Happy Spring!

Remember the lovely Cacaopack who made my entire month of December last year?

Shortly after my Victoria's Secret Beauty Rush Glossy Shine Stick back in February, she told me I tempted her to hit the Ebay button (tee hee!). However, since we all know how evil Ebay really is, we ended up trading instead :) A few weeks later, while my peak season at work was (and still is) in full swing, a little envelope made my long day sunny again!



Actually, this is a belated post because I got the package last week. Either way, let's just say when I spotted it in my mailbox, I dropped everything I was doing at the time :D Everything inside the padded envelope was packed so neatly they all survived the trip across the ocean in perfect condition! Thank you, Clarissa! *hugs*



She even included a pretty little cell phone charm as well as this nifty little bright pink packet of "hair-velcro"! It's a small and soft velcro sheet that can literally hold your front bang out of the way so you don't have to bother with headbands, hair ties or whatnot. Just slap it on and it'll stick! Neat, huh? You're awesome, Clarissa, for introducing me to this ingenious invention!



Anyway, Clarissa' end of the trade is Canmake Cream Cheek Limited Edition shades #7 Coral Orange (top) and #8 Marshmallow Pink (bottom). As you might know, I like Canmake. So when these Cream Cheeks came out, I had to have them! My sister already got me all the other shades available in Japan, but these particular 2 are Singapore-exclusive (I think...) so I traded her the VS Glossy Lip Shine for them.



I must sound like I come from the past century or something, but I never knew trading with someone online from across the globe can be so fun!

Revue Essence in Moisture Liquid Foundation

I forgot to post a review for this Revue Essence in Moisture Liquid Foundation for, like, 2 years -.- Woops. That's what happens when you start a draft post and then...forget about it...

Anyway, there was a lot of hype when this liquid foundation first came out (late 2007?). It did well in rankings and reviews in most major forums in Japan, and seeing that there was the word "moisture" in its name, I had to try it since my skin is dry, even though I don't ever really wear foundation. Curiosity kills the cat, they say, well, it didn't kill me in this instance, but the foundation was expensive ($30-35?). I bought in January of 2008 and only used it a few times before tossing it into the back of the cabinet. I felt very guilty for a long time, I tell you! So yes, the below review I wrote a loooong time ago while I was trying out the foundation but forgot to post. No worries though, the liquid foundation is still sold in stores, so it's not like the review is irrelevant now, even if it's old.

---------------------------------

Review dated Friday, January 11, 2008

Here it is, the much-hyped liquid foundation! I don't wear foundation of any type, but I bought it anyway. I have the shade OC-B. When I was still in Japan, my girlie neighbor matched my skin tone with OC-A for a Kate foundation during a "makeover" session, but then I didn't see an OC-A for this liquid foundation so I bought OC-B instead, hoping it would work. Well, as you can in the swatch below, it sort of...didn't work :( OC-B looks just a tad darker and a bit too warm. Perhaps I should have bought Beige-B? Grr...it's so hard to buy a foundation, especially when you can't be there to try an get a match for your skin.



Anyway, blah, this foundation doesn't work too well for me. Even with my waterproof Sofina Perfect UV SPF50 PA+++, it melts like butter and after just an hour or so, my face is a shiny mirror. Yuck! The only good thing I see so far is right after application, it makes my face looks flawless, that is, until it turns all nasty and greasy. And it's January too! So cold and dry! Can't even imagine wearing in the heat and humidity of the summer. Urgh. May be I should try it a few more times skipping the sunscreen?

Fresh Sugar Lip Gloss

Look at how adorable this trial size of Fresh Sugar Lip Gloss is! It's itty bitty yes, but hey, I'd rather carry around this tiny trial size than the gigantic and tacky tubes of whatever cosmetic item that are turning up in the drug store these days. Sorry if I offend anyone, but I sure don't have room in my bag those whales of lip gloss and mascara tubes! I understand perfectly the concept of "bang for your bucks," after all I just complained about the disparity between the price and size of LostRiverRags soaps. But, damn, we're not talking about bars of soaps here. It's lip glosses and mascaras! Have you seen those tubes at Target/Walmart/Walgreen/CVS/wherever? They're freakin' enormous! Instead of making those humongous tubes, can't they just make it half the size and cut half the price? I guess more packaging costs more money, but is it just me or do you notice too that American consumers just prefer big everything? Whatever happened to quality over quantity? We want big food portion, big whole sale packages, big cars, and, surprise surprise, big shopping carts! I remember coming home from Japan I was shocked to see that the shopping cart had doubled its size during my year abroad. Talking about reverse culture shock! Tsk tsk tsk *head shakes*

But I digress. Fresh Sugar Lip Gloss is not a drug store brand, and its full size isn't huge either (good for me, but may be not so for others). Sugar Flirt is the color I have, and given this small trial size I used it up in a few weeks' time, which is awesome since I rarely ever finish any of my cosmetic items! This may sound twisted and wrong, but finishing this tiny vial actually gave me a sense of accomplishment :P

The gloss was okay. Just another gloss with no special characteristic to blab about, really. The color looks red, but it was actually translucent, giving me lips a sheer tomato red wash. Decent, but nothing unique.

Maquillage Glossy Gloss Part III

This is a going to be a very short review since there isn't much to say about this Maquillage Glossy Gloss #73. Don't get me wrong, it's not that it isn't any good, it's excellent! But since it's a clear gloss and its texture is consistent with the other Glossy Glosses (what a corny name, seriously!), there's not much else I can say about it.



#73 has a top layer of glittery (but still smooth and not chunky) translucent off white, middle lay of finer shimmery translucent pink, and a bottom layer of very fine shimmery translucent fleshy peach. And as you can see from the swatch below, it's completely clear.



Texture is the same as with #72 and #74, smooth, thick, and substantial. It might even be a bit too sticky for some, but I don't mind it since it's still a whole lot less sticky than Stila's Lip Glazes and It Glosses.

See my previous posts:
- Maquillage Glossy Gloss
- Maquillage Glossy Gloss Part II

Soap Crazy Part VI (Picture Heavy!)

Yeah, it has been a while since my last soapy post, but no, I haven't gotten tired of it. I've actually gone through quite a few more bars since and no signs of slowing down yet, not that I really want to anyway :P

Anderson Soap Company

- Tweed Soap: the 4th addition to my favorite soap bars from Dennis, hooray! This Tweed bar definitely reminded me of the Celsius Shea Butter Soap, not just in appearance but also scent-wise. The only difference was that the Celsius bar's fragrance was warmer and this Tweed bar was a bit more brisk. It actually had a touch of the original Iris Spring in it, just a touch.




- Kyomai Salty Bar: This bar smelled like a sharper and stronger version of Vaseline Total Moisture Lotion, with a touch of floral. Unfortunately, this was also the most drying bar of soap I've ever got from Dennis, which is surprising since his soaps are normally on the milder side. Perhaps it was the salt? This was my first salty bar from him, and sadly I will not buy this bar again.




- Calendula Wilderness Soap: this bar took me by surprise, actually, and sadly not the pleasant kind of surprise. It smelled like...*drum roll please*...baby wipes! It is a powdery musk, but unfortunately not the baby powder but rather the wipes. I won't be buying this bar again either. Sigh.


I guess many people don't mind baby wipes, but I have a different relationship with them. You see, I have a baby brother who's almost 13 years my junior. For several years until the kid could manage on his own, my younger sister and I pretty much raised him while both of our parents work full time. Yep, that means we fed him, sent him to bed, bathed him, and changed his diapers. The experience wasn't traumatic or anything, in fact, most people are so impressed when they see me with kids now they never fail to inquire how many of my own do I have (zero, thank you very much). I love my baby brother dearly (at least when he was still an adorable little chubby cheeks), but the imagery of dirty diapers every time I wash my hands wasn't exactly enchanting.


KcSoapsNmore

It has been a while since I last reviewed a bar of soap from KcSoapsNmore. I only bought a few bars from this Etsy seller and haven't used them all yet, simply because they're too pretty. Sounds absurd, I know, but it's true! So how did this one bar sneak in? Hubby picked it randomly, so I had to fork it over. Anyways, I did go back to check out the seller's store many times since, but there wasn't any more of these pretty bars. The seller only had fun-shaped soaps or soaps in generic bar shapes, which was really too bad. I guess he/she got tired of making pretty soaps? :P

- Brown Sugar & Fig Goat's Milk Soap: you're probably thinking what's so pretty about this bar. Well, it wasn't that pretty, but in its cellophane packaging tied with a white ribbon, on the whole it was pretty to look at. But I wasn't sorry I used it at all! The good news is that this particular bar didn't just look pretty, it was an awesome bar of soap! Really mild, lathered beautifully into a thick and creamy foam, and best of all, it smelled heavenly! And the bad news? None.


This scent was actually really nostalgic for me. Its reminded me of the very first makeup item I owned (but barely used) in my later middle school years - a CoverGirl pressed powder compact. When I used the bar as hand soap, all I could smell was this powdery scent with a touch of flower. After the hand wash, it even had a lingering fragrance of a fresher, lighter, and more powdery Rice Flower & Shea. As a shower soap though, I could finally smell the brown sugar and, faintly, the fig too. Loved it and would definitely buy it again in a heart beat!


KreatedbyKarina

My relationship with KreatedbyKarina soaps is definitely on a roller coaster. It started out very rocky due to the soaps arrived smelling like cigarettes and also the annoyance with the loose powder colorant being sprinkled onto the soaps instead of coloring them. Then it got really pleasant with the experience of the Orange Dreamsicle Shea Butter Soap. Unfortunately, after that it took a plunge for the worst and kept getting worse still since.

Suffering through the 2 bars Kiss & Make Up and East Meets West (reviewed below), the current conclusion is that I'll finish up however many bars I have left from KreatedbyKarina but after that, there will be no more buying until they tune way, way, WAY(!!!) down the intensity of the fragrance in their soaps. Each of those bars must have had an entire bottle of perfume oil in them or something, but subtlety was pretty much nonexistent! Neither hubby nor I mind scented products, but we struggled to cope with the suffocating soap fragrance, even after sealing them in ziplock bags (I kid you not)! So yeah, no more buying from KreatedbyKarina. I'm normally very patient with a product. Even if I don't immediately appreciate it, I'd give it many chances over and over (case in point - Heathen's Hearth soaps) or I'd try using it in different ways, just in case I was using it "incorrectly" and thus, might have been "unfair" in my opinion of it. But really, these 2 bars of soaps below completely did away with my endurance, and that's saying something.

- Kiss & Make Up Shea Butter Soap: the below is the description I took from the listing of the bar...
"Lightly touched with floral jasmine and violet and subtly sweet powder, this scent reminds me of hung linen blowing gently in the breeze over a field of marigolds...that oh, so fresh scent reminiscent of childhood, fun, and youth."


Sounds nice, right? Let's just say I took one whiff of the soap and immediately went back to my computer to check the Etsy listing as well as my invoice again because I seriously thought I had purchased the wrong bar! When this bar was dry, it smelled like extremely potent berry Starburst candies. When it was wet, it smelled like super strong cherry Starburst, only leaving a very, very faint lingering of jasmine afterward. There was no violet, no hung linen, and definitely no "subtle" sweet powder, unless by "subtle" they meant bashing my nose in with a glass bottle. If that sounds violent to you, that was how violently strong the fragrance was.


Remember this Skittles commercial? Imagine a parallel nightmare in which it rains Starburst syrup instead of Skittles, and you will get the horror of this soap bar. Was it reminiscent of youth? I would say yes, but probably only the rotting teeth part, for showering in Starburst syrup, of course! Anyway, hubby banned it at the sink and didn't even want it out in behind the shower curtains, so I had to store it in a ziplock bag after each use. Even then, our bathroom was still overwhelmed with the smell. Sheesh!

Anyway, to be fair the soap was great! It lathered well and was not drying at all. Too bad the ridiculously strong fragrance utterly destroyed the experience for me.

- East Meets West Shea Butter Soap: again, the description below was taken from the actual listing of the bar...
"This vegan soap bar has a light, fresh, floral-herb scent and helps to calm and soothe your skin. Peony and carnation add a fragrant mixture to tumeric, ginko seed and other herbs. East Meets West Vegan Soap is a light, but lasting fragrance. Absolutely divine. Imagine you're standing in a meadow in the early Spring and a gentle breeze wafts over you. With it comes just a hint of fresh grass and wildflowers. You feel refreshed and invigorated. That is East Meets West."


You know, I seriously was all ready to write off what happened with the Kiss & Makeup bar above to some weird mix up in which the seller accidentally mismatched the descriptions with the actual soap bar listed for sale. But then I read the description to this East Meets West bar and thought, no, that was no accident. Somebody's nose just isn't working properly, and it isn't mine. Have you ever heard of Bee & Flower brand soaps? This East Meets West bar smelled like a dupe of 2 popular Bee & Flower soap fragrances (sandalwood + jasmine) mixed together. The result was agarwood/aloeswood (沉香 - trầm hương - じんこう) plus sandalwood core stick incense plus a head banging floral note, all on crack cocaine (to reach the actual intensity of the fragrance).


Let me tell you, I grew up with a mother whose idea of scenting the house was to choke it with burning incense in every corner, and I still could not take this bar of soap. It was that strong. And since I put up with the Kiss & Makeup bar, it was hubby turn to endure showering and storing the soap in a ziplock bag. Poor guy...

LostRiverRags

The various soap samples I got during the holidays got me going a bit crazy. Well, okay, I actually went nuts and bought a bunch of stuff from LostRiverRags. The soap samples smelled so damn good, plus they all went to the people at my office and I didn't get the pleasure to keep any to myself to use. What the hell, right? Of course I had to fix that, going back and buy...everything. Okay I didn't buy everything, but I did buy a good chunk. Although the soaps in the shop were all quite pricey given their actual sizes, there were so many tempting fragrances so I couldn't resist despite the price.

***Note to other Etsy soap sellers - offering small batches of soap samples for sale is an extremely effective trap for the soap-obsessed like me.***

Unfortunately, like KreatedbyKarina, I think I might have yet another love-hate relationship with this soap shop. I love their soap samples, most of the scents they offer, and I like their soaps in general. I'm particularly impressed with their Goat's Milk Hand & Body Lotions and it's some of the best stuff I've used! But then I also have a bit of an issue with the observed disparity between the size of their soaps and the attached prices. When my big order of soaps arrived, I was taken aback by how much smaller the LostRiverRags bars were in comparison to my other soaps, even though they were supposed to be the same size based on the weight described in their respective listings. And yet at the same time, the LostRiverRags bars were more expensive, even at the sales price or with discounts.

- Rose Goat's Milk Sample Soap Set-70: I sent LostRiverRags a message and asked if I could buy a batch sample of every scent they offer. That was a no-go, but they had a 70-piece sample set available, so I settled with that instead. If you're wondering what in the hell I did with them, well, I put them all in a basket and put them in my bedroom :) Oh yeah, my bedroom smells reaaaaaaally nice. There are nights when I'm drifting into a deep sleep and can smell lingering fragrance in the air. Definitely my kind of aroma therapy! And plus the guests, if there are ever any (my apartment is waaaaay too small anyway!), can always grab a few to use.


Rose Goat's Milk Sample Soap Set-70:
1 Winter Mint Sample
1 Winter Dreams Sample
1 Relaxation Synergy Sample
1 Serenity Sample
1 Eucalyptus Sample
1 Sandalwood Sample
1 Lilac Sample
1 Citrus Vanilla Sample
1 Pink Sugar Sample
1 Amber Romance Sample
1 Juniper Berry Sample
1 Rice Flowers & Shea Sample
1 Plumeria Sample
1 Oatmeal Cinnamon Sample
1 Cinnamon Snap Sample
1 Apple Brown Betty Sample
1 Country Kitchen Sample
1 Victorian Christmas Sample
1 Fresh & Clean Sample
1 Sweet Pea Sample
1 Bay Rum Sample
1 Pine Cone Sample
1 Sandalwood Vanilla Sample
1 Enchanted Roses Sample
1 Baby Powder Sample
1 Gardenia Sample
1 Creme Brulee Sample
1 Peppermint Sample
1 Oranges & Cream Sample
1 Coconut Lime Verbena Sample
1 Pikaki Sample
1 French Vanilla Sample
1 Pumpkin Spice Sample
1 Orchid with Shea Butter Sample
1 Coffee & Cream with Shea Butter Sample
1 Lemon Meringue with Shea Butter Sample
1 Iced Cookies Sample
1 Oatmeal Cookies Sample
1 Lemongrass Sample
1 White Lace Sample
1 Coconut Sample
1 Jasmine Vanilla Sample
1 Green Meadows Sample
1 Sweet Sandalwood Sample
1 Enchanted Pear Sample
1 Ginger & Frankincense Sample
1 Berry Cheesecake Sample
1 Sex on the Beach Sample
1 White Tea & Peach Sample
1 Tropical Smoothie Sample
1 Sugar Plum Sample
1 Beautiful Estee Lauder Type with Shea Sample
1 Lemongrass & Jasmine Sample
1 Midnight Sample
1 Rose Jasmine Sample
1 Frosted Snowdrops Sample
1 Rosemary Mint Sample
1 Chai Tea Sample
1 Sea Breeze Sample
1 Melon Ginseng Sample
1 Harmony Sample
1 Lavender Sample
1 Cozy Comfort Sample
1 Peony Sample
1 Forest Pine Sample
1 Herbal Lavender & Lemongrass Sample
1 Mint Sample
1 Eucalyptus & Sage Sample
1 Vanilla Sample
1 Yucca Sample


- Harmony Goat's Milk Soap: this is the description taken from the actual listing of the bar...
"Indulge yourself in this Sense Soothing Goats Milk Soap. With herbal tones such as, eucalyptus, lavender, & sage."

My take is that it didn't smell like anything really. It had a very faint scent of generic soap, and when used the shower, there was also a tiny bit of nag champa. I couldn't detect any eucalyptus, lavender, or sage at all. Eucalyptus and lavender aren't exactly fragrances that blend in easily, so if their concentration was adequate, I wouldn't have missed them. There was this strong musty old cabinet odor in the soap though, and it arrived smelling that way so it wasn't my cabinet. Besides, my cabinet is full of soaps, so if anything it should have had a bit of other soap scents, but nope.


It was a strange experience going from one really strongly perfumed soap to one so scantily scented there was barely any smell. Perhaps the KreatedbyKarina soaps had blunted my sense of smell, that or LostRiverRags needs to get some hints from KreatedbyKarina and put a bit more fragrance oils in their soaps (just don't over do it please). The soap itself was good despite the lack of fragrance. It was a big round bar (round bar? is that even politically correct?) and the lather was thick and smooth. It did not dry out my skin. Still, I wasn't too impressed with the lack of fragrance and will definitely not re-purchase.


- Bergamot & Kumquat Goat's Milk Soap: This bar also had the same musty old cabinet odor, although not as strong. I could smell the sweet kumquat somewhat when I used it as hand soap, although I would have liked the fragrance to be a bit stronger. I love kumquats :)


Luckily, the kumquat came out much better in the shower than as hand soap. The kumquat was citrusy but sweet, with a touch of herb. I wasn't too sure about the bergamot though. I guess I don't know what bergamots really smell like, so I can't say. Over all, I liked it, but I probably won't buy it again. There are plenty of other nice-smelling and excellent soaps out there I still haven't tried.


- Fresh & Clean Goat's Milk Soap: When I bought this soap, its listing was sparse with description. It basically said, "The name says it all, it's very clean and refreshing!" And so being a sucker for fresh and clean scents, I bought both the soap and the Goat's Milk Hand & Body Lotion (below) in the same scent. When they arrived, I tore into the package and sniffed...and was terribly disappointed. Actually, I was a bit upset. That listing and the little descriptions it had lied to me!

The truth is Fresh & Clean didn't smell like anything fresh and clean. Instead, it was a nauseating floral fragrance, very very flowery, and I don't deal well with most floral fragrances. hubby likes flower fragrances, however, and I gave it to him to smell, but he hated the scent too! So naturally, I found someone else who would appreciate the scent better than hubby and I would and the soap and lotion found its new home rather quickly. But still, I felt tricked.


Anyway, just now I checked the listing for the same soap again, and funny how one more sentence was finally (and very belatedly) added to its one line description, "A very uplifting and subtle floral fragrance. The name says it all, it's very clean and refreshing!" Uh huh...I guess somebody was finally being forthcoming. I hope it was a result of someone complained how misleading the description was. I know on my part, I wouldn't have bought either the soap or the lotion had I known it was a floral fragrance. And now that I know, I will never ever buy it again!


- Fresh & Clean Goats Milk Hand & Body Lotion


Paradise Body Shop

Okay, it's official now. Paradise Body Shop has become another one of my favorite soap shops, right up there with Anderson Soap Company. I wish Candice introduces newer fragrances more often since I always looking to try new soaps. That said, the current selection she carries is fantastic! I think I've bought them all, save for a few bars and even then, this situation is going to be rectify the next time she runs a promotion ^.^ Loooooooove her soaps!

- Cinnamon Bun Goat's Milk Soap: The Cinnamon Bun Goat's Milk Soap isn't the first bar of soap I bought from Candice, but it was the first that I actually used (the first several bars were given away as gifts during the holidays). But I'm totally hooked, thanks to just this one bar. Let's just say I enjoyed every last bit of it until it disappeared into my big foamy bath puff and not a crumb is wasted. It was mild, washed well, non-drying, very foamy, just pure love.


And scent wise? I got exactly what I bought - a cinnamon bun. Even hubby was turned off, saying it smelled "too much like the real thing," and that he preferred his soaps smelling more "soapy". Actually, in my opinion this soap smelled better than a real cinnamon bun, because I could even smell the delectable butter in this bar, serious! If there was ever a cinnamon bun that smells this good, I'd probably buy it by the dozen and eat it for breakfast every morning. I still get freakin' goosebumps when I think about it. There were times in the shower when I was this close to take a bite out of it! Crap, it smelled soooooooo delicious it wasn't even funny!!


sunbasilgarden

- Royal Cherry Ruffle Soap: now this is a beautiful bar of soap! Because it was so pretty, I was also reluctant to use it for the longest time. Again, hubby picked it out, otherwise I might have framed it and put it on display or something. It was a gigantic bar too, although better as a shower soap than hand soap because it was just a tad drying, being a simple glycerin bar. Anyway, this bar achieved what Anderson Soap Company Cherry Blossom Soap in Jar was trying (and ultimately failed) to do - this actually smells like cherry blossom, a mixture of fresh leafy scent with a tinge of cherry. Very nice!


My only complaint with this bar was that towards the end, it disintegrated into a gooey slimy mess similar to the fashion Heathen's Hearth bars did. I'm not sure why, because it's still pretty dry in my apartment right now so the wet and humid atmosphere isn't to blame. Could it be the soap base? I guess I'll never know! What a shame!

See my previous posts:
- Soap Crazy
- Soap Crazy Part II
- Soap Crazy Part III
- Soap Crazy Part IV
- Soap Crazy Part V

Canmake Metallic Eyes Part II

It's been more than two years since I last used these Canmake Metallic Eyes, so I figured I'd better try out the other 3 colors I have too. I've been holding on to them for too long! Guess what, I'm liking them even more now! Sure, they're not the softest eye shadows I own (with the exception of 11 Summer Orange and may be 02 Pink Beige), but that doesn't make them any less enjoyable. They are not very pigmented, however, so if you are looking for pigmented eye shadows, stay away from these or you'll be sorely disappointed.

Anyway, there have been many lazy days where I just swiped on all 3 of the colors below and they kept me looking really fresh and happy throughout the day. I used 08 Sweet Pink to highlight on inner corners of the eyes, 02 Pink Beige on the outer corners of the eyes, and finally 11 Summer Orange on the center of the lids, blending outwards. Oh yes, and I should point out that 02 Pink Beige and 11 Summer Orange both are neither metallic. That said, they are still pretty shimmery.

- 02 Pink Beige: shimmer, low intensity, it looked more beige on me rather than pink. I guess it did have hints of pink, but not like the pink you see in the picture. That pink color is just an over spray and the color underneath is a lot more beigey. This eye shadow is definitely not metallic, but it's definitely softer than the rest. The second softest after 11 Summer Orange, actually.


- 08 Sweet Pink: metallic, low intensity. I was expecting this color to be sheer, but it was not. At the same time, it didn't have enough intensity to be frosty either, because otherwise I wouldn't have been able to use it as a highlighter for the inner corners of my eyes. It is a pretty airy pink.


- 11 Summer Orange: shimmer, low intensity. A pretty orangey peach and applied a brighter peach on me. Now this color was totally deceiving! Just look at that beautiful metallic orange in the picture, pretty isn't it? Well, it turned out to be just an over spray! The color underneath isn't metallic at all! Yep, I wasn't too happy to be tricked like that, but fortunately the silkiness of its texture redeemed its colorful deceit. I guess that means Canmake is perfectly capable of making silky eye shadows. I would suppose, too, that it wasn't a coincidence that the 2 eye shadows with better and softer texture also turned out to be the 2 that are not metallic.


Clockwise from left: 08 Sweet Pink, 02 Pink Beige, and 11 Summer Orange


See my previous Canmake Metallic Eyes post.

Laneige Water Sleeping Pack

Update Friday, March 5, 2010

Finally found a list of ingredients from Makeup Alley member ditto1973's review posted on July 9, 2004. This definitely confirms the Water Sleeping Pack a hydrator as there is not an oil ingredient in it!

Water Sleeping Pack:
Water, Butylene Glycol, Cyclomethicone, Glycerin, Trehalose, Alcohol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Vaccinium Angustifolium (blueberry) Fruit Extract, Dimethiconol, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone, Ammonium, Acryloyldimethy Itaurate/Vp Copolymer, Polysorbate 20, Triethanolamine, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Carborner, Mannitol, Arginine, Serine, Sucrose, PCA, Citrulline, Glycogen, Histidine, HCL, Alanine, Threonine, Glutamic Acid, Lysine HCI, Magnesium Aspartate, Zinc Gluconate, Calcium Gluconate, Copper Gluconate, Pentaerythrityl Tetraisostearate, Silica Dimethyl Silylate, Sodium Chondroitine Sulfate, Atelocollagen, Beta-Glucan, Disodium Edta, Imidazolidinyl, Urea, Methyl Paraben, Propyl Paraben, Fragrance, Blue 1 Yellow 5.

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Update Sunday, July 26, 2009

My sister flew home from Japan to visit my parents, and since I haven't seen her since last December, I flew home too for a brief family reunion. And knowing how hot and dry it would be where my parents are, I packed myself a tiny jar of the Laneige Water Sleeping Pack. It was quite easy, I just had to scoop a bit out into a tiny reusable glass jar that used to hold my Avon Hydrofirming Eye Cream. At the time, I thought it might have been a bit unnecessary since I don't really follow the instructions and use the product the way it was intended anyway, but boy am I glad I brought some with me now. It literally saved my skin and I finally finally finally understand why folks are raving about it now!



That's not all, I've figured out how to use it too (I think), which makes me super excited to come home and try this method with my other sleeping packs, including the Etude House Moistfull 3-in-1 Massage Mask! You see, after about 5 days at significantly higher elevation (about 5,300 feet above sea level) where it's super duper dry and ultraviolet radiation from the sun is much harsher (because there are less atmosphere here to block the rays), I started getting these odd red itchy bumps on my cheek - a clear indication of dehydrated and stressed out skin!

So what did I do but whooped out that nifty little glass jar and plopped some of this good Laneige Water Sleeping Pack stuff on my face? The thing is, when I was at home I would just wear it as a day mask when I'm lounging around doing nothing for several hours. Here, hubby and I are driving back and forth dividing our time between our families, we don't have several hours to lounge around doing nothing and I was actually forced to follow the instructions and use it as a, whoop-dee-doo, sleeping pack. Yes, overnight, with my face smashed into the pillow and everything.



That said, I didn't goop on as much as the instructions said I should. After putting on my eye cream, I skipped moisturizer and used just this sleeping pack, applying it sparingly in light dabs as though it is an intense hydrator, a maximum-strength Clinique Moisture Surge Extended Thirst Relief so to speak. After all, it doesn't have any oil ingredients and I don't see why I can't use it as a hydrator :) And what do you know, it sank right into my skin without leaving any traces of stickiness behind! Best of all, after just 2 consecutive nights of use I woke up this morning to skin that has been restored to its original smooth and supple state! It was like those red and itchy bumps were never even there! Holy crap this stuff is freakin' awesome! I will never ever travel without it again!

And now that I've figured out how to get this Laneige Water Sleeping Pack to work with my skin, I'm beginning to think $30 for a jar of 80 mL (2.7 fl oz.) is worth every penny, not to mention soooooo much cheaper than its fellow hydrator, the Clinique Moisture Surge's $46/75 mL (2.5 fl. oz) or $34/50 mL (1.7 fl oz.). I said below I probably won't buy it again, but scrap that, this experience totally changed my mind and I already thought about getting a back up even though with my light dabs for each use, the jar will probably last me much much longer than just months and months. Yes, I love it that much.

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Original post Saturday, June 20, 2009

I heard loads about this Laneige Water Sleeping Pack and how it restored people's skin from environmental dehydration (due to pollution, long flight, dry weather, ...stress?), so I just had to try it despite my aversion to sleeping packs (and I've already bought quite a few different ones prior to this...oi...how do I ever cure me of my curiosity?). It is supposedly very hydrating. I even checked the ingredients and didn't find any oil ingredients indeed!



The sleeping pack comes in a pool-blue gel-cream (will update with a picture of the actual gel-cream later). It is scented with a brisk springy water/soapy fragrance, quite perfumy, unfortunately. I honestly don't know what the heck I was expecting, because it was sticky as f*ck! The first few times, I tried using the recommended dime-sized amount. I waited and waited for it to dry up but nope, it felt like I had applied syrup on my face. Then I thought, what the hell, and I gooped a bunch on my face the next few times. Let's just say the syrup upgraded to honey, ick. And then for the past several times, I used, like, a pea-size amount, which dried a bit more decently but was still a bit sticky for me to go to bed with. So every time, I ended up washing it off after a few hours before going to bed. Oh well, I'll use this as another day/evening pack just like the Etude House Moistfull Massage Mask. Doesn't hurt my feelings :)



With all that said though, the thing really does what it claims. My skin felt nicely hydrated and SUPER SOFT after washing it off, yep, in this hot and already humid weather, so I would imagine my skin will only feel better if I were to use it during the dry and cold winter months. And as usual, I store the jar in the fridge in my "skin care" section :D Upon application, it was like, "Ahh...relief..." I probably won't buy this again though as the jar is big enough to last me probably months and months. If anything, I'm going to try the newer and better version of this pack, the Water Sleeping Pack Plus. Apparently this "plus" version has less ingredients and not sticky at all! Sold!

Victorias Secret Very Sexy Lip Gloss

Victoria's Secret Very Sexy Lip Gloss is another cute GWP I only tried out recently even though the "Very Sexy" makeup line had all been revamped into "VS Makeup" last year. So yeah, unfortunately this review is a bit late and is regarding the older version of the Lip Gloss. I don't know whether they had change the formula in the newer VS Makeup Lip Glosses, but so far both have similar packaging in clear square tubes and the color names remain the same. The only apparent difference between is that the older gloss had a brush-tip applicator and the newer gloss has a sponge-tip applicator.



Anyway, this older formula is actually not so bad. It isn't too thick or too thin and absolutely not sticky at all, much better than the Beauty Rush Lip Gloss in my opinion. Also, these are more moisturizing and last quite a bit too! At least they didn't turn gunky on me after a few hours. The brush-tip applicator works really well in my opinion, very soft and applies evenly, so I don't know why they changed them. Oh well. Last but not least, these glosses are meant to have color, so if you are into pigmented glosses, you might want to try these. They are a tad pricey at $10 each, and I would never ever buy VS lip stuff at this price (I wouldn't even buy my recent favorite Glossy Shine Stick at retail!), so I encourage you to take advantage of those promotions/coupons or wait for sales!



The color I have is Wet. It is very a pretty mauve, similar to the Korres Cherry Oil Lip Gloss #25 Natural Purple, only just a tad deeper. Even though it looks intimidatingly opaque, it is actually quite wearable, even for me! I was reluctant to try it out for a long time because mauvey lip colors usually make me look "cold." To my surprise, however, this particular one blends in with my natural lip color, probably due to some degree of translucency, even though it's definitely not sheer. So instead of having an MLBB (my-lips-but-better) color, I have a MLBM (my-lips-but-mauvelous) color :P This is the first time I've encountered such an accommodating lip color. Very nice!