My Skincare Hunt & First Impressions of Clinique 3 Step System

I realise that while I've written about some skincare products, I haven't really been clear about where I stand in my "skincare hunt" for a perfect routine :) I've sorted it all out in my head, so I thought I'd put it down on paper (screen) - it's a bit rambly but I hope you enjoy!

To start off, I have combination/normal skin - I get oily in the t-zone in the warmer months, and normal on my cheeks. Since I've gotten rid of my teenage acne last year, it's been a bit difficult assessing whether something is good, because I'm now after the luxury of perfect skin as opposed to just getting rid of things that shouldn't be there - if that makes sense?

I have a few bits and bobs of my skincare that I can say, "Yes, I love these products and I will rebuy them" but I'm still on the lookout for that perfect combination of products for a perfect routine. Anyway, here's the present standings:

* Face Wash

- Liz Earle Hot Cloth Cleanser

- The Body Shop Seaweed Face Wash

* Toner

- MUJI Light Toning Water (works well with Liz Earle Hot Cloth Cleanser)

- The Body Shop Seaweed Toner (only works well with the face wash)

* Moisturizer

- Day: Liz Earle Skin Repair for Combo/Oily Skin

- Night: Boots Botanics Night Shift Cream

As you can see, a bit complicated, and a lot of ties! So the other day while I was roaming around the cosmetics section, I stumbled by Clinique which I heard lots about from Steph, and the kind lady at the counter explained a lot about how the system works, and gave me a 3-day sample kit to try.. (needless to say it's lasted me about 4 days already)..

Left: Clinique Clarifying Lotion 3 (toner)

Centre: Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel

Right: Clinique Facial Soap for Oily Skin

Used together, this set has ticked all of the boxes. Firstly, the soap leaves my face squeaky clean, and my face always appears brighter or maybe even whiter than it started off with. I'm guessing this is what the lady meant when she said it lifts the dead skin cells, to prepare for the next step.

The clarifying lotion, which is like a toner, then exfoliates and removes the dead skin cells. I genuinely feel this works, but god the smell is horrendous! I feel like I'm putting nail polish remover on my face, it's unbearable to smell and the lady told me strictly that I can't use it near my eyes or mouth - I wouldn't want to! That being said, at the end I feel refreshed and I feel it does its job.

The moisturizer feels like somewhere between a typical gel and a silica skin primer - it has that smoothing-over effect, but it's also quite wet. I think it does a decent job of sinking into my skin, but I also feel like I've felt others do a better job. That being said, the thing I like about this is that when I wake up, I'm not half as oily as I am when I use other moisturizers, and I have no qualms about using this for both day and night - which in the long run may save some dosh!

All in all, the bits of bumpiness and redness on my face has been seriously reducing - sounds perfect, right? But I'm still not 100% sure what I should be looking for, as I don't have any blatant problems anymore! Should I be aiming to have 'normal' skin as opposed to combination? Should I aim to have baby skin? Idk! (any help appreciated :P)

So my plan is on the 26th of August, to head over to the counter again and take full advantage of a campaign where for a few extra hundred yen (lol) added to the cost of a full-sized Clarifying Lotion, you get loads of 1 month sized products, like the face wash, the moisturizer and other things. AMAZING. I'm not sure if this offer is only in Japan though..

After that I hope to figure out if the full Clinique's 3 Step System would really work for me, or if I need to cut and paste from the previous list mentioned above. I personally don't really want to give up the Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish nor her moisturizer, nor the MUJI Toner (it's paraben, alcohol, fragrance free!) - but I've got to admit, they're all running for their money with these 3 Clinique bad boys in town :)

Does anyone have 2 skincare routines, is that even possible? :P

Have you found your perfect skincare routine?

What do you look for when deciding whether a product stays in your routine? :)

<3yu

The Manview: Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish.. for Men.

Today's post is a guest post from my boyfriend, Ben. He's been using the Starter Kit for Men from the infamous, Liz Earle, after seeing the great effects of the female equivalent has had on my skin. I took this chance to make sure the girls out there knew what was available for the men in their lives :)

Many men don't put as much emphasis on their skincare routine as girls do, often even skipping the whole thing. So I was (and hopefully you will be) interested to hear what he thought..

"Being the first time, and hopefully last time I have written an entry for a beauty blog, I’m not sure where to start.

The most logical place would be the packaging. The 100ml bottle is fairly standard and has a fairly standard beige colour. It has a pump that makes it easier to dispense, and also acts a measure, as the instructions say to use one to two pump(s) when washing your face.

The colour of the packaging, while not eye catching, serves its purpose and I have to say packaging isn’t everything, I would much rather have a product that works in standard packaging than a product in psychedelic packaging that works less well.

In terms of use, it is fairly easy to use and follows the same type of procedures as other face washes I’ve used in the past. While soaking the muslin cloth in a basin of hot water, you just have to apply one or two pumps of the cream to your face. After that, it is just a case of using the cloth to wipe the cream from your face, rinsing every now and again to keep it clean. Once you have washed your whole face you just rinse your face with cold water and then pat it dry with a towel.

The cloth is a different addition to any other face wash I have used before, and perhaps does make the process longer than others, however the success I've had with this compared to others makes it worthwhile.

Since using the product my skin has cleared up quite significantly, the redness on certain areas of my face has gone down as well as clearing up my pores. When spots do appear though, it hasn’t been the most effective to clear it and it is probably best when used in conjunction with another specific spot treatment."

The new Jimmy Chapman? Judging from the first line, maybe not :P But I've been very impressed at how persistent a guy who's not obsessive about skincare and haircare has been with this product, despite it taking a longer time complete - I think it says quite a bit. I asked him if he'd keep using it after this bottle's done, and he said he would - but with a separate spot treatment product, as he said above.

If you (or your dad, brother, or your other half) has any questions - please do leave them in the comments and I'll forward them on to Ben. You can get the Starter Kit and other goodies from the range, here :)

What kind of skincare do the men in your life use/enjoy? Would you recommend Liz Earle to them? :)

<3yu

I Miss You, Liz Earle Hot Cloth Cleanser.

I know the title is very.. romanticised, but this is actually a review, hehe. I'm sure you guys have all read reviews of this Hot Cloth Cleanser, and to make mine a bit different from everyone else's reviews, I waited until I finished it up, and went back to the cleanser that I used to use to really figure out the difference that this product makes. Here's what I came up with:

1) It STRIPS the dirt on your face - you really feel like all the grime and dead skin is off your face, but it's not done so in a drying and stinging way, but in a very natural way by exfoliating your face with a muslin cloth. It doesn't feel like there's some chemical reactions going on on your face, and it doesn't feel intrusive at all. Since I've gone back to my old face wash, my face never feels completely clean and smooth.

2) It makes your moisturizer sink it a lot better. It must be the fact that the layer of dead skin cells are gone, as my face drinks up the moisturizer, and in the morning, my face is supple. Now that I've gone back to my face wash, I feel a bit greasy in the morning, like with moisturizer residue on my face, rather than plumpy and young.

3) It's SUCH an easy routine. No drippy watery face in between getting product on your hands and lathering it up, because you just massage it directly on to your face.

4) It calms down your skin in every which way - I used to have normal/combination skin, but during the time I used this product I felt like I just had normal skin. Now that I'm going back to my old face wash, I'm feeling the oily patches come back. I'm also experiencing a lot more pimples and redness than I did when I used the Hot Cloth Cleanser at this time of the month (sorry for TMI).

5) My skin was literally 'polished'. It was so so so smooth - smoother than when I used my St. Ives Apricot Scrub! I miss it! :( This obviously makes the make-up go on so much nicer as well.

Admittedly, this cleanser didn't work on me straight away. I only started seeing the miracle results after 1 month (although people around me started to see the difference after the first use!), so for those who used it a few times and wasn't amazed, I urge you to keep trying, even if it's so you can use it up. Also, do NOT be stingy with this product, unless you can see the opaqueness on your skin, you aren't using enough! It makes a big difference in the results - trust me, I was stingy at first :P

Also, I didn't like using it as a make-up remover. I know it says it can be used to remove make-up but I just thought it was a waste of product, it made the muslin cloth unnecessarily dirty, and it just wasn't great at removing waterproof mascara and eyeliner in between my lashes. £1 baby wipes and oil-based eye make-up remover can take care of that :)

The main thing I didn't like was the packaging - it's so beautiful and elegant, but you can't twist open the pump, which means even when you think you're done there's still loads of product in there that just can't be sucked up with the pump. It's not the cheapest of products so I wish there was a way to use every last drop!

But yes, I deeply miss my Liz Earle Hot Cloth Cleanser. These 2 points are things that I am more than willing to ignore because the product itself is amazing - 10/10 for sure! Also, the company has so many environmental and other ethical incentives that earns them mega brownie points from me :)

I'm a P&P hater so I was going to wait until I got myself to London or Manchester to repurchase, but I have a strong feeling that I wont be able to wait that long!

Who else is a Liz Earle Hot Cloth Cleanser lover? Has it NOT worked for anyone?

<3yu

P.S. All my non-single ladies! Keep an eye out for the Man Review of the Men's Hot Cloth Cleanser - the boy is currently using the man version, and will be sharing his thoughts hopefully in a couple of weeks :)

What is the proper way to wash your face?

Many of you have asked me about acne problems as well as many other skin problems. I actually think that the most important aspect of skincare is not actually the expensive moisturizers or serums, but cleansing. This is because cleansing is the foundation of a good skincare regimen and without it, all the rest of your efforts may tumble. A good cleansing routine keeps your pores unclogged, which prevents acne and lets other products (serums, moisturizers, etc) absorb better.

What You Need:
1. A gentle cleanser, preferably one without SLS:
A gentle cleanser may not be as satisfying as a harsher one (you don't get a very clean feeling), and may not produce as good initial results as a harsher one, but in the long run, you are doing your skin a favor by using the gentler cleansers.
I have personally used some of the harshest cleansers there is in my teenage years. I remember for a week, I used a harsh scrub containing Salicylic Acid, immediately followed by a 10% benzoyl peroxide cream cleanser. My skin felt so dry after using this combination, and it did somehow prevent acne for a week for me. After that, my skin got so oily as to become very unsightly and I also developed acne.
Later on, I stopped stacking the two cleansers together and used the benzoyl peroxide wash alone for a year. It was not as stripping as that combination, and after a while, my skin does not feel dry after cleansing anymore, but I noticed that my skin produced more oil, and I responded by leaving the cleanser on my skin longer and longer. That was one of the biggest mistakes I made, and it took my skin a year to return to its normal oil production level.

2. A soft and clean washcloth:
This is rather optional actually. For years, I had no washcloth, and just pat dry my face after cleansing if I had time, or leave it to dry (or wipe the excess water off with toner on a cotton pad) when I'm in a hurry. It worked fine for me. However, I started using a washcloth a year ago, and I noticed the difference.
I don't use the washcloth while washing the face. I generally wash my hands, apply cleanser to my face, massage around, wash my washcloth while leaving the cleanser on, and then rinse off and pat dry with the washcloth. This has not made a big difference in my skin but does help me get ready faster in the morning. This will be essential for people who are living in areas with contaminated or hard water, because you'll want the water off your face as soon as possible.
If you do decide to use a washcloth, please clean regularly. The washcloth will accumulate the oil, bacteria, and impurities your cleanser got out from your skin. It is best to use a clean one everyday, and toss the dirty one into the laundry if you can afford it. However, if you are just using it to pat dry (like me), washing the wash cloth daily and then doing major cleanings weekly would be fine since when the washcloth come in contact with your face, your face is relatively clean.

3. Clean luke warm water, general running water is fine unless your water is very hard:
This seems basic. However, I have found that luke warm water is essential. You do not want to shock your face with too cold or too hot water, which may result in broken capillaries. Yes, cold water wakes one up in the morning, and yes, hot water makes one's face feel cleaner, but I'd rather forgo those benefits for beautiful skin.

How to clean your face:
1. Make sure your hands are clean: I generally wash with anti-bacterial soap before touching my face.
2. Put a drop of cleanser in your hands: This is important. Do not use too much cleanser. It is a waste, and can overdry your face. I have found that a pea-sized amount is generally fine for most cleansers. Or if you are using a bar cleansing, running the bar through my hands twice is enough for me.
3. Lather up the cleanser in your hands (foaming cleansers): Many people like to apply the cleanser straight to the face and lather up on the face. This is admitted easier. However, it is gentler to your face if the potential chemical reaction of cleansers interacting with water, and foaming up happens on your hands.
Or skip to step 4 if you have a non-foaming cream cleanser
4. Apply the foam to your face and massage or if you have a non-foaming cleanser, apply the cleanser to your face: Gently apply the foam or cleanser to your face, and massage with the palms of your hands. Massaging with fingers is tempting because it is easier, but palms are gentler. Massage around for a minute or half a minute depending on whether your skin is dry or oily or sensitive. The more oily your skin is, the longer you have to massage, unless your skin is oily because of overdrying.
5. Optional: leave the cleanser on face for less than a minute: Take this step if you have time in the morning or if your skin is extra-oily. I sometimes leave my cleanser on for a mini-facial when I think I need special cleansing power
6. Rinse off: Gently splash luke warm water (slightly warmer than room temperature) to your face to rinse off the mixture. I like to splash at least 9 times without touching my face, and rinse with my hands to make sure I get everything the last time. If I don't, I'll splash some more.
7. Pat dry with a clean towel/washcloth or with your hands or a cotton pad

Sofina Jenne Milky Cleanser Review

This cleanser is advised to be used in the mornings and at night following Sofina Jenne's cleansing oil/makeup remover. I got this in Japan along with the rest of Sofina Jenne's lineup. To be honest, I wasn't sure I would like the cleanser since my current cleansers function well enough. But I like to use all the products of a lineup to satisfy my perfectionism/compulsion, so I got it anyway. I had to say I'm not sorry.

This cleanser cleans rather well, rinses off well, and is gentle to my skin. Also, like all Japanese cleansers, it is incredibly compact--meaning a little goes a long way, and even though a 120 ml cleanser doesn't seem like a lot for the money, I expect it to at least last half a year.
The way you use it is rather unique, but not very complicated. You take a drop (just a drop really) on your palm and then mix it with 2 times water. You then whip the mixture up on your hands by rubbing them together (as you would if you were washing your hands), then apply the foamy substance to your face, which then you rub around and rinse off.
I like this way of cleansing, because cleansers are gentler to the face if they are already foamed up (which means that no chemical reactions are taking place on your face), but if you apply many cleansers to your face already foamed up, they don't clean well anymore..This one still does!

Pros:
1. Gentle on my skin. No drying at all! This is even supposed to provide some moisture to your face. When I saw this claim, I snorted to myself, but now I can believe it.
2. Cleanses well without over drying. I can feel my face is clean, but it is not "squeaky clean" as it would with Laneige's multi-cleanser. I know a lot of people love the squeaky clean feeling, but I found I love this more.

Cons:
1. Time factor: I guess this is a little more time consuming than the regular cleanser. However, I find it to be a fun experience every time, and I am willing to spare the extra minute or so for a good and gentle cleanse. 

Overall: Really great cleanser that is gentle, and cleanses well without overdrying. 

Sofina Jenne Makeup Remover Review

This is a review for Sofina Jenne's "makeup remover". I found the name bit misleading because the first thing that comes to mind is a makeup remover for lips and eyes. However, this is actually something like a cleansing oil, for your face, though it doesn't act exactly like a cleansing oil.
A cleansing oil is basically oil with a bunch of emulsifiers mixed in so that the oil binds with water when you splash water on your face, which makes it easier when you rinse it off. This is a bit different. This has oil ingredients in it, but when applied on your face, it doesn't have a greasy feeling, and can actually be rinsed off without emulsifying, even though I still always follow with their cleanser. Did I like this better than regular cleansing oils?
Well, I don't like most cleansing oils in general, but I can use this...

Why don't I like most cleansing oils? I find the emulsifying process very annoying, which makes cleansing a long process. I also don't like the fact my hands and face has to be dry when I apply the cleansing oil, since I always wash my face before touching my face. So I have to hold my hands up for some time to wait for it dry before I can rub cleansing oil on my face. What I loved about cleansing oils though is their cleansing power, and ability sometimes to unclog pores. (of course, if you have a reaction to some oils, your pores might even be more clogged).
I can use this makeup remover without those problems.

Pros:
1. Zero reaction the first time I used it, which is rare for cleansing oils with me.
2. Great cleansing power. Can even take off some really waterproof eye products, though it seems to take longer than eye makeup removers.
3. Non-greasy feeling, which is really unusual in cleansing oils 

4. Pleasant scent

5.Easy rinseoff

6. As I rub it on my face, some grainy substance usually come off, which I think are impurities in my pores

7. Non-runny consistency

Cons:
1. Sensitivity: If you are very sensitive to scents, the scent this carries is strong! It has a jasmine flowery scent that I'm currently trying to find in a perfume. :)

2. Cleansing power is a little inferior to cleansing oils and even regular oils. Waterproof eyeliner (which I don't use a lot of...usually use my lovely tubing eyeliner reviewed here

Overall: Really great makeup remover that I use to remove my waterproof sunscreen whenever I use it

Laneige Multi Cleanser Review

This is one of Laneige's most popular products, and one of my personal favorites. I can't say that I've gone through several tubes of this, but I've used this for more than a year since my big switch from Mamonde to Laneige. I use this every single day at night, and yet, I still have around 10% of my tube left. :) Oh, and just so I'm clear, this is the review for the "old" multi-cleanser in the above packaging. Laneige has recently updated its cleansing line with its a new multi cleanser in a blue tube (see here for the new cleanser) that I have bought and haven't tried yet. However, I've been assured that it is exactly the same by my colleague who also loves Laneige, but I will certainly post my thoughts when I get to the new tube, which is will probably be in two months.
Now why do I love this cleanser and why did I choose it in the first place? Well, I'm sorry to admit that my initial decision was a no brainer. I wanted to switch to Laneige, and wanted to try to use everything in its lineup for my skincare if possible, so I got the multi cleanser. And you might be surprised to know that I regretted my decision the first month I bought it. Why? Well, I immediately switched from my BP cleanser to this for my night time regimen, which caused a few breakouts, and I didn't know how to use this cleanser then, so it was really drying. I later found out that I was using way too much every night and also that if one were to go off potent acne curing drugs like BP and SA, one should do it gradually and slowly (which is what I'm doing now).
I thought that before I do my pros and cons list, I should share with you how to use this cleanser. First off, you needn't be nervous, there is no special unique way to use this cleanser. The trick is to use less, much less than you would any regular cleanser. At first, I was using 2cm of this cleanser (I say 2cm because it's very thick and comes out in a cylinder), and as I stand by the sink and rub this around my skin, the cleanser foams up so thickly that my entire face was covered by a white mask. When I rinsed this off, my skin was squeaky clean, and felt dry even as I was rinsing off. I gradually learned to use around 0.5 cm of this at most every day, and it doesn't overdry me now.
Oh, and many people were worried about whether they can use this cleanser everyday because on the laneige website, this cleanser was supposed to exfoliate (and many people believe that we should not exfoliate everyday). I am not going to argue about whether we should exfoliate daily since I'm not a dermatologist, but this cleanser really only does really really mild exfoliation to the point that you would still need to use another exfoliator weekly or biweekly. It contains tiny tiny beads that dissolves within 5 seconds of rubbing it around the skin. I personally find the really gentle exfoliation very welcome, since gentle exfoliation daily can prevent breakouts (essentially what the clarisonic does for people my age).
Sorry for blathering on. I will close my big mouth for now and go on to the reviews. :)

Pros:
1. A little really goes a long way. I would only use 0.5 cm of this, which means that I haven't finished a tube yet in a year.
2. Very gentle daily exfoliation
3. Removes all my makeup (but then I don't wear too much) 

4. pleasant tangerine scent (I was told that the scent is not artificial but because this contains tangerine extracts among other beneficial things)

5. Does not overdry if you don't over use

6. Thick foam that really leaves my face clean

Cons:
1. Stings eyes if you get the cleanser into your eyes (I know this is supposed to be able to remove eye makeup, and it does, but close your eyes tight if you need to use this cleanser to remove eye makeup. I would really recommend using a separate makeup remover for your eyes)

2. You might find the very thick foam weird in a cleanser, so it might take getting used to

Overall: Really nice cleanser to use at night to remove my sunblock/BB cream/makeup base and foundation. I am glad this saves me from using an oil cleanser :)

Oh, and since we are on the topic of cleansing, even though Korea doesn't offer some amenities the US does, it does have something that US people doesn't have easy access to: steam houses. I love going to steam houses after a day of work (and after I've cleansed my face) to steam my whole body. It's so refreshing and feels like I'm detoxing. You can get it for a few dollars to $50 dollars depending on where you go. You can go to a public wash house (which is pretty sanitary) or a spa. I generally go to the one in my hotel, which is a cross between the high end and low end, and really cheap for me since I'm staying there. You can get a massage for a small fee, but my parents always tell me that it's hard to know what the word "massage" means in different countries in Asia, so I'm staying clear of it for now. :) 

My skincare regimen

Many of you have asked about my skincare regimen. I am very flattered that you want to know. I cannot say that  my skincare regimen is absolutely perfect or that is absolutely suits me, because I think that I can't accomplish that with commercialized products, no matter how expensive they might be. Regardless, I thought maybe I should share my regimen with you.
First off, it might help knowing what kind of skin I have. I have mostly normal skin with a slightly oily area around the nose. I have rather light skin, and I am happy with the color. Unlike most people nowadays, I want clear translucent skin that's white white white (but not an unnatural kind of white, just my skin color at birth that is not the least bit tanned).
Now on to the regimen. I use mostly Laneige products right now, even though I used Mamonde products for many years before I finally switched to Laneige. Mamonde is like a brand that costs half as much as Laneige, and is more basic. It was pretty ideal for my young skin.

AM:
Cleanser: I alternate between a clean and clear BP cleanser, a clean and clear SA cleanser, and Laneige's foaming professional cleanser. I am trying to eliminate the BP cleanser from my regimen because I found it causes hyperpigmentation after each pimple heals on me. I'm trying to slowly decrease the use of that cleanser until i don't need it. I will post how it goes because I know going off BP and SA cleansers are difficult moves, but moves that will benefit some skins in the end.

Toner: Yes, I use toner. I am not sure whether it's necessary, but I like the idea of it balancing my PH value. I use the Laneige white plus renew toner.

Moisturizer: I use the Laneige white plus renew daytime hydrator with SPF 15, although I don't rely on it for SPF.

Treatment: I'm trying to introduce the Laneige White plus renew essence into my regimen, but again, changing just a little of your regimen should be done slowly if you don't want to risk reactions. I found that the essence is a little rich, so it might give me some whiteheads as I start to use it, so I'm using it one to two times a week to slowly introduce it to my skin. I plan to use it daily eventually, at least in the colder months when skin is dryer.

SPF: I use the Laneige SPF 41 PA++ sunblock on most days and SPF 50 PA+++ sunblock when I know I'm going to be outdoors a lot. I touch up with the Laneige powder sunscreen 15 minutes before I go outside. It also controls some oil on my face.

Facial makeup: I made the conscious decision to not use makeup base or foundation even though they give some a glow to my face. I don't use them daily, but whenever there is a special occasion, I go with my trustworthy Laneige dual base and white plus renew foundation. There is one exception to the rule though. Whenever I test BB creams or products for review, I use them exclusively for two weeks or so.

PM:
My night time regimen is pretty simple.
Makeup remover: If I'm just wearing sunblock, I don't use a makeup remover. However, when I'm testing BB creams or wore foundation for any special occasions, I remove makeup with Laneige oil free makeup remover. It is similar to a cleansing oil but thicker in consistency, and I feel safer because it's oil free. I'll review this soon if you are interested.
Cleanser: I made the transition half a year ago into using Laneige Multi Cleanser. It makes my face squeeky clean, which can be drying at times, but I immediately follow with toner and moisturizer. Just in case you were wondering, I was using the clean and clear BP wash and SA wash before I made the transition.
Toner: I use a toner that I make myself, and I am 100% satisfied with it. I think one day, I might make my own skincare for myself (and not for commercial use) so that I can know all the ingredients that goes into it, and enjoys the peace of mind.
Moisturizer: I used to use no moisturizer at night because I thought I don't need it, but I found doing cleanser, toner and moisturizer in the morning and at night is better for my skin. I use the Laneige White plus renew night cream. I love it, and I'm about to pick up more this time in Korea.

Weekly treatments: When I finally get off BP completely, I will use Laneige's strawberry yogurt peel, but right now, my skin doesn't need any more exfoliation. I will follow up with some homemade strawberry yogurt.

Oh and I just realized that I haven't actually reviewed my beloved skincare items yet, but don't worry, I will very soon.