Hong Kong Haul~

Again, it's been such a long time since I've updated XD
My mom recently went to Hong Kong and I gave her a small list. Most of the products I can buy from Adambeauty so I didn't bother asking for too much.
I can get the 女人我最大 magazine easily at T&T, but it was cheaper from HK. 

I saw these pins online somewhere and thought they'd be pretty useful since they're longer than the typical pins..and they have a slight curve.

Comes with instructions for a simple "do" at the back. I was pretty disappointed with these though, they're not very strong/tight, so it slides out easily -___-'

Saw the Dejavu Lash Serum on Ichibankao and I just had to have it.
I'd be lying if I said I didn't use makeup everyday and cleaning mascara off doesn't always end pretty. Sometimes I'd lose a lash or two, so hopefully this serum will help strengthen them a bit.
The tip is sort of spongy with tons of product on it. I just wave the tip through my lashes and comb it out at night.

My beloved Koji Curving lash curler... The silicone pad on my first one has ripped through a while ago and I couldn't find my refill so I threw out the whole curler. I think I should have just purchased a random silicone replacement to use, but I think it's shaped differently. ButI got the Shiseido one to use in the meantime, which is OK, but sometimes the inner lashes don't curl.
I think I forgot how well this one fits my eye because when I go and press the curler, it curls very very close to my lashes that it feels like it's tugging at them too much. Now I just need to get used to using this again.
The one I got comes with a cute little handkerchief, instructions booklet, case and 2 extra refill pads.

Ever since I started growing out my hair, which is quite long by now, I find it very difficult to maintain the volume, especially if I don't use the crimping iron at the roots (learned the trick from Fuzkittie). Mousse and curlers only do so much so I thought I'd give these interesting clips a try.
They're basically metal hair clips that snap into place (you know the ones you would use back in elementary school to help keep your ponytail nice and snooth?). These have velcro on the top and bottom, with the top being bumped up slightly.

Just clip it on the bottom layer anywhere you want some volume. My bangs are too short to clip the pins so I tried them on the sides of my hair.
They work pretty well, a tiny bit of volume but I'm always paranoid that they're visible, especially when it gets windy outside. The clips do slide down my hair a bit, so using some hair spray underneath my hair helps give it some grip. Overall I think using the crimping iron gives the best volume.

And.... my younger brother got me the Jill Stuart Relax First debut kit as my Christmas present! I thought it was the one with the bath tablet, but this one came with the super cushy soft pouch instead. Will do a post on this soon!

Sephora Freebies and Hair-Do

Thank you for the comments =) Always like reading them.
Even though I don't blog as often, I still try to fit in a post whenever I have time. And this time I got off school early.

I went to Sephora to get my early birthday freebie and was quite surprised at what they offered. Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment duos! It's the cherry tinted and un-tinted balms.
I wouldn't have ever purchased the full size for $26CAD so it was nice that this was the gift.

Here they are compared to the Rosebud Salve...cute little minis right?
The cherry tint didn't show up on my lips...blah! I think I like the Rosebud balm better though, it has a bit more slip than the Sugar Lip Treatments. But it's also nice that the Sugar ones have SPF.

For a school assignment, I had to come up with a hair-do. I took some inspiration online and from manwomanfilm on YT and made it my own.
The theme is a costume party and the hair is done to resemble a zebra. The imaginary dress has a lot of tulle and chiffon fabric that flows past the ankles.
My friend was kind enough to let me experiment on her.

I braided a silver ribbon on the bottom so it looks a bit more stripe-y and more like a zebra. The mohawk wasn't a high as I wanted, but you get the idea.

In my last semester at Seneca, I also have 1 more special effects class, this time doing more disgusting things...like this 3rd stage frost bite
Hope I didn't gross you out too much!

Hair secrets?

I'm surprised my hair looked healthy, I didn't think it was at all XD Hmm...hair secrets..I think it would be the Fekkai product.
I remember last year my hair was dry and prone to breakage and split ends. When I came back from Korea, I bought the Fekkai Protein Rx PM Repair Strengthener $84CAD. I already did a review of this a while ago. I haven't really been consistent in using it because I keep forgetting. I think in the past 3 months or so, I've only used it 2-4 times.
I use about a quarter size and it's definitely helped in strengthening my hair, especially during the dry winter months.

Another thing I do with my hair to try to keep it healthy is use a ton of conditioner. I go through conditioner really quickly, so it's good to stock up at Costco. After I shampoo my hair, I get a big glob of conditioner and fully saturate my hair and leave it there while I shower. I do this every night only because if I do it in the morning, my hair gets flat from the conditioner. I think that's my secret to healthy hair? I'm currently using Pantene, I used to use Herbal Essences but it wasn't moisturizing enough.

A week later and the color has faded a bit, but it's still noticable. Loving the Lunasol Coral Pink at the moment!

This is such a delayed before and after picture of my cheeks with the Clarisonic. I use the brush at night only.

Before, taken March 1. Pores are visible and enlarged with uneven texture.

After taken April 16. Pores a bit smaller and skin smoother. My skin didn't get lighter or anything, I edited the picture a bit to enhance the visibility.
Although it wasn't a huge difference, I found that foundation application is a lot smoother and blends better now. It was worth the investment.

Bubbly Hair Color

Remember back in August when I went to Hong Kong, I purchased 2 Liese hair colors? Well, maybe I didn't post both up, but I did buy 2 because of my indecisive-ness.
At the end of August, I used the Cassis Berry color ($68HKD), which didn't turn out as red as I wanted it to be... click here for the review, this time I used the Glossy Brown color.

It's a pretty basic hair coloring kit, mix the stuff up and use the conditioner at the end. However, this time I forgot I wasn't supposed to shake the mix. For this foamy mix, you're supposed to gently tilt the bottle around, so the first few squeezes from the bottle came out too runny.

Before shots in the bathroom and in front of the window. My hair has grown out so much since the last time I coloured.

If you compare this with the review of the Cassis Berry, it doesn't look as foamy, partly because I shook it. The dye was so strange, it turn from a muddy red shade to a blueish shade.

I left it in for 30 minutes. The result was a coffee brown with a touch of milk in it, it actually looked a bit yellowish in the light. However, it doesn't show up like that in the pictures.
So much shinier now! The color came out a lot more even than the first time I used the foamy hair color.

The next day, I washed my hair and the yellowness died down. Now it's more like a chocolate shade.

After using the Liese hair coloring kit 2 times, I doubt I'll repurchase it. The color doesn't last very long and it's sometimes hard to get the bubbles down to the roots. But the good thing was, it didn't drip and it's a fun way of dying your hair.

I started using the L'oreal cleanser but didn't use the scrublet thing because I had my Clarisonic. It was quite runny and I'm sad it doesn't foam up very well, at least not with the Clarisonic. It left my skin feeling clean without the dry squeaky feeling and it also had a mild tingly feeling.

Soft Smokey?

Happy Holidays! I just realized I haven't updated in 2 weeks. Hope all is well in the blogger world. I receieved my secret Santa package from Kay and I'm uber excited to open it!

As you probably all know by now, I don't like to line my lower lids, which is why my post title is soft smokey. The "soft" is also due to the fact that this dang P&J shadow is so sheer.
LE things like to grab hold of me and tempt me to buy them. Who could resist though? Because how many other people might have this LE item? (Lots probably)

ANNYwaay... the LE item is P&J 062 shadow duo. I got this waaay before I came back to Canada, on my second trip to HK in August. By now I can't remember the price or the collection name, I just remember I got it from Langham Place Mall in Mong Kok.

This is a cute little palette and there's barely any fall-out while applying. I think that's all I have to say that's good about it. This was quite a disappointing purchase from P&J and I wish I had swatched it and thought carefully first before buying.
The pan width is a bit bigger than the MAC shadows, big enough to last me a lifetime. Sadly, the packaging will probably not last a lifetime because it's made of cardboard. Eventually, I know the sides and edges will start to mess up.

The lighter shade is grey, although it has been sometimes described as blueish-green, I honestly don't see it hehe. The darker shade is a deep navy. The lighter shade has very little hints of shimmer while the darker shade is near matte. They're not shimmery enough for my taste, but it's a change to my usual shimmery colors. These shades are so sheer it bugs me. I hate having to layer on so much shadow that it might crease badly as the day progresses.
I know I'm just bashing this palette right now, but one last thing, the applicator, it's so small!!! I can barely even hold onto it so using a brush is a lot easier.

I used the MM shadow as a highlight, applied the lighter shade as the main color and used the darker shade to blend the eyeliner up 1/4 of my lids.

You can see how sheer it is, but I supposed it's good for looks that aren't too dramatic for daytime. But, I have to confess, I haven't used this palette when going out yet, I've only played with it at home XD


I'm sure most of you have heard of Bubbi of BubzBeauty on Youtube. I was inspired by her Messy Updo Bun video. I tried it out and loved it!
This look is super cute and easy to do. I especially love how it gives an illusion that I have more hair. Making a real odango bun is a bit difficult for me because of my fine hair, so this is a great alternative.
I used 10-12 bobby pins and this held up through the day. If there were any flyaways, all I needed to do was add another pin without redo-ing the whole thing. The head band was from Korea. I wish I had stocked up on more, they're really cheap there.

I'm putting the comment box up, but I do apologize if I don't reply to your comments, but it makes me happy to see them =)

Laura Mercier TM

Wow, my picture quality looks butchered on Blogger, more than before..hmm...

I've been using the Lunasol Modeling Water Liquid Foundation and Control Makeup Base since mid-May and I'm down to 1/3 of the bottles...and I was itching to try a new base makeup that gives light coverage. After much thought, I purchased my first tinted moisturizer, which also happens to be my first item from Laura Mercier.

Today's makeup is light and simple. I started off with the P&J Moisturizing Foundation Primer 03. I've had this for a couple months already and haven't started using it until now. It doesn't have SPF which is a bummer, but the LM makes up for the missing SPF. The P&J primer is a white runny base which goes on clear and doesn't feel sticky.
Then I used my fingers to apply the TM. I'm glad it's runny enough to spread evenly with my fingers and it gives my skin a nice dewy look. This is the first time I've used a TM so I can't compare it with anything else.

I think I love and hate this product at the same time. I love that it gives my skin light coverage but I hate how I get oily faster than using the Lunasol foundation (even with powder).
I debated on getting the oil free version, but some reviews on MUA said it's not as easy to blend and the color seemed to oxidize, so I stuck with the regular formula.
Look, dewy! I generally don't apply a lot of blush which is why you don't really notice the JS blush.

Here's another Liese Designing Jelly picture (III nuance wave) and another way I use it. This time I didn't use a curling iron. After drying my hair, I use about one or one and a half pumps of product and spread it evenly on my hands. Then I grab my hair from the bottom up and scrunch it into a really messy bun without twisting it and hold it until I feel the gel dry. I finish off with the Osis hair spray and I get instant waves and messy hair without an iron! The best thing about the Liese is my hair doens't look stiff, it still has a nice bounce to it.

Hair, Gloss and Food

Haha, my titles are so uncreative.
My latest addition to my lippy collection. I purchased this Maquillage Perfect Gloss in PK353 while in Tokyo. PK353 is the gloss that's on the model that's holding the coffee cup, I can't remember the name. This came out in July and it's supposed to be part of the Maquillage x Alexander Wang collection.
The picture didn't come out quite the way I wanted. It's a bit more coral than pink. The gloss has fine golden shimmers which is uber pretty.
I find it a bit sticky, but it's long lasting. I do have a rant though, even when I wipe the gloss off, my lips still feel a bit sticky.
The applicator is a flat spatula with fuzzyness on both sides. I really like this applicator since it's easier to apply evenly than then doe foot imo.

My attempt at super voluming my hair.

I applied the Marc Anthony hair thickener to damp hair then blow dry (the hair dryer I have is so crappy, it's not hot enough bah!). Then I put 1.5inch curlers, 1 on my bangs, 1 on both sides and 2 at the back then sprayed the Lucidol curling water and put heat on it.
After doing my makeup, I take out the curlers then curl the ends of my hair inward and outwards with a large barrel iron. Scrunched up my hair with some Liese Designing Jelly in Nuance Wave and used Lucidol Designing Pot in Smash Fixer near my roots. Finish off with Osis hair spray.
Whew! So many things just for my hair, I wish it wasn't so flat. The Liese Designing Jelly was advertised in the Vivi magazines with Chikako (spelling?). It's a very runny gel like product. It gives my curls enough hold to last the whole day and just one pump is enough for all my hair. You can get it on Ichibankao.com If you download the Nuance Wave demo vid here, you can see in the video that pieces hair is supposed to stay if you just push it up a bit, and I can confirm that it doesn't do that, at least not with my hair.
Next time, I'm going to try adding the Osis dusting powder in hopes for more volume.

Did you know I've never made an omlette in my life, until yesterday? Haha..I never thought I could do it, but I didn't want the typical scrambled eggs. I made mine with sauteed mushrooms, cheddar and some proscuitto. Mmm...

I love breakfast foods. It's been a while since I've been to Cora's for their breakfasts. It closes at 3pm and there's only 2 locations that I know of in Toronto. Omg, it's so freaking good, but expensive.

Hair Products

Remember how I said my hair is falling out more than usual in Korea? Well, Mika from Beauty Snap had sent me some samples of hair products that included the Fekkai Protein Rx hair treatment. I tried it out and the next day I noticed less hair fall out.

Once I got back to Canada, I immediately went to Sephora and grabbed a bottle. It cost me $94CAD after tax for the 125mL bottle (wow!), but I think it's worth it. Besides, if it starts to fail, I can always return it XD

The Protein Rx is a leave in "protein treatment" and you apply it all over your hair just before you sleep, then you wash it out in the morning. It's like a thick cream that absorbs very quickly into the hair so it doesn't get all over the pillows. I don't know if I can describe the smell properly haha, but it smells a bit like sweet coconut and milk.
I've used it at least 6 times already and even though I still have a few fall outs, there's way less than when I was in Korea. Besides less hair fall out, I think this is totally helping my hair get stronger because I recently dyed it.

The orange tube is the Marc Anthony hair thickener. It saw 2 tubes in the washroom when I came back. I think this might have come from the shampoo/conditioner sets from Costco.
I used to use this product a long time ago, but stopped because it was too sticky and didn't really do anything for my hair. Now I think the formula has changed because it's not as thick and is easier to rub into the hair.
It works a bit for me because it helps make my hair thicker, but volume wise, it's not really that noticable. Still, it helps, I need all the volume/thickening I can get.

After spending days cleaning my room, it's still not really organized yet, but here's my new vanity table from Ikea. The drawer is enough to hold all my makeup and fit everything on top!

Busy busy, going back to clean my room again. I was slacking a lot on room cleaning and blogging. The past 3 days, I spent at Tim's house playing Resident Evil 5, and we beat it yesterday puhaha.

Kao Liese Bubble Hair Color

While in Hong Kong, I saw many ads on Liese hair color set that's supposed to color hair using bubbles. I also saw this on Ichibankao and Imomoko, so I thought why not give it a try. I haven't dyed my hair in over a year anyway.
The set cost $68HKD, cheaper than most hair coloring sets I've used. I got the Cassis Berry color.

It's pretty straight forward, mix the stuff and apply it to your hair. The pink packet in the front is a leave in nourishing conditioner after you've rinsed your hair. You can use a conditioner of your choice after you rinse the color out too.
My hair before. The color from last year is almost gone so it's back to super dark brown again.

Once you pour the little bottle into the large one, you put the white cap back on a gently tilt the bottle side to side about 8-10 times until it's mixed up. The instructions says you're not supposed to shake it like most other hair dyes, otherwise it'll create bubbles inside the bottle and therefore not come out properly.

After mixing, replace the white cap with the pink foaming top.

To get the product, you squeeze from the center of the bottle while keeping it upright. The foam comes out kinda light but it doesn't slip or melt.

I applied the foam gently all over my head before using my fingers to massage it in. Once you start massaging the foam in, it gets a bit thicker. The great thing about this foam is, there was no dripping and it didn't stain on my skin as easily as other hair dyes.

I waited for 30 minutes then rinsed it off. I was surprised the color rinsed off pretty quickly, then I applyed a generous amount of conditioner and let it sit for a minute before rinsing. Once I towel dried my hair, I apply the whole packet of leave in conditioner, which is enough for my length of hair and maybe not any longer.
The results afterwards...

It's great how it didn't drip and it was easy to apply. Even if I thought the foam was gonna start dripping while I waited, it didn't happen. The whole concept of the bubbles is so the product reaches the root of your hair because it's kinda liquidy. Also, it didn't sting my head at all.

The bad thing is, my hair didn't turn out as red as I thought! It looks more brown than red. I thought it was cool that the bubbles would easily go through my hair to get the roots, but I noticed the day after, the back underside of my hair wasn't colored properly. It was darker than the rest of my hair. Also, the smell of hair dye is so strong I could even smell a bit of it the next day, even after shampooing.

Would I buy it again? Yes, just because I like how I didn't get the bathroom messy with hair dye. I didn't even get it on my shirt. Even though it wasn't really even the first time I used it, I'm sure next time I could massage the color in better to get the underside of my hair.