Emptied Products in March 2013

Can you believe it's April already? One-fourth of the year is gone! I managed to collect a bag of empties and share with you my thoughts:

SOLO Aqua Care contact lens solution - blogged about that HERE. It’s decent but I think I may have to switch to other solutions, since after using it for a while my eyes now react with contact lens solutions there in the market (eyes are a bit irritated when trying other solutions). I’m not sure if your eyes get used to the same solution after 1-2 years that they’ll find it hard to adapt to other solutions.

ORBIS Clear Toner – I found an almost-empty bottle alongside the one I was close to finishing. Orbis was my beloved and trusted skincare line until lately, my skin started to misbehave and was hardly under control. I was hoping their products could calm my skin down, who knows, maybe the underlying hormones resulted from natural aging have affected my skin more than I expected it would. Anyhow, this used to work for me but not too sure if it still is right now, but I got a few backups to finish.

Kose Softymo Deep Cleansing Oil - it’s cheap and cheerful, and it cleans. Will definitely repurchase after I’m done with my backups from DHC.

Origins Clear Improvement Mask – this is my third or fourth tube already. Love this stuff. It’s a bit hard to wash off though, so make sure you do remove it thoroughly. I do prefer a jar packaging though…having said that, I might look at an alternative from Kiehl’s…[Edit: I bought clay masks from Apivita instead.]

Kiehl’s Aloe Vera and Oatmeal Hand and body lotion in Grapefruit – not crazy about the scent, and the texture seems to be a bit greasy post-application. So glad this bottle is gone.

Alpha H Balancing Cleanser – I much prefer foamy cleansers nowadays because they seem to make my skin more clean. My skin had a problem getting along with this cleanser from Alpha H, it’s too runny and watery in texture, and it doesn’t clean at all…

Caudalie Vinoperfect Enzymatic Peel Mask – This is a cream mask which has “peeling” function, which renews skin surface. I also felt it brightened my skin as well, the duller areas became less dull.

 Chanel Demaquillant Eye MU remover – blogged about this before, am a huge fan of this!

Chanel Le Blanc Brightening Lotion – I always think about whitening toners as a bit slimy and viscous than an average toner. I did find this toner a bit more viscous than the usual ones, but when applied on a cotton pad and patted on skin, it leaves no slimy/sticky residue, bonus! I’m pretty positive about this toner, but am too cheap to afford one.

NUDE Face and Eye Cleansing Oil – smells awfully like almonds. While I could get past its scent, this cleansing oil is decent but not that remarkable that I’d repurchase.

Kenzoki SHH de Lotus Relaxant (EDT) – smells divine. I finished this spray within 2 weeks ever since I got it. Courtesy of the lovely reader Lynn! Might purchase the full size one!

SK-II Stempower Face Cream – I love how quick it absorbs and lightweight it is, yet it’s also very moisturizing. Makes the appearance of skin more healthy and radiant. I like it but probably will not repurchase due to the price!

Bare Escentuals Buxom Lash mascara – this was okay, nothing too dramatic about the lashes. Will not repurchase since I have 15+ unopened mascaras…

Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation – I’ve got two sample tubes of these. I prefer Designer Lift for its slightly higher coverage, but not so significantly different between the two though, to be honest. Both offer pretty high coverage. Best for my badly broke out skin right now. Sigh. 

Clarins Total Cleansing Oil – this feels runny and lightweight. I still need to use a micellar lotion/water to remove my makeup after using this though, particularly if I’m wearing heavy duty foundation. 

Chanel Le Blanc Instant Brightening Oil-Gel Makeup Remover - LOVE the texture. It's jelly/gel like, you rub on your face dry, and then rinse with water and your skin became clean again. The gel seems to turn into more liquid state upon rubbing motions, I love everything about this gel in fact, I love it so much I plan to repurchase, but I'm not too sure whether I'm happy to pay > $400 HKD for it...*cries*

Lunasol Smoothing Makeup Base N – too drying for my already dry skin, made lines show. Shade also seems a bit light for my skintone in summer. I had high hopes for this but it is a no.

Kiehl's Actively Correcting and Beautifying BB Cream in Fair - I think I'm safe to say this broke me out. Not only it felt thick and greasy upon application, it just clogged my pores and made them hardly could breathe. I'm a big fan of Kiehl's but this one just didn't knock my socks off. I should be wearing Natural shade instead of Fair, too.

Diptyque Revitalizing Shower Gel - I couldn't pinpoint which scent this belonged to in the Diptyque family, but I love everything from Diptyque! I"m thrilled to find the scent of this shower gel really refreshing and luxurious to lather on skin. It's rather viscous too. 

Astalift Cleansing Oil – blogged about that HERE. Would love to buy it in full size, maybe some day.

History of Whoo Brightening Foam Cleanser – I’m not too familiar with this Korean brand but Elaine had kindly passed on some samples and a sample kit. Love this foamy cleanser, and it smells nice too! The best thing: it cleans well and makes me happy.

Holika Holika Perfumed Deo Wipes - full sized gift. I used it for many, many purposes that you wouldn't want to know. Wipes are wipes, end of story, lol.

 Montage Junesse Strawberry & Cream Gel Cream Masque - honestly...this was rather unremarkable. The scent is enticing but the mask a bit too runny to be a 'gel cream'. Did not notice much difference after using.

DHC Eye masks x 2 – talked about them before HERE. Over the weekend I dug out the ones I bought some time ago but never got around to finish it, so you’ll see the packaging had been revamped.

Apivita Express Beauty mask with Orange – this range of mask with Orange aims to revitalize skin and it did. I applied it for 15 minutes, washed off, and my skin felt cooler than before all along until I fell asleep! Once applied, the consistency is not that runny so that it will not drip, bonus. I also think it helped brightening my skin overnight as well. The orange scent isn’t that obvious as I had expected, which is a good thing J

 Apivita Express Beauty mask with Grape – the consistency of this mask is a bit on the runny side. This aims to help with wrinkles and firming the skin. I felt this helped to smoothen out my skin and made it more energized.

Apivita Express Beauty mask with Pink Clay – talked about this before HERE. The floral scent is a bit OTT for my taste but nevertheless is a great cleansing mask!

Apivita Express Gold with Prickly Pear - impressive moisturization from a packet! The scent is nothing to remark about, but after 10 minutes my face became plump and felt so smooth again. Already repurchased (this was a trial packet).

Malin + Goetz Intensive Hair mask – love this stuff. I used this while on a short weekend trip and it made my hair soft and flowing (is there such word?). Love to purchase the full size! I can’t find it on Zuneta though.

Kanebo Dew Superior Moisturizer x 2 – my skin takes this moisturizer in gladly. This is moisturizing (as the name of Dew Superior suggests) and does not leave your skin greasy. Downside: full size is expensive. Probably will not repurchase.

So there you have it:

Full size: (7) + 6 = 13

Deluxe samples: (16) + 13 = 29

Small / packet samples: (16) + 9 = 25

Masks: (5) + 7 = 12

Tossed: (5) + 0 = 5

What have you tried, loved and not loved this month?