Clarisonic Mia Review

I wash my face twice a day, exfolite twice a week and have facial in the salon once a month but I still feel that's not enough. I had pretty good skin before I started wearing makeup everyday in 2007. I occasionally have one or two pimples due to hormones. I've been struggling with breakouts since mid-2008. I didn't change my skin care or makeup but I keep getting pimples, especially on my cheeks.

I've seen a dermatologist who told me I've sensitive skin and should only use products that are gentle. I've tried different brands but none really worked, I still have breakouts! I read about Clarisonic on the internet in 2008. I never really paid attention on such products because I always thought they're such a waste of money. It was desperation that lead me to get one because I really didn't know what else I could do for my skin.

I was a little skeptical about this product. In the end, I decided to give it a try. Hubby was in the US again for business so I got him to go to Sephora to pick one up for me. It came with a charger, a sensitive brush and a travel size Clarisonic cleanser.

The sensitive brush is really gentle for me. The routine with the brush only takes 60 secs. I take it with me to the shower twice a day. I use my regular cleansers - Cetaphil in the mornings, La Roche Posay EFFACLAR Purifying Foaming Gel in the evenings. I noticed my skin's indeed softer after the first use. I don't have big pores and they aren't usually very visible so I don't really see any difference on my pores size.

I've been using Mia for 2 weeks now and I could see my skin is getting better. I was sitting in front of my vanity one morning, getting ready to put on some makeup, I noticed my kinda glowy skin. I'm no kidding! It's no longer as dull as it looked like before.

You've probably read that Clarisonic may cause breakouts when you first using it. It happened to me but it wasn't that bad. Before using Mia, I had a few black/white heads around my lower cheek and chin area, remember this post? The Body Shop Seaweed scrub did a great job removing a few of them but they kept coming back. My skin is now smooth and soft. It's definitely getting better, there are only a few acne scars.

I'm in love with my Mia. I can't imagine living without it. It's worth the money. Most importantly, it works and my skin condition is getting so much better.

MAC Holiday 2010 A Tartan Tale Collection

I received another text message from MAC today, in Czech, of course. It's an invitation for the new holiday collection launch. Google Translator is new my best friend. I stopped by to see my MA today and got myself and a friend registered for the event. Hopefully my friend will be able to make it. I'm so looking forward to going there next Monday!

I'm quite excited with the collection. MAC's holiday collections are always the most beautiful collection in the year. Ok, maybe not Magic Mirth and Mischief because I only went home with Conjure Up, Partial To Pink and Total Wow!. So far, my most favourite holiday collection is Red She Said (2008).

Anyway, I think I'm going to skip the eye shadows and the blushes. I'm eyeing on Cut-a-Caper, The Faerie Glen and Courting Lilac. I'm not sure about the kits yet. I've to see them in person. I'm very sure I'll be skipping the palettes too. I'm not a fan of eye shadows palettes or should I say any palettes? The only one I own is Hello Kitty Too Dolly palette which I've only used twice since I bought it during the HK launch.

What did you get from A Tartan Tale Collection?

Busy!

The weather's crazy... and I've been sick since Tuesday. I've probably caught a cold when hubby and I were on our weekend getaway in a castle some 50km from the city. Work's keeping me really busy, that explains why I've been working from home these few days even when I'm sick! I'm also preparing for my upcoming certification exam for supply chain professional. I think I'm pretty screwed because I haven't read many of the topics yet.

We had first snow on Monday for 2 mins! It can't be snowing in Oct! That's what hubby thought. When I told him, 'Look! It's snowing!' He said, 'You're dreaming. They're dandelion seeds!' When it started snowing heavier, he knew he was wrong :D I'm really not ready for the snow yet.

I've some entries waiting to be published but I need at least some daylight for a good photo because it's already dark when I'm home from work. I do have a Nikon SB-400 speedlight flash but am to lazy to look for the rechargeable batteries somewhere in the other room.

The in-laws are visiting tomorrow and our place is ugh... in a mess! Need to clean :(

My Little Haul

... but I didn't pay for it ;) DH's back from D.C yesterday. He's on business trip in Canada/USA for 1 1/2 weeks. He travels to the US a few times a year and he doesn't mind going shopping for me. He knows nothing about women's cosmetics and skin care, all he has to do is to show the list to Sephora or MAC sales assistants what he wants to buy.

He's very supportive with my cosmetics addiction. I've never asked any money from him to buy my cosmetics. He thinks I deserved to be spoiled *lol* In return, he gets books like Million Dollars Consulting from me which is useful for me too since we're both consultants but in different fields.

What came home with him yesterday...

I've been lemming for Clarisonic Mia for a while now. I got the pink one *yay* I can't wait to try it tonight!

My second 187 brush. I'll be using this one for blushes. I love MAC 187! It's so soft and it's the best brush for liquid foundation and blushes (at least for me). Sigma 188 is another favourites of mine for foundation.

I'm running out of my No.1 black eye liner - Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-on Eye Pencil in Zero and MAC Brow Set. I usually order UD from HQhair but Zero's been out of stock on the site for quite almost 2 months now. I don't think I want to wait any longer and I've no idea when it will be back in stock even though it's cheaper to buy from them.

MAC Venomous Villain Bite Of An Apple

Bite Of An Apple is a matte bright coral pink blush. It's my first matte blush from MAC. The colour looks quite scary in the pan, that's why I walked away when I first saw it! When I stopped by at MAC the second time, my favourite MA was at work and we tried it on me. When applied on my cheeks, it's coral on my NC35 skin. It's a very pigmented colour, you really need to apply it with a light hand. I personally prefer MAC 187 or 165 for this blush.

I don't have anything similar in my collection and I really like this blush on me. I'm not really a fan of the packaging but it doesn't really bother me.

Swatches under daylight. My skin is dry during this time of the year ;(

NOTD: China Glaze Short and Sassy

Have you noticed that 95% of my NOTD are China Glaze polishes? That's because it's my favourite brand!

I just got this one from Trans Design last month. I saw a few swatches on some blogs and it looked like something I would love to wear. I wasn't disappointed when I tried it for the first time.

Short and Sassy is one of the shades from China Glaze Retro Diva collection. It's a 2-coaters. Gorgeous garnet with shimmers. It doesn't really look garnet in this picture due to the lighting. It's darker in person, another great shade for the colder months :)

MAC Venomous Villain Haul

Briar Rose Beauty Powder was the only item I bought on Venomous Villain launch day. I went back to MAC again a few days later and picked up Bite Of An Apple blush and Revenge Is Sweet lipglass.
These items are the only ones I found interesting from this collection. Ok, maybe Hot House too which I'm still thinking if I should grab one. Overall, this collection is beautiful. I'm a bit disappointed with the eyeshadows though. They're not that interesting for me.

MAC has launched a few really cute collections such as Fafi, Hello Kitty, Barbie, and now the Disney Villains. I wish MAC will launch Jem collection one day. That will be awesome! :D

What did you get from this collection?

Gosh Velvet Touch Eye Liner Waterproof

It's 10/10/10 today!! :) Happy Sunday, lovelies! It's sunny and surpringly not too cold today. DH is still in D.C this week, that explains why this weekend's been pretty boring for me. I can't wait till he's back home in a few days.

I don't wear full makeup everyday. My everyday makeup consists of foundation, powder, blush, lipstick, mascara and filling in my brows. When I'm not feeling extremely lazy, I'll wear eyeliner. I love them but I've watery eyes and oily lids. Non-waterproof eyeliners smudge and crease like crazy on me. That's why you'll find heaps of waterproof eyeliners in my makeup collection from high-end brands to drugstore brand like Gosh.

I was first introduced to Gosh cosmetics a few years ago. I read a lot of good reviews on Gosh Velvet Touch Eye Liners so I decided to give them a try. I only saw Gosh in the country once but I'd never buy anything from that drugstore because people would just open the products (not testers) and try them on. I've seen a few teenage girls who walked in to the store, took one of the mascara and started using them like nobody's watching. Gross, I know! That's why I prefer to shop at Tesco where most of the cosmetics are on locked display shelves. I haven't seen Gosh here for a long time and I guess it's been discontinued? I bought mine from Slovakia where DH is from.

How do I like Velvet Touch liners? They're great eyeliners for 6,50€. The liners are very pigmented, soft, creamy, glide on quite smoothly and waterproof! They're long-lasting and don't crease on my lids. They come in many colours but I only have a few of them. My mission is to get more colours the next time I'm in the store :)

Here are the colour swatches I currently own. I love 007 Alligator, it's my most recent purchase.

Are you a fan of Velvet Touch liners too?

NOTD: China Glaze Bogie

China Glaze Bogie, another fabulous shade from the fall 2010 Vintage Vixen collection. It's dark plum with silver shimmer. It's a very unique colour and I don't have anything close to this shade in my collection.

I applied 2 coats and Seche Vite top coat. Application is smooth and the polish dries fast.

Viva Glam Cyndi Lipglass

When I first saw Viva Glam Cyndi lipglass swatches on some blogs, I knew I must get it. It was available launched on 1 October. When I saw Cyndi in person, I wasn't sure about the colour! I tried it on and wow!

Cyndi lipglass looks reddish coral. It does look bold in the tube, but when applied, it's not. I've very pigmented lips and Cyndi looks like a tinted lipgloss on them when I wear it alone. The other reason why I love Cyndi is the smooth texture and it's not as sticky as the usual MAC lipglasses.

Gaga lipglass is light blue pink but I prefer the lipstick. Do you know that 100% of MAC Viva Glam profit goes to MAC AIDS funds? If you're looking for some nice lip colours this fall, try the Viva Glam collections.

What are your favourite lip colours for fall?

The Body Shop Seaweed Pore-Cleansing Facial Exfoliator

I've tried several facial scrubs, including Neutrogena Blackhead Eliminating Daily Scrub and St.Ives Apricot Scrub Gentle. I didn't like St.Ives Apricot Scrub because it's a bit too harsh for me even the one for sensitive skin. It's been sitting in my bathroom cabinet for 3 years. When I tossed it in the bin last week, there was still 90% of the product in the tube.

I was at The Body Shop having the itch to buy something but didn't know what to get. Doesn't that happen to you too? The salesperson recommended this scrub so I decided to give it a try.

I've been using it twice a week and I really like it. It doesn't dry my skin and I find it quite gentle. I squeeze about 1cm of the scrub and apply it all over my face and massage gently in circular motion until it gets a bit dry and then rinse it with water. The particles are almost the same size, or maybe slightly smaller than Apricot Scrub but definitely finer and more gentle to the skin.

I was surprised the first time I used this scrub. It removed 3 of my white heads. I've been getting some white/blackheads on my chin area recently and I've no idea why! It also removes dead skin flakes which no other scrubs I've tried before without making my skin red.

Are you using this product too? How do you like it? Do you have any favourite scrub which you'll recommend me to try?

MAC Venomous Villain: Briar Rose Beauty Powder

I was eagerly anticipating the launch of MAC Venomous Villain and I finally saw the products in person yesterday. After seeing Kristie's swatches, I thought I'd go for Her Own Devices and Heartless. I wasn't sure about Heartless when I tried it on. Her Own Devices looks lighter than I thought and I was afraid it might not even show up on me. Devilishly Stylish, Toxic Tale and Strange Potion were eye-catchers for me. Bite Of An Apple is an unique blush but I didn't like it on me.

In the end, I went home happily with Briar Rose from Maleficent collection. It was love at first sight. I didn't have anything similar. I know it looks nothing close to Well-Dressed but it somehow reminds of me of the blush my MUA used on me on my wedding day. I knew she's used Well-Dressed but when I swatched it in the store, there's no way the blush would show up on my NC35 skin! She's probably used a darker shade under Well-Dressed.

Briar Rose is cool-tone, violet pink. It gives a very natural looks (light pink) when apply lightly on my cheeks. I think it will be great to use Briar Rose as a highlight with Stark Naked and Dollymix.

Urban Decay Naked Palette on HQhair

I can't believe I've joined the Naked madness... I've just pre-ordered two Naked Palette on HQhair a few mins ago. I've been checking the site for the past month and they're finally stocking up these palettes!

So, girls in Europe, what are you waiting for? :) If you've never heard of or purchased anything from HQhair before, don't worry, it's a legit site. I've bought so many stuffs from them in the past years and they've great customer services. Make sure you sign up for their newsletters as they always have some great discounts/values every week. Oh, they ship internationally, not just within Europe.

Disclaimer: No, HQhair doesn't pay me for this. I'm just one happy customer who wants to spread the words.