Monday, September 30, 2013Y
Empties - September 2013
Just in time for September!!
I am quite proud of myself as I have finished up quite a bunch of products this month, some of which have been hogging the bathroom space for a really really long time.
Liese Juicy Shower Moisturising Hair Mist Refill
This has been a staple in my morning routine for the past X years. I have been using this for as long as I can remember. This helps to give my hair some moisture and tame the frizz.
Crabtree & Evenlyn La Source Volumising Seaweed Shampoo
Finally I managed to finish using this shampoo up!! Well, it is not that I hated it (but I would not recommend it), but it has been on my bathroom shelf for over a year... When I used up the matching conditioner, this shampoo was then pushed back and was forgotten. This is a ok shampoo. Nothing to rave about.
Furterer Forticea Stimulating Shampoo
This is supposed to help to promote healthy hair growth but I couldn't really see any effects since this bottle only lasted me about 2 weeks. It does leave my hair ends a little tangled, so using a good conditioner after is a must.
Clinicare Hair Time Renewal One Wash Treatment
A good deep hydrating treatment. You are supposed to use the whole tube for one treatment (hence the name 'one wash treatment'. I really like this product as it helps to make my hair silky smooth, soft and moisturised.
Shu Uemura Fresh Pore Clarifying Gentle Cleansing Oil
My current everyday makeup remover. I don't particularly like it that much to brand it as a favourite but so far, this is the cleansing oil that I like most. This leaves my skin feeling clean and fresh, while a lot of the other cleansing oils I have tried tend to leave a film behind. However, the texture is much more runny than the usual cleansing oils and tend to sip through the fingers.
Paul & Joe Light Cleansing Milk
This is my favourite cleansing milk of all times. It removes all my face makeup (I always use a separate eye makeup remover) and leaves my face feeling fresh. And the orange blossom scent is therapeutic. I have previously used up a full sized bottle of it back in 2011.
Paul & Joe Cleasning Milk N
I have used up another 2 sample bottles of this. I do not like this, my skin feels somewhat sticky after wiping off and did not feel clean.
Clarisonic Gentle Hydro Cleanser
I got this sample sized cleanser together with my Clarisonic Mia. It is a ok product, I will not purchase a full size. Doesn't foam much and it feels gentle on the skin. I use it as my morning cleanser, when my skin does not need a "heavy duty" cleanser.
The Face Shop Rice Water Bright Lip & Eye Remover
This is a bi-phase cleanser, so there is a need to shake it up before using. It somewhat stings my eyes a little and is too oily for my liking. Cleansing power is medium, a little more effort/time is needed to remove gel eyeliners and waterproof mascara as compared to Lancome Bi-Facil or the Bifesata Cleansing Express Eye Makeup Remover.
MAC Pro Eye Makeup Remover
This is a total rubbish in my books... Useless with waterproof mascara. I think this took me two or three years to finish using as I only used it to clean up my makeup mistakes.
YSL Eye Makeup Remover Bi-phase
This is another bi-phase cleanser. I got it as a set with the Touche Eclat and an sample eye cream at the Duty Free. I think I only got three or four uses out of this tiny bottle. This removes waterproof eye makeup well and despite being bi-phase, it does not leave any oily reside behind. I will consider buying a full sized bottle of it if it is not too expensive.
Vichy Purete Thermale
This is a light, refreshing toner than helps to soothe the skin. It is not particularly hydrating, so currently, I only use it when my skin feels irritated.
SK II Cellumination Essence Ex
I have previously reviewed it
here.
Clarins Advanced Extra-Firming Neck Cream
After application, my neck feels very velvety and soft. As gravity has not affected the skin on my neck (yet, and I hope it will not have any effect until after few decades later), I have no idea if it has any firming effects.
Clarins Pure and Radiant Mask
My favourite clay mask ever! Sadly, I was told that this range has been pulled out locally. It is a good thing that I still have one last tube of it my stash. It leaves my skin feeling clean, fresh and radiant. Despite it being a clay mask, it does not make the skin dry or tight.
Kiehl's Yerba Mate Tea Lotion
First of all, this lotion has a weird smell, but luckily, it fades away after application. It is a ok product, did not make my complexion any better or worse.
Peter Thomas Roth Max Sheer All Day Moisture Defense Lotion SPF 30
I use this on my neck and decolletage in the mornings. The lotion is easy to spread and initially it feels a greasy but after a short while, it will sink in and will be dry to touch.
Biore UV Aqua Rich SPF 30 PA+++
My favourite body SPF. I have previously reviews it
here. I just realised that I have been using this since 2010!
Vichy Eau Thermale
I like to give my skin a good spritz of this mineral water before patting my toner on. I also like the spray from Avene but I find that the Avene nozzle tend to spoil very easily.
Shu Uemura Depsea Water Mint Mist
I use this as a perk-me-up in the middle of the day. The mint scent helps me to feel more refreshed and awake. Another pro is that this mist does not mess up my makeup.
Mario Badescu Special Cleansing Lotion "O"
This is a toner for back and chest acne and not for facial use. I tend to have acne on my back, while in the past I can't be bothered but with my wedding day coming up soon, I have to try to eliminate those perky little spots.
KATE Mascara Base
This is my favourite mascara base. I think I have gone through more than ten tubes of these. My lashes are very soft and tend to droop easily and with this mascara base, my lashes stayed curled longer. This is a base with fibers, as it also helps to add volume to my sparse lashes. I tend to stock up when my local drugstore is having discounts or when I am overseas where they tend to be cheaper.
NARS Pro-Prime Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base
This is another ok product for me. My eye shadow/eye liner still smudges when I use this prior to eye makeup application. I think so far, only the Too Faced Shadow Insurance works the best for me.
Now I can finally throw away these empty bottles!
Thanks for reading! Bye~~!!
Labels: Biore, Clarins, Clarisonic, Clinicare, Crabtree and Evelyn, Empties, KATE, Liese, MAC, Mario Badescu, Masks, NARS, Paul and Joe, Shu Uemura, SK II, The Face Shop, Vichy, YSL
10:33:00 am.
Updated Skincare Routine - Cleansing
My last post on my skincare routine was done some time back in Sept 2009. That was a really long time ago, so I thought it is time for me to do an updated cleansing routine post.
My skin is no where near fantastic, occasionally there will be so mini eruptions occurring here and there on my face (due to stress, time of the month, etc). But I can say that my overall skin tone is getting better and my acne scars are fading.
In the morning, my cleansing routine only consist of only one product, ~H2O+ Mar
ine Cleansing Gel (oil-free).
This gel cleanser does not foam at all, so some people might not be used to it. I like the fact that after washing off this cleanser, my skin feels fresh and clean (not the squeaky clean feeling which I hate) and my skin does not feel tight.
I was also using this cleanser back in my Sept 2009 (you can check out my
Sept 2009 cleansing routine post), for the past year I have switched to many different cleansers and now, I am back to using it again.
In the evening, I will remove my eye & lip makeup, face makeup and then use a facial cleanser as the last step.
I have been switching my eye makeup remover around, testing out different brands, trying to find one that is cheap and good.
Currently, I am using the Etude House Mascara Remover One Shot Clean. It is a bi-phrase remover, so have to shake it well before using. The cotton pads I use are from e-glips which I bought from Gmarket.
For my lips, I use the Kose Perfect Make-up Remover, which had previously reviewed it (you can read my review
here). I am trying to finish this product by using it to remove my lippies as it stings my eye area badly.
For my face makeup, I use either my staple cleansing tissue, the Calmia Natural Oatmeal Cleansing Tissue (read review
here) or Paul & Joe Light Cleansing Milk (I bought it to try because it was on 40% discount).
Which item I use that evening will depend on whether I am feeling lazy or not... Usually I will use the cleansing tissue, as it removes my makeup faster.. Just a few wipes and my face is clean. But of course I will wipe until no color shows up on the cleansing tissue to make sure my face is clean. It usually takes 2 sheets to remove my makeup completely since I do not put on a lot of foundation.
If I use the P&J Light Cleansing Milk, I will squeeze out about a 20 cent coin and massage it all over my face, tissue off and then squeeze out another 20 cent coin of the cleaning milk, massage and tissue off. By the second time, the tissue paper should be quite colourless. If the tissue is still rather dirty, then I will do it the third time.
For my last step, the facial cleanser I am using currently is either the Shiseido The Skincare Purifying Cleansing Foam or the Biore Acne Mild Care Moisture Facial Foam together with the nifty Clarisonic Mia.
The Shiseido cleanser is the normal paste texture with mirco beads and it foams up really well while for the Biore cleanser, the product itself is foam type, meaning that once I pump the product out from the dispenser, it is already foam-ed (haha, don't think there's such a word).
Both cleansers feel gentle on my skin, my skin feels clean but not tight. I think my skin looks slightly brighter after washing off the Shiseido cleanser but it might be due to my imagination.
I have only recently ordered my Clarisonic Mia from a US website, I cannot remember how much it cost me, but definitely more than US$100 (luckily the exchange rate is not that bad now). I have only started using it for slightly more than a week, so I cannot really comment. I also ordered 2 extra delicate brush heads in the same order, since I have sensitive, acne prone skin.
Labels: Acne, Biore, Calmia, Clarisonic, Cleansers, Etude House, H2O+, Kose, Paul and Joe, Shiseido, Skin Care Routine, Tools
7:00:00 pm.
Tuesday, August 10, 2010Y
What I've Consumed
Another update on stuffs I have used up!
The items I have finish using are:-
- Paul & Joe Light Cleansing Milk (GWP)
- Clarins Purifying Cleansing Gel (Sample)
- Clarins Whitening Pure Aqua-Lotion (Sample)
- Avene Cleanance K
- Ettusais Medicated Acne Night Time Defense Powder
- Etude House Mascara Remover
- Clinique Happy Heart Perfume
- JoyceT Acne Solution Cleansing Gel
- Beyond Pure & Clean Shower Gel
- Kerasys Repairing Rinse
- Lancome Virtuose Mascara (Sample)
- Etude House AC Clinic Red Balm Spot
- Kanebo Blanchir Whitening Conclusion (Samples + retail size)
- Beautymaker Aquamarine Hydrating Lotion
- IPSA Cotton
Just a quick review on some of the items.
Paul & Joe Light Cleansing MilkPros: Smells really really very nice!! Removes all my makeup including foundation. Makes my skin feel soft after each use. I actually have a full size bottle of this in my stash.
Con: Can't think of any.
Clarins Purifying Cleansing GelThis used to be my favourite cleansing gel back when I was a teen!Pros: Smells nice (but not as pleasant as P&J's Light Cleaning Milk). Foams easily. Leaves my skin feeling clean and refreshed.
Con: My cheeks feel tight after using.
Avene Cleanance K Pros: No scent detected. After using for a few weeks every night, I find that my clogged pores became lesser (but it could be due to my imagination).
Cons: It stings a little on the first few applications, but after about 3-4 days the stinging sensation ceases.
Etude House Mascara RemoverInitially I dissed this remover off as it couldn't remove my waterproof mascara. However, later I realised that it is not the fault of this remover, but rather, my mascara (Fasio waterproof mascaras) was too hard to remove.Pros: Removed most of my waterpoof mascara (I've tried it with RMK and KATE mascara) in one swipe. Does not irritate my eyes. And the price is very affordable.
Con: It cannot remove Fasio waterproof mascaras.
Clinique Happy Heart PerfumeMy favouite perfume, it really makes me feel happier on the days I am using it. This is the first fragrance I have ever repurchased.
JoyceT Acne Solution Cleansing GelPros: No scent. Leaves my skin feeling soft, cleansed and refreshed without feeling stripped off of moisture. Helps to contain my occasional acne problems.
Cons: Expensive!! Can only be bought from a certain chain of beauty salons.
Lancome Virtuose MascaraPro: Give lashes lots of volume. Best used on top of another mascara.
Cons: Does not hold my curl AT ALL. My curled lashes drooped immediately upon application.
Beautymaker Aquamarine Hydrating LotionPros: Have a light rose scent. Lotion is light weight and absorbs into skin fast.
Cons: Can only be bought online. Not hydrating enough for my combi-dehydrated skin.
Even though it seems that I have used up a lot of items, but my stash doesn't seemed to have deceased much! And I have already reduced my beauty related expenditure!!! Its hard for me to stop buying completely, so I have only been buying what I really need or backups of the items I usually use.
Labels: Avene, Beautymaker, Clarins, Cleansers, Clinique, Etude House, Eye Make, JoyceT, Lancome, Others, Paul and Joe, Perfume, Ramblings, Review, Skin Care, Updates
8:10:00 pm.
Sunday, September 20, 2009Y
Paul & Joe Haul
About 3 weeks ago, I finally caved in to temptation and bought more stuffs from P&J. After the pleasant experience with the Lipstick N that I bought during the Prestige warehouse sale, I suppose P&J is a worthy brand for me splurge upon :)
I bought a set @$108 ($104++ after discount), which consists of a Protective Hand Cream, Milky Lip Treatment, Cleansing Milk, Moisturizing Serum, Moisture Lotion N, Lip Gloss N (a choice between a bright fluorescence pink or #1 a nice shimmery chocolate??) and Eye Colour Palette I.
Freaking cute! Love the Disney characters! Reminds me of my childhood times! And they smell nice too! Smell of orange blossoms, the signature P&J scent.
I chose the shimmery chocolate, not the bright fluorescence pink, although the pink actually is quite sheer when applied on the back of my hands.
I thought that I should step out of my comfort zone and try the darker shade as I do not own anything like that. Well, not too sure if its too dark for me though, it didn't cross my mind to try it on my lips at the counter.
The SA advised me to apply the pink as a blush instead. I've not opened them up and use them yet.. hehe.. Sticking to my first-in-first out SOP (stand operating procedures) for my cosmetics. Lol~!
With $100 purchase, I got the following GWPs:-
- A roomy makeup pouch (good and big enough for travel)
- Light Cleansing Milk
- Whitening Emulsion
- Moisture Lotion (rich)
Lastly, Selamat Hari Raya Aidifitri!
Labels: Cosmetics Pouch, Eye Make, Hand Care, Haul, lippies, Palette, Paul and Joe, Skin Care
9:06:00 pm.
