LANCÔME Products from ActiveSkin

I had the opportunity to try some Lancome skincare and beauty samples from a sample set provided by ActiveSkin. ActiveSkin is an Australian online beauty store that stocks major brands such as Lancome, Clinique, Cloud 9 and OPI, just to name a few. I'll be sharing my first impressions and thoughts of each product. Firstly, let's have a look at the contents inside the cosmetics pouch:

• Renergie Multi-lift Day Cream 15ml

• Dreamtone 7ml (Shade 01)

• Visionnaire Advanced Skin Corrector 5ml

• Hypnose Doll Eyes Mascara 2ml

• Tresor Eau De Parfum 7.5ml

RENERGIE MULTI-LIFT DAY CREAM 15ml

ANTI-WRINKLE AND FIRMING TREATMENT

Its purpose is to help replenish the surface of the skin with the energy it needs to repair and reconstruct. It is designed to target the multiple layers of the skin and is effortlessly absorbed to create a firmer feeling, tighter and a more youthful complexion with wrinkles appearing reduced and refined.

It has a dense but light texture, like soufflé 

I find the scent very pleasant and it is great that this cream is suitable for all skin types as my own sensitive skin is able to handle this scented product as I am usually opting for fragrance free ones to be safe. I had no irritations and I only say positive things about this cream as I felt that my face felt a lot smoother after the first use of this day cream!

DREAMTONE SHADE 01 7ml

ULTIMATE SKIN TONE CORRECTOR FOR EVEN SKIN TONE

This product is designed to correct the appearance of dark spots, uneven skin tone and colour irregularities such as redness, dull skin and blemish marks. It is to be applied on clean skin both day and night, all over the face.

It has a stick applicator

A clear, oil-like texture with small white pieces

There are 3 different 'shades' that this product's formulation supposedly matches in terms of pigmentation profile, i.e. shade 1 targeting fair skin tones, shade 2 targeting fair/medium skin and shade 3 targeting darker skin. I have quite a bit of an uneven skin tone with my forehead being a tad darker than the rest of my face and slight redness on my cheeks and around my nose. I'm curious to see if there are any results from using this product after a month or two.

VISIONNAIRE 5ml

ADVANCED SKIN CORRECTOR

This is a sample of the 50ml version which has a modernised bottle design and its purpose is to reduce the appearance of wrinkles, minimise pores and imperfections such as uneven skin texture. For the best results, it is best to be applied before using a day cream.

A thin, creamy consistency

I like how light and thin this serum is so that other products such as face cream and BB cream/foundation can be applied right over it without it feeling cakey at all. It does an amazing job at smoothing out my skin to the point that it starts to feel like a baby's bottom! Again this has a a very pleasant, non-overpowering scent.

HYPNOSE DOLL EYES MASCARA 2ml

FOR A VOLUMISED, EXTENDED, LIFTED LASH LOOK

I hadn't tried any Lancome mascaras prior to trying this one, however I had always read such lovely reviews on their mascaras. This is a sample of their full-sized 6.5ml mascara in the shade 'So Black' and the formula is enriched with nylon powders, coating every single lash without weighing them down.

Cone-shaped tapered mascara wand - first time using one like this

It's interesting how different mascara wand designs serve different purposes and I came across this image on Priceline's Twitter page that I thought would be quite informative for everyone.

The cone-shaped brush on the Hypnose Doll Eyes mascara has been developed to coat every single lash at the ideal load, especially the inner and outer corners of the eye, giving that wide-eyed, doll-eyed look. I found that this type of brush did just that with my outer lashes being lifted and volumised. My only gripe about this mascara is that it isn't waterproof as I like my mascaras to be just that. Luckily there is a waterproof version that does the exact same job.

TRESOR EAU DE PARFUM 7.5ml

Tresor is a classic fragrance by Lancome, it's my mum's absolute favourite and I actually quite like it too. One spray goes a long way and it's not at all restricted to a certain age group.

The sample size bottle fits so cutely in the palm of my already-quite-small hand

For those who haven't smelt this fragrance before, this scent unveils floral, fruity, powdery and amber notes. It is described as a 'fragrance for treasured moments' and its luxurious design while nestled in the hand appears as a precious treasure.

Personally I find miniature gift sets and samples to be great ways of trying before buying new products without having to spend too much and not having to worry about a full-sized product go to waste if it isn't suitable. Many of the major cosmetic brands do GWP (gift with purchase) promotions for spending a certain amount and these gift sets are perfect for that.

My questjen for you:

Have you tried any LANCÔME products before?

One of my favourite fragrances is Lancome's Miracle and I do like thei Bi-Facil makeup remover. They have great kohl eyeliners too and I'm wanting to try their liquid eyeliners to see how they compare. I'm also curious about their Genefique anti-ageing formula/products (yes I'm reaching that stage where anti-ageing products are of interest to me, sadly) and I like how it sounds similar to my name :)

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Disclaimer: Products were provided for consideration. I am not affiliated with any companies mentioned in this post. All opinions stated by me are 100% honest and are free from bias. See more at http://www.questjen.com/p/disclaimer.html for full disclaimer.

10 Beauty Products I Can and Cannot Finish

With brighter days now that it's spring time over here, I feel more motivated to clean out my drawers and tidy up my room to help liven up the atmosphere while the sun shines through. It's no wonder they call it 'spring clean'! Cleaning my drawers allowed me to find all sorts of items that I had forgotten about and also made me realise how often I use the makeup and skincare products that I have. In these past couple of months I was able to finish a number of products and I had thought about writing another 'empties' post but why do that when I can do something a little different... talk about the products that I know I can finish and those that I just cannot!   Let's start with the 10 items that I can finish, and here's proof:  

Not all 10 items shown, only my recent empties - more can be seen in my previous empties post

1. Liquid eyeliner Easy peasy Japanese-y! Liquid eyeliners are my one true love. I tend to feel incomplete without that single line above my top lashes - the one thing that I think makes the most difference compared to not wearing any makeup. Happy to go without the rest but liquid eyeliner, I need youuuuu, and lots of you. I finish these off really quickly, not only because I use them almost daily but because the pen ones only have around 6 mL.   2. Eye makeup removers and wipes Without these in my life, would I even bother applying makeup? Using regular face cleansers aren't enough when it comes to removing waterproof eye makeup for instance. I need the good stuff that gently and effectively removes all traces of makeup. I've gone through bottles and packets of these and I'm always keen to stock up whenever there are sales. Besides using facial wipes to remove my face makeup, I use them to spot-clean my brushes too.   3. Cotton pads, tips To assist with the removal of makeup, of course. They're also great for fixing up any mistakes :)   4. Lip balms I apply lip balm at least 3-4 times a day, and times that the amount of days in a year... yep that's how much I use lip balm - basically, a lot. It's as though my lips depend on it because a day without lip balm = chaos. I get dry, cracked, flaky lips, a nightmare for some. I don't have a favourite brand but I generally stock up on Maybelline Baby Lips and Nivea ones.   5. Body lotion, hand cream For someone who has dry skin, moisturising creams are a godsend. Need I say more? I feel so uneasy when my hands, elbows, knees feel drier than a desert. I guess everyone would but even that feeling I get after drying my hands from washing them makes me feel uncomfortable unless I apply hand cream straight away. Weird, right?   6. Foundation and BB Cream Medium-coverage ones especially! A big confidence booster when my blemishes are covered to a point where it doesn't look too obvious or caked-on. I've gone through a couple in my lifetime and the ones I have now are starting to finish up too.   7. Concealer These typically come in small tubes and when there are plenty of blemishes to cover, it's all gone before I know it.   8. Face and body wash The only way to really remove dirt within the skin and exfoliate is to use face and body wash. When they're used daily, I can't see how they CAN'T be finished.   9. Shampoo and Conditioner Reasons why I can finish these products: Water on its own won't cut it, the greasiness will still prevail. Conditioner keeps my hair in top condition :D   10. Perfume and deodorant I'm aware that it can be quite rare for people to finish a bottle of perfume but trust me, it's possible. As seen in my empties post, I finished a 50mL bottle of perfume and I have gone through many aerosol cans of deodorant. Not because I stink (or maybe I do *sniffs*), it's because I was once obsessed with spraying on lots of deodorant as a teenager. It made me feel cool and grown-up, okay.     Now moving onto the ones that I cannot, let me show you my current collection of each:  

1. Lipstick/gloss/pencil  

  Impossible to finish any of these no matter how hard I try. Actually to be honest, I've hardly tried. I'm reaching for lip balms these days, tinted lip balms to be more precise. My mum on the other hand doesn't use lip balm as she never has dry lips! Hence she's able to go through many tubes of lipstick. There was a phase where I was really into using lipglosses and then that died out. Everything else I just use occasionally since none of the above help with my dry lips :( I don't think I have that many lip products but it's not like my collection is getting any smaller (and I kinda want it to so I can feel less guilty about buying more).     2. Blush  

  I've never hit pan on any of them let alone finish any! Plus I rarely use blush due to my naturally flushed cheeks. Only on special occasions and photos for my blog. Whenever I do though, I only sweep a tiny bit. The blushes themselves are pretty to look at and have photogenic packaging (that Physicians Formula heart one in particular!) and as a result of my lack of use, they ain't going anywhere. Looks like they're stuck in my drawers unless I decide to give them away or something.     3. Pressed or translucent powder and bronzer  

  I know many girls out there rely on face powders to set their makeup however I'm the complete opposite. With dry skin that's prone to flaking, I don't feel the need for powder, in fact I find that powder tends to enhance my dry areas and so I'd rather use a setting spray or blotting sheets when my face needs mattifying. For contouring I use the bronzers and contour palette and just like blushes, I sweep a very small amount. My bad for not showing a picture of them all opened - I swear they'd all look pretty close to brand new. Best example is that Rimmel Bronzer with a clear lid that still has the star pattern on the pan.     4. Pencil eyeliner and brow pencil/products  

  Close to impossible for me to finish these, I can use the same ones for decades. Sharpening them decreases their size a little but no matter how much I use them, I can't seem to make them decrease to a size that deems them unusable or 'finished'. Same thing goes to my colouring pencils that I used as a child, which I still have by the way.     5. Nail polish  

  They dry up on me before I get the chance to finish the whole bottle. And besides, the brush applicator doesn't even reach the bottom for you to finish entirely. I can chuck out old ones and replace them with new ones but to be completely done with a bottle of nail polish? Uh...     6. Eyeshadow  

  Ah eyeshadow, another photogenic beauty product that I seldom use. I'm always so tempted to buy new ones for their pretty packaging/colours whenever I go shopping and then when I think about my collection, temptation is no where to be found. I haven't hit pan on any eyeshadows and I haven't finished any single one let alone a duo, a quad or a palette. Don't even get me started on my 88 shadow palette that I've had for years... which almost looks brand new.    Just this week I bought more eyeshadow palettes... what. What happened to no temptation, Jen?

... Yeah about that... review to come!

  7. Hair spritz and serums

 

  You can only spray so much out of a x mL bottle. For me, getting through one bottle takes forever, same with serums where you only need a couple of pumps of product. It's unfortunate that I get lazy using these sometimes :/     8. Primers for face, eyeshadow and lashes  

  Don't know why these are never-ending for me when I use them ALL THE TIME! I've had a backup eyeshadow primer for a few years now... and I'm no where near the end of my current one. I forgot to include my lip primer in the above photo, whoops.     9. Mascara  

  I have never finished a whole tube of mascara. Yes, the formula goes funky or dried up but there's still product on the wand which can be used, thus doesn't technically count as being finished... you know what I mean?     10. Many packet items i.e. samples and face masks  

These are just my samples. I have about the same amount of face masks

  Samples and face masks themselves are easy to finish but I can't finish many samples and face masks, like when I have an overload of them! Sometimes I'm too scared to use samples for my face 'cause there's no expiry/manufacture date on them which isn't helpful for knowing how old or new they are! I have really sensitive skin too and to me it's not worth taking the risk. Same with using face masks where I could get an allergic reaction from them anytime. The only difference here is that they have a manufacture and expiry date which I tend to forget about anyway. There are times where I feel like putting on a sheet mask so I go to look for them in my drawers, then I see that many of them have already past their expiry date! It feels like such a waste when I have to chuck them out :(   So, now that you've seen what I can and cannot finish, I'd like to ask you a questjen or two:

Which beauty products can you finish? 

Which can't you finish?

I wonder if there's anything similar or different~

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Disclaimer: Most products were purchased with my own money, some were provided or gifted. This is not a sponsored post, nor am I affiliated with any of the companies in this post.

Tony Moly Cat Chu Wink Mini Tony Tint Review

I want to start by saying Happy Lunar New Year!! I tend to find this celebration more exciting than my own birthday or even Christmas LOL because it means a lot to me and my family - ah, the good old family tradition of a gathering and a feast, and who could forget about them red pockets/li xi :D Whether you celebrate it or not, I wish everybody good luck and good health (and wealth hehe).

For the Lunar New Year celebrations, the colour red is used for decorations, traditional costume and gifts as it is a symbol of good luck and is supposed to ward off the evil spirits. Funnily enough, the product that I'm reviewing on my blog today is just that colour - what better way to start the Lunar New Year than sharing something red! A red lip tint to be exact ^3^

This review was requested by Weng Chin (hello!)

Sample size: 3 g
Price: N/A

The product has a really long name and to make things easier I'm going to call it 'Tony Tint'. This was a sample product that was in my recent Beauty Net Korea haul (see my previous post) and it's a product that I've seen and heard about before. I have to admit that I'm not a big fan of lip tints, simply because I prefer to use something that feels moisturising on my lips. But I must say that I love the way lip tints look on the lips!

The full size of the Tony Tints look like this:

Apparently these were endorsed by K-pop trio JYJ, hence the three different shades

The one that I have is the sample of the first one, #01 Cherry Pink (체리핑크) and even by just looking at it through the plastic, it definitely reminds me of a cherry!

A sponge applicator, similar to the ones used for lipgloss tubes

 One swipe of the lip tint on the back of my hand

(Excuse the veins! They don't normally stick out so much)

The tint after rubbing it onto the back of my hand

A little goes a long way with this tint, but luckily not in a way that's overpowering or too pigmented on the skin. It's definitely much lighter than the initial swatch and it was really simple to blend. I love the way it looks and I can tell that it'd make a great product for gradient lips which is quite a trend right now. Also, I reckon it can also double as a cheek tint because there usually are cheek and lip tint combos, although this doesn't specifically state that it's for the cheeks too. However, I wouldn't be brave enough to apply tint over my cheeks as I prefer to have something way less pigmented so that I can build up the colour intensity if needed :)

For a gradient-lip look I decided to follow a tutorial to achieve the best results possible:

Credit: Beauty Net Korea

You may remember my Goo Hara (Damaged Lady - KARA MV) inspired look where I did a gradient lip but used red lip gloss and pink lipstick. With the lip gloss, the effect didn't stay put and I remember having to reapply my lip gloss because it kept mixing with my lipstick! With the lip tint however, the gradient effect was much more subtle and it made blending a whole lot easier. I would say that the best way to achieve a gradient lip would be to use lip tint and lipstick or gloss :)

I was curious to see how the Tony Tint would look if I used it all over my lips as a lip stain and here are the results:

The centre of my lips was already tinted from the gradient look

I must say that it makes a gorgeous cherry red as a full colour over the lips. It's not a colour that I tend to wear but it looks super pretty, especially on those who are fair-skinned (I wouldn't say that I am but I think it still looks good!) And the fact that it is a stain means that you won't need to reapply your red lippie or worry about it getting all over your teeth :D

Pros (+) and Cons (-):

+ Cute packaging (yay cats)

+ Long-lasting

+ A little goes a long way with pigmentation

+ Sponge applicator, easy to use

+ Liquid is easy to blend

+ Bearable scent, not too overpowering

+ Contains jojoba oil for supple lips

+ For full size: 10 mL (7.99 EUR) approximately 10.8 USD. Decent price

- Stains fingers when blending

- Not a pleasant 'taste'

- Difficult to remove with (lip) makeup remover

Overall, I would recommend this product if you want to achieve gradient lips and/or if you want your lip colour to stay on longer. If you're worried about this not being as moisturising as lip balm or lip stick, you can simply apply some clear gloss or balm and you're all good to go!

Mwah~!

Any requests for posts such as reviews, hauls and tutorials etc, please feel free to let me know :)

Disclaimer: Product was a free sample from an order purchased with my own money. This is not a sponsored post, nor am I affiliated with any of the companies mentioned. All opinions stated by me are 100% honest. 

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Asia trip and Cosmetics Haul - Etude House, Tony Moly, Innisfree

Hi everyone! It's been pretty quiet here since last year... and by that I mean, a month ago when I last blogged and when it was still 2013. A very very belated Happy New Year! Has 2014 treated you well so far?

As some of you may know, I spent most of my final month of 2013 out of Australia doing some touring in China (that totally makes me sound like a cool muso or something) and sightseeing, shopping in Hong Kong. I was thinking of doing a post about my trip but I figured that there would be just too much to share in words and pictures. In dot points, I will briefly summarise my trip:

• 2 weeks spent in China, 5 days spent in Hong Kong. Left Australia on December 1
• Went with my mum, cousin, aunties and uncles (11 of us)
• In China, visited two provinces in the south - Yunnan and Hunan and 6 cities/towns in total
• Became unwell near the end of my first week in Yunnan
• Got better in the middle of the week in Hunan but still not 100%
• Rained on the first two days of being in Hong Kong. Made shopping difficult
• Visited Macau for one day

In China we went on shopping tours (not shopping malls - visited stores that specialised in selling either pearls, silver, jade, silk and more) which were extremely tiring. I can actually imagine it being very similar to musos touring countries. We had a schedule each day and we'd have morning calls (letting us know that it's time to wake up) at around 6 or 6:30 am and a set time that we had to get on the bus and leave the hotel. Plus we weren't able to go to bed that early each night as we would be out until 9 pm sometimes. Getting into this 'sleep early, wake up early' pattern was difficult for me as I'm usually a late snoozer, and it takes time for me to get used to sleeping on a different bed and in a different place. It didn't really help that we changed hotels almost everyday while visiting different cities.

I had a lot more fun in Hong Kong as I didn't get sick, we got to explore on our own and I had no schedules. I was able to rest and relax. Generally I enjoyed being there more than being in China where there was lots of air pollution and no access to my favourite social media sites.

I could go on but I reckon I'll leave it there! I have also uploaded all of my pictures on my Facebook. I've made the album public so if anyone's interested in having a look, go for it! 630 images.

I attempted to vlog during my vacation but I only managed to do a proper speaking one on my final night in Hong Kong. Yet I still wouldn't call it 'proper' as it was so impromptu lol. I've made a playlist for the vlogs/videos which you can check out below:

While I was in China and Hong Kong, I was most keen on finding Asian cosmetics to purchase as they tend to be cheaper than online or instore over here. And who isn't drawn to the cute/pretty packaging that these cosmetics have?! While being overseas, all of the cosmetics that I bought were from Hong Kong, mostly in Mong Kok. As I was on a shopping tour in China, there really wasn't any time to do our own shopping in any shopping malls/districts.

Being in Hong Kong for just 5 days wasn't enough and I wish we could have stayed longer! I wasn't happy with how little my haul was so I made up for it by... shopping online after coming back! I had left over HKD which I exchanged, banked and used to spend online haha.

Items from Sasa and Etude House. Not a lot as you can see!

Most of the items above were gifts for friends so technically my haul was only this big:

Yes I know right, disappointing! And one of these 'items' is just a membership card (yay)

The SHINee packet of tissues... just a freebie lol

A beauty blogger like myself to come back from Asia with only that many Asian cosmetics... wowee. Definitely the smallest Asian cosmetics haul from Asia that I've ever seen online. This was one trip to Etude House and I was hoping to make a couple more trips but due to time constraints it wasn't possible. Also, going with a large group was hard and we'd have different interests of where to shop and what to do. Because of my situation, I am just glad that I was able to do a bit of shopping in a shop that I had wanted to visit in so long.

The Etude House shop in Mong Kok didn't seem very updated as it didn't have any of the new ranges and still had older limited edition ranges to sell and clear out. But of course this must be because Etude House is Korean and it probably takes longer for stores outside of Korea to get their hands on the new limited edition items.

Being the cheap, bargain-hunting Asian that I am, I purchased items from the 40% off sale as there really wasn't anything that I really wanted to buy. I think I already have enough cosmetics!

These were so cute (this is probably going to be the reason/description I'll be giving to every single product) and I fail at nail art designs so I thought, why not have some pre-made designs to simple stick-on. Also I could tell that these nail sizes would fit my petite nails really well!

This limited edition Shini Star lip balm endorsed by boy group SHINee is no where to be found online and there weren't many left in one of the Mong Kok Etude stores. Limited edition and limited stock indeed! This is Taemin's choice of fruit flavour (guava) and it smells so delicious! There's a flavour/colour for each SHINee member and I regret not grabbing more/all of these. It's very glossy and leaves a subtle tint of colour.

Etoinette Crystal Shine Lips #PKK003 is this gorgeous rose pink colour which is suitable for daily wear. I'm in love with the design - it surely makes me feel like a princess. The colour is more on the sheer side with some shimmer. The scent is pleasant and this lipstick is definitely one of my favourite lipsticks right now.

An egg-shaped lip balm! I have this slight obsession with lip balms these days, I have plenty of them yet I still keep buying more! To me it's an absolute necessity and I hate having dry, cracked lips.

Doesn't it remind you of another lip balm, one that is more well-known? Yep, it's just like the EOS lip balm which I haven't used before but when I saw this in the store I was thinking, "cool, it must be very similar!"

It is similar!

I can't do a comparison of which is better however I can say that this lip balm goes on smoothly and smells delightful - a light peach scent.

Now I'm going to share my cosmetics haul which I purchased online when I got back. A Korean cosmetics haul:

This was my first time ordering from them and I was really happy with neatly they packaged everything into the box. The little note was cute too

Must give a shout-out to Jen from NYNB who tweeted about her order from Beauty Net Korea, which I hadn't heard about until she mentioned it! I checked out their site and it sells products from pretty much every Korean beauty brand that exists - a huge range, limited edition items spotted and free shipping! Also, I must say that the prices are really decent. I will definitely consider purchasing from here again :)

And all orders get free samples. I love samples!

Skincare samples by Etude House

Tony Moly Cat Chu Wink Tony Tint sample - good for a red lippie!

L-O-V-E these lashes, they look and feel very natural. The XOXO Minnie x Etude range is too adorable! I recently wore these to an event and the way they flick outwards on the ends is quite pretty. I'll share a pic here:

A better alternative to mascara I reckon!

Another cute pink lippie from Etude! Dear My Blooming Lips-talk in PK013 - a colour I'd wear for special occasions.

I've always wanted to get one of these highlighters. How shiny is the box and packaging of this Tony Moly Crystal Light Gold Beam, oh my goodness it's stunningly blinding! It reminds me of the popular Benefit High Beam however this is much more affordable. It leaves a subtle finish which is perfect for me because I'm still new to highlighting and contouring and I don't want to end up looking too sparkly/shiny!

What did I say before about being a lip balm freak :P Here I go again with purchasing yet another, but it's not as though I regret it or anything - this is the Innisfree 98% Natural Tint Balm and it's prettiest stick lip balm I've owned and it smells like candy *_* I tend to be more of a fan of tinted lip balms than regular lip balms because sometimes I want both moisture and colour and regular lip balms and lipsticks can't do both for me. It's like a 2-in-1!

I've never used any of these eyeshadow/shimmer sticks before so I thought I'd try them out. Also, I noticed that they're used by Korean singers and actresses and their eye makeup always looks gorgeous. I'm happy to have purchased these because they glide on really smoothly, making it incredibly easy to apply!

Just like an ice cream, ey? Adorable design for a nail polish and this red orange/grapefruit colour is amazing! One coat and I was able to achieve streak-free opaque nails. I was impressed with the consistency of the formula :)

Finally I've gotten to the end of my haul - another lengthy post from me! However this technically isn't all to my Asian cosmetics haul because I'm still waiting on my Sasa order (I know what you're thinking...why did I order online when I could've just BOUGHT them from the PHYSICAL Sasa stores in Hong Kong!!) and I kind of splurged again on Korean cosmetics...

I'm happy to share what's in the bag but not in this post as I've already shared plenty! If you'd like me to write another haul post (items in that bag and Sasa order once it arrives), please let me know :D

Disclaimer: All products were purchased with my own money. This is not a sponsored post nor am I affiliated with any of the companies mentioned. All opinions are 100% honest.

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