Skincare Routine: ft Clinique, Etude House, It's Skin, Lush

Hello everyone! I'm Catherine and I'm totally new to this whole beauty community thing and I thought, what better way to break the ice than to start with my skincare routine?

Let's start with a little bit about my skin, how about? Like most girls my age, I suffer from combination skin. But get this, I also have super sensitive skin and the pores around the center of my face are massive. I guess you could say I am prone to breakouts. So, for the past couple of months, I've been doing my research and I think I've pretty much perfected my routine. All of these products do not irritate my skin and most importantly, they don't break me out. These products work for me and my skin, and hopefully through this review, you'll be able to tell if they work for you or not.

From left to right: Etude House Wonder Pore Freshner, Lush Angels on Bare Skin, Lush Aquamarina, It's Skin Power 10 VB Effector, Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel





Lush's Angels on Bare Skin Facial Cleanser
Description (taken from Lush.ca):
For heavenly soft and balanced skin, take a smidge of Angels on Bare Skin, mix with a little water and massage in. The kaolin clay base deep cleanses while ground almonds gently exfoliate the dead skin away. Rose and lavender are added to soothe and help balance out combination skin. It's our best selling preservative-free and packaging-free daily cleanser for all skin types, so if you don't know which cleanser to choose and it's heavenly skin you're after, start with Angels.

It's grainy texture is perfect as an everyday exfoliant for those with sensitive skin.

I have been using Angels for the past few months now as an everyday morning cleanser. I use about two pea size amounts worth of product after I rinse my face with warm water. After massaging it into my skin, I rinse with cold water before following up with a toner. I like this cleanser because of its gentle exfoliant properties. Most times I find other exfoliators found at the drugstore to be too abrasive on my skin. I also notice that my skin becomes slightly more brighter after using.

Etude House's Wonder Pore Freshner 
I've been super into Korean cosmetics and skincare lately after discovering Running Man and becoming totally into everything revolving around Korea and its' culture. Even though it didn't break me out; my previous toner, The Body Shop's Aloe Calming Toner didn't really do anything for my skin. That's when I decided to try out the Wonder Pore Freshner, purchased at Etude House's eBay.

This toner claims to do 7 things: Keep skin's pH at 4.5 +/- 1, refine the skin, keep pore's elasticity, deep cleanse, minimize the appearance of pores, control sebum, as well as moisturize the skin both inside and out. Truthfully I'm not sure if I believe in all seven of these points, but I do see an improvement in the size and cleanliness of my pores. I'm not sure if it's the doing of this product alone, or if it's all of my routine working in conjunction with one another.

While reading reviews on this toner, I was afraid that it would irritate my skin since it doesn't exactly sound gentle. This is not the case for me! I've never felt a stinging or burning while using this, which differs greatly from this toner. The scent is soooo unnoticeable for me. To be honest with you, I don't notice it at all while it's on my face. The only time I do notice it is when I actually take a sniff out of the bottle. I wouldn't describe it as an alcohol or disinfectant smell, but it definitely doesn't smell like fruits or flowers either.

Overall, I do really like this toner, and I will definitely repurchase it when I'm out of it!

It's Skin's Power 10 Formula VB Effector Serum 
I never knew what a serum or essence was until I starting getting into Asian skincare. A serum is a highly concentrated product that targets specific skincare needs. They range from being gel-like to almost watery. The serum that I picked out from F2plus1 is directed towards sebum regulation with vitamin B. It's oil free and supposed to be moisturizing as well!

The product comes in a 30mL glass jar with a screw on eye drop dispenser. After toner, I apply three drops of this product onto my fingertips before applying this to my t-zone as well as my cheeks. The scent is very pleasant and not overpowering at all. I do notice that my skin has been less oily which is quite surprising since it's summer. I've noticed that I can wear bb creams and face makeup for up to 12 hours without a primer or a makeup setting spray. Then again, that's probably because of my entire routine and not just this serum. I will definitely repurchase this serum seeing as it's super affordable and I do believe it contributes at least a teeeeeeny little bit to the condition of my skin.

Clinique's Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel 
Moisturizers is definitely the product that irritates my skin the most. Almost every single moisturizer I've ever tried has broken me out except for two. This one of course, and this one. I like this one more because it's not heavy and doesn't have a stuffy scent to it. Clinique products are all fragrance free which is something sensitive skin ladies like myself can appreciate! There are two types of the Dramatically Different Moisturizers; the gel, and the lotion. The gel is meant for combination or oily skin types while the lotion is meant for dry or normal. I'd definitely try sampling this product at Sephora or at a Clinique counter before purchasing since it's not a drugstore product and thus more expensive.

As you can see I'm almost finished the entire 200mL of this. I purchased this during the Christmas season of 2011 so this definitely lasts a really long time. Heads up: this product does have a 24 month open-bottle life span. I will repurchase this, but I'm not sure when, since the 200mL bottle of this product is a limited size and I'm not sure if I'll be able to wait or if I'll bite the bullet and buy the 125mL for $33 at Sephora.

Lush's Aquamarina Facial Cleanser 
Description (taken from Lush.ca):
Do you remember putting calamine lotion on bug bites as a child? Aqua Marina was made with the same principle in mind; using the soothing pink extract to reduce redness and inflammation in sensitive skin. Those who have a tendency to react to citrus or strong herbal oils will find salvation in Aqua Marina’s gentle aloe vera and moisturizing nori seaweed. Especially cooling on sun burnt faces, Aqua Marina is perfect for normal to dry skin types. Your cleanser will remain fresh for up to three months. Always check the expiration date on your product.

Just like Angels, I find this cleanser to be quite expensive too but it's something I really enjoy using. I use this product every evening, usually in the shower. I take a pea - 2 pea size amounts and massage it into my palms before massaging it into my face. The scent is pleasant and I don't find it to be overpowering. I do find that if I apply too much of this cleanser that it does make my face a little tight feeling; otherwise, with the right amount I find it to be gentle and be able to remove makeup as well. 



Thanks for reading! Until next time! 

xo, Catherine