Clarins Multi-Active Day Cream-Gel

Once upon a time, the Clarins Multi-Active line had a lovely fragrance that was powdery and feminine. Then they had to go and changed it a couple (a few?) of years ago. I wasn't aware of the change until last fall when I finally got around to using my GWP tubes of the Day Cream.

Yup, I instantly fell out of love with the product and gave all my tubes to my mum who didn't mind the new scent. I also have this 50mL/1.7oz. full size jar of Day Cream-Gel for Normal to Combination Skin, which I did scoop out into a 5mL jar to try and gave the rest to my mum. Despite hating the fragrance, I haven't tried the Cream-Gel version before and thought I ought to be fair and at least give it a try anyway.

Ole Henriksen Grease Relief Facial Water

Almost done with this 59mL/2fl. oz. bottle of Ole Henriksen Grease Relief Facial Water so here's a quick review. This was the last of the Facial Water Trio I picked up a while back and boy am I glad I'm finally through with them.

L'Occitane Angelica Hydra Vital Milky Lotion

Been using this 100mL/3.4fl oz bottle of L'Occitane Angelica Hydra Vital Milky Lotion as part of my nighttime routine for a month now and really like it, which of course means it's been discontinued =.=" 

Origins Pure Cream

Started using this 150mL/5fl. oz. tube of Origins Pure Cream last month so here's a quick review.

The Body Shop Camomile Gentle Eye Make-up Remover

Finally, finally finished up the bottle of The Body Shop Camomile Waterproof Eye & Lip Make-up Remover from a couple of years ago so I moved on to this 250mL/8.4fl. oz. Camomile Gentle Eye Make-up Remover. Keep in mind mine is an old bottle and the packaging looks totally different now.
 

Nivea Sun Protect Water Gel for Kids SPF28 PA++

Here's a belated review for the 120g bottle of Nivea Sun Protect Water Gel for Kids SPF28 PA++. I've been using this for my little one for the past year or so, ever since he turned one. Technically, this sunscreen can be use for babies as young as 6 months according to the packaging instructions. I didn't though. I kept my little one well-covered and waited for a year before I put any kind of sunscreen on him.

Note this is an older version in a pale yellow bottle that's been in production since 2012. Earlier this year, they reformulated and repackaged it in a blue bottle, but I honestly can't tell any difference between the old and the new, which is a great thing in my opinion.

Thinkbaby Face & Body Stick Mineral Sunscreen SPF30

Late last year, while looking into schooling for my little one, I learned that early childhood centers preferred no-hands application if they could help it, and if they had to use hands they'd wear gloves. Totally understandable. Touching spread germs and illnesses. Put together a room of several little ones and you'll have a bunch of sick kids. Mine has been sick since he started school in January T.T

Anyway, to my delight, my little one's school straight up requested a doctor's note confirming he's healthy and has no medical exemptions otherwise, his health and up-to-date immunizations records (we visited several schools that allowed "personal and religious" exemptions and we couldn't run out of there fast enough--yikes, haven't they been reading the news?), and sunscreen sticks. Oooh, I haven't owned a sunscreen stick before. Ever. Count this mama intrigued.

Off googling I went. Sure, I found a bunch, but many of them contain avobenzone. Yes, even the ones for kids (*cough* Neutrogena *cough*). Urgh. I wouldn't use sunscreens with avobenzone on myself, much less on my baby toddler. I think sunscreens with avobenzone is no different than a pool floater that disintegrates upon contact with water and requires this and that to delay that disintegration. Erhhh, what?

So I looked for those using only mineral blockers instead. This 0.64oz/18.4g Thinkbaby Face & Body Stick Mineral Sunscreen SPF30 was pretty well-rated so I decided to give it a try.

Nivea Sun Protect Water Milk Mild SPF50+ PA+++

With the weather warming up really fast and the sun is back out in full blast, I went nuts restocking my sunscreen supply having only a few bottles left from 2016 when hubby and I lugged a boat load home from Tokyo. One of those old bottles from 2016 is this 30mL Nivea Sun Protect Water Milk Mild SPF50+ PA+++.

Since 2016, unfortunately both the Nivea Sun Protect Plus UV Waterproof UV Milk as well as the Creamy UV Essence have been discontinued (white packaging was from 2015, blue packaging was from 2016), leaving only this Milk Mild available and even then, it too has been repackaged, though I'm not sure if the formulation has changed. The newest players in the family are now Creme Care UV Cream, UV Milky Gel, Zero Feeling UV Lotion, and a reformulation and repackaging of the men's line UV Protector. I've picked up a couple bottles of each and hopefully won't take years to go through them all, so stay tuned for these.

Pixi Beauty Rose Flash Balm

Having finally followed the usage instructions for Clarins Beauty Flash Balm and found it worked rather well as a primer for my sunscreens, I started to get curious about other makeup primers and branched out to this 15mL/0.5fl oz. tube of Pixi Beauty Rose Flash Balm from their Best of Rose set.

Biotherm Homme High Recharge Energy Splash

Finally, finally got around to using this 200mL/6.76fl oz. Biotherm Homme High Recharge Energy Splash, only to hate it :(

As you can see, it's a toner for men and I originally bought it for hubby. Back then, for a while it seemed he was into lotions and kept "borrowing" my Hadanomy Lotion and Mist. However, soon after this toner was bought his fondness of lotions and mists morphed into gels and gel-creams (and now all-in-one gels and gel-creams) and this bottle sat neglected. He never even touched it!

Ole Henriksen Nuture Me Facial Water

Almost done with this 59mL/2fl. oz. spray bottle of Ole Henriksen Nuture Me Facial Water as well so here's a brief post for it. It's the second of the Facial Water Trio, with the first being Truth Facial Water in the orange bottle.

Ole Henriksen Truth Facial Water

Woops. I finished this 59mL/2fl. oz. spray bottle of Ole Henriksen Truth Facial Water a few weeks ago but forgot to post this short review. It was from the Ole Henriksen Facial Water Trio I picked up a while back.

Bene Premium Bluria Moist Spa Treatment (Hair care)

Sometime last year, when I bemoaned how bored I was with my current Japanese shampoos, a friend and reader, Julia, gave me a few recommendations, one of which was Bene Premium Bluria. Of course I picked up a shampoo and conditioner set, which also came with a huge tube of hair mask which I doubt I'll ever touch (no time... =.=).


Right now I'm only using the 480mL pump bottle of the Treatment along with the Crystal Rose Repair Shampoo which I don't much like, unfortunately. As soon as we're through with this shampoo I'll start on the Bluria Shampoo.

Neogen Dermalogy Real Flower Cleansing Water

Been using this 280.6g/9.9fl. oz. bottle of Neogen Dermalogy Real Flower Cleansing Water Calendula off and on for the past year so here's a review for it, finally.



Around last spring I went through a cleansing water kick and picked up half a dozen different bottles to try. I'd used a cleansing water before--Caudalie Cleansing Water, way back in 2011 (link is to an updated post last April). Before moving to Tokyo in 2015, I tried the Bioderma Sensibio H2O Makeup-up Removing Micelle Solution, the very one that set off this whole cleansing water craze. Still, I didn't care much for this type of cleanser. I wear waterproof sunscreen on a daily basis that requires a cleansing oil to remove thoroughly, and even then I follow up with another mild foaming cleanser just to make sure. So a cleansing water wasn't cutting it for me.

Estee Lauder Nutritious Vitality8 Radiant Overnight Creme/Mask

Half way through my 50mL/1.7oz. jar of Estee Lauder Nutritious Vitality8 Radiant Overnight Creme/Mask so here's a review. I actually had two of these jars. The second was an accidental purchase which I gifted to my mum knowing she'd like it.

The jar I'm using now is from this Day and Night Radiance Travel Exclusive.