The stamp, the letter, the gift

About 2 weeks ago I had a little, cute discovery of an online place where I could sample some Asian cosmetics.

I thought that most sample stores were not able to send out internationally, or just mailed out their products in some part of Asia. But hurray, thesamplestore.sg mails out to Europe, and is pretty quick with it as well.

I just love the stamps decorated on the envelope!

The letter contained a couple of masks that I was curious about. The name often draws me in (hehe, remember BeautyDIY, Beautyfriends, etc), so a mask named Love More had a great appeal to me. Who does not want to be love/and be loved, a little bit more?

A gift? Mmm, not really. I still had to pay 10.04 singaporean dollars (approximately 5 euros), however, what a wonderful way to try out something new.

My 'too cool for school'-bag

Hey, have you seen my new bag that I received in a gmarket order some time ago?

It is a dusty red shade that is neutral enough for days I do not want to scream out colour (but still want that bit of red).

It is really versatile: you can wear it in three different ways:

'Too Cool for School' bag: carry by handle or on the schoulder (Pictures courtesy of HAKO 하코)

or as a quirky backpack! (Pictures courtesy of HAKO 하코)

It is not real leather, however, it has that leather look done quite well.

I bought this from seller HAKO 하코, Item no. 195189292. (link)
This is their lovely D18 model. I really like it when the sellers work in numbers. I can figure out a bit of the Korean signs, but with numbers it is far easier :D

Mid Weekly Quirkologies...

Last week was a cold one...Somehow I seem to accept the cold better in the midst of winter than I do right now in the eve of Spring.

Still, there were some things that "satified the soul" a bit:

1. Hurray: It was London Fashion Week! (today they shift to Milan)
I have a bit of a ambigious feel with fashion and I would not call myself fashionable. People watching to go to more fashionable lenghts can be inspiring. London, in fashion terms (don't quote me on it, I'm already quoting some Faaahhhshion magazines) is the one that is often most fresh, daring and adventurous.

Alexa Chung, over here, is already sporting a trend that I would gladly take over: see the MINT bag??? Hey, I seem to have a bit of style credits because I blogged about my like for that colour on monday. I don't know the designer of that bag, it will probably be some big and expensive name because that girl probably gets bags offerered by the dozens because if she is seen with one of the bag: it becomes IT instantly. But, I can do with a cheaper alternative or a fantastic vintage one.

2. Commuting on trains:
It can be less boring when the trains are decorated with a bold graffiti mark. Often, graffiti has some kind of deeper message, or is anarchistic or just wants to declare the authors pseudonymic name.

I wonder why this artist had the urge to put down 'harig', which plainly means 'hairy' in Dutch. Who knows?

3. Getting my health on.
Berries = antioxidants = bit of beauty treatment on the inside

4. TLC for the hands
The cute Disney print makes lotioning hand a bit more fun.

Do you like the fashion weeks? and if you do, do you like to watch the makeup creations, the clothes or something else?

Minty

I have a strong like for the colour mint...

I like it in my nailpolish...

MAC Haze Nailpolish (older bottle-but still a fabulous formula)

In my accessories...

COS 2010 spring collection

I like how the orange even makes the mint look fresher...

On my cheap t-shirts:

Primark t-shirt for € 3

When sending out packages:

Kawaii tape for packages and other decoration..

And on the street:

Dutch streetstyle: you cannot miss the plenitude of bikes

Some Dutch bikes can be really inventive and colourfully decorated!

And what is your favourite colour?

Skin & Care talk - Cosmetex Roland Shapy Cleansing Oil & Genie in a Bottle Hyaluronic Acid Moisture Spray

Skincare is sometimes seen as the more dependable and  less colourful variety of cosmetics. You really want it to work and not to irritate your skin, but it is not the most fun experience, compared to buying new colours that you can purchase when buying makeup.

The two products I will do a mini review on today are actually quite colourful to look at in their bottle.

The first bottle is one that I am quite happy about. I ventured on Genie in a Bottle skincare because it looked like a clean and effective skincare line.

Genie in a Bottle Hyaluronic Acid Moisture Spray

I also liked the first song that Christina Aguillera sang...tadaa, for the people that are still quite young, that was 'Genie in a Bottle'. Yeh, I was that sweet, innocent (and dare I say naive) girl that liked her whole first CD.

Christina Aguilera - Genie In A Bottle

So I have not been a fan of her later work, although I think she has been quite inventive in creating new looks and making herself interesting towards the public.

So, does my skin become as dewy and youthful as it was in my 'Genie in a Bottle' era?

Genie in a Bottle Hyaluronic Spray: typical spray bottle

Ha ha, my skin was a lot worse during that time, so I have not intentions to have similar skin. I had acne scars that have cleared up in a certain extend (thanks to religious skincare).

But the lack of beginning lines and the ability to look fresh in the morning (even after a short night) is something that I could use.

Lots of people forget that a large amount of beginning lines are often due to a lack of moisture in the skin. Actually, most people have dehydrated skin, even if they have oily skin.

That is what this spray helps you with. With the added amount of Hyaluronic Acids it is a quick way of adding moisture.

Ok, this is what Sasa has to say about this spray:

description
Genie in a Bottle Hyaluronic Acid Moisture Spray enables a precious reservoir for your skin, creating hydrophilic-lipophilic balanced skin.
 

Benefits:

• Capture: replenishes skin from inside out.
• Bind: prevents moisture loss.
• replenish: vitalize skin.

My opinion:

I do feel that it is more than a tonic or water-based spray. Also, when you spray it on, you can get a bit of a lustrous glow on your face. Sometimes, I use makeup that feels a bit drying, and with this bit of spray it equals out the dryness. For the month I have been using it, I believe my skin is rather hydrated. However, I use a lot of skincare that tries to cancel out dehydration, so I cannot really say that is it 's only due to Genie in a Bottle.

People with combination skin or oily t-zones, just as myself, probably have to watch out when spraying this spray over their nose, because it can leave your nose a bit too shiny. Or you have to blot out the shine afterwards.

The colour of this spray is a neutral, water-type colour. And for the sensitive ones out there: it is scentless too!

Overall, two thumbs up for me! I love this stuff and I will repurchase this when finished. The price is right and it does what the description claims it should do. ( It is  $ 6.70 on Sasa).

Towards my second colourful bottle:

I tried another cleansing oil: This time from Cosmetex Roland. With their message 'for your future skin' and their zesty red bottle I thought I could try this one.

Cosmetex Roland Shapy Cleansing Oil

The bottle has a retangular shape and the usual pump application.

Cosmetex Roland Shapy Cleansing Oil

The cleansing 'oil' that comes out is not similar to the usual variety of Japanese cleansing oils. It smells a bit berry-ish, which is a good thing. However, it is quite sticky!

Cosmetex Roland Shapy Cleansing Oil

I don't mind a new type of texture when cleansing my face, although I have become quite used to the more common variety of Japanese cleansing oils. But it should work and cleanse my face of all makeup. This one does not remove any eye-makeup at all. Or, just a smidge and I have to result to other cleansers to do the rest.

Thumbs down for me on this colourful bottle... 

I purchased it on sasa, but they took it out of their collection They do have a new, mix type of oil-cleanser listed, and that one might work a bit better. 

Battle of the Bottles: Blue wins for today!

Kanebo Lunasol spring 2011 Shading Cheeks 01 Natural Beige

 When Lunasol released the promotion images of the spring 2011 line, I was quite sure I wanted one of their adorable palettes. Well, you know I already bought the super-gorgeous 05 Colorful ocean. So I decided to go for something in their Base Makeup line.

I have been on the lookout for a really suitable shader/bronzer for a while. There are plenty of products available in the standard/Western cosmetic lines, for example Illamasqua and Mac, but I often find myself overdoing these products and looking a bit too 80s sculped instead of optically enhanced. Also, paler skintones have more difficulty finding a believable shader/bronzer that is not too dark or pigmented

After seeing pictures of Lunasol's older version of the Modelling version EX 1 in modeling Bronze, I was quite convinced that Lunasol could offer the right dose of pigment and colour. Still, when I saw that Lunasol released a new version of a shading powder in their spring 2011 line, I know I had to try that one.

I had been looking for swatch-pictures before I bought it. Yuki's lazy channel had most swatch pictures up of the Lunasol 2011 line, however, she had not swatched the bronzing powder (neither the two highlighting powders). I liked it even without seeing the swatch pictures, because the colours looked suitable enough for N 15/20/25 type of skin-colour. Plus, I saw a tiny shimmer in the pan that I liked. I believe a bronzer should neither be too matte (because healthy skin does not look flat and matte either) nor to shimmery.

I was absolutely delighted when it arrived. The colours looked suitable and has that tiny shimmer that makes the skin look healthy and slightly glowing. Click on the picture for a close up, and you will see the shimmer.

Lunasol spring 2011 Shading Cheeks 01 Natural Beige (natural light)

I was cheapskate enough to buy the bronzer only (without the palette). I just put it in another Lunasol palette that I had around.

Lunasol spring 2011 Shading Cheeks 01 Natural Beige

Now I understand why Yuki did not make any swatch pictures, because it is terribly difficult to make pictures of the colour differences. Well, my photo making qualities are not too impressive either ;) but the only colour really visible is the one that is on the right.

You can see them a bit better on a piece of white paper.

Lunasol Shading Cheeks 01 Natural Beige- swatch

Although they are not that visible on the skin, that actually makes it quite believable as a shader/bronzer. When you blend the three of them together, you get that tiny bit of warm shader colour that makes it suitable for shading or bronzing purposes.

It is wonderfully suitable for people who are not trained makeup-artists or quite skilled with makeup. The pigmentation is light enough to apply without overdoing it. And, as I said before, it is visible (although subtily) on N 15/20/25 skin. I am not sure how it would look on darker skintones, though. It will probably be too light.

The colours are on the warmer side, so skintones that are really cool might opt for a cooler tone with a more taupe-like colour.

(oh, bought mine @ adambeauty again, but unfortunately they are out of stock. Other options are gooddealer.com  , bobodave.com or ichibankao.com)  

Mid Weekly Quirkologies...

We're in another middle of the week...

Because, most people find the wednesday to be the 'blah'-est moment of the week, so let's celebrate the quirky and fun things you have been up to. And me, ofcourse...hehe, that explains this post.

1. This week I have tried to Be Somebody.
Well, with a bit of lather and a bit of commercial help of purchasing Philosophy showergel. It smells wonderfully springlike with a bunch of waterlilies.

2. Watching some of the gorgeous outfits at the Grammy's.
Florence Welch looks gorgeous in that dress. And that reminded me to browse the vintage shops more often, because her dress is vintage Givenchy. It is not that I could probably afford vintage Givenchy...haha, but I might might might stumble upon a precious find just like she did (or her stylist...)

3. Wearing happy, springlike colours.
Ohh, my highly coveted gmarket blouse arrived a couple of weeks ago. This week finally has a temperature that made it possible to wear it, without suffering (freezing).

4. Keeping moisture-levels high with Genie in a Bottle.
Nothing to do with Christina Aguilera. Gosh, especially after that national Anthem disaster I would gladly dodge anything Aguilera related (just kidding). Genie in a Bottle is one of the brands on sasa.com that I have discovered lately. I have to do a more elaborate review on their Hyaluronic Acid Moisture Spray soon. (remind me of that one).

Hurray, my second reliable post on a fixed day of the week. So, what kind of quirky things have made your week a bit reasonable?