Cafe de Flore

I believe I am overdue

for my coffee break...

Join me?

There there now...
There we are!!
nOw....
~~~everything will be o.k~~~

Big warm smiles to you today!!


Mauh!!

XOX's


~Please stay cozy & safe~



fin

Charlotte Moss Valentine Giveaway!

Psssssssst....

Just to let you know...

just in case

you haven't seen yet,

Sande

at

A Gift Wrapped Life

is having a

Charlotte Moss

Left Bank Collection

Valentine

Giveaway!!

And

Febuary 14th

is her

One year

Blogging Birthday!!

Happy Birthday Sande!!

&

Merci Beaucoup

for lighting up

our world

and for being such

a huge part of

our

blogging

Family!!!

Here are the prizes...

{Yes, yes of course gift wrapped by Sande}

One prize to choose!

A Second Prize to choose!



And a third Prize to choose!
If you haven't already
entered you must
go now
Here!

Have fun today!

XOXO's

fin

Belle de Sucre

Yes it is!

It is all sugar!!

Even the chandeliers!

Colors

&

ShApes

of everything beautiful...

A sugar rosary...

And sugar necklaces....

Even sugar prisms!
Where else but
in
Paris at
Belle de Sucre!!
You can go visit
Here~




Have a special special week
every sweet one!!

~~~

XOXO's

~~~

fin

PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT: SAIZEN CHARCOAL FACE MASK

Here's an initial review on SAIZEN BLACK CHARCOAL FACE MASK

PRICE: AROUND 88PHP (?)

PLACE BOUGHT: PART OF A LOOT

OTHER LOCATIONS: SAIZEN STORE, ROBINSON'S GALLERIA, ORTIGAS, MANDALUYONG CITY

THE VERDICT:

This is one of the much- raved about products of the year 2009. It was sold- out always in Saizen and this even started the Saizen thread in Girltalk.

I wasn't really into the hype. First and foremost, it's a peel- off mask, which I totally hate.

I never knew that this comes with the Smith's Rosebud Salve that I purchased.

So here's my take on this famous product.

Tube is nice, but I hate the fact that I can't understand a thing at all because all the descriptions at the back of the tube are in Japanese. It's both a blessing and a curse. It's a blessing because what you don't know won't hurt you and it's a curse when the effects finally take place on your skin (this goes to the gals with sensitive skin out there).

And here's moi wearing the charcoal mask. Yes, the gunk is colored black, which I find amusing. And so I waited for 30 minutes before taking it off.

No, my cat wasn't part of the vanity session but she's always beside me. And that's a natural black charcoal mask on her. Hahaha. :)

What I hate about it is, it almost plastered my face permanently! I can't even move a single muscle apart from my eyes! And one slight move of any facial muscle irritates me so much. But I tried standing it for all I know, it could have a great effect afterwards.

AFTER 30 MINUTES...

Seriously, it was such a painstaking removal process. My facial skin felt as if it's being peeled off! And I spent a good 30 minutes removing the mask on the left part of my cheek and I gave up on it. I washed the rest of my face with cleansing foam and water.

Agh! My face felt a prickly due to the intense force applied during the peeling process. I don't usually apply moisturizers before I go to sleep because I don't like anything clogging my pores during sleep. But I was compelled to because my face felt so dry and painful!

My stand on peel- off masks is: IT REMOVES EVEN THE HEALTHY CELLS FROM YOUR FACE KEEPING IT TOO DRY. AND THE HARSH EFFECT OF THE REMOVAL APPLIES TOO MUCH PRESSURE ON THE SKIN, WHICH IS DEFINITELY A BAD THING ALTOGETHER.

I SWEAR I WILL NEVER PURCHASE THIS AND ANY PEEL- OFF MASKS IN PARTICULAR.

I can't even understand why the gals in Girltalk love this so much.

Well, as the saying goes, DIFFERENT STROKES FOR DIFFERENT FOLKS.

PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT: DAVID AND GOLIATH CROWD PLEASER BUBBLEGUM FLAVORED LIPBALM

Here's an initial review on DAVID AND GOLIATH CROWD PLEASER BUBBLEGUM FLAVORED LIPBALM

PRICE: 195PHP

PLACE BOUGHT: DAVID AND GOLIATH STORE, THE FORT HIGH STREET, FORT BONIFACIO, TAGUIG CITY

OTHER LOCATIONS: DAVID AND GOLIATH OUTLET STORES; MULTIPLY RESELLERS

THE VERDICT:

I've been seeing these lipbalms in David and Goliath and one day, I can't contain my curiosity anymore so I decided to purchase one. I was inclined to getting the vanilla- flavored lip balm but me likey bubblegum flavored lippies so much that's why I got this.

This is a petroleum- based lipbalm. The color of the product in the tube is lilac.

But there was never a tinge of the bubblegum flavored in it! It's just plain, petroleum jelly in stick form. I tried tasting and looking for the bubblegum flavor but the weird petroleum taste with a dash of bubblegum still dominated the flavor.

Ugh. Total waste of moolah. Will not purchase D&G lipbalms. EVER.

But for those who like unscented lipbalms and find petroleum jelly too wet, this can work for you. As for me, I'm better off buying a drugstore petroleum jelly which is absolutely cheaper than this piece of crap.

PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT: BURT'S BEES BANANA AND BEESWAX HAND CREME

Here's an initial review on BURT'S BEES BANANA AND BEESWAX HAND CREME

PRICE: 2 FOR 10SGD

PLACE BOUGHT: WISMA ASTRIA

OTHER LOCATIONS: BEAUTY BAR (PHILIPPINES); DIRECT SELLERS (EBAY)

THE VERDICT:

Okay so I have dry palms that's why I need to moisturize 'em at least once a day. Lotions are quite messy and sticky. Besides, they're specifically made for the body. So a Hand Creme will do the trick in keeping my hands supple and smooth all day.

INGREDIENTS

DESCRIPTION

The other product is with my mom since she got this on a package promo.

So let's now review the product. I love bananas, especially when it comes to food. But for banana- scented stuff, I have to try it yet so this one's a first in my body care collection.

It smelled lovely in the jar. Fresh and succulent bananas. It always makes me want to eat the real thing whenever I get a whiff of the product.

Consistency is like butter. Very smooth, emollient and it gets absorbed quickly by the skin, which makes it better than using regular lotion. Also it kept my hand smooth all day.

But I gave up on this product because of the smell. It smelled totally different on my palms! Think Banana Cue (Banana fritters) scented hand creme. It just smells disgusting! Methinks that the beeswax is behind the pungent smell of the creme. And this just made me give it back to my mom. I'm pretty sure she won't be disappointed 'cos she loves the creme to bits.

Will iI buy this again? Nope. I'll get meself a rose- scented hand lotion which is always a safer bet when it comes to hand cremes.

SPEND VS. SAVE: SAVVY HAIRBRUSHES

For this edition of Spend Vs. Save, let’s look at SAVVY HAIRBRUSHES

 I have two hairbrushes in my collection:

 ANNA SUI TRAVEL FOLDABLE HAIRBRUSH- 30SGD

ETUDE HOUSE ROMANTIC BRUSH- 178PHP

L- R: Etude House, Anna Sui

So for the beauty tools savvy, embellished eye candies like these are too hard to pass up. It is a perfect accessory and accent to a vanity table and a lovely thing to tote in your bag which will totally remind you of everything beautiful and sassy.

 So the priciest hairbrush I have ever owned is Anna Sui’s travel brush at 30SGD (approx. 1020php). Let’s first review this one.

L- R: Etude House, Anna Sui

Anna Sui has been known for its lovely Victorian and rose detailed accessories which appealed to women of all ages. This travel hairbrush is an additional gift of my mom when she got back from her Singapore trip.

 According to the SA, the bristles of Anna Sui’s brush bristles are infused with silicone that will help in keeping hair healthy and shiny. I don’t know how that works (or if it works) though. Though plastic- made, it is sturdy and is definitely made of the expensive kind of plastic. The bristles are quite sturdy as well.  

Let’s now review Etude House’s romantic beauty brush. It is part of their Romantic collection, which may have been inspired by Anna Sui. And the Romantic Accessories can also pass off as Anna Sui accessories! It is in the same design. Rose and lovely Victorian details.

Etude House’s brush is made of good plastic, but as compared to Anna Sui, Anna Sui feels more tough and sturdy than Etude House, though the latter has some good quality if you’ll think about it. It’s cheap, yet it looks pretty decent.  

 OOPS! Sorry for the dirty brushes. :p

Here’s a comparison picture of the bristles. As you can see, Etude House’s bristles are no different than the common hair brush bristles you’ll find in the market. Anna Sui’s bristles can be compared to the high- end hair brushes (Acca Kappa in particular).

 But in terms of quality, both deliver what they should deliver. The bristles are rounded enough so as to not scratch the scalp too much.

 Apart from being expensive, Anna Sui is unavailable in the Philippines. And if you’re just lemming for an Anna Sui inspired product, Etude House is the answer.

 SO FOR THIS SPEND VS. SAVE EDITION, I SUGGEST YOU:

SAVE