Skincare Routine | Facial Exfoliators

I cannot stress enough of how important to exfoliate your skin properly so your skincare products got absorbed properly into the layers of your skin. Today I'll be sharing about the various types of products I've shown you above so you can find at least one that best suit your skin.

First would be these classics; Skinfood Strawberry Black Sugar Wash-Off Mask and Skinfood Honey Black Sugar Wash-Off Mask (Snoopy limited edition). I have these from the previous round of skincare and I'm down to the last quarter of these tubs. of course, I'm still using these wash-off masks as scrubs although I've dialed down the usage to twice a month my skin is still a bit sensitive due to few weeks ago's allergic reactions. These are great, I do find these two are hydrating enough and will continue on using it. 

Second would be the COSRX One-Step Pimple Clear Pad. I’m getting back to this acid toner pad as I’m getting breakouts and the flaky skin areas are getting bigger so this helps a lot in preventing it from spreading along my jawline area and smoothing the areas. I've also noticed that my pores appearances are being reduced hence cleaner, I guess? Overall, this is great and I'm dying to try the Moisture version next.

Thirdly, the two peeling gels; DR. FROG Control-Tox Peeling Gel and Dr. G Brightening Peeling Gel. I’ve introduced these peeling gels into my routine quite recently. If you’re not familiar with these, they’re definitely not going to peel off your skin 😂 as the gel gently exfoliates the dead skin cells on the surface as I massage my cleansed skin with it. These are perfect in between my scrubs days and I've noticed my skin becomes smoother after using. 

So that's all of it! Let me know what kind of facial exfoliators that you're using in your skincare routine by leaving comments down below. Until next post, annyeong~

Skincare Routine | Wash-Off Masks

Despite the fact that I'm all over sheet masks and aiming to use 600 sheet masks a year (yes, Fan Bing Bing! I'm following your footsteps), I do still use wash-off masks although I'm only sticking with my favourites; clay masks and brightening wash-off masks. For today's post under my Beauty Routine series where I'll be giving out my thoughts on line of products at certain point of my skincare or makeup routine, I'll be talking about these masks that I've repurchased more times than I can remember.

Skinfood Egg White Pore Mask. This has been repurchased probably 3 or 4 times so far and I'm gonna keep on buying it once I finished with one. This is perfect for morning clay mask as it really help in sebum-control, giving me that nice canvas for my makeup of the day. 

Innisfree Super Volcanic Jeju Clay Mask. This one definitely doesn't need introduction for any AB enthusiast. This really just purifies my pores as it clears out impurities off it. Another HG, I'm alternating this and the Egg White mask. The one thing that I absolutely hate about this product though, is the fact that how fast it dries out while sitting on the shelf so for the time being, I'm placing it in my bathroom shelf and so far it hasn't dry out yet.

LANEIGE Multiberry Yogurt Repair Mask. I got a deluxe sample of this and fell in love with the result after each time of using it. I was huge on wash-off masks up until early last year but starting around October, I finished off my other wash-off masks as I concentrate more on sheet masks. This mask is the only full-sized product that I have while others are in small capsule packs or mere deluxe samples. I do like it but this isn't as impressive as the newer sheet masks released by the brand plus as of this year, I no longer see this being sold at my local LANEIGE counter so it's probably discontinued. 

Until next post, annyeong~

Skincare Routine | Facial Exfoliators

Year after year, skin's turning over rate are getting slower as I'm not getting younger so it's imperative for me to exfoliate dead skin cells in order to increase product absorption into the layers of my skin. For today's post under my Beauty Routine series where I'll be talking about line of products at certain point of my skincare or makeup routine, I'll be talking about the products that I use in between cleansing and toning step.

Skinfood Black Sugar Wash-Off Masks in Strawberry and Honey (Snoopy limited edition) version. It's been awhile since I last use the original version as it's too abrasive for me now. Even the last time I was using it, I had to mix with a little bit of cleansing oil prior usage. With these two, I can just go right into my scrub routine (2 times a week). I love these both, been repurchasing for more times I can remember since 2013. I do actually love the Rice mask so I'm going back to that once I'm done with these.

COSRX One-Step Pimple Clear Pad is my first exfoliating pads. I use this like once a week in between my scrub days to take care some flaky area of my skin. It's really convenient for me but I can't use it more than 2 times a week as during the early days of trying, this dries out my cheeks so bad I had to skip scrub for 2 weeks.

That's all of it! Do let me know if you have product suggestion to exfoliate your skin (let's not go to acids yet) by leaving comments down below.

Until next post, annyeong~

Beauty Empties 13.0 | June

It's the end of second quarter of 2017 and here I am reporting to you my lovely readers about the products that I've managed to finish for the past 3 months so first, let's go to skincare products.

The first of many repurchases; the huge 500ml Son&Park Beauty Water that I got from Seoul via personal shopper. This is a type of exfoliating toner as not only it tone my skin well, it also helps with getting rid of dead skin cells so you'll be needing to use cotton pads with this and swipe your skin across.

Next, the THE FACE SHOP The Smim Fermentation Concentrate Total Treatment along with its sisters the Toner and Emulsion. As I've started using the exfoliating toner, I'd also used these hydrating, anti-wrinkle first treatment product from the brand. As it came with the other two products from the same skincare line, I used them all together for better result. Overall, I do like them as they were indeed hydrating and making my skin felt smoother but I'm aiming to try the The Therapy skincare line as I really do like the samples that I've received recently.

As for the LANEIGE White Plus Renew Original Essence, that's the 5th bottle out of 6 that I have purchased and finished so far. At this point, I have to say that it's better to follow up this essence with hydrating essence, serum, ampoule or even sheet mask as my skin have been feeling rather dry these past months. As I've mentioned in my post here, I still got another bottle to go and then I'm done with the whole skincare line after more than 4 years.

Then there's the THE FACE SHOP Natural Sun Eco Oil-Cut Sun Cream SPF40 PA++; previous version of Natural Sun Eco No Shine Hydrating Sun Cream SPF40 PA+++ and I've finished this around the end of April or so. I've kind of stretched the usage over a year as I don't see any change in scent, colour nor texture. I'd definitely be purchasing the new one soon.

The Skinfood Rice Wash-Off Mask has become a staple in my skincare stash since 2013 and I'm pretty sure I'd be repurchasing this soon. It's a great physical scrub and is not harsh to my skin at all.

As for cleansers, I've finally finished that THE FACE SHOP Rice Water Bright Eye Makeup Remover and finally I can get a new cleanser to replace it! I don't like it at all as it stung my eyes many times. That LANEIGE White Plus Renew Bubble Cleanser is the second and last bottle that I've finished. Not going to repurchase at this point as I'm eyeing other cleanser from the brand to try next. Same goes with that LANEIGE Brightening Sparkling Water Whipping Cleanser; it's great as a second cleanser for double cleansing method but again, I want to try recently launched cleansers.

I've been using lots of sheet masks for the past 2 weeks as I've realised these are expiring next year. Of course, the above are my favourites especially those from Mediheal and Innisfree. I do have some more and surely be repurchasing more.

Next, let's go to body care products!

Yes, I know I'm obsessed with The Body Shop shower gels and my current favourite is Honey Mania. The amount of sweetness is just right for my liking. You guys probably noticed that I'm obsessed with anything made off Sakura so that Cherry Blossom Fragrance Mist was indeed a favourite of mine among other fragrances in my perfume collection. As for that The Body Shop Almond Hand Cream was too creamy to my liking so I guess I won't be repurchasing it.

As for hair care, this time I've finished a set of shampoo and conditioner for Sunsilk Lively Clean and Fresh. These are my go-to when I'm between trying different shampoos. Forever repurchase! :D

I've been getting lots of powdered organic food from Melilea and along with those, I've gotten some body care products including that Lea Mind Hair Shampoo and its Conditioner although I've merely finished the shampoo because I've also been using that PureSmile Snail Treatment (Damaged Hair) that I've got as freebie from my Althea Korea purchase. I'm loving the scent for it and probably be getting the shampoo for it.

Finally, let's go to makeup department  section of my vanity.

I'm pretty sure Etude House and Urban Decay eye primers aren't finished yet but it's been over 6 months and the scents changed already so I won't be risking my peepers for using them. 

From drugstores. you guys know I've gotten some Kate Tokyo makeup last year and those eye liners were indeed so good when it comes to the intensity of the colour but for long-lastingness, I'd say they're both pretty average. Not going to repurchase and the same goes with that Maybelline eye liner. 

As for that Etude House Proof10 Gelquid Liner and Innisfree Powerproof Pen Liner, both are also average black eye liners as well that lasted like an hour on my oily lids.

So I guess that's all for now. I hope you enjoy reading this post! I'm happy to get these off my Empty bins. Yes, I have several. :D

Until next post, annyeong~

Beauty Empties 10.0 | September

Looking at the products that I've managed to finish for the past quarter is definitely making me proud of myself. Before becoming a blogger, I never really finished my skincare and most of the time, I just tossed out things I don't want to finish or just can't as they're already expired. 

I've managed to finish some makeup items and another round of skincare this time so without further ado, let's get right into it!

First, let's go to skincare!

I finished another round of skincare from Laneige that include a bottle of Bubble Cleanser, Skin Refiner, Emulsion, Original Essence, and a tub of Original Cream. I really like the bubble cleanser as it helps with lifting dead skin cells as I noticed less of that every time I swiped my face with toner after cleansing but it's important to note that if you're using similar cleanser, always put on sunscreen after your skincare steps. It feels like a deja vu as I did finished a round of this very skincare line which is White Plus Renew last year in October. 

Honestly, that Firming Sleeping Pack also from Laneige is not the first tub that I finished. It's probably the 3rd or 4th tub as I always have this product at my mum's place, my place and my friend's place. I know. I'm a huge fan of this product so I tend to do that a lot. haha I do love this mask more than the Water Sleeping Pack also from the brand and I'm so excited to know that they're finally upgrading the brand and including this mask into their Time Freeze line. Definitely will be purchasing the upgrade soon!

Review | SKINFOOD Egg White Pore Wash-Off Mask

I have tried several types of mask that help with my sebum control and so far I've encountered clay masks and this egg white mask from Skinfood. 

If you're familiar with Skinfood then you'll definitely noticed how simple and traditional their packaging is. I mean, comic san font. Really? But then again, I'm still loving their wash-off masks from the first time I've tried them until today. 

Blogger Mail | Althea Birthday Box!

Hello, lovelies! How are you? Hope this week has been kind to you and yes, we're all looking forwards to weekends. haha

Anyway, as you probably might've guessed from the previous post which is an essential reading for you guys to know all about Althea Birthday Celebration where there will be giveaways, Althea Rewards, Instagram contest and so much more!

So today I'll be doing a unboxing post where I'm gonna share with you guys the Korean beauty products that I grabbed during the bloggers event. Well, it's not a physical event but there were lots of South East Asia-based beauty bloggers took part in this sort of virtual party while giving hands to the Elves of Althea-land to spread the news of their first ever birthday celebration. Now, let's get right into it!

Skincare Diary | Lazy Nights

I'm pretty sure that lazy can never be put together with the word beauty hence I'm gonna say this first. 

This is not a routine that I do every night.

Beauty Talk | Wash-Off Masks

Last night, I posted the above photo on my Instagram and I thought, why not make a post about it? :) So, if you're wondering, no... that's not all of my scrub and wash-off mask stash. Most of them either in packs or capsules that I placed in the fridge (I really love putting on cool cucumber or bamboo masks) but these are the ones that don't require me to keep them cool. 

If you didn't know, my skin is Normal to Combination so I require some clay mask to keep my sebum control at balance, mask to remove occasional blackheads, and scrub which is my favourite kind of wash-off mask.

Beauty Favourites | January

Hello, beautiful people! How's your weekend so far? Mine's not so great as after doing some work around the house this morning, I needed to rush to the city to meet several clients and that's something I don't like doing especially when I've made plans to attend my garden... and of course, I was just taking some photos for review before the text came into my phone. Totally ruined my mood~ 

But still, I decided to move on with the plan even though it's almost 6 in the morning (I just got up and felt so determined to do this post as I have been planning, doing the drafts, took photos... and now I have 3 shots of coffee on hand... Let's get right into it~

Review: Skinfood Black Sugar 10th Anniversary Gold Special Edition Perfect First Serum

Annyeong, lovelies! ^_____________________^ 

April is here! My favourite month of the year is here! Why? It's Spring! Say hello to pretty pastel-coloured items from makeups to fashions.. and of course macaroons! LOL 

... but of course, here in tropical Malaysia, I don't about you guys but I do feel the transitions of season where it's actually getting warmer especially at night and I do feel my dead skin cells are piling up more than usual. Sigh.

Hence, I think around January this year, I decided to incorporate this product from Skinfood to fight off the accumulation of dead skin cells especially on my facial area so let me introduce you to Black Sugar Perfect Serum Gold in conjunction with the 10th Anniversary of the product's formulation. 

   

This product was released in Korea around January last year and in April in Malaysia official Skinfood stores. I have to say, the moment I saw this on the Korean site, I asked my cousin who're studying in Seoul to get it for me before it sold out and as it turned out, it really did in mere 3 weeks!

Review: Skinfood Black Sugar 10th Anniversary Gold Special Edition Wash-Off Mask

Everyone, annyeong~ It's been awhile since my last post as I'm going through a busy week, trying to register my subjects for next semester.. T___T

Anyway, today, I'll be reviewing another product from Skinfood, which is a limited version of their famous Black Sugar Wash-Off Mask, in conjunction with the 10th Anniversary of the Black Sugar formulation.

I think it's been about a year since the last time I reviewed products from this brand and that's probably because I don't really buy from local Skinfood stores as they RARELY have sale... well, that was last year so hopefully it'll be merrier this year for this brand. 

I actually went to KLCC boutique couple weeks ago to buy some mask sheets only to find that even the latest mask sheet they have is gonna expired within 2 months. Shocked, I left the store after grabbing some nose strips. *shaking my head*

Dark brown and gold~ definitely my favourite colour combo!

Beauty Empties 6.0 | December

Salam and hello, my lovely readers! It's been 2 weeks since the started of 2015!! How did you guys celebrated New Year? My parents came to town and I got to spend some time with them before sitting for my finals. 

I'm gathering some materials as I do wanna start doing posts like Monthly Favourites or Beauty Must-Haves as for the past year all I did was doing a number of product reviews and Monthly Beauty Hauls, Empties plus local Korean beauty store promotions. 

But first, let me share the first post of this year with an Empties post of December last year. 

As you probably know, I do Empties post once in 3 months cause that's the usual period of time I used up my skincare items and other beauty products. 

Beauty Haul | November

For this month, it is more like a collective haul as I didn't buy all these items at the same time and some of them actually bought in October but were sent to me in November. So, without further ado, let's go to Laneige Malaysia! 

I know that I'm so late when it comes to above items as the LANEIGE X pushButton collection was launched early August but I've managed to get that LeoPuppy Serum Intense Lipstick in Dressy Coral only after 3 months! I bet some of you are wondering how in the world I got myself that pretty It Clutch as in order to get it, I have to spend RM200 above on any items solely from the collection. Actually it was given to me by an acquaintance who bought the LeoPuppy BB Cushion (Whitening) as we combine our purchases. Awesome! 

Next, let's go to TheFaceShop Malaysia. 

   

Finally, I got the chance to purchase the rest of the products from my favourite cleansing line which is the Rice Water Bright. I got the (left) Lip and Eye (Makeup) Remover, Light Cleansing Oil, Cleansing Milk, and Cleansing Water. I also repurchased the Cleansing Foam and Rice Bran Cleansing Foam. I honestly can't wait to try them! 

Beauty Empties 4.0 | June

Lovelies, annyeong! :D How's your summer so far? Enjoying your holiday? It's been a week since I started my short (supposedly optional) semester and.. things rather fun actually as I'm only taking language lessons.

Anyway, today I'm going to share with you guys my June empties or I think it's more like second quarter of 2014 empties as I noticed I used up most of the products within 3 to 4 months since I opened them. As per usual I'm gonna tell you guys whether the impression lasts and whether I'm gonna repurchase or not. :D

Beauty Haul | April

April passes by so fast! I didn't even realize it's already May tomorrow! As it's the end of the month, it's time to post the haul of the month! It seems that I've been shopping a lot since the early of this year but what to do? As I love trying new products! Does that reason justifies the act? But this time it's not really that much compared to last month's. haha trying hard not feel guilty. LOL

Anyway, let's just get right into it! First, let's go to Nature Republic!

   

As last month's haul was focusing on skincare items, this month's haul is more on the cleansing products and wash-off masks. I decided to get these two Garden Recipe Strawberry Cleansing Foam for brightening, Garden Recipe Kohlrabi Cleansing Foam and Garden Recipe Kohlrabi Cleansing Water for deep cleansing purposes. To go with the cleansing products, I also grabbed Garden Recipe Strawberry Wash-Off Pack and Garden Recipe Kohlrabi Wash-Off Pack. 

As these two were at marked down prices, I grabbed these Polynesia Lagoon Water Fresh Aqua Wet Tissues. It's always great to have this in hand especially while travelling or literally 5 seconds before passing out on my bed after a long day at the studio. 

Beauty Empties 3.0 | March

Lovelies, annyeong! How was your weekend? I'm really tired since yesterday as I've been non-stop going to many places since last Friday. Running errands, shopping, visiting relatives and whatnot. Anyway, today is going to be a quick post as I still need to prepare for my presentation on Monday. T__T

Here are the items that I finished from the past few months. Like the previous empties posts, I'm going to tell whether the first impressions of these items last and whether I'm going to repurchase them or not.

For cleansing items, I finished Etude House Happy Fresh Foam in White Clay and Skinfood Black Sugar Scrub Foam. Both these cleansers are great as the former one smells like baby powder which I love and works great with my skin and as for the cleanser from Skinfood, it works great as a scrub with the grains in the foam. But as I love trying new cleansers (plus I still have another tube of the Etude House cleanser), I don't think I will be repurchasing these two again. 

Review: Skinfood Black Sugar Strawberry Wash-Off Mask

Annyeong! How was your week so far? It's been really exhausting these days as it's examination week before we're gonna enjoy mid semester break next week. :)

Anyway, if you remember my December Haul, you guys probably knew that I got this interesting Black Sugar Strawberry Wash-Off Mask from the Christmas Set that includes the Black Sugar Perfect First Serum that I reviewed previously. 

Packaging: 

Like the Skinfood best seller product, Black Sugar Wash-Off Mask, or most of the wash-off masks from Skinfood, this one too comes in white-capped, almost transparent tub. 

Review: Skinfood Black Sugar Perfect First Serum

Annyeonghaseyo! :D How was your weekend? As I was busy throughout the weekend, I did a little shopping today. hehe what a way to encounter the unhappy feeling of Monday! LOL

Anyway, I've been getting messages to review my current serum from my December Haul last year and I did mentioned before that it's better to use the product for more than a month before reviewing it. 

Finally! After almost 6 weeks of using this product (not including given samples and miniatures), I decided to review it so say hello to Black Sugar Perfect First Serum from Skinfood!  

Review: Skinfood Carrot Cleansing Foam

Remember this photo from my November Haul?

Basically, this cleanser, Carrot Cleansing Foam from Skinfood comes in a kit (on top left) and I only been using this for about a week now as I just finish my travel-sized Black Sugar Scrub Foam from the same brand. So this is both a trial and travelling kit I guess.