Empties #12: August 2014 – Part 1

Another month of massive empties! I thought using up so much items consistently every month would make a dent in my stash… but somehow that doesn’t seem the be the case! My recent subscription mystery box addiction has made things worse! On the bright side, because of the pile of growing beauty products I am now really good about doing certain beauty regimes that I never used to care about – like taking my skincare down to my décolletage, using moisturizer on my body everyday or using a hair mask weekly. So what have I used up this month?

5 Friday Favourites #4

It’s been a while since I did my 5 Friday Favourites… and they have changed up quite a bit since my last one! Of course, my stash has also increased a lot so I have a lot more to choose from!

Healgel Intensive has been helping my skin heal so much faster than before and my only regret now is that I didn’t try it sooner. MAC Ring of Saturn Mineralize Blush is a limited edition blush that I recently rediscovered; this gives a bright pop of colour with a beautiful sheen. The Chanel Les 4 Ombres Multi-Effect Quadra Eyeshadow in 234 Poesie looks like just any other neutral eyeshadow but man it looks stunning applied on the lids, and application is effortless. Had the Bourjois Bronzing Primer for the longest time but I only rediscovered cream base products as my skin is looking a lot better than usual; this makes contouring so easy and looks absolutely natural. Got the Nuxe Reve de Miel Lip Balm in a buy-one-get-one-free sale lately, and boy is it worth it; makes my lip feels so soft and smells incredible, it’s fast becoming my favourite nighttime lip balm.

So that’s 5 items that I have been absolutely loving lately; what about you?

Review: Chi Chi Viva La Diva Cream Lipstick in Bombshell

On my recent trip down to Australia, I picked up a few Chi Chi makeup items. They’re really hard to get hold of in Singapore – I have not seen it anywhere at all, but it can be ordered online with a hefty shipping fee. One of the items I picked up was the Viva La Diva Cream Lipstick in the shade Bombshell; it retails for AUD18.95, but there was a 25% discount, which brings it to AUD14.20.

Honestly, this lipstick caught my eye because of its beautiful vintage looking packaging – it comes in a nice black box with pink detailing. The lipstick bullet itself is also black with silvery pink details – so pretty! The tube also has a little transparent bottom which shows the shade of the lipstick within, so that’s pretty useful when you’re rummaging through a drawer full of lipsticks.

Monday Masking #2: Leaders Insolution Dr. Therapy Foot Mask

It’s monday masking time! This time around I wanted to try something different – a foot mask! This is actually the first time that I’m using a foot mask; my feet has been really dry with rough and hard edges so I’ve been hunting up and down for something that could help.

Review: Alpha-H Liquid Gold

So I caved and bought into the Alpha-H Liquid Gold hype… there were just too many raves for it that I could not restrain from trying one out for myself, and I love it! I bought this from the Luxola website during a 30% off sale, and its original price is SGD56 for a 100ml bottle.

Claims on Website:
Our best selling “cult” skin resurfacing treatment uses a state of the art, low pH delivery system to effectively diminish wrinkles, pigmentation and sun damage. The Glycolic based formulation works like an “overnight facial” to brighten and revitalise tired, ageing skin, and radically improve appearance of the complexion. For mature, sun damaged, prematurely ageing and for acne-scarred skin.

This comes packaged in a little plastic flip-top bottle, and a cap over it; it’s practical but not pretty or fancy. I’ve read a lot of reviews that say this has no smell, but I actually can smell something chemical. The product is a clear transparent liquid, very fluid in texture.

Now I don’t have mature, prematurely ageing or acne-scarred skin, but I do have some pigmentation issues, and small little bumps plus hormonal pimples that comes once a month. My biggest concerns are the little bumps and old scars from the monthly breakouts, as well as dullness.

The directions on the bottle says to use this 3-4 nights a week, applying with a cotton pad to cleansed skin while avoiding the eye and lip areas; for best results, night cream should not be used to allow the Liquid Gold to work “uninterrupted”. I have actually deviated from the directions – I apply it with a cotton pad on alternate nights, but with my regular serums and moisturizers on top. I did this mainly because the tingling got too much for me, and I wanted to calm my skin down. Even after using nearly the entire bottle up, I can still feel the tingling – it’s not painful but I can feel my skin getting irritated.

Even though I did not allow the Liquid Gold to work “uninterrupted”, I can still see results. I find the little bumps on my skin a lot less significant, and my skin looks ‘clearer’ and somehow brighter. I don’t have big issues with my pores, but I do feel they look ever so slightly better and less visible. I don’t think it did very much for my old pimple scars though.

In all, I really do enjoy this. It is so hard to find a product that actually helps with the little bumps on my skin and this one actually works, without a crazy price tag! The tingling takes some getting used to, but I find some moisturizer eases the irritation without removing the good effects. Definitely something that I will recommend and repurchase!

Rating: 4/5

Beauty 101 #1: Double Cleansing

As a skincare-obsessed person, I can’t stress enough the importance of good cleansing every night. Imagine all the dust and dirt, as well as makeup residue, after a whole day! I honestly enjoy a really good cleanse at the end of the day – I never feel fully at home and relaxed until my skin feels fresh and clean. I don’t always clean my face in the same way – but if I have the time and energy, I would do a good double cleanse.

Double cleansing is thought to be an essential step in Japanese skincare although I don’t know if it originated from Japan!

What is double cleansing?
Double cleansing is a separate two-step cleansing method to remove both oil-based and water-based substances from our skin.

1. Step 1: to remove oil-based impurities such as excess sebum and makeup. This require a cleanser that can bring oil-based substances such as excess sebum and makeup to the skin surface. These kind of cleansers usually come as cleansing oils, cream, gels or milk.
2. Step 2: to remove water-based impurities such as dust, bacteria, old skin cells and perspiration. This requires a cleanser that envelops the impurities in a rich lather and washes away all water-based substances. These kinds of cleansers usually come as soaps and foams.

Why do we double cleanse?
Our face is exposed to all elements the whole day. Dust, bacteria and other particles in the air comes in contact with our skin. Meanwhile, perspiration and oils are secreted from our skin. These secretions captures the particles from the air and clings on to them.

How do we double cleanse?

1. Start with dry skin. Apply the cleanser in five places: the forehead, each cheek, the ridge of the nose, and the chin. Gently massage it into the skin in circular strokes, dissolving the impurities and drawing them out from within the skin. Rinse away with lukewarm water.
2. Apply the soap on your hand, add a bit of water, then work up a rich lather in your palm. Next, massage this cushion of lather over the face, stroking in small circles. Rinse.

Do you double cleanse as well? If not, are you now convinced to give this method a try?

Review: Healgel Intensive

I’m going to come right off to say 1) i love this product 2) i think the effects are amazing and 3) i don’t have the pictures to prove how amazing it is. I got this Healgel Intensive from the feelunique website a long time ago – they had a 20% discount code going on so I went and grabbed this without having done any research on it, and I’m damn glad I did.

Claims on box:
HealGel Intensive is a multi active formula that helps to speed recovery and resolve a wide range of skin problems. It is easily absorbed, naturally aromatic, non-oily and suitable for all skin types. This cooling gel provides a protective barrier allowing the intensely active ingredients to work beneath the surface of your skin. Arnica and Madecassoside are suspended with powerful peptides and biodynes to initiate a uniquely soothing and collagen boosting process.

This product comes in a light and nice little pump bottle. It’s not clear, but it is transparent so I can see exactly how much is left as I use it. I know it’s not a big deal but I love it when I can see how much is left and I love pump bottles – it’s convenient and hygienic. The pump is also very well made; I can control how much I want easily unlike some pumps that just squirts out uncontrollably.

Review: Skin Inc Regenerate Vitamin A Serum

As a skincare junkie, trying out new skincare is one of my favourite activities of the day. And it’s particularly enjoyable when it comes in cute packaging such as this Skin Inc Regenerate Vitamin A Serum! But of course, just looking good in the bottle does not mean anything to me – does the serum itself perform as well as it looks?

Unboxing: Memebox Superbox #37 At Home + Codes

This Memebox took the longest time to arrive… my previous boxes all came with upgraded expedited shipping as I bought them in value sets so this is my first box with normal shipping; I really didn’t expect it to take so long since Korea is a 6-hour flight away from Singapore. This was shipped out on July 29th and I received it a couple of days ago, so shipping took nearly 2 weeks?

Anyway, back to my Memebox. I ordered in mid July with a few other boxes, taking advantage of some blog discounts. Before discount, this box costs USD32, plus USD6.99 for shipping from Korea, and is a Superbox which meant that every item is supposed to be full size.

Review: Bioderma Sensibio H2O Micelle Solution

Yes, it’s finally time to review the very famous Bioderma Sensibio H2O. I’ve actually used this quite a lot but had reserved my review for this till after I’ve reviewed a few other cleansing waters first. I find that due to its popularity, it’s easier to have tried a handful of similar products for comparison. Sold at S$39.90 for the large 500ml bottle in Guardian and Watsons, it seems expensive but on a per ml basis, it’s on par with other cleansing waters.

Other cleansing waters that I’ve reviewed:

• Bioderma Sebium H2O Solution Micellaire
• Caudalie Makeup Remover Cleansing Water
• Plante System Rosakalm Cleansing Micellar Water
• Bifesta Brightup Cleansing Lotion

Claims on website:
The benchmark micelle solution that cleanses and removes make-up from sensitive skin daily. Specially formulated for sensitive, normal to dry skins, the solution gently cleanses face and eyes. It removes water-resistant make-up. The micelles contained in its formula effectively micro-emulsify impurities while maintaining the skin’s balance.

I bought the largest size, which comes in a clear light plastic bottle with a flip top cap. To use, I have to flip it over to pour some out on cotton pads. It’s very simple – but I would really have preferred it had a pump. The colour, texture and consistency is just like water and there is no scent.

In terms of efficacy, I think it fared pretty well. It removes face makeup very easily without having to rub or tug on the skin, and can remove most non-waterproof eye makeup by soaking the cotton pad and pressing it onto the eye for a few seconds before wiping it off.

However, this is not as effective at removing water resistant eye makeup as claimed. Maybe my mascara and eyeliner are stronger than others who tried this, but this definitely could not clean them off and there were obvious remnants after wiping my eye with this several times. It does work with freshly applied eyeliners, so if you’ve made a mistake, just dip a cotton bud with this and wipe it off. But day-old mascara and eyeliners? No.

This did not irritate my skin and feels refreshing. However, compared to my current favourite cleansing water – the Bifesta Brightup Cleansing Lotion, my skin also felt slightly drier after using this, especially if I have to use a few more swipes of this to remove heavier makeup.

Would I repurchase? Probably so – but mainly because I can find this on discount websites selling at about S$25 for the full 500ml, which makes this one of the cheapest cleansing waters I can find. It’s not exactly my favourite and its not the best makeup remover but it is convenient and cheap, perfect for lazy days where cleansing over the sink feels too much of a chore.

Rating: 3.5/5

For international buyers, you can get this from Amazon.

*Products are 100% paid for by me. Affiliate links are used in this post.