Skincare Routine Mondays: August 8, 2016

August 8th! Chinese Father's Day... for the Chinese father I've never had.  Anyways....

Keeping is SIMPLE, thanks.

1. Oil Cleanser: Nope, eyelash extensions.
2. Eyelid Cleanser: Ocusoft
3. Water-based Cleanser: sum37's Miracle Rose Cleansing Stick
4. Hairdryer: To dry eyelash extensions, and then I brush them out when they're a bit drier. They clump up terribly if they aren't dry, and I wouldn't want a clumpy look like that if it dried that way.
5. Toner: That CosRx one that I used to prep for actives.
6. Actives: OST 20 Vitamin C serum (Maybe three times this past week)
7. First Essence:  Missha's FTE Intensive
8. Serum/essence/masks: Too lazy.
9. Facial Oil/Night Oil: Whoops, too lazy for that too.
10. Moisturizer: Mizon's Black AIO Snail Cream is running out and I've ordered another one from Amazon. I wonder why the Black AIO is cheaper than the Original AIO. I feel like the thicker texture of the Black AIO makes it last longer and possibly a better product? But I ordered one of both, since I plan on letting my sister take one with her to school anyway.
11. Sunscreen: Biore Aqua Rich Waterly Essence Sunscreen 50g Spf50+ Pa+++ per usual.

The one or two pimples on prime cheek and lower jawline area are diminishing and my skin is acting nicely, for once. Thank you very much. Please stay that way a little longer, I LOVE YOU.

Remember how I was kind of complaining that Vitamin C gave my face a weird smell. I think it's the layer of Vitamin C and then Missha's First Treatment Essence layered together to give that weird scent.

These eyelash extensions really make me lazy with my skincare routine. I guess for everything there is a balance. I mean, I go out of my way to blow dry my eyelashes. I guess that is time spent on if I put on acids or masks everyday, right?

What's That Smell? Vitamin C or Sunscreen

So, if you've been following me weekly, I've had a kind of lax Vitamin C routine. Can't bring it with me when I'm not at home (since it resides in the fridge), sometimes I don't have the 20 mins to wait for my skin to take it in and balance it out. Sometimes I am just lazy.

However, I have noticed that sometimes I hands smell kind of funny. It's because I lean my face on my hands a lot (wonder why I don't have worse acne actually). Then, after about a week of being too lazy to use Vitamin C, I started it again.

The red OST 20 box lives between some smell jars of ketchup and a half eaten jar of almond butter. Not bad of a location, right?

Anyway, I am not sure what it is, but I am sure that this weird smell I am smelling is me. My very own face. It smells kind of strange. and I honestly think it's the Vitamin C building up and layer unto my skin. It is photoprotective, and I read somewhere that it works four days in, or is it four days since last use? Either way, Vitamin C serum is staying around if applied properly.

Perhaps it's how it mixes in with my sunscreen in the morning, but the smell. O, what a scent. Not pleasant, but not gross. But weird because it's coming from me and now I can smell it all over my hands.

But then again, I smell this mainly in the morning. Perhaps it's the Biore's aftersmell. It does smell a little lemony, but who knows what it smells like afterwards?

Skincare Routine Mondays: August 1, 2016

WHAT?!?! How is it August already? Not enough time to work off this ice cream I've been eating daily!

These eyelash extensions are great, but really, I think it can be a bit more high maintenance than just applying mascara. Though I've not had to worry about any of that since I don't usually wear any make-up anyway!

1. Oil Cleanser: Nope, eyelash extensions.
2. Eyelid Cleanser: Ocusoft
3. Water-based Cleanser: sum37's Miracle Rose Cleansing Stick
4. Hairdryer: To dry eyelash extensions, and then I brush them out when they're a bit drier. They clump up terribly if they aren't dry, and I wouldn't want a clumpy look like that if it dried that way.
5. Toner: That CosRx one that I used to prep for actives.
6. Actives: OST 20 Vitamin C serum
7. First Essence:  Missha's FTE Intensive
8. Serum/essence/masks: Done a PTR Irish Moor Mud mask because we had a sample.
9. Facial Oil/Night Oil: Sunday Riley's Luna Oil, but less than daily, my sample is running out :(
10. Moisturizer: Mizon's Black AIO Snail Cream LOVE IT, but also at 1/4 of a jar :(
11. Sunscreen: Biore Aqua Rich Waterly Essence Sunscreen 50g Spf50+ Pa+++ 

One or two pimples on prime cheek and lower jawline area on the left side. Otherwise, it's diminishing and my skin is acting nicely, for once. Thank you very much.

Eyelash extensions are funny. I thought the left eye was perfect and goregous the first day, whereas the right eye in the inner center kind of flattened out. However, not that it's been a little over a week, the left eye is has gaps of where lashes aren't, seems to clump up, and isn't at it's peak anymore. The right side though? It's the same, if not better looking, and doesn't give me any problems. Sometimes the left eye feels weird, feels off, and I know it's the lashes doing something. There's also one very low hanging lash in the middle of my eye, but it doesn't seem to interfere with my sight, so that is what counts, right?

Really wondering how long this will last. How much longer will I be satisfied, and how many more lashes need to fall in order for me to say, "oh, maybe I don't like this so much." Either way, I bought another Groupon so that I can have these glamours lashes come time for the wedding. Whee!

Skincare Routine Mondays: July 25, 2016

1. Oil Cleanser: NONE, and I'll tell you why in a bit.
2. Eyelid Cleanser: Ocusoft.
3. Water-based Cleanser: sum37's Miracle Rose Cleansing Stick, made my skin feel a bit tight.
4. Toner: whoops haven't done that either.
5. Actives: or that.
6. First Essence:  Missha's FTE Intensive
7. Serum/essence/masks: Hmmm... NOPE again.
8. Facial Oil/Night Oil: Sunday Riley's Luna Oil.
9. Moisturizer: Mizon's Black AIO Snail Cream 
10. Sunscreen: Biore Aqua Rich Waterly Essence Sunscreen 50g Spf50+ Pa+++ WHICH FINALLY CAME. I mean, it's great not to have to pay tax or shipping, but I ordered it July 2nd, and it just got here. It's a week earlier than predicted, which is nice, but not nice enough since I did run out and have to cut up the bottle.

So my routine this week had become significantly simpler because on Saturday I finally got my Groupon out the door and got eyelash extensions.

Yep, I got semi-permanent make-up done, who would have known? I mean, I am in laser hair removal, and am always down for a good deal (thanks groupon for presenting opportunities).

It's nice, especially since I don't wear make-up and this is pretty close to what I would say is "everyday make-up," especially since I just wake up and it's perfect. Got to clean my eyelids everyday though for fear of my eye problems coming back.

It does fall out though, so I have do things on my face rather gingerly. Can't do masks as the eye holes are now too small.

However, those two hormonal pimples along my jaw have dissipated, got something on the other cheek going though.

Skincare Routine Mondays: Whoops, it's Thursday July 21, 2016

1. Oil Cleanser: Shu Umeura High Balancing Cleansing Oil, once or twice at night.
2. Eyelid Cleanser: Ocusoft.
3. Water-based Cleanser: sum37's Miracle Rose Cleansing Stick, made my skin feel a bit tight.
4. Toner: CosRX's AHA/BHA toner skipped it three times this week because of weekend away, and the last two days because of laziness.
5. Actives: OST Pure Vitamin C20 Serum. ditto as the toner.
6. First Essence:  Missha's FTE Intensive
7. Serum/essence/masks: Been using Fresh's Rose Mask in the shower once or twice. Mint Julep mask from Queen Helene happened on my face and pits Tuesday night. Haha, just a regular tuesday night where I mask my armpits to deter my deodorant's toxins. 
8. Facial Oil/Night Oil: Sunday Riley's Luna Oil.
9. Moisturizer: Mizon's Black AIO Snail Cream 
10. Sunscreen: Biore Aqua Rich Waterly Essence Sunscreen 50g Spf50+ Pa+++ which I had to cut the bottle to get the rest of the product. :( I ordered a pair from Amazon earlier this month, but since it's coming from Japan, the predicted date is August 3, at earliest. So, so, so sad! I really need it now.

Suffering from a sort of heat rash all over my chest and neck... it's even spreading down my belly (but only sparsely). Having suffered from rosacea before, I know these things just need extra moisturizing and time. My friend had a Queen Helene Coco butter lotion, and that did WONDERS for my chest. Maybe also hanging out in a pool (in the shade of course!!) also helped cool my rash down. I've been putting Aveeno on it.

My period came yesterday, on Wednesday. Then I woke up with two jawline pimples! After I was "clear" for such a glorious short while. They're on the right side too this time. Not the left. Maybe I just ate too much last night.

Skincare Routine Mondays: July 11, 2016

1. Oil Cleanser: Shu Umeura High Balancing Cleansing Oil, sometimes.
2. Eyelid Cleanser: Ocusoft.
3. Water-based Cleanser: sum37's Miracle Rose Cleansing Stick, thinking about buying my sister her own stick!
4. Toner: CosRX's AHA/BHA toner 
5. Actives: OST Pure Vitamin C20 Serum. Trying to use it in the mornings too, but it really is time consuming.
6. First Essence:  Missha's FTE Intensive o
7. Serum/essence/masks: Been using Fresh's Rose Mask in the shower. 
8. Facial Oil/Night Oil: Sunday Riley's Luna Oil.
9. Moisturizer: Mizon's Black AIO Snail Cream 
10. Sunscreen: Biore Aqua Rich Waterly Essence Sunscreen 50g Spf50+ Pa+++

Hmm, not much going on. My hormonal acne seems to be calming a bit... though from what I can tell my body has no idea when or if the next period is coming. Darn boobs still super bloated.

Getting my hair cut short this week (above the shoulders). Got an Etude Haul.

Etude House had a 40% off sale. Bought a ton of masks, eye primer, contour stick, two liquid eyeliners, no sebum powder. $80 something turned into just $50 so I could get free shipping.

Most minimal routine post ever.

Skincare Routine Mondays: July 4, 2016

Today was a holiday! I'm excused from being on time.

1. Oil Cleanser: Been better at using my Shu Umeura High Balancing Cleansing Oil, so I would say 5/7 days.
2. Eyelid Cleanser: Ocusoft every morning...which makes me sad because I am too much of a high-risk candidate for lasik.
3. Water-based Cleanser: sum37's Miracle Rose Cleansing Stick, wow, how long is this stick lasting me? I am really loving it.
4. Toner: CosRX's AHA/BHA toner to prep for my newly incorporated active~~~.
5. Actives: OST Pure Vitamin C20 Serum. Been using this for over two weeks now, just about? It makes me face feel like I rubbed some orange juice concentrate all over it. Slightly sticky and sweet residue, but the waiting is the worst part. I started with 20 mins wait, now I am just shy of 15. Seriously, the waiting game is the worst.
6. First Essence:  Last week I noted that putting Missha's FTE Intensive over the slightly orange smelling residue of C20 Vitamin C serum was weird. It still is weird and somehow I wonder if it interferes with the absorption of my BAE.
7. Serum/essence/masks: Got used to using a MINIMAL amount as to result in a slightly less sticky SCINIC AIO Honey Ampoule'd face.  Masked several times this week, especially when I think I used an old sample of something from Sephora Sample Wonderland and it felt like my face was burning. Etude House Global had a 40% off July 4th sale, and I took advantage of that. So, I've been using more of my Etude Masks that I got on sale for 1+1 in Taiwan. $25 NT a mask, is $.77, and that's about how much the new Etude masks cost me ($1.30, with 40% off and free shipping over $50). Put all my masks in expiration date order (because I'm a freak?) and counted them up, have around 75 masks, with my Etude Haul not counted in yet. Three masks in the past week: Skinfood's Brocolli, which is like wearing a fresh cucumber/greeny-smelling wet papertowel on your face; Etude House's Silk Coccoon, which is not sold via the new line of Air Therapy Masks and will be missed sorely, they're really great and "skin vitalizing"- which is exactly what I needed after possibly burning my face with an outdated sample; and My Beauty Diary's Imperial Bird's Nest mask, because it is so thin, and so great, and really, no qualms about it, even though it drips down my neck and sometimes on my pillow it got so much great essence going on.
8. Facial Oil/Night Oil: Still nightly applying Sunday Riley's Luna Oil. However, only 4/7 this week because I usually end up falling asleep with a face mask on. Really, I'm not good at this waiting game!
9. Moisturizer:
   Mizon Snail Recovery Gel Cream has bit the dust! Not only have I forgotten about it, but I really do like Mizon's Black AIO Snail Cream so much better. I can see this being a winter cream, and the regular AIO snail cream being the summer cream. However, I am practically out of the Recovery Gel Cream and have been using it to soothe my skin troubles that have been lingering on my chest the majority of this last week. It's either hives from heat, or some sort of rosacea, also possibly from heat. It was really itchy on day one, now it's just annoying.
10. Sunscreen: Biore Aqua Rich Waterly Essence Sunscreen 50g Spf50+ Pa+++.Love it so much that I ordered two more on Amazon... which are coming via Japan, so I won't see that until August, so they say. AUGUST?! Will my little tube last me that long?!?

Also used my Say Yes! To Tomatoes Clay Mask yesterday. A while ago, at Sephora Sample Wonderland, I got samples of Ren's Glycol Lactic Radiance Renewal Mask and Flash Rinse 1 Minute Facial, as seen paired in their Glow and Go set. Bad idea... as I put on the golden Glycol mask and it started to feel a bit like a burn. Then, like the dum-dum I am, I put on my C20 Pure Vitamin C serum, which REALLY felt like burning!! Lucky for my dumb butt, I have no redness, just physical pain. So I washed them all off in a second and then I put on the Silk Cocoon mask, which really soothed my poor skin.

Though it is taking forever, the hormonal acne spots on my jawline/chin are less visible and slowly going away. Just a little too slowly. Miss my perfect radiant skin of just Missha Time Revolution Clear Toner and FTE days.