BR: Garnier Light Instant Fairness BB Moisturizer

This is the only drugstore BB cream that I own at the moment.

To be honest, one of the strong reasons of why I prefer Korean brands is the super cute packaging.

Drugstore brands packaging can be boring and not eye-catching at all.

I bought Garnier Light Instant Fairness BB Moisturizer because I was so tempting to see whether the "promises" that it made would really work or not.
I forgot whether it has a variety of shades or only one.
I'm also unsure why it's called BB moisturizer instead of BB cream.

There are 10 wonders it promises within 1minute of application on skin:

1. More radiant.

2. More even-toned.

3. With less dark spots.

4. With less visible imperfections.

5. Reduces redness.

6. Smoother.

7. More hydrated.

8. With less visible lines.

9. With less visible pores.

10. Reveals its healthy glow.

Does it prove its wonders? Let's have a look, shall we?

*came in a box which I already threw away*

*the 10 "promises"*

 

*after blending*

Garnier Light BB Instant Fairness BB Moisturizer, 20ml
The pros:
Comes with SPF26 & PA+++
Matte finish.
Compact size.
Affordable.
The cons:
Very light coverage, may not be suitable for those with acne scars.
Doesn't last long, probably only in 4hours.

Remember the 10 "promises" earlier?
Let's check if it really fulfills the wonders on my skin.

1. More radiant:  Not really.

2. More even-toned: Yes.

3. With less dark spots: Yes.

4. With less visible imperfections: Yes.

5. Reduces redness: Yes.

6. Smoother: Yes.

7. More hydrated: No.

8. With less visible lines: Not really.

9. With less visible pores: No.

10. Reveals its healthy glow: Not really.
But then again, everyone has different skin condition. For me, I'm quite on the dry type skin at the moment (thanks to the hot and dry weather) and I have pore problems. I don't have serious acne scars or pigmentation.
Nevertheless, I somehow love its matte finish on my skin. Korean BB creams usually provides glowy finish which sometimes look oily on me.
Repurchasing? Most probably no because the packaging is too bland.

BR: L'egere Aqua & Shiny Pearl BB Powder

Assalamualaikum.

Hello everyone! I hope you're enjoying the long weekend.

I just came back from a cousin's wedding and is still super tired.

I tried to sleep but my eyes weren't working together with my body and mind so I decided to turn on my laptop and update this blog.

This will be another beauty review.

Girls just can't have enough of beauty products, can they?

(^.^)

Other than BB creams and facial masks, I'm also a huge fan of loose powder and powder pacts.

Powder pacts has been my essential beauty item since I was probably 12yo.

I even bought one to school before it got confiscated by the prefects during one of those famous 'spot checks'. I had no idea it was a prohibited item in school.

I mean, come on, I had the oiliest skin which could be used to fry eggs and they made me live without a powder pact at school.

Thank God for the existence of blotting paper.

Anyway, I have used so many different brands of loose powder, mostly drugstore brands like Loreal, Revlon and Silky Girl.

But as I'm a fan of Korean brands at the moment, I'm now using L'egere Aqua & Shiny Pearl BB Powder.

L'egere may not be as famous as other Korean brands such as SkinFood, Etude House and The Face Shop in Malaysia but it's really famous in Taiwan.

It was established in 2003.

Check out their website.

*pic credit: www.ebay.ca*

*the packaging. I have thrown away my box*

*fair sizes of the holes*

*took out the puff because it's too "ewww" looking*

*"bad" ingredient: paraben. Boo.*

*fairly milled*

L'egere Aqua & Shiny Pearl BB Powder, 9g

The pros:

Love the compact size, handy to bring along anywhere.

The shimmering effect is just nice, even for use during the day.

Doesn't oxidize, set very quickly.

Brush friendly - I use this with my EcoTools kabuki brush and it doesn't leave my face cakey.

The cons:

No SPF or PA.
Available in only 1 shade, may not be suitable for darker skin tones.

Not widely available in Malaysia.

Contains paraben, thus must be used sparingly.

BR: MIVVA for December 2012

The final beauty box sent to my house for December 2012 was from MIVVA.

It's their debut beauty box so I'm quite excited as the first is always the best because they really need a positive first impression, hence, more efforts are involved.

I got this a day before Christmas where my family had started to make weird faces on why am I getting presents for Christmas since we don't celebrate it.

I honestly felt my parents were more curious on the money I spent shopping these stuff.

(*_*)

Again, the deal for all beauty boxes are the same. 

You subscribe the box at their respective websites and wait for it to arrive at your doorstep.

They include products from various brands and samples for you to test before deciding on buying the real size.

The price for MIVVA is RM38 per month and you can also choose to subscribe for 3 or 6 months and at the same you'll get points which can be redeemed for the box.

The brands from MIVVA include Bio-Essence, Stage, Oriks, Heme, Facial First, Privia U, Di Palomo and Posh. To be honest, I have only heard of the first 3 brands.

In a way, beauty box helps us to know more about other brands too.

Let's find out what surprises MIVVA have for us!

 *shipping via Poslaju*

*neatly bubblewrapped*

*box is the simplest so far*

*greeting card and a very full box*

*ta-dah!*

 *products catalogue*

*a surprise!*

Wow! MIVVA really knows how to work on the first impression!

Upon unboxing, I noticed that the box was full, merely left any space.

There were brochures and vouchers and even candies!

The products that I got were:

Stage The Lash Expert

Di Palomo Wild Fig Grape Enriching Hand and Nail Cream, travel size.

Privia Perfect Pure Cleansing Foam, travel size.

Heme Genius BB Cream SPF28 PA++, travel size.

Bio-Essence Deep Exfoliating Gel with ATP, travel size.

Oriks Collagen 703 Crystal Cream, sample size.

Black toiletries pouch.

Overall I am impressed with MIVVA debut beauty box.

Somehow I really like its simple packaging. 

I'm a huge fan of BB creams so to get to try them from other brands excite me enough!

And I read good reviews on Di Palomo hand cream.

I actually thought the products was all that but then I discovered the black toiletries pouch underneath at the bottom of the box and it just made me happier!

For this month, I only subscribed to ModBox but there's still time to subscribe to WonderBox and CosmoBox.

MIVVA ends monthy subscription every end of the month.

But I honestly am not bothered to get CosmoBox anymore after I got their December edition.

Anyhooooo, I can't wait to get my hands on ModBox!

(^.^)

BR: Etude House Proof 10 Liquid Liner

I mentioned before that I am obsessed with eyeliner. It's my must-have item every single day.

I have Chinese eyes which are very tiny-they-disappear-everytime-I-smile-or-laugh.

So eyeliner is my essential item in hope it can help "widen" my eyes.

Or at least fake an eyelid for me.

When it comes to buying eyeliners, I prefer the liquid types because they won't get transferred onto my eyelids. 

Trust me, if I used the pencil or crayon type, I'd be a panda by the end of the day.

As I use it on daily basis, I tend not to splurge on eyeliner. Another reason is because I usually dispose it by its 3rd month for hygiene purpose.

You definitely don't want to be responsible for an eye infection.

So most of the times I purchase the ones with reasonable price like Maybelline, Loreal, Revlon, Etude House, Face Shop, Silky Girl...the common and affordable brands. 

I can't imagine myself buying eyeliners with RM80 price tag.

Tonight I wanna share a liquid eyeliner from one of my favourite Korean brands, Etude House.

They usually have the cutest packaging but for Proof 10 line, the packaging is quite simple and basic.

Some of the pictures and swatches as below:

*came with a box which I forgot what really happened to it*

*the bottle and applicator*

*swatched*

*started to fade after a few swipes*

Etude House Proof 10 Liquid Liner in #1 Proof Black

The pros:

The color is intense.

It's waterproof.

The brush applicator is user friendly.

It dries up pretty quick.

The cons:

It doesn't "stick" well on my oily eyelids. Boo.

Overall, I'm satisfied with this eyeliner.

Not the best, but for daily use, it's affordable and lasts by noon, just at the right time as I usually reapply after my Zohor prayer.

(^.^)

Oh GMarket!

I am addicted to GMarket.

I wonder why...

 

*pic BigBangUpdates*

Oh well.

BR: CosmoBox for December 2012

I just watched Big Bang's performance on SBS Gayo Daejun and watching TOP dancing to Gangnam Style is beyond hilarious.

That boy really can't dance, can he?

Luckily that face saves him, everytime.

LOL!

So as I'm in a happy mood I decided to share a review on another beauty box that I subscribe to in December 2012.

This time it's CosmoBox which costs RM33 per month inclusive of shipping (RM38 for EM).

The brands available include Asian Potions, Benefit, Bisou BonBon, Avene, Elie Saab, Giorgio Armani, Inglot, Origins, Revlon, Professional Sebastian, Soap Artisan, SP, The Nail Shop and Yadah. 

Quite impressive, isn't it?

The deal is the same, beauty box includes samples of various products and if you're lucky, they may include real size items. 

The tricky part is, you'll never know what you'll get and the items change every month.

Below are some pictures I managed to snap before hovering over the items.

*shipping by GD Express*

*no bubblewrap*

*sliding out the box*

*greeting card. I love the pink and black theme!*

*voucher and brochures in a black envelope*

*ta-dah!*

Okay to be honest, I was quite disappointed with the products.

My first thought was "Is this all?"

There were four different brands:

Benefit They're Real Mascara. Sample size.

Bisou BonBon First Aid Salve. Sample size.

Yadah Skincare Set and a BB Cream. Sample size.

Professional Sebastian Hair Shampoo, Conditioner and Treatment. Sample size.

Notice what's similar?

They're all in sample sizes! 

I really expected more when I unwrapped the sturdy box and untied the ribbon.

The box probably cost half of the whole price!

Of course they included the cute hairpin and a roll of ribbon but I'd prefer if they switch them with other beauty items.

It is a beauty box, after all.

I'm not keen on subscribing for January 2013 edition.

Maybe if they have sort of upgraded the products then I'd probably subscribe again.

Dear 2013, be nice.

Another year has come to an end.

It was a great year which felt super short. 

But yeah, it was great.

Let's reminisce the events that took place which I can still remember vividly.

Not much, I've to admit. I'm bad at remembering stuff. 

I guess blogging is a way to help me keep everything "recorded".

Firstly, of course, the night where I watched Big Bang live at Stadium Merdeka for their 2012 Alive Tour. 

I am not sure why I haven't blogged about that. It was one of the best nights of my entire life but I just couldn't put the "best" words to really describe the whole event. 

People say seeing is believing but I honestly took quite a long moment to "believe" the boys were really standing right before my eyes. There were thousands of people around me but all I could hear was the boys' voices. 

Cheesy, I know. 

But I swear those who went must have felt the same...

Seungri's adorable smiles. 

GD rapping to 'One of a Kind' and 'Crayon'. 

Dae's angelic voice. 

Taeyang danced full of swag. 

And TOP's neverending legs...oh God those legs are like heaven sent! So perfectly in shape, and toned at the right places...darn it I'm obsessed with a pair of legs I think I'm not normal. Other girls would be like "Aah TOP's hot!" "He's damn good looking!" and I was like "Can I lay my hands on those legs?" 

Watching the boys performed in one night was just not enough, I wish I could attend their show in other countries as well.
Money, please grow on trees.

*sigh*

Well, let's move on before I start flooding the whole page with Big Bang. 

Pardon me as I'm a huge fan of them at the moment. So just let me fangirling while I still can. 

(^.^)

I honestly can't really remember what else happened in 2012 except that I went to Jakarta twice in April and September (Once is really more than enough. Really.), Aish graduated from kindie (he's growing too fast!), I bought a Fujifilm Instax Mini 25 which I had been eyeing since forever, I discovered GMarket and never looked back (LOL!), I also bought my first Cambridge Satchel which I wrote about it here and of course, the weddings of my beautiful and handsome friends which I attended after so many mental fights about what to wear, which shoes and handbags and the perfect gift for each couple. 

As 2013 creeps in, I am somehow grateful that I mostly think of good memories for 2012. 

This is how it should be and I can never be thankful enough to be a better person rather than being bitter. 

I may not have an exciting love life but Alhamdulillah, I am blessed with loving family and great friends who always stand by my side. 

Thank you Allah s.w.t.

So adieu 2012, you taught me well. 

Bring it on, 2013!

*I've stopped making new resolution since years ago because I wanted to enjoy the surprises.  Life's too short to start chasing things in the dark.*