Mar 30, 2015

March Empties


Nexus Ultimate Moisture Conditioner
Tresemme Keratin Smooth Heat Protection
Bioderma Sensibio
Josie Maran Argan Cleansing Oil
Bath & Body Works Pink Chiffon Bubble Bath
L'Oreal Telescopic Shocking Extensions Waterproof Mascara
Algenist Retinol Firming & Lifting Serum
Benefit Gimme Brow
Lioele Auto Brow
Rimmel Exaggerate Lip Liner in Eastend Snob
Bath & Body Works Twisted Peppermint 3-Wick Candle

Nexus ultimate moisture conditioner is my third finished bottle. I really love how it makes my hair super soft and moisturized. As I blow dry and straighten my hair often enough, I need extra help to restore moisture.

Using hair heat protectant is also a mush for me when I heat style my hair. Tresemme is my go-to brand and this keratin smooth version is my alternative to my original version. To me, it works the same. Just the scent is a bit different.

Bioderma Sensibio is my trusted makeup remover. I use it mostly to clean up "mess-up" when I apply makeup. As it doesn't require rinsing nor  leave an oily residue, I use it to clean up my winged lines or if I use too much eyeshadow, I dab a bit of Sensibio on a q-tip and apply on my eyelid. 

Josie Maran Argan Cleansing Oil is quite pricey for a cleansing oil. But this bottle last me for a while and you only need a tiny bit to remove makeup. Will definitely re-purchase.

I am loving the bubble bath from Bath & Body Works. I usually pair it together with a more moisturizing bubble oil to give the perfect bubble and moisture balance to have the perfect bubble bath.

Few staples I finished this month are: L'oreal Telescopic Extension Waterproof Mascara, Lioele Auto Brow and Rimmel Exaggerate Lip Liner. I have re-purchased the former 2 already but as much as I love the Rimmel Exaggerate lip liner, don't think I will get another one. I love how this applies and the color pay off. Price is awesome for such high quality. What I don't like is you have to twist up enough product to get it out. It is quite soft and big chunks of it always breaks off. One lip liner usually me only 2 months.

Algenist Retinol Firming and Lifting Serum is my first Algenist skin care product. I got this from my Sephora 500-perk. I can't say whether I like it or not to purchase it in full-sized. It just does ok for me.

Benefit Gimme Brow is such a great product for easy brow. It has enough tint and also the same time keep your brow hair in place.

Last but not least is Bath & Body Works Twisted Peppermint 3-Wick Candle. This is from their Christmas collection. I am a big fan of the their Twisted peppermint products and hopefully this will come back this holiday season.

What have you finished up this month?

Mar 28, 2015

Miscellaneous Haul from Toronto

Every time I go home to Toronto for visits, I re-stock on my usual items since the small town we live in does not have most of the stuff I use regularly.


Healthy Sexy Hair Soy Leave-in Conditioner
Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector Spotlights
Kiehl's Midnight Recovery
Benefit Puff Off

Healthy Sexy Hair Soy Leave-in Conditioner is the best conditioner I have used so far. I first got a deluxe sample in my TopBox. It is one o the few leave-in conditioners which actually does something for my hair. I spritz some onto my hair(I use it both on towel-dried and damp hair) and it gives my hair a silky soft touch. Even my hair stylist comments on how soft my hair is.



Kiehl's Midnight Recovery is another staple in my night time skin care routine. It is the best serum you can give your skin. It leaves your skin so soft and moisturized throughout the night. 



Becca's Shimmering Skin Perfector  has been on my wishlist for a long time. I first saw this trio from Sephora over the holidays, I was tempted to get but since I went overboard with VIB sale with Sephora, I decided not to get it. So when I saw this at Hudson Bay again, I quickly grabbed it. 


Opal, Pearl & Champagne

Opal is the most popular shade and I can see why. It is the prettiest soft pink shimmering highlight. The middle shade is a bit too bright and "gold" for me. I just love these mini- sets as it gives me a chance to try out the highly-raved products without buying 3 full-sized products.




I want to try a new eye cream and I am drawn to Benefit's new Puff Off eye cream. How cute is the iron applicator is?


Got 3 bubble bath from Bath and Body Works. Mad About You, French Lavender & Pink Chiffon.  One bottle actually last me quite a while. Bath and Body Works always has this buy 2, get 1 free body products combo.

Went to Lush and got my essentials: Big Shampoo and Comforter Bubble Bar. They also have the Easter products out and I fought hard not to get any. They are just so adorable.


Also got this nice sample of soap.

Mar 25, 2015

Natural Bitten Lip Look

I have been into lips the past few months. Looking for the perfect mauve pink lip shade and then lip tint. My sister-in-law just introduced me to the new Korean lip trend. I don't know if it is new or not, but it is new to me. It is the natural bitten lip look.


What it is is use a lip tint or an opaque lipstick, then use a sponge applicator to smudge out the edges to give your lips the natural bitten look.


Aritaum Wannabe Cushion Tint in Fillmore( buy here)

The shade my sister-in-law gave me is Fillmore which is a coral pink shade.


One side is a regular lipstick


One side is a sponge applicator


It is very opaque but non-drying. It is a very vibrant coral pink shade.


When you use the sponge to smudge it out a bit, it gives a very natural shade. It is not an actual tint but I find it does stay on my lips for quite a long time. 


Bare lips with just lip balm

Concealer applied on the outer edges of my lips


Lipstick applied on the middle part of my lips


Using the sponge applicator to smudge out the edges to give lips a very natural look

I am still playing around with this new concept and obviously need more practice to get the bitten look or the gradient look. But I think with a darker lipstick, the results will be more obvious. 

Korean makeup is always a few steps ahead. Their BB/CC cream trend, their foundation cushion and now this bitten lip trend. 


 There are so many brands which offer similar products such as the Laneige Cushion Tint which I like the color selection much better.




Do you like this new lip trend?


Mar 20, 2015

Pixi Haul from Target


As most of you know, all Target stores are closing up in Canada(saddest news as I love going to Target). A couple of weeks ago, they started their liquidation sale. But since we don't have a Target store at where we are, I have to wait until I go to the city. 

Everything is 40-60% off. Most of the popular drugstore brands cosmetics are pretty much all gone. The most they have got left is Pixi and Sonia Kashuk. I got a few things from Sonia Kashuk a while back when they announced their closing. I got a hair brush and a few of their concealer quads. So this time, I got a few things from Pixi.


Besides that, I also got another Aladdin mason jar mug for my morning smoothie. 


I also got a pair of espadrilles from Mossimo. Shoes are 50% off and these are only $12.99.



Pixi flawless vitamin veil in No. 2 Medium

When I grabbed this at the store, I only took a quick glance of the package and read creme-gel base and I didn't realize it is a foundation until I read further. The texture is very interesting. It is not cream and it is not gel. It is somewhere in between. It says to give a light to medium natural flawless velvety skin finish. I just tried it the first time today and I am loving it so far. It gives my skin a dewy glow. I applied this with a beauty blender but I think you could get more coverage using a dry sponge. This is perfect for spring weather as I suspect when warmer weather arrives, it wouldn't stay on my oily combo skin for too long.


The other two Pixi products I got are: Natural Brow Duo in Deep Brunette(as that was the only shade available there) and Lid & Line.

The Lid & Line is a 3-in-1 product: eye pencil, eye shadow and a built-in smudger. The shade I got is No.5 Smokey Mink which is a soft brown.

I like the Natural Brow Duo as I like the slanted applicator which is similar to my favorite brow liner, Lioele Auto Brow. The other side is a gel. 

L to R: Natural Brow Duo in Deep Brunette
Lid & Line in Smoky Mink
Flawless Vitamin Veil in No.2 Medium

I want to test these out soon because if I love the products, I would have to run back to get some more. As Target is leaving Canada, it would be hard to get Pixi products anywhere else here.

Have you used other products from Pixi? What are your favorites?

Mar 19, 2015

VIICode Oxygen Eye Mask Review

I have dark circles and puffy eyes pretty much all throughout my adult life. I have tried numerous eye cream and concealer to help with the problem. When I was contacted to try the VIICode Oxygen Eye Mask*, I immediately said yes.

I have tried a handful number of eye masks and treatments. Usually a thick cream texture to apply to my undereye area but have never tried an eye mask type so I am super excited to try.





Benefits: To awaken the eye skin cell viability and effectively keep the eye skin gloss, fade dark circles, firm the skin, eliminates wrinkles and puffiness.

Improved version with Eight Hours night care. It's always the NO.1 popular product. This product contains plant oxygen extracts(EOPE)to active cell oxygen capacity that is 24 hours repair the eye skin. The magical of plant oxygen extracts(EOPE) which stimulate the mitochondrial DNA of the core elements-cell memory(cimc), the release of precipitation memory gene in the state, to active cell memories ,to support energy, and repair fiber cells to improve vitality and elasticity,smooth the fine lines and winkles. Let you skin like newborn baby.

VIICode is a brand established by dermatologist Dr. Byrne Victor in Europe. Each pack of Oxygen Eye mask contains of 6 pairs. I am most drawn to the ingredients as they are made out of organic raw plant together with special eye rejuvenation support complex to combat puffiness, dark circles and fine lines. As we all know, our eye area is the most delicate area of the face and I don't want to use products which are harsh to the sensitive area. 


Each package contains a pair of eye masks. These are quite thick in texture but they are saturated with gel. I apply them underneath my eyes after I cleanse my face at night. I lightly tab alongside the masks to make sure the gel is evenly distributed. They have a cooling sensation which is awesome after a long day.



I place the masks underneath my eyes and I didn't want them too close to my inner corners as they are quite thick and when I blink my eyes, they can be irritating. If you want to combat fine lines directly underneath your eyes, you could put the masks closer to your eyes. They advise you to apply masks overnight of no more than 8 hours. I usually leave them on for 6 hours as at the end, the adhesiveness is wearing off. I don't wear them to bed but instead use these as "pampering" myself at the end of a long day treatment. 

In terms of price, they are quite pricey, US $55 for 6 pairs. You really have to use 3 pairs at least to see the difference. I use 3 pairs within one week and I find the most effective is fine line reduction and puffiness. With the dark circles, it does not seem to make a huge difference on mine. 

The most I like about these eye masks are they are easy to use and they are made of organic natural ingredients. I don't have to worry about harsh chemicals on the delicate part of my face. 

I am impressed with VIICode Oxygen Eye Mask. Even though they are pricey, I would rather invest in good skin care products for the long term effects.

Do you use eye masks or other eye treatments?



*Product was sent to me for review

Mar 16, 2015

Obsessed with Rosy Mauve Lippies



Lately, I have been OBSESSED with rosy mauve lip products. I don't know what has got into me but in my mind, I NEED to find that perfect rosy mauve shade on my lips.

It all began when I saw the Kat Von D Everlasting Liquid Lipstick in Lolita on Instagram. It is the perfect dusty rose shade. So after I finally got my hands on one of those(it has been out of stock at Sephora for months), as much as I love the formula and the lasting power, it looks a bit too brown on my lips. *apparently the lipstick I got was from a batch of manufacturing non-consistency stock from Sephora. The shade "should" be dusty rose as the name suggested. 

So my search began a couple of months to find the perfect rosy mauve lipstick.



I got Wet n Wild Spiked with Rum, together with some lip liners from Essence. This is my first Wet n Wild purchase and I have to say I am very impressed with the formula. Same with Essence lip liners. I have tried a few lip liners both from high end and drug store and these $1.49 lip liners certainly impress me a lot. They are velvety and creamy.


Wet n Wild Spiked with Rum is probably the closest to the original Kat Von D Lolita in terms of color. It is a mauve shade with rose undertone. Not too brown and not too pink. 


Wet n Wild Spiked with Rum looks a bit red in the picture but in real life, it is more subtle. Sephora Marvelous Mauve is another favorite very close to my perfect rosy mauve shade except it can be a bit pink at times. As you can see from the swatch from Kat Von D Lolita, it is very brown and I usually wear that with some lipstick which has a bit of berry tone in it to counteract the brown-ess. The last combination is my current favorite: Essence Soft Berry lipliner(I outline my lips and fill them) and then apply NYX Matte Lip Cream in Stockholm which is a very neutral nude shade. On top of the deep berry shade, it is the prettiest mauve.

Have you been obsessed with a specific lip shade? Until you find the perfect shade, you would not give up. You would look all over for the perfect shade or you would create your own combination of lip products? Please tell me I am not the only crazy one here.




Mar 2, 2015

Kat Von D Shade +Light Contour Palette

I am allowing myself to get one "novelty"beauty product a month. Yes, we're into March and I am still sticking to my New Year Resolution of buying less makeup.

Have been wanting a contour palette for a while and finally decided on the Kat Von D Shade + LIght Contour Palette after reading numerous raving reviews.

I am new into contouring and I was contemplating on whether to get cream or powder. But think cream is a bit tricky to apply and harder to blend out. Decided on the Kat Von D contour palette as I think the shades would suit my skin tone the best.



The palette consists of 3 contouring and 3 highlighting shades. All the shades are matte.








I really love the sleek packaging. It comes with a large mirror and it has magnetic closure. 3 highlighting shades are slightly smaller than the contouring shades which make sense as you would need to use those less.


The 3 contouring shades are super pigmented. These are light swatches with my fingers barely touching the product.


The highlighting shades are slightly powdery compared to the contouring shades. 

I am super excited to try this palette out. I feel like I could use all the contouring shades and two out of the three highlighting shades(one is just too light to show up on my skin tone). I will probably use my Sigma angle flat-top kabuki brush as it is very stiff and I think I would need a good dense brush to apply the contouring shade.

I also get the Sephora VIB Rouge Algenist  skin care trio with purchase. They are very good deluxe sizes. Algenist is a very good skin care brand and this is the best way to try out different products before investing on the full-sized ones.

Do you contour? What is your favorite brush to apply contouring shades on your cheekbones?