July 30, 2012

BlogLoveTherapy!

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July 28, 2012

July GlamBox Breakdown Review

Yeah, I know that I take my time good with reviewing these. I want to do it as good and honestly as possible because these stuff can take their time to give results. Some times it can be other reasons. But yeah, let's start!

My breakdown review of the July GlamBox Kiehl's Edition box.
 
Let's go through what was in the box one more time:
- Kiehl's Amino Acid Shampoo - 65ml
- Kiehl's Ultra Facial Oil-Free Moisturiser - 30ml
- Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Eyes - 3ml
- Kiehl's Rarre Earth Deep Pore Cleansing Masque - 5ml
- Kiehl's Superbly Restorative Argan Body Lotion - 5ml
- Kiehl's Ultra Facial Oil-Free Toner - 3ml

Kiehl's Amino Acid Shampoo
 
The smell? Just a delightful and mild coconut smell. Not too overwhelming, just the perfect frequency of faint. There is a special thing about it that I have noticed and read a lot about. But that will wait for another post. It's about the amount of lather genuine shampoos make. And this one just makes the perfect amount of lather unlike my The Body Shop Rainforest Moisture Shampoo that is so hard to build up a lather with. 

Despite it being for all hair types, it IS moisturising in a good way. It doesn't overmoisturise at all, and we all know that despite any skin type and hair type; hydration is important. This shampoo is for all hairtypes. 
What I liked the most about it: how shiny and soft it made my hair. I really love this shampoo but it might come with a demanding price tag depending on where you buy it. Nonetheless it's worth it. I will defintely purchase this product and I can actually see myself using it for years.

Kiehl's Ultra Facial Oil-Free Lotion
Claims: "Our Ultra Facial Oil-Free Lotion is a lightweight moisturizing lotion that helps visibly reduce excess oil on skin’s surface, leaving a shine-free and balanced appearance. It is non-greasy, and retains essential moisture in skin for a healthier, rebalanced skin barrier. A complex of hydrating ingredients – Imperata Cylindrica Root Extract, Antarcticine and Vitamin E – helps keep skin fresh and healthier looking all day.   Oil-free, paraben-free, fragrance-free, colorant-free."
A trait many will be grateful for: Being Oil-free, Paraben-free, and fragrance-free. Being it oil-free I know this face lotion is targeted people from normal to oily skin types. I am none of these. In fact I'm combination skin and combination products don't sit too well with me. That's why I buy things that are for combination (to treat areas that are oily) and very dry (all the dry areas) products.
What this product did was irritate my skin. Since I have very dry areas, this lotion just made it all the way worse. When I used it my skin started to itch and I felt a burning sensation (the same one you get when you scrape your skin on asphalt) on my face. I thought that my skin might have a bad day and tried it again the next day. Same problem. Now I left it and I'm going to give it to a friend because it's just useless for me.

Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Eye
Claims: "Diminishes the appearance of fine lines, Reduces puffiness, Reduces dark under-eye circles, No parabens, fragrance, mineral oil or silicones." 
In my case I wouldn't really know whether it really does diminish the appearance of fine lines or not,haha. But it does for sure reduce the puffiness after a night of lack of sleep.            

Kiehl's Superbly Restorative Argan Body Lotion

I really like this body lotion. I'm in the process or trying out different body lotions to find something that later on won't overwhelm me with the smell. And this one is perfect! Once you put it on, your skin is immediately moisturised and feels incredibly soft. The smell is both lightly medicinal and .. I think it smells of the Argan oil? Because it has a really nice scent that I'm not familiar with and I guess it really is the Argan oil. Nontheless I really love it. I might try the Creme de Corps and then I'll decide which one I really would keep using for the longer time. 
I forgot to swatch it, but it looks exactly as any other type of white body lotion. - And smells good of course.

Kiehl's Ultra Facial Oil-Free Toner

Since it's similar to the Ultra Facial Oil-Free Lotion I've decided not to touch it and give it to someone else. Toners that aren't alcohol free usually are harsh for my skin. I'm aware though that this one specifically IS alcohol-free yet I know it will be extra harsh because it's oil-free. Sigh.

 Kiehl's Rare Earth Pore Cleansing Masque

As you can see, this cleansing masks packaging looks slightly different from all the others. By that I mean they all look similar by the logo, text etc. But this one is missing something and that's the: for what skin type it might work.
I thought that that meant that it's for all skin types, but I was proved wrong when I used it on my face.
Firstly, I started out with a clean face when I put it on. It has a white clay colour as specified in the name (I didn't swatch it because I didn't want to waste product because it might dry by the time I took a picture). When I put it on, my skin started immediately to feel hot. I had an itching and burning sensation. I was kind of afraid that something wrong was going on. Then I noticed that the place with the long text that usually contains the names of ingredients said "...normal to oily skin types.." I knew this wasn't for me. Yet I waited the specified 10 minutes because it was already on and I couldn't really do anything. It dried and I cleaned my face with a wet towel. My face looked flushed and were still hot. By the time I used a moisturiser I felt how cooling it made my skin feel. My face were still having the burning sensation for the next 15 minutes and I kept looking in the mirror every now and then and checking for scrape marks on my face. It was very very painful.
My issue? I know that these products were sent after they had a look at our beauty profiles so that we could recieve things that fit us well. Here is a small preview og mine. And unfortunately, mine didn't work out so well. I just went in to update it into dry because I'd rather recieve something for dry skin than oily skin. 

I know that Kiehl has some really amazing products, but unfortunately I got the wrong ones that don't work out so well with me. Better luck next time, I guess..

Thank you GlamBox.

July 27, 2012

Benefit: Hoola Bronzing Powder

Todays review is going to be about the Benefit Hoola Bronzing Powder!
I've heard so much about this one and I remember the fuss all the way back to around 2009. I never really have it much thought, but as a makeup beginner I'm trying to collect all the basic makeup products - so at some point I needed to acquire a good bronzer. I immediately thought about the Hoola because: yes, you guessed right - it's matte!
It has a pretty and neat packaging. It reminds me so much about Hawaii and long summer nights. Perfect.
I know that an earlier version of the Hoola was different in such a way that the "lid" could come off completely. At the makeup counter, I didn't know that they've changed it and I automatically tried to take it off. Same did the salesassistant, the same thing Ayesha did when she tried it out at my house :P Haha. It doesn't, and that's because as you can see in the picture only four sides are open while it's stuck at the top part where it is part of the whole package. So there is actually no lid.
Also - the Hoola comes with a simple brush. I had a bit of trouble with it. The brush is better used if you want a light, sun-kissed, very very very subtle look. The brush is soft as a feather and that means that not a lot of product will come off from it. That's why it takes a lot of product (using this brush) to build up anything visible. The brush is therefore not good at all for contouring. You will need to use a contouring or a blush brush for that matter.
After the first time I cleaned it, the brush started to shed horribly. It didn't stop and if I try use it I will have a couple of the brush hairs on my face. Very unfortunately.
The bronzer itself is very good. If you have pale skin, you will be able to achieve any desirable, subtle look with it. People with a tan or a lightly darker skin might need to built it up a look. I doubt it will work for dark skin. I have NC20 skin and I need a good deal of build up before I have a contoured look. I still like it because it doesn't look any cakey or fake. Because of the need to build up a lot I doubt you can get a highly dramatic look with it.

July 26, 2012

MAC: 239 Eye Shader Brush

Hi guys! How are all of you?
Today I will be reviewing a really great eyeshadow brush (and my first proper one) that has improved my eyeshadow application by a 1000%. I used to think that there was something wrong with my eyelids. No kidding! And why? Because whenever I tried to apply eyeshadow it never worked. I would sit for minutes long trying to get some colour on my lids and it was just impossible to do so. That is untill I discovered WHY. 
One of the reasons is that we all have come across (and learned the hard way) that most eye applicators that come together with eyeshadow palettes are pretty much useless. In my case it didnt just NOT pick up the colour, it also never came off the eyeshadow applicators and never went on the way I put it. Eg.  If I tried to put it in the crease area, it refused to do so and I might end up with a line or anything else awkward. Well, that's until I kicked myself to the MAC store and tried to get someting proper. The MAC 239 Eye Shader Brush.
 
The sales assistant actually told me that she had two brushes available for me. This one and another one that I reckon might be the 242 Shader Brush. The told me the differences was that this is an eyeshadow application brush and the 242 is a shading brush that just "continues the job" where 239 leaves out. Better get step 1 than 2 first, right? That I did.
 
Website claim: "Soft and dense to shade or blend eye shadow or emollient-based products. This brush has a tapered, rounded edge with smooth, firm, fine fibres. It can be used to build intense colour on the eyelid. M·A·C professional brushes are hand-sculpted and assembled using the finest quality materials. They feature wood handles and nickel-plated brass ferrules."
What I can comfirm that it does: It can and does build up an intense colour, yet it still has the shader effect rather than sharp lines. A soft look can defintely be achieved and this brush will work amazingly for the smoking look.
 
A close-up.
The brush measures as you can see - 17 cm or 6.7 inches.

July 25, 2012

MAC: Cream Colour Base in Pearl

The websites states that this is a multi-purpose cream base. Therefore, they can be used as eyeshadow, lip colour, blush etc.
For me, I bought it for the sake of using it as a highlighter and it really looks amazing that way too. Now I really want to warn people because, even though it's stated that it's a multipurpose product: people should be aware that many of the colours are NOT recommended to be used in the eye are and some other few not to be used in the lip area. That's why they put a safety insert (which I was surprised to find, because MAC usually don't put these in the product packaing - but they have a good reason this time) due to some chemicals that might be harmfull for mentioned area but not the rest.


I got MAC Cream Colour Base in Pearl. The jar comes in a net weight of 3.2g or 0.12 oz.


The colour is very easy to use, and the results of it can very from subtle to a very dramatic effect depending on whether you layer it a lot or not. In the following pictures, I gave it around 3-4 layers to make sure it came up on the camera. One layer is possible and lightly visible. It looks really beautiful actually. 
I don't know but it kind of looks a bit chalky on the picture? I'm not sure why that happened but that's not how it looks. It has a soft metallic shimmer to it (a reflective one) that didn't show up and can look very dramatic if it's layered up. Amazing product. Defintely and essential and a stable product!

July 21, 2012

Aye of Beauty

My friend Ayesha's blog is up and going at the moment.
Make sure to check her site :) Here is the link:

www.ayeofbeauty.blogspot.com/

The Body Shop: Rainforest Moisture Shampoo and Conditioner

Remember those to from my earlier The Body Shop haul? I already reviewed the hair butter from the same line. And now it's time to review both the shampoo and the conditioner! I took my time to try them out for a while and see whether I like them or not. And finally whether I would repurchase them again.
Product File for Rainforest Moisture Shampoo and Conditioner:
- Works for: dry and damaged hair
- 250 ml
- Contains no silicones, sulphates, parabens or colorants.
Firstly, it's really great that TBS tries to make natural shampoos that don't contain harmful chemicals such as "silicones", "sulphates", "parabens" and "colorants". An important point to adress is that most hair shampoos that are natural, do not lather a lot - and that's a whole other topic that I will be adressing in an individual post because it might be a bit too long in here. Therefore: this shampoo does not lather a lot. Actually I have to put it on twice (wet the hand first)  before I get a somewhat decent lather. The same goes for the conditioner. 


At the start, I wrinkled my nose at the smell. Now, a lot of people might disagree and like it but I wasn't that convinced of the smell. But I tried to give the shampoo and conditioner a chance, so I kept trying them. After a while, I really started disliking the smell and I can't bring myself to use both the shampoo and the conditioner at the same time. I feel like the smell is in my hair wherever I go and I really don't want that. It's very overwhelming for me, especially because I'm sensitive to smells.
I know that perfumes can trigger allergic reactions in people, but I doubt that's the case if they TRIED to use natural smells? Like lemon or orange zets?...
Oh yes, I forgot to mention how it smelt like. It smells of tea. This is a smell that I recognize everywhere I go and I have disliked it since I was a kid. I remember the first time I smelt it was in an Elizabeth Arden Green Tea perfume.


I noticed how DRY my hair became once I used the shampoo. It did not feel clean AT ALL and became very VERY coarse. The conditioner didn't help. 
Shampoo Swatch
The consistency reminds me of honey, but much more runny than that. It has also the same color of honey.
Conditioner Swatch
It has the same consistency of every type of conditioner. It's a bit like mousse but thicker and less foamy and more like a cream. It's much harder to get any type of lather from the conditioner. The worst part? It's incredibly hard to get the conditioner out of the bottle...


I have 75% left of the shampoo in the bottle and I have used half the bottle of the conditoner. And I really have trouble using both of them because of how useless they are to my hair. I feel like they have made my hair condition worse and my hair only improves when I use something else. I'm equally glad that I bought the smaller pot of the hair butter from the same range because it smells just as awfull and is too greasy for my liking. Clearly I won't repurchase these products from this line again. 

Late!

I'm really sorry. I was supposed to update the blog much earlier - even days earlier. But I lost all internet connection and it was fixed this morning. It turns out that the whole street have been having similar trouble because some collective wires have been broken. :/ But I'm glad it got resolved quickly enough. 
A new post will be up in a few hours. 


Remember my friend Ayesha? Well she got her own blog now and I will share the link in my upcoming post! *Okay I confess. It's only because I need to find the link*

July 16, 2012

Shokubutsu: Hydrating Facial Foam

Shokubutsu is a side name under the japanese brand LION. Shokubutsu is japanese for "plant".
I've never heard about it before, but after checking their website I realized I actually have products here and there from this brand. 


The website claims that:
Enriched with Triple Power of Plants, Shokubutsu helps to revive your beautiful healthy skin naturally. The Triple Power of Plants:
- 100% Nourishment from plants helps replenish skin’s nutrient from within, keeping it soft and supple.
- 100% cleansing ingredients from plants gently cleanses while maintaining skin’s natural moisture balance.
- Pure plant extracts provides different functional benefits, enhancing skin’s condition, giving it a healthy glow.
 
When I got this, I was in a hurry and I had already finished all my facial cleansing products. So naturally, this one is a drug brand that cost me around ... less than 5 dollars? I don't exactly remember but it was definitely not costly at all. 
I swatched a bit too much on my wrist because it has a nice runny consistensy, like fluid handsoap. But it foams nicely and smells really good. I make sure that I moisturise my face whenever I use a facial cleanser, which is really important. I really like how it makes my skin feel and the product itself smells nicely. 

July 15, 2012

TheFaceShop: Arsainte Ecotheraphy Extreme Moisture Organic Mask

TheFaceShop Arsainte Ecotheraphy Extreme Moisture Organic cotton mask sheet. Well.. THAT'S a mouthful.
In all honesty? I always make sure I have stock of 2 or 3 of these at all times. They are definitely my emergency rescue plan if I ever end up with dry skin that absolutely nothing works on. And that happens once in a while whenever the weather is extremely bad. I use this and I don't need to worry anymore. The good news: It keeps my skin hydrated for up to three days. The even better news?: I don't even need to worry about using a moisturiser for 2 days! Well, they call it extreme for a reason. I'm very glad it keeps up its promise.

July 13, 2012

TheFaceShop: Angled Blush Brush

I am so so sorry that I haven't updated for a while, but the simple reason is that I have been trying to enjoy my summer vacation fully and not to wasting a minute not being active at all times. That's why my family keep seeing me popping up everywhere around the city: the museums, bieng with my friends and family, meeting new people, amusement parks etc. It's been exhausting but so much worth it. And I am having so much fun thanks for my very thoughtfull friends. I promise to share some pictures soon (I just need to get my hands on my own laptop so I can update the pictures and edit them on my own phase and liking without rushing - but they will be up in a few days. Promise).

So this time I'm reviewing a brush I got from TheFaceShop. TheFaceShop defintely reminds you of the name of The Body Shop but the difference is that this is the asian/korean version of The Body Shop and it does slightly differ in many ways. They have unique products that I enjoy using and I cannot boast enough of how calming and soothing their products are. I like how affordable they are because I can easily stock up on my favorite products. But here we go.
Firstly, I think it's important to get an angled brush because it eases contouring and applying blush. It has a more dramatic effect rather than a buffing and a big evening/mattefying out on the whole area a normal blush/powder brush does.
Therefore, I decided to give this brush a chance before I need to invest in a more high-end brand brush like the ones from Bobbi Brown and MAC.

It does it's job and is a pretty decent quality looking at it's price. I just noticed that it lightly shed twice (by twice I mean that the two times I used it AFTER cleaning the brush, and also that the two times only where two "hairs" that fell out). Otherwise I'm pretty much happy with it. I don't think I need any angled brush (I wish though, but I won't mindlessly splurge if I don't need to) at the moment until I actually do face problems with this one. I'm pretty satisfied with it.

July 9, 2012

The Body Shop: Rainforest Moisture Hair Butter

Remember my The Body Shop haul from some time ago? While, here is one of the products I've been experimenting with too see if they work well with me. For that reason, I didn't buy the 200ml but the 50ml. This is the The Body Shop Rainforest Moisture Hair Butter.


Product File:
- No Silicones
- No Colourants
- No Parabens
- Comes in 50ml or 200ml
- For dry and damaged hair
I actually enjoy using hair products that are stay-in because you can avoid so much hassle with these. My hair is usually normal and in a very good condition, but the top part of my scalp if for some strange reason extremely dry and damaged! I have tried everything and I can't seem to find out what to do with it anymore and are at a loss. My only current solution is to cut it when it grows long so that I can avoid the dry parts and wait for some healthy hair parts to grow out. I'm still waiting.
In the meantime I'm using this product.
I actually just recently found out that I've been using it all wrong. I was a bit confused as to why it kept my hair skiny in a greasy way (it didn't feel like it, it just looked greasy while not being so). But part of how it looked, it really smoothed out my hair and it made it feel amazing. As mentioned, I use it right after I wash my hair and I only put it on the dry parts of my hair. The website claims that:
"After shampooing, smooth 1-2 hazelnut-sized amounts onto palms and work through damp hair. Leave for at least five minutes. Massage with some warm water, then rinse thoroughly. For best results use after washing with Rainforest Moisture Shampoo."
Oh.... I even checked the product and I clearly got the unwritten message that it was a "leave-on". That to the side,  there is only one small complaint from me. I'm aware that this hair butter from this shampoo rain is supposed to be products that are not loaded with harmfull chemicals (a post about that later), but the smell is a bit unbearable for me after some time. I feel like I smell tea and something else that I do not like which I can't exactly explain. This is the part reason why I want to leave this hair care range and opt for something similar but from a different brand. 
All in all, I still do like the product. The smell is just not so right. I really feel like they could make it smell better by putting something in it. Why not put shea butter or jojoba oil in it? Having a right scent that isn't uncomfortable could make a big difference.

July 5, 2012

St. Ives: Makeup Remover & Facial Cleanser

I haven't seen this product before, but I must be honest and say that I actually like the idea of a make-up remover and a facial cleanser all in one. Usually, I use it twice on my face because the first time is to remove the make up and the second time to "completely" remove it in case there is any invisible traces left and then it will just cleanse.
Now, many people might think it's a bad idea especially because I might remove all natural oil and moisture from my face and dry my skin even more. Well, that's not the case at all. This cleanser is very mild and I do not feel my face tighter or more dry than usual using any cleanser that's not specifically a make-up remover at the same time. Actually my skin does not feel any tight at all and to not push my luck I make sure to put moisturiser as soon as I can so that my skin is still damp and fresh.
The only downside of it is the smell. It smells of chamomile and freshly cut/freshly mowed lawn - which isn't the most appealing smell in the world (in my opinion) but it's not a strong and overwhelming smell and disappears as soon as I wash it off. It's a really good and affordable cleanser. I will most likely repurchase it again as soon as the tube is empty.

July 3, 2012

Hello Kitty Beauty Spa Opening

Certainly, we must all have obsessively loved Hello Kitty at some point in our lives. Having a bunch of Hello Kitty things even at moments were we didn't notice it. The point is: we have all grown up with the Hello Kitty universe.
What's the best thing then? A new spa in Dubai has opened up it's doors and is dedicated to both Queens and their Princesses to have a splendid time at the first and only Hello Kitty Beauty Spa in the world.
Check out these pictures, isn't the place just too gorgeous? Not too overbearing with pink and looks pretty classy.
Those are the only offical pictures available. If you guys are looking for more, I suggest visiting their facebook page where they have more pictures of the place which was taken during the party. I won't be posting them here, because I'm not sure it's really allowed because there are people on them. It will be kind of sensitive I guess. But I won't bother because you can just get there by a doing a few clicks. Simple.
I really really CANNOT wait to go for a trip to Dubai just to visit the spa. I will most likely take the princess (that's my little sister for you)  with me because there is no doubt she will swim in everything Hello Kitty related. I might be 19 right now, but I am still tempted to get the occasional Hello Kitty merchandise from time to time because they are just too cute.
I promise to get some pictures with me of the place when I go there. No doubt ... !
You can check out their website on:
http://hellokittybeautyspa.com/home.php

They also have a twitter and an instagram if anyone interesting and they are being regularly updated in hearing about their journeys and small quirky stories from now and then :)

July 1, 2012

My July GlamBox has arrived?! Special Box!

Whoa! I just got the June Glambox in the middle of the month and now suddenly I recieved my July Glambox! That was incredibly quick. But now I might have to wait a long time for it to become the start of August again... But anyway! It's still a reason to be excited.
Kiehl's!
And can I mention how much I love this box? It has so many usefull products and I can't wait to try them all. The box contains:
- Kiehl's Amino Acid Shampoo - 65ml
- Kiehl's Ultra Facial Oil-Free Moisturiser - 30ml
- Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Eyes - 3ml
- Kiehl's Rarre Earth Deep Pore Cleansing Masque - 5ml
- Kiehl's Superbly Restorative Argan Body Lotion - 5ml
- Kiehl's Ultra Facial Oil-Free Toner - 3ml

I will be reviewing the products later as I use them and see how they work. I also want to mention that this time GlamBox has actually sent items and followed our personalised profiles. In my case I have combination skin so this stuff will be pretty compatible with my skin.