Review: Kose Clear Turn Hyaluronic Acid Mask

Today I will be reviewing a product! It's another mask... Yeah I know I've been only reviewing masks these days but I haven't been applying makeup lately due to stress induced acne (so sad right?)

Also I've been having some ear piercing infection problems since last week. I first got my earlobe pierced in August so my piercing is not that old yet. I wear all 14-18k gold/white gold earrings so not a problem with the metal allergy. Last week I had some yellowish puss, redness and swelling but I did a hot water sea salt bath for my ear everyday for 1 wk. I shouldn't have stopped but this week my ear seemed to be normal so I stopped. However now it's getting itchy again and my earlobe is still swollen (no redness though). I don't think it's really necessary to go to the doctor since there's no puss or bleeding. Right now I'm doing the salt bath again and using the solution from the piercing place. What do you all do when you get piercing infections?

Anyway on to the review!

Kose Clear Turn White Hyaluronic Acid Mask

This mask is sometimes available in Mitsuwa but I would recommend checking Sasa out

Instructions and some details about how hyaluronic acid works. Read more about Hyaluronic Acid in my review for the Hada Labo Facewash.

When you open the package

On my face

Pros:

- Very, very moisturizing! A+

- Mask fabric is thin but liquid solution is gel-like and very concentrated

- Mask fabric reminds me of a paper towel, sticks so well to my face and fits my face well

- After I pat residue on my face, my face is very smooth

- No scent, no irritation

Cons:

- Leaves a slight stickiness but goes away immediately after patting in residue

Overall Rating:

5/5 :)

For my Japanese class I had to make a Kyaraben or Character Bento. Bento is a very big cultural aspect of Japanese life, bento is basically a lunch box or box food. There are varieties of bento from cheap convenience store bento to very deluxe and high quality bento with gourmet food (some cost 100 dollars or more...).

A kyaraben was originally a creation made by mothers for their children to make food appealing to eat. Also the kyaraben was made to combat picky eaters or other problems that some children have such as the dislike for vegetables. In general, the kyaraben is just so fun to look at and eat!

So this is my kyaraben...

Isn't it kind of scary and cute at the same time?

It's actually supposed to be Totoro but I'm not very good at making kyaraben to look exactly like the character so this is my best.. Haha. I'm going to try to make bento for myself at least once a week and maybe improve my cooking skills. Most kyaraben use cute cutters to make shapes and various accessories like decoration toothpicks. I have these little rice shaping molds that make rice into cute animals like rabbits, frogs, and bears but I don't know where those molds went!

Hauling: Sasa and Shu Uemura

Happy Belated Halloween! I didn't go out yesterday for any halloween celebration, I celebrated on Friday.

I also finished the early app that was due for November 1st :) Thank you to all of those who left very nice and comforting comments!

Here's my Halloween costume:

Do you know who I am? Take a guess. I'm a popular 60's cartoon character--which one? :)

I was in a group with a bunch of people doing all of the characters from this particular cartoon.

So I've made some hauls during the month of October that I haven't shared with you guys. I decided to take advantage of the sale at Sasa and go for the Silk Whitia buy one get one free deal. I picked three types of masks and and got 6 boxes in total... I'm not really sure if I love the Silk Whitia masks as some others do. I've used two kinds so far: the Anti Oxidation Whitening Mask and the Whitening and Moisturizing Mask. I also got the free little cookie mirror that came with the special free shipping deal but I found out I have the SAME exact one--my friend gave one to me last year.

My Initial Thoughts:

- After leaving it on for 25-30 minutes (maybe that's too long?), I felt the mask creating some filmy substance that peeled from my skin if I rubbed it

- No sticky residue but again, the strange peeling layer after drying on the skin

- Whitening action was moderate, moisture was good

- High quality fabric and very gel-like consistency

- Scent is a bit like baby wipes--not really appealing but not a bad scent

Can somebody tell me if this peeling thing happened to you too? It's like I put on a peeling mask and rubbed my face to remove the mask... Haha. Maybe it's because I left the mask on for too long...

Second haul was from Shu Uemura. I bought some items from the new Holiday '09 collection that features Tsumori Chisato. I bought only two items and none of them were makeup items. For some reason, the eyeshadow palettes didn't really appeal to me at all, most colors were not so special so I didn't buy them. I wanted the lipstick but I was afraid of the brownish color (however now that I see swatches.. I want it LOL). So I decided to get the two items that would really show the cute pattern and design of Tsumori Chisato.

The Cosmetic Pouch

Cute box!

Haha this pic reminds me of a black animal opening its mouth.

Isn't the star zipper adorable?

The puffiness of the pouch makes it look a little large... but it's cute!

2nd item: The Mirror

The box is not as cute but it's nice and simple.

It comes with a little pouch which is like this strange fleece like fabric... Reminds me of Old Navy pajamas that had the label: don't leave near fire/flame. I wish it came in a satin or velvet pouch!

Cute pattern right? I'm comparing it to my freebie Minnie Mouse mirror I got from the MORE magazine for September. It's very similar... -_-; The angle is a bit different though. I prefer the Tsumori Chisato/Shu Uemura mirror angle better.

Size is overall about the same. The pattern is adorable though! Maybe the cat mirror is a teeny bit studier than the Minnie mouse one.

Hehe, silly pic of my shooting myself in the mirror. Do you like my orange nails? They complemented my Halloween costume (the sweater especially). The shade is from Zoya.

Review: My Beauty Diary Lavender Mask + Lookbook

Wow it's already been a week since I've last updated!
How time flies so fast...

Today I will do another mask review (I've been really into masks lately).

Product Review: My Beauty Diary Provence Lavender Mask

Out of the Package: Folded

On my face!

Pros

- Very soft and thick fabric! Not cheap material. Packaging is cute and compact too.

- Non sticky liquid, absorbs quickly into the skin and doesn't leave sticky residue

- Relatively cheap (but I received this from a friend. Thanks Penny!) Sold on Sasa, etc.

- Left my face very cool, soft and moist. Left it on for 25-30 minutes

- I hate artificial Lavender smells but this one didn't smell bad at all!! Smelled mild too :)

Cons

- Stung a tiny bit after the mask started drying in the end of 30 minutes

- The shape of the mask doesn't perfectly fit my face so I often have to fold over the sides

Overall Rating

5/5 - Can't wait to get more!

Lookbook of Last Week

Wednesday

I'm very grunge these days. Plaid shirts, leather jackets, studded and embellished accessories, skinny jeans, converse, beat-up sneakers. Maybe it's a phase or just my style in general?

Outfit Info

Leather Jacket: Zara

Long sleeve Tee: Zipia :)

Jeans: Hudson Jeans

Flats: Dolce Vita

Close up of Zipia shirt

It's a baby with a red lightning bolt... haha

Newest Acquirement

Dolce Vita studded flats!!! They were on sale on Freepeople.com for $49.95 :D

The only bad thing... they are those bendy flats so they hurt a little when I walk (esp. ankle and toe area)

Thursday

My mickey/skull sweater :) Look up literary theory of Deconstruction that explains the duality.

Outfit Info

Sweater: Disney Vintage

Jeans: Zipia!

Flats: Dolce Vita

Will try to update more outfit posts since I'm being very lazy with makeup... Also the jeans, long sleeve tee, and plaid shirt were all of my purchases from Zipia. Small I know! But I shared the order with other people so that's a good enough amount for the first time.

Hope to update again later this week if I get the chance! Thank you for new followers and old, I've reached 250+! :)

Review: Etude House 02 White Mask Sheet

How is the week going for everyone?

I haven't been totally absent from the blog world (I somehow still find time to comment sometimes... haha) but I've been negligent with my blog posts. FOTD is kind of out of the question since I don't have time to take a picture in the morning and most times the makeup has faded a bit by the time I come home. But I'll try one day!! :)

Product Review: Etude House 02 White Mask Sheet

So this post will cover a review on the Etude House O2 White Mask Sheet. I got this mask from Millie (Miu Miu) in a love pack back in July in return for some hair care things I sent her. I read somewhere that this mask is not actually a store product and is only offered as a free sample with purchase. The real product is called Etude House 02 White Mask and it comes in a big tub. You can read full reviews on the original product here at Ning*Star and Amynaree.

I didn't know what to think of this product when I first looked at it. I wasn't sure whether it was supposed to make my face "breathe" better or whiten it. Then I just guessed that it would be a whitening mask, after all, the WHITE is rather capitalized. Also I'm not able to read Korean so I didn't know what its main features were.

Scary Mask Pic:

Pros

- Whitened my face! A lot! Noticeable difference. I had uneven skin tone because I had gone scuba diving and got a weird uneven tan on my face... This mask improved the overall appearance of my skin tone

- Very soft and velvety mask material -- definitely not cheap material. It was thick, moist, and fit very well to my face.

- Scent was not overpowering and pleasant soapy/flowery perfume scent

- Liquid smoothed my skin and did not leave a sticky residue

- Slight tingly feeling when applied on my face

Cons

- This product is not sold in stores (I believe). Comes only in a tub, which is the original product. I received this as a gift and I read on some other blog that it was only offered as a GWP or something. However original tub product is available on Etude House USA website.

- It was scented -- I like unscented products. Sometimes I get scared that perfumes will irritate my skin but this scent was neither powerful or irritating! :)

Final Result

My skin is glowing!!! :) I like to use masks at least once a week or so. I used this one last week and prepared photos for a blog entry but didn't get to do a post last week. I wish this product was sold in stores because I really like it. Some people said that the original product that comes in the tub is not as pleasant smelling - like somehow chemical smelling? Not really sure... But now I want to get my hands on the tub product since I like this one so much. I have one more of this mask that I got from Millie so I'm going to save it when I really need it.

Overall Rating

5/5 - hope to purchase in tub form

Hopefully this week I will be able to update again. During the weekend it is harder to update nowadays because of my part time job. I can't even wear nail polish... T_T So what I do is I apply polish either on Sunday night after I finish my job or Monday and then remove on Saturday night. Other than that I'm busy with school work and college applications (ugh my god. Help me! lol!)

Hope the review was helpful and the next review should be the Maybelline Color Sensational lipstick! :) Let me know if you have any questions and I'll try to answer them for you.

Kose Clear Turn White Mask Review + Haul + Reminders

Finals week has finally arrived, I have my first final tomorrow! Wednesday I don't have anything because that was an AP class and Monday is double final for my double language (Spanish & Japanese<--should be easy hehe).

Anyhow I'm going to be reviewing the Kose Clear Turn Essence White Mask today. This is the description of the product on Sasa: Essence with Vitamin C conductor soaked the whole box of mask. It penetrates throug horny layer to whiten your skin with transparent feeling.

HAHA horny layer?? Gotta love "engrish" descriptions...

I purchased this mask box of 22 masks at Mitsuwa market in Edgewater, NJ. The box was on sale for $15.99, I'm not sure what the original price is. Somehow on Sasa this mask box is only $8.50, maybe it's on sale? However at the moment it is sold out on Sasa. This mask sheet box comes in three other kinds: Hyaluronic Acid, Collagen, Q10. I really want to try the Hyaluronic Acid one...

These masks have less serum in them so you can use them everyday, or 2-3 times a week, depending on your preference. Even though they might have less serum, I think they're pretty effective. The recommended time to leave this mask on is 10-15 min, I like to leave it for 15-20 min.

I've used this mask every other day for the past week and it's very refreshing! The previous week I was having problems with hydration around my eyes; the skin was flaking and red due to allergies (I was scratching my eyes). After I started using this mask, all of the flaky skin went away gradually and my skin was really hydrated.

Pros

- No sticky residue left over

- Product claims to fit nicely on the face -- I agree, it's better than the DHC fitting

- 22 masks for $16 is a good deal

- I like to use this almost everyday because masks are refreshing to me

- Hydrates my face without causing any breakout/reaction/oiliness

- Slight brightening after removal

Cons

- Packaging is a little flimsy: reseable flap sometimes doesn't seal securely

- Serum doesn't dry quickly after removal: need lots of patting

- The mask sometimes dries up quickly on one side and flaps around my face

Overall rating: 4/5

How the mask fits on my face:

How the box looks like:

What it looks like when opened:

Weekend Update/Haul:

So remember how I told you that I was going to the Estee Lauder/Aramis Warehouse sale on Saturday June 13th? Well... That was a disappointment!! I was hoping to find some huge MAC sales going on since it is after all, Estee Lauder warehouse. I woke up at 6AM and left the house at 6:45 AM to pick up two friends and go to Oakland, NJ. There was a small line of people when we got there are 7:15 AM. Then as time passed the line got longer and longer. Most of the people there were the hispanic workers that I think worked at the warehouse, since they seemed to know the employees at the warehouse sale. There were some younger people who seemed like they were interested in MAC products (like me) and maybe watched those Youtube videos of people buying lots of stuff at the Toronto MAC warehouse.

I went into the warehouse and browsed through the whole place and didn't find anything! The stuff they had were like Aramis/Estee Lauder perfume sets, Clinique set bags, Estee Lauder set cosmetic pouches, and one little Bobbi Brown set pouch. None of the things were that enticing or "rare items" like the MAC finds that people get in the Toronto warehouse T-T

Anyway, so here's how the process goes with these warehouse sales:

- Line up (make sure you go early before it opens or you will not get the good stuff)

- Enter, check ID with pass, then grab a box with a string on it

- Follow a line and keep moving while grabbing stuff (if you find anything.. haha)

- Get a mix bag if you want surprises and good deal

- Better to pay with cash because sometimes the credit line is long

- Ask the employees for product info if you don't see a specific brand! The Estee Lauder warehouse I went to had a Company Store in the back that had MAC, Clinique, Estee Lauder, and Bobbi Brown makeup products (similar to CCO)

I went into the Company Store in the back that was a lot like CCO but I feel the CCO in Woodbury had more stuff! There was a limited selection and I only purchased 2 MAC eyeshadows: Lotusland and Top Hat (pretty colors, price is meh (not bargain cheap that you would expect in warehouses) $10.25). My mom got two Bobbi Brown e/s.

My friends and family were so disappointed that we went to the nearby town called Ridgewood, looking for some place to eat at. We were originally planning to eat some dimsum but it was closed.. So then we found this great pancake house that is specialized in JUMBO pancakes for cheap price! It comes with two large size pancakes or 4 medium size (which looks like large to me). Each large pancake was the size of a small pizza! It was so large... We also ordered french toast and belgian waffles which were both gigantic as well.

Then we stopped by the Container Store for some organizer for my kitchen and I picked up these two travel shampoo bottles for 79 cents each. They look okay :)

Reminders:

I'm still having a blog sale right now -- please help support my trip to Japan! All purchases come with samples and next day/day after shipping! Thanks everyone who has previously purchased from me! CLICK HERE TO BROWSE

Whit is having her first giveaway sponsored by a Korean ebay seller: Click here to win an eye mask pack!

Lulu is also having her first giveaway: Click here to win a Korres watermelon body scrub, cute keychains and UD lippie!

Sexy Purple Look (Naomi’s Contest) + DIY Milk Face Pack

PICTURE HEAVY POST!! :D

Happy Sunday! I’ve been thinking for a couple of days about Naomi's Purple Look Contest and finally decided to go with a smoky nighttime look. I was inspired by a picture in the magazine Pinky that I made scans of in the last post, which was a sophisticated but sweet daytime look. I used some of the techniques to create a more dramatic nighttime look. To balance the dark and dramatic eyes, I made the lips a nudy pink lip color topped with some lipgloss.

This look took me 4 tries to get it right… Each time the color wouldn’t show up on the picture! -__-; I was seriously frustrated!! Sigh, then at last I asked my mom for advice since she took a modeling class when she was younger so she could pick the makeup for the models when she became a designer and could run fashion shows. I then added darker eyeshadow to create more color payoff. I hope it worked!

I could post a tutorial of this look someday, if anybody wants. I used a lot of MAC products in this look, which is really nice. I really liked the MAC lipstick and eyeshadows paired with the Dior eyeshadow, it was a nice combination.

Inspiration Pic:

Eye Products I used (in order):

Upper Lid:

NYX Jumbo Eyeshadow Pencil in Pots&Pans
MAC Eye Kohl in Phone Number
MAC Eyeshadow in Seedy Pearl
MAC Eyeshadow in Digit (up to eye hole)
Urban Decay Eyeshadow in Lounge (layered over eye hole)
MAC Eyeshadow in Satellite Dreams (1/2 eye crease)
Dior Eyeshadow (darkest one) whole eye crease
Maybelline Define-A-Lash Volume Mascara

Lower Lid:
NYX Jumbo Eyeshadow Pencil in Pots&Pans (halfway from the inner corner & tear duct)
Prestige Eyeliner in Magnetic (half from inner corner)
MAC Eyeshadow in Satellite Dreams (halfway from the outer corner)

Lips:

DHC Lip Color in PK07

MAC Lipstick in Pretty Please

Lancome Juicy Tube in Fruity Pop

BabyPink Lipgloss in Clear

Anyway, so lately I’ve been obsessed with liquid masks since my skin has been acting up. I think it’s from the combination of allergies, stress, not exercising enough, sleeping late, and eating too much Japanese sweets LOL. Many reasons!! I read about a DIY milk mask in last year’s September issue of CanCam (hehe, I collect magazines).

The steps to do this are very easy:

Step 1: Cleanse face with a face wash

Step 2: Split cotton pads into two thin pieces

Step 3: Pour a bit of milk into a bowl or cup

Step 4: Dip cotton pieces into milk, squeeze excess

Step 5: Arrange wet cotton onto face, gently stretching it to cover more skin area

Step 6: Leave on for 10-15 minutes, then pour excess milk down the drying cotton pad.

Step 7: Discard cotton pieces, wash face with face wash again, complete skin care routine.

It’s not necessary to wash the face with cleanser after the mask but milk tends to smell a bit raw so I like to wash my face again then follow with my normal skin routine. This was the first time I tried this DIY mask and I loved the results!

Milk is known to calm redness and irritation. It also hydrates the skin! After I completed my skin care routine, my face was SO soft and plump haha. I kept touching it the entire day (which is kind of bad because of the hand’s oils but oh well.) I recommend you to try this! It’s great and moisturizes better than anything!

Now here’s a scary picture of me with my homemade milk mask.

I know I'm really late but I got tagged by Fuz, Innerchild, and Zwala! Thank you so much, I appreciate it!!

The rules are:
1. Take your award here
2. Put the logo on your post
3. Link the person who awarded you
4. Nominate at least 7 other bloggers
5. Add the links of those bloggers on yours. Leave a message for your nominees.

I know I'm not supposed to tag people back but who cares! You deserve it for being very kind and supportive! --> Fuz, Innerchild, Zwala :D
And, I know I might be repeat tagging but you deserve this award!
I tag: Jennifer (Beeyoutiful), Eki, Mona, MiuMiu, NicNic, Catherine, Ning*Star, Yumeko, and Chomfifi

Bifacil Eyemakeup Remover DUPE + Collagen Mask Review

TGIF!! :)
Well this week has been long and tiring, and I think my dark circles just got worse. My allergies and PMS has left me snapping at many people today... Hahaha -_-; If anyone experienced my irritable mood today, I'm sorry!

So I'd like to review an eyemakeup remover that I bought at CVS the other day, which is a DUPE for the Lancome Bifacil Dual Phase and Clinique Take off the Day Eyemakeup remover. I'm not sure if I can use the term dupe right here since this product isn't point makeup product, but basically that's what it is.

I have a whole post of reviews on the makeup removers that I have, which you can access (click here). I reviewed some more high-end brand removers such as Lancome Bifacil, DHC Cleansing Oil, Clinique Rinse-Off Eyemakeup solvent, La Mer, and some others.

The product is the CVS Brand Oil-Free Eye Makeup Remover (Compare to Neutrogena Oil-Free Eye Makeup Remover). So this is a double dupe! It's the exact copy of the Neutrogena dual-phase eyemakeup remover. Sometimes I like to buy the drugstore copy of a product if the original brand is more expensive. The packaging is basically the same and the product is probably identical. I bought this makeup remover for $5.99 at CVS Drugstore. The original Neutrogena one costs $7.99 at my CVS. Cheap product, good results!

A couple of people have been reviewing the Neutrogena makeup remover and many seem to like it! Well this remover is basically the SAME thing as the Neutrogena one and cheaper because it's the drugstore copy! I've read somewhere that Target makes their copy of Neutrogena remover as well for a cheap price (not the Sonia Kashuk one).

So you Lancome Bifacil and Clinique Take off the Day lovers, TRY THIS EYE MAKEUP REMOVER OUT if you want to save money!

CVS (Neutrogena copy) Oil Free Eye Makeup Remover
Size: 189 mL/6.4 fl oz
Price: $5.99 compared to Neutrogena at $7.99
Type: Dual Phase remover, 2 layers (one water base and one oil base)
Smell: No perfume scent like Bifacil, barely smells like anything
Ingredients: Water, Aloe Barbendensis Leaf Juice, Benzyl Alcohol, Sodium Chloride, Cyclohexasiloxane, Dipropylene Glycol, Poloxamer 182, Allantoin, Tripotassium EDTA, Benzalkonium Chloride, Glycerin, Cucumber Fruit Extract, Potassium Phosphate, Dipotassium Phosphate
Skin Type: Any skin type, works for sensitive skin

Pros:
- Cheap
- Big bottle (in my opinion)
- Same thing as Neutrogena one
- Effective as Lancome Bifacil or Clinique Take off the Day
- Removes waterproof mascara
- Gentle without tugging, pulling or stinging
- Contains aloe and cucumber extract

Cons:
- Label is misleading (oil-free - not true??) The remover leaves a tiny shiny/slippery residue that's characteristic of Bifacil as well.
- Bottle cap is not secure for traveling
- After it dries, leaves some flaky residue (not a problem for me since I hop into the shower)

The Testing Trial:
I used 3 makeup items that I use often:
1. MAC Kohl eyeliner in Phone Number
2. Majolica Majorca Waterproof Mascara (hard to remove)
3. Maybelline Define-a-lash Volume Mascara (non waterproof)



On My Face:
Just swiped some of that black eyeshadow from the Chanel palette, brown eyeliner, and Majo Majo mascara. Here are some pics of how this remover took off all of my makeup. If this can remove Majo Majo mascara, it can remove anything!

Final Verdict

Price: 5/5

Size: 5/5

Packaging: 4/5

Effectiveness: 5/5

Total Rating: 4.5/5

Yesterday I tried out this Collagen mask by Kose because these days I haven't been sleeping due to lots of work and studying to do and my face was totally dead. The mask covers the face and the neck area. It claims to pull the skin back (reduce sagging) because the mask has parts that you put over your ear to pull the mask back tight on the skin.

This mask left my skin feeling very supple and soft. It had plenty of liquid inside to moisturize my face. The mask also stuck to my skin well and gradually dried as I left it on for about 15-20 minutes, although recommended time on the back of the packet said 10 min.

I didn't buy this mask box myself so I'm not sure on the exact price. However I do know that this was purchased at my local Mitsuwa in Edgewater, NJ. The box comes with 5 masks. I recommend this for older people (Mid 20's and above) I think I'm too young to use this because I don't really have sagging skin yet.. thankfully. Nevertheless, the mask felt really nice and made my skin really soft, smooth, and supple. The face lifting feature is kinda cool though!

I took these pics at around 3 AM last night so please excuse my wet hair and pajamas.. LOL

I went into my mom's room to tell her to turn off the TV and she got scared and surprised at the mask hahahaha, she told me I looked like Freddy from Friday the 13th! :D

In the pics I think the mask was drying up and started falling off my face... Oh well! The last pic is right after I removed the mask. Haha I look kind of strange.