My Current Morning Face Routine - Simple, Origins, Josie Maran, Cetaphil, Bobbi Brown, Revlon, L'oreal and EOS.

Hi my pretties!
Today I thought I would like to share with you my current morning face routine.
This will also be my first entry with a video!

Just as an FYI, my skin is dry (and I have eczema).

So those of your who have dry skin, you may or may not find this post to be useful.

1) Cleanser - Simple Foaming Cleanser

Loving this cleanser at the moment. Rich with foam, yet still gentle to my skin.

  
2) Toner - Origins Make A Difference Skin Rejuvenating Treatment Lotion

This toner/lotion saved my skin twice - once after a beach vacation and another time after an allergy reaction I had with a range of products. My skin saver!

3) Serum - Josie Maran 100% Pure Argan Oil Light

Using this as serum and very glad I am. Works wonders for both dry and oily skin

4) Moisturizer - Cetaphil Moisturizing Lotion

My go-to facial moisturizer for the past 7 years. Never failed me.

5) Eye Cream - Bobbi Brown Hydrating Eye Cream

Don't forget to care for your eyes! This cream is super hydrating and makes applying undereye concealer a bliss.

6) Concealer - Revlon Photo Ready Concealer in Medium 004

Creamy and super blendable, I regret not using this product earlier!

7) Sunblock - L'Oreal UV Perfect 12-hour Long-lasting UV Protector with SPF50

I am not a daily foundation user but NEVER miss applying sunblock for daily protection

8) Eye Brow - Bobbi Brown Natural Brow Shaper in Rich Brown

Strong, framing eyebrows are a must for me! This gets the job done perfectly and with ease.

9) Lip Care - EOS Lip Balm in Sweet Mint

Current favourite! Another product I regret not trying earlier. Love it!

The following video shows steps 5) to 8).
 

I hope this was somewhat useful! 
Forgive me for the abrupt music cut-off in the video - I am still learning! ^_^

Reminder: Product that works for me may not work for you, and vice versa. =)      

EOS - Evolution of Smooth Lip Balm in Sweet Mint

As a lip balm junkie, it is quite outrageous that it is only now that I finally got my hands on the cutest lip balm there is out there - the Evolution of Smooth Lip Balm (EOS).  ^_^ Mine is in Sweet Mint as I love all things minty!

Look how cute it is!! It reminds me a lot of the Kinder Surprise chocolate eggs (or just eggs, period!). At first glance, I had thought that it will be a bit tedious to hold and apply given its rounded shape. We are all used to the usual twist up cylinder tubes of most other lip balms and it did occur to me "Will I often drop this?", especially when unscrewing it open.

Taking it out of its packaging, my first instinct was to give it a sniff! haha! And I was glad I did because, Oh My!!, even without unscrewing it open, I could appreciate the sweet minty aroma of this particular EOS Lip Balm flavor. I am already loving this balm even before I apply it!

My question above was immediately answered when I examine the package.
There is a strategically placed indentation on one side of the packaging that you almost-by-reflex, put your thumbs over as you unscrew it open. Easy and no slipping!

See the indentation on the side?

The balm inside is of course as cute as you'd imagine it to be with its packaging - half a sphere of lip balm goodness. "Packed with antioxidant-rich vitamin E, soothing shea butter and jojoba oil, eos keeps your lips moist, soft and sensationally smooth"

Hello cute balm!

Now I am not very sure how deep the balm goes into the packaging.... Is it just half a sphere or a full sphere of product in there? Given that it weighs 7g, I think it is a whole sphere? Those who have gone through their spheres, let me know! I am curious!

Easy grip for application

The indentation is also handy for a good grip for application. On my first application, I was delighted with the minty sensation on my lips! The intensity was perfect. Not too much and not too little. (I get disappointed with certain lip balms that claim to be minty but did not leave any of the cool minty feel I had expected). As for its moisturizing level, definitely in the "healing" range as it is quite rich. That being said, it does not feel too greasy, sticky or slippery and I am not hating it. It is not glossy on the lips (which I also love).

For those who are not a fan of minty lip balms, not to worry as the EOS Lip Balm comes in a variety of other non-minty flavors such as Strawberry Sorbet and Summer Fruit.

Blew this pic up so you could see the ingredients! Good to know: Exp date is on the top left corner.

Each flavor comes in different colored packaging. Imagine how cute it is to have them all!

Overall, I am very happy with the EOS Lip Balm. Price wise, it goes for a bit higher than most lip balms but you are getting 7g of high quality product. Evolution of Smooth Lip Balms are available in Canada at selected Shoppers Drug Mart and Rexall outlets.  

To my knowledge, EOS Lip Balms are not yet available in Malaysia. A friend and myself have decided to start a small online shopping project where we will bring products that I love in Canada available to my readers in Malaysia and vice versa. We chose the EOS Lip Balms as our first item and will bring more items if there is a good response. To my readers in Malaysia, if you would like to get your hands on the EOS Lip Balms at reasonable prices, do check out Beautiful Beauty Buys and check it out soon as the current order for the EOS Lip Balm is open only till the end of October 2013.

Reminder: Product that works for me may not work for you, and vice versa. =)      

Lancôme Hypnôse Star Show Stopping Volume Mascara

Just wanted to share a quick take on a recent sample of Lancôme Hypnôse Star Show Stopping Volume Mascara I got from a gift-with-purchase Lancôme event at The Bay.

I am definitely impressed with the amount of volume this mascara delivers to my lashes. Also loving the fact that, on me, this is quite purely a volumizing mascara (I have read reviews by other users that this mascara did lengthened their eyelashes. This was not the case for me).  I wear glasses on a regular basis and mascaras which are lengthening really put me off as they would have my lashes touching and messing up my lenses.

In the picture above, I had applied only one coat of the mascara - thicker, fuller lashes without clumps. Imagine how dense my lashes would be with 2 or 3 coats! I absolutely love the Lancôme Hypnôse Star Show Stopping Volume Mascara and will definitely be getting the full size once I am done with my sample.

Super gorgeous packaging!

 Reminder: Product that works for me may not work for you, and vice versa. =)  

The Bay Lancôme gift-with-purchase promotion (October - November 2013)

Wow! It is almost mid October!! Fall is now in full swing.

Earlier today I drop by one of my favorite department store here in Canada - The Bay. I love the Cosmetics & Fragrances department at The Bay because they often have beautiful sets of gift-with-purchase promos by selected higher end skin care & cosmetic brands. Today I went to get my hands on some Lancôme goodies!

Now this gift-with-purchase thing is not uncommon. I have seen similar promos back in Malaysia. But the thing I love most about the Canadian promos (and I believe in the States as well) is that for most events, you only need to purchase a minimum of 30 to 35 dollars worth of product(s) to qualify for the free goodies. This is about  MYR93 to MYR109. Back in Malaysia, the common minimum purchase is MYR300 to MYR350 (some even go as high as MYR500!). Plus the free goodies offered are often not as abundant as the ones given in North America. So yeay me! =)

Back to Lancôme...

For Lancôme's gift-with-purchase promos, the usual minimum purchase is CAD35.00 (before taxes). I was running low on their Effacil makeup remover. (It is my current favourite remover. I will review it soon. ^_^). The Effacil sells for CAD35.00 at The Bay. With only purchasing the Effacil, I am already qualified to get their free goodies!

Above is the Effacil that I bought, and below is a picture of the Effacil with all the goodies I received!

Isn't it awesome?! I felt great not having to purchase unnecessary items to qualify for the promo. (I often buy things I don't need back in Malaysia to make the minimum purchase. I guess I could just not get the goodies back then, but hey! some of them are too cute to resist, right?)

They were 8 items in total, including the makeup bag.

The first 2 items are a set of serum and face cream duo. They have 3 different sets so you can get the one that is most suitable for your age group. For myself, I was given Lancôme Génifique Youth Activating Concentrate (8ml) paired with Lancôme Bienfait Multi-Vital High Potency Daily Moisturizing Cream with SPF 30 (15g). 

Next is a choice of perfumed body lotion (50ml) - La Vie Est Belle or Trésor. After giving both a smell, I went for La Vie Est Belle.

The next 2 items are a duo of eyeshadow palette (2g) and lip color. There are 2 sets to choose from. One set comes with a lipstick (with the more neutral eyeshadow palette), while the other a Juicy Tubes. I chose the one with the Juicy Tubes (10ml).
 

Good size shimmer shadows palette with a mirror!

Helpful guide at the back of palette

Juicy Tubes in Raspberry Ice

The gift set also includes 50ml of the famous Lancôme Bi-Facil Double-Action Eye Makeup Remover. Great size for travel.

A trial size of their latest Hypnôse Star Show Stopping Volume Mascara (4ml) was also in the set.

Last but not least, the makeup bag! You can choose between a pink bag or a blue bag. Since I already have a couple of pink makeup bags, I chose the blue! It is a good size satin bag with the Lancôme flower embossed on the front.

So there. I was very happy with the whole package and look forward to more gift-with-purchase promos! For those in Canada, this promotion is on till November 9th, 2013 at all Lancôme beauty counters at participating Hudson's Bay stores. *While supplies last. So get yours today!