package from california! asian makeup

my mom ordered me makeup from an asian website which is based in LA, california and it finally arrived!

it actually arrived a few days ago but i've been too busy to actually open the package and take pictures of it.

i ordered four mascaras and a blemish balm/BB cream.

heroine make kiss me mascara: long&curl and volume&curl

i have used the long&curl (first mascara in the 2nd picture) for quite some time now and it has been unlike anything i had tried.

i will do a detailed japanese mascara review very soon!

so i went ahead and purchase two more of these mascaras: one in the long&curl (like i had used before) and one in volume&curl.

i have yet to use volume&curl, but i will do a review on that as well one i do.

by the looks of it, i think i will like it!

it has fibers and a normal bristle.

around $22 (it differs from site to site but on average)

majolica majorca lash expander frame plus (x2)

correct me if i'm wrong but i believe majolica majorca is a brand from shiseido.

shiseido really knows how to please asian women!

i have heard great things about this and i decided to buy two while i was at it.

the wand is different- one side is bristle-like, and the other is more brush-like but both are plastic.

i thought i would have trouble putting this on, but no problem at all.

i could do it with no difficulty and it separated my lashes a lot which i really liked.

it has fibers as well, as most japanese brand mascaras do.

it is very black though. and very waterproof. 

i have only tried this once so i will also include this in my mascara review.

i believe it is around $26

skin 79 super beblesh balm (BB cream) vip gold collection

i love the packaging!

it was a lot smaller than i expected but i think it will do. 

if it were any bigger, i wouldn't use it all in 2 years.

it has a cool pump system.

half a pump, or even 1/4 of a pump is enough for the entire face!

it is really grey at first and i thought it wouldn't match my skin colour because i am very fair/pale.

but it oxidizes and the colour is perfect!

it feels very nice and dewy- without being sticky.

it feels and looks really finished although i don't have foundation or concealer on.

the coverage is really great, it is also build-able too.

it covers redness, blemishes, most of freckles, and some pimples.

i did a second layer on my cheeks where my freckles are, and you could hardly see it!

definitely a very good buy, better than the dr. schrammek BB cream because it is a lot lighter and softer.

oh and there is a hot pink version of this for more oily skin. this one is for normal to dry skin. and it does seem to keep my skin from drying and keeping it well moisturized.

seriously could not love this enough... ahhh!

$29 at skin79.com - make sure it's not fake as there are a lot of fakes.

anyways, that is it for today! and i will definitely do a review of the japanese mascaras and the BB cream in more detail if you want. but the BB cream was pretty much explained but any clarification later on in the usage, i will update on!

thank you for reading, have a splendid day or night! :)

'go-to' summer products

i'm not a big fan of wearing makeup even though i love makeup.

but there are certain products i must have for summer. no eyeliner, no eyeshadows, no bronzer, and no foundation.

in the summertime, you don't want to load up on too much makeup and preventing your skin from breathing.

your skin will get very oily and just sticky even without all the makeup, so extra foundation and eyeshadows should be avoided- unless you're going out for a fun night!

i have written about my favourite and essential summer products, as well as optional items i use.

my ultimate favourite year-round facial lotion: kiehl's ultra facial moisturizer

extremely moisturizing for my always-dry skin but not sticky at all.

$22-$49 at kiehls.ca

my ultimate favourite year-round sunscreen: shiseido ultimate sun protection lotion 

sunscreen is essential for summer but i use this all year round- you should too!

it has SPF 60 and is just a smooth white liquid that just glides on your skin.

you don't want a facial sunscreen that is too thick or too shiny. and this one is just perfect.

i have about 5 backups of these because they are cheaper at dutyfree stores :p

$39 at shiseido.com

vaseline ultimate moisturizer

sorry for the ruined packaging but i have used it for a very long time!

i use this at least twice a day: in the morning and before bed.

i have extremely dry skin, to the point where i have to consistently moisturize even in the summer.

in the summertime, i just apply this on the tip of my nose and just below the corner of my eyes.

in the wintertime, i apply it on the tip of my nose, just below the corner of my eyes, in between my eyebrows, on my chin, on my cheeks, and sometimes on the back of my hand. and yes, it's completely necessary!

around $5 at most drugstores, walmart, etc. 

benefit 'you rebel lite' tinted moisturizer with SPF 15

i purchased this in a dutyfree store at the korea incheon airport when it first came out. 

at the time, it was exclusively sold in only korea so i picked up two.

but i believe it is available at sephora now!

i absolutely love the smell of this! so fresh and just.. nice! 

i put this on almost every day and has never broke me out in the years of using it. 

the coverage, to be honest, is not that impressive. it does cover slight redness on the cheeks, but has nothing against pimples or blemishes. and, of course, no chance against freckles.

but it is just nice to put on because it's very thin and light (doesn't feel like you have anything on!) and does cover redness to a certain point. 

i do have very light and pale skin so i love this product.

$30 at sephora.com and at benefitcosmetics.com

spearmint chapstick 

along with my skin, my lips are very dry as well!

these are definitely a must all year round.

$3-$5 at drugstores, walmart, etc.

olay luscious embrace body lotion

i got this very recently and i absolutely love it. 

i have used many many body lotions but this is definitely one of my favourites.

it is purple! haha, the colour has nothing to do with the actual product but it's a change from plain white lotion.

i like the overall look- squeezes out nicely. and it is not sticky at all. 

i just like this for summer because it has a summer-like scent. 

a subtle fruity, floral scent. i can't quite put my hand on it. but it just smells very nice.  

biore pore unclogging scrub with 2% salicylic  acid for blemish prone skin

this product has done miracles for me ever since i started using it!

it has small green exfoliant beads that helps really deep cleanse your skin.

when you use this with cold water, after you're done, you'll feel a very strong freshness!

i absolutely love it. it has prevented some blemishes while using but to my extremely blemish prone skin, that is still a job done well. 

i just love the freshness and lightness of this. 

around $6-$12 at drugstores

OPTIONAL!
certain items i tend to use in the summer if i need the extra coverage, extra depth, etc.

lancome UV expert neuroshield

if i know that i will be out for most of the day (in the sun), i pack this in my bag to lather it on later in the day.

it is a lot smaller and lighter than the shiseido one or any other sunscreen i own.

this is SPF 50 and thicker than the shiseido sunscreen but still on the thin side. 

i couldn't find the exact one on the lancome.com website - sorry! but there are other great ones if you browse around on the website.



dr. med. christine schrammek blemish balm

this is another optional product and this is the original blemish balm or BB cream.

it is very very thick and has very good coverage. not quite a foundation but almost catching up to it.

i believe this one is the original BB cream from germany but BB creams have definitely been familiarized in korea.

korean BB creams are an improvement on this: lighter with still good and very impressive coverage, whitening agents, smooth application, etc.etc. - they have a big variety!

i put this in my bag too (this is pretty small as well) if i am going to be out in the sun most of the day.

i get very red from sun exposure, even with loads of sunscreen, so this works to cover my redness.

this also covers most blemishes and pimples but i still use concealer if necessary.
schrammek.com - search blemish balm in the search bar

MAC beauty powder (blush) from the liberty of london collection in 'summer rose'

this is definitely one of my favourites this summer (though optional)

it really does go by its name and gives me a nice summer glow.

i have very fair/pale skin and this creates nice rosy cheeks without overdoing it.

i believe this item is discontinued but you can find other great beauty powders at maccosmetics.com for around $25

benefit 'eye bright' 

a pink-toned eye brightening pencil that i use in the corner of my eyes to brighten up my eyes.

i do sleep in a lot in the summer and i think that this has become a routine for me when i wake up with bags under my eyes!

my dark circles can easily be covered with concealer or even with a tinted moisturizer but i like to be safe and wake up my eyes with this.

you can also use this to highlight your brow bone to create the extra effect. 

$20 at benefitcosmetics.com

that is it! hope you enjoyed this and if you are the type to load up on makeup in the summer, hopefully this has encouraged you to stop!! you can still look good and fresh without all the makeup, so let your skin breathe :)
this is my personal favourites and essentials, it will definitely vary depending on skin and personal taste.
you can definitely find other duplicates or replacements for the items listed but these are just the ones i happened to have.

happy summer, everyone! :)

olay luscious embrace body collection

present time!

my friend got this for me because she knows i love body products like this and she said it looked "nice"..

one loofa, one body lotion, one soap car, and one shower gel. 

body lotion with jojoba butter and crushed orchid extract

this is extremely moisturizing!

moisturizing body wash with jojoba butter and crushed orchid extract.

it has a cool looking applicator but i can't think of a use for it.

i haven't used this yet but i think i will like it since i really liked the body lotion.

body bar with massaging design with jojoba butter and crushed orchid extract

this looks really cool! i want to use it but i don't want to ruin the original nicely manufactured shape of the soap.

i guess you massage with it while creating soap bubbles and cleaning yourself.

a cool idea!

anyways, that is it! they all smell the same but i can't quite describe the smell. a little fruity, a little floral, and a little like just a normal body lotion. 

nevertheless, i love the smell and i will let you know on how i feel about the body wash and the body bar soap!

have a nice day and stay fresh! :)

MAC look in a box: rocker chick

now, i'm not a big fan of buying products in a set. i always feel that i buy the entire set just to use one or two products.

however, this particular look in a box from MAC was perfect for me.
i love "girly" pink lipshades and this set came with a lipstick and a lipglass (lipgloss). both pink and super-wearable. i am also a big sucker for eyeshadows for smoky eyes. the two eyeshadows and eyeliner definitely pleased me. to be quite honest, i wasn't exactly a big fan of the mascara but we'll get into that later.

two lip products, two eyeshadows, a mascara, and an eyeliner.

as with any MAC eyeshadows, the consistency was great as well as pigmented. 

the darker colour ('black tied') was a lot more pigmented but the two look great together!

i used the grey ('electra') to colour in most of my eyelids and use the black ('black tied') for my crease.

now, i wasn't all too happy with the mascara. it is black with slight shimmery sparkles- which were not noticeable.

i am just not a big fan of any other mascaras other than japanese brands. (i will show you my favourite mascaras in future posts :p)

i'm sure anyone else with long eyelashes with volume may like the mascara, but for someone with short and straight lashes, these just didn't do that great for me.

the wand is a little peculiar- they have bristles but have sort of a spiral on the wand.

looks cool but can't find a use for that. perhaps to separate the lashes? 

oh, the 'smolder' eye kohl. this is absolutely amazing. glides right on the eyelids, lashlines, and waterlines. 

the colour is black but not too black. it looks very good with the overall eyelook, too. 

the lipglass (lipgloss) is in the colour 'oyster girl' - a funny name :p

i adore this. the consistency is not that opaque, i wouldn't wear it alone but with the lipstick in this set, it looks awesome!

it makes your lips seem very plump and kissable ;)

but just as a warning, all MAC's lipglasses are very thick and sticky. 

i would not suggest wearing this on a windy day- your hair will stick on your lips and your hair will get sticky :(

i forgot to take a picture of the wand but it is just the common cotton/furry/fuzzy wand. 

the colour in this picture does not do justice for this lipstick. it is definitely a lot more pink than shown in the picture. (sorry for the bad lighting)

i absolutely love MAC lipsticks. the colour, the smell, the quality, the consistency - all amazingly lovable.

i tend to go for more pink shades and i thought this colour would be very pink.

but it is a lot more of a nude lipstick than a pink. the colour of the stick is misleading!

it is nude with a hint of pink but i still really like it. and even more with the lipglass.

it's a bit of a deeper pink in comparison to MAC's 'creme cup', which is the ultimate pink lipstick.

this look in a box was actually discontinued but just wanted to show you what a bargain this was and how much i love all of the products. now that i look back at this i wonder if i should have done swatches...

anyways, hope you enjoyed this! if you have suggestions, please let me know!

:)

candle madness

i am absolutely in love with candles!

my love for candles have only developed just recently so my "collection" is not exactly the best.

but i assure you, as time goes on, i will slowly expand my collection but for now, this is what i have.

these three are from the Mainstays brand at Walmart for about $1-$2 each. they smell like peach& mango.

i thought that the scent before and after burning was a lot more significant than the scent during burning.

nevertheless, the smell is phenomenal- although it was a lot more subtle than i had hoped.
the burning time is average, slower than i had originally thought due to the price.
i was actually very impressed by these.

i was cleaning my room a few weeks ago and found more small candles!

i have no clue where these are from, probably from a birthday gift many years ago.

these are kiwi&fig scented. they definitely lack quality compared to the previous ones.
they tend to burn out pretty fast, but i am certain that these are from a dollar store.
however, they burn beautifully and the green colour looks stunning when it's burning.

score! these ones are from ikea and they float!! 

they are so cute. they are unscented, but who cares? they float!

i want to make another trip to ikea and find scented ones that float.. hmm..

so this is all i have so far. but aren't they beautiful?

personally, i like candles in glass containers a lot more than the small separate ones in plastic or tinfoil.
it just seems a lot more cleaner and nicer. plus, you can make use of the glass container after the candle is done burning!

i have a few ideas as to which candles i want to purchase for next time. 

i have heard good things about yankee candles and the scented bath&body works.

hope you enjoyed this! :)