Preview: Josie Maran Holiday Sets

          I normally don't do this, but I would like to share a preview of what's coming up :) I used up my last bit of argan oil a few weeks ago and I'm in need of getting more. This time I decided to wait to buy my oil because of the possible deals or limited edition sets. As a result, I picked up two holiday sets and I'm already in love with them. These two sets count as a bonus to myself for working hard and got a part time :)  I know I haven't been updating, but I promise to update as I start using my sets.

 

Tarte Gifted Mascara

          My Josie Maran mascara was getting dry so I was in need of getting a new mascara.  It is time for me to venture out and look for a new one. There are so many mascaras out there, but I tend to go after my favorite brands.  This time it was Tarte.  They don't have a lot of mascara options and I chose Tarte's gifted mascara.

          The mascara is packaged in a fairly large tube (larger than mascaras that I had before). The color is black and the brush head is like the ones on brow pencils.  The first time when I used it, it went on very smoothly and no clumping at all.  So, I was very satisfied.  As I used it more often though, it does leaves some clumps.  However, I don't see it as a major problem because the mascara was still able to last the whole day and made my lashes look longer.  Overall, the mascara isn't bad, but I prefer the Josie Maran one.

Sally Hansen Hard as Wraps Nail Polish

          I can say that nail polish has been in my life for a pretty long time.  It was probably near the end of elementary to the beginning of middle school when I used my first nail polish.  I mean I've seen my mom's little collection, but of course I never tried to use it.  I started off using the kiddy nail polishes just like everybody.  Then, I slowly moved to the regular nail polish.  At one point in time, my nails always had nailpolish on. The next stage was me slowly getting out of the nail polish craze.  I think it was just me realizing that nailpolish was weakening my nails, so I used it less frequently.  My thoughts have changed again because now I feel like my nails look kind of dull.  So, it is time to give it more color.

         In this small trip, I only needed a base/top coat and I've used Sally Hansen's products before, so I went for their product.  I chose their hard as wrap nailpolish.  This nailpolish is for strength treatment (totally fit my need) and apparently will dry in 60secs.  It is an acrylic gel formula that hardens and seals in one step. The nailpolish is clear and smells like your regular nailpolish. When I pulled the applicator out, the polish reminded me of a glue gun/ spider web because of the long thin polish that I need to dabb off.  The polish felt more liquid and does dry pretty fast(didn't time it).  It gives a shine to my dull nails and I used it as a top coat too. Overall, I think it did its job. 

Rimmel Eyebrow Pencil

          I have used eyeliner pencils before, but I didn't like the fact that I have sharpen it.  So, I specifically looked for twistable brow pencils when I finally decided to draw my brows.  My Korean and Anastasia brow pencils are both twistable.  Twistable pencils are easy to use and I don't have to worry about getting the sharpener.  

          A few days ago I realized that Im about to use up my Anastasia eye brow wiz :o. So, I ventured out to get myself a new brow pencil.  My first choice was a trip to target (need to save).  After looking through the beauty section, I only found four brands that carried twistable brow pencils....I was kind of disappointed.  Of the four, only one brand had the dark brown that I needed.  So, I was even sadder.  The other brands had regular brow pencils (no sharpener included) and brow gel.  I hesitated to try the brow gel because I was unsure on how it'll work (maybe next time). Similar to my Anastasia brow wiz, the only available twistable brow pencil was very thin, which was not what I was looking for.  Since I've only tried eyeliner pencils, I decided to give regular brow pencils a try too.  I chose a familiar brand, rimmel's eyebrow pencil in dark brown (separately bought a sharpener).

           I liked rimmel's eyeliner so I thought maybe their brow pencil wouldn't be too bad (hopefully).  My Anastasia brow wiz was a brunette (now dark brown) and I bought rimmel's dark brown brow pencil based off of that.  This pencil has a built-in brush to help shape brows.  The pencil smells like a crayon and the color looks different than my Anastasia one.  I touched the brush and it felt a bit rough so I wasn't sure if it would be too harsh for my brows.  So, I lightly brushed it against my brows.  It turns out that the brush didn't feel as harsh as I initially thought.  Then, I looked into the mirror to draw my brows.  The pencil draws very smoothly and indeed is a lighter color than my Anastasia one.  It did felt kind of different since it's thicker than the Anastasia one.  Overall, this pencil isn't bad, but I wished the dark brown was darker.  

The top line is Anastasia brow wiz and the bottom is rimmel's eyebrow pencil.

Ps. The loner sharpener doesn't work very well.

Acure Energizing Body Lotion

         Maybe it's summer or maybe it's me, but I got another citrus product.  My lush body lotion was running low, so I ventured out with my sister and bought a new body lotion.  This time I got acure's energizing body lotion in mandarin orange + argan stem cell.  Acure is a familiar brand to me and I enjoyed using their products so it wasn't a hard choice to make.  

         The energizing body lotion is 8 fl. oz., which is a decent size so it should last me for a while.  I squeezed a bit on my hands and it smells so citrusy.  I felt like I just peeled a orange, but without getting my hands sticky.  Although I'm not sure if I'm getting energized, but the lotion does smell pleasant and made my hands feel smooth. You can't go wrong with a lotion packed with organic ingredients and made with the planet in mind.  I'd love to try another acure lotion when I used this one up. 

Aubrey Organics Tangerine Organic Lip Balm

          I finally used up my acure dark chocolate mint lip balm (sure going to miss it :l ).  I'm slightly sad, but I get to try a new lip balm at least.  This time I chose Aubrey Organics' tangerine organic lip balm, which is also an unfamiliar brand to me.  Aubrey Organics is a an organic personal care brand with many organic product options.  They have mainly skincare products with a little bit of cosmetics.  

            My first impression of this lip balm is that it actually smells like tangerine (which surprised me a bit).  I'm used to the orange smell so I thought maybe this lip balm would smell like oranges,but I was wrong.  The balm glides on smoothly and keeps my lips moist.  This lip balm does not have as much of an oily feeling as my acure one.  Overall, it's a pretty good lip balm made with organic ingredients. 

Yesto Pomegranate Lip Balm

          A long waited shopping trip finally happened because I used up my maybelline baby lips lip balm.  This time around I wanted to try a different brand and I chose yesto's pomegranate lip balm.  The lip balm has a broad spectrum of SPF 15 and supposedly provides triple moisture with aloe, coconut and shea butter.  Also, it is 99% natural since it is made with organic ingredients.  This balm is oval shaped in order to match the curve of your lips. 

          I opened this lip balm yesterday and it took me a while to find how to describe this scent because it was really familiar, but I could not remember clearly where I encountered this scent.  Finally, I remembered from the back of my head that this smell reminded me of strawberry flavored wafer rolls.  I applied it on my lips and its oval shape made it easier to apply.  However, the lip balm was a bit hard, but does feel moisturizing.  I can't really tell you about how their SPF is just because it is hard to tell from the naked eye.  Also, I think time will reflect the effectiveness of their SPF. 

          In the past, I have used yesto's makeup remover wipes and they were fine. So, I am familiar with the brand.  Trying a different product from their line gives me a chance to see if the brand fits my need and gives them a chance to show me that their products have the silimar quality levels.  Overall, I wished that the lip balm was softer. 

Lush BB Seaweed Fresh Face Mask

          I have been wanting to try the face masks at Lush ever since my sister tried one and felt that it was effective. A few weeks ago, my sister and I decided to take a trip to Lush to get the face mask.  After looking at the options, we picked up the BB seaweed fresh face mask.

           The mask is packaged in a small pot and has a little sticker that states when it was made, who made it and when does it expire.  Also, the mask is perishable so it needs be placed in the fridge. It has a fridge life of about two weeks.  This mask is supposed to help cleanse and soften your face.  If you bring back five clean lush pots, you can get the sixth one free (what a nice perk).  

            When I opened the pot, the mask smelled very floral with a hint of seaweed.  Seaweed does smell quite unique.  You can actually see bits of seaweed and the exfoliating particles (not sure what those are).  I first cleansed my face and then applied the mask on my face for 9 minutes.  After a minute or two, the mask tightened.  When time was up, I removed the mask with water.  My face did feel softer after one try, but time will show if it actually works or not.  One disadvantage about this mask is the cost.  However, I think this mask is worth the price considering it was handmade by someone and the ingredients do not contain many of the chemicals found in everyday products.  If only lush was closer....

Ps. Excuse me for my dark circles. I've been sleeping a little too late.

I took a break from blogging and now I'm really glad to be back again. Thanks for reading my blog.  I promise I'll be here more often :) 

Josie Maran Argan Daily Moisturizer

          In one of my past posts, I talked about how important an SPF moisturizer is to me and I really liked Josie Maran's argan daily moisturizer SPF 30.  Spring is here and soon it will be summer, so using an SPF moisturizer is a must.   After I used up that argan moisturizer, I tried different ones and still thought JM's was the best.  So, I wanted to buy it again.  However, JM didn't have the same moisturizer anymore :(  Apparently, they changed and improved their formula.  I read some reviews and people said that they didn't really like this newer formula.  Last year on my birthday, I told my sister to get me the 3 piece JM argan set because I want to try out the new formula.  

           JM's argan daily moisturizer increased from SPF 30 to SPF 47 and the smell is totally different.  To me, this moisturizer smelled like the red wine mask that I bought before.  This moisturizer feels and looks the same as the older formula.  At first, I didn't really like its scent, but I got used to it as I applied it on my face everyday.  I guess besides it smelling different, the moisturizer still does its job.  It dries fast and does not make my face look very shiny.  So, it's a keep!!

Ps: it's an added mustache!!

Garnier Clean+ Blackhead Eliminating Scrub

          Face scrubs are different than a normal facial cleanser because of the exfoliating beads.  Exfoliating beads are used to scrub off dead skin cells and clear dirt from the face.  I have heard that you shouldn't use scrubs everyday because it might be too harsh.  I remember my first time using a scrub and I didn't really like the feeling of the beads rubbing my face.  So, I mostly use facial cleansers instead of buying exfoliating scrubs.  

          In addition to my breakout prone face, blackheads also annoy me a lot.  The blackheads on my my nose are very visible and I always want to get rid of them.  I used to pick on them a lot when I was in middle and high school (I still do now, but less often).  My cousin introduced me to pore strips when I was in middle school and I was like pore strips are the best invention.  It picks out the dirt, made my nose smoother and you could see dirt on the strip, but sometimes it over dries my nose.  Even though I have pore strips, the blackheads just don't go away like magic or like the models on the ads.  I remember buying a blackhead cleanser in hopes to get rid of blackheads, but it just doesn't seem to work.  So, I stick to my cleansers for acne prone faces.  Recently, I tried garnier's clean+ blackhead eliminating scrub.

         Garnier's clean+ blackhead eliminating scrub has charcoal bits and exfoliating beads.  The charcoal is suppose to pull out the dirt like magnet.  This scrub also says that it would make your skin smoother and pores diminished in a week.  The scrub has a fresh scent and the charcoal bits looked pretty cool.  I wet my hands and face with water, squeezed the scrub into my hands and rubbed it in my hands.  Then, I rubbed the scrub on my face (lightly rub, didn't rub it too hard).  This time though, I was fine with the beads rubbing on my face.  Maybe it's because of my experience with the clarisonic mia2.  I go on to rinse the scrub off and my face felt tight, looked a bit red and was smooth.  I don't think my face has felt this tight before.  Also, it took me less effort to pull the dirt out from my nose using my fingers after rinsing.  I know I shouldn't pick it, but I couldn't resist the temptation.  The next morning when I got up, my face still felt smooth (that's pretty neat).  So, I continued to use the scrub once every day.  

          After a week, I noticed that the pores on my nose did get smaller.  This scrub is effective in diminishing the pores.  My blackheads are still here and I don't expect the scrub to completely eliminate them either because pores will always be there.  It's fine with me as long as the blackheads aren't super noticeable.  I think this scrub would be great to combine with my pore strips and I did do that.  The pore strip pulled out a good amount of the dirt, so that's not bad (the sides of my nose felt really dry).  I recommend putting on cream or moisturizer right after using the strip.  Overall, I'm impressed and I think that scrubs aren't so bad after all.  Scrubs can still be harsh on the skin, so rub it against your face lightly and I don't think that you have to use it everyday.  Use the scrub as you see fit and doing some research would help you too.    

Lush Formulae Known As

                My acure body lotion has a little bit left and I've been looking to get a new body lotion.  Last week, my sister told me about lush, which is a store that I have never heard of.  Lush is a store that sells handmade cosmetics so we both went to lush and checked it out.  The store that I went to was pretty tight and it smells quite strong.  You can test their products just like a sephora or bath and body works store.  Most of their products are not packaged or packaged in a black container.  They sell bath bombs, lotions, soaps, facial cleansers, perfume and masks.  As a chocolate lover, the body lotion made with organic cocoa caught my eyes.  So, I decided to get the travel size Formulae Known As.  I think the name is unique for a lotion because I would have never guessed what it smells like base on its name.
                There is a sticker on the bottle that tells you when it was made, when it expires and the name of the person who made the lotion (another first time for me).  The lotion smells like chocolate and is really smooth when applied to my hands. This past winter my hands definitely felt more dry and rough.  I rubbed my hand against my face before using the lotion and it was rough.  A few hours later, I rubbed my hand on my face again and my hands do feel smoother than before. Normally, when I use lotion before I eat my snacks I always feel like I'm eating the lotion.  However, formulae known as didn't make me feel like that.  So, I am satisfied for buying it even though the price was a bit higher than my other lotions.  I'm always open to try more organic and green products :) Organic and green products are better for the environment and your body. 

                   

Covergirl Blastflipstick

          I probably have said this before, but I am kind of skeptical of makeup ads. The actual product sometimes just don't seem to match the ads. However, I remember seeing the covergirl Blastflipstick in stunner ad and that lipstick really caught my eye with its vibrant color.  At the time, I thought that maybe it's another one of those too good to be true products. So, I hesitated to give it a try. 

         Recently, I bought that same covergirl blastflipstick in stunner because it was on sale and the ad flashbacked into my mind. I really wanted to know whether this lipstick is as good as it looks. For New Year's Eve, I decided to be adventurous and used this covergirl lipstick. This lipstick is a dual lipstick with a bright red orange on one end and a shimmery color on the other end. The lipstick feels very smooth. I applied the red orange as my base and the shimmery color on the center of my lips (the bitten lip makeup). The red orange color is very bright and bold. My sister even told me to tone down the color. These two colors really compliment each other very well.

         I think that this lipstick does closely match the color I saw on the ad. This lipstick also lasted me almost an entire day and I didn't even need to reapply at all. When it was time for me to remove the lipstick, it was hard work. I didn't expect this lipstick to not come off easily (no wonder why it lasted so long). I don't have lip makeup remover, so I used my argan oil cleanser. Maybe I should get some lip makeup remover now. The covergirl lipstick stained my lips for three days straight. This lipstick is definitely one of my most happiest buys when comparing product to ad. One thing about this lipstick is that it does get dry very fast. The lipstick was easy to apply the first time I used it, but the lipstick felt more dry and harder to apply by the second time I use it. Overall, the lipstick is a good buy.