Cosme Decorte Moisture Liposome

Using this 9mL sample bottle of Cosme Decorte Moisture Liposome right now. Funny enough, it's not the actual product that I really like, it's the sample bottle ^.^ It's a soft squeezable that you'd mistake for a squeeze tube with a stopper at the mouth to control the flow of the product. So it's super easy and clean to dispense - squeeze out 2 drops and that's that! No pouring out too little, too much, no mess. To think this is a freebie sample...

Moisture Liposome is a viscous translucent serum to be applied after cleansing and before moisturizer. It's scented, thought very lightly with a nice and mild feminine scent that I don't notice anymore. It's not gel like, just very viscous like a thick Japanese lotion (toner). In the serum, I can see lots of flecks of glimmering something rather, but they're not shimmery mica, and the serum itself remains translucent despite these flecks. Like Dr.Ci:Labo Aqua-In-Derm Super-Essence, it's slightly sticky at first until it fully absorbs. My skin feels saturated and moist with it on, but other than that there are nothing noticeably different. Definitely will not pay that price tag for the full size.

Olay Regenerist Micro-Sculpting Super Cream TW

Got a giant 2g sample packet of Olay Regenerist Micro-Sculpting Super Cream from Taiwan, which is why I marked the post's title with "TW" since it might differ in formulation else where. It was a thrown in freebie since I went to and bought from Watsons a lot ^.^'

Shiseido Perfect Milk

Shiseido Perfect Milk is unfortunately not so perfect, at least not for me. It's really too bad beause I've been curious about this line for a while now.

This is a liquid foaming face wash that looks and feels like liquid hand soap :X It foams like mad too, and you need just a tiny bit for a thorough wash, perhaps too much so. It took me just 2 nights of using this in the shower for my face to start peeling and flaking, especially around the cheeks, nose, and mouth area. And my skin wasn't just peeling and flaking, it was cracking up, itching, and it stings when I apply my usual skincare that never stung me before! Horrible! What the heck did they put in this stuff, bleach?!?

The only good thing I can say about it is that it smells nice, like a milder version of Shiseido Pureness Foaming Cleansing Fluid, which was much runnier. And you know what's funny? While it deep fried my skin, hubby actually likes it! So we agreed that he would give me back the almost empty tube of Shiseido The Skincare Extra Gentle Cleansing Foam and he can take this 150mL bottle of peeling and flaking potion off of my hand. Problem solved. Even more amazing is that just 5 days later, my skin was back to normal. So yeah, if you have dry skin, stay faaaaaaar away from this stuff! Eeps.

Dr.Ci:Labo Aqua-In-Derm Super-Essence

I had four 1.5mL packets of Dr.Ci:Labo Aqua-In-Derm Super-Essence, 6mL altogether, from the Gold Lift and Super Moisture Sample Sets I got for free while in Japan. These 4 packets filled up a 7mL jar almost to the top and lasted me a good 2-3 weeks with daily use.

This is a transparent and viscous serum with the consistency of a runny gel. It smells like essential oil with a dash of menthol. I just need a drop or so, rubbed in my palms and pressed into my face after cleansing and before moisturizer. It feels a bit sticky going on and takes a few minutes to absorb. But after that it feels weightless, like I haven't applied anything.

And that's precisely the problem - it doesn't feel like it's doing anything! May be I'm not using enough? Either way, I'm glad I get these samples to try because I'd hate to spend the retail on this only to feel like I've put runny water gel on my face and that's it. Moving on.

Juju Cosmetics Aquamoist Hyaluronic Acid Moisture Cleansing Oil

Finished this 150mL bottle of Juju Cosmetics Aquamoist Hyaluronic Acid Moisture Cleansing Oil a couple of weeks ago. I picked this up on impulse in Taipei but didn't get around to it until a couple of months ago.

It was an average oil cleanser, really. Very thin and runny, felt kind of silicone-y and leaked out in between my fingers a several times. It was scented with a "floral" fragrance but it smelled a lot more citrusy, almost like yuzu. It's not moisturizing either, although it does rinse clean. I'd say the only thing good about it is that it works with wet hands (as claim on the blue dot), but otherwise, a pretty average oil cleanser.

Integrate Pure Big Eyes

Integrate is a Shiseido drugstore brand, and I haven't had any experience with their products before. There were some interesting and cute eye palettes like the Rainbow Grade Eyes released back in 2010 when I first arrived in Japan. However, I thought the colors were meh, and each of the quints had 2 darker colors at most, the liner and the lid shade. The other 3 were the cream base, sparkly top wash, and another powder highlighter shade. My very definition of "bad" quints!

Then these Pure Big Eyes came out summer 2012, and they are pure evil! As in, the evil that makes you want to collect them all. Just look how adorable they are, clover shaped pans with raised hearts on the pressed powder's surface! And they're not just cute, they're colorful - each quint has just 2 light colors, the base/highlighter and the sparkly top wash! The other 3 are actual colors, the lid, the crease, and the liner! Evil cute for the win! Of course, it really helps that the Watsons in Taipei carried these for 30% off of Japanese retails =^.^=

Top row, left to right: LE #1, BE332, BL775, and BR778.

Bottom row, left to right: GR777, OR334, PK333, and VI221. 

All pictures taken in natural light without flash.

Clinique Take the Day Off Liquid Makeup Remover

I've used up several 50mL/1.7fl oz. travel size bottles of this Clinique Take the Day Off Liquid Makeup Remover already but keep forgetting to review it :X This is a dual-phase makeup remover for eyes and lips, and to use you must first shake it well to mix before saturating a cotton pad.

I actually only use this to remove the swatches on the back of my hand after taking pictures ^.^ It's unscented, and does the job easily enough. However, it leaves an odd white residue on my skin even after rinsing with water. To get rid of this residue entirely, I'd have to wash with soap, which means after an entire afternoon swatching and taking pictures my hands turn into the dessert, complete with cracks T.T So yeah, not fun. Not sure there are any white residue when this is used around the eyes and or lips.

Kate Jewel Mode Eyes

Taiwanese drugstores got me again with these Kate Jewel Mode Eyes, in the same manner they did with Kate Wide Edge Eyes. There are 6 variations available: BR-1, BR-2, BU-1, GN-1, GY-1, and PK-1, and I went home with all 6 -.-' 

I like these palettes a lot, but by no means they're perfect. First off, the lightest shade is a sparkly top wash, which you can use as base and to highlight if you don't mind the sheerness and sparkliness. I just use a separate base/highlighting shade which I have a gazillion of so this lack of base/highlight color doesn't bother me. Secondly, despite appearing shimmery in the product photos below the liner shades are semi-matte base with sparse and scattered "floating" shimmers. The only exception is the liner shade in BU-1. Again, this doesn't bother me too much as they're liner shades, but if you plan to use them on the crease, they may give that charcoal pencil finish instead of a luminous one. Finally, while the medium shades are soft and smooth the sparkly top wash as well as the liner shades feel drier than most Japanese eyeshadows I own.

Left to right, top to bottom: BR-1, BR-2, BU-1, GN-1, GY-1, and PK-1. All pictures taken in natural light without flash.

L'Occitane Red Rice Exfoliating Rice Powder

After Clarins One-Step Gentle Exfoliating Cleanser, I started using this 50g/1.7oz. L'Occitane Red Rice Exfoliating Rice Powder. I actually picked this up while in Seattle for a family wedding 2 years ago but totally forgot about it as I headed straight back to Japan afterwards :X So this exfoliator is actually quite old and long discontinued. And of course, I LOVE it T.T

L'Occitane Almond Milk Concentrate

Been using this 50mL/1.7oz. travel sized jar of L'Occitane Almond Milk Concentrate from the Almond Voyage Kit, a great and light moisturizer for the body for humid weather! I'm so glad I didn't give it away as it was love at first sniff!

The "concentrate" in the name makes me think of the thick, pasty, and greasy Burt's Bees Almond Milk Beeswax Hand Creme, so I actually tried this for the first time when my skin really needed some moisture. To my surprise, this turned out to be super duper light, like a fluffy soufflé almost, the texture of fat free Yoplait and the scent of almond heaven! 

Jurlique Herbal Recovery Antioxidant Gel Mask

Got a nice 5mL/0.16fl oz. sample tube of Jurlique Herbal Recovery Antioxidant Gel Mask and have been using it for the past month every third night, up to twice a week as per instructions.

This is a translucent gel mask with the same herbal rosy scent as the Herbal Recovery range. The gel is viscous and slimy, and a thin layer is to be applied evenly on the face, avoiding the eyes, wait for 10 minutes, then wipe off with a warm towel or damp cotton pad. It has antioxidant beads that's supposed to release vitamin E and naturally derived salicylic acid from willow bark extract. It's not a moisture mask per se, but is supposed to provide hydration.

Lavshuca Moist Melting Rouge

Along with the Lavshuca Dramatic Memory Rouge (old packaging), these Moist Melting Rouge are more presents to myself prior to leaving Japan last fall. These two lipstick lines are some of the best rated drugstore lipsticks, and I figured I've been staying away from Japanese lipsticks for long enough ^.^ Not to mention I've read from several sources that these particular Moist Melting Rouge are better quality dupes for the much higher end Cle de Peau and Dior! That can't hurt ^.^

There were 12 colors available at the time, and again I picked up all 12. If the Dramatic Memory Rouges were tough for me to pick, these were almost impossible to choose from! See the very last swatch picture and you'll see why -.-' Unfortunately, these lipsticks have been discontinued since 2010, although I was able to buy from Rakuten JP sellers when I was still in Japan. You can almost certainly find them online still. 

From left to right: BE-4, BE-5, BE-6, BE-7, OR-2, OR-3, PK-5, PK-6, PK-7, RD-3, RD-4, and RS-2. All pictures taken in natural light without flash.

Cle de Peau Beaute The Cream

It's been taking me months to use this tiny 2g jar of Cle de Peau Beaute The Cream that I got from the Cle de Peau Beaute Glow Mook that came out in Fall 2012, and I'm still not finished with it yet!

The mook came with this Cream 2g, Gentle Cleansing Foam 6g, Gentle Balancing Lotion 12mL, Cleansing Cream 9g, Gentle Protective Emulsion SPF25 PA++ 5mL, Gentle Nourishing Emulsion 5mL, and a travel sized packet of facial cotton I haven't used.

Caudalie Vinexpert Firming Serum

I got a pair of deluxe samples of Caudalie Vinexpert Firming Serum 7mL/0.2fl oz. and Night Infusion Cream 10mL/0.33fl oz. but have only tried and finished the serum so far. Will review the cream later when I get to it.

Lancome Genifique Eye

Through a couple of promotions I got two 7g jars of Lancome Genifique Eye Youth Activating Eye Concentrate. I gave one to my mum and nearly finished with the one I kept, which took me 2+ months of daily morning use!

Boscia Purifying Cleansing Gel

I have a 50mL/1.7fl oz. travel sized as well as a full size 150mL/5fl oz. bottles of Boscia Purifying Cleansing Gel. The travel size came from the Boscia's Best set I bought last year and the full size is a freebie that came with the Surprise Beauty Bag event that ran just this past July. This is a sulfate-free deep cleansing gel that's unscented and is without any colorant.

The Boscia's Best set includes travel sizes of this Purifying Cleansing Gel 50mL/1.7fl oz., Oil-free Daily Hydration SPF15 and Night Recharging Moisture 15mL/0.5fl oz. each, Enlivening Amino-AG Eye Treatment 7mL/0.2fl oz., and Green Tea Blotting Linen 25 sheets.

Clarins One-Step Gentle Exfoliating Cleanser

Received a 30mL/0.69oz. tube of Clarins One-Step Gentle Exfoliating Cleanser from this Skin Solutions Multi-Active set, which also includes a Multi-Active Day Early Wrinkle Correction Cream full size 1.7oz. and Multi-Active Night Youth Recovery Comfort Cream deluxe trial size 0.53oz.

Lancome Visionnaire Advanced Skin Corrector

Had 2 of these 7mL sample bottles of Lancome Visionnaire Advanced Skin Corrector through various GWP promotions, one of which landed me the Creme Douceur Cream-to-Oil Massage Cleanser deluxe trial tube!

The promotion also came with the Tonique Radiance 50mL/1.7oz. which I still haven't gotten around to try yet!

Lavshuca Dramatic Memory Rouge

These Lavshuca Dramatic Memory Rouge were a goodbye present for myself before I left Japan last August ^.^ I've read over and over how great these are, and I know I'd regret it if I leave empty-handed (well, I hardly did, but that's an entirely different story...). 

There were 10 shades available at the time, and I picked up all 10 because I just couldn't decide which was better. Japan likes to make its lip colors super wearable, which is very nice and user-friendly and all. However, this wearability can be a double-edge sword - the colors can look frustratingly similar and they can be difficult to tell apart in the tubes. You will see an example of this below as I had to swatch 5 similar-looking colors side by side just to compare. In my case, this wearability is a triple whammy because, well, I want them all LOL!

From left to right: BE-1, BE-2, OR-1, PK-1, PK-2, PK-3, PK-4, RD-1, RD-2, and RS-1. All pictures taken in natural light without flash.