Nest Fragrances Hand Cream

These 133mL/4.5fl. oz. aluminum tubes of Nest Fragrances Hand Cream in Black Tulip, Citrine, and Wisteria Blue were impulse buys, and I ended up trying just one tube (Black Tulip) for just a few times before passing all three of them on to my mom. 

Jurlique Rosewater Balancing Mist

Update Wednesday, April 15, 2026.

No, it's not that it's been 13 years since I last used this product. More like after several more bottles, I got this super duper cute 15mL/0.5fl oz travel sized spray bottle and couldn't help but take photos of and post about it :)

Not sure if Jurlique has updated the formula, but it feels the same to me, which is not quite moisturizing enough for the dry climate where I am, but if it's humid where you live, you might appreciate this.

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Original post Saturday, August 10, 2013.  

I'm 2/3 of the way through the 50mL/1.7fl oz. this mister bottle of Jurlique Rosewater Balancing Mist. Like Boscia Balancing Facial Tonic, this is a multi-purpose mist to be used as toner right after cleansing or throughout the day as needed. After "demoting" the Boscia tonic to daytime freshener use, I started using this Jurlique one as a toner instead.

Even though both Boscia and Jurlique products are runny and watery, the Jurlique Balancing Mist feels substantially more moisturizing while still maintaining that super watery light, barely there feel. In fact, on some nights I spray this onto my neck and décolletage and it feels adequate just like that! That said, in contrast with the alcohol-free and unscented Boscia, this Jurlique mist is scented and contains alcohol! Note alcohol as the second ingredient on the list, although since this is coming from Australia I'm not sure if the listing order signifies concentration. As for the scent, it is a very strong rose fragrance. It's not perfumey or fake but more herbal, and either way it took a while for me to get used to. So it really depends on how much you like roses and rose fragrances.

Jurlique Activating Water Essence

Update Wednesday, April 15, 2026.

 

Been enjoying these travel-sized 20mL/0.6fl oz bottles of this Jurlique Activating Water Essence. I might need to go back for another full size bottle if there's a sale!

 

 

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Original post Monday, June 4, 2018. 

 

At last, I forced myself to finish up the 85mL/2.8fl. oz. refill pouch of Ettusais Medicated Skin Version Up Essence. It was meant for acne-prone skin and no one I know has that problem, so I was stuck with it (note to self: don't do that again). For the past month, I've happily moved on to this 150mL/5fl. oz. bottle of Jurlique Activating Water Essence, which was part of the Rapid Hydration Ritual set I bought a while back.

***Screencap from Jurlique.com.

Estee Lauder Futurist Aqua Brilliance Watery Glow Primer

I had at least three of these 15mL/0.5fl. oz. deluxe travel sized tubes of Estee Lauder Futurist Aqua Brilliance Watery Glow Primer from three different GWP's. EL was hyping them up so much--I saw ads for it everywhere! Every time I opened up Instagram, I saw more ads. And then with every order I placed with EL, I got a sample. Naturally, I looked forward to trying it, because that's how marketing works, right?

All pictures taken in natural light without flash.  

 

Skincare Surprise Gift 

 

Revitalizing Supreme+ Gift

Laura Mercier Pure Canvas Primer

When I finally understood the use of highlighting primers and bases, and the not so great use of liquid highlighters, I went back for more of the former and skip the latter altogether. Spotting these Laura Mercier Pure Canvas Primer on Nordstrom.com, I picked them up without a second thought: 50mL/1.7fl. oz. full size tubes of the Blurring and Illuminating variety, and 25mL/0.8fl. oz. half size tube of the Hydrating kind as I was iffy what it might do to my dry-combo skin. 

All pictures taken in natural light without flash. 

Burberry Illuminating Drops Glow Concentrate

In contrast with Burberry Fresh Glow Luminous Fluid Base Nude Radiance No.01, this 15mL/0.5fl. oz. deluxe travel-sized Illuminating Drops Glow Concentrate in Metallic Pearl No.01 is a straightforward liquid highlighter. This means it provides the glow and that's that. It's not a base so there's no grabbing onto the layer that goes on top, no added moisture, nothing. 

Still, this Glow Concentrate is a decent highlighter, a translucent and somewhat runny white milk with lots of yellowy gold shimmers. Because of its texture and the fact that it's in a tube, I ended up squeezing the whole thing into the empty pump bottle that used to house Paul & Joe Pearl Foundation Primer 002 Sweet Bon-Bon, just so I can dispense a consistent amount with every pump.  

All pictures taken in natural light without flash.

Burberry Fresh Glow Luminous Fluid Base

So...sometime during the pandemic lock-down of 2020-2021, my usual sources for Japanese skincare and cosmetics got cut off and, admittedly out of boredom and curiosity, I branched out to European higher-end brands and started posting about them on this blog around 2024-2025--I take a few years to get to my stuff ^.^ 

These Burberry goodies are no exception. Here I am posting about them now, some 3-4 years later, and even then, I got to them sooner than the rest because there are two freebies in this bunch that I particularly appreciate: a glowy base, this travel-sized 12mL/0.4fl. oz. tube of Fresh Glow Luminous Fluid Base in Nude Radiance No.01, and a liquid highlighter, also travel-sized, the Illuminating Drops Glow Concentrate in Metallic Pearl No.01, which I'll post next. 

 All pictures taken in natural light without flash.

By Terry Baume de Rose All-Over Oil Face Body Hair

More than half way through this 100mL/3.38fl. oz. spray bottle of By Terry Baume de Rose All-Over Oil Face Body Hair so here's a post for it. This is a multi-purpose oil for face, body, and hair, but I use it mainly as a body oil. Only once I'm done apply this all over my arms and legs, then I run my hands through my hair to use up whatever that's left.  

MyKirei Soothing Peony Milky Lotion

Just finished the last of four 340mL/11.5fl. oz. refill pouches of MyKirei Soothing Peony Milky Lotion so here's a post for them, finally! Again, MyKirei was Kao's--in my opinion, half-baked--attempt at "eco" products marketed to the North American consumers. I assume it didn't go well, and they sure didn't try very hard I think, so the brand has now ceased production. Which is saying post is really for my own personal product diary.