Molton Brown - Naran Ji

I've always liked Molton Brown bathing brand but their products do not come cheap.  As I am living on a student budget, I don't think I am ready to splurge £15 on a hand wash  just yet. Oh well, gotta love being a student!

Anyhow, as a member of the Middle Temple (one of the Inns of Court in the United Kingdom - where I will be called to the bar once my course has finished), we're spoilt with the luxury of having Molton Brown handwash everywhere in the wash room/changing room. My friend Aaron really likes the smell of Naran Ji handwash from Molton Brown. He once told me that whenever he's in the changing room, he would normally use four to five pumps each time he washes his hands. Nope, he does not have OCD just obsessed with the smell. 

So, knowing that he really likes the smell of  the Naran Ji hand wash, I thought of surprising him with a little gift from Molton Brown.. Tadaa....

Naran Ji handwash and the hand lotion.

Now, how should I describe the scent? I think this handwash has a mixture of citrussy and spicy with undertones of cinnamon. I don't normally like the smell of cinnamon but this one is not overpowering at all. However, I personally think that the smell is more suitable for men than it is for women.

As for the lotion, I had a quick sniff in the shop and I could say that the smell is extremely mild. - which is good as you don't want it to clash with your perfume. Although it can be quite runny, it is easy to use as it has a pump-action dispenser. What I love most about this lotion is that it is very light, non-greasy and absorbs into the skin in seconds!

Packaging wise, Molton Brown manage to keep the packaging minimal. Their clear/transparent plastic bottles are just classy and they will definitely look lovely on show in the bathroom! I do think that they will make a very good Christmas present. I also like the fact that they come with a very cute bag with a little ribbon to tie it together. This way, there is no wrapping nightmare to deal with!  

Beautiful and Elegant = Blair Waldorf

I am a huge fan of Gossip Girl and Blair is definitely my favourite! I still think that she is one of the prettiest woman I have ever seen on TV! I love her beautiful doe eyes, high cheekbones and oh so perfect porcelain complexion. I may have a crush on her at one point. I mean, who doesn't? Here are some of her best outfit and make up that I adore soo much!

Some people may say that Serena has a better wardrobe but I personally prefer Blair's. I mean, both have different styles so I can't really judge. Serena is more towards a boho-chic style or Kate Moss's inspired whilst Blair is more of a preppy kind of style with a feminine and elegant touch. And she only wears dresses and skirts (never seen here wearing a pair of jeans before!). Now, if only I could actually shop their closets!

1,2,3 Cheese!

I went to a wedding last weekend and it was my very first invitation to an English white wedding in the UK! It was not a lavish one but everyone was definitely enjoying their time dancing to some 80s songs! Anyway, this post is just to tell you guys how pleased I was to see the photos that were taken by Steven Oliver, the photographer that night. He took some shots of Adam and I and these are the outcomes.

Steve the photographer is a very pleasant man and friendly. He was also kind to give us a second copy of the photo for free. Well, he was having a buy one get one free promotion for a month but we missed it! But when me made an order, Adam got two copies for one! In terms of the price, they are very reasonable. So why don't you check him out? Click here to see more of his work. :)

Chloe Perfume

Another present that I got on my birthday was a perfume by Chloe. I pretty much fall head over heels for this perfume when I was in Sephora in Champs-Elysees (Paris), but I never got it. I did put it in my birthday list instead (in which I was torn between this one and Rose, The One by D&G).

(My man got this perfume for me)

I've always liked perfumes with fresh smell, not too sweet but yet, girly. I also like some fruity perfumes too. Chloe has all the scents I love. It is light, fresh, fruity and it has floral scent too. It is not overpowering and won't suffocate anyone around you, promise! It is definitely a versatile fragrance that suits both day and night, be it summer, winter, spring or fall.

Last but not least, the packaging. How can you not love it! It is feminine and elegant, simple yet classy! I just love the silver band around the top that ties in a knot! The clear bottle with Chloe into the metal just adores me. Such a perfect design. Gotta love Chloe!

Boots No 7 Intelligent Balance Mousse Foundation

I bought No 7 Intelligent Balance Mousse Foundation a couple of months ago but never actually used it. So today I decided to try it and... I am disappointed.

First, the shade is totally wrong for my skin tone at the moment. I have gone two shades darker (travelling doesn't help at all) and I am/was NC30 in Mac. I got the shade in 30 Almond and it proves to be too light for my skin. Fail!

(You can see that my forehead is way darker than the rest of my face)

Although to be fair, this foundation glides on my skin easily giving me a flawless finish. It is so light that you'd never think that you have any make up on! It also gives full coverage without looking cakey at all. So if you have blemishes or post-blemish marks, this foundation works better than any of the No7 foundation that I have tried so far.

The only downside, apart from the shade - which was my own fault, it does make my t-zone shiny after a while. It's no big deal really as you can always touch-up using some loose powder or blotting powder to reduce the shine.

Overall I think this foundation is worth a try, provided that you found the right shade for you skin tone. :) For £11, it is a definite bargain considering how big the pot is! Have a good day everyone.

Soap and Glory

I turned 24 earlier this month! I am not complaining because it was the BEST birthday I have ever had. Even though I didn't celebrate with my family back home, I have my sister, my boyfriend and his family and our closest friends to celebrate with. Anyway, my sister got me beautiful presents (and so did everyone else) but for the sake of this blog, I am not gonna brag about every single thing that I got. I am just going to share with you the things that are worth reviewing.

First - Arc de Triumph 2 in 1 Brow Sharper and Highlighter

I found that a perfect eyebrow pencil is difficult to find, at least for me. They can either be too light or too dark for by eyebrow colour. Even when I have found the closest shade, it doesn't fill my eyebrows nicely and often they can look too 'drawn on'. This one however seems to have the perfect shade for my eyebrows. Do you think it was just luck? Who knows. Not only that it has the perfect shade, it is smudge-proof, long lasting and it fills in the sparse spots naturally as if I have never filled them.

It's not creamy so it doesn't glide easily. Some people find this annoying as you have to press hard and I heard that this could result in brow hair loss? I personally like it hard and non creamy as it helps me get a precise and sharp eyebrows. The pink highlighter is very useful too. I won't use it on everyday basis though. I will only use it on a night out - to add more definition to my eyelid and give me a sharp looking eyebrow.

The only downside about this item is that it has small particles of glitter and you can actually see them through your brow. I don't know why anyone would want shimmery eyebrow! It may look good during the summer but not for winter.

Verdict: 4 out of 5

Second is the Scrub Your Nose In It

I have only used this scrub about 5 times only but so far, I have no bad reaction to it. I first thought that it is meant for your nose only. I really don't see the purpose of having two different scrubs - one for your nose and another one for the whole face. What a waste of money! However, upon reading the instructions, you can use this as a face scrub AND also as a mask. Isn't that cool?

I have to say that this scrub surprises me. It has extremely fine particles (probably the finest I have ever tried), glides very easily, and has slightly minty scent. The best thing about this product is that it comes off easily with just several splashes. I don't know about you but most of my scrubs left me with some bits and residue on my skin.

The result is pretty noticeable. My slightly congested and dull looking skin now looks fresh and brighter. A good exfoliator helps remove dead skin cells giving out a healthy looking skin and I think that this scrub did a good job!

Verdict :4.5 out of 5

Last one is Scent-Sationalism

I don't really have much thing to say about this product apart from their amazing smell. My favourite one is the one in the middle - Spray on body moisturising mist. It smells sooo good and it lasts all day! You probably won't need perfume when you have this on your body. It also moisturises my skin pretty well (may not beat my Garnier Hydralock lotion) although your skin could get sticky if you sprayed too much.

Verdict: 3 out of 5

My sister has always been a fan of Soap and Glory and I am now too! I love the retro style packaging and their unique names which remind me of Benefit. For a drug store brand, the price is not cheap at all but not overly extortionate either. I am so excited to try other stuff and will definitely put some on my Christmas list!

Glycolic Acid

I started having acne when I was 20 and believe me when I say that I have had countless treatments and magic solutions to try and get rid of these horrendous spots, but never succeeded! Clinique, Liz Earle, Origins, Body Shop Tea Tree, Dr Nick Lowe, you name it! Some of them worked but only temporarily, some of them had no effect at all and others just made my acne worse.

Now and again, my skin still plagued me but it has definitely gotten better than ever. I still have pimples occasionally and there are visible reddish scars on my cheeks (and they are fading) but I don't have as much acne as I did back then.

So this is what I have been using.

Glycolic Acid 15% Glycolic Acid Night Treatment

I know people say that you shouldn't use 'acid' on your skin but I personally think that it depends on the individual. As for me, I don't see any problem applying chemicals or acid on my skin as long as I use them correctly with the right amount each day. This night cream has 15% of glycolic acid only - not high at all.

So when do I use this cream?

This is a night treament (as it says on the tub - night cream) and I apply it before going to bed. I found that this cream is thicker than some other night creams so I only apply a thin layer and the whole tub lasts a good 6month.

Pros:

After 1 month, I can see ALOT of improvements. First, some of my scars have faded away especially the ones on my cheeks. It almost balanced out my skin tone too. Second, I rarely break out anymore! Even if I did, they are just small spots that are hardly noticeable! Third, it has definitely reduced excess oil from my face and made my make up last longer! Last but not least, there are hardly any blackheads on my skin! Can you believe it? I don't know which ingredients did that miraculous thing but I promise that I have not seen any bleackheads eversince I started using this product.

Cons:

I noticed that my face got soo greasy when I woke up in the morning. This didn't happen once, not even twice but almost a week. However, my face did turn normal after that.

It can dry out your skin soo bad and you can see fine lines which makes people think that you have wrinkles. This is not a big problem as a good moisturiser would do the job properly.

Overall:

If you have oily and acne-prone skin, this might be good for you. Do not worry too much about 'harsh' chemicals in this night cream as it has a very low percentage of glycolic acid. For less than £15, I'd say go ahead and give this miraculous product a try. I have just finished my first tub and I am waiting for my next one as they are currently out of stock. It has helped me alot and hope it will help you too!

My lips like sugar

I probably have the worst lips in the world. It's dry, sensitive and 90% of the time, chapped. I don't really know what causes it. I have increased my water intake, I take supplements everyday and I hardly ever wear any lipstick. Ah, lipsticks are a total pain in the bum! Most of them seem to make my lips so chapped. It looks great for a day, and overnight I get pain and flaking lips that will last for several days. I have tried different brands but nothing seems to make my lips any better. Because of my sensitive lips, I opt for the pink Vaseline to give some colour to my lips. The only problem is that it doesn't last very long.

As I was searching for its cure on the internet, I found Body Shop Shea Lip Butter. It has beeswax which is good in treating and preventing dry, chapped lips. It comes in a cute small pot of 10ml and has a screw lid, making it a lot much easier to open. I honestly loathe vaselines packaging. One day, I spent ages trying to open it and because of that I had to use my teeth! ewww... Anyway, they have other flavours too such as mango, strawberry, coconut etc. I personally chose Shea lip butter because I thought it was more of a winter thing.

Upon using it, I am very impressed with it's rich texture. It also leaves my lips feeling soft and smooth almost all day. As it is rich and buttery, you don't have to put much on your lips (at least not when you are out as you would probably be walking in public with white lips!) making it lasts a fair amount of time. So far this is definitely my favourite. The packaging, size, texture and smell.. all good for me.

The only downside of this lip butter is that it does not contain SPF and it melts easily in warm temperature. So it is definitely not right for summer.

Maya

xoxo

Fuller, Luscious Hair

I have naturally straight hair and I am blessed that I never had to experience any sorts of damaged, brittled or split ends (touch wood). As much as I consider myself as lucky, I don't have thick full hair that is much desired. My hair is super fine and when it's gone flat, it is as flat as a pancake! So you all know the misery of making it look, well, less dead.

A couple of months ago, I found James Brown London haircare range in Boots. I heard a few good reviews about it (apart from it being inspired by Kate Moss) so I decided to try the thickening shampoo and the mousse.

When I first started using it, I was abit disappointed. It has a manly scent and it didn't lather much. I was told that because it is a gentle cleanser, there is no inexpensive foaming agents such as Sodium laureth sulfate or lauryl sulfate that will create lather. So the next day, I took a close look at the bottle and discovered those two stuff are in the ingredients. Shocking! Or perhaps there is only a little amount of those stuff? I don't know.

Upon my second and third usage, my sister noticed some changes to my hair. My hair was a lot much thicker and voluminous! I noticed it too so I continued using it for the rest of the month (despite the manly scent). I would also apply the Volumising Mousse onto my damp hair if I plan to go out and style my hair. Mousse would normally leave me with sticky and oily hair but definitely not with this one. However, it does leave my hair feeling tacky and stiff after a long day outdoor. The good thing about this moose is that it doesn't make my hair greasy and because the hair is full and voluminous, the curl holds beautifully!

A month after, I noticed that my hair has gone back to normal. Dead. Ahh.. it can be a tedious task searching for the best and right shampoo for my hair. I might just get a body perm next time. So for now, I am using Aussie. It does add some volume to my hair but not sure how long it lasts before it starts losing its effect. Although it is not the best smelling shampoo, it keeps my hair smelling nice!

So would I recommend people buying James Brown London haircare products? Maybe not the shampoo if you like bubbles and nice-smelling hair but definitely the mousse!

Maya

xoxo

Hello beautiful people..

Warm weather is upon us and I was rather pleased with the lovely weather here in the UK. Now that I am close to graduating, lectures are a distant memory and revisions notes have been thrown out of the window - forever! I have finished all my exams and I have the whole summer stretching out in front of me like a big warm beach. So to prevent sanity loss, I have decided to keep a (new) blog although I am not sure what this blog will be focusing on. For now, I will put up reviews about anything that I can get my hands on which will mainly be beauty related stuff but I will probably end up talking about things in my life too. I'd be very surprise if anyone actually bothers to read my rambling so I try not to over-do it.

So bear with me and I hope you enjoy reading my blog...

Maya

xoxo