Beauty Empties 23.0 | December

Finally we have arrived to the last Empties post of this year of 2019! As for this time around, I have finished many products that I find simply above average and I'm pretty sure I'm not going to repurchase most of them.

As per usual, let us start with skincare products!

For makeup removers, I've used up the whole tub of that FORENCOS V-Right New Tone Cleansing Balm which is really pretty in texture but I don't think I will be repurchasing it simply because it is quite hard to rinse it off once it melted off the makeup.

With so many lazy nights the past couple of weeks, I can't help but relying on that Bifesta Enrich Cleansing Sheet to remove the layers of sunscreen at the end of the day. This makeup wipe is real nice and while I didn't actually repurchase it, I do have other variants as backups.

Throughout the past 3 months, I've finished a total of 8 cleansers. I do know it is a lot for merely a 3-month period but it is because I use most of them as body cleansers as well. I find most of these cleansers causing dryness onto my facial area so instead of tossing the out, I simply repurposed them.

The three cleansers from THE FACE SHOP Bubble Bubble cleansing line are actually different and I like the Mild Foaming Cleanser the most as it works well with my currently dehydrated skin. The other two, Moisturising Foaming Cleanser and Deep Foaming Cleanser were quite drying in general. I've also finished another tube of my favourite cleanser from the brand; Rice Water bright Cleansing Foam and I'm glad to report that that is the last tube I have in my cleanser stash. I've gone through many tubes of it at this point but I guess I'm not going to repurchase because I'm just really into gel cleansers these days.

That big tube of cleansing foam from Pyunkangyul is actually quite mild to my skin while it does cleanse well and the same goes to that one from Elle Beauty. 

I find both of those SNP LAB+ Triple Water Deep Clean Facial Foam and FORENCOS V-right New Tone Cleansing Foam drying out my skin so much I've decided to simply use them as body cleansers.

I've used up my first bottle of that SKIN1004 Madagascar Centella Asiatica Toning Toner and still have another bottle as backup. At first, I thought this exfoliating toner is quite harsh but then as it turned out, I was just reacting badly to a BHA toner that I also was testing at the time. My bad, really. So yes, I actually do glad I have a backup for it although I do want one in newer packaging.

As I've finished my first bottle of Cream Skin Refiner last quarter, I was focusing on both of those Leegeehaam Grow Hyal B5 Toner, the Ampoule and Cream sister for hydration. The toner was quite heavy to begin with so I didn't need to layer its application and as for the ampoule, I usually just use it on its own without layering another treatment product on top because it is quite heavy and takes some time to absorbed well into the skin. The cream too was quite heavy so I actually applied some of it on my dry elbows most of the times.

I have finally finished the Primer Water from Althea and I admit I did went over 12 months to finish it but it didn't changed in scent or colour so I guess it was all good. It's indeed quite nice to be used in the morning but I still have other opened hydrating toners so I won't be repurchasing this anytime soon. Speaking of which, I've finished another bottle of that Pyunkangyul Essence Toner which I love for its hydrating power and also, the fact that it has less than 10 ingredients. I'd be sure to at least repurchase this next year.

I have also finished up a tone-cream and this time around is that FORENCOS Wonderwerk Marula Tone-Up Cream which was nice as it's hydrating while giving me a toned up finish. As I always love trying new products, I won't be repurchasing this one for now.

That Huxley Secret of Sahara Sleep Mask: Good Night was given to me through a giveaway last year and I only had the chance to open it early this year. It's actually went really nice on skin and even more so when I wake up in the morning.

For sunscreens, I have managed to finish 5 of my opened stash. It did took me almost a year to finish most of them but when it comes to that Krave Beet the Sun, I've used it up within merely 3 months. I really do like it and already got myself a backup.

Both of those THE FACE SHOP Natural Sun Eco Liquid Fluid Sunscreen and Daily Sun Essence worked really nice with my skin as they both were nicely hydrating and felt lightweight on skin although I won't be repurchasing them anytime soon.

As for that LANEIGE All Day Anti-Pollution Defensor SPF30 PA++, I really like it as it worked greatly on top tone-up creams although it's not possible for me to repurchase this product as the whole anti-pollution line has been discontinued here in Malaysian market.

That Etude House Face Liquid Blur worked greatly too but I really hate the fact that it's heavily scented. I have been using AmorePacific products for years now and I'm quite used to how each of their products are scented but this one was just too much for me. While it does give me that nice and even toned up finish, I just can't deal with the scent. With that, I probably won't be buying anything from the brand anymore.

You guys know that I love using facial mists and that Innisfree Green Tea Mineral Mist is just one of it. I still do have several backups for it as I love carrying it in my bag. As for that Clinelle Pure Swiss Thermal Spring Water however, it's simply average so thank you. Next!

For body care products, I have finally finished the Dove Go Fresh Sakura Blossom Body Wash after about 9 months as I was alternating it with my other body cleansers. The fragrance suits my taste well for a body cleanser but I find it a bit too drying for my skin so I'm sticking to shower oil for now. As for that Shokubutsu Clean Fresh Shower Foam, it's actually a refill for my brother because he kept on using my floral-scented body cleansers so I got him a clear 500ml bottle from Daiso and filled it with that fresh-scented body cleanser instead. 

For hair care, I've finished my first bottle of that Rejoice Hijab Perfection 3-in-1 Perfect Cool Shampoo and gladly bought the bigger size for it recently. The cooling sensation is really nice after a long day at work.

If you noticed on the featured photo above, I've been using that Nivea Extra Whitening Antiperspirant for years now and I've lost count to how many that I actually finished so all I can say that it works well therefore it's unlikely for me to purchase a different product for that.

I guess that's all for now and here's to more emptied products in the upcoming quarter. I'll see you guys on my next post!

Skincare Routine | Tone-Up Moisturisers

I've started to be into these tone-up moisturisers or tone-up creams especially after I've received two products for review purposes but I didn't stop there as I kept on searching for more to try and I was really lucky to receive some samples from my friends in the #MYABCommunity.

If you're not familiar with this so-called tone-up creams, basically they're moisturisers that contain sunscreen-like ingredients hence the white cast but do not necessarily have SPF in it so you're still going to need to apply SPF on top of them for sun protection. The thing with early development of tone-up cream that has made me avoid them at all cost back in the day is because they made me look like a white ghost and also they tend to dry out my skin and causes breakouts. Huge no-no!

Therefore I have built up the ideal tone-up cream in my head and begun my search to find the one product that meet every requirement I need; it has to be hydrating enough, it won't dry out my skin, it doesn't cling on my dry patches and most importantly, the tone-up effect must be nice, natural-looking enough for me to merely apply colourless chemical sunscreen on top for no-makeup makeup days. 

  

I definitely am in love with THE FACE SHOP The Therapy Toning Moisture Blending Formula Cream as it hydrates so well (The Therapy, guys! You gotta love the whole hydrating line!) and giving me a natural toned up look throughout the day. Looking at that small amount left in the tub surely tells how much I've been using it as my second last step for morning routine.

As the whole White Seed line is primarily targeting those in 20s, I have to add extra moisture for the THE FACE SHOP White Seed Spotlight Radiance Cream to blend nicely on my skin. Although, I gotta say that it does help when I had moisture imbalance during my post-allergic reactions days as it sort of reduced the redness along my jawline and neck area at the same time gives slight oil-control on my T-zone but of course, when my skin goes back to normal, this does making me feeling dry slightly so I'd be applying gel moisturiser or its lotion sister prior this tone-up cream application. 

The newest addition to my stash would be the above FORENCOS Wonderwerk Marula Tone Up Cream. It's definitely much creamier than the THE FACE SHOP The Therapy tone-up cream and can give off really white cast all over my face even if I were to apply a little bit extra. As it's formulated with marula oil, of course it's much more moisturising however this can make my T-zone looks shiny midday so I'd be just dusting the area off with translucent powder and I'm all good! I don't need to apply extra layer of moisturiser underneath and I only need a little at a time so I do like this the most out of the three that I have right now but I guess it's still too early for me to say as i only have been using it several times.

I guess that's all from me. Do let me know if you're using any tone-up cream in your routine and what other products are worth trying by leaving comments down below. 

Until next post, annyeong~

Skincare Routine | First Cleansers

Hence my Round 12.0 of skincare has begun with more than 10 new products introduced (read: opened before they've gone expired) in this round so as per last Round 11.0, I'm going to start with first cleansers. 

For eye makeup removers, I'm down to the last quarter of the bottle of Bifesta Eye Makeup Remover. This is still working greatly at removing my eye makeup and I'd be sure to repurchase when I finally finished it. As for its sisters; Bifesta Cleansing Lotion BRIGHT UP, ENRICHED and MOIST, I'm alternating these three according to my skin condition of the day. On dry and sensitive days, I usually go for Moist or Enriched while Bright Up is for regular days.

I was merely using the travel-sized of B-Lab I Am Sorry Just Cleansing Pure Natural Cleansing Water and now I'm back with that huge 500ml version. This is great when I'm practicing my makeup as it literally removes everything that I have on my eyes and face also gentle enough even if I were to use it many times (many mistakes!) in a row. 

Among some new additions to my first cleansers is the Dr.Jart+ Dermaclear Micro Water that I first bought its travel-sized sister from SEPHORA aisle of terror i.e the aisle where its filled with travel-sized products, minis and deluxe samples. This cleansing water is one of Dr.Jart+ products that was featured many times in OnStyle's Get It Beauty program so that's the reason why I actually bought this from SEPHORA which is considerably expensive compared to getting them online but it actually comes with free refill so I'm good!

THE FACE SHOP Rice Water Bright Cleansing Water is the fourth bottle that I've repurchased and I do think I'd be still repurchasing this when I finished it. It works so well with my skin and doesn't irritate even on my sensitive skin days although your miles may vary with mine. As you guys might already know, this removes all my makeup and sunscreens.

I've received The SAEM Healing Tea Garden Tea Tree Cleansing Water to review that comes in Althea Box No. 40: 7-Step Korean Skincare back in February which I've done a quick review in the post so do check it out! 

You've probably noticed that I would prefer cleansing waters over micellar waters any day as the ones that I've tried actually dried out my skin so bad but feel free to suggest any hydrating micellar water. Still, for days when I'm using heavy foundations or cushion foundations, I'd prefer to use oil-based first cleansers like cleansing balm and oils. There isn't much of differences between these in terms of performances and I'd prefer to use damped cleansing sponge to emulsify and wipe off the residue at the same time only to proceed with second cleanser right after.

I've only gone through half of the bottle of that ARITAUM Apricot Seed Deep Cleansing Oil from my previous round of skincare and I do still like it especially the peachy scent! I'd be sure to finish this soon!

Now onto the more new additions; Heimish All Clean Balm which is a better replacement of my previous cleansing balmas not only this removes my makeup really well, it doesn't sting my eyes or making my eyes blurry while I was melting off my makeup as it emulsifies with water.

As for that FORENCOS V-Right New Tone Cleansing Balm is something I had picked while I was just browsing through some of their products while I was at Metrojaya, Suria Sabah. Unfortunately, the product was leaked and I've only noticed it after a week as I forgot to take it out from shopping bag (went for a quick trip with family that week) and as I can't return or exchange, opening the product was given at that point. Although some of its oil spilled, the balm still works great at melting my makeup so no worries!

That Natural Pacific Deep Cleansing Oil is another cleanser that was included in the Althea Box that I've mentioned above. I'm really into this cleanser these days as it's lightweight and so easy to rinse off! Again, I've done a quick review in the Blogger Mail post so do check it out!

Last but definitely not least is the Shu Uemura Anti/Oxi+ Cleansing Oil in travel-sized bottle that I've got as a GWP when I got some brow products from the brand recently. I love the scent for this as it's like herbal but most importantly it's slightly different texture; it's oily but lotion-like? I don't know but I'll be using this for several more times to really come up with a review but so far, so good!

I guess that's all from me! Do let me know if you have first cleansers that you want me to try by leaving comments down below. I'll see you guys on my next post, annyeong!