It's been a long weekend for me since I went on break on Fourth of July and didn't have to go back to work/school on Friday (yay on-campus dining services and my instructor!). Also, I had a pretty stressful start of the week because I had a magazine article due on Tuesday and a midterm on Wednesday, so this break literally felt like my finals ended. And all the stressing paid off at the same time because I got really great feedback on my article and the research I did!
So, here I am, after a whole weekend of binge-eating and South Park/Amazon Prime movie marathons, ready to blog about something at least! It's no surprise I have A LOT of things to talk about but I'll try to do it one at a time without overwhelming you lovely readers with one long post that will probably take up your bandwidth or something. Lol.
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I never thought of showing you guys the products that I've used up because it never felt like I was finishing stuff as quickly as the beauty gurus I follow on YouTube. But after hoarding empty bottles of body lotion because I was weird and couldn't bear to throw them out, I realized how quickly I actually went through my beauty stuff! And I've even thrown some away but for those that I've managed to "save", they're here for you to see! Some of them are pretty mediocre, some of them I absolutely love...
From left to right, top to bottom:
1) Crabtree & Evelyn Savannah Gardens Scented Body Lotion
I've talked about this before in my post about body moisturizers so I am not going to waste your time on this. I would just like to say again that with Crabtree & Evelyn products, it is always the most unsuspecting ones that makes you the happiest! For real. Who would've thought a scented body lotion would be more moisturizing than a body lotion that claims to moisturizing? I am currently using the Crabtree & Evelyn Nantucket Briar Bath & Shower Gel and its only claim is that it's scented but damn, it leaves your skin all supple and soft! The bottle is 500ml and it retails for $28.
2) Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturzing Gel
Many of you out there probably have used the Clinique moisturizers in this range. It is, after all, the safest and more effective moisturizers for your face, especially if you have sensitive skin. However, one thing that really irks me about myself is my timing with these moisturizers. I bought this during wintertime, having never truly bought a face moisturizer before (I do not count my first few failed products), and so I bought the gel version thinking it would suit my combination skin best. But the thing is, my skin has changed a lot since I got here to the U.S., especially with the weather conditions. I'm sure I mentioned this before but when I was back in Malaysia, the only skincare product I regularly used on my face was my cleanser...but right now during the summer, even though it's still humid, I am still finding my skin needing a moisturizer no matter what.
During the winter, I used to slap a ton of this gel on my skin to moisturize it. Why didn't I just buy the cream version for dry skin then? Well, for one, I was still at that stage where my skin would break out if I even dared to dabble into other skincare brands (remember, this was pre-Clarisonic days!) and I was scared of the frustration that would cause me if I went on to discover other brands. Secondly, this worked fine anyway as long as I slap on just a bit more on certain sections of my face (the corners of my mouth, for instance).
And then, when this moisturizer was running out, which was coincidentally when summer was rolling around, I went ahead and purchased the bareMinerals Purely Nourishing Moisturizer...for normal to dry skin. If you're thinking, why didn't you just figure it out and adapt by buying the one for combination skin instead? Well, the reviews for the normal to dry skin one was better! Some people had breakouts using the one for combination skin...and I wasn't sure the moisturizer sample I used from bareMinerals a few months ago was for normal to dry skin or combination skin. Sigh. First world problems, right?
Anyway, returning stuff to bareMinerals is a bit of a hassle because you have to call them first...and I have to get around to doing that...because the normal to dry skin version of the bareMinerals moisturizer can't be adapted to my skin no matter how I try.
3) Crabtree & Evelyn Wisteria Bath & Shower Gel
The first Crabtree & Evelyn product I've ever used for as long as I can remember! This is actually purchased by my sister back in Malaysia and I just brought it over hehehe. I always trust my sister to have one of the best tastes when it comes to these things and I am pretty sure it works the other way too (:D :D :D), and she used to let me use this when I was back home during the summer of 2012. Quality wise, you can expect not to be disappointed because it smells great and it won't irritate your skin. At the same time, I probably won't be repurchasing it just because I have come to the conclusion a few months back that unless the shower gel has healing properties in it, there is no point spending so much money on them when I can get a sizable product for just $5! This shower gel is only 250ml and it retails for $22 here....I can't even...
4) Crabtree & Evelyn Wisteria Body Lotion
This, I got it on my own when I was at the store. It is too, only 250ml and it costs $24. I finished this bottle in LESS THAN THREE WEEKS. No points for guessing how heartbreaking it was for me. It was good while it lasted though but there is definitely better, cheaper body lotions out there. I mean, just compare this with the first body lotion I talked about!
5) St. Ives Collage Elastin Moisturizing Body Wash
Drugstore product! +1 point for being a money-saving, financial savvy lady. I joke! Got this before I came back to the U.S. August last year because I made a mistake when converting the currencies and thought this was cheaper in Malaysia than it would be in the U.S. How stupid can I be, though? This product is made in the U.S. and then Malaysia imports it. -.- It's okay. It cleanses, it doesn't leave my skin feeling dry, and it smells nice! Probably would repurchase this but I'm more interested in trying other drugstore body washes.
6) Crabtree & Evelyn Jojoba Oil Moisturizing Body Lotion
Don't you just LOVE saying jojoba oil? I love how you're supposed to say it! Hohoba hohoba hohoba. Anyway, talked about this before too. Love the scent for this more than the scented body lotion mentioned above, but the scented body lotion is more moisturizing. See how Crabtree & Evelyn tries to trick you?! Hahaha. I'm sure they're not trying to do that, but that's how their products work for me.
7) Bifesta Sebum Cleansing Lotion
I've been using this make-up remover for as long as I can remember. I also first started using it because my sister had it and she highly recommended it. I never switched my make-up remover because like I said before, it is tough trying new stuff that could possibly be detrimental to your skin. I want to start off by saying, I LOVE this make-up remover. I know a lot of girls like using cleansing wipes to remove their make-up but I've never been a fan of that, simply because it always feels like the cleansing wipes don't remove your make-up as thoroughly as it should, and I always feel like I'm pulling on my skin (bad for someone like me who is already starting to look old!). I do get pretty lazy sometimes when it comes to removing my make-up, I am human after all. But I think if you're already removing your make-up, do it the right way! The product says that you do not have to use a facial cleanser after using this, but I still do anyway with my Lancome Creme Radiance Cream-to-Foam Cleanser and my Clarisonic Aria. Always better to be safe than sorry.
Funny story about this product.
I wanted to stock up on these make-up removers when I was back home last year (this time, it IS cheaper to buy it in Malaysia), and I was with my girlfriends. They kept telling me to try the one called Bifesta when all along I've known this product as Mandom. So, we reached the store and we realized that we were talking about the same product all along! It was funnier the way I remembered it...now it just sounds like a regular story. OH WELL.
They sell these here at the Asian supermarkets as well but they're mad expensive. I might try searching for a replacement after the remaining bottles I have run out. It will be a tough goodbye, but it has to happen! Also, if you're in Malaysia, they're CONSTANTLY having a sale at Watson or SASA for these cleansing lotions, so go snag one while you can! The one I'm using is called "sebum" because it's for combination skin but they have others for dry skin, dull and flaky skin, and mature skin.
8) Maybelline Clean Express Waterproof Eye Makeup Remover
Bought this when they first released it. Works just like how an eye make-up remover should. I don't know whether I've gotten better at removing my eye make-up, but using this I never felt like I would be scrubbing or pulling on my eye to get all the gunk off. It removes all the eye make-up really well, even my waterproof mascara goes off without a hassle. My only concern about this is that it is a pretty small bottle and I went through this bottle really fast as well. I definitely can get more out of my eye make-up removers when I'm using the ones by L'Oreal and Bifesta. So, I might repurchase this, but not in the near future.
9) Philosophy Amazing Grace Whipped Body Creme
This product is separated from the pile not because it deserves the attention, but because I forgot to include it into the group picture. Lol. I was excited to use this product because I knew it was going to be very different from the other body moisturizers I have used. And also because it was the same kind of texture that the Laura Mercier Souffle Body Creme that I covet is. But, it was a bit disaapointing. The scent was absolutely delish, of course, which was what appealed to me when I was in the store, but I felt like I had to use a lot of the product on my body because it was a dry kind of texture so you can't spread it as easily on your body as you could with a body lotion or a body butter. Won't be repurchasing it, but I still want to try the Laura Mercier one of course!
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That is it for today's post! Obviously it is long and wordy as usual. But I really wanted to give you an honest take about these products and I didn't want to miss anything out.
Let me know if you have any questions or leave your comments down below! I would love to hear from people who read this blog, and I will definitely try to update more. Thinking of incorporating just a bit of my personal life and some style stuff into my blog, but that is still an idea. I might not do it since you have my Instagram for that!
I now own two times the lippes I owned when you all last heard from me. So I might want to talk about some of my favourites.
Expect to hear from me soon!
xx
