[Review] NIVEA Happy Time Body Lotion + Body Milk Intensive Moisture

Having live in a country where temperature is constantly above 30°C during the day, topped with the crazy humidity, most of us suffer from a certain degree of dry skin. Mine - is bad. It's not that critical where I need to go see a dermatologist, but it is very very dry. To a point that it feels tight and itchy if I do not moisturize. Thus, I can never do without moisturizers. It's like one of my MUST HAVE items wherever I go. If not, I'd die!!!! Okay, that was a lil' over exaggerating but, really, I might suffer to a point I'd tear my skin out. haha.. gross, I know.

Anyway, NIVEA has been my go-to brand for the longest time (for around 9 years now.. yikes, that  is long.. haha). I gotta admit, I'm a loyal person. Once i find my soul-product, I'll stick to it for the rest of my life, and since I found that NIVEA works superb on my dry skin, I've never venture far from it.

My usual go-to body lotion from NIVEA is this:

NIVEA Body Milk - Intensive Moisture
For Dry to Very Dry Skin

And it has never failed me. For more than half a decade now, I've been going back to this.

Review for NIVEA Body Milk Intensive Moisture (For Dry to Very Dry Skin):

Price: ❤❤❤❤♡ 4/5 - at around RM17, it's affordable.

Scent: ❤❤❤❤❤ 5/5 - very very light, almost unnoticeable. Works great for me! FYI, I'm not the perfume kinda girl.

Non-greasiness: ❤❤❤❤❤ 5/5 - Dries up totally smooth on skin. No greasy feel at all!

Moisture Level: ❤❤❤❤❤❤ 6/5 - What can I say? I can't live without it. Amazing~

Overall: ❤❤❤❤❤ 5/5 - 2 thumbs UP!
Repurchase: ❤❤❤❤❤❤ 6/5 - For as long as it is on the counter! I WILL GET IT! haha

*** WUOKKAYY~ NEXT REVIEW~!***

So! Watsons was having a promo for this new NIVEA scented body lotion called NIVEA Happy Time Body Lotion. So I thought, heck, why not? right? It says "HAPPY TIME". So I'd be expecting like a surge of endorphins making me feel all light and happy upon application right? but boyyy i was wrong. The scent was a little too damn overwhelming for me. I smelled like a sour-tangy-orange the whole time. Even my boyfriend asked me why I smelled weird. -.- but then again he didn't mind it as much as I did, so maybe it's just me not liking the whole I-smell-sour thing.

This is how the bottle looks like:

NIVEA Happy Time Body Lotion
For Normal to Dry Skin

And this is what it says on their website:  

• Looking for a Pleasantly scented body lotion?Enjoy NIVEA^® Happy Time Body Lotion!
  

  • The delicate Orange scent inspires your senses for a long-lasting, feel-good sensation

  • The non-greasy formula with Bamboo extracts and Milk Proteins, reinforces the skin’s moisture barrier

  Our NIVEA^® Quality promise: Dermatologist tested. Ingredients carefully selected according to strict quality standards. This body lotion contains no added colorantsNIVEA’s exclusive Hydra IQ technology supports skin’s own hydration network to unleash non-stop moisture that lasts 24h+.

Review for NIVEA Happy Time Body Lotion (For Normal to Dry Skin):

Price: ❤❤❤❤♡ 4/5 - around RM17 too, so it's still affordable.

Scent: ❤♡♡♡♡ 1/5 - Wayyy too overwhelming for me. Not my cup of tea.

Non-greasiness: ❤❤❤❤♡ 4/5 - Not greasy but leaves a layer of sticky coating after application, as though it didn't really get absorbed into the skin.

Moisture Level: ❤❤❤♡♡ 3/5 - Because it's for Normal to Dry skin, it stayed true to it's words. Compared to NIVEA Body Milk Intensive Moisture, it really is not as moisturizing.

Overall: ❤♡♡♡♡ 3/5 - mehhh... I don't like it. but hey, whatever doesn't rock my boat may rock yours right? wtheck did I just write.. right. I'll just stop..

Repurchase: ♡♡♡♡♡ 0/5 - Nope. I'm gonna stay loyal to NIVEA Body Milk Intensive Moisture as it has served me well for nearly a decade.

[Review] Za Deep Cleansing Oil (Makeup Remover)

Cleansing oils have been my go to makeup remover ever since I got to know of it. Compared to traditional waterbased makeup removers and oil/water shake-and-mix make up removers, cleansing oils does the best job of removing the most stubborn waterproof mascaras and eyeliners. However, I still do not trust cleansing oils as facial washes, although beauticians/ marketers will tell you that you won't have to wash your face with facial wash after using cleansing oils. But I don't know... I just feel like rubbing oil onto my face no matter how will clog my pores, therefore I will always, ALWAYS wash my face again with facial wash. Well, that's just me. 

So! my history with cleansing oils started with samples packs i.e. Laneige Deep Cleansing Oil Moisture and Shu Uemura's Cleansing Oil, and they all worked well when it comes to removing waterproof makeups. However, Shu Uemura did break me out maybe because it has a really oily, almost cooking oil like texture  and with Malaysia's weather during the day...Its like frying your skin in oil! haha compared to Laneige's Deep Cleaning Oil which has a thick, gooey lotion-ny texture. Anyway, both Laneige and Shu Uemura are premium brands in Malaysia, and thus really expensive. So, I've decided to head on to Watsons to get me a cheaper drugstore cleansing oil.

Options I got was Biore, Za and Some Japanese brand I can't remember. But Since Za and Biore was on offer, and Za was the cheapest there (or so I thought) I got myself the Za. Only to realize that they put the wrong price tag on and it was actually the most expensive one. WTH??!! Sigh, should have got the Biore one instead. 

Blahhh~~ lets move on..

Price: around RM35. 

Well, still very much cheaper than Laneige and She Uemura...
Note to self: Gotta always read the price tag carefully.

Packaging: Comes in a pump bottle. The pump is actually really good, it glides really smoothly when pressed giving it excellent volume control. What a surprise, because pump bottle are usually really hard to control.

Product: Clear oil, slightly scented, turns milky when water is added (Btw, all cleansing oils does the same thing :3).

***Product Testing ***

Here I have 4 waterproof makeups for testing.

(Left) On application without rub, TonyMoly Gel liner's already melting off. 

(Right) With a little rub, even Lash King Waterproof mascara came off easily. What's left was TonyMoly's Liquid Liner.

Left it to sit for 5 seconds, and tada! all melted off.

After rising, skin is soft and clean. No residue at all!

***Update: Removing eye makeup on actual face did not turn out as well, the oil cleanser melted waterproof makeup, but shifted residues (wax like substance from waterproof makeup) along the corner of my eyes and under eye bags, that must then be massaged over again to be removed. I did not experience this with Laneige and Shu Uemura's oil cleansers, so it was kinda weird. Not good. 

I realized that the best way to use this Za oil cleanser was to massage it over waterproof makeup and later wipe clean with a cotton or tissue before rinsing it off, like a normal makeup remover, which defeats its purpose as an oil cleanser. :( ***

VERDICT:

Price: ❤❤❤♡♡ 3 /5 - Not too pricey, but was the most expensive one among drugstore brands.
Smell: ❤❤❤❤♡ 4 /5 - Very slightly scented, most likely no added perfume.
Texture: ❤❤❤❤♡ 4/5 - feels like baby oil.. but didnt clog my pores so ok lah
Removing Ability: ❤❤♡♡♡ 2/5 - Cleans well on smooth surface, but leaves residues. Laneige still cleans best.
Overall: ❤❤❤♡♡  3/5 - So-so product, removes makeup but leaves a little residue. No oily feel after rising off.
Repurchase: ❤❤♡♡♡  2/5 - Most probably not. Will try Biore cleansing oil after this.