Sunday, January 31, 2010

Color of the Week - Chanel Antilope and Perle Rosee

Today's Color of the Week, I'm double featuring 2 Chanel Limited Edition Nail Colours - 187 Antilope (Summer 2008) and 257 Perle Rosee (Holiday 2008).



Both come in the same Chanel packaging as regular line polishes, with the clear glass base and the black square lid.
Perle Rosee is a pearly frosty beige pink color (left) and Antilope is a creamy gold champagne color. They're both light and soft focus.


Since the Antilope is so light, I wouldn't recommend doing 1 coat as it won't even cover your natural nail color. However by doing 2 coats, it'll be fully opaque and have a nice glowy finish. I say Anitilope is pretty neutral while Perle Rosee is more on the warm tone side. The finish is very similar to the Antilope. I'm using it as an accent color on the top right.



Both colors are super creamy and the finishes are subtle yet classic. The drying speed is not the fastest but still acceptable. My only concern is again the staying power. I've never left these on for over a week before either I took them off or they chipped on me but generally I can't have any Chanel nail polish on for over a week.



Friday, January 29, 2010

SKIN MD Shielding Lotion Review

A couple weeks ago, I was offered by a PR Representative from SKIN MD to try their Natural Shielding Lotion. Now I've been using this product on my hands for a week, I'd like to do a review based on my personal experience.

(Photo Credit SKIN MD)

First all, I want to point out that this lotion is called "shielding" lotion because it forms a protective barrier on the skin and keeps out irritants and chemicals. A lot of times we buy a lotion only because it smells nice but this one not only moisturize your skin but also protect it from irritants and pollutants in the environment.

The product is hypoallergenic, fragrance, colorant and paraben free and dermatology tested. I'm also assuming it's alcohol free because I didn't see it on the ingredients list. Please correct me if I'm wrong. It has a very very light baby lotion scent which doesn't bother me at all. It could come from the natural botanical ingredients in the lotion.


Texture wise, it's very light yet far from runny. The below picture from left to right are  SKIN MD Shielding Lotion, Johnson's baby lotion and L'occitane hand cream. SKIN MD is the lightest among the 3 and the color is white with partial transparency. Because the lotion is so light, a little bit goes a long way. A few seconds later, the lotion will be fully absorbed without leaving greasy residue, and my skin feels smooth, fresh and hydrated. 


This is comparison with the lotion and without side by side. As you can see clearly that my skin looks glowy on the left side. While under un-moisturized condition, it looks dry and dull. Sorry about the lighting. It looks more yellow toned than it should be.


Last but not least, it's a 3 in 1 product, good for face, hand and body. What a life saver! I can save so much space on my vanity by getting rid of those bottles and jars.

I've also got their Sunscreen sample but I haven't tried it yet. So I can't tell you on that.


Disclaimer: This review is based on my personal one week of usage only. I'm not affiliated with SKIN MD or 21st Century Formulations.



Thursday, January 28, 2010

BonBonCosmetics Sucks!

This post is rather being a rant about an online store - BonBonCosmetics. Have anyone shopped there before?



So basically the story is that I made a purchase on their website on January 5th. 3 days later, the status still showed pending while my credit card was charged on the same day I put in the order. I emailed them nicely asking about my order status. There was no reply but I did see the order status changed to "shipped" on their website on Jan 9. I waited and waited for the package to come. Normally packages from HongKong will go through New York custom first then it takes another 4 to 5 days to get here. But it never takes more than 2 weeks.

Around last weekend, I couldn't wait any longer and sent them message asking for the status again. Once again no reply for 2 days. I finally could't take it anymore. I messaged them saying hey it's been more than 2 weeks and where's my package? If there's still no reply I'm gonna call my credit card company and dispute it. I think this time they finally see my message or being scared of getting charged back? They emailed me back with a tracking number. Guess what? It was shipped on the 20th. Does it take 11 days to get to the post office?!

This is the first time and will be the last time I order from BonBon. I've had many good experience with other online retailers. Even ebay sellers are more responsible than this. They really need better communication. And the most important thing is they need to be honest. If there's a problem, speak! Don't just eat customer's money and put on false information on their order status. You know what? They're going to lose my future business. It's not a big deal to me anyway. I've seen better price and better customer services than that.


First Time Making Ciabatta

5 bucks a loaf of bread is a killer!!! We're spending too much money on buying them lately. So I decide to make my own. Since we eat a lot of sandwiches at lunch, I picked Italian ciabatta. I'm not new at making breads but they were mostly Japanese style pans or breakfast soft breads. I usually use my bread machine to rise the dough and shape it by hand. Then I bake them in the oven. Making ciabatta is still the first time for me.

It's actually harder than I expected. The dough came out so sticky and wet than the ones I made before. I almost thought it would become a failure. But they turned out to be alright.




The crust was a tad soft so I let it  bake a little longer for the 2nd batch. This time the crust got a lot darker and harder.



Hmm after cutting the bread, it looked pretty good. It's got crunchy crust and big holes inside. I think for the first time, I did good.



I used some fresh basil to make the pesto to go with the bread.



I also picked some of the green leaves to make my salad. This is the best salad I've ever tasted. Compared to these baby fresh greens, the store bought litterally look and taste like grandpa and grandma. I used strawberry balsamic for the dressing.






Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Got Package?

I think this is probably going to be the last package I get before I do more shopping.

Since I liked the Jill Stuart Fruit Lip Balm so much, I decide to get the rest 3 colors or rather flavors that I was missing. They're limited edition from fall 2008 I think. I'm just afraid that one day they'll be gone. I also got Lavshuca Finish Powder Lucent. I don't usually buy Lavshuca stuff so I'm going to give this one a try. The little bow tie on the box looks so cute!


I got a Majolica Majorca single eyeshadow in OR234. This is my first MJ single eyeshadow. Everything looks good except that the color is more like a salmon pink. I was hoping for a true orange color instead.


Now the main reason for this purchase - MAQuillAGE Shiny Jelly Rouge in color 44. I really can't resist this after seeing Juri wearing this on her commercial. I'm not quite sure if she was actually wearing this color but pink is always a safe color.



The color showing on the box looks red but the real lipstick is more pink. I've already tried it on my lips and it's lovely! It feels so soft and creamy just like jelly. It's got more wet feeling than a lipstick but less sticky than a lipgloss. Later on if I like it a lot maybe I'll do a full review. We'll see...


I also got the Brilliant Glitter Nail Color PK203 that came out at the same time. It's a disappointment because I don't find it very unique at all. The color is pink with red particles. I've already got a lot of sheer pink nail colors.


Related Posts:

Shiseido MAQuillAGE Spring 2010
My Favorite Lip Balm


Tuesday, January 26, 2010

February Beauty Magazines

I picked up some February beauty magazines along with the Jill Stuart Happy 5th Anniversary book last weekend. I really don't know why some Japanese magazines always publish a month ahead of time. That means before December, they publish next January's. It just doesn't make sense to me. Maybe someone can tell me why.

I totally don't like how Namie Amuro look on Voce. She looked so washed out.


Jill Stuart's Happy 5th Anniversary book has been out for a long long time. It's pretty expensive especially when Japanese Yen is so strong lately. But I just had to get it before it's all sold out. Jill herself looks so pretty ^_^


There are a lot of instructions showing how to use the makeup in the book. I really like this look particularly. It's called "Rosy Rock Star", being both spicy and angelic.


Recently I'm into nail painting again. Maybe this weekend I will attempt doing this one I found on Biteki magazine.


All 3 magazines have mini books featuring the 2010 Spring makeup collection. Oh my! Why do all the companies have to offer so many makeup items each and every season! And why do I have to like them so much!




Monday, January 25, 2010

Coffret D'or 2010 Spring/Summer Base Makeup

Kanebo's Coffret D'or is going to release its 2010 Spring/Summer Base Makeup Collection on March 1. Kou Shibasaki's face looks flawless with this new base line. I like how soft and natural it looks on her.



The collection includes Lasting Power Pact UV Compact Case (left)
Lasting Power Liquid UV foundation SPF29 PA++ (right) 7 shades



Lasting Power Stay Fix UV SPF25 PA++ (top)
Oil Control Pact Powder (bottom left)
UV Clear Compact Powder (bottom right)



I'm happy to see that Coffret D'or is making some changes to the packaging, such as the UV base bottle is now pink, also new design for the compact case. I like it better than the previous version. The Japanese website has already updated for this collection. Do check it out!

PS it's going to be another week of rain. I mean I like rain but this time it's getting too much. Look at the gloomy sky @_@





Sunday, January 24, 2010

Color of the Week - Chanel Organdy (Pictures Updated)

It's been raining for a whole week over here at North California. To brighten up the gloomy weather, I'm choosing the Chanel LE VERNIS Nail Colour 165 Organdy today.


I bought this a while ago so I'm not sure if they still carry it in the stores. The color is a vibrant bright fuchsia pink. It has no shimmer at all.

Since I was out most of the day today, when I got home it's pretty dark already. The lighting really sucked and I don't like how the pictures turn out at all. So I'll need to take some better pictures tomorrow so check back later.


I did take some pictures today. But the lighting can't compare to the sunny days. I tried my best.



This polish was actually made in the USA (not France)! I know it's weird that I pay attention to where products were made.




Same spill proof design like Dior's nail polishes.


This is how it looks with 2 coats. It's completely opaque with no shimmer. Yes I'm also a shimmer kinda girl but sometimes I crave for the rich bright matte color, just like the same way with the eyeshadows.


It's almost if not exactly the same color as it shows on the fake nail and in the bottle.


I actually think this color looks better on my toes than on my hands. It should be dramatic enough for parties and maybe proms too. As for the quality, I never had any Chanel nail polishes on for over a week. They always chip on me no matter I put on base coat and top coat. I prefer Dior's formula. The drying speed is alright, not as fast as Coffret D'or or Lunasol. That's probably the reason why I stopped buying Chanel's nail polishes unless I really find some color that I love.



Saturday, January 23, 2010

Long Waited Package

Today I got a package which has the stuff that I've been wanting for a long time. So let's take a look. It has 3 Coffret D'or FS cream shadows that I was missing, a new Coffret D'or eyeshadow palette and a big paper box.


Opens it up, it's another white box which says "Lunasol Party Coffret 2009". Yes how exciting!!! The Luansol Christmas Makeup Set that I've been wished for. I know a lot of you guys already got this and Christmas has long passed, but to me it's still something that's so precious and I know I will cherish it forever.


"Merry Christmas"


The set includes: Lighting for Eyes EX-05, Geminate Liner EX-03, Full Glamour Gloss N EX-11, Shining Powder N EX-03 and Original pouch.


I really like the white case for the eyeshadow.


And I'm dying to try the face powder.


This is what the palette looks like. The colors are really pretty and wearable.


I'm going to open the rest of my stuff soon =)


Blog Sale

I have a lot of stuff that I don't use. I hope they go to a new home. Please do check back as new items will be listed often. Thanks!

Sale Rules:
  1. All items are new and in good condition unless stated otherwise.
  2. US buyer only. All sales are final. No returns or refunds.
  3. Paypal only. The price is in US dollar.
  4. S&H cost is $5.00 for the first 2 items, then $1.00 for each additional item.
How To Order:
  1. Email me at: lifespice09 (at) gmail (dot) com, Subject line: "Blog Sale Request"
  2. Items you would like to purchase

Grapefruits Sparkling Bath Salt $4.00


Lipstick and Brush Stand $3.00


Craft Parts Case #1 (great for nail stones and pills) $3.00


Craft Part Case #2 $3.00


Slimity Body Roller $4.00


Lotion Pack Cotton (8pcs) $2.50


Wide Head Band $3.00


Pa Eyelash #1 $5.00


Pa Eyelash #2 $5.00


Face Care Mask (12pcs) $5.50


Nail Buffer $3.00


Eternal Nail Sticker #1 $5.50


Eternal Nail Sticker #2 $5.50


Eternal Nail Sticker #3 $5.50


Eternal Nail Stone Blue (25small 15big) $5.50


Eternal Nail Stone Yellow (25small 15big) $5.50


Eternal Nail Stone Red (25small 15big) $5.50


Eternal Nail Stone Pink (25small 15big) $5.50


Nail Stone Set #1 $3.50


Nail Stone Set #2 $3.50


Powder Puff $4.00


B&C Browlash EX Eyelash Treatment (used 5 times) $8.00


Narisup Natural Pack Eggshell&Collagen (used 5 times) $4.00


Narisup Natural Pack Green Tea&AHA (used 5 times) $4.00


Kose Clear Turn Facial Mask $2.00


Kracie Gaba Facial Mask $3.00


My Beauty Diary Mask Japanese Cherry Blossom $2.00


B&C Lab Melts and Washes Away Black Head Cream Remover (used 1 times) $9.00


Missha Perfect Cover BB Cream #21 (used 2 times) $10.00


Naive Makeup Cleansing Foam Grapefruit (used 2 times) $5.00


Narisup Eggshell Carbon Nose Black Peel $8.00



Chanel pencil Sharpener $2.50


Dior Pencil Sharpener $2.50






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