Decluttering 101

In the past few months, I have accumulated LOADS of empty packaging and I simply did not have the time or energy to write up posts. It is good in a way that I am using up things, but I just can't stand those piles of empties in my living room anymore. And since some of them have been quite a while ago, I just don't feel like writing things about them if I don't have any specific thoughts on them. So here are the majority of my empties, but not all. =P

CeraVe hydrating cleanser - it's a very gentle cleanser that I used in the morning. Non-irritating and indeed very moisturizing. Great for sensitive skin. Won't be repurchasing in the near future but it's an ultra gentle one that should keep in mind. 

Clinique take the day off cleansing milk - I used this to take off my make-up. I do quite like it, and other things I have tried from the take the day off line. I feel like I still like my cleansing oil a little bit more, but it's a good one when I want to change up my routine a bit. 

Ren hydra-calm cleansing milk - first Ren product I tried and I bought this on a rim. I used this up rather quickly and it is a very hydrating cleanser. Made my skin feel very comfortable as well. A very nice one for Winter time. 

Sofina essence cleanser - one of my all-time favourites. I adore the scent! And it makes the cleansing experience more luxurious. Not going to repurchase for now before I use up other things, but I love this cleanser. 

Fancl mild cleansing oil - again, one of my all-time favourites. I always have one on hand. 

Bioderma sensibio H2O - who doesn't know about Bioderma really? I love my cleansing oil so I never bother to try Bioderma, but I purchased one for traveling and just love it. And nowadays when I am lazy, I love using Bioderma to give my skin a quick cleanse when I got home. It doesn't replace my cleansing oil by any means because Bioderma does not remove waterproof eye make-up for me. But I now keep a bottle of Bioderma in my bathroom, for the purpose I just mentioned, and also for days I am wearing minimal make-up, as well as cleaning up any residual eye make-up using a cotton swab. It's also wonderful for touching up makeup! =) 

Philosophy purity made simple - first I heard a lot of people raving about this cleanser, then many controversial comments regarding the ingredients being not so "simple" and irritating. =S I have yet to dig into the truth, but the fact is, it is a good cleanser to use, especially when combine with my clarisonic. I did not notice any irritation while using this cleanser, but I might have to do more research before I decide to purchase a 2nd bottle of it. 

Neutrogena naturals fresh cleansing + make-up remover - the smell is quite fresh, and it is not a bad cleanser by any means, but I did not fall in love with it... so in the end I used this up as a brush cleanser. 

Neutrogena oil-free eye make-up remover - I love this stuff! By far my drugstore favourite eye make-up remover. I go through eye make-up remover quite quickly because I do use waterproof makeup on a daily basis. So I really do not have the intention to try out the famous Lancome Ba-facil when the drugstore one just works as well. 

Let the empties continue...

OK,
so let's just jump right in without further ado, we have lots of talk about!

(Left to Right)
My beauty diary peach soda eye & lip makeup remover (dual-phase)
MAC Fix+ skin refresher / finishing mist
Fancl mild cleansing oil (special edition bottle)

• My beauty diary peach soda makeup remover - I remove my eye makeup separately from my face makeup and I have come to the realization that dual-phase removers work the best. This is no exception. I like it a lot, doesn't leave a greasy film on my eyes yet effective! There isn't any special scent to it despite the name. It is pretty to look at though because the bottom layer is a pink liquid. =) I also like the scroll cap packaging, easy and do not have to worry about leaking. Good for traveling! 
• MAC Fix plus - a very popular product in the beauty community. It's an OK product to me, it works in terms of making your makeup looks more dewy and less powdery. Staying power? I am not 100% sold. I also am not too crazy about the mist, the packaging doesn't produce a mist that is fine enough. As opposed to what the salesperson said, I didn't think MAC Fix plus helps to fight humidity. I was using it during my stay in HK, where heat and humidity are all there is left in Summer months. Still, I think this is not a bad product and I might consider repurchasing for Winter. 
• Fancl cleansing oil - Holy Grail status in my book! My first cleansing oil and I always have this on hand no matter how many cleansing oils I try. 

(Left to Right)
Laneige water sleeping pack plus
Chanel Precision UV essentiel daily protection SPF 45/PA+++
Sally Hansen Insta-Dri anti-chip top coat
NUXE intensive firming cream
Origins super spot remover
Dior Miss Dior Cherie L'eau Eau de Toilette 

• Laneige water sleep pack plus - an overnight mask that gives moisture to your skin when you are sleeping. To be honest, I have used a few jars of it before even though I can't say I am crazy about it. However, I discovered it is quite good to use during long haul flights. May repurchase but I kind of want to try something else for the moment. 
• Chanel prevision UV essentiel daily protection fluid - big NO NO for me. Yes, you would think everything from Chanel must be good but I struggled to use this up. I hate sunscreen being thick and greasy and this is exactly how I feel about this. I used this up by applying it to my neck area. I do not recommend this at all. =(
• Sally Hansen insta-dri top coat - a great, affordable top coat and I did enjoy it a lot. Like the mega-shine top coat, it is no exception that towards the end of the bottle, the product gets too thick and goopy to use. Still trying to find my favourite top coat but I will certainly keep this in mind. 
• NUXE intensive firming cream - I love the smell of this cream! It came from a sample set and it claims to have bamboo, amazonian plants and kigelia africana in the product. Can't speak for the firming ability but I would repurchase just for the scent. However, I am unable to find this line in stores so I wonder if it's like a limited edition thing? 
• Origins super spot remover - I need to have at least one acne treatment on hand at all time and this serves the purpose. I actually already repurchased and am using the 2nd bottle of it. I find it hard to say if any of these acne clearing products really works, but my philosophy is to "keep holding on". This spot remover doesn't make my skin peels with 1.5% salicylic acid in it, and it works well underneath makeup which is critical to me. 
• Dior Miss Dior cherie L'eau EDT - I am trying to use up some of my perfume samples and this is first in line. I do not own the original Miss Dior cherie perfume so I am not sure how they compare. Scent is very personal and hard to describe but all in all, I am not intrigued to buy the full size. 

(Left to Right)
Prestige my blackest lashes mascara
Fairy Drops mascara
Lancome cils booster mascara base
NARS pro-prime smudge proof eyeshadow base 

Finally some makeup bits! 

• Prestige my blackest lashes mascara - heard a few people raving about this mascara, claiming it to be similar to the Makeup Forever Smoky Lash. First of all, my Asian lashes are extremely hard to hold curls so waterproof mascara is almost always a must. My blackest lashes mascara does not come in a waterproof formula but I was still intrigued to try this out. Well, my lashes went straight almost immediately after I applied this mascara... so needless to say, I won't repurchase this. 
• Fairy Drops mascara - a Japanese brand mascara and I often prefer Japanese brands when it comes to mascara. Maybe because our lash types are more similar. It has a very interesting wand with 3 "balls" on it and it was amazing at keeping my curls. I already bought a 2nd tube of this (with different packaging and slightly different wand) because I am a sucker for mascaras. Also, I found that with this mascara, it is best to wait for a period of time before it reaches its best performance stage (in other words, it might be too wet when you first start to use it). 
• Lancome cils booster mascara base - this was a gift from my friend, before I knew anything about makeup (I still don't know a lot of things of course). It was basically sitting in my drawers for years before I finally open it. Despite the fact that this is a "star" product, I can't say I love it. Again it made my lashes straight.... I don't know if they have changed the formula over the years (probably have) so I might try the new formula some day. 
• NARS pro-prime smudge proof eyeshadow base - got this sample size from Sephora in a mini NARS set. After finishing this little sample up, I ran to Sephora and bought the full size. It serves its purpose well and I think it performs even slightly better than my Two Faced Shadow Insurance in humid weather. The only downside is the packaging... it gets dirty so easily and I would prefer it in a tube like the Two Faced one or the newly packaged Urban Decay primer potion. 

Woooo, so this wraps up my super long and overdue empties post. I hope I can keep this spirit going and let's also hope that I won't accumulate that many to blog at a time again....-.-