TriNatural 100% pure Jojoba Oil

Jojoba Oil (Ho-Ho-Baa)

Havent we all heard about the wonders of this ancient beauty product and bought many a cream 'containing jojoba oil' but not noted any difference in results?

There is an organic general store just around the corner from my unit in Norwood and it has a whole isle dedicated to personal care and beauty products. I found a little bottle of 100% jojoba oil and read that it penetrates the skin surface to improve skin suppleness and fight wrinkles for $10.95 a pop....really? Well lets find out shall we?

After cleansing my face that evening I followed in Cleopatra's footsteps and applied a small amount of the oil to my face, as per using BioOil my skin's all oily looking but my gosh only for 2 seconds! it disappears straight into my skin and for the first time in my life I learn what suppleness looks like on me (it plumps up a bit and has a soft sheen)! So I proceed to use it on my decolletage, shoulders, hands before making a mental note that a whole bottle will be gone in 2 days if I continue like this ^___^

Follow up with your regular night moisturiser.

2 weeks later and I Love it, my skin is still soft eventhough I'm undergoing Chemotherapy treatment for breast cancer!

Loreal Mattifying Minerals & Natio Mineral Loose foundation

I am an enormous fan of mineral makeup. Why not? Its clean, it has a bit of UV protection, it calms the skin, it reduces imperfections after regular use, it doesnt clog pores, it looks natural if the right shade is found and so on.

I thought I'd try out a more economic brand that I know is environmentally friendlier than most bigger brands and chose Natio in Sunset. You dont need much, the key is to gently blend blend blend until your pores diminish from their regular size. Then the translucent mattifying effect and further poer reduction (my pores are like the moon's) is achieved using the Loreal product.

Comparing the two I might actually try out the Loreal mineral foundation loose powder next, as the loreal mattifying powder was alot finer than the Natio one, which means it gave a softer coverage. The Natio product gave a very natural and light coverage, which could be built up to quite heavy if I applied another layer.

One big hint when studying the ingredient list, avoid products containing Talc.

Skin prepped with Nivea Moisturising Sunscreen SPF30+...and a burn mark from my iron curlers  :"(

Mineral makeup and mattifiant applied.

 

I'm happy with the result. A few more layers concentrated on my burn mark covers it more but I could try out the Loreal mineral concealer soon. My skin feels comfortable all day and the doesnt smudge off.

I spy...

Just a cute pic of my MAC sharpener and trimmings of Dollywink Eyeliner in black...

Un petite rose...!!!

Confession of a very fussy bargain hunter

I visit Kmart once every two or so months to see whats happening in the world of mass consumers (who is marketed to more than the high end consumers as we all in the world of commerce know). Here you will see what's new in the drugstore makeup lines before they hit the drugstores; you also get some trendy accessory bargains (shoes and t shirts and some really cute work shirts) for less than a quarter of the price with rather good quality.

I came past these adorable pink sneakers 70s style for $8.00! They are great for walking down to the cafe for an afternoon Cafe Latte and a read of the day's paper!

Product review - Olay Total Effects with a Touch of foundation

Wow is all i can say about this product.

I've been using the normal Olay Total Effects for a month or two and have been quite happy with the results. Its not too oily and I dont need a drawer full of eyecreams night creams day creams etc. So, when they recently came out with a touch of foundation, I was only too keen to update!

The basics of the product remains the same, good quality moisturiser and treatment in one with SPF 15 for sun damage protection. I was only worried that the foundation would look weird with my Asian skin tone. To my suprise, the foundation tone blended with my natural tone just as it said is would (products that keep their promises are SO romantic!!) and wemt on only a smige heavier than a tinted moisturiser and the result was almost flawless for average skin without any major blemishes or scars.

Please refer to the pictures in my last couple of posts for the results.

Product Review - Dolly Wink eyeliner in Black & maxi BONBON Lip Concealer in nude pink

Now, all of you who know of Tsubasa Masuwaka whose famous for her Popteen modelling days and also being the most famous Hime Gyaru would also know that she launched her makeup line under the wing of Koji cosmetics. Being a sucker for cute packaging and also trusting the Japanese to come up with makeup that works I could not resist grabbing her DollyWink black eyeliner to try out. Not only was the price reasonable (AUD$22.00) but the result was amazing compared to other similarly priced drugstore brands and even bigger brands that cost $30+ a pop!

The packaging is sublime. The liner goes on BLACK as charcoal, thick in pigment and precise. The pencil is ALWAYS soft despite it being freezing cold here. The product does NOT smudge all over my lids and the best bit - it comes off with a single swipe of a cotton pad with eyemakeup remover.

What else would you want from a eyeliner, I ask of you???

Apparently lip liner is not heard of in Japan; rather, they use lip concealers to really REALLY get the nude lip look.

Curious as ever, I got myself the maxi BONBON lip concealer from Kawaii on Gouger St. to see what this lip concealer thing is all about.

Here are some pics on both products:

Love the little pout on the cover. Nail lacquer from Sportsgirl $7.95...

...nude azz...

...great packaging for a greater product...

...single line (bottom) and layered line...

...eyeliner only and clean lips before maxi BONBON...

...complete with maxi BONBON and a touch of ModelCo semi clear gloss to finish!

(All pics taken in natural lighting)

Ok,the lips look great, but after a Cibocino it yells out to be reapplied. The only other option I've got so far is to go back to using the Bodyshop lipliner in Salmon and ModelCo semi clear gloss on top, whereby only the gloss needs to be reapplied. I dont want to resort to stay-on lippie as yet but am definitely scouting for alternatives once these items have been used up!

Product review: CANMAKE Loose Cheek #01

Canmake blushers are a must for that peek-a-boo cheeky and they come in two forms - cream and loose powder.

After much contemplation I decided to try out the loose powder first, purely because I've never really used cream blush before and am not sure about rubbing cream into my already sensitive skin!

Anyhow, I am so into this Japanese brand blusher right now, even if the ingredient list is in a language I can only read a few characters of! The effect is so subtle but effective! The color goes on EXACTLY the same as you see in the cutest ever container, and the most irrisistable part is the adorable puff that comes with a pink little bow, tres girly yet tres tres sexy at the same time!

I tried to demonstrate the color on my wrist but it doesnt seem to show as well. but works perfect on the face.

Skin Care product review - L'OCCITANE Amande et Pomme series

Rajita took me to the Burnside shopping mall yesterday to do some groceries.

Burnside is now the Yuppie of Yuppies place to be; the carparks actually have red or green lights above each parking space for quick identification of an available parking spot; rumour has it that Tiffany & Co opening up a store there, the only Mecca Cosmetica is there, and the place is full of rich housewives and their SUVs (hence the carpark indicators I suppose, you cant really see much pass this car size) with their Baby Bjorn prams and LV day bags scuttering around the shopping 'Village'.

I found out later that RayOfSunshineJita's ulterior motive for bringing me there is to get me a present from L'Occitane!!  

^_^ !!! Do you feel the love???

The product is an Almond and Apple face exfoliant which I tried out this morning (despite being sick as a dog).

The exfoliant is made from crushed almond shells; The base contains apple extract to refine skin's texture, and apple cider vinegar to tighten pores. It also contains almond oil which left my skin soft and supple (like it said it would).

Now here's a product that actually does what it says it would, no more no less: Arent we all sick of spending hundreds only to pay for un-environmental packaging and marketing costs to make up fancy lies?

Looks like Apple Sauce, no?  ^_^ !!!

Love you Raj xox!!!

Au revoir straighteners, Bonjour curling iron!

vMy purple Babyliss straighteners were recently removed from (a 6 year) storage as I need it to curl my fringe out of my eyes. After much practice (and youtube-ing) I still do not like the effect it gives, theres just something about straighteners that I am not 100% content with.

So following the instructions from a Popteen mag scan, I ventured to Kmart (times are hard on the wallet) and got myself an el cheapo AUD39.00 Remington Professional series Curls Curls Curls curling iron. Note that this review link shows a product with 3 curling barrels, the one I got only comes with 2.

The result is a much more softer style, a fringe that I can style at night and wake up and go, and if I wish , make gorgeous spiral or tumbling curls as the product comes with 2 barrels, one 19mm and the other 32mm and brush sleeve attachments, and the lot as noted in the review link.

The straightener is now stored in the Remington box and put in storage, whilst the curling iron now rests (it will need it!) in my bathroon Ikea woven basket!

The results can be compared using the pictures from the previous post as that one was done with the straighteners. Any questions just ask and I will endeavour to answer your queries!

Instructions...

...tumbling curls...

...here Ive used the larger barrel on my fringe, the mag scan uses a smaller one, hence the difference.

Final verdict - I think the curling iron works better for Asian hair as our hair has a very very strong structure, and has a lot more shine due to the flat surfaces of our hair shaft whereas the caucasian hair shaft is rounded.

So shine factor already in-built, all we need is softness and thats what this baby gives us! It feels much much less damaging too as you dont drag your hair through the thong, bust just hold it in place with the clip:

Less Friction = Less Breakage.

Quickie Do - Nude Puckers

After some insight into the asian makeup trends, nude lips and girly emo eyes (or dolly eyes as the Japs call it) are steadily becoming my daily routine. After reading many many Popteen mag scans I learnt that the girls apply a layer of concealer (specifically for lips and eyes) to their little puckers first, before applying a nude gloss or nude lip color, then gloss.

After my eyeshadow blending stint, spending more money on items like concealer (which the makeup artist at Inglot said I dont really need anyway) is really not on my retail therapy agenda; so here's my Quickie Do for nude Gyaru lips:

The Bodyshop never fails to perform perfectly...

...actual color, goes on lighter on my lips (sorry I focussed on my wrinkly hands!)...

...outline first (here you can make some slight alterations to your lip shape if you wish) then fill in...

...apply a layer of shimmery pink/peach/nude gloss (ModelCo used here) and blow a yummy kiss!

Nude Puckers: Check!