Hola !

Back with my backlog posts and here's another late post for you, an Empties post for July - August. Yep, it's a backlog post. So please bear with me. Again. (*grin).

Anyway, as the title suggests this is an accumulative empties post from the month of July through August. I managed to finish quite an amount of products during the two months period and many of them were body care products this time, but also a good amount of skincare.

So without further ado, here they are...

So let's break this up into different categories as usual, shall we ?

B O D Y C A R E 

> Recommended & Will Repurchase the full size

> Replacement : Soap & Glory Clean On Me (travel size)

S K I N C A R E

Alrighty, that's it for my 2 months worth of Empties ! During July-August I managed to finished 15 full size products, 4 travel/trial size products, and 5 sheet masks = a Total of 24 products, yayy!

Being a blogger (and a hoarder of products), nothing beat the satisfying feeling when you finally finished up a product 😀 Especially when the product has been sitting too long on your vanity / bathroom and you just want to finish it up real soon so you can open new ones, Lol.

So that's that, and please feel free to browse around my blog for more empties post.

Or you can click here for my previous Empties post !

Hugs & Kissies,

I always changed up my face washes because there are many options out there for face washes, and they usually have the cheapest price tag compared to a whole range of skincare products. What I mean is : if you're standing in front of a whole range of skincare line you would probably find out that their face washes is the cheapest one to get from the whole line. So that's why I keep on buying different kinds of them, I just love trying different kinds of face washes. Sometimes I also received face washes from brands and companies to try out so there's always a different face wash in my bathroom.

Speaking of price tag, well this face wash that I'm about to review is not exactly the cheaper kind of face wash but this is the face wash that I've been using for months. I don't usually buy expensive face wash like this but I obtained this from a project I had with one of my freelance job.

It is the YSL Forever Youth Liberator Cleansing Foam and I've had this for so long. The reason why I kept it for so long is because I rationed it, Lol. Because it's expensive and I don't want it to be finished up so soon 😜

Anyway, the product comes in a purple tube and purple box with black detailing that makes it look elegant and classy. I consulted with the SA at the counter before deciding to get this one because YSL has a few different lines / range for specific skin needs. I decided to try the Youth Liberator range because at that time the SA suggested it for me. She also thrown in a couple of the serums from the same range along with my cleansing foam purchase.

I did try out the serum (the sachets only lasted me a week) and I think the serums are quite nice too. Of course I couldn't speak of the result of the serum because I only tried small amounts of it, but all I could say is that the serum's texture feels really comfortable on my skin and it absorbed rather quickly into the skin without leaving any trace or sticky feeling.

Now back to the cleansing foam, YSL "Forever Youth Liberator" is a special range from YSL designed to liberate our skin's youthful appearance. So basically it's an anti-aging line.

According to the packaging this cleansing foam is supposed to give visible results immediately where the skin would feels soft, smooth, and clarified. It is suitable for all skin types including sensitive skins. All you have to do is wet your face, wash it with the cleansing foam, and rinse off !

The cleansing foam itself is said to be an essential step in the anti-aging ritual. Its fine cream texture emulsifies upon contact with water in a thin and light foam to liberate the skin from impurities as well as to remove traces of makeup.

It has "Glycobiology" formula that (along with DNA and stem cells technology) is considered as one of the breakthrough sciences of the future. Or at least it says so on the packaging 😉

It is mentioned along the line as a "major discovery after 20 years of research". Supposedly it has something to do with biological-mechanism. The "glycans" that are naturally present in the skin are able to unlock cellular activity, helping to liberate the skin's youthful potential. And after years of research the YSL lab has made a successful result.

For those of you who doesn't really get the science behind it (like me 😜) let's just say that it is a skincare line focuses on liberating our skin's youthful potential with that anti aging properties behind it.

My Take :

Just like what it says on the packaging, the texture of the cleansing foam is like a lotion cream which emulsifies nicely upon contact with water. It has a pinkish tint to it and has a subtle lovely scent which makes it double fun to wash my face with it 😉

It doesn't foam up much but it's lovely for my morning face wash or as my second wash in my "double cleansing" routine. It doesn't dry up my skin and yes I could feel my skin soft and smooth after using it. 

It is light enough for everyday use, and didn't give me any irritation at all. But if you're looking for that "brightening" look that makes your face look awake in the morning then you won't get it with this face wash. Basically this is a lovely cleansing foam and it's good for your daily face wash where you can use it morning and night without getting the dryness and irritation. But after using it for a long time I personally don't think there is something overly special about this one that you should hurry up and get it.

Well, it's just only a face wash after all, and how fat are the chance of us getting excited over face washes, right? Well don't get me wrong, I do have a couple of holy grail face washes - which I would definitely buy and buy again even if it means they are more expensive compared to other face washes. But sadly this  YSL cleansing foam was not one of them. Again, this is just a very nice face wash that you can use daily and if you have the money and appreciate how elegant and lavish the formula is then you should buy it. But if you have tight budget and can only splurge on one product then don't splurge on this one, because you should go splurge on something else that would worth your money more.

But I do love the serums though, and thought of getting it again someday 😉

Pink brushes !

Aren't they so cute ?

I bought these pink brushes a while ago because I just can't stand to look at their cuteness! I mean, who doesn't want pink brushes, right? So I went ahead and ordered these Wet n Wild pink brushes after seeing their pictures on my Instagram timeline.

I didn't order the whole set because they have so many brushes (17 brushes if I'm not mistaken) and I can't get broke right now because I'm still young, Lol. So I got wise and just ordered a few of them to try them out. What I really like from them aside from their cute pink and white style is how affordable they are. Well they are not the cheapest brushes out there, but they do sit in the lowest price range compared to brushes like Sigma or Real Techniques.

I browsed around before I purchased them to see which of the brushes that I want to try out. I finally decided to get a mix of face brushes and eye makeup brushes. And here are the brushes that I decided to get :

So I bought 6 brushes, four of them are face brushes and the other two are eyeshadow brushes. These brushes have synthetic fibers and as you can see from the photos they come in white handles with pastel pink bristles which is so very pretty I could die from the cuteness 😛

The handles are designed to be ergonomic, with a little indented area around the middle of the handle which I think should help us to have a more firm grip, therefore the brushes would be more steady to use and won't hurt or tired our arms easily. I personally love the look of these brushes. They would look so pretty on top of any girl's vanity.

The bristles itself are soft and fluffy although I know they are made of synthetic material. They are not stiff and coarse like those cheap unbranded brushes at all, in fact these WnW brushes are soft to the touch and runs very smoothly and softly on your face. One thing to note, there are some of the brushes that are a little less flexible to move such as the stippling brush (more about this later).

From left to right :

1. Flat Top Brush

2. Large Stipple Brush

3. Blush Brush

4. Contour Brush

5. Small Eyeshadow Brush

6. Crease Brush

Now after trying them out for more than a while, I could say my true opinion about these brushes. I would say that my favorite ones to use are the face brushes, but the eyeshadow brushes were also good too. I use these brushes almost everyday now and they are sitting pretty on top of my vanity as we speak.

The face brushes are really nice to use, the bristles (although synthetic) but they still feel very soft and fluffy when you touch and run your fingers through them. They also feels soft on my face and the movement of the bristles are quite flexible considering they are synthetic which are usually a bit stiff. The only exception is the Large Stipple Brush because in my opinion it has less flexibility compared to the others in this lot. But I still love using it to put on my finishing powder though.

The Large Stippling Brush has two lengths of fibers, the shorter fibers to pick up product and the longer fibers to blend it around. I would say that this brush doesn't pick up product really good, so that's why I only use it for products that I don't want to put too much on my face such as a finishing powder or a shimmery powder highlighter 😉

The Contour Brush is an angled brush that comes in handy for sculpting and shaping. The bristles aren't really thick or dense, it has less bristles than I would hope for. I would prefer a thicker and more padded bristles on my contour brush so it can pick up products and distribute it properly on my cheeks, but I guess having less padded contour brush has its other benefit. Aside from sculpting my cheekbones I can also use it to contour my nose with it, and other smaller area on my face that I want to contour. 

The Blush Brush is my favorite among all the WnW brushes I got because it's so soft and plush, and it can pick up products in the right amount. It is not as padded as I want it to be but it still works fine for me because the shape of the brush makes applying powder blush easier for me. I can also put my blush right under my eyes easily with this brush because of its slim shape (as the Japanese/Korean blush trend this season is wearing blush right underneath your eyes). My other blush brush is too thick and too big to do this "under-eye blush" style except for this WnW blush brush, so I'm happy with it.

The Flat Top Brush is an all purpose brush designed with a flat top head and densely packed bristles, or so it says on the website. Although I would say that this brush is not as dense as I prefer it (compared to Sigma flat top brush for instance) but I'd say that this is also very nice to use. It is the most dense / padded brush from the set I bought, and it's perfect to blend in foundation and powder too. It doesn't leave any streaks on my face and though it's not as dense as the Sigma flat top brush but it still delivers beautifully. One of my fave from the collection.

The eyeshadow brushes are fine too. I always need extra eyeshadow brushes because a lot of them got dirty easily and having many eyeshadow brushes would mean that I don't have to clean my brushes frequently, Lol.

At first I was afraid to use the WnW eyeshadow brushes because they seems too delicate to use. Their bristles are soft too and they have rather small sizing, so they are the ideal size for putting eyeshadows on my small eyes 😀

The Crease Brush has a long-tipped tapered bristles and is very nice to use. I usually put on eyeshadows on my crease and then blend it with this same brush, and it blends without problem and feels soft on my eyelid too. 

Lastly, the Small Eyeshadow Brush is another nice brush to have as your extra eyeshadow brush. It is a small domed brush with short round bristles that is perfect to pick up eyeshadows and it did a nice job packing up colors.

Overall, these pink Wet n Wild brushes might not be your top choice for a really great makeup brush BUT if you want a middle range makeup brushes with good quality and ultra cute packaging then these would be mighty good for you. Considering their good quality and low price range I'd say these brushes are worth to buy if you want to add something pretty into your already existing brush collection. 

These brushes would also be very good for those of you who just started wearing makeup and looking for your first brushes, because they are affordable, do their job well, and looks super pretty. Just not all of them are good, so I would advice to browse around and just buy the ones that stood out the most. As I previously mentioned, my personal favorites (and the ones that I think worth to try are the : Blush Brush, Flat Top Brush, Contour Brush, and Small Eyeshadow Brush). So if you want to try them then you should get those first. Lastly, they are basically nice brushes and I still use all of them everyday even until this morning because I found them very wearable and I love them as my extra brushes.

I am in a good mood this week because August is my favorite month of the year because my birthday and my wedding anniversary are both in August, and to celebrate it we would usually go out for a dinner and a shopping date :)

So for the special dinner and shopping date I still want to look good in front of my husband. Therefore I am taking an extra skincare routine for the past week to make sure that my skin would stay nice and pretty so my makeup would applies smoothly and stays longer. 

The extra skincare routine that I took this past week is putting on face masks. I believe that applying face mask regularly (or even applying mask just a day before a big event) would help make your skin behave nicer, making it a smooth canvas for the makeup. 

I have a few face masks in my vanity but this time I'm trying out an oxygen mask. I have always been curious with the oxygen mask trend that I kept seeing on the beauty blogger / vlogger world lately. And luckily I had the opportunity to review one of them. 

The one that I'm reviewing right now is the O2 Bubbly Bright Face Mask by B.Liv, a salon-based solution skincare brand that have undergone trials in more than 200 professional skincare centers prior to placement in the retail market. Therefore, with B.Liv products you will get the same treatment at home similar to those available in professional skincare clinics. 

I have tried B.Liv products before (click here for my B.Liv Off With Those Heads review - a skincare product targeted for pore solution), and my first experience with B.Liv was a very good one. I liked my first product from B.Liv so I thought why not try another product, right? I love their approach to skincare and I love their packaging too. So this is the second product from B.Liv that I tried :

B.Liv O2 Bubbly Bright Mask

"For dark and uneven skin tone".

This is a purifying, brightening, and exfoliating mask that combines oxygen bubble and rice powder to brighten and enliven complexion.

I was so happy when I received this so I tried it right away. And from that first trial I fell in love with this mask. This is a purifying mask that felt so smooth and comfortable on the skin without leaving a mess. It's instant, easy to use, and very fun to use!

The mask comes in a regular round tub and the formula itself is kinda like a thick lotion that melts when it touches your skin. It has a very pale pinkish shade with super tiny red beads in it. 

The O2 (oxygen) bubble in the mask is meant for purifying skin. It would deeply penetrate into skin to wash away pore-clogging, impurities, debris, and excess sebum. While the Rice Powder has brightening properties. It would help moisturize and brightens the skin. And lastly, the tiny little bits of red cellulose beads are meant to exfoliate the skin, making the skin softer, smoother, and more glowing.

The application is just like putting on any other face masks. You apply a small amount onto your face and gently massage it just for a little while. And then you would feel the bubbles start to foam by itself right there on your skin. It's a unique experience looking in the mirror watching bubble foams starts bubbling on your face. I actually enjoyed it very much LOL ;) 

Anyway, the box said that you should leave it on for 10-15 minutes, but I personally put it on longer than that because I just like how it feels on my skin (and because I enjoy watching those bubbles foamed up on my face). Then lastly, massage once more for a deeper cleansing if you want. Rinse with lukewarm water, then you can proceed with your remaining skincare steps.

You would see from the photos below how the mask starts to change in just a couple minutes on your skin. The first photo is when I first applied it, then the second photo is when I spread it on my skin, and the third photo is when the bubble starts to foam.

I really love and enjoyed using this mask, and it only needs a couple minutes of your time to do this. There's no mess because the mask and bubble would stay on your face and they would not drip. So you can use it while doing something else. I mostly do this while doing house chores or while watching something on Netflix or youtube. It doesn't make your face feels wet so you won't have to worry about drips. 

As I told you above, upon application the mask would fizzes into soft foam soaking up impurities while the red soft beads gently melt away to exfoliate your skin. On the photo below you would see how it really foams up on my face. It just took a couple minutes for it to foam up nicely just like how you see in my photos below.

Overall, this has become my current favorite face mask of all the face masks I have in my vanity right now. Simply because it is easy to use, no hassle, no mess, no dripping, and it also cleans easily. I just wash my face with water like usual. 

I could do it while doing other errands or while watching something on tv, and the result is instant brighter, smoother skin. Also, how fun it is watching yourself gets bubbly in front of a mirror, right? Seriously, you can see how the mask move around on your face forming bubbles everywhere. It's really fun and I encourage you to try it :)

The price of this O2 Bubbly Bright mask is $39 for a (50g) jar. One last thing to note, it also comes with its own little spatula inside the box so you don't have to dip your fingers inside the tub, making it more hygienic for a longer use time. You can also check out their website for more detailed info and more B.Liv products.