"The cat is beauty and the beast, a baffling blend, a wicked feast.”
The concepts behind the new self-tanning products by Vita Liberata are so seriously innovative, I can’t believe no one thought of them before. First, there’s the sleeping mask (update: disappointed review is here). Then there’s the mineral powder bronzer, which I’m reviewing here.
You’d be forgiven for thinking that the su:m37 Miracle Rose Cleansing Stick was an actual miracle. The raves on the interwebz are nearly universal. This little stick inspires buying frenzies and, when it goes out of stock (as it did when it was temporarily discontinued last year), laments of regret.
Intrigued by the hype, I ordered a stick when it briefly came back into stock on Soko Glam in October. Since then, MRCS (as it’s known in Asian beauty circles) has made a full comeback and can be found for purchase online from various Korean sellers.
Continue reading “Heaven Scent? su:m37 Miracle Rose Cleansing Stick Review”
I wanted to spread the word. Until 11am EST tomorrow (that’s Friday Feb. 27), select items are available at Soko Glam for 50% off. To see the items, go to http://sokoglam.com/collections/LUCKY-BREAKS and use the code “luckydaily4” at checkout. Bonus: Free standard shipping for U.S. orders of $50 or more. Full details here.
Announcing the EXCLUSIVE and LIMITED* BeautyandtheCat x Hourglass Ambient Lighting Palette ($65). Specially designed for fair to light skin, this collaborative project combines three of Hourglass’s existing Ambient Lighting Powders to maximum effect:
Diffused Light / texture-softening, redness-reducing pale lemon
Ethereal Light / brightening, white veil of chiffon
Dim Light / light beige sheen with healthy peach tones
Continue reading “BeautyandtheCat x Hourglass Ambient Lighting Palette”
Hydraluron ($25 for 1 fl. oz.) by indeed Laboratories gained something of a cult following after skincare guru Caroline Hirons raved about its hydrating and plumping powers. Although it was available in the UK, Hydraluron didn’t hit the States until last year. When I saw it available on drugstore.com, I snapped it up immediately.
Continue reading “Hydraluron . . . and Off: Hydraluron Review”
I love cushion compacts and I love customized things, so a DIY cushion compact is just up my alley. A DIY cushion is also a great solution for the dearth of cushion compacts for deeper skin tones and the general dearth of cushion versions of color makeup (highlighter, blush, bronzer).
A’Pieu and Missha actually have empty cushion compacts made for this purpose. I’ve seen some other DIY tutorials involving kitchen sponges, stamp/finger-wetting sponges, and regular makeup sponges. But the Missha Magic Cushion is so cheap ($10-13) that I figured I may as well just buy one that’s intended specifically for this purpose.
Continue reading “Magic: The Gathering (of Makeup): DIY Missha Magic Cushion Review + Tutorial”
Over the holidays, we spent what felt like hours (in a good way) at Takashima in San Gabriel and in Arcadia. The selection differs slightly between the two, so we had to go to both. ::looks away:: Ahem, moving on . . .
We loooove Takashima as hands-down the best place for Japanese beauty products–better than any Japanese supermarket and any other Japanese beauty store. I haven’t seen any place on the East Coast with the breadth and depth of the offerings at Takashima. (But please let me know if I’m wrong!) Check out Takashima’s e-storefront here and brick-and-mortar locations here (currently in Calif. only).
Continue reading “Haullaback Girls: Takashima and PA++++ Sunscreen Shopping”
Ahh, it’s nice to have friends who travel. They gain eye-opening experiences, life lessons, multicultural perspectives, blah blah…but most importantly, they can bring you back makeup goodies. My dear friend had the briefest layover in Seoul but managed to bring back the latest cushion compact by HERA: the Ultra Moisture Cushion in shade 21 Cool Vanilla.
The gorgeous pale purple and holographic packaging is almost reason enough to buy it. To top it off, the formula is actually really wonderful. I expected the usual satiny-dewy finish, but lo and behold, the Ultra Moisture is a soft, polished matte finish. ::mind blown::
In the throes of the flaky, peeling, sensitizing period of tretinoin use, I added Andalou Naturals’ 1000 Roses Moroccan Beauty Oil ($19.95 for 1 fl. oz., available at Whole Foods) to my arsenal of flake-fighting hydrators.
Targeted for dry, delicate, and sensitive skin, the oil is actually a compound of multiple oils–sunflower, jojoba, rosehip, pomegranate, cranberry, argan, and sea buckthorn–and actual rose oil appears at the bottom of the ingredients list. The marketing also touts alpine rose stem cells, but I don’t know how much weight that carries, scientifically speaking. (Full ingredients are below.)
Continue reading “Moroccan Roll: Andalou Naturals 1000 Roses Moroccan Beauty Oil Review”
Syn-Ake is an anti-wrinkle chemical based on a synthetic protein fragment that replicates part of the venom of the Malaysian Temple Viper. This compound works in a manner similar to Botox to relax tight skin muscles that create wrinkles. Now, with that said, I don’t think anything applied topically can work the way that injected Botox and fillers work. But what the hell. I bought this on a whim during my September haul in Canada:
Continue reading “SYN-AKE to me baby – Lovemore SYN-AKE Peptide Complex Firming Facial Cream”
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