La roche posay effaclar k

i used to have clear skin until one sudden breakout. since then, i have been experiencing frequent breakouts and also clogged pores(white heads) especially at the side of my face. after using effaclar k for about 2 weeks, my whiteheads are 90% gone! one side cleared up and the other side with a few. my strawberry nose also improved alot and at times it looks so poreless too. its totally not drying for my combi skin. i used it together with the effaclar toner and active matte moisturiser.

started out using it on its own without the same series's toner and moisturiser and it works very well too! i tried stopping it for a while and my clogged pores didnt come back. but i realise im more prone to scarring(i have the tendency to squeeze my blackheads at the side of my face) when im not on effaclar k..

Not using anymore after moving to japan as LRP is not readily available here.. Would love to use it again if i see it again here!

Ingredients: Aqua/Water, DI-C12-13 Alkyl Malate, Cyclohexasiloxane, Propylene Glycol, Aluminium Starch Octenylsuccinate, PEG-100 Stearate, Glyceryl Stearate, Salicylic Acid, Cetyl Alcohol, PEG-4 Dilaurate, PEG-4 Laurate, Zinc PCA, Sodium Hydroxide, Capryloyl Salicylic Acid, Xanthan Gum, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate, PEG-4, Parfum/Fragance.

Effaclar active matte moisturiser

i loved this moisturiser! though it dosent seem really moisturising. but i like the matte feeling after applying and also it controls my oil pretty well. i used to wake up with an oil field but not anymore after using this. my t zone is still oily as usual but my cheeks are no longer oily. one thing i dont like about this is the 'cucumber' like smell... i hate cucumbers anyway...but somehow got used to it. i also realised that it seems to help control my clogged pores too. i got less clogs after using this. maybe because it controls the oil production thats why.

however, when i went to facial one month after using this day and night, my facialist said my whole face is full of tiny blackheads i used to have lesser blackheads but bigger ones. those that i can see and can feel but then after using this, i feel my skin is smooth and soft but then the number of blackheads seems to be much more than before according to my facialist... tiny but alot. i wonder if this is consider as improvement on my skin condition...

Anyway not using it anymore as i moved to tokyo and its not easily available here and my skin is not as oily as when i was living in taipei. i cant seem to get the ingredient list. it seems to have been discontinued.. such a pity since this is such a great product!

Cellex c hydra b complex

Tried this hyaluronic acid years ago. its not enough as a basic moisturiser on its own. so i got to add another light moisturiser on top of it or sometimes i add 1 drop of jojoba oil with 2 drops if this. i like it as it has only 4 ingredients which is water, hyaluronic acid, vit B5 and preservative. from what i know, vit b5 is good for acne skin. i have combination acne prone skin so i can use this at ease. no need to worry about getting clog pores with this. a safe to use product even for acne prone skin or sensitive skin but too light on its own and after using 4 bottles, decided not to continue buying as i dont see any difference with my skin though it didnt worsen it. Too expensive!! Lol

Ingredients:

Aqua, Sodium Hyaluronate, Pantothenic Acid, Phenoxyethanol.

Kose medicated sekisho whitening mask

heard much rave on this mask to be able to pull out blackheads and even whiteheads. tried it 2 times but both times it dissapointed me...

The first time, i applied only onto a small area with clog pores and wait for 20mins for it to dry and then i put out. its not painful at all maybe because i only applied onto a small area. but nothing came out. The 2nd time, i applied onto my nose as the blackheads there should be easier to pull out. however, honestly speaking, i dont really see much blackheads on the mask when i peeled off... its a decent and convenient mask as it can 'pull' out your impurities on the whole face unlike the usual biore pore pack which is suppose to use only for the nose. i have been looking for this kind of peel of mask(for whole face) for sometime. in a way its much more convenient to use compare to biore pore pack which is only for the nose...however, results wise, biore pore pack win hands down. i can see lots of heads on the pore pack each time i peel off and its cheap. this mask is no where cheap and nothing much came out from my nose.

Few years ago when i was living in taipei, i found another similar mask name 粉刺mp3. Its a white mask instead of black and its the best bh removal mask ive met so far! Still using faithfully after so many years! Will review about it later!

Dr ci labo pore white peel

Love this peel! its a transparent gel without any beads. suppose to be massaged onto dry skin as stated.

dead skin will come off when you massage onto your face. its very gentle even on acne skin unlike other scrubs with beads. acne skin should avoid scrubbing but i guess this is gentle enough to use as there are no beads at all.

my scars lightened significant after one use. i often used this to exfoliate my skin especially the area where there are scars. i also noticed that at times when i use this more often, the dead skin that comes off with it is lesser as well. Recently i dont use it often as my skin is rather sensitive now on differin so im avoiding all sorts of exfoliation. But when i do feel i need some exfoliation, this is the only exfoliator that i will reach our for as its the gentlest and it really works!

i remembered i tried the tester onto my hand and there is actually one white patch on the area where i tried this on! its whitening effect seems great but its only temporary. it contains some fruit acids. downside is its a bit expensive and the pump bottle dosent seems to be pumping well at times..

Overall a great product! Ive been using it for 5 years!

DIY aspirin mask

great mask! can create your own favourite formula! i always mix with only aloe vera gel. makes my skin sooooooo smooth! my blackheads all gone after one use. of cause they do come back after a few days but im gald this mask can help me clear them and makes my skin smooth! Try it! Cheap, easy and effective!! That is if you are not allergic to aspirin of course!

Just take some aspirin tablets (3 or so) and mix with a few drops of water or aloe vera gel or honey etc as you like to create a paste then apply it onto your skin and leave it there for about 15 minutes then rinse off with water and continue with your usual skincare routine. Try it!

Paula's choice 1% bha gel

tried the sample baggie of this. used about 2 weeks plus. dosent help much. and i hated the shininess n stickiness. its super shiny and super sticky! i feel my skin dosent reacts well with gel... everytime i applied any gel onto my skin, flakes appears...(not my skin that is flaking, its the gel coming off in flakes!). dosent like the flaky look and the sticky feeling. wont repurchase.

Clarins one step gentle exfoliating cleanser

i got this in a sample tube when i bought my gentle forming cleanser which i had been using for as long as i can remember.

I was using it nightly. in the morning, i will cleanse my skin with clarins gentle forming cleanser and use this at night(i feel my skin is more dirty at night thus using this as it contains slight exfoliating effect).

its good! my skin got very much smoother and those tiny bumps(clogged pores) were all gone when i first started using it! very happy with it!

I usually use only about a pea size. squeezed it onto my fingertip and then spread around my whole face. the only cons is that SLS is the 2nd ingredient which might be rather drying on the skin though it dosent really forms(if i remember correctly)

Not using it now though since my skin is quite sensitive to exfoliations now that im on differin...will consider buying again if i decided to stop using differin hehe

Paula's choice bha 2% liquid

i tried the gel before i got pregnant (like 5 years ago) but not really a supporter of it as it feels really really sticky and does nothing to my skin. i didnt use this liquid long enough to see results as i got pregnant soon after i started trying out BHA's and was advise not to apply BHA during pregnancy so i stopped after trying this out for 1 week. im presonally in love with the consistency of this liquid on my skin. its like a toner. feels very light and barely there. not sticky at all.

Tried it again recently and it makes my skin feel rough and bumpy. Not for me eventually.. Perhaps my skin just hates bhas... Sob..

Paula's choice 2% bha gel

Tried samples of it. Bought 2 packs of samples and lasted me about 3 weeks using nightly onto my t zone. I tried to apply onto my whole face but its too sticky and gave me a few pimples the next morning. Im not sure if its purging or what but i seriously cannot handle purging so im limitting the usage to my t zone only. Works well on my t zone and ive bought myself a full size! Made my forehead smooth and bumpless!

Presently using it onto my nose only as im using differin on my whole face except my nose. It is really sticky and leaves a shine so not advisable to use it in the day under makeup in my opinion

Paula's choice 8% alpha hydroxy solution

Love it! Dosent break me out nor dry out my skin and made my skin feels smooth and radiant the next day. Absorb fast and its totally not sticky unlike paula's bhas.. BUT i do prefer the resist weekly treatment with 10% aha. The results is more dramatic and i do not have to use daily like this one.

I was using this on alternate nights after toning and before moisturising before i found their 10% weekly aha from their resist line

Paula's choice resist weekly resurfacing treatment (10% aha)

Ive tried a lot of paula's choice products but most of them dosent agree with my skin (clog my pores). This makes my skin looks so radiant and smooth the next morning. It dosent sting and i leave it overnight. I apply it after cleansing and let it sit for a while before i apply my moisturiser. I only use once a week. I realised the result is more dramatic if i apply a thick layer but it does leave my cheeks feeling taut. If i apply a thin layer, its not as drying but the results are not as obvious as well.

However, i stopped using this too since i started using differin due to my skin's sensitivity but its a good product!

Paula's choice skin recovery mattifying concentrate with retinol

Bought samples of it as im looking for a product that contains retinol yet mattifies. BUT this dosent mattifies for me at all! My t zone shines after less than 30mins and its usually not even really oily! Gave up trying for the long term effect on me as it fails in the main purpose of matifying. Ingredient list looks great though.

Differin gel (adapalene) 0.1%

Got this from my derm for my mild acne (whiteheads and blackheads mostly on my cheeks). Been using for almost 3 months and now i cannot live without it! My bumps looks much lesser just after a few days into this treatment. So far it didnt cause me any purging nor did it stings my skin. After about 4 days into it, my skin burns so badly after cleansing at night (im using makeup remover n cleanser which contains aha and my clarisonic brush). So much so tat whatever i put onto my skin after tat just makes my skin burns like mad! I know i should not be using harsh cleanser with differin but im not comfortable using a gentle cleanser at night. So at first whenever it starts burning real bad, i skip using differin a few days and resume when my skin no longer burns upon washing (my skin dosent burn in the am with my gentle cleanser..). I was receiving microdermabrasion treatment every forthnightly as well so was advised to stop differin a few days before and after the treatment so ive been on n off on differin but still, it gives me great results! Perhaps since im going on n off on differin, i dun get all the bad reactions too.. My derm says its perfectly fine to go on n off like this till my skin get used to it without burning so i did that for the first month on it to get my skin used to it then from the 2nd month onwards, i started using it nightly but stopped using my clarisonic brush and stopped going for microderbrasion as well as not to stress out my skin.

i realised my skin is less oily, pores looks a bit smaller, skin looks smoother (lesser bumps) overall (not totally clear though) with no bad side effects except the burning at first (when i was using with my clarisonic) and the dryness/flakiness which is no longer a problem now since i found my mousturising serum. Very happy with this!! Its cheap too with prescription. Like 700yen per tube which i think can last 3-4 months if use daily. Ok plus consultation fee of 1100yen lol. I shall request for more tubes on my next visit after this tube runs out!!

Another good thing about this is it helps in anti aging since its a form of retinoid (vitamin a).

I dont dare to stop using this treatment but its not safe to use during pregnancy...so if i happen to get pregnant.. Oh what should i do!!! Lol!!

Clarisonic facial brush

Bought this cleansing brush from skincarerx.com last august and used for about 8 months twice daily until this march (2 months ago). I started off using alternate nights for about 2 weeks then increased to nightly and then eventually twice a day after 1 month of use. The reason for stopping it is because i started using differin gel 0.1% topical acne prescription from the doctor which makes my skin really sensitive to any friction including cotton pads! Everytime i use this brush (after starting differin), my skin just stings the hell out of me! So much so that i cant apply anything onto my skin at all! Not even my toner... It just sting so much that i get a headache out of it..BUT i do really like this cleansing tool. Its easy to use and it takes just 1 minute! After which, it will stop automatically.

At first, i was not really comfortable with the vibration especially on the bridge of my nose lol. Felt kind of ticklish.. But i soon got used to it. My skin always looks brighter after cleansing with this and my pores looks cleaner too. According to the website, its suppose to help with acne, reduce pore size and fine lines too! It did really clear up my chest and back (yes i use on my chest and back too and am still using. Not whole body) so i was very happy with it. I do not have fine lines to begin with so i cant comment on how this tool help with fine lines. As for pores, it did help making them look cleaner. I dont see any WOW from this tool though except brighter skin and clearer pores. I do still get clog pores and pimples here and there while using this..but the reviews online and before n after pictures looks really amazing. Google more for the before n after photos and you will get what i mean!!

Its not really cheap and you need to replace the brush head every 3-4 months. Each brush head cost usd25. Machine itself is about usd110 or so if i remember correctly. Not forgetting the additional cost for shipping!

There are a few different types of brushes (delicate, sensitive, normal and deep cleansing). The tool came with a free sensitive brush head in white which im using for my body since its a little harsh for my skin i felt. For face, i used their delicate skin brush head in light blue color (their gentlest brush).

If you can afford it, try it! Its good! Not amazing but good cleansing tool! Makes skin feels really soft and smooth after cleansing. No miracles for me like those i saw online though but enough!

Panasonic spot clear

This is a vacuum specially designed for the nose area. The instructions says to use it only onto the nose but im not too sure why.. Its a very good vacuum in my opinion and i use it perhaps once a week or so. It always vacuum out lots of sebum from my nose and i do use on my cheeks at times (not supposed to).

Refer to the picture for the "power" of this vacuum. The yellow ring at the tip is the sebum.. Eeeks. The suction power is quite strong and always left my nose/cheeks red but it usually clears up very soon. Its selling for about 3,500yen in amazon.jp but about 4,500 yen in shops. I got mine from amazon.

Panasonic nano steamer EH-SA31

Panasonic manufactures lots of steamer but this is one of the cheapest and simplest one of all. I bought it from amazon.jp at about 7,500yen but its selling in shops at about 13,000yen (i often buy things from amazon due to the affordable price) Its simply a facial steamer that gives out nano size steam to allow better penetration into the pores to moisturise the skin. As the tank is small, it is able to provide steam up to a maximum of only 6 minutes. According to the instruction booklet, It is advised to use only 3 minutes for deep cleansing (remove makeup->steam->cleanse). For me, im using a full 6 minutes for this purpose (remove makeup->steam for about 4-5minutes->cleanse while steaming for the last 1-2 minutes). You can use it to enhance penetration of your toner too by using it for a full 6 minutes after cleansing and before toning. I rarely use it this way though.

I bought this last year around december if i remember correctly. Been using for almost half a year and still loving it! I do feel my skin is better cleansed and looks clearer, smoother, lesser bumps(clog pores), more radiant ever since ive started using this though im only using it on alternate days. Will consider buying one with more functions from panasonic when this steamer decides not to work anymore lol!

Hitachi hada crie

Recently i bought this new beauty tool from amazon.jp at about 12,000yen. Its selling for about 25,000yen in electrical shops here!! Its suppose to enhance the penetration of your toner using ion and microwaves. There are 4 functions to it. 1. Cleansing 2. Patting 3. Moist up and 4. Cool mode. Its about 5 minutes for each course so the total course will take about 20 minutes! A diy mini facial in your home lol. Of course you dont have to use all 4 everytime. For eg, on days when you dont need deep cleansing, you can skip it and just use the other 3 modes or on super lazy days, perhaps just the cool mode to close up the pores after cleansing. Its not wireless so you will need to stay close to somewhere whereby you can connect the adapter to. There is another version of this which is cheaper (about 7,000yen in amazon and 13,000yen in shops) which comes wireless but instead of the cool mode, it is replaced by a refresh mode which im not too sure what it does. So it all depends on what you need. The cool mode helps closes/minimises the pores. Another thing about this is that it only comes in 110v (in japan) thus it cant be used elsewhere unless with a voltage converter.. However, the cheaper wireless version can be used worldwide with a voltage of 100-240v.

1. Cleansing
You should use this mode with a cotton pad soaked with your usual toner or a wipe off toner after your normal cleansing routine. In some cases, the cotton pads comes off yellowish but not for my case.. It always comes off clean! So i assume my cleanser alone is doing a great job and thus this mode renders useless to me lol

2. Patting
Use this mode without a cotton pad. You will need to put on lots of toner onto your skin before using this mode so the tool will be able to glide along your skin smoothly without dragging it. Add toner if necessary.

3. Moist up
As with mode 1, you will need to use a soaked cotton pad (with your toner as well)

4. Cool
In this mode, you will need no toner amd no cotton pads. You need to allow the machine to cool itself down which takes about 1.5 minutes and then just pat slowly and gentle onto your skin. You are not advised to put the tool onto the same area of the skin for more than a second as it risk damaging your skin due to the low temperature and also it will risk warming up the tool itself n render it useless for pore closing due to the skin's warmth.

After everthing, follow up with your usual skincare routine. Be prepared that your toner will deplete very fast! So get a cheap toner! Lol!

Personally, i felt its quite a useless tool for me as i dont see any difference on my skin though i see lots of great reviews online.. In fact, all the rubbing on my skin with a cotton pad is irritating my sensitive skin.. My skin gets red and stings after each treatment and perhaps due to the irritation,my skin got really bumpy after a week so i stopped using it now. Will review again if i decided to re try it hehe