Dariya Make-on Gel & Lip Treatment & Giveaway!

If you are checking Sasa or eBay frequently maybe you noticed those cute new mint/red products from Dariya? I certainly did and the uncommon color combo really looked oustanding in the sea of white and pink Japanese skincare so I picked up several products from this new line from Dariya.

I believe the line consists of 4 products so far, a mist, a makeup base gel, a lip balm and a hand & body emulsion. At least that´s the bunch I have seen so far.
As I mentioned above I really love the unusual combination of red and mint used for the packaging and the overall design is cute with a lace motif etc.

The Make-On Gel is a makeup base and for touching up makeup when it starts to look blotchy or uneven.

I only use it as a makeup base though and I really like it. It´s a smooth gel which moisturized but also dries down quickly so you don´t have to wait for the base to settle. I am sure it contains dimethicone as it has a slippery feel to it but it neither gives me pimples nor does it make my foundation pill so overall I really like this as a base.

This is not colored but is scented with a weird floral scent. Thank God it´s only a faint scent or I would really dislike it!

The 30g jar retails for 840 Yen, I got mine from Sasa for a bit below that.

The Lip Treatment contains Hyaluronic Acid, Collagen and and Vitamin E and is supposed to give your lips a more voluminous and glossy look, act as a treatment and as a lipstick base.

This is a slick clear product giving a glossy finish and making my lips soft instantly. It wears off rather quickly though so has to be reapplied frequently but still my lips stay soft even after the Lip Treatment is gone.

The drawback for me is the floral scent which really is yucky. It´s not so strong to make it unbearable but strong enough to irritate me.
Overall a good product and with good effect on my lips but not my favorite lip balm.

Available on Sasa for around US$6, I got 1 tube from Alphabeautyuk though.

Rating for the gel: 4/5

Lip Treatment: 3.5/5

Giveaway: 
Since Valentine´s day is approaching (well, the giveaway is too late for it haha) I am giving away one brand new and boxed tube of the Lip Treatment which I ordered on Sasa to one of my readers commenting on this review. There is also a small memo pad from San-X´s cute new character Sentimental Circus and a pack of stickers included =) 

I would like to read the winner´s feedback on this item either by email, comment on this post or on her blog if she has one after trying this product out =) 

Da rulez (trying to be cool yay) 
-Only open to followers (so please make sure you follow me on blogger, not only via RSS)! Make sure that by your nickname or name I can clearly identify you! 
-Open worldwide!
-Please leave a comment to this post (telling me anything you like). Only 1 comment per person can be accepted.
-Giveaway open until Monday, 14th February 2011, 8 PM (my time, GMT +1)
-Winner will be randomly chosen by random.org and announced here by Tuesday, 15th of February 2011. So you only have 4 days to enter! 
Please make sure to email me to claim your prize within 3 days after winner is announced or new winner will be drawn. Or leave your email address in your comment entry so I can contact you!
-I will ship via airmail

Dariya Palty hair dye in Milk Tea Brown

I always like my hair darker than it naturally is so most of the time I dye it deep brown, preferably with ash tones or I will go for a deep garnet red.
I have no clue what brought me to try out a hair dye that´s actually lightening hair but anyway, I did it hehe =P

Dariya Palty is probably the most known and popular hair dye and Milk Tea Brown seems to be the best-selling color from the line.

The color chart on the back is actually not that promising as the change in color seems to be minimal:

I am probably the wrong lab-rat as my hair is already dyed, with reddish hues left over and not naturally light-medium brown whereas this range of hair dyes has been developed for Asian hair. 

This hair dye got 4 out of 5 hearts for "brightness" and 3 out of 5 for "smoothness" so it should actually lighten hair by a good amount. However this is not a bleach per se as you do not need to mix in a bleaching powder.
The kit consists of agent 1 and a tube of cream (agent 2) to be mixed into agent 1. If you have longer hair you need to purchase 2 sets as 1 won´t be enough.

Anyway, my hair was a shade of reddish brown before and turned about 2 shades lighter and more orange. Unfortunately on my natural undyed roots it turned out bright orange so probably if I did this hair dye on undyed hair the result would have been a disaster.

Before:

After:

I also noticed that this hair dye is really harsh, it was tingling on my scalp and stank strongly of ammonia also making my hair quite dry and rough so it needs a lot of hair mask and conditioner to look and feel good.
So unfortunately this color doesn´t work for me and I already did a dark deep garnet red on top of this color as the roots looked really hideous.

I ordered this from Adambeauty, I don´t remember the price, around US$12 incl. shipping/each perhaps?

Dariya Salon de Pro hair care & Bubble Hair Color Kit 4A

I found haircare from Dariya recently on eBay from a range I never heard before (Salon de Pro) so I guess it might be newly released. They also have hair dye, only in natural brown shades, but I got one to try out as my current favorite hair color is a dark cool ashy brown.


I got the complete haircare series consisting of shampoo, conditioner, treatment and mask. Prices range between 800 and 900 Yen per product. The shampoo and conditioner contain 350ml each, whereas the treatment contains 240g and the mask in the jar 300g.


All of the products contain high polymer silk protein, royal jelly extract, olive oil, plant protein and L-Glutamic Acid.
I took this haircare series to Egypt as the sizes were good for me. Most Japanese shampoos and conditioners come in either huge 500ml or smaller 220ml bottles so 350ml looked perfect for my nearly 6 weeks trip.


All 4 products have a nice light floral fragrance. Otherwise the hair care seems to be good but not outstanding. For dry hair it´s definitely a great set but for colored or permed it will probably be not nourishing enough.
I get soft and shiny hair but I have to use shampoo, conditioner and treatment every time and the mask at least 2x a week.


Overall I would probably not repurchase these products. The most outstanding Japanese hair care for me are still Kosé Asience (pink series) and Kao Essential (orange series) as they make my hair unbelievably soft, silky and shiny.

I also got the new Bubble Hair Color Kit in 4A (Ash Brown) as it looked like a really interesting product.


It´s a mousse-type hair dye which mixes itself. Just shake 20 times, click cap on and push the button to get the foam out. Very easy!
Furthermore this is free of ammonia so it has virtually no odor at all. No pungent or unpleasant one at least. It seems to be quite mild as my hair didn´t feel dry or rough at all after using this.


That´s pretty much where my excitement ends hehe =) The mousse is somehow dense and dryish but doesn´t last so spreading this stuff evenly is next to impossible. I swear I put amounts of foam on the same place on my head just to find that the hair still looked uneven in that spot (while the foam vanishes as soon as you start to distribute it on your head!). I think I would have needed 2-3 boxes of dye but why bother when I can get an even result with 1 box of Prettia for much less money?


Furthermore the color variety is really boring. Just a few browns, among them 4A which looked like a cool dark brown and the color itself turned out alright...just not even so my hair looks somehow strange right now hehe =P

Before:


After:


For comparison: This is Kao Prettia Elegant Ash which I used back in April:


Overall this hair dye might be for you if your hair is not too long (if it is short you can use the product several times so it might be actually worthwhile!), you want a mild hair dye and are searching for just natural brown hues. Otherwise nay from me!

Dariya Palty Treatment Color Girly Ash

I think Dariya Palty is one of the most known Japanese hair dye brands but I haven´t tried any of them (yet).
Recently I picked up a tube of their Treatment Color in Girly Ash which is NOT a hair dye but more likely a tinted hair treatment. I thought it´d be a cool thing to help keeping the color of my currently dark brown hair for longer.


The Treatment Color is actually supposed to be for bleached/lighter hair as the color sample on the back of the package suggests. I am not sure if I´d try it on bleached hair though, who knows which kind of shade might come out!


The Treatment Color Girly Ash is a deep brown cream which comes in a 100g squeeze tube and costs 750 Yen. If you have longer hair the tube won´t last you for more than 2-4 applications, if your hair is short it will be good for a little longer.
It should be used after every hair wash so the color could change gradually.


I used up the tube in 4 days and think this is a lovely treatment as it made my hair so soft and smooth with a really brilliant shine. I honestly can´t tell if it did anything to preserve my hair color since my hair is already a dark brown but the shine and silky feeling it gave were just gorgeous.
Also the smell is really good, fruity and long-lasting.


This does give color as my hands were slightly stained after using this but it could be washed off with soap so I believe the color is just a temporary effect (if you get it at all).

Overall recommended to get shiny soft hair. On the long run this is expensive though unless you use very little only but this might defeat the purpose of the hair tint.


Sorry for this somehow incomplete review but as I said I am not sure of the coloring effect this gives.

Dariya Esthe Resort Body Aroma Butter in Lavender

This Esthe Resort Body Aroma Butter in Lavender by Japanese brand Dariya is yet another favorite body care product as it smells really divine!


I found this little (!!) pot on eBay (one of my fave sellers, alphabeautyuk from whom I purchaed quite a lot in the previous months) while browsing the seller´s shop. I am a sucker for any bodycare product carrying the name "butter" as always images of silky smooth skin come up!

The tub is really really tiny (it holds only 65g!) and for about US$17 incl. shipping I consider this a real luxury. However a little goes a long way so the pot is taking longer to use up than I expected.


The tub looks nice and contains a very lightly blue-tinted cream with blue beads throughout. The cream is a really thick rich buttery kind of product which melts into my skin leaving it super soft but not greasy at all. The blue beads dissolve when you rub them in. Probably they are containing some sort of extra care substances.


The scent is very nice and fresh, the lavender is really only a hint so it doesn´t smell like granny´s cupboard =0)
For my taste the scent could linger longer though. It´s gone within 2-3 hours but at least my skin stays soft =)


There is also a rose scent available (and grapefruit I think). I might pick up rose sooner or later but rose fragrances can be quite tricky to come out nicely.
The lavender version contains Vitamins A and E.

Sheet Masks (for the face): Japanese brands Part 1

Sheet masks are an essential step in my beauty routine for some time now. I just love the extra kick of moisture and find sheet masks generally much more comfortable than wash-off masks.
I have no idea why noone in Europe offers sheet masks, but getting those cute Japanese and Korean ones is cooler anyways =P

For some odd reason the washable masks are often irritating my skin but regarding sheet masks so far only the My Beauty Diary Masks have caused my skin to react really negatively.

I have dozens of sheet masks at home, in different price ranges, from different brands (Japanese or Korean) and with varying ingredients. I just love browsing my masks and deciding what to use today.

I have discovered some points that make sheet masks good in my opinion:

-Thick soft fabric is always better
-I prefer the masks wet, with at least 18ml of essence... anything below dries up too quickly, especially around my chin so the mask doesn't stick well after 5 minutes
-However more than 25ml make the mask too heavy so it has the tendency to slide off my face which means I have to lay down if I want to use very drenched masks.
-I prefer gel-like essence over pure liquid
-The cut of the sheet matters a lot! Some masks just smooth on and others look like a wrinkly mess so I constantly feel I have to adjust the mask =P
-I don't like to wear the masks when I am in the bath tub as this leads to more sweating and the mask starts to slide off no matter how much lotion/essence it contains.

Generally you apply the sheet mask after cleansing and toning, leave it on for 15-20 minutes and don't wash the rest off. Follow with moisturizer.

-Kanebo Kracie Hadabisei Hikishime masks:


You know why I wanted this mask? It's BLACK! Yep, a deep black sheet mask! How cool is that, he? I scared out the crap of my kids when wearing this last time though lol (they said that I look like a bank robber hehe)
Besides being black this is a darn good mask. I believe this is supposed to be rich in minerals and is very moisturizing for dry skin.

The sheet mask is made of a very thick material and cut in a good shape which stays on well and covers all my face.
The essence it's drenched with is slightly slippery, like a very thin gel and leaves my skin buttery soft. It's not leaving sticky residues either so this is just a great mask.


Each individually sealed mask contains 18ml of liquid and the box contains 4 packs (however I got a package with a free 5th mask attached).
These are some of the more expensive masks in my beauty arsenal (bought for US$16 incl. shipping from ichibankao)
I can't detect any fragrance.
I also used the red packaged masks from the Hadabisei range and it's really nice, very thick sheet and very moisturizing!

-Dariya Black Soy Milk Face Essence Masks:


I somehow like the packaging of these (black & pink)... I just think they should have made the masks black, too hehe!
Anyways, this is a heavily saturated mask (30ml per mask!) so it doesn't stay in place well (hence I have to lay down while wearing this). The cut of the mask is ok for my round face, not the best I found (I think some of the best cut ones are from Skin Food and the Hadabisei mask above). The fabric is rather thick and the moisture essence is a light milky gel.


My skin gets super soft just like with most other masks.
This doesn't contain mineral oil and fragrance.
I paid approx. US$14 incl. shipping from eBay seller alphabeautyuk for 4 masks.

-Utena Puresa Soy Milk masks:
There are 5 masks in the Puresa range: Soy Milk (the ones I got), Collagen, Hyaluronic Acid, Aloe and Q10.
I have to say this is one of the worse masks I tried. It's somehow quite dry (one mask carries only 15ml of essence) and doesn't do anything for my skin.
I also don't like the cut of the sheets as they have those annoying covers you can use on your closed eyes. I however prefer clean cut holes for the eyes.
The essence has a light milky color and is rather liquid with a very light gel quality.
I paid about US$10 for 5 masks incl. shipping from eBay seller alphabeautyuk.

-Mandom Beauty Barrier Repair Masks Hyaluronic Acid (blue box) & Royal Jelly (pink box):


The Mandom masks contain a really nice light gel and feel very moisturizing and wet. The mask fits but it is somehow cut in the middle and just attached lightly so the 2 parts tear apart really easily. That sort of annoys me but once I stick the mask on my face it stays on.


I honestly can't tell much of a difference between the 2 masks I got as both feel really nice on my skin.
The Royal Jelly contains 25ml whereas the Hyaluronic Acid masks come with 22ml.


They don't contain preservatives and are dermatologically tested.
I paid US$11/5-piece pack
There is also a Collagen version available.

-Kose Cosmeport Clear Turn Essence Moisture Mask Hyaluronic Acid dispenser box (22 pieces):


My very first sheet masks were a box of the Clear Turn masks Collagen about 4 years ago. I didn't really like them much so I was turned off from sheet masks for like 3 years (but as you finally fell in love with the concept and now it's a vital skin treatment for me). Recently I decided to give a try to the Hyaluronic Acid version of the masks so I ordered them.

The masks come in a yellow plastic dispenser box so they're very practical and more eco-friendly than the individually sealed ones.
The box contains 260ml of essence for the 22 masks. Not that bad but the masks are made of super thin material and feel a little dry so they don't stick too well to my face. Also the masks have a weird shape, They're very wide at the forehead so they reach beyond my hairline where it doesn't stick.
My skin however feels super soft when using these as the lotion (it's a liquid, no gel) really leaves my skin moisturized.


The big problem for me is that these masks lightly irritate my skin though. I feel a bit itchiness and a light redness for some minutes along my eyebrows/forehead where I shave off the fuzzies so I am guessing the lotion creeps into any micro cuts and irritates a bit (a problem I don't have with the gel-type masks). I am not sure if I will use these masks again as I don't wanna sensitize my skin.
These are really nice masks for daily use and they're very friendly to your wallet at US$15/shipped on adambeauty.
There are also Collagen (pink box), Q10 (orange) and Whitening masks (blue) available.
Free of alcohol, perfume and colorants.

Next time I'll review some of the Hisamitsu and Bihada Ichizoku masks
I'll also start reviewing some of my Korean sheet masks.