Clinique Repairwear Laser Focus serum review

I have decided to grab this image straight from Clinique's official site since the pictures I took of it didn't seem to look good at all (not appealing), let alone posting them on Instagram.

The Serum is called Clinique repairwear laser focus - wrinkle & UV damage corrector. Although I do not have any wrinkles nor do I go out into the sun too much, I have noticed the significant difference it has made to my skin.

This is officially my favourite serum! I absolutely love how it absorbs into my skin immediately after application and how smooth and soft my skin feels after using it for just 2 days. (I have used this for about a month now, and I love how my skin feels so soft and smooth).

When you first put it on your hand, it feels like milk. Once you apply it on your face your skin instantly absorbs it. What is so amazing about this serum is after you have applied it to your skin it only takes a few minutes for your skin to feel so soft and smooth.

Though it is marketed for those with wrinkles or UV damaged skin, (I have neither of these) I didn't feel it being too strong for my dry skin (and other blemishes, which it did help me get rid of!). Unfortunately, it doesn't help you get rid of large pores.

I highly recommend this serum for those with really dry skin as it does make your skin feel so hydrated. But keep in mind it can be a bit pricey. I would recommend this for those who desperately need their skin to be soft and smooth for major events coming up soon (e.g. prom, formal, weddings, etc) as it instantly "fixes" your skin. It also does a great job in fixing "blemishes" and "bumps" on your skin too.

Collagen Hydrating sleeping mask by Watsons review

First off, what are sleeping masks? Sleeping Masks are facial masks which you put on your face before you sleep and wash it off when you wake up. After hearing about these masks I was really excited to give them a try because they seem very cool (imagine wearing a gel mask for 8+ hours!)

see how white the product is? it is transparent when you put it on your face (skin)

I was acquainted with Watsons Collagen mask (屈臣氏骨膠原睡眠面膜, ) while shopping in Hong Kong so I picked it up after hearing about them from various makeup gurus.

As I learned Collagen is a type of ingredient which helps our skin build its firmness and "bounce".  Collagen strengthens skin and gives it elasticity, it also prevents wrinkles (due to aging of skin), you can see the importance Collagen plays in skin care. This mask also hydrates the skin.

I have to say, I haven't had any other sleeping masks, but after using this one, I have to agree that this will be one of my favorite sleeping masks EVER!! Reason being is

1: it smells good (just lightly scented);
2. It is very affordable (I have been using this for over 6 months and there is still A LOT of product left (as         in, I have only used 30% of the product);
3. I have noticed a significant different after using it just for the first time;
4. it is affordable;
5. Time saving (hydrating and taking care of your skin while you sleep!)
6. You can feel the gel working
7. there is definitely more "elasticity" to your skin after using it

With Pros, you will expect there to be Cons, one of the cons I would say (and this is a comment for sleeping masks in general, not just specifically for this product) would be the fear of leaving this product on your pillows, stuff animals, pajamas, blankets, etc. The first time I used this product, I kept panicking and waking up due to the fear of getting this product all over the place... after doing some research online, I discovered that sleeping masks only require you to apply a small amount (as if you are applying face cream/lotion) instead of "large amounts" as you would with other clay/cream masks.

Before bed, put a small amount of product on your face and wash it off the next morning. After using this mask, my skin instantly felt hydrated and smooth, I also noticed the significant change to my skin's firmness, the feeling is very good, I highly recommend you to put on your favorite toner, serum and moisturizer after washing this product off (as you would after using other masks).

Overall, this is a great mask, I using it 2-4 times a month and with each use, I feel my skin feeling healthier and smoother. I would rate this mask 9/10!

Freeman Beauty Facial Anti-Stress Mask Dead Sea Minerals mask review

I have started to like Freeman products especially after liking their Beauty Facial Peel Off Mask. While I was planning to stock up on those, I came across this product and decided to give it a try.

According to the big yellow label this mask was the recipient of 2012 totalbeauty.com Mask award. After using this mask for the first time, I could see why.

First off, a slight warning, when you apply this mask, I would recommend doing this when there are less people around, I was shocked when I applied this mask for the first time, I seriously look like some actress who walked out of an Avatar movie set. The mask is very pigmented (in a weird blue/green colour). Another precaution is don't apply this mask "too close" to the eye area, the mask is "strong" and even when I left "a big circle around my eyes, my eyes were stinging. eeks...

The product is the scent of an ocean, and the texture is clay-like making it easier to smooth out.

On the back of the tube they introduce this mask as a : 

...calming mask [which] instantly absorbs excess oil while clarifying and purging clogged pores. Dead Sea Minerals contain natural supplements that are essential for maintaining healthy skin. Sea Salts help replenish and balance moisture. Lavender and Bergamot promote relaxing aromatherapy.

The instructions asks the user to apply the mask to face and neck

thoughts:

• easy to use
• instantly feel it working (the next day and day after)
• gets rid of excess facial oil

I only applied it to the face. You will know when this product dries because you won't be able to move your face. You use warm water to rinse. To be honest, I didn't feel the difference when I rinsed the mask away, I felt the oil on my skin was taken away, but it was not a very obvious difference. When I woke up the next day, I felt the difference, my skin was so soft and smooth I loved it! 

I think this is a great mask, The instructions ask us to use it 2 times a week, however, since I hardly have much oil, I only use it once ever 2 weeks and that seems enough. I find that if I use it too often (twice a week) my skin starts to break out because I think it takes away too much "oil" from my skin at once.

I would rate this mask 4/5.

Etude House Juicy Cocktail Graduation Nails review

Korean beauty products have come a long way and they have been expanding their product lines to nails as well. This product was purchased in eBay after seeing their attractive posting. In this picture I am wearing my Etude House Juicy Cocktail Gradation Nails #3 Love Violet.

The Etude House Juicy Cocktail graduation Nails series each include 3 colours, for this "purple" one they included: #1 Soft purple (as their base), #2 Romantic Purple (Middle), and #3 Mystery Purple (Top). The instructions are very simple: apply the base to the whole nail, let it dry, than apply the middle to just half of the nail, then wait for it to dry, finally, you will apply the top to only one third of the nail.

One of the advantages of this nail polish set is that they dry very quickly, I am an extremely impatient person and imagine having to wait before you apply the next coat each time... yeah, exactly, tedious!

One of the disadvantages of this nail polish, and I'm not sure why they didn't mention this in the instructions is that due the sparsity of the polish (which makes it very "transparent") I absolutely recommend you to apply at least 2 layers or else you would hardly see any polish on (it will look like you put on some clear nail polish with "some colour").

Another step I recommend is to apply a clear top coat (which was also not mentioned in the instructions). Because of the "layers" you put on, it is inevitable the surface of your nails will be slightly "unleveled". So a top coat is necessary to bring your nail surfaces to be even and smooth.

L' Occitane en Provence Shea Hand cream for dry skin

L'Occitane en Provence Shea Hand Cream

While I was in Hong Kong L'Occitane en Provence was just making their debut and every where I went, they were hard selling their facial products especially their Immortelle Divine Cream. I haven't heard much about their hand products though.

While looking around the store, I was recommended and acknowledged by their beauty consultants that this Shea Hand Cream (for dry skin) was their best seller, they let me try some and I bought it. It was quite expensive though, for just 30ml of product it cost $12

consistency like butter

I have had this product for about a month now, and I can say, a little goes a long way, reason being is because I do not have "really dry skin" so using a pea size amount of product is more than enough. The product is nicely lightly scented (a little similar to baby products but for adults). Their product is very buttery, hence called Shea (for Shea butter).

This cream is great for winter because it produces a "protective" layer for your hands, keeping them well "moisted". This cream does not irritate sensitive skin (I have really sensitive skin, and it did not create any irritation at all).

photo credits: http://ca.loccitane.com/shea-butter,19,1,1334,0.htm

Although the container resembles Crabtree and Evelyn's, (especially the cap), the body is actually made of plastic. This makes it easier to squeeze out hand cream and normal tube squeezers may be used. Also, putting this container in your purse will not create dents or sharp edges because it is made out of plastic.

At the end of the day, I think this product is nice, but a little too pricey, if you are into the buttery, natural feel of hand cream I would suggest this product, as it would leave your hands with a silky smooth greasy finish as if they have been coated in butter. That being said, because your hands are so buttery, it will also be tough to work with them, your phone, keyboard and everything you touch will be coated in this product and it will be difficult to do things like: take pictures, send text messages. I would recommend to use this product if you are going for a walk or you won't be using your hands much.

website: http://ca.loccitane.com/shea-butter-hand-cream,19,1,1334,25907.htm

Green Grotto Tea Room at McNicoll - hot tea edition review

To see the review of this cafe in general please click here. 

After my good experiences at Green Grotto at McNicoll, I have became a frequent visitor of this place. At this particular visit, I was going to stay a bit longer than usual because I had some translation work to do with a friend, we both agreed that getting hot teas was a better choice on a cold Spring day, and we wanted something that was healthier. We ended up getting two pots of hot teas. What was good is that they also offered us complimentary popcorn (I guess you can tell I am a big fan of popcorn).

So for a little recap, Green Grotto is a relaxing tea room which offers a variety of drinks and some snacks. Similar to "traditional" cafes they have Asian magazines and their space is the perfect environment to sit, chat, complimentary wifi. You can just go there to chill after a long days work.

Due to bad experiences at other bubble tea places, I tend to avoid getting "hot" drinks because even with the unlimited refills they offer, the tea is not worth it, as they put so little "dry leaves/flowers" so the tea doesn't even have taste after the 3rd refill. HOWEVER, I was almost shocked and am so glad it is not the case for Green Grotto, they literally load up your teapot filter with the dry stuff... so after filling up my teapot for the 5th time, my tea still tasted as rich as the first cup. I highly recommend you getting teas which are mixed with different things rather than just one basic thing. My friend got Longan + Osmanthus and I got plain Osmanthus. I was actually quite happy with my tea till I tried my friend's, since it was much tastier and sweeter.

As you can imagine, we were there for quite a while (when you translate stuff, time literally flies). So after staying there for almost 5 hours, we were hungry! We ordered a Sesame filled pancake (at first we thought it would be like crepes or PANCAKES but turns out it was the Chinese dessert "pancake" type). It was quite tasty, and the filling was good!

If you are looking for a place to do some "simple work" (don't abuse it by staying there for 10 hours cramming for an exam ;P, just kidding), I highly recommend this place, the people there are friendly, the customers are polite and aren't distracting.

EDIT
my friend asked me about hours of this place, so I thought I would post them here (forgot to ask them about opening time... I think it is around 1PM each day):
closing time:
Sunday - Thursday: 12:00AM
Friday - Saturday: 1:00AM

Freeman Beautiful Facial Peel-Off Mask Cucumber Mask Review

bottle of goodness

Walmart has been stocking up on Freeman's masks, so I decided to give this brand a try. I LOVE IT! The description says this will "clarify and renews skin" and it does exactly that!

This mask is thick gel form, the moment you apply it on your face you will not feel very comfortable however, once it starts drying you will feel it "clearing" your skin.

I would suggest applying a conservative amount (just thick enough to cover your face) I have tried to use less and I wasn't even able to peel it (in the end I had to use warm water to wash it away, and once I used TOO much and it was an absolute disaster waiting for it to dry and peeling it off...

Caution though, when you are peeling do not peel too hard or you can peel off any hair which got stuck in the gel (which can be pretty painful) And you wouldn't want to damage your skin's surface by peeling too hard.

impressions:

• very effective
• suitable for those with out of control skin (due to climate change, stress, etc)
• easy to use
• instant results
• really clarifies and renews

Since my skin is not in a bad condition (not absolutely oily or dry) so I just use this once every 2 weeks when I feel that my skin needs to be clarified and renewed.

Seriously, I was skeptical at first, I never thought a mask product could instantly clarify and renew your skin until I used this product.

Just remember like all masks (especially this one, since it is a peeling mask) you must apply toner, serum/moisturizer after.

update (Jan. 23, 2014):
Just recently, due to climate changes, my skin was oily and dry in some areas... I felt my skin was going crazy: I started getting pimples in some parts of my face and in other parts skin was peeling. After using this mask I got my skin "clarified" and my skin instantly went back to "normal". The next morning I discovered that some of the pimples on my face have already disappeared, my skin stopped producing excess oil and the bumpy dry parts were smoothed.

Try it, because it really works!

rating: 10/10