Organic Skin Care Blog – Product Reviews & Healthy Skin

Another few months have passed, and with that more empties! Yes I have been trying to use up my products instead of just accumulating them (because truth be told as a beauty junkie you do accumulate a LOT after a short period of time). Anyway over the past few months, I (with a little help from some of my family members) have managed to accumulate quite the literal pile of products. Behold! My empties!


Since these are a lot to get through, they're going to be split into two parts - skincare, and makeup. We'll start with the skincare first. Basically every face product you can think of - lotions, essences, creams, masks, eye creams, are all in this post. Except sunscreens, because they're grouped with makeup this time round (mostly just to prevent this post from getting too long).

Alright, let's get to it!
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And this is the official last empties post from 2017! After the previous empties post part 1, which focused on cleansers, we're going to look at all the other various leave-on products! There's quite a lot to go through here, including masks, lotions, moisturizers, sunscreens, and more!


Truth be told, I'm always surprised by how much skincare I use up whenever I do one of these empties posts, especially because I don't think of myself as the kind of person who religiously masks her face every week or even slaps on serum every night! Believe it or not, when I'm really tired after a long day of work, I go to bed with no skincare on! The very horror! But sometimes you just gotta sleep, you know? In any case, I attribute my ability to use up my skincare to my large face, haha. I guess a larger surface area does use up more product!


There's a lot of empties here to round off 2017 - I'm surprised I used up all this!
So, let's get started, and finally wrap up 2017 in beauty on this blog!
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Yes it's another empties post! And this post is pretty mega, hence the two-part split. And that's just for skincare - the makeup empties post is a separate post too, to make sure the individual posts aren't too long. So yes, I have indeed been a good girl and using up my products and not wasting them (a perpetual beauty junkie problem it seems)!


Above you can absolutely see the mess of empties, running the gamut from sunscreen to serums. I could probably do all those empties in one sitting, but the post would just be very long. So this time, we'll just be focusing on oil cleansers and makeup removers, normal cleansers, face masks, sunscreen, lotions and toners, and moisturizers! In other words, we'll just be looking at the stuff in the photo today, which is still quite a lot.


Empties: cleanser, makeup remover, lotion, toner, sunscreen, and moisturizer
I realized that quite a few readers seem to like my empties posts (and you can see all of them here) - perhaps, it's because with all my science-y skincare reviews, some readers are curious to know what exactly remains in my stash and gets used up at the end of the day. I suppose the idea here is that if I used up something, then it must be really good! The truth is that it kind of depends - some of these empties I've had for a long, long time, and for various reasons take longer to use up, and some were very quickly made favourites or staples and get used up much faster. As we go through the products, you'll see which is which!
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The Face Shop's Holiday 2015 Collection is called Around The World, and I've already reviewed the Rice Water Bright Cleansing Foam and Real Nature Face Mask Rice set, and I'll be reviewing the rest of their Holiday products today! While I wasn't a fan of the Rice Water Bright Cleansing Foam and Real Nature Face Mask Rice set, I have to say, the rest of their Christmas collection has been pretty great so far!


In addition to the Rice Water Cleansing Foam and Real Nature Face Mask set, there are also super-cute Character Masks with special Christmas designs, as well the Protect Me! Hand Cream set, with 3 little cute adorable tubs of hand cream. So clearly the focus of these sets is on skin and bodycare.


Part of the Around The World collection includes seasonal Character Masks and the Protect Me! Hand Cream set
Without further ado, let's get around to reviewing all these sets! Of course, it's a given that they make cute gifts (for yourself too, not just for others), but what's in those products? We'll take a look!
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The Face Shop's Rice Water Bright Cleansing Foam and Real Nature Mask Rice are some fairly popular products from the brand, and this year, they are banded together as a set for The Face Shop's Christmas 2015 Around The World collection! I have a few items from the Around The World collection, but I thought that I'd split my review of the collection into 2 parts, so that the post wouldn't be too long. In particular, I've noticed that the Rice Water Bright Cleansing Foam seems to be quite widely used, so I thought that this set deserved a little more attention on its own!


Although both products are rice-themed, and thus actually quite compatibly packaged together, they don't actually come from the same skincare range. The Rice Water Bright Cleansing Foam is one of several Rice Water-themed skincare items, including a cleansing oil and a cleansing milk. The Real Nature Face Mask Rice, meanwhile, comes from a range of Real Nature Face Masks - in addition to Rice, you have Real Nature Mask Aloe, Real Nature Mask Green Tea, Real Nature Mask Kelp, and quite a bunch more. In the Around The World gift set, you get one cleanser together with two of the sheet masks.


The Face Shop Rice Water Bright Cleansing Foam and Real Nature Face Mask Rice: Comes in a set as part of the Around The World Holiday 2015 Collection
Anyway, without further ado, let's start our look at both the Rice Water Bright Cleansing Foam and Real Nature Face Mask! Of course these are super cute and very gift-able as a set, but let's look at the ingredients in the product, and see how they work!
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The Face Shop Oil Control Water Cushion SPF50+ PA+++ is the latest BB cushion to come from the brand, and it seems to have been advertised just for this hot weather we've been having - two of the key features being marketed are that it is waterproof, and has oil-control properties. That's gotta be good for hot weather, right?


The Face Shop Oil Control Water Cushion comes in two shades, V201 Apricot Beige, which is the lighter shade, and V203 Natural Beige, the darker shade. I have V203 Natural Beige with me, and although it isn't the best match for my skintone because it was too dark and orange, but it was the "default" shade that was sent to me. Which is a pity, because the Water Cushion does have a lot to recommend it! So if you see me looking kind of Oompa Loompa orange in my FOTD or swatches, don't worry, it's the result of a less-than-optimal shade match!


The Face Shop Oil Control Water Cushion: Perfect for hot weather and summer days
So, now that we've gotten that out of the way, let's start the review - by taking a look at the formula and ingredients list!
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The Face Shop's Natural Sun Eco Sunscreens consists of two sunscreens: the currently existing Natural Sun Eco Power Long-Lasting Sun Cream SPF45 PA+++, and also the new addition, the Natural Sun Eco Sebum Control Moisture Sun SPF40 PA+++. These sunscreens are something I've had on my radar for a long time (ahem, a few months, if you look at how long ago this Instagram post and this other Instagram post were), and I kept vacillating on whether I should review these, since summer is kind of almost over. But since the weather is still pretty hot right now even in August, I figure I'm still not too late to the party with this review! In any case, since I live in a hot and humid climate with sun all year round, it's always summer here, and correspondingly, sunscreen is a year-round must-have!


But even if you don't live in a hot sunny environment, it's always a good idea to wear sunscreen if it's a sunny day out, regardless of whether it's hot or cold. After all, even when it's cold or snowy outside, it's possible to get sunburned if the snow is reflecting sunlight. And, in my humble opinion, since sun damage is a huge contributor to skin ageing, sunscreen is really one of the cheapest and most efficient forms of anti-ageing products everyone should get! It's certainly cheaper than an expensive anti-ageing cream, and also probably more likely to actually do what it says on the packaging. The Face Shop's Natural Sun Eco Sunscreens are just one of the many sunscreens available that you can check out.


The Face Shop Natural Sun Eco Sunscreens: Sebum Control is the newer addition
As you can probably guess from the name, the Sebum Control version of the Natural Sun Eco Sunscreen is meant more for oily skin, and to help control oil, while the Long-Lasting Sun Cream is meant for normal skin types. But I'm sure you have some questions: what is the difference in formulation between the two? Is it worth getting both, or just one? And what are the sunscreen filters, anyway, and is this sunscreen going to be sticky on my skin? To do that, we'll take a look at the Natural Sun Eco Power Long-Lasting Sun Cream SPF45 PA+++, which is the original sunscreen that first came out, and then we'll take a look at the newer Natural Sun Eco Sebum Control Moisture Sun SPF40 PA+++. From there, we can compare the two and get a sense of the differences between the two formulas.


The Face Shop Natural Sun Eco Sunscreens: Sebum Control and Long-Lasting actually have very different formulasContinue Reading . . .

The Face Shop's Character Mask is a new launch from the Kbeauty brand, and it is a sheet mask with cute animal face designs printed onto it. As the name indicates, when you wear the sheet mask, you are also wearing a "character mask" of sorts, and The Face Shop has 5 masks for you to choose from - panda, fox, sheep, dragon, and tiger.


Of course, the benefit is more aesthetic than functional. After all, a sheet mask is a sheet mask, whether it has a cute animal face printed on it or not, and the fact that it has a panda face printed on it doesn't change its function. Still though, in the vein of "skincarentainment" (a term I've seen thrown around with respect to Asian beauty, particularly Kbeauty products), this is pretty novel to use - you put on the sheet mask, and boom! instant panda face! It does inject some fun into your skincare routine, which I guess is the concept behind "skincarentainment": it's not just about the product, but also the experience, fun, and novelty of using it.


The Face Shop Character Mask: A new launch from the Kbeauty brand, with cute animal designs on the mask
That does sound pretty cool, right? And The Face Shop is certainly not the only brand catching on - there are a few other Japanese and Korean brands having such sheet masks too. Nevertheless, as an old fogey of a beauty blogger (more than 5 years, which is sort of like forever in internetz time), I'm really more concerned with how the product works, than whether it entertains me or not. I mean, I go to the movies to be entertained, but when I choose my skincare, I'm not looking to have a good time, I just want to know if it works, and if it's within my budget. If it does happen to be fun to use, then that's a bonus, but evidently I'm a cranky old grandma who doesn't bother too much about whether my mask looks cute or not. And does The Face Shop Character Mask work? The only way to find out is to start by looking at what exactly is in the product, and take a trip to the ingredient list!
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The Face Shop Ink Lipquid (with the really cute portmanteau in the product name) is the Kbeauty brand's latest lip product, and it is marketed as a cross between a lipstick, lipgloss, and lip stain/liptint. The selling of the Ink Lipquid, according to the Face Shop, is the combination of moisture and staying power. I don't have the website, but reading off my phamplet, the Ink Lipquid promises "moist lips with 70% water base", and a "vivid color lasts on lips for 12 hours" (gotta love that slight Engrish over there, but you get the idea).


There are 12 shades in the range, and like most Korean brnds, the colours range from brights to pastels, and cover a fairly good array of colours. I have 3 of the shades today, PK03 Shah Pink, OR02 Orange Some, and RD02, Red Sing.


The Face Shop Ink Lipquid: Gives a long lasting stain, while not drying out the lips
Alright, let's get on with the swatches and reviews! I've got both arm and lip swatches, as well as an (accidental) staining test!
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The Face Shop's Myeonghan Miindo Heaven Grade Ginseng range has launched in Singapore, and as the name suggests, the range contains "Korean herbal extract" and "heaven grade ginseng", and is supposed to draw on traditional Korean knowledge to help improve the skin's condition. The Face Shop's English site claims that there are "brightening ingredients in white ginseng extract help to improve dull skin and brighten your skin tone", and also that it uses "traditional herbs grown in Korea". So I guess for all the Korea-philes (what with the popularity of K-pop and K-drama nowadays), this would be pretty intriguing!


The product I got from the range was The Face Shop Myeonghan Miindo Heaven Grade Ginseng Whitening Emulsion, which, again as the name suggests, is an emulsion - a light moisturizer - with whitening properties that also contains the heaven grade ginseng. Interestingly, Myeonghan Miindo supposedly means "land of the beauties", which I guess adds to the traditional feel of the product, along with the very classical-looking bottle. The price range for the Myeonghan Miindo range varies from $12.90 for the sheet mask to $75.90 for the eye cream or moisture cream, so depending on what you buy, the impact on your wallet can vary quite a lot! This particular product, the Whitening Emulsion, costs $46.90.


The Face Shop Myeonghan Miindo Heaven Grade Ginseng Whitening Emulsion: Part of the Myeonghan Miindo range, with multiple products from eye creams to face masks
Of course, for this review, we're also going to take a look at whether the Myeonghan Miindo Heaven Grade Ginseng Whitening Emulsion really lives up to its claims of whitening. And to do that, we'll start right at the ingredients list!
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