Lush Ocean Salt Scrub

Posted by: Emily

Review:

I've been using this product for a several years now, and I have nothing but good things to say about it. Lush is a "fresh handmade cosmetic" brand, which has been growing steadily in popularity. They have shops all over the world. All of their products are made of fresh ingredients, and among them my favorite is the bestselling Ocean Sea Salt Scrub.

Features
-Suitable for all skin types: Ocean Salt is beneficial for combination to dull and oily skin, and works well to occasionally exfoliate dry skin.
-Our most exfoliating cleanser: Ocean Salt contains a combination of coarse and fine sea salt.
-For an invigorating scrub: Salt and citrus oils can cause irritation for sensitive skin types. If you’re quite sensitive, we suggest using a gentler product.
Lush

It helps in softening, brightening, and cleaning your face, and it definitely does all of those. It's a face and body scrub so you could use it wherever you need. I like to use this once a week to clean and remove any dead skin on my face. However, because there is sea salt in it, it could feel a bit rough on sensitive skin. I love the results because it makes my skin feel soft, clean, and glowy.

I usually buy the smaller container because Lush products tend to expire within the next year or so. I never get to finish the big container before it expires. With other products on hand, sometimes I forget about it, and it just goes to waste. However, the bigger one is definitely a better deal if you can finish it.

Overall Rating:

4.5/5 – I love it!

Purchase:

Can be purchased in all Lush shops or online. 

$21.95 - 4.2oz

$35.95 - 8.8oz

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TheFaceShop: Lovely Me:ex Magic Pink Powder Mask

Posted by: Jennifer
This wash-off mask is one out of the other three in the collection (Magic Pink Powder Mask, Grapefruit Moisture Mask and Pore Ghassoul Mask) aimed towards different skin concerns. The one I purchased is for troubled skin consisting of two main ingredients: "calamine and salicylic acid". According to the instructions, you apply it once or twice a week after toner, wait 10-15 minutes and then rinse off.
(You can read Emily's review of the Grapefruit Moisture Mask Here)

Origin: Korea
Product: 65g / 2.2oz.

Review:

So I am finally getting around to reviewing this product - comes in a cute baby blue container with pink product that has a jelly-like consistency. It goes on your skin quite sheer and light and does not harden when dried. This mask is easy to apply and goes on smoothly as well, but no dramatic results! My skin does feel smoother, cleaner, and calmer afterwards though (no whitening effect). I would say this mask is not that bad of a product, but it is not fantastic enough to keep repurchasing. Like Emily said, there are a lot better products to choose from on the market. The mask also has a pretty strong scent that is not too overwhelming.

Overall Rating:

3/5 - Average

Purchase/Price:

Can be found at TheFaceShop stores.

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Miyake Petit Pudding

Posted by: Jennifer
Like any other typical flan, this Japanese style flan contains the main ingredients: sugar, milk, yolk, and topped with caramel coloring/sugar.  

Origin: Japan

Review/Taste:

I was introduced to these by my cousins when I was in elementary school and... it is the best flan I have tasted (as opposed to the Spanish style flans). The Japanese makes these flans so smooth and custardy and the taste... is just very different... It is quite hard to explain, but it is not too sweet of a snack. Although these are made as bite-sized snacks that you can bring on the go, I can literally finish this whole package in a day and so, I deeply wish they can make bigger sized products. The packaging of this is different than the one that existed years ago which came with disposable spoons. Sadly, this version does not come with spoons and it is less convenient to bring your own. (I guess it is meant for you to slurp out of the cup?) The one that I had purchased years ago, also came with 12 pieces of flan but slightly smaller. Although I am unsure, but they probably still have that same packaging, but the supermarkets or distributors stopped ordering it. Overall, I love this delicious snack and if you love any type of flan, then you should give this a try as well!

Purchase/Price:

At a Japanese specialty market - $2.59/pk (6 pieces)

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My Scheming Milk Extract Brightening Mask

Posted by: Jennifer
My Scheming creates various kinds of masks, but I have only tried this product in particular. The packaging states:

Milk possesses abundant butter fat, protein, Vitamin A, Vitamin B, Vitamin E and minerals. It can enhance skin's moisture, tend to absorb by skin, prevent skin from dryness, and smoothen wrinkles and lines. The mask is to refine skin, enhance sheen, revive elasticity. It will give your skin softness, lightness, mildness, and fineness.

Origin: Taiwan
Product: 30mL/pack

Review:

This is by far, one of my most favorite masks. I am already on my second box and will continue to purchase this product. Not only does this mask whiten my skin, it also hydrates and brightens after one usage, but of course, not permanently. Although I have been using this product for quite some time, there is not a huge difference in fading my acne scars/marks (hopefully, it contributes to slowly diminishing the appearance of my acne marks along with the other products that I use). Another great factor about this mask, is the amount of product leftover in one package (slightly bigger than a quarter-sized amount) which is great to massage into your skin afterwards or applying it onto your neckline. I did not feel any dramatic tightening sensation and it also did not irritate my skin. Thus, this mask is perfect for dry/sensitive skin. This mask is very thin, soft, and light:

Overall Rating:

4.8/5 - Would definitely purchase again.

Purchase/Price:

I purchased from Sasa.com, but if you trust the other sellers I listed, you can also purchase from them. I hold no responsibility on the qualities/services you receive. Also note that shipping is not included in the prices stated.

1 box - 10 masks
Sasa.com $13.10
everydaybeautyusa.com $12.00
Ebay.com $9.99

1 mask
loveshoppingholics.com $1.90

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Nail Art:

Posted by: Jennifer

A great and quick way to spice up your nails - paint one color and add some stickers!

For this design, I decided to pair up a neutral turquoise color from Essie, "Turquoise & Caicos," with a touch of white and pink flower stickers to give it nice finish. The combination of both colors are perfect for spring/summer time. And as usual, add a base and top coat to protect your nails and the color/stickers from wearing off. The picture is pretty straight forward and no instructions are necessary to create this look.

Here is a close up picture of the stickers I used:

Products:

Nail Polish - Essie (Turquoise & Caicos)
Nail Stickers - Flowers/Bunny (I bought this from an Asian beauty store a year ago, but you can probably find something similar to the flower designs from sellers on Ebay.com)

Here are some sellers I found with free shipping and floral nail stickers (please note: I have never ordered from these sellers before, so I am unsure of their qualities and services. I am just listing the products relevant to the one I used for this post only.)

Suggestion 1
Suggestion 2
Suggestion 3

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AQUAMOIST Hyaluronic Acid Collagen Moisture Toner

Posted by: Jennifer

If you don't know what Hyaluronic Acid is, you can read about it on Emily's review of HadaLabo Gokujyun Super Hyaluronic Acid Lotion. JuJu Cosmetics is another widely popular Japanese beauty brand and created a similar product to that of the HadaLabo Gokujyun Lotion. This liquid toner contains micro-collagen to penetrate into the skin while hydrating. It is suitable for all skin types, especially dry skin.

Origin: Japan
Product: 180mL

Review:

I love this product as much as the HadaLabo Gokujyun Lotion! I use this product before I sleep to keep my daily routine of incorporating collagen to my skin to prevent signs of pre-aging. It really moisturizes and makes my skin look glowy the next day! The consistency is lightweight, easy application, and with no fragrance and oil. Since I break out easily from extremely moisturizing products (especially cream lotions), I feel these types of Japanese liquid lotions/toners are most suitable for acne prone skin. Thus, this product is perfect and really smooths and makes your skin radiant. Please note, this product did not whiten my skin and reduce my acne scars.

Overall Rating:

5/5 Would purchase again!

Purchase/Price:

Sasa.com: $13.50
Amazon.com: $19.69
Yesstyle: $22.00

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Glico Caplico

Posted by: Jennifer
Glico created this "ice-cream" like snack in various flavors, but I could only get my hands on vanilla, strawberry, and chocolate. They come in various sizes, both small (about 4 1/2" length) and big (5-6" length).

Review/Taste:

I suggest everyone to try Caplico because it is just that delicious! (okay, maybe im slightly exagerating a little...) With an outer layer made of cracker and an inside filled with mousse-like textured dried ice cream, it will definitely make you addicted. It's like eating an ice cream that never melts! I would say its sweet at a moderate level and the filling is smooth, but won't instantly melt in your mouth like how "astronaut ice cream" would. I believe the air bubbles in the filling is what makes it light and airy. You would think all of the cones are filled completely with the same flavor, but their not - except for the chocolate. Strawberry and Vanilla stops midway and the rest is chocolate. I am not saying chocolate is not delicious, but I would of loved to continuing consuming the rest of the cone with the same flavor. But besides that fact, if you want to try something new and quite different, you should give this a go!

Enlarge to see the filling in more details.

Purchase/Price:

Caplico Box - $4.49
Caplico Stick - $1.89
Can be found at Asian supermarket.

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