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.
Sunday, September 26, 2010Y
Pics Galore: Haul from Taiwan
Just what did I bring back from Taiwan?? Well, I bought a lot.. *blush* I haven't really have the time to sort through and crop all the photos yet, below are just an "overall" view of what I had bought. I have taken close-ups of the cosmetics which I will post up at a later date.
Caution: Don't faint from all the photos below..
From Jill Stuart (Yippee! I finally got my hands on some JS stuff!!).
Got two of the mix blush compacts in 06 Fresh Apricot, 07 Lovely Tulip and two Jelly Eye Color N in 02 Gold Light and 10 Vintage Decor.
And from NARS...
I was really lemming for NARS items for a long long time.. I got the 9954 Everlasting Love Palette, Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base, three Duo Eyeshadows in 3078 Taiga, 3081 Tzarine, 3057 Kalahari, Blush in 4005 Amour, Sheer Glow Foundation in shade Ceylan and Nail Polish 1766 Purple Rain.
From Shiseido, some skincare from the d Program AC and Whitening range.
Now moving on to items I bought from the drugstore (the ones I went to was Cosmed, Watsons and Mirada).
I know this looks silly, I bought 3 packs of sponges from Mirada.. Hehe.. One pack of big round sponges, one pack of small square sponges and one pack of small round sponges.
Three boxes of sheet masks, Neogence Hyaluronic Acid Hydrating Mask, Neogence C+ Mulit-Whitening Mask and My Beauty Diary Platinum Colloid Mask.
Face cleansers... Biore Acne Mild Care Moisture and Kanebo Sour Cream Cream Soap.
Biore UV Aqua Rich Sunblock SPF 30 PA+++ and a box fake eyelashes.
Spring Heart eyelash glue, I still can remember that it cost TWD 99 for two.
Some acne skin care items from Aqualabel.
And finally, some colour makeup!
From Integrate.... Four eyeshadow palettes, a mascara base, a mascara, five lippies, a blush and base makeup.
From Lavshuca, two eyeshadow palettes and a duo, blush and two lippies..
From KATE and Tiffa, two lipplies, a mascara base, eyeliner, eyeshadow palette and a duo.
Some hair styling stuff.. I am trying to learn how to do my hair.. but I am not getting anywhere :(
Ma Cherie Moisture shampoo and conditioner and Tsubaki Head Spa Extra Cleansing and Massage Spa Mask.
Bioderma Micelle Soultion for sensitive skin. It claims to cleanse, remove make up and soothe.
Believe it or not.. On my second day in Taiwan, I already sent back a 8kg package back. Inside the package had lots of cosmetics (mine and a friend of mine), a pair of black wedges and some other miscellaneous items.
From DHC, a box of eye mask and two packets of oral supplement for skin whitening.
Some pouches from Naraya in Dan Shui and a Cath Kidston "inspired" pouch from Shilin Night Market.
Some ribbon hair tie/clips, a Hello Kitty landyard (its a gift from my BF) and three pairs of earrings from Shilin Night Market.
This hair tie and sticker are from a certain shop that spans over a few levels (can't remember exactly how many levels) called Guang Nam which is near Taipei Main Station. This shop sells everything from CDs to stationery, cosmetics to toothpaste.
Queen and Vivi magazine.
Clothes and belts from night markets (Shilin and Shida) and wholesale market (Wu Fen Pu).
2 flowery hangers from Daiso... They cost TWS 39 each !! Which after conversion is cheaper than the local price of $2.
From Eslite Concept Bookstore, I spotted lots of San-X stationery...
I practices restraint and got only one Rilakkuma...... :)
I am afraid to say, these are not all what I bought... I have missed out a few accessories, bags and items from Chic Choc.
Labels: Acne, Base Make Up, Belt, Blush, Cleansers, Clothes, Eye Make, Hair Accessory, Haircare, lippies, Masks, Sun Block, Tools
8:56:00 pm.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010Y
Collective Haul
Here's some stuffs I've hauled some time in May or June.
A couple of items from Shu Uemura.
A bottle of Lavender Mist Depsea Water which I keep in the office. A few spritz of it helps to hydrate my skin and also to keep myself awake! I also got the Glow On Blush in M44 which is a matte peachy colour. I have been lemming for this for ages!!
I received a $10 credit voucher with my previous purchase, so I got a powder foundation sponge (for backup) and a pack of facial cotton from Shiseido. I have read positive reviews about this facial cottons, so I got a pack for myself to try.
I don't know what's wrong with me these days, but I seemed to keep buying facial cottons!! I think that have like 6 packs of facial cottons lying around in my cupboard!!
Gotten another Ettusais Acne Nighttime Defense refill. This is a product I used nightly as the last step of my nighttime skincare routine. It helps to keep my face matte throughout the night.
From my local Sasa, I bought 9 pieces of Beauty Talk sheet, 7 pieces of Q10 and 2 pieces of Whitening. So far, I have only used the Q10 masks and they are real good! My skin feels more hydrated and bouncy-er. Another plus is that my skin did not react negatively, ie no redness, itchiness or breakouts.
Got a tube of ZA Concealer Perfection in shade 01 to conceal my dark eye circles. I use it together with my Canmake Color Stick in 07 Apricot. Just apply a thin layer of this Color Stick and pat to blend, then dot a few tiny dots of Concealer Perfection over it and pat to blend. Apply a little more of the Concealer Perfection if needed. And voila! My panda eyes disappears by 80%, my under eye area looks brighter! And not cakey at all!!
Frankly, I think all the concealers I bought work best at concealing my panda eyes when layered over this Color Stick!! I prefer using Canmake Color Stick to Bobbi Brown Corrector as I find the formula of the latter thicker and more drying.
Check out ZA's website
here and Canmake's website
here if you are interested.
Labels: Blush, Ettusais, Masks, Shu Uemura, Skin Care, Tools
7:04:00 pm.
IPSA Collective Hauls
Another collective haul again! This time, its from IPSA!
I've never bought anything from IPSA before and I've always wanted to try something from this brand. Since I received some vouchers from Tangs (the only available IPSA counter in Singapore is at Tangs Orchard), its a chance for me to try some stuffs out!
So what did I buy??
- Facial Cottons
- Preparing Clear Lotion EX 1
- Super Sun Block SPF 50 PA+++
- Pure Eye Zone Concealer
- Oil Blotting Papers
I have only used this facial blotter twice, so can't really comment much yet.
Description: Delicate fine fibers made of 100% natural linen resiliently fit over the skin. The oil blotting paper perfectly fits even against the uneven surface of the nose wings and absorbs the sebum deep inside pores. Instantly erases shine while keeping the moisture in the skin.
IPSA's facial blotter is the paper type of material, not the plasticy kind like Clean And Clear blotters. Although this blotter is slightly on the thin side, it doesn't tear easily and I only need to use one sheet to soak up all the oil from my face.
I bought the Pure Eye Zone Concealer in shade 01 which is the lighter shade. There are only 2 shades available.
Description: A concealer that covers dullness, uneven tones and dark circles under the eyes as keeping moisture around the eyes. A soft film perfectly adheres to the skin to retain the initial beautiful finish over time without becoming uneven.
I saw this product being used in the Taiwanese beauty show 女人我最大 and the results looked amazing. However, when I tried using it, the results were not as fantastic.. My panda eyes and my eye bags are still visible. If I try to layer on more of this concealer, my eye area looks patchy and dry.
It works best for me when I apply a layer of Canmake Color Stick in 07 Apricot first and then layer the Pure Eye Zone Concealer on top. By using this method, I only need to use a little of both products and my panda eyes are covered moderately well. Don't think I will repurchase, I believe there are better concealers out there waiting for me to try out.
I also bought the Super Sun Block, which has SPF 50 PA+++. I tried it at the back of my hand at the counter and this sunblock is very light and watery and absorbs fast, no tacky feeling!
Description: Prevents the penetration of strong UV rays (UV-A, UV-B) with the Multi-proof veil for beautiful skin that powerfully resists against perspiration & sebum. Provides moisture to prevent dryness caused by UV rays. Perfectly adheres to skin and prolong makeup wear with the excellent resistance against perspiration, water and sebum. Leaves no white residue or stickiness on skin after absorption. Can be removed with a regular facial cleanser. SPF50 PA+++.
I was looking for a toner to use at night as my Etude House Trouble Eraser Toner was finishing soon. I asked the SA to recommend me a toner for combination skin type and she recommended me Preparing Clear Lotion EX 1.
Description: A lotion for stratum corneum care that provides an excellent exfoliation effect to thoroughly remove excess sebum in pores as well as dead corneocytes on the skin surface. Makes the skin "ready" for skincare by enhancing the penetration of skincare that follows and helping maximize the effects of the skincare. Makes oily skin smoother, softer and clearer.
The texture of this toner is a little thick, like a watery lotion. Immediately after using, my skin do feel a little sticky, however it absorbs very quickly and leaves my skin feeling fresh and bouncy. When I sniff straight from the bottle or from the cotton pad, I can smell alcohol, but the it is not very strong and I can't even smell it when I apply the toner all over my face.
This toner is not a must have for me and I expect something more from a pricey toner (don't remember the exact cost, but should be more than $40), so I do not think I will repurchase it again.
The GWPs I received with $150 purchase.
- Pouch
- Preparing Clear Lotion I
- The Time Reset Cream CS1
- Cleansing Smooth Foam
- Cleansing Oil
On a separate shopping trip, in order to use up my vouchers which are expiring soon, I went to buy more of the Facial Cottons and Oil Blotting Papers.
I have to say that I really like the IPSA Facial Cottons but at $8 per pack they are the most expensive facial cottons I ever used! Good thing that I have vouchers!
Description: Fine quality cotton pads made of 100 % natural cotton. Excellently absorb and release effective ingredients to the skin. The easy-to-use size (6 x 7cm) maintains its shape without becoming fluffy. Split the cotton pad into 2 or 3 sheets for optimum use with the facial mask.
These facial cottons are the softest I have ever used and they don't leave any lint on my face. And best of all, I think I use lesser toner with this facial cotton as compared to facial cottons of other brands.
Labels: Base Make Up, IPSA, Skin Care, Sun Block, Tools
7:03:00 pm.
