Product review - Spot treament.

Erase the spots!

Hi my lovely readers long time no see! sorry that I've been away for so long! that's because I've been busy working on a film, so many restless days and nights. Finally it's over! and now I can come back and share all those goodie goodies that I've discovered in the past months 

From Left to Right : Origins - Super Spot Remover, The Body Shop - Tea Tree Oil, Lush - Grease Lightning, Mario Badescu - Drying cream, DMK - Acuclear Acne Treatment. 

For me the effectiveness goes from left to right, so Origin the most effective one for me and DMK is the least effective.

SO now I can tell you how  each one works for me.

Product Review - Mask of Magnaminty by Lush

Lush - Mask of Magnaminty

Mask by Lush  - Mask of Magnaminty for oily and acne prone skin

Using the Mask of Magnaminty

Another goodie by Lush! Here's a deep cleansing mask packed with China clay and Bentonite gel that will pull the dirt from your pores, ground aduki beans and evening primrose seeds exfoliate surface skin cells, and peppermint oil will make you feel so fresh and minty and take any excess oil off your face, make you stay matte for longer! Note if you are dry or sensitive, stay away from it :)

The first thing that I noticed about this mask is the refreshing minty scent of it! and the consistency is absolutely beautiful, it smooths over your face nicely and I love the large amount of exfoliate seeds in this mask. This mask will instantly wake you up and you will feel amazingly refreshed and clean. I leave it on for 15 to 20 minutes, once it dries can get pretty hard on your face. I like to use cold water to wash if off, because the cold water will intensify the mint oil and make you feel so so refreshed and CLEAN! I wet my face and the clay will start to soften up and dissolve, then i will rub the mask with my hands in circular motion to let the seeds to exfoliate my skin. then I will wash everything off. It make you feel so damn clean smooth and refreshed! I just absolutely love that feeling! 

I feel like it does a pretty good job on oil control but in terms of acne control I still reckon the Cup Cake mask wins over it!  since it absorbs oil so well therefore it can be a little drying, if I dont put moisturizer on my face fast, my face would get pretty tight and dry! so make sure you tone your face and moisturize well after this mask. 

  (If you want to know about the Cupcake mask lick on the link for the review on it 

http://artofbeautyy.blogspot.com.au/2013/05/product-review-lush-face-mask-cupcake.html)

Pros - Does a good job on control oil, deep cleanse, exfoliates.   

Cons - Need to use up within 2 months, Doesn't control breakouts, can be drying. 

I will buy this again just for the clean fresh feel! 

Hope you all enjoy this post 

Love always Li xoxox

Product review - A miracel in a jar? does it really work?

A product would fix all your problems and more

 

 

I believe most of you are now have already heard about the Michael Todd's skincare line, in my previous review I've talked about the acne/oily skin regimen. and here I got two more product to talk about! 

Organic Lemon AHA+DMAE toner - The reason that I bought this tome is that AHA is famous for uneven skin tone, discolorations on  the skin,can lighten up acne scars etc.and DMAE can firm, lift and tight up the skin. I use this every night after washing my face, this toner smells divine and does not dry my face up, my skin would feel very moisturized and plumped, and makes the application of my other face products a lot more easier. I have seen some improvement on my acne scars but im not sure if is this or the KNU cream :/ but I certainly do LOVE this toner. 

Anti-Aging Face Lift KNU - here is the miracle in a jar! it claims that "heal, repair and speed cell renewal while providing antioxidant protection against further damage. Gently firms, lifts and tightens facial sag almost immediately while reducing density, volume and depth of wrinkles and loss of elasticity over time to transform skin texture to appear more youthful looking." It does all those without BOTOX but with 70% natural ingredients, sounds pretty good right? 

ok I will tell you my all thoughts on this 'miracle in a jar'. My routine is put this on after washing and toning my face, i would put this all over my face includes my eyes/eye lids and also down my neck.  the funny thing about this cream is rather drying than moisturizing so after putting this on I will still need to put my moisturizer over this cream. After you put this on you can immediately feel that the skin is tightening up, but I dont think its enough for you to visibly see the lifting effect. (or maybe because my face isnt all that saggy yet lol) The special key ingredient in this cream is snail serum, which is the sticky, gooey, smiley snail trail that they leave behind when they move. i did some research on that apparently it's ridiculously popular in Asia especially in Korea and Japan!

it's said to be a very good healing and anti-aging agent.

Now I think this thing does a pretty good job on healing my skin, and getting rid off my acne scars. at the same time it heals any breakouts on your face. so far it hasnt give me 1 pimple! absolutely happy with it! but not so happy with the price! i got this on sale at $50 on their official website, they usually sell it for $150! i've been using it for a month and its almost half empty. I've heard some people got this cream on livingsocial.com for only $25 I dont know if they ship it overseas, but worth to try tho. 

Overall i do think the cream is worth the splurge, I wouldn't pay for $150 for it, but $50 i think it's okay for me. 

Thanks for reading everyone! 

http://www.michaeltoddtrueorganics.com/index.php/featured-products/mtto-knu-anti-aging-face-lift.html#_ 

Official website link above. 

Lixoxox Take care        

 

Product review - Michael Todd True Organic Skincare for Acne Or Oily Skin Regimen

  Michael Todd True Organic Skincare

from left to right - Charcoal Detox Deep Pore Gel Cleanser, Jojoba Charcoal Facial Scrub, Kaolin Clay Detoxifying Facial-mask, Antioxidant Carrot Multivitamin Serum, Blue Green Algae Antibacterial Toner.

Hello again, I'm sure you all familiar with the Micheal Todd True Organic Skincare range right?

:)

It's been talked over and over on YouTube and by other beauty bloggers, and surprisingly I got a set as well, haha just cant resist.

I bought the Ance/Oily skin regimen, as you all know my skin is oily, acne prone, large pores etc etc. So in this set you will get  5 items and i will talk about all of them here.

I've been using them for a month now so here we go, this is how i felt about them

• CHARCOAL DETOX - deep-pore gel cleanser penetrates pores to draw out impurities. You only need a little bit for it to foam up for your entire face. I find it won't take off all my makeup, i will still need to use my Shu uermura cleansing oil to get rid off my eye makeups. smells like lavender, very very gentle and calming. overall it's no difference to any other ordinary facial cleanser, it didn't impress me that much. 
• BLUE GREEN ALGAE anti bacterial toner is rich in vital nutrients, trace elements and amino acids. This toner is so gentle!!! I love it! It's so gentle and it would still cleanse your skin deep down to the pore. I say this really is the best toner i've ever used in years! it cleanse your face but wont dry it out. 
• KAOLIN CLAY  detoxifying facial mask cooling and detoxifying treatment. This mask here is my favorite out of all of them. I use it 2 to 3 times a week, i put it on for 30 minutes. A bit longer than it recommended, but I find it absorbs the oil better and keep my face less oily the longer i leave it long. obvious i dont want it to dry my face out too much, so 30 minutes is enough for me. when i wash this mask off, OMG i cant believe the result! the pimples on my face would shrink to almost nothing! and pores are visibility smaller! one thing you will need to do is moisturize your face as soon as you wash your mask off!      
• ANTIOXIDANT CARROT multivitamin serum  (new and improved formula), this thing while it smelled nice but it didn't do anything more than just a ordinary moisturizer. 
• JOJOBA CHARCOAL SCRUB gentle exfoliating facial scrub. A gentle scrub can be used daily. too gentle for me, I still prefer my Skin Institute Glycolic  Acid scrub to keep my zits in control. 

 

SO overall I would only repurchase the Kaolin Clay mask out of the whole set. Reason? well over the month, I haven't really seen any noticeable improvement in my skin, so no miracle yet. BUT it havent broke me out yet, which is a plus :) son I will continue to use and finish the rest of the product, if my face end up like a baby's bum I will do an update here to let you all know if it's worth it ;) 

 

I would recommend for those with oily skin that's looking for a gentle regimen for their skin.   

 

I bought mine from their website

 

http://www.michaeltoddtrueorganics.com/index.php/skin-type/blemished-oily-skin/mtto-acne-control-skincare-regimen.html#_  

I also got a coupon code for those who wants to try

 

use the code : SAVE20 to get 20% off

 thanks for reading! xoxoxxo Li

The most talked about beauty gadgets - PMD (Personal MicroDerm)

PMD - Personal MicroDermabration

This is the Pro model, has two speeds. A standard speed that provides the highest level of intensity and a slower speed that provides a lower level of intensity for sensitive skin types.

PMD device in the Pro model

It Came with 7 discs, 4 small discs for face 3 large discs for body. the caps are small for face, large for body.

 Hey all, as we all know that these days with more and more beauty gadgets that you can buy from the market we all get excited, and attempted but most of the time we are just unsure if its worth the time and the money or if we would get the same result that we would from the doctors???

I first heard about this device was about a year go, back then I was getting MicroDermabration treatments at my local skin clinic every fortnight at $40 per treatment! I know that's pretty crazy huh? $40 every fortnight adds up that's over $1000 per year!!!!!!!

I'm sure you all pretty familiar with MicroDermabration right? is one of the easiest and most effective anti-aging treatments you can get. Its benefits are many: microderm softens fine lines and wrinkles, helps to smooth coarsely textured skin, decreases the appearance of scarring, decreases pore size, and reduces superficial hyper-pigmentation, also known as age spots. Think it like a vacuum cleaner, if you only use a broom to sweep your carpet, you would still get the small dirt and dust left behind. With a vacuum cleaner it will suck all the little bugger out of the carpet! same thing here!      

As soon as I saw this device I was so excited and attempted to buy it, BUT i didn't just went crazy and bought one, instead went home and researched and researched until 4 weeks ago, I finally got one for myself.  

I've only used it twice so far, and guess what? so far so good! I'm loving it!!! Here i will explain to you all how it works, how to use it and how i feel about it!

 I started off with the white training disc, with the lower setting which is very weak it's only developed to help you practice and feel comfortable with the device, along seeing how your skin reacts to it.

 here are the different discs

1. White disc - One time training disc, very weak. 
2. Blue disc - Best for sensitive skin 
3. Green disc - Medium strength abrasion 
4. Red disc - Maximum strength abrasion 

you will have to use the same color disc for at least 2 weeks before you progress on to the stronger discs. 

During the treatment you will need to 

1. Make sure that your skin is clean and dry for the treatment.
2. Pull your skin flat so the device can guild across your face easily
3. Make sure the suction is at 100%, if there's no suction then it wont work.
4. Work it upwards. ie, go from chin to the ear. 
5. DO NOT go over the same area more than twice. 
6. DO NOT let it stay on the same spot more than 2 seconds. 

 

After the treatment you should see all the dead skin cells on your face. I know ewwwwww right? but your face now should be sparkly clean and SMOOTH~~~~~ 

With the dead cells removed, your skin is now able to absorb products much more effectively. so use the best skin product that you've got. 

 

I honestly didn't think it's that different to the professional microderm treatment, I am so happy that I can get the very same result at home and think all the money that you save $$$$$.

 

Now pros and cons time 

 

Pros: works like a magic, very compatible with the professional treatment, save money, skin is noticeably smoother and brighter, makeup guilds on the next day. 

 

Cons: It's NOT wireless like in the picture, noise when using it, the head is too fat for some hard reaching areas like around the nose.         

I got mine from their official website

http://www.personalmicroderm.com/ 

Here is a coupon code for the ones that's interested in buying one. you can save 25%

ONTHESHELF26

Thank you all for reading. 

NOTE there NO commercial purpose here, I bought everything with my own money! 

Good luck Li 

xoxox 

The most talked about beauty gadgets - Clarisonic

 

This is the Clarisonic Pro model 

 

Hi my lovelies! love time no see! sorry that I haven't been posting any beauty posts :( that's because Ive been moving and traveling so all my stuff has been packed away!!! 

SO SO SO here is the almighty Clarisonic that's been talked talked and talked talked! whatever! let's look into the benefit of this 

CLARISONIC BENEFITS

• 6x more makeup removed than manual cleansing

• 2x more oil and dirt removed than manual cleansing

• Leaves skin feeling and looking smoother

• Skin is removed of more impurities, allowing creams and serums to penetrate better (up to 61%) 

• Gentle enough to use twice a day

• Reduces oily areas, dry skin patches and blemishes

• Minimizes the appearance of visible pores

• Safe for cleansing all skin types

• Recommended for use with any non-abrasive cleanser

• Also good for the neck and décolleté, as well as other areas of your body needing extra care and attention

• Use twice a day, one minute each time

• Clarisonic is waterproof and rechargeable and can even be used in the shower, bath or at the sink.   

Okay girls now its time to let me tell you my experience with this mighty machine! :D

I've been using this for over a year now, I got the Pro model that's because it has 4 speeds for using on the face, and a body function with only 1 speed. Once you press the start button it will go for 1 min then it will stop itself. 

 

I've been using this pretty much every single day for the past 18 months, it really does clean up your face better than just using your hands. It buffs all the bead skin and flaky skin off my face, my face would feel instantly smoother and clearer! I have oily Acne prone skin, so I always have some sort of breakout on my face, therefore I ONLY use the sensitive brush head because I dont want to aggravate the breakouts on my face.

 

As I do wear make up on a daily basis,  so since I've been using the brush, Ive noticed less breakout from my makeup, but I would still get my monthly hormone breakout. so don't be fool about on using this means pimple free. This machine will clean your face from top to bottom, leave no trace of makeup/dirty or oil on your face. after using this your face will immediately appear softer, and smoother. But it did not reduce oily areas or minimize the appearance of visible pores for me.

 

Since there's 4 different speed I will use the higher speed (3 or 4) at night to scrub all my makeup off, and use lower speed (1 or 2) in the morning for the gentle cleanse. This will make your make up goes on easier and also make it look better on your face.

 

Pros: cleans up your face like nothing else, gentle enough to use twice day, good for all skin type (I've used it on my boyfriend's face and he has super sensitive skin), make your face nice and smooth, makeup goes on so much easier.

 

Cons: Takes whole day to recharge, brush head need to be changed every 3 months, its fragile so DO NOT DROP IT!!!!!  

Overall I can not live without it! it makes a massive difference in your skin texture, the way it look and feels.

here is the website that I got my brush from 

http://www.ry.com.au/brand/clarisonic.html

 

Note: I purchased everything with my own money, so there's no commercial purpose here.    

    

 

Product review - The Body Shop Blue Corn face mask

Hey everybody long time no see, that's because I'm in middle of moving, everything has been packed up :) blogging on my phone right now. lol

Lets get straight into this, so the Blue Corn face mask from The Body Shop is a 3 in 1 deep cleansing scrub mask, best known for oily skin. WARNING if you have sensitive or dry skin STAY AWAY from this mask. 

Let us have a look at the key ingredient in this mask 

• A blend of bergamot, geranium and ylang ylang essential oils - includes oils that are renowned to help balance an oily skin type. Provides an uplifting and sensual aroma during use.
• Blue corn powder - gently exfoliates the skin, removing dead skin cells, excess oils and dirt.
• Glycerin - is an effective moisturiser which helps improve softness and maximise hydration.
• Kaolin clay - helps control shine. Deeply cleanses, drawing out impurities from the skin. Is a mineral that helps to restore the skin's natural balance

Even with the natural ingredients in it this mask, it still can be pretty harsh for some skin types. It really stings at the first time when i put it on, so i washed it off quickly. thank god my face wasn't red or anything. so later on i decided to give it another try, the second time wasn't too bad, it was more a tingly feeling than stingy. i normally leave it on my face for about 15 mins, it gets pretty tight and hard on your face.

when i wash it off, I wet it and gently rub it in circular motion, the scrub works really well to get rid off the rough and flaky skin. 

After wash it off, immediately put on your face products moisturiser/serum whatever you use after washing your face. because this will soak up all the oil on your face to the point your face will get so dry and so tight that you will need tons and tons moisturisers. 

Pros: soaks up the oil, really deep cleanse your face, didnt break me out,  exfoliates. 

Con: harsh, very drying. 

Will i buy this again??? the answer is NO! i still rather my Lush Cup Cake mask better :) will stick to it! 

Let me know what do you think about this mask? and what's your favourite mask?

Take care 

Li xoxox     

The perfect face maks for all skins? or not...

MASK MASK MASK!!!!!!!
Hi all, here is another mask. The famous famous Fresh Rose face mask has been one of the most popular mask on the market, it said to be hydrating, calming, and good for all skin types : oily, dry, sensitive, combination, acne prone, you name it! As a 'Maskholic' I thought I might give it a go. 

It has a jelly type of consistency,  u can see the rose petals in it. Usually face mask with jelly consistency are hydrating and won't clog your pores, which is perfect for those with large pores and acne prone skins. It contain cucumber extract and infused with crushed rose petals, it claims that its gentle soothing, help to retain moisture and tighten pores.  

Well I've used up the whole jar, and for my super oily acne prone skin, unfortunately I will have to tell you guys it didn't do that much for me. It smelled nice, and it was hydrating to an extended level, I think there are others masks out there are better than this one in terms of hydrating. 

Pros: It smells nice, organic, gentle, didn't break me out, can be used for all skin types.

Cons: didn't really do anything for me, very pricy.

I don't think I will buy this ever again, considering the price and how much it did for my skin.

Hope you guys find this post is helpful, i see you next time :)

Love always Li xoxo 

My favorite foundation for oily skin - Chanel Mat Lumiére

Chanel Mat Lumiere powder and liquid foundation

Hey Boys and Girls, today I would like to share my favorite foundation with you all. 

As you all know that I have very oily skin, along with large pores, acne, acne scar etc etc. 

most foundation won't last on my face for over 5 hrs, they would just slide off my face and my face would get all shiny, greasy and gross! 

I stumbled on this oil free, Matte foundation 4 years ago when I was just shopping around Myer, I got told this is THE foundation for oily skin, it's oil free, medium to full coverage, smudge proof, long lasting (12 hrs)......at the time I just thought I gotta buy it! 

So I got both powder and liquid foundation in the Mat Lumiere   

Chanel Mat Lumiere powder foundation

Chanel Mat Lumiere powder foundation

Chanel Mat Lumiere powder foundation

Let's talk about the powder foundation first 

• Coverage is Medium - Full, buildable. 

• Lasting power -  certainly not 12hrs, if I wear it alone I say it would last for about 5hrs on my face. 
• Setting the foundation - I usually use it as a setting powder, it definitely mattifiy my face and takes any shine off my face. I found this is the best thing for me to use to set my liquid foundation, it literally keeps your makeup looking fresh for longer. 
• Smudge proof power - still comes off pretty easy without the liquid foundation.   

Chanel Mat Lumiere liquid foundation

Chanel Mat Lumiere liquid foundation

Now the liquid foundation. If you tell me that I can only wear one foundation for the rest of my life, this will be THE ONE!  okay let's start to talk about this

• Coverage - Medium to full, again this foundation is very buildable, two layers will give you the fullest coverage.  I wont even need to wear concealers with this foundation, I will just dab a little bit more on where I need. and a little goes a long way, therefore your face wont look like a cake even with the fullest coverage.
• Lasting Power - This will NOT last for 12 hrs, it will last for about 8 hrs on my face which is pretty amazing for me considering most other foundations would only last 5hrs on my face.
• Smudge proof - yes yes yes, this thing is tear proof, sweat proof, and I found it also has some water resistance power as well. I wear contact lens and my eyes can get pretty dry sometimes, so I'm always using eye drops and the eye drop solution runs off my eyes wont even mess up my makeup. 
• Photography use - This foundation has SPF 15 in it, along with Aluminum Oxide but I've wore it to a wedding before, and my face turned out pretty fine in the photos :)  no white face. 

Pros and Cons 

Pros: Matte, good coverage, doesn't break me out, long lasting, doesn't smudge easily, not cakey.

Cons: Price, small colour range, can be a little dry during winter months. 

Here are some swatches, look at the little blue dot on my hand. 

With no foundation on and see the difference between the little blue dot on my hand

With 1 layer of  Chanel Mat Lumiere Liquid foundation only

With 1 layer of Chanel Mat Lumiere Liquid Foundation and 1 layer of Chanel Mat Lumiere Powder Foundation

Product Review - Lush face mask Cupcake

Lush face mask - Cupcake

Hello there! okay it's time to talk about skincare! :D 

Now let me tell you all about my skin :p My skin type?

well, let's start off with it's extremely oily, therefore it's prone to acne, and so I have large pores, black heads, pimples, and of course acne scars as well! :( not so great huh?!

 After years and years dealing with my problematic skin, I've became a skincare junky. 

I've tried so many skincare products, and of course face masks is one of my favorite thing to buy and to use. After hearing so many good things about the Cupcake mask by Lush,  and with my endless researches I finally went to Lush and got one my for myself.   

I've already finished the tub - 75g in a tub

I absolutely love this face mask, let it alone the fact that it smells just like chocolate, but it really soaks up all the oil, shrinks my pore and helps to reduce and calm down any breakout on the face. I've noticed a big difference immediately after using it, my skin felt smoother and the pimples didn't look as red as they were. The next day when I looked at my face in the mirror WOW!  The pimples on my face were visibly smaller, some even got dried up. I was so so impressed with this face mask, will definitely repurchase this over and over.  

In this hand made mask the ingredients in it are all natural, none of the harsh chemical ingredients in this mask, therefore it won't strip your skin. Since it has all the fresh ingredients in it, so it will only last for two weeks and you have to keep it in the fridge. 

Here is the link to this product from Lush's website(Australian)  it will tell you the price and all the ingredients in it

http://www.lush.com.au/shop/product/product/id/74/keyword/cupcake/cupcake

Thanks for reading! good luck! 

Love Li xoxox