EMPTIES: TOP 10 EMPTIES PRODUCTS FROM 2018 - (HALF) 2019

I've made “Empties 2018 - (half) 2019” video and uploaded it on my Youtube Channel, but it might be too long to watch (unless you have so much spare time to watch). So, I made highlighted products that are really really good and worth to try on this blog post. 
Note that there is no particular order for this top 10 products

The best shampoo I’ve ever used. I used to use drug store shampoos since I was a kid. Since I came across the world of beauty on YouTube and got to know more about harmful ingredients in our toiletries, I started to pay attention to the ingredients whenever I bought beauty products. This shampoo lives up to its name, perfect hair day. Since I use this shampoo, my scalp is less oily, but not drying. The only problem with my hair is it easily break and this shampoo kinda minimizes it. I haven’t tried out the conditioner yet, but I probably going to try it out when I repurchase this shampoo. The scent is pretty nice, despite they don’t add artificial fragrance to it. This product is definitely worth to try. Find the most suitable formula for your hair.

My holy-grail product of all time! This product saves my skin on scorching hot days in Korea (41 degrees is not a joke). I didn’t get sunburn even though the sun is streaking right to my bones. The formula is ultra-light so it doesn’t feel greasy at all. Plus no white marks at all. I made a full review of this product on my “Sunscreen Battle” post and you can read it here.

The best finding I’ve ever found on the internet. Not many people reviewed this product even though it was that good. One Korean department store has this brand on it, so actually, it was that legit. I really liked this product and I’ve still remembered the texture and the scent of this product. Full review about this product is up on my blog, you can read it here.

This serum is my holy grail product on the list. I’ve used up two bottles of it and I have a good experience with it. Let me emphasize this again, this serum is not meant for specific problem tackling product. This serum is good for prep your skin, especially when you do the 7-steps Korean Skincare thing.

Ever since I used this product, my skin looks brighter and less red. It is one of my holy grail products if I could say. The ingredients are mostly natural extracts, so it is safe for all skin types. This product was made by Korean Midas’s hands in the world of beauty, Son Dae Sik and Park Tae Yoon. So, in one word, this product is LEGIT. This multi-purpose product can act as a toner or cleansing water. I haven’t tried it on waterproof mascara yet, but I guess it can work too!

This moisturizer is not the thick-type moisturizer like you used to know. This moisturizer is the typical Korean moisturizer. It is lightweight and watery. It is very good for oily and sensitive skin types because you don’t need to rub and the water portion is bigger than any other ingredients. The smell is quite calming, so it was very good for night time. I don’t use a moisturizer at day time, because it’s hot here in Indonesia, so I don’t layer lots of product on day time (But, when it’s winter, you probably need this regime!). I haven’t found any toxic ingredients on this product, where The Faceshop mostly use parabens on its products, so I might repurchase this thing again.

I found this brand thanks to Imjenim. What I love from this product is the wipes are soft and smell pretty good. Cucumber extract good for bloating and refreshing at the same time. They have several variants, but I haven’t tried it. Out of all the options they spread, I think I like this variant the best.

The cushion market in Korea is extremely fierce up until now. I’ve just tried 2 cushions from hundreds of options in the market and one of them is IOPE Air Cushion XP. Actually, I recommended this to my mom, but she didn’t see it good for her (but then, she bought another IOPE cushion though), so she gave it to me. I really liked this cushion because it is full coverage but not tacky. It also gives you the “Korean glow” like you see on the ads. I’m going to try another cushion next time I go to Korea, but definitely going to repurchase the refill for this cushion!

Too bad Skinfood has to close down. I really liked this foot scrub because it was that good. It smells good and really soften harden skin. I’m open to a new foot scrub because my foot is super ugly.

This eye cream is my first eye cream ever and I’ve finished two jars of it. I’ve reviewed this product on my blog, where you can read it here. I wrote that I couldn’t find the negativity of this product, it’s because I haven’t read the ingredients properly. Packaging and texture-wise it was all I needed for back then. Since I’m getting older, I tend to find more effective ingredients inside my skincare products. I’m so excited to try out “Avocado Eye Cream” from Kiehls because avocado helps with moisturizing, which will make our eyes less dry. Dryness might lead to show aging marks.

Wow! That’s pretty a lot. Well, those 10 products are my favorite products, but not all of them might not suitable for you. I’m so sad that Skinfood has to close down and I don’t have any foot scrub anymore. So, I’m open to new recommendations from you. Thank you so much for reading till this far and much more thanks if you finished watching my video too. I’ll see you soon! (I haven’t planned anything yet for my blog, but I will see you soon!)

Disclaimer: credit to Google Images for Innisfree, IOPE, Son and Park, Bobbi Brown, and Yesto photos.

Facial Cleanser A-Z: Part 2

Hello! I’m back with this series after 2/3 years. I remembered doing it the first time when I was in Lombok doing my internship. Now, I’ve tried another 5 facial cleansers that took some time to try. I’m sorry it took a while, because I finished all the product first before trying the other one. And most of the cleanser has 200ml worth of product so it took a while to finished it. So, let's get started!

F for (The) Face Shop

It was just like your regular cleansing foam. Foamy, creamy, and it has a lot of product in one tube. It almost took a year to finished this product. So, 170ml was a lot guys! At some time, I got bored using this product and wanted to finished this product ASAP. lol. This particular line has several flavor/scent/main ingredient. The one that I used was the mung beans extract one. Mung bean is rich with vitamin and will nourish your skin. I have nothing to complain about this cleansing foam until I found out that this contain paraben. Well, if you don’t mind about paraben, feel free to try this product or the other one. I’ve mentioned it on my Empties 2017 video about this product, but here are the detailed review.

Texture

Texture wise, this product has a creamy texture and lathers easily. It was smooth to your skin and you wanna play with it for some time.

Scent

It doesn’t have a strong scent to it, so for sensitive people out there, it is definitely safe to try this product. I can’t smell the mung bean scent at all. So, I guess the extract was just a few percent.

Result

After using this product, you can find it is brighten your skin instantly. But, after a few hours later, your skin color is going back to normal. It says that it is suitable for all skin types, but at some point I found that this product can be drying too. So, if you have dry and sensitive skin it is better to not use all skin type products. When I have my period, my skin can be a troublesome. After I used this product, my skin feels too tight and drying. So, you better watch out to try this product. But on normal days, I don’t have anything to complain about. It cleanses your face perfectly, but doesn’t leave a squeaky clean feeling at all.

Repurchase?

No, because of it contains paraben. Actually, most of the road shop product does contain paraben. I didn’t realize the ingredients because I’m not the one who bought it. My friend ask for a favor to buy this product for her and I got one from it. I also realized it after this product was almost finished. It doesn’t effect my skin, but I'm on the mission to minimize using parabens to my face and body, even hair.

G for Grown Alchemist

I was scrolling on a beauty site then I came across a post regarding “Indie beauty brands you know need to know”. The site mentioned Grown Alchemist and I found out it’s an Australian brand. I asked my brother to bought it for me and the price is not as expensive as I thought. At first, I couldn’t think of a brand beginning with “G” and actually, I wanted to try Glossier products, but I couldn’t remember it at all. So, I get my hands on this product and couldn’t not to love it. Search on Google and mostly you can only see the good reviews of this product, because it’s that good.

Texture

The best mild cleanser I’ve tried so far! It’s the upgraded texture of Jurlique’s one. It is mild and feels so good on skin. The solution is clear, similar to a water, so it feels so light. The foam is not burdening, but it cleanse your face perfectly.

Scent

Of course, another reason I love this cleanser is because of the scent. It has a calming scent, because it consist of natural ingredients such as geranium leaf, rose bud, chamomile, and much more. The scent combination is so perfect. Not a burdening chemical perfumed scent, but a natural scent feeling that using this product is like you go to a spa.

Result

The picture couldn’t show perfectly how my skin changes, but after using it everyday, my skin feels healthier and pores are getting smaller. Well, at least, it doesn’t get bigger. I used this cleanser while I’m in Indonesia and Korea. I’ve used this during summer, fall, and winter days and it still gave the same result. So, wherever you are, whenever it is, you can always use this product. This cleanser is a true gentle cleanser, because after use it doesn’t feel dry and no squeaky clean feeling. Especially on winter days (yes, I know the winter days struggles), you need a lot of moisture and this cleanser can save your time and your skin care products, because they still leave the good moisture of your skin.

Before

After

Repurchase?

DEFINITELY! Recently, I went to a shopping center in Korea and they have Grown Alchemist shop there! So excited to try out the other products from this brand because it’s natural and smells so goooood!

H for Holika Holika

Remember my super Korean Haul on 2016? Finally I’m finishing that cute novel facial cleanser (even though almost quarter of it spill out when I brought it to Korea). Actually it was nice for the first few times because of the Konyak brush attached on it. At first I used this product once a week, then when I use this everyday, I didn’t find this foam anything special. It does cleanse the dirt with or without the brush but, the more I use this my skin feels tight-dry.

Texture

The texture is smooth yet foamy and light. If you know about Snow Whip from Senka, it was something like that. Senka’s one is creamy foam like a whip cream, but this one is lighter.

Scent

Even though it was filled with artificial fragrance, but I still like the scent. It was more like a sweet and fresh scent.

Result

I don’t have any specific comments for the result. One thing for sure is I have a satisfying feeling when I used the konyak brush. I don’t know why but it feels refreshing. As you can see below, there is no big difference before and after using. But surely, it cleans the dirt.

Before

After

Repurchase?

Maybe no. I don’t really fancy the product solution, so I don’t think I’m going to repurchase this specific product just because of the konyak brush attached. I could use another facial brush if I want the perfect clean skin.

I for Isoi

Two years ago, I began to know this brand. I had list of brands beginning with “I”, but I’m not into it with the others. Then I search the best facial cleanser on Glowpick (this app will show the ingredients included and tell you if it is safe or not). Then I spot this cleanser. Not their best selling product, but it’s worth the try. I didn’t know that Isoi is almost a higher-end brand, but oh well. I fell in love with the Bulgarian Rose Serum, so I’m expecting a surprising result from this facial cleanser too.

Texture

The best creamy texture in this section. It’s like a fresh cream, white, thick, and feels good on skin.

Scent

They have a bit of calming scent. Chamomile, rosemary, lavender, and many more extract are included inside. I didn’t know the English name of the ingredients unless it is an English name. lol. Anyways, there are like 12 plant based oil and extracts that made up a subtle scent. If you are looking another option rather than the Grown Alchemist one, you can opt for this one. They have a mutual scent.

Result

This product said that “cleaning till the pores, only moisture left” and I couldn’t really figure out the moisture from inside of my skin, but my skin feels like a baby skin after cleansing. It’s also a different feeling when you use a moisturizer. But it’s a good preparation for layers of skin care.

Before (look at that dry hands 😭)

After

Repurchase?

Yes! But I’’l waiting for a sale period to buy this again. Plus, I’m curious with the other products of isoi. They have another type of cleanser but it’s more expensive, so I didn’t end up buying that one.

J for Jurlique

Finally trying out this famous brand from Australia! I’m excited to try this product at first. Since I asked my friend a favor, I didn’t smell or know much about the product. It turns out that I didn’t really like the scent even though it has a rose extract inside. The facial foam is not on a creamy texture side, but a liquid one. I’m rarely use this kind of facial cleanser. Also, I’m worried that it doesn’t form foam like I wanted. But this product has its own charm, it cleanse out dirt on your faces with minimal foam. Most of all, this product is free from paraben and using mostly natural ingredients. YAY!

Texture

As I’ve said earlier, this product has a liquid texture. It forms foam but not as much as creamy texture or the real foaming cleanser.

Scent

I thought I’m going to love the rose scent. It turns out products with rose petals extract doesn’t have a really appealing scent, but still have a nice one. They have a lot of natural ingredients inside, that’s why the scent can changes over time. When the first time I used it on my face, the scent quite strong, it’s quite suffocating. (I couldn’t really describe the scent in words) Over the time, the scent became less strong, but it doesn’t get pleasant.

Result

At first, the result is quite disappointing. Maybe, when the first time I used it, my skin was not capable to receive the effect from this cleanser. I got a very tight feeling skin and I got some bumps on several spots. I thought maybe because it contains alcohol. But, it didn’t stop me to keep on using it. The later I use, it has a pretty good result. It doesn’t give any tight feeling anymore, cleaned my face very well, and no more bumps. It does effective in improving discoloration in the long-run. This product is specifically write to balancing skin. I think it doesn’t mean pH balance, but balancing your color skin tone. Because this product contain alcohol, it can feel tight. But, quite effective in the long-run to even out the skin tone. 

Before

After

Also, I have a bad opinion about the pump head (packaging), which is inconvenient. It is quite short so, it looks dirty and there will be always a leftover on the neck of the pump. But, I think they have a new packaging which is better now.

Repurchase?

Maybe yes. I really like the brand and love to try the other products too. So, this one might come up on my repurchase list. I’ll see my finance condition at the time of purchase, if its fit, I’ll repurchase it.

It’s been 2/3 years since I started the first one (read the A-E part here). It took a while to try out 5 products because I tried to finished all the products first to gave honest and fullest review of each product. Thank you for keeping up to this point and I’m excited to tried other brand’s facial cleanser soon! I’m open for recommendations for K-O brands. Also, if you have tried the products I’ve mentioned before, share with me in the comments section!

P.S: I tried so hard to take the before-after photos, but it's harder than I thought. And I think I need to know more tips and tricks to beauty review shots! So, I'm sorry if I can't show the fullest result. 

2018 is gonna end soon and I’m going to have a reflection post soon on the blog and I’m finally revealing my 2018 Mask Sheet Journey on my YouTube channel. So stay tune!

xoxo,

Jennifer

BEAUTY: Summer Korean Hauls! (Late Post) X Etude House X The Faceshop

Hi there! I apologize for the late of this post. Today, I'm going to post my Korean Hauls this summer. It has a lot of things, so I'm going to separate it into 2 parts. This post is about my Etude House and The Faceshop hauls. and the other post is about Inisfree hauls and some other things I bought in Korea. If you want me to post my holiday in Korea, just leave a comment here! :)  

So, the first one is Etude House hauls! I went to their shop for 2 or 3 times, but I didn't buy much for myself. I bought a lots of things here for my friends, mom, and for buying souvenirs.

Dust Cut Facial Mist

I purchased this mist because I thought it might help during the days I spent on walking by foot and living in Jakarta (with those pollution surround me). I don't know if its really effective or not, but the mist is awesome! It does not taste bitter (you know mists sometime came into your mouth), feel refreshing, and smells good. The packaging itself also simple and neat, it doesn't look like the typical cute packaging of Etude House. This product cost for KRW 9,500 or $9.50. 

Princess Happy Ending Belle Rose Cheek Blusher

Finally, I got a new blush! Even though it was almost the same shade with the one I have now, but I can alternate it or have another back up of blusher. I purchased the Princess Edition one because it just so pretty. :3 I haven't try it out until now, so I'll make a review about it later. I've check out for the price on the website, but I can't found it anymore. Maybe it was just for a limited time. So, I'm happy to have the limited edition one. :D

Etoinette Crystal Shine Lips

 I purchased something I didn't use often, which is lipstick. I don't like using lipstick or lipgloss, but I became use of it. So, I decided to buy one, because I don't have a proper lipstick. Usually, I borrowed my mom, which have a different taste of color for lipstick. I bought the Etoinette line, which is quite pricey but, the packaging looks classy. I haven't try this out, but the color was so pretty. I bought in shade #002. The lipstick cost for KRW 13,000 or $13.00.

Play 101 Pencil

The cute sharpie

Last but not least on my Etude House's hauls, the famous Play 101 Pencil. I saw this product on the Instagram and their website. I'm very sure to buy this whenever I visit Etude House. I bought 3 colors which are, brown (#50), glittery pink (#6), and shimmery broken white (#5). I purchased those 3 colors because they are going to be used by me often. They have a lots of color, like a pencil color! This product can act as a eyeliner, eyeshadow, and lip liner. It's a multifunction product! This only cost for KRW 6,000 or $6.00. It's quite cheap for the function given.

Next up is The FaceShop hauls!

Luminous Perfume Face Powder

 Yeay! I got my own loose powder. Before, I chose to purchased this, I search on the internet which is the best loose powder, and this came in 4th place. It's affordable and good, who didn't want to have it? It has a strong scent, because it is perfumed, so if anyone have allergic to strong scent, I didn't recommend it. The packaging also good and PINK! :D I don't remember the price, but it was not as pricey as other loose powder.

White Jewel Peeling

 Bought a peeling gel/scrub just because my regular one was almost finished. Since I want to try out the other brand and I saw it on The Faceshop display rack, I bought this. I don't know anything about it, so I just chose from the rating on the packaging. There are 4 variants with different of main ingredients. I chose the pearl one, because the rating for both harshness and moisturizing are 4 stars. I'll give this a try after I've finished my It's Skin Mangowhite Peeling gel (read my review here). The Faceshop's peeling gel/scrub cost for KRW 7,900 or $7.90.

Daily Beauty Tools Blusher and Shading Brush

I'm in a mission to have makeup brushes. Actually, I wanted to buy the Sigma brush or Real Technique brush, but I didn't get the chance to buy it and it's quite pricey. Since I don't do make up everyday, so I just bought what I really needed. I don't have a blusher brush and I just bought an Etude House blush that doesn't come with the applicator. So, I have a good reason to buy one. The brush itself looks good and have a clean cut. The brush cost for KRW 7,000 or $7.00. Isn't it cheap?

Trendy Nails Nail Polish (es)

I really wanted to have a Christmas themed nail since I'm into beauty stuffs. I don't really like using nail polish, actually. Just on some occasions, I wear nail polishes. So I decided to buy white and red nail polish. Actually, I've bought the white one in Innisfree, but I just realized I bought another white in the Faceshop. The Faceshop has a promo for their nail polish, it's buy 1 get 1 free. yeay! I like free stuffs. Since it only cost for KRW 2,000 or $2.00, how come I don't hestitate to buy 4 colors. The rule is you buy the same variant. For example the basic one with the basic one, or the glitter one with the glitter one. I got white, red, gold, and glitter white.

Since the Korean beauty shop always generous with samples and gifts, I got a small mirror. Isn't it look like Anna Sui's mirror? Btw, there are a lot of samples, masks, gifts I got from my hauls, but I didn't post it here, because it's just too much! Hehe.

That's all for part 1 hauls! Keep on reading for the part 2. :)

 Thanks!