What's in my makeup bag/ Summer Skin Necessities

Hi there !

It's time for another blog post :). I have recently been doing quite a bit of shopping and going out and was unsure which blogpost to write first. I decided to start with the classic What's in my makeup bag because I reach for it every single day and basically use the same products every day as well.

Most of these are my essentials for my every day makeup. My every day makeup consists of Anastasia Brow Wiz in dark brown for my brows, bare-minerals all over face glow in Pure Radiance for my eyelids and inner corners, Kat Von D felt tip liner in Trooper, Maybelline Falsies (Waterproof) for my upper lashes, Benefit They're Real for my bottom lashes, bare minerals bronzer in light tan, and the Rimmel wake me up concealer.

On more special occasions when I want my makeup to last longer, I use the UD primer potion and the Hourglass face primer, which I have the mini size. I also use the Majolica Majorca fibre mascara if i want extra length to my lashes.

In my bag, I also keep a few other products that I only use occasionally. These include the Kate palette which has one shade that I like for inner corner highlight, the Chanel aqua lumiere foundation, UD eyeliner in bronze, Nars Deep throat blush, Burberry Summer Glow highlighter/bronzer, two Nyx lip products, and Maybelline eye tattoo in Bad to the Bronze. I do love these products but as it is summer, I don't want to wear too much makeup because the sun does not react well with my skin and it is even worse when I have alot of makeup on.

I also wanted to shed some light on my absolute favourite product right now. This is the Neutrogena healthy defense sunscreen. My skin is super sensitive and even being out in the sun for 10 minutes can cause my face to become extra dry and irritated. This sunscreen is SPF 45 and is extremely lightweight. It is not too oily and absorbs into the skin very quickly. I am obsessed with it and have been putting it under my BB cream every day. I used to use the Chanel foundation every day until my skin wasn't looking very good. I decided to switch to my fool-proof BB cream, which is the Skin 79 Super BB cream. it is a light coverage but definitely buildable and does not cake on at all. It does have a bit of SPF as well which is great. This is already my second bottle and I am worried it will run out soon!
Lastly at night I apply the Kiehl's Ultra face moisturizer which moisturizes my sun-irritated skin overnight. I have been trying hard to minimize the amount of face products I have been using! All I need now is a good face powder, so I am definitely keeping an eye out for that.

Once again thanks for reading and hope to see you in the next blog post!

Rebecca

Summer Skincare Routine!

Hello! It has been so so long since I last posted on here. I stopped my blog over a year and a half ago as things in my life really started to change for the better and now that everything has become much more stable, I thought I would try to blog again. I recently started getting back into all things beauty and skin care and thought it was time to share some thoughts that I have on products.

I have just completed my first year of grad school and it has definitely been the most stressful school experience so far. I didn't spend much time on skincare and most nights would use face wipes and not use face or eye cream. School and my lack of skincare has caused my skin to be very unstable, with a few stress-induced breakouts, dryness, and uneven pigmentation.

Now that it is summer and I have a lot more free time, I promised myself to start a skincare routine that I can hopefully continue into the fall. I have liked using Kiehl's skincare products for some time now as the price range is medium and the products seem to be geared towards sensitive skin. This weekend they had a 20% off sale so I decided to take advantage and purchase some products I've always wanted to try. I purchased the set that included the full size Ultra Facial Moisturizer, a mini cleanser, and mini toner and the Midnight Recovery Serum.

Just a background on my skin type, I have pretty dry skin that is very sensitive to products and UV. I don't get very oily and I breakout on my forehead area when I eat junk food and am stressed. Now onto the review!

So to start off, I remove my makeup using a micelle solution (right now the one I am using is chinese and recommended by a friend) with a cotton pad and remove my eye makeup as well (the blue Sephora one). Next, I use the Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cleanser which I have really been enjoying and have thought of buying the full size next time. It is very gentle, spreads easily, and has a nice, light fragrance. Next, I use the ultra facial toner which is milky in consistency. I haven't used a toner in a long time and just thought it would make my skincare routine more thorough. After the toner has absorbed, I use 2-3 drops of the Midnight Recovery Serum and pat it gently on my face. It isn't very oily at all and smells amazing. Once that has absorbed, I use a bit of the ultra facial moisturizer, which is light and perfect for summer. I think this line is Kiehl's most moisturizing products but to me it just feels like a regular moisturizer because my skin is that dry, haha. Lastly, I put a bit of the Kiehl's avocado eye cream which feels very nice and always makes the skin around my eyes feel soft and not tight or pulling.

For the last 3 nights I have used the Midnight Recovery Serum and woken up with a very even skintone and plumper looking skin. I don't know what is in this stuff but so far I'm really liking it! It is a luxury product and once you put on your makeup, no one can really tell, but I'll have to figure out its long term effects on my skin.

Sometimes I use the Kiehl's Pineapple and Papaya scrub but it is not my favourite. It is so gentle that I'm not quite sure it really does the job. I probably won't be repurchasing it.

Thanks for taking the time to have a read and look forward to more posts in the future!

Rebecca

Lioele Blooming Lipgloss Review!

Hi Everyone!

Today I wanted to review the Lioele Blooming lipglosses. I picked these up in Hong Kong from a store called Colourmix, which has many locations in Asia. You can pick these up on www.prettyandcute.com as well :) 

Price and Packaging
These lipglosses cost me around $6.5 CAN each, which I think is pretty reasonable. The packaging is a little bulky and the plastic isn't the best quality- but what can you expect for $6.5! Usually I am a sucker for packaging but these aren't bad and I love the glosses too much to mind. 

Pigmentation and Formula
These lipglosses are quite pigmented. For reference, the lipglosses are less pigmented than Nyx glosses but more pigmented than the Benefit glosses. They are not sticky at all and glide onto the lips nicely. Even if my lips are chapped, these lipglosses help smooth my lips out and moisturize them. I also really like the scent of these glosses. To me, they smell sort of fruity like mango-y.

The two colours shown here are Flower Pink and Cream Orange

Flower Pink

This lip gloss is a rose-y medium pink with a slight shimmer. It's definitely wearable as I wear this gloss to class all the time. 

  

Cream Orange
This is my favourite colour! Even though the name is orange, it is more of a peach-y light pink. It looks more subtle than flower pink and I love it for everyday. 

Overall
These have become my favourite lipglosses. I love the colours, scent, and texture. I really cannot wait to get more, right now I have my eye on Vanilla pink!

Thanks for reading and hope you found this post of interest,

~Rebecca

Beauty Haul from Trip to Hong Kong!

Hong Kong

Hi Everyone!

I know it's been a little break since my last post. A lot has happened!

Right after Christmas, I packed my bags and left for Hong Kong! 

It was about a 2 week vacation filled with family time, sight seeing, meeting up with friends, and shopping!

Literally the day I got off the plane, I had to go back to school =( so its been busy catching up with school work as well as adjusting to the time difference. 

I thought I would share what I purchased in Hong Kong in terms of beauty. 

I'll make sure I mention where I got the items and some first impressions :)

Here is a picture of all the beauty items that I purchased :)

I did most of my makeup shopping at SaSa and Colourmix!

To start off from the top left, I purchased the Essentials Ultra Honey & Shea Butter hair treatment in Nuance Airy. I purchased this at Colourmix in the Mong Kok area. I've tried it twice and so far I like it. It has a nice light scent and leaves my hair very silky and tangle free. Moving to the right in that same row are two Skinfood masks that my Aunt generously gifted to me. I have the Egg white pore mask and the Cucumber soothing mask.
Here is a close up of these two products:

I have not tried these but I can't wait! I've tried the Rice mask by Skinfood and love it!
On top of the two masks in the picture is a Faddy hair wax. I really like this hair wax, it leaves your hair very soft but with a little structure, and it smells amazing. It's also really good value! I think its less than $5 CAN. I purchased this from Mannings. Moving to the right are two Missha nail polishes. I picked a dark berry colour that looks similar to Essie's Bahama Mama and a light pink with pearlescent shimmer. I haven't tried these nail polishes yet but I've heard good things about Missha nail polishes which is why I decided to pick them up. I picked these two nail polishes up at Missha location in Mong kok. 

Continuing to the right is blackheads/whiteheads remover strips and a back-up of Skin 79 BB cream. This one is my absolute favourite, its the hot pink bottle one. I can use it every day and it will never break me out. It looks amazingly natural but covers up discolouration on the skin. It is a really big bottle for the value, I use mine almost every day and I think I've had it for over a year already! I purchased both these items from SaSa in the Causeway Bay area.

Onto the next row are two Silk Whitia masks. These masks are supposed to be great for whitening the skin as well as delivering nutrients/moisture. I have not tried these masks yet but I had heard great things about them from an old Youtuber, Fuzkittie. These were on buy one get one free so I picked up two :) I picked them up at the SaSa in Mong kok :)

Next is the Kate Wide contour eyeshadow palette in BR-3. It has taupe-ish shades. Kate is a Japanese brand that I've heard about so I wanted to try their eyeshadow palette. One thing that you should know about this product is the amount of shimmery fall-out. What I do to minimize this is to apply the eyeshadow while holding a tissue under my eye. I really like the shimmer, its very fine and reminds me of one of my Dior eyeshadows. One thing I don't like about this product is the packaging. The plastic is so thin I feel as though its going to crack or break any minute. I picked this up at the SaSa in Mong Kok as well :)

Wow, this blog post is getting long! I'm sorry for the lack of close up pictures but perhaps in a later blog post I will do a more in depth review :) Next is the Majolica Majorca Lash Expander Frame Plus mascara which is my favourite mascara to wear on special occasions. This is because its quite hard to remove :P I also picked up the K-Palette Tattoo liquid eyeliner because so many people were raving about it. So far I like it, its really easy to use and allows for great precision. However, it does not dry very quickly so if I don't wait long enough, it will transfer to my upper eyelid :( !

Moving on, I picked up two Lioele Blooming lip glosses and the Water drop BB cream. For the lip glosses, I picked up flower pink and cream orange. I absolutely love these glosses and they are definitely my favourite gloss. They aren't expensive, about $6-7 CAN and they are pigmented (but not as pigmented as a lip stick), aren't sticky, and smell amazing. Even if my lips are chapped, I can put on this lip gloss without worrying about my lips looking uneven :). They remind of the formula in the Benefit glosses! 

I picked up the Water drop BB cream because I heard Missglamorazzi talk good things about this BB cream. So far I really like the BB cream but it has very light coverage. I think this would be really great for summer time. I still use it in the winter but I add concealer and powder to this BB cream. :)

Last row! I picked up one of those donut bun makers because they can be quite pricey in Canada and I picked up some beauty tools: eyebrow scissors, tweezers and a hair brush. I picked all of these items up in SaSa located in Causeway bay. 

Thanks so much for reading and I hope that I can do more in depth reviews about some of the products- if they happen to stand out!

~Rebecca 

Holiday Gift Guide for Him!

Hello fellow blog readers,

I really wanted to include a holiday gift guide for him but its SO close to Christmas!
I know that there must be some last minute shoppers out there...or perhaps someone that wants to add a little something extra to their gift. 

I know that shopping for boys is extremely difficult. I had to return my Dad's gift two times until I got it right. And who knows, maybe he will even return my third gift as well =P

All of these gift ideas should apply to most men, whether it is your boyfriend or your grandpa!

For Him

1. A Cozy Sweater. Whether its a casual hoodie or a cashmere sweater, these make great gifts for any guy. Here are some that I like:

2. Cologne. One that is popular and that I love is Bleu de Chanel. 

3. Ticket to a winter sports day or event. For example, you could plan a ski day trip if they enjoy skiing, or maybe even a sledding day!

4. Gadget Case. Everyone loves their technology. Whether its the iPad or their phone. These personalized leather iPad cases make such a nice gift. 

5. A winter coat. Often times, guys don't wear coats that are warm enough for winter! If you are planning on buying a big gift, this one is definitly a winner. This coat that I found online looks really nice. It has a fur trim so it keeps him nice and warm.

I hope you had some fun reading my little christmas gift guide for him and thanks for reading,

Rebecca

How to enjoy the holidays.

Hi Everyone!

Today I thought I would do a more personal post about the holiday season.
My love for Christmas and the holiday season is insane. 
I literally look forward to Christmas in the middle of summer.
I know that for many people, Christmas hits them much quicker than they would like and expect, and after Christmas they experience something I call Post-Christmas Depression.
I have had this unfortunate condition before, and it is when Christmas disapears so quickly that I did not have enough time to enjoy it.
I thought it would be fun to post some ideas on how to fully enjoy the holiday season, so that you won't face depression after the 25th of December is over. 

Disclaimer: these ideas may not work for everyone, but they are things that I have done this holiday season so far!

1. Listen to Christmas music--starting October. Not even kidding, I started listening at the end of October and I always have the Christmas channels on the radio in the car. 

2. Decorate your home. My mom loves decorating for the season so we have our big tree with lights, lots of little decorations all over the house, and Christmas lights and light-up reindeer outside of our house. It really gets you in the spirit of things.

3. Overload on holiday drinks. As soon as Starbuck's released their holiday drinks, I've only been getting drinks from that menu. They aren't going to be around forever! I've probably had about 10 Gingerbread lattes, 3 Caramel Brulee, 1 Peppermint Mocha, and 1 Peppermint Hot Chocolate. 

4. Christmas movies. I recently started watching Christmas movies and so far I've only watched Elf, The Polar Express, and The Holiday. I think it's a great idea to watch lots of holiday movies during this time. Can't wait to watch Home Alone and The Grinch soon!

5. Paint your nails festive colours (and dress for the season!). As soon as I got back from uni, I've had my nails painted mint-y blue, gold, and now cranberry red. Loving the festive colours! Also, I love to wear thick wool-y sweaters and I love wearing the oxblood colour because it looks so festive. For makeup, I wear golden-bronze eyeshadow from the Naked palette, and Nars sin blush. Very winter-esque!

6. Have festive gatherings with friends. My friends and I did not have a legit Christmas party this year but it was my birthday as well as my best friend's birthday. We had two festive dinners and it was really great to see everyone. The season is also about seeing the ones you love!

7. Watch a Christmas Pageant. Last Sunday I went to my church and the children put on a Christmas pageant! It was very cute and it is important to remember the true meaning of Christmas. Also fun to sing more Christmas songs!

8. Wrap your presents in festive packaging. This is a bit random but I do think it helps to enjoy the holiday spirit. Instead of just giving your presents in their packaging from the store, wrap them in festive wrapping paper and add a bow! I thought it was very fun to wrap my gifts up in holiday designs. 

9. Give out Christmas cards. It is SO much fun to give out Christmas cards if you have some time! I wrote most of mine right after I finished my exams. I gave them out to my housemates and close friends. It's a great time to reflect on your relationship with others and to wish others a happy holiday. Most people love to receive Christmas cards because they are so thoughtful. 

10. Build a Snowman, go sledding/skiing/skating. Unfortunately I have not been able to do any of these this year because it has barely snowed but once it snows, you bet I will be doing all of these! 

Hope you enjoyed reading this post and are able to appreciate the holiday season a little more!

Rebecca

My Nail Polish Collection

Hi there!

Today I rearranged my nail polish drawer and thought I would give you a little peak into my collection. 

So what I've done is I've tucked away the nail polishes I rarely use at the back. These include my 3 Forever 21 polishes, some old baby pinks, NYC, and Revlon polishes. 
Then I've lined up all the OPI polishes and then my favourite brand, Essie polishes. 
I have some miscellaneous polishes at the front left side such as Butter London, Zoya, Aerie, and Deborah Lippman. I don't normally use top coat because by the 2nd or 3rd coat, I don't feel like painting my nails anymore! But if I do use top coat, I use the OPI one. 

My favourites from my collection include Teddy Girl by Butter London, Happy Birthday by Deborah Lippman, Short Story by OPI, Smitten with Mittens by OPI, and Essie's Lilacism. 
My newest polishes are Essie's Merino Cool, Essie's Caicos and Turquoise, and Zoya's Ziv.

Today I stopped by Murale and decided to pick up a blush as a birthday present to myself. I have been eyeing this blush for about a year now. It is Sin by Nars. I think it would be great for winter and I plan on using it every day until Spring arrives. 

Once again, thanks for reading! Only 4 days till Christmas, I can't believe it!

Rebecca