Autumn/Winter Skincare Routine

(Would have taken a better picture but my camera died on me)
L-R: Olay Complete Moisturising Lotion, Clarins HydraQuench Intensive Serum,
Clinique All About Eyes Serum, Natio Eye Gel, Clinique MoistureSurge

Winter is just around the corner for us in Australia and I have been tweaking my skincare routine to deal with the change. While summer is all about sunscreen, exfoliation and brightening products, my winter skincare routine revolves around hydration.

Products that I have left in my routine are Clinique MoistureSurge, Natio Eye Treatment Gel and a Clinique All About Eyes serum. The latter was part of a Clinique travel exclusive set and I have only just started using it since the weather started getting chilly. I can't say if it has improved the area around my eyes but it feels quite refreshing especially on days when you didn't have enough sleep.

Budget Beauty: Neutrogena Deep Clean Blackhead Eliminating Cooling Toner

For some time now, my HG has toner has been Clinique's Clarifying Lotion 3. When I first started using it, it made such a noticeable difference to my skin and increased the efficacy of acne treatment products like Differin. So if it's so great, why am I looking to switch? Well, it's pricey. It's RM78 for 150ml, which just isn't that affordable - even when decanted into a smaller drop bottle and used only once a day. While the bottle lasts up to 6 months I just felt it wasn't worth the price.

I initially bought this toner to use in the mornings, but after a mishap where I spilt the tiny amount of Clinique toner I had left, I started using it morning and night. Well guess what, 3 weeks later and my skin hasn't suffered - not that I can see!


Why I think it works as well

I tossed my old bottle of Clarifying Lotion 3 but if memory serves (which the internet confirms) its active ingredients were withhazel and beta-hydroxy acid / BHA also known as Salicylic Acid. Guess what? Neutrogena's toner-of-the-really-long-name has all the above. It has Witch Hazel & 0.5% Salicylic Acid. I'm not sure of the concentration in Clinique's but even if Neutrogena's is lower I cheerfully slop it on twice a day instead of the meager drops I used to gingerly wipe on each night.

Does it eliminate blackheads?
My blackheads are under constant assault - but they're still there. I mask, tone, scrub, treat, and use serums just about daily and while the count is lowish some will prevail. If the assault ever stops they multiply so fast I have cystic acne in 3 days. Not kidding, stopping just one part of my arsenal usually has a negative effect. So what I CAN say is, switching to this toner hasn't made things worse. So it appears to be as effective as Clinique's offering.

Some drawbacks.... or not
There are two additional things this toner does that I don't mind but others may loathe. It does have that "cooling" menthol tingle, and it smells of citrus.

While I've secretly enjoyed all these cooling tingly products during the heatwave, I know that in truth they are at best an unnecessary ingredient as they do no good, and at worst irritant to sensitive skin. Clinique's toner is also unfragranced which this isn't - a booboo for some. Sorry Syen, you'll really really loathe this toner's lemony scent.

Conclusion
If your skin is oily and isn't overly sensitive to fragrance and cooling tingly things, it should take to this toner pretty well. At RM22 for 200ml it's definitely great value for money and while a bottle won't last me as long as Clinique's I don't mind replacing it every 3-4 months instead of every 6. If nothing else it lowers my stress levels. And hey considering I have been unable to replace my pricey Clinique DDMG and ~H2O+ Face Oasis moisturisers - something has GOT to give!

DIY Beauty: Green Tea Toner

As I'll be leaving Australia for good come March, I have been dabbling in kitchen skincare so I don't have to lug so many cosmetic products back to Malaysia. Run out of hydrating masks? Look in the kitchen. Run out of hair masks? Look in the kitchen.

Cue really weird looks from my boyfriend. He has given up on asking and decided to live in ignorant bliss instead.

I ran out of toner a few weeks back and stumbled upon a box of green tea in the kitchen. I looked at it, shrugged and put the kettle on to boil. Then I left the teabag to steep while I hopped off for a shower. Having read quite a bit about green tea toners, I figured that now was a good time to try.

My verdict after a month? Well, the stuff kind of works. My skin seems a little clearer and using this in the morning helps to cut down on oil. In fact, it works so well in the oil control department, my skin turned dry and flaky. I only use this at night and once every two or three days in the morning.

Used as a mask (I soaked a facial sheet in the cup), green tea works pretty great in soothing angry red pimples.

I guess that there is something in green tea after all.

Go ahead and give this a shot the next time you run out of toner or have a large box of green tea waiting to be used. It doesn't have to be expensive Japanese green tea -- I originally started out with some really cheap arse brand from India and am now using Vietnamese lotus tea -- just as long as it is freshly brewed and steeped for about 5 - 10 minutes, longer than normal drinking tea.

Just a tidbit: I personally avoid drinking green tea unless it has been brewed with a slice of ginger (Vietnamese style). It isn't because of the taste (I love the taste of green tea) but because it tends to give the women in my family tummy aches and leave us feeling bloated. My sister has cut it out completely because it triggers her gastritis and after talking to a cousin, we realised that green tea might be the culprit for her frequent stomach aches and water retention.

Unless I have ginger, I stick to drinking fully fermented tea.

Product Review: DHC 4-Step Skincare System

Because I've long been in favour of the 4-step system (which involves double-cleansing) this is not a review of the system itself, but of the DHC products marketed by DHC as the "basic 4-step skincare system" or, "Olive Oil range".

About DHC
DHC is a line of skincare products from Japan that has a long history and is tried, tested and beloved. Don't be fooled by the childish packaging, DHC has produced ground-breaking, sophisticated formulations. Prices range from crazy expensive to surprisingly affordable as the line, unlike most, seem to price products according to the cost of the ingredients. Which makes them, in the beauty world of pricing for branding - slightly nutty.

Newly landed in the UK, DHC is out in force giving away lots of free samples at subway stations. Registering with their site also gets you a welcome pack with more free samples of their basic system. A word of warning though, the sample pack is incredibly annoying as the oils come in sachets. SACHETS. Oils are messy enough to start with , putting them in tiny little packets isn't going to help. Also, although the sachet says "one application" that's not true. I've decanted 5 sachets of the Deep Cleansing Oil (yes I've been getting the samples left and right!) and have enough to last me at least 2 weeks.

Alrighty, on to the reviews!

Step 1: Deep Cleansing Oil
One ingredient you'll find DHC waffling on and on about is extra virgin Olive Oil. It's in this cleansing oil, it's in the soap, and by gum it's a moisturiser all on its own. I found the cleansing oil to be quite rich feeling and it removed all my makeup, including waterproof eyeshadow, easily. It also emulsifies completely on contact with water and rinses leaving skin clean and soft - without oils and not stripped of moisture. It also promises to reduce clogged pores, blemishes and blackheads with regular use - although that can be said of any 4-step system with an oil cleanser.

However, I find that it causes blurry vision for awhile if I got too enthusiastic with the oil removal, and it also did not remove as efficiently as Shu Uemura's cleansing oil. Plus, you also need more of the product to cleanse than with Shu Uemura. It's also pricey at £16 - for the price I'd be more willing to pay £19 for Shu Uemura. The product I really find myself longing for though is Shiseido's Tiss Deep Off Cleansing Oil. It's so much cheaper (£10), and it works just as well. I used to be able to get it for only £5 in Malaysia so M'sian girls, check out Sasa and see if the oil is still around!

Shu does however contain mineral oil which is a big no-no to many ladies out there. If you're one of them, DHC is entirely vegetable oil based and a great alternative.

Mild Soap
My reaction to this product is basically, "meh". It's not great, it's not bad. It hasn't radically changed my skin, it doesn't feel amazing, and it's just well.. "meh". On the other hand, it would be a great cleanser to take travelling as it won't spill or take up your precious liquid quota at airport security. I suggest poking holes in a ziplock bag and toting a sample-sized one around that way. If you do love this cleanser to death though, you can buy a full-sized 90g bar for £10.

Mild Lotion
Confusingly, this isn't a moisturiser, it's a toner. And a nice gentle one at that. It contains cucumber and feels soothing and cool on application. It also helps moisturiser absorb faster and claims to help it "go the extra mile" - something I can't attest to. It feels great in the mornings and helps with the dull skin and baggy eyes. But for what it is, £16 is too steep a price to pay in my opinion.

Olive Virgin Oil
This is where DHC appears to go more than slightly nutty. The only thing that convinced me to try this oil on my face is my dedication to this blog! The oil is odourless and colourless, and DHC swears, free of impurities. You don't slather it on like a moisturiser, you put a few drops in your palm, rub your hands together to heat it up, and gently pat it on your freshly toned skin.

Despite reassurances from DHC that the oil is non pore-clogging, anti-aging, and will form a protective barrier between my skin and the elements - I have as yet, not been able to leave it on my skin longer than 30 minutes. The mere idea of adding to the oil on my face is shudder-inspiring. Also, my skin was oily at the end of 30 minutes and I went to wash it off. I suffered no ill-effects though and with recommendations like these, and how this oil made a stubborn dry patch under my chin disappear overnight, I tried using this on my face all night. While definitely feeling greasier going to bed than I normally do, I woke up with skin that was no worse than usual and looked a whole lot better!

I've been touching my face all morning, no breakouts, even, calm, and glowy. I'm not even rushing to put on makeup like I usually am so I don't have to see my naked face in mirrors. I don't think I'll try this every night as that may be pushing it, but twice or three times a week as a night-treatment should be great!

But "one drop only needed" or no, at £25.50 for 30 mls, the extra virgin olive oil sitting in my kitchen cabinet is looking increasinly attractive.

Product Review: Clinique 2-Step Skincare System

I know Clinique calls it the 3-Step Skincare System, but since I'm only reviewing Step 2 and 3, I'm calling it the 2-Step Skincare System. =P

As you ladies will know by now, I already have a small arsenal of cleansers, so I really don't think I should be getting another one. After all, what I have now works fine by me.

As for Clinique's clarifying lotion and moisturiser, I've read varying reviews ranging from people who swear by them, and people who can't stand 'em. After several months of use, this is my take on them both.


Clinique Clarifying Lotion #3 (for combination/oily skin)

Fated to have oily and pimple-prone skin (even though I'm already in my mid-20s, so unfair), it was Kahani who first recommended #3 to me. It smells strongly of alcohol and can be very harsh, especially if you have sensitive skin. In fact, that's the gripe which keeps surfacing in the many reviews I've read on MUA.

However, I find that it does help my skin by controlling the oilies (with regular use) and in controlling pimples too, especially those which are only surfacing. What I normally do is after applying the toner to my entire face with a cotton-pad, I dab a little more toner to the cotton pad and just leave it on the pimple as spot treatment. It can sting, (and I don't recommend this to those with sensitive skin) but it has worked miracles by making that pimple disappear altogether!

I don't use it all too frequently, just once a day, or even once in two days is good enough. Just make sure you have good ventilation (like a fan on or something), and don't breathe in so deeply when applying this toner (the smell really is very strong). Clinique, if you're reading this, take note!

It retails for RM78 for a 200ml bottle. Not cheap, but it lasts pretty long.

Kahani: I find I can make one 200ml bottle last almost a year by decanting it into a smaller bottle with a dropper mouth. The big mouth on the Clinique bottle just encourages evaporation and waste - something I'm sure they're keen on as it means you'll buy more. So, just one bottle for a year isn't actually that pricey. =)


Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturising Gel

After trying out Clarifying Lotion #3 for a while, I decided to jump on board their skincare regime and try out their moisturising gel as well. I tried a small sample jar, and by the end of it, I was hooked. It does not disappoint. It's light and absorbs very easily into the skin and leaves no trace on the skin. No residues of greasiness whatsoever.

And (there's more), when I apply it at night, I wake up to non-greasy skin. This has never happened before for any other moisturiser I've tried. Or even if I don't use moisturiser on some nights. Amazing.

I think I've found my HG moisturiser. I've managed to get a huge 200ml bottle for RM200 (it was an offer item or something). It's pricey as hell, but better than their usual 125ml bottle for RM150.

Verdict: I'd recommend the DDM Gel anytime. But I'd suggest you try out the Clarifying Lotion before buying it first.