Hello everyone!

Today I wanted to go into my skin care routine. This was brought about by the particularly good skin days I’ve been having and I think (hope and pray) they’re here to stay. 

My current cleanser of choice is the QV Face Gentle Cleanser. I’d been using this for years and years and I find the formula a little heavier and more moisturizing than something like Cetaphil. Once a week, I use the Ren Flash Rinse 1 Minute Facial after I wash my face at night. This stuff is amazing, it leaves the skin looking really healthy and feeling very smooth. It can be a bit tightening though and I'm not sure I'm a fan of that. 

The Skin Food Black Sugar Mask is supposed to be for the face, but I find it a little too strong on me. However it does make a really good body scrub and I’ve really enjoyed using this in the shower. It melts away after you scrub and smells amazing. Most days though I just use the fish-shaped silicone exfoliator. It’s softer than it looks so it does a good job of removing dead skin without being too rough.

On the face, I’ve been using Laneige Water Bank Essence_EX whenever I’ve needed moisturizing. I also like patting it into my skin over my foundation for extra moisture and a light glowing look. The Nature Republic Aloe Vera Soothing Gel is a little too thick and it doesn’t absorb so well on my face, but it is perfect for the body especially in the summer. I especially love using it after I shave my legs or exfoliate as it leaves everything feeling very supple.

When I feel like having a mask, I use a sheet mask or the Ren Glycol Lactic Radiance Renewal Mask. Not super fond of the smell, but it’s very good at making skin look plump, healthy, and glowy. When I don’t feel like using something as precious and expensive, I mix honey with olive oil (at a ratio of 2:1). It’s rejuvenating and really moisturizing and cheap, cheap, cheap.

I use the Murad Essential-C toner for days when I have break outs, making sure I only run it over the areas where the pimples and pigmentation are. My skin tends to get dry and patchy if I use this all over. This is more of a night-time thing as it does have vitamin C. I use Bioderma Créaline H2O to remove makeup. I used to use the Sensibio, which was too strong for me (read the review here). Shifted to the Créaline, loved it. I’m on my second bottle now!

Lastly, and I really felt this was worth a mention, is the Muji Cotton Puffs. To be perfectly honest, this was a splurge-y purchase (not all that expensive, but more than I would pay for cotton anyway). It is just cotton, but this is just so soft. I’ve had cotton pads that have felt abrasive when I rubbed them on my face, I don't have that problem with these. I justify this by thinking, “well, it’s 129 pieces and they’re soft af.”

Here's to more good skin days~

Name: Bioderma
Shade: Sebium H2O
Net Weight: 500.00 ml & 100.00 ml
Price: HK$125.00 & SG$ 12.00
Purchased at: Bonjour TST, Watsons Marina Bay Sands

I was in the market for a new makeup remover back when I was in Hong Kong in April and I had heard quite a bit about Bioderma's Sébium H2O. I was not so keen on buying it at first because it came in huge 500ml bottles and cost HK$125 at Bonjour. However, I do not regret buying the large bottle at all. It was well worth the money and I've used it a lot. I loved it so much that I could not resist buying a travel-sized 100ml one from a Watsons' store in Singapore for about SG$12 or maybe even less than that. 

I used to think nothing short of an oil-based remover could clean gel eyeliner and waterproof mascara off effectively. For the most part I have given up oil-based removers in favor of Bioderma's Sébium H2O. Not only was it able to remove tough, longwearing makeup, it did so without irritating my eyes or leaving residue which oil-based removers tend to do. It also left my skin feeling really clean, but not tight and dry. 

I soak a cotton ball or a cotton pad with Bioderma's Sébium H2O and then rub it very gently on my face using circular motions to remove the makeup. I usually need to do this twice or thrice to make sure I get absolutely everything off. 

When I'm removing eye makeup, I soak a flattened cotton ball or a cotton pad with it and place the cotton on my eyes and massage it about 2 minutes. I didn't think it would work as well as it did, but when my eye makeup just slid off I couldn't be happier to be wrong.

I do find that there is still a tiny bit of makeup left over on my lashes and on my waterline. So I would use the reverse side of the cotton I just used and sandwich my lashes between it for a minute and the mascara would slide off as well. For the waterline, I take a cotton bud, soak it then run it along my waterline and lashline to remove what little is left. After cleansing a lot of people say that you're pretty much done, but I wash my face, tone, and moisturize.

Whenever I travel I'm always worried about my liquid toiletries leaking or popping open mid-flight. I'm very happy to say I don't have that problem with this product at all. Liquid does not leak out even if the cap is just a pop on and the breakaway closure on top is very secure.

On the negative side it is scented and that might irritate other people's skin and eyes. The nozzle is also quite wide and I sometimes end up using more than I need. Also, while this has a really good bottle with a good cap, it might be difficult to refill the travel sized bottle because the cap does not come off very easily. Aside from that it is not readily available in the Philippines.

While I would definitely repurchase this, I’m considering trying out the Créaline H2O for sensitive skin. My skin type is more combination in the summer and drier in the colder seasons. The Sébium H2O is perfect for me right now and I don’t really need the sebum control later in the year.

TL;DR
+ Effective, Gentle, Works on Longwearing Makeup (gel, waterproof, etc.) Not Oil-Based, No Residue, Does Not Dry Your Skin, No-Leak Packaging, Travel Safe

- Scented (may cause irritation), Wide Nozzle, Packaging is Hard to Refill, Not Available in the Philippines