This is an insane month for empties; whenever I embark on some budget plan, I tend to end up with tons of empties because I have to force myself to use what I have, which is the whole point of having the budget plan so I guess the plan is working quite well so far!
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Tag Archives: biore
Empties #13: September 2014 – Part 2
Continuing on my EPIC empties post, here are a ton more empties that I am waving goodbye to! This is actually the more insane half of the empties post… I couldn’t believe it when I started counting them!
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Empties #10: June 2014
After 2 months of finishing massive amounts of empties, I’m finally back to being able to cover it all in just one post! Nonetheless, I still feel it’s a good amount to have emptied in a month. I’ve been working on finishing up some larger and full size pots and bottles of skincare, such as my serums, toners and creams so hopefully there will be some in the next empties post. Anyway, let’s get on with this month’s empties!
Empties #9: May 2014 – Part 1
This is starting to look like a trend – but once again I have used up so many items that I had to split it up into 2 posts! Don’t ask me how I do it – I’m amazed at how I could continually finish so many items in a month! I do think that my huge empties posts are coming to an end as I’ve cleared out most of the half empty bottles, but I’m also less incline now to start using a new bottle if I have another half empty lying around. Anyway, let’s get cracking!
1. Shiseido Tsubaki Damage Care Conditioner
Bought this with the shampoo which I used up much earlier – I tend to use up shampoo much faster. I quite like this conditioner; it’s great for when my hair feels really dry – this smooths my hair with just one wash, but the downside is that it feels heavy and weighs down my hair.
2. Biore Cleansing Oil Cotton Facial Sheets
As mentioned in last month’s empties, this used to be my favourite cleansing cloth so I stocked up on them – but now I find the very small size sheets pretty frustrating for my big face and not quite economical so I most likely won’t be repurchasing after using up what I have.
3. Sulwhasoo Concentrated Ginseng Renewing Cream
This is a rather heavy cream, which feels really nourishing and calming when my skin is really dry. And I’m obsessed with the Ginseng scent! Love!
4. Murad Essential C Day Moisture SPF 30
Already used up a small sample of this previously; I’ve grown to like this even more with this second sample plus I’m biased towards citrus scents.
5. Vitacreme B12 Regenerative Cream
6. Skin Food Goldkiwi Toner
7. Cleansing Express Sebum Cleansing Lotion
A few small skincare samples that I bring to the gym – I don’t have many thoughts on them as I just need to clean my face and have some skincare on my face after bathing at the gym, which I remove when I get home.
8, 9, 10. Bioderma Sebium H2O Solution Micellaire
Reviewed here. Don’t think it’s suitable for my skin type.
11. iderm Placenta Serum
This was not what I expected a serum to be like – it’s clear and very fluid so it absorbed really quickly into the skin. However, it feels a little greasy, which I was quite surprised about as the texture does not feel like an oil. I don’t think my skin feels any different after using this for about 2 weeks.
12. Sebamed Feminine Intimate Wash
Not much to say about this. Keeps things nice and fresh?
That’s it for the first part of my empties post! Stay tuned for a longer part 2!
Empties #7: March 2014
This month I tried to clear out a lot of the sample/travel size items that I have been accumulating – whilst I love having them available for holidays, I don’t actually go on that many holidays so I definitely had to downsize a bit!
1. Simple Cleansing Facial Wipes
2. Biore Cleansing Oil Cotton Facial Sheets
Cleansing facial wipes are a gym essential – I cant bring myself to exercise with makeup on! The Simple wipes are very nice; they are a good size wipe with no sting, and removes makeup easily. I used to love the Biore ones because of how wet and effective they are, even with waterproof mascara, but now I’m a little frustrated with its small sheet size; it takes a few sheets to wipe my whole face so it’s quite wasteful and expensive that way.
3. Dermal Bee Venom Collagen Essence Mask
4. My Beauty Diary Bulgarian White Rose Mask
These are by no means the only facial sheet masks I’ve used this month; somehow I remembered to keep the wrapping for these. I love sheet masks and am not too fussy about what brand or type as I don’t find them to be so different in terms of efficacy, so these worked well.
5. Dior Diorskin Nude Compact in 030 Medium Beige
Got this sample from the Dior counter and have been using it on the go in my small Z-palette – I do like this; the powder is very smooth, feels light on the skin, but does not look powdery. Would consider purchasing.
6. Cosmetika Compact Powder in 302
A powder I received from a subscription beauty box that I didn’t use much; the texture is quite hard and dry, plus it got ‘bumpy’ after a couple of uses. Throwing it out because I won’t be using it any more.
7. Elizabeth Arden Ceramide Plump Perfect Ultra Lift & Firm
8. Astalift Whitening Cream
The Elizabeth Arden cream is meant to be an all night repair for face and throat; for nights that my skin feels extra dry this came in very handy – slap on a good amount of this cream before bed and wake up to very well hydrated skin. The Astalift cream paled in comparison – it’s not bad, just nothing outstanding except for its orange tint.
9. Murad Essential C Day Moisture SPF 30 in 3 Hydrate/Protect
Quite like this; this has a faint citrus scent, and absorbs very quickly into the skin. I find that it worked very well under makeup even on a hot day!
10. Shiseido White Lucent Brightening Cleansing Foam
11. Sulwhasoo Snowise EX Whitening Water
12. Dior Addict Eau Delice
A few items that I’ve been using at the gym; not too many thoughts on them because all I want is get clean, smell good and go home/out quickly.
13. IOPE Super Vital Extra Moist Softener
14. IOPE Super Vital Extra Moist Serum
Mentioned these in a post recently. Bought a trial set of IOPE items to try; unfortunately the scent was too overwhelming for me so I didn’t really like most of them. The serum was not bad though. Won’t purchase.
15. Sensodyne Pronamel Daily Toothpaste
16. Watsons Nail Polish Remover
A couple of mundane but must have items. Sensodyne is my favourite toothpaste brand; they don’t taste too strongly of mint like most other brands, so that’s a big plus for me, and my sensitive teeth feels good with them. I’ve finished so many bottles of the Watson’s nail polish removers – mainly because they’re so cheap and does the job fine.
So that’s it for my empties this month! So I cheated a little bit with the facial sheet masks and all the mini/travel size bottles, but I have a few bigger bottles that I am almost done with and I can’t wait for them to be on next month’s post! Have you used up any items this month?
Empties #5: January 2014
I have a ridiculous amount of empties this month – way more than I ever expected to be able to finish! Obviously, I did not use up the entire amount in just one month! With Chinese New Year here, I wanted to spring clean so I made extra effort to use up all the already-opened and half-empty bottles. So let’s not waste time and dive right in for some quick thoughts!
1. La Roche Posay Anthelios XL SPF 50+ Spray
2. La Roche Posay Hydrating After-Sun Melt-In Gel
A couple of items that are not empty but I had to throw out as they have expired. I do love La Roche Posay’s sun protection series, but I just don’t go under the sun enough to complete them and I only use these on my body. I will repurchase them again for my next summer or beach holiday!
3. La Roche Posay Anthelios XL SPF 50+ Melt in Cream
This I did manage to complete. I’m actually a vampire morbidly terrified of sunlight, so I slather this on my face every day religiously. This has not broken me out and dries very quickly without messing up my makeup.
4. Plante System Rosakalm Cleansing Micellar Water
Reviewed here. Not a fan; won’t repurchase.
5. Himalaya Herbals Purifying Neem Face Wash
Although this was meant for normal to oily skin, I did quite enjoy it. The texture is like a gel; my skin felt nice and clean without being too dry.
6. Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser for Face & Body
7. Gillette Satin Care Shave Gel Avocado Twist
A few bath items. I only use the Cetaphil on my body as I didn’t think it did anything for my face; won’t repurchase. I did like the Gillette Shave Gel, but I’ve not actually seen a shave gel that doesnt work anyway.
8. My Beauty Diary Rose & White Peony Brightening Mist
This does smell nice and I appreciate the good spray nozzle, and does feel refreshing. It doesn’t have any real impact on my skin though.
9. Make Up Store Brush Cleansing Soap
I love this brush cleansing soap; it cleans very well – even week old foundation washes out easily to reveal the original brush hair color – without drying out the brush hair. I also like how easy it is to use; just sweep the brush back and forth on the soap itself, then rinse off. Will repurchase!
10. Beauty Blender Sponge
I don’t really understand all the raves for this. I was sucked into the hype and bought two! Since it was so expensive I continued to use them anyway, but once they’re all spoilt, I won’t be buying any more.
11. L’Occitane Pivoine Flora Eau de Parfum
I quite like the scent; it’s very feminine and floral, but also very light.
12. Biore Cleansing Oil-in-Cotton Wipes
13. Sulwhasoo Snowise EX Whitening Water
14. SkinFood Fresh Apple Sparkling Pore Toner
Some useful skincare items for the gym. The Biore wipes is a regular item that I bring to wipe off all makeup before I exercise. I also like bringing little samples of skincare to the gym; after sweating it out, it always feel good to do some basic skincare steps. I’m not too concerned about what I bring though, as I usually clean my face again when I get home.
15. Poretol Pore’s Care Cleanser Pack
This was supposed to be a pore clearing wash off mask; I really didn’t like it. It was messy, and did nothing for my skin. The texture is rather gritty, which I guess acts as a scrub as you slather it on. I liked the light fresh tingle when it first go on the skin. Will not repurchase.
16. Avene Skin Recovery Cream Calming Formula
Reviewed here. Really enjoyed it and will be repurchasing!
17. VMV Hypoallergenics Hydra Balance Smart Moisturizer
Hated this. This was supposed to be a “smart moisturizer” that keeps dry areas moisturized, without adding shine or clog pores. My skin is very dry, and I’ve rarely seen a moisturizer that can make me shiny; this is a really weird moisturizer that while its texture felt light, it made me feel unbearably oily the entire time I had it on. Will never purchase.
18. SKII Facial Treatment Clear Lotion
19. SKII Facial Treatment Essence
I used to love SKII items, but I find that with prolonged usage, the effects become less apparent. Maybe my skin are used to the ingredients? I haven’t used these for a couple of years, and after using these sample sizes my skin seems clearer, so I might pick up a few full sizes to see if they will work again on my skin.
20. Good Skin Labs Smooth 365 Intensive Peptide Serum
I quite liked this; it goes on slightly tacky feeling, but the tackiness just goes away after letting it dry for a couple of minutes leaving a very velvety smooth texture. The sample is too small for me to tell if it made a difference to my skin, but I did liked it while I used it so I might check out a full bottle.
21. Lancome Genifique Yeux Eye Illuminating Youth Activator
An item that I thought was pretty gimmicky with its rotating applicator that you use to roll under the eyes to apply the serum. I didn’t think that it did much for me. Will not repurchase.
22. Lancome L’absolu Rouge in 365
A really great find; got this as part of a Christmas Purchase-with-Purchase set. It was my go-to red lip for a while; goes on smoothly, very comfortable and is on the sheer side so I can use it everyday.
23. Too Faced Primed & Poreless Bronze Tint SPF 20
Another item that has expired. I barely used it as I’m too lazy to bother with primers, and I don’t really want to bronze my entire face.
24. Essence Long Lasting Eye Pencil in 15 Bling Bling
I think Essence has a really nice affordable line of eye pencils. While they’re not the most long lasting, they do go on smoothly with good color payoff and a little eyeshadow on top will extend its wear.
25. Bourjois Volumizer Mascara
Another gimmicky item; this mascara has 2 “dials” – step 1 is supposed to give defined lashes, while step 2 is meant to give dramatic lashes. I ended up only using step 2 as I didnt think step 1 did anything for my lashes. I liked the effect of step 2 though, my lashes were nice and big!
26. Bobbi Brown Skin Foundation SPF 15 PA+ in 3 Beige
One of my favourite foundations! It’s just amazing; it gives about medium coverage, and feels so light on. I really like how natural it looks on and I can layer it for better coverage without it looking like it’s caked on. I will definitely be repurchasing this.
The scariest thing about clearing out that much makeup and skincare products is when you realised that even after throwing out 26 items, it still did not make a dent to my collection! And I need to work on using up more actual makeup too! If you’ve managed to read through all I have to say about my trash, I hope it didn’t bore you out! 🙂
Empties #4: December 2013
The last empties post for 2013! I think 2013 really just ran past in a blink. This month’s empties is actually for a shorter period, because I had to write this post a week early since I was going on holiday, plus I really wanted to throw away all the empties before the year is up! So here we go!
1. Garnier Ultra Dolce Shampoo
Bought this during my Italy holiday. I think it’s good for a clarifying wash – it gets all the gunk out of my hair, but I find it too drying for daily use.
2. Dove Beauty Nourishing Body Wash
Quite a good body wash; very creamy in texture and feels quite moisturizing. Also very affordable and smells quite nice. Will repurchase.
3. Australis See Ya Later Nailpolish Remover
One of the worst nailpolish remover I have ever tried; I had to use so much energy and remover! Massive fail. Will not repurchase.
4. Vichy Purete Thermal Demaquillant Integral
One of the older style cleansing milk. Now that I’m used to cleansing oils and micellar waters for removing makeup, somehow cleansing milk never feels quite clean enough. Won’t repurchase.
5. Essential Damage-Care Nuance Airy Shampoo
This is actually quite a good shampoo if not for its smell – it makes me think of liquid antibiotics! I feel nauseous every time I used it. Otherwise, it makes my hair quite smooth. I won’t be repurchasing, as I can’t bear the smell.
6. Kiehl’s Mightnight Recovery Concentrate
I love this oil! Mentioned it here. I will definitely repurchase!
7. Biore UV Bright Face Milk SPF 50+ PA+++
Really enjoyed this; this feels really lightweight and did not break me out. I find it also even out my skin texture a little, and I love the high SPF in it.
8. Watsons Nail Polish Remover
Another bottle bites the dust! I seem to be running through my nail polish remover quite fast. This is really affordable and removes nailpolish quite easily. It’s also acetone free. Will repurchase.
9. Eucerin DermoPurifyer Hydrating Care
Like the serum that I threw out last month, I really did not like this. This was not hydrating at all and I ended up using it on my legs so I won’t waste it.
10. Avene Thermal Spring Water
I started using thermal spring water after toner and before moisturizer after watching this korean beauty show, Get It Beauty, showing its benefits. I spray this on a cotton bud before wiping my entire face. It feels refreshing, but I haven’t really seen any real impact on my skin.
11. Elizabeth Arden Ceramide Purfying Cream Cleanser
Mentioned it here. I think it’s an alright cleanser – it doesn’t really do much, but it’s not awful and doesn’t dry out my skin. Won’t repurchase.
12. Mamonde Total Solution Smart Moisture Cream
Received this as a gift-with-purchase. A gel-texture moisturiser that feels really good on the skin. I love how smooth it makes my skin feel, without being oily. I’d love to buy the full size but can’t find it anywhere!
13. ELF Eyelid Primer
Reviewed here. A well loved item!
14. Maybelline Pure.Concealer Mineral in 01
An okay concealer; it works fine for undereye circles but doesn’t really cover blemishes very well. The staying power isn’t great though.
15. Dr Ci Labo BB Perfect Cream
Quite a thick cream and feels slightly heavy but it does have quite a good coverage. Color was a bit too light for me. Won’t repurchase.
16. Shiseido White Lucent Intensive Spot Targeting Serum
17. Narciso Rodriguez for her perfume
A couple of items that I didn’t really pay attention to. I kept them either in my work or gym bags because they were travel size and convenient.
18. Pupa Multiplay Triple Purpose Eye Pencil in Black
Mentioned this here. Love this! Will definitely repurchase.
And that’s all for my empties in December 2013! Surprisingly there are even more empties this month! I wish everyone a great new year, and may 2014 be a fantastic year for all!
the fabulous nerd 