jazstatements

Another round of empties is here! I love reading blogposts about what people have finished using so that I can truly see what they thought of the product. It usually is quite informative, good for people like me who research a lot before buying the product. So here's my share of products that I have finished up recently!

Another round of empties. You know, it's kind of hard to accumulate these empty bottles and containers just for this blog. It is collecting a bunch of "precious" trash... For the sake of blogging, here it is!

Kuan Yuan Lian (廣源良) Cucumber Water
This is a no-frills, butt-cheap type of toner that I obtained in HK. It is perfect for refreshing your skin in all conditions. After I wash my face, I put this on with a patting motion in the morning. It is great when my skin is oily and don't need some heavy duty hydrating toner like the Aquamoist toner. It is good and gentle, awesome for everyday use. I love this.
TL;DR: dirt cheap + refreshing + gentle, what more can I say?


Neutrogena Fine Fairness Lotion SPF 30 PA++
My sister gave this to me when I was in need for a morning moisturizer. Unfortunately, this was somewhat a disappointment. It left a slight whitecast, but I often wear foundation over it to cover it up. It can sting a little bit after application if your skin is raw and red. Also, it is fragranced, so sensitive skin: watch out! Repurchase? Nah.

I got this in Hong Kong (again, most of my products are Asian because I believe it suits my skintype). This bottle lasted me half a year. I soak a cotton pad with this cleansing water and swipe it all over my face to remove any light makeup. It is gentle enough to use as an eye makeup remover, but it does make your eyes blurry. However, this is a light cleansing water, so don't expect it to remove heavy duty makeup! As for brightening effects, I am not so sure that it worked. Overall, it is a good alternative to Bioderma. Definitely worth the money!


Innisfree Green Tea Cream
I bought this cream in Korea last Christmas and it lasted me til the summer time. Now, I used this as my moisturizer, mostly during the evening. The cream is thick in texture, but once you smooth it onto your face, it sinks in like a dream. I would definitely recommend it for normal/combo skin, but it will probably work for most skin types as well. I am an oily gal, but I used this religiously at night to give my skin ample time to absorb. It did not break me out (yay!). I would probably repurchase this in the future, but as of right now, I have some stuff I should use up first!


Trader Joe's Spa 100% Pure Jojoba Oil
This bottle definitely lasted me a long time. It is very versatile, affordable and easy to obtain!  I have used this as a moisturizer, an eye makeup remover, a body oil and hair treatment. Jojoba oil is supposedly very similar to the natural oils that your face produce. Therefore, by applying it to the face daily, it can condition your face to slow down its oil factory. I have used it on my face after cleansing, and I will say that it gives you a very greasy look that go away after a long while. If you do use this as moisturizer, use it at night so that the skin can readjust itself. As an eye makeup remover, it can add a film that can blur your eyes. But it is good for getting those last mascara remains with a q-tip. It is great as a body oil and hair treatment, no complains there. However, one problem was the packaging. It is not very travel friendly because the cap tends to get all greasy after pour the oil out a couple of times. Best to keep this bottle standing on your bathroom counter. Overall, it is a good product that cannot be beat. Will repurchase to keep in stock!

Finally, I'm starting my first post on makeup/skincare. As many of y'all know, the "empties" tags have been circulating around YouTube and blogs. It is basically a post about the products that I have emptied out, used up all the way. I'll give a mini-review to these products, so let's get started. (By the way, the products do not look like their cleanest state.)

Products mentioned:
1. St. Ives Exfoliating Body Wash
2. Shiseido Perfect Whip
3. Skin79 Super BB Triple Function
4. HadaLabo Tamagohada Daily Face Wash

St. Ives Exfoliating Body Wash
I got this body wash almost half a year ago at Walmart. I was looking for a body wash that was not heavily fragrant with flower or sugary scents.It was decently priced at $4 or so, just like most drugstore body washes. I wanted to try St. Ives because I have liked most of the products that I have tried.
This body wash had a nice gentle scent, was not too overpowering. It had sea salts that help gently exfoliate the body. Since it was marketed as a body wash, the exfoliating effects were not very strong and reliable. I mostly used it as a cleanser for the body to remove the accumulated day's worth of dirt, bacteria and such. For exfoliating, I used the Tree Hut Tropical Mango Shea Sugar Scrub. Overall, I thought it was an okay product. It was not a bad body wash, but it did not have anything special that makes me feel pampered.


Shiseido Perfect Whip
I got this facial wash last summer from my friend who got it from Korea. For those of you in California, you can get it at most Asian supermarkets. They run about $12 each but they last for a long time (1 year almost for me). I used this only in the shower to remove my makeup and grime from the day. It comes out as thick and creamy. With a little water, it can be turned into foam that is gentle enough for your face. I did enjoy this face wash, but I probably won't buy another one anytime soon since I just restocked on my HadaLabo Tamagohada face wash. It was good while it lasted ;)


Skin79 Super BB Triple Functions
This is actually my 2nd bottle of the famous hot pink BB cream. I bought my first one about a year ago, and the second one I got from a friend. The triple functions that it claims are: whitening, SPF 25 PA ++ and wrinkle improvement. In all honesty, I did not see the whitening or the wrinkle improvement. However, I am only in my early 20's, so wrinkles are not currently my enemy. In addition, I live in southern California where the sun never sleeps (jk it does), so even if it did have whitening properties, I would not be able to see it due to the constant sun damage and tans that I receive.
I do like this BB cream a lot, but then again, I have only tried this BB cream. It is pretty long lasting and provided me with a dewy fresh finish. I am around a NC30 and the color of this still works well with my face. However, I suggest not putting too much at once because it can cause your face to look off-colored. It is better to take one pump, distribute it over your fingers so that you can pat/rub it onto your face. If you need more coverage, you can always add more since it is a buildable product. It controls oil for about 4 hours for an oily gal like me. I usually wear this BB cream when I go to school or on errands. It is easy to apply and it is simply one of my to-go products. I would re-purchase this again, but probably not anytime soon because I do want to try out other BB creams.


To get the inner white bottle out of the pink plastic covering, stick a paper clip or the sharp tip of a pen into that small hole at the bottom. Push until the white bottle pops out and then pull out the white bottle.


For those of you interested in how much the container actually holds, I have uploaded a picture of it. There is not much product for the giant case that it is contained in. But it did last me about 1/2 a year with regular use (~ 4-5x/week). There is still some product left but I am almost done! :) I love the feeling of finishing up a good product.


HadaLabo Tamagohada AHA + BHA Daily Face Wash
I got this from a Hong Kong drugstore about 2 years ago and I just finished it! o__O It took me an abnormally long time to use it up. And I just bought a new one from Sasa.com, the Hong Kong equivalent of Sephora. The consistency is also very thick and creamy, similar to Shiseido Perfect Whip. However, I find this more gentle, less fragrant and easier to foam than the Perfect Whip. I usually use this in the morning.
This face wash claims improve skin tone/texture and remove impurities. The alpha (AHA) and beta hydroxy acid (BHA) helps exfoliate to promote & generate new skin cells I have used this for a long time and I honestly don't exactly remember what my skin looked like prior to this. But one thing for sure, it helped keep my acne from flaring. My skin tone is much more vibrant and even. It also removes most of my makeup so that's a plus! However, since it does have AHA & BHA, it can make your skin more sensitive to the sunlight so be sure to wear sunscreen if used in the morning. I do love HadaLabo products because they are so gentle and loving to the skin. I have used HadaLabo's Gokujyun Super Hyaluronic Acid Cream in the past, and I'm currently using the Gokujyun Super Hyaluronic Acid Lotion and foaming version of Tamagohada AHA + BHA Daily Face Wash. I will do a current skincare routine soon. So stay tuned for that :)

Did you guys have any empties that you used up recently? 

--- J.