Vanity Trove: Astalift Special for the Skincare Addict

If you haven't yet heard of Vanity Trove, it's one of the beauty box companies that operate in Asia. As such they have a unique take on beauty boxes, with novel products from Asian brands. This mont's Vanity Trove does just that, with a special box full of products from Astalift. Astalift is one of the high-end skincare brands from Japan that have recently launched in Singapore (I blogged about the Astalift skincare products previously), so this box will interest those who would like to try out a range of products from this new brand. It's a great way to dip your toes into the brand, without splurging on every full-sized item, especially since the brand isn't cheap (a full sized item can cost over SGD$100).

This month's Vanity Trove comes beautifully packed, as usual, with the signature white and pink box. I really like the presentation of the boxes, they are very beautiful. And I only just found out today that when you stack the boxes up, you get cute little drawers! But of course, we're all more concerned with what's inside the box, so without further ado, let's check it out.



First up we have the Astalift Moisture Foam. This is a facial cleanser, and is one of the highlights of the entire Astalift range, because the foam, when lathered, becomes a thick, rich foam (apparently foam in your facial wash is very popular in Japan). So this will definitely appeal to those girls who want that luxurious foamy feel when you wash your face.



Secondly, we have Astalift's Jelly Aquarysta. This isn't just one of the star products in Astalift's line, it's THE star product in Astalift's line. It's a gorgous clear red gel, and if you stick your fingers into your jar, the jelly will resurface and re-form back into its original shape, which is pretty cool. It's supposed to deeply hydrate the skin, and help the skin maintain its shape over time.



In the March Vanity Trove, we also have a small bottle of Astalift Whitening Lotion. This lotion can also be spread out on a paper mask sheet and used as a whitening mask, which I thought was pretty cool. It's a good addition to your skincare regime if you like whitening products, and doesn't feel sticky or thick at all.



We also have small tubes and tubs of other Astalift products, including the Day Protector, which basically is a SPF 35 PA++ sunscreen, Whitening Essence, and Whitening Cream. The Day Protector is actually very decent as skincare goes - it has both UVA and UVB protection, thus offering protection against most of the sun's rays. And of course, there's no point using all these whitening products if you're not even using sunscreen right?



Lastly, we also have two full-sized bottles of the Astalift White Shield Drink! I was really impressed when I saw these, because we were given not one but two full-sized drinks. Anyway, these drinks contain Vitamin C, hyaluronic acid, as well as other ingredients, and is supposed to help your body repair UV damage (as well as prevent UV damage). Although they aren't a replacement for sunscreen, the idea is that if you feed your body anti-oxidants, it will repair some of the UV damage.



So that's it for March's Vanity Trove! If you want to try out some of the star products in the Astalift range without splurging three figure sums on each item, or if you love whitening products, or if you're a big fan of skincare from Japan, then this will definitely be your cup of tea. Do visit the Vanity Trove website to check it out!

If skincare isn't your thing, however, don't despair - I've just had a sneak preview of April's Vanity Trove (yes, already, I know) and it's going to be awesome! I can't reveal all the details yet, so stay tuned, and you'll find out more! (Hint: If you followed me on Twitter, you would have seen this tweeted Instagram photo which gave a little hint!)

(Product was sent for review. Review is my complete and honest opinion. I am not affiliated with/compensated by the company.)

Astalift Skincare Products: A Quick Peek!

Astalift is a Japanese skincare brand that's just making its debut in Singapore, and I have to say, the brand is an interesting one. Astalift is actually created by Fujifilm (yes the camera brand). Apparently there are synergies between the technologies for creating film and photography products and beauty ones - who would've thought? Apparently, Fujifilm already does research into collagen and nanotechnology (supposedly one of the main components of film is collagen), and has also been conducting its own work on anti-oxidation (used in anti-aging products of course, but in the Fujifilm context it's used to prevent fading of photos). I got to take a closer look at the brand, and here are some of my thoughts.

Astalift has a very strong brand identity - everything is rose scented, and red or red-orange in colour. It's supposed to indicate that the products have Astaxanthin (another branded ingredient that doesn't actually have a name). Astaxanthin is actually a caretenoid-based ingredient that is apparently a powerful antioxidant. So that's why every product is red or orange-red in colour. You'll know what I mean as we look at some of their products.

They walked us through their entire product range, but I thought that perhaps to keep this piece focused, I'll just focus on some of the key products in the line.

First up, the Astalift Cleansing Oil. Much like DHC and Fancl, this one has a pretty light texture, and, based on a cleaning demo we had (I used it to remove waterproof mascara, below), is pretty effective. Oil-based cleansers are generally pretty good at cleaning dirt, so this isn't a surprise. The Cleansing Oil also has the red-orange tint the Astalift products have.



Next, the cleansing products. Astalift has two, the Liquid Soap (below in the photo), and the Moisture Foam (above in the photo). As you can see, the Moisture Foam is meant gives you a rich, luxurious foam when lathered, and it does. This is pretty much Astalift's version of all those pump-cleansers that dispense as foam (Biore Marshmallow Whip Facial Wash, Amythyststory Mineral Bubble Facial Wash, etc). I guess it caters to an Asian desire to see lots of foam in your facial wash.



Now, the star product of the Astalift line, the Jelly Aquarysta. I gotta say, while I may not care much for gimmicks, this is actually kinda cool. Basially, this product is supposed to be applied straight after cleansing your face. And it's supposed to offer firming and hydration to your skin.



The product itself is a jelly-like gel in that red-orange colour, and offers a cooling sensation upon application. The cool thing about this is that if you mess up the jelly in the jar, it reshapes itself after a few minutes to its original shape. That way, when you open the jar of Jelly Aquarysta, it always looks brand new. While this is cool, I'm not too sure what it actually means for your skin, although its firming powers were supposed to be more potent because of this property. Definitely a product I'd be interested in trying!



Also, we have the Astalift Lotion. The thing about Japanese skincare brands is that they tend not to have toners, but instead have lotion products that are basically clear, water-like liquids that are applied onto your face. And instead of sweeping across your face with a cotton pad like a toner, you apply the lotions by pouring a small amount into your palm and massaging into your face. Astalift has two lotions, called Lotion, and Lotion (S). The former is for dryer skin, while the latter is for oilier skin.



We were also shown how you can turn your lotions into a mask with the use of a paper mask sheet. Basically, you soak the mask in the Lotion (we used the Astalift Lotion cap as the receptacle, above), and then place it on your face (kindly demonstrated by Minru, below).



Lastly, an Asian skincare line wouldn't be complete without a sheet mask - so here you are of course! Astalift's sheet mask is also a red-orange shade, and the cool thing about it is that it comes in two pieces, one for the lower half of your face, and one for the upper half of your face. The mask, along with the Jelly Aquarysta, are supposed to have the highest levels of Astaxanthin, so I think these are worth checking out.



Before I end off, here's a photo of me and other bloggers from the event.



All in all, Astalift seems to be a very cohesive lineup of products, with very distinctive branding (the red-orange colour) and some really interesting products. I'm definitely looking out for the Jelly Aquarysta and the Sheet Mask, as I think those are the most interesting products.

(Information provided at an event. Opinions are my own. I am not affiliated with/compensated by the company.)