The 2013 Mother's Day Giveaway sponsored by ASK Cosmetics is now on!

In connection with the launch of the new business blog entitled TIPS by ASK Cosmetics Blog and the Youtube channel TIPS TV the company has decided to stage a huge giveaway with 2 prize packages valued at $250 each.  One winner will be chosen and asked to provide us with a name and postal address of a loved one they would like to spoil with the second gift basket. 

 

We hope these prizes will arrive in time for Mother's Day on April 12, 2013.  So, if you are up for a giveaway, get your multiple entries in before April 26th, 13.  This giveaway is open internationally, as always.  Participants must be 18 + and there is no purchase necessary to enter.

 

Best of luck to all!  Happy Weekend, Lisa M.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Sensai Sponge Chief by Kanebo

The SENSAI Sponge Chief by Kanebo International comes in a resealable plastic envelope.

 

Unfortunately this photo is not clear enough to read the instructions on the reverse side, so here they are:

SENSAI Sponge Chief

for Make-up Removal

The ecological and hygienic solution for quick, deep, yet gentle removal of cleansing products and facial masks.  To use, simply moisten with water and wipe the face.  After use, wash with soap and water.  Allow to dry in open air; towel will harden, but immersion in water will give it back its soft and silky touch.  Use the convenient case, when travelling.

 

 

 

It is remarkably soft to the touch and so gentle on your skin.  For maximum cleansing strength I recommend the Revival Hand & Nail Cleanser by ASK Cosmetics Inc. of Canada.

 

Gentle enough for a baby's bottom, yet strong enough to get rid the worst grease and grime on a mechanic's hands!

 

 

Have you ever heard or used products by Kanebo International before?

 

Thanks for stopping by.  Til tomorrow, Lisa M.

 

Caolion Mool Pool Skin & Lotion & Cleanser

Caolion brand have brought out a product not one we but our skin will love. Mool Pool package is product that take out all the alcohol  dye, parabens and other 10~15 chemicals that harm our skin. Also this product is good for sensitive skin who few days of full makeup cause acne because there is no Commodore Hygienic to cause it.

This makeup product have carefully selected water. You might just ignore it, but its the water that mixes all the product's material and what your skin absorb.

This product uses Purified Water and uses fruits like Plums Wed to clean your skin.

First, I'll show you the cleanser, this cleanser is certified in steeping into your moles and clean out all the dirt off your skin and also protects it. see how well makeup erased? However lipstick and eyeliner needs extra rubbing or what I would suggest is use point makeup remover.

The skin product is really good at fast absorbing and you won't feel the stickiness at all.

Same goes for lotion.

Overall I like this product for the makeup base.

Tony Moly Backstage Duo Face Maker. Product Intro

Tony Moly Backstage Duo Face Maker.

This product has three types.

(Pink Brown) (Gold Brown) (Peach Pink)

There is quite a big mirror but no brush is provided.
one side is the highlighter applied on your T zone and under your eyes and the chin. Other side is the shadow you use it to make the color difference less.

The Shadow part has a less pearl mixed into it. I think it's to better conceal.

It's kinda heavy but I believe you could use this after you finished your makeup applying all over you face to give a shine to your skin.

Top 6 Korean Cosmetic Brands

Top 6 Korean Cosmetic Brands

1. The Face Shop

The face shop is known for their face pack, and their product have just the amount of oil and not dry. These days they are putting work more on natural resources into the product.

 

I feel their down side is still their product ingrediments, they are working on it so let's wait a little.

 

 

 

 

2. Sulwhasoo 

Sulwhasoo is special with their indegreements. Sulwhasoo only use medicine herbs as their product basic indegreements, not only is it natural it is healthy for your skin and body. What I also like about Sulwhasoo is that thier product is really, really, soft and smooth. I believe this is good for the elderly or sensitive skin. Their best product are anti-wrinkle products, Sulwhasoo product maybe the best of all.

 

However sometime the herb smell may induce buys to evade, and their price is high.

 

3. Hera

Hera is a more of expensive brand and loved for product that have high covering ability. All your wrinkless and mole is easily covered. If you have used their poundation you can see comparing other brand products Hera's uses less powder to lighten your skin tone.

 

 

 

4. The Skin Food

Skin Food Moto is "Do not apply, yeild to your skin" just like that their product indegriments is all vegetable and fruit. Their basic products like lotion, skin, BB cream, etc. works well with any type of skin.

Skin Food needs to work on making more of these products and strengthen their colors. I believe this brand products are good for who don't like heavy make up and just need slighest amount of color.

5. Etude
Etude is beloved by their various type of bright colors. Etude products are cheap and kinda low quality compared to other brands I've put up. However their color and cost is a strong point they are 5th popular product!



6. Innisfree
Innisfree has made constant products that made from various of types of natural indegrinants. Innisfree is an expert on basic line products and it's simple design makes a plus when we shop.

If I see the downside is that some of the colors seems a little weak with alittl more color I believe it will be beloved even more.

 

Hope you enjoyed Korean Brands!!!

 

 







Why Korean Makeup So Popular?

 Why Korean Makeup So Popular?

When you search the Internet you for tip about makeup or makeup products Google show you other popular search and you often see ‘Korean Makeup’. Where is Korea? And Why are their makeup popular?

Korea???

 

Korea is a small peninsula surrounded by China and Japan. It’s a divided country of North and South and is still in Cold War.

Korea is very famous for K-Pop

Last few months Korean singer PSY song “Gamnam Style” made an unbelievable record on YouTube.

Of course has a lot of tourist that comes to shop for Korean cosmetics.

This is many paces in Korea where tourist come to shop! :)

So, why is it popular?

1.       Korean makeup is cheap.

If designer brand lipstick is around $20 to $35+ Korean brand lipstick is around $4.72+. One designer brand lipstick is the cost of 5 of Korean brand.

2.       High Quality

Korean cosmetics show a high quality in ingredients and effect after use. Most of the top Korean cosmetic brands such as The Face Shop, Skinfood, Missha and Innisfree cosmetics contains natural ingredients. When it’s all about health many favor such products. After use you can defiantly see the difference and how quickly Korean cosmetics takes effect on your skin. The number of revisit to Korea and the fast growth of cosmetic industry which is more than 12%, prove their Quality.



3.       Cute & Pretty Package

I can’t ignore the cute product packages whenever I pass them.

4.       Korean Makeup “fresh-looking, chiseled face, flawless and translucent skin”

Just the other day, I read a news article about PSY’s “Gamnam Style” back dancer’s makeup draw in more western people attention about Korean Makeup.  If you have seen their music video it is understandable. Korean believes beauty is “fresh-looking, chiseled face, flawless and translucent skin.” And surprisingly Korean cosmetics are always making more products that when you use it, it does look like you have a natural face. That doesn’t mean you can’t express your inner nature with these products. You can easily apply few more products and you can express your sexiness, cuteness, saucy, etc look.




This Ad shows their mascara product make your eyelashes abound and sexy

This ad shows their product is natural

I made this blog to introduce you to more Korean cosmetic product and Korean ways of makeup tips. I dearly hope you'll all enjoy it!

New Year, New Series! Mid-Week Beauty Master-class!

Good morning ladies :) Hope you are now all cured from the festive hangovers and fully geared up for the New Year!

I decided to start this series dealing with make-up application and skin basics I feel everyone needs to know in order to make the best out of make-up. Therefore it will resemble a Make-up  one on one.  I have already written a few general posts which you might want to refer to so as the first post of the series, I am going to link all these posts here for easier referral. 

To know more about what the skin is and it's various functions, click here; you might also want to check out my face cleansing routine here.  However, always adapt this routine to your skin needs.  To know what your skin type is, check out this post! You can also find more tips for clear skin here.

The colour wheel is an indispensable tool when deciding which colours to use so be sure to have a look at it here.  This other post deals with all the basic make-up tools everyone should have.

Another post I had posted on this blog which is worth a read deals with eyebrow shaping. Click here for more.

I hope you will all enjoy this series and please do not hesitate to send me your requests about what you would  like to see here :)


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Summer 2010 Favourite Products

Sadly, today is the last day of Summer *sob sob* and to cheer up, I decided to go through my make up collection and see which products I have used most during this summer. I will divide the products in categories such as face, body, etc... and here they are!

Body

This summer, I had a very nasty eczema attack all over my body and so I had to drink loads more water and I was using Glysolid, Dermofardi and Lavender Essential oil to bathe with followed by Sudocrem and Vaseline to keep my skin from getting dry and itchy. Thankfully, my skin is a lot better now and I hope it fully recovers soon!

On to some more interesting stuff... As a body scrub, I was using one I got from Corfu last year. I really love this scrub and I am a bit sad I used it all up. You can read a full review about it here. As for a body lotion, I was using this cheapy one which I really love the scent of... Vanilla Yoghurt! I'm such a sucker for everything vanilla! It feels silky smooth, smells good enough to eat, and leaves my skin feeling soft and supple (even with the bad eczema rash I had!). I switched this body lotion for my Hawaiian Tropic after sun each time I returned home from a day at the beach.

I have been really good to my footsies this summer by treating them to a mini pedi daily with some School Footcare products: Rough Skin Remover, Callus & Hard Skin Reducing Cream and also a Cracked Heel Repair Cream . As for depilation, I used Veet cold wax strips for legs which leave me hair-free for 4 whole weeks!

To keep my perspiration in check, I use Nivea Double Effect deodorant and during summer, I like to use different perfumes. My favourites for this summer were Christina Aguilera, Hugo Boss Orange, Guerlain Insolence and Kate Moss Velvet Hour.

Hair

Summer + hair is not a really good equation especially here in Malta where we have a very humid climate. I do not blow dry my hair during summer but I tend to use more styling products than usual to keep fly aways and frizz at bay. I use Angel treatment to restore moisture as well as a heat protector and UV protector together with some gel and a good highly moisturizing pair of shampoo and conditioner.

*Make-up Time :D*

Face

In summer, I tend not to wear any foundation to let my sun tan show and also let my skin breathe. I use a very rich moisturizer like Nivea Visage Stay Matte or Oil of Olay Beauty Fluid. I also treat my face to a weekly face mask by Montagne Jeunesse to deep clean and restore moisture levels. Should I have any minor break-outs, I treat them with Effaclar A.I. by La Roche Posay.

I still use my Rimmel Hide the Blemish Concealer in 103 Soft Honey and set it with my elf Studio Complexion Perfection. I then apply a rosy blusher (my choice is Rimmel Powder Blush in 004 Pink Rose) and contour/highlight with some elf Studio Warm Bronzer. I keep my face looking matte all day by blotting any oil with elf Professional Shine Erasers.

Eyes

Summer calls for a good primer to prevent the eyeshadow from fading or creasing, so I bought my first ever Eyelid Primer from elf cosmetics and which I am very fond of (well actually, I am fond of all my elf possessions!) My favourite eye shadows for summer were the bright ones in the Deborah stories palette and my Cover Girl trio Cafe au lait for everyday natural looks. To really elevate my eyes to a whole new level, I use black waterproof mascara from elf (Earth & Water) or Rimmel 100% Waterproof (which I ran out of). A flick of Waterproof Eyeliner Pen in Black by elf cosmetisc seals the deal and their Wet Gloss Lash & Brow Clear mascara makes my brows look polished and pulled together.

Lips

Lips don't have sweat glands so I keep mine moisturized with The Body Shop Born Lippy passion Berry lipbalm. When heading out during the day, I like to use elf's Super Glossy Lip Shines with SPF15 for a just-seen sheen and protection against the sun's rays. I like neutral colours on my lips and my favourite lipsticks are Maybelline Water Shine in 02 Cocoa Shake and Deborah Rosetto 24 Ore in 13 Creamy. I like to layer some L'Oreal Glam Shine Crystals lipgloss in 301 Coral Strass over my Maybelline lipstick. I am actually on the look out for a due of the Maybelline lipstick as I think they have renamed the shade or maybe they don't do it anymore (if so it is such a pity!). Another favourite lipgloss is my Napoleon Perdis Protege Lipgloss. I love its coral colour and minty taste!

Nails

In summer, I like to wear bright colours on my both my toe-nails and finger-nails. Here's my choice of colours:

Medium Red, Lilac and Mint Cream by elf cosmetics

Shocker, Pompous and Silver Bullet by Rimmel 60 Seconds

Into the Sunset by Maybelline Wet Shine Diamonds

To prevent my nails from becoming stained with polish, I always use a clear base coat (elf clear nail polish), then I finish with some Elegant Touch glossy top coat and nourish my nails with some Revlon Cuticle Moisture Oil.

To instantly upgrade my polish with some nail art, I use Nailene's Bedazzle Earth Angel or Superstar nail stickers... great for when I don't have time to do a free-hand design.

To file my nails, I use these fierce-looking nail files from Peacocks. They are not fierce at all on my nails as they have a very gentle grit.

 

So, these were all my Summer 2010 Favourite Products! I hope you enjoyed this post and I look forward to seeing yours! Should you want me to review any of the items, don't hesitate to let me know! I linked the reviews of products which I have already reviewed. So, there's nothing left for me to say, except bye bye Summer, hello Autumn and we'll wait and see which new trends the new season will bring with it!

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No Fuss De-Fuzzing!

There exist various methods to depilate different parts of the body. In this post, I will go into these methods with both their pros and cons + some tips as well.

~ Shaving

Shaving eliminates body hair from the surface of the skin (like trimming the hairs very close to the skin). It is most effective on legs and underarms.

Pros: Cheap, quick and painless

Cons: hair grows out faster, usually within 2 days.

Shaving Tips: 1. Use a moisturizing shaving foam/gel and a moisturizing body lotion

afterwards.

2. Using a hair minimizer lotion after shaving, means less frequent

shaving.

3. Leave the shaving cream on for a couple of minutes before shaving so

that the hairs become softer for an easier shave.

~ Tweezing

Very time consuming since the hairs are plucked out one by one. It is best for small body parts like the eyebrows or to remove any stray hairs you may have skipped on shaving.

Pros: total control over eyebrow shape

Cons: may be painful and may cause redness in the area for some time.

Tweezing Tip: Apply a warm compress to the skin you are going to remove hairs from to open up the pores and minimize discomfort. Alternatively, you can hold some ice on the area to numb it.

~ Waxing

Relatively quick method of depilating which removes the hairs from their very roots.

Pros: Long lasting results, usually up to 4 weeks

Cons: May cause pain and redness, you have to wait for the hairs to be of the right length to wax again, otherwise, they won't be removed.

~ Depilatory Creams

These creams contain a hair weakening agent and thus make it possible for the unwanted hair to be removed, simply by wiping it away. It is important to test the skin compatibility on a small patch of skin before going on with using the cream on a larger area.

Pros: Cheap, results last longer than when using a razor

Cons: Bad smelling

~ Bleaching

If you temporarily want to make body hair invisible without shaving, bleaching is the right solution for you. The formulation contains hydrogen peroxide which bleaches the hairs and makes them less visible.

Pros: results last from 2 to 6 weeks

Cons: not suitable for dark skins and dry hair

~ Sugaring

Similar to waxing but is made up of lemon juice, water and sugar. Very popular in Middle Eastern Countries.

Pros/Cons: same as waxing

~ Electrolysis

A needle through which an electric current is passed to kill the hair root is employed in this technique.

Pros: Permanent

Cons: Expensive, several treatments may be needed, painful

The skin...what is it exactly?

Hello my beauties and welcome to the first 'proper' blog post!

I in this post I will be explaining what our skin is and how it carries out its functions. I think this is an important topic since if you understand how the skin works you will be in a better position to take optimum care of it...with rewarding results :). So, ladies I encourage you to read on...

The skin is the largest organ in the body and it covers and protects each and every underlying tissue and organ from bacterial invasion. It covers an area of around 1.2 - 2 metres squared and accounts for 12% of our total body weight.

Even during our sleep, the skin is continually working to help protect and regulate body processes to keep us healthy. Therefore it is important to get at least 8 hours of sleep each night...it is not called a beauty sleep for nothing! If the skin's natural protective functions are distorted, problems will arise.

Throughout our body, skin varies in thickness, being thicker in the palms of the hands and soles of the feet. Thick skin is called glabrous skin and is characterised by a greater number of tactile nerve endings, an absence of hair follicles and sebaceous glands (oil-producing glands) and also a thicker epidermis. It is thinner on the lips and eyelids...hence the delicateness of these areas. Thickened skin occurs due to friction and pressure as well as exposure. Cold sensations contract the skin whilst warm sensations relax it.

The skin is made up of 3 layers:

• Epidermis
• Dermis
• Sub-cutaneous fat

The epidermis

This is the uppermost layer of the skin also known as the superficial layer. It protects the deeper living tissues from bacterial invasion and harm from the external environment. The epidermis receives nourishment from a liquid known as interstitial fluid. The epidermis can be divided into 5 layers, namely (top to bottom):

• Stratum Corneum ~ consists mainly of dead, flat flakes or keratin. These flakes are shed through a process known as desquamation. The life span of epithelial cells is between 32 and 36 days and about half of this time is spent in this layer.

• Stratum Lucidum ~ as the name suggests, this layer has a clear, almost transparent appearance. It is only a few cells thick and it is a water barrier zone. A clear substance called eledin fills the spaces between the cells in this layer.

• Stratum Granulosum ~ this layer is made up of living cells and as they move upwards, they are converted to keratin in a process known as keratinisation.

• Stratum Spinosum ~ known as the prickle cell layer due to the prickle-like threads that join the cells together.

• Stratum Basale ~ the deepest layer of the epidermis and cells receive their nourishment from the dermis and they are living cells. When skin is superficially damaged, it is repaired in this layer. In this layer, we find specialised cells called melanocytes. These cells secrete brown pigment called melanin and its production is controlled partly by genetic factors and part hormonal secretions. The function of melanin is to protect us from UV radiation injury and the more exposure, the more pigment is produced, that's why we tan in summer! One in every ten cells of the basal layer is a melanocyte. Absence of melanin gives rise to a condition known as albinism whose sufferers cannot stay in the sun due to totally white hair and skin & also pink eyes with poor vision.

The Dermis

This layer is located beneath the epidermis and is known as 'true skin'. It is a mass of connective tissue that contains blood vessels, lymphatic vessels, nerve and nerve endings, sweat galnds, hair follicles, small muscles and sebaceous glands. The bulk of dermal tissue is formed from collagen. The dermis is divided in two layers, namely, papillary layer and reticular layer. The former supplies nutrients to the basal layer of the epidermis and due to the dense vascularity, provides warmth. The latter layer consists of yellow elastin fibres and strong reticular tissue. Elastin looses elasticity with age and excessive exposure to UV light, making the skin sag and appear wrinkled....always remember to wear sunscreen! If skin is stretched, the fibres rupture and leave scars commonly known as stretch marks.

The Sub-cutaneous layer

This is really fatty tissue. It's function is to provide insulation to the skin as well as protect underyling organs from blows.


I hope you will find this post interesting and I look forward to answering any queries you might have.

Stay Beautiful,


Lara xoxo