Maybe It's a Maybelline Haul!? (& a bit of a mascara rave)

Lol I couldn't help myself with the title there :P

Personally, Maybelline isn't a brand I often turn to at the drugstore. A lot of their stuff are pretty, but just not the style I enjoy.

However, their mascaras are a different story - to me, they are THE go-to mascara brand in the drugstore, and while not all their mascaras are amazing, I'll still be surprised if a girl's never tried a mascara from them! I can already think of 5 I've tried. My first ever mascara was the Volum' Express Turbo Boost, and I think I went through 3 or 4 tubes before I started exploring.

Anyway, does anyone else remember how AMAZING mascaras seemed when you first ever applied one? I remember realising what a big difference it could make, and absolutely LOVING that difference. But it was all downhill from there, and I never quite felt the same about a mascara - the one that came close was the Maybelline Colossal or MaxFactor False Lash Effect..

Until today :)

After my disappointment with the MAC Plushlash (which you can read about here) I was on the search for another mascara to use for the time-being, and the Maybelline Hyper Curl Volum' Express was the one I went for - and boy, I really did feel like I just popped my mascara cherry all over again.

I love the packaging, how it's slim - my MaxFactor False Lash Effect was not so loved by my stressed out make-up bag! I also adore the tiger print and the metallic pink, yom yom yom. And it's so SHINY!

When I first took a look at the wand I was like 'eh'. I have always been SOOOO skeptical about these kinds of wands, as I usually use big fat chunky fibre or preferably plastic wands and found them to work. I felt like these wouldn't separate enough or apply enough. But I thought I might as well find out when the price is less than a tenner (which seems to be a find in the mascara world these days!).

Ohhh how glad I am that I did! On first impressions, I find they make bottom lash application a lot easier, and apply a lot of product and clump a few lashes together which adds volume without making it look too clumpy, so it's absolutely amazing if you want spider lashes - like these!

I have never, EVER seen my lashes like that - EVER. You can see what my eyelashes look like w/o mascara here. They stayed this curled for the whole day, and  the volume and length is perfect. There was no excessive wet formula like with MAC Plushlash so it was great to use straight out of the box. I also never thought I'd like spiderlashes on myself, but I find it balances out my relatively small eyes!

To be honest, this is completely holy grail status and I haven't said that in a REALLY long time! I may have days where I will prefer a fluffier/lots of lashes look, but that's what my other mascaras are for :D

Apparently there's two kinds of HyperCurl Mascara as you can read about on this blog - and this one is limited edition. Is it true? I also checked on the Maybelline UK website, but can't seem to find it - does anyone know if it's available in the UK? Do I need to stock up like a madwoman?

Aaaand this is what I picked up when I was paying for my mascara.. it was less than £3, but I hate it when they leave stuff on the till, it's SUCH a good marketing strategy. I haven't used it yet but I read that it was good in somebody's blogpost (so sorry I've forgotten who :() so I picked the colour and smell I liked most - thank God cuz if the two weren't in one I would've stood there forever trying to decide. This one is Sweet Cherry, and I want to eat it.

So yeah.. I thought my perfect lash quest would be pretty long but it looks like it's coming along quite quickly :P

What's your favourite mascara?

Any from Maybelline? :)

<3yu

Haul: Back From Kyoto :)

Before I start my post, I just wanted to say thank you to all my readers - I've reached 1,000 while I was away, and it was the best thing EVER to come home to! :) My blog means so much to me, and to know people want to hear what I have to say means the world! So thanks to every single one of you :)

So I got back yesterday from my 5 day holiday with my mom to Kyoto & Nara. They are located in Western Japan (Kansai), and are also the two previous capitals before Tokyo - and as usual, I picked up some local beauty goodies :) (I would say exclusive but these lot have branched out quite a bit - however their reputation as a Kyoto brand is still very much alive!)

This time the products are from a brand called Yojiya that started in Kyoto in 1904. They are famous for their blotting papers (pictured above) that initially became very popular amongst 'maiko's (apprentice 'geisha's) in the 20's, but today they're probably the best known blotting sheets in the country! These were originally made from the paper that is left behind when stamping gold-leaf onto art and other fancy things, and have been developed/improved since then :)

The brand has loads of make-up items too, but I decided to purchase the 2nd and 3rd most popular products: the mini-sized handcream made from silkworm.. stuffs? (left) and the full-sized lip balm made with 'yuzu' (right), which is a type of citrus.

I've only tried the lipbalm as of yet, but it smells LUSH and does a really good job as far as I can tell :) Not the cheapest of brands, but these two weren't too bad - the two tub set was about £10 and the blotting sheets for one booklet of 20 sheets is about £3. But what kind of a beauty blogger would I be if I didn't think illogically at times? :P

Here are some of my favourite shots of Kyoto and Nara :)

Arashi-yama station

Fushimi-Inari: torii gates built as gifts to the gods by those who want their wishes to come true :)

 Inside Tenryuuji - those signs telling people not to roll around was definitely aimed at me.. how tempting does it look?!

Gardens of Tenryuuji

Nanzenji 

Todaiji Entrance in Nara - with lots of wild deer :P 

Being bullied by a deer into giving her some food lol. 

 Toji Pagoda (and a pretty white bird.. very picturesque/cliche :P)

A very Kyoto-ey lunch! :)

Some goodies I picked up while I was there - I know, the hippo is probably the most pointless thing I've bought in years but she was too cute to not get! :P

Most of my mom's side of the family is from this area of Japan and to be honest - I have no idea why anyone would pick to live in Tokyo over Kansai - to me, it's much more chilled out and interesting!

Also, the peaceful elegance of old Japan never ceases to impress me. I only wish I knew more about Buddhism and Japanese history so I could really understand the significance of the temples, the statues, the national treasures and the buildings that I saw!

I know those were a lot of pictures of travelling for a beauty blog but I couldn't help myself! :P

And thanks again for helping me reach 1,000 readers! :)

<3yu

Picking Up Some Essentials.. #2

These days I've been buying a lot more beauty 'care' products than make-up, and because a lot of them are feeling like they'll be essentials, I decided to do a second part of a post I did ages ago about picking up some essentials :)

Sally Hansen Hard As Nails in Clear - £4.75

Tangle Teezer - £11.99

Good Things Miracle Mattifier Moisturizer - £8.16

The BodyShop Lip Roll-On in Orange - £3 (introduction price)

The BodyShop DeoDry in Fresh & Floral (refill) - £2

LUSH Grease Lightning - £5.65

The Good Things Miracle Mattifier Moisturiser caught my eye on Ellie's Beauty Blog's May Favourites and as the summer was making oilier than usual I had high hopes! I love that it has such good ingredients, very light and the smell is berry-like. It lingers for a short while, and is quite strong so if it wasn't as fruity I probably wouldn't like it, but because it's a very natural smell I don't mind it. As for the mattifying effects, I don't find it amazing - I find it reasonable. For that I'd recommend Boot's Tea Tree & Witch Hazel Mattifying Lotion, but that one smells horrible! So I think I'll be sticking with this :)

After not being able to locate my hair brush, I bit the bullet for the Tangle Teezer which I've been lusting after for ages! It's a lot lighter than I thought it'd be, but the results are about what I expected. I didn't expect a 100% WOW factor, and while I was right, I'm still impressed! My hair does feel softer, and brushing my hair is easier - I love the idea of protecting my cuticles and the instruction leaflet was so helpful. I'm not sure if it was £12 worth, but other than that, no regrets here at all! :)

When I got my nails done in Malta, the nail woman told me my nails were weak, and recommended Decleor's treatment oil.. for £52. I quickly refused and went on a search in Boots yesterday - as you can see I haven't opened this Sally Hansen Hard As Nails yet, partly because I'm not 100% sure how to use it.. most people recommend it as a base coat, so I'll be doing that soon :) A bit concerned that it's not natural and doesn't promise an infusion of nutrients.. anyone have any cheap recommendations? :/ But I did learn that when you paint your nails you have to leave a gap at the bottom because that way the live cells on your nail can breathe :)

I had no plans to get the new BodyShop Natural Lip Roll-On in Orange but I'm so glad I did, I am in LOOOOVE! Again, the natural ingredients are a major plus for me and the applicator is a metal ball that applies the oil onto your lips. And I LOVE the idea of applying oil onto your lips because that way your lips actually absorb the oils, instead of a cream that just sits on your lips, and so they feel moisturized from within. This deserves a post of its own really, but definitely recommend picking up while it's on introductory offer price! It comes in Orange, Mint, Rose, Coconut and Grape :)

The BodyShop DeoDry in Fresh & Floral is my staple deodorant - full review here :)

I first heard about LUSH Grease Lightning from Vivianna and I've been quite impressed! While I was a bit skeptical because the tea-tree oil from the BodyShop never worked on me, this one has been great! It's an antiseptic, with a gel-like consistency and a pump, and smells like a mix of tea tree oil, lavender and rosemary - gorgeous. I had two under-the-skin pimples right next to each other on my chin, which made me look like I had a Siamese chin, but since I've applied it each evening underneath my night moisturizer it's been getting a lot smaller - very impressed :)

So there it is! My recent essential purchases :)

What have you been buying/loving in your essentials recently? :)

<3yu

Do I Have An Addiction to Lip Balm?

Hmm..

Yep, yep I do.

Lip balm is one of those things that are so insignificant in the sense that you use them without a mirror for the single purpose of moisturizing, but it's so complicated in the sense that everyone has their taste in consistency, container and smell, and even that changes with every situation.

I actually have a justification, believe it or not, for the different uses of the above lipbalms.

*LipIce Original - Sweet, waxy, usually use in the cold.

LipIce Strawberry - Fruity, waxy, usually use inbetween spring and winter.

LipIce Sun - Waxy, perfect for summer w/ SPF.

LipIce Pink Sheen - Lipgloss, good for when I don't want to layer lip products.

*BodyShop Born Lippy in Pink Guava - Jelly-like and great for warm weather.

*Burt's Bees Original - Waxy, minty, perfect for anytime.

*Agatha Luiz De La Prada in Cherry - Sweet and fruity, waxy, tinted, perfect for when I want sweetness.

Primark LipSmacker in Fanta - Light, a bit wet, fruity.

Shiseido Therapino Oil Bar - Scentless, tasteless, oily, perfect for under dry lipstick.
2 Tubs of Vaseline (one small, one big) - Oily, good before bed.

The ones with * are my favourite, and most used. But seriously, how am I so picky? And what's even worse, I have a wishlist of other lipbalms I want.. like Burt's Bees honey-smelling one, EOS lip balm, LUSH Honey Trap and the famous pink Vaseline pot.

Is anyone with me or am I just weird?

<3yu