Beauty Talks | Kick Off of My Round 13.0 Skincare Products

August marks the final month for my Round 12 of skincare products and as you can see from the above #shelfie,  I've got a cleanser from Round 11 (which ended in February) and this round's cleansing foams, waters and balms with new additions from Blogger Mails last month. 

For Round 12.0, I've managed to finish a toner, 2 bottles of first serums, 2 bottles of essences, and 3 tubs of sleeping masks along with almost 100 sheet masks. I'd definitely be posting an Empties post soon so do stay tuned for that, okay!

For this upcoming Round 13.0 which starting next month, I'll be introducing some new oil-based cleansers, water-based-cleansers, moisturisers, tone-up creams, lots of sunscreens, and the most that I've anticipated for 2018; new exfoliating and hydrating toners (you need both if you want to start incorporating acids in your skincare routine) which will be part of my 7-Skin Methods. I haven't decided whether it'll be seven different toners or maximum 4 toners, let's just wait and see for now. 

As for body care, I literally haven't shopped for anything for the past 3 months or so as I've bought so much back in May to June as there was the Harvest Festival Sale literally in every mall at that time so I'm going to shop my stash till I ran out of everything. 

So I guess that's a quick update on my current skincare stash! Do you use the same skincare products all year round or are you like me who change certain number of products on a 6-month cycle? Do let me know by leaving comments down below.

Until next post, annyeong~

P.S.: How are you liking my new blog header?

Skincare Routine | Sunblocks!

I know I'm a little bit biased towards THE FACE SHOP but what can I say. Even before they decided to sponsor several products for review purposes, I already am a big fan of the brand and for sun protection, I've repurchased that Natural Sun Eco No Shine Hydrating Sun Cream SPF40 PA+++ like 3 times all in different packaging and the above is indeed the third version that I've seen since 2013. 

I've pretty much did a summary of the above sunscreen products in my previous post here but there are some of these I'm planning to do in-depth reviews for; Natural Sun Eco Light Fluid Sunscreen and Natural Sun Eco Ice Air Puff Sun (2018) so do stay tuned for these two.

I've gotten that Innisfree Perfect UV Protection Cushion SPF50+ PA+++ around early last year. I'm not really a fan of the white cast it gives although it's light and goes on my skin nicely but even when I apply merely small amount of it, the white cast just don't appear well on my medium skin. This is one of the reason why I can't get over chemical sunscreen. 

I guess that's all from me! Please let me know if you need me to do review on any of the product above (or you can just go here to see the sunscreens that I've already reviewed) by leaving comments down below. 

Until next time, annyeong~ 

Skincare Routine | Tone-Up Moisturisers

I've started to be into these tone-up moisturisers or tone-up creams especially after I've received two products for review purposes but I didn't stop there as I kept on searching for more to try and I was really lucky to receive some samples from my friends in the #MYABCommunity.

If you're not familiar with this so-called tone-up creams, basically they're moisturisers that contain sunscreen-like ingredients hence the white cast but do not necessarily have SPF in it so you're still going to need to apply SPF on top of them for sun protection. The thing with early development of tone-up cream that has made me avoid them at all cost back in the day is because they made me look like a white ghost and also they tend to dry out my skin and causes breakouts. Huge no-no!

Therefore I have built up the ideal tone-up cream in my head and begun my search to find the one product that meet every requirement I need; it has to be hydrating enough, it won't dry out my skin, it doesn't cling on my dry patches and most importantly, the tone-up effect must be nice, natural-looking enough for me to merely apply colourless chemical sunscreen on top for no-makeup makeup days. 

   

I definitely am in love with THE FACE SHOP The Therapy Toning Moisture Blending Formula Cream as it hydrates so well (The Therapy, guys! You gotta love the whole hydrating line!) and giving me a natural toned up look throughout the day. Looking at that small amount left in the tub surely tells how much I've been using it as my second last step for morning routine.

As the whole White Seed line is primarily targeting those in 20s, I have to add extra moisture for the THE FACE SHOP White Seed Spotlight Radiance Cream to blend nicely on my skin. Although, I gotta say that it does help when I had moisture imbalance during my post-allergic reactions days as it sort of reduced the redness along my jawline and neck area at the same time gives slight oil-control on my T-zone but of course, when my skin goes back to normal, this does making me feeling dry slightly so I'd be applying gel moisturiser or its lotion sister prior this tone-up cream application. 

The newest addition to my stash would be the above FORENCOS Wonderwerk Marula Tone Up Cream. It's definitely much creamier than the THE FACE SHOP The Therapy tone-up cream and can give off really white cast all over my face even if I were to apply a little bit extra. As it's formulated with marula oil, of course it's much more moisturising however this can make my T-zone looks shiny midday so I'd be just dusting the area off with translucent powder and I'm all good! I don't need to apply extra layer of moisturiser underneath and I only need a little at a time so I do like this the most out of the three that I have right now but I guess it's still too early for me to say as i only have been using it several times.

I guess that's all from me. Do let me know if you're using any tone-up cream in your routine and what other products are worth trying by leaving comments down below. 

Until next post, annyeong~

Skincare Routine | Moisturisers

When it comes to moisturisers, I gotta admit that I haven't been using them regularly as I've only been focusing on light moisturisers like emulsion and lotions for both my morning and evening skincare routines but of course I cannot prolong that habit anymore as my skin been feeling so dehydrated even adding sleeping masks won't do. 

I doubt that you're not familiar with moisturisers but I'm still gonna drop some info to refresh (if I may) both our memories on this supposedly last skincare product that we use to seal or lock in everything that we have applied from toner to the heaviest serum or ampoules.

Basically there are 3 things you need to know about ingredients in common moisturisers: 

• Emollients prevent water loss without adding moisture to skin and has a softening effect on skin. Example: mineral oil, shea butter, aloe vera, cocoa butter, fatty acids (animal oils), triglycerides, palmitates, stearates, etc. 
• Occlusives focus more on preventing the moisture loss  or drained by external stressors by forming a protective film over the skin. They're usually oil-based that give off slightly greasy finish that possibly clog your pores especially for oily and acne-prone skin. Example: jojoba oil and lanolin.
• Humectants add moisture by drawing water molecules from the environment towards the epidermis in order to help rehydrate the skin’s surface. They help to increase the amount of water within the skin and store it away until it is needed, making humectants a great moisturiser for the majority of skin types. It is capable to holding up to 1000 times its own weight in water! Example: Glycerin and Hyaluronic Acid and certain AHAs like Lactic Acid. Source

If those three are driving you confuse then not to worry as there are few things in general you and I both need to know when it comes to moisturisers; how well it goes on our skin, whether it it is absorbed well into layers of our skin, whether it irritates or soothing; things you can see and feel but unfortunately, if you're not familiar with ingredients that might react badly to your skin then there's no other way other than trying the products and find out. That's why you're here! To find out about how these products work in general.

For my previous Round 11.0 skincare, I managed to finish one of the moisturisers around March so I went on and opened one to replace it but I've received several products to review and soon-to-be-expired freebies for the past couple of months hence there are five opened moisturisers in my stash!

Let's go into each and every of it!

First, the SKIN&LAB Dr. Colour Effect Red Cream. I've got this as a freebie along with a purchase from Althea and I remember while I was unboxing, I was so surprised to see that the full-sized product contained merely half of the tub! I've only used this like twice as the last step in my evening routine as it's so heavy and takes a while before absorbed all in however my skin was feeling really nice and smooth in the morning so I guess it's worth the effort to apply this. Be warned though; the scent is kind of strong and overwhelming for some.

As for the above Brillar Camu Camu Moisture Cream, I've been loving this since the first time I've tried this moisture cream as even though it goes on kind of thick on the surface, it dries down to almost matte finish as I massage my facial area upwards and this too gives off a very nice, smooth skin in the morning. Although I have to admit that this doesn't give much moisture I need during my dry and flaky skin days but still, I'm reaching for this the most in my PM routine.

This MIZON Vita Lemon Calming Cream is a recently opened product to replace the finished brightening moisturiser from my previous round of skincare but this also has soothing and calming properties so it's a 2 in 1 moisturiser that I've been enjoying in my morning routine. The texture is gel-like and absorbed into skin rather quickly and it does soothes my irritated skin and calms down my redness a little bit (although I don't have much to begin with) around my jawline and neck area.

Even before receiving Althea Korea Bare Essentials Fixer Cream for review, I already bought the trio literally on the the day it was launched on their site. I do like this for my morning routine as it does help with my normal to oily skin in terms of supplying ample of moisture but at the same time this just makes my skin is looking smooth with a little bit of brightening effect. As you've noticed from the above photo, I really am enjoying using this moisturiser to the point that I've used up more than half within 2 months.

I've received this Primary Raw Soy Milk Cream from Kurator.my as a gift with purchase (I've got some sheet masks and an essence-toner from the same brand) around March if I'm not mistaken and this is pretty much the same as the moisture cream I've shown you above. They also work similarly in terms of how they keep my skin moisturised but I do like this one's scent better as it's milder and doesn't linger.



So I guess that's all of it! I hope you find this post helpful and if you need me to further explain any of the above moisturisers, do let me know by leaving comments down below.

Until next post! Annyeong~

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Skincare Routine | Eye Care

Both the above full-sized products are from my Round 11.0 of skincare and for the past few weeks, I've been applying my eye cream and eye serum regularly and I am glad to see the result it brings. It's still a long way for major improvement but I hope I can work through to see the bottom of the jar and bottle. But I’m still not getting used to the eye serum texture and still adjusting the amount and whenever I have excess I’ll just apply on my smile lines.

I've got the deluxe sample of this sleeping mask specifically for eye area; LANEIGE Eye Sleeping Mask as GWP few months ago and brought this to my weekend getaway last week. I do love how it soothes my eye area and am considering to get the full size very soon.


I guess that's all for now and I'll be seeing you guys on my next post. Anneyeong~

Skincare Routine | Emulsions and Lotions

As I've mentioned many times before, I have always prefer light moisturisers such as emulsions during the day while slightly heavy lotions for my night routine however I'm going to admit that I've been loving moisture creams these days and sometimes I even using them both for my day and night routines especially on super sensitive skin days. I tell you, my skin barrier is a little bit crazy for the past month due to allergic reaction caused by food poisoning. Still, let's talk about current opened emulsions and lotions in my stash.

I've already talked about THE FACE SHOP White Seed Brightening Lotion and Innisfree Jeju Sparkling Mineral Lotion in the last Round 11.0 of my skincare and the same goes to that THE FACE SHOP The Therapy Hydrating Formula Emulsion but I just want to say that I'm so happy to finally got the full-sized version as I'm out of my deluxe samples months ago. I love using it for my anti-ageing-themed night routine and sometimes it serves as a sealant to everything I've applied prior to it.

As for that COSRX Natural BHA Skin Returning Emulsion, it's actually a lightweight hydrating emulsion suits for day routine and it contains BHA that helps with refining skin texture. i do find this is actually quite nice and soothing but not for these times when my skin is sensitive. I will get back to this once my skin condition return to its original state; better, healthier skin barrier.

So that's all for now! I'll be seeing you guys on my next post! Annyeong~

Skincare Routine | Sheet Masks

On the previous Round 11.0 of my skincare products, I've recorded I have about 600 sheet masks in my beauty stash and I wasn't that surprised to see the numbers went up again to almost 800 at this point of time as I've been buying a lot more especially after one of my favourite Taiwanese brand; b.liv, renewed their line of sheet masks. But I'm not gonna lie as i'm actually quite relieved when a friend of mine; another beauty enthusiast I came to know on #myabcommunity decided to go halfsies on several boxes of 10 of these sheet masks. Oh, as for these bunch of sheet masks? They're 2018-expiring sheet masks and less than 100 for me to finish within the 6 months ahead of me. Easy? I'd sure hope so!

The last time I'd round up these babies, they've taken up a quarter of my room's floor area and now, they're well organised in these stacked 3-tier pink shelves that I've gotten at local furniture store and I'm arranging them based on either brands or functions in 14 pink Daiso containers for easy access but of course I've already got everything recorded on my list of sheet masks in my stash so none of them gone expired like last year. Sigh.

        

As I've already explained my selections on sheet masks that comprising my whole stash in the above photo as the only change here is their numbers which has increased, I'll be seeing you guys on the next post but in the mean time, do let me know your favourite kind of sheet masks by leaving comments down below. Annyeong~

Skincare Routine | Serums and Ampoules

If essence is being the star product in its skincare line or even on its own, I'd say the same goes to serums and ampoules. Why? Because the difference between essence and serum is mainly in their texture whereas essence is lighter than serum and as for the difference between essence and ampoule is mainly in their targeted area whereas essence are usually should be used on the whole facial area while ampoules are usually meant for specific area like smile lines, dark spots i.e. hyperpigmentations. Although ampoules can sometimes be in light consistency but mostly in serum-like consistency. But the bottomline is, all three products are working the hardest among their sisters products hence usually the most expensive compared.

As I've been using THE FACE SHOP The Therapy Water-Drop Anti-Aging Moisturising Serum for several times, I've noticed how nice and plumped my skin has become in the morning as I only have been incorporating this serum in night routine. What I like the most is its light texture. I'm going to use awhile more before coming up with proper review.

As for the Innisfree Whitening Pore Synergy Serum, I've only been using a quarter of this brightening serum with pore care effect however I do find it drying out my skin so I don't think I'll be continuing on using it as I don't find it ideal to pile on heavy moisturiser during the day.  Why not using it at night, you'd say? Because I prefer moisturising serum and ampoule for my night routine. I'd probably be giving this away soon.

I'm on the third bottle for that LANEIGE White Plus Renew Spot Ampoule (this is the 4th bottle left being displayed here) and this one too is a little bit drying but this actually gives excellent result as my acne marks fade rather quickly. So it's imperative for me to use thick cream around the applied area. Honestly, I'm so done using these kinds of serums and ampoules as I do want to venture into using gentle acids for my skin; AHA, BHA, and PHA, not forgetting retinols! Let's talk about this further in another post!

I've received that LEAGUERTOX V-Shot Silhouette Lifting Ampoule previously in Althea Box back in February. It's kind of thick and heavy; takes time to being absorbed well into skin although I've only applied this on wrinkle-prone area like smile lines around my mouth area and crow feet but I haven't developed them yet. I actually don't know if I should continue on using but so far it's nice so I guess, yes?

So that's all about this on this post on my current opened serums and ampoules. Let me know if you have suggestions on this category by leaving comments down below and I'll be seeing you guys real soon on my next post! Annyeong~

Skincare Routine | Essences

Essence or serum to me is like a star product where it's the most important in any skincare line I ever encountered and how the cleanser, toner, emulsion, and moisturiser being designed heavily depends  on how the essence or serum works. Although, I haven't been getting the most out of the opened essences in my stash as I have been indulging a lot in using sheet masks both for my morning and night routine.

First would be that LANEIGE Time Freeze Essence. This is the first anti-aging essence I ever had in my whole stash and I have to admit that I haven't been using this so diligently but I'm planning to from now on. I've got a tip that we can still apply essences prior sheet mask application but it's preferable to use functional essence or serum with a hydrating sheet mask for a synergy effect. So, I guess I'll be trying this later and let you guys know how it went.

Of course, as both LANEIGE's and that Innisfree Jeju Sparkling Mineral Essence are from previous round of skincare, I'd still be alternating between the two. Although I still not really into this. Maybe I should give it away or apply on my body? :D

One of the most recent addition to my beauty stash is that Primary Soymilk Renew Essence. It's supposedly hydrates the skin and it's light in texture so I'll be using it in my morning routine. But seriously, what do you think of the packaging? It's made of glass by the way.

The above are some deluxe samples of essences from Innisfree, LANEIGE and Real Barriers that I used throughout the time when my skin was really sensitive due to having allergic reaction; hydrating and soothing essences. I probably getting one of these in full-sized version later. Especially that Real Barrier Essence Mist! So convenient to use after washing my face (on sensitive skin days) so I won't be feeling dry after stepping out of the washroom and into my bedroom literally 4 feet away.

I guess that's all of it! Let me know your favourite essence in your routine by leaving comments down below. Until next post! Annyeong~

Skincare Routine | Toners

I'd understand if you want to skip your cleanser in the morning, given that you deep cleansed your skin the night before and applied the rest of your skincare so it might not be necessary to wash your face but I don't think it should be the same when it comes to toners. I'm sure our skin needs clean condition to let all the essence, serum and of course, day moisturiser to be absorbed properly so let's talk about these current opened toners in my stash.

As I usually prefer brightening skincare in the morning, I’m currently using THE FACE SHOP White Seed Brightening Toner for it. This does brightens up my overall skin tone although slightly but it honestly, the whole line doesn’t provide ample hydration for my skin so I usually amped up the hydration by adding sheet mask in between the toner and the lotion.

I’ve been using ALTHEA Bare Essentials Primer Water; serum-like toner for the past 2 months and as you can tell, despite having numbers of toners, I do use this a lot especially for my morning routine. This helps prepping my skin before makeup as it hydrates and smoothening my skin at the same time. I’m loving this and there’s a high chance for me to repurchase this.

Innisfree Jeju Sparkling Mineral Skin is a lightweight toner that I’m alternating with the Primer Water or for 7-Skin Method where I put on at least 3 layers of this toner and continue with heavier toners. This merely for moisturising purposes for me though it claims it can help with brightening but I've been juggling my skincare products so I can't really tell whether it works for that or not. 

As I always use either exfoliating toner, skincare booster, first essence or first serum with cotton pads, I love using THE FACE SHOP The Therapy Hydrating Tonic Treatment without cotton pads and apply merely using my fingers. This hydrates so well and making skin feeling smooth and supple. I’m in love with this skincare line overall as I've been using this as anti-aging care for my night routine for the previous months.

I just want to include the recently purchased Nacific Fresh Herb Origin Cotton Toner in Calendula (unopened) and bunch of deluxe toners that I used during the time I had food poisoning; soothing toners for sensitive skin. As for that B.Liv Got Oil Relief, I bought two of them; having one on my vanity and another on my office table. It does hydrates my skin and as it comes in spray bottle, this rather works as my facial mist as rehydrate my skin midday.

I guess that's all from me! Let me know your favourite toners; be it hydrating, moisturising, brightening even for sensitive skin in the comment section down below. I'll see you guys on my next post! 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~

Skincare Routine | AHA, BHA, PHA!

I honestly do think that I should've included the COSRX One-Step Pimple Clear Pad in this post rather the previous one as it's basically a toner containing betaine salicylate and willow bark water to chemically exfoliate without drying the skin. I guess, I should be doing that in my next post probably in September where I'll be talking about my next Round 13.0 of skincare but for now, let's go into these acids that I've been incorporating in my evening routine for the past few weeks.

First, those two products from COSRX; the AHA/BHA Clarifying Treatment Toner and BHA Blackhead Power Liquid. I have these two for quite sometime but honestly I’ve only been using them few times as I keep on reaching for other toners (whether it's brightening or hydrating toners)  as I want to speed up my routine especially in the morning when I don’t have the luxury to wait for 15 minutes for these to work and then proceed with the rest of my skincare routine. I will put in more efforts to use them in my evening routine probably in another two weeks after my skin is less sensitive and I'd probably be doing special treatment  by using cleansing oil followed by BHA and a clay mask. Let’s see if it works.

New addition to my acids squad is that SNP Lab+ Triple Water Peel Soothing Pads. I’ve only been using this for several times in the evening but I already am loving it! This contains AHA, BHA and PHA which are kind for my sensitive, dry cheeks area with oily T-zone. Let me use it several times more before coming up with a proper review.

So that's all of it! Let me know what kind of facial exfoliators that you're using in your skincare routine by leaving comments down below. Until next post, annyeong~