My skincare routine reviews: SK-II - Do you have dry, sensitive skin?

If you have super dry and sensitive skin like me I guess your choices of skincare products are much more narrower and tougher!

My skin is dry to the point that in winter, when it gets to midday, my skin will start peeling no matter how much moisturiser I apply in the morning. Situation is worse since I work all day in an air-con environment T__T

Not to mention my poor skin is also allergic to any nice smell/ fragrance :(((

The first line of skincare I tried was Shiseido, when I was 18-19 y/o. My skin started to turn very red, hot, and itchy after applying it on my face. So since then I never dare to try it again...may be it's not made for me :(

I then tried Clinique Superdefense SPF25+. It was alright, did not irritate me but the moist only last me for a few hours. I used to use it when I was travelling to Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia, etc. places where humidity is high enough to maintain my skin

Now that I don't travel to those countries often anymore, and spending most of my time here sure has made my skin drier than even, even in hot summer days. I tried Hydrationist by Estee Lauder (blue) and Day cream (green). They worked great. However recently I heard from the beauty advisor in Japan that Estee Lauder has changed their formula and some of their stuff are even made in China, making it not as great as previously. And I can tell exactly when I used them. Hydrationist is not that moisturising anymore (and this is their only high moisturising line for dry, sensitive skin) and their eye cream is getting terrible :-S...So I decided to go on a quest to find the right cream for my face!

I gave Shu Uemura a try...but it irritates my skin so badly...I guess it's because the Depsea line has nice fragrance in it *sad face*

So finally I found my HG products! I used to think SK II is for more matured women but the advisor told me NO! :))) I gave it a try and OMG I fell in love! The texture, the feel, the quality, the results...they're all sooooo different to what I tried before!

MY CURRENT SKINCARE ROUTINE!

Facial Treatment Essence

The introduction of the SKII Facial Treatment Essence caught my attention - They claimed that this essence was derived from their observation, of women working in sake (jap alcohol) factory, with their hand being so nice, white, no sign of ageing as compared to their face. They then used that substance to put in the essence so that women can have their facial skin just like these ladies' hands.

At first this product irritated me just a little bit. But after 2nd - 3rd use it was all fine. Felt very light like a toner, with nearly no smell (or light/ not-so-pleasant smell).
How to apply? After washing my face, I tone it and then drop a few drops of this into my palms, rub gently between 2 hands to warm it up and then lightly tap on my face

Result? This has visibly brightened my complexion. My mum asked if I used any whitening products, because after 1 week of using, when I stand next to my sister my skin appears to be fairer and brighter ^____^ was happy to hear that!

Stempower

My initial intention was to buy the new Stempower Rich, because it's so much thicker and more moisturising for my skin. But it's not in the special Xmas set so ah well, I'll get it next time when I'm out of this Stempower :)

How to use? After applying the Essence I normally wait 1-2mins for the goo product to absorb into the skin, then I apply the Stempower. For very dry skin days, I apply the Emulsion first and then this Stempower.

Result? I love the light, non-fragrant texture, and how it effectively cools your face down (my face often gets really hot and red)! Your skin doesn't get sticky, and doesn't feel heavy afterwards, but also it doesn't feel like the product has evaporated somewhere! But I would still prefer the Rich Stempower for my dry skin. This is good enough since it is now summer in Australia :)

Facial Lift Emulsion

Since my skin is too dry the advisor chick told me that applying this emulsion first before the Stempower could help. It certainly did provide me more hydration.

Result? This sure has increased the hydration to my skin. However applying this together with Stempower irritates my skin a bit. Some sensitive spots on my face got red and stings abit...Not sure if this combo is the best for me :-S
But for people with Normal-Oily Combination, this product works wonder on itself, just applying after the Essence is enough for the day! ^_^

Skin Signature Eye Cream

Best eye cream I've ever used.

How to use? Apply onto your eye bags gently with your ring finger. This products claims to reduce dark circles, puffiness and fine lines.

ResultThis product is soooooo MOISTURISING! I love it so much, it doesn't feel heavy/greasy/make my eyes itchy. I love it since it makes it easier to apply concealer (your concealer won't cake up or dry into your fine lines). But you have to wait for it to dry up a bit or all your concealer will flow away :))) This cream is great because you only need a tiny tiny bit to apply on your eyes (half of what I normally uses when I used Estee Lauder) so it will last forever ^o^

My last step for daytime skincare is to apply the sun screen. I love the one from Shiseido, cuz it's designed for babies, or very sensitive skin so no smell, non greasy, and just perfect protection for my face since SKII doesn't come with SPF protection

YSL - Le Teint Touche Eclat Foundation in B40

My current FAVORITE foundation that I reckon is better than any BB cream and the Estee Lauder foundation that I used.

It was a bit pricier than the Estee Lauder one, but so much more hydrating. Glides on smoothly and makes people think it's your bareskin even from a very close distance B-) Still I don't use this on the blush on my cheeks, cuz everything will just make my cheeks dry...so no makeup there!

The advisor was nice enough to give me extra masks for my purchase :) Haven't tried it so but hopefully will do magic since they cost so much! xD

Thanks for reading everyone and hope this will be helpful for you! Drop your questions below if you have any!

x

Celine Luggage Phantom - Emerald - Should you buy?

Hi girls!

So recently I purchased this beeeeeautiful gorgeous bag - the Celine Luggage Phantom in the colour Emerald (darkish green) from David Jones Sydney. I believe the size is medium.

As you can see, this bag can carry a lot! The bag is made out of perfect lambskin, and the feel of this leather is amazing <3. However there's one downside, because of its size, and the quality thick leather, the bag is quite heavy.

This bag is extremely flexible :D

...it goes well with casual outfit...

...as well as dress-up occasions - this is from a wedding...

I'm 1.58cm tall and this bag is quite heavy for me, so think carefully before you buy if you're not into heavy bags :)

So what's the verdict after 1 week of carrying this bag?

- The bag is sooooo HEAVY even when you carry only your wallet, key pouch, some lipsticks and sunnies @@! Bad thing is you can only hook it over your elbow...so it gets very tiring
- Centre of weight is not distributed evenly in the bottom of the bag because of soft leather, so all the stuff falls in the centre and make it look pointy

I'm considering selling the bag now due to these facts even tho the leather is uber fine...I guess if you're tiny like me it's not really the bag for you...

Drop your comments if you have any thoughts on the bag! <3

Review: Em Cosmetics - Love Life Palette & Lips Palette in Mix It Up Pinks

Hello pretty ladies!

So today arrived in my mailbox is this Love Palette from Em Cosmetics by Michelle Phan!! Can't express enough how happy I am since I currently live in Sydney, and Em's products are not available in Australia yet! Thank you my lovely friend who placed the order on my behalf <3<3<3

I've been a fan of Michelle Phan for a long time, and really admire her work and skills :) That's why when she launched her makeup line I can't help but do ANYTHING to get the items hahaha

The parcel arrived in gorgeous packaging! Totally lightened my mood!





She did not forget to include a lovely postcard :)



I purchased the Life Palette in Love and lips palette in Pink. Since the shipping from US to Australia is quite dear, I allow myself to choose one palette only. I'm currently working so I thought I would have chosen the Career Life Palette instead. After checking all the shades, I think this Love palette can offer me the Career look, the dating look, and casual going out look. So to test the palette out, my final choice would be the Love palette (I'll wait until next year when she ships to Australia, prolly I can get the rest lol






They also provide the stickers for each of the look, so I decided to stick them on ^___^




Ingredients for the lips palette (I pay attention to it, just in case there was lead in there I would have chucked it away straightaway :P)



Under the sunlight ;)



Small brush for eye shadows application :) I just thought she should have her logo 'Em' on the brush...Just thought it looked a bit dodgy like this (although the quality is superb!)



Small tool to move the shadows and lip colours to other places :)



Beautiful lips colors! Very creamy and moisturing <3




One other thing is that the extra travel palette comes with the pack and the lips palette are of the SAME size, and no labelling. So I thought this would be quite confusing. I'd prefer them to have a pink shade, or some stickers/writing to help you differentiate if they're all in your handbag (I imagine when I have like 3-4 of them in my handbag it would be quite frustrating to keep getting the wrong one!)



SWATCHES!

Look 1: Warm Fuzzies





This is also my favourite look. Using the colors in this section, I get this look



Look 2: The real me - A very nude, natural look. Most of the shadows are very neutral, and on my skin tone weren't very noticeable




At first I didn't really like this, but then I thought it would be perfect for those days that I don't feel like applying too much make yet can still define my facial features :)

Look 3: Girl time - the most colorful look in the palette, give you a very vibrant look that brightens the face, this sure will be my go-to when summer comes XD! I love the pink shadow in this section, it's not too overwhelming pink <3




Look 4: All yours - these colors help creating perfect smokey eyes, and some shadows are very shimmery, I think this would be great for night out, or and cocktail parties at work will be perfect too! ^___^ In this section there's a milky lip gloss that reminds me of the Dolly Wink lipgloss, very doll-like <3





Thought I would do a demo on my face too :") I didn't apply a lot, and no eyes primer so I'm sure the effect will be doubled if I do a proper one hehe

Last but NOT least! The lips palette swatches!



I'm sure I will be able to create my different lips shades from this palette. However I'm not a big fan of clear gloss so I won't be using the gloss too much. I love all the other shades tho ^__^ next time I will get the Coral palette for sure!

One down side of this palette I found, was the brush. I wish it was double-ended, with one brush end, and one spoon end so I can scoop the colors out easily without contaminating them with other colors, and would help the blending so much more...guess I'll help to deal with it then :(

Is it worth the price? I'd say I'll be willing to pay this price for this palette. The eye shadows, to me, are of the same quality as MAC's. Lip colors are amazing. I usually spend around $15-$30 for each of such lips colours so yes, I'm satisfied.
I hope they did design some lid/cover for the lips colours in palette so that the dust from the shadows do not get stuck/attracted to them and dirty them...
I hope Michelle will keep improving her products in the future :)

Hope you guys find this review useful. Any questions please drop in the comment section. And hopefully Australia will get access to Em Cosmetics soon ^_^

xoxo

Anyways, thanks for reading the review

Michael Kors Mini Selma Satchel & Jet Set Travel Tote

Hi guys!

So recently I've added 2 new members to the Kors collection of mine xD I'm extremely excited since I have all the sizes I want from Michael Kors handbags collection so far!

The 2 new members are: Michael Kors Jet Set Travel Tote in Turquoise and Michael Kors Mini Selma Satchel with studs

The Jet Set tote is a lot bigger than my previous Selma's in medium. If you haven't read my review then it's here

Mini Selma Satchel can fit my wallet, small pouch for keys and lipsticks, and my phone. So that's handy whenever I wanna hang out casually and don't want to carry too much

Here are some photos ;) Hope you find the size & color you like! I love them for the durable saffiano leather, great quality and dye! Not to mention compared to other designer's bags their prices are absolutely fantastic. I got them all from David Jones, RRP are around 3-400.