Empties: April - June

Today I bring you the second installment of the mega empties' post! As I've been traveling quite a bit recently, I tried to take photos of the empties as long as I finished them because I didn't want to lug around junk while moving from here to there, please bear with me (pic-heavy). It sure felt good to have finished LOTS of stuff! :)

The usual cotton puffs I went through boxes and boxes of: 

FRESH Sugar Lip Treatment in clear SPF 15 - deluxe sample size, the gwp duo at Sephora has turned me into a sucker for Fresh lip treatments!  I finished the Rose one (also a deluxe sample) a while ago and since then purchased full size in Petal and Ruby. Also on my radar is Tulip shade :)

Kimberly Sayer Gentle Face Cleanser - these are extremely gentle on the skin yet effective, I might purchase a full size when I've finished numerous cleansers in my stash (let's face it - it won't be soon! But one can plan, right?)

Another Kimberly Sayer Gentle Face Cleanser, SANA Hadanomy Collagen Mask (my HG! not carried in HK anymore), and Apivita Propoline Balancing Shampoo (for men I think).

Tarte Lash Hugger Mascara - can't remember much but it smudged a bit on the under eye. RMK Gel Foundation in 103 - Love the gel like consistency yet medium-high coverage, very comfortable to wear. Chanel Eye Makeup Remover that I want buy for the rest of my life if I can afford it. Another Kimberly Sayer Gentle Face Cleanser that I love. CoverGirl LashBlast Waterproof Mascara that seems to dry out a bit when I opened it, the smell might be offensive to some, it left some deposit on my under eye.

Dr. Bronner's Liquid Castille Soap in Baby (Unscented) - normally I'm not a fan of unscented body washes, but since our destination is known for its mosquitoes, we did everything not to attract mosquitoes / insects by avoiding scented body washes. John Masters Organics Zinc & Sage Shampoo with conditioner x 2 - they smell like caramel fudge, delicious and makes hairwash a breeze since it has built-in conditioner as well.

Alcon Opti-free Pure Moist Lens solution: one bottle is good for 7 days of use. REN Hydra-Calm Cleansing Milk is more of a cream than a milk. You need to get quite a bit of product in order to effectively clean your face and is gentle to the skin.

SANA Hadanomy Collagen Mask, a HG instant dehydration-rescue.

MyChelle Sun Shield Unscented Broad Spectrum SPF 28 - Great sunscreen for everyday use, if you don't like fragrance, this is for you, and it's a green product too. Sofina Beaute SPF50 PA++++ is a runny sunscreen milk, this is nice on the skin but it's not the best for my skin.

Mitchell & Peach Shower Wash - nice little bottle that smells heavenly and luxurious like the English countryside! RMK Cleansing Oil that smells like mental / minty and cooling while using, mostly used for cleansing makeup swatches.

Bioderma Crealine micellar is my trusted partner in daily makeup removal. This is a jumbo size.

Cremorlab Herb Tea Blemish Minus Calming Mask - thumbs up for this mask, this is hydrating enough yet caring / gentle enough to be used on acne / blemish-prone skin! So glad I read a review/rave for it and bought it on a whim, can't have enough of it. It's putting the My Beauty Diary Masks to shame ;) I rate it next to SANA Hadanomy Collagen Mask (more moisturizing) and this is no simple feat. This fits the face perfectly, you can tell the sheet is made of good material.

The Face Shop Collagen Mask - very poorly made sheet material, doesn't fit face properly, mask solution did nothing to skin. Waste of time and effort to even try it. Rather hopeless really.

The Saem Pearl Mask - average but not impressive mask.

Cremorlab Skin Tone-Up CC Cream SPF 50 PA+++ ideally is nice, but wears a bit heavy on the skin and the tint might not be for everyone. REN Hydra-calm Cleansing Milk I've talked about in the above. FRESH Peony Brightening UV Shield SPF50+ PA++ is pathetic in terms of a sunscreen, it's got a pearly pink tint to it but is extremely greasy and left a whitish, pinkish cast on my face, couldn't wait but had to rub it off and reapply sunscreen from step one again!

Cremorlab Nutrition Deep Hydro Plus Intensive Mask - this was no comparison to the Herb Tea Blemish Minus Calming mask! Too dry (not enough fluid in it), hydro gel mask sheet that doesn't adhere to skin at all. Apivita Express Beauty mask with Pink Clay - pink clay is supposedly gentler than green clay but I find it highly fragranced so won't be repurchasing.

Paul & Joe Hand Cream - I made a point to dip my grubby hands in it frequently at work, so glad it's gone now! It's quite decent actually but one needs to get used to screwing and unscrewing the tin.

KAO steam eye mask - great form of relaxation, for that winding down before bed or during a flight. It's said to enhance blood circulation around the eyes but I don't see effects of lighter eye circles / bags after use. Have to observe how it performs over the coming uses.

Dr. Bronner Castille Soap making the same appearance again...

Pure Fiji Nourishing Exotic Oil for body - amazing coconut smell, love the texture, not greasy at all! Would repurchase if available locally.

Avene Eau Thermale spray - this is the jumbo size. THIS, and the La Roche Posay Thermal Spray are the only ones to calm redness instantly. Gotta buy tons of them!

Cremorlab Herb Tea Blemish Minus Calming Mask as mentioned before, Kose Clear Turn EX Firming Lift Eye Mask - this made my eye itch, even though the eye masks are made of gel and doesn't contain liquid! Will be sticking to the DHC ones or the steam eye masks from KAO instead.

Nature Republic Snail Therapy Mask Sheet - there are two versions of this mask - one made of hydro gel mask sheet and another one of cloth. The gel one is my HG but the cloth one was so-so. Apivita Express Beauty Mask with orange is very very cooling on the skin, I believe this product hardly does anything but it felt damn good on post-sun skin!

Mediheal N.M.F. Aquaring Mask - and here I proudly declare to you that this is my new HG mask for moisturizing - I have given a tiny review of it before, but this surely knocked every other moisturizing masks off their socks. This is not the most affordable option out there but it's not expensive either. I think I can live with using it 1x or 2x per week!

KAO Steam eye mask also featured.

Nature Republic Snail Therapy Mask Sheet - aiming to clear the stash, can you tell? ;)

Apivita Express Beauty Mask in Carrot - said to be the more nourishing one from the whole line, it made your skin a bit more smooth and plump. Dr. Bronner Shikakai Soap in Lavender - wonderful smell (I usually can't take lavender very well),  cleans my hands nicely and will be repurchasing!

Mandom Beauty Barrier Repair Mask (Super Moist) - there are a local version and a Japanese version for this, both are legit, but I much preferred the Japanese version as it moisturized a bit better!

Jill Stuart Shampoo and Conditioner - these are great for northern cooler climates, they made my hair extremely manageable in the dry and windy weather, smooth as silk as I combed through it. Balance Me Rose Otto Body Wash - a green body wash but I'm not big on rose scent. 

Barefoot SOS Face & Body Rescue Cream - rather heavy duty moisturizing cream for everywhere. Alcon Opti-free Pure Moist lens solution as mentioned before.

John Masters Organics Zinc & Sage Shampoo with Conditioner smells great but I won't be shelling out money just for the smell, albeit is very decent product. Kimberly Sayer Gentle Face Cleanser is as usual, delightful to use. Paul & Joe Brightening Lotion (toner) which seems to deal away the sallowness of your skin after heavy makeup / a whole day out! Bioderma Crealine Micellar travel size - this is gone in literally 3-4 days of use, not fair not fair ;)

Dior DiorSnow White Reveal Perfecting Makeup UV Base SPF 35 PA+++ gives a pinkish tint that helps to even skin tone, decent product but I won't be purchasing a full size. Egyptian Magic Cream is like a balm that dissolves into oil and is scentless, quite emollient, I dared not to use it on my face (yet) but I used it as a body moisturizer, was OK. Suki Intensive Nourishing Cream isn't very intensive in terms of moisture, it was just OK, smells great but texture is rather light (to me) for a product that says intensive. FRESH Rose Hydrating Gel Cream is not enough for cooler climates as consistency is a gel.

The Body Shop Tea Tree Blemish Stick - on the fence about this one now, even though I've used tubes and tubes of it. Avene Eau Thermale Spray travel size, it seemed to leak (luckily it's just water) during flight, the spray nozzle seemed to be having problems with spraying evenly, I'm sure it's just an one-off incident though as I didn't encounter same issue with other Avene sprays.

Guerlain Super Aqua Lotion is great as a moisturizing toner, I wish it's more affordable. HABA White Lady has been used up within 1.5-2 months but I've yet to see any real effects in correcting brown spots on my skin. I'm on my 2nd (bigger) bottle of it and we shall see if it does anything. If it really makes my blemish marks fade considerably, I'll be sure to report back.

AloeDent Triple Action Toothpaste - can't live without it. Best green toothpaste IMO.

SANA Hadanomy Collagen Mask for desperate hydration times. John Masters Organics Zinc & Sage Shampoo with Conditioner for lazy times when you can't be bothered with an extra step with conditioner!

More Kimberly Sayer Gentle Face Cleanser FTW. Kiehl's Olive Fruit Oil Deeply Repairative Hair Pack - there seems to be a typo in the product name? No? 1 sample packet is good for two uses and tamed my frizzy hair in the dry weather.

Lululun 7 days mask (Moist type) - the fit was rather substandard, the mask sheet tore apart when you are unfolding it before applying to face, it can't be beat for its price though. But it's not a game changer. On the other hand, more Kimberly Sayer please!

SK-II Signs Eye Mask - I got this as a free sample, while it didn't do that much wonders to my tired eyes, I'm hard struck to find an effective eye mask on the market. Any suggestions?

Caudalie Hand & Nail Cream - travel size that is perfect for the purse. Lovely smell that doesn't offend anyone, great for everyday use but not that enough for dry & cold climates, nevertheless is a pleasure to keep in the purse everyday. Totally worth a repurchase!

Mandom Beauty Barrier Repair Mask (Super Moist) - close to the SANA Hadanomy one, not bad at all.

Giorgio Armani Crema Nera Extrema Supreme Reviving Serum and Supreme Reviving Cream - lovely duo but too expensive to purchase full size.

Kimberly Sayer FTW. Dr. Bronner's Liquid Castille Soap in Rose is not my favourite scent, but this multi-purpose soap is a must-have for traveling as I've come to learn! Great as a hand wash, body wash, hand-washing laundry when needed!

KAO Steam Eye Mask for days/nights I woke very early to catch the train/flight to the next city. Perfect wind-down moment as I fell asleep in it after a minute. Don't worry the heat will go away after 15 minutes so you won't burn yourself.

SK-II Signs Eye Mask - could not see a remarkable difference after use, but any good eye mask suggestions?

Giorgio Armani Crema Nera Extrema Supreme Reviving Cream - if you don't mind looking like a melted candle at night, use this and your skin will thank you for it, oh and did I mention the glow it gives you?

Chanel Le Blanc Light Creator Brightening Makeup Base SPF 40 PA+++ made my face white-ish post-application, thankfully I could live with it because I applied cream foundation on top. Not too shabby but I won't be purchasing.

FRESH Lotus Youth Preserve Face Cream - this was OK but nothing impressive. REN Hydra-Calm Cleansing Milk is good and gentle but you'd need a huge blob of product each time to cleanse.

The Body Shop Tea Tree Blemish Stick making another appearance here. L300 Micellar Cleansing Water for dry skin was picked up in the local pharmacy where I traveled, it was unscented, cheap and effective as Bioderma! I ran out of Bioderma in the middle of the trip (I know).

Mediheal Vita Lightbeam Essential Mask is HG brightening mask, and I don't have another HG in brightening mask category, haha! LOVE this but it can be hard to track down at stores. Price doesn't break the bank either.

Gielly Green Hand & Body Wash smells luxurious and is delightful to use! The container isn't hard to squeeze out as I imagined. Apivita Propoline Shampoo for everyday use is not the best shampoo out there but can do for traveling, since sample sachets aren't always the most convenient to use when you're on a cruise ship.

Cotton puffs. Boring but gets the job done.

Pure Fiji Hydrating Body Lotion - I love the exotic oil for body more than the lotion variation, but nevertheless it's a good trial kit! Philosophy Purity Cleanser - a cleanser I hated at first but grown to like it, even though the ingredients are a bit questionable.

Apivita Express Beauty with Sea Lavender - this targets at moisturizing skin and is average. I like the Express Beauty Gold mask in Prickly Pear since that was thicker in texture and more moisturizing than this one. Apivita Express Beauty Mask in Green Clay, also a basic clay mask that leans rather strong in terms of cleansing, won't be repurchasing. In between the two is a Dior Miss Dior EDT sample, its smell reminds me a lot about Soap & Glory products' scent! Does anyone think the same?

Cotton puffs from another brand that sucks. Won't be repurchasing as it left shreds of cottons while you use.

Mediheal N.M.F. Aquaring Mask - you can't go wrong with this when you need a quick pick-me-up after a long day of work / under the sun.

SANTE Eye Makeup Remover is basically an oil derived from plants, as you probably know, any sort of oils can remove makeup and the price for this is rather high for being what it is. The oil may sometimes gets into your eyes and make your eyes temporarily blurry, nevertheless the application is not as breezy as using regular bi-phase removers, so won't be repurchasing this. 

Nature Republic Snail Therapy Mask Sheet is so-so, since this one is made of cloth, not the hydro gel version.

Cremorlab Herb Tea Blemish Minus Calming Mask - for times you are unsure about the blemish about you face yet you want to up the hydration game. JOIK Shimmery Raspberry Body Lotion with Sweet Almond Oil is up my alley because of the smell, but the shimmer bits will transfer to clothes / hands, so won't be repurchasing.

SNP Bird's Nest Aqua Ampoule Mask - standard mask, not particularly impressive. There's big hype about this product though.

Mediheal Vitabeam Essential Mask as mentioned before.

Nature Republic Snail Therapy Mask Sheet and Mediheal Platinum V-life Essential Mask is for lifting use, but I can't see any immediate effect after use.

Rahua Voluminous Shampoo and Conditioner - these are great and luxe but too much $ for everyday use. Mandom Beauty Barrier Repair Mask (Super Moist) is decent but not the best, as mentioned above.

Weleda Wild Rose Creamy Body Wash is indeed a bit creamy for my liking, but if you're residing in a cold climate in general, the texture will be a godsend. More KAO steam eye mask.

Mediheal Vita Lightbeam Essential Mask. Cowshed Horny Cow Seductive Body Lotion is average. John Masters Organics Lavender Rosemary Shampoo for Normal Hair is nothing remarkable that I can remember.

Dior Eye Makeup Remover - 15ml probably lasted me a week. Jill Stuart Body Oil scent is subtle but not a great fan of the smell. It sinks in OK and not greasy. MyChelle Daily Defense Broad Spectrum SPF 17 is not as good as the SPF 28 version. Plus my makeup rubs off in shreds on top of this sunscreen, yikes. Weleda Citrus Creamy Body Wash is zesty and very nice!

Kiehl's Ultimate Strength Hand Salve is fabulous for cold weather. Kiehl's Skin Rescuer Stress-Minimizing Daily Hydrator is surprisingly great for calming down the redness post face wash. Pretty pleased with this. Lavera Soft Moisture Cream is decent all-around cream that can be used anywhere on your body and he smell doesn't offend. KAO steam eye mask featured again.

Jill Stuart Shampoo and Conditioner as mentioned above. Jill Stuart Body Oil and Lavera Soft Moisture Cream were also mentioned above. Dior One Essential City Defense SPF 50 is nice as it doesn't make my skin white-ish as the Chanel and DiorSnow ones did. Weleda Pomegranate Creamy Body Wash smells divine.

Another lens solution bottle and KAO steam eye mask.

SANA Hadanomy Collagen Mask after my face has braved the wind and rain. Cremorlab Sun Protective SPF 35 PA++ was used as makeup base which was OK. Sofina ALBLANC Medicated White Create Massage Pack doubled as a cleanser-and-mask in one, leave on face for 3 minutes after massaging it as a cleanser, however I didn't see any immediate effect after use.

Jurlique Calendula Cream - I used to apply this on the face to calm down redness and irritation but since it's gone expired after that, I used it on my bruises as I read somewhere that calendula helps too. Mind you the cream is a bit yellow in the tube but the tint does not translate to the skin after applying.

More masks.

Trilogy Cream Cleanser is a real treat and makes everyday cleansing a pleasure. The glass bottle went through very quickly however and it's hard to get the remaining product out since it's glass and comes with a pump dispenser. Muji Light Toning Water in Moist is a cheap, no-frills toner that's worth further revisiting.

SNP Black Pearl Renew Black Ampoule Mask - I have no idea how this mask title was born, the mask sheet was in black color (just a gimmick) though. On the other hand, get your hands on this Aromatherapy Associates Rose Hydrating Mist if you can (or the Rose Hydrating Toner, they are pretty much same), this stuff is gold! Smells divine (even for someone who doesn't like rose scent), and in case you're wondering, the Jurlique Rose Water Mist doesn't compare to this at all. That one stings my eyes and doesn't soothe my skin as much as this one does! I like to use this as a toner, sometimes I mix a few drops of the mist with cream foundation and it wore on a lot better than foundation alone.

Cremorlab mask again. Kiehl's Amino Acid Conditioner is good for mild climates and gets the job done generally. REN Moroccan Rose Otto Body Lotion is not my favorite body lotion as it's quite light and not a fan of this particular rose scent. However if you want a lightly scented lotion that doesn't offend everyone in the house while you apply it, this is a good choice.

More cotton puffs.

I've put this duo to test again, first with green clay to deep cleanse, then with sea lavender one to replenish moisture, the latter as I said, was still rather light to do serious hydration work.

Cremorlab Aqua Essence Water Fluid is a hydrating essence, came out like silicone stuff from the packet but once you rub on it, became liquid-ish and is easy to spread. I might consider purchasing a full size.

Cremorlab mask again. TATCHA Ageless Eye Cream made my eyes feel instantly lifted, shame that's expensive. Kiehl's Iris Extract Activating Treatment Essence is a latecomer to the essence game. I am sucked in by the purple packaging but its effects still remains to be seen. Might buy a full size to try.

MAC Zoom Fast Black Lash mascara was too wet to use, that it smudged before drying. After given ample time to dry, it smudged throughout the day say after 4-5 hours. CARGO Lash Activator Mascara was pretty dried up when I opened it but otherwise has a nice bristle applicator.

Used on the flight: the HG moisture mask, Giorgio Armani Crema Nera Extrema Supreme Reviving Cream was a godsend to the dry cabin air and low humidity. The Body Shop Vitamin E Overnight Serum-in-Oil is worth a revisit sometime, as it's lightweight but made my skin oh so glowy (if used at night). 

JASON Age Renewal Vitamin E Moisturizing Cream is great for dry weather but I won't be purchasing. Kiehl's Rosa Arctica Rehydrating Reactivation Cream is heavy in texture, but it did wonderful job to replenish moisture. Melvita Pulpe de Rose Plumping Radiance Cream is pinkish in appearance but with radiance particles in it that helps to brighten your complexion, I think it'll make a great makeup primer as it helps to brighten, but it's not for me. Kiehl's Ultimate Strength Hand Salve is a godsend in wintry conditions. More REN and Kimberly Sayer.

KAO Steam eye mask, Weleda Lavender Creamy Body Wash - lavender is not a scent I normally like, so I have nothing to say about it. Kiehl's Olive Fruit Oil Nourishing Shampoo is rather nice.

Kiehl's Olive Fruit Oil Nourishing Conditioner works well with the same line of shampoo above. OGX Argan Oil of Morocco Shampoo is nothing to write home about. Kimberly Sayer.

Kiehl's Calendula Deep Cleansing Foaming Face Wash - I shuddered at the thought of foaming but the lather was actually not the creamy frothy type, won't be purchasing though. Cremorlab mask and Egyptian Magic cream used as a body moisturizer. 

And so the second installment of empties post finished! I hope you didn't get bored of reading through it and thanks for bearing with the pic-heavy images!