What's NEW at Sephora? │有得睇冇得買的window shopping

講明係window shopping, 姐係得個睇字(同恨字), 點解??
因為香港已經冇左Sephora, 而呢d brands 0係香港係冇得買的(以我0既認知冇專門店, 如果有, 先講聲唔好意思, 同埋麻煩你話聲俾我知, 感激不盡!!)。

明知道冇得賣, 所以我都好耐冇睇過Sephora 個website, 不過我以前真係個個星期都要去鋪頭巡鋪先至安樂架, 哈哈。其實Sephora 都有好多國際牌子香港係有得賣0既, 不過我今次想講0既呢堆wishlist 都係一些香港冇0既, 冇得擁有, 都可以欣賞一下0既~ XDD

Too Faced - Boudoir Eyes Soft & Sexy Eye Shadow Collection 

 


呢個其實唔新架喇, 我已經見過真身, 其實我之前係想買架, 但係要搬屋真係要節制小小, 所以冇帶佢番屋企。Too Faced 一系列neutrals 顏色0既眼影不嬲都有評價, 佢可能唔係最最最出色, 但係以佢0既價錢, 唔算貴, 值得用的。


Stila - Stay All Day Prime & Anti Shine Balm 




我一見到呢個產品, 就令我諗起之前聽過 emilynoel83 (link to her youtube channel) 介紹過0既一個Mally 0既產品, 感覺完全一樣! 可惜我真係唔知邊度可以買到Mally, 所以見到Stila 而家出呢個product, 真係幾興奮! 佢係一個控油產品, 可以作妝前打底、定妝, 同埋補妝時吸油用的。香港咁熱咁潮濕, 控油真係太重要, 尤其是我呢D 混合性易出油人士!


Urban Decay - Revolution Lipstick 




又點可以唔講Urban Decay, 佢0既 eye shadow primer potion 出晒名, 仲有NAKED palettes! 如果講到顯色度、持久度, 佢地真係好多products 都好到家! 呢個新0既唇膏, 又係creamy 同埋出色的代表!

唔知你地有冇online shopping 的習慣呢? 會唔會上網買化妝品、護膚品呢? 如果有一日Sephora 可以ship 黎香港就好了~

Innisfree 初體驗 + 中文初嘗試

我未用過中文打blog 的, 但係入鄉隨俗, 突然想試一試, 咁就試下啦~
番咗嚟香港之後, 有機會可以接觸下一些亞洲品牌, 當然如果你有留意, 都會知道韓風又番黎喇!!! 真係唔講得笑, 0個日0係旺角街頭見到Etude House 同埋Innisfree 0既專門店, 真係好心動!! 於是我就去到訪一下Innisfree 喇~

其實我之所以想去Innisfree, 係因為我想睇下佢個火山泥面膜。 我而家正在努力清貨, 所以我都唔可以太瘋狂, 咩都買番去試, 咁啱我又真係差不多用完我個泥膜, 而且又見都好幾個人推介呢個產品, 所以我先至買呢個番黎用架!

Innisfree Super volcanic pore clay mask
(around $120 HKD)

佢有兩個版本的, 但係因為我自己皮膚好容易生暗瘡, 亦都比較容易出油, 所以一買就決定買個Super 版本, 怕普通版不夠力 (你知香港空氣質素幾差架啦, 真係出一出街都覺得自己塊臉唔要得咁)。 0係舖頭入面仲試了幾個東西上手, oh no! 我心動了....... 此後, 我當然忍唔住去了幾次 Innisfree, 買了幾個東東番黎啦~ 其實我真係冇失控, 非常理性, 真係諗清楚, 行了幾次都仲想買先至買架。(下刪一百字的籍口喇......-.-)

其他入手東西: 
Innisfree Real Skin CC Cream SPF30 PA++ (40ml) ($180 HKD)
Innisfree Green tea mineral mist (50ml) (alcohol-free) ($40 HKD)
Innisfree Eco Beauty Tool Premium 100% cotton pads ($20 HKD)


我不嬲唔中意BB cream, 所以本來而家出0既CC cream 我都冇咩興趣試, 不過0個日0係Innisfree 度試了佢地個CC cream 上手, 咦, 又真係唔同野0黎架喎~ 而且好似試在手上沒有點樣泛白 (我最怕BB cream 的其中一個原因就係多數都太過白喇), 於是就想買來玩下, 當防曬用都好似幾好咁。剛好我帶出街噴瞼的水也已經用完, 我之前是用緊Caudalie 的, 但真係幾貴, 而且我好似上癮佢隻味咁(好refreshing!), 實在用得太快, Innisfree 呢個唔太貴, 而且我睇中佢係無酒精, 用得安心又唔使咁肉赤啦~ 最後就係cotton pad, 我一直的最愛就係Shiseido, 但係我番黎之後就仲未去Shiseido 睇下有冇得賣, 而且亦都係比較貴, 所以我就想尋找一下有冇alternatives. 呢個cotton pad 我覺得都似Shiseido 那個的, 所以就要買番黎試下喇!

贈品: 
Innisfree Soybean energy essence 
Innisfree The Green Tea seed serum wet tissues 
Innisfree Olive real cleansing tissue 

最後最後, 我最開心0既一件事係, 佢地送緊呢個soybean essence! 因為其實我最想最想買0既係佢! 之前見到大佬B 都讚佢夠濃, 我自己0係舖頭入面試了後都好心動! 而家可以再試真D 了!! (p.s. 結果係我番屋企試了後仍然好想入手!!!)

我好相信, 我會再買Innisfree 0既野, 等我試真D 以上東西再同大家分享啦~

On its last legs

(Left to Right)
Shiseido Ultra Sun Protection Cream SPF 50
Naruko Narcissus Total Defense Fundamental Serum
Sofina beaute UV milk SPF 30
Shiseido The Skincare Extra Gentle Cleansing Foam 

Counting down on my move out date, I really have been trying hard to clear up my stash. As much as I want to keep everything for "empties" posts, sometimes in circumstances like this you just want to throw stuffs away (or let's say you just NEED to). I thought it would be a good idea to show you some of the products I have been trying to use up so that when they reached the end of their lifespans, I can gladly just put them into the garbage bin. ;) 

Shiseido Ultra Sun Protection Cream SPF 50 - I like Shiseido sun care products a lot and this formula despite the fact that it's a cream, it is absolutely non-greasy. Bonus part is it is water-resistant so whenever I am going to the beach, I am confident that I am guarded by sun protection. Also, the main reason I would always recommend Shiseido sun care is the ingredients - zinc oxide and titanium dioxide. Not every single sun care product from Shiseido has both of these two ingredients, but they either have one or both (at least from this line, they have more products available in Asia and I need to do more research on those). Mineral/physical sunscreen always earns five stars in my book and I am sure other fellow beauty addicts will agree with me. Long story short, they are much better in terms of mechanism compared to chemical sunscreens. Also better for sensitive skins. So without a doubt, I would recommend this product, whether you fancy the lotion formula or the cream. 

Naruko Narcissus Total Defense Fundamental Serum - Naruko is a Taiwanese brand and I first learned about this brand from fuzkittie (fellow youtuber but she doesn't make videos anymore). I have tried a few products from this brand and I quite like them. Nothing so far has blew me away but I will definitely look into this range when I am back to Hong Kong. As for this serum, it claims to be a serum that helps other products to absorb better, so kinda like a booster serum. I found it non-greasy, fast-absorbing and hydrating. I don't know if it really does anything about boosting other skincare. I like it but I am unsure if I would re-purchase right away. Maybe I will try other serums from Naruko (I indeed have tried some others and I honestly found them to be very similar). 

Sofina beaute UV milk SPF 30 - I don't think I need to say much about this product. My favourite sunscreen for the face, all-time favourite! I have a back-up so after I am done with this tiny little bit left, I will gladly open the new one in my stash. I think I will definitely re-purchase but I have used this sunscreen religiously for years and I kinda want to try other ranges just to experiment a bit. We will see how that goes. 

Shiseido The Skincare Extra Gentle Cleansing Foam - Not sure starting from when, I declared war to cleansing foams. I think they are stripping and whenever I use them to wash my face, my face feels dry and tight. So I told myself I won't bother with cleansing foams anymore and ventured into the world of cleansing milk and cleansing lotion. So when I got this Shiseido cleansing foam, I pretty much assumed I won't like it. Tried it the first time, and I felt the stripping and tight feeling was not as bad as I thought it would be (it's still there). Then I use it more, and after a few days, I kinda like how my face feel after washing and I don't feel the tight sensation anymore. Rather, I feel refreshed. I also noticed that my skin has improved after using this cleanser and I start to realized with my combination/oily skin, cleansing milk/lotion might have just been too gentle for me and did not help with balancing the oil-moisture level. I also absolutely love pairing this cleansing foam with my clarisonic mia. So for the upcoming Summer months, I am definitely sticking with cleansing foams. I still do not think I will all of a sudden go all out and try cleansing foams from all brands. I will still stick with the gentle ones and this Shiseido one is something that I can see myself re-purchasing and re-purchasing. 

Confession of a mascara junkie

Indeed, this is still part of my decluttering series, only this is for my mascara obsession. I will have to admit that when it comes to mascara, I am guilty for not tossing them away as frequently as I should. But I do sanitize my mascara once in a while to keep them fresh(-er). But since I have come to the realization that, if I don't use them up or at least toss them away after a few months of usage, I will never get to try new mascara (well, not entirely true because I always keep buying new mascaras). I guess the point is, I really shouldn't have a million mascaras around and not using them while they are at their full capacities. So in my effort to declutter my mascara stash, here I present the empties...... 

Before I begin, here are a few points to keep in mind: 

• I almost always use waterproof mascara because they hold my curls better 
• I look for volumizing rather than lengthening 
• Black all the way, or blackest black 
• I usually do not like synthetic, plastic kind of brush 
• I use the Shu Uemura eyelash curler before applying mascara 

• L'Oreal voluminous waterproof 
  - This is a rather popular one on the youtube/blogger world and I admit I agree to a certain degree. I enjoyed it a lot more while it got dryer. This is one that I would keep in mind for replenishment.  

• Make up for ever aqua smoky lash 
  - SO MANY people RAVED about this mascara, naming it their holy grail. I just could not make myself love it. I don't know if it has anything to do with the fact that it is waterproof formula and most people referred to the original formula. But as I mentioned, I use waterproof formula all the way. This mascara just makes my lashes so clumpy and I usually do not mind a bit of clumpy-ness. However, I found this mascara really made my lashes so unnatural. Plus, it made my lashes straight. To me, this is a "miss". :S  

• Heroine make volume & curl mascara
  - An Asian drugstore popular mascara and this is not my first tube. I love this mascara and it is one of my all-time favourites. Only downside is it is hard to remove. I also found this does not transfer even in humid weather. So this is a trustworthy one.
  
   

• Maybelline full 'n soft waterproof  
  - Too natural for my taste. Did not give enough impact to my lashes in my opinion but I guess it is supposed to be like that? 

• Diorshow maximizer lash plumping serum 
  - Sometimes when I fancy, I do use a lash primer because it will help those not-so-great mascara to perform better, as well as conditioning my poor lashes. I do like this one. I can't say if I like this more than my Shiseido one but I think this serum is more separating than the Shiseido mascara base. However, the Shiseido mascara base holds curls better, at least for my lashes and at least for the old formula. I have yet to test out the new nourishing mascara base from them. 

• Estee Lauder sumptuous bold volume lifting mascara 
  - This was a rather surprising find. I got this sample from my friend randomly and I honestly did not expect much because I have never heard any reviews about Estee's mascaras. But OMG, I absolutely love it!!! By far my favourite in the non-waterproof mascara world. The main reason I chose waterproof is for curl-holding properties. But this mascara separates, volumnize and hold curls perfectly! I really want to purchase the full size! 

• Lancome hypnose waterproof 
  - Who doesn't know about Lancome's mascaras really? And this one? I adore. On top of my favourite mascara list. I am really curious to try out other of their mascaras. 

• Tarte lights camera splashes waterproof 
  - I did enjoy it while I had it. But towards the later stage of its service period, I just don't find it to be amazing anymore. It could have been me just holding onto it for too long. Anyhow, it's a good mascara in my book but I probably would not repurchase. 

Decluttering 105, the last verdict

Here comes to my last day of the mini-decluttering series. I hope you have had enjoyed some of these mini-reviews and I challenge myself to continue to buy less, and use up more. ;) 

La roche posay ceralip - I did not care for it when I first got it, but earlier this Winter, I have been using this religiously as my bed time lip treatment and I enjoyed it a lot. Now, I do have many many many lip balms so I am glad to say goodbye to one of them. But I highly recommend this as a bed time treatment and I might repurchase if I ever feel like replenishing my lip treatment stash.

L'Occitane dessert rose hand cream - this was a limited edition shea butter hand cream and I do like this shea butter hand cream range. This particular scent is divine as well, not the typical rose scent from L'Occitane, bur rather a little bit more sweet.

Clarins eye revive beauty flash - a decent eye cream in my opinion. I found it do work quite well for de-puffing. I might repurchase in the future. I just don't know if I like this better than the Origins Ginzing eye cream for day time.

Befine eye treatment - I like the Befine cleanser, but this eye treatment? I couldn't care less. I hate the pump because it always pumps out too much. And I just didn't find it special by any means. I was happy that I could get rid of it.

Boscia green tea blotting sheets - I like these although I don't think they are worth the price tag. You can find similar things in the Asian market for much cheaper price (without the green tea scent or the benefits it clams to have). I personally do not believe that blotting sheets can give you any anti-oxidant results, but I cannot deny this is a luxurious blotting sheet that I am always tempting to repurchase.

Therapeutic clay mint mask - this is a mask prescribed to me by my dermatologist and I do like it. I found it to help my blemishes heal faster. I couldn't repurchase this product here in Canada but I will continue to use up my purifying clay masks in my stash and possibly trying to find a similar one to this.

Elizabeth Arden 8-hour cream lip protectant - I love this because it works! My lips are chronically dry and chapped and I found this lip balm to work wonders. Also, it has SPF in it so that's a bonus. Will repurchase in the future. 

Dorissiderm A. spot - basically another spot treatment I have tried. This brand is not available here in Canada but it's being sold in either Watson's or Manning's (sorry I couldn't remember exactly) in Hong Kong. I think it's okay, nothing special or spectacular.

Caudalie hand and nail cream - I don't know if it like this or not..? I am not a huge fan of the scent, but I can't say I won't repurchase for sure. I think it's okay but nothing that blows my mind away.

Decluttering 104

So here comes to day 4 in my decluttering series, looks like I will need 5 days to wrap up my mini-series here. lol It feels good to purge out all my thoughts on these empties, plus, to finally being able to toss them away! 

Sofina SPF24 PA+++ - not much to say except this is my all-time favourite sunscreen. I believed the SPF24 has been discontinued and replaced with the SPF30 now. But in short, this milky lotion is light-weight, moisturizing and so easy to blend. Love it! =)

Lancome blanc expert ultimate whitening hydrating cream - I didn't use this cream continuously that I found any brightening results, it is rather moisturizing and I can only use it at night time. I found it leaves a slight greasy film on my face after I use it so that why I didn't care to use it in the day time. I don't think this is amazing and probably will not repurchase for now.

Korres wild rose vitamin C advanced brightening sleeping facial - I was not planning to get this cream but while I was at Sephora browsing the Korres section, the Korres trainer was there apparently and she demonstrated this cream on my hand. I was amazed because I saw immediate brightening result when she used a cotton pad on top of the cream and applied onto my hand for like 1 minute. Although this is quite an expensive cream ($62.50 CAD), I just could not resist getting it. Plus, it smells amazing!!!! It is very hard for me to use up a moisturizer: a.) I am not very loyal b.) I have too many moisturizers c.) I always try new things. For these reasons, I often do not stick with one particular moisturizer. But I managed to use up this relatively quick because I could not resist not using it. Originally I was planning to use it 1 to 3 times a week as per recommended by the trainer, but in the end I found myself reaching for this daily. I already repurchased this but I have yet to open it because I want to use up all my other creams first. And since there is vitamin C in it, I do not want to open the glass jar and risking the product not at its optimum stage. All in all, I love this moisturizer and it doesn't make me greasy. =)

Embryolisse lait creme concentrate - another moisturizer that I adore! I already repurchased and using my 2nd tube right now. Wonderful moisturizer that is easy to blend, non-irritating, basic, hydrating and perfect for underneath makeup. This has become my Winter essential. =) And omg, it is so affordable! My mum helped me to repurchase when she was in Paris and I could not believe who affordable this is there! (also for Bioderma!) I got this from a retailer in Hong Kong and it was about $23 CAD, and I believe my mum got this in France for 9 euro..!! Not that I travel to France routinely, so I probably will have to pay a higher price to get this cream, but it is well-worth it. <3

Bioderma sebium AI - this is a treatment that helps to eliminate spots. I actually quite enjoyed it but I wasn't sure if it was this product that helped to control my blemishes. So right now I haven't repurchased yet, but if I find myself needing a product like this in my life again, I will for sure consider getting this.

Dream Skin whitening serum - I don't have much to say about this, did not care for it and was simply trying to use this up.

Shiseido benefiance hand revitalizer - I got this as a gift while purchasing things in Hong Kong Shiseido counter. I don't think this product is available in North America but Shiseido does sell a similar hand cream here in Canada. (I think it is probably the same, but just marketed slightly differently) A very moisturizing hand cream that I find slightly greasy, takes longer to absorb. But it is great of bed time. Not my choice for day time.

Origins super spot remover - I believe this is already my 2nd bottle of it. Salicylic acid 1.5% treatment. I do like it but after using 2 bottles of it consecutively, I was in the mood to try something new, thus the Clinique spot treatment. By all means, I tried to stick with salicylic acid treatment rather than benzoic peroxide, just because I think it works better for my skin type.

Decluttering 103

Please excuse my rather unoriginal titles...... 

Korres guava shower gel - I got this from Winners with discounted price, I am glad that I get to try out the Korres shower product, but I did not find the scent to be absolutely appealing. But I did noticed that while using this shower gel, my skin feels very comfortable and hydrated after my shower. I think the "natural" ingredients or the no "harsh chemicals" must have done some work there. If they have a rose scent, I might repurchase.

Fekkai apple cider clarifying shampoo - a rather expensive clarifying shampoo. I never used to use a clarifying shampoo but somehow youtube gurus talked me into "I need a clarifying shampoo" mode. Although it is quite expensive ($28 CAD if not mistaken), it did last me a long time (I say a year) because I only use this maximum once a week. I love the scent, very refreshing. It is a bit drying and I supposed that is because it is clarifying. I think I might repurchase, but right now I went ahead and tried something new (i.e. Bumble and bumble Sunday shampoo).

Senka hydrating toner - Senka is a drugstore brand made by Shiseido and this product is available in the Asia market. I found the texture similar to the Shisedo softeners (which I love) but this one is non-fragranced, so it might be even better for rather sensitive skin. Also, needless to say, much cheaper than the Shiseido softener (I believed this one was about $10 CAD). I think this is a wonderful gel-like toner for Winter months.

Biotherm biocils eye make-up removal care - this one claims to condition your lashes and removes waterproof make-up. I did not expect the condition lashes part to be true when I bought it, but I actually was impressed by the result. I did find when I was using this, I lost less lashes while removing my eye makeup. I would love to repurchase this if I could ignore the price tag... and one thing I did not like is the packaging. I did not like the cap because it leaks a little bit. I much prefer the neutrogena packaging with the round cap.

Barielle intensive hand treatment cream - one of the Hong Kong makeup artists raved about this cream all the time, and while I found this ultra moisturizing, I did find it a bit greasy as well. I also did not care about the scent, which in a hand cream, is rather important to me. I don't mind if it is non-scented (like the Kiehl's one I like) but this Barielle one is kinda in between. It is not heavily scented, but the slight scent in it does not appeal to me. I think I would rather repurchase the Kiehl's one.

Bioderma sensibio mask - a hydrating, soothing mask. While I enjoyed the Bioderma sensibio water, I don't think this mask did much to my skin. It was just something I tried to use up.

Kiehl's white brightening botanical hydrating mask - this mask is rather old and I just have to toss it away. The reason why it has been in my stash forever is because I couldn't use it much... every time I put this on my face, it gave my painful sensation and often I just have to wash it off in 5 minutes. I kept trying to like it because some times when I can endure the sensation, I did find it give my skin a brightening boost. Anyhow, I think it is safe to say that I need to farewell this skincare from my stash. I don't believe a product has to stint your skin in order to give you good result.