What's In My Bathroom

I have quite a lot of space in my bathroom cabinets - in fact I have two mirrored cabinets and one of them just contains toilet paper and some cleaning products... meanwhile this one is filled (not really - the top shelf is empty!) with beauty products.

Just showing what everyday beauty stuff I have and use in my bathroom, as well as backups and recent purchases.

My main cabinet which has all my products I have stored away for when I run out, and a few bits and bobs.

If you've seen my home tour, my bathroom has a long as bench top sort of thing underneath the cabinets.
I just put all the stuff I actually use everyday on here so I can reduce any clutter.

My backups: Mouthwash, Shampoo and conditioner (grown alchemist and Korres/My Organics), body wash,
cleansing oil, travel sized bits, Dr. Bronners (for cleaning my makeup brushes) and some personal care items.

What I use everyday sits on this built-in shower caddy: Swisse shampoo (I got this huge bottle for $5 or so from Chemist Warehouse!), Korres shampoo (which I'm still liking as I reach the last few squeezes) random body wash, and my trusty ol' Korres facewash to use with my Clarisonic.

A few random things like exfoliators (the Soap and Glory Breakfast scrub IS TO DIE FOR), shaving cream, my Clarisonic
and a conditioner I used to like but sort of makes my hair itch (just like all the other ones I've ever tried).

I have yet to try the Grown Alchemist shampoo and conditioner - the box has one of those beauty awards for 'natural haircare', and has less chemicals than Korres. I'm always on the hunt for natural or really ANY hair washing products that don't make my scalp super itchy or oily. I have yet to find any, the Korres one I am using doesn't make my scalp itch much, but my hair still gets super oily.

The My Organics conditioner is just a random find from Chemist Warehouse, but it seems to have relatively natural ingredients, and it smells like one of those yoghurt face masks! Yum!

As I have probably posted before, the Dr. Lewinns cleansing oil is my fav cleansing oil I have tried, from Shiseido, The Body Shop and the Palmer's one I am currently using. I am keen to get rid of my Palmer's one so I can use it instead!

The Korres body wash is seriously my favourite body wash I have tried so far. My skin is quite sensitive to body washes and leaves me really itchy or gives me a rash, and Korres as a brand seems to be quite mild on my skin but does the job. But the winning one from their range is definitely the fig one! It smells soooooooooo divine! I love anything that smells like fig, like freshly-cut woody-fresh green-sap sort of smell. Basically Diptyque's Philosykos. I've bought most of my Korres products from ASOS because they either go on sale or come in those 1+1 packs which are really great value. Bonus if they come in a 1+1 deal AND are on sale!

♥

Skincare Haul - Priceline

Once again, Priceline had one of their crazy 40% off entire range sales. This time it was skincare, which is great since I needed to stock up on a few things. I didn't go to the 40% off makeup sale because..... let's be honest I would have definitely walked out with stuff and I don't need any new makeup right now.

Proactive Body Lotion (something new), Dr Lewinn's cleansing oil and glycolic acid cleanser, Antipodes Hosanna serum,
Burt's Bees lip balm in Acai, and a Cetaphil facial lotion with SPF 30.

I have never tried the Reversaderm Glycolic cleanser, but it has a high % of glycolic acid so I am excited to try it as an
'every-now-and-then' exfoliator. I stocked up on the cleansing oil because I still like this one the best out of all the ones I've tried.

Again this has to be my second or third bottle of this same serum - I have tried the Apostle and Antioxidant Worshop serum,
but in terms of bang for buck this one is the best - they all seem to do the same thing to be honest but just vary in price.

I am desperate for a sun protective cream for my face and have yet to find a holy grail product.
I am so so picky with sunscreen, because they all either have a sticky feel, a white cast, or smell like sunscreen.
(Or even worse, the Shiseido Ultimate one. Sorry, but I'm NOT a fan of the scent!)

After using these for about a week or two, everything seems to be going well. A major issue though was that the Cetaphil sunscreen expires Feb 2016! Literally right after I bought it - unfortunately Priceline don't do returns once the product is out of its packaging. Seriously though!

I bought the proactive body lotion because I seem to have tiny bumps on my stomach/chest area - usually where I get any allergic reaction from body products. I think it might be the aftermath or permanent damage left by all the shower gels and chlorine that my skin reacts to :( If you have sensitive skin (body) steer clear of any Pamolive products. I kid you not, almost every single Pamolive body product has given me some kind of rash on my abdomen, more than the number of times I'd like to admit seeing as I kept trying their products even after severe reactions.

The Dr' Lewinns glycolic cleanser turned out to be super gentle and mild (and I have moderately sensitive skin), so I like to leave it on for a minute or two before rinsing it off. Though I haven't noticed any dramatic changes in the texture of my skin yet. The lip balm however has got to be my favourite flavour of all the ones I have tried (Pomegranate, Coconut & Pear, Vanilla) because it doesn't leave that weird lip-balmy taste after the initial scent/flavour wears off.

So far so good! 

♥

Skincare Drama

My skin is acting seriously crazy recently, and I think it just may be a combination of not-so-great food choices, lack of a proper sleeping cycle, water, and unsuitability of the skin care products I'm currently using (including the type of Clarisonic brush head).

After switching to the Sanctuary Spa Hot Polishing Cleanser, I realised when I tried using it as a regular cleanser by rinsing it off with water that as nourishing as it was, it was too oily and rich for my combination skin.

So, I went out and bought a some new skincare products hoping that it will make a difference! I ran out of my Chia seed cream, and didn't want to buy a new one because I'm getting a few of them next year when a family member comes back from Korea.

Along the way, I also got a new hand cream because I have also run out of my Jurlique one. I have to admit, Antipodes stuff seems a bit gimmicky to me because the prices are quite high and not a lot of people say that the products do what they claim. But I do think you won't know anything until you actually try a product on your own skin.

The H20 plumping serum seemed to have pretty much the same ingredients as the Tone correcting serum, just without some extra added fancies. The price was much lower as well, so I purchased it for a good deal, $38 from priceline (there was a 20% off sale). Just a few drops is enough for the entire face (but it absorbs insanely fast so I have to spread it out as quickly as I can), and it leaves my skin feeling soft and moisturised in the lightest form of hydration possible. Great for oily/combination skin!

The hand cream is my new favourite - I love the smell so much! It smells like oranges and reminds me of orange chocolate. I don't need as much as I do with the Jurlique hand cream, and price-wise it is also cheaper. I think I will go back to this brand more often from now on.

The Moreish sensitive moisturiser is nothing amazing to be honest, I think it's just a cheaper version of any other natural New Zealand skincare brand (similar to Trilogy, Antipodes, etc), but the price is really great for what you get. I think it's a bit rich for my skin when I use both the products, but I think it would be a great moisturiser for winter.

After trying out a Sanctuary Spa product (which was so-so for me), I took a risk and snagged another product of the brand. I have to say, I am thoroughly impressed by this mask compared to the polishing cloth cleanser! It's amazeballs! I don't care much about the thermal shenanigans, it just feels hot when you first rub it in. But, after I rinse this off, my skin feels sooooooooo soft, soothed and hydrated! No new spots, reduced redness/swollen spots and supple skin the next morning, sweet.

Hopefully these new products will keep my spots at bay, considering I have a pretty decent skincare regime in removing my makeup properly, cleansing twice a day, applying toner and what not. So far, so good!

Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water

So I've heard about how amazing the Bioderma micelle solution is. My bank account however, does not justify spending so much on a bottle. Instead, I got this Garnier dupe, which I think is pretty amazing.

I compared how it did using a cotton pad and the solution vs a baby wipe, which is what I usually use to take off all my makeup. (If I have waterproof mascara on, I usually use an oil-based remover for it.) You can see how much solution I soaked the cotton pad with.

This is after I dabbed it gently onto one side of my face. I was wearing a very light foundation and no eye makeup. (Excuse the poor focus, I had no idea it turned out like this!)

I used the baby wipe on the other side of my face, and rubbed my makeup off. I did have to use some force, because it's a baby wipe.

First of all, I really do not like the feel and consistency of normal eye & lip removers (the ones that usually have an oil layer and watery layer which you mix). Sometimes they sting my eyes, or it feels like I got oil in my eyes and it gets all slimy.

The micellar solution was just like water, maybe with some kind of viscosity, but I could barely tell. So it felt really good to work with, even though all you had to do was pat it on your skin. No rubbing or anything, it's kind of like magic. As you can tell, the baby wipe didn't get that much off considering I was rubbing it on my face.

For $11.99, I think it was quite a success! I would really love to try the Bioderma one day though, to see if it's any better than the Garnier version. But honestly, the price difference is way out of hand and the Garnier one does a pretty good job!

Skincare

People often comment on how nice my skin is, I guess I am partially blessed with decent skin as well as putting effort into making sure it's clean and taken care of. However, my skin is just as prone to blemishes, enlarged pores, pimples and discolouration as much as anyone else.

I have combination skin - my t-zone is really oily, but sometimes my cheeks and around my lips can be quite dry. I tend to break out around my nose, hairline and forehead, so 2/3 times it won't be too obvious. Combination skin is really annoying, you don't quite know which products to use - nourishing creamy products, or squeaky clean bubbly products?

My skincare routine changes time to time, but my rule is to always cleanse, tone and moisturise twice a day. I have tried a lot of products despite having relatively okay skin, but now I have found some 'holy grail' products, or stuff that seems to work well with my skin.

My go-to day cleanser is a Burt's Bees deep cleansing soap bark and chamomile cream cleanser. People I know who have tried it says it burns their skin and doesn't feel very"clean" after. Despite having relatively sensitive skin, it's wonderful on my skin as long as I don't rub it near my eyes!

Unfortunately I ran out of it and it is SO hard to find it in Australia as well as being overpriced, so Julia got me one from America yay! Until I see her, I am using the Neutrogena Naturals cleanser and scrub (I alternate days so I don't over-exfoliate).

Cleanser - $14.99 (Priceline), Scrub - $14.99 (Priceline)

I would say that it does the job, but it's no where near as refreshing as my favourite Burt's Bees cleanser and it seems to leave a film after rinsing off - I'm guessing it's to moisturise and prevent all the oils being stripped off.

At night, I use a Clarisonic brush with the Clarisonic Gentle Hydro cleanser - this combination seems to do well for me. I've been using these this year, and so far so good. I actually prefer the sensitive (white) brush head, I had no idea I was buying regular when I got the grey one.

Cleanser - $32 (Myer, Mecca), Clarisonic - Gift

I think these products are really good together - it's not foamy (most of my products aren't) but it gets rid of residual makeup and feels great after. (You can literally see left over makeup on the brush after!) I also don't replace the head every 3 months (hehehe naughty me), but I take ridiculously good care of it - I clean it and dry it properly every night.

Because I have combination skin, using things for just oily skin tend to make my skin feel dry and tight, but using dry skin products obviously don't leave my skin feeling clean. So I opt for 'deep' cleansing creams/milks that moisturise the skin without stripping off every ounce of oil, but cleans well enough to remove all those dirty things.

After cleansing, I tone with my Burt's Bees Radiance toner, again a staple in my routine. I also use the Priceline cotton pads - every other one I've tried seems to be terrible - it has stitching that scrapes against my skin, or it falls apart mid-use. 

Toner - $24.95 (Priceline), Cotton pads - $3.49 (Priceline)

I usually experiment the most with moisturisers because I can't seem to fight the perfect one, until I grabbed this chia seed one from The Face Shop in Korea. I liked it so much that I paid almost twice the normal price at a Korean grocery store here, and got the regular full size. Previously I had a mini set of lotion-toner-cream and only liked the cream. It's really great for combination skin - its quite hydrating, but it's super watery and light that it dissolves right into the skin and leaves it feeling 'dry-soft' - you know, when your skin is all moisturised and soft but you can't feel anything on there.

Chia seed cream - $28 (Korean grocery store)

I rarely use body moisturiser, but when I do, I use a baby one that's mostly natural ingredients. I like to use natural ingredients in most of my products because I think my skin is quite sensitive to parabens, SLS, SLES, fragrances and especially alcohol.

And don't forget that hand cream, I wash my hands so often they're always dry. I usually go for my Jurlique one, but when I am feeling like putting on a generous dollop, I use any old cheaper alternative.

Johnson's hand cream - $4 (Drugstore?), Jurlique hand cream - $57 (Myer)