Friday, April 30, 2010

May Beauty Magazines

It's the end of April so that means new magazines for June will be in stock soon. That also means it's time to post some magazine pictures for May.


Let's look at some GWP (gift with purchase) items from the 3 magazines. It's always nice to get a little something extra.




New models for Voce. I think the very front one looks the best. What about you?


These Chanel tattoos look amazing. They were originally hand-drawn by Peter Philips. I'd so want them if only they don't cost $75.


Clinique's new brightening essence is advertised on every magazine lately. I also got the Western market version. Review is coming soon.



Whitening products have becoming a big deal in Japan, well always but especially during summer time. Everyone wants to stay fair.


These are some of the products featured on Biteki.


New Shiseido White Lucent line. I also got some products but haven't used yet. So the reviews will be coming later on.


This is the GWP from Maquia. It could be used as hand band, necklace and even decoration. So versatile.


Some of the backstage makeup trends. These thick white eyeliners are brave yet refreshing.


The whitening product battle on Maquia.


I really want to try those Haku and RMK masks.


Last but not least, Risa Hirako is modeling for Coffret D'or new base makeup. Her angelic and innocent face makes me want to get those items again, especially the compact case.





Review: Dior Hydra Life Pro-Youth Protective Fluid

I was excited to see the new Hydra Life line at Sephora during their VIB discount event. I saw the ads on beauty magazines last year and it looked really good so when I see it at Sephora I decided to give it a try.

The first product I picked up was the Pro-Youth Protective Fluid SPF 15. As summer getting near, I need something light and has SPF in it. So this product seems to be a perfect fit.


You probably know that Hydra Life actually replaced the old Hydra Action line. The whole line is all about 3 pure plant extracts derived from Dior's gardens - Jisten, Centella and Black Rose. Here I'm listing some information from outside the packaging and Dior website.

Dior Gardens:
At the heart of protected sites that respect mankind and nature, the Dior innovation Center selects plants resources with amazing benefits. Dior extracts their purest part, enriches it and uses it to heighten the effectiveness of Hydra Life skincare.


What the line targets for:
Pro-youth moisturizing skincare infused with an anti-aging serum, a concentrate of three pure plant extracts from the Dior Gardens, to actively delay 1st signs of aging. Fully moisturized, fresh and replumped, the skin bypasses assaults and fatigue.


What Protective Fluid does:
This light emulsion hydrates and acts as a real defense shield against external aggressions, thanks to its powerful anti-UVA and UVB philters. The light, fresh and melt-away texture provides well-being and softness with a light finish. The skin is fully hydrated and regains its fresh and radiant appearance.



Price: 
$56 (50ml)

Suitable for:
Normal to combination skin. There's also the Protective Creme SPF 15 for dry skin.

Packaging:
The whole line is in glass bottle/jar except the Tinted Moisturizer and Beauty Awakening Rehydrating Mask. I personally like how sturdy and heavy it feels and it looks more luxurious than plastic. Just don't drop it.



I also like the pump design for this particular product. It don't come out too much so I need 2 pumps for my face and neck. The color of the bottle is another reason that makes me buy it. Don't you think it's so clean and cute?


Scent: 
Light floral scent in a pleasant way that goes away very quickly.

Texture: 
It's in a milky color and texture.


This is how it looks after smoothed on the back of my hand.


Taste:
This moisturizer is bitter~! I found it out a couple days after I started using it. At first I thought it was the ROHTO lotion since it's "medicated". But no it wasn't. That's really weird and it's the first time that some skincare product tasted bitter especially it looked so pretty.

What I like:
The packaging is great. The pump only dispenses the right amount of product so I don't need to worry about wasting. It's also more hygienic than scooping out of a jar.
I love the floral scent. It's light and relaxing.
The formula is light, easy to spread and very hydrating even after hours my face still feels soft.
It leaves a nice glow that makes my skin look brighter.

What I don't like:
It feels stickier and heavier on my face than on my hand. Maybe because the skin on my hand is drier.
I really can't stand the bitter taste. It's probably from one of the flowers or the sunblock which I'm not sure.
It leaves gel-like residue when rubbed so that makes it bad for makeup application. I'm assuming the silica has something to do with it.
It slightly breaks me out.
The SPF factor isn't high enough. I would prefer something around SPF 25 or so.

Conclusion:
Overall I think it is a mediocre product. It's not the best day time moisturizer I've used. Given all the good things about it, I don't think I will repurchase it, not to talk about the high price tag.




Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Color of the Week - Dior Vibrant Mauve

This past weekend went by so quickly. I didn't even have time for my Color of the Week post. So I'm thinking since I always want to spend time with my family during the weekends, I may just switch the posts to Mondays and leave the weekends open for random posts.

Today I want to share this Dior Addict nail polish with you. It is one of the most interesting colors also one of my most favorites. The box resembles a Dior Addict Lipstick.



Dior Addict Pearl Shine Collection 390 Vibrant Mauve


The inside of the box is pure red!


This is how it looks like. The bottle is prettier than my regular Dior nail polish.


The color is of course mauve with a little pink tone.




Dior Addict, the easy-to-wear nail enamel: a nail enamel that applies in just one coat and dries in next to no time, in vibrant fashion shades that harmonize with Dior Addict lipstick.


I really like the texture of the Dior Addict nail polish. It's streak free and dries super fast too. There're lots of blue and pink pearl shines in it. Even with one coat, the color is already opaque.


Under the flash


Even though one coat is enough, I applied a second coat just to see how it looks like. The color is more intense but I would say it's probably not necessary.


Two coats under the flash


How do you guys think of this color?




Friday, April 23, 2010

Home Cooking with LS

It's the end of the week woohoo~! I hope everyone have a fun and relaxing weekend and here I'm sharing some dishes that I made with you.

Start with appetizer, Tomato and Tofu Salad Asian Style


For the entree, I have Coffee Spice Crusted Chicken


Pan Seared Chilean Sea Bass


Also with Shoyu Ramen with Poached Eggs


By the way, I only made the chicken and ramen. The rest were made by my husband. Also we didn't make these all on one day. We like to cook and we like to take pictures of our dishes.



Thursday, April 22, 2010

Review: ROHTO Hada Labo Shirojyun Arbutin Lotion

As planned I'm reviewing the ROHTO Hada Labo Shirojyun Arbutin Lotion. I got this several weeks ago at my local Asian market. At that time my Kracie lotion just ran out but I didn't want to spend over 20 bucks for a lotion. Also since Spring/Summer season is coming, I need something to keep my skin fair. So I picked up this one.

It is the first time I'm using a ROHTO Hada Labo product. They also make the regular non-whitening lotion and moisturizer. The price is pretty affordable for a drug store brand.


From what I understand, it says "medicated" and "whitening lotion". Just what I wanted.




The following says on the plastic wrap (I threw away already).

Directions: Pat into skin gently after washing.
Ingredients: Water, Dipropyleneglycol, Glycerin, Arbutin, Ascorbyl Phosphate Magnesium, Tremella Fuciformis Polysaccharide, Sodium Succinic acid, PEG-10Methyl Glucose, Copolymer, Methlparaben (2 more ingredients that I can't read from the photo)



Unlike a typical skin lotion, Shirojyun is not completely transparent. It's got a bit milky white color.


Here I apply it on my hand for testing. The consistency is on the rich side but it doesn't feel sticky.



After pad dry, it does make my skin look more even toned and my skin felt smooth.


What I like about it:

It's very inexpensive compared to many other brands. I paid around $18 for 170 ml. Compared to Shiseido's White Lucent softener $46 for $150 ml, it's about 1/3 price. The ingredient doesn't contain alcohol. As we all know, alcohols will dry up our skin even though they make us feel clean. The texture is rich and it's very moisturizing to the skin. Also the scent free formula is another plus. I'd rather use something with no scent than bad scent or strong scent.

Other thoughts:

I've only used it for 2 weeks or so, so I can't tell whether it works or not (as in whitening purpse). Of course it can't compare to the department store brands lotion, but it does its job decently. So I think I will probably re-purchase when I run out.



Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Givenchy Man Skincare

The second order from Sephora came in today. This order is basically for my husband since he wanted some skincare products. He got himself Givenchy. He told me that a lot of women actually used this line since they're cheaper and worked really well. So maybe I will steal some of his someday.




Givenchy Man Powerful Renovating Skin Peel


Givenchy Intensive Age-Fighting Force


Givenchy Man Pro-Energizing Massive Moisturize


Givenchy Man Intensive Anti-Fatigue Eye Lift


I also got the Korres 24-hour moisturizing cream as my skincare challenge reward. I never used any Korres products before. Maybe I'm biased but I just didn't like any of the testers I tried. Now free is a different story so hopefully I'll report you guys back what I think of this.


It's got a rose scent which is not too bad and the cream looks really thick. Don't know about the spf 6 part. I think it's more suitable for winter time.




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