Does Collagen powder works?



I am always on the fence when it comes to collagen. They are fundamentally amino acids, a basic building block in our body. This essentially means you can get collagen from food.


I put Meiji Amino Collagen Premium Powder to a test.





I took it religiously every night for a month.
I am not particular in the amount I consume - usually, I just use the same tiny spoon, mix 2-3 spoonful into the beverage of my choice and stir well. The serving size is probably around 7g or less.

Meiji Amino Collagen Premium

Ingredients:

Nutritional Information (7g):

How to use:

Packaging

There are two packaging options - can bottle (200g) and refill pack (214g). I picked the refill option because it is cheaper, larger in volume and more environmentally-friendly. I stored it in a plastic container. Not easy to carry around during travel or if you prefer to take this supplement on the go.

Ingredients

Looks alright but it is not vegetarian-friendly. People who are allergic to soybeans/dairy, please avoid this. It also contains gelatin. The collagen mainly comes from fish.

Smell

It does not smell fishy nor have any smell

Taste

Negligible. This is one of the most tasteless collagen I have ever tried. Doesn't even irk me when I dissolved it in water.

Solubility

Didn't know there will be a day I can use this word outside chemistry questions hehe. This dissolves very well in both hot and iced drinks, leaving no undissolved lumps at the bottom of the cup.

Effect (Before-After photos)

Does Meiji collagen works? I believe this is the reason why many of you are here.
I tried searching for reviews on the effects of Meiji collagen powder, or collagen in general but I got very fuzzy information.

Let me answer this once and for all - Collagen works, at least for me.

This was my skin before collagen (Dry, clogged with scarring and pigmentation).




And after taking Meiji Collagen Premium diligently every night for a month...





Smooth, taut and moisturised skin.
The improvement was visible, I have never seen my skin so smooth except after facial treatments.

It does little to help with scarring/pigmentations. They have been on my skin for a long long time.
I am not expecting to see any changes anyway. This is a collagen product to help with skin rejuvenation, not some miracle product.






I will continue to take this for the next 2 months; I will update again if there's anything!
Still in the quest for better skin, it was only around last year I learned to be comfortable heading out without foundation.

Overall

I am not new to collagen (wrote about another brand here) but I have never been so serious in taking them until this time around. And I am sold.
If you can't tell the difference, I don't know what to say anymore. My skin looks smoother and almost glowy now. It is taut and I noticed the dry lines on my forehead (something that was with me for a long long time) were gone!
My scars/healing process seems roughly the same still and it didn't work visibly for my freckles too.
Who knows what a few more months can do to them?

However, just by how it has improved my skin texture, I am sure Meiji Premium Collagen will be a staple. I will try to stretch out the frequency after 3 months just in case my body becomes reliant on it. Not sure whether that will happen or not but I just don't like the idea of taking something regularly or being dependent on something.
I am also exploring other alternatives, let me write about that soon!

Pros:

Cons:

Taste: 4.5/5
Smell: 5/5
Effect: 4.5/5
Convenience: 4/5
Ingredients: 4.5/5

Rating: 10/10
Will repurchase

Hello! It's the last quarter of the year and I believe a lot of people are preparing for a trip overseas. Staying in Singapore means we just have to deal with humidity, high temperature, rain or occasional thunderstorms. To be honest, I really appreciate the lack of fluctuation in weather conditions and temperature because, with 4 seasons, you have to prepare different clothes, skincare and makeup.

1. Facial Wash

Packaging

This is more of like a dip-brush kind, how do I put it? Such packaging is usually more consistent than pen liner in their performance. Generally they last longer too, or at least that’s how I feel about it. The brush can be screwed tightly in; thus, I believe it is less likely to dry out.

Tip

Thought the tip will be pretty hard (felt-tip kind) but it is softer than expected. Don’t worry, it is still firm enough to draw easily. It can do both thin or thick line without much problem.

Personally I really enjoy this sponge tip and this is something very easy to use. I am quite sure even beginners can manage this eyeliner very well.

Pigmentation

Wanted black but got brown accidentally. Black was really dark while brown is on a more natural end.




You can see brown is rather dark too. The color payoff is fantastic for brown eyeliners.
If you want something more intense, you can check out 'Black black'

Lasting power

It lasted throughout the day for me, unless I rub my eyes. Even the end of the line stays on pretty well. Once it dries, it does not budge.

Smudge proof

Almost smudge-proof after it dries completely (which didn’t take a lot of time despite being a liquid liner). Some days when my eyelids are extremely oily, this tends to disappear or smudge too. However, most of the time, it works great for me.

Waterproof

Not waterproof, at all. I was quite surprised when I did the waterproofing test. The eyeliner I drew came right off upon contact with water. Don't use this when you're heading to the beach or when you know you will be involved in some water activities. You probably wouldn't want to be caught in the rain with this lined on your eyes too.

Content/value for money

Or like what the Taiwanese likes to say ‘CP value’. I can’t say how long this can last for me (I just started using) but I think it should be quite a while. Very worth the buck for the effect it can create.

Actual test/Swatch

I used this throughout my trip in Aussie (and also after I came back). Even if the selfie was taken from a distance away, you can still see how intense and crisp my eyeliner was.

Removal 

Easily removed with just micellar water despite the pigmentation, or even with running water.
Does not stain eyelids easily too, which is good.






Overall, I am very happy with this eyeliner. This has been on the shelves for quite some time and it performs (unlike Loreal’s facial wash). However, I can't find information about this via SG official Loreal's page. I saw another version instead. Don't tell me... this is discontinued as well lol.


Anyhow, I am pleasantly surprised but the pigmentation and lasting power of it. I never expected a drugstore product to do so well in terms of that. The best thing I like about it is the tip. The tip makes it very easy to draw and it will not be a problem even if you’re a novice. For people who are starting out their eyeliner journey, you can really consider practising with L’oreal superliner. It can give you a clean, crisp line without much effort.
Enough, I am sold.

Thanks SM for introducing this to me.

Rating: 8.5/10
Will repurchase again

L'oreal White Perfect Milky Foam

Packaging

Small, plastic squeeze tube, nothing fancy or bad about it.

Cleansing

Cleanses face well, in my opinion, too well. Dries me out like crazy. Never tried removing makeup with this as I feel a proper makeup remover should be used for that.

On skin

Feels like a normal cleanser on the skin but this thing strips every drop of oil/moisture from my face I swear. Pick it up because I needed a travel size cleanser to last me for a 3D2N trip to Batam (Hot, humid country like Singapore) and by the third day, skin on my nose started peeling. It. Was. Horrible.

End of story.

Overall

I forgot what it was like to use bad facial cleansers before I tried this. How can something be so dry? My skin leans towards combination/dry but this is the first time something made my skin peel in a humid setting. Jov also finds this cleanser too drying for her skin, except that her skin didn't peel Perhaps it could be because she was spamming moisturiser every day after washing.


If you have combination or dry skin, please avoid this at all cost. Don't say I didn't warn you.
This terrified me so much that I paid very little attention to the rest of the claims (mainly whitening properties). Generally, I am happy with L'oreal products but this white perfect cleanser - no, absolutely no. There must be a reason why it has been selling in stores for so long right? Can anyone enlighten me on this?

It wasn't stated that this was made for oily skin folks too.







Cleansing: 4/5
Whitening: 0/5
Moisturising: 0/5

Rating: 1/10 (it can still clean your skin)
Will not repurchase

"It is so warm and humid!"

Rohto Melano CC Vitamin White Mist

Packaging 

Scent

Hydrating results

Absorbency

On skin

Whitening/dark spots 

Overall

Rating: 7.5/10
May repurchase before a trip

When is a good time to include anti-ageing products in your regime? There is really no fast and hard rule for it but a general guide is after 25.

I never properly consider the need of improving my skincare routine (think facial wash, toner, moisturiser and daily use of sunblock) until I realised how 'old' my skin looked. I noticed my laugh lines became more obvious and my skin lacks that firmness/elasticity it used to have.

That was when I knew I cannot put this off any further.

When I was blogging more actively, I used to put in more effort in skincare/makeup. Then, I stopped and likewise, my routine got more and more simplified.

One of the keys reasons why I came back on this space again is because I wanted to pay more attention to myself and writing it out really helps me to observe, think and reflect. I can choose to write in a 'diary', but what's the fun of that?



Anyway, I digress.


Back to the topic!

Time Revolution Night Repair New Science Activator Ampoule (Borabit)

Disclaimer: This product has been discontinued earlier this year. No, don't close the tab yet, you can still find some remaining stocks online, albeit cheaper, if you're keen to try out after reading. I contemplated for a really long time whether to draft this post or not. I still did anyway because this is the product that led me back to this space and I have seen some results after using it for slightly longer than a month.

The packaging

Glass bottle with dropper, I cannot imagine it being packed any other way. The dropper is easy to control and dispense the right amount of product. No complaints.

Smell

Nothing like the usual fragrant/floral ampoule; in fact, it has a pretty strong fermented scent. I'm guessing it is from the main ingredients.

Value

To be frank, I got it at a higher price than stated but it was quite some time back so I can't recall. Browsed through online and most of them were in the 20ish region so I took it as it is. It is not easy to find ampoule priced this low.

Texture/absorbency

Brown, runny liquid with a slight gel consistency.


It is absorbed within seconds and does not leave any unpleasant residue or oiliness on the skin. Anti-ageing ampoules are more concentrated than anti-ageing serums but this absorbs fast enough.

If I have to describe the process, I would say it feels like it goes right into the deeper layers of the skin.

Effects/Results

After incorporating this in my night time routine for 2 weeks, I noticed several differences. My laugh lines aren't so obvious anymore, the faint lines on my forehead tightened and my skin generally feels more supple and elastic - as though you inflate a balloon that is losing air fully.

The main effects I observed will be the hydration from within, and a slight gradual improvement in my skin elasticity and firmness/lifting.


Update! 


Not the best before/after photo comparison. There is an improvement from the skin texture and I also noticed my spots are lightened.

Pros:

Cons:

Overall

This is an entry-level ampoule catered more for young skin with early signs of ageing. It helps to hydrate from within over time. It also helps to improve skin elasticity and firmness but little on skin texture. Missha Time Revolution series is one of the better known series of Missha and Korean street brands and I can clearly see why.
However, if you need more TLC with your skin, this may have very little effect on you. I am grateful for it to be mild enough for me to start out my anti-ageing prevention care.

Rating: 8.5/10
May or may not repurchase again

Wild hair colors are so in trend right now. They are very pretty but more often than not, the colors do not last very long before they turn into some nasty brown, well unless you bleached your hair.

Packaging



The typical twist and apply form. In a very sturdy and scratch-resilent shiny black casing. You can toss it in your makeup pouch/bag without worrying too much. I like its squarish design a lot as it is easier to stack (i.e. they do not roll all over the place) and it is in general, more classy in my opinion.




Moisturizing


Black label lipsticks are not drying and do not accentuate lip lines. It is in fact quite moisturising. I do not have a use a lipblam before applying this (which is great ^^).




Not the most lasting lipsticks available but the colour stays for a couple of hours. You will need to reapply after meal.

It will transfer so it is something you do not want to wear if you are attending for instance a cocktail party. The transfer issue is more noticeable for #10 Fashion Red, probably because it is the brightest of the three.




Pigmentation


Black label lipsticks are very pigmented, especially for the price you pay.






Taste


No weird taste but please don't go taste it deliberately.

The faint sweet scent is unnoticeable when you apply it on your lips. I don't need lip products to smell good though.










Removal


Easily removed with facial wipes/normal makeup cleansers.

Colours available


Not a wide range to choose from, colours are pretty mediocre (a lot of pinks) but they are very wearable.

• #2, Soft Coral (소프트 코랄)

Colour/Look


As per the name suggested, it is indeed a soft coral. The colour is bright but not too overwhelming. It is a good lip colour to pick if you want something to brighten up your face while still keeping the whole look natural. This is a very pigmented lipstick and it has a slight sheen finish.


There's more glitter in this than the next one I'm going to talk about.






Application


Glides effortlessly and mistakes can be cleaned off easily. Does not bleed or smudge for me.

• #7. Grace Pink (그례이스 핑크)

Colour/Look


This is more of a my-lips-but-better colour. More rosy than pink.




It also has specks of glitter in it but less than #2. Hence, this is great if you're going for a no makeup makeup look. However, I find this less interesting.









Application


Like #2, no problem with application at all.

• #10. Fashion Red (패션 레드)

Colour/Look



Application

The Verdict



Lipsticks are great and colours (at least the ones I picked up) complement my skin tone well. I think it will work for most people too. I love both of the colours but I tend to reach for #2 Soft Coral a little more. I've been using #7 a lot recently as it is a good neutral colour for school.

Got #2 & #7 from Qoo10 a while ago. If you doubt the authenticity, you can purchase them from the outlets itself.

I don't usually see them at the outlet though, maybe I did not search hard enough? I got the price from an online source so I'm not sure whether it is still accurate to date. Will probably drop by to double check one of these days!

I also got #10 from Korea (retailed at 4,900W) and it is a gorgeous red. I will do a swatch + update once I've opened it!
#10 is a gorgeous red every girl needs in her make up collection. Since it does not last very long/transfer quite a fair bit, I will not recommend this if you're going to eat or drink because it might smudge haha. To achieve the perfect red lip, remember to line your lips first!

Rating: 9.5/10
Repurchase:#2 is definitely a keeper
#7 KIV because it is quite a common colour
#10 KIV cause colour is quite bright for everyday use

Hope you will love them too :)

PS, I need to invest in a lip scrub LOL.