My Bday gift in Korea + FOTD

Wow... I'm on a ball here... putting up posts after posts (awesome) I just better keep it up. So just before we get to what I got for my birthday last week (1st May). I wanted point out that Akisa has raised the need for me to repurchase the Bourjois Liner Feutre again...(CLICK HERE for her review). I had discovered this liner back when I was in Melbourne, went through a couple of them and just realised I CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT IT! I knew there was something special about this liner and was so happy  that Akisa shared the same views on the product.

PROBLEM: I went to one of the Bourjois counters here in Korea and... THEY DON'T HAVE THE LINER FEUTRE! NO~~~ Instead there was this other liner which was not felt tip but had bristles (not fond of it). I am so upset now...  They have everything but the liner I wanted WHY? Not happy, not happy at all... May be I should give others a try but... I just love this particular one too much bleh~~~

Anyway, just thought I'd share just how much I love this eyeliner...it's really the best I've tried and super easy to work with. So if you believe anything you read from Akisa's blog or mine... this is the ONE you should be trying out hehehehehe... I can guarantee that it's super long lasting and black.

From sadness to more happy stuff. I wanted to share with you guys what my friend gifted me on my bday last week. Yep another year older~~~ So here it is:

That's right from BENEFIT! The newest "take a picture...it lasts longer" body balm (awesome for the hotter seasons where you need to show off some skin) and a "smokin' eyes" palette. I've tried a few of the Benefit products over the years and haven't been really impressed at the quality compared to the price (when I was in Melbourne). The products just didn't work on me (mascaras, cream eye shadows, eyeliners etc.) But as these were a gift I can't complain and wanted to try them out.

First off is the "smokin' eyes" palette:

What you get in this compact kit:

• eye bright (pink, next to the brow wax)
• 3 smokin' eyeshadows: pink highlight shadow, pewter base shadow,deep charcoal shadow
• smokin' liner (black)
• brow zings shaping wax
• fluff shadow/hard angle brush
• tiny tweezers for discreet touch-ups

First impressions: Since I didn't enjoy the Benefit products I've tried previously I wasn't too keen on what this kit had to offer. I have to give it credits for having everything in  tiny sizes and means all you need is just this lil thing in your makeup bag. Let's go through what works for me and what doesn't.

Eyebrow wax: I don't like using wax on my brows (as my brows are full enough and doesn't need heavy application). Another thing is that the color doesn't match my hair color or is even close to my original eyebrow color. It's too redish brown~~~

Eye bright (pink): So this can be used on the inner corners of your eyes and underneath your eyebrows... for that subtle highlighted look. When I say subtle it really is... there are no shimmers in this creamy product and you may need to use quite a bit to get that brightening effect to occur. But I don't hate it, it's a good product as it does last once applied just not sure about the brighter looking effect it claims to do. Looks kinda flat to me as there are no shimmers.

3 smokin' eyeshadows: I will talk about these all together as the difference is just in color. To be honest the color pay off is NOT great... I really have to load up my brush and pack on the color to see any difference. The pink is too flat for a base and really does nothing underneath any other colors. The color I love the most is the pewter base shadow (middle of the pink and charcoal). This one has a very cool shimmery grey color to it and is perfect for that smokey grey look. Surprisingly, even the darkest of them all (charcoal color) really ain't that dramatic and dark as intended. So all in all I only love the middle color (would continue to use it).

Pencil eyeliner (black): I tried it on my hand and when I rub over it, it DOES smudge and continues to do so throughout the day although not as dramatic as the first rubbing. Hence it's not smudge or waterproof enough for my liking.

Tools: Tweezers are flimsy as the tip isn't precise enough to grab at each strand of hair and the metal is too soft and cannot pull out the hair from the roots effectively. It's actually painful to pull out the hair using this tweezer (not good and too tiny in size). I prefer to use the eyeliner and eyeshadow brushes I already own instead of the one in the kit as it's too tiny for any sort of good application.

Sounds like I'm dissing the "smokin' eyes" kit right? Well... it's my honest opinion as I have used it quite a few times since receiving it as a gift. But no worries as it's a gift I'm happy to receive and willing to try out. Not everything is suited to me (almost all things at Benefit) But it was great trying it out again.

FOTD using the kit:

What do you think? Agree with me when I say the color pay off ain't so great because for a smokey eye palette it should be more intense. But good thing is I can do a very subtle smokey eye with this... just takes longer to build it up.

So sorry for the bad close up photos... I haven't gotten the hang of the lighting in my room... not much natural light comes through and the light in the room is pure white... So I look heaps blue-ish~~~ But I'll find a better way for future pics. But you get the point :) I did apply the pink eye bright on the inner corners of my eyes and underneath the eyerbrows... you can't see it right? Well... I know it just doesn't show on me.

While I'm at it let me share what I had on my lips which I'm loving currently:

MAC's Myth lipstick with a coat of Shu Uemura's lipgloss in BG 952S. Both products have been raved about a long time ago and I just think this combo is the best for that milky,nudish, glossy look. Hate it/ Love it?

Well that's all I have to share with you guys today. Hope you enjoyed  the post (it's actually beauty related phew~~). I will do a review on the "take a picture... it lasts longer" body balm by Benefit once I've used it enough. But this is one of those raved about products as well... mainly because it's relatively new! hahahahaah...
Overall I'm heaps grateful for the gift for my first birthday over here in Korea, feel so loved~~~ hehehehe...

Take care you guyz. Till next time.
 
Heaps of love from ME.

I'm in Korea

Alright so coming back to blogging has really been a breakthrough for me...as I thought at one point that I may never come back. But I'm back posting up my blog posts slowly as I go along...so terribly sorry but that's just the way it's gonna be for awhile. I feel so guilty that I hadn't even had time to get around to those blog awards I've been nominated for~~~ Now that I've forgotten what they are? hahahaah... Anywhoo... so as mentioned previously I am in KOREA!

I have made my move here and just wanted to share a bit of what I've been up to and the sites I've been seeing. I don't have much time to posts heaps of photos BUT future posts with photos will be up as I go along my journey here in Korea. So let's get started...

Just to prove that I am REALLY in Korea here is my stash of cash and why else will I be needing a T-money card... to get around heheheh...

My bedroom here in Korea... previously my friend's room (fully furnished) now it's where I dwell hahahaha

The view from my room... not sure if it was fog or the most talked about yellow sand blowing in from China?

Where I get to exercise... just downstairs and a short walk from where I live... AWESOME ain't it?

Your typical shops in Korea... all stacked up in buildings kinda like in HK hehehehe...

This is where I like to relax over coffee and cake... the street is filled with these tiny cafes and restaurants *love*

Gangnam... just the most busiest place during the day and night...with shoppers and students everywhere...

YAY! street food...all the yummy hot food you want to keep the munchies away while shopping heheheeh...

I went to Yuldong Park one lovely Saturday (yes on my own and it was hell getting there without knowing a word of Korean~~~)... Anyway it was just an awesome park trek for me fully enjoyed it and yes... that's a person hanging off the bungy jump said to be real popular at the park.

And what happens in Spring over here... the Cherry blossoms bloom... so pretty~~~

Last pic of me at Lotte World... Don't fret people... I will be posting up more photos of the places I go to...it's just hell having to watermark everything...

Promises of more photos to come and on something special I received for my first birthday (1st of May) in Korea with a FOTD (coming up...) Stay tuned.

Love from ME.

My solution to ease allergies

So following from my last blog post, I’m sure most of you know about my current skin condition after trying out Fresh products. It’s still not perfect worse affected are my eye areas which are still red and rashy… I’m even developing double eyelids because of the swelling on my right eye. I have to admit that I look pretty freakish now hahaahaah… True story: I went for a shower last night, removed my makeup and my friend asked me if I had already showered and I said ‘I’ve already showered’. She says that I don’t look like I’ve cleaned up…and it’s all thanks to the red rashes all over the face which is more obvious once makeup is removed. My skin tone just looks so uneven now that people think I haven’t washed my face properly hahahahaha… deary me…

I just better pray that my skin will recover quickly. Now that I’ve stopped using the Fresh products I still needed to cleanse my skin. As you might know I’m a HUGE fan of Cetaphil, I love it because it’s soap free and is awesome for people who are super sensitive. But I don’t think they have Cetaphil here in Korea so my next best choice is… Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cleanser. I have never tried the cleanser from the classic Ultra facial line but I absolutely adore their Ultra Facial Cream. And going by experience I thought it was worth a try since I had nothing to lose due to the state of my face. First what claims to do:

- mild cleanser formulated with sugar-derived glycoside to thoroughly cleanse and remove makeup
- does not over –dry or strip your skin of its natural oils
- effective ingredients can help absorb excess oil and dirt on the face
- is pH balanced to maintain a healthy balanced skin condition
- tested for safety and gentleness

Along with the claims the active ingredients are impressive, for example the product contains Apricot Kernel Oil packed with Vitamin E (for moisturizing and creating soft skin), Avocado Oil packed with Vitamin A, D, E and potassium (restores natural moisture in your own skin) and Squalane derived from olives. Yep, there is no doubt that when using this product that my skin didn’t dry out like when you use most cleansers. It’s super gentle on the skin and although I have itchy skin, I realized the itchiness settled down after using this cleanser day and night for 2days. The lathering of the foam makes cleansing really gentle and gets right down the pores to clean all the dirt away. With continued use my skin will be normal in no time.


In combination with the Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cleanser, I have never stopped using the Ultra Facial Cream it’s been my best friend since I started taking Oratane. It really does keep the skin moisturized for ages throughout the day and has been great for me underneath my makeup. I probably will get asked… but ‘NO’ I DO NOT use any toner between my cleansing and moisturizing routine. I’ve been laying off the toner for a while now since my dermo said that it’s more likely to dry out my already medically enhanced dry skin. May be one day I’ll get back to doing the full routine again but right now I’m totally fine with just the two simple steps. In between I love to do my exfoliation routine, as I’m dry and sensitive I only do it maximum twice a week. I probably shouldn’t have tried out the Fresh Face Polish sugar scrub and opted for the Benefit's "Honey...snap out of it" facial scrub (a possible future review) instead since that worked so well for me back in Melbourne. A lesson well learnt, right now I’m in no state to be trying out skincare products not till my skin stabilizes after having stopped the Oratane medications.

I have to thank Oratane for taking away my cystic acne which was just unbearable. But at the same time there is a little regret to know that it has made my skin terribly sensitive and that it will possibly be like this for a long while. Not to mention that although Oratane has taken away my acne there is no guarantee that it’s gone forever. According to most cases there is always a chance of relapse after about two years. So I’m having my fingers crossed that this doesn’t happen to me because I don’t think I want to go on the meds again. It’s really damaging to your insides and on the outside you might look pimple free BUT due to my dry state, friends close to me has said that it looks like I have aged a little compared to when I had oily skin. Actually a good amount of oil production is the key to staying and looking youthful. And what Oratane (just like Accutane) does is dry up all those oil glands underneath the skin so it inhibits oil production. It’s an extreme way of removing your acne right? Well, I totally agree and wouldn’t recommend it to people in general unless you’ve exhausted all options available. CLICK here to read about my acne treatment.

Final words: If you ever have any allergies on your face make sure to give Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cleanser and Ultra Facial Cream a go. At least you can still cleanse and moisturize instead of doing nothing and letting the dirt collect as you wait for your skin to heal on its own. If you just leave it its likely your skin will take longer to recover without any sort of care. Once the skin is cleansed well and moisturized well it will produce a healthy balanced skin condition thus, the skin will only get better and better.

That's all for today, I'm out.

Love from ME

Wish I could love you...

Hey all,


I know it’s been a long, long, long, long time since I last posted and I am ashamed. But I finally have my ground and realized it’s time to get back at it. First of all, I wanted to say that I am no longer situated in Melbourne, Australia anymore as I have made my move to South Korea recently. Yep, being here has really created a stir in me with all the available brands in all corners of the city. As you can imagine making a move overseas isn’t an easy decision and there is heaps of things to organize before leaving. It was honestly doing my head in right up to the morning of leaving. Anywhoo, I made it here and have been enjoying it…not so much for the weather though. So technically it’s supposed to be Spring time here but it still feels like Winter with windy and rainy days…unbelievable. So enough about my move which I just wanted to briefly mention as I did say I was going to announce it once it’s all settled. So here I am again, back and hopefully on track if I’m not too busy… No guarantees of course as I believe we all ohave lives outside of blogging which is totally allowed hahahahaah…



Moving onto the topic for this post: Wish I could love you… There is no doubt that I can get hold of brands over here in Korea which is just unlikely to be available in Australia in the coming years. So naturally I got excited and wanted to try stuff out. What did I try? First up, is the Fresh Sugar Face Polish which I think was raved about by a few people… (not many to be honest) but I needed an exfoliator and came across the Fresh counter and thought back to what others have said about it. Hey, it’s not to mention that this is also one of the brand’s best sellers, so why wouldn’t I give it a go? Sometimes my reasoning can be rubbish when I truly just wanted it for myself hehehe… So here’s what it does:

- Nourishes and smoothes skin
- Gently eradicates dull flakes
- Leaves skin with a healthy, radiant glow
- Won’t sting or cause redness
- Can be used daily
- Ideal for all skin types (CLICK for more on the product here)

Sounds good right? Wait till you here what’s in it… Key ingredients include REAL brown sugar crystals (polishes complexion by dissolving dead skin cells), crushed wild strawberries (antioxidant filled with vitamin C to heal and protect skin) and other stuff like meadow foam seed, plum, mango and macadamia oils (helps to moisturize). It’s all naturally found ingredients which is great for the skin. This is one of those all in one products, it exfoliates, protects and moisturizes in one go. I used it every second day, rubbing gently in a circular motion for a minute then leaving it on for 5-8mins as a mask so it works deep down to remove dead skin cells, repairs and moisturizes the skin.

In the beginning I was really impressed; my face was noticeably brighter and instantly smoother…feeling well ‘Fresh’! I initially thought that this was a keeper for sure so after about a week it was working pretty well. I loved applying makeup on myself with such smooth skin underneath hahahahah... (I’ll tell you why it didn’t work for me later despite all the good stuff I’ve mentioned).


Now the next thing I tried along with the Face Polish is the Fresh Soy Face Cleanser which really was a sample given to me. But a whole 50ml tube worth of a sample so there was no doubt that I’d be trying this. I was attracted to this cleanser because the SA said that it can remove all traces of makeup as well as point makeup (eye/lip makeup). It’s perfect for me as I don’t like to spend ages on doing my skincare routine. First, what it claims to do:

- Fresh’s unique crème gel formula won’t strip skin of its essential nutrients
- Removes all makeup and is safe for use around the eye area
- Soothes and refreshes the complexion
- Gentle enough for a.m. and p.m. use
- Effectively removes pore-clogging impurities, including pollution and makeup
-Leaves skin clean, fresh, and hydrated
- Fragrance free (CLICK for more on the product)

This product also says it’s ideal for all skin types as its ultra gentle with ingredient such as soy amino acids (help with water retention, elasticity and firmness), rose water (calms, soothes, cools and balances the skin) and cucumber extract (anti-inflammatory property). All good stuff no doubt.

The outcome of switching to these products and having used them together for about 3weeks was horrendous. My face started to be consumed by red itchy rashes from the forehead down to the chin and around my eye area. It was terribly itchy to the point where I couldn’t get any sleep for about 2nights. It looked so patchy that I couldn’t even go out as I didn’t want to layer makeup over the top to aggravate the problem. And honestly the red splotches made me look diseased (shocking isn’t it). I immediately stopped using the products to see if it really was because of the Fresh products causing me grief. And within 2days I was getting heaps better…itchiness died down heaps and red splotches started to disappear. For products which contain such natural ingredients and isn’t scented unless it contains fruit extracts, I would think that all would be fine. Plus it was highly recommended by a friend whose cousin loved it but NO! It didn’t work for me. Since I stop using the two products entirely I couldn’t really figure out which one was causing the actual problem. But I suspect it’s the Face Polish because the sugar grains are a bit rough before it dissolves into your skin and then you have to leave it on for up to 8mins. A lot can go wrong if you use something you aren’t suited to and to have it left on your face for an extended period of time then repeating the process every 2nd day. I think I should have seen it coming to be honest, since my skin has gotten heaps sensitive from taking Oratane to fix my acne problem. On another note, the Soy Cleanser really does remove makeup off the face real well HOWEVER, it does not work when removing your eye makeup especially when I only use stubborn waterproof cosmetics. I had black all over my face when I tried to use the cleanser to solely remove my eye makeup, just to see if it would work. It totally doesn’t work so don’t believe what you hear.

Although this brand and these particular products didn’t work on me, I’m not saying that it will be the same for everyone else. It would totally be fine on someone with normal to oily skin as they both cleanse real well. Like I said “I wish I could love you (Fresh)” but it just wasn’t meant to be. Not to mention the Face Polish wasn’t cheap to begin with being close to $110AUD. So it’s such a waste and since I changed my wallet and threw out the receipt I couldn’t return it~~ I had to eventually give it away to my friend’s mother who is just loving it right now… at least it’s found a better home and is being used.

Anyway guys that’s just my experience with my first ever Fresh products and it’s been an ordeal for me. Besides me having extremely sensitive and very dry skin it just made my skin condition 10 times worse than before. This is just what happened to me… If you have used Fresh products in particular the Face Polish and Soy Face Cleanser, I suggest you comment on how you found the product to be working on you? Despite what happened to me I really wanted so badly to love them because it was working so great on me initially but I’m so glad I used it consistently and really got to find out whether it was good in the long run for my skin.

P.S. My face is still recovering as of now. I still have red itchy splotches under my eye (which makes me look like I’ve cried for hours coz it looks swollen) and on my cheek areas. But at least it’s heaps better than before, can’t complain.


Till next time.

At a halt

I know I've been away for almost a month now... I'm terribly SORRY but like anything I do sometimes it just comes to a halt for a bit (due to various reasons). Here's what's been on my mind and what I've been up to (no specific details).

• Feeling stress
• Neck & Shoulder pain
• Random worries come and go
• Concerned for a friend who is sick
• Busy with self- studies I've set for myself
• Loss of motivation
• Missing my bestie who is over in Europe
• Having bouts of doubt
• Bad tempers flare as the weather heats up
• Feeling guilty and stupid over my bad habits
• Internet was capped for about half a month (slow connection)
• Get tired easily due to the increased dosage of Oratane (3 capsules, probably the highest you can go)

So I guess overall  it's been a bad month BUT I promise to be back and to deal with each problem as it happens without feeling too down. I'm sure ppl get like this once in awhile when you want nothing else but to stop everything you're doing (while the world is still spinning). However, that's only the easy way out right? hehehehe.... Anyway, I've still got heaps to work on in my personal life and I know better days will always come (so I'm not afraid heheheh...).

I have plans to update my site when I get the time so I hope you'll all come back then. I mean, I still have Christmas songs playing here haahahahahaa... terrible~~~ But I like to work on the blog in the one go when I'm free. I do have some planned posts I wanna get up bit by bit so thanks for being so understanding and for waiting. Ahhhhh~~~I'm feel much better now hahahahhaaha

Oh it's a special day today!!! HAPPY AUSTRALIA DAY!!! Plus it's a nice day out, I'm so glad I'm coming back... so please stay tuned :) Miss you all and take care.

HAPPY AUSTRALIA DAY AGAIN!!!

Luv from ME