Beauty Empties 17.0 | June

Here's another Empties post! Yay! It's such a relief  every time I've emptied my Empty bins as I go through each and every product that I've finished so I can put my final thoughts and decide whether to repurchase or not. I have huge amount of stash for my products and I'll be posting more on them soon as I've previously done under Skincare Routine, Makeup Stash and Body Care Routines. But for now, let's get into this!

This time around, I've finished 3 bottles of first treatment products and the first one would be Innisfree Green Tea Seed Serum. It's a great hydrating serum that I usually applied on my morning skincare routine as it's light yet ample for my skin. the second one that ran out was that THE FACE SHOP The Therapy First Serum although in its original packaging but I've decided to refill it instead with the Limited Edition release in conjunction with last Holiday i.e. Christmas early this year that comes in 200ml size and as for the balance, I've transferred it into my mum's bottle. The reason would be because I'm not fond with that plastic packaging at all.

I've also finished another bottle of LANEIGE Clear C Advanced Effector and I can't deny the fact that I'm still loving the product hence I've already repurchased the third upgraded version. I also had finished another bottle of Son&Park Beauty Water; a great exfoliating toner that deserve to be repurchased. I've gotten this along with its Beauty Gel sister from Althea last year and I've gotten another bottle from Sasa in a box set recently.

I'm happy to finish yet another tub of LANEIGE Water Sleep Mask that I love and of course I just had to repurchase it! I've got the deluxe sample for the Lavender version so I'm excited to try it! As for that facial mist from Innisfree; Jeju Sparkling Mineral Mist, I do have 2 more backups of it so I won't be repurchasing anytime soon.

I'll be honest as when it comes to these Innisfree Olive Real Cleansing Oil and Foam, I didn't actually used them a lot on my face as I rather used them to wash my cushion foundation air puffs (double cleanses as well!) as these two broke me out previously. Nope, I'm sticking to other Innisfree cleansers and won't be repurchasing these again.

I've also finished these two sunscreens Innisfree Daily UV Protection Cream in Mild and No Sebum around the same time and as I've already purchased the new hydrating and anti-pollution sunscreens also from the brand, I won't be repurchasing these anytime soon. But these are actually great if you're looking for simple sunscreens, I'd definitely recommend them.

Lastly, some body care products. I've finished my first tube of  that EUBOS Sensitive Hand Repair and Care and I've already repurchased another tube for it. It's making my dry hands feeling nice and velvety so yes, that deserves another round. I've also finished another bottle of that THE FACE SHOP Soul Secret Blossom Perfume in that Limited Edition Kakao Friends packaging along with its sister Kakao Friends Hand Cream Neo in Berry. I already repurchased the perfume in Holiday packaging early this year as it's a nice scent for everyday wear in the office.

I guess that's all from me! I hope you enjoy reading this post. Do let me know your thoughts on any of these and I'll see you guys on a next one. Annyeong~

Skincare Routine | Exfoliating Toner, First Serums and Skincare Booster

If you're a beginner in using Korean skincare products, you would probably noticed there are certain products that you're supposed to use in between your cleansing products and your regular (hydrating, brightening, or moisturising) toners and these are called either exfoliating toner, skincare boosters (usually filled with sorts of vitamins) and the most familiar I'd think, first essences (lightweight) or serums (slightly heavy) that exist within the same skincare lines or you can get it on its own. 

First is Son&Park Beauty Water. I’m on my 3rd bottle (already repurchased my 4th bottle recently) of this exfoliating toner and I just can’t get onto another similar product yet. I've mentioned this previously that I always use this before any sheet mask session as it smooths out dead skin cells and make way for the essence or serums even ampoules to be well absorbed into skin better as I've compared to few times I didn't use it. I freaking love this toner and I've crowned this with   HG status since 2016.

Secondly, a skincare booster that's filled with Vitamin C; Holika Holika 3 Seconds Starter Vita Complex. At this point, I’ve just opened this recently for its brightening purposes and I'm loving its light texture. Will use more before giving my thoughts on it.

Thirdly, these two first serums that I lovingly use for my morning and night routines separately. If you saw my Instagram Stories around last month, you’d noticed that I actually finished my first bottle of THE FACE SHOP The Therapy First Serum and opened the Holiday Limited Edition of it but then I'm not fond of the plastic feel for the packaging hence I refilled that bottle fully at 130ml and filled the 50ml balance into my mum’s bottle. Indeed, we both are loving this first serum so much!

As for that Innisfree The Green Tea Seed Serum, there’s like little amount of the serum left in the bottle (took this pic last month) and I’m planning to get a backup for this hydrating first serum on my next trip to KL end of this month. That's how you know how I really love using certain products in my skincare stash. I know I've said previously I should stopped buying backups but I assured you that it only applies to facial cleansers at this point. 

I guess that's all from me! Let me know if you're using any of these in your current skincare routine by leaving comments down below. I'll see you guys on my next post! Annyeong~

Makeup Stash | Lips

I’ve got liquid lipsticks, tints, lip crayons but the most that I wear are lipsticks. Rosy, mauve pinks and browns are my absolute everyday colours.

When it comes to lip products, I've got my first lipstick at the age of 25 and that was 5 years ago. Of course, I went with light pink that washed me out like crazy but I didn't know any better. Along with that, I also bought some Etude House lipsticks which was caused by its super cute packaging but the colours are so bright and at some point I'm like why in heaven the colours look so pretty on other people???  

Then, my BFF brought me to SEPHORA for the first time around 2014 and it was amazing! I've got to learn which colours suit me best and I quickly went on the hunt for the ultimate nude lipsticks. I did found it but ever since I've finished it, I just never had the chance to repurchase my NARS Audacious Lipstick in Anita. 

I did played around with MAC Cosmetics for a little bit but I just want to avoid non-cruelty free brands as much as I can so both Persistence and Whirl are the firsts and last lipstick I ever get from the brand. They're pretty but I'm not going to repurchase them. 

I also indulged a little bit with liquid lipsticks from tarte and I do like them it's just I'm more on bullet lipsticks hence the Urban Decay Vice Lipsticks! I've got the mauve rose colours and muted pinks. I love them! 

Lip tints are fun except when to remove them as I'll be needing a legit cleansing oil for it but they are the ones that can actually give me that cherry-kissed lips that I love.

I love buying lip pencils too and those three are not the only ones that I have as I have their backups too! Especially that Essence lip pencil in Frappucino! They sold out so quickly at drugstore, Watsons as they're so affordable and actually works so well!

I guess that's all about it! I won't be making swatches as these are pretty  much well-known makeup items so I'm sure you'll find them around the internet. If you can't, just let me know and I'll be happy to share them with you.

Until next post, annyeong~

Makeup Stash | Face Powders

Of course, the first thing I learned about makeup are face powders. I used to wear compact powders back in school and university days but ever since I'm into K-Beauty skincare and makeup, I was introduced to translucent powders that goes on all types of skin; they’re universal i.e. fit literally any skin tone if they’re fine enough.

While some are my absolute HG (asterisked) and repurchased more times than I can remember, some are just not powerful enough for my oily T-zone. Still, they’re worth the try.

• LANEIGE Brush Pact in No. 1 Natural Finish.
• LANEIGE Brush Pact in No. 2 Pore Blur.
• Innisfree No Sebum Mineral Powder.*
• Innisfree No Sebum Blur Powder.*
• Innisfree No Sebum Blur Pact.
• Etude House Zero Sebum Drying Powder.
• Son&Park Flawless Pore Pact.
• EGLIPS Pore Blind Powder.
• Althea Petal Velvet Powder.*

Whether it's compact or loose powders, I always opted for powder brush for application and touch-ups as I don't really like the puffs that come with most powders and none of the powders that I own is a two-way powder (wet application for foundation-like finish) so the puffs are usually there in order to avoid the powder spilling out of the case.

I’ve won my first Althea Petal Velvet Powder from @pinkmidorilove giveaway and bought myself another as it’s almost finish. I’m hooked with it and probably gonna give the recently launched Warm Beige a try.

I guess that's all from me. Until next post, annyeong~

Blogger Mail | Althea Box No. 40 | 7-Step Korean Skincare

Last month, Althea Korea sent me one of their non-subscription Beauty Box; 7-Step Korean Skincare Box and the theme is K-Beauty Glow! Now, I bet you're already know what Korean skincare is all about; the ultimate goal of having bright, healthy (read poreless and baby soft), glowing skin and if you're still new and clueless to this most extensive (rhymes with expensive) skincare routine out there or just want to find some products that can help to cut down some steps in the routine and save some money, just read on and maybe put on some sheet mask on your cleansed and toned skin as this is going to be a long post.

A quick run through on Althea Beauty Boxes, these are beauty boxes that are launched 2 to 3 times a month on their website specially curated by Althea Mermaids with different and interesting themes or trends to basically bring out the K-beauty products to the eyes of ours; Asian beauty enthusiasts. As mentioned above, these are non-subscription beauty boxes so do follow their social media like Instagram for updates on these affordable starters and see if there's one box that befits your needs both for skincare and makeup. I actually bought a box of Vitamins-themed Althea Box before so do check it out here! Before we go to the products included in this box, let me just talk about Althea Korea box for a bit. Isn't it cute?

Althea Korea was still in the midst of Holiday season when they sent me this box hence the holiday-themed package. Quite frankly, I'd prefer to have the word "Holiday" rather than just Christmas as here in Malaysia, we're majority Muslims and as this limited edition box was released during November to January, it was indeed a holiday season with long school break, Christmas, and indeed it was the time when I personally take a long paid leave from work.

 

The box is in dark blue colour, a little bit of purple undertone with theme park during snowy season illustration on the sides of it. There's golden star patterns printed on the inner sides of it and I just love how cute they are as I opened the box, almost like I could hear chimes softly ring from afar. 

ALTHEA 7-STEP KOREAN SKINCARE BOX

Products included:

• Natural Pacific Perfect Deep Cleansing Oil 
• The SAEM Healing Tea Garden Tea Tree Cleansing Water 
• Dr.Frog Control-Tox Peeling Gel (120ml) 
• Son&Park BEAUTY WATER (340ml) 
• Leaguertox V-Shot Silhouette Lifting Ampoule_1ea 
• Rire Camu Camu Moisture Cream 
• Lebaton Pearl Whitening Essence Mask

If you've been reading my blog for quite some time, you'd notice that I'm all about brightening skincare products but beginning 2016 I have been incorporating some anti-aging skincare products into my routine to combat the dryness especially around my neck area. For that, I'd tried some deluxe anti-dryness moisturisers and serums but I haven't still found the one that suits my dehydrated normal to oily skin yet so I do actually hope that I might find something good among these curated items in this box. 

As Korean skincare routine generally consists of 2 to 3 products for cleansing stage, scrub or peeling product, toner (or toners for the trending 7-skin method), essence, serum, ampoule, eye cream, spot treatment, moisturiser, sleeping masks, and maybe more of that special kind of treatment skincare products like booster i.e. vitamin-filled product to help boost your line of skincare, activator i.e. product that can help in activating the cells at the deepest layers of skin for it to be able to absorb your line of skincare, finisher i.e. the last sealant on top of all the layers of your skincare, and other types of products with specific target and function. All of these 14 to 16 products basically complement each other and the key for applying them is according to their textures and viscosities i.e. from the most watery to the thickest or heaviest of creams. 

Now, let's go back to the 7 products included in this box and I going to go with the cleansers and the toner first. 

Assuming that I wear full makeup, the moment I stepped into my house; the first thing I do is to remove my makeup. I use a separate eye makeup remover to remove waterproof mascara, followed by cleansing water to pre-cleanse my skin as it's a habit of mine to just chill for a bit before I'm off to shower. I'd be using a cleansing oil to thoroughly cleanse my skin as it really melts off the makeup as I massage it well for a minute or two on my facial area. Then, I will do double cleanse with a cleansing foam or water-based cleanser. Every two to three days I will use scrubs to remove dead skin cells which you guys know how important it is to ensure high rate of absorption of your skincare products. Lastly, to wrap up the cleansing stage I would use a toner to remove any leftover of the cleansing product and helps restore the moisture loss during the cleansing process. 

In this Althea Box, a cleansing water is included and it's The SAEM Healing Tea Garden Tea Tree Cleansing Water. Any skincare products with tea tree as featured ingredient is basically meant for those with normal to oily skin as it helps removing excessive sebum deep in pores which can lead to acne if not being properly taken care of.

 

This refreshing cleansing water can be used to remove light makeup i.e. sunscreen or cc cream and impurities that have been accumulated throughout the day and it's actually doesn't require rinsing off with water afterwards. Still, I will at least rinse it off with water if it's the only cleanser I use for the night. 

It's watery, as I use it with cotton pads; wiping it all over my face and it gives me soothing and slightly cooling sensation as it removes my makeup of the day. I really like it and definitely would love to restock this product. 

Next step would be an oil-based cleanser to remove waterproof makeup like BB Cushion or thick foundation. With Natural Pacific Perfect Deep Cleansing Oil, I don't even need to use eye makeup remover for my waterproof mascara. Just take a few pumps and massage gently the eye area until the mascara melted off although I would massage my whole facial area first then proceed with eye area. I don't want to drag the black ink around. 

In the above photo, there are some of my base makeup swatches; from left, colour corrector cushion, BB Cushion, matte BB Cushion and a full coverage foundation with a pump of the cleansing oil. 

 

I would just massage the oil for few minutes or till everything is melted then I would just add a little bit of water to emulsify the oil and massage for a little bit more before washing it all off with water. I always follow up with my regular cleansing foam afterwards.

I do like this cleansing oil as it cuts the necessity for me to use a separate makeup remover for my eye makeup and the fact that the oil is light and easy to remove at the same time melts off my makeup really well is making me repurchasing it when I'm finished with it.

When it comes to taking care of dead skin cells, I always opt for scrubs however these days my cheeks are too dry for aggressive black sugar scrubs so I bought a honey version of the mask but still, I'd love to find other options if possible. The last time I tried something with a 'peeling' word in its name it was more like a mask that when you rub it enough on your skin, the substance will turn into  a rubber-like and roll your dead skin cells with it. I guess not with this DR. FROG Control-Tox Peeling Gel.

 

It's a clear gel and when I spread it around my facial area, it doesn't change into any other form and as I go with the instruction, to just massage all over for few minutes and wash it off afterwards. I did felt my skin much smoother and brighter; as you see in the right photo of my hand. 

Now the product that I anticipated mostly from this box is indeed this Son&Park Beauty Water. You guys have seen it being featured many times here in my blog and Instagram, the story of how I got my hands on the very first bottle all the way from Seoul back in the day (2015) as this brand was not readily available at local beauty store nor online. I fell in love with this toner or should I say Beauty Water as indeed it's more than just a water. It hydrates, gently exfoliates the skin, making it soft and supple and just ready for next product application.

 

If I were to compare between the one that I bought back in 2016 and the new one on the left that was included in this Althea Box, there's not much of a difference other than the cap is now engraved with the brand's logo. I feel like the scent, texture and effectiveness are pretty much the same as before. I love it, it's on my HG skincare list and I will repurchase it for the 6th time once I've finished with this one.

Next is these two products for moisturisation of the skin and included within the Althea Box; Leaguertox V-Shot Silhouette Lifting Ampoule and Rire Camu Camu Moisture Cream. 

 

The ampoule contains patented ingredients; L-Carnosine (anti-aging and elasticity improvement), Oligo-HA (wrinkle and elasticity improvement) and Argireline (wrinkle improvement and lifting effect). These patented ingredients; sweet almond seed extract, pomegranate extract and raspberry extract are sourced from nature.

The ampoule is indeed thick and it has this cooling sensation which is so nice once applied on my smile lines, neck lines even on my crow feet i.e. outer-V eye area. It soothes the tight feeling at these area on my face and neck and I love applying at least 4 to 5 dots on them. As it leaves sticky feeling to my skin, I'd prefer to apply my moisturiser right after. 

I love the packaging for this product as it's in the shade of pink that I like with a golden lid. The design is simple and pretty. To this point, I've only heard the term 'moisture cream' and never had the intention to try one as I always think that it's going to be thick and heavy for the skin. I'm completely blown away by this one.

This moisture cream supposedly provides abundant hydration and nutrition to the skin as it contains camu camu extract that is rich in Vitamin C and camellia oil that is rich in oleic acid hence it brightens (with 9 types of flower extracts and Niacinamide) and anti-wrinkles (with adenosine) at the same time. 

 

The texture is that creamy, sticky and elastic however once spread and massaged well onto my skin, I feel my skin is so smooth and it does give a subtle glow to my skin but most importantly the cream is not sticky as I had expected. 

This cream gives off strong scent however so if you're not keen on products that contain fragrance then maybe you want to stay away from this one though.

Last but not least, the seventh item included in this Althea Box is a sheet mask and if you ask me, you can never go wrong with a brightening sheet mask in your skincare routine.

 

Lebaton Essence Mask in Pearl Whitening supposedly brightens up dull skin with pearl extracts and other natural ingredients like Centella Asiatica extracts, ginkgo biloba extracts, aloe barbadensis extracts and camellia sinensis extracts to soothe the skin.

The sheet is quite thin considering it's a natural cotton sheet almost as thin as cupra sheet. The essence is clear and slightly watery with faint scent. I see brightening effect though temporary but I love the hydrating effect this gives. It's really affordable and I'd love to use this kind of mask in my morning routine. Definitely going to repurchase this along with the other 2 other variants from the mask line. 

Overall, I would say that these 7 items are sufficient for those of you who just started your journey in Korean skincare. Once you have patted down these products in your routine, you are ready to add more products like facial essence, serum or treatment ampoules. The ultimate goal when it comes to Korean skincare is having a bright, clear, healthy and glowing skin so taylor the products according to your skin needs.

For those of you who are already down with your own routine, having these products won't be redundant either as each of the product functions on its own and can possibly aid in boosting your skincare effects. Take the Beauty Water for an example, even if I don't do scrub for a week maybe two, the dead skin cells don't accumulate as much as compared to those days I was merely using a hydrating toner. If you haven't jump in on the cleansing oil wagon then you might just try that cleansing oil from Natural Pacific. 

I know at this point of time this particular Althea Box has already sold out and I might say that once the box is gone, it's gone. Though I've seen some boxes made return to the webstore, that's just luck. The prices offered for each of the box are affordable and take this box for example, it's much cheaper to just get this box rather than just getting the Beauty Water itself. Therefore, the next time you saw an Althea Box launched on the store, just grab them if it suits your need and who knows you might discover great new products for your skin. 

Would you be interested in this kind of non-subscription box? Or do you want me to do full review on any of the products above? Let me know in the comment section below. 

Until next post, annyeong~

||| Official links |||

Website: http://my.althea.kr/ 

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/altheamalaysia 

Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/altheakorea 

Disclaimer: Links provided are non-affiliated. The products were sent to me for review purposes and all opinions here are based on my personal use of the products. 

Skincare Routine | First Serums, Exfoliating Toners, Skincare Boosters?

When it comes to Korean beauty skincare routine, there are products you can use (usually in night routine) in between cleansing steps and toning; these products are known as first serums, first treatment essences, exfoliating toners or skincare boosters. 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 these first treatment products that I absolutely love.

Son&Park Beauty Water isn’t a first essence or serum as it’s actually a watery toner that I use as a first step after cleansing routine. It actually goes extra mile for its ability to remove light makeup as well; a pre-cleanser that I use in the evening before I get into double-cleansing. Then I followed up with my regular toner and the rest of my skincare for the night. I also use this especially right before using any sheet mask.

LANEIGE Clear C Advanced Effector is originally meant as a "skincare booster" to my brightening skincare line. I finished 5 bottles of the first version of this product while going through 3 rounds of White Plus Renew skincare line and this is only my second bottle of the upgraded version and I already got my hands on the third version as of last month as backup. Crowned with HG status from the first drop; it helps in evening my skin as it removes dead skin cells and clears the path for my brightening skincare products.

THE FACE SHOP The Therapy First Serum is the first product I got for my anti-aging skincare line. This preps my skin with ample of hydration and making my skin feel soft and plump! Absolute must for my dry facial area and I usually use this at night and followed up with hydrating toner and emulsion from the The Therapy line.

Innisfree The Green Tea Seed Serum is the first First Treatment product I ever got and it's a hydrating first serum that I use in the morning prior my morning skincare routine. This hydrates so well but lightweight and it helps in preparing my skin for my simple morning routine. 

So that's all about the First Treatment products that I currently use in my skincare routines. Do let me know if you have suggestion on products that you've tried 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~

Skincare Diary | PM Cleansing Routine

The first thing I want to do the moment I got home is to remove my makeup but I usually do some stuffs before shower so I use cleansing waters for that. I gotta admit that I've been obsessing with cleansing waters lately and bought bunch of different ones just to try them out. For the past 2 weeks, I've been using B-Lab I Am Sorry Just Cleansing: Cleansing Water for this purpose. This removes my full makeup so well and I do like the coconut smell.

Then I'll use Banila Co. Clean It Zero to really just remove all those gunks that been laying around my face all day or just sitting comfortably in my pores. This baby melts off all of my makeup. Waterproof or not. It's balmy texture turned to oily once you massage it onto your skin. I felt my skin so smooth and soft after rinsing it well.

As I got bunch of samples from LANEIGE, I've discovered the Multi Cleanser among them and been loving it since the first time I used it. It deep cleanses and brightens up but doesn't dry out my skin. Considering to buy a full-sized.

After I rinsed off everything, I finish off with toning my skin with Son&Park Beauty Water. This is just perfect for that last step in cleansing as even after all the 3 steps I usually gone through, I still see some dark pigments on my cotton pads as I swiped my face with them. Hopefully dead skin cells. There's only less than an inch of it left so I'm happy that I've repurchased my backups.

I guess that's all for tonight's cleansing routine, I'll catch you guys on the next one. Annyeong~

Skincare Diary | Morning Routine

I think I'm on a skincare diet these days as I've been using less than 10 skincare products in a single routine. Anyway, let's get on it!

Current morning cleanser, LANEIGE Brightening Sparkling Water Whipping Cleanser. As this contains AHA mixture of orange, lemon, bilberry, sugar cane and sugar maple, it's imperative to put on a strong physical sunscreen for the rest of the day.

Skincare Diary | Night Routine

I have been thinking to go back to my original intention of starting this blog i.e. to document my beauty journey so I came up with this "skincare diary" section where I'll be writing down my skincare routine of the day or night. It's like #OOTD whereas this will be #SCROTD? That's awkward. Let's just do #skincareroutineoftheday. Huh?

Anyway, let's get onto the tonight's routine.

For pre-cleanser, I'm still loving that Banila Co. Clean It Zero; a cleansing balm to remove my makeup. The scent is nice and it does remove all my makeup though it sometimes stings my eyes. T__T Onto the second cleanser, I just finished my THE FACE SHOP Chia Seed Fresh Cleansing Foam and currently using the travel-sized sister. Then, I use Son&Park Beauty Water as my last step. I've been loving it as it helps in getting  rid of my dead skin cells effectively thanks to its Willow Bark Extract and Papaya Fruit Water. I'm about to finish the 500ml jumbo bottle and will repurchase soon.

Beauty Haul | Innisfree World and Son&Park

As Innisfree have not yet opened a branch here in this East part of Malaysia, I decided to order some products from Innisfree Global instead. The price is indeed slightly higher compared to the store but I heard a rumour that the prices in the local store will be increased soon due to our current economy so I guess this is doable for now.

During the past month, I was actually looking for a night moisturiser and finally after finishing my sample sachets and deluxe sample tubs of anti-ageing moisturisers from different brands, the Orchid Enriched Cream came out as a winner hence I decided to get a full size of the product and I was lucky as the brand released a limited set for it. 

 

The set came in a minimally designed ivory tin case with deluxe samples of Green Tea First Serum, Orchid Skin (toner), Orchid Lotion, Green Tea Sleeping Pack and Super Volcanic Pore Clay Mask. These minis are great for travel and also for those who wants to try other products from the brand but  to me, this set looks like it's being curated for someone who wants to give Korean skincare routine a quick 'test drive'. After using your own facial cleanser, use clay-based mask and wash it off after 15 to 20 minutes. Carry on with the rest of the routine by using first serum, toner, lotion and maybe add a sheet mask at essence step and then you can seal everything with that moisturiser or if you're feeling for something lighter, use sleeping mask.

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.