Empties 2020 - 2021 Top 8 Products

Finally, I’m back with my talking video after a long time. Revealing my 2 years' worth of emptied products here! All of the products are revealed in the video and on this blog, I’ll just feature the top 8 only.

One of my best findings on the internet. I was introduced to this brand thanks to Morgan from My Beauty Breakdown. I bought this product to substitute the Dr. Jart Acne Spot Treatment that I used to use to fight my skin troubles or acnes. I loved the Dr. Jart one, but it has reached the point that it can’t fight my skin troubles. This product still works awesomely even though I’ve used three tubes of it.

The product consists of a series of natural ingredients such as tea tree oil, aloe vera, phellinus linteus (a kind of mushroom), and witch-hazel (a kind of flower). Since the product is gel-type and transparent, it can be used day and night. And that’s what I like the most about this product. Compared to the other spot treatments that I’ve tried, transparency is what I needed the most in the spot treatment product. Depending on how severe is my trouble, the treatment might take some time, but most of the time, it works pretty fast. And it doesn’t really leave scars at most of the time. This product is my must-haves skincare product in my cabinet.

Holy grail products that lived up to its’ name. I really had a pleasant experience with this product. I rarely have redness on my skin and it brightens my skin. After I finished, this product, I used other niacinamide serums and I couldn’t really say I am satisfied enough with the result as I do with The Ordinary one.

The next morning after I use this product, I feel my face brighter and most of all I don’t have serious skin trouble while using the product. After I finished this product, I started to have very severe skin trouble and up until now, the marks are still visible. I understand why people love this product and I still couldn’t find a better version of this serum yet.

Remember my Bath and Body Works haul back in 2015? I finally finished the last bottle of it. Lol. I think the product has expired, but it still smells fine and I don’t have any skin problems, so I guess it’s still valid.

I really love this Cherry Blossom shower gel. It is refreshing yet enough sweet. I don’t really like sweet scents, but this one has a subtle sweetness so I liked it. Definitely my must-have scent in Bath and Body Works. I’m currently finishing the body lotion one, so see it on my next empties later on.

One of the best deodorants that I’ve tried so far. It is unscented, which I really love compared to other deodorant sprays. The other products have good smells, but sometimes it can be burdensome. And after all, perfume is made from alcohol, so it’s not really the best option out there.

I am trying my best to avoid beauty products that contain alcohol and perfume. Even for my hands, I prefer washing my hands with soap rather than using hand sanitizer whenever possible.

Simple’s cleansing tissue was great! The tissue was soft and a bit textured, which wiped-off all the makeup and semi-peel off the skin. It was satisfying while use the product. Compared to my previous fave, the YesTo cleansing wipes, this product is like the upgraded version. I love how they choose to texturize the tissue. As for the formula, I just love that it is simple, like its’ name!

I bought this product back in 2017 when I was visiting my brother in Australia. After a few years, Simple is on sale at drugstores in Indonesia. So, getting my hands on this product is just a reach of hand.

I’ve been using Nair products since I was in senior high school. Out of all the products I’ve used, this one is the most comfortable one to use, except the turner was kinda a bummer. Regarding the formula, I didn’t find any much difference with the Nair products that are sold in the Indonesian drugstores. It’s just I really liked the idea of the glide-on.

I really love Innisfree’s makeup products. One of them is this stick concealer. Finally finishing a makeup product is very satisfying and rewarding. Especially, with thousands of new products every day, it was quite hard to finish off the product. The urge to try a new product was quite big, but I nailed to finish it.

The formula of this stick concealer is more on the creamier side. The coverage is satisfying enough for small acnes and semi-red skin. Since it’s a stick concealer, it is travel friendly and I brought this concealer whenever I travel. The product is also blend-well even with hands, but I didn’t recommend it that way. Well, I really loved this product.

Finally, I finished up one out of three of my 3CE Lip Lacquer set. The first color that I finished is called Bon Bon. I really loved this shade. Ever since I bought this product, I practically use this shade most of the time. Finding the perfect shade for your lip is like finding a soulmate. I really feel confident and joyful whenever I use my favorite shade. One out, two more to go.

I know there are lots of new products launched every day, but keep in mind to finish what you’ve started unless it doesn’t suitable for your skin. The reason I make this post is not to make you buy it too, but just to share a piece of information and review regarding the products. Let’s become a smarter and wiser consumers.

Thank you for reading up on this part. I’ll share more useful information in the future. Please keep your support towards me. Have a wonderful day!

Travel Diary: Tokyo || Episode 1: Timeless

Hi all, it’s been a long time since I posted my travel diary. Currently, I have some spare time and I finally got some time to finally edit my travel videos so, here I am posting the detailed story of my trip to Tokyo back in 2019. I will divide it into a few episodes here. Watch the video version here and please help to give it a like and share!

The first day to explore Tokyo! My cousin and I decided to walk around Tokyo on foot and by train. We started the day pretty early and we took the regular MRT to the Asakusa area since our JR Pass is not activated yet at that time. With minimal Japanese vocabulary and insufficient maps application, my cousin and I bravely took the MRT train to the Asakusa area. We finally entered the MRT but we got off at the wrong stop. We hurriedly get off the train then my phone slipped and landed at the tactile paving. A few seconds later, I saw my phone’s LCD cracked badly. In less than 24 hours since I arrived in Japan, I had an incident already. I wanted to cry, but it’s too absurd until I can’t express my feelings.

After that incident, we finally arrived at Asakusa, the heart of Tokyo’s past unfolds. I was intrigued by the authentic tendon shop that I saw on Instagram and it was located right behind Sensoji Temple. So, I decided to visit the Asakusa area on our first full day in Tokyo. Not only because of the culinary that I would like to try, but I think for a first-time visitor, visiting Japanese temples is a necessity.

Kaminarimon, the Thunder Gate

As soon as we arrived at Asakusa station, the big red lantern greeted us. At that time many people from all over the world visited Sensoji Temple, one of the oldest temples in Japan. As soon as I arrived in Asakusa, I totally forgot about my cracked phone. I feel excited and the feeling that I am in Japan was getting more real. We passed through the big lantern at the front gate of Sensoji Temple, known as Kaminarimon or Thunder Gate and we took the left side street. 

Daikokuya Tempura

Instagenic front face

A few meters from there, I finally found the tendon shop I wanted to visit, Daikokuya Tempura. I don’t usually like tiger prawn tempura and rarely eat tendon. But, after I saw a post of this shop’s front face on Instagram, I decided to visit here. The shop is relatively medium-sized and it is two-story. They actually have expanded their original shop and have an annex building right next to it. And I got to eat at the annex building. 

Small-sized stools and tables fill in the shop and I can feel the traditional Japanese vibes. I arrived at around brunch time (they opened at 11AM) and almost half of the guests were the locals. Thankfully, they had the English menu, even though they only sell like two or three menus. Also, they have pictures!

I ordered Tendon A which consists of prawn, kisu fish (Japanese whiting), and mixed tempura. The regular tendon or tempura, in general, has a crunchy texture and is light-colored. But, the tendon that Daikokuya serves is quite different. It has dark-colored and moist. The batter is mixed with some kind of soy sauce and sesame oil for Edomae tempura which make the color darker and taste salty-sweet. It also has a hint of spiciness, which makes the food more flavorful and less boring. I really love Japanese rice and choosing tendon as an opening was a really good choice.

After a hearty meal, my cousin and I took some pictures before heading to Sensoji Temple. I really love the pictures I took in front of the shop and the nearby area. That day, the weather was so good and there were big and fluffy clouds. I guess that’s what makes all of my photos look good.

I & My Omikuji captured with a disposable camera

Before we really entered the shrine, we tried to get our Omikuji or written fortune. I don’t really believe in fortune, but we took this just for fun. It was written on how to take Omikuji that if we got a good fortune, we should not be arrogant and careless. They both wrote what to do if we get bad or good fortune. I think that is a very important thing.

Thankfully, I got a pretty good fortune even though I just dropped my phone earlier. The Chinese believe that bad lucks may disguise good fortune. So, I’ll take my phone breaks as an incoming good fortune in disguise. Fast forward to November 2019, I finally received good luck! So, I guess my first day in Tokyo is to take away my bad omen for the upcoming day ahead.

There is a water fountain on the right side corner of Sensoji Temple, called Chozuya / Temizuya. Just like any other worship place, purifying is symbolized by water, so cleaning yourself before entering the worship place is necessary. 

Even though I’m not a Buddhist, temples, and shrines fascinate me. I was expecting a serene and quiet temple, just like the temple I saw in Korea. I was quite surprised at the time I entered the main hall of Sensoji Temple because it was quite crowded with people and it wasn’t as quiet as I expected. But after all, it was an amazing experience.

After some walk-around the temple, we came across a matcha or green tea specialized shop nearby. I am not a fan of Japanese green tea, but Ossuloc (a Korean green tea specialized shop) and this shop in Tokyo changed my thoughts about matcha. The shop we visited is called Yanagi-Chaya. The store was opened in 2018 and they use premium-quality green tea from Uji, Kyoto. 

We ordered the best seller mochi (glutinous rice cake) with matcha ice cream and roasted green tea boba drink. For refreshment, the menu we chose was perfect. It wasn’t too sweet nor too bitter. Just right. Also, it was good to cool down our body because we walk around outside for more than 2 hours, and this green tea ice cream, and boba drink flush all of the heat.

Candid Nakamise Street captured by my cousin

We passed by the Nakamise Shopping street as we walked our way out from the Asakusa area. The shopping street is about 250 meters long and it connects the first gate to the second one, called Hozomon. There were many souvenir shops and snack stalls along the Nakamise shopping street. I didn’t buy anything there and I regret it now.

The view while waiting for the traffic lights

Sumida River

Tokyo Skytree captured at 1 PM

Our next destination is the Ginza area. But, to reach there we need to go to Asakusa Station, and on our way there, we passed by the Sumida River, also we saw the Asahi Beer Museum from across the road, and Tokyo Sky Tree as the background. We walked at 1PM and it was really hot. But, it was worth the miles and I’ll count it to burn some calories.

I don’t have a special reason to visit the Ginza area, but my cousin does. She wanted to buy some things there because Ginza is one of Japan’s shopping heaven. There were lots of branded flagship stores. When I stepped out of the Ginza station, the vibes were totally different from the Asakusa area. I feel transported to the modern days right away. There were tall buildings and cars passing by along the main street.

The first thing that welcomed us when we exit the train station is The Nissan Crossing. I never saw Nissan’s sports cars before and I know it’s lame, but I was stunned. There is also Wako Department Store with Seiko clock on it, across the street that I saw while we were waiting for the traffic lights. This reminds me of the H&M Flagship store in Melbourne, where they repurposed an old building giving it a new life. The Wako Department Store was rebuilt in 1932 and ever since then, it became the icon of Ginza. My cousin didn’t really get what she wanted, so we head back to Shinjuku.

Arrived in Shinjuku, we headed for our early dinner. I just realized it was our second meal yet. We went to Gyu-katsu Motomura to try out the original Gyu-katsu. I have tried a few Gyu-katsu in Indonesia, but surely the meat quality is different and it makes the whole meal taste differently. Also, Japanese rice is my favorite type of rice, and thanks to it all of my meals in Japan taste very good. By the time we arrived there weren’t many guests yet, even though it was a famous restaurant and I heard that guests should line up to get their Gyu-katsu. Thankfully, we didn’t have to line up and could get our hands on their Gyu-katsu easily.

We ordered the smallest set one set each. Each set consists of Gyu-katsu, rice, soup, and cabbage salad. It was such a hearty meal to end the day.

My first full day in Tokyo was like living as a transporter. In the morning, I was taken back to the past and in the evening I was transported to the present day. I got to experience the best of both worlds. If I happened to visit Tokyo again, I would definitely cruise over the Sumida River and explore the other part of the Asakusa area.

References:

https://livejapan.com/en/in-tokyo/in-pref-tokyo/in-tokyo_train_station/article-a0002059/

Daikokuya Tempura full English menu: http://www.tempura.co.jp/english/

http://www.meetrip.to/asakusa_2.html

https://www.timeout.com/tokyo/restaurants/yanagi-chaya

https://www.gotokyo.org/en/spot/73/index.html

https://www.japanistry.com/wako/

https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/14504618