A FEW OF MY RECENT FAVOURITES

Despite having an extensive makeup collection, and fairly well resourced in the accessorise department; there are times when I would still feel that something is missing and I need a bit of newbie to make me to look forward to getting nicely dressed the next morning.

So I had a few moments to shop in the past few weeks and found a few new bits that I've been obsessed with.

The Balm makeup bits are not easy to get hold of in HK so I snapped up this - In theBalm of Your Hands Holiday Palette when I saw it in a little independent shop recently. Oh wow this palette is sooooo beautiful. I love the fact that it has most of the Balm's most popular face products- blushers: hot mama, instain and cabana boy. The bahama mama's bronzer is something I've wanted to try for such a long time, it's BRILLIANT. I like that it doesn't make me look orange but gives a natural shading to my cheeks. It also comes with 3 eye shadows, the very famous Mary-Lou manizer (love the name!) and 6 lip colours. This will be anyone's perfect travel palette, good to go!

I'm really loving the Oil Control Fixing Spray by Makeup Revolution. Not only is it wallet friendly, it's also effective in keeping oil at bay and making my makeup lasting for longer and better. When its first sprayed on the face it feels a bit tacky but settles supple very soon and absorbed so quickly by the skin. I normally wear my makeup for a good 8 hours and my T-zone is no more greasy and oily. My skin is not so dry now that I live in Hong Kong so controlling a bit of the oil situation has become a bit of a duty for me.

I'm a nail polish junkie so my nails might not be at their best conditions all the time. Cuticles are dry and regular trimming is definitely required. I like to apply this Nail Essence Oil by innisfree (A Korean brand) at night. A recent discovery as well which I'm pleased about. It's not greasy at all and absorbed so easily by my dry cuticles. I have also noticed a difference at the state of my nails. Love it and totally recommend it.

It's the festive season so I wanted to make an extra effort to add some accessories to jazz up my boring usually black outfits. I saw these types of earrings worn by many girls on the street and I really like the look of them. So I picked up 4 pairs to match with my clothings. They are special and unlike any earrings I have worn before. Both the front and back bits of the earrings are designed in their unique ways. It makes them look so much more interesting. I especially love this pair with red lips on the front and pearl baubles at the back- so chic and so stylish. I have been wearing all 4 pairs interchangeably, and feel so special in them.

What are your recent favourites? Have you discovered anything new like I did?

EVENING STAPLE PRODUCTS

There are a couple of products which I find myself reaching for every night without fail. An eureka (well not quite) moment sparked and I thought I should share with you what they are and why I stick to them religiously.

Lip balm is something that I simply cannot live without. This Rose Salve by C.O. Bigelow; I'm still trying to use up from last year's Liberty Beauty Advent Calendar. I just love to slather my lips with a ton of lip balm once dinner is done and teeth are brushed (sounds like a little nursery rhyme there!). Then the rest of the evening until the moment I fall asleep, I would just keep reapplying it to keep my lips as moisturised as possible. If I wake up in the middle of the night, I would try to reapply again. I do notice such a difference the next morning when I have my lip balm on the night before.

Next up is some kind of a mentholatum. Oh my nostrils, they are so sensitive to the change of weather.  I simply can't control the number of times I sneeze in the morning, in the evening or in the middle of the night at the peak of season's changes. It's so annoying. So I like to pile a ton of this mentholatum on the surface of my nostrils area, it really helps to calm the symptoms down.

Are these something that you can relate to as your evening staple products?  If not, what products do you swear by at night?

IT'S STARTING TO FEEL A LOT MORE LIKE CHRISTMAS

Hello! In the run up till Christmas, I'm going to do snapmas this year. I'll be bringing you update on "what's in my beauty advent calendar" each day. It's such an exciting time! Plus all the trimmings will mainly be featured on my snapchat- add me on beautyorbread.

This year I have gone the extra miles to own 2 beauty advent calendars- one by Tanya Burr, Deck the Haul. And the other one is by Lane Crawford (HK version of Selfridges) which I'm so exciting about being able to get my hands on it!

Look forward to sharing more with you through snapchat!

XXX

CURRENT NIGHT TIME SKINCARE ROUTINE - MOISTURISING STEPS

If you have missed my morning skincare routine, you can click here to have a quick look.

Not only do I keep my morning skincare routine simple, I also keep my night time skincare routine as efficient as possible.  I believe that as long as the products work to what you want to target your skin to improve the conditions, there isn't the need to use tons and tons of products.

The thing that troubles me the most in terms of my skin is the darkening of my freckles on my cheeks.  Having been through the summer in Hong Kong - the extreme heat and sunlight are the worst combo ever for skins.  No matter how much SPFs I have used, or how much I tried to avoid the sun, it doesn't seem to have worked.  So I needed something that can help those freckles to fade its colour a bit - I love my freckles but when the colours are getting darker, it's not a good look.

The Estee Lauder Enlighten Dark Spot Correcting Night Serum (strongly recommended by my sister @forksandbrushes, if you want to see a review by her, please click here.) has become my recent skincare favourite.  I am starting to notice a difference about a month into using this and I only use this at night time, as I use another dark spot correcting product by Nivea in the morning.  I noticed that the dark spots on my face is definitely fading.  It's a light weight milky-gel texture cream which is so easily absorbed by my skin and doesn't leave any greasy feeling to my skin which is so important to me when it comes to a good skincare product.  I only apply this in the area that I want to target at.

Then I would just finish off my routine by applying a thin layer of Bio-essence Radiant Youth Essence.  It's a serum oil and I found it rich but light weight, which is why I actually don't bother putting any other products on afterwards.  I find that by reducing the number of products used on my face, my skin is not overwhelmed or overloaded and they feel much more refreshed the next day.

Are you a lazy kind of gal whom like to keep your skincare routine nice and simple?

CURRENT MORNING SKINCARE ROUTINE - MOISTURISING STEPS

It's not often I write about skincare, reason being generally it takes a lot longer to form a genuine opinion on skincare than makeup products. But these days, it dawned on me that I'm quite happy with the stash that is in my vanity cupboard so I thought why not dedicate a couple of posts about them.

I am still enjoying using my Kanebo Cleansing Cream which is so effective in using it as a deep cleanse and a quick cleanse together with a flannel.

I would normally spray a quick sprit of the Caudal Beauty Elixir which is my absolute all time favourite beauty product, I have lost count in how many bottles I have already gone through.  I wasn't aware this can be used as a makeup setting spray so this is what I have been using it lately (the result is still yet to observe).  I love the scent of this product, it's strong and I have to say it's not everyone's taste but it is my go-to pick-me-up essential.

Then I would apply the Bio-essence Birds Nest Bio-Energy Firm and Brighten Eye Cream to tackle those puffiness and dark circle in that under eye areas.  It's a light gel formulation which is so easily absorbed by those delicate undereye areas.  I wouldn't go as far as saying they have successfully gotten rid of the puffiness and dark circles but I noticed that these two annoying problems of my eyes have not gone worse since using it.  As I still remained skeptical about eye creams, I would say this eye cream is not a bad option.

I am currently testing out two products by Nivea - Vital Soja Anti-age spot concentrate and Vital Extra Nourishing Day Cream.  Both of which are quite a rich product, especially the day cream so I would only use this during Autumn/ Winter.  But having said that, it is still relatively warm in Hong Kong, I don't find the cream leaving a too heavy feeling on my skin and is rather easily absorbed by my skin.  As there are some freckles on my cheekbone areas and there are more of them and the colouration is certainly getting darker over the summer - the uber strong sun in HK is so damaging to the skin.  I have been using this anti-age spot concentrate for roughly around a month of time and I do notice a gradual difference - those freckle marks are fading gently - although I am not sure if it's due to the sun is playing a hide-and-seek game recently or due to this product - could be a bit of both but I'm definitely happy with the result I have seen so far.

What skincare héros are you relying on in the morning?  Have you used any of these products before?

THE PRIMER GAME

I'm never quite a face primer wearer, I just never really needed it because I used to be one of those fortunate people that my makeup stay put quite well throughout the day.

Now, things have changed since I now live in Hong Kong.  We have just been through the hottest summer in beautyorbread's history.  I'm sure there had been at least a whole month, if not for longer; that the temperature shot up to 35c everyday and stayed that hot.

I was still wearing makeup but it took me a whole summer to realise that, apart from not wearing makeup (because I love doing so), I could actually wear something called a 'face primer' to help those beauty products stay put a bit better on my face.

As the sun is still relatively visible, and at times it can still feel a bit warm (believe it or not it's already mid-October but temperature can still get up to 30c), so a primer with SPF is a must for me; to give my face that bit of protection.

I first looked at the brand Kate, it has a mineral UV gel base primer.  It comes in a squeezy tube so it's perfect for travelling.  It has SPF32 PA ++ so it also ticks my box of a combo of SPF and primer.  The texture of the product feels quite silicone but blends and applies easily on the face.  I feel that it is not too 'siliconey' that my makeup can't sit on top of it well.  It does help my face products last a bit longer.  It is absorbed by the skin quite quickly and doesn't dry out my skin.

Obviously, I wouldn't just stop trying out one product.  I then saw the Max Factor Face Finity Primer with SPF 20, and said to myself, 'oh yes of course there's a face primer by Max Factor and why didn't I think of that!'.  The texture of this primer is a lot more liquidy than the Kate's one.  It feels more like a face lotion than a conventional face primer would feel.  This then makes the application even more easier and feels more hydrating on the skin.  Although I wouldn't necessarily say that the Kate's one is less hydrating as both products are absorbed by the skin equally well and fast.  Again, this also helps my makeup to stay put fairly well.  The glass bottle makes the product looks really nice but not a travel friendly product I don't think.

I would recommend both products as they both perform equally well - it just depends on if you prefer a thicker textured primer or something similar to a face lotion.

Do you wear a primer?  Is it a step that you swear by it or 'nah it's not for me'?

LIFE UPDATE

It's been a rather long while since I wrote anything (nothing) on my blog here. 

There's no excuse to be made, busy is not a reason. Makeup and beauty still play such a massive role in my life so I haven't forgotten about you.

Just wanted to take this opportunity to share the joy that we had last week in celebrating my little one's 1st birthday.

Yes, Lear has turned 1! How did that happen I had no idea, but he did. The most exciting is that he's taken his first steps just before his 1st birthday. Mr Holiday and I are so excited about him walking properly!

I look forward to myself writing more beauty posts soon!

Meanwhile, I hope you have enjoyed reading this little post.

Xxx

NEW BEAUTY DISCOVERY: CLEANSING CREAM BY KANEBO

Living in Hong Kong and finding a good facial cleansing cream that can both remove makeup and cleanse the face are challenging.

However, recently a beam of breakthrough light has shone upon my face and I wanted to share with you what this is all about.

Meet cleansing cream by Kanebo (HK $65, roughly around £5.5) . This is a great Japanese brand, I have tried a few things by it and have almost never been disappointed by it.

This is a dual purpose cleansing cream, it removes makeup and cleanses the face. So for all those busy bees out there, this is your equivalent of Emma Hardie cleansing balm or the Liz Earle hot cloth cleanser; both of which are almost impossible to buy in Hong Kong.

This cleansing cream is rich, it comes in a rich cream texture but doesn't not clog up my pores nor does it make my skin feels greasy afterwards. It's very easy to wash off using a flannel and is very gentle on the skin, it doesn't sting my eyes so it's great to remove eye makeup.

There are also these little beads in the cream that is meant to help exfoliate the skin. However, as the cream is very creamy and rather rich, the beads aren't very effective, if it does it's bonus but I'm fine with it doesn't.

I love the packaging, too. It has an attached open lid so you don't need to worry about where to put the lid on after opening it. This is especially handy when I find myself always using this in a shower.

This would most probably be on my repurchase list before I find the next best thing.

Have you tried this before? How do you normally remove your makeup and cleanse your face? Do you prefer using one or two products?

NUXE FACE CLEANSING AND MAKEUP REMOVING GEL REVIEW

Are you a single or double-step cleanser when it comes to removing makeup and facial cleansing in the evening?

I'm definitely a single-step cleanser. I like products that are dual purposes- removing makeup whilst giving my face a good squeaky clean.

There are a few trusted product like this I use but until recently I have managed to use up everything I have in my stash. I ventured out to try something new.

I purchased this NUXE face cleansing and makeup removing gel on a whimp. I then realised that yes, it is a dual purpose product but it doesn't remove EYE makeup. It's my fault...

However, I still like this product though. It's a moisturising gel textured cleanser. It has a strong scent of honey (NUXE is famous for its usage of natural product so I'm not too worried about those chemicals). It leaves my skin feeling all moisturised instead of drying after a good cleanse.

The first time when I used this, I mistakenly used it to remove my eye makeup as well as the face. Honestly though, it doesn't sting my sensitive eyes all that badly. It's marginally acceptable but I wouldn't do it again as this product isn't designed to do so. It does a pretty good job in removing face make up.

So... I'm back to the good old double cleanse in the evening. Eye makeup remover, then a good old overall cleanse with this.

Have you tried this before? What do you use to remove makeup?

IT'S ALL ABOUT THE SHINE - DIOR GEL TOP COAT

I asked myself, what does it take for a nail top coat to stand out from the crowd?

The answer is simple -

Protection - providing longevity to the nail colours underneath

Shine and Gloss - giving my nails a nail bar finish - 'ah, that gel nails you have got on looks amazing!'

Quick drying - helping your nail colours to dry in no time - 'I don't have all day and night to sit there, letting times to pass by'

My recent beauty trial on the nail front is Dior Gel Nail Top Coat.  I have heard good things about it but ya know,  a high end nail product can often end up behaving like any old high street nail product brand so I have been holding fire on trying this.

It didn't disappoint.  It ticked all 3 of my 'award winning' nail top coat boxes.  That shine and gloss is on par with a gel nail you get it done at a nail bar.  It somehow gives this those flat nail colours more dimensions.

It's an investment buy, although as a regular nail polish wearer, this could be a dangerous and expensive investment.

What's your favourite nail top coat?  Have you tried this one before?

THAT SPF THOUGH....

I'll just cut it short and make a clear - this summer I'm experiencing in Hong Kong is horrible!  It's not the type of summer I'm used to - cold and chilly!

The sun shines everyday and it is S-T-R-O-N-G.  There isn't a day I would go out without slathering my face with SPF protection.

Recently, a friend of mine recommended me to use Bioderma Photoderm Max Cream SPF 50+.  A dermatologist told her that Bioderma is a trusted brand by professional, and the SPF product provides the most stable SPF protection that it claims.  I've been using it for a week or so and I have mixed reviews about it.

I don't question about the SPF protection side of it, however because of its such great recommendation by dermatologist, I do instantly feel my face is protected from the strong sunlight and UV light or what have you.  The texture of the cream is quite a rich one, when I say 'cream' it really is a 'cream' formulation, so imagine that in your mind.  It's very easily blended with the skin, however it doesn't feel that it's absorbed as quickly as other SPF products I have used.  It does feel rather tacky after application to the face.  However, as the day goes on, my face doesn't feel greasy or oily at all which is strange when the formulation is that creamy despite its exposure to such hot and humid climate, so a real thumbs up for this one.  

It doesn't leave any white mask on the face either and works great as a makeup base.  I have had no problem applying makeup on top of it.

I'm definitely going to continue using it and I can just see how this would become a staple product in my beauty stash in the summer.

What SPF product(s) do you use?  If you want to know what other SPF products I use, you can click here to have a nose around!

SPFs OVERLOADED

I cannot describe how hot the weather it has been in Hong Kong (relocated from London since January 2015).  I haven't experienced such intense heat so earlier on in the year, and also this heat is a regular daily thing.  The strong sunlight, the humidity and the heat - not a good trio at all.  Every day I look at myself in the mirror and noticed those lovely freckles on my two cheeks are becoming more visible, my heart sank and I freaked out.

Don't get me wrong, I love those little brownie points on my face.  They usually make their appearances in the summer and by that I mean between July and August only, then they stay hibernated for the rest of the year.  That's history but now I'm living in Hong Kong, things are a little different.

Wearing SPFs is a must for me, I cannot go a day without it.  The sun is strong.  I don't rely on my daily moisturisers or foundation to provide the SPFs as I don't wear either of those products enough to provide me enough sun protection.  I need a separate SPF product to give me that.


Maybelline Care and Correct CC SPF 37 PA+++ (Pink Glow) - I wear this two ways.  As a CC cream as it were, when I'm just running errands or taking my little one out for a walk in my neighbourhood.  When I just want my face to look a bit glowy but not totally made up.  It's a great base to do just that whilst giving my face a sun protection.  It's perfect, too for as a base to give your complexion a pinky glowy undertone before applying foundation.  The formula is not oily at all and it's rather moisturising so it's perfect for such humid and hot weather.

Kose Suncut UV Protect Gel SPF 50+ PA ++++ - Kose is such a trusted beauty brand.  I have tried quite a few beauty products by it and I'm always impressed by it.  So when I saw this I secretly knew it would work on my skin and it did.  It's a gel-cream formula, once blended onto the skin it feels slightly liquidy to the touch which makes it very easy for the skin to absorb.  It works really well as a base for applying makeup.  It doesn't have any scent which is what I like too as a base product.  It's great!

L'Oreal UV Perfect Aqua Essence City Face Mist SPF 50 PA++++ - Putting on a good layer of SPF in the morning doesn't mean you are sun-protected for the rest of the day.  SPF protection wears off as the day goes by so topping up during the day is so important!  This SPF face mist is brilliant - it's easy to just spray-and-go, you don't need to worry about ruining your makeup. I like it the spray isn't greasy at all, unlike some SPF other sprays.

Biore UV Perfect Spray SPF 50+ PA++++ - First thing first, as I said above I like a good SPF facial spray for that essential top-up during the day but this one by Biore is a bit disappointing.  It's so greasy, it doesn't get absorbed by the skin easily.  My skin is pretty dry but I find this quite uncomfortable after it's sprayed on.  It feels like a film of greasy spray covered my face.  I wouldn't recommend it but I've heard others who find it no problem so it's your call.

Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Body Mist Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF 100+ - So your face is all SPF proofed, what about your body?  I prefer a body spray rather than a SPF body lotion, purely because it's that much more convenient and quicker.  It can leave a white mark on the body if you don't spray it evenly but it can be easily rubbed out evenly. My skin isn't left greasy.  It's a great product, and it's SPF 100; what more can you ask for?

I'm all SPF protected this summer - what about you?

SUMMER BEAUTY ESSENTIAL

In where I live,  summer has arrived for a long time it's so darn hot. One little move even indoor I'm all sweating.

Wearing makeup is still happening most days as I do love putting on products that I like to make myself look a little more presentable.

As it's so hot I do like to keep things simpler than I would normally in cooler days so I have switched things up a little bit. 

A good SPF base is a must. Clinique even better anti-pollution city block has a SPF 40, not only it's great for preventing those sun damage. It's great when people like myself who live in a big and polluted city, something that acts as a barrier to filter out those stubborn dirt had polluted air from your face sounds like an absolute good friend to keep over the next few months. As this sun protection base offers a little bit of skin tone evening out function, it's great to use on its own even on a san makeup day.  

On days when I want to look that little bit more put together, I reach for the L'Oreal True Match foundation. All the hype around it is worth all the while. This foundation has such a sophisticated finish. The formulation is thin and close to feel like a watery texture. It's so easy to blend using both a brush or fingers. It's buildable so you can completely forget about using concealer afterwards, yet it gives such a dewy finish it's not thick or cakey at all. I would totally recommend this foundation for the summer.  

Those eye shadows can crease and disappear with sweats and oil secreted from those eye lids. So, on hotter and warmer days I pay extra attention on applying an eye primer to keep those lovely eye shadows in place. by Terry hyaluronic eye primer is a beigey colour eye base that helps eye shadows adhere to the eyelids it's also great in correcting discolouration in that department. It's also brilliant that it contains hyaluronic acid which is great for hydrating those eyelids that could go very dry when staying in air conditioned area for too long, and this is especially great for places in Hong Kong!

These days I love using my NYX merci beaucoupe eye shadow palette, especially those golden shades that are so easy to use to create a golden goddess look and instantly gives your face a pick-me-up.

How can I not talk about a summer appropriate blusher? This new duo intensity blusher by Nars is amazing. It can be used dry or wet. I prefer to wet my brush slightly and swirl it across the two colours and buff it onto my cheeks. It gives such a fantastic sheer of colour and has this cheek highlighting effect it's unbelievable! Wearing it wet is so much better and makes your face look much more dimensional. 

Finally I cannot finish talking by adding a few of my favourite nail polishe colours for this summer. I'm normally a pink/ purple nail polish colour wearer but something about those pastel blue and green shades that really have got me happy and addictive in choosing them. And a neon pink is just perfect when you just want to brighten up your outfit. It works especially well if you love wearing a white tee with a pair of blue ripped jeans and a pair of sandals.

What's your summer essentials? Have you started preparing your beauty stash and wardrobe for it yet?

NAIL POLISH REMOVER: THE RUN DOWN

Are you a fussy person when it comes to choosing the right nail polish remover?  Oh yes I am!

I need my nail polish remover to be a) removing nail polish in no time, b) removing nail polish thoroughly in no time, c) doesn't leave my nails dry and chapped.  The first two criterion are the most important, otherwise; why one needs a nail polish remover?

Recently, I managed to change my nail polish up quite regularly and I have tried 3 nail polish removers in a short period of time and wanted to talk about them.

essie's good as gone - when Vivianna from Vivianna does makeup highly raved about this, I thought how good can this be?  Often I'm left quite disappointed with branded nail polish remover.  Not until I tried other bad ones did I know how great and effective this one is.  This essie's one is the best out of the three here, and possibly one of the best ones I have tried.  Although I haven't tried using this to remove any glitter shades, for darker or brighter colours, this one does the job so well.  A few swipes on the nails, there the polishes are gone - good as gone!  It doesn't leave my nails feel too dry either.  It's definitely an all-rounder.  I would definitely repurchase!

Watson's revival nail polish remover - when I have finished the essie's one, I thought I would try something different so there I was in Watson's looking for a new nail polish remover to try.  However there aren't that many to choose from, in fact; only two to choose from.  I opted for this one and I'm not at all satisfied by it.  This one is beyond disappointing.  If I may say so, if I was to use this remover to remove my nail polish; I might well just use water to do so....... enough said.

O.P.I. original polish remover - as a matter of urgency, I purchased this one by O.P.I.  I haven't really tried many nail products by O.P.I. but I'm pleasantly surprised by how good this is.  I mean, it's not the best one yet, not quite as good as 'good as gone', but it's good enough to do the job quickly enough for me to get on with another task efficiently, and it does leave my nails pretty clean (not as good as 'good as gone', again).

What's your favourite nail polish remover?  Have you tried any of the above?