Empties of the Month (January 2014)!

Chinese New Year is just two sleeps away, and I will be a busy bee during this festive season! Since I will not be posting anything here for a week (yes, I’m honest enough to tell you, but do keep reading and keep the comments coming!), I thought I want to share with you my very 1st empties of the Horse year! Yup, let’s go galloping to each review after the pictures, shall we?

Welcome to my first empties of 2014, yo!

Welcome to my first empties of 2014, yo!

Aesop Purifying Cream Cleanser 125ml 

Aesop Purifying Cream Cleanser

Aesop Purifying Cream Cleanser

I LOVE anything Aesop. There I said it. Give me any of its products, and I will love you, too. This cream cleanser from Aesop was not my first product from Aesop, but this is one I will ALWAYS repurchase. Previously packaged in a jar, it has now been transformed into a tube that is much more hygienic and light. I love using a cream cleanser as the first step of cleansing during the evening when I only use LIGHT makeup. I use this cream cleanser like I would with a cleansing oil; apply the cream on dry face with dry fingers, then massage, add some water and massage again.

That being said, I would sometimes use this purifying cream cleanser in the morning as it does not strip the moisture from my face like some cleansing foams do. Also, my nose love to “pick up” its scent in the morning, and I start my day feeling all happy. A happy nose makes a happy person! Just so you know that most items from Aesop smells like herbs, this cream cleanser has that scent YET very soothing. When I started using this, I thought the scent was overpowering, but then I grew to like the smell as I used it more often. Combination, dry and sensitive skin will benefit from this gentle cream cleanser as this one leaves the skin feeling clean, hydrated and velvety soft after use.

Decleor Experience de L’Age Eye and Lip Cream 15ml

Decleor Eye & Lip Cream is quite good to tackle fine lines.

Decleor Eye & Lip Cream is quite good to tackle fine lines.

 This cream is designed to smooth away fine lines and wrinkles around eyes and lips for mature type, so my initial guess was this might work for me since I am slightly “younger”. I did not use this eye and lip cream around my lip area, but since this is not a lightweight cream, I only used this at night. Although I do not need to massage too long for it to absorb, I found out that no matter how long I massage, I still get a slight greasiness at the eye area. Since I had another eye cream that is lighter and matte, I did not use this cream during the day. However, I must confess that my fine lines were significantly reduced when I used this every night.

Aesop Parsley Seed Anti-Oxidant Eye Cream 10ml

Aesop Parsley Seed Anti-Oxidant Eye Cream

Aesop Parsley Seed Anti-Oxidant Eye Cream

 Claimed to be a potent cream blend of anti-oxidants for all skin types, I was surprised when this rich cream absorbed easily around the eye area. This eye cream that contains Vitamins C & E to offer exceptional hydration leaves no sign of greasiness at all; however, since it is so easily absorbed, I could not massage around my eye area for some circulation. It is said to work best with its eye serum, which I sampled and found that very true, so I chose to use this alone in the morning instead.

This potent eye cream did not give me milia seeds around the eye area nor did this make me itch. My dark circles appeared to be slightly lighter after using this, but the fine lines were there to stay. In the future, I will have to get both eye serum and eye cream to get the best results, and although the thought alone is painful for my bank account, I WILL HAVE TO DO IT FOR THE SAKE OF BEAUTY.  Oh, did I mention that this eye cream smells heavenly, too? I felt like putting this on my entire face EVERY TIME I used the eye cream. I love the scent and the ingredients so much that I just have to share it with you!

Ingredients: Water, Iyceryl Sterate, Tocophercol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Shea Butter Fruit. Jojoba Seed Oil, Sodium Ascorby Phospate, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Ceteareth-20, Cocoa Seed Butter, Lavender Oil, Glercin, Sodium Lactate, Linalool, Phenoxyethanl,  Chamomile Oil, Benzalkonium Chloride, Disdodium EDTA, d-Limonene, Parsley Seed Oil.

Shiseido Perfect UV Protector SPF50+ 50ml

Shiseido Perfect UV Protector SPF50+

Shiseido Perfect UV Protector SPF50+

I have declared my love for this sunscreen in this post. It is not funny to indulge on a sunscreen EVERY month that costs RM 130. I am not sure about you, but I definitely feel the pain every time I need to buy a new one every month. I need to constantly remind myself not to pamper my body too much by applying this, but a rather cheaper one I could get from drugstores or pharmacies.

Shiseido The Skincare Instant Eye & Lip Makeup Remover 125ml

Shiseido The Skincare Instant Eye & Lip Makeup Remover

Shiseido The Skincare Instant Eye & Lip Makeup Remover

I was introduced to this when a kind SA from Shiseido gave me this when I purchased its sunblock. I was hooked by its unscented formula. It removes waterproof makeup (mascaras and lip stains) easily without stinging sensation. In short, it is gentle, yet effective. I like that it came in a squeezable bottle, so I don’t get messy spills when I sometimes poured out too hastily.

LUSH It’s Raining Men (Honey) Shower Gel 250g

Lush It's Raining Men Shower Gel

Lush It’s Raining Men Shower Gel

If I could dip myself in a pool of honey, I would. I really don’t mind its sugary taste and scent, but the ants and bears would come after me when I’m on the land then. Fortunately though, this honey shower gel does not have overpowering, nauseating sweet mix of toffee, sweet orange, bergamot oils and lotus flowers.

Ingredients like this make me happy! Notice that rosehip, honey and lotus water TOP the ingredient list?

Ingredients like this make me happy! Notice that rosehip, honey and lotus water TOP the ingredient list?

While this shower gel cleanses well and does not leave my skin sticky, it is NOT particularly moisturizing on the skin. I do wish someday, all the shower gels from Lush would be free from foaming agent Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLS), which is known to be contaminated by a carcinogen called 1,4-dioxine that may lead to cancer. I am glad that Lush does NOT test on animals, but if it is 100% natural, all the better!

While writing this post, I just realized I had NEVER used up any of my makeup! I hope in the coming months, I would find some that are worth using till the end of their life. Hehe! Have you used any of the products mentioned above? Let me know how you find them! Anyway, allow me to wish all who are celebrating the festive season a “Happier Chinese New Year” and may all your troubles gallop away from worrying you always!

With love,

LY