My Beauty Tips

Hello my bumblebees! Let's greet November too! I'm about to share my own beauty advices to you right now. Actually it's been a long thought indeed to share these tips, so I hope you like this kind of post. Before we begin this post, I'll explain my skin type and condition first, therefore if you have similar skin type or condition with me, I hope you'll find these tips helpful. Also, kindly do understand we all have different skin reaction to certain ingredients, meaning what works on me, might not work on you at all. Let's get it started!

The model in the picture above is Park SoRa, she's the face of Korean fashion line Stylenanda as well as the cosmetic line, 3CE. I'm going to put her in every illustration for this post because, umm, she's like the Korean beauty goddess! LOL. I mean her skin is flawless already, and that explains why every 3CE product she wears is just convincing! Instead of me (like whoaaa), I'm just going to use her image as the illustration in every tip I'll share.

Well well.. Moving on to my skin type and condition~ I have an oily combination skin, oily on the T-zone, but the rest are normal. My main skin problems are whiteheads, blackheads and acne marks. And here are my own beauty tips, including the products that I use with the budget-friendly alternatives:

1. Cleanse your face thoroughly

By cleansing your face, I mean double-cleanse! Especially when you're wearing makeup, yes including those CC and BB creams, because your facial wash can't cleanse makeup 100%. I use cleansing milk and cleansing water for the first stage, and if I'm wearing eye makeup, I'll definitely erase it with a makeup remover too.

Splurge: Clarins Water Comfort One-Step Cleanser, Lancome Galatéis Douceur
Save: Bioderma Sébium H2O, Maybelline Clean Express Eye & Lip Makeup Remover

The second stage of double-cleanse is to wash your face. I wash my face with the help of Etude House Wonder Pore Brush, because it will help to clean the clogged pores too. After washing my face, I would just wipe it dry with tissue instead of rubbing it with towel.

Splurge: Clarins Gentle Foaming Cleanser
Save: Etude House Wonder Pore Whipping Foaming

Finally, this is an optional step. However, this step is totally essential for me, it's called exfoliating. I find that my skin has been better because of exfoliating. I do this every once a week at night. Before exfoliating, I steam my face with hot water. Just pour the water into a large bowl and place a towel over your head and lean over the steaming water. Let it be for 5-10 minutes. I'd usually listen to some relaxing songs instead of putting it on timer.

Splurge: Clarins Gentle Refiner
Save: Biore Double Scrub Bright

Both of the exfoliators are very gentle to my skin so I recommend it to those who have oily combination skin like me, though I'm not sure how it'll react to sensitive skin. After exfoliating my face, I'd followed it with facial mask. This step is necessary to close the open pores from the steaming treatment.

Splurge: Mizon Pore Clearing Volcanic Mask
Save: Bedak Saripohatji

2. Tone and hydrate your face

Oh so many products that I've mentioned. Now moving on to the second tip, it's to tone and moisturize your face. I can't stress it anymore that toner and essence might look unessential, but IT IS VERY ESSENTIAL as it benefits my skin so much. First of all, toner will help you to close the pore. Second of all, it helps to remove makeup residue. Lastly, it will also help you to restore the skin's pH balance. Use a cotton pad for this step.

Splurge: Avène Eau Thermale Spring Water
Save: Etude House Wonder Pore Freshner

For my skin hydration, I use an essence right after the toner. What I notice the most after religiously using a face essence is that my skin is brighter than ever!

Splurge: Laneige Original Essence White Plus Renew
Save: Secret Key Starting Treatment Essence

There has been a confusion on how to apply an essence, for me it depends on the texture. If it's watery and runny like the Secret Key, I'd use a cotton pad. However, if it's watery but not runny like the Laneige one, I'd just apply it with my bare hands and dab it until it absorbs to the skin.

3. Moisturize your face

For moisturizer, I use different type moisturizer during the day and the night. Mainly because each moisturizer has different function. It's honestly difficult for me to compare the splurges and saves, because you get what you pay, you know, so the results are incomparable. While I use Clarins for the day, it really saves my day, you can just read my full review on the link and the Kiehl's cream is just magically effective to reduce wrinkle! I just turned 23 so I obviously don't develop facial wrinkle yet, but I swear it helps to fade my neck wrinkle! The only downside of this product is the smell, but it's okay for me as long as it benefits my skin.

Splurge: Clarins Beauty Flash Balm, Kiehl's Powerful Wrinkle Reducing Cream
Save: Mizon Snail Recovery Gel Cream

4. Protect your skin from UV rays

I think I've talked about sunscreen quite a lot, such as the usage, the types, and the importance of it. I can't skip this step and I even don't want to walk out from my house if I don't wear them. I even wear sunscreen when I'm home because UVA can penetrate glass, you know! So especially after my routine chemical peeling treatment, it is more than necessary to wear sunscreen for me. Oh, btw, yes I do facial and chemical peeling treatments once or twice a month in order to keep my skin clear. I find that these treatments are the key to my smoother face since my main issues are whiteheads, blackheads and acne marks. However, I don't recommend you to follow this too. Please ask a doctor first, as chemical peeling is only performed by the doctors.

Splurge: L'Occitane The Immortelle Brightening Shield
Save: Missha All Around Safe Block Essence Sun

5. Use light makeup

Here's the funny fact about my skin. Whenever I use heavy makeup, my skin tends to breakout, I guess it's true that the skin needs to breathe? So that's why I don't use face primer unless it's extremely needed! I don't use foundation as well, about this one I guess it's because I just don't own a foundation? LOL... I have been thinking of buying foundation because I think I need coverage for my dark circles and acne marks, but then again, that's what concealers are for. So I hesitate...

Splurge: Laneige Water Base CC Cream, Make Up For Ever Lift Concealer

Save: Tony Moly BCDation, Bourjois Healthy Mix Concealer

Alright then, those are the five beauty tips that I have for you bumblebees! Feel free to email me if you have further questions that you don't want to disclose on the comment box. Hopefully you find these informations useful ;)

P.S: I've tried all the products that I mentioned above. Thus, I only share the ones that I thought worth every penny.

Make Saving Money Fun!

[Disclosure: This is a sponsored post that contains affiliate links from BestBuyMoney. Although this is sponsored, all opinions are my own.]

Hello my bumblebees! Let's talk about $$$ this time! I think money saving is equally as important as making money. So I have a very useful website for you, it's Bestbuymoney.com! You can find money saving articles that contain tips on how to save money. They cover topics such as fashion, entertainment, motoring, technology, travel, and utilities.

For instance, this article titled How to Avoid Impulse Buying in Supermarkets will be helpful for mothers can't avoid impulse buying when it comes to grocery shopping. On a serious note, they also post this Give Up Smoking article, which I personally think it is a valuable article for those who have motivation to stop smoking. Sometimes active smokers don't realize that smoking isn't only bad for their (and others') health, it's not good for their 'wealth' as well.

Since online shopping is just so much practical nowadays, another way to save money on the internet is to get discount, and if you're lucky enough you can win something. In order to acquire the lucky chance, you'll be required to enter surveys. That's what I did, quite a lot..... LOL. I have never won anything, except giveaways, but who knows you can win? :D

All you need to do is to sign up here and you can get 10% off at Hotels.com! Additionally, you can win £500 Flight Centre voucher by answering the survey. Woohoo~

Alright then, hope you enjoy this post! Don't forget to check them out ;) See you later, my bumblebees~!

Omorose

[Disclosure: This is a sponsored post. I received the product for a review purpose, but the opinions are my own based on my experience.]

YEAYYY! I've just submitted my thesis revision and I feel absolutely relieved by now. It's gonna be the best birthday week. Can't wait for my graduation day too in December! Woohooo~ So today I'll be sharing natural, paraben-free, phenoxyethanol-free, and cruelty-free cosmetics, called Omorose Cosmetics. The brand was established in 2013 and now they have launched a full range of makeup products such as BB stick foundation, finishing powder, eyeshadow, cheek tint, vegan lipbalm, and even false eyelashes! Without further ado, here's my review of their Rosey Glow cheek tint and Lip Dressing vegan lipbalm.

Omorose means 'beautiful' in Ancient Egyptian.

The package arrived at my place in 8 working days, it was shipped by DHL from Malaysia as where its warehouse is located. They sent the products in a big box plus they bubble wrapped them too for a more secured arrival.

Omorose Rosey Glow.

Description: This hydrating gel blush tints the cheeks with a lasting, natural glow. Promising easy application, this convenient cheek tint makes for an excellent touch-up tool for a healthy glow throughout the day.

The packaging has French description too.

So this cheek tint comes in five shades, from soft pink, pink, magenta, orange red to red shade. And I picked the orange shade, it's named Radiant, I picked this shade because I do lately adore orangey color :P

Directions and ingredients.

You can keep this cheek tint for one year! All natural preservatives!

What a pretty orange red shade!

This cheek tint has a round packaging like a ball but obviously it's not 360° round because it's designed so it can stand properly. I even honestly thought it was a lipbalm when I first saw it in their website :D

The color is orange red shade, but when it's applied to the skin it turns out to be peach pink. The texture is solid yet it can melt, my tip is just be careful with the heat. When I opened it for the first time, the tint melted to the inside of the cap. However, the packaging is really sturdy so nothing was spilled.

I really love the scent of this cheek tint! It has a bit fruity and yet a feminine scent, oh how else could I describe it? It's just so fresh! Not to mention the lasting power, you'd definitely need a makeup remover for removing this because it won't do with just water and soap.

I've been using this cheek tint on daily basis as it looks soft once it's blended correctly. It's all natural ingredients and been reacting great to my skin too. I lurveee it!

Keep on reading to check out the swatches and final result just before the end of the post ;)

Price: MYR 62

Omorose Lip Dressing.

Description: This nourishing vegan lip balm comes in two varieties and gives your lips a luminous sheen. The clear balm creates a dewy glass effect while the pigmented balm adds a hint of colour to your lips. The balms are rich in coconut oil, avocado oil, argan oil and Vitamin E, which nourish and protect dry lips.

Description and directions in French.

Ingredients.

Just like the cheek tint, you can keep this for one year too!

The lip dressing comes in five shades as well, and again I picked the orange shade. Ohoho, fall and winter season is coming, but I can't keep my eyes from orange color :] I guess that's the perk of living in a tropical country. We can actually wear any color we want despite the weather, yes? :D

The orange shade really represents a tropical paradise.

The packaging is unlike any other lipbalm stick. It doesn't have circular cylinder shape but an elliptical cylinder. There's a benefit of having a lipbalm with such shape, you know when you put your lipbalm on a table and it suddenly rolls and falls to the floor? That kind of thing won't ever happen with this! LOLLL~

I like how they name this shade 'tropical paradise', it really suits the color and the scent of it. The color is obviously orange and it's really pigmented for a lipbalm. The scent is just like a coconut, definitely tropical, it makes me want to do the duck face (guilty pleasure!?) because it's just sooo good.

Since it's very creamy, buttery, pigmented and has glossy finish, the color will transfer to your cup or mug as you drink. Lasting power is amazing for a lipbalm, when I tested this on my skin (picture below), it wouldn't disappear whenever how much I rubbed and washed it with water, even soap. However, it's another story when it's applied on the lips since it tends to settle and accentuate my fine lines. Anyway, this might not happen to you, it's just me that originally have dry lips and I don't know why the lipbalm isn't able to moisturize my lips T-T

Price: MYR 29

Swatches of both product on my skin.

 
Final result using Rosey Glow and Lip Dressing.

Circle lenses from Geocolouredlenses - Geo Angel in grey.

Omorose Cosmetics offers free international shipping for order over MYR 150. Another interesting note, Omorose has reached the Emmy Awards 2014 in Hollywood as they sponsor the gift bags for the Red Carpet Style Lounge. Whoa.. How awesome is that?!

So my dear bumblebees, have you tried their line before? If you haven't, which one do you want to try the most?

Angel Eyes

[Disclosure: This is a sponsored post. I received the product for a review purpose, but the opinions are my own based on my experience.]

Hello, my bumblebees! I'm back with a circle lens review from Geocolouredlenses.com. Is it only me, but I find that circle lenses are more like cosmetics since it completes my eye makeup. I'm so honored to get sponsored by Geocolouredlenses once again, this time I picked the Geo Angel collection because it has a very interesting name and design.

Geo Angel in grey.

As usual, the packaging came in a nicely bubble wrapped air mail, it's very safe and I got free lens case too. You can check the detail of the packaging in my first review post, I talked about their website overview and the safety of Geo Medical lenses as well.

Scratch it to find the unique serial codes.

I really trust Geocolouredlenses.com, so I didn't even bother anymore to check the authentication stickers. I just proceeded to try the lenses because I'm sure their Geo lenses are genuine :)

Specification of Geo Angel:

Power Range: 0.00 ∼ -10.00

Diameter: 14.2mm

Base Curve: 8.6mm

Water Content: 40±2%

Lifespan: 1 year disposal

Design: 4.5 out of 5

The design looks like a flower for me. I wonder why they name it Angel then :D Anyway, I like how vibrant the gray color is, it's pigmented on my eyes and the design aren't too pixelated. Therefore, it gives me a pretty natural look.

Enlargement: 4.5 out of 5

I think the enlargement effect does a great job, but sometimes I feel like it's a bit too bold and doesn't seem that natural. Perhaps because the limbal ring color is deep black? I like the thickness of it, though.

Comfort: 4 out of 5

I can wear these lenses up to 9 hours, so it's definitely a yay from me although it will get dry in about 4-5 hours. 

Overall: I wear this lens on daily basis as well because it looks natural on me and it's comfortable as well. As long as I bring my eyedrops, it doesn't matter if I have indoor or outdoor activities.

Price: USD 20.90 per pair

Lens care tips: Treat your circle lenses gently, wash your hands before application, rinse & disinfect each time you remove them, and dispose them when they start to cause dryness. Even if this lens has yearly lifespan, I won't use it for one year, I'll probably dispose after six months usage. I write the first time usage date of each lens on the back of the lens case (with a sticker and marker of course). I always insert and remove my lens from the left eye too, it has become a habit for me so I won't mix up the left and right lenses. This is the great way to avoid eye infection.

Last but not least, Geocolouredlenses.com offers FREE international shipping and a FREE lens case for each pair of circle contact lenses purchased. They'd even upgrade the shipping to express if you buy 5 pairs!

Don't forget to follow them on:

Facebook

Instagram

Tumblr

for instant offer updates, beauty news and real life photos!

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Red Velvet - Be Natural.

Please somebody remove the Taeyong part! It's so unnecessary and the rap is sort of annoying for me. Oh, so this is Red Velvet, the newest girl group from SMent. I feel bad for them since there are so many hates toward them, and yeah, can't help but you guys debuted in a wrooong time. Then this cover version from former girl group S.E.S came out in such a wrong time as well. Thus bringing such speculation that SMent uses Red Velvet. Anyway, who's your bias in Red Velvet?

Baby Feet

[Disclosure: This is a sponsored post. I received the product for a review purpose, but the opinions are my own based on my experience.]

Well, helloooOctober! My most favorite month of the year just because it's my birth month! LOL. I've been sick to the point I couldn't even sit for too long so I'm really sorry for the lack of update, but I can proudly say I've done with my thesis defense and I just attained my temporary bachelor degree! Yes, I still got so much revision to do~ *le sigh* It's only due in 2 weeks.

Anyway, this time I'll be sharing a product that I received from Bonboncosme.com! It's a foot peeling mask from Dr. Piz. I think it's a very interesting product 'cause I have never tried something like this before! But, before getting down to the review, I'd like to warn you that this post may contain pictures that looks somewhat gross and scary. At least to me, I felt that way the first time I saw the process picture of this product on their website, but at the same time it made me very curious as I wanted to get rid of my thickened skin, so yeaaaaah, let's get to the review if you're dying to know too!

Dr. Piz Foot Mask.

This is a foot mask that's supposed peel your foot, it will basically remove the dead skins. The product was made in Taiwan, and too bad they only explain everything in Chinese. Thankfully they put the illustrated directions.

Ingredients and directions in Chinese.

Directions (as stated by Bon Bon Cosme):

1. Pour the liquid into the socks film.
2. Put your feet inside and seal it with the given double sided glue.
3. Let it soak for 80-100 minutes.
4. After taking off the socks film, wash your feet and wipe them with the moisturized wet wipes.

What's inside the box.

The socks films, two liquid sachets (one for each foot), and moisturized wet wipes.

The socks films.

The red marks were the double sided glue.

The socks films were pretty large for my 38 size feet. Each film has a double sided glue, but I found that it didn't stick really well so I had to put another adhesive tape to make sure the liquid wouldn't spill. I wore the mask for exactly 100 minutes, it felt uncomfortable honestly wearing it more than an hour. I couldn't walk around so I only stayed in my room during the treatment, watching K-dramas and stuff. I didn't even try the sleep position because I was sure it would fail!

Day 1 - Before using the foot mask.

My feet before the treatment weren't that bad, I didn't have much thickened skin to begin with, the part that I concerned the most was just the ball of my right foot! When I was wearing the mask, it feels itchy because the plastic touched my skin and it was unavoidable. Oh, and I realized I had cuts thanks to the liquid LOL. It didn't hurt but surely it tingled a little. The liquid didn't smell good, it was like glue or nail polish kind of smell. After wearing the socks film for 100 minutes, I felt my feet became extremely dry, even after I washed and wiped with the moisturized wet wipes they've given, it still felt dry, but there was a slight feeling too that my feet became smoother.

There weren't much differences between day 1 and day 2, I was even a bit skeptical that it would work because I didn't see the peeling at all. On day 3, it felt just like usual too but I needed to go out that day so I wore my flats the whole day and at night I realized my feet started to peel off.

Day 4 - The peeling just started.

Day 4, the peeling started and don't worry it didn't hurt at all! I thought I would feel disgusted by the dead skin, but nope, I couldn't stop touching the skin instead dunno why! At this time, I couldn't even wear sandals because that would look so gross to the people who didn't know what happened to my feet. So I'd rather conceal it with flats although the top of my feet looked extremely dry as well.

Day 6 - The peeling was really happening.

Every time I took a shower, I would pick up the dead skin which I was actually not allowed to, but I couldn't help~ Forgive me! The top of my feet surprisingly peeled off as well. By this time I really couldn't even wear flat shoes and I opted to just stay at home :D

Day 10 - Result after peeling.

Voila~! Here's the result! Even though the product claims the peeling process will be finished in 5-7 days, my peeling process was done in 10 days. There's still a little bit of dry skin left, but in day 10 I could already wear my sandals comfortably! I feel more confident about my foot than before this treatment, especially my heel that feels exceptionally soft like a baby foot. HA. The peeling was worth it and it made my feet appearance look brighter too. The result is definitely different with pedicure, I'm totally going to do this again. Maybe routinely like twice a year? That would be more than enough for me :)

Price: IDR 150k