MY SUMMER SKINCARE ROUTINE + MINI PRODUCT REVIEWS (ETUDE HOUSE, IT'S SKIN, BIORE, BIFESTA, DHC, THE BODY SHOP)

I believe skincare routine should not be permanently fixed. Instead, it must be changed according to the weather, environment and skin condition. I previously wrote about my spring skincare routine, but as it's summer now, I want to do an updated regime. Since it's scorching hot now, my skin has changed from normal/dehydrated to combination/oily and acne-proned. As a result, I tend to use light but still hydrating products to keep my skin clear and moisturized. 

A.M. 

• Cleanser: Etude House Baking Powder Pore Cleansing Foam

This is my favorite summer cleanser as it's light, non-stripping, non-drying yet effective in getting rid of dirt and oil on my face. It has a refreshing lemon scent which I absolutely love because I feel like it wakes me up in the morning. It's also free of alcohol, mineral oil, fragrance and paraben. Another bonus point is the super affordable price and its huge size (170ml). 

- Ingredients: glycerin, water, potassium stearate, potassium myristate, PEG-32, stearic acid, micro-crystalline cellulose, myristic acid, potassium laurate, cocamidopropyl betaine, sodium bicarbonated (0.1%), citrus medica limonum (lemon) peel oil, citrus aurantium dulcis (orange) peel oil, lauric acid, glyceryl stearate, disodium EDTA, lauramide DEA, PEG-100 stearate, PEG-7 glyceryl cocoate, sodium benzoate

• Toner: It's Skin Supersize Peeling Softner

Don't be freaked out by the word "peeling" in the name because the product is actually quite gentle. It's claimed to be an exfoliating toner, but I don't think it can replace the regular exfoliators like peeling gel, scrubs, etc. at all. Having said that, it does make my skin feel smooth, cool and refreshed after each usage. The 400ml bottle lasts for a very long time too. However, I am a little bit disappointed in the lid quality. Below is a photo of the lid in its original form:

After about 2 months, the white plastic part came off like this:

I managed to put it back but it still comes off every now and then, which is admittedly quite annoying. When I used this toner in winter, it did make my skin feel a little bit tight, though not dry, so if you have really dry skin, I'm not sure if this product is suitable for you.

• Eye cream: It's Skin Collagen Voluming Eye Cream

I used to use It's Skin Brighten System Eye Cream, and while it was good, the price was a little bit steep for me. This Collagen Voluming Eye Cream is half of the price of the former one, and it performs just as brilliantly. It absorbs quickly because of the light texture and moisturizes my eye area really well. The cream also doesn't irritate my eyes or give me milia. It's free of paraben and alcohol. One thing I dislike about it is the heavy scent, which lingers for quite a while after each usage.

• Serum: It's Skin Power 10 Formula VE Effector with Vitamin E derivatives

I wrote a full review about this product before, so please click here to read it. In short, it's a light, moisturizing and radiant-boosting serum. I've used for so long that it lost the anti-blemish effect on me, but it's still doing a great job in brightening and plumping my skin.

• Sunscreen: Biore UV Perfect Milk SPF50+ PA+++

I don't use sunscreen on my face in the summer because all the ones I've tried so far turn my face into an oil slick after 2 hours. Instead, I use Skin79 VIP Gold Collection Super+ Beblesh Balm SPF25 PA++ and top off with Skin79 Sun Protect Beblesh Pact SPF30 PA++. I know many dermatologists said that sun protection in makeup is not enough, but I think this combo works for me as my skin neither get tanned nor burned when I use these. Besides, I don't have to go out in the sun that much anyway. However, I do use Biore UV Perfect Milk SPF50+ PA+++ on my neck and body. It's a waterproof sunscreen with a super light texture which enables it to sink into the skin right away without leaving any white cast behind. It protects my skin from getting burned, but my skin will still tan if I go into the sun frequently. I don't recommend this to people with dry skin because it does contain quite a lot of alcohol.

- Ingredient (source: ratzillacosme.com): cyclomethicone, dimethicone, alcohol, zinc oxide, water, ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate, lauryl methcrylate / sodium methacrylate crosspolymer, polymethylsilsesquioxane, glycerin, talc, polysilicone-9, PEG-12 dimethicone, titanium dioxide, methicone, PEG-3 dimethicone, dimethicone/methicone copolymer, cetyl-PG hydroxyethyl palmitamide, alumina, silica, BHT, fragrance

P.M.

• Eye makeup remover: Bifesta Eye Makeup Remover

This eye makeup remover is light, gentle, non-greasy and non-irritating, yet it manages to take off my waterproof mascara and eyeshadow so quickly and effortlessly. I just pour it onto two cotton pads, place them on my closed eyes for about a minute and voila, everything is off! I see lots of people rubbing their eyes to remove makeup, but please don't do that because it'll damage the sensitive skin around the eyes and create fine lines/wrinkles. 

• Face makeup remover: Bifesta Cleansing Liquid

This stuff is my holy grail, because it's not only an excellent water-based makeup remover but also an exfoliator! I know it sounds weird, but this is the only product I use now to remove my dead skin cells. Whenever my skin feels rough and congested, I'll massage this on my dry face for about 3-4 minutes, and I can actually see the white heads under my skin come out, which is both gross and satisfying at the same time. My skin always feel so smooth and moisturized after using this, possibly because of the hyaluronic acid in it. It's also free of oil, mineral oil, alcohol, fragrance and paraben.

- Ingredients: water, PEG-8 glyceryl isostearate, dipropylene glycol, butylene glycol, isopropyl myristate, hydrogenated polyisobutene, cetyl ethylhexanoate, glycerin, propylene glycol isostearate, PEG-12 laurate, hydroxypropyltrimonium hyaluronate, PEG-6 caprylic/capric glycerides, citric acid, sodium citrade, caprylyl glycol  

• Cleanser: Etude House Baking Powder Pore Cleansing Foam

• Toner: It's Skin Supersize Peeling Softner

• Eye Cream: It's Skin Collagen Voluming Eye Cream

• Serum: It's Skin Power 10 Formula VE Effector with Vitamin E derivatives

• Cream: It's Skin Toma Jelly Cream

Despite its name, this cream is actually a gel. I don't use it everyday because I feel like it's a bit too much for my oily skin. However, I use it on top of It's Skin Power 10 VE when my skin is dry or dehydrated. It absorbs quickly and moisturizes my skin quite well. It also doesn't clog my pores or break me out. I have nothing to complain about this, but I think it's been discontinued in Korea already because it's no longer listed on itsskin.com.

• Lip Balm: DHC Lip Cream

First of all, this is not a lip cream, it's a lip balm! It is odorless, moisturizing and the packaging is just so cute. It doesn't feel sticky if I only apply one layer; thus, it's the only lip balm I've tried so far that can be used under lipstick without interfering with the color payoff. Having said that, my lips rarely get dry so I usually just use it at night before bed. I think it'll last for 4 months since I only apply it once a day. 

SPECIAL TREATMENT

Once or twice a week, I use The Body Shop Seaweed Ionic Clay Mask to deep clean my face and eliminate the small bumps under my skin. It's also my go-to acne treatment. Whenever I have blemishes, I'll dot this mask on the spots and leave it there for 1-2 hours, then wash it off. I do it every day until they are all gone, basically. Before this, I was using Origins Clear Improvement Active charcoal mask to clear pores, but even though it's like double the price of The Body Shop mask, it's just not as good. Once again, my skin seems to prefer affordable stuffs over high end ones. 

That's it for my summer skincare routine. I hope this'll be helpful to you. See you next time!

REVIEW: SKINFOOD WATERY BERRY LINE (TONER, SERUM, EMULSION)

I wanted to try Skinfood Watery Berry line because I loved the packaging and the CF (silly reasons, I know), but as the prices were quite stiff, I didn't want to purchase them and end up regretting my decision. Imagine my happiness when I received the samples for the toner, serum and emulsion! Now I'll stop blabbering and tell you what I think about them.

• Main ingredients (source: eng.theskinfood.com):

- Berries: Cloudberries, lingonberries, and raspberries from Lapland, a region famous for its Santa Claus village, provide superior antioxidant properties.

- Hyaluronic acid: holds up to 30 times its weight in water, transforming dry skin into a soft, glowing texture.

• Skinfood Watery Berry Toner:

- Description: A dewy moisture toner that promotes soft, glowing skin with berry extracts and hyaluronic acid.

- My opinion: This is a gentle, non-stripping and non-drying toner. I don't think it provides much moisture to the skin, but at least it doesn't irritate or dry my skin out. It also has a light scent which I really like. If you have dry/sensitive skin, I highly recommend this product.

- Score: 8/10

• Skinfood Watery Berry Serum:

- Description: A dewy moisture serum that promotes soft, glowing skin with berry extracts and hyaluronic acid.

- My opinion: This is my favorite product out of the bunch. I used this when my skin was dull-looking and dehydrated, and when I woke up the next morning, my skin was revitalized, moisturized and visibly brighter. Its light texture enabled it to penetrate quickly into the skin without leaving any greasy residues behind. However, I used this in spring, when the weather was still cold, so I'm not sure if it'll be suitable for the scorching summer. But in my opinion, it'll be fine because of its light consistency. I think every skin type can use this, but if you have really dry skin, make sure to follow up with a moisturizer.

- Score: 10/10

• Skinfood Watery Berry Emulsion:

- Description: A dewy emulsion that promotes soft, glowing skin with berry extracts and hyaluronic acid (OK, Skinfood is really lazy with their English translations as the descriptions for their line are basically the same, minus the product names :/)

- My opinion: This is basically a light moisturizer, which absorbs quickly as well as provides moisture and brightening effect. I really like it but I think the moisturizing and brightening properties pale in comparison with the serum. That's understandable because serum is more concentrated and meant for treatment, while emulsion is just supposed to provide extra moisture and comfort for the skin. Again, I can't attest to how it'll perform in hot weather, but if you have dry/dehydrated skin and feel that the serum is not enough for your skin, follow up with this emulsion.

- Score: 9/10

Purchase?: I love this line, but I'm quite satisfied with my skincare routine at the moment, so I'll have to say no. But I may buy them in the future if the current products stop working for me. Overall, I highly recommend these products for those with dry or oily/dehydrated skin because they're so light, gentle yet effective.

REVIEW: THE BODY SHOP SHIMMER CUBES PALETTE 26 HOT PINK

For a while, the only eyeshadow I owned was Dolly Wink Cream Eye Shadow in 01 Gold. One day, while I was browsing through The Body Shop's website, the Shimmer Cubes Palette caught my eyes because it just looked so darn cute >.< As pink is my favorite color, I decided to get one in 26 Hot Pink.

Description: A palette of four subtle iridescent shades to mix and match. Crease-resistant and suitable for contact-lens wearers.

• Iridescent finish
• Crease-resistant
• Dermatologically tested
• Ophthalmologically tested


Ingredients: Mica (Opacifier), Talc (Absorbent/Bulking Agent), Silica (Absorbent), Aluminum Starch Octenylsuccinate (Absorbent/Anticaking Agent), Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride (Emollient), Zea Mays Starch (Absorbent/Chelating Agent), Dipentaerythrityl Hexahydroxystearate/Hexastearate/Hexarosinate (Skin Conditioning Agent), Isopropyl Isostearate (Emollient), Octyldodecyl Stearoyl Stearate (Skin Conditioning Agent), Nylon-12 (Absorbent/Bulking Agent), Sclerocarya Birrea Seed Oil (Skin Conditioning Agent), Sorbitan Stearate (Emulsifier), Aqua (Solvent/Diluent), Magnesium Aluminum Silicate (Viscosity Modifier), Polyacrylamide (Film Former), Phenoxyethanol (Preservative), Sodium Benzoate (Preservative), Methylparaben (Preservative), C13-14 Isoparaffin (Solvent), Ethylparaben (Preservative), Propylparaben (Preservative), Sodium Dehydroacetate (Preservative), Xanthan Gum (Viscosity Modifier), Laureth-7 (Emulsifier), Butylparaben (Preservative). [+/- CI 77891 (Colour), CI 77491 (Colour), CI 77499 (Colour), CI 77742 (Colour), CI 77492 (Colour)].

My opinion: The Body Shop claims that these are crease-resistant and I couldn't agree more. Now, I have quite oily eye lids, so base makeup and Dolly Wink Cream Eye Shadow often crease on me, even though I always apply powder on top. However, when I apply the colors from this palette, my eye lids stay crease-free all day, which is absolutely amazing! Another thing I like is that they're all very long-lasting: once they're on, they'll stay there until I use a makeup-remover to take them off. They last through the scorching summer heat, the pouring rain, the sweat and the hand rub! The colors are natural enough to use during the day, but they are also buildable so you can use them in the evening as well. Having said that, they can be removed easily with an eye-makeup remover and don't irritate my eyes in any ways. The expiry date is 18 months after opening, but I think it'll last longer than that. Here are the swatches on my eyes:

01 Shade: Garden Rose

02 Shade: Deep Fuchsia 

03 Shade: Light Coral

04 Shade: Pink Champagne

Verdict: 9/10

Repurchase?: I have in fact bought another Shimmer Cubes Palette, but in another color. I'll test that out later and decide whether to repurchase this one or not. While I'm not sure if I'll buy this color again, I'm certain that Shimmer Cubes Palette will always be present in my makeup collection.