URBAY DECAY NAKED 3

URBAN DECAY has been around for ages, and it's been highly raved by other bloggers, but I only just managed to get my hands onto their NAKED3 Eyeshadow Palette recently.

I purchased this online for a price of HKD562 (included shipping), and it also came with an eyeshadow primer potion sample (4 colours), which the packaging says that each sample pod holds about a week's worth of primer!

The NAKED3 Palette comes with 12 rose-hued neutrals. There are ultra-smooth mattes, gorgeous pearls, and glimmering metallics, and the shades range from the palest, shimmery pink to the deepest black matte with red micro-glitter. It also comes with a double-ended brush (a smaller brush on one end, and a bigger brush on the other) with really soft bristles.

I have rather fair skin for an Asian girl, and I usually go by very light makeup, so I'm a big fan of the lighter-to-medium colours in the palette. I have never used the darker colours on my eyes yet (though I have tried to mix and match colours on my hands before), as I haven't had the chance (I think I'd only use them when I have heavy makeup on).

MY FIRST SWATCH TEST

I really like how a lot of the colours are glittery, but it also comes with a few matte colours too!


THE SHADES UP CLOSE

Strange - This hardly showed up on my skin, except for making my skin look a little brighter perhaps?

Dust - This is a pinkish glittery kind of colour, and I like to use this to blend with some darker colours!

Burnout - This is another glittery colour that I quite like to use; its colour is browner than Dust, but it's not too dark, so that I can still use it for my light makeup!

Limit - This is a matte colour, and it's good for times when you don't want glitter all over your eyes!

Buzz - This is a similar shade to Limit, but in a glittery version! I quite like using this too!

Trick - This is too orange and glittery for my liking, but it's a nice colour!

Nooner - Another matte colour that I like, though I do prefer Limit more, as that one is more pinkish than brown.

Liar - This colour is similar to Trick yet slightly darker, so it's easier to use as it's not too orangey.

Factory - This is one of my favourites for the "darker" shades of brown in this palette as it's not too dull nor too orange, glittery, and also easy to blend with!

Mugshot - I don't really like this kind of brown, but it's also glittery and easy to blend with other colours.

Darkside - I haven't had a chance to use this one yet, but it's a nice colour still!

Blackheart - This is the deepest black matte with red micro-glitter, and it's also the colour that I would rarely (or never) use, as it's too dark for my liking!


Pros:
- There are so many colours and shades in one palette, very convenient to use as one palette has it all!
- The eyeshadow glides onto my eyelids easily
- Although most of the colours are glittery, there are some matte ones too
- The colours blend in nicely with each other (although it may take some time to figure out which colours match better with others)
- It comes with a full-size brush, not just a travel-sized brush like other palettes!
- The bristles on the brush are very soft

Cons:
- I won't be able to use all the colours in the palette (the lightest colour doesn't show on my skin at all, and the darkest colour is too dark for my liking)
- Like other bloggers, I wish the NAKED3 Palette came in a hard box like the NAKED1 - yes, the box looks nice now, but it doesn't seem very durable in the long-run!

Overall:
I've had quite a few compliments when using my NAKED3 Palette, as the light colours really match my skin very well!! It's a good buy, as I got so many colours in one palette, in comparison to my 5-coloured eyeshadow palette from Chanel which came with crappy travel-sized applicators that I got for a similar price! I'm so glad I got this!!


This is me with very light makeup...and my NAKED3:

The products I used:
Blush Stick from Kosé
Eyebrow Powder from Chanel
Eyeshadow Base from Chanel
Eyeshadow from Urban Decay NAKED3 Palette
Lip Balm from Chanel
Liquid Eyeliner from Lioele
Loose Face Powder from Paul & Joe
Mascara by Lioele
Moisturising Foundation Primer by Paul & Joe

I also ordered the NAKED3 for my sister-in-law, and this is a pic of her using the NAKED3. She has a darker skin tone than me, and she uses heavier makeup normally.

As you can see from the above photos, the colours in the palette work very well on both our skin tones, and it gives us such a natural glow too! What more could we expect from an eyeshadow palette?!

Thank you for reading, and if you have any questions, feel free to comment below!

Have a nice day!

IOPE

Who hasn't heard of the brand IOPE nowadays? It seems to be really popular, with its "Miracle Water", the Air Cushion, and other great products it sells. I started using this brand during the winter of 2012-2013 when my sister-in-law brought back some sample sized creams from Korea, and I instantly fell in love with those creams!!! Let's see what the rave is all about!!! :D

Super Vital Extra Moist Cream by IOPE

This cream is a bestseller item from IOPE, a brand of Amore Pacific Corporation.

My sister-in-law brought this back from her Korea trip back in 2012 and gave me a small 8mL sample to try along with many other Korean skincare products. I instantly fell in love with the cream and asked her where she got it from, then she gave me a few more samples. At that time, IOPE was not so popular in Hong Kong, and I could not find them selling anywhere, but I'm glad to find them selling almost everywhere in Hong Kong nowadays! I mainly use this in the winter as it is super moisturising, but I did try to use it recently too and it's spring now...it was still okay but I still prefer saving it to use in winter.

Texture: Rich and creamy, but absorbs very quickly and does not leave any sticky nor greasy feeling.

Pros:
- Nice packaging
- Smells really nice
- Very nutritious for the skin
- Leaves my skin feeling very soft and supple after application
- Absorbs very quickly into the skin
- Does not leave a greasy nor sticky feeling
- Perfect for normal/dry skin or to use during the dry winter months

Cons:
- The full size tub is quite expensive (around HKD750+)
- May not be so good for people with oily skin or for use during the humid summer months

Rating: 9/10


Bio-Essence Intensive Conditioning 168mL

This is an Asian facial treatment that promises to promote clear skin and firming, even out skin tone, and brighten skin within 3 days of use. Other bloggers usually compare this to the SK-II Facial Treatment Essence, and found them to be of similar effectiveness. I will be referring to the Bio-Essence Intensive Conditioning as "IOPE Essence" in this review.

I ordered the IOPE Essence from www.minikmall.com for a price of around HKD380 when it was on sale, but I had to wait for around 2 weeks for the shop to restock. I recently went back to see how much the IOPE Essence cost, and the price has gone up to HKD438, but there is stock available at the shop, so there is no need to wait for that long for the IOPE Essence to be delivered to your door.

I love online shopping because I really enjoy the process of unwrapping packages! When I opened up the package, I was surprised to see that my IOPE Essence had come with a box of cotton pads for free!

I have used the IOPE Essence for more than 1 month before doing this review.

Appearance:
- It comes in a frosted glass bottle with a silver cap
- It feels sturdy and heavy in hand
- There is a small hole to dispense the product (many people complain that the hole only releases a few droplets of essence each time, but I have had no trouble with this so far)

How to use:
- It is recommended to be used as an essence: After using toner, place the cotton pad onto the middle finger and soak the pad with 3mL (size of a coin or 1/3 of the cotton pad) of the IOPE Essence. Starting from the cheeks and forehead and then moving from the centre of your face, slowly wipe your face from the inside to the outside, and then gently pat your face with your hands to enhance its absorption. You will see that the cotton pad will turn to a brownish colour, as it wipes off all the dirt on your face.
- Some people prefer to use this as a toner: Pour a sufficient amount of the IOPE Essence onto palms, and pat onto the face.

Pros:
- Contains a high percentage of fermented ingredient(s)
- It is transparent and has a watery consistency with no smell whatsoever
- It is very hydrating (sometimes I just apply the IOPE Essence without applying moisturiser, and my skin still feels hydrated!)
- It wipes off any dirt very well (even better than my usual toner)
- Absorbs very quickly (especially when I pat it onto my face using my hands)
- Hubby has complimented that my skin looks healthier and brighter now too!
- Much cheaper than the SK-II "miracle water"

Cons:
- Slightly expensive
- I had hoped for it to tighten my pores, but it had no effect on this
- It didn't do anything "WOW!" to my skin (perhaps it would be more effective for those older than me and actually needs some fixing up in their skin)

Rating: 7/10


IOPE Air Cushion XP SPF50+/PA+++

This is another highly raved product, but unfortunately I didn't end up buying this product - my friend did. These are the photos that she took of her product, and she loves it, so unfortunately, I cannot review this product.

Appearance:

I've read mixed reviews on this IOPE Air Cushion, so I'm still deciding whether to purchase this one or the Laneige one. I'll let you know when I do buy my one though!

But for now, thanks for reading, and have a nice day!

Do leave a comment if you have any questions or suggestions!

The Perfect Toothpaste

Being pregnant has made me become very picky about choosing the perfect toothpaste, as the tastes of most toothpastes make me want to vomit, and that I need something to help relieve my swollen and bleeding gums. Fortunately, I have found the one and only toothpaste for me, although it is slightly hard to get hold of.

Let's have a look at the toothpastes I now have in my household:

1) Propolis Toothpaste by Atomy

Active Properties: Sodium Monofluorophosphate 0.16%, Sodium Fluoride 0.1%
Taste: Slightly minty
Pros: Has a slightly sweet taste; leaves the mouth feeling fresh after brushing; helps relieve sore and swollen gums; helps reduce gum bleeding; reduces mouth ulcers; anti-bacterial; does not make me vomit
Cons: Supermarkets don't sell this toothpaste so I need to order it online
Rating: 9/10

2) Propolis Toothpaste (liquorice mint) by Comvita

Taste: Peppermint
Pros: Uses 100% natural ingredients, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) free
Cons: Hate the taste and it makes me want to vomit instantly; very expensive; doesn't relieve sore and swollen gums
Rating: 3/10

3) Original Double Action Mint Toothpaste by Darlie

This is the toothpaste that hubby loves using, and he refuses to change to other brands or flavours of the same brand.
Taste: Strong Mint
Pros: Very foamy; leaves the mouth feeling very fresh; whitens teeth; purchasable from any supermarket or pharmacy in Hong Kong
Cons: Does not help relieve sore gums etc.
Rating: 8/10

4) Salz Fresh Toothpaste by Lion

Taste: Spearmint
Pros: Contains purified salt and Q10 to help relieve sore and swollen gums
Cons: Does not whiten teeth; only purchasable at some supermarkets
Rating: 8/10
The first version of this toothpaste had a salty taste, but now it has been covered with a fresh mint taste which is more easily acceptable.

5) Sensitive Pro-Relief Toothpaste by Colgate

Taste: Minty
Pros: Can be used as an "instant relief" to the sensitive tooth
Cons: Not very effective in helping relieve sensitive and sore gums
Rating: 5/10

6) Bubble Fruit Toothpaste for Kids by Colgate

Taste: Bubblegum flavour
Pros: Yummy taste that really does imitate the taste of bubblegum
Cons: Not very foamy; perhaps suitable for kids, but it didn't really clean very well
Rating: 6/10
I purchased this as I felt really nauseas while brushing my teeth earlier on in my pregnancy, and sweet flavoured toothpastes help with this issue.

7) Strawberry Toothpaste for Kids by Darlie

Taste: Strawberry
Pros: Strawberry flavoured taste
Cons: Not very foamy; perhaps suitable for kids, but it didn't really clean very well
Rating: 5/10
I purchased this as I felt really nauseas while brushing my teeth earlier on in my pregnancy, and sweet flavoured toothpastes help with this issue.


Conclusion: My top pick in toothpastes must be the Propolis Toothpaste by Atomy!! It is the only toothpaste that I use now, and I have also recommended it to many of my friends and relatives, and they all love it too!!!

Thank you for reading, and if you have any questions, please comment below!!

Have a nice day!!

Homemade Walnut Milk

I used to love drinking milk when I was living in New Zealand - the fresh milk there tastes sooooo good!!! As I grew older, I became lactose intolerant and would have tummy cramps and diarrhoea after drinking milk, and that is when I started finding substitutes, including lactose intolerant milk, soy milk, and even rice milk. Recently, I saw almond milk drinks selling at the supermarket, so I bought a carton to try, and it tasted pretty good...that was when I decided to make my own, but with walnuts instead!

Milk is very nutritious especially for pregnant women, and although nut milks aren't even half as nutritious as cow's milk, nut milks do make a good substitute for smoothies!

Due to the small size of my blender, I made slight amendments to the recipe I saw online. My blender is only able to contain 2 cups of water each time, so I had to halve the ingredients and do the blending process twice.

Ingredients:

1 cup of raw walnuts

1 container with a lid

1 blender

4 cups filtered water

1 teaspoon of vanilla essence

1 nut milk bag or soup bag

1 teaspoon of sweetener or honey (optional)

1 sprinkle of cinnamon (optional)

How To:

1. Soak raw walnuts in filtered water for 8-10 hours, or just overnight in a container with a lid. If you want to soak the walnuts for longer, you need to drain the walnuts and change the water every 8-10 hours. Make sure there is at least 1 inch of water covering the walnuts.

2. After 8-10 hours of soaking, drain and rinse the soaked walnuts.

3. Place the walnuts in a blender, adding in the 4 cups of filtered water. Also add in the vanilla essence and sweetener of your choice. I also sprinkled in some cinnamon.

4. Blend all of the ingredients on high for 90 seconds. If your blender does not have speed options, blend for 120 seconds.

5. When you have finished blending, leave the milk to set for 5 minutes, so that the foam can float to the top.

6. Scoop out the foam from the top of the nut milk (sorry I forgot to take a photo of the foam).

7. Place the nut milk bag into a jar, and pour liquid into the nut milk bag, making sure you squeeze all the pulp to get all the milk. Make sure your jar has a lid!

8. Save the pulp to use in other dishes, such as hummus or fudge.

9. Voila! You have your walnut milk! You can adjust how much water you add depending on how thick you like your milk to be, and you can also try this with some other of your favourite nuts too!! You can keep your nut milk for up to 5 days in the fridge!!

Remember to give your bottle a shake before using the nut milk!!

I just used my homemade walnut milk to go with my avocado!! *yummy*

Thank you for reading, and if you have any questions, please comment below! Have a nice day!!!