Skincare Empties! Serums, Essences, Moisturizers, and All That!

Another few months have passed, and with that more empties! Yes I have been trying to use up my products instead of just accumulating them (because truth be told as a beauty junkie you do accumulate a LOT after a short period of time). Anyway over the past few months, I (with a little help from some of my family members) have managed to accumulate quite the literal pile of products. Behold! My empties!

As usual, I wait for months until my empties pile up to the high heavens before it occurs to me to do an empties post, LOL

Since these are a lot to get through, they're going to be split into two parts - skincare, and makeup. We'll start with the skincare first. Basically every face product you can think of - lotions, essences, creams, masks, eye creams, are all in this post. Except sunscreens, because they're grouped with makeup this time round (mostly just to prevent this post from getting too long).

Alright, let's get to it!

Mega Empties Post Part 1: Acne Skincare, Lotions, Cleansers, Oil Makeup Removers

It's been a while since my last empties post in October last year, and since them, I've accumulated a loooot of empties to show you guys! To be clear though, not alll of these are my empties, there are a few bits and bobs in there that are contributed by my mother and sister, because they do help themselves to some of my skincare products from time to time! I'm happy to let them indulge though, because to be honest, I obviously have way more skincare than I can ever use up!

Oh yes, look at all the empties I've accumulated!

The products I (with a little help from mum and sis) have used up really run the gamut - every step of the skincare and makeup routine is covered here! But because this would be too long of a post, I've split it up into two. For today, we'll just cover the acne skicare (unfortunately this is all mine, my mum and sis have way better skin than me, sigh), lotions and toners, as well as cleansers and makeup removers.

Who's been a good girl and using up all her skincare before opening a new one? Yours truly!

So, without further ado, let's get started! I'm officially going to cram a bunch of mini-reviews together into this blogpost, so let's hope this doesn't end up being too long!

Skincare Empties Part 2: Essences, Serums, Acne Products, Masks, and Eye Creams

After the last empties post part 1, here's part 2, where we look at the rest of the skincare products that I've managed to use up over the past few months!

All my skincare empties accumulated over the past few months!

In the last post, we looked at makeup removers, cleansers, sunscreens, lotions, toners, and moisturizers. In this post we'll be looking at essences, serums, eye creams, acne products, and a Vitamin C powder, which is very interesting.


What we'll be looking at today! Serums, essences, acne products, masks, eye creams and the like
Some of these empties were products that I really liked, and some were products that were kind of eh-okay, but ended up getting used up for whatever reasons. As we run through the list, you'll figure out which is which. So, let's get started!

Skincare Empties Part 1: Cleanser, Makeup Remover, Lotion, Toner, Sunscreen, Moisturizer

Yes it's another empties post! And this post is pretty mega, hence the two-part split. And that's just for skincare - the makeup empties post is a separate post too, to make sure the individual posts aren't too long. So yes, I have indeed been a good girl and using up my products and not wasting them (a perpetual beauty junkie problem it seems)!

Tons of skincare empties this round to share with you guys!

Above you can absolutely see the mess of empties, running the gamut from sunscreen to serums. I could probably do all those empties in one sitting, but the post would just be very long. So this time, we'll just be focusing on oil cleansers and makeup removers, normal cleansers, face masks, sunscreen, lotions and toners, and moisturizers! In other words, we'll just be looking at the stuff in the photo today, which is still quite a lot.


Empties: cleanser, makeup remover, lotion, toner, sunscreen, and moisturizer
I realized that quite a few readers seem to like my empties posts (and you can see all of them here) - perhaps, it's because with all my science-y skincare reviews, some readers are curious to know what exactly remains in my stash and gets used up at the end of the day. I suppose the idea here is that if I used up something, then it must be really good! The truth is that it kind of depends - some of these empties I've had for a long, long time, and for various reasons take longer to use up, and some were very quickly made favourites or staples and get used up much faster. As we go through the products, you'll see which is which!

Stuff I've Used Up! Super Mega Empties Post: Skincare and Makeup

This is a pretty major empties post, because the last time I blogged about my empties was half a year ago in December last year (it was also a pretty large post, that I split into two parts, part 1 and part 2). This time around, I have even more stuff!

The nice thing about empties is that, for me, using a product up comes with a sense of accomplishment (as in, hey, I actually stuck to something long enough to use it up!) and also a sense of permission (as in, hey, I've used up a lipstick, now I can buy another lipstick)! So for a beauty junkie like me, it's both gratifying and enabling!



Obviously, there's a lot to go through, so without further ado, let's jump right in!

Empties Galore Part 2: Makeup I've Used Up!

Alright, you've seen my skincare empties in the previous post, and now, we're moving on to the makeup items that I've used up in the past 6 months or so! (There's also a skincare item that I forgot about for the previous post - oops - but otherwise, all the other items are makeup!) I'm pretty excited to talk about some of the items here, because some of these items are really my makeup staples, and although I don't often talk about them on my blog, they are some of the day-to-day backbone-of-my-routine type products.

Makeup and skincare empties that I can finally say I've used up in 2015!

On reflection, it's pretty appropriate that this post is going live on the last day of the year, because it really has that "out with the old, in with the new" vibe. And while I'm excited for the new products that I will be buying this upcoming year, it's also weirdly satisfying to see that I managed to use up some of my older products, too.

All the skincare and makeup empties I've accumulated over the past half a year or so

So, without further ado, let's get started!

Empties Galore Part 1: Skincare I've Used Up!

It's been awhile since my last empties post, and since this is the end of the year, it seemed appropriate to have an "in with the new, out with the old" empties post! And since my last post, I have accumulated a good number of empties, if I do say so myself! I think I've even accumulated more empties this time round, as compared to the last post, so I consider this to be a "massive empties" acheivement unlocked!

All the skincare and makeup empties I've accumulated over the past half a year or so

While empties posts might seem puzzling to most people, as a beauty junkie with a fairly considerable stash accumulated over time, actually using up products can be a tad of a struggle sometimes. So when I do use up things, I always feel pretty happy - it's like I've successfully cleared space in my stash for more beauty products! And empties posts are always a great opportunity for me to reflect on which are the products I've liked, and kept using, and why.


Acheivement unlocked: lots of skincare and makeup empties from a variety of brands
And I do have quite a lot of empties this time round, from makeup to skincare and more, so I'm pretty excited to share my thoughts with you! At first, I tried to cram all my thoughts into one single post, but then I realized that it would be a pretty long post. So, I've decided to split this post into 2 parts! We'll take a look at the skincare I've used up first, since it's the foundation of any beauty routine, and then in the next post we'll look at makeup!

Hada Labo Arbutin Lotion Campaign: Behind The Scenes

A few months back, I was approached to be part of the Hada Labo Bright Skin campaign for their Arbutin lotion. The campaign is finally out, and as part of the campaign there's a little page that shows my experience with the Hada Labo Arbution Lotion. For those who prefer Youtube, the video is also uploaded there too! I thought I'd just share a bit of some of the cool stuff I experienced being part of the campaign!

Screenshot from the Hada Labo website (Source)

The campaign celebrates 5 years of Hada Labo Arbutin Lotion (which I've reviewed before), and in line with that, the brand was looking for 5 real users of the product who had used the lotion for 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 years respectively, and also 5 different types of people (e.g. corporate types, active types, creative types, and so on). I was approached because the brand actually found me through my instagram profile because I uploaded some photos of their products, and had tagged the brand. Since this was a campaign featuring real users, I was not paid for my participation in the campaign, and my part in it was not scripted either.

Behind the scenes: With makeup artist Danny Kong at the photoshoot (Disclaimer: This particular photo has a filter from my iPhone because it was on the wrong filter setting when I took it, but all other photos in this post are not filtered!)

I was approached to be the 2-year user, and the corporate warrior/office worker type, which I am in real life. But because I was also uncomfortable with talking too much about my job in real life, we also discussed focusing on my personality as a fairly analytical person, with my blog as an example of that analytical ability extended to evaluating products and skincare. I do mention my field in brief in the video, but it's not the focus of the video. So I was very happy that I wasn't shoved a script in my face and told to recite it, and that they were able to take into consideration my concerns and desire for (some) privacy.

Behind the scenes: With makeup artist Danny Kong at the videoshoot

After that, I was brought on to do the photoshoot and videoshoot for the campaign. And I took some behind-the-scenes photos, which I thought I'd share with you guys. They're all taken with my iPhone, and I didn't take that many, because I didn't want to interrupt the work that was going on, or get in anyone's way, so for the most part, I waited until there was some downtime, then quickly took a shot or two on my iPhone. But, I think I took enough photos to give you a sense of the entire process!

Stuff I've Used Up: Lots of Empties and Pans!

It's been a few months since my last empties post, so here's a check in on what I've been using! I'm happy to add, I have a lot of empties to show you! I don't know about you, but since I'm a beauty hoarder (one of the problems of being a beauty addict, I suppose!), I have way more product than I can ever use up in my entire life (that might not, by the way, be an exaggeration), so I get overly excited whenever I do actually use up something!

Empties! So many empties, including skincare and makeup items of all sorts!

This time round, I have a lot more empties than normal because I decided to consciously use up some of the products that were starting to run low, especially for colour makeup, which I don't always do. I actually set a blush that looked like I could hit pan on it to be my "everyday" blush until it actually got used up, and I couldn't be prouder of myself, haha.


All my empties! Look at how much stuff I actually use up!
Anyway, let's start taking a look at these empties! Empties this time include both makeup (eyeshadow, blush, foundation, lipstick, and more), and skincare (moisturizers, pimple products, eye cream, sunscreen), so there is a lot to cover! Most of these are products I like, probably because I wouldn't even use up products I hate. So I think that the fact that I used all these products up says something!

BonjourHK Haul and Mini-Reviews: DHC, Hada Labo, Dr Bauer and More!

I'm always discovering new ways to buy more makeup and beauty products from, and recently I was introduced to BonjourHK's onlince website! I'm actually somewhat familiar with Bonjour, as it is a chain of stores across Hong Kong selling beauty products at accessible prices, much like Ulta (if you're in the US), Watsons, Guardian or Sasa (if you're in Asia). When I visited Hong Kong 3 years back, I stepped into quite a few Bonjour shops, although I didn't buy anything (I ended up with the smallest haul ever - sigh!). But the thing I liked about Bonjour is the eclectic mix of brands and products - there's everything from mainstream brands to niche Asian beauty brands I've never heard of before.

My BonjourHK Haul: A whole bunch of skincare and makeup items from various Asian brands

I actually never realized that Bonjour had an online website, but they do! And the website has pretty cheap shipping (which is free if you buy above a certain dollar amount threshold), and they ship internationally, too. And of course, the range of brands and types of products are just as varied as ever - there's everything from skincare to makeup to skin devices, and the brands range from fairly mainstream Asian brands (like DHC and Hada Labo) to more niche ones (like Choosy and Yu Mei). I was super excited when the package arrived, right on time within the 7-21 days window stated on the website.


My BonjourHK Haul: Includes brands both fairly well-known, as well as some undiscovered gems
The mass of products above, as well as the fact that I actually want to do a mini-review for each product rather than just run through the haul, means that this post is going to be pretty long (and photo heavy). So if you're going to read onwards, don't forget to buckle up before you go! And if you're all ready, let's just head straight into my product-by-product quick review!

Top 10 Most Popular Blog Posts of 2013, and 3 Honourable Mentions

Now that it's almost the end of 2013, I thought it might be good to do a recap of some of the most popular posts from the year. Some of the results are expected, some were unexpected, meaning that when I wrote them, I didn't think too much about it - it was just a post I threw together that surprisingly did well among my readers.

I've chosen the top 10 by raw number of blogpost views, because it's the simplest way to go about doing things, but I feel like this method invariably leaves out posts that are popular but were written at the end of the year, or posts (like posts on classic topics like skincare, foundation, etc) that may not garner as many initial views, but tend to do very well over a longer period of time. I tend to think of these as "evergreen" versus "trend" posts, e.g. a post on sunscreen, versus, say, a post on MAC's latest collection. But regardless, every method has its flaws or is just too much work, so I'm just going to roll with the raw views. (As an aside, I briefly thought of roughly pro-rating the number of views to length of time post was up, but that seemed quite problematic because the pro-rating wouldn't be linear for all posts, and assigning linear vs non-linear pro-rating would be an on arbitrary basis, and even with pro-rating, it's impossible to predict posts with long viewership tails anyway.)

Alright, without further ado, let's do a quick recap of what you guys read in 2013!

Hada Labo SHA Hydrating Light Lotion Review and Ingredients Analysis

Hada Labo has launched the Hada Labo SHA (Super Hyaluronic Acid) Hydrating Light Lotion, its newest product in Singapore recently. The Hydrating Light Lotion is a variant of its existing Super Hyaluronic Acid Lotion (which I've reviewed before), with a twist: this version of the product is formulated for oily skin.

The new Hada Labo SHA Hydrating Light Lotion

To be honest, I've found all the Hada Labo lotions I've used to be pretty light and oil-less to begin with, so I couldn't imagine coming out with a special version for oily skin - it seemed to me that even oily skinned-people (like myself) should be able to use the original version. But, I guess if there is demand, then there will be supply! And voila, now we have the SHA Hydrating Light Lotion, and I'm glad to be able to bring you a review!

Hada Labo ES Sensitive Skin Range: Review and Analysis

Hada Labo, the Japanese skincare brand, has launched a range for sensitive skin, the ES range. ES actually stands for "Enjoy Skincare" - the idea being that with the ES range, even sensitive skin can enjoy a full suite of skincare products. If you've seen the ads for Hada Labo, a sellling point is that the products are fragrance, colourant, preservative, alcohol, and mineral oil-free.

This new Hada Labo range has Hyaluronic Acid, which is the ingredient that most consumers associate with the brand, but the sensitive skin line also features some forms of Zinc Hyaluronate in some of their products. The inclusion of Zinc Hyaluronate is an interesting one - Zinc Hyluronate is a salt that has some effect in helping wound healing, and is the main component of Curiosin, a preparation for wound care. This seems like a good choice, as I imagine that since sensitive skin is prone to being aggravated, an ingredient like this would help.


Hada Labo ES Sensitive Skin Skincare Range: Four simple but necessary products

Hada Labo Arbutin Whitening Lotion Review: New Nano Formula

Sometimes, Asian drugstore skincare brands can be excessively gimmicky and trend-driven, rather than truly effective. That's why Hada Labo (literally "skin lab" in Japanese) has won my respect out of a plethora of available options, just because they have simple, cosmetically elegant products that work. While they do have a supremely effective marketing slogan ("one drop locks up an ocean", anyone?), I generally feel that Hada labo actually also has products that have proven to be effective. The latest product, the Hada Labo Arbutin Whitening Lotion, is also similarly promising.

The company previously had a Lifitng and Firming Lotion for bouncy skin, their famous moisturizer with the "one drop locks up an ocean" tagline and even an olive oil cleanser, so what's missing from a complete repertoire of products for the Asian market? A new-and-improved whitening line, of course!


Hada Labo Arbutin Whitening Lotion: pretty bottle, effective ingredients, easy to use - great!

Hada Labo Super Hyaluronic Acid Hydrating Lotion (New Nano Formula)

Hada Labo, famous for its Hyaluronic Acid line of products with the tag line, "one drop locks up an ocean", has released their new-and-improved version of the star product in their line, the Super Hyaluronic Acid Moisturizing Lotion. Now, we have ...*Drumrolls*... the Hada Labo Super Hyaluronic Acid Hydrating Lotion, in a brand new nano formula! This one is supposed to give the skin more moisture, by allowing the ingredients to penetrate deeper into the skin layers.

To be honest, I can't really tell the difference in feel or look between the new and old version. Both come in the same type of packaging, and both are clear, water-like liquids. They both feel the same to me, but if I had to split hairs, I guess I kind of feel like the newer version (SHA Hydrating Lotion) is a little less water-y and sliiightly more gel-like, and thus easier to apply. I don't really know. The difference is super, super slight. I could be imagining it, for all I know.


Application-wise, the SHA Hydrating Lotion absorbs well, and only feels sticky for the first few seconds. Within a minute, it quickly absorbs, and my skin feels nicely moisturized, without any oily or creamy residue on top. In that sense, it's also quite similar to the original Super Hyaluronic Moisturizing Lotion.

I feel like both are good, but I have a slight preference for the newer version, because I kind of feel like it moisturizes better, although I'm not sure why, since the ingredients list for the old and new versions are exactly the same. Maybe there are some subtle differences in formula I'm not getting here.

Ingredients: Water, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, PPG-10 Methyl Glucose Ether, Methyl Paraben, Disodium Succinate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Succinic Acid, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate.

(For anyone curious, the "Super Hyaluronic Acid" is the Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate - a form of Hyaluronic Acid that binds more water to the skin.)

I generally like Hada Labo products - I feel like they live up to the hype, and the ingredients list doesn't have any fragrances or or colourants or extra stuff, and are generally good. I've liked the Hada Labo's Super Hyaluronic Acid Hydrating Lotion before, and I don't see much difference to make me not like it this time round. Although I'm not too sure what's the difference between the nano formula and the old versions, I'm glad it still does what it claims to do, so I'd recommend it.

Hada Labo Cleansing Oil with Olive Oil Review

Hada Labo is a brand that's quite noted for their skincare, thus it's no surprise that the brand has moved into the area of cleansing oils. Hada Labo (meaning "skin lab" in Japanese, "Labo" is a direct transliteration of the word "lab") has launched their new Cleansing Oil with Olive Oil, and if I know Hada Labo, this is probably bound to be good. I've tried Hada Labo's Retinol Lifting and Firming Lotion, as well as a few other products fro the brand, and I have to admit I've grown quite fond of some of their products.

The first thing you notice is how similarly packaged this is to the other Hada Labo products, right down to the label design. I'm mildly surprised that they didn't come up with another "one drop" tagline as per their other products, like "one drop reveals clean skin" or something like that. Perhaps because consumers can tell that you can't remove all your makeup with one drop of cleansing oil, LOL.

The Hada Labo Cleansing Oil comes in a tall plastic bottle with a pump, like most other cleansing oils. Practical, fuss-free, and hygenic. One thing to note, however, is that although Hada Labo claims that the cleansing oil is primarily comprised of olive oil, the Cleansing Oil does not look or feel anything like olive oil at all. Unlike the DHC Cleansing Oil, which actually has the deep yellow colour, thick consistency, and even smell of olive oil, the Hada Labo Cleansing Oil is a clear, thin, runny oily liquid. In fact, the yellow you see on the bottle isn't actually from the Cleansing Oil - it's just the bottle has been coloured yellow to indicate that it's an oil cleanser (as opposed to another of Hada Labo's water-based makeup removers, which has the bottle coloured blue).



My guess is that Hada Labo must have added some other ingredients to change the texture, colour and consistency of the Cleansing Oil, to make it more pleasant to use. (On the ingredients list, olive oil is the 4th ingredient.) So, although it doesn't look, feel or smell like olive oil, that's not a bad thing. The cleansing oil is light-textured, easily spread around on the face, and also easy to wash off without leaving behind a residue. (If you've ever tried using real olive oil by itself, without any emulsifiers, you'll find it very hard to wash off.) And yes, it does remove your makeup.

So as a cleansing oil, I have no complaints whatsoever about the Hada Labo version. It's light, easily spreadable, easily emulsified, and doesn't leave any weird residue behind. It also is very effective at removing makeup, and doesn't feel oily or greasy. I personally find it comparable to the Fancl Cleansing Oil, another product I love.



Finally, a point I'd like to make is on Hada Labo's insistence on including the phrase "super hyaluronic acid" as part of the marketing spiel for products. Okay, I get it, it's their signature marketing claim, and it's been popular. But in an oil cleanser? Seriously? I don't expect my makeup remover to be moisturizing, and anyway, whatever ingredients are in a cleanser don't stay long enough on your skin to take effect before being washed off. So for me, as long as my cleansers aren't harsh and drying, I'm personally indifferent to whatever magical ingredient the brand's marketing department claims to have, especially if they use that as a basis to inflate prices. Thus, I find this whole "our oil cleanser has hyaluronic acid in it" claim a bit bizzare and unnecessary. But yes, if it matters to you, it does have said ingredient, although it's in the second last and last of the ingredient list.

All in all, ignoring the weird "hyaluronic acid" marketing claims which I don't understand, I really like the Hada Labo Cleansing Oil. It removes your makeup, is easy to use, and has a nice, light texture and feel. I do generally like Hada Labo's products, and I do feel that the brand does have a good quality line up of products. I would wholeheartedly recommend this, if you're looking for a good cleansing oil. If you're interested, you may visit the Hada Labo FB Page for more details.

(Product was sent for review. Review is my complete and honest opinion. I am not affiliated with/compensated by the company.)

Hada Labo Retinol Lifting and Firming Lotion

You may not know this, but Hada Labo actually means "Skin Lab" in Japanese - "hada" means skin, and "labo" is "lab" transliterated from English. The Japan-based skincare brand has garnered quite the following in Asia, and this is in part due to the most popular product in their line, the Hada Labo Super Hyaluronic Moisturizing Lotion (which I need to get around to reviewing one day), which is marketed with the catchy tagline, "One drop locks up an ocean".

Now, Hada Labo has launched a new Lifting and Firming Line, which is an anti-aging line. Seeking to capitalize on the "one drop" tagline, the Lifting and Firming line has the tagline "One drop restores youthful bounciness". And as with the Moisturizing line, the star product of the Lifting and Firming Line is expected to be the Retinol Lifting and Firming Lotion.



The Lifting and Firming Lotion comes in a tall, red plastic bottle with a flip top. While the lotion isn't exactly that runny, you need to be careful when pouring it out, as you may end up accidentally pouring out too much!

The lotion itself has a milky, gel-like texture that's a bit on the sticky side. So yes, you do need to wait for a couple of minutes for the lotion to sink into the skin after use.

This is more of a night lotion for me, for two reasons. First, I don't really like fiddling around with sticky lotions in the day. Secondly, there is a small amount of retinyl palmitate in the lotion (the retinol they refer to in the marketing material), and retinyl palmitate applied topically may increase the skin's photosensitivity, which is why concentrated forms of retinyl palmitate are probably best used only at night. However, give that the concentration of retinyl palmitate in this product is quite low, and given that retinyl palmitate is actually one of the weakest forms of retinoid out there, it's may probably be safe for day use as well. I just prefer to be cautious with regard to sun exposure whenever I use a retinoid, so all retinoids are treated the same - night use only, sunscreen in the day. The directions on the packaging, however, are a bit less parannoid, and encourage both day and night use.



After using the lotion for awhile, I do feel like it helped my skin. I'm not too sure about the "restores youthful bounciness" bit, because that's kind of hard for me to assess, but I did feel like the product helped to moisturize my skin and gave it a slightly better texture. If this sounds like the product for you, then this will be worth checking out. I believe Hada Labo is having some Facebook promotion, where if you like their Facebook you can redeem your Hada Labo Sha lotion samples. The offer is available here: http://www.facebook.com/hadalabosg?sk=app_151292538267800 or http://www.facebook.com/hadalabosg.

(Product was sent for review. Review is my complete and honest opinion. I am not affiliated with/compensated by the company.)