Hellooo everyone, long time no beauty post! I was supposed to do a rundown of my January to June product empties last month, but it kept raining on the days that I planned to take photos, so the post kept getting delayed. I finally managed to take photos of everything last week (it rained right after I finished shooting), so here is my product empties post for the 1st half of 2017!✨
SKINCARE
All of the skincare stuff here are products that are/were part of my daily routine. I use most of these once or twice daily so it's not surprising that I managed to use them up within the first half of the year. (By the way, the Melano CC isn't part of this list – I found it lying around at home so I included it in the photo, but it turns out I'd already included it in a previous empties post, lol.)I bought this as a replacement for the Etude House Wonder Pore Freshner, which I'd previously used as a pH-balancing toner. In terms of value, you get more product with the EH Wonder Pore (P898 for 500ml) vs the COSRX AHA/BHA Toner (P730 for 150ml), but I was worried that I was damaging my skin because the Wonder Pore had alcohol in it. Especially since I have oily-dehydrated skin.. I didn't want to dehydrate my skin any further so I switched to the COSRX. I love everything about this toner, except for the price. I find it a bit expensive especially since I use it every day. Currently I'm testing a 50ml bottle of the the Thayers Alcohol Free Rose Petal Witch Hazel Toner (a 355ml bottle is ~P850 on Shopee), and my skin seems to like it, so I might switch to that instead.
My HG hydrating toner! Will always, ALWAYS repurchase.
I bought this November last year and finished the whole thing after less than 5 months. At first I was slightly hesitant about trying this product because I hadn't used anything with bee venom in it before. Fortunately, I wasn't allergic to bee venom or anything. This essence easily became a favorite – it is super lightweight, absorbs quickly, and does wonders with healing acne scars. As someone who has a picking problem, this is a godsend. I've since repurchased, and will continue to do so ♥
Something I bought because they pulled out my favorite Bifesta makeup removers from stores. This was just so-so. Can't remove waterproof makeup well, and kind of smells like stale water. Will not repurchase.
My HG sunscreen! This is probably the first time I've ever used up sunscreen. All the other ones I've tried were just too heavy or sticky for me. This one is lightweight, dries quickly, and doesn't leave a white cast. I've already repurchased (I did so right before I ran out), but I plan to try Biore's UV Aqua Rich Watery Gel for Face and Body next time!
I caved in and bought this after seeing so many Korean Youtubers recommend it. They're supposed to be BHA pads, but according to this post BHAs are most effective if they have a pH of less than 3.5, and a concentration of 1-2%. These pads have a pH of 4. That's not to say that these are completely ineffective, just that they're not as effective as other BHAs. As I was using the COSRX Blackhead Power Liquid at around the same time as I got these, I didn't notice any huge difference. I liked using them in the morning after cleansing though, since they're convenient. I just slap a pad on, wipe down, and move to the next step. The only issue I had was that there were only 70 pads, which mean it's only good for less than two and a half months. You can probably cut each pad in half to save money, but I gave that up after a week or so LOL. Will I repurchase? In the future, maybe.
Received from bntnews International, previously reviewed here. This is one of those products I wasn't sure I'd like, but ended up falling in love with. It's an oil-based cream, but it isn't super heavy. I used this a lot on days when I had a lot of fresh acne scars (after a bout of compulsive picking....ugh), and this helped speed up the healing. Would I buy it? I want to! But it's hella expensive at $58 </3
SHEET MASKS
My favorite part of AB ♥ In April I thought I should start including sheet masks I've used in my empties posts, so I started saving the packets after using them. But because I only got the idea in April, I'd already thrown out a lot of empties of sheet masks I liked. The most notable one being the Tosowoong Pure Propolis Mask, which I got as part of Kang's care package and absolutely LOVED. Made my skin look chokchok af. I'm planning to buy a bunch next time, but I have to go through my current sheet mask stash first.My favorite cheap masks! I got most of these for ~P45 each while we were in KL last year. I got 4 Green Tea masks, 1 Black Berry, and 1 Manuka Honey mask (I used that while we were in KL, so it's not in the photo). The Rose one, I got from BeautyMNL for P70 (that markup tho). These are a great pick-me-up for when you just really want to relax. Results aren't amazing but I still like them. I liked all of these including the Manuka Honey one, but the Black Berry one has a thicker essence and I made a mistake of using it during a hot summer day....cry. Will I repurchase? Of course! But only when we go back to KL, because I'm a cheapskate.
Another favorite. I discovered these masks at the Club Clio VIP Shopping Party. My skin type is oily-dehydrated, so when I read the words "Water Full" I just added a bunch of them in my basket. I got one of each – Hyaluronic Acid (my favorite), Vitamin, Collagen, and Propolis. They're P65 each, which is okay I guess. I really like the instant hydration boost I get from these so I'm okay with repurchasing. (By the way, I have a review of these coming up soon, so please watch out for that!)
Another sheet mask from Kang! (Kang spoils me too much, seriously.. ALSO SHE HAS A BLOG NOW, SO GO CHECK IT OUT.) I'd been wanting to try Leaders masks for a long time, and this was a great introduction! The Mela-Tox was made for brightening, and it certainly did just that. The only thing that put me off was the strong floral scent (that reminded me of sampaguitas), but I always get put off by scents that aren't citrus scents, so. Will definitely purchase in the future, along with a few other Skin Clinic variants.
This came with something I bought online.. I forgot what it was. I forgot if this mask was any good too, since all I remember was that it had a strong artificial green tea smell. Will not purchase.
Got this as part of YesStyle's Skincare Essentials Beauty Box*, but I'd already purchased and tried this before that. One of my favorite sheet masks for calming breakouts, but I think I like Tosowoong Pure Propolis more, so I'm not sure about repurchasing.
SAMPLES
Lots and lots of samples! Most of these are freebies I received from online shopping. I saved these because I was planning to make a separate set of posts where I talk about samples I've tried, but I've accumulated so much junk in the process that I thought I'd just include everything here. (Basically I couldn't wait to throw all these empties out already, lol.)This sample came with YesStyle's Sweet Spring Makeup Kit Beauty Box*, which I got earlier this year, but I've been using the full-sized version cleanser since November. Might repurchase when I run out. I'm not sure about that yet, as I'm currently eyeing Innisfree's Bija Anti-Trouble Cleansing Gel. It's a really good cleanser though, my favorite out of all the low pH cleansers I've tried.
From YesStyle's Skincare Essentials Beauty Box*. I LOVE THIS. I don't know why I haven't bought a ton of these yet. I will soon!
Also from Kang. I was wondering if it would be less painful compared to other pore strips since it's from a Korean brand. (Why did I even think this!!) It's why I avoid pore strips like the plague. I tried this out of curiosity and it didn't really do much? I don't know. The scent was so strong though! Will not purchase.
I was super excited to try this cleanser because I knew it was Fiddy of Fifty Shades of Snail's HG cleanser. It was.. interesting. It smelled like something similar to ginseng. I don't know what it smelled like exactly but it was a very herbal smell. I guess that's to be expected, since Sulwhasoo is a luxury hanbang brand. It was nice, but I don't think I'll be purchasing it anytime soon, especially since it has a lot of coconut-derived ingredients in it.
Also known as the discovery of the year. At first I was confused as to where I should put this in my routine. Should I put it last, because it's an oil? But it's a water oil, so is it a toner? Is it an essence?? What is it??? I found my answer on Fiddy's blog, where it says to use it after toner. I did that and my skin looked SO GOOD the next day. So soft and hydrated. Sadly, the tiny sample only had enough for 2~3 uses, so I couldn't do a proper test. I looked at the ingredients list recently after the huge and found that this stuff actually has caprylic/capric triglyceride, which is derived from coconuts. I'm not allergic to coconuts, but after the Great Coconut Oil Breakout of 2017, I found out that some coconut products cause me to break out. I'm not sure if caprylic/capric triglyceride is one of them, so I'll have to buy more samples of this before I actually buy the full-sized bottle.
I remember liking this cream but that was about it? It felt nice on the skin and didn't break me out, but forgettable. It's a great all-in-one cream though – moist but not heavy on the skin. Will not purchase as I'm looking to switch to gel moisturizers.
I'm surprised I didn't throw this away immediately, because this stuff was so heavily scented I remember having to wash my face right after putting it on. I was at the last step of my routine, and I washed it all off. Because of this. Will not purchase.
Another product I was super excited to try, especially with the whole Weightlifting Fairy and Laneige hype locally. Sadly I wasn't wowed by this cream, so I couldn't find any reason to justify paying ~P1900 for a full-sized jar. Nice and hydrating, but that was it for me. I can probably find a similar cream for a lower price point. Will not purchase.
Sadly, I don't remember if I liked this cream or not. It was probably just okay for me. Will not purchase.
One of the biggest letdowns of the year, tbh. I was so excited to try these because it gets a ton of praise for being SK-II's cheaper twin sister. But after trying it for more than a week, I didn't see a difference at all. Which is sad, because I really wanted it to work for me. Will not purchase – planning to try a different FTE from Nature Republic or COSRX instead.
MAKEUP
I very rarely go out these days, which is why I haven't emptied or even hit pan on any makeup products. I only have four products for this category, and all of them are being thrown out because they've already dried up or expired.Bought in October, previously reviewed here. It dried up completely around January I think. I've read that cushions generally last about 2 to 2.5 months, so I was glad this was really cheap. (I got it for less than P600, which is half the usual price of most cushions.) Will not repurchase, because while I liked it, it had zero oil control, so it made me look like an oily mess by the end of the day. I might try the Mint version though, which is supposedly targeted towards people with oily skin.
My very first lip tints! These started my whole lip tint addiction. I've stopped using them ever since I discovered different lip tint textures, but I kept them because I kept thinking I'd still use them. I eventually forgot about them, until I was cleaning up my makeup stash and found them there. I feel bad about throwing them out still, since Tony Moly discontinued their cat-themed packaging for the Tony Tints, but these are SUPER OLD so I have to. Will not repurchase, because I prefer the texture of Tony Moly's Get It Tints.
One of the few liquid liners that was actually waterproof and smudge-proof. The only downsides were 1) this was extremely hard to take off if you didn't have a proper eye makeup remover, and 2) the brush is a bit hard to control. Whenever I used this I had troubles making my eyeliner wings look nice because I couldn't keep my hands steady. I planned on trying the pen type version of this liner, but Heroine Make already pulled out from local stores, sadly. Maybe I can try Dolly Wink next.
And that's it! Not a lot of new products this time. Like I said, most of these are products that I'd been using religiously so it's not a surprise that I used them up. When I first got into AB my mindset was "TRY ALL THE THINGS!", but doing that just gave me a ton of problems lol. To be honest I still don't know how to make this whole AB thing work now that I've been trying to minimalize my life, but I'm glad that I know better now. I know what I like and don't like, and I know what works for my skin and what doesn't. I'm able to buy skincare products more mindfully. Hopefully in the near future I'll be able to say the same for makeup as well.
Have you tried any of these items? What products have you finished off lately? :)
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