LUSH-ed

Whenever I pass by a LUSH cosmetics store, I always hasten my steps because of the pungent fragrance emitted from the store. (You can smell them from a block away or across the streets) I never thought I would find something that will work for me in this store, but nonono, I've got some good finds to share with all of you today (if any of you are still reading despite my 2 week hiatus)! So here we go: a review of some ONE (for now) LUSH product!

UNO: Angels on bare skin skin cleanser

Okay....so this might look like a lump of yucky stuff, but I guess you could put it that way-it is clay after all. This skin cleanser is suitable for all skin types, and it does wonders! I have combination skin, so my cheeks are super dry after a wash but my T-zone gets super oily throughout the day. BOO. I'm not so worried about my T-zone, but I really hate it when my cheeks are cracking after every single face wash. I've been using Clinique for almost a year and when I finished the bottle I turned to Laniege's Foam Cleanser, which, sadly, does not combat the dryness problem. When I visited the LUSH store in Metrotown, Vancouver, BC, the sales was SUPER helpful; she gave me a lot of samples to bring home and try out, and Angels on bare skin was one of them.

The sales associate told me that this cleanser is not soap based, which immediately caught my attention. It is a clay based cleanser packed with ground almonds and lavender. It's suitable for all skin types, not soap based which means it doesn't dry skin out! It's their best seller for a reason! ;)

For me, I like how soft it makes my skin feel after every wash. I'm still on the sample stage though. She gave me a small pot to try out; but I only need a pea size every time so I've using it for a week now and I can't help but have to rave about it!

PROS:

-non-drying

-does the job of cleansing

-softens the skin

-gently exfoliates

CONS:

-tends to get messy during use (clay material after all)

-smells kind of iffy, but you just need to get used to it (:

RATING: 4/5!

AHHH okay it's a short review, I'll do a more complete one (with more pictures) along with other products, soon!

Sephora haul

I've put off this update long enough...time to get on to it! (been busy moving and packing as well as working long shifts, think 9 hr shifts...:S)

I went into Sephora last week with the intention to buy a brown eye pencil and some new brushes, but came out with some interesting finds! Hence, a haul.

Let's start off with a list. I bought:

1. Make Up For Ever HD Finishing Powder

2. Laura Mercier Secret Concealer

3. Sephora collection Mineral Powder Brush

4. Sephora Platinum collection Concealer Brush

5. Korres Eye Liner in Brown

6. Perfekt Skin Perfection Gel To Go

The other two on the top left corner are free samples! One of them is a hair conditioner by Ojon and the other is a sample of facewash from Benefit.

So far I've tried out a couple of these new buys. I'm EXTREMELY happy with the results of some products and I will post up reviews for those! As for now, I will talk about the not-so-good product: Korres's eye liner.

The pros: Korres eye liner is super creamy, allowing it to glide on easily without tugging. The colour is rich; I especially love the matte texture it has, no glitter or shimmer whatsoever.

THE CON: It doesn't stay for long. I tried this out last week during my friend's birthday dinner and oh my god, I came out looking like I got punched in the eyes. I had to keep asking the boyfriend if it looked okay. Thank god the restaurant/bar we were at was really dimmed so no one would pay attention to my panda eyes.

So there you go. I'll have to hunt for another eye liner that stays put and lasts me the whole day, especially during work. I know that Urban Decay's 24/7 eye liner is the most raved product out there, but I really don't want any shimmer in my liner...I just want a matte one. I'll let ya'll know when I find one!

Lastly, I apologize for the lack of pictures in this post :/ Sorry ladies! (and gents!)

frizzy hair?

Currently "studying" in library (:

I thought I'd do a little review on this product I have been experimenting on-

Organix Coconut Milk Anti Breakage Serum

Do you have frizzy hair? What about split ends? If you say yes to either one of those, then you should try this product out!

Okay done with the cheesy opening. Let's get to the point.

At first I was a little hesitant because this serum is oil-based, and my hair gets really oily by itself already, I didn't like the idea of slabbing MORE oil onto my scalp. However, this serum is not sticky or anything like that, to my surprise! It's super light, plus you only use a really small amount every time. After you dry your hair slightly with a towel, dispense a small amount and apply on the ends of your hair while it is still damp.

Pros:

• It controls frizziness; makes hair smoother after every wash, especially for treated hair like mine.
• CHEAP
• It does not make your hair oily!

Cons:

• Split ends are still there, but definitely reduced. You can't expect split ends to just disappear, unless you get a haircut.
• That it's kind of hard to control the amount you want out of the bottle, but no biggie!

The verdict?

★★★★☆

It's a really high score, I know (I wanted to give it 5 stars at first!), but this one deserves it! Though I'm sure it works differently for everyone. If it's right for me, doesn't mean it's the one for you... This serum also comes in Green Tea instead of Coconut :D There may be other ones too, but so far I've only seen two in my local drugstore. You can google the product to find out more!

Hope that helps for some of you out there (:

toast

roarrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr hellos (:

Pardon me for being M.I.A. for the past couple of days-I've been preparing for my thermodynamics final by annotating loads of solutions. That's how I study for finals: solution annotation, and learn what I need to know from there, especially with calculation questions.

The exam itself was pretty tough if compared to past exams :S I only managed to solve 1 question fully (there were 4 in total). I didn't have enough time either because I spent a whole hour on that one question. Not to mention I was 5 minutes late for the exam: so embarrassing walking into the room panting while everyone looked up from their papers momentarily just to stare at you! geez, if only the bus was not 10 minutes late.

ANYWAY, enough rant about finals, they're no fun.

After that brutal 2.5 hrs, I went straight to work (American Eagle). Today at work I realized something: my canto is real crap. There was this customer who doesn't speak English well came up to me and asked if I speak Canto. I was caught off guard rightaway but told her I do. So I helped her picked out the stuff she wanted to buy and at so many point during the entire conversation I found myself at a loss of words ): so I used English to replace those words instead. The good thing is she didn't tease my broken Cantonese at all. Such a nice lady!

I did dress up today (for work-entire outfit w/AE) but I was too lazy to take any pictures. Sorry guys! I'll do one tmr? (:

So I thought I'd do a quick review of some products I'm loving and recommending to you readers. Hope you guys like it!

DISCLAIMER: I purchased all these items myself and am not affiliated with any of them.

PRODUCT 1: SKINFOOD RICE MASK WASH OFF

This is my ultimate favorite product! The product is a wash off mask, but I use it as an exfoliator. It does wonders! Whenever my skin feels really dull, I just use this after cleansing my face. It contains little particles (rice?) that are not harsh at all and exfoliate your skin really gently. It only takes 1 minute max: just massage it on dried face and rinse! Voila! I swear my skin feels extra squeaky clean right after I use this (: You can literally feel+see the difference it makes.

Use this product once every three/four days. The particles are really gentle so the product won't dry out your skin as harsh as other face exfoliators.

RATE: 5/5!

PRODUCT 2: BENEFIT THAT GAL BRIGHTENING FACE PRIMER

This is something I added to my routine very recently. I am not a foundation person. The closest thing I use to foundation is BB cream. One time I was browsing in Sephora I stumbled upon this product and I thought I'd give it a try. Now it has officially replaced my SkinFood BB Cream :D

Of course, both products give very different effects. Since this is a primer, it doesn't provide coverage, but I find it evens out my skin tone overall. It has a pink tint and smells absolutely wonderful. The greatest think about it is the texture: it's like a moisturizer (tinted moisturizer maybe?) and it doesn't cake on your skin. That's the ultimate reason why it replaced my BB Cream as my everyday perk-me-up. As mentioned, the downside is no coverage, but it's only a primer after all.

shop this at Benefit Cosmetics or Sephora (click away!)

RATE: 4/5!

PRODUCT 3: AG HAIR COSMETICS FAST FOOD

So this is a leave-in conditioner I've been using for quite some time. It detangles and softens your hair, very suitable for someone with bushy hair like me (: Sometimes I forget to apply this after shower and the next day my hair looks superdry (then I immediately put some on before I leave the house). This products lasts really long since you only use very little each time. I'm still on my first tube! A little goes a long way (: Recently, I've been using this product in combination with a drop of jojoba oil. This was actually a trick taught by baby lol. This combo actually worked even better!

read/shop at AG Hair Cosmetics! (click click)

RATE: 5/5!

Okays, so that's all my review for now. I hope you guys enjoyed this little post w/my honest opinion and maybe find it helpful! It's really late now ): and I have work tmr morning too. I'm gonna think about what to wear to work tmr haha.

Oh, I have yet to discover the perfect concealer for my freaky dark circles, any recommendations? Leave me a note!

Seeya,

A.