Skincare Discovery: Cleansing Part II - Cleansing Tools & Techniques

As I mentioned in Part I of my Skincare Discovery: Cleansing megapost (click here), cleansing is one of those things that people don't reflect on as much as their other products; you stick a soapy thing on your face, you rinse it off, and you proceed with your other products.

I know I ordered cleansers with abandon yet I'd research potential moisturizers to death before purchase, but like everything related to asian skincare, my perspective has evolved.

Can you believe these were just the products and empties I was easily able to find lurking in my bathroom?

Included in this megapost:

• Double Cleansing (Pt. I)
• Cleanser Types (Pt. 1)
• Cleansing Tools (Pt. II)
• Cleansing Techniques (Pt. II)
• PH-conscious vs non-PH conscious cleansing (Pt. II)

If you haven't read Part I, I definitely recommend doing so first for context, but if you're up to speed, read on!

Skincare Discovery: Cleansing Part I - Double Cleansing & Cleanser Types

Sometimes it's a good idea to reflect not just what you put on you face, but how you take it back off.   The last Skincare Discovery post was on layering products (click here for Part I, click here for Part II) to custom-fit your skin's needs rather than struggling to find something that tries to do everything at once and therefore accomplishes nothing.

Cleansing is one of those things that everyone does (at least, I hope they do) but few people really think deeply about.  Or it was possibly just me.  Derp!

Now that I've been obsessed with asian skincare for a few years, the way I clean my face has drastically changed.

Included in this megapost:

• Double Cleansing (Pt. I)
• Cleanser Types (Pt. I)
• Cleansing Tools (Pt. II)
• Cleansing Techniques (Pt. II)
• pH-conscious vs non-pH conscious cleansing (Pt. II)

This post will be a collection of tips and techniques I have gleaned through hours of watching korean beauty shows, videos, and consuming vast quantities of blog posts.

Skin79 White Reviving Skin Radiance Solution Review

Well, it's finally arrived; the Review That Almost Wasn't, meaning that reviewing this product caused me to abandon blogging for almost a year.   As I mentioned in my "where have I been?!" post, the review for this product was the last straw in a growing frustration with how asian skincare products were being reviewed in general (read: half-assed testing before posting a review). If you want to hear more on my rant about that, feel free to click on the above link, and if you just want to hear about whitening (note: not bleaching) goodness, read on!

I actually started using this Solution in January 2013, and used 2 full bottles before I was confident enough in the results to post a review.  Whitening products are usually long-term reviews because they work so slowly and they're often used in combination with other products that have a whitening effect themselves, so it can be a challenge to identify if something is actually working.

Look at that golden pearlescence.  This packaging is so gorgeous.

Plus if you think about it, would you really want a whitening product that works quickly?  Imagine what sort of chemical warfare you'd be inflicting on your face for a fast turnaround.  That wouldn't be whitening in the Korean sense, that would be straight up bleaching.  Repeat after me:  whitening is not bleaching.

Read on for the full review!

Introducing Weekday Randomness: Wishlists, Thoughts, and Reviews in Progress

Often I find myself with topics that I want to discuss, trends that interest me, or products that I'm currently investigating, but none of them are 'big' enough to warrant a 'Weekly Review' post.

If you've been reading my blog, you will know that not properly testing skincare products before reviewing them is a huge pet peeve of mine.  It also slows down the pace of new content, because I have been limiting myself to just reviews after the product has been carefully tested over a long period of time, and the occasional skincare megapost.

Well no more!  I am going to start posting the random tidbits that catch my interest mid-week, and leave the giant posts where they are on the weekends.

This post:

• Mini haul from Avecko.com, featuring:
• Su:m37 Miracle Rose Cleansing stick (discontinued, amazed I actually found one)
• Etude House Real Art Cleansing Oil in 'Moisture' as recommended by Get It Beauty, Korea's top beauty talk/review talk show
• Prestige samples and why you should buy them
• Reviews in progress

Avecko.com sample bonanza!

Skin79 Smart Clear All In One Cleansing Gel Review

This week's review is of the Skin79 Smart Clear All In One Cleansing Gel, which is part of my ongoing series titled: Finally Reviewing Last Summer's Haul Products So I Can Buy More Guilt-Free.

Also included in this series is Tonymoly's Latte Art Cappuccino Cream-in Scrub, Skinfood's Ancient Rice Toner, and last week's ill-fated My Beauty Diary Natto mask.

Not only is it assisting with culling the giant list of overdue reviews, but this cleanser is joining the ranks of empties I am hoarding in anticipation of doing an Empties post in the future; nothing gives a beauty product addict the rush of justification like a collection of things you actually managed to finish.

Despite me nearly finishing this bottle (I have only a tiny amount left in the bottom) it's not something that I'd necessarily recommend or repurchase.

Read on for the full review!