Finished Finesse

On the things I used up lately:

1. Shills Oxygen Mask:

This Korean copycat brand probably has been staring too much at Bliss Triple Oxygen Instant Energysing Mask because the concept is almost the same. But that was the reason I bought this one, as I like the Bliss Oxygen mask but I wasn't too fond of the price. Shills retails around $13 whereas Bliss is $54.

I have been having this mask in my beauty-cabinet since buying a lot of Shills from sasa.com. Lately I have been using it more and I like it as much as the Bliss: it's easy, its fun (when the foamy bit starts to work) and it's fast (also 3 minutes). It might be coincidence, but if I use this the night before I can see my skin being clearer and more radiant the next day.

I would repurchase: too bad it isn't on sasa anymore.
 
2.  Vapour Atmosphere Soft Focus Foundation 120.

I am quite happy with the sample of the concealor I got in 020 (here), so trying out this *raved about* foundation was the next step.

It wasn't all perfect. First, as you can see, the colour has been quite dark. I didn't expected that as the colour beneath it, 115, claimed to be for fair skin, and this one for medium. It looks more like a medium-dark to me.  I thought the 120 would match the 020 concealer number? Secondly, the shimmer is too high for the whole face. Remember Mac Strobe cream? Only this over the whole face mixed with some foundation.

I guess this foundation will work for some people, but I prefer focused dewiness over total shimmer in a foundation.

3. L'Oreal Professionel Age Densiforce Omega 6 hairmask.

Another hairmask, and another one from L'Óreal Professionel.

I like this mask a lot, only the chemical rice-based scent will keep me from repurchasing it.

The beauty of this hairmask is that it is actually as thin as the usual conditioner, but works enough to qualify as a hairmask. As it targets for ageing hair, often thinner hair, the lighter consistency means it bring in more volume than the average hairmask. My hair was somewhat bouncier and with more volume than the average mask, without compromising too much on the moisturizing/repairing factor.

Right now I prefer the L'Óreal Professional Nature Mask Omega I reviewed here, because it gives my slightly damaged hair more moisture (although this one is better in volumising), and the scent of that one is so much better.

Hair on Air...or Sleeked-out Locks on the Rocks

Although I am really low-maintainance on the field of hair-styling, I am frequently looking out for products that can give my hair some incredible volume, some sleek perfection, or just that bit of gloss.

Or, actually all three of them would do: the incredibly, big-haired but still sleek and toucheable hairdo with a shine that blinds everyone.

Yeh, reality sucks, or it actually bites in my case! So I have to tone down my hair-perfectionist and either settle for one of the three, or sometimes two if I am lucky.

Asian haircare, hurray! I have quite a limp head of hair on my head. Most Caucasians have that bit of wave that they can activate by

1. going to the sea and take a dive
2. faking to have been going to the sea with hair products
3. waking up with a beadhead
4. waking up near the sea after a midnight dive with a bedhead...(that one will probably give out the most of curls and volume, LOL)
   

Not me...it is really straight. Not that that makes my hair similar to most types of Asian hair, but the similarity is a bit in the straight texture.

Taking a look into various brands that market for Asian hairtypes have had a bit of success, and a bit of failure as well (or a bit of meh...'does not do anything much')

So, what have I tried?

First, one of my most succesful ventures have been into Liese. I really like their Tidy Straight serum.

Because although I do not wake up with curly, wavy or kinky hair, it still can have a bit of a strange kink into it.

I love this serum for making my hair smooth, sleek, glossy and comb-able.

It does not make your unstraight hair instantly straight: You need some heating tools to accomplish that. But it does the things I mentioned above.

I purchased this over here but it is OOS again.

My second favourite Liese is their Wave-Up Foam in no. 03.

No. 3 is their strongest type. It runs up from no. 1 to 3.

I really enjoy this mousse, as it keeps hair absolutely soft and shiny (no 80's crunchy-perm-do), is softly but wonderfully scented like an expensive floral soap, and keeps that highly maintainance-created curl for quite a while

Well, because I like my straight do, but sometimes I like to fake that I am a natural curly woman...

(Yes, it is another sasa purchase)

I must sound like the biggest Liese fan...ehm, no...I am critical as well:

Let me introduce my 3rd Liese: The Juicy Shower Spray:

It might be Juicy and functional for a lot of bloggers, but besides of a wonderfully fruity-floral scent, it does not do that much in my hair.

(Another purchase from my drug-store Sasa.com)

From Taiwanese brand Shill's I bought their Magical Hair Volumizer:

Huh? Does this even do anything? Well, NO MAGICAL effect over here...no volume at all.

(bought this one on Sasa.com as well)

Talking about volume: let me include a Western, more precisely a British brand over here: The TIGI Catwalk Your Highness Hair Spray

Let me say this: the Queen would be very dissapointed! Even a less spoiled mortal such as I am am not impressed. No volume, no hairspray-hold. Let me return to my trusty L'Oreal Elnett.

So, I apologise for the shortness of my reviews...he he. I am sure that you can find a lenghtier description of the products in great masse with the other bloggers.

But sometimes, short is good, especially when summarizing a heap of products, :D.

Oh, and if you have a fantastic recommendation on hairstyling...I love to read about that. Or, tell me about your routine when styling that bunch of hair on your scalp...

Haul-a-holic

Lately I have been spending a bit too happily on clothes and makeup.

Actually, the clothes took the headline in my spending habits, because after the strict and fierce fashion of this autumn and winter, spring seems to have so much refreshing (and some reworked) themes in clothing that I just had to put even more in my closets...

First, I finally turned in the gift coupon I won at gmarket, and with some points I collected I was able to haul for FREE! That was brilliant! ♥. One of the things I bought was...what else, a blush!

This is the Angel Blush from Etude House in Cutie Angel (no.1).

Etude House had a special going on at the time of purchase. When buying for 20.000 won (about $18) you would get a lot of freebies.

And these are the freebies:

The Hello Kitty Pouch speaks for itself. I also received a Acne sample set and some other skincare products to use.

And that pink with green thing in the middle is a sort of flapping plant it that moves on solar energy...ha ha ha, it is useless but so cute!

I also purchased Etude's latest SunGuard Natural Covering Sunblock in Color base. A review will follow, but I am not fond of it...

This is the print of a t-shirt I bought on Gmarket. It has lots of doodling on it!

I had to try one of Gmarket's dresses that were featured in the clothes section. This print is so cute with all those dots and stars...

This is not from Gmarket, but from a sasa haul from some time ago. It is from Shills and it it their POPS!! Body mouse. It is awful!!!!

It is a mousse that supposed to work against cellulite, but I am afraid it will burn away your whole legs (Ok, it is not that awful, but got some mousse out of the can and it sizzled like a maniac against the palms of my hand...so scary!)

So do not buy this stuff...please!

Last, but not least is a kind of generic piece of clothing I loved so much that I looked beyond the normal-ness. It is from the H&M Against Aids fashion line of this year. I love H&M, but I normally do not venture too much on the stuff that have elaborate patterns, because everybody here knows their H&M and it will make it a bit less special to wear. (I like their neutral basics, though)

But the festival themed look of this dress was so lovely...and affordable...

It grazes the ground a bit, when walking...

Gosh, have you seen Lizzy Jagger modelling this dress in the campaign? So stunning...

They should add a disclaimer with the dress, sounding something like The dress does not come with looks and a rock-and-roll life like Lizzy, so...dream on.

I think I can rock the dress like myself as well...just with a bit less rock-and-roll.

So, I hope that everybody has a fantastic day tomorrow, either if you are celebrating a religious day or just a normal sunday...