Review of Estee Lauder’s Day Wear BB

We have all gone BB Cream crazy recently. In the UK, there's recent launch of the Garnier BB Cream, and even non-drug-store brand Estee Lauder has brought one out! Latest in Beauty was offering a small tube for the price of £1.50, so I snapped it up and just tried it when I went out last night.

(Aside: BB Cream has been all over in Asia for at least 2 years now, but their BB cream has a very different formula, texture, and tint to it. Their BB cream tends to be much thicker, much paler - almost greyish if too much is used, and has very high SPF. Some of the most well known ones are from Etude House, Skin79, Missha. I have a few of these and quite enjoy one from Missha. They are just like foundation to me, but claim to have nourishing and repaiting properties to the skin. Let me know if you are interested to find out more. =)



Firstly, Estee Lauder's BB Cream smells absolutely divine! It smells like watermelon and sweets, light and refreshing, not sickening sweet or fragrant. I absolutely adore it. Second, the colour tone is perfect for me. I chose "Light" and it suits my skin tone very well. Lastly, it's super moisturising. My skin has been suffering from dryness for a while as a result of the lack of sleep. When I use Bare Mineral's foundation (when I am short of time), I notice that my skin looks dry and flakey in the afternoon. With Estee Lauder's BB Cream, my skin looks hydrated and plump. Overall, I absolutely love it for the weekends but may need more coverage for going into work during the week. I'll see how I feel when I finish the sample and may just get tempted.... =) Until next time. xx

DIY Brightening Facial

Two weekends ago I made a DIY brightening mask with some papaya. Papaya can help get rid of dead cells. Compared to physical exfoliators (e.g. sea salt, scrub, etc) papaya is much more gentle because the exfoliation is of a chemical nature, hence best for sensitive skin.

Here is the recipeL:
- Over-ripe papaya that has been mashed up (I used 1/4 of a papaya from Waitrose)
- Honey
- Flour (I used rice flour to increase the impact of the exfoliation as the flour itself acts like a physical exfoliant - but their particles are so small that this is still a very gentle exfoliation mask)

Leave it on for 15 min. Bingo - glowy, bright, smooth skin ready to roll! =) xx

Review: Latest In Beauty - Anti-Ageing Box

Latest in Beauty has become my favourite beauty box of all times!

Here is the anti-ageing box from LIB:


LIB Anti-agening Box (March 2012)

This Works Enjoy Multi-Tasking Lotion 30ml: I love the geranium and rose scent. After my fruit peel mask last night, I put this on and it leaves my skin soft, moisturised, plump and smelling nice! I love it.

Perricone MD Advanced Face Firming Activator 15ml: I have heard this brand but never used their products. So I am really looking forward to my new firmed up jawline! =p

Decleor Aroma Cleanse Hydra 15ml with muslin cloth: I have a lot of Decleor products anyway since they do a one-hour massage plus facial for £30 booking fee, redeemable against the purchase of two products. So I have a mountain full of products to be used. Still, I like the luxury scent of their products. Their tonifying water is my all time must-have. So I am looking forwad to trying this one.

Fushi Organic Anti-Wrinkle Lip Balm 10ml: I love lip blams and never have enough of time (I am currently using 4 or 5 switching between them.... so far I really like Eos Summer Fruit. Let's see if this one beats it!)
Emma Hardie Amazing face Natural Lift and Sculpt Plumping Serum 10ml: Again I have heard of this brand but never used it before. My face is in desperate need of some "lifting and sculpting"! Really looking forward to trying it.

Eve Lom Rescue Mask 15ml: I heard a lot about Eve Lom's cleansing balm. It's a bit pricey so I never tried it. I love masks, all kinds of masks, so getting this is definitely a thumbs up!

CosmetoFruit Body Booster: Drinkable elixir? I love the taste. Not convinced it's really going to do much, but what's to lose when it tastes nice anyway. =)

L'Occitane Divine Cream (3 or 5 ml?) I use a lot of L'Occitane products and I love love love the divine line. So I am really pleased to get this little pot to try out at home.

Overall, this is my all time favourite beauty box (considering I have ordered 14 boxes to date from different companies - Glossy Box, Carmine, Boudoir Prive, Jolie Box). This one beats all of them and I really look forward to the next LIB box!

DIY - Body Scrub

It's Spring...... I can hear the birds singing and see the sun shining! Little things (plus a day off from work on the weekend is a real treat!) all make me super happy. So I am going for a pampering Sunday morning starting with a DIY facial (see separate post) and a DIY body scrub.

Here is the recipe for the body scrub:

• Olive oil (or any other oil that is not too strong, e.g. not sesame oil!)
• Flakes of sea salt
• Honey

That's it. I mix the three ingredients in a ramekin, and transfer them to a tiny jam jar that I leave in the bathroom. I can usually use it twice before having to make some more. Be sure you massage into your skin gently to increase the circulation, which helps to eliminate cellulite and remove dead skin. I love the feeling that it leaves my skin - soft, supple, and nourished.

Hope you enjoy it - whatever you do, pamper yourself today! xx

Free facial at Origins

Origins is one of my favourite skincare brands.I went for a free facial in mid January at the Cambridge branch of John Lewis with a voucher given alongside the purchase of two products. My favourite Origins products are:

• Never a Dull Moment cleanser
• Modern Friction
• Brighter by Nature (exfoliating pads)

The face wash is amazing - moisturising, refreshing, and it even removes dead skin cells gently. For me, the best skincare tip to keep the skin clean and moisturised. Clean, Exfoliate, and Moisturise.... I'll share my favourite make-up remover next time. It's one that can't be bought in the UK.... until next time. xx

January Carmine Box Review

I've been out of the country for two weeks to the far far away land in Asia (well, actually, it's just Hong Kong and Macau. =) For those of you who haven't heard of Macau, it was a Portuguese colony from the 16th century and was handed over back to China in 1999. It has a similar political system as Hong Kong, i.e. it is a country in its own right with its own government. Let me do a blog post about Hong Kong and Macau some time....

Back to the Carmine Beauty Box. Here is what the January Box looks like:

(L to R) Eldora False Eyelashes, Himalayan Pink Salt, Eyeko Fat Eye Stick, Balance Me Radiance Face Oil, Korres Wild Rose 24-hour Moisturising & Brightening Cream

Wanna know more about each product? Here is a brief description: (plus my comments in italics)

1. Eldora False Eyelashes - pretty self explanatory. The note alongside the products says "Use code eldoracarmine2012 for 50% off the full Eldora range when you spend £15 or more. Available from eldorashop.co.uk. Exp Feb 29th". I personally do not like these ones as they are pretty full and I know I will look very strange with these.....
2. Himalayan Pink Salt - "Straight from the Himalayan mountain range, thsi natural, mineral-rich treasure will transform a 30-minute soak in the bath into a detox that's equivalent to a 3-day fast! So you can relax, refresh and repeat! Use code 4321 for 30% off the Detox adn Revive Kit at westlabshop.co.uk. Exp March 1st." I am in the mode to detox, stay fit and lose weight. So the promise of a 3-day fast sounds amazing although I have serious doubt and I am almost certain that this is just a gimmick. Still I am keen to try it out. 
3. Eyeko Fat Eye Stick - "this chubby stick of soft, creamy colour does double duty as a liner and a shadow to creat the perfect smoky-eye taht will never go out of style....." I quite like mine in brown - I have oily eyelids and will see how smudgy it gets as I intend to use it as a liner and hopefully I won't look like my eyes just got dirty!
4. Balance Me Radiance Face Oil - "No time for a New Year Facial? Not to worry, this 100% natural face oil will dramatically renew your skin and make you literlaly glow. Try massaging onto your face and neck before your moisturiser (day or night) - your skill will definitely thank you! Use code CARMINE2012 for 10% off teh full size face oil at balanceme.co.uk. Exp March 1st". I am a big fan of face oil - my favourite is actually the facial oil from Sanctuary at Boots. I used to use the more pricey stuff from Decleor (their toner is one that I cannot live without - been using it for 5 years!) but found that Sanctuary does the job equally well but at half the price. Not sure if I am keen to try out a new brand of facial oil.
5. Korres Wild Rose Moisturising & Brightening Cream - ".... This organic, wild rose face cream will not only brighten adn repair your complexion, it will also pump up the hydration for a full 24-hours! So drink up!" I actually received this exact same sample from another beauty box a while ago, so I have used it and am not excited by it unfortunately. I'd love to try another Korres product, but I guess this cream is one that Korres is pushing and therefore appears in more than 1 beauty box. I think the product itself is ok, but I am very happy with my current moisturiser and am not keen to change as I have alredy tried it out!

Overall this is an ok box. I got a bit disappointed when I first received it because I do not like the false eyelashes and have received plenty of bath salts from beauty boxes and at xmas, and have already tried out the Korres cream from another box. It shows the problem when the same brand / product does the round at several beauty boxes - it doesn't get exciting as the whole point is to try out new products. I will wait and see what the Feb box looks like before deciding whether to continue to subscribe or not.... (beauty boxes piling up high in my house....)


Have a good weekend everyone!


p.s. Bonus picture - here is the toy poodle that I went to visit in Asia (well, she's my mum's dog actually!) She looks cute but she is very cunning....... still, I do like her a lot even though she chases me round the flat and bites me whenever she can. =p

Feel Unique Beauty Box Review - January

I hope everyone has had a good second week at work. I got my first Feel Unique Beauty Box this weekend. Here you go:

January Feel Unique Box

All 6 products in the January Feel Unique Box

Caudalie Body Lotion, Phyto Conditioner, This Works Facial Cleanser

• Lierac Creme Mesolift Anti-Aging Radiance (15ml)
• Lierac Hydra-Chrono Gel-Creme (1 sachet)
• Dead Sea Spa Magik Salt Brushing (2 sachets)
• Caudalie Vinotherapie Nourishing Body Lotion (30ml)
• PhytoPhytoBaume Color Protect Express Conditioner (20ml)
• This Works Clean Skin for the Face (30ml)

I have received several Dead Sea Spa Magik products in beauty boxes and also as xmas presents, so I know the brand and I love them (although they are not such a "luxury" brand.) I have used Caudalie before and found that they are ok. I don't hate them nor like them - they just don't do it for me. This Works is another brand that I have tried but did not particularly fancy. That leaves Lierac and Phyto conditioner which I will try asap and report back. I realise after having subscribed to ~10 boxes, I have a mountain of travel sizes products to be tried.... (I am sure you all know what I mean by this!)

Overall I have to say I am a bit disappointed given the products that were in the previous boxes. It feels like the January 2012 FU box is the most disappointing of all - no makeup products, and unfortunately, hardly any exciting skincare / bodycare products. My favourite products in order of preference are generally: makeup, skincare, haircare, and lastly, bodycare. Bodycare products tend to be cheaper as well (Dead Sea Spa Magik and Claudalie Body Lotion in the January FU box), so they are worth less the money and from that point of view, also disappointing.

I will keep my subscription for another month, and probably unsubscribe if the February box is still disappointing. Still I will have the Jolie Box and the Carmine Box - the two that I have stuck with. Glossy Box was my first one but Jolie Box has the best products adn Carmine Box is good enough with amazing customer service. So for the battle of the beauty boxes, Jolie Box and Carmine are leading the way... See you next time! x