Skincare Empties 2016!

I’m so glad to get round to doing an empties post because I really need to clear out space to fit all the new skincare I bought in my Korea haul and it’s just so satisfying when you finish old products to make way for trying new ones!

These are basically my empties since the start of the year up until now. I’ve reviewed of few of these already so my view of these products may have changed slightly since then.

---

CLEANSERS

• Innisfree Olive Real Cleansing Foam – This is still one of the cleansers I like the most out of the Korean ones I’ve tried. Feels like it cleans the skin well but it’s not drying at all.
• Missha Fermented Citron Cleansing Foam – nice citrus scent and consistency is more on the creamy side than foamy. Doesn’t leave your face as soft as the Innisfree one but I know my mum likes it more for giving her the ‘clean feeling’. However, it’s not to the extent of giving you the tight squeaky clean feeling so this is still gentle enough for most skin types.
• Scinic Honey Banana Cleansing Foam – thicker and more creamy than the other 3 so it needs more water to lather up. Just really not a fan of the strong banana smell.

---

MAKEUP REMOVERS

• Banila Co. Clean It Zero – Still love this makeup remover for how effective it is in removing stubborn and waterproof makeup. The only complaint is that it makes my vision temporarily blurry if it gets in my eyes and the scent is slightly artificial. I am currently using the sensitive version (green jar) which has no scent so I prefer it a lot more over this regular version. (Full review)
• Innisfree Apple Juicy Emulsion Lip and Eye remover – from my initial review I wasn’t too keen on this but the more I used it the more I really enjoyed it. It works well to remove eye makeup without tugging and I really appreciate how it doesn’t leave my eye area greasy or oily after use so I don’t feel the need to wash my face straightaway. (It will sting if it gets in your eye but once I tweaked the way I applied it on a cotton pad, it wasn’t an issue anymore). (Full review)
• Skinfood Black Sugar Perfect Cleansing Oil – my first cleansing oil. Had a great lemon scent and I liked the way it emulsified after applying but not as effective as the Banila Co. for removing makeup.

---

TONER/ESSENCES/SERUMS

• Etude House Wonder Pore Freshner – this 500ml version lasted me almost a whole year and considering I’m a skincare junkie, I never got bored of using this. It’s not a must have, and there are probably better toners out there, but for the price, it was very reliable and served its purpose as a toner. pH balancing, not drying and prepped my skin well for the rest of my skincare routine. Best of all, the pump application is so convenient and useful, I wish more products came like this. Currently reusing this bottle with my Mamonde Rose Water toner. (Full review)
• Missha Time Revolution The First Treatment Essence Intensive – I love the Korean skincare concept of fermented first essences for all the goodness it provides to your skin and this is a highly popular, (and more affordable) dupe of the Japanese SK-II facial treatment essence. However, I found this disappointing for the lack of results and there was no discernible difference to my skin whether I used it or not. Would not repurchase.
• Innisfree Soybean Energy Essence – another type of first treatment essence, only I loved the results I had with this one. With regular, continuous use it helped with redness, evened out my skin tone and improved my skin texture. It is a slightly more viscous, slimy texture compare to the Missha (which is like water), so it does give a better boost of hydration.
• Neulii Snail Bee Anti-Wrinkle Serum – I appreciated this the more I used it. It was great for when my skin was either oily, normal or dry. Not too heavy (if I wanted to layer with other serums when my skin was more dry), and not too light (if I wanted to use this as my only serum in hotter climates). Didn’t do much for my fine lines in the long term but the snail content really helped calm, hydrate and soothe my skin. I definitely recommend this over the Cosrx snail essence because it doesn’t feel as heavy on the skin and layers better with other products. (Full review)
• Innsifree Jeju Lava Seawater Essence – I will have a separate review of this coming up so I won’t go into too much detail, but this is a nice light essence that absorbs quickly and is especially suitable for oily-normal skin types and for hotter climates.
• Nature Republic Ginseng Royal Silk Essence – I LOVE this and have even bought 2 more backups. The packaging is awful but I can live with that because this essence is amazing and has some wonderful ingredients. A full review will be up in the future.

---

CREAMS

• Mizon All In One Snail Repair Cream – my first snail product so I’m very fond of this one, not to mention it also has one of the highest snail content compared to other snail creams. It’s very thin, lightweight and absorbs quickly but can’t really be used alone if your skin type isn’t oily because it isn’t moisturising enough. Although I really recommend this because it is so good for calming irritated, itchy and inflamed skin. (Full review)
• Innisfree Green Tea Seed Cream – I finished this cream right at the start of the year but I still remember how great it was, especially as a winter and/or night cream. When my skin leaned on the dry/tight side I would apply this and after a few days my skin would be back to its normal condition. So moisturising and also protects the skin with an occlusive film to prevent more moisture loss.  (Full review)
• Innisfree Green Tea Balancing Cream – Meh. I didn’t think it was light enough to be suitable for oily-combo skin but not moisturising enough for dry skin. I have normal skin and found this to be a bit too oily and heavy under makeup so I used it mostly at night and topped it off with a sleeping pack to seal in the moisture. Was ok to use but not one that I would repurchase or felt it had anything unique about it. Just a standard cream.
• Innisfree Jeju Lava Seawater Cream – I really liked this cream although I use it the opposite way to the Balancing Cream; it is lightly moisturising but doesn’t have that oily feel so its great for daytime under makeup. A review of this together with the essence will be coming up.
• Mizon Snail Repair Eye Cream – I finished this awhile ago so I don’t have the tube anymore, but it was nice, light and hydrating. Didn’t do anything for fine lines and dark circles though. (Full review)

---

ALMOST EMPTIES:

These are the products I’m very close to finishing:

• Innisfree Jeju Volcanic Pore Cleansing Foam – I like this almost as much as the Olive Cleansing Foam but this is better when my skin is more oily and my skin feels more grimey because it feels like it really cleans out the pores. (Full review)
• Etude House Lip & Eye Remover – the larger 250ml version lasts a surprisingly long time. It’s a bit oily for my liking but is really gentle and won’t sting if it gets in your eyes because it is alcohol free. I have repurchased a back up because it’s the best at dissolving stubborn mascara. (Full review)
• LJH Tea Tree 90 Essence – I only started loving this product when I was halfway through and finally understood the hype around it. I don’t really suffer from problem skin so I didn’t see much results for awhile, but when I used it for small skin irritations, pimples and bites, I saw a noticeable difference the next day. My skin would be calmer, pimples would be flatter and disappear quicker than if I hadn’t used it and it left less scarring/pigmentation. This definitely works wonders, yet doesn’t have the strong smell of pure tea tree oil and is surprisingly very hydrating and doesn’t dry the skin out. I’ll definitely be repurchasing when it goes on sale again.
• Innisfree Green Tea Seed Serum – this may look small but 80ml goes a long way! Have about 1 or 2 uses left out of this and while I love green tea and it smells nice, I don’t think I would repurchase. It is a simple hydrating serum but I now prefer serums that are more potent or target specific skin concerns. But this is a good all rounder if you’re just getting into skincare.  (Full review)

---

UNFINISHED

These are products I haven’t finished but I won’t be continuing to use for various reasons:

 

• Innisfree Super Volcanic Pore Clay Mask – I still stand by my review of this and the product works well, but after a few months it starts to dry up very quickly. I still have half a jar left which I haven’t been able to use since April (I bought it in October last year), so it’s quite a waste I have to bin it now. If I got this again I would opt for the mousse version which comes in a spray can bottle because it seems like it would have better longevity. (Full review)
• OST Vitamin C20 Serum – I’m still on the lookout for a new vitamin C serum to incorporate into my routine and this one sadly didn’t work for me. After application I really disliked the dry, tight and sticky feeling on my skin. I also didn’t see much difference in my skin at all. I’ve used up about 3/4 of the bottle and it has now oxidised and gone a darker orangey colour with an odd smell. Time to throw away because unstable vitamin C can be harmful to the skin.
• Innisfree Green Tea Cleansing Foam – horrible horrible horrible. This surprised me with how dry, tight and squeaky clean it made my skin because I’ve had good experiences with their other cleansers. The pH of this must be sky high because it really strips the skin of moisture and will harm it in the long term so I won’t be using up the rest of it. I even tried to re-purpose it as a body wash and I still couldn’t bare how dry and stiff it made my skin.
• Etude House Moistfull Collagen Cream – meh. This is neither bad nor good. I just find it a really generic, boring cream. I had high expectations since it was Etude’s bestseller but it doesn’t do much of anything for my skin and isn’t one I reach for among my other more exciting moisturisers. The few times I tried it, it felt a bit too oily for me too, so I used it as a night cream. I think I will pass this on to my mum because I think she’ll like it better than I do.
• Laneige Water Bank Essence_EX – I only used up half the bottle and gave the rest to my mum who appreciated this a lot more as she has more dry, mature skin. (Full review)

---

And that’s a wrap on my 2016 skincare empties and into the bin they go!