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. 

Review | Nature Republic Super Aqua Max Moisture Watery Cream

After the somewhat disappointing Shea Butter Steam Cream from Nature Republic, I was a bit reluctant to use other Nature Republic products but this moisturiser has been sitting in my drawers for quite a few months and I didn't want it to go to waste so I whipped it out to try and I have to say, I was not disappointed this time. If you couldn't tell by the title of this blog post already, today I'm going to be reviewing the Super Aqua Max Watery Cream in the Moisture formulation from Nature Republic.

Review | Nature Republic Shea Butter Steam Cream (Moist)

Have you ever tried a steam cream before? I know I haven't. So whilst I was in Korea, I made it a mission of mine to pick one up just to try because they sound so intriguing! Can you imagine your face steaming up just from a cream? So today, I will be giving my two cents worth about the Shea Butter Steam Cream from Nature Republic in the "Moist" formulation.

I know they have 3 different types of steam creams. There's "Fresh", "Moist" and "Ultra". I'm assuming Fresh is for people with oily skin, Moist for normal/combination skin and Ultra for people with super dry skin. I got mine in the Moist formulation.

This moisturising cream combines shea butter with hot steam technology for dry and normal skin.

How to use: At the last step of skin care, apply an appropriate amount to the entire face and gently pat for absorption.

The steam cream comes in a plastic tub with a gorgeous design on the cover. I don't know about you but I rarely see road shop brands in Korea come up with unique cover designs such as this one. The top of the box has the exact same design as the one on the cover so you can sneak a peek of the design if you want to see how it looks like but don't want to buy the cream. Sadly, this cream does not come with a spatula (boooo) but it's okay, I have quite a few from other creams.

The cream is a mystery. In the tub, it feels super firm yet bouncy at the same time. Once you scoop it out though, it melts onto the skin and spreads really easily. Although it spreads really easily though, it is pretty thick in texture.

Honestly, this is probably one of the thickest creams I've used so far. It actually feels heavy on my skin, especially when I layer it on after all my other skin care products. Even by itself, you can still feel it on your skin even after you leave it on for a while. My skin takes about 2-3 minutes before it is properly absorbed and it does leave a sheen on the face. That being said, my skin doesn't feel sticky or greasy to touch but you can just feel it there if you know what I'm saying.

This cream is scented. It smells of flowers and is quite fresh but if you're not into fragranced products, I would advice you to avoid this cream altogether because though I'm not against fragranced products, I did notice that it lingered on my skin for a bit.

The main reason why I got this cream was because I read reviews about how people felt a "steaming" sensation on their face after they applied this. I have used this for probably 2 weeks and I haven't noticed any "steam" sensation. This was a huge let down I feel! Then again, there were people who mentioned that the sensation wasn't an entirely pleasant one so maybe it's a good thing I didn't feel it I  guess!

Overeall:

PROS:

• Gorgeous design on the tub
• Not sticky or greasy
• Thick, gel like texture
• Moisturising

CONS:

• Doest not come with a spatula
• Feels heavy on the skin
• No "steam" feeling

I do like how this cream feels on my skin if I'm having particularly dry skin that day. Any other time when my skin is behaving, I actually prefer using other creams because this does feel heavy on the skin. My make up doesn't sit well on my face when I use this cream so I don't use this during the day as well. I really wanted to like this cream, and I do like it because it is indeed moisturising, but I guess this may be suited for people even skin that is more dry than mine. I've resorted to using this at night as a thick moisturiser and when I do so, I skip sleeping packs altogether and just use this.

I hope this review helps and thank you so much for reading! x

Nature Republic & The Saem Haul

I haven't actually tried a lot of products from Nature Republic before but I know there do have quite a few products which are pretty popular. I really should start giving this brand a proper shot soon but I'm so hung up with my stuff from Innisfree that I haven't had the chance to try much from this brand but I will definitely make a point to start using this brand more often, especially now that I've gotten more stuff.

The first and most obvious item I got were face masks. They were having a 10+10 for the sheet masks so of course I got myself some sheet masks. I believe they have a few pieces from all their flavours which is great because I get to try all of them, even ones I wouldn't normally have picked up for myself. As mentioned in a previous post, I have been suffering from break outs because of all the travelling (and the resulting jet lag) so I picked up the Bee Venom Emulsion to help with that. I really wish I was one of them girls with perfect skin no matter what I did but sadly, even at the ripe old age of 24, I still suffer from spots so I have to deal with them. I've heard good things about the Argan 20 Real Cream and I really can't wait to give it a proper shot. The last item was purely an impulse buy. I saw the ampoules that Nature Republic had on display and I just tried the Rose Real Nature Ampoule on my hand on a whim and fell in love with it. It smells wonderful, doesn't feel greasy, and just generally felt incredible on my hand so I tossed it into my basket on the way to the cashier. I really am horrible but I will bring this with me on holiday just to use it and hopefully, I'll have a review on this when I'm back.

Got myself some items from The Saem as well. I haven't tried much from this brand before because it is a somewhat new brand to me even though I know it isn't new in the beauty industry. And because I haven't tried much from the brand, I picked some out to try, the first being items from the Iceland range and I got the Hydrating Toner and Hydrating Emulsion because they were having a 1+1. What better way to try 2 different products than when they are on offer? I also got myself an incredible deal when I got the Brown Rice Cleansing Tissue because I think I paid less than $8 for 100 pieces of cleansing tissues? That's insane.

They were also having sales for their hand creams and you know I love me some hand creams. Got 4 in the scents Oriental Mandarin, Sugar Peach, Magnolia and Cherry Blossom. I seem to be doing a lot of hauls recently, haven't I? But that's just because I've been travelling so much and every thing is hella cheaper overseas than back in Singapore but I just have 2 more haul posts coming up then I'm done!

Thank you so much for reading!

Night Skin Care Routine

It's been quite some time since I did an updated skin care routine so I thought it was time I did one. I've changed quite a bit of products in my routine and some of them I'm still using so if you're interested in more details/explanations about my skin care routine and to see what products I used to use, you can check out my Sunday Night Pamper Routine. Without further ado, let's get on with this post.

Since I wear makeup on a daily basis, I always start my skin care routine with a double cleanse to full remove the makeup from my face and the face makeup remover I'm using at the moment is from Innisfree and it is the Olive Real Cleansing Oil. I'm planning to do a review on this soon so stay tuned for that but it smells great and is really effective at removing my makeup without leaving a greasy layer on my face so I am really liking it.

For my eye makeup remover I'm currently using The Face Shop's Rice Water Bright Lip & Eye Makeup Remover. I love how this removes my waterproof mascara and all my eyeshadows well and it doesn't sting my eyes at all. It does take a while to properly break down my waterproof mascara but it removes my eyeshadows really quickly.

For my facial cleanser, I'm currently using the same range as my eye makeup remover and it is the Rice Water Bright Cleansing Foam from The Face Shop. I feel that this is a decent cleanser but not my favourite one, especially since it doesn't really help to remove makeup.

For toner, I am back to using my holy grail Boots Botanics Cleansing Toner All Bright. I have used up a good 4 bottles of this and despite trying different toners, I always find myself gravitating back to this because it is just THAT good. Nothing beats this toner when it comes to brightening the skin so if you're looking for a toner that does just that, then this is the one for you. 

After toner I like to use an eye cream and the one I'm using at the moment is from Innisfree and it is the White Tone Up Eye Serum. It's a pretty comfortable eye serum on the eyes and it provides the basic hydration but I wouldn't say there is anything special about it. 

The essence of the moment is from Nature Republic and it is The First Essence. This essence suffices as an essence but I don't really see much effect from it. At this point of time, I'm pretty much waiting for it to finish before I can move on to the next one. If you're looking for a better essence and you're willing to spend a bit more on it, I would recommend the IOPE Bio Essence Intensive Conditioning. It is a lot more pricey but it works a lot better.

At the moment, I'm using 2 different serums at night, one for basic hydration and the other as an added on treatment. Both of them are from the brand It's Skin Power 10 Formula line and if you don't already know, I love their VC Effector. The hydrating serum is the GF Effector which does a decent job at providing moisture to my skin. I also like to use the CO Effector which helps with anti-aging. Using 2 serums at one go creates a pretty thick layer on the skin so I only do this at night.

For spot treatments, I alternate between using the Nature Republic Aloe Soothing Gel and It's Skin Power 10 VB Effector. Both help in speeding up the healing process of my spots. I wouldn't say either are holy grail products yet because they don't actually work all the time but they suffice for now.

If I have the time, I like to do a sheet mask before I put on a sleeping pack. I'm finishing up the sheet masks from Etude House and while they're not exactly my favourite ones to use, they are pretty decent for an every day pick-me-up. The sleeping mask of choice is the Laneige Water Sleeping Pack_EX. I used to love this product a lot last time but now, not so much. It just doesn't do anything for me anymore so once agin, I'm just finishing this up.

I hope this has helped you in some way in forming your own skin care routine! Till next time, thank you for reading!

Review | Nature Republic The First Essence

The first essence I've ever used was the one from IOPE and I really liked how it felt on my skin, and how it improved my skin texture so much. I did a review on it so you can click HERE to find out my thoughts on it.

Because the IOPE one is a tad pricey compared to essences from other Korean brands, I wanted to try other brands to see if the effects of all essences were about the same or did the price difference also warrant difference in the effectiveness of the essences.

When I went to Nature Republic, I picked this baby up and it is The First Essence. This costed about 32,000 KRW which is nearly half the price of IOPE's (60,000 KRW).

It claims to be formulated with 90% saccharomyces ferment and this undiluted essential essence makes skin clear and transparent.

How to use: For the first step of skin care, dispense liberally on a cotton pad and apply it to the entire face.

This huge frosted bottle contains 150ml of liquid which is slightly lesser than IOPE's 168ml.

So firstly, the packaging is similar to IOPE's where it comes in a frosted glass bottle. Once again, the packaging isn't the lightest or the most travel friendly. Whenever I travel, I find myself leaving this behind simply because it's too heavy and bulky to bring along with me.

The opening has a plastic stopper once again to prevent too much product from coming out at one go. However, this opening is on the bigger side so I find myself having to be careful about pouring out too much at a time anyway. I typically use essences after my toner so I don't soak a cotton pad with it but instead pour some out on my hands, then pat it all over my face.

The liquid itself is transparent and feels exactly like water. My skin pretty much absorbs it almost immediately because of how lightweight it feels. It doesn't feel sticky, or greasy or even heavy on my skin at all.

There is a slight herbal-floral scent to this but it's so mild that I wouldn't have notice it if I weren't sniffing out for it.

Overall:

PROS:

• Lightweight texture
• Skin absorbs quickly
• Non-greasy, non-sticky
• Smoothens skin texture
• Skin feels softer
• Mild scent
• Does not break me out

CONS:

• Heavy frosted bottle 
• Doesn't help with acne

How I feel about this product is that it doesn't do anything drastic for the skin, so if you're hoping for something life changing, then this will definitely disappoint you. But after using this for about 2-3 weeks or so, what I can say is that my skin feels a lot smoother even without exfoliating and it feels softer as well.

It helps control the bumps on my face a little as well but that seems about it. I don't notice it lightening my acne scars or reducing acne Time Revolution Essence from Missha so I'll reserve my final judgment after I start using Missha's. But for the fact that Nature Republic's essence is half the price of IOPE's, I guess I cannot complain.

Sunday Night Pamper Routine

Some say Sunday is the start of the week and some say it's the end. Whichever the case it is for you, I usually leave Sunday nights as my pamper nights, simply because it's the end of the week for me (my usual off days are on Mondays). 

I keep up a pretty detailed skin care routine every day of the week because I believe in giving my skin the best there is on a daily basis but there are days when even I get lazy to do the full works on my face. But try as I might, I never ever skip my Sunday night routine because it is the one night i really strip my skin bare of all the makeup and gunk that may have accumulated on my face throughout the week and load on all the good stuff.

So let's first start with the pre-cleanse, or better known as the removal of make up. Before piling on all the good stuff onto your face, you have to remove all things that may clog your pores and prevent your skin from fully absorbing all the nutrients and benefits of your subsequent products. Naturally, the first step would be to remove all your make up. 

I typically use Lancome's Bi-Facil to remove all my eye make up, especially the stubborn waterproof mascara that I coat on my eye lashes. I have raved about this eye make up remover so many times before because I truly believe it's the best I've used so far. It removes make up so easily and quickly and it does not sting the eyes at all. The only downside to this is that it is super pricey. 

Next, I'll follow up with a make up remover to remove the products I use on my face. The one I'm current using is Lancome's Galateis Douceur. It is a cleansing milk so what I typically do is to do 2 pumps onto my palms, rub it all over my face to break down all the make up products, and gently wipe everything off with a piece of tissue. While this cleansing milk does do the job of removing most traces of make up, I like to do a double cleanse to make sure I've throughly removed all traces of make up.

My next step is to use a cleanser (which is the second step in double cleansing). My current facial cleanser is Mamonde's Super Moist Foam. Just squeeze a little bit of the cleanser on the palm of your hand, add water and it lathers up pretty well. While I do not rely on facial cleansers to remove make up, I have done a test on the abilities of this cleanser to remove make up. It didn't remove eye make up totally but it did a good job in cleansing away face and lip make up so when I'm done with cleansing, I'm pretty sure I've gotten rid of all traces of make up on my face. (Review: HERE)

After cleansing, I like to use a physical exfoliator to scrub away any dead skin cells on my face. This not only helps promote skin cell renewal but it also helps with deep cleansing my pores. A long time favourite of mine is definitely St Ives's Apricot Scrub, specifically the one that is for blemish control. I like to do this scrub 2-3 times a week after I wash my face with a cleanser. I feel that this minimises the possibility of spots appearing. Clean pores means less chance of clogged pores which leads to lesser spots. Just squeeze some out on to your finger tips and rub it onto your face. Make sure your face is damp and avoid your eye area! Be sure to rub gently so as not to injure your skin.

Once I'm done with all the cleansing, I like to do a purifying wash off mask before I even start with the rest of my skin care. I can hear everyone going "What?! Yet another step?!" Well yes, I do like to make sure my face is squeaky clean before I pamper my face with all the good stuff. My favourite wash off mask of the moment definitely has to be Skin Food's Egg White Pore Mask. It purifies my skin really well without drying it out at all. I apply this onto dry skin, leave for about 10-15 minutes then rinse off. (Review: HERE)

Toners are an essential part of our skin care routine. They are the first step in helping to replenish moisture back into our skin that may have been lost during the cleansing process. Toners also help to soften and prepare the skin for the rest of the products that will be added on subsequently. I'm currently taking a break from my favourite Boots Botanics All Bright Cleansing Toner and I'm giving Mamonde's Rose Water Toner a shot. So far I'm liking it a lot! Just squeeze out some of the toner onto a cotton pad and sweep it all over your face, avoiding the eye area of course. (Review: HERE)

I like to do my eye creams immediately after my toner but I know many people like to leave it to the last step so it really is up to you. There is no right or wrong way of doing this. Eye creams are essential for hydrating the delicate eye area. Even if you do not have fine lines around your eyes, proper hydration is the first line of defence against aging so be sure to invest in a good eye cream to keep the area around your eyes hydrated! I'm still using my trusty Kiehl's Creamy Eye Treatment. I scoop a little of this on my ring fingers, rub them together to warm up the product, then dab it gently around my eye area. This cream definitely does the trick in keeping my eyes happily moisturised. (Review: HERE)

After eye cream, I move on to essence. Whilst most people use essence and serums interchangeably, I typically view essences as the more liquid version of a serum. I've used IOPE's Bio Essence Intensive Conditioning for quite a while (although I didn't feature it in my 10 step skin care regime because I didn't start using this until after I did up that post) and I've really been liking it. Applying this literally feels like applying water onto my face. It does what it says it does, which is to improve the condition of my face. After adding this into my skin care regime, I notice my face becoming smoother (lesser of those little pesky bumps are formed on the face), my complexion becoming brighter and clearer, lesser spots tend to form during that time of the month, my face becomes a lot lesser oily than before, and the redness on my face as a whole seems to have lessen. What I do is to pour a bit of this onto the palm of my hand, rub my palms together and then pat this all over my face. Alternatively you can choose to soak a cotton pad with the lotion and sweep it all over your face (the same way you would do with a toner), avoiding the eye area. (Review: HERE)

Now it's time to talk about serums. I love serums. They're like a concentrated shot of goodness to the face, and you get to choose what goodness you want on your face. On most days I just stick to my trusty Innisfree Green Tea Seed Serum. I've raved about this serum so many times before so I believe I do not need to do so here. I pump one pump onto my palm, rub my palms together, then pat it all over my face, avoiding my eye area.

This is pretty new to my skin care regime. Since I thought I would give my skin a break from my favourite Boots toner, I thought I would give the serum from the same range a shot. I got the Boots Botanics Radiance Concentrate Serum All Bright when I was in BKK and so far I'm really liking it. I'll probably do up a full review on this after I try this for a longer period of time (I've only been using it for 4 days or so). I drop 3-4 drops on my palm, rub my palms together, then pat it all over my face, avoiding my eye area.

After I'm done with my serums, I like to do a sheet mask to energise my skin. I really love doing sheet masks because not only do they inject much needed moisture into my skin, they also come with all sorts of skin benefits depending on what flavour they are. Also, it is so calming to just lie down with a cooling mask on my face and a book in my hand (or whatever phone game I'm addicted to at the moment) for a good 15-20 minutes. It helps me relax after a long day at work or being out with my friends/boyfriend. My sheet masks of the moment have been from Etude House's I Need You range. You can click HERE for my mask haul (with short write ups on each mask and the link for the full review of the individual masks if they are up).

On the areas where I have spots, or scars from spots, I apply a thin layer of Nature Republic's Soothing & Moisture Aloe Vera Soothing Gel. I'm a huge fan of aloe vera and all the amazing benefits it has. If you're prone to getting spots, you should know how amazing aloe vera is at soothing those angry and painful red spots as well as helping with the healing process. On areas when my skin is peeling, I also like to dab a bit of aloe vera gel and by the next morning, all the peeling stops. It's amazing and this aloe vera gel is so crazily affordable.

Last but not least, I top everything off with a moisturiser. My current favourite is Mamonde's Floral Hydro Cream. I love everything about this cream. Not only does it smells amazing, it is incredibly hydrating even though it is really light weight. There's honestly nothing not to love (unless you're a tub hater). (Review: HERE)

Last, but not least, I top everything up with a sleeping pack. I'm currently using Laneige Water Sleeping Pack_EX. I've been using this for years as the last step in my skin care routine and it just seals all the amazing goodness into my skin. I always wake up with smoother skin the next day whenever I use this.

And this concludes my Sunday Night Pamper Routine :> I hope this has been helpful to all those who are looking for pamper routines to well pamper your skin. 

Nature Republic Haul

Hi guys! I'm back with another haul post, and this time, it's from the brand Nature Republic. Nature Republic is one of those brands that I've never heard of until I went to Korea and the first item I picked up from them on my very first trip to Korea was their Aloe Vera Soothing Gel. I use it almost daily on my spots and on various cuts I get all over my body (I am a hazard to myself) and I find that it helps speed up the healing process. I also apply it as a light body moisturiser on days when I feel like I don't want something too heavy on my skin. But that's not what today's post is about.

Face Make Up Collection

So... I am pretty aware that I only have one face and that there's only so many products I can pile on my face at one time. But when you're in the land of all things beauty (read: Korea), it's really too hard to resist the temptation not to shop.

BB Cushions have been all the rage in Korea (and in Singapore as well) and I found it so hard not to buy just one more which results in... Too Much. And since I went to Korea twice, it means, Way Too Much. Sobs.

As usual, I haven't actually tried most of the face make up I got yet (as you can tell from the fact that most of them are still in their boxes. But let's talk about the ones I have tried.

My holy grail foundation used to be Lancome's Teint Miracle before I swapped it over to the Mat Miracle because I found TM's coverage a little too light for my liking. Also, the bottle of TM I had was in a shade that was too dark for my face.

The new long wear miracle: Mat Miracle 24H. A unique combination of 4 patented Aura ™ and Eternal Soft Fix Complex™ technology, for satin luminous finish and all day wear. All-day sebum resistant and shine control. All-day heat and humidity proof. All-day no transfer.

Lancome's Mat Miracle has been my go-too foundation for quite a while before I actually swapped over to Innisfree's Eco Natural Green Tea BB Cream (picture below) because I wanted something that made my face appear brighter which MM did not do.

Although I do not believe foundations when they claim to last up to 24 hours simply because who wants foundation on their skin for 24h, it is pretty long lasting and although it starts to fade off maybe after 8 hours or so, there is still a slight coverage on my face.

Also, my T-Zone tends to get slightly shiny around the 8h mark as well.

It does not dry my face or caused any break outs which is good in my books.

The coverage definitely isn't too heavy but neither is it too light. I usually like my foundations to have a medium coverage which is what the MM offers.

Recently, I also swapped my daily foundation to Revlon's ColorStay simply because I was itching to give it a try after hearing so many good reviews online about it and I must say I am pretty impressed with it considering that Revlon's a drugstore brand.

Long-wearing coverage with Time Release Technology and a lightweight formula that won’t cake, fade, or rub off. Specifically made for combination or oily skin to control oil absorption and shine. Your look stays flawless throughout the day.

Once again, the Revlon CS is a medium to full coverage foundation which definitely hides most of the redness on my face although I do have to cover up my blemishes with some concealer on days when I really want my skin to look more flawless.

It does not cake and does not dry out my skin as well.

The staying power of this foundation is about the same as Lancome's MM which means that my make up generally does last me for the full day but starts to fade at about the 8th hour mark.

What I absolutely do not like about this foundation is that it does not come with a pump. Like what's up with that? Right now when my bottle is still relatively full, it doesn't take a lot of effort to get the foundation to come out but I predict that when my bottle starts getting empty, it's going to take a while to tip the liquid out. Also, I cannot exactly control the amount of liquid that comes out from the bottle so it is quite a hassle to deal with that.

But the formula is pretty awesome which is why I got it anyway even though I knew the CS did not come with a pump.

I have loved my Innisfree Eco Natural Green Tea BB Cream for a pretty long time and you can read my more detailed review HERE.

Essentially, this BB cream gives me a super dewy finish which I really love! I've been into the dewy finish ever since I started watching YouTube videos on Korean make up and this BB cream is super moisturizing as well.

In Singapore however, the dewy look usually equates to an oily look so what I like to do is to dust loose powder on my T Zone area and leave my cheeks just as it is. But once again, for a more detailed review, you can read my previous blog post!

The next few BB cushions and CC Creams are all unused ones that I haven't tried before so I can't exactly give a proper review on them but here are the pictures if you're interested!

Will you be interested in more detailed reviews on these products once I start using them? If you are, let me know! x