Review: Daiso Puff & Sponge Detergent

A few days ago, I tried the Daiso Puff & Sponge Detergent for the first time. This stuff was all the rage in the beauty community a few years ago, and it was even sold out for a while. Recently I found a stash of make-up brushes while I was KonMari-ing my house, plus my regular brushes were overdue for a wash, so I decided to test it out. In the past I've used handwash.

It wasn't until just before opening the bottle that I realised it says 'Puff & Sponge Detergent' -- it doesn't mention that it can be used on brushes. But I don't see why it can't.

The Detergent is unscented and has no added colouring. The instructions say to rub an 'appropriate amount' into the sponge, then rinse thoroughly in water. I did as instructed with my teardrop sponge, and gently rubbed the bristles of the brushes into the detergent. I then rinsed them in warm water. I haven't had my teardrop sponge for very long (I bought it from YesStyle in this haul), and haven't used it very much since I've had it, but the water went beige with BB Cream! I use the brushes for eyeshadow mainly, so when I washed them, the water went some lovely shades of bronze and purple.

The Detergent seemed to wash the brushes completely, and got most of the BB Cream out of the sponge with just a tiny stain visible at the tip. (To be honest I probably could have removed this too if I'd spent more time on it!)

The Daiso Puff & Sponge Detergent is probably no better and no worse than using handwash or a similar mild detergent. However, it's unscented and uncoloured, and is therefore probably better for the skin. In Australia Daiso retails at $2.80, which is much more affordable than any other specialised make-up brush cleaning product I've seen.

Would I buy it again? Yes!

My YesStyle Haul

I've ordered from YesStyle many times before, but for some reason I decided to post about it this time. As always, I was pleased with my ordering experience, and the parcel arrived even faster than normal.

I ordered some makeup remover from Ladykin, and a TonyMoly bunny lip gloss as my old one has nearly run out and I quite liked it. I have been experimenting with makeup more recently, especially with foundations, BB Creams and powders, so I got the teardrop sponge to try out.

I also ordered some t-shirts with cute logos. I knew they wouldn't fit me when I ordered them, but now that my hobby room is nearly set up, it'll be easy to alter them. I don't need to be restricted in what styles I can buy just because they don't come in my size anymore!

Probably my favourite item is the plush bunny brooch, which would look lovely with various Mori co-ords.

Kids' Beauty Advent Calendar

For the 2015 festive season, I couldn't resist procuring for myself this Kids' Beauty Advent Calendar from the local supermarket. I love the idea of advent calendars (I'm very much a calendar nerd) but it seems too much effort to make and fill one every year, so I always end up buying one.

This post isn't a review, just a showing of my treasures, as it seems a bit pointless to do a review of an advent calendar that this point in the year. Unless you saw it on sale and wanted to scavenge the contents, I guess....

I forgot to take a photo of it at the beginning, and I can't find any photos of it online, but here's a photo of it with most of the doors ripped off. I should probably point out that the hairy arm propping it up is Husband's, not mine!

It contained:
❦ flower-shaped mirror
❦ purple sparkly comb
❦ clear sparkly nail polish -- vanilla scent
❦ pink sparkly nail polish -- cherry scent
❦ toe separator
❦ nail file

The nail polish rubs off at the slightest touch, and washes off in water, so it's pretty much useless. I like the comb and mirror, and I've been using the comb a bit. The nail file is the thing I've used most so far!

❦ clear sparkly vanilla-flavoured lip gloss
❦ pink strawberry-flavoured lip gloss
❦ pink sparkly cherry-flavoured lip gloss (I've used this one the most so far)
❦ dark pink cherry-flavoured lip gloss

The lip glosses perform about as you'd expect for a cheap lip gloss. The scent/flavour is not very strong. They all have a little loop on them so they can be hung as a pendant.

❦ hair ties, pink and purple -- they're not big enough to tie up my thick hair, but I use them to decorate the end of my braid
❦ claw-grip hair clips in pink, purple and blue -- these don't really fit in with the way I style my hair, but they make cute decorations at my beauty station
❦ heart-shaped rings in pink and purple -- they go about half-way down my little finger! One day I might wear them if I'm going full Fairy Kei, but for now they make a cute decoration.
❦ star bracelet -- this is way too small for my wrist, so I'm using it as a hair deco.

❦ creme eyeshadow in sparkly pink -- fairly light coverage but adds sparkle to other shadows
❦ eyeshadow in blue -- so 80s!
❦ makeup brush and sponge applicator -- very poor quality, but would be fun for a kid to practice with
❦ salmon orange cherry-scented lipstick
❦ dark pink strawberry-scented lipstick -- the two lipsticks have surprisingly strong coverage and I've used them quite a bit.

I hope you're having a lovely time, whatever you're celebrating!

The Perfect Potion Christmas Party

Last night I went to the Perfect Potion Christmas Party / VIP Night. Perfect Potion is an Australian small business specialising in essential oil blends and skincare products. All products are strictly certified organic and environmental concerns are at the core of their ethos. The founder is very passionate about quality and the therapeutic effects of essential oils; this was immediately apparent when listening to him speak about the products.

{Picture Source}
Unlike some other VIP Nights I have been to recently (*looks sideways at a certain tea shop*), the whole atmosphere was very relaxing and welcoming. The space was not overcrowded, there were plenty of drinks and nibblies for everyone, and the ratio of staff to customers was low enough to allow us to ask questions and have a chat.

I went there intending to purchase one or two things for myself, and for Husband to give me for Christmas, but I ended up buying all this:

The Noel essential oil was definitely already on my shopping list. I miss the smell of real Christmas trees from when I was a child and I have a feeling this will be the perfect substitute. I'd considered getting the book and perhaps one or two other items as well, but the atmosphere was just so lovely and fun that I couldn't help myself. I might review some of the products later on, especially the hair serum, as I want to embark on a mission to take better care of my hair in future.

As well as champagne and really good vege-chips and dip, there were door prizes -- and my number was drawn first! I won the Noel-scented candle. I was very chuffed. Along with the essential oil blend and soap, I now have the full Noel-scented set.

I regretted having to leave before the speeches ended, as it was very interesting listening to the stories behind the products. The whole experience was really lovely, and made me eager to return in future and secure myself many more of the beautiful products. I've been to several VIP Nights in the last few years, and if they're well-done, they can give a huge boost to the reputation of a small business. If the customer has a good experience, then he/she will remember it for a long time to come. I know I will!

I've had my doughnut oil diffuser for a few months now,
but this is its debut on the blog. =)

No. 15: Bathe in Rose Petals

When I was drawing up my 101 Things List a couple of months ago, I looked through my 1,001 Things to Do Before I Die list for inspiration. One of the items listed there was "bathe in rose petals". It was one of those things I added just on a whim, thinking I'd probably never get around to it. But when I saw it again, my thinking on it had changed completely. It went from:

How ridiculously decadent! Where am I going to get enough roses for that? From a florist?! I'd need at least a dozen, that's got to be at least $80. Madness!

to:

Aha! That's a good way to get rid of the glut of roses in my garden every Spring! All I need to do is wait until they bloom, and Bob's your uncle!

Now that a source for the roses is taken care of, my only concern was the timing. The roses bloom in late Spring and Summer, and the weather might be too warm for a bath at this time of year. But then I remembered that I live in Melbourne, where it's equally likely to be 18oC in the middle of Summer as to be 35oC. As it turned out, after blooming began I only had to wait a week for the right climatic conditions. Yesterday I selected some nice fully-open specimens and collected them in my basket. Later in the evening, I plucked them and dropped the petals into the running bathwater. I didn't add anything else because I was curious to see what effect the roses alone would have.

Unfortunately I have to report that bathing in rose petals didn't quite live up to my expectations. I was expecting a strong rose scent, but it was actually very faint, and began to dissipate before long. I didn't step out of the tub decadently smelling of roses, with silky skin from absorbing the oils, or any of those romantic notions that I'd imagined. When I gathered up the petals and used them to scrub myself, more scent was released, but it didn't last, and the petals were left looking worse for wear. I guess roses are bred more for their appearance than their scent these days.

Having said that, the visual effect of the rose petals in the bath was beautiful and made me feel very special. Harvesting them and plucking them was a fun activity, so I wouldn't mind doing that again. I would definitely repeat the experience, but with some essential oils or other scents added next time. And it wasn't until I was editing the photos for this post that I thought to myself, why didn't I light some candles??

I feel a little guilty writing about this, as for such a long time, I thought it was an activity out of my reach. Dear readers, I hope that one day you can try this too. Perhaps you have a relative or neighbour with a rose garden who could spare a dozen or so? I hope so.

Etsy Shop Haul : Ananda Beauty

Update: Unfortunately this Etsy shop is now closed.

I'm a complete sucker for a cat-in-need story, and when I heard that Etsy indie beauty shop owner Jill was raising money for her cat Roland's vet bills, I just couldn't resist making a purchase. (~~Note: I placed my order a few months ago, so the promotion is over now.~~) Ananda Beauty stocks a range of hand-made tinted lip balms, mineral eyeshadows and eyeliners, hair balm and other goodies. All products are vegan and tested on humans only. The aesthetic is metallic and sparkly, with shades of grey, bronze, peach, red and pink.

I chose the Lip Tint in Ripe Shimma, Hair & Body Balm in Woodsy Scent, and three eye products: Cumulus and Taupe Eyeshadows, and Black Amber Eyeliner powder. Ordering through Etsy was easy and safe as always - the hardest part was choosing which colours I wanted most! The order arrived quickly. My parcel was carefully packed in a bubble-wrap-lined bag, and the items were wrapped in sophisticated black tissue paper, with a lovely thank you note. There were also 4 free samples, which is very generous: Raw Brass and Blue Velvet eyeshadows, Rosalina Highlighter and Sunset Blush. They are all colours that I can see myself using, so thank you to Jill for choosing well!

The Hair & Body Balm is marvellously thick, and once warmed between my fingers and smoothed on, made a difference to my dry ends. The Woodsy scent, with cedarwood and patchouli, is a delight. The only eye product I've used so far is the Taupe Eyeshadow, and I was pleased with its colour payoff and longevity. Here are some swatches!:

Photo taken indoors in sunlit room.

This was my first purchase of beauty products from Etsy and from an indie beauty brand. I was very happy with my experience and would definitely purchase from Ananda Beauty again.

Glitzology Glitter Nails from Etsy

Update: Unfortunately this Etsy shop is now closed.

Before Christmas I decided to treat myself. After reading a blog pot on independent nail polish creators, I somehow got the idea into my head that I didn't have enough glitter nail polish in my life. After a lot of backing-and-forthing, I finally decided to make my purchase from Glitzology.

There's such a huge range of polishes available from Stacy's shop, that the only thing I could do was get the 6-bottle bundle. And then spend another half an hour deciding which colours to get! It was a lot of fun, though. These are the polishes I chose:

Normally I don't like cheesy names for things, but I found these variations quirky and fun. They are (left to right):
Nebula - a black jelly base with blue, purple and silver hologram pieces. Reminiscent of the night sky.
Cotton Candy - a subtle lavender base with pink, purple and silver pieces in a mixture of shiny and matte textures. A cute and girly look.
Blue Lagoon - a clear base with a mixture of different shades of blue. Like swimming through the ocean.
Sherwood Forest - a blend of green, yellow and brown pieces. This makes me think of looking up through the forest canopy on a sunny day.
Bad Things - a deep red base with silver, pink and black pieces, and red hearts. Inspired by the TV show True Blood.
The Island of Misfit Toys - red, yellow, blue and green pieces set in a clear base with silver micro glitter. It's like an explosion in a toy factory!

I love these polishes so much! The suspension of glitter is extremely generous. Making the purchase was easy, and my parcel came fast. The bottles were carefully packed, and included a page full of tips with a discount coupon for my next purchase. I've decided to showcase each glitter in a separate post. So here's the first:

Single coat; under daylight lamp.
The Island of Misfit Toys is set in a clear base and features the primary colours - red, yellow, blue and green - in various shapes including large squares, medium-size hexagons and small dots. There are also a few pastel yellow squares thrown in. The whole is set on a background of silver micro glitter. As I said before, the inclusion of glitter is much more generous than other brands I've tried - I only used a single coat for this mani!
I have presented the polish here over a neutral-ish base: Adoree Brown Gaucho. The photo was taken indoors under my daylight lamp.

I'm not sure when I can show you the other glitters in detail. My nails are pretty weak at the moment and need a rest. I hope it will be in a couple of weeks. Meanwhile, look out for more haul posts and perhaps a review!

(Belated) Christmas Gift Share, Beauty Edition!

I can't believe Christmas was a month ago already! I'm probably the last blogger on earth to share my Christmas receipts, but as I mentioned in my last post, the flu got me down for a long time. I'm grateful for everything I got though, so I wanted to share it. The photos also feature Kapibara-san, whom I've had for years, but he just felt like posing in the photos, so who was I to stop him?

[above] From my parents-in-law I received a Cellex-D Eye Serum. I've never used this brand before, and I'm looking forward to giving it a try.

From my Mum I received a Sukin Body Lotion, and three Max Factor mini Nailfinity nail polishes, in Opal, Boji and Onyx. These weren't actually Christmas gifts - sometimes Mum gets gifts with purchase, etc. that she doesn't use and passes them on to me. I used the Boji on Christmas day and it came out a nice lavender/taupe colour.

From Husband I received an Almond Candy Milkshake Body Butter and an Etude House Shini Star Lip Balm. I must confess, these are things that I bought and then gave them to him to wrap and give to me. A friend told me that she does this a lot, to make sure she gets presents that she really wants. Thankfully Husband is very good at coming up with gift ideas on his own, but sometimes a girl's needs can be very specific. I doubt he'd know intuitively that I was pining away for something from Etude House's collaboration with the K-pop band SHINee.

It was a complete indulgence buy. Saving Husband the trouble of having to think of more stocking fillers for me made me feel much less guilty about buying it! The pot is so adorable, and the scent I chose is Onew / Peach. (Onew is the one on the right in the band photo.)

[below] I also received these gifts packs. The Palmer's Purse Essentials was from Husband. He thought of this one by himself and I'm very happy with it. I love Palmer's and I'll definitely use all of these products - soon! Also in the picture is a pair of earrings he gave me (again, a self-purchase).

The other gift pack is the Burt's Bees Head to Toe Kit, which I received in the Kris Kringle I have with my group of friends. There's a little bit of everything in this pack. Another one that will go to good use.

My First Cloth Mask!

As promised, here's a post about my first time using a cloth face mask. It's not a review, just a few comments about my experience with it. The mask I used was the Ffid Coenzyme Q10 Cloth Mask that I was given by my lovely friends who brought me some beauty products back from Japan. I used it one day last week when I was home sick and I thought I deserved a treat!

This is what the packaging looked like. I can't read Japanese text at all, but I've read enough beauty blogs to know in general how they work. I figured that 15-20 minutes would be a good time to keep it on my face.

I took the mask out of the packet and unfolded it. It was soaked realy well with serum, so much that it was practically dripping! I was very pleased with that. Applying the mask to my face with all the little shaping parts to it was more complicated than I thought it would be, but the persistence was worth it!
Now, I have to apologise in advance for this next picture! I was embarrassed about how I looked in the mask, plus the photos didn't turn out too well, so I decided to spruce them up a bit by making this collage:

One touch that I loved was that the mask had little flaps for the eyes which you flip up once you're ready to lie back and relax. I don't know if other eye masks have this, but I hope so! I used the time to listen to a guided relaxation MP3 on my iPod.
The serum was clear and had no smell. As I said before, the mask was soaked with it, so when I removed the mask, I rubbed it into my face and also my neck. In fact there was also plenty of serum left in the packet, so I squeezed it into a spare little pot I had, and applied it over the next few nights.

I have to say - I'm a cloth face mask convert! I love them! I want more!

Review: Crabtree and Evelyn Citron Honey and Coriander Body Scrub

ABOUT THE PRODUCT & BRAND
Crabtree & Evelyn was founded in 1972. The first part of the name comes from the Crabapple Tree, which is used in many health and beauty applications, and the second part from 17th-century naturalist John Evelyn. The Citron Honey and Coriander Body Scrub is part of a range of body products with a spicy lemon scent. It contains peach kernel, pumpkin, jojoba, and soybean oils, extracts of citrus, coriander, fig and apricot, and honey. Beads made of sunflower wax provide the exfoliating component. The product is free of artificial colour, phthalates, parabens, sodium lauryl sulfate and sodium laureth sulfate. Crabtree & Evelyn products are NOT tested on animals.
Source: Brand Homepage..

THE PRODUCT & ME
I bought the Citron Honey and Coriander Body Scrub from a local gift shop that was closing down. I can't remember exactly what I paid for it, but it was about half price. The RRP on the brand website is $30.00. Crabtree & Evelyn products are also available at brand stores and on their website.

PACKAGING
The Scrub came in a cardboard box, which made it seem more special. The design of the box and tube itself has a whimsical, old-fashioned feel with an illustration of a lemon. The tube stands upside down on its lid - I always prefer packaging like this, because the product naturally travels to the bottom and you can squeeze more out.

Straight from the tube.
APPEARANCE & PERFORMANCE
The Scrub is white in colour and has a very thick, creamy texture. I really loved the smell. It's a subtle creamy lemon with just a hint of spice. The smell lasts on my skin for hours, but it's not overpowering. The exfoliating beads are a little hard and people with sensitive skin might find them a bit scratchy, but I thought it was fine. The amount of beads compared to scrub is quite a lot, so there is an effective exfoliating result. My skin felt much smoother afterwards.
I tried this scrub both on dry skin and wet skin with different effects. On dry skin the scrub clings to the skin and there's a harsher scrubbing effect. On wet skin, the scrub disperses and the scrubbing effect is much gentler. I preferred using the scrub on dry skin personally, but you may prefer using it on wet skin if you have sensitive skin.

The exfoliating scrub. CONCLUSION

Pros:                             Cons:
delicious smell                  a little expensive
made skin feel very smooth       not widely available
pretty packaging

WOULD I GET AGAIN? Yes. Crabtree & Evelyn is a brand I wouldn't really have considered purchasing before, but I'm adding them to my list of "for a treat" brands now!

Review: W7 Trends Lipstick in Fuchsia

I'm a beginner at reviewing makeup products, and I don't wear lipstick very often, so I apologise if I left out any useful details. I've also never taken such a close-up photo of my lips before, and I had a bit of a freak-out session when I saw the pictures: do I really have that much upper-lip hair? Do I really have that many freckles on my lips??! I hesitated posting this for a couple of weeks because of it. But then I realised: nobody's perfect! So why not?? It also made me realise how little I actually look at my own face when I'm putting on my makeup in the morning. Food for thought. But in the meantime, here's my review:

THE PRODUCT & ME
W7 Trends is a bargain brand from the U.K. It recently appeared on shelves at Chemist Warehouse. The Lipstick comes in 20 shades that I could see in the display. My secret dream is to have a trashy pink lipstick, so when I saw the Fuchsia shade, I made a totally frivolous purchase. It cost $4.99.

PACKAGING
The Lipstick comes in a silver tube with a clear rounded lid. For a bargain bin cosmetic, this looks quite sleek and glamorous. The tube is quite short, so it would fit well in a makeup bag. It feels very light, however the lid snaps on firmly, so the lipstick would be well protected in your bag. The tip of the lipstick is stamped with the W7 logo, which I think is a cute, quirky touch.

Above: bare lips; below: with W7 Fuchsia Lipstick.
APPEARANCE & PERFORMANCE
As you can see, the Fuchsia Lipstick is very highly pigmented. The shade is a bright hot pink with just a hint of orange. It goes on shiny, but then dries to a semi-matte. My lips dried out a little, so anyone with dry lips might want to use a lip balm before applying. The texture isn't very creamy, but it isn't very hard either: I would say it's in-between. It has a light powdery smell which I found pleasant.
I checked the lipstick again after eating dinner, and it was mostly gone. There was only a slight pink stain remaining, and none of the semi-shine it originally had. So the W7 Lipstick is not the best when it comes to staying power.

Pros:                             Cons:
cheap.                            very little staying power.
highly pigmented.                 slightly drying.
nice-looking packaging.                         

WOULD I GET AGAIN? Yes, if I wanted to experiment with new shades of lipsticks without spending a lot of money.

Mini Review: Pola Kalahari Moisture Lotion

THE PRODUCT: Pola Kalahari Moisture Lotion comes from Japan. It contains makataan (watermelon). I received this sample sachet as a gift.

PROPERTIES & PERFORMANCE: The lotion is clear and very runny - it ran straight out as soon as I tore the sachet open. Some of it spilled on my camera! №❢ (Don't worry, it's OK.) I had to rub it in quickly before it went everywhere. That's why I don't have a 'before-blending' shot. Here it is half-blended into my arm:

The Kalahari Lotion is a very light gel; it absorbs very quickly and isn't greasy at all. It smells very faintly of fruity watermelon. It's a yummy smell, but it doesn't really linger. My arm felt noticeably soft afterwards.


GET AGAIN?: Yes! As long as the full size came in packaging that protected it from spilling.

DIY Hair Detangler Spray

Earlier in the week, I finished up my Davroe Tame Lemongrass Detangler Spray that I received in my February LustHaveIt Beauty Box. I was very pleasantly surprised at how well the product worked, but at RRP $21.50 for the full-size 315ml bottle, unfortunately I can't afford to be using it all the time. It got me to thinking though, surely all it needs is something that will make your hair slippery? When I found out how easy it was to make your own at home, I was especially determined to give it a go myself.

The main tutorial I used was Let's Make It Up's YouTube video (no longer available). (I have a short attention span so I chose the shortest vid, but it turned out to be a good one.) The other tutorials around the intertubes were generally in agreement - all you really need is hair conditioner and water.
That's it!

Let's Make It Up added an argan oil serum as well, but seeing as I only use the detangler right before I wash my hair, I think it would be a waste for me. So here are my ingredients:

☀ an Avon 2-in-1 shampoo which I found in the back of the cupboard, which I'll probably never use to actually wash my hair
☀ warm water
☀ petitgrain essential oil to give it a nice oriental scent
☀ the old Davroe bottle to mix/store it in.

So, I just put about 1/2 teaspoon of shampoo in the bottle, 2 drops of essential oil and filled it almost to the top with warm water. Then I screwed the spray top back on and shook well.

I tried to take a picture of the finished product, but it just looked like slightly cloudy water:

I'm sure you get the gist anyway. Now, to test it out! On the left is my hair, after using a sea salt spray on it (the De Lorenzo spray I got in my LustHaveIt box yesterday), going to a party and then sleeping on it all night. Tangled and horrid! On the right is my hair after using the detangling spray and brushing it out.

Above: before. Below: after detangling spray and brushing.
Quite a difference! The spray makes brushing my hair much easier and less painful. I would say that it works just as well as the purchased brand. The only problem is - I used 1/4 of the whole bottle in just one application! (It's only a 50ml bottle.) I think I'll use a larger one next time I make this!

Packaging: n/a
Price: 5/5
Effectiveness: 4.5/5
Overall rating: 5/5

MAKE AGAIN?: Definitely!