My dressing table beauty essentials

My dream is to have a white, princess like dressing table where I can display lots of beautiful perfume bottles and other of my pretty makeup collections.

For the time being, with the limited living space available at home, I'm already grateful for what I have - functional and I try to improve the layout of it regularly.

On my dressing table, there are '3 sections' that it seems to have divided up into.

1) My sunglasses collection

2) My daily essentials

3) My watches crystal bowl

There are the items I reach for almost on a daily basis, they are the things I need everyday, now and quickly.

1) My sunglasses collection:  Inside the green/ pale blue paper box (my Kate Spade box which previously contained a pair of earrings that came with it) it houses my 4 pairs of sunglasses.  I wear sunglasses on most days in the Summer, if the sun shines, I still reach for them in Winter months; or.... just wear them on my head rather than on my face where it should be.....  This purple pair is my favourite of all.  I got them from a little boutique in Notting Hill Gate a few years back.  I love everything about it: light, purple, big frame, and most important of all which attracted me to buy this was the two white roses at the two outer side of the frame.  They only cost me 10 and it's lasted for quite a while and are still going strong!

Next up in the middle part of the line is 2) My daily essentials.  I placed a Muji tray to hold all these varied sizes bottles and to keep them tidy and in place.  I have my Savlon antiseptic cream as my skin often plays up and have some kind of allergic reactions to various materials so I need to keep one of these bottles easy to reach.  A tube of hand cream is a must for me on a dressing table as my hands get so dry.  My sister (@forksandbrushes) got me Hand Food by Soap & Glory to save my hands and my homesick for London.  It's easily one of the best hand creams on the market - not only does it smell gloriously (marshmallow! so it's quite sweet) it hydrates well but it's not greasy either.  It's a complete joy to wear this on my hands.  

These days as I have shorter hair so I tend to need to blow dry them to style, it gets quite dry at the ends so I definitely need to take care of them better than before.  Every time before I inject heat to them, I spray some of these Straightener spray with Argan oil by Tresemme to my ends.  I found that it helps to keep my hair straighter and more moisturised, definitely a star hair product!  Of course I wouldn't not have a bottle of Caudalie Beauty Elixir somewhere on my dressing table, I'm simply obsessed with this stuff!

On a more random note, I would keep a random bottle of nail polish on my dressing table for no reasons really.  On the day I took this picture, I had my Deborah Lipman nail polish from the Mermaid range.

I also have some spot treatments essentials, I found that since I moved to Hong Kong, I have more breakouts than before, especially in the forehead area.  My La Roche Posay Effclar A.I. Targeted Breakout Corrector and Simple Spotless Skin Rapid Action Spot Zapper.  I have done a more detailed review of these products, which you can refer to here.

Recently I've completely transformed my perfume collection and have gone all adventurous.  I have been wearing the same 3 perfumes in the past 10 years or so and I thought I would never live without them - Stella McCartney, Sarah Jessica Parker's Lovely and Marc Jacob's Daisy, of these 3 perfumes I think Stella's perfume will always have a special place in my heart and is definitely a perfume that I would re-purchase again and again.

Ever since I finished the last spray of Stella McCartney's perfume, I went perfume-less for a few months.  Until my sister bought me three new ones to replace the gap!

Escentric Molecule,  'Molecule 01 consists of one single ingredient, which is known as Iso E Super in the fragrance industry. On its own it is less of an aroma than an effect. This perfume lends an indefinable radiance to the water – its effect is almost pheromonic.' I'm yet to explore how the scent develops on my body as I have worn this for a few times only, the scent is very soft and it tends to disappear quite quickly, or actually it might be that I can't smell it myself but others can?  I'll report on this as I wear it more. 

I also have two miniature bottles of Jo Malone Cologne in the scent of Blueberry & Bay, Peony & Blush Suede.  Both of them are quite different scents to what I would normally wear which I actually rather like.  I can't describe scents well but they are a bit of a combo of citrusy, woody and a bit florally.   All in all, I just enjoy wearing these scents interchangeably.

In my crystal bowl I place my watches.  Watches are very important to me as I do like to keep to a schedule and be punctual on things.  I love my pink roses strap watch the most, I used to only wear it on special occasions but now I wear it more on a regularly basis.  It's also a great piece of accessory to make my plain outfit pop! 

What's on your dressing table?  What can't you not use on a daily basis?

Hand Creams Junkies - Handbag and Office Essentials

I cannot live without handcreams.  It's a fact.  My skin is dry, and not only they are dry on the face, my hands are also dry, sometimes chapped.

I wasn't sure if I needed to reach for handcreams as much as I did after moving to Hong Kong.  Seriously, Hong Kong is one of the most humid places in the world; the floors and walls can be so damp  during the non-winter months (N.B. Winter/ Colder months in Hong Kong are very short - may be 3 months max!).

However, I realised my hands were getting rather dry since October, and especially since I started working again in an office environment.  I feel like I'm practically eating my hand creams as they are emptying at such a fast pace!

In my office, I always keep a handcream and I tried out Hand Veil Hand Cream by Metholatum.  It claims to moisturise both the hands and nails, I think it really does the job rather well.  I have very dry cuticles, too so this hand cream is perfect for those nasty flaky skin round the cuticles.  I like it as it is just slightly greasy when applied on my hands, but the greasiness is absorbed rather quickly so it isn't a problem to me.  So, watch out for this if you aren't someone who like a greasy-after-care of a hand cream.

L'occitance Rose Hand Cream is very makeup bag friendly.  I had the smaller size so I can bring it with me when I'm on-the-go.  It's the rose scent that sold me to this hand cream.  Well, it is hydrating, too but I think the lasting power is slightly weaker than the Hand Veil Hand Cream by Metholatum.  This is probably a better hand cream in the not-so-dry months. 

I have never heard of the brand MISS CAROL Hand Cream until I saw them in Sasa one day, when I was shopping for a hand cream for my handbag.  When I first saw it, the packaging reminded me of L'Occitance hand cream.  That is clever as it made me think Miss Carol's is as good as L'Occitance!

I wasn't disappointed at all!  I liked how hydrating this hand cream was but it's not greasy at all.  The lavender scent also made the hand cream very therapeutic to apply.  For HK$24 (around UK£2), it really cannot go wrong; and possibly a dupe for L'Occitance hand cream if you cannot afford it.

Have you tried any of these hand creams before?  What are your favourite hand products?  How do you keep your hands moisturised and hydrated?

Empties and well loved

Happy New Year!  beautyorbread wishes you a very pretty year to come and may 2014 bring you lots of exciting aspects!  

To kick off 2014, I wanted to share some of my favourite empty products.... here they are....

I have been writing my 'Empties' blogpost since April.  Fans of beautyorbread would know that I like to do a little review of each empty product alongside.  This time, there's no exception.  However, these empty products have truly been well loved and I want to share them with you.  

Liz Earle Instant Boost Skin Tonic - Are you a toner user?  I wasn't but until I tried the Liz Earle Instant Boost Skin Tonic, I found that it made such a difference to my skin.  Not only does it make them more supple, it seemed to have calmed down my skin a lot (thanks to the Chamomile Essential Extract in this.  Love me some Chamomile!).  It doesn't dry out my skin at all which is sometimes other toners would do and that's why I have not been using one in the past religiously as part of my skincare routine. 

ILIA Beauty Balmy Nights Lip Exfoliator My desert island product has to be a lip exfoliator.  I don't think I can live without one of these as my lips are so dry and chapped; especially in the colder months.  I especially love this because of the convenience and ease of usage.  Unlike other lip exfoliator where it's contained in a pot and you have to scoop the content out and exfoliate your lips which for me, often ended up a messy act.  With ILIA's lip exfoliator, it's clean; you twist and turn and apply this exfoliating balm on your lips.  Who isn't to love smooth and moisturised lips?

Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Top Coat - This is probably my 3rd/ 4th bottle.  This stuff is seriously good.  The formula is the best in the market - not only it speeds up the drying process which is the key and what this product is designed for.  It also gives a shiny finish.  A product that does two things?  What not to love?!

L'Oreal Grow Beautiful for Short Nails (sorry I can't find this on the website but it's easily available from Superdrug and Boots) - L'oreal nail polish is one of my favourite nail polishes.  The flat brush and the formula of the polish are the perfect combo.  The colour range is extremely diverse, too.  When L'Oreal launched its nail care range, I was the first to try this!  I picked the Grow Beautiful for Short Nails.  I used this as a base coat which has worked perfectly.  I didn't realise it helped my nails to grow though, this didn't bother me.  However I found it nourished my nails and have prevented my nails from yellowing.

Are any of these your favourite products?  What have you finished using lately and what have you loved?

The Pump Action(s)

I want to talk convenience in beauty today.

I often ask for a hassle free type of product which gives me the convenience, efficiency and effectiveness that I want to see.  So when I heard Viviannadoesmakeup talked about 'The Best Nail Polish Remover?' in which she referred to the pump design nail polish remover by Zoya, I felt the urge to get my hands on it.  I bought mine in London in the WholeFoods Market at about £11.99.  You can, alternatively get this little beauty from amazon.co.uk for £10 (delivery is free within the UK).

For those of you who live in Hong Kong, I have seen this available in a few independent nail specialist retailer in Tsim Sha Tsui and Kimerley in Causeway Bay but the prices are slightly more expensive than in the UK (within a reasonable margin though I think).  

Zoya nail polishes are cult products because of the ingredients that they used.  It is free from paraben or any nasty chemical ingredients, also they are suitable for vegans and vegetarians, too.  However they are normally at the £10 price range and this is why I am yet to try their nail polishes yet.

Let's go back to the nail remover.  I have been enjoying using it as you can see I'm at the final 1/3 lag.  The pump action certainly ticked the boxes of efficiency and convenience.  However I must say that the first couple of times when I used it, I managed to pump out more than I needed to and wasted a little bit of the product.  Practise made perfect, now I'm an expert, a few pump onto the cotton pads, I got enough of what I needed.  The power of this nail remover to remove nail polishes is stronger than other nail remover I have tried, and at the same time I don't feel that it's done any damage to my nails.  Also you don't need that much product to remove ten nails which are full of colours, apart from glitter nails if you happen to have.  

The 3-in-1 formula is also worth mentioning, that this remover removes old polish, cleanse nails and prep your nails for the next nail polish you choose to wear.  Do I find my nail polish last longer as a result of using this?  Hm.... not really but in terms of doing damage to my nails as a result of removing nail polish, I can certainly notice the difference.

Since I have been enjoying all the pumping action that Zoya has given me, the search on pumping beauty products continued and the next one I wanted to share with you is by Charlotte Tilbury, her Take It All Off Eye Makeup Remover (£24).  Charlotte Tilbury makeup range is available in Selfridges in the UK.  Unfortunately Selfridges isn't delivering to Hong Kong yet but when it does, I would really recommend you to try something from her range because it is amazing!

This makeup remover is a bi-layer solution which is designed for removing eye makeup.  'Shake, Pump, Soak and Swipe' is the 'slogan'/ instructions to use this makeup remover.   The solution is a blue liquid which doesn't smell of anything.  

It doesn't stink my eyes which is good but when it comes to the effectiveness of removing makeup, I am not impressed.  I followed the detailed instructions of pumping and pressing twice to get enough solution onto my cotton pads, then soak onto closed eyes for 10 seconds.  It does remove some make up but it leaves residue (dark marks) on my eye areas, and when I further cover my eyes with the cotton pads soaked with the makeup remover solution, it didn't really help in removing the rest of the yuckiness left.  Perhaps I haven't mastered the pumping actions good enough but when I pumped, lots of solution splashed out from all sorts of direction.  I wouldn't repurchase it, for £24 and for what it does; I definitely wouldn't!  But I'm glad to have bought this as I can recycle the bottle and pour in some better ones inside.

Are you pumping enough in the beauty world?

Merry Crimbo, love from beautyorbread in Hong Kong

Merry Christmas to everyone! 

Christmas in Hong Kong is different, it's very commercialised. I know what you may be saying, as that's how it seems these days in most parts in the world.

Trust me, it's all revolved around materials and expensive gifts approaching the Christmas period! This year, perhaps it's the not-so-cold weather; my anticipation to Christmas is fairly weak. The feeling has only grown a little stronger since last week!

The shopping complex that is very close to my home has some pretty impressive Christmas set-up which I want to share with you all here.

During this exciting period of time, there are also these really amazing cute little sets of confectionary for children.

No matter what you are doing today and where you will be; have a lovely Christmas!

The White Shade in Nail Polish

White nail polish equals to painting Tipex/ Correction fluid to your nails?

This is what I thought in the past, and when white nail polish was at its hottest trend back in the summer; I refused to give it a go.

A few months down the line, I caved in and went into Sasa; and realised my hands were helping themselves to the Sinful Color Nail Polish stand...... and the rest is history....

I don't think I can yet wear white nail polish on all ten of my nails, but as the best nail art buddy, white nail polish has got my vote big times!

Look how much fun I've had with them, creating my own unique nail art pattern!

Are you a fan of white nail polish?  Perhaps you can pick one up and create your own festive nails?

The packaging did it for me!

Here on beautyorbread, I often talk about if I like a product or not based on how it performs, whether it works or not. It all sounds very mechanics at times. However, sometimes I'm not at all a sensible shopper. The impulsive me inside always jump out of nowhere telling me to buy because of how good something looks. 

Today's post is all about the packaging, and it's all because of the looks that did just it for me.

Are you also a sucker for beautiful packaging?

I've heard people said that if you don't like Tom Ford's lipstick, you have no hearts. I wouldn't go as far as that but my god, it really was just because of the white and gold bullet that drew me into grabbing one of these Tom Ford lipstick. 

It is a nudy brown shade with fine golden shimmer runs through the bullet. The shade actually doesn't flatter my skin tone at all so I haven't used it that often. The funny thing is on party night out, I would actually bring this with me as an extra lipstick, and would actually take this out from my clutch and pretend to apply this on my lips, well, lightly dabbing it on my lips. It is just because of the packaging. Sad but it's lovely and I couldn't resist, and who cares!

Then I remember one Sunday afternoon, I was reading a few blogs that I would. I saw a gorgeous deep blue back cap engraved with two shiny silver letters: C D. There, I told myself I had to run down to Selfridges and own that little pot or something on that very day. 

This  Dior Cream Blush is in a glass pot so it's slightly on the heavier side. Not entirely travel friendly but completely satisfying when put on dressing table. Of course I haven't just let it sitting on the dressing table, I used it and it has been well loved. It looks a really scary bright pink on the pot but surprisingly easy to blend on the cheeks. 

Folks in London familiar with the brand Jill Stuart? Clothing may be but she's got a whole range of makeup and skincare bits going on. All, and I do mean all; are designed in these beautiful princess packages. That makes her shops a very special one to visit. 

It's called the Mix Blush Compact N, and I have it in the colour #04 Candy Orange.  At the time when I needed this in my life I was all over coral.  The combination of the 2 coral shades together with some pinks made it the perfect blushers for me.  The adjustable little cheek brush that came with the blush compact made me felt like a little pretty princess holding this.  However, I'm disappinted by the colour pay off, it's a bit sketchy and the quality of the brush is not soft....... nice packaging but poor quality for this.... I've tried JS' eye shadow quad which was amazing and I managed to use them all up.  I'm hoping that the next product I try would be a nice one!

I have written a whole blogpost about Burberry Nail Polish, you can remind yourself by clicking here.

I used to be a Burberry clothing and accessories kind of girl.  I liked how English their clothings were and how sleek and simple the designs were.  Time went by and I fell out of love with B, as I found their design, to be more precise the Burberry trademark - the check pattern a little bit all over the place, too overwhelming.  However, I think that Burberry beauty products are a total killer - sleek and high end.  This nail polish in the shade of stone No. 104 is the first Burberry beauty product that I own.  I love how petite this little bottle of nail polish is, and how elegant the cap comes in.  A simple BURBERRY wording printed at the bottom end of the bottle has perfectly put their marks on it.   The quality of the nail polish also didn't disappoint - thick and gel like.  I must try other Burberry beauty products, soon.

What about you?  Are you a follower of beauty packaging?  Do you just buy something because of how good they look?  Or are you a bit of a realistic, you'd prefer to buy something that performs and don't mind how it looks?