Hi!! Another month has just flew past so quickly! Unknowingly, I have already left my job for 1.5 months and currently I am enjoying life as a couch potato. ^-^
From the title, you would have known that I am going to share my favourite makeup and skincare items for this past month. So let's get started!
The formula is a little on the drier side, which I like as wet formulas tends to weight my lashes down and smear on the lower lids when I blink.
This mascara holds curl, volumises my lashes, does not smudge nor flake throughout the day and my lashes does not feel crispy.
The only con is that fat brush - it is a bit hard to apply for my short lashes.
I am never a huge BB Cream fan before this product. I would say this is my best find in May.
This BB Sunscreen helps to evens out skin tone, control oil and yet at the same time does not dry out my face. It has a dewy (but not oily) finish, it feels light on the skin and not sticky.
It only gives a light coverage, so foundation and/or concealer is still a must to cover up any pigmentation. If you have good skin, just this sunscreen and maybe a little powder will do.
I have this love affair with Canmake's Cream Cheek. Previously, I have used up another Cream Cream in #13 Love Peach.
For this shade CL02, I found it to be of a gelish-cream texture compared to the other Cream Cheeks I own from their regular line, which has more of a creamy texture. Their regular Cream Cheeks are numbered from 01 to 13.
This lasts all day on me. It helps to give a natural flush to the cheeks. It is not sticky, easy to blend and also easy to build the colour up if you want to. Another plus I found is that it can also be used on top of powder.
This shade is described as a bold teal shade. In real life it more blue than as photographed. This is a very pretty colour and it is something that I don't have in my collection.
I am not a very good nail painter, so it helps that the consistency of the polish is very smooth and is not streaky. It looks very good on my toes and it makes my feet looks fair.
I have oily eyelids, so a lot of eyeliners do not last on me... This one lasts all day on my upper lids without smudging, flaking or creasing, with only minimal fading. On the lower lids, it will smudge just a little, but I can bare with it.
It is retractable unlike the Stila Smudge Stick Waterproof Eye Liner (another eyeliner that I love). Another plus point is that there is a sharpener attached at the end.
The smell is like fantastic! Smells like peppermint candy. It heals and moisturies my lips well and sinks into lips fast.
I also I that the packaging has a slant tip applicator, which I like as I find it much easeier to apply.
I am not a fussy about my toners, my basic criteria are that it must not irritate my skin and it must not be sticky.
From late last month, I have been trying this toner from Vichy. It is not sticky, absorbs into the skin fast and also soothes my skin.
I spent 4 days in Bali earlier this month and I brought this toner along with me. It really helps to soothe my skin from the sun and also when I travel, I tend to breakout, but this time I didn't. I believe one of the contributing factors must be this toner.
I have already bought a backup of this as my local drugstore was having discount. :)
The Vichy SA previously pumped some of this serum into a container for me to try. I really liked it so I also bought this hydrating serum during the discount.
I find that this really hydrates my skin, as my skin looks plump and feels bouncy after application. It also absorbs fast and is not sticky. The texture of this serum is rather light, which I find a good match for my combi skin, as richer serums tend to clog my pores.
These are the products that I have enjoyed greatly in this month of May. Thanks for reading!
Updated Skincare Routine - Night
Previously, I have blogged about my
cleansing routine and my day time routine, so here's the post on my night time routine.
Like I mentioned before in my
day skin care routine post, my skin care routines are not your typical three step routine, I use many many items...
And also, I have to bring this up again. I do not have good skin. I struggled with acne (well, I am still plagued by occasional breakouts) and post acne scars.
I am keen on using products that combat acne and products that have whitening/brightening effects. And recently, I am also beginning to use anti-aging products (I believe prevention is better than cure.. Better to start using anti-aging products early..)
I keep all the products I use regularly for my night routine in this plastic container from Daiso. I have only begin using this current routine just a couple of weeks ago, and so far so good.
After cleansing, I will use a toner first. The current one I am using is Naruko Narcissus Total Defense Night Repairing Dew.
The texture of this toner, is quite thick and maybe because of the thick consistency, the toner lefts my skin a little sticky after usage.
Following that, I will use the (most expensive product in my skincare "collection") SKII Facial Treatment Essence. I pat it all over my face and neck using a cotton pad. In order not to waste any product, I will also use the same cotton pad and wipe it all over my upper chest, shoulder blades, elbows, etc.
Next, is the eye cream. I am using the
Clarins Eye Contour Balm. It is supposed to help
to soften and slow down the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles around the eyes.
The first serum I use is the ampm night time SOS skin humidifier x10. It is supposed to provide long-term hydration and moisture and also helps maintain firmness and elasticity of the skin.
It has a gel-like texture, and a nice light flowery scent (well, at least to me, it smells flowery). This item also leaves my skin sticky after application, but I think my skin somewhat benefit from this product? In the morning when I wake up, my T-zone is not as oily as before and my skin looks more supple.
If I have any spots, I will apply Etude House AC Clinic Red Spot Balm (I have previously reviewed it
here).
Then I will use Naruko Narcissus Total Defense Night Moisturizing Night Repair. It is a light milky moisturizer which is very easily absorbed. What I don't like about this moisturizer is the smell.. Reminds me of dish washing detergent, but luckily, the smell does not linger.
After patting in the moisturizer, I will apply the Naruko Narcissus Total Defense Night Brightening Serum. This serum is also very lightweight, gets absorbed easily and leaves my skin soft. This is one of my favourite products from the Narcissus range.
The last serum I use is the ampm A30 pore minimizing complex, which is supposed to help with minimize the pore size and stimulates cell regeneration and builds collagen to firm and improve skin texture.
This serum is a thick cream but spreads easily and does not make my skin feel sticky. Since I only started using it a week ago (I only started to incorporate the 2 ampm items into my routine last week), I am not too sure whether it does helps with my pore size or not.
Following that, I will top it off with the Naruko Night Eye Gelly (right) and Night Gelly (left). This is not a typo, Naruko spelled it as "gelly" and not "jelly".
For the past week, I was using the Night Gelly from the Rose & Snow Fungus Classic Hydrating range. I have 5 different night gellies which I use on rotation. Typically, I will pick one "flavor" and use it for a week.
The 5 types of Night Gelly I own are:
- Rose & Snow Fungus Classic Hydrating-> favourite, as it sinks into my skin fast and smells nice!
- Job's Tears Whitening and Cooling -> least favourite, don't like the scent
- Narcissus Total Defense -> absorbs fast
- Niaouli & Tea Tree Sebum Control -> absorbs into the skin the fastest, but not hydrating enough
- Marjoram and Lavender Classic Brightening -> absorbs fast
For my eye area, I am using also using the Rose & Snow Fungus range. The above Night Eye Gelly is only 5ml which I received as a GWP from my previous Naruko haul.
Lastly, I will finish my routine off with the Ettusais Acne Nighttime Defense.
In summary, here's what I use in at night...
1) Naruko Narcissus Total Defense Night Repairing Dew
2) SK II Facial Treatment Essence
3) Clarins Eye Contour Balm
4) ampm night time SOS skin humidifier x10
5) Etude House AC Clinic Red Spot Balm (optional item)
6) Naruko Narcissus Total Defense Night Moisturizing Night Repair
7) Naruko Narcissus Total Defense Night Brightening Serum
8) ampm A30 pore minimizing complex
9) Naruko Rose and Snow Fungus Classic Hydrating Night Eye Gelly
10) Naruko Night Gelly (various "flavors")
11) Ettusais Acne Nighttime Defense
Thanks for reading! Bye~~~~
♥ ♥ Labels: Acne, Clarins, Ettusais, Naruko, Night, SK II, Skin Care, Skin Care Routine
2:53:00 pm.
Saturday, April 02, 2011Y
Updated Skincare Routine - Day
Since I have already did a blog spot on my cleansing routine (click
here to view), I thought I might as well do a couple more posts on my skin care routine - one post on my day routine and one post on my night routine.
FYI, my skin care routines are not your typical three step routine.... I use many many different types of products... But I take less than ten minutes to complete each of the routines..
Like I mentioned before my my previous blog posts, I do not have good skin. I have mini eruptions every now and more than often they leave behind ugly scarring. So I am rather keen on using products that combat acne and products that have whitening/brightening effects.
I shall first start off with my day time routine (I will blog about the night routine soon).
After I cleanse, the first product I use is a toner. The current one I am using is the AC Lotion from
d Program range (which is manufactured by Shiseido targeted for sensitive skin).
This is a refreshing toner that leaves my skin feeling soft and smooth. This is actually my second bottle (I had my colleague to pick up the second bottle when he was in Taiwan last year). This toner is my favourite of the three d Program items I own.
My second step is to apply some eye stuff. My holy grail for the past many years has been the Clarins Eye Contour Gel, which I have finished up N tubes. It helps to de-puff my eyes and after application, my eyes look bigger (because it is less puffy) and more awake.
As I grow older, I find that my eye area is getting rather dry and there are some traces of fine lines, and the Clarins eye gel is not sufficient, so I added a light textured eye cream over it. Currently, I am using Naruko Marjoram and Lavender Brightening Eye Cream. It is supposed to hydrate the skin and reduce the creation of pigmentation.
Following that, I will use serum/essence - currently I am using three different types. :p
The first serum/essence I use is the Clarins Pore Minimizing Serum. First, I warm the product between my palms and then press the product on my T zone and inner cheeks where the pores are more obvious. After using this product for many many many months, I finally saw my pores are less visible.
Then I will use the am+pm Skin Ecological Complex (I got it as a GWP when I bought some Naruko items some time back). Squeeze the bottle once onto my palm, dab a drop each on both my cheeks where it is more dehydrated and using whatever that's left, I will apply it to the rest of my face.
It helps my skin retain moisture and I my cheeks does no longer feel taut even with the air-conditioning switched on. But what I do not like about it is that my skin feels sticky after application.
The last serum I use is the d Program Whitening Clear Essence, which I dab it on areas with scars and also on my freckles. Not a favourite of mine as it also feels sticky after application. Next up, is the moisturiser. I am using the AC Emulsion from d Program. The texture is very watery, however, my skin also feels tacky after application.
As much as I dislike the sticky/tacky feeling, I continued using the d Program items because they saved my skin when I was holidaying in Taiwan last year. I supposed it was all due to the weather. Too sunny, too dry (as compared to Singapore which is more humid).
On Day 2 of my Taiwan trip, my skin was beginning to break out badly, the SOS skincare products I brought along was not strong enough to curb the brewing trouble. So on Day 3, I went to the shopping mall and looked around the skin care counters and I spotted d Program. And luckily, they worked well for me (but pricey!!!). After a few days, I see that my acne has calmed down a whole lot.
This next step is an optional item. When its the time of the month, some spots will appear on my face, I will use this Etude House AC Clinic Red Spot Balm on those hateful spots. I have reviewed it before here.
My very last step is sunblock. My current Holy Grail is the IPSA Super Sun Block, which has SPF 50 PA+++. ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
It is a very light weight watery sunblock that spreads very easily. It has no funny scent and my skin feels smooth to touch after application. This sunblock is light beige colour and it somewhat makes my skin look more even and slightly glowy (but not oily) after application.
In summary, here's what I use in the mornings...
- d Program AC Toner
- Clarins Eye Contour Gel
- Naruko Marjoram and Lavender Brightening Eye Cream
- Clarins Pore Minimizing Serum
- am+pm Skin Ecological Complex
- d Program Whitening Clear Essence
- d Program AC Emulsion
- Etude House Red Spot Balm (optional)
- IPSA Super Sun Block SPF 50 PA+++
Thanks for reading! Bye~~~~
Labels: Acne, am+pm, Clarins, d Program, Day, Etude House, Eye Care, IPSA, Naruko, Skin Care Routine, Sun Block, Whitening
7:56:00 am.
