Love Pack + Skinfood Yuckies

A few weeks ago, I left a comment somewhere that my hair was breaking and falling out more than usual due to the water in Korea..I can't remember who's blog it was. Anyway, Mika (Beauty Snap) had read it and she offered to send me some shampoos that might help give my hair a boost of goodness. The water in Korea is difficult to create a lather and it's just weird water imo....I think I said this already.
Mika sent me some DHC shampoo/conditioner, Tsubaki White shampoo, Kracie hair treatment, Fekkai protein treatment and a styling cream. I'm eagerly awaiting bedtime to try the Fekkai sample haha. I'm so weird. She's such a sweetie, I didn't expect her to send so much too! Thankq!!
I just used the Kracie hair treatment. I left it in my hair for about 4-5 minutes and omg, my hair is so smooth. Smooth enough that I can run a comb through it while wet and my hair didn't tangle at all.
Thankq again Mika! Just watch out now XD BTW, her writing is so neat.

I got a Skinfood cleanser for Tim to use, it's the Tea Tree Cleansing Foam. After Tim used it once, he was like "it smells like tar!" I opened the tube to take a sniff, but I could only smell like tea tree/woody smells. I tried this the next day and holy crap...it smelled like I was using asphalt on my face, gross!!!!!!! I didn't use it again so I can't let you know how well it washes. I just wanna warn people that this smells so bad!!!!!! *sigh* Skinfood cleansers have been a hit or miss for me.
I'm still using the Laneige Pore cleanser (blue tube) so I don't have to suffer with asphalt smelling skin. But I'm hating the Laneige cleanser right now. The smell lingers too long and it's so strong, I don't even know why I repurchased it. Waiting to finish it so I can try the Hanskin ones.

I finally watched Terminator 4. I'm so behind in movies, I haven't even seen Watchmen or Transformers 2. I was supposed to see it yesterday but the only one with enough seats was at 9:45pm. I wasn't going to wait till then, especially since I had school the next day. I'm gonna make it a date to see Transformers this Friday, no one spoil it for me!!! XDXD

I can't seem to finish my Seoul shopping guide. There's just too much to write, I didn't expect to take this long....trying!!

Skinfood Agave Collection

Skinfood has some new products out: Agave Cactus line. I think the cactus looks like a giant aloe plant. It includes a toner, emulsion, serum and I believe a night cream. I'm not sure what kind of skin it targets, but I'll try to find out.
There is also a new BB cream, pact(pressed powder, I think foundation) and prime gel. The prime gel and BB cream comes in a squeeze tube with an attached sponge for application. The BB cream comes in 2 shades and retails for about 17,000won, the most expensive BB cream they have at the moment. It looks rather small.
I haven't tested it out yet, but next time I visit Skinfood, I'll try to test out the texture and color.

This is a preview of some of the prizes for my upcoming contest! Maybe I'll end up starting it before I actually hit 200 followers...hmm....

Night Routine

I've talked about my skincare routine a couple months ago in this post. After visiting Hong Kong, I got some new things to add into my daily skincare routine, this time it includes some new products for night time. I've stuck to using the Orbis products for the day time because the moisturizer is very light so I figured I should get something more hydrating for night time.

My cleansers include the Softymo Super Point Makeup Remover, Orbis Cleansing Liquid and Lush Coalface.
The moisturizers are the P&J skincare items: Moisture Lotion, Moisture Cream and the Eye Treatment Cream.
For extras, I use a lipbalm, Ardell Lash/Brow Accelerator on the brows and Canmake Eye Essence before bed. I also use the Treatment Oil 1-2 times a week and the Skinfood Black Sugar Scrub 2-3 times a week depending on how dry my skin is.

It sounds very complicated, but I'm sure it's waaaay fewer steps than some people out there XD
The P&J items were a great addition to my routine. Not only are these products super hydrating, they also smell soooo nice, like floral and citrus scent.
A quick note about the Moisture Lotion and Cream. Sometimes my cheeks feel tight after I wash my face, once I apply the lotion, my skin immediately feels relieved and moisturized.
The Moisture Cream is super hydrating and doesn't break out on me. I do have a minor rant, it feels slighty sticky/oily on my skin. I don't mind this at all since it moisturizes very well.
Out of all the products I've used on my skin, I think the P&J ones are the most moisturizing, it even beats the Laneige Emulsions.
I almost forgot about the Skinfood Black Sugar Foam Scrub. I still think it smells like lemon dish detergent but it doesn't bother me. I like how it makes my skin feel super smooth, but the sugar granules are a bit too rough. It melts away as I massage my skin, but I just don't like the initial feeling of it. I'm gonna be getting something else after I'm through with it.

I saw on a blog (can't remember which one) that minty green polishes are supposed to be the IT color. Lucky for me I got this in September so I didn't have to hunt for one. This is the PA polish in A86. It costs about 280yen but I can't remember how much I got it for.
I used 2 coats plus the PA topcoat. I think it's a bit difficult to apply the polish evenly, if you look closely, you can seem some streaks.

Most of the time, I don't like eating dinner with my teachers. I just feel so alienated by them and it's so difficult to communicate, even with my coteachers. But it's interesting to see what's for dinner because I don't eat Korean food outside of school. I have to admit I'm quite sick of Korean food since I eat it everyday for lunch, I miss eating Chinese food.
I don't remember what this soup was called. Mine was the only non-red one because I don't eat spicy food. The flavour was yummy but it was super salty!

Some sam-gip-sal (??) fatty pork and rice. I think I was the only one that ate the lean parts of the pork XD I didn't eat the kimchi either, it was mainly pork, soup and rice for me.

The last class of grade 9 students to see me were a funny bunch. They were obviously impressed that a person who looks Korean to them could speak perfect English, so there were plenty of oooohs and ahhs.
When I walked around to check if they were doing their assignment, I usually talk to them. The boys were REALLY shy!! There were 2 boys whose faces turned red when I spoke to them. They tried to cover it with their hands while being teased by their classmates haha.

Saturday Haul

I did another video! I don't know why I look so dark o_O Plus I have a tendency to tilt my head up so I think I look quite funny XD I felt so weird talking to myself so I made Tim put ear plugs on while he played with his PSP. Annnd...according to Tim, everytime I talk, it's like I'm asking a question, he said it's like Jillian from Family Guy. I don't notice that...does anyone else notice??? lol..please say no XD

I know I already did a look with the Maquillage GR366 palette, but this time I had natural light coming through my window so you can see the colors better. The colors look amazing in the palette, but after application, I thought it looked strange..but when I open my eyes and just look normally into the mirror, the shadow actually works well on me and is soooo gorgeous!

My "Korean" hair style. It eventually got a bit flat in the front...happens all the time with my hair...darn fine limp hair!

Here's the Integrate lip cream/gloss. It goes on slightly pigmented and very shimmery. I like how it doesn't feel sticky at all, less than the MM Honey Pump Gloss. I did such a bad job at taking a swatch picture haha, but you get the idea.
I forgot to mention in the video that if you turn the dial the opposite way, it actually pulls the extra lip cream back into the tube. That's a major plus, but I still have to wipe the applicator after using it just to keep it clean.

Skinfood Black Sugar Scrub Foam. It felt sticky on my hand but washes off clean. The first ingredient in this is sucrose.

The booklet that came with the magazine says "Korea Book". I thought it would have tons of info on where to buy all the good makeup, but it's just the typical tourist spots.

Cassis donut and triple berry ade. Ade is soda with any kind of fruity syrup, lemon and orange are some of the most popular ones I've seen everywhere.

Weekend Finds

Sorry for the lack of updates! I've been quite lazy and haven't went out much this weekend. I had $70 left over at the end of my budget week yesterday, and I only bought 1 thing for myself and the rest were on groceries. (Is $7 for 200g of smoked salmon expensive?? I had to spoil myself tho XD)
Does this make you hungry? Not really? I wouldn't be if I saw this too, but this was lunch yesterday and it cost 6500won @__@. I went to a supposedly Japanese udon place, didn't seem too Japanese if you ask me. I had the tempura udon. The noodles were thick and chewy and the tempura was horrible. First of all, I hate sesame leaves, they taste soooo weird and gross to me, it's got this strong uuggghhh flavour to it. Secondly, the tempura batter was so thick and soggy by the time it was served to me. I peeled off most of the batter to eat the stuff inside, which was 1 tiny shrimp and a small piece of purple yam. *sigh* I wish there were better noodle places here. I wish there was Ajisen Ramen! Although I'm sure that's considered crap among ramen and noodle places.

How about curry roast chicken from the back of a truck instead? I believe it was 15000 for a chicken and that's more than double the price of the Costco roast chickens. Didn't look too tasty anyway.

Since this is beauty blog, I should have something beauty related right? XD BTW, I'm trying to play around with picture sizing and such to try to reduce the amount of scrolling down, so bear with me!
I got myself the Skinfood Green Tea Bubble Cleansing Foam for about 6500won for 160mL. Who doesn't like foam on their face!?? I've tried a sample of the Philosophy Purity Foam, I liked the foamy-ness but I broke out and it stripped my face of everything @__@
This formula is supposed to help rid your skin of impurities and also slightly exfoliate it...without scrubbers. I feel like it's a regular face wash. It doesn't strip my face of all the oils, but it does leave a slightly squeaky feeling. It has a very heavy green tea scent which doesn't linger too long. The downside to this cleanser is that it uses a lot of liquid to create 1 pump of foam. I use 2-3 pumps and I'm sure I'll finish this in under 2 weeks with daily use. So save your monies everyone, it's not really worth any shipping price because you will finish this quickly. Try the Apple Vinegar Fresh Foam instead. It's a gel that lathers up slightly. I've tried the sample and it smells delightful!



I made a purchase for myself yesterday. Look at the picture...isn't that so cool? Haha. I have to admit sometimes I sweat a lot on my pits, especially if I'm nervous. But it's not like excessive sweating where it happens 24/7, it's at random times.
Anywho, I saw these pit pads for your shirts in a Japanese magazine a while ago. I thought these were perfect for me, and for anyone else who doesn't want to ruin their pretty tops on a hot summer's day. I first saw these in person in Hong Kong and they were roughly $9CAD for 10 pairs, which I thought were kind of pricey. Then I saw them again in Seoul for 12000won, even more expensive! But I got it anyway, I didn't want some of my favourite tops to be ruined. I've seen other sizes and colors in the magazine for your darks and for sleeveless tops.
The concept is, you stick these pads on your shirt and they absorb the excess sweat and protects your clothes and you from embarassement! =D These were pretty big pads, they're thin (1mm), soft and flexible. I haven't used these yet because it's been cold outside, but I imagine they would work quite well.
I'm not too sure what the brand is so I can't really direct anyone to get them on a specific website. (Yumeko, would you happen to know?) If I can't find them anywhere online, I think I have to stock up before I leave Korea. (Canada's dry hot heat is brutal...for some reason I sweat more in Toronto than in Hong Kong o_O)

Look it's cake in a cup! You mix the powder with 1 egg and microwave for 1:20 minutes and you've got freshly microwaved cake haha.
This is the chocolate flavour with some chocolate cookie bits in it. I've also tried purple yam flavour that comes with sugar syrup. These cakes mainly taste like spongy microwave cake with a bit of flavour in it. Not too bad if you want a cake-fix. They cost about $1CAD.




I've finally finished my list of "to buy" for Hong Kong. Excluding the clothes and camera, it's come up to about $2500CAD, did I go over board for 3 weeks? XD
I have a question! Does anyone happen to know where on the net I can find the ingredients of the Paul & Joe skincare line? I've had trouble finding it =/

Mix Of Stuff

I was playing Tomb Raider Anniversary (for the 10th time already) at school, because I had nothing else better to do while I wait for class, and along came a package! I thought my friends had sent me something but it turns out it wasn't them. It was a package from Steph! (aka Cuttibebe) I totally didn't expect her to send me something back and I was really surprised! Thank you Steph!!! You're so sweet!!!! That totally made my day!! And look at all them samples!! I thought I was gonna scream in my office =D Oh man..I really hope it doesn't cause me to buy more than I need next month XD Thank you again!!

I remember telling you a while ago that I would talk a bit about the Skinfood Carrot Collagen Eyemask. Each pack is a one time use and it cost 1500won. The masks are supposed to help "increase collagen structure within the skin" so I'm assuming to help fight off wrinkles and such.
I've been using these for at least a month, 1-2 times a week and I haven't really noticed a difference. I'm not too sure if there is supposed to be a dramatic change or not.

These masks come in a plastic and foil package inside of this package. The masks feel very jelly like and I don't notice any smells. You're supposed to leave this on for 30-45 minutes and the package does not specify whether you rub it in or not.
I use this after using my eyecream. Am I supposed to use the mask first then the eyecream??
Well anyway after peeling this off, it leaves my eye area nice and cool, but that's probably due to the weather XD The essence takes a while to absorb and while it's being absorbed, it feels slightly sticky.

The eye masks are quite huge. I can't have it all the way under my eyes because when I try to look down, it's almost impossible. For 1500won, it's not such a big dent in my wallet. It's good to start somewhere with taking care of your eyes right?

Did you know I absolutely ADORE Disney World? It is THE happiest place in the world. I've only been there 2 times, but I can't wait for another chance to go. The last time I went was in September 2007 with Tim. Disney was having a promo where we get the meal plan for free for the days that we're there, and that alone is worth a lot. We stayed in the resort for 8 days and ate like there was no tomorrow, I thought I was gonna explode.
We also went to both of the water parks. Sadly, one of them had to close halfway through our day due to an incoming storm. However the one we spent the whole day was Typhoon Lagoon. O-M-G that water park was mind blowing!!!!!!! Aside from the fact that you could do a quick snorkelling with some sharks and fishies, there was a wave pool that had some huge waves! The highest point being 6 foot above the water, and that wave is hella fast!
To save Tim from being embarassed, I covered him with a picture XD The Disney dude took these wave pool pictures of us with his mega DSLR and he was soaked head to toe..can you hear me screaming?
And yes, I had to wear the one piece haha, there was no way that a bikini would stay where it was with those waves and water slides.





I called that pumpkin a "mumpkin" haha...=D (you know...Mickey + Pumpkin) The food I have here are from Wolfgang Puck Cafe and Columbian something lunch place. The meal plan we had included lunch, 2 snacks and dinner. The dinner included an appetizer, main course, dessert and drink. How could I not get chubby?! lol The best part of the meal plan were the tips was included, so I just walked out after they swiped our meal plan card.

January Vivi (hudie.com) I have the February scans as well, but I only managed to find half of the scans, will try to find the other ones the show you all.

Lena Fuji is so pretty! I think I should find her recently released model book and oogle her. I wish I had hair like her and Chikako.

I saw on Rouge Deluxe's page that Maquillage has redone their logo. The site features some pretty good tutorials for the new shadows and the blusher. I likie!

What Do I Blog Most About?

Skinfood of course!!! So what's new fellow bloggers? I hope everyone's have a good start to the new year.
I got myself another Live Powder Mask, this time the Cacao and Honey one. It is "a facial wash off mask with cacao powder and honey essence for moisturizing dry skin". On the Singapore Skinfood site it says that it's for anti-aging and detoxifying skin.

I think those who are chocoholics would love this mask. When you first pour the powder into the small cup, it smells like cocoa powder then after mixing the essence, it smells just like chocolate cake batter. *drool* I was surprised I didn't try to taste it. The mask was quite liquidy when I applied it, by the time I had to wash it off (3-5 minutes) it dried slightly. I didn't take a picture with the mask on because it looked too weird XD Just picture chocolate cake batter all over my face.

I didn't feel a lot of the moisturizing properties of this mask. It did soften my skin a little bit, but after 2-3 minutes, my face started to feel tight and dry =/ I liked the Rose and Herb Live Powder Mask more because it was more moisturizing.
I don't think I'm going to buy this one again because of that reason. This cost 3000won (about $2.50CAD) and it's enough for one application. This was nothing too special imo, so I think it's safe for anyone to skip this mask.

Remember a few posts back I mentioned that I purchased the Sana Detocrush Gel? It's supposed to be a warming gel scrub that helps break down belly fat. I got it for 23000won and I've been using it for about 2 weeks.

Of course I knew this product was probably not going to work. Like I mentioned in my previous post I think it's just an expensive scrub.
It is a thick amber colored gel with clear smooth scrubbers. There's light scent to it but I can't quite put my finger on what it smells like.
The packaging instructs you to rub it in circles on your lower belly and it's supposed to warm up, but I don't feel it at all.
I use a big enough glob to scrub my stomach area after using soap. In this picture, there's enough for 2 more uses.
In the end I'm not going to purchase this again because my stomach is just the same as when I started using it....of course XD

So does anyone have any major plans this year? Mine are going to Hong Kong, Japan and quite possibly Disney World..again..I went in the fall of 2007 and I wish I was there right now. I also hope that I will be accepted into a university for the BA of Education in September. It is a one year program in Toronto so it's good that it won't take up too much of my time, plus I need to take my TESOL certificate. I can't believe I'm thinking all the way to September already and it's just the beginning of January XD