March Favorites

March is over! Time for peak T_T

I have found myself reaching for these pretty frequently. 

1 - Laneige Water Sleeping Pack EX

Got this from Jars when she bought the set from DFS. For some reason, our airport DFS only sells this in sets and not separately. I don't remember the price but anyway, I got a backup from Qoo10 at $17.60 (I thought it was $17.90 but nope). 

This is hydrating and yet light! I hate moisturisers that are sticky and make me wake up with an oily face. This isn't a moisturiser per se. I use this every other day or when I feel that my skin is exceptionally dry. My usual moisturiser is the Hada Labo Hydrating/Whitening Lotion. 

2 - Differin Gel

I was prescribed this by a dermatologist previously and my skin went crazy. It became uber sensitive, it was dry, it peeled, it itched and was red. I couldn't sleep because of all that. The derm said most people don't react that strongly to the Differin and switched me to the 0.1%. After a month, the 'new' skin looked a lot better. So I guess it was worth the torture. 

Anyway, I didn't repurchase it when I completed the tube. But recently, I asked my aesthetics doctor for Roaccutane and he recommended Differin to me instead. 

I have been using this on alternate nights and I feel that it DOES help my skin. I don't get breakouts often. I don't get those little bumps and my skin has gotten smoother. 

Differin can be used for 'maintenance' so you don't get breakouts. 

But if you have really sensitive skin, it's better to start with a 0.1% concentration.

3 - Coogi Flowertox BB Cream

Gosh, this has been with me for so many years! I know it's not good to use makeup after X no. of years because they might have expired etc. 

But it hasn't done anything bad to my skin and I'm quite sure I'm gonna finish this up in a month or two! 

This BB Cream was recommended by Kimoko eons ago. Was among her first batch of BBs I think. I also really liked the Missha Watery BB but I think they have discontinued that :( 

I feel that this BB cream is really easy to blend, it's not ashy and fits my skintone really well. Its coverage is moderate. If you have really obvious stuff to conceal, you would still need a concealer. I try NOT to use a concealer when I use this. Somehow I feel BB creams are heavy on the skin even if they tout skin-benefiting properties. It's important to cleanse your face properly if you wear BB cream. 

I have oily/combi skin so this BB cream does control oil decently since I don't look shiny. I don't put powder on top of my foundation/BB. 

And this doesn't oxidise. 

4 - DollyWink Eyeliner

This is really easy to use! The tip is firm enough and the ink comes out evenly. I should just buy the same one instead of being tempted by pretty packaging. 

The first eyeliner pen I bought was from Spring Heart. I hate it! The tip was too sharp and whenever I used it on my sensitive eyelids, I felt like I was tattooing my lids! OMG so painful! I couldn't continue. And the weird thing was I was always wondering if it had run out of ink. I would attempt to draw a line but it was so faint. When I tested it on my hand, it would come out properly. Seriously. I totally gave up on it and switched to gel liners. I have not touched my gel liners ever since I bought this DollyWink liner. It's much easier and no cleaning of brushes required. 

I had also tried Faceshop's Greatist/Creatist's eyeliner before. While this eyeliner is removed easily without becoming an inky mess, the brush... NO. It was too flimsy. I kept getting eyeliner on my eyelashes. Plus, I feel that it had a 'shiny' finish. Looks all plasticky.

5 - Donna Karan Cashmere Mist Eau de Parfum

Got this as a sample with my Nordstrom purchase (House of Harlow earrings). 

I love love love this! 

Am thinking of purchasing the full sized one ONCE I've completed the perfumes I have. I have 2 Lanvins which are barely used. I have 2 perfumes (gifts) which are half used. I am also clearing out my mum's old perfumes - Dior Poison & Omar Sharif Pour Femme. There's also a Chloe with a ruined cover. I can't open it!!! 

I like strong scents. Cashmere Mist reminds me of *ahem* wet wipes. For some reason. Some people have commented that it doesn't have staying power but nope, I think it lasts. At the end of the day, I can still smell it faintly on my clothes. It's also good that it doesn't stain. 

*aside* I also love Dior Poison and Omar Sharif. Every one knows Dior but Omar Sharif? The name itself is so... exotic. But Pour Femme is really wonderful. It smells like something a luxury house would come out with. 

6 - The Odbo Sun Block Pact

Importance of sun block! 

When I am not using BB cream (with spf), I would use this if I'm intending to use a heavier foundation over it i.e. Revlon ColorStay. If I'm just going to use concealer or I know my foundation is going to be matte, I would use Body Shop's Seaweed Mattifying Moisture Lotion. 

The sun block is a cream but once it goes on, it dries to a 'powdery' finish. It's so light that you barely feel it on your face. It also doesn't leave a white cast. When I put this on, I feel that my skin can breathe and it doesn't irritate my sensitive skin. 

I believe other brands have come up with the same concept but I'm not sure how good they are in comparison. Odbo is a brand that is not too accessible. I have heard that it is targeted more at tourists rather than locals. It's under the same company as Faceshop isn't it? But you rarely see Odbo stocked at FS. I didn't even know about it until we visited the cosmetics emporium during our tour. That was the place where they demo-ed the products to us. I tried looking for Odbo sellers on Qoo10 but the prices are... no point buying from them.