Recent Empties -Skincare

I had been accumulating empty products since December without paying attention to the magnitude of the situation. My big bag was full of empty products...actually it was overflowing. I finally took photos of them and started writing a blog post on my Japanese blog, Beau Tea Time, and realised nobody would read it if I tried to fit it into one post because it would be too long.

So I decided to write 3 separate posts about my rubbish.

Soap and Glory Peaches and Clean
I believe Peaches and Clean have changed its packaging and formula a couple of times in the past. I heard the 1st one was amazing, and then they changed the formula and made the package smaller, which was rubbish, so they changed it again and that is the one sold at Boots right now. Mine is rubbish one I believe -it's smaller and didn't do much to my skin. But I loved it. The realistic scent of fresh peach is always refreshing to use, and the texture is just perfect to use in the morning. The only downside is the pump. As you can see I still had 20% of the product left in the bottle but the pump stopped dispensing and it was paint in the butt to remove the pump and shake the bottle in the shower. I will definitely repurchase the newer version when I come back to the UK this summer.

RAFRA Balm Orange Yuzu&Honey 
RAFRA is my favourite balm cleanser. It's better than EVELOM and CLINIQUE, I absolutely swear by it. I much prefer the original version to this limited one. The scent is too subtle that it didn't WOW me at all, and everything else is exactly the same as the original -no point of buying the limited one.

Boots Botanics Hot Cloth Cleansing Balm
Danielle from Famous in Japan kindly sent it to me when we did a parcel swap a long time ago. Unlike Japanese balm cleansers, western balm cleansers are pretty oily that you must use a muslin cloth to remove them. I personally am not a big fan of rubbing my skin with a cloth, especially around my eyes where I already have terrible pigmentation, but those oily balm cleansers remove makeup like magic. The cleanser itself is very good quality for the price point in my opinion, and I would repurchase it if I didn't mind using a cloth along with it.

The Body Shop Chamomile Cleansing Butter
It was my 3rd jar of this cleansing balm, and I felt like they've changed the formula. Maybe it was just me, but it felt a little oilier. I usually do not use a cloth to remove this cleanser because it rinses off perfectly without it. But this one left an oily residue on my skin which was uncomfortable. It might be good for dry skin, but having combination skin I wasn't a big fan of it. I might not repurchase it anymore.

ansage Arti Wash 
I used up this lovely face wash from ansage, which is called Arti Wash because it contains Artichoke extract. I liked it very much because it didn't strip off the natural oil on my face, and left my skin feel super smooth and refreshed. It's a very basic face wash I must say, but I really enjoyed it and would like to repurchase if I have an opportunity.

Kiehl's Calendula Deep Cleansing Foaming Face Wash
It took me more than 6 months to use up this bottle because a tiny bit goes a long way. It's a perfect cleanser for normal to combination skin in my opinion, as it leaves enough moisture while removing excess oil and dirt on the skin. It didn't remove my makeup at all, so I was using it as a morning cleanser and it worked perfectly. Definitely worth the price tag, and I will repurchase it for sure in the future.

Esteé Lauder Cyber White HD Lotion
First I thought it contained too much alcohol because it smelt and felt like pure ethanol,  but surprisingly it did not irritate my skin at all -it was actually very refreshing and I loved how it makes my skin feel. Despite the fact it contains alcohol, it did not dry out my skin either, and made my skin soft and supple. I loved the scent as well -just like other skincare products from the brand, it smelt divine. I am not sure about the whitening effect to be honest, but I enjoyed this lotion very much.

Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream 
This cream is super unique. It's such a basic cream far from trend and fashionability that I first thought was too boring, but no other cream works like this product. It's got no scent and the packaging looks pretty boring. It's not a kind of face cream that excites you. But whenever my skin feels dry or unstable or too sensitive, I switch my day and night cream to this one. It's THAT reliable. I am kind of freaking out that now I'm out of this. I will definitely repurchase it -maybe at duty free in July- because this is one of the best face creams I've ever used.

Clinique Superdefense Age Defense Eye Cream  
Although I was using it every single morning before makeup, it took me a year and a half to use up this tiny tube. It's slightly tinted but not enough coverage to hide my dark circles. I loved the fact it had SPF20 to protect my eye area from sun damage -because I already have tiny dark spots there and I wanted to prevent more spots. The only downside is that it separates towards the end, it was really messy by the time I finished the tube.

Elemis Hydra-Balance Day Cream 
Thanks to lookfantastic beauty box for introducing this cream! First of all, the scent of Neroli is absolutely beautiful. Secondly, the texture is very creamy and moisturising which is perfect in a colder month. Made specially for normal to combination skin, this cream leaves enough moisture on the skin without being too greasy. I was using it during winter before makeup. Though I never skipped a step of blotting an excess oil of the cream with tissue before applying a foundation primer, I did't feel this cream was too heavy for my combination skin. It might be a little too rich during a warmer season, but I really enjoyed it in winter.

tatcha
Just to clarify -tatcha is not a Japanese brand, it's an American brand inspired from Japanese culture. Their branding, concept and packaging are absolutely beautiful that I was very impressed -it's capturing the essence of Japanese culture very well. But now I've used up 3 of their products, I am not sure if they are worth the price tag.

One Step Camellia Cleansing Oil was raved by Caroline Hirons, and she said 'this oil is too luxurious to remove makeup' and recommended to remove makeup with a cheaper makeup remover, and use this oil to cleanse the skin. I liked this silky oil too because it wasn't oily at all, yet left my skin lovely and supple.

Deep Brightening Serum is something I was a little disappointed with. It's not a bad product at all, but I simply didn't think it was worth $185.

Clinique All About Eyes 
A very basic eye cream that I would be happy to receive as GWP or something, but I don't think I would dash to the counter and buy another jar of it.

Esteé Lauder Advanced Night Repair SR Complex II
You all know it's a magic serum, don't you? It plumps up the skin instantly that you can see the difference in the morning when applied this serum the night before. I'm not keen on the smell -it's rare for an Esteé Lauder product not to have an amazing scent, but I can handle it especially because the result is fantastic. I just started using my 2nd bottle and I don't think I can live without it. I need 5 backup bottles!

Vitality8™ NightRadiant Overnight Creme/Mask 
This cream (also from Esteé Lauder) was nice but nothing special in my opinion. I've tried 3-4 different types of Esteé Lauder face creams but this one was my least favourite. It smelt lovely and felt nice on the skin, but I didn't feel like it was moisturising as it claimed. Apparently this cream would give nutrients to your skin, but I didn't see any positive nor negative difference after using it for a couple of months. I wouldn't repurchase it again, they have better face creams!

I believe you're super tired from reading my crap...but thank you! 2 more posts related to empties are coming up soon so stay tuned :)

Real Techniques Deep Cleansing Gel

Real Techniques Deep Cleansing Gel  $8.99
I am not complaining here, but nobody told me Deep Cleansing Gel from Real Techniques was THIS good. Actually, I hadn't heard beauty bloggers/ YouTubers talking about this product much until I specifically searched for some reviews.

Whenever I purchase Real Techniques' products, I always order on iHerb.com because it's very cheap. Well, I believe the price is the same as RP in the US, but it's much cheaper than buying them on eBay or even from Boots in the UK. Real Techniques is an American brand apparently, which is why RP in the US is cheaper than what it is in the UK. iHerb offers pretty reasonable shipping rate, and it arrives within 3-4 working days from the states which is pretty good, so I shop there quite often. If you're interested and new to iHerb.com, you can use my referral code 'FQS584' to get $5.00 discount on your first order.

Anyway, I just purchased this cleanser because I was running out of my Dr, Bronner Magic Soap and was looking for something better to cleans my brushes with. Magic Soap works amazingly and I love how clean my brushes get after washing them with the cleanser, but it stinks. It smelt OK at the beginning, but as it gets older the smell changed slightly and I just cannot stand this weird smell anymore. I love Real Techniques' brushes, so I thought, why not?

The packaging is slim and pretty. The only thing I don't like about it is this lid. They should have made it with a pump rather than this type of lid, because the texture of the cleanser is pretty thick sometimes it doesn't come out. Every time I use it, I have to shake the bottle so that the cleanser comes down to the lid otherwise nothing comes out. Also with this lid, it's hard to control how much product to dispense.

The texture is pretty thick like I mentioned. I usually use it with Sigma Spa Express Brush Cleaning Glove. This glove is well handy that it makes me want to wash my brushes! I apply a cherry-sized amount on the glove, wet a brush with warm water and swirl it on the glove. I often wash 3-4 eyeshadow brushes together to save time and use of cleanser. You might struggle to distribute the cleanser evenly on the brushes at the beginning because of the texture of the cleanser, but once it's lathers up it should work fine.

The best part of this cleanser is the scent. I've read / seen some reviews on this product in the past but nobody -or nobody that I remember- mentioned how great it smelt. It smells very unique that I've never come across any cleansers smell like this. It smells like tea. You know tea-scented fragrance like Au the Rouge from BVLGARI or Penhaligon's Lothair...this cleanser has got a similar note which I believe is tea. The scent is pretty weak that it won't leave the lovely scent on the brushes once they're dry, but it makes the washing process even more enjoyable.

I'm going to show you how clean this brush would get with the cleanser and the glove. It's Sigma Flattop Kabuki which is my favourite brush to apply liquid foundation with. It's unbelievable how flawless it makes my skin looks!

As you can see, it doesn't lather up too much when the brush is dense. It creates loads of bubbles when I wash something like eyeshadow brush and blush brush, but buffing brush, kabuki brush and concealer brush are always harder to create lather with.

This glove has two sides by the way, one side shown in the photo above is for smaller brushes such as eyeshadow brush and concealer brush, and another side has bigger bumps designed to be used for bigger brushes. I personally like this side of the glove for some reason for any brushes -I feel this side cleans brushes better and quicker.

After swirling the brush for about a minute, I rinsed it with warm water and dries quickly with a towel. You still can see that the foundation is stained in the middle section of the brush, which I tried my best to get rid of but I assume it's stained. It didn't come off no matter how many times I washed it afterwards.

I still think Dr. Bronner's soap cleanses the brush better, but considering how great it smells Real Techniques is a winner in my opinion. Magic Soap leaves such a disgusting scent on the brushes which is a very big matter to me. Deep Cleansing Gel from Real Techniques cleans the brushes efficiently and quickly enough, and the pleasant scent motivates you to wash them regularly. The packaging looks pretty and the price is affordable. I will definitely repurchase it once I've run out of the current bottle. It's definitely worth trying if you're looking for a good brush cleanser!

Canadian gem -Nudestix

Nudestix is the brand I came across quite often when browsing some high-end online shops such as Sephora, Beautylish and lookfantastic. It instantly caught my attention as I LOVE any makeup items in a stick form. I do not mind getting rid of all my powder eyeshadows and replace them with stick shadows. Founded by Jenny, a former chemical engineer who has more than 20 years of experience in the industry, Nudestix is now featured in multiple magazines and carried at retailers including Sephora and SpaceNK.

I love the fact they have two daughters of Jenny as their muse, it adds a personal and kind of homey touch to the brand. I was lucky enough to try out some of their products, and am going to review them today as I am truly impressed with the quality.

From right to left: Concealer Pencil in Light 3, Magnetic Eye Color in Angel, Twilight, Intense Matte Lip+Cheek Pencil in Kiss and Lip+Cheek Pencil Dual in Soul/Flesh. 

All the products come in a tin with a mirror on the back of the lid. I think it's a great idea branding-wise, but I simply feel bad for binning it because it's pretty high quality. At the same time, it only holds 1-2 products in there which isn't suitable for keeping it in my handbag all the time. 

Magnetic Eye Color in Angel is such a beautiful shade which is versatile yet unique. I love the fact it's not yellowy but kind of pinky -it definitely has a warmer undertone which compliments my skin tone. I describe this shade as a warm champagne gold. It glides on as if it melts on my skin, and does not budge at all once it's dried. I usually apply this shade straight after applying Primer Potion from UD and blend well with my finger. It only takes 5 seconds to create a perfect base for the next stage of eye makeup -or I can wear it on its own.

Twilight is another versatile shade that is perfect for a daily use. Whenever I cannot decide which eyeshadow to wear in the morning, I go for this one. Again I LOVE this shade because it's not a reddish brown that I am not a big fan of. It's a similar shade to On and On Bronze from Maybelline, but in a stick form-much slimmer and more convenient, isn't it?

One thing I want to point out is that you don't have much time to blend the eyeshadow. It sets very quickly that you need to blend immediately once it's applied on the eyelid. I once applied it on both eyes, took 30 seconds on choosing which brush to use, and realised my eyeshadow was completely set and it was impossible to blend. Which is actually a good thing -it means it never budge!

Concealer Pencil in Light 3 is a little too pale for my skin tone, but I use it to combat redness around my nose and define the edge of my lips. The texture is creamy and not drying, but maybe not suitable for under eye. 

I found the Mascara very basic -the wand is a typical brush-type one which gives volume to my lashes. I wish it was a little more separating, but mascara is one of the hardest makeup items to review on, it all depends on your liking.

Intense Matte Lip+Cheek Pencil in Kiss and Lip+Cheek Pencil Dual in Soul/Flesh are both gorgeous. 

I wish I could rock Intense Matte Lip + Cheek Pencil in Kiss, it's a very elegant plumy pink that looks horrendous on me. The texture is lovely that it dries down to a matte finish which makes the whole look pretty elegant and sophisticated.

On the other hand, Lip + Cheek Pencil Dual in Soul / Flesh looks lovely on me. The left shade on my lips is Soul, and the right one is Flesh. I found Flesh a little frosty and pale, which I usually wear on top of a darker lip liner otherwise it would wash me off, whilst Soul is a perfect nude shade that can be worn on its own and looks gorgeous.

Each product has its own sharpener which I found convenient as I often forget to buy a matching sharpener. I have been loving the eyeshadow sticks that I've been wearing at least 2-3 times a week for more than 2 months now, which is pretty rare for a makeup / beauty addict like myself -which i believe you agree if you are a beauty junkie too. Though their products aren't the cheapest in the world, they are worth the price tag in my opinion. If you have't tried any of their products, try their Intense Matte Lip + Cheek Pencil and Magnet Eye Colour. You will be impressed.