October '12 empties

Inspired by so many other beauty bloggers, I have decided to do my own "empties" posts.

When I came to Japan, I took as many skincare products along with me as possible. Now, I have a good reason.

I have this habit of buying 6 months worth of anything each time I go shopping for my toiletries. I can only blame it on my busy schedule as I hardly had time for sleep when I'm working. Last thing I really,  really need is facing a bad week with an empty tub of body butter.

So it was only natural that when I left Shanghai and came here, I have a mountain of stuff that I have either barely used, or a completely brand new. I couldn't ship them over here due to restrictions with shipping cosmetic items and liquids. I did the only thing I could.

I packed them all into my check-in luggage.

I was a mere 4kg overweight and it was nothing that an apologetic smile at an early check-in couldn't fix. While I'm definitely no stranger to luggage overweight, I was a little nervous about having the man lug my trolley case from the airport to my new apartment.

He did grumble, as I had expected, but I reminded him that I had spent quite a bit of money shipping the other 30kg of stuff over that he didn't have to drag around.

But, I digress from the original intent of this post.

On to the empties:

Product #1:

Biotherm Aquasource Oil Free Clarifying Hydrating Gel Lasting Fresh Matte Finish

From here:

Keeps skin ideally hydrated without a greasy after-feel. Also mattifies to keep skin moisturised and shine-free for long.

What I think:

This is a product that I had loved dearly for 3 or so years. I was so devoted that I would purchase at least 2 bottles from my local Biotherm counter in Malaysia each time I go on my skincare pilgrimage. It spreads so easily on my skin and doesn't sit on the surface leaving it sticky. The gel sinks right in and preps my face for makeup without needing a primer. I love, love, the smell of it because it always seems to wake me up a little and lift my senses in the morning. As I worked outdoors a lot and couldn't be bothered wearing makeup on the days I have 4.30am call times, all I have on my face for those 20-hour days is this baby right here. The pump dispenses just the right amount of product and a bottle could easily last me 3-4 months. I believed that this was my HG moisturizer, through and through. Imagine the devastation I faced when the Biotherm girl (we were already on a first name basis and buddy terms by then) said that the product had been discontinued and will no longer be sold at their counters in Malaysia. I was practically inconsolable. The bottle in the picture was in fact a tester product which the girl so kindly gave to me after I was told that it was discontinued. And this, too, will be the last bottle that I will ever use.

Will I repurchase:

No. As much as our love affair had lasted 3 years, I won't be repurchasing it. When I came to Japan, for some very strange (and very sudden) reason, it stopped working for me. In fact, it was like my skin had developed a total rejection to it. I was constantly pimply, and mind you, this was of the big and painful variety. The oil production factory floodgates broke and my makeup would be cakey within the first couple of hours. My self-esteem took a huge dip when my face was just greasy all the time. Who gets greasy in spring time anyway? Apparently I do. So with a really heavy heart I stopped using this and switch to a Japanese drugstore brand. The difference was immediate. I tried going back to it a couple of days (very bad mistake) and my skin took another hit which lasted weeks. I had to retired this to a dark corner in the closet for some months before I finally decided to finish up the remainder by using it as a hand lotion. Of course, it didn't fare well as a hand lotion, but I couldn't bear to see it go to waste.

Product #2: The Body Shop Japanese Cherry Blossom Body Butter

From here:

An intensive, rich and fragrant all-over body moisturiser with the decadent Japanese cherry blossom fragrance. Absorbs into the skin easily to condition and soften. 

• Lasting hydration 

• Leaves skin softer and smoother 

• Buttery texture 

• Cherry blossom scent 

What I think:

Absolute winter essential! I bought this tub in Hong Kong when I lived in Shanghai solely because The Body Shop is not available in China. I've always had a huge crush on anything cherry blossom so this was the first (and only) tub I reached for when I stepped into the store in Wan Chai. The scent, while is nothing like other cherry blossom products (not necessarily body stuff) I had, was something that till now I'm not too sure that I really like. It was a tad too strong and I felt like my senses were under siege whenever I smooth this onto my skin. However, it does seem to be bearable once I crawl into bed. It may even have helped to lull me to sleep. The texture seems to be a little smoother than the other body butters from the same brand that I've used before and spreads on easily. I find that because it's slightly fluffier than the others, I tend to use a little less. Typically, I apply this on my body after my nightly shower before bed as I think this is the best time to do it. My skin gets really dry in winter to the point where my eczema flares up and I get rashes so bad that they bleed so this is a really good alternative to treating my predicament with medication and other creams. They go on my arms, legs, torso, shoulders, back, bottom...everywhere! As a body butter, I didn't expect it to sink into my skin completely and leave it feeling grease-free. When you've got 2 blankets and duvets, a pair of thick socks and pajamas, and an electric blanket plugged in during winter, that little bit of tacky feeling will make you thankful it's there. I'm a two-showers-a-day but I use shower gel only at night (refer to the dry skin point). I find that when I take a warm shower in the morning, I still have a slight protective layer of body butter on me so my skin isn't completely naked. This helps to make my skin feel moisturized throughout the day with no dryness-itching.

Will I repurchase:

Definitely. As a matter of fact, the man is also using it, albeit in a more manly scent which is Olive. I've always used these when the weather's cold and they've yet to fail me. However, this falls into my winter-only buy as I prefer lighter lotions in summer.

So that sums up my two(!) empties from the last month. I should really learn to write real summaries instead of being so wordy.

As a hoarder in general, I'm looking forward to finishing up my old/existing products because I'm pretty convinced that the guy who predicted Doom's Day is wrong and I have no need to prepare for the apocalypse.