Renee – Page 14 – BeautyandtheCat's Beauty Blog

August 6, 2014August 9, 2014

Butter Me Up – TONYMOLY Wonder Butter Moisture Cream

It looks exactly like butter. You know, the lovely room-temperature tub of goodness that you can just sink your knife into and spread globs all over waffles. Mmmm. I like my butter just a little salted. Well, aside from looking like butter (or margarine in a tub), this lotion is nothing like that. Doesn’t smell like it, doesn’t butter you up like butter. Doesn’t feel like a body butter even!

I’ll give TonyMoly thumbs up for amazing packaging and lovely scents. But so far I am kind of annoyed at how watered down their products seem to be. I had high expectations for this butter moisture cream to be my go-to. But it’s just a thicker version of a lotion. The texture is very butter-like but when you rub it in, it is not that velvety and luxurious like the image that it conjures. It’s not as moisturizing as other body butters (Boots body butters are out of this world btw). Continue reading “Butter Me Up – TONYMOLY Wonder Butter Moisture Cream”

August 4, 2014September 13, 2014

White on Time – Laneige White Plus Renew Purifying Mask

Every Asian product ever would promise to “whiten.” I don’t want to break it all down but this whitening business is pretty suspect. In any case I’ve used a moderate amount of “whitening” and “brightening” creams/potions/masks to treat my entire face of freckles and nobody has mistaken me for Michael Jackson yet. What DID homeboy MJ use though..? We need some of that for our age spots!

But I digress. My friend kindly brought me a sample from Laneige so of course I have to jump on it. I LOVE MASKS can’t you tell?

The latest experiment is with the Laneige White Plus mask.

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August 1, 2014August 9, 2014

What the Fish? Mizon Returning Starfish Biomask

Korean cosmetic brand Mizon has expanded their line of invertebrate-extract skin care by coming up with the Returning Starfish mask (and cream which I will review later, of course). Why the poor starfish? The ability of starfish to regenerate lost body parts means that there is something in their stem cells that is magical. But if rubbing this on ourselves actually worked like we wanted it to, I’m sure people who lost limbs and stuff would befriend lots more sea creatures.

I am a fan of snail extract and basically the extract of all plump gelatinous liquid-filled creatures because they don’t seem to have too many skin problems and can totally heal their own wounds with goo.

But this “returning starfish” sheet mask is just dumb. It’s in the shape of a starfish so you put it on your face as if you were attacked by an alien face hugger:

Continue reading “What the Fish? Mizon Returning Starfish Biomask”

July 30, 2014September 13, 2014

Snail belle – TonyMoly Prestige Snail Lip Treatment

“Sluggish” chapped lips? Dip into this luxurious snail lip treatment. Yes I am obsessed with snail extract but beside that, this is a very nice lip balm if you don’t mind that it’s escargot-based and somewhat pricey.

The texture is thick & “cushiony” but not greasy. Once you open the container, you can see that the balm has been poured so smoothly that it looks like molded clear pink gelatin. I almost didn’t want to break the satiny smooth surface by dipping my finger into the balm.

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July 29, 2014August 9, 2014

Chic Cheek – Lavshuca Dressy Glow Cheek blush

New amazing makeup brand alert: Lavshuca. I want Lavshuca everything. I compulsively dropped this into my shopping basket while doing the binge cosmetics trip in LA and what a find! This is perhaps the TOP makeup item I’ve discovered this month. And I’ve purchased a lot of shit.

At $20 and a tiny container you would think it’s overpriced and nothing special. But this blush. Oh my this blush. First the container is exquisite. It comes with a puff with a little ribbon loop to hold on one finger, a separator so that the powder doesn’t get all over. Everything is embossed with pink lace (including the surface of the blush powder) AND the color is magnificent. One pat on the cheek and you’re ready to go. Such intense color and pigmentation. Continue reading “Chic Cheek – Lavshuca Dressy Glow Cheek blush”

July 27, 2014August 9, 2014

Clay pride – Tsururi Ghassoul Mineral Clay Pack

If you look up the mysterious “Ghassoul” clay on Wikipedia you will see that it’s been used in the Atlas Mountains of Morocco since the eighth century for skin and hair. Surprisingly this mask is made in Japan by a Japanese company. I still trust it…those Japanese cosmetic products, while pricey, are almost always well worth it.

I picked this mask on a whim while grocery shopping at Sunrise Mart in the East Village.

Continue reading “Clay pride – Tsururi Ghassoul Mineral Clay Pack”

July 25, 2014September 13, 2014

You Say Tomato – TONYMOLY Tomatox Brightening Mask

Again the Tony Moly packaging sucked me in. This time it’s the Tomatox Brightening mask. I love products that contain tomatoes (like the Burt’s Bees tomato toner) because they contain antioxidants and all that other good stuff. What’s good for the belly is good for the face no?

Here’s the amazingly awesome package. Nice thing about these is that you can recycle them as containers for other products when you travel as well!

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July 24, 2014September 13, 2014

Hola Beaches! – Alterna BAMBOO Beach Summer Sun Recovery Spray Leave-in conditioner

Products that are in spray bottles are one of the best things since sliced bread…without all the carbs. The spray bottle can distribute products evenly, cover a large area in one spritz, and are so portable!

Yesterday I went to the new Urban Outfitters in Herald Square near Macy’s. It. Was. Awesome. I blew over $200 in about 30 minutes but let’s not talk about my bank account waaaaah 😦

This was my haul. I will review one product out of these six things; the Beach leave in conditioner from BAMBOO.

Ok I have been lucky to be born with straight thick shiny brown hair. But I also try to condition it and keep it in really healthy shape by not applying a lot of heat to it. The summer sun tends to lighten it by about 3 shades and my obsession with the beach means lots of salt water and sun damage on the hair. So I got this:

Continue reading “Hola Beaches! – Alterna BAMBOO Beach Summer Sun Recovery Spray Leave-in conditioner”

July 22, 2014August 9, 2014

Hit me Babyface One More Time – It•s Skin Babyface Petit Pact

Asian cosmetic packaging is so damn cute. It’s not always the fanciest or most sophisticated, but it’s always so miniature and nicely compartmentalized. Gets me every time.

Behold the Babyface Petit Pact which is a mini compact powder. It’s only about 2 inches in diameter! Great for nights out when you have to fit your massive phone, credit cards, ID, and makeup refresher staples into a teeny clutch. Don’t get me started on chicks with big purses at bars and lounges.

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July 19, 2014September 13, 2014

Sake to Me! Kiku-Masamune Sake Skin Care Lotion

Sake is useful for making you beautiful…and not just by giving your date sake-goggles ladies, muahhahahah. If you’re unfamiliar, the legend of the famous SK-II brand has it that a scientist in 1970s-era Japan noticed the very soft and youthful hands of women working in a Japanese saké brewery. So now the sake beauty products proliferate.

Also there’s some research saying that the kojic acid in sake decreases your skin’s ability to form the melanin found in spots and freckles. This same type of acid helps your skin retain moisture. Sake yeast is also supposed to stimulate cell-regeneration. Lots of promising “scientific” claims!

Today I binged at Atlantic Square in Alhambra again and blew a bit of dough on experimental products, one of which is a face milky toner lotion by Kiku-Masamune. It’s NOT a beauty brand; it’s a sake brewery!

This milky toner is made from amino acids that are the product of the Japanese sake from this brewery. The 17 fl oz (500ml) bottle cost me $15 so it’s a LOT of product for the price. Great to use it as a cheap toning face mask. I bought those cotton sheet masks that you can use to create your own.

Continue reading “Sake to Me! Kiku-Masamune Sake Skin Care Lotion”