joyc in love...

Pastel Creperie & Dessert House

2012-10-24T11:15:00.001-07:00

I had a wonderful foodie day in the Yonge & Finch area yesterday. Had yummy Korean food and desserts.

We had the Green Tea & Red Bean Waffle and ordered Milky Flake and Pistachio Cheesecake to go.... Because just dining in is not enough... Yes, I am a dessert monster! :p

They serve Rahier cakes so you cant go wrong with that! The waffle was okay... But thumbs up for the homemade green tea ice cream! Very green tea-y!

They had the most adorable decorations to show their Halloween spirit! The service was warm and welcoming.

Overall I enjoyed every bit of my visit there! ❤

Lucy Minerals Original Formula Mineral Foundation review

2012-10-22T20:46:00.001-07:00

Claims

Creamy consistency.
Water-resistant and holds up well in humidity.
It is free of waxes, harmful chemicals, preservatives, fragrance, and talc.

Ingredients

zinc oxide, titanium dioxide, mica, magnesium stearate, iron oxides, allantoin, Apple Poly® polyphenols, trans-resveratrol, green coffee bean extract, magnesium ascorbyl phosphate

My Experience

I have dehydrated dry skin that looks dry, cakey and flakey with all supposedly dewy liquid foundations. No amount of moisturizing helps any foundation look good on me. This offers heavy coverage. This covers my freckles and redness with just a few dabs. I got it because of all the rave reviews and the reviews weren't joking when they said you only need an itsy bitsy grain for your whole face. It doesn't highlight my dryness except when I was in need of some exfoliation.

I am MAC NC10-15, Everyday Minerals Olive Fair and Lucy Minerals Pale Olive. I ordered sample jars in Pale Olive, Cream, and Light. they all matched my NC10-15 skin pretty well. Cream and Light were a tad too pink/peach for my Asian skin but not really noticeable unless you really care about these things like me... Cream and Light were in the same shade range while Pale Olive was a tad paler. Pale Olive matched my olive/yellow Asian skin better.

The Try It 5gram sample jars comes with a sifter in them. Even though they are sample sized but I can see this lasting me a long time because of how little I need. The samples are $2.50 each and they always offer amazing free shipping deals. I got it when it was free shipping for all orders including worldwide! They also offer custom shade mix.

Conclusion

95%

New HG mineral foundation!

Naruko AM/PM Dark Circle Diminishing Eye Complex review

2012-10-22T19:11:00.001-07:00

Claims

a brightening eye serum that can successfully erase all aging skin problems around the eyes and provide the necessary nutrients that your skin needs!
contains vitamin K, Eyeliss™ Firming Complex, vitamin A, C, E, B, Q10, hyaluronic acid, peptides, retinol, arbutin, green tea extract, shea butter .
Suitable for all skin types, especially eyes with dark circles, fine lines, and/or dryness problems.

Ingredients

Purified Water (Aqua), Hesperidin Methyl Chalcone, Dipeptide-2, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-3, Lecithin, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Tocopherol, Retinol, Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Seed Oil, Phospholipids, Phytoadione, Echinacea Purpurea Extract, Camellia Sinesis Leaf Extract, Paeonia Suffruticosa Root Extract, Scutellaria Baicalensis Extract, Saxifrage Sarmentosa Extract, Acetyl Tyrosine, Arbutin, Glutathione, Ubiquinone, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter), Sodium Hyaluronate, D-Panthenol, 3-Aminopropyl-L-Ascobylphosphate, Acetyl Dipeptide-1 Cetyl Ester, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Propylene Glycol, C12-C15 Alkyl Benzoate, Cetyl Palmitate, Alcohol, Silica, Mica, Titanium Dioxide, Cyclopentasiloxane, Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimenthicone Crosspolymer, Dimethiconol, Steareth-20, Polysorbate 20, Carrageenans (Chondrus Crispus), Carbomer, Laureth-3, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Cetearyl Olivate, Sorbitan Olivate, Soribtan Palmitate, Glyceryl Stearate, Sodium Polyacrylate, Triethanolamine, EDTA, Potassium Phosphate, Imidazolidinyl Urea, Phenoxyethanol, Methylparaben, Ethylparaben, Propylparaben, Butylparaben, Isobutylparaben

My Experience

I have dark circles ever since I could remember. I remember my first venture into makeup world was to conceal my dark circles... I am a chronic insomniac since I was a kid and it doesn't help that I am a party animal... So dark circles have always been my main concern.

I remember the first day I woke up looking in the mirror after using this overnight. My circles practically disappeared! About 90% gone! I was in shock and ecstatic. As the day progress, my circles went back to normal.

That night I used a bigger blob hoping for better effects but I found it extremely hard to pat it in and absorb in the skin. So I gave up on patting and just let it absorb itself. After a while I saw that the cream has dried/absorbed and there were white patches under my eyes. Apparently this cream is a bit white tinted which I assume is from the Mica and Titanium Dioxide. So that was the miracle effect that I saw before... I am not saying this doesn't work because this cream has a very impressive list of ingredients that's great for an eye cream. It's okay moisturizing and doesn't cause milia. I will have to use this longer to see real results...

Conclusion

Still need to use this more to find out its abilities...

Amore Pacific MEDIAN Whitening Toothpaste review

2012-10-22T18:09:00.000-07:00

Amore Pacific is basically Korea's P&G. They are a corporate giant that's involved in a variety of beauty and household items. Median is their line of toothpastes. They are all KFDA approved and extremely popular in Korea. (KFDA is Korea's FDA)

Claims

[Whitening Care]

Fine oxygen bubbles remove small holes which cannot touch the surface of teeths and inner dirties cleanly.
Cares the surface of teeths and maintains the teeths white and bright.
Fresh feelings are lastes for a long hours.

My experience

WORST TOOTHPASTE EVER!!

I am not a loyal user to any specific toothpaste brand or product. I just buy whatever is new and on sale such as Colgate or Crest. I usually get similar results from all of them and never any issues. I also have no taste preference either.

This is the first time I ever had an issue with a toothpaste. It made my teeth yellower than ever!! I used it for a few weeks and I started to notice my teeth were getting extremely yellow. To the point that I couldn't stand it, so immediately I grabbed whatever trusty American brand I had in my cabinet to brush my teeth instead. Within days, my teeth whitened to my normal shade range.

My teeth are not exactly pearly white to begin with but definitely not YELLOW! I still don't understand why I had such a bad experience with all the raves I've read.

Conclusion

0%

DON'T BUY THIS! EVER!

NYX Grow Brow Serum review

2012-03-12T00:28:00.000-07:00

Claims

Prescription free eyebrow serum that transforms over plucked, thin or uneven brows to create an effortlessly fuller look
All natural formulation features superior peptide and growth complexes combined with lavender oil, arginine, biotin, soy proteins, and gingko biloba to produce stronger, thicker, fuller brows
Serum is color and fragrance free and dries clear for a smooth and healthy look
Results are evident in as little as 4 - 8 weeks
Non-irritating formula is clinically tested, Dermatologist tested and approved
Drug-Free, Paraben-Free and never tested on animals

My experience

First off, I was not born with thick eyebrows. I also always had issues with the shape of my brows. I can never make them balanced on both sides. I am fickle with their shape to what frames my eyes and face the best. This leads to constant changes with the shape of my brows. Sometimes I pluck them to look shorter, further apart, closer together, etc. there's an area that won't grow back for months.

Now NYX comes to the rescue! I used it for a few weeks at night time. Honestly, I wasn't that religious with the application. I would skip a night every now and then. But guess what? That bald patch grew back!

It doesn't sting like another brow serum I tried by Skinactives. Unlike many brands, this works without irritation and scary glaucoma ingredients. It's mostly herbal extracts and peptides. It does make me a bit itchy some times when I wake up with it on overnight. I take that as a sign that it's working and that's the hair follicles sprouting ? LOL

It is not exactly cheap for a drugstore brand but definitely not expensive for something that works so well!

Conclusion

100%

If you want to grow out brows, run and grab this now! IT WORKS!

Update

Sadly, I think this product may have been discontinued... It's not available on NYX website anymore but still available on CherryCulture.com , which is where I get mine from anyway.

much debate...

2012-03-06T09:41:00.000-08:00

been contemplating to start a blog for years... but couldn't decide if I want to publish my personal life... on the other hand, I have a burning desire to share my love for beauty and fashion! so here I am! better late than never :)