MOISTURIZER | Tatcha Water Cream

Tbh I bought this mostly for the packaging, but also I had a Sephora gift card + it was 15% off

(I ended up paying $13 cash, yay)

Spatula to scoop out the moisturizer

I'm almost out! I feel like I haven't had it that long, but I guess it's been almost 2 months

Gotta hand it to Tatcha for the nice packaging

Sephora description:

Which skin type is it good for?
✔ Normal
✔ Oily
✔ Combination
✔ Sensitive 

What it is:
An oil-free, anti-aging water cream that releases a burst of skin-improving Japanese nutrients, powerful botanicals, and optimal hydration for poreless-looking skin. 

Solutions for: 
- Dryness 
- Pores 
- Dullness and uneven texture 

If you want to know more…
The Water Cream provides nutrient-rich, balanced hydration with the unique water-burst that breaks upon application to deliver nourishment without leaving skin sticky or greasy. It clarifies and refines skin with pure, powerful Japanese botanicals: Japanese wild rose visibly tightens pores and smooths skin texture; Japanese leopard lily helps control excess oil and purify skin by supporting natural skin turnover; and hadasei-3—an anti-aging trinity of green tea, rice, and algae—restores healthy-looking radiance. The formula imparts a subtle, shine-free glow with a touch of 23-karat gold. 

Ingredients:

-Japanese Wild Rose: Supports natural circulation, balances skin, and improves the look of pores.
-Japanese Leopard Lily: Reduces oil production, calms problem skin, and supports natural turnover of the skin. 
-Tatcha's Signature Hadasei-3: Restores a healthy-looking, youthful radiance with nourishing green tea, rice, and algae.

Water, Saccharomyces/Camellia Sinensis Leaf/Cladosiphon Okamuranus/Rice Ferment Filtrate*, Dimethicone, Propanediol, Glycerin, Diglycerin, Diphenylsiloxy Phenyl Trimethicone, Gold, Belamcanda Chinensis Root Extract, Rosa Multiflora Fruit Extract, Houttuynia Cordata Extract, Sophora Angustifolia Root Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Lecithin, Pistacia Lentiscus (Mastic) Gum, Sodium Chloride, Sodium Citrate, Mica, Peg-9 Polydimethylsiloxyethyl Dimethicone, Dimethicone/Peg-10/15 Crosspolymer, Dimethicone/Phenyl Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Disodium Edta, Tin Oxide, Titanium Dioxide, Butylene Glycol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Parfum/Fragrance, Alcohol, Phenoxyethanol. *Hadasei-3.

Price

$68 for 1.7 oz / 50 ml

Tatcha is generally pretty overpriced, but this is their cheapest moisturizer aside from the Water Gel Moisturizer (which has alcohol as one of the top 5 ingredients, hence why I haven't tried it yet)

I have been using this as a night cream, bc it's surprisingly moisturizing and smooth. I think a little bit can go a long way, but I like to apply a lot of moisturizer just in case. It is indeed lightweight, mostly fragrance free. In terms of anti-aging it doesn't perform as well as my retinol moisturizer from Paula's Choice, but it moisturizes the skin enough where I don't feel dry/flaky in the morning.

Would I recommend it?

If you can afford it, yes.

I've also been using the Tatcha Camellia Cleansing Oil, which is supposed to be amazing. I think it is good if you've never tried Shu Uemura, full review soon (:

Oval Brushes - Daiso and MAC?

$2 for small

$4 for large

It's actually pretty soft, I've been using the big one for powder

The handle is very lightweight so you can tell why it's so cheap, but the bristles are nice so that's what matters. Because the handle is so light you have to hold the brush a certain way to maneuver it

I remember when I was at Anthropologie looking at the Artis brush, they said to wipe it on a microbe cloth after each use and wash it once a month, I forgot where my microfiber cloth went so I haven't been wiping it, but I also have only been using powder and not foundation

MAC: $42

I just googled this and the rating is 3.5 stars? Maybe I should've done research on this before getting it. This is not THAT much cheaper than Artis but it is like $15 cheaper

Left: Daiso | Right: MAC

MAC feels a bit softer 

All in all, there seems to be a lot of dupes for the Artis oval brushes. If you were interested but don't want to shell out the money, Real Techniques recently came out with their version at Ulta, and if you have a Daiso near you I think for $2-4 the brushes are SO worth the money.

Tinted SPF | Missha Time Revolution White Cure SPF50+/PA+++

Per usual, Korean skincare products tend to have a pleasant scent which may irritate those with really sensitive skin.

This tinted SPF is kind of greasy feeling and leaves a dewy finish, which is probably nice if you have dry skin. I have combination skin, and I feel like just powdering it alone doesn't keep down the oily look.

I bought a bunch of Missha products when they had a 40% off sale a while back. Apparently their essence is similar to SK II in some way. I've had people tell me it doesn't do anything, but the other products in their skin care line intrigued me.

I've been using the White Cure serum on my freckles and the Clear Toner as a toner pretty much every day. Not sure if I see a difference yet but here's hoping

MASCARA | L'Oreal Voluminous Lash Paradise

I've seen some people say the wand is similar to Too Faced Better Than Sex, which I recently tried. I think the Too Faced is bigger but the two mascaras are quite similar.

Unfortunately neither of them wow me, they are good mascaras though.


$9+ for 0.28 oz / 8.5 ml

Natural looking lashes, could get a little clumpy (esp if your lashes aren't nicely separated)

Smudgety smudge

SPF | Kiehl's Super Fluid UV Mineral Defense SPF50+

As you can see it's one of those liquidy sunscreens

The tinted version in particular has a bit of a grey ish color on my skin. If I'm too pale during the year and I use this, it often comes out as bit of a darker pink-beige on me.

Since it is sheerly tinted it doesn't matter as much, but if you're very dark or very pale, it could be a problem.

I used this all the time for a while until I moved on to the Paula's Choice SPF moisturizer, which I can use without a moisturizer beforehand. I like that the Kiehl's is a mineral sunscreen, but I wish they would make a non-tinted version (although, it may be hard to not get a white cash, so that I understand). There's also a slight mineral odor, which isn't unpleasant but it's noticeable.

I stopped using this bc I noticed my t-zone gets extra oily when I use this product, compared to other sunscreens I own. I used to wear this without a moisturizer, but it dries in a way that shows your flaky skin or the dryness on your skin's texture, plus in the winter a moisturizer is ideal no matter what kind of skin you have.

Price 

$38 for 1.7 oz / 50 ml

This is quite an expensive sunscreen in my opinion. I mostly got this because Kiehl's was having a sale/deal. I generally don't buy beauty products unless it's on sale, considering I really don't need more beauty products than I already have.

Repurchase?

No.

Would I recommend it?

I feel like for the price you could do better.

MICELLAR WATER | Garner SkinActive Pink Micellar Cleansing Water

Fragrance free

 I recently noticed I have a bad case of forgetting to review stuff when you use it everyday

I've had this for maybe a year, possibly longer, and I mostly use it to remove eye or lip makeup, which is probably why it's lasted me so long.

I am not a micellar water for face makeup girl, I feel like it doesn't remove face makeup as well compared to makeup removing cleansers or cleansing oils. But the Garnier is decent for lip and eye makeup. Admittedly, I don't think this is AMAZING for makeup removal, because sometimes I have to go over my lips twice to get rid of all the lipstick. But for eye makeup it seems ok, definitely good for sensitive skin.

I've used this on occasion for my face as a refresher or get rid of oil, it makes my skin feel pretty refreshed.

I got a small sample of the Bioderma so we'll see if Bioderma is worth the price.

I think if you're into micellar water, this is definitely worth a try as I think it is better than the Simple Micellar Water.

LIQUID LINER | Maybelline Line Stiletto

I still vaguely remember this line coming out when I was in high school (maybe early college?)

I think any product that sticks around after 2 years must have something about it. I usually enjoy liquid liners more than gel/cream or pencil, it just doesn't smudge on me if it's a good liner (however, some do, like the Wet n Wild one [review here] and the Stila liquid pen [I was so stoked to try this but it does smudge on my lower lash line, review soon]).

This Maybelline liner resembles the L'Oreal Lineur Intense felt tip, which applies color more thinly than a brush tip liner. I was looking for a brown liquid liner and my options were quite limited. This is definitely a decent liner, the application is smooth

However, it seems to rub off easily and flake a bit if you rub your eyes. Luckily, I do not rub my eyes, but my eyelash curler will touch the corner of my eyes sometimes and rub a bit of the liner off.

I do not curl my eyelashes everyday so it doesn't pose a huge problem for me

I continue to use this as I am fond of it, but the flaking might be inconvenient for some people.

Price

$6+ for 0.05 oz / 1.5 ml

After some vigorous rubbing - you can see the faint flakes

SPF MOISTURIZER | Paula's Choice Resist SPF 50

Paula's Choice description:

An innovative water-light formula that contains a vital selection of antioxidants and broad-spectrum sun protection to fight visible signs of aging and prevent premature aging of skin.

• Promotes a healthier, younger-looking appearance 
• Fights against environmental stressors
• Fluid formula leaves a matte finish
• Use as the last step in your AM skincare routine

Ingredients:

Active Ingredients: Avobenzone 2.0%, Octinoxate 7.50%, Octisalate 5.0%, Octocrylene 2.0%
Other Ingredients: Water (Aqua), Glycerin (hydration/skin replenishing), Silica (absorbent agent), Dimethicone (hydration), Tocopherol (vitamin E/antioxidant), Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract (Matricaria), Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Seed Extract (antioxidants), Camellia Sinensis (Green Tea) Leaf Extract (antioxidants), Camellia Oleifera (Green Tea) Leaf Extract(antioxidants), Peucedanum Graveolens (Dill) Extract (antioxidants), Sambucus Nigra (Black Elderberry) Fruit Extract (antioxidants), Avena Sativa (Oat) Bran Extract (skin-soothing), Punica Granatum (Pomegranate) Extract(antioxidants), Lycium Barbarum (Goji) Fruit Extract(antioxidants), Hydrogenated Lecithin (skin-restoring), Titanium Dioxide (texture-enhancing/texture-enhancing), Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer (hydration), Diethylhexyl Syringylidenemalonate (hydration), Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer (film-forming/suspending agent), Xanthan Gum (texture-enhancings), Sodium Carbomer (texture-enhancings), Benzyl Alcohol (preservative), Sodium Benzoate (stabilizer), Potassium Sorbate (stabilizer), Phenoxyethanol (preservative).

Another product I use literally every day

One of my favorite skin care products to try is sunscreen. This one is lightweight and slightly moisturizing. In the winter it's not moisturizing enough to use by itself, but in the summer it's perfect, esp if I use a moisturizing serum beforehand.

When I first started using it I thought it helped my skin produce less oil, but after using it for a while I don't notice that effect anymore. I do think this is a good base for makeup, it has no white cast but it doesn't help with my huge pores, so a primer helps a lot.

I love this SPF the most because I can just put it on in one step, instead of a moisturizer then SPF.

The only thing I'm iffy about is I can't tell if the sun protection is really effective. My face rarely gets sunburnt, but over the last year I noticed I've gotten a lot of freckles on the tops of my cheeks. Maybe it's genetics or it comes with aging, maybe I don't reapply enough throughout the day. 

I have other sunscreens to try out after I finish this one, but if I don't find anything better, I can see this being a staple in my skincare 

Price

$33 for 2 oz

ESSENCE | Secret Key Starting Treatment Essence + Corgi Butt Coin Purse

This essence has a relatively watery texture

I've been using it as a toner and in the beginning, my skin had a stronger glow to it upon application. If you guys read my foundation reviews (see the most recent one here), I always show you the before. That's how my skin generally looks (as it gets oily throughout the day) but my friend mentioned that my skin seems glowy compared to hers. I think it's all in exfoliation and moisturizing.

Now, a few months later, I don't really notice a difference as much as before, but I continuously use it as it does not irritate my skin as much as SK II (which gave me little bumps, so sad).

Price

$13.99 for 155 ml (5.16 oz)

I'm going to try the Missha Essence next, but this one is decent for the price, I got it from MemeBox here when it was on sale. I think the reason I found it was on someone's blog? I forget if it was Citrine

There's also a rose version here, but I like to try new products too much to repurchase the same thing :P

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Random product I found

One of my friends opened an online dog product shop. I don't own a dog (unfortunately) but they have merchandise for humans too. Isn't this corgi butt coin purse just freakin adorable?!

There's a neck headrest too

May or may not have purchased both

BB CUSHION | Clinique Super City Block BB SPF 50

Very saturated

I randomly discovered this BB cushion Googling for SPF. There's only 4 shades, but I am pretty impressed by the coverage of this BB cushion. It doesn't seem cakey which is nice, but the fair shade is way too pink for my yellow-toned skin. I definitely need a colored powder to adjust the color a bit. One thing I can't stand about cushions is it seems to sit on top of my skin, so if I accidentally touch my face, a little bit of BB cream wipes off - even after I used a powder to set.I probably should've gotten a darker color for summer, because when else would you need SPF 50? One thing I will say about American BB cushions, it's about the same price as some high end Korean cushions, but it only comes with one compact (usually 0.5 oz). The Korean ones (even if it's cheap) usually come with an extra refill, which I always appreciate. 

The Clinique retails $35 for 0.4 oz / 12 g, luckily I got it half off on the Clinique website. Strangely enough it's not sold at Sephora, but it is at Ulta and Nordstrom.