Best of July Roundup - Rodin, Chanel, Melvita

Hello, July was a fabulous month with many new beauty discoveries for me.  Luckily for me, they were all winners with no major fails.  I had to narrow down to the few that I felt were "Gold Medal" material.  Yes, I have been watching the Olympics games non stop, they are exciting and addicting.  Go USA! 

Skincare - Rodin Olio Lusso Luxury Face Oil

If this is good enough for Adriana Lima, VS model, it is good enough for me.  I often get sucked into celebrity endorsements when it comes to beauty products, but this oil has been nothing but amazing.  Since I finished Sunday Riley Juno which I love, I wanted to try a new facial oil because I like to experiment.  Rodin Olio Lusso Luxury Face Oil surfaced on to my radar after I read this article about the founder, Linda Rodin and the product.  Rodin is in her 60's.  She comes across as a really cool lady with her own unique sense of style and taste.  Not to mention great skin to boot.

I use this luxurious natural oil on my face and neck at bedtime.  I would describe it as "Liquid Gold".  It is not greasy and I find the floral scent from the essential oils help me fall asleep.   The downside of this product is that it does come with a hefty price tag.  So I would consider repurchasing, but I will probably alternate it with a less expensive oil.

Rodin Olio Lusso Luxury Face Oil is available at Barneys New York.

Makeup - Chanel Le Crayon Khol Intense Eye Pencil in 75 Peche Cuivre


This golden peach color eye pencil was an unexpected find for me.  A few months ago, I was looking for a flesh tone pencil for the waterline at the Chanel counter at Macy's.  They did not have anything close to what I was looking for, but I stumbled upon this color from the summer collection.  This pencil is a sweet surprise in the sense that I can achieve the same bright eye look with it as compared to using a flesh color pencil.  It is a versatile color that can be used on the lid, lower lash line, or waterline.  If you haven't tried Chanel eye pencils before, you should know that they are really soft and easy to apply.  The colors are pigmented and long lasting.  The color would stay on my lower lash line for more than 10 hours, impressive!


Chanel Le Crayon Khol Intense Eye Pencil in 75 Peche Cuivre is available wherever Chanel is sold.  I am not sure if this is a limited edition color or not.

Left - Heavy swatch
Right - Light swatch

Body Care - Melvita Scented Dry Oil

I have been using this dry oil after shower everyday for the last two weeks.  I bought it from a sale event at Melvita's a while back.   Some of the main ingredients include Pomegranate, Argan, and Moringa of which all have anti-aging and repairing properties.  It comes in a spray glass bottle which I am not too crazy about because it is sometimes hard to spray the oil out and the bottle is weighty.  The oil itself is very light and is easily absorbed on the skin.  The scent is supposed to be orange blossom, but to me it smells more grassy or herbal on the skin.  Overall, I like how it softens my skin without being too heavy and the ingredients are of natural origins.  It can also be used on hair, but I have yet to try it on my hair.  I have been using another oil as hair treatment and loving the results.  I will report on that product later.


Thanks for reading.  Until next post......

Sunday Riley Modern Skincare

Hello and Happy Sunday!  I have been incorporating Sunday Riley Modern Skincare to my daytime skincare routine for over one month.  I am happy to report that I am adding Sunday Riley Modern Skincare to my list of HG skincare lines that already includes Acure, Arcona, Aveda, and Melvita.

Sunday Riley Modern Skincare is all about using Green Technology and incorporating their own NV-5 Ageless Complex in the products.  You can read more about Green Technology and NV-5 Ageless Complex on their website here.  I have done a lot of research online before investing in the products.  During my research, I discovered lola's secret beauty blog and Lola's blog contains a wealth of information on Sunday Riley's products.  Lola has been an avid user of the line for many years.  Her posts are well written, insightful, and informative.  Go check out her blog.  

To give you a quick overview of the Sunday Riley products, I have been layering or mixing the first three products in the daytime after cleansing and followed by sunscreen:


 - Juno Transformative Lipid Serum - It is a facial oil and it is the star product in my opinion.  This product gives your skin a luminous glow like no other
- Skin Adrenaline Anti-Aging Concentrate - Light moisturizer for all skin types including oily skin
- Good Genes Treatment - This is a brightening treatment that I use five days in a row as a treatment once a month.  I would layer or mix it with Juno and Skin Adrenaline
- Start Over Active Eye Cream - I have not started to use this product yet.  It was a gift with Sunday Riley purchase at the Barneys New York Beauty Event in February.  I wanted to finish up my Origin Eye Treatments before opening this one
- Charisma Creme Cleanser - I picked up this cleanser last weekend after trying the sample I received in February. It is a good cleanser for normal to dry skin and it will remove eye and face makeup while it softens the skin


All products are available at Barneys New York.


In the evening after cleansing, I am still using and rotating between Acure Radical Age Reversal Treatment and Sponge Ladi Avokanto. I reserve these treatments for bedtime because I find both textures to be too heavy for daytime.


Thanks for reading.  Until next post......

Best of October Roundup - Skin Care, Makeup, Body Care, and Fragrance

Hello, Ladies, it is that time again.  In the month of October, I started using many new products and old products alike.  My favorites for the month are products that I have been using for at least one month or longer.  Let's get started:

Skin Care

Most of us are always on the go.  If you have three minutes in your day and you want a quickie cream mask, Super by Dr. Nicholas Perricone Ginger Gingerols 3-Minute Facial is a great one to try.  I am sure many of you are familiar with the Perricone MD products, the Super line is described on the Sephora website as: 


"...a nourishing collection of formulas for your face and body. Infused with phytonutrients derived from some of the most powerful superfoods and formulated with advanced patented sciences, SUPER allows your skin to indulge in nature's most nutritional bounty."


The Super line appeals to me more than the Perricone MD line because the ingredients are more natural and the price points are more affordable.  I have used this product after a long busy day or before a special occasion, it always gives my face a fresh radiant look after three minutes.  I have left it on longer and it is absolutely fine.  There is a tingling sensation when I put on the product, it is tolerable and lasts for a few minutes.  I believe this product delivers the results I look for in a quickie mask, it hydrates and adds radiance to my skin as if I had a mini facial.  This is fabulous and I will re-purchase it.  I would like to try the other skincare products in the line too.


Makeup

I used Maybelline Master Drama By Eyestudio Cream Pencil in 400 Midnight Master everyday in October and this is my review here.  This is my current favorite drugstore eyeliner.  My only gripe with it is that it does not give you a lot of product because I managed to finish it in a month.  Other pencil eyeliners seem to last a lot longer for me.


Body Care


I have tried many body scrubs in the past and Melvita Extra-Soft Body Scrub is one of the best out there.  It is a natural sugar scrub made with essential oils, see the website for the full listing of ingredients.  The texture resembles jelly with very fine sugar particles for manual exfoliation.  It is very gentle on the skin.  The scent is citrus.  I like that it comes in a tube because I can squeeze out the exact amount I want to use.  I highly recommend this body scrub.

Note:  There are no personal photos of this product because my tube is almost used up and does not look appealing.  I did not think the photos would come out very good.

via Melvita USA website

Fragrance

Jo Malone Red Roses Cologne in the middle

I like rose fragrances.  Jo Malone Red Roses Cologne is the cleanest and freshest rose fragrance that I have ever tried.  It is composed of seven roses from around the globe.  I love wearing it alone or layer other Jo Malone colognes with it.  I reached for it a lot in the warm weather in October, it is very light and never over powering.  I get mesmerized by this scent every time I spray it, it makes me feel beautiful and feminine.


Recently I picked up this set of five Jo Malone miniatures at Nordstrom and it contains Grapefruit, Pomegranate Noir, Wild Bluebell, Red Roses, and Vanilla and Anise.   I mainly wanted to try out the new Wild Bluebell, Pomegranate Noir, and Vanilla and Anise.  And I can take a few of these with me when I travel.  Check it out.


Thanks for reading.  Until next post......

Facial Mist Obsession

Hello, I have many beauty obsessions and facial mist has been one for as long as I could remember.  I always have a bottle at home and carry a mini in my purse.  I do not use the mist as a toner, instead I use it to set makeup and to refresh my skin throughout the day.  My current three favorites are Evian Facial Spray, Jurlique Rosewater Balancing Mist, and Melvita Eau de Fleurs d' Oranger Orange Blossom Floral Water.

Evian Facial Spray - Evian is known for its mineral water and this has been one of my staples for many years.  It has no fragrance and the mini atomizer spray can is so light and easy to carry around.  My only gripe is that I go through these so fast and the cost is $12 for the duo to go pack.

Jurlique Rosewater Balancing Mist - I mentioned a Jurlique cleanser before and I liked it, so I splurged on other products from the line and this was one of them.  I like almost anything with rose in it, so I picked this up.  The rose scent is the same in the mist as in the infamous Jurlique Rose Hand Cream.  It is a natural rose scent to me, not synthetic.  Most of the ingredients are natural that includes rose essential oil, grapefruit seed extract, and aloe leave extract.  It comes in a nice frost glass bottle and I keep this one at home.

Melvita Eau de Fleurs d' Oranger - Melvita is one of my favorite organic lines and nothing has failed me so far.  I received the Orange Blossom Floral Water as a gift with purchase at the Melvita store in San Francisco. 100% of the total ingredients are from natural origin and the products are all made in France.  The scent is floral from the Bitter Orange flower and it is quite soothing.  This floral water is supposed to help calm irritated and blotchy skin. 

Do you have a favorite facial mist?  Until next post......

Summer Morning Skincare Routine for Glowing Skin

Hello, Let's talk about skincare for the summertime.  As seasons change, we should examine our own skin changes to determine the right products to use.  It is ok to change your skincare when the weather changes, it is the same as changing your wardrobe.  I have been using the products in the picture since the weather became warmer.  This is a morning routine that I find works well  for me, my skin type is dry and sensitive. Like many of you, I do not have much time to fuss around in the morning, these products absorb quickly and they are effective in my opinion.

From left to right in the picture:

Cleanser

Melvita Cleansing Micellar Water - I use this when I have dry patches, it does not strip my skin like a gel cleanser and water would.  I apply to skin with a cotton pad, it wakes up my skin in the morning and leaves it lightly moisturized.  I like this cleansing water a lot because 99.57% of the total ingredients are of natural origin. 

Arcona White Tea Purifying Cleanser - When I get occasional breakouts or if I want my skin to be squeaky clean, this is my go-to cleanser.  It cleanses the skin thoroughly without striping it.  It has many natural antioxidants and enzymes in the ingredients, so it is good for the skin.  Not to mention the smell is simply divine!

Jurlique Purely White Skin Brightening Cleanser- I am not into tanning, I prefer to keep my skin fair and bright looking.  I use this foaming cleanser two to three times a week especially after I have been exposed to the sun.  The Vitamin C is the brightening property in this product.  It leaves my skin with a nice glow after using it. 

Serum

Arcona Booster Defense Serum - I prefer serums over moisturizers for daytime because it is lighter in texture and most are hydrating enough for me.  I have only been using this serum for a week and I like it so far.  This is skin food, it gives vitamins and nutrients to the skin and provides light hydration. 

Sunscreen

Sofina Beaute (sunscreen) SPF 50+ PA+++ - I feel naked without sunscreen!  I wear sunscreen every single day even in the dead of winter.  This is a Japanese product that I purchased from SOGO department store in Hong Kong.  I have only seen similar Sofina Beaute sunscreens online and not at any retail stores in the US.

Tinted Moisturizer

Becca Lumnious Skin Colour SPF 25+ in Sand or Cashmere - This is my favorite tinted moisturizer for casual days.  It is very sheer and leaves a wash of color on the skin.  I would recommend this for people who have fairly good skin because it has a very light coverage.  It leaves your skin very glowy, I typcially powder over the T-zone area to avoid too much shine a few hours later. 

Hope this helps you and I will post a night skincare routine real soon.  Until next post......