It did not take me long to venture into the brand, Decleor after having positive results with the cleansing duo (review here), and I have an amazing find for the body, which is its Aromessence Relax Intense Dry Oil. That … Continue reading
If there is one thing I hoard, it has got to be FACIAL CLEANSERS! Yes, I buy facial cleansers A LOT. I keep them in my cupboard, and I get depressed when the stock is running low. Sometimes I secretly … Continue reading
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!
Aesop Purifying Cream Cleanser 125ml
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.
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
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+
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
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
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?
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
Do you double cleanse every evening? The first cleanse removes makeup, oil, sweat, and debris while the second cleans the skin. I will save the second cleansing topic for another day, but I am curious to know what do you use to do the first cleansing? To those who have NEVER double cleansed, allow me to brief you a little.
This first wash is very, very important. No pun intended here. If you don’t want clogged pores and breakouts, start NOW. If you have been neglecting this step but blame your other skin care products for not working for you, please realize now that proper double cleansing is crucial for overall skin health. Focus on areas of congestion from now on, and you will begin to reap the reward!
It is essential to get something that is effective against makeup (which includes BB cream and sunscreen). There are many types of makeup removers available to suit every skin type such as cleansing oils, cleansing cream, cleansing balms, cleansing gels (mind you, not foaming gels or gel cleansers), cleansing water and cleansing milk. I love using cleansing oils to remove makeup since I apply makeup nearly every day. However, on days where I do NOT apply anything on top of my sunscreen, I prefer something moist and creamy – say, cleansing creams/milk.
Why do I like cleansing oils? All I need to do is to take 1-2 pumps of oil onto the palm, spread gently over dry face before adding a few drops of water to the dry fingers to massage the face. As the water touches the oil on the face, the oil will emulsify by turning into milky white). I will then massage my face for a good minute or two until I feel the need to rinse my face thoroughly with water.
Today I have this brightening cleansing oil to share with you. Below are the ingredients:
Coco-Caprylate, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, PEG-20 Glyceryl Triisostearate, Aqualane, Sweet Almond Oil, Palm Kernel Oil, Fragrance, Benzyl Salicylate, BHT.
Decleor Aroma White C+ Brightening Cleansing Oil
I am very happy to know this cleansing oil from Decleor does NOT contain mineral oil. The thing that also sold me was the word “brightening”. I do not suffer from any pigmentation on my face, but I would like to PREVENT that from happening. Ever!
This comes in a 150ml bottle with a twist-open cap, but not very travel-friendly since it is quite easy to unlock the cap where leakage could happen. I have used this every evening for a month now to conclude that this does not disappoint! Despite being a ‘brightening’ product, it does a good job removing makeup (including lip colour and waterproof eye makeup) WITHOUT DRYING OUT my skin. Mascaras on my eyelashes were removed effortlessly as the texture of this cleansing oil is very light and runny, making it so easy to spread. Its texture reminded me of Bobbi Brown Soothing Cleansing Oil, which I also love! Unlike some cleansing balms or milk that I have tried, this cleansing oil does NOT leave any greasy residue on my face after rinsing.
On another note, I do not see any brightening results right after rinsing. I have tried Shu Uemura’s brightening cleansing oil once too, and although the skin gets brighter after cleansing, my skin became drier and the brightening results was undoubtedly temporary. Decleor brightening cleansing oil, in contrast, is a gentle formula that does NOT make my skin feeling taut dry but does an effective job in removing makeup or impurities. I bought this from Decleor salon at Mid Valley for RM169.
Have you tried Decleor Brightening Cleansing Oil, or is there any other cleansing product that you can’t live without? Those who have never double cleansed, it’s time to pay close attention to your skin. It is never too early or too late to care for your face; you only have one face (even if you are a two-faced, LOL!).
With love,
LY
Engaged With Beauty 