Skincare and Makeup Empties 2017…so far

I’m back with my skincare and makeup empties of 2017. Even though its not the end of the year yet, it’s been 11 months since my last empties post, so this is long overdue. >< I probably shouldn’t leave it so long next time because I have a lot to talk about in this post. I wil probably do another ’empties’ in the next few months because I already have a few things that are almost finished and others that I forgot to add into this post.

I’m going to try and keep this brief and if you want to know more about a certain product just drop me a comment below.

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DOUBLE CLEANSERS:

 

• Aritaum Lip and Eye Remover – this is very popular in Korea especially after it was featured on ‘Get it Beauty’. It’s a decent makeup remover but I find the Etude House Lip & Eye Remover more effective at removing stubborn mascara quicker and more easily. I won’t repurchase because it’s quite pricey for how little you get.
• Heimish All Clean Balm – I’ve used up 2 tubs of this already and I will repurchase. It’s very good at removing makeup. At first I didn’t like it as much as Banila Co. but since I’ve been using it for so long now its grown on me, even the strong scent. Plus it’s cheaper.
• Banila Co Clean It Zero (Purity & Original) – this is my favourite cleansing balm out of both Heimish and the original Banila Co. Purity is best for sensitive skin, is just as effective as the original pink version (and more so than Heimish), and best of all it doesn’t have that artificial scent that the pink tub has. My skin just feels soft, clean and great after this.
• Skinfood Black Sugar Mask Washoff – I have a backup of this because I love it more than when I first purchased this almost 2 years ago now. As I’ve tried more exfoliators over time, this still remains my favourite manual exfoliator. When my skin is feeling dull, rough and textured and I need an immediate pick me up, this is my trusty go-to product that I know will give me the bounce, smoothness and softness back. (Full review)
• Neogen Real Fresh Foam Green Tea – I would describe this as soft, dense, fluffy foam that feels like you’re smooshing a cloud onto your face. It doesn’t lose its foamy-ness or become weak suds as you massage it around your face. Its so gentle you won’t feel squeaky clean or dried out when you wash it off.
• Su:m37 Miracle Rose Cleansing Stick – this was my first stick cleanser and I fell in love. It smells divine, it’s very gentle and applies on your face sooo softly and smoothly. The rose petals don’t really do much other than to look pretty in the stick but with a luxury product like this, it’s all about the sensory experience. It’s not the strongest cleanser though, so I wouldn’t rely on this to remove leftover makeup.
• Neogen Real Fresh Cleansing Stick Green Tea – although this is pH balanced, when my skin is dehydrated or feeling dry, this product is a big no no because after cleansing, it leaves my skin extra tight, dry and stripped of all moisture. On days when my skin is normal, this isn’t a problem, but I would still recommend following it straight up with the rest of your skincare routine. Also, there is far too much green tea leaves in the stick which can be especially scratchy and painful when rubbing the stick over your skin. I don’t recommend this if you have sensitive skin or active acne. On the upside, this is a more powerful cleanser than the Su:m37.

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TONERS/FIRST TREATMENT ESSENCES:

• Innisfree Blueberry Rebalancing Skin – pH balanced toner of 5.5 which is great to use when you’ve used a cleanser with a high pH to bring your skin back down to optimal level. It’s not a particularly exciting toner but it smells pleasant (not of blueberries) and removes any excess dirt you have leftover. It does feel a little soapy to me though.
• IOPE Bio Essence Intensive Conditioning – this is my favouite FTE that I’ve tried so far (although I do still have a lot to test out). The results of FTEs are generally subtle and long-term but I did notice this made the most difference to how my skin looked and felt over time and when I didn’t use it I saw the difference. IOPE have reformulated their Bio Essence this year so I definitely want to try it after I finish my backup that I currently own.
• Mamonde Rose Water Toner – this is  90.89% pure rose water and is very gentle and soothing for sensitive, irritated skin. My skin is prone to redness so I liked using it when I wanted to calm it down.
• Hanyul Rice Essential Skin Softner – I use this like an FTE and this is my holy grail for the wintertime! Can’t wait to whip my 2nd bottle out when the weather turns colder. (Full review)
• Son & Park Beauty Water – I really enjoy using this toner and I started using it really sparingly when I got to the end because I was so reluctant to finish it. The popularity of this toner is well deserved, it’s just so effective but gentle and makes my skin feel clean, exfoliated and hydrated. It’s a multi-tasker type product but I only use it as a toner because I feel it really preps my skin for the rest of my skincare and I also wouldn’t want to waste so much of it removing makeup.

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SERUMS/EYE CREAM:

• Goodal Keratina Anti-Aging Double Serum Light – I’m fond of this serum/oil hybrid because it was the first oil type product I ever tried. I used to have normal – oily skin but my skin type changed alot last year (which I put down to age), and became more normal-dehydrated/dry. This serum-oil really helped lock in moisture and yet still didnt feel too heavy and suffocating even for daytime use. Not to mention the scent of this was beautiful. (Full review)
• Innisfree Green Tea Seed Serum – I actually finished this a long long time ago, and mentioned it in my previous empties but it seems I lost the bottle, which popped up again recently. Still stand by this serum as a great starting point for beginners of skincare. (Full review)
• Innisfree White Tone Up Eye Serum – although this says it’s a serum it dispensed as a light hydrating cream and I used it like a normal eye cream. Moisturising, less oily and easier to absorb than the Innisfree Whitening Pore Eye Cream, but it was not nearly as effective as the latter in reducing under eye circles. Would not recommend if you’re looking for a brightening eye cream because the lack of results are disappointing. Go for the Whitening Pore eye cream instead.

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MOISTURISERS:

• Primera Alpine Berry Watery Cream – this is the more popular of the two Primera creams (comparison review coming), which is more suited for normal-dry skin types. It is moisturising but can sometimes feel too occlusive for me in the morning if layered with other skincare.
• Primera Watery Oil-Free Gel Cream  – I actually preferred this gel cream. The scent is lovely, and it’s perfect for spring/summer. Lightweight but skin feels hydrated from within. This is great if you have dehydrated skin that also gets oily.
• Missha Super Aqua Cell Renew Snail Cream – despite how popular this snail cream is, I disliked it. It’s a very dewy, wet-looking gel-type moisturiser so after applying it made me look very greasy and the strong cucumber scent is quite overbearing. I gave this to my bf to use up after only using it a handful of times. If you don’t have an extensive skincare routine layering other products, than the dewyness might be less of a problem but for me I also couldn’t use this alone because it’s not moisturising enough.

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MAKEUP:

• Peripera Cushion Blusher (#5 Fresh Lavender) – I’ve only used this a handful of times since I bought it 2? years ago I think. I regret purchasing this but at the time cushion products were all the rage and I couldn’t resist trying for myself. However, the shade selection is awful. I have this in #5 Fresh Lavender which is a very very cool toned pink. The rest of the colours are very peachy, coral or orangey. However this product is awful because it blends away into sheer nothingness so you have to keep layering to build up colour, and the lasting power is absymal. After an hour or two I can barely see any wash of colour. Time for the bin even though its barely used.
• Holika Holika Lazy & Easy Jelly Dough Blusher (CR01 Grapefruit Jelly) – this blusher applies easily, is pigmented and has decent staying power. However this was the old packaging before they came out with the new improved version that had a plastic tray for the puff to sit on. I bought the new version and decided it was time to get rid of this one because it has become very gunky and the downside of the dough-type textured blusher and the leathery puff is that lots of dirt/dust and bits of hair gets stuck to it very easily. So for sanitary reasons this has got to go.
• The Saem Eco Soul Power Edge Gel Liner (#Deep Brown) – this is a great gel liner that is almost as reliable as my holy grail Bobbi Brown one, for a fraction of the price. It has amazing lasting power, sets quickly and doesn’t budge or smudge the whole day. It is perfect for the lower lash line. But it still is easy to remove at the end of the day. However the downside is that it’s a very stiff formula to work with so it can get clumpy when loading onto your brush and you have to work quickly otherwise it sets before you have time to fix any mistakes or smudges. Because of the dry, stiff formula you have to use this up quickly because it won’t last as long in the pot as Bobbi Brown or the Mac Fluidlines. I have half left and it’s completely dried up and unusable now.
• Holika Holika Magic Pole Mascara (Waterproof version – 01 black ) – great reliable mascara gives you decent volume and length that is natural for everyday.
• Innisfree Skinny Waterproof Microcara – has the skinniest, tiniest wand I’ve seen on a mascara  but is great for people with thin sparse lashes. It lengthens and separates each individual lash with no clumping and is perfect for getting at those small lower lashes. I wouldnt recommend this if you wanted bold, curled or voluminous lashes though. This is a super natural everyday mascara with a thin formula that subtly enhances your lashes.
• Benefit Roller Lash – I have repurchased this mascara a few times because it really hooks onto the lashes to curl, separate and lengthen. I just have to be more careful with applying this because it can tend to get clumpy if you apply multiple coats.
• The Saem Perfection Tip Concealer (#1.5 Natural Beige) – my absolute favourite spot concealer. Its not overly thick and creamy nor too runny so it applies/spreads smoothly and blends in with any foundation I use. I use this over dark pigmentation spots or pimples and it has such perfect coverage. It does slightly fade midway through my day so a touch up is probably necessary but honestly haven’t found another Korean concealer that rivals this.

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Phew! So that is all my empties in 2017 so far. As I said earlier, I’ve already amassed a few more empties so look out for another empties post coming soon.

Drop me a comment if you have a question about any of the products mentioned.