skinfood pineapple hand cream (wrinkle care)

*sigh* it's really been too long since my last post, I know you must be getting bored. sorries!
Here's a product I've wanted to review for a LONG time.

I picked this up when I went to Korea. All the packaging of Skinfood skincare and cosmetics are irresistible... well to me anyways =P As kyoote as this packaging is, the hand cream quality is not that great I say with much sadness. I really wanted to like it and pull it out of my purse with much pride cuz after all I trekked it back all the way from Seoul!

The thickness of the hand cream is great and it dries ok. What I don't like about it, is that it is one of those surface-y hand creams. The product doesn't sink into the skin to help nourish and heal it. Instead it just sits on the surface and doesn't absorb. This product has a light scent to it, which also works out for me since I don't care for the heavy smelling lotions. I wouldn't recommend this product if you really want your hands moisturized but I would recommend it if you just want something cute to pull out of your purse or just a cute product to have in your room. Since there are still so many cute, adorable products in Korea just waiting for me to try, I will not be getting this when I return.

So this is what it says in the front of the packaging:
Food therapy
Special food for the skin to eat. Contains lots of nutritive and energetic ingredients such as plants, fruits and etc.  to maintain our bodies healthy and lively.

and this in the back...
- wrinkle care functional cosmetics-
This wrinkle care functional hand cream contains Pineapple extract to make your finely wrinkled and rough hands smooth and elastic.

hmmm... now that I think of it, maybe this product does it's job after all. It did make my hands appear smoother. So maybe it's one of those hand creams that were meant to be an illusion. To make your hands nice and smooth for going out but washes off when you get home.

I apologize for the blurry images... I swear they are not at all blurry when I took them with my camera and they still are not blurry when I look at them with my camera... go figure.

my beauty diary southern france apricot mask

Let me first start by saying this review is long overdue. I've been having crazy weeks and days and have only been able to THINK about blogging. There's just never enough time in one day to do EVERYTHING I want to do! 

This is the description of this product~

My Beauty Diary Southern France Apricot Mask softens, smooths and highly moisturizes the skin. Apricot extract from southern France provides excellent moisturizing effect. It quenches the thirst of skin, leaving dry skin keenly comfortable. The skin surface will be inscrutably velvety to the touch.

Added with extracts of highly moisturizing grain, such as oat, job's tears and hydrolyzed rice protein, it gives more in-depth nourishing and nursing effect to dry skin. The stratum corneum is fully soaked in moisturizing ingredients. It maintains skin’s suppleness, elasticity, fairness and clearness.
It is suitable for normal skin. It is especially recommended for dry skin and combination skin that tends towards dryness.

These are the steps to using this mask

1. After cleansing and toning steps, tear off the package of the mask and gently place it on the face.
2. Leave on for about 20 – 30 minutes. Then remove the mask.
3. Massage the remains, if any, into the skin. Follow with normal skin care procedure.

Skin type- dry and delicate skin / combination skin

I have to say my results were really nice, even nicer when I used my Dermanew to further massage in the serum on my face after I took off the mask. My skin was SUPER soft. I couldn't stop touching it or bouncing my hands off my cheeks, thinking the effects could go away any second. 

In the morning my skin was 

• very nicely moisturized, not oily or shiny
• no new breakouts 
• skin was soft and firm to the touch

Sad to say, none of my marks faded from this mask.... but not like this mask was made to do that but a one can always hope. I guess this mask would be TOO perfect if it did that too.

Would I buy this again? Yes, I will definitely keep this mask in rotation. I guess if I had to give this mask a number rating I would say 8/10, maybe even a 9/10. Because seriously after I used my Dermanew on it, it was RIDICULOUSLY soft!

Have you tried this mask before? Did you like it?  Did you get similar results? 

crackled out phoebe

Omg it's been a crazy, stressful week and next week is going to be even more insane. Wish me luck please =)

I wanted to show you what I did with my nails last week. I'm SO addicted to phoebe, only thing is that it chips SO fast =(  and I'm not talking about little chips. This time around when I put the crackle on top of phoebe, some of the inside chipped off BEFORE the outside chipped- SO WEIRD!! Has that ever happened to you before? I will have to try it with different bases and top coats to find which one will maximize the length of wear of the pretty, pretty phoebe.

So let's get started. I used zoya's get even ridge filling basecoat. It comes in a cool professional box. BTW, I got their color lock system. I'm not sure if I took a picture of it, but I will and I'll show you next time.

Then I used two coats of phoebe.

Then after it dried. I put on one coat of china glaze's crackle in concrete. It doesn't go on as easy as opi's shatter, more streaky but I still think it came out well. 

and wa-la =P  crackled out phoebe. It kinda looks like dutch crunch bread huh? HAHA... or maybe I'm just hungry...

It came out looking very nice and matte but then I put on zoya's hurry up speedy dry drops and it became shiny. boo =( The speedy drops have Cemellia oil in it which probably brought on the shiny. 

So I had to use china glaze's matte magic to correct it. LOVE it!! Thank you matte magic, you're a life saver!

What do you think? Do you like it or prefer phoebe on her own? I love how the blue peaks out from behind the gray and still stands strong. 

the face shop vita E mask sheet review

So this is the mask I used last weekend. I got this at the Face Shop in Korea so everything besides the Nutri- Life E mask sheet is in korean. This mask nicely moisturized my face. It didn't fade any acne scars ,  but I don't think that was one of the functions anyways. And I didn't have a new breakout when I woke up in the morning =)

Silly me, I thought these two were the same mask. But they're not. I bought this from the Face Shop here and it has english. When I took a closer look at it, I realize this one has milk in it. 

What it says-

Vita E Mask Sheet, with skin plumping milk and egg extracts.

- Formulated with Vitamin E and extracts of Milk and Egg, this vitamin drenched sheet mask floods the skin with lavish moisture and helps keep your skin look and feel youthful.

- Vitamin E moisturizes, helps fight oxidation and protects skin cells against sun damage.

-patented phytolex nanoliposome effectively delivers beneficial ingredients deep into the skin and helps protect tired, rough skin from environmental damages.

What is Phytolex Nanoliposome?

Phytolex Nanoliposome is a composite of Ceramide and natural plant extracts of Mung Bean, White Birch and Rumex Crispus L.

The second mask was extremely moisturizing. It made my skin really oily in the morning and my pores were HUGE!! The consistency of this mask is that it is pretty thick.  I would recommend this to someone  who has extremely dry skin or is out in the sun a lot. It's supposed to help with sun damage. Vitamin E is really good for your skin. Would I repurchase these? I would repurchase the one from Korea, the other mask made my skin too oily.

Have you tried this mask? Have you tried any of the masks from the Face Shop?  What do you think about cotton sheet masks?

zoya phoebe

omg! I love this color. I'm not a fan of matte, but I will make an exception for this one. This color is just SO hard to resist. Don't let the smoothness fool you. This polish is a bit difficult to use. It dries ridiculously fast (like by the 3rd stroke to spread the polish on the nail). And it dries weird and streaked. I had to do my right middle finger 3 times! I've never had to redo nail polish that many times ever. 

And even though it might be more trouble than you might care for. I love it and am constantly looking at my fingers =)

Another downer is that I painted my nails on Friday. It started to chip on Sunday =(

That's pretty fast for me. Usually the tops of my nails would start to recede a little bit but it doesn't chip until near the end of the week, if not well into the next. Still after all the negatives, I am keeping this bottle in rotation and will probably mix it up with some Konad plates at some point and see how that does. This is my first and last matte nail polish unless someone comes up with a color this irresistible. 

Here is what I used for this manicure. I used the Zoya Anchor base coat.

Then I painted 2 coats of Zoya Phoebe.

Last, I painted on China Glaze's Matte Magic top coat.

And there you have it. Let's look at it one more time.

I've read on some other blogs that matte top coats on top of matte nail polishes makes it chip easier and faster. Also that matte nail polishes are prone to chipping in general. 

What do you think? Do you like the color? Is it worth the trouble? What's your favorite matte polish?

wipe on, wipe off eye makeup removers etude vs. holika holika

These are 2 of the eye makeup removers that I brought back from Korea.

This one is Etude House's mascara remover. OMG what a disappointment. I'm surprised it even made it on the shelves! I wonder if it's been tested on anyone to remove anything! It doesn't remove mascara easily. In fact it made the mascara tougher, almost like you put hairspray on your lashes. It was awful. I also tried to leave the cotton on my eyes for a few seconds before I tried removing my mascara, nothing worked. But because I absolutely hate wasting product... I just used it and kept tugging my lashes until it all flaked off. Horrible I know but I will never ever purchase this again and would like to persuade anyone against purchasing this. Etude House has SO many cute things that work pretty well, go spend your money on their other products and LEAVE THIS ON THE SHELF!

The second one is Holika Holika's Magic Salt lip & eye remover. I really like this remover and would totally purchase again when I visit Korea or if I see it next time I go to asia. It works really well, costs a lot less than the eye makeup removers in the US and far superior in the cute packaging department. With this eye makeup remover I can start wiping or let it sit on my eyelid for a few seconds and then wipe. I still go over it a few times to make sure it gets everything but NO TUGGING which I love. I haven't used either on my lips.

Both of these makeup removers you have to shake up to mix the liquid in them before you use it. I still have a different Etude House lip and eye remover. So Etude still has a chance to redeem themselves in the makeup remover department. I mean they have SO much makeup products that you would think they would make something good at removing them right?! Have you tried any of these removers? Did the Etude one work for you? If it did, please share the secret to using it because maybe I'm just not using it right. 

leopard nails *growl*

I wanted to show you the nails I was rockin this past week.  It was inspired by this Konad nail art representative at the IBS show in Vegas this year. Her nails looked AMAZING. Her leopard spots are a lot more pigmented than mine... I only realized this after I came home that it was because of the 'special' Konad polishes. Oh how I wish I purchased some when I was there =(

I'm pretty surprised and proud of myself with the outcome even so. Not a bad job I must say and so far the easiest time I've had with the Konad nail art plates. Take a look.

This is the Holika Holika gold glitter nail polish that I got when I went to Korea last year. Awesome isn't it? If you can't tell, it's A LOT of gold =P I love that it's super pigmented. I only used 2 coats for this.
For the black I used OPI's Black Onyx.

For a the base coat I used Skinfood's milk creamy nail.

And top coat I used Skinfood's milk creamy nail.

The Konad nail plate that I used is m57. You can even see I didn't clean the plate too well. I was really scared to mess up my nails if I tried.

Hope this inspires you to paint your nails and show me =)
Do you like the leopard spots or would you prefer the zebra/ tiger stripes (are they even animals stripes? lol) Till next time... happy painting.

solaroil

On the SolarOil site it says:

A synergistic blend of naturally light oils and vitamin e, designed to deeply penetrate and protect skin and nails. Jojoba oil carries vitamin e deeply into skin to help reduce visible signs of aging. Naturally light oils keep skin soft and supple. Keeps natural nails, nail color and nail enhancements tough and flexible. Repeated use drives oils deeper into natural nail. Super penetrating formula conditions skin and nails.

I've used this bottle for like 8 years on and off. On and off because I never liked it very much. I recently pushed myself to finish it because I bought more cuticle oil that I couldn't wait to try and I FINALLY finished it after all these years!! In their defense, they have probably in, that 8 years changed their formula and is better. Overall, I felt like it just didn't condition very well. I had a friend that was raving about it, so I had to check it out and never got why she like it SO much *shrug.* I've already found another cuticle oil that I like a lot better =)  Which I will show and review in another post. 

glitter art tattoos

I went to the IECSC and IBS conference in vegas two weekends ago and brought back SO much cool stuff! I had a hard time deciding on what to start with.... I'm still in so much awe over the cool stuff that I can barely unpack it, fearing that this overwhelming happiness and joy will go away if I do...

But I finally decided that the glitter body art tattoos will be the first thing I show you. I have never seen glitter tattoos before. I've done the sparkly, pearlescent or painted on kind, but never ever the type with glitter! AND it can last up to 7 days! AND you can still shower. But they advise you not to scrub the area with the tattoo on it, well DUH =)

Here are some pictures

So much fun stuff right?! I tatted myself a green clover. It's not perfect cuz it's my first time but I'm all for practicing =)

You can't tell but that's just right above my ankle. It's cute. It's already been on for 4 days and it still looks good. I can't wait to do another one. I will post a tutorial on how to do this but basically you

1. Pick a stencil.
2. Pick out the glitter colors that you want
3. Stick the stencil on the place where you want the tattoo

4. Spread the glue on it (thinly)

5. Take the stencil off

6. Wait for the glue to be a little tacky, when it becomes clear (maybe like 5 seconds)

7. Use a (makeup) brush and apply the glitter to the glue.

8. If there is glitter that has fallen or spread out away from the tattoo.

Brush it towards the tattoo and it should stick to the glue.

9. The glue and glitter are not harmful to the body in any way.
10. If you must take it off, you can use alcohol or oil to rub it off.

Have you seen these around? Do you think it will become a big trend?

soaking up the juices

This post is dedicated to thugqueen28, congratulations for graduating and being my one faithful reader =)
This one's for you kid.

In response to your comment. I don't use cotton balls, They absorb ALOT of liquid and you don't get much of anything back. The only thing I use cotton balls for now is removing nail polish.

I buy these dry cotton masks for the face, neck and eyes/lips and use them to soak up whatever's left over in the bag.

Sometimes there is not enough juice for one whole cotton mask. So when that happens I just soak what I have and keep it in a zip lock bag until I use another mask of the same essence. Like so.

Then I transfer the mask that has soaked up all the juices in the old bag and place it in the new bag so it can keep soaking. These masks are REALLY cheap too. It's $1.50 each at Ichiban and you get like 12 face masks, 12 neck masks or eyes/ lip mask. If you don't like wasting ANYTHING like me, then you should definitely get these to not feel guilty when you toss good juice away. Here's another option.

I didn't like these as much as the Ichiban ones. The Kose ones are kinda cool and a lot easier to use. It's like the size of an alka- seltzer tablet I think. Do you remember those cool towels you had as a kid? The ones where it comes in a tight square or circle and when you put them in water, they expand into a face towel? That's how this works. When it's full of juice, it will expand. This didn't fit my face as well however, but maybe that's because I have a big forehead. haha And the texture of this is kinda grainy, kinda bumpy- I don't really like it. And these run $5 for 14, which is bad if you compare it to Ichiban's. But to each their own. 

I ALMOST forgot. So I don't really like to stick my hand in the juice bag to stuff the masks in because not only does it get all over my hands, but I feel like I'm wasting product. So I use this to stuff it. 

This is a My Melody ear pick. And no I don't pick my ears with it! It's TOO cute, isn't it? I didn't know what to do with it but FOR SURE it was TOO cute to pick my ears with! So now I've found the perfect job for it. Yay!

I hope that answers all your questions thugqueen28. Let me know if you have any more. 

Do you prefer the Ichiban or the Kose? Are you a juice saver? Would you go thru all the trouble? Am I CRAZY?! Muahahaha. 

Oh and Kokoro says Wussup! He looks so gangster in this pic and so sad in the other pic huh? I must have took like a million pictures of him with the tie. HAHAHA Poor fella, sucks to be my dog!

pretty nails

I am excited to share with you what I have on my nails this week =)

This is the Orly Bonder I used this week as my base. I think it's a pretty good base. It dries really fast. When it dries, it has this kind of rubbery stickiness to it that I think makes the nail polish adhere better to the nail.

This is one coat of OPI's Dinner for Two nail polish. It's a nice sheer nude color. I think this is generally used for french manicures.

This is 2 coats of OPI's Dinner for Two nail polish. Can you see the difference? Kinda hard huh? I can see that it's slightly more opaque but I probably wouldn't notice it if someone didn't point it out to me.

The final result is....Dun, da-dun DUN...

This is one coat of Deborah Lippman's Glitter in the Air over OPI's Dinner for Two. Don't you just LOVE it?! It's so simple but fun. It kinda reminds me of those Mother's Animal Cookies. I've had it on for 2 days now and I still love looking at it. It's like I went to a party and got confetti stuck on my nails.

This is what I used all together.

From left to right,
Orly Bonder $8, OPI Dinner for Two ($8-$9), Deborah Lippman's Glitter in the Air $18! ( I know right?! I got mine at Nordstroms. I REALLY like it though.), and Borghese's Top Coat $10.


What do you think? Do you like it? Have you tried any of these polishes before? Do you think the Glitter in the Air is worth it? Holla back yo =)

My Beauty Diary Natto Mask

This is the sheet mask I used this weekend. Sorry, I forgot to take a picture before I used it.



Purpose: Hydrating, firming

Skin type: All skin types especially dull, dehydrated skin

Characteristics: The r-PGA component present in Natto Gum not only protects the skin with a thin layer of water film preventing the loss of water from skin surface, but also effectively penetrates deep to hydrate the skin. Together with the Bio-Active Silanols and Algae Extract conditioning, they work to achieve maximum hydration for the skin regaining its luster. The Natto essence is iso-flavone rich and helps to rejuvenate the skin, improving the skin’s elasticity, reducing signs of aging.


What I noticed...
day one- most parts of my face were really hydrated and soft, but the area between my nose and mouth and the area between my left cheek and mouth had the beginnings of a few red bumps. They were in the early stages of surfacing.

day two- same thing, but the bumps that were surfacing have now surfaced. They were tiny zits.

day three- by now, most of my face feels pretty good, except for that one section. When I patted my face in the morning, there was a softer bounce back which I really liked.

overall- I'm not sure.... I like how most of my face felt but the area that broke out did bother me and it still hasn't completely gone away yet. I probably won't buy this mask again for that reason alone. I would recommend it to other people though, because not everyone's skin is the same. So it may work out for other people, plus most of my face felt pretty good. Maybe this mask just wasn't meant for me.

This mask is FULLY LOADED with juice so you know you're getting your money's worth! I still have a lot left over that I plan to use on my neck =)  We will have to see what happens. I will definitely do an update on the results later.

smashbox halo finale

I have FINALLY finished my Smashbox Halo powder!! Yipee!

Although I have no complaints about the product itself whatsoever, I'm not sure I would buy it again. It was quite expensive... $59!! It's great quality as most of my experience with Smashbox items are but for now, I don't feel the need for to pay that much for powder. I bought it because I was going to Asia and was afraid that they wouldn't have anything to match my skintone and I was right. So I ran into Sephora at the airport, couldn't decide what to get but finally decided on Smashbox because it has usually been good to me.

It goes on really smooth and if you skin is ok (as in not too bumpy from existing acne or deep pitted acne scars), it will be enough coverage for most people. After you apply it, your skin feels really smooth and natural, not sticky or waxy. And most importantly if you get the right shade, it melts into your skin and blends beautifully. I was quite impressed the first few times I used it, but I guess you get what you pay for right?

On a daily basis, I used it after I put on my BB cream for an extra smooth look ( I need it). The BB cream alone is WAY too pale for me. 

This is the claim made on the Sephora website. 

HALO Hydrating Perfecting Powder & Brush Set
What it is:
A face-perfecting anti-aging powder and brush duo.

What it does:
Smashbox HALO Hydrating Perfecting Powder HALO is the first anti-aging powder with the science of skin care built in. It's advanced formulation of pure gold, 48 minerals, 11 amino acids and a powerful peptide deliver powerful anti-aging benefits while the patented hydration system continuously revitalizes skin and provides a hydrated look that won't accentuate lines and wrinkles. The built-in shaver allows for the convenience of a pressed powder combined with the radiant finish of a loose one, and the super-sized brush deposits the perfect amount of powder every time.

What else you need to know:
The powder is made for all skin types and is free of oil, talc, and parabens. Includes a custom Travel Kabuki Brush for flawless application plus a sample of our award-winning Photo Finish Foundation Primer.

Clinical studies show:
- After 10 minutes there is a 33% decrease in the appearance of wrinkles around the eyes.
- After 6 weeks of use, there is a 67% decrease in the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles overall.

Dun, da, da-da

As with all my products I like to squeeze and get ALL my money's worth, so one of my most favorite thing to do is figuring a way to disect the container that gets the most product and is the least messy. So here are my pictures of my Smashbox Halo destruction.

Look at how much product is still there! I used it for another 2 weeks! I found out the hard way that there was still more product that fell thru the cracks between the shaver and the metal thing that held the powder, so becareful. The metal is glued on and I didn't think there was anything facinating if I took it apart so I left it- oops! If you can't tell already, how this works is that the Halo powder comes unshaved and you turn the shaver on the bottom right to shave it. The point is to shave just enough for the time you are planning to use it and you have total control over that. This is for people who love loose powders but hate the messiness. No powder has fallen out of that container when it was in my bag, pretty smart design, though everyone has their own take on it now...

What do you think? Is this powder for you? Have you tried this? What is your experience with this?

TFS Mung Bean Mask

The Face Shop Cereal Mask Sheet- Mung Bean, for smooth, clearer skin. 'Mung Bean extract cleans and smoothes skin'


- The Benefits of Mung Bean: Used to cleanse and clarify skin for ages, Mung Beans are valued for their excellent cleansing and detoxifying properties which help resolve skin problems for a more beautiful complexion.


- Made from all natural pulp for the gentle delivery of Mung Bean extract, this nutrient- rich cereal mask sheet cleans and smoothes skin.

I used this mask for 3 days in a row over this past weekend. The mask totally lived up to what it said it would do. My skin felt soft after the first day, but I wasn’t that impressed. The redness looked the same as the night before so it was eh… but after I used it the second day, my skin felt even better. After the third day, red marks reduced a little but my skin felt so soft and rejuvenated, like I had a good night’s sleep for 2 weeks! If all my skin needed was to feel soft and rejuvenated, I would definitely purchase this again. However, my skin is WAY more complicated than that to say the least.  But if one miraculous day, that's all my skin needs, I will be stocking up on that for sure. The masks makes good on what it claims.


Have you used this mask before? What are your thoughts about it? Have you used other Face Shop masks?

Go bye bye

These are some of the products I can't wait till I'm finished with them.

From left to right:

EOS honeydew lip balm- ugh I really REALLY don't like this product and will not purchase it again. I bought it only because it was different looking from all the other lip balms I've used in the past. I have to use it a lot before I feel that my lips are moisturized but even then it doesn't last. So now I just want to finish it and give it to my dog to play with. At least then he will have something to look forward to. I don't recommend this to anyone and if I can save you $3-$4, I'll be happy. Would not recommend this to anyone!

The Face Shop pure berry BB cream- This BB cream is ok, not the best, not the worst. It's consistency is not as thick as others I've tried. I would say it's the same consistency as regular lotion. I think this BB cream has anti-oxidant properties but I haven't noticed a difference so I'm ready to go on to the next thing. And I'm VERY close to finishing it. YAY! I probably wouldn't purchase this again because I didn't see any difference (but maybe that's a good thing? like my skin stayed the same since it first started?) It does have SPF 20++, so I was using it as my sunscreen. I would recommend this to someone who wanted to try BB cream. It has a nice scent that is not overpowering.

The Face Shop Pore Minimizer Controlling Cream- I was so excited when I first got this because my pores are HUGE! I mainly use this on my forehead and inner cheek area (the area right beside my nose), where my pores are really noticeble but I haven't seen much of a difference. I've only seen that it mattes my skin, but I've used other pore minimizers that have worked better. So I wouldn't recommend this nor buy it again.

The Face Shop Quick & Clean Oil- Free Moisturizing Cream- When I first got this I was very excited, because I was so obsessed with The Face Shop products. It was kinda disappointing. It's not that great of a moisturizer. I mean I think it's ok but it's another one I wouldn't buy again. I have yet to find a good moisturizer that is compatible with my skin and that I will see results.

What products can't you wait until you finish up?