[Sponsored Post]: KAO ESSENTIAL HAIRCARE RANGE

Are you struggling with oily, dry, dull, frizzy, tangled & damaged hair? 

In this post, I will be sharing this one brand that worked for me.

'Essential' is a popular haircare brand from Japan. Understanding the needs of girls and their hair woes, Essential has a wide range of products to help repair & care for hair. Essential offers products ranging from basic care- Shampoo & Conditioner to more intensive treatments like hair care masks & serum. 

ESSENTIAL'S HAIRCARE REVAMP

The newly revamped Essential range are now formulated with their Microfine All Smooth Essence, which coats each strand evenly with a protective veil to lock in moisture and repair dry, damaged hair ends without causing it to be too heavy; and the new variants contain Sebum Cleansing Technology, which ensures that you do not have to compromise or use two different hair care ranges just because the needs of your roots and hair ends are different.

With the newly, improved formula and technology, Essential is now available in 4 variants to suit all hair needs and types: 

Nourishing Breaking Defense (Orange) - For WEAK & DAMAGED hair

Moisturizing Frizz Free (Pink) - For DULL & ROUGH hair

Light Finish Volumizing (Light Yellow) - For LIMP & FLAT hair

Deep Cleansing Care(Blue) - For OILY SCALP & DRY ENDS [NEW!!]

Out of these 4 variants, the new Light Finish Volumizing (Light Yellow) and Deep Cleansing Care (Blue) variants are specially catered to people with combination hair. 

WHAT IS COMBINATION HAIR?

Just like facial skin having oily and dry zones is known as ‘Combination Skin’, hair that exhibits mixed behavior like oily roots and dry ends is known as ‘Combination Hair’. For people with combination hair, they might use two shampoos to target the two problems – light, clarifying shampoos target oily roots but cause hair ends to be dry. Rich moisturizing shampoos target the dry ends but may be too rich for the scalp, resulting in build-up that makes the scalp oily. Moreover depending on the thoroughness of scalp massage during shampooing, the scalp build-up may not be thoroughly washed of, further causing the scalp to feel oily in a shorter time.

Essential Light Finish Volumizing (Yellow) and Deep Cleansing Care (Blue) variants brings the best of both worlds to you! With the optimum combination of Smart Cuticle Care & Sebum Cleansing Technology, you can now achieve moisturized hair ends while maintaining a refreshed breathable scalp!

I've been using Deep Cleansing Care (Shampoo + Conditioner) for the past weeks and i've seen remarkable changes in my hair condition. I was pleasantly surprised by how well Essential’s hair care worked for me – from how clean the shampoo left my scalp, and ridding my hair of oil and grease fast without further tangling or damaging my hair.

Because my hair gets greasy at the end of the day, but after using Deep Cleansing Care, it really helps to counter my combination hair. When shampooing my hair with the New Essential Deep Cleansing Care shampoo, I didn't encounter any tangles in my hair at all (from roots to tips). Best part is at the end of my shower, my hair feels soft, and I can easily comb through it without breaking any strands of my hair! 

My favorite part other than the detangled and smooth hair Essential gives me? THE SCENT! I know that every shampoo of Essential’s goes through special scent formulation, but this one made me very happy every time I catch a whiff of it, especially when I’m outside :)

CHOOSING THE RIGHT ESSENTIAL VARIANT

Incase you are still unsure about which is suitable for you..Essential has come up with a matrix table to help you make your decision for a complete care range.

MASSAGE SHAMPOO BRUSH

DID YOU KNOW?

Essential is also giving out a massage shampoo brush with purchase of shampoo and conditioner. A massage shampoo brush is a common haircare tool in Japan and is used by the majority of Japanese women to help improve blood circulation & promote relaxation and remove dirt & sebum more effectively from the scalp. 

Note: The Massage Shampoo Brush is to be used ONLY when shampooing & IS NOT for combing purposes!!!

DIRECTION OF USE

BRUSH STORAGE

Try it!

You can redeem your FREE SAMPLES of Deep Cleansing Care Shampoo & Conditioner at www.facebook.com/essential.sg.

Get your free Essential Massage Shampoo Brush with these banded packs! Essential Shampoo 750ml + Conditioner 750ml with free Massage Shampoo Brush in hot pink or mint green available from mid-May 2015 at all leading supermarkets ($19.60). While stock last!!!

Also, remember to follow Essential on Instagram at @essentialsingapore for updates & promotion of their products!

Thanks for reading :D

[Beauty Review]: Laneige BB Cushion Pore Control SPF50+

Laneige is my favorite high end beauty products, with my love affair starting after falling in love with their Laniege Water Sleeping Pack, since then i've bought a whole host of Laneige products, each and everyone being amazing quality and just generally fantastic products. I have really grown to love them & you may have read my reviews for a few of them. Today, we are delving into their BB cushion [Pore Control].

Laneige currently has a few different types of BB Cushion in the market. This exact one you are seeing here is the latest updated version of the BB Cushion [Pore Control] (Other variants include the original BB cushion, anti-aging etc).

The full package of the Laneige BB Cushion comes with a mirrored compact case, instruction pamphlet as well as two refill cushions( one of which is already in the compact). The offical Laneige lists 5 shades which coverages from light to medium to dark skin tones although most stores tend to carry the 3 lightest tone. 

A closer look at the cushion itself, shows a soft sponge which holds the foundation. 

A simple pat with the enclosed sponge into the cushion picks up a small amount of product that you can blend over your face in a patting motion. The foundation has the classic (heavy) Laneige fragrance that will linger around for a few hours after application. I do not mind the smell but I'd prefer they make it a little milder though.

Here, I'm wearing No 21. True beige- the calm natural beige for chic and natural skin.
 Remember! Make sure you get the correct tone. You wouldn't wanna look ghastly pale or darker right? *Seek assistance if you need help in getting the suitable shade.

Doing a little finger swatching with the foundation reveals a creamy consistency. The swatch photo above is a really good representation of how creamy the foundation is.

THE FINAL VERDICT

This is my first time laying my hands on a BB cushion and I'm very impressed by the results. The Laneige BB cushion did an excellent job in the coverage, the consistency, the longevity etc. It keeps my skin hydrated throughout the day. No other breakouts, negative reactions or skin issues to report which is great! I like it how it provides a natural satin glow yet keeps my skin hydrated and moisturized and feeling lightweight is exactly what i need. Consistency wise, it has a cooling sensation after application. Coverage wise, it's definitely build-able but i wouldn't recommend you to apply more than a layer- Because once i dabbed more than necessary, it really felt heavy and uncomfortable on my skin. Just a single layer provides you enough coverage that gets you satisfied. Longevity wise,  it is long lasting than any other foundation. Best suited for dry to combination skin rather than oily skin. 

My favorite way of applying it has to be with the Laneige Water Base CC cream, adding coverage where i need it without leaving my skin look  cakey and plastered in foundation. So on days where you want to rock a 'no make-up day', you can simply dab on the cushion on the areas you need to cover up, like blemishes or uneven skin tone and your skin will look flawless with no sign of any foundation. Days where my skin is dry...This Laneige BB cushion really comes in handy. It's incredible ability to disguise my dry patches very well. Until using this bb cushion, i'd never found a product that would actually make a difference to my dry patches and would either cling onto them or just emphasize them further.

I seriously cannot recommend this Laneige BB Cushion [Pore Control] enough. It's lightweight and easy to carry it around thanks to the mirror, it has amazingly build-able coverage, it gives my skin a natural glow, it leaves a gradient radiant finish, it is also long-wearing- lasting a good 6 hours before any touch-ups are required which is impressive.  My claims might seem a bit biased for some but If you've read numerous reviews on my blog, you'll know i'm very critical over every product i reviewed.
If you are on the lookout for a new BB cushion, you certainly need to give this a try! As for me....i will most definitely be picking this up again :)