Happy Halloween My Lovely Ghoulies

Hope everyone has a great night whether you are out at a Halloween party or staying home and watching a scary film.  We are trying to decide which Korean horror film to watch :)

 

Polishes used:

Illamasqua Boosh, Illamasqua Scorch & Julep Molly

My Camden Market find -

Camden is full of little shops that are pushing their own designs.  I found this uber cute shop which for the life of me I can not remember, but next time I'll make sure I remember it.

Check out my adorable long chain necklace. It's hilarious!

£12 bought me this little funny conversation starter :)

Swarovski Golden Gun Pendant and Bracelet

Dear Santa -
I have been a very good girl this year and would love this James Bond set from Swarovski.

 

Golden Gun Pendant (£72)

 

 

Golden Gun Bracelet (£72)

 

The Military Look: Dior 454 ROYAL KHAKI 5-Couleurs Couture Colour Eyeshadow Palette

The military look is one that I absolutely love. I love all those button up tops, military inspired boots, and sage green just happens to be one of my favourite colours; however, if this style is too masculine for you, then a military style inspired eye is just for you.  Dior has come out with this amazing palette that brings the femininity into this masculine style.

And to answer your question, No, I didn't win the lotto and basically have a total high-end makeup splurge lol. My awesome Dior SA gave me a mini of the Royal Khaki, because she had pity on me for being poor this month lol. No, seriously though, she is always so great with giving me these extras on the side as I do tend to spend out of my budget with her. So I have Royal Khaki to swatch for you all thanks to Rachel!

Now, I must apologise first, because I can not seem to get a decent thick swatch out of this tiny palette, so the colour that appears in my photos is a light application.


My eye is a bit irritated from my allergies, so I don't have a snapshot of my makeup, but I went with the beige blended into the green and I used the black along my waterline, and of course I used the white as a brow highlighter. The silver will have to wait another day :)

I won't lie, I find Dior eye shadows to be quite pricey, but this is a luxury palette that will make any girl feel pampered. I will also say that from the sample, I find that the texture of the middle green colour to be a little too matte for my liking. I really love the white, beige and silver shimmer and wish they would have done the same for the middle green as that is really the selling point of this palette.

What is your favourite eyeshadow look this fall season?

Chanel illuion D'ombre in 89 Vision

I just had to quickly blog about this gorgeous new addition to the cream eyeshadow range by Chanel. This is a gold that cool-toned people can wear, because it is very warm and rich.  The amount of shimmer on this is perfect for the upcoming fall and winter darker days.  I am in love.

My DH is so clever to read my blog's wishlist and decided to grab me this as one of our anniversary pressies. He did so well.  This really is a luxurious cream shadow that can also be applied onto any other park of your body for that stunning shimmer.

Just look how rich that looks! I just don't know how they do it, but Chanel really knows how to do mature and elegant shimmers.  This is what I call a pot of gold!

Christian Dior Creme Abricot pour les ongles Nail Cream

My cuticles have always been my #1 enemy. They just refuse to soak in lotion. I wash my hands quite a bit at work and even with lotion application, they never seem to be hydrated. So by the time that I get home, my cuticles are cracking and often times they crack and peel so badly that I do get infections. I've had this issue all my life.  And of course, it doesn't help that I use 100% pure acetone to remove my nail polishes almost every other day.

In hopes of finding a solution, I shelled out £19 and purchased the Dior nail cream after I remember a friend telling me that this was her favorite nail cream on the market (boy was she right!).

This is a 10g pot.  It came with a foil lid that you peel back to expose a coral/pink petroleum jelly like cream. It is very rich and applies clear.  It doesn't smell very nice and reminds me of the petroleum jelly that my mother use to lather her face in lol.  But the case itself is adorable and it really has improved my cuticles even with only a week's time.  This also soaks into the cuticles very quickly, unlike the oils that I find leave a mess everywhere.

Here are some other facts about this cream:

* Created in 1963 (why am I just hearing about this now? lol)
* Overnight cuticle treatment
* It also encourages nail growth

I think I may have found my HG nail cream ladies :)

Have you tried this nail cream? What are your thoughts?
Are there any other cuticle treatments that you highly recommend?

Peripera Smile Fit Blusher in #5 Coral Orange Review

I'm a little late in the game (as usual), but I have been getting more and more into Korean drugstore makeup. I find the quality is amazing and the price really affordable. Heck, I can't always be buying high end and pretending like I'm some princess of Arabia or something lol.

Korean brands are a plenty, and Korean women being very picky about makeup (this isn't a racial comment, I am Korean myself and this is an observation of my people) when it comes to quality, so I find that the quality is a lot higher than a lot of US and UK drugstore brands.  This is of course just my opinion and I'm sure many beg to differ.

So far, I have loved all my TonyMoly and Etude House products that I managed to grab off of ebay.  If anyone can recommend a place in the UK that sells Korean or other Asian makeup brands, please hit me up below or email me please.  I don't mind buying them from Korea on ebay, but I hate the wait.

So today's review and swatch is of Peripera blush #5 Coral Orange. Don't worry, it's not coral or orange, it's actually a very muted baby pink LOL

 

You can all see my camera lol

The packaging is a lace adorned mirror like plastic case. It's extremely light and compact.

The color does have a tiny tiny hint of something peachy, but definitely not coral or pink. It goes on very sheer as you'll see in the photos later. It has a mirror and brush compartment. I have't used the brush as I don't see the purpose of applying blush with a brush like this. It's a nice add-on, but really unncessary for someone like me who applies blush with a proper blush buffer brush.

The colour is very subtle and neutral. It appears great on fair skin tones like myself, and it's not chalky with a light application, but it can get a little chalky if you want to build up on it, therefore, I do recommend this colour for fair/light skin tones as this would not show up on someone with a darker complexion.

I love this blush as my travel blush as I won't cry if I lose it or break it and it mimics my other beloved blushes (that I won't take with me on travel) and at a fraction of the cost.

Peripera is picking up popularity over here in the west, so shop around on ebay or just do a google search for where you can pick up Korean makeup products. I know the US has tons of places to purchase from, but I am here in the U.K., where I have to import it (unless someone tells me otherwise).

US Peripera website (so cute!!)

I am excited to try more Peripera products since I am happy with this one.  What's your favorite Peripera product?

Suqqu Eyeshadow Brush F Review

It has been too long again ladies, hope you're all doing well. I finally got a chance to snap some photos of my favorite items this month. Let me just start to say that England has not seen sun for the last 3 days, so the fact that these photos came out clear is a miracle! lol.

Suqqu has been a brand that has been unobtainable for me. First off, it's not available everywhere like other high end brands like Chanel and Dior. Second, in the UK, you can only go to see it in Selfridges. So that is what I did.  You may have seen this brush in my London haul post from 2 weeks ago.  I just have to disclose that this brush did take me several months to save up for. It's not everyday that I drop £48 on an eyeshadow brush, but I do not regret it one bit. I'm not kidding either, £48 is well worth this brush, because it is the softest thing on earth. I imagine that if unicorns are real that this is what a unicorn would feel like. A-M-A-Z-I-N-G.

So here goes the photos...

Firstly, the box it comes in is a very simple and minimalistic box. Standard black paper box with a film on top. I know, I know..for £48, it should have came in a metal box, but I forgive Suqqu for that oversight :p

Sorry you can't really see the lettering from my photo, but in real life it's just as hard to read.

 

 

Firmly packed and beautifully tapered

 

Dior (left) vs. Suqqu (right)

So it really boils down too one question. How important are brushes for you? For me, they are extremely important. I know no matter how much I bang on about how soft these brushes are, there will be some who really don't care as long as they are saving money.  I totally get that. This was one of my 2 Christmas gifts to myself, and I just couldn't be happier.  £48 is quite a bit, I will be the first to admit that, but let me tell you one last thing about this brush that might make that price sticker not so painful.  When I applied my eyeshadow on my lid, I could not feel the brush.  It was astonishing. The softness and lightness of the brush was so weightless that I didn't think any eyeshadow applied, but it did.  For that reason alone, Suqqu has now kicked all the other brush's behinds and made it to my #1 favorite brush.  Now, how am I going to get £168 to buy the face brush? Should I sell a kidney? lol.

Do you own any Suqqu brushes? Love it? Hate it? Let me know below.

You can buy yours at Selfridges (they moved into the main beauty hall, so they are easy to find now and connected with Kanebo) or online at Selfridges.

Mavala Nail Polish in Orion and Capella

For all you flake lovers out there, embrace yourself.

Many months ago, a friend put Agena on her wishlist and while searching high and low, an angel on ebay sold it to me.  I soon then found out that Agena was not alone. Meet her sisters, Orion and Capella.  Both flakies, both gorgeous and both underappreciated.

I bought enough Orion and Capella to give to every single Nail polish friend of mine. They are just little bottles of jewel :)

OPI SkyFall The Bondettes mini nail polish Set

I've had a cold all week long and everything has been getting on my last nerve.  Thank god for pretty things :)

A fabulous friend gifted me with the new OPI Skyfall "The Bondettes" nail polish set.

The world is not enough

Goldeneye

The spy who loved me

Live and Let Die

 My favourite of this entire collection has to be a toss up between The Spy Who Loved Me and GoldenEye.  I have to say that out of all the holiday collection this year, OPI has won my heart.

What's your favourite?

Garnier Vital Restore Day Cream spr 15 Review

About a month and a half ago, I decided to the unthinkable.  For the first time in a very long time, I tried a drugstore skincare brand.  It was always drilled into me that good skincare cost a lot, so I always equated the two together.  I did this for purely financial reasons. I was going on a holiday that I couldn't afford lol, so I had to cut some costs somewhere.  I went with Garnier's vital restore moisturiser.  I can't remember what drew me to this one in particular.

 

Perhaps it was the purple bright packaging? or the fact that it had spf 15 in it? Either way, I purchased this from the Superdrug's website on sale (never again will I do that, but that's a completely different rant in itself).  The box arrived crushed, so I discarded it immediately and this 50ml jar lasted me roughly 1.5 months.

The moisturiser has the trademark Garnier scent. My bb cream also has the same scent.  It is a fresh and slightly fruity/floral aroma.  It didn't bother me and was quite nice actually.  I remember the first time that I used this and didn't rub it in well and looked like I had white paint all over my face.  This moisturiser didn't sink into the skin as easily as I wanted it too.  In fact, the other day I must have put on too much on my neck and the mixture of the cream with my perfume made it flake away.  That was quite embarrassing.

I can not describe it in words, but there was something a little too synthetic about this moisturiser. I definitely would not repurchase this. It's not that it was bad or I had some adverse reaction to it, but it is just purely on the fact that it really did nothing for my skin.  In fact, I feel it was a little too rich for my combination skin and may have blocked my pores.

Sure it only cost £6.99, but I feel like I wasted £6.99 to be honest. Perhaps this would help with someone a bit younger than me, as I am finding the need for better skincare as I get older.

JINNYlash Extension Review

I had an opportunity to go to JINNYlash salon this week for a complimentary express lash set.  I jumped on the chance to get this, because I suffer from "no-lash" symptom.  Seriously, my lashes are so hard to see, because they are not only small and thin but the mono lid makes it even harder and covers them up more.  So as you can see, this was a service that I desperately needed.

I did some online research prior to going into the treatment.  I liked that this would last up to 3 weeks or more.  I avoided other blogger reviews on this treatment as I wanted to go into it with no preconceived notions.

So I stopped by the Bond Street location this past Wednesday afternoon.  It was super easy to find as it was right by the tube station and Selfridges.  We found it immediately, because there was actually construction going on and the barricades were right by the salon.  It is literally around the corner from Oxford Street and right next to Starbucks, so the small salon is very easy to find.

 

I arrived 15 minutes early and was taken straight into the treatment room.  First observation was the slide away door that opens up to reveal a small waiting room and a few treatment rooms off to the side.  I also immediately saw that the technicians at JINNYlash were Korean. This might not matter to most of you, but it really mattered to me as I'm Korean myself.  We greeted each other in the usual polite Korean manner, and the technician began to explain to me the best size and thickness that suited Korean eyes.  I did not argue and left it up to the technician to give me what she felt was the best for our eye shape.

I laid down on the treatment bed and a cooling pad was placed under my eyes.  I had no idea what that was for, but it felt nice.  The technician told me not to talk too much (as I was yacking away with my friend waiting for me in the waiting room) as the movement might be an issue during the treatment and to keep my eyes closed for the duration of the treatment.  So...if you are like me, the minute someone tells you not to do something, you just want to do it.  The next 60 minutes was absolute torture for me.  I realised that I am not the type of person who can lie there for an hour and not open your eyes.  I was a nightmare client for the tech. I felt so bad for her!  The bright light that was placed over my eyes was so harsh and all I wanted to do was open my eyes!  I had ridiculous rapid eye movement, and I know I was a very difficult client for her.  Even my breathing exercises couldn't get me to lay there still.

The technician worked very quickly and was very light handed. I guess it takes that type of skill to place individual lashes.  I forgot to mention that I had 30 lashes placed on each eye.   There was all of 5 minutes where there was a slight discomfort, but nothing that should ever keep anyone from getting lash extensions.  I just wanted to disclose that in case you thought that you couldn't feel anything at all.  I also have to mention that the glue is potent and when you get a whiff of it, it is slightly unpleasant. But once again, it is not something that should concern someone and prevent them from getting it done.  These are my observations from a lash extension newbie. 

My tech was so professional and worked very hard and the end result was fantastic.  I'm sorry I don't have before photos, but believe me when I say that without strip lashes, you wouldn't even think that I had lashes, so these photos show an amazing improvement.  I also have to say that afterwards, everyone complimented me on my new lashes.  I felt that they were very natural looking, and you could not see any glue or any evidence that I had extensions put in.  I am really happy about that as I don't want people knowing that I have extensions in.

I can't be happier that I have lashes now. The lashes has really opened up my eyes and I just love them.  I am now on day 4 of wearing these lashes and only one has fallen out and they are still very comfortable.  It is such a shame that I am unable to lay still for an hour otherwise this would be a new obsession of mine.  I guess I'm just weird like that, but I honestly think JINNYlash did an amazing job on my lashes.

JINNYlash salon is located on 16 James Street (Bond Street) and you can visit them at www.jinnylash.com.  An express set like mine cost £100.

London Shopping Haul - Suqqu, Dior, Chanel and Clinique

I had a fabulous London shopping trip with an even more fabulous new girlfriend of mine this week.  I don't know why, but it is always much more fun to go shopping with someone else.  Well, we hit up the usual hot spots...Selfridges, Harrods, Bond Street, and this time we went to Camden.

This is my haul from this trip, and needless to say that other than my watch that I have been going on and on about, this will have to be the last of the major hauls.  All these beauties has set me back a pretty penny :)

Sorry about the instagram photos. I honestly wanted to get a blog post up as it has been forever since I last posted. I will review these products as I use them a bit more.

 

The haul consist of:

Dior mini palette in Royal Khaki - thanks to my awesome Dior SA!

Dior creme abricot nail cream - I have no idea why I waited to so long to buy this, it's really awesome!

Suqqu eyeshadow brush F - Where have you been all my life? The softest eyeshadow brush that I have ever touched. I died a little and gone to makeup brush heaven!

Dior foundation brush - this new brush just came out with the nude foundation.  This brush is the best brush that Dior currently has. It feels so soft that you can't even feel the individual bristles. It is the 2nd softest brush that I currently own

Chanel illusions d'ombres in Vision - Thanks to my wonderful DH xx

Suqqu eyebrow pen in green - sorry you can't see this too well in my photos but it's next to the Dior foundation brush. This is my HG eyebrow pen for that natural/everyday look.

Clinique skincare - Liquid facial mild soap and moisture surge

I have used both products a long time ago and although I liked it, I never returned to it, until now.

I got this set, because Boots had an advantage night which was £12 worth of points with any purchase of £50 or more. So ultimately I got this for a lot cheaper than retail.  I think my skin needed some moisture surge as well.  This stuff is amazingly hydrating.

Dior nude foundation 040

I had to get the full size bottle as I am always on the hunt for good foundation, Dior has never let me down and I do like this foundation a lot; however, I do prefer my extreme over it.

Last but not least...

Dior J'adore L'eau perfume

Boots is currently selling this for £34.99 for a 75ml. What a bargain. I tried to find the link, but it looks like it is all sold out now :(

dior eyeshadow, dior nail cream, chanel vision

Suqqu, Dior

Out of all these items, my favourites are the Suqqu eyeshadow brush and the Dior foundation brush. I am so excited to have these in my stash and I honestly feel like they are the best brushes I have used ever.  I definitely will be saving up for more Suqqu brushes.

So that is the end of my London shopping trip haul. If you have any of these, please share with me your rants or raves about the products. I'd love to hear about how you all got on with them :)

see you soon xx

Korean Makeup Haul with Peripera, Etude House, and TonyMoly

Is it bad that I'm Korean and I have no knowledge of Korean makeup other than bb cream? Shame on me lol. Well my interest in Korean makeup started when my friend Sade started talking about it and showing me her ebay purchases.  I was amazed at how affordable some of these brands were so I decided to give them a go and made my purchases through ebay.  I know a lot of you are already familiar with these brands, so bare with me.

My haul includes: 

Etude House slanted eyeshadow brush

Peripera Smile Fit Blusher in #5 Coral Orange

and

TonyMoly Petite Bunny Gloss Bar in Juicy Peach

Out of these products, my favourite has to be the Peripera blush for it's amazing pigmentation.  There is minor fall out, but I really can't fault it as the pay off is more than enough.  I paid roughly £8 and I was impressed with the brush that came with the blush as it was amazing soft.

I have gotten the most compliments on the TonyMoly gloss, which was the product that my friend had and fell in love with.  I never thought I'd be a "kawaii" type of chic, but I can't help fall in love with this.  It is very moisturising and a great conversation starter ;)

I will give a proper review on the brush after I use it tonight, all I have to say now is that it is so soft and I really have high hopes for it.

I gotta run everyone, because tonight is my 5th wedding anniversary dinner date with the hubs and gotta get ready.  See you all soon xx :)

Video tid-bits and facts:
Nail polish - Chane's Fire
Tune - G Dragon - One of a Kind

My September Favourites

Time if flying by so fast. On one hand, it's a good thing as I am counting down the days until I can officially quit my job and on the other hand, it's crazy how life just goes by in a blink of an eye.

I decided to finally get my a&& in gear and start doing my monthly favourites again.  Last month was a very good makeup month for me in terms of quality of products (both old and new).  I am excited to share with you these products as I really felt that they made a huge difference in my regime. So let's begin...

Dior BB cream

This has been going on my face almost everyday now for the last month or so.  I love the dewy finish and the healthy (warm) and medium coverage it provides. I feel like my skin is hydrated and covered and that's something that I was not able to achieve with other bb creams.  I can't tell you how much I love the scent to this as well (so fresh and so clean!).  But the best thing about this bb cream is that it doesn't wash me out nor leave that odd grey tint to my skin like other bb creams have done.  Hands down...favourite bb cream of all times!

Chanel lift lumiere concealer

I always felt that eye concealers were super cakey for some reason.  Maybe it's just the ones that I tried, but I am loving this concealer by Chanel.  It really soothes my eye area (which has been looking darker and dry lately) and I can't tell you how "awake" I look now vs. before.  This is definitely a product for us 30+ who need that youthful and awake appearance.  I think next time I will go for a lighter shade, but as far as consistency and coverage it checks all the boxes off in my list of what I want an eye concealer to do.

Diorskin sculpt lifting smoothing concealer

The reason why I have been using this so much lately is that it is reaching it's shelf life. I have had this now for 2 years and realised it is time for me to use it up.  I am quite sad however that it is coming to it's end as I really love the colour of this concealer.  It gives my face a very clean finish. What I mean by that is that it really blends into the foundation that you have on and it just enhances and lightens up the area without looking like I have a different product on top of my foundation.  There is minimal blending involved and it really brightens up my face.  I've been finding areas of my skin that are darker than the rest and this does the job in concealing those.  I will definitely buy another one once this is finished.  I will say however that I do not like the applicator on this as it looks like a lip gloss wand.  It is totally useless but the product itself is great.

Dior nude foundation in 040

Rachel (my Dior SA) gave me this sample and I have been using it nonstop.  It is one notch above the bb cream in terms of coverage.  It is buildable and it gives you an amazing fresh dewy look.  I am not a beauty scientist, so I don't know the chemical compounds of foundation, but whatever it is, Dior knows how to make their products shimmer without being overly glittery (Chanel does this too).  It is a superb construction and I absolutely love it along with that trademark Dior scent.  I can not wait until the 11th for the Boots advantage points night, so that I can purchase this and rack some much needed points.  I am very excited about this product.  It looks like this came just in time as my bb cream and the Dior extreme foundation is coming to it's end soon.  Also...make sure you go a shade above what you usually take in the Dior foundations as these run much paler than the others.

Chanel illusions d'ombress in Mirifique

What can I say about this bad boy?  Ever since I saw the promo pics of the cream shadows, I have raved and raved about them. So I won't bore you guys again with my nonstop blabber about how these are my favourite cream shadows on the market.  I will say however that I use this as a gel eyeliner and that sparkle really makes my eyes pop.  I am in love with this and my MAC blacktrack has taken a back seat for awhile.  It is also lovely to use as an eyeliner and the smudge it slightly for a dramatic day time look.  

Benefit sugarbomb blush

This is another oldie but a goodie.  I pulled this one out again last month and I love the warm peachy and slightly pink blush for this time of year.  It is a perfect transition blush from summer to fall in my opinion.  

Dior shimmer powder in Amber Diamond

I don't know what I would do without this highlighter.  This has turned my dull face into a brightened and lively face in seconds.  The weather is awful here in England and I refuse to let that show on my face.  This shimmer powder has to be my #1 favourite item of the month.  It is such a chameleon (as it works with every skin tone) and blends beautifully into the skin.  I am so glad to hear that this once highly sought after/hard to find highlighter is now a permanent part of the Dior line.  Good move Dior!

Dior nude tan in 002

Ok. Ok. I know this sounds like a Dior month, but in all fairness, it wasn't intentional. I can't help it that all the Dior products have been the best performing products in my collection this month.  This was an impulse buy before my holiday as my skin was so pale and embarrassing that I knew that I needed something to fake a tan while I was abroad.  This is the first bronzer that has not made my face look muddy.  It is a few shades darker than my normal skin colour without being too orange or mud brown.  You know what I'm talking about all you fair skin ladies out there.  How many times did it look like you smeared mud on your face? I am so happy that I finally found a bronzer/contouring shade for my face.  It also comes in a beautiful silver case and an amazing little kabuki brush that I absolutely adore. Yes the price is steep but I have used it ever single day and do not plan on putting it down.  This one is bound to make the monthly favourites for quite some time now.

Tom Ford eyeshadow quad in Golden Mink

This next favourite was a huge huge lemming of mine for months.  I was able to obtain it through a swap with a lovely lady in the states. I officially can not afford to pay the amount of money that Tom Ford is asking for.  As much as I believe that this palette is worth every single penny, it's not something that I see myself shelling out in the near future.  Having said that, if you have some birthday money or you are just rich lol, you MUST get this palette. It is like the Bentley of nude palettes.  Urban Decay's naked palette wishes it could be this palette.  The four colours in this palette are silky divine goodness.  I thought I died and went to e/s heaven when I swiped this with my finger.  Other than Dior, I have not felt an eyeshadow so finely milled and luxurious.  I am absolutely in love.  One of the eyeshadows is very shimmery and glittery and perfect for that glammed out nighttime look, so you can easily use this palette for day-time and night-time.  I cherish this palette and really grateful for WM for swapping with me.

Last month was all about high end products, but this month has been all about more affordable beauty products.  I can not wait to show you all the new products that I have got this month, so stay tuned...