Store Review - Gracie Lou Cosmetics

Hello Princesses!

Today I'm going to be talking about a New Zealand based beauty website called Gracie Lou Cosmetics! I've always been aware of Gracie Lou as store but never purchased from them because I can find the products that they stock cheaper elsewhere. It might sound a little mean/elitist/cheap, but if I can save $2 on a product then I will - it's just the student in me telling me to save money! ^.^ I ended up making a purchase from them because their email subscription told me that they had 25% off all Beauty Blender products and just like my student brain tells me to save money buying from cheaper sites, I just can't resist a good sale!

Website Practicality

I find the website very aesthetically pleasing and easy to navigate. There's an easily accessible search bar as well as browsing options for brands or by products. I really like that when you click into a product, there are options for product description, reviews and similar products on each product which I really like!

There are two payment options for purchasing on Gracie Lou, one being a purchase with Credit Card (hosted under DPS Payment Express) or just a regular bank deposit. It's been a while since I've had to do a bank deposit, and a little inconvenient to be honest since I'm paid through Paypal the majority of the time and that means I can't use that money just chilling out there. It's nice to see another payment method for those of us who don't have credit cards!  

Price Comparison

Gracie Lou Cosmetics haven't got the cheapest prices in New Zealand, but I do find them fair, (not like some stores that are blatantly ripping you off). This is one of the reasons I haven't shopped with Gracie Lou before, I just know I can get products cheaper elsewhere and that's literally it!

Gracie Lou Cosmetics - Beauty Blender; $38 + Shipping; $5 = $43
Beauty Bliss - Beauty Blender; $34 + Shipping; $4.50 = $38.50
Hikosencara - Beauty Blender; $32 + Shipping; $3.50 = $35.50

Since I made my purchase with 25% off, my total came to this instead;
Gracie Lou (discount) - Beauty Blender; $28.50 + Shipping; $5 = $33.50

Shipping and Packaging

The packaging was very simplistic, literally just bubble wrapped, and it came to me in a courier post baggie with the little Gracie Lou sticker on the back! The shipping cost $5NZD for flat rate shipping in New Zealand ($10 flat rate for my Aussie friends)  and if you spend over $75 you qualify for free shipping. I ordered on the 12th of November, my payment cleared and item was shipped on the 13th, and I received my package on the 14th!

 Products

I'm sure that you guys must have figured out by now that I purchased another Beauty Blender! I really really REALLY needed to buy another one because I realised recently (like the day that I ordered the new beauty blender) that my old beauty blender is 1year and 3 months old - well over the 4-6month use by date. My Beauty Blender never went mouldy because I literally wash it out every time I use it, but obviously just like regular sponges the Beauty Blender doesn't last forever and starts to deteriorate. 

My Beauty Blender came with a page of information that I already knew and a little Gracie Lou business card. It didn't come with a little invoice showing the prices and all that usual stuff which is a little weird - but considering it was all emailed to me when I purchased I guess I don't really need it since I also just usually throw it out.

This is the old photos from when I got my first ever beauty blender! The new photos were exactly the same so I just reused the old one. Electronic recycling! ^.^

Aaand this is what the old and new Beauty Blenders look like! I didn't realize how completely gross my old one looked and now I'm kind of grossed out that I've been putting that moist sponge on my face. Ick. For what it's worth - Beauty Blenders are amazing. I love them (which is why I used my one for so so long) and totally worth the money.

What I Love

- Quick shipping

- Great range of products

- Fairish pricing

- Regular sales

What I Don't Love

- Nothing!

Final Thoughts

I would definitely shop with Gracie Lou again, although I will pretty much be shopping with them during their sales since their prices are a little higher than other stores! I really like their website layout and functionality and the shipping is well priced and very fast!

First Impressions - Etude House Silk Scarf Haircare

Hello Princesses!

Today I'm going to be talking about the Etude House Silk Scarf Haircare! I got this cute little tester set from Etude House in Taipei (well, my boyfriend did technically) when I picked up a whole bunch of stuff! I was really interested in trying these hair care products out after I used the Etude House Silk Scarf Hair Hologram Serum last year and was really disappointed by it. How cute are these little sachets though!

What Is It?

Shampoo

Camelia oil, Argan oil, Sunflower oil, Macadamia seed oil and four kinds of complexes have 5 contents to penetrate deep into the hair to give a sense of nutrition due to cracked and damaged hair dye of firm takes care to be healthy. Baobab tree extract contain moisture in your hair up when it can maintain a hair. Fruity watery floral aromatic series continued for a luxurious fragrance makes your hair.

Conditioner

Silk Scarf Conditioner is an ultra nourishing, lightweight conditioner specially formulated with oil complex and floral scent to moisturize and detangle hair, leaving it silky soft, flower scented and with brilliant shine. 

Hair Treatment

Specially formulated with oil complex and floral scent, this highly concentrated treatment restores and reinforces brittle and damaged hair, preventing future breakage and leaving your hair extraordinarily strong, soft, silky and manageable.

All of these hair care products have the same fake sweet floral scent which clings to the hair after it's been rinsed, so if you're not a fan of sweet floral smells you will not like this product!

The shampoo is a cute milky pink colour and looks more appealing than it actually is. I found that this shampoo did absolutely nothing for my hair, it was neither cleansing or moisturizing, it literally felt like I'd just washed my hair with water.

The conditioner was marginally better than the lackluster Shampoo, but not by much. It made my hair feel a little slippery and smooth, but didn't help with any tangles that I had, or make the ends of my hair feel hydrated.

The hair treatment was my favorite of the three, but it is still nothing too special. It make my hair feel quite silky and smooth, but it didn't feel nourishing or hydrating for my hair and the smoothness did not last, so I think it's a purely aesthetic smoothness and not a product that actually makes your hair better.

Would I Purchase These Products?

No. I found these smelt and looked lovely, just like the majority of Etude House products, but just like the Hair Serum that I reviewed previously, these products fell very flat (just like my hair HA) and didn't work at all.

Have you tried the Etude House Silk Scarf Haircare before? Did it work well for your hair? 

Review - Garnier Sakura White Pinkish Radiance Skincare

Hello Princesses!

Today I'm going to be talking about the super pretty Garnier Sakura White Pinkish Radiance Skincare! Just like the Ma Cherie hair care review by Qiuqiu, I was sucked into purchasing this line of skincare by Xiaxue who wrote a very convincing review on this skincare line. Since this line of skincare is not available in  New Zealand, my lovely and long suffering boyfriend bought these for me in Taipei last year and bought them back for me. (seriously though, his suitcase was so full of skincare and cosmetics it was quite overweight ><)! 

I initially put off trying this skincare line because I was on acne medication for the first third of this year and I didn't want to potentially irritate my skin while it was being temperamental, which is why this review has taken 6 months, so lets get onto it!

First up we have the Gentle Cleansing Foam! 

 This cleanser is a very cute shade of baby pink and has a gel formula. I find it very difficult to get this cleanser to foam, it only really foams when I'm rinsing it off, which is why the foam looks so sparse and wet. 

It's super duper gentle, but it's so gentle that I don't really find that this cleanses my skin very well, it also leaves my skin feeling quite dry if I don't moisturize asap which I do not like. I'll be using the entire bottle of this when I double cleanse, but I wouldn't repurchase this product because it just doesn't really work for me.

Essence Lotion

I couldn't use this product on my face. It broke me out SO badly, I don't know why, but it did it on three separate occasions, and three is enough! It has a very thin gel like consistency and almost smells like alcohol, but is still the sweetest smelling of the four products. 

I found that the three times I used this lotion that it gave me the lightest moisturise possible, and took forever and a half to absorb into my skin. I was not a fan of this product. 

Moisturizing Cream SPF21/PA+++

This moisturizing cream is a super cute baby pink colour and is really quite thick for what is supposed to be a day cream. I love that it has SPF21 but potentially because of the higher SPF level it does leave a white cast on my face! 

I actually quite like this moisturizer, it works really well under makeup because it is quite thick and moisturizing. I did however find that it gets caught on dry skin making it look drier and flakier, and I have to be quite careful to rub it all in since it can leave white streaks (like you can see around my eyes).

 Intensive Whitening Mask

The masks are my absolute favorite out of the entire line. They are the cutest baby pink colour, smell like cherry blossom and make my face feel super soft and firm! 

The masks don't have any backing to them, so you need to peel the mask apart very gently. It feels like super soft cottony fabric which is lovely to feel on the face, but the only problem I have with this mask is that it doesn't fit my face very well. I have a lot of issues with sheet masks because I have quite a high nose bridge/massive nose, and obviously since this line of skincare was specifically made for Asian skin that doesn't really help. The biggest problem is that since the mask is stretched so tightly over my nose, it pulls the eye holes of the mask inwards so the mask is pressed right up against my eyes which makes my eyes very irritated.

 

 I don't really think that this mask whitens my skin, but it does make it feel lovely and plump!

What I Love

- Mask is amazing

- All products smell lovely (like cherry blossom!)

- Products are pink (Major points for me)

What I Don't Love

- Cleanser doesn't really cleanse

- Lotion breaks me out and isn't moisturizing

- Moisturizer isn't super nourishing

- Moisturizer leaves white cast

Final Thoughts

I'm very 50/50 with this skincare line! On one hand I love the mask and quite like the moisturiser, on the other hand the Lotion was a major fail and the cleanser just doesn't really cleanse! I don't think these products whiten or brighten the skin, nor do I think they provide rosy radiance or satin softness. I'm not sure if it's because I don't have Asian skin (which this skincare line is specifically for) or what! I will definitely be repurchasing the masks when I return to Taipei though! ^.^

Have you tried the Garnier Sakura line? Did you love it or hate it?

Manicure Monday - Cashmere

Hello Princesses!

Today I'm have another super duper gorgeous polish made by the New Zealand indie polish company Star Kin, which goes by the name of Cashmere! This polish is as super cuddly and soft as the name implies and I am yet again in love!

Cashmere is a beautiful soft blue with lilac shimmer and scattered holographic effect, making it look super soft and cuddly in the shade, but stunningly sparkly in direct daylight! I love this cutesy polish! ^.^