|BEAUTY TIPS| Bare Essentials: Simplifying Skincare With 3 Steps

PROCRASTINATION IS BAD

I initially wanted to skip this week entirely and not post anything. I was tired and I didn't have any time to sit down and write. But I figured if I actually skipped one week, I would be tempted to skip another and another, and soon this blog would be left untouched haha! I don't want that to happen! So, instead of doing a review today, I want to share some beauty tips which are sort of a Part Two to my Beginners Guide to Korean 10-Step Skincare.

Here are the three musketeers. They are all made with the patented 'dewdrop' formulation!

SKINCARE SHOULD BE EASY

Remember how I said that if you're new to skincare and are clueless of what to start with, you can first go for the basic ones, i.e. cleanser, toner, moisturiser and sunblock. Now this begs another question: which cleanser, toner, moisturiser and sunblock should you buy? It is hard to settle on one especially since there are so many products in the market suitable for various skin types and weathers.

All three of them cost RM116 on Althea.

WELCOME BARE ESSENTIALS

There's no denying that a few trials and errors might be required. It's never easy to find that perfect routine that fits you perfectly right from the beginning. But I can recommend some for you newbies to maybe take a look! This time I'm going to share three products from just one brand. It is a new brand and the people behind it really know how to pick a good name: Bare Essentials. You can go Bare skin with all these good skincare Essentials (I totally just made that up haha)!

CONTOUR CLEANSER?

Let's first start with the cleanser, which they named as Contour Cleanser. You must be scratching your head thinking hard, why did they name it Contour Cleanser? Does it contour the face? Does it mean I can use this and my face would immediately look contoured?

Althea Bare Essentials Contour Cleanser (150g for RM23)

INGREDIENT LIST

Let's take a look at the ingredient list, which I analysed with the help of Skincarisma, before we go deeper into understanding that.

Glycerin, Water, *Myristic Acid, *Stearic Acid, Potassium Hydroxide, *Palmitic Acid, *Lauric Acid, PEG-32, Glyceryl Stearate, PEG-100 Stearate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, *Glyceryl Stearate SE, Microcrystalline Cellulose, Zea Mays (Corn) Starch, Lactose, Potassium Cocoyl Glycinate, Polyquaternium-67, Sodium Chloride, Disodium EDTA, Menthol, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Polyquaternium-7, Fructooligosaccharides, Saccharide Hydrolysate, Pullulan, 1,2-Hexanediol, Tocopheryl Acetate, Mesembryanthemum Crystallinum Extract (Iceplant), Sodium Benzoate, Sodium Acetate, Butylene Glycol, Lippia Citriodora Leaf Extract, Ethylhexylglycerin, Fragrance

Bolded are the good/star ingredients in the product whereas underlined are those flagged as 4 & above under 'Safety index' in by EWG. Safety index ranges from 1-9 and the lower the number means the less hazardous. Those with asterisk (*) are more likely to cause acne/irritate skin than those without.

Look at how sticky the cleanser is!

HERE'S WHERE 'CONTOUR' COMES IN

This is, in fact, a rich foaming cleanser which contains micro capsules. These capsules / granules can gently exfoliate the skin and take away the dead skin layer. It contains iceplant which is able to calm and reduce redness. Not just that, like the name suggests, it also leaves the skin feeling cool and refreshed after washing off! I love this so much! Because other than just removing impurities like all other cleansers do, it can help improve blood circulation for that V-shaped look!

I have the makeup I normally use on my hand. From my eyeshadows to my lipsticks, they are all up there on the back of my hand. 

Are you ready to see how it will do?

 HOW TO USE

This is simple. All you have to do is to first dampen the skin with some water. Then, squeeze out a small amount and lather onto the face, massaging in circular motions. You don't need a lot because this cleanser foams up rich and nice. That means "a little (or RM23) goes a long way" is very applicable here! After you're done massaging, just rinse off with lukewarm water after. You will feel a cooling sensation that you can't get with most cleansers, if not all, out there in the market!

That looks quite gross, doesn't it?

WHAT I THINK

Totally worth a try especially since it is so cheap and comes with 150g! Its specialty in being able to temporarily cool the skin also attracts me haha. I do like that it looks super simple and hipster which makes it look good on camera (and Instagram!) Also, my skin hasn't broken out a bit from using it from it, which I think is perfect especially since my face has become really sensitive lately. Cleaning ability wise, you can take a look at the pictures below to see how well it does.

Follow me:

Follow

After washing off with water, only the waterproof eyeliners are left behind, that's quite amazing! Although I wouldn't really use it on my eyes haha.

PRIMER WATER?

Now who can guess what this is? A toner? An essence? The name just doesn't tell. They even added in the word "Primer" to further confuse us haha.

Althea Bare Essentials Primer Water (200ML for RM43)

INGREDIENT LIST

(Skincarisma)

Water, Propanediol, Diphenylsiloxy Phenyl Trimethicone, Alcohol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Salvia Hispanica Seed Extract, Centella Asiatica Extract, Houttuynia Cordata Extract, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Tromethamine, Betaine, Fructooligosaccharides, Saccharide Hydrolysate, Xanthan Gum, Ethylhexylglycerin, Pullulan, Butylene Glycol, Dipropylene Glycol, Salvia Officinalis (Sage) Leaf Extract, Saussurea Involucrata Extract, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract, Origanum Vulgare Extract, Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Flower Extract, Thymus Vulgaris (Thyme) Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract, Sclerotium Gum, Agar, Polysorbate 20, PEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Fragrance

The description at the back of the bottle.

HERE'S WHERE 'PRIMER' COMES IN

This is a toner. It has an incredibly smooth texture and is rather thick in consistency, making it feel almost like a serum. It give a smooth finish which prepares the skin for products to come whereas its thick consistency gives it the ability to hydrate our skin well by seeping into the pores of our skin. It is capable of softening our skin and improving suppleness, giving our skin a plump and healthy look.

I normally only use that much on half of my face.

Before I spread it out.

HOW TO USE

Make sure you wash your hand first. After removing the stopper, pour out a small amount on your palm. You really only need a little (3mm diameter? LOL) because the toner is very thick in consistency and a little is definitely enough for your whole face. After that, apply the toner evenly onto your face and gently pat in to quicken up the absorption. That's it!

After spreading out, see how watery my hand is!

WHAT I THINK

I don't really like the smell of this one because it is a bit heavy and not my kind of smell haha! But I do like that it moisturises my skin like a queen and leaves my skin feeling smooth and plumped. It costs only RM43 and it comes with 200ML of product, which I'd say is really quite worth it! It also works pretty well with my current skin condition (phew, what a relief haha!). Take a look at the picture below for how my skin looks before and after application.

My face (rightmost) immediately looks more dewy and less dry after the application of the Primer Water.

FIXER CREAM?

The names just get weirder and weirder. Now, what is a fixer cream? You've probably guessed that this is a moisturiser. But why fixer? What is Althea trying to tell us?

Althea Bare Essentials Fixer Cream (50g for RM50)

INGREDIENT LIST

(Skincarisma)

Water, Glycerin, Methylpropanediol, Dimethicone, Olea Europaea (Olive) Fruit Oil, Hydrogenated Poly(C6-14 Olefin), Cyclopentasiloxane, Glyceryl Stearate, 1,2-Hexanediol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Polysorbate 60, PEG-100 Stearate, Cyclohexasiloxane, Salvia Hispanica Seed Extract, Centella Asiatica Extract, Houttuynia Cordata Extract, Carbomer, Tromethamine, Polyacrylate-13, Fructooligosaccharides, Saccharide Hydrolysate, Polyisobutene, Propanediol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Pullulan, Disodium EDTA, Polysorbate 20, Butylene Glycol, Sorbitan Isostearate, Trehalose, Sodium Hyaluronate, Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Imperata Cylindrica Root Extract, Opuntia Ficus-Indica Stem Extract, Adansonia Digitata Seed Extract, Fragrance

The cream is white in colour and very lightweight. Mind you that it is very heavily scented.

HERE'S WHERE 'FIXER' COMES IN

This is a powerful moisturiser. It contains highly moisturising ingredients which are all packed into this little jar of goodness. It is meant to fix our skin dryness issue caused by stress and external irritants because it can provide the skin with hydration for up to 24 hours. That means this is especially useful for those with dry skin types (although all three products here are meant for all skin types).

Before I spread it out on the back of my hand.

HOW TO USE

Don't think there's much for me to say haha. All you have to do is use your finger (make sure you wash it well!) to dig up a little of the cream spread it all over your skin and pat it. According to what I understand, this should be able to work well on all skin types. But I personally only use it on the dryer part of my skin for fear that it will break me out. Also, although the cream is quite lightweight, I would suggest not to apply too much as it can be a little hard to absorb, just a thin layer will do!

It gives a semi-dewy finish which is just nice to me. It is also not too greasy which I think is great!

WHAT I THINK

I, again, am not a fan of the heavily fragranced smell. However, I am in love with the super luxurious look of the packaging! Its frosted glass (it is made of plastic though haha) exterior is just incredibly beautiful and I purposely have it kept on the outside of my cabinet just so I can see it every day LOL. After using it for almost a week, I have not experienced any breakout but always do a patch test to make sure! About its moisturising ability, I think it is just okay. It works just like what I would expect a moisturiser to do. It also feels light on my skin and I like that it leaves my skin semi-dewy.

Make sure you pat it in nicely to aid absorption.

Grab them all now at 10% off + free special edition mirror:

(prices are before discount)

Contour Cleanser - RM23

Primer Water - RM43

Fixer Cream - RM50

Sign up here to receive 20% off on first order on Althea. 

Thank you for reading, see you in the next post!

I post new contents on skincare every Tuesday and Friday. Follow me on Bloglovin' so you won't miss it when my next review is up!

Follow

The product was sent to me for review purposes. The review is 100% my personal opinion of the product after personally trying it out. Please make sure you consult whoever is selling you the product and ask for samples if you can! Read my disclaimer here.