Operation Use It Up

Here's a quick rundown of the products that I used up in April and May.

If I had to use only one bodycare brand for the rest of my life, it would probably be Rituals, a Dutch brand that offers a delightful range of scents and is pretty easy on the pocket. It's available on FeelUnique and Barneys.

1. Rituals Happy Buddha Organic Mandarin & Yuzu Foaming Shower Gel Sensation: Rituals' shower gels provide the most bubblelicious experience, foaming up almost straight out of the can. The refreshing mandarin and yuzu scent was an instant favourite. Ingredients list below.

2. Rituals Magic Touch Cherry Blossom & Rice Milk had a lovely comforting scent and hydrated my dry skin well without feeling greasy.

3. Rituals Dragon Mud Organic Bamboo and Volcanic Clay gave good exfoliating action and had a lovely minty scent.

4. Ren Moroccan Rose Otto Body Cream didn't leave much of an impression. This was a gift with a magazine, not something that I would purchase.

5. Liberty Helly Kitty Body Butter: This was from Liberty's holiday collection some time ago. This takes some serious massaging for it to absorb fully but it does hydrate quite well.

6. L'Occitane Rose Body Milk is a light textured lotion that absorbs well and hydrates nicely but the rose scent wasn't that special.

7. Shu Uemura Cleansing Oil works very effectively at melting all makeup off and doesn't leave any residue on the skin.

8. Paula's Choice Clear Anti-Redness Exfoliating Solution with 2% salicylic acid didn't do much for my skin. I also hated how long it takes to absorb and the tacky feeling it left on my skin. I think it also dried out my skin and had me reaching for Avene Cold Cream which I use only as an emergency treatment.

9. Ettusais Puru Puru Mist: I use this in place of a toner in the mornings. I spritz five or six times and then follow up with a moisturiser to seal in the moisture. It freshens up the skin nicely and is fragrance and colorant free. Ettusais is releasing another version in a green bottle (Puru Puru Mist F) with rosemary extract this summer on 19 June in Japan.

10. Shiseido Ibuki Refining Moisturizer was a surprise hit for me. Shiseido's moisturisers are usually too heavy for my skin but since having a baby, my skin has become more dehydrated and this works wonders for drenching the skin and priming it for foundation. I would purchase this. Ingredients list below.

11. Origins Drink Up 10 Minute Mask left my skin feeling plumped up and more even but the effect was just temporary. I vastly prefer Fresh Rose Face Mask to this.

12. H2O+ Deep Sleep Recovery Cream felt a bit thick and did not absorb as nicely as the Ibuki Refining Moisturiser.

13. Caudalie Vinoperfect Radiance Serum was quite watery and lighter than the typical serum. It provides decent hydration but otherwise, it was nothing special. Ingredients below.

14. Ren Vita-Mineral Day Cream was another magazine freebie. It worked alright on my skin but didn't impress like Ibuki Refining Moisturizer did.

15. Schwarzkopf Brillance Intensiv Color Creme 842 Rouge Cachemire and Palette Deluxe 6-88 Intensive Ruby Red: This is my favourite brand for hair color. This combination turned out as a deep rich red that really brightens up in the sun. All my white hairs were completely covered. It does stain towels for a week so I have to be careful when my hair is still damp.

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.

Operation Use It Up

During my trips this month, I was able to use up a boatload of samples and travel-sized products. I usually try to bring just enough for the trip in order to free up space for my purchases!

Cle de Peau Gentle Balancing Lotion: This works nicely to refresh and moisturise skin, without making it feel sticky. Perfect for the humid summer weather.

L'Occitane Angelica Face Toner: This helps to refresh and hydrate skin, but it seems to make my skin get oily quite soon thereafter. This was a freebie with a magazine. I won't re-purchase it as I'll be switching back to Paula's Choice which is better able to address acne-prone skin. The ingredients list is below.

Paul & Joe Moisture Lotion N: This is the more deeply hydrating lotion by the brand. It has the usual orange scent and a light milky texture that takes awhile to absorb. This would be better for the harsh winter months or dry skin types.

RMK UV Face Protector SPF43: This is the revamped version with a higher SPF (the previous version offered SPF35). The light, non-greasy texture and subtle citrus scent is virtually identical to the original version. While it absorbs quite nicely and works well under makeup, it is not sweat proof. My husband used this and had whitish rivulets on his temples.

Elemis Papaya Enzyme Peel: This anti-ageing peel mask did not tingle or sting at all, so it seems to be very gentle. My skin felt softer but not significantly smoother or more radiant.

Philosophy Summer Grace Shampoo, Bath & Shower Gel: This has a soothing but rather forgettable floral scent and does not strip the skin. I won't re-purchase this.

Rituals Yogi Flow Foaming Shower Gel Sensation: I love the Rituals shower gels for their beautifully scented dense foam. Yogi Flow is a sweet mix of Indian rose and sweet almond oil. It is pleasant enough but not as amazing as the mandarin-scented Fujiyama. This does leave my skin feeling slightly dry though. It contains sodium laureth sulfate. The ingredients list is below.

Pecksniff's Mood Therapy Happy Nourishing Conditioner, Happy Revitalising Shampoo and Alive Bath & Shower Gel: This set was provided in a hotel that I stayed in some time ago. None of these were particularly impressive.

Pantene Repair & Protect Conditioner: It's been awhile since I used Pantene haircare. This worked quite well for keeping my hair soft and tangle-free without any build-up.

Clarins Eau Dynamisante Shower Gel: This has an unusual bracing scent but I don't like it enough to want to re-purchase it. The ingredients list is below.

Clarins Satin-Smooth Body Lotion: True to the name, the light texture absorbs easily into the skin without making it feel greasy. There is a very light floral scent.

Some other sample sachets that I used up: L'Oreal EverPure Shampoo, Nuxe Fondant Body Scrub, Fekkai All Day Hair Plump and Beaute de Kose Ultimation Cleansing Cream. The Kose cleansing cream did not rinse off cleanly while the Fekkai plumping cream didn't do much for my hair at all. The Nuxe body scrub provided good exfoliating action. EverPure Shampoo is not hydrating enough for my hair.

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.

UK Magazine Freebies: L'Occitane, Rituals and the Body Shop

Picked up another armload of magazines in London yesterday, thanks to the attractive freebies! After getting off the Gatwick Express train at Victoria station, I usually head straight for the WHSmith store to check out the latest issues.

The June issue of Glamour was offering a choice of L'Occitane Angelica Cleansing Gel, Face Toner and Hydration Cream, exclusively at WHSmith stores. The magazine was £1 more than the usual £2 cover price but still a bargain considering the retail value of the products. I picked up the Cleansing Gel and Face Toner, both in 50ml sizes. Despite being just the travel sizes, the labels are actually embossed with Braille dots for the visually impaired.

Easy Living came bundled with either the Rituals Wai Wang Exfoliating Body Scrub (70ml) or Rich Nourishing Body Cream. The Wai Wang line has an organic white lotus and Chinese bamboo scent.

Marie Claire comes with a full size Body Shop Lip & Cheek Stain in either Bronze Glimmer or Rose Pink. I picked Bronze Glimmer since I already own several pink cheek stains.

Operation Use It Up

I mean to write this post earlier but got sidetracked into reading the Hunger Games trilogy last weekend. After plowing through all three books in three days, the tale has been haunting me. The writing is not the most masterful but nevertheless, it's a thrilling page-turner that gets very grim in parts. So much death, loss and broken spirits. Now I can't wait to see the movie which will be released in less than two weeks.

Anyway, here are the products that I finished up this past month. I've been focusing on using up all these small sample bottles as I'm getting tired of them taking up space in my cabinets and carting them around with me each time I move house.

Lush Retread (£9.50) is described as a "deluxe, specially enhanced triple strength conditioner" made with conditioning olive, jojoba and avocado oils, soya milk, melon juice and yoghurt in a seaweed and lanolin base. The consistency is like liquid yogurt, more watery than the usual conditioners so I usually have to use a generous palmful of it on my hair. It is not as richly hydrating as say, Tsubaki, but it leaves my hair tangle-free and feeling clean without the the heavy silicone-y feel of richer conditioners. It is relatively expensive though and lasted only about three weeks with daily usage. Lush has a recycling programme in the UK whereby if you bring back 5 clean black pots, you can get a Fresh Face Mask free.

When I breathed in the invigorating mandarin and mint scent of Rituals Fujiyama Shower Foam (£6.50, 200ml), I knew instantly that this would become one of my favourite shower products of all time. The rich foam lather feels luxurious on the skin and rinses off without drying out the skin. The delicious scent is perfect for chasing away the trials and tribulations of the day.


H2O+ Exfoliating Marine Body Butter contains skin-smoothing multi-hydroxy acids plus hydrating marine algae, seagrass and cucumber extract. The scent is light and clean. The 15ml tube was barely enough for one application, certainly not enough to notice any exfoliating effect. It hydrates nicely enough without feeling greasy.

I also used up a few deluxe samples of Kenzoki moisturisers: Nightwatcher, Melts On Contact Face Gel and Face Phenomenon. These have the usual calming scents typical of Kenzoki and absorb very nicely into the skin, helping to stave away flakiness. Of these, I liked Nightwatcher the best. Each 5ml tube usually lasts about 5 days with twice daily use. My skin gets oily after some time, but using a moisturiser is vital to stave off the eczema that I experienced briefly during the winter. The Fondant Rice Lotion is a milky lotion that preps the skin nicely in the mornings for foundation.

Next up are lotions and toners: Kanebo Blanchir Superior White Deep Clear Conditioner II, RMK Skintuner Smoother, Impress Lotion II, Chanel Hydramax+ Active Nanolotion and La Mer The Tonic. These were all quite average, and simply made the skin feel more refreshed without any tightness.

L'Oreal Elseve Liss-Intense Serum Anti-frizz does a great job of keeping my dehydrated locks manageable and frizz-free so I've already re-purchased this.

L'Occitane Verbena Shower Gel is another citrus-scented favourite. I would indulge in this more often except that my current stash of shower gels will last me well into 2013 and possibly beyond!

Kenzoki Clearwater Gel is a nicely refreshing lotion to perk up the skin. When it's very hot, I often just use this and skip moisturiser.

Crabree & Evelyn Iris Body Cream moisturises well but takes a bit of time and effort to absorb into the skin.

Saforelle Soothing Cream was recommended by my doctor for use on my shins which saw a bad case of folliculitis during the winter. It did help to calm the skin down over time.

Like most Japanese foaming cleansers, Kanebo Impress Creamy Soap leaves the skin feeling squeaky clean and so it may be too drying for some people.