Decluttering 104

So here comes to day 4 in my decluttering series, looks like I will need 5 days to wrap up my mini-series here. lol It feels good to purge out all my thoughts on these empties, plus, to finally being able to toss them away! 

Sofina SPF24 PA+++ - not much to say except this is my all-time favourite sunscreen. I believed the SPF24 has been discontinued and replaced with the SPF30 now. But in short, this milky lotion is light-weight, moisturizing and so easy to blend. Love it! =)

Lancome blanc expert ultimate whitening hydrating cream - I didn't use this cream continuously that I found any brightening results, it is rather moisturizing and I can only use it at night time. I found it leaves a slight greasy film on my face after I use it so that why I didn't care to use it in the day time. I don't think this is amazing and probably will not repurchase for now.

Korres wild rose vitamin C advanced brightening sleeping facial - I was not planning to get this cream but while I was at Sephora browsing the Korres section, the Korres trainer was there apparently and she demonstrated this cream on my hand. I was amazed because I saw immediate brightening result when she used a cotton pad on top of the cream and applied onto my hand for like 1 minute. Although this is quite an expensive cream ($62.50 CAD), I just could not resist getting it. Plus, it smells amazing!!!! It is very hard for me to use up a moisturizer: a.) I am not very loyal b.) I have too many moisturizers c.) I always try new things. For these reasons, I often do not stick with one particular moisturizer. But I managed to use up this relatively quick because I could not resist not using it. Originally I was planning to use it 1 to 3 times a week as per recommended by the trainer, but in the end I found myself reaching for this daily. I already repurchased this but I have yet to open it because I want to use up all my other creams first. And since there is vitamin C in it, I do not want to open the glass jar and risking the product not at its optimum stage. All in all, I love this moisturizer and it doesn't make me greasy. =)

Embryolisse lait creme concentrate - another moisturizer that I adore! I already repurchased and using my 2nd tube right now. Wonderful moisturizer that is easy to blend, non-irritating, basic, hydrating and perfect for underneath makeup. This has become my Winter essential. =) And omg, it is so affordable! My mum helped me to repurchase when she was in Paris and I could not believe who affordable this is there! (also for Bioderma!) I got this from a retailer in Hong Kong and it was about $23 CAD, and I believe my mum got this in France for 9 euro..!! Not that I travel to France routinely, so I probably will have to pay a higher price to get this cream, but it is well-worth it. <3

Bioderma sebium AI - this is a treatment that helps to eliminate spots. I actually quite enjoyed it but I wasn't sure if it was this product that helped to control my blemishes. So right now I haven't repurchased yet, but if I find myself needing a product like this in my life again, I will for sure consider getting this.

Dream Skin whitening serum - I don't have much to say about this, did not care for it and was simply trying to use this up.

Shiseido benefiance hand revitalizer - I got this as a gift while purchasing things in Hong Kong Shiseido counter. I don't think this product is available in North America but Shiseido does sell a similar hand cream here in Canada. (I think it is probably the same, but just marketed slightly differently) A very moisturizing hand cream that I find slightly greasy, takes longer to absorb. But it is great of bed time. Not my choice for day time.

Origins super spot remover - I believe this is already my 2nd bottle of it. Salicylic acid 1.5% treatment. I do like it but after using 2 bottles of it consecutively, I was in the mood to try something new, thus the Clinique spot treatment. By all means, I tried to stick with salicylic acid treatment rather than benzoic peroxide, just because I think it works better for my skin type.

Decluttering 103

Please excuse my rather unoriginal titles...... 

Korres guava shower gel - I got this from Winners with discounted price, I am glad that I get to try out the Korres shower product, but I did not find the scent to be absolutely appealing. But I did noticed that while using this shower gel, my skin feels very comfortable and hydrated after my shower. I think the "natural" ingredients or the no "harsh chemicals" must have done some work there. If they have a rose scent, I might repurchase.

Fekkai apple cider clarifying shampoo - a rather expensive clarifying shampoo. I never used to use a clarifying shampoo but somehow youtube gurus talked me into "I need a clarifying shampoo" mode. Although it is quite expensive ($28 CAD if not mistaken), it did last me a long time (I say a year) because I only use this maximum once a week. I love the scent, very refreshing. It is a bit drying and I supposed that is because it is clarifying. I think I might repurchase, but right now I went ahead and tried something new (i.e. Bumble and bumble Sunday shampoo).

Senka hydrating toner - Senka is a drugstore brand made by Shiseido and this product is available in the Asia market. I found the texture similar to the Shisedo softeners (which I love) but this one is non-fragranced, so it might be even better for rather sensitive skin. Also, needless to say, much cheaper than the Shiseido softener (I believed this one was about $10 CAD). I think this is a wonderful gel-like toner for Winter months.

Biotherm biocils eye make-up removal care - this one claims to condition your lashes and removes waterproof make-up. I did not expect the condition lashes part to be true when I bought it, but I actually was impressed by the result. I did find when I was using this, I lost less lashes while removing my eye makeup. I would love to repurchase this if I could ignore the price tag... and one thing I did not like is the packaging. I did not like the cap because it leaks a little bit. I much prefer the neutrogena packaging with the round cap.

Barielle intensive hand treatment cream - one of the Hong Kong makeup artists raved about this cream all the time, and while I found this ultra moisturizing, I did find it a bit greasy as well. I also did not care about the scent, which in a hand cream, is rather important to me. I don't mind if it is non-scented (like the Kiehl's one I like) but this Barielle one is kinda in between. It is not heavily scented, but the slight scent in it does not appeal to me. I think I would rather repurchase the Kiehl's one.

Bioderma sensibio mask - a hydrating, soothing mask. While I enjoyed the Bioderma sensibio water, I don't think this mask did much to my skin. It was just something I tried to use up.

Kiehl's white brightening botanical hydrating mask - this mask is rather old and I just have to toss it away. The reason why it has been in my stash forever is because I couldn't use it much... every time I put this on my face, it gave my painful sensation and often I just have to wash it off in 5 minutes. I kept trying to like it because some times when I can endure the sensation, I did find it give my skin a brightening boost. Anyhow, I think it is safe to say that I need to farewell this skincare from my stash. I don't believe a product has to stint your skin in order to give you good result.

Decluttering 102

Some more things that I used up =P 

Lierac body scrub - it an okay scrub. I am not a huge fan of the scent. The scrub itself, like a lot of french pharmacy brands, is much more fine that other scrubs I have used. It is more like a true exfoliant I supposed. I got this from Winners, so this is not something that I can get on a regular basis. But I am partial about repurchasing this anyways.

Opalen - my acne treatment, 0.1% adapalene gel. It is essentially the same as Differin, just a different brand name. I used this or Differin in the night time to treat my acne. I do not know why I ever stopped using adapalene as my acne treatment of choice, but I will always have one on hand from now on. This is not something you can get over the counter (not in North America at least), it has been prescribed to me by my dermatologist.

Bioderma hydrabio moisturising concentrate - bought this on a rim while it was on sale. I have tried the toner form the hydrabio line so I am confident in this line that it will not irritate my skin. Turns out, I love this hydrating serum! Absorbs quickly and my skin feels moist and supple after using it. Definitely on my repurchase list for the future.

H2O+ night oasis oxygenating energizer serum - another hydrating serum, but one that I don't really fancy. I do not like the scent and do not think it did much to my skin.

Dior hydra life skin energeizer pro-youth hydrating serum - I used my optimum (shoppers drug mart reward program) points on this product and I do like how it feels when I use it. I don't think it is like absolutely amazing but it is definitely luxurious. I am just not sure if it is worth the price tag? Probably will not repurchase anytime soon.

Skinfood nail polish - just too old, I have to toss it away.

Avene spring water spray - I kept this in my purse for refreshing in the mid day. I think it's okay, not like now other people rave about it. And now that I love the Caudalie beauty elixir so much (but probably triple the price...-.-), I don't think I will repurcahse this anytime soon, plus, I can't bring this Avene spray on the plane with me because of its packaging.

Bonaza enzyme mask - I love this mask! If you are from Asia, you might have heard of this brand. It is a gel mask that clarifies, moistruizes and brightens your skin. The only down side is you have to apply it for 40 minutes so I only use this when I know I have time for a night time pamper. It is wonderful for an emergency treatment as well (when your skin is not in a good shape and you need something that will boost your skin in one night so you look 10 times better when you wake up). I will repurchase when I am back to Hong Kong next time.

Shiseido pureness gentle cleansing sheets - oil-free, alcohol-free, this product is truly gentle. I do not prefer cleansing sheets over my cleansing oil, but out of the few cleansing sheets I have tried, this one is the best in terms of how it made your skin feels.

Skindinavia makeup finishing spray (original) - it really keeps my makeup last longer so I now keep a bottle of this thing in my makeup stash at all times. Because Skindinavia is not readily available here in Canada, I purchased the Urban Decay one for now, and they are from the same maker as far as I know. I do not notice any difference between how the two performed either.

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....-.-

Too many empties, too little time

Over the past few months, I have accumulated some "used-up" empties, in attempt to clear my beauty stash. Doing this kind of posts will definitely keep me motivated and on track. However, I just haven't been able to find a time to blog about them... In fact, I had an entire bag of empties that I wanted to write about. But before I had a chance, I have to throw them away. Anyways, let bygone be bygone. I really should just blog whenever I have a relatively small pile of products to talk about... That being said, please be ready for a "relatively long" empties post......   OK, I have decided to do two separate posts, this is just getting ridiculously long... lol 

(Left to Right)
Laneige Pore Clear Wash Off Pack
Cliniderm Gentle Cleanser
NUXE BODY Fondant Body Scrub
OPI Expert Touch Lacquer Remover (Fast-acting/moisturizing)
Bath & Body Works Carried Away Shower Gel
Bath & Body Works White Tea and Ginger Shower Gel

• Laneige Pore Clear Wash Off Pack - a nice clarifying mud mask. May re-purchase. 
• Cliniderm Gentle Cleanser - I have used up multiple of this cleanser. One of my favourites! Very gentle and non-stripping. No parabens, dyes, perfumes, lanolin, formaldehyde and proteins. Not sure if it's available outside of Canada though. It's made by the same company as Neostrata. 
• NUXE body scrub - not a fan of this, don't like the smell, left lots of residues in my bath tub whenever I use it. 
• OPI nail polish remover - I want to give a shout-out to myself!!!!! That is 480mL (16 fl oz.) of nail polish remover!!!!! I can't believe I was able to use it all up!!!! Besides that, this is a very good nail polish remover, does the job quick and I found it relatively non-stripping than other removers. Will purchase if I can find it at Winners again at discounted price. 
• B&B Carried Away shower gel - like the scent at first, but as with all other B&B products, I get super sick of the scent quickly. 
• B&B White Tea and Ginger shower gel - OK, this is an exception. I ADORE this scent. It is nothing over-powering comparing to all B&B scents I have tried. Doesn't smell like ginger to me, but rather a very clean and fresh scent. I love this scent and I have back-ups of it. 

(Left to Right)
Neogence C+ Whitening Serum
Curel Intensive Moisture Cream
Sofina beaute SPF50+ PA+++
IPSA Foundation (shade 102)
Caudalie Beauty Elixir
Sofina White Protect SPF50+ PA+++ (discontinued)

• Neogence whitening serum - Taiwanese brand. Unsure about effectiveness, at least I don't see any dramatic changes. Probably won't re-purchase but I think I still have a back-up at Hong Kong. 
• Curel Intensive Moisture Cream - Absolutely LOVE this cream!!! So moisturizing, non-irritating, yet non-greasy!!! I can feel my skin absorbing the moisture. Definitely will repurchase after I finished all my stocks and when I visit Hong Kong again. Not available here in Canada. 
• Sofina SPF - My all-time-favourite SPF. Nothing much to say except I love it and will continue to re-purchase. I think I should dedicate an entire post to it. 
• IPSA foundation - another shout-out to myself that I managed to finish a base product!!!! I use base product everyday but I'm not sure why it always takes forever to use something up. Maybe because I am always interested in trying other base products. Nontheless, IPSA is a very nice brand for making foundations. But this shade is slightly lighter than my complexion, not a perfect match. 
• Caudalie Beauty Elixir - used this up fairly quickly. I purchase this in August for my flight to HK and this stuff is just addicting! I love how it smells and how it feels. So refreshing! I can't speak for any skincare benefits yet with this travel size, but I will keep in mind re-purchasing this some day. 
• Sofina white protect SPF - I used this on my body during the Summer months. Again, a great sun protection from Sofina, but this particular line has been discontinued.