Missha Perfect Cover BB Cream Review

Since my discovery of BB Cream, I’ve tried a number of them:  Hanskin, Skin79 (Intense Classic), Skin79 Hot Pink Super Plus, Missha Perfect Cover BB Cream (in both #23 and #27).

Today, I received a delivery from Missha.ca (I was super excited).  I was able to participate in a promotion (that’s valid until May 8th, 2013, incidentally).  The promotion was to buy 1 bb cream, and get the identical one for free…you can check it out on missha.ca.

Anyways, back to the BB Cream.  After using the BB cream, I have a tube of Perfect Cover #23, I will say that it has surpassed the Skin79 Intense Classic on my list of favourites.  The Perfect Cover Formulation seems to stay matte for longer than the Skin79.  I like the #23, but it did seem a bit light on me, which I corrected with the use of bronzer.

The Missha Perfect Cover BB Cream has a lovely consistency.  It comes out of the tube through a pump (please see pic), and blends easily.  You don’t have to use much product and it blends easily using your fingers.  This BB cream is one of the only asian ones on the market that comes in a variety of colours (and by “variety” I mean 5 – #13, #21, #23, #27, #31).  The coverage is pretty good, I would describe it as “medium”.  I would describe Armani Foundation as being full coverage (to give you a benchmark, noting that the Armani Foundation is silicone based).  This BB cream, is neither watery or gel-like in texture, and claims to lighten skin tone, smoothing visible wrinkles and blemishes, reduce the appearance of aging through brightening and anti-wrinkle effect.  (I’m not totally clear on the claims).  However, I will say, that since I started using BB Cream, I’ve received compliments about the condition of my skin.

As for the Missha.ca Website, for about $63 + tax or  $71-ish, I received 4 x full size Missha Perfect Cover BB Creams and 1 gel eyeliner, with a free brush.  (It’s totally a steal, normally the BB cream is about $24 for 1 tube).  What will I do with so many?  I’m going to gift some to my sister(s) and mom.  In addition to what I ordered, they threw in a Red Ginseng Sheet mask, a bar or soap and some samples of moisturizer and boomer (which I understand to be a primer-like product).

4 x BB Cream, 1 Gel Eyeliner and brush, 1 mask, 1 soap and some samples

 

The packaging shown (tube with pump)

 

Lush Retro Solid Shampoo Review

I wanted to start off by saying that in general I’m a really big fan of Lush solid shampoo bars.  I’ve tried a number of them, including “new”, Seanik, Jumping Juniper, Karma Komba, and squeaky green.  So I decided to take the plunge and order reincarnate and gentil lentil from their online store.

Reincarnate is a henna based shampoo bar, it has a spicy fragrance when dry, and smells more henna-like when wet.  (A bit like mud).  I’ve tried a whole bar of it, and having purchased 2 bars, I don’t think I will purchase this again.  I wasn’t in love with the fragrance, but thought I might like it, as it’s supposed to impart some colour onto the hair.  I was hoping that by using this shampoo I wouldn’t have to colour my hair as often.  Although it’s effects may be subtle, they were too subtle to make a difference.  When the bar is dry it looks like a browny-green colour, when its wet, it becomes a lot more brown.

The Gentle Lentil shampoo bar, I really like.  The scent is fragrant, and smells like vanilla.  My hair doesn’t feel dry at all after use.  The one caveat, is that it seems a bit crumbly in texture.  One you use it a few times it does stick back together again.  The other thing I don’t love about this bar, is that it does quite fit into the Lush bar tins, so great for using at home, but not so easy to travel with.  I would still re-purchase this product in the future.

Overall, I’d give reincarnate about 3 out of 5, and gentil lentil 4 out of 5.

Spring Arm Party ~ Gold and Turquoise

Turquoise is a pretty hot colour this spring (and most springs, actually).  However, this spring you can keep up with the trend adding Turquoise accents in your jewellery!

The nice thing about turquoise jewellery is that it’s a longer term investment, and it doesn’t take up a ton of space (I know that’s a strange pro), and it’s not a super big commitment, as far as committing to a colour in your outfit.

Today, I’m sporting the wanderlust triple wrap bracelet, the vintage twist bracelet, and the Christina Link Bracelet.   All by Stella and Dot.

I love the subtle bling in the wanderlust triple wrap, it also has this cute button detail.  This bracelet adds colour to your outfit, in a super casual and understated way.  I added the vintage twist in turquoise as a nod to the wanderlust and finally added Christina, to pick up the gold in both bracelets, and have my arm party be accented with even more bling.

Incidentally, it also happens to be earth day, so the blues/greens work great.  I paired the arm party navy pants and grey tank and a black and white tweed jacket.  You may notice a dog in the background, that’s one of my fur babies.

My arm party is available at http://www.stelladot.com/fayechan.  Thanks for reading!

Spring Makeover_2013

After months of cold weather, and an emotionally draining day job, I’ve decided to spend more time on more fulfilling pursuits…like changing my look.  Ha ha ha.

After some unsuccessful attempts at changing my hair, it’s lead to some pretty dry locks on my behalf, probably drier than I’ve ever known it to be.

Entirely my fault of course, after 2 digital perms and 2 attempts at box hair colouring, it’s officially fried.  I think I can still safely henna, but I’ve recently discovered that Henna hair colouring really really really stays put, so I’m kind of stuck with it.  My hair has also become rather addicted to the cocoa butter treatment that comes with the Lush Henna that I use.  Great for darkening hair, not so great for lightening it.  So my hopes for lightened hair for spring are pretty much dashed!

I’ve become a bit attached to my lengthly locks, but I feeling a bit resigned that I will in fact have to get a hair cut, to get this back into shape.

Currently, I’m using Kiehl’s Magic Elixir, and Kiehl’s Strengthening and Hydrating Hair Oil-in-Cream to support this initiative.  I also purchased their Olive Fruit Oil Nourishing Shampoo and Conditioner to support the cause.  (I just started using these products yesterday, so I’ll have to report back on progress).

Digital Perm, styled with Strengthening and Hydrating Hair Oil-in-Cream

Spring Refresh_Bubble Hair Coloring_Dark Brown Review

So this is Round 2 of trying this hair colouring.

So the first time I tried this, I used Mocha Pink ~ which I liked, but I don’t think I used it properly.  I ended up with really light roots, and the ends didn’t look coloured at all.  I tried it about a month ago before going on vacation.  The lighter colour didn’t come out in my vacation pics, so I guess it wasn’t that bad.

This time round, I gently swirled the solution around in the bottle to mix it, by slowly turning the bottle upside down a few times, I also gently rolled the bottle (like i would to prep nail polish) – I will come up with a better way to describe this.  I promise.

I also put on the plastic cape, and taped it closed.   It’s a really thin plastic so it flutters around quite easily.  The kit also comes with plastic gloves.  :)

As per other reviews I read and youtube videos I watched, I made sure I used the WHOLE bottle of product.  I think last time I must have used half, because this time it felt like the product was never-ending.  When I was done, my hair was piled on top of my head like meringue!  At the 25 minute mark, I’m not noticing any tingling sensations on the scalp.

I left the dye in for about an hour.  My hair felt “crunchy” at first, but that was quickly remedied by applying the conditioning rinse (silky perfumed treatment).

The immediate results:  an ombre effect, my non-henna treated hair became significantly lighter, but the ends are darker.  I’ll update this again soon if the results change, as I haven’t washed my hair with regular shampoo yet.

Pros:

Comes with plastic cape and gloves

Easy to Apply, like using shampoo.

European Vacation_March 2013

So it’s been awhile, and I just got back from vacation about 2 weeks ago.

We spent 2 weeks in Europe ~ specifically a few days in Rome, before embarking on a Mediterranean cruise on the Norwegian Jade (visiting Turkey, Greece, then back to Italy).  It was amazing!

I’ll have to post some pics.

Rome was awesome!  We decided to splurge and stay at the St. Regis.  The experience was lovely and the rooms were large, particularly by European standards.  We visited the Spanish Steps, The Trevi Fountain, the Vatican, The Colosseum, and did some general wandering around.

We spent time at the Acropolis in Greece and in Istanbul, Turkey.  Saw lots of Ruins…

We also went to Pompeii, saw more ruins…

Korean Cosmetics

I recently became interested in Korean Cosmetics.  A good friend of mine gifted me with a Hanskin Super BB cream a while back, and it didn’t make it into my regular rotation.

I started to do more research about BB creams, and discovered the formulations for Asia are rather different than what’s created for the North American market.  I watched a few youtube videos and continued with my research.  I even called a few Korean friends of mine to get some feedback.  I have combination skin, and have a darker complexion, so I didn’t think I’d find a BB cream for me.  I went in search of Intense Classic BB Cream by Skin79.  I didn’t have a chance to head to Korea town, but did go to the Galleria Supermarket/shopping centre in Toronto.  They only carried the Missha BB cream, and Laneige.  I did some more digging, and found the momomango.com website.  They stocked what I was looking for.  This BB cream really works well for me, it doesn’t go on super white, and blends nicely.  It’s often suggested that bb cream by applied with your fingers, so that’s what I do.  For areas that require more coverage, I go over the bb cream with my regular foundation.  I’m also using the salmon eye concealer #2 by skin food, I finish the eye area with the loose powder for the eyes, and set everything else with loose powder, and gently dust off any access.  I love the result.

About the rest of my momomango purchase, in my research, I found that double cleansing was quite popular in both Korea and Japan, so I was also searching for a cleansing oil.  I purchased the Carrot Cleansing Oil by Skin food, as well as the salmon eye concealer, and salmon eye powder.  The concealer is amazing, I really think anyone should try it.  It somehow brightens the eye area, and doesn’t cake on.  When I finish with the eye powder, I feel fantastic.  The eye powder has a super fine texture, and doesn’t set in fine lines!  It’s really amazing.  I bought the Carrot Cleansing Oil despite reading a review that someone wrote that said it made them break out.  I had a minor break out about 2 days after using the Carrot Cleansing Oil, but that quickly went away.  In the morning when I wake up, my skin feels fantastic, really smooth, and also more “normal”, so no more noticeably oily or dry patches.  I definitely recommend this double cleansing method.

I also purchased a sampling of bb creams by skin 79 (sample pack of 4 different varieties), they’re great to try, I leave one in my purse.  Check out momomango.com !  They shipped super fast, and had a great selection.