Saturday Scent: L'OCCITANE The Vert Green Tea Candle

Today, I lit a fresh scent to perk up the room whilst I was spring cleaning..

I love candles, the way it instantly warms up a room and makes it so inviting.

Not at  candles are equal though- IKEA ones are cheap and smell lovely in-store but it barely scents the room (I burn 3 small ones at a go). Pricier ones from Diptyque can fill the room within 10 minutes and the scent lingers the whole day. I love candles and these days I find myself lighting them up so very often.

L'OCCITANE The Vert Green Tea Scented Candle// MYR100 for 100grams, also available in a room spray.

Bought mine on sale for only MYR60.

Product: YSL TOP SECRETS Integral Cleansing Oil-in-Gel

I firmly believe that anyone who uses any makeup at all should double-cleanse. I have tried quite a few face makeup removers: Shu Uemura (almost all), DHC, Biore, CHANEL, and some Japanese brands which I don't remember; and I still have a few brand new, unopened ones waiting their turn. Generally a good one should leave your face clean of all traces of makeup, without any residue.

Many fashion houses have tapped into the beauty/skincare market and YSL is no different. I picked up the TOP SECRETS Integral Cleansing Oil-in-Gel during one of my Melbourne visits.

"Who can be better at removing make-up than a colour expert? For every woman addicted to high-colour make-up Yves Saint Laurent offers expert and easy cleaning products adapted to every make-up style- from the most sophisticated- and to any skin type."

"Yves Saint Laurent Top Secrets Cleansing Oil-In-Gel is a make-up remover that dissolves heavy make-up. This oil-in-gel formula that goes on as an oil and then turns to liquid as you massage it into your skin to remove your make-up. Suitable for all skin types including sensitive, it leaves the skin cleansed without drying."

"Efficiently eliminatse intense and long-lasting face and eyes make-up while perfectly respecting the skin, even the most sensitive. Instantly, face and eyes are free of make-up and impurities. The skin is softened and the complexion is radiant in a pleasant comfort sensation.The high-performing make-up remover for "intense make-up addicts" who look for the best make-up removal efficiency associated with absolute comfort."

"This delightful melting gel adheres to the skin to trap impurities and make-up upon massaging. Upon contact with water, it becomes a light emulsion that cleans off make-up, even long-lasting formula, and leaves the skin impeccable and soft. A sensorial texture formulated with:
-a sucrose ester associated with fine oil to perfectly eliminate impurities and make-up from face and eyes without any oily feeling.
-a cocktail of vegetal oils to restore the skin's lipidic barrier and comfort the skin."

In a nutshell, YSL says: "Experience the softness and the voluptuous pleasure of an oil-in-gel texture which wraps the skin in a pleasant comfort sensation. Totally cleansed and free of resistant make-up and pigments, face and eyes are perfectly clean. The skin is soft and silky smooth to the touch, the complexion recovers its radiance. Day after day, skin remains supple and comfortable, even after frequent make-up removals. Suitable for sensitive skins, ophthalmologist and dermatologist tested."

My thoughts: It does live up to it's claims- the texture is quite different and it is very comfortable to use. The scent is also something which I like, it has a hint of natural sweetness, nothing overpowering or harsh smelling. Performance wise, it does a good job of removing my makeup completely. I usually use a separate remover for my eyes as most face removers don't do a good job, but I tested it out with this product and it performed wonderfully! My sensitive skin did not react to it at all, however I can't vouch for the radiance claim.

My only gripe is the packaging, which comes in a screw tube. I can't leave it open after I squeeze the product out as I fear getting water in, plus I have this odd thinking that the longer a product is exposed to air, the higher the chances of it being contaminated. Which leaves me balancing the gel on my palms and trying to screw the cap back on. I would've much liked it to come in a flip-top.

Overall, quite a nice product to have! My tube lasted me for about 2 months (there's still a bit more), and I will be starting on the SK-II Cleansing Oil after.

Empties: February 2013

So late on my February empties, its already the end of March! I went through quite a few sample sizes last month and found a few that I liked so much I purchased the full size. Here goes:

Make-up removers, cleanser, toner, serum...

1. GARNIER Clean Sensitive 2 in 1 Waterproof Make-Up Remover One of the best eye and face make-up removers I have ever used. I don't usually go for 2-in-1s as my face doesn't take well to cleansing waters (either makes me itch and feels tight or doesn't completely remove all makeup) But this was perfect for my sensitive eyes and skin. No milia or stinging, it even removes the budge-proof Bobbi Brown eyeliner where many eye makeup removers fail to! I've gone through quite a few bottles of this and I LOVE it.

2. Carole Franck Delicat Fluide An essential oil for the face, meant to soothe sensitive skin prone to irritation, and seasonal allergies. I found it too rich and oily for my face so I ended up using it mixed into my body lotion. The ingredients are similar to CLARINS' Skin Beauty Repair but I found the latter formula more suitable for my skin. 

3. CLARINS Pore Minimizing Serum [Trial] I previously used this when I was in my teens but found it didn't do much for my skin then. I've recently rediscovered this product and I find it does a good job of purifying my pores without drying the skin. I use it under another serum in the mornings and I find I don't even need to touch up my T-zone by the end of the day. Excellent! Am currently using a full size.

4. CLARINS Multi-Active Skin Renewal Serum [Sample] Love the scent of this product! It is an anti-wrinkle serum and contains Nopal Flower extract which stimulates skin’s natural exfoliation process, speeding cellular renewal for a supple, toned, glowing complexion. Most anti-ageing products irritate my skin as what they essentially do is stimulate cell-renewal using harsh ingredients. However this one didn't and I quite like how it works in synergy with the other products in my regime currently.

5. CLARINS Super Restorative Total Eye Concentrate [Sample] Am currently using a full-size.

6. CLARINS Defining Eye Lift [Sample] 

7. CLARINS Gentle Renewing Brightening Peel [Sample] This sample has been sitting in my stash for quite some time; I never bothered with it as I usually avoid anything with the word "peel" for fear of burning my face off. But after reading a review here, I gave it a go. Outside of Asia, it is known as the Gentle Brightening Toner but the ingredients are the same. I'll be happy to report that while I experienced a tiny bit of redness as I swiped it over my skin, there was no actual feeling of irritation. Might consider getting a full-size. 

8. CLARINS Gentle Foaming Cleanser with Tamarind [Trial] I've used this cleanser before and I do remember liking it. It was back in 2011, and where I happily declared having tried all cleansers CLARINS had to offer. I've since re-tried their Cleansing Milk and I do like it, it really was my skin acting up previously.

Toners, face mists..

9. CLARINS Toning Lotion with Iris [Trial] LOVE! I use this with my Lotus Oil at night and it has worked wonders for my sensitive, congested, acne-prone skin. Am still going through Trial sizes which I have accumulated but I also have a full-size waiting for me.

10. Melvita Cornflower face mist [Trial]

11. sukin Hydrating Mist Toner Review here. Not a must-have now that my skin has calmed down so much, but still good to have around.

Body and hair care..

12. CLARINS High Definition Body Lift [Trial]

13. Dove Nourishing Oil Care Hair Mask

14. Dove Gentle Exfoliating beauty bar

15. L'OCCITANE Verbena Body Milk [Trial]

16. WELLA Sunset Shampoo

17. CLARINS Foot Beauty Treatment Cream [Sample]

18. L'OREAL Reconstruct Shampoo

Items which didnt work for me..

19. GARNIER PreActive Spot Roll-On 

20. NIVEA Deodorant

21. LANEIGE Power Essential Skin Refiner

22. Melvita Soothing Toner

23. L'OREAL Renewal Lash Serum

24. & 25. SHEERCOVER Lip stain

Total January - February: 52

Click for January Empties.

안넹! Winter in Korea

Back in February, my family visited Korea during the Lunar New Year holidays.

It was already the end of winter but it was still snowing lightly in Seoul.

Some people say that winter is the most dull/sad of all seasons in terms of fashion but I think it's just a matter of accessorizing and wearing a pop of colour instead of just black/gray/navy.

The temperature was below zero daily, the day we landed it was -19 Celcius, one night it was -25. I LOVE the cold! Here's what I wore to keep myself warm and toasty throughout the trip:

At Incheon Airport, in comfortable plane-wear

Sneakers for sight-seeing days

Collar necklaces instantly transform an otherwise blah outfit

Wooly snood and balaclava

Loving my sister's cape

Snoooowwwwww! The wind was really cold at the ski resort and we had to cover our faces as we walked

Cute papa

Removed our face-covers for a pic. So cold that my nose, lips and cheeks were turning raw

Checking out headgear in the shops

More sightseeing at Mount. Sorak; beautiful views

Family!

Showing us whats under her cape

Lotte World! It's been 10 years since my first visit!

One of the not-so-cold days

The first thing we did was get kitty-ears to wear

My most favouritest (is it even a word?) cape-jacket!

Underneath my cape...

I brought 3 jackets with me for the week (too little? too many?) but they all kept me very warm. I need fashion that functions, but if I had to choose comfort over looking good- I'd definitely pick looking good.

Life is too short to dress down; or eat crappy chocolate.

*There have been no edits to any of the pictures above except for adding frames.

Nails: CHANEL Eastern Light & RIMMEL French Rose

My first attempt at a French manicure.. much easier than I expected!

Etude House base, 1 coat of RIMMEL French Rose #445.

CHANEL Eastern Light on my tips, topped with a coat of Seche Vite.

Clean and prim! ♥