A year of lip products #48

I have recently discovered that I own an obscene amount of lip products. In an effort to downsize without having a blog sale or burning all the makeup in my possession in a bonfire, I thought it would be a neat little idea to take inventory of my lipsticks, glosses and stains.

Pictures are taken in natural daylight with no color correction or manipulation.

Clinique Long Last Lipstick in Bamboo Pink

I think I'm officially in love with Clinique lipsticks! Here's another work-safe color that I rediscovered in my stash. Although the name says Bamboo Pink it leans a little brown, in my opinion. I don't personally own many long last lip products and I'm pleasantly surprised at how smooth it glides on and has just enough slip not to tug, but not too much to make it slide around my lips. On the bullet itself, I was pretty put off by the frost and as it's evident on the hand swatch, it even has shimmers! I'm not one for frosty lipstick because I think it looks too dated. But once applied on my lips, I didn't experience any grittiness from the shimmer (win) nor was the frosty finish too startling (win). What I ended up with was a very nice sheen that made my lips look soft and perfectly kissable.

September '13 empties

What is up with this heat here? I'm beyond melting and it's pretty crazy how hot it gets here in summer!

It's true that I'm from a tropical country and it's hot all year round, but not 37 degree kind of hot :(

At least I used stuff up this month so I guess that makes it alright in a completely unrelated way, yes?

b. Strong Wash Shampoo

Mister Homebody got this for his itchy scalp and I ended up using it more than he did since I'm a sucker for all things cool/fresh/minty/tingly. I love lathering up and massaging into my scalp, then waiting a few minutes before rinsing off. Gives me the tingly menthol feeling and it's really refreshing in crazy summer heat. Since I use it once or at the very most twice a week, I'm not sure if it did anything for me. My hair texture remained the same (though thats fair since it wasn't for beautiful hair anyway) and my scalp condition remains unchanged. I didn't have much scalp problems to start with so this was more a pick me up than a treatment.

Repurchase: No

Hada Labo Gokujyun Hyaluronic Acid Lotion (Moist)

This is the original version of their facial lotion and believe it or not, I'm finally done after a year. Yes, it really took that long. Since the consistency is almost like water, I didn't have to use a lot, just 5-7 drops at most. I didn't even have to use cotton pads so you can imagine how slow my progress was with this bottle of 170ml. Free of fragrance and coloring, this is supposed to be ideal for sensitive skin in providing moisture without contributing to oiliness. I'd say it did all that it claimed, but nothing more than that. There was no improvement, but I'm happy that my skin didn't get worse. It does get tiresome, though, to be using the same thing for an entire especially when it doesn't feel luxurious or give me a boost of...anything.

Repurchase: No

The Body Shop Earth Lovers Lemon and Thyme Shower Gel

I'm in love with this! But sadly, it's been discontinued with the rest of the Earth Lovers range :( Mister Homebody and I have been really enjoying this shower gel over summer as it's got that zing and it's oh-so-refreshing in this heat. Paraben, colorant and sulfate free, which is just my thing. Works like all the other shower gels from The Body Shop, but I have to give it some extra love for smelling absolutely delicious!

Repurchase: No (discontinued)

Bath & Body Works PocketBac in I Love Bling Rock Candy 

I think Bath & Body Works products are mostly misses for me being that they're usually too strongly scented. This one here smells sickly sweet and I get really embarrassed each time I use it in the teachers' room after a lesson. To think it's one of the milder ones that I have in my stash. To be honest, I don't actually know how effective it is for clean hands, but I'm too lazy to walk all the way to the washroom in between lessons, so this does the job.

Repurchase: No

Kose Softymo Speedy Cleansing Oil

I've used a bottle up here.

Repurchase: Have backup bottles

Feverlet E.G.F. Essence Mask

One of the many masks from my haul at Incheon Airport. I like this way more than the Etude House ones. Saturated with just enough essence so I don't get anything running down my neck while I relax and the fit seems a lot better, too, with minimal adjusting. The cotton sheet is slightly embossed and thinner than others, but I don't know if it's just by design or if it functions to provide more benefits to application/absorption. I can actually massage the essence into my skin after taking it off, as opposed to doing some rinsing with other masks before I proceed with the next steps. Stick it in the fridge for a while and there you go, a cool sheet for your face in 35 degree heat. 

Repurchase: Maybe

Biore Pore Pack (Black)

Found a few strips of these when I was digging stuff out. I always buy the black version because I like seeing all the gunk on the strips clearly when I rip it off my nose. Yes, TMI. I actually prefer this brand over the Claudia Jansen one.

Repurchase: Yes

Claudia Jansen & Co nose strip

Talked about it here.