Lush Smitten Handcream

I started using LUSH products since 2002. I love their bath ballistics and bubble bar slices. I've also tried Dream Cream and Dreamwash which are both great products. I was at LUSH in April to pick up some bath ballistics. The sales assistant recommended Smitten Handcream, I was told it worked very well for dry hands. I really liked the scent so I decided to give it a try.

It comes in a 100ml jar. Like Dream Cream, it's not that thick. I like handcream that isn't too heavy.

I was using this handcream religiously for one month and did not notice any difference. My hands were still dry, so I stopped using it.

I decided to give it another chance again. I use it more often and it really does moisturize my skin and keeps it soft. *thumbs up* 

What I don't like about this product?

- It's so greasy. 

Will I buy it again?

Maybe. I've read that LUSH is going to discontinue this product. I still see them at the LUSH store I usually buy my stuffs from last week. It's a great product but I've tried other handcreams that work really well on me, like L'Occitane Shea Butter Handcream which can be a little bit too pricey for its size.

NOTD: China Glaze International Flare

International Flare is one of my first China Glaze nail polishes. It's a pretty mid-tone pink with shimmer, looks like a metallic finish in the bottle but when applied, it's not. This colour is a bit sheer on the first coat, I only applied 2 coats here.

What's In My Bag/Makeup Bag?

DH always asks, 'Why is your handbag so heavy?' I don't have many things in my bag but this little makeup bag carries some of my everyday makeup essentials.

My Louis Vuitton Damier Ebene Neverfull MM is my 'bag of the week'. I bought this bag from LV in Hong Kong, thinking it would be cheaper to get it there. I was wrong... It's in fact cheaper to buy LV purses here in Prague. Lesson learned.

What's in my bag?
- Tokidoki cosmetic pouch from Sephora I bought a few weeks ago.
- Coach Jewel Medium Skinny wallet
- Prada sunglasses
- Blackberry Curve
- iPod Nano and USB cable
- Dettol hand sanitiser

What's the Tokidoki cosmetic pouch, you ask?

MAC Blot Powder & Clean & Clear Oil Absorbing Sheets
It's not in its original packaging (*points at MAC Prep+Prime) because I broke it when I was in Melbourne last autumn (that's what happened when you're touching up and on the phone with your mom asking if you'd be home for dinner!). This is my 5th Blot Powder. I've combination skin with oily T-zone. This product keeps shine under control. I always apply it on my face with the MAC 168SE after using Clean & Clear Oil Absorbing Sheets to remove excess oil on my T-zone.

Blush of The Day - Stark Naked

I love MAC blushes. It's not easy to decide which one to use for day but it has to be something that will go well with my outfits, of course. It's all about Peachykeen this week. I love the colour and shimmers (not too much) gives my cheeks a nice glow.

Lipstick/Lipgloss of The Day - MAC Sweetie Lipstick & MAC Nice Kitty Lipglass
When I went ot check out the Hello Kitty, I thought Nice Kitty looked hideous - it looks neon pink in the tube! I tried it on and it actually didn't look that bad. Sweetie lipstick is lustre finish, a medium pink colour. It's great for everyday looks.

MAC Cremestick Liner in Gingerroot
I carry this one with me everyday. It's one of my 2 lip liner (yes, I only own 2, the other one is MAC Subculture). Gingerroot is close to my natural lip colour, sometimes I use it alone under a clear lipglass.

Lipbalm - Vaseline (not in the picture)

I've been using Vaseline lipbalms for ages. They keep my lips moisture and heals chapped lips overnight.nI usually use the unscented ones. I also bought one with cherry flavoured from Watson's in Hong Kong early this year.

Burt's Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream

My HG hand/nail care product. This product works like a charm. My cuticle looks healthier and soft after a few days using it twice a day. Bye-bye ugly, dry cuticle!

Palmer's Olive Butter Formula Concentrated CreamPicked this one up when I was in Melbourne. I love the scent and how it moistures my hands.

The other stuffs I carry everyday are The Body Shop small hairbrush, Sephora concealer brush (next to the lip liner) I use to apply as a lip brush, Oral B dental floss, mini crystal nail file, mini Victorinox Swiss Army knife, and an empty Bobbi Brow concealer container (because of the mirror, I don't like bigger mirrors).

NOTD: Essence Walk Of Fame

I picked up some Essence nail polish early this month. I wanted to do a review but I haven't had the time to post anything! I got Essence Walk Of Fame, Movie Star (1,20€ each), Trendsetter (1,60€) and Matte Top Coat (2€) from Douglas. I've never tried Essence nail polishes before and they're really cheap.

Matt Top Coat, Trendsetter, Walk Of Fame, Movie Star

I'm in love with Walk Of Fame. It's a beautiful taupe with purple undertone. This colour is a 3 coater with smooth application. I like the brush too, it makes the application really easy and neat. The polish also dries pretty fast. The only downside is, it chips easily. I applied 3 coat of Walk Of Fame and finished with a coat of Sache Vite top coat.

MAC A Tartan Tale Haul

Went to the A Tartan Tale Chapter 1 collection for Holiday 2010 pre-launch event on Monday. The Chapter 2 collection will be officially released here in December only but we got to see/buy them yesterday. I mentioned I was thinking of the lipsticks but I got none of them! They're very pretty in person but when I swatched them on my pigmented lips, they look pretty awful on me.

I got myself Black Line and Undercurrent Pearlglide eyeliners, Passing Fancy and The Swinging Violet Mineralize kit.

I've never bought any eye liner from MAC before. When I saw Black Line Pearglide eyeliner, I told myself  must have it! I'm a big fan of soft long-lasting pigmented eyeliners. I love green eye liner, this one is very dark olive green with gold shimmer. Undercurrent is teal green with gold sheen,  a very lovely colour.

Passing Fancy Dazzleglass Creme is a lovely sheer peach shade. It gives my lips a light peach tint when wearing it alone. I wanted Gone Romancin' but I was a second too late because another lady bought the last one! I hope I will be able to find it in the other two stores.

The Swinging Violet Mineralize kit consists of Bare Study Paint Pot, Earthly Riches Mineralize eyeshadow duo, Icescape Lipglass and a mini Zoom Lash mascara.

It was Earthly Riches that caught my eyes. I didn't have any dark eyeshadows in my collection and this one is so pretty. I've always wanted to try Paint Pot (I only use Paint) and Bare Study looks like the shade I will use everyday.

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 ;(