April 2014 Beauty Haul

Hey everyone! Wow unfortunately I haven't been able to post much lately due to overwhelming school work and exams but now that its over lets get this party started!

Ok so here we have a little from Sephora and a bit from THEFACESHOP.

From the left: 

• Vita E Cranberry extract gel mask
• Vita B Starfruit extract gel mask
• Hello Flawless Powder in I'm Cute as a Bunny Honey
• Lovely me:ex I love pure color lip gloss\
• Volcanic Clay Pore Strip
• Origin's Ginzing Refreshing Scrub Cleanser
• Lovely me:ex Mini Pet Sweet Perfume Hand Cream (travel size)
• Various little samples from THEFACESHOP
• Bite Beauty Agave Lip Mask
• Clarisonic Luxe Cashmere Facial Brush
• Shu Uemura Anti/Oxi Cleansing Oil 

I have used some of these products so a review will be coming up in the next few days!

Disclaimer: These products were not sponsored and I was not paid to say anything for these companies on my blog.

As always thanks for tuning in guys and I hope to see you all very soon! ^^

Whats Mailing?! - Short Velour Lashes Review

Hello everyone! Double post today since I received quite a bit of stuff in the mail so I decided to post what I received. It would be too much of a bother to dig through my drawer to look for everything I received in the mail over the past month so I'll be concentrating on what I received today.

So today I received two false lashes from velour and a package from Outerbeauty Cosmetics. The two velour lashes I got are T Dot Ohhh and Whispie Me Away. The package from Outerbeauty Cosmetics contained a Konjac Sponge Puff - Bamboo Charcoal for oily and acne prone skin. The rave for these konjac sponges have finally gotten to me and I decided to get one and try it out. I've always been using my clarisonic at night so I'll be using the konjac sponge in the mornings and of course I will be following up with a review for the sponge shortly.

As you can see there Outerbeauty beautifully packs their packages and inside the wrapping contains my konjac sponge with a pamphlet about other types of konjac sponges and some instructions for how to use it.

I wont be reviewing the konjac sponge but I will be doing a short review on the velour lashes.

❤ Velour Lashes - Whispie Me Away & T Dot Ohh Review

First and foremost velour lashes are made with 100% mink hair, non-animal cruelty and the most comfortable lashes in my opinion. Not only do these lashes look oh so natural but the bands don't poke at my eyes like drugstore brands. Of course you are paying for what you are getting as most velour lashes range from $30-50 USD a pair. Of course there are also pretty well made synthetic ones available to you at your local Sephora but I personally love the natural look and feel of these mink ones.

Now of course since Velour will be shipping these babies to you, you will be wondering about their customer service. I have had delays and problems contacting them during holidays so I suggest to not order last minute for special events like Christmas. Also make sure you are certain of the style of lashes you want to purchase because you will be responsible for any shipping costs for exchanges and returns.

And here are the looks of the lashes on my eye :) I hope you have enjoyed this short review and as always, all products in this post are not sponsored and were purchased myself.

Summary of Products

Velour Lashes - Whisipie Me Away
Velour Lashes - T Dot Oooh
OuterBeauty Konjac Sponge Puff - Bamboo Charcoal

Eyeliner 101 - Featuring Giorgio Armani, Dolly wink, Shiseido

Eyeliner is a great way to emphasize, enhance and sharpen up your eyes and complexion. There are many different types and brands of eyeliner out there from eyeliner pencils, liquid liners, gel liners and even gel pencil liners. My first eyeliner was Shiseido's black eyeliner that my mom passed down to me. Now I must admit, Shiseido does amazeball skincare but I can't say so much about their makeup. Due to influence from my mom I then purchased my first eyeliner also from Shiseido (Not much makeup knowledge back when I was 14) which is the Eyeliner Pencil Duo in Moonscape (totally forgot the price, been too long). This as the name states is a duo eyeliner pencil with one end being a black and the other a white-pink. I love the white-pink liner side and I often use it to line my waterline but I find that the black liner is not as pigmented as other competitor brands and I find it hard to build that black line.

After a few more years as my makeup knowledge increased with further testing of other brands I fell in love with Giorgio Armani Waterproof Smooth Silk Eye Pencil ($32CAD or around there I forgot). It is absolutely gorgeous. It is absolutely creamy, goes on very smooth and highly pigmented. Only a few strokes is necessary to define the eye but I do find I have a problem since it is so creamy and buttery it often sticks to my long lashes (Oh my god - first world problems) so I have to be careful when I am using it to line my eyes (no tightlining with this for me unfortunately :[ how sad)

Now that I have a great pencil liner that I love I wanted to try liquid liners as well thus I picked up a random Sephora liquid liner to try out. I got the Sephora Doe Eyed Flat Eyeliner ($12CAD) now I absolutely HATED this and forever though liquid liners aren't the thing for me. It has a felt marker like tip almost sponge like and it just DRIED on me like literally after 1-2 uses. The tip hardened and the ink came out from the thicker sponge part close to the plastic of the liner. I basically had to press down for any liquid to come out.

A year after my purchase of the Sephora one I gave liquid liners another try. As I was passing by my local asian beauty stores I impulsively bought Dolly Wink black liquid liner pen ($13.60 USD - I bought it locally instores for $19CAD). The tip is very fine and looks like it is made of bristles/felt (I may be wrong but definitely not sponge). This is absolutely gorgeous it is easy to control so eyeliner beginners can use this with ease. I have used this many many mannnyyy times and it has not dried on me (unlike the sephora one - totally traumatized me) and is absolutely amazeball to use in conjunction with a pencil liner or just by itself. I find myself using this to tightline my eyes. An equivalent of this eyeliner is the Kat Von D Tattoo Liner (($22).

For those that are wondering about the Lancone Artliner ($37CAD) that is also a great liquid liner, however I find that it tends to get messy with the way the liner is designed. The ink is in the liner pen and the applicator (the pen tip) is dipped in the liner. After a few uses I find the ink to overflow a little and tends to stick around the connection point of the pen (the area where you twist the product open/close) if you know what I mean. Regardless that is also a great choice but of course is is slightly more expensive than the Dolly Wink one since it is mid-luxury brand.

Another great liquid eyeliner to try is the new EM Scribble Calligraphy Eyeliner. Michelle has come out with 8 different shades at a very affordable price ($18 USD) for those of you in the states or those that don't mind buying online this is another great investment! Unlike other liquid liners, the EM Scribble liner has a matte finish which will you might or might not like.

In this photo I applied eyeliner and fake lashes to the right eye and absolutely no makeup at all to the left. You can tell that there is an obvious difference in how my eye looks with and without eyeliner. The eye with the makeup looks sharper, brighter, and bigger and its so easy with a little bit of practice everyone can do it. ^^

As always all products mentioned are not sponsored and were purchased myself and I hope you have enjoyed this post and found it useful to you. If you have any questions feel free to leave it in the comment box below or contact me directly.

Maybelline Color Sensational Whisper Lipstick Review

        Hey everyone, a bit behind on the various posts that I wanted to do for the past week due to my midterm exam period and a cold that I caught. However! I'm not here to talk about the Maybelline Color Sensational Whisper.

The Maybelline Sensational Whisper has been out since 2013 (before I started blogging) so this will probably be an outdated review as I'm sure there are many great reviews out there.

Note: Sorry for the lighting >.< I took this picture while I was in the kitchen...not the best idea.

❤ Maybelline Sensational Whisper

Now first things first...I know many people consider this a "balm" but I personally find this more "lipstick" like than "balm" like. This lipstick is extremely creamy and I find it to be less "waxy" than other lipsticks available. There are many colors but I only swatched the few that I actually own (#10, 25, 55, 65, 75) and a few borrowed from a friend (#15, 20). I'm not too big a fan of "brown" colors on my lips so I didn't purchase those. Oh! Did I mention these babies go for $8.99CAD (should be around there for US) but I got these for $4.99 during Target's temporary price cuts (great price for these lippies).

This lipstick goes on very smooth, highly pigmented and mildly vibrant in color. It has great staying power and I don't find myself reapplying too often (besides after eating). Now, Maybelline does say it is a "gel color" which explains for the mildly vibrant color. If you prefer a more vibrant alternative you can go for the Maybelline Sensational Vivids which I find is too much personally. I know a lot of friends like shocking bright vibrant lips but I prefer to be more passive and to just enhance my natural lip color. My absolute favorite in the Whisper collection is #25 Lust for blush which is the color closest to my natural lips.

Now you all must think... wow so many pros now wheres the cons?!

I'm not too fond of using lip products since it makes me feel uneasy about consuming these during the day while I talk etc, the major turn off is the smell of drug store lipsticks. They just smell....artificial?...waxy?...lipstick like?... I just HATE it...Thus I find myself reaching for my Chanel and YSL lipsticks more often than I would the drugstore lippies that I own. If the smell doesn't bug you then these lippies are great! Especially the pigmentation, feel, and price of it compared to brand name lippies like Chanel and YSL.

Touch up note: The Maybelline Sensational Whisper lipsticks contain BHT (butylated hydroxytoluene) which is present in even some of the higher end cosmetics as a preservative. I know... many people will immediately think "OMG CHEMICALS! AHHH" but no worries, the amount of BHT present in cosmetics are under a strict limit set by the FDA to not cause a problem in our health. However, if this still bothers you, try looking into the Maybelline Sensational Vivids as an alternative as I think that lippy does not contain BHT.

Overall Score: 3.5/5

• Personally I don't like the lipstick smell of it
• Price is great for such pigmented color
• Smooth application, very creamy
• BHT is not a big problem for me
• Mild staying power

Have you bought these lippies before and would like to share your thoughts with me? Leave a comment below ^^

Shiseido Purifying Cleansing Foam & White Lucent Power Brightening Mask Review

             Hey guys! So here is the last of my review for a few of the items I bought in my haul the other day :) hope you all enjoy!

❤ Shiseido Purifying Cleansing Foam

This cleanser is thick when you squeeze it out of the tube but lathers up with water. It also contains purifying granules that lightly exfoliates. What Shiseido say's is that it effectively removes makeup and impurities while retaining moisture. You don't need to use a lot, just a dime size amount is good enough.

My verdict:

The granules does in fact exfoliate LIGHTLY and I mean LIGHTLY. Do not count on the granules for exfoliation, it will not be sufficient (well for me it wasn't). I must say I have enjoyed this cleanser throughout my teens and even now I still use it. I have also used the Fresh Soy Face Cleanser which is also great but I prefer the lather in the Shiseido Purifying Cleanser and the smell.

❤ Shiseido White Lucent Power Brightening Mask

One of the more expensive brightening masks available on the market. The Shiseido White Lucent Mask costs about $10CAD a piece and comes in a box of six. It looks very much like the My Beauty Diary but it does not have the extra plastic piece attached to the mask. I actually prefer not having the extra plastic piece since its just a hassle to get it off and I see no use for it personally.

The Shiseido White Lucent Mask provides hydration and brightening of the skin and they usually recommend you leave it on for about 20-30 minutes. However! I usually put the mask on and end up falling asleep and waking up when the mask is totally dry then taking it off and going back to sleep (yeah its that miraculous). When I take off the mask my skin is SUPER moisturized and SUPER enriched with vitamins and minerals and all that. My skin looks noticeably brighter and more plump.

My verdict:

 I would give it 5/5 for function and smell but 2/5 due to its expensive cost. MBD is a very good alternative (also more cost friendly) to the Shiseido White Lucent Mask but I honestly do feel that the Shiseido mask is more nourishing and has a stronger brightening effect than the MBD brightening masks. I usually use MBD brightening masks many times (maybe twice) a week and the Shiseido I will usually save for important events ^^.

Hope you guys liked my post and it has helped your knowledge with these products a bit! If you have any further questions or comments please leave one below ^^ I would love to chat with you guys!

Shiseido Bio-Performance Super Refining Essence & Ibuki Refining Moisturizer Review

               Hey guys! So I'm back with the review on the Shiseido Bio-Performance Super Refining Essence and the Ibuki Refining Moisturizer that I bought in my haul the other day. Lets get right to it!

❤ Shiseido Bio-performance Super Refining Essence

This is Shiseido's benefiance line serum. It has a slight fragrance, not too strong but those of you who are sensitive to fragrances may want to test before buying this. The constituency of this product is thick/oil-like (oily in a good way). After I apply a pea size (exact size shown in the picture) amount to my face, my skin quickly absorbs it all in so it doesn't leave an oily layer. I've tried thinner serums like Lancome and Dior which are also good alternatives but like I said they are much thinner and more like a moisturizer in constituency.

What Shiseido says about this product:

• Generates youthfully smooth, visibly radiant skin
• Reduces the appearance of dullness and wrinkles while replenishing moisture
• Promotes natural exfoliation

I do agree that my skin looks more radiant and more hydrated after about a weeks worth of use. I'm not too sure about the natural exfoliation since I use my Clarisonic Aria every night. I'm a combination skin girl and using this serum is not too oily for me at all but oily skin people would probably not like this too much. I usually switch this serum up with my Dior serum once in a while and I've seen great results!

❤ Shiseido Ibuki Refining Moisturizer

As I progressed through my teens, I noticed that my Shiseido Pureness moisturizing gel-cream is not sufficient for my skin anymore as it leaves my skin a bit dry during winter times and I notice more oil production overnights. Therefore, during my so called "facial" with Shiseido at The Bay the SA recommended/tried the Ibuki moisturizer on my skin and I must say I love it! It is not as thin as the pureness gel moisturizer but not extremely thick like the benefiance moisturizers.

I must say I cant stand moisturizers that are overly thick as it feels sticky in my hands and on my face when I apply it. The Ibuki moisturizer is milky and smooth on application. The smell is also just ABSOLUTELY WONDERRFULLL! I must say, one thing that really bothers me about cosmetic and skincare is the smell of it. I absolutely cannot and will not put something on my face if it smells absolutely horrid. However for those of you who are sensitive, once again you may want to test this out in stores (like Sephora) before buying it.

What Shiseido says:

• corrects the appearance of unevenness such as visible pores, breakouts and skin roughness
• Renews the skin's surface to reveal an incredibly smooth, uniform texture
• Reduce the appearance of fine lines caused by dryness and keeps skin hydrated all day

After I apply the Bio-performance refining essence, I usually apply the Ibuki moisturizer and my skin absorbs it all within a few minutes. My skin feels absolutely baby bottom smooth, hydrated and fresh, no residue whatsoever left lingering on my face. I have also tried Dior's Hydra sorbet moisturizer which I also like but I probably prefer the Shiseido Ibuki more. The Shiseido Ibuki Refining Moisturizer is perfect for normal-oily skin types and for you dry skin people out there they have a Refining Moisturizer Enriched version.

Update: I must make a correction, after using the Ibuki moisturizer for a month straight it has been irritating my skin and I am no longer able to use it. Though I personally love the scent it just isn't working out for me. I advise those that are interested to obtain a sample first before purchasing.

❤ Troubleshoot for those of you having problems with your skin being extremely oily:

• You may be using a bit too much product! Try decreasing the amount you are using, you really only need a little bit of this stuff. Smooth over between fingers and dab onto the skin and then massage it all in!
• Have you used toner before applying this serum? When you are applying your toner you can clearly see if you still have any dirt on your skin which may be inhibiting and directly affecting how well your skin is absorbing your skin care products! Toner also adjusts the pH of your skin so that your skin care will work better.

Side note: I do notice that using my Clarisonic to clean my skin is more effective than using my hands (may be because im cleaning it for 1 minute instead of just rubbing the cleanser on my face then rinsing). Thus my products absorb much better than before, however, for those that cannot afford the hefty price on the Clarisonic may have to result to other options such as the Olay alternative (I do not recommend it and I will include why in my Clarisonic review).

Note: I am not sponsored and all products in this post were purchased myself.

Did you enjoy my post? Found it helpful? Have questions for me? Please leave a comment below ^^

Skin Care Haul

        Hey guys! So today I bring you my recent beauty well actually skin care haul. Super excited to share these with you guys. I went to a Shiseido facial session which well... was alright. What they did was mostly massage products onto my skin and try to sell me it and as one of the many suckers out there...I was suckered into it.

From left to right we have:

Shiseido Bio-performance Super Refining Essence (1.8oz)
Shiseido Ibuki Refining Moisturizer (2.5 fl. oz)
Shiseido Softening Concentrate (2.5 fl. oz)
Pureness Balancing Softener (5 fl. oz)
Purifying Cleansing Foam (4.6 fl. oz)
Shiseido White Lucent Power Brightening Mask (6 pieces per box)

I'm not going to do a full review on all these items but I'll talk briefly about some in another post very soon ^^.

My Beauty Diary - 10th Anniversary Limited Edition Masks Review

        Following the New Years, MBD released their 10th anniversary limited edition masks in my local area. After seeing this I immediately bought several packs. There are 5 different packs available each containing 5 masks depending on which pack you bought + 1 bonus black pearl whitening mask. I bought 4/5 available packs which I will go through in depth the differences and what they claim to do.

       For those who are unfamiliar with the MBD mask line, MBD is a Taiwanese brand that uses natural ingredients in their products. Thus MBD does not contain parabens, alcohol, and preservatives. MBD carries face masks and eye masks in their natural line, two-step line and luxury line and various other beauty products. You can check all this information out at http://www.beautydiary.com.tw/en/index.aspx

Each box contains 5 of the corresponding masks + 1 bonus black pearl mask as shown in the above picture, but since I used a few of them already >_< you only see 3/5 masks in the picture. I went to the store a couple of days ago to find a new clear box set that contains 10 masks (mix of the 5 different limited edition masks) for $11.99CAD.

I will briefly go over each of the 4 boxes of masks and I will be doing a more in depth review on the pore refining mask just because I have been using that mask over the past few weeks.

Pore Refining Mask:

The pore refining mask contains citrus extract, various plant extract, aloe, mushroom and natural yeast. The pore refining masks, as the name states, claims to refine your pores and rejuvenate your skin.

Intensive Brightening Mask:

The intensive brightening mask is basically the Japanese cherry blossom mask. It contains various flower extract and kiwi extract to provide brightening, soothing and regenerating effects.

Deep Hydrating Mask:

This mask is basically the Luffa mask. It contains luffa extract, beans extract, various plants and aloe extract to moisturize and hydrate.

Instant Soothing Mask:

The instant soothing mask contains coral powder, various fruit, aloe and flower extract to sooth irritated skin, stimulate skin repairing and provide deep skin hydration.

❤ My Beauty Diary - Pore Refining Mask Review

❤ Where can I buy this?

• My beauty diary masks can be purchase (if you live in Vancouver) at your local T&T Supermarket (metrotown has the largest quantity and various other brands). The regular (non limited edition) contains 10 masks/box and costs $11.99 when its on sale, regular priced at $14.99.

• If you live in the US these can be purchased at Fashion City and Walmart

• http://web1.sasa.com/SasaWeb/eng/sasa/home.jsp

• Ebay/Amazon

What the mask claims to do:

• Fruit extract will deeply penetrate the skin to provide hydration
• Mushroom and natural yeast absorbency provides hydration and protection for the skin from external/environmental damage to achieve a smooth constituency 
• Various natural plant extracts (licorice etc) refines pores and reawakens the skins radiance
• Aloe leaf juice restores the elasticity in the skin 

I've used this mask twice over the past two weeks and I have noticed a slight reduction in the size of my pores (or maybe its all in my head). However, I don't have large pores to begin with so that might be a reason.

My thoughts on this mask:

• Ok so smell is a big thing for me, if it smells bad I honestly can't imagine myself putting it on my face for longer than 10 minutes and these MBD masks smell WONDERFUL
• Slight pore size reduction
• Hydrates well and my skin still feels hydrated for the next couple of days
• Noticeable radiance in my skin as noted by others

This particular mask didn't wow or disappoint me in anyway since I didn't expect drastic results when I first bought it. Pore refining products claim to minimize pore size but honestly that's all it can do unless you get your pores treated at a beauty salon. From what I've seen, pore size is genetically inherited. My friend has little to NO pores and that applies to her whole family while I have a small little blackheads around my  T-zone as do some of my family members.

❤ The verdict:

Packaging: 5/5 - Beautiful packaging with the cute animation on each mask and on the box (its limited edition                           so its expected)

Smell:        5/5 - So like I mentioned, smell is a big thing for me. I wouldn't want to put fishy smelling                                       products on my face...ever....one exception may be the natto line from MBD.

Function:   3/5 - Slight reduction in pore size which may be just me imagining it over the last two weeks. I                              will continue to finish this box and a couple more over a longer period of time and see if I                              will see results.

❤ I do not recommend getting this unless you really want to try it for yourself to see if it works. All MBD limited edition masks have beautiful packaging and smell so the actual function of the mask is mostly what its down to. Like I have mentioned, its a great hydrating mask, it's cheap (cost me $6.00CAD for 1 box) but I didn't notice great results for what they claim the mask does.

I will be doing reviews for the other masks in the limited edition line and natural line shortly in another post since this review seems to have dragged on pretty long. I hope this review has helped you all and I will see you next time! ^^

Have any suggestions?
Have you tried these products and loved/hated it?
Have questions for me about these products?

Please leave a comment below and I will get back to you ASAP ❤