Skincare Routine Mondays: November 7, 2016

HOW IS IT ALREADY NOVEMBER?!?! And the birthday of my of my besties still living in Taiwan.

1. AM Eyelid Cleanser: Ocusoft But to be honest, I think I used it maybe ONCE this past week. My eyes have been ok, not really as crusty. My false lashes are persevering to the point where people ask me if I had them redone. Nope, just waiting for them to fall out. This last place really did a good job, it's been four weeks!
2. Water-based Cleanser: sum37's Miracle Rose Cleansing Stick, is literally just a wad of booger. It's only going to be good for one or two more uses and then BAM! out comes the new stick. And this time my sister won't be using it as well, so it should last a wee bit longer, right?
3. Wash-off Mask: From Sephora Sample Wonderland I got a bit of the Peter Thomas Roth Peeling Gel. Honestly, felt weird because again, it wasn't really as effective as I think the Japanese product Natural Aqua Gel Cure. The PTR sample just smelt yeasty, and I felt like the product was just rolling up on itself, not actually taking off dead skin? I don't know, maybe peeling gels are not for me, but this one really didn't do anything and I would not think of sampling it again.
4. Moisturizing Toner: The Face Shop's Chia Seed Line, still trying to use it up.
5. Moisturizer: Mizon's AIO Snail Cream ran out the day I wrote last week, so I've actually be using another cream that I bought from duty free, which is older than the other cream I originally planned on using. This cream is also from Nature Republic and is their top of the line, Ginseng Royal Silk Watery Cream. I definitely did not pay that much for it, more like, it was less than $40 USD and it came with a full sized Ginseng Royal Silk Essence (which I have not started using yet.) Introducing one new thing at a time in my routine is important to me, so I am trying my patience in doing one at a time. This cream also does not seem to absorb so well, and the first time I used it, I think I used way too much product and felt like I was washing a sleep pack off in the morning. Mizon really got me spoiled with the instant absorb and scent-free thing it's got going on. (Yes, I gave in and order another jar via Amazon.)
6. AM Sunscreen: Biore Aqua Rich Waterly Essence Sunscreen 50g Spf50+ Pa+++  Always leaves my skin so matte and smooth

My skin has not been as nice lately, and I BLAME THE CREAM. Honestly, I have more jawline pimples (can't tell if they're hormonal or not), and now I have more around my chin/nostril area, and some small white heads that pop-up on the tip of my nose.

This cream might be top of the line, but it really gives me the same oily t-zone that I've manage to avoid completely when using my Mizon AIO Snail creams. I am using the minimal amount of cream, and it actually has real gold flakes in it, so who knows where that's ending up! It's also for older and more mature skin, maybe I will try to convince my mom in using it instead.

MY OILY T-ZONE IS BACK, and I am so, so, so, so sad. One more week of this cream because I try to pawn it off on my mom. Then Moistful BOOskin is coming in as my toner and I can go back to MIZON, because I hope it has arrived by then.

Ugh, I really don't like thick creams. They bring back the oil in full force.

Snow White and the Asian Pear

She's a great skincare (k-beauty oriented) blogger. She hasn't updated in a while, but I can see why. Why would you want to write about more products when you have a handful you already love and trust?

Except for reformulations, those are evil.

The following image is a lifesaver, so I really just want to share it with you. My products, mostly, come from Amazon (especially repurchases), so this actually looks eerily similar to what I have in my stash.

Workout Wednesdays: Skincare Routine

It's been a while, but I thought it might be enough where I should actually start recording what I'm doing since it's different.

Mornings I have to be at the gym before 8 am, so I am up and out of the house as soon as possible.

1. MRCS
2. Sometimes I tone?
3. Sometimes I moisturize?
4. Usually I put on sunscreen and then pop the same tube into my backpack.

Then I sweat and sweat and sweat. Wipe, sweat, repeat. So glad for the gym showers, really.

In the shower I:

1. Use the generic All-in-One soap in the shower stall's soap dispenser. All over this sweaty body.
2. Use Ma Cherie's travel size shampoo of "Air Feel" whatever that's supposed to mean. It smells lovely. You can see the travel kit I use all the way on the right. To be honest, I like it, but I like only using once a week.
3. Wash my body with the travel size that Sephora sells of L’Occitane Cleansing And Softening Shower Oil With Almond Oil. It's weird because, yes, it's an oil, and like cleansing oil that I use for my face, it turns white the second it touches wet skin. Which, obviously I am soaked head to toe. It is softening, but I am also glad I only part take in this luxury about once a week.
4. Put "Air Feel" conditioner on the tips of my hair.
5. Wash my face with Caolion's Pore Blackhead O2 Sparkling Soap, as seen on the left. It is literally just a round piece of bar soap. It foams up very well, but actually has got me on the edge because it gives me a "squeaky clean" feel that I associate with high pH levels (an obvious no-no because high pH disturbs the acid mantle of the face). However, it smells great!! I want to say it's a warm smell, a bit nutty and sweet, shea butter perhaps. It goes on nicely, foams up, then leaves you squeaky, but by the time you have patted dry your face, it feels soft and smooth. It's $5 for the travel size at Sephora and I liked the smell of it so much that I bought one for my sister too. Probably wouldn't use it every day because of the "squeaky clean" factor, but definitely don't mind using it once a week. It's better than the alternative-- trying to pack my MRCS and totally forgetting it because I always put it back in the medicine cabinet on auto-pilot at that time in the morning. Best having something to clean my sweat, grime-layered face than nothing at all. This is surely not the worst and is quite nice.
6. Rinse my face, my body one more time, and then the conditioner out of my hair.
7. Today I brought a toner sample I got with my recent Nature Republic purchase. It's the matching Super Aqua Watery line to that cream I recently revisited and disliked. Usually I just go straight to the moisturizer-- I use the small sample size pot of Ole Henrikson's Sheer Transformation. This is the second sample pot I have since it came with a Sephora Play! box. It's ok, for that price it's not doing any miracles. It sometimes makes my skin tingle, but I am guessing that is a part of the fruit acids that "gently exfoliate," which I see as a red flag to use in the mornings because acids make your skin weaker and more prone to sun damage. But I digress.
8. Take out my little tube of Biore Waterly Essence sunscreen and spread it across my face like melted citrus buttah.


Anyway, that's a look into my Workout Wednesday Skincare Routine. This should probably be more than just Wednesday, but right now, that is what works best into my work/life/school balance.

Rethinking a Product: Nature Republic Super Aqua Max Combination Watery Cream

About a year ago, when I last went to Taiwan and got myself some impulse facial cream at the duty free store, I found myself purchasing Nature Republic's Super Aqua Max Combination Watery Cream. I had tried it out in the store once back at home, and the price was right. I used up the entire jar, and even opted to buy it again when my Aunt went through duty free.

BOY, what a difference time does make.

New complaints:

1. Too overtly fragranced. It feels like I am literally putting perfume on my face. The smell is so strong I almost find it pungent. It's a fresh, slightly floral smell, so not a bad smell, just too much smell.
2. Too thick/gel-ly. This cream reminds me of my Laneige Watery Sleeping Pack. This morning when I went to wash my face, it had a layer on top of the skin which I am not used to. Mizon get absorbed and feels so good on my skin, absorbs well and quickly. It doesn't make me oily, and really, though I know my nose is shiny, I feel like I have balanced out the combination dry/oily with the AIO Snail Cream. However, due to the heavy consistency, I feel like this Super Aqua Max Combination Watery Cream is just a holding layer creating another layer on stop of my skin, not penetrating into my skin, even as I slept with it on. Does not feel good to literally be washing my face of product nearly 7 hours after application.

Now I know and even if the price is right, no thank you, I would not repurchase this. What I would repurchase and am having a hard time refraining from repurchasing? My Mizon AIO Snail creams (original and in Black, but not the gel cream). 

Perhaps, I am thinking that as a skincare n00b that wasn't in tune with what her skin wants, I thought that this cream was ok. However, now that I have found products that work and feel so much better, I regret having repurchased this as I don't want to use it anymore and yet I have a whole new jar to finish. >.<

Then I have two more Nature Republic creams, and it makes me nervous because that's a lot of creams and a lot of messing up my face before I get back to what I know works for me.

If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Really should learn my lesson and stick with what I know works instead of getting tempted by duty free and sales. Honestly not a fan of overly perfumed skin care products. 

Love my sum 37 MRCS so much that I haven't even purchased another cleaner. The samples I get from Sephora Play! can't even measure up. Nope, just don't like any other cleanser at all. Can't even think twice.

Toners-- haven't found one that I am in love with, though The Chia Seed one from TFS is really growing on me.

LOVE the Mizon AIO snail creams-- I really shouldn't be cheating on them by buying other creams that don't even get me excited anymore.

I used to love the Missha FTE, but recently, I realized that I didn't see a difference even with two bottles. I'm not into short terms fixes, I'm into long haul changes. Maybe I'll incorporate it once I get "used to" the layering feel of this watery cream product.

Bottomline: Don't be afraid to leave what is mediocre behind. WOULD NOT repurchase ever again.

Skincare Routine Mondays: October 31, 2016

Manage to use a small Sephora sampler spatula to get the most out of my MRCS and now it's just a wad of soap in the cap.

1. AM Eyelid Cleanser: Ocusoft Every other day. My eyes have been pretty crusty. The left one hurt last week, so thankful that's gone.
2. Water-based Cleanser: sum37's Miracle Rose Cleansing Stick, down to a wad of soap. Good thing I had my Aunt buy another stick in Incheon's Duty Free last time she was Asia-bound.
3. Wash-off Mask: Used the Sephora Play!'s Skin Inc, Pure Revival Peel (seen on the right). It says leave on for 10 seconds and then massage gently. Honestly, I don't know what I was doing wrong, but it smelled like rubbing alcohol and therefore after ten seconds it seemed to be absorbed by my dry skin (yeah, instructions say to use on dry skin). This made massaging the product around my face near impossible, and for the parts that I globbed it on (I'm a firm believer of less is more with products) it was hardly anything. Perhaps I am just too spoiled because the Japanese brand "The Cure" is a similar sort of experience, and yet it was so much better. None of this alcoholic smell, none of this drying and not being able to massage the product around, none of that nonsense. Tell me a product is going to do something within ten seconds and I will should you a sucker. Sephora Play! you are the sucker.
4. Moisturizing Toner: The Face Shop's Chia Seed Line, which I think I'm nearing the end of the bottle. The pumps don't come out as strong now. Actually have to say that I've grown to like this product a lot. Though the moisturizer of this series reminds me a liquidy hand lotion, the toner itself it quite viscous and does the trick.
5. Essence: The Nature Republic Snail Essence sample and I bought the Snail Solition 70 cream, which came with a 1 oz sample of this essence, awesome. Love bigger sized samples.
6. Moisturizer: Mizon's AIO Snail Cream, which I am using fingers to scoop out the poor stuck to the side of the jar remnants. I truly like this product and need to buy another.... after I use up the three jars of Nature Republic creams hanging out about my house.
7. AM Sunscreen: Biore Aqua Rich Waterly Essence Sunscreen 50g Spf50+ Pa+++  

There's one pimple that I can feel trying to edge it's way out of my skin diagonally from the right corner of my mouth on my jawline. My classmate pointed out a red mark on the left side of my forehead, so maybe that's another pimple too. It's weird, but according to my own timing, I should be over pimples and just be getting my period instead. Maybe it's going to skip this month, which isn't unusual, but mildly annoying. Screws up my planning, and if I have to get ready to combat jawline hormonal acne.

(Just Over) ONE YEAR!!!!

My first post was on October 17, 2015. IT'S BEEN A YEAR!!

Whoops! I totally forgot to commemorate this sort of event. I would have a giveaway, but I don't actually have any readers, so bah humbug! I get to keep this awesome Nature Republic Snail Set to myself!!

Actually, Nature Republic has a sale and I got this set as an impulse buy for me and a friend. Snial Solution 70 (cream), 1 oz Snail Solution Skin Booster 90, and 1 oz Snail Solution Emulsion 80. The number represent the percentage of snail goo in these products. (Even though Mizon is a fraction of the cost and is always over 90%).

Cost me less than $22 USD for one of these boxes, which considering YESAsia is selling it for $87.31 is a steal. The store sells this set for $49, if I recall. Also talked my way into some Argan oil hair mask freebies. Yay. Actually also got an Super Aqua Watery Max (wow, redundant) toner sample that I can't wait to try out on my travels. Honestly hate that there is so much waste in cute little sample bottles, and LOVE the cute little sample bottles because they are precisely just that. CUTE. LITTLE. SAMPLE. BOTTLES.

I'd like to say that if you have been looking at my Monday check-up on my skincare routine (which, if you haven't I don't blame you, they're super boring and mainly for me), I've gone from simple, to really too long, to too many masks, to simple yet again.

When I started it was mainly out of dry skin conditions and an interesting in moisturizing toners and donkey milk.

Now, I went through almost five little jars of moisturizers (Freeset Donkey Milk, Nature Republic Super Aqua Watery Combo, Mizon AIO Snail, Mizon AIO Snaill gel cream, Mizon AIO Black Snail, and my second jar of Mizon AIO Snail), have a substantial sheet mask collection, a lot of little sample jars from Sephora, other more significant sample sized products from Sephora Play!

Over the course of a year I have learned to use an eyelid cleanser, which helps a lot since I am prone to stys. I learned that sheet masking if overrated and I currently think it's too much of a hassle, though I love buying them and giving them away. Less is more in my skincare regime, as I think the Vitamin C waiting game is also not for me. I did not feel any real difference, and buying pH lowering toner really hasn't done anything for me.

Simply cleanse, (hydrating) tone, moisturize, and wear sunscreen. My skin is really great right now, even if I know the fine lines are still there. This is not about turning back the clock, but delaying the clock from moving too fast.

Being half Caucasian and half Chinese there's this whole concept of getting a mixed bag of genes. Will my skin stay young and healthy effortlessly like my Chinese genes would have it? Or will I start losing my hair and getting wrinkles in places I thought not possible because of my Caucasian genes? I'd like to side on taking precautions in case I am more Caucasian-ly inclined.

My skin has never been better since I have started documenting my skincare journey. It's only been a year, but what a world of a difference it has made. My skin always feel soft, and so does my neck, hands, and chest. It's absolutely wonderful and many of my friends (and acquaintances) have skin envy.


Thank you for being there, blog. I don't know why I started you in the first place, but I am glad to have stuck it out for this long. Cheers to many more years to come, more advancements in skincare regimes, and finding products that you truly like.

Skincare Routine Mondays: October 24, 2016

Oh no!! My first MRCS is almost done!!

1. AM Eyelid Cleanser: Ocusoft My eyes still feel weird, so I've been doing this practically every morning. My outer left eye hurts, and I don't know why. I hope nothing is stuck on my eyeball-- that's an issue that has happened before.
2. Water-based Cleanser: sum37's Miracle Rose Cleansing Stick, I AM DOWN TO THE END. It is just the plastic ring, but really there's a lot of soap left there, so I've been digging out little bits with my fingernail to apply on my face. A little goes a long way, and this soap is rather malleable. 
3. Wash-off Mask: Used the Queen Helene Mint mask once this week, which I followed up with a Tony Moly Egg pack, (some sort of steam mask). Oh, how I like doing masks back to back. Exfoliate and cleanse and then cleanse and moisturize. It's great to counteract the mask's effects with a balancing mask afterwards.
4. Moisturizing Toner: The Face Shop's Chia Seed Line, which seems to actually be doing an okay job. Hasn't broken me out, and my skin does feel softer. Nice. Will switch to Booskin once this one is done. Though I have to say I like the pump bottle, so I might clean it out and just put the next toner in the same glass bottle. It's easier to pump twice than to have liquid dribble out of a tiny hole.
5. Essence: The Nature Republic Snail Essence sample about three times this week. It's nice, but I know that I probably won't love it because of the price. Mizon all the way!
6. Moisturizer: Mizon's AIO Snail Cream, which I am running out of already. Why don't these jars last longer?! I am probably going to move on to one of the moisturizers I have in stock, a Nature Republic Watery Combo moisturizer. I have used it before, and quite like it. However, it is strongly fragranced. 
7. AM Sunscreen: Biore Aqua Rich Waterly Essence Sunscreen 50g Spf50+ Pa+++  

Still not getting enough or proper sleep, but my skin is still doing ok. A couple of bumps on the jawline that I thought were hormone induced (though now I'm second guessing that) went away within a day or two. My skin is smooth and nice, and I haven't been doing anything crazy. However, I am anticipating dryer weather, and I am so ready to glob on the night packs. I still haven't opened or tried my Too Cool For School Pumpkin sleep pack. My Laneige is still in the fridge, and I have a few samples that I would like to use up. Sleeping packs are great for winter, but right now I think it's overkill.