Review: Nature Republic Fresh Green Tea 70 Emulsion

Hi everyone, back with another review from my Nature Republic haul from a few weeks ago! This time, I'll be reviewing their Fresh Green Tea emulsion. I have been using this for a long enough time now to give a thorough review. For those who don't know emulsion is a later step in the skincare process to provide extra moisture and whatever other effects wanted. It should also be noted that I have sensitive, normal type skin. Let's get started!
(If you are reading this on mobile, tap on the photos for a clearer resolution)

I really adored the packaging for this product! It seems that all of Nature Republic's packaging is eco-friendly, recyclable, and printed with a soy-based ink; all of which I fully support! The colors and design are also simple and very nice to look at.

Here are the ingredients for those who are interested for ethical reasons or allergy reasons. As you can see, there are quite a few ingredients that are natural, including the key ingredient, camellia sinensis leaf water, or more commonly known as green tea extract. The product stays true to its claims and has a #1 ingredient of a tea leaf that is an anti-oxidant, anti-carcinogen, and has anti-aging properties.

The bottle itself is quite sturdy and clearly is not made of any cheap material. 

There was a safety seal in the top of bottle for protection, which I always appreciate~. Now, I have found that this method of dispense for the product has some major flaws. When I first started using the emulsion, I couldn't get the product out at all no matter how much I shook the bottle onto my hand. For the first week, I had to scoop it out with a Q-tip! This was an inconvenience, but now that I've loosened up the product, I have no problems anymore getting it out. 

The product had a slightly thick consistency, but applied on really smoothly! It spread and absorbed into the skin quite easily, no resistance at all. My skin always feels more refreshed and supple after applying. There's also little to no smell.

As for the effects, I have been using this product for about three weeks and have noticed no negative side effects. I have sensitive skin and have not broken out all. My skin has also become slightly more hydrated and clear and hopefully will continue to get better as time passes. 

With all these effects factored in, I give this product a 

8.5/10.

This product is no miracle worker and has flawed packaging, but with time, it does it's job. I recommend this product for those with normal to combination skin. Dry-skin types would also benefit from this product, but more in the warmer months. I also very much appreciate the ethical message Nature Republic sends with its products. I hope to try and review more in the future!

What are your thoughts on the product? Let me know of your favorite emulsions! Thank you for reading!

Review: Nature Republic Argan Deep Care Hair Mask

Hi everyone~! This hair mask was included in my Nature Republic haul last week and right after I made that post, I decided to use it to showcase if it worked well or not. My hopes for this product are that if it does its job, then I'll go out and get myself a full version!

The packaging was pretty straightforward. I really like the simplistic design and the materials used seems to be recyclable as well! It didn't seem cheap at all. 

Like mentioned before in my haul, the mask comes with its own shower cap for convenience. I didn't have any shower caps before buying this, so I was really pleased! As you can see, the package is split up into steps. Step 1 contains the actual mask and once you're done lathering the product evenly over your hair, you open Step 2 and put on the provided cap. Really simple and easy!

 

The treatment had a slightly thick consistency, but still watery enough to easily lather onto my hair. It did have a really pleasant scent that wasn't strong at all!

The shower cap was a paper/plastic blend and held my hair together really well, but it seems to be made for one-time use only. 

While I was waiting the 20 minutes with the cap on, I noticed that the treatment was starting to feel really warm on my scalp! It didn't sting at all, but I definitely could feel my scalp getting warmer from the treatment. I took this as a sign of the mask activating and doing it's job. It wasn't too uncomfortable, but I didn't mind it in the end.

Here is what my hair looked like the morning after I used the treatment. My tips look so much better and my hair has definitely gotten shinier! The effects have lasted for almost a week now, and multiple people have noticed that my hair looks healthier. It's not as voluminous as I want it to be yet, but I'm still very satisfied with the results. I'm definitely going to buy the full-sized tub in the future. 

However, keep in mind that my hair is naturally thick and straight, so I cannot say for certain that people with curlier, coarser, or thinner hair would experience the same amount of effectiveness as I did. If this product is used consistently for at least once a month, changes will definitely occur. Because of this, I'm giving this product a 

Rating: 9/10

I completely recommend this product for those who want to try a hair mask. The full size is available on Amazon, but if you live near a Nature Republic, try this product when you can! 

The Face Shop + Kiko Milano Haul!

Hi everyone! It's been a while since I've made a post because college has started and life has gotten busier. But I'm really excited to show you some purchases that I recently made! The Face Shop, a Korean skincare brand, opened up in the town neighboring mine so I made a visit yesterday and got quite a few nice things. The mall near my house also opened a new huge section filled with brand new skincare, make up, and clothing stores. So let's get this haul going~ 

These first couple of products were actually a complimentary gift from the store! My total for my purchase came out to be enough money to receive four free items and these face masks were a part of the options, so of course I chose them. I've heard many good reviews about The Face Shop's face masks, the main one being that they use natural ingredients that smell pleasant and act effectively. 

The first mask is a natural shea butter face mask that will firm and supplement your skin with the magical moisturizing and anti-aging properties of shea butter. 

The second mask I received is a real nature mask in blueberry. This mask will help moisturize skin as well, but it will also soften it! Both these masks help keep the skin nice, dewey, and taut.

 I actually bought another pair of masks that aren't pictured because I used them, but I also purchased a couple of dragon character masks! I mainly got them as a cute activity that my boyfriend and I could do, but the character masks also made my skin feel incredibly dewey and moisturized. So if you want to have add a little fun in your skin care routine, I definitely recommend purchasing some! Next time I'm getting the tiger masks~

The biggest purchase (imo lol) I made at The Face Shop was the Pomegranate and Collagen Volume Lifting Essence. I knew that I wanted to get something for my daily skincare routine that would help make my skin look poreless and tight. I wasn't sure what to buy though, but luckily the shop woman was very helpful in guiding me through the steps of Korean skincare. She told me that essence is an essential addition to the layering routine and I after I told her my skin type, she recommended me some products, and my favorite was this! The Pomegranate and Collagen essence has a light, but fruity smell to it and I'm currently applying it both day and night. It'll help with tightening my pores and face even more with that natural fruity collagen~ 

As you can see from the swatch, the product goes on really smoothly. It's not too creamy or heavy and the smell isn't strong either. It goes on the skin really easily and I'm really excited to see how my face looks after a few weeks of using it! 

At the end of the purchase, the shop woman gave me even MORE free items, these times little samples of their other products! The three on the top are a part of their White Seed line. She gave me a set of toner, essence, and lotion and should be applied in that order. The White Seed line adds an extra effect of whitening with each product. I've heard generally positive opinions, so we'll see how it goes when I use them! 

The second sample I was given is the Chia Seed sebum control moisture cream. It contains 0% oil, so the product should help minimize the level of oiliness on the face. In daily routine, this cream should be applied last, right after the lotion. I've heard super good reviews on this product as well and I'm hoping that it'll help decrease oil in my trouble areas! 

Lastly, my purchase from the new mall in my area. I visited a new store called Kiko Milano that has had positive reviews on their products. I was in the market for a long lasting lipstick that wouldn't come off from drinking water or kissing my boyfriend. One of the make-up concierges recommended me the Matte Muse Lipstick that I bought in # 02! 

The lipstick goes on pretty thick and after drying up leaves a matte look. 

I adore the color and after wearing it out for a couple days, I have to say, I'm really impressed! After the lipstick dried, it was hard to get off. It wouldn't rub off no matter how many times I kissed my hand and the swatch I made this morning still hasn't come off! The color is sweet and subtle, which is perfect and overall I'm pleased with this product. I'll definitely be visiting Kiko again. 

Thanks for reading!

Animal Crossing Hard Candies - 2nd Edition!

Happy Fourth of July! I wanted to make a quick post about a purchase I made a couple days ago before I forgot! I have been such a big fan of the Animal Crossing games for almost 10 years now, so I was super excited when I saw these candies were for sale at my local Marukai! These sweets are the 2nd edition of a previously released set of Animal Crossing: New Leaf hard candies from 2014. I'm excited that another set has come out!

The packaging is exceptionally cute, using Isabelle and other charactersfrom New Leaf as the main design influence. My Japanese is pretty rough, but I think the bag says that there are 4 fun flavors to choose from! The flavors are the native fruits from the game, depicted in their "perfect" form. There's also one set of stickers in each package to collect! 

The back of the packaging shows the nutrient info and another sample sticker set. There are 23 candies in each package. 

The individual packaging of the hard candies are so adorable! Each one has a different village character on it, including some of the main characters. They all say, "what's today's lucky seal?!" Or something of that matter. My favorite was Reese! The candies themselves weren't amazing, but they were nice and fruity. My favorite flavor personally would have to be the peach!

Aaaaand these are the stickers that I got! I'm a super big fan of Animal Crossing so I was very happy with the stickers and would have been fine with any design. I'm not sure where I'll put these, but I'm very happy I have them! 

Overall rating: 9/10

Price: $3

Source: Marukai Market

If you live in a city with a Marukai, I highly recommend checking it out to see if they have any more candies in stock. I'm sure this product is a limited time offer, so get them soon! Especially if you're a collector!