It's not a long time ago when I talked about my skincare routine, but I thought to show you what I've been using lately since I have new items that I've been loving!
Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser is my favourite cleanser. I don't know if the cleanser itself is amazing or the muslin cloth does the magic, but either way I really enjoy using this cleanser. I am aware that it takes all my makeup off including my eyeliners and mascara, but I avoid using it around my eyes just because it's not contact lens friendly. I feel the difference instantly when I use this cleanser which I love the most about it.
Another cleanser I love at the moment is Yuu Cleansing Balm. This is a contact-lens-friendly cleanser unlike Liz Earle one, which means that I can use this cleanser to remove all my makeup off without using Bioderma to take of my eye makeup off. It doesn't make my skin greasy but leaves this moisturising feel to it. It has this amazing scent of Yuzu which I really love, I seriously think Yuzu is the best scent!
Alba Organics Hawaiian Facial Toner is the toner I use daily. It has tropical flower and fruits extract, and enzyme to balance pH level. It smells of herbs and bargamot essential oil but the scent is very subtle. It calms and nourish my skin. It doesn't do anything special like making my skin surprisingly soft or brighter, but at the same time it doesn't irritate my skin at all. I don't think I will repurchase it but I don't hate it, it's an all-right toner.
Nourish Protect Replenishing Peptide Serum is "an ultra-intensive blend to lock in moisture and guard against
dryness made with peptides to firm and smoothen the skin, combating fine
lines", according to feelunique.com. I am very impressed with this, it's such an effective serum to hydrate my dry skin. It makes my skin softer and smoother, you should try this out if you haven't since you will feel the difference instantly on the next morning!
I've been loving Caudalie Vinosource Moisturizing Sorbet this summer. I got it a few months ago when I relised my other moisturisers were too heavy. Although it's made for dry and sensitive skin, it's not heavy or sticky at all. It sinks into my skin very quickly and leaves my skin surface smooth and silky without stickiness. It's perfect in the morning and night. Oh, and it smells divine like the other caudalie skincare items.
I don't particularly like Good Things BRIGHT EYES EYE CREAM but it moisturises my eye areas which is good enough for now. In winter I will definitely need much thicker heavier eye cream though. I'm on the hunt for a good eye cream, let me know what your favourite is!
More than a year ago, I was suffering from an unexplained skin problems such as redness and spots. But after Aveda all sensitive moisturiser cured it all, my skin has been in a very good state. I hardly get a pimple lately, and my skin has been so smooth. My only concern is the pores on my cheeks, I'm trying hard to make them small. If you know any good toner or moisturiser to shrink them, let me know!
I've been surrounded by beauty products especially since I started my Japanese blog a few years ago. I've tried more than 200 products sent from PR companies, and of course I've bought many products myself too. But there are not so many products I have repurchased. Or that I'm sure I will repurchase. Today I'm going to talk about the products I really really love.
Bioderma Sensibio H2O Micelle Solution
I had a small travel-size bottle which I took about 6 months to use up. I wrote my thoughts about the product HERE before so I'm not going to ramble about it here but there is nothing like this product. It never burns my eyes or irritates my skin. I didn't like the smell at the beginning but now I'm completely used to it and don't notice any smell even. It's such a gentle makeup remover!
Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser
You can read my detailed review about this amazing cleanser HERE. When I used up the first bottle, I was so sad and decided to buy as many bottles as I can next time I would go to the U.K.. And I did. I bought two of the 200ml tubes with two of their toner and one jar of their cream. Also my sister in law gave me the tiny tube of the cleanser and recently she's sent me 100ml bottle as well. I don't know how and when I would be able to finish them all but now I feel secure. Their cleanser is not something I use every single day but I use it at least 2-3 times a week. It makes my skin feel so soft and smooth that nothing else does. I also love the herbal scent.
Pangea Organics Facial Mask
I wrote a full review of this product HERE last year, I apologise for the blurry photos. Apparently you cannot buy it from Vitacost anymore which sucks because it was much cheaper on Vitacost. Hopefully it will be back in stock someday soon. This face mask is just amazing. It doesn't have a pleasant scent but it does its job. This mask was the first one I'd felt a huge difference on my skin immediately. If you haven't tried it before, try it. Buy it. You won't regret.
It's a 10 Miracle Leave In Conditioner plus Keratin
This is what I'm going to repurchase once I've finished the current bottle. As I mentioned HERE before, this is such a great leave-in conditioner which makes my hair soft and silky. Although my hair is now much healthier as I chopped 20cm of it last month, still my hair tends to get tangled easily. I spray this leave-in conditioner focusing on the ends before blow-drying. It doesn't weigh down my hair at all but definitely makes them much more manageable and less frizzy. Also it smells heavenly.
Caudalie Divine Oil
This oil is just Divine as it claims. It's such a beautiful product that I don't want to live without. First of all it smells so good. I cannot describe how good it smells but it's one of the best smelling products I've ever used. Secondly it's such a light oil which doesn't make my skin greasy or oily at all, even in summer. It sinks into my skin quickly while leaving this heavenly scent like perfume. Now they've come out with the body scrub and tanning-lotion, and I'm dying to try them out. Let me know how they are if you've tried them!
In April I've used up quite a few products. Or maybe since I started writing monthly empties posts I've been encouraged to finish up products rather than keep them all in my tiny apartment. It feels satisfying somehow to finish up beauty products and judge whether it was a good product or not.
Redken Scalp Relief Dandruff Control Shampoo (REVIEW)
This was my 2nd bottle and I'm so sad it's finished. I don't have dandruff but I have a really sensitive scalp which gets irritated quite easily by using shampoo which my scalp doesn't like. At worst it gets itchy that keeps me awake all night so I am very picky when it comes to choosing the right shampoo. And this shampoo from Redken is the best so far. It lathers well, it makes my hair and scalp very clean but doesn't make them dry. It contains glycerine which moisturises the scalp. It has a very subtle herbal scent which is pretty nice and I really enjoyed using it. I would love to repurchase again but as YEN is much weaker now I'm trying not to shop much on feelunique and lookfantastic lately...so when YEN gets stronger I'll definitely buy a new bottle.
The Body Shop Rainforest Shine Shampoo and Conditioner
Apparently this shampoo is a best-seller on The Body Shop UK website, but I absolutely hated this series. Before they changed the whole haircare series, they had shampoo and conditioner with honey and I loved the scent of them. So one day I went to the shop and asked for it then they said it was discontinued and instead they had new haircare series, and they recommended this one because it smells similar to the honey one I loved. But in my opinion it doesn't smell the same and the scent doesn't even stay on your hair. Also it's pretty drying and makes my hair frizzy and basically it doesn't do anything to my hair. I just don't like it and I'm not going to repurchase, ever.
LebeL Trie 5 Hairspray
I think I bought this about a year ago after my hairdresser used it on my hair at the hair salon. It smells like green apples which is brilliant but it doesn't do much on my hair. I don't think I'm going to repurchase it but I might have a look at a bit stronger hairspray from the same brand because it smells so good.
Terracuore Jasmine and Honey Body Scrub
Terracuore is a Japanese organic beauty brand which has fields in Italy to grow the herbs which are included in their products. Terracuore is my favourite Japanese beauty brand and their products are very good. Although they are pricey and I can't buy them often. This product was given to me by them when I had a business meeting with them but actually it's 5250yen which is about 35 pound / $52. It's ridiculously pricey but it's VERY good. It contains Jasmine essential oil which are derived from more than 13800 jasmine flowers. I was expecting a strong jasmine scent but it's much softer and sweeter, and surprisingly NOT overpowering. This creamy body scrub contains crushed apricot seeds which exfoliate your skin gently, and believe me it does make my skin so so so soft. And it leaves the pleasant scent on my skin. What more do you want? Another great product from Terracuore I've tried.
Jurlique Rose Moisture Plus Moisturising Cleanser
This was sent from my lovely fellow blogger Mel from The Beauty Dispensary a few months ago. Since the day I received it I had been using this cleanser every single morning. It's such a gentle cleanser with pleasant rose scent. I think I should have used it in the summer time because foaming cleanser tends to strip natural oils on your face and obviously in summer your skin produces more oils than in winter. I really enjoyed using this cleanser, and also I loved the chic packaging so much. Thanks Mel!
Pangea Organics Facial Mask (REVIEW)
The best face mask I have ever used. I literally cannot live without it. Whenever I feel my skin is dry or dull, I use this face mask at night. Immediately I feel the difference on my skin and the next morning my skin feels glowing again. It smells a little bit weird but now I'm used it and I'm more into the result it makes on my skin. I cannot explain how and why it works so well, but trust me, it really does work. I introduced this face mask to my readers on my Japanese blog, and some of them actually tried and they all loved it. If you haven't tried it yet, you definitely should. It's amazing and of course I repurchased it again.
Jason Apricot Scrubble
(REVIEW)
I loved this scrub! It's such a gentle face scrub you can use every day. I only used it 2-3 times a week but it was enough to make a huge difference on my skin. It makes my skin so silky and soft with such a fresh and sweet apricot scent. You would be very surprised to feel your skin after you've used this product, it's such an amazing face scrub. I love it but I'm not going to repurchase now because I have some other ones to use up. I strongly recommend this product if you're looking for a gentle face scrub.
Bourjois healthy mix serum (REVIEW)
I decided to bin it although there's a bit left in the bottle because it's getting old. I used up like 80-90% of it and I liked it very much. Mine is shade 52 Vanilla and it's slightly darker but matches my skin tone OK. It doesn't feel heavy on my skin and I really liked it. I've got the new version of Healthy Mix Foundation and I'm totally in love with it. The review will be coming soon!
BIODERMA Sensibio H2O (REVIEW)
I don't need to explain what it is because you all know what it is. I loved it, although I didn't like the weird smell at the beginning. It takes everything off without being harsh on my skin. It didn't irritate my eye areas which is great, and I'm dying to repurchase but for now I'm not going to just because it's expensive here. I will buy tons when I go to Paris. Someday...
Weleda Wild Rose Day Cream (REVIEW)
This product was sent by my another lovely fellow blogger Zanka from Zanka Talks Cosmetics. As the name is not in English, I don't know what exactly it says but I assume it's a day time moisturiser. I was using it in the morning before putting makeup on anyway, and it worked really well. It smells amazing, of natural wild rose which was pretty soothing in a busy morning. Thanks Zanka so much!
PAUCE Cleansing Butter
I LOVED this cleanser so much! It's got this buttery texture and it melts on your skin turning into an oil consistency. It removes all my makeup including eyeliners and mascara. I didn't even need my BIODERMA to remove my eye makeup because it took off literally everything. And it left an oily feeling on my skin even after rinsing it for more than a minute, and this oily feeling turned into a whole new moisturising feeling after I dried my face. It's such a good cleanser to take makeup off and I'd love to repurchase if it wasn't this pricey. What a shame.
Skin Repair Moisturiser™ Normal/combination
Another product I loved so much. Although I have dry / sensitive skin, this one worked really well during winter. I couldn't stand the smell at the beginning but I think it faded after a few weeks since I opened the jar because at some point I wasn't bothered by the smell anymore. Now I'm using a new
jar and it stinks and I realised that it wasn't me getting used to the smell, it was the smell faded by time. Other than that it's such a nice cream which really is effective. I'll keep repurchasing their products until I find a better brand which I doubt :)
Phew, it has become such a looooong post, you must be bored. Thanks for reading!
I know there are a lot of fans of Liz Earle already and I don't even have to go on and on about their products in my poor English, but I had to do a blog post about the brand as I'm so obsessed with their products!
As I mentioned in my full review and also in my October favourite post, I am totally in love with Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser. Although I don't use it every day as I don't want to exfoliate too much, whenever I use this product my skin feels incredibly soft and smooth. I think I've mentioned it too many times already here and there, so I'm going to talk about other products of the brand today!
This is one of the best lotion I've ever used. It smells like granny's makeup dresser which means a sweet and nostalgic scent. I was not a big fan of this smell at the beginning but now I'm used to it and I kind of like it. I put it on the organic cotton pad from The Body Shop, and gently place it on my cheek and press it with my fingers so that the lotion exudes and sinks into the skin. I try not to rub it against my skin because I don't want to exfoliate anymore especially after using the cleanser. So I just place the cotton pad in each area like cheeks, nose, forehead, chin and around my eyes and repeat the process.
It makes my skin very moisturized just by that. It's light and refreshing yet hydrating. I cannot describe how much I love this toner, it's just amazing. The bottle I own is the smallest one and I'm nearly finished (and now I'm trying not to use it up because I want it to be my rescue lotion that I can turn to!) but I'm sure I will repurchase it once I've finished this bottle.
And now this cream is the BEST cream ever! I know I said the same thing abut the toner but I just can't find other ways to describe my feelings towards this product! First of all, I really don't like the smell. At the beginning I couldn't stand the smell, and I even told my husband not to use it when I'm around because the smell was too much for me. It's not an artificial smell that I can't stand, but it's a mixture of herbs and plant extracts I guess, and I just didn't like the smell...for me it smelled fishy although nobody would agree with me! But anyway, my mum says it smells herbal and she liked it, so I guess it's just me so please don't be scared to try it out if you haven't used it and are considering trying, because this cream is just AMAZING.
Once I was convinced that this brand is something by using the cleanser and toner, I forced myself to use this cream at night. I started from just a little bit and once I was used to the smell I increased the amount of cream to apply on my face. Immediately I felt the difference. It was the next morning when I touched my face waking up. It felt much smoother and softer. I looked into a mirror and found that my spots on my forehead which suddenly appeared a few days before were reduced a lot. There was no pore that I could see on my cheek, my skin had never been a better condition in the past few years.
I've got dry skin but this moisturizer for normal / combination skin hydrates my skin enough which is surprising. The consistency is pretty light but it's moisturizing enough so I even can use it in the morning if I wish. As for the smell I still am not a huge fan of it but I don't hate it. I don't even care about it anymore because I am totally in love with this cream and am satisfied with the result it gives.
It's a very unique product and I couldn't figure out how to /when to use it at first. But I knew this was a very good product by reading reviews. I used it for the first time in the morning when I had puffy eyes. I didn't have much time but I put it on a cotton pad and placed it on my eye and waited for a few minutes. It didn't make a huge difference but it reduced the redness and puffiness a bit. Actually it was really good considering that I didn't do it properly which is to leave the cotton pads on my eyes for 5-10 minutes.
For those who have never heard of this product, basically it's lotion to calm your eyes area, it says "A gentle herbal lotion to soothe and refresh tired, puffy eyes and remove light eye makeup. Apply to a cotton wool pad and sweep over eyelids and lashes or place over your eyes and relax for 5-10 minutes. Eyebright is light, non-oily and suitable for contact lens wearers" on the bottle.
I'm not sure if I would repurchase it because I don't get puffy eyes often, but I heard it's really good for sensitive skin and also for those who have allergy.
I'd love to try out their makeup and bodycare products as well, I have very high expectation as the products I have tried are all very good and effective. Liz Earle is definitely the brand I would turn to when I have a trouble with my skin. Someone should introduce their products (meaning distribute) to Japan because natural / organic beauty brands are very popular here in Japan and also there are not so many products which don't contain too much chemicals yet effective.
What is your favourite of the brand? Share it with me! :)
I know it's the middle of November but I made an effort to take photos of my October Favourites, so I'm going to write about them!
Liz Earle Cleanse&Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser (full review)
I am totally in love with this cleanser. It works, it smells good and it makes my skin so soft and smooth like a baby's. I use this cleanser with the muslin cloth about 3 times a week. It's tempting to use it every day but I try not to because I'm not sure if it's true or not but I have heard that we Asian have thinner skin than other races so we shouldn't exfoliate our skin as much. Also if you exfoliate every day, your skin cells get removed before the skin underneath is strong enough, and that could cause sensitivity. Anyway I love this cleanser so much, and since I started using this product my skin has been in a very good condition.
balance me rose otto Body Cream (full review)
There's no reason to complain about this product. It moisturizes my skin perfectly, smells so gorgeous and I love the packaging. balance me is definitely one of my favourite beauty brands. The best part of this body cream is that it doesn't make my palms greasy after applying it on my body. I hated and forgot to put moisturizer on my body before I discovered this product, but now I can't wait to put this good-smelling body cream every night before bed.
Caudalie Divine Oil (full review)
Love love love this oil. Usually I apply this oil on my arms, neck and hair to enjoy the scent. I cannot describe the smell but it's something like a mixture of floral and vanilla type of sweet scent if that makes sense. It's so addictive and I really love this scent in the winter air. The oil is very light and it sinks in very quickly which is perfect for a busy morning because I don't have to wait to put clothes on!
Sunshine Spa Bath & Body Oil (full review)
I pour a few drops of this bath oil into my bathtub when I feel the need of relaxation. It smells incredible, I don't care the fact that the oil makes the whole bathroom slippery. It smells of lavender, chamomile, bargamot and sandalwood which is truly relaxing. You can use it as a shower oil or body oil if you wish, I strongly recommend this oil if you're having a stressful life!
balance me wonder eye cream (full review)
Another balance me product I was loving in October. This eye cream is so light yet moisturizing, so I can use it in the morning as well as night time. It moisturize my skin without making it greasy as it sinks in very quickly. I love the herbal scent too.
Macadamia Healing Oil Treatment
I haven't done a full review of this product yet, but I will definitely do it very soon. I've been using this for about 3 weeks now and whenever I apply this oil, my hair becomes so silky. I've got fine hair and it gets tangled which is horrible -sometimes I tear my tangled hair accidentally- but this oil prevents tangle and that is amazing! It also smells really nice, like a musky vanilla type of scent which reminds me of some male perfume.
Aveda Eye Color Trio in Sea Grass (full review)
I use this eyeshadow palette every day. I haven't figured out how to use the black colour as I have been into brown eyeshadows rather than black recently. But the other two colours are my daily essentials for sure. The pink one is perfect for the base on my eyelids, it creates the even skin tone which is like a clean canvas! I use the brown colour to contour and sometimes on my eyebrows.
Revlon Color Burst Lip Butter (full review)
I wear Peach Parfait nearly every day to work. It's such a pretty colour, which is not too bright and not too nude. This colour makes my whole face look fresh and healthy!! I am very busy at work and don't have time to look into a mirror and fix my makeup, so I like the fact that I don't need a lip brush and a mirror to apply this lipstick, instead I can just apply it as if it's a lip balm and it looks fine!
Thanks for reading, it became such a long post...sorry! Hope you enjoyed it :)
Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser 14.25GBP
To tell the conclusion first, this is the best cleanser I have ever used. I always thought cleansing was a boring step of skincare because whatever you use it doesn't make a huge difference unless you have an allergy to the cleanser you're using or something. I thought cleansers cannot be effective and powerful enough to change your skin. But this cleanser from Liz Earle, the British beauty brand makes effective cosmetics with natural ingredients, changed my mind completely. Cleansers CAN be effective and powerful enough to change your skin.
This starter kit comes in this bag which makes it easy to carry it around to a trip or a gym / yoga classes if needed.
Inside of the bag it's got two muslin cloths and a bottle of cleanser. This one is the 100ml pump bottle, and there is the 200ml tube as well which is 24 pounds itself. I personally like the pump bottle better because of how it looks nice. But the only downside of this bottle is that you cannot tell how much is left in there. I wish there was a thin and clear window on the side so that you can tell when to repurchase another bottle.
The official website says "Phase one is the cleansing. Free from mineral oil, it has a rich and
creamy texture and swiftly removes all traces of face and eye make up,
even stubborn mascara. Phase two is the polishing. Polish off the cream using the pure
muslin cloth to gently dislodge dead skin cells and help reveal clean,
soft and radiant skin" So basically this removes makeup, cleanse and polishes your skin!
I place one and a half pumps of the cleanser on my palm and gentle massage into my skin. I always remove eye makeup off with Bioderma or Caudalie's cleansing water beforehand because it clouds my contact lenses, so I only use enough amount to remove my foundation and dirt. If you wish to remove your eye makeup only with this cleanser, I guess you need two pumps.
This cleanser has got this rich and creamy texture which feels good on my skin. Also the herbal scent is very relaxing. It smells of Eucalyptus mainly, it also contains Rosemary and Chamomile. It reminds me of air in the early morning at the summer camp I joined when I was little, the smell of trees and greens...basically the smell of nature. It makes me want to take a deep breath while washing my face.
It spreads well over my face, and because it smells very relaxing I don't mind massaging for a while. I usually take about a minute to massage realistically and removes the cleanser with the wet muslin cloths. I like to wet the cloths with hot water, and place it on my face and steam it for about 10 seconds after the cleanser is removed. It's really relaxing!
Right after I dry my skin I notice the difference. My skin is softer and smoother obviously, and all the bumps and unevenness are completely gone. Because of this cleanser my skin has been in the best condition ever. It's like a baby's skin, and I don't even need foundation to cover up as my pores became smaller.
Last weekend I stayed at home without makeup on, so I didn't use this cleanser because I didn't want to waste it. Then after 2 days my skin got a little bit bumpy and lost suppleness apparently. I am completely addicted to this cleanser, now I cannot live without it!!
I'm dying to try out their limited one which has got Lavender and Rose essential oils in it, it must smell amazing. It's really a shame that their products are not sold here in Japan, but fortunately I can purchase them on their official website although the postage is a bit expensive -not their fault, it's as it is... Anyway I will definitely repurchase it for sure, I might get a bigger one in tube. I'm so glad that I finally found the effective cleanser!
Have you ever tried their cleanser? What did you think about it? Let me know!
