Herbacin Wuta Kamille Soft Mild Hand Cream

Bought this 20mL tube of Herbacin Wuta Kamille Soft Mild Hand Cream along with the Wuta Kamille Hand and Nail Balm and the Wuta Kamille and Glycerin Hand Creme at the Taoyuan International Airport on my way home from Taipei. Almost through with it so I guess a quick review is in order.

 

This hand cream has much more in common with the Hand and Nail Balm in that it's very light but adequate. And nicely scented too! Whereas the Glycerin Hand Creme was much thicker and moisturizing, with a generic lotion smell I wasn't too thrilled about. 

Just as the Hand and Nail Balm was perfect for the humid Taiwanese weather, this Soft Mild Hand Cream has been great for Tokyo. It absorbs nice and clean and doesn't leave my hands sticky in this humid weather. When I was at home it had been in my gym bag, but now it's in my tote bag for grocery trips ^.^

Clarins Moisture-Rich Body Lotion

Had 2 tubes of this Clarins Moisture-Rich Body Lotion, a 30mL/1oz. from a generous GWP I received when purchasing the duo Gentle Foaming Cleanser and Toning Lotion with Camomile, and a 100mL/3.5oz. from Saks 5th Avenue Holiday 2013 GWP.

No, I'm no longer using this here because it's too hot and humid, but I was using it at home where it was much drier. There were times when we visited our in-laws up at their mountain ranch and this lotion was a skin-saver for me! 

Lancome Absolue Eye Precious Cells

Oops, totally forgot to take a photo of this Lancome Absolue Eye Precious Cells before using it up :( It was a generous 8g/0.2oz. jar too ($33 value!)! I don't remember which GWP this came with, but it must have lasted me at least 2 months. I was using it throughout my grad school boot-camp all of July, then through graduation and moving all of August.

This was a very light eye cream that was a shimmery beige color, though I didn't care for the prettiness. Since it was summer and this was light, I used it exclusively during daytime. It tended to pill up when I accidentally applied too much, and now that I think about it, this pilling thing is common to many Lancome eye creams I've used thus far, even serums and sometimes face creams. I think it was unscented. If there were any fragrance, it was so mild I stopped noticing. Over all an okay eye cream and I definitely would never ever purchase the full size 0.7oz at $117! Good lord, they think I work for Goldman Sachs or something?

ColoreScience Sunforgettable Mineral Sunscreen Powder SPF50

Earlier in the beginning of the year, while search for SIL's favorite mineral sunscreen powder (bareMinerals SPF30 Natural Sunscreen), instead I found a bunch of other Japanese and Korean sun protection powders, starting with the colorless UVLab Mineral Powder. But SIL wanted to stick with the brand she knows and likes, and looking at bareMinerals online I stumbled onto ColoreScience, a similar brand that offers mineral-based powders and foundations. One of ColoreScience's bestselling products is this Sunforgettable Mineral Sunscreen Powder SPF50.

Now, you would think I rejoiced to have found a new American cosmetics brand that's slightly more progressive, catching up with the times and realizes the U.S. market is in desperate need of some serious sunscreen. Yes, yes, I do realize there are SPF100+ sunscreens out there, like the Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch, Banana Boat Sport Performance, Copperstone Sport, blah blah blah. But have you actually tried applying the required amount of 1/4 teaspoon of that stuff onto your face? Cheesus crispers I might as well paint on a kabuki mask! And they are already much, much better than they were ten years ago! Urgh. So you would think I rejoiced to have found ColoreScience with their SPF50 mineral sunscreen powder.

All pictures taken in natural light without flash.

Soap Crazy Part XII

Wow, has it really been 3 years since the last Soap Crazy post?!? O.O And that post was 2 months before I left Yokohama in 2012 too, and here we are in Tokyo again! Crazy how life goes!

Anyway, within the past 3 years we've used up a whole lot of soaps, though mostly I've been forgetting to keep track of which. Below are what I managed to remember to note down the scent and set aside the photos. These soaps aren't listed according to when I used them but rather alphabetically by name.

- Caudalie Vinotherapie Fleur de Vigne French-milled Soap: a tiny little guest soap bar that I used as a hand soap when we first moved to SF in January 2013. It didn't have much of a scent, that or it was so old, being from 2010 and the scent faded -.-' Either way, it was similarly drying as the L'Occitane Bonne Mere Rose below and it cracked shortly after we started using. Every time I washed my hand, I rushed out to put on some hand lotion afterwards for relief. This was from the Vinotherapie Spa in a Box.

Clarins Toning Lotion With Camomile

I got 2 bottles of this Clarins Toning Lotion With Camomile, a 50mL/1.7fl. oz. from the Clarins 2013 Spring Beauty Gift GWP, and a 100mL/3.4 fl. oz. in a set with the full size 125mL/4.4oz tube of Gentle Foaming Cleanser. I'm almost through with the 100mL bottle so it's time for a quick review.

2013 Spring Beauty Gift GWP.

Nivea Sun Protect Water Gel Super SPF50 PA+++

Since this past May, hubby and I have finished several 80g bottles of Nivea Sun Protect Water Gel Super SPF50 PA+++, going through the bottles much faster than I could take photos of them. Once we were in Tokyo and used up the last bottle, I purposely took a detour with SunCut UV Protect Gel SPF50+ PA++++, both to try something new and to make sure I'm documenting all the sunscreens I just bought.

This is the stronger version of the Sun Protect Water Gel SPF30 PA++ now with SPF35 PA+++. Below is the 140g pump bottle version, because I no longer have the 80g ones with twist-caps. I don't plan on buying more of those either, because I now can simply get refill pouches for this pump bottle.

Daiso Puff & Sponge Detergent

Update Saturday, September 12, 2015.

Daiso has repackaged their popular Puff & Sponge Detergent. And it seems this stuff's even more popular now as I had to go to several different Daisos to find it. I grabbed 5 bottles ^.^

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Original post Tuesday, February 19, 2013.

A reader pointed out to me that the Daiso "stain remover detergent" I saw in Taipei and this Puff & Sponge Detergent are 2 different things. I might have very well mistaken them for one another since I did not buy this "stain remover detergent" sold in Taipei. That said, I did not see a "stain remover detergent" at my local Daiso when I was in Japan either. 

Point is - if you see a Puff and Sponge Detergent, grab it, and grab a few of it. If you see something else, proceed at your own risk ^.^

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Also read about this Daiso Puff & Sponge Detergent from Yumeko. Since I was seeing them aplenty at my local Daiso, I figured it wouldn't hurt to try.

This is a clear liquid detergent for puffs, sponges, brushes, even stains on your clothes. It is unscented, and it's pretty amazing, truly! You don't need much for it to work magic. I just soak my loose powder puffs (from DHC Q10 Face Powders and Lavshuca Face Powders), drop several drops concentrating on wherever most stained, rub and wring to wash, rinse thoroughly, let sit for a few days to dry, and -poof- brand new sparkling puffs again! 

I stocked up on 3 bottles prior to leaving Japan and even then, I haven't even used up a fourth of my first bottle! These are also available at the Daiso's in Taipei. I saw plenty of them at the few Daiso's I visited while I was there. That said, they were marketed as "stain remover detergent" there for some reason, complete with a pair of panties! If you're there in Taipei, just resist your urge to grin and say ick and pick up a couple of bottles. You won't regret it. In the mean time, I've been looking at the one Daiso I know of here in SF but have not seen any.

I love za Daiso! Part II

When hubby and I moved away from SF, I was very sad. Because that meant I wouldn't be able to just spend my afternoon browsing through the shelves at the Japantown Daiso anymore. Being in Japan makes me very happy, because I'm back in the land of the za Daiso ^.^

No no, I don't go crazy hoarding dollar-store crap. Anyone who knows anything will tell you that there are gems to be found at the dollar store (or the consignment store, etc.), but I digress. I mean, we only hoard good stuff, right? :P

Like these adorable printed masking tapes and fabric tapes from the SF Japantown Daiso, which I use to label gifts, decorating envelops, etc.

Phytomer Contour Radieux Smoothing and Reviving Eye Mask

This 3mL/0.1fl. oz. tube of Phytomer Contour Radieux Smoothing and Reviving Eye Mask was among the myriad of samples I received from an order via Le Spa USA (not affiliated), and it actually lasted me a good 2 months of nightly use!