August Favourites :)

I can't believe I have less than a month left to be in Japan! :( I was going to whinge about how it's kind of difficult to live with parents for so long when you've had all the independence, but I'm currently so bored without my mom as she's gone to a middle school reunion, and my dad's been away for work in Papua New Guinea..  total FAIL on my behalf! I've still enjoyed myself though, and have a month yet to appreciate my time here so all is well :)

Anyway, here is my monthly favourites video :) 

Apologies again for the caffeine high (and the caffeine relief bit LOL! I couldn't edit it out I was lol-ing at myself) - it's probably why there's lots of editing in this one! :P Coffee really is my drug of choice :P

And some of my new found favourite blogs this month are..

Ebrushka's Make Up Bag

I spent a few hours going over all her posts! Reminded me about how relaxed blogging should be and that it's not just about trying product after product, or about cult products or about high end products - it's about showing people what you love! :) Unfortunately this has added lots of new products onto my wishlist though and made me doubt my decision on some products I used to shrug off.. (Helloooo, Bella Bamba!).

Lil Lady's Life

I love this blog and have caught myself on it numerous occasions recently (as I don't do rounds of certain blogs, I just read what I think looks interesting on my Dashboard) which is always proof that I'm loving a blog! She talks about products that not a lot of people have heard about, and also has great reviews and not to mention photographs! I'm hoping to do a full round of her blog tonight, as I've been viciously reading through them day by day! :D

Superficial Girl

I'm usually not a fashion blog kind of girl, but I LOVE Carlinn's style as it's not too OTT or too complicated and she wears lots of solids which I love (as I struggle to find pattered tops I like.. the only one I have is what I'm wearing in the video! :P), all whilst still being extremely inspiring and stylish! For the first time I find myself wanting day-wear heels?! I also love her make-up tastes, and always love seeing bits and bobs of Malta - I absolutely adored it there! :)

And some snaps from this month.. :)

1. Books to planning my mom and my trip to Kyoto/Nara/Osaka in September :)

2. Visiting my baby second cousin Arata <3

3. Flowers for my grandpa's grave <3

4. Steamed bread :D (extent of my baking abilities..)

5. Reading for my next degree!

Hope you guys had a brilliant August :)

<3yu

My Skincare Hunt & First Impressions of Clinique 3 Step System

I realise that while I've written about some skincare products, I haven't really been clear about where I stand in my "skincare hunt" for a perfect routine :) I've sorted it all out in my head, so I thought I'd put it down on paper (screen) - it's a bit rambly but I hope you enjoy!

To start off, I have combination/normal skin - I get oily in the t-zone in the warmer months, and normal on my cheeks. Since I've gotten rid of my teenage acne last year, it's been a bit difficult assessing whether something is good, because I'm now after the luxury of perfect skin as opposed to just getting rid of things that shouldn't be there - if that makes sense?

I have a few bits and bobs of my skincare that I can say, "Yes, I love these products and I will rebuy them" but I'm still on the lookout for that perfect combination of products for a perfect routine. Anyway, here's the present standings:

* Face Wash

- Liz Earle Hot Cloth Cleanser

- The Body Shop Seaweed Face Wash

* Toner

- MUJI Light Toning Water (works well with Liz Earle Hot Cloth Cleanser)

- The Body Shop Seaweed Toner (only works well with the face wash)

* Moisturizer

- Day: Liz Earle Skin Repair for Combo/Oily Skin

- Night: Boots Botanics Night Shift Cream

As you can see, a bit complicated, and a lot of ties! So the other day while I was roaming around the cosmetics section, I stumbled by Clinique which I heard lots about from Steph, and the kind lady at the counter explained a lot about how the system works, and gave me a 3-day sample kit to try.. (needless to say it's lasted me about 4 days already)..

Left: Clinique Clarifying Lotion 3 (toner)

Centre: Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel

Right: Clinique Facial Soap for Oily Skin

Used together, this set has ticked all of the boxes. Firstly, the soap leaves my face squeaky clean, and my face always appears brighter or maybe even whiter than it started off with. I'm guessing this is what the lady meant when she said it lifts the dead skin cells, to prepare for the next step.

The clarifying lotion, which is like a toner, then exfoliates and removes the dead skin cells. I genuinely feel this works, but god the smell is horrendous! I feel like I'm putting nail polish remover on my face, it's unbearable to smell and the lady told me strictly that I can't use it near my eyes or mouth - I wouldn't want to! That being said, at the end I feel refreshed and I feel it does its job.

The moisturizer feels like somewhere between a typical gel and a silica skin primer - it has that smoothing-over effect, but it's also quite wet. I think it does a decent job of sinking into my skin, but I also feel like I've felt others do a better job. That being said, the thing I like about this is that when I wake up, I'm not half as oily as I am when I use other moisturizers, and I have no qualms about using this for both day and night - which in the long run may save some dosh!

All in all, the bits of bumpiness and redness on my face has been seriously reducing - sounds perfect, right? But I'm still not 100% sure what I should be looking for, as I don't have any blatant problems anymore! Should I be aiming to have 'normal' skin as opposed to combination? Should I aim to have baby skin? Idk! (any help appreciated :P)

So my plan is on the 26th of August, to head over to the counter again and take full advantage of a campaign where for a few extra hundred yen (lol) added to the cost of a full-sized Clarifying Lotion, you get loads of 1 month sized products, like the face wash, the moisturizer and other things. AMAZING. I'm not sure if this offer is only in Japan though..

After that I hope to figure out if the full Clinique's 3 Step System would really work for me, or if I need to cut and paste from the previous list mentioned above. I personally don't really want to give up the Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish nor her moisturizer, nor the MUJI Toner (it's paraben, alcohol, fragrance free!) - but I've got to admit, they're all running for their money with these 3 Clinique bad boys in town :)

Does anyone have 2 skincare routines, is that even possible? :P

Have you found your perfect skincare routine?

What do you look for when deciding whether a product stays in your routine? :)

<3yu

MAC Fix + Alternatives - BodyShop & MUJI

I was completely set on getting the MAC Fix+, as I've been suffering from 2 things - 1) a dry flakey patch between my eyebrows and 2) a hate for the powdery finish no matter how much I buff powder in.

I was all for paying the £11 (for 100mL), as it doesn't feel much for what it claims to do. It's basically used to set your make up, get rid of that powdery finish, and it can also be used to 'foil' eyeshadows. But then I read that the main ingredient that did all the fabulous things that the MAC Fix + does, is Glycerin.

Keeping this in mind, I went on a search for alternatives that could suit other budgets and lifestyles.

My first alternative is the BodyShop Vitamin E Face Mist (£7 for 100mL)

Glycerin is listed third in the ingredients list (these always go in descending order of amount), and has received some good reviews on YouTube. It apparently smells like rose, and is also good for just a refreshing touch up, like on the plane. The size is exactly the same as the MAC Fix +, just £4 cheaper.

My second alternative, and the one I decided to go for, is the MUJI Sensitive Skin Light Toning Water Moist (£8 for 200mL).

The bottle doesn't have a spray so you need your own atomizer for this product. However, lemme tell you it's 100% worth it. Glycerin is the second ingredient after water, and I jumped at it for the price as well (especially because it's half the price in Japan). It has definitely gotten rid of that powdery feel and my face has such a natural finish. And my make up stays on for longer. My dry patch isn't gone but it's a lot less noticeable.

The biggest plus about getting it in this massive bottle, is that you can pop off the little sifter at the top, and refill into different sized atomizers to have on the go. And you can use the rest as a toner (like it's supposed to be used!). Here are mine:

And I still have 100mL left in the bottle. The one on the top sits on my vanity so I can spray it either directly on my face or on a stippling brush, and the likkle one is in my make-up bag for refreshing during the day.

I am in no position to say that the MAC Fix + is not worth the money or anything like that because I have never tried it. However, there are advantages to the alternatives I've listed. Obviously, the price on both products, and for the BodyShop Vitamin E Face Mist, it is more accessible as there are more BodyShops than there are MAC counters. While MUJI isn't all that widely available, you can always order online, and the money value is so much better. Even better than that, you can make it portable and in a sense, 'multiply' by making it accessible in different places (vanity, on-the-go, bathroom, etc.,). However, the only downside is that you will need your own atomizers, as the bottle doesn't come as a spray (it is a toner after all). These are quite cheap in the likes of Superdrug :)

So yes. The MAC Fix + isn't the only item on the market for this kind of thing. Take a look around and you may find alternatives, but here is my 2 cents, hope you enjoyed :)

<3yu