Itty Bitty Paris Beauty Haul

Tags

Beauty, French, Haul, Paris, Products, Shopping, Skincare

Bonjour, everyone!

I am in Paris! I went to the city of lights for a 5 day visit to attend a friend’s wedding in the countryside and also see Paris. No surprises, I’m so in love with the city!

Anyhoo, as any beauty enthusiast, I had a list of French beauty products that I wanted to purchase and try. I am trying to stick to a no-buy buy minimally and finish what I already have, so I reined myself in to buy only a few products. These are all items that have been raved about by hundreds of bloggers and beauty experts across the world, so I want to see for myself what the hype is all about!

A quick tip for travelers – most stores (including pharmacies) are closed in Paris on Sunday. But a quick tip for all of you, who like me, end up in Paris on a Sunday – most pharmacies (and other stores) in Le Marais district ARE open on Sundays! A good one I came across that stocks most of the popular skincare is the Pharmacie des Archives on Rue des Archives (take the metro to Hôtel de Ville, take exit 6 and it will be the first thing you see). There’s another one right across from this if you want to explore more.

À bientôt!

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Going Natural – The Wonder Mask

Tags

Anti-aging, Beauty, Breakouts, Face Masks, Homemade, Natural, Skincare

Happy Monday World!

I have been on a face mask obsession lately and have been dabbling into both commercial and home-made ones. The best part about home-made masks is how customizable they are – it is so easy to substitute, add, or leave out ingredients based on personal choice and skin types! One face mask concoction that I created for myself has become one of my all-time favorites. This has been super good for my oily-combination skin helping with both break-outs and fine lines.

I used clay in this mask to draw out the impurities and detoxify the skin. Rice and oat flours help to exfoliate and brighten the skin. Neem and turmeric are known for their anti-bacterial and skin-refining capabilities, and also are great for anti-aging. Matcha and Rosehip seed oil provide also add to the anti-aging capabilities of this mask. Even though this mask does not have the prettiest color (far from it!), it is an amazing all-natural way to pamper the skin!!

I love to slather this mask on, while relaxing in a hot bath with my favorite candles from Bath & Body Works. The steam from the bath opens up my pores for the mask to work its magic!

 

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What you need:

Organic rice flour – 1 tsp
Organic oat flour – 1 tsp
Bentonite clay – 1 tsp {I use Indian Aztec Healing clay}
Neem powder – ½ tsp
Turmeric – ¼ tsp
Matcha – ¼ tsp
Rosehip seed oil – a few drops
Apple Cider Vinegar – 1 tsp
Water – as needed

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The Method:

Mix all dry ingredients together.

Slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry till you get the consistency desired.

Apply the mask and wait for it to dry (approx. 15-20 minutes)

Wash off and follow with regular skincare.

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Have a beautiful week!

**Disclaimer: I am not a skin expert or an esthetician. This recipe worked for me. Please use caution and your best judgment if you are going to try any of these ingredients based on your personal skin type and allergies.

Favorite Japanese Products

Tags

Beauty, Face, Face Cream, Japanese, Mascara, Moisturizer, Skincare

I am not a beauty guru, not a beauty blogger, barely a blogger. But I do like to chronicle my favorites and experiences sometimes so I can come back to them and remember what I liked. The first half of 2015 has been great – we got a new house, a new dog, promotions at work, parental visits – eventful, to say the least. Between all the madness, I have managed to (somewhat) sort out my skincare routine. While earlier, I would just use samples every week when I was away from home for work and use my full size products only at home which meant that they never really had the chance to be used long enough to be truly effective on my skin.  In the past few months, I have diligently been sticking to a few products and have now decanted them into little travel bottles for travel as well, to truly test them out.

Sana Soy milk Isoflavone (or Isofurabon) Milk or Essence…

Since I don’t know Japanese, I do not really know what this product is. My guess is some kind of essence or emulsion. I got this from a drugstore in Japan, and believe it has fermented soy in it. I wanted to hop on the Asian million-step skincare bandwagon and thought this would be great to try. It is a milky emulsion that looks like a very light lotion. I use it twice a day after washing my skin and acid-toning, patting it all over my face and neck. I let it sink in and finish with a moisturizer. It feels a little sticky but absorbs quickly into the skin. And it does not break me out! My skin has been feeling smooth and plump and bright. Loving this!!

Hada Labo Gokujyun Perfect Gel

To add to my crazy obsession for Japanese skincare, this is another product I picked up in Japan that I had no idea about. This is a gel like face cream that I think can be used AM and PM (looks like I can read that on the jar 🙂 ). It is super light-weight on the skin and absorbs quickly. I love it for my oily skin that makes my skin feel smooth and plump. It has super hyaluronic acid for preserving skin’s moisture and keeping it supple and hydrated, and never oily. I’ve been using it consistently in the morning and as a night cream, and has not caused any break-outs. My pores appear smaller and clearer which I’m super delighted about! It also layers quite well under a BB cream or foundation. My only gripe is that I don’t think this has sunscreen. But that’s okay since I usually put a BB cream with sunscreen on top during the day. Another love!

Heroine Make Volume and Curl Mascara

Another love from Japan – the Heroine make volume and curl mascara. This is my new love that I carry around and want to fill up every nook and cranny in my home with this! It lengthens and volumizes my lashes so beautifully, and can also hold a curl. I can wear it everyday for naturally fluttery looking lashes, but also curl the lashes and build up the mascara for a more glamorous look. It doesn’t clump, doesn’t transfer or flake. The only downside, sometimes, is that it is waterproof so it is difficult to take off at the end of the day when used everyday. This may not necessarily be a bad thing, though, on the days when we want tough no-budge makeup. Overall, love it!

As soon as I run out of these products, I am running to my local Mitsuwa marketplace (Chicagoland area has one..so excited!!) to repurchase!

My Newest Moisturizing Obsession

Tags

Beauty, Face, Face Cream, Fresh Cosmetics, Moisturizer

If you haven’t already guessed from the title, I’m loviiing a new moisturizer, the Fresh Lotus Youth Preserve Face Cream! My first impression to this face cream was one of disgust. Why, you wonder? Because of the smell. If you’re familiar with Fresh products, you are probably aware of a certain smell associated with their products. I haven’t used any full-sized products from Fresh, but only their samples that have all had the same strange fragrance. And this fragrance, I had hated – till now.

Let’s talk about the face cream…

Packaging:

The Fresh Lotus Youth Preserve Face Cream comes in a glass jar with a screw-on lid. The packaging is sturdy, beautiful and simplistic, and feels quite rich and high-end. It is also travel friendly, but is glass so gotta be careful of it falling!

Product:

I have to say – this product is expensive. It comes in 0.5 oz and 1.7 oz sizes for USD 16.50 and USD 42, respectively. I am still using a 0.5 oz sample I got in one of the beauty boxes, but now having used this cream, I might just splurge on a larger container of it! Damn you, Fresh!!

Perfume:

This was the part I was most on the fence about. The first time I smelled it, I could not stand the smell, so much so that I immediately stopped using the face cream. When I ran out of everything else, I decided to give this a go again just till I could get another moisturizer that I liked. However, I have to say that as I started using the face cream, the smell grew on me. Now I’m at a point where I actually really like the fragrance! I have not really smelled a lotus, but since the cream has lotus flower extract, I think that might be the source of the smell. I would describe it as a dried-rose-gone-slightly-bad type of smell. That doesn’t sound too good and it might take a little getting used to, but it’s worth it for how good the cream is!

Performance:

This is where I am totally blown away! It’s been a while since I’ve used a face cream consistently for a while and loved it since my Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel, which is the only moisturizer I have ever repurchased. But I haven’t enjoyed anything else since and I’ve been trying to test new face moisturizers to find The One. It becomes even more difficult to find the perfect cream for oily skin that balances the skin out without over-drying or being super heavy. The Fresh Lotus Youth Preserve Face Cream is THAT cream. Despite being a face cream instead of a moisturizer, it leaves the skin moisturized without feeling heavy. It makes the skin silky smooth and preps the skin when used before makeup in the morning. At night, it acts as a great night cream – this has kept my skin hydrated throughout the harsh Chicago winters.

The Fresh face cream also contains awesome anti-aging ingredients like lotus flower extract, blue-green algae extract, hibiscus fruit extract, fig fruit extract, vitamins C and E, and vegetable glycerol, and maca root extract, all of which are supposed to be “youth preserving”, which I love for my skin!

I do wish this cream had SPF which it does not right now, because I hate putting sunscreen on my skin. But I can live with that for now.

Overall, this is definitely a must try for all skin types!!

A Water Challenge

Tags

Beauty, Natural, Skincare, Water

While everybody around me is busy doing the ice-bucket challenge, I have decided to do my own water challenge of another kind, since dousing ice-cold water on myself is not really my cup of tea water. So instead, I have decided to drink the required amount of water for my body for at least one month from now and see how it benefits my skin and overall health.

Some background on that – there are some days that I drink absolutely no water, seriously. It’s crazy, I know, but sometimes you just are not thirsty or maybe simply forget to drink when you’re working! I also have this weird thing – sometimes the water just doesn’t go down my food-pipe that easily. Yeah, I have issues…

So anyhoo, I think I need to set myself a challenge to drink more water and see the health benefits it gives me (mainly better skin, *wink* *wink*). Which is what this post is about.

We have all heard everyone recommend the 8-glass rule – that your body needs 8 glasses of water every day. But to me, this concept seems so vague! Does this mean that a 100 pound girl and a 300 pound man have the same water requirements? Considering about 60%* of the human body is made up of water, this doesn’t seem mathematically correct! After doing some research on questionable internet resources (no seriously, do you trust everything you read on the internet?), I have come to the conclusion that drinking 2 litres of water every day will be a great goal for me!

P.S. I only drank 500 ml today, so sad 😦 … But technically, the challenge starts tomorrow.

*Only an estimate according to various internet sources

Crazy Obsessive Haul!

Tags

Beauty, Haul, Products, Sale, Shopping

Sales are horrible, horrible things! They entice us into believing we can save money to buy something that we don’t really need in the first place. And we, being as innocent as we are, get sucked into these sneaky sales tactics. So I have been “saving” a lot of money with some of my recent purchases and have bought so much makeup in the past few weeks! Here is a little sneak peak of what I have spent my blood money on.

Going to a CVS for picking up prescriptions (when you have some coupons / ExtraBucks hanging around) is always a little bit dangerous…

I went just a little crazy buying the iDivine palettes from Sleek MakeUP from their recent sale.

HSN.com had an awesome deal for new customers – $20 off any one product worth $40 or more. And look what I found on there!

Actually only the Lorac Pro2 is from HSN. The smaller palette is the Lorac Skinny in Nude, which was a really affordable neutral palette that I was lusting over. Damn you, Youtube!!

And then I made my husband buy me something else too!!

Some other luxurious lip and nail products that I picked up from MAC and Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics. I love the packaging of this Proenza Schouler lipstick from MAC!

Oh and my best for the last – some goodies from The Simpsons collection from MAC! Of course there was no sale on these, but I’m so stoked to be able to grab these before they sold out online!!

Just realized – a few more things may still be on their way… Crazy much?

 

Sleek MakeUP Sale Alert!

Tags

Beauty, Makeup, Sale, Sleek

I have never tried Sleek MakeUP, but after hearing so many rave reviews about the quality, I have been dying to order some stuff for myself. For those new to it, Sleek is a UK-based brand that is extremely affordable but you can only order online if you live anywhere outside UK.

For those wanting to try some stuff from them, they have a 3 for 2 deal on their website that ends today (8/22/2014)! So go ahead and get some for yourself some Sleek!!

Me No Likey

Tags

Beauty, Burt's Bees, Natural, Products, Review, Shiseido, Skincare, YSL

Hello hello!

During the course of my day, every day, I am constantly thinking of things I want need to write about, to review, to vent. But time, my dear, is a fickle thing. 24 hours have never been enough! So basically, I have been absolutely hating some products that I tried recently and wanted to vent out about them. It is a tragedy of Shakespearean proportions when you really, reallllly want to like something but it turns out to be such horrible quality (or to be a little less harsh – maybe just doesn’t suit you)!

Burt’s Bees Orange Essence Facial Cleanser

What do I say about this? My friend gave this to me to try and I have hated the icky mess it is from the very first use! It is a cleanser with a thick gel-like consistency with a strong smell of orange zest, which I do like. The bad part is the texture and the thick oily layer it leaves on the skin. It is a non-lathering cleanser with a ton of oils in its ingredient list. It feels like rubbing petroleum jelly on your face, without getting your face clean. The cleanser really doesn’t do anything except leave a thick layer on the skin. To top it off, it doesn’t help that I have a combination skin. Dry-skinned ladies (and gents) might actually like the texture and that it is non-drying to the skin, though I would still questions the product’s cleansing abilities. I have wanted to love the Burt’s Bees brand so much, but unfortunately it’s products never seem to work for me :(. Oh well…

Shiseido Cleansing Wipes

I am not one for face wipes. For me, face wipes are never good for using during the day because I do want to keep my minimalist makeup on the face. As for when I want to wipe off the makeup at the end of the day, wipes never can beat a good face wash. But I decided to try these wipes anyway, just because you see wipes everywhere and everyone using it, you know… Well, long story short – these Shiseido ones are horrible! They don’t do a good enough job cleaning my face, and also cause a significant burning and itching to my skin. Is it just me? Has anyone else felt that too?

Anyways, suffice to say this is something I will never be re-purchasing.

Yves Saint Laurent Top Secrets Pro Removers – Demaquillant Micellare Tonique

What IS the deal with micellar waters?? Provided I have not tried any of the others, but I don’t get the concept – is this a makeup cleanser, a toner, or just some glorified water? I tried the YSL Micellar Water via a super deluxe sample I got at Sephora. I use it according to the instructions on the package, but it just lends an icky sticky feeling to my skin. And then they tell you to leave it on there and not rinse your face! Is that supposed to be it?? I’m definitely not impressed.

Did these products work for anybody? I would love to hear your experiences.

 

 

Beauty Shopping in Japan!

Tags

Beauty, Japan, Japanese, Products, Shopping, Skincare, Travel

The number one item on my wishlist for my trip to Japan was shopping for cosmetics and skin care! I absolutely love cosmetics in the US because of the huge variety and quality available. However, I have heard so many raves for Japanese products and I really wanted to try some for myself and see if they were indeed better. I have been here a week and have bought quite a few things that I wanted to try. I do intend to shop some more on the coming weekend right before I leave.

The biggest problem in shopping for stuff in Japan is the language. There is not a single word of English on their products! I have been buying stuff based on pictures I found on the internet of loved products in reviews and blogs.

 

{From left: Kate BB gel cream; Sana Soy milk Isoflavone Milk; Hada Labo Perfect Gel}

The Perfect Whip facial cleanser is a highly praised product and so inexpensive – less than 400 Yen (that’s less than US$4!), so I definitely wanted to try it. Plus how can you not get the DHC cleansing oil from the land of DHC!!

{Clockwise: Shiseido Perfect Whip Facial cleaner; DHC Deep Cleansing oil; Kanebo Media lipstick in RS-22}

Sheet masks are everywhere so I had to try one!

{From left: DHC Lip Cream; Lululun sheet mask}

And some more…

And of course mascara and something from Bioré. Before coming here, I had no idea Bioré was owned by a Japanese corporation! Though I’m happy to finally see something in English!

{Bioré UV Aqua Rich Sunscreen SPF 50; Heroine Make Volume & Curl Mascara}

I can’t wait to get back home and try some of these products. Reviews soon!

Do you have any Japanese recommended beauty products I need to buy?

Fekkai – A Mini Review

Tags

Beauty, Favorites, Fekkai, Hair, Review

When I was traveling this time to Japan, I decided to bring along some of the shampoo samples I had lying around. The ease of carrying those during travel is so much as compared to lugging full size shampoo and conditioner bottles and dealing with potential leakages and weight problems! One of the packets I wanted to try and brought along was the Fekkai Shea Butter Moisturizing shampoo and conditioner. I am so amazed and happy with this shampoo that I’m regretting not having tried it before. It has to be my new favorite!

According to Fekkai: “Care for and smooth hair daily with the decadent cleansing experience of Essential Shea Shampoo. An ultra rich shampoo that leaves hair feeling soft and moisturized. Care for and smooth hair daily with the decadent conditioning experience of Essential Shea Conditioner. An ultra crème moisturizing conditioner that quenches hair in rich hydrating indulgence.”

 

The shampoo is intensely hydrating and makes the hair incredibly soft. After using it, my hair was shiny and much less frizzy. The shea butter in the shampoo really does what it claims and helps moisturize and condition the hair and removes any dryness. It also helps moisturize the scalp and reduces any scalp itchiness occurring due to dryness. I had earlier refrained from using a shea butter shampoo and conditioner because I was afraid it might make my hair too oily since I already have oily hair. But my hair has been surprisingly balanced and much less oily for some reason!

After using this shampoo, I’m definitely loving my hair!! Definitely recommended.