Operation Use It Up

Over July and August, I managed to use up a large number of products, plus numerous sample sachets during my trip to London. With the last quarter of the year looming, I'm finally starting to see some space in my bathroom cabinets opening up!

1. Lush Almond & Coconut Smoothie: This creamy body cleanser is targeted at dry skin but it turned out to be not sufficiently hydrating for my skin as I still needed to use a body lotion especially on my legs which are prone to dryness. It works up to a gentle lather and rinses off easily without any greasy residue. The vanilla scent is not that memorable. One plus point is that Lush gives you a free Fresh Face Mask if you bring back five of these clean pots in the UK (but not in Switzerland).

2. Lush Ayesha Fresh Face Mask: This is a re-purchase. This mask feels therapeutic and deeply cleansing for my skin, which always looks more luminous and feels ultra soft and supple after using this. One pot has enough for at least 8 uses.

3. Sofina Jenne Lotion I: This is Sofina's skincare line for ladies in their 20s. Lotion I is the "sappari" (refreshing) type for oily skintypes while II is the more hydrating "shittori" type. This did a good job of leaving my skin feeling refreshed and clean, but other than that, I did not notice any special benefits. Love the lacey bottle design.

4. For Beloved One Polypeptide DNA Resilience Lift Toner: This was the most hydrating of the three toners that I used up recently but it also makes my skin oil up a bit faster than the others. It's supposed to be an anti-wrinkle toner but as I do not have any wrinkles yet, I can't say that I noticed any significant change.

5. H2O+ Aqualibrium Marine Toner: This contains provitamin B5, mineral-rich sea salt, sea weed, sea fennel and sea lettuce to nourish and hydrate the skin. It refreshes the skin well but can leave it feeling a tad dry, so if you have dry patches, I would not recommend this.

6. Addiction Eye Makeup Remover: This biphase remover does a good job of whisking off eyeshadows and waterproof mascara without irritating or drying the eyes. It is supposed to be fragrance-free and contains rosa centifolia extract. This was a gift with purchase. It normally retails at 2100yen for 100ml, which is a bit too expensive for me so I'll be sticking with my usual L'Oreal remover.

7. Daiso Puff & Sponge Detergent: For S$2, this is truly the most cost-effective product. I use it weekly to clean my foundation brushes and sponges. It's much more efficient at getting rid of any cream-based products than MAC Brush Cleanser. I stocked up 5 bottles before moving to Switzerland 20 months ago and this is only the second bottle that I've used up. Great stuff!

8. Biore Mild Cleansing Liquid: This removes makeup effectively without irritating the skin and is very affordable, but I find Bioderma's Sensibio to be even faster to use. I usually follow up with a face cleanser just to be thorough.

9. Shu Uemura Cleansing Beauty Oil Premium A/O: This green cleansing oil has the thickest texture in Shu's range and is really more for dry, mature skintypes. Although it works well in terms of removing makeup, I much prefer the lighter pink Fresh version. I wish Shu Uemura wouldn't keep offering only this in their limited edition seasonal collections like the upcoming Murakami Takashi holiday collection.

10. Cleansing Express Eye Makeup Remover: Aside from being very efficient and non-irritating on my eyes, it's also affordable. I would re-purchase this instead of L'Oreal except that it is not available in Switzerland.

11. Anna Sui Rose Hair Conditioner: This leaves my hair soft and untangled. I love the soft feminine rose scent but it doesn't linger strongly on my hair. I would definitely re-purchase this if it were more easily available.

12. Dove Dryness Care Conditioner: This was quite average. It left my hair untangled but not as hydrated as I would have liked.

13. Phyto Phytodefrisant Botanical Hair Relaxing Balm: Both tubes of this were received as part of sample goodie bags from my US online purchases. The clear gel helps to reduce frizz and make my hair more sleek. I don't like it enough to purchase it though.

14. L'Oreal Elseve Nutri-Gloss Crystal Shampoo: This did not make my hair any glossier or shinier but it's still good as an everyday shampoo that lathers up and rinses off easily without drying out my hair.

15. Kose Seikisho Mask White: This sticky thick black mask is not for wimps as peeling it off is invariably a rather painful experience and it takes off fine facial hair (not all but some) along with flakey skin bits and pore clogs. I find Biore strips to be more efficient at pulling out pore clogs but I like that I can use the Seikisho mask all over my face for a thorough de-clogging. I will probably re-purchase this at some point.

16. RMK Gel Scrub: This is gentle enough on the skin to be used daily but I don't find it to be particularly effective. This sample tube lasted just two uses.

17. African Botanics Marula Firming Botanical Body Oil: This is supposed to help firm, tone and nourish. I liked how it moisturised my skin and absorbed quickly without leaving an overly greasy residue but I didn't notice any firming effect (not that I really expected any).

18. Philosophy Peppermint Bark: I had high hopes of this but the mint chocolate candy scent was too heavy on the cloyingly sweet chocolate note and not minty enough for my liking. Like other Philosophy shower gels, it does not leave a strong fragrance on the skin although in the shower, it is rather strong.

19. Philosophy Gingerbread Man: This turned out to be much nicer than I had expected thanks to a refreshing fizzy top note. I would re-purchase this except that I still have more than a dozen Philosophy shower gels to get through.

20. Sally Hansen Fast & Gentle Polish Remover: I picked this mainly because it was one of the cheapest in the drugstore and by a reputable brand. It's alright for the price and still requires some elbow grease to remove glitter polishes.

21. Coast To Coast Rainforest Invigorating Body Exfoliant: This is my favourite product from this brand, due to the wonderful sweet citrusy scent. It gives good exfoliating action too.

22. Stila Lipglaze in Raisin: Very easy to wear berry shade with a bit of shimmer, this feels a bit sticky on the lips. The amount of product is miniscule and one could easily use this up in 1-2 weeks with daily use but at least they are a lot cheaper than they used to be (thanks to being made in China) when Stila was one of the hottest makeup artist-driven brands around.

23. K-Palette Lasting 2Way Eyebrow 02: A daily staple, I've re-purchased this countless times as it's still the most durable and easy to use brow liner for me.

Operation Use It Up

Completed a bumper crop of empties this month!

1. Acca Kappa Calycanthus is a lovely uplifting white floral fragrance with dominant notes of jasmine. It is the first fragrance I've used up in years. I purchased this about four years ago in Kuala Lumpur, and it's been a perennial favourite since then. Always soothing and comforting.

2. Peter Thomas Roth Max Complexion Correction Pads contain 10% glycolic acid and 2% salicylic acid to help prevent blemishes. Drenched in a sweet peach scent, it also has a terribly high alcohol content at 46% but it didn't irritate my skin. I didn't find it to be a wonder product in terms of preventing blemishes though. There was quite a bit of liquid in the pot, which helped to ensure that the pads did not dry out over the three months that it took me to use them up.


3. RMK Creamy Soap N cleanses thoroughly but it does leave the skin feeling stripped, so I use it only once a day after using a cleansing oil to remove makeup.

4. Mario Badescu Seaweed Cleansing Soap had an odd scent and thick texture that I never got used to. It doesn't strip the skin but other than that, it was pretty average. I ended up putting generous dollops of it on my Clarisonic Mia to use up the giant bottle. Ingredients list below.

5. Astalift Priming Lotion is one of my favourite toners. It feels ever so gentle on the skin and doesn't leave it feeling sticky. I will re-purchase this but first I need to use up the other toners in my stash. Ingredients list below.

6. Lush Ayesha: Reviewed earlier here. I like this for detoxing and clarifying the skin. The pot looks tiny but it provided eight applications for me. The only downside is that you have to use it up within a month as it does not contain preservatives.

7. Brewed from beer, Lush Cynthia Sylvia Stout shampoo is supposed to help add shine and tame hair that is prone to frizziness. It doesn't lather that well but it doesn't strip the hair like Lush's shampoo bars usually do to my hair. The scent does take some getting used to but I didn't hate it. Ingredients list below.

8. Lush Glogg shower gel is inspired by the traditional Swedish brew with cinnamon and mulled wine scent. The wine note literally made me gag every time I used it. It has just been brought back under Lush's Retro programme but I would never touch this stuff again!


9. Philosophy Bridal Bouquet was much more pleasant to use but the sweet floral scent seems a bit bland and much less memorable than Senorita Margarita. Ingredients list below.

10. Dove Indulgent Nourishment Body Lotion with Shea Butter is an effective hydrating lotion that helped to stave off the dryness without leaving any greasiness or stickiness on the skin.

11. L'Oreal Elseve Liss-Intense Serum Anti-frizz works well for taming my hair but the 50ml bottle lasts less than a month for me with daily usage.

12. Wen Sweet Almond Mint Cleansing Conditioner is a shampoo-and-conditioner in one that came in a UK Glossybox. It feels like a conditioner as it doesn't lather, which is an extremely odd feeling to get used to. I wasn't impressed by this, so I won't be purchasing it.

13. L'Oreal EverPure shampoo is sulfate-free but it lathers extremely well. It did leave my hair feeling a tad dry though, so I doubt I will repurchase this. Ingredients list below.

14. Kenzoki Ice-cold Eye Cream is great for plumping up the eye area without making it feel greasy. It absorbs easily and doesn't result in milia for me.

15. K-Palette Lasting 2Way Eyebrow 02 is a daily staple that I've used up countless times. Quick, easy and stays put no matter how many times I blot my skin.

16. Josie Maran Bearnaked Wipes have a refreshing grapefruit scent. This works well for taking off light makeup but I still follow up with a face cleanser to ensure thorough cleansing and reduce the likelihood of breakouts. Ingredients list below.

17. Sana Esteny Salt Wash is a great exfoliating scrub with a sweet blackcurrant scent. It feels invigorating and the scrub particles don't melt away quickly. I would re-purchase it if I come across it again.

Operation Use It Up

This month, I managed to finish up several full-sized products (finally!).

1. Shu Uemura Cleansing Oil Advanced Classic is a special edition featuring illustrations by Moyoco Anno from the Tokyo Kamon Girls collection. This melts off the toughest waterproof makeup in a jiffy. A 450ml bottle lasts about 3 months with daily use (at three pumps per application). I still have two bottles from this collection, which is why I only purchased one bottle from the recent Mame Chiyo collection.

2. Jurlique Balancing Foaming Cleanser is a gentle cleanser that works well as it does not strip my skin or leave it feeling tight. I use this on its own as well as with my Clarisonic Mia. However, it's just too pricey for a face cleanser at S$64. I purchased this only because there was a 50% discount at Robinsons at that time. It contains many herbal extracts and essential oils, which can be irritating for some people.


3. The Body Shop Chocomania Body Scrub provides decent exfoliating action but it seems to melt away quite fast so I ended up having to use quite a lot of product. The 50ml pot lasted less than three uses for me. I also did not like the chocolate scent of this, which is a bit like chocolate milk that has been left out too long. Philosophy does much more delicious-smelling chocolate shower gels .


4. I had high hopes for the Lush Dreamwash which is a calamine-based calming shower soap, as the skin on my shins have been especially irritated of late after the dry winter. However, this did not have a significant effect and it also left my skin feeling slightly dry afterwards.

5. Lush is famous for their Fresh Face Masks which are made with lots of fresh fruits and other food ingredients. Cosmetic Warrior is targeted at acne-prone skin. It has an invigorating tea tree scent and kaolin to help draw out impurities. It left my skin feeling very smooth and cleansed afterwards, but I still do get acne thereafter. The 75g pot looks small but this provided six generous uses for me. Also, if you return five clean pots to Lush in the UK, you get another one for free. The pots are recycled to make new pots.

6. Soap & Glory Off Your Face Cleansing Cloths are touted as 3-in-1 cleansing, toning and skin smoothing cloths. These did not impress me at all as the cloths were not sufficiently moist. Cleansing cloths in general do not remove all traces of makeup so I still prefer to use either a cleansing oil or micellar cleanser like Bioderma, which are faster and more effective.


7. The Body Shop Morinaga shower gel is pretty standard. It lathers up easily and has a soothing floral scent that is not too heavy or cloying.

8. Rituals Sereni-tea comes out of the bottle as an incredibly rich foam that feels luxurious on the skin. The clean green tea and cherry blossom scent is nicely relaxing although I still prefer the mandarin scent of Fujiyama.

9. Dove Intense Repair Overnight Treatment helps to tame the frizz somewhat but it did significantly improve the fundamental state of my hair, which is very dry currently after the last dye job. I prefer to use a hair oil, which makes my locks sleeker and more manageable.


10. Essential Rich Premier Shampoo is the worst shampoo that I've ever used. I was quite surprised by this as I used a previous version of it some years ago and quite liked it. This left me with an itchy scalp that then proceeded to break out in several spots, which is something I've never experienced with other shampoos.


11. Daiso Sponge Detergent is a staple for cleaning my sponges and foundation brushes. It removes the powder, liquid and cream foundations much faster than MAC Brush Cleanser. Plus it's incredibly cheap at just S$2.

I also used up the three LoveMore My Melody masks that Elaine gifted me recently. These were good for combating skin flakes, leaving the skin feeling plumped and soothed. I also finished three candles from Archipelago Botanicals and Slatkin & Co.. The Sparkling Mojito from Slatkin was a bit too vanilla sweet.

Operation Use It Up

Managed to finish up quite a number of full-sized products over the past month. As usual, I go through bodycare, haircare and skincare products much faster than makeup.


Nivea Intense Repair Conditioner left my hair soft and manageable without any build-up of product.

Percy & Reed Splendidly Silky Moisturising Conditioner contains blueberry extract, grape seed oil, sweet almond oil and aloe vera gel to help nourish hair. The fresh floral scent is uplifting and much better than the usual mass market drugstore brands. This left my hair soft and tangle-free. I would re-purchase this.

L'Occitane Cherry Blossom Gentle Conditioner has a lovely, slightly sweet cherry blossom scent. This does a decent job of leaving my hair soft and tangle-free but it does not feel as deeply hydrating as Tsubaki. This was a gift, which I would probably not re-purchase as it is too pricey for a 250ml bottle that barely lasts two weeks for me.

Like the conditioner, L'Occitane Cherry Blossom Gentle Shampoo has a nice scent and cleanses my hair effectively without stripping it.

L'Oreal Professional Tecniart Fix Move is great for taming flyaways and holding my fringe in place, without any crispy stiffness.

La Roche-Posay Effaclar Astringent Lotion Micro-Exfoliating (CHF19) is designed for oily skintypes battling large pores and blemishes. It is supposed to help reduce pore size and fight against blockage, thanks to the combination of sebum-regulating, purifying and micro-exfoliating LHA active ingredients. LHA is β-lipohydroxy acid that is an effective exfoliant, similar to salicyclic acid. However, this did not seem to have a significant effect in fighting blemishes for me. Instead, it was too drying for my skin during the winter months, perhaps due to alcohol being second on the ingredient list.

Nuxe Bio Beauté Radiance Toning Lotion (CHF29) is an alcohol-free and paraben-free toner, with 99.3% of the ingredients being of natural origin and 73.9% from organic farming. Formulated with rosewater and orange fruit water plus blackberry, apricot and plum extracts, it doesn't have the usual rose or citrusy orange scents that one would expect. I didn't like the plum scent of this. As a toner, it helps to refresh and mildly hydrate the skin but other than that, it didn't do anything special.


Bifesta Sebum Cleansing Lotion effectively removes makeup with just a few quick wipes. It's a great, affordable alternative if you do not like cleansing oils.

L'Occitane Brume Mist is formulated with five essential oils (angelica, lavender, geranium, ylang ylang and sweet orange) plus honey and corn extracts to soft hold hair in place and preserve shine. I found this too watery and completely ineffective at taming and smoothing my hair or providing any hold.


The Body Shop Chocomania Shower Cream works alright as a shower cream that doesn't dry out my skin but the chocolate scent was not as yummy as I had hope for. Philosophy does much better chocolate scented shower gels.

I slap on Dove Intense Repair Leave-on Cream on days when my hair feels exceptionally dry and frizzy. This helps to tame my locks until the next wash but does not help cure the fundamental dry state of my hair.

Vichy Purete Thermale Waterproof Eye Make-Up Remover is a bi-phase eye makeup remover that does a good job of removing eyeshadows in a single swipe. Waterproof mascaras like those by Anna Sui and Majolica Majorca require a bit more soaking to remove completely. This did not irritate my eyes.

K-Palette Lasting 2Way Eyebrow is a daily staple, and I typically go through one every 2-3 months. I always use up the liquid side much faster than the brow powder side.


I have a huge stash of Archipelago Botanicals candles in travel tins, which I ordered more than four years ago while I was still living in Tokyo. I didn't use them for the past few years as they were boxed up in storage. Amazingly, they are still in working condition with good scent throw. Each travel tin burns for up to 55 hours. Archipelago Botanicals aren't available in Singapore but Yankee Candle is easily available in Singapore and offers a nice range of scents.