Sigma Paris Palette

 I wanted to review Sigma's Paris Palette today.  I got this palette awhile ago, the first few months it came out and i really wanted to buy this palette.  It wasn't the fact that Youtubers were endorsing the products, it was the fact that the colors they came up with were so unique.  This is not an everyday type of shadow palette like the Naked palettes, but more of a dramatic ones for outtings and parties.  I really liked how Sigma also had blushes put in and that it came with two of Sigma's most used brushes.  I love all the colors and products in this palette and i love how it comes with a big mirror and the packaging.  The packaging is cardboard, but its very sturdy and well made.  I like the concept and the design of the palette.  Its not a travel type of palette i think, its not huge, but its not small.  I say its sightly bigger than a real envelope and the width is about 2cm.  Nevertheless, its a great palette to own and i love all the colors. 

I would recommend this to someone who likes to do more dramatic looks or likes to experiment with color, because many looks can be achieved with this palette.  Another thing is, the quality of the shadows are quite good; they last all day.  One bad thing about this palette is the fact that one 2 shadows are matte.  The others all have glitters in them.  The blushes, however, are matte and the highlighter is very natural and is very versatile. 

Shiseido Sun Protection Foundation Powder (Pressed)

 Time for another review.  This Summer, i bought a new pressed powder because i wanted something that gave me a little bit of coverage without having the heavy foundation or BB cream on my face.  This was perfect for that and it was convenient because it came with a sponge and a mirror.  It was also handy because it was SPF 35 in it which is just perfect for the Summer sun.  If you buy from Shiseido, you know that you have to put the compact case separately from the actual product.  Thus, it can become quite pricey.  I like the compact case and its separator from the product and the sponge, some just has the sponge on the product, which i don't like.  Even though this makes the packaging more bulky, its something i would rather have.  The actual powder itself cost $35 CAD i believe and the compact case is $9.  It was $44 CAD before tax, $43 to get a free gift.  So i decided to get it.  Next time, if i decide to repurchase the product, i can just get the refill. 

The powder it quite smooth on touch and its buildable coverage, but i wouldn't to pack the powder on my face because it can become quite cakey.  It is great to remove shine throughout the day as with other compacts (the extra special coming from the SPF).  Most of the time at home, i just use the ELF complexion brush to apply the product.  I actually have other brushes, but i feel for powders, that brush works very well with each other powder products i own.  Overall the product does a good job evening out my skin tone; i would definitely repurchase this product for the summer months of next year.  Otherwise, this product gave me more courage to try other Shiseido powders.   

Leneige Water Sleeping Pack

I haven't written a review in a long time; I decided it was about time i wrote another.  I have used this product a while now, so i can give an in depth review of this sleeping mask.  First of all, the packaging is really cute but the jar is actually plastic, so don't be surprised when you take it out of the box.  It comes with a spatula so you can scoop the product out without using your fingers which is very thoughtful and helps a lot.  I usually leave the flap half way on the jar so it stays fresh for longer.  You can even refrigerate it if you so desire, but i just leave it in my room so i can remind myself i need to use it before i sleep.

Now, they suggest you only use it twice a week, I don't know how much times i use this product in a week but if i go over twice i wouldn't worry about it too much since the function of this mask is for moisture.  They say that it whitens your skin as well; i don't see a huge difference, but perhaps because my skin is already quite fair.  I do find it moisturizing, without being oily which is great.  I also love how this mask is a sleeping mask (perfect for lazy people like me).  I actually do forget to use it quite often, but the convenience of the mask is self explanatory.  You wash your face, put on all your toners, serums, and lotions (moisturizers) and then you put a layer (around 1.5cm in diameter) on your palm and spread it around your face.  The instructions tell you to place the product on 5 points of your face (forehead, nose top, each cheek, and chin) then breathe in the scent.  I really didn't do that; it almost seems silly so follow the instructions exactly.  After putting on the products, it dries about 5-10 minutes (depending how generous the layer is) and you can sleep because it just feels like a gel moisturizer.  Then, when you wake up in the morning, you just wash your face regularly.  Simple :)

Overall i think the product is quite good, especially if you are lazy like me.  I think if you had dryer skin the effects are more noticeable, but overall this product is a 4/5 for me.

ISQUEEN Oil Control Cleanser and Toner

I wanted to review the ISQUEEN Oil Conrol line as i have been using these two products for a couple months now (my toner ran out).  This brand in from Hong Kong and i got this on sasa.com.  The cleanser is a foam up cleanser and is said to control oil.  After using this in the morning and not using it, i find that i product less oil after using this cleanser.  Thus, it does control oil production and i think my oil has been a bit better from this product.  The toner, i'm not sure if contributes to any of the reduction in oil, but it definitely doesn't make my skin break out.  This product does make my skin clean and it doesn't feel tight afterwards.  So overall, i feel that its a good product and i would give it 4/5 stars because it does what it claims to do, which is oil control. 

Yanwailli Whitening and Moisture Line Review

I wanted to review some Asian cosmetics today because a lot of what i use are from a website called sasa.com and its actually quite a famous store in Hong Kong.  I bought this line awhile ago and used it for a bit as well.  I got the whole line because my mother wanted to try out the whole Whitening and Moisturize line from Yanwailli.  Initially i only got her the cream, but the pamphlet inside the box intrigued her to buy the rest of it.  Starting with the Cleanser, its a cream cleanser and you only need a pea size amount to make it foam up.  It is said to moisturize and whiten.  So far, i haven't seen much whiten, but i cannot really say that because my face isn't exactly dark, however, it definitely doesn't make my face feel tight after washing but it still gives a clean feeling. This is good for the winter, and i have combination skin with an oily tee zone and dry cheeks.  This is why i use the toner as well.  Honestly, I feel that with toners, you can use which ever toner and it would still work because its for moisture balance and helps the cream soak in and lock in what your cleanser does.  So far, the Toner is probably my least favorite since it does nothing.  The lotion is probably my favourite out of the whole line that i have tried because its a runny moisturizer that is not too heavy for my tee zone and it doesnt make me break out.  It does give a dewy finish, so if you guys hate that, don't get it.  Another con is that the bottle is a stupid design because you cannot squeeze it.  I guess it was going for "high-end" packaging because all of these bottles are make from glass except for the cleanser.  Anyways, they are luck the lotion is runny, or else it would be impossible to dump out if it wasn't.  I like to put the lotion all over my face, and then use the cream on my cheeks only because it is much heavier than the lotion.  It is quite solid and helps keep my cheeks moisturized.  As for the essence, i have yet to try it out. I didn't even open the box yet, but when i do, i will let you guys know.

Everyday Minerals Blush Review

Today i wanted to review the Everyday Minerals blush i have.  I have been using these products for a while now, and actually the first blush i have from them are mini sizes because i had bought the kit.  It was a good way to try the blushes because i never used mineral blushes before.  Let me start off my saying how pigmented these blushes are.  You actually have to be very careful the type of brush you use with the blush because if u use a dense brush and your heavy handed, you will have to buff away the color because there will be a giant spot of color on your cheek.  Skill is one thing that is required when using mineral blushes since the amount of pigments used and depends on how much color you want and a light-hand is required to get that right amount of color on your cheeks.

The color lasts all day on your cheeks and even the mini size lasts a long time because of how little of the pigments you need to use.  This being said, below is a photo of the 2 colors i first tired out from the kit.  One is called soft bronzer and the other is raw sugar.  Raw sugar is my favourite, and it is brown in color.  I tend to go for warmer colors in blushes and eyeshadows, so it doesn't surprise me that i would pick this color.  The raw sugar blush has sparkles in the blush so its dark brown and sparkly.  When i apply it, i gives me a glow and obvious color on my cheeks, by no means is this natural if you decide to go heavy on the color to match the rest of your face. However, if u have a light hand it actually does look quite natural on the skin for me.  Usually, because this color is so dark, and i have learned my lesson from the first time of application, i use a stippling brush to apply the color. The soft bronzer color is very light, almost like a skin color (swatches at the bottom).  This is good for blending and just a natural cheek color.  

The next four colors are called:  Girl Friday, Glam Guru, Snooze Bar, and New Car Smell.  I my favourite out of all these is New Car Smell.  The color is very natural on my cheeks and shows up the lightest out of all these colors.  Its a very close match to snooze bar, but you will see from the swatches that all the colors are very vibrant and go with different looks.  Again, a light-hand is the key to application with these pigments.  All of these blushes have some sparkle in it, except for Girl Friday, which is a very bright pink with purple undertones.  It actually is very true to the name.  When i read it, i felt that someone like Katy Perry should be using this color. The color is very party-like and daring.  I don't think i match that description very well in terms of what i use the blush for, and that is everyday use. These are all the big ones of the blushes and i got them on sale for $6 each, which isn't too bad at all.  I like to wear the New Car Smell blush with a highlighter on top, which brings out the cheeks, but still stay natural.

 Swatches from the right:  Girl Friday, Snooze Bar, New Car Smell, and Glam Guru.

Swatches from the left:  Soft Bronzer, Viki's Creation (Lucent Powder), Girl Friday, Snooze Bar, New Car Smell, Glam Guru, and Raw Sugar.

Sephora Haul!!

 Today i went to Sephora and although i did not get much i wanted to blog about it because the products are just so cute.  It is Chic week at sephora so that means 15% off so i decided to go and check out the store.  I found these two very cute products and they were on sale on their own anyways and with the additional 15% off i decided, why not.  It is the Hello Kitty "mon amour" compact mirror and the Hello Kitty "mon amour eyeshadow and blush palette".

This is is their line from the Paris line and the mirror is $9 and it originally was $20 i believe.  I don't know why they were the only things on sale in the store but maybe because it wasn't selling like the original Hello Kitty line.  I still thought it was cute though...

 Even the back is cute...

 I even love the box..

 This is the back of the eyeshadow palette still in the box.  This was original like $50, but they had it on sale as $21 so i thought that was ok considering Sephora stuff usually is quite pricey.

 It comes with a big mirror, which i have not taken the plastic off yet...

 This next product has little to do with Sephora, but i thought i would share that Shoppers is having a sale on Sunday and Monday for some of the Maybelline products and the 24 hour color tattoo is one of them (priced $4.99).  I actually just got the "Bold Gold" color today and that is because i already got the "Too Cool" and "Tough as Taupe" color at London Drugs awhile back.  I really do love them, the colors last a long time and they are a great base.  The best part is that they don't crease and very pigmented.

Pillows :)

As recently mentioned, i went to China for about 3 weeks earlier in January and it was super fun and of course i spent a bit of money on a bit of stuff.  That was a problem because not everything would fit in my suitcase.  Even though i was allowed to have 2 suitcases of 23kg each, i bought a lot of stuff that was not so easy to put in....

One of the many things that i love collecting are stuffed animals.  I didn't get any actual stuffed animals from China because i fought really hard with myself about how many i currently have on my bed and the ones i have put in plastic because they were collecting dust on the shelves.  So i was proud i didn't get any, although i really wanted some because the prices there were just unbeatable, especially when you compare them to here.  Instead of getting stuffed animals, i got pillows shaped like stuffed animals instead.  Not exactly what i should have done, because it actually took a lot of space in my suitcase and actually i put some of it in my boyfriend's suitcase for him to bring back, and i still felt like i didn't buy enough...

Besides getting things for myself, i also got things for other people too, so it wasn't like it's all mine.  Out of the things that did take a lot of space however, are the two things i wanted to share today.

This is a bear-type pillow thing and its white in color.  I love how it looks so innocent and the eyes and that nose.  It was just so cute, it cost $5 CAD probably which you probably cannot get right here. He is super soft, so my boyfriend and i decided to call him "white bread" HAHAHAHA

Another one i really wanted to share is the "lazy bear" Rilakkuma which is a japanese character from Sanrio.  This pillow, besides looking cute with it's ginormous face, has another purpose.  Both sides, under the ears is a hole that goes through to the other side.  You are suppose to stick your hands inside so that when you watch tv, your hands won't get cold.  I though that is the cutest thing ever, especially for me because my hands get cold easily; it was perfect.  It was a bit more that "white bread".  The "lazy bear" cost around $9 CAD, which you probably can't here anyways, especially for this character. 


Pillows were not the only thing i bought in China, but there is too much to share, i would have to spend too much time writing about it.  Perhaps later on, i will share other adventures i had or purchases i made in China. 

Well....

Today i wanted to share a site with all of you that caters to Canadian customers as it is a Canadian company.  It is like an online drugstore and it ships for free to Canada on your purchases.  Although certain items might be more expensive compared to if you were to get it in a store, some items are not always available to everyone or they are harder to find in store.

Well.ca is a great company and ground shipping is always free to Canada.  This makes it convenient for those who want to pick up a few things but don't want to go around looking for them in the store.  I tried this site using a coupon code that allows new customers to get $10 off if i spent $50 which i think is a fair deal.

The code is:  save10dollarsNOW

There are others as well and they are easy to look for.

My friend and I actually ordered from this site before and that was when the Revlon Lip Butters first came out and the colors were impossible to find so we ordered them on this site.  This time i ordered on my own because i wanted this game "The Settlers of Catan" which is surprisingly hard to find and quite expensive to buy for a board game.  It was 15% off on well.ca that week and i had just come back from China.  I played this game in China at those stores that have a million games and all you would have to do is order a drink and you can stay there all day.  Anyways, it was a really fun game and so i decided to get it.  It was something like $35 so i only needed to spend another $15 to use the coupon code.  That made it worth it because it was almost like getting the other stuff for free.  So along with the game i got 2 nail polishes and one eyeliner.  I haven't used the nail polishes yet, but i'm sure they are great as i have used the same kind but a different color.  The eyeliner is great though and i'm sure everyone knows it.  It's the Milani Liquifeye in Black.  It glides on super smoothly and is super dark.  Compared to my Prestige eyeliner, it does tend to smudge more, maybe because of the pigments, but it still holds for a long time.

With my order, i got to choose a free sample, so i chose a cookbook type of thing.  There were other things, but i didn't want those, so i decided to get the book so i could educate myself on eating healthy.  Yeah...i haven't touched it yet..>.<"

The site has a daily deal everyday and every week, just like a regular store, they would have sales on certain things or brands.  Go ahead and check it out.  It comes in a box that was pretty durable and has their name on the front so you know its them.  They packaged everything really securely with bubblewrap around the nail polish to ensure it doesn't break.

Hard Candy Blush

 Today i will be reviewing the Hard Candy brand blushes that i bought awhile ago.  I've tried this product for a long time and it has become my everyday blush.  I love the color and the way it comes out.  Further research into the product found that Hard Candy was a "high-end" makeup brand that use to be sold in Sephora.  However, the competition of other "high-end" makeup brands became too much for the company i guess because it has not been repackaged into a drug-store product and exclusively sold at Wal-marts.  This doesn't make the product any less impressive and when you think about it, your paying a drug-store price for a "high-end" makeup formula.  That, for me, is reason enough to give this brand a try.  My first impression of the product was the packaging and the cuteness of it.  A lot of people might think of this as "kiddy" makeup packaging.  I for one do not think this because it was the packaging that brought me to notice the makeup in the first place.  It actually reflects the product itself very well.  First of all the product does come off as a bit shiny; not in a glittery way, but more of a glowy-metallic way (if that makes sense).  I bought two shades because at first i just got the 127 mooncake shade (pink) and i used that as a highligher and let me just tell you it does wonders if you are looking for a natural glow.  I love the way it comes out and it makes my skin look very healthy.  I went back to buy the brown shade, 128 bombshell.  It has some pinkish streaks on the blush itself but it comes off a very natural bronzy color.  It is like a blush, highlighter, and contour all in one.  It is quite amazing and looks very natural.  I usually use both colors together as a blush and highlighter.  One of the interesting things about this blush is that you can use it dry or wet.  If you wet the blush, the colors comes brighter and more visible.  I prefer using it dry for a more natural look.  I would recommend this product to my friends for sure as i just love the colors.  For my skin tone, i actually prefer brown blushes as it makes my skin a little healthier; nothing too dark though. 

The packaging refers to the product as "blush crush baked blush", which i guess makes it seem more "natural" but there are parabens in the product list at the back.  I don't necessarily feel like that is a huge issue for me because many products do indeed have parabens in their product.  It makes them last longer, and as long as the amount does not exceed the limits of a safe amount, it should be fine for human skin.  One of the main things advertised on this blush is that they do not test on animals, which is always a plus as i love animals and i prefer them not to test on animals.  Many makeup companies do use alternative testing methods now so there really doesn't seem to be a need to test on animals at all.  This blush comes with 8grams of product or 0.28oz which is actually a lot and lasts a long time.  So at $7 for one at Wal-Mart Canada, isn't pricey at all for a good product.

New Years Eve!!! Happy New Years!!

On New Years Eve, me and Jixin celebrated by going out with his friends to the River Rock Casino Buffet.  For $40, its all you can eat, which sometimes, is a little wasted on me since i don't eat too much.  Usually the buffet is around $30 for Friday and Saturday and $22 for Sunday to Thursday.  Although i am not sure what is available for the Sunday to Thursday buffet, the Friday and Saturday one contains stuff such as Prime Rib, various salads and desserts (ice cream included), most importantly crab legs, which are usually the iced kind.  I actually do like the taste of the crab legs, but its just a pain for me to rip open the shells. I don't do that, i get someone else to rip it open for me because it is just easier.  The service is always great and drinks such as tea, coffee, juice, and pop are included in the price.  New Years Eve was busy and since no one is allowed to make reservations we went there right at 5 and there was still a lineup for it, usually if you go at 5 there isn't anyone there lining up.  Otherwise, as the night progresses people are lining up for spots since they only seat 250 people.  On New Years Eve the selection for food is greater than it usually is for the Friday and Saturday, but i feel that is was wasted on me.  They had clams, crab legs, and shrimps on the ice sculpture (picture); they had prime rib, leg of lamb, and pork for carvings; as well as the usual salads, desserts, mashed potatoes, scallop potatoes that are usually available.  Overall the service was still super great, even thought it was busy that night (the waiter was very attentive).  I ate a lot and had a great time.  

 Jixin and I actually went to Yummy Tea House in Richmond afterwards because they were the only place that lets you play cards while you eat, which many places don't allow for various reasons.  They even provide the cards for you. You can bring games to play with you like.  The reason we went there, even after everyone was full is because they wanted to find another place to hang out, and honestly on New Years Eve, Richmond is pretty much shutdown except for food places.  We had a couple of drinks but me and Jixin left early to go to my God Brothers' party at their place.  I grew up with all of them; we are just like family.  Overall i had a great holiday and i hope you guys did as well.  Happy New Years Everyone!!!