Updated beauty routine: HadaLabo Kouji range, Wahadabisen Gokujo Fermented Sake Yogurt, Watson Natural Rice Bran & Soy Bean Illuminating Essence Lotion & Hada Labo Hydrating Perfect Jelly

Happy New Year!!!!

First blog post for 2021 and so I thought I should kick start the year by sharing my latest beauty routine.

Can you tell there's a very obvious theme going on: majority Asian branded cosmetics and products with natural ingredients such as rice water, sake and fermented miso as their key ingredients!

Just a note before I proceed, I have included affiliate links to Amazon in this blog post to which I may receive a commission should you choose to use it. My advance appreciation if you do! ヾ(☆ﾟ∀ﾟ  )ﾉ

#1 HadaLabo Kouji
Cleansing Foam, Treatment Essence and Night Cream

First, jumping right into my recent favourite _ the HadaLabo's Kouji range which Treatment Essence (Amazon | Shopee.MY) I've been using and loving since the end of 2019. At the start of  2020, I started adding the Kouji Cleansing Foam (Amazon | Shopee.MY) and Kouji Treatment Cream (Amazon | Shopee.MY). I feel they're soothing for my skin but only moderately hydrating. What I love is the simplicity in ingredients (sake in the treatment essence smells super nice!) and design. You'd also be happy to know they are "Free of Fragrances, Colorants and Mineral Oils".

#2 Wahadabisen 

Gokujo Fermented Sake Yogurt Face Pack

The other product I'm totally obsessing with is the Wahadabisen range which I chanced upon from Aeon Wellness (apparently my recent favorite place to shop for beauty products!) that carries 2 main lineups_ the Japanese herbal face pack and Gokujo fermented skincare range. Under the Japanese herbal face pack, there are 3 options: Yomogi (Amazon) which contains mugwort extract for healing & rejuvenating, Amazake which contains Kyoto Sake and Lees extract for skin brightening, and Hatomugi (Amazon) which contains Hokkkaido Adlay for skin moisturizing and firming. Apparently this range can be used for both face and body!

For the Gokujo fermented skincare range, there are choices of fermented rice, sake yogurt and fermented miso. All of which comes in either the face wash, face pack and lotion except for the fermented miso that didn't have the lotion option.

I was tempted to try most of them but with so many facial products at home, I ended up with just the Gokujo Fermented Sake Yogurt Face Pack (Amazon) for now! This have the texture of thick yogurt and does a great job in stripping off sweat and oil without being drying. According to the brochure available in Aeon Wellness, the facepack is the second step after the cleanser, but I have been using the face pack on its own and it works alright!

Ignore the sticker, I can't get it off! @@

#3 Watson Naturals Rice Bran & Soy Bean 

Illuminating Essence Lotion

Alternating with the Kouji Treatment Essence, I use this Watson Naturals' Rice Bran & Soy Bean Illuminating Essence Lotion (Shopee.MY). Bought it for the same reason _ my obsession for natural ingredients but unlike Kouji's, this is has artificial scent which smells great not gonna lie. Does okay as everyday toner but I don't feel much difference to my skin using this.

So far loving the scent!

#4 Melano CC Vitamin C 

Brightening Essence

Vitamin C packed cream or essence has been something I want to experiment as I have heard they could reduce scars and reduce skin dullness. Bought this Melano CC Vitamin C Brightening Essence (Amazon | Shopee.MY) to see if it help with some of the dark spots resulting from acnes on my chin, which can takes forever to recover. I wouldn't say I noticed much difference because of how lazy I am to apply consistently but oh wow, the orange scent is really nice! I love citrus-y scent and even have Muji's bergamot essential oil for #selflove hahaha. I'll try to apply this more frequently and see if it works!

#5 Hada Labo Hydrating Perfect Jelly

As I am almost clearing out my Naturals and Hada Kouji toners _both actually lasted me a year during the lockdown!!_ it's time to try other new stuff! Before Innisfree and HadaLabo Kouji (and maybe more brands I cannot remember) I'm a huge fan of Hada Labo. Somehow when the market got so saturated with unlimited choices of beauty products, I stopped buying Hada Labo just so I can experiment with other brands. This Hada Labo Hydrating Perfect Jelly (Amazon | Shopee.MY) that retails at RM93.50 but once again, I got mine at a discount for RM79.49 at Aeon Wellness.

If you especially need a super moisturizing toner, you can trust that Hada Labo delivers! Only after two nights of using this, I can tell my skin feels bouncier and that's really nice. I don't think you need to go for the Hydrating Perfect Jelly if you're only looking for something moisturizing, their regular and much affordable toner range (see their Hydrating Collection on their site or Shopee.MY) works equally well. 

This one is pricier because it claims to be a 4-in-1 skin solution comprising of lotion, serum, milk and sleeping mask. Meaning lazy people like me who usually settles for 3 to 4 steps (cleanse, moisturize, oil and cream) will find this useful. Myself, I don't see the point of doing the whole Korean 10-step skincare routine, really. Less can be more if you choose the right product!

Something that'd I usually add to my routine is the Thursday Plantation's 100% Pure Tea Tree Oil (Amazon | Shopee.MY) or the Thursday Plantation Rose Hip Oil which I will use right after toner or before the cream just so they can be absorbed into the skin. I realize tea tree oil is a must for me because of their anti-bacterial properties that helps control breakouts around my chin area. On the other hand, I'm not the biggest fan with rose hip because I haven't been able to tell what it does for me and so plan to discontinue it once I empty this bottle. I also don't like that if you keep this for too long it starts coagulating. So messy!

So yeap, those are everything in my beauty routine which I will be sticking with for awhile. I may need to stock up on cleanser and night cream in a few months and probably be looking at trying out other brands if I find something that caught my interest *shrugs* 

Until then, look forward to my other posts!

Twenty-twenty: This too, shall pass.

With 2020 drawing to an end, I'm reflecting on the things that happened or lack thereof like the number of posts on this blog... I wanted to write about my last adventure but then didn't want to come off as not being able to read the room (｡•́︿•̀｡) So instead, I shared tips on building mental resiliency through workouts and meditation, 'cuz everyone needs that. Even myself. 

Oddly despite only two posts for the year, my daily readers have increased. You all have too much time now is it? LOL

This month I'm leveling up my workout with these resistance bands and for massage ball just to keep my foot busy while working standing up. 

My right foot hurt terribly the first few times, I wonder if it meant there were something wrong with my body? Several nights in a row after trying this I noticed I sleep better and with more massage, I don't feel much on both legs now. Planning to let my fam try when I balik kampung. The massage ball was RM10 after fifty percent off, still quite pricey. I have read that you can use a tennis ball but this has extra weight to it so I don't know if it makes much of a difference.

Post-workout selfie, wheee~~~ ୧(*^∀^*)୨ *refreshed* I bought some workout wear sets but recently been lazy of changing into them...

Other stuff I shopped for recently is the fabric kind resistance bands, also from Cotton On Body which was on sale at half the price. Those has became a favorite and more suitable for the kind of workouts I'm doing. Still using the latex ones for some squats and arms exercise but not for lunges because they tend to fold. Overall, still happy that I got these!

~🤍~

Past months I have finally taken up learning to cook and bake partly out of boredom and sick (not really) of instant noodles and must have tried a dozen brands, even two types of ghost chilli instant noodles just to spice up my life. One stings so bad it brings me back to the reality of 2020. Har. Har. Har. Har.

There are even fresh foodstuff in the fridge_ a corn on cob, pumpkin, okra, apples and tofu_ unlocking another adulting achievement *gives self pat on the back* 

This month I finally have the chance to bake the walnut cake with my trusty, somewhat new, favorite toaster oven  (o˘◡˘o ) I also baked another for my fam when I returned to my hometown.

Here's an experimental quiche topped with garlic bread where I discovered roasted garlic isn't the nicest thing. Will just stick to loads of grated cheese.

Not sure if I should try burnt cheesecake that has been trending hmmmm. Having a cute oven motivates me to try out new recipes hahaha!

~🤍~

In the middle of December, I went back to my hometown, the first since the start of the MCO. While it was supposed to be my holiday, I ended working and following up with odd issue that turned up *sigh* It still feels great being home, much cozier and my meal time is much consistent LOL Mom is trying to feed me with everything during the week, its like a CNY feast every meal! #thankfull

Bought several different brands to make drip coffee for fam to try~~ I have a fourth brand of coffee powder but didn't use it because its too fine and not suitable for drip coffee... Thankfully, dad is not fussy and thinks they're all nice LOL

~🤍~

Looking back, it's a funny year. Sometimes time seems to pass slower than usual but yet there are so much things to do. At first it sucked being cooped up in just my rental room but the perks of being an adult is you grow accustom to this soon enough.

Things that went well in 2020:

🤍 Home workout. I almost signed up for a gym membership! Guess I won't be needing one anytime soon.

🤍 Learning to cook and  baking, I prefer the latter! 

🤍 Living more sustainably by composting and cutting down on shopping. Also, WFH meant that I didn't have to worry about changing cloth pads, so I have been using them in every cycle since the start of the lockdown. With exception of one disposable pad (seriously only one!). Other than that, I tried taking care of some plants but they died...

🤍 I have healthier hair now, ironically because I no longer wash them daily. It wasn't possible before since my hair is always oily after spending the day out.

🤍 More time to rest and less advocating the hustle culture

🤍 Health-wise, I took the opportunity to do Radioactive Iodine Treatment back in September. It was something that I have been putting aside with excuse of being too busy. Thinking back that was quite a stupid thing to do _ not prioritizing my health. What was I thinking?! Unfortunately my recent result showed a relapse which meant I need to do another round next year (ㄒoㄒ)

🤍 On the same subject, everyone in the fam & close buddies are in good health! °˖✧◝(⁰▿⁰)◜✧˖° 

There is a quote that I have came across several times that goes, "I thought 2020 would be the year I got everything I want. Now I know 2020 is the year I appreciate everything I have". Not all is lost this year but hoping that next year will see the light at the end of the tunnel.