EMPTIES: April 2017

A LOT of full sized empties this month! Which is not surprising considered it's been many months since I started to really use full size products.

Face Cream: I vacillated between wanting to repurchase this and not and decided that yes, I will repurchase this, but not soon since I want to try out other face creams first. This is good as a basic face cream.

 Hand Cream: Sure, why not!

Vitamin C: I've noticed that my complexion is a lot more radiant and even, with freckles and PIH faded after using this. I will definitely repurchase this after my current Kiehl's has run out. It's also the fraction of the price of Kiehl's.

 Hair Serum: pretty good. I don't have any complaints. I might repurchase this but I want to try out other brands first.

Foaming Cleanser: I would not repurchase this because the pH is too high.

Makeup: This mascara lasted A LONG TIME. I bought this when I was in Sweden in September and I only finished this in mid-April!? So 7 months! I don't think anyone should be using mascara for this long though.

 Hydrating Toner: Maybe.

 Body Scrub: It's a good basic body scrub. No complaints. This is a repurchase and I will buy again.

 Sheet Masks: My face doesn't seem so dry this month so I haven't been using sheet masks as much. Also I've been using the Lumene gel mask which replaced a lot of the sheet masks.

 Shampoo: Will not repurchase.

 Body Moisturiser: Will definitely not repurchase the Queen Helene Cocoa Butter creme on the right, but maybe for the other two.

 Body Wash: Will not repurchase since the perfume is too strong.

 Hair Mask: Will repurchase this.

Sunscreen: I will repurchase both and in fact have the Biore watery gel stockpiled.

Skincare For My Boyfriend, March 2017

I am visiting my boyfriend in Sweden in March, and in preparation for the visit I bought him a lot of things that can't be found in Sweden.  He's been complaining about how extremely dry and flaky his skin feels, and of course the long and harsh Swedish winters don't help any.  He also complains that all the moisturizers he has tried are either too greasy - sitting on top of the skin while skin still feels dry inside or feels sticky and 20 minutes later his skin is dry again.  So I curated a skincare routine for him based on the Asian skincare philosophy of applying multiple, light layers going from wateriest (hydrating) to oiliest (occlusive).  That way the hydrating layers can be absorbed deep into the skin while the occlusive layers prevent moisture from evaporating back out.  In fact, his problem is a part of what kicked my fascination with Asian skin care!

So here goes!

HADA LABO Gokujyun Hyaluronic Acid Cleansing Foam with refill.  A pH-balanced cleansing foam so that he can take the gunk off his face without nuking his acid mantle.  VURRAH important, apparently.

SKINFOOD Black Sugar Mask.  For scrubbing the flakes off his face.

BELIF Manology 101 Smart Recharger x2.  His favourite! It's the first moisturiser I heard him say he's willing to use again.  I bought him this the last time I visited, not really knowing what to expect and honestly mostly because it's marketed as 'for men' and turns out he loved it so much that he would use it on his body as well as his face, so this time round I bought 2 bottles so that it'll last until the next time I come, which would be the final move! YAY!

MEDIHEAL Dress Code sheet masks.  I bought these but only one of them is meant for him. The other one is for myself. I want us to have those super cutesy couple sheet mask selfie.  He's a surprisingly good sport about it LOL.

MY BEAUTY DIARY Hyaluronic Acid Moisturising Mask and Imperial Bird's Nest Mask.  I bought a pack each, and each pack has 10 masks, so I gave 5 each to Johan and 5 each to myself.

ETUDE HOUSE Moistfull Collagen Eye Cream.  I bought this for him because I'm using it and it works for me, but he still has the eye cream that I bought him the last time, which is Belif Peat Miracle Revital Eye Cream.

ETUDE HOUSE Moistfull Collagen Half & Half Cream.  I bought this for him because it contains 2 types of cream so that he can choose the cream he wants depending on his skin condition on that day/time.

INNISFREE Green Tea Sleeping Pack.  Figured he should try a sleeping pack as well for extra hydration!

SNP 99% Snail Soothing Gel.  Bought two of these tubs because Sasa was having this on 20% off.  One for myself and one for him.  Just in case he wants some light hydrator for his body skin.

QUEEN HELENE Cocoa Butter Face + Body Crème.  A heavier duty moisturiser that is inexpensive.  I bought a smaller tub for myself and so far it works fine.  He says it smells like candy.

SCENTIO Apricot Sherbet Body Scrub.  For the flaky skin on his body.

And here's him with most of the skincare I bought him! Isn't he just the cutest? :D ^_^ Having a photo like this was his idea btw!

HAULS: February 2017

So much for a 'low buy' this month! At least I bought NO makeup!  I think it's the ennui that I have around my life and anxiety - a desire to have enough Asian skincare products so that I'm want for nothing once I move to Sweden.  Also I had a lot of discount deals and sales this month. Oh well!  Also, this month featured a LOT of skincare firsts! I didn't know how much of a skincare noob I am until now.

INNISFREE White Gardenia Blossom Hand Cream deluxe sample. I was given this because I bought something at Innisfree on a Saturday and didn't take a bag. They give this as a reward for being more environmentally friendly by not taking a bag for purchases or something.

INNISFREE Green Tea Cleansing Water. Continuing on my micellar water train. As soon as I ran out of my Garnier micellar water I went out and get another one and this is what I got. Not for any better reason than because I was going to get other things from Innisfree and I'm a member there anyway.

INNISFREE Capsule Recipe Pack - Aronia. My first time trying out one of those Innisfree capsule mask packs.

  INNISFREE Jeju Sparkling Mineral Mist. I wanted to get a facial mist that fits in my bag so I can mist during the day.  So far I'm not really impressed by its hydrating capability and I don't care for the smell.

INNISFREE Best Cleansing Foam Collection - Green Tea, Jeju Volcanic and Olive deluxe samples.  This was the last new member gift I got from Innisfree. I thought it was awesome since I didn't have to buy a facial foam for a while, and then found out about the important of pH in skincare, especially in cleansers, and found out that the pH of all these cleansers are way too high. Damn it!

INNISFREE Lotus Flower Hand Cream.  I liked the sample perfumed hand cream so much I went out to get a full sized one, and felt adventurous and got a different scent. I like this one too. It smells powdery.

INNISFREE Special Care Mask, Hand and Feet. Repurchases! I just love the mild scent of these masks.

INNISFREE Green Tea Balancing Special Kit. I admit that I went out to buy things in Innisfree just to get this sample set! :P

BIORÉ AQUA Rich Watery Essence x2. This is the first month that I managed to get around to using this sunscreen which seems like everyone and their mother is using, and then I had to buy 2 tubes of it because I overestimated how much I need! Bah!

SULWHASOO Overnight Vitalising Mask EX. My first Sulwhasoo product ever! A well-loved and much-raved about product among the major AB bloggers. I bought it and the first morning after I use it I couldn't stop looking at myself in the mirror. I kept on thinking, "DANG, my skin looks GOOD!" So it works, I guess? It's also my first full size sleeping pack/overnight mask ever. I was so apprehensive to use such things for so long because I thrash around a lot when I sleep and didn't want to get goop all over my pillow.

WATSON'S Argan Oil Body Scrub.  It's alright I guess? It's cheap and to be honest, I'm used to a stronger body scrub.

KIEHL'S Ultra Facial Cream deluxe sample. I got this after returning 5 empties to Kiehl's.

KIEHL'S Clearly Corrective Brightening and Smoothing Moisture Treatment samples

KIEHL'S Midnight Recovery Botanical Cleansing Oil samples.  Surprisingly I really like it but considering that there's probably a lot cheaper cleansing oils out there that do exactly just as well I'm unlikely to pick up a full size sample of this.

KIEHL'S Double Strength Deep Wrinkle Filler. A repurchase.  I used my Kiehl's $50 off offer.

ETUDE HOUSE AC+ Clean Up Toner and Gel Lotion. I was given this with some purchase I made a while back.

ETUDE HOUSE Moistfull Collagen Facial Toner. I had a 20% off couple with Etude house so I went crazy with my purchases this month!  I've always wanted the Moistfull Collagen set. Then I went to the airport and saw that they sold Etude House at Duty Free which is cheaper, even compared to the discounted price! :p

ETUDE HOUSE  Moistfull Collagen Emulsion

ETUDE HOUSE  Moistfull Collagen Essence

ETUDE HOUSE Moistfull Collagen Sleeping Pack

ETUDE HOUSE Moistfull Collagen Skin Care Kit: Facial Freshener, Emulsion and Cream. YAY! Even more Moistfull Collagen, and I can even travel with them! I'm glad to get the Facial Freshener; I've seen it around but never on sale anywhere anymore, not in stores nor online. I read up a bit and it seems to be one of the previous generation of Moistfull Collagen which is now discontinued. Or maybe renamed to Toner?

ETUDE HOUSE Honey Cera set: Toner, Cream and Emulsion.  I've always wanted to try this line but was so unsure at shelling out a lot of $$$ for a set of products I won't even know if I'll like, so I'm glad I got this sample set with my purchase.

ETUDE HOUSE Honey Cera Wrapping Mask.  I bought this because I thought it was a sleeping mask! I wanted to try something from the Honey Cera line and saw this in store and it was labelled "sleeping mask" and I asked the sales assistant for confirmation and she said yes. So I bought it and looked it up and turned out that it really isn't a sleeping mask, but a wash off mask. I guess I should take this as an opportunity to try something new. I admit I've never used this sort of wash off mask in my life and this month I bought 2 of them!

HADA LABO Gokujyun Super Hyaluronic Acid Lotion. My first ever bottle of this EVER! I know, again, I'm soo so late to the party!  It seems like everyone else has used it except me. I've used products from their other lines, except this until now. Anyway better late than never! Like everyone else said, this is very slippy and 1-2 drops are enough for the entire face, and anymore than that is just too much. I can imagine that at this rate it will last a very long time, which makes it excellent value for money.

HADA LABO Gokujyun Hyaluronic Face Mask. Bought this out of curiosity.  I can't say the same for this mask in terms of value for money, and in terms of performance it's not that much better than other sheet masks that are 1/3 to 1/4 of the price, but I guess it gives me a feeling of prestige when using them so I'll use them occasionally as a treat.

BELIF The True Cream - Moisturising Bomb.  Belif was having a 20% sale at Tangs so I decided to grab a whole bunch of their products, two of which (this one and the Aqua Bomb) were on my wish list for a while.

BELIF The True Cream - Aqua Bomb

BELIF First Aid Aqua Rush Mask.  I also used the sales opportunity to buy this, which otherwise would make me think a lot longer and harder before I get it :P.

BELIF deluxe sample pack: The True Cream, Moisturising Bomb, The True Tincture of Chamomile, Bergamot Herbal Extract Toner.  Got this sample set with my Belif purchase. So handy for travelling!

SCENTIO Avocado Sherbet Body Scrub.  I saw this on one of the atrium sales so I grabbed it.

PHYSIOGEL Daily Moisture Therapy Dermo-Cleanser. Was given this by my mum.

BENTON Snail Bee High Content Essence.  A much raved about product on the AB webosphere so I decided to buy some samples from eBay. Gave one tube to my mum, one tube to my sister.

BENTON Snail Bee High Content Steam Cream.  Same as above.

SNP 99% Snail Soothing Gel.  Bought two of these tubs because Sasa was having this on 20% off.  One for myself and another for Johan. I think companies are really branching out with their soothing gels. A few years ago it used to just be aloe vera and now I see things like snail, pomegranate etc.

MY BEAUTY DIARY Hyaluronic Acid Moisturising Mask

MY BEAUTY DIARY Imperial Bird's Nest Mask. I'm really curious to try this, and I think it's one of the highest-rated MBD masks.

QUEEN HELENE Cocoa Butter Face + Body Crème.  It smells like candy, and it's so inexpensive for what it is! It works well as well, and I bought a bigger tub for Johan

ABHAIBHUBET Emblica Plus Facial Cream.  My mum also gave me this. I'm curious to try it.