Review of Empties I : Favourite skincare

I've been collecting my trash, thinking I'd do those fancy #empties posts with craftily-shot products spread but... let's be honest, I'm probably too lazy for that. What's important to me is the review of the things I have used. I always trust empty reviews because often people know how they feel about something. Now, here goes my first installment of empty goodies (I've got four planned; ugh so much trash)!

Serums: Fav category out of the favourites (Because I love serums!)

Nip+Fab Glycolic Fix; Vichy Normaderm; Hylamide Low Molecular HA

Hylamide Low Molecular HA

I discovered Hylamide in 2015 and it was the highlight of my year. Initially, I picked up Low Molecular HA because it was the cheapest out of all the serums, at £18. Since then, I have tried several other Hylamide products and this remains to be my most favourite. It is packed with moisture and it leaves my skin feeling nourished and balanced. It is very lightweight, soaks up immediately and will not leave your skin *dewy*. I did not detect any scent at all which is a plus point for me (I don't like scented skincare). If you have oily skin, if you have dry skin, if you have dehydrated skin, if you have normal skin, heck if you have skin at all and I bet all of you have skin, try this out. I loved it.

Nip+Fab Glycolic Fix 

This serum was my first attempt of using acids. I think it is a bit too strong for me. I did use it for about 3 months religiously prior to realising this fact. But it did work, especially in making my skin feel smoother and softer. I have the facial pads from this range and found that as an exfoliant it works amazingly; just not as serum that sits on my skin for a longer period of time. I ended up using this on the dry patches I have on my arms and knees. I think my skin felt fine after using the serum for some time, but to be completely honest I just did not pay any attention to my arms and knees to notice any difference.

Vichy Normaderm 

This bottle lasted me for about a year, I believe. It was marketed for acne-prone skin, but I did not feel it reduced my acne by any means. It just did not worsen it. However, I generally enjoyed this serum-moisturiser in my morning routine. It smells fresh, it is lightweight and make-up applies well on it.

Cleansers/Scrubs

Nivea micellar water; Hada Lobo face wash; Codage scrubbing cream; Himalaya Neem face wash

Nivea Sensitive Caring Micellar Water

Out of all the micellar waters I've tried, Nivea's is my favourite. It is unscented, it does not sting my eyes, it gets the job done. I will repurchase this, definitely! 

Hada Labo Deep Clean & Blemish Control face wash

I got this when I was back home in Malaysia on offer. It's an okay cleanser; the texture is creamy, it foams up well but leaves the skin feeling slightly tight after use. I wouldn't necessarily recommend it, but there is no harm in trying it out, especially if you have more oily skin-type. In terms of controlling blemishes, I don't think I saw any effects. 

Codage Scrubbing Cream

Codage is supposedly a fancy French brand and this is a 25ml sample of their Scrubbing Cream. I freaking loved this stuff. It had quite large scrubby bits, but paradoxically was not harsh at all. It is also very luxuriously creamy, which is probably why it didn't feel harsh. I would want to repurchase this, but it costs £36 for a 50ml jar and I'm not ready to part ways with my money just yet. 

Himalaya Neem face wash

I'm also throwing out a travel-size Himalaya Neem face wash which I have had for ages. While I have only used this during my travels, I have used this Neem face wash in the past. It is slightly stripping and unless you have extremely oily skin, I wouldn't recommend it. 

Moisturiser/Creams

The Emu Oil Well Mousiturising eye cream; Origins GinZeng; FAB Ultra Repair Cream; Biore UV Aqua Rich

The Emu Oil Well Moisturising Eye Cream

I got this based on a review by Estee many months (years?) ago and there was a sale for it on lookfantastic, so I gave it a go. It is very emollient but not thick, and has a distinct scent which I noticed but didn't mind. I have normal under-eyes and don't have terrible eye-bags so I can't comment of whether it reduces puffiness etc. However, I did end up just using this as a body cream to quickly finish it up because I was bored of it T_____T. As a body cream, it works just as well, by the way.

Origins GinZeng moisturiser

Ugh I'm so frustrated with Origins. Why is it so pricey and yet so average? I got myself trial sizes of Origins and have yet to be impressed by any of them, actually. Wait, why is this in my Favorite skincare?? It's not! It's just something I don't hate. It's an alright moisturiser, smells orange-y and lightweight. That is all.

First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream

Now, this. is. a. gem. An unexpected one. This is like Hylamide Low Molecular HA serum; it is genuinely one of those low-key maybe-you-thought-I'm-average products, but does the whole nourishing thing in a spectacular way, you just can't not be impressed by it. It does what it says; gives you moisture! It is not too thick, mousse-like and enjoyed using it on my face, sometimes on my body. There is a weak scent to it, feels a bit cooling but I don't think it's irritating.

Biore UV Aqua Rich Sunscreen (SPF 50+PA+++)

It's not mentioned on the packaging, but I remember when I bought this like 3 years ago, it was designed to make sure make-up applies smoothly on top of it. It is a white mousse, blends in the skin immediately after application. I am fair, so I did not notice any white cast. I also don't take flash photography so I can't comment on flashbacks as well. What I can comment is make-up did indeed apply very smoothly on it; it's lightweight and very comfortable to wear for daily basis.

The sun is out!

Spring break was no break. I was writing my undergraduate thesis, I was applying and was interviewed for jobs knowing that I won't work after my undergraduate because #gradschool so I've been going all "What is the point of this again?!", oh and speaking of graduate school, I've been rejected by several scholarships I applied to -- so really, it's been a tiring, draining and pretty disappointing spring break. Except for the times spent with close friends, primarily worrying but also assuring ourselves things are probably going to turn out okay, eventually -- I enjoyed every minute of that. 

Aside from aforementioned activities, I did go on a holiday (sort of? more like a study break) and boy, oh boy, I picked the right time to enjoy myself. I visited a friend in Edinburgh and the weather was phenomenally bright and sunny. I toured the city, hiked aplenty and drank lotsa coffee. I was told the city is usually very gloomy with rain and strong wind; a part of myself would like to believe that I am a special snowflake and that Life decided, "Yep, you totally deserve this break. HERE'S THE SUN FOR YOU." Immediately though, the other part of myself that is ridiculously superstitions started thinking if this is Life's way of easing me into the difficult times ahead, namely the other scholarship application results I'm anxiously waiting for and my finals; you know, "Enjoy this now, YOU WILL SUFFER AND FAIL NEXT." I know, ridiculous but this fear is real.

Then I headed down to London to see William Fitzsimmons live which was life-changing. I am not exaggerating! It was life-changing. Firstly, it was Fitzsimmons and if you know me in any personal capacity, you know I cannot shut up about this man. He's amazingly talented, and he's arguably the first guy to make me reconsider my taste in men; from the cute Korean flower boys to.... what it is now (must have a beard, voice must be calming, looks good in flannel, and oh, did I mention, beard. Seriously it's impossible to find someone in my vicinity who rocks an awesome beard and is simultaneously date-able). 

But secondly, the awesome part of the concert was also because it was at a church, St.Giles in-the-Fields. Now, Fitzsimmons is already amazing and while I'm no expert in architecture, I think the design of the place has a lot to do in making his music more amazing. It was a complex experience in which I felt my whole body vibrated to the soft acoustics of Will's guitar playing, the sharp dip-in-the-guts of "oh. OH WOW OH." of Abby Gunderson's violin and my favorite, the odd-but-totally-amazing-adorable use of what I think is the xylaphone in some of his songs. I'm also not a music major so really I can't comment shit about music things BUT I WAS HAPPY AND IT WAS GREAT. 

But anyways, I thought I'd share the makeup I've been wearing when I was on holiday. I was staying at a friend's friend's place and her room was aesthetically cool. It also had a nice big window, so all the good light was available and ..... TA-DA!

Let me begin by saying I am not used to taking pictures of myself, or even looking at pictures of myself. Yeah, I'm one of those people who'd untag the photos you’ve tagged me on Facebook. I really dislike photos of myself and admittedly, it is most likely because of slight negative body-image issues. I'm trying, okay. Trying.

Also, can we talk about my *glow*? Okay, it was mostly the sun and the fact that my face is so round so all the light bounces of everywhere; but also because I've been using a creamy lipstick (Essence lipstick in 05 Cool Nude) as my blush. Dab it on the apple of my cheeks and subtly on my cheekbones; blend it out to give a nice sheen. Damn, it's pretty in pictures -- of course, when angled rightly!

Face

A'Pieu Natural Sun Cream SPF45 PA+++

Bioderma Sebium Global (as primer)

Bourjois 123 Perfect CC Cream in 32 Beige Claire

Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer in 3 Warm Medium

KIKO Flawless Fusion Bronzer Powder in 01 Natural Tan

KIKO Matte Fusion Pressed Powder in 04 Honey

Essence lipstick in 05 Cool Nude (as blush)

Eyes (not always, only in these pictures but most of the time, I skipped the eyes!)

MaxFactor 2000 Calorie mascara in Black

Etude House Drawing Eyebrow in 05 Grey 

Lips 

Burt's Bees Tinted Lipbalm in Hibiscus

Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in 001 Honey

L-R: Burt's Bees's Hibiscus, Revlon's Honey; Essence's Cool Nude.

Project Pan Update #1

I started this project earlier this year, aiming to update my progress every three months. Inspired by the numerous use-it-up challenges I watch on Youtube, and how it is personally satisfying to finish a product, I wanted to document my own process. I've focused on 11 products; have since finished 3, thrown out 1, giving away 1 and will potentially add other stuff to the mix.

For my base, I'm hella proud of how much I've used my EX1 Invisiwear foundation in F100. Initially I mixed this with my Bourjois bronzing primer (also in this project) but found it to be too orange for my liking. Now I mix it with my Invisiwear in F200 for a decent colour (yes I've got 2 shades of this foundation). For the next 3 months, I will continue using F100, but will also track my progress for F200. I'll probably dedicate a future post reviewing this foundation, but to quickly review it: it's an alright foundation.

L: Update on F100 YASSSSSS; R: Swatch of EX1 Invisiwear in F100 and F200

I love Natural Collection's Sugar Plum; it's more of a mauve instead of a plum for me, not too pigmented and against my skin, gives just the right amount of "natural" flush. Panning this blush would be an impossible ambition, but I'm happy to report I've used it almost every day when I am not using the next "cheek" product.

L: Natural Collection Sugar Plum; L: Blended 

Essence's lipstick in Cool Nude is not the colour for me. It makes my complexion look meh and my teeth looks more yellow than they already are (coffee is a wonderful thing I am not willing to give up, plus I genetically have slightly yellow teeth). But I re-purposed this into a cream blush, and it does wonderful things to my complexion. It's cool, nude, slightly mauve and I realised that I like a slightly "wet" look to my cheeks. The swatch below is a bit intense, but blended out, it is my go-to blush. The drawback is it does not last at all, disappears around the 1.5 hours mark; perhaps because my face has developed its own oil by now, leaving all of my face looking oily dewy and melts the lipstick away.

Top L: Essence in Cool Nude; R: KIKO 414 Mauve
Bottom: Swatches. I taught myself to love you! And I ended up really loving!!

My KIKO lipstick (414 Mauve in Sheer Glossy formula) is one that I didn't expect to love. Because it was glittery and I have never warmed up to glitter. Not when I was younger, not now as I'm in my early 20s. I tolerated the lipstick mostly because aside from the glitter, it is a wonderful lipstick. A very nice berry-mauve, it does not have a strong scent, it glides smoothly on my lips and does not emphasize the lines of my naturally line-y lips. But tolerance grew into acceptance, then turned into admiration -- I can comfortably rely on this lipstick to brighten up my face on the days I wore it for school. In fact, now that I think of it, it is not that glittery as you can see from my swatch of it. 

Concealers are my thing; it's the first makeup I bought, I think. All thanks to acne and its scarring, which in my case is very obvious since I am quite fair and my hyper-pigmentation is probably 4 shades darker than my actual colouring -- I need the concealing. Rimmel's Hide the Blemish was my first concealer and for this reason, it has a special place in my heart. It is not the best thing in the market, and the colour that I have (103 Soft Honey) is a bit too beige for my skin, but it works just fine. I have found for my scars, using a slightly deeper/warmer concealer works because it cancels out the darkness a bit; but I have to blend it well to match my foundation so that I don't look like I have a variation of chicken-pox still undiscovered by scientists. Of course, I forgot to take a picture of the essential part of a project pan, which is a picture showing my progress of use! Soz.

L: one swipe of Maybelline 20 Sand and Rimmel 103 Soft Honey; R: Blended

Maybelline Fit Me concealer (20 Sand) on the other had, was disappointing. I was so excited for this product because of the hype it has gotten and because the colour seems "yellow" enough for me. But I found the formula too creamy, unsuitable for my oily skin. When blended, it turned out to be a bit darker than Rimmel's Soft Honey. On my scars, it draws attention to the pigment it was supposed to cover, which is a no-no in my book. I have a little bit of it left, but have decided to throw it out. Most likely will not repurchase.

Vaseline Rosy Lips and Bourjois Bronzing Primer. When will you go away?

It has been a slow progress trying to use up my Vaseline Rosy Lips and Bourjois Bronzing Primer. The former is just horrendous, really, I dislike the waxy feeling on my lips when I use it, and I find myself minding this even if I'm just going to bed (I wear it every night). I'm giving this away to my friend, Q, who also happens to be the only person I know reading this blog. (HI Q! *waves enthusiastically*) I'm still keeping the bronzing primer seeing how summer is upon us. I'll be mixing it with my moisturizer, or another primer. My quick review of this primer: it's orange, it smells like chemicals that try to smell like chocolate and it has a velvety-primer texture. I am indifferent to it, sometimes borderline hate it because of how orange it makes me look. But I'm still keeping it around. For now.

GOOD BYE.
Bourjois Healthy Mix 52 Vanille; Bio-Oil; Superdrug Intensive Foot Cream; Maybelline Fit Me concealer 20 Sand

Stuffs I've finished (YEAY!!!!) are my Bourjois Healthy Mix powder in 52 Vanille, my Superdrug foot cream and honest to God, the most terrible invention ever, the Bio-Oil. I hate Bio-Oil with all my heart. Because in my teenage days I was told it works wonders for acne scarring, and then it doesn't, and I only stopped using after so many years of hoping it will work. I never doubted the product; there must be something about me that doesn't allow this thing to work its wonders. But it wasn't me! You were just terrible and shit, Bio-Oil. I hope to never see you again. Good bye.

That's my update and review for now. I'm still learning how to get the lighting right so that my swatches are somewhat useful, if not for others, for my own reference. And let us all take a minute to thank God; for I did not continue using Instagram filters and stick to natural lighting in my photos for this blog! 

Hey. Hey?

Okay -- okay. I never said it was going to be easy. Or consistent. I hoped. And I failed. And as I've always told myself when it comes to the whole success-failures-are-a-part-of-life : deal with it, and move on!

The thing that made me moved my lazy butt and actually try this beauty blogging again is of course, reading my favourite beauty blogs: Bad Outfit Great Lipstick and Auxiliary Beauty. Both are witten by eloquent, intelligent writes; both are great at reviewing beauty products. I'll be updating my blogroll hopefully some time soon to include more favourite reads -- for anyone who's interested to know what I love reading, but also it's more of a reading list for myself anyways. And God, "blogroll" is such a #throwback word.

Some housekeeping things, as you've probably noticed I moved to blogspot. I've imported that two posts from my wordpress blog. No particular reason why, just felt like going old school. Or as kids these days would probably say, #oldskool. In the upcoming weeks, the following posts are going to be up :

• Update of my Project Pan
• Reviews of Empties I : Favourite skincare
• Reviews of Empties II : Other skin things
• Reviews of Empties III : Makeup stuff
• Reviews of Empties IV : Body + Miscellaneous

Anyways, a reminder to myself on taking this thing seriously this time, and by serious I don't mean I'm gonna make millions from beauty-blogging or anything. It's more of "finding a hobby and stick to it" kinda thing. I'm not into sports, I dislike travelling. I cook and I would say I love cooking (hey, once I had a blog about that too!) but as of now, I'm stuck with cooking the same food over and over again. I've also recently just got a new camera, and this seemed like putting it to good use.

I spend time thinking about skincare and make-up often. There is a routine and I enjoy doing it, every morning and every night. I wear make-up even if I'm just at home because I like it. I've got a mental wishlist of things I want to buy but have never actually written it down, so often I forget what I wanted to buy and end up buying cosmetics I eventually regret purchasing. 

I reckon it's about time I put on my big-girl-suit and start being responsible. Pick a hobby and stick to it. I've always wanted to write more frequently, so here's me writing about purple blush and red lipstick. I also find inspiration from how other beauty bloggers (of the aforementioned blogs, for example) are so freaking smart when they write! I'm not sure if I'd be able to contribute anything remotely intelligent, but goddammit Siti, just do it!