Lippmann Collection Rich Girl SPF25 $24

When I saw this for sale BOGO at Bath & Body Works, I thought this would be a great time to try out Deborah Lippmann's treatment products. She's well-known as a celebrity manicurist and for her line nail polishes in the Lippmann Collection but this is one of her award winning products! The other is the lavender-scented nail polish remover cheekily named The Stripper. I don't have that one yet, but I'm working on it!. I think Deborah is a fun-loving woman - just look at the names of her polishes! They're all so sassy! Plus I saw her once on an appearance of Martha Stewart and she is really down-to-earth and genuine.


So what's to like? Obviously there is an SPF of 25 that provides both UVA and UVB protection from the sun (look at the giant close-up!). This hand cream contains a multi-tasking formula made with intensive hyrdating ingredients such as shea butter, avocado and jojoba oil. It also has an anti-aging complex of scutellaria and echinacea. It also contains a plant-based brightening complex of black mulberry extract that naturally evens out pigmentation without bleaching your skin and cyclomethicone that aids in locking in moisture.

The Verdict
When it comes to hand creams, I'm a snob. I am really super picky about my hand creams. They can't be too creamy, too oily, too greasy, hard to apply, too difficult to absorb or too smelly. I hate it when you apply hand cream and you feel like you dipped it into a vat of shortening for the next 2 hours. The Rich Girl hand cream is very "rich" indeed and a little bit goes a long way. When you first apply it, it's like a very thick lotion but as you start to work it in it just melts away. It doesn't leave an oily feeling or film because it actually gets absorbed by your skin! Most other hand creams I've used just kinda sit at the surface of the skin for awhile. My hands look really hydrated too without looking shiny.

How it Works
What is really funky (and annoying) is how the cream is dispensed. It has a twist-lock cap that never comes off fully. In the middle of the cap is a small opening for the cream to escape...You know what? This is hard to explain and pictures say a thousand words so just scroll down....


Here is the hand cream unopened. See the little circular opening in the middle of the cap?


Here is the hand cream fully opened. Yep. That's as far as it goes. You squeeze the tube while it's open but what I find annoying is that you never really know how much you're squeezing out. At least not visually - you have to FEEL the amount that is being dispensed. Anything that you just dispensed is actually trapped underneath the cap.


When you close the cap the closing motion finally squishes the cream out of the opening! The good thing is that when the cap closes it gives a satisfying SNAP!

Kose Sekkisei and Seikisho

I purchased these 2 items from Bath&Body Works recently and finally got a chance to post them! I really like Kose's products but unfortunately they are a bit hit-and-miss for me. Some of the products are bleh and some give fairly good results. Either way there is a strange hold all Japanese products have on me and I can never ignore their siren song.

Kose is one of Japan's top cosmetic and skincare manufacturers. In Japan they have several drugstore skincare lines and a cosmetic line (Softymo is a very popular one). They also have 3 higher-end lines that they distribute in Japan and in U.S. department stores: Sekkisei, Seikisho and Junkisui. All 3 lines rely on plant-based herbs and oils. To me Kose has an excellent brand but I don't think it's widely known because it's hard to find and if you do come across it the printed (English) directions and descriptions are minimal at best. Half the time I don't know if there is any additonal benefit to the product other than the fact that it's used a cleanser, toner, moisturizer, etc.

Sekkisei and Seikisho are VERY similar looking and housed in navy packaging. They also have the same scent added in their products that I can only describe as a pleasant "asian makeup" smell (takes me back to my childhood for some reason). Based on the concept of white snow, products from both lines have a whitening effect. The difference is that Sekkisei is the original product line and Seikisho is an offshoot that has an additional focus on clarifying and purifying the skin.

Junkisui is housed in distinctively forest green packaging and it's products have a "grassy" smell to me. I don't really care for this smell but it's light and not overwhelming. Junkisui is also derived from plants and herbs to address and treat adult acne specfically.

Kose Seikisho Perfect Cleansing Oil $28


When I spotted this, I knew I had to get it! I'm addicted to trying out cleansing oils. I've seen it many times before but did not have the motivation to try it out. My mother swears by baby mineral oil and that's about the only thing she uses but not me. I like variety cuase that's the spice of life!

This cleansing oil also has mineral oil as it's top ingredient and it feels a lot like baby oil but a bit more runny in consistency. Only the bottle is blue the oil itself is crystal clear. Apply this to a dry face. I put about 2-3 pumps in my palm and then rub it all over my face where I have makeup. And I should mention that I keep my eyes tightly closed during this whole process. If you peek, you end up with oil getting into your eyes. I just keep smoothing the oil over my face to give it ample time to dissolve all the eye makeup. Then I wet my palms just a little bit and rub some of the water on my face too - this turns the oil milky and gives a double-cleanse. To finish just rinse off with warm water.

The Verdict: Kose Seikisho Perfect Cleansing Oil
To me this oil is a bit on the oily side. After this my skin is not greasy but it does have a slight slippery feel to it. The box clearly states that this is "For rinse-off use only" so it must be followed with a cleanser. I just use my regular cleanser after this and my skin is squeaky clean! I will definitely re-purchase this! It is very comparable to SK-II and gives pretty much the same effect. I put a drop of each on the back of my hand to compare and the SK-II is a bit runnier than the Kose which is probably why I felt the Kose is more oily. Both spread easily over the face and both emulsify with the addition of water and rinse off cleanly. I do like the shape of the Kose bottle (not aethestically but functionally) better. The rectangle shape and taller pump makes it easy to dispense right in the center of my palm. With the SK-II one I find I have to pick up the whole bottle and hold it at an angle or else I can't get the oil to dispense in the middle of my palm.

Kose Seikisho Mask White $24


Another beauty item I just can't say no to - masks. This looked interesting enough so I picked this up too. This is a clarifying peel mask that removes dirt and skin impurities to cleanse skin and enhance clarity and radiance.


I apply this after cleansing and steaming my face for about 5 minutes. You can see from the picture above that the mask is quit goopy. I knew I would end up making a mess if I used my hands so instead I used a small concealer brush as an applicator. **WARNING** Do NOT let this touch any hair! It will adhere to hair and will become an all-in-one peel and wax session. Once it is applied it will start to dry (but fairly slowly) and you will not be able to form expressions (unless you want wrinkles!). Even when dry the mask looks shiny. It's looks and I suspect feels just like latex body paint (not that I know anything about latex body paint, but I imagine that's what it'd be like). Leave it on for 20 minutes to dry completly and then peel off.

The Verdict: Kose Seikisho Mask White
LOVE this mask! When I peeled off the mask it came off in ONE PIECE! Not every peel mask can do this. Sometimes they tear and it's removed in sections. Of course I inspected what gross gunk were stuck on the mask and there were definitely blackheads (woot! woot!). My pores were super clear! I was super impressed with the results. I was kinda at a lost what to do with the little mask bits that were left on my face. Finally decided to peel off what I could to let my regular toner take the rest off. I then followed with my regular night moisturizer and treaments.

Although I normally cannot stand any tightening effect the tightening of this mask is not that drastic. It dries slowly so the mask slowly transforms from a runny gel to a solid lining and the tightening and itching are minimal and gradual. I will definitely go back for a LOT more of this stuff (meaning whatever is in left the store inventory) before the Bath & Body Works BOGO sale runs out! It makes my skin really really clean, smooth, radiant and best of all CLEAR!

Freebies

The SA saw offered me some Kose samples that she'd tried and liked. Clockwise from top: Kose Sekkisei Emulsion, Kose Junkisui Toner, Kose Sekkisei Powder Wash, Kose Sekkisei Cream.

The Kose Sekkisei Powder Wash was something I was looking forward to. I've tried drugstore powder washes in the past and never saw any results. This one powder wash gave me a good scrub and my skin felt super clean! Unfortunately, I have sensitive nasal tissues and the powder fumes made me cough as I was trying to cleanse. I won't pick up another one as I've no complaints about my regular cleanser.

The Kose Sekkisei Emulsion is a bit milky in color and is somewhere between a gel and a serum consistent-wise. It's fairly rich and doesn't need to be followed by a lotion.

The Kose Sekkisei Cream is not really a cream at all. It's clear and is more of a runny gel but when you apply it - wow! It's so rich! Maybe that's why they call it a cream anyways? I felt it was too greasy for me but I think this would be great for mature skin or for winter use.

The Kose Junkishi Toner is alcohol-free so no stinging or drying but there was a disctinct Chinese-Herb smell. It is a nice toner but I personally wouldn't re-purchase cause of the smell.

Happy Easter ~ LUSH Style

Happy Easter from LUSH! I had this craving for LUSH bath products last week and I just had to stop by the mall just to go to LUSH. What goodies did I bring back? Tada!

LUSH Haul

Clockwise from top: Lush bag, The Pink One Easeter Gift, T for Toes Dusting Powder, Easter Egg Magic Bath Bomb and the Lush Times.

The Pink One Easter Gift (Vegan) $30

I saw these Easter egg bombs on the Lush website a while back and just had to pick one up while I was in the store! Online they have 2 to choose from The Yellow One Easter Gift or The Pink One Easter Gift (Vegan). I think these are a great gift idea for Easter especially when people are watching their weight and don't want to be tempted with chocolate eggs and bunnies (although I thoroughly enjoy biting off the ears).

I really wanted to gift one to my schmoopy because he just loves baths and I knew he had a big essay due this weekend and he'd deserve a relaxing and scented bath. I wanted one of each color but when I got to the store they only had pink ones left. Schmoopy didn't mind the pink at all. Whew! I had thought the eggs would be normal-sized but was shocked when I saw them in person. They are HUGE!!! They look like freaking dinosaur eggs! They're about 8-9 inches tall and 4-5 inches wide. The SA told me that each half of the shell could last for 3-4 baths. Wowsa.

The shell is the limited edition Candy Fluff Bath Bomb Vegan. It's of course pink and is sweet-smelling much like candy. I guess the size is justifiable becuase are 2 full-sized bath goodies enclosed in the shells. Inside the pink egg is the Frosty Gritter Bubble Bar Vegan(vanilla and lavender scent) and Rock Star Soap Vegan (creamy vanilla scent). Sorry no pics of these guys.

Magic Bath Bomb $6

I also picked up a smaller Easter egg Bath Bomb just for me! Tee hee! This is the seasonal Magic Bath Bomb that they made in the shape of an egg for Easter. I'm not sure what scent it is but to me it smells like sweetened tea. The cool thing is that this bath bomb starts off blue. As it dissolves it reveals an interior of red salts and then the water's supposed to become purple like magic but it's really more like a deeper blue.

T for Toes Dusting Powder $11

Since summer is rolling around and I wear a lot of flip flops and flats this is always a must-have. This the sweetly scented T For Toes Dusting Powder is a great foot deodorant! I love it! My shoes smell fresh and sweet all day!

I really like all dusting powders from LUSH because they're very finely milled and they leave your skin feeling extremely silky. Plus they all smell really good and different from baby powder so it's not always the same old diaperish scent.

Bath & Body Works Buy 1 Get 1 Free!

**UPDATE** As of 04/15, the 3rd party products are now 50% off at flagship Bath&Body Works.


For a full review of the products shown in the pic: Lippmann Collection Rich Girl, Phyto Hair Products, Kose Skincare Products and Molton Brown Hand Wash.

While on a LUSH craving I went to the mall, I wandered into Bath & Body and came upon some sad news. They're discontinuing all Bath & Body third party products! Boo! All third party items are currently Buy 1 Get 1 Free! Yippee! This means huge savings (50% off) and I may have to say buh-bye to the upcoming Saks F&F. At the very least I will have to cut back on the "I just want to give it a try" items.

The discount applies to all thrid party brands such as Ahava, Caudalie, Frederick Fekkai, Henri Bendel, Kose, Phyto, Molton Brown, etc... The list just goes on! The store manager told me this will take place at all the flagship stores and they hope to have the shelves cleared by mid-May earliest or the Semi-Annual Sale in June latest (that's shop-speak for steeper discounts to come!!).



I'm not quite done with my Bath and Body raid either. I have a lot more to stock up on as I really do enjoy all these products. I'll do a proper review of all the products shown in upcoming posts!

2009 Spring Saks Friends and Family Event

Yay! I've been waiting and waiting and it's finally here - The Saks Friends & Family (click to print the invitation! The discount offer is 25% off (exculsions apply) at Saks, Off 5th and catalog orders. 20% off Jewelry purchases and all beauty and fragrance purchases are 15% off :) The event begins online on 04/14 - 04/19 use code SFAFAM8 and in-stores 04/16 - 04/19.

I've got a laundry list of things I wanna get! My local SA is already taking Pre-Orders and she's gona pull all my goodies for me!

This What I Want
SK-II Air Touch $165
SK-II Cleansing Oil $55
Trish McEvoy High Volume Mascara $28
Guerlain Meteorites Travel Touch $50
Guerlain Meteorites Powder Brush $35
Bobbi Brown Pretty in Pink Collection $65
Bobbi Brown Face Touch-Up Stick $22
Michael Kors Chronograph Acrylic Band Watch $225

Makeup Bag Peek-a-boo

I just submitted my entry to Jen's Anniversary Giveaway at http://www.abeautyfulsentiment.com/. The contest asked for us to send in photos of what's in our makeup bags. Here's what I've currently got in my makeup bag that I carry around daily. I was surprised to find some stowaways when I dumped out the contents!


Left Column:
Neosporin
Hair Pomade
Body Shop Wild Cherry Body Butter
GUM Orthodontic Wax
Einstein Lip Therapy Pot
Escada Ocean Lounge Parfum
Juicy Couture Viva la Juicy Parfum
Garden Botanika Vitamin E Stick
NARS Orgasm Blush
Shiseido Blemish Clearing Gel
Neutrogena Oil Blotting Sheets

Right Column:
Advil in Dior sample case
random bobby pins
Eyelash Curler
Too Faced Shadow Insurance
Sugar Color Stick Cream Eyeshadow
Maybelline Expert Wear Automatic Cream Eyeliner
Shiseido Lasting Lift Mascara Curl
Too Faced Lash Injection Mascara
MAC Hello Kitty Lipglass
Sugar Shellac Lipgloss
Victoria's Secret Beauty Rush Lipgloss

Ulta Sale Haul

Lookie all the stuff I got from Ulta for less than $6 each! Yippee! All items were on sale for 50% off or more!

Garden Botanika Vitamin E Stick $6 (originally $13)

I intentionally stopped by Ulta just to pick this guy up cause I was just about to run out. I got there and was devastated. The area where they usually keep the Garden Botanika line was in a complete disarray. Testers were used up, smudged or missing and the shelves were full of empty space with damaged product boxes scattered randomly. I felt this uncomfortable feeling creep up as I saw a sign that read "All Garden Botanika 50% off (while supplies last)". I desperately searched for my little Vitamin E lippy and finally spied the last 2 at the back of a bottom shelf. Of course I quickly snatched them up Golem-like and chanted devilishly (in my head), "My precious!"

I hate to see Ulta stop carrying this line because that means I'll have to resort to ordering them online or finding a replacement product. Not a huge issue but definitely an inconvenience. I really love this product and highly recommend it! I know Estee Lauder also makes a Vitamin E stick that is the exact same. I actually started using Estee's vitamin E stick first until I spied Garden Botanika's version at Ulta a year ago. It's cheaper and I like the packaging so much better. Estee's packaging looks like granny lipstick - You all know what I mean. Garden Botanika's packaging is so cute and green and delivers the same moisture kick I need.

The Verdict: Garden Botanika Vitamin E Stick

I just love vitamin E sticks because they glide on smoothly and the moisturizing effects last for hours. They have no taste, smell or color and they don't have any cooling ingredients added to them. I use these in place of chapstick or lip balm all the time. They give my lips a natural sheen and bring out the natural pigment. I always get compliments when I wear this and people always think I'm wearing lip color. Run, don't walk to your nearest Ulta to stock up before it's too late! I know I have a few Ulta's near me that I need to raid so that I can sleep at night.

Sugar Cosmetics: Lip Gloss and Eye Shadow


I've never tried anything from Sugar Cosmetics but they had fun "try me" products in the sale bin and I thought why not? Apparently Sugar Cosmetics has gone under already - I tried going to their website but it just doesn't exist anymore. I picked up two Sugar Shellac Lip Glosses in Watercolor $4 each (originally $17) and Sugar Cream Eyeshadow Color Sticks in Blue, Pink and Purple $4 each (originally $17).

Below are a couple of swatches that I did of the Sugar products (with and without flash). At the top is a smear of the Lipgloss by itself and blended. Directly below are the color sticks blended and the very bottom are the color sticks applied without blending.

The Verdict: Sugar Shellac Lip Gloss

There is a built-in brush applicator and it goes on sheer and a bit sticky with tiny specs of glitter. It has a strong sugar cookie smell and somewhat sweet taste too. After a few minutes the smell dissipates and the stickiness goes away too. I really like this as it give my lips a deep pink/fuschia tint without looking too reflective. I'm glad I picked up two because I can see me carrying this around a LOT! Again some more pics of the gloss with and without flash below.

The Verdict: Sugar Cream Eyeshadow Color Sticks

These reminded me of the MAC Sugarsweet Shadesticks and I think maybe what compelled me to buy them. The only difference is they are very glittery when applied. They apply opaque but become sheer when blended. The blue shows up on me the most, followed by the purple and then the pink. The pink is actually the sheerest of the three and almost looks a bit peachey on my skin tone. Same is true of the purple, it looks kinda pinky-purple on me. You can wear these as bright or light as you'd like just depending on how much you blend. I really like these colors and I can't wait to play with them!

Essie Nail Color: Looking for Love #634 $0.99 (originally $7)

I also spied some sale nail polishes and grabbed this pale blue Essie one. I really love the pale blue color! I think this color is versatile for both summer and winter. In the past when I've purchase Essie nail colors, I find that they chip very easily. I hope they've improved their formula and these don't disappoint!

OPI Spring Nail Colors

I wanted to get in the spring mood and decided to paint my nails! I didn't want to spend any moolah on new nail colors so I dug into my nail polish stash for these. I love OPI nail colors! The polishes always go on smoothly and if you apply the top coat, they're pretty hardy and resistant to chipping.

For my hands, 2 coats of OPI Kiss on the Chic $8.50. This color is a nude pink. If you only apply 1 coat the color is very sheer. The 2nd coat helps to make it opaque.

For my toes, 2 coats of OPI Japanese Rose Garden $8.50. Ok this is a bright pink! It's almost like an 80's neon pink and very obnoxiously in your face!

And 1 topcoat of OPI $8.50

Nexxus Heat Protexx Styling Spray

I style my hair with a blow dryer every time I wash my hair and every morning. I just can't give up my blow dryer! My hair is thick but limp and I HAVE to use a dryer to set the roots and get some lift. My hair is pretty strong and resistent to breakage but after years of neglect and abuse I was getting weird little hair spikes all over my head.

I finally dragged my feet to Wal-Mart a month ago and scoped out the heat protecting styling products. The only 2 products I found at the time were TRESemme Thermal Creations Heat Tamer Protective Spray and Nexxus Heat Protexx Styling Spray $12. I let my nose make the decision and went with the Nexxus spray. They both have that overbearing "product" odor but I could tolerate the smell of Nexxus' more.

The Verdict
That product smell that I disliked so much? I've come to actually like it. The smell is not as strong when I'm misting it into my hair (as opposed to sniffing the fumes from the bottle). Plus as I style my hair, the smell dissipates and becomes barely noticeable. I definitely recommend this spray to anyone that uses heat styling. I've started to notice my little hair spikes start to grow too! Hopefully they'll be assimilated with the rest of my hair in a few more months. Muahahaha!

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!