Saturday 30 March 2013

Review: Innisfree Green Tea Cleansing Foam, Pure Skin Toner and Pure Lotion

(Unfortunately photos in this post were lost due to The Great Deletion of 2014. Some efforts to re-do photos will be made but not all posts will be redone.)

I got to try a 7 day kit of the Innisfree Green Tea skincare line when I bought a Korean magazine. Innisfree is a Korean brand which touts itself as being focused on using natural ingredients. Many of its focal ingredients come from Jeju Island, Korea. They're also focused on eco-friendly packaging and providing their products at affordable prices. Lots to like about this brand! This green tea line from Innisfree sounded quite promising since it is focused on moisturizing (recurring theme...). Let's take a look at how they perform!

Review Innisfree Green Tea Cleansing Foam Pure Skin Toner Pure Lotion

Thursday 28 March 2013

Review: Korres Lip Butter Glaze in Jasmine

(Unfortunately photos in this post were lost due to The Great Deletion of 2014. Some efforts to re-do photos will be made but not all posts will be redone.)

I've notice that I've blogged a lot of lip product and unfortunately today's post is another one. I thought I had lost this tube of lip...gloss (?) but found it a jacket pocket recently. Have to say, am falling in love with this product again. 

korres lip butter glaze jasmine review swatch

Tuesday 26 March 2013

Empties #1


(Unfortunately photos in this post were lost due to The Great Deletion of 2014. Some efforts to re-do photos will be made but not all posts will be redone.)

One of the favorite types of Youtube videos is the Empties Video. I don't know why but there is a strange thrill in hearing about the amazing progress other bloggers have made in decreasing their makeup/skincare hoards (while probably buying a few items to make up for the loss of one, I know I am quite guilty of this). It's a nice chance to give snaps and claps for a job well done and to do a final victory lap for all the hard effort it took to finish up the rest of that tube of whatever. It's also a great way to hear about what things are worth a repurchase or a skip the next go-around at the store. So, I am more than happy to contribute my first empties post! Huzzah to me for finish up some of these items. Seriously, it makes me feel more proud than it ought to.  

empties empty dhc cleasing oil body shop butter brazil nut bath and body works freesia b kamins maple body lotion, l'occitane, fairydrops scandal queen mascara, etude house deep moist toner lotion

Saturday 23 March 2013

Wearable Zen: Beauty Looks for Fall Ready-to-Wear 2013

I finally got around to looking at the beauty looks from all the runway shows last month. I love that the Vogue website not only has full coverage of the runaway but also includes details on the makeup looks as well. This time around I noticed a lot of fresh clean faces with simple details for the eyes. There were a few designers who chose camel colored eyeshadows and of course cat eyes as well. All very easy to recreate and I'm hoping to try some of these out myself. Here are just some of my picks. (all photos are credited to Vogue and the designers)

Fresh Faces
Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein Chloe, Stella Mccartney fall ready to wear 2013 beauty
Top: Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein
Bottom: Chloe, Stella McCartney
More after the jump....

Thursday 21 March 2013

Stressed Out Saviours


These last couple of months have been straight up disastrous as far as my mental health goes. My program thought it would be a wonderful idea to have 16 assignments due in 6 weeks. This has left even the most hardened male student in fits of tears. To ease some of the tensions, there have been a few things that I've been using to try and make things just a little bit better.

Tuesday 19 March 2013

Review: Lancome Hypnose Drama and Cils Booster XL


(Unfortunately photos in this post were lost due to The Great Deletion of 2014. Some efforts to re-do photos will be made but not all posts will be redone.)

For some reason, samples of Lancome mascara are really easy to come by in my household. This has mainly been due to Lancome gift with purchases that always seem to have a mascara in them. Typically I've gotten the Lancome Definicils which I never really liked but I was pleasantly surprised to be gifted with a sample of their Hynose Drama and Cils Booster XL. Let's see how these mascaras stack up.
lancome hypnose drama and cils booster xl super enhancing mascara base review

Sunday 17 March 2013

Google Reader or A Short Lesson on the Briefing Note

Issue: 
Google reader is going away as of July 1st, 2013

Background: 
As a blog aggregator, Google Reader has kept favorite internet reads easily located in one place. Since its introduction in 2005, it has seen varying success. Initial popularity was strong but declining usage has resulted in Google's decision to dismantle the service.

Key Considerations: 
Readers may question how best to proceed in following the plethora of blogs that distract their day. Confusion may abound as readers attempt to add all such blogs into their bookmarks with major internet slowdowns when bookmarks are opened all at once. Frustration and tears may ensue over the loss of hard earned blog statics as readers haphazardly reach for the random blog aggregators only to find that a blogger is not affiliated.

It is best that recommendations help smooth this transition period as social unrest may occur. Large numbers of blog readers may expression befuddlement over what to do as they try and recall the URLs of their favorite blogs. Lost of access to blogs may also result in retail sales plummeting in the current quarter. We're just coming out of a recession guys. This is serious.

Options:
1) Keep up to date via Bloglovin or HelloCotton. Might it be suggested that following "A Beautiful Zen" is a marvelous idea. (Not so subtle hint that follow buttons are on the right sidebar.)

2) Following via Instagram if you're just in it for the photos (there's nothing wrong with that). "abeautifulzen" has some lovely random semi-daily pics.

3) Status Quo: do nothing.

Recommendations:
Options 1 and maybe 2. This two-phased option will result in maximum gains in utility. Implementation is simple and should be immediate.


Just a bit of fun :)
 Slight update: writing my thesis has been nothing short of wringing water from rocks. Does everyone experience this problem? Most likely. Props to you if you actually read this. Hope you had a chuckle. Sorry if the only people that found this amusing are my other policy minded buddies  as this is a possibility :{P 

Saturday 16 March 2013

Edible Zen: Tea

Something that I really enjoy having everyday when I can is a good cup of tea. I have never really understood the popularity of coffee. I feel like it buzzes my mind in a very artificial way where my brain is on fire but I'm still halfway asleep. With tea, the sense of awakening is more gradual and smooth which makes this drink my go-to for days when I haven't slept properly.


Thursday 14 March 2013

Review: My Beauty Diary Aloe Mask



my beauty diark aloe mask review

Another product I tried in order to salvage my dry skin was the My Beauty Diary Aloe Mask. I love this brand of masks in general but there were a few surprising qualities of the Aloe variety that are worth mentioning. 

Tuesday 12 March 2013

Neglected Beauty: Urban Decay De-Slick Mattifying Powder


(Unfortunately photos in this post were lost due to The Great Deletion of 2014. Some efforts to re-do photos will be made but not all posts will be redone.)

I'm sure this happens to everyone. You hear how great something is, you go out and buy it, you end up never really using it. Well, that happens often enough that I try and root around for my lesser used products now and then. Just to ease the guilt really. The Urban Decay De-Slick Mattifying Powder is one such product.

Urban Decay De-Slick Mattifying Powder

Saturday 9 March 2013

Blog Sale

Hey Everyone :)

Thanks for checking out my blog! Google Analytics tells me that more than a few of you guys return after one visit so that's a lovely surprise!

Over the time, I've accumulated some products that haven't quite worked out for me or have never used so I thought I would have a Blog Sale tab on the upper tab section for anyone who may be interested. There are some things available there now and will be added to as time goes on. I'm going to clean them up as much as I can before handing them over to their new owners. Happy shopping and thanks!

Skinfood Acai Berry Mask and Bdellium Square Facial Brush


(Unfortunately photos in this post were lost due to The Great Deletion of 2014. Some efforts to re-do photos will be made but not all posts will be redone.)

My skin has been so dry lately and I've noticed a lot of micro-exfoliation when I use my Clarisonic which is just exacerbating the problem. I've been rooting around for good ways to keep my skin moisturized and have been getting back to a few mask products I've neglected. So since I've barely touched my Skinfood Acai Berry Mask and it's suppose to help moisturize the skin, I decided to pick it up again.

skinfood acai berry mask bdellium square facial brush #365s


Thursday 7 March 2013

Inglot Review pt 2


(Unfortunately photos in this post were lost due to The Great Deletion of 2014. Some efforts to re-do photos will be made but not all posts will be redone.)

Here is the palette I created along with swatches.

inglots eyeshadow freedom palette review swatch nyc 10 pan 341 406 399 407 413 344 409 423 450 47

Tuesday 5 March 2013

Inglot Review pt 1


(Unfortunately photos in this post were lost due to The Great Deletion of 2014. Some efforts to re-do photos will be made but not all posts will be redone.)

As mentioned before I went to an Inglot store during my NYC trip. I had been coveting the Inglot eyeshadows for a couple of years actually and always browse their website putting things into a shopping cart as if I were actually going to buy them. I know...it's sad. Being able to actually go to a store, swatch colors, and not have to pay shipping made all my Inglot dreams come true. The main attraction here are their eyeshadows!


inglots eyeshadow freedom palette pan color swatch review

Friday 1 March 2013

Covergirl Lipperfection Jumbo Balm Stain

(Unfortunately photos in this post were lost due to The Great Deletion of 2014. Some efforts to re-do photos will be made but not all posts will be redone.)

There has been an increase in the number of jumbo lip pencils coming out in the market. I find these types of products easy to use and tend to grab them a bit more often than a tradition tube of lipstick. Not sure why, but there you are. When the Covergirl ones came out, I wanted to give it a go, purely due to my consumerism tendencies unfortunately. 

covergirl lipperfection lip perfection jumbo balm stain rose twist swatch review