FOB: Restocking & Refueling

Hooray for retail therapy. It really works for me especially after stressful times :) It is a way of rewarding myself...and just try new things! This is a very collective FOB (fresh off the buy) or haul throughout January to now.

The Valentine LUSH goodies: Magic Mushroom (isn't there a drug with the same name? XD I remember those health classes...good times=P) Bubble Bar, Love Birds Soap (which I already reviewed), and a sample of Dark Angel Facial Cleanser. The furry earmuffs and yellow tank top were from Ardene when they had a mega 75% off selected merchandise sale ^^ They were both under 4 bucks CAD~

Mini Carried Away Body Mist from Bath & Body Works which smells amazing!! So juicy, ripe and fresh :) Perfect for gals who love fruity florals. It reminds me of lychee too! At Zellers, they sometimes have really good deals if you walk in at the right time. I got this NYC Smooth Mineral Eye Powder Kit for $2.00CAD when it was originally $7.97CAD. 

 Bath & Body Works had all the mini PocketBacs on sale. $5CAD for 5! I got 10 in total so that I have little gifts for friends and family when I visit Hong Kong in the summer. Hehe I can't wait to see my family and eat all the food!! And shopping of course ;) The Liplicious Best Kiss lipgloss was free with a $10CAD purchase. It is a self-adjusting lipglosses that turns a perfect pink (review coming up!) on your pout. It smells like berries! So yummy... From Garage, I bought a pair of purple wayfarers but I later returned it for a nail polish because the sunglasses were just too big for my face XD I got the bamboo tote for free (it only costs a dollar if you want to buy it). I went to Zellers again and found even more steals! The Neutrogena Wave Refill Pads were $5.00CAD, the Physician's Formula Shimmer Strips Custom Eyeshadows POP for brown eyes were only $4.00CAD (originally $15.79CAD), the Maybelline Fit Me foundation was around 9 bucks but I got them to price match it to $7.99CAD and I had a coupon for $3.00 off. So it only cost me 5 dollars :) That's one of the benefits at Zellers. On top of that, the cashier gave me an extra 30% or 40% off the items with stickers so I saved quite a lot of money. Be sure to be a smart shopper and take advantages of these policies/sales!

L.A. Girl Color Addict Nail Color in Delirious from Garage.

Urban Planet had a buy one get one for $1 sale on family day. I bought this really cute teddy bear loosely-fitted crop shirt along with a bubble t-shirt with fancy detailing on the back. The total was around $14CAD which is not bad considering the very intricate design of the second shirt (and I just instantly fell in love with the first one hehe).

Every time I see the back, I go 'oooh' and 'ahhh' just for a few seconds. No biggie.

My aunt bought some skincare goodies for my mom and I :) She knows what I like...I was really surprised when she got me the limited edition Alice in Wonderland set (the blue one has 2 Hyaluronic Acid Moisturizing Masks in it). I ran out of my Laneige Power Essential Skin Refiner Light_EX so I am currently using Hada Labo Arbutin Whitening Lotion. I also have the matching essence (dark blue in above picture) and the emulsion(very bottom picture). The rest include: an Estee Lauder eyeshadow quad, Orange Avenue UV lipgloss, brush set (black roll), cute girl tweezers, and a liquid eyeliner.

If there is anything you want me to review, let me know. I'm still testing out the Hada Labo skincare so I will make a post about each product individually when it's time ^^

Bunnie Likes: My Beauty Diary Platinum+Pearl Lift Stretch Mask

After much debating on whether I should use this mask or the Gold+Marine Collagen, I finally decided to use this pretty pink one ^^ It's a fairly new addition to the family of My Beauty Diary masks so it's rather hard to find. Luckily, I was on twitter the other day and I found out that Prettyandcute.com finally stocks them!

Not so long ago, I put up an informative post on the details of these masks. It seems as though MBD is really trying to make them sound like packets of miracles and wonders.... Here are its claims:

"This sheet mask is specially made with grain and exclusive components in order to transfer the essence to the skin membrane and restore its vitality. White pearl moistens while the platinum particles help the skin to retain the moisture. Formulated with lemon, orange, and kiwi extracts, together they help the skin's metabolic processes then allowing the platinum and pearl essence to work better. This mask whitens leaving the skin bright and translucent looking. They based the formulation on DIXAS ComplexTM which has up to 10 amino acid molecules to make the skin soft and supple."

For all skin types; particularly suitable for partially dry skin and skin that lacks luster.

Unlike all the other sheets masks from MBD, the lift stretch mask does not come with a plastic protector. The mask itself has a criss-cross diamond design for uniform distribution of the serum. The material is super soft and stretchy so it is less prone to ripping. It is thinner than the original material of the MBD masks, but thicker than the updated and improved versions (MBD recently revamped the material of the sheet masks). The mask fits face well and due to the ear hooks, it covers a good amount of area (face, jaw & upper neck) and really clings. The hooks also causes a lot of tension so some parts of the cloth didn't fit as nicely (i.e. under lip & nose). The mask doesn't fit as much as I'd like it to (face shape wise) but when it is stretched tight and taut, it feels really firm and secure :) 

Like all MBD masks, they are saturated with serum and there is often extra. The Platinum+Pearl Lift Stretch Mask is no exception: I was able to fill the excess in one container in a contact lens case! This is probably because of the whoppin' 28mL of serum~! The serum is light and clear and is very fast absorbing so I don't have to leave the mask on for too long (maybe just 15-20 minutes? I like to leave them on for 30 minutes though :P). It carries a pretty floral scent that isn't overwhelming but leaves your skin delightfully fresh smelling ^.^ I'm actually really fond of the scent...it's soothing and relaxing.

Here are two creepy pictures of my floating head wearing the mask...haha

 See all those flaps? ugh.

Although it feels really cool and calming on the skin, I didn't notice any drastic improvements to my skin after using it. The mask did not whiten at all and my skin was only brightened slightly. My skin was hydrated but not deeply moisturized so I wouldn't recommend this to people with dry skin (unlike its claims, pffffft). It felt firmer and tighter (effect was only temporary, unfortunately), skin was supple, smooth and soft. I actually prefer the masks from MBD's normal line up better... -_-" like my beloved bird's nest.

I think that they should think of improving the design of the mask. I found too many loose flaps around the chin and cheek (near the ears). Will I purchase? Maybe...depending on price and availability. It was slightly disappointing (benefits were too "hyped" up by the company) but I've only used this once. Overall, I'd give it a 6.75/10 ( haha I couldn't decide between a 6.5 or a 7 o_O) for a fast absorbing and floral scented masks that doesn't provide major improvements in the skin (only have basic benefits).

 My aunt got it for me in Hong Kong at Mannings for $6HKD or $0.78CAD (it was $12 for two, BOGO). If you're interested, you can get them at Prettyandcute.com (you can get a whole box or one individually).

New My Beauty Diary Masks: Platinum+Pearl and Gold+Marine Collagen

I was very excited when I recieved the MBD masks my aunt had bought for me in Hong Kong. I didn't expect these ones because I haven't heard about them at all! (I only requested for the Bird's Nest Mask because I've heard good reviews on it and I know that it'll take a million years until I can get it in Canada!) However, when I did some researching, I was able to track these down in the HK blogosphere. I guess the news haven't hit us yet >< These aren't like the regular and luxury lines from MBD. Instead, these are stretch lift masks which means that they have hooks for the ears and they cover your chin so it stays on your face. For reference, the design is just like the the notorious Sexy Look masks that Kathi from Lotus Palace raves about ^^ This is not a review but an informative post since I haven't gotten to use them yet. The lovely Blair requested me to share about the new masks!

Platinum+Pearl Lift Stretch Mask

For all skin types; particularly suitable for partially dry skin and skin that lacks luster.

Everything is written in Chinese so I did my best with translating...

This sheet mask is specially made with grain and exclusive components in order to transfer the essence to the skin membrane and restore its vitality. White pearl moistens while the platinum particles help the skin to retain the moisture. Formulated with lemon, orange, and kiwi extracts, together they help the skin's metabolic processes then allowing the platinum and pearl essence to work better. Is it just me or is the company totally overselling these sheet masks? They are describing it as a miracle in a sheet of cotton (or whatever it is)...This mask whitens leaving the skin bright and translucent looking. 

Gold+Marine Collagen Stretch Lift Mask

For all skin types; particularly suitable to skin with fine lines and skin that lacks elasticity.

Gold particles have a great physical property of conductivity. This activates the function of the marine collagen in slowly drying up fine lines yet firming the skin and keeping it hydrated. Makes the kin vibrant and smooth. With sugar maple and sugar cane extracts, it is good at softening the delicate facial skin. 

They based the formulation on DIXAS ComplexTM which has up to 10 amino acid molecules to make the skin soft and supple. The mask itself is woven in a diamond pattern for uniform distribution of the serum. Super soft cotton mask full of stretchy fibers, it can fit a variety of face shapes. With the ear hook design, it covers every inch of your skin. There is 28mL of serum per mask which is a very generous amount :)  And there were a lot more but none of it made much sense hah.

FOB: but not so fresh...

I almost forgot to post about my haulings during September...I just never have the time! I'm really behind on the stuff that I want to show you!

from lush:

• dragon's egg bath ballistic (see review here)
• twilight bath ballistic
• cosmetic warrior mask

I'm a chocoholic X3 got these from a famous chocolate store in Stratford, Ontario 

finally! some MBD masks! I almost ran out of my beloved aloe one. 

• bird's nest (they're really moisturizing! evens out your skin tone too!)
• red wine
• apparently they're really new. i've never seen these ones before but they fit your neck as well! they have these straps that hook onto your ears :) i will post more details on these later