Hello! It's time to dig around in the (overflowing) Sephora bag underneath my desk, and talk about some products that I don't like or don't really care for.

 First, a song. This Smyang piano cover of BTS' song, Spring Day captures the original song in a calmer mood. I love both this and the original (yes, I am trash for BTS....!)



 Anyway, on to products that I don't care about!




formula 10.0.6 so totally clean deep pore cleanser

Cleanser, my ass! While this isn't for my skin type now, at the time, I went for it. This is no cleanser but a toner, by US standards. It is specially an acne treatment, formulated with salicylic acid and smells strongly of alcohol. I don't even know why this was in my stash....?




formula 10.0.6 pores be pure skin clarifying mud mask - strawberry, yarrow 

From the same Bonne-Bell owned line, is this mud mask.

While I haven't regularly reached for this mud mask pack, I actually like this. It smells nice but isn't too overpowering.

That being said, I'd rather find a mud-based mask that isn't so....stripping! After use, my face feels soft for just a moment, then crusty dry--no other product does this. My guess is that the mud is harsher on my face and most likely, I don't even need a mud-based mask pack.




l'occitane cleansing oil

I just....I just don't know. I want to like this cleansing oil. It's works like magic but the scent is really disgusting to me, so to use it up, I've been using it to lean my brushes and some makeup sponges (not my cushion air puffs).

I will keep the bottle to use for decanting though, since I do like the pump!




mario badescu peptide renewal serum

A product that should be right up my alley (aimed at dry skin) but eh.....*shrugs*

Of course, the small bottle are clearly not enough for me to truly judge on the performance of the product. I have had these left over from a past Mario Badescu trial kit and never liked the consistency or feel of the serum. A clear watery serum with no scent sounds nice, but it almost has the feel of an oil! No thanks! If I want an oil, I'll get an oil!





sonoma naturals argan oil antioxidant facial treatment serum

Speaking of oils, I picked this argan oil-based treatment "serum" up from TJ Maxx last summer?? It was on clearance for a couple bucks; I checked reviews of what I could find online and it seemed pretty ok. It is definitely an oil, not a serum.

Now, I do have limited experience with using facial oils in my routine, but I should've just reached for this oil more, so I could form a better opinion. I think I will always lean toward cooling, gel-like textures in my products than an oil based, in fears of my face becoming oilier, but I will suck it in and try again!


e.l.f. hydrating serum

Hydrating "serum", my ass. While very affordable and easily available at most US retailers now, this recent e.l.f. product isn't up to par with its Korean skincare 선배. Just saying....

As I understand, the term serum is very broad within the skincare world. One serum isn't going to be the same as another brand's serum. With that in the mind, the e.l.f. Hydrating Serum is much more like a runny cream moisturizer than a serum--something that is more diverse for a moisturizer.

Marketed as a serum? No. It's thin, yes, but takes longer to sink into the face and neck than expected. I'm thankful that the scent isn't strong! I've been actively avoiding using this product mostly because it doesn't layer well with anything I've applied before or after.


the yeon jeju hallabong energy mild all in one serum

A~~~ah, The Yeon's long name serum! What a mouthful!

I've had for what feels like eons (yeons, lol) and have found the performance varies throughout the year. During the wintertime (aka this nine month long gloom), the serum doesn't work and sits in a sticky mess on face, instead of sinking into the skin. But during the summertime, when the yummy citrus scent seems more fitting, the serum works well on skin that is warmer and doesn't just sit on the skin.

I will (not) be reaching for this again in a couple of months, when the sun finally comes out in the PNW...!!!


laneige balancing emulsion

I have enjoyed Laneige's Balancing Emulsion for the most part.

I first had a smaller, trial size that is for normal to dry skin, from a past trial kit. When I bought the full size, my stupidity got the best of me--I didn't realize until about a month later that I had bought the version for combo/oily skin! 


There is definitely a big difference between the two, so maybe it's ok. With the combo/oil version of the Balancing Emulsion my face ends up hot and sticky after applying, no matter the method or products I've used in my routine beforehand. Because of this, I'd never actively want to reach for it, so it ended up in the Sephora bag under my desk! I kept the smaller trial size version, too.


To use up this emulsion and not be wasteful, I've been using it on my legs since my skin there is always so dry--I'm getting to the last third! I find it works much better as a body moisturizer than for the face....


shiseido benefiance wrinkle resist24 night emulsion

Another disappointing product! I picked this up at TJ Maxx a good while ago and kept it because, well, the bottle does look nice on my vanity and it always gives me a reminder to never buy this product again!


The scent and texture are the main gripes I've had about this particular emulsion: initially, it smells powdery but once rubbed into the skin, the floral tones come out, in full force! 90% of the time, product scents do not give me an issue but the severity of the scent will give me a headache.

Texture-wise, this Shiseido emulsion is semi-runny cream but not watery and is an ideal consistency for skincare. It spreads over the skin well, leaving the skin soft. Sadly, the scent just makes me want to tear off my nose...!!



olay regenerist micro sculpting cream 

Not bad but to keep it short, it feels too thick for just the eye area. Unless I use it in the wintertime, it just feel so heavy...





st. ives daily hydrating body lotion - vitamin e & avocado

I liked this product a lot actually but as I worked toward the last third of the bottle, the lotion felt too thick on my skin, in comparison to the thinner constancy of the products I apply on my face. I've now just kept to applying the body lotion to my heels and wearing socks, to keep my feet moisturized, instead of on my legs or all over my body.



The lotion is thick, seemingly moisturizing but feels...thick. (not thicc at all).



knock off fruit hand cream - strawberry & orange

These two hand creams are blatant knock off of baviphat / Urban Dollkiss' packaging, I"m well aware.

These were on clearance at ULTA for 1.99 or .99 ea., I bought two, thinking I could ditch the product and re-purpose the containers. Then I forgot about them (kind of didn't care, either), and time passed. Now, I think I will proceed as planned.

The strawberry smelled artificial and nothing pleasant or sweet (as expected) while the orange/tangerine smells like the citrus air freshener at Target.





l'oreal paris collagen moisture filler day night cream

This cream was my jam, long before I got into AB...around early 2015.

I had bought two backup jars and they sat, unused, in my desk drawer upstairs, and the more than I delved into the rabbit hole that is Japanese Korean skincare, the less I cared. Last year (2016), I used the cream on my legs in efforts to not be wasteful and eh, it works...? but I don't like it. It's a very thick cream and I can't imagine using it on my face anymore.

I can feel my skin heat up the moment after application and just feels...greasy....





Yeck....!



olay regenerist regenerating serum

Serum, my ass! This Olay serum is far, far, far, many light years away from being a serum! It's closer to thicker version of Mizon's Snail Gel Cream, without the somewhat cooling effect, combined with a silicone primer. I held onto it, thinking I'd do a comparison review or something, but I lost all interest.

In all honestly, it really feels like a silicone based primer....?! Why, Olay, WHY? I am very pleased though, that is it in fact fragrance-free. There is no scent--for real! It smells like nothing.

Feels like an oil slick on the face, though!




pearlessence cucumber water hydrating face mist

I bought this from TJ Maxx a couple of months ago, not knowing anything about this brand or the product--something which I have stopped completely (aka blind buying).


The moment I spritzed this mist to my face, it burned. Enough said.

I will however, be dumping the mist, sanitizing and reusing the bottle--it's glass! I want to make my own rice toner or something and this might be a good bottle to house that concoction.


Thanks for reading~  Goodbye!