♡ September Wishlist ♡

1. Etude House Fantastic Color Eye in 'Bloody Halloween'

2. Peter Pan collar tartan dress

3. Little Twin Stars tea time set

4. Black suede wedge trainers

5. NARS blush in 'Orgasm'

6. NARS lipstick in 'Scarlet Empress'

Thanks for reading!

xoxo

♡ SKIN FOOD Green Tea Cleansing Foam & Naris Floral Lady Princess Massage Scrub ♡

みなさん、こんにちは!

It is official. I am on my back-ups of beauty products and being halfway through a spending ban... it's a bit of a niggle but I will be fine for another month until I NEED to get something. How typical is that? Also; I want to apologise in advance for the lack of updates recently, but if you don't follow me on twitter you wouldn't have seen my updates last month about my nana passing away and I haven't been in blogger mode since her death and it's affected me more than I thought... so future apologies if it takes me a while to build back up to a post per week.

So in today's post I am talking about two different face washes, one a cleansing foam whilst the other is a massage scrub. The reason why I am reviewing two different contrasting face washes is because of how different they are but in the end, they both do the same thing - if that makes sense?

Naris Floral Princess Massage Scrub

"A massage scrubing cleanser gives you performance of moisture care, whitening, and anti-ageing. It contains hyaluronic acid & peach leaf extract, nourishes skin and helps avoid dryness. The included arbutin and vitamin C derivatives on the other hands give you a whitening care, soothes damages from daytime. Collagen helps maintain a firm skin texture and retain skin elasticity. With light and pleasant fruity scent."

This first face wash is a scrub style wash with extremely tiny exfoliating beads to create a kind of "rough" foamy wash, I've put air quotes around a certain word because when you first dispense it onto your hands, you cannot feel the beads until you lather it between your hands. I, honestly, quite liked the fact that the exfoliating beads are tiny and unnoticeable in this wash and the smell is (indeed) floral but not an overpowering kind of floral scent.

SKIN FOOD Green Tea Cleansing Foam

"Refreshing cleansing foam is enriched with green tea extracts, a powerful antioxidant that protects skin against free radical-damage. Smooth milk extracts provide gentle exfoliation by buffing away dead skin cells for smoother and glowing skin. Twice a day, squeeze out a coin-sized amount of facial wash, add a few drops of water and work into a lather before massaging lather on face."

This face wash is like any other cleansing foam, except that it is rather thick when dispensed onto hands but this is a good point as it means that you use less of the product as a little does go a long way and makes an amazing amount of foam when lathered up. Despite it not have a exfoliating effect like the Naris massage scrub, it does make my skin feel extreme soft and smooth as I tend to leave cleansing foams on for a good 3 to 5 minutes where as with a exfoliating scrub, I'll wash it off almost immediately after massaging it in.

Pros;
↑↑ both face washes are good in their own genre of face wash
↑↑ both have a nice smell
↑↑ the tiny beads in the massage scrub is a nice change
↑↑ with the Skin Food wash, you don't need to use a lot
↑↑ both well priced and easy to get a hold of (ebay and honestskin.com)

Cons;
↑↑ Naris scrub, you need a lot of product to get a good lather
↑↑ I can't think of any more cons....

Overall Verdict; ★★★★☆
Both face washes really are a good investment into your daily skin care routine. To make the Naris massage scrub last a bit longer though, I only use it twice a week but using the Skin Food cleansing foam every day really has helped my skin become more softer, shiner (in a good way) and it makes me feel less inclined to wear make-up to cover up my bad points of my skin. Personally, the Skin Food cleansing foam is a better investment for your money but the Naris massage scrub does obviously have its good points for your skin.

Thanks for reading!
xoxo

♡ The Makeup Addict Tag ♡

みなさん、こんにちは!

Kat over on "Tales of a Pale Face" created a tag/blog that is insanely genius and something I can relate to so much... so here's my turn at this! Anyone can have a go at this tag if they so desire, but just remember to credit back to Kat if you use her picture below and send a link in the comments on her blog post here as she seems to want to read everyone who has a go!

photo credit: talesofapaleface.com

1. Which product do you still keep buying more of despite having plenty in your collection?

Lipsticks. Mainly nudes and different shades of red bbbuuuttt in my mind, I just don't have enough lipsticks! Every time I see a post about a new lipstick / make-up collection, I am in there looking at what shade is available and which shade pops out to me the most... I honestly will not rest until I own every shade of red lipstick in my life.

2. What's the one product you couldn't live without?
Anti-shine powder. As I have really bad combination skin (prone to be more oily on some days) anti-shine powder is a gift from heaven.

3. Favourite make-up brand?
Etude House. Recently I was cleaning out my make-up box and about 70% of my make-up is Etude House, I think the packaging tends to grab me before the actual product because I honestly do feel like a princess with the pretty packaging they supply. Their lipsticks are to die for as well...

4. How big is your make-up collection?
Big enough to keep me going for the rest of my life... I have about three storage boxes full of unused make-up for reviews as well as repurchase products I love aaannnddd then I have my main box of the cosmetics I am using at the moment. My lipstick collection just has a box all by itself.

5. And how do you like to store it?
I have a multi-drawer wooden box thing that my mam made me before I was born... it still has the original stencils on it but it shall be updated soon to match my new re-vamped room! I'm also looking into getting some clear, plastic storage boxes for my new vanity or some vintage style storage boxes.

6. How many items of makeup have you got in your handbag at the moment?
Five - Skin Food Red Bean BB Cream, Tonymoly Cat Wink pressed powder, Dollywink liquid eyeliner, eyelash glue and Dollywink lipstick in Apricot Beige.

7. If you could raid another blogger's stash, who would it be?
It would definitely be Tanja over at Rose Shock! I know she's not a blogger blogger like some others but her make-up skills are so immense and the products she has are my dream collection.

8. How long does your usual makeup routine take and how many products do you use?
It can vary. If I'm doing a natural day make-up then around 15 or 20 minutes but if I'm doing a really extreme look, then around 30 to 40 minutes.

9. Have you ever bought make-up knowing you wouldn't use it?
I used to when I first started getting into make-up but I don't any more. If I see a product that I know I will use, then I'll get it. If I know that I'll use something once, then put it to the side to gather dust, I just don't bother.

10. Tag a few other makeup addicts to do the tag!
I would like to see as many of my followers do this tag but mainly I'd like to see Tiffany over at Sample Hime, Misa at Misaraisu, Paige at The Daily Dolly and Sapphire at Little Owl Diary.

I hope you all enjoyed my version of Kat's tag and I want to apologise for my small absence, it'll be explained in my next blog post. I look forward to all your tag posts!

Thanks for reading!
xoxo

♡ Holika Holika Miracle Real Skin Finish (Combination/Dry Skin) ♡

みなさん、こんにちは!

I think I have come out of my little slump... kind of. If you follow me on twitter you might understand why I have been in a blogging slump recently but I am going to slowly ease myself back into blogging instead of diving head first into a crazed, make-up whirlwind. Sometimes, slow and steady really is the best pace.

So today's post is about a product I was extremely confused about when I first received and still am, to this day, slightly confused over it. At first, I believed that it was a face cream hence the purchasing but upon arrival (and some reading online about it) I have now come to believe that it is face, like a CC cream slash primer... cream... thing. Out of the two versions you could choose from - normal skin (pink) and combination/dry skin (purple) -  I went with the combination/dry skin version, as that is my skin type at the end of the day.

The packaging for this product is super pretty though. I love the butterfly on top of the outer box and with the fact that you can pull the wings up to create a 3D effect, gives it a whole new edge. The packaging containing the cream is a pretty basic plastic container, but when you want to carry it around with you it's pretty sturdy and won't break easily. Also the lid has a pretty pattern around the edge of it as well as Holika Holika's signature butterfly crest.

After working out that this product wasn't, in fact, a face cream I did notice differences with my skin after application. It helped tone down the redness in my cheeks as well as make my skin tone look even and dewy as well as moisturised it instead of drying it out like some primers can do. One of the major pros about this cream for me, was the fact I could just use it alone without putting BB cream over the top of it. It helps for work as I tend not to have time to create a whole made up face in less than ten minutes and working with children, well they tend not to care about appearances so recently I've slacked. It, luckily, hasn't affected my skin but some days I just felt so dull but after applying the cream I honestly felt a little bit like my old self again, it sounds crazy I know.

The mixture is a little thick so you have to be careful not to apply too much to your face(as a little does go a long way) but otherwise you're left feeling like you've got a film of... well grease I suppose on your skin and that is such a nasty feeling just blurgh! It also looks a little weird when you first apply it but it does adjust to your skin tone/colouring etc, trust me. 

Pros;

↑↑ not a watery mixture yet not overly thick like a clay mask

↑↑ actually makes your skin look more dewy/bright

↑↑ whitening effect

↑↑ sun screen for protection for when you want to go out

↑↑ can use on its own or as a primer/CC cream with other make-up

↑↑ pretty packaging

Cons;

↑↑needs more product/bigger pot for price

↑↑ unhygienic conditions as it's not a pump pot

Overall Verdict; ★★★★☆

I like this product more now that understand what it is actually for. I enjoy how I can quickly make myself go from a minus fifty to a decent three slash four in 0.5 seconds. I also like how moisturising the product actually is as well as how it makes my skin glow - in a non-weird way. I would, quite gladly, repurchase this item again as well as tell others about it as it is definitely my cup of tea. I think this little pot of cream is going to become one of my holy grail products over time... Also I will get some actual pictures of me wearing this product in the near future, I promise!

Thanks for reading!

xoxo