Bag Snooper + Daily Skin Regimen

Finally an update!! I'm back from Bonaire! Will post pictures in the near future.

I was tagged by Lisa from Shopn'Chomp to do this fun tag to show you what is inside my bag... Thank you Lisa love!

As the title entails, you are all snooping into my bag! :)

This is my current bag. A bit small, but perfect for me since I'm not in school at the moment. School starts from September 8th, so soon!! Ah I've got 2 essays to write and a book to finish.. ugh and it is Great Expectations by Charles Dickens (if any of you read that, you may know it is about 400-500 pgs.) So I digress.

The brand is Diesel, I received it as a gift from my aunt in Japan! I believe this bag might be only available in Japan but here's a link I found from the US: Diesel Sea Jet Rincon Bag It retails for $95.00 USD, I think...

The thing I like about it most is that it reminds me of the ever-famous Balenciaga motorcycle bag! Which is one of my dream bags... haha (I love studs and rock&roll inspired designs, plus I love dark designs--such as skulls, etc.)

Back view. This bag is synthetic leather.

Stupid Blogger wouldn't allow me to load this picture horizontally. You can see the cotton patterned lining inside.

Health/Beauty related items:

I carry:

- Tissues (hehe those are from the Netherlands, bought in Bonaire 2 yrs ago?)

- Towel/Handkerchief (this is Japanese influence... no paper towels in public toilets. But recently this has changed. Now they have automatic dryers and some have papertowels)

- DHC Lipcream (need some lip product for chapped lips)

- Case with Advil

- Blotting sheets

- Compact mirror (hehe my deco skills!)

- 2 Packets of Antibacterial handwipes (the green one is a promotional one from AU cell phone company in Japan.. love the free tissues and promotional stuff from Japan! I got a free nail file in Shibuya)

Daily Necessities:

I carry:

- My wallet! Used this for the past 3-4 years. From Anthropologie

- Fendi sunglasses... loving them :) You can see my reflection

- Umbrella--I collect them. One day will show you my huge collection

- Orange portable eco-bag. Gotta be eco-friendly

- Pen with 3 options: Black ink, Red ink, and lead pencil

- Cell phone (I made that glass charm in Okinawa)

Now onto my updated daily skincare regimen, stole this from Lisa again as well! I tried to put the links where you can purchase, but not all products were found. Enjoy!

Morning

1. Kiehls Brightening Botanical Cleansing Cream - morning facewash. Don't know if it really whitens. Well.. it kinda does. It makes my skin luminous in the morning.

2. Balancing Lotion - alternate between several different alcohol free toners. I like DHC Olive Leaf Lotion as well, or Acerola... whatever my mood is, or need to finish. This one is pretty gentle, but not amazing. It just keeps my skin normal.. haha.

3. Kevin Beautymaker Aquamarine Hydrating Serum - Like this a lot. But when I got a tan, didn't fully keep my dry/sundamaged skin hydrated as much as I'd liked. But recommend this item.

4. Kevin Beautymaker Aquamarine Hydrating Lotion - Great product, again same as above. Keeps skin hydrated for normal conditions (not super dry skin)

5. Kiehls Ultra Facial Moisturizer SPF15 - Love the moisturizing, wish they have one with more SPF, at least SPF 30. I like this because it's not greasy at all and absorbs really nicely. Repurchased many times!

6. Biore UV Moist Face Milk in SPF 50+ PA +++ - Nice, not that moisturizing as it claims, I need that Kiehls one before I apply this. I just want the SPF protection. This has a powdery finish so it is good for makeup base. For summer I guess this is moderately moisturizing, but not for winter!

Night

1. Lancome Bi-Facil Eyemakeup Remover - Love this! I have so many sample size bottles so I don't have to buy the full-size. Hehe. Almost done with this bottle. I'm going to reuse the bottle and fill it with my Neutrogena eyemakeup remover...

2. DHC Deep Cleansing Oil - Makeup remover, oil cleanser. Removes much of my makeup, even stubborn mascara. Scent is kinda herbal, but overall good. Not as oily as Shu Uemura.. Somehow I don't like Shu cleansing oil because the oiliness feeling remains. This doesn't have that problem.

3. Rohto Hadalabo Hyaluronic Gokujyun Facewash - Loving this. I alternate between this and my DHC facewash. Doesn't strip moisture! Great product.

4. DHC Olive Leaf Lotion - Great toner! Repurchased at least 5-6 times. Used for many years, I will continue using this. A little pricy I think $38 for one bottle? But I like it... Keeps my spots from showing up! Even though I'm young, I am very prone to getting spots on my face after sun exposure. And they are like the beauty mark spots, so they are pretty dark and prominent!

5. DHC Q10 Lotion - I ran out of the Olive Leaf one so now I'm using this. Haha I just kept the empty bottle to show you guys... This one is $36 per bottle. I like this, very moisturizing.

6. DHC Olive Leaf Milk - Great moisturizer, but I usually use something over this winter and summer. This is not enough moisture by itself for me! But it's a great product, makes my skin so soft and smooth, prevents lots of skin damage from sun and other harsh weather.

7. Kevin Beautymaker Skin Repair Wakening Gel - This is pretty nice, love the cooling sensation. I used to use Shiseido's Pureness line gel moisturizer but this is nice too, little different. I like the hydrating feature, but again, it's just good for maintaining moisture for normal conditions. I got a little tan and tanned skin tightens up and gets dry, this didn't really moisturize THAT much. But like this overall.

Special Care Items

1. Mangosteen Peeling Gel by Sweet & Sour - Love this! My 2nd bottle. Can be found in Tokyu Hands or Loft in Japan. Great peeling gel, I don't think I can change to any other... haha.

2. Clear Turn White Mask by Kose - Big 22 sheet box, great for everyday or every other day use. Good enough for daily use.

3. Burt's Bees Pomegranate Replenishing Lipbalm - Love this! I hated the scent at first but now I love it... how weird. I'm almost done with it, gotta repurchase! LOL. Started using this after I ran out of my La Mer lip balm. Gah gotta buy that La Mer one too. The reason I like this is you don't have to stick dirty fingers in the pot, like La Mer.

4. DHC Pimple Spot - Not sold in USA DHC. Like this a lot.. it's like potent salicylic acid. I'm not sure what it exactly is, but it's very fluidy liquid, not a cream or ointment. It shrinks my pimples! I don't get many breakouts of zits or acne but the occasional pimple will die with this in hand!

Extra Note:

1. Might be having a blog sale soon -- Japanese products that many of you can't access... and some other junk haha.

2. I'm interested in purchasing a few things from ZIPIA online clothing store but I don't want to spend $300 for myself. If anyone is interested, let me know if you want to split an order. I think I would prefer US only people if anyone is interested in this; because of shipping, unless they are my good blogger friends. I'm not sure about the zipia order yet... but if anyone is interested, leave me a comment or shoot me an email.

Daily Skin Regimen

Happy weekend! I didn't do much today; just some food shopping and cleaning.

I saw my school's spring musical production of South Pacific yesterday with some friends. It was great even though I had to suffer sitting in back of someone recording it on video. My favorite character was Bloody Mary :)

So today's post will be my current skin regimen. I don't have particularly oily skin but these days I've gotten pimples... Maybe it's because I haven't been exercising a lot or sleeping. I sleep about 5-6 hours on a school night because I'm doing hw, studying or reading blogs -_-; I should start sleeping earlier. I can't break my sleeping schedule because currently I take naps after school (because I sleep late) then I stay up because I can't sleep and have to study, and it's a very vicious cycle, hahaha ;D

Night:

I use DHC's Olive Leaf Lotion, which is a toner but with no alcohol. It has Q10 in it and citric acid, which balances skin's pH level. I usually pat this on with my hands. Then I apply one pump of Olive Leaf Milk, a light moisturizer. It smoothes my skin and gives me some extra moisture before my actual moisturizer. The toner and milk don't have any scent and are very gentle. Lastly I apply the gel cream from Shiseido's Pureness line. It's meant for oily/acne prone complexions and isn't heavy. I love the smell! It's heavenly~ I like this gel cream because I have normal/combination skin and I don't like to put on heavy creams.

Day:

I tend to use both the DHC Olive leaf lotion and milk again in the morning, then follow with Kiehl's Ultra Facial Moisturizer in SPF 15 UVA/UVB protection. I'm trying to change my sun protection to SPF 30 or above but Kiehl's doesn't offer SPF30. I sometimes use DHC's Suncut Q10 in SPF30 with lame (shimmer). It's not as moisturizing so I often put a different lotion on before. The Kiehl's lotion makes my skin glowy and it's not heavy on my skin. It's very easy to spread too, unlike the DHC one. The DHC sunscreen aborbs quickly and is non-greasy. I like it because I can use it as a makeup base.

Before I apply any of this stuff, I always wash my face with a cleanser in the morning. Some people just use a washcloth to wipe their face but skin creates oils when you sleep too! It's very easy for people to get pimples if they don't wash their face in the morning. I like to wash my face with Kiehl's Brightening Botanical Cleansing Cream. It's very gentle and lathers up very well. Like all Asians, I like to brighten and whiten my skin. This works well! I've noticed some of my sun freckles lighten. You can use this cleanser with the whole Bright line, which offers a toner and moisturizer. I just use the cleanser.

I've told you guys that I ordered the Jill Stuart blush palette in Apricot 06 and the Majolica Majorca Lash Expander on Ebay. I just checked the status of the package and it arrived in NY today!! I might get it tomorrow or Monday!!! I'm so excited. I'll post swatches as soon as I get it. Also, Bloomingdales is having private sale for 3 days from Tuesday March 31 to Thursday April 2. I got 4 coupons to take $25 off a $100 purchase! I can definitely buy the Laura Mercier Gilded Garden blush! Hehe I'm very excited for the coming week...

That's all for today, good night!

Makeup Removers Continued... TESTING TRIALS

Ok, I have taken pictures and tested the following makeup removers out! PHOTO HEAVY POST! I put on Maybelline Define-A-Lash Volume Mascara and MAC eyepencil kohl in Phone Number (only because the tip of my pencil broke so I used the little broken off bit).

In order: DHC Deep Cleansing Oil, Lancome Bi-Facil, Clinique Makeup Solvent Remover, Phythea Deep Cleansing Gel, DHC Soft Touch Cleansing Oil.

The cleansers and my arm with eyeliner and mascara in the middle (darker circle). The fifth blob of eyeliner is from my broken tip. Haha you can see my slippers in the 2nd pic... :)

All cleansers were applied, then rubbed around a bit, and tissued off.

FIRST TEST: DHC Deep Cleansing Oil

SECOND TEST: Lancome Bi-Facil

THIRD TEST: Clinique Rinse Off Eye Makeup Solvent

FOURTH TEST: Phythea Skin Revive Deep Cleansing Gel

FIFTH TEST: DHC Soft Touch Cleansing Oil

I forgot to do the La Mer Cleansing Fluid test so here it is.

SIXTH TEST: La Mer Cleansing Fluid

The Final Results:

DHC Deep Cleansing Oil - Very good at removal and leaves skin moisturized. I think this has to be washed off for all of the mascara to be removed. I only used tissue in these tests.

Lancome Bi-Facil - Had better removal power than DHC by a fraction. Like DHC I think this should be washed with water to remove everything.

Clinique Rinse Off - Wow! I was shocked by this product. I didn't think it would get everything so well. It really dissolved the makeup. This isn't oil based so it removed everything without water.

Phythea Deep Cleansing Gel - I got this from my mom's friend and it's supposed to be this organic brand. I looked on the back of the bottle and the price is about 4500 yen. Pretty expensive! This didn't really remove much. I think it's ok... This probably needs water to totally remove everything.

DHC Soft Touch - The difference between this and the Deep Cleansing is that you can use this when your skin is wet. I'm not really sure if it works as well though. This was pretty good but I kind of cheated and rinsed with water.. hehe proves my point about oil-based cleansers needing water to totally remove makeup.

La Mer Cleansing Fluid - OMG! Great removal. This is an oil based cleanser and it has some pretty shimmery stuff in it (idk what it's for). I just put it on, rubbed it around, then it all came off with tissue! I am amazed :D This cleanser doesn't need water to remove makeup!

Final Verdict:

#1 - La Mer Cleansing Fluid

#2 - Clinique Rinse Off

#3 - Lancome Bi-Facil

#4 - DHC Deep Cleansing Oil

#5 - DHC Soft Touch - I cheated so the real result after tissuing was some black smearing.

#6 - Phythea Gel

My Favorite Makeup Removers - Reviews

Ok I'm going to tell you about my favorite makeup removers!

Clinique and Bi-Facil are mainly for eye makeup removal but I feel that DHC Deep Cleansing Oil works well for all makeup. I only have the trial-sizes for the Clinique and Bi-Facil that I got from purchases from Saks Fifth Ave. My mother and grandmother receive promotion gifts all the time so I usually get the samples! :) The DHC oil is available for purchase in the small size and large size. The small size in the picture is $12.50 (2.3 fl oz) and large is $25.00 (25 fl oz).

I'll try to post a second part to this review with test pictures to see if they REALLY work!

Time to start the reviews! ^_^

Clinique Rinse-Off Eye Makeup Solvent
I usually use this with a cotton pad and let it sit on my eye for about five seconds then swipe. It's a non-oily formula and feels refreshingly cool. It doesn't leave any oily residue. I like this remover because I can dip q-tips inside the bottle to remove any leftover makeup in hard to reach places or touch up on a mistake. Sometimes I use this to clean mascara left on my eyelash curler! Haha :)

Bi-Facil Double-Action Eye Makeup Remover
This is a double liquid makeup remover, half oil cleanser and half water cleanser. A lot of bloggers really like this remover, especially Fuzkittie. This makeup remover is easy to use! I just shake it, put it on a cotton pad and makeup glides away in two sweeps. I like the oil based removers but depending on the company, they can feel slimy and overly oily. I like Bi-Facil because it's a double formula remover and doesn't feel too oily.

DHC Deep Cleansing Oil
I LOVE THIS STUFF! If I am really lazy and don't use my eye makeup cleansers I just substitute this for it. One pump is enough for me to massage onto my whole face. This cleansing oil is olive oil based and doesn't dry out my face at all. Basically you massage it into your dry skin, then pat some water on and massage again, then rinse off. When you rinse it off, you can see the water becoming milky and the oil comes off without difficulty. It leaves my skin soft and smooth without any drying effects!

Some negatives:
Clinique - Sometimes doesn't remove all makeup; that's why I use a qtip for hard to reach areas. It's a little bit drying but not too much. Overall it's a great remover for people who are afraid of oil-based removers.
Bi-Facil - Haha doesn't have to do with the actual remover but the cap is difficult to remove... It's the type that's on medicine bottles; the push and turn type. You know the one that's supposed to keep kids from opening bottles? I'm not sure why they put this type of cap on this product.
DHC Oil - The oil smells sort of weird, like cooking olive oil but I don't really care too much. As long as it works, I'm fine with it!

Ok I will post pictures next time to show you how well these removers work!