Operation Use It Up

I managed to finish up several products since the last empties post back in May. It seems like the months keep slipping by more quickly as the year goes on.

1. Paul & Joe Pressed Powder 03 is a finishing powder that gives a lovely glowy effect. The glimmer is a touch more obvious than Guerlain Meteorites but not too over-the-top. This has since been discontinued and replaced with the Pressed Powder Duo which combines matte and pearl face powders.

2. Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment in Rose is one of my favourite lip balms as it protects with SPF15 and never feels sticky on the lips. I just purchased the new Coral version which looks very promising.

3. Jurlique Citrus Purifying Mist is quite refreshing but I preferred the scent of the Rosewater version. It's also way too pricey for a face mist (this was a gift with purchase). I've switched to L'Occitane Angelica Mist which gives much better value for money (€12.50 for 100ml) and produces a finer mist.

4. Stila Lip Glaze in 08 Apricot has a glossy finish but does not feel particularly moisturising on the lips. It is also slightly tacky with an artificial fruity scent. The amount of product is so puny at a mere 1.5ml that it can be easily finished within 2-3 weeks with daily usage. Also, they are much cheaper than they used to be but the flip side is that these are now made in China.

5. K-Palette Lasting 2Way Eyebrow 01 is a daily staple, as it lasts much better than eyebrow powders and is a breeze to use. I go through one every two months and have re-purchased it too many times to count.

6. Sunsilk Hair Recovery Treatment turned out to be pretty average. It didn't weigh my hair down but I did not notice any significant improvement in my hair. Ingredients list is below.

7. Organix Moroccan Argan Oil also did not make my hair feel more hydrated or softer than usual, so it was a disappointment. The amount of argan oil in it is probably miniscule, given that it is tenth on the list of ingredients after silicones and perfume.

8. Percy & Reed Splendidly Silky Moisturising Shampoo had a lovely light floral scent. This did not leave my hair in tangles or feeling stripped, but it did not feel extra silky or glossy as promised. This contains sulfates.

9. L'Occitane Cherry Blossom Gentle Shampoo has a nice scent and cleanses well without stripping my hair. However, I find this too expensive to re-purchase.

10. Philosophy Tinsel Town has a delicious crisp berry scent. It lathers up very easily but my skin still needs moisturiser after using this, especially in the winter months.

11. Soap & Glory Flake Away is a body polish containing shea butter, sugar and peach seed. The scent is very strong and sweet, possibly too cloying for some people. It does provide excellent exfoliating action though.

12. The Body Shop Spa Wisdom Morocco Argan Oil & Orange Blossom Body Souffle has a wonderfully light texture that sinks into the skin without feeling greasy. However, it's just too pricey at S$39.90 for 200ml.

13. Paul & Joe Fragrance Body Cream 002 was part of a holiday set a couple of years ago. This felt slightly greasy on the skin and I didn't quite like the scent.

14. Lush Buche de Noel was a limited edition oats-based exfoliating face cleanser released for last Christmas. It reminded me very much of Angels on Bare Skin, except that this has a stronger cherry scent. This is gentle enough to use every day and rinses off cleanly without any residue.

15. L'Oreal Elseve Liss-Intense Serum Anti-Frizz used to work well for taming my hair but recently, it doesn't seem to provide the same sleekness as before so I won't be re-purchasing this.

16. L'Oreal Gentle Eye Makeup Remover is a daily staple that I've re-purchased many times as it does not irritate my eyes. The biphase remover takes off eyeshadows in a jiffy while mascara and eyeliner take a bit more effort to wipe off.

17. Pure Fiji Nourishing Exotic Oil in Coconut worked wonders with my hair, keeping it glossy and frizz-free throughout the day. The warm coconut scent takes a bit of getting used to though.

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.

Jurlique Rose Moisture Plus Workshop at Tangs, 11-12 March

Get an exclusive preview of Jurlique's new Rose Moisture Plus range at a series of workshops at Tangs Orchard on 11 and 12 March. Designed for younger consumers in their 20s, the line delivers intense hydration while protecting against free radicals, to restore the skin’s natural balance. It includes a moisturising foaming cleanser, a rosewater balancing mist and a moisturising cream. The sign-up fee is only $30 (fully redeemable for products) and participants will also receive the Jurlique Sun Lotion SPF30 (50ml) worth S$50 as the door gift.

Operation Use It Up

Here's the batch of products that I managed to use up this month.

1. Paula's Choice Targeted Acne Relief Toner: This fragrance-free, colorant-free toner contains 2% salicylic acid for combating acne. It didn't sting my skin and it worked very well for me in terms of keeping large, cystic acne at bay although I still get whiteheads and blackheads. Will definitely re-purchase!


2. Vidal Sassoon Treatment: This rinse-off deep conditioning hair treatment left my hair soft and easy to manage, although it did not make any significant improvement in the dry condition of my color-treated hair.

3. Dove Nourishing Oil Care Express Treatment Conditioner: I found this to be more hydrating than the Vidal Sassoon Treatment and it helped to tame the frizziness without weighing my hair down. It was also intriguing in the way that it always squeezed out of the tube with a golden "ribbon" of treatment cream.

4. Bliss Ingrown Eliminating Pads: This contains 6% glycolic acid and 2% salicylic acid to help prevent ingrowns, plus lavender oil and green tea to soothe the skin. Sadly, these overpriced pads did not seem to make any difference in the rate at which I get ingrown hairs on my legs.

5. La Roche-Posay Physiological Micellar Solution: This gentle non-oily lotion helps to remove light makeup without any oily residue but it does not remove waterproof mascara well.

6. Eye makeup removers by Etude House and RMK: Both bi-phase removers worked well to remove waterproof mascaras without stinging the eyes.

7. Jurlique Rosewater Balancing Mist: Horribly expensive but I adore the rose scent, which works wonders as a mood-lifter and for relieving dry, parched skin. The rose scent also lingers for quite awhile but without being overly cloying.

8. Shu Uemura Cleansing Oil Premium A/I: This whisks off all traces of makeup in a jiffy but I prefer the lighter formula of the Fresh Gentle Cleansing Oil (pink).

9. Perricone MD Firming Facial Toner: This paraben-free, non-drying toner is supposed to help restores skin’s natural pH balance and delivers anti-aging, skin firming benefits thanks to ingredients like DMAE and alpha lipoic acid, an anti-inflammatory antioxidant. I liked how it left my skin feeling refreshed without any tightness, but I didn't notice any significant skin firming effect.

10. Sephora Smooth Nail Polish Remover: Very affordable and works well to remove most nail polishes quickly, although glitter polishes require more soaking time.

Operation Use It Up

It seems like the months are just flying by, the closer that we get to the end of the year. Pretty soon, we'll be into the final quarter of 2011 and the avalanche of glittering holiday collections. Those are are always interesting to see (I'm looking forward to the new Meteorites by Guerlain!), plus they are followed very quickly by the spring collections.

Anyway, these are the products that I've managed to use up from my stash this month:

1. Kate Somerville ExfoliKate: This was awfully pricey at US$85 and annoyingly, the pump mechanism was broken from the start, but the pot was easy to open. It works well as an exfoliating treatment without being too abrasive but it does sting, so sensitive skintypes may want to stay clear of it. It now comes in a much more sensible squeeze tube and in three versions: Gentle, Intensive and Acne Clearing. I may re-purchase this in the future but probably only when there is a discount or attractive gift with purchase.

2. Daiso Puff/Sponge Detergent: A very thoughtful gift from a friend, this quickly became a weekly staple for thoroughly cleaning my foundation sponges. Now, I also use it in place of MAC Brush Cleanser sometimes to clean my brushes. It works faster than MAC Brush Cleanser for cleaning liquid foundation off brushes. And the price (S$2) is unbeatable! The only problem is finding it in stock at Daiso.

3. Lucido-L Designing Pump Hair Jelly (Swing Keep): This helped to keep my hair manageable but I'm not sure I like it enough to re-purchase it.

4. Jurlique Purifying Foaming Cleanser: I purchased this when it was on 50% discount at Robinsons. The usual retail price of S$64 is way too exorbitant for what is basically just an average foaming cleanser, albeit one that contains many essential oils. You're probably better off spending on a moisturiser or serum that will stay on your skin longer than the cleanser. I wouldn't re-purchase this because of the price tag, plus the cleanser tends to get caught inside the cap and turns into a gooey mess around the pump.

5. Paul & Joe Body Mask: I liked the orange flower scent of this body mask, and how it left my skin soft and smooth. Paul & Joe Singapore likes to give this away under their members' rewards programme, which is how I ended up with 3 tubes of it. I think it has since been discontinued as it is no longer listed on the Paul & Joe website. The tube lasted about 5-7 uses.

6. Lancome Bi-facil: This works well for removing most eye makeup, but not for the most stubborn of waterproof mascaras. I still prefer Cleansing Express Eye Makeup Remover which is much cheaper and just as effective.

7. Benefit Refined Finish Facial Polish: Love the refreshing melon-y scent of this! The scrubby bits provide good exfoliating action without feeling too abrasive or sharp, and left my skin feeling extra smooth. I would purchase this.

8. H2O+ Raspberry Guava Body Butter: This absorbed very easily without any greasy feeling on the skin. It has a light sweet raspberry scent that isn't too cloying.

9. Crabtree & Evelyn Nantucket Briar Shower Gel: This was just an average shower gel for me as the scent wasn't that special.

10. L'Oreal Smooth Intense Smoothing Conditioner: I purchased this in India after seeing that it contained argan oil, so it might not be available in other countries. It worked well on my dry hair and left it free of tangles.

11. Dove Damage Therapy Intensive Repair Treatment Mask: This was a free sample pot that came with a recent issue of Her World. It was enough for three uses, and left my hair feeling soft and easy to manage.

Robinsons Preview Sale

Here are some of the beauty GWPs that will be available at Robinsons' cardmembers' preview sale from 13-23 January. These GWPs are available to all shoppers. The extra gifts for cardmembers are those marked with "CM".

Jurlique Purely White Skincare

This February, Jurlique will launch its first-ever whitening skincare line, Purely White. The products, which are supposed to be suitable for sensitive skin, help to brighten skin, suppress the formation of melanin and reduce dark spots through a "VitaBrightX" complex of Vitamin C-rich Kakadu plum, licorice root, citrus unshiu, black elder and willow bark extracts.

Operation Use It Up!

Finally finished another batch of products!

1. Liese Clear Cube Wax 05: I didn't like this one much as the texture was a tad heavy even after diluting with water.

2. Kenzoki Clearwater Gel: Very refreshing toner that hydrates my skin effectively.

3. Soap & Glory The Righteous Butter: Love the sweet fruity scent and light non-greasy texture which absorbs very easily. I'll definitely re-purchase a full size after I get through my current stash of body lotions.

4. Testimo Eye Bright Up Base: This has been my daily staple for about five years now but as Testimo has been discontinued, I'll be switching to Urban Decay Primer Potion which has better lasting power but is a tad dry.

5. Ipsa Metabolizer Moist 2: This is the newly revamped Metabolizer that was just launched this fall. It does a pretty good job of hydrating my skin without any stickiness. It's a toner and moisturiser in one.

6. Kenzoki Blissful Beneficial Water: I love almost all of Kenzoki's body treatment sprays for their ultra relaxing scents. The scent lingers for quite awhile without being overpowering. This has since been revamped with a glass bottle packaging as Blissful Ginger Fizz.

7. Dior Miss Cherie L'eau: This is a green alternative to Miss Cherie which may be too sweet for some ladies. It has notes of bitter orange, gardenia and white musk. It is quite refreshing but a bit too green for my taste.

8. Jurlique Jasmine Shower Gel: I am addicted to the lovely jasmine scent of this shower gel! It is a bit watery but lathers up amazingly well without any need for a bath lily and leaves my bathroom smelling simply divine. It's horribly expensive at S$42 for a 200ml bottle so I would repurchase this only when there is a promotion going on. The ingredients list is below.