A COUPLE OF CHRISTMAS GIFT IDEAS

I know that one of the highlights of anticipating towards the Christmas season is all the different varieties of beauty gift sets (if you were a beauty junkie like moi).

I have to say it is a little bit disappointing that living in Hong Kong we don't seem to have as many choices as those who live in the U.K. in terms of Beauty Calendars.  Yes I know I can order it online and have them shipped across the oceans but it's also a great excuse not to splurge on it too much but to choose sensibly.

Here are the two thang that I have bought for myself this year.



The ASOS Beauty Advent Calendar,  I am such a massive fan of ASOS I buy stuff from them on a monthly basis.  Of course when I first heard about them releasing its first beauty advent calendar, I ordered it straight away (back in October).  I'm surprised it hasn't been sold out yet as it does have some pretty exciting brands of things inside such as Yes To, Balance Me and Nuxe.  Anyway, it came in such a sturdy and big marbled effect box that is so chic and substantial that I cannot wait to open each of them from 1 December!  By the way, there are also three other beauty advent calendars that could possibly take your fancy - go on have a look!

When I received a notification email from Chantecaille about this year's special christmas gift sets, my heart seemed to have stopped for a beat.  This set that I have got is such a good value for money (total savings = HK$310).  It contains the Ultra Sun Protection Primer, the Just Skin Tinted Moisturiser and the Anti-Fatigue Corrector Pen.  I haven't tried the corrector pen before but I love the primer which I use on a daily basis, I wanted to give the Just Skin another try, so this set is a dream comes true for me!  They are available from 15 November in Lane Crawford and other Chantecaille counters.



Now, I'm just hoping 1 December will come soon enough so I can begin to open those little windows of goodies everyday!

CLARINS INSTANT LIGHT LIP COMFORT OIL

I love a good moisturising and repairing lip product.  Claris Instant Light Lip Comfort Oil is the latest lip product I have been testing out for the past 3-4 months.

At first, I have to say I wasn't sure about the thick and sticky texture of it - my lips definitely felt like there was a thick coat of lip balm/ oil  in this case, coating them.  I wouldn't recommend it to be used as a lip base (for those who have dry lips) before applying your usual lip product.  As the lip oil does take its time to be absorbed by the lips.  To say that it is an 'oil' it is slightly misleading as it doesn't feel 'oily' but it certainly feels very thick and giving your lips a bit of repair for dryness and choppiness.





I like that it's not scented at all so it doesn't feel funky whilst it sits on the surface of the lips.  I would strongly recommend that you apply it as the last step of your skincare routine at night.  Slather this generously on the lips and go to bed.  You definitely would wake up with some pretty smooth-textured lips.  Whilst it does feel slightly tacky/ sticky, the product doesn't transfer onto your bed sheets or what have you.  Because it's so thick you don't need too much product in one go, a little certainly goes a long way.  You can definitely wear it during the day, but on its own is key.  It gives a naturally glossy finish, too.  Perfect for the Autumn and Winter months.

I didn't like it as much as first but I gradually find my way to use it.

Definitely use it at night and hopefully you can see the results you are after the next day.

VITAMIN C BOOSTERS

Finally, finally the temperature in Hong Kong has decided to ease off a little bit. I can begin the feel a slight breeze of Autumn. Of course, it's nothing like Autumn in London but I don't want to complain about the weather all the time so I'm just going to embrace it!

I'm particularly sensitive to the changes of weather as it shows on my skin and sometimes my immune system can play up a little bit, too.

So this year I have included two products to help by skin and body to ease through into Autumn and later in the Winter. 

The Body Shop Vitamin C Energising Face Mist is targeted at giving a lift and a bit of a boosting effect to dull, tired and grumpy skin. I do tend to find my skin, especially my under eye areas a little dull and dark. I spritz this face mist onto my skin usually after I cleanse my face in the morning and evening as a toner. But I do like to apply this here and there during the day to give my face a bit of a lift. I do notice a slight different on my face after using this. One thing though is that the content of this stuff can irritate the eyes a bit, so do be careful not to open your eyes straight away after spraying this.

Running after a 2 year-old boy does tire me out a lot easier these days. I was ill with colds and flu quite a few times last winter which is quite unlike my usual self. So I've started to take Vitamin C tablets on a daily basis now to help boosting my immune system (my LO takes it in a liquid form). And I've already had a flu jab too (so as my LO) to give ourselves a bit more protections from those nasty viruses.  All you need to do is to pop into your local pharmacies and ask for recommendation of a Vitamin C product to take if you are interested.

And lastly, of course those 8 glasses of water saying is still true....