My night time skincare routine

Ever since my skin had a freak out a couple of weeks ago, I've switched up quite a bit of my skin care products in a bid to repair my skin barrier and to maintain it so I thought I would do an updated night time skin care routine just to introduce all of the products I've been using (and loving).

(Credit: x)

I've always been an advocate of the double cleansing method, and these days I do it even if I do not wear makeup because not all sunscreens can be washed off with just a water-based cleanser. But before I get into that, when I do wear eye makeup, I reach for The Face Shop's Herb Day Lip & Eye Makeup Remover to clean off all the mascara, eyeliner and eyeshadow off my eyelids. I know you technically can use a oil cleanser to remove eye makeup but I hate when it gets into my eyes and leaves a film that's super gross and blurring so I usually opt for an eye makeup remover instead. Like all other eye makeup removers, this one requires you to shake it to mix both layers together, douse a cotton pad with this, hold it over your eyes for 5-10 seconds, then gently swipe the eye makeup away. This doesn't have a smell, doesn't sting my eyes, removes all of my eye makeup effectively and is pretty affordable so I really like using it.

How I repaired my damaged skin barrier

Recently I suffered from a really damaged skin barrier that came seemingly out of nowhere. I didn't switch up anything in my skin care or makeup routines, I haven't been travelling, I literally did nothing different than what I haven't already been doing for months before.

The first sign I had that my skin barrier was damaged was that my skin started feeling really rough, like the best way I could describe how my skin felt was that it felt like "alligator" skin and nothing I did could get my skin feeling better. Then it got progressively worse, I started noticing my skin becoming really red and hot to the touch, then it started getting really sensitive and products that worked fine for my skin previously started burning my face which really started to scare me. The only part on my face that ever gets sensitive is the area around my nose but I started getting burning sensations around my cheeks, my mouth, and even around my forehead. I also started feeling like my skin was extremely dry and tight which I rarely experience, and even then, only when I go to cold countries where the climate is a lot drier. There were some areas on my face that started peeling as well.

I started an extensive testing session with all my products and figured out what worked for my skin and what needed to take a back seat till my skin got better. What I did was to apply a small amount of the product on my skin to see if it stung, if it did, I immediately washed it off my face and started with something else. I don't know if there's a better method to this but it was the one that worked for me.

Review | COSRX Oil-Free Ultra-Moisturising Lotion (with Birch Sap)

I have tried quite a few of COSRX's products and many people swear by them saying that they can do no wrong. I however, am not a fan of all of their products. Many of them were okaaay on my skin and didn't deliver amazing results. Products like the Centella Blemish Cream which has a cult following, I really didn't like how it sat on my skin. It also hasn't done much for me but that is another story for another day.

Today, I want to talk about what I did like from COSRX and it is their Oil-Free Ultra-Moisturising Lotion (with Birch Sap). What a long name.

Review | Etude House Soon Jung 5-Panthensoside Cica Balm

I'm always on the hunt for acne treatment products because if your skin is anything like mine, you'll understand why it's a necessity in my skin care routine. I suffer from hormonal acne every single month, and my skin scars and gets post-acne pigmentation very easily, yet takes a really long time to heal fully. Essentially, I have a ready supply of acne every single month.

I first chanced upon this product when I bought something from Etude House and they gave a mini tube of the 5-Panthensoside Cica Balm from the Soon Jung line as a sample. I tried it on my skin with zero expectations (at that point in time, I hadn't even researched on what this did) and was pleasantly surprised with how decently it worked for my skin. I've actually mentioned this product in a post titled "How I clear acne spots fast" and today I'll be doing a more in-depth review on this product.

Review | Innisfree Orchid Intense Cream

Boy am I on a roll with my reviews of Innisfree's product, aren't I? This is the 3rd product from Innisfree that I have absolutely been loving (oops did I give away my thoughts on this product already?) As you all know, Innisfree is a brand that I absolutely love and I rarely find a product I don't like (that being said, I have to admit that not all of them work for my skin). This one is from their Orchid line and it is the Orchid Intense Cream.

For the longest time, I have been avoiding face creams because I hated how they felt on my skin. I didn't like the thick texture, or how suffocated and oily my skin felt after using creams so I typically skip the moisturiser step altogether. If I really had to, I'll prefer using an emulsion but only when absolutely necessary. This cream, however, is one of the creams that has converted me to a cream-user once again.

Review | Innisfree Blueberry Rebalancing Skin

Toners, or "Skin" as the Korean brands like to name them, have been an integral part of my skincare routine for as long as I can remember. When I first started using skincare products when I was in my teens, toners were usually astringents meant for cleaning the skin and making them less oily. These days, I steer clear from those kind of toners because I realise how important it is to not strip the skin of its natural oils and to instead, always aim to add moisture back into the skin.

Today, I'm going to be talking about a toner that is very highly raved about, many people love it including me, and is something I cannot live without these days. And yes, like the title states above, I'm going to be talking about Innisfree's Blueberry Rebalancing Skin.

Review | Innisfree Tangerine Vita C Serum

I have been a huge fan of Innisfree ever since my first trip to Korea more than 5 years ago. There is something about the brand, their packaging, their philosophy that has converted me to a lover of all things Innisfree. Since then, I have tried many of their products, some I love, some I dislike, some I'm on the fence about. But today, I'm pleased to be talking about a product that I have really enjoyed using, and my skin loves.

Innisfree's Tangerine Vita C Serum is a serum formulated with freshly squeezed extract of Jeju tangerine peel and vitamin C derivatives to replenish skin with clear moisture and is in a gel form for fresh and effective penetration. It is supposed to be quick absorbing, helps to improve dull complexion and skin elasticity and offers moisture to the skin to improve radiance.

K Beauty Products That I Am Excited To Try (Part 3)

This is the last blog post to this series of posts titled "K Beauty Products That I Am Excited To Try". There really are way to many products that I am interested in trying but there's only so many of them that I can apply on my face at any one time. I don't know how people can have multiple skin care products open at the same time, I always feel the need to finish what I have open, before trying something else. At any one time, I'll max have maybe 2 of the same category of products open (think toners, serums, moisturisers...), any more than that makes me nervous that I won't finish them before they go bad.

Anyhoo~ Let's begin with the last bunch of items I am excited to try.

(Credit: x)

K Beauty Products I Am Excited To Try (Part 2)

I am back with another "K Beauty Products I Am Excited To Try" because there are sooo many products that I picked up that I legit can't wait to finally try. I went to Seoul recently, shopped way too much, picked up a lot of new products both from brands I've never tried before and brands I have tried before, and these are what I am most excited to try.

(Credit: x)

K Beauty Products I Am Excited To Try (Part 1)

I have recently came back from a trip to Seoul and boy did I really go ham on the shopping. I have a list in my phone of all the things I have come across and want to try, complied from many YouTube videos or just good old fashioned blog posts and whenever I head to Seoul, I stock up on all the items I want to try. This trip was no exception.

I have actually neatly packed them into my drawers (I didn't think about doing a post on them oops) so instead of taking them out, taking photos of them and then packing them back, I'm just going to google image of them and place them here. Of course, I'm not going to talk about all of them but I'll talk about the ones I'm most excited about trying. I have included links to the products if you're interested in picking any of them up~

Current Makeup Favourites | April 2019

When I find something I like, I tend to go back to it over and over again so having monthly favourites isn't something that comes easy for me. However, I do switch up the products in my routine every once in a while and sometimes, I discover new favourite items. If you want to know what makeup products I've been loving at the moment, please carry on reading~

How I clear acne spots fast

Anyone who knows me personally, knows that I've been struggling with acne, specifically hormonal acne, for a very long time. I first started getting hormonal acne when I was around 19 years old and it has plagued me ever since then. The problem with hormonal acne is that you can't really stop the problem unless I go on medication to regulate hormones, so the best thing I can do is attempt to calm down the spots as fast as possible and try to prevent the pigmentation that follows a spot.

I've been trying out different products for many years and I finally figured out what works for my skin (right now). My skin is ever-changing so what works now, may not work in the future. So if you're interested in finding out what works for my skin to clear the spots up fast, please carry on reading.

Beauty Stash | Colourpop Eyeshadow Palettes

Today, I'll be sharing about the 3 Colourpop eyeshadow palettes I have. I bought all of them directly from the Colourpop website and I'll link all of them below if you're interested in getting them. Most of them retail anyway from USD$12 to USD$16 which isn't the cheapest but definitely isn't that expensive either. I got all of them for a steal during the sales period last Winter which was great. They do have sales pretty often so if you're looking to get one of the palettes and you're not in a rush, just sign up for their newsletter and wait for them to have a promotion.

Colourpop is a brand that is affordable but have very good quality products and I am very rarely disappointed with anything they release. I have a huge collection of their products that I will be blogging about in my Beauty Stash series but let's talk eye shadow palettes first.

Beauty Stash | Colourpop Super Shock Cheek

I am bringing back my beauty stash posts because since the last one, my collection has grown exponentially and it's insane how much makeup I have considering the fact that I only have one face. I thought it would be fun to dump my stuff out, category by category and swatch all of them to share with everyone. Right now, I have too much of everything so I'm breaking them down into brands.

I love Colourpop with a passion and I'm so glad they finally ship internationally. I did a shopping spree during the winter holiday sales and I have quite a bit of their products so the first category I'm going to be talking about is the super shock cheek, specifically their highlighters and blushes because I don't own any of their bronzers. I buy all my Colourpop products directly from the USA site so I will link all the products down when I talk about them.

My Updated Night Skin Care Routine

I AM BACK. I said I would and I'm on a roll so I'm back with my updated night skin care routine. If you haven't already read my morning skin care routine, you can read it HERE. There are some products in my morning routine that I use in my night routine so I won't be elaborating on them here so if you're interested in knowing my thoughts on them then do check the post out before reading this.

My Updated Morning Skin Care Routine

Hello my friendsssss. It has been a long time since I updated this space because I sort of fell out of love with blogging. It takes a lot of effort to craft out words when you're not the best at describing things but since this is a space which I've had for like 12 years at this point (I went back to check the date on the very first post I uploaded) I've decided to make an effort in doing sporadic updates. I do like to look back upon this space to see what I've done, what I've loved, and just the thousands of memories housed in this treasure trove. If any one reads this, you're welcome to take a peek into my thoughts but I thought I would kick start this year with an update to my current morning skin care routine. If you would like to see what I'm using, then please carry on reading~

COSRX Haul

Having clear, blemish-free skin has always been a goal of mine and unfortunately I have been plagued with acne-prone skin ever since I turned 19. Around that time of the month, it's always like a war zone breaks out all over my face and the most common places I suffer from acne is around my cheeks and chin area. I've always been on the search for products that help prevent acne, and to hasten the healing process as well as to lighten the scars that get left behind and after stumbling upon Joan Kim's YouTube channel, I was very intrigued with giving the Korean brand COSRX a shot. During my last trip to Korea, that was what I did. 

Product Empties #8

I have left my blog dead for wayyyy too long. Honestly, I don't even know if any one reads this anymore but I've got a whole paper bag full of empties that I really want to throw away but I can't until I actually do up all these empties posts so guess what's coming your way... Loads of empties hahaha. I'll do what I usually do, 10 items per post to keep it short and sweet so without further ado, shall we get started?

Insane Korean Beauty Haul

Well.... I went a bit crazy shopping in Korea. But to be fully honest, not everything here is mine, I bought quite a few items for friends and family :> If you're interested to see the specifics of what I bought, I'll be breaking down the haul into brands so keep your eyes peeled!

Product Empties #7

It has been literally months since I last did an update. I'm not going to apologise because I've been swamped with everything that's been going on in my life. For more frequent updates on what is going on, you can check out all my social media handles (@YiQingggg on Facebook/Instagram/Snapchat/Twitter). I've been beyond stressed so I decided to head back to what relaxes me, which is playing around with beauty items. 

Because I haven't been updating anything here lately, yet I've been still keeping up with my skin care and makeup everyday, I've collected my largest collection of empties to date. So I thought I will kick start my blog with a new product empties post.