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. 

Let's talk cleansing. Cleansing is probably the most important step in my skin care routine and I rarely ever skip double cleansing and that's probably why my skin cleared up quite a bit since I started breaking out a couple of years ago.

Nature Republic Aloe Cleansing Tissue: I'm not a huge fan of makeup wipes because I feel like they don't remove my makeup entirely, plus they drag a bit on my face whenever I use them. But, these came really useful when it came to removing makeup off my hands and arms when I do swatches so that's what I mainly used them for.

BIODERMA Sensibio Make-up Removing Micelle Solution: I haven't found a better cleansing water than the Bioderma one. It removes my makeup so easily, even stubborn water-poof eye makeup and it doesn't leave any residue or any sticky/oily feeling on my face at all. It is literally amazing and worth the price tag. If you're looking for the fastest, most fuss-free method of removing makeup, this would be it.

The Face Shop Mango Seed Lip & Eye Makeup Remover: This eye makeup remover does it's job in removing my eye makeup although it isn't anything earth-shattering. It does smell really good, doesn't sting my eyes and is pretty affordable at the same time.

Tony Moly Aquaporin Sherbet Cleanser: I didn't like this sherbet cleanser at all. It was messy because the chunks of cleanser that didn't melt properly dropped everywhere. It didn't fully remove my makeup (especially my eye makeup), left a greasy film on my face and just wasn't worth the hassle. I honestly wouldn't recommend this to anyone.

COSRX One Step Pimple Clear Pads: I love the COSRX pimple pads. I used it everyday at night as the first step to my skincare routine. It works as a gentle exfoliant, removed any traces of makeup that I didn't remove and generally helped to reduce the redness on my face and kept any spots I had at bay. If your skin is acne-prone and not too sensitive, I would definitely recommend this product. One thing to take note is that it can be a bit drying if you use it too often so be sure to properly moisturise your skin afterwards.

Boots Botanics All Bright Purifying Facial Scrub: I use physical exfoliators once to twice every week and Boots Botanics is a range from Boots which I love to use. The toner from this range is my all time holy grail one. The scrub is affordable, helps to remove black heads and dead skin leaving my skin super soft after each use, doesn't break me out, but it can be a bit harsh on the skin. If you have sensitive skin then do mix a bit of water onto the scrub before applying it on your skin.

Innisfree Apple Juicy Deep Cleansing Foam: I love the brand, I love the scent, it functions well as a daily cleanser. It doesn't dry out my skin and removes light makeup. This isn't holy grail material but if you're looking for a daily cleanser that smells great then this is the one for you.

Nature Republic Sleeping Tonight Lavender Sleeping Pack: I didn't finish this sleeping pack but I decided to include it here because it has been way too many years since I got it that I thought I should retire it. It smells amazingly of lavender, the texture is super watery and isn't thick at all. I didn't think it did much for my skin though.

Mamonde Floral Hydro Mist: What I liked about this mist is that the nozzle sprays out a fine mist, it isn't one of those which sprays out like water droplets instead of a mist. It is great as a pick me up for days when my face feels dehydrated and it needs an extra pick me up. It doesn't affect my makeup even if I spray it on top of my makeup which is great.

Batiste Dry Shampoo in Original: When you don't wash your hair every day like I do, dry shampoos are a life saver. I part my hair, spray a little on the roots, massage it in and move on to the next section. This one helps to remove excess oil from my scalp without drying it out, gives a little bit of volume and smells great. It does tend to leave a white cast if you accidentally spray too much on so do not go trigger happy with this one.

Boots Botanics All Bright Cleansing Toner: Till date, this is still my favourite toner. I've used it for 6 years and although I love to try new ones, I always find myself going back to this one. It cleanses my skin, brightening it in the process, doesn't dry out my skin and is extremely affordable. 

Nature Republic Super Aqua Max Cream in Combination Watery and Moisture Watery: Both creams are lightweight, adds moisture to the skin, smells great I actually like both creams and they both work the same way for me except that the moisture version is of course slightly thicker than the combination one. This comes in 3 versions (fresh for oily skin, combination for combination skin, and moisture for dry skin) so choose the one which suits your skin best.

Nature Republic Shea Butter Steam Cream in Moist: This cream promises a lot but didn't deliver, at least that was what I felt. It just felt like a really thick cream to me, and thick not in the best way. I wouldn't repurchase this or recommend it to anyone.

Etude House Moistfull Collagen Eye Cream: It has a pleasant scent, moisturises my eye area without being sticky and just feels comfortable on the skin. I didn't notice much when it came to firming the skin or reducing fine lines. I like how it feels on the skin, wouldn't repurchase it though simply because there are so many other eye creams in the market to try.

Giardino degli Agrumi Orange Soap: I've been into using bar soaps lately mainly because we bought a lot of them when we went to the UK because they were so cheap there. In particular, I bought quite a bit of them in various citrusy scents. This one is in orange and I loved using it.

Nature Republic Argan Essential Deep Care Hair Pack: I should really use hair packs and hair masks more often than I do but when you have hair as long as mine, it really is a hassle although I'm not proud of it. I really like this one from Nature Republic though, it left my hair tangle-free and very smooth. 

Innisfree Eco Safety Perfect Sunblock: I never leave home without first applying a sunblock and the one I just finished is from Innisfree. It prevents my skin from getting sunburn, it isn't the lightest in texture although it isn't that thick either, and doesn't leave a white cast which is really important to me. I would probably repurchase this if I don't find a better one.

Burt's Bees Lip Balm in Pomegranate and Hydrating: I love Burt's Bees lip balms because they are so portable/travel friendly and they work like a charm. Whenever my lips feel like the Sahara Desert, a quick swipe of this adds moisture to my lips. If I were to choose between the 2, I would definitely prefer the pomegranate one because it smells delicious.

And finally, we now come to the makeup portion. This post is turning out to be a really long one huh.

I finished a whole lot more eyebrow products than this but these were the ones I managed to save. From the top to the bottom, Etude House Drawing Eye Brow, Holika Holika Wonder Drawing Brow, Innisfree Auto Eyebrow Pencil. (I also finished up a couple from The Face Shop but they aren't featured here.) I think most of the eye brow pencils from the road shop brands all work pretty much in the same way and they are so affordable as well. If I had to choose which brands I prefer more, I would say Holika Holika and Innisfree.

Rimmel Brow This Way Brow Styling Gel: I thought this brow gel was okay, the colour was a bit dark for my hair colour but it did help to tint my brows slightly and keep the brow hairs in place.

Etude House Color My Brows: Compared to the Rimmel one, I preferred this a lot more. I felt like the colour payoff was higher so it did help to lighten the colour of my brow hairs to better match my hair colour. This is also slightly more affordable than the Rimmel brow gel so between the 2, I'll say get this one instead.

L'Oreal Telescopic Extra Black Mascara: I thought this mascara was okay, it tended to leave black flakes on the bottom of my eyes which was quite annoying but it isn't waterproof so I guess that is to be expected given Singapore's climate. It did coat my lashes quite well, giving them more of a lengthening effect than a volumising one.

Lancome Hypnose Drama Mascara: Lancome's mascaras have always been my favourites although they tend to be pretty darn pricey. This one promises volume and dramatic lashes and it does just that. Would I recommend this? Definitely.

Innisfree Skinny Microcara Mascara: I didn't like this mascara at all. It did little to lengthen or volumise my lashes, it didn't even really make them blacker and more obvious. It flaked quite a bit and just didn't do much for my lashes really. I honestly felt quite sad because I read so many good reviews of this mascarca and I really wanted to love it but I just didn't.

Innisfree Mineral Stick Concealer: I love this concealer, it has medium to full coverage, it doesn't cake up, and lasts a decent amount of time. Nothing not to love honestly.

The Face Shop Face It Radiance Concealer Dual Veil: This concealer is convenient to use because it is a two-in-one concealer with one end being a stick concealer and the other side a liquid concealer. Over time though, realised that the concealer doesn't last a particularly long time and the coverage isn't that good either. 

Skin Food Buckwheat Loose Powder: This powder does a decent job when it comes to setting my face makeup and mattifying it. Wouldn't repurchase this though because it didn't wow me in anyway.

Holika Holika Oil Queen Cotton Primer: I hate this primer. It didn't do anything to control oil, it leaves such a white cast on my face, I don't like it, I wouldn't repurchase or recommend it.

And now, we are finally done! I hope this makes up for the huge hiatus. I'll check back as soon as I have time to spare!