Happy Holiday!

Wishing you all a happy holiday! :)

The Best Of 2010

I have had very good to terribly bad experiences with the skin care products and cosmetics I have bought/tried in 2010. Here are my 5 best products of 2010.

#1 - Clarisonic Mia
I've been using Mia for 2 months now. I've written a review earlier. My skin conditions has improved so much. I haven't had any breakouts except for one or two hormonal pimples on my chin. It makes my skin so smooth and my old acne brown spots are slowly fading.

#2 - Cetaphil Gentle Cleanser
The best cleanser. Hands down. It's so gentle to my sensitive skin. I use it with Mia everyday.

#3 - MAC Black Line Pearlglide Eyeliner
I can't get enough of this eyeliner. I'm addicted! It's so creamy, easy to glide on, waterproof and long-lasting. Oh, did I mention it's so easy to blend?

#4 - Make Up For Ever HD Foundation
My everyday foundation (shade 123). I've been using this since February this year. It doesn't clog my pores or break me out. I like foundation with medium coverage, this one works great on me.

#5 - Maybelline Colossal Volum' Express Mascara (waterproof)

My holy grail mascara. It doesn't crump, doesn't flake, waterproofed and it holds my curls until I remove it.

What are you 5 best products of 2010?

Christmas Is In The Air

Like most of the European countries, CZ is also experiencing unusual cold winter this year. I moved here in 2006 and have never seen so much snow in Prague before. It started snowing on 27 November. It came really early this year.

Hubby and I spent our weekend in Vienna. I've been to Vienna a few times before but was never there in winter. The Christmas markets are 'must-see' in Vienna. We went to the one in Rathausplatz where you get to see the infamous - heart tree. It's really.... cute! I tried taking photos of the tree but they turned out crappy. I only brought my 18-55mm lens with me and left the 55-200mm at home. I was too lazy to carry my camera bag.

We only spent around an hour at the Christmas market, got our punsch and langos, bought some cookies and we went to a restaurant for some Viennese cuisine. It was -8°C that evening. Brrr... cold!

Here are some of my favourite photos I've taken :) Enjoy!



It's really crowded there!


Lovely ornaments. The price started as low as 1€

I wish I could have bought one of these


My favourite shot - Rathausplatz


My punsch and langos.


2,40€/100g for these yummy cookies.

My First Asos Order

I've never bought anything from Asos before.I wear EU34 for the top but EU36 for trousers/skirts. Sometimes I fit into a pair of EU34 trousers for some brands but I've to wear EU36 for others (especially Zara and Mango). That's why it's always better for me to try the clothes on before buying them.

I finally made my first Asos purchase last week. I ordered a Ri2k bag and it arrived within a week! I've never heard of Ri2k before. It's a British designer brand. I was looking for a simple bag for everyday use, something not too expensive so that I won't feel sad when it's under the snow/rain and I found it on Asos. My designer bags are back in their dustbags for the season.

It is smaller than the Louis Vuitton Neverfull MM and is bigger than my other Coach tote. That makes it a perfect everyday bag for work.

There is plenty of room in the bag to hold my stuffs. The leather is really soft and the craftsmanship is good. The bag also comes with a detachable across body strap but I'm not sure if I'll ever use that. The retail price is £125.00 but it's on discount, so I paid only £64 for the bag and it's shipped free :) Asos is now offering free international shipping! The only disappointment I've is it doesn't come with a dustbag.

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.