A $1.00 Bargain for a Versatile Ring from H&M

I was perusing my local H&M store a few weekends ago and found this ring for on sale for $1.00. I just started to get into cocktail rings and statement jewelry so I am certain this will be the start of something hoarder style magical.

I like the button shape and the contrast of the silver and black. It goes with everything I have and isn't too "statement-y" or over the top.

The rounded shape is casual and I like that it has a bit of weight on it.

Definitely feels and looks more than its $1.00 price tag!

Are you a bargain costume jewelry finder or do you find pleasure in seeking out treasures with a steeper price tag? Do tell!

Review: Shiseido Bio Performance Night Cream

Now that we are in the midst of summer, I strategically finished my Shiseido night cream. I may have tried to drag it out because it was so darn expensive!

Shiseido is a brand that I have always thought of to be advanced skincare because I grew up seeing sophisticated women using the products. It's also no secret that the science behind Shiseido is quite compelling, with research being its utmost priority in their line of skincare.

What it is:  A concentrated cream that hydrates the skin,  combats environmental factors, reduces lines, and wrinkles.

Claims: Reduces wrinkles, hydrates skin, combats environment aggressors, softens skin

Packaging: Round twist cap jar

Texture: The cream is very rich, and is also very thick. It feels tacky on the face as soon as it is applied on. 

Scent: Heavily perfumed. It smells very strong, a heavy type of floral infused something. 

Strengths: The cream works so beautifully and results can be seen the very next day. It hydrates really well overnight and feels supple on the skin. While it's rich and thick, I never once felt that it was too greasy. It sat and absorbed very nicely into skin. 

Weaknesses: The scent of the cream was too strong and I'm not keen on the packaging either. The lid was very small and the jar was kind of short pair- shaped and  had grooves inside which was odd. 

Availability/Price: $98.00 for 50ml (1.7-1.8 oz) - sold at department stores, Sephora ($75.00 for 1.7oz, $95 for 2.6 oz), online. I have seen the same cream at TJ Maxx for $59.99 but that's a rare occurrence. I have also seen them sold at Costco recently for $69.99.

Ingredients:  Water, Glycerin, Cyclomethicone, Butylene Glycol, Dimethicone, Cetyl Octanoate, Squalane, Dimethicone Copolyol, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Hydrogenated C6-14 Olefin Polymers, PEG-150, Mortierella Oil, Phytosteryl Macadamiate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Stearyl Glycyrrhetinate, Arginine HCI, PEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Sodium Glutamate, Disodium Adenosine Triphosphate, Saccharomyces Lysate Extract, Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate, Rosa Roxburghii Extract, Octyl Methoxycinnamate, Agar, Sodium Hexametaphosphate, Trisodium EDTA, Tocopherol, BHT, Ethylparaben, Butylparaben, Methylparaben, Fragrance, Iron Oxides.

Overall: I really like this night cream and it's somewhat of an investment but I think it was worth trying. I do like that it was a rich and concentrated formula for the price and its huge price differences between various retail stores, something isn't right. I don't think that I would repurchase it at the moment because while it delivered really nice results, it wasn't something that I was very wowed over. I have seen and felt similar results with other creams. 

Have you tried this night cream or any of their skincare in the Shiseido line(s)? :)

Disclaimer: The night cream was purchased by me!

Help: Clear Skin Before/After & Review

Hello lovelies!

A few posts ago, I mentioned that I will be reviewing a supplement that helps deal with acne. I was very fortunate to be able to try this product and I have to say that the results have marked milestones for me.

A bit about my skin history: I've been very fortunate not to have any major skin problems growing up but as an adult, I've suffered more adult acne than I ever did as a kid. It is mainly due to hormonal imbalance, stress, body not absorbing certain vitamins, etc.

I started on this supplement called Help: Clear Skin by UK based company Works with Water. They pride themselves on using targeted ingredients that are 100% natural and backed up by science to work in sync with our bodies. In my case, I am using their Clear Skin supplement and it couldn't be any easier!

Each box contains 7 satchets of a powder base that dissolves in any type of liquid (hot, cold, warm) and it dissolves instantly into something clear and tasteless. I have added it to tea, and coffee and in both cases i couldn't tell that there was something added in my drink. 

The key ingredient in Help: Clear Skin is  Praventin - a bioactive protein that is rich is lactoferrin, has been proven to help clear blemishes. How it works is that it inhibits the growth of propionibacterium, which is responsible for our skin's acne and that lessens the number of new blemishes. It also has anti-inflammatory properties that helps blemishes subside for quicker healing. 

I trialed it for 2 weeks while continuing on my regular skin regimen. Here is the before and after:

You could see the difference in day 1 and day 14. My blemishes on day 14 is a lot lighter even though my skin is far from perfect there. The supplement has worked significantly well and the results are realistic and at a good pace. I didn't experience any health declining side effects. 

Overall, I think this is a solid product. It seems it would be really good for anyone that suffers from acne by taking care of it from the inside. Aside from what we put on our faces, this is an easy supplement to have in your drinks as an extra boost of immunity. 

Pros - 

7 individually packed packets in each box

dissolves quickly

tasteless, 

Cons -

The only downside is that this particular brand is only sold in the UK at the moment but they do ship to the US from their website. 

Current Promos

Olympic Countdown to Clear Skin!

Use code: OLYMPIC45  for 45 % off the 28 packs of help: clear skin and help: revitalise

my skin until July 27th

They are also offering a little freebie with every order: a  pocket mirror or an Ion Sport Watch 

Every order over  £45 (USD $ ~70) will be automatically entered into a prize drawing to win a Kindle Fire

Every order over £45 (USD $ ~70) is entitled to free ship

Have you tried the Help: brand? What methods have you gone in trying to rid of acne? 

Review: Paul & Joe Protective Fluid Foundation

I have been wanting to review these all summer! - the Paul & Joe Protective Fluid Foundation(s).

Shades 03, 30

These babies were on my WANT! list for the longest longest time but never got around to getting them because they're quite pricey and hard to get here. But I finally bought it on a whim. Was it worth the hype?

This shade is a light medium that's slightly creamy but still sheer. I still think it's on the drier side even with it being moisturizing. The scent is very pleasant and smells very feminine with a touch of softness. The texture itself is lightweight and incredibly flawless. It felt like I had nothing on my skin!

30 is virtually a tinted moisturizer. It's really runny and very sheer. I like the nozzle a lot and am very partial to the shaker bottle method ^____^  Between the two, I really like this a lot more because it's runnier and better for my dry skin. 

Why the drastic difference between the bottles?

03 (left) is in a frosted glass bottle. It's gorgeous to look at and stands prettily next to any vanity. 

30 (right) is in one of those shaker bottles with a tipped nozzle that is nice for traveling

Overall, while I like these foundations enough, they were not worth the hype for me. The bottles certainly are dainty and elegant to look at but the foundation itself was messy and I didn't like putting so much effort (lazy me, i know!) to get the right amount out and then having to clean the rim of the bottle. The coverage for both of these were also not the best I've tried - too dry, and too sheer. I'd say it'd be a perfect companion for gals that have a nice complexion and needing only to even out their skin tone. 

Anastasia See and Be Seen Kit

Happy Friday!

I wanted to share with you gals a new kit that I've been playing around with. Anastasia has always been known for brow products but their new See and Be Seen is the perfect little kit of summer time essentials. The basics like a duo eye shadow, brow gel, lipgloss and a waterproof top coat for lashes so any of your mascaras could be waterproof. How's that for options? ;)

Anastasia Duo Eyeshadow in On Set

On Set

Gorgeous colors, right? The first one is a nude champagne shade and the second one is more of a shimmery bronze. 

While these two colors are gorgeous swatched, the warmth of the colors clashes with my skin tone. The combination would look better on me as a bronzer than as eye shadow.  

Hydrafull Lip Glosses in Plastic and Heiress

These lip colors are very opaque. The most pigmented lip glosses I have ever tried! Surprisingly not sticky. It felt really nice on my lips. After the gloss goes away, the stain on my lips remained. I really liked that. 

 Plastic is a lilac shade with no shimmers.

Heiress is a rosy pink with no shimmers.

Plastic

Heiress

I really like both colors a lot, but Heiress gives a gorgeous stain that made my lips stay bright for hours!

I'm really amazed at how nicely these glosses held up. I'm not a gloss person at all but these felt really nourishing. The spatula applicator is also really nice because I like how you can layer on the gloss. It might be the Asian in me but I feel like it saves product too! 

Brow Gel in Chestnut

This is actually the first time I've tried brow gel. It's light and the color is also really soft. It's a nice alternative to brow powder.

I think it would work really well in conjunction with brow powder. The brow gel would be perfect as a setting. I also used Lash Genius here as well. It's amazing! I used a really cheap Rimmel mascara and topped it with this waterproof coat. It gave my lashes a satin-y shine that my otherwise dull mascara wouldn't.

Lash Genius

This is the most innovative product in the entire kit. I'm really impressed with what it claims to do. I hate it when I have to use different mascaras for different occasions when I know I'll be sobbing uncontrollably (movies, I tell ya!) and the one mascara you love isn't waterproof. This is quite the genius - turns your favorite mascara waterproof so you don't have to buy so many, thus saving money in the long run ;) LOL

Overall, this kit is really nice with quality basics that you'd expect from Anastasia. The only thing I would recommend is for them to create different shades for different skin tones. 

Would you buy this kit once it hits stores?  

Disclaimer: The Anastasia Seen and Be Seen was sent to me for review purposes. All opinions expressed are of course from yours truly.