Deep Sleep ZZzzzzz.......

Dreaming of deep sleep? Well, for those who want to sleep like a baby at night let me introduce to you a hopeful answer to y'all! It's This Works Deep Sleep range. A few months ago I made a purchase on This Works website. They were doing a massive sale and I was able to pick up the Deep Sleep balm, pillow mask, and a body cream. The balm and pillow mask came in their really nicely packaged gift set. It has a magnetic closure so it keeps the scent of lavender safe in the box :) The pillow mask you see, is not just a plain pillow mask. It's stuffed with oh so fresh lavenders! Yay!


But THE product I want to rave about here is the balm. Oh.... ma.... loardddddd! The natural balm made of Lavender and Rose essential oils smells so fresh, luxurious, and comforting. It says to apply on pulse points and any dry areas like cuticles or elbows. They say however, NOT to apply on lips. It is the perfect size to carry around or to just leave by your bedside for a quick dab here and there.


As you know (if you've read my blogposts) I've really gotten into aromatherapy. I doubted the whole idea, but really, I could not deny the effects of them! That's what got me to buy this range. When I applied this balm on my pulse points and such, that night.... I truly had one good DEEP sleep. But it was the first use, so I didn't want to jump to conclusions that THIS WORKS.

But then, you know... I have two sisters. As I say, having girls in the house means you've got beauty critics around you at all times :) I asked one of my sister to try it. Lo' and behold! She came the next day and said... THIS WORKS. She confirmed my experience, saying she slept like no other that night. Then, thereafter, we both applied it every night and really the soothing lavender scent is an aromatic lullaby!

The Deep Sleep Dream Cream is also of the same sooth scent. The cream bottle reads "Wrap yourself in a cocoon of soothing essential oils anywhere, anytime." It's a natural fusion of Provencal Lavender, Vetivert and Camomile blended with Crambe and Gold of Pleasure oils (rich in Omega 3). These hydrate and protect your skin. Oh-la-la!

At first, the scent was too herbal for my like. The vertivert is definitely there. The lavender is there as well, but not as sweet or light as I would've liked it. So, after the first use, I had put it away for awhile. The balm on the other hand instantly suited my taste. But after the amazing effects of the balm, I eased back into this cream. I have to say, it really is lovely.

I love the whole This Works brand. The idea is that the products are actually effective. Their "modern natural beauty" is completely reliable. The only downfall is that unless you're in the UK, getting a hold of this can be a bit difficult (shipping price and such). Try their website or BeautyBay!

Again, another essential step in my nighttime ritual :)

NAKED 2 by URBAN DECAY

I finally got my hands on the Naked 2 palette ($50). Too late on the ride you say? Well, at least I got on the ride! I was hesitant about it because I still had the original/first Naked palette and I had a lot left to use. But recently, I had hit pan on Half-baked, seriously the all-time most beautiful gold shimmer eyeshadow ever! Then, I went on a whole journey of considering several cream eyeshadows to try out. On my trip to Sephora today, I tried about four different brands of cream eyeshadows... all were just  meh. Then, I hopped over to Urban Decay and took a good look at Naked 2. I realized that the palette had my much needed Half-baked and I also realized how beautiful the shades were. I took the liberty to swatching what I thought were the prettiest of them all, and whoa. Who needs cream eyeshadows when these powdered ones glide on smoother than cream, deliver better than paint, and blend like powder? Nuh-uh. I immediately picked this palette up. I didn't think any swatching was necessary for this blogpost because I mean come on, who hasn't seen tons of reviews on this palette already?



Without flash. 
 My favorite shades so far are (all) YDK, Bootycall, Chopper, Pistol, Busted, Blackout... hmm... I think I'm mentioning them all. I really do like them all. I love that the black shade is matte. Oh, and the brush! If you've watched my last favorites (of 2012) video, you'll see that I use a double-ended Jemma Kidd brush for my Naked 1 palette. It fits perfectly into the palette too. I was more than pleased to see their own fine double-ended brush already given in the palette. One side is a denser kind, and the other side is a fluffy one good for buffing and blending! It also comes with a nude colored lip gloss that I find neutral and nice, a good little bonus for the whole package!


Shu Uemura: Rouge Unlimited Lipstick

Shu Uemura Rouge Unlimited lipsticks ($30) are known to be formulated for long lasting supreme moisture and comfort, as well as "unprecedented pureness" in color. They use (yeah, I'm quoting their website) a "new double hybrid pigment technology" that enables the "delivery of the purest color ever"!


My brother-in-law (soon-to-be) bought me this beautiful Shu Uemura lipstick at the airport's duty-free. The color I got is the CR330, also known as Medium grapefruit pink (a warm undertone). It looks so pretty, a pink coral but not as strong as a coral sometimes seem to be. 


I was so excited to try the color, and after I took a few snapshots of it, I immediately applied it FULL-ON on my lips. Then, after realizing the amazing moisture and comfort the lipstick did give me, I thought the color was too bright for my complexion! And, let me note that I can wear pretty bright lipsticks without shame :) But this seemed too light for my skin tone. Then of course, after I mentioned that to my much lighter-toned sister, she immediately sought to steal the lipstick away! :) But, of course... I refused to hand it over! 

But that's not my point. Point is: If you dap this on your lips, because it's so super moisturizing, it gives a tint effect. The color is very pigmented and you can definitely build to have that exact color transfer on your lips (even with one sweep). But, I found that when I took it and dabbed it lightly all over, it made my face look bright, fresh, and well, innocent! Because you see, the color really is BEAUTIFUL and I was upset it didn't look great on me when it was full-on. But then I tried dabbing it and it looks like a tint and it looked so........ pretty! :)


Which is great, because I am so tired of winter makeup! I want spring to come fast. I've switched over to pastel/lighter nail polishes, and I've been thinking about getting the spring colored makeup! This lipstick shade is perfect for that. It's sheer-looking with a beautiful spring-like freshness, and you know the whole I'm-wearing-lipstick-but-looks-like-I-just-have-a-really-pretty-fresh-lip-color? Yeah, that's the effect this lipstick gives! 

So, I love it! It's my first Shu Uemura lipstick! It's one of their award-winning products and rightfully so :) 

Come Spring, come!

NOTD Essie Sand Tropez


I made a huge attempt to move away from dark nail polishes. I think wearing them all winter long is good enough. But then again, I couldn't decide what else to wear. Then I remembered this nail polish that I had bought months... ago. I had put it off because it wasn't what I expected! It is this color Sand Tropez by Essie. It's actually pretty well known, hence I bought it.


In the bottle, it seems really washed out (whiter) than I thought it would be. But, once applied, it's like a pastel-ly gray-brown. It's actually quite gentle and classy. It seems like a mix of Case Study and Topless & Barefoot, both by Essie.


Forest Essentials Bath Oil in Jasmine

This is becoming a ritual after every shower. This is by far the best most enriching bath oil I've used. I have never tried anything from Forest Essentials though I've heard of them here and there. I got this in my December Glossybox and had put it off using it because I couldn't quite open the plastic cap. But, my sister got around to it and used it first. She came back from showering and she was smelling... DIVINE. I asked her what this jasmine smelling thing was and she said it was the bath oil I received in the Glossybox. OMG, I thought! 


This is a Bath & Shower Oil in the scent Madurai Jasmine & Mogra. I checked their website and saw that they have a lot of different scents. I know what's going to happen already... me trying literally them all! But this scent that I have is such a great night time scent. It's such a deeply rich jasmine. You apply it after shower or I guess you can apply it when you are in the shower. I like to come out of the shower and with moisture still on my skin, apply this all over my body. My goodness. How heavenly this oil is! I've tried Nuxe oil and Sabon oils, but I think this one beats them all. 


Even though I hate to run out of this, I don't try to use it sparingly. I love drenching myself in this smooth absolutely divine scent. It leaves my skin feeling super duper soft. Forest Essentials seems to be really focused on their ingredients, making sure to use organic and really effective and healthy oils. My skin feels so hydrated and silky!!! 

After I apply this, I crawl into bed and fall asleep in no time with this gorgeous soothing scent. This is definitely aromatherapeutic! Then in the morning, when I wake up, I am more than pleased at the texture of my skin! I'm already on their website, thinking of what to stock up on. Definitely this jasmine scent is in the basket, but I so want to try their other scents.

If you're looking for a really nice bath & shower oil, do try this out. I think I already know what's going to be in my 2013 favorites :)


Watt's Up?!

If you have oily skin, the idea of "highlighting" will be all too strange. Why add shine when you've got shine that you want to get rid of?! Well, I'm there with you on that. But for two reasons, I started applying highlighters. First reason is, I've been going regularly to my skincare spa. It's helped clear up my skin so much! Second reason is because if applied right in the right places, it'll look like a "glow" and not the kind of oily shine we all hate so much.



Benefit "Watt's Up" is a gorgeous champagne highlighter that is a double-ended stick. One side has the highlighter and the other side has a small rounded sponge that you can work to blend out the highlighter. I saw Tanya Burr wear it in her videos and although she raves so much about Dior amber diamond highlighters, I could never see the effects of the glow as much as I saw it when she wore this Benefit Watt's Up! Wowza! It was gorgeous.


So, on a trip to Sephora I went and tried it on. It has a smooth consistency and goes on so well. After I dapped it on the tops of my cheeks and right under my brow, I went seriously considering buying it. I heard so many compliments that day, people asking what was on my cheeks. They adored the glow, the shine, and etc.,! That was mission accomplished! It actually had a "highlighting" effect and not a oily shine effect :)


This is the only highlighter I use. I still only use it on special days. Highlighters are still a bit of a new concept for me, but I am thoroughly enjoying it. Again, this product reconfirms my love and respect for Benefit cosmetics for their fast, efficient, and fun products. Also, you gotta love the name. Watt's Up?! :)

Absolutely love! xx

Estee Lauder Promising Maximum Coverage!

Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation has been around for a pretty long time. It was next on my list to try, all because of the great reviews I've heard about the amazing coverage and natural finish. I recently went to my skincare spa that I've never mentioned about before (maybe I'll write a review on it? Tell me if you'd like to see it), and well what happens after a session is that your face is left a bit red and all for about two days. So, I thought, no better time to try out how good this Estee Lauder Double Wear foundation is.

BUT, let me stop y'all there. This isn't the original Double Wear. It's their MAXIMUM coverage. They have a lighter version, the original version, and this. THE MAXIMUM! Although NARS sheer glow and the Laura Mercier Silk Creme Foundations are amazing and seriously, if I had better skin, I'd wear those two forever... I did need some extra boost. Also, school has started. That means, stress has begun! 


Before I even tried it, I automatically thought this would be like... well, paint. I thought the consistency would be thick and pastey but in fact, I was so surprised to see that it was REALLY liquidy! The consistency is very similar to Nars Sheer glow, although the NARS is a bit more watery. Point is though that this is also pretty liquidly. The Laura Mercier Silk Creme is in fact more pastey than this one is.

When you take a brush and spread it all over your face, you find that it spreads so................. nicely and evenly. And then, it sinks right in! It also finishes with full coverage, and pretty natural. It's not BB cream, but come on, this is a heavy duty foundation! For those of you who really need a GOOD MAX coverage foundation (while taking care of skin, of course!) then do check this out. The finish is neither totally matte nor totally glowy. It's somewhere in the middle I think.

If your skin isn't that terrible, I think the original is enough because the original is known for its excellent coverage. You shouldn't have to go an extra step. But this is for those who really. really want it :)

I bought this at Saks Fifth Avenue and the guy at the counter told me there was no other product on the market that had as good a coverage as this. It kind of frightened me. I thought, what are you selling paint? But, I was pleasantly surprised!

The smell is also neutral. It doesn't smell like anything, so fragrance-free. You're not going to be smelling any paste or paint smell in this.

The wear is also designed for long-lasting. Of course, since it's marketed towards people who want maximum coverage. It stays on really long.

What I also love is that the packaging is uber-convenient! It is so slim and rather small, I thought there wasn't much product in it. But in fact, it has MORE than the NARS Sheer glow :) So, well done Estee Lauder for the perfect packaging! And great coverage! And wear... and well, finish and well... you know, all of it.

The shade I bought is Creamy Vanilla, a bit lighter than my skin tone but I always go a shade lighter than my actual complexion to do the job of brightening. And, it works out really well :) It is a bit pricey, on par with the other high-ends (I believe it is a bit more pricey than the original double wear) but it'll last long and I think it's worth it.


BANG! Rolling Bangs in for the Lazy Gals :)


I recently cut my bangs (fringe in the UK?) . I used to have them for years and years until I got rid of them, which took about two years. So, cutting them back off was a pretty big deal. I thought of getting a wig for my bangs so when I didn't want bangs, I could just unclip 'em off! But, that seemed a bit... bleh. So, I cut it about a month ago. And... I had completely forgotten what a hassle and bother they could be!

As I mentioned in this hair care post a few weeks ago, I always get my hair chemically straightened. Usually, the hair cut and perm happens all in a day. So, what happens is... you end up with really straight bangs. Like. STRAIGHT. bangs. And who would want that? There needs to be some volume, right? A bit of naturalness you know? So, what I usually do is blow dry my bangs so that it could get a natural "bump".

BUT! Then, I discovered this thing. And I never thought it'd do the job considering how straight my hair is AND how thick they are. Now ladies (and guys??) if you are one to be lazy about blowdrying and having to that every time you wash your hair, then listen up!

Beware these things catch any loose hair and well, stick to everything! :)

These hair curlers are amazing! What you do is take that piece of bangs that you know need a curl and curl them they way... well, the way you do with hair curlers. Then, go about doing your thing and depending on how much volume/curl you want, you can leave it for maybe 1 minute to as long as you want. Usually, I put it in when my hair is still damp. Then, if I want a really natural curl, I leave it on for maybe 5 minutes or when most of the water dried off. Then when I take it out, then voila! That's it.

But, since I have thick hair and an oily scalp... if I only do it for a few minutes, it has a tendency to go straight in the middle of the day. That's the case even with blow dry. So, I like to start off with a bit of curl. Then, you can always comb it down and if it's too excess, just damp your fingers and comb it through. Then, it'll be just fine :)

These are cheap and affordable, coming in all different sizes. Get it in any drugstore or any haircare store. Depending on the size of "bump" you want, pick that and just curl them in.

Peony Blush by Burberry

For Christmas, my brother-in-law got me a gift card to Saks Fifth Avenue. Yes, I'm lucky like that :) Though the amount I received was quite a lot, it wasn't quite a lot in Saks-standards, unfortunately... like, to buy clothes and such. So in choosing between buying maybe ONE item, I opted to use my gift card to get what I love the most. BEAUTY PRODUCTS! So in a recent trip to Saks, I picked up a couple of things. Of them was this Peony Blush no.4 by Burberry.


I truly think Burberry has one of the best packaging and quality in beauty products. I think it surpasses a lot of high-end brands and every time I pick them up and try them on, I am constantly surprised and pleased by their luxurious branding and quality. To me, Burberry makeup is not just a hype. It's really that good.


While my sister was having a makeover at the counter, I was becoming very fond of a particular blush. It looked so lovely and natural on my sister's cheeks. It's this Peony blush that is a light but not pale pinky color. I recently wrote a blog post about the only pink blush I own, from Nyx. Although that's good and all, sometimes, you get what you pay for. This shade of pink by Burberry is absolutely glowing and so very natural. I use the brush it comes with and when you dap it on your cheeks, you get just the right amount and the color is the exact effect of a face freshly flushed by a Spring's breeze. Poetic, eh? :)

Swatching on my wrist. Perhaps it looks too subtle but that's just one sweep across! Imagine how beautiful that'll look on the cheeks :)

That's how natural the color is. It's like a natural glow or a flush. I say this about a lot of blushes I know, but I think this is the best of them all. It seriously puts on a PERFECT amount on your cheeks. Some blushes you need to dap a lot, others, you've got to be careful. This, it's so subtle and yet so visible that it brings an impact to your look.

I haven't tried any other color but this pink I think, would suit any skin tone! It's not pale pink, but rather a soft pink and so it almost adapt to any skin tone. It wears on the whole day.

Also, it smells so beautiful! All of their beauty products seem to have this fragrance embedded in them, and it smells gorgeous. The packaging... need I say? It's magnetic and heavy, making it all worth the money that you pay for. It is rather pricey, because I mean, it's Burberry. But this ain't no hype! They really ARE worth it :)

2012 Beauty Favorites!

2013 is in full-swing, supposedly. I, however, lose all grasp of time between the end of one year and the start of another. It's one party after another, and endless holiday eating that an understanding of time is broken down. Still, 2013 is here and I took some time to think about what I loved most in 2012. It was actually quite easy to pick and choose. Although I absolutely LOVE all that's in my makeup collection, if I had to choose something that stood out most to me the past year, it would have to be these. Some are new discoveries and some are old classic favorites!




I have featured...
  • Bioderma Crealine H20
  • Diptyque Eau Duelle
  • This Works Perfect Look Skin Miracle
  • Origins Rescue Mask
  • Laura Mercier Silk Creme Foundation
  • Nars Sheer Glow
  • Stila Perfecting Concealer
  • Urban Decay Naked Palette
  • Estee Lauder Bronze Sands Palette
  • NuMe Arganic Oil
  • Benefit Coralista
  • Tarte Exposed
  • Mario Badescu Bee Pollen Night Cream
  • Mario Badescu Seaweed Night Cream
  • Giorgio Armani Mascara
  • Butter La Moss
  • Butter British Racing Green
  • Sally Hansen InstaDry
  • Burberry Copper Lip Mist
  • Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-on Eye pencil
Sorry that the video was cut off short. I guess my camera decided I was talking a bit too much and just shut down :( Anyway, thankfully I got to my final product so that was good. I hope you enjoyed it and tell me what some of your top 2012 beauty products were down below :)
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