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June Empties Skincare

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Hello Lovelies!

I got here a pretty large bag of empty containers that I am going to share with you today. These have been products that I’ve been using up in the last couple of months so I am going to make the final decision today if I will be repurchasing some of them. This will be split into two parts because theres just too many for one post so this is going to be skincare and the next post will be makeup and hair products.

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Biore Deep Cleansing Pore Strips – 8 Strips $6.27

As you can see this is their old packaging so I’ve had this for awhile now. To be honest I haven’t used a pore strip in a very long time, instead I have just been using a black head extractor to extract after I shower every so often. Pore strips are great because its fast and simple in removing oil build up in your pores. I have gone through countless boxes of these because you can see the white/black head being pulled out on your strip after which I find to be super satisfying when I see all the gunk I have removed from the strip.. am I weird? Anyways, I would recommend this and repurchase in the future but please keep in mind to don’t over use these or else it might do more bad than good.

 

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Pond’s White Beauty Cleansing Foam – $9.0

This product is actually from Hong Kong so the packaging is different from the US Pond’s product but I know the US has a White Beauty line as well. To me this product didn’t do anything beside being a gentle cleanser. It didn’t really remove makeup very well, it didn’t do much lightening, it just acted like a basic cleanser. I would not be repurchasing this.

 

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Magic Olive Pimpleless Serum – $8.80

I discovered this product when a Sasa sales person came up to me and my cousin and said “Wow, you have a lot of breakouts, let me recommend you some products” What a bummer to be called out on because you have bad skin. I hate buying products without doing my research first because I am always skeptical with people that are trying to sell me stuff. Since this was fairly inexpensive I listened to her suggestion and made the purchase.. this was about 4 years ago and it has been a staple skincare acne controlling product since. The sales lady told me that this is infused with chinese herbal medicine as well as tea tree oil and some other herbal treatments. It not only dries it out like other products, but it also treats it and prevents scarring. Although I think my skin has become a bit immune to it so I will probably have to move away from it for awhile after I finish my back ups but I definitely recommend this.

 

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Dior Hydra Life Creme Sorbet Pro-Jeunesse Pro-Youth Sorbet Cream ($56.00) & Eye Cream ($49.00)

Both of these products has the consistency that I like for a moisturizer and eye cream – non sticky and absorbs into the skin leaving it feeling soft and fresh feeling. Although the consistency is good, it didn’t break me out, it didn’t leave my face greasy, and it smelled very nice, I didn’t notice it doing much to my skin. It didn’t love it nor hate, so to pay this hefty amount for a product, my skin needs to really love it for me to justify a continuos repurchase. I would not discourage people to try it because I know some girlfriends that absolutely loves this stuff but I’m not sure if I will be repurchasing this again.

 

Its Shiseido time…
Until about over a year ago my main skincare products has been from Shiseido. My mom only uses Shiseido products so you can probably guess where I got the influence from. I haven’t tried a single product from them that has made me break out so I am pretty comfortable in just diving in and trying any of their products.

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Shiseido The Skincare Hydro-Nourishing Softener Lotion – $ ?? Possibly discountinued

The consistency of this comes out to be less solid than jelly but thicker than liquid. Its a great toning lotion to replenish and give your skin a restart. Unlike regular toners, this one has a little bit of moisturizing element to it. I have gone through bottles of these before exploring other options and it has been awhile since I’ve purchased this. I just googled to try and find the price point of this product and it seems like its sold out on almost every site I come across (except for amazon which is selling it for $60!! thats x2 of the normal price). If you can find it at counters or in stores then I would recommend giving this a try.

 

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Shiseido White Lucent Brightening Protective Emulsion w SPF15 Sunscreen – $54.50

I’m actually not sure why I would get this in the first place because it only has a SPF 15 but I did. I got this to use as a sunscreen because I like the consistency (if you can’t tell already, the consistency makes or breaks a product for me) and how it settles into my skin. It has a bit of a brightening effect when applied but its not a permanent long lasting whitening effect so I don’t think it does what it claims to do. I would suggest using this almost like a morning serum for you skin under your daily moisturizer/sunscreen. Its not a terrible product but its just not something that I find necessary for my morning skincare routine (especially for the price) so I would not be repurchasing this product.

 

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Shiseido Pureness pore purifying warming scrub – $24.00

The lady at the counter sold me this product persuading me that it will solve my large crater pore problems. Well, those craters are still here. It claims that it’s suppose to warm up as you scrub but I didn’t feel any warming sensation and it didn’t minimize the size of my pores either. I haven’t even finished this product yet but I find it to be so useless that I don’t really use it so it has aged itself into the trash bin. I would not be repurchasing this product.

Skincare is probably one of the things that I actually get through and finish.. along with some haircare products.  I find it really really hard to actually finish makeup, especially the powder items. Stay tune for my next post for the rest of my empties!

❤ Jessica

Summer Trip – Skin Care / Body Care

Part 2 of my summer trip series!

Since we have covered the Makeup department, lets move over to the skin care. When traveling you want to bring products that would work with your skin. I mean, whats worse then to have a major skin breakout during your holiday right? So trying new products out during a trip is never a good idea. Well.. I pack products that I know would work, BUT I also pack samples that I haven’t had the chance to try yet. I sound super hypocritical right now I know. When traveling, I find it so tempting and convenient to bring all those samples thats just sitting in your drawer. I mean why not? Their light and disposable after use.

SELF RESTRAINT! Find a balance. For the basics such as face wash, toner and moisturizer I would bring my usual products. I would go through my samples and see what additional things I want to try and bring those along as well. Even if your skin starts acting up after first use, you can instantly return to your trusted products.

ImageSkin care – Regular Products:

Dior Hydra Life Eye Cream

BioDerma (in the clear bottle)

Clean&Clear Acetone (shiseido bottle)

King Olive Acne Serum (Green Roller Ball)

Queene Helene Mint Julep mask & Dior Hydra Life Moisturizer (in the contact case)

Skin care – Samples to try:

L’Oreal Youth Code Dark Spot Correcting Serum

Miracle Skin Body 20

Holika Holika Water March Moisture Full Cream

Sircuit Skin Molecular Mist

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SKIN CARE – Samples To Try: 

Origins Checks and Balances – foams up really nicely and feels all velvety on the skin. Can’t say if I really like it since I haven’t used it enough. Doesn’t break me out though so thats a plus!

Benefit Refined Finish Face Polish

Benefit Foamingly Clean Facial Wash – Its actually very very similar to the Origins Checks and Balance. Same texture when dispensed and same texture after lathering it up.

ImageHAIR CARE – Normally for hair and body care, I just load up on the samples. My skin and hair is rarely sensitive to new products so I am able to gorge myself in these sample heaven!

Lush Seanik Shampoo Bar – Love taking my shampoo bar for travel. Less liquids to bring! Cleanses well but it does take a couple use to get the hang of it since it does take some skills to get it up to the lather I want. You do have to bring some conditioner because since this is a clarifying shampoo your hair will need to be reconditioned which is why I bring a bunch of conditioning samples with me.

John Frieda Collection Root Awakening

Her Styler Vitamine E Hair Serum

Etude House Silk Scarf – This was mehh. Nothing too impressive.

Kerastase Reflection Chroma Riche Hair Mask – This was really nice. Used this after spending the whole day at the beach in the ocean and it just turned my hair from a knotted mess to silky smooth.

CHI Silk Infusion (in the Creative sensation bottle for travel use)

Dove Go Fresh Raspberry and Lime – Not really a hair care product but this was my shower gel sample that I got in HK last summer. It smells DELICIOUS! i wish they have this scent in the states.

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BODY CARE: Other than my face sunblock, I can bring whatever I want. My biggest fear is putting regular sunblock on my face and having it clog my pores and cause breakouts.

Banana Boat Sunscreen SPF30 – I actually ended up not using this. This was just more for backup purposes because I much prefer the spray on kind that my friend brought. If you’re going to be out in the sun the whole day, opt for SPF 50+ and reapply throughout the day. Don’t want to be burnt like a tomato now do we?

Nivea Express HydrationKind of small for a lotion to bring, but theres actually quite a lot of product in there thats good for probably 3 full body uses. I don’t use it on my whole body so there was more than enough for the trip.

Shiseido Urban Environment Sunblock SPF35Surprise Surprise that this is the sunblock I would bring for my face. This is probably the only sunblock I would use on my face.

Aloe Vera Soothing Gel If you’re going to be in the sun the whole day, another thing that you must get is some type of after sun lotion that can help cool and soothe your skin. Aloe Vera is probably your best option. It feels soooo nice on the skin. It soothes and moisturizes. Great on sensitive skin types so you don’t have to worry about it irritating your skin. You will regret it if you don’t bring it.

Etude House Aloe Moistful An aloe vera for your face since I’m paranoid with using body products on the face. I just feel that products that is meant for your body is not as gentle as the ones that are meant for your face.

Bamboo UV+ Color CareA UV protection spray for your hair. Sounds perfect for being outdoors but I forgot to use it.

Episencial Soothing Cream

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Everything gets placed in this little pouch. Its not that little but it sure fits a heck of a lot of products in it. One of my old roommates just came into my room and gave it to me one day. It might not be the cutest but it sure is useful. I love it! I’ve seen similar ones at TJ Maxx.

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Skin care and body care are separated. Some products that I’m scare will leak or bust open is placed in the Forever 21 baggie.

ImageFolds nicely in half. Not too big not too small but fits an insane amount of stuff.