Posted on October 17, 2016 in Beauty & Skincare
Over the years, I’ve tried to take care of my skin. I stay out of the sun and I moisturize. I do no wear any makeup except lipstick. A couple months ago, I began a journey to delve into better skin care. This is both for health and as a hobby. I have followed and tried Asian beauty products in the past, but this was the first time when I really researched and took it to the next level.
This is a new series in posts as I explore this beauty and health regime and hobby. Warning: this is a long post with mini reviews of several products.
Posted on January 26, 2013 in Beauty & Skincare
On the left is the Triple the Solution sample beside the Dollish Veil Vita
I recently ordered some BB cream samples from eBay seller “sing-sing-girl”. The seller also provided extra samples of two Lioele BB creams that I have yet to try: Triple the Solution BB cream (Lioele’s most popular BB cream) and Dollish Veil Vita BB cream. While these weren’t on the top list of BB creams to try, I was pleased to do so because I did like the Lioele Water Drop BB Cream.
This is not a full review since I usually need to try a product for weeks to really see how it affects my skin. Since I only had such a small packet sample of each, I managed to get about 2-3 applications of it. I could have gotten more, but unsealed and unprotected product is probably not ideal for testing.
As a reminder, my skin is normal (dryer in winter), I use an SPF moisturizer before BB application, and sometimes my homemade Vitamin C serum. I am a MAC NC20.
Here are my first impressions.
Posted on January 12, 2013 in Beauty & Skincare, Books
This is a book about makeup and beauty for women of colour. Even though I rarely wear makeup (more of a skincare person), I do enjoy looking at beauty books and am interested in makeup. Also, even though I am East Asian, I am on the paler side (MAC NC20), so most of the tips in this book didn’t apply to me so much.
Having said that, I think this a good beginner book for people who are just getting into makeup as it has several looks and makeup tips for women of colour. Like Iman, I do agree there is a dirth of good makeup products and looks for these women. She doesn’t specify specific products which means it gives the reader the ability to explore her options, but maybe daunting for some beginners with no makeup knowledge. There is some excellent photography in this book too. I also picked this book up because I have always liked Iman when I see her TV appearances and interviews.
Most of the tips in this book I know from other resources, but I have some Notes and Things I took Away:
Continue reading →
Posted on November 26, 2012 in Beauty & Skincare
After using the Skin79 Gold BB Cream for a couple of months (5 days a week), I had more than the usual amount of breakouts. I wasn’t sure if it was the Skin79, but I decided to switch over to the Lioele Water Drop BB Cream. I really do like this BB Cream a lot, but it isn’t the one for me.
Posted on July 13, 2012 in Beauty & Skincare
Good, affordable nail polish that comes in loads of colours.
Previously, I have gone years without painting my hand nails. Yes, years. I think the last major time was in 2010 or 2009. The reason for this is that nail colour chips often on my hands. I knit, cook, wash dishes, and I just wash my hands a lot. I am not obsessive compulsive, but I am good at keeping my hands clean. I do paint my toe nails more though because they don’t chip as often and my feet are rather boring so I like to spruce it up for myself.
Lately, since the start of this year, I have been needing retail therapy. Then I saw that these went on sale, looked up some reviews and sort of went crazy and bought 6 including the Invisible colour way as a base and top coat. These will last me years.
The bottle recommends 2-3 coats. I will usually just do 2 because I have no patience for 3. I found too much makes it take forever to dry. I will apply a top coat using the Invisible colour. I never use to do this, but it really helps the colour last on my nails mostly on my left hand. I applied a base coat with the Invisible once, but I find it actually makes it easier to chip so I just do a top coat now. I find these last a good few days without major chipping and the pigmentation is really good. On my left hand, I went a good five days without a major chip usually.
The biggest con with this line seems to be that it takes awhile to dry and if you apply too much. Make sure your coats are very thin. Otherwise, they will smudge or dent easily even if you allow more than 10-15 mins drying time between coats. I am also not a big fan of the brush.
Price: Got these all on a Buy One Get On Free (BOGOF) sale so down from a regular $3.49 each to about $1.79CAD before tax.
Pros:
- Affordable and widely available
- Good colour selection
- Very pigmented and sparkly (in the case of the Celeb City)
Cons:
- Drying time can be a bit slow compared to some other lacquers.
- Brush is not the best quality
Posted on March 24, 2012 in Beauty & Skincare
Lansinoh Lanolin has had a high rating and repurchase rate on MUA for awhile now. I’ve known about it for a year, but was hesitant to purchase it just as a lip balm for the night. Still, after working the calculations, the quality of the product and how long it would last (one 56g tube, probably over a year), it is better value than most lip balms and the Vaseline I was using on lips before at night.
This makes my lips feel and look fuller the next morning. I barely use a lentil size drop on my lips. Also, I never have to use a lip scrub since this product makes it easier for me to exfoliate my lips the next morning. My lips are better than ever with this product.
Lanolin is the sheep’s version of sebum, the human oil which moisturizes our skin. When you consider you are paying for 100% pure, medical grade lanolin that is safe for babies and everyone else, it’s worth it. I have only used this on my lips though other people like it for their cuticles, feet, and the advertised, as a nipple cream.
Price: $12.99CAD before tax for 2 oz/56g tube at Shoppers Drug Mart in Canada. This is the only place I found it out of Wal-Mart, Loblaws/Superstore, and Rexall. It was found in the baby aisle.
Pros:
- Moisturizing and unlike Vaseline/Petrolatum jelly based balms, it covers and absorbs into your skin and lips
- Long Lasting and thick
- A little goes a long way
- Scentless – Some people may disagree. I am biased since I work with lanolin enriched wool frequently so I don’t even notice it
- Shiny, can be used sparingly as a gloss and lip stick base
- Multipurpose – lips, cuticles, elbows, stretch marks, hands, etc.
- 100% pure medical grade lanolin, safe enough for babies.
Cons:
- Just a tad sticky
- Thick and hard to push out of the tube if store in a cold room
- Price
- Please check as people do have lanolin sensitivity and allergies.
Conclusion: My HG night lip balm. Definite repurchase.