10/30/2017

Cider Wash Rules...Bath & Body Works' Spiced Pumpkin Cider Shower Gel

As adorable as the beehive-shaped bottle is (doesn't it remind you of Winnie the Pooh?), I was totally flabbergasted by the $18.50 price tag. What happened to the days of $12.50 Bath & Body Works?!

Spiced Pumpkin Cider Shower Gel is a blend of Heirloom Pumpkins, Royal Cinnamon, Apple Cider and Roasted Tonka Bean. The shower gel's fragrance was way too rich, and overbearing, for the summer-like temperatures of the first half of October. However, once the weather started to cool (thank you, Typhoons), I did enjoy the combination of the Autumn spices, apple and pumpkin.

Made with pure honey, aloe, shea butter, and vitamin e, Spiced Pumpkin Cider has a velvet-like lather. I like how well the shower gel cleanses and nourishes the skin, and so far, I haven't had any Fall itches.

10/24/2017

Give It Away, Give It Away, Give It Away Now

I want to give a huge thank you to everyone who participated in the giveaway by leaving comments on the blog and Instagram.

And now, a big congratulations to the Celvoke Giveaway, REESE! YOU WON!

Please email me privately, so I can collect your shipping details.

Again, thank you to everyone for participating and for being part of the blog.

I'm already thinking of my next giveaway. what do you think, lipsticks or eye shadows?

10/23/2017

Everything Pumpkin...Bath & Body Works White Pumpkin Peppercorn Hand Soap with Pumpkin Butter

It's been a while since I bought something from Bath & Body Works, and boy have things changed. What happened to all the scents? some of the product packaging has been revamped, along with some exorbitant pricing.

Anyway, I was in the search for something more pumpkin-y, and knew I'd find it at Bath & Body Works.

First up: the White Pumpkin Peppercorn Hand Soap with Pumpkin Butter. The first thing to catch my eye was the packaging of the bottle; an image of the white pumpkins, contrasted with the shade of orange pumpkin. Also, I was intrigued by the fragrance description.

BBW's describes the scent of the White Pumpkin Peppercorn as an Autumn blend of creamy coconut, vanilla bean & white peppercorn; I agree. The hand soap is a nice blend of sweet and spicy, but I would also add pumpkin spice to the fragrance notes. A fitting aroma for Autumn, White Pumpkin Peppercorn lingers for a substantial amount of time.

The formula is thick and creamy, with a rich lather that doesn't dry out my hands, and leaves them feeling soft.

10/13/2017

They Can't Take Away My Dignity!

First, I want to address the disorderly sequence of the product photos in this post. I purchased Celvoke's Dignified Lips in 01 Red, 03 Beige, and 04 Pink Brown when the brand launched last March. Originally, I passed on the 02 Pink (weary it would be an unattractive powdery-pink), but my OCD kept whispering in my ear; thus, causing me to give in and get it a month later.

The Dignified Lips come in the same semi-translucence, frosted black plastic casing as Comfy Brush.

01 Red, 03 Beige, 04 Pink Brown.

02 Pink.

From left to right: 01 Red, 02 Pink, 0 Beige, 04 Pink Brown.

01 Red: a blue-based, cherry red.

02 Pink: a warm, yellow-based, medium pink.

03 Beige: a warm, brownish-yellow base, peachy-beige.

04 Pink Brown: a deep, rosy-brown.

The Dignified Lips are creamy, and offer full color payoff, with a semi-lustrous finish. The formula glides on smoothly and evenly. These lipsticks feel very comfortable and hydrating. If left untouched, the Dignified Lips wear for an average of 6-7 hours. Otherwise, with eating and/or drinking, 3-4 hours.

I really like these lipsticks, and each of the shades have steadily been working their way into a permanent spot within my makeup bag. Also, via a newsletter from celvoke.com, the brand will be launching 12 new colors on 11/1.

The Dignified Lips contain less than 10g of product and retails for 3,456 yen.

10/10/2017

Give It Away, Give It Away, Give It Away Now

The Celvoke Giveaway has come to an end. I want to thank everyone who commented on the blog and shared images on Instagram. I will be announcing the winner on October 23rd.

10/08/2017

What's in the Box?

Just got another package, filled with some of my favorite things (horror and beauty) and thought it would be fun to share the contents with you.

This is my third time purchasing Dario Argento's The Bird with the Crystal Plumage; the first in dvd format, then Blu-ray, and now, the stabblingly "gore-geous" 2-disc limited edition set. Apologetically, this 2-disc set is my favorite thing in the box.

My last flat iron was destroyed after a sea salt spray incident. Lucky for me, Hai was offering the Performance 1" Ceramic Hair Straightener (which will go into my kit) for free, with whatever the X amount of money.

Picked put some Autumn hand and body wash from Bath and Body Works.

Some of my Fall polishes purchases...there are more.

and, finally...the makeup. Some Juvia's Place, Lorac, Too Faced, Givenchy, Urban Decay, Shu Uemura, and a lonely Estee Lauder x Victoria Beckham.

Have you received any beauty products or special parcels in the mail recently?

9/30/2017

Loss of Zest... L'Occitane Verveine Agrumes Shower Gel & Sorbet Body Cream

Sorry for the lack of posts, but this always happens to me: I try to post every day, and I'm doing fairly well uploading content regularly, then life decides to throw a monkey wrench into my momentum. Aside from the demands of my typical life/work, I'v also been working on a project, and then my friends Troy and Nat were in Town. And, whenever you have friends visiting out of town, your regular life gets put on hold, and once they're gone, it take a while to get everything back into the scheme of things.

I originally purchased L'Occitane's Verveine Agrumes Shower Gel and Sorbet Body Cream for August. But, after discovering The Body Shop's Pinita Colada Shower Gel & Fresh Body Sorbet, these products got bumped into September.

The Citrus Verbena line is one of my favorite fragrances from the brand; it's invigorating, zesty, lemony scent of the citrus verbena line provides a must needed refreshing release in all this heat and humidity (mainly the humidity) that doesn't subside until mid October.

Verveine Agrumes Shower Gel: it's been a while since I've used it (and I'm not sure if something has changed), but I wasn't 100% thrilled with the shower gel. At first, it has that zesty, lemony scent I love. However, after a while in smells a little pinesol-y. Also, the shower gel was very watery, and didn't lather very well.

Verveine Agrumes Sorbet Body Cream: Unlike the shower gel, the Sorbet Body Cream was just as I remembered it; it smells and feels amazingly. A lightweight, gel-like consistency that is moisturizing, non-sticky, soothing, and adsorbs instantly into the skin.

Have you tried L'Occitane's Verveine Agrumes Collection?

9/18/2017

Panda! Go, Panda! TonyMoly Panda's Dream Brightening Eye Base

Who could deny this precious panda chubby stick?! He's even holding bamboo leaves, for Pete's sake!

If you are new to TonyMoly Products, TonyMoly is a South Korean based cosmetics brand with a flare for excessively cute packaging.

Encased in his plastic bamboo-printed jungle.

I appreciate the cap securing the products freshness and protecting it against germies.

With key ingredients of Bamboo Sap, Bamboo Shoot Extract, Pearl Extract, and Chrysin, TonyMoly's Panda's Dream Brightening Eye Base is meant to relieve dark circles, brighten, and prime under the eyes. Hoping the Panda's Dream would have more substance to it than its gwiyeoun packaging, I was really rooting for this product. Alas, unsurprisingly, it proved to be more frivolous than functional.

The creamy, balmy consistency glided nicely, without tugging; it blends easily, creating a smooth base. The Panda's Dream Brightening Eye Base white coloring gave me pause to use for the under eyes. But, it did brighten when used alone, and gave an extra brightening boost under concealers. Albeit, liking the lightening effect, it only lasted for about 30 minutes; and, this is were the problem lies. What's the purpose of doing an extra step, as well as applying an extra layer, if the product's longevity doesn't make it to the end of my makeup application?

On a positive note, this product was not a total waste, since I'll most likely mail the TonyMoly Panda's Dream Brightening Eye Base to my nieces to play with.

9/08/2017

In Mint Condition...RMK Basic Skincare Kit

Knowing nothing about this limited edition RMK Basic Skincare Kit, or its release date (except that it was released this year), I saw all the travel-sized products were chocolate mint scent; thus, I was sold.

Retailing for 2,700 yen, the Basic Skincare Kit comes with: Cream Soap (facial cleanser), Skintuner Smoother Moist (lotion/toner), Herb Mist, and Lipstick Balm. All these products are available in full size in the RMK Skincare line.

I wish RMK would keep the chocolate mint scent because it is incredible! All the products smell like the delicious Keebler Grasshopper Cookies (making my mouth water). Every time I use these products, I want to eat them. Now, I have a hankering for Grasshopper Cookies, but no way to get my hands on a bag. If anyone wants to do a Japanese beauty-for-cookies swap, please let me know...I'm serious!

All the products are great, and the kit is a nice introduction to those who may not be familiar with the brand's skincare line. Also, they're great for gift giving, and the mini-sizes make this kit perfect for travel or throwing one in your bag for on-the-go use.

I got the RMK Basic Skincare Kit at the Isetan Mirror in the lumine Shinjuku Store. I was there a week ago, and they still had several boxes... I may need to pick up some more.

9/06/2017

A Passage To India...Bausch & Lomb India Soflens Natural Colors

Bausch & Lomb's Soflens Natural Colors in India were a big ol' disappointment. I understand "colors look different online than in person, and colored contact results vary, based on the individuals eye color." But, shouldn't the product have a smidgen of likeness to its visual image?

The Soflens Natural Colors are monthly colored-contacts, with a 8.7 base curve and 14.0 Diameter. Comfortable to wear, they enlarge the eyes while still looking natural. Though the lens do cloud my vision from time to time.

Image taken from visionmarketplace.com

"Softlens Natural Colors Lenses are created for all eye colors, especially dark eyes." Did you read that, "especially dark eyes." Based on the image, I was expecting a color somewhere within the warm, chestnut brown spectrum. Yet, the effect I got is NOWHERE near resembling the photo provided by the company. I don't know what color you would call this? A warmish, muddy brown? Although, in person you can't really notice the color, I'm not mad at it, it's just not what I envisioned.

I'll use the lens until they've expired, but I'm not sure I'll be repurchasing.