Top coat pretty much makes or breaks the manicure, quite literally. My freshly applied polish always looks so vulnerable without the added layer of glossiness (or matte) to seal it in. So that is why I bought this particular top coat, because I had forgotten to bring one on my last Hong Kong trip (cause let's be honest, I'd rather spend the night painting my nails than socialising with human beings in a foreign country). I was just looking for a cheap alternative for the trip and this costed me less than AUD$5.

Packaging

I had to mention the packaging because it's so classy, sleek and sturdy. It comes in a black box with the 3CE logo on the front and a description of the colour on the back. It is also sealed for hygiene purposes (yay!). The glass and slightly grippy cap make it feel like a high-end product. It twists off directly to reveal the brush. BUT once you get to about halfway through the product, it becomes difficult to get enough product on the brush. So I have to resort to tipping the bottle sideways and essentially fish for the polish, which can become a bit of a pain especially with the unwieldy square shape.

Application

I love the 3CE brush. It is thin enough to precisely push the product around and thick enough so that you can cover the entire nail in 3 (or 5 for the thumb) strokes. However, the rectangular cap wasn't my best friend, as the shape is a little difficult to grip comfortably.

Formula

The application might be marvellous but I definitely cannot say the same for the formula. It's a bit of a temperamental top coat, with an insanely long drying time. It's not marketed as a fast-dry top coat but a normal layer needs around 5-10 minutes to become dry to touch and over an hour to become fully dry. I definitely do not recommend this if you are an impatient person or have better things to do than to not use your hands for over an hour. It's also not a good idea to paint your nails with this top coat before going to bed or it'll be wrinkle-galore when you get up in the morning. Even hours after I paint my nails, I still manage to get fingerprint marks indented into the manicure ...

However, after careful application and sufficient drying time, it has an amazing shine and also levels out any lumps and bumps. If I apply a thin/medium layer, the finish probably lasts for about 24-28 hours before giving into the forces of nature. For some inexplicable reason, the colour dulls and the polish becomes scarred and dented over the next few days. This happens to every single polish I use from whichever brand, even those from 3CE. It never lasts for over a week without me feeling grossed out by the state of my nails. BUT, if you pile a heavy layer on top and manage to wait for the century it takes to dry, it will give an AMAZING freshly painted kind of shine for the next week. This top coat also seems to be good at preventing chipping. I've only ever had tip wear, but never large chunks peeling off my nails.

Final Thoughts

I will continue to use this bottle until the end, but it's not something I will purchase again. It gives my manicure a lovely shine and levels like a dream, but I honestly wreck half my nails every time because I can't sit still for the hour it takes to dry.

Rating - 5/10
Repurchase - No

Thanks for reading !!

[REVIEW] Sana: Nameraka Honpo Isoflavone Soy Milk Cream

This little gem is a very popular and raved-about skincare item from the Japanese market. I finally managed to get my hands on a jar on my travels and have been using it daily for a few months now. It contains soy milk isoflavone, which boasts moisturising properties that will give you 'mochi-hada' (mochi-like) skin. From my basic understanding of Japanese and the aid of Google Translate, it seems that this cream acts like a mask to lock in moisture and will promise you plump, soft skin.

Cost: Around $10AUD (So cheap!)

Packaging

I don't ever usually have too much to complain about when it comes to Asian skincare/cosmetics packaging and this cream fits that bill. It is housed in a sturdy white plastic container with the label attached around the outside. Unfortunately, the entire label is in Japanese, which made it difficult to actually identify the product when I was shopping in Japan. There is 50mL of cream (yay for travelling), which will last a good couple of months. It doesn't come with its own spatula, so I just clean my hands thoroughly before use or you can always use another spatula.

Application

I always use this moisturiser as the last step in my skincare routine. I started using this cream when it was still warm in Sydney, so it was exclusively a night-time product, but I have since switched it to day time use as well as the colder months arrived. The cream is white and has a thick, gel-like consistency, which is very easy to work with. I only need around two pea-sized amounts to cover my entire face and neck, and the thicker texture makes it easy to add in a mini facial massage too.

Formula

Alright, now we come to the breakdown of this product. The star ingredient, which the cream is creatively named for, are soy isoflavones. I did a little digging and found that isoflavones are almost exclusively sourced from the legume (or bean) family and have molecular similarities with human oestrogen. It's mainly an antioxidant, and protects against oxidative stress caused by UVB radiation. The use of topical isoflavones (aka phytoestrogen) in post-menopausal women (this was the study cohort) is also linked to anti-aging and production of dermal collagen, with improvement in facial dryness and increased hyaluronic acid for skin elasticity. So basically this ingredient seems like something incredible, which promises a ton of amazing effects with a couple of studies to back up these claims.

I did a quick search on cosDNA and came up with a list of ingredients. Unfortunately, it seems like many of the materials used are comedogenic or have an increased likelihood of clogging pores. The thick texture is very suggestive of this as it leaves a slight film-y feeling, almost like a sleeping mask would. In light of this, I probably would not suggest this product to those who have oily skin or are prone to acne. This is also probably not a good choice for those who have sensitive skin as it does contain fatty alcohols, which can be irritative.

Personally, I find that it does give me very soft and supple skin immediately after use but I'm not overly fond of the mask-like feeling on my face after application. It does seem to act as a moisture barrier, but it's not something that lasts beyond a few hours. I don't feel a marked improvement in my skin from using this moisturiser and all the skin softening effects seem to be quite temporary. I haven't experienced any of the effects that isoflavones advertise and my skin also dried out during the day (middle of a very cold winter in Sydney right now). It hasn't broken me out any more than usual, but I break out no more than once a month. I use it as a day cream, but I don't recommend it for day use if you wear foundation/bb cream as it would just 'sit' on top of the moisturiser and not blend particularly well.

Final Thoughts

This is a cheap, portable and no-fuss facial moisturiser, which does give you some temporary benefits. It's decent enough for the price you pay, but I'd only suggest using it at night or to relieve dryness. I wouldn't recommend this for those who have sensitive, oily/acne-prone skin and to patch-test first if you are of those skin types. I can kind of see where the hype comes from with the unique texture and the use of isoflavone, but it hasn't really amazed me at all.

Rating - 5/10
Repurchase - No.

Thanks for reading !!

A Vaniday Out

Vaniday is a website (available internationally), which basically makes booking your next beauty appointment so easy. As an added bonus, they've also got heaps of perks for members! We were lucky enough to be approached by Vaniday and we are going to take you through our experience.

First off was choosing from all of the different treatments on offer and there is SO MUCH to choose from. There's everything you need from top to toe, including hair, makeup, nails and even a wide selection for our male counterparts. It took lots of browsing and general difficulty trying to choose just one treatment but we both settled on a relaxation massage. All the Sydney options can be found right here (< clickity click). All the businesses list all their treatments with detailed descriptions with prices, making it really clear and simple to choose one that suits you. Booking it was incredibly easy with step-by-step instructions in massive font where you can choose the time and even the therapist if applicable. You can see all the available times and we managed to book an appointment together for the next day.

Unfortunately, our treatment day ended up being a bit bumpy. The massage parlour that we booked did not update their available times on the website and could not accomodate us. We had booked the day before our treatment and did not find this out until 15 minutes before we were due to start. Our hiccup was dealt with in a very professional manner with one of Vaniday's team and she managed to help us book a similar treatment at a different place. We had to pay more, but we were grateful for her help in calling around to different places and checking availabilities for the day. Super impressed!

So we made our way to the massage parlour (Andaman in Sydney) during the afternoon and entry was by a creepy looking set of stairs wedged between two shops. We climbed up and was greeted by one of the therapists in a Thai-inspired room playing soothing music. We booked to have our treatments together, so we had to wait for a second therapist to arrive. We were offered a nice steaming cup of barley tea before going in for our treatment. We decided to go for an hour long relaxing aroma oil massage, which was delivered professionally and loosened up all the stress over the last few weeks of intense uni/work hours.

Barley tea upon arrival.

Sneaky shot of Eliza with the interiors.

Final Thoughts:

Daisy's thoughts: This experience was my very first encounter with thai massages and Vaniday made the process very simple and easy to book. I liked that each Spa had its own reviews and ratings from people who'd visited before so there's a level of comfort knowing you're not going into something dodgy and might get kidnapped or something (if you do decide to trust street-side promoters etc.) My final thoughts are: thai massages do hurt a little. Having your butt massaged is slightly weird. I liked having my head and feet massaged and having massages are a great way to loosen up and relax. (Also broke a nail from the lady being too enthusiastic in soothing the knots in my fingers...)

Overall, Vaniday makes finding services fairly easy, as it has everything grouped nicely in one central location. The website is super easy to use and there are discounts available frequently once you sign up! We loved that there was little to no hassle and you can literally book treatments a couple hours before if you really wanted a pick-me-up after school or work. The biggest downside we found was that not all the salons will update their appointment books accurately on the site. This means that you may have to call the salon before your appointment to confirm in order to avoid disappointment.

You can easily register via this link for $25 off your first service!

[REVIEW] Scinic - Enjoy Perfect Sun Cream SPF50+

Sunscreen is the one step that I never forget in the mornings. It's incredibly important to me as I am particularly fair and tend to redden and burn easily. Besides offering protection from cancer and sunburn, sunscreen's UV blockage ability also helps to slow down ageing. I live in Australia (hello super strong UV) and spend A LOT of time driving, so naturally I gravitate towards a higher SPF and broad spectrum cover sunscreens. Keep in mind that a higher SPF doesn't mean that the sunscreen lasts longer, it's just a measure of how much UV is filtered e.g. SPF15 filters 93% while SPF30 filters out 97%. Don't forget to get sunscreen that covers both UV-A and UV-B !! So getting back to the review, I basically bought this sunscreen cause I was running out of my previous one and wanted to try something new.

Cost - I bought 2 for ~12AUD cause they were having a buy 1 get 1 free promotion cause I just can't resist.

Packaging

The packaging is super simple but functional. It's not super pretty, and the gradient yellow tube does look a little dated. However, the squeeze tube packaging is hygienic, durable and extremely travel friendly. The cap is twisted off easily and you can very precisely control the amount of product you need.

Formula

The sunscreen claims to be 'natural sun care derived from more than 60% natural ingredients', and is also waterproof which is a great bonus. Here is a list for all those who are interested. No comedogenic ingredients are used and there is an extensive list of natural extracts and oils as well. I also love the fact that it's broad spectrum and high SPF.

However, the texture of the sunscreen itself is somewhat thicker than I expected and it has a strong 'sunscreen smell' as well. I usually rub the cream between my palms and press it thoroughly all over my face, because it'd probably take a lot of sunscreen to get it all over my face via conventional spreading. I also wouldn't suggest flash photography after putting this product on as it will probably showcase a lovely ghost complexion.

Final Thoughts

It's a sunscreen, and that's basically it. A little expensive too, but I guess you do get better ingredients packed into it than the supermarket varieties. My expectations for Korean sunscreen is also particularly high because the market is so saturated and there are so many innovative products out there, so this sunscreen is a little lacklustre.

Rating - 5/10
Repurchase - No

Thanks for reading !!

[SWATCH] Pony Effect Nail Lacquer: Sea Salt

I'm sure that if you're familiar with Asian beauty, you would know who Pony is. She's one of the most famous Korean make-up artists and has released her own line of products including several gorgeously packaged nail polishes. I jumped at the chance to get my hands on some and Sea Salt was one that I picked up. The packaging of her polishes are AMAZING. The bottle is a hefty, smooth glass bottle with a rose-gold cap, housed in individual rose-gold boxes (that is shiny enough to almost be a mirror). Read on to find out if it's just as beautiful inside as it is outside!

Cost - RRP AUD$7-8

ALL PHOTOS HAVE:

• Innisfree Eco Base Coat
• Pony Effect Nail Lacquer - 3 coats of Sea Salt
• Poshe Super-Fast Drying Top Coat - 3 coats

Application

First of all, the brush is nice and flexible, giving you good control as you paint. It's probably similar to an Essie brush and fans out easily during application. But that is where the good part ends ... the formula on this one is a little bit of a disaster. The first coat goes on like a streaky, patchy mess, especially if you apply thin coats (which is what I tend to do). I applied the second coat a little thicker with a very light touch (the brush was barely touching the surface of my nail) and the coverage was better. However, it doesn't self level very well, so I had to apply everything as evenly as I could. I had to top everything off with a third coat because on some nails, the second coat wasn't quite even enough.

The last challenge was the top coat. This nail polish absolutely REFUSED to work with my top coat. I had to apply multiple layers of top coat because the polish kept shrinking around the sides, which never happens with any other polish that I have tried with my current top coat. Thus my cuticles in all the photos look like a war zone despite all my cleaning up efforts.

Colour + Finish

Sea Salt is a beautiful bright green leaning blue creme. It's like a Tiffany blue colour with a tad more green in it (I'm not sure your monitor would pick that up though). It is such a pretty colour and ALMOST worth the disastrous application, but it is definitely not unique. I'd probably recommend picking up China Glaze's For Audrey over this one, not just because of the better formulation, but due to the fact that Pony's nail polishes are a little more difficult to get your hands on outside of Korea. Otherwise, this colour would suit most skin tones and would be a nice change from your usual pinks and beiges without being too obnoxious.

Longevity + Removal

Most polish tends to last about a week on me with some minor tip wear. My mani started looking quite ugly 24 hours after application because the nail polish shrank a little more around the edges. Removal was like any other creme polish: fast and easy.

Rating: 5/10

Thank you for reading !