Happy Christmas!

Just a message to wish you all a very merry Christmas

^_^

For some reason I don't seem to be harbouring many festive feelings this year, but nonetheless I will enjoy spending an entire day with family and eating endless amounts of food :D

Have a good one!

Jia

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Lavshuca Melting Eyes Eyeshadow Palette in BR-01 Review

I'm slowly making my way through my Hong Kong beauty stash and am happy to be able to share another review with you ^^

Today's review, as the title already mentions, is on the Lavshuca palette I picked up.

Like most girls, a palette of neutrals is vitally important for everyday looks and I am no different.

I have several palettes where the main colour scheme is, boringly put, brown. But then again who would have thought that the colour none of us liked as children would become a much loved favourite as we grow up.

Ok onto the review!

STATS

A simple palette containing four shades perfect to creating a pretty everyday eye make up, also perfect for use with gyaru make up. The palette contains a cream, honey-brown, taupe and chocolate brown shade, all of which are shimmery.

Under natural lighting

Under flash

PACKAGING

I absolutely adore the packaging of this palette. The metallic cover, font and decoration at the corners helps the palette to look subtly princessy without being too over the top. I also love how the prism effect on the lid make the shadows look like jewels. However I do find the packaging to feel a little less sturdy than I would like it to be.

While the lid is clear, the bottom part of the palette is of a deep burgundy colour, adding slightly to the regal feel. The shadows are packed closely together with little extra room between and around the shadows, and there is a small compartment enough for one applicator. The product itself comes with a small double ended applicator; both ends are sponges and are differently sized for ease of application.

RATING: 4/5

QUALITY

These shadows are amazingly soft and buttery but hardly have any fallout. They apply like a dream with fingers, sponge tips or brushes and blend well. Pigmentation is also very good, as you can see on the finger swatches, but do need a little layering into order to achieve the full intensity.

I love how the four shades have got me covered on every level, the lightest shades can be used as a highlight or base whereas the darker shades can be used to shade, contour and line my eyes. I know every other palette with a gradation of shades can do the same thing, but the shimmer particles in this palette add a hint of pretty glimmer to my lids without being too  harsh or difficult to blend.

RATING: 5/5

Swatches! (Under flash)

PRICING
I picked up this palette for 98 HKD, which is roughly around £8. Most drugstore palettes in England cost around the same price but I would say this palette is more worth the price.
RATING: 5/5

LONGEVITY
These shadows last well on my lower lids without a primer, but as usual I require a primer for my upper lids.
RATING: 4/5


I would definitely repurchase this palette if I ever manage to use it all up, I really enjoy its buttery soft texture and softly enhancing properties. It's a definite recommendation from me, but if you want to try something different to brown shades, pick up 0R-1 instead. It comes with a soft shimmery orange shade that looks amazing for brightening the eye.

Jia
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Baking Attempts

It's been a while since I've done any posts like these! I love to bake but don't do it very often, for some reason baking always takes me AGES. Also I think my oven needs calibrating, but I cannot be bothered to get an oven thermometer for now.

Anyway here's what I've made recently, and they were both for the other half.

For our anniversary, I decided to make him unicorn poop cookies! I saw a lady make a tutorial on Youtube for these and they looked so amazing that I had to try them out! I did have to make a few modifications to the recipe though due to a different supply of ingredients but they still turned out great ^^ They're such an unhealthy snack but once in a while won't hurt eh? XD


I stuck the silver balls in before baking and they were baked for a little too long...hence the slightly mashed and melted appearance. This is why I need to calibrate my oven, if the temperature is actually correct I wouldn't have to guess baking times to make sure I don't accidentally give food poisoning to people eating my cookies!

If you want to make these too, click this link here :)

For his birthday I made him snickerdoodles! I wanted to make something Ice King related but didn't have enough time to plan it properly so chose something much more simple in the end. I gained success with this as he LOVED them! I think it was more the cinnamon coating than my efforts XD Snickerdoodles don't actually look very appetising but they are so freaking delicious! Their small size makes it really easy to eat one after another after another....after another and another XD The recipe for these was from  blog I randomly found, click here for the recipe ^^

Jia

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Parado Eyeshadow Palette in PK-01 Review

Today's review is on an eyeshadow palette I picked up in Hong Kong.

I'd never heard of Parado before and decided to give it a go because 1) it was on offer for $58 down from $140 and 2) it came with a free blusher (which ended up in my sister's stash).

STATS
A Japanese brand produces an eyeshadow palette containing a pale cream shade with pink undertones, a light peach-pink shade, a hot pink fuchsia shade and a dark grey-purple.

Under flash

Under daylight

 PACKAGING

It comes in a sturdy feeling plastic case, with a cute polka dot design on the lid with a heart revealing a peek of the shadows inside. The palette is sort of large in my opinion, considering it only contains four shadows and one applicator. The applicator is double ended, one side a white sponge, the other a soft brush. I can't comment on how well the applicator works but I think they would do a decent job. The little compartment for the applicator seems a little wide though for just one applicator.

RATING: 4/5

QUALITY

The quality of these shadows is actually quite good. I find them soft, buttery and blendable, although the darkest shade can be a little chalky. My favourite shades are the two lightest ones, they contain a lovely amount of shimmer and are great for highlighting your eyes. The hot pink shade also has a great texture but unfortunately I don't think I'll have many uses for it, hot pink just isn't one of my go-to shades XD I have found the shadows to actually be covered with a layer of shimmer that disappears once you've swatched them, revealing that the shadows have more of a satin finish but still have a nice amount of shimmer. Pigmentation of these shadows is light but buildable, something I prefer as I easier to control the intensity of the shadows.
RATING: 4/5

Swtaches under flash

LONGEVITY

Without a primer, these shadows manage to last all day with a little fading on my lower lids.

I have to use a primer when I use shadow on my upper lids though otherwise my overlapping eyelids will never allow any eyeshadow to last beyond an hour. With a primer, the shadows can also last all day with only a little fading on my upper lids.

RATING: 3.5/5

PRICING

For $58, the palette is an absolute bargain! I don't think I would have purchased it for the full price though considering the brand was unknown to me.

RATING: 5/5 (at bargain price)

Overall, I would definitely recommend this palette to anyone who wishes to add a pink-based palette to their collection. I'm very glad I bought this as I very rarely wore pink eye make up before I bought this, but now I find pink a very sweet shade to wear.

Thank you for dropping by!
Jia
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1 Day Acuvue Define Lenses in Natural Shine Review

I'd known about these lenses for some time thanks to Youtube videos from Hong Kong beauty gurus and have always been intruiged by them, they have been specially created to enhance dark eyes, which is probably why these lenses are only for sale in Hong Kong and Macau (but what about the rest of Asia? o.O)

There are three different designs: Accent, Vivid and Natural Shine, as shown below.

Accent and Vivid were the first designs to appear, followed by Natural Shine (the most popular according to the optician). I also purchased the Vivid style, which I shall review later.

 The lenses come in a card box, shown above, each box containing 30 lenses. 

 The diameter is 14.2, but it definitely does not have the enlargement effect of circle lenses with diameter 14.0. The base curve is 8.5, something you should definitely take into consideration, I will explain later.

The box also has a picture of the lens design printed on it, it definitely looks more interesting than the lens in real life.

The lenses come in blister packs like these, convenient for travelling, just like all 1-day lenses.

So do I like these lenses? 

Let's take a closer look.

 It's not a very clear picture but you can see the main design of the lens. Apart from the grey, there is also a spiky, light yellow-brown ring that sits on the spokes of the grey ring. The brown ring is actually a lot less noticeable compared to the picture on the box, and the real lens is lacking the dark grey limbal ring found on the box design.

Here I have the lenses on both eyes. The effect is very natural, the lenses add a soft grey ring around your irises, gently helping to define them. The brown ring is not visible at all on my eyes. 

Although the enlargement is not very noticeable, I actually really like the effect these lenses impart. They definitely make my eyes look more dolly and sweet, and according to my boyfriend, my eyes 'look like marbles in a good way'. His exact words. Whatever floats your boat, eh?

You can see the 'marble' effect more clearly in the above picture. The grey ring blends very well with my brown eyes, and actually looks as though my eyes are naturally like that.

However of course there is a small downfall. The actual lens design in quite a narrow ring, so if your iris is naturally quite small, the ring may reveal some sclera. When taking pictures, the lenses don't actually cover my iris entirely, as you can see above. However in reality, I don't seem to have to this problem (although I don't constantly look at myself in the mirror).

I took the lens out of my left eye to compare the size difference. The enlargement is noticeable when you compare both eyes, but when you have both lenses in, most people won't realise that you're wearing lenses. 

When it comes to the design and effect it gives, I am a big fan of these lenses. I do love wearing my circle lenses but sometimes it's nice to wear something more simple and a little less adventurous.

These lenses are also the most comfortable lenses I have tried, I can wear them for around 12 hours without my eyes feeling tired or dry. They are really soft, much softer than your usual circle lenses, but not so soft to the point where they're flimsy and nearly impossible to insert onto your eye.

However, I do have my problems with these lenses unfortunately :(

I have astigmatism in both eyes and usually I don't have any problems with my circle lenses but I do with these lenses. This is where the base curve comes into play. My circle lenses have a base curve of 8.6 or 8.7, but as these are 8.5, they don't fit my eye correctly. My vision throughout the day fluctuates from being relatively clear to blurry. Most of the time, these lenses are fine to wear, I managed to watch a movie with these lenses without any problems, probably because there's always so much going on I don't spot any anomalies with my vision. The main problems arise when I concentrate on one area for too long, such as reading a menu. The lenses like to move a little and disrupt my vision, not exactly fun T_T
I can't quite understand why this problem arose though as I read that differences of 1mm shouldn't be too much of a problem.

My overall verdict?
Design: 2.5/5 - Nothing that interesting.
Effect: 5/5 - I really love the effect these lenses give.
Enlargement: 2/5 - nothing drastic but enough to make your eyes twinkle.
Comfort: 3/5 - the softness of these lenses is amazing but the occasional blurriness I experience is rather annoying. 

I would definitely recommend these lenses to anyone who wishes to try something natural looking yet can add something special to your eyes; I would also say these lenses are suitable for absolutely any occasion.
Please do take the base curve in to account though.

I purchased these lenses from an opticians in Hong Kong for 220HKD a box.

Thanks for reading!
Hope you found it useful :)

Jia
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Hong Kong Skincare Haul

It's been nearly a month since I returned from Hong Kong, I still miss that place like crazy! :( Nevertheless here is my skincare haul!

 

I didn't buy that many face creams, mainly because I take ages to finish them.

I bought the Sana Nameraka Honpo Moisturising Cream because I'd heard nice things about it, and also decided to buy the milk on a whim. I also bought the Q10 serum because it apparently makes your skin glowy ^^

Need I even explain why I bought the Tony Moly Bunny Mist? It's so cute!

The Shills Rose Night Cream was also bought on a whim, I played around with the tester and I liked the smell and texture so off home it came with me.

Three boxes of My Beauty Diary Face Masks (Pearl, Birds Nest and Sake) and a box of masks from a brand whose name I cannot read (help?)

The Beauty Diary ones were on offer at every beauty store so naturally I stocked up a bit ^^

Cleansers! There were lots of Bifesta adverts around so I caved and bought the Bright Up Cleansing lotion. A review search revealed that the company produces some amazing cleansers, glad I bought it.

Of course I had to buy at least one Hada Labo product. I'd always wanted to try the Tamagohada face wash. Skin that resembles a freshly peeled boiled egg? Yes please!

And a couple of sunscreens. I didn't actually get these in Hong Kong, I couldn't find them ANYWHERE TT

I ended up ordering them online when I returned to England.

That's the end of skincare!

If I can get my lazy ass moving, I will be posting up hair purchases soon ^^

Jia

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Dry Skin Woes!

As a dry skin sufferer myself, I know how horrible it is trying to apply make up over dry and flaky skin. What makes it worse is that the dry patches were not visible at all until you apply make up over it and then when you try to fix it with moisturiser, it actually makes matters worse TT

Let me share some tips with you to try and make dry skin something to be left in the past!

1) Everyone says it ALL the time. Please exfoliate your skin. I used to think that people with dry skin should exfoliate as little as possible as you don't want to dry out your skin. That is until a SA at Smashbox reminded me that exfoliating actually causes your skin to produce more oil, just what us dry skin sufferers need! What you should keep in mind is to not use an exfoliant that foams. I prefer to use the liquigels that dissolve away skin cells such as Cure Natural Aqua Gel, or AHA/BHA cleansers; Soap and Glory do one which is more of a cleansing milk. Here, I have photographed the Tamagohada cleanser by Hada Labo but I haven't used it yet hence can't comment on its efficacy. From reviews that I have read, it does foam a little but is apparently very good at what it does. If you prefer exfoliants with scrubby bits, I'm not actually sure which ones do not foam, so I suggest mixing some baking soda and a little water to make a paste. Remember to go gently!  

Cure Natural Aqua Gel - this is actually my sister's but I like to steal it because it
really is pretty good!
Hada Labo Tamagohada Face wash - for skin as smooth as a freshly peeled egg!

2) Layer your skincare! I'm currently using Hada Labo's Gokujyun line. Before the temperature dropped in England, I was only using the moisturising milk, but since the temperature has fallen I started layering the lotion underneath it too. A word of warning, when layering lots of different skincare items together, it may actually change the pH levels of the products or can affect their efficacy. I actually agree with using products from the same line as they should have been created to work together harmoniously, but even then I only layer maximum three skincare items on at any one time. If you want to use products from different lines, try to leave a five minute gap between layers to ensure the previously applied products have been fully absorbed.

Before bedtime, I like to apply Embryolisse Lait-Creme Concentre to nourish my skin overnight.

Gokujyun Lotion - Hada Labo's most famous product. I shall be doing a more detailed review on this soon
Gokujyun Milk - one of my favourite moisturisers.
Embryolisse - a make up artist favourite for moistursing and priming skin.

3) Don't over wash your skin. Overzealous cleansing can disrupt your skin's pH level, diminishing its ability to protect itself from bacteria and external stress factors. In the mornings I only wash with warm water, and in the evenings I simply use a cleansing water before rinsing with warm water again. I will use an eye make up remover or exfoliator depending on the situation. I favour cleansing waters because my skin seems to prefer it to oil or milk cleansers and I also find them more refreshing. I'm currently using the Beautiful Skin Cleansing Water by No7, it's not a bad product but I just wish it didn't smell so strange..sort of like a sweet floral smell? Bioderma's Solution Micellaire is unscented and good at cleansing but I actually find it a little drying. My favourite so far is Embrolisse's Lotion Micellaire which I bought when I visited the IMATS earlier this year, unfortunately it ran out a while back and is very difficult to find in England :(

No7 Cleansing Water and Bioderma's Solution Micellaire.
Have you tried these before? Any thoughts?

4) Apply moisturiser over warm, damp skin! Trapping a layer of moisture underneath your creams and lotions helps to keep your skin hydrated while also improving the absorption of your products.

5) And the most obvious, eat well! Drink lots of water and eat foods rich in omega-3 (salmon, walnuts, avocados), vitamin A (leafy greens and orange coloured vegetables), vitamin E (nuts and seeds, olive oil) and zinc (turkey and yoghurt).

And I've come to the end of this post!

Hopefully some of you found this useful, let me know if you have any questions :)

Jia

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Imju Fiberwig Mascara Review

An extremely popular mascara across Asia, it is finally my turn to do a review on this mascara's performance. With its abundance of fibres and glossy black formula, does it really live up to its claim of 'painting on false eyelashes'? Well why don't we look at the evidence.

First off, some images of the mascara, the brush applicator and formula.

Shiny red tube and a silver cap with a holographic effect. I'm generally not too bothered about packaging unless it's super ugly or extremely pretty, this mascara happens to have packaging that doesn't bother me.

The brush is slightly curved to make it easier to 'spoon' the mascara onto your lashes while giving it lift. The slightly pointy tip also makes it easier to apply the fibres onto the tips of your lashes vertically.

The formula contains lots and lots of fibres to help lengthen your lashes and it's glossy texture forms the film that helps to adhere the fibres to your lashes and create a 'tube-like' covering around your lashes.

 

The verdict? Well from me, it's receiving a bank of mixed feelings. While the Fiberwig mascara does not live up to its amazing claims of creating a false lash effect, the results I achieved with this mascara were satisfactory. The mascara really does lengthen your lashes, and does provide a small amount of extra volume. Let's look at some pictures.

Just my bare eye so your can see how short my lashes are and can compare length differences :) 

One layer of Fiberwig. Slightly darkened lashes and some definition. What I like most is that my curl is still intact.

Two layers of Fiberwig. The difference is actually pretty impressive, huh? My lashes definitely stand out more and have 'grown' by the looks of things! 

Noticed the clumpy lashes near the end of my eye? Yes, me too. Like any mascara, the Fiberwig can get clumpy when multiple layers are applied. I didn't bother combing through my lashes though, hence the clumpiness.

Side by side comparison of bare eye and eye with three layers of Fiberwig. Lashes are noticeable (although slightly askew, that's just how they grow ^^") and they actually point upwards! ^^

Aaaaaand just a view of my lashes from above. The mascara's lengthening properties are actually rather impressive, it lengthens to an appropriate length without making lashes look spidery or making them feel crunchy while thickening the lash hairs to give the illusion of volume.

One other good thing about the Fiberwig though is that it really is super easy to remove. I just run some warm water over my face in the shower, rub gently with my fingers and the mascara can literally be pulled off in tubes. The tubes can look a little like fly or spider legs though...just thought I'd warn you...but it's actually really fun to pull them off :D And no, your lashes won't come off with the tubes when you pull at them (unless you're really tugging at it..which is kinda uncalled for...)

Now you're probably wondering why I said I have mixed feelings for this mascara. My lashes are very finicky and only a few mascaras with allow my lashes to hold its curl. When I first tried the Imju Fiberwig, it dropped my curl almost immediately when I applied it due to its rather wet formula. However when I decided to give it a go at a later date, the formula could actually hold my curl! Although it doesn't hold it as beautifully as some other mascaras, I am still very happy that it no longer causes my lashes to droop. I guess after being opened for a while the formula dried out a little, hence making it better at holding a curl. This sorta annoys me though, I don't want to have to wait a month or two for my mascara to dry out before it can perform properly TT 

Also, although the photos show this mascara to be quite promising, I very rarely wear the Fiberwig mascara on its own. I have achieved better results when combining it with another mascara hence will always opt for the better looking result. However I would say the Fiberwig is good for daytime looks when you want to add a some length and definition to your lashes without being too dramatic.

Overall, give the Fiberwig a go if you're looking for a mascara that produces more natural looks and is super easy to remove, but if your lashes droop easily like mine, remember that the mascara may only start working satisfactorily once it's been opened for a little while.

If you're still interested in trying this mascara though, here are a couple of application tips. First, use the tip of the brush vertically to apply the mascara to the tips of your lashes. This will help attach fibres to the tips of your lashes and essentially 'extend' them. Then use the curved side horizontally to sweep the mascara from the base to tips of your lashes to help 'lock' the fibres onto your lashes while also creating a thicker, more volumised effect. You may also want to consider using a lash comb if you apply many layers to help stop lashes from clumping. I also use the same technique for my bottom lashes.

Hope this review was helpful!

And again I apologise for my excessive rambling and huge chunks of text ^^"
I will look for ways of breaking up the text a little to make it less visually daunting.
EDIT: do the little gifs make any difference? Although those grey boxes are really bugging me TT

Jia

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It's been a very long time!

Sorry for the complete lack of posts for over a month! But I'm back now and will try to post more regularly ^^ (after all it's not as though I have very much to do..) I arrived back from Hong Kong a few days ago and am just about recovering from the jet lag. I didn't think I was affected until I had a driving lesson and found my concentration level just wasn't up to scratch ^^"

Anyway! Hong Kong was amazing and I didn't want to leave :( The majority of my family reside there so it was great being able to see them again ^^ also the food was just amazing, and SO cheap! Around £2 for a McDonalds meal?! They also sell a taro pie, taste wise it wasn't anything to scream home about, but it was purple inside so that meant it won a lot of points :D 

I managed to do quite a bit of shopping while I was there too, mainly make up and skincare, with the odd piece of clothing and jewellery. I'll be posting up my hauls and reviews along with them very soon ^^ (come to think of it, I better check my previous posts and find what other reviews I've promised but haven't written yet, sorry guys!)

I'll leave you with my make up haul from HK, please let me know if there's anything you would like me to review first ^^

I only bought two eyeshadow palettes, one by Lavshuca and the other by Parado.

I'd never heard of Parado before, but it came with a free blusher (which I gave to my sister before photographing) and it was also on sale :D 

Mascaras! ^^ I finally managed to buy myself Majolica Majorca Lash Expander Frame Plus mascara!

I also wanted to try the new formulas of the Heroine Make mascaras as I loved their previous ones.

They just so happened to come with free eye make up remover and mascara remover, bonus! ^^

Ahhh it was like a miniature dream come true to be able to go to a drugstore and find Dollywink lashes XD I picked up No.9 Natural Dolly, No.11 Pure Sweet and No.14 Natural Cute (which came with a free extra pair! ^^). I also bought a box of Taiwan lashes for $15, definitely a bargain!

Lastly, lip products! I bought three Canmake lipsticks because I simply went crazy. I bought two of the melty nude colours (No.2 Creamy Nude and No.3 Baby Pink) and one creamy touch colour (No.3 Sweet Cherry). I also picked up two Tony Moly Petite Bunny Gloss Bars in Juicy Cherry and Juicy Orange, Maybelline Baby Lips lipbalm in Cherry Velvet, Revlon lipstick in Raspberry and a Loreal Watershine lipstick in Shiny Apricot :D

Yes I already have an excessive number of lipsticks but I just couldn't resist :D

Hope you've all had a good weekend!

Jia

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Natural Mask for Soft Glowing Skin

If you're looking for a simple remedy to help with any minor skin ailments you might have because of the change in weather (I'm currently writing this post in front of the fire because it's too cold for my liking and I haven't adjusted yet T_T), why don't you try this mask out? A simple concoction of natural yoghurt, honey and oats may give your skin the boost it needs to look fresh and glowing again.

Firstly, I apologise for the rubbish quality of these photographs. I decided to use my ipod touch without realising just how crap the quality of the camera is.

The ingredients are very simple, as mentioned above. Of course always use the organic versions if you can, but here I'm simply using Tesco's own brand natural yoghurt, ASDA's acacia honey and some oats I found in the cupboard. 

Add half a tablespoon of ground oats, half a tablespoon of yoghurt and about half a teaspoon of honey. I didn't measure out the honey to be honest, it comes in a squeezy bottle.

Mix it all up and you'll end up with a porridge-like consistency. You can apply this mask straight to a cleansed face or leave it for a while to make sure the oats are softened. Leave for around 15 minutes or so then remove by using circular motions and some warm water before finally rinsing off. The mask should be good for two uses, so cover the rest and leave in the fridge for later.

After using this mask, my skin immediately looked a lot softer, pores less obvious and the texture was smoother. Heads up, my skin has broken out a little recently from a retinol cream hence the yoghurt stung my skin a little. If you have irritated skin like me, skip the yoghurt and honey, just soak the oats in a little warm water and apply the paste to your face.

Also, you may find you achieve better results if you used ground up oats. I used to use whole oats but the results were never as obvious as the results I saw today. It must be something to do with increasing the surface area and allowing more of the good stuff in oats to seep out. You can either buy ground up oats, use a food grinder or simply use a knife and a chopping board. I used a knife today, takes a little while but if you have nothing else better to do while watching TV...

Please try out this mask if your skin is looking a little flaky and dull, it costs hardly anything so you don't really have much to lose if it doesn't work out, but I'm pretty confident it will work a treat ^^

Jia

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Recent Haul!

Even though I shall soon be spending a couple of weeks in Hong Kong and spending all my money there, I just couldn't resist a few items I've seen recently in the shops. I did promise myself I wouldn't buy anymore make up till I arrive in HK but that didn't exactly go to plan...but it was only like four or five make up pieces...that's nothing, right?! :D (not shown in this post btw)

From left to right: The Body Shop's Strawberry Body Mist, Boot's Botanics Soothing Eye Make Up Remover and Lacura's Concealer pen.

The Body Shop has added a range of new body mist fragrances to their collection recently and there are a range of different scents including mango, coconut (it smells delicious, I may actually go back and get it), vanilla and a couple others whose name I cannot remember. The strawberry one is absolutely amazing, it's fresh and light and although smells a little artificial, I still like it ^^

Boot's has recently revamped their entire Botanics range. The packaging looks a little more modern and focuses more on lighter plastic packaging rather than the bulky glass packaging they used to use. I've used a few of the items from this range before but nothing really impressed me apart from the well loved double phase eye make up remover. The new bottle also comes with a new formula, Boots has replaced the Icelandic moss ingredient in the old formula with Hibiscus and removed a lot of the parabens. I guess the brown colour of the oil phase looks a little more natural than the green oil in the older versions but I can't comment on how well this new one performs just yet. I need to finish my current bottles off first!

On a random internet search, I came across Lacura's concealer pen, otherwise known as Aldi's £3.59 answer to YSL's Touche Eclat. Obviously I had to buy it just because it's so darn cheap and also, concealer pens are fun to use ^^ To be honest, I don't see the fuss with the Touche Eclat, maybe I have the wrong shade or something? Who knows, maybe I'll have to try shade 1.5 or 2 for a better match.

I also purchased Garnier's new Dark Spot Corrector. I have a lot of patchy scarring from the odd spot and I also want to get of sun induced freckles so I decided to give this a try. It's contains vitamin C at 5% concentration so it sounds pretty promising! Will have to test this out for the next few weeks and will document any changes! ^^

And that's it for my mini haul! I'll review some items in more detail when I've tested them out :D 

Have a good weekend!

Jia

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Hada Labo UV Moist Emulsion SPF50 PA+++ Review

Gosh the names of these Japanese products are just too long. However as you can probably tell by the post title, today I am reviewing a Japanese sunscreen product.

I used to rely on the minimal SPF15 in my daily moisturisers to help protect my skin from the sun before I realised that these creams didn't indicate whether they protected me from UVA rays. I started looking into actual sunscreens that people would only normally purchase during summer but found them heavy and greasy. My online searches led me to Japanese sunscreens, specifically this one by Hada Labo and I'm glad I bought and tried it.

Just some quick info about Hada Labo: they're a Japanese-American collaboration brand whose philosophy is 'Perfect x Simple'. They don't use colourants, additives, mineral oil or fragrances in their products and only use ingredients of the highest and purest quality to ensure their products have the highest level of efficacy. 

I also use their oh-so-famous gokujyun lotion, face cream and milk and I must say, their whole gokujyun (moistursing) line is AMAZING. It's kept my face soft and spot free throughout the last two months. (Even during the days when hormones should be playing havoc with my skin!) 

When I bought this there seemed to be two different versions available, this 'moist' one and another suitable for oiler skins. I can't seem to find the other one now though so they've probably stopped it, afterall they have recently revamped their hyaluronic acid ingredient.

The bottle is very sleek and slim, perfect for travelling. Although it only contains 38ml, it's lasted me around 3 months or so. A little goes a long way! There's also a little chunk of plastic inside that rattles when you shake the bottle, I guess it helps distribute the sunscreen elements equally within the liquid. The bottle packaging means it's more hygienic too as you don't need to dip your fingers into a pot to get the sunscreen out.

The nozzle is very slim too and its little spout prevents too much sunscreen from spilling out at once.

The texture is very runny (I don't think the picture shows it) which is why a little goes a long way and it's incredibly easy to blend. 

Blurry pic! Sorry!

Above is the unblended sunscreen just to show its watery consistency.

Not forgetting that this is the moist version, the sunscreen leaves a layer or oil of your skin. (It's shown as a slightly sheeny layer on my hand). It's a very light oil which absorbs after a couple of minutes. The oil might be a little annoying for users with oiler skins as it can probably feel quite heavy. Occasionally the oil feels annoying on my own skin (which is primarily dry) but if you keep your hair clipped out of the way and let it absorb, the oil shouldn't pose too much of a problem.

Of course one of the main things that attracted me to this sunscreen was that it provided protection against both UVA and UVB rays. I can't really vouch for the UVA protection yet, but I used this sunscreen in Spain and I didn't get any sunburn on my face. (Nor did I tan :D) Two thumbs up for that! ^^

The susncreen also contains hyaluronic acid, one of the best hydrating ingredients available, hence you can use this as your sole moisturiser if you so please. Hada Labo also likes to state that this sunscreen can also act an a make up base, so you can kill three birds with one stone: sun protection, moisturisation and make up base. Can't complain about that ^^

Overall, I love this sunscreen and will definitely repurchase (but of course I will try out other sunscreens that seem equally as amazing). The fact that it didn't break me out, stopped me from burning in the sun and kept my skin soft makes it a clear winner in my eyes.

Hope fully this review was helpful! Any questions and comments, please let me know ^^

Jia

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