June/July's farewelled products (2013 mega edition)

 

Let the purge happen before the beauty binge you're going to see in my next post!

 

Skincare

 

 

52) Johnson's Daily Essentials Fragrance Free Facial Cleansing Wipes (25 wipes) - It was so long ago I finished these that I'm a bit fuzzy on the details.  Suffice to say there wasn't anything memorable about them. They did the job of cleansing with a single wipe but I think I wasn't a big fan of the cloth texture as it was a little too slippery on my skin.

 

53) Sasatinnie Cherry Blossom Makeup Remover Wipes For Normal Skin (10 wipes) - I forgot to pack wipes when I went overseas so I bought multiple packs of these in Sasa Hong Kong, firstly because of a 3 for 2 offer, then bought some more because I loved them so much!  They border on being sudsy, and quite wet, but these well textured wipes did a thorough job of removing makeup and grime from my tired face at the end of the day and left my skin feeling soft and moisturised.  These do have a lingering soft scent so they won't be for everyone but I personally loved the relaxing floral scent on my face.

 

54) Sasatinnie Rose Makeup Remover Wipes for Sensitive Skin (10 wipes) - As above but supposedly gentler (I found the Cherry Blossom wipes equally gentle on my skin) and these have the distinct scent of rose petals. Very pretty and indulgent!

 

 

 55) Skinvitals Hydraflex Multi-Peptide Flex-Cloth Mask (sample pack) - This mask was my first ever sheet mask experience! Funny it was too because my unsuspecting son walked in on me mid-mask and jumped backwards in shock - ah well, lol! The formula promises firmer, brighter, more youthful skin.  I can't say any miracles took place in 15 minutes but I massaged the residual serum into my skin after removing the mask and woke up with soft skin the next morning so at least it provided lasting moisture. I now have a bundle of sheet masks to try from my trip - but you'll have to wait and see...

 

56) Maybelline City Rescue Total Clean! Express Eye & Lip Makeup Remover (70ml) - See May's post here for my full review.

57) Simple Refreshing Facial Wash Gel (50 ml) - A basic, no-frills gel formula cleanser.  I bought this to take away on vacation and it lasted the distance for 3 weeks of cleansing.  I've reviewed this cleanser previously here and felt a bit underwhelmed by it but it's one of the few travel sized cleansers in the Australian drugstore market and so I bought it for the convenience.

58) Garnier Dark Spot Corrector Daily Illuminating Moisturizer (50ml) - If you've been following my empties posts you'll know I've tried a few different anti-pigmentation products over the past few years and I've had pretty modest results.  I've moved from product to product as a result.  Well finally I think I've hit on a winner.  I had significantly pigmented patches on my cheeks after my January beach vacation and after using the dark spot corrector the patches have noticeably faded.  Noticeably faded.  If only I'd known I would have done the 'before and after' photo comparison to prove what I'm saying.  I love the convenience of this product too as it's a treatment and overall moisturizer in one.  Just so you know I'm not just blowing hot air I've bought another tube today!  

 

 

Hand and body care

 

59)  Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser (1 litre) - This is my number 1 no-fuss, gentle body cleanser and my second bottle used for the year. 

 

60) QV Flare Up Wash (150ml) - I've been using this as a hand wash during the colder months to relieve the itchy eczema on my hands.  This cleansing foam is pH balanced, soap free and fragrance free and formulated to remove any bacteria that can aggravate eczema.  It can also be used in the shower or bath as an overall body cleanser although I personally prefer using it just for my hands because it's not as moisturizing as the Cetaphil cleanser. Repurchase for my seasonal eczema? Yes.

 

61) Daiso Enamel Remover (120ml) - I bought this $2.80 nail enamel remover on a whim from Daiso.  It works almost as well as my usual OPI remover although I did find it a little more drying. Probably not a great idea for a fickle nail polish wearer like me but perfectly fine if you're not removing polish several times a week and a bargain for the price!

 

62) The Body Shop Chocomania Body Scrub (200ml/7.75 oz) - Yummy stuff! This is the second tub I've used this year.  If there's one thing I could fault it's the fact that a tub doesn't seem to last long enough - but then I do scoop out very generous amounts to exfoliate my skin!

 

 

 

63) Aveeno Daily Moisturising Lotion (10ml sample) - I've used this moisturiser many times before and would definitely purchase it again.  It absorbs quickly, leaves skin soft and not greasy at all, and is unscented so doesn't clash with perfume.  Unfussy and reliable stuff.

 

64) Vaseline Total Moisture Aloe Fresh 24 Hr Nourishing Lotion (120ml) - I bought this travel sized lotion from Watsons in Singapore.  My opinion of Vaseline body lotions hasn't changed - I still don't love them.  The only thing I did like was the refreshing aloe scent.  The lotion itself just sits on my skin and never fully absorbs.  Proof of this was my son recoiling from touching my 'sticky' arms.

 

65) Palmer's Olive Butter Formula with Vitamin E (50ml/1.7 fl.oz.) -  Unlike the Vaseline lotion I love this stuff because it balances perfectly between being rich and being easily absorbed.  I would have been better off buying two of these little bottles instead of the Vaseline for my body moisturiser!

 

66) The Body Shop Chocomania Body Lotion (250ml/8.4 fl.oz.) - It has the same delicious chocolate scent as the body scrub.  Chocolatey but not too sickly sweet or strong so I found it quite wearable.  The lotion formula is quite thick but spreads easily for good coverage and absorbs easily too. 

 

 

67) Dermaveen Everyday Intensive Hand Cream (100ml) -  This hand cream was my bedside table overnight hand treatment.  It's formulated for dry, sensitive skin and where other hand creams can actually sting when my skin is irritated I found this one instantly soothing on my eczema inflamed hands. 

 

68) Crabtree & Evelyn La Source Hand Therapy (25g/0.9oz) - I'm becoming quite a fan of Crabtree & Evelyn's hand creams! They're right up there for a luxe pamper because they have a silky, easily absorbed formula and a lovely range of scents.  La Source has a fresh beachy (if that makes sense), slightly salty scent and I loved carrying it as my handbag pick-me-up and an antidote to winter.  I would definitely purchase a full size tube for a treat.

 

 

Cosmetics

 

 

69) Maybelline Dream Lumi Touch highlighting concealer (02 Nude) - My review keeps popping up on my sidebar.  This concealer is one of my favourite discount beauty products.

 

70) Essence XXXL Nudes Lipgloss (03 Nude Kiss) - I think this shade has been discontinued? Anyway I packed this natural lipgloss for my vacation and I wore it literally every day.  I loved the vanilla sugar scent, although the watery formula meant constant reapplication was necessary and it's not surprising I used it up in that time!

 

71) Rimmel 100% Waterproof Mascara (001 Black) - This is a great drugstore mascara.  Waterproof and most definitely sweat and tear-proof and it served me well through the heat and humidity of Hong Kong.  It coated my lashes evenly, and my lashes felt soft rather than crunchy.  I'm already using a backup.

 

72) BYS Minerals Naturale Compact Foundation (Sand Beige) - I'm glad I only spent $10AUD on this foundation because I've never finished a powder pan so quickly! The foundation offered light coverage (medium with primer) and was not as finely milled as many other powder foundations out there.  It's fine as a budget product but I doubt I'll repurchase.



 

Fragrance

 

 

73) Tom Ford Lys Fume EDP (1.5ml/.05 fl.oz) - Another Tom Ford sample vial, and another intoxicating scent.   The top notes are Italian mandarin, pink pepper, turmeric and nutmeg;  middle notes are white lily, ylang-ylang, Artemisia and rum;  base notes are Madagascar vanilla, labdanum, styrax and oak.  This powerful lily fragrance vaguely reminds my undiscerning nose of Dior Poison and I preferred wearing it as an after-dark scent.

 

74) Estee Lauder Sensuous Nude (1.5ml/.05 fl.oz) - I took this vial away with me on vacation because it had such a deliciously warm summer feel about it.  Such a smooth honeyed scent and yes, sensuous. Top notes are Sicilian bergamot, mandarin, black and pink pepper;  middle notes are jasmine, lily of the valley, coconut water, honey and musk;  base notes are sandalwood, vanilla, amber (all guaranteed to hook me into a fragrance), heliotrope and wood.  This is one of the most appealing fragrances I tried from EL for a long time.

 

 

If you've read this overblown post in its entirety I thank you for your patience! 

 

 

Now I'm off to sort through my HK haul pics...



Overseas trip 2013 - Part 1: Hong Kong

Hello again :)

We've just had the most wonderful 3 week break from the Southern winter, escaping to Hong Kong and Singapore.  It's my pleasure to do a bit of a visual recap and relive my holiday in the process, starting with this post devoted to Hong Kong...

 

Victoria Harbour

My first views of the Harbour were somewhat misty and bleak (and humid, fogging up my camera) but by the end of our week-long trip the weather and skies cleared up so we had this cloudless view to remember.  Yes, we crossed the Harbour on the Star Ferry several times too!

 

 

Man Mo Temple (Tai Po)

 

What I remember was the super hot, and I mean meltingly hot, humid trek part way up the peak via the connecting outdoor escalators to get to the temple (dedicated to the gods of literature and of war) but once inside I forgot all about that.  I was caught up in the stillness and the permeating scent of the eternally smouldering incense - a place to just stop and be.  Of course once back outside and into the humid heat we chilled off with iced teas and Coke floats!

 

Stanley Bay

After a few days in Hong Kong I'd duped myself that it was all about hot concrete, tall buildings and the squash of humanity. WRONG! Naive tourist that I am - I really had noooo idea.  Stanley was the first stop that changed my mind. It had a positively sleepy beachside retreat vibe when we visited midweek.

 



Stanley Market

We browsed rather than bought then caught the bus back and moved onto the...

 



Tung Choi Street Market (aka Ladies' Market)

 

My son did most of the shopping at the Ladies' Market - kitsch USB drives for his friends and a watch for himself! Erm...and...I bought four pairs of 'Paul Frank Industries' socks for him.  It's all about kids when you go shopping with them!  On the same day we went to...

 



Flower Market Rd 

 

All the street side flowers looked so wonderful in the afternoon light so I took numerous pictures.  What else can you do when you can't take them with you? Take LOTS of pictures to remember...

 

I was fascinated by the rosebuds in mesh sleeves...

 



We also trekked through the Bird Market (a bit disturbing for me seeing large solitary birds in tight fitting cages), the Goldfish Market (you know, fish in water-filled plastic bags) and finished up at the Temple Street Night Market.  We were all exhausted and FAMISHED at the end of all that on foot market trekking - and finished up feasting on claypot chicken with rice and a large bottle of beer each. Yeah well - not my son - he was all about fried rice and Coke!

 

Disneyland

Even though HK Disneyland is small compared to others I've been to there was still enough to occupy a full day - and go for a second and third turn on favourite rides at the end of the day when the queues were much shorter.  Our faves:  Grizzly Gulch and Space Mountain.  

 

Victoria Peak (aka The Peak)

The crowded (read 'crushed') wait for the cable tram ride to the top of the peak was well worth it and the views were breathtaking and panoramic like nothing I've ever seen - I can only imagine how wondrous it would be on a completely clear day or at night.  That's on the itinerary for my return to HK!

 



My son taking in the view...

Tian Tan Buddha

We took the cable car to Ngong Ping Plateau to see the big Buddha, which surprisingly was unveiled only in 1993!  It's a 500 step return trek to the statue with the reward of a 'free' ice cream and bottle of water each for the small entry fee to the museum inside the podium - these were well appreciated after the trek up 250 stone steps on that hot clear day!  The cable car journey was worth it in itself for the views of the green hills and the busy airport - I admit to being a bit of a plane-spotter myself! Lol

 

So these are just some of the highlights of a packed week in Hong Kong. Yes we enjoyed the food (see my IG account for a little evidence of that - my husband frowns on me photographing food) and I shopped like my life depended on it especially for beauty products(!) which I will post separately.

 

I hope you enjoyed the pictures - and I've tried not to ramble too much.  After all, this ain't no travel blog!

 

Until next time!

 

Revelling in rose gold...

Hello again!

I've long been a lover of yellow and white gold but in recent times (and under the influence of current trends of course) I've been gravitating to rose gold, not just for jewellery but also in nail polish and makeup. This means I became a bit obsessed and went on a little rose gold binge - particularly when it came to nail polish with all the recent rose gold releases! As it happens I already had a few rose gold makeup items in my collection so I've expanded on my original idea of a rose gold themed nail polish post to share the lot here...

Cheeks & Eyes...

theBalm Hot Mama! shadow/blush - I've had this multi-task product hidden away for months and only just started using it.  I haven't tried it on my eyes (I really should try that now that I've woken up to what the packaging was telling me!!) but I have done the blush thing.  This warm and rosy, almost peach shade is shot with golden shimmer which did scare me a little in the pan but it effectively translates to a warm luminous glow on my cheeks - love!

Maybelline Eyestudio quad (70 Copper Chic) - This quad offers a rose gold shimmer shadow as a lid shade (second from left in the palette above).  Depending on your colouring this application will either work for you or make you look a bit red-eyed and tired.  With my pale translucent eyelids and light coloured eyes I'm in that latter category BUT I've still been able to make this colour work by using it as a transition shade in crease. I'm heaving a sigh of relief here because I really wanted this shade to work for me somehow!

...& Lips...

Mirenesse Velvet Lip Lift (44) - More rose with a gold shimmer than actual rose gold.  I received this opaque gloss as a free gift with a local weekly magazine.  As you see in the swatch below this lip colour is super glossy but pigmented enough to wear alone.

Models Prefer Lip Gloss Pencil (Perfectly Polished) - I've worn this pencil a lot as you can see from the stubby looking thing above.  It's a warmer, more coppery than my Velvet Lip Lift tube and the closest to a rose gold lip colour in my collection.  I have a few of these MP pencils and love them for their easy application, as they glide onto my lips for opaque shiny colour.



Swatched Left to Right:
Hot Mama!, Copper Chic, Velvet Lip Lift 44, Perfectly Polished

Nail colours

The Face Shop (17 - Pearl Brown) - Up until a few months ago this was the only true rose gold polish in my collection.  I've had it for quite a while too!

 Sportsgirl Nail It! (Rose Gold) & Face of Australia (Studio 54) - These two Australian glitter polishes released over the past few months happen to be dupes and I don't know how I didn't figure that out until I swatched them. If you have one of these then you definitely don't need the other.

OPI (Sprung) - Deep rose gold, coppery foil released in Mariah Carey's collection.  My favourite. The end.

Swatched Left to Right:
Rose Gold layered over Pearl Brown, Pearl Brown alone, Rose Gold, Studio 54, Sprung

Do you prefer rose gold, yellow gold,  white gold or do you love all three?

Until next time.

Revlon Moon Candy Nail Enamel: 240 Eclipse

Hi everybody!!!

I'm finally back where I belong, and in front of my trusty keyboard! I have genuinely missed doing this.

The next few posts will be fillers while I get all my vacation pictures - including all the goodies hauled from Hong Kong and Singapore - organized and ready to share.

Okay let's start with a manicure featuring a polish from Revlon's newish Moon Candy nail art line.  I had high hopes for this polish duo but it didn't really deliver.  The Eclipse duo features a dark purple cream base shade and a blue-pink flakie topcoat to be applied as the topping for added bling and texture.  I'd seen an advertorial where the flakie was only applied to the nail tips and gave an opaque, glittery coverage so I've attempted to replicate the effect here. What can I say? I tried. I applied two coats of flakie topcoat to the tips, got a rough, lumpy mess but nowhere near as opaque a glitter coverage as was in the ad pictures, which I cannot find ANYWHERE to give you the comparison.  To smooth out the transition from base to tip I applied two coats of regular top coat. Oh well. Here are my results.

  All pictures were taken in cloudy, wintry Melbourne conditions:

Have you tried Revlon's Moon Candy polish? 

What was your experience?

Until next time.