The Body Shop Detangling Comb $7 Review

"Best if you want to: Teach wet hair to co-operate with a wide-tooth wooden comb that evenly distributes conditioner and detangles without splitting ends.Best for: all hair types

Features:
■Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified beech wood.
■Wide teeth." ~from The Body Shop website

The Verdict: A
I like the wooden feel of the brush but now I'm worried it might get water damaged over time? Maybe I'm just being anal but I'm already thinking of treating the comb witn mineral oil every now and then. I know. I'm scary that way.

Regardless of my paranoia, the comb works great to distribute conditioner evenly throughout hair. When my hair gets long, it gets kinda tricky to get conditioner all the way to the ends using just my finger tips. This comb works great to spread the conditioner from root to ends! I also like the spacing of the teeth because it doesn't tug on my hair when it's wet and cause breakage.

I even use it out of the shower to distribute styling products(mostly heat protecting ones) through my hair and so far it's been a great multi-tasker.

Shu Uemura Tsumori Chisato Makeup Bag $29 Review

"Store your make-up in Tsumori Chisato's world with this limited-edition cosmetic pouch decorated with lucky stars." ~from the Shu Uemura website

The bag is made of nylon and there's little pink and peach stars printed all over. The pink stars are glittered and I think the glitter will eventually rub off completely.

The Details

Front of the bag.

Back of the bag.

Some close-ups of the jewel details and zipper on the bag. The bezel of the jewels and the jewels themselves are plastic. The star zipper is shiny gold pleather.

Inside of the bag and a close-up of the inside. There is a side pocket on one side for small items. You can see how puffy the lining is on both sides.

The Verdict: B+
I really like how insulated the bag is because all the items are protected and secure. But all this cushioning comes with a compromise on space.  The bag will hold just enough items for the day but that's it and it gets pretty crowded. Overall I've really enjoyed using it to tow my daily makeup.

Shu Uemura Cyber Monday 2009 Parcel

Did anybody take advantage of the Shu Uemura Cyber Monday deal? I thought it was pretty awesome so I couldn't resist and picked up some goodies from their Tsumori Chisato Holiday 2009 Collection.

I crumbled and ordered the Holiday Rouge Unlimited and the Holiday Makeup bag.

Freebies

I also received this bag and samples along with my swag. There are sooo many samples and the size for some of these are HUGE!  Just to give some perspective, the dimensions of the mesh bag are about 5x7.

Shipping Experience: A

Shu got it right this time. Right-sized box, lots of packing peanuts and all the items arrived safe and sound.

PlePle Wrap Pencil Case $16

I'm a hobby generalist. I'm interested in a bunch of different things but I never devote my full passion on any one. One of my many obsessions is stationary. I dunno why but I think it has something to do with being Asian - how nerdy right? Well it's ok because I don't take it overboard (remember I'm only a generalist :)

One of my favorite sites to surf for stationary is at JetPens. They've got pens galore. Pens you've never heard of. Pens you've never seen. And more pens than you could imagine uses for or where to store! It's hard not to covet some of them - trust me it's hard. They've also got beautiful and stylish writing pads and some very innovative pencil cases.



I would like to introduce the PlePle Wrap Pencil Case. I originally bought it to store pens because it made me feel artsy.



But then I discovered it's even better used as a brush roll. Tada!


I mean seriously! It's so different than the typical black MA brush satchel and I personally think it's cuter. I usually keep my brushes in an empty candle jar on the counter but this wrap case works great for transporting brushes.

The outside of the case is made of a thin suede and it feels leather-like. The inside is felt-lined with a polka dot pattern and the felt has a corduroy texture to it. There are also 3 sectioned slots for holding pens....er brushes.



The Verdict: A+
As I mentioned before, I like to use this for travel since the flap on the top of the case protects the bristles from getting frayed and tugged. The length of the case comfortably fits most full-size brushes.

Since it's actually meant for pens not brushes it's hard to fit brushes with different sized handles in the same slot. If you put a fat handled brush in the same slot as skinny handled brushes, they won't lay flat and will start to roll around.

Also the slots can only fit about 2-3 brushes each. If you've got a large collection of brushes, you may have to get 2 cases to fit all the brushes. I only have a small collection of brushes and only a few that I use on a regular basis. So for me this is just the right size for travel.

P.S. If I had a reason to get a 2nd wrap pencil case...I'm eyeing this one.

Swarovski USB Robots $180

Look at this bling I've been gazing at all day! They're USB Charms from Swarovski and Philips. I want one so bad but I just can't justify forking over 180 bucks for only 2GB worth of space. They're so darn cute and their little LED ears light up when data is being transferred.

Naughty Raymond


Happy Laura


Dreamy Tina (My fave!)

It was love at first sight!

This is my dream vanity! Isn't it beautiful? I love the storage cabinets - so unlike the leggy vanities that are more common. Not that thrilled with the bench cushion. I'd want a cushion that's overstuffed and upholstered with say....a Lilly Pulitzer pattern for a pop of color!

This is the Restoration Hardware British Cane Vanity $1499. Unfortunately, it's no longer available online. The bench is sold separately for $89.99 (orig. $189).

The Case of the Scotty Dog Makeup Bag

Ok so I was given this Radley makeup bag a long, long time ago from my college roommate. She is European and at the time her family was living in London and she brought me this after visiting them over winter break. I just assumed it was a regular old makeup bag from some British store called Radley with a little Scotty dog mascot.

Scene
(Didi and Aunt are sitting on a sofa. Didi is taking out the new Dior Diamond Lipstick Case she just snagged last week to show it off when Aunt notices the makeup bag Didi is carrying has a discreet indentation of a Scotty dog. )

Aunt (grabs bag out of Didi's hands): That's the bag with the Scotty dog!

Didi: O yea, that's a Scotty dog. I wanted to show you this lipstick....

Aunt (interrupts and points at the imprinted Scotty dog): No, look! It's THE Scotty dog!

Didi : Yea, I've had that bag forever. Take a look at this sparkly Dior lipstick case!

Aunt: That's really nice. Do you know what brand this bag is? It's really popular in Taiwan. It's everywhere! It's a British label.

Didi: I'm guessing the brand is Radley, at least that's whats imprinted on the back. My old roommate gave....

Aunt (interuppts again and holds bag at arm's length): This bag is so well made! The leather is really good quality and thick too! How do you not know this label? Didn't you just go to England for Christmas?

Didi (shrugs): I dunno - Never occured to me that Radley was a brand. I just thought it was a department store like Harrod's. You know what's neat? I got this lipstick case free from Saks.

Aunt: I really like this bag!

(Didi spontaneously combusts and Aunt doesn't even notice under the spell of the Scotty dog Makeup bag.)

End Scene

The Verdict
I really do love this bag even though I seem to be living under a rock and had no clue that this was some sort of premium leather good. The quality of the material is fantastic! The leather is quite thick (as noted by my aunt) but at the same time it's so supple and soft. It has a natural patina to it that has only developed even more beautifully over time. The quality of material and contruction is evident inside the bag as well. It's lined with some sort of a ribbed cloth that looks like corduroy but doesn't feel velvety.

I so regret not being aware that this was a brand label while on my visit to England. I just visited their online store http://www.radley.co.uk/en-gb/store/ and all the items are super cute! The bag I have is more on the conservative side and I have no qualms with that at all. The important thing is the quality of the bag and like I said - it's pretty top-notch. I'm so sad :( this is just the kind of style I'm drawn to too! All their products are what I like to call Cute Chic. They're sophisticated and yet whimsical. I'm bummed out I didn't get to hunt these down - It would have been tax free too!

Dior Addict Lipcolor $26

So the only reason I got this lipstick was because of the Saks promotion that came with it. If you buy a Dior Addict Lipcolor from Saks, you get a complimentary Dior Diamond Lipstick case. I learned about this from my beaeuty guru Jen at http://www.abeautyfulsentiment.com/.

Here is what I ended up purchasing. The color is Rose Lingerie #323. I wanted something neutral that would blend into my skin since I like to do a lot of dark eye makeup. I was worried that this wouldn't show up because I have pigmented lips and even the most opaque of lipsticks disappear on me.

The Verdict
This lipstick is so moisturizing! I was thinking I'd need to apply a lipgloss on top of this, but I was completely wrong. Also the color actually did blend into my natural lip color but gives it a bit more definition and a bit of a rosy color so I have no complaints.

Freebie

Here it is - the Dior Diamond Lipstick Case. Isn't it fancy? Plus did you notice the sparkles? I lubs sparkles! The case has a mirror on the inside and is the perfect fit for the lipstick. I really like that there are little magnets on the sides of the case so that it gives a satisfying "snap" when you close it. Plus it's practical cause you don't want your lipstick rolling out of the case - what would be the point of putting it in a case in the first place?

Diorshow Iconic Review $27

I was really intrigued by this mascara as it's gotten some pretty decent reviews. I really wanted to try this out because of the unique stubby brush. The more commonly seen bristle brush never felt like I was appying mascara. It felt more like I was dabbing on mascara cause the bristles are so long by time I think I'm near my lashes, I've poked my eye out. This mascara's not cheap so when I found this as a gift set at Sephora (for a limited time only) I decided to try it out.


The wand is slightly spiraled with short stubby, comb-like bristles. If you look closely at the picture you can see the bristles are actually plastic and have rounded tips so it doesn't prick if I accidently poke my eye.

The Verdict
I do like how easy it is to apply mascara to my bottom lashes due to the short bristles. The mascara doesn't clump when it's applied and it's easily layered. I find that I need at least 2 layers to fill out my sparse lashes. Although this doesn't do anything to help curl my super straight asian lashes, the formula doesn't completely undo my shu-made curl either.

Although I love the natural "look" it gives my lashes, I won't re-purchase this because the mascara takes at least 30 min to dry. While it's drying each time I blink I get a gummy feeling when my top and bottom lashes touch. Also my eyes are sensitive and when this mascara does finally dry, it dries out my eyes too.

Gift Set


With the purchase of the full-size mascara you get a zippered carrying case and a sample size of Dior Addict High Shine in Catwalk Mauve #680.


The carrying case has a mirror on the inside and is very well made. The cover of the carrying case has a soft leather feel to it. The zipper is sewn very well and zips up seamlessy from the outside. The down side is that the mirror gives a funhouse reflection and the 2 bands in the case only fit the mascara and the sample size lipstick. I tried putting a NARS lipgloss and MAC lipglass in the band but the items were too small. The full size Dior lipsticks are too big for the band.

Freebies


I also got this envelope of samples from cosmedic lines that make products from natural ingredients. I haven't had a chance to try all these yet but I'm excited because I really like to try the all-natural lines out first to see if they smell alright and if they're effective.

The Body Shop Haul

On this shopping trip I went to The Body Shop looking for a flannel washcloth that Lindi from over at http://www.bubzbeauty.com/ recommended.

Luxury Facial Flannel $6.50

I really didn't know what to expect of this thing. When I got to the store the SA helped me find this washcloth and it was packed in a ziplock baggy and was flexile and bendy. It did not look at all like..."cloth". It reminded me of a white shammy and looked silicone-like in texture. I was weirded out even more because the SAs had taken one out of it's packaging and it was dry and hard and looked like a piece of styrofoam. They assured me that once it touched water it would return to it's soft state and work just like new. But hey Lindi said it's fantastic so I bought it anyways. I was not at all disappointed by this thing. Remember I said it looked silicone-like? Well it works just like a rubber spatula for your face but it is also soft to the touch. I tried it with my normal cleanser and saw this guy in action. It wipes away all traces of the cleanser in one swoop! It's really amazing but I'd rather use it to wipe away a mask or something. I like splashing my face with water to rinse off my normal cleanser.

Vitamin C Skin Boost $26

Okay the SA told me that Vitamin C boost (one of their best sellers) would help diminish the appearance of acne scars. I really didn't have any faith in this product's claims but when she put some on my wrist I like the texture of it. It feels almost like a silicone primer. I figured if I could wear this as a primer without getting shiny and it's also doing good for my skin - why not? It also smells just like fresh cut oranges - which I happen to love. If you don't like orange citrus-y smells, it may be a bit overwhelming. Since it has that silicone feel to it, it really does help with evening out skin texture without the feeling of plugged pores.

The Verdict
I don't think this should be labeled a moisturizer. The gel texture of this sits on top of skin and is very slowly absorbed into the skin. Because of the slow absorption I'm loving it as a primer. It's weightless and does feel like it's clogging my pores. It leaves my skin silky smooth and prepped for makeup. Although it's not a cure, I find it does help smooth out dry patches around blemish so that makeup doesn't cake.

I'm not sure if it's working to diminish any dark spots- at least I can't really tell. I'm also still on the lookout for a primer as this one made me a bit shiny. I like to wear it alone when I'm in a rush just to even out the texture of my skin. I really really love the flannel washcloth though! I will definitely go back to get another one to stash away.

Freebies
I was pleasantly surprised when I went to check out and the SA added all these goodies to my bag! I received a Cloth Woven Makeup Bag filled with travel sizes of Strawberry Body Butter, Vitamin E Moisture Cream, Divine Calm Heavenly Shower Gel (not pictured), and Mulberry Hi-Shine Lip Gloss (not pictured). I gave the items not pictured to a friend before I could take these photos.

This smells just like strawberry icing! I need to be careful with this. The whole time I was wearing it I had a craving for cupcakes!


This is very fast-absorbing and non-greasy but nothing too special about it. I've been using it at night before bed.