ummm well what can i say i bought a shitton of products this past summer and have changed up quite a few things in my routine so.. this is the long overdue terribly organized frankenpost update. i kind of did a half baked recap a few months ago upon anon request here: 1 / 2 

related links: holy grails / hair & fragrance / interest list


am

• CLEANSER: water - this still has not changed
• TONER: muji light toning water moisture - honestly it feels like water but i've been very into layering toners. 
• TONER: hadalabo shirojyun brightening lotion - not sure if this is doing anything too exceptional with regards to brightening but it's hydrating and doesn't irritate my skin and i've been using it for like 6 months so. i have the (old?) formulation with the tranexamic acid btw
• MOISTURIZER: laneige cream skin refiner - i feel like this product always makes sure my skin stays moisturized and smooth under makeup without fail and is probably a large part of why my morning skincare routine is so minimal. i am running out of it tho... and also i still have the old formulation that's not in the refillable packaging so idk if i want to repurchase this when i run out but i'll cross that bridge when i get there.
• SPF: skin aqua tone up uv essence mint green - tried and true, went for the green version this time for extra color correction. 

makeup

just as a caveat, i DO NOT do all these steps all the time i don't have the discipline nor fortitude nor time to do all of that. realistically most of the time my makeup routine is some haphazard combination of about 70% of whatever i've delineated below. i suppose this is more like my ideation of perfect makeup routine in AU where i am That Girl rather than irl execution. but the facts are that i do own these products and i do sometimes use them. honestly all of this could be said of my skincare routine as well but i'm even more inconsistent about doing makeup so..well..

• FOUNDATION: for the past few months i've been trying out a few different complexion products including the dior glow foundation and too faced/estee lauder skin tints, but most of the time i have been using the tried and true clio kill cover mesh glow cushion in linen. ftr i like the too faced skin tint better than estee lauder's but ultimately think i just have to come to terms with the fact that my skin texture is not quite skin-tint level yet... but i will still be trying to get there nonetheless.
• CONCEALER: the saem tip concealer in 1.5 - medium buildable coverage. i have the too faced ethereal light + nyx bare with me concealer serum in rotation as well, but i find myself reaching for the saem one the most. it's just quick and easy. i feel like i should have a pot concealer on principle but uhhh i also feel like i'm too lazy to use it. 
• BROWS: merzy the first proof brow mascara - i only bought this because i needed to hit free shipping on coupang while buying jaemin's stupid d'alba truffle sheet masks (which, by the way, are good. unfortunately) but honestly one of the brow mascaras of all time i think... perfect amount of pigment and hold + not too stiff or wet... i also use the judydoll brow pencil to clean things up before and after.
• CONTOUR: judydoll 2 in 1 highlighter contour palette #1 waves - it works fine but i think i'm in the market for a liquid or cream contour as well. i pretty much skip bronzer entirely now but i used to use abh.
• EYESHADOW: romand better than mahogany garden tried and true + etude house play color eyes crystal chandeliers for that sparkle. although if i'm doing a heavier/more western/abg look for god knows what reason i always have my trusty abh soft glam. 
• EYELINER: for pencil liner i tried to substitute my original cheapies nyx retractable liner that i use for tightlining with another cheapies cezanne one i bought in japan but ummm it kind of sucked. then i bought a brown msh cream pencil liner on a whim and UNFORTUNATELY... it's good. glides like a dream. as for liquid liner, this is my second msh loveliner liquid eyeliner purchase (i bought medium brown this time) and again UNFORTUNATELY... it's good. sometimes the things that are expensive are good. sucks. terrible. i know. i feel like my next liquid liner is probably going to be from flortte or into you though bc i've seen how thin and tiny their tips are. and they're cheaper thank god. 
• AEGYOSAL: flortte wow so light liquid liner in #04, with etude house bling bling eye stick (lol)
• MASCARA: etude house dr. mascara fixer + heroine make long up curl + l'oreal telescopic combo never does me wrong but i am still thinking about the judydoll 3d curling lash iron mascara. also i cannot for the life of me do the manhua lashes trick with the tweezers like ok i can do it eventually but it only works like 1 out of 5 attempts. how are people doing this.
• BLUSH: canmake cream cheek blush in 07 - i really want a cool toned blush though, i've been looking at romand blueberry chip but also oomf recommended naming's blushes so... i remain undecided as of rn.
• HIGHLIGHT: judydoll starlight highlighting powder in 05 - bought this purely for the beautiful packaging but it is a really nice glitter topper.
• SETTING: kato kato loose setting powder - the one in silver. bought this via fervent recommendation from the xhs girlies, i think it's among the better powders i've used but at the same time my only other consistent comparison has been a 5-6 year old laura mercier powder that i should've thrown out ages ago. i've been using the morphe matte setting mist for the past couple of years purely bc i prefer how much finer aerosol mists are but i've been looking at so natural's all day tight setting fixer mist as my next one even tho i do still have 3-4 misc. travel sized setting mists i bought from drugstores in asia.. lmao.
• LIPS: i've only recently started using lip liner (guy who is allergic to lip makeup that is not gloss/balm/tint) but i really should be using it regularly bc my lips do have some uneven pigmentation that i was shocked to see remedied immediately upon using the aoa fly with me lip crayon in thunder. after that i'll usually go in with any balm, either summer fridays in pink sugar or laniege lip sleeping mask in berry or peach iced tea. and then i'll top it off with my peripera ink mood glow tint in follow rose or the judydoll iced tea watery lip gloss in n1.

pm

• OIL CLEANSER: kose softymo speedy - still using her. tried and true.
• CLEANSER: herbivore pink cloud jelly cleanser - MY BELOVED. i know i've had gripes about the glass packaging being prone to slipping while in the shower but i've come to realize that that is truly a negligible detail in the grand scheme of things. the formula is so gentle and good to me. i love her. sometimes i'll use this in the am if i feel like i need it. 
• TONER: sana nakamera honpo soy milk micro lotion mist - i use this right out of the shower to keep my face from drying out. it's nice. feels so luxurious.
• TONER: mediheal madecassoside blemish pad - i can't believe these work... wow... i use two at a time like sheet masks and let them absorb into my skin for like 5-10 minutes. 
• TONER: hadalabo shirojyun brightening lotion - see above
• ESSENCE: numbuzin no.3 super glowing essence toner - glow like you've never glowed before. the size of this is kind of daunting though like woah 200ml. 
• AMPOULE: skin 1004 madagascar centella ampoule - i just started using this a couple of weeks ago so idk how effective it is but hopefully it's doing something. doesn't irritate my skin, feels nice. 
• SERUM: numbuzin no.2 creamy protein serum - fixed my skin barrier holy shit. 
• MOISTURIZER: aestura atobarrier 365 cream - also fixed my skin barrier holy shit. really effective no frills cream moisturizer i definitely see why derms in korea have this in their clinics! its only crime is being boring. i'm sorry for loving scents and smells as if it is my fault...

haircare

• SHAMPOO: i rotate between kristin ess the one (scent is 85% mojave ghost dupe <3) / naturelab tokyo perfect repair shampoo, though i've also tried kerastase genesis strengthening shampoo. they're all serviceable, i think i prefer kristin ess the most despite kerastase literally being the most expensive. 
• CONDITIONER: pantene (i know) herbal essentials white tea and cucumber conditioner.. this smells so fucking good. i also have a sample of the kerastase genesis conditioner. which is fine. 
• MASKS: shiseido fino premium touch / briogeo don't despair repair deep conditioning mask (this name is so cringe) / kristin ess deep treatment mask - honestly sometimes i just mix all three together. idk. the fino hair mask for me has like... phases? where it will work really well before it stops working and i have to give it a break before using it again. 
• LEAVE-IN: ouai x byredo mojave ghost leave in conditioner YES i still have this yes i have been talking about it since 2021 yes i have been rationing it like an insane person. i also use this leave in spray my hairdresser gave me but i think the brand is local and mostly only used by industry professionals....? maybe. who knows. 
• OTHER:
  • kristin ess blow dry mist - my main heat protectant, i use this sooo much im running out. it also smells like mojave ghost dupe :)
  • ouai memory mist - they don't even call it this anymore i think they rebranded to normal heat protectant spray now which speaks to how long i've had this product lol. anyway it smells good as all ouai products do.
  • color wow dreamcoat - honestly don't think this does anything maybe i don't have the right hair type for it...but i bought it so i'm going to use it. 
  • &honey deep moist hair oil - smells soooo good. not too heavy, although i also think i go pretty easy on the application as well. 
  • momori peach moist and cohesive cream - i don't like this :( it has a very milky peach smell which isn't bad but i feel like this always weighs my hair down. which is not something i need when my hair already has negative volume. i also don't particularly like how it makes my hair feel? kind of sticky. 
  • drugstore coconut oil & rosemary oil - i literally just combine the two in my hands and oil my roots whenever i have the time to spare on a hair wash day. i'd say it happens like 50% of the time. i just cbf the other 50%

other miscellaneous product reviews/wants:

• b.lab matcha foaming cleanser - tried this the last time ash was in town and it was okay. kind of just giving a cleanser that is a cleanser, maybe even slightly drying.
• sephora super glow cleansing powder - been using this for convenience during travel and it's good it works i like it. 
• skin aqua uv gold moisture gel - been using this for body sunscreen just because i have sooo much fucking sunscreen ksdfsl. but i am very interested in the skin 1004 sunscreen and the torriden sunscreen so.. um... well. i have to use it faster i guess.
• ISO:
  • a gel moisturizer for the upcoming summer months. i still have some clinique moisture surge left but i think i want to try something difference....
  • volumizing / texturizing spray... im tired of only having volume during the 2 hours after i shower :')

whenever i get really productive on here just know that i'm deeply procrastinating in some other aspect of my life. anyway. two updates from me in a month everyone cheered <3