FOB: Arrr! I think I see me some Holika Holika!

I went to Toronto a few weekends ago. While I was there, I dropped by Pacific Mall as usual. They have really good and affordable bubble tea that are made with real mangoes. The mall also carries clothes, purses, skincare, and make up that I love. I bought this cute nautical shirt-it literally screams "aye aye captain"-from a store called Voir. To my surprise, the mall managed to get a Holika Holika store! I was jumping from the excitement when I saw it. It was perfect timing since I needed a facial cleanser. The annoying thing about the store was that there were these four SAs that kept squealing and yapping in Korean while I was in there...Not exactly professional because it automatically made me feel like they were talking about me -_-;; Unlike the stores of the same brand in Korea, this one did not give out samples. Prices ranged depending on the product you buy. Some coloured cosmetics cost $20CAD+ while my Snow White cleanser only costs $16CAD. From T&T (a popular Asian grocer), I bought the Mandom Cleaning Express Moist that the muse raved about. I don't own any cleansing oil so this was a good choice. Hopefully, these products live up to their name~

CinnaBunnie Loves: LUSH Dark Angels Cleanser

LUSH Dark Angels Cleanser

This is a small sample of LUSH Dark Angels Cleanser that I got with my LUSH purchase in February. LATE! I know...I am a noob that likes to procrastinate xD. This sample lasted me around 7 uses which means that a full size of 100g will last you for quite a while.

I lightened the photo so that you can see its texture better

Claims: Dark and tough, this one doesn't mess about. It's a black, squidgy scrub made with charcoal to absorb oils and exfoliate you skin. Nutritious avocado oils softens, glycerine keeps the moisture in and black sugar scrubs away. Dark Angels is a hardcore cleanser with a little bit of surfactant mixed in to remove dirt and grease.

This is the amount I use (approx 1/4 tsp)

Texture & formulation: In its solid form, it is very crumbly. Dark Angels forms a gritty paste when mixed with water. Dark Angels Cleanser is more like a scrub but it isn't too abrasive. Sometimes there are larger, jagged particles in there. I'm guessing it's the black sugar or something crystallized. The paste spreads easily but unevenly onto the skin. Make sure you don't add too much water or it will become too watery and messy.

Ingredients (source: http://www.lushusa.com/)

I like to add 3-4 drops of water for a thick consistency

Scent & colour: Once you open a the container, a sharp smell of lavender and volcanic ash hits your nostrils. Or it hit mine hard....with a vengeance :P I'm not exactly a fan of the scent but I can tolerate it. You either love it or hate it. Dark Angels remind me of MAC's Volcanic Ash Thermal Mask in terms of colour and scent. The colour is a really dark gray or charcoal (surprise, surprise).

The finished product

Application & usage: The paste is pliable and easy to spread although it doesn't go on even like peanut butter. Dark Angels can be a little rough for daily use, so I think it is best for every 2 to 3 days. You must be careful when using this as it gets really messy and leaves gray spots on the sink. Hence, I prefer to use it in the shower. Like I said before, 1 teaspoon is a lot and a little goes a long way. Just add a few drops of water, mix, and massage onto wet skin.

Not scary at all

Effects: This cleanser does what it claims in terms of absorbing oil, exfoliating, removing dirt, and locking in moisture. Just after one use, my whole face is a lot smoother. My pores become smaller as there are less oil and sebum. I think it will do wonders for clogged pores when you use this in conjunction with a nose strip. It sort of does a funny thing: after washing my face with it, my dirty pores and whiteheads seem to be highlighted in gray. They are closer to the surface too! As for removing makeup, it doesn't do anything. I still sparkle like Edward. Dark Angels doesn't hydrate the skin, but it doesn't strip the skin of moisture. Thanks glycerine!

A closer look

Price & availability: Like all of LUSH's cleansers that come in a roll,  they have to chop it up. Dark Angels cost $11.50CAD for 100g. It is available in any LUSH store or online. I believe there is no expiry date so the cleanser will still be fine after a couple of months. I would use it as soon as I buy it so it's as "fresh" as it could be.

Overall: LUSH Dark Angels is great for those with oily and combination skin. It does a great job with removing surface oils while retaining moisture and it makes the skin smooth after use. It does get messy so be careful while using it. I love it for doing it what it claims, but I will not repurchase it as it doesn't suit my skincare needs. 8/10

FOB: New Hard Candy Products and St.Ives Green Tea Line Hits Canada!

Yes. Another haul post hehe 

It's funny how things are always piled up at the same time ya know? I walked into Walmart ages ago (okay maybe a month ago) and I did that twice (so back it up another month let's say) and I wasn't able to find the much raved concealer: Hard Candy Glamoflauge or the much raved green tea cleanser: St. Ives Naturally Clear Green Tea Cleanser. I was disappointed because it always takes a million years for our makeup department to catch up to the one of the States (you lucky girls! and boys...) So finally, I was able to get my hands on the new goodies by Hard Candy today ^^ 

The Goods

Hard Candy Fox in a Box Bronzing Duo in Skinny Dipping (I absolutely LOVE corals!), Hard Candy Glossaholic Sequin Saturated Lip Gloss in Gorgeous, and Hard Candy Glamoflauge Heavy Duty Concealer in Medium. I hope I picked the right shade for my NC30 skin tone because the tan one looked too dark but I heard that the concealer actually goes on lighter than it appears in the tube O_o 

SPAresource (only available online and at Walmart, not sure if it's only available in Canadian Walmarts since the website is ".ca") recently added a new Pro-Series line of brushes. I own their small eyeshadow brush from their older line and the quality was pretty good for the price. This time I bought the SPAresource Pro-Series Stipple Brush because I still don't have a stippling brush in my collection and I want to review for all of you lovelys =]

I have been tracking down the Naturally Clear green tea line from St. Ives and it has finally arrived at my local Walmart. I bought the cleanser since I still need to finish my apricot scrub. Hopefully it'll help me with acne prevention and keep my face clean and refreshed!

Be sure to stick around for a Spotted! post about Walmart! They had ton of new products!

DIY: Facial Net for Foamy Lather

taken from http://illybaba.onsugar.com/

nah. it's not a net you put over your face or anything. it is actually supposed to foam up your cleanser into a rich frothy lather so that you can gently wash your face. i got my inspiration from K and for more info on facial nets, click here.

i'm sure a lot of you will have trouble finding these (like me) so i made this tutorial where you can make your own! it's rather simple ^^

what you'll need:

-a shower pouf (preferably new)

-scissors

-plastic ring (optional)

1. take your pouf and rip apart so that it's not a bundle anymore but a long scarf. the pouf should be held together by string so you can just snip it.

2. cut the scarf into desired length. you will have multiple pieces.

3. take one and tie a knot on top and attach it to a ring if you wish.

voila~! you're finished! =) wasn't that easy or what?

this actually works like a charm! it foams up my cleanser so that i don't tug my skin when i wash. you actually save lots of product and time. just a little drop, rub it with the net, and comes rich frothy lather. after, just rinse it and leave it to air dry. if you want more detailed instructions on how to use one, definitely check out K's blog post.

say hello to clean and refreshed skin! 

(you can also splurge on expensive products (like cleansers) with your money saved using your face net)

hope you liked this simple and brief tutorial!