Third Sasa Haul and Review!!! =)

Hi Everybody! Today I will talk about and review on my 3rd Sasa Haul! XD

I bought 3 products:
-Mentholatum Acne Point Clear
-Mentholatum Oil Control Film
-Smart Cute Bobby Pins

I have used all of these products for over 2 months and here are my reviews!

Mentholatum Acne Point Clear

This product cost $5.70 US and contains 9mL of product. It is meant to spot treat acne and reduce swelling, redness, and reduce pore sizes.
Ingredients: peach leaf extract, bio Antiage B, witch hazel extract (I asked a Chinese friend of mine to translate it and yep, that's the ingredients)

What do I think of this product?
The product is a liquid that dispenses in by a metal ball roller to be rolled onto acne spots. I chose to try this out not because my Clear and Clear Mark Advantage is not working well. It works great! I wanted to see if I could find something that either works better, or something I can use during the day. Because the Clean and Clear spot acne treatment contains salicylic acid with can cause hyperpigmentation of acne and acne scars. So I only use it at night before I go to bed. If I found an acne spot treatment that would work during the day, then it would be great!
This product has no fragrance and comes out as a clear water-like liquid. It does not feel sticky on my skin and does not irritate my sensitive skin. I think it is great for treating redness and swelling. However, I'm not sure about treating acne. I did not see immediate results after the first few times I used it, unlike my Clean and Clear Mark Advantage. But it is really good for redness and swollen skin. One time, I was pinching a lot of small acne on my face and my face became really red and swollen, kind of like a tomato. =P And I put this on my face, and the swelling and redness disappeared within half an hour! It was great!
Today I use it almost everyday in my skincare regimen! After cleansing my face, I roll the product over the red areas on my face and allow my skin to absorb the product. As it absorbs into my skin it has a nice cooling effect which feels great after the shower. Then I apply my moisturizer. It makes my redness disappear very quickly, it easy to use, and very portable. The roller allows a thin film of product onto my skin without using too much product.

Do I recommend this product?
If your skin is prone to redness, then I really recommend this product! It does not irritate sensitive skin and the roller allows the least amount of product to be used with good effect, so it will last for a good amount of time. This is great to use as part of your daily skincare routine, or if you are attending an event or going out and you don't really want to wear makeup to cover the redness, this really helps calm down redness and some swelling! It also great to use during the day if you tend to get red like me from all of the sun and heat outside. Just roll onto the red parts of your face and leave it alone. The skin absorbs it quickly and the redness disappears in about 30 minutes. If you are looking for an acne spot treatment product, I would not recommend this because it doesn't really treat the acne itself. It helps with redness and swelling but it won't shrink acne dramatically or help prevent acne.

Mentholatum Oil Control Film

This product cost $2.20 US and contains 50 sheets. It is said to be for combination skin/oily and acne prone skin. It has a sticky spot on the inside of the lid so everytime you open it, it pulls a sheet out for you.

What do I think of this product?
The paper is green in color. The material of this oil-blotting paper is so interesting! It is almost cloth-like and very soft and flexible.

It absorbs oil very well, and when it absorbs the max amount, the paper becomes clear! It absorbs alot of oil without making my skin feel or become dry.

Do I recommend this product?
Well, I had a post talking about oil-blotting sheets. And I said, the majority of them are pretty similar and it's not worth it buying one more than $5. And yes, I still think that. I think if this product is available near you then I recommend it to try. It is pretty cheap. Though it can probably be only found in Asian countries and cosmetic stores so don't go out of your way to buy it if it costs too much trouble.

Smart Cute Bobby Pins

This product cost $2.60 US and contains 10 pins. Each pin is about 7cm long. It is said to keep any hair in place.

What do I think about this product?
Wow, this bobby pin really hold my hair very well. I have very long fine hair, but I have a lot of hair, which makes it hard to put into a bun. However, the bobby pin is great! I only need 1 bobby pin to hold up all of my hair! I also really like the curved shape because it fits well with the shape of the head. The bun is very snug and secure and lasts all day for me. This is great when I need to put up my hair quickly and I'm walking around all day.
Just like any bobby pin, if you put too much hair in it, it will pull the metal bars apart and loosen the pin, making it unusable. If you are putting hair in the bobby pin that causes it to spread apart 5mm or more, then that is too much. You don't need to put in a lot of hair to make this bobby pin fit well.
How I use it: I twist my hair into a bun and while holding the bun in one hand, I open up the bobby pin. Then I will turn the pin upside down so that the shorter bumpy part is leaning against my head, grab some hair, and push it in foward and down. What I get is the longer smooth curved part resting against my head. Sorry if this seems confusing. I will probably do a very quick tutorial on how to use this bobby pin.

Do I recommend this product?
If you have difficulty securing your hair into a bun then I definitely recommend these bobby pins. They are very affordable and you can find them online at Sasa or at Marukai Lifestyle. They work very well and come in two colors: black and brown. The bun lasts all day, is secure and firm! =D

So I hope you enjoyed my Sasa haul post! If you have any questions or comments feel free to write in the comment box below! Thank you for reading and I will see you later! ^_^

Let's Talk about Blotting Paper! =O

Hi Everyone!
Today I will talk about oil blotting sheets or paper =) And I will also talk about different kinds of blotting sheets and recommendations on how to find a good one!

 So what is blotting paper or blotting sheets?
Blotting paper are thin small pieces of paper designed to soak up excess oil on the facial skin. Many people, especially those who have oily skin, like to use blotting paper on their face so they don't have a greasy shiny appearance.

Do I need blotting paper?
No, you don't have to use it. It is not like it will make your skin healthier or improve it biologically etc. It is more of an improvement in appearance. It will help mattify your face and it is also useful on oily skin, or people who are not oily usually but become oily because of a change in the weather and environment. I am oily on my forehead and nose so that's where I use them.
Because it helps with the appearance of the skin and doesn't have any deeper benefit, I have decided to make this post a makeup post.

Where can I find blotting paper?
You can find it online, at any beauty store such as Ulta and Sephora, and in Japanese lifestyle supermarkets haha like Mitsuwa and Marukai. They come in small paper packages, largest size being about the size of an iPhone or something with many sheets folded inside ranging from 50 to 200 sheets. The price depends on the brand name, number of sheets, and size of each sheet.

Kinds of blotting paper
There are 2 main kinds of blotting paper that I know:
1) regular blotting sheets: those designed to soak up oil and not do anything else
2) blotting sheets w/ translucent powder: these are designed for ppl who have makup on their face. The sheets will absorb excess oil but will not take off any makeup such as foundation or concealer because of the powder. Also, the powder is a way of reapplying finishing/translucent powder to help keep makeup matt, long lasting, and prevent it from smearing and melting off

How to use blotting paper?
This is very simple. Take out a sheet from the package, open it up (if it is folded), and gently press it on the areas of skin you want to get rid of excess oil. The paper will turn clear (a sign of oil being absorbed). Continuously press and change to unoiled parts of the sheet until the sheet is used or until you feel you are done!

What kinds of blotting paper should I buy/use?
Okay, so, I do recommend buying both regular blotting sheets and blotting sheets with translucent/finishing powder. Regular ones are great for everyday use, because it prevents you from looking like a greasball and that is a real turn off to anyone because it looks like you're not clean, even if you did shower and wash your face. I find the ones w/ powder very very handy for makeup touch ups because they are portable, simple, and fast to use. Also, I really recommend sheets w/ powder if you like wearing concealer and/or foundation and you have oily skin.
Important recommendation for buying regular blotting sheets! Any blotting sheet works the same as any other blotting sheet. It really does not matter what brand you buy. If you are spending more than $6 on a pack of blotting sheets (unless you are buying like a 500 sheet pack), you are getting ripped off. You are wasting your money. I'm serious, all those brand name products, especially the stuff at Sephora, that say they have like special ingredients like tea tree oil, is bullcrap. Why? Think about it. Cleansing your face with a cleanser, goes into your pores and gets absorbed into your skin, therefore, you are getting the special benefits from whatever that cleanser has, like tea tree oil to help oily skin. But, what about oil blotting paper? Oil blotting paper is designed to absorb oil, not give anything to you, it's supposed to take in the excess oil you don't want on your face. So, how is it supposed to give you something when it is designed to take something away? That doesn't make sense. Like, the only thing you are probably paying extra money for is the brand and frangrance, which is unnecessary. So save your money and go treat yourself w/ something more worthwhile! XD
Quick note: It is true that oil blotting sheets have varying thickness, which can give it a thicker and harder texture or thinner and softer texture. Personally, I don't mind if it is a bit thicker, but if you prefer something more gentle, try to find sheets that are thinner, so they feel softer on the skin. But! You can still find softer sheets that are around $6! or definitely less than $10! So, don't get ripped off by some sales clerk at a beauty store for something like it, unless your a rich person, then do whatever you want =P.

What oil blotting sheets do I buy and use?
I go to my local Marukai Japanese store to buy my regular blotting sheets. They are around $5 and I buy whatever brand is the cheapest =P. I also have bought a variety and they all work well and are the same.
Here are some photos of my regular oil blotting sheets:

This one is pretty cool, because it has a sticky tab that pulls the paper out for me when I open it!

For my blotting sheets w/ translucent/finishing powder, I buy it from Ulta, because I don't know where else to buy it XP :

So I hoped you liked my background post on blotting paper! Most people probably know about it, but just in case you would like to learn more or if you don't know, this post is for you!
Thank you for reading! If you have any questions or comments, feel free to write them in the comment box below!
See you later! =)