REVIEW: NIVEA EXTRA WHITE PORE MINIMISER MUD FOAM

*sponsored

HELLO GUYS I AM BACK with this review post on something I currently can't live without~ When Nivea first contacted me and told me they would be sponsoring me one of their latest products, I was like..

Plus that very same day @Lincey followed me on instagram so it was double the happiness WHOOOOOP~

Okay back to Nivea's new product, the Extra White Pore Minimiser Mud Foam. I received my happy package on 24 August 2013 (yes I even went to see what day I took the below picture to accurately present to you the timeline) and couldn't wait to start using it!!! 

Firstly, a little background on my skin condition. I have combination skin, but it's slightly more to the dry side. I hardly experience a glistening face at the end of the day. However, one thing we all agree on is my skin tone is more towards the darker range. I frequently (if not mostly) get mistaken as a Thai, Malay, Burmese (this only happens when I'm with M though HHAHHAAHHA) even though I am 100% pure Singaporean Chinese. 

Naturally tanned, and avid canoe poloist last time, still can go tan. /claps. #throwback2009

So I hope you got my point, I was really tan. I couldn't care less about getting fairer last time, mostly because I was lazy and I had no qualms being a tanned chick.

But after I graduated from Poly, grew older, I realised I don't want to be tan anymore? I started turning down invitations from the BFF to go tanning and stuff. I also started using sunblock/sunscreens. BUT IT'S NOT ENOUGHHHHH WEHHHH~ My friends have been telling me perhaps it's my facial features and not really my skin tone that causes people to get mistaken about my nationality BUT THAT'S BESIDE THE POINT. I NEED/WANT TO BE FAIRER.

Another problem with my skin is clogged pores. I don't have a lot of cystic acne outbreak; it's more of the occasional one by one pimple pop up BUT my biggest battle on my complexion is the one with clogged pores. 

If you have been reading on my life via this humble space (namaste), you would have already heard of my regret that I used to treat my skin with such negligence it's currently still suffering the aftereffects of what I didn't do! I think my skin really took a turn for the worse when I started really using make up on a regular basis and I didn't make the effort to remove it completely every night before bed. 

Few months back, I started really looking into cleaning my skin properly before bed. I went to the extent of using make up remover + facial cleansing oil + Clarisonic EVERY NIGHT before bed. But my skin still has clogged pores. #okaycan.

What Nivea's Extra White Pore Minimiser Mud Foam promises to do in a single application is not only to get rid of the surface dirt on your skin, but to 

1. unclog skin pores by removing 10 types of make up residue: oil, powder, concealer, blush-on, eye shadow, silicon primer, eyeliner, colored powder, moisturizing cream residue and sun block residue;
2. diminish spots and freckles, plus whiten your skin with their exclusive Pearly White formula (with 10 times whitening efficacy proven to be superior to Vitamin C) within 7 days!

To wrap up this sweet deal is that this mud foam is 100% free of substances that weaken your skin!

HAHAHAHA! Seriously, that was my reaction!

I'm sure you know by now I've been trying to cut down a lot on my dependence on make up. I first stopped using foundation on an everyday basis, then I cut down on BB cream till I also fully stopped using it regularly. Now I'm even skipping on eyeliner. My everyday facial routine is now:

• Facial cleansing
• Tone
• Serum
• Moisturiser
• Sunblock/sunscreen
• Concealer (under my eyes only)
• Quick sweep of powder under my eyes to set the concealer
• Mascara
• Cheek stain (blush)

And even with that, it is still very important to thoroughly clean your skin to get rid of all the impurities that would have accumulated in your pores (oh the horror!) by the end of the day! Especially if you use sunblock!! 2 common ingredients in most sunscreen/sunblocks are titanium dioxide and zinc oxide. According to my beautician at my facial place, as effective as these ingredients are, they are still mildly comedogenic (meaning they clog pores) depending on each individual's skin type. 

 Once I received it, I immediately used it to wash my face in the morning! :D 

I didn't want to blog about it too soon after I received it because I feel all products need some time to prove their claims. So I began using Nivea's Extra White Pore Minimiser Mud Foam to clean my face twice daily from 24 August 2013 till now. I am still using it by the way! :D

Night time, after work; after cleaning off most of the make up with my makeup remover/cleansing oil~ 

 Squirt a little on your palm, and really work up a lather. It doesn't lather up much since it's a mud-based foam but still lather up anyways :D

I like how clean my face feels every single time I used this. I don't like cream cleansers because they always make me feel like I did not thoroughly clean it (you know that slippery feeling you get after washing with cream cleansers?) but I also know that it's not good to have the tight feeling in your face after you use a cleanser because that just means the cleanser is too harsh for you.

Nivea's Extra White Pore Minimiser Mud Foam is just the right amount of squeaky clean!  And after continued use, I really do feel like the bumps around my hairline, and the sides of my cheeks have reduced greatly! I can't really tell if I have turned fairer because I see myself in the mirror everyday so it's hard to tell~

After cleansing, happy skin makes a happy girl!  That feeling of liberation when you remove your "mask" every night is like WHHHHHHOOOOOOOPPPPPP! Above 2 pictures taken right after washing my face with the product; left side under direct lighting and right side is normal lighting :) Completely no make up, no skincare on; just me. 

My honest review on this? I really love it. I think I am going to stick to this cleanser because I truly feel that it does what it claims. I really hate my clogged pores and for me, I think this works in greatly reducing the amount of clogged pores on my face. It's also not too drying for me as I moisturise and mask my face regularly too. 

So hi! In case you've had enough of makeup-less me, here's normal everyday me! I cannot emphasize this enough: If you have good skin, you don't need make up. Because good skin is just, everything make up is trying to help you achieve. I am excited to see what this facial foam can help me to do in the long run (e.g. TOTALLY EXTERMINATE THEM CLOGGED PORES AND MAKE ME AS WHITE AS SNOW WHITE) hahahahaha~~ 

If you're interested in giving it a try (YOU REALLY SHOULD), Nivea's Extra White Pore Minimiser Mud Foam is retailing at SGD$8.90 for 100ml at all personal care stores and supermarkets, including Watsons, Guardian, Cold Storage, NTUC Fairprice outlets and major retailers!

For more information on Nivea's products, do visit their Facebook page as well (I have oh so kindly hyperlinked their Facebook page all around this entry so click away!)

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Hope this simple review has helped you in one way or another! Have a great day kitties and stay safe! :D