My Skin Care Routine

I just want to share to you my skin care routine (as of now...). Not all of the products that are going to be shown are my "Holy Grail" product since I haven't found some of them yet. Anyway, here it goes.

1. Cleanse

The first stage of my skin care routine is cleansing. In the morning, I use Likas Papaya Soap which was bought in the Philippines to rinse whatever I put on the night before.

In the evening, after having a day out, whether from work, a date or a mommy-day-out with Lulu, I use wet wipes first before washing my face. Why? Well, it's simple. To take off those lazy, lazy make-ups that I put on for the day that cannot be taken out with just one rinsing.

Why I use Likas Papaya? Well, I have an oily-combination skin. Papaya Soaps are rumoured as "skin-whitening" but in fact, it makes your skin dry. I'm using Likas Papaya Soap for years now, in fact ever since my college days, I'm already using it. I noticed that whenever I switch to other cleansing soap, I get break-outs. Likas Papaya Soap does dry my skin without making it very dry, making it healthier than using just a normal soap nor another cleanser.

2. Prep

To prepare my skin from the moisturizers that I need to put into my face, I use a facial toner to keep my pores open before moisturizing. I haven't found my holy grail facial toner, but my favorite from the bunch that I've used is the Estee Lauder Perfectly Clean Toning Lotion. I love this because it has this good and refreshing smell, plus the after effect of this toning lotion on my face once it is rubbed onto my face is very good. It has this minty-good smell effect on my face after toning.

It's ok, but I'm looking for a toner that has a whitening formula since I need to even out my scars that I've developed last year.

*** I use toning lotion the same with day and night. ***

3. Repair

I haven't found nor tried out any good serum for the repair part of my skin care routine so, I'll give this a pass for now.

4. Moisturize

I love using Sana Uroitaishi, The Moisture Ambassador! Moisturizer for the moisturizing part. It is in gel form which makes it non-sticky and easy to dry. It didn't give any bad reaction when I tried it, which is a good thing. It has this funny smell, a little smell of alcohol, but it doesn't really bother me. I use it only for the face area, but not on the eye area. Same usage with night and day.

5. Moisturize ( Eye Area )

I have two steps when it comes to my eye area. As you know, I have dark eye circles, which is one of my big problems as of now. As a solution to this problem, I use Laneige Eye Designer Cream as my first step, same for morning and evening, after toning. I let it dry first, and then after that, I put on Benefit's EyeCon. I love its vanilla-like smell, and the fact that it's very moisturizing. I don't experience those "very dry eye area" days anymore, ever since I started using this. I can say that this is my Holy Grail eye care product. Only that, I hope I could find an eye cream that is all in one, instead of using 2 creams in one.

Whenever I use these two creams together, the results are gorgeous. It whitens my dark eye circles, moisturizes my eye area and prevent it from getting dry.

6. Extras

a. Clinique - Rescue Balm

As of the moment, I use an after-sun treatment whenever I go out and get exposed from the sun. I use Clinique's Sun Balm. It's not really that helpful, since the sun here in Hong Kong is not that hot compare to Philippines. Also, it's not that necessary, because you don't usually get "sun burn" with staying under the sun just for a few minutes.

Anyway, this was a really big help when we went to the beach without sunblock and my daughter stayed under the sun for hours. When we got home, she was all red because of sunburns and I put this on her. Magically, the following morning, there are no peelings and sunburns! Magic!

b. Laneige - Water Sleeping Pack Ex

I use this as a mask replacement since I really don't like using mask. I use this as an overnight leave on to keep my face hydrated. It really works, and I noticed that after using it, my face does feel very much hydrated the following morning. I use this twice a week, as recommended by the Sales Assistant from Laneige.

c. Scrub - Clinique - Exfoliating Scrub

I use this scrub from Clinique twice a week only, to take off those hard-to-remove dirt on my face.

More Skin Care For This Month :)

I'm in a little bit of cash crisis lately because I have to take care of all my daughter's school fees (I'm divorced / separated) because it's her first year in school this coming August. I've been cheating with beauty and fashion for school fees last month and this month.

I don't have enough cash to purchase everything in my wishlist, so it's more of my skincare line for this month. Anyway, here's my purchases for this "end of month."

1. Laneige - Eye Designer Cream

2. Laneige - Water Sleeping Pack Ex

3. Laneige - The Secret of Snow Crystal Powder Blush in Water Peach

4. Clinique - Exfoliating Scrub

5. MAC - Powder Blush in Notable

6. MAC - Liberty of London Beauty Powder in Summer Rose (Finally! I got it!)

7. MAC - Lipsticks ( Fast Thrill, Milan Mode, Colour Crafted )

Shu Uemura - High Performance Skin Purifier Cleansing Oil

I've been using this face wash for a week now. My friend who came here for a vacation from Singapore was the one who gave me this face wash from Shu Uemura. In fact, this is my first Shu Uemura stuff. I'm not really "awed" with Shu Uemura because I find Shu Uemura's packaging, "cheap." To think that it's very expensive, their products usually comes in a clear packaging which is very similar to a lower class brand named Red Earth.

Anyway, my friend said that she got it as a freebie from the saloon that she's working with at the moment.

To start off with my review, I got the one in dark orange to be precise. I found a new self realization from using this face wash. I found out that I'm not a big fan of any face wash that is not "bubbly." I am used to using anything that once you put onto your palms, it bubbles, but this one is not. It's very hard for me to spread all over my face because I've been wanting bubbles from now and then. As a result, I always use up more than the usual amount that I use with my normal face wash.

It is "ok" I guess, nothing quite special with this face wash, and also nothing bad. It didn't give me any break-outs which is a good thing, but it didn't make any good sense either.

It is quite disappointing because I heard a lot of good stuff about Shu Uemura, and since this was my very first product, I was expecting more from it.

Rica's Rating : 2 / 5

Everyday Minerals - Kaolin Sunlight Finishing Powder

This is the crappiest of all finishing powder that I've ever used. I got this from a fellow MUAer through a swap in a small, small container. In fact, this is just a freebie to be precise.

Anyway, to start off, Star to Finish Sunlight Kaolin Finishing Powder's color is a bit light for my skin color. Whenever I put this as a finishing, my face looks so white after than usual. Plus, it is very hard to blend. It doesn't really blend into my face. Its texture is very rough and bigger brittles than the usual powder. In fact, its texture is more like "flour."

About its staying power, well, it's a bit ok, better than Cover Girl's in fact. But I still don't like it when I apply it to my face. I would rather choose Cover Girl's Translucent Loose Powder over this.

Good thing I didn't buy this. Thanks to my fellow MUAer! :)

Benefit - Eyecon - Brightening Eye Cream

I must say, I'm in love with this eye cream from Benefit! Opposite from most of the bad reviews on the internet, I really find it good on me. Actually, it works for my skin. I didn't get any bad reactions when I first used it, and I'm using it for a month now. It is very creamy when applied to the eye area, not to mention its very good vanilla-like smell. I love its texture, and it prevents my skin from tightening and getting dry.

It takes longer time also to finish because I've been using it for a month now and I've emptied not even a half by now. Meaning, a jar can be consumed for 2-3 months span. Wow! That's quite a long time!

The only downside of this product is that it claims that it brightens dark eye circles, but then, actually it doesn, but very, very less results. But, when I use Laneige's Eye Designer Cream after this, the results are awesome! It brightens my eye area and it makes my eye area more refreshed and looking younger.

I would definitely repurchase this product again from Benefit!

Rica's Rating : 5 / 5

NYX - Round Lipstick - Watermelon

This is one of my 24 NYX Round Lipsticks that I purchased last February over Cherry Culture. I purchased it for $1.99 + shipping with 20% discount.

This lipstick is copper colored, and it is not blue-based which is a good thing. It is slightly sheer with glitters, making it hard for me to mix and match, in my own opinion. And not to mention its finish is frost.

I love copper and coral tones more than pinks because with corals and oranges, I can never go wrong. Even though the color is not that good for me, for coral and copper tones, it's still wearable on me, unlike for pinks, once it's not good and not wearable, it's not wearable.

This color is ok for me but not my favorite among the bunch. Not a big fan of NYX Round Lipsticks' formula either so I'm not going to repurchase this.

NYX Round Lipsticks are creamy-silky but not my kind of creamy lipstick. It's staying power is one of its downside too. It stays put on your lips for about half an hour, an hour at most, before it melts to your lips.

Rica's Rating : 3 / 5

Left : Lightly Swatched

Right : Heavily Swatched

Shiseido - Tinted Moisture Protection SPF 20 Sunscreen in Medium

I love this Tinted Moisturizer from Shiseido! In fact, I love this more than my Laura Mercier Oil-Free Tinted Moisturizer!

I got this as a freebie from one of my swaps from a fellow MUAer. I got a sampler of it and I'm going to purchase this for sure!

From all of the TM that I've tried using before, this one is the non-stickiest. Most of the TMs that I've ever tried before are sticky and oily, probably because of the mixture of foundation and moisturizer.

Anyway, this one is non-sticky, non-greasy and non-oily. Also, its color fits me well, unlike the others that I've tried that are too yellow or too peachy for my skin color. This one is just perfect for my NC30 skin tone.

Like what I mentioned, I'm going to repurchase a full-size of this one for my "lazy days" or "I'm-in-a-rush-no-time-for-everyday-make-up-routine days."

Rica's Rating : 5 / 5

B. Kamins Chemist - Bio-Maple Hydrating Acne Wash

I got this as a freebie from one of my swaps from a fellow MUAer. I'm not sure if it's available here in Hong Kong too.

Anyway, this wash is the most disappointing face wash I've ever used. First, when you put it into your hands, it's not soapy. I love soapy face washes, so that means, I have to put more than the amount I use to for this facial wash. Second, I don't know if it's a good thing or not, but this facial wash has this minty reaction to the face once applied. In some points, for me it was good because my face feels refreshed. But in some ways, it doesn't work for me because of the smell and on some areas of my face, it stings. Third, as mentioned, it is not available here in our country, making it hard to find if this was a HG product for me.

Good thing it was not! In fact, I hate it!

Rica's Rating : 1 / 5

Ap-Au Lipstick in #06

This lipstick reminds me very much of my NYX Round Lipsticks.

Anyway, I got this lipstick for HKD 15 from Sasa Outlet in Yau Ma Tei. It is located in Nathan Road. You can take the train, get off at Yau Ma Tei MTR station and exit at exit "C" when you get to Yau Ma Tei.

I love this lipstick's color. Its finish is matte to lustre, depends on how you use it. It is a non-blue based lipstick, orang-y coral color. It is very much similar to fig, only a bit orang-y.

About the lipstick's formula, like what I mentioned, its formula is similar to NYX's Round Lipsticks. Only that it's a little bit drier. I noticed that after a few reapplies, my lips are getting dry and chapped. I would definitely stick to NYX Round Lipsticks than this if I was given only two choices.

The staying power of this lipstick is a bit longer than Marion's Fashion Design Lipsticks. Approximately 1 - 1/2 hour to be precise.

I am not going to repurchase this lipstick anymore in any other color even though I love this one for my normal use. Why? Well, I don't like the creaminess of this lipstick (just like NYX's). It's just like gliding oil into my lips...

Rica's Rating : 4/5

Here are a few swatches for your references:

Left : Light

Right : Heavy

NYX - Round Lipstick - Margarita

This is one of my 24 NYX Round Lipsticks that I purchased last February over Cherry Culture. I purchased it for $ 1.99 + shipping + 20% discount. (In USD.)

This lipstick is coral toned, and it is not blue-based which is a good thing. It is sheer though, making it hard for me to mix and match, in my own opinion. And not to mention its finish is frost.

I love coral tones more than pinks because with corals and orangers, I can never go wrong. Even though the color is not that good for me, for coral tones, it's still wearable on me, unlike for pinks, once it's not good and not wearable, it's not wearable.

This color is one of my favorites even though sometimes it's very hard to match the color because of its frost finish. I'm not a big fan of NYX Round lipsticks formula either so I'm not going to repurchase this.

NYX Round Lipsticks are creamy and silky, but not my kind of creamy lipstick. Its staying power is one of its downside too. It stays put on your lips for about half an hour to an hour at most, before it melts to your lips.

Rica's Rating : 4 / 5

Left : Lightly swatched

Right : Heavily swatched

Philosophy - The Supernatural - Poreless, Flawless Tinted SPF 15 Moisturizer

Okay. I just heard the brand Philosophy over the internet. It's kinda "Popular" when it comes to skin care. We don't have the brand "Philosophy" here in Hong Kong. I checked everywhere, but unfortunately, they don't have any beauty bars available here. I also tried e-mailing their staff online, but like what I said, they don't have it here in Hong Kong. As an alternative, I can purchase their products online, but the hell with the shipping fee! It's way too expensive! And so I let my lust slip away. I wanted to purchase supposedly Philosophy's Tinted Moisturizer named Supernatural Superbeautiful" but then, when I found out those facts, I tried forgetting about my lust about it. Until someone in MakeUpAlley offered an exchange for it. And so I said yes to it.

I swapped my Bourjois Powder Blush (which I don't really use anymore) for a Philosophy Supernatural Tinted Moisturizer in exchange. The swap tooked I think 2 weeks? 3 weeks? before it was all done. It was a successful swap. She loved my powder blush and I love hers as well! Please don't tell me this is my Holy Grail Tinted Moisturizer!!! The fact that it's not available here in Hong Kong makes me wanna say... "OUCH!" That means, I have to purchase it online because we don't have it here locally!

But one thing is for sure... I love this more than my Laura Mercier Oil-Free Tinted Moisturizer.

It's more like I'm wearing nothing at all, non sticky, plus, my skin can breathe over this. My bf even said that my skin looks good when I tried using this on our date. He said that I look better and he was suprised when I told him that I was only wearing a Tinted Moisturizer at that time. No Foundation at all.

It's like a "lazy" counterpart of my Cle De Peau Creme Foundation, only that it's 3 steps in just one for a lazy day. I just use this for a lazy day because I am already used to my moisturize-primer-foundation steps for my everyday make-up.

I'm not sure about its price, but I'm giving this a perfect score of 5!

Rica's Rating : 5 / 5

P.S.

Now, my question is ... If the Supernatural Tinted Moisturizer is WAY GOOD, what about the Supernatural, Superbeautiful Tinted Moisturizer?! I heard a lot of rant about it ...

Ap-Au Lipstick in #08

This lipstick reminds me very much of my NYX Round Lipsticks..

Anyway, I got this lipstick for HKD 15 from Sasa Outlet in Yau Ma Tei. It is located in Nathan Road, just near one of the exits in Yau Ma Tei MTR Train Station.

Its color is a very light frosted blue-based pink with glitters. The color is so-so ok to my skin color. I look "tanned" with this lipstick, compared to the other pink lipsticks that I've used in the past. It makes me look darker, which I actually love.

In case you guys are still not aware, my skin color from the MAC skin color chart is NC30 - NC35, anything darker nor lighter than that, doesn't suit my skin color.

Since it is a blue-based colored lipstick, it doesn't suit me perfectly. It is wearable, but not my kind of a "Holy Grail" lipstick color.

About the lipstick's formula, like what I mentioned, its formula is similar to NYX's Round Lipsticks. Only that it's a little bit drier. I noticed that after a few reapplies, my lips are getting dry and chapped. I would definitely stick to NYX Round Lipsticks than this if I was given only two choices.

The staying power of this lipstick is a bit longer than Marion's Fashion Design Lipsticks. Approximately 1 - 1/2 hour to be precise.

I am not going to repurchase this lipstick anymore in any other color. Why? Well, I don't like the creaminess of this lipstick (just like NYX's). It's just like gliding oil into my lips...

Rica's Rating : 2/5

Here are a few swatches for your references: