L'occitane hand creams

L'occitane hand creams - Shea butter/Lavender

You can get the same quality for a much cheaper price. Any drugstore brand would do the trick. These two I had, my mum gave them to from her set of three for $30. So it comes down to $10 each for 30ml. I think it is bit pricey, well,  because it doesn't really do anything! My hands felt soft when I first put them on, but they didn't change a thing, at least for me. I still have my wrinkles, and dryness around my fingers. The texture of the she butter one is very thick! I had to wait for few minutes whenever I had it on, just to avoid smearing everything I touched. The one with lavender oil is much lighter, and probably better for summer use. Never was a big fan, probably never will be. Of course, if whoever takes one look at my pictures, they will know I'm still in the search for a "miracle" cream!

Jouviance EcoPurifying

Jouviance EcoPurifying Cleansing Gel
Jouviance EcoDefense Antioxidant Emulation 

I got this set of cleaner & lotion before I went on my trip. Oh, I'm glad I did! The cleaner was a gel based, and 3-in-1 for combination to oily skin. It could be used as a make-up remover, cleaner and toner as well. According to their website, the cleaning gel contains calendula, a plant treatment for anti-inflammatory. It was very gentle on my skin, at the same time, strong enough to remove make-ups. The moisturizer lotion was 3-in-1, too. It protected against the pollution, wrinkles and improves skin radiance, and I could use on my eye area! What I discovered was that they were perfect for dry, winter weather, but it was too oil to use for summer. They lasted about 4 weeks, and my skin appearance was noticeable improved! I even got complements from total strangers!:)

OPI Barefoot in barcelona

OPI Espana collection - Barefoot in Barcelona
It is a nude chocolate cream color in my eyes:). If I put on three coats like in the picture, it turned out to be like a pink brown color. The formula is just awesome, and the color is so creamy. I still need sometime to get a hang of the right amount though. Mine turned out to be too thick, and it actually chipped the next day.:) It probably because I had too many coats on, the dry time was insanely long. I like this color for summer, especially if I got a nice tan on!

Clarins HydraQuench Cream

Where I live, we have harsh winter last about for 5 months.:) In my work place they use a central air conditioning system, we have almost none air circulation . The combination is lethal to my skin. I had dry, super sensitive skin with horrible redness! That was before I got this magical face cream!



Clarins HydraQuench Cream

It has a very rich texture that you may have to massage it into your face so it can be completely absorbed. The smell is like a flora perfume kind. I used it as a day/night cream. It still lasted about 2.5 months! I remember I read it somewhere that the ingredients in Clarins aren't as sweet as they claim. Lots lots harsh chemicals, you know what I mean. I have to be honest, whatever works for me I will definitely repurchase.

FYI, if anybody interested of finding out the safety of your cosmetic, here is the link:
http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/

Dan Black - Karate Kid

Nars dual ended lip gloss + Bourjois and Gosh Mascaras

The summer is here, and I need to do some cleanings starting with my makeup. I hate to keep make-ups i no longer use. Compulsively, I've to throw them out, and I figure it would be nice I could keep a record of them.

Nars dual ended lip gloss - Giza/Boogie Nights

I hate it! I hardly ever used it. It didn't smell nice, the colors looked horrible, and it is just way overpriced for its sticky quality. Giza is a soft pale color. It has no shimmer, just sheer. In other words, it has no color! Boogie Nights is a metallic berry color. Same thing as Giza, very very sticky and stinks.



Bourjois Mascara - Volume Clubbing Ultra Black

As the name suggested, wearing it at night! It smudges on me, but I haven't found anything not. It does truly gives volume, but the thick formula makes it clumpy. All in all, with a lash comb in hand, it's not too bad.

Gosh Mascara - Amazing Length'n Build

It does nothing more than a $8 one from any drugstore brand. I bought it in a fun color, like the jet-blue. I mostly wear with my fake lashes for some drama.:) Buyers beware! I just find out this product has been RECALLED in Europe in 2009!!

Here is the link:
http://recalledproducts.org/recall/view/gosh-mascara-amazing-lengthn-build

KoKo restaurant + bar

Last Saturday, we had dinner at KoKo restaurant + bar with a group of our friends. Personally, I love the layout of this restaurant. Half private dinning area, half lounge & club. The reservation I made through opentable.com which is really convenient, especially when I couldn't get anybody on the phone.:)

We arrived 8:45 sharp, and didn't get our food until finishing two bottle of wines. It didn't really bother us, but anyone who is going should be aware they have this "sharing concept" which they served everything ordered at once. So you would want to at least have some crackers handy in your clutch!:)

For starter, I had "Asian pear and watercress salad" with yuzu vinaigrette which is a lemon, orange flavored dressing. It was fine. The pear was bit too soft, and the dressing was bit too light. R had "Vegetable samosas with yogurt dip", and "Grilled angus beef steak". They were just fine, nothing special; but I really want to talk about the "Tuna tartar" and "Unagi and sockeye salmon roll" I had for my main dishes. They were excellent! The tartar was served with potato chips. It was crisp and fresh. My sushi was wonderfully delicious with right amount of sweetness. For dessert, I shared a "Pineapple crumble with coconut ice cream" with R. The ice cream was great, but the pineapple was too sweet for me. All in all, the menu is plenty of choice. You can come up with different sides with any main dishes.

Everything was supposedly be pretty good except R found his credit card was being charged $10 more today. We don't really know what happened exactly. It could be just a honest mistake which I'm hoping for. He is gonna call them, and let's see how things sort out.

Toronto

I was in the city for a weekend with R. I hadn't been to Toronto for two years. It was even stranger than before. I never liked the downtown area, the huge blocks and the "threw together" restaurants. But I always enjoy the street cars, especially the one goes through Queen street. R wants to move, and I would probably be better-off if I do, too. It's not easy when I have so many attachments here. I don't really know what's gonna happen. At the mean time, he hasn't find a job in Toronto yet.

Back from vacation

I can't believe the last post was in February.

Until March this year, I hadn't had any sort of vacation for almost three years. It's just very refreshing to finally take a "break" lasted about two months.:) I went away, and literally away. No facebook, no youtube, no blogs, and most impressively no balckberry! I'm not gonna lie, and it wasn't that convenient at first (some of my friends even thought I went m.i.a.:). I made it through the entire trip.

It was totally in relax-nation when I got home, but did I have any new perspectives and insights on my life? I guess it wasn't that kind of "zen".:)