Skincare Routine as of December 14, 2015

1. Oil Cleanser. None. No make-up = no oil.
2. Water-based Cleanser (Foaming Cleanser). None, see above.
3. Water rinse. My actual step 1. Water is at a neutral ph of 7. Check.
4. Toner. Missha Time Revolution Clear Toner. It goes one light, and you can feel it dry on your face in a very nice and refreshing way. Don't know if I am supposed to have it dry before I put on the first essence.
5. First Essence: Missha Time Revolution First Treatment Essence. It has the same water consistency of the Clear Toner, however it smells more yeasty. Due to the fact that often do my routine without my glasses on or my contacts in, I have been very nervous about getting the toner and the first treatment mixed up. Good thing the Clear Toner comes in a cheap plastic bottle with a round screw-off top, whereas the FTE comes in a glass bottle with an oval screw-off top. Also, the smell would be an indicator, but I don't usually realize until I slap it on my face. This watery essence does leave my face a little stickier than the toner. 
6. Serum or essence. MY LIQUID GOLD samples of SK-II Facial Treatment Repair C from Sephora.  Then, as of yesterday, I have had sample of Amore Pacific MOISTURE BOUND Rejuvenating Serum which I am using after the SKII is absorbed a bit into my skin due to it's thicker texture. The SKII glides on and leaves my face a little sticky, whereas Amore Pacific is light and gets absorbed almost instantaneously. 
7. Moisturizer. AM: Still using my holy grail of moisturizer meets SPF of Aveeno Smart Essentials Daily Nourishing Moisturizer SPF 30. It really makes me feel moisutrized and happy to know that I am also getting SPF 30 out of it. It's heavier, so many people might feel it's greasy, but with my combination skin, it works like a charm. PM: Freeset's Donkey Milk 3D Moisture Cream, been using this for a while, and while it's not a holy grail, I am very content with its results. Each morning my skin feels plump and more balanced. My t-zone remains greasier than the rest of my face, but it really is not bad at all when using this cream.

What's new here? Amore Pacific and Missha Time Revolution Clear Toner and First Treatment Essence.

Wrote about my New Sample Excitement with Amore Pacific.

Wrote about my disappointment with Missha's Super Aqua Cell Renw Snail Sleeping pack.

Pretty darn happy with my Time Revolution set so far. Should also note that I have been suffering from acne on my chin/chin jawlin/upper lip since last Wednesday. Though I don't usually get pimples on my chin's part of the jawline, they have subsided quickly and I hardly know the difference now.

My period arrived yesterday, which is usually the factor to blame when I get mouth/chin area pimples. Jawline though? That's a bit weird, but no one can tell, just me.

Got a compliment on my skin on Sunday. My friend who hasn't seen me in a couple of months (she moved cross-country for her career) said my skin looked fantastic.

In another unrelated comment about my skin, someone noted that I looked "paler," which I didn't really think was possible considering how ghostly pale I am already. Here's the hoping that this "paler" comment is in regards to my skin's cells balancing and renewing themselves.

Also have to think of how much long I am going to go around to random Sephoras that carry the SKII line and ask for samples of my liquid gold. I cannot live on samples forever, but $170 for a single ounce really is beyond my means. I am already so stoked that I got the Missha Time Revolution set for 46 bucks during the Black Friday weekend, and I am going to use that for at least the next year.

Nervous though, because I am pretty sure I am going to do a Duty Free Incheon Airport haul in the next month and those products will bring so much excitement that I just might switch around my routine. As someone said, your skincare products are more of a wardrobe. You can't wear all of your clothes at once, but you can pick and choose what you want for the time being.

New Sample Excitement! Amore Pacific MOISTURE BOUND Rejuvenating Serum

A long, long, long time ago I got a sample of a moisturizer from Amore Pacific. It was like heaven, the first time I was truly impressed by a face cream, ever. Impressed until I saw the price tag!

It was such a tease, that sample bottle. Perfect sanitized dispenser, one pump did the entire face. I really thought that I was in love and then the price tag came at me like a stream roller.

To say the least, I have never purchased any of their products, but instead fantasied about the way their cream made my face feel.

Now, in the future, I am a bit less naive, I am a bit less enamored. However, in getting a sample of my "liquid gold" aka SKII Facial Treatment Repair C, I wanted to see what Amore Pacific had to offer. It is known that they try to compete in the luxury skincare market against SKII.

Oddly enough, the Sephora I went to had them place side by side. They're both into using a type of anti-aging ingredient, but SKII has it in it's purest form, or so I've heard?

Interestingly enough, though they have the basic Korean face routine items, they do not match since it seemed that Amore Pacific did not carry an item that would be the same as the SKII serum that I've been using. Instead, I opted to just use their Moisture Bound Rejuvenating Serum, which has a thicker consistency reminding me of a light facial cream.

This sample is less of a serum than SKII's Repair C. SKII's Repair C has a viscose consistency that is slightly sticky, but goes on very smooth all the while being completely transparent. Amore Pacific's Rejuvenating Serum has a heavier cream sort of texture that is heavily fragranced (in fact, that is the strong most noticeable thing, it's ridiculously strong perfume). It is while, goes on clear, but reminds me more of a end of the routine of kind cream.

Which is exactly what I have done with it.

I've only got a single sample of it, so I don't expect it to last the week, but I am using after applying SKII Repair C. Let's see how this new sample goes, shall we? (It really is so heavily fragranced, I am kind of turned off by it. It is layered UNDER my Freeset Donkey Milk 3C Moisture Cream, which has the thickest consistency, and yet I can STILL smell the Amore Pacific. This is a $100 product, why does it need so much fragrance?

Rethought Review: Missha Super Aqua Cell Renew Snail Sleeping Mask

You know how I wasn't impressed by this sleeping mask?

I tried it again, this time without wearing my usually cream first.

Then I tried it again, slathering a thick later onto my face.

Then I tried it again when I was suffering from pimples and wanted my face to calm down a bit.


Each time I woke up, without fail, GREASY T-ZONE. Totally as if I didn't do anything to my face at all! No balance, whatsoever. It would get absorbed the same way, even that one time that I globbed it on so generously I was scared that my skin would stop breathing halfway through the night.

It smells so clean, so fresh. It has a great consistency that is like a matte gel. But it doesn't do anything to me! At least, I cannot tell. All I can tell is that it doesn't balance out the dry and greasy parts of my face like Donkey Milk 3D Moisture Cream does, and for that, it makes me feel like I almost didn't put anything on at all.

This product was a fail in my book. Smells great, but I can't seem to see or feel a difference that I am happy with.

Rating: Will use, but only out of fun, not actually for results. Such a pretty box and packaging, but I would gladly trade it for something else less pretty looking that actually gives me a bit more oomph.

The Short of It -- Review: Freeset's Donkey Milk 3D Moisture

It has to be said: I love it, but it's not my holy grail.

This cream is a bit tacky, so it comes off as a bit stringy when you dab it, but it really does the job in a few dabs.

However, after the two week trail period, I've noticed that my T-zone is still a bit shinier than I would like it to be. My U-zone, the dry parts, do feel hydrated and soft. But the moisture that they need is different from the T-zone where it still feels unbalanced.

The scent is also kind of nice, though I cannot put my finger on what exactly it is.

Bottomline: For $40 I am satisfied, but always looking for something that really makes my face more balanced. Maybe I am just spoiling myself and this might be one of the better products I've used. We will see.

First Impressions Fridays: Missha Time Revolution's Clear Toner and FTE

There is one thing that I just don't really get, what is the difference between dewy and greasy?

Dewy means your skin is plump, but is there a hint of sheen to it? Greasy is synonymous with bad things like pimples and smelly hair, but when is sheen too much sheen and just greasy looking?

My first impressions after using the toner and FTE is that it does make a difference. Even though I feel like I am splashing my face with a yeasty smelling water, and then splashing it with some more water (FTE's consistency), I do feel like my skin is lighter and more supple than when I had no used it prior.

This morning though, when I put on the Nature Republic sunscreen I felt like my skin was not taking it as well. It was TOO supple, TOO moisturized. Is that when it becomes greasy? Maybe I never noticed it before, but I felt like after putting on my moisturizer, my face had had enough. Like it didn't want any more layers to it.

Anyway, this is day one, second use, and at night it's fine (though I do still wake up with an oily-ish T-zone, my U-zone is properly hydrated). We will see what happens as the two weeks wear on.

Add a Product Thursday! Missha FTE

It's late, and I really shouldn't but I am going to. Today marks the second week of using Freeset's Donkey Milk 3D Moisture Cream. More detailed review later.

My friend got me a sample of Nude's face oil, which is in a small dispenser that I will check out later.

The last two or three days I have been using the Nature Republic Sunscreen, more on that later as well.

Today I am excited because I am not introducing one, but TWO new products. Usually I would be hesitant, but they came in a set and I want to use both the toner and first essence.

Day one of using Missha's Time Revolution Starter Set's Clear Toner and First Treatment Essence "Intensive." Let's see how it goes.