Thayer's Witch Hazel + Aloe Vera + Rose Petal Toner review

Finally, this gem of a product is available in Malaysia.

In retail, it's only available in selected stores. I bought the Rose Petal one online via nattacosme.com and the cucumber one from M+ Pharmacy in Bangsar Village.

Thayer's is a generational household staple. And for a good reason.

This shit works. There's no other way to talk about it.

This is a generous bottle at 350ml priced around RM40. I think it's a reasonable price. It'll last 3-4 months if you use it twice a day.

It refreshes and boosts your skin's natural oils without drying. Mind you the Rose Petal and Cucumber ones are NOT astringents, they're alcohol-free. The Lemon one is. When a toner is alcohol-free, it is meant for hydration. Astringents as you know, combat skin problems.

And Witch Hazel, apart from Tea Tree Oil is an effective acne combatant.

But many don't know that Rose and Lavender are actually quiet effective for problematic skin. I used this when I had bumps along my cheek area and it took one week to disappear. I did use this toner only after face wash to see how effective it is by itself.

Very, would be my answer. The Vitamin C in the Rose Petal one gives skin a considerable boost, hydration and suppleness. When used in combo with other products (moiturizer, facial oils etc) this product is seriously fucking bomb.

I am running out of Rose Petal, but I have the Cucumber one ready to replace. The Cucumber one  boasts to soothe and reduce pigmentation, acne, oiliness, among other things.

The smell for Rose Petal is absolutely amazing. It makes you look forward to use them on your face. You will feel instantly cleansed and refreshed.

I would recommend Thayer's to anybody.  Especially to those with really bad skin. 

Senka Speedy Perfect Whip, Perfect Whip White & Perfect Whip Collagen In Review

If you frequent KL Sentral LRT Station, you'd be familiar with the advertisement (as you descend the escalator) where this Japanese woman holds a shit-shaped foam on both her hands and a blue bottle next to it claiming it to be the No.1 face wash in Japan.

They ain't lying actually. People (Japanese or otherwise) have known to buy this by the cart. It is not unusual to see this product sold out almost everywhere.

Especially when Senka is only available in retail in Asia part of the world, the west struggle to get their hands on this coveted product.

How did I come to fall hopelessly head over heels in love with this brand?

It all started when I was afflicted with viral fever the week before and during Raya. I fell back on my skin care routine because I was literally too sick to pamper my skin.

Shit went south, deep south overall on my skin.

My skin darkened by a few shades, had hyperpigmentation on my skin, don't even get started on the acne shit broke out in a vengeance. I loathed looking at myself in the mirror. Felt like all those years of obtaining a skincare routine that worked for me got flushed down the drain.

I learned that to "fix" skin afflicted by illness, you have to treat it like sensitive skin.
So I let go of my daily face scrub and masking since I wanted literally love my skin back to perfection. Ahems.

I learned that foam cleansers and facial oils are best.

Being the scholar that I am, I researched extensively on best, trusted and tried foam cleansers. Senka always pops out with rave reviews. I kinda fell in love with it too with it's straightforward function, simplicity of concept and of course the extremely affordable price.

And I was elated to know Watsons Malaysia carries this.

It was soon in my vanity.

Why I chose more than 3 types to use?

Because I have specific skin issues to address.

1. To gently clear up my face while moisturizing it. 

Speedy Perfect Whip is merely a "fast" version of their original Perfect Whip. You see, the product itself is cream cleanser. But you sort of rub it between your hands to work it into a fluffy foam.

The Speedy version comes with a pump where it foams for you. Very useful for those are hard-pressed for time. Sadly, only the original comes with a pump version while the rest of it don't.

The product makes for a rich dense foam with a light scent. And I found that it cleanses better when you apply directly on skin that's not wetted with water. My super oily skin is indeed cleansed thoroughly and moisturized.

You can see it plumper and healthier.

2. To brighten my skin tone

Apart from the skin darkening that dastardly viral fever caused me, I also have a job where I am considerably exposed to the sun.

So a little bit of suntan ain't an issue for me since I am a dark-skinned Indian girl. I own my skin. But you also want your face to match the rest of your body.

So I also choose Senka's Perfect Whip White. It claims to brighten your skin while moisturizing it. And it's oil-free so my oily skin is drinking this up.

I use this face wash right after I come back from work. I've seen instant skin brightening, and the moisturizing effect on this is fucktons better than the original perfect whip. Smells the same like the original Perfect Whip. This only comes with a regular tube packaging so you work this with your hands.

3. To start working on giving my skin the anti-aging it needs

You're supposed to start anti-aging shit after 25. I've always been a late-bloomer so I am only starting to get on the collagen bandwagon shy before turning 30.

The Collagen In series comes in a pretty pink plastic tube that smells and works the best out of the 2 above in my honest opinion.

I was incredibly satisfied with just one use itself. The Collagen In series, to me, did the job of both the original and White series. It moisturized and brightened my skin tone, made my skin soft and supple.

Out of all three, I would definitely repurchase the Collagen In since it worked the best for me. I will just use up the original Perfect Whip series and immediately switch to Collagen In and keep it a staple from then on.

When it comes to facial oils, Farsali's Volcanic Elixir is definitely my go to. See my post about it here.

So far, as per beauty advise that I picked up in the internet, I have been washing my face with Senka, toning (DO NOT EVER SKIP ON TONERS), and then Farsali's Volcanic Elixir for a month now. My skin has improved fucktons, drastically, incredibly, you name it.

My skin is back to it's even tone, it's bright and healthy looking, the hyperpigmentation is diminishing by day.

The only thing left is the acne. But that's ok, in my experience acne does take more time to go away.

But if you're reading this, maybe this could be something you can try if you're still looking for a skincare routine that works for you.

Drugstore facials oils are getting more popular now so you can pick up a vial of Vitamin E, C or Rosehip oil in Watsons or Guardian.  

Combating Oily/Acne-prone/Combo Skin

That bitch in Instagram whose face is always mattified, even-toned and flawless. A good load of it just good makeup and clever lighting but it IS possible to achieve the clean, blemish-free look without the Sephora makeup haul.

As an oily-skin gal suffering from acne since 9 years (yes, I had acne before my puberty my genetics aren't the best) old, there aren't products out there that I didn't try to calm my shitty skin.

Poor product usage and habits caused much damage to my skin, and I am the only one to blame. Years I have spent in self-loathing, all for naught. I made a mistake in my youth, I don't want another gal do the same, and here's an honest account from a 30-year-old idiot.

*THIS REVIEW WILL NOT APPLY FOR DRY-SKINNED GALS

1. Cleansers

If you have problematic skin, at one point you would have splurged on scrubs and rubbed your skin raw with it. Because you just want to sand off those bumps.

WRONG MOVE YOU FUCKING WALNUT. 

Remember, scrubbing is an exfoliation to slough off dead cells off your face. Dead cells that gets collected on your face through congested skin is what causes the acne.

If you're in an environment where you're exposed to the elements a lot, scrubbing daily is not a problem provided you use cleansers with gentle beads. Most of Freeman's scrubs are very gentle for everyday use and some St.Ives scrubs with "low" scrub strength (see at the back of the packaging). Their Green Tea scrub is one such example.

2. Everything charcoal

I'm serious. If only I had discovered this sooner. Charcoal masks, charcoal cleansers, charcoals body wash, charcoal soaps, charcoal pills. You must BREATHE the charcoal.

You do not need to get Glamglow's Supermud mask (the grey one, I'm using this because I'm rich) to reap charcoal's full benefit. Drugstore one is just fine. Anything charcoal is superb for problematic skin, I'm serious guys. GUYS. You can even use for your body acne. This shit is a dollar-store magic with superior effectiveness.

The charcoal clears up your shit gently and without scars. Freeman and The Body Shop provides some pretty good charcoal products. The Body Shop's charcoal soap worked wonders to even out my skin.

Absolutely invest in charcoal everything.

3. AHA and BHA serums

Seriously, where were these magic potions when I was covered in gunk? Seriously this shit would have saved me so much of misery in my teen years.

AHA and BHA are both topical acids that work deep in your pores to clean out acne-causing gunk. AHA and BHA are concentrated solutions of skin-safe acids, and results are immediate. I have been using Fab Skin Beauty's AHA solution every night and my gunk has disappeared by 75%. ONE.NIGHT. OF.APPLICATION. I've been using it for 6 month now and results are beyond beautiful. I regret not using this in my younger years. Would have saved me so much misery.

Just google products that contain AHA and BHA, which ones are best for your skin problems.
Be warned, these acids are very pricey and will put on a dent in your wallet.

I have just ordered Salicylic Acid by The Ordinary. See how that goes for me. I have congested skin and this is the only acid that can penetrate deep inside my pores to melt those pesky gunk.

A word of caution for using topical acids on skin: THEY'RE NOT FOR SENSITIVE SKIN. This shit can burn you. And always do patch test with the in-store samples.

4. Toners

Seriously about, TONE YOUR FUCKING FACE. Just not with those that contains alcohol. Always opt for alcohol-free toners. Thayers are now available in Malaysia, so you don't even have to try to look for alcohol-free toners in drugstores. Toners with alcohol dry out our skin type which gives us that uncomfortable tight feeling.

Let me tell you about toners: your arrogant ass thought your face was clean and squeaky after all that cleansing and masking? Sit your ass down and wipe your face with Thayer's toner. Toners work to clean your pores off gunk so that the gunk doesn't accumulate and become a pesky pimple.

Don't even bother using other toners out there: they're shit.

Thayers toners, are, however THE SHIT.
I recommend Lemon, Cucumber, Rose Petal (my fav), Lavender and Original for our skin types.

5. Masking

Whichever fuck that told you masking everyday is bad for your skin, slap them silly.
My skin cleared faster BECAUSE I masked everyday. And the beauty of masking is that you can use different ones everyday.

Link for picture.

Feeling like slapping on a sheet mask? Done. Want to slather your face with clay mask? Sure. Anything, really.

Clay masks are absolutely the best for problematic skin like ours. I'm using Aztec Indian Clay Mask, Leaders Mediu sheet masks and Innisfree's self-heating clay mask (Jeju Melting Clay Mask).

Leaders Mediu sheet masks are absolutely the best. THE BEST. There are many types to choose from so you can really enjoy this range of sheet masks.

You'd be surprised to know that any masks with rose in it (infused, extract, gel etc) is extremely beneficial for skin like ours. I don't know why it's often marketed for dry skin. It's so good for us!!!

Freeman's mask range is absolutely wonderful and affordable. Start there.

Masking makes you feel pampered, which is extremely beneficial for your mental health too.

5. Facial Oils

It would seem counterproductive to use oil on oily skin.

Here's the tea sis. You add facial oil on a cleansed oily/acne skin to BALANCE sebum production. Hydrating oily skin is absolutely necessary ensure the sun doesn't shine where we don't want them to.

I am currently using Farsali's Volcanic Elixir (told you I'm rich) and I use it before I sleep. I wake up with glowing, hydrated and repaired skin. My skin had never looked so beautiful.

Sephora (and drugstores are picking up on this too) is fast hosting facial oils targeted specially for our skin type. The fact that an oily, [formerly] pimply-skinned gal is recommending facial oil, it's gotta be something. Try. Start with Rosehip Oil, Vitamin C or Vitamin E oils. The Body Shop carries some good one. If you're loaded (like me), just get one from Sephora.

6. Cleansing oil

Hydration is absolutely KEY for oily/combo skin types. Which is why cleansing oils (Innisfree Cleansing Oil is an option) are essential for our skin type. Always hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. St.Ives have started carrying cleansing oils too so you can start there.

7. Sunscreen

 Do I need to even highlight the importance of this? Use ya damn sunscreen. The sun's rays can cause further damage on already damaged skin.

But I am an oily skinned gal, most sunscreens dry me up or gives me that ugly white layer on my face. Memories of slathering Banana Boat's sunscreen is giving me nightmarish flashbacks.

Biore's UV Perfect SPF50 PA+++++ sunscreens. Hands down. Gals of deeper skin colour would definitely appreciate the fact that this sunscreen doesn't give you the "I slathered talcum powder on my face" look.

I'm currently using the blue one. The pink one is for brightening. Not sure what the white one is for,

This particular sunscreen is absolutely a holy grail for us oily gals. It kept my skin mattified all day long and you can use this as a primer. This sunscreen does not disappoint IM SERIOUS GO GET YOURSELF A BOTTLE.

Speaking of bottles, the size is quite small (30ml) for something so wonderful and pricey (close to RM30). But be warned this sunscreen is only for face, get something else for your body.

This should be a staple in your skincare routine. I would judge you if you don't have this in your vanity or bag.

Of course don't stress out your skin by using all of these at once. Essentials are normally cleansers, toner, moisturizer and sunscreen for everyday use. Mask as you please, cleansing oils are optional. Facial oils are basically food for your skin

This has been a PSA.