Quick Update!

Sorry, I've had exams the last couple of weeks, hence the lack of updates.  More updates will come soon!

MAC Haul

Just a small MAC haul today.  And one non-MAC item.  Below is a photo of the things I purchased.

I bought a lipstick - Angel.  It's a frost.  I've heard a lot of good things about it, from what I can see it's a gorgeous baby pink.  It seems quite sheer.  I'll do a review on it after I've used it for a while.

I also bought two lipglosses from the Give Me Liberty of London collection.  As you can see I bought the Frankly Fresh and Perennial High Style Lipglosses.  One's a peach and one's a light coral.  I can't wait to try these out, and the packaging is absolutely gorgeous!

I purchased a nail polish top coat - Seche Vite.  I bought this because I ran out of my Sally Hansen Insta Dri Anti Chip top coat.  Again, I've heard many good things about this nail polish, so I can't wait to try it out!

Also, a pack of 100 sheet MAC wipes.  Never tried these before, again, heard good things about it.  I'll be doing a review on this as well.

Thanks for reading/looking, hope you enjoyed this small haul.

Review: Lush's Mask of Magnaminty

This is a review on one of the more popular products from Lush.  Let me preface this by saying that this is a deep cleansing mask, and it's supposed to exfoliate and tone your skin.  It's for people with normal, oily or acne prone skin.


I have dry skin, and I love this mask.  It irritated my skin the first time I used it, but afterwards I think my skin kind of got used to it and it's fine now.


This mask is of quite a thick consistency and can be difficult to spread. So it spreads quite thickly on your face, which I guess is a good thing because I bought the large tub which has a lot of product and it has a shelf life of about 4 months.  My first thoughts?  It smells amazing, like mint chocolate ice cream or something.  That's one of my favourite ice cream flavours so I don't mind it.  If you're sensitive to these smells and you don't particularly like mint, you probably won't like this.


When you put it on your face, it has this... tingly effect, I suppose.  To some it might be irritating, but I welcome it.  It's got such a great cooling effect and feels amazing on my skin.  It actually feels like my skin is being deep cleansed.  I leave this one for about twenty minutes, sometimes longer depending on how thick of a layer I'd slathered on my face. 


The one thing I don't like about this mask is that when it dries, the mask cracks on my face - which is fine.  But the thing is, it starts shedding.  Well, not shedding... but parts do start falling off and it's annoying if I'm just walking around the house and there's green bits everywhere.  I guess the one thing you can do is just stay in your bathroom, shave your legs while doing it or something, haha.  


Anyway, I love this stuff.  It makes my skin feel smooth (the exfoliation from the beans), it cleanses my skin well (prevents me from breakouts - even though I'm not acne prone I still get a zit or two once in a while) and it smells amazing :)  I recommend you getting the smaller tub, just because it's quite difficult to finish a big tub.  If you use a generous amount, maybe two times a week, you should be fine with the big tub.  It's definitely more of a bargain to get the bigger one!  Comment below and let me know what you think of this product.

Overview: The Body Shop's Body Butters

I've been a fan of the Body Shop body butters for a while now.  My first pack was a trio from the Christmas collection of mini travel size body butters they come out with in the scents Strawberry, Pink Grapefruit and Satsuma, but I think it's been changed to Wild Cherry or something now.

Anyway.  So here are all the body butters I own.  I'll go through all of these individually soon.  All of them are in the smaller, mini packaging with 1.7oz, except for the Cocoa Butter one, which is significantly larger with 7oz.

This is the cocoa butter scent.  It is suitable for very dry skin, I mainly use this on my legs cos I have horribly dry skin.  On the website, it states that it is also useful for pregnant women to avoid stretch marks.  I'm guessing this contains that shea butter stuff, or whatever it is that makes your stretch marks go away.  It smells absolutely delicious too, like a chocolate-y scent.  A couple of my guy friends actually put this on and couldn't stop smelling it, so it's a good one that's not too strong.

This next one is the Strawberry scented one.  To me, it doesn't really smell like strawberries, it smells like artificial strawberries... which is what most strawberry scented things smell like. It does smell amazing though.  It's got that really sweet, feminine smell to it.  It's quite moisturizing, and is for normal skin.  The smell lingers though, and if you're the type of person who likes that, then you'll love this.

Now this one is the Satsuma one.  As you can see, I haven't used a whole lot of it.  I just, don't really like this scent.  The smell is so strong, and it's not a sweet smell, necessarily.  It just smells, so orangey, I don't like it at all.  I mean, I don't know, I guess I'm fruitist or something, cos I really don't want to walk down the streets smelling like an orange but I'm fine with smelling like strawberries.  Again, it's moisturizing, it's for normal skin just like the strawberry one.  Just not a huge fan of this scent.

The Pink Grapefruit scent is my favourite.  This is actually my second mini tub of it cos' I finished my first one.  It smells absolutely amazing.  It's sweet smelling, but it's got that sort of, citrus bite in it that stops it from smelling overwhelmingly sweet like the strawberry scent.  It's for normal skin, is quite moisturizing.  Definitely my go to scent.  I have to admit that people either love or hate this scent.  So make sure you take a whiff before choosing.

The last scent I own is the Passion Fruit one.  I believe this is discontinued, but I think you can still get the lipbalm.  This is a more toned down sweet smelling scent.  It's not overwhelming at all, and the scent does stay on your body.  I think this is the least strong out of all these scents except maybe the Cocoa Butter one.  Definitely moisturizing, and it's for normal skin.

Overall, I love these body butters.  The scents?  You gotta go to the store and smell them first.  They smell different to other people.  Also, one good thing about the mini ones is that they're great to just, carry in your purse or in your makeup bag.  You never know when you'll need body lotion.  Oh, and it says that it's supposed to keep your skin moisturized for up to 24 hours, but I find that reapplication is needed after several hours (but that's cos I have extremely dry skin, so maybe that's why).

Leave a comment below, let me know what your favourite scent is, or what's your go-to body lotion :)

Review: MAC's Mineralized Skinfinish Natural

This is what the packaging of MAC's Mineralized Skin Finishes is like.  It is described as a setting powder for low coverage.  It is slowly baked, hence the dome shape.  This retails at USD26 for 10g or 0.35oz.  One of these will last for quite a while as you only need a bit or it'll look cakey.


So the product itself has quite a soft, silky texture.  It's extremely easy to apply.  It is extremely fragile, as it is baked and not pressed, so if you drop it, you'll get dust.  At least, that's what I hear from other gurus.  I'm in the colour Medium Plus, which was what the SA matched me to.  I think it's a good match, but it's difficult to tell because it blends so well with your own skin.  Also, I've heard that Medium Plus has more yellow-ish undertones, which is good for me because I'm Asian, though I'm quite pale.

I have pretty clear skin except the occasional pimple or two, so I use this as my foundation.  My daily routine just consists of concealer and this MSFN.  The powder acts as a setting powder as well as my foundation, so I really get a lot of use out of it.  It has become one of my must-haves in my makeup bag, and it's my go to product.


The product is dome-shaped, so you won't hit pan that quickly and that the product will be used more evenly.  You know, how we always use something in a pan form but cos we tend to dip our brush into the middle, we hit pan in the middle first, but this one should be a little better.  Of course, I don't know for sure, but I'll edit this once I've hit pan and finished my first MSFN.


I apply this with a kabuki brush, just because I use it as a foundation.  This will probably work best if you're using a large fluffy powder brush as less product is picked up.  Also, be careful not to apply too much of the product because it can lead to cakeyness.  If that happens, what I like to do is just spray my face with a bit of water, and use a sponge to blend.  I find that if I do that, the cakeyness goes away.


I definitely recommend this product, it's extremely blendable, multipurpose and feels so so smooth.  If you have doubts, seeing as it is slightly pricey (but for how long you use it for, the price isn't so bad), as a SA to try it out on you, see if you like it.  The only thing I don't like about this is how it doesn't have a mirror.  That's the only bad thing about this product.  Oh, and one more thing, I have dry and sensitive skin and this hasn't broken me out at all, so that's good news.

Review: Too Faced Mood Swing Lip Gloss

This is a review on the lip gloss by Too Faced.  It's an 'emotionally activated lip gloss' so it's supposed to change colours depending on your mood.  I picked this lip gloss up while I was in New York at a Sephora about a year and a half ago (since they didn't have Sephora in HK at the time), and to be honest I've only used it a couple times - definitely less than ten times.

Now, as you can see it comes in a little tube form.  There's actually a ton of product in that little tube, and it'll last you forever.  I think it's slightly difficult to apply and the thing is, a lot of product comes out with the smallest amount of pressure at first.  Also, as you can see from the photo on the right, it also stains the tube itself, which is not a good thing to me.  It was white when I bought it, but after I used it once, that part turned pink.

Here are the swatches of the lip gloss.  In the photo on the left, the one on top has been there for several seconds whereas the swatch on the bottom was applied immediately before this photo.  The photo on the right, is one swipe, with flash, after several seconds of applying the product.

Onto the product itself.  For me, to be honest, I don't like it at all.  It really does not work on me.  However, I am posting a review of this product up here because I've read reviews on makeup alley where people have actually given this product 5 stars.  So it really does differ between people.

The problem I have with this lipgloss is that it turns an extremely hot pink on my lips.  Like I'd put on a fuchsia pink or something on my lips.  Not something I want.  I thought it would gradually build the colour but since my lips are already quite pigmented, this gloss turned my lips a bright, hot pink.  Every time I applied it, it turned out the same colour.  I swear it's heat activated, but an extremely sensitive one.

Also, some people are fans of this and some aren't, but this gloss actually leaves a stain behind on your lips.  Like a deep pink tint on your lips.  So I feel it's quite hard to control the colours of this lipgloss.  I don't like their packaging because you can end up applying too much.  

I will say this though, it isn't sticky at all, and the lipgloss does taste pretty good. So thumbs up for that, but overall.  I wouldn't repurchase.  I don't really want to stain my lips and put a colour on that I don't know what colour it'd be.

Oh one more thing, this is quite pricey for a lipgloss (USD18.50, I believe), so I suggest you go to Sephora to just dab a little on your lips and browse around first, and see if you like it.

Lush Haul

So this is just a mini Lush haul. These are the things that I got in a gift exchange with a couple of family friends at a party.

I forgot to take a photo of the hand cream as it was in my purse. So this is just a stock photo from the Lush USA website. It was one of the five things in the Happy Traveller gift set, and it came in a little pump bottle rather than this one. I'll have reviews for these items in the future :)

I also received a slice of the 'Demon in the Dark' soap. It smells so minty, but it can get a little overpowering. It seems like it might be good for exfoliation as well because the top part is uneven.


Back for Breakfast is a limited edition product. It contains different oils and has honey in it, so I can imagine it to be extremely moisturizing. It's a shower gel but apparently you can use it for your hair as well. I can't wait to try it!

Rub Rub Rub is a body scrub. I don't really use body scrubs because I use the beeswax layer from my Honey I Washed The Kids soap as an exfoliator. This smells really refreshing though, not too overpowering. Should I also use a soap with this? I'm not really sure. Comment and let me know!

Happy Hippy is a grapefruit scented shower gel. It is also one of those products you can put in your hair as well as on your body. It also smells, so, so good :D
Last but not least, extra Honey I Washed the Kids soap. If you haven't read my review on this soap, look it up on my blog. It smells absolutely amazing and I can't get enough of it. :) This is just a stock up. The package on the left was from this promotion thing. That's why it's so pretty!

Hope you enjoyed this haul! Reviews of these products will be written once I've used them quite a couple of times and have got a good enough idea of what they feel like. Thanks for reading :)

Review: The Body Shop's Nature's Minerals Foundation Brush

This is a review on The Body Shop's foundation brush made especially for their mineral foundation (which I also own). It is a kabuki brush, made from synthetic hairs and retails at about USD26.

I used to use The Body Shop mineral foundation but found that the SA did not match it correctly to my skin at all. She matched me to a 04, which was a bit too dark and yellow and made me look orange if I layered it for more coverage. I've since switched using this brush for my MAC Mineralized Skin Finish Natural.

Anyway, this brush, I feel, is a great brush for powders, or even for the final stages of buffing out your liquid foundation. It's much cheaper than the MAC/other branded brushes, but I think the quality of this brush is definitely up to par.

To be honest, when I saw this brush, I didn't want to try it at all. C'mon, buying brushes, at The Body Shop? Not really something that crossed my mind. Anyway, I was interested in their mineral foundation, and the SA tried the foundation on my face with this brush. It felt really good, haha, so I bought both. It wasn't what I expected for the price.

It is so, so dense. And it picks up just the right amount of product. It feels soft on the skin, not pokey at all. I've put it through several washes and it hasn't shed a bit at all. Just make sure not to dry the brush standing up, or it will cause the glue to loosen up and the hairs to fall out eventually.

Overall? I totally recommend this brush and would definitely repurchase it (I doubt I'll need to though). I know that The Body Shop isn't known for their makeup brushes but this is definitely one of the cheaper, good quality brushes you will find. It doesn't shed at all, it's extremely dense, and it's relatively inexpensive (the MAC 182 kabuki costs USD45!). Good stuff. If you're still skeptical, go to your local The Body Shop and check it out!


Oh yeah, one thing.  I found this brush was quite difficult to dry.  Maybe it's just the way I wash it.  Anyone else have this problem?   Comment and let me know!

Quick Tip: How To Store Your Lush Soaps

A quick guide to storing your lush soaps!

1) Cut your soap into desired sized pieces (I like mine in little blocks)

2) Wrap them up individually in cellophane (the clear plastic stuff)

Now there are a couple ways in terms of where you can store your soaps. First of all, in the closet. Now, you may think... the closet? Really? Yep, really. It actually helps soak up the humidity in the air. This is extremely useful since I live in Hong Kong and the humidity here is like, crazy. But anyway, soaps have the power to just soak up the liquids in the air and I use those instead of moth balls, or whatever those thingies you stick in your wardrobe are cold. Another plus? Your clothes smell crazily nice :)

Another place? Just take a tall, clear vase, and make pretty patterns with your different soaps! It's pretty, and it takes up less room by stacking them vertically. Keep in mind that it might be difficult to take the ones at the bottom up if you have a large collection of them.

If you're the type of person who likes to buy several different soaps, and switch up after every shower, then buy a couple of those little re-usable plastic boxes. You know, the plastic boxes you use to store your leftovers in the fridge? Those work well because then all the smells are kept within their container and you can just take whichever one you want in the bathroom.

Also, adding on to the vase idea, you could store them in a bowl if you have the space. Just lay them out so you can see which ones you have, you know? That way, you can see which ones you have and plan which ones you're going to use next. This isn't just for soaps, you can do this with bath bombs, bath melts, all that fun stuff.

Good luck :) Hope this helped you out!

Review: Benefit's Ooh La Lift

I was on my way back to Hong Kong from a short trip to Malaysia when I bought this product from the Duty Free store. This retails at USD22, which is pretty pricey for an under-eye brightener but it is a high end product, which is reason enough for the quality and price of this product.

Anyway, in case you didn't know already, this is Benefit's Ooh La Lift, and it is an "instant under-eye brightening boost". There are raspberry extracts and light reflecting particles in it. Now most people misunderstand this product as a concealer. It is definitely not a concealer. It is simply an under-eye brightener that's a quick pick me up, you know? Just to give you a I-slept-more-than-three-hours look.

It is, under no circumstances, to replace your concealer though, this will just give you a more wide awake look, and it will instantly brighten up your eyes. This colour is quite pale, but it is supposed to be universally flattering. I guess that's to each his/her own, because I think that this is just light enough for my skin, but I have pretty light skin as I use a NW20 from MAC for concealers.

Pros? It blends extremely smoothly and well, it feels slightly tingly, which to me is a good thing cos' then it feels like it's doing something, you know? It definitely brightens up the under-eye area and makes me dark circles less noticeable. Also, one of these will last you forever. There is so much product in one of those little tubes and you really don't need that much.

Obviously, there are also cons. The directions that come with the box says that you only need three dots and that's definitely not the case. You need to do a good swipe under your eye and a dot on your eyelid as well as the inner corner of the eye to brighten up that area. I don't think this is a universally flattering colour. If you have dark skin, this might not work well on you as it is an extremely pale pink colour.

Overall, it is an okay product, but I wouldn't repurchase. I'm good with my MAC concealer for under-eye circles as it is much more natural and definitely conceals better. This is a good eye brightener for those who don't like concealers/feel concealers are too cakey. This will not be cakey at all, and it doesn't crease. So, kudos to that.