BeautyTalk/Mini Review: My Current Skincare Routine (2015)

I have missed the chance to review a few skincare products that I got this year so I thought it would be better to just share with you my current skincare routine.

Step 1: Makeup Removing

First, I want to say I don't rely on 1 product to remove all of my makeup but usually use a separate makeup remover for eyes & lips. There are 2 products that I use alternatively:

          Skin Food Rose Shake Point Makeup Remover

This point makeup remover (Korean way of saying makeup remover for eyes & lips) from Skin Food smells like roses in heaven ... I'm already on my second bottle. It's effective enough to remove my eye makeup (including water-proof) easily but mild enough to not irritate my eyes. The whole line looks so adorable that I had to order the cream blush and nail polishes. Skin Food has a similar product called Milk Shake Point Makeup Remover. (Review)

Rating kisses (out of 5): 

The Face Shop Rice Water Bright Cleansing Light Oil

I like to use cleansing oil when I have heavier makeup and want to remove makeup on my entire face first. I chose the light version because I have combination skin. This is the first cleansing oil I've tried and I quite like it. (Review)

Rating kisses (out of 5): 

Step 2: Cleansing

          Option 1 - Cleansers: Neutrogena Fresh Foaming or Healthy Skin Boosters Cleansers

I'm using 2 cleansers from Neutrogena alternatively. The Fresh Foaming has been my go-to makeup remover/cleanser for years and I still love it because it removes makeup so well without being too harsh for my skin. However, sometimes I don't have makeup on but still need to wash my face (like in the morning or on days I just stay at home). I was looking for a mild cleanser that can give my skin some benefits and found the Healthy Skin Booster. I have to say that I really enjoy it. It brightens up my uneven skin tone and makes my skin feel very soft! Love!

Rating kisses (out of 5): Fresh Foaming -
                           Healthy Skin Boosters - 

Option 2 - Cleansing Water: Bioderma Micelle Solution

I bought 2 types of this infamous cleansing water from the French brand Bioderma : Bioderma Sensibio H2O (pink cap) and Bioderma Sébium H2O (green cap) at Beautylish.com. When I'm too lazy to wash my face, I just use this cleansing water as a 3-in-1 step: remove face makeup, cleanse, and tone (after removing eye makeup with Skin Food Rose Shake). To make sure that all traces of makeup are completely removed from my skin, I normally use 2 cotton pads. Many people still prefer to use their normal cleanser afterwards but I don't see the need to do so. These products have no scent, don't contain alcohol and literally look like water.

Rating kisses (out of 5): 

Option 3 - Cleansing Wipes: Pond's Wet Cleansing Towelettes

I love facial wipes when traveling; they're just so convenient; and yes, I'm still using this brand, haven't found anything better. There are several types as seen in the picture below; I've tried them all and found that the Original Fresh (blue), Evening Soothe (purple) and Luminous Clean (pink) have the same texture which is better to remove all traces of makeup than the texture of the Exfoliating Renewal (yellow). My favorite ones are the purple and pink ones because of the scents.

Rating kisses (out of 5): 

Step 3: Toning

Thayers Rose Petal Witch Hazel Alcohol-free Toner with Aloe Vera

Toning is an important step to me. Beside removing dirt or anything left after the previous steps, toners helps soften and brighten my skin. The Thayers brand has been around since 1948 and now its toners still receive a lot of love. The picture below shows different types of Thayers' toner; it all depends on which scent you want in the product beside Witch Hazel and Aloe Vera which are contained in all 8 types. I have an obsession with the scent of rose (see how much I love the rose point makeup remover from Skin Food? Even my signature perfume is Chloé de Rose!), so I just chose the Rose Petal one. The toners from this brand don't contain alcohol and feel very gentle on skin. If your skin often feels dry after cleansing, these toners will add back the moisture to your skin.

Rating kisses (out of 5): 

Step 4: Moisturizing

I feel that skin type and condition don't necessarily stay the same during the year and it's important to listen to your skin ... Well, skin doesn't talk but you know what I mean. My combination skin becomes very oily during the summer, very dry during the winter, and slightly oily only around the T-zone in the spring and the fall. For that reason, I don't use only one moisturizer for a certain skin type.

1. Winter: Olay Regenerist Luminous Tone Perfecting Cream

After I finished my Shiseido Ibuki Refining Moisturizer Enriched which I like, I wanted to look for a more affordable substitute and bought this cream. I have a love-hate feeling toward this product. 

• I love that it makes my skin both looks and feels very soft, like velvet! It smells great too. The best part is the tone perfecting effect: after a month using this cream my skin tone looks more even, with or without the cream on top. 
• So what I hate about it? If you've been reading other reviews, you'll see many people claiming that they also love to use it as a primer. That is because this cream leaves a "film" on top of skin. However, I don't think it's good under makeup because it is flaky!!! It's ok if I work very quickly to spread the cream all over my face and then stop, but if I continue to rub my face, I'll see the film starts to flake off ... so gross ... Maybe this is just my problem because I do like to apply sunscreen and then primer after moisturizing so I will end up rubbing my face more; I guess it's ok if you apply foundation immediately on top of this cream.

Rating kisses (out of 5): 

2. Summer: Shiseido Pureness Matifying Moisturizer Oil-free

I like this moisturizer but I don't love it and the price tag is what makes its rating not so high. This moisturizer is lightweight and leaves my skin silky smooth. It does have the matifying effect but I wish this effect could stay longer. I don't see my skin producing less oil using this product. I also tried their Pureness Moisturizer Gel-cream, but because it was not as lightweight as I liked, I returned it for this one.

Rating kisses (out of 5): 

3. Spring/Fall: Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel

This gel is very lightweight and feels comfortable on skin. I can still use it during the summer; all I need to do is reducing the amount I put on my face. This is a very basic light-weight gel moisturizer so if I want to target certain skin problems such as anti-aging or skin-brightening, I will have to look for something else. They also have the Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion+ which is supposed to be heavier; hmm, I'm curious about that one.

Rating kisses (out of 5): 

Step 5: Eye Treatment

BOOTS Botanics Age Defense Hydrating Eye Cream

Recently I've noticed that fine lines start to form under my eyes so I was looking for a good eye cream that can effectively reduce those fine lines! This eye cream from Boots' Botanic line seems to receive many good review regarding fine line reduction. I've been using it for a few months now and haven't seen any results. However, it is moisturizing so I think it is a good preventing product for fine lines. It does nothing for dark circle. It doesn't sting my eyes and isn't greasy so I will try to use it up but I will look for a better one.

Rating kisses (out of 5): 

Step 6 (Morning): Sunscreen

Another product from Neutrogena; ahhh, I love this brand! It has everything I was looking for and does all of what it promises: high SPF, invisible under makeup, weightless, water resistant. I dries pretty fast and is so light that I don't feel like I has added another layer of product. There's the typical "sunscreen" scent that fades away in minutes so it doesn't bother me.

Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Liquid Sunscreen SPF 70

Rating kisses (out of 5): 

As you can see, I'm still in the market for better winter and summer moisturizers and eye cream as the ones I'm using are not really my favorites. My skincare routine will be updated from time to time and I believe this routine will benefit all of you girls despite whatever skin types you have. So if you haven't subscribed to this blog or like the blog's social pages and you're interested in the updates or other future posts, please please do so! It really motivates me to publish more useful posts and I'm very thankful for your supports so far!