What's been emptied #2? February Edition

I love it when I finished using some of my beauty products - it feels like I have not wasted any of my money; especially things that I have enjoyed using.  In the recent months I have accumulated four items that I have finished using up and they are things that I would recommend and repurchase in future.

The two mascaras that have become my staple combinations while they last:

L'Oreal False Lash Telescopic Infinite Length Effect Fibers (Waterproof) £10.99 - I think that for what it is it's worth the price tag although at first I did think it was a little bit expensive for a drugstore mascara.  This works particularly well on two things: lengthening and curling of your lashes.  It doesn't hold my curls that well but I still haven't tried one that would hold it exceedingly well and I think I've only got my own lashes to blame on.  The plastic wand has 4 sides to it: 2 flat sides which do not have any bristles sticking out from, then two sides which have got the fibre bristles.  I normally apply this mascara from the flat side first which seem to curl up my lashes rather well.  I often go overboard with the application of mascara so I put on at least 3 coats.  The only down side about this mascara is just like any other mascaras that I have tried, they do smudge on me half way through my day but it's not a severe one so all in all, I'm really pleased about this mascara.

My other mascara in the combo is by Ellis Faas.  Ellis Faas is famous for her silver bullet packaging makeup range which gives a real modern and astronaut feel.  Thanks to my sister @forksandbrushes who generously gave me the mascara from a special summer beauty gift box that she bought from Selfridges.  It's my first product tried by Ellis Faas.  For  £20 it isn't the most expensive mascara of all amongst the high end range and after using up the whole tube, I think it's definitely worth the price tag.  The wand is a tapered brush and leans towards on the small size compared to other mascaras I have tried.  Like in the description on the website, it's got a creamy texture so it's kind of wet when I first got it and started using it.  But it doesn't bother me as I tend to get rid of some of the excess product before applying on my lashes.  I really like the size of the wand as it suits my eye shape - I don't have particularly big eyes and  my lashes are very short, so the relatively smaller sized wand helps to apply the products onto my lashes really accurately.  It does separate individual lashes so it opens up my eyes really well.  Although I don't find the mascara lengthens my lashes rather it volumises and bulks up my lashes.  This is why I said it's a great combo with the L'Oreal Telescopic mascara (one that lengthens, curls; and the other volumises and bulk things up!).  This mascara also smudge on me a little half way through the day, not badly so it's acceptable.  Would I repurchase and recommend it to others?  Yes I would!

I'm such a nail polishes addict, too so I do go through some of the top/ base coats fairly quickly.  I talked about my discovery of the Cyber Color range in Sasa.  I'm already on my second bottle of the ECO High Gloss Top Coat.  If you want a more detailed review of this good stuff, you can check out here.

Ironically I seem to be consuming hand cream a lot quicker since relocating to Hong Kong.  When I used to live in London, people often say that the air is drier there and I must use up a lot hand cream but the reality is a complete opposite story.  Anyway,  I have never tried any hand cream by Crabtree & Evelyn.  I feel that this brand doesn't get talked about as much as L'Occitane.  Hand Cream Therapy, Iris has been a firmed favourite of my handbag in the past month.  It has a nice scent of Iris (I assume it's this scent as I don't actually know what Iris should smell like!).  It's not too overpowering but it does linger on my hands for a little while which ticks my box!  Then moving onto the texture itself, it's definitely got a creamy texture and slightly on the thicker side of a hand cream but it gets absorbed incredibly quickly hence it doesn't leave my hands feeling greasy at all..  It's very moisturising especially on the cuticles and on my nails I feel - it lives up to the name of the product - Hand Cream Therapy.  I would definitely repurchase and recommend this hand cream to people if you haven't tried it before.

What have you emptied this month?  Have you tried any of the above products before?

A special hand-held mirror set

We are still in the Chinese New Year period and we are still being extra nice and bringing lots of happiness and goodies to each other.

I recently received a very special Chinese New Year's gift: a set of very beautiful vintage look-alike hand held mirror and a comb.

When I opened the box I almost screamed because of how amazing this girlie mirror set looks! 

This gift is brought back fr the Yunnan province in China, so indeed a very unique present! I love the purple flower on the back of the mirror and the bronze-steel material which gives a real vintagy feel.

I'm loving my new hand held mirror!

Have you received any special gifts recently? Perhaps I've given you a little idea on Valentine's gift?

My untouchable beauty wish list!

Oh dear, very itchy!  Not talking about that, I'm talking about itching to shop in Space NK!  For those of you who are less familiar with the UK beauty scenery, Space NK is a beauty apothecary store which stocks up on the highest quality of makeup, skincare and haircare brands from all over the world.  It's definitely one of the most interesting beauty chained stores in the world.  If you can't visit a Space NK store physically yet, perhaps you should check out its website to see what makes you tick - they do international delivery to most of the countries in the world..... dangerous alert to your purse!  Ooops!

There has been quite a few exciting new launches recently from two of my favourite brands, Hourglass and Eve Lom.  Living in Hong Kong means I miss out on all the hourglass good stuff, although Eve Lom is available here, EL's latest launch on makeup are somewhat a distant dream to me for the time being.

As a blusher junkie, hourglass' latest invention Ambient Lighting Blush £28, looks absolutely lush - I really want to get my hands on those.  I own its Ambient Lighting Powder in Dim Light.  I bought it because it's a cult product but as I started to exploring using it I liked it more and more.  Ambient Lighting Blush is the blusher version of the Ambient Lighting Powder.  It is available in 6 shades and I love that their names correspond with the Ambient Lighting Powder, such as Dim Light vs Dim Infusion.  Perhaps you can colour match your blusher with the lighting powder?  I know I'm vain like that!

Eve Lom made her name of her amazing skincare range, of which the Cleansing Balm is a real hit and has been known as the best facial cleansing product in the world of all times.  I'm yet to try it purely because of the price tag.  But when I found that that EL has launched an exciting range of makeup base products - I can almost guarantee to myself that I would try something from it.

I have my eyes on 3 products:

Brilliant Cover Concealer - £30, available in 6 shades, contains SPF 15. 

Flawless Radiance Primer - 50g for £40

Radiance Perfected Tinted Moisturiser - £48, available in an amazingly 12 shades, contains SPF 15.

I'm a firm believer in spending a little more on base products, they are the layers that you slap on first and are closest to your natural skin, it's got to be right so that it sets a good and flawless foundation to your face.

All of these products are available on a pre-order only basis - what are you still waiting for?  Go into the shops, or have a look on its website.

Have you pre-ordered yet?  What have you got your eyes on?

The weirdest body wash

I'm not someone who is willing to spend a fortune on body products especially body wash. So, when I finished my last one, I decided to continue with the budget buy on body products theme and had a nose round Fusion by Park 'N' Shop, a local Hong Kong supermarket. I love Fusion, it stocks up on a ton of Waitrose stuff, and a few stuff from Superdrug! It reminds me of home.

In Hong Kong, it's not difficult to find something black or green in colours - what I actually try to say is, say in any Bakery Shops, you can easily find a green or black buns on the rack - the green ones are normally green tea flavour and the black ones are either charcoal baked or black sesame flavours.  Weird?  Nope!  It's interesting and yet a norm in Hong Kong, I noticed.

This Charcoal Essence Deep Cleanse Refreshing Body Wash caught my eyes immediately despite sitting amongst all the other hundreds of body washes products on the shelves.   As I glanced through the ingredients list, it says this body wash contains charcoal essence, hence the black coloured product.

It's pretty bizarre really the first time when I pumped this good stuff out - it really is a thick black creamy textured body wash.  It is not fragranced, rather it smells of a cleaning product, bizarre again! To the best of my knowledge, charcoal has a function of deep cleanse - a bit similar to a black mud mask if you think about it.

However, it doesn't feel as if it's too strong for me skin but rather, I felt that my skin is being deeply cleansed and I feel nice and fresh afterwards.  It doesn't dry my skin out and it's pretty hydrating, too!

Another close-up to this bizarre looking black creamy product!

Charcoal Essence Deep Cleansing Body Wash HK$29.99 for 800ml available from Fusion by Park 'N' Shop.

Everybody loves a bit of Chanel

For a rather long while, Chanel makeup was a very distant dream to me; one that it felt like stars on the sky, I can see it and admire about how sparkly and beautiful they are but never have been able to touch and own it.

The fantasy ended just over a year ago when I took the plunge to try out the Vitalumiere Aqua foundation.

Vitalumiere Aqua Foundation remains as one of my favourite foundations all times.  Vitalumiere Aqua is a watery based foundation, you need to shake the bottle before squeezing out the lovely product out.  Dry skin loves this formulation, it hydrates and provides a light to medium coverage.

Owning a healthy collection of high end nail polishes always makes me faint, purely because of the insanely high price tag, when you can get some good quality nail products with a fraction of the price.  However that didn't stop me from wanting not one but two Le Vernis Nail Colour by Chanel.  I have these in #569 Emprise which is a peachy nude colour, with very fine shimmer that runs through it.  #18 Rouge Noir is a classic dark forest (burgundy) that of the line.  The formulations are pretty long lasting and the application is very easy, too.

Have you tried any mascaras by Chanel?  I had this one Sublime de Chanel Waterproof Length and Curl Mascara  .  I usually get on with plastic bristle brush but sadly I didn't with Chanel's.  I didn't find it either lengthened or curled my lashes..... I've heard too many people said that mascaras normally perform better from the drugstore range... and I think they may be right!

Do you take notice of other ladies as they take their lippies out from their handbags and wondered what lip products do they use?  I certainly do and I always find ladies who own a Chanel lipstick has got taste...  So it's a no brainer I got myself a Chanel lipstick, this one Rouge Coco Shine in #46 Liberte.  Its hydrating formula is so good for the dry lips, sometimes I can even get away without having to prep my lips before applying this.  The slim packaging is very handy, too especially to fit it in a clutch when you struggle with space.  After being impressed by Rouge Coco Shine, I went for the Levres Scintillantes Glossimer in #165.  This is by far my favourite lip gloss at all times.  It gives such a glossy finish to my lips whilst it is not sticky at all.... I wore it in extremely windy days and being windswept a few times but the lip gloss on my lips have not caught my hair; which is a good sign for a lip gloss!

My petite Chanel makeup collection wouldn't be completed without a blusher or two.  Joues Contraste Powder Blush in #74 Ultra Rose is a very bright rose pink on the pan, light handed is highly required!  I must say I didn't use it often enough as I have to be honest I didn't find this powder blusher perform as well as others that I have.  It's a little too pigmented for my liking and it's not the easiest blusher to blend so I often end up looking like a clown whenever I have this on no matter how careful and light handed I am.....  On the other hand, Le Blush Creme De Chanel in #64 Inspiration.  I found myself constantly reaching out for this pale pink cream blusher.  It goes with almost any makeup look that I might be wearing and works especially fabulously with smokey eyes.

Finally, I was lucky enough to be sent one of Chanel's latest launches - CC Cream in #12 Beige Rose.  This CC Cream in beige rose is a special formula for Asian ladies which is supposed to give a slightly pinky finish to give that healthy glowing look.  Unfortunately I have mixed views about it after one use (first impression).  When I had it first applied on my face using my fingertips, I found that the product clanged onto some of my dry patches on my face, e.g. round my nose.  I have to say it did give quite a flawless complexion overall and it appeared quite matte.  I wouldn't recommend this for dry skinned girls!

I hope you liked my little Chanel makeup collection!  Have you used any of these?  Which Chanel products would you recommend to me?

Nail Polish Dupe: Dior vs Kiko

Who doesn't love a bit of extravagant nail polish?  But every time when I make a purchase of a nail polish which costs more than a tenner, my heart sinks and would just go back to a drugstore nail polish the following time.

The other day, I struggled to establish a connection with any of the nail polishes that I have, aka. didn't know which colour to wear.  I decided to pick a nude shade, and one that I haven't worn in a while.

I picked the nail lacquer by Kiko in the shade #220 Satin Beige.  I remembered I fell in love with it the first time I applied it - a beige/ nude colour that flatters my slightly olive skin tone on my hands, and at the same time it's got some very fine glitter that runs through it.

It also dries quick and lasts well.  I normally apply 2-3 coats to get that more opaque finish (to my taste) but less sometimes can be more if you want a more sheer finish.

The finish is natural, elegant and very easy to wear and it goes with any outfits that you are carrying that day.  One of the highest quality nail polishes I have tried and with that price tag (£3.50), it really cannot go wrong.

As I was wearing it, it reminded me instantly of the Diorific Vernis Nail Polish by Dior that I purchased before Christmas.  I was attracted by the very cute golden vintage rounded bottle.  I picked #318 Frimas which is a nude shade.

Similar to Kiko's, Diorific in Frimas has some really fine glitters that run through it which gives a really subtle sparkly finish when painted on the nails - enough to take you through from day into the evening!

Kiko's satin beige has more of an orange undertone whereas Diorific Frimas has a more greyish pink to the nude shade.  Strictly speaking the colours are identical but I dare you, once you tried both; you would be like me, to be reminded of either when using one of these.

How about trying both or one of these dependent on your budget?

Kiko Nail Lacquer  £3.50

Diorific Vernis nail polish by Dior  £20.00

Cynthy and a chocolate shower

Who doesn't like eating chocolate?  But did you ever want chocolate-scented skin?  If you do, please read on.

This Chocolate Creamy Body Wash comes from the Sephora Collection Creamy Body Wash range which I bought in Paris in the summer.  A reminder of what I bought in Paris you can visit here and here.

I was intrigued when I first saw this then as I glanced acrossed the shelf, this range also offers scent such as Green Tea.

As you open the cap of the tube, there is an intense fragrance of chocolate sends to my nostril which 'woke me up' a little bit.  The creamy texture this body wash made the product felt very luxury and really rather refreshing!  The pale brown colour makes you think you are truly showered with melted silky chocolate.

Compared with other body wash products, this one is very moisturising which I didn't feel the need to be obliged with the application of a body cream after a shower.  Does the chocolate scent linger on the skin afterwards?  Not really.  But does it matter?  No, not for me at least.  I actually would prefer it didn't make me skin smelling like a bar of chocolate.

I wondered if this could be a diet-fix solution for someone who craves for chocolate?  If that fails, this would certainly be a very sexy gift comes Valentine's day or Wedding Anniversary.