Review: Bath and Body Works Anti-Bacterial Moisturizing Hand Lotion in Twilight Woods.

This is a review of the Bath and Body Works Anti-Bacterial Moisturizing Hand Lotion in Twilight Woods. This was a gift from Sarah.

This product is a watery lotion, and has little blue specks in it.

What it does: (from bathandbodyworks.com)
This moisturizing hand lotion softens and soothes as it kills germs - leaving hands scented with a hypnotic blend of enticing fruits and warm cypress inspired by a romantic walk in enchanted woods. 

Price: $4.00 for 2 fluid ounces

Scent: Um... similar to Twilight Woods body lotion?

Pros:

• I love the scent!
• This product left my skin moisturized but not oily or greasy
• The scent lasts on my skin for a while
• Affordable

Cons:

• This is a little watery for my personal taste
• The scent is too strong for me. I cannot eat or handle food for 1-2 hours after putting on this lotion.  It also bothers me if I do makeup after I put on this lotion.

Would I repurchase? Probably not, since it smells too strong for me! I realized that strong smelling hand lotions bother me because I use my hands a lot. 

Hope you enjoy this review!

xoxo, K

Weekly Reads #39: November 25, 2011

• Magnetized nail polish, via Makeup Wonderland.  These nail polishes are so cool!  Too bad they aren't available over here!
• Top 10 things to do in Macau, via Little Miss Kessa. I've been to Hong Kong many times, but I've never been to Macau!
  
• Spicy Pork Stew with Chickpeas, via Simply Recipes. This stew sounds delicious and just right for cold nights.
• Overcoming Bloggers' Block, via Beautyholics Anonymous. What do you do when you don't have anything to blog about?
  
• How does a girl find her style, via Ask Metafilter. I have a huge problem in that I don't really like the current fashion in Japan. I wish Ann Taylor was available here!

Review: Queen Helene Mint Julep Masque - a staple in your skin care routine?

This is a review for the Queen Helene Mint Julep Masque. This is a very popular drugstore mask in the US, and seems to be a staple in a lot of people's skin care routines.

What it does: (from queenhelene.com)
Mint Julep Masque is the original natural home treatment to help dry up pimples, rinse away blackheads and shrink enlarged pores. Simply apply Mint Julep Masque to your clean face and neck. As it firms and hardens within minutes, it draws out impurities from your pores. After the masque is removed, your skin will feel clean, refreshed and smooth.

Price: will vary, depending on where you buy it.  According to walgreens.com, it was $4.29

Pros:

• Dries up pimples. I saw a significant reduction in swelling and redness
• Cheap and easy to find (in the US)

Cons:

• This product is very minty, and contains kaolin (clay).  It may be too drying for people with sensitive skin.
• If you move your face after the product dries, it will flake off
• The product is very thick and hard to apply or wash off

Because this product is very drying, I like to apply it only to my pimples, not to my entire face.  I don't like to use this product regularly, but I like to have a tube on hand in case of breakouts!

Would I repurchase?  Yes, this is a cheap product and great to have in case of pimples

Hope you enjoyed this review!

xoxo, K

Review: Revlon ColorStay Liquid Liner - a drugstore brand liquid eyeliner

This is a review for the Revlon ColorStay Liquid Liner. I have this in the color Blackest Black.

Revlon ColorStay has 2 other eyeliners, and their names are a little confusing.

• Revlon ColorStay Eyeliner = the pencil eyeliner
• Revlon ColorStay Liquid Eye Pen = the liquid eyeliner that looks like a sharpie
• Revlon ColorStay Liquid Liner = the liquid eyeliner that has a brush

What it does:
Elegant, sexy and sophisticated, Revlon® Colorstay™ Liquid Liner allows you to emphasize your eyes with precision. Dries quickly and lasts all day.
(from revlon.com)


Price: will vary on where you buy it. I spent about $7.



Let's check how this product lasts!

Here are two swatches on my arm. I tried to make them equal, but you can see that the left line is a little less dark than the right one. This eyeliner is not super black in a swatch, but I could not see any difference when I applied it to my eyes.

I rubbed the left swatch with my finger to see how it smudges.

Unfortunately, you can see that it is wearing off.

Next, I splashed the swatches with water.

You can see that it washed off.  Unfortunately, this eyeliner isn't waterproof.

Pros:

• When I use it on my eyes, it lasts fairly well
• The applicator is like a felt tip pen and is easy to use. I can make the line as thin or as thick as I want

Cons:

• Does not always apply evenly
• In the test that I did above, you can see that it wears off

Would I repurchase?  I have, but there are so many good products in the drugstore now that I want to try other products first!

What is your favorite liquid liner from the drugstore?  Please let me know because I'm interested in trying them out!

xoxo, K

Weekly Reads #38: November 18, 2011

• How to blend eyeshadow, via Makeupgeek. She applies color to the lid last, while I usually apply color to my outer V last.  Which way do you apply your eyeshadow?
• Beauty bloggers are bizarre, via Beauty's Bad Habit. Yes, I've bought products specifically to blog about them!
• Clinique comes up with a way for shoppers to tell them if they want help or not, via Lipglossiping. I hope all beauty counters start doing this!
• Holy Grail Drugstore Beauty Products from Nouveau Cheap. I'll be checking out these products next time I'm in the US!
• Chicken Soup, via Macheesmo. It's getting to be colder, plus whole chickens are much cheaper here than in Japan, so I don't have an excuse not to try this!

I really want to change up my blog. What kind of posts would you be interested in? More reviews, more FOTDs, more personal talk?  I'm bummed that I can't do as many giveaways as I used to do, since mail here really sucks. Please let me know!

xoxo, K

Review: Clarisonic Refreshing Gel Cleanser - a cleanser designed for the Clarisonic

This is a review of the Clarisonic Refreshing Gel Cleanser. I received a trial size of this as part of a special set when I bought my Clarisonic. I thought this would be an interesting review to write since I've never seen a review of this product.

The cleanser is the blue tube on the right.

What it does:
Specially formulated for sonic cleansing, this pH-balanced, foaming gel cleanser gently balances and clarifies to relieve and protect oily, congested skin. Contains natural active ingredients and is paraben-free. 
Contains Natural Active Ingredients: Willowbark—a natural antiseptic and anti-inflammatory, Bearberry—promotes bright, even skin tone, Japanese Green Tea—soothes and protects skin
(from clarisonic.com)

Price: $25 for 6 oz

Scent: This product has a very generic cleanser scent, similar to the liquid soap you can find in public restrooms. I don't dislike the scent, but I don't think it's a great scent.

Pros:

• Cleans well

Cons:

• This was a very generic cleanser.
• I did not see any difference between using this cleanser and any other cleanser with my Clarisonic

Would I repurchase? No. While this isn't a bad cleanser, it really isn't worth the $25.  I'm glad I got this trial size for free!

Like I said, this is really just a generic cleanser. Even if it were $10, I wouldn't spend money on this product since there are so many better cleansers on the market.

Hope this helped!


xoxo, K

Review: Lush Godiva solid shampoo - a conditioning solid shampoo

This is a review for the Lush Godiva solid shampoo.  I bought this when I went to London last year.  This product is called レディゴダイバ ("Lady Godiva") in Japan.  Interesting, since the brand Godiva Chocolates is pronounced "Go-dee-va" in Japanese, but this shampoo is pronounced "Go-dye-va"

What it does: (from lush.co.uk)
Solid shampoo bar with added conditioner for a richer lather. Godiva uses our patented solid shampoo base with a sexy jasmine fragrance and a host of ingredients to give a more conditioning wash. Cocoa Butter, shea butter, camellia oil, jojoba oil, macadamia nut oil, extra virgin coconut oil and cupuaçu butter will feed the hair and moisturise the scalp. Great on dry or long hair that needs a creamier wash. 
The heady fragrance lasts on the hair all day and, if you are lucky enough to have long hair, you'll find it perfect for swishing about to create your very own cloud of allure. This shampoo bar shares the same sensual jasmine fragrance as our Flying Fox shower gel.

Price: 6.00 GBP in the UK, $10.95 in the US, 890 JPY in Japan.

Scent: This shampoo smells exactly like the scent of all Lush stores - that herbally scent that you get every time you walk within 100 feet of a Lush store. I'm not sure if it smells like Flying Fox shower gel (which I also have a review on) as it says on Lush.com since I haven't smelled the two together.  I like the scent, but as always, I recommend you go to the store to sniff it yourself.  The only times I have disliked a Lush scent is when I ordered online and didn't go to the store to check it!

Pros:

• This product was less drying than other Lush solid shampoos that I've used 
• This product does not strip my hair of moisture, and I can rinse it out smoothly
• Lush says that this product is vegan
• Minimal packaging
• Does not contain silicone

Cons:

• I still needed a conditioner with this shampoo
• This product has a lot of small pieces of jasmine flowers that I would not like to have stuck in my hair. Be sure to either rinse your hair extra well, or avoid rubbing the bar directly on your hair.
• Like all of Lush's solid shampoos, this will easily melt in the shower. Remember to store it in a dry place

Notes about Lush solid shampoos:

• Lush solid shampoos have a lot of air incorporated in them. They contain less product than soaps of the same size.
• They melt very quickly in warm or damp environments.
• This product lasted me 35 days. Compared with bottled shampoos, they do not last very long.
• Solid shampoos in general are a little difficult to use. I like to rub them in my hands and then rub the lather into my hair. 

Would I repurchase?  Maybe. I like the Lush solid shampoos for a change from my regular regiment. I've tried 2 other solid shampoos, and I think I like this one the best!

Hope you enjoyed this review!

xoxo, K

Weekly Reads #37: November 11, 2011

• My Beauty Evolution, via emilynoel83. This was a really interesting tag that I am considering doing on my blog. What do you think?
• How to write negative reviews professionally, via Beautyholics Anonymous. This was such an educating read for me since I write so many review.
• A teddy bear protecting a sleeping child from a monster, via Deviant Art. This was very popular on the internet a few weeks ago, and I think it is super cute!
• Edible shot glasses, via Luxiare. Using complimentary ingredients in the shot glasses is an amazing idea!
• 11 multi-vitamin brands to avoid, via Future Derm. I was shocked to learn that the contents of some multi-vitamins don't meet the claims!

xoxo, K

Up and Down #19: November, 2011

Oh wow, 2011 has flown by so fast! I've started drafting my 2011 favorites post.  A little early, maybe, but I want some time to look at all the things I've used this year to figure out my favorites!

On to my Ups and Downs!

Ups:

MAC Honey Lust eyeshadow

This is a Lustre finish eyeshadow, which can be glittery and not smooth.
It works best with an eyeshadow base.

NYX Jumbo eyeshadow pencil in Yogurt

This is a taupey color and works great for work.

Finding a bra that fits well

A well-fitting bra is SO important, but I have a hard time finding something that I like. Ever since Uniqlo discontinued my favorite bra, I have been searching for something which fits me.  I finally found it, even though it's twice as expensive as the Uniqlo bras!

I've written a post about my experience with bra fitting in New York.  

Allie of Wardrobe Oxygen also has a fabulous post about the importance of bra fitting.

Having a fabulous, fabulous week at work. 

A few weeks ago, I had the greatest week at work. The best part about working in China is that once people consider you to be family, they will do anything and everything for you.  

I had a week which included 

(1) having a heart to heart talk with someone I don't work well with, and both of us promising to try harder to help each other, 

(2) getting an unexpected text message from someone who was seriously worried about my health after seeing me at work, 

(3) seeing someone grow their capability incredibly fast and being amazed at how much their leadership has grown, 

(4) being invited to a family dinner.

Living in this country is pretty tough, but things like this remind me why I love working here.

Downs:

MAC 129 brush

Maybe I just got a bad brush, but my 129 brush sheds EVERY SINGLE TIME I use it.  It's also prickly. My Sonia Kashuk blusher brush is much softer, doesn't shed, and is less than 1/2 the price.

Cold weather

Ugh, the long cold winter here has started. The constant darkness and the cold, as well as bad insulation everywhere, make it a depressing time. Now I remember why I went to Hawaii last year!

I'm trying to find something new to include in my monthly favorites.  Any suggestions?

xoxo, K

Weekly Reads #36: A roundup of Lush holiday reviews

Now that Halloween is over, the holiday collections are being released left and right. I'm happy to see that Lush is rereleasing some of the great things they released last year!

Click the image below to go to Lush USA's holiday collection

Click the image below to go to Lush UK's holiday collection

>

Several products I reviewed last year are being rereleased this year. Click on the links to go to my reviews.  I've updated all the prices for this year!

Angel's Delight Soap

Buche de Noel Cleanser

Gingerbread House Bubble Bar

Glogg Shower Gel

Snow Fairy Shower Gel

Snowcake Soap

Snow Globe Soap

Hope this helps!

Any holiday items (including from other brands) that you are interested in?

xoxo, K

Review: Clinique Happy Body Smoother - what is a body smoother?

This is a review of the Clinique Happy Body Smoother.  I bought this in Bicester Village during my trip to London.

What it does:
Lightweight lotion instantly hydrates, leaves skin feeling smooth, silky. Lightly scents skin with the fresh, vibrant notes of Clinique Happy-a hint of citrus, a wealth of flowers, a mix of emotions. Wear it and be happy all over.
(from clinique.com)

Price: $28.50 for 6.7oz.

Pros:

• Smells very similar to Clinique Happy perfume
• Like all body lotions, putting this lotion on before applying Happy perfume will make the scent last longer.
• Soaks in quickly without leaving the skin feeling oily or greasy
• Is hydrating enough even in the winter (for me)
• I liked the thickness of this lotion

Cons:

• If you don't like Clinique Happy, you probably won't like this lotion
• I have no idea what a "body smoother" is. There are no exfoliating bits in this lotion, and it feels exactly like a body lotion.  Clinique has a separate "Happy body cream", so I'm not clear what this product is supposed to do.
• Expensive for a body lotion. However, other body lotions for high end perfumes are also around $25-30.

Would I repurchase: No.  I liked that I got to try it, and I would buy it if it were part of a set.  Since I usually shower in the evenings, I don't need a body lotion to smell like a perfume.

Do you wear the same body lotion as your perfume?  

Hope you enjoyed this review!

xoxo, K