Pages

Friday, 30 May 2014

First Impression: GlamGlow Youthmud Tinglexfoliate Treatment

Hello Princesses!

Today I'm going to be talking about a really interesting product - GlamGlow's Youthmud Tinglexfoliate Treatment. I saw a lot of beauty bloggers and youtube beauty gurus raving about this mask, so I headed into Auckland's Mecca Cosmetica to check it out! ^.^  

The first thing that caught my attention with this product was the ingredients list. It seems to have fairly natural ingredients, and contains none of the products that seem to irritate my skin! The second thing I noticed was the price tag ... $98NZD? Sheesh, that's one pricey face mask! 

Since I'm very wary of buying skincare products before testing them, the lovely sales rep who was helping me offered to scoop up a little tester pot for me to try before I buy! Thank you so much Alex! :3
 What Does It Do?
"Designed as a 10-minute professional ‘facial in a jar’ for behind-the-scenes use in Hollywood’s Entertainment, Music, Fashion & Award industries, for immediate camera- ready glowing skin. GLAMGLOW’s mud base is from the South of France Mediterranean Sea, home to glamorous Cannes, St. Tropez & Monaco. GLAMGLOW’s moisturizing collagen synthesis is for both men & women. Use a couple of times a week or simply when you need GLAM-tastic™ skin.
To use, apply a Thin Layer to Clean Face. Expect a Tingle-tastic Tightening Effect in 10 mins or less, remove Mask with Water in Circular Motions to Exfoliate. Use Twice a Week or as often as Desired. " (1

Ingredients:
"-French Sea Clay: Absorbs impurities and toxic substances, while leaving essential natural oils and minimizing pore size.
-Volcanic Pumice Rock: Multi-level surface exfoliation that you control to clear dead skin cells, smoothing out fine lines and softening skin texture.
-Green Tea Leaf Pieces: GLAMGLOW® groundbreaking patent pending TEAOXI™ technology delivers fresh Super-Squalene, EGCG super antioxidants, and Polypenols directly into the mud from the real pieces of tea leaf.

Aqua (Water), Montmorillonite (Volcanic Minerals), Kaolin (French Sea Clay), Magnesium Aluminum Silicate (Purified Clay), Polyethylene, Pumice (Micro Volcanic Rock), Camellia Sinensis Leaf (Green Tea Leaf), Camellia Oleifera Leaf Extract (Green Tea), Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract (Chamomile), Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract (Marigold), Cucumis Sativus Fruit Extract (Cucumber), Hedara Helix Extract (Ivy), Symphytum Officinale Leaf Extract (Comfrey Herb), Lavandula Hybrida Oil (Lavender), Glycerin (Vegetable), Parfum, [Benzyl Benzoate, Hexyl Cinnamal, Limonene, Linalool], Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Caprylyl Glycol, Hexylene Glycol, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone." (2)
The mask smells super yummy and fresh, and a little goes a long way, I got 2 and a half uses out of that little tester pot! This mask dries very fast and very tight. The "tingle-tastic tightening effect" happens when the mask dries, and was slightly overwhelming the first time I tried it. It felt like tiny little demon bee's were stinging my face all over and was NOT relaxing in the slightest!! The "tingle-tastic"/demon bee's only lasted for around 3 minutes - but was enough to make me apprehensive about trying this mask again. I did end up using the mask a second time and it wasn't nearly as painful as the first time which is a huge relief.
To remove this mask, I simple rinsed it off with water, which worked really well! It gives a lovely exfoliate that feels like it's exfoliating, but not to the point that it's ripping your skin apart, which is nice!

Before and After one use of GlamGlow Youthmud Tinglexfoliate Treatment:
(No photoshop - I swear!)

After the first use of the GlamGlow Tinglexfoliate Treatment my skin felt super soft, forehead wrinkles were less apparent, pores were minimized and clean looking and it gave my skin a healthy pink flush! The best difference was the next day, because the results were even more enhanced than before! My boyfriend said my skin looked really healthy and demanded that I let him use the mask too!

Would I Purchase This Product?
Yes, as a one time treat. I'm not sure if I would repurchase this product after I used the jar (unless the results are absolutely amazing with continued use) because it is just SO EXPENSIVE. I really liked the results that this product gave me, and it doesn't irritate my skin (which at this point is a huge blessing). I did end up purchasing this product a couple of months ago, and I'm still liking it, but I'm still not sure if I'd repurchase after I finished the jar.

Have you princesses tried a "super mask" like the GlamGlow Tinglexfoliate Treatment before? What's your favorite face mask? 

Wednesday, 28 May 2014

Review: Etude House Princess Etoinette Eau De Toilette

(Sponsored)
Hello Princesses!

Today I'm going to be showing you the absolutely cutest little bottle of perfume - Etude House's Princess Etoinette Eau De Toilette!
This perfume was sent to me for review by Cosmetic Love (thank you so much!^.^). Cosmetic Love's post packaging is always fantastic and safe, I'm never afraid that the the product is going to be damaged or lost! This perfume costs $26.45USD which is on the pricier side, but (to me at least) it's totally worth it for the cuteness of the product!
As per Etude House's usual super cute packaging standards - this perfume has beautiful packaging as well as beautiful product presentation. The packaging is white, with pale pink features and silver emblems. I'm keeping the box so that I can display it somewhere because it's just so beautiful!

On the side of the box it says - In Versailles garden, one peony blossomed at the end of a 60 cm long stem just once a year and Princess Etoinette was fond of this precious flower for its especially elegant scent.
The perfume itself comes capped, with the atomiser in a separate plastic wrap. This is probably done for a lot of reasons, one being that if the atomiser is in the perfume bottle, the perfume can leak out of the atomiser holes! The perfume bottle itself looks like it's made of plastic (like the majority of the Princess Etoinette range) but it's actually made of glass.
The atomiser looks super cute with a little puff of white lace on top, which is super hard to photograph! The perfume does spray a little unevenly due to the atomiser, but it doesn't bother me very much because it is just so cute!
 
The bottle is also deceivingly small! It's about the same size as a standard nail polish bottle, except a little chubbier. The perfume is only 30ml so I didn't expect a giant bottle, but the photos do make it look bigger than it actually is!
This perfume smells very very floral, with the initial scent smelling strongly of roses. It does dry down to a very sweet peony scent after about 15-20minutes, but if you don't like floral scents then you won't like this perfume!
Top Notes - Pink Pepper, Bergamot, Pear, Raspberry
Middle
Notes - Peony, Rose, Jasmine, Muguet
Bottom
Notes - Cedarwood, Sandalwood, Musk

What I Love
- Super cute packaging
- Lovely floral scent
- Atomiser works well (albeit slightly uneven)
- Can be refilled with other perfumes
- Easily transported using the cap
- Lasts for 4-6 hours

What I Don't Love
-A lot of people find the scent quite nana-like or toilet-like
- On the expensive side at $26.50
- Not available everywhere or easily shipped
Final Thoughts
I really really love this perfume! I love the scent, and I love the packaging - it's just so princessey, vintage and adorable! I've always wanted a atomised perfume bottle and I'm super happy with this one. Even after I use all of the perfume, I will either refill the bottle with another perfume, or keep the empty bottle for display!
http://www.cosmetic-love.com/image/promotion/banner/234-60-half-banner.jpg

Thank you so much to Cosmetic Love for sending me this perfume to review! As you Princesses know, even though this is a sponsored post, I always provide my honest opinion on the products provided. v ^.^ v

Monday, 26 May 2014

Manicure Monday: Etude House Sweet Recipe Ice Cream Polish Collection

Hello Princesses!

Are you ready for some more super cute Etude House products? Today I'm going to be showing you Etude House's Sweet Recipe Ice Cream Nails collection! ^.^
How freaking cute are the bottles? They're shaped like upside down ice cream, which is the entire reason why I bought these!

There are eight colours in the collection, and I bought all but the Blueberry colour from RoseRoseShop. I ended up purchasing the Blueberry colour from Ebay so I could complete the set of cuteness!

The bottles are slightly awkward to hold for photos, and also slightly awkward to paint your nails with because the cone end tapers to a very small point.

The polishes have a lovely creme texture and are opaque (some are slightly streaky though) at one coat, and all but the yellow are totally opaque at two coats.

BE101
This is a lovely banana yellow colour. This colour requires three coats for full streakless opacity, but since the layers dry fairly fast it's not too much of an issue.
GR701
This is a pastel lime green colour which can, and will make my skin look jaundiced. This is opaque in two coats.
OR202
This is a cute pastel peach that's opaque in two careful coats. This is more likely to streak, so you may require three coats. This shade makes my skin look really weird and dark.
PP501
This pastel purple is a little dull/cool toned looking for my taste, but still totally workable! Opaque in two careful coats.
PK001
This is a gorgeous strawberry pink colour that I wouldn't classify as pastel - but I still really love! This colour is opaque in one coat.



OR201
This is a bright grapefruit colour that's opaque in one solid coat. Just like the peach colour - the grapefruit colour makes my skin look a little weird.
BL601
This is a glossy blueberry colour that's opaque in two coats. I'm really glad that I picked up this colour because it's a really lovely bright blue!
BR401
Opaque in two coats, this polish reminds me of melted milk chocolate and is making me super duper hungry!

What I Love
- SUPER cute bottles
- Good colour range
- Great opacity
- Lovely formula

What I Don't Love
- I wish they were more pastel (so picky)

Final Thoughts
I really really love this collection and would definitely recommend grabbing them if you get the chance to! I mean, look at those ice cream bottles - they are just so cute! The colour range is great, opacity and formula is equally as good, the only issue I have with this collection is that it's marketed as a spring pastel collection and some of the shades are not really pastel, but I think that that's just me being picky!

Have you princesses tried these ice cream polishes before? There are three glitter shades that I want to find to add to my collection! ^.^



Sunday, 25 May 2014

Sunday Swatches: Foundation and BB Cream Swatches

Hello Princesses!

Today I'm going to be showing your my current collection of Foundation and BB Creams! ^.^ I think my collection is quite big, but bear in mind that only 29 of these products are full sized and the rest are tester or sample sized. I've already got 8 more testers since I photographed these swatches, so I think I might need to do an updated pale foundation and BB Cream Sunday Swatches, because as sure as sunshine I am NOT doing this many swatches at one time again! -.-

Just my luck, after I swatched all the products nicely, I went to grab the camera and squished the end products against my bicep (or lack thereof haha) so they are a little smudged! -.- I didn't have the energy to redo it (it took me 30mins just to swatch them all!) so if there's a product you want re-swatched - let me know!
Top Line:
1 - Phoenix Cosmetics; Pure White
2 - Meow Cosmetics; Snow Lynx
3 - NARS Sheer Glow; Siberia
4 - NYX Stay matte but not flat; Ivory
5 - Meow Cosmetics; Abyssinian
6 - Meow Cosmetics; Manx
7 - Meow Cosmetics; Angora
8 - Bobbi Brown Cream Compact; 00 Alabaster
(I somehow missed this! O_O) Meow Cosmetics; Siamese
9 - Missha Perfect Cover BB Cream; No.13
10 - Missha Signature Real Complete BB Cream; No.13
11 - Etude House Mineral Any Cushion; No.02
12 - LUSH Colour Supplement; Light Yellow
13 - L.A Girl Perfecting Liquid Makeup; Ivory
14 - Maybelline Dream Pure BB Cream; Light
15 - Skinfood Good Afternoon Peach Green Tea BB Cream
16 - Oasis BB Cream; Honey
17 - Maybelline Mineral Powder; Ivory
18 - Natio Natural Skin Foundation; Natural
19 - Dior Diorskin Forever; 040

 Middle Line:
20 - Hanskin Silky Treatment BB Cream
21 - Maybelline Fit Me Foundation; 110 Ivory
22 - MAC Studio Fix; NW10
23 - Rimmel Match Perfection; 010 Light Ivory
24 - Skinfood Peach Sake BB Cream
 25 - It's Skin Baby Face BB Cream; Silky
26 - Laura Mercier Foundation Powder; No.01
27 - Revlon Photoready; Vanilla
28 - Revlon Colourstay; Buff
29 - Missha Perfect Cover BB Cream; No.21
30 - Missha Signature Real Complete BB Cream; No.21
31 - Shiseido Sun Protection Liquid Foundation
32 - Dior Diorskin Forever 020
33 - Kleancolour Liquid Foundation; Translucent Beige
34 - L'Oreal New True Match Foundation; Light Ivory
35 - Maybelline Dream Fresh BB Cream; Light
36 - Oasis BB Cream; Cream
37 - Oasis BB Cream; Caramel
38 - Rimmel Stay Matte Foundation; Ivory  
39 - Etude House Dear Girls BB Cream
40 - Dior Diorskin Forever 030
41 - Lioele Dollish Veil Vita BB Cream; Gorgeous Purple

 Bottom Line:
42 - Clinique CC Cream; Very Light
43 - Lancôme Bienfait Teinté Beauty Balm; Porcelaine
44 - YSL Le Teint Touche Éclat; B10
45 - YSL Youth Liberator Serum Foundation; B10
46 - MAC Studio Sculpt; NC15
47 - MAC Prep and Prime BB Cream; Extra Light
48 - MAC Studio Fix; NC15
 49 - MAC Match Master; 1.0
50 - The Body Shop Foundation; M02
51 - Estēe Lauder Double Wear; 1N1
52 - Estēe Lauder Double Wear; 1W1
53 - Estēe Lauder Maximum Coverage Doublewear; Very Light
54 - Etude House Cotton Fit BB Cream; No.02
55 - Etude House Cotton Fit BB Cream; W12
56 - Etude House Precious Mineral BB Dation; W12
57 - Skin79 Orange BB Cream
58 - Skinfood Red Orange Jelly BB Cream; No.01
59 - Skinfood Platinum Grape Cell Essential BB Cream
60 - TonyMoly Expert Triple BB Cream
61 - Skin79 Snail Nutrition BB Cream
 62 - Skinfood Good Afternoon Honey Black Tea BB Cream
63 - ElishaCoy Always Triple BB Cream
64 - BRTC Jasmine Water BB Cream
65 - It's Skin Prestige Creme D'Escargot BB Cream



 Oh. My. Goodness.



This post almost broke me. I can't believe how much work went into one photo of foundation and BB Cream swatches!! -.- If you want to check out the BB Cream swatches or foundation swatches seperately, click either of these links! (BB Cream Sunday Swatches - Foundation Sunday Swatches) 

I hope this Sunday Swatches session was helpful for you princesses! ^.^ Feel free to share these swatch pictures - but please put a link to this post if you do share! If you have any requests for swatch posts, just leave a comment down below and I'll do my best to help you out! ^.^