Operation Use It Up

With winter now upon us, I've been slathering on all manner of moisturisers to stave off the dry flakies, which explains the preponderance of moisturisers in this batch of product empties for October and November.

1. Korres Basil Lemon Body Milk: This has a lovely citrusy scent that is refreshing without being too generic. The body milk is light with a runny texture well-suited for the summer months when skin needs less hydration.

2. Lovely by Sarah Jessica Parker Soft Body Lotion: Lovely was one of my favourite scents a few years ago and a distinctively unique creation amidst the flood of cynically sweet floral fruity celebrity juices. It's a pity that SJP has stopped releasing fragrances as she had an interesting range. (Chandler Burr wrote a great book "The Perfect Scent: A Year Inside the Perfume Industry" detailing the creation of Lovely and a Hermes fragrance, which is a must-read for anyone interested in fragrances.) I liked this body lotion for the dreamy scent. It moisturised my skin without leaving any greasy feeling.

3. Rituals Mei Dao Rich Moisturising Body Cream in Organic White Lotus and Yi Yi Ren: Rituals offers several beautifully scented bodycare lines and this is one of my favourites. It's a calming, comfortable scent. The cream offers good hydration without the greasy after-feel of Body Shop's Body Butter.

4. Kenzoki Energisant Stimulating Body Moisturiser: This was the most pricey body moisturiser that I ever purchased but it was well worth it with a cooling texture that hydrates without feeling greasy or heavy. The scent is also wonderfully relaxing. I liked using this in the summer.

5. Philosophy Summer Grace Perfumed Body Emulsion: This worked nicely enough on my skin and had a pleasant scent although it was much less memorable than the Lovely, Mei Dao and Kenzoki moisturisers.

6. The Body Shop Candied Ginger Body Butter: A past holiday release, I liked the ginger scent but this never fully absorbed into my skin and I could feel the oiliness when my skin brushed against the furniture.

7. Shiseido Tsubaki Massage Spa Mask: This was pretty mediocre in terms of conditioning my hair. The Tsubaki conditioners in red or white are much more effective.

8. L'Oreal Elseve Relaxing Mask: This helped to detangle and soften my hair but it was otherwise rather average, so I would not re-purchase.

9. Suqqu Refining Foam: This was included in Suqqu's holiday coffrets for both 2013 and 2012. It lathers up easily and cleanses my skin thoroughly but like many Japanese foaming cleansers, it does tend to leave the skin feeling dry so following up with a good hydrating lotion or moisturiser is a must. Not quite worth the £33 price tag as there are much more affordable cleansers that are more gentle on the skin.

10. H2O+ Marine Cleansing Gel: This has a clear wobbly jelly-like texture that feels refreshing on the skin. It cleanses well without leaving the skin feeling stripped.

11. Ren Micro Polish Cleanser: This contains small scrub particles and glycolic acid for double exfoliating action. This is gentle enough to use 2-3 times a week and it never irritates my skin. Used in combination with Pixi Glow Tonic, this has helped to keep my skin clear.

12. Astalift Jelly Aquarysta: This red jelly moisturiser works well for my skin without making it more oily than normal. My skin also feels more supple when I use this.

13. Elisha Coy Herb Clay Pore Refining Mask: This left my skin feeling softer and smoother. It felt like a nice weekly detoxing treat for the skin and does not dry it out excessively even if left on for more than 20 minutes.

14. Lancome DreamTone 1: Just released a few months ago, this supposedly helps to even out skintone. The 5ml sample lasted around two weeks with daily usage. It absorbs nicely without making my skin greasy but I didn't notice any significant lightening effect on the dark pigmentation spots on my cheeks, although two weeks is probably too short a testing time to make a definitive assessment.

15. Philosophy Clear Days Ahead Overnight Repair Salicylic Acid Acne Treatment Pads: My skin stayed generally clear and free of major eruptions while I was using this. The pads also stayed nicely soaked up until the very last one, unlike some other brands which dry out in the pot.

16. Lancome BiFacil: This works well for removing eye makeup including waterproof mascara without irritating the eyes. It's too pricey for me to purchase it as L'Oreal makes a cheaper alternative, but I often get BiFacil as a gift with purchase or included as part of a set.

17. Jill Stuart Shower Gel: This was part of a summer travel bodycare set. The scent is a tad artificially sweet, typical of Jill Stuart and probably too cloying for some people.

18. Lush It's Raining Men: This has the same sweet honey scent of Lush's bestselling Honey I Washed the Kids soap, so I did not hesitate to purchase it. It cleanses thoroughly without drying the skin. I would re-purchase it except that I still have far too many shower gels to use up.

19. The Body Shop Sweet Lemon Shower Gel: This was pleasant enough but not that special that I would re-purchase it.

The Body Shop Holiday 2013

Here are pics from Voce of the upcoming The Body Shop holiday collection to be released on 8 November in Japan. There will also be assorted products in the three main scents of Cranberry Joy, Vanilla Bliss and Ginger Sparklet to be launched on 25 Oct (view them here).

1. Shimmer Bubble: Gold and pale pink shimmer balls for the face and body (2940yen)

2. Eye Palette in Smoky Brown & Smoky Pum (3990yen)

3. Winter Trend Coffret: In Smoky Brown and Smoky Plum variations, with a Japan-exclusive jewellery box. Also includes the Sparkler and Gentle Eye Makeup Remover 60ml. (5880yen)

4. The Sparkler: 2 limited edition shades with a sakura scent (3150yen, 10g)

5. Slanted Kabuki Brush (2940yen)

6. Cranberry Joy Holiday Collection: Body Butter 200ml, Shower Gel 250ml, Body Polish 200ml and Lip Balm 6g (5250yen)

7. Ginger Sparkle Holiday Collection: Body Butter 50ml, Shower Gel 250ml, Body Polish 75ml, Heart soap 25g and Gingerman sponge (5250yen)

8. Color Crush Lip Color: 2 LE shades #130 Sweet Coral and #200 Peach Pink (1890yen)

Operation Use It Up

Here's the bucketload of products that I managed to finish in November. With only one more month to go until the end of 2012, it seems like my beauty stash is still nothing short of overflowing. Need to be more disciplined in 2013 for sure!

1. DiorSkin Forever Compact worked pretty well for me, especially for days when I don't have the time to apply liquid foundation. However, I still prefer the more natural and seamless finish of liquid foundation. I probably won't re-purchase this since Dior comes up with new foundations virtually every year. Full review here.

2. Paul & Joe Protective Foundation Primer UV is a favourite of mine for its natural finish and ability to smoothen out the skin surface. It also does not make my skin more oily than usual. The tube contains only 26.9ml but it took me over two years to finish as I didn't use it regularly until recently. Good grief! Full review here.

3. Lancome Bifacil Double Action Eye Makeup Remover works well for whisking off eye makeup in a jiffy although with stubborn Japanese mascaras, it takes more elbow grease. It's not something I would purchase though as L'Oreal makes a much more affordable version. However, I keep getting samples of it as gifts with purchase.

4. Shu Uemura puRENovate Clarifying Balancing Moisturizer felt too heavy on my skin during the summer, but as the weather turned dryer with autumn, I was able to use this sample tube up quickly. It's not bad as a basic moisturizer but it didn't wow me.

5. L'Oreal Gentle Eye Makeup Remover is a daily staple. I go through one bottle virtually every month. It never stings the eyes.

6. Coast To Coast Rainforest Clarifying Facial Toner helps to refresh the skin without stinging or leaving it feeling dry. It has a fairly strong tea tree scent. I didn't find this to be particularly effective in combating acne. Ingredients list below.

7. Organix Renewing Moroccan Argan Oil sounds pretty good until you examine the ingredients list and realise that argan oil is pretty far down the list. It's full of silicones, which I don't mind. It helps to tame the frizziness and doesn't make my hair feel greasy. Nevertheless, I doubt I will re-purchase this.



8. Vidal Sassoon Premium Conditioner works very well with my dyed hair, leaving it tangle-free. I actually never comb my hair, which I wash and condition once daily. In the mornings, I just use a hair serum to keep it tangle-free. This is made in Thailand.

9. L'Occitane Cherry Blossom Gentle Conditioner isn't as hydrating as the VS Premium although it does have a nicer sweet floral scent. Not something I would re-purchase as it's just too pricey.

10. Percy & Reed Finishing Polish quickly became a daily staple for taming the flyaway strands of my fringe. The scent is also delightfully fresh without being generic. I'll definitely re-purchase this. It's available on ASOS for £10. Ingredients list below.

11. Jill Stuart Body Milk has a sweet white floral scent that is just too cloying and syrupy for me. This light milk also leaves a greasy feeling on my skin.

12. L'Occitane Delice des Fleurs Rose & Violette Body Milk has a much more pleasing and elegant scent. It hydrates well without feeling greasy. This was from last year's limited edition holiday collection.

13. Clarins Extra-Firming Body Lotion also has a lovely scent and absorbs readily into the skin. However, I did not notice any firming effect.

14. La Mer The Cleansing Gel is a good basic cleanser that rinsed off easily without leaving the skin stripped or flakey. However, it doesn't seem special enough to justify the exorbitant US$65 price tag.

15. Ole Henriksen Aloe Vera Deep Cleanser is designed for oily, blemish-prone skin. While it does feel gentle on the skin, I did not notice any reduction in blemishes. It also takes several splashes to rinse off completely so I would not re-purchase this. Ingredients list below.

16. Murad Vitalic Energising Pomegranate Cleanser is also extremely gentle on the skin. It dispenses as an ultra light foam that rinses off very quickly, taking all oiliness with it. The 50ml bottle lasted barely two weeks.

17. Body Shop Rich Plum shower gel is another limited edition product from holiday 2009. Despite its age, it showed no change in consistency or scent. The rich plum aroma is intoxicating and luxurious. Wish the Body Shop would bring this back!


18. Lush Rub Rub Rub is a sea salt-based scrub that provides good exfoliating action without melting away too quickly. I like the refreshingly clean scent as well. The consistency always reminds me of 7/11 Slurpee drinks.

The Body Shop Smoky Moonstone Palette, Dazzling Rocks and Slanted Kabuki Brush

Recently, the Body Shop UK website had a 40% discount promotion so I took advantage of it to pick up the Smoky Moonstone palette, Dazzling Rocks in Golden Copper and Slanted Kabuki Brush from the holiday makeup collection.

I loved the two Smoky Eyes Palettes released last year so I had high expectations for this year's new offering. Unlike last year's version which included a cream shade and three powder shades, Smoky Moonstone contains four powder eyeshadows, plus a slanted eyeliner brush and an eyeshadow brush. Made in Thailand, it contains a generous amount of product with each of the eyeshadows weighing in at 1.8g/0.06oz.

The pair of brushes work nicely for applying the shades, blending and lining. Like the Body Shop's other brushes, these cruelty-free brushes are synthetic and feel soft against the skin with no scratchiness.

However, the eyeshadows didn't impress me as much as last year's palettes. When swatched on bare skin without any primer, these required 2-3 layers to show up well. The taupe grey and pale gold shades were less pigmented than the other two shades.



For the first look, I applied the taupe grey shade from the lash line to the crease, the shimmery brown shade in the crease, the muted medium gold shade at the inner corners and along the lower lashline, and the light gold over the browbone area.

For the second look, I applied the shimmery brown shade at the inner half of the upper lid, the taupe grey shade along the upper lashline and outer corners, the medium gold shade in the crease and the light gold over the browbone area and along the lower lashline.

Used over a good primer, the eyeshadows lasted well throughout the day without smudging or creasing. However, the shades just lack a certain intensity and richness that would have made this a truly stellar palette for creating smoky eyes. They need to be paired with a dark eyeliner for a more dramatic effect. It's still a nice enough combination for the daytime, just that it didn't knock my socks off. In that respect, I'm glad I didn't pay full price for it. It retails normally for £14 in the UK and S$39.90 in Singapore.

The Dazzling Rocks 01 Golden Copper (60g, £16) are a mix of shimmery brown and pale gold balls.

I swatched the brown and gold balls individually on the left side of the pic below, and used the brush to dust a light coat on the right side.

When applied with the brush, the pearl shimmer is ultra refined and sparse. This would work well if you prefer a very subtle sparkle. The Sparkler in the glass bottle provides a much more glittery effect.

The Slanted Kabuki Brush (£16) is limited edition and well worth snapping up, if you were to pick only one item from this collection. It's ultra soft against the skin (but not floppy), densely packed with a well cut shape that makes it perfect for use with finishing or highlighting powders for the face and body.

Muji Aroma Diffuser

At Muji in London, I chanced across this aroma diffuser, which uses sonic waves to generate a cool dry mist. There is also a smaller version available but I preferred the larger one for its better throw.

It couldn't be simpler to use with the advantage that there is no need to fuss around with lighters, matches or trimming wicks like one needs to do with candles. Simply fill it up with water and add a few drops of an essential oil, and it starts producing the mist almost instantly when switched on. It's pretty quiet with a soft bubbling water sound. It can run for up to 3 hours non-stop, with four time settings available. There are two ambient light settings that bathe the room in a soft glow.

Included is a plastic jug and a variety of electric plugs to adapt to the country of usage.

Muji also offers a range of essential oils. For this Christmas, there is a quartet of orange & cinnamon, sweet orange & clove, Christmas Tree and Lavendin & Ginger. It was the Sweet Orange & Clove that drew me in. Retailing at £9.99 for a set, I think these will work out to be much more economical than candles.

I also picked up the Refreshing & Invigorating and the Fortifying & Reviving sets. These are made in the UK.


Together with the new Cranberry Joy and Ginger Sparkle fragrance oils from The Body Shop, these will last me through a couple of seasons at least.