Empties #21: May 2015 – Part 2

Now to get on quickly to Part 2 of my May’s empties – otherwise by the time I’m done with this it’ll be time for June’s empties! My keyboard has died and revived with a factory reset once more after I put up Part 1 of the empties post – I officially hate computers now and I need to figure out a new permanent fix for it. Meanwhile, let’s see what else is in my empties for this month!

Empties #21: May 2015 – Part 1

I’m a little late to this month’s empties post – but it’s better late than never! I have finally managed to fix my laptop’s faulty keyboard – something to do with the auto-updates so what I have done is to reset the factory settings as a temporary patch but I’m afraid that the next auto-update will bring on the same issue again. So I’d better get going with as many posts as I can before it happens again! Let’s take a look at what’s in my May’s empties!

Empties #15: November 2014 – Part 1

Feels like every alternate month, I have a huge chunk of empties! This month I will be adding a little system to make running through and doing short reviews on a ton of empties easier. Yes, I kinda copied or adapted this scoring system from someone else. Please don’t be mad with me if it looks similar to yours; copying is the best form of flattery! It just means that I think you have something great going on there! Okay, with that out of the way, let’s get on to my empties this month!

Empties #14: October 2014 – Part 1

Not as epic as last month, I still have a very good number of empties this month to go through. So without further ado, let’s get cracking on! We’lll start off with some minis first this time round; as usual, forgive me for the blurry photos and terrible lighting – I live in a small apartment on the third floor with a huge tree right outside of my window, so good lighting is as rare as me going a day without coffee.

Midweek Peek #16: Moisturizers I’m Currently Using

Being a beauty fanatic, I’m constantly trying different products. At any given time I have a huge load of new products that I’m currently testing; some will eventually turn up in a review, and some of it will be forgotten. Some products I will actually love so much that I use them up even before they appear anywhere but an empties post. So, I wanted to quickly show all of you a peek of some of the moisturisers that I’m currently using and testing before I finish them up or forgot about them!

Aesop Perfect Facial Hydrating Cream
I bought this recently in Australia – I don’t know why since the price difference is not great. I was recommended this by the sales assistant for very dry skin. Lately my skin has been so dry and tight – not sure why, but this so far has been doing a great job. It’s still early days to tell if there are any side effects, but I’m loving how hydrating it is. I’m not a big fan of its strong frankincense scent though!

Belif The True Cream – Aqua Bomb
A good size sample – very light in texture, given that it’s a gel. It’s cooling on touch and sinks in really quickly. I’ve just started using this but I’m liking it for use in the day so far.

Oilatum Cream
I got this after watching Nic from Pixiwoos use it all the time in her videos. She has dry skin too so I thought this would be something suitable for me as well. As can be seen from the bottle, I’ve used a good amount of it. I like it on days that my skin are extremely parched, but not for wear during the day as it can be very oily and heavy. It’s a very cheap, unpretentious thick cream for extremely dry skin.

Algenist Overnight Restorative Cream
Another good size sample. This is a very thick but not-so-dense cream – if you get what I mean. It’s kind of like thickened whipped cream. There’s some kind of ‘air’ in it but the texture is definitely more cream like. It’s so hard to explain. Another product for the night because of how thick it is.

I should be doing a full review on these items as I try them out more and have a better feel for them. Have you tried any of them?

Unboxing: The Little Black Beauty Box – September 2014

I know, I know. I said I wasn’t going to get the next TLBBB last month, but I saw the brands included in this month’s box and I could not resist getting it! I’m such a sucker like that! The box came very punctually this time – in the last few days of August; I’ve had it sitting on my desk for a week before posting this up. As usual, it costs S$22.90 inclusive of delivery. Let’s take a look at what’s in it!

Unboxing: The Little Black Beauty Box June 2014

Yes, another beauty box! After the wonderful beauty box from Vanity Trove last month, I decided to give another beauty box a try. This month I decided to try a different company so I googled for “beauty boxes in Singapore” and randomly chanced upon StyleXStyle. Incidentally, they were coming out with a beauty box – they don’t do beauty boxes regularly but there was one coming out in June and will be a collaboration with Tangs.

For non-Singaporeans reading this post, Tangs is a department store, with a really big beauty hall that carries mainly high end and exclusive brands. I love shopping at the Tangs beauty hall! At S$22.90, I thought it was a great price to sample from high end brands and also wanted to check out the new beauty box service! Are you curious about what’s inside it?

Empties #8: April 2014 – Part 2

Welcome back to Part 2 of my empties post for April – I’ve used up so many items this month that it’s pretty shocking! Following the 16 items that I’ve mentioned in Part 1, here are another 13 more!

17. Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation in 53
I love the staying power, smooth texture and medium coverage of this foundation; I also really like the sweet fruity scent. I would definitely pick another up, although in a much lighter shade as I have lost my tan.

18. Himalaya Herbals Gentle Exfoliating Walnut Scrub
Reviewed here. Not a fan; way too rough for my liking.

19. Maybelline Color Sensational Lipstain in 150 Tender Rose
Got this a few years ago in the US; I really liked how natural it looks and how lightweight it is, although the staying power is rather weak for a stain. I’ve never seen this sold since then so I won’t be replacing it.

20. The Body Shop Tea Tree Skin Clearing Facial Wash
A small facial wash that I bring along to the gym; my bf is very loyal to this face wash, but I’m just pretty neutral about it mainly because I really dislike the scent of tea tree; I will use it, but won’t go out of my way to buy it.

21. Renew Rose Hip Oil
Reviewed here. I love this oil and it works wonders for my dry skin.

22. IOPE Super Vital Extra Moist Cream
Mentioned here. This cream is so thick that it’s practically solid; if not for the heavy fragrance, I think this works well as a a really hydrating night cream for really dry skin but feels way too heavy for oily skin.

23. Stella by Stella McCartney Eau de Parfum
24. Paul Smith Optimistic Eau de Toilette
25. Lancome Tresor in Love Eau de Parfum
A few sample perfume vials that I keep in my purse in case of ’emergencies’. I really like the Lancome one – very feminine and floral. I like to spray perfume on my legs so that the scent doesn’t overwhelm me.

26. MAC Cream Nail Lacquer in Hanging Loose
Used about half the bottle but it’s dried out. I loved this when I first got it because the formula was nice – 2 coats for opaque color and was not streaky for a cream color, and looked so dainty and ladylike on the nails.

27. IOPE Super Vital Extra Moist Eye Cream
Mentioned here as well. I like the texture – creamy but sinks in easily.

28. Belif Hydra Sebum Control Essence
Something that I just throw on after showering at the gym. From the name I don’t think this is targeted at my skin type but it doesn’t feel too dry for me.

29. Kiehl’s Clearly Corrective Dark Spot Solution
I don’t see any difference from using this product but I also don’t have a lot of dark spots and this is a really small bottle. I love how it feels – just like nothing. Because of how light it is, I tend to mix this with other serums, especially the stickier or thicker ones to make them easier to apply – I feel like I am “powering up” my other serums by using them this way.

And this rounds up all the empties for this month! A grand total of 29 items! I love writing empties posts – it really encourages me to use up my products and because of that, I am also taking much better care of my skin as I am more consistent about using the skin care products daily.

Have you used up any items this month?

Midweek Peek #1: Cleansing on Holiday

I love holidays; I think everybody needs a holiday once in a while to relax, recharge and have a good look at something different. But holidays also often play havoc on my skin because I’m usually more bothered about convenience than packing proper products for my skin. Cleansing on previous trips meant a pack of cleansing wipes and that’s it, leaving me with clogged pores and breakouts, as well as dull skin, even after what should have been a good rest.

I just came back from a 20-days holiday from Italy and this time, I made it a point to actually pack proper skincare products, particularly because it was such a long trip and my skin would not have survived 20 days just on cleansing wipes.

A quick midweek peek into some products that I brought! I ran out of cotton pads mid trip and had to pick up some from the local stores.

To remove my makeup, I start off with the Silkygirl Gentle Eye & Lip Makeup Remover; I had a small sample bottle which amazingly lasted me the whole trip and did a great job at getting rid of waterproof eye makeup – I was really pleasantly surprised. I did bring along a pack of Garnier Gentle Facial Cleansing Wipes (not pictured) for a quick all-over wipe to remove most of the gunk on my face, followed up by the Bifesta Sebum Cleansing Lotion to make sure there were no residual makeup hiding in any pores.

For daily face wash, I had a Elizabeth Arden Ceramide Purifying Cream Cleanser; I should have brought a cleanser that I have tried and tested but I was too lazy to bring my usual huge tub; this was utterly useless for removing makeup and does not lather up, but I did like that it does not make my skin feel tight. After that, I follow up with either the Sulwhasoo Essential Balancing Water or the Belif Bergamot Herbal Extract Toner; I’ve only just started to use toner (*shock, horror) so I’m not really fussy about it.

And there you go, some midweek peeks into what I’ve been using on holiday! When I came back, I thought that my skin was so good – perhaps even than before I left! Are you guilty of only using cleansing wipes on holidays too?