I've been on a skincare kick lately on my blog so I wanted to follow it with some (mostly) skincare empties.

These are products that have been in my empties bin in a while. Most of them have even been in here for more than five months. I actually have a couple of stuff that I finished but I deemed them not worthy enough for a post. Because all of these (except one) I actually really like.


1.) ZA Cleansing Foaming Gel

I really really really love this cleansing gel. It's a cleanser/makeup remover that removes even waterproof mascara. I kid you not. Even my hard-to-remove bases —you know the ones that just emulsify on your face but are still there —are removed easily.





To make sure it removes all of my makeup, what I do is wet my face a little take a small (but I usually overdo it, what else is new) pea-sized amount, massage it on my whole face for more than a minute, let it sit a minute more then rinse. It leaves my skin clean and not-taut like some heavy-duty cleansers tend to do.


2.)  ZA Hydration Fresh Lucent Toner

I bought this along with my gel cleanser in one of my hoard-everything hauls when ZA had that 50% off sale (see post here). And I do not regret getting this at all. I kinda feel bad for not getting more.


It's not one of those revolutionary toners, I mean it even has alcohol (which I tend to avoid in toners) but I love it because:

• It doesn't break me out
• It feels refreshing and gets rid of other traces of makeup/dirt my cleanser missed
• It has Hyaluronic Acid which is the magic word if you want to increase hydration and improve skin elasticity plus it works on all skin types — oily, dry, normal and combination.

I'm currently using a non-alcohol toner but I might get back to this if I get the time to get my ass out of the house.


3.) Baviphat Green Tea Mist

Mists are my absolute indulgence. These types of mists aren't really good for anything other than refreshing the face so they aren't particularly used for setting makeup but I use it anyway for that apart from its intended use.



This one doesn't have the fine mist that I like but the smell and the way it feels on the skin is really nice. It wasn't that pricey either. I think I bought this for around Php 200 - 250.


4.) Etude Eye & Lip Remover

Funny name but good product. It removes eye makeup well. For waterproof mascara I tend to go back a second time but sometimes it's not that big of a deal. I much prefer the Maybelline eye and lip makeup remover though but this is an ok alternative and cheap too - less than Php300. (sorry I don't have a close-up shot of it!)


5.) Fashion21 and Darkness Auto Eyebrow Pens

For eyebrow makeup, I'm not that picky. Well, actually I am. But I'm not brand conscious. If it works. It works. And these two are fantastic. Fashion21 is harder in texture, the type I gravitate towards. The color is a cool-brown with no traces of red in it and the packaging is simple, sleek and sturdy.



Darkness is another Korean brand and much softer in texture compared to Fashion21. It has more leeway if you want a softer brow look since you can easily brush out the color because of its texture. The color is also a cool-toned brown and perfect for dark brunettes. The shape of the "lead" is flat and angled which made it easy for me to draw on my brows. But if I had to choose, I'd go for the Fashion21 because good hard eyebrow pencils are hard to come by, most of the time they're creamy and/or too waxy for my taste.


6.) Instant Argan Oil

Aka the super expensive pure Argan oil that wasn't really pure. I bought this for Php 1000 and during that time Argan oil was just being introduced to the Philippine market, so everybody was clamoring to get one. I didn't have proper information about it at the time and bought the bottle on a whim.



It works okay I guess, as a face moisturizer but I like it better for the hair and body. The thing I'm pissed about here is I thought I was getting PURE Argan oil not some heavily perfumed watered-down version of it. The consistency was thick like maple syrup and smelt like talc. It reminded me of those vanilla body sprays from Victoria's Secret.

Argan oil, I learned,  is supposed to smell woody or "medicinal" in a way not powdery and sweet. I blame the SA who said it was pure. It was my fault though for not reading the bottle. It didn't have PURE written anywhere on it.

That concludes my empties post. Have you tried any of these? And what're your thoughts about Sales Assistants "bending" the truth just to get a sale?


xx,
CJ

In my arsenal of bases this one doesn't offer the most coverage, or rather it's completely non-existent.
That was a bit of an exaggeration, so let's go with sheer to light coverage. I bought this on sale at Watsons as my official initiation to the brand and it wasn't love at first try, let me tell you that much. Currently, I'm treating this as my sunscreen as it has SPF 50 PA+++(Protection Grade of UV-A), one of the highest I've tried in BB creams.

At 20 g/.07 oz it's light and doesn't take up space in my bag. The white and pink scheme is pleasing to the eyes too.

Consistency is creamy and thick but doesn't feel heavy on the skin. It also has a very slight floral-like scent when you get really close. Application-wise is ok, it blends nicely, a little at a time with fingers, brush or sponge. It sets to a nice dewy and natural finish on me, albeit still a tiny bit tacky.

As you can see, it just lightened my skin by about 2-3 shades. I noticed some grayish areas when I tried this on my face, probably due to the pink undertone of this BB. The whiteness tones down after 5-10 minutes and of course you can always color-correct with a powder.


Let's look at the claims.


Now, it definitely brightened my skin tone instantly but I'm skeptical on the skin lightening after said 10 day period. It has, as I said a slight tacky finish so setting this is non-negotiable if you're oily so the non-sticky finish claim is a definite stretch. I imagine this to be a good base for other creams or liquid bases because of its tackiness, it just has to set completely otherwise it would just move the BB and the other base on your face. It looks good under powder foundations/setting powders though.

Oil control is virtually non-existent as well, but one thing I commend this on is its lasting power. It stayed on for about 2 hours set with a powder under a typical humid day (Note: I sweat a lot and I have an oily t-zone) before it started to show signs of fading .

For 199 Philippine Pesos/PHP with 20g I would recommend it as a moisturizing SPF for dry skinned people. It's also very travel friendly and can act as a suitable primer for powders. But if you're looking for coverage this isn't it.

Now, would I repurchase? No. Since I treat this solely as my SPF, I much prefer lighter, water-based formulas.

Have you tried this BB cream or have you tried any bases from ZA?

I went a little mad as you can see. I've been on a roll, posting my hauls (here and here), so to change it up a little let me show you another...haul.

ZA recognizes that every Metropolitan girl lead fast- paced, hectic lives, so ZA created a range of easy-to-use makeup and skin care products that will naturally enhance the beauty of every woman.

Designed for women aged 20- 30, and built upon the studies on Asian Skin. Now under the Shiseido group, from the classic white and blue packaging, ZA has changed into a more feminine, fun, and outgoing pink and white palette, and the products are being developed continuously to suit the ever- changing conditions and to meet every woman's beauty need.

Za is currently having an end of the year sale with 50% off. And why yes, that's two foundation bottles.

I was actually dying to try the concealer for the longest time, but I couldn't justify getting it when I still have a heavy duty one that works just fine.

Then again, I can justify getting one powder foundation and two liquid foundations when I have a TON of bases here, most of which are currently opened. EQ is at an all time high ladies and gents.

Ugghh couldn't resist.

(To justify a little... Humor me) Za rarely have sales as big as 50%, usually it's just 10% or 20% and most of the time it's just on skincare. So yeah. Bam. Nailed that explanation.

I'm so excited to try these once I finish a few pans and bottles of current products. You know, try to exercise a little restraint here and there.

What would you like reviews on? Let me know below!


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