular motion onto your entire face in the morning after applying the 24hr Instant Recovery Serum. Looking at the product in the tub, I thought I’d probably need to rub it into my skin slowly because, well, it’s jelly, isn’t it? Boy, was I wrong! *shakes head* Upon application, it turned into a watery texture and sank into my skin immediately! It’s akin to applying rose water on your face. Kind of like, now you see it, now you don’t. I was really impressed! I noticed that my skin was well-hydrated, and I broke out less after using the series. I also like the cooling effect it has on the skin. You have to try this!

24hr Hydrating Detox-White Night Jelly

Now that we have our day moisturiser, what happens to our skin when we sleep at night (especially for those of us who sleep in air-conditioned rooms)? 24hr Hydrating Detox-White Night Jelly to the rescue! ;)

This moisture rich night jelly is specially formulated to instantly hydrate skin. It also improves the skin’s ability to retain water overnight for a more intense treatment and repair.

See the cap, see the cap! It is a clear cap with uneven edges and an uneven tub to match (IMO, to mimic the jelly texture) – how cute!

Now let’s see the inside! The product is a semi-opaque light pink jelly which smells of roses… yayness! To use, massage this in a circular motion onto your entire face in the evening after applying the 24hr Instant Recovery Serum. The texture of 24hr Hydrating Detox-White Night Jelly is light, but thicker than that of the 24hr Hydrating Face Moisturizer. It is also slightly sticky. However, because of its light texture, the jelly is very quickly absorbed by the skin, leaving behind no stickiness. I noticed that whenever I use this the night before, I wake up to brighter and smoother skin. So this, I absolutely love! <3

Having reviewed all of the above, I must say that the Heme hydrating range is definitely worth investing in. If you are looking for a hydrating skin care range and have no idea where to start, try Heme! And now, the important bit – where to purchase Heme products? You would be pleased to know that Heme is exclusively available at selected Watsons and Sasa stores near you! So go check them out now!

I certainly hope you will love these products as much as I do. :) Please share your views with me after using them!

Once again, a BIG THANK YOU to my sponsor Beaute Inn for these wonderful products! <3

J