Asian Beauty Haul

Hello Everyone,

I'm back with a foreign beauty haul. Some items I purchased and some were gifted by a MUA swapper Elena.

Detclear Bright & Peel AHA BHA Fruits Peeling Jelly is a fruit acid gentle gel peel. Made in Japan.

Billidan Cucumber Mask Pack contains extract of cucumber and glycerin that nourishes skin. Leaves skin bright and moisturized. Made in Korea.

My Scheming Mint Collagen Mask contains mint oil, refreshing and cooling. Improves and renews skin cells. Improves skin elasticity and moisture. Made in Taiwan.

The Face Shop Real Nature Mask Kelp purifies and protects skin from air pollution and facilitates the skin in discharging impurities. Made in Korea.

BB Face Mask with Hyaluronic Acid gives skin a moisture-filled treatment. Made in Korea.

♥♥♥♥♥♥ Hope you find something that appeals to you. I will be testing these masks out and then writing individual reviews on them. Happy Hauling ♡

Beauty Review: Beauty Friends Aloe Essence Mask

I'm back with Korean beauty product review. I am always fascinated by foreign skincare and beauty products.

This sheet mask comes with lots of extra essence jelly. The sheet mask fit perfectly on my face. I applied the mask on my freshly cleansed skin and the extra jelly in the foil packet on my neck. This one takes about 20-30 minutes, which is a lot longer than other masks I've used in the past.

I was a little bothered by the strong perfume smell. I was afraid I would react to the perfume. But I didn't. :) Thank goodness, I am not a big fan of strongly scented skincare due to my skin being super sensitive.

I purchased this single mask on Ebay for a trial test. I'm looking for some good sheet masks for when I go traveling in the summer. My skin will need moisture during flights and after extensive heat or sun exposure.

Overall, I would repurchase this mask. My skin felt moisturized and soft after use. I would recommend this for people with dry/normal or combination skin.

Lifestyle & Travel: What's in My Carry-On? Summer Edition

Nowadays when most airlines charge you extra to check a luggage. I have learnt to pack a carry on luggage in a minimalist style. Here's what I would pack for a long weekend trip (4-5 days). I will mark all the liquids with an "*".

- Toiletry Essentials -

Face & body soap ♥ 2 in 1 knocks two liquids off your 1 quart maximum. For my upcoming trips to San Francisco & Italy I will be using a bamboo charcoal face + body bar by EVERBAMBOO. Made in Canada. Available on Well.ca for $8.

Toothpaste* & tooth brush

Solid shampoo

Coconut oil*- just fill an old lip balm container with coconut oil. This is a multipurpose item. Moisturizer. Chapstick. Hair conditioner. Hand cream. All in one.

Sunscreen*

Makeup* - go for lipstick instead of gloss, skip the mascara, mineral powder foundation rather than liquid foundation

Hand sanitizer*

- Accessories -

Sunglasses

Eyeglasses & Case - contacts, case & solution*

1 necklace, bracelet & earrings

1 skinny belt

1 crossbody bag that is convertible to a clutch is useful

- Shoes -

1 pair of sandals

1 pair of wedges

- Clothes -

1 Sarong & 1 Bathing Suit - I go for a 1 piece as it can be doubled up as a tank top with a skirt or shorts over top. Also the sarong can be used as a scarf also.

1 Black Maxi Dress - can be dressed up or down, pick a thin cotton blend, this you can wash and hang dry.

1 pair of Shorts

2 pairs of Chinos or Capris

2 Tank Tops

2 T-shirts

1 Cardigan - solid neutral colour for mixing and matching, or if all the rest of your clothes are solid colours, then you can choose a neutral print.

Undergarments 4 bras & 5 undies - bring at least 1 convertible bra

2013/03 March Favourites

Beauty:

Clinique Acne Solutions Foundation in Fresh Ivory - I use this foundation for spot concealing

Boots Botanics Rosewater Toner - used after cleansing morning & night

Origins Spot Remover - used to spot treat my acne

NYC Long Wearing Nail Enamel in 147 Lexington Lilac - love this cool tone purple

Blistex Moisture Melt Lipgloss - I saw this commercial at the gym and wanted to try it out, it turned out awesome

Lavanila Pure Vanilla perfume - loving this strong vanilla scent, a little goes a long way

Lafe's Lavender Deodorant - natural and organic is better, especially for the sensitive pit area

Sephora Waterproof Eye Makeup Remover - this melts away my waterproof mascara and eyeliner with ease

 

Music:

Andrew Belle - Oh My Stars

Rihanna - Stay

Ryan Adams - Do I Wait

John Mayer - Gravity

Two Sheds - You

The Bar-Kays - Too Hot to Stop

Maroon 5 - Payphone | Daylight

P!nk - Just Give Me a Reason

Bruno Mars - When I Was Your Man

Of Monsters and Men - Little Talks

Passenger - Let Her Go

Justin Timberlake - Suit & Tie

Muse - Madness

TV Shows:

Rizzoli & Isles

Revenge

Ringer

Vampire Diaries

Mentalist

The Following

Arrow

Hope you found something that you might like on my favourites list for the month of March 2013.

My Travel Must Haves

Today I will be sharing my travel holy grail items. I absolutely cannot live without them.

Ipod & cell phone - keeps me connected and entertained, I usually make sure I have plenty of new tunes & shows to watch. This is how I caught up on the last season of Heroes.

Sunglasses - especially when you are so tired after a 16 hour flight, you can also wear them on the plane while you snooze.

Hand sanitizer - hah! I'm a germ-a-phobe. Currently loving Bath and Body Works Mrs. Claus Apple Pie Hand Sanitizer.

Hand lotion - dry hands drive me bonkers

Chapstick or Lipgloss - I have chronic dry lips, I always need a good Chapstick or Lipgloss. Blistex Moisture Melt gloss.

Hair serum - my chemically processed hair needs extra moisture when travelling. My favourite is Biosilk. Or you can always bring a tiny tub of coconut oil for this same purpose.

Eco Friendly Reusable Shopping Bag - you never know when you will need a bag, these are so handy to have. They barely take up any space.

Mini Perfume Atomizer - I carry my favourite perfumes with me just in case I need to freshen up. Currently filled with Victoria Secret Sexy Little Thing and Lavanila Pure Vanilla

Deodorant - good for before take off and after landing. Lafe's Natural BodyCare deodorant stick in Lavender.

Makeup Wipes & Nail polish remover wipes - chipped polish is one of my pet peeves. I must remove it all if I see a chip. I remove all my makeup before take off. I like the ones from LA Fresh.

A good Moisturizing Serum - I apply this to my face after I remove all my makeup. The flight usually dries up my skin which then leads to break outs and extremely oily skin. Aloe vera also works well if you don't have a serum.

Pashmina - keeps your neck warm, can be bunched up as a pillow or wrapped around you like a blanket.

Other travel tips:

Wear layers - so you can easily add and remove layers as needed

Bring socks and/or slippers - your feet will get cold on the flight, you will make use of these

Hair tie to tie your hair up - good for keeping your hair off your face when you sleep

Happy Travels :)

Beauty & Lifestyle Haul + February Glymm Box

I'm back with a haul this evening as well as to share my very last Glymm Box with you. Yes, I have cancelled my subscription to Glymm. I just thought the product sizes weren't up to par with other beauty subscriptions. Don't get me wrong, I still like Glymm. It's just that I have accumulated so many products at home. I need to finish them before I can subscribe to any other subscription services.

The Beauty and Lifestyle products were purchased or gifted back in November 2012. I went back East to visit my parents and friends. I also attended a wedding in Jamaica and went on a short trip to New York.

• Maybelline Color Tattoo in Bad to the Bronze (Target)

• Lavender Vanilla Hand Cream (Target)

•  Mismatched Crystal Ball Studs (Winners) these weren't actually mismatched when I purchase it. My BFF and I split the pairs into two mismatched sets. One for her and one for me.

•  Winter gloves for Touch Screens (Marshalls)

• Batiste Dry Shampoo for Brunettes (Winners) - come in a 2 pack

Last but not least are the contents of my February Glymm Box:

• Burt's Bee Milk & Honey Body Lotion - sample sized, smells creamy and yummy

• Femme Couture Plump Up the Color Coral Burst Lipgloss - beautiful colour, full sized product retails for $9.00

• Purely Cosmetics Pro Eyeshadow in Luxury - I believe this is a full sized product, retails for $18.00

• Nailuv Gel Nail Polish in Berry Sweetie - this sample is useless without a UV/LED curing light

• Villaness Ginger Snapped Soap - I love soap from this company, we received a vanilla peppermint scented one in a previous box too. I loved it so much that I purchased the full sized product on Glymm.

Loving the February make up bag, the satin fabric and the little white hearts make it very cutesy. 

This concludes my blog for today. Hope you all enjoyed it.

Happy Blogging :)

DIY Beauty: Spiced Baking Soda Mask for Acne

Long time no blog. I am back with a DIY face mask the helps reduce acne inflammation.

Ingredients:

1 tbsp ground nutmeg
2 tbsp cinnamon
2 tbsp baking soda
2 tbsp honey or agave nectar 

Nutmeg

Blue Agave Nectar

Baking Soda

Honey

Cinnamon

Mix all the ingredients into a paste. Apply to face massaging in circular motions. Avoid eyes and lips area, may cause irritation. Leave on for 15-30 minutes. Rinse off with lukewarm water.

Voila, smells delicious and it leaves your skin glowing & soft.

Enjoy :)

DIY Itchy Scalp & Dandruff Treatment

As Spring approaches my skin has been very irritable especially my scalp. I have found two natural remedies that really help.

What you will need for Remedy #1:
Mini Spray bottle
Tea tree oil
Saline

In a clean spray bottle drip 10 drops of tea tree oil. Add 100 mL of saline. Shake well and spray on affected scalp areas and massage. Leave on for 30 minutes and rinse.

You can also use tea tree oil in your daily shampoo. 1 tbsp of shampoo to 5 drops of tea tree oil. Work up a lather and massage scalp for at least 10 minutes.

What you need for Remedy #2:
Mini spray bottle
Apple cider vinegar

In a clean spray bottle place 50 mL of apple cider vinegar. Spray on affected scalp area. Massage scalp for 5-10 minutes. Leave in hair for 30 minutes and rinse with water.

I hope these remedies work for you too.

Happy Blogging and Stay Chic :)