Suqqu Designing Color Eyes Part II

After Suqqu Designing Color Eyes in 04 絢撫子 (Yayanadeshiko) and 05 蒼雫 (Aoshizuku), I seriously thought I was going to be done with the brand. They'd discontinued the Blend Color Eyeshadows, the Creamy Glows/Moists, and the Bright Ups, all of which I like quite a bit. I thought I had nothing much to look forward to anymore.

Then last summer they released a brand new line of Moisture Rich Lipsticks, admittedly with an unsightly packaging but the formula is fabulous. Along with those new lipsticks were three new additions to the Designing Color Eyes lineup: 06 宵紅 (Yoibeni) Beets & Mauve Grey, 07 翡翠光 (Hisuikou) Sea Green & Amber Beige, and a LE 107 惚紅 (Horeaka) Garnet & Foggy Pink. Let's just say when I first saw the promo pics, I had to have all three =.="

All pictures taken in natural light without flash.

Caudalie Hand and Nail Cream Part II

After several years and countless 30mL/1fl. oz. tubes of Caudalie Hand and Nail Cream, I thought I'd give the stuff a break, only to come crawling back again this past fall when I started hoarding hand creams.

These were sold in a Hand and Nail Cream & Lip Conditioner Set (top row, used to be $10), and now they're known as the Winter Duo (bottom row, now $12). Even when I wasn't using them myself, I'd bought them for stocking-stuffer to great success. My friends who got a Winter Duo from me this past holiday season loved it!

Kuramoto Bijin Softening Hand Cream

After finishing Paul & Joe Hand Cream, I happily moved on to this 50g tube of Kuramoto Bijin Softening Hand Cream so here's a quick review. I bought it along with two more bottles of Komeyu Rice Oil Serum (second bottle not pictured) last spring.

Belif Bergamot Herbal Extract Toner

Been using this 20mL/0.67fl. oz. bottle of Belif Bergamot Herbal Extract Toner from Belif Bestsellers On-the-Go Travel Kit for the past couple of weeks. This item finally completes this kit, which I bought more than a year ago :X

Bite Beauty Lush Lip Tint

These Bite Beauty Lush Lip Tint were accidental discoveries--I stumbled upon them browsing through Sephora's sale section. These were going for $17, down from the retail of $24. I tried them on the back of my hand and was instantly sold, so I grabbed one of all the colors I could find: Cherry, Juice, Lychee, and Watermelon.

All pictures taken in natural light without flash.

Suqqu Moisture Rich Lipstick

Last fall, Suqqu released a brand new line of lippies, the Moisture Rich Lipsticks (they did away with the Creamy Glow Lipstick Moists a few months earlier I think). I was going to skip these new lippies for reasons I'll elaborate below, though I'm sure you've already guessed why. And yet every review I'd read raved and raved about the formula. I'll admit too the color range was attractive, so I ended up picking four colors from the permanent lineup, 07 琵琶艶 (Biwatsuya) Sunset Orange, 08 紅金魚 (Benikingyo) Aquatic Red, 09 輝赤 (Kiaka) Cardinal Red, and 10 焦赤 (Kogareaka) Brown Red, as well as the LE 101 無花果 (Ichijiku) Fig Red.

All pictures taken in natural light without flash.

Suqqu Designing Color Eyes

So I finally got around to the new Suqqu Designing Color Eyes that were released spring of 2017. These generated some buzz starting in the fall of 2016 because they were a new formula that was to replace the long-standing and popular Blend Color Eyeshadows, which were discontinued as of January 2017 (and going for cut-throat prices on E(vil)bay).

Anyway, the Designing Color Eyes started with 5 permanent quads and 1 LE, and now they're up to 9 permanent quads and 14 LE, including UK exclusives. Here are palettes 04 絢撫子 (Ayanadeshiko) Mauve Pink & Deep Bordeaux and 05 蒼雫 (Aoshizuku) Cool Navy & Icy Brown I've been eyeing for the longest time before they finally came into stock at Selfridges UK online last summer. 

All pictures taken in natural light without flash.

Wander Beauty Love Lock Hydrating Lip Gel

After the pleasant Beach Balm surprise, Wander Beauty got me intrigued again, this time with the Love Lock Hydrating Lip Gel available in only one color, Parisian Red.

All pictures taken in natural light without flash.

Suqqu Creamy Glow Lipstick Moist Part VII

Last summer, I got a hold of two more Suqqu Creamy Glow Lipstick Moist in the LE colors EX-16 桃薔薇 (Momobara) and EX-17 赤橙 (Akadaidai). These were released spring 2015, so they're not new, but I thought they'd make nice additions to my collection. Well, at least I was hoping both would.

All pictures taken in natural light without flash.

Avene Cleanance Cleansing Gel

Been using this 200mL/6.76fl. oz. bottle of Avene Cleanance Cleansing Gel for a few weeks now. This was actually a recommendation from our dear friend C. way back in 2009, I think? So almost ten years later, I finally got around to try what C. thought was great =.=" Even then, I only remembered it when I was browsing Beauty Habit looking for something new to try along with my Paul & Joe Hand Creams.

Wonder Honey Honey Dew Hand Cream

Update Tuesday February 6, 2018.

Just remembered there are two varieties of these Honey Dew Hand Creams: とろとろ(softening?) and しっとり(moisturizing).

The Apple & Honey reviewed below is the softening kind, which might explain why it doesn't last through the night for my dry hands, and the Yuzu & Honey is the moisturizing kind. When I bought these, I purposely picked one of each to see what the difference was and then promptly forgot all about it. Otherwise I'd have tried the Yuzu & Honey first. Will get to it eventually.

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Original post Saturday, January 27, 2018.

I first came across these Wonder Honey hand creams at the Ginza Loft. It was a month before hubby and I moved home from Tokyo and I wanted to buy gifts for friends and family. Naturally, it was the Hachimitsu no Mori Hand Cream Gift that caught my eyes (will review later), because I love travel size hand creams I can keep in my bag, especially when they come in several different fragrances. But I also saw an array of larger 50g tubes of hand creams, among which I picked the yummy-sounding Apple & Honey and Yuzu & Honey. Here's a quick review for Apple & Honey.

Belif Hungarian Water Essence

Been using a 10mL/0.33fl. oz. pump bottle of Belif Hungarian Water Essence as an occasional daytime facial treatment, along with L'Occitane Divine Extract which I'm almost done with. This essence was a part of the the Bestsellers On-the-Go Travel Kit I got last winter. I've already reviewed the Creamy Cleansing Foam Moist and the Moisturizing and Firming Eye Cream, and the only item left I haven't tried is The True Cream Aqua Bomb. I'm saving it for hubby ^.^

Clarins Hydra-Essentiel Rich Cream

I think Clarins Hydra-Essentiel is the revamp of the former Hydra-Quench line, of which I've tried a deluxe sample of the Intensive Serum Bi-Phase. Last spring, I got a small 5mL/0.1oz. tube of the Hydra-Essentiel Rich Cream that I'm using right now as an occasional daytime moisturizer, alongside Kiehl's Rosa Artica Youth Regenerating Lightweight Cream.